Here it comes. I’m #sorrynotsorry for the complaining you’re about to hear. 

It’s November, and we’re not digging it. We just set our clocks back an hour & are now getting minimal hours of daylight. The weather in Massachusetts is growing drastically colder. (To the point that yesterday’s 55 degrees felt like SUMMER). Seasonal depression is hitting hard and fatigue sneaks up on us a little more each day.

Classic New England, griping, amiright?

Yes, we New Englanders are famous for having terrible attitudes about the winter. All you hear in line at Dunkin’s is, “Nasty out there, huh?” From November ’til April. 

As if it’s our first year experiencing cold and dreariness. 

We pride ourselves on surviving these long winters with a heavy dose of complaining & misery. But we could learn a thing or two from our Scandanavian brothers & sisters. They’ve found a way to survive longer & darker winters than we do… AND have better attitudes about it.

Will you take the “Hygge Challenge” too? Here are some things we’re going to try & maybe you can, too.

1. Enjoy the holidays for as long as we want.

I *totally* used to be one of those people that was like, “No Christmas music until Thanksgiving and oh my gosh, I can’t believe you’re putting up your tree before December 1st.” AKA: A stinkin’ Scrooge.

But I’m noticing that, for me, the Christmas season is the most fun part of the winter. Listening to Christmas music, having a gorgeous green tree in the living room, covered in colorful ornaments & lights, cozying up to a great old movie. It’s really all so uplifting and fun. So, whatever. I’ll get my tree whenever I want & savor the holidays this year. 

2. Get outside more.

There’s a Norwegian saying that goes, “There’s no such thing as the wrong weather, there’s only the wrong clothing.” 

One of our favorite pastimes in the winter is going out for a walk in a blizzard. (Which we get a lot of here in Central Mass). We bundle up like crazy and walk the quiet dusted streets at night. It’s so romantic, and, surprisingly, once you get a good little clip going — it’s not really that cold. Especially if you’re layered. 

Most New Englanders suffer from Vitamin D deficiency, thanks to these miserable winters. But Vitamin D is still widely available in the winter. All it takes is 15 minutes outside to re-up. So, bundle up & take a quick stroll. I promise it’ll make you feel better! 

And for those of you more adventurous than me – maybe take up a winter sport! Snowboarding, skiing, snowshoeing and ice-skating are all awesome ways to keep active and enjoy the cold months.

3. Take some time off.

Anyone else get so exhausted this time of year? Whenever we’re really tired, we say to each other, “Don’t you think our ancestors probably did very little labor in the colder part of the year?” Who knows if that’s true, but there’s undoubtedly a pull on our bodies to rest more in the colder months. The week in between Christmas & New Years is usually off for a lot of kids. Maybe you can take a vacation that week and get some rest? If not, try to look for a time where you can afford a 3-day-weekend away, or a random Tuesday off work just to relax.

4. Get into a book series.

Okay, it’s probably just because we’re incredibly introverted… but come on, isn’t winter the best time to start cozying up to a great book? Take a break from the screens & engage in some enriching art. A few years ago, I read the Harry Potter series throughout the winter. The Chronicles of Narnia are great! Heck, read Twilight if it’s fun for you!

5. Get some vinyl.

Thanks to hipsters, the vinyl record is back. And yes, you’ll hear us admit (along with all those hipsters), that it really is the *best* way to listen to music. Plus, tons of record stores are coming back into business lately. If you’re in Worcester, there’s a new one downtown that you should check out. A lot of small cities have record stores popping up, and it is so much fun to search through the stacks for an old classic. Or hey, you can grab our latest album on vinyl, too!

6. Speaking of music, how about a Playlist?

We made this awesome playlist on Spotify for all of your Hygge needs. It’s our favorite chill-out music that’s perfect for a romantic night in. 

And we’re sure there are thousands of other ways to experience a “Hygge”-ful season. We’re going to try out some of these ideas, but we’d love to hear from you. What are you going to do to make it a great winter? Tell us in the comments below!

Hi, good morning. We just woke up from a two-day nap.

We got out of the car from 36 hours of driving, and went right to sleep. Rubbing the sleepies out of our eyes now and we wanted to fill you in on what we’ve been up to!

This weekend, we drove to Indiana to be part of an event called Escape to the Lake. This event was a conference/retreat/festival put on by our good friends at UTR Media where we were able to share music and enjoy the company of people just like us.

People who make music about life.
People who try to bring that music to whomever they can, driving around the country with their guitars packed in little cars & vans.
People who aren’t writing songs that’ll hit the Billboard charts or Top 40 anytime soon.
People who are trying to figure out how to get their songs heard, in a world where Bhad Bhabie* and the yodeling Walmart kid* are getting 15 minutes of viral fame and Coachella sets.

*don’t worry, we just figured out who they are, too.

It was great to be with those people.
People like us.
People who love what they do more than anything, and are trying to make it work.

Trying to sell albums.
Trying to find audiences.
Trying to share this thing we feel we were given to share, with people who want to hear it.
Trying to eat & pay the rent in the meantime.

It’s a tricky business, but someone’s gotta do it.

We talked about wanting to quit some days.
Okay, fine. More than half of the days.
(Just trying to be honest here!)

We talked about the dying CD industry.
The bad reviews.
The way a lot of people don’t understand what we do.
The ways we’ve been ripped off by record labels or promoters.
The list of discouragements go on and on.

And then we sat together and played songs for one another.
And we were moved to tears.

Because something happens when you hear a song.
Your heart is touched by another heart.

Someone you’ve never even met is suddenly speaking a secret language that you never knew anyone else understood until that moment. They sing a song about their divorce and your heart whispers, “Oh my gosh, I didn’t know anyone else knew what that felt like.” Or they tell a story about Africa, a place you’ve never been, and suddenly you can see the whole landscape.

Music lets us communicate in a way that is beyond all understanding.
It transmits peace, and joy, and empathy, in a way sometimes words can’t do.
What a feeling.

That feeling?
That’s why we do it.

So, we make it work.

We drive 2,000 miles,
and sleep on air mattresses,
and sell our houses,
and homeschool our kids,
and live off of Chipotle,
and sell T-shirts,
And CDs in an industry where music is free,
And crowdfund,
And send emails until 2am,
And play to empty rooms for less money than is reasonable.

Why? Because we love that feeling.
The feeling that there is so much joy in music.
That it cuts into the human experience so deeply and profoundly.
That it lets us connect.
We love it so much,
that we just can’t quit.

Know where is the best place to find that feeling?

Living rooms.

It makes sense, doesn’t it? The living room is where we connect, right? Maybe we’re in front of the TV, maybe we’re having a fight, maybe we are enjoying a meal with friends. Connecting. The heart of the home. The living room is where all of the magic happens. (Despite what MTV Cribs always said about the bedroom).

Most musicians will tell you that the best venue is the living room.

Because that’s what musicians are all about:
Living.

And that’s what people who LOVE MUSIC are all about:
Living.

House shows are popping up all over the country, and for good reason.

They allow musicians to connect with fans in the most intimate setting.
They allow music-lovers to support musicians directly, by giving them an amazing venue with active listeners.
They allow friends to invite friends into their living rooms and enjoy a little bit of real, down-to-earth, connective living together.

In a place in time where we all seem quite disconnected, this sounds like a great solution, right?

It absolutely is.

If you’ve never considered hosting a house show before, please think about whether or not this would be something you’d love to do.
If you have considered hosting a house show (or have hosted one before), thank you. On behalf of the whole music community, you are making a huge difference.

We put together a little FAQ about house shows here and we’d love for you to take a look. We would absolutely love to do some life with you & your community. To bring music and joy into your home and spend an evening really connecting. What do you think? Shoot us an email at hello@thepromiseishope.com if you have any thoughts; we’d love to hear from you.

Sometimes, you have opportunities come up that are so strange, you have no choice but to say… “Um, well, sure!”. We got an email a few months ago asking if we would come to Parsonsfield, Maine (where the heck…) to play in a yurt (what the heck…). It all just sounded too cool & weird to be true, so we went with it. Halfway through our 3 hour drive through the middle of nowhere, we finally asked, “Wait. What exactly did we say yes to???”

It was the kind of quiet in Parsonsfield that makes you panic a bit. We drove down a bumpy dirt road and pulled onto the property; mountain bikes and a uniquely-built wooden house were our first views. Our second view was the sweetest black lab, Watson, who gently & excitedly greeted us, following beside our car so closely we were afraid he’d be hit. After parking and sitting in the stillness and silence for a moment, we saw Cliff running down the hill. A mountain-bike enthusiast and outdoor excursion leader, he expressed his excitement that we were there and shared his vision of turning his little yurt into a concert venue. And we set off to do just that.

As night fell, we truly began to realize how loud our little city is back home. I sat stunned in the quiet for at least 30 minutes to let my brain adjust while Eric ran cables around the back of the yurt, setting up for the show. We ran a few sound checks and had dinner with Cliff and his partner, Lynn. Squash, fresh from the garden. Pesto veggies, fresh from the garden. Fish that Cliff caught just the other day. The freshness that you find in Maine is only rivaled by its stillness. The smells, the sweetness of the vegetables, the crunch beneath your feet. If you’ve never been to Maine, it is truly a completely unique and special opportunity to capture serenity in a very pure form.

We played our songs for a small audience, getting to explain in a natural & intimate way about the music. What inspired us to write Every Seed Must Die (a new song that will be on our second album). What we experienced when Eric’s Meme passed away, how Mary-Ann came to be. The love story behind Your Beauty. Our audience talked back, thanking us for a certain tune, or expressing their enjoyment of the harmonies on a particular part. I believe it’s important for musicians to have these kinds of shows every once in awhile. To remember exactly why we do it. It is the personal connection with other human souls that make this vocation so special. A man shared with Eric a horrible story about the passing of his infant son, saying our songs about death really impacted him. Reminded him of bearing a shovel to bury his own child. We talked to Cliff about the wildness of pursuing your passion. Opening a Mountain Bike Excursion company sounds about as tricky as being an independent musician. Crazy and completely faith-based, at times.

We slept in the serene cabin, smelling only wood and Sweet Annie. Hearing only crickets and our own breath. Enjoyed a breakfast of homemade granola and apple butter. (Again, if you’ve never visited Maine – what are you waiting for?) Sat in the company of two young couples who were just staying and learning how to mountain bike around Cliff’s trails for the weekend. One came all the way from Minnesota, the other just from a few towns over in Maine, enjoying their first weekend away without their 11-month old baby.

There are moments in this life where we ask ourselves, What the heck are we doing? Where are we going? Why are we driving to Maine on a whim to play in a yurt? What’s happening? It is quite funny to reflect on those moments in light of the magic and joy that come from taking risks and faithfully following the call that we find on our hearts. To let our music lead us to unknown corners is sometimes a daunting and odd task. Mostly, however, it brings us to intensely beautiful connection. Connection to quiet, to ourselves, to each other, to strangers walking journeys we get to visit for a brief moment. To an intimacy and communion with folks whose paths we never would have crossed otherwise, but with whom we get to walk hand-in-hand for just a step or two. What a wonderfully magical thing.

Quiet Hands || Live at The Red House

Surviving winter in Worcester is no easy task. We live at the base of snow systems coming down from New Hampshire’s White Mountains. We get Canadian winds through March and April, and we are careful not to hang up the heavy winter coats until May 1st. The public school system is revving up for another long year, having to makeup the 5 snow days we took, keeping kids in school until June 23rd. The trees are just starting to bud, and our dense city is beginning to dust itself off and slowly open its doors again to the possibility of warmth and new life. The sounds of reggaeton seep through our glass doors, and the Farmer’s Almanac says we can almost put our spring seeds into the ground. It’s a good feeling. A slow, but wildly welcome, return.

A couple of years ago, on a perfect spring evening, we invited a few of our closest friends to our humbly tucked away Red House to sing some songs on the upstairs porch. The kid living on the 3rd floor had just been evicted for running some kind of small-scale “business venture” to support his pizza addiction and surely gain popularity at the local State College. The doors & windows were shattered, but we carefully treaded up to the empty apartment’s porch during the golden hour on a beautiful spring day to film a live video of our song “Quiet Hands”.

Even though it was filmed a while ago, today feels like a perfect opportunity to finally release this video. The beginnings of spring right outside our door today remind us of the magic of making music with our friends as the sun set on our warming city that night.

We hope you enjoy this little taste of our favorite place. Made whole with our favorite people, of course.

Featuring:
Austin Troy – Banjo
Ben Trussell (Comrades) – Percussion
Peter L’Esperance – Trumpet
Gleifer Coghetto – Bass
Ash & Eric L’Esperance – vox & guitar
Filmed by:
John Rupeck
Edited by:
Ben Trussell

The act and process of song writing is as unique and diverse as the number of song writers who are out there. The more we chat with other musicians and song writers, the more we have come to understand that there is not a clear-cut formula to crafting a new tune. Many of our listeners are curious to hear about our writing process as a duo and a married couple, and some are surprised to learn that Ash and I do not co-write our songs, but craft them separately and then come together to flesh out the parts we each will play for the new tune.

I wrote “Arise” several years before I met Ash at a time in my life where my heart was longing for someone to call “my darling.” I was blessed (or cursed) with a romantic heart from a young age, and never doubted that I would someday fall in love and get married. I recall sitting down to write the song almost as a prayer, knowing that I did not have the love I would sing about, and wondering if the day would come where I could look at my partner and gratefully express that “my life is full with you.” Much of the song’s imagery is inspired by passages from a book of the Bible called the Song of Solomon. In these sensual passages of scripture, the author does not hold back in expressing his heart and passion for his new found lover.

While the song had been written for some time, I chose only share it with my close friends. It wasn’t until Ash and I were engaged, started dreaming up The Promise is Hope, and recording Where We’ve Been & Where We’re Going that I felt ready to make it public. As we composed a record documenting our experience of falling in love, and transitioning into a new life together, it became clear that “Arise” now had a place to be showcased.

The happy couple & wedding party after the ceremony. 

The idea for the music video developed after my brother Peter and his soon-to-be wife Cassie asked us to stand with them as part of their wedding party, and to sing “Arise” as the processional and recessional for their ceremony. We excitedly devised a plan to capture the day’s events on camera, and combine it all into a music video for the song. Ash and I each carried a camera around that day, and with the help of our good friend Piper, were able to compile a bunch of footage for the video.

We are excited to share the final product with you below! We dedicate the video to Pete and Cassie, who we love a whole bunch. We hope you enjoy, and we thank you, our listeners, for all of your love and support.

It’s really rare that we actually get to go to concerts. Maybe twice a year, we’ll buy a ticket to see our favorite big act in Boston. But a few weeks ago, a friend (our official TPIH cat-sitter, Cheryl) texted us to ask if we wanted to spontaneously go to a secret show somewhere in the city. We’d never heard of Sofar, but pretty instantly connected with the mission, one that has driven us, too: to curate beautiful shows, featuring the highest caliber musicians, in intimate and lovely spots in Worcester. That night in December, in the old Printer’s Building downtown, we got to meet and hear one of the best musicians we’ve seen in a while; Max Garcia Conover. His music was both rowdy and vulnerable. Fun, interesting and raw. It was refreshing and honest, and not lacking immense talent. We instantly knew we had to bring him to Nine Dot.

Max Garcia Conover. Photo: Shaw Photography

As many of you know, we’ve been curating intimate listening-room shows in a small art gallery in Main South, Worcester for about a year. We’ve had some incredible musicians play with us in this intimate setting, and we are proud to welcome Max this Sunday, March 12 (6pm).

There are only a small number of tickets available. You can find them here. Buy them online to save a few bucks and make sure you have a reserved seat.

Max hails from Portland, Maine, and we have a good friend who’s been dying to throw a house show in her grandparents’ old mansion up there. So, if you’re in the Portland area, you can also hear us play with Max on Saturday, March 11. We’re keeping the address private, so if you’d like to come, shoot us an email at thepromiseishope@gmail.com.