Kathleen Healy, Saltwater Songwriter

I've been writing again and it feels so good! I'm excited to share my newest song with you - entitled Solid Ground. It's my 2023 NPR Tiny Desk Contest Entry! Please give it a listen, and if you are so inclined, please consider giving it a “like” and sharing it with your friends! And feel free to subscribe to my YouTube Channel while you're there! Check out my show schedule to see where you can find me next, solo, with the Songbirds, or with my folk ensemble Heyday. I hope to see you soon! 

Hello and Happy New Year! My resolve this year is to show up, bear witness, and be present. And to that end, I've written a new song which you'll be able to hear if you come out to a Heyday show! I've been suffering from some serious writer's block for a bit now so writing a new song feels great, and then playing it for the guys and having them jump right in on leads and harmonies and suggesting we play it at our next gig feels really spectacular! The song is about showing up for those amazing gifts of sunrise and sunset that nature offers up each day, and the working title at the moment is Afterglow, as demonstrated in one of my recent #beachaday photos below . . . 

you can follow my #beachaday journey on Instagram @khealymusic 

The calendar is filling up with gigs so please come on out and catch a solo, Songbirds, or Heyday show soon! I'd love to see you out and about!

You can find Heyday at O'Shea's Olde Inne in West Dennis on Thursday, January 5 and Thursday, January 19 from 7:00 - 10:00 p.m. 

I'll be playing solo at Harvest Gallery in Dennis on Sunday, January 15 from 5:30 - 7:30 p.m. You can expect to hear some songs from the Civil Rights Movement in honor of the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s Birthday at this show. 

If evenings are a little late in the day for your hibernating winter soul, you can catch me solo at Buckies Biscotti in Dennis Port from 11:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. on Saturday, January 28. 

And thanks to all who supported my #beachaday journey this year. I sold 100 calendars and was able to donate $500 to the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe. I acknowledge that the land I am privileged to walk and photograph each day is the sacred land of the Wampanoag People. 

Wishing everyone a healthy New Year filled with peace, love, and live music - and remember to stick around for the Afterglow! 

I'm gearing up for a busy November! I've got two Cape Cod Songbirds shows, some full band shows with Heyday, and a few solo shows that I'm really excited about! So yeah, I'm getting busier just as the days are getting shorter. I'm a sunshine girl, so not a huge fan of shorter days, but I'm hoping to hunker down and get the creative juices flowing and write a few more songs. Oh! And the 2023 Beach A Day calendars have arrived, just in time for holiday gift giving, so if you are interested in picking up a calendar or two, I will have them with me at shows or you can send me an email at info@kathleenhealy.com to let me know how many you'd like to reserve! 

First up, Heyday will be playing our usual first Thursday gig at O'Shea's Olde Inne on November 3, but with shorter days come earlier start times, so we'll see you there from 7:00 - 10:00.

Sunday November 6th finds me at the Sons of Erin with the Songbirds from 5:00 - 8:00. The Sons of Erin is a private club, and the show is free for members. Guests of members pay $5 at the door. 

I'll be debuting solo at Buckies Biscotti in Dennis Port on Saturday, November 12 from 11:00 - 1:00. I'm super excited about this show so I hope to see you there! 

Heyday will be back at O'Shea's on Thursday, November 17th for our third Thursday gig, and remember the earlier start time - from 7:00 - 10:00. Bring all your friends! We will have you singing and dancing along! 

On Saturday, November 19th, I'll be joining Jan Luby and Rose Martin at One Broadway Collaborative in Lawrence, MA for a concert. I'm looking forward to sharing the stage with these beautiful songwriters. Tickets are $15. Please click here for tickets. 

On Sunday, November 20th, I'll be back at Buckies Biscotti from 11:00 - 1:00. I don't play a lot of solo shows in the off-season so these shows will be intimate and you'll have a chance to hear some of my more "coffee-house" repertoire, which I'm really looking forward to! I'll be back for a few dates in December, too, so be sure to check the show schedule! 

Heyday is honored to be sharing the bill with Frank Poranski and Lary Chaplan of Blu Central at Nauset Interfaith Association's benefit on Sunday, November 20th at 3:00 p.m. at the South Harwich Meetinghouse. Tickets are $25 at the door and proceeds benefit refugees, asylum seekers, and immigrants here on Cape Cod. 

And finally, the Songbirds will be hitting Harvest Gallery Wine Bar in Dennis on Friday, November 25 from 4:30 - 6:30. This show is free and open to the public! 

I can't wait to see you out and about at a show! 

Autumn is here! I had an incredible experience at Passim's open mic in September, and I am hoping to return to that legendary stage soon - I will keep you posted!

You can catch my performance on youtube,

                                                                            and while you're there, please go ahead and subscribe to my channel!

Heyday had an absolute blast playing the Harwich Hometown Parade as part of the Harwich Cranberry Festival!

We have a few shows coming up, but mostly we are looking forward to a little downtime to work on some new material and to start doing a little collaborative songwriting. So stay tuned! We welcomed Roe Osborn on bass for a few shows this summer and we are looking forward to working more with Roe in the future! 

Hope to see you out and about! Peace, love, & live music! - kathleen 

Summer's here, live music is happening, and I'm too busy to write a blog! Please check the schedule - I hope to see you at a show soon! Heartfelt thanks for your support of my solo gigs, my band Heyday, and of live music in general.
I wouldn't be able to do any of this without you! 

peace, love, & music - 

kathleen 

So, after almost two years of not creating anything new, I am finally writing again and it feels soooo good! Spring is a great time for renewal and hope, and these new songs feel like an affirmation of what I've been telling myself throughout my creative drought: "I'm still here, just a little quiet at the moment, but I'm still here, and I've been here all the while." Please check out my 2022 NPR Tiny Desk Contest Entry on YouTube:

If you like what you hear, please feel free to "like" the video on YouTube, and please share it with your friends! 

I am also excited for an upcoming show at The Music Room Cape Cod on Wednesday, March 16th at 8:00 p.m.. This will be a mostly original show, with some choice covers thrown in. If you've heard the buzz about The Music Room and you're wondering what it's all about, this is your chance to check out the scene with no cover charge! I will be joined by my bandmates from Heyday for this show, and we would love to see some familiar faces in the audience! 

Of course we'll be heading to O'Shea's Olde Inne to play the early set on St. Patrick's Day from 5:30 - 8:00, followed by The Skiffs at 8:30. It promises to be a rip-roaring great time! 

I'll end the month with a solo show at The Sons of Erin Cape Cod. I don't play many solo shows these days, and I am really looking forward to this gig! You can catch me on Saturday, March 26, from 7:00 - 10:00. The Sons of Erin is a members only club, but members are allowed to invite guests, and I'm a member - so hit me up if you want to come!  

Looking ahead to April, Heyday will be at O'Shea's Olde Inne on the first and fourth Thursday this month, as we will be away on the third Thursday. So  look for us on April 7 and April 28. We'll be back to our regular first and third Thursdays in May and June!

Friday, April 8th I am scheduled to appear for a Songwriters in the Round evening at One Broadway Collaborative in Lawrence, MA. Another rare opportunity to catch me solo and doing all originals! 

April 10th finds me back at The Sons of Erin with The Songbirds. We'll be playing from 4:00 - 7:00, and we've got a bunch of brand new tunes for you, so we hope you can make it to this show! 
More gigs will be added to the calendar as they are scheduled, so be sure to check the show schedule! 

Until then, I'm still out there walking the beach every day, and posting my #abeachaday photo, so if not at a gig, maybe I'll see you at the beach. When I walk, I take time to meditate and think about things in my life and in the world. The people of Ukraine have been on my mind a lot lately. My son Calvin helped me edit the hint of yellow in the sunset to represent the yellow band in the Ukrainian flag.

#prayforUkraine #prayforpeace. 

peace, love, & music -

kathleen  

So two is my lucky number. And 22 is my favorite number. So 2022? Well this has GOT to be my year! I've got some solo gigs and some Heyday gigs coming up - check out the upcoming shows on the calendar.

I started the year on a positive note - positive for Covid that is, so I've been hunkered down and quarantining. Luckily I have had very mild symptoms and I seem to be on the other side of it now. Of course the quarantining caused a bit of a hiccup, and I had to cancel all of my shows for this first week of the year. Bruce Maclean stepped in on January 1 to replace Heyday at the Barley Neck, Dave Hickey stepped in on January 6 to replace Heyday at O'Shea's, and Jan Luby stepped up on January 7 to replace me at a Songwriters in the Round show at One Broadway Collaborative in Lawrence, MA.

But don't worry! The shows pick up again mid-month with Heyday making our debut at The Sons of Erin on January 15, and then returning to O'Shea's for our regular Third Thursday gig on the 20th.

Some highlights from the fall included Heyday kicking off the music at the Cran Jam in Harwich on Saturday, September 18. We had folks up dancing and singing along. Thanks to Bob Weiser from the Old Songs Home Radio Show at OMR for giving us the opportunity to play the festival. October found us playing a short set at Payomet Performing Arts Center as part of The Bomb: Antinuke Songs from the 60’s and Beyond show. This was a blast of an afternoon hanging out with Chandler Travis, Kami Lyle, Alex Brewer, Stephen Russell and others. Thanks to Dan Lombardi for putting it all together. We also played an intimate afternoon concert on Saturday, November 13 at Brooks Free Library in Harwich. And we wrapped up our fall concerts by appearing in the first installment of this year’s Yule for Fuel at WHAT in Wellfleet on December 4. Karl Hoyt joined us on bass for many of these shows. Thanks to Michael and Suz Karchmer for capturing this photo of us. 

I also played many fun solo shows, both inside and out, including an afternoon at Mashpee Commons. I played a set of mostly original tunes and covers of some of my favorite female artists. I returned to the Artist Shanties at the Harbor Overlook Park for an afternoon in October, and I played a lovely sunny set as part of the Pop-Up Practice series at Parish Park in Orleans in November. You could also find me playing solo at The Harwich Inn and Tavern as well as at the Sons of Erin Cape Cod. And on Monday, December 13, I hosted my final scheduled open mic at O’Shea’s Olde Inne. Although it is definitely the end of an era for me, I feel good about the change knowing that I passed the torch on to my good friend, talented songwriter, and gracious host Rose Martin. As Evie said, “ah, you’ve had a good run, pet!” and that’s the truth! Thanks to my friend Brenda Meehan for snapping this photo of my last time hosting which captures just how much fun we’ve had over the years. 

The Songbirds were finally able to safely resume rehearsals and performances. You have no idea how much joy it brings me to be able to make music with the talented likes of Kathi Taylor, Catie Flynn, and Caroline Brennan. We had a few great shows – one at The Sons of Erin Cape Cod on September 4 and the other at O’Shea’s Olde Inne on November 19. Watch for more Songbirds shows coming up this spring! 

I have continued my commitment to my #abeachaday photo project, and this fall I created a 2022 calendar from some of my more popular photos. Part of the proceeds from the sale of each calendar were donated to the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe, the original inhabitants of this land I am blessed to walk and photograph. You can follow my #abeachaday #saltwatersongwriter journey on my @khealymusic Instagram page. Here’s one I snapped this morning, while it was still snowing but before the wind started blowing. 

Oh and hey, I'm on Spotify! So be sure to listen to your favorite Kathleen Healy originals and add them to your playlists! Be safe out there folks, both in terms of weather and health, and I hope to see you out and about soon!

Hello out there! Thanks for taking the time to visit the website! I am sending huge love out to all of my fans, and those who are dealing with the tremendous losses that have accompanied these unprecedented times. As we carefully move toward some new sense of normal, I am slowly beginning to fill my calendar with dates, mostly outside at this point. I would love to see you at a show, when you're ready. But if you're not ready, I am planning to continue to provide virtual offerings once per week, so please check the facebook page for my live streams. 

If you are interested in booking some music for a gathering at your home, you have several options! You can book me solo - think quiet, singer/songwriter-y stuff - lots of finger picking. Or you could opt for duo with either Bill or Randy, which is bound to kick it up a notch. And last but not least you could go for the trio with my band Heyday. We'll have you up and dancing and singing along. We've got some openings in the calendar we'd love to fill. We love backyard barbecues and garden parties. And we'd be happy to come and play for you. Please email info@kathleenhealy.com in order to book us for your gathering. 

For now, I will keep walking the beach, keep breathing, and keep looking for the silver linings. And if you need a little beach in your life, check out my #beachaday photos on my @khealymusic Instagram page. 

Here's the one from yesterday that seems to be getting a lot of attention, captured at Sea Street Beach in East Dennis: 

Day 330 of #abeachaday #year2 #endless #almostsummer #almostsunset #bayside #flats #ridges #wideopenspaces #beachwalker #saltwatersongwriter #capecod

And remember, in a world where you can be anything, be kind. 

I have a few upcoming virtual gigs at Sandwich Porchfest and Linden Tree Coffee House - check the schedule for the details. I hope you are all hanging in there! I have been walking the beach almost daily to help ground me during these times. Here is one of my recent photos taken on a damp day at the end of one of my favorite walking spots, West Dennis Beach. As we approach November 3, and the end of 2020, let's hope this fog lifts soon. 

Please keep in touch. I am available for small, socially distanced house concerts, virtual or otherwise. Stay well - peace xo Kathleen 

So all of the gigs have been cancelled, but new live streaming gigs are being scheduled. I no longer have a moment of privacy in my house, but I do have time to practice my guitar every single day. I am missing the energy of performing in front of a live audience, but I am learning all sorts of new stuff about interfaces and blue yeti microphones and iRigs and OBS and Zoom. Some days I feel like my head is about to explode, but so far it hasn't so that's another one for the plus column. My teens have been lying to my face about completing their distance learning assignments and are now grounded on quarantine. Which means no more x-box (seriously what else is there to take away?). But for the most part, my family is getting along with each other way better than I ever could have imagined. And we have our health. And I have managed to get to a beach every single day for 313 days and counting. I've seen sunrises and sunsets and everything in between. 

I haven't slept in weeks because after everybody goes to bed I simply can't settle my mind. It might have something to do with Billy's snoring, but mostly I lie awake and mull over the days horrific news and numbers and I ache for all of my friends and fellow humans who are living this pandemic hell on the front lines every single day, while I stay home and take care of my family and read about their heroism. We've lost so much. We lost John Prine. 

But the lack of sleep has led to some midnight oil writing sessions and I might have come up with a new song or two. So I guess what I'm saying is that so far, for every down there has been an up, for every inconvenience, a new lesson learned, and within each cloud a silver lining. Please know that I am missing you. And wishing you well. And stockpiling some new material for the next time we get to see each other in person.

Like this one, for example. I was invited to participate in this fun little Old Cape Cod mash-up sponsored by the Cheap Seats and the Melody Tent and featuring real live local Cape Cod musicians. Here's my full version as well. I've always wanted to learn this song and now I have. 

My Amazing Things Arts Center concert with Kim Moberg and Sparrow Blue has been rescheduled for Thursday, April 30th at 7:00 - click on the link to order tickets and attend via zoom - tickets are priced from a very affordable $0 all the way up to $20 - please just come and share some music with us! 

ATAC Concert with Kathleen Healy, Kim Moberg, & Sparrow Blue Ticket Link

I figured out how to live stream a zoom meeting on facebook, so we have been holding songwriter circles and open mics again, which feels really good. Next songwriter circle is Monday May 4th at 7:00, followed by open mic at 8:00. Send an email to info@kathleenhealy.com for the zoom info if you'd like to participate, or tune into the facebook live stream on my facebook page to watch and comment. The prompt for the circle is "transformation." 

Bill and I will be playing a virtual set on May 6 at 7:00 p.m. Huge shout out to Sean and Caroline Brennan for promoting local musicians through their Solidarity Sessions live-streamed concerts during this time of social distancing. Together, Billy and I make up two thirds of our band Heyday. We really miss playing gigs with Heyday, and hope to be back at it real soon. But in the meantime, there really isn't anybody on earth I'd rather be on lock-down with. Another silver lining.

Okay -  that's it for me for now. I'm leaving the summer gig schedule in place until I hear otherwise. Check back here from time to time for the latest info on cancellations and upcoming live stream gigs. Stay well. Wash your hands. And don't touch your face! 

peace, love, and music - 

kathleen