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Showing posts from August 13, 2010

Magical Moment 196, "Hey Jude"

This video is from the very last of the 60 pianos that I played for the Play Me, I'm Yours project in NYC. I remember how totally exhausted Eddie and I were as we scoured the city for the final piano. It happened to be one of only two pianos that were indoors, making it all the more difficult to find. As I reached into my brain for one last song to play by memory, I suddenly felt sad that our piano hunting journey would be over soon. So here is "Hey Jude" at the piano on 51st and Park Avenue. Enjoy. To see photos from the project, click here . To see videos, click here .

Magical Moment 195, "To Accordion or not to Accordion, that is the Question"

Today was yet another meeting in the pre-production process of recording my  EP with Modern Vintage Recordings . We’re at the stage of brainstorming exactly how the musical arrangements for each track should sound - the style, mood, and feel for each song. To do that, we spent the day experimenting with different instrumental sounds and laying down a very crude arrangement in Pro-Tools. This recording is what the “real” musicians will hear and base their performances off of when it comes time to the final recording. We focused on only one song today (and this should make my dad very happy), “ A Builder .” I explained that I wanted a very full, orchestral sound in this powerful song, and with Irish-sounding undertones. After several hours of trial and error, I think we hit the nail on the head. The drums are the foundation for the entire song, keeping the music moving, rolling like the vast green hills of Ireland.  The bass underlies and enhances the dark chord progression. And unlik

Magical Moment 194, "Back to Life"

After 4 days of experiencing the Jersey Shore, Times Square, line dancing, and karaoke with my best friend Deb, I drove her to the airport so she could make her way back to her family in Nebraska. She purchased the airfare for this trip months ago, and we’ve been making plans and building up our excitement ever since. I was shocked today as I drove home from Newark Airport by myself and realized just how fast our time together had flown by. We’ve already started planning our next “ Friendiversary ,” tossing around the idea of a cruise. We’ve always hoped that some day in the future, our paths will lead us near each other again and we grew a little sad today as we said our goodbyes, living that moment all too often since I left Nebraska. But I reminded myself of all we’ve been through since – marriage, kids, a few career changes, and thousands of miles – and we’re still as close as ever. And I think that’s worth something. So tomorrow, when we both wake up to our regular jobs,

Magical Moment 193, "Edelweiss"

This is a video from the Play Me, I'm Yours project at Columbus Park in Brooklyn. Edelweiss has always been one of my favorite movie songs. I hope you enjoy it! To see more photos from the project click here . To see more videos, click here .

Magical Moment 192, "Durango"

My husband finished his second painting. He painted it from a photo taken in Durango, CO on a ski trip a few years ago. When we were both in the Army, we took advantage of nearly every 4-day weekend holiday. We would hop into the car and drive as far away from Fayetteville, NC as possible in one day, hang out for a few days, then drive home in time for work. We drove all along the East coast to Virginia, West Virginia, and South Carolina. Once, we got really ambitious and flew all the way to Durango, CO. I remember what a great trip it was. The scenery was amazing, it was my first real time skiing, and we took an amazing train ride through the mountains. I'm happy that Eddie chose to paint this photo and commemorate a very happy memory.

Magical Moment 191, "No Idea"

Today I went to the Statue of Liberty for the 4th time in less than a year. My best friend, Deb is in town and it was number one on our list of touristy things to do in the city. I recalled my first trip to Lady Liberty and the wonder, amazement, and majesty I felt in its presence. But somehow, after a few more trips, hours of standing in line, boarding and exiting the crowded ferry, and countless aching muscles, the thrill has begun to dwindle. Regardless, it's impossible not to feel some sort of twinge of excitement and curiosity at the Ellis Island Museum when gazing upon the old, blown-up, black and white photos of past immigrants traveling to their new home. On our final ferry ride back to New Jersey, I was amused by the little girl seated in front of us. She was maybe 4 or 5. I couldn't pinpoint the foreign dialect of her or her parents, but I guessed it was an Eastern European language of some kind. Despite the long tiring day the little girl no doubt experienced, she

Magical Moment 190, "Funny Thing Happened on the Bus Today…"

Often the bus from New York City back to Jersey is so crowded, people are forced to stand the whole way because all the seats are taken. I could tell this would be one of those times. Luckily, I was early enough in the boarding line, that there was still a seat or two left. I took the nearest open seat to the door which happened to be next to an unassuming gentlemen, captivated in the music of his iPod. We didn’t exchange a greeting of any kind. I wasn’t even sure if he was aware that someone was now sitting next to him Somewhere in the middle of the 30-minute bus ride, the man took out his earphones, turned to me and said in a very thick exotic accent, “Excuse me, are you a model?” After I processed what he asked, I let out a snicker through my nose and chuckled, “No.” I’m pretty good at reading when people are hitting on me, but I really didn’t sense that from him, which was even more flattering. I explained that I was a musician and he told me that he helped organize several events