Beginning, in Perpetuity

tour diary, catching up, continuing

Hello!
Hannah here, writing from a warm bed in Bloomington, Indiana. Writing from bed with my early morning coffee, surrounded by books, feels like being at home though I am in an unfamiliar home. Touring is just a perpetual practice of finding a rhythm, a tether, and a sense of home in my body and any environment I find myself in, whether that is tucking into a dark corner in an over-stimulating venue in Brooklyn with my noise canceling headphones listening to Brian Eno’s Music for Airports, or sitting in the back of a van full of people driving through Europe listening to Fiona Apple’s Extraordinary Machine on repeat, writing incessantly in my little pocket-diary. Or finding patches of sunlit grass to lay in. Or reading John O’Donohue’s Eternal Echoes in various green rooms to tap into spirit amidst the noise. Any way to find the center, I’m looking for it. I look forward to returning home for a solid week to sink back into writing, exploring many ideas gathered on the road.

photo by Alex Brown at Brooklyn Made

CATCHING UP:

1. I completed my first European tour! I played in a charming bookstore in Leipzig (and filmed an acoustic live session if you’d like to watch), and then joined up with Billie Marten for a run through Hamburg, Cologne, Antwerp, Amsterdam, and Paris. What a dream.

2. Upon returning, I hopped on the road with Hiss Golden Messenger, and tonight is my last show with Hiss. It’s been such a joy and an inspiration. Performing my work solo has always felt challenging for me, but I feel I’ve grown in my relationship with it in these last few weeks of touring, finding more ease within it and within myself. I’ve also been traveling with Elijah as my travel companion and TM and that has been a big game-changer for touring solo.

3. Yesterday we released our Audiotree session! The HF Septet is my life’s great joy, and I’m so proud of us. Go give it a whirl! There’s a new song in there, and some interview time if you’d like to hear me talk about music and philosophy and yaddayadda. Thank you Sarah, Lily, Meredith, Hunter, Scott and Chet, I love you all and am continually amazed by what we pull off as a team.

4. I announced some headlining WEST COAST shows:
   December 7 — Los Angeles at Scribble
   December 8 — San Francisco at Cafe du Nord
   December 10 — Portland at Show Bar
   December 11 — Seattle at Barboza

   
   Head here for tickets! Getting tickets ahead of time is very helpful.

   

   poster by Sarah Reed

5. I stopped by Rough Trade in NYC the other day to see my album in-store! Rough Trade NYC and the UK stores are the only stores carrying this record as of now, and I feel very grateful for their support.

LOOKING AHEAD:

In November I will head to London to play Pitchfork London on the 9th, and an acoustic live show at Rough Trade West on the 8th. Tickets are also on my website: https://hannahfrancesmusic.com/live

I’ll then be back for a very mind-blowing opening-for-a-hero show that I get to announce next week!

Then it’s off to the West Coast in December, THEN I hunker in Vermont for the winter to sink into more writing/recording/collaborating. Maybe a trip will come about in the winter, but mostly leaving my calendar open until March.

OKAY, I think that’s all the life-in-music updates.

On a personal level, I’m doing well. Tour can feel challenging, and also I find so much life teeming in the nooks and crannies on the road. I also find so many moments of peace and wonder, being reminded of my sentience and my connection with other people. Feeling so much gratitude for people who come out to see live music and come to connect afterwards.

My heart is holding all the multitudes, tender and open, heavy and light. I’m feeling heavy-hearted about the earth, the flooding, the genocides, the destruction. Trying to find hope in small places. Heavy about my own personal and relational endings, trusting in the subsequent openings that are found somewhere when you least expect them. Beginning, in perpetuity.

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READING & LISTENING:

I’ve started this Spotify playlist as an on-going ever-growing curation of music I’m digging into. There’s many other playlists on there, as well:

HF SPINS

I seem to have started a GoodReads? I figured I’d compile all my current-reading and other book recommendations in one place, so here is that if you’re interested in following along and seeing what I’ve got my eyes on. More to be added, just threw some things on this virtual shelf for now:

HF READS

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Thank you for reading and for being here!

Reach out if you need: hannah@hannahfrancesmusic.com

Big love,
Hannah