Katharine Key Music

I was left speechless by the events last week in Ferguson, MO, where according to witnesses, unarmed 17-year-old Michael Brown was killed while fleeing a police officer. Investigations are underway, but this sure looks like yet another one in a longstanding pattern of police using excessive and unnecessary force against black men, women, and children, resulting in their deaths. By virtue of the excessive show of force by police at the subsequent demonstrations, and the arrest of white journalists, the incident penetrated the national white consciousness this time. A few days later, after attending the National Moment of Silence in DC and hosting a prayer gathering in honor of Michael Brown, I found my voice and wrote this song. I hope that it can raise awareness of the trend of police violence against African Americans and bring some small measure of healing to those affected.

serve and protect

it's dangerous to be black in this town
it's dangerous to be Michael Brown
it's dangerous when you walk down the street
it's dangerous getting something to eat

serve and protect?
serve and protect?
what does that mean to you?

what is my life
versus your life?
I'm human too.

let's give the cops the benefit
of the doubt--let's investigate
let the courts do what they do
but when you're dead, they won't work for you

I'm white so I'm more upset
'bout that journalist under arrest
'bout militarized police gone down
than ‘bout what they did to Michael Brown

don't shoot
I'm unarmed
don't shoot 
I'm unarmed

don't shoot
I'm unarmed
love is the truth
love won't harm

we ready (for love)
we comin' (for love)
we ready (for love)
we comin' (for love)

we need a one state solution
we need a 50 state solution
we need a one world solution
don't shoot

my heart is empty, in despair
all I can do is say a prayer

Father please bring justice
Jesus please bring love
Father please bring justice
Jesus please bring love

don’t shoot
I’m unarmed

Heading to Australia for a mini tour of house concerts and Baha'i Centers! Keep an eye on the Shows page for details, or Contact me for more information. I'll be in Melbourne, Perth, Brisbane, and Sydney from July 18 - August 3.

Trying not to FREAK OUT with excitement over the fact that May 3 I will be playing a 15 minute funkalicious set with 3 other musicians I haven't met yet, for the Flashband Funk Party. As far as I'm concerned, Flashband is the best invention since the internet. Put this on your calendar for a night not to miss: Saturday, May 3, 8 pm at Solly’s U St Tavern, 1942 11th St NW, Washington, DC 20001.

In a [very brief] previous post, I mentioned Flashband, a group that helps musicians get to know each other by throwing them together for a month to prepare and then perform a 15-minute set on a given theme. Kinda like speed dating for musicians. If you know me at all, you know that I travel a ton for work, so since I learned about Flashband last year, I haven't yet been in town long enough to actually participate in an entire cycle. But FINALLY the timing has worked out for me to join one, and I'm as happy as Pharrell.

As a matter of fact, I missed the meet and greet yesterday because I'm in Africa, but I was determined to get in on this one, so I recorded a video of myself singing a classic Aretha Franklin tune, Baby I Love You in the hotel bathroom (great acoustics; no, you can't see it--the video quality is horrible) & sent it around to the group in the hopes that a band would snatch me up. And they did, so here I go!

did you know
you are a gift to me?
a messenger sent with a sweet missive
sealed, encrypted
for my eyes alone

from my Love
He also spoke to me in the snow
and through my father
through the singer who thanked me for being born
through my mother who became weak
so I would have to be strong
and through Anis calling "come closer."

the chorus of voices
calling to this tiny seed
incubating in the soil
warmed by His light

I have never been a morning person
so I pulled the covers over my head
and said "go away."
"I don't know You.
You don't exist."

and in the thick of my dream I wondered:
how do all these people just assume
they have a right to be
when for me it has
never been clear?

but He called me
and kept calling
sending texts
and LOLcats
showering me with warm rain
and singing me awake

He said, "you are."
"you are Mine."
"I know because I loved you
even before I sculpted you
fine and strong and shining."

now He is calling me through you
calling this seed awake
saying, "you are."
"now send up the tender shoot
don't hesitate, my sweet,
and blossom.
it is time"

thank you for delivering
the message
like a bee running among the flowers
perhaps you didn't even know
how precious the pollen
fallen unnoticed from your hair

just stopping by to say hi, since it's been so long. i hope that at least once this year i am in town long enough to participate in a flashband show. really that is the awesomest idea ever & i can't wait!

There was an earthquake

and the Washington Monument is now blurry

just like the Truth.

Are the cracks in its foundation now too deep to repair?

Will they ever admit, "It was I, Father, who chopped it down?"

Suspicion lurks in every corner

and the truth is blurry.

Who can we trust?

If "truthfulness is the foundation

of all human virtues,"

What does that leave us with?

More earthquakes?

A friend sent me this video of Jason Mraz talking about his process for writing "The Remedy," which made me reflect on my own songwriting process.  I often get asked about how I write songs. My songs have been written in all kinds of different ways--sometimes in dreams, sometimes as riffs that get stuck in my head and get developed later ("God don't make me choose, 'cause either way I'm sure to lose"), as a therapeutic writing session, music first, lyrics first, all at once, in stages...

Usually I don't have much luck when I set out to write a song on purpose rather than being grabbed by inspiration. Right now I am struggling with wanting to write songs for two occasions (I can't tell you in case they read this post), but no luck yet. [**See update in comments section!**] For one I want to set a prayer to music, and my technique for that is more reliable (that's material for another post...). For the other one I am setting out to write both words and music, but I am struggling to come up with a theme that will capture the imagination and express how I see that person in a way that is compelling. For example, "Cornerstone" was written for an occasion, but once I got the idea for the theme, it all just flowed out when I sat down to write the words.

Recently I sat down with my friend Mark Sorak (who also happens to be an amazing painter) and we co-wrote a song together, which was my first experience of that. I must say I'm pretty pleased with the result, although it needs a little fine-tuning. We were talking one day and he mentioned that there is an actual church called "The Church of Broken Pieces." I said, "That sounds like a song waiting to be written," and he said, "Let's do it!" It ended up being about the idea that many people walk around with a secret pain, but our burdens can be lightened when we realize we are not alone with our broken hearts. The meaning of the song evolved as we worked our way through the verses and chorus. In this case we wrote the words first and then wrote the music.

CDs here. Downloads here. Lyrics here. Come 'n' get 'em!

The process of getting ready to release my new album, and some conversations at last year's Baha'i Music Industry Weekend, really got me thinking about what my intentions are with this album and with performing the songs in public. 

This album is more personal and less Baha'i-centric than Intone, which is entirely based on quotations from the Baha'i Writings. So with what the fire is, I have had to think, what am I doing with this? It didn't seem right to be out there performing just to promote myself and get sales. I have a full-time job and don't really need the money (although don't get me wrong, this album was very expensive to make, and I would love to recover some of those funds). I don't have time to do the whole indie musician thing of constant touring and promotion. At the same time many people who have heard the songs have really connected with them. So I feel like perhaps through these songs I can give people a gift, and whenever I perform, I can set some specific intention for what I'm creating for the audience. With that in mind, I have been reflecting on my intentions for my upcoming CD release party on February 16. My hope is that you will walk away from that evening having been inspired and touched by what I have to share.