Singer-songwriter Chelsea Berry, a former Cape Ann resident, felt the love and support from the community when she recently held a 24-hour live-stream song marathon.
On March 4, she woke up feeling overwhelmed by the headlines in the news and wondered how she could counteract them.
“I was trying to think of what I could do to create something good,” she said. “I thought about what might happen if I spent a full day making music online and invited people to join in. I did just that, and something very cool happened.”
She decided to try to raise $10,000 to fund her next recording project. The very next day, she went live, performing on guitar and piano.
“I wanted to raise that money to fund a record built on love and hope and community — and it worked,” she said.
Berry’s spontaneous idea became an extraordinary community moment, raising $10,575 in just 24 hours.
From Thursday noon to Friday noon, Berry performed during this 24-hour Facebook live-stream marathon, singing, taking requests, sharing stories, and connecting with listeners tuning in from across the United States and around the world — from Alaska to Florida and beyond.
“The support from Cape Ann was huge,” said Berry, an independent artist. “There were a ton of people from Gloucester and Rockport and Essex and Manchester on the live stream.”
The day after the event, she was talking with Rich Lamb, her producer and engineer based in New York City. They talked about the game plan and theme of the upcoming recording project, which will be recorded with Lamb in New York City, and in Gloucester with Warren Babson at Bang a Song Studios.
Lamb made a point of telling her that he always experiences her shows as “outright lovefests.”
“It is like your audience would follow you into battle — a bunch of peace soldiers,” he told Berry.
That comment resonated deeply with her.
“I love that term ‘peace soldier.’ I don’t know what the album will be called, but that’s certainly the theme,” Berry said.
Known for her powerful vocals and intimate performances over more than 25 years, Berry has built a devoted audience for her music and storytelling. Metrics show an estimated 1,200 viewers over the course of the event.
A few songs were requested over and over, including her song “Walk With Me,” which she recorded with the late David Brown of Gloucester. It was a song she performed live with Brown dozens and dozens of times over the years. Other popular requests were for “Rainbow Connection” and “Anchor,” which was written by her friend Megan Burtt during Burtt’s visit to Gloucester.
“I think the most meaningful moments were the few times that people requested songs in honor of loved ones who they had lost. Music creates such a safe space for us to grieve and remember our loved ones and it means a lot to me to be part of that process with people,” Berry said.
During the fundraising effort, she took the viewers along with her when she made bread, stoked the winter fire and even went out in the snow. She drank lots of water for her voice, and drank coffee to propel her through the night.
“The bread tasted like heaven, and people commented as I ate, saying, ‘Don’t forget the butter, Chelsea,’” she said. “It was like we all made this loaf of bread together and that spanned hours because it has to rise twice.”
At one point, when her shoulders began to ache, she went into the dining room to feed the fire in the wood stove and talked about how to properly start a fire.
“I also asked people watching if they wanted to go through a yoga practice with me because my shoulders were super tight,” she recalled. “Then in middle of night when only ten people were logged on, I laid on the floor and played guitar on my back. At some point, maybe around 4:45 a.m. when it started to get light, I said, ‘OK guys, we are going to do the next costume change.’ I had been in PJs and I came back in my day outfit, which was very fancy, cozy overalls.”
When Berry was more than 22 hours into the song marathon, she broke into tears and announced that the goal was reached, and thanked everyone for their help.
She strummed her guitar and commented that there should have been a celebratory task when the goal was met, so when someone suggested that she go outside and make a snow angel, she did. She even made a little snowman in her yard in Maine.
During the stream, Berry spoke about the project’s underlying message of community, empathy, togetherness and love.
“It was exhausting, emotional, and one of the most meaningful musical experiences I’ve ever had,” she said. “What a crazy ride.”
Speaking with Lamb and Babson, the project’s engineers, in the aftermath of this effort, Berry said they have a “million beautiful ideas.”
“I want these songs to be anthems for peace and joy. I think that my biggest strength isn’t necessarily in writing or singing or playing or performing; it’s in creating community and making people feel seen, heard, loved and appreciated at my shows,” she said.
She talked about the stress caused by the unfolding stream of recent headlines on many fronts.
“I’ve been feeling helpless, thinking about what can I do to make a difference? Go to marches? Call my congresspeople? Rant online?,” said Berry. “I think my gift and my purpose is in bringing people together and reminding them that we have more in common than not. So that’s what I want this record to do.”
Berry documented the marathon, capturing moments of music, laughter and the steady rise of fundraising noted on the thermometer poster that marked the progress of the event.
Contributions continued after the stream ended, bringing the total now to more than $11,000. Berry plans to begin work on the project right away. A recap of the marathon can be viewed at: https://www.facebook.com/ChelseaBerryMusicOfficial.
Gail McCarthy may be contacted at 978-675-2706, or gmccarthy@northofboston.com.