The singer and keyboard player recently released ‘Stories We Told Along the Way,’ recorded in Kalamazoo with a who’s who lineup of Michigan musicians. Story, video and more at Local Spins.
Eliza Thorp: Exuding a feeling of connection. (Photo/Sean Miller)
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Despite the tribulations of a COVID-19 pandemic that upended the music scene, Petoskey singer-songwriter Eliza Thorp never stopped writing or sharing her voice and stories.
Thorp, a Berklee College of Music graduate and Independent Music Award finalist, recently released her sophomore album, “Stories We Told Along the Way.”
Recorded over much of the last year at La Luna Recording and Sound in Kalamazoo, the album serves as the follow-up to the singer and keyboard player’s 2019 debut, “Queen of the Sea.”
“The album was originally going to be called ‘Stories We Lost Along the Way’ as I lost out on a bunch of gigs and opportunities to perform a lot of these songs,” she said.
Making Sense of the World Around Her: Thorp (Courtesy Photo)
“I’ve had a lot of these ready for years, but I wasn’t really feeling that title and liked ‘Stories We Told Along the Way’ better as I’m now getting to share these stories and songs and stay connected.”
That feeling of connection stands as a prominent theme throughout Thorp’s new album: She sees it as clearly as a listener hears it.
One of the newest songs written for the record, “Every Little Thing,” unfurls as a sort of self-reminder that things, no matter how difficult, will work out in the end. Thorp conceded the track came in response to the pandemic, carrying a message that “every little thing is going to be all right; if it’s not all right, it’s not the end.” (Scroll down to listen to the track.)
“Writing, for me, is a way to make sense of things happening in my life and, in a broader sense, the world around me,” Thorp said.
“It helps me process things in a different way and I think the content of these songs shows that. A lot of them talk about things that were heavy on my mind that I may not have known how to say at the time.”
VIDEO: Eliza Thorp, “Superhero”
“Superhero” rolls out as a great example of this — a powerful song calling women together and giving them a chance to tell and remind themselves that they too can be brave, strong and be their own superhero.
“I think I actually wrote this one back in 2019. It was after a state’s ban on abortion had happened and the song just kind of came,” she said.
“I think it’s much more powerful of a song too now as toward the end there’s a choir of women I consider strong and it’s that much more special to have them (including Thorp’s mom) as a part of it.”
The Sophomore Album
Thorp’s “Stories We Told Along the Way” was released in mid-October but was only recently celebrated in person with an official release party in mid-November at the Walloon Lake Winery in her hometown of Petoskey.
“I was a little apprehensive as we had a pretty bad snow storm, but we had a great turnout and it was a real special evening,” said Thorp.
Thorp’s album, in its entirety, has 12 songs and also features Max Lockwood on bass guitar, Jordan Hamilton on strings and Charlie Millard on organ and accordion.
“It’s so amazing to see how my bare-bones songs turn out after trusting in these other wonderful musicians and studio to put their touches on it,” said Thorp.
The upcoming winter months are slow for Thorp, but she’s currently planning a tour out West with hopes of performing in Colorado, Montana, Washington and Oregon.
“Stories We Told Along the Way” is available on all music streaming services. Learn more about Thorp as elizathorpmusic.com.
LISTEN: “Every Little Thing,” Eliza Thorp
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