Monday, February 26, 2007

Let's see; what have I been up to? I went to a party at the Knitting Factory in Hollywood. My friend BGJ was sitting in with a band. It was a birthday party for a girl who's in the television show Scrubs. I danced a lot and gave out some cards of course.

I performed again at Cranes in Hollywood . I was surprised that the place was so packed. The inside is pretty small, with about six booths that seat four to five people on one side of the room and a long bar on the other. The last time I performed there they were barbecuing outside and serving food but not this time. There were still a lot of people out back even though it was cold outside, because they had a few heat lamps set up. After my performance, I went around and introduced myself to everybody, giving them my card.

As I handed my card to one man, he said, "Let me introduce you to _______. He's a big producer. I'm his manager." The big-time producer was sitting off on the side hidden in the semi-darkness. As we were introduced, he mumbled hello and looked off in the distance, like he just couldn't even be bothered to say more than that. There was another man standing there, who introduced himself as the bodyguard. I thought it pretty funny that the producer was hanging out at night with his bodyguard and manager and I don't think anybody even knew who he was. But I guess, in this town, you have to toot your own horn and be larger than life even when you aren't. And if you pretend long enough, eventually the pretend becomes real, if only because everybody, including you, believes it to be real.

Valentines Day was nice. It's the first Valentines Day in a long time that I received flowers and candy.
I finally got to use my two battery powered amps when I performed for the lunch crowd at the farmer's market in Santa Monica. Unfortunately, I couldn't hear what I sounded like but I guess it must have been okay because I sold some CDs and everyone working booths at the market complimented me on my songs and voice. And the woman who books the performers asked me back again on March 1st. She'd given me a choice of the lunch or dinner slot and I was glad I picked the earlier slot because the temperature started to drop by late afternoon. TDJ came by just as I was done performing and we ate (my food was free because I performed) and walked around a bit and I bought a plant for my work room.

My performance at Michael's Pub was challenging. The main reason I wanted to perform there was to try out singing and playing guitar along with some tracks I put together on my laptop. I didn't really invite anyone because I didn't want too many witnesses if it didn't go well. When I arrived at the venue, a few of my MySpace friends were there. "I think there's a problem with the sound," one of them informed me. Turns out the sound person wasn't there and nobody knew how to get the microphones to work. We all fiddled around with the board, to no avail. Finally, just when I was ready to give up and leave, one of the owners arrived and said he knew how to work the board. He went into a little room behind the bar and flipped a switch or two and suddenly the microphones came alive.

The band before me was quite happy and started their set. Michael's Pub is a little spot that's out of the way and filled with middle-aged beer drinking Archie Bunker type guys. The first band up was sort of punk/rock and very loud. So loud in fact that there was no conversation to be had while they were up. So loud that the vocalist couldn't be heard over the music, which was a shame, because the music left a lot to be desired and listening to the singer could have only been an improvement.

Finally it was my turn to go on. As I was setting up, one of the patrons approached me and asked if I knew the words to a song he loved by an Australian band. "I don't do covers," I said. "Well," he asked, "what do you do?" "I do my own songs," I said. "What do they sound like," he asked. "Perhaps you should go and join your friends at the bar and listen and find out," I said. He seemed quite put off that I didn't know the song by his favorite band. He talked through almost the entire first song of my set but by the second song, he was listening along with everybody else and actually bought a CD afterward, saying, "I'm going to come to every show you do! You're kind of like a Sheryl Crow, with your guitar and everything." What could I say to that except "thank you."

I started my part-time job with Green Goddess. It doesn't even feel like a job. I get to trim and water plants. One of the clients I'll be servicing is Baby Face's recording studio. Of course I'll be dropping off my CD when I go there!

I also performed at the Westwood Brewing Company. The audience was so wonderful. They sat quietly and listened so attentively. I felt truly appreciated.

The rainy season is here and the heavy rainfall has been causing the boards on the front and back porches to buckle. A workman came first thing yesterday morning and pulled up all the boards on the front porch. I suppose he'll be coming first thing this morning to replace them, which means no sleeping late for me. Not that I would be sleeping late anyway. There's lots to do. I've been back in Los Angeles since the day before Christmas and I feel like I haven't accomplished nearly enough. Contrary to sleeping late and taking it easy, I've actually got to pick up the pace a bit more.

I may be doing a couple of festivals, which will be a very good thing. And I may finally have the makings of a band. Lots of good stuff in the works.

More soon...

© Daughter of the Sun. Reprint by permission only.

January 20, 2007 - It feels like 2006 is just a rapidly fading dream that I had a long time ago. And it's only January. I'm firmly ensconced in Malibu. I have my recording setup up and running and actually finished the vocals and mixed a new song I wrote while in New York, entitled "Whatever." It's one of those fun, singing about nothing songs that the majors seem to like so much. More...

December 27, 2006 - I have much to be thankful for this holiday season. I have my health, a wonderful home in Malibu, a great car to drive around in, food in the fridge, loving family and friends, a new band and my God-given talents. And the stove is finally working at the house, which means I don't have to use the hotplate anymore. More...

November 15, 2006 - What a challenge these past couple of weeks have been. My plan was to go to Santa Barbara last Friday to finalize the details with the transfer of the car. I had to sign the agreement with the previous owner and to go to DMV to register the car, only to discover on Friday that the DMV was closed because Saturday was Veteran’s Day. More...

October 17, 2006 - I was on strike today. I decided that, not only was I not leaving the house today, but I also was not going to take off my pajamas. Fortunately, KBD’s new housemate, RJD, is away for a few days because he likes to have lots of attention and is always strutting around, puffing out his chest, bragging about his latest business conquest. The bad news is, we never got around to going grocery shopping so there weren’t a lot of options food-wise. More...

October 10, 2006 -I went out a few nights ago to hang out again with my new MySpace friend to see her friend perform. I was so proud of myself because I didn’t get lost once on the drive there. By the time I arrived at the Revolution Café, AMS and her friends had already polished off a few bottles of wine. More...

October 3, 2006 - I’ve been in Northern California for nearly two weeks now. I’m staying at KBD’s home once again, in the house overlooking the ocean and the rolling hills. Today I saw two deer grazing right outside the kitchen window. I felt a long way from the overcrowded, noisy streets of New York City. More...

September 10, 2006 - It’s almost midnight and here I sit in front of my computer still. I didn’t go out today. I don’t know if it was cold or hot but I do know that it was sunny because I sat near the window as I worked, so that I could feel the sun on my skin. More...

August 20, 2006 - Friday night was my performance at The Alphabet Lounge. There was a nice turnout, although about one third of the people arrived almost at the end of the performance. More...

July 7, 2006 - Yesterday was my show at The Talking Stick. I thought I’d get some photos of my performance but unfortunately TDJ arrived just as I’d finished my last song. I only performed a few songs. More...

July 3, 2006 - I’m in my own bedroom at TDJ’s apartment. My own little slice of Heaven. I’m sleeping on an air mattress on the floor in what is technically TDJ’s office/recording studio but who cares. I have my own bathroom and I can sleep as late as I like. More...

June 30, 2006 - I think I’ve worn out my welcome with NAP. Fortunately, I spoke with TDJ yesterday and his other houseguests have departed, which means that starting today I can stay in his extra bedroom. He’s my only friend in California that I haven’t met through MySpace. More...

June 24, 2006 - So I’m in Los Angeles, the city of broken dreams and make believe. I’m staying with a wonderful family, thanks again to MySpace. NAP is a singer, a wife and the mother of two absolutely adorable (and exhaustingly rambunctious) children. More...

June 8, 2006 - I am loving life right about now. I’m in Northern California in a little town near Sausalito with a population of about 200. I posted an ad on Craigs List saying I was willing to exchange administrative services for room and board and, lo and behold, I got two responses the very next day. More...

May 3, 2006 - I just got in from playing in the subway station. I like the F line at the 23rd Street station... More...

April 24, 2006 - I found a numerology site and, according to their calculations, I’m at the end of a cycle. I‘ve past the harvest and I’m about to lay down new seeds I guess to prepare for the coming Winter. More...

April 10, 2006 - I’ve been spending a lot of time online, working on my MySpace page, making new friends through MySpace as well. By the time I get to California, I’ll already know lots of folks there. More...

April 2, 2006 - I can’t believe it’s April already. The year is nearly half done, although some more optimistic than I am at this moment in my life would say the year’s barely begun. It just seems that time is marching along faster and faster each year. More...

March 23, 2006 - Not much new to report. Still laid up with my broken toe. More...

March 16, 2006 - What a week it’s been! A broken toe, post-Philly drama, TTT came into town, west coast tour in the works, April concert to plan, new band. More...

March 10, 2006 - It was a pretty smooth drive with almost no traffic even though we left the city at 5 o’clock. We reached Philadelphia at about 8 o’clock. It reminds me of a lot of other small towns I’ve been in, like Troy and Albany. More...

March 8, 2006 - This evening I’m off to New Rochelle to perform at a Habitat for Humanity fundraising event. I’m taking CDs, which I will autograph and sell and donate half the proceeds to Habitat for Humanity. They’re going to New Orleans to rebuild some of the homes that were destroyed by Katrina. More...

March 2, 2006 - I am so over the cold and ready for the Spring. It’s hard to believe it’s right around the corner. The groundhog saw his shadow last month, which supposedly means Winter is hanging around a bit longer but I remain ever hopeful. More...

February 25, 2006 - Another late night… What else is new? I performed at Bellizzi’s tonight. Two sets. I ran through my entire arsenal of songs and even threw in a cover of Cyndi Lauper’s song, “True Colors.” I don’t really like doing covers but the woman who hired me for the night asked me to and you have to give the people what they want, especially when they're paying. More...

February 19, 2006 - Another all nighter… My plan was to get into bed by midnight at the latest but I wound up staying up and setting up my page on MySpace. It turns out there’s another artist with my name (Setra) who’s already on MySpace so I couldn’t use my own name. I had to sign up using Daughter of the Sun instead. It took a while to upload the music and the photos, once I figured out how to do it. More...

February 16, 2006 - Hurray! The snow is almost gone! Just the way I like the snow. A lot of it comes down, it stays for a few days and then it melts and is gone; and not a moment too soon. I ate the last of the food today, which means I have to go grocery shopping tomorrow. I haven't weighed myself but I have a feeling I've gained at least a couple of pounds. More...

Snow - I have about five days’ worth of food, and I’m prepared to hibernate until the snow melts. My car is parked across the street but I don’t know which mound it’s under. It was kind of nice being home alone and doing whatever I wanted to without having to answer to anybody or even speak to another person. I turned off the ringer on the phone and just spent some time with myself. More...

Guero's - I just got in from Guero’s. What a night. First off, it turns out they didn’t have a PA system, an amp, a microphone or microphone stand so I had to pack up all that stuff and take it with me. I lugged it all a block and a half to where I’d parked my car Monday evening and when I got to the parking spot where I’d left my car, my car was nowhere to be found. More...

More Journals