BROOKIE BABBLE

WE ARE THE MUSIC MAKERS...

2012-02-08T21:30:00.000-08:00

In the month of December, we made a record in my living room...

My kitchen table turned into a recording console...

Building scratch tracks... I look mad, but I'm not...

This is Zach Hall, he takes videos and pictures...

I played the piano... Brad our manager played "Free Fallin"

Adam played the drums...

Jack played bass... and guitar... me too a little, we sang a lot

jack sat in that chair for a long time... we put tinsel on the light so we'd quit bonking our heads

We finished the EP in January. It is called "Winter"... we worked really hard on it. It's on iTunes...
Trever Hoene took the picture, I made a record cover,

Jack made a video with the footage Zach Hall took for our song "Night after Night"...

We love what we do, we hope you do too...

FACING FEAR...

2012-01-30T21:21:00.000-08:00

I have fears... big ones, little ones, medium sized ones... served up like different size fries you order at McD's... "hi, ummm... i'll take the x-small fears please".

I have always been one that has been excessively afraid of a lot of things, from canned tuna and mayo to roller coasters, small fingers getting slammed in doors, teenagers, traffic jams under overpasses, halloween music, throwing up, clowns, escalators on the way down, and trips to the OB/GYN. The dark was always frightening to me, which is why my sister Katie Boo and I always shared the top bunk of our twin bunk beds. Seriously, till I was 17, when I moved out and had to sleep in my own bed in California, it was a traumatic transition to not have the boo by my side. I am not sure if it was the dark I was afraid of, or more of what I couldn't see in the dark, or what I might see... a ghost? I was scared of those too. Still am...

Then there are the serious things, stuff I don't even like to speak of or talk about out loud, the thoughts that torment my mind, what if's, worst case scenarios... generally involving loved ones, actually always including loved ones. Even the slightest idea of loss, or them getting hurt, physically, emotionally, spiritually is enough to create insta-puddles in my eye balls. These terrible inner torments can wake me just fifteen minutes into a mid-day Sunday nap. That is when it seems to strike, woken by the intense thud of my heartbeat beneath my chest, nearly to an audible level, like an internal fire alarm. The sound of anxiety... knowing that in life we are all vulnerable to such things.

Way back when, over the Christmas holiday, I came face to face with a fear, not the serious kind I spoke of before, but a medium sized-not so serious-but still quite scary kind of fear. My job requires me to do a fairly daunting thing on the regular, something that most people avoid like the plague, and for good reason... singing, performing, speaking and entertaining people is a really freaky thing.

Yes, it is a job that pretty much causes anxiety to reside permanently in the pit of my tummy. The kind that makes you feel like you might need to run to the bathroom real quick. Sounds fun doesn't it? It is... sorta.

I've always believed that I would never be able to sing the National Anthem. Not because of a lack of patriotism, indeed I'm proud to be an American but quite frankly the song scared the crap out of me to sing, (as does "oh holy night"). I have always sincerely believed with all my heart, that my 4-note ranged rhaspy vocalizer lacked the chops and capability to sing the it in a way that is honorable and respectful to the tune in front of stadiums of people... acapella.

Not to mention, in this day in age, if you mess it up, it's on the YouTube forever. (Kinda like this video that David Cook showed to me when we were on Idol, I'm sorry, no disrespect, bless the heart of Carl Lewis, I find it amazing, and it has cheered me up on many sad days)

I have been asked to sing the Star Spangle banner probably close to twenty times at some pretty legit sporting events that would allow me national television exposure and Dave Ray CPA to live his dream of enjoying floor seats, box suites, meet players and eat free hotdogs.... and up until now I have dashed those hopes and dreams and turned down the Anthem about twenty times. It was a contentious subject between us, I would explain "you're totally worth it, I just can't do it, basically it's the musical equivalent to jumping out of an airplane" Another fear I can confidently state that i will not be facing, ever, and I'm cool with that.

So short story turned long, I got a call from the Phoenix Suns the week before Christmas, they heard I was going to be in town, and was wondering if I could sing the National Anthem at the first game of the season the day after Christmas... My first instinct was to say no, like I had done the twenty times before, but then I had realized that I had yet to find Dave a gift for Christmas... I was struck with "crappy wife" guilt and starting thinking about how many times he missed out on cool games, and much it would mean to Dave if I took this opportunity in the face of fear so that he could see his Sun's play! It was SO the perfect present... so I told them, "maybe, let me think about it"... the thought made me feel sick inside. Fear does that...

I decided I had to sing it for someone, I needed and honest third party opinion. I had sang it for myself hundreds of times in the shower trying to convince my disbelieving heart that I could do it, only to be embarrassed for what the shampoo and conditioner heard. Jack happened to be at my house the day I got the call, we were finishing the EP. I told him, "Jack, you MUST tell me the truth", he said he would, after recording two records there's no BS going on in Jack and White. I sang it for him, it wasn't perfect, it was a bit shaky, but he said "Do it Brooke! You gotta do it!".

So I called back those Phoenix Suns and I told them YES. Aaahhhh! I wanted to throw-up (secondary fear). But then I thought about how stinkin' cool it was gonna be for Dave and my family to go sit in fancy seats at the game. So in secret I practiced, I told myself I could do it, I thought positive thoughts, and I imagined it going well. What was the worst that could happen? My voice would crack? I could forget the words? Then I remembered, Oh yeah, been there done that, in front of forty million people this one time on American Idol. I survived and the world kept turning, and VH1 turned it into a best week ever skit, sweet.

The day after Christmas came faster then I hoped, Dave could hardly believe that his dream was coming true! Ah that was a good feeling that fueled my fire and gave me a good reason to do something I was truly beyond scared of. Love does that...

Game time was upon us, with my whole family cheering me on we drove to the arena and were greeted by our host. I was surprised at how calm I felt, still scared, but calm. I had prayed a thousand prayers that day, sang it for my sister in the bathroom and now it was time to punch my fear in the face good and hard. They gave me an awesome Steve Nash t-shirt that stretched tight across my growing baby belly. Thankfully they also provided me with an awesome purple Sun's jacket to cover up my protruding belly button that demands to be acknowledged (i've tried everything to get this navel to calm down, band-aids, duct tape etc... no luck, so now I just dare people to push it, i'm weird). We stood underneath the tunnel and cheered as we watched the players run through, we saw Steve Nash, he is so cool.

They led me to the court, my family hugged me and took their seats, Dave gave me a quick kiss and told me "you got this", I could tell that even he was freakin' out a little for me. I was too. I had recorded my first note on my iPhone, this was crucial, if I started on the wrong note i'd be sure to have a Carl Lewis "Rockets red glare" moment. I listened quickly and handed it off to the gentleman who then gave me a microphone, I hummed it as I heard them call my name, the crowd was cheering, the room went dark as a spotlight beamed down on me, my heart was beating like a timpany drum, I was pretty sure you could hear it pulse through the microphone I was holding in my shaking hand. I took a breath, closed my eyes, my throat tightened and I started to sing "Oh say can you see!" I don't remember much after that, except for a humbling effect of the song, the high notes were high and the low notes were low... I remember nearing the big note, the one I had feared the most "for the land of the FREE!", and hearing someone cheer "yeah!" and then the home of the brave and it was all over, just like that! NO WAY, I did it! I had no idea if it was good, but I did it! Dave was proud, strangers gave me high fives, my family cheered! I admit, it felt victorious...

My brothers girlfriend had taken a video of it with her iPhone, against my usual will, my dad talked me into to watching it back... boy I was relieved! It wasn't anything fancy, quite simple, but on pitch and I had remembered the words 99 percent correctly.

A dear friend that knows me well asked me the next day on facebook how I've managed to do things I'm scared of, I don't really know... truth is I don't like facing my fears anymore then the next guy or gal. Believe me I usually take all measures to resist the stuff I'm afraid of, But there may be something that I dislike even more, and that is being controlled by fear, letting it take the wheel that directs my course, cause it usually means that I stop progressing, that I miss out on opportunities, that I don't get to have the experience, that I don't become what I'm supposed to become... I then live with the regret of knowing that I didn't do the thing I should of done because I was scared, and that is a feeling I fear more then fear itself. Sometimes it takes being forced to the edge, being faced with an ultimatum that shows you what you're made of, like jumping to safety from a burning building. Then there are times that we do it for the thrill. And Sometimes you don't do it for you, you do it for your sports nut husband, or you go to the OB/GYN for your scary invasive check-ups for that baby girl in your belly cause you'll do absolutely anything and everything you can to make sure she is healthy and ok, and you will labor through pain to hold her in your arms. Whatever the reason may be, we find one that is bigger then the fear, we find a little courage and we just do it, and somehow we survive...

I've discovered, Generally if an opportunity scares me a little bit, even a lot, then it's a good indicator that I need to take it... And there is nothing quite like doing the thing you thought you couldn't do.

BIG NEWS ABOUT A LITTLE PROJECT...

2011-12-16T09:39:00.000-08:00

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!!

CAN YOU FEEL IT?

2011-12-12T09:30:00.000-08:00

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!

THE LOWER LIGHTS...

2011-11-28T09:33:00.001-08:00

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...

The Lower Lights: Come Let Us Adore Him from The Lower Lights on Vimeo.

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

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

2011-11-15T12:25:00.001-08:00

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

mendipixel.com

THE GOOD WILL GIRLS...

2011-11-08T08:57:00.000-08:00

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...

HOW TO BE ALONE...

2011-11-04T16:30:00.000-07:00

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 :-)

THE LIL' LIST...

2011-11-02T17:52:00.000-07:00

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...

2011-11-02T16:22:00.000-07:00

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

FLOATIN' LIKE A FEATHER...

2011-10-26T20:32:00.000-07:00

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?"

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

2011-10-13T09:51:00.000-07:00

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...

Keep Your Head Up - Ben Howard from mickey smith on Vimeo.

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

THE ARTIST SERIES: THE GOODS Pt. 1

2011-10-12T10:50:00.000-07:00

"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

THE ARTIST SERIES...

2011-10-10T22:04:00.000-07:00

"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

THIS WEEK...

2011-10-09T13:59:00.000-07:00

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!

LIVING ROOM SESSIONS: GEMINI

2011-09-01T14:53:00.000-07:00

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?

LADIES AND GENTLEMEN...

2011-08-23T14:03:00.000-07:00

We are proud to present:

AVAILABLE NOW EXCLUSIVELY ON ITUNES

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

FREE DOWNLOAD OF DOUBLE TROUBLE

.....................................................................

"If you build it, they will come."

C.Jane and Telephone Games...

2011-08-23T00:37:00.000-07:00

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

JUST REMEMBER...

2011-08-21T23:24:00.000-07:00

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)

LITTLE MISS MOMMA...

2011-08-19T09:19:00.000-07:00

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...

RECORD RECOMMENDATIONS...

2011-08-17T01:35:00.000-07:00

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.

ARE YOU HAPPY...

2011-08-16T01:29:00.000-07:00

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...

2011-08-16T00:23:00.000-07:00

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.

SHE'S FIFTY AND FINE...

2011-08-13T22:54:00.000-07:00

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!

I GOT TO BE A LOVELY LADY...

2011-08-12T23:35:00.000-07:00

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 :)

KEEP FIGHTING THROUGH...

2011-07-18T09:55:00.000-07:00

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.

INTRODUCING JACK AND WHITE: Part I & II

2011-07-12T16:33:00.000-07:00

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

THANKSGIVING IN JULY...

2011-07-11T09:48:00.000-07:00

Feeling that feeling of gratitude for the life I've been given, especially for the people whom I'm forever related to, married to, work with and associate with closely and casually, the positive ones, dear friends new and old. For the constant yearning to create, the inner persistence for progress, the stormy brain that won't quit, the desire to do it all, for the love. There is still complicated emotions, struggle, confusion & indecision, as there always will be, but it truly is a very good life...

THANKS LORD.

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

2011-06-15T11:53:00.000-07:00

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

LIFE IS ART...

2011-06-09T09:38:00.001-07:00

TEAM DAVY...

2011-06-06T10:02:00.001-07:00

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!

BOO'S BABY...

2011-04-18T09:19:00.000-07:00

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.

APRIL 10th...

2011-04-10T23:44:00.000-07:00

Wowzers, I can't believe that I've been married to the one and only Dave Ray cpa for seven years today, how is this possible?! We met when I was merely nineteen years old, tied the knot at twenty... yikes! I am now the age he was when we got married. We've been growing up, livin' lots of life and Time is a-flyin' as we try to learn a little everyday how to be better people together. As my dear friend Jayme Lynn put it so perfectly, I am a balloon and he holds the string. I drive the guy crazy, bless his heart. He is my complimentary opposite, my ground and my much better half and I am happy to be his gal. Seven Years down, forever to go...

And I am an aunt, hooray! My pretty baby sister, the girl I shared the twin top bunk bed with till I was seventeen, Katie the boo (and husband Lanny the manny) had her very own baby today... lil' Heath Bradley, 7 pound 6 ounces of perfection, he is so so beautiful and I so wish i could have been there to behold his newborn sweetness delivered straight from the Heavens, and hug my Boo for being a brave mama, she is a mom... double wowzers. He is the first grand baby and nephew in the White Family, making mom and dad a grandma and grandpa, pretty cool. It was a big 'ol good day and I am so very grateful for the gift of family... it is my everything. Thank you Lord.

EXCUSES...

2011-03-29T22:49:00.000-07:00

I know. Lame Sauce. What's the deal.... I disappeared off the face of Brookie Babble, and left ya hanging on day nineteen of the 30 day song challenge, and i'm sorry, but I have my reasons and well.... i've just been... busy. Yeah, Busy with my real life. Trying to exist in it, be present in it, which has forced me to re-prioritize for a bit, say yes to some things and no to others as opposed to yes to all things, which has been my crazy mode of operation for about twenty seven-ish years. Basically I've been gone since 2008, and that was fun, mostly, but I made the decision to stick closer to home for a bit. To not go elsewhere, to just be, here, with Dave, and that has been good. It has allowed me to develop some habits, consistent ones for a change, at least for now.

See the plan was, after the holidays I was going to go to another place in another state for a while and make a certain record, and I intended on doing that, but it just didn't feel right, at least right now, well the going away part that is. So I decided that there are many musically talented folks in the state of California, and therefore here I be, making lots of music in California, and then returning to my own bed at the end of the day. I write and write and write and sing and sing and sing. It is a really wonderful thing, writing and singing songs, but it also drains the brain, by the end of the day it leaves me a bit blank and not super bloggy. And ya know I just don't love doing anything half-arsed. All or nothin' baby. So Anywho, I intend on writing a blog post unto itself all about that next record and the songwriting process and the soul searching and the whole massive undertaking of creating something from nothing making an album process. I'm deep down in that process, in my head, churning often about it and what I want it to sound like... or more importantly, feel like...

(writing a song yesterday with Jack called "surrender")

As well, I've quit running, (not that I ever really started) and I've taken up Yoga and Yoga has been changing my life. Really. I'm so not sporty and athletical. But I think I finally found my sport! (yes I am calling it a sport) Yoga seems to make perfect sense to my more naturally limber frame and free spirit, oh and there is no fear of getting clobbered in the head with a ball, woo! Making time to take care of my body and spirit has been a challenge cause it means using any small bits of free time more wisely, meaning less time on the internet, less time in front of the TV, less time on the phone and yadda yadda. Oh and Yoga isn't cheap, so I canceled the gym membership I never use and cut out a few other luxuries and committed to this practice and to Lululemon :). The benefits are way outweighing the sacrifices, not to mention recharging my creative batteries after long days of writing. I'm challenging myself and feeling the progress... getting stronger, happier, more peaceful, more flexible, more focused, more balanced and a clearer spiritual connection. All I can say is that I feel good... inside out.

In addition to the Yoga practice I also joined a Healthy Habits challenge which last nearly 60 days. This isn't a diet or an attempt to lose weight, but more of an over-all overhaul of my daily habits, particularly eating habits. Cutting out the refined sugar and carb-o-licious junk food which I love dearly, like cupcakes and chips, mmm i love my chips... and instead opting for generous portions of fruits and vegetables and protein. Oh and lots of H2o and several trips to the bathroom. No it is not a vegetarian diet, but just a healthier more aware one. I gotta tell you, it's HARD and takes A LOT of effort. I never knew that I was a sugar-addict, and it's in everything, even in my beloved raisin bran crunch. Yes I feel a bit deprived, but we do get a day off a week, and I live for those days. In addition to the nutrition, is the 30 minutes daily exercise, 15 minutes of uplifting/spiritual reading, daily journal writing, accomplishing one personal goal daily, and taking the time to compliment another person or help another person daily. It is a big to-do creating healthy habits, but I am really noticing a difference. Again, I just feel good. Yay!

Gosh, I could keep going. I am back in Girls with Glasses mode too... yes we are still getting our glasses on and the future is looking bright. Fingers crossed, we'll keep you posted. Oh and Summer, my fellow gal with glasses had the cutest lil' baby boy a few weeks ago, woo hoo!! But we are getting back to the business of making cute quirky videos which will be available for the world to see soon!

Are those sufficient excuses? I know, everyone is busy, and I do miss blogging and miss y'all!! My realistic hope is to post twice a week, and finish up that song challenge, I need to think of an angry song for day 20... oh and I'd also like to act some more... and go to Paris... Oh and to have like 4 kids

ps- oh and yeah I did a lil' blog make-over, what do ya think? Listening to any good stuff lately? Tell me about it!

Day 19: A SONG FROM YOUR FAVORITE ALBUM

2011-02-14T15:41:00.000-08:00

This song reminds me of when I was just sixteen, a semi-shy junior at Heritage Academy , enrolled in beauty school part time and taking voice lessons... the second time. After my first experience with singing publicly in our high school musical "meet me in St. Louis" I decided that I should take voice lessons over the summer. My voice teacher was a classically trained vocalist, she had a high voice as clear as a bell, with steady strong vibrato and a range that spanned the piano, kind of like Christine from Phantom of the Opera. I adored her voice, I however could not manage to get my low pitched rhaspy vocalizer to produce that lovely clear tone that I dreamed of. We would practice classical tunes, and do vocal exercises "using our diaphragms". No matter how hard I tried, my voice refused to cooperate and that left me and my instructor frustrated and discouraged. I learned to dislike singing. The "shoe" just didn't fit, so I quit after my sessions were done and took a break.

The following year we had a guest voice coach come to our school to do a workshop. I decided to attend, afterwards she had talked me into signing up for just one lesson with one of her teachers, despite my previously developed anxiety attached to voice lessons. Her method of choice was "speech level" singing, which is the use of your natural voice, or basically... speaking on pitch. Sounded interesting. I remember showing up to my first lesson at a piano shop next to Skateland. I was greeted by a young twenty-something guy behind a piano in a small room, he started to play and began by teaching me a few warm-ups that felt and sounded a bit awkward. Here we go again. That's we he stopped and asked me, "have you ever heard of Carole King?". Have I ever heard of Carole King!? Of course, I was raised on Tapestry, I knew every word. He began to play those familiar piano chords of "It's too late" and said "sing it", I remember being nervous and out of breath, heart pounding, but then I started singing "stayed in bed all morning just to pass the time..." before I knew it I was belting out the chorus with my eyes closed "And it's too late baby now it's too late!" I just wanted to keep singing and singing and singing. It wasn't a fight, it wasn't a strain... it just felt right. I actually almost liked my voice. For the first time I was content with the fact that I was never gonna sing like the little mermaid. When we finished the song he asked me "so Brooke, what are you going to do with your life?" I said "I'm going to be a hairstylist, get married and be a mom". He said "I think you should re-think the hairdresser thing... I think you should think about music". Music?! Huh? The thought had never crossed my mind, but it was something to think about. Needless to say that voice lesson changed my life, I thought about it, I took his suggestion and as you all know, I never did finish beauty school. It's been complicated and wonderful, Somedays I wonder to myself "what was I thinking?!" But when you've got it within you, you do what you have to do.

Couldn't find a decent video of the original recording that would allow me to post on my blog, But I found this amazingly raw live performance. The guitar solo in this video is so good it hurts.

How about you?

PS- This post was technically supposed to be posted on Valentines Day, so Happy belated Valentines Day, hope you ate chocolate

DAY 18 : A SONG THAT YOU WISH YOU HEARD ON THE RADIO...

2011-02-13T23:56:00.000-08:00

This video is nothing special, but the song is hot sauce. If only the radio played something this cool. So obsessed. I am pretty sure there hasn't been a day that has gone by that I haven't listened to "what's the drawback" since I was introduced to The Silver Seas back in November by my pal Emily West. I have all three of their records and practically know every word to nearly every song. I'm probably their biggest fan. I've been on a mission to convert every person I know to this band... and that my friend, includes you:)

Best line of the song "she likes the magic chords in E.L.O."... perfect.

(From their current record Chateau Revenge)

another fun tune from their previous album High society...

who do you wish you heard on the radio?

DAY 17 – A SONG THAT YOU HEAR OFTEN ON THE RADIO...

2011-02-12T20:15:00.000-08:00

I kinda quit top 40 radio, though occasionally I will flip past to just keep with the times and hear what five songs we are beatin' over the head with... over and over and over and over and over again, the repetition makes me wanna pull my hair out. A quick way to ruin a good song is to overplay it. That being said, as an artist it would be a golden problem that I would probably welcome. These days I've been diggin' 1o0.3 the sound, which is an independent classic rock station that plays vinyl back to front and doesn't shy away from B sides, they got all the good stuff covered, from Clapton and Elton John to ELO and Zepplin. Of course there is my trusty stand-by, K-Earth 101 that sticks with the golden oldies, although they are starting to throw 80's and early 90's songs into rotation which is kinda weird, I guess "oldies" are relative. And then there is 103.5 ............. the coast. They always do this excessively long pause inbetween "along" and "the coast", drives me nutz. They play all those soft rock hits that are "perfect for the office". I even like to check in with Hot 92 Jamz for my old school R&B fix with the Art Laboe connection, have you ever heard Art Laboe talking over the sexy hip hop beat? bizarre, i've always thought he was sort of an odd fit for the station, but a legend. If I'm near my computer or iphone then it's all about pandora... it is what radio should be, such a vast selection of tune-age, old and new, fast and slow, mainstreet and obscure, country or rock and roll, jazz or Christmas music 24/7, cinematic or fusion jazz, Sinatra or Metallica, Esperanza Spalding or Justin Bieber. Heck, even my songs are on Pandora. you want it you got it. And that's how I like my radio radio...

I could post a Katy Perry song or GAGA or that Bruno Mars song that kinda sounds like High Hopes and Heartbreak, but strangely I've had the conscious realization lately that I've been hearing this song almost every time I turn on the radio... almost thirty years later:

Layla by Derek and the Dominos. How about that guitar lick, now that's what we call in intro

How about you?

DAY 16: A SONG THAT YOU USED TO LOVE AND NOW DISLIKE...

2011-02-12T20:13:00.000-08:00

My heart will go on by Celine Dion. I used to love this song, back when Titanic hit the theaters. I actually was a massive Celine Fan as a kid, my favorite song was "if you ask me to" and "where does my heart beat now" I remember I would have to wait to get her cd's for Christmas and Birthdays, I had them all. I remember getting this record so I could listen to the song on repeat. I also had a thing for Leo, who didn't? And then I went and saw the movie... it destroyed me, watching that ship go down, knowing of course that it happened in real life... and then as if the situation wasn't bad enough there was no room for Jack on that tiny pathetic piece of wood and so rose just let him go to sink to depths of the sea... that part was pretend but still super traumatic. I couldn't think about anything else for months, couldn't sleep, couldn't handle it, nor could I handle the song any more, My heart could not go on.

I won't even watch the video below:

DAY 15: A SONG THAT DESCRIBES YOU...

2011-02-10T20:12:00.000-08:00

This one was tough, I've been stumped for days, but the other night I was watching re-runs of the Wonder Years and "in my life" came on and struck a nerve. I'm pretty sure everyone can relate to this song... it is universal. But I'm of the sentimental kind, I often think back over my somewhat short twenty seven years thus far upon the earth, and there are "places I remember" but what I mostly reflect upon or reminisce about, are the people. I guess I've always been able to love people, a lot. It has been both my strength and my weakness. There are those people who've been easy to love, some more complicated, people with problems, the wrong people, the right people, people I've lost, people I miss, people who've changed, funny people, people I've hurt, people I've forgiven, people I've never met but have always been there (like my grandpa White that died two weeks before I was born), people that have known me for as long as I've lived, people who make me better, people who I pray I'll be stuck with forever...

"In my life, I've loved them all"

this post is sappy I know, but sincere.

How about you?

DAY 14: A SONG THAT NO ONE EXPECT YOU TO LOVE...

2011-02-09T19:35:00.000-08:00

oh boy, here we go, yep, I admit it... I'm alright with the Biebs and his sweepy bangs, and I'm a lil' bit of a sucker for this song... I know, he say's baby like fifty seven bajillion times and it's excessive, but it kinda makes me happy. And the Ludacris rap is dope. no haters.

my favorite part of the video would have to be the barrel roll across the pool table... intense.

back in my day I was CRAZY for these guys... can you even handle this video?

How about you?

DAY 13: A SONG THAT IS YOUR GUILTY PLEASURE...

2011-02-08T11:01:00.000-08:00

Lady in Red by Chris De Burgh. Anybody who says they don't like this song is lying. C'mon now, don't be ashamed, lady in red is the stuff and you know it... it is deliciously cheesy romantic epic adult contemporary 80's music at it's finest. Just can't deny it. i'm completely shameless about this song, I crank it up with the windows down while driving off into the sunset...

Okay, so I had a stroke of genius recently while listening to this song, I truly believe that Kings of Leon should cover Lady in Red, it'd be super hip. I know you aren't taking me seriously right now, but just hear me out for a second, At least half of their songs talk about dancing (ie: revelry, manhattan, back down south etc.), his voice would slay it, and they could really vibe out on the guitar and create a killer bass line and groove... slam dunk, I'm telling you, I'm one hundred billion percent positive that it would be smokin'... I'm just gonna call 'em up after I post this blog and tell them to record it, pronto.

oh and finding good vids on youtube is tricky. so ridiculous... There is some super corny stuff out there... it can really ruin the song. Pretty much this was the best one I could find:

ps- maybe you really don't like lady in red, and in that case i'd like to apologize for calling you a liar

How about you?

DAY 12: YOUR FAVORITE INTRO...

2011-02-07T23:37:00.001-08:00

okay, so I admit that I've been doing a lil' bit of cheating here on the last few days of the 3o day song challenge, but tonight's category was "a song by a band you hate", and to me this is kind of redundant to the "least favorite song" category... and I just don't love the "hate" thing, and if I dislike something that strongly I will probably keep it to myself, though there is nothing wrong with an honest opinion. Anywho I decided to change the category to "your favorite intro", because I'm an intro girl, i'm nuts about intros, I could even say that I often find intros to be my favorite part of the song. Some might say that the chorus is the most important part of a song, I would beg to differ, I mean yes, of course the chorus is vital to a songs structure, but if the intro doesn't beckon the listener to stay a while, you'll never even get to that chorus. Intros are all about first impressions, setting the stage, establishing the mood, invoking emotion, creating a vibe, introducing the hook, it absolutely has to grab you... and if it doesn't, then it's game over. They can be short or long, elaborate or simple, they just have to be good. You may not have ever thought that much about intros, but the next time you go to change the station, or skip a track, take note, it's likely that a crappy intro is to blame...

so, ironically, one of my favorite intros, happens to be by a band that I actually don't love... and please don't "hate" me for it, but I'm just not a huge Stones fan. That being said, the intro to "Gimme Shelter" is super intense, groovy for sure , and it is by far my favorite part of the whole song...

Another one that gets me:

I could think of a million intros

You are welcome to adhere to the original category, or you can contribute your favorite intro...

DAY 11: A SONG FROM YOUR FAVORITE BAND...

2011-02-06T01:31:00.000-08:00

Again, there is a serious tie going on here in this category... favorite bands would include: Fleetwood Mac, Eagles, Beach Boys, E.L.O, America and of course the Beatles. I'm going to break the rules and pick a song from each band. Yes I like new bands, but I love old ones. I know, I was born in the wrong decade...

Fleetwood Mac: Gypsy

Stevie Nicks voice is so distinct here, in full effect. Love it or hate it, you always know it's her... personally, I love it. If I could be in a band today, it would sound like this one...

Eagles: One of these nights

I'm pretty sure I listen to this song every time I drive, I just don't get sick of it, it's them guitars. The eagles invented California Country. My genre of choice.

Beach Boys: Good Vibrations

hooked from .01 seconds in. Summer time magic. This is it... let's go to the beach people

ELO: Telephone Line

maybe the most highly underrated band there ever was. Jeff Lynne is a genius. A kajillion amazing songs. The creativity of these productions just blow my mind big time. you don't even understand... (oh and turn up the volume on this one, quiet intro)

America: Ventura Highway

big song, remember when Janet Jackson sampled this on "someone to call my lover", c'mon now... you just can't beat that guitar hook. I love the b-sides even more, though they are hard to find.

Beatles: Let it Be

duh.

How about you?

PS- so sorry I fell behind on the song challenge, a real real busy weekend. Just crazy... but we're back in business

DAY 10: A SONG THAT MAKES YOU FALL ASLEEP... (in a good way)

2011-02-05T01:03:00.000-08:00

good night you moonlight ladies, rock-a-bye my sweet baby james... deep greens and blues are the colors I choose, won't you let me go down in my dreams, and rock-a- bye sweet baby james...

watch this too... you can close your eyes

Runner's up:

Never my love- the association

the promise- Tracy Chapman

How about you?

P.S.- Happy Anniversary Mom and Dad!!

DAY 9: A SONG THAT YOU CAN DANCE TO...

2011-02-04T00:43:00.000-08:00

Oh believe me... i love to break it down, boogie, shake it, disco, twist and shout and with out shame like nobodies watching... and yes I know i don't look the super coolest when I dance, (why do you think I sit behind a piano or guitar when I sing), but, Dave Ray CPA does, as a matter of fact he is the better dancer between the two of us. He's got skillz... and actually taught swing dancing while he was in college... he has attempted to teach me a few moves "and right, left, step ball change" He leads, I try to follow... until he gets all fancy and I can't keep up. We like to swing dance in the living room to 'baby you've got what it takes" by Dinah Washington & Brook Benton. Pretty fun...

DAY 8: A SONG THAT YOU KNOW ALL THE WORDS TO...

2011-02-03T20:33:00.000-08:00

Contrary to popular belief, I actually know every word to this song... unfortunately amnesia struck at a rather inconvenient time...

i was devistated. but i survived. i'll never live it down. might as well laugh...

I was devastated... embarrassed... certain i was doomed... but I survived. stuff happens.

i'll never live it down. might as well laugh about it...

How about you?

DAY 7: A SONG THAT REMINDS ME OF AN EVENT...

2011-02-02T18:19:00.001-08:00

You may or may not have heard this song on youtube, but I wrote it a while back, in my days before idol and performed it at the Key Club in Hollywood for the Star 98.7 Rockstar contest to win a record deal with Ironworks Records... ironically, I made it to the top five, but didn't win. Bummer, plan B... a few days later I was on a plane to Philadelphia to catch the last audition for American Idol season 7... long story short, I got a golden ticket to hollywood. I made it to the top 5 but didn't win... but definitely didn't lose. The rest is history...

Anywho, I'm working on the next album, but it's gonna take a little while, so in the meantime I thought that it would be sort of fun to give away this little acoustic version of "Say Goodbye" to ya... I've actually had a lot of people ask me if I was ever going to release this song, so here ya go! All you have to do is click on the links or picture below, follow the directions and then post the link on your twitter or facebook, and then it magically uploads to your itunes... Yay!

Twitter:

http://trkurl.com/ioReUG

Facebook:

http://trkurl.com/enbNkL

Enjoy!

still wanna hear your songs that remind you of an event!?

DAY 6: A SONG THAT REMINDS YOU OF SOMEWHERE...

2011-02-01T20:52:00.000-08:00

The song would be THE WEIGHT, and the somewhere would be a tour bus. It was the west coast tour with my pals Michael Johns and Benton Paul. It was me and nine other dudes. Needless to say I was outnumbered by these lovely and yet smelly lads. I was the lone lady armed with cans of febreeze and christmas candles trying to de-odorize our house on wheels. There is very little personal space on a bus, the quarters become tighter with each passing day, however if you ever need to get away you can always go hide into the 3x6ish ft bunk bed that becomes your sanctuary. But in the heart of the bus is the main cabin, the living room and the fridge, it's where all the excitement happens, where everyone congregates while we'd drive for hours to the next gig. Most of the time you would find us all piled on the couches, while I would lay in the middle of the floor with my blanket, we would watch concert DVD's like Led Zepplin and Joe Cocker, but the one that got the most airtime was "THE LAST WALTZ" by The band. Mornings were my favorite, they were peaceful and quiet in the main cabin, I'd vacuum and febreeze, lay on the couch with my bowl of cereal and watch the scenery like moving pictures out the open window, while you'd find the dudes passed out in their bunks, sleeping in until as late as sometimes 3 in the afternoon. You'll often times hear touring musicians say that they sleep like a baby on the bus, the hum of the engine, the rumble of the wheels rolling over the uneven pavement, the dark as a coffin bunks a 63 freezing degrees. I on the other hand, have the opposite effect, I become an insomniac as the bus becomes a place of the night life, late after the gigs mike and the band loved to stay up until the early hours of the morning and have a few beverages. My friends tell me that I'm somewhat of a wet blanket ( but a semi-fun wet blanket) cause I like to be in my jammies and snuggled under the covers nice and early. Benton was also a mellow fellow , he had his office in the back. The first three nights of the tour I lied in my bunk wide awake, while "Take a load off Anny, take a load for free" was blaring through the bus over and over and over again, I thought I was going to loose my mind. I hopped out of bunk and groggily opened the door to find the party animals, the guys all stopped in their tracks and the ring leader Michael Johns said "sorry brooke white". Ah well, they were having fun, so I went back to bed and heard "the weight" a least 34 more times, It will always remind me of that stinky awesome tour bus. Levon Rules, and the gal that sings back up is my favorite part.

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

2011-01-31T22:00:00.000-08:00

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?

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

2011-01-30T13:01:00.000-08:00

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:

And So it Goes - Billy Joel

Tears in Heaven - Eric Clapton

Trouble - Coldplay

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

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

2011-01-29T23:15:00.000-08:00

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:

Aint nothin' like the real thing

It's a beautiful morning

Jackie Blue

How about You?

DAY 2: YOUR LEAST FAVORITE SONG...

2011-01-28T11:11:00.000-08:00

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:

Who let the dogs Out

I wanna check you for ticks

wind beneath my wings

How about you?

DAY 1: YOUR FAVORITE SONG...

2011-01-27T09:02:00.000-08:00

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:

It's too Late

So Far Away

Shower the People

How about you?

THE 30 DAY SONG CHALLENGE...

2011-01-26T21:38:00.000-08:00

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)

(do you like good music: http://www.flickr.com/photos/imeusart/3216750078/lightbox/)

(electric sugar: http://designinformer.com/stylish-typography-joshua-blankenship/)

(musicallove:http://roseonthegrey.deviantart.com/art/keys-to-my-heart-167499090?)q=1&qo=1)

(musical ensembles: http://everyguyed.com/lookbook/ensemble-style-music-20-iconic-male-musicians-outfits/)

IT'S NOT A WIG...

2011-01-11T15:26:00.001-08:00

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...

TONIGHT...

2011-01-08T17:30:00.000-08:00

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:)

2010...

2010-12-30T21:49:00.000-08:00

SO WE WENT TO EUROPE...

2010-12-29T22:16:00.000-08:00

...in April, for the first time. And I've been meaning to blog about it ever since, but just kept bloggin' about other nonsense. Anywho I have almost 2,000 pictures from my trip, yes 2,000. Basically I like to take photos a lot, actually I would love to be a photographer maybe if I wasn't a singer-songwriter, girl with glasses kind-of actress. Dave thinks I took way more pictures than necessary, I think you can never have too many. Especially of Europe... wow, wow and wow is all I have to say. Well that is not all I have to say, but if you've been you know what I'm sayin'. If you haven't been, get a jar, make a little label that says "EUROPE FUND" with your label maker if you have one, or just write on a sticky note with a sharpie, and then start putting all your change in there, a few dollars here a few dollars there, maybe dedicate $20 a month to your Europe fund, and even if it takes you twenty five years, you gotta go. And I do realize that it's not that easy to just pick up and go to Paris... most of us got jobs, families, school, rent to pay etc... but, somehow, someway, someday YOU MUST GO TO EUROPE. (safely of course)

We live in a beautiful world, yeah we do, yeah we do...( name that tune) There is a whole lot going on out there... So many people with lots of different ideas, buildings, mountains, oceans, flowers, food, music, animals, weather, language, style, culture and beyond. It really blows the the mind open to plop yourself in the middle of a foreign place, it's kinda scary and maybe even uncomfortable initially, but there is just so much to stuff to see, experience and learn. And when our eyes our opened to the beauty of the earth, we are never the same.

So long story long, Dave and I had saved up and booked this trip to Europe long ago for our sixth Anniversary, with plans of going to England to visit Dave's aunt and uncle, and then to Italy and France. But then I had gotten a call to from Disney asking if I would be willing to come aboard to sing for just one night and then relax for the week on a Disney Cruise ship (Simon Cowell would be so proud) that was sailing across the transatlantic. So we cancelled our original plans and decided to go float on a boat with Mickey Mouse, and with my good pal and TV guide idol finale co-host Justin Guarini who also was singing on the ship. We brought along our guitar players Matt and Kedge, and made friends with our Disney Guide. After we performed it was vacation time, It was an unusually good gig...

Boarded the ship in Portugal...

The view from the ship...

First Port... Cadiz, Spain. Cadiz was quaint, Cadiz was color... hues of blue from the sky to the turquoise sea, clean narrow streets paved with stones in shades of gray, canary yellow apartments stacked on top of flower markets and old book shops, hand painted tile boarders and windows wide open to let the sunshine in. We ate gelato, hugged a large tree, had some questionable ravioli for lunch and walked along the ocean wall... this was my first taste of Europe and it was delicious. I was in Awe...

Then there was Gibralter... what's goin' on in Gibralter? Monkeys, lots and lots of monkeys that aren't afraid to take your potato chips right out of your human hands. They jump, swing, scream, fight, play, pull hair, hug, snuggle... they live on the edge. We had to take Gondola Ride to the top of Gibralter to see them, I was terrified, was certain the chord would snap and we would fall to our death. We survived and saw a lot of monkeys, and took lots of National Geographic type photos. I found them monkeys frightening and yet fascinating from a distance. It was cold and way up high, but a site to see...

Last port... Barcelona, Spain or "Barthelona". Barcelona is a big big city with lots and lots of people. Pretty people with olive skin, light eyes and great style. We happened to be there for this holiday in which the girls give boys a book and the boys give girls a rose. I can't remember what this holiday is called... Saint something day? And then there was this church, Sagrada Familia, it is massive and has been under construction for centuries, you'd have to stare at it for days to behold all of it's ornate details, in the unique style of "Gaudi". We also roamed through this massive market that had lots of chocolate, candy, scary fish and giant toostie roll pops, I tried to take a picture with one and a lady yelled at me in Espanol, I almost cried:( Oh and we ate more gelato...

After our magical cruise ride through the transatlantic we de-boarded and said goodbye to Mickey and our friends, hopped on a plane and headed towards our final destination of our European expedition... England to stay with Dave's loveliest and kindest Aunt and Uncle. Our first day was a Sunday, we put on our church clothes and uncle David drove us down to church, only to find no one there. So instead, we went to the Winchester Cathedral, known as the resting place of Jane Austen. As we entered the large red doors, we were greeted by the sound of angels. The tiny blonde hairs all stood tall on my arms as the heavenly voices of the choir filled the chambers of the church, tears came to my eyes, I didn't want to leave...

The second day Uncle David and Auntie Yolandie took us to to see the ancient historical phenomenon known as "Stonehenge". I have to admit, at first I wondered why it was such a big deal, but after learning more, it does cause one to wonder... rather remarkable and mysterious. We took a lazy drive through the English country side while listening to the Eagles. There were these wild ponies that ran along side the road with long flowing manes, straw roofed cottages that look like the kind of place that Snow White would live in. And then there were the swans... and all the swans belong to the queen of course.

The third day Uncle David dropped us off at the train station where we jumped on a train to London. London is to date, my favorite place that I've ever been. It is magical... like riding through the stars over Big Ben on the Peter Pan ride at Disneyland, but it's real. It's like strolling through a life size Christmas village that you set up in your window. And just like a tourist I flipped over the red telephone booths, and double decker buses and the buckingham palace. The people are so hip in their topshop clothes and sophisticated with their vintage boots and english accents, oh how I wish that I had an English accent. I bought some fancy perfume at Liberty, ate pizza at Harrods, toured the Westminster Abbey and roamed through museums and took a ride on the London Eye... even I, with my serious fear of heights. Dave was proud and we got some amazing shots of the city from above... We spent two days, it wasn't enough. I need a whole Summer...

We spent a few more days with David and Yolandie doing crossword puzzles over breakfast while listening to BBC radio, and ate the tastiest lunch at the Stanwell House near the isle of wight and found little souvenirs to take home to family and friends. Then it was time to pack up and go back to America...

We didn't make it to Italy, however we had a 45 minute lay-over in the Paris airport where I bought some chocolate. Would love to see Germany and Switzerland, We'll have to start saving our change in a jar for the next trip... someday.

And no matter where you go, it's always good to come back home.

(this might be the longest blog post in the history of Brookie Babble... probably should have been broken up into two or three posts... or four)

SET YOUR DVR'S...

2010-12-28T19:24:00.000-08:00

Sorry for all the blog posts dedicated to "Change of Plans" but I just got a text from my sister in law that the promos are now running on FOX, I have yet to see it, but apparently it ran several times during the commercial breaks for GLEE tonight... kinda neato. I guess we're getting closer, Yikees!

Don't forget to set your DVR's, January 8th on FOX, 8/7 central! Here is the link to the extended trailer...

PS- Oh and a big birthday shout out to my amazing pal, David Archuleta... he's got a voice as pure as Gold, and a heart to match... truly one of the best human beings on the planet, hands down.

BLANKET...

2010-12-27T21:44:00.000-08:00

I'll be the first to admit that there is not much more that I need, "I've got gadgets and gizmos a plenty, I've got whoz-its and whats-its galore... you want thing-a-mabobs? i've got twenty" and yet sometimes I still find myself wanting more. One more pair of skinny jeans, Another pair of shoes, the miracle eye cream, the latest and greatest apple product, classy luggage, another throw pillow and it goes on and on... we are living in a material world, and... I sometimes fear I am becoming a material girl... and that's not the kind of girl I want to be, never fulfilled, always wanting. I've acquired a taste for nice things, but that is all they are... things. But if I am honest with myself, I have all the material possessions that I could ever need, or want...

Dave and I came to this realization as we were discussing what we were going to get each other for Christmas. We talked about our goals for the future, which includes living within our means, saving, and giving what we can... achieving these goals requires sacrifice, discipline and a re-evaluation of needs and wants. So, we both agreed to keep it simple, nothing extravagant... but thoughtful. The days leading up to Christmas soon became the stressful search for the perfect presents, as I wandered from store to store, buying just one more gift for this person, but then that means that you then should buy one more for so and so. Of course on Christmas Eve I found myself in the last hour standing in line paying for a light as a feather laptop for my better half. My stomach dropped as I swiped my credit card. So much for keeping things minimal and not going overboard...

Christmas morning came and we all went around the room opening our gifts, feeling guilty by the mound of gifts that we had surrounding us. We began opening gifts, Dave unwrapped the first few, practical, a t-shirt from the legendary diving girl motel, then he ripped off the paper and realized what the next one was, he was stunned. He deserved it, I wanted him to have it. But we both knew... it was too much. I went on to open my presents, a watch to replace one I sadly lost on my radio tour, a pair of running shoes, a robe. And then I unwrapped a blanket, the softest, blue warm and cozy blanket. I sat on the floor snuggled up in my favorite gift, watching the Wonder Years re-runs with Dave and the fam. It is the little things...

of course I will still want, but Less is more, stuff is stuff. Dave took back the computer... and kept the diving girl motel t-shirt.

WHITE CHRISTMAS...

2010-12-25T23:32:00.001-08:00

and I don't mean the kind that is covered in snow, it was about seventy two sunny and glorious degrees here in Arizona... I'm talking about the kind of Christmas spent with my fam at the "White House" where we eat eggs benedict and listen to the beach boys and carpenters christmas over and over, eat gluten free cookies, learn to dance the two step with grandpa, take naps, eat some more and even drive each other just a little bit crazy. It was a truly happy day, I wore my traditional mickey and minnie christmas baseball t-shirt, and I don't think there is anything I love more then being surrounded by these people...

Cardinals take the win, we eat some pumpkin pie, watch a few re-runs of old Wonder Years Christmas specials and then it's over... just like that. Kinda always makes me a little bit sad, but not to worry it will be here again before we know it! I sure hope your Christmas was jolly and joyful! Hugs...

BOO'S BABY BOY...

2010-12-24T22:55:00.000-08:00

By the way, I don't think that I told ya that I am going to be an aunt! It's true, hooray!! My little sister, Katie... aka The boo is gonna have a baby, As far as those hi-tech ultra-sounds can tell, it's looking quite obvious that she is going to have a boy. He will be the first grand baby of the fam, which means my mom and dad are going to be grandparents, super exciting stuff. The hard part is just waiting for him to get here, he will arrive in April and so we are trying are bestest to be patient. We are busy preparing for this lil' guy... I am looking forward to having a kiddo or two or more of my own... someday, but in the meantime I get to live vicariously through the Boo. We've been talking about names, planning a shower, picking out colors for the nursery, shopping at baby Gap and making our own handmade ties... the most ridiculously cute ties, so cute that I can barely stand it... you know, just in case the baby becomes an executive of an important and prestigious company in the first three months of it's life... or just needs to look snappy for church. It is fun, I can't wait, I am so happy for my sister who is just the prettiest hippest pregnant gal... oh and for her husband who is a pretty nice dude.

Oh and it's CHRISTMAS EVE!!! AHH!!! CAN YOU BELIEVE IT?!

SEVENTEEN...

2010-12-23T23:40:00.001-08:00

My parents just did a massive clean out of the garage and in the corner sits a "Brooke Pile", Immediately this large piece of poster board caught my eye... it's the self-portrait that I drew my senior year of high school in Art class, it was a mandatory project and it took me nearly a whole semester to complete it. Attached to it was a blue ribbon, I had submitted it to the Arizona state fair art show, I placed 4th. It was drawn in pastels and prisma colored pencils, pastels were my favorite medium, though they were messy, I used to leave art class covered in smudges of color, multiple shades of peaches and beige, and charcoal fingerprints on my forehead from where I would rest my left hand.

I was 17, exactly ten years ago... a lot has changed, of course I've changed, and yet I think I am still very much the same.

PS- Sorry friends, I believe I bit off a bit more than I could chew with the December blog challenge, especially amidst the craziness of the holidays, songwriting almost daily and traveling to here there and everywhere, I know my track record isn't perfect as I missed a post once or twice, nonetheless I am determined to make it to the finish line. Can you believe tomorrow is Christmas Eve?! still not done with my Christmas shopping, par for my course...

SIXTEEN...

2010-12-22T21:46:00.001-08:00

...years ago today, my baby brother Quinn Michael White was born. I can' t believe it, how does this happen, it just can't be so... but it is so. He hangs out with girls, will be getting his drivers license, he's funny and has developed a real quick wit, He is growing up, and yet it seems like he was just born and I was just 11 and a half... and realizing this makes me feel... uummm, well, never thought I would utter the words but... makes me feel kinda old. They say a picture is worth a thousand words so I dug through a bin of dusty old photos I discovered in my parents laundry room, determined to find a photo that captured that unforgettable day that my mom and dad had brought this fascinating little creature home from the hospital, and bingo... I stumbled across this gem, go ahead, just take a look at my super cheezy and yet pretty dang awesome scrapbook page I made when I was maybe 12, I remember I went through this phase that I had to put those dumb dots and squigglies on all of my letters, I guess I thought it was the cutest. And those captions... "tons of love"... funny. But there was tons of love, we were in love, and there I was beaming with joy, a nerdy girl with glasses in my homemade applique and puff paint Christmas sweater and green leggings , the proud big sister to Tyler, Katie and teeny tiny surprise, "Quinny". That is what we called him. We couldn't get enough of him. We all fought over who got to hold him, we had to take turns, we snuggled him, smushed him and dressed him up in outfits and played (gently) with him like he was a toy. I can remember my mom had gone to the hospital three times thinking she had gone into labor, only to come home empty handed with no baby, false alarm! Talk about disappointment... we just couldn't wait to meet him any longer, I can recall praying, "please bless Quinn to be born right now". Finally, just three days before Christmas, he was finally made his debut... to this day, he was the best Christmas present we ever got. Quinn was a miracle, he changed our life, for good:)

FIVE FAVORITE RECORDS OF TWO THOUSAND TEN

2010-12-21T23:39:00.000-08:00

BAND OF HORSES Infinite Arms

favorite tracks: All of them except for NW Apartment

FITZ AND THE TANTRUMS Pickin' up the Pieces

Favorite Tracks: Tighter, Money Grabber, Don't Gotta Work it Out

THE SILVER SEAS Chateau Revenge

Best things in life, what's the drawback, what if it isn't out there

THE LOWER LIGHTS A Hymn Revival

Secret Prayer, Brightly Beams our Fathers Mercy, For the Beauty of the Earth

KINGS OF LEON Come Around Sundown

Pyro, Back down South, Beach Side

SOMETHING BEAUTIFUL...

2010-12-20T21:34:00.000-08:00

Watch this... She will melt your heart, she melted mine... meet Clarissa Suwoko

Then click on the link below to watch an adorably cheesy behind the scenes music video for of one of the songs that I co-wrote and perform in the beginning scene of Change of Plans called "Something Beautiful"

http://bcove.me/o06t7hip

YOU KNOW WHEN...

2010-12-20T00:18:00.000-08:00

you're relaxed and it's so good, you yawn... once, no biggie... okay now twice... aaand now that makes about 24 yawns, but you're fighting it, cause it's only 8:43 pm and your only twenty something... but seriously your dainty and delicate tired eyelids feel like they are bench pressing elephants, unsuccessfully (one extra large elephant per eyelid=2 extra large elephants), and you're in the middle of catching up on almost two months worth of your favorite DVR'd TV shows like 30 rock and friday night lights and parenthood, but it just feels so darn great to just give in and.... zzzz.... doze off and before you know it you've completely fallen into a deep REM snorey kind of sleep on the boxy couch downstairs that looks fantastic but is about as comfortable as plywood , then you wake up hours later without a clue of where you are, and who cares really... you begin to doze off again when you realize that you really have go tinkle (yes I think I just said tinkle) and that really bums you out a whole lot cause you are physically unable to move your arms and legs, but if you don't get up there is going to be probs, and then you get a friendly little tap on the shoulder by your Dave or your mom or someone, and they remind you that you should probably get up and relocate to your bed, and you mumble in what almost sounds like another language "I know just give me a minute... just resting my eyes" and they keep waking you up what feels like every 3 seconds to just remind you again, and again and again... and again that you should really get up this time and just go to bed, and you kinda want to punch 'em in the face a little bit, but in a really loving and nice way cause you like them a lot, but they just don't understand that you're just so stinkin' tired and have a real low tolerance for pretty much any and all of it. You might as well be a big grouchy grizzly bear just trying to simply hibernate in the middle of the winter. And it is in this moment that you desperately wish you had the super power or some jetson style button that you press and it magically empties your bladder and teleports you from the couch to your cozy bed under the covers. I don't know about you, but I don't have one of those buttons, and that becomes another irritation and irrational thought process, "why in the world do I not have such button, I need that button, maybe I could make one?". So with all the motivation that you can muster, drag yourself to the bathroom, this is so hard, why is it so hard, and then one leg and one step at a time you make your way up to what feels like the stairs to eternity and into your bedroom where you collapse and face plant into your bed, and you're so tired that you definitely didn't have it in you to brush your teeth or wash your face and, you're gross, you even contemplate going to bed with your shoes and socks on, you just can't handle it, you can't deal with this nonsense... it's just too much. And then with your very lastest sliver of energy, you fling over to turn off the lamp, it is dark, but you forgot to turn on the fan and it's hot and you'll wake up in the sonoran desert or a pool of your own sweat, oh man, you can do it, you can get up and turn it on, you make the 3 ft trek to the switch, you flip it, and then ... your head finally hits that plush pillow....

and you're wide awake until probably 5:03 am.

I don't like it.

COTTON HEADED NINNY MUGGINS...

2010-12-18T20:24:00.000-08:00

After church I will be writing my christmas cards and watching Elf, quite possibly the best movie of all time...

well at least of all Christmas time.

And my favorite scene doesn't allow you to embed the video so you must go watch it on youtube.

Buddy and I share a common fear of escalators...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z1jaCR_rAzg

THANKS FOR STAYING...

2010-12-17T20:15:00.000-08:00

Every once in a while, I let my memory wander back, today I got to thinking about when I was in Hollywood week on American Idol, it was hard to fathom that I'd actually had that Gold Ticket in my hand, that I had made it even that far. What most people don't realize at home is just how far you've already come in that stage of the game, an early stage, nonetheless farther then most ever get to be, from several thousands the number is whittled down to a few hundred, the odds are slim for all of us, just ask my accountant husband, he did the math. It is all very surreal, almost dream-like and you can't wrap your head around what is happening. There is almost a permanent anxiety that settles in the moment you hear "you're going to hollywood", and it just accumulates with every cut that you survive. And that is the mode you learn to exist in, survival. First there is the pressure of making an impact, giving it everything you have to give, standing out, being the best you that you can be, making mistakes, recovering, making eye contact, making a connection and then you wait for the verdict, the waiting is the hardest part, then comes the "you're through to the next round" sheer relief, the excitement, gratitude and the hope of what could be, and then next comes the "how do I do it again?" and then you see your friends that you just made get eliminated, you wonder how in the world you made it and they didn't, you say goodbye and they go home, and so it goes, week after week after week after week.... until it's over. Or so you think...

Anywho there was this particular moment that Dave and I often revisit. It was the last day of Hollywood week, I had made the cut into the last and final round. All there was to do was to try to get some sleep, wake up the next day and wait to hear my name as part of the final 50. Sleeping isn't an easy task in this given scenario. Dave had come to take me to dinner that night, we went to Hot Wings cafe. It was a relief to go escape for a bit, to get some fresh air and take a break from all of it. I had no appetite all week, and there we sat as I tried to eat a few chicken wings and carrot sticks and then I remember Dave saying "Can you believe this is really happening? I mean, could you imagine if you made it to the Top 50?!" In that moment, just making the Top 50 was almost an unobtainable thought. It was huge, and just the thought of it, the Hope for what could be consumed the both of us. We could have never been prepared for what the future would hold. Looking back now, I wouldn't have believed it if you'd told me that I would make it all the way to the Top 5. I still can't, sometimes random strangers will approach me and apologize that I didn't make it farther, I almost have to laugh, I reassure them that there is no need to be sorry, I'm not, I went from waiting my first audition for over 20 hours in Philadelphia, and out of nearly 105,000 people that auditioned nationwide for season 7 I was one of the last 5 standing. WOW!!! I still get a kick out of it and have to remind myself that it was real. I am humbled by the thought and grateful... because the reason I got to stay was because of you...

The reason I get to keep going is because of you. Coming off the show there is this great unknown, you existed in a bubble for so long that it is hard to mentally grasp that for week after week you sang in the living rooms of literally millions upon millions of people. People that cheered for you, loved you and voted for you and helped you to your dream. It is so much bigger than you can even comprehend. There is a hopeful optimism. You will never be the same, your life will never be the same. You have just seen the top of Mount Everest, but... you don't get to stay. As time goes by you try to figure out what is next, where you belong, how you are going to make the most of what you've been given. I like to refer to this phase at P.I.T. "Post Idol Trauma". I joke but i'm serious. Somehow you find a way to get out of the P.I.T. and start back at base camp and you get back to climbing, and you climb, and you climb and it gets real and it get's hard. That spotlight begins to slowly fade and you wonder how you are going to continue to shine, how you will keep climbing, how you are going to not fall. You think back to that moment where you had allowed yourself to dream about what might have been, now you're living it and it surprises you that those moments when you would wait to hear "you've made it to the next round" still exist, but you're not on a TV show anymore, you're in the real world now. There are few of us that get to go on and be Carrie Underwood or Kelly Clarkson. But we all get a real chance, and it all depends on what we make of it... I'm not the richest or most famous, but the phone rings, I write songs, make records, perform on stages, I'm a girl with glasses and shoot... I even got to act in a made for TV movie, I work and I'm grateful...

There is life after American Idol, and a story that continues to be written. But what I've found is that it all comes down to connecting. Making a truly lasting connection with people through the expression of music, and that is exactly what will sustain me through every "round". In a business obsessed with statistics and numbers and popularity and instant results it can be hard to not let it get you down. But, at this point in my life and career, I shifted my focus, I care about quality, about consistency and about the steady and day to day connection that I have with you, my fans. And my fans are of the most genuine quality. Almost three years has past and I am in awe that so many of you have stuck around, you listen to my songs on your ipod, some of you send me tweets every single day, you know who you are and I know who you are. Your support and encouragement keep me going, and I just wanted you to know just how valuable it is to me.

I've got more songs in the making, nearly 20 actually... really it's hard to keep them to myself, cause I write them for you, can't wait for you to hear them:)

CHRISTMAS SONGS BY MOI...

2010-12-16T10:47:00.000-08:00

A number of people (less than 100 more than 1) have asked me "Brooke, are you ever going to do a Christmas Album?" And the answer is, Why Yes... I did. Well it's not quite an album, but it is a three song iTunes Exclusive Holiday EP that I recorded last Christmas season. And on that lil' baby EP you will find the fully produced original song I wrote entitled "California Christmas", an acoustic broken down version of "Blue Christmas", and an almost lullaby, "Away in a Manger" with raw vocals accompanied by a vintage melotron . So I suppose this was not common knowledge, perhaps you already knew, but if ya didn't, now you do! I dunno, maybe you just might like it a little bit... you never know until you listen:)

Here's a preview for ya... I shot this very ultra fancy video from my living room last year, dishwasher effects and all:

Oh and don't forget that you can still get our Girls with Glasses song "YOU ARE LOVED" for free in exchange for a tweet or facebook post, just follow the link below and it's all yoursies!

http://trkurl.com/gzAfFc

OFFICAL TRAILER...

2010-12-15T23:47:00.000-08:00

SO THIS TIME IT'S OFFICIAL... HERE IS THE TRAILER FOR CHANGE OF PLANS:

CLICK ON THE LINK BELOW TO SEE MORE AND GET TO KNOW THE AMAZNG CAST!!

http://www.youtube.com/user/fmnib#p/a

GEMINI DREAM HAIR...

2010-12-14T21:00:00.001-08:00

Found this picture in my pile of papers from the closet clean out, I happen to be a Gemini, but I'm certain that I didn't tear it out of the magazine for the horoscope, but for the hair! How good is this hair? It is the hair of my dreams, perfectly imperfect, large and in charge, fuzzy and free, like a lions mane, it's serious. What can I say, I just love big hair...

YOU HAVE TO START SOMEWHERE...

2010-12-13T18:15:00.000-08:00

Saturday was a stay at home project day, so Dave and I got brave and ambitious and went to town on our closets, and we did some pretty good damage. Sometimes you have to make a big mess before you can clean things up. We began de-junking and dragging every last piece of crap that was crammed into the dark corners of our closets and out into the open which would soon reveal a massive monster of a pile... oh no what have we done! Everything from an extensive collection of shopping bags, games, worn out towels, Happy Meal toys, and array of hair products from my "kitchen cosmo" days, broken electronics, craft supplies galore, crumpled stacks of papers with messy handwritten lyrics to songs I had written for High Hopes and Heartbreak stuffed into binders and other random objects that have little relevance to our lives.

Sitting in the middle of the hallway, it was hard to fathom that it all somehow seemed to fit into that small linen closet. Then came the excruciating part, which was to one by one, go through each and every last thing and decide it's fate. Some stuff would be headed to the trash, while others would find a new home, or take a trip to the Goodwill down the street... and then of course there are those things that you just can't part with, some for practical reasons, others for sentimental value. But the most obnoxious is those items that you don't really need, don't really want but you feel like it's just not right to get rid of. Now mind you we were trying our best to really get serious, to de-clutter and shake ourselves free from useless "stuff". This isn't an easy process, as a matter of fact I was mentally exhausted by it all...

Now I know it is just "stuff", but even "stuff" is tied to memories, some good, some not so good, some important. I suppose that is why we just stuff the "stuff" in the closet, where we don't have to look at it, where it is out of sight and out of mind, but somewhere way back on the back-burners of our minds we know it's there if we ever wanted to find it. The hard part is coming face to face with it, reliving it, remembering it... for a few minutes it kinda makes you feel like your heart has dropped into the pit of your stomach...a little sad, or nervous maybe... or maybe even happy and nostalgic. But then after you've had your moment you realize that you're okay, you're really okay! Whew! Hooray! What a relief. You realize where you've been, and you can't believe how far you've come. And when I say "you" I mostly mean "me", but I'd rather make it about you, cause I am slightly uncomfortable about making it about me. Anywho...

In that endless stack papers I found a page ripped out of Music Connection, it was my first Show Review of my second show ever... and unfortunately Mr. Bernard Baur found my performance to be not bueno... and I don't know if I can really blame him. I was twenty years old, I had short hair, no confidence and a load of emotional baggage that I'd decided to pack up and move out to Los Angeles on my own that summer to quietly go to Music school, to figure myself out, to grow up, to fill a void, to see if maybe I had even a glimmer of talent. Well, Music school led me to songwriting, which forced me to sit down in a tiny practice room and start plunking out the notes on the piano while singing simultaneously, words that were my own, I wrote my first song "Come to my Rescue", that song took me to the Attic Studio of a Producer that believed in me, where I started to record my songs, which then landed me on the stage of Molly Malones on Fairfax, I played my first two shows, with just a rhodes piano, the few original tunes I had in my pocket and a couple of legendary cover songs that I was brave (or foolish) enough to sing in the same company of my own. There was a small audience of the few friends I'd made at church and school. I'll never forget how I felt like a fish out of water up there, my throat was dry and my fingers couldn't remember which keys to play, I would stop in the middle of a song to try to remember what came next, those few empty seconds felt like hours, you could hear the crickets, I barely made it through to the end of the 30 minute set. When the show was over I was pretty certain that I never wanted to do that again. But, somehow I did. All of this in one short summer. I had left my boyfriend behind in Arizona, I told him I'd be back at the start of Fall, that was my plan, I never intended on staying, but one Friday after school I drove out to Marina Del Ray and stood on the beach and I knew I wasn't going home. He was surprised when he came out to California to visit me, he didn't even really know that I sang, I guess I didn't really know either, I still wasn't sure. I told him that I wasn't coming back to Arizona, he understood.

Months later, I married my boyfriend. It wasn't much longer after that the review of my second show at Molly Malones finally showed up in Music Connection. I remember reading it, I remember feeling embarrassed for myself, I remember wanting to quit, I remember believing every word he said, I remember trying to take it as constructive criticism, I remember disliking Bernard Baur for writing the review, I remember dwelling on the part that he said "Brooke's voice is decent and her piano playing skills are competent.... there is no heart", I remember remembering every reason I didn't believe in myself. It was hard to take, really hard. But then there was that littlest tiniest part at the end, the "nonetheless" part... the "there is a hint of promise... Brooke might become the artist she aspires to be" part. I could hardly see it at the moment, but it was there... at the end of my dark tunnel of insecurity, a pinhole of light.

After the pity party was over, and I'd gotten a good pep talk the sadness turned to stubborness, I wanted to show that mean Mr. Bernard Baur with the beard that I was indeed capable of becoming the artist I wanted to be, That I could play the piano and sing, that I had a heart. But as the years have gone by I realized I really just needed to show myself... and I've realized that I'm tougher on me Then Bernard ever was, It is a long road that I am still on. Since then I have stood on a stage in front of millions, to be judged by critic of all critics, it's still tough to take. My feelings still get hurt... BUT... but, at the end of the day regardless of what Bernard Baur, Simon Cowell or some random JoeShmo on the internet says, I have to find it within myself to know that I am Brooke White, I am an Artist, I make mistakes on the piano, my voice cracks, but I sing with all my guts and sometimes I like what I do and sometimes I don't... but there is one thing for certain, I'm gonna get back on the stage again... no matter what.

It's good to look back and remember that you have to start somewhere...

PS- I'm not angry at Bernard Baur anymore, and I mean that :)

TIDINGS AND SPAGHETTI OF GREAT JOY...

2010-12-12T21:47:00.000-08:00

Tonight I opened my fridge and scanned the empty shelves to see what I could make for dinner, in hopes that perhaps some delicious option would magically appear before my eyes. Of course no such thing occured. So I went to my cabinet to find a jar of Giada Marinara sauce that I'd boughten months ago and some pasta that's probably been kickin' around for a few years, this is what happens when you're rarely home, and the thought of going to the grocery store causes you a near anxiety attack, and you have very lil' culinary skillz and basically all you can make is Spaghetti and Frozen Lasagna. So, what I'm trying to say is that it looked like Spaghetti was on the menu for our Sunday night dinner.

So I boiled some hot water and cooked the pasta for about ten minutes, while I let the sauce simmer in a sauce pan. I tested one of the noodles to see if it was ready, it was "al dente" so I was ready to pour it into the strainer, and that's when it happened. Just after I poured the pasta into the strainer and the haze of warm steam cleared I lifted up the pot to find a few stragglers clinging to the inside, I went to reunite them with the rest of the noodle fam in the strainer, when I stopped suddenly as I got a closer look... and there it was, spelt out perfectly in spaghetti was the word "JOY". I shouted "Dave! Come here you have to see this, " he was moderately impressed, not as excited as I was, but he was happy that I was so happy to find this strange little reminder of what this season is all about...

Today I got to thinking about Christmas, and what it really is all about. There is one thing for certain, there are a lot of people in this great big world, people with all kinds of ideas, opinions, feelings and passionate beliefs. It's a beautiful thing, however sometimes this can inhibit us from sharing our true feelings in fear of offending someone else who might believe or think otherwise. Of course then there is the opposite where one feels the need to attack and be forceful with their beliefs looking to argue, debate or create contention.

It is quite okay with me when someone has another point of view, as a matter of fact I find it fascinating to talk with people about their beliefs and why they do believe what they believe. As a matter of fact it happens all the time, Personally I don't find it threatening, It broadens my perspective and helps me realize that despite our different points of view, we actually share a lot of common ground, and it also sheds light on those things that perhaps I was ignorant about or didn't quite understand, and reminds me to live with less judgement towards others. I feel it is critical to show respect and sensitivity to one another when it comes to the those things we hold sacred in our hearts, even or especially when they are different from my own. This being said, I also find it important to live authentically. To respectfully live according to what you believe and know, without fear and without apology.

I believe in Christmas. Santa Claus and Noble firs, jingle bells and shopping till we drop are all quite fun and super duper, don't get me wrong, I'm really into it, but at the end of the day, this whole thing started because of the birth of Jesus Christ. Some believe he was merely a good man, Some believe him to be the son of God. Personally, I believe in him. His life and message was to "Love one Another" and he exemplified that message perfectly, I'm pretty sure that's why we're here, to love eachother, that's ultimately what we're supposed to learn from all this craziness that we're unable to comprehend here on Earth. Not easy, but I'm tryin' to learn. His birth was a symbol of hope, of pure love and of course, JOY... tidings of GREAT JOY... and that is the Christmas I believe in.

Linus tells the story better then just about anyone else...

MY SPACE MAKEOVER...

2010-12-11T23:45:00.000-08:00

to be continued...

HAPPY CHRISTMAS...

2010-12-10T23:52:00.000-08:00

SNEAK PEAK...

2010-12-09T19:07:00.000-08:00

a little birdie (flanigan fan) tweeted this today... apparently a few promos for "Change of Plans" just popped up in the last twenty four hours. I've have yet to see the movie, watched a few of the clips, which of course is completely freakin' me out, cause I thoroughly do not enjoy watching myself, but curiosity got the best of me and I just had to watch. So it's starting to hit me that this whole movie thing is for real! Hyperventilation, paper bag please. Aaahhhh!

NEW INFO:

okay, so i have to take the preview down, cause I've just been informed that unfortunately it was up for editing purposes and was meant to be set to "private" and wasn't supposed to go public yet. So there was a little technical mishap, sorry! Thanks for such a great response, In time they will be re-released along with other new promos, so keep watching fox and be on the look out!

Sorry for the miniature, barely there post last night... you might have to get out a microscope to read it it's so small. Not to make excuses, but I had a long songwriting session yesterday, on top of days upon days of writing, and it seems as if my creative brain is somewhat like an empty tube of toothpaste, and just when you think it's all gone and that your out, you muster all your strength and roll it up from the bottom and you squeeze and squeeze until that unattractive vain in your forehead begins to bulge and you start to break a sweat, and then just when you are about to chuck it in the trash, you manage to squeeze out just the tiniest bit of toothpaste, just enough to maybe brush your two front teeth... yep thats me. Actually I had typed out a rather lengthy post about finally coming home, I read it back to proof it and realized it was just a bunch of nonsensical jibberish. So I held down the delete key until it all vanished and simply wrote "Home... makes me happy", which is all I was trying to say anyway. Truth is, it will probably be the shortest blog I will ever write, it'll never happen again... so enjoy.

And yes Ammon, I'm guilty as charged, on December 6th, I missed a day of blogging and broke my streak in the first week... I know, "lame sauce" in the words of Quinn White. But in my defense, I was sitting on an airplane for six hours in skinny jeans while they cut off my circulation and, I couldn't feel my legs. It was traumatic.

ps- how about those two cuties at the end of the promo?! right?!

HOME...

2010-12-08T23:01:00.001-08:00

makes me happy.

CHANGE OF PLANS...

2010-12-07T08:42:00.000-08:00

THE OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE!

Change of Plans' Set to Air on Saturday, January 8 at 8/7c on FOX

Walmart and P&G Unveil the Fourth Installment of "Family Movie Night"

CINCINNATI, Dec. 7, 2010 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ --

Procter & Gamble (NYSE: PG) and Walmart (NYSE: WMT) will premiere their latest made-for-TV family movie, "Change of Plans," starring Brooke White, Joe Flanigan and Phylicia Rashad on Saturday, January 8, 2011 at 8/7c on FOX.

"Change of Plans" demonstrates how our lives can be turned upside down with a single phone call. When Sally Danville(Brooke White, "American Idol") finds out that her best friend from college died in a tragic accident while serving in the Peace Corps, Sally also learns that she has been named the legal guardian of her friend's four children - three of whom were adopted from third-world countries. Now Sally and her husband, Jason (Joe Flanigan, "Stargate: Atlantis"), must quickly learn to parent this instant family and help the kids deal with culture clashes and life in America. The story is both humorous and heartwarming, revealing how fulfilling life can be when you look beyond your own plans and invest in the lives of others.

After a successful run in season seven of "American Idol," White makes her acting debut and performs songs throughout the movie. The movie also features a star-studded cast, including cameo appearances by NASCAR driver Jeff Burton and "American Idol" judge Randy Jackson, who has produced all of the "Family Movie Night" soundtracks, including the one for "Change of Plans."

"Brooke has been featured on the soundtrack for two of our other 'Family Movie Night' films and we immediately thought of her for the character of Sally Danville, the free-spirited, kind-hearted guitar player," stated Executive Producer Brian Wells. "This was an ideal first acting role for Brooke and we knew from her audition that we made the perfect choice."

"As a singer-songwriter, I never expected that I would be acting; talk about a 'Change of Plans!'" said White. "I love this story, because it is emotionally-driven, yet light-hearted and fun. It also shows us that the family comes in all shapes and sizes, and reminds us that sometimes life doesn't turn out the way we planned, but it can be even better. It's a great lesson that I learned firsthand!"

Phylicia Rashad, best known as Clair Huxtable from "The Cosby Show," plays social worker Dorothy in her return to television after spending time on Broadway and most recently in the film, "For Colored Girls." The dynamic and diverse children include Jordan (Jayme Lynn Evans, "All My Children"), Javier (Bobby Soto, "Brothers & Sisters"), Kaleb (Jakobe Dempsey, "Barney & Friends") and Sung Lee (newcomer Clarissa Suwoko).

The "Change of Plans" soundtrack includes three songs from White, as well as tracks from various recording artists. The "Change of Plans" DVD and soundtrack will be sold together in a bonus pack exclusively at Walmart. More details will be announced in 2011. For more information visit www.familymovienight.com.

When research revealed parents across America are seeking more family-oriented entertainment options, P&G and Walmart made a commitment to be part of the solution. "Change of Plans" continues P&G and Walmart's "Family Movie Night" initiative, which strives to produce more quality entertainment options families can enjoy together throughout 2011.

"Family Movie Night" launched in April 2010 with the film "Secrets of the Mountain," followed by "The Jensen Project" in July, and most recently "A Walk in My Shoes" on December 3. All three movies celebrated success with high-rated tune-in from viewers and associated brands seeing increased sales during the promotional time surrounding the films.

LET IT SNOW...

2010-12-05T23:35:00.000-08:00

Woke up in Nashville this morning to snow falling out side my hotel window... this is of course not a common occurrence for me, having been born and raised in the Arizona desert and then moving to southern California. I've never experienced a white christmas, let alone a real change in Seasons. No fall leaves or dramatic temperature change... just sunshine most the time, I can hardly complain, I live for the sunshine. And anyone that knows me knows that I have little to no tolerance for cold weather... I just don't know how people do it. I suppose they acclimate, but really, do they? I mean having lived in the opposite extreme, I never could get used to burning my hands on the steering wheel of my car during the summer time. Even still I think the cold would be harder. Thankfully I live in California where it stays pretty close to my favorite temperature of 78 degrees almost daily.

That all being said... their was something so magical about seeing the flakes of white flutter to the ground so gracefully. I felt like I was in the middle of a snow globe, though it didn't really stick to the ground. I was so excited that I did a little dance around the room and shouted "It's snowing!!!", kind of reminded me of when I was a kid and we would go up North to the cabin where there would be a few inches of fresh powder on the ground this time of year. And we lived to go play in the snow, from the moment we woke up until it became dark outside, completely undaunted by our frozen fingers and toes. We would sled down into the green belt, sometimes making sleds out of strange objects, such as the large crisper drawer out of the refrigerator or plastic bags... slightly dangerous at times now that I think about it, but the fancy sleds were few and there were dozens of cousins, we had to get creative and resourceful. It was fun, nowadays however, I find that I enjoy the snow much more from the indoors, close to the heater, looking out the window with my hot chocolate in hand. I spent most the day just snuggled inside, playing my guitar, writing songs and mezmorized by the view... made me happy. Tomorrow is my last day in the Winter wonderland and it's back to SoCal, where I will be dreaming of a White Christmas...

(picture is from Idaho last year when I did a show... might be the coldest I've ever been... ever)

THE SILVER SEAS...

2010-12-04T22:26:00.001-08:00

I found out about these guys a few days ago while I was writing a super duper heartbreakin' throwback song with my new pal Emily West, she said "Brooke White you are going to love this band" and she was right... all it took was 30 seconds, it was love at first listen. So I walked on over to the itunes and downloaded "High Society" on the spot, which is their sophomore release from a few years ago. There really isn't a bad song on the whole thing, which is a rarity these days. There is one song about an infinite number of monkeys thats not my fave, but other then that it's solid from start to finish. I've been listening to it on repeat for the last few days and I just can't get enough of it, so much even that I decided to go and download their latest record "Chateau Revenge" and their first album "Starry Gazey Pie". I haven't had a chance to dig into them yet, but if they are anything like High Society then I won't be disappointed.

So why do I love 'em so gosh darn much? Well maybe because they sound like a 70's band but with a modern treatment with dreamy ooh's and aahh's and lots of luscious harmonies and the lead singers voice is rather romantical. But it's really the songs that have got me smitten, The melodies are just so stinkin' catchy and instantaneous. You feel like you know them already and I love when songs just make you want to sing along right away really loud, kinda like "and he's hard luck Tooooommmm... and he's got a haaaard life!" that song would be called "Hard luck Tom" and you're gonna wanna sing along too when you hear it, trust me. Though my favorite songs are "High Society", "We'll go Walkin", and "I wanna live"... though I like all of em, except the Monkey tune. In a nutshell it's artsy fartsy easy breezy hip with out trying to hard real good music and it pretty much owns my heart right now.

oh music you are just my favorite.

YOU ARE LOVED FOR FREE...

2010-12-03T17:43:00.000-08:00

Because it's the Holidays, and the Holiday's are a time of giving, we wanted to give to you, our newest little song, "YOU ARE LOVED" for free in exchange for just a lil' tweet or facebook post to help spread the love! All you have to do is follow the link and follow directions...

http://trkurl.com/yjOcY8

THE COWARDLY LION, ART AND COURAGE.

2010-12-02T15:57:00.000-08:00

There are some days that I feel like I could hang out with the Cowardly Lion from the wizard of oz, we could sit around, drink hot chocolate and talk about all the things we are afraid of and all the reasons that we can't do the things we long to do, be the people (or lions) that we need to be, and then maybe we would take a road trip down the yellow brick road, to go visit the Great OZ, and see if maybe he could loan us a little bit of courage. Only to have the OZ inform us that we already possess the courage we were looking for and that we needed to dig down a bit deeper to find it. This of course, was not the answer we were looking for... kinda just hoping we could pick some up, as if courage was like a gallon of milk from the grocery store or something. We're probably a bit disappointed and decide to just get back to doing what we do, we'll have our brave moments, but still have those times when we're still just big scaredy cats.

I love being an artist, I couldn't imagine being anything else. It is who I am and what I'll always be, and pretty much my option in life, and a good option, I'm grateful. And I don't mean "artist" as in a "job" or "career", though it does come quite handy in my line of work, but as an inseparable part of my identity. Being artsy fartsy is fun and stuff, but at the same time feels so very vulnerable, even torturous on many occasions. You've got to put yourself out there, because art is such a reflection of ones self, soul, perspective, beliefs, upbringing and life. It's tough to have secrets, or protect your insecurities. There must be honesty, there must be transparency or a confession of some sort. And when there is transparency, people will see right through, to you, to your core, to your goods and your bads. And there is some kind of bazaar need to share it, art just can't be kept to ones self. There is really no way of getting around this. It is a risk that one must take in order to create. And when we do create, we find great joy in the process, that is of course until it is time for the great reveal to the rest of the world, that is when the fear settles in, and we aren't content, or our creation is not complete until it is shared, displayed, performed etc. And then that's when you wait... for either the applause or the boo's, or equally bad... silence. It is a challenge to disregard judgement or response of our art, or the need for approval. I've tried, I still try. Not generally successful, sometimes. Truth is, we're just asking for it really, again we must get some kind of kick out of it, or a kick in the pants. The rewards of positive approval of our creations can be so satisfying to our ego, that it can fuel our creative fire, almost as if it can not survive with out it. This is not the purest source of inspiration, it's counterfeit and selfish , and nonetheless can be an effective motivator for a while. And it can have positive effects if you keep proper perspective, and using art to better the lives of others. If your art is your business, then your lively hood depends on approval, and that is a crappy head game. As well the completely opposite thing can transpire if the response is negative enough or silent, it can shut you down, shut you up, make you want to run and hide under the bed and never come out... until you decide stop being such a cowardly lion and then get some darn courage to try again.

As you can imagine, this all creates an overly heightened sense of self-awareness, or self centeredness. And if one isn't careful, it can turn an artist into a real monster. This scares me, and even dwelling on the fear of becoming a self centered monster, is actually in itself... being self centered. aaahhhhh!!!

That is when you have to decide to snap out of it, don't take your inner artist so seriously. Maybe it would be nice to volunteer at a elementary school, or go mow the neighbors lawn, call grandma or let a friend talk about their problems or successes and just listen. I very recently had the experience of getting to go sing at the Bethesda Hospital in Washington D.C. and visit with wounded soldiers that had just returned from Afghanistan. Probably one of the most impacting experiences I've ever had. These young men, were lying in beds after just loosing a leg in an explosion, or both legs, or an arm and a leg, some had survived a serious head injury... all as a result of their conscious and selfless decision to put their lives on the line in order to serve our country. Looking into the eyes of these strong and severely injured fellows was both emotionally overwhelming and truly humbling. One guy in particular had lost both of his legs and a few fingers just two weeks previous. He was just twenty one years of age, he was an athlete and loved to play guitar. His biggest regret was that he was unable to continue his service in Afghanistan with his "brothers". It was hard to know what to say, what to talk about, they don't want you to feel sorry for them, when of course you do. They want to maintain their dignity, I wanted to honor that. We talked about his family, his ipad, and I then asked him was how he was doing with the realization of what had happened, He said "I've come to terms with it, I've made peace. I'm not angry, I'll adapt". He smiled, I believed him. Talk about courage.

For the last few weeks I haven't been able to stop thinking about it. Changed my perspective. Today I started feeling a cowardly lion artist ego attack and I had to stop myself, I thought about those soldiers, it put me back in my place... I've got my limbs, and all I've got to do is go out and make art... it's not war.

Geez-louise, This blog post was heavy. They won't always be. Oh and please remember the military in your prayers.

YOU ARE LOVED...

2010-12-01T21:45:00.000-08:00

So I have been working and typing away tirelessly on two very long, lengthy, wordy blog posts in true Brookie Babble fashion, which I entirely intended on posting tonight, but then just five minutes ago Summer, aka my fellow girl with glasses sent me the final edit of our newest magical musical video creation that we quite literally threw together over the Thanksgiving Holiday on Monday before I hopped on my 6 o'clock flight to Nashville, and with it being the start of the Christmas season and Hanukkah today, December the first, I thought it was perfectly perfect. And that my friends was a prime example of a run-on sentence that would have been quite unacceptable to my High School English teacher and probably your high school English teacher, or middle school English teacher for that matter.

Anywho, I believe we were able to write a song, find some jingle bells and a random studio and record it, shoot the video in a big ol' desert dirt field in Arizona with an adorable Famous the dog and funny hats in just under five hours because it honestly comes straight from our hearts. Now it's not some big time flashy hollywood production, as a matter of fact it is rough around the edges, and our lips don't always line up with the words, and we are wearing Summer's sweaters from her childhood, but we're keeping it real and honest and we mean every word of it, sincerely. Initially we wanted to write a holiday song that was fun and cutesy, after all the Holidays are about cheer and hot chocolate and christmas trees and snowmen right? Well not for all, as a matter of fact it can be the hardest time of year for some. So when Summer had put the pen to paper and started writing these sensitive and thoughtful lyrics that we're speaking to those that might be feeling the holiday blues, we knew we were on the right track, I picked up the guitar and the melodies just descended from the heavens and out came this cute and yet simple mini masterpiece that we wanted to dedicate to all of you, whether you find yourself, happy or sad this holiday season... Remember you are loved, love love love loved....

"You Are Loved" - Happy Holidays! from The Girls With Glasses on Vimeo.

I'M BACK...

2010-11-30T21:26:00.000-08:00

I'm Brookie and I have returned to babble... I am taking upon myself yet again the blog a day challenge for the month of December... we've got a lot to catch up on, starting... tomorrow!