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Recordings
(Click on the picture to find out more about each recording.)
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(Click the button below to view ordering information and print out a handy order form.)
Songs of Weaving, Farming, and Spirituality
1993 (Re-issued in 2001 on Compact Disc)
"Sometimes out of the blue someone sends me a tape and there is something stunning about it..... When I hear folk music I'm used to hearing it a bit out of tune and I know where to expect that "out of tuneness" and it's shocking to hear all of it in tune, it's really fun!"
Sandy Bradley, KUOW NationalPublic Radio Program Host
"Clarity...beauty, simplicity and depth. These are some of the gifts offered by this memorable group. They have penetrating presence and a lovely message that lingers long after the concert."
Tom Westbrook, Spokane WA.
"It's one of the few tapes you can listen to over and over and still enjoy it each time."
Marnie Fulmer, Federal Way, WA.
Song List
1.Weaving and Quilting (Allen) (4:04)
2. The Band of Shearers (Keel/Scottish Trad.) (2:10)
3. Pukala Sam Lenek (Croatian) (2:01)
4. The Weaver is Handsome (English Trad.) (3:22)
5. The Weaver (Canadian Trad.) (2:01)
6. Old Woman is Watching (Troup) (4:45)
7. Sheepshearing (English Trad.) (2:04)
8. We Are the Flow (Budapest) (2:23)
9. The Dance Goes On (Unknown source) (1:54)
10. We Are a Wheel (Bingen/Wendelborn) (2:12)
11. Child Within (Hills) (4:04)
12. Take Me Back (Appalachian Trad.) (2:39)
13. Mountain Field (Sutherland) (3:49)
14. Lovely Agnes (Rogers) (2:53)
15. Dancing Dakota (Suchy) (4:15)
16. Farewell My Friends (Shape Note Trad.) (1:31)
This is the trio's first album, recorded in1993. The recording arose from one of the group's first concerts, sung at Nadine's thesis weaving show entitled, "The Spirituality of the Rural LifeCycle", at the Oregon School of Arts and Crafts. Carla Sciaky had compiled a wonderful recording called Spin the Weaver's Song from which we included five of the same songs on "Straw into Gold" . The rest of the songs were chosen because they related to Nadine's growing up on a farm in the Midwest and the weavings she created for her thesis installation.
The name of the group and this first album drew together how we saw our music taking shape: women singing about weaving and spirituality. We liked earthy images and wanted something clever, memorable, catchy. We became Straw Into Gold. It captures the notion of spinning fiber, of women's myths (Rumpelstiltskin) and spiritual alchemy.
Sharon Golden: violin
Laurie Miller: flute, vocals
Nadine Sanders: vocals
Pam Sloper: guitar, keyboard, vocals
Engineered at: Fresh Tracks Studio
Cover Art: Carl Ebeling
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Substance and Essence
1995
"The recording is exquisite and I've played it dozens of times already."
Chris Glaser, Atlanta
"They convey lovely joyous sounds.Triad harmonies are warm, accurate and carry you to heartfelt space. Arrangements are clean and simple with the strength in the a cappella singing."
Chris Lunn, Victory MusicReview
"There's a time in puberty when girls feel the need to be alone and somewhat melancholy. They spend a lot of time listening to music. My daughter (age 12) spends hours listening to this tape & singing along.There's a floating, introspective feeling...you're not really thinking, you are being."
Pat Spark, Albany, Oregon
Song List
1. A Sound Arises (Wright/Sloper) (1:40)
2. Song For Summer Solstice (Roderick) (2:14)
3. Palouse Lullaby (Muller) (4:02)
4. O, Little Children (Shaker Hymn) (2:21)
5. Alone She Cuts and Binds the Grain(Wordsworth/Missouri Harmony) (2:22)
6. As Wing to Bird (Songs of Bengali/Sloper) (3:32)
7. The Barn Owl (Miller) (3:14) lyrics
8. Home is With You (Miller) (4:16) lyrics
9. Sing to the Baby (Elwood) (2:14)
10. Spirit of God (Winter) (4:22)
11. A Core of Silence (Reilly) (2:00)
12. Body is the Temple (Roderick) (2:08)
13. Singer of Life (Native American words and melody) (1:59)
14. Turn Ye Seasons (Barnes) (2:42)
15. All That is Gold (Williams) (3:03)
16. Sisters Now Our Meeting is Over (Unknown source) (2:40)
Selected Substance and Essence lyrics
Substance & Essence...... "Folk music without flaws" best describes the sound of Straw Into Gold. From children to grandmas, the appeal of this trio is harmony. When you hear their 3 voices blending, it takes you to a heartfelt place. The music speaks of home, friends, family, farming, the seasons, weaving, quilting, and spirituality.
All classically trained musicians, these women bring clarity, purity, and depth to their songs. They sing music that's easy tolisten to and inviting to sing along with. Their music satisfies a broad range of audiences, from folk festivals to corporate dinners. After hearing Straw Into Gold, the tunes might be forgotten, but the substance remains.
Laurie Miller: flute and vocals
Randy Prevost: concertina
Nadine Sanders: vocals
Joseph Siegel: fiddle
Pam Sloper: guitar and vocals
David Thompson: acoustic bass/alto flute
Engineered at:Fresh Tracks Studio
Mastered at:Super Duper Photography by:Kirby Zicafoose
Cover Artwork:"Flight Into Egypt" handwoven wool rug, Mary Zicafoose
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1998
"Sweet harmonies wash over me with the healing power of a clear mountain waterfall. What a gift!"<
Linda Allen, Bellingham
"These women seem to have a rare feel for each other's singing and their ensemble is as perfect as it gets."
Cathy Britell, Seattle
"With Love's Ripening, Straw Into Gold provides a bounteous harvest of song, along with the promising seeds of new directions.Highly recommended."
Frank Gosar, "The Saturday Cafe" host, KLCC, Eugene
Song List
1. The Burning Tree (Beal) (5:09)
2. Together We Fly (Miller) (3:19) lyrics
3. Where is the Moon (Reardon) (1:05)
4. A Song for All Lovers (Denver) (4:24)
5. Thanksgiving Eve (Franke) (2:48)
6. Blessings for Elinor Jeanne (Miller) (3:17) lyrics Download RealAudio Sample
7. I Have a Million Nightingales(Darwish/Hirschhorn) (2:07)
8. Silken Dreams (Hills) (4:12)
9. Twilight's Ease (Miller) (4:15) lyrics Download RealAudio Sample
10. A 13th Century Love Lilt (Traditional) (1:34)
11. Wild Nights (Dickinson/Sloper) (2:31)
12. Lonely With You (N.C. Sanders) (2:55) lyrics Download RealAudio Sample
13. Have a Good Life (Brewer/Shipley) (3:33)
14. The Great Folk Round (Sagan Bell) (2:36)
15. Spinning Straw Into Gold (M.D.Sanders/Tashian) (4:54)
Selected Love's Ripening lyrics
If you don't have the RealAudio player, youcan obtain it here:
In Straw Into Gold's third release, Love's Ripening, these three women continue singing their signature harmonies with clarity,sweetness and depth. Departing somewhat from familiar heartfelt themes of home and handweaving, this album encompasses a wide array of experience of love lost and won. The tasteful accompaniment of skilled northwest musicians grounds the sound of the strong vocals.
We sowed the seeds of this album in the springof 1997, and the crop took until the fall of 1998 to harvest. In the meantime, Laurie had her own experience of love's ripening, celebrating the birth of her son, Alexander, in the summer of 1998.
Mark Bielman: acoustic bass
Colleen Dick: whistle
Lev Koszegi: doumbek
Laurie Miller: vocals
Heidi Muller: Appalachian dulcimer
Joseph Pusey: doumbek, tambourine
Gary Rowles: guitar
Nadine Sanders: vocals
Joseph Siegel:fiddle
Pam Sloper:guitar and vocals
Jon ten Broek: guitar, autoharp
Produced by: Jon ten Broek
Engineered at: WakeRobin Studio
Mastered at: SuperDigital
Cover Photo: Mount Burns
Woven Harmonies
2001
"I'm so delighted with Woven Harmonies! It's a fine recording - lots of heart and soul - just what is needed in these hard times."
Linda Allen, Bellingham, WA
Song List
1. Tree of Life (Peltoniemi©1983)
Woven Harmonies is the fourth recording from Straw Into Gold. It is an eclectic mix of folk, choral, bluegrass, jazz, spiritual and celtic genres. The music derives its power from the vocal harmonies.
Southwestern Native American potters used a maxim. When the shape of the vessel was pleasing and the form just right, the potters would say, "That pot sings!" A weaving that sings combines the marriage of technique, color, structure and design. A melody that sings is accentuated by vocal and instrumental harmonies. Alone, the human voice has the power to inspire or devestate. The power increases when voices join together in harmony. Dissonance and sweetness are both required to help the message ring true. Music and art come from the same creative place within. Straw Into Gold strives for the combination of the aural and visual to create a lasting effect.
Musicians
Joe Baque: piano
Connie Bunyur: percussion
Jessica Clary: soprano
Lawson Dumbeck: banjo
Rachel Greenspan: alto, harp, piano
Katrina Haeger: alto
David Lange: piano
Anthea Lawrence: fiddle
Steve Luceno: upright bass
Nadine Sanders: soprano
John ten Broek: autoharp, guitar
Produced by: Nadine Sanders with David Lange
Engineered by David Lange Studios, Puyallup, WA
Mastered by: SuperDigital, Portland, OR
Graphics and Design by: Marilyn O'Malley
Cover photo: © Giske Image Design
Harvest Home Weaving by: The Singing Weaver
Portrait Photography by: © Tasha Owen
2004
Song List
1. The Haying Song (Mallett)
2. A Tisket A Tasket (Alexander/Fitzgerald)
3. Jute Mill Song (Brooksbank)
4. Here, By This Fireside (Visher)
5.Walkin’ After Midnight (Hecht/Block)
6. God’s Green Earth (Tashian)
7.The Cross Step Waltz (Sanders)
8. If I Only Had A Brain (Arlen/Harburg)
9. Lemon Tree Yellow Bir d(Holt/Bergman/Luboff)
10. Down To the River To Pray (Metzgar/Zipkin)
11. The Spirit Song (Staines)
12. Along the Navajo Trail (Marks, Charles, De Lange)
Many Moons, Straw Into Gold’s fifth recording, refers to:
The three years of moon cycles it took to make this recording. The earlier recordings feature Katrina, Kristen and Nadine. The later recordings feature the current singers, Lisa, Kristen and Nadine.
The lyrics in many of our songs on this and past recordings that include the word “moon”
When over yonder hill the moon is climbin’
I go out walkin’ after midnight out in the moonlight
Count off the stars and talk to the moon
I long to see the silent night; watch the moon go sailin’ by
Where is the moon when the moon is new?
I see them dancing somewhere in the moonlight
Mellow the moonlight to shine is beginning
I spied a pretty maid by the light of the moon
Lava flow, raging river, windblown trees, moonlit nights
The moon is full, the sky is bright
Bright with silv’ry radiance from the moon
The many styles of music on our most eclectic recording yet…bluegrass, pop, gospel, Celtic, jazz, cowboy and folk
The women who have sung with Straw into Gold since 1993—Laurie, Pam, Jessica, Rachel, Katrina, Kristen, Lisa
As women’s lives are grounded by the cycles of their bodies, so has singing with the women of Straw Into Gold grounded me throughout three decades of my life, from age 29 to present. It’s the releasing of harmonies that resounds most deeply within my soul. Sometimes I touch on this feeling when I’m digging in the dirt, waltzing across the dance floor, designing a weaving, or scaling a rock face. But only in making of music does this sense of being truly centered in the soul linger for more than an instant.
Musicians:
Lisa Beaver: alto
Orville Johnson: guitar, mandolin
David Lange: accordion, piano
Pat Locke: guitar
Steve Luceno: upright bass
Kristen Ramer: mezzo
Nadine Sanders: autoharp, fiddle, soprano
Jon Ten Broek: guitar
David Wahler-Edwards: guitar
Produced by Nadine Sanders
Engineered by David Lange Studios, Puyallup, WA
Mastered at RFI, Seattle, WA
Graphics and Design by Kathy Campbell
Portrait Photography: Tasha Owen and John Gallagher
Cover purple fabric woven by The Singing Weaver
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