A harp can be thought of as an instrument that can only be played for a small number of musical genres. However, Moorestown resident and Roberts Elementary School teacher Laura Dishong would say otherwise.
Dishong, also a former Caesars Casino harpist, would play pop and rock songs on her harp; rock is one of her favorite things to play on the harp. Recently, Dishong was inspired to turn her love for music and using harp in other genres into a CD
Dishong will celebrate the release of her first CD, “Little Green Apples,” with a concert at the Moorestown Community House Ballroom on Sunday, March 22 at 3:30 p.m. This CD features her original pop-folk music. The concert is free and open to all ages.
“This is where I live; this is where I work; I wanted to have the party somewhere where people could come and join in on the celebration. Hopefully, people will be excited and enjoy it,” Dishong said.
Dishong had been working on the music and ideas for her CD for years, but when she went to record her CD at her home, things weren’t sounding the way she wanted. So she decided to go to a studio to get the sound she was dreaming of.
Her CD was recorded at Cedar Street Studios in Philadelphia and engineered/produced by Ted Richardson of TED Audio. Her harp is backed up by Darren Keith on drums, her husband Mark Dishong on keys, Michael G. Ronstadt on cello, her daughter Ellie Dishong on fiddle, James Hamilton on percussion and Richardson on keyboard bass.
“It’s kind of like my baby, working on this for several years. I finally found a place where the producer was on board and excited about it. He helped me achieve my vision,” Dishong said.
All of her songs were written on a mythological theme. She said many of her songs came to her in dreams and she was able to make mythological connections. Despite the stories being ancient, Dishong felt the lessons myths teach are still so relevant today that anyone can connect to them.
“It’s a timeless thing. People often will overlook the old myths, but they can be very current. I’m always finding inspiration in reading old stories,” Dishong said. “We are all fighting the hero’s struggle in our own way. We can all learn from their struggles and stories.”
The launch party at the Moorestown Community House seemed to exactly fit Dishong’s want of having family and friends come to celebrate and enjoy her CD as well as other members of the public. She wishes to share her love for music and the harp in shocking genres with others.
At the party, there will be music from her CD as well as cover songs. There will be dancers from The Dance Lab in Moorestown, desserts and apples everywhere to go with the CD’s name. There will be no alcohol, so people of all ages can come to enjoy for free.
Dishong hopes those who listen to her music feel inspired and empowered. Though the songs can seem kind of sad, she would like her audience to take away that though life is hard at times, things will get better as long as everyone continues to try their best.
“We all have our struggles, and I think we can take away that we’re all going through life, and it can be challenging. But as long as we persevere and do the best we can, things will get better and life will be good,” Dishong said.
“Little Green Apples” can be purchased at the release party or at www.cdbaby.com. For more on Dishong and her music, visit to www.lauradishong.com.
