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!