I'm working on a new project that draws on my fascination with historical artifacts from the everyday person, such as the antique snapshots, letters, and postcards. Right now I'm planning an autumn 2011 tour of Michigan libraries, performing songs written about items in their own historical archives. Exciting!

Below is a set of songs based on texts and photographs found in the Traverse City Historical Archives.

Nevermind is about a photograph of a woman (written on the back is the year 1909) from the archives. She is leaning back in a chair with her baby and I swear the walls, with their fancy patterned wallpaper, look as if they are padded - which seemed to me to bring a rather mysterious and comical element to the scene.
Maria Amelia is about a photograph of a woman from East Prussia - one who features in several photographs in the collection, taken at various points in her life.
Dear Kid is based on a postcard in the collection. The lyrics are taken almost verbatim from the postcard.
A Course In Poultry is based on multiple sources; a photograph of a group - the course in poultry for 9 weeks in Lansing that's mentioned at the beginning of the song - and a collection of charmingly antique names I put together while looking through the archives.