october 16, 2004

an anniversary, and a new home

Hola!

While I am forging ahead on my musical adventure with really, really important housekeeping-type things that are exciting to me, these events in my life are not a very riveting read. (Listening, writing, practicing, reading, moving, yawn!) I have, however, received much email from several fans saying that the narration of said musical adventure is somewhat entertaining. So? I will try to make this month's newsletter simply my autumn postcard to you. Thank you once again for keeping up with me.

Recent happenings of note:

September 27th: I moved to Manhattan after falling in love and deciding that living with the man I fell in love was a fabulous idea.
September 28th: I fixed the air conditioner at my new place.
On October 1st: I visited Worcester, MA to sing the national anthem and provide backup vocals for Marc Copely and friends at a Democratic Party fundraiser hosted by Denis Leary.
October 11th: The first anniversary of my move to New York!!
October 11th: Sang on a song demo that was pitched to Cher, who dug it, apparently.
October 16: Sang dreamy backup vox and played the rockingest jingle bell percussion you ever heard on a new version of White Christmas with the rest of the Tina Sugandh band. The song, which we recorded at Avatar Studios, was produced by Steven Van Zandt of Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band, and also HBO's The Sopranos. Check it out on the upcoming movie soundtrack for Christmas with the Cranks!

Future file:

October 22nd at 8PM: singing backup for my girl Leslie Clemmons at Coda.
November 1st: Back into rehearsals with the Tina Sugandh band for upcoming shows to anticipate her upcoming CD.
November 11th: A solo show at Club Groove where I will debut a couple of new songs. Stay tuned to my Web site for further details, but I know that my girl Autumn will play two sets after me.
December 4-5: the HDFest (high-definition film festival) here in New York. There will be a screening of Inheritance, the film with two songs I wrote or co-wrote: Lose Myself In You, the title song that I co-wrote with Erik Aho and sang as a lost 1930's pop standard; and Never Shake Me, an ominous rock song sung by Mia Boyle.

Two doors down from my new flat is a pocket park. It seems like the love child of Freeway Park and the Kubota Gardens. A waterfall made of bricks, granite and ivy serenades me and masks gridlock traffic noise. A dozen-trees, still green, and other Asian-style landscape plantings keep the park cool and sheltered from the Indian summer around us.

I consider my recent move; I compare it to my move from Seattle. Brooklyn was a great transition neighborhood, but it really does feel right living in Manhattan right now - finally like I have found my new home, like I can really settle in. I can get past the "bonus life forms" in the new place, and subletter upstairs that keeps listening to the same Mark Knopfler album every day at the same time, at maximum volume. I can feel that the manic energy here will keep me warm in the months to come. Hopefully help fill my hungry notebook with ample musical musings too.

And, if I leave the living room window open, I can hear the waterfall.