This Magic Night
Happy Monday! How was everyone's weekend? Mine was good... I ended up hanging out with my friend Louisa, who I haven't seen in forever. And also just having some good quality alone time, you know?
Lazy Sundays Show + A Moment of Honesty
A few weeks ago, I was invited by my friend Isaac to play a show at a community garden here in Bushwick. It was one of those idyllic places that reminded me of my college days... with lots of random stuff strewn about, a potluck, and people enthusiastic to be a part of art.
Workshop Update
Another round of Noise Collective workshops has gone by, and I almost forgot to post about it! I've got to get better at that... I want to share so much more of what goes on in my musical life, but the content is not always inherently visual. Either way, here's some creativity in action for you :)
This time, I hosted around ten artists at my place, and we split people into groups where they would come up with an amazing song or idea (within an hour!), and then all share their new songs at the end. A few groups took to the rooftop this time, and also my stairwell :P
It really is awesome to hear what everyone comes up with... and for most people, it's something they never would've thought of if they didn't have a cowriting partner. That's part of why I love doing this so much.
Yay artists!!
PS, speaking of new musical creations, my friend Jamie- my guitar co-teacher from my first year of camp just released a new album with his band- Gorilla Punch Radio. I'm so proud of him, and know how much work it takes to release a record! You can listen to their music here.
:: FOLLOW ::
Secret to Creativity: Structure and Balance
My friend Isaac... he came over a few weeks ago to finish a song that we started writing together!
Stability vs. Instability
Free spirit vs. Restricted
Structured vs. Disorganized
As an artist or creator, no doubt you've heard the different expert philosophies and schools of thought. It's either all about 1) following your bliss/ finding your inspiration/ going with the flow, etc. OR 2) putting your nose to the grindstone and just doing work. 99% perspiration and all that.
But which one is the "truth?" For me, it's a mix of both, with slight leanings towards a good work ethic.
Friday Songs ~ Inside Llewyn Davis
For today, this is going to be Sunday Songs on a Friday, since it's been a pretty sparse postin' week. Also, Sunday is Mother's day, and I wanted to post something about my mom :)
My friend Jessica was visiting from Baltimore this week. We stayed up late, chatted up a storm, and watched the movie Inside Llewyn Davis. I had to see it because, first of all... the Cohen Brothers! And secondly... the 1960's NYC folk scene! A fascinating subject, for sure.
Where could this blissful pairing go wrong??
...Well sadly, somehow I couldn't make myself love this movie. It was terrifically moody, but didn't have much in the way of a plot. And I found the main character wholly unlikable. Even though I have an understanding of the struggles he faces as a musician, the choices he made were almost all bad.
Anyway... this isn't a movie review, so I'll get to the redeeming part, which was the gorgeous music. "Fare Thee Well" was a highlight for sure, and it's tune has stuck with me ever since. Is an old folk song, sung here by Oscar Isaac (the main actor) and Marcus Mumford.
It's brilliant.
Honorable mention goes to the ridiculous "Please Mr. Kennedy," because it's a novelty and hilarious.
Actually, the studio session scene was one of my favorite film moments. I think it's interesting to see 60's a live-recording situation played out... much different than most music we hear nowadays, which is built up track-by-track. The type of environment shown includes several players, people learning parts on-the-spot, and perfectly clean instrumental and vocal takes- there can be basically no mistakes made.
Say whatever about the song, but you gotta respect these types of musicians (who actually do things like this in real life, not as characters in movies.) They're no joke!
Oh and, bonus... Adam Driver! I love that weirdo :P
(Also, I didn't even notice that Justin Timberlake was in the movie until this scene.)
:: FOLLOW ::
What's in a Name?
Hello!
How was your weekend?! Mine was amazing, but unfortunately we didn't have time to get any style photos done. So none for this week! Instead, I've got some thoughts for you...
When I started thinking about making new recordings earlier this year, I didn't know what I wanted. Up to the Moon was sounding stale to me, and I felt like I was outgrowing it. Conversations with the producer about a new direction were highly ambivalent, and I couldn't really say what I was going for.
I just wanted something new.
So fast forward a few months! The recordings are done, and they have a slightly different sound than the last ones. And when I was recently doing the redesign of my site, I was thinking about it through the lens of a future music release. I started considering not only completely different look for my online presence, and a new sound, but also a new name...
How to dress for festival season
It's that time of year again. SXSW time, coming up next week. I'm inevitably jealous of everyone who gets to go, and live vicariously through all my friends who do. Not only do I adore Austin, but a crazy magical week full of music sounds like just the ticket for me.
On creating new opportunities ~ The Noise Collective Workshop
I've been organizing and participating in Noise Collective NYC for over a year, and haven't really talked much about it here. Maybe it's because the photos of our events aren't exactly ones I'd share here (dark bars + big crowds don't exactly equal "pretty" pictures.)
Maybe because I feel like my "music life" doesn't really converge with the things I write about on this blog, which is silly. The sole reason I started this blog was to help promote my music... then the blog it took on a life of its own ;)
I guess for a long time now, I've let the reporting of my musical endeavors fall by the wayside, while typical "blog topics" have taken precedence.
I love doing both things. But I want that to change.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)