Journey

The American Songline CD is now available – get your copy today!

March 25, 2015 by Cece

Hello, hello American Songline fans everywhere! I realize I have been quiet for some time, but I have been hard at work in the studio with the CD and book commemorating my 2013 journey in my new home state of Oregon. But that hard work has now all paid off…

The American Songline CD is now available for purchase!!

This amazing cover art was designed by John H. Clark, an artist who specializes in creating vintage artwork for the National Parks in Utah (http://scenichwys.com/). We not only wanted this to look like a piece of vintage sheet music, but it also incorporates historic buildings along the Lincoln Highway as well.

For those of you who are new to this project, here are a few notes about the album:

From the 1880s to the 1930s, when most towns had a theater and live music was a staple of weekly entertainment, people across America gathered to enjoy the sounds of vaudeville: popular favorites, operetta and folk songs that reflect the hopes and dreams of a simpler time. In An American Songline: A Musical Journey Along the Lincoln Highway, vocalist and composer Cecelia “Cece” Otto reaches back to the heyday of vaudeville to recreate the music that entertained Americans from coast to coast, singing songs of love and longing that have lost none of their power to enchant listeners of all ages.

In 2013, she underwent a history-making journey along the Lincoln Highway, America’s first coast-to-coast highway, giving concerts of vintage American songs in every state along the route. An American Songline features many of the songs Cece performed at these concerts, including timeless favorites such as “Second Hand Rose,” “Ah! Sweet Mystery of Life,” “I’m Always Chasing Rainbows” and “Goin’ Home.” In addition, composer Nolan Stolz (The Lincoln Highway Suite) composed two works especially for this project, which appear exclusively on this album. Lastly, Cece wrote several new songs inspired directly by her travels, including the elegiac and inspirational “Land of Lincoln.”

The Lincoln Highway celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2013, and Cece marked this milestone by journeying more than 5,000 miles along the road, starting at the highway’s eastern terminus in Times Square and ending in Lincoln Park, San Francisco. Over the course of nearly six months on the road, she performed more than 30 shows in venues ranging from a nineteenth-century opera house to the grounds of a historic farm. An American Songline is an audio souvenir of this journey, reflecting the songs audiences loved along with insights — and humor — picked up from traveling far from the interstates most Americans rely on to cross the country.

“From the beginning, American Songline was going to be an album, as well as a series of concerts,” says Cece. “I wanted to leave a record of my journey for people who weren’t able to see a concert. I truly believe that history lives in our music, not just our history books, and I hope anyone interested in this era gives this album a try and enjoys it.”

BUT WAIT! There’s more to come – a book chronicling my journey will be released in May, and I’ll be out on the road touring again this summer! Definitely subscribe to my newsletter below or follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or YouTube so you don’t miss a thing. Hope to see you on the road!

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The Tour is Officially Complete, Plus I Have a Special Announcement!

September 3, 2013 by Cece

I am pleased to announce that as of September 1st, my historic American Songline tour along the Lincoln Highway is officially complete! In almost six months of touring, I performed 30 shows (plus some impromptu ones) in various venues along the Lincoln Highway. My car is full of things collected along the highway, and my mind is overflowing with so many memories of this time on the road. The next steps of writing the book and music for the album are starting to take form, so watch this blog for more posts and announcements this year!

A few people have asked me how I feel about reaching this accomplishment, and I have to admit it’s pretty bittersweet. While I’m relieved that I get to see my husband and cat again (I’ve missed them both so much) as well also being relieved that I don’t have to juggle so many balls in the air anymore, I also will miss being on the road. There’s been so many amazing people and places I’ve seen, I wish I could take it all with me.

I mentioned in Social Media posts over the weekend that I had a special announcement for all of the folks who attended the Livermore, California concert on Saturday. Now I’m sharing this announcement with all of you (see full text below after the picture):

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Dated September 3rd, 2013 (Today, the first business day after the tour) from The City and County of San Francisco

Certificate of Honor Presented To Cecelia Otto

“Whereas, on behalf of the City and County of San Francisco, I am pleased to recognize and honor Cecelia Otto for her recent cross-country journey to commemorate the Lincoln Highway’s Centennial. When the Lincoln Highway was built in 1913, linking the east and west coasts, it served as a lifeline of commerce and culture in the communities through which it passed. Your musical journey along the Lincoln Highway, An American Songline, has brought this tradition back to life and brought joy to many across the country. Congratulations on the success of An American Songline and best of luck in all of your future endeavors!

Therefore, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the Seal of the City and County of San Francisco to be affixed.

(Signature) Edwin M. Lee, Mayor”

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I have to admit, I was pretty surprised and floored by this document. While my behind-the-scenes PR man Dan reached out to them, we didn’t know if the Mayor’s office would actually issue the proclamation until literally the day before the concert. It honestly didn’t hit me that this tour was going to be over until the moment I had this paper in hand and was reading it out loud to myself. I still stare at it now, and can’t believe this all has happened.

The next stage of this project officially starts now, and I want to thank all of you who have been along for the ride. I’m looking forward to sharing my stories of the road in song and in words, and I hope to see you all again very soon!

Hello world!

June 8, 2011 by Cece

First off, a big thank you for liking, following, or checking out my project. This is not just a musical journey, but it is also about community. Roads are powerful to us – they can bring us together and drive us apart.

We live in a world where people seek to find the negative differences first, and then try to find the positives after that. Absurd! While the diversity in America is engaging and wonderful, let’s not forget that we really have more in common than we think. We all want to be loved. We all want to be heard. We all need a place to sleep and some food. There is so much that unites us, we should embrace those ideals more each day.

It’s so easy with technology these days to forget that there is a live person sitting behind a computer. I hope that with this project you reach out to your community, wherever you are to see “where the road takes you”. Take a wrong turn on your way home one day and see what you find. You may find a store you’ve always wanted in your neighborhood, or a local cafe where you can work unfettered, or a community center where you

can finally take that oil painting class you’ve always wanted to take. You may make a new friend.

In the coming weeks, I’ll be writing about everything related to this travelogue. This blog will be live pre, during, and post journey, so keep checking back for updates. Next week I’ll be in Lake Tahoe for the annual Lincoln Highway Association’s conference. You’ll see daily updates and pictures from the road.

Once again, thank you for being a part of this journey. See you on the road!