STAND TODAY
STAND TODAY
STAND TODAY
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by artist
Alexandra "ahlay" Blakely
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Welcome to a page dedicated to an invocation for the dams of both our Grief and our beloved River Kin to be breached. May our Waters run wild and free for the sake of a remembrance of an infinite love from which we each came from and to which we will each return.
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Below you will find the concept album, the raw choir tracks live from the choir room, the vocal scores to the songs and the WAILS book.
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The online digital album sales will tithe 10% to:
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The Ocean Clean Up: Tending to the waters, clearing them of plastic for Whales and all beings.
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The Sonder Project: Carrying the water back to the Dagara people, whose Elders sent Malidoma and Sobonfu into the world to help metabolize grief as a form of mitigating the further perpetuation of neocolonization.
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LEARN MORE HERE ABOUT THE ALBUM PROCESS/2023 GATHERING.
WAILS: Songs for Grief
concept album on bandcamp
this album wants to be listened to from start to finish as it was written as a ceremony. please listen with others, with witnesses, when possible.
Digital + Hardcopy of WAILS Book
Digital and hard copies of the WAILS book. 120 pages with illustrations by the one and only @seedsofspells
With booklet contributors including Francis Weller, Leticia Nieto, Aaron Johnson and Linda Thai. It includes my own initiation of grief and tending to communal grief, the songs, lyrics, stories behind the songs.
I began drafting it as all my songs books have been, with the origin stories of the songs, how and where they came through and the lyrics... but as I was being worked by the material - the channel opened and all the sudden I realized (I?) was writing this for those of you who’ve approached me with the question, “How do we hold our communities in grief without having access to local grief tenders?” And the answer that revealed themself to me/us was: it is not the grief tender who holds the community, it is the community who holds the community. And thus, a flood of invitations, anecdotes and love flowed through into these pages.
I will also be selling the hardcopies starting at $44 on my song tours.
Raw Choir Takes
Join us live in the choir room where we recorded the choir back in Summer 2023 in WA state with 220 people. Get a sneak peak into what it felt like in the room, the emotions that stirred and the magic that brewed.
Music Sheets
for Choir Parts
Copyright © 2024 by Alexandra Blakely
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or used in any manner without prior permission being sought and obtained in writing from the copyright holder.
By purchasing this music sheet, you have permission to orally teach this song in a non-performative setting, i.e. song circles, bonfires, workshops, classes, etc. If you are orally teaching this song to perform for others, each singer in your group must obtain a purchased copy of music sheets.
If you would like permission to record the songs, please seek written permission/blessing from the copyright holder.
All WAILS songs are inspired by Whales + Francis Weller’s (with his permission) the 5 Gates of Grief.​
This is a 60x80 inch blanket. Designs are artist alexandra (ahlay) blakely's dreams woven into the fabric of life through her album WAILS: Songs for Grief. Illustrations by Jessie White. 3rd party Gooten weaves and ships the blankets upon order. ​
WAILS Posters
Limited posters available. These are 24″ × 36″ posters in 5 different designs. Designs are artist alexandra (ahlay) blakely's dreams woven into the fabric of life through her album WAILS: Songs for Grief. Illustrations by Jessie White. Please allow up to 45 days to recieve your poster in teh mail as shipped by artist.
