Life Again and Ben Folds Trip
So, quick update on life in general:
Still seeing a guy (same guy I've been seeing since the end of November), and it's going well. We're taking it very casually as we're both moving come summer/fall, but there have been some really good times. However, we keep getting each other sick, so that's not so great (I'm currently on the couch, drugged up, typing this).
Recital- coming right up! I'm in recital mode (although slightly less hardcore about singing 3 hours a day now that I'm sick), and really getting excited for my grad recital- Sat. March 6th, 5 pm! Should be great!
Jan 22-23- Rob, Brian, Brian's new boy, and myself all took a quick but amazing trip to NYC to see My Brightest diamond perform at Bowery Ballroom. Shara and I had been emailing back and forth, and she agreed to take a look at some of my music and give some feedback. The show was amazing, and it was great to see Shara afterward. The next day, we all went to MoMA which was awesome, and got to see the Tim Burton exhibit (also awesome), and then Next to Normal (which was only my second official Broadway show ever), which was pretty spectacular. The trip was a blast, but pretty much confirmed that I will not be living in NYC anytime soon (fun to visit, couldn't live there).
This past weekend I had my "rock star experience." I was contacted about singing with Ben Folds again, this time in Pittsburgh, and this time as a soloist, not a choir member. They flew me out, put me up at a swanky hotel, and I performed with Ben and the Pittsburgh POPS (who were amazing) on Ben's "Narcolepsy."
Friday night, I flew in, and didn't know anyone in town yet, and a lot of Pittsburgh was closed (they had just got 30 inches of snow- breaking records for them). I was fighting off a cold, so I basically stayed in my room and watched the opening ceremonies of the Olympics. While the hotel was really nice, I could easily see how traveling and living out of a suitcase could get really lonely really quickly. It made me wonder if I wanted "the life of a performer."
Saturday, however, was amazing. Ben, Sam (his drummer, really cool guy) and I all shared a green room, and the rehearsal was awesome. I went out to dinner with Ben and Sam, and we were joined by his tour manager and sound guy (Michael and Leo, also cool guys), and it was really awesome. I felt like "one of the band." The concert went really well (link- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=osxkDfmnmfI )- two minutes before we went on Ben changed one of my parts so that I sang a high C- it was the longest I've had to hold one out in performance. Ben said afterward that I "hung onto it like a koala on speed."
Then, after the show, Ben, Leo, Michael, myself, the conductor Thomas Hung, and the woman who booked Ben and travels around doing POPS bookings, Shelly, all hung out at the hotel restaurant, where I was treated to an amazing group conversation and hilarious and heartbreaking stories from everyone about life, touring, music, flying, politics, and everything in between. It was an amazing night, full of that which makes life worth living.
In the morning, Ben, Sam and I waited for our cab together (a guy who had driven ACDC, Brittney Spears and other various acts throughout the years), and then hung out at the airport, while waiting for Ben and Sam's plane. Ben and I had talked about me moving to Boston, and he texted his friend Amanda Palmer (of the Dresden Dolls, who's engaged to Neil Gaiman) about seeing if there was an opening in their apartment building, which is filled with artists and musicians, and took my email addy to write me if he heard anything.
All in all? Pretty damn amazing.
One of the highlights though was when I was waiting in the hotel lobby Saturday to be picked up to go to the venue. I was looking over some sheet music for my recital, and a pair of young boys (8-10 ish) came over and asked if I was a musician, because I looked like one. They then asked if I was a singer, and I spoke French (they saw it on the sheet music) because their mother did. Then, they asked me to sing for them, so I sang a few bars. My favorite part was this part of the exchange:
Boy 1: Are you famous?
Me: Not yet.
Boy 1: Are you going to BE famous?
Me: Heh, well, that's the plan.
Boy 2: Well, WHEN are you going to be famous?
I laughed and said that I didn't know, and wish I did. It was such a great little moment though- they were convinced that you could just choose, or would at least know whether or not you were going to "make it." Their confidence was staggering. They then left and brought their mother over, because she spoke French, and had me sing for her. Then, I got in my chauffeured vehicle with Sam and Ben and sang with the Pittsburgh POPS.
Life is good.
Other highlights included teaching Ben's tour manager to say "Go Big or Go Home" in German, and talking technique with Ben in the green room before the gig.
So, Happy Fat Tuesday- I hope I can celebrate with Mom tonight (she's in town getting trained for her new job), but currently, I think I'm going to slowly get up, change out of my paisley bathrobe, and head out to the supermarket to pick up some soup, pineapple juice, and CHOCOLATE (lent starts tomorrow!), and then return to the couch and watch more episodes of Mad Men.
Peace!
*clink*
Still seeing a guy (same guy I've been seeing since the end of November), and it's going well. We're taking it very casually as we're both moving come summer/fall, but there have been some really good times. However, we keep getting each other sick, so that's not so great (I'm currently on the couch, drugged up, typing this).
Recital- coming right up! I'm in recital mode (although slightly less hardcore about singing 3 hours a day now that I'm sick), and really getting excited for my grad recital- Sat. March 6th, 5 pm! Should be great!
Jan 22-23- Rob, Brian, Brian's new boy, and myself all took a quick but amazing trip to NYC to see My Brightest diamond perform at Bowery Ballroom. Shara and I had been emailing back and forth, and she agreed to take a look at some of my music and give some feedback. The show was amazing, and it was great to see Shara afterward. The next day, we all went to MoMA which was awesome, and got to see the Tim Burton exhibit (also awesome), and then Next to Normal (which was only my second official Broadway show ever), which was pretty spectacular. The trip was a blast, but pretty much confirmed that I will not be living in NYC anytime soon (fun to visit, couldn't live there).
This past weekend I had my "rock star experience." I was contacted about singing with Ben Folds again, this time in Pittsburgh, and this time as a soloist, not a choir member. They flew me out, put me up at a swanky hotel, and I performed with Ben and the Pittsburgh POPS (who were amazing) on Ben's "Narcolepsy."
Friday night, I flew in, and didn't know anyone in town yet, and a lot of Pittsburgh was closed (they had just got 30 inches of snow- breaking records for them). I was fighting off a cold, so I basically stayed in my room and watched the opening ceremonies of the Olympics. While the hotel was really nice, I could easily see how traveling and living out of a suitcase could get really lonely really quickly. It made me wonder if I wanted "the life of a performer."
Saturday, however, was amazing. Ben, Sam (his drummer, really cool guy) and I all shared a green room, and the rehearsal was awesome. I went out to dinner with Ben and Sam, and we were joined by his tour manager and sound guy (Michael and Leo, also cool guys), and it was really awesome. I felt like "one of the band." The concert went really well (link- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=osxkDfmnmfI )- two minutes before we went on Ben changed one of my parts so that I sang a high C- it was the longest I've had to hold one out in performance. Ben said afterward that I "hung onto it like a koala on speed."
Then, after the show, Ben, Leo, Michael, myself, the conductor Thomas Hung, and the woman who booked Ben and travels around doing POPS bookings, Shelly, all hung out at the hotel restaurant, where I was treated to an amazing group conversation and hilarious and heartbreaking stories from everyone about life, touring, music, flying, politics, and everything in between. It was an amazing night, full of that which makes life worth living.
In the morning, Ben, Sam and I waited for our cab together (a guy who had driven ACDC, Brittney Spears and other various acts throughout the years), and then hung out at the airport, while waiting for Ben and Sam's plane. Ben and I had talked about me moving to Boston, and he texted his friend Amanda Palmer (of the Dresden Dolls, who's engaged to Neil Gaiman) about seeing if there was an opening in their apartment building, which is filled with artists and musicians, and took my email addy to write me if he heard anything.
All in all? Pretty damn amazing.
One of the highlights though was when I was waiting in the hotel lobby Saturday to be picked up to go to the venue. I was looking over some sheet music for my recital, and a pair of young boys (8-10 ish) came over and asked if I was a musician, because I looked like one. They then asked if I was a singer, and I spoke French (they saw it on the sheet music) because their mother did. Then, they asked me to sing for them, so I sang a few bars. My favorite part was this part of the exchange:
Boy 1: Are you famous?
Me: Not yet.
Boy 1: Are you going to BE famous?
Me: Heh, well, that's the plan.
Boy 2: Well, WHEN are you going to be famous?
I laughed and said that I didn't know, and wish I did. It was such a great little moment though- they were convinced that you could just choose, or would at least know whether or not you were going to "make it." Their confidence was staggering. They then left and brought their mother over, because she spoke French, and had me sing for her. Then, I got in my chauffeured vehicle with Sam and Ben and sang with the Pittsburgh POPS.
Life is good.
Other highlights included teaching Ben's tour manager to say "Go Big or Go Home" in German, and talking technique with Ben in the green room before the gig.
So, Happy Fat Tuesday- I hope I can celebrate with Mom tonight (she's in town getting trained for her new job), but currently, I think I'm going to slowly get up, change out of my paisley bathrobe, and head out to the supermarket to pick up some soup, pineapple juice, and CHOCOLATE (lent starts tomorrow!), and then return to the couch and watch more episodes of Mad Men.
Peace!
*clink*