New England Tune — ABIGAIL BALDWIN

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Everybody wants to move away from the cold and gray. Let ‘em go, I'll stay

My move to LA has, in every sense, been more difficult than I expected. For a long time, I've taken pride in being almost fearless, undaunted by the future and unafraid of risk. It was not difficult for me to move away. I never expected myself to have the luxury of a sense of home. My life has always been defined by change, by incompletes, by goodbyes and separations. So moving to LA did not intimidate me. I wasn’t aware of how much of my identity has been tied up in Massachusetts, in New England, in Boston, in the North Shore, in Salem, and on the Cape. I’ve spent many Autumns away from Boston and the falling leaves. I’ve experienced quite a few sunny and warm Novembers. Still, this one feels different. Perhaps because I know I will not live in New England again for a very long time.

I met Ben Mueller of Low Ceilings in 2016 after moving to Boston from the Cape for college. He was buddies with my roommates at the time. I think I saw him perform before we ever spoke. The music of Low Ceilings became a defining element of my coming of age in Boston. It was the soundtrack of some of my happiest and most challenging moments. It was made by my friends and beloved by my inner circle. Seeing the band play always felt like a celebration of something, of whatever we were all going through, of surviving another frigid winter. In 2017 I took Ben’s promotional photos which I am delighted to see he still uses from time to time.

Now, with the latest Low Ceilings release, I find myself nostalgic for something I didn’t even know I had, home in Boston. But it feels good to love my home even from a distance and to know that I can always go back, even if, at the moment, I don’t want to.

Ben’s songwriting has undoubtedly grown over the past four years. It’s been a pleasure to listen to Low Ceilings in Boston, in LA, and on the road between. In college, I was grateful for a community and a talented group of friends whose work I was proud of. Now, I’m grateful for a little piece of home that I can put in my ear.

Listen to Low Ceilings on Spotify