Monday, March 24, 2008

The powers that be have a strange sense of humor, I think. Just when I was about to give up and accept the reality that I would never sing again, my voice returned. And not a moment too soon.

March 22nd, I was still croaking out words. Miraculously, I woke up the morning of March 23rd and found that my voice had fully returned. Well, almost fully. I was able to perform at the Santa Monica Farmers Market for a three hour show which consisted of three 45 minute sets. I'd warned the band in advance that they may have to play instrumentals for the day but, as it turned out, I was able to sing and do each set with them. I couldn't reach the high notes but I worked around them and nobody noticed, not even the band, who were, again, amazing. I sprang some new songs on them and we didn't have an opportunity to rehearse any of them because up until the day of the performance, I barely had a voice. Shawn, the guitarist, showed up with everything charted out, as usual, and he told Justin, the bass player, the chord changes for each song. Shyam (percussion) and Frank (drums) winged it perfectly. "You start the songs and I'll finish 'em," was Frank's motto.

The audience seemed very happy with the music. "It's the best show ever at the Farmer's Market," one enthusiastic audience member said at the end of the show. "Usually we have hippie music," he continued. "It was nice to have some down to earth funky stuff." Of course I'm always happy to please. We sold some CDs and collected new names for the mailing list and, all in all, it was a really fun show.

The weather was perfect, too. A sunny, beautiful 80 degrees. The farmers market provided a tent for us to set up under, so we didn't have to have the sun beating down on us for three hours. The farmers market was packed with people who didn't mind the heat at all. Some people sat through all three sets. Fortunately, we had enough songs to provide a different group for each set, although we did some of favorites more than once.

Needless to say, I'm quite happy that my voice has finally returned. By March 22nd, I was desperate. I was on the Internet for hours reading all I could about the causes and cures of laryngitis and searching for herbal, natural remedies. Quite a few articles referred to black currant pastilles as a great remedy. I searched all over Santa Monica and the surrounding areas, going to various health food stores, but couldn't find any black currant pastilles. However, I did find black currant leaves, so I bought that and some wild cherry bark and made a tea which I drank throughout the day and every time I awoke during the night.

I don't know if that was the cause of my miraculous overnight recovery or if all the things I'd previously been doing finally kicked in, or if a higher power had something to do with it. I was just happy to be able to get out there and sing again! I've never had to cancel a show before but I was afraid that this might have been a first. Fortunately the calvary came to the rescue just in the nick of time.

I have a marketing/PR person who will be working with me, to help take things to the next level. I'm really excited abou the future and I think this is going to be a great year for this daughter of the sun!

So now it's time to start getting ready for the next show, which will be at The Mint on May 7th. Again I'll be performing with the band (Setra Et Cetera). It's so nice to have company onstage. And these guys are hilarious and just a lot of fun to play with in general. I'm really looking forward to hitting the road with them.

The performance at The Mint will be the last show we'll be doing in Los Angeles for quite a while. We're putting together a west coast tour which will take us from San Diego up to Sacramento and then we're spreading out and tackling the rest of these United States of America. Who knows when we'll be back this way again. After all, it's not just life; it's an adventure!

More soon...

© Daughter of the Sun. Reprint by permission only.

March 6, 2008 - The show at The Derby was great! The new band kicked butt! More...

Feb 14, 2008 - It's Valentines Day around the country. Last year at this time, I was contemplating my trip to the UK to work with Laid Blak. Things have changed a lot since then. More...

Jan 17, 2008 - This year is starting off in yet another new home. I moved from Malibu to Santa Monica, right before the fires began. More...

Oct 16, 2007 - The LA Ink episode that shows me getting my tattoo finally aired. So now I get to show the photos from that fun event. I'm still loving my tattoo but I don't think I'll be getting any more. More...

Sept 8, 2007- I spent six hours being detained, against my will, at Heathrow Airport in London, More...

August 4, 2007 - It's been quite an adventure being back on the west coast. first off, I heard that The Learning Channel (TLC) show, Miami Ink, was doing so well that TLC decided to have a second version in LA and call it LA Ink, of course. More...

July 3, 2007 - I had a great time in the UK. The first stop was Bristol, where I met the band, Laid Blak. They just signed with Island Records and are recording their first album. More...

June 5, 2007 - Sunday I had brunch with the sisters. "Are you twins?" I asked the first time I saw the two of them together. "We share the same birthday," they said, "let's just leave it at that." I made blueberry pancakes with strawberry syrup and salmon croquettes. More...

May 1, 2007 - CNC's gone back to Paris and I have the place to myself again. More...

April 16, 2007 - I went to a networking soiree at a posh house in Beverly Hills. My friend TNC invited me, so I went to her place first and we rode to the event in her car. TNC wasn't sure how to dress for it. "It's probably not dressy," she said, "because it's in somebody's home." More...

March 24, 2007 -I had kind of a surreal moment today. I sometimes keep the television on when I'm working on the computer. Just as sort of background noise so I don't feel so alone. Every once in a while, I'll tune in and listen to what's going on. More...

March 12, 2007 - I drove down to Chula Vista to perform at Southwestern College's campus. There was a street painting festival going on and students from the college came and painted beautiful pictures while I sang. More...

February 26, 2007 - 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. More...

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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. More...

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