Acoustic All-Stars 2012 = Success and Mucho fun!!!

What a weekend!!!  

Let me just start here….. See, this is the 5^th year of the AAS and a tiny bit of history is in order to give you a better idea of how awesome this weekend was.

We started our search for a venue to hold an acoustic music festival at a place called Club Celsius in Park City. They closed down and show was a no go. Then we played at The Star Bar for a show opening for Joshua James and Benton Paul. We fell in love with the staff and the bar set up and got our first venue for the AAS. The first year we had a small crowd.  The second a decent crowd. We implemented the ticketing system that year.  The Third year, we opened the doors to a line down the street of ticket holders.  Then, discord with staff and owner at The Star Bar made all the people we were previously working with jump ship. We couldn’t ask our artists to rely on such unpredictable circumstances and had to jump ship as well. We thought, we want to go to where Celsius was again! So the 4^th year was at The Downstairs. This year we were able to get a few sponsors, make t shirts, pay for advertising, etc.

In the end, I apologize to The Downstairs for this, but we were miserable with the results. The Staff wasn’t friendly, the owner’s expectations were unrealistic, and the seating was atrocious. We had to leave.

The first time we talked to Mischell and Mario about having the 5^th year at Fats, we were at the end of our rope. We heard rumor the previous year of artists complaining that they were too good for a 30 minute set and that we weren’t paying them.  We were at the point that if this year didn’t work out we were going to stop. We also decided that the stress and taxes of having sponsors wasn’t worth it. We weren’t able to spend the time on making the fest the best it could be because we were trying so hard to make money. Unfortunately, we don’t make money on this fest. Fortunately, it is more fun that way. Weird I know. lol

Now, I mean this in the best way possible, but artists…we set up the ticketing system because we can’t afford to pay you. What’s more, we will never be able to pay you all more than you could make with your tickets. Yes, I know you’re being nice and giving them out just to get people to come see you, but that’s YOUR decision. We have had a few people over the years say ‘now if only you could pay us.’  Well, we technically do. You’re just not earning it. I’m sorry but that’s the fact. We give you enough tickets (and you can request more) to sell them and make a good profit. We give tickets out to get people in so the bar makes money and we keep the little bit of money from the door which rarely covers our overhead. We apologize because this year we just didn’t have the money for any advertising but IMAGINE next year when we do J

What you don’t see is that 90% of the attendees are A:Friends of the bar and don’t pay, B: Have Tickets or are on a list, or C: Come in late enough we don’t charge them. Honest math…..If we took our profit (Overall income  + our own merch profit – (MINUS) Photographer, Food, tipping bar, making T shirts, making posters, purchasing tickets (that we give you), and gas to hang fliers, pick up fliers, back and forth to venue all weekend, etc that would pay each band evenly $8.09. I’m totally not exaggerating lol.

I just needed, for myself, to explain that to anyone who wonders why we don’t pay you. We would love to. We really would. But the tickets were brought out to make sure you all could make some money. If you don’t we are not responsible. We also don’t mind if you give them out. But really, what’s the difference of asking people to buy them or asking them to pay a door fee? It’s the same amount. If they are your friends / fans they’ll give you 5$  J

Anyway, what was wonderful about this year was that there was no discord, there was no artists acting like princesses, everyone was on time or early, people hung out, ate, bought or were given tickets, and we all had fun. The staff was friendly, the food was great, the drinks were cheap, and we all left with a happy warm feeling.

We will definitely have a year 6 and it will be even better. 

Off subject for a second…….Last, I want to pay tribute to our good friend Ischa of Minx.

I have been watching her amazing stage presence and ability to just give her performance all she has and I truly look up to her. She is a phenomenal performer and I see her as any musician’s perfect role model. There are things I have always wanted to do on stage and seeing her grace and professionalism has been pushing me to get out of my comfort zone and just do it.

Last night I took my mic off the stand for the first time and sang Alanis. I was so scary. I thought sure I’d pull the mic off and hit myself in the face and end up bleeding, ruin the song, everyone would laugh at me, and Id go home and curl up like a dead spider lol.

It was amazing and empowering and I loved it.

Thank you Ischa. You’re beautiful and inspiring and your inspiring nature lead to one of the best performances we have ever had . Xoxo

Last!

All the musicians this weekend were awesome and we want to thank everyone who stayed for our performance. It was Sunday and everyone works today but the people who stayed for our set are the best friends anyone could ask for. We like to take smaller sets and lesser loved times every once in a while just to makes sure its fair and that everyone knows that side stages and opening the show are not a reflection of your talent but merely the fact that not everyone can play the main stage and not everyone can have the best time slot. Those of you who took time out of your busy schedules to stay and listen to the last band of the festival are our heroes and we thank you from the bottom of our hearts. You made last night end with a bang and we had no idea we could even imagine that outcome.

Thank you all again. Next year is going to rock your socks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Check out photos!!  http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Tim-Candelaria-Photography/305338682811887

Next. Acoustic All Stars August 11 at Rovali's in Ogden!!!

Top 10 reasons NOT to give up

1: Everyone who ever told you that you can’t/ Wont….Don’t you DARE prove them right!

   2: You will regret it for the rest of your life and anyone involved with said quitting, you will secretly resent as well

3: Do you REALLY want to? I doubt it!

4: Because it’s like working out, or trying to date someone that isn’t necessarily sure they’re ready but you both know its right…..If you do it, with all the struggles and trials and bad things that no doubt will happen, you will look back and be so grateful for the ride.

5: THE RIDE!!!! OMG the bad and the good and everything in between is what makes this whole damn thing worth it.

6: Because, musician or not, things that you have to work this hard for are so great and test your character, morals, motivation, and even stamina. You find who you really are and when you have to push yourself out of your comfort zone, which you have to a lot whether its pleasing a different crowd, or telling a booking agent to fuck off because they’re ridiculous, its good for you to stand your ground and be who you are.

7: You will learn what drives and inspires you. If you believe in Karma and Chi you know that this sort of thing is the best for finding your center.

8: It’s different than what most other people do in their lives and someday you can inspire others with your commitment to something so different and really looked down on. People never think you’ll make it so when you can do what you love against all odds its inspiring no matter what level you’re at.

9: You learn who real friends are, who has character, who will stab you in the back for a dollar, and who will stand behind you when you act like a total douche. Some of the best actors I ever met were musicians who act like they’re you’re friends because as any of you know, we can all help each other somehow. There is a LOT of people who will use you. The reason not to quit here is that when you find your friends they’re so everlasting and important to you that you will have people you can rely on that you may have never met otherwise.

10: Because if you were really passionate about this to do it and say you want it you would NEVER give up. Everyone has a split second where they say ‘maybe I should just be done’ but it’s in you. Its part of you and you need to do this if you’re REALLY passionate about it. Do not let the pressures of society get to you. Don’t live your life wishing you had.

Practice Makes Improvement; My month of daily practice

I challenged myself last month to practice guitar and/or sing every night for a minimum of 20 minutes. All but 3 nights, I did it.

I wanted to tell you about what I learned because it really pointed a few things out to me.

First, I am retaining the songs I practice better when I play that often.

Next, I never played for only 20 minutes. It was always an hour or more. Its so easy to keep going once you start.

Then, I started feeling my voice getting stronger and my guitar playing getting better.

I also had nights where I was MISERABLE and tired and didn’t want to play so I would have to make myself do it anyway and all but one of those times, once I started, I was glad I did it.

The biggest thing I got out of it was that we played 3 shows on Saturday, and then again 1 on Sunday and by the time we got done I was exhausted but there is NO way my voice would have held up for all that if I hadn’t been strengthening it.

I know now that this challenge I gave myself is something I need to continue. I challenged all our Facebook followers to challenge themselves to do something and got no response. It made me sad because as people AND musicians we should always be challenging ourselves to be better and not one person wanted to improve anything.

I challenge you now. Think of something you need or want and challenge yourself to get it. Sometimes it will be hard. Sometimes it will be the hardest thing in the world. I wanted to just go to bed and sleep quite a few nights and the first night I missed, I only missed because I got home from work and was about dead so I went strait to sleep. I was so sad the next day that I missed one day. It was easier to push myself on tired nights after that.

I truly believe that we all can improve ourselves; we just need to decide what’s first to work on. Now that I know I have at least a LITTLE discipline, I will try to eat better lol.

Booking....all up in your face!

I want to send out unwarranted advice to any musician who is interested in booking gigs.
If you are paying someone to book that doesn't give you information for your gigs it makes YOU look bad when you're late, missing equipment you needed etc so if you can get a handle on this yourself, you're golden AND you will make more $$. If you find someone who can do this for you as well as you could without getting you blacklisted from gigs, TAKE IT!

I get asked about booking....a lot. If you don't know...Ty and I play A LOT. At LEAST 1 show a week. Average 2. Sometimes 3 and on a crazy week 4 but that's VERY rare. But still..its not quantity. its quality. I could make us play every night if I wanted to but we still work full time and that's rough. Because I am able to get us booked on a consistent basis for months at a time, I somehow have started getting asked advice. At first I though it was unfair for me to give advice on something I know very little about. Then, I started talking to the people who were asking and it occurred to me...We have been doing this...this intense.... for a few years now.
I decided that perception is 99% of success. If you ask someone when their next opening is, and they say 2 months or 3 months down the line, its a little impressive. If you ask and they have no shows nor prospects, it takes away a bit of dazzle. Tell me I'm wrong here.
Some of the people who ask have yet to play out live.
I encourage this. Performing live  scary as hell, and yet empowering and suddenly your song is over, and unless your crowd is a bunch of ass holes, you get this feeling that can't be beat. It may be applause, it may be silence, we all have our own desired result. Nothing is better than playing a song you really feel with all your heart and nailing it and then that rush that comes.

So. Here is my advice. This is not the bible. This is not set in stone in any way. Something I do may NOT work for someone else. As a matter of fact...adopt that idea NOW. If someone else is doing it, try something else. Sorry...its the way of the music world.
First. Do an open mic. You'll NEED to make sure you like it. I have seen people that said 'I want to play music SOOO bad!!!! and then they hated it...not many...but a few. Rinse and repeat. You need to play a bit before you start asking people to book you at venues and even more to ask them to pay you. Why would you hire someone to babysit your kids if they have never been around kids in their life?
Next, where can you perform? Obviously, If you're under 21...there's no reason to call bars.
Lets say you're us. Why? Because I don't know what has happened to everyone else....sillies.:)
Don't DECIDE where you can perform. Unfortunately, at least in Utah, very few "venues" besides clubs pay the musicians. This means, if you want to make a living, you need to figure out how to play a bar crowd. Do you HAVE to? Remember earlier when I said this isn't the bible? Ok. :) (playing a bar crowd...there is no advice. Figure it out your way because someone else's way is not YOU and crowds sense that.)
Play anywhere that will take you if you have to for the first little bit. Some places never even listen to your music and you open for heavy metal. This is perfectly normal. And I think good for you. If you can't hang with what ever is put in front of you, you'd better get good at it. Our first gig in SLC was at Burts Tiki Lounge. Nice folks. More than that though, you're getting experience.

How do I find gigs????
Ready??????
Get a phone book, or, if you are against hard, hold in your hand books with paper, go to google.
I will continue with phonebook reference. Translate to Google where necessary.
Open it.
Go to the yellow pages.
Look up bars, clubs, coffee shops, restaurants, pubs, entertainment....anything you can think of that associates music.
Pick a place.
Call them.
When they answer ask first (if you don't already know) 'Do you have live music there?' If they say no thank them and move on. If they say yes, ask them how a band would go about booking a performance there sometime. They will direct you one way or another from there. Do what they say. email? Call? Call after a certain time? (very common) Do it. If you keep calling back doing every thing you weren't supposed to do they will hate that.
Build your list and keep it. As you go you will run into multiple repetitive listings and you don't want to call the same place 3 times asking if they have live music. Also, you're building your call list. This is imperative to booking. I literally went down a copy of the phone book bars and restaurants yellow pages with a highlighter, called them all, asked if they had live music, and highlighted the ones that did. On each call I got any info on booking or took notes if I was to call back later.
My point of this initial calling was to get my list done and ready so I could call and look to it next time.
Its something I try to do again later and then will continue to do periodically to keep my listings up to date.
Booking is hard. Its scary. More than that, its time consuming to start. Just get to the point and be polite and courteous and professional. Booking people can be assholes, dicks, and bitches. Don't let it get you down. And remember, something bad has to happen at least once or you're dreaming.
A few years (Yes more than likely years) in, you will have met many new people along the way. Sometimes a gig you play for free will lead you to a paid opportunity. (Remember also, the easier you are to work with, reasonable, and nicer you are, the more likely they are to want to have you around). We have scored SOOO many amazing gigs from free gigs. We got booked at pride because we played at a free fundraiser gig and a guy who books for Pride happened to be there. Funny thing was we finished our set and Fox13 came in to film for the news so they missed us and we were sort of sad we were missed but then booking at Pride Fest is AMAZING and it was 100% worth playing that free gig.
We did a free gig at The First Unitarian Church that has music all the time and it lead to a few people that now email and hook us up with gigs.
We played at a summer concert the other day for free that lead to the manager of the restaurant giving us his email to book paying gigs.
Do NOT think you are above a gig. Either you love playing or you don't but you are not better than anyone or anything if you're just doing what you love. Otherwise, it becomes work. I don't want to work my life away. I want to play music.
Just remember, if you love something, you will find a way to have it. You will do what ever it takes, to get that to stay in your life, and you will be glad you did. Push through the crappiness of the first year of booking and then all of a sudden it pretty much does it on its own.
Remember that feeling older musicians? :)
Here are a few tips to help you.
Try this website indieonthemove.com  You can find venues you know or don't know and even gives you contact info for many places. It also lists the styles of music that they book and sometimes tells you if they pay. You can book in town or across the country and you can contact other musicians all over the US about gig trading.
Also, if you're stumped and google isn't helping try face book. It takes a little patience to find the right place to go but there is a way to search for live music in different cities. Its cool because many places wont be in a google search but they do have a face book page.
Good luck guys :) And remember. Booking SUCKS but if you can get good at it its so easy and pretty much does it on its own.

Bestest Weekend! And Pride 2012

I love when a weekend starts out with hype, excitement and a thrill of what is to come. Many times, there is a normal excitement because we just love to play music but sometimes a new experience lends itself to a new excitement. We had such a weekend.

It started with my cousins wedding in Brigham City. Let me just say, she looked SO damn rock star in her gown and I was super proud of her. It was sweet because through the ceremony her husband to be looked at her lovingly the entire time. It was really very beautiful. We had a really wonderful time there and met some new people and ran into old friends.

We then drove to our gig at Fahrenheit Lounge in the Hilton Garden Inn in Layton where we perform the first Friday of each month. We arrived early enough to get to relax and set up in a comfortable fashion (which is SO nice when you have a 3 gig weekend ahead of you). We were told that they had moved where we perform so we set up almost right next to the bar. For some reason, we were just on. I don’t know what happened but it was just a fun night where we met some really wonderful people and sold a few CDs and T shirts. Really awesome.

We stayed with our friends Jackie and Tony and arrived to their house at about 2 am where Jackie had set up a whole to do for us. We walked into the room to a bottle of wine, flowers, chocolates, glasses for wine and an opener, a card (which lets just say was hilarious but private lol) and what we will call a ‘love’ towel in case the mood struck us lol.

We woke the next day and went to lunch with Jackie and then eventually went to hang out and nap until it was time to leave for our gig at Rovali’s Ristorante italiano in Ogden where we perform the first Saturday of every month.

We arrived and it was damn hot out so we were a little sweaty lol but it was fun.

No one was there for the first part of our set so Alex told us if it didn’t pick up we would stop playing but then people showed up and it was a good little crowd. We played and talked to them and had a very successful night there. And as always, FOOD WAS AWESOME!!!!!!

We finished the gig, packed up, and headed home.

Once home it was pretty late so we went through our set list for the next night and went to bed. 

Sunday morning, we woke and slowly got going. I picked a crazy hairdo that would lake me way too long to do so I got started and we got ready and headed to the gig we have desired to play for years. Utah Pride Festival. We were booked to perform on the East Café Stage at 1:30pm and we were SO excited for this. Once there, we were met with EXTREME heat and mugginess lol. It was rough.

The volunteers and staff were fantastic and of course, we loved all the fabulousness around us. Pride is just one of the best festivals ever. We played for about an hour and were privileged to be joined by many friends and nabbed a few new ones as well. We rocked as hard as we could and I didn’t even use my music! No ipad, no book! GO ME lol

We were met by Gavin from City Weekly’s Gavin’s Underground who had interviewed us earlier for the article he posted today and took a lot of really cool pictures as well. He is a super cool guy.

http://www.cityweekly.net/utah/blog-70-7703-2012-utah-pride-festival-melody-tyler-folk-hogan.html
And all the pics he took:http://www.cityweekly.net/utah/imagesGalleries.php?action=viewGallery&gal_id=590

Tim Candalaria took a lot of really great ones too!
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Tim-Candelaria-Photography/305338682811887

We took our gear away and came back to the fest to check everything out. We bought sunglasses, I got a SL,UT shirt, we won a stop AIDS magnet, got a bunch of stickers for guitars, signed up on mailing lists for things like anti bullying and gardening classes. Can I just say, those beautiful gay boys LOVE my man? He was getting hit on left and right. Told you you’re hot Ty J

We stayed for most of Juana Ghani’s set, and then it was time to go eat.

We hit up Golden Phoenix’s Evergreen Café and before I knew it I had eaten EVERYTHING in front of me lol. It was fun to have Tim, Jen, and Katie join us as well.

Back at home I was EXAUSTED! I felt great about our performances and time we shared all weekend but all I wanted to do was sleep….and I did.

It was a fantastic weekend and I wanted to share it with you all because sometimes I get a little down but there are those times where I just want to say, it always pays off. It always evens out. It always is what you need it to be when you need it to be. Keep working everyone. Dreams are only dreams if you only think about them. J

Wasted energy…

I admit it. I am a vengeful person in general. I try really hard not to be but if someone makes me feel less than I am I never forget it. I mean, you could call me names behind my back and I can live with that, but if you make me feel my voice isn’t heard or that you’re better than me, I get boiling rage. What does this accomplish? Nothing. Nothing at all. I lose sleep. I stress.

But what’s worse, I never really cry and unfortunately, as a woman, that is a bad thing. Almost any woman will tell you a good cry is a necessity to get over any issue. Just don’t be a whiny bitch.

Today I am writing to talk about wasting energy on everyone else.

I used to think I was a good judge of character, but as the last year as come and gone I have seen myself proven wrong time and again because I want to believe in people so badly. My foot Dr, friends, all ranges of people. This becomes my doom. But when do you close yourself off and decide that pretty much everyone is out to help themselves?

My decision today has become never.

Here is why.

I am a person that gives money to needy people. I know that sometimes it’s critical for places like The Road Home to give money to them instead but I know from my past that some people don’t know how to ask for help from organizations thinking its best to do yourself. When I get that overwhelming feeling that a person with a cardboard sign is in need, I give if I have anything to give. I have been talked to by many about the faults of this but my defense to them is that if I give when my heart says to give and that person uses it in a poor manner, I have done all I can do and can have a clear conscience.

Why can’t I live like this? Maybe because you see what people you KNOW do with your help? Maybe because I can see when someone decides my help isn’t good enough and I am offended by this? I have had people ask me to help them with booking time and time again, and my advise isn’t what they wanted. It was my contacts lol. I cant give those. How will they learn? I try my best not to handicap my friends.

I am positive that all of us have been burned by a person or another, and as much as I don’t want to admit it, its mostly NOT on purpose.

We need to all learn how to not carry this with us. We waste time and energy talking about others in an ill manner, and though it seems that sometimes total ass holes get all the breaks, they don’t generally like themselves and neither does anyone else for long.

I challenge you and me, to make a pact.

1: No gossip. It helps no one ESPECIALLY those speaking it. It just burns the issues in our brains and we dwell while the person we are talking about is making headway on what ever they are doing because they generally don’t give a shit that you don’t like them or what they’re doing lol. As a matter of fact, speaking from experience, it drives them to succeed. We have been shot by some here in SLC and it just makes me go ‘Oh ya? Ill show YOU!’ lol

2: Breathe and think about what you need to do for you without walking over others.

3: Before we are quick to judge lets all think about the likelihood of that person being out to get you, or even thinking of you at all, and do the same for others. Be aware of those around you and if something feels right to help another, follow your heart and forget what they do with it. If you GIVE your help, its theirs to use as they need or desire.

And 4: Negativity seeps into your brain and takes you over. People see it, hear it, smell it and worse, avoid it. There’s no better way to let someone else take over your life than to let them. There is also no better way to get someone to not want to hang out with you than being negative.

I want to add, this post comes from the past few months of work, music, life in general. I am a person that tries to help others as much as I can. I don’t say this for props. I say this as a beginning to my explanation.  Over the past few years it has become so hard not to get jaded by people who have talked bad about us, gotten us blacklisted from playing at bars, people feeling we didn’t give them a gig they deserved, people thinking we are jerks for missing an email, or not going to a show we couldn’t make, at work, being told in no uncertain terms that my position is less than anothers’, things like that. But when you think about the good….there is ALWAYS so much more good out there than bad. And many times, the bad you see isn’t from someone else’s mistake, but your own. I was so mad because a certain paper seemed to think we never perform or tour and I realized it wasn’t THEIR fault. It was ours for not being better at promoting and advertising. Instead of getting mad at them, I went online and added all our shows to their calendar.

I have had many comments from friends lately about losing sleep and being stressed. Breathe my friends. Its all ok. We tend to close up and hide when things seem unbearable and then wonder why we feel so alone. Open up and ask your friends to be there for you and you will see how many people are out there to support you. Ask for support and you will receive.

These issues tend to get us all down and I have seen me not practicing, not working on AAS etc because I have let it all get me down. But the best defense to this is to just work through it. At least at the end of the day you know you accomplished something instead of getting more down because you didn’t accomplish anything.

My last challenge, if you hold onto the frustrations and sadness like I tend to do no matter how hard I try not to, is write those things down in a list and then write a list of the good in the same time frame. Wake up each morning and take a deep breath and think about what you need to make you happy. Push yourself to work harder on what you love or need and don’t let anyone else get in the way. When you go to bed at night, if all the things you can’t stop thinking about aren’t gone but you did all you could to remove those thoughts, maybe take a second to cry it out and you’ll sleep like a baby lol. If all else fails…as Mary said on FB today, just have sex lol.

Here is my list :)  A window to my soul.

The American Dream

Imagine.... I wake up every morning, and I go to work. I dream of nothing but going up and up in the company I work for. Its a good life. I always have money, and know exactly where I will be in 5 years. I am purchasing a house and am pregnant with my second child. Our first child, a boy, is the spitting image of his father. I have loans, credit cards, 2 cars, and a growing family. Its every American's dream. Its stable, comfortable, and something I have in common with most everyone else in the world. I get the paper, have Super Bowl Parties, walk the dog, go to the gym, go to movies, and do a lot of traveling. Very happy. Very safe.

Not like this life.
I have had many times where people act like I am crazy to want to play music for a living. It seems the impossible dream with the entertainment industry. One in throusands is able to make a living. I can work at Taco Bell if I want, but I can't just fill out an application for musicianship. Taco Bell says 'these are our operating hours. Be here #-# pm.' Music says 'Live me every second you can stand it or die.'
I had a guy say 'Oh a musician huh?!....I always wanted to carve wooden birds' (seriously) I wanted to ask him 'did you have a passion for it?' and then I knew that no....he didn't. If he did, he would be doing it.
I send my respect to my fellow struggling musician or anything else you do that is a struggle in less than average ways. Its a hard road with speed bumps and if you're not careful and focused, you will high center on your laziness, get down on yourself, and maybe even , sadly, give up.
Never give up.
Ok. Sometimes, we all get down and out about where we are and what we have to do next but do you really want to look back someday and say 'Man. I really should have done that when I had the chance.'  I am willing to bet that anyone who reads this is farther ahead in their goals than they even realize. I bet more people recognize your excellence than you know.
Don't let yourself down. Its a hard road ahead but anything worth it is rarely easy. Don't look back with regrets if you can ever help it.
I woke up 5 years ago and went "SHIT! Where did the time go?"  I thought I had plenty of time and I still do but in todays industry, 30 is 75 in musician years.
If I want this at my age, I have to push harder and harder every day not to give up because there are days when I wonder if I would be happy as a mother whos kids say 'ya she used to sing' and then I realize I wouldn't. I look up to people who want a different life than mine because I can't be that. I need to be more than normal, or average (not that either of those are bad). I need to say 'I did this.'  You can too. Say it everyday. Tell your friends and family you believe in you. They will to.....evn if only eventually.
Smile, amd remember you are you and no one else can make that claim. It what sets you apart and what makes you specia,l and you get the chance to creatively make you being you into a beautiful career.
Take care all :) XOXO.

P.s.  I am starting a new section of my blog. It will be interviewing fellow musicians about their beginnings and past. I think we all love hearing about other people and what they have done so I want to highlight that. If youre interested in this please email me. I dont have to know you to include you :)

A weekend with Ischa and Raffi of Uncle Scam

Wow. I am a lazy bitch. I have been saying for months that I want to go out and see more bands and meet more people but as many of you know, I get severe anxiety with new people so I honestly had a lot of trouble with that.  I have made excuses like everyone. See, there are many for anyone and I am willing to bet most of them are the same for most of us.  Have you said to yourself:

I am tired

I worked a lot this week

I need to relax

I have a lot to do

Ill go tomorrow

Maybe next time

No one comes to see me, I’ll try another time. They won’t care.

I don’t know whose playing

I don’t know where to go

I don’t have any money

I am performing all weekend and just can’t make room

On, and on, and on, and on. I have personally said these several times in the past. And do you know what happens? I am mad at myself later for missing out, or for pussing out lol. These aren’t BAD excuses. They’re completely valid. BUT. I learned something reallllly valuable this weekend that I think you all should know. I think we all KNOW these things but the proof is in the pudding people.

I’m Tired: Sleep when you’re dead. No one knows you’re tired. They don’t even know most of the time you’re NOT there (where ever there is) what they DO know, is when you ARE there. I was in love with how everyone knows Raffi and Ischa because it’s their BUSINESS to be there. AND they’re good friends. Those are HARD to find in this business so why wouldn’t you cherish people like that?

I worked a lot this week. Ya. We all did. It’s not like people who go out on the weekend have been sleeping all week.

I need to relax. See above.

I have a lot to do. Ya. Who doesn’t. Do you know how often Ty and I say things like, we need to practice more and then say ‘oh we have a lot to do though’ and then I sit and watch Netflix? Let’s just say logged lazy hours are embarrassing.

I’ll go tomorrow. An opportunity to support a fellow musician, friend, or just be there for something fun is gone every day. Tomorrow never seems to come when you say this.

Maybe next time. See above.

No one comes to see me…… MAYBE it’s because you don’t go to see them? Maybe it’s because they don’t know you? Maybe it’s because they don’t know you’re performing.

I don’t know whose playing. I loved that Ischa and Raffi knew things going on that I had NO idea about. We went to a photography studio Saturday with pole dancers but not strippers. These people were fit, hardcore serious athletes. It was amazing.  And Friday night we went to a show at The Depot for Mutaytor, a band with dancers, fire dancer, belly dancers, and girls in metal undies and sanders creating sparks!  Find people who have a few ideas, throw in your own ideas and spend some time seeing the night life in your city. Things are going on whether you know it or not.

I don’t have any money. Guess what. This is a bull shit excuse. Know how much I spent Friday night? I went to The Depot, Burt’s Tiki Lounge, and a few house parties.   15$. Know how much Ty and I spend Saturday night combined? We went to the photo studio, Piper Down, The Green Pig Pub, and Fat’s Grill. 40$.  I guarantee there’s something else you will do that spends that much money and you didn’t even know it.

I perform a lot this weekend. I really look up to Ischa and Raffi. They perform a lot, record, practice, they seem to be in print all over the place all the time, and yet always make the rounds to see people and be seen. You may not want to admit this but it’s important to be seen. Out of sight out of mind right? But more than that, I had more ‘experiences’ this weekend with 2 new friends than I have in quite a while. Sure I drank a bit but it wasn’t about partying and getting drunk. It was about experiencing what SLC has to offer which is a lot more than I knew. It was exciting to be a part of such adventure and relationship building.

 I also learned, that because my best friend is my partner and we have had the same excuses as everyone else,  I USED to know a LOT of people. I still know them. They don’t know me. Has anyone ever said ‘its not what you know, but who you know?’  You don’t have to be a total user douche to get what you want. Be a genuine person and meet other people and stay genuine and things will come to you.

Thank you Ischa and Raffi. You guys showed me that I could have a good time, without spending hoards of money, and meet new people even if I get nervous in crowds. It was really good for me to see that the idea of show hopping and meeting new people could be done cheaply, and efficiently and was worth the loss of a 11:00 bedtime. (BTW Make sure to check out their new project Minx)

It’s a never ending truth. If you want to be someone, be someone. Don’t sit at home with your talents alone on all your free time wondering why no one knows who you are. You can be the most talented person in the world and people may not know you. Get out. Support each other. But what’s most impressive to me, is making memories with other people and getting gout of your own way. And you will also learn how many talented bands there are that you have never heard. Loom, and The Suicycles are two of my new faves. And remember my last post? How it was about puttin on a show? One of the things it says is to bring your own lights. Loom does that and its Bad Ass!

Seriously, if I can attend several shows with groups of people I don’t know with my crazy anxiety issues, you can. J

Good luck. Go search for some shows you haven’t ever attended this week and make time. Sleep when you’re dead!

Check the pics.

Stage presence and the importance of people noticing

So.  I have been very aware of something lately.  There is this thing that seems to matter a LOT. People noticing you.

For years, I have been aware that people didn’t seem to remember me no matter what I did. Now, if you’re a musician, guess what…that’s bad.  You want, NO NEED people to remember you. If you are not a familiar face, you are the crowd. How can one become successful and prominent if no one knows who you are?

This has become my mission, to be remembered.

We have, in the past, performed places and met new people who we will run into again later and they remember Ty, but not me. I couldn’t figure out why. We have talent, we have drive, and people enjoy our music.

Then I realized that I have always had an understated style. Even when I tried out for American Idol YEARS ago, I wore a blue polo and khaki pants. Earrings were my only jewelry and my make up was everyday. I looked around me and saw people in sparkles and heels and scarves and some very loud clothing and I honestly thought at the time they were ridiculous.

All of a sudden, it isn’t that way anymore. 

One day, after a meet where Ty was recognized and not me, where we were also introduced as Ty and Melody (Its natural to say your friend’s name first even if it’s not the bands name) I went home and put two blonde streaks in my hair. I started pinning the streak in my bangs back and had a sort of Cruella DeVille thing going on.  Slowly, I saw people noticing me. Something SO simple. The hardest transition is from stage to floor. We rarely have a person at a merch booth for us, so if someone forgets who I am between the time it takes for me to walk off stage and get to the merch, they don’t know who to ask to buy it. Right? See where I’m going with this?

I have been seeing that there are a few things, though silly and seemingly political, that are very important to grow a full fan base when it comes to stage presence.

1: People must remember you.

2: Photographers will come to your shows to take your picture. They take tons of pictures in that time, unless you’re standing still and there isn’t a shot. You WANT them to get good shots of you. Why??? Because attendees of your shows see photographers and say ‘wow, they have photographers’ but then, in the follow up, if that photographer gets good shots, and shares them or you buy them, those are exactly the type of press and promotional material every successful musician needs.

3: Dressing in jeans and t shirts is ok. BUT, you have to perform. People come to your gig to be entertained. There is a HUGE difference between a musician and an entertainer. Entertainers make the most money. If you want to do this for a living, you have to make money.

4: Know your songs. I am SOOOOO guilty of not having this one down. My memory has never been good and it’s hard to keep songs in my brain. BUT your confidence isn’t going past your music book if you have one and therefore the audience gets left out.

5: Watch other bands with great stage presence. I recommend Uncle Scam (##1),  The Wayne Hoskins Band, Royal Bliss, and Juana Ghani.

Here are a few articles I found on stage presence. You will all see some changes with us soon as we learn more about movement, dress, and attitude.

http://www.catch-22productions.com/stagepresence.html

http://www.wikihow.com/Improve-Stage-Presence-As-a-Lead-Singer

http://www.rockyourguitar.com/how-to-develop-stage-presence-as-a-guitarist/

http://www.ultimate-guitar.com/columns/general_music/on-stage_antics_tips_and_suggestions.html

http://www.ehow.com/info_12136847_acting-tips-stage-presence.html

I highly recommend these articles to anyone who cares about their stage presence.

Also, If you don’t know, our CD release is this coming Friday April 20 at Fat’s Grill. 9pm. Dustin and Dave from The Wayne Hoskins Band will open for us and we will play songs from the new album. We are extremely excited about this album. Its our first full length, and we have put a lot into it. We recorded it at our house, wrote all the parts, and Ty did all the album art himself. It’s a great album and we can’t wait to share it with you all.

Thanks for all your support. We love you all.

Learning & If You Don’t Have Anything Nice.....

I have learned a lot recently. Too much I’m afraid to post on here, some too personal to want to. I am excited to share with you what I can though. I have made some serious self discoveries in the past few months and have been so busy and tired that writing the blog and newsletter has honestly fallen by the wayside. I apologize. Its harder the longer I wait to write them because something new happens every day and suddenly I don’t have the time, patience, or ability in general to write it all down. Maybe I should do a weekly blog lol.
As we get closer to finishing the album I am seeing what an asset it will be to our careers. I believe in my heart that The Devil In Me is going to set us off on a journey that we don’t have an inkling of the unimaginable possibilities it will send our way. That song came to me by divine nature and I have no idea how we lucked out with it.It means so very much and speaks to so many and it is a true blessing to be allowed to call it ours. Its about a year old so its past time to be released.
Ty got a new job and it has taken him out and about much more than I am used to so there has been much reflection and learning in that aspect as well. We went on our tour and spent every minute together and tours always remind me just how much I enjoy his personality and
company. He is one of the funniest people in the world (and also crankiest when
he’s tired lol)
We got to do a lot of firsts on the tour like see the Grand Canyon, Talk on an FM and AM radio station, Perform in new cities, meet wonderful people, almost get fleas at a super amazing hotel
lol, See old friends, and even learned at one gig that our original music has been sold short for far too long. We performed at one place in Phoenix that didn’t allow covers. Not only did people love it, we realized that our songs can hold a crowd on their own and that we were playing FAR too many cover songs normally.
Ty went out of town for work and I had 2 gigs so I asked two people I looked up to and respected to share them with me. The first was at Wingers with Brian Bingham. We just flew by the seat
of our pants and had a blast. We (By we I mean I lol) decided our fake band name would be The TownHouse Crackers. It was one of the most fun times I have had and really truly enjoyed it.
Saturday I played w a friend at Rovali's and it was a fantastic experience. I realllly love singing backups and it was such a fun and great opportunity to get to sing some with him. It sounded great, the fans liked it, the restaurant liked it, and I was SO glad I asked him to share it with me. Its always fun to try something new and singing harmonies with him just worked.
That weekend I learned that although I prefer NOT to, I CAN perform without Ty if I ever NEED to as sometimes he has to be out of town. I haven’t done that in a long time and it was really scary. I also learned I don’t understand our sound system and mechanisms as much as I should for someone who claims to be a professional musician. I need to learn it all if I want to stand on my own two feet with or without Ty standing next to me.
I also learned that Ty (though I never doubted this) puts so much to our music and while I enjoyed what I got from my other friends, I definitely felt the missing piece when he was out of
town.

Finally, I learned this: To all my musician friends…. I need to say this. Not to talk shit or be a bitch, but as an honest word of advice. DO NOT TRUST ANYONE. In this business, people will foolishly, maliciously, or sometimes not even on purpose, stab you in the back if you trust too much or say things that should never be said. Sometimes you can get sucked in and your best
intentions can be molded and worked into a totally different version of your words. Watch your mouths. I have seen trouble with this type of behavior in the past and was very lucky to be able to fess up to anything I have said because I never went too far with it. If you talk shit on people, people will talk shit on you. It’s a fact and can be deathly detrimental to your career. Watch your
mouths guys. No one else knows how to watch theirs and if you’re not able to pull away from those people before its too late, they WILL drag you down with them and cause more drama than anyone should ever have. I have had to cut people out in the past and though it’s hard, it’s a must. Many times, it will be people you have trusted and looked up to for years and you have to just
close the book. It feels good once it’s done and you see the improvement in your career, conscience, and overall happiness pretty much immediately. Drama sponges will suck you and all of your time to death. Be careful not to get mixed up in it. As they say. If you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all.
If you want this career in particular, arts and entertainment I mean, You have to remember that you don’t have many of the luxuries of being a total dick lol. People buy YOU. Your talent helps but if someone doesn’t like you or you’re a troublemaker or a drama sponge, they won’t book you. Ever.
I love you all my lovelies. We will have our album released in April and we truly believe you will all love it. Well……We hope you will lol.
Thank you all for your love, friendship, and patience. We truly need it, and dearly appreciate it.

The Hardest Days

Its 2:40am and I must write this while its fresh and I still feel it. Tonight we played a gig at an unnamed location. We promoted decently for people who don't have money to pay for advertising and invited some good friends.  It was one of those gigs that you set up sometimes having never been to the venue but the booking agent seems nice and they're guaranteeing pay so you do it. I email them to confirm a few days before and get a response from some one else 'yes we are exited to have you' etc.  We arrive at the venue early enough to set up and cover any kinks. The staff is very pleasant and nice and the non sound guy sound guy(it's his system but we set our own sound which is fine) after a second of weird conversation, seems very nice as well. We find out that the girl we booked with is gone but I don't worry too much because I have emails and have no qualms about being a total bitch when a contract isn't honored. Only if needed. No one seems to know if we gets drink discounts but that's ok. We order a few anyway. No one has seen the new contact person so we ask a few people to send him our way when they do.  We have a few close friends show up but not near the # that said they would. That's also fine. We have learned through the years that 10% of the people who say they'll come to a show actually do and it's usually the ones you least expect. (we know sometimes people can't make it. We appreciate when they let is know) The bartender seems nice enough and we get drinks and start on time. We are at a club/venue so we can hear the music in the other too and so we joke about it trying to get the crowd into us (by crowd I mean 7-10 people including 3 friends and staff) The bartender isn't amused. People cycle in a bit here and there and eventually 2 of our friends have to leave.  1 friend and a table of rowdy drunk kids later we are trying to keep our heads above water as they close down the bar in our room thereby eliminating walk throughs and are in the main room doing some contest for best legs?  We eventually gain another friend and as the night winds down we are in a room with 2 friends, no staff, and a drunk guy sleeping on a couch. Our new contact, whom we still haven't met, eventually makes his way into the room at 15-set end and in a strange way shows then drops our fee on the stage by Ty.  We pack up and leave without so much as a see ya or have a good night from any staff. Our 2 friends leave with us and we happily close the door shut behind us.  I write this to you not to complain, not to bad mouth, but to say we all have weird gigs and weird nights. We were extremely fortunate to have 2 people there to have our backs all night. We obviously didn't fit this venue and that happens. I wanted to tell u guys about this night that felt so raw and awful like an open wound or sharks in the sea with a swimmer who has a paper cut because so often I write with advice. This time I have none except that these gigs will occur and they're REALLY hard to get past and push through but you can do it. I only hope you're lucky enough to have a friend or two there to help you through. 

A passion, a business, a poser, a hobby , or a career

Over the years, we have met a lot of musicians. We have learned a lot about those musicians. We have also observed many give up, crash and burn, and just plain not try. None of these things mean we think any less of you, but if you're a musician who wants to make it 'big' here are some things I have learned.

There are are many ways to play music.
1: As a passion. You love it. You will play to anyone for anything anywhere any time. This is the purest and most beautiful version that everyone needs, but also the easiest to get totally fucked. Because you love it so much, you are so much more willing to do it for anything. This reeks of desperation and record companies love this. (See my link to why we wont sign a record contract? http://www.negativland.com/albini.html ) Being a passionate artist has its benefits but be careful to remember that you're trying to make a living and if you're not, you're actually in the hobby category.  Passion is step one of many steps. If you're going to make a living, you have to learn how to be business oriented. This moves us on to...
2: As a businessman. This can mean many things but as I'm sure you can guess, business becomes a+#1 importance. This person will make a good living and probably be very successful....but may not always be very happy. If you lose sight of your love for the music it will be a long unhappy road with lots of money and sponsors, but no different than a desk job most days.
3: The Poser. You play music because you happen to have the talent but you're more concerned with getting drunk, the perks and partying than being a performer. Many artists have made a name for themselves being the fun party drunk musician but it wasn't until they moved into another category that people took them seriously... or they died. Harsh? Yes. It truly is. There is nothing wrong with drinking and having fun at your gigs, but when a venue pays you good money to entertain their crowd, they don't always love you doing it with your belligerence. Many will never say anything either because you have now spent your entire paycheck at their bar and liquor is cheap so that's a damn good deal on their end. This means free entertainment for them, and no income for you. Be careful with this one. It will suck you in and you will think you're living the rock star lifestyle, but in all reality you're living dangerously close to a cliff that will yank you over its edge before you realize its too late. And it ages you horrifically.  (He's only 68 years old!)

4: The hobby. You love playing music but have no idea or care to make money or work on your craft. Family and friends easily deter you from your slight goal with jobs, marriages, kids, and other things that will take precedence. This isn't bad. Its just your category. You don't perform regularly and as time goes on, living room practice becomes less and less.
5: A career.  You are a good mix between everyone. You understand that if you make 150$ at a gig and spend 150$ at a gig you made no money and that gig was pretty much free. If you're ok with that great. But you'll never be able to quit your day job. You understand that you are an entertainer and your crowd has to enjoy themselves or else why would the venue ask you back? Because you have talent? Talent doesn't make the venue money. Entertainment does. Shitty bands get paid all the time because they're entertaining. If someone comes to see you and is entertained they will stay longer than if you just sound good. Its the truth. If they wanted to listen to good music they can turn on their radio. You have to offer something better than what they can go find somewhere else for free and give them a reason to stay. You also understand that your relationships with the venues are important. if you're late, cancel all the time, bring rude rowdy friends, ask for freebies all the time, expect the world, or pretty much just act like a total dick, if you cant bring in so many people that the venue HAS to look past your bull shit, they wont. You practice because you want to AND have to, you write for the same reasons. You pay attention to your income, but you also understand that you should have some leeway to enjoy yourself or you'll get burned out. You live with in your means, and you keep track of your taxes. (if you don't, and you start making money and get audited good luck with that) And... most importantly, you love it. The day you stop loving it, Quit. I mean that. Don't play music for anyone but you. Don't worry about your stage set up or set list or if you have proper skills or if someone doesn't like you or if your song is about something controversial or if the band before you sucked or if the band after you sucks or if you should have worn something else or if you hit one bad note, or if you are tired, you're too skinny, you're too fat, your personal hygiene is bad (The used? lol ya. )
 you're not in the mood to be there, the legs of your pants got wet in a puddle, you have to pee, you coughed in the middle of a song. SHIT. Stop worrying. Play music. Play good music that you enjoy and feel it. How many times do I say on here. Feel what you're playing. It is really important to 99% of your crowds. Do what you feel you will be proud of doing not what you think everyone else wants you to do or what you think will make you famous. The harder you try to be famous the less likely you will be...unless you flash your crowd your boobs and buy them all shots every night or some stunts like that lol People will come for that lol.
All of these categories are not set in stone and you can become a new category if you want, but you can't move into one with out knowing which you are now.
I wish you all luck and hope you know that we never hope for bad to come to anyone. We may see it coming. Others will to. But we wish and hope and pray to see you all on the other side. For our sake AND yours. Good luck with your gigs this weekend. We love you all and are so grateful to know you. XOXO.

I'm BAAAACK!

Hey everyone. Remember when I used to do a blog and then I didn't. Ya me too. I've decided that as a New Years resolution (which I normally disagree with 100% as most of them are a set up for failure) it was time I start sharing again. This year, I will be unapologetic and say what I want. One thing I hate about facebook and other social networks is that I feel like I have to watch what I say. In all reality I think that idea is bull shit but I try to be considerate. To start a blog is like a very public diary and I have never censored my diary.....unless I thought someone was reading it lol.

Today I want to touch on paying your dues and the stupid little decisions that can and mostly will effect your progress. This can apply to non musicians too. You can't continuously change your college major and expect a super sweet high paying job to land in your lap. (rarely anyway lol)
I know many people who have reinvented themselves many times over or even just one or two times in an effort to become what they think they should. We have stayed the same group but had to start over due to name changes and moving and sound changes. We still fight for club gigs because of our reputation for slow music.
Ironically I wanted to write about this and then I read a blog from one of my favorite music professionals Cari Cole. She teaches in New York and we were fortunate to meet her in LA at ASCAP. She has many years of experience in music and the professional side of the business and I swear by her advice. Google her. You ll find her and love her. (or go to http://www.caricole.com). She talked today about being you for you and how important that is. She also talked about how no ones journey is the same.
I heard Matt Nathanson talk about this last year at ACAP as well. Just because someone makes it one way doesn't mean you will and honestly chances are BECAUSE someone made it one way your chances of following in their footsteps are much lower.
Here's my advice, remember, it may be coming from an undiscovered artist but still, we are progressively getting somewhere so don't count me out completely. Good advice is always good advice no matter the source.
They say you pay your dues for an average of 10 years. 10 years is a long time but it separates the men from the boys, it shows who is serious and for a company, record exec, financier, anyone who is paying attention, there is something to be said for sitting back while a band builds its fan base, becomes something bigger, and shows they are serious. Anyone can play music. Not everyone can react properly or even handle how the business will treat them.
The trick is to grow and evolve in your current world or move on as quickly as you can so you can properly pay your dues. If you have been playing for 30 years and have yet to hit what ever level your goal may be, I am willing to bet you've been in several bands or projects. This is because you don't pay your dues as a person. You pay them as a project. It takes 10 years on average for enough people to hear of your music to stand out above everyone else. If you change your genre, your city, your band name, you're pretty much starting over. Very rarely can you make a name for yourself moving around and changing yourself at all times. Can you imagine a business changing names and advertising that they sell floor cleaner and then you to find them and they're named something else and sell Dry wall? How can they get business that way? They will constantly battle their previous name and ideas against their new stuff.
As a solo artist it's the same. But when youre in a band you're involving other people in those changes. Either their not in your band anymore (generaly you can take away the fans that person brought from your attendance list) or they now have to tell their friends they bought in as fans that you're different and people don't respond well to being a fan of something that changes. Like your favorite restaurant. I used to love Ruby Tusdays and then they changed and as they're out of business now, I take it I wasn't the only one unhappy about it.
Be you for 10 years strait. Don't change your genre, don't change your name, don't feel entitled to a bigger following or crowd because you started playing alone 20 years ago and have been with your current band for 5 months. It doesn't work that way.
Final piece of advice. Be you and be consistent but evolve. You can't continue to play the same songs with the same set list the same way over and over and over and expect people not to get bored. You have to grow. How? Fuck if i know! Its not the same for everyone. People become your fan because they like watching you become someone they look up to more and more. And of course your music. But more the latter......just remember how many famous bands there are out there that aren't THAT great. It's because their fans love them. They love them for who they are and have been and who they're becoming. Find what youre best at at do it better every time and make it something people notice most. Harmonica? Learn some kick ass harp solos and rock the shit out of them. Singer? Splatter your heart all over the audience. Guitarist? Learn or write some sweet riffs and knock the socks off your crowd even if there are only 2 people there. Then....keep doing it. Not always the same solos and songs, do more and more AND get really good at the ones you already did.

Be willing to stick through 10 years minimum before you see results. If not, that's fine too but don't expect much more than a hobby.

Thanks for reading.
Xoxo