And so now we know it’s not enough to be in love…

A few weeks ago I wrote about one of the little things I do to make less of an ecological impact on this world – a smaller footprint if you will. For the most part I don’t buy new CD’s, it’s rare for me these days. Yes – I can write them off so the cost is not the issue so much as it is encouraging the world to produce more plastic. But there are artists whose work I deem to be extremely worthy of holding the jacket card and reading the liner notes whilst every word is in my hands as the music trickles through my ears for the first time. Suzanne Vega is one of those amazing artists.

For so many reasons I am in love with her music, in fact, she inspired me to be a songwriter, she’s a HUGE influence of mine and I’ve never hidden that from anyone. I have even met her a number of times – the coolest, or most insane time was the first encounter. It was after a show at Princeton University, someone had found out where her dressing room was so, with a little help from some nearby fellows, I climbed up to her window to say hello (this was no small feat if you understand how old and high the window ledges of that school are). It was very cool – she was very nice and she got a big laugh out of it.

I biked up to Virgin Records this week – her latest release, Beauty and Crime, came out this past Tuesday. I couldn’t wait. Sure, I could have gotten an advanced copy through her web sight (of course I’m on her mailing list) and waited for it to be shipped – but I wanted instant gratification and to hold it in my hands as soon as the cash left them. Oh boy….is this shit good!!! To be honest, I haven’t loved everything she’s done over the years and I definitely have my favourite CD’s. I fear, or perhaps I rejoice, that this could be in my top 3.

If you’re expecting a folkie album I suggest you go get a Dar Williams CD. This is not a folkie collection of tunes. This is a woman in love with her city, in love with her new husband and paying tribute to her late brother, Tim, to whom this CD is dedicated. Like her other writings she is adept at people watching, city watching and noticing the small things in herself that most don’t.

On “Ludlow Street”, she bears her soul showing a woman in pain as she walks her brothers old block noticing how empty it now feels as his presence is noticeably absent. “Love is the only thing that matters, love is the only thing that’s real, and when I think of you now love is the only thing I feel, this time when I go back to Ludlow Street I find each stoop and doorway’s incomplete without you there…” I can picture her walking in mourning trying to feel him one last time. I know – I’ve done it. Every time I go home to Connecticut or North Carolina I have tried to embrace the air hoping to catch my mother walking by. So yes, love is the only thing that matters and love lives on long after those we love have left the earth.

On another song, such as the above lyric/title for this week’s blog, “Frank & Ava”, we witness one of Suzanne Vega’s greatest traits. Her ability to write about other people and capture their essence is truly a gift (have yourself another listen to “Marlena On The Wall”). I feel like know Frank Sinatra and Ava Gardner in a way I never have before hearing this song. Her inspiration came from something Ava Gardner said about how she and Frank fought – never in bed – but on the way to the bidet. It shows you that the genesis of a song can be something as simple as a first person account or something deeper as is her forte. You never know what this lady is going to say in her music. On this outing she also writes about Edith Wharton, Ruby, her daughter with Mitchell Froom, and if you want to hear one of the greatest love songs about New York City check out “New York Is A Woman”.

Overall this work harkens back to her first CD, Suzanne Vega, only instead of being a neo-folk collection this one is rife with some serious guitar and synthesizer licks. It’s more of a pop album – only of course deeper than your average lot of tunes that’s out there these days. With background vocals from KT Tunstall (one of the coolest new chicks in music) and her daughter Ruby – Producer Jimmy Hogarth took Suzanne’s music to another level. A very cool level. Die hard fans will love it for the depth and new fans will love it for the catchy melodies and pop production values. Ok – enough gushing – just go check it out!!! www.suzannevega.com
www.myspace.com/suzannevega or hit itunes!

As I’ve mentioned before I don’t drive much in this city. There are several reasons for this: a) everything I need is either walking or biking distance (though it could be argued that everything is biking distance if you are so inclined), b) in the last five years or so this city has gotten so crowded that rush hour nearly lasts all day and c) a lot of drivers out there are real jerks and don’t let shit go.

I heard recently that Miami has the worst road rage of anywhere in the U.S., since I’ve never been there I cannot attest to the truth of that statement, but I can guess that L.A. is a close second. I was reminded of this the other day when I drove to Santa Monica to hang out and get a change of scenery. I was coming upon a construction site and this guy in a ginourmous (I can use that word now since it’s officially in the dictionary) pick-up truck with huge wheels cut me off – he nearly hit me – so I went around him - he proceeded to pull up to my passenger window the first chance he got and yelled “Hey – you’re not gonna let me in?” – I retorted that he had cut me off and I drove away. Fine. Maybe I was a jerk, maybe I was being a little New York with my driving and asserting my way – besides – don’t these idiots know about the zipper affect? Why should I let him in just because his truck is huge and his, well – you know is probably smaller than an ear bud? Whatever. I just want to get to the beach.

Ten minutes later – I’m not exaggerating - and more than a few miles down the road he made a point to find me and pull up next to me. He wasn’t asking for Grey Poupon – not that he even knows what that is – he pulled up to yell at me again. I have an “I love NY” sticker on the back – he noticed this and yelled ‘NY F***** sucks!! Why don’t you go back you….’. I ignored him. I drove off cursing myself for not having rolled up my window in the 85 degree heat all the while thinking he was probably going home to beat his wife and just couldn’t wait. F***** looser!!!

Ok, not a bad story, right? That’s not even the worst because at least this guy did let it go, eventually. The worst thing, and maybe the scariest form of road rage that just won’t quit was this time Abby and I were driving down the mountain from Big Bear on an icy February afternoon. This lady in some wimpy fake SUV was tail gaiting me. It was dangerous and there was nowhere for me to go – there were a ton of cars ahead of me and she was in some kind of rush. I tapped my brakes a few times and she wouldn’t back off. This went on for forty - five nail biting minutes down a very windy road. Even if I’d let her pass she wouldn’t have gotten very far and would have done the same to another driver – or worse.

When we got to the bottom of the mountain where it stretches out and becomes a two lane highway I thought finally the antics were over. I was wrong, she continued tail gaiting me even when there was ample room, and another lane for her to go around. I pulled off the highway to get away from her, but no, she followed us. Not wanting to stop or endanger anyone else I jumped back on the highway. After a few more miles of this never ending nonsense Abby pulled out a pen and paper and showed her that we were taking down her info and calling the police – Abby actually dialed 911– the lady got scared and drove off. She could have killed us or anyone else on the road that day with those kinds of antics.

I have never experienced anywhere else this kind of attitude that people have – you piss me off – I’m gonna chase you down for miles and make you scared. Back east road rage happens but it’s over and done with as quickly as it began. A finger flies, nasty words are mouthed and you move on. Out here you better hope they don’t have a gun. To the outside word California comes across as an easy going, laid back place – but it’s just a façade like most things out here. Tell me, where is the love?

This time next week I’ll be in a tent somewhere in Wyoming so I wont be updating the blog – but I shall return the following week. Hopefully you’ll use this time to catch up on my entries you haven’t read. ENJOY!!

Thanks for tuning in…Until next time….CHEERS!!!

I think I’m gonna be a little damaged, I think I’m gonna be a lot scared, here is more than I can manage, I need to find Another There…

You’ll forgive me this week if I talk about my own CD, NUMB. My apologies, really, but you see I can’t seem to get a few of the songs from it out of my head, including the above-mentioned “Another There”. It’s a bit of a curse to me that I can’t shake these tunes I played Friday night at Loud Music Symposium. You see, I spent the last few weeks playing only three songs – practicing and practicing to get them right and sounding as perfect and natural as they can be.

You would think after seven months of recording “Another There”, “Now” and “Mice and Men” that I would know the words but I don’t. When I’m recording I am listening to so many other elements that the words escape me. Since I am mildly dyslexic and I easily confuse words and names of objects anyway it makes it harder for me to memorize sentences whether I wrote them or not. Obviously, performing live is a very different beast than recording so I have to do all kinds of things to make sure I know the words. This can include a trick my mother taught me when I was trying to learn my lines when I was acting in High School and College. She always told me to get into the character of the person I am singing about and the story I am telling – if I do that than the words will make more sense and hopefully come more easily. This little trick definitely helps.

The other trick I do, and thusly explains the mess in my brain today, is that I play the songs over and over again. Sometimes I play a song three or four times in a row before moving on to another one. I do this for at least one to two hours a day depending on how much time I have. Hence, irrespective of any other music I listen to this stuff is deeply imbedded and effluent within my brain – even in the middle of the night when I wake up these songs are present. Yes, I need help. Hopefully by next week I should have a different CD running through my brain – and a review will surely follow.

I must say though – I’m very proud of the work I did on NUMB – I’m pleased at how it turned out with the limited resources I had and the struggles that came about during the recording process; flakey people, people that would only play if they got paid, or those who simply were too busy to ask around on my behalf. I did everything I could to get others to play on the CD and in the end it was mostly me along with my co-producer Rebecca, and Dan my bass player. I was challenged, I stood up to it and I’m glad for it all. I hope you, my readers, will take the time to check out this work. Please go to www.myspace.com/laraschuler, or itunes and sample NUMB – hopefully you’ll like it as much as I do.

As for Loud Music Symposium it was a lot of fun! This, despite the blackout that occurred just minutes, yes, minutes, before the show was to start. What did we expect? It WAS Friday the 13th, afterall. The show was delayed all of an hour while the crew scurried to find performers to ask if they would still play if they could get a generator and make-shift sound system going, and then hustled to set everything up - two bands bailed, I’m not sure why, but I wasted no time in saying yes. Why not? I’d sat in traffic for over an hour then jumped onto some ugly surface streets for an untold number of miles to get OUT of the traffic just to get there – damn it of I wasn’t going to play after all that. It was a no brainer and I’m glad I stayed.

While I certainly can’t speak for how my performance sounded under the stars with a generator buzzing in my ear I will tell you that it felt good, and I had fun. I can, however, say that the folks who organized it did a great job stepping up to the plate and getting the show back on track. Tom, Seth, Anne, Lee and the rest of the folks were amazing!

The whole night was a benefit performance meant to raise money for The Renegades, and So Cal Dream – two drum corps bands that perform in competitions around the country. Needless to say they didn’t make any money that night because of the circumstances so if you would like to make a donation please go to: www.renegades.org or www.socaldream.org

Thanks for tuning in…Until next Monday…CHEERS!!

Chester the dog he lives across the street he’s got four furry tiny feet….

I’m a little biased towards this week’s featured artist, Dre Towey, a.k.a. Andrea Loomis Towey. You see, we went to Jr. High/High School together, and while we weren’t the best of friends back then we were always friendly. To be honest, she was one of the nicest people in our school. We reconnected at our High School reunion this past fall, both of us, coincidentally, working on new CD’s. As her adorable kids played at our feet we discussed our projects and have stayed in touch since then - even sending each other MP3’s of our demos through the glory’s of email. It’s been very cool to share the rough mixes and get the support and encouragement that comes from the feedback of another artist.

Her debut solo release, Chester the Dog, is Dre’s first foray into the world of children’s music. Wait. Don’t stop reading. All my readers who drop by every week for rock n’ roll reviews – hang tight……..Ok – back to it…..so here’s the deal – yes – it’s children’s music – but only if you actually listen to the words closely. Unlike Laurie Berkner’s work this music is very appealing to adults. The production values are excellent (the CD was recorded at The Carriage House in Stamford, CT), and are such that you could be listening to a country/bluegrass CD. Her voice is reminiscent of Nanci Griffith, and her three kids singing backup on several of the songs is absolutely priceless. Part lite rock, part 50’s roll, throw in a dash of a screaming telecaster and you have music for all ages.

While a few of the tunes are traditional and she does a cover of the Carol Hart song “A Friend Like You” my favourite songs are Dre’s originals. “Chasing the Cat” is fun and hilarious and makes me want to chase my cat more than I already do. I also love “Mama Makes the Mashed Potatoes” and the title track “Chester the Dog”. Of course, you have songs about days of the week, counting, and other cool things for kiddies to learn about – but there are other messages in the music – such as stopping to smell the roses – something we all need to do. All of her tunes are very cool and accessible - I even hear hints of Badly Drawn Boy in her song “Engineer Emmet”. Basically you don’t have to be a kid to appreciate this CD.

Overall, I feel like dancing. It’s a very happy mix of tunes and I know I will be popping this one in whenever the mood strikes me. Way to go Dre!!! For more info: http://www.littleloomis.com

Thanks to Tivo I watched or skimmed over 22 hours of the “Live Earth Concert” over the weekend. It was a lot of fun and while the channels I get didn’t show as much of the London show as I would have liked (I missed James Blunt, Damien Rice and all but one song of David Grey’s – this bummed me out immeasurably) for the most part the coverage was good and I really enjoyed seeing Roger Waters (amazing!!!!), KT Tunstall, Crowded House (awesome!!) The Police, Lenny Kravitz, Dave Mathews Band, UB40, John Mayer and Alicia Keys, one of the most talented folks to come out of music in recent years. Though I did think her performance was brought down a notch by her collaboration with the snooze fest that is John Legend and Corinne Bailey Rae – two of the most boring people to come out of music in recent years. I think I fell off my couch reaching for remote to fast forward as quickly as humanly possible. Oh well – the rest of the show was very cool and more than made up for that blunder.

One of the great things about the show was that not only were the short films interesting and thought provoking, as I’d read they would in the New York Times friday the organizers made a point to show how easy and accessible making a difference can be. You don’t have to be rich and put solar panels and windmills on your roof to affect change – you can do some little things that in the long run can add up to a big change. Here are some things I do and have been doing for some time (in no particular order):
1) I walk or bike when I can instead of taking the car.
2) I changed my light bulbs to the fluorescent kind and then turn them off when I leave a room.
3) I take a canvas bag(s) for my walk to the grocery store.
4) I turn the water off when I brush my teeth.
5) I don’t use air conditioning at home.
6) I turn off power strips when I’m not using them.
7) If it’s yellow I let it mellow if its brown I flush it down.
8) I don’t eat red meat.
9) I don’t shower every day and when I do I keep it short or take a bath.
10) I recycle even though my landlord doesn’t provide a bin – I stealthily use other’s bins around the neighbourhood. It’s kind of fun, actually, except when I’ve gotten yelled at – I think they were missing the point.
11) I use a Brita filter instead of buying individual bottles of water.
12) I don’t buy over packaged foods.
13) I only use natural, biodegradable detergents and soaps.
14) I made a point not to manufacture too many copies of NUMB in the hopes that people will download the music and save packaging and shipping resources. Basically, I rarely buy new CD’s – I download or buy used.

If you look around – you’ll see the little things you can do to make a difference. One step at a time. One act at a time. We can all do it. For more info go to www.liveearth.org

Thanks for tuning in….Until next Monday…CHEERS!!!!

PS. I saw a great bumpersticker the other day, it read: Am I a liberal or am I just educated?

Her name is Rio and she dances on the sand….

Like a lot of folks yesterday I got up in the morning, turned on VH1, and watched the “Concert for Diana”. In case you’ve been living in a hole it was a 6 hour concert organized by her sons, Prince’s William and Harry, to commemorate what would have been her 46th birthday. This being the left coast I wasn’t sure how ‘live’ it would be – you see, you never know around here – many things are tape delayed, including the evening news, award shows, and the morning shows. I wasn’t initially sure what time it aired since to be honest, I don’t much watch VH1 since it became a mostly game show/reality oriented station, not an actual music station. Scrolling through my online guide I discovered that it was indeed live and airing - and was about 1 ½ into the program. Ooops. But I did stay tuned in until the end.

The featured act was Duran Duran, The Princess’ favourite band, which I missed because I wasn’t awake at 8am PDT. But I did manage to catch them every time VH1 did a recap – which seemed to happen a lot. I’ve got to say, those guys can still kick butt on stage. While I wasn’t a huge fan of theirs in their heyday, I do enjoy listening to them now and it looked to me that they put on a good show. It seemed fitting that they were the 2nd act to kick off the day after Elton John – one of Diana’s closest friends.

Overall the acts I saw were pretty cool…everyone seemed to enjoy themselves and got into the spirit of the day – celebrating the life of Princess Diana. Though admittedly I was glad that some artists only did one song – my guess is that they were the artists that maybe only had one song that the world would actually know. I thought it was very smart of the Princes to give more time to the classic artists and not waste time on the unknown songs of what may turn out to be a one hit wonder act. It also added to the very cool mix of music that was on stage throughout the day and I think they did a great job of choosing the performers – old and new.

One of the coolest things was the series of video vignettes that were interspersed throughout the day in between on - stage performances. The testimonials, called “DIANA and me”, from real people that the Princess had met were touching and often enlightening. While we all know her as ‘the people’s Princess’ for some reason seeing/hearing these tales of her interactions with commoners, and the sickly, made her seem even more human and real than I would have ever imagined. I almost felt as if I had met her – and I think that was the point. To show her to the world more as a mother and caretaker and not as just a Princess of the tabloids. It was a nice touch and all of the segments were very well produced, well written and sent a very positive message. It made the day seem not to be just a day of music – but a day of opening our hearts and reliving the goodness that she brought to this world. It reminded us that it’s not just about having money and doing good things with it – but that being human, kind, and real can also make a huge difference in the footprint we leave on this earth – it can be fleeting and flighty – or it can be tangible, sweet and last forever.

Last Monday Abby and I went to Las Vegas for a couple of days. We had gotten a good ‘deal’ on a room at The Luxor – as long as we took some silly tour of one of their vacation time share units down at the ghost town side of the strip. What a load of crap that was! We were lied to from the very first second we met the first sales person in the hotel months ago – ‘no – you don’t have to take the trip if you don’t want to’ – only to find out that we DID have to take the tour or we’d pay a significant penalty. Then we had to check in at one hotel to then go stand in the long ass line at our hotel to actually get into our room – which all total took over an hour and a half to complete.

Oh yeah, and when they tell you that the tour only takes 2 hours – or longer if you are interested in buying into the waste of money time share scheme – they mean it takes 3 ½ hours whether you are interested in buying or not. No matter how many times we told them we are NOT interested and no matter how many angles we came up with to tell them that (‘we’re outdoor enthusiasts and don’t find this to be our thing’ or ‘we like to road trip – hike, camp, sleep on the ground and not be surrounded by annoying ill behaved spawn of other annoying ill behaved fat americans’ or ‘we already have vacation property’) they had an answer to everything. It was very tiring fighting them and I mean them – because all total we were face to face with no less than four, yes, four sales people up until the moment we walked out the door. I’m surprised the security guard didn’t try to sell us anything. Or did she? I may have blocked it out.

Oh yeah – the last and final lie was that although we’d been promised a free Vegas show the one we wanted that didn’t have anything to do with ‘t and a’ was of course sold out that night. REALLY?!?!!? You don’t say…..We opted for the gambling voucher and I proceeded to win $25 off of their cash. It was a small victory – but a victory nonetheless. I’m guessing non of these slimy vultures has a clue about how to be human and I’m guessing like their main demographic won’t make much of a positive impact on this world.

Needless to say after 2 ½ days of being pushed around, mowed down, and generally overcome with homicidal feelings I was ready to get in the car and head home. Don’t get me wrong – for the most part we had a good time – as long as we stayed away from elbows, large bellies, and the children who ran amok in casino.

Thanks for tuning in…Until next Monday…CHEERS!!

What kind of world do you want?

I love John Ondrasik. There is nothing musically in my mind that he could do wrong. I love his band (basically anyone who plays on his recordings), I love his songs, I own all four albums he’s released since his debut in 1997 with Message for Albert and I think he’s one of my generation’s best songwriters. His songs are topical, personal and catchy all at the same time. He’s made me cry, he’s made me think and he makes me want to be a better songwriter.

His latest release, Two Lights, (August 2006) is no exception. Starting with the above - mentioned song “World” he dives in and gives a look inside his head and what he thinks of the mess we’ve all made of this world and how we can change it. It’s an interesting and deeply existential question to pose and it reminds us that change starts at home.

As on his previous releases the topics of Two Lights vary - love, family, cops, a 65 Mustang - and have something to offer anyone who listens. If you aren’t a fan yet – you should be. While I really like Two Lights I recommend you start with my favourite CD of his, The Battle For Everything, and go from there. www.fiveforfighting.com and www.myspace.com/fiveforfighting

It’s Sunday as I write this – a nice lazy Sunday save for my gut wrenching trip to the gym to undo all the badness I ate and all the miles I didn’t run while I was back east for the last two weeks. I’ve been back for a few days and my brain is still a little fuzzy, my eating schedule is still three hours off and I’m falling asleep way too early to do anyone any good. But it’s par for the course for me when I go back for more than a weekend and at least I can handle it – though I do feel sorry for anyone around me who has to engage me for more than 5 ½ seconds in these first few days.

I had a blast! The first weekend I helped celebrate my niece’s fourth birthday by playing grill chef at her party (I don’t eat red meat but managed to cook more hamburgers in one day than I’ve probably eaten in my short lifetime), and I got up to Western Massachusetts with my sis, niece, and Fritz to see our friend Lauren and her daughter Catherine (and yes I got to drive Lauren’s new Mini – awesome!).

Last weekend my sister and I drove up to Newburyport, Massachusetts to see some other old friends/family and then on up to Maine to see one of my best friends, Amanda and her wife Rosemary at their new lake cabin. It was great to see all these folks over the course of my two weeks – people I consider to be family and people for whom I would do anything.

The many miles we traveled flew by and at the same time managed to get my feet on the ground. It felt great to be in my old haunts (I once did an archeological dig in Newburyport, and was a camp counselor in Maine one summer – to say nothing of an ex and my many shopping runs to L.L. Bean, and our lunches in Freeport) and it felt great to eat some real lobster and other seafood that simply taste better because they come from the Atlantic. In between weekends I worked on my sister’s house painting her doors and building a garden for her. It was hard work but I was justly compensated by the slab of ice cream cake left over and the time I got to spend with her and Cate.

I needed this trip as I contemplate my future and wonder where I should be and where I should go. I am very strongly pulled by my family and family of friends to head back east and start all over with a new old life. I am also very torn. I have a good life here in West Hollywood, someone I love, and a life we share that would be either enhanced by moving back or troubled. It’s so hard to say and so hard to know. Ultimately though, I know it comes down to one question: What kind of world do I want?

Thanks for tuning in…Until next Monday…CHEERS!!

Ps. In case you haven't picked up your copy of my CD, NUMB,
.......it's now available on itunes!

With my stomach on the mattress and you whispering from above….

Los Angeles is a tough crowd. I’ve seen a ton of shows here at various places large and small and no matter what or who you are – it’s a rough place to lay your hat on a stage and sing your heart out. Many a famous performers have been quoted as saying that L.A. is their least favourite place to play. People pay good money to go see a show and they talk loudly all the way through the set thusly distracting the other attendees and the people on stage. But this is L.A. and these are important people so whatever they are saying is more important than whatever the person on stage is saying – and as long as you get that you’ll be ok.

Friday night we went to The Mint to see my friend Emma Hill – I had met her through myspace and she’s one of the few people who has actually been in touch and wasn’t reaching out just to hopefully gain a new fan. She did - but that’s beside the point. She was friendly, communicative, and I told her to let me know if she was ever going to play in L.A. – so we exchanged some emails, kept in touch, and there we were at The Mint. I was excited to be there – even though all I knew of her music was what I heard on her myspace page I knew it would be a good show.

The Mint is a very cool place. It’s small, intimate and the food smells amazing. I like it because you feel like you could be in a club back east with it’s long, wooden bar, low ceiling, and dark feel. Emma came to say hello before the show – or rather – I found her and she graciously hung out as we all waited for the place to fill up a little before she took the stage.

She went on around 7.45 and played for about forty-five minutes. Poor thing. I felt bad for her. And for the idiots in the audience who wouldn’t shut up and missed out on a great show. Her first gig in this town, at one of the cooler places around, and most people talked through her set. Typical. We didn’t, neither did the folks up front or Michelle Shocked who sat just to our right. I explained to her that it wasn’t a personal thing, in fact most everyone at least clapped after every song, it’s just that this is how this place is – and whether you’re Sting, Joe Jackson, or Patty Griffin – this is what you get. Hopefully she felt better.

So yeah – about that great show. I’m not lying. She has a beautiful voice, she plays well and her songs harken back to the days of Joan Baez, Joni Mitchell, and early Shawn Colvin. She is folk through and through. She does it well and does it with heart, soul and a dash of sad optimism. I got the feeling that this Alaskan native has seen more than she’s letting on and at the tender age of ‘I’m not old enough to drink in this bar’ she seems wise beyond her years. This is clearly evident in her music and her writing. She also happens to be a very nice person and I thoroughly enjoyed hanging out with her before and after the show. I offered her my couch the next time she’s in L.A. or wherever I happen to be in the future. In the meantime – check her out: http://www.myspace.com/emmamariehill

Well folks, it’s that time of year – birthday parties, divorce parties, working on a house, and heading to my favourite places. I’m going to be a bit busy this coming week and will be taking a little break from the blog. I won’t be around next Monday but I hope you’ll look for me in the coming weeks. In the meantime, check out my new CD, NUMB, at
cdbaby.com/cd/laraschuler

Thanks for tuning in…until the next Monday…CHEERS!!

At first when I see you cry it makes me smile….

The other day I was watching the “Today Show” – it was Friday and they were kicking off their summer music series with an appearance by Blondie. As a long time fan (how could you not like them?) I was very excited to see three of the original members on stage – including, of course, the inimitable Debbie Harry – who at sixty three is probably one of the hottest women in Rock ‘N Roll. They were on the show to promote their upcoming re-release of Eat To The Beat on DVD and digitally remastered CD – out on 26 June.

Even at 8.45a they were on their game – Debbie Harry can still sing with the best of them. So she did – maybe not the best but certainly one of today’s more interesting new talents, Lily Allen (I love her CD Alright, Still and if you haven’t checked it out it’s a fun mix of reggae and pop music – really awesome). On stage to sing a duet of “Heart Of Glass” mid way through the set I was completely blown away. WOW! There was something so cool about the two of them together – old torch – new torch – what you heard was not only a timeless song but a timeless meeting of talents and for anyone who has ever doubted Lily Allen’s ability to sing live (not me, ever, by the way) than all your doubts would surely be erased - it was a great duet! http://youtube.com/watch?v=F3U_sVIIJqs

A few weeks ago I wrote my blog about Hugh Grant and his bean throwing incident justly aimed at the paparazzi. It got me thinking and got me feeling a little nagged as well. How do I contribute to the furthering of these useless photographers careers of stalking the famous and infamous? I know how. Over the last year I have been reading a couple of the online websights that publish these silly pictures of women’s crotches as they get out of a limo, or take their kids to school, or are drunk as they leave a party (horrors!!). Well, last week one of them (I won’t dare name the sight as I don’t wish to publicize further the lameness that is them) published a picture of Sharon Stone on a boat at Cannes – showing her backside. I admit I’d love to see Sharon Stone in a bathing suit - having seen her in person at an airport she’s just as beautiful on person as on screen. But what got to me was the caption under the picture – some bitchy, queeny comment about the cottage cheese on her upper back thighs. I was really bothered by the comment and thought that it went too far because if I look as good as she does at her age I’ll find religion – and fast! I realized that that’s all that guy does – he posts pictures of the stars and does nothing but write nasty, mean things about the people in them. Rarely does he, or any of the other sites, post anything nice.

As I checked his site again Friday morning, as I’ve done nearly every day for the last year I found I’d had it. I deleted the web address from my browser. I felt good. I felt freed. I felt like less of a fraud. How can I condemn the photographers who take the nasty pictures so that other nasty’s can post nasty comments when I read the blogs that post this crap? As I watched the film “Georgia Rule” Friday afternoon I found myself thinking of the ugly comments I’d read about Lindsey Lohan on one of these blogs. My viewing of her performance was clouded – unjustly so because she was, as usual, excellent in this role – and I knew I’d made the right decision. No matter what her personal troubles may be – she’s a hell of an actress who has more talent in her little pinky than the nasty’s who write those blogs that get off on smiling while others cry.

On this Memorial Day I’d like to give a shout out to our troops (my cousin being one of them) – I hope you know how much you are appreciated – now lets get those yahoos in Washington to end this silliness so you can all come home.

Thanks for tuning in….Until next Monday…CHEERS!!

I treated myself like I knew I would, I told you I was trouble, you know I’m no good….

In honour of her very sad passing this past weekend I thought I would republish this post from May 2007. Needless to say this is a very deep loss to the music community and her talent will be missed! She was a true original....RIP, Amy...

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I picked up the Amy Winehouse CD, Back To Black , this weekend and thought I would try something new – writing about it as I listen for the first time. Over the last few months (her second album, it was released in October 2006) I’ve heard a track here and there but this is my first REAL sit down with it. So far it’s a smooth mix of jazz and R & B.

What strikes me most is her retro sounding voice. If I didn’t have a picture of her in front of me (she definitely looks like a modern woman – tattoos and all) I would think she’s some 1960’s girl jazz group reincarnate (were there actually any? But still….). This isn’t surprising since she sites as her influences many female jazz/R & B singers – Sarah Vaughan, Dinah Washington and the late great Minnie Ripperton to name a few.

At this point I’m about half way through the CD and so far I would say I’m really loving the music! Somehow, some way you get the feeling that this could be a live show in a club in NYC in the mid 1960’s. I swear it’s truly amazing how good this stuff sounds! Don’t get me wrong – it’s not some faux retread, it’s fresh and interesting and downright impressive! Even the backing vocals have it down…back when they added almost more than real instruments and certainly more than they add these days. I think that was what was so cool about the music then - it was more basic and stripped down – you couldn’t hide behind synthesizers and electronic drums – you had to work with what you had and vocals stood out more because of those now antiquated methods of recording and more ‘acoustic’ instruments. Nowadays it’s easy to fill in musical gaps – to make something better than it is because of all the recording tricks, and cutting and pasting one can do whilst in the studio and after the fact.

While I can’t be certain of the methods used in recording this CD, I can say that after hearing the whole album straight through it’s true to it’s word throughout– honest, pure and definitely a sexy listen! If you’re looking for something retro but new and fresh – this is it! She’s got a killer voice – the songs are cool and it’s a fun ride! Check her out at itunes, www.myspace.com/amywinehouse, or http://www.amywinehouse.co.uk/

My mother always told me ‘those who can’t do – teach’. She felt that if you were really capable at your art – you wouldn’t be teaching it – you would be a successful artisan. This was especially loud in my ears as she fought my tenth grade English teacher when he gave me a ‘C’ on a paper she (and others – including my mother’s own college professor) felt was a college level paper. She even tried to get the hack fired - that’s how strongly she was behind it. So when recently I was asked to donate time to run lights for the adult version of “Grease” for the kiddie school where I have worked on and off over the last six months – I was a little skeptical. Of course, it was all for their scholarship fund – about 30 students a session are on scholarship – so that wasn’t the issue – every person working on it donated their time – but I was unsure of what I would see on stage. In the adult versions of these musicals all the teachers, some former teachers and a few parents act and sing their way through the show.

I was, to say the least, pleasantly surprised. After months of seeing/working these kiddie shows where, despite the talent that some of these kids come from, the apple does apparently fall from the tree, it was great to see a show how it’s supposed to be done! There were harmonies, people being IN character, knowing their lines and knowing the songs. Overall I was impressed by the actors on stage! Of course some were better than others and some were more in tune than others but no matter what it was a lot of fun! Everyone on stage and in the audience had a blast – and it showed! At one point last night I held a blackout a little longer because “Good Lovin” came on (I know – “Grease” takes place in the 50’s and this song came out in 1966 – a point not lost on me) and everyone in the theatre started clapping in time and singing along, it was a cool moment that you think only happens in movies. But the point is – while no one on stage is an academy award winning actor or singer these teachers impressed me. They can do!

Thanks for tuning in…Until next Monday….CHEERS!

Blame it on fate, blame it on blind love….

I was at a loss for what to write about today…my brain is encompassed by many thoughts about how/what to do with the EP baby I’ve just given birth to. While it isn’t officially born yet – that will happen later this week when I pick up the CD’s I’m having made – but still it’s almost here (by the way, copies will be available for purchase at cdbaby.com in the next couple of weeks). So I gave Abby a shout and she suggested the following: do what a lot of bloggers have done – put your ipod on random and write down the first ten songs that play – no cheating! Since this is a music and life review blog it made sense – it tells you something about my life and my music. Here is what came up (artist, song, album title):

Michael Penn, “18 September”, Mr. Hollywood, Jr. 1947
Sheryl Crow, “All I Wanna Do”, Teusday Night Music Club
Joan Armatrading, “Prove Yourself”, Live – All The Way From America
Fleetwood Mac, “You Make Loving Fun”, The Dance
Butterfly Boucher, “Life Is Short”, Flutterby
Jules Shear with Roseanne Cash, “Who’s Dreaming Who”, Between Us
Missy Higgins, “Katie”, The Sound Of White
Coldplay, “Talk”, Greatest Hits Coldplay
Idina Menzel, “Follow If You Leave”, The Other Sister soundtrack
Mazzy Star, “She’s My Baby”, So Tonight That I Might See

While the list does not nearly encompass all the music that I listen to (I have jazz, opera, classical, and electronica to name a few other genre’s) – in fact the ten songs that came after the first ten were almost more diverse (Lisa Loeb, Joni Mitchell, Rolling Stones, Fastball, Kate Bush, Steve Forbert, Bread, Alanis Morrisette, Pete Yorn). Overall it’s a pretty good sample, though, and hopefully has given you some insight into the kind of stuff I listen to among the 7,945 songs in my ipod. And no, the Jude Cole song I quoted in today’s title never came up…I can you can blame it on fate....maybe next time.

Thanks for tuning in…Until next Monday…CHEERS!!

You catch me, I am tired, I want all that you are…..

Tanita Tikaram is perhaps best known for her 1988 hit song “Twist In My Sobriety” from her debut CD Ancient Heart. Since that debut she has lived in relative obscurity while releasing seven albums – the latest, Sentimental, in 2005. It’s hard for me to imagine what happened to her in the last 19 years or so. For some reason the world did not find her follow up work to be as interesting or perhaps her best was already behind her. I don’t buy that theory. Though I will say my favourite song is “Cathedral Song” from the above -mentioned quote – also on Ancient Heart. It’s a beautiful tune about seeing someone from a distance, chasing after them, falling in love and falling apart. As I listen to the CD today I find it’s a timeless piece of work. Not many can say that about music they released when they were just nineteen. It’s an emotional, angst-filled collection of songs that irrespective of age and time still resonate.

I admit I have not been following her career lately and until I thought to write about her this week I wasn’t even sure she was still putting out CD’s. To be honest, I lost touch with her new music after her Lovers In The City release in 1995. I feel bad. She is a very talented poetess with a husky, deep voice that hits you right in the middle of your chest like a bass drum. And if you sit down and read her lyrics (or really listen closely) you find a spiritually enlightened soul who like the rest of us is trying to make sense of the world. She’s a pretty cool artist and I hope she makes more music. I also hope I’m smart enough to follow her career from this day forward and not let her releases slip through my hands and go unnoticed. Check her out at www.myspace.com/tikaramp

As of today it’s official. NUMB will be finished. I say ‘will be’ because I’ve spent the last four days remixing two songs that needed some extra care and today is the last day for me to work on it before I go to get it mastered and designed tomorrow. I made an appointment that I am ready to keep. It’s time to put this to bed, lay it to rest, let it go and move on. These last tweaks I’m making I believe will truly enhance these two songs and make them better. I got some feedback in the last few days that suggest that it’s the right thing to do. One last pass, one last adjustment, and one last time to drive myself crazy.

It’s hard in some ways to let it go. I know I will always hear these tunes and find more places that I could make better or add a lick or two. It’s part of the process of creativity and putting something in stone, or rather CD. It’s permanent. It’s work that I will be judged by and hopefully will move my career forward or at least in another direction. You see, I don’t need to be a ‘rock star’, though I love performing, indeed I would be very happy selling these songs to other artists or even producing other artists. In the meantime it’s been a long seven months of nights, weekends, and coordination. It’s been nearly non stop this whole time save for some well needed trips home, to Alaska, and Utah. There have been mistakes made, headaches to no end and it’s been one of the best learning experiences I’ve ever had. I’ve stretched my brain, my hands, and my confidence.

Now the fun begins….I’ve written the liner notes and am very excited about what the CD will look like. I can’t wait to see what John at The Dupe will come up with and what he’ll make of the pictures I bring in. All I know is I’m tired and I’m ready. I’m ready for the next phase, the next steps and I can’t wait to get people’s feedback on this work that I’m very proud of. I hope they like it, I hope they love it and I hope they’ll want to hear more! If you’d like to check out a slice of NUMB I’ve posted two songs online: www.myspace.com/laraschuler

Thanks for tuning in….Until next Monday…CHEERS!!