Inga Swearingen: First Rain

Inga Swearingen always loved singing, whether it was with her elementary school choir in San Luis Obispo, California, or performing her own songs in high school, or during her years of voice lessons. But it may have been joining a jazz choir while pursuing her education at Cuesta College that sealed her decision to be a jazz singer. In 2003, after studying with Swiss artist Susanne Abbuehl, she won the Shure Jazz Voice competition at the world-renowned Montreux Jazz Festival. She earned a master’s degree in choral conducting from Florida State University, then returned to California, where she now performs, works on recording projects, and teaches at Cuesta College — her old alma mater. First Rain is her latest CD.

Tell us a bit about First Rain, your new cd? How did the album come about?

First Rain features music and song rooted in family, nature, love and human spirit. It’s a mix of homegrown folk, and soulful jazz, with guitar, stand up bass, violin, cello and vocal harmonies by my sister, Britta.

Last year my friend said, “It’s time for you to record again, lets have a party”. So we put on a couple of house concerts at the farm that helped to fundraise for the project. I was surprised and touched by people’s generosity. We made this together, and the music is filled with that gratitude and love.

What is your favorite track from the cd? Tell us a bit about the song.

“Brick by Brick” is a song I sing with my sister that compares my experience of living in a farm-house that was being remodeled for seventeen years — to a transitional place in life where one must rebuild from the ground up.

How did you go about choosing or writing songs for an album? How long is the process from start to finish?

When I arrange a song, I try to get to the essence of the lyric and find a musical way to communicate that. And when I write, I’m pulling from everything that inspires me, be it jazz, classical, folk, rock, anything good..

The actual recording goes down pretty quickly — it’s the gathering of songs that takes the most time for me. This project took about a year.

I have read that you described the album as “Swedish Farm Jazz”. How would you describe this type of music? What song on the album best represents Swedish Farm Jazz and why?

I view jazz as a big umbrella — a lot that can fit under there in my opinion. On this album, we incorporate jazz harmony and improvisation and the sense of exploration that jazz encourages, while using rhythms and feels other than straight ahead swing. I’ve found that European jazz draws heavily from the folk songs of particular regions. They have a very broad definition of jazz, which certainly resonates with me.

When creating, I try not to fence myself in with a particular genre. However, eventually you must describe your music to others. Having spent time in Sweden as a child I have a fondness for the language and the music. We cover a traditional Swedish tune “Visa Fran Jarna”, which is one of my favorites on the album.

How is this cd different than your previous recordings?

It feels like it’s my most personal work to date because I wrote 5 songs on the album about my home (a small farm in California), and my family mostly. Even the standards and traditional songs are rooted in themes of nature, love and human spirit. I’ve given myself the time to gather material, find the musicians and sit at the mixing board making decisions about how to best present the songs in an honest way. I think this has given the album cohesiveness and fluidity.

'Whatever' from the 30th Anniversary Special

How has appearing on the A Prairie Home Companion affected you or your audience? Have you noticed a new breed of fans showing up at your concerts?

The opportunity to perform on A Prairie Home Companion has not only provided me with lifetime musical memories, it has also expanded my audience to places that I have not yet been able to tour. I’m an independent artist who books my own shows and plans my own tours, so to receive an email from a PHC listener inviting me to their town is an incredible offer. I’m touched that people take the time to email, and I try to write everyone back.

You have appeared on A Prairie Home Companion as a featured guest many times over the past years. We have been taking a quick look back in honor of the 35th Anniversary of the program. Do you have any favorite memories from your guest performances or of the show? Are there any favorite guest performances that you recall hearing that stand out?

I remember singing a song by Rich Dworsky at Tanglewood a few years ago and the poem mentioned birds, just then birds began to chirp in the rafters and we all heard it. Even the radio listeners heard them! It was magical.

And yes, every time Jearlyn Steele is on the show I am moved by her passion and joyous spirit. She sings from her heart.

"Hush Little Baby'

Do you remember anything special about the 30th Anniversary concert?

I loved singing “Hush Little Baby” with 30th anniversary lyrics, a cappella with the audience. They sang their part with such confidence, and that allowed me to scat sing over the top.

How can fans keep in contact with your touring schedule/appearances?

My website has a full listing of tours and upcoming performances and also a way for folks to write to me. I do like hearing from you and staying in touch!


872 comments

  • BEST TOOLS FOR RECOVERY SCAM ON TRADING INVESTMENT GONE BAD AND OTHERS TROUBLESHOOT? 

    Welcome To General Hacking Techniques Service known as GREY HAT DHACKERS.
    Best active in 2025, as we give you Solution to every problem concerning Web3 INTERNET activities, we give back your right with a positive fund Recovery e.t.c.

    Question From Most of Our Client Is.
    HOW QUICK AND POSSIBLE DO YOU RECOVER LOST FUNDS BACK?
    Our Answer. 
    Yes it’s 89.9% possible, and how Quick it will takes to recover it back depend on you. 
    Meanwhile they are lot of fake binary investment platform out their.
    Same a lot fake recovery companies and agents too.
                      CAUTION
    1). Make sure you ask one or two questions concerning the service and how they render there recovery services.

    2) Do not give out your scammed details to any agent or hacker when you are not yet ready to recover back your fund.

    3) do not make any payment when you are not sure of the service if you are to make one.

    (4) We discovered that most of this fake hacker or agent do give us with scam details, playing the victim, because they can afford the service charges.

    5) As long you have your scam details with you, you can recover your fund back anytime any-day with the right channel.

    Contact us from our Front Desk. binaryoptionservice01@gmail.com
    For advice and services, our standby Guru email. pointekhack@gmail.com
    cyberplug@gmail.com 
    List of Service.
    ▶️Binary Recovery
    ▶️Data Recovery 
    ▶️University Result Upgraded
    ▶️Clear your Internet Blunder and controversy
    ➡️Putting Stop to Internet Blackmailing 
    ➡️Cracking of Credit Card
    ➡️Wiping of Criminal Records 
    ➡️Social Media Hack 
    ➡️Blank ATM Card 
    ➡️Load and wipe
    ➡️Phone Hacking
    ➡️Private Key Reset etc. 
    For quick response. Email dhackerspot@gmail.com 
    Border us with your request and allow us give you positive result with our hacking skills. 
    All Right Reserved ©2025

    Arri Eduk
  • I’d like to recommend the Morphohack Cyber Security team if you ever intend to recover your Bitcoin, USDT, or other crypto assets.
    I happen to be one of many people who lost their crypto assets after a distasteful experience with a fake crypto investment scam. They kept requesting more deposits in order to “grant” me access to my wallet. If not for the intervention of the Morphohack Cyber Security team, I would have lost everything completely.
    Morphohack intervened on my behalf and began what seemed to be a full recovery process and a cyber attack on these con men.

    I’m putting this out here to share my plight and encourage others to act quickly and contact Morphohack if you happen to be in a similar situation. Do not believe that by paying more, you’ll be granted access to your wallet by these investment scammers. Instead, contact the Morphohack Cyber team to help you recover your crypto assets immediately.

    Their contact email is as follows: MORPHOHACK@CYBERSERVICES . COM

    Warm regards,
    Ross Colby
    Kent, Connecticut

    Ross Colby
  • I’d like to recommend the Morphohack Cyber Security team if you ever intend to recover your Bitcoin, USDT, or other crypto assets.
    I happen to be one of many people who lost their crypto assets after a distasteful experience with a fake crypto investment scam. They kept requesting more deposits in order to “grant” me access to my wallet. If not for the intervention of the Morphohack Cyber Security team, I would have lost everything completely.
    Morphohack intervened on my behalf and began what seemed to be a full recovery process and a cyber attack on these con men.

    I’m putting this out here to share my plight and encourage others to act quickly and contact Morphohack if you happen to be in a similar situation. Do not believe that by paying more, you’ll be granted access to your wallet by these investment scammers. Instead, contact the Morphohack Cyber team to help you recover your crypto assets immediately.

    Their contact email is as follows: MORPHOHACK@CYBERSERVICES . COM

    Warm regards,
    Ross Colby
    Kent, Connecticut

    Ross Colby
  • You guys have surpassed my expectations! James is seriously amazing and is doing everything to help my Fiancé and me, in1weeks my credit score went up 700 points and I can only imagine what is to come. Thank you for the excellent customer service and doing exactly what you all have set out to do! NO GIMMICKS OR BS with you guys.They carry out any kind of hacks You can reachout to them via ETHICAlhackers009 at gmail dot com or whatsapp +1 4 1 0 6 3 5 0 6 9 7

    Mikes miller
  • When people hear about crypto scams, their typical reaction is disbelief, as if it only happens to careless or reckless individuals. Before I share my experience, if you’re in need of a reliable crypto asset and fund recovery service, their contact information is listed below.

    E-Mail: Morphohack@cyberservices .com

    My family fell victim to a crypto investment scam that wiped out nearly everything we had worked so hard to build. We lost $407,000 worth of USDT and Bitcoin earlier this year, funds that represented years of savings, hard work, and dreams for the future.
    It all began with what appeared to be a legitimate investment opportunity. We were contacted, or more accurately, targeted by individuals claiming to represent a well-established crypto trading platform. They were smooth, articulate, and came armed with all the hallmarks of a trustworthy financial institution. This led us to believe they were legitimate, and we began investing with them. Unfortunately, we soon discovered they were fraudsters. By the time we realized the truth, our investment had vanished. All communication ceased, and there was no way to reach them.
    The story didn’t end there. While the emotional toll was immense, we were desperate for answers and reached out to everyone we knew who might be able to help. A family friend introduced us to a group called Morphohack, a team specializing in digital asset and cryptocurrency recovery. Their contact information is provided above.
    Morphohack was professional, knowledgeable, and incredibly helpful throughout the entire process. After conducting their investigation, they successfully recovered our funds within a few days. Thanks to their meticulous documentation and coordination with the relevant authorities, we were able to reclaim the full $407,000.
    Morphohack accomplished what we thought was impossible, and we are deeply grateful for their outstanding work and support

    Barry Silbert

Leave a comment