Back in the studio.

Today we spent in the studio chillin' and recording Stacks by Bon Iver.  The end of this song is.....so.....beautiful.   You will die.  It is rediculous.  We also got to spend the day with friends we made in West Virginia Laurel and Ryan.  The studio experience is always better when good vibes abound, and this sesh was awesome.   Paul wants to have a party and is telling me to put it in the blog.  We are grubbing on otter pops brought by the lovely Katie Horwitch.  Life......is good.

Ben

Lyrics

Listening to some new music today and it made me think about how great certain lyrics can be, especially when they are simple. I love poetic lyrics, but sometimes an explanatory lyric that gets right to the point is so refreshing. Here are some lyrics from songs/artists that I'm into right now, as well as some classic favorites:

... I call you up by the lamplight, confess to you like a sister...
- Gabriel Mann, from "When We Are One"

... Let me speak, let me spit out my bitterness. Born of grief and nights without sleep, and festering flesh...
- Joni Mitchell, from "The Sire of Sorrow"

... Was it something I said or that I didn't do? Was all I had not enough for you?
- Martin Sexton, from "Where did I go Wrong"

That's all for now. Possibly I'll post some more when they dawn on me. By the way, if you've never heard that Joni Mitchell song, it's out of this world, and the rest of the lyrics are breathtaking.

Goodnight!

Be Prepared*

We got a lot done today. Delved in to a couple of our songs, really found out what we're trying to convey, what story we're telling. Today was my day. I got to create a visual landscape for the Rufus song, elucidate the origin of the song and what I'm trying to bring to the performance of it. The group got a lot out of just discussing what we all hear, see, feel about the song. Immediately after the creative discourse, our performance felt enhanced by at least 50%. I felt more connected to it; I could better communicate out because I had something actual to say. We're not just a band of musicians; we're not dazzling, theatrical spectacle either We're an odd entity meant to live in between incredible musicianship and entertaining performance. The six of us have only been together six or so months and have done less than 20 gigs. It was a good ramp up to the place we strive to be now - uber prepared and uber polished. We've purposefully remained off stage for a month to take our time with this next step. But I think we're ready to get back in front of what always seems to be an enthusiastic crowd and do what we love to do.

I love our audiences because they're supportive as balls, yes, but also because they're never the same. We have people who've seen almost every gig and yet we meet new fans after every show. For me, it's a blessing to get to reach out to new people and connect with them, both on stage and off. It's a chance to reengage the familiar faces and entice the new ones. If you're ever at a show, say hello afterward - it's a real treat.

*The Lion King is an excellent movie.

nerds.

are hot. :)
there, I said it.

Katharine the Nerd

So I (finally) saw Star Trek tonight, and as a certifiable "girl nerd", I'd say my opinion matters. What is a "girl nerd" Kathy? Well, girl nerds are young ladies like myself who manage to encompass many nerd-like affections while at the same time are not completely clueless when it comes to hair and make-up. I'm kind of being sarcastic, but these days "girl nerds" are way cooler than they used to be (I think). I'm a "girl nerd" because I like to play video games.... okay I reeeeeally like to play video games. I play Left 4 Dead on Xbox, and was a total World of Warcraft player for a good two years (*ahem am I alone here?). I also reeeeeeally enjoy "nerdy boy movies", like Star Trek, also including all the Lord of the Rings movies which I saw at midnight showings, and also including anything and everything Harry Potter. FYI the next Harry Potter movie comes out on July 15, and there's a chance we're gonna be traveling during that time, but I plan on seeing it at midnight wherever we are. If you've read the books, you know that this movie is gonna be RIDICULOUS!!! Go watch the trailers, specifically trailer 4b, at the apple website:

http://www.apple.com/trailers/wb/harrypotterandthehalfbloodprince/

Anyways.... back to Star Trek. In the past 10 or so years there have been a slew of action/comic book/sci-fi /fantasy movies that have come out. Some have been awesome, and some have been... well, trash. Some of the good ones: The first two X-Men movies, but not the third, which had different writers and director. Bryan Singer made the first two awesome movies, but then went on to make Superman Returns, which was disappointing. Last year's Iron Man - another good one plus Robert Downey Jr..... enough said. I already mentioned Harry Potter & LOTR - very much worth it, plus my second cousin, Orlando Bloom, is in LOTR so that adds an extra bonus! The newest Batman movies, Batman Begins and The Dark Night, stand out at the top of the list for me. It was obvious that The Dark Night was one of the best movies of last year. It's those films with characters that feel like real people that succeed.... and the ones that have good music. I won't list the bad ones... that's mean, but again BACK to Star Trek...

The survey says: It was good, BUT because it got WAY to hyped up, I was expecting a tiny bit more. I say that with caution because I know a lot of people will disagree with me. I did enjoy the movie, but it didn't absolutely knock my socks off like The Dark Knight did last year. But I still liked it - Kirk and Spock seemed like real people who I liked and cared about. AND the music was composed by Michael Giacchino, who composed the amazing big band score to The Incredibles, and composes pretty much everything that J.J. Abrams does. He is very very cool.

Anyways, thanks for reading this ridiculous blog and letting me talk about nerdy stuff. I'm sure there are some super nerds out there who could trump my knowledge and opinions, but hopefully they won't be too harsh :)

If I've put you off going to see Star Trek, then I am sad. It is good. Go see it. If for no other reason that Spock it hot. There I said it.

Haley Andrus

I'd just like to give a shout out to Haley - our new amazingly awesome and beautiful assistant who makes sure we all blog/twitter and keeps us from going insane by coordinating our schedules - point is...she brought us bagels this morning. They were awesome. She is the best. :)

smog

my car didn't pass its smog test. =(
"bessy" or more recently, "bessy big luscious" as she is called, is a nineteenninetysomething white plymouth voyager. she's been good to me, but it may soon be her time...

goodnight

Lately I've been super into reading interviews with artists whose music I love. Usually I search around for blogs, journals, magazine interviews, whatever, with my favorite artists, and spend time reading some incredibly inspirational & insightful stuff. It's comforting to hear people who are where you want to be talking about what their life is like, what they struggle with, how they stay inspired, how they got to where they are, etc. Often the artists I admire most are dealing with some of the same thoughts & emotions we are going through as we enter into this crazy, exhilarating lifestyle of being professional artists. 

Anyone who knows me remotely well is aware of my healthy obsession with Kurt Elling. He is THE modern jazz singer, and both his music & his insight into his own artistic process & influences astounds me. To me he is one of those rare artists you may come across in your life, who you feel is truly singing & saying everything you feel deep down but can't express on your own. I read this little snippet tonight in regards to advice for aspiring musicians & I felt it an appropriate response to Paul's blog earlier this evening....

"As with any art form, I feel strongly that people do not "choose" to be artists. They are chosen to be - they have no choice. If this is so for any person, then that person will do whatever work it takes, engage whatever discipline, and overcome any obstacles in life to become what they are called to be. Above all that person will believe in the work, will accept the difficulties, and will be rewarded by the creation of whatever they are called to make. To be a professional is to have already crossed the finish line; it is to have already won." - ke

** if you're interested in reading more of what he has to say about his background, influences & INCREDIBLE music, check out his Q&A section HERE!    http://kurtelling.com/news/faq.html   *****

thank you for indulging me :)

All in a day's work

We just got done backing up our friend Laura for a label showcase. Aaaaand it's safe to say she rocked it. In the few hours leading up to the big show, I had a moment while Chris and I were sharing a Corona.* (Not true, we each had our own, but the word 'sharing' indicates camaraderie, of which this particular moment had much). I saw the six of us hanging around enjoying each other's company and the delectable day and realized, "We are at work." This is our job. These are the appointments we have to keep clear in our calendar. I'm not saying all that we do is 'easy' or 'simple' but I'd be remiss in saying it sucks. I love my job; I love that Sonos takes up most of my time. I love sharing music and moments with this bunch of humans. I am grateful. That is all. Message stop.

*This anecdote does not condone performing under the influence. But c'mon, one beer.

Aloha :)

Aloha Everyone, and greetings from the beautiful town of Kihei, on the island of Maui. I've been vacationing here since Tuesday night with my boyfriend, and we've been staying with a couple of friends of ours in a condo right across the street from the beach. I've never been to Hawaii before, and I'm very very glad that I was able to have a small getaway in this amazing place. We've been at the beach almost everyday, and got some great snorkeling in - Yesterday was the best snorkeling day, because we saw tons of little colorful fish, AND we saw a turtle, which was definitely on my to-do list. He was sooooooo cute! We watched him for a little bit while he chilled on the sand next to a rock with coral all over it. Awesome.

Earlier this week we went to this crazy bamboo forrest for a hike. We hiked the two miles to this huge damn with a waterfall that we jumped off of. It took me a little while to grow the balls to jump - I don't like heights, and granted this wasn't that high, but I'm a wuss. Finally I jumped and it was awesome but FREEZING! These bottom two pictures are from the bamboo forrest.

Yesterday we took a drive up to Lahaina, had lunch, and then continued driving to the north coast. One of the things that has really fascinated me about Maui is that both the weather and the climate and countryside can change so much depending on the time of day and where you are on the island. Kihei is on the western coast of the large half of the island, and its description would match what you'd immediately think of when imagining Hawaii. Lahaina is on the western coast of the smaller half of the island (northwest of Kihea), and it's a cool little town with shops and restaurants. After lunch we drove up the coast and around to the north, which honestly looked like Ireland - It was cloudy, and it's tall cliffs dropped off to a much more rough sea than what we found down in Kihei. Maui's weather changes throughout the day - it may be sunny in the morning, but could be super cloudy at night - Everything is full of surprises. That third picture was from our drive up north - Doesn't it look just like Jurassic Park!?!

That second picture is the beautiful sunset here in Kihei, and the top one of course was sent to my Mum for Mother's Day - Happy Mother's Day to all the Mommies!!!

Anyways.... I'm flying home tonight to continue with Xmas work this week. Yes. I know you're all sick of us talking about Xmas in May, but it's gonna be awesome I promise. I arranged the carol "I Wonder as I Wander", but it's got a little surprise in it that I won't tell at the this time - You'll just have to buy the Xmas album to find out ;)

much love, Kath

Xmas in May? Yes.

It's that time of year, and the focus has now turned big-time to the xmas album. Time is tight, and we have a small window to punch this out before touring of some sorts begins this summer. We set today as a deadline for most of us to have xmas arrangements done, and Paul and I have been hermits this past week trying to meet it. I think I left the house just to go to the gym (infrequently.......ok once.) BUT, it is done. Paul, my roommate, is stir crazy and loopy. (to which he will attest) I will try to drag him tonight to go shee Shtar Trek....sorry let me take out my retainer.....Star Trek. I hope it lives up to my nerdy ass expectations.

Benjamin Bunny

my room/mind clutter

ever notice how the state of your bedroom reflects the state of your mind?
insofar as clarity, organization, etc?
well, if you haven't noticed, go notice it. it's true.
my room is unbelievably messy. like there was an explosion. or a hurricane. or like a hurricane exploded.
my brain = same way.
if they're actually linked, i should probably clean my room to attain some peace of mind.
or better yet! i should see a shrink and get my mind clear and maybe my room will miraculously become clean!

at any rate, i arranged a wordless version of "greensleeves" yesterday.
it's weird. i think i like it.

Steps forward

We had our first Santa Barbara gig tonight. For being out of town, we managed a good sized crowd; made a lot of new friends. It was a good check point for me. The car ride home allowed us lots of conversation about the next steps. I feel like we've been taking "next steps" for a while now, but we've cleared the brush from the path and it's clear where we need to go.

I never thought I'd be in a band. Can I say that? Is this thing on? Acting was my passion, that's the road I was taking when Sonos hopped up in my lap and starting panting. Its face was too cute to deny, but it has since brought to my attention a string of challenges I never thought of before. What I'm saying is Sonos is a new puppy. A puppy that sometimes pees on my carpet, but that also brings me great joy. Being a musician, a performer, a new dog owner - requires a lot of a person. New challenges all the time.

First step: Time for a haircut.

Actually, the first step is to finish my new arrangement. Haircut can be fourth step.

Katherine's Bday Bash

Last night.....was good times. Sonos, and some amazing friends, hit the town in a limo (what?) to celebrate Katherine's B day. I don't know if you're like me, but I feel cool just seeing a limo. I've come to the conclusion, via last night, that alcohal brings people together. We are constantly working so hard together that we rarely get to spend time playing. I sometimes forget what cool people I get to sing with :D Anyways...last night was rad, and I hope there will be many more opportunities to party hard with the Sonos brethren.

Benja