Carlene Carter, Avatar and a new Download Deal!

Hello Friends!

I am in York tonight en route to Edinburgh tomorrow.

Last night I performed in Nottingham to support Carlene Carter. She is such a lovely character. It was wonderful to experience the whole evening, meet some new folks who liked my tunes, hear Carlene and play Nottingham for the very first time. The crowd was fantastic.

I was in London on the 3rd of March spending time with very good friends. We went to see Avatar as two of us hadn't seen it yet. I have to say, I have never cried at a science fiction film before. Not that this is just any sci fi film, but it could be likened to the hype that Star Wars received.

I found myself getting angry and then I found myself in a state of mourning. We know that we turn blind eye to the same types of actions toward indigenous folks here on earth. I loved the film. Loved it. But I suppose the idealist in me wonders if at some point there will be the kind of peace that turns even the heart of the general toward God. That despite himself, he will experience conversion... and that he has the same essence as the other people.

I recently attended an Evening of Stories in Nashville and one of the entertainers was writer Donald Miller, doing readings from blogs and books. I received his new book A Million Miles in a Thousand Years and its gotten me thinking even more about story. If that is possible. And of course it is.

I think to myself... why do we humans seem to almost celebrate suffering? What I mean by this is without the adversity, the conflict, without even the villainous behaviour of the general what would Avatar have looked like as a film? If we had seen a bunch of beautiful carnal blue people blissfully living out their lives in harmony with the forest, would we have sat there for 3 hours? Would it have felt long to sit there?

I'm not suggesting its okay to exploit native land because it makes the human story more interesting, but it seems humans sure want something to fight for. We need someone to play the villain in our own lives so that things can be black and white.

Seriously, I was gutted when that tree came down. Gutted. It made me frustrated and it broke my heart that this movie is inspired by the corporate monarchy and by the moderate's inertia.

And yet, it felt good to cheer for the exploited, to know deep down what I would choose. To feel that I have an understanding of what it means to be a part of a brother and sisterhood.

When I was a young girl, I used to run through my own woods barefoot, and pretend to be a little spear warrior. I would practice at not being a blundering human as Tolkien described humans compared to hobbits. I could feel my fellow theatre goers wanting to "go back to the land" right after the film was over. And when we set out to get to the double decker bus stop in time, we ran as though we were remembering how to be carnal creatures and I even cleared a stack of garbage like a wild cat.

I don't really have a point to my thoughts on villains and conflict and adversity except that I wish for the villain's sake they didn't have to be one. I also know that I have a little villain in me lurking about in dark places and shouldn't judge other folks too much, but still push for what I know is right.

So- here I am in York. I am so spoiled. I walked around York Minster Abbey today, then had tea with scones and clotted cream at Betty's and then attended Evensong at York Minster. The Evensong was very beautiful as well as interesting because they are very traditional. They do the service very much the way it was done in the Sixteenth Century. There is so much history here. Constantine stands outside the Abbey and I try to go back in time and feel what it might have felt like then. I am never dissatisfied when I visit this walking city. When I'm within the walls, I picture myself attending music school here skipping along the cobblestone in some unique, comfy little boots.

But back to the task at hand! And that is to get my listeners and friends out there to help me let other people know about my album Lions and Werewolves! Go to www.alanalevandoski.com to tell your friends about me and get a free mp3!

Also- if you sleuth around online there is a password being passed around like a bad rumour! If you find the password, you can download both my records Unsettled Down and Lions and Werewolves for 5 bucks a piece! Here's a hint: its called the "Be Brave" campaign. (wink)

I hope you are well wherever you are and that you are choosing to be the hero in your own story and not the villainous, treacherous, exploitive meanie!

much love,

Alana