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!

6th Day BWC: Silent Night and A Spotify Premium Membership

Anybody that knows me, knows I live for playlist. When I grow up I just want to make playlists for a living. If I love you than I probably have made you a playlist, or a mix tape or mix CD. Whatever the format, nothing delights me more than to hand select song by song the perfect list of tunes to dance to, drive to, party to, cry to and just get through life to! From nostalgic and sentimental songs from childhood, to oldies classics, hip hop and top 40, cheezy adult contemporary, to indie rock to down home country, I am into just about everything. Well not everything, but most of it. And then there is Christmas music, which holds it's own special place in my heart and my music library. 

Today's giveaway coincides with my playlist obsession. I will be giving away 2 six month long premium memberships to Spotify! This means no ads, and the premium membership means you can listen to almost any song desire, on your computer, phone, device wherever you are!! Whether you're at home, in the car, at a friends, at work, at the grocery store (yep, London listens to spotify at Target all the time, keeps her from turning into a wild monkey child). This membership is usually $9.99 a month, so this is a pretty cool deal, well I think so anywho:) Also, importantly, it's a legal service and it still supports the artist, yay! 

So if you are a hardcore music lover like me, and you live for a good playlist, and you don't have a premium membership, then you should jump on this!

TO WIN:

1. START: A Spotify account if you don't already have one (it is free and easy to sign up)

2.  FOLLOW: Follow my Brookify Playlist (posted above in this post!), which I will be changing and updating week to week, starting in 2014! Yay, dreams come true!

3. CREATE: your own 10 song Christmas Playlist and include at least one song from my album, Brooke White Christmas! 

4. COMMENT: Leave me a comment letting me know you entered, and your favorite Christmas song

Lastly, tonight is the big show, it's been a long time, and I am looking forward to jumping on a stage with my awesome band, playing some tunes and connecting with the audience. One of the moments I am most excited about is singing Silent Night, we will close the show with it and have the audience sing along. I did this last year, and the feeling in the room was beyond magical. Music is a gift!

There are still some random single seats left, as well as a row or two available towards the back. If you've got nothing to do, come get into the Christmas Spirit with us tonight at 7:30 at the Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza! 

Also, winners for the last two contests:

Day 4: Sequin Pants: this was a hard one! Bravo to the six brave souls that danced for the pants, but they were all so cute and hilarious, it was so hard to choose! The winner of the sparkly pants and a signed BWC CD is: @lyndsbeegee, yeah girl you went for it, and it is so good! laughed my head off. go you!

Congrats!! Please send an email to BrookeWhiteMail@gmail.com with your address and size, woohoo! 

Day 5: Winner randomly drawn for 100 Christmas Card Prints from ASHLEE'S PRINTING: @ladybugaloo! Cute family you've got! Send an email to BrookeWhiteMail@gmail.com to get the process started for your Christmas cards! Hooray! 

5th Day of BWC: 100 Custom Christmas Card Prints

This giveaway goes out to all the slackers out there, the procrastinators, the wait till the last minuters! Haha, let me rephrase that, to those of us who have yet had a free second to even think about Christmas Cards. Guilty! I still haven't put one together, however I just can't bring myself to not send one. So I opt for the better late than never. I just love Christmas Cards, especially receiving. I know we all see each others faces just about everyday on Instagram and Facebook, but there is still something so magical and nostalgic about getting a card in the mail, with a stamp, and  a lovely pieces of paper that you can hold in your hands and tape to the backside of the door. I look forward to it every year. 

I love Christmas cards so much, that I even wrote a song about it. This song is possibly one of the most inspired songs I have written in the last five years. Written from personal experiences. A song about forgiveness and reconciliation in the smallest simplest form of a Christmas card. Explaining meaning of songs is always weird, Maybe you want to just listen to it here. This is a real heart song. I get a tiny tear in the corners of my eyes when I sing it. 

Remember last years awesome Christmas Card Contest? There was an incredible level of participation and it made my heart literally sing with glee and gladness to see all of the creative and unique designs that so many people came up with. I wish we had more time, but we're kind of cutting it close to Christmas, pushing the envelope if you will. Pun Intended.

So this year we are simplifying with a one day giveaway. Whether you plan on getting your cards out in the final hour, or you want to send a New Years card, or heck, a Valentines Greeting, than this giveaway is for you! Or you can even use this giveaway for next year! 

Our cool Friends in Mesa, Arizona of ASHLEE'S PRINTING are kind enough to give away 100 custom printed Christmas Cards of your own design to one wonderful winner! Note: They do not do the design, just printing. So if you like designing your own cards, or have a friend or family member who does, then this is for you! The turn around is super fast, so you will have them quick! 

TO WIN:

- POST: your favorite family picture, whatever your family looks like, newly weds, cute kids, you and a cat. NOTE: This doesn't have to be the picture you would use on the actual card! For an extra entry, you can even post your design. 

- TAG: Hashtag #5DayofBrookeWhiteChristmas and tag @realbrookewhite 

- COMMENT: Leave me a comment letting me know you entered, especially if your account is private.

Winner will be randomly selected and chosen by noon tomorrow!! 

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

3rd Day of BWC: Oh Come All Ye Faithful Free Download!

So sorry for the delay! Because it's the sabbath, and because of technical difficulties, today's giveaway  is running a little late! But since it's Sunday, and because today's giveaway coincides with "oh come all ye faithful", I wanted it to have a little more simplicity and meaning. While I love to decorate and shop for gifts, some of my most favorite moments are the quiet ones, filled with peace, without stuff, without the bustle and endless to-do's. I love the moments when the spirit calms my soul and I feel that intangible joy that is hard to explain with words. 

Last night, after getting home from our church christmas party and put London down for bed, I sat at the table near the glow of the christmas tree, the house was still and quiet, and that feeling came over me. For me, for many, this season is about the birth of Savior, the gift he gives a broken world of peace, of hope and of second chances. While listening to "Oh come all ye faithful" the words that stood out ro me were "joyful and triumphant".  That's what this season is about.

Everybody wins today. Click on the Photo below for a FREE DOWNLOAD of Oh Come All Ye Faithful! This song was one of my favorites to record from Brooke White Christmas, the simplicity of just the piano, and voices. My passion is creating harmonies, and this was a real joy to put together. I hope you enjoy it too!

Feel free to spread the love, with the cover pic and this link: http://t.opsp.in/h1kl7

2nd Day of BWC: Barn Owl Primitives and My Christmas Living Room

On the second day of Christmas, Brooke White gave to me (you).... A Barnowl Primitives sign!

I am excited to give you a little looksies into my Christmas living room. As a kid, the most magical day of the year is when we would put up our Christmas tree and my dad would get out the "christmas boxes" from the attic with all of our decorations. We would blast Carpenter's Christmas and Beach Boy's Christmas while we hung ornaments, strung lights, and went wild turning the house into a little piece of holiday heaven. Now that I am grown up with a little kid of my own, I'm still obsessed with these traditions, if not more so! Real trees are a must, as well as a collection of fake trees that I buy on super clearance after Christmas every year. I have five trees this year, Dave thinks it's a tad excessive, I say there's no such thing, can you have to many Christmas trees? Too much Christmas spirit? um, not possible.

Of course it takes me all of December to put it all together with boxes open and strewn about the house (not shown: we pushed them into the dining room aka "the disaster zone" for this picture). It never gets finished with the hustle and bustle of the crazy time of year. Nonetheless, I try, actually I love that it's never finished, I love chipping away at it, one little decoration at a time. 

One thing I love to do is find little pieces of art to hang on the walls during Christmas, however I'm pretty particular, it can be kind of hard to find something not super cheezeball, and the good stuff can be a little expensive for just a month or two. Most of the times I just make something out of a huge canvas or an old piece of plywood. But this year my awesome friend Kristi of Barn Owl Primitives surprised me with this amazing Christmas sign and I was so excited!!! As you can tell I have a thing for black and white, and with the little dash of red for Rudolph's nose, it was just the perfect fit for my space. Seriously, made for eachother.  

Kristi was kind enough to join in my giveaway and is going to give one of these happy signs away!

Here's what you do to Win:

1.  Repost the above picture on Instagram -OR- a picture of your Christmas living room or any room of your house that is your favorite festive space.

2.  Follow @barnowlprimitives and @realbrookewhite on Instagram

3.  You must tag #2DayofBrookeWhiteChristmas

4.  For an extra entry to win you can pin a picture from this post on pinterest. Leave me a comment with the link.

Winner will be drawn randomly and announced tomorrow! 

I wish it could stay Christmas in my living room all year long

the tree... short and sweet

it's a small world garland! Found these little ornaments from target, just sewed their mittens together! 

Dancing with my Loo in our Christmas living room to Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas! 

Nothing more Christmasy than a roaring fire on a 72 degree day! lol.

My new paintings on the wall finally! And that big 'ol pom pom hat, a DIY here

Oh and I almost forgot! The winner of the 2 tickets to my show is: @kezonfire Keziah send an email to @brookewhitemail@gmail.com for your tickets!! woohoo!

12 DAYS OF BROOKE WHITE CHRISTMAS!

Hip hip hooray and ho ho ho! Let the countdown to Christmas begin! I am not one to do give-aways and contests, however this year I thought it would be kind of fun to give to my friends and fans some of my favorite things! These aren't elaborate over the top giveaways worth millions of dollars, but just the little trinkets and treasures and wonderful little things that make me happy that I genuinely use in everyday life. Being an indie gal since the beginning, I especially love supporting small and independent businesses, makers and artists and most of these cute festive objects are in collaboration with some wonderful little companies. Of course there will be some handmade items made by yours truly, I'll even be giving away a painting! 

Of course I wanted to incorporate music, because, music is my favorite!  Every winner will get a signed copy of Brooke White Christmas :)  If you already have one, it could make a nice stocking stuffer for your mother or your brother or your friend?! Every day and giveaway will coincide with the songs on Brooke White Christmas. We will be giving away one giveaway per day, and will announce the winner the following morning along with the next days giveaway! Also, you are free to enter every giveaway!

Follow along for the next 12 days to be a part of the fun and perhaps be the lucky winner of one of these lovely giveaways! Each day will contain the rules for the giveaway. 

So without further ado let the 12 days of Brooke White Christmas begin!

DAY 1: CHRISTMAS TIME IS HERE! 

GIVEAWAY:  2 awesome tickets, to my upcoming Christmas Show at The Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza. Of course a hug and meet and greet is included :) Obviously you will need to either live in Southern California, or take a plane, train or automobile to get here for the show! 

HOW TO WIN: 

- This giveaway will be held on Instagram 

- Quite Simply repost the show flyer below

- Tag a friend on your post, as well as me, @realbrookewhite : )

- you could include a cheezeball caption like "christmas time is here, Brooke White show and cheer"

- must include the hashtag #1dayofBrookeWhiteChristmas and tag @RealBrookeWhite in your post! 

- Winner will be chosen randomly, and will be announced tomorrow morning here on the blog! 

HELLO HELLO AND A CHRISTMAS SHOW... OR TWO!!

Greetings my friends! Can you believe that we are in the midst of the Holiday season?! Getting really excited (and hungry) for Thanksgiving! And then it's Christmas! Holy smokes, this is happening!

I just noticed my last blog post was back in October, such a slacker. Well not really, actually I am blogging up a storm over on The Girls with Glasses and Disney's Babble.com as a style contributor. Can we talk about how much work blogging is? That is it's own post. Anywho, I do have a great deal of catch up to do here. The deal is, you can expect a fresh new face here soon on BrookeWhite.com as I am getting ready for a brand new, prettier, higher functioning site that will encompass everything I love, music, motherhood, real life talk, style, art (i've been painting a lot these days... another post), home stuff etc. Until then, there's not a whole lot going on here, and I'm bummed about that.

But there are a few wonderful festive and lovely things in the works. First, this fun show that I am so happy to be putting on for the folks of Southern California on December 18, 2013. This is the one and only live show I am doing during the Holiday season, and I am going all out. It is going to be at a gorgeous venue in Thousand Oaks, The Civic Arts Plaza. There will be a grand piano, a full band, the works. I am practicing everyday cause I don't get out there and play like I used to (another post) so I just want to be ready and really deliver something special. If you live around these parts I would love for you to join us for a merry night of music! Tickets are available now on Ticketmaster.com! 

Okay, so my plan was to play a show in my home state of Arizona and then one somewhere in the heart of Utah, however that plan just didn't come together! Bummer! Maybe someday I'll make some money and will take this whole show on the road and get over to the east coast. Until then, I found a way to come to you and be everywhere in the world at the same time and play a little show for you! Have you ever heard of StageIt.com ? Basically it is an internet venue, where you log on, pay what you want, it can be as little as 10 cents to a dollar or whatever you wish, and you can join me where you are for an acoustic Christmas show with my three piece band! I will also be chatting with y'all and it should be a lovely time. That will be Tuesday, December 10th at 5:30 pm PST. Click here for all the details!

London's first time to Disneyland!

All in all, life is just a feast, so much to partake of everyday, sometimes I am so full and don't feel I can take another bite, but I do, because I am grateful for the abundance of opportunity, love and creative inspiration. My family is at the heart of my existence, I am trying with diligence to make them first, it is a substantial part of the reason I am not on the road, in the studio everyday or on a set somewhere. Of course I am still creating everyday, but I do what I can, and I keep it close to home. Close to my London, who turned 18 months this very day. How is this possible? This time is short. Being present in my marriage and my little ones life over the last year and a half has been worth the sacrifices, and that is what I am most grateful for this Thanksgiving.

Thanks to you for caring, reading, watching, listening and connecting with me as I travel along this interesting and challenging terrain known as real life! I wish to you the happiest Thanksgiving filled with people you love, and food that is delicious. 

Love,

: )Brooke 

PS- Oh yes, and check back soon for my "12 days of Christmas"! Also follow along over on Instagram

GOODBYE SUMMER...

A big gust of wind came through this week and started blowing leaves off the trees and into the streets. 

The sun is starting to fade around 6pm and with each passing day, it gets darker earlier and earlier.

It's Falling... The days are still warm, but it won't be long till we are turning on the heat.

Wow was that fast or what? I am trying to let go of Summer, of these days at the beach with London running into waves with big little laughs and not a smidge of fear. Watching her grow was the highlight of my summer. We walked, talked, read stories and spent a little time at home for a change. These were the days, days that feel like they go on forever... and warm evenings without sweaters or coats. I loved my summer Artist way group, enjoyed the visitors that came to stay on vacation, and I couldn't get enough of wearing my mumu, Dave however, could. I am a summer girl, and I always will be.

We went for a family walk this morning and the air was crisp, and I thought to myself "well, this is pretty nice". I know it will get colder and these early mornings have been dark making it just a little bit trickier to pull ourselves out of bed. But October is really the magic month of the season. I know everyone loves fall, with it's boots and apples, (y'all, I've become apple crazy, writing a post on that)and pumpkins and Halloween. I am going to fall into it all, I even put out my scarecrows. 

Goodbye Summer, until next time, thanks for everything, you were the best.

 

YOU KNOW YOUR READY FOR A HAIRCUT WHEN...

Seems like old news, but I cut my hair this summer. Seems like we all cut our hair this summer. Something in the air?! If you followed me on vine (remember vine? do you still vine?)  six months ago I posted this silly six second ramble about my incurable urge to chop my hair... like a virus.  I battled that urge for six months, me against the scissors, and exhausting all my weak resistance, the scissors took the win. And I am okay with that...

I've had the same 'do for nearly a decade now, with the exception of a impulsive emotional chop to my mane that I gave myself in the first year of marriage. I admit it wasn't my finest look, but I was 21 and everything about life was changing. We often take it out on our hair when we feel like we are out of sorts with ourselves, or feel out of control. Being a beauty school drop-out I still have a pair of old shears in the closet just waiting to lop off some hair. Usually I just go for the bangs, once a year, every winter when my skin gets dry and my forehead gifts me a few extra wrinkles, it's cheaper than botox and more natural. But every once in a while those scissors give me a good stare down and I have to put them in a high place and walk away... 

JAMM: SOMETIMES LOVE...

Hello there! You have two options, you could either, one,  just watch the JAMM above and move along your merry way, the more time efficient option. Or two, you could watch the JAMM and read my 2 a.m. attempt at breaking down my productivity issues. Totally up to you, choose your own adventure : )

Sometimes Love, track 10 on High Hopes and Heartbreak, my full length post idol record. Can you believe that it's been over four years ago that I put it out into the universe? I love this old song, it's probably considered a B-side, it sits quietly near the end, those are always my favorites. I wrote it with Kelley Lovelace in Nashville. This song felt so right when we wrote it. It was a one take wonder in the studio. I remember sitting down at the piano with a microphone in front of my face, surrounded by the band. We hit record, I counted to four and played it and sang it, all of it happening all at once. One take, that was all it needed. I'll never forget that magic moment. Lucky to have had it. This song is special... listen to the words. Proud of these ones...

HOW TO SURVIVE A FRIEND BREAK-UP....

About six months ago I quickly scribbled a bunch of thoughts I felt inspired to share on a piece of paper, then I folded it in half and stuck it behind a box for a time I was ready. I found it tonight, so I think it's time. It's probably going to be long.

They say that breaking up is hard to do... there is a wealth of information out there on how to deal with the end of a romantic relationship, divorce or a separation with a lover. But what about when something goes wrong in an important friendship? It's a topic that I haven't seen a lot of talk about. I am ready to talk about it.

A friend break-up can be just as traumatic as the unraveling of a romantic relationship... we are left with a lot of loose ends, and the end of a friendship can dramatically change the landscape of your life, particularly if you live far away from your family...

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!

HELLO SUMMER...

Feelin' in a great mood today, it's the first day of Summer, and there is magic in the air.

I think I've decided that Summer is the season of all seasons...

and while I live in California where it seems to be the land of the endless Summer, there is still something extra special about this time of year...

I love how the my bedroom fills up with light early in the morning, and doesn't fade till after nine pm. 

I live for these long days... as long as the sun is shining I feel like I can conquer the world!

I can't get enough of seedless watermelon with a little sprinkle of salt.

I love when Dave fires up the BBQ and grills burgers with pineapple after work... and I think it's deliciously awesome that we eat corn on the cob with nearly every meal.

I love Sunday drives down the PCH to the beach after church.

I get a rush rolling down the 101 with the windows down while blasting Good Vibrations by the Beach Boys and amber by 311, or anything from Pete Yorn's music for the morning after with the warm wind blowing my hair into a big gnarly knot.

I feel free with no coats and liberated in a dab of lip-gloss and no make-up.

I look forward to quick trips to the carwash, my favorite place to sit out in the sunshine and eat a strawberry shortcake ice cream bar while oldies blare over the intercom, songs like smokie's tears of a clown

I long for the smell of sun screen and Banana Boat suntan oil.

I love evening bike rides through the hood, seeing kids playing outside and people walking their dogs

I'm talkin' Flip flops, family vacations to San Diego, saturday home improvement projects, fireworks and the Fourth of July!

And this year, a lot of time spent with our Londy Loo, watching her grow, taking her on early morning walks, pushing her on the swings and watching her chunky roley poley legs walkin' and waddlin' in a soggy diaper and swim suit of red white and blue with her sweet little belly hanging out... splishin' and a'splashin at the Splash Pad amongst happy kids.

Life is good in the Summer time.

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