Leah-Carla Gordone: News

It's been a while since I've written so... Hello to you all! All my loved ones around the States and those of you that live in Europe as well! I miss you and you are always in my heart. I'd like to thank everyone who believes in me. Those who continue to support me in my future music dreams and pasts accomplishments. Now...Here's what's been going on...first, a little info you may not know about me! Separate from my musician life I am also a registered nurse with an Associate Degree in Nursing Technology. I have recently arrived at a landmark decision to finally put my nursing degree to use so I have begun a nursing refresher course which will take about 4 months of intensive studying in order to complete. I am licensed in NYC, where I am from so all the pieces have been set in motion in order that I may practice here in Columbus as a registered nurse. Currently I am working as a Certified Pharmacy Technician and have been for the past year. I am making way below what I think I should be making and nursing will allow me alot of freedom for travel and otherwise with greater financial compensation. I'm ready to try this. I will be applying for a job in Psychiatric Nursing in a hospital once I am refreshed. I have a great deal of compassion for the mentally ill community and I know these people will feel safe and understood around me. I hope to offer alot of healing energy to them...
I am also currently in the studio recording my third CD. I will not reveal its title yet but it will contain 15 songs. 10 with my wonderful previous band and 5 additional bonus solo tracks. Expect it to be available by October, 2007! My band was formed September of 2006 and consisted of drums, bass and viola with me playing a variety of guitars, electric, acoustic, 12 and 6 stringed. They were loyal and extremely talented musicians who lent their skills and creativity to my songs and the result was mind blowing for me. We performed out at clubs regularly and now it is time to carve all that work in stone with my forthcoming album. But it is also time for me to turn inward and be solo again. Our (my band's) last show was an especially exciting one. We were accepted into COMFEST, Columbus, Ohio's huge annual summer 3-day music festival. COMFEST features 7 stages of live music simultaneously. Food and wonderful art and crafts and jewelry vendors line the streets and paths that surround Goodale Park where the festival takes place. We played The Gazebo Stage. A beautiful white gazebo with pillars and a lovely pond that can be seen behind it. We performed many of my new songs and played for 45 minutes to an attentive grass sitting audience of about 200. Well...many got up and danced for my last song when I said, "Come on up and dance!" . There is a DVD of this performance which is now available and can be purchased for $6.00 which includes shipping and handling. Please contact Jeanne Warner @ 614-301-5976 to make arrangements for that.
My year actually began with a spark. A special invitation, where I was asked to sing The National Anthem at The North American Fencing Cup championship here in Columbus at The Convention Center . This was a great challenge for me being that I didn't really know the song. Melodically it is very difficult and of course I sang it a capella. It was a wonderful experience. I was introduced and all the fencers (who were warming up) and judges and instructors stopped what they were doing and promptly faced me and the flag. With their hands on their hearts they listened in dead silence. I was shocked. I forgot that's what is supposed to happen! After I was done I bid them their motto, "Lunge well. Be both bold and graceful!". They applauded me too and I really didn't expect that. Very moving! There were atleast three hundred people there. I was proud of my traditional rendition of this song too. Nervous slightly but I pulled it off with dignity and professionalism, adding a little "Leah-Carla" to it.
Since I've last written I was the featured artist on indiegrrl.com and was featured in the local Columbus "arts happening" newspaper, The Alive. They asked me to give a top 5 favorite CD list, tell a bit about why I loved each artist and the album. They mentioned my father, Charles Gordone's Pulitzer Prize and promoted an upcoming gig. There was a very nice sized colr picture of me along with it.
I and also finishing up a book about my life which I will begin to seek publishing on soon...so this is a real self-defining time in my life and I am super happy. Probably happier and more fulfilled than I have ever been. Hope you are all rockin' to your own beat and having a great year so far. Thanks for reading this and again, for caring about me and my endeavors.
Peace, love and music,
Leah-Carla Gordone

My new band features Ryan Combs on Bass, Mark Brennan on Drums, Kelly Simmons on viola and Ric "Da Fiddlah" Smith on violin...Oh-and me on 12-String guitar and Vox! The shows are going great and the band sounds AWESOME! Stay tuned!

Interview
1.. How old were you when you started writing songs and how many years have you been writing and performing?
I started writing songs, singing and performing (as an actress as well) at the age of twelve - the guitar playing came later.
2. Who were your major influences with your music?
My mother was a big Carole King fan...Tracy Chapman and Suzanne Vega gave me hope that music with some substantial depth could be appreciated on a mass commercial level and be rewarded by the industry...Sinead O’Connor was a combat boot-wearing rebel and I identified with the power with which she sang on "The Lion And The Cobra". I feel there are so few commercial female singers that sing like their lives depend on it. That's me too!
3. How would you describe your music?
It’s alternative/rock/soul/R&B/folk and funk all rolled into one with a pop sensibility.
4. What is the best review or statement that someone has written about you and your music and who said it?
"Leah-Carla Gordone is a powerful, authentic singer who lives her music by voicing her convictions through her passionate, poetic songs. In a way she is a throwback to the best traditions of the sixties, but she simultaneously leads the cutting edge of the new millennium, for those who appreciate music as substance rather than style and hope for it to ‘light the way’". - Peter Yarrow (Peter, Paul and Mary)
5. How many personal CD projects have you finished and are you working on or have any future project in the works? Also how involved are you in the recording process and producing of these projects?
My debut CD was BUTTERFLY CHILD. My latest CD is called DANCING ON THE DRAGON. They are both available at cdbaby.com/gordone and /gordone2 I have many new songs -- enough new material for a third CD -- coming soon! Also, I have a lot of older material that could be used for a fourth album...I am very involved in the recording process. I cultivate the musicians, arrange the music considerably, and produce the albums myself...I always have a clear vision for the final outcome.
6. What special honors or awards have you received over the years in your music career?
I have yet to receive any awards, although we just submitted me for seventeen categories of Grammy nominations, as well as for The Independent Music Awards. I think of myself as a sleeping giant, when I wake up - watch out! It’s more like, when everyone ELSE wakes up - my fans are mystified by the fact that no record label has snatched me up yet.
7. What is your favorite venue to perform live and why?
I have no one favorite. I appreciate all the many different venues for different reasons...The coffee house - for the attentiveness and intimacy, the rowdy bar - for the festivity in the air and the challenge of winning the crowd over and the concert venue for the sheer ego-enhancement (hah!). But seriously, a large stage, great lighting and sound usually accompany the concert venue...they really help create a very dramatic crowd anticipation. A rising black curtain or a video screen as a backdrop add to the excitement. I’m very dramatic and these little extras really give me butterflies! I have a six foot, full-color banner of me but I don’t get to use it much!
8. What music organizations are you affiliated with?
Indiegrrl, Songs Alive and ASCAP
9. What is your view of expressing political view points in songs?
For those who are especially informed and feel a passion for a political topic, by all means...educate us. I, myself don’t feel a strong pull toward putting politics in my songs.
10. Do you have any politically themed songs and if so tell us about one of them?
I have a new song called "Sleeping Dogs" which addresses homelessness, not specific to America. It also touches on my compulsion to follow my conscience when it comes to recycling "Garbage is disposed but where does it go? It’s not recycled, NO", to quote some lyrics. I want to write a song about war, but it’s such an overwhelmingly complex topic...I’m not sure where I’ll begin. My songs are very emotional so my heart will go out to ALL the soldiers in that song - American, Iraqi and the many others. I try to stay really positive in my music. I try to get people to look upward--I sing of peace and hope and "The trees, they are my friends, and I say ‘Thank you’" and "When a tree falls in the forest, my heart hears the sound." That’s about as political as I get. I think all that positive singing puts out some good war-counteracting vibes.
11. Do you find as an Indie artist it is easier to express yourself and view points in music instead of following main stream marketing in songs?
I’ll always express myself EXACTLY as I need to. Nothing holds me back. I think it’s called freedom of speech. If it hits mainstream...even better.
12. What does Indie mean to you?
It means "independent"...not needing to rely on anyone but yourself. But in reality, don’t we all get by with a "little help from our friends"? Musically, it means you’re making things "happen" regardless of the "movers and the shakers"-- you’re doing your thing, singing your song, marching to the beat of your own drum. And you’ll keep doing that. I’m like a locomotive. I’ll keep rolling. No actual destination. When I win a Grammy will I retire? NOT. That’s icing on the cake. First and foremost I do my music because I have to -- it is my lifeline and I will always make music regardless of any help I get from any outside sources -- major labels, indie labels, managers or agents. All I need is my guitar. I sing for ME, first of all. It gives me immeasurable joy and I am so grateful that I have this gift that continues to pull me through all my difficult times!
13. Do you own your own record label or publishing company?
Yes. Fat Dragon Productions, LLC is the record label and Butterfly Child Music, LLC is my publishing company.
14. If given the opportunity would you sign on with a major record label?
It all depends. Artistic control is important. There are a lot of factors but I certainly am very open to getting with a major label.
15. What advice can you give to someone who is just starting to market themselves in the Indie music market?
Advice for marketing? I’m the worst person to ask that! I just sing, write and play my guitar. I have a new band and I’m trying to get us as many gigs as possible. Touring and gigging like crazy seem to be the best focus of energy. My ultimate goal is to get my music heard...I don’t think of myself as a commodity to be marketed. I guess that’s where my mother comes in! She’s my manager and she works nonstop and leaves no stone unturned when it comes to marketing ideas. Ya gotta have t-shirts, music videos, cds to sell, try to do college gigs, festivals, conferences, showcases, radio exposure (satellite, college and commercial if possible)...music reviews are very important to me.
16. How many instruments do you play and what are they?
Piano and keyboard were my first instrument. I approached them humbly and wrote many "baby steps songs" on them but my expertise is in guitar. I am a self-taught musician. I don’t know the names of the chords I make up. I just know what sounds good to me. That’s it.
17. What are your main goals for 2006 and in your music career as a whole?
Well, a Grammy nomination would be amazing, though not very likely...but anything’s possible. A big goal is to play Madison Square Garden one day! Most of all, I hope that I continue to evolve as a musician, singer and songwriter...to just keep getting better and better. I do have a NEW MUSIC VIDEO of my charting single "The Road" which is now available for viewing on myspace.com/dancingonthedragon. A major goal is to get as many people to see that as possible!
18. What does Indiegrrl mean to you?
Indigrrl made me feel like I was part of the bigger picture...a band of women determined not to let anything stand in their way...their music being their driving force. I was one of the first performing members when it all began and toured with a little troop of Indigrrl rocker women through seven states! It was my first tour and the level of professionalism made me proud to be a member...And I still am proud. We’ve come a long way.
19. Is there anyone you would like to thank that has helped you along in your career or in the music industry as a whole?
My mother, my mother, my mother....my....

Leah-Carla is now featured as one of the lead vocalists for a hot, new band newly formed by Columbus, Ohio's infamous Doctah X. Doctah X Presents: Seedz Of Rasistance is a blend of Reggae/ Dub/ Roots/ Drum and Bass. This is a chance to see/hear Leah-Carla in a whole different genre. She continues to perform her own original material to spread her music and this WILL NOT STOP. "Seedz" is a side project allowing her the opportunity that most artists need to thrive and that is: collaboration! So keep an eye out for SEEDZ OF RASISTANCE for a chance to see another side of LC - one you won't want to miss! (CLICK ON "CALENDAR DATES" FOR "SEEDZ" UPCOMING SHOWS)

LEAH-CARLA GORDONE INVITES YOU TO COME OUT FOR HER PERFORMANCE AT CLUB 202!
WHERE: 202 East Long Street
WHEN: Saturday, March 25
TIME: 9 PM
DOOR: $5-$7
***CLUB 202 is a very chic upscale club with a groovy, comfortable vibe and ambience. This is my first time performing there. Now it's been almost 2 months since my last show and I miss you guys and wanna see ya there! I've got some new songs to share too.
***NEWS*** I just received an outstanding LIVE solo review in the real live newsstand magazine Music Connection -- check it out in the reviews.
***MUSIC VIDEO*** has been shot and is in the editing process. I don't want to give it away so you'll have to wait and be surprised but I will say this -- I got to see alot of the footage before heading back to Columbus and I was BLOWN AWAY -- I can promise you it will be
amazing. I'd like to have a VIDEO RELEASE PARTY when it's ready (about a month) and show it on a big screen. I'll let you know, don't worry.
In the meantime, I really hope to see you all at my show on March 25. Peace and love, Leah-Carla

She has finished shooting the music video of "The Road" and is thrilled with the footage. She should have the completed product by the end of March. She is gearing up for her next phase!

Yes, she took off this morning to shoot a music video of "The Road" in Monterey, plus do a couple of gigs in Hollywood/Los Angeles

Leah-Carla's single "The Road" has charted two months on a commercial Top 40 radio station.

Hey there all you beautiful people. My tour is turning out to be so much more than I ever could have imagined it to be. It's been amazing so far. My Sunday show in Houston at The Last Concert Cafe was groovy with a bass player sitting in with me on "The Dragon". They serve awesome Mexican food and have this very cool and funky outdoor stage opposite their patio which is basically a huge sand box (the patio not the stage!) with round picnic tables scattered abroad. The show went well and Lonne, the woman who books the place invited me back to play on any jumping Friday or Saturday night. Not bad for a solo songstress.

In Austin, Texas on Tuesday at El Mercado-Writers Who Rock series A man showed up who took pictures of me performing with Peter Yarrow at the Kerrville Folk festival in 2000!.He found out about the show while he was in Los Angeles because a friend of his has the same media team working for her. As she showed him her appearance on the media teams' website he noticed me there as well, went to my website, saw that I was playing in Austin--his home where he would soon be returning to and planned to catch me at El Mercado, where he bought both my Cds. I have the internet to thank for that.

I had two shows in College Station, Tx at texas A&M University where my father used to teach--one at their coffee house and the next day on campus outdoors for Texas Aggies Recycle Day--Lunch Box Series. The sound system was great but the temp had dropped so I wore like twenty layers--I must have looked about twenty pounds heavier! The outdoor show actually fell on the anniversary of my father's death 10 years ago....I serenaded many busy students rushing by to obviously catch their next class!

I also caught an open mic in Austin at this really "neato" bar/club called Trophys. The evening inspired the makings of a song. Some great people were met and friends made that I will never forget. The vibe was like that of a club house where all the musicians knew each other. The host, Jason Weems performed at the beginning of the open mic. Gary Graves graced us with his beautiful voice and one of a kind "Soul" songs. He's a poet and has a fascinating history of social activism. Look him up! Then about half way through-- the featured "spotlight" band went on. They were great. Then Jason played some more followed by more open mikers . Jason captured my heart with his tender acoustic love songs and sagas. A raspy-voiced soul- bearing tall- statured-big- presence kind of guy. His soul bearing songs made for a powerful contrast/ dynamic and he brought me to tears a couple of times with words perfectly placed amidst melody. Jason also dug my songs and invited me back any time to play the featured spotlight thang. An honor!

In Los Angeles, my show at The Gig went surprisingly well, considering I was nervous as a goat, if there is such an expression. The club was swank with blackness and lots of red ambient lights. The curtain rose on me with a teal blue spotlight, some fog, a 6 ft banner of me " in the road" in the background, I'm wearing dark sunglasses singing "Let It Flow". I'm told it was very effective. There will be pictures posted soon. My "teams" all turned up for the show and seemed thoroughly wowed which felt good. We had a great turn out of people--friends and friends like family, impossible to mention them all.

Kulak's Woodshed was an LA open mic that I didn't want to miss. A webcast night that brings the best musicians out of the woodwork. The shack is decked with everything to make you feel like you're on the set of some tripped out wild west-grandma's home theatrical play with bookshelves, a bed, Christmas lights, trinkets and pictures hanging from all over the place. But instead they've got a film crew shooting the thing from every angle. One song a piece. I did one of my newest ones--"Rise". Stay tuned for an update about San Fransisco, Seattle, San Diego and my return to LA. Love you guys.----LCG

Hello to all my people,

you people who, no doubt, belong to yourselves but in some indirect way belong to my collective unconscious, so, hey, I say "my people". I belong to you as well. Let us wish for one another-- each of us individually-- to achieve our greatest visions . Even more importantly, let us wish for the entire world--the entire collective unconscious-- to move, more readily, into a "collective consciousness"--that state of enlightenment that carries EVERYONE onto a whole new level of consciousness. Not to get too deep, but my father called it "a people dying into that new life".

O.K., here goes...

The second half of my tour was really just as amazing as the first half...Where to begin...

Well, the first piece that comes to mind is the incredible reunion I had with my dear friend, Erica Gimpel--an actress, singer, all around beautiful artist spirit. She and I grew up together, having met at the ripe old age of seven. From playing with dolls to first boyfriends to attending the High School of Performing Arts together. We have always been like sisters, though both of us are only children. The reunion, after not seeing each other since 1999, took place in Los Angeles, where we caught up on each others' lives, over tea made with best honey I've ever tasted! The solid, white kind that makes you want to pass up the tea and just make a meal of that creamy mass that comes in a bowl!....She left me with some important words of wisdom, which, I see now, as I write, helped to catapult me into the mindset from which I spoke in my opening.

Next stop-- San Francisco, I played a Borders in Emeryville--but not before being picked up at the SF airport by Garland Thompson, Jr. Garland is another dear friend from childhood--our fathers knew one another and worked closely together during the "No Place" days. We hadn't seen each other for probably twenty years Garland is largely responsible for why you're hearing of my adventures. He convinced me of the importance, initially prompted by Jeanne. It didn't occur to me that anyone would care that much or even respond to my first letter, let alone a bunch of you! That really made me say, "Wow. People truly care about what I'm doing". That kind of reinforcement is so essential for an artist such as myself--one who is riddled with insecurities (you know, those nasty little monsters that lurk beneath the surface, just waiting for the most opportune times to rear their ugly little heads?). They, themselves, I suppose, are not the "dragon"--maybe they just like to hang out on the dragon's back... Alas! The dancing can come to a screeching halt at any given time. EEEk! Overcoming the dragon is a continual process... Back to Garland--he drove my mother and me around SF, saving us the expense of renting a car. He acted as Emcee and sound engineer during scary situations. He proved to be an ideal shopping assistant, as I searched for vintage cowboy boots on Haight street! He further educated us about podcasts and all that cutting edge stuff. He busted out an old manuscript of a play that he and I had begun writing as teenagers which practically had me in stitches. Lastly, he planted the seed for a music video for "The Road". For which he and a team of Italian pros are currently planning a shoot schedule. We will be doing this in February. So I will be revisiting CA soon! Garland rules! And I love him--not for dangling the music video carrot, please! But, well.. Just because he's Garland...He's like an extension of my being--there's a strong spiritual connection. One I rarely find --mainly because I'm so damn weird!

Borders Emeryville was very special. CDs sold. But even more important to me than that was the woman that came up to me outside (during a five minute break I took) to tell me how much my music had effected her that night. More than words- her tears hugged my heart. There is no greater fulfillment for an artist then being "gotten" by someone. I embraced her and marveled at the depth at which she had taken my music in. She knew its source at some unspeakable level-- the range of tears from which my songs flow--from sadness to inexplicable joy--and everything in between.

Brainwash Cafe/Laundromat was a little weird and fun at the same time...but what do you expect from a name like that?

Seattle was cold as hell, but, my aunt Julie has enough warmth in her smile to make up for that. Mr. Spot's Chai House could have been another sound disaster--finding a mic chord that worked was like "tryin' to pour whiskey from a bottle of wine". A sweet mother with her rainbow child (who kept trying to make off with my tuner and pick box during my set) made for a tender setting... Others chatted, others listened attentively...The chai was hella good. Upon learning, from the nutmeg crusher in the back, who joined me for a cigarette or two outside, that Mr. Spot is actually a cat--I chuckled with delight--then a momentary longing for my boys (Squeaker and King Chesterfield) back home.

Borders--Everett, WA... was funky--in a good way...more CDs sold at that gig than any other-- Randie and Brad each bought respective copies of both Butterfly Child and Dancing On The Dragon. Pretty funky--in a good way--considering they were going to be roommates in a week and could have easily done some "burning"... C'mon, they weren't the only ones who bought CDs. Stop It! No, I'm serious...there were others, too... I like signing autographs. It's like people are saying, "you're gonna be famous". Why not, man?... But there may be A LOT more dues that have yet to be paid. On the other hand, after thirteen years of acting followed by sixteen years of playing the 12-string guitar--I could become an overnight success at any batting of an eye...

San Diego-- Little time between our flight arrival and my next show--Thank you, Michelle Kinzel, for letting us shower somewhat leisurely and then regroup (for about ten minutes?) at your pad before bolting off to do Dream Street Live...My opening act, J Downs, was a bad-ass "Caucasian" rapper/singer who simultaneously percussed and played his acoustic guitar with no additional accompaniment except for two additional "bruthahs" who joined him on a few tunes. Damn, he was good! Yo, J--I need your music in my possesion and I spaced getting your cuts before I left. You know we should swap, so let's work that out...Drove back to LA that night by carfrom there, immediately following my show...Motels are so COOL! Talk about living like a rock star. So what if there's no room service, no chocolates on the pillows...So what if the carpets are a little old and the curtains are a little tacky...We were livin' large.

My last show at Genghis Cohen was pretty rad. The show was recorded from the sound board. Nick and Ardis showed up. Ernie, my distribution dude, brought Toni Koch, a groovy woman that works with a national not-for-profit booking outfit. She's diggin' my music and wants to help me get it "out there". My uncle, Charles Fretzin photographed the show. He's a pro, by the way. Look him up at fretzinphoto.com. I played a bunch of new tunes not to be found on either of my CDs. Tito laid down some serious stories to me, after the show, on how to make sh-t happen. Very inspiring...Tito was in a play with my father back when I was just a little girl...So now we have a CD--"Leah-Carla Gordone Live Solo at Genghis Cohen" which will be made available to you SOON. We also have a DVD of me playing/singing "Rise" at Kulak's. Having seen my show at The Gig and having listened to DOTD, Debbie Aaberg of Silver Screen Music has offered to shop my music to film and television. To top things off, I got an outstanding Dancing On The Dragon review (which referred to me as a "world-changer") just days before we were to return home to sunny Columbus...uh...I mean-- to Columbus... Maybe I miss LA just a little.

So now we're moving into phase two (and three-but we won't talk about that yet) of project "Launch Leah-Carla Gordone"...During the month of January I'll be throwing down with some Music/Self Expression Through Songwriting workshops through an afterschool program with children grades K-5 in conjunction with ARTSAFE- Art for a Child's Safe America Foundation. Talk about challenging myself! But this is just what I need. I need to be giving my gift in a variety of ways. It ain't always about being on stage---I'll be writing you all again...But if you don't hear from me for a while please let this "book" suffice as possibly several shared journal entries...'Later Y'all.---LCG

Leah-Carla's second cd was officially released on October 4, 2005 and we celebrated at Victorian's Midnight Cafe on Saturday, October 8. Leah-Carla did a full 1 1/2 hour show and looked and sounded spectacular. The house was full and appreciative.

Dear family, friends and fans:
You are cordially invited to attend my official CD release party at Victorian's Midnight Cafe in Columbus, Ohio celebrating the October 4, 2005, release of my second CD "Dancing On The Dragon". This is a really exciting time for me as I begin to realize my dream -- getting my music out to the world. We've got national distribution for DOTD which means it will be available at record stores all over the country, as well as at www.cdbaby.com/gordone. We have a national media and marketing team in place and we are hoping to get reviews, articles, press, etc. surrounding this project that I am so proud of. Lastly, we have radio promotion and my single "The Road" (off of "Dancing On The Dragon") is already receiving air play on commercial Hot A/C and Top 40 radio stations across the country. I am so grateful to my mother for all the effort she has put into this endeavor of mine. She has been my back bone and without her nothing of this magnitude would be happening. Please come celebrate with me at what I am calling a gala event! There will be T-shirts available to purchase which have a color picture of me standing in "The Road" on High Street. We will have for sale posters of the same and my first CD "Butterfly Child", along with free color photograph give aways, and of course my "Dancing On The Dragon" CD will be available to purchase. Some of you have a pre- release copy of this but the new one contains a brand new rendition of "The Road" -- the one that is being played on the radio! I hope to see all your beautiful faces there.

Thank you for your continued support and belief in me,
Leah-Carla Gordone (www.leahcarlagordone.com)

For Immediate Release


LEAH-CARLA GORDONE IS INDEPENDENTLY AND BEAUTIFULLY ‘DANCING ON THE DRAGON’

“The Road,” The Autobiographical First Single From NYC- Bred, Columbus, Ohio-Based Singer/ Songwriter’s Sophomore CD, Is Currently Being Promoted to Hot AC, Top 40 and Crossover Radio

Daughter of Pulitzer Prize-Winning Playwright Charles Gordone, A Fixture at Columbus’ COMFEST Arts Festival, Has Opened for The Indigo Girls And Norah Jones

Aside from the playful smile and tight grip on her cherished 12-string guitar, the first thing you’ll notice about singer-songwriter Leah-Carla Gordone is her bright, long royal blue hair. But as she sings on “Beauty,” one of the key tracks from her hot new Dancing On The Dragon CD, she’d prefer that we go deeper: “And if we both look past what human eyes can see/Then maybe we’ll agree on beauty/And What It Really Means.”
Take that as an invitation to draw closer, and you’ll be moved by a vision even more compelling--the incredibly artistic tattoo down the length of her left arm which brilliantly depicts the musical and lyrical inspirations behind the album, which is being released October 4, 2005 on her own Fat Dragon Productions label. “The Road,” the collection’s autobiographical first single currently being shipped to Hot AC, Top 40 and Crossover radio stations across the country, is a tale of personal growth applied to a more universal consciousness.
The song is a colorful reflection of her years of dues-paying, where she’s been, what she’s becoming, and her sense of destiny—which she then opens up to the interconnectedness of people throughout the world: “And aren’t we all God’s children under the sun? You and I, You and I, We Are One.” Gordone recently headed down from her adopted hometown of Columbus, Ohio—where she has opened at Promowest Pavilion for The Indigo Girls and Norah Jones--to Nashville to record a shorter version of the original track featuring a funkier beat, organ instead of violin, plus Wurlitzer piano and electric guitar.
“Since recording the song originally,” she says, “I’ve gone through a lot of ups and downs, periods of elation and depression, and come to terms with the struggle to find my place as an artist in this world,” she says. “The theme of the song is the same, about people finding strength through adversity, but musically it’s definitely a richer, more soulful rendition!”
Just as “The Road” is a compelling metaphor open to the listener’s own interpretation, the whole Dancing On The Dragon concept is symbolic of Gordone’s fascinating musical journey, which would probably make a roller coaster blush just a little.
“The tattoo shows a fairy standing on the dragon’s back, grabbing the monster by the tail,” she says. “The dragon symbolizes the trials and obstacles I have faced first as an actress and then as an up and coming independent musician, the hopes and letdowns, the empty promises and the ultimate goal of finding success. The fairy has become the superhero version of me, with the ability to overcome the dragon. The songs on the album deal not only with tackling the dragon but also dancing on him, which is a metaphor for defying the odds and battling my own fears and demons. At first you resent your roadblocks, but as I’ve grown and matured as an artist, I’ve become grateful for them.”
The daughter of the late playwright Charles Gordone, who won a Pulitzer Prize for his 1970 play “No Place To Be Somebody,” the New York City native was a Theatre Arts major at SUNY New Paltz, where she played the Liza Minelli role in “Cabaret”; honed her chops as a regular at NYC clubs like CBGB’s, Bitter End and Mercury Lounge; and performed everywhere from Woodstock to Boston, Key West, London, New Orleans, Los Angeles and Nashville before settling into the vibrant arts community of Columbus, Ohio.
Her first album Butterfly Child—which she dedicated to her father, “an incredible man who had a great impact on my life and very much influenced my development as a songwriter”—received significant airplay on NPR, college radio stations and the internet, in addition to a ton of glowing critical praise. The Daily Freeman Preview in Kingston, NY compared her powerful, edgy vocals to those of Patti Smith, Melissa Etheridge and Grace Slick, while Jeff Hepner of “Burn Yer Radio” www.wakeupweb.com said, “Gordone makes me think of a tougher, hipper, more street wise Natalie Merchant…listening to her makes me feel stronger and more hopeful.” The South Bend [IN] Tribune added, “Her music resembles the pop-folk-soul vein of such women as Joan Osborne and Carole King.”
Since moving to her mother’s native Columbus in 2002, Gordone has plugged into the music scene there in a big way, performing a total of three times at COMFEST, a three day festival of arts, crafts and music with five stages. The annual event, which has been a local institution for some 30 years, is a celebration of local and regional talent. Gordone is still connected artistically to her hometown as well. She was recently one of three performers selected to perform at the Global Entertainment and Media Summit (GEMS) in New York City, and reconnected with her NYC fans at a Bitter End performance.
Although all eyes and ears in the independent world are currently on “The Road,” Gordone is excited about the prospect of listeners exploring the wealth of life experience she taps into on the other tracks of Dancing On The Dragon. “My first album represented me at a time when I was learning how to walk as a songwriter, while the new collection is me starting to run,” she says. “Songs like ‘Crystal Clear Infinity’ speak about the need to be recognized, despite the feeling that no one can see you or relate to you. But the feeling of aloneness is often more of an illusion than a reality when you wake up and realize that we all go through similar struggles. I like to tap into issues that a lot of writers don’t, and this involves going places beyond just simple love songs. People need to be encouraged to express what they’re going through.
“My tune ‘Soul Sister’ is about a problem I had with a girlfriend, regarding our over-competitiveness and the need to let it go. I wrote it as a plea for a meaningful, unpretentious friendship.” Gordone adds, “‘Let It Flow’ was written during a time when I was feeling alienated and stuck, but needing to do just what the title says. On Butterfly Child, people got a sense of what I was struggling with. Here, I’m more celebrating where I’m going, with a more complete vision. The more I write, and the more sophisticated I get in sharing my thoughts, the better I am able to express things that people can relate to.”
You can see/hear Leah-Carla on her website: http://leahcarlagordone.com.