Welcome to the Uncaged Bird newsletter. This issue is a roundup of some of my favorite recent recordings and some music-related news I found interesting. Uncaged Bird also offers in-depth articles on singing, which you can find here.
Last evening a choir in which I sing had the first in-person rehearsal in a looooong time. We always hire live musicians for after-rehearsal entertainment, and Nat Osborn really blew us away. He’s a fine singer, with great agility and flexibility in his voice, and he got stuck quarantining on a small island in Nova Scotia where he made the most of the situation by writing a song a week. The result is his new album, The Quarry Island Sessions.
The Sofa Singers turn 150
I’ve been admiring the work of James Sills throughout the pandemic, especially as he’s one choral leader who doesn’t seem to have slowed his pace. The Sofa Singers is an online choir that meets every week, and they just celebrated their 150th meeting. It’s a ton of fun—you can drop in anytime!
Internet fame
Chris Hayes scores a bullseye with this superbly written piece about social media isolation. “The project of impressing strangers…cannot, by definition, sate our desires but feels close enough to real human connection that we cannot but pursue it in ever more compulsive ways.” I’m sure James Sills (and all singing leaders) would agree that singing with others constitutes a “real human connection.”
A disciplined rock star
This recent interview with the rock singer and guitarist Myles Kennedy shows someone with a strong work ethic and a belief in his ability to improve. He consistently deflects the host's praise and emphasizes all his hard work, which you would expect from someone with a growth mindset.
Have a lovely weekend!
Subscribe to the Uncaged Bird newsletter about singing here.
