You haven't heard us perform in a while, and that's because we've taken another big step back since our show at T or C Brewery in October 2018.

We do miss sharing our songs, though, so we were thankful to be invited to perform a short set and talk about our songwriting process in early May at the 2019 Desert Night Acoustic Songwriters Camp, hosted by the Black Range Lodge in Kingston, NM. We felt honored and encouraged to be there and to shine as singer-songwriters in the presence of such an attentive audience. Thanks so much to Chris Sanders of the Hard Road Trio for thinking of us and to all who were there to listen! A special thanks goes out to our neighbor and friend, Blanch, who helped us get some solid practice time and kept an eye on our Leila while we played.

I guess it kinda goes without saying, but navigating our almost 18-month-old's ever-changing needs and our needs as plain ol' human beings, all while trying to find the balance where everyone is happy, healthy, rested, and sane--oh, and creatively inspired and flowing--is quite the undertaking.

But the truth is being new parents, while a significant alteration to the path at hand, hasn't changed who we are in essence or that we are at our best when we are singing, songwriting--and performing. In fact, it's only intensified our drive to create the space and time for this work. Between the two of us, we have multiple albums' worth of original material begging to be recorded, so though it may appear as though we are slipping into the shadows of parental dreams gone to die, we are simply sinking deeply into our songwriter roots to set some solid Desert Milk recordings in motion... in our very own professional song laboratory.

Once we're getting ready to release Desert Milk's debut album, we plan to start booking shows again. So send us a note/keep us in mind for down the road if you're into the concert hosting end of things... 

And now--our most exciting bit of news at the moment: The studio is... up and running!

It's been nearly three and a half years since we broke ground at Cosmic Turtle Sound Studio in January 2016. Since then, we've seen the overall vision change and evolve, contract and expand; we've poured countless hours (and countable dollars!) into research, demo, construction, accumulation of instruments and gear, and meticulous attention to soundproofing and design detail (special thanks to Alan Labiner, Brooklyn-based producer and sound engineering wizard, on that front!).

During this same stretch of time, we began fusing our singer-songwriter selves into a duo (Desert Milk!); we found out we were pregnant and had a beautiful baby girl; we drove all the way to Ohio in the summer of 2018 (with a six-month-old) for two months so Rob could refine his engineering and production skills at the Recording Workshop, an internationally renowned recording school that he graduated from with honors; and over the past many months, we were blessed with a dedicated team of friends and helpers who finally brought this thing to completion.

So, Mr. Rob T. Carey recorded Cosmic Turtle's first client album in the studio in May--now in overdubbing, mixing, and mastering phase. Thank you, Hieronymus A. Bogs, for trusting your precious work in Rob's hands and for setting the studio's recording potential in motion in so many ways that go beyond words. And thanks to the gifted musicians who showed up to bless this project with their talents. Very invigorating and deeply satisfying to see all of that hard work, patience, and what was beginning to feel like an endless investment of energy and financial resources begin to pay off!

So yeah, we are psyched to finally have a finely tuned space to record our sounds and songs... and we look forward to working with whoever feels inspired to do the same! 

If you're interested in recording at the Cosmic Turtle, located in our home on a hill in the hot springs town of Truth or Consequences, New Mexico, the doors are open (by appointment). We're proud to say the finished product is a high-class and technically sound yet super relaxed space--a true Temple of Sound--featuring a Live Room, two Iso Booths, a Control Room with a 24-track mixing board and viewing window, an 8-track mobile rig, and a tantalizing selection of custom-built gear and mics.

For studio inquiries, write cosmicturtlesoundstudio@gmail.com and/or call 575-740-9463.

Much love!

~Elise & Rob

DESERT MILK