Video Voyager: “Let the Healing Begin” by Sahffi Lynne

Sahffi Lynne is an international medicine musician and vocal coach, offering their music, meditations, ceremonies, and teachings as medicine to illuminate our connection as human beings.

They just released their music video for their moving single “Let the Healing Begin,” an acoustic folk-like song about using creative processes to heal from grief and pain. The video depicts this kind of healing by way of 3 separate forms of art. Sahffi is depicted writing a song, a woman is depicted painting, and a man is depicted dancing.

The video is a beautiful piece that complements the single perfectly. Everything about it, from the people to the setting to the action is stunning. Even as we watched it, it provided catharsis as a viewer, almost like we felt seen.

“My own experiences have shown me that with a combination of meditation, creativity, plant medicines, and professional support, one can truly heal trauma and reclaim their birthright of living in love. I am honored to carry the medicine of music to teach and guide those interested in doing the necessary work to connect with their true voice and purpose,” shares Sahffi.

We got a chance to speak with Sahffi about their song and video and dove into the specific artistic choices:

Tell us the story of this song, why did you choose to visualize this song specifically in this way?

Actually, the interesting thing about this song is that it was completely channeled! I often hear music in the wind or hear melodies in the woods, yet this is the only time (so far!) that I watched my hand write the lyrics without a clue of what I was writing! I then picked up my guitar, and as I read the lyrics, the song just poured out of me. The message, “you can let the darkness win, or you can let the healing begin,” was so profound for me at that specific moment of my life. I was struggling to move forward after a bitter breakup, an illness that temporarily kept me from singing and working, and a subsequent move out of my home because of income lost. This song was a beautiful reminder for me that I had the choice to continue on in life or give up. The song gave me strength and truly helped to heal my heart!

I was talking with a friend after the album, “Pulse of Evolution,” came out in 2021. (“Let the Healing Begin” was released on that album.) I told her I’d love for more people to hear the song, as I hoped it would touch others as it did me. She reminded me that many people “consume with their eyes” these days (as she put it!), and her words planted a seed that a beautiful video needed to be created for this powerful song!

I am grateful so many others resonate with this song’s message of hope and strength, and I am proud the video represents and reflects the message of this song so beautifully.

What was the inspiration behind this video (visuals, storyline, etc.)?

The video originally was going to be an animation, yet the plans for that fell through. I didn’t know how I was going to make a video, yet a Facebook friend, Maranda Kosten, reached out saying she felt called to talk with me about how we could work together. I thought perhaps she would be interested in voice lessons, (which she did end up taking!), yet she mentioned she worked for Do Good Video Productions. Within a couple of weeks we were meeting with the team at Do Good, along with my director, Lucas de Britto, talking about making a video! I couldn’t believe how easy it was to have found such an amazing team of people as excited about this song and project as I was!

My last hurdle was funding, yet I was grateful that over 150+ of my community supporters donated to my birthday campaign to make it happen!

The storyline follows three artists (a dancer, a painter, and me, a musician), from their lowest point, through creation, and ultimately to their reconnection of their spirit. Throughout it all, they each have elders watching over them, encouraging them with their silent wisdom and strength. I love how the video shows the process of healing includes the movement of creation!

One fun fact: the video starts out in muted colors and becomes more vibrant by the end. The inspiration for that effect was “The Wizard of Oz!”

What was the process of making this video?

This project was a year in the making! It started with a seed of an idea, then quickly jumped to a crowd sourcing campaign. The IndieGoGo campaign was a huge success, with over 150+ of my supporters making contributions, and one angel investor matching the total! I am so grateful for the support I receive for my music!

With my community’s support, we started site visits to the location of the video, my dear friend’s private land in Pennsylvania lovingly called “Hawk’s Ridge.” Magically, the dates for the shoot in May worked for everyone involved, and we were grateful for beautiful weather that weekend!

Do Good Productions was wonderful to work with, offering a fantastic production and creative team, and the shoot went off without a hitch. In fact, we all mentioned how unusual it is to have everything fall into place so easily! My director, Lucas de Britto, was also the editor, and I am grateful for his sweet temperament and amazing talent.

Everything came together for a holiday 2023 release, and I am super proud of this community-supported project! I hope everyone will be touched by the song and story line of the video as I have been.

Connect with Sahffi Lynne via:

Website / Instagram / Facebook / YouTube / Spotify

Elizabeth P.W. Shares Her New Folk Single “Brooklyn”

Brooklyn based singer-songwriter Elizabeth P.W. has a new single out now called “Brooklyn.” 

A song packed with meaning, “Brooklyn” came to Elizabeth suddenly after the death of her aunt in Manhattan who was involved in a car accident: 

“With my Aunt Amy´s death, I had a sudden realization: after over 100 years of Brooklyn being the hub of our family, I was the last living person in the Phillipson family who remained. The chorus of the song popped into my head one day and the rest of the song came soon after.” 

With the Americana folk chorus and key instrumental violin and accordion solos, this song is memorable and full of emotion. As a multi-instrumentalist, Elizabeth´s music has been nominated for various composer awards as well as being premiered in films at Tribeca Film Festival, DOC NYC and more. 

“Brooklyn” combines various synth sounds with organic instruments like the folk violin to create her signature sound. 

Elizabeth released her debut folk album “Haven´t Found It” back in 2019, to much critical acclaim and she has been busy ever since composing music for film scores such as the 2021 NAACP Image Award nominated short film “Gets Good Light”. 

Her music influences include Fleetwood Mac, Jackson Browne and Glen Campbell. With such an eclectic sound and great musical talent for both songwriting and performing, we can´t wait to hear more of Elizabeth´s music both on screen and future single releases. 

Stay current with Elizabeth Phillipson-Weiner on her Website and social media channels Instagram ,Twitter and TikTok

Stream music on YouTube , Spotify and Soundcloud

Video Voyager: Happy For No Reason’s “Canaries (Hot Summer Night)”

Happy For No Reason is a band that is the antithesis of their name. The band based out of Portland Oregon celebrate every single one of life’s precious moments as two of their members are literally happy to be alive. Comprising of Jo Alexis (vocals and percussion), Neil Goldstein (guitar), and Mark Pritchard (flute), the founding members of Happy For No Reason navigate the rich waters of Jazzy Folk with a pinch of rock, a dash of soul, and even a touch of Bossa Nova.

Their jazzy folk rock single “Canaries (Hot Summer Night)” was revived from Neil and Jo’s early music careers. Neil wrote this chord progression with a jazz band in 1974 and Jo wrote the lyrics in 1991. They put them together one night in 2015 to make the song we hear now. It’s an example of how many of their songs came together.

“The lyrics are about my boyfriend who was working in Harlem at the time and I went to visit him knowing we might break up,” says Jo. “Breaking up when you are still in love is painful but the song has turned into a raucous uptempo sing-along, like the rat pack with a female lead!”

They finished recording, mixing, and making the music video during the pandemic. A friend of Jo’s told suggested the lead vocals were initially too aggressive. So, Jo bought a new microphone and redid her parts, also learning how to use Logic, the DAW (digital audio work station) and spent many hours comping the flute and piano solos.

Their video for “Canaries(Hot Summer Night)” depicts the band on a steampunk style ship, captained by Jo. They are on a mission to catch a canary. The ship and crew are eventually wrecked and never catch the canary. It’s a metaphor for self-destruction, you want something so bad that you’re willing to ignore red flags.

We spoke with Jo Alexis about the video:

Tell us the story of this song, why did you choose to visualize this song specifically in this way? 

We didn’t actually choose it but trusted the animator to come up with something fabulous! I saw one of his videos on YouTube and looked him up.  He does a combination of live action and animation and I thought it would be amazing for this song!

What was the inspiration behind this video?

Honestly, we gave Christian Bolorinos, our director/animator/producer complete creative freedom on this so all of the ideas were his and we showed up in costume and followed direction. He is SUCH a joy to work with and has an incredible sense of humor! I was  delighted with the result and so was the wonder world. The video has acquired 136k views on Facebook and is also a favorite on my YouTube channel.

What was the process of making this video? 

The process was so much fun! We rented a studio in Portland and showed up in steampunk outfits(during the pandemic so we wore masks except when shooting!). We shot the music video in Portland but our director, animator and script writer, Christian Bolorinos, was in Barcelona. So we FaceTimed with him during the shoot which actually worked out really well! He directed us from Spain and we just followed his directions. I rented boat props like a steering wheel and a nautical telescope and of course, ropes. We used a fan to make it look as if we were in a terrible storm. Here are some cool pics of our shoot with the band in steampunk costumes.

Connect with Happy For No Reason via:
Website / Facebook / YouTube / Spotify

Kremidas’ ‘Hold On Tight’ is an Acoustic Dreamscape

Kremidas, the multi-instrumentalist songwriter, has just released his second album, Hold On Tight, a cool and chill acoustic album inspired by his brave and courageous journey through cancer. It’s optimistic tone is what emphasizes the instrumental stories of love, hope, and pain.

“I am past cancer, thankfully, but it made me pause and think, ‘where do I go from here? what happens when I’m gone?,’” Jim shares. “When I looked back, I felt this real appreciation for life. There is a lot of bad, of course, but really a lot of good—life is so beautiful. I wanted this album to encompass the full span of the wonderful emotions of life. We are here for a period of time—it’s over before we know it—and I wanted to share in the beauty of it all.”

Hold On Tight is a showcasing of Kremidas’ instrumental prowess. The album features his skills with the strings, except those that require a bow, like the banjo, acoustic and electric guitar, mandolin, dobro, dulcimer, and pedal steel. Each aspect brings a different mood and emotion to the forefront.

“Refections (No Regrets)” is faster paced and has a Johnny Cash feeling to it, like he’s purging his emotions, while “Clara” is lighter and more delicate. He experiments with light synth sounds in “Over Half Way,” invoking a sense of mystery, like you don’t know what’s coming next. “You’re Not Losing Me” is the statement song of the album as it’s the only one with lyrics. He sings “You’re not losing me/I’m not losing you/ we’re just moving on/we’re just passing along.” The song is about moving on to new things and that being a good thing. “Between the Lines” is ambient yet carries a darker country sound. Jim says “This song expresses those times when you feel down—it’s meant to be sad, but also comforting.” The title song, “Hold On Tight” is interesting because it harkens back to “Refections” with the outlaw country vibe. The verses build tension that’s then released in the chorus. It’s emotive and moving.

Listen here:

Connect with Kremidas

Bandcamp / Spotify / Soundcloud

Erika Olson’s “Mamma Ain’t Got No Time” Shines a Light on Her Unique Life of Motherhood

Singer/songwriter Erika Olson has a new single out called “Mamma Ain´t Got No Time,” a folksy pop ballad on the life of a mother. It is a rich and intricate song with descriptive and emotional lyrics and an overall light energy. This song is one you will want to play again and again, with it´s unique folk and country vibes:

“‘Momma Ain’t Got No Time’ was born from a conversation with a dear friend.  I’d just started songwriting and was struggling with not having any time to do it.  My friend so wisely suggested that I write that song.  And so, it began.  This was not the first song that I wrote, but it was the first song I wrote in my own voice.  I felt like this song revealed who I was and how I saw the world.  Yes, life is hard, motherhood is a huge transition, and also it is magical, transformative, and I don’t regret it for a second.

Erika is an American expat currently living in East Sussex, England. She grew up living all over the United States, from New Mexico to Utah, Massachusetts, New York, Virginia and North Carolina. 

Having left a busy law career on becoming a mother, and realising she needed to explore her musical and creative talents more, Erika dug deep and started taking guitar lessons. It was then that she could take some reflection time away from raising her three young children, and revel in her creative passions. 

“Mamma Ain´t Got No Time” is all about motherhood and its sea of chaos, the ups and the downs. Rooted in the everyday things, Olson is sure to be a witness to her own journey of becoming a mother as well as use her music as a vessel to wake us up to our own precious and unique lives. 

Just about to self-release her debut album, Erika has learned that change is her constant and her power. 

Listen here:

Stay current with Erika Olson on her website and social media channels Instagram, Facebook and Twitter 

Stream music on  YouTube and Soundcloud

Exclusive Premiere: Slim Sly Slender’s “Black Charger” is Fun and Dynamic

The Maryland-based visual artist turned singer/songwriter Slim Sly Slender is a powerful creative mind who has been part of the art world for as long as he can remember. His work has been featured in countless group and solo exhibits and was inspired to start his music career after experiencing a warehouse jam session. His musical style is brit-pop inspired pop rock with a vibrance in style you won’t find anywhere else.

He just released his new single “Black Charger” from his upcoming album Pay to Play. It’s an interesting mash up between folk, hip-hop, and pop-rock. It’s almost like a Beastie Boys meets George Benson with the horns and the fast lyrics and upbeat tone and like Macklemore in the dynamic lyrics and playfulness. 

“I wrote that while driving—every time I would see an angry and aggressive driver, they were always driving a black Charger,” shares Slim. The song is anything but aggressive, however. It’s more fun and playful, bringing some light to a frustrating situation. It’s a light song that brings some happiness to your day.

Listen here:

“I do this because I love it,” he says. “Music is unlike visual art because when a person buys a painting, they put it on a wall, and only they and their friends can enjoy the piece of art. Music is for everybody. I love sharing it, and I’m excited to get this album out there in front of more people.”

Find Slim Sly Slender via:
Instagram // Facebook // YouTube // Spotify // Soundcloud