I get to do something like this in the near future. Thanks for the reminder to both be patient and keep working. :-)
The official release copy of Born and Raised (just opened) next to the track list on my refrigerator since 5/11. Keep working for that final product. You will get there.
Last Big Show in Austin! Friday 5/18! With the Band!
Top: The Doras - Connie, Mariana, Heather
Bottom: Emily Shirley, Katie Lessley
146 - Thrice
Thom Worldpoet and Michele Solberg at Thrice
I hadn’t been to Thrice in quiet a while, I hadn’t been since Michele Solberg started hosting it, and that plus the thought of going to an early night, close by (one bus, maybe 10 minutes), with some good tables to sit and and sew whales all made my Wednesday night decision pretty easy. (If you don’t know Michele, go read her bio on her website and be impressed!!)
The performers lean pretty heavily toward poetry, and the style is round-robin. There are two wands, one for the current performer, and one to designate who goes next. Each person does one poem or song, passes the wand on, and then it cycles back around again at random but so that everyone pretty much gets to do 2-3 pieces by the end of the night. Michele is good at making sure everyone gets a turn, encouraging the shy ones, gently suggesting the bold ones share the wands a bit more. She also is willing to jump up and play background music for any of the poets who wish, and several take her up on it. She even jumped up with me and did some harmonies with me on Anchor, a song she’d never even heard yet, so fun!
Thrice is also right next to (as in, connected to) Thai Fresh, so it’s totally easy to get some yummy Thai food and settle in for food and music. Plus they have some great vegan ice cream made with coconut milk in really fun flavors.
Songs: I Know, Shoreline, Anchor (with Michele!)
145 - Rusty’s
Tuesday I decided to try out a new open mic that’s both new to me and also fairly new to Austin, at Rusty’s. A few stops down the line on the bus, a guy with a guitar got on. We traded our guitar stats and struck up a conversation. His name was Landon and he was just finishing a rehearsal, I told him I was on my way to an open mic and he decided to come along as well. He had taken a leap of faith and moved to Austin for music just a few weeks ago, and was running into all sorts of supportive situations.
I love that this is a theme of Austin, that not only do people move here to follow their musical dreams, but the amount of support and encouragement in the community gives them fuel to follow through and keep making it happen. May not be the case for everyone, but it’s certainly a story I hear often enough here to be a theme!
In any case, we got there just as a line dancing session was finishing up (that could be a fun night, dancing plus music!), and Raul let us know that we got employee pricing on drinks for playing. The sound system was good and the raised stage was fun to play on. The list was short, so we got to play four songs, always love that!
Songs: Rain Song, I Know, Shoreline, Keep Telling Me
Recording with Rose
I realize I haven’t really said anything on my blog yet about my recording process. It feels rather intimate somehow. Probably some things are the same for everyone, and some things are very individual. But I had somehow gotten the impression that it was going to be intense and stressful, or at least something that I really had to gear myself up for in a big way. I think it can be like that for some people, but for me it was a very sweet, easy and fun. Almost anticlimactic in some ways, but I’d much prefer that to drama or stress!
Looking at it another way, we had a whole year of pre-production, and we got to reap the rewards of all that hard work with an awesome flow in the studio. Between working with Dan and playing the songs out so much for all this time, I was totally comfortable, prepared and ready to record them! But I was not prepared for how they blossomed into something bigger and richer than I could have imagined! After hearing them back with the other instruments behind them, I had a few moments of being upset with myself for not believing in the songs more beforehand. And I did grow to believe in them and myself over this year, but now I feel pretty solid about them! It is such a gift to have such talented musicians bringing out that potential and allowing me to hear the songs in a new way.
There were many, but one particular moment that was special to me happened when I was recording a vocal track. I had spent two weeks practicing the playing guitar and singing separately and felt ready but it still felt a little weird. After a take or two, Dan suggested I pick up my guitar and that I could even “air strum” it if I wanted. As I settled the strap over my shoulder and the body across mine I instantly relaxed and it hit me in a big, deep way - this guitar, my guitar, Rose, has been with me the whole year. Every open mic, save one where I knew I was going out watch a show after, and so I borrowed someone else’s, she has been with me. I got in a whole new way the thing I’d been hearing about “a musician’s connection with their instrument”, and I was honored, humbled and comforted. I felt a little sick at the thought of the times I’ve heard of musicians having their instruments stolen or broken, understanding that much more what the connection is and how heart-wrenching it must be. I mean, I’ve had my phone at every open mic too, and I love it, but I could replace it with an upgrade without hesitation. I may add more guitars to my life, but none of them will be Rose.
So beautiful!!
carasala:
Orchestra on a subway. No big deal.
This is amazing
144 - Backroads
(pic of Raul at Backroads a couple months ago, before they put up the new wall)
Today is Raul’s birthday, so last night was his birthday open mic. They’ve put up a new slat type wall that helps divide the stage area from the billiards area without closing stuff off too much, I like that.
Raul’s guitar pickup was wonky so I let him play mine. Always fun to hear what she can do in someone else’s hands (if that someone is a person I trust!). Raul did a couple great new ones. Ana B came by and did a few with my guitar as well and then we sewed some more whales until we had to go catch our busses. Josh gave me crap for them not being anatomically correct, but conceded they were still very nice and probably made up in cute what they lacked in scientific correctness. :-)
Songs: I Know, Shoreline of Alaska, Rain Song, Jonah’s Whale
I was walking down the street today and came across this fellow blocking my path. After snapping a picture or two, I respectfully stepped off the sidewalk to let him chill out in peace, but I think he thought I was chasing him. Worried that he would stray too far from home, I sped up to get in front of him and possibly steer him back towards the house, but rather than turn around, he just started following me! I then had the following chat conversation with my roommate over my phone:
me: Oh yeah
I am being followed by an albino
No joke
Wait
Albino peacock
Important distinction
Jana: i was like “omg a crazy albino is following you!!”
143 - OPA!
Billboard outside Opa’s that cracked me up. Says “Es Bud Light con un twist” Spanglish FTW!
I managed to catch the right bus to get to OPA early instead of late, and Tom Harvey walked in a few moments after. He reminded me that there was a song of mine he wanted to harmonize on and we decided to go out in the courtyard and see if we could figure out which one it was. After figuring out it was Keep Telling Me, I wrote out the lyrics for him on two pages, it has a lot of words and I was writing in Sharpie.
Ana B had us unplugged, I guess there have been some requests to turn it down the past few weeks, and if there’s no mic, there’s nothing to turn down! :-) It did create a bit more of an intimate atmosphere, those who wanted to hear all came close instead of spreading out, and it ended up being a night of sing-alongs and duos and trying out new things. With that precedent set, I kicked off with Rain Song, encouraging everyone to join in, and Tom and I decided to go for it with Keep Telling Me as my last song. After a false start because the two pages I wrote out for him were in the wrong order, we had a great time singing it, and it will only get better in the next times we sing it and Tom has more time to figure out more guitar fills and such. Pretty cool.
I brought some of my felt whales to work on while listening to the other performers, and Ana B joined in with sewing together a few. I am making a bunch of them to offer as Kickstarter prizes, so it was nice to have the help!
Songs - Rain Song, Jonah’s Whale, Keep Telling Me
142 - House Wine
I’ve heard good things about the House Wine open mic for a while, but since I always had rehearsal on Monday nights, I was never able to go. So when I finally had a free Monday I jumped on the chance.
It’s a pretty sweet little set up, an intimate courtyard with a small stage area on the porch above. Justin & Tiffany who also host Baker Street on Sundays are the hosts and they are so gracious and fun.
I arrived just as a duo was setting up, and I thought the girl’s voice sounded familiar but couldn’t place it. A little later in the evening she came up to me and said, “This might be a little weird, but are you Heather? I’m Jess from SpinTunes.” SpinTunes is the online songwriting contest I’ve participated in a few times and judged the last time around. Jess was one of the final four in the last round. I hadn’t known she was living in Austin, but she recognized the big flower I was wearing in my hair from my judge profile picture! I was so happy she had introduced herself, and I was even able to let her know that I’d been thinking of her when I had a job filling vending machines one weekend, since one of her songs in the contest was about being in love with the guy who fills the soda machine. It was no wonder her voice sounded familiar, I heard it quite a lot while listening to all those songs over and over for the judging! And I just happened to get her picture, I was taking one of the venue for the blog and they were the ones playing at the time.
Fun also to run into a mix of new people and some familiar faces from other open mics! The only thing that was a little funny was there’s a P. Terry’s right across the street, so every so often a “NUMBER 42!” (or whatever number) punches through the night as they call out people’s orders for pick up! Made me jump more than once.
Songs: Keep Telling Me, I Know, Shoreline of Alaska
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