New Uno Lady Video- Lake Clark Alaska Improv

This piece was written and recorded in real-time and is a sonic expression of experiencing the incredible environment of Lake Clark. It was composed while sitting on a log on the beach of Lake Clark with a zoom recorder at Chultina Wilderness Lodge. In my yurt studio, delay and a few additional layers were added. 

The video is time-lapse footage I took over the 6-week fellowship and shows the spot I recorded at. 

Thanks for watching. Listen to the album and watch the other videos in the links below. 

 

New Uno Lady Video plus Portland Phoenix Press Writes About Alaska

Here’s a new video for you!  Acappella Instrumental” is on the new album Alaska.  The synth-like sounds are actually psychedelic layers of phased vocals. 

I recorded the footage at Tanalian Falls, in Lake Clark National Park, Alaska. The audio was written and recorded at Chulitna Lodge. A bird sampled throughout the album is Swainson’s Thrush. The males defend their breeding grounds by singing a series of spiraling notes inflected upward, which to me sounds like a flute through phaser pedals.

A heartfelt appreciation to Sam Pfeifle at Portland Phoenix, for this incredible article, “Authentically Manufactured: New Maine releases by Uno Lady & Waxfed are artfully constructed” Thanks for taking the time to get to know my music and share.  Here are some clips from the article.

… “Take Uno Lady, for example, and her newly released “Alaska,” the result of a residency at the off-the-grid solar-powered Chulitna Lodge, a wilderness retreat in Lake Clark National Park & Preserve. Here, Cleveland transplant Christa Ebert has captured field recordings of herself doing things like banging on a log out in the forest, or birds swooping past her tent at night, and remixed them digitally into background atmospheres, over which she layers what sometimes sounds like dozens of her own vocal tracks. Maybe there’s a bit of keyboard once in a while. 

The results are warm and organic, sometimes even catchy, as on “Today’s the Day,” which wouldn’t sound out of place on a Magnetic Fields album. Ebert’s lead vocal is lower register and resonant — “I’ll conjure up some urgency and mend all of the emergencies” — while a chorus of angelic vocals shimmer in the background, accompanied by bugs and birdsong, like Snow White wending her way slowly through the forest. Her vocal range is sorta bonkers. 

Her “Venn Diagram,” too, from the “Osmosis” album three years ago, is a delicious bit of indie pop, and she even covered Tom Petty in her early releases. But there’s always something subversive, something new and interesting in the way she constructs her recordings and releases. Her previous release, “Le Flux,” recorded largely in Switzerland and then edited here in Maine, features vocals that are lyricless, and more found sounds turned into beats. Only possible, really, with today’s digital recording techniques, it still manages to transmit an intimacy that should tickle that desire for authenticity….

Maybe you can’t picture them in the room, but you can understand what they’re feeling, and that’s something no machine will ever authentically do.”

Thanks again, Sam. I appreciate your kind words. 

Breakthrough: Watch the New Music Video

“Breakthrough” is the first track on the album. When composing it, the music came before the lyrics. The percussion is a field recording of a HUGE fallen tree in the woods. The resonance of the decayed wood had some serious natural bass. I set up a zoom recorder, and with a mosquito net on my head, pounded my fist on the tree. You could feel the sound waves through the ground as it echoed through the forest. I’m sure I confused some bears, moose, and grouses.

I apologized.

The psychedelic sound in the intro is a field recording of a wilson snipe, a bird I didn’t know existed until this trip. I was fascinated by their sound. I only heard it at night while trying to sleep. This swirling whooshes circled my yurt and sounded like a natural phaser. I learned it’s called winnowing, and it’s not a bird call but rather the sounds of its feathers as it swoops! The specialized tailfeathers create a whirling buzz as it flies to defend its territories and attract mates. I never saw the bird but I heard what I assume was a dozen+ snipes every night.

Nature.org says, “The hollow winnowing of the tail feathers seemingly echoes off wispy cumulus clouds. The faintness can make you second-guess that you’ve heard anything at all. Researchers have determined that peak winnowing happens when snipe are traveling 25 miles per hour.” (And this guy says they can fly up to 60 mph!)

The video features time-adapted footage from Lake Clark, Alaska. Qizhjeh Vena, also known as Lake Clark, is the ancestral homelands for the Dena’ina Athabascan people. These compositions were greatly influenced by the the area. The album is named Alaska as a tribute to the spatial collaboration. This album is dedicated to the incredible artists at Chulitna Lodge. Thanks for watching. 

I had a melody before I landed on these specific lyrics to sing. I’d written the words before, in a different context, but they only existed on the pages of my songbook–until coming together for this song. 

Being a songwriter is vulnerable. Sometimes trauma turns up in verses. Hypervigilance is a coping mechanism. As a mighty worrier, in a misguided attempt to keep me safe and ready for anything, I unwillingly predict and anticipate unknown dangers. My mind conjures up images of tragic events that will never happen to prepare me for the worst case scenario(s). For example, I have grieved many false deaths, including my own, and vividly envisioned myself experiencing natural disasters, accidents, goofs, and falls, all that which never took place. These distressing thoughts can happen at any time and seem to come out of nowhere. 

In my youth, I would be incredibly upset by these intrusive thoughts; they still irk me, but mindfulness and labeling them has helped me loosen their emotional impact. The lyrics to BREAKTHROUGH label the intrusive thoughts for what they are: 

False future fantasy 
Augmented reality
Scenes that were never seen 
Dishonest daydream
Two-timing treacherous thoughts untrue
Breakthrough

On the bright side, real life is a lot better than my worry brain predicts. 

It’s challenging to write such personal things. When I learned that distorted thoughts are a phenomenon experienced by many people, I felt less isolated. I share in case you need to know you’re not alone. 

Please share with friends you feel could use this message too.  

I hope you like the song and album. It’s my favorite yet. Thanks for reading. Sending you love! 

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Here’s a link to all the streaming sites.

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https://unolady.com/alaska-the-new-album-is-out-today/

 

The Songs and Stories of the New Video Album, Le Flux

I flew into Paris but had a show in Strasbourg a few days later. I rented a car for the following morning and booked a room in Verdun, the city in the middle, to help break up the 6 hour drive. The residency that brought me to Europe didn’t start for another week. I explored France and Germany with my camera, capturing footage for the songs I was about to write. 

Near Verdun is Vent des Forêts, a contemporary art exhibit in the woods. Some people fly into Paris to experience the city. I drove 3 hours into the countryside on one-lane dirt roads to hike alone in the forest in 91-degree heat. 

The album artwork and videos for “A New Day” is from that hike. The sculptures in the video are “Cartouche” by Marion Verboom.  “One of those who were too long in the woods,” by Stefan Rinck has been described as everyone’s friend of the forest.


The second song, “Black Forest ” features the trees and mushrooms of the Black Forest in Germany. The song was inspired by a melody I overheard two children singing to each other while hiking.


In “Beach Dreams,” forests reflect on stream surfaces. Underwater footage captures the light through water. 


“Sunshine and Pines” shows scenes of Planplatten mountain (7,365 ft) situated within the Uri and Bernese Alps in Switzerland. On my birthday, I rode a gondola to the top of the mountain with 2 other people and what appeared to be hundreds of pounds of cheese (not pictured).


“Delaney” features live, improvised, and looped vocals. The percussion was made by talented musician and pal, Delaney Davidson. The song is named after him. Many years ago, he tapped on the body of his guitar and I saved the sound to my loop pedal. At the residency, I revisited the beat and wrote the composition in real time as it was recorded. The footage is from the Bernese Alps in Switzerland. 


The dark melody of “And Let Live”’ matched the cold cellar at Chateau Orquevaux. I combined videos of clouds, water, fire, and the basement to achieve the haunting effects. Humble brag that I hit those low notes naturally. This song was featured on a compilation released by Volar Records, “Presence Not Absence – A Benefit Compilation for Trans BIPOC Housing Assistance.” Buy it on Bandcamp if you wish to support it. 


“Anticipating the End” features footage from ruins of the ancient Hohenbaden Old Castle and Burg Alt-Eberstein castle ruins in Germany, and a foggy night in Orquevaux, France. 


Skipping in Place meanders through the town of Orquevaux and showcases the beloved goats of the Chateau and their coordinated dance moves.


“Let it Flow” is the only song with lyrics on the track and the reason the album is named “Le Flux” (“the flow” in French). It features highlights from the trip to France, Germany, and Switzerland.


Thanks for taking the time to listen and view. I appreciate you and your support.
 
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Buy the tape through Imperial Emporium Sound Options’ Bandcamp
Buy the digital album through Uno Lady’s Bandcamp 
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Learn About Le Flux, the New Video Album

Le Flux was recorded and written at Chateau Orquevaux, France in September 2019. 

This was my first artist retreat away from home. Past residencies were self-guided and completed in Cleveland while juggling other responsibilities. During this trip, all of my actions were focused on art.

I was determined to create as much as possible and abandoned any self-restricting rules. I muted my inner critic and nurtured the sound. Don’t have a chorus? It doesn’t matter. Lyrics,…who needs them. My voice is an instrument. These songs are acapella instrumentals. 

Staying in another country and not being able to speak French made me contemplate communication. Musical tones are translators. There are many songs I love that are in other languages. I am often clueless as to what the words are but feel I understand what the song is about. We hear emotions in the melody. Compositions can cross language barriers. I wanted to make music that can be enjoyed by many cultures. 

Every morning, I made myself a cappuccino and walked to the stables where my studio was. Whatever melody was in my mind at that moment I recorded and layered. These are the songs of Le Flux. All were written in a flow state. “Le Flux” means “The Flow” in French.  

Here are some photos of the space.

  • Uno Lady Le Flux Flower Photo

The film accompanies me on my tour of Europe. The movie has momentum. The videos ramble through forest scenes and castle ruins. The visuals, layered and modulated, transport the viewer. Forged by adventure and intuitive feelings, these recordings are unplanned and unrehearsed yet fuse into a uniquely harmonious production.

I’ll share stories about the individual songs soon. Stay tuned!  (subscribe at UnoLady.com)


Buy the tape through Imperial Emporium Sound Options’ Bandcamp
Buy the digital album through Uno Lady’s Bandcamp

Stream on your preferred site
Watch Le Flux on Youtube

 
Thanks for reading. 

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Uno Lady’s Le Flux, a Video Album + Tape Releases 11/22/22

“Le Flux” is a 9-song video album created in a flow state in France. The songs are spellbinding, ambient arias, mostly lyricless. The film, taken across Europe on the same trip that spawned the album, follows Uno Lady through France, Switzerland, and Germany. 

Imperial Emporium Sound Options is releasing a limited run of CASSETTE TAPES! The digital release will be available on Bandcamp and streaming sites (11/22/22 too!)

SATURDAY 11/19/22 at 7:30pm  @ The Happy Dog for the Panza Foundation benefit is a watch party for Le Flux. Get to the benefit when the doors open at 7:30pm and see the video before anyone else. The Panza Foundation supports local underground music through grants and I’m lucky to be on the board. Every year we have a benefit where the awardee bands perform and we announce the bands for the following year. It’s a lot of fun and there is an awesome raffle with lots of gear prizes. Here’s the event page

I’ll be posting stories about the album Le Flux at UnoLady.com soon.


Thanks for your support.
Love,
Christa, The Uno Lady

CREDITS

All songs and videos were made by Christa Ebert, the Uno Lady. The tracks were mastered by Jeff France and the cassette tapes released with Imperial Emporium Sound Options. The compositions were recorded and written at Chateau Orquevaux, France, September 2019. The songs were edited, mastered, and the videos created at the Ellis Beauregard Foundation residency in Rockland, Maine, December 2021. Thank you for your support.

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