Friday, December 16, 2011

BIG NEWS ABOUT A LITTLE PROJECT...


Welp, For approximately the last four months I've been on the go, on the road, playing my guitar, singing  songs, creating goofy girls with glasses videos, fixin' a house, recording records and oh yeah... keeping a big secret  about another massive "little project" I've been hard at work on... 

But it looks as though my belly is blowing my cover... 

Yep, I'm havin' a BABY y'all! WOW, how weird does it feel to say that?! Super Weird and yet super awesome! I've always said I wanted to be an "M&M" a musician and a momma, and it looks like that is all coming to fruition in my twenty eighth... almost twenty ninth year of life (by the time she arrives), and I have to say while it came as a happy surprise, and at the same time, later then I ever expected, I'm feeling great  about having a baby at this point in my life! 

This little gal is already keepin' up with the crazy, in my Ultrasound we could see that we have a serious Rock n' Roll baby on our hands... by the looks of it, she's partyin' it up in there! My doctor said, "wow she doesn't sit still! " and Dave Ray quickly spouted "just like her mom!". HA! 

my rock and roll baby at 12 wks, she's grown a lot since then
Truth is, I already worry about her every day, I just want her to be happy and healthy... She is probably already tired of hearing me say "are you okay?!" which apparently she can hear and feel the sound and vibration of my loud voice at this stage. Poor thing gets to listen to me babble and sing all day and night! She is also the size of my open hand and though her closed eyelids see light.  She is also gettin' fatter and taller... cute huh? 

Honestly, we can hardly wait to meet her, see her, freak out over her and just hang out with her and take her to Target and band practice, cause she is gonna be such a cool baby. Until May 31st I will just have to patiently prepare for her arrival. That is, if she arrives on time... and if she is anything like her mom, she'll be late. Actually I was supposed to be born on May 21st, and wouldn't ya know I decided to show up two weeks later on June 2nd. For all I know she could be born on my birthday just two days after... and I'd be a June baby giving birth to a June baby! Perfect Present...

Now, my rock n' roll babe and I must get back to recording a sweet new J+W EP due in January...

PS- This was a really hard secret to keep.

PSS- Thanks to my fellow girl with glasses and dear friend Summer Bellessa for making me this fun lil' video!! 

Monday, December 12, 2011

CAN YOU FEEL IT?

IT IS IN THE AIR! This season has been over the top busy drizzled with gobs of crazy sauce! Have I lost my mind?! For sure!! The lil' list has been blown to smithereens, we are less then two weeks away from Christmas, and I am trying to figure out how in the world this could be true, as usual I have done zero of my shopping, my poor disheveled christmas tree has been shoved out of the way into the corner of my kitchen, and I am currently in the middle of the all consuming process of recording a second EP with Jack and White, pretty excited about it... fingers crossed you can expect to hear it in January! Oh and you can follow all our progress on our new Tumblr page: http://jackandwhiteandstuff.tumblr.com/

So literally the four days before my house became an explosion of studio equipment, guitars, drums, a tangled web of cables, ceramic animal sculptures, and ponytailed musician dudes, It was a major explosion of glittery goobery Girls with Glasses super Holiday Funnery! (Hmmm, looks like Funnery isn't a word, ah well, it should be). And when i say explosion, I mean explosion, we cooked, we baked, we lipsticked, we found interns, we recorded an original Christmas song (thanks Jack Matranga for your engineerial & mixing skillz) we sang, we danced, we Instagramed, we changed our clothes about fourty seven thousand times, AND we made a lil' music video...

Beyond our severe levels of exhaustion, we have fun we do, because we are the girls with glasses and we love Christmas, don't you love Christmas too?!


I've got so much more to tell you, but I just don't know when that will happen. I hope you are doing swell friends, lets all take a breath and remember that WE LOVE CHRISTMAS and the happy reason for the season!

Monday, November 28, 2011

THE LOWER LIGHTS...

HAVE A NEW CHRISTMAS RECORD!! You might remember a while back when I blogged about this amazing super group of musicians and listed their first album as one of my top five records of the year...

I was so obsessed with the record that I couldn't stop tweeting my brains out about them... well they noticed, and instead of thinking I was just a giant wierdo fan (and i am) they extended a warm invitation to me to come join in the jubilee of creating their Christmas record... and therefore I accepted with a spastic and enthusiastic YES tweet followed by an excessive use of exclamation points!!!!!!!!!!

So, I jumped on a plane for a quick 48 hour stop in Provo, UT to be a lil' fly on the wall and what a serious treat that was! Intensely musical dudes in thick rimed glasses and ladies with delicate voices of angels that harmonize like nobodies business, gather round pianos, guitars, drums, bells, glockenspiels, fiddles and microphones and outpours the sound of heaven!

The even said I could jump in on a few tunes and sing a bit on the mic with my foghorn-ish voice, nice of 'em. Oh and not only were they recording the Christmas album, but also a second hymn revival record set to release in the coming year, also got to take part in that... particularly on this one favorite tune of mine that we would sing in primary as kids, it was me and three dudes singing in harmony with a couple of guitars in a stairwell during a thunderstorm... MAGICAL! We'll see if the song makes the cut, hope so, cause it may be on the top of my list of fave recordings i've gotten to be in on... just sayin'

Anywho, you should really jump on this lovely holiday record OH COME LET US ADORE HIM by the Lower Lights... you won't regret it. They're just really really good... oh and here is a lil' behind the scenes vid to give ya a vibe...



http://thelowerlights.bandcamp.com/album/come-let-us-adore-him

Tuesday, November 15, 2011

A FEW OF MY FAVORITE (THRIFTED) THINGS...

I scored some major pieces while thrifting over the summer and intended on blogging about them and just never got around to it... but since my last post was upon the subject, I figured better late then never! 

Here are a few of my favorite thrifted gems! Photos by this talented lady

Tuesday, November 8, 2011

THE GOOD WILL GIRLS...

Summer and I share a serious love for thrift store shopping, we're pretty much obsessed. This passion prompted our Recessionista mini-series on thrifting for the Girls with Glasses Show!

Not only does thrift store shopping save ya loads of cash, but it also gives your wardrobe and home decore a dash of originality and character. I've been resale shopping since I was a kid, I learned from my mama, and through all the different economic phases of life we always went back to the good ol' good will and D.I. not just cause sometimes we had to, but because it was fun! I've carried on the tradition and treat it as an art form, one that takes practice... and I love to practice! I really dig the deals, I get a major kick out of finding something unique for a couple bucks, I get super jazzed just thinking of how I can repurpose old furniture... the possibilities are endless! Kind of a treasure hunt of sorts, a challenge... to find that diamond in the rough! 

You really don't have to spend a million bucks to look like ya did... 




MORE ON THRIFTY ACTION ON THE WAY!!!

Friday, November 4, 2011

HOW TO BE ALONE...

Have you seen this? Apparently millions have, I have not until five minutes ago... and that is precisely how long the video is. Obviously it impacted me enough to immediately feel the need to post it and share it with ya...

Sometimes we must be alone, whether it is self imposed or not of our choice, it can be both a place of comfort and emptiness... I've been there, and likely you have too... and that is okay, if not vital. 

This is just something beautiful... an insightful interesting perspective...


PS- Should you go into the woods or city alone, please be very careful :-)

Wednesday, November 2, 2011

THE LIL' LIST...


I'm all about the Lil' list these days. I used to create these mammoth daily lists for myself,  they went on and on forever and ever... basically the short hand version would probably of been something like:

TO DO:
PRETTY MUCH EVERYTHING THAT'S EVER NEEDED TO BE DONE BY THE END OF TODAY

This approach is a big frowny face No-win. I always felt overwhelmed by the list and disappointed in my non-ability to be super woman and accomplish all things in a twenty four hour period. Not to mention the inevitable burn out. I over promised to myself, and under delivered, and if there is anything that I should of learned during my two years of employment trying to sell shoes to highly maintained ladies of entitlement and granting returns of fifteen year old used bras in customer service at Nordstroms, it was "Under promise and over deliver". 

As I get a little bit older, I get a little more realistic... not a lot more, but a little. I am realizing that there is just not enough time to fulfill all my wild ambitions and expectations, I so sincerely want to do it all, and I want to do it really well... and it bums me out that I can't. I want to say, YES YES YES! It is such an easy word to say, and yet such a hard word to do. This becomes a habit in the business of life and dream achieving where your success depends on taking advantage of every good opportunity, and they all seem good don't they? My manager Brad has coined the phrase for me "always trying to fit ten gallons into a five gallon bucket". It made me chuckle and yet I continued living a life of overdoing,   and over promising and well... 

The bucket broke.

Lesson slowly learned... success is obtained by setting small achievable goals. Eating the elephant one bite at a time as they say. That is where the Lil' list comes in.  The rule: Keeping the number of items on the list to be done less then ten, and ideally no more then a handful of things. This forces me to get real with myself..."What is truly important today?"... starting with priorities, or sometimes urgencies, commitments to others and then perhaps if there is time, a few other small tasks that have a tendency to get over-looked... notice how I have to list "shower".

Truthfully, the Lil' list is changing my life. My productivity level is increasing, my sense of accomplishment rewards me with motivation and inner peace, I'm finishing more of the things I am starting, following through on the commitments I've made to others and myself... and not all at once, but one thing at a time, one day at a time. And let me say, there is nothing quite like crossing off those to-do's on your list, can I get an AMEN from the list makers?! 

Lastly, my level of awareness of how I CHOOSE to use my time is becoming more acute. I'm learning perhaps, that you can't say yes to everything and everyone all the time... I might even be coming to grips with the fact that sometimes, you just have to say NO... 

Now, saying the "NO" word is a whole other blog post unto itself... I'll put it on my list... the lil' one.

FAKE IT...

Nope, it's not a wig, and I definitely didn't chop it... it's a Faux-Bob! With some hot rollers, good ol' fashion beauty school back-combing and tricky bobby-pinnage I was able to fake a short fun-do for the day. Totally works in those moments when you're getting bored with your long locks, you're hankering for a change and you're battling the serious urge to grab the scissors and get yourself a Fo-real bob. You can Resist! Who says you can't have the best of both worlds? 

I've got A Faux Bob how-to on the way, stay tuned!


PS- I always said that it would be awesome to possess a super power where you had the power to make your hair long or short whenever you wanted. Yeah I know, how super lame that of all the super powers I could have, it would be that. But... ya know, now that I've found the faux bob, I kinda do have that super power... YES! I guess now we can move onto more substantial super powers you think?

PSS- Are you on Instagram!? I am...  RealBrookeWhite

Wednesday, October 26, 2011

FLOATIN' LIKE A FEATHER...

Have I told you about Jack and White Wednesday?
Basically it's the day we've designated to release some sort of new original video... and the sound of the double double-u's we thought had a ring to it. Anywho, amongst those videos we've been releasing a collection of acoustic performances that we shot in my living room before I moved in any of my furniture and stuff... I love these versions equally to the full on band productions.

Today we released Feathers... which was the first song that we wrote and really prompted the creation of Jack and White... kinda fun, disregard my awkward dance movements... although, funny and true story, a couple of shows back in Denver, someone in the audience came up to me after the show and said "wow, your dancing has really improved since american idol!" I have to be honest... pretty much made my day, though I won't be trying out for "so you think you can dance" anytime soon:)


PS- If you find that you are enjoying this version of Feathers, you can download it for FREE on our website jackandwhite.com right this very second! In the words of Dave Ray CPA "Who doesn't love Free.99?"

Thursday, October 13, 2011

KEEP YOUR HEAD UP, KEEP YOUR HEART STRONG...

My brother sent me this music video to check out by this artist I had never heard of before, Ben Howard...
I watched and listened and felt, cried a happy tear and really wanted to share it with everyone, it'll probably make you smile will make your soul feel awesome, I can almost guarantee it. Happy Thursday!

Keep your head up, Keep your heart strong...


ps- how cool was that water slide?

pss- oh and I went to itunes and bought the record too... if this song hits you like it hits me, support him, here's the link to his record on itunes:

http://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/ben-howard/id456822495

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

THE ARTIST SERIES: THE GOODS Pt. 1

"Talent is the magic dust that turns hard work into something special" - Malcom Gladwell



Well I am feeling conflicted on this first post of the artist series, I had started it earlier today thinking I knew what I wanted to say, but after taking a break to grab some dinner with Dave and mulling it over, and having read this article and listening to this podcast and coming back to it, I have already had some new insightful thoughts that contradict my original thoughts...  you could say that I disagree with myself, you could even call me a flip-flopper... so I scrapped it, and started over.

I am not the authority on talent, I'm the last person that would seek to crush a persons dream by stating a thought or opinion and someone taking it as an absolute, particularly a young fragile hopeful who is in search of their personal talents and abilities. For this reason, I take this post seriously. So let me say first and foremost, I know only what I know, the following words are based upon the accumulation of experiences, thoughts and feelings that shape my perception of talents and what makes a person gifted and more apt for success. But In the words of Levar Burton, you don't have to take my word for it.

I believe everyone can sing... for fun. However, I think most of us could agree that not everyone can sing... professionally, just as not everyone can play baseball in the major leagues, or everyone can be a rocket scientists or a best selling author. Why? Well for probably too many given factors to hash out here on the blog, but I think it would be safe to say that we all have different talents that lend themselves to becoming who we are intended to be, should we so choose. Reality... Millions will hope to sing to millions, but only few will sing to millions, but then some will sing to thousands, or hundreds, maybe in the school play, in church, in the choir, at weddings, or youtube and some will enjoy a life long career of singing in the shower to their shampoo and conditioner...

That being said, you never know if you could be one of the few, I couldn't tell ya. But first and foremost is discovering if you have the goods, or the "gift"... and if you do have it, I believe you will find it...

Barbra Streisand, Robert Plant, Marvin Gay, Karen Carpenter, Chris Martin, Bob Dylan, Stevie Nicks, Alison Krauss, Carrie Underwood, Joni Mitchell, Paul McCartney, Johnny Cash, Kurt Cobain, Tom Petty, Elton John, Carole King, Beyonce... they have it, they found it. And while they are all incomparable in musical style and vocal ability, they all have one common thread... ORIGINALITY. They are distinct... identifiable within seconds, their tone, style and extraordinary ability to let their soul be heard through the power of their voice, through the message of the song is what sets them a part from the rest. Though it is fundamental, It is not merely enough to just sing on pitch technically well. Voice lessons can help us develop healthy habits, improve our pitch, and explore the capabilities and range of our voices and strengthen them, but it is my own belief that there is only so much that can be taught. Tone, unlike hair color, cannot be altered, whether it is obscure, silky, gruff, smokey, delicate, bold or clear as a bell, it is ours, it is what we are born with. This is the basis of the gift, along with other important components, but not the end all... that "tone" must marinate in life experience, be used, worked, loved and expressed and challenged to truly become something spectacular... I think it is what turns an amateur into an artist, and gives a performer a persona, and turns a singer, into a star.

We all have our own ideas and opinions of what we think is the mark of a talent, or a good voice, we've all been conditioned by what we've listened to or been exposed to, if you grew up watching Disney movies, you probably believed the Little Mermaid had it all, I did. If you grew up singing in a Gospel church, a deeply soulful delivery is the mark of a truly gifted vocalist. If your dad listened to James Taylor records on the turn table then you probably find yourself attracted to simple heartfelt melodies and a guitar. Or maybe the first time you heard your older brother listening to Led Zepplin you knew that all that mattered was rock and roll. The super amazing thing is, all of these ideas and opinions and a billion others, are true, and can exist together. There is something for everyone and what a beautiful thing! Music, art and talent are subjective... and it is impossible to discount a persons talent merely because it doesn't match up with our version of what talent sounds like.

Now, getting real for a minute, there are some things that are given. You must be able to hear pitch, if you don't, it will be difficult if not impossible to become a professional singer at any level. If you are unsure as to if you are singing on pitch, then this might be an indicator that you do not hear pitch, but in the event that you could be and you are still unsure, please go sing for someone that does... okay... sooo...mom or dad love you so much that you might need to branch out to someone like a choir teacher or someone who has multiple opportunities to sing publicly to get an unbiased listen :-). This doesn't necessarily mean they are a judge of your talent, but they can help you pin point whether or not you are singing on pitch. This is vital. We do live in a generation where pitch is not high priority because it can be altered and fixed with technology, which is a bit unfortunate, but thanks to Adele, I believe we are getting back to the basics and more people want to hear a real voice, not a computer. And yes human voices have tendencies to be "pitchy" at times, even the best, that is not what I'm talking about. I'm talking about being generally on pitch or generally off pitch. If you can easily hear pitch this is a good sign that you are likely musically inclined to some degree. As I stated before however, singing on pitch isn't enough to set you apart from the pack. You will need to find other indicators that you have the goods to go, and I am not sure if they are as easily defined. We've talked about tone, we could get way into Image, though I am not going to in this post, it's already growing beyond where I intended, but... YES... IMAGE MATTERS. I don't want to get ahead of myself, We will dive into it later...

But being an artist is really about having a distinct sense of identity from the inside out!

Lastly I will say that essential to your gift is DESIRE...

How much do you want it? Your level of desire and motivation will greatly influence the direction of your gift. You must absolutely LOVE it so much that your brain will explode, that there is nothing else you love more, because loving it will turn into working extremely hard at it, because without a doubt you will have to, which will hopefully turn into becoming good at it, and hopefully exceptionally good at it... and as Malcom Gladwell suggests in his podcast, what you love will become your life. That is the dream... and it doesn't happen over night.

I had started out this blog by sharing my story (you can read part of the story here) of discovering my own gifts, and I have so much more to say, but decided that will be a part two of this post. For now it's time to give your reading eyes a rest and my typing fingers a break :)

UP NEXT: DEVELOPEMENT OF THE GOODS

Monday, October 10, 2011

THE ARTIST SERIES...

"What advice or suggestions would you give to an aspiring Artist?" is a frequently asked question, and a loaded one at that. Welp, truth be told I don't have the answers, if I did I'd be Taylor Swift or Lady Gaga, or maybe I would have found success faster... or at least more of it...  but what I do have is my own experience and more of it then sometimes I acknowledge... and a level of success I can be grateful for... maybe at moments content with, but not complacent with... I never will be. So what I hope to share with you is my own personal insight based upon my own personal journey along this windy path of dream chasing...
found via pinterest

I have been thinking about this post for quite some time... it was particularly prompted at the start of the summer as I was approached on the issue on my facebook page by a few girls that were looking to try out for American Idol... Well they didn't make it, as most don't... they were discouraged and disappointed, feeling  rejected (first tip: get used to the feeling) and wondering what to do next... Again, I'm not sure I have the answer, but I have some ideas, and I told them I would post a blog about it, so as promised, here we go. Seeing as I have been working at this thing for nearly a decade now (wow), this post could get long, too long, therefore I have decided to break it up into a series of posts over the next few months:

1.) THE GOODS: Talent, Desire, Identity
2.) DEVELOPMENT: you've got the goods, make them gooder
3.) THE SONGS: Your strongest asset
4.) THE STAGE: Prove it.
5.) ROLLER COASTER: Enduring the emotional ride
6.) WHAT DO YOU WANT: Expectations and Realities
7.) WORK WHILE YOU WAIT: The art of Proactive Patience
8.) GETTING OUT THERE: Find your audience and your opportunities
9.) GETTING SERIOUS: Time for management, label, attorney etc. It's about relationships...
10.) KEEP GOING: Remember, you love it!

First post up tomorrow: The Goods



Sunday, October 9, 2011

THIS WEEK...

photo by trever hoehne
I will FINALLY be home for more then 2 consecutive days in a row! September into October has been beyond busy promoting Gemini with my band JACK AND WHITE, singing my voice silly here there and everywhere, and gratefully and yet exhaustingly so. However I am stationary for the next week (woohoo) which means I will finally get a chance to take all of these posts flying around in my noggin and get them down on this here blog. So lot's of updating in the month of October: thoughts on authenticity,  my (limited) advice to aspiring singers and artists (as promised), perhaps my very own first ever fashion post, I think there may even be a give-way and... I'm thinking about a hair how-to video... we'll see. I'm infamous for biting off more then I can chew, and I shouldn't over promise and under deliver, but I always say, that saying things out loud make you accountable, so now it's out there... ahhh... I'll do my best.

PS- the photo to the left is from a recent shoot for The Girls with Glasses show with super talented and handsome photographer Trever Hoehne, (he's also happens to be responsible for the Jack and White record cover photo). GWG are gearing up for a load of videos and a fresh little make-over over at our blog and website, excited to reveal it all to in the next few months... stayed tuned!

Oh and PSS- here is a sweet new music video for our song "Double Trouble" directed by none other then the fabulous and wonderful Summer Bellessa, one of my dearest bestest friends and fellow girl with glasses, as well as the editor for the prettiest magazine known as Eliza that you should definitely check out. Her style and pizazz is all over the place here and also makes her directing debut and does so very well in my opinion! Thanks Summ!

Une Deux Trois Hey...



and now, time for a sunday nap... happy sabbath! 

Thursday, September 1, 2011

LIVING ROOM SESSIONS: GEMINI

So we wanted to make some acoustic recordings from the GEMINI EP, so we plugged in, and set up in my empty living room and got a'jammin. We decided to take some video footage while we were at it... You may have seen "telephone games" from Cjane's blog... 

Well now ya have "Gemini"... live from my living room, enjoy!



More to come, up next is 'smoke and mirrors', probably my second favorite tune on the record.

ps- if ya bought the EP (a real big thanks if ya did), I am curious of which song you're diggin' the most?

Tuesday, August 23, 2011

LADIES AND GENTLEMEN...

We are proud to present: 




We couldn't be more excited to give this to the world today. A big time thanks to iTunes for rocking the release in such an incredible way. To our amazing friends who have helped us create this lil' labor of love, we couldn't have pulled this off with out you. Team work rules. 

DANNY COCKE
BRAD FUHRMAN
JUSTIN BARNES
BRANT BILES
TREVER HOEHNE
LIZ FRANCO
GLENN WEATHERSON
ADAM CULVEY
STEVEN TRACHTENBROIT
MATT JOHNSON

(I FEEL LIKE I AM FORGETTING PEOPLE, FORGIVE ME, THIS LIST WILL GROW FOR SURE)

To you the fans, well, you are pretty much the reason we do this. 
Thank you for sustaining us and our art. We appreciate you so very much.

PS: if you aren't ready to invest $4.95 in JACK AND WHITE quite yet, 
that's totally cool, we gotchya covered with a 

.....................................................................
"If you build it, they will come."



C.Jane and Telephone Games...

Human Connection is so very important... As in face to face, Eye contact, Mannerisms, tone of voice, facial expressions, laughter, energy and spirit. Sometimes this great miraculous technology we have literally at our fingertips, can get us in a real pickle, and has been know to create some misleading barriers between what's real and what's not. What we see on TV, on a blog, on a forum, in a text or in an email can truly distort the truth about people, or situations and leaves us all to assume things we don't really know for certain, fill in the blanks with faulty details and place unfair judgements. I'm sure pretty much all of us have experienced this breakdown in communication at one point or another. I've been super guilty.

When C.Jane and I met, I was nervous, but my first thought was "let's just hug it out", i'm a hugger. We did, I liked her right away. Her face was soft and pretty and kind. We sat and just talked, with natural ease, about many things, of course we discussed, said our sorrys and laughed about the lil' blog mix up last year that perhaps got blown a bit out of proportion, and then we moved quickly on to deeper and more meaningful conversation, relating upon spiritual thoughts and real life stuff... and moms, I loved that we could talk like that so effortlessly. Unfortunately we didn't get to visit much longer then a half hour, I had to go sing. But when we parted ways, I left feeling enlightened... it was one of those life lesson learned of the importance of real human connection and the great understanding it can provide, and healing. Something that you'll just never get with a "LOL" or a smiley face emoticon. Ain't nothin' like the real thing...


C.Jane is one heckuva lady. I have been a reader of her blog for quite some time, reading stories and adventures of Chup, the chief and Ever, and was always rather blown away by her ability to express with her words, so honestly, eloquently, interestingly, humorously and with a heap of humanity. Her writing is developed and hearty, amazing. I admire this great gift. As intriguing and inspiring and sassy as her persona is on a blog, there is a woman that exudes a feeling of warmth and sincerity, that is felt infinitely more when up close and personal. Glad I got to witness that first hand...

She's also a hardcore music lover, a lady after my own heart,  she has been a catalyst in creating a budding and thriving music scene in Provo, Utah with the Rooftop Concert Series with the highest quality artists and bands. Upcoming is a super sweet band IMAGINE DRAGONS, (I'm obsessed with their song "EMMA") if you are in the area, you should definitely get up on the roof.

Anywho, we made these little acoustic recording and videos for our "Gemini" EP in my living room before I had moved in my furniture and properly hung my curtains. They are home made videos of course, raw and real, Jack rocks the Toms and I'm barefoot of course. We play with these talented and funny musicians, Danny Cocke and Adam Culvey, and it is such a joy for me. Making music is pretty unbelievable. So we wanted to debut this little tune that has become a personal favorite, kind of a daggar in the heart kind of tune known as "telephone games". Right away C.Jane came to mind with her love and passion for music. She so kindly and quickly responded with a "YES"! Woohoo!

On behalf of Jack and White, we thank you very much Courtney. It is so good to be supported by friends.

You are more then welcome to go take a listen over at C.Janes... TELEPHONE GAMES




Sunday, August 21, 2011

JUST REMEMBER...

Dear Brookie,
      In that moment of inevitable weakness, in that second of sneaky temptation... when the new Jen aniston/reese witherspoon BOB seems like such an adorably great idea, just take a good look at this picture of perfection and put down the scissors for goodness sake...

DO NOT CUT IT.


ahh... but then again, they are so very cute... them bobs on those gals.



(found on pinterest)

Friday, August 19, 2011

LITTLE MISS MOMMA...

Ashley Stock... cute times a million she is, and the nicest too. Since moving to my new hood we've met and are becoming fast friends. Oh and our husbands also clicked real swell and get together for golf games. We both share a passion for fashion and all things crafty, I am blown away by her little craft room and all the lovely things that she creates. I also discovered that she has this adorable blog, where she shares how to make super cool stuff with loads of pretty pictures, and yet beyond all the cuteness is an authentic gal with a heart of gold which shines through in her very personable posts about her life, being a wife, and a mother to that little W, whom is out of this world cute (obviously the apple doesn't fall far from the tree, i know i keep saying cute, but seriously), as well she courageously gets personal about her own struggles in a way that is honest, relatable and refreshing. And what a writer! Inspiring... 


Anywho, a few weeks back she had so kindly asked me to join her in a fashion post. So I showed up to her house with a suitcase full of shoes and a stack of clothes and we got to mixing and matching and snapping photos... oh yeah she's a solid photographer too! Honestly, Ashley is the kind of gal that a girl could be jealous of, but then you meet her and you can't, instead you just admire her an ya simply love her... If you read her blog, I'm sure you agree... you can check out the post Here... again, she's the nicest! A Humungous thankyou Little Miss Momma... 


OH AND PS... SHE IS GIVING AWAY A SIGNED COPY OF THE NEW JACK AND WHITE GEMINI EP! GO TO HER BLOG FOR DETAILS...


Wednesday, August 17, 2011

RECORD RECOMMENDATIONS...

There is almost nothing more that I love then sharing new music... well, actually that's not true, there are many things I love just as much and more, like pizza and family and projects. But I just wanted to give emphasis and drama to how much I love it. However, by now I have over-used the word love, as I always do, which then dilutes it's emphasis and meaning. But please believe me, it is with out dilution, my love, and the use of the word, for many people, places and things... and new music.

I have found a softer place in my heart for modern music. Everyone who knows me, knows that I have a "love" and or obsession for the classics, the oldies, the best songs of all time. And though I adore all music from each and every decade new and old, I always go back to my Eagles records, Rumors, Tapestry, Carpenters, James Taylor, America, ELO, Beach Boys, Beatles, Joni Mitchell, Bee Gee's, Hall and Oats and the list goes on. But in the last year I have decided to give the newbies more air time on the iPod and I've come to realize that there is some remarkably good artists, bands and records of our day out there that I have found to influence me musically and add some spicey spice to my old trusty playlists. 

Here are just a few records that would be worth adding to your library:

ELLIE GOULDING - LIGHTS: This girl is beyond talented, a Brit and brilliant. Though her fellow UK artist,  Adele is taking the world by storm, and rightfully so, Ellie shouldn't be too far behind her. Her sound is a beautiful hybrid of melodic singer-songwriter-esque lyrics atop dancy pop beats. It is super fresh and her unique voice has the emotional fragility and vibrato of a humming bird, but the control of a German sports car. The songs are solid, hardly a mediocre track on the record. I have gotten several friends hooked to this record, you will be too, trust me. 


DANIEL TASHIAN - ARTHUR: Frontman of one of my favorite indie modern bands The Silver Seas, he is with out a doubt one talented son of a gun. Though it is his solo record, these songs feel like an extension of The Silver Seas last record released last summer, Chateau Revenge, containing quite possibly my favorite song ever "what's the drawback". With carefully crafted melodies and arrangements bursting with delicious ear candy, his songwriting style is very classic, but delivered with such a modern pallet of sounds. Everything sounds familiar but never cliche. You need to hear "swimming against the tide". I dare you not to play it over and over. Actually, I double dare you.

MUTE MATH - ARMISTICE: This record isn't brand new, actually it dropped in 2009, but I'm late to the party and just discovered it recently. My band mate Jack and producer Danny introduced me to it and I have to say that contrary to what my previous perception was of Mute Math, I am blown away by their stunning sonic sound. Though it has an edge, It isn't as heavy as I expected, it is much smoother, glassy and warm then I anticipated. There hooks are instant, the lyrics are crafty, but then when it gets to the chorus they keep it simple. I love that though they know how to get cool, they refrain from getting too cool for school. I'm currently addicted to "Goodbye". It's romantic and upbeat all at once. Solid band, I'm a fan.






Tuesday, August 16, 2011

ARE YOU HAPPY...

Pinterest Find, although I tried to trace it back to it's origin and can't find it, would love to frame this and hang it up in a place I can always see it.

 Anywho it is brilliant and yet simple.... love it. Are you happy??

BRAD THE DAD...


Not only did my momma have a birthday, so did my rad dad Brad just two days later! Having flown home for my mom's special day, my parents decided that they would drive me back to California and spend the weekend with us, and also catch my JACK AND WHITE show at the Hotel Cafe which also happened to be the same day as my dads big fat birthday! As well, my sweet sister Katie aka "the Boo" joined us with her little man Heath who just smothers my soul with his cuteness. I kissed his delicious fat cheeks at least 246 times, at least. By the way he is already 17.5 pounds at 4 and a half months, he is healthy and perfect and I love him a lot multiplied by a million. You take a look at him and you realize that that's what life is about right there. And my little sister, she is such a super duper mom, I look up to her.

Our drive back to the west coast was a slow one, with many U-turns and stops for gas, feedings, burpings, diaper changes. Took us a few extra hours then usual and though it was a bit grueling I found it fun. We listened to my dads iPod on shuffle mode... he's got a billion of these random novelty songs about monkeys and kangaroos and stuff, and though he's heard 'em all thousands of times, he still get's a kick out of them and turns it up and says "you gotta hear this". We listened to the new EP in the truck, sounded pretty darn good in the big ol' Ford truck. "Hold Up my Heart" came on, it's his favorite song, (he always calls me to tell me he listens to "Hold up My heart" almost daily). Then we got to talking about deep complex spiritual thoughts, I always have more questions then there are answers. My dad has faith, solid faith. I'm grateful. My mom kept reminding him to keep his eyes on the road while he talks passionately and looking at us in the backseat through the rearview, and then we all took turns driving. My neck and shoulders felt like a pile of rocks by the end, but I enjoyed the roadtrip with the fam. 

Poor dad was put to work as soon as we got to my house, we are still working on loads of projects and my dad is this amazing carpenter so he has been of great help to us in making this old house look new. Since it was his birthday weekend and all we wanted to give him the exciting opportunity to cut a new door in the garage, happy birthday dad! Seriously, We promise that next time he comes he can just chill by the pool and go play golf with Dave.


Sunday however, was a day of rest for dad, we went to church and came home for a breakfast of Eggs Benedict, a White House family tradition. My parents have perfected the recipe, may be my favorite thing to eat of all time... more then pizza even. Though pizza is pretty unbelievable. We opened some gifts and he took a good Sunday snooze on the couch. Mom made him a cherry chip cake, have you ever had one of those? Really yummy. I made green chili enchilada's for dad's birthday, I am not much in the kitchen, as of now I can make less then five things, one of those five things is enchiladas, luckily they are one of my dads favorites. I have to say that they turned out quite tasty, we ate the left overs over the next two days...mmm. 

That evening was the Jack and White show at the Hotel Cafe. When it comes to my music, my dad is my number one fan (mom too). Most parents aren't in favor of their kids packin' up and moving out to LA to become a rockstar (not that thats exactly how it went) but my parents had a feeling early on, they knew before I did, but they never pushed, they've prayerfully supported and stayed close to me through it all with loving enthusiasm, I'm very grateful. They are music lovers, I am a music lover because they are music lovers. Anywho, back to the show, we are a new lil' band me and jack and we are just starting to get out there and perform our songs, so I loved that my fam was there, honestly, even if no one shows up and my family is there, I feel on top of the world. All in all it was a fun show,We did a special Beatles style birthday tune "ya say it's your birthday" good times rock n' roll! 

The next morning they left at 4:30 in order to get back for work, I always feel like cryin' when they pull out of the driveway and back down the road to Arizona. 

Dad, I hope you had a great birthday, so glad we could share it with ya. You are one wonderful dad. 


Saturday, August 13, 2011

SHE'S FIFTY AND FINE...

On August 11th Kaylene, my too pretty for words mom that looks like she could be my sister, turned 50. I know that is still so young, but many would agree that 50 is a significant milestone of life. I am already just a little over halfway there and that is kinda freaky, not that I really think about it often, but isn't it amazing how speedily the sand falls through the hour glass. Each year feels faster then the last. I jumped on board the fast train years ago, and sometimes wish I could brace myself and jump off, or even just slow it down, however this is the golden age of health and opportunity and I am really trying to enjoy and utilize all this energy that most likely won't last forever. Artistically I feel like maybe I've hit my prime and am starting to love what I do more then ever, emotionally i'm finally starting to feel a little more secure with in myself, I've gotten to do so much, and yet there is so much more to look forward to, so much more to do, the most important things are yet to come... looking forward to it all and yet happy in the here and now.


Anywho, we wanted to surprise my momma, and so we devised a top secret plan a week in advance. I snuck over to Arizona the night before, my sister picked me up from the airport, we stayed up late into the evening at her house preparing an early morning surprise tea party.  She had requested that we didn't throw her a full blown surprise party, so we kept it quaint and personable with just us girls. With stealthy coordination with our awesome dad, we were able to come over in the early hours of the morning and set the table with fresh flowers, place tags, tea cups and a yummy breakfast with out making a peep... not an easy task for super loud talkers like us. When she came out of her room for my dad to "take her out to breakfast" she was completely stunned! It's the greatest thing when someone is genuinely surprised! We made her wear a goofy childrens princess hat, she was so happy, and that made me sooo happy. We also gave her a book that my siblings, and dad and I compiled for her using iphoto... "fifty things we love about Kaylene" with pictures throughout her life and all the things we love about her big and small, she cried some happy tears. Per her request we ended the day with the whole family at the Dbacks Game where we had a fancy dinner of hotdogs and a soda, even Katie Boo could get herself a gluten free bun at the game. Oh and the Dbacks were able to pull off the win in the extra inning! Woowoo!




Pretty much I love this lady a lot. As babelicious and sparkly as she is on the outside, she is even sparklier on the inside... so much depth and character, compassion and empathy towards others. She is authentic and honest, a true individual always trying to better herself and is courageous to be who she is regardless of what people think. She is quirky and candid, funny and innocent.  And she butters toast like no other. Mom we sure do love ya. 

Somehow she has turned back the clock, and can't be defined by a number, but  hey, If this is what 50 looks like, then cool, sign me up!






Friday, August 12, 2011

I GOT TO BE A LOVELY LADY...

how do they do it these ladies? keepin' up on their blogs, keepin' em pretty, keepin' em fresh... keepin' them updated? I just don't know, but they do, and they do it well. And I love to look at them and be inspired, I used to get bummed out, but being bummed out is pretty crappy, and comparing is a big fat waste of time and energy, and thinking that we'll "never be as cute, creative, cool, witty, funny, interesting, eloquent, crafty, stylish, hip, consistent, etc. etc. etc. as the next person", is just so counter-productive, and therefore I decided to just be inspired... and I can HONESTLY say that I am and have been motivated to work to cultivate my own talents and take risks to try new things. I am just blown away with how ridiculously gifted and motivated people are. Seriously. Thanks to all of you out there out-putting such beautiful and brilliant stuff and for sharing your life's stories. You fill me up with ideas and thoughts and feelings I tell ya...

Anywho, Just met this gal Emma, and she is an incredible knitter of fine fashionable pieces, she also happens to be a Graphic Designer with impeccable taste in typography and images. She definitely has a less is more approach, minimalist but refined and organic which I absolutely love. Sometimes I love the understated and sometimes I love over the top, I'm happy that there is always a place for both  and everything in between cause I can and do enjoy it all! But go take a gander at Emma's blog, Emmadime, it'll leave ya feeling refreshed and longing to simplify with quality over quantity. Not only is she an amazing curator, she is also such a nice lovely lady herself. Thanks Emma for featuring my little look on your beauty of a blog, and I should mention that Dave took the picture. He was proud of himself... he did good :)

Photobucket

Monday, July 18, 2011

KEEP FIGHTING THROUGH...

wish I knew how to make this bigger... any tips out there from expert bloggers? I need blogshop. Someday. Anywho, you may need to click on this to make it larger and therefore legible and easier to read. It is a very worthwhile read, take a second. I have been seeing this quote by Ira Glass kickin' around all over the world wide web, I figured I'd go ahead and post it too and spread the wealth of knowledge. It is a gem, and I too wish someone told me...

keep fighting through. do a lot of work.

Tuesday, July 12, 2011

INTRODUCING JACK AND WHITE: Part I & II

The new Gemini EP is written, recorded, mixed and mastered... we're getting close to letting the rest of the world take a listen to this new collaboration that is JACK AND WHITE. Until then, here are a few lil' videos with footage we took along the way, and more importantly you get a little taste of a few songs that will be on the record... hope ya enjoy, feel free to post it on your facebook, blog, etc... we don't mind:)

GEMINI

DOUBLE TROUBLE/INSIDE OUTSIDE

Wednesday, June 15, 2011

MILO GREENE 1957. JACK AND WHITE. GOODBYE VAN NUYS...

I heard this song called 1957 by Milo Greene on the looooong drive home from the studio to my new crib the other night. So apparently 98.7 now does this lil' show at night called "close to home" where they play cool music... this song caught my ear, and i'm bummed that I can't buy it on itunes yet. but you can listen to it right here on the youtube. you'll like it i'm pretty sure...


And truly I need to blog about my new duo/band/collaboration called JACK AND WHITE, kinda like black and white. I was set up on a co-write with this feller named Jack Matranga, we started writing songs a few months back for my solo record, and they were very good songs, but they just sounded like they needed to be their own songs for their own thing, so we went into the studio with our amazing pal Dansel, and that thing became GEMINI, a six song EP filled with adventure songs that have lots of hearty heart and guitar vibey-ness and dreamy harmonies, probably the most modern sounding thing i've been a part of to date, that will be released in July by JACK AND WHITE on June Baby Records. JUST CANT WAIT FOR YOU TO HEAR IT! New music is the greatest... the super awesome picture below was taken by the super awesome Trever Hoehne . Trever we love ya...

Oh and Also me and the Davester moved, to a far away-ish land from the NUYS, after 7 eventful and crazy years in the Nuys it was time to say our goodbyes. The people will be missed A LOT, the place maybe a little. Happy for a new adventure. This also deserves it's own post. We bought a fixer-up that I fell in love with the moment I stepped in the door which is gonna gift us a lifetime of projects, but I live for projects so that makes me happy, dave not quite as happy, but he's being a good sport and starting to see the diamond in the rough, fun stuff. Let me tell you there was TEAL STUCCO inside from floor to ceiling, well not the floors, but the walls were just covered in this crap! Seriously, but it's all gone now, and we are muchos glad. We are sleeping on an air mattress in a sea of sawdust, we are with out a refrigerator and clean clothes BUT I do have a new old lil' baby grand piano in the living room called the Sarg that I have been waiting for, been piano-less for three years, and I can't stop playing it. I am happy, I am very grateful. and I am tired and I am practicing my brains out cause I have seven shows this month. I'm growing up I think, a little scared about it, I feel it all, I'm alive and I mostly really love it.

PS- do you do pinterest? Man it's dangerous.

PSS- Girls with Glasses show is also kickin. more to come...

PSSS- If ya live in Provo, UT, Rexburg, ID, Lakeforest, CA or Echo Park, CA... come see me/J+W play.
I'll post the details in just a bit

Monday, June 6, 2011

TEAM DAVY...

Hello Friends, I will save all my usual explanations for my lack of bloggin, there is so much to tell, but for now I wanted to inform all you Southern Californians about a really sweet benefit show this coming Friday for this beautiful lil' Baby Davy... her story is quite remarkable. Perhaps you read her mom's amazing blog THE MOM , and you know about this little lady, but in case you haven't, now is a good time... so many modern day miracles!

Monday, April 18, 2011

BOO'S BABY...

wowsers, I can't believe it, Katie Boo is a mom....

I missed her wedding, I missed the birth, but I was not going to miss this baby, so I cleared my schedule for the rest of the week, jumped in the car, filled the tank with liquid gold and took a lil' roadtrip through the desert to Arizona to surprise my beautiful sister. It was a pleasant drive, and I listened to my iPod on shuffle mode the whole way. Music makes everything better, especially long trips, I rather enjoyed my expedition and found it therapeutic amongst crazy times...

I love surprises, I walked in the door, emotional moment, she cried her face off. She had just gotten home from the hospital, celebrating her 3rd anniversary, recovering from the intense physical demands of child-bearing, sleep deprived and just beginning to grasp the magnitude of her new found role and responsibility as a mom. I could tell she was overwhelmed and yet in awe of this miraculous creation named Heath.

Just to look at him, you feel love. Unexplainable love, and he's not even mine. He is so teeny-tiny, so delicate and pure. Straight from heaven, he has my sisters eyes, lanny's mouth and cheeks, and the lil' guy has got some piano playing fingers on him. My sister said he got that from me, glad I could contribute:) He isn't much of a cry-baby, but even his cry is even heartbreakingly adorable, rhaspy and sweet, he got that from our side of the family, the "White rhasp" we all were born with. And at merely four days old he is already rolling over from his tummy to his back, next thing we know he will be doing push-ups and running marathons, he's a strong lil' man. His furry soft skin gets loads of kisses and we honestly just can't get enough of him. Grandma and grandpas, aunts and uncles and cousins... he is the center of our universe right about now.

Hard parts are hard... nursing and feeding, this isn't a snap. It's a full-time deal, around the clock. I won't elaborate, moms out there, I am sure you can relate, wowsers. A lot of pressure and stress on a momma to provide the sustenance essential to a babies survival and growth. Major props to my sister, she is a tough gal, with each day it's getting better. Then there is long nights and little sleep... Lil' humans got their clocks reversed, day is night and night is day, he want's to sleep while the suns up and party all night. I imagine she can plan on being perpetually tired for the next year... but if you'd ask her, she'd say it's worth it:)

I don't have children (yet), I don't know anything about parenting, I was a nanny for G&G, which provides some preparation but not quite the same thing... I know I am not really qualified to speak upon the subject, but just those four days with Katie and lanny and baby Heath, My observation is this: Becoming a parent is big stuff, the biggest, important, it's serious, it's sacrifice, it's challenging, it's scary, it's fun, it's rewarding, it's pure happiness, it's forever. I am so so proud of my sister, she is amazing, hope I can be a good mom like she is, like our mom is, and I'm sure she'll be there when her big sister is breaking down in the middle of the night trying to figure out what to do next. I'm so grateful that I got to be there for some of the first few days of this lil' guys life. I miss him already...

I got to snap some photos of him on his fourth day on earth, prepare for your heart to melt. And you MUST MUST MUST see the pictures of his birth taken by the amazing Jessica, my brother Tyler's girlfriend... stunning, the next best thing to being there in person!!!

4 days old, here he is. amazing. lola the dog is always by katie's side
uhh! can you even stand it?! so cute I could just scream, quietly :)
grandma kaylene aka the "baby whisperer", auntie brooke and proud grandpa brad
His first bath at home, grandma helping the Boo...
perfect.