Thea Hopkins: News

I am happy to report I have been selected for a NERFA Tri-centric Showcase!

Shaun Belcher of Flyinshoes Radio in the UK has selected my new CD "Chickasaw" as one of the best of the month for October!
http://www.flyinshoes.fsnet.co.uk/radio

CHICKASAW is also now available at www.cdfreedom.com!

Thea Hopkins possesses a voice and style that are so unique and brilliant that you wonder why the rest of the world has not yet caught on. She is sultry and sensuous, serious and playful, mysterious and fascinating all at once. She is reminiscent of the great torch singers, but also has a modern and contemporary sound which she shares with the likes of Sarah McLaughlin and Natalie Merchant. The bottom line is that she knows how to take an audience on a ride that touches the full range of human emotions.

Chickasaw is her sophomore release—a worthy follow-up to the classic songs of her 2001 debut, Birds of Mystery. Chickasaw is subtitled "American short story folk," and indeed, the many wonderful songs here truly do tell a story about people living on the edge of love, of luck, and of life.

An air of romance, of earth-shattering love and lust, permeates the richly sensual Rows and Rows of Stars. David Goodrich colors Thea's gorgeous vocals with his superb work on guitar and piano. This is a song you can just drift away on—you don't want it to end.

The Edge of Geary brings back images of a small-town childhood as it appears in memory. Thea's soft, sultry alto rises to meet Chris Thompson's harmony vocals. Ian Kennedy shines on violin.

Every one of us has a story about choosing the wrong lover—the one who is too good to be true. Once There Was a Lover describes just this kind of false suitor. It is one of the recording's best cuts:
Once there was a lover who found
Shelter in Jesus and all he adored
Thorns and desire, roses and fire
Was all his heart had room for.

The Weather Turns is so hauntingly beautiful a song that its melody and lyrics stay with you long after you have listened to it. Natalie Haas on cello helps to create an air of melancholy and mystery. Thea's voice caresses the lyrics with her special magic.

Dave Goodrich, on resonator guitar, opens the title track, Chickasaw" This is a classic song of love gone badly and irrevocably wrong.

There are so many great songs here, I could address each and every one of them. But none is as moving as the revised version of Thea's riveting Jesus is on the Wire, which has been covered by Peter, Paul and Mary. Here she paints a picture of an unforgettable landscape, and a day that will go down in our collective memory. This song is a modern classic.

The beauty of Thea's voice is matched by the brilliance of her lyrics. Some singers know how to sing and others know how to write. Thea Hopkins draws you in with her sensual, sultry voice, but keeps your attention by wrapping that voice around beautiful melodies and wonderful stories. She's a marvelous talent. Get lost in her mystery. You may never want to be found. -- Roberta B. Schwartz

I am happy to report that "Chickasaw" made it onto the Folk DJ List of Top Albums for August!

My CD is now available at www.cdbabycom/theahopkins2 and will soon be available at CD Freedom/Nimbit.

There is an interview with me about the new album on the Me & Thee blog http://www.meandthee.org/blog/txp/ !

It was great to discover
"Chickasaw" is listed as the
CD-tip of the week on www.ctrlaltcountry.be !

I am very pleased to announce I have been selected to do a formal showcase at this year's
Midwest Regional Folk Alliance Conference!

I am excited to report that
the album is finished! The mastering was done by Ian Kennedy and he did a superlative job. I have put four songs from my new album, "Chickasaw", on Myspace. Please give them a listen if you are so inclined: www.myspace.com/theahopkins.

Mixing has started at Chris Rival's studio. Yay!

The last few weeks have been a blaze of recording activity. All the bass parts
are done! Thank you Ricahrd Gates. All the drum parts! Thank you Kathi Taylor. I was fortunate to have had Ian Kennedy & Natlaie Haas add their violin & cello parts respectively. Just gorgeous. Gerry Bellegarde anchored this project, quite a bit, with his precise enginnering. Also Larry Luddeke in Arlington.
It is such an intense and personal experience recording an album, but I am looking for to sharing it with the world.

I have been doing more recording this past month, and have had the honor of having some truly stellar players add their musical magic to my songs. Richard Gates, bassist extraordinaire, was in Gerry Bellegarde's studio recently adding his sensitive and expressive touch to my tunes. Fiddlers Ian Kennedy and Paula Zeitlin have both added some lovely fiddle lines to some of the songs.
The recording is more or less on schedule. There is no date set yet for a local CD release, but I will keep everyone posted!

The last couple of weeks have contiinued to be hectic, in the most wonderful way. Steve Sadler was in last week to add some great guitar parts to some of the songs.
Pianist Tim Ray was in the previous week to add his magical touches to some of the tunes.

On another note if you are not familiar with the writer, Chris Hedges, and continue to be concerned
about the direction this
country has taken in the last few years, please check out his new book
"American Fascists". A must
read!

January was a busy month recording & writing. The album is coming along well.
I was in the Larry Luddeke's studio this past week recording some vocal tracks.
In late December David Goodrich came in and recorded some guitar tracks for the
album. I have also been doing some recording at Gerry Bellegarde's studio with
instrumentalist Bob Metzger.

A big thanks to anyone who came out to the Hynes to see the Roots Attached Revue at First Night! It was a pleasure sharing the evening with
Jaded Mandolin, Kerri Powers & Rebecca Hall & Ken Anderson.

It has been awhile since I have updated the news section of my website. I am continuing to record the new album and I am happy to report it is coming together very nicely! It should be ready to go in early February. I am very excited about the Roots Attached Revue show at the Hynes Auditorium on Dec. 31st. Get a First Night button and stop by!

I start recording my new CD this month! Folks have been asking about this for awhile. I am hoping to have it completed by the
holidays. I will keep everyone posted.

This has been a really fun week! Last Saturday night I opened up for Richie Havens at the Narrows Center in Fall River MA. It was a thrill and an honor to open for him!

Then I opened for Susan Werner at Tupelo Hall this past Friday night. She is a great singer-songwriter, with
a wonderfully sharp sense of humor. Check out her
website, www.susanwerner.com and her song "My Strange Nation"!

If you are looking for single songs from my album, "Birds Of Mystery", they are now available on iTunes! Here is the direct link: http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewAlbum?playListId=139397396

I hope everyone's Spring is getting off to a great start!
I had a fantastic gig last week opening for the illustrious
Maura O'Connell, www.mauraoconnell.com, on St Pats Day no less!

I am doing a lot of pre-production on the new CD and will start recording in May! Can't wait.

I had the honor of meeting Terry Duggins last week when I was in NYC. He is Hawaii's premier dulcimer player and a disciple of Jean Ritchie. He recently recorded
one of my songs, "Just A Soul" for his new album, "True Colors". It was
a thrill meeting him! For more info on Terry Duggins and his music, www.towerrecords.com.

I continue to get requests from churches around the country (and occasionally overseas) for the music to "Jesus Is On The Wire". I am very pleased that this particular song of tolerance is being heard in the world at this time.

All for now!

I just got back from the Sundance Film Festival. This was a fantastic experience!Not only did I have an opportunity to play my music at a couple of different venues, I also had a chance to see a few films. The best one I saw was a documentary called, "Who Killed The Electric Car?" An excellent expose on the efforts of the auto and oil
industries to halt production of fuel efficient cars. I'm not
a conspiracy theorist, but I would definitely check this film out when it comes to town.

In other news, I am closing in on recording in the next few months. Stay tuned!

Hello friends,
As 2005 presses to an end, I sit here counting my blessings. Thanks to everyone who came out to shows this year. Your support is much appreciated!
New music is in the works for 2006. Have a joyous Holiday season!

For those who were not able to attend the Peace Rally this past Saturday in Boston, the crowd was enthusiastic, if not as large as had been hoped for due to the weather.

I hope some folks will be able to make it to the show at the Nameless this
coming Saturday night! Check the calendar for more info!

I am hoping Saturday will be a bright sunshiney day for the Peace Rally in Boston Common. We reached a somber milestone today - 2,000 American dead in Iraq. (Is anyone here keeping track of the Iraqi dead?) I will be singing my song, "Like A RocK", inspired by Cindy Sheehan,(the lyrics are available on my music page) at the rally somewhere between 12:00 - 2:00 pm. I am hoping
lots and lots of people will come out for the event. For more info: www.oct29.org