Monday, January 31, 2011

DAY 5: A SONG THAT REMINDS YOU OF SOMEONE...

It was July of 2003, I was barely twenty years old and I had made the move out to Los Angeles to go to music school, but just for the summer. Back in Arizona however, remained my boyfriend, "Dave Ray CPA" (thats what I call him, he finds it embarrassing, not to mention, me telling this story on my blog) he made trips back and forth every other weekend to visit me... trying our hand at a long distance relationship. They say "absence makes the heart grow fonder... or wander", we were put to the test. Rewind a bit, I remember the day that I told him that I was going to California, that I needed to figure some things out, that I needed music back in my life. "Music?" he inquired with somewhat of a puzzled look? We had been together for nearly eight months at that point, and I had failed to mention to him that I kinda, well... sing... kinda. And I guess that was because I really wasn't so sure at the time myself... I associated singing with the the experience of heartbreak and my deepest insecurity, so I had walked away from music, closed that door... so I thought. Truth was I was walking around with this big vacant space in my soul, I had some unfinished business to take care of... And here we are nearly eight years later, still taking care of that business. Unbelievable actually. Anywho, if I recall correctly, it was towards the end of the summer, I had written a few songs, started playing the piano and singing simultaneously and all the sudden my whole world revolved around music, and I knew, despite what I told my boyfriend, that I wasn't going back home. There was one particular weekend that he came out to visit, and I finally sat down at the piano and played him one of my own new original songs "the way things used to be", my hands shook I was nervous. This was a new Brooke to Dave, a new Brooke to me. Weeks went by, we continued to date, 400 miles between us. The summer was turning to fall, I told him I had to stay, he said he knew. What did that mean for us? It was a Friday night and I went to go pick him up at the LAX airport, and we drove down to Marina del Ray, my favorite beach, the one I went to every friday after school. We got out of the car and sat on the sand. The next part is gonna sound completely cheezy, but it actually was maybe one of the sweetest things that my non-emotional, hockey playing, number crunching, canadian man has ever done, He sang me a song, acapella... "To make you feel my love", the garth brooks version. He said he practiced it in the bathroom stall at work that day. amazing. He prefaced it by saying "i'm nervous cause I can't carry a tune in a bucket", I would disagree, he carried the tune just fine. then he told me quite simply that he believed in me, I needed that. It really wasn't cheesy at all. A few months later we got engaged, he moved to California, we danced to "to make you feel my love" at our wedding and the rest is history. I am artsy fartsy and he's an accountant, we are different, but that night he stepped out of his box and expressed his feelings (manly feelings I might add) in a way that I could understand... music.

TO MAKE YOU FEEL MY LOVE
originally written and recorded by Bob Dylan. Famously covered by Garth Brooks for the Hope Floats soundtrack. Adele also does a pretty darn solid version... there is a slew of em out there. None of them though, quite as good as Dave Ray CPA.

bummer, I can't find the Bob Dylan version anywhere, or a good Garth video on you tube, so enjoy Adele...


Remind me to tell you the story about my mom and "show and tell"... classic. That would be my runner up for this category.

how about you?

Sunday, January 30, 2011

DAY 4: A SONG THAT MAKES YOU SAD...

I remember sitting in the back seat of the Ford aerostar van heading to Las Vegas to visit my grandma, or maybe to Los Angeles to go to Disneyland and we would listen to my mom's Carly Simon Greatest Hits tape. There was of course "you're so vain" and "Anticipation" and "Haven't got time for the pain", but then there was this song.... "that's the way I always heard it should be", I remember hearing it and thinking to myself, this is the saddest song I've ever heard. As a a kid I was naive to it's meaning but extremely receptive to it's emotional depth, the sound of the minor piano chords just felt melancholy, like emptiness, like hurt, like heartache... her voice raw almost unsteady and her falsetto so vulnerable. I remember when hearing the part "I'll never learn to be just me first, by myself" always struck me, with watery eyes. Strangely it was one of the first songs that I ever attempted to play and sing on the piano, I think I was 18, maybe 19. I don't remember it anymore, but if for any reason I need to dig up my sad self, I just listen to this song. Painful and yet so beautiful...

Here is the original recording, incredible production:

Then I saw this live performance... had to share.

PS.- did I ever tell you of the time that I got to talk to Carly? Wow.

Runners Up:

How about you? I am really loving the participation and reading all of your songs!! woo!

Saturday, January 29, 2011

DAY 3: A SONG THAT MAKES YOU HAPPY...

ROCK WITH YOU- MICHAEL JACKSON
Does this even need an explanation? I dance like a crazy fool in my living room to this one... and dancing makes me happy
Anywho, this one is kinda like the favorite song category, there are too many songs that make me happy...

Runners Up:

How about You?

Friday, January 28, 2011

DAY 2: YOUR LEAST FAVORITE SONG...

HONKY TONK BADONKADONK
did he say slap your grandma?
(note: The "least favorite song" category is tricky, cause i don't like to go dissin' on other peoples art. This was a huge song, and sincerely I mean no disrespect to Mr. Adkins, he has many other nice songs and I'm sure he is a very lovely man)

Runners Up:

How about you?

Thursday, January 27, 2011

DAY 1: YOUR FAVORITE SONG...

This might be the hardest category in the 30 day song challenge... I'm notorious for saying "This song is my favorite" Dave always says "every song is your favorite" and he's right, there are nearly an infinite number of life changing, earth shattering, mind blowing, soul wrenching incredible songs in the history of music. I mean how do you quantify your favorite? I don't think the amount of times I've listened is an accurate indicator, because there are some songs I love soooo much that I have to exercise self control and be ever so careful to not overplay them. It kills me to just choose one, Honestly, even though I have to come up with a favorite song, it doesn't mean it's the favoritest of favorites, I just merely have to choose... and it is sad, cause I don't want to leave any of my favorites behind. It's like picking a favorite child... impossible, though I don't have children, (yet) let alone a child, but I can imagine if I did, it would be like trying to pick a favorite song... you just can't, it just aint right... am I Taking this to seriously? for sure. Are you surprised? probably not.

Okay so (one) favorite: GOD ONLY KNOWS-THE BEACH BOYS
I think I read somewhere that God Only Knows also happens to be Paul McCartney's favorite song. And though it didn't air on American Idol, I sang this song in Hollywood week and was the song that put me through to the top 50. It is hard for me to articulate what I love about this song, maybe it's the heartbreak in the melody, the jingle bells and percussive sounds of horse shoes, or the intricate harmonies, or the lyrics "i may not always love you, but as long as there are stars above you", really it's just... emotionally perfect. Always makes me a little teary eyed. always. Brian Wilson is a genius.

Oh and this morning it was brought to my memory by @rocky_rosa on twitter, that it also plays during one of the most heartbreaking moments of all TV history, when Winnie breaks up with Kev for another man on The Wonder Years, which also happens to be my favorite TV Show of all time. Coincidence?

Runners Up:

How about you?

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

THE 30 DAY SONG CHALLENGE...


Starts tomorrow... I meant to begin on January 1st, but I was behind with my December blog challenge, and then there was New York, and the movie, and alt summit in Salt Lake, and so on and so forth and so far 2011 has yet to permit me the time to do so. I quite literally haven't stopped since... well, like three years ago...

Anywho I think this will be fun and actually quite thought provoking. Feel free to join me in the challenge... Thanks Jessie from Twitter for the idea, here we go!
Day 01 – Your favorite song
Day 02 – Your least favorite song
Day 03 – A song that makes you happy
Day 04 – A song that makes you sad
Day 05 – A song that reminds you of someone
Day 06 – A song that reminds of you of somewhere
Day 07 – A song that reminds you of a certain event
Day 08 – A song that you know all the words to
Day 09 – A song that you can dance to
Day 10 – A song that makes you fall asleep
Day 11 – A song from your favorite band
Day 12 – A song from a band you hate
Day 13 – A song that is a guilty pleasure
Day 14 – A song that no one would expect you to love
Day 15 – A song that describes you
Day 16 – A song that you used to love but now hate
Day 17 – A song that you hear often on the radio
Day 18 – A song that you wish you heard on the radio
Day 19 – A song from your favorite album
Day 20 – A song that you listen to when you’re angry
Day 21 – A song that you listen to when you’re angry
Day 22 – A song that you work out to
Day 23 – A song that you want to play at your wedding
Day 24 – A song that you want to play at your funeral
Day 25 – A song that makes you laugh
Day 26 – A song that you can play on an instrument
Day 27 – A song that you wish you could play
Day 28 – A song that makes you feel guilty
Day 29 – A song from your childhood
Day 30 – Your favorite song at this time last year

(artwork above: People Love Music | by http://www.behance.net/Bruneau and Henrik Wold Kraglund)

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

IT'S NOT A WIG...


Came across these photos taken last summer in my download folder... Ya know, photographers are like magicians, well magicians teamed with amazing hairstylist, make-up artist and wardrobe stylist, AKA the glam squad. My friend Jeff King is one of those photographers, he had called me and asked me if I wanted to do a test shoot... where we just kinda dress up and play around with different looks, of course I said yes! We got some great shots... among them were these "FRO" shots. I kinda love 'em and was kinda thinking it would be fantastic to rock that hair all the time. Ya know how I love big hair. And yes it's actually my real hair, and no I didn't even have to cut it, and my hair is naturally curly but not that curly, the stylist was amazing, she used these little heat clamps (that I wish I could find) after she rolled my hair into little pin curls, let them sit for five minutes and walah... I had a frolicious hair-do for days...

oh and it's crazy how much my face looks like Kaylene in these photos. Kaylene is my mama...

Saturday, January 8, 2011

TONIGHT...


Wowsers... can't believe it's already here, Change of Plans will be airing on FOX at 8/7c. I'm nervous and excited and sure hope that you kinda like it. I'm surprised by how much I loved putting this cute lil' show together with the cast and think it might be fun to do some more acting... we'll see!

Anywho, a big thanks to everyone who helped us spread the word, and to everyone who is watching, and everyone who DVR'd it and plans on watching. I know there are football games tonight so we've got some competition, but c'mon who wants to watch the playoffs when they could be watching a made for TV movie :)

I appreciate all of y'all, for your continued support, for sticking with me on my journey. You're pretty nice!

Hugs:)