Interview: Tanya Moberly's I LOVE NEW YORK SONGWRITERS CD RELEASE at Don't Tell Mama

Next Thursday and Friday (May 9th and 10th) at 7 pm, award winning singer/producer/director Tanya Moberly will be celebrating her album release with live shows at Don't Tell Mama, the historic nightclub where she recorded the albums last year. Moberly’s live double album, I LOVE NEW YORK SONGWRITERS PART I and PART II, is a curated collection of 45 songs by NYC writers Tanya has met through her work as a singer and producer.

She’ll be accompanied by the recording ensemble: Music Director Steven Ray Watkins on piano, Matt Scharfglass on bass, and Bradley Bosenbeck on Violin. The show’s cover includes a CD or digital download. Tickets to the May 9th and May 10th shows are available on Don’t Tell Mama’s website.

We spoke to Moberly about the upcoming shows and the process of putting the album together.

How would you describe your upcoming show?
It’s the CD Release celebration of I LOVE NEW YORK SONGWRITERS PART I & PART II. Part I will be on May 9, which includes twenty-one songs, and Part 2 will be May 10, and that includes 24 songs.

What are you most looking forward to about it?
Performing these shows live one more time and releasing all of these wonderful songs for the world to hear. They’re from a wide variety of songwriters I've met along the way, singing in NYC for so many years, and also producing Salon. That’s where I met many of them. I know (or have known) all of them, and love every single one. There are few who, unfortunately, have left us, like Steven Lutvak, Rick Jensen and Bob McDowell.

What was the process of putting your CD together like?
It was a total leap of faith. I knew I wanted to record these shows live to produce the double CD (45 songs!) and I knew I needed funds to do it, so I took a deep breath and launched a Kickstarter campaign. And for the following 60 days, that is exactly what I did. Campaigned. I reached out to everyone I had ever met and asked if they could contribute. I posted relentlessly on Facebook. My goal was to get a little bit of money from a lot of people. I knew it was a big ask and I knew if I did not reach my goal that I would end up with nothing (and would therefore not be able to do the project) but I had to try. And then I reached the goal! But man, it was HARD!!!

What do you love about performing live?
Everything. There is nothing like it. The energy. The different audiences every show. The feeling of walking a tightrope - that anything can go wrong but then the exhilaration of everything going right. Being in the present moment, moment to moment.

What have you been listening to lately?
I listen to all kinds of music all the time. I not only have a CD player, I have a working turntable, as well as thousands of CDs & albums - and a bona fide stereo system with four speakers. My most recent favorite album is Jon Batiste's WE ARE.

What's coming up next for you after this album release?

I’m planning a new show for the fall.

Is there anything else you'd like to add?
I am the luckiest woman in the world. Whether I am performing, directing or booking shows at Don't Tell Mama, I get to play Cabaret every day of my life and I LOVE IT

To learn more about Tanya Moberly, including where to buy her upcoming album, visit her website.

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