Gaea Star Crystal Radio Hour #150

01-30-15  “Gaea Star Crystal Radio Hour #150 continues a string of unusually rich and creative sessions at Singing Brook Studio this cold winter of 2014-15.  Playing acoustic instruments around a warm stove without limits and rules yields beautiful, free, improvisational music.  We begin with the beguiling “January Rain”, a new number from Mariam featuring her double-tracked vocals and dulcimer along with a driving percussion backdrop from Craig Harris and Bob Sherwood.  Mariam presents “Something Woke Me”, moving to native shaker as Bob improvises a chordal backdrop on piano for this rich ballad.  “Windy, Windy, Windy” is a driving, native/jazz workout featuring a driving conga figure from Craig.  Mariam picks up her acoustic guitar for the mysterious goddess song “Diamond Eyes” which drives to a frenetic conclusion before easing into the peaceful, pastoral “Waiting”, underpinned by a circular, prayerful piano figure from Bob and a lovely, hopeful, yearning major-key vocal from Mariam.  The flow still unbroken, Mariam picks up the native flute for “Prayer To The Moon”.  We conclude with the classic “Crystal Ice Queen” from Mariam’s “Gaea Star Goddesses” album.”