She pulled her jacket tight around her shoulders and shifted uncomfortably in the metal folding chair that sat in the morning shadow of the building lined street. The chill of the early day made her shiver. The stage and podium were set up only a few rows in front of her, giving her an unblocked view. She waited in nervous silence, her trembling hands clutched the tissue that she held to her face to catch her uncontrolled tears. The eerie feeling of both sorrow and dread was now a familiar, annual event. The bell rang at 8:46, sending a jolting chill up her spine as she released a suppressed sob into her tissue. She closed her eyes, and again, let her mind torment her with what he may have experienced at that exact moment nine years ago. Maybe he felt the ground underneath him give way. Maybe he tried to call her. Maybe he prayed, cried, ran. She shuddered again, and felt the comforting hand of a stranger on her shoulder. She listened as the names were read out loud with similar inf...

I don’t think the anniversary of 9/11 should feel like a storm brewing. Unfortunately, on this eve of the 9 th anniversary, that’s exactly what it feels like. I suppose it has something to do with this being my first 9/11 in this area, about 25 minutes from where the World Trade Centers fell. The drama of the proposed Islamic Center and Koran burning has taken over not only the national news, but every local TV and radio station as well. The wind has picked up outside. The trees are swaying uneasily in the gray, cloudy sky as we brace ourselves for the chaos, protests, and rallies that will surely ensue tomorrow on the sacred ground where so many people lost their lives. It has become the “where were you” question of my generation. I was asleep. A freshman at UNL, my classes that day didn’t start until 11 so I slept late when my dad abruptly woke me and told me to watch the news. Against my parent’s wishes, I went to class that morning on the city bus. Of course, no one could concent...

There’s a chill in there air now. It’s strange to think that just last week we ran our window air conditioner full blast and now I have to bundle up with a sweatshirt to walk Joy in the morning. Fall is by far my favorite of the seasons. I love the colors, the crisp air, and bringing all my jackets and sweaters to the front of my closet. And boots. Let’s not forget it’s boot season. I think what makes fall so very special, is that it seems shorter and less appreciated than the other seasons. There is a solid 3 months of summer, and yes it goes by quickly, but we certainly know for a fact it’s there and take advantage of every minute. Spring blurs together with summer, making it feel longer than it is. But fall is overshadowed by the long, never ending winters and anticipation of the holiday season. No one rejoices on the first official day of fall, but rather they mourn over the end of summer. No one mourns over the last day of fall, but rather rejoices over the first snowfall.  A...

Another week, another production meeting with Modern Vintage Recordings . I was still feeling the momentum from last week’s stroke of creative genius when I arrived at the Lower East Side studio this morning. It turns out, so was my producer and again, we found ourselves overflowing with new ideas and struggling to eliminate the surplus. I thought that by developing a very specific concept and style for my EP, it would finally allow us to decide on a firm 5 songs so we can begin the much anticipated recording process. Oh how I was wrong. I played what I believed were my strongest songs that told “ my story ” the best. My producer nodded in agreement and then highlighted the song titles on the “definite list.” The trouble is, by the end of the session we had 8 titles instead of our goal of only 5. And there we were again, needing to cross off a song, but not being able to hit the delete button. And finally my producer (his name is Eshy by the way) threw up his hands and said in h...

Yesterday was a truly amazing and magical day. Eddie and I spent the day in Gloucester, MA and bought last minute tickets for a whale watching tour. It was about a 7 hour trip all together. We left the port and traveled over 2 hours in the Atlantic to our destination where a large group of hump back whales were feeding off the coast of Boston. As we approached, our guide (who knew all the whales by name) announced over the loud speakers that she spotted whales ahead on the horizon. At once, all the passengers crowded to the bow of the boat, straining our eyes to see. She described the sight as a puff of smoke coming off the water. I had trouble spotting it at first, but soon understood what she meant. I was thankful to see that from afar and had no idea what was in store as we inched closer to them. Suddenly I realized that they were all around us. We were in the center of about 30 hump back whales. We stayed in the area for about an hour and a half and gazed with dropped jaws ...

One ray on one wave. Countless ripples ocean wide. The ray turns to stars.

This is a video Eddie took at Gantry Plaza State Park in Queens when I toured 60 pianos throughout the city's 5 boroughs for the Play Me, I'm Yours project. This park was right on the water with an amazing view of Manhattan. I felt inspired to play New York New York. The song says, "If I can make it there, I'll make it anywhere," but I often find myself thinking, "If I can make it anywhere, I'll be happy. " I'm laughing, but it's so true. Enjoy the video. Forgot to mention it's a duet with random heavy machinery and vehicles driving around and making beeping sounds. Makes it sound very New York New York. To see photos from the project, click here . To see more videos, click here .