In high school, my best friend and I planned the most exciting trip we could imagine: we were going to drive the six hours from Phoenix, where we lived, to Los Angeles to see our favorite artist play a concert. We had recently turned 16, so we could drive, and we felt free and excited. […]
Singing well takes work. Playing an instrument well takes work. Writing songs takes work. Honing stagecraft takes work. Pulling together a band, booking a band, creating buzz… You name it, whatever you do in music, ad however much you love doing it, there is also a part of it that involves WORK. To do WORK, […]
Are you dying to get into a band? Would you take a position with almost any band, as long as you could get on stage? Think carefully about your options… not all opportunities are the right ones! … Recently, I met up with a musician friend I hadn’t seen in a while. I’m keeping names […]
Last weekend I spent with Rene Marie, jazz singer, at a workshop she ran for a few women looking to access more emotion in their singing. Many pearls of wisdom came out during the 17 hours we all spent together, but here’s just one I’d like to share today: A single song can help you […]
Imagine you’re back in your first apartment. (Or, just look around, if that’s where you’re living now.) Do you ever dust? Are there holes in the couch? Empty pizza boxes? Unmade bed? Have you done anything at all to decorate? What if your dream date called you and wanted to swing by in […]
I went for a run/walk along Boulder Creek yesterday. First springlike day I’ve seen around here this year. People were out playing chess in the grass, feeding ducks, tossing sticks into the creek for their Retrievers to… retrieve. Up just past the kayak course on the west end of town, I saw something strange: cairn-like […]
Those of you who know me personally, know how I can get carried away with trying to accomplish too many things at once. And I know that some of you are the same way. We are the kind of people who get so obsessed with making progress, that we don’t make enough time for rest. […]
I wish but one thing for you for 2010: That you know without a doubt what you most deeply desire out of life. It’s easy to know what we should want. It’s easy to set achievement-oriented goals that look good on paper. It’s easy to set goals for “shoulds” because we feel like we […]
Do you ever feel like you’re never going to be a great singer? Do you find yourself wondering, “Who would ever pay to listen to that?” Do you ever feel like your voice… well… it sucks? Yep. So do I, sometimes. It’s totally normal. Here’s what to do. Think of a spiral, like a Slinky […]
The following are some of my favorite quotes from one of my favorite books – Free Play: Improvisation in Life and Art, by Stephen Nachmanovich: “The ego wants to be right, but in the dynamics of life and art we are never right, we are always changing and cycling.” “It is when we are trying […]
