Success!!

Wow, what a worldwind this past few weeks has been! I got my CD's printed on a Friday and two days later sold them at the Belly Up! We had a good crowd, a really fun show, and the biggest news of all, they want us back! I also have an agency interested in us, and as soon as I get the videos edited I'll get to work myself on booking directly.

Video editing is an interesting task. First, Beatrice, our videographer extraordinaire, gave me the actual video. I need to make it talk to my computer, so I'm getting it converted to an AVI file. In the meantime the Belly Up also made a video, and its on their Mac computer. I need to get the data onto MY computer, so I brought my external hard drive. Whoops! I brought a PC XHD, not compatible! I returned a few days later with a 16 gig flash drive. Nope. Not big enough. I returned again with a Mac XHD, but my (firewire) cord didnt fit their computer. So I'll go back again today, with the correct cord, and try once more. THEN I have to get a program that lets my Mac hard drive talk to my PC computer so I can download the info onto my editing program. Sheesh! I thought I was just supposed to play piano and write songs and stuff! Not these days. Musicians have to be tech gurus if they want to survive in this internet oriented business!

After I finally get my video onto my computer, I will begin the editing process. Since I have two different videos (but only one sound recording) I can pick and choose what the viewers will see. If Chad played something really cool I want the video on him, not me. Its nice to have lots of choices and lots of footage. Then when I have it all perfectly lined up, three hours worth, I take a big "axe" and chop out all but maybe five minutes, taking the best of the best, the funnest of the fun, the coolest of the cool. And voila, I have a demo! No one will hire a band sitting through a three hour video. They want a ten second spot of a rocking tune, then a ten second spot of a ballad, then a moment of a latin groove, etc. And thats how it works.

In the meantime, I'm preparing for my next show, which has to be bigger, better and tighter than the last show. I may get a TV spot and radio advertising time! How fun! I'll keep you posted! I'm getting a lot of positive feedback from my San Diego song, which I'm very excited about!

High as a Kite!

Wow! Dana the sax player and Madeline the background vocalist drove with me to the rehearsal hall, where we met Chad the guitar player, Steve the bass player, and... DIGGY!!! My dear drummer friend from days of yore!

I passed out my chart books. We had a three hour show to rehearse in only 4 hours, and we DID it! THAT is why I wanted the best of the best musicians. We blasted through some of the songs flawlessly, others we'd stop and discuss. We were all armed with pens, and made logical changes on the fly, scribbling notes on the charts. We also coined the phrase "Midnight charts," meaning, ""Why is there an extra measure here?" "Oh, that must have been one of the charts I wrote at midnight when I was delirious."

We'd be playing along and all of a sudden there'd be a nasty clank of a bad note. All eyes would turn to me. "Midnight chart?" I'd laugh and nod, and out would come the pens to change a sharp to a flat. We told stupid musician jokes, and Diggy would do the "Ba-dup-chuck" at the punchline.

An oldie but goodie: "When crossing the road, be sure to C sharp or you'll B flat."

One I hadn't heard before:
"What do you get when you drop a piano down a mine shaft?"
"A flat minor."

I came home from the rehearsal, high on music, friendship and that feeling of a job well done. I literally twirled as I walked through the door, arms in the air, to a smiling husband who actually appreciates my quirky ways! Love you, Anthony!

Today I have a rehearsal with Guy, our harmonica and flute player extraordinaire. I also need to make a stage plot, an input list, a lighting list, and choreograph the show. I also have to chart two more songs: one that Charlie and I were going to do alone, called "My Eyes Adored You." But that song is on the CD as a full band song, so we decided to all play it together.

Then, a very very special surprise addition to the show. My beautiful, talented (and very pregnant) daugher-in-law Sarah will be singing a Brazilian hit song called "O Bebado e o Equilibrista." So I need to make a chart for that as well. Wait til you hear her! She has a gorgeous voice!

Then sometime this week I actually get to go shopping! I have to wear SOMETHING interesting at the show!

Ok, back to work I go! This blogging is actually quite therapeutic. Writing has always been a wonderful relaxation for me.

BZZZZZZZZZ

Wow, I'm so tired I'm feeling very wonky. BUT-- I'm going to have all my charts done! Woo hoo! I got to cheat on a few; the songs that the band already knows.

Anthony has been a gem, he's been feeding me and doing all the dishes, and putting up with my late night frenzies when he's trying to sleep and has to get up at the crack off dawn. He did something REALLY great though, yesterday. He actually pulled me out of my cave. I didn't even think about saying no. There was a parade, and a Christmas tree lighting, in Encinitas. All three of his boys, and their girls, and the kids, were all coming. It was only for an hour. I thought, "It will cost me one chart." So what! Seeing Anthony with his little granddaughter on his shoulders, seeing my daughter in law Sarah with her perfect 8 month pregnant belly, seeing FAMILY in such an americana atmosphere, filled me to the brim. It renewed me.

And today I was in the studio again with a vengeance until I was buzzing. I don't know how to describe it better than that. I needed a break. So I remembered yesterday and the parade, and how breaks are very important, and I took a break. And the sun was setting on the ocean with brilliant silver and gold clouds dripping like a wet painting.

Perspective.

I am thankful; so thankful for everything.

Charting Like a Crazy Person, and Strange Blessings

Wow, I'm just as busy as I was while recording the CD! Getting up at 7 am, working non-stop til 11:30 pm. I'm tired but its worth it! I have half my charts done and two days to go. Some songs I can chart in an hour, and some take four hours! I have a very painstakingly slow program. It looks great but is quite merciless with shortcuts.

I have my coffee, my heater on (it's COLD in SD!!) just finished all my businessy emails I've been too busy to look at. Okay. Its 8:40 am (got up at 7 but businessy stuff takes time!) and.... WE"RE OFF!!!! Lets see if I can do ten charts today (I did seven yesterday working as fast as my fingers could fly.)

Oh, and on a personal note (as if blogs aren't personal) I sadly am not at Tuscany's weekends anymore. I was a bit shocked because I was given no notice. But things like this ALWAYS happen for a reason. Since I was informed (two days ago) I've gotten three different job offers! AND I've been able to work into the night this weekend with my charts! I never would have gotten them done in time if I'd been working this weekend. So there you are, a blessing in disguise!

The CD is being pressed!

Its been a while since I've written. First, because I hardly had time to eat or shower the last week finishing the CD, and second, because after I turned the CD in, I turned off the whole world for a couple days.

But now I'm back in the studio with a vengeance, because I have a rehearsal on Monday and I need thirty charts! Charts are sheet music. My old scoring program is obsolete, darn it. It needed to be replaced. But being that I'm on a budget, I couldn't buy the proper $500 program (Sebalius is the best scoring program.) I was very disappointed to find that my Protools program had a very weak scoring program (FANTASTIC recording program, they just throw in a scoring program as a token.) It just wouldn't do, so I bought a very affordable program called Guitar Pro, which makes good charts. Actually my hubby bought it for me. Thanks Anthony!! X0X0

I had to learn it of course. But I soon realized that though it has everything that ProTools doesn't (such as repeat bars and endings) it doesn't have a live record feature in real time (Protools does.) SO... between the two programs I think I can get it done. I just have to play it live in protools, import it to Guitar Pro and piece it together like a puzzle. Every day I have to think way out of the box to make this project happen!

I'm really behind with all the news! Charlie came over last week and sang a few gems, including a duet with me, "My Eyes Adored You" and a funny short rap on "San Diego is Where Its At." He has that gravelly whiskey voice that really works well with mine, and he's so much fun and has loads of charisma on stage. I'm so glad he'll be at the Belly Up for the CD release party December 12!

One more thing-- I sold my first CD! (And its not even printed yet!) Out of the blue, my dear, sweet friend Ann who lives in Oregon, sent me a check for $20, with a funny letter, quite formally asking to purchase a CD. My husband laughed and said we should frame it and hang it on the studio wall, kind of like the first dollar made at a restaurant. I think I'm going to do that!

Okay, I have a zillion charts to score, so "Off I go to save the Da-a-a-a-ay!!!"

The Pros and Cons of doing it "All My Byself"

When my daughter Shannon was very small, if she was proud of herself she used to say "I did it all my byself."

I keep thinking of that. Getting waves of emotion, from pride to worry.

As those who've seen me perform live are aware, I am a one woman band. I kick bass with my left hand, play split keyboard with my right, and use a drum machine on the fly (manually throwing in the intros, fills, verse, chorus, bridges and ends as I play.) I have good gear, and I'm impressed with the live feel and sound of my PSR S 900 drums.

Because I was on a tight budget, the only way to do this CD in time was to play most instruments myself, and to engineer and master it myself. I had no choice, and I did my best. With each song I gained more knowledge about what sounds great and what sounds mediocre.

I hired only two live players; Chad and Dana, and words cannot express the added depth they gave to the songs. And so I'm left thinking, "What if I'd hired a complete band? What would it sound like?"

I couldn't do that, and as it turns out, when I listen to my tracks, I smile really BIG, tap my feet and say "cool!" which tells me I'm pulling it off.

Its kind of like baking cookies from TOTAL scratch; getting the wheat from my garden, the eggs from my chicken coop, the chocolate from my cocoa beans. Maybe I should have gone to the farm with the best wheat and eggs and cocoa beans. My cookies would have definitely tasted better if I'd done that. But these are MY cookies, lumps and all. I put all my love in them, and that, at least, shows for sure.

Next CD I'll do it right, and hire more players, and it will be slicker and cooler. But this CD, simply titled "Rose Winters" will always be my first, the one I did "All My Byself."

My First Masters!

Woo hoo! Took me all day from 6:30 am to 7 pm but I got two songs edited and mastered! I'm learning alot about what NOT to do, which is always every bit as valuable as what TO do! I had a very time consuming panning session. Panning is making the music move (from the right to left speaker for example) as in trumpets, where it sounds like the sound is moving across a live stage. Panning adds depth and excitement and motion. I did it the hard way (always my downfall) but I learned how to do it the quick way, which I'll do next time.

Dana's sax came out so great in Circling the Drain, he just gave the song SO much personality! Thanks Dana, you rock! I'm sending in "Circling the Drain" and "San Diego is Where its At" to KPRI. Hopefully I'll get some airtime on a Sunday for their Homegrown Hour? They have a playlist on their website, its
http://www.listenlocalsd.com/Homegrown-Hour.html

If you look at # 200 you'll see a familiar name! (That was me last Sunday!) I'm all proud of myself, what a goof!