Tuesday, January 22, 2013

FINGERS CROSSED EYES WIDE OPEN





I'm chomping at the bit here.. staying busy, playing as much as I can as a solo, duo, trio, quartet, quintet.... and now armed with enough material that every show is a little different... focusing on my guitar chops.. and what a great treat it is to play onstage again after these past two years of exclusively singing. Can I call myself a pro yet? I decided that yes I can.. because I am consistent.. because I am reliable... because many of the venues I play regularly at now call me for last minute gigs and in less than 12 hours I can pull something together either by myself or with any of the incredibly talented individuals I work with and provide the highest quality entertainment. Sometimes, it feels like work.. and I'd rather be home sleeping or knitting with a glass of red wine.. but as soon as I step on stage and hear the first note and see the faces in the room and begin to banter I fall in love my craft all over again. 

Being a working musician is certainly not as glamourous as i thought it would be. It means driving a lot, smiling when you feel like scowling and hauling heavy gear into crowded clubs and giving away 100% of your heart and soul on a nightly basis in hopes that maybe a handful of folks in audience will really believe you and feel what a gift live music is.. for the artist and the audience. I LOVE ALL OF THE ABOVE. 

I don't get nervous anymore.. haven't for a long time.. but I always worry just a little that someone simply won't like what they hear. All the old timers I've been running with tell me that fear is a good thing.. it's good to be a little worried because that edge keeps you acutely focused on a solid performance which is what I try to accomplish with CONSISTENCY.

I'm waiting impatiently to hear the first mix of my first album. The suspense is driving me crazy!!! Recorded at Blue Wave Studios with BRILLIANT musicians and engineered by Ken Burke,
it's all my own original compositions inspired by my obsession with various types of swing.. bossa nova, patsy cline style swing, blues, train, roots...fast med slow....except for two beautiful old swing blues tunes that I feel in the deepest part of my soul when I perform them. I produced the tunes, will publish them myself and also designed the cover art.. which is another fearfully exciting reason why I am anxiously awaiting the outcome... DID I DO A GOOD JOB????? who knows? I can only offer to the community what I have in my heart and hope that it will be well received.. keeping all dreams and hopes in check for now.. and moving forward with faith that this is what I am meant to do. It HAS to be more than just OCD ..lol....The working musician in me says.. well.. at least you'll have something to sell off the stage. Now when folks ask "Do you have a CD for sale?" I don't have to stomach the look on their faces when I mumble..no....sorry..... 

Stay tuned! the projected release is sometime in Feb or March...  

In the Meantime.. here's my show schedule for Jan/Feb (so far)

Jan. 25- Heritage Grill w/The Dirty Swing Band featuring Double D
Jan. 31- Trees Coffee house w/Sandy Bone
Feb. 1st- Falconetti's w/The Dirty Swing Band
Feb. 14th- The Haney Pub- SOLO BISCUIT
Feb. 22nd- The Heritage Grill w/The Dirty Swing Band featuring Jack Stafford on sax 
Feb. 27th- Cory Weed's Cellar Jazz Club w/Paul Pigat

and lots more yet to be confirmed.. 
believe me I'll keep you posted!

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