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While living in South America we spent much of our free time playing music with friends, learning local standards and sharing songs that we loved. We were fascinated by the variety and quality of music that came from there, inspiring us to weave the melodies into our own style. A few years after returning to the States and pursuing our musical career, the Argentine legend Mercedes Sosa passed away, prompting us to release this EP in honor of the talented musicians of the era who fought for social justice and created some of the most amazing music of the period. Some of the songs on this record we first heard while in South America years ago but they have been dormant, while others we have included in regular rotation at our performances. Each song independently represents the significance of Nueva Canción: altruism, solidarity and respect for humanity.
Vanessa Lively was born and raised in San Antonio, Texas, and learned to appreciate the hues and vivacity of foreign cultures, developing a sensitivity to diversity that would later stoke her thirst for travel and openness to new experiences. Though she first found her voice in the realms of art and painting - as one may notice from the evocative imagery she wields - music was always on the edge of her palette.
Lively, who now resides in Austin, Texas, has been quite busy creating music for the last few years. While living in Ecuador, she recorded her debut album "Let Me Rise" (2007). One year after it's release, she and her husband Jason Lively went to Northern England to record the next album "A Chain Unbroken" (2008). Talented musicians and friends leant their talents and spirits to the full, rich sounds heard on both albums. Lively is now releasing a new EP titled "Canto y Cantera." This album pays tribute to singers and songwriters of Latin America.
Lively was recently honored by the mayor of Austin who proclaimed December 17th as "Vanessa Lively Day" in Austin, Texas.
"I'm really excited to see where music can take us," says Lively. "I'm just a creative person who's always looking for new ways to express myself. Music is beautiful in that it brings people together and can change lives. That, to me, is the most important thing."
