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March 3rd, 2009
08:48 pm - The Milling Gowns Latest News!
Greetings again, friends and fans!
Aside from The Milling Gowns upcoming shows, Tues., 3/10 at TT The Bear's, and Fri. 4/3 at the Cantab Lounge at Club Bohemia, we have some other exciting news!
- First, we'd like to welcome Dave Stoops, our new bassist!
- The Milling Gowns are featured on a couple of recently released compilations:
- The first is Sky So Grey, on which our song "Fist Wings Following (aviary)" appears. This is a new and very different version of the song "Fist Wings Following", which originally appeared on the EP "Light Of The World Shine On Me". Also, Sharon and Betty's solo project debut appears on this compilation (**See note below!). Order Sky So Grey on our website's Music page.
- The second compilation is a sampler from Salon Nouveau, on which "Macaw" and "Abraham Lincoln (new wave v.)" are included . Contact Salon Nouveau http://www.salonnouveau.org for more information and how to order.
- Currently a few remixers are reworking some of our tracks! We are excited about this and will share more info on this soon.
- We are also proud to have been chosen to create original music for a segment of the new inspirational and meditative audiovisual DVD Colors In Motion produced by Cambridge MA artist Linda DeHart. The DVD will be launched at a private reception at the British Consulate in early March. More information at Linda's website dehartart.com.
- **And finally, Sharon and Betty have officially named their project Ginger Ibex! They have been working on a full-length album, which will be released later this year. Get more info and take a listen to them at www.myspace.com/gingeribex.
Yes, we've been VERY busy! And we're working on yet more new songs and projects, so make sure you are on our mailing list (you can sign up via links on our Myspace page or on our website), and join our group on Facebook so you get all the news.
Thanks for all your support!
Love,
M., Sharon, Betty, Allen, Dave
~~~The Milling Gowns~~~
themillinggowns.com
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September 13th, 2008
11:44 pm - A Little Flash of Orange
A blog about the CD release show - by M.
Thanks SO much to everyone who came out tonight to support us. It means a lot. The night was overwhelming for me, emotional and incredible, it was special to see all of your faces at the Lily Pad.
Dan Blakeslee opened up. He is amazing, I have known Dan for such a long time and I love his music with the whole of my heart. He didn't play my favorite oldie for me but I forgive him because it's been quite a long time since he's played it. The songs he played were gorgeous and haunting, go have a listen...he's on our top friends.
Then we went onstage. I got a chance to look out at the crowd, it made me nervous! There were a lot of people but once my eyes adjusted to the lights I could make out familiar faces and that helped my nerves (hehe). We started out the set with The Stars' Nest. It was a fun way to start the set because of the "playful" break sequence, which features Pam Ginzler ( who was our magnificent Merch Woman tonight too!) Pam told me that it was strange to hear her own voice through a looper for the first time. Our guest bass player for the night was Marc Friedman without whom The Stars' nest would not have rumbled! Thanks Marc!
Then we played The Bird In The Ice... which is a song about a little bird that could, and that turned out to be the little song that could! Because there were a couple technical difficulties that threatened to derail us but we got right back on track, take that technical difficulties!! (big thanks to Shane O'Connor for jumping up and turning the right knobs to help us get there!!)
For the next song Violet Wrist we welcomed Jennifer Greer to the stage. Jennifer was our backup singer for the night. I am totally in love with her voice. (She is also in our top friends..go and hear her sing:) And she stayed onstage for Palace of Owls. This is the song where we introduced Jeff O'Neil who would be playing Cello with us on a few more songs.
Drug Company sounded glorious on the grand piano. I looked over at Sharon during that song and had to smile because she was LOVING playing on that piano, if it could fit in her car the Lily Pad would be piano shopping right now. Allen kicked the shit out of this song!
Then, during Cape the Pearls I caught the eye of Michele Naughton (who was our Door Woman xoxo) and saw her singing along. She sang in the choir on the recording of that song. I must admit it made me a bit misty in the eye area to see her singing her parts. Betty's duet with the Cello at the end was the the thing that sent me over the edge. I pulled myself together and used the little break to finally remove my suit jacket and reveal my sweat soaked shirt. For everyone who wasn't there: we were all dressed up! I wore a grey suit with a grey sweater vest and an orange shirt and a grey tie, um, you would have developed a crush on me if you saw me. But it was way too hot for all that and when it's wet with sweat...it's heavy. So off came some clothes, it was that kind of night ;)
Jane Park, one of the string players on the recording of Dust for Kissers came up on stage to play that song with us, that song is fucking awesome and it kicked ass when we played it if I do humbly say so myself. Jane stayed on stage for the next song, which was Airedales. The ginormously talented Tallessyn Grenfell-Lee joined me on vocals. Her angel voice makes me want to stop singing and just listen to her. With the lovely strings Airedales was realized.
For our last two songs we chose Macaw and Lily of the Mouth. On Macaw we had Dan Blakeslee come back onto the stage and play the guitar just like he did on the record. Jennifer Greer came back onstage...she sings those heavenly vocals on the CD - we were just so lucky to have her tonight. We closed the show with Lily of the Mouth and then breathed a satisfied smile. That's how CD release shows go...Now I know!
Thanks to everyone who bought Diving Bell Shallows, Light Of The World Shine On Me or one of the beautiful t-shirts Allen designed. Thanks again to all the guest players of the night.
We had a great time!
Love, M.
ps: thanks walter sickert for art and black ponies!
Current Mood: ![[mood icon]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/mood/niaha/kitty/ankgeekg.gif) accomplished
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September 10th, 2008
01:21 pm - "Diving Bell Shallows" on the Radio!
We are very pleased to see that "Diving Bell Shallows" was #3 in the Top Five albums played last week on WMFO 90.5 FM - thank you to the DJs of "On the Town With Mikey Dee", "The Dweezil Show", and "Folk and Good Music"! We've also had some spins on WZBC, where BTW you can hear us LIVE tomorrow (Thursday Sept. 11th) from 6-7pm, and on WAAF and WFNX.
YOU can help the album be heard more frequently, and in more places, by requesting it (either a particular song you love, or "Diving Bell Shallows" in general) from your local station. Here's a list of stations to which we've already sent the album, and how to request The Milling Gowns. Please send us any contact information you may have for other stations (it's best if we have the name of a real person, so the CD doesn't just get tossed in the pile of several hundred most stations receive each week!).
Note: it does NOT help us if you pester the DJs with repeated calls - please be polite :)
Current Mood: ![[mood icon]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/mood/niaha/kitty/ankhappyg.gif) excited
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September 5th, 2008
11:07 pm - CD Release, New Website, and more!
Greetings Friends & Fans!
Be prepared for lots of news AND exclamation points, because we're REALLY excited about our CD release!!!
To get ready, tune in WZBC 90.3 FM in Boston (or wzbc.org streaming on the web) at 6pm Thursday September 11th to hear us spin some tunes and talk about the album!
THEN...
The Milling Gowns celebrate the release of their 11-song album "Diving Bell Shallows" with a show on Saturday September 13th at The Lily Pad, 1353 Cambridge St (Inman Sq), Cambridge MA. We have reserved the Lily Pad for the entire evening. Doors for the public open at 8:45pm, with a $10 requested donation.
The opening performer will be local singer/songwriter Dan Blakeslee, who also guested on "Diving Bell Shallows." Then The Milling Gowns will take the stage. The Lily Pad's 7-foot Kawai grand piano will allow Sharon to fully realize the songs' elegant keyboard parts (!!! extra exclamations for her excitement about the piano!!!), and guest string players and vocalists will recreate their studio parts live.
Copies of the new album, as well as the band's prior 5-song EP "Light of the World Shine on Me", will be available at the show. Both albums may also be ordered from the band's website http://themillinggowns.com, and from CD Baby and various digital outlets.
YES! We've launched our official WEBSITE! www.themillinggowns.com - go check it out! You'll find our latest news, our schedule, pictures (bring your cameras to the CD release and send us more pics!), lovely words from our reviewers, and links to order CDs.
And it's true that you have many ways to obtain the album:
- From one of us, or at a show
- From our website
- From CD Baby (either the physical disk with the beautiful booklet designed by M. or as MP3 downloads if you are impatient!)
- And soon from iTunes, Amazon, and other fine digital outlets!
BTW, please tell the rest of the world what they are missing by submitting reviews for either CD on CDBaby.com - you do NOT have to have purchased it there, just create an account so you can log in :)
Wait! There's more!
Attention CD Fund donors! We are putting together your packages and they will be in the mail very soon, depending on your donation level - we are waiting on some t-shirts, buttons and such! BIG love :)
Okay! We're running out of exclamations! But not before we thank ALL of you for your continuing support!
Love,
M., Sharon, Betty, Allen
The Milling Gowns
www.themillinggowns.com
Current Mood: excited
Current Music: Diving Bell Shallows, of course!
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August 24th, 2008
07:11 pm - We not only sing & play, but talk!
We had a lot of fun last week when writer and photographer Jeff Haynes came over to interview and photograph us for his ongoing series about Boston area artists. You can read the results here on his site. And don't neglect to also click on the Extras link, where you can hear a clip of the song "Violet Wrist" plus an audio segment of us discussing it.
And this Saturday August 30th you can hear us live on 91.5FM WMFO in the Boston area or streaming on WMFO.org - from 2-3pm Eastern US time (and hopefully archived for a week after) we will be interviewed on the Folk & Good Music Show while spinning tracks from Diving Bell Shallows - tune in!
Current Mood: busy
Current Music: Violet Wrist - The Milling Gowns - Diving Bell Shallows
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August 12th, 2008
02:45 pm - CD Pre-Order
Our friends around the world who won't be passing though Cambridge MA on our Sept. 13 CD Release date can still be among the first fans to own Diving Bell Shallows!
We are taking pre-orders via PayPal, and will mail you your CD as soon as we recover from the excitement of the show. You do NOT need a PayPal account - just a credit card (use the "guest checkout" option), and it doesn't matter what currency it's in.
Use the "Buy Now" button on our MySpace page (right under the band members' names) - you can change the quantity if you want more for gifts! Or follow this link.
Current Mood: geeky
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July 30th, 2008
12:02 pm - Diving Bell Shallows will be out in September
The CD is being manufactured presently! We are very proud of it and also very thankful to everyone who helped us out! We will be posting new tracks very soon and taking down the songs currently on the player (so download 'em now for free!)
Please sign up for our newsletter (which you can now easily do via a new form on our MySpace page, even if you are not a MySpace member) to keep up to date with everything that we are doing, because there will be lots of shows coming up and more special treats to look forward to. Again thanks so much for all of your support - it means so much to us.
Love,
The Milling Gowns
M., Sharon, Betty and Allen
Current Mood: ![[mood icon]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/mood/niaha/kitty/ankcreateg.gif) creative
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May 7th, 2008
02:34 pm - Adventures in Recording, Part 4!!!
The Milling Gowns are on the home stretch with the CD! We just finished recording our last 3 tracks at The Milkhouse Studio on May 3rd & 4th.
This recording session had fewer visitors than our previous sessions, a welcome change because scheduling was much easier :)
Day 1:
We arrived with our nutritious snacks in tow.
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Once again Shane O'Connor engineered the session, this time pulling double duty playing bass and guitar on a couple tracks.
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Our new drummer, Allen Esser, was with us for this session. He put down amazing tracks with ease. Sharon recorded her piano parts and M. sang some scratch vocals.
Hello! The Milling Gowns are very cute people.
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Then we had some unusual guests..........
A Grey Butcherbird and a typewriter....(you will love it).
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Also, thanks to technology (technology = Betty!), M.'s beautiful best friend, Pam Ginzler, was able to record some vocals all the way from Amsterdam!
Then M. recorded some final vocals to finish day 1 out, after which we went out for Indian food. We were accompanied by a wee mouse running around the dining room! spicy spicy yum yum yum (the food, not the mouse!).
Day 2:
The day started out with Vanessa Gardner stopping by to play her French horn!
It was gorgeous.
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Then, singer-songwriter (and M.'s roommate) Jordan Clements swung by to add her cool vocals to a track. Check Jordan out at one of her shows around town. AND, she will be opening for The Milling Gowns on May 17th at the Gulu-Gulu Cafe in Salem, our first show in 9 months!! Be there or be square.
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MY Goodness, then it was time for M. and Sharon to record again. As always, Sharon played exquisitely. M. was in an odd mood and didn't mind getting his picture taken during this session.
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Last, but never least, Betty recorded her tracks on some of her many interesting instruments: electric violin, viola and octave viola aka "chin cello". She channeled some 'sexy whales in heaven' (it will all make sense later, and you'll love it) for one song. How does she do it?
The rest of the day was spent being picky perfectionists discussing the upcoming mixing and mastering. That tech talk is way too exciting for this blog, but we trust that you will appreciate our hard work when you are listening to our CD.
We went out for dinner when the session was over and then home for some much-needed sleep!
So we are DONE!! What an exciting road this has been. All of the songs have now been recorded and next comes mixing, mastering, artwork, production.... and eventually, the finished product! Stay tuned for updates on our progress.
Love,
M., Sharon, Betty and Allen
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Current Mood: accomplished
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April 21st, 2008
03:45 pm - Adventures in Recording, Part 3!!!
Better late than never -- we're finally getting to posting about our 3rd recording session on Feb. 16/17, and what a session this was! Once again, we had several guest musicians, featuring a 9-piece string section!
On Saturday, first we laid down scratch tracks with drummer Rudy Renaud, from the band Watcher; bassist Major Tom, from The Palls with his bandmate, guitarist Don; and Sharon on piano.
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Later, Betty had the fun job of turning the crank and operating our homemade music box, and then some viola tracks.
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Sharon then recorded a glockenspiel track and then the backing piano track for Sunday's string players. Later she also recorded some synth tracks.
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At this point, it was time to go, and we left having accomplished all
we needed in preparation for the big day....
.... Sunday! The string players arrived first thing at 11 a.m. It was so exciting to hear the piece come to life as they played. They did an amazing job and we are so thankful and grateful for their beautiful work! The lineup included:
- Mark White, bass, of Rev. Bob & The Darkness
- Nick Dinnerstein, cello, of The Kelly O'Malley Group
- Virginia Berry, cello, of Yazberry Fashion
- Betty, viola (TMG's very own!)
- Wendy Mittelstadt, viola, wendywaves.tripod.com
- Meredith Cooper, violin, meredithcooper.com
- Clara Kebabian, violin, of Eksi Ekso
- Jane Park, violin, from Alen of Dale
- Johanna Bobrow, violin, web.mit.edu/johanna/www/home.html
 
Next, Betty did more viola tracks, Sharon and Betty sang some backing vocals, and M. recorded his vocals. Last, Shane added some guitar effects. This brought us to the last hour, and then a completely ecstatic yet exhausted M., Sharon and Betty went to IHOP for some fine late-night, post-recording weekend dining.
Stay tuned as we look to our next and final recording session 5/3-4!! Hard to believe this CD recording will be done so soon, whereupon we will go on to the next exciting phase!
Love,
M., Sharon and Betty
{The Milling Gowns}
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February 22nd, 2008
01:59 pm - Help The Milling Gowns Create a Great CD and Still Eat!
Dear Friends & Fans, The Milling Gowns are very appreciative of your support since our birth in 2006! M, Sharon and Betty each have had a lifelong love of and involvement in music. Now together as The Milling Gowns, they have found the best medium that blends their individual voices to create a unique sound. In order to bring you more of our music, we are now asking for your assistance as we produce our first full-length CD.
A CD project entails significant work and cost! It really IS a major production of many elements – we don't just wander into a studio and play through each song once or twice! Some of the pieces, and ballpark figures of cost to us, are:
- Recording studio rental/engineer fees: Through Feb 2008 we've spent 60 hours in the studio (3 weekends), at $30 per hour. We will need another 20-hour weekend to finish recording, plus more time for the engineer to mix and master the songs.
- To bring our songs to their best realization, we have brought in many guests to play additional instruments (e.g., cello, oboe, bass clarinet, an entire string section!). We cannot afford to pay them what they deserve, but we do cover their transportation costs.
- CD production: artwork, packaging, disc production, and other manufacturing costs will require several thousand dollars.
- Website: design, creation, and hosting will cost another $2000.
So far, the three of us have dug into our own pockets to pay for everything, but we'd like to specifically ask you for your donation to help us complete this project and still eat! Think of it as dropping money into the hat when you happen to walk by some music that makes you feel good or brings you to a special memory.
Your help will not go unappreciated! For certain levels of financial support, we will show our appreciation in tangible ways:
- ALL donors of any amount will have their name on our MySpace and website "Thank You!" list (unless you prefer to be anonymous).
In addition, if you give:
- $500 and up: You get
- an autographed special limited edition packaged copy of the new CD
- an exclusive Milling Gowns limited edition tee shirt designed by the band
- all the benefits and Milling Gowns treats listed for the categories below
- $200 and up:
- your name listed on the CD liner notes "Thank Yous"
- all the benefits and Milling Gowns treats listed for the categories below
- $100 and up:
- a signed & numbered limited edition copy of our first EP
"Light Of The World Shine On Me"
- all the benefits and Milling Gowns treats listed for the categories below
- $50 and up:
- a copy of the new CD
- special Milling Gowns treats!
- $25 and up:
- special Milling Gowns treats!
We really appreciate the support of ALL our friends and fans, so if you are not in a position to donate at these levels, there are other ways you can help:
In addition to our undying love and gratitude, we will keep you up to date on our recording and production progress:
- We update our Live Journal blog after each recording session with what we accomplished and fun photos!
- You can sign up for our email list to get updates when we are preparing for the release and future shows.
- Part of your contribution will help launch our full website at www.themillinggowns.com where we will have more news, tour dates, CD release info, etc.
So click here now to donate, or
use the donation button on our MySpace page,
or email us at themillinggowns@gmail.com with any questions or other suggestions!
Love,
The Milling Gowns - M, Sharon, Betty
Current Mood: creative
Current Music: Palace of Owls - The Milling Gowns
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November 27th, 2007
04:10 pm - Adventures in Recording 2!
Last weekend, 11/23-24, we were back at The Milkhouse with engineer Shane O'Connor to record four more songs for our upcoming full-length album. While we didn't have as many guest artists as last time, it was another new adventure with more strings, guitar, woodwinds and even a homemade glockenspiel!
First up again was getting down the drums plus scratch piano and lead vocals, after Shane set up the rented drumkit.
Later that day we added more "bottom end":
| Nick Dinnerstein (Cello): Nick was back again to do three more songs, including one with a "Van Halen" solo moment! He is currently the co-principal cellist of the Newton Symphony and performs regularly with singer-songwriter Kelly Omalley (www.myspace.com/kellyomalleygroup) |  |
| "Dark Mark" White (Bass): Mark is "the Darkness" in Rev. Bob & the Darkness - and almost as tall as he looks in this picture! | 
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M. did some final vocals, Sharon punched a few spots (that means fixing a note here and there on a track - she wasn't angry!), Betty added some spooky effected violin sounds to a couple songs (plus glockenspiel!), and we called it a day.
Saturday began with more Betty tracks, then the guests started arriving:
| Dan Blakeslee (Guitar & Vocals): Dan's a fun guy and a great guitarist, as well as an awesome artist! Check out all his work at www.danblakeslee.com |  |
| Jennifer Greer (Backing Vocals): Jen was back again. She's an accomplished singer/songwriter/pianist who performs locally, and is a must-listen, must-go-see! www.jennifergreer.com |  |
Will Green (Oboe & Vocals): Will Green (alongside Michele Naughton) has been to so many Milling Gowns shows that we have lost count. Will is an amazing oboist and he also has a beautiful voice. We asked him to lend his talents for this session.
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| Diane Heffner (Bass Clarinet): Diane drove back from Pennsylvania straight to the studio! She received both BM and MM degrees with honors from the New England Conservatory and is an active freelance clarinetist and teacher. She plays regularly with Dinosaur Annex Music Ensemble, Alea III, Emanuel Music, Prism Opera, Opera Aperta, Boston Baroque, Handel & Haydn Society and other groups. |  |
It was a long two days - we crashed on the couch while Shane created rough mixes for us to take home.
Thanks to everyone who helped us out! We'll be back again early in the new year to finish up the remaining songs...
Love, The Milling Gowns
M., Sharon, Betty
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October 26th, 2007
02:45 pm - Adventures in Recording!
We just spent the weekend of 10/13-14 at The Milkhouse in Allston with recording engineer Shane O'Connor.  We recorded 3 songs that will be included on our upcoming full-length CD. Our 2-day session was a wonderful, stressful, let's-see-if-this-works experience. We included choirs, string sections and a variety of other instruments in the mix. In the end, everything came together beautifully, and we thank everyone involved who really poured their heart and soul into it! First up for the day was setting down the drums, bass, piano and scratch vocals:
Then the choir came in and added their lovely voices. Tallessyn Grenfell-Lee directed and arranged the choir and was the soloist on one song. | Tallessyn Grenfell-Lee (Choir Director, Soloist, Soprano): She is a gifted vocalist, pianist, arranger and choirmistress extraordinaire at Cambridge Welcoming Ministries in Somerville, MA! |  |
Sharon Crumrine (Alto): She is the pianist with the The Milling Gowns and also does her own solo projects ~ www.myspace.com/sharoncrumrinemusic ~ working overtime to add more alto to the mix!
Michele Naughton (Alto): She has been to so many Milling Gowns shows that we cannot count them all, and now she lends her beautiful alto voice to the choir!
Jennifer Greer (Soprano, Alto): Jen is an accomplished singer/songwriter/pianist who performs locally, and is a must-listen, must-go-see! www.jennifergreer.com
Edrie (Soprano): Edrie sings in the amazing band Walter Sickert and The Army of Broken Toys www.myspace.com/armyoftoys. She took time out of her busy schedule to sing in our choir.
Carisa Simmons (Soprano): Sharon heard Carisa's lovely speaking voice and thought she might be a singer. So she asked Carisa to sing with us, and she did! Carisa wants the world to know this: "I LOVE life!"
Eric Grenfell-Muir (Tenor & Tallessyn's brother-in-law! ): Eric held down the tenor parts amazingly. He has such a beautiful, strong voice and we were lucky to have him in our choir!
Karl Critz (Bass): Karl loves to sing and can be found at Christmas Messiah Sings (and the like) easily reading through and adding his wonderful, strong operatic voice to the mix, as he has done with us!
THEN we went home :) Early the next day we arrived at the studio to meet with the harpist and the cellist:
| Alice Foy-Duffy (Lever Harp): Alice was born in Limerick, Ireland, in the shadow of Bunratty Castle, where later she became one of their famed singers. Betty met her at a performance workshop last summer and discovered they both work at Harvard! |  |
| Nick Dinnerstein (Cello): Nick was classically trained at Mannes: School of Music. He is currently the co-principal cellist of the Newton Symphony and performs regularly with singer-songwriter Kelly Omalley (www.myspace.com/kellyomalleygroup) |  |
M. then finally got to recording his vocal tracks. Then we all listened to the tracks and finally went home. We will back later next month for our next session, with more musicians and fun! Thanks so much to everyone involved! Love, The Milling Gowns
M., Sharon, Betty |
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