<![CDATA[Eli Conley

<![CDATA[Eli Conley - Blog]]>Mon, 19 Jan 2026 15:44:55 -0800Weebly<![CDATA[Making Something New]]>Mon, 03 Jan 2022 18:25:57 GMThttps://www.eliconley.com/blog/making-something-new

I have some exciting news: I'm going to record a new album!

It’s been five years since I made my last record. I have a bunch of new songs and some wonderful musicians on board to bring them to life. I can’t wait to share what we're working on with you.

Now, all I need to make it happen is you. So I'm reaching out (nervously but excitedly!) to ask for your help.

I have just 29 days to raise $10K to cover the cost of this record. I admit that feels like a big number, but all together I think we can do it!

This Kickstarter campaign is all or nothing. If I don't raise the funds by January 31st, this album will only exist in my head, and you won't get to hear it.

Let's not let that happen! Will you let me know you're behind me and contribute today?

Support My New Record

When you back this project, don't forget to let me know what you want as a thank you perk! You can get:

"I Love Trans Folks With All My Being" T-Shirt
Handwritten Song Lyrics
A Personalized Poem on a Postcard
Early Digital Download of the Music
Signed CD
A Personalized Cover Video
Even some Homemade Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies!

The Back Story
I’m calling this album “Making Something New,” but as you might know, there was a time when I didn’t know if I would be able to continue making music at all.

Three years ago I started setting up my life so I could fulfill a longtime dream and spend more of my time performing.

However, there was a pain in my wrists that I had been ignoring. Eventually it got so bad that I couldn’t even chop vegetables. When I finally went to the doctor, I was diagnosed with a repetitive stress injury in both my wrists.

Suddenly I had to stop playing guitar almost entirely.

I did my best to put on a good face, but in truth I was distraught. I had to cancel shows and turn down new offers. If I couldn’t play guitar, who was I?

I took long hikes in the hills, singing out loud as I went. That’s where the song “I Don’t Wanna Hurt Anymore” emerged:

I play guitar and feel the sharp wave coming
Soon my hands are humming with this ache
I go right on because these songs are not a choice
If I don’t use my voice I might just break
And so I keep on muscling through and I ignore
That every minute that I spend leaves me more sore

Ache is an ongoing theme on this record. Uncertainty and grief also come up again and again. But that song actually contained a clue to where my path would lead.

As I rested my wrists, something surprising happened. Even without the guitar, the music kept coming through. I started writing songs a cappella, like the call and response chant We Will Show Up. My friend Talia Cooper and I wrote it together, inspired by participating in the Black Lives Matter uprisings of 2020:

We feel the pain, we feel the rage
We will not numb ourselves, we will not look away
We will show up (We will show up)
We will not hide (We will not hide)
We will show up cause we’ve got justice on our minds

Each of these new songs felt like gifts, buoying me along at a time when I thought my days as a songwriter might be over. I taught them to my queer singing classes and other people picked them up, telling me they sang them in the streets and as they drifted off to sleep.

After surgery, careful rehab, and finding a beautiful new guitar that is easier on my wrists, I'm happy to say I’m back to playing again. I am learning to love my body and never push through discomfort. I take care to stretch, ice, and rest regularly. And I’ve heard from other musicians and artists with chronic pain who’ve let me know I’m not alone.

Now I’m returning to Tiny Telephone Studios in Oakland with some wonderful collaborators:

Producer and sound engineer Maryam Qudus
Conrad Sisk on cello
Joel Price on mandolin, violin, and harmonies
Briget Boyle on harmonies
Jesse Loren Strickman on percussion
Jimmy Touzel on upright bass

We’re ready to go, and we need your help to make it happen.

Each time we reach a $1000 mark, I'll post a fun video on Instagram and Facebook. Please give today to help me reach the goal!

A big thank you from the bottom of my heart.

]]><![CDATA[Something to share]]>Tue, 10 Aug 2021 07:00:00 GMThttps://www.eliconley.com/blog/something-to-shareI just got home from the Rocky Mountain Song School, a place I go every year to ground myself as an artist and learn from some of my heroes like Mary Gauthier. She has a wonderful new book I just finished reading that's part memoir and part writer's manual: Saved By a Song.

This year I had the honor of being in a masterclass with the great Darrell Scott. If you don't know him, I recommend starting with You'll Never Leave Harlan Alive -- but really, you can't go wrong with any of his music! It's hard to put what I learned from him into words, but one big thing is that every song is different. There are no rules to follow. You approach each song and ask it what it needs to become most truly itself.

Another lesson from Song School that really stuck with me comes from songwriter Ellis Delaney. She encouraged us to approach performance not as "look at me and how great I am," but as making an offering. As a performer, it can sometimes be really tempting to focus on the people who aren't receiving what I'm offering -- the ones on their phones, waiting to hear the person playing after me. But if I give my attention to the people who are listening, everything changes. I become much less focused on myself and asking "what do these people think of me?" I can connect with the people who are ready to receive what I have to share, and it's a much deeper experience for all of us.

I tried to do that here, when I got a chance to perform my new song "Alone" on stage at Song School:

Speaking of sharing, I'm excited to announce my first performance in awhile -- a birthday show!

Eli's Birthday Livestream Concert
With Special Guests!
Saturday, October 2nd
6:30 pm pacific / 9:30 pm eastern
Free
Live here on my website

Also, save the date for this upcoming in person show in the Bay Area with powerful songwriter Briget Boyle (pandemic permitting, of course).

Sunday, January 16th
The Monkey House
1638 University Ave, Berkeley, CA
with Briget Boyle
Matinee Show! Doors 4 pm, Show 4:30 pm
$10 - $20 Sliding Scale (Cash only at the door)
All Ages, Wheelchair Accessible, BYOB
Reserve a seat
Proof of vaccination and mask required to attend

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