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With her latest CD, “Daring to Feel Everything”, Holly Almgren masterfully shares and evokes reflections, life experiences and emotions in a rhythmic and fun way. The unforgettable collection of titles she has assembled is unprecedented. Critics say the songs are rhythmic, the lyrics matter, and the melodies persist, so listeners’ first rave reviews come as no surprise. Holly’s experiences earlier in life prepared her for the success and creative expression she enjoys today. Recently I spoke with Holly. We discussed his genesis, his love and passion for music and, of course, his latest release, “Daring to Feel Everything”.
F. Briggs: Hello, Holly. Thanks for meeting me. And, congratulations on your new album, Daring to Feel Everything.
Holly Almgren: Thank you very much for inviting me, Fran. It’s exciting to be able to talk about this project to a wider audience.
F. Briggs: You’re welcome. Could you share your background with us?
Holly Almgren: I was playing guitar, singing, writing poetry from the age of 10. I used to sit in the trees and sing … imagining a crowd of people gathered to listen to me. My father was musical and exposed me to jazz and bossa nova, he was interested in what I played and listened to. I started playing and writing music in my twenties, although I was nervous and more comfortable composing and singing in the studio than in front of an audience. I made my first album of original songs during this time. It was arranged and produced by pianist / composer, Kit Walker in Boston, with Stan Strickland again on reeds.
I have been writing songs for over 30 years. Growing up, my family listened to a wide range of music – from (Burt) Bacharach and Jobim, to great jazz singers like Ella, Sarah, Nina, Billie, Nat, Johnny Hodges; show off tunes from West Side Story, The King & I, the Beatles, Simon & Garfunkel, Joni Mitchell and Bonnie Raitt. As a teenager, I was also interested in blues, soul and motown: BB King, Otis Spann, Taj Mahal, Stevie Wonder, Earth Wind & Fire, Sly & the Family Stone, Marvin Gaye, Sam Cooke. My eclectic musical tastes influence my writing. When I was 30, I moved to New York City hoping to write music for movies and jingles, but the cost of living made me go back to being a chef.
I returned to Boston at 40 to get married and have a child, and my writing started to gain momentum. I was still playing here and there, and I was making a CD five years ago when my father was dying and my mother needed help taking care of him. He always said do what you love because you spend too much time working to dislike him. I knew it was time to take my music to the next level. We didn’t know it, but my mom had cancer. She died two years later. As if that wasn’t enough, my husband fell in love with someone else and our marriage fell apart. Painful, but good song fodder – and that prompted me to go with my songs. (In) January 2010, a mutual friend suggested that I hire JD Steele to produce my CD. We got along, we liked each other’s music, agreed to do the project and started recording in March in Minneapolis, with a fantastic rhythm section including his brother Billy Steele (Sounds of Blackness) on piano. We are done at the end of the summer.
F. Briggs: If you were to review Dare to feel everything in a few sentences, what would you say?
Holly Almgren: 13 of the 14 songs were written by me. So satisfied It was the first song JD and I wrote together, ending it on the plane for our last session. He produced and arranged the vocal harmonies, as well as sang backing vocals with Maria Benson. The CD is autobiographical, the product of a lot of improvisation among the musicians (who often play together), guided by the JDs and my sense of groove that we wanted. The songs are rhythmic, the lyrics count, the melodies persist, so I was told. Sometimes I call my Buddhist style jazz-funk but there are always exceptions when trying to figure out your sound. I like this. Diversity in all things makes life more meaningful.
F. Briggs: One of your songs is titled, Nobody eats us. Can you explain how the title was conceived and what the lyrics convey?
Holly Almgren: I love Nobody eats us because it’s deep, scandalous and takes people by surprise. I felt such desperation and anger right about the human race – what we are doing to each other, to animals, and to the planet. I was learning the predator / prey balance. My mother had just died of cancer, your cells are consuming each other. The heavier the subject, the more fun and upbeat I do the lyrics and music, otherwise it’s too dark. The song is about our position at the top of the food chain, the waste and death of everything, including ourselves. We haven’t had a predator since the dinosaurs and we have become so oblivious and arrogant. AIDS, cancer and diabetes are common, not to mention obesity.
People have lost the capacity for satiety, have become addicted to stuffing even though it kills them, and they teach their children this habit. (We eat and eat and eat, we eat ourselves!). But I love people and being human. I practice vipassana, a style of Buddhist meditation. The heart of the teaching is to cultivate loving kindness with ourselves and others as we aspire to end suffering for all sentient beings. Being a mom who read a lot of Dr Seuss to my son, I laugh every time I sing Nobody eats us! We are not green eggs and ham.
F. Briggs: Thanks so much for taking the time to share today, Holly. I have certainly enjoyed my time with you.
Holly Almgren: It was my pleasure, Fran. Thank you! It was fun. Daring to Feel Everything can be tasted or purchased at http://cdbaby.com/Artist/HollyAlmgren.
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Source by Fran Briggs
