Minnesota folk/rock fiddler, singer and songwriter Lynndelle releases her long-awaited debut album Gathering Flowers on April 30, 2020. Produced by Adam Levy (The Honeydogs, Turn Turn Turn) and Jason Shannon (Gramma’s Boyfriend, Monica Laplante, Tim Carrow), the album is inspired by her own personal journey as an artist, teacher and mother. Motivated by her metastatic (Stage 4) breast cancer diagnosis, Lynndelle decided to make a recording of songs that she had written over decades of living in the Twin Cities while focusing mainly on family life and her careers as an elementary teacher and mental health therapist.
"This album represents my story," Lynndelle says. "I carefully chose 11 songs from an expansive collection of material I wrote over the past few decades. It has been my way of working through various life experiences. I focus on my interaction with the simple moments throughout the day, interactions with our natural surroundings and ongoing questions about the nature of relationships and why we are here. Being a Marriage and Family Therapist was inspirational to share in people’s intimate stories and struggles with mental health symptoms and witnessing the resiliency of the human spirit. After having been in a crisis situation of losing our twin babies and the death of my father, music and my faith in God were, and continue to be, my personal source of comfort and hope to get through these very difficult and trying life experiences.”
Not being sure what time frame she had to work in with or how severe the breast cancer diagnosis was at Stage 4, Lynndelle Dropboxed some of her songs to Adam Levy that she had recorded on her iPhone and asked him if he would be interested in helping her with this project. Together they worked out a recording schedule that expedited the process with Adam and Jason Shannon’s excellent musicianship and production insight, so that she could focus solely on vocal tracks. Recorded at Zoo School Studio in St. Croix Falls, Wisconsin, the album features performances by the multifaceted Adam Levy (guitars, bass, tambourine, shaker and vocals), Jason Shannon (drums, percussion, organ), Joe Fishbein (mandolin), Peter Sands (keyboards) and Django Amerson (fiddle). “With the collaborative effort of the musicians on this album and the final mastering of the music by Greg Reierson at Rare Form Mastering, I couldn’t be more pleased with the layers of sound and vibiness of the album.”
Although recorded in the midst of cancer treatments, the album maintains a bright, even joyful tone, as Lynndelle celebrates life, revelling in both its joys and sorrows. The music ranges from folk and bluegrass (“Fare Thee Well” and “Hello Moon,” written for her daughter) to rocking Americana (“Jumpin’ On That Train” and “Kissime”), all produced with a vibrant pop sheen. Just like the beautiful cover art by Twin Cities print-maker Amy Rice, the album is colorful and playful from start to finish.