Britt Connors

Happy September, friends! August has come and gone, and while I usually get a little melancholy when signs of Autumn creep in, I'm a little relieved that September is here. Some of you may already know that Mike Connors (drummer and husband, in that order!) broke his arm 2 weeks ago. For a guy who lives and breathes drumming, it's been devastating. I think he married me because I was ok with having racks of his drums in our bedroom. One morning many years ago, I woke up to see him staring at his drums with a smile on his face, saying something like “I love waking up and being able to look at drums :) ” So, we are getting by over here, but Mike's never gone this long without having gigs, and the withdrawal is REAL. 

I never have great luck with press releases, but I had sent out a bunch regarding our City Winery show, touting the “Epic Full Band with Horns Show!” on the exact morning that Mike broke his arm… BUT, we have reconfigured, and we will have a pared down quartet with the incredible musicians I get to call bandmates: Bethany Weiman on cello and vocals, Ed Lucie on bass and vocals, and Jim Kelly on guitar. We will lean into the tunes with a lot of 3-part vocal harmonies, Mike will be head videographer and road manager, and we will plan on a full band show this winter when Mike is healed up. Maybe, just maybe, Mike will be able to join us for a few tunes… get your tickets and find out, AND, we so appreciate your support on this one :)  
*Thursday, October 1st at 7:30pm - City Winery Boston (Haymarket
  Lounge) - Tickets HERE (start at $24)

And, barring any more scheduling conflicts on their part, we are slated to be at our monthly “Second Saturday” residency at Sanctuary Cultural Arts Center in Maynard MA - Sept 12th from 2:30-5pm - Mike will have to sit this one out, but I'll have Ed Lucie and Jim Kelly with me for some trio action! Never a cover for these barside shows, all ages - come hang with us and hear some new tunes and arrangements!

Occasionally, as a songwriter, I've had the experience of truly feeling like a vessel for a song that comes through me with very little to no laboring… With the sad passing of Dolly Parton, I've been immersing myself in documentaries, articles, interviews that have only served to make me more in awe of her musicianship, humor, humanity, and light. And, a couple of days ago, I had a quick break between things and realized I heard Dolly's voice in my head, singing a song that I had never heard. I ran to my guitar and realized that I was writing my first true country song (or, I think Dolly wrote it and I just recorded it…), and I can't wait to play “Waltz for Dolly" for you at these shows. 

Hope to see you out there, and thank you immensely for reading and following along. And for listening to artists. And humans. And even creatures. 
xx Britt

Aug 2026 Newsletter: “'Tis August - Official Garden Party & Covid-era Yard Party”

Happy August, to all who celebrate! It's been a whirlwind, and to those of you who read the last newsletter, here's a tick update: Mike - 1, Lyme Disease - 0.5... I sincerely hope you haven't been struck with any of the increasing tick-caused maladies cuz they really suck! He's getting better, but it's been slow and frustrating for him. I'm also probably not doing a great job selling our next 2 shows, which are both outside, in gardens, in nature… 

*Thurs, August 6 - New England Botanic Garden at Tower Hill - Boylston, MA - 5:30 - 7:30pm - Tix $0 members/$12 children/$24 adults (you can even get a ticket for your dog!) - tix for the evening summer series include a visit from 5-8pm to explore the stunning grounds, bring a picnic or purchase some food or beverage, hear us play some tunes! With Mike Connors on drums, Ed Lucie on bass/vocals and Jim Kelly on guitar

*Sat, August 8 - Concord Yard Show!  2:30-5pm (weather permitting)
It was supposed to or “Second Saturday” Residency at Sanctuary, Maynard but they just told us that there's a scheduling issue, so it's been canceled for this month :(  I was hoping to celebrate my birthday with y'all, so I was super bummed…HOWEVER, some folks have been asking if we'd ever resurrect our Covid-era yard concerts (remember when all we could do was livestream? or play outside, 6 feet apart from everyone?! While we did lose a lot during those times, I sometimes miss the community togetherness and the need we all had for art and music and togetherness…) If you're local and would like to come to our yard in Concord, MA, you can reply to this email, and I'll send the deets - we're calling it BYOE (bring your own “everything”) anything and everything you need to come listen to some tunes, though we'll have some refreshments and some bug spray!!! We can even do a tick-check-conga line at the end if y'all want that :)

I'm the luckiest to get to take some time off to do a little songwriting retreat soon, but I'll be back in your inbox before our September show, and I want to let you know that tickets are now on sale for our big full-band show with horns:
* City Winery Boston - Thurs, October 1st - 7:30pm - we SO loved playing in the cozy Haymarket Lounge for the release of “Exhale,” and are stoked to be back in that room! We sold out last time, so feel free to get your tix early!

Whether you like summer or not, there's a feeling in August that Ed and I tried to capture in a song, so I'll leave you with this listening of “August Passes.” Be well, watch out for ticks, and I can't wait to see you soon.
xx Britt

July 2026 Newsletter:  “Summer - Dangerous Pests and Also the Best(s)”

Summer greetings! I'm sure I annoy some of y'all with my exuberance over my favorite time of year and maybe over my disdain for the New England winter and cold, but NOT being cold is still my favorite thing, with longer days that somehow make me less tired and more energetic… I hope your summer is going great, and if it's not, I'll share the one thing I'm now hating about summer… TICKS. Those bastards are gonna take us all out, and they've partially taken Mike (husband and drummer) out for a little while now with Lyme. Scary stuff, messing with coordination and the brain and his life's work of drumming and usual superpower-level of coordination… he's finally turned the corner and on the awful but thankfully powerful antibiotic, but I wish you all a tick-free and tick-disease-free life cuz this is no joke!

I meant to get this newsletter out last week, but I was waiting to hear when our tickets would go on sale for our full band show at City Winery Boston on Thursday, October 1st (on the lovely Haymarket Lounge stage), and the answer is… next week! We sold it out when we played there in 2024, so please feel free to get your tickets next Wednesday if you're a member, or next Thursday for the general public! I'll update the link on my SHOWS page once it's up!

Tomorrow/Saturday, July 11th is our “Second Saturdays” show at our fave local place, Sanctuary in Maynard, MA - we play in the Barside room 2pm-5pm (generally start closer to 2:15, as doors don't open til 2pm!). We've loved having this residency, and it's given me an excuse to learn a few more covers as well as write songs a bit more urgently… we'll playing a new original as well as a new cover by one of my heroes, Deb Talan. And, we'll have the Trio with Ed Lucie on bass/vocals, and Mike Connors on drums (he'll have to leave for another gig before our last set, just FYI!), and special guest/bandmate Bethany Weiman on cello/vocals. 

I'll be back in your inbox once more before this, but tickets are now on sale for our fun show on Thursday, August 6th at New England Botanical Gardens (at Tower Hill) in Boylston, MA - 5:30-7:30pm. If you've never been, it's a most magical place - you can buy a general admission ticket for that date, wander around the gardens with sculptures and artistic features, and listen to some music in the courtyard! (Fun fact: I went to my senior prom there as well as sang for the wedding of some close friends - it's a very special place :)

I'll end this here, but as I type, a hummingbird is flitting around the bee balm and razoring through the air outside the window. Despite the ticks, I still love you, summer. Thank you so much for reading and for spreading the word - I know I'm not changing the world with my little songs, but connecting through music and art still feels like it can help our humanity. Here's a song for you today. Carry on, friends…
xx  Britt

June 2026 Newsletter:  “New Video, Familiar Name”

Happy June! Thanks to new friends who've just joined the mailing list and old friends who've been with me since before I started writing songs! After a flurry of great shows in the first part of 2026, it's been a little quieter this month, and I got to focus a bit on writing. I played at a Somerville Songwriters in the Round a few weeks ago, and I had finished a new tune that afternoon… I took a risk and brought my lyric cheat sheet and debuted it that evening. Our amazing bass player/friend/collaborator, Ed Lucie, had come up with a 4-chord sort of meditation and asked what I might do with it. I fell in love with it immediately and turned it into our newest tune, “Killing Frost,” which we will debut as a band at our monthly residency gig:
Saturday, June 13 - Sanctuary (Barside) in Maynard, MA - 2pm-5pm - no cover, all ages, bring your own food, full bar. We've been loving getting to play in this beautiful space on the second Saturday of the month, and this time we'll have Ed Lucie on bass/vocals, Mike Connors on drums, and Bethany Weiman on cello/vocals!

I'll be back in your inbox in July, as we'll be at Sanctuary again on July 11th, but if you are the type who likes to look ahead, we will also be at the incredibly beautiful New England Botanic Gardens (at Tower Hill) in Boylston, MA on Thursday, August 6th from 5:30-7:30pm, tix on sale on July 1st. And, we've got our big full band (with horns!) show on Thursday, October 1st at City Winery Boston, once again in the lovely Haymarket Lounge. (Tix on sale July 7th). That'll be fun :)

Finally, as mentioned in the subject line, if you're not on social media (good on you!), I didn't get to tell you about our new video for our song “Cecilia” - nope, not the Paul Simon version, though I DO love that song. When we were at Q Division Studio in January to record “Steppin' In” for the Tiny Desk Contest, we did a bonus tune, since we already had the whole crew together. I wrote this song last year, and it's been really fun to play in various iterations of the band this year, but Q Division put out the video on their channel, and you can watch it HERE! 

Happy Summer to you, though I know a lot of kiddos are still in school and teachers teaching… And, then there are those who don't follow a school calendar and have to take the time when we can… which I definitely plan to do in my favorite time of year… meanwhile, stop and smell the peonies, beach roses, whatever floats your boat. Or, hop on a boat, if that's your thing? See you soon, and THANK YOU for listening. With gratitude,
xx  Britt

April 2026 Newsletter: “Bluebirds and Bumblebees and Willow Trees”

Spring Greetings!! The title line sort of feels like a game of “I Spy…” as I sit here noticing and marveling at all three of those things. The Greening is happening in earnest now, though it does feel a little sluggish in the slightly chilly Northeast. There are big fat bumblebees buzzing around, and even if you've already heard this fact, I'm compelled to share it due to its sweetness factor: bees sometimes get too tired as they're collecting nectar and pollen and fall asleep IN the flower. I mean…

I'm here in your inbox for the second time in April only because we have cool things happening, right on May 1st and beyond! If you live far away and can never make it to our New England shows (but have a desire to - that's sorta important!), this one's for you! We'll be playing 
LIVE in Studio at Worcester's WICN 90.5 - Friday, May 1st - noon-1pm
For their Emerging Artist Series, we'll play a good long set with our most recent lineup, featuring the crazy talents of Jim Kelly on guitar, Bethany Weiman on cello/vocals, Ed Lucie on bass/vocals, and Mike Connors on drums.

Then, you'll have to live more nearby to participate in these next shows…
Friday, May 8 - Menino Arts Center Spring Concert Series in Hyde Park (Boston) -  7pm-9pm - free of charge and refreshments served! This will be Trio with Ed Lucie and Mike Connors and will be a great, intimate space in a cool venue with all the good vibes! 

Then, less than 24 hours later, we'll be playing at our monthly residency at Sanctuary in Maynard, MA (Barside) - Sat, May 9 from 2pm-5pm - our usual Trio but with special guest Bethany Weiman on cello/vocals! No cover, all ages.

And, I'm psyched to be back at the Rooted Cafe at Arts at the Armory - Somerville, MA - for the Songwriters in the Round - Wed, May 20 - 7pm- hosted by the inimitable David Thorne Scott, and trading songs with 4 of us on stage, some chitter-chat about our tunes in between. Always SUCH a meaningful night. No cover, donations encouraged!

Thanks, once again, for reading. and listening. and for supporting art and music made by the humans. The AI infiltration is affecting more and more musicians, writers, artists by the hour as it steals ideas and even entire portions of artists' works. Thanks for staying human with me. As hard as it can be, I know it's the only way. Feeling all the feelings. Keep going…
xx  Britt