8th Day of BWC: MERRY NOEL TO YOU!

Hello friends!

Wow, this week just about ate me alive. But the good news is I am alive, and we had a very magical wonderful Christmas Show at the Thousand Oaks Civics Art Plaza, and for that I am grateful! Nonetheless this particular season is kicking my booty hard, I'm sure you can relate! Anywho, yesterday I apologize for dropping the ball, I just had to give some time love and attention to everything else I have been neglecting for too long, like family, laundry, my health (boo) and of course I have done no Christmas shopping. Waahhh! It is all good though. How are you? Are you hanging in there? Times like these we need to take a deep breath, and ponder on what matters. Ya know?

Getting back on track, I am super duper excited about today's giveaway. Summer and I recently wrote and through together a brand spankin' new Christmas song and video. In true GWG fashion we quickly wrote, recorded and filmed this video in a matter of 2 darn days. We love to stress ourselves out, haha! But when it all comes together we usually decide that it was worth it! We love making these music videos, and being silly and getting into the holiday spirit! We gotta give shout outs to friends who helped make it possible, my buddy and guitar extraordinaire Kevin Haaland for producing, playing and mixing this track with us. Jihan for connecting us with the cutest gal Taylor of Taysings, who connected us this a rad accordion player, Colin Hatch, who she started a band with, their called JUNECAT and they are really good, be on the look out. We can't leave out our girl Priscilla Chang for being our right hand Girl with Glasses and keeping us moving and organized on set. And then a big shout out to Kerry Bellessa who shot this whole thing, we couldn't do it without the K-bells. And guess what, Dave Ray CPA made his first debut in this one, he's a bit bashful about it, but I love it. All in all, we just love how this turned out, and hope you do too! (Disclaimer, um, we don't speak French. Forgive us for all of our idiomatically incorrect usage of french words, it's all in good fun)

So here is the scoop... Today we are giving away a pair of our golden glittery glamourous official GLITTER GLASSES! As well as a pair of my personal favorite dangly EARRINGS from designer MARCIA MORAN that I love. Also, because I dropped the ball yesterday, we are giving away a free download of our other Christmas classic "I LOVE CHRISTMAS", happiest Christmas Song ever!

TO WIN:

- WATCH OUR NEW MUSIC VIDEO "MERRY NOEL" AT THEGIRLSWITHGLASSES.COM

- REPOST THIS GRAPHIC WITH THE CAPTION: HAHA WATCH THIS @THEGWGSHOW VIDEO #merrynoelgiveaway!

- FOLLOW @theGWGshow ON INSTAGRAM OR LIKE US FACEBOOK.

-  LEAVE A COMMENT ON OUR GIVEAWAY POST

- FREE DOWNLOAD HERE

PS:

Thursday I ran an Instagram contest for the 7th Day of Christmas and gave away my favorite wrap watch, the jane, from Feral Watches! Winner was announced today on Instagram, thanks sooo much to Feral watches for joining in the fun!

4th Day of BWC: LAST CHRISTMAS DANCE CONTEST + WAYF SEQUIN PANTS

Oh you guys, I am bursting at the seems of my sparkly pants over this giveaway. You remember these pants I posted a little while back? The "funky genie" pants as Dave calls them... well I am so excited to grant one winner a pair of the exact same insanely comfortable and over the top sparkly and amazing Wayf sequin track pants that I wear almost every day. They make me wanna dance, and I do.

Here is the catch, you are gonna have to dance for these pants! Time to do the #sparklypantsdancecontest

TO WIN:

- DANCE: take a video of yourself or your kiddo, or you dancing with your kiddo, or with your cat, or your whole family dancing to todays song LAST CHRISTMAS from "Brooke White Christmas". You can listen to it on itunes or spotify.  Man I wish I wrote this song, isn't it the best Christmas song ever?

- POST: post the video on your Instagram, make sure to hashtag  #4dayofBrookeWhiteChristmas

- TAG: tag me @realbrookewhite and @wayfpr. If you have a private account it will be tricky for me to see it (maybe make your account public for the day -or- send me a message with the video)

- WINNER will be selected upon raddest/funnest/funniest/cutest/nerdiest dancing, and will receive a pair of their very own Wayf sequin track pants! Woohoo!

Thanks for your participation thus far everyone. Let's have some fun friends! Get your dance on! Merry Monday and Happy Christmas!

LASTLY, THE WINNER OF THE BARNOWL PRIMITIVES SIGN IS @Brandijos on Instagram. Yay for you Brandi! Send me an email with your address to brookewhitemail@gmail.com

JAMM: LEAVIN' ON A JETPLANE & JOHN MAYER

I've always wanted to sing this tune, but thought it was the predictable choice... but then I thought, whats wrong with predictable ? :) The late legendary John Denver wrote this song. My parents loved John Denver, therefore I love John Denver and his pure humble voice...  reminds me of being a kid. Peter Paul and Mary made it famous with their three part harmony, now I will attempt to sing it super simply from my living room. Everyone knows this song, everyone loves this song, feel free to Sing along! 

Oh, and This weekend Dave Ray took me to see John Mayer in Irvine... I'm a fan. I've been following John since "Inside wants out" and saw him perform at Mesa Amphitheater twelve years ago with my brother Tyler. From a glossy Room for Squares, to a poppy Heavier Things, to the bluesy John Mayer trio, to the perfect Continuum, to the transitional battle studies, to his California country Born and Raised and his upcoming Paradise Valley... John keeps evolving as an artist. And where ever he goes I will follow. Yeah I know he had his less than chivalrous moments, and has dated everyone from Simpson to Swift and Aniston to Perry... I don't give a whoop about any of that. (haven't said "give a whoop" since the 90's)But I do care about the music, the guitar playing and slaying, the soul, the dedication and persistence to artistry when not a lot of people seem to care about that anymore. 

Small sidenote: I gave birth to London while Born and Raised comforted my agonizing body and petrified mind. It will forever be the soundtrack of the biggest bestest day of our lives to date.

The show was nothing short of magical. The set was beautiful, the band was off the charts. There was a new humility about him, and he got pretty carried away in the music, his face was about to explode with happiness and he was so whitty. What can I say, the guy is talented. He was killing me softly, slaying my soul, blowing my mind, and melting my face off with his guitar.  I came home inspired, ready to write, ready to practice, ready to listen. 

Oh, one last super awesome thing! L.A. traffic was at it's gnarliest, It took us nearly three hours to get there, not so awesome. We missed Phillip Phillips who opened the show, also not awesome (that we missed him, not that he opened, that is so awesome). If only we could've pulled a chitty chitty bang bang over the 405. However as we were driving there, my manager brad was in the backseat, we were listening to the Mayer playlist I put together for the drive, we got to talking about who produced Born and Raised, he googled it and found out it was Don Was... the same Don Was that produced Carly Simon, and Bonnie Raitt and Dylan, and the Stones. I said to Brad "I need him to produce my next record"... he laughed "yeah". We arrived, and we could hear "paper doll" from the parking lot. It was the first song of the set. We ran to will call and got our tickets and then bolted through the pavillion to get to our seats, but I decided to quickly stop at the merch booth and pick up my new favorite "queen of california" t-shirt. I paid and ran with my JM Tee in hand... and just yards away from the ticket usher, we saw this guy with dreads and a hat and cool sun glasses. Brad said "I think that is Don Was"... 

He said, lets go talk to him, so we walked over... I was too nervous to approach him and so Brad said "are you Don" and it was :) I told him that he was awesome, we talked about Carly Simon, he seemed to know that I sing, he was beyond nice. I told him "I would love you to make my next record" like a big nerd. I asked him if he would take a picture with me. He did. True story. Later he went up on stage and played with John. Don Was is awesome.

Lastly, totally and completely unrelated... I put up a baby gate tutorial over on The Girls with Glasses blog. If you have a wild monkey adventure baby that loves to climb to the top of your hardwood stairs, like I do, then you need this gate. 

JAMM: FLY FLY FLY

You will notice a cute Londy Loo, waddling around the background in this one. Motherhood and Music must exist in the same room, as I always hoped it would, and I'm grateful that it does :) You will also noticed I said "forget" twice in the bridge, I mean't "regret" the second time. (important lyric distinction)

If you were to ask most singers, they would tell ya that they prefer to sing ballads. Why? 

Probably because they contain more emotion, and the slower pace makes it easier to give it the inflection and feeling it needs to really find it's soul and connect with the lyric. In a way, it's easier-ish, kind of. An up tempo tune with the wrong arrangement was usually the kiss of death on American Idol. That is why everyone is singing slow songs, if you were wondering:) It is deceptively hard to perform fast songs and pull it off.  I mean don't get me wrong, when it comes to listening to records, I prefer something peppy, something with a solid beat that makes me wanna dance and let my hair down. Yes I do love to rock. And if I am in the studio, putting together an upbeat track is the greatest! But making it happen live, different story. Be it fast or slow, singing really well while also connecting really well while also playing an instrument really well, and picking or writing a song really well... is well, really quite tricky! I just keep working at it... someday I might get "there"!

As I mentioned last week, I also wrote this song for Banner 4th of July. The inspiration was fully present in writing this one. It is definitely my favorite song of the two, and certainly my favorite scene in the movie with Christian Campbell. I am posting half of the scene below that mjsbigblog put up on Youtube, (thanks MJBB!). This was the song that she had written just before the band split. She was feeling the need to "go find her way all on her own". But it's never really that easy, leaving the familiar, the family, the place you've always known, and it almost always hurts the ones you leave behind, and that is the hardest part. We all go through this at some point in our lives whether it's a place, a relationship or even a job, sometimes you got to fly fly fly away... and yet those places and people and things will always be a part of who you are. 

At this point in the story, years have passed, feelings are hurt, a brother and sister damaged by the distance and a misunderstood past. This song is the healer. As it always does, the music is what says what she has never been able to say, and it speaks to him what he's never been able to hear. It transcends who's wrong and who's right... it's the language that the heart can understand.

We usually never intend on hurting the ones we love, and yet so often we do... it's a bummer. Life is complicated, and so much get's lost in misunderstanding. How do we make it right? Time? Saying a sincere I'm sorry? Letting go of pride, failed expectations? Sometimes we just let it be. 

In this case, Desiree Banner makes it right with a song. And in many of my own cases, I do too... or at least, I try.

PS- Thank you and happy birthday to the lovely miss Priscilla Chang for capturing this video for me, and for helping me get my JAMM back!

PSS- Oh and yes, FLY FLY FLY is available on itunes! yay!

THE RETURN OF JUST ANOTHER MUSIC MONDAY: SUN UP SUN DOWN...

Well my friends, it's been a few Mondays since I last posted my lil' homemade iphone music videos. You know I intended on it, but...

Too much, not worth the explanation, but the good news is I'm back in business with JAMM... and yes I am just going to shorten it to JAMM because Just Another Music Monday just takes too long to type:)

Apparently I have this reputation for being... long winded, chatty, descriptive, redundant and possibly over communicative. Now, I'm not saying that I am going to go drastically changin', cause I like the details, however I am going to attempt to say more by saying less. I know we don't have time to scroll down through my novelish length posts all the live long day. I mean, who reads these days? (ha!). So If there is a way to write with heartfelt efficiency, and for you to read and connect with heartfelt efficiency then that would be super duper for all of us. 

Back to JAMM... I've been a'waitin' (in the words of Buddy Holly, needless side note? totally needful in my book, this less is more thing is gonna be tricky) to play you this song that I wrote back in March just after I got the call to play the roll of Desiree Banner, however I had to wait till the movie aired (Btw, a big thanks to all of you that tuned into the Hallmark Channel to watch Banner 4th of July. Also a necessary sidenote. I want to say more, resisting). Any who, I read the script before I was officially casted, thought it was cute,  hoped I would get the part. Weeks later I had a conference call with the director, producer, writer and EP of the movie, and they informed me that they would like me to write a few original tunes that I would also sing. With great excitement they explained that I need to write "the Banner Project's big hit" they would really love something "kinda mumford & sons-ish meet's Phillip Phillips Home and a little bit Lumineersy". I had to chuckle, if I knew how to write songs like that I'd probably be wearin' a rolex and drivin' a Rolls, but let's be honest, I'm wearin' a timex and driving a Honda (which is honestly my preference) By my own personal standards, I'm successful, but not that successful! :) Sarcasm aside, I really wanted to take on the challenge, and the reference was quite helpful, so I told them, YES! I will do it! Oh, and I supposed that meant I got the part? :)

When it comes to writing songs, I rarely sit down with such a specific concept, or think "write a song that sounds like this". So I felt like maybe this wasn't something I would be able to pull off. Generally I feel at the mercy of whatever song wants to present itself to me. People always ask me "how do you write a song", and I always give a confusing long non-answer, cause I really don't know. Obviously I write lyrics, and pair them to a melody that sings over an arrangement of chords, obvious I know, but how? The songs write themselves, I just try to make myself available when they are ready. Cause believe me, I try to write songs all the time, and a lot of times it is a lot of staring at a blank sheet of paper. I put in the time, I write down stuff, I play a lot of stuff, and a lot of that stuff is, pretty much crap. However, I do wonder if all that stuff is just necessary priming for the real thing. The work precedes the inspiration? Like I said, I really don't know. Honestly, every time I finish a song, I wonder "will I ever be able to do that again?". Writing a really good song sort of feels like winning the Lotto. It feels lucky... that being said,  I've never played the Lotto, so I definitely have never won the lotto... lame comparison?! 

Ah! Trying to make this short(er), so I wrote this song, I was very surprised. The whole "write a song that sounds like this" thing totally worked! And no it doesn't sound like M&S or PP, but it was my best original interpretation that felt right for this story.  Best of all, they were happy, and I was happy. And let me tell you, I love acting, it is really interesting and challenging and fun, and I don't do it very often for complicated reasons, but being able to write the songs as a songwriter, and then sing them in the movie as an actress was really really rewarding. In the final scene of the movie, we (the banner project, me and my bros. Mitchell and Johnny) sing this song to our hometown. It was about 30 degrees that "4th of July" night and it was raining, you could see our breath, and we literally sang sun up sun down, from sun down to sun up. We pulled an all nighter, along with a couple hundred of the most enthusiastic group of extras I've ever seen. Seriously the  citizens of North Bay Ontario deserved an academy award for their level of commitment to being the most believably energetic, excited crowd I've ever seen in all my time on stage. Granted they were "acting" but they sang along to every word, and danced and shouted so joyfully, to every single take. It was pretend, but it was real. It was kind of amazing. 

So here it is, this is how every song begins, just a guitar (or piano) and a voice...

Oh, If you like it, you can find it over on the iTunes. Up next Monday... Fly Fly Fly, the other song I wrote for the movie. 

*A shout out to Christian Campbell (who plays Mitch) for singing a great vocal on this track. And one more shout out to Kevin "Kedge" Haaland for producing and playing a lot of instruments on this record, so great. 

BANNER 4th OF JULY...

ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK EP AVAILABLE ON ITUNES TODAY!!!

Oh yeah, so did I tell ya that I went to North Bay Ontario Canada a month and a half ago and made a Hallmark movie? Yeah, so, I did.

If you follow me on instagram then you probably saw this picture of me standing in the snow... in May. See, the movie is supposed to take place around the fourth of July, but looked like a White Christmas, as you can imagine, this was quite the predicament. I thought, hmm, maybe they'll reschedule, but you know what they say, the show must go on! And go-on we did, in temperatures roughly 6 degrees celsius, which in fahrenheit translates to, Cold. So imagine standing outside with bare leggies, and a gust of icy wind comes a bustin' through my silk summer dress,  you could see my breath and every hair on my arm was standing tall, teeth chattering... remember, I hail from Arizona, and reside in California where we exist in one season pretty much all year long, I'm basically a lizard, and yet there I stood, a human ice cube... it was an intense practice in mental toughness, I've never had to act so hard in my life! We all anticipated that glorious word, CUT.. when they would instantly throw floor length parkas on us. It took a few weeks for me to defrost, or shake the chill in my bones. Watching it back you'd never know it, thanks to movie magic, a snow blower and some pretty flowers, it looks just like a beautiful summers day in Pinewood Hills! 

Just a few days later after shooting most of our outdoor scenes, the sun came out, melted away the snow, the trees sprouted leaves and revealed probably some of the most gorgeous weather and scenery I've ever seen, the sky was blue and the bay was pristine... andouldn't ya know we headed in to shoot all of our indoor scenes. Isn't it ironic?

It was a fast and furious shoot, however I loved every minute. Acting is really fun hard work. The days are long, but I just didn't mind. I think what I love so much about making a movie is that it is a true collaborative effort. The cast and crew become your fam for a few weeks, they are there to support you and catch you when you fall. From our incredible director Don, to our camera guys Rod and Andreas, to wardrobe, hair and make up, AD's and craft services. Everyone plays an important role, and you grow to love these folks that you will likely not see again. It was wonderful to have my London close at hand, who would come to visit me on set and sit in my lap and eat (my) lunch with me everyday... everyone got to know my Loo. Even Dave was there for the final week of filming.

This role was different from my last, although I play yet another musically inclined lady, this gal is more conflicted, and has a few more walls built up around her and her heart that has been broken by the business and her past. I got to rummage through a bunch of feelings to be her and relate to her story, I maybe even yell a little... :)

Probably the most rewarding part however was writing, recording and then performing the songs for her and the band to sing in the movie... obviously music is a bit more familiar territory for me.  I wrote two new originals, Sun Up Sun Down which is the bands big hit, which has a more up beat, clap your hands, stomp your feet, americana vibe. Then there is "fly fly fly" a more raw emotional ballad that I play on the piano, with Mitch accompanying me on the guitar and singing harmony. I co-wrote songs for Change of Plans, but have never really written with such a specific purpose or theme on my own, I usually just write whatever I am feeling in the moment and allow the song to dictate itself. However I was pleasantly surprised with how quickly they came and how inspired I felt... it was kind of a break through for me as a songwriter. I can't wait for you to hear them, as a matter of fact the songs are available on a four song original EP as of today, as in RIGHT NOW! You may also recognize XYZ and VOICES that Jack and I released last year. I was excited that they also placed these songs in the film! Feel free to take a listen over on itunes :)

The cast was a small but super talented bunch. Mercedes Ruehl plays my mom... if you don't know much about Mercedes, you should google her. Academy award...check, golden globe... check, tony... check... basically she is an Emmy shy of an EGOT. She is rather legit you could say, and for being so successful and distinguished in her craft, couldn't have been more generous to a mere rookie like myself on the set. This isn't my first rodeo, but it's my second. She gave me some truly valuable advice to help me level up to the task of a lead role. This lady is a riot and it was an honor and a privilege to be under her tutelage. As it also was with Christian Campbell, who plays my older brother and former bandmate, who also has an extensive body of work. He really makes acting look easy, which it's not. Like a real big brother would, he took me under his wing and ran lines with me, we broke down the script and figured out subtext. Preparation equals confidence, and  I came to set feeling like I knew my scenes, thanks to the kindness and talents of Christian. Then there was Mike Barbuto, who plays the drums, and our brother as the third member of the "the Banner project" band. Nicest guy ever, and also helped me discover the art of crying on demand. You'd think this would be a slam dunk for an uber sensitive emo weepie like me, but it's not! Unless you're Mike, then it is, it's a real skill. Of course this is a Hallmark movie, so there is a hint of romance, and Chad Connell, brought it with his symmetrical features and super debonairness (totally expected that word to not really exist, however I see no dotted red line, so I am going with it) Yes, I said DEBONAIRNESS!!!

But really this movie is about the family. I play Desiree Banner, former singer and songwriter for the Banner Project, a small town band that she and her two brothers Mitch and Johnny started over a decade ago. Just as they were about to make it big time with their smash hit single "sun up sun down", she was swept away from the band by a producer from LA who convinced her she needed to make it on my own, leading her into a doomed marriage, and breaking up the band, causing bad blood between her and Mitch. Fast forward to now,  when they hear the sobering news that their mom, Rosalind has had a heart attack, bringing them all home to exist under the same roof together for the first time in ten years to look after her while she recovers. Now she finds herself forced to face the music (budum-ching). While she tries to deal with Mitch and the angry elephant in the room, she also discovers that her hometown of Pinewood Hills is in extreme economic distress potentially forcing them into bankruptcy. Her mother, who also happens to be the Mayor however, who has been known to always have a plan up her sneaky sleeve, secretly schemes up a way out of all of this mess while on bedrest...

and with all that, you're just gonna have to watch the rest to see what happens :) you could also watch a little trailer right HERE. 

Ahhh! So set your DVR's my friend, SATURDAY, JUNE 29th 9p/8c on the Hallmark Channel! Join me on twitter while I'll be nervously watching this movie for the first time!

PS- If you live in Los Angeles, I will be performing "sun up sun down" on Good Day L.A. this Thursday morning! 

And then on the Home and Family Show on the Hallmark Channel on Friday... Woohoo!

THE GIRLS WITH GLASSES TURN 3!

So if ya didn't know, my dear pal Summer Bellessa and I started this quirky little webseries three years ago known as The Girls with Glasses Show!

In three years we have created nearly 100 videos, we live in two different states, Summer had two babies, I had my first, there have been records, movies, magazines and whole lot of crazy in between. Really it's miraculous that we continue to pull this thing off. But, we have had a blast developing the girls with glasses, and to celebrate the occasion we are doing a give-away of our favorite things! Woo hoo!

Head on over to our blog Thegirlswithglasses.com to enter to win!! Super good stuff!!

Here are a few of my favorite videos to get ya started if you've never been acquainted with our four-eyed fun.

It all began with a song...

the story...

trainwrecks and catfights

(ps- please don't never sit on train tracks and tie yourself up with a rope)

we love hats

EASTER LOO AND A SONG...

Easter was quite happy. A rainy Sunday, a peaceful morning at church, a couple of simple Easter baskets, shish kabobs with a few kind friends and a whole lot of our Londy Loo. It was so fun to give her her first Easter basket and watch her dump all of it's contents on the floor... bubbles,  a book about Jesus, her own pretend smart phone and of course a little chocolate bunny. Dave found me a striped floppy hat and filled it with reeses peanut butter eggs, pretty cute and clever if you ask me. I gave him a small wooden box filled with a pink plaid Tie, a new mix CD for his car, a few cadbury filled eggs, and a handful of cutie oranges... he's done a lot of changing to his lifestyle and eating habits, so I had to go easy on the sweets. I hope I don't embarrass him by mentioning that he's lost 24 lbs and counting, He's practically a new man. Super proud of him.

Dressing up our little lady was fun, I found a yellow dress (it had a neon flower on it, but I took the seam ripper to it and got rid of it) and this over the top headband at Target late on Saturday night of course. She looked like a lil' flower child, I took nearly a million photos of her. She kept making the funniest face every time she caught me taking a picture...  Personality oozing out of her lil' ears I tell ya.

Lastly, I know it's Just another music monday, and I had something, but then my 30 day editing software trial is over. I am debating between sticking with the Final Cut Pro which I find super user friendly, or going with Adobe Premier, cause I've been hearing good things. Any tips or thoughts from you editing gurus out there? Until I get that worked out (hopefully this week), I thought I would share this video from the archives. 

Quite a while back I had received an invite (in the form of a tweet) to go record with the Lower Lights, if you may or may not remember. They are one of my favorite music collaborations out of Provo, Utah, I've mentioned them on many occasion. But if ya haven't been introduced, The lower lights are a slew of abundantly talented music  making folks that get together in the studio to create spontaneous musical magic, re-interpreting hymns and other classic songs of a spiritual or Gospel nature... a Hymn Revival! You really should get into The Lower Lights... so good.

This was one of the tunes that myself and a few of the lads arranged and harmonized in the stairwell of the studio. It is a song we used to sing in primary, particularly around Easter. It is called "He sent his Son". Primary songs are simple and pure, they have a way of transcending our stubborn overcomplicated grown up minds and getting into our hearts and reminding us of our more innocent selves.  Well it does for me anyway :) I really hope this video works for you, I couldn't find it on youtube so it's a ustream video therefore it's a bit wonky at times. Please endure the lame advertisement at the beginning and take a listen... (if it doesn't work, watch it on the little screen here)

"Have faith, have Hope, live like his son, help others on their way..."

Video streaming by Ustream

Oh and a few more things:

-An idol update with my pal Lyndsey Parker at Yahoo Music. Are you watching this year? Who's your fave?

-Have you heard of Jessie Baylin? I wrote a little post about her and her record (which is my new favorite) over on The Girls with Glasses Blog

JUST ANOTHER MUSIC MONDAY: HERE NOW

About four years ago I was writing songs, all day, every day for several days...

Then one day... BAM. I hit a wall. I had nothing left. 

Writers block they call it. I had it, and it bummed me out hard. What if I was never going to be able to write another song again? What did this mean? Was my life void of inspiration, passion and experience? Months went by, I read the artist way (life changing, you should read it), I wrote morning pages, wrote a gratitude journal took myself on artist dates to the Getty, got a sketch pad and sketched a bunch of hands and eyeballs, flowers in vases and mickey mouse, spent more time serving at church, I walked several laps around the lake at balboa park and listened to a lot of Joni Mitchell... I even attempted, quiet time... that was weird. I wondered if maybe I was trying too hard, and then some days I wondered if I was trying hard enough. 

I'd sit down behind the piano, hours would pass, a blank open page of my notebook staring me down... but there was nothing. So I pulled out the guitar, and spent a lot of time just, holding it... but there was nothing. I spent a lot of time obsessing over the fear that I was never going to be able to write again.  I went about life on autopilot, doing a lot of stuff, but in my mind became a hostage to my dramatic, fear based thoughts. I reminisced of the days when I had something to say, something to play... and started questioning my choices. 

I had to keep reading this... 

Panic. Despair. I quit...

Kinda, but not really. Quitting never lasts long for me. I did pray, for songs, or for acceptance that there would be no more songs, maybe it just wasn't what I was supposed to do anymore.

Fast forward a while, I can't recall how long. I played a lot of gigs, sang the songs I had. I was sitting in front of the mirror blow drying my hair with a round brush when it came... 

fast forward then rewind

look ahead and look behind...

In a rush of excitement, I dropped the hair dryer and the brush like a hot potato and I ran to my keyboard... the intro was instant, I found the chords to support the melody that the words delivered to me. But then there was more...

present moment never lingers

time will slip right through your fingers

when... you're not livin' 

and everything, you've been missin'

you can't take back again...

And that was it. That was all I could get. Gah. For the next several weeks I would spend a few hours a day, staring at that verse, trying to figure out where it wanted to go next...

Months passed by, and I had gotten a call from a friend of mine in Nashville, Chris Oglesby, he connects writers, and was responsible for setting up some of my most successful co-writes. He wondered if I wanted to write with this guy "Busbee", Mike Busbee, who lived in Laurel Canyon. I figured maybe it'd be a good idea to get back to co-writing, so I said yes. That day I brought this song I had been working on... I played it for Busbee. I moved over, He sat at the piano and started singing... 

"How long, How long, till we've figured out, that we're here now"

"How long, How long, till we turn around and it's all gone, will we wish that we were still here now"

It was perfect. We finished the song in a little over an hour. That afternoon he created and we recorded potentially one of the greatest demos I've ever made, just a piano, vocal and strings. It just felt, true.

I popped the disc of the demo into my cd player and listened to it on repeat during the long drive home through the canyon. I was raw with emotion. I realized the song was schooling me...

I was waiting. We all are waiting. Waiting for that day when we'll finally be happy...

when we write a song.

when we get our braces off

when we graduate.

when we get married.

when we pay off the credit card.

when we get pregnant.

when we get some sleep

when we lose ten pounds

when we get a record deal

when we move out of the crappy apartment

when we remodel the kitchen
when we get our pay check and we can go buy more stuff

when we get a tan

when we quit workin' for the man...

when we get that apology

Really? I don't know, maybe we will be happier... for a minute, and then on to the next thing.

Or we get stuck in the past, we spend our precious minutes on regrets, wishing we had or hadn't, or we coulda shoulda, fantasizing we could rewrite history, or reminiscing a time we thought it had it all.

Don't get me wrong, I am not suggesting it is wrong to learn from our past, or to dream, or strive for a better future. It is actually really important, goals are great, change is necessary. 

But, what about now, what about this moment that we are in?! If we are stuck in yesterday or living for tomorrow, we totally miss out on today. And today is the best day ever, because it's what we got. And when it's gone, it's gone. 

Yep, Life is hard, it has it's disappointments and super crappy let downs, and we tell ourselves "the best is yet to come", but until then, maybe we can still be happy now.

And when I say "we", I kinda mean "me". Feel free to join me, let's be here now.

I've been saving this song... maybe the next record :)

JUST ANOTHER MUSIC MONDAY: POOR LITTLE FOOL...

i'm sorry. 

Feeling a little defeated as I type this and I don't think I have the energy to articulate why... and there is a giant mosquito hawk flying around my computer scarin' the crap out of me. I know he's harmless, and I don't want him to die, I just want him to go hang out in the living room. 

Basically, I'm tired of being late... 

I can't catch up, it's been this way for like fifteen years, or I don't know, maybe twenty nine...  I want to change, and I don't know how, and I am trying. In the words of what about Bob "i'm doing the work I'm not a slacker". But I'm slow, and I care too much about too much, indecisive and a tortured perfectionist working with a great deal of imperfection. Really, It's okay, but it's not, and this isn't a woe is me post. I'm just sayin'...

All of you decisive efficient people that are always on time, teach me, what is your secret?

I know I said I was going to post a Valentines Day song, but I thought Valentines was Friday, and I had been working on "close to you" by The Carpenters all week. It is not an easy song, and I wanted to do it really right, because it's Karen, and it's basically sacred. Then it turns out that Valentines Day was actually Thursday, and because life was serving me a Thanksgiving feast on a salad plate, I just wasn't ready for that. Incidentally, I was wearing my red hello sweatshirt which I have worn for nearly five days straight, and so I put a heart onesie on London and thanks to Summer, pulled off a cute instagram (see below). Dave came home from work with Valentines in hand for me and the Loo, sheepishly, I told him that Valentines was just going to have to be on Friday, like I planned.  I had a small thoughtful gift, the card but not a second to wrap it, or write it. But I couldn't even pull off Friday... Friday turned into Saturday.

Kinda like how Just another music monday has yet again turned into Tuesday... okay, almost Wednesday.  So I thought I would do "Close to you" for this week, but when I sat down at the piano on Sunday, my fingers didn't want to play it, my voice didn't want to sing it. Like I said, Mediocrity just isn't an option when it comes to the Carpenters.

It was Sunday, and probably one of the most perfect days that a February has ever seen. Dave suggested we head down to the beach. So we bundled up the Loo, grabbed the beach blanket and my guitar and headed on through the canyon to Malibu. We found a little spot on the sand, the tide was high but the ocean breeze was truly euphoric (it took me like ten minutes to find that word in my mind file) We walked London out to the water and put her toes in the sand and she let out some unbelievable giggles, ahhh, finally, a moment of pure contentment... Thank you Lord! I pulled out my guitar and thought maybe I would figure something out. Then I realized I forgot my capo at home (a capo is this small contraption that you clamp onto the neck of the guitar to change the key) and so I sat around and tried to figure out a tune in my key. I stumbled onto "don't panic" a vintage Coldplay classic. So just as the golden hour struck and the sun was setting over the sea I thought maybe I could capture the moment and sing "we live in a beautiful world" right in front of the pacific ocean. However, Londy's sweet pumpkin giggles turned to pterodactyl screams and she was ready to go, but I figured that there was no better scene then this for "just another music monday" so we got her set up on the blanket with a toy to chew on and put "whats the drawback" on my phone, it's her favorite song.

Dave manned the iphone camera, (as he has been doing for the last two videos, his camera skillz vastly improve week to week, he's becoming a pro, way to go Dave!) I started out my usual little intro, and started playing "bones sinking like stones, all that we fall for" when I looked over to see london rolled off the blanket with a handful of sand that she was shoveling into her mouth... so that was the end of that! I ran over and grabbed a wipee and tried to stop her, but she was hell bent on eating sand, so she did. There is a bit of footage of the whole fiasco, maybe you'll see it.

So yesterday was Presidents day, and I had yet to record a tune. I decided maybe I would try "God only knows". My favorite beach boys tune, and one of my favorite songs of all time. It was the song I sang during Hollywood week, that solidified my fate into the Top 50, and ultimately the Top 24. The publishing however was not cleared for TV, therefore no one ever saw it. I practiced it through out the day, again, not an easy song. After a day of yard work and tasks involving the Girls with glasses show, it was nearing 5pm, the sun was setting. Once you lose day light, the show is over. But after calming the Loo, recharging a dead phone battery, and forgetting the chords, a las, my third attempt was denied. 

Then it came to me this morning, Poor little Fool, a song that was written by a fifteen year old girl, intended for Elvis to sing, but then was recorded and made a hit by Ricky Nelson in 1958. It was a song from my childhood. My dad had an ovation guitar with heavy strings. I remember he would play "grandmas feather bed" by John Denver, and "Poor little fool" by Ricky Nelson, as we would sit around him in our jammies right before bed, and he would sing to us. It is one of my happiest memories, and one of my first favorite songs. So this morning, before I could even make the bed, I grabbed the Loo in her jammies and my guitar, put the Capo on the fifth fret and played this happy little ditty (but actually kinda sad) for my own little one. 

So, to carry on the tradition of Brad the dad, I give to you "Poor little fool"

JUST ANOTHER MUSIC MONDAY: BEST FRIEND (NEW TUNE!)

Due to technical difficulties, let's just call this Just another Music Tuesday... 

I was working on a lovey dovey cover (so many great suggestions btw, hard to choose) in honor of Valentine's day, and then got distracted with this little chord progression. I started picking the strings, I'm not the worlds best finger picker, but the magic of music took control of my fumbly 'ol fingertips and started to play them with ease, I like when this happens. The chords caused my eyes to close, my heart to ache. Then a hum in my vocalizer started humming... I followed the hum, and it led me down a path to these words:

it's not too late

I could be your best friend

hold my breath and swim into the deep end

of this mess of love that we've been drownin' in

ooohh

I knew it was the last chorus, so I worked backwards. Quickly the words spilt on the paper, I let them fall freely as they strung themselves together into a story. I let them sing the redemption song that they wanted to be. Eighty percent of it was written in fifteen minutes, the other twenty percent took about six hours, when I realized that this song was not the light hearted little ditty I had hoped to write. It wore me out. So, I just let it be what it is, a real life love song. There's a beginning, a conflict, a resolve and a hope that is never ending. That is the nature of a relationship that endures. I don't know if I would put the "done" stamp on it, I think it needs some time to marinate, might need to rearrange a few things, the bridge might need more, maybe it doesn't, I don't know. The first performance is always an experiment, a bit timid... and it makes me nervous, so here it is...

PS-Talking about songs is always weird. I just write them, sing them, and hope they are heard the way the person needs to hear it... or feel it, really.

PSS-  AND I am over on Oh Joy! today as part of her "make someone happy" series... I helped her write little love song for her man Bob, kinda cute and fun! Watch it here

Oh! One last thing... what did you think of the Grammy's? I thought it was pretty classy, and I was rather impressed by many of the performances. Justin Timberlake... what can I say, I'm glad he's back. Rhianna was the surprise of the night for me, no over the top production needed with large doses of flesh, she stood there in a beautiful gown and simply delivered a pure, heart felt vocal. And then there's Bruno Mars, pow! So much energy! He is just slaying it out there and couldn't have performed better, but wait, then Sting joined him on stage with his bass, and he did his Sting thing, which is always dripping with awesome. I loved Mumford & Sons, and am glad to see the Lumineers taking over the world. I will also say how pleased I was that Gotye and Kimbra won song of the year, that song was a special one, and the fact that radio embraced it gives me hope and happiness. Kelly Clarkson was just mind blowing. Levon tribute was spectacular and reminded me of Michael Johns on tour, he literally watched the Last waltz maybe forty something times. Props to the Idol ladies, Kelly and Carrie for representing. Isn't it interesting that the most enduring and successful artists to come out of Idol are both female, and yet a girl hasn't won in six years? (Multiple factors here... and, No offense guys, y'all are great, just an observation :-) There are others I am forgetting, but overall, it was a good night. Made me want to sing and play and write much better than I do.

JUST ANOTHER MUSIC MONDAY: FIRE & RAIN

Well hello...

I've got so much I've got to tell you. A whole lot of blog posts just stock piling in the noggin, but not much time, or gumption to let them find their way out. I will spare you the blah blah blah about how 2012 was really hard, and how 2013 was all about starting over and going to be the most triumphant year ever...  and then there was the flooding of the kitchen, a flat tire on the way back to California, a traumatic trip to the ER with a monster of a kidney stone, the cold and the hacking cough, the flu and all it's goobers and snot (sorry, keep reading, it get's better), and now the Loo has had four scary days of fevers over 104 and a double dose of ear infections. I know, "cry me a river", "could be worse", "so much to be grateful for", but it seems to be one thing after another for many many moons now... 

That all being said, there seems to be silver linings all along the way, or maybe I just have to believe that, and be that kind of girl, the kind that always must find a reason, a lesson and wrap the crap up in a beautiful bow. But hey, it's only February, I'm still holding out hope, there is still time! Surely there is something to be learned from trial and pain... I think. No, I know...

Gosh I hope I'm learning. 

And yet amongst the darkness and shadow is this incredible beaming light that shines through... that light being my lil' London June. She sparkles so brightly, illuminating our path and truly showing us the way. She makes even the crappiest days seem simultaneously the happiest. Thank the good Lord for a baby.

Like I told you, so many blog posts. I'd love to give them a life eventually... 

Honestly, I'd really like to spend more time here, on the blog, writing about things that matter. Because I've recently come to a strong realization, perhaps even a revelation; and seeing as I've been writing songs for nearly a decade now, it may seem obvious, but... may I be so bold to declare, I am a writer. And when I say that, I don't mean, I'm a Grammar technician (you've probably gathered that with all my run on sentences and dot dot dots), a novelist or a poet. But I have stories to tell, a lot of them. Hmmm, On second thought, maybe scratch the "writer" bit, and may I exchange that title for that of,  a story teller. A teller of true stories for the most part, and therein lies the problem, or challenge. I suppose I have held off writing many of these stories because I am trying to sort out my boundaries, what to say and how to say it and why I'm saying it, and what I will keep locked up in the sacred chamber. Which stories are mine to tell, and which stories also belong to the characters with in it, and they are more then mere characters, but real people, who I feel necessary to respect and protect. However, as one who is constantly striving and or tortured with being a perpetuator of truth, I yearn to give my most authentic self, and paint a picture of an honest life, with all it's roses and thorns. But like unto my great social media addiction, Instagram, sometimes we must put a filter on it. 

So until I've got it all that serious shtuff figured out, I thought I'd simply sing you songs. One of those posts will be about the music, and where it is going... I don't have that answer yet. But I have music, it is still rushing through my veins like blood. It sustains me and keeps me alive. And I've got an iphone camera...

Every Monday I am going to post a song here on the blog, and it shall be called "JUST ANOTHER MUSIC MONDAY". Sometimes it will be an original, something I'm working on, and sometimes it will be something someone else has written, or something that is tried and true. There may even be some guests joining me. Today, I am playing for you "fire and rain", a song by one of my most beloved artists, James Taylor. His humble voice is like a warm blanket, a dear friend, offering me comfort and sustenance along the journey.

Just a few days into the new year, I had the rare experience of taking a shower by myself. Now allow me to explain, I usually put my big baby girl in her tiny tub and stick her in the shower with me and that is how I manage to keep the both of us clean. But one evening Dave the dad suggested she watch the game with him while I shower solo. I set up my ipod doc and plugged in my old iphone. There wasn't a hesitation about what to listen to. I scrolled down to the J's and landed on my trusty 'ol JT. Greatest Hit's number one would be my selection. As I stood in the shower and let the hot water hit my tired head that housed my burnt out brain, I just stood there as the first few picks on the guitar of "Something in the way she moved" played and eased every last uneasy part of me and stressful thought. I sang along with my eyes closed. I didn't wash my hair, or shave my legs, I just stood there and sang every song from something in the way she moves to steam roller blues. But it was during "Fire and Rain" that I sang out from the depths, tearfully and loudly, as if I owned it, as if I wrote it, as if it was my story. In that moment, Fire and Rain was there for me in a way that almost nothing or no one could be. The moment was a gift from God. I know James Taylor paid a high price for fire and rain, but how grateful I was, how grateful I am, to him for paying it. 

And with that, I give you a much humbler version, at the piano, not in the shower. Please forgive my super elementary editing skills,  this video has got beginner written all over it, with format issues galore, couldn't figure out how to fix it, but nonetheless I feel like I'm gonna show it to you anyway :)

CHRISTMAS CARD...

It's the only time of year that I rush to the mailbox, in great anticipation of glorious holiday greetings, perhaps one of my favorite parts of the season...

The Christmas Card.

I know we are all seeing a lot more of each other these days with a never ending feed of instagram and facebook updates of our iphone self portraits, babies, cats, breakfasts and family vacations... but there is still something so old fashioned, personal and so very wonderful about getting envelopes in different sizes and colors,  with hand written addresses from different places, from people near and far... ripping open that envelope and holding the card in your hand, and taping it to the back of your front door, till it becomes a massive explosion of Costco holiday photo cards. There is of course the rare few actual cards, that open and shut, that usually don't hang on for long to the back of said door. And of course I especially enjoy the snowflake boarder stationary, with the full page typed, over the top yearly report Christmas letters touting one by one all the wondrous achievements, promotions, trips and eagle scout awards! Bless 'em.

But then there is sending out those cards... it is a labor of love a Christmas card is, anxiety inducing even. Getting a decent family photo where everyone is looking at the camera, with normal human smiles and eyes open... eyes of glee and holiday cheer, and not eyes full of "we're gonna rip eachothers heads off" rage... there is the bribery of little children and husbands rolling their eyes when the photographer says "ok, just one more!". And then there is addresses, it always seems like half the people in the address book move every year, thankfully we can just get on facebook and send a mass message "hey could you text me your address so I can mail you a card?". And then there's postage?! And just one more trip to the post office for another blasted book of stamps! Before you know it you've dropped a couple Benjamins' on the dang Christmas card project.

But... It's worth it! I swear it's worth it, every year!

Then there is that moment, where you sit down with your address book, and as you go through the alphabet you might come across that name, or two... 

It's been a while, you've lost touch, should you send them a card? Are they going to send you a card? Maybe they will maybe they wont. Perhaps there was a falling out, over something silly... or something serious. But you look at that name, and you struggle, and you wonder, maybe this is your chance, an opportunity... an olive branch in the form of a Christmas card. It may not heal the world, undo what was done, but it may bring a smile, start the mend of a little broken heart.

I wrote a song about this... and I have to say, it felt inspired. All the above sarcasm and snark aside, this song is pure, from the heart, in my soul. And that's what the Christmas Card was always supposed to be about. 

Here's a little video of me playing it in my living room, thanks to Jack and Brad for making it :-)

"I HOPE HE DIDN'T GET BITTEN BY A LION"

So I've been wanting to post this for quite some time. This is my cousin Chase, he had surgery a while back this year... I watch it when i'm bummin' out and need a lil' bit, or big bit of laughter.

a tiny bit long, but oh so worth it. 

you're welcome. 

HOW'S IT GOING TO BE....

Remember the 90's? Remember Third Eye Blind? Remember "How's it going to be"? That guitar hook? So good right?!

When we were thinkin' up tunes from the 90's that we wanted to cover for our Undercover EP, we went through a million bajillion songs before we finally remembered this no-brainer. The original is so killer that we weren't quite sure what we were gonna do with it, but the evolution of the arrangement became that of a softer, understated, more vulnerable and organic take on this song about the wonder of what's left over in life after loving someone for so long. We really love it if we can say so ourselves...

It really is the perfect song, enjoy this brand new video right here... feel free to share it with a buddy or two.

ps- and yes that is the sound of a sweep of a broom on my hard wood floors. Thanks Neil Young for the inspiration.

UNDERCOVER GIVEAWAY #2

THIS WEEK WE ARE GIVING AWAY THIS HANDMADE J&W NECKLACE (I WANT!!)

AND A CD COMPILATION OF OUR ONE OF A KIND ORIGINAL ACOUSTIC WORKTAPES NEVER BEFORE RELEASED! 

JACK AND WHITE: THE WORKTAPES

And for the super fan, We’ll be giving away just ONE one-of-a-kind CD with 9 original worktape demos of the songs from Gemini & Winter PLUS demos of 2 unreleased songs that we originally wrote for Gemini! These worktapes have never been released and are unavailable anywhere else! The moment we finish writing a song, we record a very stripped down, bare bones version to get it down on "tape". A couple of them we only had half the song done, some of them have a couple flubs, some have a few different lyrics and some are more raw then others. We've even included two b-side tracks that have never been released. This is how it all begins boys and girls! Here’s the tracklisting:

1. Gemini (Worktape)

2. Double Trouble (Worktape)

3. Inside Outside (Worktape)                                    

4. Telephone Games (Worktape)

5. Smoke and Mirrors (Worktape)                           

6. Feathers (Worktape)

7. One More Time (B-side Worktape)    

8. Surrender (B-side Worktape)               

9. Night After Night (Worktape)

10. On The Bright Side of the Bad News (Worktape)

11. The Grown Up Song (XYZ) (Worktape)

THE SCOOP:

To participate in this week's Giveaway, we would love for you to help us out by posting this video of our cover of ELO's "Telephone Line" (featuring our friend Fitz of "Fitz and the Tantrums"). After posting this youtube link (see below) to your Twitter/Facebook/Blog/Pinterest/Lockerz etc., just leave a comment below letting us know where you posted the link! (and yes we actually check!:) A winner will be selected next Tuesday! (All participants names are submitted into a random app and the winner is randomly selected)

Telephone Line... the link:

http://youtu.be/6DihMwnF3jY

POST MESSAGES (or you can use your own, just include the link!)

Twitter:

Check out @theJACKANDWHITE 's video for their cover of ELO’s “Telephone Line”  feat. Fitz! http://youtu.be/6DihMwnF3jY

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/jackandwhitemusic (make sure like us and to tag us :)

Check out @Jack and White’s video for their cover of ELO’s “Telephone Line”  feat. Fitz! http://youtu.be/6DihMwnF3jY

Blog/Pinterest/Lockerz:

Post or Pin the video along with a link http://smarturl.it/undercover

Let the games begin!