Hello beautiful peoples!

I hope you are feeling spring's sweet courtship right now. Although there is a chill, new life is chomping at the bit and ready to go! I am enjoying more sunlight. Welcome spring, we're ready for you. If you are new to the mailing list, welcome I am glad that you are here.

New Music:

 
SMH

My Patreon supporters got first listen, and now my new song is available to all! SMH (Shaking My Head) is a funky country song about a woman has had enough of a trifflin' relationship. It was a lot of fun to write and fulfills my sassy sensibilities. You can listen and purchase at Bandcamp

 
Message in the Moon

And if you missed it, you can also check out my previous single, Message in the Moon. It's not a song about the Lunar New Year, but if you're celebrating the incoming Year of the Dragon, happy new year to you! 

I'd love to hear your thoughts on both songs! 

Upcoming:
In March I am delighted to share the stage with songwriter and guitarist Syd Smith. We will be doing a show of originals - acoustic style. Syd's a terrific songwriter! It will be a fun evening. We'd love to have you join us. 
When? March 9th 7pm - 9pm  
Where? C&P Coffee shop , 5612 California Avenue SW, Seattle, WA 98136

Stay fabulous! 

Upcoming shows

Hey Seattle Fans: This Wednesday, Dec. 6, I will be performing with some of my friends at the Seattle Center of Spiritual Living. Our Soul of the Season show is an interfaith celebration of the season. With music director Jake Sele, this is great way to inaugurate the holiday season. More information: https://bit.ly/46fe5i4

Tickets are going fast and I would love to see you.

New Music! 

My new single “It's Not About You” is out on Monday Dec. 4 on my Bandcamp page. I wrote it a couple of years ago in response to bad behavior from a particular political leader. Like many, I was angry and appalled by the sense of entitlement that was being expressed.  After deep breaths and a little prayer, writing a song seems like the best medicine both for myself and to lift the vibration of the world. Today while shopping, the salesperson shared that he wrote a song after I told him I was a musician. He too shared that he was overwhelmed with what was happening during the pandemic and just wanted to “say something.” I knew and know that feeling. I always feel better after writing a song. I hope you enjoy it! 

This past weekend, I had the honor of being a part of a memorial service. Depending on where the family is in their grieving process and who the presider is, services can vary in emotional intensity. My job, as I see it is to provide a musical soundtrack to set the tone for folks to celebrate and/or say goodbye to their loved ones.

The service I attended was dedicated to a father who exemplified a life well-lived. He was family-oriented, actively involved in his community, and sincerely enjoyed his career. His living rippled and touched many lives. His memorial was a perfect blend of laughter, tears, and inspiration. Listening to the many tributes and shared memories from family and friends, I hoped that he knew how much he was loved and appreciated.

During the service, the eldest daughter expressed appreciation for the outpouring of support. She encouraged everyone present to tell their loved ones how much they appreciate them, in specific and meaningful ways. The message was not shared in regret but as a simple reminder. I recently came across a quote that resonated with her ask: "Success breeds complacency." Our relationships,  built on openness, honesty, and reciprocity, can sometimes be taken for granted unintentionally. The human mind is forgetful and inattentive. Untethered, it can lead us to overlook the love and support we receive from those who embody the feeling of home for us.

Let's not wait until death memorials to remind us of the importance of expressing appreciation for gifts given. Instead, let us seize every opportunity to tell our loved ones and those who are part of the daily landscape that makes our lives sweeter how much they mean to us. Sharing our appreciation of others' influence and gifts to our lives enriches everyone involved with depth and meaning. The act of expressing our gratitude and affection has the power to breathe life into everyone it touches.

So bring it on! Bring on the “thank you” and the “you rock because...”!

There is no F grade in this department. Every one gets an A+.

Now go, be fabulous!
 

One of my favorite people Kizzie Jones, saw my cat stickers online and asked: “Where are the pups?"

Well, ask, and you shall receive! Kizzie loves Dachshunds.  What other critters do I need to draw?

Upcoming shows

There are some fun shows coming up in November; please visit lavonhardison.com for more details.

Monday, November 6^th Eagles Club, Olympia -Go here to RSVP: https://fb.me/e/Tf3XdF9c

Wednesday, November 8^th, Table 47, Gig Harbor

Saturday, November 25, Frederick Holmes Gallery, Seattle  

I hope to see you at one (or more!) of these! 
 

I recently stumbled upon a fascinating podcast that pulled me into its gravity well. As a fan of stories like Star Trek and the Expanse, I have always enjoyed imaginative science fiction. NASA's Johnson Space Center podcast, aptly named "Houston, we have a podcast," opened my eyes to the thrill of learning about real-life space missions. 

One episode in particular captured my imagination; The episode titled "Return of OREEx: Part 2"   delves into the first US attempt to collect a sample from an asteroid. On September 24, 2023, the spacecraft returned to Earth, carrying samples from the asteroid Bennu and plopping them down in the Utah desert. As I listened to these passionate scientists, I couldn't help but wonder: what if we faced our own challenges with the same curiosity and expectation? 

Listening to these dedicated scientists talk about their discoveries and the potential for problem-solving left me downright bubbly with inspiration. It reminded me that embracing challenges with a positive and curious mindset can transform my experiences. Instead of dreading problems, I  can view them as opportunities for growth and exploration. I know it may sound a bit corny; who wants to embrace a spikey problem? But dragging myself down with dread doesn't work very well either. It's a new season. I am going to try imbibing the NASA scientist spirit! Who's with me?!!  

Are you facing a problem? Can you find a way to embrace the unknown with curiosity, expecting a solution to unfold?  Please share you inspiration; I would love to hear from you!  

Music news.…
I'll be releasing another new song in the next couple of weeks. Keep an eye out!  

Stickers
On a non-music note, I have gone down this rabbit hole of new delights: creating stickers. I don't know why they delight me so, but what can I say? Here are some of my seasonally appropriate-creations: 

Projects
My recent Town Hall song, Let Me Live Myself Again,  in response to Idrissa Simmond's beautiful untitled poem and was so fun. I got to make music with guitarist songwriter Cyd Smith. We will be doing more projects together in the new year. Here I am, cheezing with the beautiful Idrissa.
 

Shows
Many church gigs coming up (I do love using music to inspire people!); a couple others of note are Brother Don's in Bremerton Oct. 30, and a rare Olympia show at the Eagles Hall Nov. 6. See my calendar for all the details. 

That's it for now. I hope your autumn has been full of beauty and wonder so far. 

Hello friend!

September is here, believe it or not!

In our household, we have been enjoying the bounty of the yard. With a fenced yard, the deer have not been stealing our groceries, like they have in the past. So we have been enjoying tomatoes and flowers and apples and other things that would have been budless nubs pre-fence. I have seen deer pass by the yard, perhaps the grandchildren of the bold deer that used to use our yard like a buffet. I imagine that they are giving a nostalgic tour of fine eateries: “Ah this use to be a good restaurant, but now it's boarded up, what a shame.” I am sorry for their loss, but I do feel a certain delight as they pass the gate looking like poor urchins.

August was a beautiful music full month for me. I performed at the Brecon Jazz Festival in Wales!

I saw and met some wonderful local musicians. I performed with the Glen Manby Quartet; sang with the Monmouth Big Band led by trombonist Gareth Roberts. I also sang with the wonderful Alive and Kickin' community choir led by Tanya Walker, and I did a workshop in Cardiff. It was a bit of a whirlwind of a trip and I am forever changed! The Brecon Jazz Festival has been around since 1984 and it completely transforms this usual quiet little town in to a grand musical party. The Brecon Fringe Festival happened the same week, making the seams of the town burst with activity.

I returned from Wales, and was off to Seabeck Conference Center to be a resident artist at the Seattle Center of Spiritual Living's yearly community retreat! A week full of community building, workshops, and music. I had not been to camp since I was a kid! Camp is good!

Happy to be back home now, and eager to see how the upcoming months will unfold.

Patreon 
Last month, I released a new single – Center of my Gravity –  and my Patreon Posse got the first listening. It is a delicious pop tune that was really fun to write and sing. If you haven't heard it yet, you can go to Bandcamp and listen/download. Please consider a monthly Patreon donation, this money helps immensely in creating, recording new material. There are various contribution levels. Visit Patreon

Upcoming 
On Saturday, September 30, I will be one of the Bushwick Book Club's musicians presenting an original song. This is a collaboration between Hedgebrook, Bushwick and Seattle Arts & Lectures to present “Great Minds: On the Unreliable Narrator, the Necessity of Joy, and What Doesn't Make the Cut” featuring authors Ijeoma Oluo, Sonora Jha, and Idrissa Simmonds-Nastili. I'm writing a song in response to a beautiful poem by Idrissa Simmonds-Nastili. Tickets (in-person and livestream) are available from Town Hall Seattle.

I hope that you have been blooming well where ever you be!

Thanks for reading and Do Be Fabulous!

Howdy all!

I am sitting on the sofa marveling at the natural yoga of my cat. How does that leg bend behind… never mind.

New Release
Here is  a new song that was recorded at Jack Straw Cultural Center and produced by Tim Kennedy. Center of My Gravity is inspired by  Seattle author Helen K. Thompson's short story, “Maybe This Time.” 

Wonderful personnel on this one:
Tim Kennedy - piano/keys
Hans Teuber - horns
Brad Gibson - drums
Ian Sheridan - bass
produced by Tim Hunter

Listen / download / read lyrics at Bandcamp

Travels
This month I'll be at the Brecon Jazz Festival in Wales, with two main performances if you happen to be in the area:
Aug. 11 @ Castle Hotel, Brecon 
Aug. 13 @ Theatr Brycheiniog, Brecon  

Unfortunately, these shows will not be streamed. Next post, I will be sure to include some pictures and maybe some video.  

Keep tabs on other upcoming shows at lavonhardison.com/shows

And as always, stay fabulous! 

Hello! Friend!

I have been tip-toeing thru the tulips. Took a little nap and overslept. 

I hope your relaxing time has been most satisfying!

Patreon!
I am excited to share that I have a presence on Patreon. If you like the work that I am doing now and would like to support me on my music journey, I would love to have you along for this creative ride. Please consider becoming a supporter of my Patreon. (Note: there are prizes!)
Learn more here.

Projects
One of the projects that is close to my heart is Bushwick Book Club Seattle. I love their mission:  "The Bushwick Book Club Seattle delivers literature, music, and songwriting to the Seattle community while building the next generation of musicians and readers."

I can definitely support that. My association with them has been so good for disciplining and inspiring my songwriting. What do they offer? A good book to read and a deadline to get the related song finished! Many of the songs on my EP were written as a result of Bushwick shows.

Reading a book and having to write about it makes me read more carefully. It is also a lot of fun to hear others share their musical interpretation of the book. The creative camaraderie is really inspiring. I recently participated in the reading of William Least Heat-Moon's Blue Highways: A Journey into America at Town Hall Seattle. Keep an eye on Bushwick's Youtube page for a replay of the event.

Upcoming gigs
On Saturday, June 10^th I'll be performing several sets between 5pm and 9pm at White Barn Home and Garden, 23611 NE WA-3 in Belfair, WA.

On Monday June 12th, I'll be at Brother Don's Bar and Grill, 4200 Kitsap Way, Bremerton, WA from 6-9pm

The New Traditions concert in March was sold out! For those of you who came out to that show, thank you so much! It was a lot of fun -- one of the highlights of the show for me was the opportunity to have wonderful singer-songwriter Cyd Smith open. You can learn more about her here. I also had an opportunity to perform with Cyd again at the beginning of the month in Jackstraw's Singer-Songwriter showcase. Cyd and I performed acoustic versions of songs from my new EP Earthseed! You can catch our set on Youtube.

Correction:
In my last email to ya'll I mentioned that New Traditions in Olympia was no longer having live performances in their space. Thankfully, this is not true. Live performances will still be going on at New Traditions and that wonderful space is available for rental if you are looking for space for a special event.

Projects
Earthseed is available! This 5-song EP can be found on my website and Bandcamp. Rainy Day Records in downtown Olympia is also carrying it. This project was produced by Tim Kennedy. Thank you to Jack Straw Artist Support Program for the residency that allowed me to record in their facility. I am very proud of this project. My inner songwriter finally got let off the leash and got to run around. This collection is not jazz per se, but it does have jazz influences and if you've been following my music, I think you'll see it as a natural evolution. I hope you enjoy it; I would love to hear what you think!

Patreon
The Earthseed EP is the first chapter of my new musical book and I could use your help. I am working on new songs, and I want to do more recordings of my original material and some themed shows that I'll talk about later. Would you support me financially on Patreon? Your modest contribution would be a great help to make this happen. My Patreon account will be live on April 14th and I'll send more details then.

Workshop
I am delighted to be teaching a workshop with Rev. Patric Creelman called Your Poems, Your Prayers: Giving Voice to Your Listening.  We'll come together for four evenings centered around prayer, reflection, writing, silence, music, and sharing poems to inspire you on our spiritual journey. Let's share our favorite poems and prayers and write new ones as we explore what our souls have to say.

When: Wednesdays, Apr 26-May 17, 6:30-8:00 pm PT

Location: Center for Spiritual Living Fellowship Hall, 6318 Linden Ave North, Seattle (this is an in-person class)

Learn more and Register here: http://bit.ly/3MrCryW

Select Upcoming Gigs:

April 17th: Brother Dom's, Bremerton 6-9 pm

April 26th: Your Poems, Your Prayers: Giving Voice to your Listening with LaVon Hardison and Patric Creelman, at Center for Spiritual Living, Seattle 6:30-8pm (first of four weekly workshops)

May 14th: A Musical Celebration of Mother's Day with LaVon Hardison and Chava Mirel, at Center for Spiritual Living, Seattle 6:30-8 pm

View full calendar