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Anything Worth Doing

by Rachel Sumner

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  • Compact Disc (CD) + Digital Album

    CD version of Nov 2018 release 'Anything Worth Doing' with original artwork by Rachel Sumner.

    Includes unlimited streaming of Anything Worth Doing via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
    ships out within 2 days

      $8 USD or more 

     

  • Streaming + Download

    Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
    Purchasable with gift card

      $8 USD  or more

     

1.
Wildflowers bloom before you Breaching the fist of winter’s rule I know they’ll die, so do you ‘Cause winter is long, and winter’s cruel All of this living Just to lay our head down All that is given Taken back once we’ve hit the ground Setting a course for shore Wishing your boat had better oars I see your heart is sore From wondering why life won’t give you more All that’s delivered Seems to never be enough We shake and we shiver Through life lived off the cuff I once was dust, so were you To dust we’ll return once we are through All of this living Just to lay our head down All that is given Taken back once we’ve hit the ground
2.
Am I further from you now? It’s the furthest I have felt I’ve been laying by your side for hours Wishing I were somewhere else It’s a certain kind of sinking A heart can learn to fear Begs the question and thinking, “How the hell did I get here?” And how I thought I learned a little temperance, And to let a memory be But, Familiarity’s a Temptress, And once again the fool is me Am I closer to it now? It’s the closest I have been I’d say it, but the words are sour And my skin it feels so thin I will certainly be leaving I will catch the day’s first train I will not be caught believing Last year’s bitter love remains If nothing’s changed And nothing’s been mended, Well, it’s not for lack of trying (I know) We’ll only start back where we ended I wish this was some simple fracture, A clean break that doesn’t show Do I even know what I am after? Or is it all bred in the bone?
3.
Hello, Operator, Please connect me to a line Of someone who can help This darlin’ pal of mine Sure you wouldn’t know it If you saw the state he’s in But my baby is the best damn lover That my heart could win I can’t say what’s wrong with him But I know that he ain’t right Wonder, could you tell me Where he goes so late at night? Help me, Operator, Help me answer, “Why?” My baby’s looking down at the dirt All the time I wish, Operator, How I wish that I knew Somebody else I could share these troubles to No, I wouldn’t say That he’s treated me unkind, But I can’t help and think He’s got leavin’ on his mind Well, I’m no good at riddles And worse at reading signs Wonder, is it worth All these tears I cry? It’s a shame, Operator, He can’t look me in the eye My baby’s looking down at the dirt All the time I did not see a label I heard no timer chime The expiration date Did not catch my eye How was I to know That love had print so fine? My baby’s looking down at the dirt My baby’s looking down at the dirt My baby’s looking down at the dirt All the time
4.
Did he fail when he fell, that Icarus we know so well? I think credit’s owed where credit’s due. We all forget: he also flew. When love comes to an end, how people love to weigh in. They tally all the faults and total scores, but they don’t know our love meant more. Loving you was an early morning, watching the sunrise turn to day, Holding the covers up ‘til the moment they all were pulled away. Like catching the last rays of a sunset on a cool summer’s night, Knowing the stars can’t always shine so bright - shine so bright. Did he fail when he fell, that Icarus we know so well? I think credit’s owed where credit’s due. We all forget: he also flew Loving you ‘til the early morning, watching the sunrise turn to day, Holding you closer up ‘til the moment you turned and pulled away. Loving you was learning to fly on wings of feathers and of wax, Soaring sky-high with nothing else worth looking back to. Did we fail when we fell from a love we knew so well? I think credit’s owed where credit’s due. Please don’t forget: we also flew. Would you think back on our time gladly? Anything worth doing at all’s worth doing badly.
5.
You put your hand in mine Our watches set to Cajun time Just you and me on the floor Dancing closer than we danced before I was the last one you thought you’d see You were the last man I’d ever thought to need Yet there we were so far from home Falling for each other to a Cajun song Louisiana and all its charms My heart was beating louder than a fire alarm New York City down to Lafayette I’d known you, but I guess I hadn’t met you yet Christmas lights and crystal stars Campfire kisses in an RV park Music well into the dawn Greeting the day with a Cajun song Baton Rouge and New Orleans Both are mighty pretty in their summer greens But autumn ought to win a prize Making every city lovely for my lover’s eyes Way back up north where life goes on You spin me ‘round the carpet to a Cajun song You still spin me ‘round…

about

Rachel Sumner is best known as the former guitarist and one of two primary songwriters and singers in the band Twisted Pine, but her musical interests and curiosity extend beyond even the most progressive approach to traditional string-band instrumentation. Her debut solo EP, Anything Worth Doing, will better acquaint listeners with the breadth of her songwriting and production capabilities. With co-producer Daniel Radin, Rachel’s textural experimentation led her to sounds both familiar and new: drawing on her roots as a classically trained woodwind player to incorporate flutes and clarinets; calling on former Twisted Pine bandmate Kathleen Parks for lush string arrangements; utilizing instruments typically associated with country music, such as pedal steel, harmonica, and electric guitar, without limiting herself to what they usually play; and accentuating the shifting tempos and time signatures of her songs with the inclusion of drums, played by Honeysuckle’s Benjamin Burns. In addition to Radin (Future Teens, The Novel Ideas), Parks, and Burns, the album’s credits boast a veritable who’s-who of the Boston folk scene with contributions from longtime musical partners Sam Moss and Michael Siegel (Sumner & Moss); Deni Hlavinka (The Western Den); Danny Hoshino (The Novel Ideas); Icelandic harmonica wiz Thorleif Davidsson (Kaleo); and the distinguished folk singer-songwriter Ian Fitzgerald. At the center of all of these moving parts, pulling them together into a cohesive and beautiful work, is Rachel’s voice: both in her performance as a musician and in her songwriting, which is stronger than ever.

credits

released November 16, 2018

All songs written by Rachel Sumner

Produced by Rachel Sumner and Daniel Radin

Mixed by Daniel Radin

Mastered by Dan Coutant at Sun Room Audio

Artwork by Rachel Sumner

Graphic design by Paul Wallen

Photo by Louise Bichan

Bass, drums, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, and harmonica recorded at Warrior Camp Studio, Somerville, MA with Michael Siegel

All other instruments recorded at Brighton Hills West Studio, Watertown, MA with Daniel Radin

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Rachel Sumner Boston, Massachusetts

Praised by audiences for her powerful, lonesome voice and haunting songs, Rachel Sumner carefully spins melodies that get caught in your head and delivers them “with an attitude and drive in her guitar playing...sure to strike a chord and dig deep into your heart. ” (Red Line Roots) ... more

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