Til No One is Free Video: click here.

Here's a video that Lew Wardell worked up for “Til No One is Free” and put on his YouTube page. Lew played bass on this song and most of the songs I've ever recorded. The song was written by Trent Wagler and Eric Brubaker of the Steel Wheels from Harrisonburg, VA. I first saw them at an OcraFolk Festival on the island of Ocracoke. Specifically, it is a response to school shootings which so plague our nation. But it also stands witness - protesting the rise of violence in our culture which threatens the very good in us. 

Personnel: Megan Whitted - piano and vocal; Mary Rocap - vocal; Charlie Ebel - Guitar; Jim Roberts - percussion; Lew Wardell - Bass 

I Had a Dream Video: click here.

And here's a video Lew worked up for “I Had a Dream”recorded on “Songs for the Journey.” I wrote it up at Wildacres in 2018. I had recently finished reading Stephen Hawking’s book “A Brief History of Time” which was fascinating but well above my understanding. My takeaway was the vastness of the universe, the smallness of us, and the mystery of our existence. And so, in my dream I float away and enter interstellar space. I look down on our beautiful planet below valiantly carried by the tortoise, getting heavier and more diseased by the year, by the minute. The charmers of this world are no match. Perhaps the angels have healing power. 

Personnel: Mary Rocap - guitar and vocal; Charlie Ebel - Guitar; Jim Roberts - percussion and glockenspiel; Lew Wardell - Bass

My newest collaboration is with Megan Whitted. Together we are The Travelin' Mercies.

Megan and I were co-founders of the St. Matthew’s Women’s Singing Circle back in 2009. In the summer of 2022, we decided to begin performing as a duo. We sing songs that tickle our fancies, touch our hearts, and fill our souls. We find strength in music and in singing, especially songs about journeying. We draw from the deep well of traditional spirituals, sacred heart hymns, contemporary songwriters, and our own originals. Whatever the source, we add our own spark. Many songs just feature our voices and are offered without accompaniment; others are supported by Megan’s keyboards and my guitar. 

Megan has led church music for over 25 years and serves as the Music Director at St. Joseph's Episcopal Church in Durham. As a church musician (formerly at St. Andrew's, Haw River and St. Matthew's, Hillsborough), she has directed and collaborated in performances of Messiah, The Music Man, Carousel, and Guys and Dolls.  She is also a music teacher at the Duke School in Durham where she organizes a children's and youth chorus, and has collaborated with the NCCU Vocal Jazz Ensemble, and served as music director for Peter Pan, Into the Woods, Xanadu, and Shrek. In addition, she has a private studio in Hillsborough where she teaches piano, voice, and music appreciation. 

We believe that music can be a wedge. A way to bring hope, beauty, peace, and grace into hurting souls, into a hurting world. 

NEW CD: Songs for the Journey

YAY, US!!!!!!!!!! We are so happy with this.

Go to the MUSIC Page to hear a couple of the other tracks. Go to Spotify to hear all of them.

Here's some information on the songwriters and groups we covered on this CD:

Sam Beam (Iron & Wine): Sam is an internationally recognized songwriter and musician living in Hillsborough. “Call it Dreaming” comes from his album “Beast Epic” released in 2017.

Jess Ray: We have included three of Jess’s song on this CD. She lives in Raleigh. Her website says this about her music: Jess is “a modern Joan of Arc crafting a new wave of music for those seeking God, blending fresh sonic style with timeless truths, delicately weaving it all together with the realities of the human experience.”  

The Porter’s Gate: The Porter's Gate is a sacred ecumenical arts collective reimagining and recreating worship that welcomes, reflects and impacts both the community and the church. Based in Charlottesville, it was founded in 2017 by Isaac and Megan Wardell with a mission to be a "porter" for the Christian Church - one who looks beyond church doors for guests to welcome. It started as a group of 50-plus songwriters, musicians, scholars, pastors and music industry professionals from a variety of worship traditions and cultural backgrounds who gathered for meaningful conversation about worship and vocation. It includes Paul Zach from Christ Church, Charlottesville (where I worship when visiting my daughter) and Taylor Leonhardt, both super songwriters and performers.

Anna & Elizabeth: an Americana/folk duo formed by Anna Roberts-Gevalt and Elizabeth Laprelle.

Jonathan Byrd: a local star!! A wonderful performer and songwriter (and artist) Jonathan is now studying Physics at NC State.

MaMuse: An acoustic folk duo from Chico, California, made up of Karisha Longaker and Sarah Nutting. Known for their soulful harmonies and light, bright lyrics, these women have said that they want their music to bring spiritual uplift and to connect people to the richness of life. We often open our concerts with their “We Shall be Known.”

Freddy Bradburn: a friend and fellow Wildacres compatriot. We love his songs often closing a concert with his “Leaving Wildacres.”

Gillian Welch & David Rawlings: These two epitomize creating a musically rich expression of lyrics and melody stripped down to their most basic form; icons of performance, writing, and blending of voices and instruments.

The Steel Wheels: an American roots- based band out of Harrisonburg, VA led by Trent Wagler. Their songs acknowledge the pain and difficulty we can feel at any given moment in time, while at the same time including the invitation to find some kind of harmony to help you live through it.

 Anaïs Mitchell: We have been fans of Anais Mitchell ever since we discovered her creation Hadestown. A master lyricist. 

photo credits: The three taken at the Eno House are by Patrick O'Hannigan (a new friend we met at a Milk Carton Kids concert); Pass the Hat photo by Bob Johnson; and St. Mary's by Elizabeth Matheson.