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“There’s a million ways to live a life” is how local singer/songwriter describes that path she’s taken. A California native raised in the San Fernando valley, she moved north to pursue an Environmental Studies degree at UC Santa Cruz while she worked summers as a fire lookout in the rockies. She then settled on music as a focus, became an award-winning writer, and was voted “Best Folk Musician” four years straight by Monterey’s Coast Weekly”. Soon after that “One Lone Bird” and “I Could Not Ask For More” (from her record “Cup of Kindness”) won top honors at the Kerrville Folk Festival’s NewFolk Showcase.

These days she collaborates with Kimball Hurd, who many know from his work with the Santa Cruz folk trio City Folk (which consisted of Kimball, Keith Greeninger, and Roger Feuer. In this two part interview – we talk in episode #35, and they play in episode #36 – Alisa and Kimball discuss their musical similarities and differences and about the plans for their first CD together.

Alisa Fineman and Kimball Hurd
2001 Kate Wolf Memorial Festival

(Click here for more photos)

Contest Announcement: This month’s contest is another chance to win another Grateful Dread Public Radio t-shirt. Listen to this interview for details.

Here are a few links to go with this episode:

• Alisa Fineman’s official web site and latest tour info
• Purchase Alisa’s CDs and City Folk CDs
• A review of “Closing the Distance: Poems, Prayers, and Love Songs”, her latest release (sung entirely in Hebrew)
• A little more info about Alisa Fineman and Kimball Hurd
• My interview with Keith Greeninger
• Bev Barnett on “Creativity and the Day Job”
• My blog about The Trabing Fire
• Animal Friends Rescue Project “Paws Fur a Cause” Music Festival

Click to hear “Songs and Stories” #35 (time = 44:28, size = 51 mb)

Click to hear “Songs and Stories” #36 (time = 14:30, size = 16.7 mb)