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 :)