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Showing posts from September 2, 2010

Magical Moment 216, "A Good Problem"

Another week, another production meeting with Modern Vintage Recordings . I was still feeling the momentum from last week’s stroke of creative genius when I arrived at the Lower East Side studio this morning. It turns out, so was my producer and again, we found ourselves overflowing with new ideas and struggling to eliminate the surplus. I thought that by developing a very specific concept and style for my EP, it would finally allow us to decide on a firm 5 songs so we can begin the much anticipated recording process. Oh how I was wrong. I played what I believed were my strongest songs that told “ my story ” the best. My producer nodded in agreement and then highlighted the song titles on the “definite list.” The trouble is, by the end of the session we had 8 titles instead of our goal of only 5. And there we were again, needing to cross off a song, but not being able to hit the delete button. And finally my producer (his name is Eshy by the way) threw up his hands and said in h

Magical Moment 215, "Whale Watching"

Yesterday was a truly amazing and magical day. Eddie and I spent the day in Gloucester, MA and bought last minute tickets for a whale watching tour. It was about a 7 hour trip all together. We left the port and traveled over 2 hours in the Atlantic to our destination where a large group of hump back whales were feeding off the coast of Boston. As we approached, our guide (who knew all the whales by name) announced over the loud speakers that she spotted whales ahead on the horizon. At once, all the passengers crowded to the bow of the boat, straining our eyes to see. She described the sight as a puff of smoke coming off the water. I had trouble spotting it at first, but soon understood what she meant. I was thankful to see that from afar and had no idea what was in store as we inched closer to them. Suddenly I realized that they were all around us. We were in the center of about 30 hump back whales. We stayed in the area for about an hour and a half and gazed with dropped jaws at t

Magical Moment 214, "An Ocean Haiku"

One ray on one wave. Countless ripples ocean wide. The ray turns to stars.

Magical Moment 213, "New York New York"

This is a video Eddie took at Gantry Plaza State Park in Queens when I toured 60 pianos throughout the city's 5 boroughs for the Play Me, I'm Yours project. This park was right on the water with an amazing view of Manhattan. I felt inspired to play New York New York. The song says, "If I can make it there, I'll make it anywhere," but I often find myself thinking, "If I can make it anywhere, I'll be happy. " I'm laughing, but it's so true. Enjoy the video. Forgot to mention it's a duet with random heavy machinery and vehicles driving around and making beeping sounds. Makes it sound very New York New York. To see photos from the project, click here . To see more videos, click here .

Magical Moment 212, "Fifteen Down"

Eddie and I set a goal 3½ years ago on our very first date. We had an unusual romance and by the time we went on our first date, we knew we would be spending the rest of our lives together. It was a typical evening – dinner, movie, dancing – but we had to travel to another state to do it. See, we were in hiding because of our forbidden love. Okay, insert looong story here if you’re interested. We kept the ticket stubs from our first date, as is the sentimental thing to do. We saw  Night at the Museum with Ben Stiller at a South Carolina movie theatre. Then Eddie had a brilliant idea. We should see a movie in every state, and keep the ticket stubs as a memento. And without hardly trying, we soon had 15 ticket stubs under our belt, thanks to the Army Soldier Show. I toured across the country with the show and Eddie would travel to visit me every chance possible. We would steal away when time allowed and go see a movie. Visiting family made it easy too, with me from Nebraska and Ed

Magical Moment 211, "The Subway Preacher"

I’ve become pretty familiar with the subway system in New York City. I no longer need my laminated, color-coded map to live permanently in my purse like a security blanket when I venture to places in the city. I’ve seen, heard, and experienced a smorgasbord of cultures, music, and customs in those underground, cement tunnels. Chilly in the winter and stagnantly suffocating in the summer, the subway system is truly a unique city below the city. Once I saw an old man who had dragged his enormous heavy wooden harp two stories below ground to play on the platform for spare change. His talent astounded me and I thought, I would pay to hear this man on a stage . Other times, the sights are heart breaking. The homeless trying to keep warm in the winter or just looking for a dry spot to sit, hoping a passerby will feel compassion and drop in some change. There are the “regulars” – like the man when I switch from the 7 to the 6, who plays hymns on his Native American flute. And there are some

Magical Moment 210, "My Story"

Today was a great production meeting. First thing, my producer asked me if I had any concerns so far. I told him that I was very concerned that maybe we hadn’t chosen the right 5 songs for my EP with Modern Vintage Recordings . As much as I love the ones on the list right now, they are going to be my only 5 until I can afford to finish the album and I want them to be just right. He completely understood and together, we went back through and re-listened to all of my songs. For the first time, I showed him my blog. I told him stories of where and how I grew up, about my nephews, about my husband. I showed him online pictures from my Army days. I showed him the 82 nd Airborne Memorial with Kevin’s name on it. After a time of honest and easy flowing conversation, he told me with conviction that I have a unique story to tell, and the songs I choose for this EP should express that story. I don’t want an EP that says, “Here are 5 really nice songs.” I want it to say, “Here is who I am a