Hi, Friends!
Hoping this message finds you all healthy and well. I just returned from a weekend mindfulness and meditation retreat in Iowa and wow! It’s amazing how much I feel refreshed and renewed after just a few days. I experienced a lot of rest and insight. And sooooo many birdsongs! The dharma teacher for the gathering was Joe Reilly, a songwriter and music maker of indigenous roots. We shared a lot of music, discussed how white supremacy cuts off roots, and the power of forgiving and transforming the actions of our ancestors, while also honoring their wisdom to do the healing work here in the present. You can read my account of the retreat on my blog titled: Learning to Love Again: Reflections on the Honey Locust Sangha Retreat. Within that reflection, I share the beautiful experience I had making music there, and how I feel like I’m finding my way back to sharing more music again.
Speaking of sharing music, I’m reading a book right now called, “Make Your Art No Matter What,” by Beth Pickens and very early on she advises, “Put down your f***ing phone!” So I’m trying to take that advice and reclaim my time. I’ve deleted all of the social media apps from my phone for the time being. I’ll hop on mindfully from my laptop from time to time, but it’s time I intentionally create instead of mindlessly scrolling. I am keeping the Patreon app though and I invite you to join me there. There is a free option and they have a new feature called “Quips” that make it easier to find creators you might enjoy. It is also my main source of income right now, since my gigging is limited due to both my health and my increased care for my Tiny Grama (she’ll be 100 in July!). I’d be so honored if you could offer even just $3/month. Every drop in the river helps the flow. No one person needs to be the whole river. In exchange you’ll receive home videos and recordings of brand new songs, first dibs on new merchandise, including handmade goods, poetry and personal essays and free downloads of studio recordings. Seriously, there are 12 posts that contain music for you to download and two of those posts are full albums! Thank you for considering.
Also, folks on my regular ol' email list sometimes get special songs to stream or download. Consider signing up! Just click here. It takes about 3 seconds. Thanks!
GIG NEWS!
I have a small handful coming up that I’m excited about. I’m continuing to gig minimally for the time being for reasons mentioned above. I do hope our time aligns and you can join me somewhere along the way.
Springfield, MO - June 12th at Tie & Timber - 7pm Songwriters’ round featuring Brandon Moore, Dallas Jones, Aaron Smith and Kasey Rausch. (Those links are all videos. Check ‘em out!)
Parkville, MO - June 20th at Parkville Presbyterian Church with Kristin Hamilton and Lucy Gray. This event is not affiliated with the church but hosted in their lovely sanctuary. All ages, genders, cultures and spiritualities are welcome! Tickets and time TBA.
Gurnee, IL (just north of Chicago) - July 11th - O’Plaine Station Concert Series
More details on the Live Music tab on my website.
Finally, I want to offer a ginormous THANK YOU to everyone who was able to be there to celebrate the physical release of The Country Duo’s Little Lagoon Sessions on vinyl and CD. It was such a heart-filled night. After so many delays getting the record released, and then having to postpone the celebration due to crazy weather, it was a relief to finally be able to share in the joy with you all. We still have copies of the limited edition vinyl to share and I even still have some download codes of the bonus songs that I am glad to include in any online or in-person purchase while they last. I’ll be releasing those songs as singles in the coming months. Order online here or come out to one of the gigs above! Downloads of the full album come with every purchase. You can also stream it online wherever you listen to music.
>>If you preordered an album and requested a pickup instead of shipping and haven’t received it yet, you’ll be getting a separate message from me providing some options!<<
We raised $125 for Midwest Music Foundation at the show, too! Anytime is a great time to offer a drop in the bucket to this importation organization helping those in the music industry with both physical and healthcare financial needs.
I think that’s it for now, friends! Thank you for reading, thank you for listening and thank you ever-so-much for your support.
Warm smiles,
Kasey Rausch
Little Lagoon Sessions album release celebration at Mod Gallery in KCMO with some of the attendees.
May 8, 2026.
Photo by Kimberly DeVries