Dear far-flung friends,

Greetings from Brooklyn, where Fall is flirtatious and nostalgic.  After a Spring and Summer full of travel I'm happily settling into the season, my favorite here on the East Coast, and writing to you with good, exciting news.

It should come as no surprise to any of you that since the first time I met him 14 years ago, it's been a thrill for me to play music with Peter Stan. Some of you have heard me say that when I play with Peter I feel the most myself—free, inspired, and challenged to always find new expression within the songs I love.  He is one of the most fluid, innovative, and soulful musicians I’ve met anywhere.  In the years following that first meeting, we’ve found many occasions to share songs, and more recently to perform as a duo.  

2015-2016 has brought us to Maine, to California for a 2-week tour, to Belgrade for Mikser Festival, where we performed with Šaban Bajramović’s backup band from Niš, Crne Mambe, and to a plethora of shows in our beloved NYC hometown, ranging from the Accordion Festival in Bryant Park to the ecstatic 10-year anniversary festival at Jalopy just a few weeks ago. 

Wherever we play, we are encouraged by the warmth and generosity that meets us there--your genuine support is what keeps us going.  January will be a busy month in New York with APAP and Golden Festival. February will see us head to the Pacific Northwest for a series of concerts and workshops (a few dates are still available… Vancouver, Eugene…we are looking at you!), but before then we have something entirely exciting in the works:

Peter and I are currently rehearsing material for our first duo recording, to be released at the tip-top of 2017. 

As with LEMA LEMA, I choose to opt out of crowdfunding with its deadlines and hidden fees.  Instead, I’m reaching out directly to my fans, friends, and family with a simple ask:  I’m offering SIGNED PRE-ORDERS of the new record for $25 USD per copy (to be mailed or hand-delivered, depending where you live. Add $8 USD for international orders).  Paypal can be sent to eva@evasalina.com.  If you’d like to pay by check please write to me and I’ll send you a mailing address.  Venmo is also an option, and if you run into me on the street or a gig, I’ll always take your cash or swipe your credit card!

Unlike LEMA LEMA, a massive 3-year undertaking involving multiple trips to Serbia and enough musicians to populate a small island, this record is going to highlight the organic musical conversation between me, Peter, and the songs themselves, which are pretty much sublime.  Drawn from the repertoire of one of Peter and my absolute favorite singers (whose identity we’ll keep under wraps for the time being), this new record features music truly designed for accordion and voice.  The Šaban tribute was my attempt to select fantastic songs from an iconic singer and radically transform them, adding my own contemporary, feminine perspective.  This next undertaking seeks to embrace a strong woman’s powerful songs and bring them into a new decade, to a new audience, without compromising their intimacy and power.

I’m going gleefully into this new album with the phenomenal ears, mind and hands of Danny Blume at the helm, for a hybrid old-school-meets-new-world recording concept to be executed in an exquisite studio in Upstate NY.  

Your support is as meaningful and crucial to me now as it has ever been.  Each of you have given me so much by attending shows and workshops and purchasing recordings over the years.  I am truly grateful for your continual affirmation and love, and I can’t wait to share this record with each and every one of you.

With love and gratitude,
Eva


UPCOMING SHOWS: 
(More information at www.evasalina.com)
--10/14: Workshop and informal performance, Wesleyan University, Middletown, CT
--10/23: Eva & Peter @ Jalopy, Brooklyn, NY