Lady Moon

Wet Mountain Gang Tabs!

Hello Fellow Bards!

This month we'll be taking a more intentional look at hammer-ons and pull offs, and to get started, I want to share the tabs for Wet Mountain Gang with y'all (See the attachment in this post).

Compared to most songs we've done on here, this one is pretty simple (though it sounds complex), and it's a good test of your comfort level with hammer-ons and pull-offs.

Not familiar with hammer-ons and pull-offs? No worries! That's what we'll be going over in the next lesson. In the meantime, feel free to take a stab at this tune and comment below to let me know what you'd like me to expand on when I break down how to play it.

So far I'm planning to cover, Hammer-ons, Pull-offs, and what to do with your pick strokes when you encounter them!

Looking forward to hearing from y'all!

Your pal,

Eva

My First Live Show in Five Years…

Dear Friends,

I wanted to share a little clip with you from my show at the county jail. This was my first live show in 5 years and it was truly a heart warming experience.

I’m always surprised by how many avenues for connection and conversation music can open, how it breaks down barriers and allows you to get straight to the heart of a shared experience, emotion, or love that you might have never accessed otherwise.

And this particular show helped me see that an even deeper connection is possible than I realized.

My performance had a couple rough moments due to neurological issues from battling Lyme, and in the past, I would have been mortified, but with Casey’s help, I went in expecting a rough show and even ready to accept any rotten tomatoes thrown my way.

But you know what? Everyone who attended was so kind and eager to connect that they didn’t mind, even when I had to start one song over because I couldn’t remember the correct chord sequence.

I realized as I talked and laughed with the audience, that there was an ease and understanding that wouldn’t have been there without the cracks in my performance.

As a recovering perfectionist, I’m starting to see Lyme as a very ‘healing’ emotional condition. It’s steadily forcing me to leave the need for perfection behind so I can embrace a rare opportunity to connect on a deeper level.

This show helped me realize that accepting my own imperfection sets a tone, it allows others to let go and feel safe doing the same.

This feeling of safety is so important for encouraging healing and creativity, and as someone hoping to create healing music, this particular breakthrough hit me pretty hard.

The grace of my audience definitely changed the way that I look at performing and I’m excited to share more about this breakthrough in a separate video on creative philosophy.

In the meantime, I wanted to share this beautiful moment with you all and send you a big hug from rainy Colorado!

Love,

Eva

Dream Catcher Hollow (Rough Mix)

Dear Friends,

I've had such a beautiful experience escaping into this song.

There's a whole world here and I'm delighted I get to share it with you.

This feels like a very fitting title track for the next album and I LOVE the cellos Kristen added! After listening in a few different systems I may turn them up, but here's a peek at my first proper mix :)

I'm off to edit another song so I can send it to her before she leaves for tour, but I'll be catching up on messages soon.

In the meantime, I hope you enjoy our first finished song and title track for the new album, Dream Catcher Hollow !

Thank you for making it so this little song can exist :')

Love,

Eva

Patron Only April Show!

Dear Friends!

I’m so excited to perform the second half of the new album for you on Tuesday the 29th of April! 🕊️

I’ll send out a reminder the day before, but I wanted to share the link early so you can mark your calendars!

Stay tuned for another exciting album update coming soon! 😎

Love,

Eva

Kiss These Broken Wings (...and an update)

Dear Friends,

This past week I've been experimenting with the best way to capture audio for live videos, which lead me to update my operating system and, therefore, my recording software *screams of horror*.

This desperate act was born from a long standing desire to have studio quality audio with my videos.

I'm happy to say that after hours of nearly pulling my hair out and contacting many different support lines, I have seemingly accomplished the impossible... I am now recording and editing almost as seamlessly as I was before. A proud moment for this Luddite ;*)

While I was experimenting with using a bluetooth mic for videos, I captured this performance of Kiss These Broken Wings on the first take, and though I'm not happy with the audio quality, I really love the performance.

I wanted to share it with you and give you the latest from The Secret Hollow.

Aside from the drama of updating my operating system so that I can download proper video editing software and make better sounding live videos, this week I sent the song Dream Catcher Hollow to my friend Kristen, who is currently adding cello! I'm very excited for this collaboration and hope to have a rough mix to share with you soon :)

In the meantime, I'm prepping for my first live show (which was postponed), prepping for the next Patron Only show, and editing and adding bass to the song Butterflies in My Mind in the hopes that Kristen can add some cello before she leaves for tour in May.

I want to thank you all for your love and support, it certainly keeps me going during my inevitable skirmishes with the necessary evil known as technology ;)

Sending you my love!

Eva

Queen of the Sparrows

Dear Friends!

I wanted to share a little jam session I had recently with my new pal Kristen.

I've been wondering what it would feel like to perform with a cellist and I can honestly say it feels magical!

We didn't have much time to work up an arrangement, but here's a little sketch we did for Queen of the Sparrows.

I'm so excited to be back home catching up on messages and Bard lessons and diving into some editing for the record :)

More soon!

Love,

Eva

Studio Update: Phase 2 Complete!

Hello Friends!

…Wow. I suppose it was cavalier of me, but I thought phase two would be the easy phase. I thought I would even have days to spare after completing my goals, after all, I’ve been in excellent vocal shape 🧐

As you’ll see, we had a few curve balls.

In spite of my over optimistic predictions, I’m happy to say, we met our recording goals for this trip and I’m thrilled with how everything is feeling and sounding!

And now… it’s time to shift gears.

We are, in fact, moments away from the arrival of the Trout Clan and the yearly work time down at the ranch!

Stay tuned on IG, if I have a chance I’ll post what we’re fixing up this year 🤠 🔨

Love from Cotopaxi!

Eva

Studio Update!

Hello Friends!

We made it to Cotopaxi and dove right into recording...

Here's a little update about the process, the power of absolute quiet, and the magic of recording in Grandma Honey's old bedroom :)

Thinking of you all and feeling so excited about this record!

Love,

Eva

Riding Through The Glen Cello Rough!

Dear Friends!

I love letting you in on the recording process so you can hear how a song transforms over time.

Today I'm sharing a rough mix of Riding Through the Glen with the final cello.

I'm still figuring out what other instruments will make up the final arrangement, partially because I'm still trying to determine the palate for the whole album, but at the moment, I'm considering bass, harp, regular mandolin and possibly low whistle.

What do you hear when you listen through?

A very special show…

Dear Friends,

I’m back in singing shape, and not only that, I’m preparing to do my first in person concert since 2020! 🌝

Last summer, thanks to the help of my dear friend Lisa, I booked a show, that I’ve very much been looking forward to, for some of the inmates at the Larimer County Jail.

If my health continues to improve, I hope this will be the first of a handful of shows in Colorado this year!

The show is on March 8th, and I won’t lie, I’m a little nervous to be on a stage again.

I was hoping I could run through the set for y’all first.

If you have time to tune in one week from today, I’ll play you the 45 min set I’ve prepared, including a brand new song called Stardust ✨

Thank you all for your love and support. This feels like such a big step forward, and I’m excited to have you with me for it.

Love,

Eva

Early Show:

February 25th 12:00pm MST

https://www.youtube.com/live/22MeJWFblkk?si=lQJCiLha0_qn9lH7

Late Show:

February 25th 6:00 pm MST

https://www.youtube.com/live/mP903Ap8__o?si=7OL-dPoxqUTZ3wQ1

Will Scarlet Progress…

Dear Friends,

I wanted to give you a little peek at a new section for the Will Scarlet instrumental 🥀

This is the starry night part of his adventure, and one of the trickier things I’ve written! It’s taken me some time to master the slides and shifts, and I’m not quite consistent yet, but here we are 🙃

I’m getting so excited to finish this one.

Thank you for making it possible for me to continue composing and recording, more coming soon!

Love,

Eva

Dealing With Critical Voices

Dear Friends,

This is a subject that is near to my heart because, many moons ago, I nearly gave up making music after letting one intense critical voice into my life.

Here's a bit of my story, what I've learned about critical voices, and how I deal with them today.

• The best defense against toxic criticism is to know your values and stand by them.

• Morning pages are a great way to get negative voices out of your head and identify where they're coming from.

• How to cultivate helpful feedback verses criticism.

• The difference between a critical thinker and a critical person. 

I look forward to hearing your thoughts on this subject and whatever you're comfortable sharing about your own journey.

Big hugs from Colorado!

Eva

The Patron Folk Playlist!

Dear Friends!

Going through your comments on my last post and looking up your favorite folk songs was a wonderful journey.

Today, I've been listening to them all collected in one playlist (while doing some much needed studio organization and cleaning!) and I'm blown away by the synergy.

I had to share the result with you and thank you for curating my new favorite folk playlist!

Here are all your song suggestions, or at least the ones I could find on Spotify, in no particular order, but very cozy and comfortable next to one another.

Thank you for bringing fresh inspiration into my world :)

Love,

Eva

P.S. If I missed any, let me know!

What’s your favorite folk song?

Dear Friends!

While I’m on vocal rest, I could use your help fleshing out my playlist with some fresh inspiration ✨

What is one of your favorite folk songs?

Comment below and feel free to share the story of when you first heard it 🙃

Hugs from Colorado!

Eva

Album Update!

Dear Friends,

Happy New Year!

Thank you all for stepping into 2025 with me 🕊️

I figured it was high time for an album update, bumps and all. Some exciting news and some re-assessing of my recording plan as I wait to see a specialist regarding growing vocal fatigue. Here are the highlights:

• David returns this month to finish the cello on Riding Through the Glen!
• Switching from vocal recording to finishing the Octave mandolin instrumental Will Scarlet.
• Learning about the connection between vocal fatigue and Lyme disease.
• Booking 2 weeks at the ranch in March to finish the bulk of the recording for the new record.

Feel free to comment or message me with your questions or thoughts!

I always look forward to hearing from you guys ❤️

Love,

Eva

Happy New Year! What would you like to see more of?

My Dear Friends,

Making a vision board is a magical thing.

As I’ve been journaling and contemplating what I’d like to see more of in my life next year, you all have been in my heart and on my mind.

What would you like to see more of in your own life in 2025?

And what would you like to see more of in this Secret Hollow?

This year my vision board is a reminder to keep my heart a beautiful place so I can share beautiful music with you 🕊️

Sending you all my love and best wishes for the new year!

Eva

December Secret Hollow Show!

Dear Friends!

How is it December already? 🤯

In between recording and decorating for Christmas, I’ve been polishing up song number 8 for the new record so I can debut it for you on this month’s show, which will be Tuesday Dec 17th!

I’m so happy with this one and I can’t wait to share it with you live and hear what you think ❤️

I also can’t believe that we’re one song away from having a complete album’s worth of songs! 🤯

I’ll be plugging away at the final composition in the hopes that it will be ready for the January show 🎊

In the meantime, I look forward to seeing you all next week!

Early Show 12:00 pm MST:

https://www.youtube.com/live/ywDci167DY0?si=F9SieeJxaUuQhF4R

Late Show 6:00 pm MST:

https://www.youtube.com/live/OKw2F5Kz_i0?si=z-o99_vyWjzRcfeF

Much love!

Eva

Hello Cello!

Dear Friends!

I’ve made a cello buddy 😎

This is David from Schrello Classic and he is currently writing and recording a cello part for Riding Through The Glen!

I asked him for an improv clip to share and this is what he sent!

I love how this is sitting and I feel more confident after hearing a sample that octave mandolin and cello will make a great foundation for this next record.

What do you think?

November Secret Hollow Show!

Dear Friends!

I’m so excited to debut another finished song for you, one week from today, on this month’s Secret Hollow Show!

Any guesses what the title is? 🦋

Early Show 12:00 pm MST:

https://www.youtube.com/live/dhXbvLhbleI?si=5R-AcMpKxff1OcDq

Late Show 6:00 pm MST:

https://www.youtube.com/live/-3ZlvqekodI?si=XGOfmnvLhKOQRTBi

Would You Like A Christmas Card?

Dear Friends!

Casey has been working with our wonderful friends at Hahn Reindeer Farm, taking family Christmas portraits this month.

He let me tag along on the last trip and even took a Lady Moon portrait so that I could send y’all a Christmas card this year! 🌝✨

If you’d like one, please drop me a message on Patreon with your name and address!

Also! If you’re in Northern Colorado and you’d like to do a Family Christmas card with Piper the adorable reindeer, they have a few openings left!

Maybe Case and I will see you there 😉

https://www.hahnreindeerfarm.com

Riding Through the Glen Sneak Peek!

Hello Friends!

While Casey and I were house sitting for his folks these last few weeks, we stumbled upon a beautiful hidden glen surrounded by cottonwood trees on one of our walks.

After three attempts to record a full live performance without too much wind noise, too many loud jays, and too many dogs, I finally got the take I was hoping for on the very last try before the sun went down!

I’m so excited to share it with you here first before I publish it next week 🕊️

I could also use your thoughts… Casey and I have been pondering upgrading from an iPhone camera to a proper camera.

What do you think?

Sending you my love from Loveland Colorado!

- Eva

P.S. I apologize for the late response to messages, I am steadily catching up as I unpack the studio and work on my costume for the church Fall Festival tomorrow. I volunteered to run a booth for the kiddos, and though costumes are ‘strongly encouraged’ a mild suggestion would have been enough to ignite my desire to pull out the felt and hot glue gun… if it goes well, updates will appear on IG 😉

Limited Edition Blacksmith Posters Are Live!

Dear Friends!

I’m so excited to announce that we printed 100 limited edition 11 x 11 Single Art posters to commemorate the release of the Blacksmith!

These are signed and numbered and just went live in the shop!

https://ladymooncries.myshopify.com/products/limited-edition-blacksmith-album-art-posters

I wanted to give you the first chance to snag one before we make the announcement on social media next week 😉

Don’t forget to use your patron only code to save 20%

PATRON20

Thank you for all your love support, Autumn Update coming soon!

Eva

The October Secret Hollow Show!

Dear Friends,

I apologize for this show being a few weeks late!

I’m so excited to debut a brand new song that I haven’t even shared a draft of yet! 🙀

It’s my three chords and the truth song (although I think technically it has 5 chords) and it’s called Queen of the Sparrows 🕊️

Tune in one week from today for a little chat and to be the very first folks to hear it in its fresh and somewhat clumsy adolescent stage 😉

Love you all, and can’t wait to see you!

Eva

Early Show:

https://www.youtube.com/live/lPxMh7fklZA?si=9a_NCTCDBUcIZ0xp

Late Show:

https://www.youtube.com/live/H-WVuZGNnq8?si=eBi5f48VSeV-M0g6

Studio Update!

Hello from The Secret Hollow Studio!

Today marks the first official day of hot mics here 🎙️

Rather than record for three weeks straight, I decided to use the first week of dedicated studio time to woodshed the most difficult parts of each song with the metronome…. often at maddeningly slow speeds 🐌

But boy, has it been a game changer!

Today, when I turned on the mics, things went so much smoother than I hoped. I got the performance I wanted in fewer takes, had more time and brain power to focus on the engineering and mic placement, and as a result, I came out with a really full stereo octave mandolin sound 🤩 (I’ll post some mic placement pics on the Patron Only feed on Instagram this evening for anyone who is curious.)

Tomorrow will mark day two of octave mandolin recording, and Lord willing, by the end of two weeks, I hope to have three songs with the Octave and vocals finished so they can be sent off to cello land 😎

In addition to wood shedding the first round of songs for recording, I’ve also finished writing our 6th song for the album! 🥳

Which means, if this record ends up being 9 songs, we’re 2/3rds of the way there! 🌝❤️

As I finish this first round of recording, we may have to push the Secret Hollow Show back this month so I can save my voice. But when we reconvene, I’m excited to have a brand new song to debut for you!

Thank you all so much for being here with me, for making this second record possible, and for joining in on the journey. It felt so good to hit the ground running today.

More updates soon!

Love,

Eva

Blue Mountain Pass (Sneak Peek)

Hello Friends!

In my effort to record more full length live videos this year, I thought I would share a little first look at what I've been creating in my studio :)

I'd love to get live performances of all the songs from the first album up on YouTube as well as an updated version of Arthur McBride. I'm thinking of maybe mixing in some songs from the upcoming album as well, what do y'all think?

Your Album Download Link!

Hello Friends!

As we start this journey into the second album, I wanted to post a fresh download link for the first album for easy access/ in case anyone missed the initial post :)

https://we.tl/t-YGmvVTpfYg

I'm so excited to dive into the first round of recording next week! Stay tuned for updates here and on IG.

Thank you for making it possible to continue writing, recording, and sharing music :)

Sending you all my love,

Eva

(Note: You don't need to create a WeTransfer account to download this, just look for the small prompt that allows you to continue without creating one ;)

Send me a message anytime 🌝

Hello Friends!

Just curious… have you been able to find your personal inbox here on Patreon?

I ask because I’ve had a few folks reach out on Instagram to tell me they couldn’t find it, or my initial welcome message.

I’ve personally found it difficult to locate, so I’ve added some screen shots to help!

I also wanted to check in via this post and make sure you’ve received your welcome message, if not, let me know :)

One of my favorite things about this space is the opportunity to connect, so just know you can reach out with questions or thoughts any time via the comments or your personal inbox.

Thank you for being here and for taking a moment to make sure we can connect ❤️

Happy Friday from the Hollow!

Love,

Eva

August Secret Hollow Show!

Dear Friends!

I’m so excited to share another new song with you this coming Tuesday August 27th!

I hope you can join me for the debut of Kiss These Broken Wings 🕊️ the 5th finished song for the new record!

Early Show: 12:00 pm MST

https://www.youtube.com/live/6rnVE50y_4c?si=hMlWcnyN_JMHHtDr

Late Show: 6:00 pm MST

https://www.youtube.com/live/4N2cZK5U6UU?si=ky0Kx9O9HXVBqF5-

Can’t wait to see you!

Love,

Eva

My Favorite Songwriting Practices

Hello Fellow Bards!

Today I’m excited to breakdown some of the songwriting practices that have had the biggest impact on my life as a writer:

• How to get critical voices out of your head

• How to wake up your observer

• Feeding your imagination

• Why I use three different journals

• Creating with your hands

Looking forward to hearing your thoughts and questions, and hoping these tips come in handy the next time you step into the writers room! ✍️

Your pal,

Eva

The Blacksmith Live Performance

Hello Friends!

The Blacksmith will be released for the rest of the world on the 22nd of August and I've created a special live performance video filmed in Cotopaxi, CO to celebrate!

I wanted to give you guys the first look and say thank you for making it possible to take the time to film and record music and share it with the rest of the world. I'm so grateful to be able to continue to grow and improve as an artist because of your encouragement and support.

Sending hugs from Colorado -

Eva

P.S. Willow Kings! Don't forget to send me how you would like your name to appear in the video credits ;)