The number — 11,111 — had a certain melody to it, a creative rhythm that fits in with what Tucson singer-songwriter Katie Haverly set out to say with her fourth solo CD last summer.
In 30 days in June, she raised $11,121 — $10 more than her Kickstarter goal. A month later she was in the studio recording “Aviary,” the fourth solo album of her 20-year music career and her first since moving to Tucson several years ago.
“I am so proud of this (CD),” said Haverly, 38, lead singer for the Tucson jazzy-funky-soulful pop band Copper & Congress. “It’s the type of music I love. I like stories. I like music that pulls me in and makes me feel strong.”
Haverly, who will perform a CD release concert at 9 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 12, at The Flycatcher, said she tapped deep into her being to draw out a side of herself that she feels might have been missing.
“Part of the journey of this record has been trying to explore the ways in which we feel and the way we create that are sort of limited by” the stories we tell ourselves and the ideals we follow, she said.
The album’s title, “Aviary,” was inspired by a peacock feather tattoo Haverly got not long after she divorced four years ago. The tattoo, with its splashes of bright color, reminds her “to not be afraid to be big, bold, bright and take up space.”
“Part of that transformation was understanding the ways in which I was not fully stepping into my creative voice and how to become more authentically myself especially as an artist,” she said.
“The one thing I think people will take away from listening to this record is that it is an intensely personal record,” said violinist Benjamin Nisbet, who will perform violin, guitar and keyboards at Saturday’s CD release concert. “From a musical and lyrical standpoint, that ‘s what draws you in is the real personal nature.”
Nisbet, who composed the string parts for the track “Ghost Like Me,” described the album as an amalgam of styles, from jazzy, to singer-songwriter, with flashes of country and rock sprinkled in. Haverly described it more as music you want to listen to as you sip a glass of wine.
For the recording Haverly tapped a veritable who’s who of Tucson musicians from alt-country rocker Tom Walbank to soul-folk artist Jillian Bessett, Copper & Congress drummer Julius Schlosburg, bass player Patrick Morris, trumpeter Jason Carder, Ryan Alfred on upright bass, Ian Jones on cello, percussionist Robbie Williamson, Richard Katz on keys and Steven Lee Tracy on electric guitar. The CD was recorded at Saint Cecilia Studios downtown and produced by Haverly and Tracy.
Haverly said they are filming a documentary during Saturday’s concert so they are asking people to dress elegantly casual.
