WAR! Teaser // Season of writing.

"WAR!" is debuting on April 22nd on ISAtv, but here's a quick teaser courtesy of Conrad, the director.

I've been transitioning back to a season of writing, and the whole thing feels slightly off-kilter for me. I've learned that the best way to get into creativity is to find a sense of calm.  A lot of the time, this means that normally minor distractions can start to feel like frustrating ones.  That doesn't mean they aren't good distractions - I just played the songwriter's round that I host at Renaissance Hotel last night, and am gearing up for a showcase I'm playing with my publishing company in a few weeks, not to mention I'll be MOH at my sister's wedding in 2 weeks - but my first goal is to be more productive with songwriting. So hyper-focused am I at getting to this goal, that I often forget that the trick is sometimes just to let it go (cue that song from "Frozen" that I'm not actually a big fan of. Sorry.)

So far I've averaged a song per week.  That's OK, the gears are just warming up.  More scratches to come soon...

   By the way, here is the flyer for the showcase I am playing next month.  It is hosted by Gas Can Music, which publishes "World Go Blue," and is open to music supervisors looking to license.  If by happenstance you are a music supervisor who's stumbled onto my blog and would like to join the event, you can email Licensing@GasCanMusic.com.

3 years.

It just hit me that today marks the 3-year-anniversary of my first day in LA.  It's crazy to think that all this time has already passed. Where do I even begin reminiscing or recapping on all the incredible, surprising, overwhelming, life-changing things that have come to pass?

Before I moved to LA, I was a little more naive - swallowed by unsatisfied hunger and insatiable curiosity, but only because I hadn't yet crossed waters I wanted to tread. I was 25 then, but in my memory, I seem so much younger.  This day 3 years ago was the end of a month-long journey across the U.S.  I had seen so much of this country that I hadn't seen before - I'd grown so much as a musician while exploring Nashville and touring Texas, and had learned just how much of this world I'd been missing.  Despite many travels out of the country in earlier years, the U.S. had never seemed like a wide open expanse until I took that trip.

When comparing my life now to life then, it all seems to have shifted in a whirlwind. I am sorry to use so many cliches, but I guess I'm at a loss for words.  I could tell you about all the things that have happened since moving here - the songwriting, the albums, the touring, the contacts, the new friends, the chance encounters, the side projects - but in truth, it's the more subtle things that give me pause. The way I approach my career as well as other people; the way I've learned to manage my time; how I discovered my love for teaching music; my incremental-then-exponential vocal growth and comfort onstage. Then there's the difficult stuff: how jaded I can be after being exposed to the "industry;" learning that there are still ways for me to feel insecure, if I do not learn to manage my mind; realizing the challenges that are always present in this field.  But it gives me hope that despite the hardships, I'm still in the game, still hungry to create, hungry to continue this love for music.  I'm in a different chapter now - with shows behind me, I'm looking towards more writing - but I am so thankful for the last year and a half since Kickstarting "World Go Blue," recording it, and then touring and promoting it here and abroad. I've learned so much, and have been given so many more opportunities via placements, endorsements, and much more. I can't wait to see what comes next.

Pictures from the day I left NJ: 2.20.11

A re-introduction.

  So, here we go.  I've had this blog for a little while now, but found that I wasn't really writing as regularly as I wanted to. There were a few reasons for this.  First - most common - I just didn't have enough time. Second: I'd find myself running into certain details of my life that I didn't feel like divulging on the Internet (I know, kinda shocking for a songwriter to want to withhold personal details, right?)  As a result, I'd just keep my ramblings to the old trusty journal.

Well, a week ago I was in Nashville sitting on the porch on a beautiful Fall day, thinking about where this whole singing/songwriting adventure has taken me in the last decade, and realizing, with some regret, how easily I've overlooked the details of such awesomeness.  For example, all the traveling I've gotten to do for the sake of music; all the "ah-ha" moments when a song comes together after hours of struggle; the fantastic co-writes (and not-so-fantastic ones too, those are learning experiences...), the friends I've made along the way; and the little discoveries that have slowly but surely made my life and my work more special to me (and hopefully to others).

It seemed, then, a given that I should get back to blogging.  And not just any blogging, but one that would have a focus.  So I thought ... the one thing that's a constant in my life - regardless of who's around me, what I'm doing to make ends meet, what struggles I'm dealing with - is music and songwriting.  So, in order to avoid all the uber-personal details, why not keep the blog on this focus?

Right, so this won't be the easiest thing. I know it still needs some development, but I'm willing to dive headlong into it without necessarily knowing what I'm doing (kinda like the first time I taught myself to swim...) ... and hopefully you guys will be along for the ride. :)  ... stay tuned. Plenty to come.