Phase 2 Starting... Now.

It's HERE. All of it. The album, that is. The digipaks (the thing the CD sits in) arrived in all their wondrous glory.  

Here. We. Go.

New Album On Its Way!

I finally have the songs in hand. Album artwork is being printed. Shows are beginning to be booked.

It's about to get CRAZE-BALLS!! (God-willing.)

Here is the cover image for Shiloh. Photo by the fabulous David Bean, and layout and artwork created by the incredibly talented Alyssa Butler:

The goal is to have a release date either December or January at the latest. I will first release it to my amazing donors to my successful Kickstarter campaign. Two weeks after that, I will release it to the world! Or at least to people who are interested. :P

I hope that this album gives you good stories, good melodies, good sounds, and some Southern soul straight from the G-A. But more than anything, I hope that it makes you FEEL. Whatever comes up, whatever you need to feel, that you are free to feel any and all of it through Shiloh. 

THANK YOU for your support!!! 

Weekend Update

movin' and shakin'

This past Thursday, my husband and I drove to Georgia to have a creative meeting with the producer and his team.

On the way there, we stopped in Chattanooga and went to the Tennessee Aquarium and Cheeburger Cheeburger (a famous burger place). We went in honor of our 1st wedding anniversary that happened yesterday (Sunday). aaaawww :P I have one picture from it. You really don't wanna see it. It's very lame.

See, I told you. Moving on...

We made it to Georgia. Valdosta, GA to be exact. Home of the - well, I'm not real sure yet. We did find a $2.50 movie theater and a few pawn shops. And we found one of those parking lot fairs, too. But we didn't do any of it because we have no money we're extremely fancy.

We met Mark the producer, Jim the business guy, and Steve the assistant, at the new studio.

Yes, this is it. This is what a Grammy winner's studio looks like. Okay, maybe not ALL of them, but swampy, soulful, southern ones can make this old building a bad@$$ music-making hub.

'Don't judge a book by it's cover' would be an appropriate reminder at this moment.

Anyways, My husband played guitar, and I played a little piano, and we played through my songs. We re-worked a couple of things, but every song is being kept the same as I had written them. Pretty awesome. :)

That's Mark there on the right. :)

After the meeting, we left the next day to play a show at The Rookery in Macon, GA. We like them there, and it's a good place to try out new songs.

Then, we got up the next morning, visited with my cute lil Nana Banana,

...and then went back home to recoup. I'm still recouping. I'm sleepy. Somebody gimme a Red Bull. No, please don't give me a Red Bull, that stuff tastes like ABC bubble gum dipped in dirty Koolaid.

K, bye!

"Talking About Music is Like Dancing About Architecture."

Elvis Costello said that. I have come to the conclusion that this should be in the Constitution. Okay, that's a little overboard. But still... I could tell you how much I write, what my songs sound like, brag to you about "all the ideas that float through my head" (I've heard this too many times from artists, as if they're the only ones whose brain works.). I could tell you what my music sounds like 'til you're blue in the face, and you're still not going to REALLY know until you hear it.

I can tell you that this album will be swampy, soulful, southern music. But I'm sure most of you don't even really know what that means. Of course you don't! You haven't HEARD it yet. Heck, I don't completely know what it's going to sound like yet! I have to RECORD it first. (In April. 2013. Shameless plug. I digress....)

So... If someone asks me again to describe my music, I won't be upset, and I will understand their wondering, but I think I'm just going to say, "you'll have to wait and hear it." Because there is no way I can answer that question to the satisfaction of the questioner. Plus, we all have different interpretations of a song anyways. Am I right? Yes. I am.

So, I'll write about funny stuff and about pursuing dreams and such on this blog, but you won't hear me talk much about the music. You'll have to just wait to HEAR that.

That Frozen Man

Yesterday, the hubs and I took our Sunday to record 3 swampy new songs (acoustic versions) I've written for my album (the album that is being funded by the most wonderful lil' buddies in the world, via our successful Kickstarter campaign!). So, I've written a few more songs to add to the consideration list. Today, I posted song #1. Tomorrow I'll post #2 and Wednesday I'll post song #3. Then, I'll post some bloopers, but that's not 100% guaranteed as of yet. They're pretty humiliating bloopers. I'm sure you would find them funny, because let's face it, humiliating things are hilarious. So, without further adieux, here's song #1 - Frozen Man

[youtube=http://youtu.be/BKI7tLXPFmQ]

I would love to know what you think of it. Especially if you like it. :P

And if you're interested, here are the lyrics!

Frozen Man

Music by Jessie Smith Minnigan Lyrics by Simone Simonton and Jessie Smith Minnigan

Cold hands, cold heart

you used to melt me in your arms

where has all of your passion gone

i need that fire back, make me burn

I Can’t seem to leave, don’t wanna stay 

held together by just this pain

can you convince me you wanna change?

is this worth enough to save?

CHORUS

Never gonna be satisfied

Never gonna be satisfied

Never gonna be satisfied

With a frozen man

i’m not saying it’s all your fault

i plead guilty to building walls

i wanna love you, but it’s so damn hard

you won’t see me beg or crawl