I am so excited to say that for the past few months I've been recording some new music at the amazing MorningStar Studios! It's going to be an EP of 6 new original songs, and they are turning out exactly the way I had imagined them. I seriously cannot wait for everyone to hear them!!! We're finishing up the mixing process now, so hopefully I will be able to share the new tunes soon!! Hope everyone's doing well and enjoying this incredible weather! :)
It's been a crazy long time since I've blogged (probably due to the fact that it's been a crazy busy summer), so I figured I'd finally sit down and catch up! I've had a wonderful time the past few months keeping busy with lots of shows, but there's one project I'm particularly excited about...
One of the coolest things that I've done this summer is record a song for Diabetes Awareness with some of the Youth Ambassadors from the South Jersey chapter of JDRF (Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation). I wrote the song around this time last year after seeing an educational video on Diabetes that one of my closest friend's sisters was in. It was very eye opening and moving, and I felt like I needed to do something to help.
After writing the song I knew that if I ever recorded it, I wanted it to be special... and we found a way to do it! Having the kids come in to sing on it was an amazing experience and so much fun! I decided that I wanted to put the song up on iTunes and have all the proceeds go to JDRF.
We recently shot a music video for the song, and I am happy to say that I finally finished editing it! (Editing is by far the most tedious and ridiculously annoying process ever!) Haha.. I'm so thrilled with how it turned out and so grateful to everyone that volunteered their time and efforts into pulling it off.
The song is in the mastering stage, so as soon as we get it back and it's up on iTunes, I'll be able to post the video! I'm hoping it will help to raise money & awareness for Juvenile Diabetes and all these amazing kids that I've had the pleasure of meeting/working with!
Now it's just a matter of sitting patiently & waiting... things I've never, ever been good at! Haha :)
Last night was the first night in over a month that I actually slept in my own bed... and I had forgotten how much I loved it. The reason for this long separation is entirely my own fault, and I admit it... See, when I moved back in May I didn't have time to set up my bed right away, so I tucked it in a back room where it would be out of the way. I ended up sleeping on a spare bed that is made for tiny people (not giants like myself), and I was literally hanging off of it every night. Not exactly comfortable! Haha. But, I finally got my act together and set up my bed yesterday, and I have to say I am so mad at myself for not doing it sooner... last night was the best night's sleep I've had in a while! Definitely didn't want to wake up this morning! It's a good thing I did though, cause I have a lot of shows to prepare for in July.
I just got back from an amazing trip to Nashville where I met some incredible writers, and am looking forward to trying out co-writing with them soon. I also have another trip to Nashville coming up in about a week, so I'm psyched for that as well. This summer's been a lot of fun so far, and I'm excited for the rest of it... I just wish it didn't go by so fast!!!
Nothing's quite as frustrating as spending what seems like forever on your hair only to walk outside in the humidity and watch it instantly grow five times its size. See, men don't have this problem. But girls (especially girls like me with ridiculously rebellious hair) have it tough. Tonight for example, was one of those nights. Super hot, super humid... super annoying. I should've known better and just thrown my hair up, alas I did not. I guess I thought I could out-smart mother nature with super hold sprays and an intense (and rather expensive) curling iron. Didn't really pan out. The second I stepped outside, my hair blew up (metaphorically, of course). There was nothing I could do to tame it, so I ended up playing the show with what I'm sure looked like a wild animal on my head. Although I'm sure even an animal would have looked better than my own locks at that point. Haha, oh well... the night was still fun despite my vanity issues.
I got to open for Stephen Kellogg & The Sixers who are (and this is a huge understatement) INSANE live. They were so much fun to watch. The members that I met were also really nice. I'm definitely a new fan.
I'm loving how much I'm getting to perform lately and am excited to keep doing it! Hopefully from now on with less humidity and more AWESOMEidity. (i know, i know... bad joke.) =)
This weekend was a lot of fun: on Saturday I played at Grounds For Sculpture in their beautiful courtyard, then went off to the Susquehanna Bank Center to watch the XTU Anniversary show. It was amazing this year... all of the acts were great. The headliner was Jason Aldean and he was awesome but, to me, the standout was Eric Church. His stage presence was insane! My friend Kim & I never sat down at any point during his set, which is saying something considering we had been on our feet practically all day. I have no idea how XTU is going to top this year's show, but I look forward to seeing who they get! And hopefully one day joining the roster ;).
Then on Sunday I went down to Maryland to play at a fundraiser for Desire Ministries. I highly recommend learning more about their cause and helping if you can. They help broken horses & broken people find strength and healing through the other. It was my first time playing on a farm and it was actually really cool. The sound was great and the people friendly... can't ask for much more than that! I'm having a blast playing all these shows and meeting new people and am still really excited for what the rest of the summer holds. =)
I'm really excited for the summer to finally start... and I'm especially excited for the month of June. I have a lot of really cool shows coming up, including my first time playing in Maryland! Also, the XTU anniversary show is coming up, which is always a fun time.
What I'm really psyched about though is something I'm going to be a part of at the end of June. It's a "Play for Publishers" workshop taking place at the famous Bluebird Cafe in Nashville. Basically you apply by sending in 3 songs and if you get chosen you are given the opportunity to present your songs to a room of publishers who can help you take a step in the right direction career-wise. I'm super excited that I got in, and am really looking forward to it. It's June 23-25... a little less than a month away! I have a feeling this summer's going to fly by, but for all the right reasons... being super busy is exciting! No matter what it should be a lot of fun, and I can't wait to get it started!
Today my town had a big block party on it's main street, so I went to check it out. It immediately brought me back to last year when my dad & I would drive up to North Jersey every weekend for me to play at random street fairs and festivals. For anyone who's never been to one, they're really cool: the one in my town spread about 10 blocks and the street was packed with vendors selling food, crafts, and other miscellaneous items. I ended up buying a whole bunch of stuff (probably not good, considering i'm supposed to be saving money!), but I'm pretty psyched about what I got. I bought a few candles from this one vendor that makes candles to look and smell like food/drinks/whatever-else-you-can-think-of. I bought an apple pie one & a blue raspberry martini one... both smell amazing! I also ended up buying 14 vinyls including Joni Mitchell's "Blue" and 2 from Dolly Parton. All in all, I consider it money well spent. =)
This past thursday I played a show at Dave & Busters in Philly with Liv Devine (another South Jersian!). We played outside on the dock, and it was freezing! I completely dressed wrong for the weather, thinking it would be warm... I should have realized that being right on the water makes for a chilly evening! It was still a good time though... the sound and atmosphere were great. I'm looking forward to being able to play there again later in the summer. Next time I'll bring a jacket!
I've officially spent my entire Cinco de Mayo working on the new website (try not to be jealous, it's been quite the party)... and I am finally done! It's been extremely frustrating, but hopefully it works better than the old one. =)
In other news, today is my brother Matt's birthday. He's turning 27... which seems crazy. And I truly hope my parents realize how lucky they got with him... at 27 he has a steady job, awesome wife, and 2 beautiful children. There's no WAY my life is headed in that direction! Haha. And I think I'm safe in assuming that my other brother is headed down a much different path as well. Oh well, at least 1 out of 3 of their children got it right!
So, here's to a day of celebration: Cinco de Mayo, Matty's birthday, and a new website! Hooray!
