Lions With Wings, the content platform spearheaded by Mark Weiss of Earthwise Productions as a work-around for a cancelled concert series, has released a total of six songs, with more in the works, Weiss says.

The songs are:

1) Dayna Stephens, “The Prophet”;

2) Dayna Stephens, “The Nomad”;

3) Mike Park, “Steppin’ Stone”;

4) Mike Park, “Game of Love”;

5) MC Lars, “In the Land of Grasshopper Song”;

6) Nancy Wright featuring Mitch Woods and Bob Margolin, “There is Something on Your Mind”.

The songs are available as both free downloads and free streaming on Bandcamp.

The artists were asked to observe their Covid-19 protocols during the production process. Technology such as email, texting and Zoom partially replaced the experience of a live recording.

In their cover of “There is Something On Your Mind” Marin-based pianist and vocalist Mitch Woods delivers an original monologue or bridge that references the challenging period of surviving a pandemic, which as of this writing includes more than 200,000 American fatalities.

Earthwise Productions had concluded seven concerts this year, most at Mitchell Park Community Center in Palo Alto — with one, by Patricia Barber Trio at both Palo Alto and Occidental (North Bay). An additional ten shows were annnounced*.

The Nancy Wright session also includes a video made by Kid Andersen at Greaseland Studios in San Jose. More precisely, the audio download is a simulcast to the video.

Weiss said that there is also a joint venture with Dave Douglas and his Greenleaf Music, called Overcome. It features Dave Douglas, trumpet; Ryan Keberle, trombone; Fay Victor, voice; Camila Meza, voice and guitar; Jorge Roeder, bass;Rudy Royston, drums;  The set will be released on December 4 on Douglas’ bandcamp platform.

Lions with Wings is named for a landmark on the nearby Stanford University campus whereas Earthwise Productions is both a pun on his name and a residue of his work on Earth Day at Stanford in 1992, Weiss said. Weiss said that his environmental beliefs that underpin his concert productions values include appropriate technology and Luddittiism as described by authors like Jerry Mander and Helena Norberg Hodge, so it is a bit problematic to be putting his focus on music that is tethered to the proliferation of semiconductors.

“I am giving seed money towards new works and new collaborations that will in most cases appear for live shows back in Palo Alto, once we can safely return to community events”, Weiss said.

His mouth to God’s ears, borne, perhaps, by lions with wings.

*a smattering of audio and video from the live series is available here at Plastic Alto, a WordPress platform.