These Shoes Don't Fit

Nov_2_2010_ellencherry_video blog

2010-11-02T12:45:00.000-07:00

August_31_2010_vlog.mp4

2010-09-01T09:16:00.000-07:00

Night of 1,000 Dylans.mp4

2010-08-20T11:54:00.000-07:00

ellen cherry at Fairfax Corner August 2010

2010-08-20T09:28:00.000-07:00

August 12 2010 vlog

2010-08-12T08:21:00.000-07:00

July_10_2010_vlog.mp4

2010-07-16T09:56:00.000-07:00

June 17 2010 vlog

2010-06-17T14:58:00.000-07:00

June 10 2010 vlog

2010-06-08T15:19:00.000-07:00

May 20 2010 ellen cherry video blog!

2010-05-19T19:59:00.000-07:00

VID00031

2010-05-11T10:56:00.000-07:00

May 1 2010 vlog

2010-04-30T15:47:00.000-07:00

Alonzo's Lullaby at Quest Fest--FREE THIS WEEKEND!

2010-03-05T07:41:00.001-08:00

February 15, 2010 ellen cherry vlog!

2010-02-15T13:56:00.001-08:00

Monday morning TED

2010-02-15T07:28:00.001-08:00

nothing like waking the brain up with a little String Theory, eh? Happy to say I understood about 1% of this, woohoo! I'll improve.

today's TED talk

2010-02-02T07:14:00.000-08:00

http://www.ted.com/talks/jk_rowling_the_fringe_benefits_of_failure.html

will be posting a video blog later today! smoochies.

Woody Norris invents amazing things | Video on TED.com

2010-01-27T07:04:00.000-08:00

Woody Norris invents amazing things | Video on TED.com

sorry for not posting in so long

2009-12-22T14:35:00.000-08:00

alot has been going on. happy holidays!!

you too

2009-09-30T13:55:00.000-07:00

super fan of all music, including ellen cherry music, Raj, took me and #1BB to see U2 at FedEx Field yesterday. wow. and wow again. i like their music. don't get me wrong, i like it as much as the next guy, but there are some people who love it so much they loerve it. it was insanity. we arrived at 1:30PM to wait on line, get some numbers and wrist bands and then were let onto the field at 5PM. it was nice to have an afternoon hanging out with a good friend, and having us peek into his, and many others', obsession for awhile.

U2 are great performers. the sound was great. the stage was amazing. overwhelming. a modern day, moveable cathedral. i suppose that's the point. U2's Cult of Personality is having us always look up at them and be overwhelmed by spectacle. I have never thought of the shows I've seen on video, DVD or photographs to be intimate experiences for the audience. But still, that's okay because I was amazed by everything that went into the show. An outside observer would have seen me standing still while everyone jumped around me, in time to the music. I was wide-eyed, intensely watching The Edge as he played through the songs. I was fascinated by the flow of everything and how easily they traded guitars--it had been done many times over and was familiar. So were the songs, even though there were a few times with The Edge appeared to be "searching" for a note over the pre-recorded other guitar tracks that were playing. I tried not to smile when I heard a possible flubbed note--it made me happy. That was a human being up there, playing in front of 60,000 people.

There was a point when Bono walked over the inner circle area where we were. I caught this picture of everyone looking up. It was very strange. I felt I was the calm person in the middle of some kind of madness. I don't like big crowds at all and Raj was concerned about my anxiety, but i managed to handle this by concentrating on one thing at a time. First I would watch Adam Clayton stomp around the stage like a bass Godzilla in his sparkly trimmed gray pants (gents, I don't know how he does this, but those pants made him look super fine.)

I wondered if it feels completely odd to be sitting at your drum riser and have it spin around at pre-determined times. Then, at the end of the show, Bono wears a jacket that has lasers, literally, shooting out of it. Trust: it was not cheesy, but incredibly cool.

But my favorite part was watching The Edge. I confess, I did have one of those moments where I thought: is he looking directly at me? So i tried to give a little smile. Now, on reflection, it makes me laugh. I must have been a little starstruck.

It's going to take the crew 2-3 days to pack up this stage and move it to the next location. Amazing.

It reminded me of what I saw last summer in Wisconsin: The Forevertron. It's possible that your life is unfulfilled if you don't have both the U2 and the Dr. Every experience at least once. I highly recommend.

last week's video blog....oops, sorry it's late

2009-09-30T13:53:00.000-07:00

video blog--trying to get these started again....

2009-09-10T18:44:00.001-07:00

maine

2009-08-31T14:55:00.000-07:00

have to get to a meet and greet dinner with other Summerkeys students, but so far, cello camp is FUN. we stopped at this blueberry stand along the way. apparently, Maine is the capital for blueberries. i admit, they were very delicious!!

mini tour with the lovely Dylan Sneed

2009-08-13T08:00:00.000-07:00

Last night, Dylan Sneed, my fellow Texan and now a South Carolina resident, played the El Rancho Grande in Baltimore, MD. we had a great crowd, thank you guys for being there! I was worried--sometimes it's hard to get people out on a Wednesday in the town you live in. But we did it, it was really great. Dylan is a wonderful performer and an amazing guitar player. Alternate tunings, looped stuff, and just beautiful tone and technique. it was an education to watch him play. I feel like i learn so much just by being around these great players.

we play DC tonight and again tomorrow night (in Georgetown). We have some guaranteed cash, so that takes some of the pressure off and we can just play and enjoy without worrying so much about the size of the crowd.

'cello camp is coming! i'm stoked. I met with my pals at Naked Blue, Jen and Scott Smith, who are making the trip with me. Jen and I played 'cello together yesterday for about 10-15 minutes. we are going to have a great trip, i'm excited for this adventure.

There's some other adventures going on that I wanted to mention just because I'm excited and happy for my friends and their pending new additions to their families. My drummer, Darin and his wife Carrie are expecting a girl, due in December and my friends Doug and Jaia are expecting a boy. For some reason, it makes me so happy to know that these caring and thoughtful people are producing more people. It's like a balancing act, ya know? I know that they are going to make great parents and raise kids that are also thoughtful and kind and caring. We need more people like that. So kudos to you guys for doing that hard work! I appreciate it and the world appreciates it too. Keep me posted, okay?

where did July go?

2009-08-07T09:07:00.000-07:00

i feel like i missed the whole month of July. i'm a bit sad about that. summer is my favorite season and it's been flying by. i'm not complaining. busy is good. busy is money to invest back in the e.c. company. busy is money to pay for strings and food and bills. busy is just....well, busy. i did alot of stuff in July, but the enjoyment of the stuff, it was too small. too rushed. i couldn't sit back and watch things happen. i was in the thick of it with little or no time for reflection.

i'm sorry if you've visiting here and wondering what the heck happened. also, not blogging has meant that i haven't been keeping up on my diary either. i think today's the day to catch up on that. and a whole host of other things too.

plus, the weather is insane today. sunny, sparse whispy clouds. breezy. this dry, warm day.......i just had the feeling come over me that it was 1980 and it's May in Texas. i'm sitting on the curb outside my house and i have that thrill. you know the thrill: everything is front of you and you don't know anything. everything is still yet to be learned, to be heard, to be seen. i'm only 5 years on the planet and although i've observed alot, there's still alot to be observed.

*****

two men just walked by on the sidewalk behind my house, speaking a language i don't know. it brought me back to here, where i'm sitting on my porch in Baltimore. that 5 year old i was talking about above, she's 30 years ago almost. i'm back here now, but it still feels like a Texas day in early summer. i'm suddenly homesick. not for a place, but for a time and place that can never be again.

too long, out of touch

2009-07-08T12:56:00.000-07:00

sorry, my little chicklets....i've been avoiding the computer. not really avoiding, just spending as little time as possible in front of it. spending time outside, painting my house, etc. actually playing some music!

but fun things have been in the works and June's show were great. there's always so much going on...it's been nice to have a few moments to myself to just sit. sit and think. those moments are few and far between and i've cherished them.

The big show this weekend is the Stoop Storytelling summer show, called "Baltimoored: Summer in the City." It features the tales the Stoop is famous for, as well as featured music by me (ellen cherry), Caleb Stine and the Brakemen, Arty Hill, The 5th L and also performances by the Baltimore Improv Group. It's an old timey radio show and is going to be super fun. Starting tomorrow night, Thursday, July 9 through July 11. Tickets are still available, just click HERE.

more to come.....promise.
in the mean time, get out there in the world. get some vitamin D working in your skin. i'll see you out on the town!

ouch.

2009-06-04T07:26:00.001-07:00

I watched Ray Kurzweil on TED.com this morning. And my brain began to ache a little, attempting to keep up as he was talking about the advances of technology. But he mentioned the establishment of his Singularity University and I realized, I didn't quite "get" what they were using the word for. So I looked it up.....I googled "What is singularity?" Little did I know that while I'm painting the back deck today and power washing the sidewalk, I can ponder and attempt to ponder THIS. It's possible that there is a nearby future of smarter-than-human intelligence within my lifetime. This is the Evolution, no? Will we evolve right out of being human? And the bigger question is: once there are beings with smarter-than-human intelligence, will they be things that won't war, don't cry, laugh only on command or as a pre-set, designed reaction to stimuli? More importantly, will they be bigger jerks than us or more "compassionate"?

Shout out to Jim in Dallas: I read your comment and I'm too lazy to comment back on my own blog, but just wanted to say....well, I don't know what I want to say to that. If we figure out what happened the second before the Bang, well....I don't know: what happens to mystery? What happens to Wondering?

Back to powerwashing--which I am finding super fun and satisfying, but it's hurting my arms!!

particle man, particle man

2009-05-27T07:35:00.000-07:00

I've been watching TED talks in the mornings--a way to feel informed, and not out of the loop, since i am still actively trying to avoid reading the news. this morning's was Brian Cox, who was labeled on the TED site as the "rock star" of physicists. His talk was from last year, about the Large Hadron Collider, which was I was fascinated by when it was in the news. Mostly because there was this hilarious and scary quote from one of the scientists on the project who said "I don't think the world will end when we switch it on." (Cue sinister movie music: dunh, dunh, dunh.)

This talk is a bit confusing, because my brain, despite the 13.7 billion years its had to develop into something more than it is, does not compute alot of the physics--even explained "simply" as he tried to do in this short lecture. But at about 13 minutes, he starts talking about the stuff that fascinates me: what happened a billionth of a second after the universe began. cool.

Click here to spend 14 minutes pondering the universe....

Alonzo's Lullaby TONITE + Helen Fisher on TED talks

2009-05-22T08:09:00.000-07:00

Tonight is the debut of my original composition for "Alonzo's Lullaby", which is a shaddow puppet piece about the Hagenback-Wallace train wreck of 1918. Couldn't get more obscure than that, i suppose? Lots of top-40 hits presented during this one! (i'm kidding, you know that, right?) Kidding aside, I've composed, along with my friend Nick Sjostrom, a sparse but beautiful (even if i say so myself) 30 minute piece to accompany the shaddow puppets. And don't worry if you're not in Baltimore to see it--we're going to be presenting it elsewhere at festivals and hopefully colleges. I'll keep you posted.

I have loved working on this project, it's just been amazing. Annie and Molly and Nana Projects have been incredible. I made some video of behind the scenes work that we did on it as well and i'm hoping to turn that into a bit of promo material/documentary about the process. It has been my most memorable "scoring/composition" activity of my career so far. I'm grateful to have had the opportunity to participate and thankful for Molly to have asked me to put my voice and music to her show.

We debut it tonight--Creative Alliance, @ 8PM. See you there. And if not, we'll see you the next time we show it!!

In other news, I've been watching TED talks every morning as a supplement to skipping news reading. It really helps me to feel like i have something to talk about with people since i'm no longer up on current events. Today, I watched this one by Helen Fisher and was more impressed by the ideas she presented about Feminism. That women are now moving back towards the power and position in society and relationships that we had 10,000 years ago and even longer ago. That thought has had my mind spinning for an hour now.

Have a great weekend and I'll post again soon. See you out on the town!

no winners for Alonzo's Lullaby/Single Carrot Theater gala tix

2009-05-21T12:31:00.000-07:00

hello there dear little lamb-lets. sadly, no one took the bite on the free Single Carrot Theater gala offer of a ticket to the June 6 event in exchange for attending (with 2 friends) the Alonzo's Lullaby event tomorrow (May 22).

I will think of another way to get these tickets out to fans over the next week and keep you posted!!

debut of Alonzo's Lullaby!

2009-05-19T20:46:00.000-07:00

Please spread the word far and wide, especially in Baltimore! I've been working on a completely new original score for Nana Projects newest shadow puppet piece, Alonzo's Lullaby. We are debuting the new piece at Creative Alliance, this Friday, May 22 @ 8PM. I will be performing the 30 minute score, absolutely live, with my friend and collaborator, Nick Sjostrom.

Click to Creative Alliance for tickets. There's not a bad seat in the house and tickets are only $15 for what will surely be a strange and wondrous night. I'll also be playing a 30 minute set to start the evening. Here's the official blurb:

Madness, passion and sabotage are intertwined in the newest magic lantern show by the creators of the Great Halloween Lantern Parade. Inspired by the Hagenback-Wallace circus train wreck of 1918, Alonzo’s Lullaby is a luminous, richly-hued, shadow puppet play for adults, with original score performed by singer/songwriter ellen cherry and Nick Sjostrom. Funded by the Jim Henson Foundation.

Artscape!

2009-05-13T18:42:00.001-07:00

hallo friends. well, i made it to the regular Artscape Stage for Sunday, July 19 @ 3PM....but there's another competition: the Sound Off! Competition. And if i win this, i get to play on Saturday too. so vote HERE:

http://www.artscape.org/index.cfm

You can vote as many times as you want to. Seriously. So click it ALOT. it doesn't hurt. I promise.

And spread the word. It would be super fun to rock Artscape, not once, but TWICE.

2009-04-30T15:15:00.000-07:00

the day before i left Baltimore, the FOX45 folks asked me to come in to chat a bit about the promo and play it on the air. they were going to launch the campaign on Friday, April 10, but knew that i was leaving for tour, so they wanted to get something filmed before i left. i'll admit: it was really interesting to be in the studio. i hadn't yet seen their news program, but now that i've seen the studio AND the program, it's really interesting to relate things spatially. we filmed the spot and #1BB got up early on Friday to see it and described to me, over the phone, how it looked, etc. I was a nervous wreck filming it, though! And they just did one take, no time for screw ups!

so i left for the tour on Thursday, April 9. first stop, Charlottesville, VA, where i opened the evening at The Box, a little wine bar/hang out on the main square. The best part of the evening was meeting new people and hearing both Dylan Sneed (a songwriter from South Carolina, but a native Texan) and The Astronomers. Both put on a great show. The Astronomers were AMAZING. Please check them out, you will like them. And Dylan is going to make it in this business, i think. Great songs, great performance and super nice.

Next night, I headed to Charlotte, NC, where I met amazing musicians and played music with my friends Josh and my new friend, Marley Carroll. I hope to be composing some things long distance with Marley (who has his stuff together), but he's going to be waiting on me to get MY stuff together. Just a few more weeks, Marley....i swear.

Sunday, April 12, I headed to Johnson City, TN to play at the Acoustic Coffeehouse. The people there are incredible nice, and it's owned by this cat, Jim Benelisha. Jim emailed me a few weeks prior to the show and he asked if he could sit in, on 'cello, during my set. Sometimes, i'll be honest, when someone asks if they can sit in, I'm worried. Especially if I've never heard them before. Jim was amazing. A classically trained 'cellist with years of experience and a wonderful sensibility about playing with other performers. The next morning, I stayed for a bit longer just to be able to play with him again. He even generously gave me a few tips on my own 'cello playing. Curt, the sound technician, was also really cool. We chatted for a long time about music, the state of things the artistic world, how to keep your head above water and really just enjoy the technological developments of late, etc. Curt, if you happen to read this, thanks for the hospitality, the conversation and the offer of the Library of Congress on a huge projection screen. You are a cool, dude!

Monday, April 13, I headed to the famous Eddie's Attic, Decatur, GA. I would be one of 23 competitors for the Open Mic Shootout slot in June. You get to play 2 songs and Eddie himself judges the evening. He picks 3 performers to return to the stage and perform one more song. I made the finals! But, was not ultimately the winner that night. I wasn't disappointed, though. I had played my best and Eddie pulled me aside and said "ellen, i'm familiar with your music and would like you to come back here." Which was great! The next day, they called and invited me back for the Open Mic Shootout in June. (Sadly, I can't make it because of other commitments, but I'm hoping to go back for the Shootout in November.) That night, I stayed with my friend Chip, who works for a great for-profit company that's actually got a non-profit mindset: Better World Books. Chip is hilarious and talks faster than I do, if you can believe that. And just to let you in on the glamourous life of touring: When I woke up in the morning at Chip's house, i found out that one of his roommate's cats had peed in my clothes bag. I had two more days on the road before I reached Texas, my stopping point. I knew that I couldn't drive for 2 more days with a bag of clothes that smelled this bad. So, i weighed my options: throw the clothes out? Put them in a plastic bag and tie it to the outside? I decided to shower with the offending clothes, and did this before I located Chip's washing machine. Oh well. the clothes and I survived.

Tuesday, April 14, I headed up to Nashville to play another songwriter showcase. This time, I was lucky enough to be staying with my good friend Jack of the Jack Silverman Ordeal (he's an amazing guitar player and really funny dude, as well.) I played at the Listening Room, right near downtown and happened to run into fellow DC musicians, Lori Kelley and Cletus Kennely. I don't even want to guess at the odds of that, but they were there recording demos of new songs that they had written. It was great to hear them play together during their part of the showcase and also just to chat a bit about being working musicians. I played well, sold a few cds and made some connections. Success!

Wednesday, April 15, i headed to Texas. A long drive, but worth it because i got to spend the next week with my family.

Friday, April 17, i played in Dallas. Sharing the stage with the lovely and talented Johnny Lloyd Rollins. He just gets better and better. And also seeing some Dallas area based fans and friends. I need to make that circuit a little more frequently, i think.

On Sunday, April 19th, I drove to La Grange, TX, to play the Songwriter Showcase competition at the Bugle Boy. I have long admired one of the judges, Sara Hickman, and felt so lucky to play for her. She even took the time after my set to give me a helpful and detailed critique of my performance and songs. She was so encouraging, but her critique was the best just because it caused me to really pause and evaluate some of what i'm doing on stage. Thanks Sara!

The rest of the week was spent with the family and with my beloved childhood piano (that my parents keep threatening to sell.)

On Thursday, I headed back in the direction of Baltimore, stopping for 2 days in Louisville, KY, to see my friend Gabriel. He works for an A&E show called "The First 48" which i had not seen until this weekend. I knew it was a homicide detective show, but that's all i knew about it. When i got there, Gabriel was out "in the field" shooting the most recent homicide in Louisville: the death of a prostitute. Later in the evening, we watched some of his footage and I don't mean to sound macabre or give you the impression that I'm championing or endorsing ANYTHING, BUT: it's very interesting. One of my favorite shows on television has always been "Law and Order" and of course, I adored "The Wire." But there is something strange and bizarre about watching footage of an actual crime scene. It was unreal. strange. And then my mind made the connections: no, this is a real person. The detectives are all real people. No one is acting at all. The experience of the entire weekend has stayed with me.

Now I'm back in Baltimore and I can't believe that tomorrow with be the first day of May. Where is this year going!?

Thanks for letting me ramble. I'm going to try to be more timely about updates from now on. But i'm not making any promises! Just the promise that I'll try!
To everyone that I met out on the road: thanks for your support along the way and I hope to see you again soon.

2009-04-30T11:20:00.000-07:00

excuses. i'm getting better at turning a phrase in a song. of telling a story. or at least, that's what i'm dedicating my creative energies towards. but really, if i'm honest, the thing that i excel at, no, the thing i am becoming Master Craftsman of, is: making excuses.

for some reason, it's easier. and because it's easier, i've been doing it alot. and because i've been doing it alot, i'm getting better at it, and it's becoming easier. i recognized this part of my personality a few years ago and did nothing about it and the behavior continued. then a few months ago, i started reading books about how to better organize my time, better direct my energies. i put a few things into practice and noticed an immediate difference in both my energy level, my productivity, my creativity and overall outlook on life. but then, after about a month of this, i began to backslide. i started reading news again. i started having depressing 2 hour breakfasts that were lasting because i simply couldn't log off the computer.

i'm not sure what the ultimate solution is for me, but i think it has to do with re-learning how to focus my mind. for a few years, yoga was helping me, but i've strayed from that, too.

i got back from the most recent tour, 3 days ago. i swore when i left, that i was going to spend every day being productive. it always makes me so sad to leave #1BB, the dogs and my house (my safety zone), and so i promised that i would make each moment worthwhile. i would work. i would make contacts. i would make all free moments into something amazingly creative. but you know what happened? it all just sort of buzzed by. it was 17 days and every day was full of something, but it wasn't nearly what i had hoped it would be. and although i accomplished a lot of my goals (i met amazing musicians, played great shows, made great connections, saw my family, celebrated milestones with my loved ones, played the piano at my parents' house, saw friends and fans along the way) i realized i was also making many excuses while on the road (i.e. i'll get to that email when i get back; i'll make that phone call later; i'll write that down when i remember). i feel disappointed that the time away wasn't more productive and even worse, now that i'm back and, relatively, caught up on sleep, i'm still feeling listless about doing stuff and don't want to really do anything. and i've spent the past few days making a bunch of excuses.

i want to stop. this is me, telling you, that i want to stop with the excuses. for the past 3 weeks, i've been writing it on my list every day: BLOG. and i haven't done it, why? there's no reason, except that maybe i felt i didn't have anything to say. (actually, that's a pretty good reason.) but i was on the road, lots of interesting things happened! maybe people who are interested in ellen cherry would actually like a bit of a distraction and read about these things.

SO. what am i going to do about it? well, the first thing i'm trying is Dark Room (for Windows). a mirror software program of Write Room (for Macs). Dark Room is a simple piece of software that makes my computer into a black screen where i can only see what i'm typing. and so far, one day into it, i'm already loving it. Something about not being able to see any other things that are happening on the computer has really helped me to focus on exactly the ONE thing that i'm doing.

Mainly, i'm disappointed that i'm no longer a real diarist. I used to write in my diary very regularly and it helped to clear my mind, calm me, and also served as my memory. i didn't have to remember things because my diary was remembering them for me. I'm hopeful, no--i'm determined to let this program help ease me back into being a diarist. i think my songwriting has really suffered from my lack of daily, mental maintenance.

Okay, enough excuses. and enough worrying about all the excuses i'm making. next post will be about the tour and all that's going on. hope you're doing well and to see you soon. thanks for reading my rant about myself.

My Very First Jingle

2009-04-10T08:26:00.000-07:00

hey there, i hope you like getting a song stuck in your head, because this one was stuck in mine for about a month. And FOX is running the promo on their channel for about 6 months (yay!!) But i'm really proud of the work we did on it and hope you like it. I also hope it brings some new fans into the ellen cherry fold.

cool pic from my friend

2009-04-05T11:53:00.000-07:00

last week, my friend Daniel Bedell had a picture he wanted to experiment with. so we played with some characters and he photographed a strange band practice. i *wish* i were proficient at these instruments and could even fake playing them all well--i did my best, but truth be told, it's always more fun to play with others. hope your Spring is nice so far....

Tis Pity She's a Whore TICKETS are gone. thanks for everyone who wrote in!!

2009-03-24T07:49:00.000-07:00

Thanks to everyone who read the email immediately and responded!! Hope to see you on Friday anyway. The ellen cherry show is FREE in the lobby and you can buy tickets to the play if you like....

'cello camp, 11 years, March Madness, last shows of the month

2009-03-23T13:47:00.000-07:00

Morgan is 11 years old today. I can't believe it. He's as spry as ever and happy, although he's starting to exhibit a few signs of old age, which depresses me. Nothing major, just that his sight isn't so great anymore and he startles so easily with minor noises. There's more random barking than before, but I'm amazed at this age, how much he still loves to run around for no reason. I've noticed a bit more needy-ness too. He's always underfoot and wanting to sit in my lap, but this could be entirely my fault--i indulge this behavior pretty heavily. I just can't help it!! So, happy birthday, my sweet companion. I hope we have a long way to go yet.

This weekend's show are big ticket items, but all worth it, trust me. I'm looking especially forward to Saturday night (house concert in Ellicott City--there's still 10 seats left!!) which will prove to re-energize me about playing again. I love house concerts--they are exhausting, but SO rewarding. Then, Sunday is Kevin's Concert, Vol. 2. This is the second annual concert put on by ex-ellen cherry guitarist, Patrick Kisicki. The purpose of the concert is to raise money for the National Kidney Foundation and is named for Patrick's brother, Kevin, who donated one of his kidneys to Patrick several years ago. I think this is such an amazing event and I'm so happy to be a part of it again. Patrick is amazing and please please please show up. The bands are all donating their time and energies to entertain you. I'm also donating a "singing" telegram to the auction. I've not played Sonar yet, but it's sure to be worth your time and money. I promise to put on a stellar show!!

in that vein, i'm introducing a MARCH MADNESS of my own. Part economic stimulus (ooh, kinky!) and part fundraiser and part spread the freakin' word, peeps.--I'm offering all ellen cherry cds from now until the end of April will be 2 for 1. i.e, you buy one ellen cherry cd, you get 2 instead of 1. one to keep, one to give to a friend. email me: if you buy a bunch, i'll even pay for shipping.

in another vein, i'm headed to 'cello camp at Summerkeys in Maine in August. I'm trying to think of creative ways to raise funds for that trek. I'm thinking of just asking for it. how's that for a novel idea??

elec-trauma

2009-03-07T11:13:00.001-08:00

after having this flick in my possession for 2 weeks, i finally screwed up the courage to finish it. lots of weird stuff has been happening to me lately and i'm trying to process through it all, slowly, so that i can understand it and find out if there is any meaning in it, or just more of life's randomness that i struggle to understand.

but after watching about 20 minutes of this (Daft Punk's full length, silent movie, Electroma), 2 weeks ago, i needed a break. it's intense and wonderful, but was striking too close to home with some of the weird things of late. but it's been holding up the Netflix queue! so last night, i sat down and finished it. and then i re-watched the opening scene with the Ferrari again. It's so beautifully shot that I found, several times, i was holding my breath.

i recommend highly. plus, the leather costumes are freakin' cool.

Finished John Cheever's The Brigadier and the Golf Widow. I also recommend. The copy I got from Book Thing of B'more is falling apart and now that i'm done, i don't know what to do with the book that's falling apart. I'm thinking of pulling my favorite passages and making some kind of found art out of it.

lovely weather here in B'more. gotta go sand some paint off the front porch railing.

John Cheever and more.....

2009-02-27T13:34:00.000-08:00

#1BB and I went to see the killer "Killer Joe" last night at Single Carrot Theater. Go see this play. It's a great theater (only 40 seats or so) and it's really well done. As a native Texan, I thought the accents were very authentic! But put that aside--the acting is very good. I suppose i'm not very articulate when writing about theatre. What can I say? It felt trashy and the personalities presented were unnerving. My favorite character was the mother, whom we never saw, but I felt the way Letts presents her: we know all we need to know through her relationships. Anyway, I highly recommend it. It's an intimate experience and it's only like $10 or $15 for a great night out. Plus, then you can go across the street to Joe Squared and order the Spaghetti and Meatballs pizza and have a nice night of it all.

Man, i wish we lived closer to the city. In fact, my desire for this is taking shape. It's time for a move. Time to purge possessions, sell them and give them away. I'm going to mention this in the ellen cherry newsletter, but I'll start here....I have a bunch of books and clothes and cds and cd sampler and stuff I've accumulated that is feeling more like a heavy weight and i don't want to continue to move this stuff around. So in an effort to prepare the house to sell it, I'm going to start by unloading a bunch of stuff. i'll keep you posted on the items and if you're interested, we'll make contact and a deal.

One of the things i'm going through is my library and finding that i've got a worse case of my Dad's disease than previously thought. He likes to get books and more books and more books and more books. For practially every gift giving occasion, i always get books. I love them. I love to read, but i've simply got to many that i've started and never finished or never even started. So, while packing up the books i know i'm going to keep, i've started the slow slog through the ones i'm uncertain about, or simply never read. One of these I got at the Book Thing of B'more. John Cheever's short stories, The Brigadier and the Golf Widow.

Whilst enjoying some tea the other night, I started this collection and have been jonesing for chances to read through the rest of it ever since. And it's a rainy day; I've brewed myself a nice cuppa coffee--as Agent Cooper (Paul Loyd gave me DVDs of Twin Peaks as a gift recently and I've been inducting #1BB into the club) likes to say, i'm going to give myself a little present today and just sit and read until the coffee's empty. Then back to whatever it is that i do that i call "work." I've not read Cheever before, but heard the recommendations. So far, I like.

back to our regular programming

2009-02-24T07:30:00.000-08:00

my drummer, Darin, sent me this link to an photog's video and it started off a melancholy (sp?) day for me on Friday, but sometimes, it's good to have those days. (it was probably compounded by watching the amazing "Waltz With Bashir" later in the day.) i liked the video clip, just because it's nice to know that there are many others (i know that probably everyone feels this way at some point) that go through this cyclical thing. mine has been more of an every-few-years thing....where i feel, all the sudden, and for depressing months at a time, that the Muse has left and will never return. my good friend Cliff, the poet, once said to me, when i was moaning about not having any ideas: "your muse is on vacation. let her rest, she'll come back. don't worry." [easy for HIM to say. he was spitting out great work at break neck speed.] but he was right. after what seemed like a lifetime of sitting at the piano or with the guitar, playing the same stuff over and over again, suddenly an idea would come and rest lightly on my shoulder again and i would write it down, and let go of my breath, as though i'd been holding it for a year.

i can feel the slide towards un-inspiration happening again. like a crumbling of loose ground beneath my feet. i stumble back onto surer ground...songs i know...paging through the last 13 years of songs....rehashing old crap. why did i sign up for FAWM again this year? it's like a self-fulfilling prophecy that i definitely WON'T write during this month. argh argh.

maybe a long, slow swim will help.? i'll let you know. sorry to be complaining about something that is kind of trivial in the large scheme of things. i know the economy is crumbling, even though i'm still avoiding the news as much as possible (full disclosure: there's been plenty of back sliding--reading news and wasting time on stuff i have little control over and can only worry about). but i've been, happily, surviving sort of below the economic radar for a few years, so i don't feel its downward effects as much as others.

still...the next post will about material things.....in an effort to clear my mind, i'm clearing out my house.

bizarre and funny (both ha-ha and um, what??)

2009-02-14T07:55:00.000-08:00

last year, i was talking on the phone to my good friend, RED. (longtime e.c. fan and even more long time U2 devotee.) i looked out my window into my backyard and there was a cd or dvd, lying shiny side up in the middle of the backyard. no, this isn't where i store my movies, so i was curious. i told him what i saw and he accompanied me, via phone, out in the yard where i found that someone (i'm TOTALLY not kidding!) had thrown a dvd of a pornographic movie into my backyard. i have gotten many good laughs out of this experience, simply because--how the heck did it get there? was someone running down the alleyway and thought "man, i had better get rid of this disc RIGHT NOW" and tossed it in the yard? had it fallen from a plane? helicopter? heaven? was someone sitting in my tree, unbeknownst to me, having a good old time with a portable player and whilst switching genres, dropped the disc and forgot about it when they climbed down? (does that sound impossible? well, so does finding porn in your backyard!)

ANYWAY, yesterday, i'm getting out of my car in front of the house and Eli, my bass player, has just driven up to have lunch and talk about band stuff. i'm really glad he was there to see me pick this up, because there were some papers, stapled together, lying on the front lawn. (mind you, we've had crazy wind in these parts the past few days, so this could have blown (pardon my pun, if that's a pun....wait, i'm confused) in from anywhere. so there's these papers, stapled together and it's a B&W print out of from some downloaded pictures of a "risque" nature (that's putting it lightly!) and some, get this: instructions!! when i realized what it was, i thought: i must have the weirdest luck in the world. and: what is with the outside of this house and porn!?!? it's like magnets!!

so there are just a few more points i'd like to share about this. it's stapled neatly together--like a manual you would use over and over again. it's dated 12/18/07, so i'm not trusting the information, because obviously, it's old info. thursday was recycling day, so i'm guessing someone might have put it out in their bin and the wind wafted it to my house....which means the possible culprit for all the free porn is actually living on my block (score!!).

so, i hope this made you laugh, because i still find it really amusing. also, if you need to see it, the next recycling day is in 2 weeks and i'll put it in the bin. just bring an industrial fan with you and it can be YOUR burden to bear.

on any sunday

2009-02-13T07:20:00.000-08:00

have been concentrating on writing in my diary every day at the expense of my poor, dear old blog. oh well. that stuff's private anyway! (and interesting only to me, trust me.)

plus, the weather has been WINDY, but very very nice and so i've spent more time outside, reveling in it. i am lucky, very lucky, that i've enabled myself to work on my own schedule. of course, this means my slackerly attitude can sometimes take over, but i've been trying to curb that as much as possible and filling up each day with both productive and silly things, to stoke creativity.

watched "On Any Sunday" last night--Bruce Brown's motorcycle documentary last night. Steve McQueen's in it, and I didn't know he was such a skilled rider, but the true star of the film is Malcolm Smith. A rider with such grace. on the "widowmaker" hill, near Draper, UT, there's a race that people held from the late 60s to the 80s. I think they've revived it, and although Malcolm Smith wasn't the one to be the first to make it up and over the top, his ride was so completely graceful and i figured out why, i think. he just hovers above the bike and manages to keep both wheels connected to the ground. when most most riders were falling backwards, he had both wheels just connected and rolling. so graceful. i could watch that scene over and over.

movies and shadows; it's the day the music died

2009-02-03T14:35:00.000-08:00

watched "Baraka" on Sunday morning--very cool. Halfway through it, i thought: "i'm going to buy this and send it to my nephew and nieces, i think they'll like seeing how strange the big wide world is." then they showed a body that was finishing burning on a funeral pyre in India and i thought: "better wait until they are a bit older for this one if i want to maintain a relationship with my family." but i liked it. same guy did Koyanasquaati (spelling? too lazy to look up.) no words, just music and incredible visuals. felt grateful (again) to have eyes.

enjoyed the Buddy Holly show with JP on Saturday and today is officially the 50th anniversary of the plane crash. i try to be grateful for the things that life brings us, and not dwell on what it takes away--right? so i'm glad that he was so prolific in his young life--i feel lucky to hear this music and still find that i like it.

i'm working on a composition piece about a circus train wreck and that's my
F(ebruary) A(lbum) W(riting) M(onth) project. wish me luck.

i'm also working on something for the next 2 days, out in the cold, that i hope to be able to tell you about in April/May. stay tuned..... (that's a clue!!)

backsliding....

2009-02-03T13:38:00.000-08:00

so i was on a "news fast" for all of December and most of January. i read a few posts on Salon and kept up on stuff through #1BB and through Yerfdog's blog. it wasn't a blackout--i can't seem to avoid EVERYTHING. this seems impossible. but, for the most part, i was keeping to it. no news in the car, no news on the 'net, no news on the TV. and a funny thing happened, i started to live in a little isolated world of somewhat giddy happiness. things seemed to be really positive around me, despite spending 7 days on a criminal trial jury in B'more city (one of the guns involved in the crime was a BCPD Glock that was reported "lost"--sometimes this city resembles New Orleans, circa 1998, more than i'd like to admit.). there was a lot going on and January flew by in a fury of work and activity. seemed like i was getting into a healthy pattern--understanding that my work day starts later and it's okay to not be up and creating art at 7:30AM....letting things happen, writing, recording, reading and absorbing. Trying to focus on putting the best show possible out to the audience that is there. all good things, right?

so now we're well into February and i already feel like the month is planned out and crazy. i'm planning a tour in April, working on new recordings and writing alot and finishing up a field testing of an education residency (wow, i'm in over my head on THAT one.) but i've been slipping the last few days with my schedule. i sat at the computer and read some news on my old standby, salon.com during breakfast the other day. it was so easy, and frankly, it felt so right. like an old friend......first i would start with just a cartoon or movie review, then, before i knew it, i was reading news. yikes! and so, what do i find out is going on? (full disclosure: i stopped before i actually got any news with nutritional value)

Matt Lauer is interviewing Obama--seriously. I don't want to see a casual interview. I know he rocks, let's just leave him alone. Let him do his job and don't distract him. I'll keep doing my job and if we all keep working, maybe some stuff would actual start working out.

THEN THIS: Phelps is busted for a bong hit in South Carolina. when i read this, i had that realization that i needed to back slowly away from the news and go back to what i was doing before--happily ignoring the absurd waste of time (for me) i remember it to be and return to getting tid bits from friends and family.

SO. i'm back at the diary writing, and trying to be a regular blogger. in fact, i'm going to do 2 blogs today, yeha.

an old voice over

2009-01-28T12:12:00.000-08:00

i did the voice over for this lacrosse video about 2 months ago. i'm only posting it here because i want to delete the email with the link and keep it posted somewhere i'll remember if i should need it. SO...if you have no interest in lacrosse, feel free to ignore. but if you do...enjoy!

ranches, kitties, and india

2009-01-26T12:00:00.000-08:00

what do they have in common? just me, at this moment in time, i s'pose.

el rancho was grand, certainly, with Rob Thorworth and his beautiful voice and those fast fast fast fingers playing "Devil's Confusion" and confusing me certainly, making the blood that should be in my hands, rush to my cheeks. what then can i do, but stand stupidly, with my frozen fingers at the neck of the guitar, about to pass out? what can i do but sigh, take a breath, and try to sing? Then David Glaser, with his way of painting pictures with words. Family scenes and heartbreak. It's hard (i know) to fit the word "Baltimore" into a song, but he managed to do it, and repeat it over and over so that i can't forget "to my house in Baltimore." vivid images.

Charm City Kitty Club was rad. I've never participated in anything like that before and it was fun, hilarious fun and i was honored to share the stage with hilarity and raunch. however, several times in the course of the program were tempered with beauty as well, like when Andrea Gibson held us gripped tightly in her hand, and no one breathed until she breathed, which was every 75th word. I fell in love with her a little bit during those breathless moments, and tried to imagine the feast she has to eat and the amount of sleep she must get to put on a show like that, only instead of 20 minutes, she would do an hour. how? i just don't know. reminds me that there are people out there who are actually more than human and have evolved to our next stage: pure energy.

today, i was headed to the gym to lift some weights and train these muscles to stay strong and this lyric floated into my head and out my mouth, as a melody:

why don't you send me a letter from india
write it out on silk using ink
and when you send it, it seeps down through the envelope
and i will finally know just what you think.

Happy S.A.H.D.

2009-01-24T10:32:00.000-08:00

My friend Michael Schwartz is a doc filmmaker here in B'more and finished his project on stay at home dads. It premieres tomorrow, Sunday, Jan. 25 @ Creative Alliance and M had asked me to record a song he once heard me play at the HON Bar that I had written about my dad. He put the song in the movie (although I think it might be the minus one, without the vox.) ANYWAY, I'm going to be there tomorrow, it starts at 4PM and tickets are only $5 and if you're under 10 years old, you get in for free, wee!!!

It's an interesting topic and I watched the trailer this morning. I'm even more interested now because one of the dads talked about how hard the job is....I'm wondering if there's anyone who will comment further about this job that was stereo-typically assumed to be women's work and how maybe it's changed their opinion or feelings about the work that women do in the world?

Details: Sunday, Jan 25 @ Creative Alliance.

(i'm stealing from Blog-Sothoth:) Brrr-ack Obama!

2009-01-21T10:59:00.000-08:00

It was cold in DC yesterday, but the energy was HIGH. It was a-freakin'-mazing. So many people there. The last time I was in a crowd like this, it was the March for Women's Lives in 2004, which was also an amazing experience, but this was different. There was less anger and more hope yesterday. Even though lines were crazy insane at the checkpoints on the north side of the Mall, everyone was courteous and cool about it.

Sadly, we didn't make it onto the Mall (as you can see in the pic). It's my own fault really--just can't seem to get out of bed early enough, but we were able to see the parade route and watched the inauguration with others who didn't make it through the lines. I'll know better for 2012. Wait, do they do a re-inauguration when the incumbent keeps the post? i don't even know!! But i hope so. That time, i'll make sure to get my info straight and make it to the right place ON time.

Still, I'm not disappointed. It was amazing to see all the people and chat with others on the Metro. I loved watching people talk about how great they thought it was.

SWEET! My neighbors are yelling at each other again. Time to crank the Stravinsky.

happy first birthday, hlal.

2009-01-19T12:00:00.000-08:00

a year ago, i released the ellen cherry album "heart like a lion" with a big fanfare at the lovely 2640 Space. Pictured here, myself and Rich welcomed hlal, hot off the press.

it's been an interesting year. busy in parts and slow in others. but alot has developed on the shoulders of that little disc and i'm happy because of it. still, i can't believe that it's been a year. time is not just flying, it's flying at warp speed.

the next recording is already in the works and will be quite different. but none of that matters today and tomorrow. i'm about to log off and head down to DC for the inaguration. it's snowing in B'more and quite picturesque right now. the kind of snow that falls straight down and from my office window, i can see just the coated branches and a few rooftops and i hear barely any noise from the street. it's a calm quiet and i could stare at it all day, but alas, it's not to be this afternoon.

recent things

2009-01-16T12:18:00.000-08:00

caleb stine came over to-day to hang out a bit, catch up and most importantly, continue discussion about the next batch of ellen cherry songs that i'm working on. i'm hoping that they'll be my best yet. i jumped in on this pic because i want to remember what we both looked like at the early stages of this project.....

these other pictures, i took while on my way to jury duty recently. (just got a thank-you note from the judge today!) i don't know if you can tell, but that's Cheney and his mug is spray-painted under the overpass near the Woodberry Light Rail Station. I saw this for 4 days in a row and finally remembered to bring my camera.

Missed the speech last night where B. said farewell and the nation collectively yawned and/or breathed a sigh of a relief. Only a few more hours left for that idiot to do any more damage. Here's hoping he can control himself until Tuesday.

I'll be in DC and will report.

Boy A and other things

2009-01-14T16:40:00.000-08:00

getting caught back up on a week's worth of work that i missed and need to post performance dates. i'm gearing up to teach a short residency at an elementary school and although my lesson plans are coming together, i feel like i'm writing them in Hungarian or something--i find this process hard to get my brain around. but so far, so good. it's hard!(like math.)

today, spent the day with my friend Nick at his job working on a catchy little jingle that we hope the client will like. my first real experience writing something while sitting in a pro studio, but wow, is it super fun. i love having an idea and easily being able to get it down in bits and bytes. and i'm getting paid, which eases the burden of worrying about not having a ton of gigs this month and next.

#1BB and I started watching the movie "Boy A" on the weekend and though it's a Netflix and we need to return it, every night this week, we haven't been able to bring ourselves to watch the second half. I know it's going to be super sad and i kind of just don't want to face it.

maybe tonight.....

gotta get some work done. will post again, but in the meantime, here's the lyrics to a song i started on Saturday.

this little bird
without a word
starts a song.

you are the wire
and you hum with desire
to sing along.

how can i help myself? i want you.

a week....gone

2009-01-13T12:38:00.000-08:00

i spent the last week inside the courtroom and jury room of the Baltimore City Courts serving my time as a jury on a complex, intriguing, depressing and disheartening criminal trial.

we delivered our verdict earlier this afternoon and now that i can finally discuss the case, i find i'm so exhausted by the details of it that i don't even want to think about it anymore.

however, it was an incredible learning experience, and i'm not just sayin' that! i learned more than i wanted to know about weapons and blood spatter, 911 calls and po-lice work, blah blah blah. All i can say at this point is: The Wire is even more incredible for how realistic each of those "characters" was written and performed.

but now i don't want to do anything and already 13 days have been spent in this year. yikes. time to buckle down. (again.)

somehow, work has gotten done and things are moving, which is good and i managed to get some writing done this weekend for the new recordings we'll start making in a few months. i'm planning to be in DC next Tuesday for the big event--what will you be doing? i hope you'll be feeling hopeful!

i was listening to a conversation, maybe last week?, can't remember....someone said "this idea of hope--in my opinion you have to be desperate to need hope. it hasn't been that bad over the last few years." and i thought to myself: have you even been paying attention? it's like the bad guys realized we were too tired and beaten down to protest and just kept getting worse. so yeah, i'm all for hope, because it's been pretty desperate. at least, in my o-pin-yon.

i've been continuing a news "fast" of sorts. just a few tidbits filtered through friends, but i found out from my good friend Rich, that my other friend Rich is in the blog-o-sphere today because of a pic he snapped of our "esteemed" Mayor Dixon flipping the bird at the media during an open meeting where photogs and reporters were allowed, BY LAW, to be present. If it weren't so cold here, i might get confused and think i was back in N.O. where I remember (although I was not participating directly) that the gov't, cops, and city bureaucracy were all duking it out to see who could be most corrupt. Gotta love the port cities, although the skeptic in me says, it's the same all around.

wow. that doesn't sound hopeful at all. sorry.

happy new year, already 6 days into it!

2009-01-06T16:47:00.000-08:00

well, my dear friends, i can't believe how much has already happened and the year is only 6 days old. let's start with Saturday at Ram's Head. freakin' amazing to play such a cool place and to have so much support there. to see so many friends and to play alongside the great Caleb Stine and the Brakemen and to be asked, during their set, to come up and sing! how cool. Andrew Grimm got to play too and he was kicking it, it rocked. it was a super fun night, a great venue and i managed to sell a bunch of cds, which surprised me because i saw a bunch of people there who already had them!!

the pic above is from the 8x10 show in Sept, but I wanted to thank Rich Riggins for taking pics at both the 8x10 and Ram's Head and I thought this one was great. This week is already completely crazy, but crazy is proving to be fodder for good ideas and making my mind be a little more focused at the tasks at hand.

i'll be posting this month's show's tomorrow night and sending out a newsletter, but there's some really fun stuff going on this month and i hope to see you.

I have to do something for the City of Baltimore this week and so i won't be posting too much, but i'll return next week.

thanks for keeping up with me in 2008. 2009 is already rockin'.

be good and keep your positive vibes in your own life going. i wish you well.

start your year off right!

2009-01-02T07:07:00.000-08:00

with us at
RAM'S HEAD LIVE.

www.ramsheadlive.com

SATURDAY, Jan 3, 2008.

ellen cherry on at 8PM! a duo set with my great guitar player, Mike Prout.
followed by Herd of Main Street and the lovely and talented Caleb Stine and the Brakemen. (will Nick have a mustache? you must come to the show to find out!)

see you there, tickets are only $10! Sure to be wonderful evening of music and an way to ease you into the new year!

it's not what you think....

2008-12-31T14:53:00.000-08:00

this photo is of a plant i bought at IKEA this summer. i was feeling kinda crunched down after the August tour and wanted to add some more green to the porch. i walked by this plant and saw that it was called a "money tree." i had never heard of this and sarcastically thought: of course, it's the money tree....they get you to buy it, then they have your money!"

but, like the sucker i am, i bought it anyway. it's grown alot and stayed healthy since then, despite not alot of sunlight in this house. but i'm putting up a picture of it here, on New Year's Eve. i have a really good feeling about so much stuff that's going on and i think the fact that this plant is thriving is a good good sign. well, i'm going to take it for that anyway. it's my favorite color and continues to grow on only a few things: water and sunglight...you can argue with being able to do so much with so little!

it's New year's eve, so i'm logging off and recovering from the traveling over the holidays. i hope you are safe and with people you love and like to spend time with.

i wish for you the same things i'm going to wish for myself: peace, prosperity, luck and love. see you in the new year!

happy holidays, doodz #3

2008-12-27T15:18:00.000-08:00

I did some admin work and finally got the live recording at Mobtown Studios up on the Ye Olde You Tubes. My trusty lead guitarist, Michael Prout, accompanied me for this amazing experience. I've put up all the duo songs, there's about 11 or 12, i think....maybe more? Enjoy....they all have the same intro. Hope you like!

for more click to:

HERE

happy holidays, doodz #2

2008-12-27T14:55:00.000-08:00

my family lives a long, long, long ways away from me and we decided to road trip it this time, dogs 'n' all. it's been a really nice week, much more so because i've avoided the computer ALOT. whic has been nice. made cookies, drank beer, eaten more than my body weight in delicious home-made cookies by my mom. i've also managed to watch all of the first season of "30 Rock" on the interwebs and have fallen even more deeply in love with Tina Fey. i wish we were close friends, she's so great. it's also been hectic with everyone having their own schedules and things they needed to do....but i've been the visitor...just observing and sitting around and watching it all swirl. in short, it's been great, but i'm looking forward to heading back to B'more, because, in a word, 2009 is already going to ROCK.

there is so much going on, i can't believe it. i would feel a little overwhelmed by the amount of work to be done, but i just feel so completely excited by all the projects and so completely grateful that my job is to create stuff like this. there's the kids' radio programs, there's a new side project of songs i'm not even writing, but just collaborating on and singing on that we'll be performing at special shows, there's the new commercial studio work that keeps popping up and affording me to focus on quality shows that showcase the ellen cherry music and build the audience, there's the work i've been doing with my amazing friend Caleb Stine that's paying off in spades emotionally and artistically and all other ways too, there's a bunch of composition work that i've got coming up that's going to be stressful, but challenging and wonderful, including a cabaret/puppetry piece with Nana Projects that I'm beyond excited about, and another BIG project that just popped up, that if it works (what i mean to say is when it works out) is going to be not only super fun, but hopefully expose ellen cherry (in a good way!) to alot more people. and then there's a week from today (which will be Saturday, Jan 3) where i get to play one of the premier venues in B'more: Ram's Head Live. i'm stoked!!! plus, #1BB is moving away from being tied down to a full time, static office job position and pursuing his dreams, too. we've been working hard this past year and there are some changes coming that will be even more work, but GOOD work.

sorry to gush, i'm just riding this wave of positivity. it feels like all the slow, hard work of 2008 is starting to show some promise. and i'm writing like crazy. dreams have been coming in weird and fast and the imagery has been bizarre, but i'm writing it all down in the hopes that something cohesive, strange, grotesque and beautiful will come out of it. i want the next recordings to show something different from my brain and i think, with some help, i can do this.

for anyone who's reading this, i hope you are also riding this wave of positivity too and realizing that things are possible. i know it sounds manic, but i love this feeling and wish that it could be bottled, and that i could simply drink it every day. but for now, i'll just cherish the buzz and try to keep my head about myself as this stuff goes on. ALSO, thank you so much for reading, following along and to all the people that bought cds, t-shirts, and downloaded songs for friends and family to help with the expense of traveling--THANK YOU, it all helped so much. And thank you for coming to shows and continuing to support and believe that we can make something great and beautiful and cool. You are as much a part of this as I am.

best holiday wishes to you. travel safe and have a fabulous New Year's celebration. 2009 is going to be an interesting and incredible year. thanks for keeping up with me, i love having you here!!

this just in....

2008-12-17T08:21:00.000-08:00

hallo friends. 1,000 things to do today before the mad holiday rush commences, including rocking it tonight with full band mates in Vienna, Virginia. come on: don't you want to brave both Beltway's traffic with us tonight!?!?!

BUT....#1BB forwarded me this amazing blog post from Al Shipley of Balto's City Paper and i'm stoked to pass it along. Thanks to Al for being at the show, but also for saying such nice things and for listening. it's obvious to me from what he's said that he truly "got" what we were trying to do that night. so rad. thanks Al. you've boosted my spirits and i will proceed to rock everyone's pants off tonight.

here's the link: http://www.citypaper.com/digest.asp?id=17220

i have really positive feelings about 2009. i hope you do too. things are possible. yes. they. are.

happy holidays, doodz

2008-12-15T13:23:00.000-08:00

thanks to Colleen who made me this cool guitar ornament. and thanks to everyone who reads this blog and comes to shows and listens to music (in general and mine in specific) and thanks to you for voting and thanks to you for continuing to do whatever you can to make the world around you a cool and fun place to be.

i'm only able to continue to pursue this dream because of the support i get from people and with my whole heart i say THANK YOU. it's been an incredible year, when i look back. and 2009 is looking like it's going to, in a word, ROCK. i'm stoked about all the stuff going on and hope you are too.

a quick announcement. just ONE show left this year....WEDNESDAY night, Dec. 17 @ 7:30 at Jammin' Java in Vienna, VA. tell all your friends that they simply MUST go to a strip mall (it's really a great venue, just weird placement) and see some rockin' good music to relieve the holiday stress. tickets are still, amazingly, available!!

and also, i just got added to Caleb Stine's lineup for a Ram's Head Live show on Saturday, Jan 3, 2009. what a kick a** way to start this year. Great music, great friends and really cool venue. I'm stoked!

Also, i've been working with my new friend, Alex Gordon who asked me to help with his kids' internet broadcast. The first episode is posted and i'm singing the Lazy Susan Theme....check it out, here: Alex Gordon Radio.

More to come on that. Just did a commercial recording for H-D Theater, apparently, they have a channel! So if you see an ad for a show called "Chasing Classic Cars" and it's the ad for their Christmas Day Marathon, I'm one of those high singing voices! super fun to record and I have loved doing this type of work.

Haven't been reading the news, so I'm a bit out of touch, except that i've heard through the grapevine that Obama's rockin' the weekly net casts. How cool is this guy? He's in touch and it's all Welcome the Age of Government That Is Not Conducted Behind Closed Doors. 2009 is going to be great!

Happy holidays to everyone and shop local! (you can even buy ellen cherry mp3s without having to leave your house!!)

no soup for you.

2008-12-01T13:36:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving day i continued to fulfill my dream of never again having to cook Thanksgiving dinner. I do like to eat it, though, and this photo shows me happily chowing down at the Rusty Scupper's delicious buffet on Thursday afternoon. It was a lovely day to stroll around the Inner Harbor and get panhandled to like crazy, but hey, I'm doing better than alot of folks, and can't complain. Especially with a plate like this (folks, i made the buffet worth it: 3 plates of food AND a dessert plate!) So I'm grateful for the food and the ability to have it and enjoy it and for all the good people and things in my life. THANK YOU!!

However.....let's move ahead to another family dinner at Harry's Savory Grill near Wilmington, DE, on Friday night. Again, delicious. Really enjoyed it. Can't complain about the service or the taste of the food. BUT, someone did something somewhere and it wasn't me (i'm obsessive about hand washing!). I got food poisoned by this place. And it wasn't like "oh, I feel a little sick and maybe it'll pass in an hour" kind of food poisoning. It was: it's 2AM and Inside Wants Out And Will Continue to Want Out for the Next 15 Hours.

So, if you're wondering how to shed those extra holiday pounds you may have already gained, I'd say, take a ride up I-95 to Harry's House of E.Coli and order the Prime Rib, with snow peas! You'll be able to lose, I'd guess, between 7-10 pounds of water weight in simply a matter of hours.

We will now return to our regularly scheduled programming of Gatorade and Saltines. I did hold onto a banana today--success!!

Hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving and thank you for your continued reading, despite my sporadic posts. Ours was wonderful too, you know, despite all the ralf-ing.

anne lamott and a tree grows in manhattan

2008-11-25T08:17:00.000-08:00

i've been on a media/news fast. it's been great, but it has kept me from being on-line for very long. and although my inbox is lower of number and people actually get responses now in less than a year, it means i've been neglecting my dear, old faithful blog. always there, always waiting for my mindless musings.

i went to NYC (see picture--there's a tree-house arts exhibit in Union Square) this weekend to watch my friend Danielle interview Madeliene Peyroux. I'd heard of Peyroux before, but never heard her music or seen her play. It was good and she's a very good guitar player. Normally an interpreter of other's songs, she played several of her own that she's written this past year and there were 2 that i liked especially. One was a wandering Dylan-esque lullaby called "I Will Be Saved" (i think.) It was a nice evening. Danielle does her interviews at Rockwood Hall and although past ones have been with performers of equal caliber, they don't have Peyroux' int'l exposure and acclaim. Peyroux' label, Rounder Records had representation there, as well as a video crew and we all got treated by them to dinner and wine after the show (a nice treat for this musician, who went to NYC with $20 to spend on food for the 24 hour period i was there.) I played the part of hanger-on and it was super fun. No pressure, just clinking glasses and good food, quietly observing people who have some stuff going on and some money to spend and a lot to say as they get slowly, slightly inebriated and say even more. I loved it and I took mental notes.

Danielle loaned me an Anne Lamott book for the bus ride home yesterday. I love the Megabus! I will only ride this one now. They have a double decker and I sat on the top level, right at the front window and the thrill of feeling like you need to duck going under every overpass--cool. Also, although i got through about 100 pages, it was nice to read a little, look up at the rushing road below me and feel that i was riding down the highway, in style, in an enclosed cherry picker. I listened to The Magnetic Fields and Marley Carroll and took down some notes that were floating around in my head. Anne Lamott told me to stop trying to be such a perfectionist and DO IT ALREADY, so i'm posting what i wrote, even though it's not edited and some of it is good and some of it is not. here we go:

1. i like to leave NY.

it's as though i'm leaving Church

with a smirk,

knowing that i will

most definitely

sin again

and that i'll return next month

to surrender my full confession.

2. i like that you can hear Glenn Gould

breathing notes

when he played piano.

i am listening to him labor over Bach

and the most beautiful part

are these little whispers.

he is telling my what is about to be.

he is leading me with his mouth and lungs,

not his fingers

to this note and then the next and then the next.

he is calmy explaining each sentence

and i am grateful to hear it.

3. i like the double decker bus.

if you sit on the top level

you can look down on other people,

and you don't even have to be a

fucking pretentious asshole.

4. why is my mother's handwriting so neat and pretty?

her phone voice, on messages, is the same way.

i think she's hiding something and it makes

me feel suspicious.

5. before we cross the bridge in NJ,

or is it Delaware?

there is a flashing sign that says

the bridge speed limit is 50mph

and that if i am in crisis

here is the number to call.

the main columns of the middle of

the bridge are lit up and look like

the should be in a Batman movie

scene.

we are crossing the bridge at the high point

and the girl next to me is

nodding in her sleep.

i look over at her reflection in

the window and see police cars

and flashing lights on the Northbound side.

i hope they are not searching

the black water below

for someone who was in crisis

and missed the sign with the phone number.

6. the girl next to me on the bus

is fully asleep

and i can see her reflection

and she has the open-mouthed

thing going.

it looks like she is singing a

long, long note.

i laugh to myself. she is lucky.

if i sleep this way in public places

the part of my mind that controls

embarassment

wakes me up to shut my mouth

and stop looking so stupid.

i just realized

2008-11-19T14:29:00.000-08:00

so, i've been doing some "soul searching" (i hate that phrase) and alot of reading and stopping and thinking and pondering and drinking of coffee and writing notes of what i've read and what i'm thinking and i just, a few moments ago, had this thought: i would love to be a travel writer.

and then i had this realization: i already am a travel writer. it's just that i do it in songs.

cool.

2008-11-04T07:04:00.000-08:00

I was having a strange and blurry dream, clouded by dark wisps and images, murky and muddy. There was an out of tune piano making discordant sounds in the distance. I couldn’t grasp any tune, though. Part of me knew it was morning and I could feel myself rising to the surface of sleep and started to come back into my body. To feel the things I’ve become accustomed to in the morning: the small pressure to urinate, the slight back pain, some days, the ache on the left side of my jaw from clenching it for a few hours—but these things bring me back into this body, pulling me from the dream state.

Our bed is comfy and the room is dark. I changed the sheets to the t-shirt, jersey ones a couple of days ago even though the weather is a bit damp now, so it means that I sleep a bit warmer, but maybe a bit too warm. It’s hard to get up.

Zoey, my little dog, who decided to sleep downstairs last night scratches lightly at the bedroom door to be let in. I drag this half awake body off the edge of the bed and open the door. She wanders in, confused: why isn’t everyone awake?

I stay in the bed for another 20 minutes as the morning routines commence. I know I’m getting up to do something, like I do every day, but the something I’m doing today is of utmost importance. In a few minutes, I’m dressed and walking out the door. Opening the car door, sitting for the short drive to the school.

Now we are standing in line. Now Umar is calling out, like a circus barker, “get your sample ballots HERE! know the issues before you get into the booth!” he is amiable and excited. There are maybe 40 people on line in front of us when we join. I expected to feel more electric, standing there. I’m still too sleepy. I shuffle forward and look at the sample ballot and wonder if the money that I can decide where it goes, will really go there? will it do some good if I vote for this Amendment or that? isn’t our Mayor just like almost every other politician in that she’s in the business of staying in business? I stop my cynicism right there. no matter what else I decide today, I know the first and last thing I’ll be looking at his name.

#1BB and I move forward in line. A couple in front of us has brought their young child. What a good idea to bring your kid. Involve them in this process. Umar walks by and thanks us for participating in the democratic process. He tells us we should feel good and proud that we are here today. He has a nice smile and a strong voice. He laughs a lot.

I’m starting to feel nervous—I don’t like electronic voting. It seems fake, and easily tampered with. We move forward in line, now we are inside the gym of the elementary school. I start to realize I wish I hadn’t brought my cup of tea with me, it seems like it’s distracting me. I don’t want to knock it over and I wish I didn’t have anything in my hands! I try to tell myself: relax, you’re an adult, it’s easy, you put the card in, you make your choice, you leave. This is when I realize I’m nervous and that energy has started to activate my brain a little too much.

It is almost our turn to say our names and get our cards. I turn to #1BB and kiss him quickly on the mouth and say “good luck.” Umar is nearby and laughs and says “You are trying to sway his vote! You’re not supposed to do that inside the polling place!” We twitter and smile back, I can’t laugh heartily, i’m concentrating on not crying, suddenly.

I submit my name and I am on the list. I sign my name on a receipt—I showed up, there is now a record of it somewhere. Is it the sleepiness, why am I so emotional? I wait on line again to go the booth. An older man asks for my receipt and directs me to the middle of the row of booths. I see the screen, and insert my card (how easy it is—I’ve been trained well by using my Bank of America card….voting is just like visiting the ATM.) First, I read all the instructions, I do not want something to go wrong. I carefully read each word. I tap “next” and there he is, right at the top. I tap his name and my “X” is bold right next to it. The possibility of X-ing any other name disappears. I’m relieved! Now it’s time to move on—I read over the other questions and vote what I think is best despite the vague and confusing language. I choose not to vote for positions I don’t know about or people I haven’t heard of (accepting that I didn’t bother to learn their names) that are involved in the City Courts. Other, better educated people can take a swing at those because I’m here for one reason and it is done.

It’s the last screen of my ballot and time to review. I read over it and check 4 times (my lucky number) that I have voted for him and that it is correctly marked. Again, tears start to well up, but this time, I don’t try to blink them away too fast. It is okay to be emotional, it’s an important election.

I tap “cast ballot” and realize that’s it. No balloons fall from the ceiling and there is no loud and joyful music. I grab my cup of tea and pull my hat back on so I can cover my eyes a little, they are still tearing up a bit. I walk out of the gym and wait for some feeling of something to come into me. Nothing—I walk out into the still morning weather outside to wait for #1BB. There is Umar again and he says “thank you for coming by” and I say “good luck to us all” and we shake hands. When I am outside, he leans out and says “I’m going to report you!!” and then he laughs “I know that you’re trying to sway voters!!”

I want to walk home, but #1BB says “I’m driving right by there on the way to work, I’ll drop you” so he does and we say good bye in the driveway. I come inside and Morgan and Zoey both are stretching and sleepy, but wagging tails at the door. They greet me as though I’ve been gone for 8 hours rather than 30 minutes. I sit down on the step, hugging them close to me, and try to explain to beings that could not possibly understand that I feel very strongly that today is an important day and that I am hopeful (not yet confident) that I have been a part of something changing for the better. but what do dogs care of the affairs of humans? I have been gone and now I am home, that is all that matters.

I stand up, time to make breakfast, answer emails, make the bed, get outside and see what the world is doing. Or maybe, I’ll just finish my book, mail a package and play some music. Either way, I think it’s going to be a good day.

more things to keep your election spirits UP!

2008-10-30T06:28:00.000-07:00

how John Adams is affecting my weekend....

2008-10-24T06:11:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Lois and crew for putting together the show at James Joyce last night to kick off the Balto Women's Film Fest. I hope their weekend rocks it. The program looks great and I'm a bit sad to be missing it. But i'm off to NYC this afternoon for some networking/performing fun at CMJ! Wish me luck.

OH! So, last night, I'm taking an hour to watch some of HBO's series John Adams with the lovely Paul Giamatti in the title role. I turn to my right, while sitting on the couch, to adjust one of the small speakers sitting on a bookshelf. As I move it, it falls off the shelf and right onto my nose, causing a lovely gash right on the bridge of my nose. I put ice on it and the swelling went down in time for last night's gig, but I woke up looking like I have a bee sting right near my eye (swollen) and a healthy bruise developing around the crash site. oh well. If people ask me what happened, i'll just say: well, times are tough for musicians in Baltimore, and leave it at that.

COME SEE ME ON SUNDAY. by then the thing will have healed, but we can hang together and meditate positively on the election.

Baltimore Women's Film Festival/CMJ & HOPE NIGHT!!

2008-10-22T11:45:00.001-07:00

hey kids....looking for some places to spend your time that will be worthwhile this weekend....i have some ideas.

TOMORROW, THURSDAY, Oct. 23rd @ 9:30PM....ellen cherry, Acacia Sears, & Dionne will be kicking off the weekend of the Baltimore Women's Film Festival. NOT ONLY will you get to see lots of films by women filmmakers, but you can start the festie by raising a pint with us at James Joyce Pub, 616 S. President Street. NO COVER.

Then, catch the Megabus for $22 and come to CMJ with me this weekend. I'm playing at 10:30 at Googies Lounge, above the Living Room (154 Ludlow Street, NYC) THIS FRIDAY, Oct. 24th. Then I'm spending the weekend recording with my good friend Arthur.

THEN THEN THEN.....on SUNDAY, Oct. 26th @ 7PM. Come to Metro Gallery, 1700 N. Charles Street, Baltimore. Caleb Stine and Wye Oak are hosting an evening of HOPE. It's HOPE NIGHT. proceeds from the evening will go to help get Obama volunteers to Virginia to rally voters. No matter where you stand, you've got to stand for people voting and participating in this democracy....and this night will help restore all our faiths in activism, art, and most importantly: HOPE.

see you soon, i "hope".

new outlet

2008-10-21T13:25:00.000-07:00

hmmm....how to explain? i started doodling recently, these little rectangles. i'm super positive and convinced that they are derivative of something already drawn or maybe even copied directly from some 'toon i've seen. oh well. please don't sue me.

i've been using them to calm me down about stressful things or just ideas that i can't get off the treadmill in my head.

this summer, 2 very young, really irresponsible people moved into the house right next door and then they had a baby. the baby's room shares a wall with my home office, so i hear him during the day. the dad comes in and sings to him when he cries, but the mother, jeebus. all she does is yell. i'm embarassed for her and wonder if she knows how clearly i can hear her every word.

I looked up at what point I can call Child Protective Services. Yelling doesn't count. I hear doors slamming and stuff moved around and even a few times, stuff thrown against the wall, but so far, it seems like she isn't taking it directly out on him.

i'm positive that this kind of behavior will make him into a well adjusted and sensitive person when he grows up. yeah, right.

so i'm drawing Wrecked and Angle on my greaseboard. This way i can erase it and it will be only temporary. i hope the situation for the baby is also only temporary, but i'm doubtful.

hope floats...

2008-10-17T20:52:00.001-07:00

you know how i feel about cats, but.....

2008-10-13T11:40:00.001-07:00

my good friend Karen actually thinks they are worth some of her time and energy. (i suppose i tolerate cats. i try to treat cats on an individual basis. i try to reason with them and get them to do what i want. let's just say cats and i have declared detente and that is enough. i once knew a cat called Happy Birthday that i liked in Canada, so i know that there are decent cats out there. I will not judge the entire cat population on just a few bad cats. okay, well i will try not to judge.)

ANYWAY, she spends her time fighting for GOOD things and here is one of them that you might spend some time checking out. you can even donate whatever amount you want to defray the cost of what these women are doing to help cats in B'more.

CLICK HERE for more information on Catonsville Feline Rescue.

okay, cats, you owe me one. or maybe: cats, let's just be cool together.

JC 4 Prez.

2008-10-13T10:39:00.000-07:00

no, not that J.C. The other one, Jimmy Carter. In my continuing effort to be open-hearted to the world and all its lovely and loathsome inhabitants, I'm filling time when my mind should be quiet, (per usual) with documentaries. so over lunch for the next 2 days, i'm watching Jimmy Carter: Man From Plains. i hadn't read much about it before i put on Ye Olde Netflixe Liste, but i have a close relative who works for Habitat for Humanity (motto: It Works!!) and have a special soft spot for what this JC is trying to do. My only comments, thus far, is that it is amazing how openly emotional both he and Roselyn are and that JC seems tireless. And I haven't seen him take a sip of Red Bull. How does he do it?? And really, I'm trying to expose myself (in a good way) to as many people who present themselves as religious, but also prove themselves to be intellectual and capable of understanding the way things work here on Earth. (where i'm currently visiting.)

bachelorette

2008-10-11T08:36:00.001-07:00

so, a new friend emailed me a few days ago and said that a friend of his (yeah, right) signed him up for the next filming of a reality show called The Bachelorette. I know the premise of it, even if i haven't watched it....but it appears, since i am judging without having seen any actual episodes, that producers pick up a bunch of stereotypical dudes and then put them in a house together and they work out alot and try to make out with and woo a hot girl. this friend asked if i would help him make a 5 minute video to send to the producers. of course, i said yes immediately.

so last night, i produced my first work on video that will be viewed by producers at ABC. awesome!! and i even inserted myself into the works by playing guitar while he showed off his b-ball skills. fun.

i walked said friend out to his car after we burned the video to DVD. said goodbye and i was on my porch when my teenage neighbor ran up to me, out of breath: "i just got robbed!" i grabbed the phone and we called 911. he was robbed, at gunpoint, about a block down, in the middle of our almost suburban street (we're about .5 miles inside the city limits). on a positive note, the Baltimore City PD responded really fast to the call, with a copter and a car. (on a side note, the young police officer they sent had such a huge wad of chew in his cheek when he was interviewing my neighbor that i could barely understand him. i was impressed that he was able to talk with that load.) sadly, i don't think anything will come of it except that my neighbor will have to walk home from his job with less confidence. even as i type it this morning, i can't believe that someone robbed this kid at gunpoint. my mind races over the scenarios. he could have been shot, for what? they took his shoes and $.75 and his cell phone. that was all he had on him. but the got his keys and his I.D. too. they could come back.

it's sunny and nice out today, probably a breezy 75, i would guess. it seems strange how dark and scary the night was last night and that it passes and this is the morning. confusing.

i go to other countries to spread the Word and also i am a position...what am i?

2008-10-08T06:46:00.000-07:00

okay, give me a break. it's early and i thought that was funny! the word i'm looking for here, people, is: missionary. but that's just a little chuckle for ya. it's really "mission". as in mission statement. as in, mine is due in about 2 hours. and it's getting there, which is good. just needs some tweaks. and it's revealing things more about what i want. i'm really really really looking forward to meeting with my AB (accountability buddy) today about it. working on something that promises a real result and more steps towards concrete, achievable goals. i realize that i am not sounding like a creative musician here. i'm right brain is working working working after a long dormant period. this is a good thing, i believe (so says the Right Brain.)

in other news, i was able to successfully avoid the prez debates last night, except for the last 30 minutes. i've decided to vote the way a lot of people (foolishly) vote in this country: using my "gut instinct." as i watched Obama and McSame-y wander around the stage last night, i was thinking, "Barack Obama has the most beautiful, soft looking skin. I totally want my next president to have nice skin. So guess what, he wins my vote on the Dove/Olay platform alone. score!!

next big gig....

2008-10-07T06:49:00.001-07:00

Here's my friend Lois from Lois Life (B'more Blogstar!) on WJZ on Sunday morning talking about the Baltimore Women's Film Festival. The opening ceremony is part of the Free Fall Baltimore events and is, should i repeat? FREE. Click here to view her interview. She gets to talk about the Film Fest around 2:30, so feel "free" to fast forward, but there's more information in the rest of the interview about all the events.

Thursday, October 23 @ 9PM @ James Joyce Pub, 616 S. President Street, Baltimore.
I'll be one of only three performers helping to raise money to support this great event. Proceeds from the Film Festival are going to support breast cancer research. Hope to see you!

time on task

2008-10-07T06:08:00.000-07:00

i've joined with a fellow musician to meet semi-regularly and be accountable to each other for the goals we set. last week we set a goal to write a mission statement and this proved harder than i thought. i realized that i've been wandering through the last decade with alot of vaguery (is that a word?) about what i want to do, what i'm trying to do. amazing how defining a clear purpose and setting goals based on that purpose can really show you what to do each day to move closer.

wow. whoda thunk? like basic banking and credit use, accountability should be a required class in high school. however, i do feel that i've been "studying to the test" for a long time. preparing just enough so that i'm ready for the gig or the upcoming conference, but not truly ready for when the big opportunities arise.

no longer. i'm getting ready. this is what Fall and Winter are really for. strategizing for the Spring/Summer tours but making them even more effective this time.

wow. i'm surprised how coherent i sound! i slept poorly and really got two chunks of about 3 hours fitful sleep. i've been fighting (and beating) a tiny cold that's going around, but it's time to hit the sack tonight before 1AM, i think. the Mission Statement gets revised on Wednesday. can't wait to see what happens next. i'm craving the structure and glad to have met someone who is like minded in pushing our creative brains to think logically, too.

more daily....less weekly

2008-10-06T15:15:00.000-07:00

i feel bad. i know some people actually read this page and i don't post regularly and it's possible that what i do post is a complete waste of your time.

BUT, as i do every Monday, like a new baby, just born into the wicked world: i promise to do better. work harder. be more positive. strive. thrive. write. work.

so, here's some info about music stuff: i'm playing the opening ceremony for the Baltimore Women's Film Fest. i'm really excited about this mostly because i love music in films. in fact, i'm so addicted to listening to the soundtrack first, of any movie, that i often have to go back and watch the damn thing again to see what it was about. and i want to work with more indie filmmakers as i did in the past putting music i create with their wonderful images. so i'm hoping to network! and i hope to see you there. I'm playing with two other local songstresses and best of all: it's free. you have no excuse.

here, read this post for more information. click HERE.

and even better news is that my To Do list, also known as my email Inbox, is slowly getting whittled down. yes, my name is ellen cherry and i'm addicted to storing old messages for no reason. but i'm actually reading the stuff and dealing with it, progress progress!! (i'm only telling you this because my creative brain has real trouble convincing me to do any real administrative work. thus, the lack of upcoming gigs.....but hey, my bathroom's clean(ish))

so, i've read a recent CDBaby update about the ways i can push you to buy more music. or get more of your friends to buy ellen cherry music, so since this is my blog, i'm going to add some ways for you to easily do that. check for the buttons and as always, thanks for your support. hey, the holidays are coming up. what better Halloween gift than an ellen cherry disc?!!!

and now, i feel like there are some presidential debates coming up, is that tonight? well, the problem is that i damaged the TV last week during the Veep debates. i was quoting Mooninite from Aqua Teen Hunger Force every time Palin winked at me. I would run up and shout at her. I've been informed that I'm no longer allowed to watch debates until I can behave myself.

more tomorrow. promise. (yeah, that's worth something!!)

let's clear some stuff up

2008-10-03T07:39:00.001-07:00

I realize it's not the Oxford Dictionary, because I don't have one handy, but on dictionary.com, the definition of the word "maverick" is this:

1. Southwestern U.S. an unbranded calf, cow, or steer, esp. an unbranded calf that is separated from its mother.
2. a lone dissenter, as an intellectual, an artist, or a politician, who takes an independent stand apart from his or her associates.
3. (initial capital letter) an electro-optically guided U.S. air-to-ground tactical missile for destroying tanks and other hardened targets at ranges up to 15 mi. (24 km).

****
okay, focusing on just the first definition, I agree, I can see how the GOP's candidates for Prez and VP could both see themselves as mavericks: lost, confused, and one of them hails from the Southwest. On the second definition, neither candidate has shown us any of their artistic ability or actually, any imaginitive thought about how the current problems we are facing could be solved (in my humble, and admittedly only semi-informed opinion. Full disclosure: i DO actually spend some part of the day NOT reading political news and crying.) An independent stand? Really, the only candidate that even appears to have stood independently in a long time is this dude and after watching An Unreasonable Man last night to wash the stink of the debate away, I'm even more depressed that there aren't more choices for truly representative government for us voters to decide upon. (I know i finished that sentence with a preposition. Hey, at least I know how to pronounce the word "nuclear." And, I know, I know....you don't have to tell me. There is so much more screwed up with our electoral process and the corporate influence, etc. etc. If you want to comment, please send me a link to something funny.) On that third definition, I feel that yes, we should have it hammered into our heads that McCain and his ilk are truly maverick in that they are the tactical missles, and the hardened tanks are: our livelihoods, our ability to feed and clothe ourselves, to have control over our own bodies, and our Constitution. (Wait, do people still read that thing?)

**********************

Much like you, I'm on election overload. I watched the debate last night in kind of a stupor and reacted very viscerally to both of them. Biden's teeth were so shiny and pretty. I felt warm and happy and secure listening to him speak with what appeared to be a sense of humanity and comprehension of the questions that Ifill actually asked. He wasn't just spouting party rhetoric. He wasn't re-setting the track in his head and randomly pressing play no matter what she asked. He listened, thought about it for a moment and delivered a (possibly well rehearsed) answer. But then the cameras would turn to Palin and she would wink and I would feel sick in a deep part of myself. Part of me is so happy that strong women have been making strides in this process. But why isn't is a better candidate at the forefront? I'm sure Palin is a nice person, but she doesn't appear compassionate or competent. And I don't necessarily want a nice person at the head of our country. And I DO NOT understand these people who say: I want a person just like me to be president. Um, F*** that. I'm selfish, self-centered and kind of stupid about alot of things. I swing wildly back from loathing and loving humanity. I do not want someone like me being President. I want someone better than myself.

I know it's a public forum, this blog-thing. And I'm a musician and should be focusing on the things most concern my art/livelihood, but guess what. This election directly affects that.

I feel like I can't end this post, because what's the point? It's mostly a diary entry to make me feel better about watching this election play out like a horrible car wreck about to happen and we're screaming: hit the brakes.....now, seriously. someone, press on the brakes. do something, right now, because it's like about to happen and if you don't!

I guess, I just want to say please vote. It's a travesty that Election Day is not a Federal Holiday so everyone can vote and then go enjoy a nice walk in the woods as the leaves turn and the air gets brittle and we hope that our small effort will make a big difference, but oh well. There is still 10% of me that isn't a complete pessimist about the process. I want to feel hopeful again.

it's a good life, if you don't weaken

2008-09-30T13:35:00.000-07:00

Seth, one of my favorite comics writers...that's his title, so i can't take credit for it.

it is a good life. found this nest this summer and kept it. Morgan and I spent the afternoon sitting on the porch, answering emails and phone calls.

made some good connections in NYC this weekend and chatted with my new friend Arthur. he had a story about Bjork to tell me. it was supposed to rain, hard, today. so far, just clouds, but the breeze has been nice and it's still warm enough to dry sheets and clothes out on the line.

i always complain about how much i hate the Fall, because it means that Winter, my nemesis, is coming. but i should be honest: i get most creative in the Fall. i stay inside, with the tools of my trade staring at me, and i write and put down ideas. can't complain about that.

i feel good things are happening for me, although i worry about what happens to everyone if the economy keeps on the way it is. the saving grace is that Art continues. it's an impulse that is hard to control. and even a recession can't stop it.

NYC, music, pee, music again.

2008-09-29T23:31:00.001-07:00

went to NYC this weekend to participate in Jont's "Unlit" series. it was really really cool. I took the MVPbus, which smelled of pee and almost broke down on the way there. (The ride home was much better and I met a cool photographer in the seat next to mine.)

My friend Danielle invited me and introduced me to all her cool friends. including d.w.box, who I'm now a little in love with her music. okay, maybe alot in love with her music. which is a big deal, because i usually prefer male singers.

enjoy the video. i love the Michel Gondry/Daft Punk feel to it.

if you don't laugh, you'll cry your eyes out of your head.

2008-09-16T06:19:00.000-07:00

for something lighthearted in this extremely dark time click HERE.

I don't believe in Him, but thanks to God anyway that I wasn't born to her, because i would have been named:

Pistol Tanker Palin.

apropos, no?

2008-09-15T06:36:00.001-07:00

an easy way to feel good in this crappy election season

2008-09-11T07:11:00.001-07:00

actually, this has little to do (on the surface) with this crap-tastic election that is being run (like my use of the passive?)

BUT....i know a teacher in my city who is using this great program to get stuff for the classroom.
this is a LINK to this person's specific needs and i know it will be put to use correctly and will have a ripple effect because of this person's abilities in the classroom. of course, i'm not going to restrict you! if you get to the site and see other projects that you want to help, spend away!

it's horribly depressing that our city and nation's schools are not flush with cash that the teachers can just get the supplies they need, but i know this person has already spent alot of their own money on this classroom. a true Altruist.

so just give a few bucks. there's only $147 needed to reach the goal for this project. cool!

here's the link again in case you missed it: Donors Choose

strung out

2008-09-10T07:19:00.000-07:00

on The Wire. Last night, #1BB and I watched the final episode of the final season. The screen went to black and I turned to him and said "what's the point of watching any more television after that?" it does seem pointless. what show will compare? what show will make you think and worry over the characters and their decisions? the writers and directors and producers amazed me and shocked me by so eloquently, easily, transparently, and slowly revealing how rotten the core of our charmed city is, yet how it manages to keep going/churning/moving/shaking. this show made me feel hopeful and hopeless. and also incredibly lazy: i don't do alot to help anything around here and barely live in the city. i used to volunteer more. i need to get back to that. and i need to stop saying "i need to get back to that" and actually get back to it.

in other news, i'm trying to get informed about this Palin person. I've read Paglia. I've read Cintra Wilson. I've read the B-more Sun, the NY Times, the CNN, and all the other fluff. send me ideas of stuff i haven't read yet in the comments section.....i'll read it over tea. I've read that blog about the Librarians Who Are Against Her. Who IS this person? I watch with interest and horror as more and more is "revealed." (because, really, there is no truth in advertisting...) I caution others and myself against one-issue voting, but I have to be honest....if her and her ilk can't keep their hands off my sovereignty over my own body, guess what--you don't have my vote. (i'm laughing out loud.....i could no more vote GOP than blast-off from my office chair right now into space.) but seriously, you're registered, right?

i left the Dems in 2004 and became "unaffiliated." I wish this guy would run for the Unaffiliated Party. At least then, it would seem like a real party. and who doesn't enjoy a good party?

ketchup

2008-09-09T14:35:00.000-07:00

as usual, i'm in catch up mode. but this time i'm SERIOUS! (so she says....) desk cleaning has almost been completed! clothes have been washed! emails have been answered (some)! rehearsals scheduled! time at the piano and 'cello has been made!

8x10 Show this Friday. Next week is the Baltimore Music Conference.

Here's a LINK to the Video Press Release that i did for the upcoming shows....

oddities and endities

2008-08-25T08:01:00.000-07:00

i've been a travelin', with my parents for the last week. this time we went from Wisconsin to South Dakota and back. i did this last year, as a frolic and to see weird things and to spend time with the fam. this trip was a bit more stressful, but we saw ALOT.

i think my favorite was this: The Forevertron, (in the background pictured) created by Dr. Evermor located in his open junkyard studio in Baraboo, WI.

When it's completed, he will use the Forevertron to suck the water out of his body, so he can fit into the launch capsule. Then he will, in his words, "highball it to heaven." There is a telescope where the non-believers can watch his ascent and a listening area for the words he'll send back after launch. I hope to be there when all of this happens, because, simply put: I believe.

ellen cherry and Andrew Grimm tour video diary Day 5 until the end

2008-08-13T15:36:00.000-07:00

fun with the video camera. my last dispatch from the ellen cherry/Andrew Grimm NE tour of 2008.

enjoy!

random things

2008-08-13T08:53:00.000-07:00

for my summer job that ended at the end of july, i had to be fingerprinted...and i think i was skeptical about this in an earlier blog. i have never been fingerprinted and as far as i know, there have been no criminal background checks on me. in June, when i got back from that first summer tour, i got 2 letters from this Department of Public Safety both worded in the most backward a** way you can imagine. in simple terms, they were saying: you have not been convicted of any crimes. but the wording was something ridiculous in the vein of here is a list of all the crimes you have not been convicted of.

it was alarming to get the letter because when i initially read it, i was confused and thought i suddenly had a record i didn't know about. i thought: maybe i've been committing crimes in my sleep! or maybe i have a split personality (not such a far fetched idea for my chose profession) and she's been doing things i'm not aware of! (maybe she should stop ending sentences with prepositions!!)

anyway, i don't know what to do with this letter. do i keep it? do i recycle it? i'll probably keep it.

today, i'm doing rock star things: laundry, cleaning off my desk, catching up on emails, preparing to leave town again in 48 hours. lots to do before then and i'm just getting to the good parts of a book, too! but i'll have plenty of time to read next week. yay!

#1BB and i went to see Batman: The Dark Knight on Monday night at the wonderful Senator Theater here in B'more. i love that place. and i love the new speech before the show too that includes the scolding of people who text during the movies. it actually comments on how distracting the glow of a cell phone or PDA can be in a dark theater. yay, Senator!

go see this before it leaves there on Thursday. the movie is excellent. the actors are great. the costumes are cool. the action is great (but the sound was up a little loud.) the score! the score by Hans Zimmer is really really great and i really liked it. of course, i always like a well placed timpani.

more catching up to do...and finishing my final tour video diary/film thingy.

ketchup

2008-08-11T06:40:00.000-07:00

beep! beep! Nerds On Tour has ended. actually, #1BB snapped this pic yesterday morning in Hampden. Grimm and e.c. @ 6:30AM switching cars. we drove all night, as Cyndi likes to sing, from B-ton, VT, to make it home on Sunday morning, so we could wander around the house like zombies all day yesterday.

tour was good. i think i may have broken-even on the cash front, which is better than losing money. but most importantly, made new friends, saw places i had never been before and played music. by the show on Friday night (which was a great show and we got good video and great audio of it), Grimmsy and I were cued in on each other's songs and by Saturday....well, we were en fuego.

#1BB flew into Portsmouth, NH, on Thursday night, where we shared the night with the AMAZING Jon Nolan. It was so great to have him on the trip. I want #1BB on every tour from now on. it just makes things better.

A third and final tour film will be posted most likely tomorrow after i've had time to catch up on laundry and emails and clean off my desk. I'm leaving in 5 days for another week-long trip, wahoo!

until then, my friends, crank it up. (please see the second video below and Grimm's joke to understand this.)

another video blog from the NE tour

2008-08-07T07:45:00.000-07:00

We played Northampton, MA, and Manchester, CT....saw the Mark Twain House in Hartford, CT. Today, we're driving to Salem, MA, to see the house of the Seven Gables (Nathanial Hawthorne.) Beep! Beep! Nerds on Tour!

pix from Key of Sea!!

2008-08-05T13:48:00.000-07:00

I played an INCREDIBLE house concert on David's boat a few weeks back. I wish i could do that kind of show every weekend. It was the perfect combination of wonderful location, great sound, attentive, wonderful audience and also i made money! it was so rewarding.

Click HERE to see pix that David took.

I'm writing you from lovely Northampton, MA. A truly pedestrian town. Grimm and I have been in a coffeehouse most of the afternoon, but i walked around, looking at shops and headed to the post office to mail off another e.c. cd to a happy customer.

Great show last night in Providence, RI. We met really cool people and John, the host of the evening, graciously put us up in his house, saving us much needed $$.

Tonight, we open for the Dig from NYC. I'm really looking forward to this show. It's a club date, so we'll get to rock it for about 45 minutes and then enjoy some good ole rock n roll.

If you're wanting to support this endeavor in any small way, we can use gas and hotel money. Every penny is counting. Feel free to paypal me: kristin@ellencherry.com

I swear, I SWEAR that i will use it for food and not for cds from the indie music shop across the street. Promise.

new england day 1 & 2

2008-08-05T00:03:00.001-07:00

i want to tour Whole Foods

2008-08-04T09:22:00.000-07:00

Grimm and I are sitting at Whole Foods in Framingham, MA and enjoying wonderful vittles and also free WiFi. lovely.

but my computer is fast running out of battery and the place with the plug in has been taken. argh.

here's a quick pic of Bill Mallonee. he was awesome. the turn out was low, but everyone there was entranced. the guy is a master master songwriter.

okay, about out of juice. a video blog is coming soon....

on tour

2008-08-03T07:37:00.000-07:00

grimm i played Googies last night. it was great. a few people, but didn't matter. it was nice to play to a new crowd. shout out to Andrew, the dude who makes books, who came because of the InterWebs. I'm fully impressed that he was motivated enough by what he heard of me on the 'net to come to a show. And he was so nice (email me Andew, so i can send you the title of that book properly!!)

in a few hours, we'll leave for Boston. so far, a good adventure.

will post some video that i've take so far very soon. hope to construct the first video blog on the road today.....

wish we could spend a full day in NYC and see David Byrne's building installation, but i'll have to make a special trip back up for that....

more soon. send anyone and everyone you know to the gigs we have left this week...Boston, NH, RI, ME and VT. we would love to see them!

further evidence that the human race can be redeemed....

2008-07-19T06:04:00.000-07:00

Although I was never a big BtVS tv series fan (although I loved the movie and thought Kristy Swanson and Paul Reubens were so so great in it. Luke Perry too!)....anyway, even though I never got into the TV show (before i hear from you about how lame i am, i know, i know....it's just that i can't be held to TVs schedules...i like to watch series all at once and am happy to wait for the DVDs of stuff to come out.) But I have really liked everything that Joss Whedon does and this is perfect for 45 minutes on a Saturday morning.

Plus, NPH just gets better and better. Although, I'm always viewing him through my Doogie Howser goggles.

humanity ISN'T actually a bunch of lazy jerks

2008-07-17T09:57:00.000-07:00

i try not read the news in the morning anymore. just can't handle it, ya know? also, i've been riding my motorcyle to work and on Tuesday, i had 3 close calls with drivers who were just being selfish, distracted and downright jerks about sharing the roads. (And yes, every one of them was driving an SUV. One was also texting on her cell phone at the time, while attempting to drive over me.)

So, i'm reading the news at lunch today. And I come across this. And I smile. Here's a dude who thinks about other people. People he doesn't know. People he will never meet will benefit from his thoughtfulness.

And then this happens, too: Yesterday, trying to get a bunch of errands done on my motorbike, including the post office. Get to the post office and i have absolutely no change to put in the meter. I know i'll be in there for more than 5 minutes and that will be the time i'll get a ticket. Ugh. so i'm standing there, wondering what i should do and a dude walks by and i say "I'm so sorry to bother you, but could i ask you for a nickel for the meter?" He smiles, reaches down into his pocket and pulls out a mound of change. He says, "Take what you need."

I don't know if this guy will read this. But even if he isn't, I'm grateful that he did that. Just even saying that: take what you need. He doesn't know this, but he really helped me.

alternate titles for "heart like a lion"

2008-07-16T09:53:00.000-07:00

so...i'm trying (again) to clear out my massive email inbox.....and i came across my friend Ken Carpenter's email to me with alternate titles for the new disc. Thought i would pass those along: they are good for a laugh....or two.

Feet like a Mudskipper {evolutionary}
Ass like a Mule {redundant}
Eyes Like a Bat {blind}
Skin like a Rhino {thick}
Breasts like a Titmouse {small, but like 6 i think!}*
Spine Like a Squid {fluid}Liver like a Goose {pate'}

*i'm not sure what's being commented on here.....harumph.

i dug up the actual pic from the archives

2008-07-15T20:10:00.003-07:00

i didn't want to make y'all jealous by posting the "real" pic of me and lyle. (many thanks to Tim Heaney for the laugh and for the new fabricated memory.)

hee. i love you Lyle. HOW MANY TIMES DO I HAVE TO WRITE IT IN MY BLOG BEFORE YOU CALL??

me and lyle lovett....oh wait

2008-07-15T15:16:00.000-07:00

i realized that i haven't written in a week, dear readers...and for that, i apologize. i've been busy "teaching" (i use the term loosely) a group of 8-11 year olds some music and some theatre and some musical theatre. this job is hard. and it's not even that it's hard. it's just exhausting.

i'm sleepy.

anyway, i went to see lyle lovett play a few weeks ago and waited an hour outside after the show to see if i could tell him how amazing i think he is, how good the show was, and that if he ever needed a back up singer on 'North Dakota' to call me. (Lyle, if you're reading this: CALL ME!!)

anyway, he didn't walk out. instead, he stayed in his trailer, tucked away, out of view. so i snapped this picture of what it would have looked like if we had gotten a picture together. just squint and imagine him right next to me....it almost works. if you've been drinking.

more posts soon. promise. hope you're having a good summer...

271,901 miles

2008-07-08T20:04:00.000-07:00

since february, i've been tooling around in the hatchback Honda Fit that i'd wanted for awhile. my gracious car, the Hornet and i had driven over 240,000 miles (about the distance from here to the surface of the moon) together, but there were some problems that i couldn't justify fixing, seeing as it would never be a hatchback. i was planning to sell it, but just couldn't get around to it.

finally, i sucked it up and placed an ad last week. it's with a new family now, in south Baltimore. the new owner is a body guy and plans to strip the paint and get it back to looking like new. it passed the state inspection and soon it'll no longer have it's (shoddily done) awesome paint job, but that's okay. i'm hoping that the body'll last another 270K.

i'll miss that car. before i sold it, i drove it around the neighborhood for some last minute errands. i had been starting it up every once in a while, but not driving it, but once i was back behind the wheel, it was completely familiar. the gearshift was like a glove. i did alot of talking to myself in that car over the years. it's been all around the country. it took me to and from alot of places and was very dependable. strange how i could get so attached to metal and machinery like that, but i got the thing when i was 20. i was a completely different person then. i look at pictures of myself from that time and i barely recognize myself. it was a different life.

i'll miss it. but i'm glad that it's going to keep going rather than sit in a big yard somewhere, rusting and lonely. we should all be so lucky to get a second chance, no?

summer camp(s)

2008-06-24T09:30:00.000-07:00

I started a summer job last week at a kid’s summer camp in Baltimore. I’m the Theater Director and we’re putting on 2 productions over the course of 6 weeks. It’s a ton of work, but made even more so because I’ve never done anything like this before, so it’s kind of a steep learning curve. I feel prepared for the technical side of it, but not the dealing-with-kids side of it. The kids showed up yesterday and they are all really interesting and different. There’s some really nice ones and polite ones and they are all very energetic and want to learn, which is great. There’s also a couple who you worry might completely test your patience. What I learned quickly yesterday is that I understand now why teachers get the training they do. There is a way to understand kids and react to them and lead them that I simply don’t have a grasp on yet. I tend to relate to kids as if they are small adults. I speak and interact with them like that on the assumptions that 1. it will work and they’ll understand me 2. that they want to be treated like adults.

Also, it doesn’t help that last week was a bit killer, crashing back down to this planet, as I feel I did. I don’t think I mentally arrived at home until this past Saturday—almost a full week after I physically arrived. The writer’s week away was so amazing and so different. I was so removed from the news of the world. I just really didn’t concern myself with the outside world. I checked in on email maybe once per day and didn’t read or see the news. Also, I don’t think ever in my life I’ve stayed up til 4 and 5 in the morning for 5 days in a row. Sleep deprivation finally caught up to me at the end of the week there and then when I got home, there wasn’t too much time for catching up either.

I think I finally caught up on at least sleep last night, getting a good long, uninterrupted snooze. I definitely feel better today because of it. This week’s going to be full of activities too and not much time for resting, but honestly, except for being overly tired (and therefore, slightly on edge), I don’t know if I prefer the slow times. I do miss having the mornings to myself though and feel as though I’m not able to fully wake up at all during the day because I’m at work. I must sound so spoiled. I don’t know how you people do it. I used to have a 9-5 job, but that was 4 years ago now and I forgot how it felt to do that as soon as I possibly could. I really don’t know how anything gets done if you have that whole day sucked up by everything else.

landing back on planet earth

2008-06-17T07:40:00.000-07:00

living ellen cherry's life can sometimes be a bit a physically trying...all last week, late nights up until 4 and 5 AM having amazing energy despite no sleep and being around amazing musicians, music, energy and light coming from every where. every night last week i was up long enough to hear the birds singing in the trees around the bay as i finally lay down in bed.

in other words: it was totally rad.

however, kristin drove the car home yesterday and kristin has the body that ellen cherry uses and spent 2 full pop songs (the equivalent of at least 8 minutes) jumping up and down on a stage in front of a few thousand people without stopping (my only true dance move). i feel like i fell back to earth and into kristin's life and ellen cherry is still somewhere far away, jumping and staying up late and generally being irresponsible, creative and hilarious somewhere.

still, kristin is glad to be back home amongst the familiar things, even though the house feels alien and the surroundings too. it'll all come back. hopefully before i have to leave again! i'm sure a few loads of laundry will cure everything.

exhaustion

2008-06-15T20:14:00.000-07:00

Steelbridge is over. it's the sad end of summer camp for me. i'm overly tired, and therefore overly emotional about it all.

it was a long week, but wonderful to disconnect from news, the internet (for the most part) and stay up too late in the evening. i think i wrote a great song. i think i met a true writing partner, but only time will tell on that one, but i'm hopeful.

must sleep. it's 14 hours to home tomorrow.