After a decade of work at a “real job,” singer-songwriter Elizabeth Hummel is back on the stage, and she’s coming to Moab on Tuesday, May 26.
The Olympia, Washington-based musician will be performing at 7 p.m. at Moab Backyard Theater, 56 W. 100 South. There is a $10 suggested donation for tickets, although nobody will be turned away if they can’t pay the full amount.
Hummel’s latest CD, “It’s About Time,” was released in July 2014. To support the new album, she is traveling far from the big trees of the Pacific Northwest through the desert with her 86-year old mother Betty and her partner Brian Castillo.
Castillo, who is also her recording engineer, will be performing with her on “Jimigrass” mandolin.
Hummel began her musical career when she moved to San Diego in 1991 with a self-recorded cassette tape in hand. She soon became a favorite of San Diegans in local coffeehouses and clubs.
She and her friends played most often at the legendary Java Joe’s, which helped launch the careers of many artists – most famously Jason Mraz, Jewel and Steve Poltz. In 1995, Hummel started Brew Records to put out her first CD release, “The Cauldron,” and was voted “Best Acoustic Artist” at the San Diego music awards. She did several tours, and in 1998 was chosen to perform in the Lilith Fair with Sarah McLachlan.
She eventually returned home to the rain and clouds and took a long break from the music business. But she never dropped out of making music, continuing to write and record and play locally in Washington state.
Her lyrics are inspired by Greek myths, fairy tales and nature. They tell stories about love’s misery and glory, and reflect on how to be a happier and better person. She also sings about sex, fruit, meditation and volcanoes. She plays banjo and guitar live, and many other instruments in her recordings.
With hundreds of songs and eight albums under her belt, Hummel said sees making music as a driving force in her life, as well as a calling.
“It’s all about ‘hankies in the back row,’ to quote the guitarist Adrienne Legg,” she said. “Less fear, more love, healing the hurt places, growing community.”
“All music is about connecting with who we really are — at the core of our being,” she said. “Nothing makes this connection like music. And we need this connection more than ever to face the problems coming down the pike for humanity and the planet.”
Singer/ songwriter comes to Moab on May 26
When: Tuesday, May 26, at 7 p.m.
Where: Moab Backyard Theater, 56 W. 100 South
Cost: $10 suggested donation; nobody will be turned away
For more information, go to www.elizabethhummel.com.
