Liner Notes

A peculiar thing, if I can even call it that. A tradition that is actually quite a beautiful tradition that I don’t actually know anything about. What is the purpose of liner notes? To “note the lines,” perhaps? To explain what isn’t apparent from merely listening to the attached music?

To tell about the process and people’s involved in said recording. The feelings involved, the situation, the things that one who wasn’t at the recording would not see.

Yes, that is a reasonable start to my liner notes, first to define this “thing.”

Rock & Roll Motherfucker is perhaps my proudest work to date, or at least the closest depiction that I have achieved to expressing a truer version of myself.

I came out to my wife as a Transexual over a year ago; it took the birth of our baby Esra for me to fully come out to her, rather than just toy with the idea of “oh, I’m probably trans.”

I came out to the people closest to me the following months, including Malo, who was and is very much involved in my musical journey.

Thus, this recording had multiple layers, both for me, performing under the guise of “Arik Dov,” and for the participants, who, at the time, must have believed that there was a man named Arik Dov from California singing some songs, and occasionally wearing what are considered to be “female” clothing.

I had all of these songs written when the idea came to me sometime in 2021. Out of my indecisiveness I chose to have 2 sides of the album: one side would be all acoustic, blue grass style. The other would be wild and more rock and roll.

Choosing the musicians would hopefully be easy, and sure enough, I got an all-star group of musicians from Leipzig to join the team. With a wide array of styles, from experimental, to jazz, to classical, to my rock & folk influence, I was excited to see what would happen. I also decided to push us by only organizing one or two practices before the recordings.

I wonder about all of the things that you don’t see, especially in the videos I release. The fact that I was wearing a hat Luise bought me, because I couldn’t get my hair to look right at the recording. Or the fear about my facial hair and being perceived as a man (thankfully I’m now getting that taken care of).

What don’t you see in the songs? Would one realize that all of these songs are intertwined with my transition? That a simple love song could actually be a song about loving and accepting myself?

I remember putting on lipstick for the song Rock & Roll Motherfucker, and how hard that was. How hard it was to wear my dress.

Well I’m happy to say, that it’s getting easier, day by day.

My journey thus far has been somewhat depicted by my musical journey, as seen in my past releases, including “Burn Me Alive” where I literally have talked about killing off the character of “Arik Dov.” I wonder how many of you got the hint.

For those of you have followed, and continue to listen, I am forever grateful for your ears and hearts.

If liner notes are suppose to reveal some sort of hidden secret about a recording, I suppose this is it. Maybe I’m not the best person to talk about the details of what happened in regard to the physicality of the recording, or the other people involved, but I am the best person to talk about what I perceived and felt. And as usual, beside seeing and perceiving myself as a semi-out/mostly closeted trans woman, I saw a group of people elevate my simple songs into dimensions greater than myself.


Dimensions greater than any human can comprehend. I like to imagine that making music together is an act of summoning God, or connecting with God.

And as I stand here, with baby Esra sleeping on my chest, I think of the woman I have become, and the woman I will become.

Music has peeled of my layers, and rock & roll has helped me embrace my core.

I hope that this record brings you a sense of peace and calmness, as I too pursue my own peace of mind and body.


All my love,

Ariella Wolf