Elaine Mahon’s Newsletter February 2018

Hi Music Lover,

Winter is upon us as we leave 2017 behind and move forward into 2018. Many of you may know that my Dad, Arthur Forrest Camp, Jr.,  passed away suddenly right after Thanksgiving.  He was an amazing man in so many ways and even though we lived on opposite sides of the political fence, his love was unconditional.  A brilliant innovator and inventor my Dad was the guy we used to say we’d want to be with if there ever was a nuclear war.  He could build anything and found ways to work with whatever was available at the time.  He was a great role model for his perseverance, hard work, and creative problem solving.  He will be very much missed!

Three days after Dad left us, we drove up to North Carolina to play a house concert for the Swans.  Dale and Sarah Swan were marvelous hosts, as always, and it was a healing experience for my son and I to play together.  Thank you Dale and Sarah, and thanks to all of your wonderful friends that came out for the show!

After being a solo performer for so many years, it is such a thrill to perform with my son,  Sam Mahon.  He is a wonderful accompanist (acoustic guitar and vocal harmony) and we have fun working together.  Our practice time is a gift that I wouldn’t trade for anything in the world.  An amazing musician and songwriter in his own right, Sam fronts the power trio Xenogenesis as lead guitarist and lead singer.  His acoustic performance with me is necessarily toned down,  but if you ever want to really hear his vocal chops and some really cool songs you’ll need catch his band when they play clubs like the High Dive in downtown Gainesville (and don’t forget your earplugs!) If you enjoy rock music you’ll be in for a treat.  As a senior in Biochemistry at UF, he is a busy guy, but after he graduates we hope to find some time to compose together.

We have been busy working on arrangements for the songs we’ll be performing Feb. 11th at Sandhill Stage, when we open for Acoustic Eidolon.  Hannah Alkire (the cello component of Acoustic Eidolon) plans to join us too, which is a real treat.  Hannah’s cello can be heard on both of my albums: RISE (“Harvee’s Song”, “Rabbit Hole”, and “The Selkie Bride”);  and REACH FOR THE STARS (“Denali” and “Reach for the Stars”).  We are super excited about this show.

****CONTEST NEWS****

 

As you can see, my song “Sweet Florida” on REACH FOR THE STARS placed fifth in this year’s Will McLean Songwriting contest. Songs entered into this contest must feature Florida in some way and the top ten are all worth a listen! Congratulations to everyone on the list, as well as to all the other writers who wrote Florida songs.  I can’t think of a better way to share our love of this state than through music.  I don’t usually enter contests (music really shouldn’t be a competition), but I did want more people to hear “Sweet Florida”  which highlights the degradation of Florida’s waterways by polluters and high volume users.  In terms of natural beauty, North Florida is heaven as far as I’m concerned. The scenic beauty of our state is something we should never take for granted. We need to actively work to protect and preserve her natural resources; hence my work as coordinator at Sandhill Stage which benefits the conservation nonprofits Alachua Conservation Trust and Prairie Creek Conservation Cemetery.