tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-57010305219971830852024-03-13T13:40:46.186-07:00Sweet TomorrowA songwriter's view of her little world - cats, friends, art, slippers and lyrics have so far received equal billing on this page.Monicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13426206502665001862noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5701030521997183085.post-60307499268460916302012-06-26T13:11:00.000-07:002012-06-26T13:19:02.390-07:00Creative recharges can come from surprising sources.Anybody who knows me well knows I'm pretty much a Luddite when it comes to digital technology and I'm usually quite resistant to keeping up with the latest and greatest. But after traveling with the Sallies for the last few years and hearing about (and frankly, witnessing) the wonders of the iPhone, I finally caved in and got one. Wow. Talk about falling hard. In Utah I remember they always talked about how converts to Mormonism were the most hardcore. I'm definitely a full-on proslytizer for the wonders of the iPhone. The thing that's surprised me the most is that for the first time in my life, I love taking pictures - especially portraits. I guess hanging around Tom all these years has rubbed off on me. Come to think of it, my Mom loves to paint portraits, too. It's not like I haven't had cameras before - but I never really enjoyed them. There's something about the iPhone camera and me that is totally clicking - and from what I've observed on Instagram that seems to be true for millions of people. <br />
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I have to say that for the past year or two I've been feeling a little burnt out creatively. Not the performing kind of creativity, but the giving birth to a new and fresh idea, the lonely kind of songwriting creativity. It just hasn't been calling out to me. Intuitively I started to figure out that I'd have to do a kind of an end-run around songwriting and try to open myself up in other ways, and from that maybe the old muse would start to reappear. I think it's working, but more than that, I'm opening myself up to the idea that there are so many more ways to express myself and that the best thing I can do is go towards what excites me - it will all work out in the end!<br />
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Here are some of my favorite portraits from the last few weeks in no particular order. If you follow me on Instagram (under the name Blame Sally) you might have already seen some of them.<br />
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Linda, Mati and I had an amazing "girl day" last week, that included Tilden Park, Thai Food, Korean Spa, Margaritas and was finished off with the most decadent ice cream sundaes ever! Here is Linda after the spa - but before the ice cream :-)</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Z4BLgw2kDDQ/T-oKgUi7i0I/AAAAAAAAAJ4/iTIvPsAPbX8/s1600/Asha.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Z4BLgw2kDDQ/T-oKgUi7i0I/AAAAAAAAAJ4/iTIvPsAPbX8/s320/Asha.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Asha lives upstairs and we went for a walk the other day in Temescal. Her Mom and Dad are our landlords, but we think Asha's really in charge. </div>
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Beth and I have been in a book group together for about 15 years. Isn't she gorgeous? </div>
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Cat's are people, too. This is Hissy Fit. She lives outside and we've pretty much adopted her. She's a little unpredictable, but when you turn the camera lens on her she acts like Marilyn Monroe. </div>
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Mara is my wonderful, talented, beautiful niece. You saw her in the "Bird in Hand"video, which she choreographed and danced in. She lives about 10 blocks from me so last week we went to the Farmer's market together. </div>
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Mati - she is my muse! Since she moved into the neighborhood we've been hanging out a lot, so she is the victim of my camera quite frequently. But I think she always looks beautiful - and she's game. Here she is sitting among the purple flowers that reside a few houses away from me. </div>
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Rosie is the indoor cat, and honestly, she's a bit of prima dona when it comes to posing. You'd think she was being constantly hounded by the paparazzi the way she acts. She is the opposite of Hissy Fit - but I caught her when she was ultra relaxed, before she could turn away in disdain. </div>
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For once Tom is on the other side of the camera. I've got tons of cute pictures of him - but this one feels like a good portrait of a photographer.<br />
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Okay - I've said it before and it wasn't true then, but I'm going to try to be a little more consistent with my blogging. Next week Blame Sally heads to Germany for a month - plenty of good photo ops there! Check in on me!Monicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13426206502665001862noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5701030521997183085.post-23183290586481291662009-01-20T12:14:00.000-08:002009-01-20T13:19:04.648-08:00What a difference 8 years makesThis morning Tom and I woke up at 6:15 with plans to see the inauguration ceremony at the Parkway Theater in Oakland. We got dressed, brushed our teeth and headed out the door at 6:45 knowing that the doors opened at 7:00 am. Well, by the time we got there (on time) there was a line stretching around the block - and even though we lost the desire to fight for a seat in that big crowd, it was amazingly gratifying to see so many excited humans coming together to celebrate the beginning of a new era. We called our friends BZ and Margaret and headed up to their house to watch the celebration in their living room.<br /><br />I didn't watch the inauguration of George Bush 4 years ago, but 8 years ago I caught a little bit of it. This morning I was recalling that bleak day on which I gave birth to my song, If You Tell a Lie. My enduring memory of Bush's first inauguration was his closed limo riding down Pennsylvania Avenue surrounded by security vehicles on a bleak and rainy day. I'm sure there was more to it than that, but that's what stays, and the horrible feeling that our democracy had just been hijacked by a bunch of liars.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_1gXK4-tATQ4/SXY-yu6QqWI/AAAAAAAAAIo/o7-h3opLIWc/s1600-h/ALeqM5jMjPn9tswwmcEbihffVmP5fJEAlg.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 190px; height: 153px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_1gXK4-tATQ4/SXY-yu6QqWI/AAAAAAAAAIo/o7-h3opLIWc/s320/ALeqM5jMjPn9tswwmcEbihffVmP5fJEAlg.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5293487453327370594" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Today, as we sat together with our friends and their two small children, we felt pride, joy, hope and trepidation, (will this man be able to fulfill the promise of a different future)? And we felt connected to the country in a way that I'm not sure I've ever felt before. Incredible to know that over 80% of the people believe that the right man is leading us, that we may actually be entering an age that is not defined but fear, greed and callousness.<br /><br />I heard that a few people booed as the soon to be ex-president Bush made his last presidential entrance, and one of the CNN commentators remarked that it was in bad taste. I must say I'm probably a little more in the camp of the shoe throwers - I mean, what's a little bad taste compared to the millions of lives that have been destroyed because of the actions of Bush and Company?<br /><br />Now I'm watching TV again, back at home - Barack and Michelle were just walking down the avenue - crowds of people waving and cheering and I'm smiling. What a difference 8 years makes.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_1gXK4-tATQ4/SXY_WpAx39I/AAAAAAAAAIw/r91IyfetxHI/s1600-h/news.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 60px; height: 80px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_1gXK4-tATQ4/SXY_WpAx39I/AAAAAAAAAIw/r91IyfetxHI/s320/news.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5293488070219390930" border="0" /></a>Monicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13426206502665001862noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5701030521997183085.post-56733019572204050132008-08-18T09:58:00.000-07:002008-08-18T11:57:18.525-07:00Sunshine and Heated Conversation<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family:arial;">Yesterday I had a great time sunning, noshing and chatting at Lake Temescal with three of my favorite people - singer/songwriters Sonya Hunter, Jane Selkye and Emily Bezar. I'd never been to Lake Temescal - it's so sweet and the weather was perfect. We brought fruit and cheese form the Farmer's market and drank these stevia sweetened colas that Jane found.</span><br /><br /><br /><a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_1gXK4-tATQ4/SKmt4kvXwOI/AAAAAAAAAHA/CvpFtChk2cs/s1600-h/2559068597_6de8bb7d86.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_1gXK4-tATQ4/SKmt4kvXwOI/AAAAAAAAAHA/CvpFtChk2cs/s320/2559068597_6de8bb7d86.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5235907229241557218" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">The conversation was spirited and nonstop, and of course we started talking music business after a while. Emily told us about a songwriter on Myspace who got a lot of shit for writing about the rights of songwriters and the issues of free downloading and file sharing. Now, I know great people on both sides of this issue, and sometimes I feel completely unsophisticated and unschooled about it, but I decided to check out her controversial post. The point in question - should people have to pay for music on the web. One of the arguments in response to her post is that CDs cost too much. Here's what was said:</span><br /><br /><br /><span style=";font-family:arial;font-size:85%;" ><span style="font-style: italic;">"BUT knowing full well what a CD cost to make, burn & print AND how much *actually* goes to the artist and not some execs already fat enough wallet, I refuse point blank to pay £16-22 ...If we were more convinced that our money was going to the artist or the developer and they didnt charge quite so much for the finished product then yeah, maybe more people would buy albums & games..."</span></span><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Here's my response:</span><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">In response to the "response" - when people talk about how much it costs to produce a CD, I think they're mostly just talking about manufacturing costs, which admittedly are fairly low. What's usually not factored in are the often hundreds of hours of work put in by the artist/s, the cost of recording studios, mixing engineers, producers, side musicians, photo shoots, design costs,mastering, legal fees, etc.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">While I'm still not sure what I think the answer is - I mean, the truth is, you can't stop progress - I think it's important to note that it was also "progress" about a hundred years ago when performing rights organizations were formed to protect the rights of composers and musicians whose works were being exploited by that new medium, radio, with no compensation coming back to them.<br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:78%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">The first performing rights society was established in France in 1851. In the United Kingdom, the </span><a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copyright_Act_1842" title="Copyright Act 1842">Copyright Act 1842</a><span style="font-style: italic;"> was the first to protect musical compositions with the </span><a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Performing_Right_Society" title="Performing Right Society">Performing Right Society</a><span style="font-style: italic;">, founded in 1914 encompassing live performances. The rights for recorded or broadcast performance are administered by the Mechanical Copyright Protection Society, founded in 1924. Italy introduced a performing rights society in 1882 and Germany in 1915. In the United States, The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) was founded in 1914; SESAC in 1930 and Broadcast Music, Inc (BMI) in 1944.</span></span><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:78%;"><br /></span><br />Simply throwing up our hands and saying 'too bad' to musicians without looking at new ways to help compensate them seems draconian, not progressive.</span><span style="font-size:78%;"><span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;"></span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">The truth is that as it stands there is a vicious cycle forming right now that will defeat a lot of great artists while supporting mediocrity. If you already have the money to tour, you may do okay. But you won't be earning the money that might support your live music career off of CD sales anymore. Also - and this is a point that will not matter to a large part of the population - there is going to be decline in the quality of works being produced (there already is). If you have no hope of being paid back for the investment, that's a mighty disincentive. Go back and read the musician,producer and studio credits of some of the great albums of the sixties and seventies and then weep - (can you imagine trying to afford the London Philharmonic if you're NOT going to be selling the CDs?) .</span><br /><br /><br /><a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_1gXK4-tATQ4/SKmtLiPUTNI/AAAAAAAAAGg/Oa3yxslxmxA/s1600-h/images-2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_1gXK4-tATQ4/SKmtLiPUTNI/AAAAAAAAAGg/Oa3yxslxmxA/s320/images-2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5235906455476128978" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:78%;"><span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">Jane Selkye's "i Gorgona"<br /><br /><br /></span></span><span style="font-family:arial;">Personally, I'm no fan of the major record companies, their way of doing business and their bloated spending habits. But the truth is, they'll probably figure out a way around this or go into a different business altogether (maybe they'll figure out a way to make us spend more money than we already do for a latte). But I worry about us regular struggling artists who are trying our best to eke out a living. It's unrealistic to imagine that we will be able to keep dedicating ourselves to music while making no money at it. It'll become more and more a side hobby, something done on the cheap and while a lot of "stuff" will continue to be produced, I think there will be an aggregate loss of quality and we will see the demise of great studio musicians and producers.</span><br /><br /><br /><a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_1gXK4-tATQ4/SKmtLqH9P8I/AAAAAAAAAGw/AcABgUdStDw/s1600-h/images-4.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_1gXK4-tATQ4/SKmtLqH9P8I/AAAAAAAAAGw/AcABgUdStDw/s320/images-4.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5235906457592741826" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:78%;"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">Sonya Hunter's "Finders Keepers"</span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">I also worry about the proprietary attitude people seem to have around music - if they want it, they feel they should get it for nothing. How strange - I mean, that you should have the right to steal and listen to a song that somebody created off the sweat of their backs. Unlike many other items that you would cheerfully put down a few bucks to buy and consume, this little song will last you for years. This little creation - why is it so hard to pay a very small fee for the privilege? Especially since by doing that you help to support more creations by this artist. Why is it okay to take that creation, but not the jewelry somebody made, or the pastry somebody baked. I know that my attitude isn't modern, but please, could somebody once REALLY explain why this is progress? I do want to understand.</span><br /><br /><a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_1gXK4-tATQ4/SKmtL7qLuFI/AAAAAAAAAG4/9hoGf1zujAA/s1600-h/images-5.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_1gXK4-tATQ4/SKmtL7qLuFI/AAAAAAAAAG4/9hoGf1zujAA/s320/images-5.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5235906462299699282" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:78%;"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">Monica Pasqual's "Sweet Remains"<br /><br /></span></span><span style="font-family:arial;">Now, finally, back to that "cost" thing - the idea that CDs cost too much. Let me throw one more wrench at this - how many things out there do we apply value to strictly by how much they cost to produce? Not that many. Value is defined by a lot of different things - and if you think about how much a great song or a great album brings to your life, a buck or two per song might look pretty reasonable.<br /><br /></span><a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_1gXK4-tATQ4/SKmtLjY5dqI/AAAAAAAAAGo/SAgTlXY1g4k/s1600-h/images-3.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_1gXK4-tATQ4/SKmtLjY5dqI/AAAAAAAAAGo/SAgTlXY1g4k/s320/images-3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5235906455784748706" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:78%;"><span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">Emily Bezar's "Angels 'Abacus"</span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Now, look at it from the other side, what if you decide that since you CAN get away with downloading or copying songs for free you do it. Take that decision down the road a ways - some artists (particularly those who are able to tour and play live a lot, as well as artists who are able to produce very cheaply because of the nature of their music or artists who are wealthy enough not to depend on those buys) will do okay, some will even thrive. But there will be a lot of artists who don't survive this model. And there will be a lot of music that won't survive this model (like jazz, classical - anything that requires a great studio and a budget to put several top quality musicians in the room at the same time). Before you look at this and say - I don't care about that kind of music - you may want to look at it as something similar to species loss. It may not seem important to you, but down the line it's going to have a very nasty effect.</span></div>Monicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13426206502665001862noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5701030521997183085.post-10016849701539441782008-08-16T15:48:00.000-07:002008-08-16T17:19:00.115-07:00Producers, Studios and Jimmy Carter<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family:arial;">For the first time in the eight years we've been together, Blame Sally is considering working in an outside studio with an outside producer. It'll be interesting to see how this works for us. We've become so opinionated and confident in the studio and I must admit, there's something very cool about doing exactly what we want while feeling comfortable with the process and the tools at hand. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">But on the other hand - we don't have the distance or the objectivity sometimes, and we certainly have been working under semi-primitive conditions. I'm particularly excited to have the chance to record on a beautiful acoustic piano - it's been so many years since I've recorded that way. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Names and locations are still under wraps - but I'll keep you posted as soon as i's are dotted and t's are crossed.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Lyric of the Day</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_1gXK4-tATQ4/SKdo-o205UI/AAAAAAAAAGA/51WIJgBj018/s1600-h/carter-family-1977-egg-roll.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_1gXK4-tATQ4/SKdo-o205UI/AAAAAAAAAGA/51WIJgBj018/s320/carter-family-1977-egg-roll.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5235268517170046274" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br />a song I wrote after watching Jonathan Demme's documentary on Jimmy Carter. It made me think a lot about the nature of love and commitment - which seems to be such a big part of his life, both in his relationship to Rosalyn and outside of that - his sense of his role in the world, and his obligation to speak truth to whomever and whatever, and his ability to never give up.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_1gXK4-tATQ4/SKdo-miIztI/AAAAAAAAAF4/RpnQS_nCFO8/s1600-h/JimRos3.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_1gXK4-tATQ4/SKdo-miIztI/AAAAAAAAAF4/RpnQS_nCFO8/s320/JimRos3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5235268516546399954" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Wood, a Hammer and a Nail</span><br /><br />Wood, a hammer and a nail and a fare-thee-well<br /><br />Truth, sharper than a knife in the face of lies<br /><br />Sweet as rain on a summer night<br />Sweet as rain on a summer night<br /><br />Love, a rose that’s made of steel<br />...and you keep it real<br /><br />Time, it hasn’t changed a thing because the bells still ring<br /><br />Sweet as rain on a summer night<br />Sweet as rain on a summer night<br /><br />Give, until you give away, the price you’ll pay<br /><br />Truth, stronger than the blight where you shine your light<br /><br />Sweet as rain on a summer night<br />Sweet as rain on a summer night<br />Sweet as rain on a summer night<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_1gXK4-tATQ4/SKdqMJ9mwfI/AAAAAAAAAGQ/s7Aa0p0y5pQ/s1600-h/palestine+lg.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_1gXK4-tATQ4/SKdqMJ9mwfI/AAAAAAAAAGQ/s7Aa0p0y5pQ/s320/palestine+lg.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5235269848906777074" border="0" /></a><br /><br /></div>Monicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13426206502665001862noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5701030521997183085.post-35680289057556876752008-08-14T08:48:00.000-07:002008-08-14T09:07:39.308-07:00InspirationI find that as I get older it's a lot harder to get myself out the door at night and a lot easier to choose the internet or a Netflix movie as my evening's entertainment. Like most bad habits, it feels good in the moment and sort of empty and pointless at the end of it. When I actually make the effort to go out of the house and experience something that my amazing city has to offer, I rarely regret it. Maybe since I don't do it that often I tend to be a bit picky about it.<br /><br />Take last night, for instance. While SURFING THE NET a couple of nights ago I saw that an artist I'm quite fond of was playing at the new Yoshi's in San Francisco. I impulsively pulled out my credit card and got two tickets for the next night.<br /><br />Juana Molina's music was introduced to me by my friend Sonya Hunter, the songwriter. Molina's albums are a strange blend of folk, indie and electronica. Very mysterious and at times slightly uncomfortable – her vocals are childlike and right on the edges of in-tune. Somehow when mixed with her guitar, her synths and the odd polyrhythms she creates it lands between playful and creepy. I love it.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_1gXK4-tATQ4/SKRVsHHYdmI/AAAAAAAAAFM/-qFNtvxNGHI/s1600-h/JUAN.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_1gXK4-tATQ4/SKRVsHHYdmI/AAAAAAAAAFM/-qFNtvxNGHI/s320/JUAN.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5234402883223975522" border="0" /></a><br />But back to the evening. Tom and I finished our NETFLIX MOVIE (the sad truth), then headed over to Yoshi’s on Fillmore Street. First let me say that the new Yoshi’s has got to be among the very top venues in the city. It seats about 500 people, but feels small and intimate, all the seats are great. You sit at small 4-top tables that are arranged in a semi-circle around the stage with about 4 or 5 tiers. The lighting is beautiful, the décor modern and sleek. They serve sushi appetizers in the concert hall, but there’s also a separate restaurant if you want to make a whole evening of it.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_1gXK4-tATQ4/SKRWBaNCooI/AAAAAAAAAFc/IPYE00LI8tQ/s1600-h/url.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_1gXK4-tATQ4/SKRWBaNCooI/AAAAAAAAAFc/IPYE00LI8tQ/s400/url.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5234403249125237378" border="0" /></a><br />At about 8:15 Juana Molina came onstage with very little fanfare. I loved her dress – which was navy blue tailored top and skirt that looked sort of like a high-fashion school uniform. She looked super young, but I looked her up last night online and found out she’s about 40.<br /><br />She plays acoustic guitar but also has a synth and a mixer with her on stage, as well as loop contraptions. I’m not at all familiar with live looping techniques, but she is obviously a master. I can tell you what it’s like musically, though. It starts out simply – one line, because, of course, she’s up there solo and playing everything herself. So she usually starts out with a simple guitar riff or a keyboard line (when she plays the keyboard, she almost always uses very electronic sounds and simple lines) and she sings. Throughout the songs she builds the parts, using the loop recorders to add part after part. Some people might think that this is cheating, or that it isn’t “live”, but it absolutely is. She plays every part and records it in the moment, adding layers of vocals, guitar, synth and percussion. It is absolutely transporting.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_1gXK4-tATQ4/SKRWdoTfMNI/AAAAAAAAAFs/PTNS56yyBHE/s1600-h/juana_molina.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_1gXK4-tATQ4/SKRWdoTfMNI/AAAAAAAAAFs/PTNS56yyBHE/s320/juana_molina.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5234403733946708178" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" >This is Juana's basic set-up, but this picture is not from Yoshi's show last night. </span><br /></div><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /></span>Tom and I both loved it even more when we closed our eyes, because then you stopped thinking about how she was doing it and then just got swept into the music and the moment, and it was at times glorious.<br /><br />If I have any complaints at all about Molina, I think it would be that as a performance style it seems less fascinating to watch than if she were working with other musicians or even if she was able to let go a little more in her body. The nature of what she’s doing requires so much focus on the various recording and looping instruments that she rarely seems carried away by the music (even though, as I said, the music was completely transporting). But it might also just be her style. Her humor and persona seem very dry and detached, but compelling. It turns out she used to be a famous comedic television actress in Argentina. At first I thought she was she and quiet, but in very little time it was obvious that she is very funny and very comfortable.<br /><br />The evening was pretty short. We were home by about 10 PM. And I felt all the energy and joy and excitement pushing me towards creativity that is the inevitable result of hearing great live music.<br /><br />So, why do I resist?<br /><br /><br /><br />Monica Song Lyric:<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">PAJARO SIN ALAS<br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">I’m a bird that doesn’t fly </span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">When I go, is it earth or is it sky?</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">(Pajaro sin alas, pez que no nada)</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">I’m a fish that doesn’t swim</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">When I sink, am I out or am I in?</span></span><br /><br />I’m a rose without a garden<br />I’m a brush without an artist<br />Almost done before I started<br />Almost done before I started<br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">I’m a bird that doesn’t fly </span><br /> <span style="font-style: italic;">When I go, is it earth or is it sky?</span><br /> <span style="font-style: italic;">(Pajaro sin alas, pez que no nada)</span><br /> <span style="font-style: italic;">I’m a fish that doesn’t swim</span><br /> <span style="font-style: italic;">When I sink, am I out or am I in?</span></span><br /><br />I’m afraid I haven’t tried it<br />I’m the maid, I’m not the bride<br />I Always tried to justify it<br />Always tried to justify it<br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">I’m a bird that doesn’t fly </span><br /> <span style="font-style: italic;">When I go, is it earth or is it sky?</span><br /> <span style="font-style: italic;">(Pajaro sin alas, pez que no nada)</span><br /> <span style="font-style: italic;">I’m a fish that doesn’t swim</span><br /> <span style="font-style: italic;">When I sink, am I out or am I in?</span></span><br /><br />I’m a king without a nation<br />I’m a house with no foundation<br />I’m a flashy imitation<br />I’m a flashy imitation<br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">I’m a bird that doesn’t fly </span><br /> <span style="font-style: italic;">When I go, is it earth or is it sky?</span><br /> <span style="font-style: italic;">(Pajaro sin alas, pez que no nada)</span><br /> <span style="font-style: italic;">I’m a fish that doesn’t swim</span><br /> <span style="font-style: italic;">When I sink, am I out or am I in?<br /><br /></span></span>I’m a song without a player<br />I’m a card without a wager<br />I’m a minor not a major<br />I’m a minor not a major<br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">I’m a bird that doesn’t fly </span><br /> <span style="font-style: italic;">When I go, is it earth or is it sky?</span><br /> <span style="font-style: italic;">(Pajaro sin alas, pez que no nada)</span><br /> <span style="font-style: italic;">I’m a fish that doesn’t swim</span><br /> <span style="font-style: italic;">When I sink, am I out or am I in?</span></span><br /><br />I’m a rose without a garden<br />I’m a brush without an artist<br />Almost done before I started<br />Almost done before I startedMonicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13426206502665001862noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5701030521997183085.post-45568379974249658612008-08-07T09:40:00.000-07:002008-08-07T18:31:52.314-07:00It's only been a year, but what a year!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_1gXK4-tATQ4/SJuGmjnLQdI/AAAAAAAAADw/MgE-SU46BBk/s1600-h/tortoise_and_hare.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_1gXK4-tATQ4/SJuGmjnLQdI/AAAAAAAAADw/MgE-SU46BBk/s320/tortoise_and_hare.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5231923389073670610" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Oh, Dear Readers,</span></span><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:arial;">Yes I've been one of those - a starter and a quitter in the world of bloggers - a setter-upper and a letter-downer, a hare not a tortoise. So today, I make no great promises of fealty or dedication - I know I need to prove myself in deeds, not words - except those so-called deeds involve words, how confusing.</span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:arial;">Maybe this time it will take as I'm finally getting the hang of why a social networking site like Facebook can be fun, and how gratifying it can be to share my works-in-progress online. In this busy, busy world of bits and bites and waves of information this might be the only way to reach many of you and I might say things a little differently than I would in person or from the stage.</span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_1gXK4-tATQ4/SJuHaiqFLtI/AAAAAAAAAEA/-26ilQhSxSY/s1600-h/Moni14.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_1gXK4-tATQ4/SJuHaiqFLtI/AAAAAAAAAEA/-26ilQhSxSY/s200/Moni14.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5231924282170617554" border="0" /></a><a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_1gXK4-tATQ4/SJuJSxxl0wI/AAAAAAAAAEY/Y2PDfuoPi5c/s1600-h/Chris20.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_1gXK4-tATQ4/SJuJSxxl0wI/AAAAAAAAAEY/Y2PDfuoPi5c/s200/Chris20.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5231926347812950786" border="0" /></a></span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />It also serves something in me that craves immediate gratification and response. In the last few years I've written a lot of songs that I haven't had time to perform, Blame Sally being so busy and all. (Though it seems like soon we're going to be dedicating ourselves full-time to the band, which means at last we will be able to spend as much time learning material as we do performing it! - Look forward to a Blame Sally blog coming in the VERY near future)</span></span><br /><br /></div><span style="text-decoration: underline;font-size:130%;" ><br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_1gXK4-tATQ4/SJuLFCkGP1I/AAAAAAAAAEw/9bKtFlI7rAo/s1600-h/Em,BZ,Pam18.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_1gXK4-tATQ4/SJuLFCkGP1I/AAAAAAAAAEw/9bKtFlI7rAo/s200/Em,BZ,Pam18.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5231928310824845138" border="0" /></a>In the meantime, though, and back to my point, when I write songs and don't perform them, I tend to forget about them, turning them into little orphans that hardly seem to exist in my consciousness. Thank God Tom is a faithful archivist and records and saves my songs as they go down. I've recently unearthed some pretty good ones and have consequently been inpired to write more. I've been recording a solo album with BZ Lewis and<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_1gXK4-tATQ4/SJuLpRHJjGI/AAAAAAAAAFA/daOTXqLqCjU/s1600-h/Emily29.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_1gXK4-tATQ4/SJuLpRHJjGI/AAAAAAAAAFA/daOTXqLqCjU/s200/Emily29.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5231928933205249122" border="0" /></a> Margrit Eichler (True Margrit) and plan on having some cool guest musicians in on the project. We played at the Cafe du Nord last week </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:130%;" >(See pix by Tom, of course of me, Chris Kee, Jane Selky, BZ Lewis and Pam Delgado)</span><span style="font-size:130%;">, opening for Emily Bezar, an amazing cross between Kate Bush and Sun Ra. Wow. </span><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">(that's Emily with the flowing wild hair playing piano)<br /></span><br /></span><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:arial;">Tomorrow - off with Blame Sally to the Michigan Womyn's Music Festival. It's legendary - should be a fun gig. It's a lot of travel for one day and one show, but I have a feeling it will be worth it. Blame Sally will be recording our next album this fall - this time with a producer and in a state-of-the-art studio. Should be an amazing experience.</span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:arial;">Here's a song I wrote on Sunday about Tom. I've started recording it with Margrit. You can hear a demo version of it on my Facebook page.</span></span><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:arial;" >“I Knew You When”</span></span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:arial;" >I knew you when every day was adventure</span></span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:arial;" >Every night was a challenge that you met</span></span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:arial;" >I knew you when they called you Mercutio</span></span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:arial;" >There was nothing you didn’t know, if I asked</span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:arial;" >And you could run, you could run, you could run</span></span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:arial;" >With your face to the sun, with your face to the sun</span></span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:arial;" >You could run, you could run, you could run</span></span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:arial;" >With your face to the sun, with your face to the sun</span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:arial;" >I knew you when your feet on the pedals</span></span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:arial;" >Your arms brown and freckled, you would laugh</span></span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:arial;" >I knew you when you were too fast to follow</span></span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:arial;" >From behind I would call you, “Come back, Come back”!</span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:arial;" >And you could fly, you could fly, you could fly</span></span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:arial;" >As you aimed for the sky, you aimed for the sky</span></span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:arial;" >You could fly, you could fly, you could fly</span></span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:arial;" >As you aimed for the sky, you aimed for the sky</span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:arial;" >I knew you when we believed we were magic</span></span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:arial;" >Immune to the tragic and we loved</span></span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:arial;" >I knew you when our lives were like flowers</span></span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:arial;" >Open and powerful and young</span></span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:arial;" >Our lives were like flowers</span></span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:arial;" >Open and powerful and young</span></span></div>Monicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13426206502665001862noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5701030521997183085.post-61371575619352059142007-07-05T13:03:00.000-07:002008-11-13T10:10:51.554-08:00Flying 4th of July<div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_1gXK4-tATQ4/Ro1RlT0rnhI/AAAAAAAAACw/ECL72z7qLy0/s1600-h/flyingmonica.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_1gXK4-tATQ4/Ro1RlT0rnhI/AAAAAAAAACw/ECL72z7qLy0/s320/flyingmonica.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5083809255789403666" border="0" /></a><br />I spent yesterday in the East Bay with some wonderful old friends and a few new ones, too. Judy and Ben invited me to come hang out with their family and friends in their garden in North Berkeley, near my old neighborhood. I brought Ramona with me and Judy asked if we could pick up a colleague of hers who is visiting from Uganda, doing research in the field of Toxicology at UCSF. His name is Anuka. Normally I have a hard time with names, but for obvious reasons this one is easy for me. There was also Ben and Judy's niece at the barbecue whose name is Veronica.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_1gXK4-tATQ4/Ro1Rlz0rnkI/AAAAAAAAADI/JbUMOsGbPfg/s1600-h/flyingjudy.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_1gXK4-tATQ4/Ro1Rlz0rnkI/AAAAAAAAADI/JbUMOsGbPfg/s320/flyingjudy.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5083809264379338306" border="0" /></a><br /><br />We treated Anuka, who has been in the US for only about 5 days, to many typical 4th of July traditions - mojitos, margaritas accidentally made with rum, fajitas, spicy fruit salad, fireworks, and the strangest tradition of all, flying in a hammock that hangs in Ben and Judy's living room, constructed by an occupational therapist in order to help their son Sam increase sensory perception, or something like that. (Ben, you're welcome to respond here and explain).<br />I wonder if we woke the kids up with our joyful screams. I wonder what they thought was going on in the living room -- it does look a bit kinky.<br /><br />This was a glorious way to end the evening, though none of us felt tired once we had our turn. It definitely made driving back over the bridge at midnight a lot easier.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_1gXK4-tATQ4/Ro1VjT0rnnI/AAAAAAAAADg/xUdW7KBViJY/s1600-h/flyinganuka2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_1gXK4-tATQ4/Ro1VjT0rnnI/AAAAAAAAADg/xUdW7KBViJY/s200/flyinganuka2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5083813619476176498" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_1gXK4-tATQ4/Ro1VpT0rnoI/AAAAAAAAADo/1NvCN1eUp7c/s1600-h/flyingjose.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_1gXK4-tATQ4/Ro1VpT0rnoI/AAAAAAAAADo/1NvCN1eUp7c/s200/flyingjose.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5083813722555391618" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />New Song: (written and appropriately titled prior to the above illustrated experience)<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /><br />"Terrified"</span><br />Hollow like a bone on a desert floor<br />Heavy like a stone I can’t carry no more<br />I can’t carry no more, I can’t carry no more<br /><br />Caught like a horse on a carousel<br />Lost like a penny down a wishing well<br />I think I’ve been here before<br />Looks like I’ve been here before<br /><br />And when I look inside<br />I look terrified<br />I look terrified<br /><br />Mournful as a wind on western plain<br />That’s how I feel when I hear my name<br />When I hear my name<br /><br />Sometimes I dream of a different world<br />Where I emerge like a water pearl<br />And I am me again, and I am me again<br /><br />But when I look inside<br />I look terrified<br />I look terrified<br /><br />I have reached and I have fallen down<br />Everything I know just keeps on turning round and round<br />And everywhere I go it seems like I’m just losing ground<br />I have reached and I have fallen downMonicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13426206502665001862noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5701030521997183085.post-6603836397859608452007-07-01T23:07:00.000-07:002008-11-13T10:10:54.887-08:00ART<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_1gXK4-tATQ4/RoiX4T0rncI/AAAAAAAAACI/s-Ony2jkY7s/s1600-h/images.jpeg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_1gXK4-tATQ4/RoiX4T0rncI/AAAAAAAAACI/s-Ony2jkY7s/s200/images.jpeg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5082479173137309122" border="0" /></a><br />I'm surrounded by art. Friday I went to an opening of my dear friends, Hugh and Mati in the Mission. It was totally happening! I saw tons of friends and best of all, a lot of wonderful new and older work by H and M. It was great to see how excited everybody was to be there with them...and the red dots were landing all over the place. Pam and Alicia quickly laid claim to a beautiful Mati original. (Not pictured because I can't find a copy of it on the internet.<br /><br />You can see their work at www.matirose.com and www.hughillustration.com. They're getting married in a couple of months, too.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_1gXK4-tATQ4/RoiZ9j0rneI/AAAAAAAAACY/6NiI4cLz4Bk/s1600-h/582799927_579cf55550.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_1gXK4-tATQ4/RoiZ9j0rneI/AAAAAAAAACY/6NiI4cLz4Bk/s320/582799927_579cf55550.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5082481462354877922" border="0" /></a>My mom just had her big art show in Salt Lake City - it's an annual event in her garden that hosts a couple of thousand visitors over three days. I wish I could have been there. In addition to exhibiting a lot of new art, her own and that of four other artists, she was celebrating the release of her new book, "My Kitchen Table", out on University of Utah Press.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_1gXK4-tATQ4/RoibkT0rnfI/AAAAAAAAACg/0RSIU9bxbOo/s1600-h/519tfjhh3ZL._AA240_.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_1gXK4-tATQ4/RoibkT0rnfI/AAAAAAAAACg/0RSIU9bxbOo/s320/519tfjhh3ZL._AA240_.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5082483227586436594" border="0" /></a>You can get it online - amazon.com as well as other places. Her website is www.pilarpobil.com.<br />It's a collection of her paintings as well as stories from her life in Spain. As many of you know, I've been working on a collection of songs inspired by the Mediterranean and my Spanish Heritage...much of my inspiration coming from the stories I heard growing up.<br /><br />Sorry I've been absent for a while - I've been trying to keep the myspace blog happening a bit - (you know, trying to keep Blame Sally in the news), and writing lots of new songs.<br /><br />Here's one:<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Maps </span>(name inspired by a brilliant CD compiler and map-maker I know)<br /><br />Numbers and surveys, guides and how-to’s<br />These navigations, they don’t ring true<br />I come from ages of stone and sea<br />Like ink on parchment, written on me<br /><br />I know I’d see it if I’d just look<br />I don’t need programs, I don’t need books<br />What can they tell me? What can they know?<br />I am contained here, I’m on my own<br /><br />And this cold desire, the ways that I’ve been lost<br />And this ring of fire, the place that I must cross<br /><br />Just to become<br />Just to become<br />Just to become<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_1gXK4-tATQ4/Roigzz0rngI/AAAAAAAAACo/p0L3guw-pPA/s1600-h/DSC_0079.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_1gXK4-tATQ4/Roigzz0rngI/AAAAAAAAACo/p0L3guw-pPA/s320/DSC_0079.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5082488991432547842" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Before I got here, before I learned<br />Before the lessons when truth got burned<br />I came from ages of stone and sea<br />Like ink on parchment, written on me<br /><br />And this cold desire, the ways that I’ve been lost<br />And this ring of fire, the place that I must cross<br /><br />Just to become<br />Just to become<br />Just to becomeMonicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13426206502665001862noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5701030521997183085.post-56127065093579341932007-06-01T10:37:00.003-07:002008-11-13T10:10:55.309-08:00Slippers and Songs<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_1gXK4-tATQ4/RmBZrPS0mLI/AAAAAAAAABc/MK01VsPtZsw/s1600-h/slippers.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_1gXK4-tATQ4/RmBZrPS0mLI/AAAAAAAAABc/MK01VsPtZsw/s320/slippers.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5071151779793901746" border="0" /></a><br />Friday morning and I'm sitting in my messy little office - freezing, of course, but enjoying my gorgeous Chinatown slippers, which remind me of my sister Maggie because she bought each of us and our mother a pair when they were visiting in February. Here's a picture of our gorgeous feet in said slippers.<br /><br />And since I'm in a bit of a rush and my cat, Rosie is crawling all over me and the keyboard, I'll just post a new lyric and call it a day. We're off to Paso Robles today - we're playing at a winery down there tomorrow night.<br /><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_1gXK4-tATQ4/RmBaLPS0mMI/AAAAAAAAABk/CdMKwODS0Ms/s1600-h/rosie%27spassportfoto.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_1gXK4-tATQ4/RmBaLPS0mMI/AAAAAAAAABk/CdMKwODS0Ms/s320/rosie%27spassportfoto.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5071152329549715650" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br />I'm reminding myself in this post that in the next one I want to talk about an amazing show I saw at the Hotel Utah last Friday. Noe Venable, back from New York for a couple of days, played one of the most beautiful sets of music I've every heard. Description later.<br /><br />Til soon, Monica<br /><br /><br /><br />(photos by Tom Erikson, art by Pilar Pobil)<br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_1gXK4-tATQ4/RmRm8_S0mOI/AAAAAAAAACA/Orhf6VMxxrk/s1600-h/nude.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_1gXK4-tATQ4/RmRm8_S0mOI/AAAAAAAAACA/Orhf6VMxxrk/s320/nude.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5072292278294583522" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">Morning Comes</span><br /><br /><br />Morning Comes, she comes, I know<br />Always and still disarming<br />Beauty in her every guise<br />if I'll behold it<br /><br />There is a space inside my heart<br />Tender, afraid and lonely<br />Just like a bird I long to fly<br /><br />These bricks and stones are only<br />a poor and sad excuse<br />and all around they're falling<br />and underneath is truth<br /><br />There is a tree that I've called home<br />Although at times quite barren<br />nevertheless it is my own<br />My own to cherish<br /><br />Morning comes, she comes, I know<br />Even when darkness is profoundest<br />Into the light I am reborn<br /><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_1gXK4-tATQ4/RmBaYvS0mNI/AAAAAAAAABs/D2PzYYq5BrM/s1600-h/nude.jpg"><br /></a>Monicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13426206502665001862noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5701030521997183085.post-42568725962920441252007-05-25T18:43:00.000-07:002008-11-13T10:10:55.956-08:00Introduction to Sweet Tomorrow<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_1gXK4-tATQ4/RlhTnvS0mCI/AAAAAAAAAAU/pqRwQsYOWgU/s1600-h/cutehat.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_1gXK4-tATQ4/RlhTnvS0mCI/AAAAAAAAAAU/pqRwQsYOWgU/s320/cutehat.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5068893322780907554" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Hello!</span> <span style="font-family:verdana;">I'm starting a blog! Everyone else is doing it, I guess I'm finally catching on to the excitement. What can I say, I'm slow about these things. It's kind of like when I finally got a computer - I waited until they started selling the cute iMacs in trendy colors before I finally conceded to the need.<br /><br />Embarrassing but true, and hey - it's all about personal disclosure in these electronically, practically anonymously connected times, right?<br />I was reading a story in the New York Times Magazine about the new paradigm for up and coming musicians: basically, mystique and glamour are passe, it's all about access, baby. It's up close and personal. It's intimate. Here I am, entertain you. </span> <span style="font-family:verdana;"><br /><br />Speaking of which, a lot of you reading this are probably Blame Sally fans. So I'm telling you right now - if you're expecting the rest of the gals to participate in this experiment, think again. They prefer the old paradigm. I'm hoping that if I focus enough on ME it will provoke THEM enough that they'll finally decide to dip their collective big toes into these foreign waters. As my next door neighbor Howard used to say when we were kids, Time Will Tell. And honestly, who can argue with that?<br /><br /></span><span style="font-family:verdana;">As previously promised (see above referral to self obsession), I've decided that at least in this inaugural post I'm going to talk about a personal project, one that I've been thinking about and working on for the last couple of years, though I haven't really done much in terms of final wrapping up. </span> <span style="font-family:verdana;"><br /><br />But before I throw myself into that, I'll at least reveal the choicest tid-bits in the Blame Sally March to Glory. I can't resist. Last week we were Number One on XM Satellite radio's XM Cafe. (XM 45). </span><span style="font-family:verdana;">I know you all know that because I sent out an email to everybody I know already, but it just feels so good to say it. Number</span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_1gXK4-tATQ4/RlhZuPS0mHI/AAAAAAAAAA8/J98k5zWxSUA/s1600-h/RioCrop.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_1gXK4-tATQ4/RlhZuPS0mHI/AAAAAAAAAA8/J98k5zWxSUA/s400/RioCrop.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5068900031519823986" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:verdana;"> One. (followed by Amy Winehouse and Tori Amos, btw). They've been playing Severland, If You Tell a Lie and Fillmore Street regularly, with some longer 3 and 4 song spins that delve into the whole album.<br /><br /></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">For those of you who are not privy to the sordid ways in which the music business actually works, let me tell you - getting radio play in commercial markets without the backing of a major label and shitloads of money is no mean feat. </span> <span style="font-family:verdana;">The innocence with which we are often approached by friends, family and fans who say - why aren't you getting played on the radio?; why aren't you being nominated for a grammy?; why aren't you headlining the Hollywood Bowl?, - it's touching, but oh, if they only knew.<br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_1gXK4-tATQ4/RlhWIfS0mDI/AAAAAAAAAAc/4erHgCRWf-w/s1600-h/images.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_1gXK4-tATQ4/RlhWIfS0mDI/AAAAAAAAAAc/4erHgCRWf-w/s320/images.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5068896084444878898" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:verdana;">I've never forgotten a long conversation many years ago with one of the VPs of Publishing for Disney Music - he loved the demo CD I'd given him for consideration, actually said it was the best thing that had crossed his desk in a year, but he felt that my "Image wasn't right" (read: you're not young enough, you're not skinny enough). </span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_1gXK4-tATQ4/RlhXsvS0mEI/AAAAAAAAAAk/TtzV1RdwVEM/s1600-h/Spears1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_1gXK4-tATQ4/RlhXsvS0mEI/AAAAAAAAAAk/TtzV1RdwVEM/s200/Spears1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5068897806726764610" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:verdana;">Isn't it strange, it did seem to me that image is easier to manufacture than a good CD, but that's just how out of touch I was. He would be putting his money elsewhere. I think that was the year Britney Spears broke onto the scene. Dang-it, I should have been a Mousketeer!</span> <span style="font-family:verdana;">Hee, hee.</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;"><br />Hey, I wonder what's happened to that guy? I'm still doing my thing, only now I'm older and, unfortunately, less skinny. Thank God for the new, glamour-free paradigm. Thank God for the more Glamorous Sallies. But enough about those beauties, back to my current indie project. </span> <span style="font-family:verdana;"><br /><br />My mother, a painter, is from the island of Mallorca. She is publishing a book this month of her paintings and stories of her life - folk, fiction and memory. While helping her transcribe some of her writing I became inspired to write songs about my own feelings for, and relationship to, the Mediterranean. In the last seven years I've been to the area five times, both to visit friends and family and to perform with Blame Sally. I thought it would be fun to publish lyrics here every once in a while, and hopefully it will inspire me to finally record the 12 or so songs I've written for the collection. Here's the song that starts out the cycle of music. Hopefully I'll be recording it very soon.<br /><br />Preamble (as if you haven't had enough) - in a story called "The Arrival", my mother wrote of the time she left the Island of Mallorca when she was 5 years old. The civil war in Spain had not yet begun, but it was about to. Her father was an admiral in the Spanish Navy who would early on be assassinated while being held captive on the island of Menorca. But before that nightmare started, her father was taking a trip to Barcelona and took his 2nd to youngest daughter, my mother, Pilar, on this trip with him.<br /><br />She remembers the excitement of leaving Palma in the early evening, the waterfront would be crowded with families and well wishers waving off the evening ferry to Barcelona. And as they pulled away there was an awesome sense of excitement that they were going to the Mainland, to the real world. On the westward bound trip they would follow the setting sun, sleep on the boat and wake up in the big city.<br /><br />But in this story, she also writes of the return trip - and that was the part that inspired my first song. The boat from Barcelona also left in the evening and would arrive to Palma with the sunrise. While visitors to the island would still be sleeping below, the islanders would all come up in time to watch their beloved island emerge in the light of dawn. In a way that seems quite unique to island people, they experienced enormous pride and love for their "Little Rock".<br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_1gXK4-tATQ4/RlhQL_S0mBI/AAAAAAAAAAM/CHSesTUQXO8/s1600-h/pilardetail.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_1gXK4-tATQ4/RlhQL_S0mBI/AAAAAAAAAAM/CHSesTUQXO8/s320/pilardetail.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5068889547504654354" border="0" /></a><br /></div> <span style="font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Se Roquette (Little Rock)</span></span><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">There she is, </span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">rising up like the Venus</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">from the green, salty deepness</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">calls me back to her arms</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">like a dream</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">little rock of the misty morning light</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">of the blue sea</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">calls me back, calls me home</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;"><br /><br /><br />Wandered far, </span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">followed all of my passions</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">lost myself in the vastness</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">like a wolf in the night</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">drank of wine </span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">stole the fruit from the table</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">like a child in a fable</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">out of sight, out of mind</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">There she is</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">strong and sweet as tomorrow</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">holding all of my sorrow</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">like the burden is small</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">like a dream</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">little rock of the misty morning light</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">of the blue sea</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">calls me back, calls me home</span></div>Monicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13426206502665001862noreply@blogger.com1