I'm really enjoying Mother Earth Calls. Every Body Is Sacred and Pachamama are two of my favorites. Thank you so much for sharing it. John Perkins Founder of the Dream Change Coalition and author of Confessions of an Economic Hit Man, The Secret History of the American Empire and Hoodwinked.

We want to thank you for allowing us to use your "Bacteria" song as part of our 2007 symposium, "Small Matters: Microbes and Their Role in Conservation." It was the perfect accompaniment to our symposium's public program, "Save the Microbes, Save the World!" Susan Perkins PhD, Assistant Curator, American Museum of Natural History

You know what I'm excited about; I've discovered a new group, Esther Frances & The Holographic Donuts, that I just love. This is like cosmic swing mixed with some down-home cooking. You?ll love it. It's beautiful and lively! Thomas- Mellon Benedict, Said on the Joyce Keller Show, October 2008. After suffering from a terminal illness, in 1982 Mellen-Thomas Benedict "died" and for an hour and a half he was monitored showing no vital signs. Miraculously he returned to his body with a complete remission of the disease – and what may be the most inspirational near-death experience story known to date.

The music is terrific and the lyrics, so clear and catchy, send spirits soaring with love for life. Your gifted work is a blessing for our living Earth and all her beings. Joanna Macy, Eco-philosoper and author of World As Lover, World As Self

Earth Day is April 22nd and now is the time to start planning events and activities around this annual celebration. If your event or special service includes music, then Esther Frances’ “Mother Earth Calls” is the CD for you. Esther Frances bares her heart on her sleeve with her passion toward the environment. Her thirteen song collection is diverse in style and has uses beyond Earth day. One notable song that seems to catch everyone’s attention is cut #5 titled “Bacteria”. Its just the kind of song that you can’t help but smile when you hear it. Younger kids would really have a great time singing this song and it could lead to a charming moment if ever performed by children. My favorite cut was Gaia. The song was performed using only Bass and percussion. Performed to a swing style beat it includes the best vocal voiceovers on the whole project and for me it embodies the whole spirit of the CD. In conclusion it is a nice project that could really enhance your earth day consciousness and celebration. Chris Foster, Music director -Unity of Independence. Association of Unity Churches music team member.

I am delighted with the CD Mother EARth Calls. You are doing an exquisite part of the Great Work for us and the universe. You have a truly wonderful gift in composing as well as singing. Gaia’s lyrics are exquisitely fitted to the need for children and for all of us to enjoy with all possible senses the beauty, wonder and integrity of Earth and all its creatures as one sacred community. Thomas Berry, Author of The Great Work, The Dream of the Earth, and The Universe Story with Brian Swimme

Since first meeting Esther, her warm voice seemed a welcome to her joyful spirit. Esther's wonderful voice and her way of putting her insights to music have continued to surprise me. She is one of those few who can take scientific knowledge and turn it into art - a navigator in both worlds. Esther went on to compose her own songs. Her song "Bacteria" delighted - a hit with audiences from its first performance. With time came a collection of songs and music, infused with Esther's enticing voice. During a difficult period in her life Esther found the blessings within the trauma. Her music matured; her life goals gained clarity. Esther shows us the best of herself which becomes a gift to the world. Gunter Pauli, author of Upsizing, the ZERI fairy tales, and former President of Ecover, Europe’s first ecological factory. In 1994, he founded the ZERI organization, which views waste as resource and seeks solutions using nature’s design principles as inspiration.

Esther helps us see the joy in our potential. Her power is the creation, the expression and the freedom of letting a voice sing into life. Her early teachers did not invite her into the choir. From that wounding, she defies the gravity and inhibitions that scare us all. Listen deep, she sings her soul. Don Campbell, author of the Mozart Effect and Music for Times to Come; pioneer in sound healing.

My favorite recordings are those that capture the essence of the person whose music is being presented. Mother EARth Calls is one of those records. This is pure Esther Frances, and like her, it makes me feel good. Bar Scott, Is an award winning singer-songwriter who has released five recordings of original works, two collections of classic material, a music video and a children’s book with music.

We prefer when you purchase "Mother EARth Calls" directly from our website. However, for your convenience, you can also find it at these locations:

CDBaby.com (song samples of entire collection) Kingston, NY: Blue-Byrd’s Haberdashery & Misic 297 Wall Street Alternative Books 35 North Front Street Alternative Video Route 28 Barnes & Noble 1177 Ulster Ave

Woodstock, NY: Mirabai of Woodstock 23 Mill Hill Road Rhythms 68 Tinker Street New Paltz, NY: The Awareness Shop 180 Main Street

Saugerties, NY: Miriam’s Well Bookshop High Falls, NY: The High Falls Food Coop Nyack, NY: Barnes & Noble Palisades Mall

“Mother EARth Calls” is a journey into possibility. I call these songs “Earth Gospel” because they invite us to shift our perspective to a sacred outlook that sees the physical, manifest Universe as a divine habitat. We are invited to re-cognize ourselves and see that we are inter-dependent beings, not separate from each other or our environment. As co-creators, our awakening and awareness effects and transforms life itself.

Imagine if all children were born into a culture that taught them that all life is sacred. Imagine children knowing “Mother Earth” as a living Being rather than as an inert collection of materials to be manipulated, exploited and plundered. Imagine if children grew up knowing that each one was a unique yet equal manifestation of “One Divine Energy.” Imagine “human-kind” feeling at home in a world that is paradoxical, with no need to take the position of “either/or,” capable of navigating the possibilities of “both/and.” Imagine “human-kind” devoted to creating societies that held “reverence for life” as their primary “bottom line.”

Humanity has been in a trance of separation. If we realized we were all the many inter-dependent parts of one body, could we knowingly poison the very ground that sustains us or intentionally cause injury to another part of our Self?

I dedicate this CD to a “plan-it” without fear. I realize that we may not see the “peace tree” reach fruition in our lifetime, yet if we do not plant the seeds, who will? I remember planting tiny trees with my Father that now tower over my childhood home. Dad did not live to see them reach their height. He planted for those to come to enjoy their shade. Let us be generous in our foresight and plant the seeds of peace for the generations to follow us.

May we also enjoy the daily practice of cultivating peace. The gift is in the present. May we realize that each one of us has the potential to discover our core identity and know the timeless presence of peace that lives within. Every kindness, joy, appreciation, celebration and gratitude is transformative and creates peace!

I also dedicate this CD to all those who have been convinced they can’t do something they would love to do. May you discover your dreams and fulfill them.

All these songs came to me spontaneously. I went through life convinced that I couldn’t sing. I was forty-eight years old when I began to find my voice. I know many others who have been put under the spell of “you cannot.” Please follow your heart and know “you can.”

A wondrous web of people and circumstances came together to weave this dream into physical reality. I could not have had a more marvelous crew. My first thanks go to Amy Fradon, my singing teacher since 1996. Since then she has also become my midwife, mentor, friend, coach and producer of this CD. She brought a cornucopia of creative ideas to this project!

Thanks to: Robert Bard, of Skytop Sound who has been the ground of supportive presence. He is focused, gentle, skillful and brings an excellence to all that he does; Mike Kimmel for bringing his joyous heart into every beat and rhythm he plays; Paul Duffy who is able to translate what I hear inside into what we can all hear outside; Mark Murphy, a great player whose kindness is as steady and deep as his bass; Ken McGloin who brought wings to my songs; Carlos Valdez, who animated Gaia and Bacteria with his dynamic percussion; T. G. Vanini and Don Yacullo, from The Princes of Serendip, dear friends, who infuse music with marvel and beauty; Joy Plaisted’s joyful presence; Chandler Moss, for his for his magnificent artwork and graphics (Chandler takes my raw sketches and transforms them into wondrous visuals); Tom Desisto who is a master at mastering and Tod and Vito from Magnetic North for their excellence.

Michael Aguirre, my husband, has always affirmed my vision. I am very thankful for the joy, love and friendship that we share. Aleph Estes, my son, has taught me the immense depths of love a mother can feel for her child. He has always encouraged my dream. I dedicate “Mother EARth Calls” to him and his generation. May they recover the experience of the sacredness of Earth and pass this legacy to their children. Albert Schrank, my father, passed on his love of Earth, singing, people and community spirit to me. I thank him, my mother Mary and Grandmother Ella, for the spiritual and physical resources they left me that contributed to the creation of this CD. Thanks to my magnificent teachers: Jean Houston for encouraging me to write, recognizing my love of Earth and arranging for a mentorship for me with Thomas Berry. Thomas has been like a Grandfather to me, offering his encouragement for my songs and writings over the last twenty years. Brian Swimme, Gunter Pauli and John Perkins have each enthusiastically supported my creativity. I thank my friends and all the past members of the “Holographic Donuts” who have paved the way for this CD to materialize.