Oh the places Tish will go!

“This album is a collection of songs I chose to record that reflect where I’ve been, where I am, and where I’m dreaming to go.”

– Tish Hinojosa

With sparse instrumentation, this cherished songwriter paints pinturas With A Guitar & A Pen Out on October 18

“Simply put, Hinojosa is a first-class songwriter” – Chicago Tribune

Tish Hinojosa stands in a league of her own; her expressive vibrato voice and delicate guitar styling sets the scene with her new album With A Guitar & A Pen, out on October 18^th. With her longtime guitarist, Marvin Dykhuis, they carefully pieced the songs with the instruments, creating musical pinturas of various colors and textures. “This album is a collection of songs I chose to record that reflect where I’ve been, where I am, and where I’m dreaming of going,” smiles Tish.

“Her voice [is] luminescent, emotive, and strong” – The Austin Chronicle

Tish Hinojosa has written and recorded 16 albums over her long career and has been one of the most cherished voices within the music realm. She has weathered the ups and downs of the music business from agents and record labels to touring life, always knowing the song was The Muse. This is essential to Tish, and she explains the process; “The artistic muse is more of a mystery. Sometimes, creativity flows so quickly you have to run to keep up. Other times, it feels like the well is empty, and you’ll never find it again.” Touring life is the subject of “If I Could Only Fly,” written by Austin songwriter Blaze Foley, the only song on the album that Tish didn’t write. “It speaks to the traveling musician longing to be with loved ones but married to the road,” says Tish, “although this is a somewhat sad song, there is so much simple truth and beauty in the lyrics.”

 If I could only fly if I could only fly

I’d bid this place goodbye to come and be with you

but I can hardly stand, and I’ve got nowhere to run

another sinkin’ sun and one more lonely night – “If I Could Only Fly”

“With A Guitar & A Pen” opens the album with a memoir-like song, as Hinojosa recalls her past, honing her craft and sharing the journey with her long-time friend, guitarist, and producer, Marvin Dykhuis. They have shared moments that they look back on and laugh or cry over, from broken down limos in New York City, a dicey airplane landing in Norway, to missing family back home in Austin. She has appeared on national morning television, was a performer at the 1996 Olympics Games in Atlanta, and made several appearances on the coveted show Austin City Limits. She has always been a critics’ darling with her well-produced records that compliment her songwriting and her voice.

“… treads the same general folk-based country music ground as Nanci Griffiths and Emmylou Harris.” – Variety

Tish is constantly exploring a variety of subject matter, and she does so on With A Guitar & A Pen with a few western cowboy flavorings in “His Cowboy Way,” about her husband Lynn, and in “Wild One,” about a retired horse at his Arizona ranch. She imagined his life as a young stallion, “I have come to appreciate that horses are sensitive and have many personalities. This retired horse was apparently in its last days, but he still carried himself with calm dignity and grace. I imagined that he was reflecting on his wonderful life.”

While traveling, Tish often will tune in to local radio stations, picking up the Spanish ones as she loves to hear old and contemporary songs from crooners to Conjunto. As a young girl, her parents spoke Spanish, as they were both native to Mexico, and Tish fell in love with the language, rhythms, and melodies that have melted into her music. On this album, fans get to hear three songs in Spanish, “Luna Traviesa” (Mischievous Moon), about her affection for beloved places in Mexico; “Flores En El Jardin” (Flowers In The Garden), “speaks of the beauty of diversity and power as flowers grow even through cracks in concrete,” (in Tish’s words) and “Canto De La Montaña” (Song Of The Mountain) – “a fantasy love song about a cowgirl on a flying horse remembering a ranch and a love from long ago.” The song “Colton’s Perfect Heart” is based on a true local story about organ donation, which led her to write about how sometimes humans connect in the most unusual way.

Travis brings them music

From out beyond the stars

A rhythm strong and steady

Of Colton’s perfect heart – “Colton’s Perfect Heart”

Many of the players on the album have been with Tish for a long time, like multi-instrumentalist Marvin Dykhuis on guitars, mandolin, bass, percussion, ukulele, and bajo sexto, who has been at her side since 1988. Chip Dolan, on piano and accordion, has worked with Tish since 1994. Other widely respected Austin musicians appearing on the album include pedal steel player Marty Muse, violinist Warren Hood, drummer Rick Richards, and harmonica wizard Spider McKenzie, who divides his time between Scotland and Austin. The record was mastered by Austin studio legend Fred Remmert.

“Combining a vision that embraces all of these musical styles, with her characteristic warmth and a pure, soulful voice” – KUTX

With sixteen releases to her name, Tish’s distinct sound has gained her much critical acclaim through either self-release or major record labels. Professing a longstanding interest in music, Tish began performing at an early age at talent shows and San Antonio music clubs, and for her large family – she is the youngest of 13 siblings. From her first 1987 self-released “Taos To Tennessee,” to her Warner Brothers releases “Destiny’s Gate” (1994) and “Dreaming From The Labyrinth” (1996), she explored a varied number of styles in both English and Spanish, folk, western swing, and country. During this time, Hinojosa graced many stages, from Austin City Limits to NPR’s A Prairie Home Companion, ABC’s Good Morning America, and noted festivals and concert halls. Tish’s music even reached The White House with a concert invitation from President and Mrs. Clinton.

In the early 2000s, Tish packed up her life and moved to Hamburg, Germany, where she lived and appreciated European culture for ten years. She continued to tour and record, frequently returning to tour in the U.S. She returned to Austin in 2014. Her last studio record, “West,” was released in 2018. In 2019, she was inducted into the Texas Institute Of Letters, the second singer-songwriter after Willie Nelson to achieve that honor.

With the global pandemic, life got a little slower for the Texan, and she even considered retirement, but “the Muse” continued knocking at her door. She responded by performing Covid kitchen concerts and playing on stage again when the world opened up. She shows no sign of slowing down with her new work With A Guitar & A Pen.