M a y a M c N e i l
CALIFORNIA TO CALEDONIA SONGS HEALING ARTS
OUT NOW: 'MAIN STREAM'
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'MAIN STREAM' is the second song release from the forthcoming album, 'Waiting for the Light to Change.' In 2019, it came to life as an ancestral Art and Dance film created in collaboration with filmmaker Jason Tawiah, Choreographer and Director Nicole Klaymoon, The Embodiment Project Dance Company alumni: Amber Nicole, Terrence Paschal, SAMMAY, Keisha Turner, Johnny Nguyen, and a host of McNeil's family members, portraying a moving meditation of the ancient past, eternal now, and the vivid future.
In 'MAIN STREAM' we dance along time in a circular way as ancient youth, by song, salt and seashore. Rubbing our eyes and looking past the television screen, through the long view of the wind and exhale. Climbing the nearest tree up to see, everything that has ever changed. What did you forget so you would protect it? Where is the key that you've hidden, for opening your treasured chest? What is knocking from the inside? Are the stars out tonight? Can we heal this together when we remember?
'Maya has the sound of the sea in her voice'
- Doreen Knight
Scottish folk singer, song keeper
waiting for the light to change
We began recording in the quieter moments before the first covid lockdown in December of 2019. Through thick & thin, masked faces, months of mandatory breaks, lots of hand washing, unknowns, and going back to the drawing board, we made this beast and beauty of an album.
'Waiting For The Light To Change' is a collection of first original songs that have taken shape and form far beyond their original folky imaginings, thanks to the invaluable collaborations and contributions of many good people. I am so deeply grateful to every crowdfund supporter and to every musician, from Sonoma County to the Scottish Isles, that helped make this dream come true. Recording was done at Sanctuary Sound Studios in Sebastopol & Occidental CA by the super sonic doula, brilliant sound engineer, musician, and friend, Matt McDavid, and with the award winning musician and engineer Gawain Mathews, for the song 'main stream.'
Yes! I would love to join Maya's mailing list to hear about shows, events, releases, and when this album comes out!
The Songs
Explore the lyrics and the background stories of Waiting For The Light to Change here
COMING SOON: A powerful visual collaboration with Sofia Badia, creator of the Waiting For The Light to Change song portrait series
NEXT in the works:
'Mountains, Grandmothers, Mountains'
On completion of 'Waiting,' and a winter tour with a brand new band, Maya will slow down and climb to a different sonar perch for their next collection of recordings. If 'Waiting' is a wading into the complex rich and multi-rooted waters of contemporary music, 'Grandmothers' will be catching an ancient thermal and singing it from the high cliffs and hidden canyons of barren old spirit lands. Another collection of originals leaning towards mineral dusted hymnals, this time around will include matriarchal gems, like the sonic composition of the poem 'Peregrina,' by writer and mythologist, Dr. Sharon Blackie.
Album Artwork by Sophia Van Dyke, with handmade natural pigment paints.
A lot of people have something to say. Not everyone says it so beautifully.
-G. Wilms
the future
I was sure my ancestors were singing on the wind the first time I heard Maya McNeil. Something ancient,circular, returning, and reborn. My heart remembered parts of me that have been forgotten for generations, my spirit danced, and it was as if they were singing the elements of my body into balance.
-Amani Will
Cosmic Composer, Inner Equity Coach
Maya's voice carries deep profound soul. It touches you in that way, that the sound of the ocean waves of the call of the Loon does.
-Mary Frances
Tree Kin Media
Maya's music is medicine for the Earth and all Her creatures. They sing deeply from the heart, from their very cells; it is impossible not to be swept away on the current of their exquisite songs. You will want to unzip this album and curl yourself up inside for as long as possible.
-Kate Ahlstrand
Artist, Poet
Community funded art
SUPPORT A MODERN BARDIC ARTIST
We are undeniably in a time of breakdown and rebuild. Many of us have leapt with faith, listening to ancestral roots for guidance while facing the present day repercussions of colonial industrial legacies. We of the arts, healing and expressive, are here for the just and beautiful future. Art and song are integral to this mending web, where nothing is so far removed from the other.
My life work is caring for everyday and ethereal ways that help us live a vital relationship to our places amidst Nature. From healing in the body, to songs that help us feel and find our way. Become a patron and directly help create:
- Collaborative music with a purpose: supporting my projects helps fund other contributing artists and change-makers, while keeping historical vestiges and stories alive
- Multi-medium art for action and healing through video, visuals, dance, education
- Event organization for accessible creative retreats, gatherings, and cultural pilgrimages
Yes! I would love to join Maya's mailing list to hear about shows, events, releases, and when this album comes out!