Her reaction was instantaneous. As if it were the most natural response in the world, she heard herself thinking, “Oh, tomorrow I have to sign up for piano lessons.”
A longtime resident of Hull, where she lives with her husband and their two children, Buck dutifully contacted the South Shore Conservatory in Hingham, where she was assigned pianist Elan Mehler as her teacher. The idea was to learn to accompany herself well enough to write a few songs.
But after Buck and Mehler worked together for a few lessons, her new mentor began developing bigger plans. First, he suggested that she record a demo tape.
Buck had heard the term, but wasn’t quite sure why she would do that. Her piano teacher patiently explained that if she were to play gigs with other musicians, she could share the tape so they could learn her songs. And maybe one day she’d record an album.
That day has arrived. “The Laundry & The Ecstasy,” out Friday, is Buck’s debut album. It was recorded with a 10-piece band led by Mehler, who is the co-founder and artistic director of Newvelle Records. Buck and her band will celebrate with an album release party on Thursday at Levitate Backyard in Marshfield.
Mehler, who was born in Lexington and lives near Inman Square, has released nearly a dozen albums of his own and produced more than 50, by Jack DeJohnette, John Patitucci, and other jazz luminaries. He said the first thing that struck him about Buck was not so much her singing (though she has “an incredible voice”), but her innate talent for songwriting.
Each week, after he introduced her to more basic piano skills, she’d arrive at their next lesson with a batch of new songs.
“It was like this explosion of music,” Mehler said. “And they were killer. Not complicated, but they’re unique.”
“To do that is, like, the hardest thing there is – to write a simple, unique, beautiful song,” he added. “That’s the Shangri-la.”
The album – all originals – showcases Buck’s confident soul-jazz singing, with songs that range from slow-burn ballads (“Breathe”) to playful, 1930s-era vaudeville swing (“Devil Inside Me”). The record draws its name from Jack Kornfield’s 2001 book “After the Ecstasy, the Laundry,” which balances the pursuit of enlightenment against everyday living.
When Buck showed Mehler a sketch she’d made of an iron, he convinced her that it should be the album cover art. In fact, she joked that she was “up to her eyeballs” in laundry when she took the leap into making music in public.
Her family has caught the music bug, too. Her two kids, now teenagers, are playing instruments, and her husband, Neil Buchleitner, has taken up the banjo.
“It’s cool for them to see how you can make stuff happen,” said Buck on a video call from her home. “I do think it’s been a good example of following your passions.”
“The Laundry & The Ecstasy” features some notable Boston-area musicians, such as drummer Dor Herskovits, bassist Max Ridley, and Mark Dobbyn on guitar and pedal steel. The recording sessions took place in studios around Boston, including Wellspring Sound in Acton and the Bridge Sound & Stage in Cambridge.
To pay for the sessions, Buck raised about $16,000 with a Kickstarter fundraiser. She pushed the project across the finish line with an additional $3,000 community grant from the Passion Projects program of the Levitate Foundation, the charitable arm of the South Shore-based Levitate Music & Arts Festival and retailer.
As part of the Kickstarter campaign, Buck recently performed in a duo setting with Mehler on piano at a house concert hosted by one of her donors. The hosts decorated their backyard for the occasion with dozens of candles.
“It was unbelievably cinematic,” Buck said. “I couldn’t believe the way they centered the music. It wasn’t just background for their yard party. ”
Having built a community of supporters, she’s eager to keep the music going.
“I just want to make another album already,” she said.
LINDSEY BUCK
With Thirsty Boots Duo. At Levitate Backyard, 1871 Ocean St., Marshfield, Thursday, Sept. 18., 6 p.m. Free. www.levitatebackyard.com
James Sullivan can be reached at [email protected].
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.bostonglobe.com ’
