Island Set Aflame

• Track Listing

Portland, OR-based singer-songwriter Marie Schumacher has released her fourth CD, entitled Island Set Aflame. The genesis of this album started in 2008 when Marie resumed her long-time collaboration with multi-instrumentalist, Berkeley-based Steve Gibson. During this time, a fire broke out on Angel Island in the San Francisco Bay and could be seen in the night sky during one of their rehearsals. For Marie, the sight of the fire became a powerful image and metaphor, illustrating the light and heat that we all carry in us in our uniqueness, creativity, and isolation. Marie wrote a series of musical poems around these themes, with Steve providing layers of melodic lines, gentle grooves, and lush textures. Island Set Aflame is the result of this work, beautifully supported by Jon Arkin on drums and percussion and by Ryan Massey of Sharkbite Studios, who recorded and mixed the songs and added backing vocals. The collection ends with an a cappella bonus track, Marie's arrangement of Rickie Lee Jones' song 'The Horses,' with her young son Gavin, chipping in some vocal percussion.