Biography
Contact: Susie@bigpurrmusic.com
Other albums from Susie Fitzgerald:
Restless -
http://airplaydirect.com/music/susiefitzgerald
Exploring musical genres of Americana, Modern Folk, Alternative-Country, and Bluegrass, Susie Fitzgerald's debut album,
Plenty, follows the arc of a year-long trajectory of reinvention. "This chapter of my life is all about reinvention--songwriting brought me back into existence."
The lyric-driven collection of songs travels from heartbreak to redemption, and from scarcity to abundance.
Plenty subtly traverses a spiritual journey across familiar human territory. "Many of my songs have a double-meaning. They can be interpreted as love songs or heartbreak songs, or as devotional meditations or prayers. That juxtaposition reflects my own interior and exterior landscape."
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Growing up in Colorado, surrounded by folk music, Susie's musical influences were abundant and varied. "I've played the guitar since I was 14, but as an adult, I stopped playing for about a decade. Instead, I got my degree in Intercultural Communication and pursued a career as an arts administrator in the museum field. I traveled the world and worked in museums in Colorado and Arizona. A few years ago, I experienced sort of a 'perfect storm' of loss. I had my heart badly broken, suffered some severe health issues, and totally burned out on my professional career. I thought I was 'done in', for sure. I was hanging on by the thinnest thread. At that time, I felt like I had nothing left inside."
Drawing heavily upon her spiritual philosophy and determined to keep going, Susie began to write, first in short stories, then in poetry, and eventually in lyrics and music. "I had been a writer in my museum career, but when I started writing songs, something profound happened: I started to feel good when I thought I would never feel good again. From a deeper source than I ever realized existed, the creativity began to flow, and I re-discovered the musical side of myself. I found that I still had plenty to give."
Musically,
Plenty is as diverse as the landscape it travels. From the old-timey, honky-tonk waltz, "No Drinkin' Alone" to the Sanskrit-infused "Making, Making, Someday Made", the album includes hints of George Jones, Norah Jones, Alison Krauss, with bits of Chopin and George Harrison in its vibe.
"Although 'Plenty' is my own perspective of the passage from heartache to hope." Susie says. "There are seven billion people in the world, with seven billion stories, yet all of us share common human experiences--joy, sorrow, love, loss, and hopefully, peace."
The album features some of the best session players in Nashville including Eddie Bayers on drums, Steve Nathan on keyboards, Russ Pahl and Gary Morse on pedal steel and dobro, fiddle virtuosos Larry Franklin and Tammy Rogers King, with co-producer Larry Beaird on lead acoustic guitar, and background vocals by Thom Flora. Susie, along with executive producer Steve Cinocco, created their own record company, Big Purr Music, to produce
Plenty. The album, and more information, can be found on Susie's website,
www.susiefitzgeraldmusic.com.