Carolann Solebello

"Begin with hopelessness."  

What?!? 

This sentence knocked me flat when I first read Pema Chodron's "When Things Fall Apart: Heart Advice for Difficult Times" a few months ago. Here I was, agitated and uneasy, seeking comfort in a well-known text by a popular Buddhist teacher, suddenly blindsided by the opposite of what I expected to find in its pages. In a sea of positive affirmations and exhortations to "keep hope alive" as tidal waves of hardship and suffering and grief pound us day in and day out…

Hello, friends! 

It's been a minute... I'm hoping you and yours are safe and well, and that you're continuing to enjoy live music -- onscreen or outdoors at a safe distance -- whenever and wherever you can!

As for me, well, I've been pretty quiet these past few months, holding my little family and our local community close. So when our community rose up against racial injustice in the wake of the killings of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, I proudly marched in the streets of Brooklyn alongside my…

Hello, friends!

It is my sincerest hope that this note finds you and your loved ones safe and well. 

The world is turning at a dizzying pace, it seems. Terrible things are happening. But good things are happening, too. Here in Brooklyn, it is quieter than ever. Life is slower. I spend more time with the people I love best. We get up early. We eat together. We play together. We talk. We sing. We get silly. We don't rush anything. Some days, I struggle, but overall, I am grateful. Deeply grateful.

Everything…

Hello, friends!

Wow. Since last I wrote you, so much has changed.

I played two wonderful shows the first weekend in March for gracious, beautiful music lovers, and somehow managed not to touch not a single one of them. We were a jittery bunch of humans for sure, but the music seemed a sweet balm for performers and audience alike.

Just a few days later, though, things began to get serious. New York City schools closed. I cancelled nine shows. Grocery shopping became an anxious adventure. My beloved yoga…

"Choose to fight only righteous fights, because then when things get tough — and they will — you will know that there is only one option ahead of you: nevertheless, you must persist."  
~ Elizabeth Warren, March 5, 2020

The world seems a little upside-down to me right now, but if there's one thing I'm certain of, it's that I will persist. 

I will persist in making songs because it is how I make sense of the world around me. I will persist in singing songs because it is how I communicate. I will persist in…

Hello, friends! 

It's been a minute... I've been laying pretty low for the past few months, getting cozy with my family and my cat, renovating our kitchen, and best of all, working on demo recordings of new songs in preparation for a NEW ALBUM in 2020! 

What's more, I'm thrilled to tell you that the producer of said new album is a songwriter I love and respect, who has supported my career in every way since the very beginning. Though she can be a bit scattered and under-confident at times, she has…

We've hit the deep freeze, friends... at least here in NYC. Yesterday, Autumn became Winter in just a matter of hours! No matter, though. I've got tea, sweaters, books, a cat, and best of all, MUSIC!

Not a whole lot of live shows between now and year's end, but I did want to let you all know about a few things...

I've spiffed up my website a bit, mostly because I just like tinkering with things. First of all, I've adding a site-wide music player at the bottom of each page that plays a career-spanning…

September's nearly gone and I'm just now sitting down to type the news from CS Central. It's always my intention to write an upbeat, sunny message about upcoming shows and new projects and a bunch of nifty stuff coming down the pike that I'm excited about... but I'll tell you the truth. As much as I'd love to do that, I don't have much in the proverbial gas tank at the moment.

Sure, things are going well. I had a wonderful summer playing a few great festivals (this photo with ASL interpreter Jody Prysock…

It's that time of year again, friends -- FESTIVAL SEASON! And though I'm only booked to play two festivals this Summer, they're pretty important ones to me.

July brings me to the Woody Guthrie Folk Festival in Okemah, OK. I was privileged to play this fest back in 2010 during the waning days of my tenure with Red Molly, and it was absolutely earthshaking. My experience there among musical kindred, surrounded by the very palpable aura of the godfather of American troubadours, launched me into the next phase…

Here's what's happening, friends -- so much, really, in the next few months -- but first up is a short tour to PA and MD with JOE IADANZA this weekend. Join us if you can!

MAY

31:  Jamey's House of Music, Lansdowne PA (with JOE IADANZA) 

JUNE 

1:  Godfrey Daniels, Bethlehem PA (with JOE IADANZA) 

2:  Local Cream with Annette Wasilik, Takoma Park MD (with JOE IADANZA) 

8:  Emmaus Road Cafe, Lancaster PA 

13:  Live From The Vault: Songwriter Sessions, Brooklyn NY (with KARYN OLIVER and PAUL SACHS) 

…