Me, Myself and I everything and the kitchen sink; Shyla Yerxa background vocals and heartbeat on Melancholy Melody;
Arielle Raff fiddle on Plum Rolls for Arielle
Influences
Life, The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Tom Waits, Garrett Soucy, Tree By Leaf, Nik Cody, John Visselli, Rafi Hopkins, Arielle Raff, Max Ascrizzi, Bob Cody, Bill Monroe, Django, Bob Dylan, Shyla, My Mom, Gypsy, the weather, Talking Heads, Damien Rice, Elliot Smith, Elvis C. and P., Ween, Nickel Creek and many many more...
Gabe Lowery was born in Cambridge and started working as a baby at M.I.T. he retired from this job at six months and moved with his back to the land hippy parents to Talemidge Maine into an old haunted farm house. The farm was christened Green Frog Farm by his parents and the group of hipsters that came to live with them communal style in the Maine woods. Less than a year later his brother Mason was born and they spent their days playing in the woods that surrounded the house at the end of a dead-end road in a magical dead-end town with a population of 71 people. They spent their summers swimming in the stream at the bottom of the hill at the edge of the property, exploring the banks with their dogs and parents, catching frogs, and going to parties. Gabe learned to sing before he learned to talk and during his whole childhood he was constantly surrounded by the music that his parents and their friends were performing or had going on the record player or eight track. Joni Mitchell and the Beatles were a constant staple at the house once they finally got electricity. During this time of innocence and bliss Gabe's parents picked up Bo and Mary hitch hiking and Gabe met his future wife Shyla when he was less than 2 years old. After being close friends for 17 years things changed one night during a party at Shyla's college and the rest is history.
Gabe's family lived a gypsy lifestyle for most of his childhood and moved a lot. He got sick of this and when he finally had enough stability he bought himself a house in Lubec, Maine with his wife to be Shyla where they currently reside enjoying ocean views and a calmer lifestyle then they had as children. It is from this house on the hill on the edge of the ocean in a little oceanside village that he creates his music surrounded by the wind and waves.
Hey, Gabe, I just came across a Christmas card from you and Shyla from two years ago. So I stuck it up where I can see it. Is it Christmas where you are? Snowy? Some good music? Learning some useful stuff? Wish you could sent a message and let us know what it is.
Missing you Gabe, thinking of you recently as the summer fades away, and the leaves start to fall. What'cha been doing? Learning any new instruments? Writing any new songs? Any way we can hear them in this life? I can hear your voice right now, wish I knew what you were saying. love, Janice
Hi, Gabe, Hi, M. - I came through Monroe yesterday and was thinking about the places you guys lived, and when Gabe was working at the village store, which surprised me, it didn't seem like something you'd do. And I was trying to remember how to get to Monroe Falls, since it's been so long since I was there among the poison ivy that I've forgotten. It's pretty amazing after a hurricane, I'd like to go take some photos. I remember having you guys rushing through the house while I was painting, I liked the combination of peacefulness and liveliness. Gabe always came in to see what I was working on, every time he was over, and to offer advice. I loved that, his suggestions were usually pretty helpful, since fresh eyes can see what I can't, and he was really interested. Wish he'd help me with this one, the middle kind of slides downhill. I can hear his voice, but I can't hear what he's saying, maybe I need to listen harder. Jazz in Lubec, sounds like a brilliant idea, hope to make it up there.
Awww, I wouldn't have slammed the door because of your calling him that, he probably was. Timothy Leary was interesting, but not a hero of mine, really. I actually heard him speak at college once, he was kind of a parody of himself. Glad you're a yuppie now, are you sure you wouldn't rather be a hippie? Money or mind-altering substances, what kind of choice is that? It's nice to come here and talk to Gabe, I also wish more people did. We still have the video of "Willy the Pud," starring Gabe before his voice changed, plus Nik and Fritz and Eric P. I looked into having it transferred to DVD but it cost a lot, I'd want a bunch of copies made, so Fritz says wait until the technology gets cheaper. But come over any time you want see it. If we get it transferred, it'd be much improved with some of Gabe's music as the sound track.
Hi, Gabe. I've been thinking about you a lot lately, partly since seeing Fritz in Bellingham this spring and listening to your brilliant music as we drove down from Mount Baker. And I've been talking to Shyla, and thinking about what your absence means to her. It's also getting close to another anniversary of my brother Clifford's death, he was a couple years older than you when he died in Freedom, and it's like deja vu all over again. He was pulling a log out of the woods with his tractor, it snagged on a stump and flipped over on him. Nik knows the story, I guess you heard it as well. So things kind of get rolled in together in my mind. You pop up in dreams with him and the boys, so it's nice to see you there once in awhile.
I really minded that Clifford was no longer there to talk to - there he was in that big philosophy class in the sky; after years of studying philosophy, he finally knew all the answers, and wasn't around to tell them to me. You were so insightful, you're probably at pretty high levels of wisdom by now, so maybe you're as frustrated at not being able to communicate as we are. But I still hear your laugh in my head, and feel your lightness of spirit. I wish you were still here to write some more songs, but who knows what you're creating with the understanding you must have now?
Anyway, miss you, Gabe. And hi, Mason. The one thing I think that comes from the death of someone we love is that they give us each other. Take care.
I have a picture of you and I standing together, with my arm around your shoulders, and a frame around the picture.
And a frame around the picture.
But I don't have those ringtones
never had the ringtones
Those sweet cadillac ringtones
Will ne'er be mine again
Gabe, your brother is right. It had been years since we spoke, yet we met up here, in this forum last summer. We forget about the people we grew up with too easily. And we always take for granted the time we have to catch up with these people. I said I was going to make it up your way...I just didn't know we had such little time. And of course you wouldn't say other-wise. I didn't even know you were so close at the end...only 20 mins away. But thanks to you I take this. It is time to get back in touch with those we look past for so long...and sometimes forget. We spent a ton of time growing up together in Monroe, the center of nowhere, having a blast. Playing with Mason, avoiding Aaron and Joel. I guess those were the best of times. You are currently the only customer left on my myspace, but i sign in to see you and remember the lessons of life everyday. I am truly sorry we never got to meet up again, but hey
...i'll see you tommorrow.
you would like switzerland...there are lots of hills and the children are well-beaten. haha
missing you each day and thinking of you often..
much love,
your little brat sister
i wish i could believe in an afterlife because then you might check your myspace somehow. i got the new chris thile cd the other day. why did you teach ant your songs? now he plays them all the time and it makes me sad. anyway, he's getting good and you'd be proud. oh, right. the new chris thile cd is pretty good. actually, it's amazing. he covers one of my favorite strokes songs, "Heart in a Cage." I think I like Thile's version even better. Let's see...I took my LSATs yesterday. It sucked---6 fucking hours. But, I kicked that test's ass, so it was worth it. I wish you could help me with school choices. I really like Vanderbilt. The campus is in Nashville and I fell in love with it when I was there last summer. The entire campus is canopied by luscious green trees---you can't even see the sky it's so green. It also has a great International Law program and it gives a lot of money to students each year. It is far away, though. So, I'm also applying to schools that are a bit closer: Harvard, BU, BC, Sulffolk, Yale, and USM. I'd rather not go to USM, but if I don't get inanywhere else, I guess I have to. I can't stand just waiting around anymore soI really have to do something. You used to be here to help me with all this stuff.I try to explain it to other people and they just lose patience or don't really care what I do or want me to do whatever the hell they want instead of what's actually best for me. I also really miss my friends in Arizona. Everyone here in Maine...they are ok and everything. I mean, I've known them forever, so you'd think I'd be having a blast being here. But, when I was in AZ I got to be a kid for the first time in so long. It felt great. Here I'm the same as I always have been--studious, hard-working, never going out on a school/work night (and somehow every night is either a school or work night), etc. Of course, one major reason why I left AZ was that I was having too much fun and not getting on with my real life...like I put everything on hold for a year to just hang out and have a great time. Well, now I'm supposed to be a grow-up again and it sucks. It wouldn't be so bad if some of my friends from AZ were here. I love the people here, obviously, but I can't relate to them. I want to have a "Lesser-Known Characters of the Princess Bride" party, but people think its a lame idea so far. Theme parties are great and I miss them. Everyone has their heads so far up their righteous liberal asses...i mean, i'm into politics, but i don't tell people what not to do or say or buy or eat or BE every five minutes. And now that I don't care about the bake sales and poster-making sessions, I'm a fucking outsider. I always was, though, because as soon as I wasn't somebody's girlfriend I was nobody to them. FUCK THEM! That's what you told me, but sometimes I need you to tell me that again.
i wish you could be here. i'm sorry that i couldn't cure you and i'm sorry that i couldn't speak at your funeral. i wanted to say something, but i really couldn't. sorry.
You had the best giggle I have ever known a boy to have.. such an amazing soul..
I wish I could have heard you laugh once as a man. I'm so sorry i wasn't around..to hear it
Miss you, Gabe. You put more into your life in the time you had than most people do in decades. More creativity, more friendship, more love. I thought you were going to be the one who held out longer than anyone else, wish it had been true - love, Janice
Gabe, sweet tunes. Thank you so much for inviting me to play with you guys at Goose Island this summer. Man, it was like I was coming home, you were all so encouraging, and R.E. Bell ROCKS! K and I are leaving for India next week, but now that I'm addicted to myspace I'm gonna be on this shit weekly. I hope you will post that amazing track you played for me in your studio that night when your bro was in town and we rehearsed for the show. It was really upbeat with lots of layers and I loved it. Peace!!!!!
