Festival!

This weekend I performed in a music festival on the Oregon Coast.

I love it there - especially in the wintertime - there are fewer tourists, and the weather is so wild and wet and windy.
I lived there for ten years, so I know many people in the area, too.

I sang in a couple of venues on Saturday, and late that night I sang in the Open Mike event....in the true spirit of open mike events, I sang a song that I wrote in the car on the way to the coast! It went over very well; in fact, I was beseeched by all for an encore, which made me happy, and so I sang "Lover Man". That is one of my very favorite songs to perform - it's full of longing and it's very sultry, but in an old-fashioned, classy way.

Sunday afternoon was the big concert, and I sang two sets, along with three other female artists, in a beautiful old theatre. I love performing there - the acoustics are wonderful and it's a really lovely historical building.
I'm always nervous when I have to play the guitar standing up. I did well, but I could tell I was nervous, because I was standing a bit stiffly - also the microphone was only hot enough for me in a particular spot - so I was trying to keep my mouth right there!

After the break, I sang my set with the piano, and I'm the most comfortable that way...I sang one of my new songs "Missin' You' and it went over very well. I did it first, because it is a little difficult, and I.....oh! did I mention I had pneumonia????
Did I forget to mention that little fact? So yeah, I was wheezing and coughing in my dressing room and wondering how in the world I could possibly go onstage at all, but of course when I got out there, sheer adrenaline made me do it well.

So next I sang "Rain", which I have never performed in public before, though I've recorded it....it is so dramatic and full of ache, and I could hear that sort of stillness come over the crowd that happens when they are taken by surprise...when I finished, there was a moment of stunned silence before tumultuous applause...that little moment of silence always just floods my soul with pleasure, like the first long drink of cool water after a hot day of labor.

I finished with "Luminous", and it thrilled me to hear murmurs of pleasure and applause as I began the introduction...enough people are familiar with "Luminous", and love it, to recognize the delicate, opening bars.

When I was done, I went out to my CD table, and I sold all but two in about twelve minutes. Every single person who bought one wanted me to sign it, and most everyone took a business card, too, which pleased me....I hope they will check out my website so I can let them know when the next CD comes out!

After my adrenaline crashed, I was utterly exhausted....I am still weak and coughing relentlessly, which keeps me from sleeping decently, but I am HAPPY! because I can see that every year that I come to this festival I perform better, sell more, and have a fan base here that is visibly growing.

What more could a musician want?

Sessions

I had my first session with the musicians.....rehearsal/rough tracking was the order of the day, and to begin, I got lost.

I drove around for some time, and then when I did find the street, I couldn't see house numbers on anything.
I knocked on a couple of doors - I don't have a cell phone, what else was I supposed to do? and finally asked a couple of passing kids.
They thought I was nuts, but it did help me find the right house.

And there they all were....six insanely talented men in a smelly basement.....oh, yeah, we're talkin' the Snake Pit, and I'm the first Funk Sister.
It was so wonderful, so amazing, to work with people who get it - I've never heard myself sing that well.
I never wanted that night to end, though I hadn't had any dinner, and I was getting a migraine, too.

I can't wait till next time.

Yeah, it's that "wait" thing again.

Call Me Softly, Revisited!

Gosh.
It's rare that I am utterly happy with a re-write - usually I have such an emotional attachment to the original, for whatever reason, that nothing I create afterwards can live up to it.
But in the case of Call Me Softly....
....well, sheesh, I must have written eight different verses.
All ok, none perfect.

And then suddenly, it just happened.
It just worked.
And there it was - just seeing the words on paper made me get chills....before even listening to it or trying it on the piano.

When I handed it to MrT the producer, he just glanced down at it, and then he looked back up at me, his eyes getting big.
"I just got chills," he said.

Yep, it's a winner, and we're going to transform it from a pretty song into a sweeping, glorious declaration of love that will last for decades.
If not centuries.
You just remember I said that.