I woke up the other morning with a lighter attitude toward the demo. I was insisting on having every song I wanted to put on an eventual album done on the demo. Big time denial of my musical reality. One of the songs requires a bunch of instruments I don't have, and, at this time, would be impossible for me to play live by myself. A big purpose of this demo is to get it into the hands of gig bookers and club/cafe/bar owners to give them a taste of what it is I do. Why put songs I cannot play live by myself on a demo to get gigs where I would be solo? I realized that if I held onto the idea of insisting on putting these two songs on the demo, I would never finish the demo. They were obstacles in this stage of the game. These two other songs are not forgotten and will go an eventual CD when I have more musical contacts and more money to record in a proper studio setting. So I finished up the last two tracks for a total of 12 numbers. 8 in French, 2 in English, and 2 in...strumentals. These need some polishing, a few aren't even finished, but as I listened to these 12 tracks on my iTunes, it all flowed just fine. Much better than I could have imagined.
My current houseguest has a law degree (totally forgot she had it), and she gave me some tips on copyright and Creative Commons and all that jazz, so as soon as I feel better about these recordings, I may put a few up on the Virb page for people to check out. She's a very good cheerleader, and, though I am very lucky to have a few great cheerleaders near and far, it never hurts to have more. Ego and fear being what they are.
jeudi 28 juin 2007
mercredi 20 juin 2007
One more session to go.
One more recording session and the very, very basic demos for my CD, Migration, will be finished. I need to re-record some bits that were less than spectacular, plus one more instrumental. Then comes the fleshing out. Some songs need more verses or a bridge or a solo. One needs to be rethought entirely, which is a little daunting. After I figure out which end is up, I will have to re-record everything while hoping that I don't get stuck in a loop. Once I have a demo I can live with, and maybe even be a little proud about, I'll start working up a live set so I can hit a stage if someone says yes to me.
An old friend is starting a new club in the 5th arrondissement in August, she says. So I have to be ready when I approach her about getting a weekly gig.
An old friend is starting a new club in the 5th arrondissement in August, she says. So I have to be ready when I approach her about getting a weekly gig.
mercredi 13 juin 2007
What's hard.
*Getting out of my own way.
*Believing that my music can be my career.
*Letting go of all the other crap I use to run away from my music.
*Believing anyone when they tell me I'm beautiful.
*Not trying to do every single thing every day all the time.
*Watching my sweet Wonder Corgi get old.
*Drinking enough water.
*Leaving the dishes in the sink.
*Not comparing myself to other people (I'm older than the Beatles were when they broke up! What have I done?)
*Believing I have inherent self-worth even when I don't get anything done.
*Being compassionate toward myself, and, therefore, truly compassionate toward others.
*Promoting my music and myself.
*Not looking for the net before I leap.
*Believing that my music can be my career.
*Letting go of all the other crap I use to run away from my music.
*Believing anyone when they tell me I'm beautiful.
*Not trying to do every single thing every day all the time.
*Watching my sweet Wonder Corgi get old.
*Drinking enough water.
*Leaving the dishes in the sink.
*Not comparing myself to other people (I'm older than the Beatles were when they broke up! What have I done?)
*Believing I have inherent self-worth even when I don't get anything done.
*Being compassionate toward myself, and, therefore, truly compassionate toward others.
*Promoting my music and myself.
*Not looking for the net before I leap.
vendredi 1 juin 2007
Blog Addict.
Actually not so much. But I do read a handful from time to time, and one of my favorites is at In The Attic, Rachel Fuller's contribution to the blogosphere.
One of the reasons I read it is that it's funny. Rachel is hilarious. I also read it because it's real, she doesn't hide herself much at all. She admits to being a TV junkie, to having self-esteem and self-image issues but without being maudlin about it, we're around the same age, and both musicians with muso backgrounds trying to make our way in the world of popular music. True, there are as many differences as similarities. My boyfriend isn't a rock icon. Nico and I are not wealthy. I cannot relate to some of her shopping posts because I have never been able to indulge in such things. But I don't slight her for it. She's being herself, and it's delightful.
She is really inspiring as an artist as well because she's so welcoming and nurturing to other musicians. No back-stabbing, no diva snottiness is to be found on her blog, but she's not above taking the piss and, frankly, some people need that to reconnect with their humility. Apparently, she's going to be getting a little place in Paris, I hope it isn't too forward or weird to hope that we might meet up for a chat about music one day. Odds are a gazillion to zero, but I'd love that.
One of her recent posts concerns body-image stuff, size zero and all that crap. I admit that I have problems myself in that department. I am stunned that someone much more visible than myself can be so open about them. It's inspiring. Sometimes, when I can't sleep, I wonder will I ever be accepted just for my music and talent alone? Or will my other "merits" or lack thereof always stand in the way? I think of other women musicians/songwriters like Joni Mitchell, Amiee Mann, Lucinda Williams, I notice that they aren't objectified...Chrissie Hynde, there's another. I know it's possible. It's just so easy to get caught up in the bullshit. So much now is about how you look. Not so much the clothes (wasn't it always a little bit about the clothes?), but, for women, this obstacle goes underneath the clothes to the body. No matter what our brains and hearts create, no matter how well we sing, sometimes it's all about the measurements. Compare even some serious rock journalism articles one day. Read some about men and some about women. The ones about men don't focus much on what the person is wearing or what they look like, at least not these days. But the ones about women almost always include what she wore to the interview, whether or not she's lost or gained weight, as if that has the slightest thing to do with how a person writes or performs a song! This crap can keep talented women from opening up and doing what they love. It's sick.
I usually don't let it interfere with my music, though. Because it has nothing to do with it. It's when i think about performing that it bugs me. But when I was the cellist, the bassist, and not the front person, I didn't care. What is it about also being the singer that brings in the body-issue element? Why do I buy into this bullshit?
One of the reasons I read it is that it's funny. Rachel is hilarious. I also read it because it's real, she doesn't hide herself much at all. She admits to being a TV junkie, to having self-esteem and self-image issues but without being maudlin about it, we're around the same age, and both musicians with muso backgrounds trying to make our way in the world of popular music. True, there are as many differences as similarities. My boyfriend isn't a rock icon. Nico and I are not wealthy. I cannot relate to some of her shopping posts because I have never been able to indulge in such things. But I don't slight her for it. She's being herself, and it's delightful.
She is really inspiring as an artist as well because she's so welcoming and nurturing to other musicians. No back-stabbing, no diva snottiness is to be found on her blog, but she's not above taking the piss and, frankly, some people need that to reconnect with their humility. Apparently, she's going to be getting a little place in Paris, I hope it isn't too forward or weird to hope that we might meet up for a chat about music one day. Odds are a gazillion to zero, but I'd love that.
One of her recent posts concerns body-image stuff, size zero and all that crap. I admit that I have problems myself in that department. I am stunned that someone much more visible than myself can be so open about them. It's inspiring. Sometimes, when I can't sleep, I wonder will I ever be accepted just for my music and talent alone? Or will my other "merits" or lack thereof always stand in the way? I think of other women musicians/songwriters like Joni Mitchell, Amiee Mann, Lucinda Williams, I notice that they aren't objectified...Chrissie Hynde, there's another. I know it's possible. It's just so easy to get caught up in the bullshit. So much now is about how you look. Not so much the clothes (wasn't it always a little bit about the clothes?), but, for women, this obstacle goes underneath the clothes to the body. No matter what our brains and hearts create, no matter how well we sing, sometimes it's all about the measurements. Compare even some serious rock journalism articles one day. Read some about men and some about women. The ones about men don't focus much on what the person is wearing or what they look like, at least not these days. But the ones about women almost always include what she wore to the interview, whether or not she's lost or gained weight, as if that has the slightest thing to do with how a person writes or performs a song! This crap can keep talented women from opening up and doing what they love. It's sick.
I usually don't let it interfere with my music, though. Because it has nothing to do with it. It's when i think about performing that it bugs me. But when I was the cellist, the bassist, and not the front person, I didn't care. What is it about also being the singer that brings in the body-issue element? Why do I buy into this bullshit?
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