***THE ALBUM WILL SHIP TO YOU ON THE OFFICIAL RELEASE DATE OF APRIL 8TH*** There have been lots of changes in the world of Big Truck over the last couple of years. Because of the growth in our popularity, we are touring nationally which has in turn required an entirely different commitment level from the band members. Before, I was asking my band to travel at most a few hours by car and taking up no more than a day at a time. Now we are flying to gigs in places like Orlando, Chicago and Minneapolis, which sometimes involve being away for three to four days. A few of my band members with young children and other commitments were not able to make that kind of sacrifice, so they’ve had to move on. It was difficult at first, letting go of those people who had become like family. In the long run, however, what we have ended up with is the best band we’ve ever had. I am thrilled to have had the opportunity to bring these amazing musicians into the studio to record “Special Kind of Day”! This album comes from my heart. I wrote all of the songs, with the exception of two that were co written. I grew up in New England and had the pleasure of enjoying four distinctly different seasons of the year. Each of those seasons illicit feelings and emotions from my own childhood and from watching my children grow. There’s something magical about the flow from one season to the next and the shift in smells and colors or how the wind feels on your skin. I wanted to try and capture some of those feelings and put together a group of songs that follow that flow. “Special Kind of Day” is also a reminder to families to find what’s special in every day, whether it be a birthday, a holiday or a Wednesday where the sun is shining particularly bright and it smells like spring for the first time. Like my previous album “Tall and Small” I’ve combined full band songs, with all of the “bells and whistles,” with gentle acoustic songs. In doing that, I get to highlight the versatility of my band and also continue to expose my listeners to a wide variety of genres which has been a signature of what I do from the very beginning. We’ve got a song called “Snow Day” that is reminiscent of The Go Go’s and a jazzy little acoustic number called “Snow Shoe Shuffle.” A spooky Halloween song with a hint of Jethro Tull and a simple round that I sang with my daughter about falling leaves. A straight ahead rock and roll song about animals coming out of hibernation and a song called “Butterfly” with a beautiful, James Taylor inspired, guitar accompaniment. All over the album there is contrast, but also the cohesive feeling of a band that has been playing together consistently and absolutely loves what they’re doing. In the ever growing, changing world of children’s music, it’s hard not to feel intimidated by all of the new faces and styles bombarding the genre on a daily basis. I’ve had to learn to put my blinders on, keep my head down and trust myself to do what I know how to do. It’s hard not to be the “flavor of the month” but, it’s also important for me to stay true to who I am and not try to mold myself to fit the trend. I am a dedicated mom, a teacher, a dancer, a singer and a songwriter simply attempting to create moments of musical connection between parent and child and sibling to sibling. I’m writing music to pop in the car on a road trip or play on a Saturday morning when the kids are hanging out. Music that won’t make the older kids and adults want to run screaming in the other direction, but will give the younger ones something to latch onto and, I hope, love. I speak in a direct, honest voice about things that kids understand. I give kids credit for having an innate understanding of music and I know from my experience as a Music Together teacher that children don’t always need music to be “simple” in order to like it. I am fascinated by harmony and rhythm (I have been since I was a kid!) and have very eclectic tastes when it comes to music, so I love exploring all of it and infusing the flavor of all those different styles into what we play. I remember singing “rounds” with my mom and my brother and being so excited by the sounds we would create when all of the parts came together. I hope that in all of the high tech craziness of the world we live in, parents will take the time to share that kind of experience with their kids. I know it meant the world to me. As we worked on this album, it felt a bit like Forrest Gump’s box of chocolates….”you never know what your going to get” We had worked out basic arrangements for some of the songs before bringing them into the studio, but many of the arrangements were created on the spot. Each song took on a life of its own and brought things out of the musicians that were sometimes unexpected. Thinking about the basic themes and imagery of the songs, we worked together to create the energy or atmosphere that best suited each one. The fluttering of the butterfly, created by the fiddle, the train on the tracks, made possible by some fabulous drumming, the water rushing by, depicted by the flourishes of the classical guitar and the sounds of a carnival highlighted by some familiar notes on the flute. Each of these elements came from the creativity and talents of my amazing band. We had so much fun recording this album! We can’t wait to get out and play these songs for our fans!!!