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Chris Mann – The Voice – Exclusive Interview

Libby Lavella — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 06:51:40 +0000

The live rounds for the current season of The Voice start on the 2nd of April and the auditions for the next season of The Voice are currently underway in LA. I have worked with so many singers, contemporary and classical who are auditioning all over the country. The main challenges I see in preparing for these auditions are; selecting songs and being specific whilst staying true to your own unique voice and style. Chris Mann, who is currently enjoying success as a contestant on The Voice, was kind enough to answer some questions addressing these challenges and sharing some insight into his journey on The Voice. Let me tell you, Chris knows his stuff!

Q: Hi Chris, thanks so much for agreeing to answer these questions, I know you will inspire so many singers by doing so. In reading your bio I was interested to find out your Grandfather was a singer; and that this discovery had a profound impact on your singing career. What was your singing history before that moment and how did it change as a result?

A: I started singing when I was 15 years old in Kansas. My grandfather always wanted to hear me sing and I didn’t really understand why. It wasn’t until I found a stack of records that ended up being his singing demos, from when he was my age, that it became clear. I had no idea my grandfather came out to LA as a teenager to try his luck in show business, but he gave up that dream to start a family back in Kansas. I felt like I was carrying the torch for him, in a way. It changed the significance of my ambition since it wasn’t just about me anymore.

Q: What was your Grandfather’s name and what did he release?

A: Robert Beeler—he never released anything publicly but I consider his recordings among my prized possessions.

Q: You talk about Sinatra and Pavarotti as being inspirational to you, but also Robbie Williams. He’s so different from the style music you do, can you elaborate on why he is an inspiration? Are there other singers you are (or were) inspired by that people might not expect and why?

A: I like to describe my style as “Josh Groban meets Robbie Williams” because I want to sing beautiful, lyrical melodies like Groban…but with some rock star flare like Williams! I have a soulful voice, even though it’s classically trained, so I want to let all those influences shine through and bring something new to my genre.

Sinatra is the coolest in the world to me. I listen to him as well as tons of other artists like The Killers, Coldplay, Keith Urban, Melanie Fiona, Lady Antebellum, Adele, Pink, David Gray…I could go on and on…

Q: Couldn’t we all! Following on from the above, how important do you think it is to be genre specific in today’s music industry?

A: INCREDIBLY! I can be a vocal chameleon because I’ve made a living as a session singer for so long. It’s very easy to lose sight of your own sound when you’re constantly trying to be every voice for session. I found it was really messing me up as an artist. A while back I had to step away from a steady session gig that was really asking me to sing in ways that went against my better judgment. I got vocally centered again and rededicated myself to my “classical voice” which led me to working with David Foster, Babyface and landed me a spot on The Voice!

The industry doesn’t develop artists anymore—that’s the artists job. If you are lucky enough to get an A&R or label meeting its really important to know your voice and sound, have one strong artistic influence in your genre (as opposed to 10 from varying genres) and know exactly what you want and where you want to go. These aren’t easy questions to answer, but you honestly need to know who you are as an artist—if you don’t know how can you expect a label to know? It took me 11 years to figure this out…haha.

Q: I do think that those questions are hard to answer, but you’re right, if the artist can’t answer them, especially nowadays, nobody else will. It’s the focused that succeed, not necessarily the most talented. However, it’s obvious you are also influenced outside your genre, but I sense that these inspirations are more of an embellishment (in the way you use them), than a core factor. So, what is your advice to up and coming singers on being inspired by artists without trying to become the artist?

A: I’m hearing a lot of singers sounding EXACTLY like Adele right now. We’re all influenced and inspired by her but none of us SOUND like her! That’s what makes her Adele. The sound that naturally comes out of your mouth is your sound. You can nurture it and use it like a paintbrush to tell the songs story and that will make you unique.

Q: That is so true, and before Adele came along, I felt everyone was trying to sound like Feist, or follow that “little girl” voice that was super popular. I think the shift that happened in music when Adele came along, vocally and musically, is a testament to staying true to who you are and holding on to that. As we both know, the music industry and the “flavour of the month” can change on a dime. I feel you’ve been there before based on what you said at the blind auditions. You mentioned that you had tried many different ways of singing only to come full circle to your authentic voice; what other directions did you try and how has being authentic changed your career?

A: I started out singing classically and had my first record deal singing classical crossover. When I lost my deal, I went as far from Classical crossover as I could and made a pop record. I also got very involved in session work in LA, which needed me to sound younger and sing with less color in my voice. When I realized I was losing my own natural sound to this I stopped and went back to Classical Singing.

Once I stopped trying to sound what others wanted and needed me to sound like my career really began. I started doing shows with David Foster and Kenny “Babyface” Edmonds and eventually was selected for The Voice. It was a hand to forehead moment when I was like “Oh!…THIS is what I should have been doing the WHOLE time!” In my gut I knew this was my dream but I was avoiding it for a while.

Q: I get it. However, I think that is natural though, especially when you have the ability to be versatile, but kudos to you for figuring it out and following through on it! So, you’re the first classical singer on The Voice. What has been your biggest challenge as a classical singer on a show that (so far) has been driven more by contemporary music?

A: My biggest challenge has been making sure the songs I sing stay true to my artistic vision. After all this genre testing, I don’t want to get diluted by singing songs that are too pop. It’s important to fight for what you think is best for you as an artist.

Q: I worked with a classic singer via skype in Florida, who was trying to sing more contemporary genres, but when she sang opera, it was literally like the heavens opened. I managed to get her an audition with the talent producer for The Voice in Atlanta. At this audition she was talked out of doing what she had prepared and it didn’t go well. What advice would you give to classic singers (or any singers) who are auditioning for The Voice after being a part of the show?

A: Go into the audition knowing EXACTLY who you are and what you want. These are tough questions but questions you must know the answers to in this business.

Q: Good advice. Easier said than done sometimes, but so, so true. Lastly, this is a singing blog and I am a vocal coach, so I have to ask, do you have a vocal warm-up routine? Does it differ from others’ and if yes, how so?

A: Yes. I warm up every day. I use classical vocal exercises and am focusing on not singing too heavy in these high-energy pressure filled situations.

Good note. That is so important, as you know. I often tell singers to make sure not to push the voice too hard before the performance. Thanks so much for your time Chris, and I’ll be rooting for you at the live rounds. Good luck on the show and in the rest of your career.

So fans of Chris Mann, here’s the skinny on voting with The Voice’s new facebook app. Check it out – Voting Info.

Also, you can find out more about Chris through his website here – Chris Mann.

Write Girl – LA Today

Libby Lavella — Sun, 25 Mar 2012 19:19:20 +0000

I had a great day today volunteering downtown at The Grammy Museum with WriteGirl. WriteGirl is an activity of Community Partners, a nonprofit charity organization that is dedicated to empowering at-risk teen girls through mentor-ship and self-expression. Founded by the amazing Keren Taylor, WriteGirl held their 11th Annual Songwriting Workshop today from about 10:30 to 5pm. I teach on Saturdays so I was unable to get there until about 2pm and was immediately thrust into some group work with some of the girls. They had different groups set up talking about things like; rhyming schemes, song structure, rhythm and other song writing particulars. The group I joined was talking about “metaphors” (a word which can’t hear without hearing my friend and writing guru, Claudette Sutherland saying “Metaphors be with you!”) and ways they can enhance writing. To hear some of the girls, (13 – 18) talk about current songs and their thoughts on what certain songs were trying to say through metaphor was truly inspiring; one 13year old girl commented on Adele’s, “Set Fire To The Rain” saying, “Well, rain symbolizes all that is sad and you wanna burn everything that is making you sad, but you can’t burn rain!”. Brilliant! I was mentoring with two fellow songwriters Danielle Brisebois and Kyler England who were both lovely and extremely knowledgeable. Then, we all worked one-on-one with girls in the auditorium and helped them get their writing to a point where they could be used in a song. The finale, (which nobody prepared me for, and it’s a good thing too as I’d have run screaming) the mentors (us!) had to take random sheets of paper with pieces of songs on them, and on the fly, sing them on stage for the girls to hear, showing them how it all comes together. The final result! OMG! I didn’t have enough time to process it, but let me just say, I was terrified. Well, I’m so glad, like I said, that I didn’t know, because it was one of the most inspiring, radical and rewarding thing I’ve ever done. These girls were so enthralled to hear their journal musings come to life. Their defensive and/or shy dispositions turned into unabashed joy and inspiration. At the same time, we, the mentors were blown away by some of the writings these young girls created and the thrill of watching each other create on the fly. It was a truly brilliant, raw and encouraging experience. At the end of the day, we songwriters are moved to write songs because we want to express something. It really is, all it’s about. Thank you Keren, Michelle and Naomi for the invite. I will be looking forward to the next one! I’m sure there will be some footage and photos to come, which I will add.

Here’s Keren Taylor, the executive director, with Sarah Silverman, Keren is tireless in her efforts and pulls such a vast array of writing talent to mentor the girls! For more information on writegirl, to purchase writegirl collections or just to donate, you can read more here; WriteGirl

Auditioning For The Voice – Part II

Libby Lavella — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 07:57:30 +0000

I received a lot of traffic and interest from my audition on my post about my audition experience for the very first season of Mark Burnett’s production “The Voice”. You can read it here http://blog.libbylavella.com/2011/02/04/audition-the-voice-mark-burnett/. And, now that the next round of auditions are scheduled I’ve been receiving new questions. I am going to address the crux of all of these inquiries here.

I received an email today from Darlene Davis. Darlene is concerned she is not original enough and that she should perhaps consider singing something more well known. Also, Darlene is worried that 6 weeks is not enough time to prepare. These are all valid concerns and I understand them, however these are things that are out of ones control. 1) You are who you are, and if you attempt to be anyone other than who you are, even if you make it through to the next round of auditions, it’ll be hard to sustain a disingenuous persona for the length of the show and it most likely won’t get you very far. Better to be who you are 100% than be willing to bend to whatever you think will “get you noticed”, because that never works. Never. 2) The audition is in 6 weeks. Can’t be changed. So, all you can do is prepare. Sing the songs that you know you feel comfortable singing and that show off your voice as best as possible. Account for things like nerves and distractions and sing something that is easier for you rather than harder. Trust your instincts and go with “yourself”.

I also got an email from Jessy, asking if she could bring her husband. As far as I know, you can have someone with you in line, but once you go through to the audition room you will be asked to go alone. However, my advice here is to go alone anyway.

Hope this is helpful. There is obviously a lot of anxiety surrounding auditions and I am 100% sympathetic to this. I’ll be creating a little post about auditioning and helpful tips to prepare and get through it.

Good luck and may the 4ths be with you.

Lavella xx

Live At Largo CD still available. Gig May 13th!

Libby Lavella — Mon, 02 May 2011 16:09:19 +0000

Hi all, I’ve been very lazy over here about updates, but that doesn’t mean I’ve been inactive. I have a little gig to tell you about. My friend Flo and I are working on a new project together. I’m really excited about it. We’re going to show the bare bones of it on May 13th at Enid and Edgar Vintage in Silver Lake. Enid and Edgar put on shows every other Friday and it’s a cool hang. Probably my favourite type. Vintage clothing and music, but not just music, HARMONY! Heaven. We’ll be there at around 8pm and we’ll throw down some tunes and some deep harmony! On that note, this is my first real show in over a year. I was wanting a break, a change in strategy. Also, Largo no longer book the little room at all, so I felt a loss there as well. Anyway, onwards and upwards. Come on down and see up. Details on the venue location are here.

And to all those who purchased Live At Largo, I thank you. My brother played it for Gabriella, my 8 year old niece when I was home in Australia over Christmas. She was confused at the sound of it. She asked if I was just practicing. I love that. She is so used to hearing processed music that she didn’t understand it. I think I’m inadvertently starting a raw music movement, well not alone, there’s plenty of us out there, but it felt good nonetheless to expose her to raw music. So there are literally only 16 copies left of the hard copy of Live At Largo. You can buy it (hard copy) through CD baby. BUY HERE! Otherwise, it’s still on all the various digital outlets and always will be. iTunes, et al.

All my love! Hope to see you on the 13th. More news coming soon!

LL x

Wine & Song

Libby Lavella — Thu, 10 Feb 2011 17:26:09 +0000

I’ll be singing a few songs at a nice restaurant in Pasadena. Here are the details.
Wednesday the 16th of Feb
Wine & Song
7pm
http://wineandsong.com/
…Firefly Bistro:
1009 El Centro Street
South Pasadena, CA 91030
(626) 441-2443

Would love to see you and have a glass!
Libby x

Live At Largo nod from Editorial Emergency

Libby Lavella — Sat, 05 Feb 2011 02:44:53 +0000

Thank you Simon.
you can read it here!

Audition – The Voice – Mark Burnett

Libby Lavella — Fri, 04 Feb 2011 21:41:00 +0000

I just returned home from Center Staging Studios where I auditioned for a show coming out on NBC later this year called The Voice. It’s a Mark Burnett production. I thought I’d give a blow by blow account as it is extremely important if you audition for these types of things to know what to expect (as much as you can). First of all, I haven’t been on an audition of this sort in a little while. I haven’t wanted to, but this show sounded different, cool in fact. It’s allegedly, just about the voice, not age or appearance, and the judges are blindfolded. From what I can gather if the judge/coach takes off the blindfold then they assign themselves to that singer and are responsible for grooming throughout the competition to win. Sounded intriguing.

Also, I wanted to go because I was offered an appointment to audition (so no lines) and as I teach singers, who regularly go out for these types of open calls, I wanted to freshen up my experience in the area, if nothing else. It’s all well and good to sit there saying do this, don’t do this, but there is nothing like hands on experience to share. So off I went. The baby was taken care of this morning, I took my guitar, several backing tracks and myself. No matter what they say, I’m over 30 and not exactly the most genre specific artist on the planet, so I had no great expectations of anything moving beyond base camp 1.

I arrived to a line around the block…there were already, at 9:00am, thousands of hopeful singers there. Here’s the first tip. If you go and are going to be waiting in line, take a fold up chair, water, food to eat, a hat, a coat if necessary and wear sunscreen. People were already getting dehydrated and tired. Some people are probably still standing in line as I write this. Also, minimize how much you talk to people in line. If you’re in line for 5 hours and you talk the whole time, you will be most likely tired and vocally fatigued by the time you get in the door. I would suggest taking an iPod and listening to your song (or songs) of choice and occasionally referencing some vocal exercises. You can do a number of exercises without belting to kingdom come. Humming work, light oos and glottal fricative stuff for example. Many singers underestimate the importance of just listening. I strongly recommend recording yourself singing your songs and then listen back to yourself singing them. It is invaluable to hear it yourself (outside of yourself) before you present it. Also..spend some time just deep breathing. When you’re nervous and your heart rate gets going….it’s hard to breathe properly…so slow deep breathing gets the heart rate down and will help you relax, which means you can breathe.

Ok, I didn’t have to stand in line, (which was quite nice) but that part, isn’t overly surprising as to what to expect. you’re in line, until called, and you just have to deal with that. Be prepared.

In these things, you are usually not alone when you sing. There are usually more than one person called a time, groups of 3 -5 and they ask you stand together, or wait while each person sings. Here is where I would suggest having more than one song prepared. If the person next to you sings your song, then you’re completely screwed. Also, if you can’t be prepared to sing more than one song at any given moment, than you may want to consider whether or not you’re ready to this at all. Here’s my experience point by point.

I was ushered into line with 4 other people. One girl, African American gal, with really beautiful wild curly hair. A Hispanic guy called Julio. Another gal, white girl who was hippie-ish leaning towards alternative. Then a lovely lovely Hawaiian girl called Chessa and me. We were put in order and told to stay that way. There were two rooms. The open call room and the appointment room. The appointment room had the casting director and a vocal coach. The open call room had probably a similar set up. If you’re there on an appointment they are expecting more, no doubt about that. Not that there isn’t talent in the open call line, there was! I heard them! But there is no screening…so anyone and everyone who thinks they can sing, is there…they have to be screened. So what they would do after they screened them, is they would either ask them to come back tomorrow or join the appointment line.

We were all called in together. The casting director, Michelle McNulty was there with a vocal coach, whom I didn’t recognize. He didn’t say a word, nor did he smile or react to anything. Michelle was lovely, and gave us all an intro to her right hand man who told us what to expect. In the email I received it said that tracks were preferred, but then, literally minutes before I was about to sing, they changed this. A Capella only or instrument. Now, if you are a singer who had only prepared one song with a backing track, again, you’d be screwed. You must be prepared for anything in this situation. One of the people in our group literally started to shake…didn’t know what to do.

The first gal got up to sing. Introduced herself. They asked her what she was going to sing…she sang the lead song from Miss Siagon. She had a drop dead amazing set of pipes…blew the roof off the place. When she was finished they said thank you…and that was it. Then Julio walked up. He sang a song called Water. He was ok…a nice voice, but his mistake here, I thought, was that the song went around and around in about a 6 note range…it didn’t go anywhere. Now the song may go somewhere in the second half, so if that is the case, start with the second verse. The audition panel looked bored and stopped him. Thanked him, and he left. Then the other gal, white gal, got up. She sang something I can’t remember. She was clearly nervous and it seemed the nerves brought her undone. Her voice was shaking and a little out of control. She also looked like she was coming from a hike or a gym class, her hair wasn’t even brushed! People…if you want to get to the next room to be in a TV show about performers, LOOK LIKE A PERFORMER! Look like the genre you are professing to be involved in. It’s CASTING! That means, they want to know exactly what style you are and if you fit the boxes they are looking to fill. If it’s ambiguous than they won’t know what to do with you. Some people look great in t-shirt and jeans…some people don’t. Make an effort and if you don’t know what to do, ask someone who knows. The #1 mistake I saw today was the way people were dressed. You don’t have to go all out, but people hear what they see first, especially when they are casting a show. True.

Then Chessa went. She was nervous, especially after the first girl blew the roof off the joint. I looked at her and said, “honey, do your thing! Don’t worry about anyone else. Loose yourself in the moment and don’t worry about anyone else!” She looked at me relieved and thanked me. She said she was glad I was there. I could tell she had a shot. She was gorgeous, young and she was dressed like a performer. They immediately liked her and started to engage her. She sang a song from Dreamgirls, I’m Changing. Mistake. Avoid, At Last, Dreamgirls, Beyonce, Christina Aguilera and Katy Perry. Once she started they looked disappointed. But, they stopped her and asked her to sing something else, something more age appropriate and current. So, she launched into Cee Lo’s “F*#! You”. Mistake! BIG Mistake. No-one wants to hear a pretty little girl swearing when performing. It’s a TV show. You can’t swear on TV, and now, they can’t even use your film if they want to. They all sort of shrugged. She was beautiful, and had a beautiful voice, and she had a shot, but sang the wrong stuff.

At this point, I decided (as I was fairly certain this was not going to be for me or I for them) just to take my guitar and sing a Patty Griffin song. I had 5 other songs in mind to do, but just thought, you know…2 girls just blew everybody’s hair back and didn’t get a nod, so obviously they hear a lot of that. I’m not going to do that either. I’m just going to be me. I took my guitar up to the mic, the sound man plugged me in. Quick check on the tuning. They asked if I was British, I explained to the contrary that I’m Aussie. They asked me to start. I sang Moses by Patty Griffin. They let me sing the whole song (or just about to the end of the out chorus) and thanked me, said that it was great. And that was that. It felt good. I love that song. It also felt age appropriate for me and showed exactly who I am and what I do. So that, whether or not anything came out of it…it would be 100% authentic.

Brushing up on this type of experience, that the things to consider are as follows:

1 – Be prepared. Know your songs inside and out. The WHOLE song. Prepare more than one in the same style. Be prepared to sing something else at a moment’s notice. Avoid profanity and be true to your style.

2 – DRESS THE PART. You don’t have to break out the sequins and the spandex, but look like the performer you want to be. You need to let them see what you would look like on stage. Jeans and a T-Shirt can be stage worthy, if done right. Consult with a stylist or a friend who you think has style. It is SUPER important!!!

3 – Remember that the person before you is not you. Don’t compare yourself to them. Be secure in who you are and know what you’re about. Go with yourself.

4 – Perform for these people. Try to move them. It will mean more than pretending your someone you’re not.

5 – Breathe.

6 – Most importantly, if you are not asked to come back or given a thumbs up, it doesn’t mean you are not talented or attractive or too old or whatever your worst criticism of yourself is. It probably means you are not what they are looking for. Simple as that. Onwards and upwards.

Waiting to audition, I heard countless good singers. Being a good, even great singer is the easy part in these circumstances. Remember you are a package. They will assess you as such.

Good luck! Hope this helps.

Live At Largo – update

Libby Lavella — Fri, 04 Feb 2011 20:30:15 +0000

Hey everyone. So, as you know, I printed only 100 copies of Live At Largo, and I am not having anymore printed. It was released on Jan 17th, and now there are only 40 hard copies left. The 20 copies (first sold) are all accounted for and soon I will announce the first show of the year to those people and all details.
Thank you for your support…and hope you enjoy the music! There will be more to come this year.

Live At Largo

Libby Lavella — Wed, 19 Jan 2011 07:17:22 +0000

It’s done, it’s here, it’s live, it’s out, it’s airborne!

The first 20 people who purchase, will get the following; A personal invitation to a private show this year (assuming you’re in Los Angeles! (yes I’ve had people from around the world the take this opportunity to mess with me)). BUT!!! – The show will be filmed and you will either be part of the feature, or have access to it after the fact. A personal thank you on my next album due out next year and an mp3 of an unreleased live track from these recordings. You also get the added benefit of supporting independent music!

How can you order?
CDBaby, go to http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/lavella3

Bandcamp go to http://libbylavella.bandcamp.com

iTunes.

Can’t wait for you to hear it!
Thank you for supporting independent music.
Libby Lavella xx

I bootlegged myself…Live At Largo

Libby Lavella — Sat, 23 Oct 2010 02:32:17 +0000

Yes….after many many a hurdle, it’s done. It seems so easy, take recordings from 10 different shows and find the best of the best. Then put it all together and release it as a collection. But no. If it were all my music it would have been easier, but still not as easy as it sounds. Here are the steps I’ve taken to get it to the final stage.

1 – Listen to each recording (and each is a flat one track recording from top to bottom with one microphone in the room, not at all forgiving of room noise and audience scuffle etc) and choose not just the song to keep, but the stage banter as well and where to cut the track before and after each song. Considering each performance was roughly 35 mins to 2 hours…that took some time.

2 – Once selected, splice it all together and listen to it ad-nauseum to make sure it’s good (according to me of course).

3 – Find the publishers for each cover song, contact them and ask permission to use the song and pay the mechanical license to use their song. This takes forever and it’s paper pushing at it’s finest. Only Edie Brickell gave me permission gratis. What a fucking rock star she is! But she does want a copy of it, which I’m a little nervous about, because I did fudge one of the words on her song…it’s not a big one, and it still is in keeping with the sentiment of the song, but still….hopefully she’ll be forgiving.

4 – Contact all musicians featured on tracks and ask their permission to use the tracks.

5 – Decide on track listing sequence. This is one of the most pain staking things about putting any collection together. I drove the producers on Sometime In Morning CRAZY with this…eventually they just stopped returning my calls and emails about it. I know these things tend to end up on an iPod contraption now and get muddled up anyway, but I still believe in the art of the album. Call me what you like…I dig it.

6 – Ask Jaime Sickora, engineer very nicely, to cut it up professionally and trim the fat (so to speak) and get it ready for mastering. Go to Henson Studios and do this with her. Fun times.

7 – Ask Dave Collins to master it. Once approved, drive it over to Dave Collins Mastering and wait for him to make it sound better. And he does

8 – Contact Ryan Glendening, graphic artist extraordinaire to work up some stuff for a cover. Wait for that, receive, make changes, repeat. Write copy for the album, collect all publishing info for the album and think about thank you and such.

9 – Get it back from Mastering. Listen to it again ad-nauseum. Hear some tweaks, take it back to Dave Collins to fix and wait for the final CD.

10 – Once master is done, and art work is done, select manufacturing service to put it together and send it off for press. Wait.

11 – Meet with wordsmith Simon Glickman to discuss the album and allow him to use his literally genius mind rewrite my bio.

…..and here is where I am right now. It shouldn’t have taken me a year and change but granted there has been a lot going on. Um let’s see….a car accident that put me in hospital, a broken ankle, a death in the family, a lost dog (for 4 days), a baby (not to make light of that one, probably should put this first…) and I’m back in school….seriously, when I list it all like that, it’s a wonder it was finished at all. But it is and I’m super duper excited about it. I’m more excited after sitting with Simon the other day to discuss it. He asked me some questions that made me think…such as, why I decided to do this, and what certain songs mean to me, why I selected the pieces I did out of soooo much material?

A lot came out of that discussion, but what I can tell you I realized how lucky I am and proud to be a part of a community of musicians who can set a date to play together, show up, and in the hours before the show, figure out what to do while sipping on wine and then step onto a stage and all commit to the music without complete faith in the moment. The fact that people showed up to hear it was icing on the cake. Also, in a business that is now so auto-tuned and spliced and diced, I think it’s a rare thing to release something so rough around the edges. I bootlegged myself and I’m not afraid to show it.

Lastly. I have only pressed 100 copies. It will be a one off release and anything else will be online only. I’ll be putting out the word as soon as it’s ready for purchase.

MUAH!