Gaelynn Lea
Gaelynn Lea in People magazine
Duluth musician, author and disability activist Gaelynn Lea is featured in the April 27 edition of People magazine. The article was published online April 16.
Lea’s book, It Was Never Meant to Be Perfect, was released April 14 and an excerpt from it was featured on People’s website in October.
Gaelynn Lea celebrated at Console Room
Photo from Console Room.
Duluthian Gaelynn Lea was recently celebrated as a Guest at Console Room, the Minnesota Doctor Who convention. The music performed was sublime, the programming inflected by music in ways that the convention rarely experiences. All weekend long, I felt her impact on the convention, just as, in Duluth, I regularly feel the impact on our community. (more…)
Gaelynn Lea Talks About Disability Culture and Creativity
Duluth musician Gaelynn Lea is an advocate for connecting the creative disability community and reframing disability not as negative, but as a form of diversity. In this Twin Cities Public Television segment she talks about disability culture and performs a few of her songs at the American Swedish Institute in Minneapolis. The segment is part of the “Disability, Culture and Creativity” episode of TPT’s mini series Art + Medicine, which aims to destigmatize disabilities through stories, art and performances.
Gaelynn Lea’s video from Microsoft’s 2023 Ability Summit
Duluth’s Gaelynn Lea provided the opening keynote yesterday to Microsoft’s 2023 Ability Summit. Her video included a performance of the song “Watch the World Unfold.”
Life after Desk: Catching up with Gaelynn Lea
Duluth’s Gaelynn Lea won National Public Radio’s Tiny Desk Contest in 2016. NPR recently circled back to interview her during her work writing music for the Broadway adaptation of Macbeth.
The Tiny Desk Contest is NPR’s annual search for a great unsigned artist.
Plume
Duluth’s Gaelynn Lea composed the music for this video, which features 21 acrobats from around the world performing movements layered with animation. (more…)
Gaelynn Lea: Three Performances for MPR
Duluth’s Gaelynn Lea was the Current‘s Minnesota Music Month featured artist of the day on April 23. This video is part of a series the singer-songwriter and violinist contributed as educational videos to YourClassical MPR. (more…)
Gaelynn Lea – “Bound by a Thread”
Duluth musician Gaelynn Lea performs “Bound by a Thread” from her 2018 album, Learning How to Stay.
Gaelynn Lea – “In the Bleak Midwinter”
Duluth’s Gaelynn Lea performs the Christmas carol “In the Bleak Midwinter” in this video shot live in her home. The song is on Gaelynn’s 2016 Christmas album Deepest Darkness Brightest Dawn, which features live-looped versions of traditional Christmas carols.
Jeff Tweedy – “Gwendolyn”
Look for Duluthian Gaelynn Lea — or at least part of her — singing along in this new video by Jeff Tweedy.
There are also other people you may have heard of.
Gaelynn Lea – “Rebuild”
Duluth musician Gaelynn Lea has released a new track titled “Rebuild.” It is available on Spotify and Bandcamp. (more…)
Gaelynn Lea’s Virtual Tour, Show #1
Gaelynn Lea had to cancel her March tour due to the COVID-19 outbreak. Above is the first of two virtual concerts; the second will stream live on March 22 at 2 p.m. The shows are available for free, but you can support the artist by buying a ticket on eventbrite.com.
Gaelynn Lea – “The Long Way Around”
The official music video for Gaelynn Lea‘s new single, “The Long Way Around,” was shot, directed, edited and produced by Dave Mehling in Duluth, with assistance in the shooting by Rachael Stigsell and Paul Tressler.
The line drawings are by Lee Zimmerman. The actor is Vlad Messing. (more…)
Gaelynn Lea – “Breathe, You are Alive!”
This is the official music video for Gaelynn Lea‘s original poem, “Breathe, You are Alive!” from her 2016 EP The Songs We Sing Along the Way. The video was shot in 2018 and was released earlier this week.
Gaelynn Lea – “Lost in the Woods”
Official music video for Gaelynn Lea‘s “Lost in the Woods” from her forthcoming album, Learning How to Stay, which will be released on Sept. 7. Preorders available through GoFundMe.
Gaelynn Lea & Alan Sparhawk – Live at Square Lake Festival 2017
Longing for hot summer-concert days? Well, PDD posted a Black-eyed Snakes concert video here from last summer … and it mysteriously disappeared from YouTube the next day. So here’s a replacement — Gaelynn Lea and Alan Sparhawk from the same concert, the Square Lake Film & Music Festival in Stillwater last August. (more…)
Enchanting the Internet with Funk and a Fiddle
The global video company Great Big Story features Duluth’s Gaelynn Lea in this video from the “Funk Plus One” series, hosted by Chris Funk of the Decemberists.
Gaelynn Lea on The PlayList
The May 25 episode of WDSE-TV‘s The Playlist is a documentary about Duluth musician Gaelynn Lea, with performance segments shot at the Red Herring Lounge and First Avenue’s 7th St. Entry.
Gaelynn Lea – “Watch the World Unfold”
Melanie Schantz, a musician and visual artist from New Jersey, produced this music video for Duluth musician Gaelynn Lea. The song “Watch the World Unfold” features Al Church on guitar and is from the 2016 EP The Songs We Sing Along the Way.
Gaelynn Lea on Sexuality and Disability
Duluth’s Gaelynn Lea gave a lecture titled “Sexuality and Disability: Forging Identity in a World that Leaves You Out” during a TEDx event at Yale University in October. It made its way to YouTube a few weeks ago.
Lea once felt left out of mainstream dating and beauty culture due to her physical disability. In her talk, she recounts the epiphany that empowered her to pursue life, love and a musical career on her own terms.
Listen: Gaelynn Lea’s album Deepest Darkness, Brightest Dawn
Classically trained violinist and songwriter Gaelynn Lea‘s holiday album Deepest Darkness, Brightest Dawn will be released Friday, Nov. 11, and she performs Saturday at Beaner’s Central with the Brothers Burn Mountain. Click above to hear the full album. (more…)
Duluth Band Profile: Gaelynn Lea
Gaelynn Lea ventures into her own with All Roads Lead Us Home. She reminds us, struggling musician or frustrated listener alike, that endearment isn’t perfection; it’s knowing how to be perfect on your own terms. Click on the image above to hear the interview.
NPR Tiny Desk Concert: Gaelynn Lea
Duluth’s Gaelynn Lea won NPR’s second annual Tiny Desk Contest. Above is her 22-minute performance, featuring the tunes “Someday We’ll Linger in the Sun,” “Southwind,” “Bird Song” and “Moment Of Bliss.” Alan Sparhawk, her band mate in the Murder of Crows, joins in on the latter two songs.
Gaelynn Lea to appear on NPR’s Tiny Desk Concert series
Duluth musician Gaelynn Lea has been chosen as the winner of National Public Radio’s Tiny Desk Contest. NPR asked musicians from across the country to send a video of an original song, performed behind a desk. Specifically, the contest was seeking “a song and a sound that felt original and a performance that felt inspired.” Among 6,100 entries, Gaelynn Lea was the favorite. Below is her audition video.
“The melody of this song wouldn’t let go – it just stuck with me, it stuck with all the judges. It conveys an overwhelming emotion of yearning and love that’s unforgettable,” said Bob Boilen of NPR Music — whose desk has served as the stage of more than 500 Tiny Desk performances. “What we look for in the contest is an artist who has something singular about what they do, something unique to them, something no one else is doing. Gaelynn Lea has that, and that simply won our hearts.
A visit with Gaelynn Lea
While meeting Gaelynn Lea I was challenged in many ways. For two weeks now I’ve been trying to wrap my mind around it! She is an amazing musician, and a remarkable human being. My piece here barely scratches a tremendously fascinating surface, but trundle on over to Ed’s Big Adventure to learn more of her story, struggles, and music. This is the story of a great big soul in a tiny package. She isn’t trapped or helpless, either, but is a tremendously enriching member within our community. A model for all, frankly.