oh Industry

Is that not the title of a song performed by Bette Midler in Beaches? It just came to me. Which could be kind of embarrassing.

I’ve been spending a lot of time lately thinking about this "business" of mine. This whole experience is like a constant lesson on patience. Which I completely understand, as a theory. Haha, I just can’t manage to wrap my heart around it? I’m working on it, I really am, but I have been known as possibly one of the most impatient people to ever exist. My elementary school teachers who left me report card comments like "is quiet and patient and so good with sharing" were WAY off.

Anyway. Point of this blog: I AM OFFICIALLY ON CDBABY AND iTUNES! SO you no longer have to go through the silly paypal hubbub I had you going through before. Now OTHER people are doing it for me, which is such a great feeling. Haha.

AND I’m pretty sure that if you find me on iLike "Thank You" is a free download. Just saying.

I’m off to Boston for the weekend to make some music with this really cool girl whose name also happens to be Lauren. Imagine that - cool girls named Lauren

xo

On the Radio!

I'm going to be on the radio tomorrow from 5-6pm...WBMB right here in New York -CLICK HERE to stream it!

happy easter

and I'm back

I am finally back and settled after my trip to Austin. I cannot get over how beautiful it was. I went to a few random parties, but I felt a little strange standing between Elijah Wood and Pricilla Ahn. Next year, I'm definitely bringing a friend. Because while my social skills have improved a little bit over the years...I'm still a bit of a weirdo. Anywayyyy



That's me and my mom at the Oasis...pretty sweet view from our dinner table :)

SO I've got a lot of things coming up...first and foremost, this show with Johanna Stahley at Baruch on April 4th at 8pm! Go to www.55underground.com and enter the discount code "TM" when you check out. Second, I've been commissioned to write a song for an upcoming internet commercial campaign (more details to follow). Third, I'll be making my way back to Boston next month for an EP release party with the awesome Joe Kitsch, who did my incredible album artwork! After that I've got plan a few trips...Nashville, LA/Portland/Seattle, and Indianapolis. I don't know about you, but I cannot believe how quickly this year is passing by. It's kind of scaring me, actually.

I mean it's Easter already! I miss the yearly bunny visits.

Lauren

Jimmy Joe and Tie-Dye pants!

Today was awesome. I met up with Jimmy Joe (who told me he’d be wearing tie-dye pants…and I’m excited to say he didn’t disappoint) at the Sunset Valley Farmer’s Market near Austin for a performance this morning. Having been invited to play via my plea on Craigslist, I had no idea what to expect. And so I guess I didn’t expect anything.

It was so much fun.

I wish I had a picture of all the cute kids running around. One little girl came up to me in between songs and said “I can spell my name! You have such a pretty voice! Can I give you money?” haha! I sold more CDs than I was anticipating, and over all, it was just really great. I think I’ll definitely be back to play there next year, just for the pure fun of it. Because THAT is what this is all about. And I forget it all too often. So thank you, Jimmy Joe! It will be a memory I hold on to for a long time.

my morning jacket

this is such a sucky tiny picture. if you can't tell it's jim james of my morning jacket. i caught their show last night against my body's will (i was SO TIRED), and it was definitely worth it. i love going to shows. I mean SHOWS. there is obviously a time and a place for a nice singer-songwriter to take the stage and make me cry, but it's not the same. This show had ridiculous bass, was so high energy....the lights almost gave me an epileptic attack...it was awesome. In another life time, I would want to be a rocker. Hell, I still do. If only I could suit up into someone else's body and let it all hang out like that. Awesome.

i went to starbucks this morning and apparently ordered a "triple grande sugar-free non-fat vanilla latte" - i think that's the most complicated to date. Isn't that what they invented the "skinny" latte for? to save people like me from embarrassment when ordering picky drinks? whatever.

my mom is coming today and i cannot wait. i'm playing a show in the morning! i didn't advertise it at all! haha, it's a bit out of the way and all of the hipsters will be asleep anyway, but i am looking forward to putting my artist hat on. i think what i have learned since being here is that....i deserve to be here.

meltdowns and hanson brothers

i'm sitting behind a hanson brother right now. and i'm sure someone is reading this over my shoulder.

SXSW is awesome, but a meltdown was bound to find me eventually. I totally attracted it by having a bad attitude this morning...I didn't get much sleep, didn't wake up on time, FELL OFF MY BIKE (and really roughed up my arm)...after a semi-rough morning I just couldn't get it together. It's the end of the week, I have worked 50 plus hours, I am tired, and I am a tad lonely.

so there.

anyway, I'm over it. I got to sit in on Lou Reed's keynote speech, which was awesome. I ran into a Berklee prof who had no idea who I was but I introduced myself anyway. It took me back...and reminded me of what an awful, awful job I did networking at that school while I was there. I guess I was learning a lot of lessons at that time, and you know, you can only do so much. I'm not that person anymore, so it's okay, I should be able to forgive myself for that. It's just hard sometimes.

It's also super depressing when you realize that EVERYONE AND THEIR SISTER/MOTHER/BROTHER/DOG is an "aspiring singer-songwriter."

WHAT DOES THAT EVEN MEAN ANYMORE?

aspiring to what? this whole trip has really made me sit and take a look at what I deem as "success" - for myself. Most people probably think fame and fortune. I do too. Haha, but that doesn't mean that if I DON'T reach that point I would consider myself a failure. I'm still trying to figure all of this out.

This entry is all over the place. Thanks for sticking around.

I wish I knew which Hanson brother that is.

Lauren

*UPDATE* holy crap is all THREE Hanson brothers. Now I'm surrounded my teenagers.

Moby, My So-Called Life, too much sugar

kind of sums up my day.

1) Moby is so much cooler than I expected. I think this is because the only thing I've ever really experienced, Moby-wise, is his MTV Cribs episode. This is really sad, I know. But the guy has a huge house and like, one chair. That's it. In real life, he is interesting, intelligent, intriguing, genius. I really loved his interview today. I can now fantasize about running into him on the LES, where we both happen to reside.

2) Met Marshall Herskovitz ("thirtysomething" and "my so-called life") and he was awesome.

3) Am in the midst of experiencing the return of insomnia and toe cramps (haha weird, I know), and I'm pretty sure it's tied to all the sugar i have been eating lately. It's kind of scary what sugar does to the body, but I'm so damn addicted.

My song of the hour is "Heavenly Day" by Patty Griffin. I cannot stop listening to it.

everyone is important

or they think they are.

no, i guess it's true - in life in general, every person is important. but some people think they are more important than others.

it's been my job to sit in front of the "press suite" and make sure that only press members or panelists enter. it has proven to be easier said than done, which is just stupid. they take personal offense when i ask them to show me their badge, and when it doesn't say "press" or "panelist" on it and i tell them to kind of go elsewhere, they get all huffy and puffy.

the press suite is NOT that cool. relax.

Anyway, yesterday was cool. I was able to catch the keynote speech with Mark Zuckerberg (which touched on topics ranging from facebook's international release to facebook's role in terrorism...woah), I caught Doug Benson and Morgan Spurlock doing press for their films "Super High Me" and "Where In The World Is Osama Bin Laden" (respectively), ANDDDDDD I sat in on a discussion with Helen Hunt regarding her movie "Then She Found Me"

Twas definitely a cool day.

Now, it's raining again.

YESSSSSSSSS

I have been chosen as one of the exclusive 10 "Choice Cuts" on Indie-Music.com for the month of March 2008!

I am also in the running for their Annual "Top 25" selection in
December, and will be featured all month on their "Music" page, as well as
rotated on their "Home" page!

Check it out: CLICK HERE!

On Goals

I tend to let certain goals shrink in the shadows of other goals I have deemed more "challenging" or "significant." The fact is that they're all the same - they all hold the same weight - and my silly human self has given certain things more importance than others. And so when some of the "lesser" goals are achieved...I completely ignore them. This is just stupid.

And I have to remind myself of this on a pretty regular basis.

For instance, one of my "goals" this year was to play at least one or two shows a month. Well...it was going really well for a few months...but now, booking agents are not getting back to me. It is the most frustrating thing in the entire world. Especially because it's not really a "booking agent" - just various persons at decent NYC venues who have asked that artists wishing to be booked send an email. If you are only going to communicate via email...can you please COMMUNICATE? I don't really even care if you don't want to book me. Can you please tell me so? Thanks.

In the midst of all this frustration, I booked a show opening for Johanna Stahley at Baruch's Performing Arts Center. This is an awesome thing. Especially because just the other day I said "I think my next step is opening for other people...who have a larger audience than me and more experience...." HELLO. Thank you, Universe.

In my constant frustration of booking my own shows in the next few months, I completely overlooked the fact that this show I am playing with Johanna is a big deal for me. And I should be really grateful for the opportunity, focus on the Now, and not worry about anything else. Duh.

And there are even a couple of other things in the works that aren't confirmed yet, so I don't want to jinx myself. But basically, I am writing this post so that I can remember to be grateful for the giant picture...I hate when I get caught up in the how's and why's and just bask in some simple facts.

In even better news, it was warmer in Austin today. And the rain stopped. The sun was out a bit too. Thank God.

I'm here!

I am in AUSTIN and it is COLD AND RAINY!! What is up, Texas?

I arrived early this morning and have been hanging out ... I've got some time to kill before I go stuff some SXSW swag bags tonight. I think I might take a nap, considering I left for the airport at 4 a.m. and could NOT fall asleep last night.

sneak peek!

My lovely friend Clay posted some photos to his blog. I think I was avoiding a pigeon attack in this one, and that definitely is my brownie vest from the second grade. Just thought I'd share. Haha.

If you could see any two animals fight, what would they be?

-- "I'd like to see an ape...and I guess I'll go meerkat?"

Jon Stewart, via a stupid question asked by an audience member.

I went to the Daily Show taping yesterday to see Jon and Hillary duke it out...not really, they played nice. But I was kind of surprised by how the majority of everyone there supported Obama. Maybe I'm naive, but I was thinking perhaps she'd do pretty okay in New York. Guess not.

It was a good interview, though I didn't learn anything new. The satellite delay was awful (the Hil said so herself after the interview...all we heard after our applause was Hillary saying "it was horrible!" thinking she meant the interview itself)

Anyway, I heart Jon Stewart.

In other news, I've got some major shows coming up and I will give you the details as soon as I have them! Let's all cross our fingers now!

I am a slave

to the internet!

there's too much to do and keep up with!




I am now available on DigStation...iTunes, Rhapsody, CDBaby, etc, to follow shortly.

In other news, I had a photo shoot this weekend. Haha! I felt like such an amateur, but with Mr Clay Mallory (CLICK HERE) on camera duty...I quickly got used to the wardrobe/make-up deal. Okay, so it wasn't really like that - it was more like me having my friend/manager Julie hold my stuff and put more lip-gloss on me when I needed it. But it was fun, nonetheless. Updates soon!

woahhh man

I woke up at 5 am this morning and just could not get back to sleep. It's almost 10 now, so I'm thinking it's time to give up and get the day started.

Less than a week before I head to Austin, and I'm excited though a bit nervous as well. I'm having a hell of a time booking shows for when I return - can someone please explain to me why this has to be difficult? If you say the only way to book is via email, will you please then reply to your email? Even if you don't want to book me, that is fine, but could you just grace me with some sort of response so I know the jokes not on me?

I was told yesterday that I would difficult to work for. I took it as a compliment...I have extremely high expectations of myself, and therefore tend to hold others to those expectations as well. Which is completely unfair, I am aware. I'm working on it. One annoying thing about working for myself that I have noticed is that I can't call in sick when I feel like not going to work. I know I'm bs-ing myself because I am my own boss. That totally sucks.

Off to staples. I'm doing some home-office renovations today. It's almost as cool as school supplies shopping.