Saturday, 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. They were taking applications on the TLC website. I'd been thinking about getting a tattoo for a while to cover a burn mark that I have on my shoulder, so I thought, if I'm going to get a tattoo anyway, why not do it on television?! I filled out an online application, sent in a photo and a jpg of the tattoo idea I have and the story behind why I wanted a tattoo and hit the submit button.

About a week later, I received a phone call from someone at the production office in LA, saying they wanted me to come in for an interview. I jumped into my little Mercedes convertible and drove to the production office, where I told my tattoo story to the video camera they had set up.
A few days later, I received another phone call. "The taping we did of you has some technical errors. Would you mind coming back in for another taping?" No, I said, I didn't mind at all. I figured the more they saw of my face, the better my chances were for getting on the show. So I hopped back into my car and drove back to the production office and told my story again.

The following day, I drove up to Santa Barbara with my friend TTM to see a fellow singer/songwriter perform. As we pulled up to the venue, my mobile phone rang. It was the production office again. "We had a cancellation," they said. "Would you be able to come in tomorrow morning for your tattoo?" Of course I said I would be more than willing to come in the next day. Why put off for two weeks what I could do tomorrow?!

I was in Santa Barbara at a showcase for a friend when I received the call. By the time I got back to Malibu it was after midnight. I spent an hour printing out releases they'd emailed to me and preparing what I needed to take with me the next morning (guitar, CDs, makeup, a change of clothes, etc.) and got into bed.

From the moment I arrived at the production office the next morning, I was treated like royalty. First I was ushered into a room where I was fitted with a microphone before having the pre-tattoo interview taping. Then I was shuttled to an apartment they'd rented out for the duration of the production, that was near the tattoo parlor. "You can wait here and enjoy the air-conditioning until we're ready for you," I was told. "Help yourself to snacks, drinks, whatever."

There was a television on showing Bad Boys with Will Smith and Martin Lawrence. Although I'd never seen the movie and it looked kind of funny, I had no time to watch it. I'd been asked to play my guitar and sing a song embodying my story behind the tattoo on the show, so I pulled out my guitar and spent the time rehearsing.

Before long, I was fetched and taken to the tattoo parlor where I got to meet the artist who was going to spend the next several hours tattooing me. She turned out to be a really great person and not at all what I expected a tattoo artist to be like. We chatted about all kinds of things while she worked -- yoga, relationships, cleansing diets, feng shui. Other than the pain of the tattoo, it was a really great experience! Everybody at the production office was great and made the entire experience unforgettable.

I performed at Synergy Cafe. I arrived there early for the soundcheck. It was still light outside and it felt really weird to be playing at a venue with the sun shining in the window.

I was glad when the sun finally went down and Synergy took on a cozier more intimate feel. And of course my MySpace friends in the area came out to show their love and support.

I just had a photo shoot and am waiting to get the finals. The photographer sent one photo, as a tease I guess. I had a little sneak peek at some of the photos and I think they're going to be great! I never had so much fun on a shoot before. We talked and laughed through the whole thing. The photographer made me feel totally comfortable.

The new collection of songs are coming along and I'm getting really excited about the next album! There's another trip to the UK in the works and all sorts of wonderful things on the horizon. I can hardly wait!

More soon...

© Daughter of the Sun. Reprint by permission only.

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. I'm hoping to get at least one co-write in. They performed at two festivals while I was in town. The audiences loved them and so did I! 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. We started with a lovely Zinfandel, so by the time we were halfway through the meal, the conversation had become quite lively. We shared stories about music, relationships, Paris, New York and dermatology. More...

May 1, 2007 - CNC's gone back to Paris and I have the place to myself again. I have to admit that, when I heard all the strange noises outside the house at night, it was comforting to know that someone was sleeping in the room across the hall. These days, however, I'm so exhausted by the time I get into bed that I don't even wake up until the morning. 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. There was a commercial on for a car dealership. When I heard "Sherman Oaks," I thought they'd made a mistake. For one crazy moment, I thought I was still in New York City! I had a good laugh at myself once I realized what happened. 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. I was tempted to drive down to Mexico afterward but one of my MySpace friends was performing in Hollywood and I wanted to get back to see her. More...

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. 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. 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...

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