Sometimes, I listen to the radio at work and hear the worst shit excuses for music and I want to SCREAM! Who's with me here! I mean, COME ON!! "My Black and Yella" talking about how rich Im gonna be and everyones gonna think I'm 'Fly' and I'm gonna cruise around in my sexy diamond crusted car. WHAT?! I'm Sorry.... wait... or, "There's a place downtown where the freaks all hang around, its a hole in the wall its a dirty free for all.." Wait... and people are going there? What is it an orgy party? Are you singing a song about an orgy party? and little kids are singing this? They TOTALLY do! "Apple Bottom Jeans. Boots with the Fur." Since when did we need fur on our boots? So I shave my legs cause hair is gross, and then put on fur boots cause they're hott?! lol
I can appreciate the value of all styles of music. I am not a huge fan of a ton of Rap, but I definately know I couldn't spit that shit out at the drop of a hat like some of these guys. And the beats are fantastic when they're not stolen lol. Now..... Katy Perry? Who the hell is she and why is she wearing blue hair? Why do I care about her wedding in India to an English guy? Is this the music business now? Is this what you have to be? Katy Perry, Ke$ha (or Ke-dollarsign-ha as I like to say), Justin Beiber, T.I....that's Not a NAME! Why do I suddenly feel like I have to loose 50lbs, draw something obscure on my face, and dance around in tights? Does anyone care about music anymore?!
Or. Has it always been this way but with lesser means and I've just glamorized it all my life. There are so many good songs out there but so few REALLY stand the test of time. THAT is a true musician. These other shit eaters are just cashing a paycheck. Im sorry. I know a LOT of people love it and again, I can appreciate the value of parts of them, (More to keep myself from going nutso on some dumb bimbo singing something about her wearing shorts and a bikini on top) but I doubt that someday someone will say "Oh MAN! 'Unchained Melody', 'The Wall','Thriller', Crazy', and 'Teenage Dream' are some of the best songs ever!"
I want to go on the record here. I have loved music all my life. I have never been known for being a 'sexy woman', a 'crazy peformer', a 'pyrotechnic Extravaganza artist' but when I hit that high note, people turn. I have no need for this skimpy clothing to cause a wave, paint my face, act all wierd, shoot my boyfriend's ear off, get caught with a heroine needle in my arm, oops I failed another drug test attention whoring. If thats what it takes to be a musician, something has gone horribly awry. I know there are far more talented people than me out there, but I know we have the balls to go after this. We have been rejected for shows before, we have been declined from booking even. This means nothing. I picked up my guitar tonight after a stint away due to being sick and I felt that spark and I knew again. We are good. We get better all the time and we are different. We also have a long way to go. Everytime I want to be all BOO HOO, I think, 'Just because the bullshit is all packed in pretty packages and sold through the devil on MTV, doesn't mean we can't be something real. When I met Ty I told him, 'I will do this with or without you' and he said 'Ok. I'm in' It like was our verbal contract. :)
So, Next time you see us on stage, It will be the best show we have ever done. And then the NEXT time you see us again, It will be the best show we've ever done. And THEN, the NEXT time you see us, it will be THE BEST SHOW, we've EVER done, and so on. My point. Whether you like us or not. Whether we are your 'style of music' or not, whether I wear hot pants and Ty has an open fronted leotard or not, we are true musicians and damn proud of it. Someday, when we are touring and playing full time, we will build lasting relationships with the people we meet. We will have staying power because no matter how cool or sexy you are to a 13 year old for sliding around on the floor covered in naked men, she has nothing in common with you and she will remember people who were real to her. I've never heard anyone say anything like 'I STILL idolize Suzy Pepper, that CRAZY acrobatic singer from the 60's' (this is a made up person) Its the classics. The people who either sold their soul and made it work for them, or remained human....ish. Or died young and tragically. I'd prefer not the latter. ANYWHO.
I just wanted to tell you all how I feel about the music business. If I play my guitar and sing, then those who want to hear it will find me if I haven't found them first. But you have to keep playing no matter what cause the #1 cause of failure is giving up.
10/27/2010
10/15/2010
Finding Inspiration in a 9-5 World.
I feel very fortunte to have a job that I quite like. I work with super cool people in an environment far less frustrating and stressful than most. Don't get me wrong. We are super busy, but its not like the jobs I have had before. ANYWAY>
I feel music. I bleed it. My death will sound like a brilliant symphony if you know how to listen. I love music above anything else. (No offense Ty lol jk)
I wonder if musicians read this, and are trying to reach a point where they can just quit their jobs and be musicains full time. (I sure hope so) The thing is... Sometimes I have to remember that success never comes easily. Sometimes, I have to tell myself that it CAN be done.
This is when I look for more inspiration. Its like I have to conciously keep myself from being brainwashed of my former musical life and work the 9-5. Never gonna happen!
Here are the things I have to do to keep in touch with my dream.
*Listen consciously to music. I am a lyric person. I TOTALLY can't get over a real lyrical masterpiece. (What do you notice? Bass? Harmonies? Drums? What REALLT sets you off?)
*I teach myself the melodes and lyrics of random songs and find the pieces of the song that I am most moved by. I remember these. I sort of photograph them in my mind and then find a way to work something like it into a song. Somestimes I can, sometimes I can't.
*I watch for what everyone else is doing on Facebook, reverbnation, etc as often as I can. I like to see were everyone else is going because it creates drive.
*I like to see who people are performing with. Have I heard of them? Its alwasy fun to meet new musicians/friends.
*Listen to the Radio. You can listen to your CDs, iPod, etc, but when you listen to the radio, songs you wouldn't necessarily choose come on. It forces you to open your ears to something new. Anything new can be inpsiring.
*Write lyrics in a notepad on your desktop or with a pen and paper when they come to you. I don't mean songs. You could get in trouble for the time you'd put into that, unless you write songs fast or you are just in it and it just flows. Sometimes, you'll write something and never use it. Sometimes you'll write your favorite songs.
*Never let anyone make you feel bad for your dream. My last job had a few supportive co-workers, but there were definately a few that asked 'How our little thing was' in a very 'Im laughing at you on the inside' sort of way. NEVER LET THOSE PEOPLE GET TO YOU! Ever! Those are the people who have no dreams of their own and do not understand these things we call "Dreams". YOU should feel bad for THEM! lol (This all sounds so mean! It's just my view)
*Write what you feel. Forget if it sounds like the last song you wrote. Forget if the lyrics and melody are good. They'll get better with time and practice. Just keep writing what you feel. If I can deeply feel sad that I found a roach in my soup I COULD write a song about it. It would TOTALLY suck, but I could. The thing that matters is that if I did that, and you could feel the emotion in my song, it doesn't really matter what it's about. I mean....Look at 'MacArther Park' by Richard Harris
"MacArthur's Park is melting in the dark
All the sweet, green icing flowing down...
Someone left the cake out in the rain
I don't think that I can take it
'cause it took so long to bake it
And I'll never have that recipe again
Oh, no!"
I swear, that's part of a real song.
What's more? This song was a top 10 song for weeks in the 60's. Must have been all the drugs.
My point: Feel it. Forget what anyone else will think. And if it sucks realllllllly bad, play it anyway. Just once. Just to see what people think. I have songs I hate that everyone else LOVES! Advice on carrying that one will take too long lol.
There are more things I do, but these are the essentials for me. Just never give up. Never listen to anyone else. Dream your dreams the way YOU want to because you have to live with them later on. If someone talks you down and you look back thinking, 'Shit Why did I do it THAT way!?' it will ruin the whole experience. You never know what you can offer others. Don't sell yourself short. Its worth it, and you know it or you wouldn't still be dreaming it.
We play at The Fifth in Bountiful tonight with Peter Harvey and I am so excited! If you haven't seen them you should! Hope to see you at a show soon!
I feel music. I bleed it. My death will sound like a brilliant symphony if you know how to listen. I love music above anything else. (No offense Ty lol jk)
I wonder if musicians read this, and are trying to reach a point where they can just quit their jobs and be musicains full time. (I sure hope so) The thing is... Sometimes I have to remember that success never comes easily. Sometimes, I have to tell myself that it CAN be done.
This is when I look for more inspiration. Its like I have to conciously keep myself from being brainwashed of my former musical life and work the 9-5. Never gonna happen!
Here are the things I have to do to keep in touch with my dream.
*Listen consciously to music. I am a lyric person. I TOTALLY can't get over a real lyrical masterpiece. (What do you notice? Bass? Harmonies? Drums? What REALLT sets you off?)
*I teach myself the melodes and lyrics of random songs and find the pieces of the song that I am most moved by. I remember these. I sort of photograph them in my mind and then find a way to work something like it into a song. Somestimes I can, sometimes I can't.
*I watch for what everyone else is doing on Facebook, reverbnation, etc as often as I can. I like to see were everyone else is going because it creates drive.
*I like to see who people are performing with. Have I heard of them? Its alwasy fun to meet new musicians/friends.
*Listen to the Radio. You can listen to your CDs, iPod, etc, but when you listen to the radio, songs you wouldn't necessarily choose come on. It forces you to open your ears to something new. Anything new can be inpsiring.
*Write lyrics in a notepad on your desktop or with a pen and paper when they come to you. I don't mean songs. You could get in trouble for the time you'd put into that, unless you write songs fast or you are just in it and it just flows. Sometimes, you'll write something and never use it. Sometimes you'll write your favorite songs.
*Never let anyone make you feel bad for your dream. My last job had a few supportive co-workers, but there were definately a few that asked 'How our little thing was' in a very 'Im laughing at you on the inside' sort of way. NEVER LET THOSE PEOPLE GET TO YOU! Ever! Those are the people who have no dreams of their own and do not understand these things we call "Dreams". YOU should feel bad for THEM! lol (This all sounds so mean! It's just my view)
*Write what you feel. Forget if it sounds like the last song you wrote. Forget if the lyrics and melody are good. They'll get better with time and practice. Just keep writing what you feel. If I can deeply feel sad that I found a roach in my soup I COULD write a song about it. It would TOTALLY suck, but I could. The thing that matters is that if I did that, and you could feel the emotion in my song, it doesn't really matter what it's about. I mean....Look at 'MacArther Park' by Richard Harris
"MacArthur's Park is melting in the dark
All the sweet, green icing flowing down...
Someone left the cake out in the rain
I don't think that I can take it
'cause it took so long to bake it
And I'll never have that recipe again
Oh, no!"
I swear, that's part of a real song.
What's more? This song was a top 10 song for weeks in the 60's. Must have been all the drugs.
My point: Feel it. Forget what anyone else will think. And if it sucks realllllllly bad, play it anyway. Just once. Just to see what people think. I have songs I hate that everyone else LOVES! Advice on carrying that one will take too long lol.
There are more things I do, but these are the essentials for me. Just never give up. Never listen to anyone else. Dream your dreams the way YOU want to because you have to live with them later on. If someone talks you down and you look back thinking, 'Shit Why did I do it THAT way!?' it will ruin the whole experience. You never know what you can offer others. Don't sell yourself short. Its worth it, and you know it or you wouldn't still be dreaming it.
We play at The Fifth in Bountiful tonight with Peter Harvey and I am so excited! If you haven't seen them you should! Hope to see you at a show soon!
9/29/2010
September 24th was amazing!
Friday. Just like any other Friday. Working as much as you can to keep busy so you don't think about your excitement for the weekend. This particular Friday we had some awesome plans and by about 3:00 I was done.....but I had another hour to go. Sometimes that excitement to leave work makes it go WAY slower!
Backtrack.....
A few months ago, we attended an ASCAP music conference in LA. There were many great speakers and classes, and in the midst of all this amazing stuff, theres Sinbad, the comedian. Right in front of us. Ty says, 'Go get your pic with him' I looked over and people kept asking him for pics so I didn't want to bug him when he was there for the expo but I decided now or never and asked him politely for a picture. He was sooooo nice and smiled big for the camera. I was impressed that he was so polite even with people bugging him. I have not met many celebrities but I always told myself, 'Mel, if you want to be a successful musician, you have to understand that part of the job includes fans' (I guess I never REALLY said that but its in my mind) This is why its always dissapointing when you ask someone you look up to for their time, and they act like jerks and freak out or sigh like 'Ya I GUESS' even though I know sometimes that is a lot to ask. I immediately followed him on Twitter.
Fast Forward a few months. Ty helps a nice lady from The Sheridan Hotel with some carpet (He sells carpet in a flooring store you pervs lol) and she asks him 'since you're a musician do you know these types of bands that could play at this event we have at the Sheridan?' Ty knew one of the types she was looking for and refered them. She later contacted him and said, 'We'd love to have you and your girlfriend come be VIPs at this event we hold at The Sheridan on September 24th from 4-7 pm. Its all free and you get a free room for the night.' DONE
Suddenly we realize, well shit...We are playing in Idaho Fals the very next morning. We decided we would have to miss the free room but could attend part of the event and head to IF later.
One day, while on Twitter, I see that Mr. Sinbad himself is coming to SLC September 24th, 7:00 pm. We decide to set aside $$.
Fast forward a few weeks. In the time between ASCAP and now, I have had the privaledge to tweet back and forth with Sinbad. Hes very cool, has a daughter who is a very talented and looks like driven, musician, and is still funny as hell. I mentioned that I saw he was coming to SLC. He says 'Let me know'
Fast forward to somewhere around the 19th. As we look at finances to go to Idaho Falls for our shows, we realize we don't have $$ for Sinbad tix. I am so sad. I tell Sinbad, looks like we wont make it. He says...'I'll hook you up' WHAT!?!?
I have this guilt complex lol Im thinking 2 things. 1: What a generous offer. 2: I hope he doesn't think I was trying for that. lol
Friday, September 24th. Work. Gone most the day either to a lunch or cause I left early so we could hit up the Rediscovering The Sheridan before we go to Sinbad!! We decided to go ahead and stay the free night cause we dont often get a chance to stay in a Sheridan lol. We are given nametags, and told to attend each of the 6 rooms which represent different places. 1: India 2:Italy 3:Japan 4:North Pole 5:Ireland 6:Costa Rica. Each room is dressed, and themed to the place and they have food and drink according to the culture. You get your fake passport stamped,which could win you some sweet schwag including tv's) and you eat some food, and drink some alcohol, and hang out. We left there and headed for Kingsbury Hall. We take a chance and take the President's Drive circle around to check for very unlikely open spots and...Theres one! We put about $1.00 in the meter before realizing we dont need to and practically skip to the Will-Call booth. We ask for our tickets and head inside. Ty looks at them and looks at me with amazement. Section A, seats 24 and 25. 4 rows back, and center. I Tweet Sinbad to tell him he's amazing and very generous. He tweets back, Make sure you come backstage after the show. WHAT!?!?! I swear if the guy had looked out the curtain and seen us he'd have seen two people giggling and trying to hold it together. We couldn't believe this was happening.
If you take one thing from this blog, here it is.....Sinbad is HILLARIOUS. If you ever get a chance to see him live, DO IT! I laughed so hard I thought I was going to throw up. My stomach was in pain and I'm pretty sure I had a 6 pack of muscle on our way out at the end. See Sinbad live. Thats all.
After the show, we waited for a bit to let the guy relax and I direct messaged him 'How do we get back there'
Long story short, he tells me to call him and gives me his #. Um...Ya....I called Sinbad and he gave us directions lol. (If you read this man, you'll either think we're crazy people or laug ha ha) I want to add something. Im not telling you this because we are bragging, I'm telling you this because we never have things like this happen and we were so excited and wanted to tell you how much fun it was....so maybe bragging a little lol jk. We walk in and the guy asks what we need. Very unsure of myself I go 'Um....we're here to see Sinbad?' lol 'Names? Oh ya right this way.' Back we go.
There he is. Motha Effing Sinbad in the flesh sitting on a chair hangin out. We greet, tell him how awesome he is cause he is lol, then talk music, life, etc. I think I said 'It's true' like 50 times. Then its time to go. He's gonna go see a the Wayans Bros show at Wiseguys and we have a trip tomorrow and a free hotel room. He stops to take pics with his waiting fans one of which was FREAKING out. I thought it was sweet how much she loved him and how nice he was even though she was almost knocking him over with her jumping lol. Very cool.
We go back to our 4 star hotel room in awe. Both of us are just so amazed that this day has even happened I half expected a semi truck to hit us. It was almost too good.
We crawl into the bed at the hotel, and feel like a million bucks. I have never felt like a VIP QUITE like that.
In all the craziness of life, these amazing plusses happened on the same night. Honestly, I feel so fortunate to have such a beautiful day. I told Ty that someday, when we're fulltime musicians, more VIP moments are likely, and I only hope that we are always as excited for them as we were that night.
Someday, I hope that we can give someone the excitement and joy Sinbad gave us.
And someday, I hope we can hook HIM up with a great night with us somewhere.
This, made me feel successful. We may not be Katy Perry or Jack Johnson (Two TOTALLY different people I know) but we are successful people, successful musicians, we see good things and appreciate them for everything they are. I never expected to get tickets from Sinbad, but that's the point. We don't EXPECT anything. We do the best we can with what we have and sometimes super cool people come out of the woodwork and show us that good things happen for what ever reason.
September 24th was amazing.
Thanks for reading and keep watching for more. I blog about once every other week and try to post it on FB and Twitter. I will blog about recording but we are still mid adventure on that and I want to tell the whole story. Good things guys. Good things.
Backtrack.....
A few months ago, we attended an ASCAP music conference in LA. There were many great speakers and classes, and in the midst of all this amazing stuff, theres Sinbad, the comedian. Right in front of us. Ty says, 'Go get your pic with him' I looked over and people kept asking him for pics so I didn't want to bug him when he was there for the expo but I decided now or never and asked him politely for a picture. He was sooooo nice and smiled big for the camera. I was impressed that he was so polite even with people bugging him. I have not met many celebrities but I always told myself, 'Mel, if you want to be a successful musician, you have to understand that part of the job includes fans' (I guess I never REALLY said that but its in my mind) This is why its always dissapointing when you ask someone you look up to for their time, and they act like jerks and freak out or sigh like 'Ya I GUESS' even though I know sometimes that is a lot to ask. I immediately followed him on Twitter.
Fast Forward a few months. Ty helps a nice lady from The Sheridan Hotel with some carpet (He sells carpet in a flooring store you pervs lol) and she asks him 'since you're a musician do you know these types of bands that could play at this event we have at the Sheridan?' Ty knew one of the types she was looking for and refered them. She later contacted him and said, 'We'd love to have you and your girlfriend come be VIPs at this event we hold at The Sheridan on September 24th from 4-7 pm. Its all free and you get a free room for the night.' DONE
Suddenly we realize, well shit...We are playing in Idaho Fals the very next morning. We decided we would have to miss the free room but could attend part of the event and head to IF later.
One day, while on Twitter, I see that Mr. Sinbad himself is coming to SLC September 24th, 7:00 pm. We decide to set aside $$.
Fast forward a few weeks. In the time between ASCAP and now, I have had the privaledge to tweet back and forth with Sinbad. Hes very cool, has a daughter who is a very talented and looks like driven, musician, and is still funny as hell. I mentioned that I saw he was coming to SLC. He says 'Let me know'
Fast forward to somewhere around the 19th. As we look at finances to go to Idaho Falls for our shows, we realize we don't have $$ for Sinbad tix. I am so sad. I tell Sinbad, looks like we wont make it. He says...'I'll hook you up' WHAT!?!?
I have this guilt complex lol Im thinking 2 things. 1: What a generous offer. 2: I hope he doesn't think I was trying for that. lol
Friday, September 24th. Work. Gone most the day either to a lunch or cause I left early so we could hit up the Rediscovering The Sheridan before we go to Sinbad!! We decided to go ahead and stay the free night cause we dont often get a chance to stay in a Sheridan lol. We are given nametags, and told to attend each of the 6 rooms which represent different places. 1: India 2:Italy 3:Japan 4:North Pole 5:Ireland 6:Costa Rica. Each room is dressed, and themed to the place and they have food and drink according to the culture. You get your fake passport stamped,which could win you some sweet schwag including tv's) and you eat some food, and drink some alcohol, and hang out. We left there and headed for Kingsbury Hall. We take a chance and take the President's Drive circle around to check for very unlikely open spots and...Theres one! We put about $1.00 in the meter before realizing we dont need to and practically skip to the Will-Call booth. We ask for our tickets and head inside. Ty looks at them and looks at me with amazement. Section A, seats 24 and 25. 4 rows back, and center. I Tweet Sinbad to tell him he's amazing and very generous. He tweets back, Make sure you come backstage after the show. WHAT!?!?! I swear if the guy had looked out the curtain and seen us he'd have seen two people giggling and trying to hold it together. We couldn't believe this was happening.
If you take one thing from this blog, here it is.....Sinbad is HILLARIOUS. If you ever get a chance to see him live, DO IT! I laughed so hard I thought I was going to throw up. My stomach was in pain and I'm pretty sure I had a 6 pack of muscle on our way out at the end. See Sinbad live. Thats all.
After the show, we waited for a bit to let the guy relax and I direct messaged him 'How do we get back there'
Long story short, he tells me to call him and gives me his #. Um...Ya....I called Sinbad and he gave us directions lol. (If you read this man, you'll either think we're crazy people or laug ha ha) I want to add something. Im not telling you this because we are bragging, I'm telling you this because we never have things like this happen and we were so excited and wanted to tell you how much fun it was....so maybe bragging a little lol jk. We walk in and the guy asks what we need. Very unsure of myself I go 'Um....we're here to see Sinbad?' lol 'Names? Oh ya right this way.' Back we go.
There he is. Motha Effing Sinbad in the flesh sitting on a chair hangin out. We greet, tell him how awesome he is cause he is lol, then talk music, life, etc. I think I said 'It's true' like 50 times. Then its time to go. He's gonna go see a the Wayans Bros show at Wiseguys and we have a trip tomorrow and a free hotel room. He stops to take pics with his waiting fans one of which was FREAKING out. I thought it was sweet how much she loved him and how nice he was even though she was almost knocking him over with her jumping lol. Very cool.
We go back to our 4 star hotel room in awe. Both of us are just so amazed that this day has even happened I half expected a semi truck to hit us. It was almost too good.
We crawl into the bed at the hotel, and feel like a million bucks. I have never felt like a VIP QUITE like that.
In all the craziness of life, these amazing plusses happened on the same night. Honestly, I feel so fortunate to have such a beautiful day. I told Ty that someday, when we're fulltime musicians, more VIP moments are likely, and I only hope that we are always as excited for them as we were that night.
Someday, I hope that we can give someone the excitement and joy Sinbad gave us.
And someday, I hope we can hook HIM up with a great night with us somewhere.
This, made me feel successful. We may not be Katy Perry or Jack Johnson (Two TOTALLY different people I know) but we are successful people, successful musicians, we see good things and appreciate them for everything they are. I never expected to get tickets from Sinbad, but that's the point. We don't EXPECT anything. We do the best we can with what we have and sometimes super cool people come out of the woodwork and show us that good things happen for what ever reason.
September 24th was amazing.
Thanks for reading and keep watching for more. I blog about once every other week and try to post it on FB and Twitter. I will blog about recording but we are still mid adventure on that and I want to tell the whole story. Good things guys. Good things.
9/10/2010
Inspiring Days Are The Best
Well, here I am sitting in my living room listening to our newest song (literally less than 1 hour old as I start to write this) on my phone over and over. I wish we could just release this shit like, now! LOL.
Today has been what I hope fulltime musicianhood would be like. Wake up a little later in the day, get ready, go play a show, go home, write a song, work on it, record a little, head out to a destination such as recording or in the future touring, and then play my little heart out. WHAT A GREAT LIFE!!!!!
Then theres writing songs. Sometimes I get inspiration at work and eventhough I write it down and do what I can with it, I always get home and the inspiration is gone. That, is, the, WORST.
But, does anyone else feel like they can't say what they want to say in a song for one reason or another. I mean, I personally don't like 'sharing feelings' and getting all mushy etc. It's just no my thing. So I sing about it. Its the only way to get it out and you HAVE to get it out SOMEHOW. So, sometimes, I have a super inspiring day and we write a song that I think contains all my current feelings with out wearing my heart on my sleeve. Yuck lol. Now I feel renewed. After you do anything you're proud of, its such a relief. This is why inspiring days are the best. Its like this renewal of yourself. You don't feel so tired, so exausted. You just feel better. I'd love to hear from you guys what inspires you, what you do with it, and how it makes you feel when you get it all out.
Tonight, we will be leaving to record in California and give a few of our songs the recording they deserve. This is such a great step for us and we are really excited to take it. Big things guys. Seriously, we may not be the first of our friends to live the dream, but we'll see you all soon :D
Side note, thank you to you who support us. We can't tell you how much it means to us and how special it is to share this journey with you. Some of you are such great friends and we can't imagine life with out you. Every time one of you leaves for greener pastures, we can feel the space you leave behind but are so excited for you and your new journeys and the fact that its one more couch in this country we can crash on later lol. Those who are here with us in the UT. We can't wait for more :D
Today has been what I hope fulltime musicianhood would be like. Wake up a little later in the day, get ready, go play a show, go home, write a song, work on it, record a little, head out to a destination such as recording or in the future touring, and then play my little heart out. WHAT A GREAT LIFE!!!!!
Then theres writing songs. Sometimes I get inspiration at work and eventhough I write it down and do what I can with it, I always get home and the inspiration is gone. That, is, the, WORST.
But, does anyone else feel like they can't say what they want to say in a song for one reason or another. I mean, I personally don't like 'sharing feelings' and getting all mushy etc. It's just no my thing. So I sing about it. Its the only way to get it out and you HAVE to get it out SOMEHOW. So, sometimes, I have a super inspiring day and we write a song that I think contains all my current feelings with out wearing my heart on my sleeve. Yuck lol. Now I feel renewed. After you do anything you're proud of, its such a relief. This is why inspiring days are the best. Its like this renewal of yourself. You don't feel so tired, so exausted. You just feel better. I'd love to hear from you guys what inspires you, what you do with it, and how it makes you feel when you get it all out.
Tonight, we will be leaving to record in California and give a few of our songs the recording they deserve. This is such a great step for us and we are really excited to take it. Big things guys. Seriously, we may not be the first of our friends to live the dream, but we'll see you all soon :D
Side note, thank you to you who support us. We can't tell you how much it means to us and how special it is to share this journey with you. Some of you are such great friends and we can't imagine life with out you. Every time one of you leaves for greener pastures, we can feel the space you leave behind but are so excited for you and your new journeys and the fact that its one more couch in this country we can crash on later lol. Those who are here with us in the UT. We can't wait for more :D
8/29/2010
Our Train Wreck weekend and why it affected our habits....
There are always 200 more reasons NOT to do something than reasons TO do something. Its been a long day, I have a handle on that, I'll do it tomorrow, Im too tired, something else is going on, other people are standing in my way, I could go on. How many of these have I used to not practice? ALL of them. What's my point? This weekend I forgot my music book for a 4 hour gig. If you know us at ALL, you know that Melody HAS to have her music for everything. Even on the radio, page in front. On Park City TV (LIVE P.S.) sometimes you can catch a glimpse of the corner of my page laying on the stage in front of me. I knew it was my security blanket of sorts, but suddenly I felt VERY lost. I was uncomfortable, I couldn't feel the songs, and a lot Ty had to play solo because I don't know the chords. This made me REALLY disappointed in myself. What the hell have I been doing? I wrote these songs and I don't KNOW them????!!!! If you really think about that statement you will realize how little I practice. Here we are talking about our commitment to music and our careers and I don't know my songs. Any band I joined and said, 'SHIT I forgot my music book! I don't know the songs' would kick me out!
I can only make excuses or so long. Soon, Ty and I are committing to become full time musicians. And I don't know my songs lol. Right. So my blog installment is a commitment to learn my songs by heart. The only time a music book should be acceptable for someone who has been playing and performing as long as I have, is if we are playing a long gig. Sometimes, its good to have there but I shouldn't use it every show and I can't lean on it all the time. 3 song shows, 30 minute sets....etc.
Starting now, I will be learning these bitches by heart inside and out, so when I show up and its cold and rainy and Im distracted by everything else around me, I don't have to worry about knowing my shit. The end.
I can only make excuses or so long. Soon, Ty and I are committing to become full time musicians. And I don't know my songs lol. Right. So my blog installment is a commitment to learn my songs by heart. The only time a music book should be acceptable for someone who has been playing and performing as long as I have, is if we are playing a long gig. Sometimes, its good to have there but I shouldn't use it every show and I can't lean on it all the time. 3 song shows, 30 minute sets....etc.
Starting now, I will be learning these bitches by heart inside and out, so when I show up and its cold and rainy and Im distracted by everything else around me, I don't have to worry about knowing my shit. The end.
8/08/2010
Acoustic All-Stars 2010
Pics: John Zay, Ashley & Taryn, Brian.
Wow. Seriously, this past weekend was the hardest, most frustrating, most exciting, most exausting, and most rewarding weekend I remember ever having. With the pictures, the videos, the laughs, the exorbanant (spelling) amount of drinks consumed, and the amazing people we just spent it with, I find myself wondering, 'What more could a person want'
There was a time in my life when I said, I want to play music. I didn't know another musician ESPECIALLY one who played out. My first open mic was so scary I dont think anyone could hear me cause I was so scared of my voice. As I played more I saw musicians just like me who were scared and very new. But then I would see the focused, practiced, experienced musicians and just sit in awe. When we started this, I never realized I would sit in awe like I was new again. Every year, new talent comes along and we say, "How have I never heard you!?" Its so exciting to get to meet these super talented people doing what I have looked up to AND get to perform with them.
(Pic: Jen Stensrud)
My only regret this year was that we didn't get to talk to the outside stage performers much and felt we didn't try hard enough to include them. We apologize. Luckily we were able to run down there enough to get pics and say hi to most of them.
Now for the juicy stuff....
Friday.
We got off work at 1 and already had the car packed so we could pick up some banners and drive to PC and get ready, check into the room etc. Unfortunately, we realized we forgot a banner in a Mr. Brett Turner's vehicle who lives in Ogden.
(Pic: Brett Turner) We decide to meet halfway, originally Centerville but later moved up to Layton. Why? Well, we hit traffic and were driving very slow. I called Brett and said, you're going to have to meet us up here cause we're stuck. Suddently a cop car passes in the emergency lane. Yep. A wreck. We slowly drive for a bit and suddenly, traffic clears. We see a LONG line of cars on the other side stuck behind a motorist who has rammed into the middle barriers. I called Brett again 'Nevewrmind we'll meet you.' We finally got the banner and headed back to town. Luckily we were able to use Legacy Highway. We pick up the last of the banners and head to Park City. For some reason, someone decided that THIS weekend, the weekend of The Kimball Arts Festival, was the weekend to do construction on the road. We ended up on one of these roads trying to find where to check into our hotel. Ty apperently pissed off the hotel clerk and she was taking her sweet ass time to get to him lol. I know he didn't on purpose and he WAS able to still sweet talk her out of a few extra parking passes. We were a little close on schedule so we hurried up to the room, claimed our room, took some pics, and then I took Ty to the bar to hang banners. I then went back to the room to park, get ready and walk UP the hill. All in all I took this trek and one even to it in trips to the Miners Park Stage a few times. Im thinking 2 down, 4 up......
The first night was awesome! I got to sing back up for Josh Johnson, and have Greg Downs play guitar and Ty play D'jembe...it was awesome. Then there was the DJ. We stayed until about 12 and headed back to the room. DOWN. Taryn and I were joined by Miguel and Friends. (Super cool guys) We hung out, drank, etc. Good times. Tawny made Chicken Tacos (MMMMMmmmmm) and we started to settle down. Everyone left at somewhere around 3 or 4 I believe and I went and woke Ty up out of the hot tub so he didn't drown. lol
Sleep
Saturday:
Taryn made the best breakfast burritos. (In our full Kitchen)
Since we were able to shove a bunch of people into the room, it was SUPER cheap.
We were able to relax a bit and get ready for the night. Then it was time to go back UP.
Hanging banners, fliers etc. Marc Cooper had Shelly, Kole, and us on the stage to sing some Bob Marley and Beatles. I played the shaker and was being perverted. Of course.
Steve Swift. That guy is a bad ass. I have never seen him play like he played this year. He has a stomp box that he kicks while he's playing and this year he was ROCKING OUT. It was awesome.
(I apologize because I can't talk about everyone's sets. I was impressed with everyone and want you to know that I'm picking by story, and pictures.)
Saturday night was just awesome. I mean, Jen Stensrud, Dustin Bangerter, Peter Harvey, Marc Cooper, Steven Swift, Kimo Watanabe, and Whiskey King Coalition....HELL YA!
After, we all went back and hit the hot tub. First I went with Smash to get suits and Totinos. We got back and made them and smash called the slightly scorched ones 'Cajun Style cause they're blackened' lol
If you have never hung out with Mac and Flip(The Local Landing) they are two funny bastards. Seriously. That's all I got on the subject.
When the water started swaying me OR I started swaying me, not sure which, I went to bed. It was close to 5 am.
Sunday:
8:30 am. My alarm goes off. I feel like SHIT.
Whose fault is that? MINE! Was it worth it? YA!
I got up and tried to help a bit by cleaning. and then slowly made coffee and drank water. I got dressed and had to leave to get to the Miners Park Stage and get passes to a few artists. UP.
I sat at the park for a bit listening to Shelly Riff with Marc Cooper then joined by Kole Hansen, and thought I was going to pass out it was so hot. Stupid weather lying to me.
I couldn't handle it. I needed to change. DOWN lol
I changed and then took a 15 nap and was ready to go again. UP.
I was really dissapointed to miss Amir Jackson's set by only a minute or 2. (Sad Face)
Back and forth I went a few more times to the stage. I got to meet Jenn Hajj, and Utah Slim, and heard US Thieves. Mike got sweet pics of Chris Orrock. Jenn has such a Celtic voice. Beautiful!
Sunday was better than we imagined and we pulled almost as many tickets in on Sunday as on Saturday night. AWESOME! The Sunday Lineup was Miquel and Friends, Brian Bingham, John Zay, Ashlee Dickson, Silver Glen, Kole, Timmy Pearce, Alan Sanders, and W. James Woods. Fantastic!!!
Pic: Kole with Marc Cooper
Now for my favorite part. After....Throughout the year in the past I have loved to see the stage being shared between other AAS artists. I can't tell you all the joy I feel and satisfaction we get from seeing the dream of this festival come alive. Its such an honor to have friends who are willing to come play and promote with us for something that we believe in so strongly. We know and have met some amazing people and will continue to do so. This is networking at its finest and a great way to almost try out for other's interest in opening spots whether its you opening or them.
All I have to say is,(Except you Aleeca cause you were in Alaska) If you didn't come to the 2010 Acoustic All-Stars Festival, you missed out.
7/28/2010
Our Thoughts on Over Saturation
To play or not to play, that REALLY is the question. Ty and I started out performing everywhere we could get our asses booked with a few things in mind:
1: Experience. The more you play out, the better your live show will be. Practice is great. Practice is necessary. But there is nothing that will train your live show like playing live for a bunch of people you don't know. Scratch that. People you DO know tend to be a little harder to 'entertain'. Now, this isn't ALWAYS true. Sometimes, they're easier because you can get a dialogue going with people while on stage and that can prove to be a great tool, but sometimes, people you know, though more likely to clap and applaud, are probably people who have heard all your songs, seen your act, and talked to you before the show so what else do you have to say to them? Sometimes, they are great because you can mess with them, and you're more comfortable, but this can also be bad. If you are talking to people you know, you're leaving potential new fans out and that helps no one. Is this REALLY something we think about before during and after a show? YES! More on this later.
Reason 2: No offense, but people are fickle. 'Out of sight out of mind'. Even the most famous of the famous are forgotten when out of the spotlight. Let me give you a few examples and we will see f you think ‘Oh yeah! Them!’ Aleecia Silverstone. Kirk Cameron. Matthew Lillard. Or on the opposite end of the spectrum, Lindsay Lohan, Paris Hilton, Kim Kardashian, people who are ALWAYS in the news etc. They’re famous for being famous. In comes the saying 'there’s no such thing as bad press' or how ever you say it. Other people’s attention is what gets you noticed by new crowds. So if we play every weekend and sometimes during the week, there is more chance of people seeing our names SOMEWHERE over and over and over again. But do we want OR need that kind of attention? Do we want to be famous for being famous? Or do we want to be talented musicians who get credit where credit is due?
Reason 3: Playing shows = networking opportunities. Not only to build a fan base, but also to meet other musicians and build a community (which if you live in Utah, you KNOW is sorely needed.) Again, let me list a few musicians we met JUST from shows. Us Thieves. Wil Prater. Ashlee Dickson. Peter Harvey. There are WAY more but my point is this, we respect and enjoy their music and have continued to work with them all as a result.
Reason 4: We love it. Seriously, it is HARD work, and very exhausting to perform out every weekend almost always 2 nights a weekend. Packing, unpacking, no time off, work during the week, work during the weekend. (Though we have never seen this as ‘work’)
Ok. Culmination. Are we playing too much?? Do people see we are playing somewhere and say, ‘eh, I’ll catch em next week.’ Are we actually doing ourselves harm? Will we burn out?
OPPINNION section. We REALLY would love to hear thoughts on this. Our thought is this. Performers take breaks, go on hiatus, etc. but I have always felt (again no offense) that your relationships with the clubs you frequently play are just as important as all the other relationships you’re juggling. Not only are many clubs changing ownership, managers, and staff, but also booking agents. If we stop playing out for more than a week or 2, suddenly we are playing catch up. Sometimes, if you don’t book a place for a while, you call to book, and guess what. ‘We decided not to have live music anymore.’ Could you have prevented that? Maybe. Maybe they needed more musicians to perform and didn’t have a list built yet. Finding people to come perform was way more work then they wanted to put into it. This isn’t our job, no, but as a dedicated networking musician, I think we should take it upon ourselves to share our contacts with clubs and our clubs with contacts. Why? Because the more clubs die, the fewer places to perform, the more our music scene dies everyday. That….. would suck! So, our idea, is to perform more like 2-3 times a month instead of 6-8 in clubs, coffee shops etc. This way we can properly promote shows without the daily Facebook that everyone starts ignoring after the 5th one that week. I mean, think about it. When a band comes through town that you like, aren’t you more likely to go see them than do anything else because it’s for a limited time? Um…ya! We DO however feel that we need to keep performing so we are thinking of having weekend concerts in our basement 1-2 times a month. This is for the invited, the trusted, and the music loving people. We want to have other musicians come play with us. This would be like house concerts, but we would play at all of them. If no one comes, its practice lol. So, our friends our invited to our practice. No promoting, no Facebook posts, just a one time text saying ‘hey, house concerts on the 1 and 3rd Friday of the month’ (example) What do you think??
Finally retouching on reason #1. If we do this concert idea, we want suggestions, ideas, and general help. No performing artist can perform the same set, the same way, with the same banter every time. Its stale, and no one wants to see these more than 2 times at the most. These concerts would be to improve our entertainment skills. A boring musician who is talented is still boring.
So, is this the way to find a happy medium to the Lindsay Lohan or the Aleecia Silverstone way of life? Ready? Go!
1: Experience. The more you play out, the better your live show will be. Practice is great. Practice is necessary. But there is nothing that will train your live show like playing live for a bunch of people you don't know. Scratch that. People you DO know tend to be a little harder to 'entertain'. Now, this isn't ALWAYS true. Sometimes, they're easier because you can get a dialogue going with people while on stage and that can prove to be a great tool, but sometimes, people you know, though more likely to clap and applaud, are probably people who have heard all your songs, seen your act, and talked to you before the show so what else do you have to say to them? Sometimes, they are great because you can mess with them, and you're more comfortable, but this can also be bad. If you are talking to people you know, you're leaving potential new fans out and that helps no one. Is this REALLY something we think about before during and after a show? YES! More on this later.
Reason 2: No offense, but people are fickle. 'Out of sight out of mind'. Even the most famous of the famous are forgotten when out of the spotlight. Let me give you a few examples and we will see f you think ‘Oh yeah! Them!’ Aleecia Silverstone. Kirk Cameron. Matthew Lillard. Or on the opposite end of the spectrum, Lindsay Lohan, Paris Hilton, Kim Kardashian, people who are ALWAYS in the news etc. They’re famous for being famous. In comes the saying 'there’s no such thing as bad press' or how ever you say it. Other people’s attention is what gets you noticed by new crowds. So if we play every weekend and sometimes during the week, there is more chance of people seeing our names SOMEWHERE over and over and over again. But do we want OR need that kind of attention? Do we want to be famous for being famous? Or do we want to be talented musicians who get credit where credit is due?
Reason 3: Playing shows = networking opportunities. Not only to build a fan base, but also to meet other musicians and build a community (which if you live in Utah, you KNOW is sorely needed.) Again, let me list a few musicians we met JUST from shows. Us Thieves. Wil Prater. Ashlee Dickson. Peter Harvey. There are WAY more but my point is this, we respect and enjoy their music and have continued to work with them all as a result.
Reason 4: We love it. Seriously, it is HARD work, and very exhausting to perform out every weekend almost always 2 nights a weekend. Packing, unpacking, no time off, work during the week, work during the weekend. (Though we have never seen this as ‘work’)
Ok. Culmination. Are we playing too much?? Do people see we are playing somewhere and say, ‘eh, I’ll catch em next week.’ Are we actually doing ourselves harm? Will we burn out?
OPPINNION section. We REALLY would love to hear thoughts on this. Our thought is this. Performers take breaks, go on hiatus, etc. but I have always felt (again no offense) that your relationships with the clubs you frequently play are just as important as all the other relationships you’re juggling. Not only are many clubs changing ownership, managers, and staff, but also booking agents. If we stop playing out for more than a week or 2, suddenly we are playing catch up. Sometimes, if you don’t book a place for a while, you call to book, and guess what. ‘We decided not to have live music anymore.’ Could you have prevented that? Maybe. Maybe they needed more musicians to perform and didn’t have a list built yet. Finding people to come perform was way more work then they wanted to put into it. This isn’t our job, no, but as a dedicated networking musician, I think we should take it upon ourselves to share our contacts with clubs and our clubs with contacts. Why? Because the more clubs die, the fewer places to perform, the more our music scene dies everyday. That….. would suck! So, our idea, is to perform more like 2-3 times a month instead of 6-8 in clubs, coffee shops etc. This way we can properly promote shows without the daily Facebook that everyone starts ignoring after the 5th one that week. I mean, think about it. When a band comes through town that you like, aren’t you more likely to go see them than do anything else because it’s for a limited time? Um…ya! We DO however feel that we need to keep performing so we are thinking of having weekend concerts in our basement 1-2 times a month. This is for the invited, the trusted, and the music loving people. We want to have other musicians come play with us. This would be like house concerts, but we would play at all of them. If no one comes, its practice lol. So, our friends our invited to our practice. No promoting, no Facebook posts, just a one time text saying ‘hey, house concerts on the 1 and 3rd Friday of the month’ (example) What do you think??
Finally retouching on reason #1. If we do this concert idea, we want suggestions, ideas, and general help. No performing artist can perform the same set, the same way, with the same banter every time. Its stale, and no one wants to see these more than 2 times at the most. These concerts would be to improve our entertainment skills. A boring musician who is talented is still boring.
So, is this the way to find a happy medium to the Lindsay Lohan or the Aleecia Silverstone way of life? Ready? Go!
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