San Diego-based artist Gayle Skidmore, both a singer/songwriter and classically trained pianist, will be releasing an eleven track album, The Ashtabula River Railroad Disaster, on April 4, 2025. A neoclassical solo piano album, The Ashtabula River Railroad Disaster, tells the story of a tragic 19th-century event: the collapse of a railroad bridge in Ashtabula, Ohio, in December 1876. The disaster claimed 92 lives, including that of Gayle Skidmore’s relative, the hymn writer Philip P. Bliss.
We’re very pleased to premier Gayle Skidmore’s track, “The First Flakes of Snow” here on Wildfire Music + News today. It will arrive this week on February 7th, 2025.
“The First Flakes of Snow” is about the catastrophic moment when the slightest imperfection in the operation of the train and tracks was exacerbated by an unexpected snowstorm. As the title hints, the scene set by this track is when ordinary life and beautiful things, like a hint of snowfall, seem approachable and even safe. But Skidmore seems to be artfully exploring the idea that there’s a fine line between beauty, even gentleness, and very tragic things that can happen in our world.
Sonically, she invites us into the story with a delicate opening that suggests a degree of innocence. But something about the pace and dynamic distance between the notes might hint at something intense and emotional that remains a kind of possibility. Broadening instrumentals open up the theme that Skidmore has established and hint at the power and force this album will be capable of conveying in future movements. The building intensity of the music could well reflect the snowstorm gathering strength.
Through rising and falling passages, the audience may pick up on a sense of heaviness that stays rooted behind the music, though the track still returns as a finale to a reflection on delicate beauty. This may well suggest that these qualities endure in the natural world and in life, and are not in themselves good or bad, but circumstances dictate how we perceive them. Here they serve as the opening to tragic events, but framing another kind of story, they would be enchanting.
Skidmore paints a picture of the events in question:
According to a report from civil engineer Charles MacDonald, the bridge collapse was due to ‘a flaw in the southernmost lug at the top of the first full angle block from the west end.’ Blizzard conditions on the night of December 29th, 1876 exacerbated the defect in the lug. It all started with a few innocent snowflakes.
A story of “tragedy and resilience told through music,” The Ashtabula River Railroad Disaster draws inspiration from both the historical tragedy and her personal connection to Bliss. Each track serves as an emotional journey, offering both introspection and storytelling.
Skidmore’s artistic journey spans over two decades and more than 2,500 songs. She’s a versatile artist who plays over 20 instruments, including the mountain dulcimer, banjo, and folk harp. She works with neoclassical, Pop, and Folk influences, and explores themes of “loss, healing, and resilience.”
Skidmore’s accolades are numerous, including multiple San Diego Music Awards, where she was named Best Pop in 2015, Best Pop Album for Sleeping Bear 2014, and Best Singer-Songwriter in 2013. Her songs have been featured in numerous films and TV shows, and she has opened for acts such as Jason Mraz, Lisa Loeb, and Coeur d’Pirate.
