Why do I get really happy whenever the F-line streetcar No. 1060 comes into view on Market Street in San Francisco? Hint: It's not because I'm excited that Muni fares are going up. Advocates of the fare hike argue that Muni is cheap compared with New York's soon-to-be $2.50 per ride. The surly but correct counterpoint is that New York actually has a world-class subway system, to which Muni bears little resemblance. But if our transit seems provincial in its physical reach, the beauty of some of its fleet is second to none. I'm talking not just about the famous cable cars, but also the F-line streetcars that connect the financial district and the Castro on Market Street.

I had the F-line streetcars in mind when I wrote "Streetcar to Grace." And No. 1060 (the silver one, with electric-blue trim) has special resonance, because that's the one I took as a model when painting the cover of THE TIME COMES ON HUMMING TRACKS. I took the artistic liberty of replacing the 1060 on the front of the real car with 2007, the year of the album's release. I also replaced the F-line sign on the front with "K Outbound," since outbound is the direction any singer-songwriter hopes her trajectory will go—well, any songwriter who's not "all navel, all the time." The hope is to start with personal insight and move toward expression in, and connection with, a larger community.

Last week brought one of these community connections: an email from Rick Laubscher, president of Market Street Railway. Market Street Railway is a 1,200-person organization that spearheads the acquisition, restoration, and upkeep of the F-line streetcars, many of which originated in other cities (No. 1060 was originally from Philadelphia; its silver-and-blue color scheme gave it the nickname "Cream Cheese"). The group runs entirely on volunteer power and private donations (which you can make by becoming a member or purchasing one of their cool gift products; my favorites include these beautifully designed posters and a kid-size toy streetcars—compatible with Thomas and Brio tracks!). Laubscher was researching an article for the group's quarterly newsletter, about how the F-line streetcars are showing up in the work of San Francisco artists, and he wanted to know what had inspired "Streetcar to Grace" and the TIME COMES title and cover. My response, below, will appear in the group's newsletter and on their website in the next couple of months:

In San Francisco, kids sneakers can be adult fashion statements, and owning a vintage Magic Marker-colored Victorian can represent the pinnacle of worldly success. Market Street's F-line streetcars, with their bright paint and diminutive size, seem almost like toys or amusement park trolleys. At the same time, they connect the decidedly adult zones of the financial district and the Castro, and the placards commemorating the streetcars' different cities of origin give them a cosmopolitan, worldly air. Ours isn't a prim or virginal city, but it is one where adult adventurism can be animated by childlike wonder, and by a desire to climb inside of life and inhabit it like a character lives inside a story. In my opinion, wonder is something we should try to hang on to as adults. In a city as expensive as this, beauty can feel like something affordable only to people with lots of money, and wonder can easily be tamped down by financial stress and the reality of poverty all around us. The F-line streetcars, for me, are part of what makes San Francisco wonder accessible, and the city like a story we can climb inside.

I wrote my song "Streetcar to Grace" during a time when I was trying to figure out whether to continue writing fiction or concentrate more seriously on my music, and how to support myself here while doing either. "Streetcar to Grace" is about the idea that time doesn't wait until we're ready. Life has to be jumped on, like a train pulling into a station. I realized that the medium I choose for my art may be less important than jumping fully into that medium, with as much childlike wonder and adult perspective as I can muster. For me, that meant recording my album THE TIME COMES ON HUMMING TRACKS, including "Streetcar" and nine other songs inspired by life in this city. I gave the CD that name, and painted its colorful F-line-style cover, as a nod to the streetcars that make beauty (or grace, in the nonreligious sense) available to all of us here, not just artists or the wealthy. Every moment is like a train pulling into a station, bringing another opportunity to jump on and live from the slightly raised perspective of an awakened mind.

—Kate

I'm elbow-deep in creating a new record due out in 2009, with the awesome contributions of Fergus D. Lenehan (bass) and Aaron Brinkerhoff (drums). We recorded drum and bass tracks this summer at San Pablo Recorders (SPR) in Berkeley, and we're now tracking main acoustic and (yes!) electric guitars. (How did it take me so long to discover I loved electric guitar? It's been great making up for lost time.)

Whereas THE TIME COMES ON HUMMING TRACKS was recorded mostly at home, this new one will split between home and studio about 50-50. Fergus designed an incredible recording booth in my living room to capture great audio. My switch from Garageband to Pro Tools recording software has given me greater control over everything from main acoustic guitar to hand claps, so that every sonic detail will be crystal-clear and sparkling. I'm working with Jon Evans at SPR to record great tracks in the studio, and to produce a collection where every song is its own sonic world, but with doorways into all the other worlds on the album.

I can't wait to let you all hear this new work, and will keep this space updated in the coming months.

I posted a recording from my conversation with DJ Nylon at San Francisco’s Pirate Cat Radio (87.9 FM). Topics include:

The making of THE TIME COMES ON HUMMING TRACKS

Where new songs come from

My comic strip horse, Stewball

How Paris Hilton relates to homeschooling

"The devil’s burrito," a confection found only in San Francisco

Click here to hear this varied and beguiling piece of radio journalism.

KFOG's Rosalie Howarth has played "Streetcar to Grace" from THE TIME COMES ON HUMMING TRACKS on her Acoustic Sunrise show on several recent Sundays. Please let KFOG (San Francisco major radio station) know you appreciate it and would like to hear more of the album on the air! KFOG phone is 1-800-300-KFOG, or email Rosalie herself at rhowarth@kfog.com. Radio is still how tons of folks find new artists. Thank you! --Kate

You can request THE TIME COMES ON HUMMING TRACKS on these awesome radio stations:

KZSU (Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA) (90.1 FM): Call 650-723-9010 to request the CD.

KFOG (San Francisco, CA) (104.5 FM): Call 1-800-300-KFOG to request THE TIME COMES on "Acoustic Sunrise" (Sundays, 7 a.m. to noon, Pacific time) or "Acoustic Sunset" (Sundays, 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.). You can also email host Rosalie Howarth at rhowarth@kfog.com.

KALW (San Francisco, CA): Call (415) 841-4134 to request THE TIME COMES on "Folk Music and Beyond" (Sundays, 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. PT), or email kalwfolk@rahul.net.

KDVS (Davis, CA): Call the studio request line at (530) 754-KDVS and ask for your favorite track off the record. They have a great show called "Cool As Folk" (Fridays, 9:30 a.m. to 12 noon PT).

KZYX&Z (Philo, Mendocino area, CA): Call (707) 895-2448 to request THE TIME COMES. Shows featuring singer-songwriter music include "Toast and Jam" (alternate Tuesdays, 2 to 4 p.m.), "Humble Pie" (Saturdays, 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. PT) and "Audible Feast" (Sundays, noon to 2 p.m.).

KPFA (Berkeley, CA): Call (510) 848-6767 to request. Shows featuring indie folk include "The Bonnie Simmons Show" (Thursdays, 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. PT) and "The Hear and Now" (Thursdays, 10 p.m. to midnight). You can also email Bonnie Simmons your request at bon@bonzilla.com.

Pandora Internet radio

Thank you for supporting independent music on the air! To get a copy of THE TIME COMES for airplay on your station, please email info@kateisenberg.com, or send a message through Myspace.

THE TIME COMES ON HUMMING TRACKS, the new CD released in March, has been named an editor's choice Acoustic Guitar magazine ("What the AG Editors Are Spinning," May '07 issue). This critical nod goes along with a great listener response. To see what people are saying about the new record, pay a visit to CD Baby. You can also hear extended clips from all the songs there.

Now that the record is done, it's time to gig. Fergus (my bassist) and I have teamed up with Cara Wick on violin and Aaron Brinkerhoff on drums, and we are sounding mighty nice. I'm now looking for:

guitar/mandolin/banjo player or keyboardist (multi-instrumentalist preferred) *who can sing harmony*

We have great bookings lined up. Email me directly at kate@kateisenberg.com, or message me through MySpace, if you have the skill and the urge to come play some music. Please tell me a bit about your music/performing background in your email. Thanks!

The mixing engineer for THE TIME COMES ON HUMMING TRACKS is Jon Evans, of the Berkeley, Calif., studio San Pablo Recorders (www.sanpablorecorders.com). Jon is an accomplished producer/engineer who's done studio projects for Jamie Davis, Steve Emerson, Austin Willacy, Alexis Harte, and many others. He's toured and/or recorded as a bassist for Tori Amos, Linda Perry, Alex de Grassi, and more. Jon's excellent ear and professionalism have already proved a great asset to the record.