there is something to be said for the things that take place when artists are around other artists. it doesn’t matter whether it’s other musicians, painters, writers, or graphic artists, it’s so refreshing to be reminded that other right brained people are out there waring with the same kind of things. this week i am at workshop called “the glen”, in santa fe, new mexico. writers, musicians, sculptures, and even just lovers of the arts are here to spend the week collaborating and learning from each other.
by the end of the week i’m sure i will have lots of stories and maybe even a few new songs, but for now i will just leave you with a picture of the beautiful santa fe landscape that surrounds me.
saturday night i played a show in beaumont, texas. beaumont is home of the cute & eclectic barking dog. the barking dog started off as a coffee shop, but lucky for my audience, it has added alcohol to the menu. it was the second time for me to play at this great little venue with an intimate & welcoming atmosphere.
the audience included lots of family, friends, & locals. my younger sister, kate, sang with me, & i was honored to have some of my extremely talented friends join me on a few different songs.
here is josh bolwerk & i singing “in your atmosphere”.
samuel adams accompanied me on the guitar for “stay” by lisa loeb. we definitely brought back the 90’s.
adam david, an incredible local musician, played the second half of the evening. we all enjoyed his harmonica skills, pressing lyrics, & smooth guitar melodies. he is currently working on an album to be released later in the year. check him out on his myspace.
even if you have never watched american idol, you have probably heard about it. who doesn’t enjoy a reality tv show where a supposed nobody is discovered & becomes famous in a matter of months. well try outs happen once a year, & if i had a penny for every time someone said to me “hey, you should try out for american idol. i’d vote for you”, i’d have at least an extra bejamin.
so this year, i decided i’d go ahead & check it off of my to do list. if for no other reason but to say i at least attempted, i went to dallas a few weeks ago to try out for american idol…. along with 10,000 other people. the try-outs were held at the new dallas cowboys stadium & i have never seen so many people who thought they could sing. every hallway was filled with people practicing & showing off their vocal stylings. idol is infamous for having people do crazy things in hopes of getting on tv. i tried out along side a bumble bee, a chicken, and a drag queen. i’m not sure that any of them made it past the first round, but you can’t say they didn’t try.
going into this, i had no idea how the process worked. was it a one day autition? would i meet paula, simon, & randy? well let me tell you, it wasn’t anything i expected. it was a lot of lines, getting up at 3 am, and hours upon hours of waiting for twenty seconds in the spot light. we arrived at the stadium at 5 am & i tried out about 12:30 pm.
for my audition song i chose “crazy for you” by adele. it showed off my vocal range & my voice control. i made it through the first few verses before i was “politely” cut off. i did not receive a golden ticket on to the next round, but it wasn’t due to a poor performance on my part. apparently i just wouldn’t make good tv. this judge doesn’t know my family, obviously. this video is a full recording of the song “crazy for you”, performed at the barking dog.
it took me several months, but with tomorrow afternoon comes the promise of a new town, a fresh start, & a place to start growing some roots. as much as I detest transporting all of my odds & ends, treasures, & trinkets, I am really looking forward to the move.
fort worth texas has been beckoning me for a while now & it’s about time that I replaced my nomadic ways with some more consistent ones. it will be the first time in my brief little life that I will have a place of my own, but I have a feeling my four walls will be filled with enough instruments to keep me company.
I’ll be spending the majority of my twenty-third year in this new place gardening, taking lots of lessons to expand my musical abilities, & paying my dues at any bar, coffee shop, or artsy venue that will let me. oh yea, & I’ll be getting some sort of part time job, but let’s not concern ourselves with the boring details.
i’m also crossing my fingers in hopes that this move will also lead to a great dane. i know it seems like a bit of a stretch, but let’s be honest, who doesn’t want a dog the size of a horse? they’re also on the list of top ten dogs for apartment living, & while half of a cute old duplex is much more fitting for me then an apartment, it’s probably not loads bigger.
off I go to pack more boxes… having a room solely dedicated to my music will be worth it all, right?
about a week ago, my entire family & I headed to maine for ‘maynard maine madness’. the following list is not an exxageration:
fourteen maynards.
a plethera of seafood.
six days of rain.
two games too many of candlestick bowling (bowling alley fully equipped with strobe lights).
nine super striped bass caught in the perfect storm.
one george bush senior sighting.
one flipped kayak.
one honeymoon suite in the seventh most haunted hotel in the united states (yes, kill@ kate did have a run in with a ghost).
one private concert for two or my biggest & cutest fans.
one of worlds most adorable babies.
& a few mobile pictures.
