Two Well Read

Makenzie Makes Music

2011-11-09T16:31:00.000-05:00

One of life's great joys is making music, and running a close second to that is being able to help others make music. This can take many forms, sometimes we do it through coaching, teaching or being there to provide an understanding ear for a fellow artist working through an issue. And sometimes we do it by opening up our wallets and making a direct contribution to the cause of art. All of this brings me to my wonderful and talented friend Makenzie Caine. Makie is an actress, singer and songwriter who is working on funding her first album through Kickstarter. She is trying to raise $10,000 by December 16th, and you can help her reach her goal by pledging to the project. It doesn't matter if you can pledge one dollar or a hundred every little bit helps, as I well know from my own Kickstarter adventure. There's something in it for you too. Not only do you get to help bring a brand new project into the world, but there are some pretty cool incentives for pledging. Even if you can't be a patron of the arts right at this moment you can help by spreading the word to your friends. Pay a visit to Makie's Kickstarter page, and tell her the Redheads sent you!

Why Don't You Come Up & See Us Sometime?

2011-10-11T16:52:00.000-04:00

Recently, we got a call from one of our favorite people, Barbara Gurskey of Edison Valley Playhouse, reminding us that it has been far too long since we paid them a visit to work with singers in New Jersey. Fortunately, Barbara is helping us remedy that situation by inviting us to give a Workshop for singers at EVP on Saturday November 5^th from 11:00 AM until 3:00 PM. If you’ve been looking for a chance to get on-stage and get inspired here it is. We’re limiting the group to ten people so there will be lots of performance time and individual attention for each singer. We love working with singers to help them bring their own unique persona to every performance. A lot of ground is covered over the course of the afternoon from handling mistakes on-stage, working with arrangers, and putting together your set, to off-stage topics like what to wear and how to network. You’ll get to work with a terrific pianist and two redheaded singers who believe that people learn best in an atmosphere where everyone is treated with respect and that the process of improving one’s musical skills should be a joyous one. The cost of the class is $150 and you can sign up by sending us an email or calling (646)831-0359. Edison Valley Playhouse is at 2196 Oak Tree Road Edison, NJ 08820. The theatre is not too far from Manhattan for those who might fancy a trip across the river. We hope to see you there!

The Pause that Refreshes

2011-08-30T10:49:00.000-04:00

All is well here in the land of the flammulated follicles. We’re just taking some time out for some intensive rejuvenation, and planning sessions. Soon news and chatter will abound. For now we’re enjoying the cooler temps after the crazy weather events of the last week, and happily anticipating the arrival of autumn. Here’s a little something to keep you moving until we get back…

Dancing on the Sand

2011-07-28T12:28:00.001-04:00

I've got Beach Music on the brain today. If you weren't lucky enough to grow up in a beach town in the Carolinas, Virginia or Georgia like I did, Beach Music is a regional genre that developed in the late 1940s and combined Rhythm and Blues, Big Band Swing, Country Blues and a whole bunch of other stuff to create the perfect music for dancing the Shag (also called the Carolina Shag). Sort of kind of like the Jitterbug, but not. I’ve never claimed to be a dancer but I can do pretty mean shag (I can tap dance too, but that’s another post for another day). Beach Music is not to be confused with the Beach Boys; they’re great but another coast entirely. It’s the music of summer and just hearing it makes you feel like dancing. So turn your speakers up, kick off your shoes and go for it!

If you want more beach music tunes you can click here for the top 100 Beach Music songs. I can’t say that it’s the definitive list, but it’ll definitely get you started.

Rules to Love By

2011-07-26T15:34:00.000-04:00

Magnolia photo by Imogen Cunningham

Bailey’s first rule of life is just because you can sing in that key doesn’t necessarily mean that you should. The second is like thereunto, just because it comes in your size doesn’t mean you should wear it. I have frequently cited these rules as the creed I live by, and when it comes to issues related to my career and image I certainly try to. They’ve worked out well for me, but recent events have had me thinking about more important rules that I want to live by and where I learned them.

My Aunt, my mother’s sister, died recently and overnight my cousins, sister and I became the “elder” generation in that part of the family. It was sudden and none of us were remotely prepared. In spending time with my cousins I realized that while I had always thought of myself as my mother’s daughter, I am also my aunt’s.Traits that I thought were uniquely my own I have actually inherited from her. I suspect if you asked my cousins would say the same thing about what they got from my mother.

Aside from the fact that we all inherited my Grandma Carter’s high cheekbones it would seem that my six cousins (five girls, one boy), my sister and I have little in common. We lead different lives with widely varying interests and temperaments but that is just the surface. Underneath all that we share a pretty consistent way of looking at the world instilled in us by our mothers. They taught us to love fiercely, work hard, laugh often, and never EVER give up. They believed that this and good manners would get you far.

These women, my mother, Frances Terra Carter Winters, and my aunt, Elizabeth Lane Carter Pratt had presence, and character. You noticed when they entered a room and we have felt their absence now that they have gone. I still think wearing something flattering and singing in the right key is an important part of life, but because of the lessons learned from these extraordinary women I know that these things are much farther down the list. If I can follow their example of persevering with love, humor and grace I will have done very well indeed.

One of Her Favorite Things

2011-07-23T10:42:00.001-04:00

Flowers by Karen Tran

I am sending a big virtual bouquet to Amanda McBroom, artist, friend and all around lovely human being, for mentioning Breathing as one of her favorite things for the month of July. As I may have mentioned ten or twelve times the title song of the album was written by Amanda and Michele Brourman, and this makes her support of the finished project that much sweeter. Click HERE to check out the link.

2011-07-19T18:06:00.000-04:00

It's too hot to think let alone blog, so I give you this from my friend Russell Fox's blog.

Hit the Road, Red

2011-07-18T16:22:00.000-04:00

Photo By Walker Evans

I just returned from an unexpected road trip down to Southern VA. Actually,” just returned” is a slight overstatement. Physically I have been back for several days, but it took my brain a bit longer to make the return trip.

My efforts to stay awake on the drive home (why is it that the way home is always so much longer than the way down?) included copious amounts of Smartees, Dr. Pepper, and turning up the tunes and singing along at the top of my lungs. Here are some of my favorite road trip tunes guaranteed to keep you awake and amuse fellow drivers. Just turn up the volume, sing out, and repeat as needed. What are your favorite road trip songs?

The Elements of Music Style

2011-06-29T09:39:00.000-04:00

Photo courtesy of The Constant Gatherer

I am looking for new material. I am spending hours tolling I-Tunes, You Tube, Music stores, artists’ websites, my own personal sheet music collection, bugging all my song writer friends and doing anything and everything it takes to hunt down material that’s just perfect. Finding a great song is an art unto itself, it’s sort of like being a museum curator. You have a number of wonderful possibilities in your collection but you have to pick just the right ones for the given moment. There have to be just enough to tell the story, but not so many that your audience is overwhelmed. They must work well together but each piece must be a gem in its own right able to stand on its own. I make endless lists of songs when I’m on the prowl. To put together an hour of music which is somewhere between twelve and fifteen songs I will usually start out with a list of fifty to sixty songs. With my tendency to over prepare sometimes it gets close to a hundred.

Starting this process for the umpteenth time has me thinking about what it is that, for me, makes a great song. I think it really comes down to three basic things that have to be there, if a song doesn’t have these three elements then I don’t want to sing it. I can’t list them in order of importance because they are all equally important. Take away one and the other two are meaningless.

Emotional Resonance: A song has to reach me on a visceral level, and have emotional integrity. I look for emotional honesty, because it’s impossible for me to sing a lie. By that I don’t mean that I have to have actually experienced everything that happens in a song to be able to sing it (that’s where acting comes in) but there has to be a core of truth to the story. I really REALLY dislike songs that attempt to manipulate the listener into feeling a certain way. A great tune stays out of its own way and allows the listener to have their own emotional response without pre-programming it.

Fantastic Lyrics: It doesn’t matter how honest a song is if the lyrics aren’t good then forget it. I’m looking for a complete story not endless repetition of a single thought.That is not to say that all songs have to tell a story in a traditional linear fashion, many don’t, but that the lyrics have to leave no doubt that there’s an entire emotional journey there.

Wonderful Melody: This isn’t just about how the song sounds, but how it feels too. A terrific song physically feels good to sing. The melody should support the story the lyrics are telling and not work against it. Melody can be seductive though.There have been times that I was so enamored of the melody that it took me a while to figure out that the lyrics weren’t up to snuff. In fairness, this has happened in reverse with lyrics catching my attention and the melody being subpar, but not as often.

Tempos, keys, arrangements, all these other things can be worked out if the bones are there. Truly, this is all it takes to make me a very happy girl, see how easy it is?

Monday Music

2011-06-27T13:02:00.001-04:00

I woke up this morning with Born to Run playing in my head. I am not a lifelong Springsteen fan, I’ve always like his music and thought he was a great songwriter, but I never quite understood what inspired such fervent admiration from his fans. Well, I didn’t until I saw him live. I don’t think I’ve ever seen another performer who could establish a rapport with an audience so quickly and so (seemingly) effortlessly. Bruce is not out there going through the motions, he’s present and engaging and obviously enjoying himself. He has that rare ability to make a cavernous arena seem like an intimate space where it’s just him and you and the music. He’s made a believer out of me!

Being a woman of a certain name, Born to Run has a special place in my heart. One of the first things my mother in law ever said to me was that I could never be president because my name was too girly. Musically, at least, she may actually have a point, if there’s a Wendy in a song most likely she’s going to be sweet, perky and picking up the Lost Boy’s dirty socks. This is why I’m partial to Born to Run. Springsteen’s Wendy is an adventuress running off with the hot bad boy. She may never be president either, but I'm pretty sure she doesn't care.

I'm posting this version of the song because it has some great footage of Bruce interacting sax player Clarence Clemons who passed away June 18th following a stroke. His music will be sorely missed.

I Could Read a Book

2011-06-23T10:46:00.000-04:00

I’m not one for summer reading lists. I really think it’s sort of strange that summer is the declared “Season of Reading”. As a year round reader I see no need to restrict the pleasures of a good book to one part of the year.

There’s always a pile of books by my bed threatening to topple over upon me in the middle of night. The Kindle I got for Christmas this year has eased the clutter and threat of being crushed under an avalanche of literature, but hasn’t done much to calm my book buying frenzy. In fact, I think it’s made it worse. It’s so much easier to buy books with it. If I want a book, I have only to open up my Kindle, go to the storefront and download it. Instant gratification at its finest.

There are currently a whole bunch of good things waiting to be read on my book pile. While I was out and about the other day I lucked into a wonderful sale and came home with a bagful of bios. I’m looking forward to spending time with several artists whose work I have always admired.

Somebody: The Reckless Life & Remarkable Career of Marlon Brando by Stephan Kanfer

I know Where I’m Going: Katharine Hepburn a Personal Biography by Charlotte Chandler

Ethel Merman: A Life by Brian Kellow

Spellbound by Beauty: Alfred Hitchcock and his Leading Ladies by Donald Spoto

On the virtual pile in the Kindle are yet more biographies, some history, some fraud and a really old conspiracy theory.

Contested Will: Who Wrote Shakespeare by James Shapiro

America Aflame: How the Civil War Created a Nation by David Goldfield

Sisters of Fortune: America’s Caton Sisters at Home & Abroad by Jehanne Wake

The Man in the Rockefeller Suit: The Astonishing Rise and SpectacularFall of a Serial Imposter by Mark Seal

Of course, there’s also the distraction pile which includes my annual re-readings of Mary Kay Andrews’ novels, Ann B. Ross’ MissJulia Series, and Jennifer Crusie’s Maybe This Time.

These should keep me out of trouble for a few weeks at least…

Sweet Inspiration

2011-06-22T16:06:00.000-04:00

Part of the Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty exibit at the Met's Costume Institute

I decided that I have spent way too much time with me, myself and I of late, and that it was time to get out into the world to search for fresh inspiration. I spent Monday tromping around a historic site in NJ (you know how I love a good ruin) the earliest parts of which dated back over three hundred years, which inspired the thought that my own constantly in need of attention eighty-three year old pile of bricks wasn’t so unmanageable.

On Tuesday I went to the Metropolitan Museum to see Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty. Even though McQueen, who died last year at the age of forty-one, left school at sixteen to apprentice to a Savile Row tailor and went on to become one of the most influential fashion designers in the world this is not an exhibit about clothes. This is an exhibit about how an artist takes disparate influences from nature, politics, art, culture, history, and even Darwin and uses them to create singular masterpieces. Each piece told a story, and the variety of materials used was mind boggling. In McQueen’s hands Razor- clam shells, painted medical slides, burlap and even etched glass become tools to express his vision.

And what a vision! The exhibit is filled with colors and textures that just beg to be touched. Although, I wouldn’t recommend this as there are large guards stationed throughout to prevent a hands on experience.

Beyond being a visionary McQueen was a superb craftsman. He spent his youth studying with master tailors, and costumers. He understood not just how clothes should look, but how they should be constructed and how they should move. Every piece in the Met’s show is impeccable.

There is a quote from McQueen used in the exhibit that I love, You’ve got to know the rules to break them. That’s what I’m here for, to demolish the rules but to keep the tradition. You don’t know what rules are worth breaking until you know what the rules are. Every good artist spends part of their early creative lives learning what the rules are so that they can make informed decisions later about what parts of tradition are worth holding on to and what parts don’t apply to them. This is where the fun is, every artist chooses to break different rules to come up with their own unique voice.

This was definitely a much needed jolt of inspiration for me this week. It gave me a lot to think about in terms of the importance of vision and craftsmanship, and making your voice heard. I am looking forward to going back to see it as much as I can before it closes on August 7th.

More images from the exhibit:

Good Morning Dolly

2011-06-17T12:05:00.000-04:00

Photo by Ewing Galloway

Of course, the other sure fire cure for the Bad Day Blues is a good day at the salon. Yesterday as the colorist was troweling the goop onto my head I noticed he was wearing a button with letters BMW with a red slash through it. It was not, as I first thought, a protest against a certain motor company, it was a protest against Bitching, Moaning & Whining. I took it as a sign from the hair gods perhaps that it was time to shake off my grump and get on with it.

I woke up in a Dolly kind of mood this morning. It’s virtually impossible to be in a bad mood and listen to Dolly. Who needs Prozac when you’ve got Dolly, Amy Sedaris and Circus Couture?

Bad Days & Baked Goods

2011-06-16T18:36:00.000-04:00

Photo Courtesey of Shorpy Photo Archive

Yesterday was a bad day. A hide under your desk in the fetal position clutching your teddy bear B-A-D , bad day. So bad that my normally attention hungry felines, Lucy & Ethel, were steering well clear of me by day’s end. Pages stayed blank, songs unsung and no brains were stormed despite hours of stewing and fretting and spinning in my chair.

So, what did I do? Did I forge bravely onward in the hopes that a breakthrough was just around the corner? Nope. I gave up. I gave up because sometimes knowing when to stop is the better part of valor. When the ideas aren’t flowing and I feel depleted walking away is the best thing I can do.

I needed to reset so I headed for my drugs of choice, a delicious Mary Kay Andrews novel and a sizable cupcake. It didn’t cure all my ills or cause a sudden flash of inspiration, but it gave me just enough space to escape. The mental time out gave me the energy and optimism to get back to work the next day. After all, as Scarlett O’Hara would say, tomorrow is another day.

Sweet Tooth

2011-06-14T09:38:00.001-04:00

I'm off to the dentist this morning with this stuck in my head. Not the best thing for your inner DJ to be playing while someone is coming at you with needles and drills, but I suppose it's better than certain scenes from Marathon Man.

I absolutely adore Steve Martin's website. It'll be a great distraction while I'm waiting for the Novocaine to wear off!

Picture This

2011-06-13T10:58:00.000-04:00

I always carry my camera with me but alas, it rarely leaves the confines of my purse. I have every intention of using it to document all the places I go, and the people I see, until I get so caught up in events and forget that it's there. Friday I was going through my camera and found the pictures from a family wedding we went to in Portland Oregon between Christmas and New Years. Actually, I should say picture because it was one picture of spouse taken at the end of the reception when he was falling asleep at our table. I can't even say for certain that I took that picture as I have absolutely no memory of doing so.

This leaves me to depend upon the kindness of strangers to snap and send me pictures so that I can remember the times of my life. My newly made half-year resolution is to try and do better in this area. In the meantime, here are a couple of snaps of recent events that have made their way to me.

Steve LaSpina, Wendy Lane Bailey, Rick Jensen, Laurel Masse' & Tex Arnold right before hitting the stage to perform for the Colleen Giblin Foundation's annual Humanitarian dinner. Thanks to BC Magazine for the photo.

Spouse, Me & Joe Piscopo at the 2011 New Jersey Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony. Photo Courtesy of Michelle Oates.

To Sir With Love

2011-06-10T20:21:00.000-04:00

The Howland Cultural Center in Beacon, NY

There’s a lot to do in Beacon, NY. Shopping,great restaurants,the world class Dia Beacon Museum ,and on Saturday June 18^th at the Howland Cultural Center our very own Laurel Massé. Since next Saturday also happens to be the birthday of Sir Paul McCartney she’s celebrating by calling the evening To Sir, With Love and performing some of his great tunes along with the songs of other writers whose work inspired him. Laurel’s sister Babette will join her for a couple of numbers and, just to keep it in the family, her nephew Alex will be there on guitar. Tex Arnold, as usual, will be at the piano.

Advance reservations are strongly recommended and can be had here.

Mothers & Sons

2011-06-09T14:14:00.003-04:00

Mother's Prayer Clip

When spawn was only a few months old he figured out he could get from place to place by rolling over and over and over until he had reached whatever it was that he wanted. I imagine that for an infant who has so little control over the world this sudden freedom of movement was a revelation. For me it was sort of bittersweet. I was happy that he was reaching all the milestones that proved that he was a healthy child. On the other hand, I knew that rolling over leads to crawling which leads to walking which leads to running and so forth.

As long as he was small and immobile I knew where he was every minute and I could make sure he had everything he needed and protect him. As he grew older and more independent (and being his mother’s child he was VERY independent) I had to let go and let him figure things out on his own. There have certainly been moments when I wanted to throw myself in front of the door and prevent him from ever leaving the house, but I know he has to learn to negotiate the world on his own terms. Besides, how can I turn his bedroom into a closet if he never leaves home?

I love my son, but I also like him, and I’m profoundly grateful for that gift. He may make some questionable hairstyle choices (really, the Mohawk did make him look like My Little Pony) and mock my ignorance of Zombie culture, but he has grown into an intelligent and kind human being who makes me very proud.

Michele B. was the one who suggested that I record MelissaManchester’s Mother’s Prayer. Michele is also a mother of sons and we often compare notes on motherhood. In fact, many of my performer friends happen to be parents as well, and we talk about our children as much as we talk about our work. You’d be surprised how often the two areas overlap. Having children affects the way we view the world which, in turn, affects how we see our work. Melissa’s song is the perfect expression of the prayers we all send into the universe when we send our children into the world.

More! More! More!

2011-06-08T13:27:00.000-04:00

Jean-Honore Fragonard's painting The Swing

I am not a minimalist. I have tried, really I have. The other day I went to get ready for an event and I pulled out my oh, so chic and understated eggplant sheath dress, I added my not too large, not too sparkly stud earrings, and then it was time for shoes. For about a millisecond my hand hovered over the classic black pumps with the not too high, not too low heel, and with a mind of its own passed right over them for the buttery yellow suede stilettos with the six inch heel. I eschewed the sensible cardigan and threw on my antique coral silk shawl embroidered with a garden’s worth of colorful flowers, and since the earrings seemed a trifle lonely, I topped it all with an engraved Indian cuff bracelet. It was minimalism only by Liberace’s standards.

If you want to live in an all white room with bare windows and a black leather chair go for it. I don’t judge. As for me, I need my books, and photos and curtains on the windows to keep the neighbors from viewing my clutter. My closet space runneth over and that’s just the way I like it.

Thanks be to Michele B. for writing an anthem for those of us who love wretched excess and irrational exuberance and letting me be the first person to record it. Sometimes more IS more.

Oh, and while we’re on the subject…I’m still looking for your stories of glorious excess. Click here for details and maybe even free chocolate!

Sometimes More is More

2011-06-08T13:16:00.001-04:00

A sample of track three "Sometimes More is More".

Please Stand By

2011-06-08T11:00:00.000-04:00

We've been experiencing some technichal difficulties with the service that allows us to post sound clips.This was a real problem since I wanted to give you a little taste of the first two tracks at the time I wrote about them. Happily the problem seems to have finally resolved itself, and so here are a few sound clips from the first two tracks of Breathing. The first clip is from track two which I wrote about on Monday, and the next two clips are from the track one guzinta of Breathing and So in Love. There will be more clips this week of the other tracks as I write about them. Enjoy!

Night Ride Home Clip

2011-06-08T10:36:00.001-04:00

A little bit Track 2 of "Breathing" Joni Mitchell's "Night Ride Home".

So In Love Clip

2011-06-08T10:31:00.001-04:00

A taste of Act II of the Breathing/So In Love Guzinta.

Breathing

2011-06-08T09:55:00.001-04:00

A sound clip from the title track.

My Michele

2011-06-07T12:30:00.000-04:00

Michele & Me at the Gardenia in LA

Working with Michele Brourman has been the greatest joy of the whole recording project. I first became aware of Michele through her song My Favorite Year. Not long after that I saw her in person for the first time. She was playing for Amanda McBroom at the Barns of Wolf Trap. Out onto the stage came this tiny woman who sat down at the piano and morphed into a seven foot tall piano goddess. I knew right then that this was someone I wanted to work with one day.

Fast forward to a Sunday brunch on the Upper West Side of Manhattan not too long ago with me, Michele, Amanda and Laurel sitting around a table at Isabella’s sharing omelets and sweet potato fries. At one point in the conversation Amanda looks across the table at me and says “You have to come to LA and sing and Michele will play for you.” After a stunned second where I had to restrain myself from leaping into the air and shouting “YES! YES! YES!” I gathered my wits and said with all the sangfroid I could muster “I would like that very much”.

Michele does many things well, she composes, she plays, she arranges, produces and has flawless musical taste. It would be easy to be intimidated by her, but she’s also one of the warmest most supportive presences I’ve ever met. This is not to say that she isn’t a tough taskmistress. She doesn’t coddle and she will push me until she’s gotten everything out of me that she knows I’m capable of and then some. Every singer should have a Michele in their corner.

Beach Music

2011-06-06T13:18:00.000-04:00

Being a typical chick singer, I lean toward the dark side. Give me a rip your guts out love ‘em and leave ‘em ballad and I’m ecstatic. Left to my own devices I’d sing fifteen ballads and a comic song. Luckily, I work with people who frequently remind me that singing a song of unrestrained joy is very satisfying.

My friend Laurel Massé brought me Joni Mitchell’s Night Ride Home. I spent my high school years in a beach town, and so I have always been certain that magical things can happen on a beach at night. Joni paints with lyrics the picture of the perfect night with the perfect person.

Michele B. suggested we make another guzinta by adding Anne Caldwell and Jerome Kern’s Once in a Blue Moon. Written sixty-five years before night ride its wistful tone and hopeful lyrics feel every bit as contemporary. Our clothes, and cars and means of communication may change but our desire to connect with another person never does.

Together we have a story of how true love is rare and wonderful thing, and given enough time and faith it will arrive. I think I may have been forever cured of my chick singer ballad bondage!

A Thousand Words & Then Some

2011-06-04T08:32:00.000-04:00

I married into a very creative family. My mother in law is a doll maker and illustrator, my sisters in law, Heather and Laura are fabric and home décor designers, and my brother in law Isaac happens to be a wonderful photographer and graphic designer. And there are several other siblings, spouses, offspring, and assorted cousins all of whom possess oodles of creative talent both visual and musical. I knew when I started this project that Isaac was the man for the job of designing the packaging for the album. Not because we happen to be related. In fact, working with your in laws can cause you to seriously doubt your sanity, but because I knew his work and I knew he could give me the look I wanted.

The vision that I had of the artwork for the album was of a feeling of faded grandeur. I am entranced by the idea of beauty in decay. I was born in Louisiana, and raised between there, Mississippi, Alabama and Virginia. My very first memory is of my mother taking me on a tour of the old plantations along the Natchez Trace. TennesseeWilliams, Truman Capote and Harper Lee number among my favorite writers, and it’s long been my secret dream to play Blanche Dubois in A Streetcar Named Desire. I love nothing better than a brooding sky on a humid day and the overgrown ruin of a once magnificent structure.

Just up the road from my house are the remains of an old mental hospital. Many of the buildings have been torn down and the ones that remain have slid into a state of decline. I love this place, it reminds me of those places I knew growing up and I’ve always wanted to do a photo session there. When I told Isaac about it and about the feel I envisioned for the cover his eyes lit up and I knew for certain that I was in good hands. He intuitively knew what I wanted and was just as determined as I that we get it. Even the weather saw fit to cooperate with us. Most people would not be enthused about an outdoor shoot in alternately rainy, Windy and icy thirty- eight degree weather, but I thought it was perfect.

By the way, all the photos that have accompanied this series of virtual liner notes are by Isaac from that session. You can see more of his work here.

Love and Breathing

2011-06-03T09:52:00.000-04:00

The first track on the album is what Michele B. calls a guzinta: two songs sung in their entirety back to back so that one song guzinta the next. This is different from medley which is bits of many songs (often far too many, but usually at least three) strung together into some sort of cohesive whole. A guzinta is more like a two act play. Each song tells a different part of the same story that when put together becomes a seamless whole.

I’ve always thought of the Breathing (Amanda McBroom & Michele Brourman) and So in Love (Cole Porter) guzinta as a story of resistance and surrender. The first song is about resisting the pull of the one you cannot help but be drawn. Even though this is the last thing you want or need you are consumed by both the desire to let them in and keep them out at the same time. By the end of the song you are powerless to do anything but surrender. So in Love picks up where you have reached the place that no matter what happens you cannot be moved. The decision has been made and there is no going back now.

The honesty of the lyrics astounds me. There is no coyness, no flirtatiousness only (to steal a line from another famous Amanda McBroom song) endless aching need. From Amanda & Michele's I breathe in and you are there as necessary as the air to Cole’s …taunt me, and hurt me, deceive me, desert me, I’m yours till I die a soul is laid bare before you.

What's in a Name?

2011-06-02T07:23:00.000-04:00

Choosing a title for an album can be a bit tricky. I know, you’re reading this and thinking “How hard could it be? She just picked the very first song on the album and stuck it on there”. Actually, no. At first I thought I'd let the interwebs decide, but the more I looked at the list of possible names the more my eyes and heart kept coming back to Breathing.

Breathing is the title of the wonderful song written by Michele Brourman and Amanda McBroom that starts off the album, but it’s a lot more than that. It is the most essential part of singing. The breath you take at the beginning of a song is the one that matters the most. It’s this intake of air that shows you the way in, which centers your mind and your body in the emotional space of the song. It’s just the tiniest of pauses but without it you feel unmoored, and as if you have forgotten something of great importance.

Life can be that way too. I tend to rush headlong into my day so determined to accomplish something that I forget to stop and breathe. It’s surprising how in such a small moment everything can become so clear. When I remember to breathe I remember to focus on what’s important and let go of the trivial. Someone, no one seems to know exactly who, once said “Breath is spirit. The act of breathing is living.” Breathing brings me back to who I really am and all the possibilities of who I can be if I only allow myself to let go.

A First Day and a giveaway

2011-06-01T07:53:00.004-04:00

Breathing officially arrives today! To have your own copy, you don’t even have to leave the comfort of the chair in which you are currently sitting. Just click on over to CD baby and you can download it, or get a copy of the CD with all its nifty artwork. Of course, if you’re looking for that personal touch, you can always drop me a note and ask me to send your CD signed by yours truly.

The next week will be one of much celebration here on the blog. First of all, I’ll be doing a series of virtual liner notes for the album. As pleased as I am with the gorgeous packaging of the physical CD, there just wasn’t quite enough space for me to share some of my thoughts about the individual songs, or to give you a peek behind the scenes at some of the people who made this project happen. For the next week or so I’ll be putting up a new post each day, devoted to the whos, whats, and whys that went into Breathing.

Ahh, but wait - there’s more! I can’t very well bring out my first CD without doing a fantastic giveaway, can I? I thought not. So, here’s the deal: I am overjoyed to be the very first person ever to record Michele Brourman’s ode to wretched excess, Sometimes More is More. I'm so overjoyed, in fact, that I’m making it the theme of my giveaway game. Post your favorite story of wretched-over-the-top-extravagance (in two hundred words or less), and I’ll send to the writer of my favorite one a personally signed CD (or download card) AND a $25 gift card from one of my favorite places for sinfully excessive treats. I discovered The Meadow when I was visiting Portland, Oregon over the holidays, and was thrilled to learn they have an NYC location on Hudson St. If ever there was an occasion that called for a decadent chocolate moment, the release of one’s debut recording is definitely it!

There are just a few little rules though. As I mentioned, the stories should be no longer than two hundred words, and they must be personal. I don’t want stories of Saddam’s palaces, Imelda’s shoes or Dolly’s wigs, I want YOUR story. It must involve you, someone you know, or something you have personally witnessed. No fair cribbing stories from The Enquirer et al. Also, let’s keep it clean, legal, and civil. We’re just not that kind of blog! All stories must be posted no later than Friday June 10^th. Other than that, enjoy yourselves, and make me proud! Hey, you’ve got great tunes and good chocolate for motivation...Spill those tales!

Fun With Stephen & Hugh

2011-05-18T17:11:00.001-04:00

It’s pouring rain and the rapture is coming. I really picked a bad time to give up caffeine! I’m counting on Youtube and Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie to get me through the rest of this afternoon 'cause the Chamomile tea just ain't cutting it!

A Song for You

2011-05-13T15:04:00.002-04:00

As usual I have had my head stuck in a book. Reading when I should be doing so many other things like finishing the re-write of my bio, learning a new song, or planting the flowers I bought last week that are still sitting patiently on my front porch. My latest distraction is Randy Schmidt’s Little Girl Blue: The Life of Karen Carpenter. I’m about a quarter of the way through it and I’m finding it quite fascinating. I don’t read books like this as cautionary tales, or to “learn” anything about the music business. I read them because I love to hear people’s stories, to find out how someone becomes who and what they are. Karen Carpenter was an extraordinary talent who managed to make a lasting impression on popular music while fighting to overcome her own personal demons.

Her voice was distinctive, there was not and is not another singer that could be mistaken for Karen Carpenter. Sherwin Bash who was involved in managing the Carpenters is quoted in the book about the first time he heard Karen …there was one thing that I thought was very, very special. It was a girl’s voice that I’d never heard anything like before and I don’t think I’ve ever heard anything like since…This was an exceptional voice that was totally identifiable. Listening to that voice for the first time, I knew that radio could never submerge it, camouflage it, or confuse [it for] anybody. That voice coming out of that radio would be immediately identified for the ages. Yet, singing came accidentally. She was a drummer first and had to be forced to take center stage as a vocalist.

I don’t remember consciously the first time I heard her voice; it seemed it was always around. I do remember my parents had the Close to YouAlbum and I spent more than a little time dancing around the living room and singing along to it hair brush in hand. I also remember that Crescent Noon was my favorite song on the album. Apparently even at ten my penchant for dark ballads was well established.

Needless to say that today my inner DJ has been stuck on Crescent Noon and Superstar. It is nice to have something so wonderful lodged in my brain for a change!

Please Release Me

2011-05-11T14:45:00.000-04:00

It gives me great pleasure (very great, really, you have no idea how great) to announce that the official release date for Breathing has been set for June 1^st.

Breathing was produced by my friend, music director and mentor Michele Brourman, and recorded at Full Circle Studio in Pasadena CA. Michele proved herself the queen of the multi-taskers by producing, arranging (along with Stephan Oberhoff) AND playing the piano on all the tracks. Oh, yeah, she also wrote two of the songs on the album. I am thrilled to be the first person EVER to record her song Sometimes More Is More. Stephan Oberhoff in addition to his work as co-arranger, played guitar and percussion and engineered the recording. Larry Tuttle was our wonderful bass player. The songs are a great mix of modern pop songs with smart lyrics that appeal to the heart and the head. The sound is lush and romantic and yet thoroughly contemporary.

Someone said to me recently that putting out an album is like having a baby. Having done both of these things I can say there are some distinct similarities. It takes about the same amount of time; there are moments of frantic preparation, followed by long stretches of waiting, all ending in the brief shining moment when your creation enters the world. In the case of childbirth your creation will eat you out of house and home, wreck your car, and expect you to pay for college. With a recording your car will remain whole but you will devote much time and energy once it has emerged to making sure your little darling gets all the attention she deserves. I am am over the moon about both my offspring (son & album) and will take any opportunity I can to tell you about them.

In the weeks between now and June 1^st I will be busily working on many things including revamping my website, and scheduling some appearances to promote the album. As things happen I’ll be posting them here. I have also begun to send out advance copies to all the wonderful people who supported this project through Kickstarter.com.

Thank you for being part of this journey with me. I can’t wait to share the finished product with you!

Tools For Pros

2011-05-06T13:55:00.000-04:00

We're at it again! We've teamed up with The Barber Shop Studios to produce Tools for Pros, a workshop for vocalists. on Friday June 3rd and Saturday June 4th from 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM. This comprehensive two day workshop will cover as many aspects of performing on-stage and in the studio as we possibly can, and happens at the Barber Shop's state of the art facility in Lake Hopatcong, NJ. Participants in the class get top notch instruction in a gorgeous, well equipped space plus a whole bunch of other goodies including guest speakers, participation in a showcase performance at the end of the workshop, special recording rates and packages and even one free hour of studio time if you book a recording session. For a complete list of everything we cover, photos of the venue and a bunch of other important details go to our e-flyer. We hope you'll join us!

Meet Me In the Middle

2011-04-19T13:49:00.000-04:00

In an article in today’s New York Times Rosanne Cash is quoted, I like restraint. I like expression that’s framed in restraint, that gives a certain dignity to it. I don’t like this kind of yelping, where everybody’s’ a victim and everything’s all out there. To me there’s a bottom line that there is a life lived in the back of the instrument, and I want to hear what that life is.

As performers we want to be emotionally honest, but sometimes we leave no room for the audience to have their own emotional reactions to the song because we’re too busy with our emotional reactions. We want every moment to bleed with our emotional truth so much that we forget to leave space for the audience to meet us halfway. That’s where restraint comes in. There are times when what you leave out is as important as what you put in.

It is easy to ruin a song before the first note just by how it is set up for an audience. Talking to the audience is as much an art as singing to them, and can be much more frightening. Some singers get around this by simply not saying anything, which is no good because you’re denying people an opportunity to get to know and love you. But at the opposite end of the spectrum there’s the “Ick Factor”. Some things belong only in a therapist’s office or a confessional, not on stage. When the stage becomes the analyst’s couch the results are usually disastrous. The audience spends so much time trying to unhear what they just heard that the song following doesn’t even register.

Restraint when singing is even more difficult. Singers work hard on our “chops” and we want to show them off, and that doesn’t always serve us well. Bigger, faster, louder, more melismatic, doesn’t necessarily mean we’re effectively telling the story. Again, Ms. Cash You’ve heard plenty of great singers that leave you cold. They can do gymnastics, amazing things. If you have limitations as a singer, maybe you’re forced to find nuance in a way you don’t have to if you have a four octave range. There is such power in finding the nuance, and letting the song breathe. Stepping aside and letting the story shine through without all the “gymnastics” is enough.

When we exercise we restraint we make conscious choices about the picture we’re painting with words and music. We begin to see the music in front of us in a new way, illuminating the human being within and drawing our audience in into that space in the middle where wonderful things can happen.

Sing! Joy! Spring!

2011-04-15T12:23:00.000-04:00

Spring has finally begun to show itself around these parts and I have been struck with a sudden wave of nostalgia. Yesterday I was driving around with my windows down (allergies and gawkers be damned), singing along with the Ronette’s Be My Baby at the top of my lungs and thinking about my mother. Mom and I waged endless war over the car radio station. She asserted that since she was the driver that she got control of the dial. This worked up until I learned to drive at which point, in between prayers for our safety, she claimed that my station would only distract me from the road. Being a child of the early days of Rock and Roll her station was always the Oldies station that played music from the early fifties and sixties which caused great eye rolling and muttering from my side of the car. Even though I grumbled then some of my best memories are of my mother and “her” music. She taught my sister and me to dance the Twist and the Bop to Chubby Checker and the Beach Boys. Whenever she’d hear The Duke of Earl she’d tell us stories about her old boyfriend Earl, who was a DJ in her hometown of Jackson, MS. She wanted to be a DJ herself, and I have no doubt she would have been a good one, she had a terrific speaking voice, a wonderful sense of humor, and though my fifteen year old self would never admit it, she had pretty great musical taste too. Her joy in good music was infectious and she passed it on to me.

I like to think I’m passing that love on. The other night Spawn was getting ready for the radio show he does at school when he yelled to me, “Mom, you’ve got to see this”. “This” was a Youtube video of Chuck Berry and John Lennon doing Johnny B. Goode. Mom would have been proud.

With this in mind,family tradition compels me to share this little springtime oldies playlist with you…

The Sound of Philadelphia

2011-04-12T11:35:00.001-04:00

Photo courtesy of Shorpy

We're on the road again! On May 7th we'll be teaching a Master Class for vocalists in Philadelphia. If you live in the area or just fancy a day trip and the chance to brush up your chops come on by! Click on the e-flyer below for all the details.

http://myemail.constantcontact.com/Words---Music--A-Master-Class-for-Vocalists-in-PA.html?soid=1102090353260&aid=Apv7EK0whg8

Us & the Night & the Music

2011-03-21T14:34:00.000-04:00

Photo By Hans Wild courtesy of VADS

It’s been a while since we redheads have been seen on the town together, that’s what comes of having two recording projects going at the same time, but we’re synchronizing our calendars for a good cause. On April 7th Laurel & Wendy Lane will be headlining the Colleen Giblin Foundation’s annual Humanitarian Evening in River Vale, NJ. There’s a lovely dinner, a little ceremony honoring three New York / New Jersey area humanitarians and a grand finale of a performance by your Redheads, and their special guest, singer Joe Bezzone. Even better we’ll have Tex Arnold on piano and Steve LaSpina on bass. If that’s not enough to make your little heart go pitty pat how ‘bout this, the evening is a benefit to support research for children’s neurological disorders and cancer! It’ll be a good time for a good cause.

For the complete details, to procure your tix or find out more about the Colleen Giblin Foundation and its mission visit their website.

Pretty Little Picture

2011-03-19T12:19:00.000-04:00

Cover photo & Design by Isaac Bailey

Huzzah! Huzzah! Things are rapidly moving forward with Breathing. The mastering is done, the artwork is ready and this week we’ll be heading off to repro. Soon there will be promos and gigs and everything else that is required to push a recording out into the big wide world. At the moment though, I’m going to take a deep breath and celebrate having gotten this far by posting a sneak peak at the cover, and then going out to enjoy this glorious almost spring day.

Rainy Day Playlist

2011-03-10T16:07:00.001-05:00

1947 photo by Constantin Joffe from My Vintage Vogue

It’s raining, it’s pouring, the redhead is trying hard not to snore. Actually, I’m not really sure that rain is the correct word for what’s going on outside my window right now. It’s more of a deluge , with periods of monsoon. Flood warnings abound and every instinct I possess is urging me to climb into my bed with the felines and a good book and wait it out. But what good is day like this without its own soundtrack? So with a nod to Nick Hornby’s High Fidelity here are my top five rainy day tunes.

Bill Evans Here's That Rainy Day - Whenever the sky goes grey this is the first song that comes to mind, it's chock full of melancholy rainy day goodness.

Patty Griffin's Rain - She's on my dream list of people who I wish would write a song especially for me. This one appeals to my brooding slavic genes.

Dixie Chicks Let Him Fly - Another Patty Griffin tune, masterfully done by the Chicks.

Sara Bareilles City - A live performance of a song that is a particular favorite.

The Weather Girls It's Raining Men - Because into each life some camp must fall. Hey, a girl can't live by ballads alone!

Gentleman Prefer Jane

2011-03-07T14:02:00.000-05:00

Lots of people watched Gentlemen Prefer Blondes for Marilyn Monroe, I watched it for Jane Russell. She was smart, sexy and never at a loss for words, exactly what I wanted to be when I grew up. Miss Russell passed away last week at age 89, and in her honor I thought I'd post this little clip from my favorite of her movies.

Hail to the Lexicon

2011-02-28T15:01:00.000-05:00

Last weekend Spouse, Spawn and I headed down to DC to attend our friends Michael & Ron’s wedding and spend time with old pals. A marvelous time was had by all! As we headed out of town listening to The Kojo Nnamdi Show on WAMU (DC’s NPR station) we heard a segment on the many words and popular phrases that were introduced into the English language by US Presidents.

I knew that Shakespeare introduced somewhere in the neighborhood of 3,000 words into the language. In fact, based on intensive studies of his works by those whose job it is figure out such things it is estimated that Shakespeare’s vocabulary numbered about 17,000 words, or four times the number of words in the vocabulary of a well-educated speaker of English. What I did not know is that US presidents have attempted to give him a run for his money over the years.

The Americans and the Brits have always had a different way of looking at and adding to the language we call English. According to Kojo’s guest, Paul Dickson, the author of over fifty books, whose current project is a tome on this very subject: the British…were very prescriptive about language. And going all the way back to Noah Webster, Americans believed that you listened and wrote down the words people were actually speaking…the British system was learned men sitting around, stroking their beards telling you what words were useful and could be used and what words weren't. At the time of the founding of the United States the British had no library or copyright systems. Webster and Benjamin Franklin believed that to create these things along with an “American language” we were committing acts of rebellion and resistance. According to Dickson, “when Franklin forms the first free library in Philadelphia, where everybody can go and borrow books, he's doing this as an act of sedition, an act of sort of thumbing his nose at the British”.

So, what have our presidents added to the lexicon over the years? From George Washington we get indoors, non-discrimination, off-duty, paroled and one of my all time favorite words, bakery.

Don’t you wonder what we used to call new words before Thomas Jefferson devised the term neologism? Jefferson is known to have added at least one hundred new words to our vocabulary including Public Relations, belittle and Anglophile (which at the time was assuredly NOT a compliment). The next time you go to a spa and get a pedicure be sure and say thank you to Mr. J. Although, one does wonder what was going on at Monticello that he needed to invent such a word.

Before George W. Bush bemused us with words like misunderestimate and strategery there was Warren G. Harding. Harding’s use and abuse of the language was so notorious it was called Gamalielese (Gamaliel being his middle name). Warren G. did manage to leave a few terms hanging around like Founding Fathers, and normalcy.

From John Adams we get quixotic, and from Eisenhower Military Industrial Complex. Ike also gave us Academic Intellectual Complex but that one never really caught on.

The award for most colorful legacy goes to Teddy Roosevelt who,besides strenuous, brought us bully pulpit, mollycoddle, weasel words and pussyfoot.

The jury is still out on Obama’s attempt at linguistic glory, wee-weed up. No one seems quite sure what exactly at means but saying it does bring a smile. Maybe you can find a way to use it in an intelligible sentence in the comment section.

Here’s the broadcast in its entirety.

PS The photo is from the Ruterford B. Hayes presidential library circa 1952. Wonder what words he came up with.

Whistle While You Loaf

2011-02-08T15:27:00.001-05:00

Drawing by Charles Dana Gibson courtesy of A Polar Bear's Tale

I think the winter weather has turned my brain to ice. I’ve been sitting in my chair twirling round and round, browsing e-bay, checking my email for the thirty-forth time, and generally trying to shake loose the blog post that has been swimming around in my head to no avail. I was trying to write about patience, but, as it turns out, I simply do not have the patience to do so. There are some days where the muse doesn’t just hide she leaves the building to hang with Elvis and Jimmie Hendrix on their tropical isle. Can’t say as I blame her a tropical isle would be pretty darn nice right now.

Of course, what I should be doing right now is getting up a blog post with all haste, doing a final edit on the copy for the album cover, preparing for a meeting tomorrow, scouting venues, working on a new song, and just generally being a responsible and productive citizen. What I want to be doing is sitting in my comfy chair with a diet cherry coke watching DVRed episodes of RuPaul’s Drag Race and reading diversionary trash on my Kindle. What I am doing is practicing what my sister- in- law Heather calls Task Avoidance. Task Avoidance is the fine art of doing everything in the world except the task in front of me.

In its (and my) defense it can be very educational. In the last ten minutes alone I’ve learned that ultracrepidarian means to overstep one’s bounds, and that I have more than once committed oniochalasia which is buying as a means of mental relaxation. Mrs. Byrne’s Dictionary of Unusual, Obscure and Preposterous Words by Josefa Heifetz Byrne has been providing much diversion of late.

The Web, of course, is a Task Avoider’s dream. Did you know that there are blogs devoted solely to Apostrophe Catastrophes, Quotation Mark Abuse and the lost art of the letter? Click on these at your own risk, Task Avoiders go in, but they can’t get out. I could excuse the web troll for the recipe for Chicken Scaloppine over Broccoli Rabe as an effort to uphold my New Year’s goal of eating more vegetables (not to mention that the Broccoli Rabe looks at me mournfully each time I open the refrigerator door) but we know what I’m really doing. I will not even attempt to justify the Dulce De Leche Brownie recipe from David Lebowitz’s site.

I really should get back to work now, and yet the siren song of my phone’s Latin Phrases app is calling. I have to figure out how to work acta est fabula plaudite into my act!

Remembering John Barry

2011-01-31T10:08:00.004-05:00

Film Composer John Barry died yesterday at the age of Seventy-seven. He composed the score to over ninety movies and won the highest awards his industry could bestow. He was best known for scoring twelve of the films in the James Bond series, but his work went far beyond that franchise. His scores for Born Free, Lion in Winter, Out of Africa & Dances With Wolves won academy awards for Best Original Score, and the title song to Born Free won him an additional Oscar for Best Original Song. Also among his work are the scores for Midnight Cowboy, Chaplin, Somewhere in Time, The Cotton Club, Peggy Sue Got Married and Enigma. Along the way he managed to write five musicals and numerous television themes. Of his prolific career he said, When I look back on it, I think, how the Hell did I do all this?

He was a master at telling a story with music. When I was an overly romantic teenager I saw Somewhere in Time over and over and over again. I went so far as to buy the soundtrack, which I then proceeded to play over and over and over again. I thought I loved the score because I loved the movie, but looking back at it now I think it was the other way around. What comes to mind is not the plot (which really was a bit silly), or the performances, but the music. It was lush and beautiful, and I love it still.

His son-in-law, Simon Jack, said he truly loved writing music as much as people enjoyed listening to it”. He saw himself as much a dramatist as a composer and his music was inextricably linked to the stories told on the screen. We will miss all the stories he had yet to tell.

Storm Warnings

2011-01-25T11:48:00.003-05:00

I woke this morning to a grey sky and yet another storm warning. As I was going about my morning looking at what may need to be re-arranged and checking the diet coke supply in the event of yet another deluge my inner DJ was playing John Rutter's setting of William Shakespeare's Blow, Blow Thou Winter Wind. I have loved this arrangement since I sang it many eons ago with my high school choir.

The lyrics come for Act II Scene VII of Shakespeare's As You Like It.

Blow, Blow, thou winter wind
Thou art not so unkind
As man's ingratitude:
Thy tooth is not so keen,
Because thou art not seen,
Although thy breath be rude.

Heigh-ho! sing, heigh-ho! Unto the green holly:
Most friendship is feigning, most loving mere folly:
Then heigh-ho, the holly!
This life is most Jolly.

Freeze, freeze, thou bitter sky,
That does not bite so nigh
As benefits forgot:
Though thou the waters warp,
Thy sting is not so sharp
As friend remembered not.

Heigh-ho! sing, heigh-ho! Unto the green holly:
Most friendship is feigning, most loving mere folly:
Then, heigh-ho, the holly!
This life is most jolly.

Saying nature's a bitch, but people are worse is perhaps not Will's sunniest most life affirming moment, but the elgance and passion with which he says it strikes a chord. I don't think it's all bad news really. Nature is cruel but not because she choses to be, and that's an important lesson in perspective. If it is snowing again it's not because I did something to anger mother nature, it's not personal . The idea that man is worse because he choses to be cruel is a little more distressing, yet underneath that is the idea that the we can chose at all. Yes, we can chose to be unkind, but our choices are not predetermined and we can just as easily choose to be loving. We can also chose to write beautiful poetry and music as a way of dealing with the cruelty.

I couldn't decided between the Northwest Missouri State University Tower Choir's version and the Cambridge Singers version so I'm giving you both. The Barenaked Ladies version is a little bonus. I've been wishing someone would do a modern non-choir setting of this and here is one. I think there's some room though for a few more modern intrepretations so if any of you composers out there want to set it to music send it my way.

Julie, Julie, Julie

2011-01-21T14:29:00.004-05:00

With yesterday’s forecast promising yet another overnight snow storm I decided to get while the getting was good and escape my house, desk and piano while the sun was still shining. I turned off my phone (gasp), and let myself wander aimlessly a bit. Of course, I wandered right into my favorite used bookstore. Santa brought me a Kindle for Christmas, so perhaps I was feeling some subconscious guilt for abandoning paper and ink. Wandering soon turned to browsing which turned to buying. I came away with a slightly lighter wallet and a great book called American Singers: 27 Portraits in Song by Whitney Balliett. Making a stop at the cupcake bakery I went home fortified and ready to hunker down.

Settling in with my cupcake, diet coke (I know, it makes NO sense) and book I dove into the profile of Julie Wilson. I have known Julie for many years, and it always makes me very happy when I find someone has written about her. She is a consummate performer but more than that she is a genuine and thoughtful human being. She is unfailingly supportive of singers, trekking out to see them whenever she can. I had a gig at the Metropolitan Room last winter during the worst snow storm of the year. I figured no one would possibly come out in such ridiculous weather to see me, but a small but mighty house gathered, including Miss. Julie sitting in a booth with some other friends. She has come to every show I’ve ever done in the city, and every time I see her or hear her urging me on from the audience I am touched.

When we were still living in Washington, DC Julie came to town to do a show and I had a small party for her at our condo. I had been a whirling dervish of cleaning trying to get the house ready and make sure everything was presentable and ready. Everything that was in the way or couldn't be dealt with neatly was hidden away in my bedroom with my two cats. At some point during the evening I mentioned the cats and Julie’s ears perked right up. She just had to see the cats. I stood there for a minute thinking of the state of my bedroom and wondering how fast I could make it as perfect as the rest of the apartment, but Julie would not wait. Within minutes one of the most elegant women I have ever met was on her hands and knees under my unmade bed trying to coax my kitties to come out and see her. Of course, they did, who could refuse her? We bonded over our mutual love of animals and family. Whenever I see Julie she always asks about my cats, my husband and son.

In Balliett’s profile Julie tells the story of being fired from a night club in Miami Beach because the producer wanted his girlfriend to have Julie’s place in the show. She said I was only twenty-three, but I had already learned that it’s not so much what is done to you as the way it is done-that people should have the guts to be square with you. This is the Julie Wilson I know. She speaks honestly but tempers it with kindness and grace. She has a great gift for making you feel like you’re the most important person in the room. A pretty neat trick if you’ve ever seen her perform for a packed house of people, all of whom feel she’s singing directly to them.

She told Mr. Balliett that the only singer who ever influenced her was Billie Holiday. She wears a Gardenia in her hair whenever she performs to honor Holiday’s memory. She says I used to listen to her on Fifty-second Street when I was with Johnny Long’s band, and I finally met her and had dinner with her just a year before she died. No singer has ever moved me so much. No one has ever had such pain and emotion in her singing. There have been many better singers, but none as moving. She taught me that when you sing a song like Irving Berlin’s Supper Time, which has to do with a woman whose husband has just been lynched, you picture him hanging, you think of what must be going through her mind, you think of her children and what she can possibly say to them. You keep all that in your mind while you’re singing and it will come out in the words, in your voice, in your face – and people will listen. This is a lesson she mastered, few performers can match Julie’s grasp of the subtext of a song, you can see every moment of the story in her face.

She told me that she really didn’t start out to be a singer she wanted to be a serious actress and it shows. She approaches every song as an actor approaches a script, but loses none of the musicality. You always believe what Julie Wilson is singing to you.

She continues to be an example of grace and perseverance to me. To watch her on-stage is a master class in inhabiting a lyric. She will always be one of my heroes.

Happy, Happy Birthday, Baby

2011-01-17T19:06:00.004-05:00

Today is Spouse's birthday. Being married to me the man puts up with a lot, we Redheads are a temperamental lot to say the least, but he seems to enjoy it. Even though we've been married about a hundred and five years he's still happy to come home to me at the end of the day. I am a very lucky girl!

According to This Day in Music The Monkee's I'm a Believer was the number one song in the USA on the day he was born. Somehow this seems appropriate. Happy birthday, my love!

Miss Laurel & JaLaLa

2011-01-14T11:05:00.000-05:00

Miss Laurel and her trio JaLaLa will be at the Cornelia Street Cafe this coming Tuesday. Click on this link for all the details!
http://myemail.constantcontact.com/JaLaLa-Sings-in-Manhattan-.html?soid=1102090353260&aid=-9H1E3vIZOk

Girl on Film

2011-01-11T13:21:00.019-05:00

A few weeks ago I shared the "Tale of the Photo Session" all about the cover shoot for my soon to be released EP Breathing. While I had lots of details at the time, I didn't have any actual shots. happily, I now have in my hot little hands (or computer as the case may be) a few behind the scenes shots of the day in question which I am tickled to share with you.

It takes a village of highly trained specialists with a whole lot of product to get one redhead ready for her close-up.

Edwin Peterson, who masterminded the hair and make-up look for the session applies another layer of product assisted by Tommie.

Make-up artiste, Jay Milian, gives me an ultra smoky smoky eye. By the way, when the black eyeliner is coming straight at your eyeball it's best not to laugh, no matter how amusing the joke!

Did I mention how much Edwin REALLY loves product?

Having sufficiently shellacked me Jay and Edwin cross their fingers, give me a kiss for luck, and send me out into the tempest.

Having Conquered the elements my intrepid photographer Issac Bailey and I end our session slightly damper and crazier than before but with some really cool options for a cover. What will we choose? You'll have to stay tuned...

Did You Hear What I Heard?

2011-01-05T13:56:00.002-05:00

At the crack of dawn on the day after Christmas Spouse and I caught one of the last flights out of Newark before the blizzard shut it down, and headed off to his niece’s wedding in Portland, OR. We escaped the snow and ice but not precipitation. It rained and rained and rained the entire time we were there. There was serious discussion of ark building amongst the East Coast contingent. In spite of the moisture it was a terrific week with seven of the ten siblings in spouse’s family together for the first time in many years. Yes, Spouse comes from a family of ten. It’s sort of like marrying into a small country.

At the reception as we were all bopping about to Michael Jackson’s Billie Jean, my sister –in-law, Heather heard her children (the utterly adorable Elijah and Charlotte) loudly singing

Billie Jean is not my lover she’s just a girl who claims that I am the one…but the cheerleaders took my son.

Thanks guys for providing me with one of our favorite mondegreens EVER! Shine on you crazy blind men.

Our Gift To You

2010-12-23T14:19:00.000-05:00

The Colbert Report

Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c

Stephen Sondheim

www.colbertnation.com

Colbert Report Full Episodes

Political Humor & Satire Blog

March to Keep Fear Alive

As we've mentioned before one of our latest obsessions is Stephen Sondheim's new book Finishing the Hat: Collected Lyrics (1954-1981) with Attendant Comments, Principles, Heresies, Grudges, Whines and Anecdotes. If we could we'd wrap up a copy for each and everyone of you as a present. Since we lack the funds and the staff of magical elves necessary for shipping such a gift, we decided to give you a glimpse of the man himself from a recent episode of The Colbert Report. With it we are sending you our warmest December wishes and hopes for a bright and tuneful New Year.

Hugs, kisses and all that other stuff!
Your Redheads

We'd Rather You Didn't...World Leader Edition

2010-12-14T13:54:00.000-05:00

Much has been made of entertainers who dabble in politics, but what happens when the tables are turned? Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin took to the stage recently at a children's benefit in Saint Petersburg. Good luck in your day job Mr. Prime Minister, you're going to want to hold onto it!

All Hail the Queen of Soul

2010-12-13T11:25:00.000-05:00

Aretha Franklin has long been one of our very favorite performers, and we are deeply saddened to hear of her recent health troubles. We're sending many thoughts, prayers and wishes her way for a rapid recovery, and sincerely hope that she'll be back on stage soon doing what she does best!

I’ve Got a Name Etc.

2010-12-11T11:20:00.003-05:00

It’s been a while since I posted an update on my EP project, so I thought I’d take a little breather from the Holiday madness to fill you in.

After several months of referring to the project as The Wendy Lane Bailey EP Project or simply The Recording we’ve got an honest to goodness title. Soon you will be able to rush right out and buy your very own copy of Wendy Lane Bailey’s Breathing. The title comes from a song written by Amanda McBroom, and my producer/arranger/music director Michele Brourman. As far as I know, I’m the first person outside of Amanda herself to have recorded it, and I’m very excited to send it out into the world.

The post-production phase is moving along nicely. We’re almost ready to send the tracks off to mastering, the dull legalities are being handled and artwork is being created. In the coming weeks I’ll be announcing the official release date.

I had a wonderful photo session with Isaac Bailey. I got to show this native Californian why we Southern Girls are called Steel Magnolias by posing outdoors in 38 degree weather. Oh, and did I mention it was sleeting and there was a corset involved? We had the best location EVER, but I’m not going to tell you what it was. I’ll wait till the cover is revealed and we’ll see if you can guess. My undying gratitude and admiration go out to Mario Raymondi, Edwin Peterson, and Jay Milian who worked wonders with hairspray and waterproof mascara. It takes a highly specialized team of beauty experts to keep a girl looking her best even in a monsoon.

The closer I get to finishing the more excited I get. I’m tremendously proud of my work and the work of everyone who contributed to Breathing, and I’m eagerly anticipating the day it makes its grand debut!

Of Domestic Perfection & Such

2010-12-03T14:17:00.002-05:00

We've been decking our halls and frantically preparing for our appointed holiday rounds of gigs and socail events (sometimes both at the same time!). All of this brings to our mind the woman who does it all with such aplomb, not a blonde hair mussed, or a button askew. The Queen Mother of Domestic Perfection, Martha Stewart. Of course, we wish to point out that the reason she's never ruffled is that she has a staff of highly trained elves whose job it is to make such perfection. We try to keep this in mind while we are juggling our various yuletide obligations and feeling slightly less than breezy. When that thought fails to comfort us there is always our friend Amanda McBroom, whose song to the Domestic One always perks us right up!

Send In Sondheim

2010-11-23T16:28:00.002-05:00

The other day the postman delivered into our hot little hands a copy of Stephen Sondheim's new book Finishing the Hat: Collected Lyrics (1954-1981) with Attendant Comments, Principles, Heresies, Grudges, Whines & Anecdotes . We are anticipating a blissful holiday weekend lost in all its 445 pages. Of course, the book's arrival sent us straight off to Youtube to see what Sondheimian gems could be found there and we were not disappointed. Here are a few of our favorites:

Thoughts on songwriting from a salon for songwriters at The Academy for New Music Theatre.

A clip from a workshop Mr. S taught at the Guildhall school in the late eighties. It's wonderful to see him work with the students, but the best part is watching his face as he watches and listens to them. By the way the actress in the clip is Jacqui Dankworth, daughter of Cleo Laine and John Dankworth, and an impressive performer in her own right.

Bernadette Peters performs One of our favorite songs from one of our favorite musicals.

Judi Dench sings Sondheim...need we say more?

We’d Rather You Didn’t

2010-11-20T17:47:00.004-05:00

We’ve been bit harried these days and so have gotten away from some of our beloved regular features. But as we both have CDs nearing completion (and availability) we find we are beset from all sides by well meaning advice and analyses of How The Music Business Works. With this in mind, we have decided it’s time for another segment of We’d Rather You Didn’t.

All told Your redheads have been singing professionally for as long as Cher has been alive, and in that time we have picked up a few tidbits of information about the music business so we’d really rather strangers didn’t assume that we are lost little lambs in need of guidance. In fact, here are few things we’d like to share with you, especially if you are thinking of entering the business and getting rich by Christmas.

1.)The check is NOT in the mail.

2.)Though someone may have opened for Englebert Humperdink at a Muscular Dystrophy Telethon in 1978, it does not necessarily follow that he or she knows or, for that matter, even met said Englebert.

3.) In light of #2, therefore, said someone probably can’t get anyone a gig headlining Caesar’s Palace.

4.) Therefore, singing for free in his or her Greek restaurant in Lodi, NJ may not be the career move he or she is suggesting it will be, as no one can compete with flaming saganaki.

5.) The check is still not in the mail

6.) Though Hot Blooded was a big hit for Foreigner, it’s really not the right song for either of us.

7.) We know your friend Ace very successfully managed his local tire shop for many years, but that’s not really the same as managing artists.

8.) Giving “Power of Attorney” to a manager does not mean he will have the authority to get you an attorney should you need one. Indeed, it means something very different.

9.) Music actually is a “Real Job”.

10.) Check? What check?

Some of the spirit of this list is admirably captured in DC Anderson’s song Your Father & I Have Been Talking. It’s our Thanksgiving present to you. Scroll down to the next post and enjoy!

We'd Rather You Didn't

2010-11-20T16:46:00.001-05:00

DC Anderson's Your Father & I Have Been Talking

Tuscany Ciao-down

2010-11-15T15:19:00.000-05:00

We Redheads are not given to envy; we love all our performer pals and are never ever jealous of their success, but we do admit to just the slightest twinge because we can't be there when two of our favorite people, Amanda McBroom and Michele Brourman, spend an entire week teaching, singing (and eating!) in Tuscany this June. But YOU can go! Heart & Soul: The Art of Vocal Performance will be taught June 11-18 at San Fidele, a twelfth-century monastery in the Tuscan Hills between Sienna and Florence. The class is for any vocalists who want to sharpen their skills and increase their repertoire while enjoying the beauty of Italy. In addition to Michele and Amanda, Gerald Sternbach (master pianist, arranger and composer) will also be part of the faculty. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to work with some of the finest musicians and teachers we’ve ever had the privilege of knowing. The program is sponsored by Il Chiostro and you can get all the details on their site . Meanwhile, we have a sudden craving for pasta, and must dash! Ciao!

Music for a Monday

2010-11-01T14:52:00.003-04:00

It’s Monday run amok! I’m throwing myself about trying to get ready for a photo session, meet nine or ten pressing deadlines and prep for an influx of houseguests. The glam quotient is sorely lacking, but the soundtrack is great. Cutting through the chaos is Cyndi Lauper’s At Last album, taking the sting out of an overwrought afternoon.

Wasted Words

2010-10-28T09:50:00.002-04:00

Words, like hemlines, tend to fade in and out of fashion. Some words, such as holpen, an archaic past participle of the word help, are best left in lexicography’s dumpster. There are others though, that still have a lot of good usage left in them. I am embarking upon a personal mission to bring the word VEX back into everyday use.

Kicking around since the fifteenth century vex comes from the Latin vexare meaning to agitate or harry. To be vexed is to be irritated, agitated, puzzled, or provoked by the behavior of others. It can also mean to shake or toss about. Like it in a sentence? I am positively vexed that the word vex is so rarely used anymore.

Just saying the word feels good. Go on try it, I’ll wait. You start off with that yummy buzzy v and then slide into a creamy eee going into the stop plosive k sound and winding up on an ssssssssssssss. For a little word you get a lot of bang for your phonetic buck. Looking for more wordy fun? Try rolling vex’s variations around on your tongue. Vexation…vexatious…vexatiousness…vexedly…could be hours of endless fun for the whole family.

So go forth and use this word with abandon today. Extra bonus points if you let us know how and where you used it!

Back In My Arms Again

2010-10-20T09:38:00.002-04:00

When I woke up this morning my inner DJ was playing the supremes. All in all not such a bad way to start the day!

I Think I Love You

2010-09-29T15:12:00.004-04:00

I don’t know how to say this but I think I may be in love with Tim Gunn. Alas, it is doomed to be a distant unrequited sort of thing as I’m not exactly his type, and I’ve been married since I was a zygote, but still there it is. He’s been one of my primary reasons for watching Project Runway for ages, and I am an enthusiastic follower of his video blogs on Facebook. But now, with the release of his new book Gunn’s Golden Rules, my feelings have grown deeper and more ardent.

You see, in our classes Laurel and I always include a little segment that we call the Ten Commandments of Schmoozing, where we talk about the basics of navigating the world of networking in the arts. While there are ten very witty commandments (one day we’ll share them with you) they all boil down to this: “Be nice and use good manners”. Over the course of our careers, we’ve seen people behave in appalling ways when they are trying to make themselves known. We once saw an actress back a director into a corner while delivering a ten minute verbal resumé without once stopping to draw breath (she DID make herself known, but perhaps not in the way in which she’d hoped). We’re really disturbed by things like this because we feel that there are ways of networking and self-promotion that don’t make people run away from you in horror.

While Mr. Gunn gives fifteen rules for appropriate behavior in his new book, they are right in line with our Ten Commandments of Schmoozing. He doesn’t just give you the rules, but he backs them up with examples and names names! The tales of entitlement run amok in the book are enough to keep you up at night wondering what’s becoming of the world. The people he calls out in his book (Anna Wintour and several other prominent fashionistas are among them) are not people who simply don’t know any better. They are privileged souls with every reason to be grateful and gracious. Yet they seem to delight in being petulant and nasty. Anonymous makes a few appearances here too, doing things like refusing to give way to passengers exiting the subway before getting on (why IS that?), and causing scenes in various temples of retail. Not all of his examples are negative, there are enough random acts of etiquette in the book to give you hope for humanity.

It makes a redhead’s heart happy to know that there is someone else in the world who is taking up the cause of good manners. Instead of “can’t we all just get along?” perhaps our rallying cry should be “why don't we all just behave ourselves?” Maybe if we did, the getting along part would solve itself.

You're The Top

2010-09-23T10:46:00.000-04:00

VH1 has compiled a list of what they are calling the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time. It seems they polled 200 artists including Ozzy Osbourne, Alicia Keys, Carrie Underwood, and members of U2 and the Police to come up with their list (you will note that neither of your Redheads was consulted for this poll). Of course, this is related to a multi-episode television special of the same name, so certainly their picks are designed to stir up conversation, controversy, and most of all, viewership.

This isn’t the first time they’ve come up such a list. The first was in 1998. It’s interesting to compare the two to see who moved up, who moved down, and who fell off. Between the time of the two lists Michael Jackson went from #40 to #3, and James Brown went from #46 to #9 bolstering the argument for death as a career boost. But then again, Ray Charles went from #12 to #43, and Marvin Gaye from #14 to #20 so maybe not. The ’98 list was called the 100 Greatest Artists of Rock & Roll yet contained names like Miles Davis (#39), John Coltrane (#77), Johnny Cash (#89), Gladys Knight & the Pips (#91), and The Four Tops (#93). None of these names with the exception of Johnny Cash are to be found on the latest list even though the name has been changed to the more general 100 Greatest Artists of All Time. Why the name change? one wonders, when there are no jazz artists, and only one country artist represented. Several of the seminal voices of our time didn’t make the cut, including Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, Patsy Cline, Dolly Parton, Linda Ronstadt, Karen Carpenter, or Barbara Streisand.

All of which leads us to a question or two. Does a list like this really serve a purpose? Certainly it could be used to gauge the musical influences and tastes of the 200 artists polled, but beyond that, what do we discover? Does it indicate an ignorance of the musical past on the part of those polled? Other than being a lovely tidbit for one’s Wikipedia page, is there any real value to being named on a list like this? Does a list like this add to or take away from our collective musical educations? What does it really mean to be an influential artist? What are the criteria they used, and how do they differ from what ours would be?

Finally, and more importantly who are YOUR top musical influences, and why? Do share with us; we think your opinion is way more interesting than Ozzy’s.

By the way, Ozzy attended several Manhattan Transfer performances in the 1970s, and seemed to be a great fan. Obviously he forgot that when making his list.

Sweet Tuesday Morning

2010-09-21T09:46:00.003-04:00

A little musical trivia to impress your friends with...

The man who has written some of the most interesting and challenging songs of the past forty years, Leonard Cohen, turns 76 today. In 2008 he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and he is currently wrapping up a North American Tour. It's hard to pick a favorite amongst all his songs, but this one, Dance Me to the End of Love, is definitely up there!

Do you know what the number one Single on the US charts was on this day in 1968? It was Jeannie C. Riley's Harper Valley PTA. Tom T. Hall wrote the song, and it went to the top of Billboard's Pop AND Country charts. This wouldn't happen again until 1981 when Dolly Parton released 9 to 5.

Thanks to This Day In Music for keeping us in the know!

Who Wears These Clothes

2010-09-09T19:52:00.003-04:00

Today is the start of Fashion week in New York City. Instead of spinning around in my chair, and staring blankly out the window when I should be writing, I’m obsessively checking Tom & Lorenzo’s Twitter feed from the Project Runway finale show, and staring blankly at pretty pictures on style blogs when I should be writing. I have been obsessed with fashion since I begged for (and got) my first pair of high heeled sandals for my sixth grade graduation. They were white leather (a color I haven’t worn on my feet since) with spiked heels. My mother was appalled, I was ecstatic. All the money I earned through babysitting as a teenager went to clothes. My mother’s friend Donna was a talented seamstress and I once traded babysitting for her skills. I still remember the dress. It was pink with gray polka dots, a wide belt, full skirt, and contrasting collar. In fact, hanging in my closet at this very moment is more grown up version of that very dress. I didn’t realize that at the time I bought it, I only knew that putting the dress on in the fitting room made me ridiculously happy.

Clothes are another creative outlet for me. I love having the power to transform and express myself at will simply by what I put on or take off. I can use clothing as armor. I can face anything with high enough heels and a sharply tailored jacket or pencil skirt. The right outfit speaks volumes and I don’t have to open my mouth.

As a performer I have discovered that what gets worn on-stage has the power to enhance or detract. I have been distracted on many occasions from what should have been a brilliant performance by poor wardrobe choices. I once spent an entire evening worrying whether a divine performer of my acquaintance was going to (in the words of Project Runway contestant Peach) show us the good china, so ill fitting was her outfit. It was no way for either of us to spend an evening.

The most iconic performers have a strong visual component. Think of Frank Sinatra, Dolly Parton, Bruce Springsteen, or Madonna and more than music comes to mind. Whether it’s Sinatra’s impeccable suit and fedora, Dolly’s sequins and sky high heels, Springsteen’s jeans and tees or Madonna’s ever shifting fashion persona each one has a defined sense of personal style. You may not agree with Dolly’s wardrobe choices but her outfits are immaculately tailored with never a sequin out of place and tell you exactly what she wants you to know about her. Even Springsteen’s basic jeans, and tee look is perfectly pulled off. Those aren’t just any jeans he’s thrown on, they fit like a dream, not too loose, or too long and that tee is made of great material, and his hair is perfectly groomed. It’s all meant to look like he just threw it all together, but in reality it takes a lot of effort to get it just right.

I was raised by a mother who insisted on good manners. The kind of manners that let other people know they are important. Dressing the part was a huge part of her training. Dressing for an event wasn’t about my being comfortable it was letting people know that I loved and respected them by putting the time and thought into what I wore. As much as I would love to go on-stage in sweat pants and bare feet because that’s what’s comfortable, I couldn’t do it. I want an audience to know I went to some effort because THEY were coming to see me. They’re leaving their house and paying to see me the least I can do it look presentable, and of course, sing really pretty.

My favorite part of clothing is the actual ritual of getting dressed. It’s more than just choosing an outfit and putting it on, it’s about the act of transitioning from one part of my life to another. This is especially true of getting ready to go out on-stage. That act of taking off the street make-up and clothes and putting on the performance wear helps me put aside all the stuff that happened outside the venue, the business end of getting the gig, the slow traffic that I had to crawl through to get there, whatever. The act of getting dressed helps me forget all that and focus on what I’m about to do, and the people I’m doing it for. It’s not just when I’m working that this happens though. Even just changing from my every day errand running outfit into an outfit to go out for dinner has the excitement of transitioning into another version of myself. Clothing let’s me become different people sometimes in the course of a single day, and really, what’s not to love about that?

So Happy Fashion Week! Gotta run now it’s almost time for Project Runway!

L.A. Serenade

2010-09-02T09:55:00.003-04:00

Me singing away in the studio

Can it really be Labor Day weekend already? It seems I start the summer with a list of all the wonderful things I’m going to accomplish and then wake up September 1st having checked off not a one. Fortunately, this summer my list contained a single item “RECORD” which I am thrilled to say has been accomplished. I spent an utterly idyllic week in L.A. working in the studio with Michele Brourman and Stephan Oberhoff, a dynamic duo if ever there was one. Michele co-produced, arranged, and played piano. Stephan co-produced and played acoustic guitar, electric guitar and percussion. Larry Tuttle played bass, and all was right with the world. An English actor friend of mine told me that Judy Dench once told him that she would not work on a set where there was no laughter, and I feel the same way about making music. Yes, it’s serious business and the work is often quite hard, but it should also be joyous. To be surrounded by talented people who do what that do with great relish AND a sense of humor was sheer heaven for me.

Now we’re moving into the post- production phase, getting all our ducks in a row so that our new baby can be released into the world. The waiting is tough, but well worth it. I’m proud of my work, and taking the time to figure out how to present it in its best light is all part of the fun.

Come Fly With Me

2010-08-14T11:53:00.000-04:00

Things have been moving at warp speed around here. Miss Wendy Lane is jetting off to L.A. on Monday to get down to business in the studio; meanwhile, on this coast Miss Laurel is recording a project of her own. Soon you will be awash in media from us, but in order for that joyous day to come, all must be fairly quiet on the blog front for the next two weeks. Never fear! We’ll be back with photos, gossip, and an opinion or two just as soon as our tunes are in the can.

While you’re awaiting our return here, we wanted to share with you the list of Executive Producers and PR wizards who are helping to make Wendy Lane’s project possible.

Executive Producers

Kathi & Kaipo Bridges

Joe De Furia

Carolyn Gould

Christy Frye

Jason Graae & Glen Fretwell

Robert Hahn

Janet Hockenson

Michael Marero, LCDR USN

Laurel Massé

Ross McDonald

Michael Miyazaki

Michelle Oates

Polly Scoville

Ronald Squeri

Christy Trapp

Alex Tang & Bob Bagnall

Kim & Finn Wentworth

David Winters

Donna Wright

PR Wizards
Emily Everson

Laura Gunn

Laurel Massé

Michael Miyazaki

Michelle Oates

Joe Peck

We are sending much love and gratitude out to everyone who is helping to make this project possible!

We Did It!!!!

2010-07-27T11:15:00.003-04:00

A huge thank you for making my CD campaign a rip roaring success! We exceeded our funding goal, and soon I'll be off to La La Land to go into the studio and sing my heart out. Keep watching this space for regular updates.

Thank you again, I couldn't have done it without you!

Closing Time

2010-07-24T20:08:00.003-04:00

The final countdown has begun. I've got 51 hours & $528 left until I reach my goal. If you've got any spare change lurking under those sofa cushions now's the time to send it in!

It’s All in the Movies

2010-07-23T11:51:00.000-04:00

It’s hot. Brain melting, sweat dripping, wardrobe wilting, h-o-t, hot. In weather like this leaving the house is most definitely overrated. It’s far better to stay indoors blasting your a/c with a tall icy drink and a big tub of popcorn for a music movie marathon. Here in no particular order is a list of some of our favorites not including documentaries and concert films; we’ll save those for future posts.

This Is Spinal Tap: Spandex, Stonehenge and tiny sandwiches, oh my! How many music movies can claim to be both hilarious AND realistic? Or maybe it’s realistically hilarious, we don’t care we’re too busy laughing.

Lush Life: Jeff Goldblum and Forrest Whitaker star in this one about pals trying to make music in NYC. A bit difficult to track down, but well worth the hunt.

Still Crazy: The very funny story of the very fictional band Strange Fruit. There’s a Great cast that includes Bill Nighy, Billy Connolly, Jimmy Nail, Timothy Spall & Stephen Rea; and a great score by Foreigner’s Mick Jones, and Chris Difford of Squeeze.

Coal Miner’s Daughter: A great actress playing a country music icon; Sissy Spacek won an Oscar for portraying Loretta Lynn in her remarkable life story.

Bird: Forrest Whitaker makes another appearance on our list, this time playing Charlie Parker in this Clint Eastwood-directed biopic. A great flick, but a sad one.

Amadeus: Sex, intrigue, pretty costumes, and divine music - what more do you need? Oh yeah, great acting. Don’t worry it’s got that too!

Music & Lyrics: Perhaps not the most realistic movie of the bunch, especially if you like your music flicks with a bit more grit, but it’s great escapist fare. Drew Barrymore is charming and Hugh Grant is perfect as the happy has-been 80’s pop god.

Love Me or Leave Me: Speaking of gritty realism, it’s not a term one usually associates with Miss Doris Day, but that’s exactly what you get in this film version of the life of Ruth Etting. It’s a rare dramatic turn for her, and it pays off.

Immortal Beloved: Another costume drama this one featuring Gary Oldman as Bethoven . It’s tragic and romantic…sigh.

High Fidelity: Not really a movie about musicians as much as it is a movie about people who love music. John Cusak (one of Miss Wendy Lane’s top five crushes) is terrific, and the soundtrack is killer. Nick Hornby, one of the funniest writers on the planet, wrote the book on which this film is based and the screenwriters did a great job of transferring Hornby’s unique humor to the film. This was made into a broadway musical as well, but without as much success.

So, that’s what we’re watching this summer. How 'bout you?

Ain't It Funny How Time Slips Away

2010-07-21T10:24:00.000-04:00

We're in the home stretch for my CD fundraiser. You've only got until 11:59 PM Monday July 26th to join the party. Check out this handy dandy e-flyer for details....

'Only 8 Days Left...'

Wordplay

2010-07-19T17:20:00.004-04:00

According to Save the Words, 90% of everything we write is communicated by just 7,000 words. When you think about it that’s not really a whole lot of verbiage. Apparently every day there are scads of words left abandoned and unwanted. The solution? Adoption, of course! I am well on my way to becoming the Angelina Jolie of the vocabulary world having already adopted some seventeen words. I am doing my best to rescarciate my past linguistic laziness. Besides words are neater, eat less, and will never blurt out your real age at public gatherings.

There are quite a few advantages to taking on rarely used terms. If you knew that cheesy reality make-over show was really about the fine art of venustation, wouldn’t you feel better about watching? Next door neighbor keeping you up all night while he rehearses his Post Hard-Core band? Four letter obscenities are so passé, far better to call him a senticious foppotee and watch his head explode. That uncle of yours that dominates every family gathering with his tall tales and answers to all the world’s ills? He’s not a crazy liar he’s a phlyarologist. (Not to be confused with your greedy brother who is a philargyrist.) A warning, most of your new adoptees will render your computer’s spell check tristifical.

It doesn’t seem fair that I should have all the fun. Try it yourself. Go to Save the Words adopt a word, and then use it in a sentence, a lyric or a poem in our comment section by August 2nd. The one we like best will win a copy of Ammon Shea’s book Reading the OED: One Man, One Year, 21,730 Pages.

Three weeks and counting…

2010-07-06T14:15:00.004-04:00

I’ve got just a hair under three weeks left in my recording project fund drive, and we are 35% funded. Not too shabby, but I’ve still got a way to go before I reach my $6000 funding goal. You can help by visiting Kickstarter and pledging a few shillings to the cause. For as little as $10 you can pre-order an advance copy of the recording; if you’ve got some more pocket change rattling around you can make a larger pledge which will net you any number of cool gifts, including an Executive Producer Credit. I’m giving away an extra gift this week to everyone who pledges. Since my birthday is coming up if you pledge by this Friday July 9thyou’ll get an special musical birthday greeting from me when it’s your big day! All the details are here.

Muppets & Mondegreens

2010-07-02T11:51:00.000-04:00

We’re carrying on our grand Fourth of July tradition of Muppets and Mondegreens.

We're thinking that maybe the title of America the Beautiful should be changed to America the Confused as it seems to be a bounteous source of misheard lyrics. Some of our favorites:

"My country ‘tis of thee, sweet land of liver trees"

"From every mouse inside, let freedom ring"

"Land Where the pilgrim’s fried "

Who knew America the Beautiful was about interplanetary travel?

"Oh, beautiful, for spaceship guys"

We’ll end this on a note from the Boss of Mondegreens, Bruce Springsteen, from Born in the USA.

"I had a brother I can’t solve"

Happy 4th, y’all!

Jimmy Webb on Leonard Lopate

2010-07-02T11:30:00.001-04:00

One of our favorite songsmiths, Jimmy Webb, was a guest on WNYC's Leonard Lopate Show yesterday. You can listen to the interview here. He’s got a new album out and will be giving a FREE outdoor concert in NYC Wednesday July 14th at the River To River Festival in Battery Park City. We’re off to buy hats and sunscreen right now!

Everyone Knows

2010-07-01T10:04:00.002-04:00

There are times when I just can’t help myself, and this would be one of them. Did you know that on this day in 1967 the number one single in the US was Windy by The Association? Did you also know that this is one of the two sources of my name (the other was Wendy from Peter Pan)? Furthermore, did you know that July is the start of my birth month? All these things being the case I just had to post this wacky clip. By the way, a real lady never tells her age, but I will tell you that I was NOT born the year this song was number one!

Thanks to This Day In Music for the factoid!

Do You Suppose He Means Us?

2010-06-21T14:33:00.001-04:00

Stephen Fry as Jeeves

Some words of wisdom this hot and muggy June Monday from the pen of one of our favorite writers, P.G. Wodehouse,to the mouth of one of our favorite characters, Jeeves...

I would always hesitate to reccomend as a life's companion a young lady with quite such a vivid shade of red hair. Red hair, sir, in my opinion, is dangerous.

Hmm...Perhaps he has a point. Got any good redhead quotes? Send 'em on down we are waiting to add them to our collection.

Let’s Get it Started

2010-06-11T10:44:00.010-04:00

It’s time for the big reveal! I have been hard at work on a new project, and I’m ready to spill the details. Not only that, but you get to be part of it all!

So here’s the deal. After much plotting, planning, preparation, and prayer, I’ve decided it’s high time I released my very first solo EP Album! Michele Brourman is producer/arranger (needless to say we’ll be laying down a tune or two penned by her), and we’ve got a studio and all the trimmings ready to go. There’s just one thing, and this is where you come in…

I’m partnering with Kickstarter a site devoted to helping artists secure funding for projects. It works like this: I come up with a project (in this case recording an EP), set a funding goal and a deadline, and devise a campaign. Once that’s in place, I invite all my supporters to visit the site to watch a little pitch video starring yours truly (you can see it HERE). If you like what you see, make a donation to the cause. Your philanthropy earns you my undying gratitude and a nifty prize or two. You could even get yourself an Executive Producer credit. The campaign runs through July 26 and, since Kickstarter is all-or-nothing funding, I have to reach my goal by that date, or no money will change hands. If you help me spread the word you’ll get an extra special bonus gift!

I’m very excited about the possibilities of this new venture, and I do hope you’ll come along for the ride.

And the Angels Sing

2010-06-10T15:35:00.000-04:00

It’s been quite the whirl for your redheads of late. Monday night found Miss Laurel on the stage at Birdland with her trio JaLaLa, and Miss Wendy Lane in the audience cheering them on. Laurel and her Cohorts Janis Siegel, and Lauren Kinhan had the capacity crowd on their feet cheering for more. Special guests Lew Soloff and Jon Hendricks sat in for a couple of tunes, and a grand time was had by all. A big readhead smooch to all of you who came out! For the complete lowdown on songs and a great on-stage pic visit Laurel’s other blog. In the meantime, here’s a little behind the scenes shot from the sound check.

Janis, Lauren & Laurel at sound check. Even out of diva drag they're gorgeous!

A Taste of Things to Come

2010-06-03T16:45:00.005-04:00

While Wendy Lane is putting together a new project (about which more will be made known here in a few days), I am getting ready for the second round of
JaLaLa dates. JaLaLa is my girl trio of Janis Siegel, my original Manhattan Transfer cohort, and Lauren Kinhan, of New York Voices, and myself. We are going to be at The Egg in Albany, NY this coming Saturday, June 5th, and at Birdland in New York City on Monday, June 7th. We have some terrific new material ranging from Lambert, Hendricks and Ross to Queen, and the same wonderful rhythm section of Yaron Gershovsky on piano, Steve LaSpina on bass, and Deric Dickens on drums that were with us in February. And we are delighted to be recording the Birdland gig, so there may well be a live JaLaLa CD sometime soon.

Here's a little clip of a performance we did in NYC last August to celebrate the release of our CD, That Old Mercer Magic. Enjoy!

And get ready for some news from Wendy Lane...

Little Victories

2010-05-27T19:44:00.001-04:00

Sound the trumpets, stop the presses, and all that other stuff: we have a winner! The winner of the free ticket to see JaLaLa at Birdland is Jon88. Thank you, Jon, for your thoughtful comment about those who have inspired you. Laurel's mother is in the hospital at the moment, and she was persuaded by the way you acknowledged your mom.

So drop us a note HERE with your full name, and we’ll put you on the guest list for the big gig on June 7th. We’re looking forward to seeing you!

Once Upon a Summertime

2010-05-25T14:36:00.000-04:00

If you're a singer looking to spend some time honing your skills this summer we're looking for you! We'll be giving a workshop in Edison, NJ on July 10th.

Check out the details at this link
'Words & Music Singers' Workshop in New Jersey'

Come on down and have fun singing with us!

Last Saturday night, live at the Tusten Theatre

2010-05-20T16:05:00.000-04:00

As you may have seen mentioned here, Miss Laurel had a gig on Saturday at the Tusten Theatre in Narrowsburg, New York. Narrowsburg is a hamlet of 400 and we are happy to report that a good quarter of that hamlet was in attendance. Here's a little eyecandy from the excursion...

The capacious Town Hall / courthouse / senior citizen center / Theatre dressing room complete with piano and player. Apparently, they are champion multi-taskers in Narrowsburg.

The dashing duo, Laurel and Tex Arnold pre-show.

For a report straight from the Chanteuse's typing fingers click HERE.

A Wee Nudge

2010-05-18T15:43:00.000-04:00

Just a gentle nudge from your Redheads to get your tix now for Miss. Laurel's upcoming gigs with her Trio JaLaLa.

Here's a link for the official flyer
'Laurel Masse' May & June Appearances'

Do You Know?

2010-05-17T18:45:00.015-04:00

Strike up the band and roll out the red carpet here are the answers to last week’s quiz.

Madonna                  Judy Holliday

Beyoncé                    Stevie Wonder

Jim Morrison            Frank Sinatra

Fun Redhead fact: According to Stephen Davis in Jim Morrison: Life, Death, Legend Sinatra would get seriously annoyed every time he heard Light My Fire on the radio, because he thought Morrison’s crooning was a blatant rip-off of his style.

Stevie Wonder         The Staples Singers

Linda Ronstadt        Maria Callas

Fun Redhead Quote: Miss Ronstadt has said I learn more...about singing rock n roll from listening to Maria Callas records than I ever would from listening to pop music for a month of Sundays. She's the greatest chick singer ever.

Ella Fitzgerald          Connee Boswell
Fun Redhead Quote: Of Boswell’s influence Ella said My mother brought home one of her records, and I fell in love with it....I tried so hard to sound just like her.

Christina Aguilera      Etta James

Billie Holiday               Bessie Smith

Mary Lou Williams     Lovie Austin
Fun Redhead Fact: Austin was often seen tooling around her adopted home town of Chicago in her Stutz Bearcat with Leopard Skin Upholstery and dressed to the nines.

John Lennon             Harry Nilsson

Elvis                             Mario Lanza

How’d you do? Did you get them all? Any surprises? Are there any other interesting musicians and their inspirations that we left off the list? Do Tell.

By the way, the marvy photo of Billie Holiday is by Bob Willoughby.

Of Thee I Sing

2010-05-10T17:54:00.008-04:00

The other day we found ourselves in the midst of a discussion about favorite singers and musical influences, and here’s the twist! They weren’t our personal inspirations but those of other artists. We were pretty surprised at who admired whom. It seems a shame to keep all the fun to ourselves, so for your cyber amusement here’s a little quiz to start off your week. Can you match the admirer to the admired? For brevity’s sake we’ve kept it to just one per performer. We’ll post the answers in a day or two.

Performer Influence

1.) Madonna A.) Frank Sinatra

2.) Beyoncé B.) Maria Callas

3.) Jim Morrison C.) Connee Boswell

4.) Stevie Wonder D.) Judy Holliday

5.) Linda Ronstadt E.) Mario Lanza

6.) Ella Fitzgerald F.) The Staples Singers

7.) Christina Aguilera G.) Bessie Smith

8.) Billie Holiday H.) Harry Nilsson

9.) Mary Lou Williams I.) Stevie Wonder

10.) John Lennon J.) Etta James

11.) Elvis K.) Lovie Austin

Now, on a not-quite-unrelated note, if you swivel your eyes to the right of this column and take a peek at Where in the World Are the Redheads?, you’ll note that Miss Laurel has a few gigs coming up. This weekend she’s got a solo concert with Tex Arnold at the Tusten Theatre in upstate NY. Come June, she’ll be reuniting with Lauren Kinhan and Janis Siegel aka JaLaLa, for gigs at Albany’s Egg and NYC’s Birdland (in case you’re wondering, their musical influences are the Boswell Sisters, and the Ronettes). We’ve decided to give away a free ticket to the Birdland date. All you have to do to enter the fray is post a comment here about who your influences have been, musical or otherwise. Tell us who you admire and why, and the entry that inspires us the most will get the tic. We’re looking forward to hearing from you!

These Are a Few of Our Favorite Things

2010-04-15T16:57:00.001-04:00

Aretha...Liza...Chocolate...Any questions?

Sunny Day

2010-03-22T19:07:00.000-04:00

There’s always a danger in doing a master class on the first glorious day of spring. Will your students show up, or will they abandon you for gamboling in some local field of wildflowers? Will their bodies show up while their minds are otherwise occupied with thoughts of gamboling, wildflowers, and other non-musical ideas? Will your redheads be able to resist their own temptations to abandon all thoughts of meaningful pedagogy and rush headlong into the great outdoors spouting poetry and eschewing all forms of sun protection? As it turns out we needn’t have worried. Even though it WAS truly the most wonderful day of the year so far, we were blessed with a focused and talented group of singers who showed up and gave it their all. Anne Ellithorp, Stephen Belfatti, Barbara Gurskey (our ever charming hostess at Edison Valley Playhouse), Bryan Murray, and Jessica Pfeiffer knocked us out with their unique song choices and cheerful hard work. We had such fun working with all of you, and can’t wait for our next class at EVP on July 10th. We’ve also set a date to teach in Philly on September 25th. We’ve got plenty of room at the moment, so if you’re in one of those places and have been wanting to brush up your performance skills, come on down. Details are to the right under Where in the World are the Redheads. Mention that you read it here, and you’ll get a special insider price (and may be eligible for our extended payment plan).

We are sorry we didn’t get a snap of our terrific little group, but we’re still having camera issues. In other words, Wendy Lane is still trying to locate her mysteriously missing camera, and Laurel has not owned one since the 1970s. We give your our solemn word as Redheads that next time we will have a camera along to document the goings-on!

Come Saturday Morning

2010-03-17T16:50:00.000-04:00

We’re at it again this Saturday. Miss Laurel, Miss Wendy Lane, and the unflappable Tex Arnold are heading out to the Wilds of Jersey (Edison to be exact) to spend an afternoon working with singers. If you’ve made a New Year’s resolution to beef up your performance chops, there may be a space left in the workshop with your name on it. If you’ve ever wondered what these classes were all, about you can take advantage of a new option we’re trying with this one: auditing. For $20 you can come, sit in a comfy theatre seat and observe the goings on. It’s a great opportunity to check it out. If you’d like more info on participating or auditing drop a line or call (646-831-0359) Park Road Management. We’re waiting to hear from you!

Ease on Down the Road

2010-03-09T09:43:00.010-05:00

Braving blizzards, transit trains and the New Jersey Turnpike we set off last weekend for my appointed gigs. First up was the Metropolitan Room in New York City. After spending the first half of the week in blissful rehearsal with Michele Brourman, I lay awake all Thursday night listening to the wind howl and the snow fall (yes, if you’re really listening you can actually hear it fall) and wondering who in their right mind would venture out in the worst storm of the year just to hear me sing. Ah, but New Yorkers are a hardy lot and we ended up with two lovely and enthusiastic audiences. We had a fine time delving deeper into the material that Michele and I had begun to develop in LA over the summer. The addition of Miss Laurel for two numbers was the icing on the cake. For me, there is nothing better than making music with people who are not just great musicians but also dear friends. The relationship the three of us have off-stage has only served to make the music that much better.

Miss Laurel, Me & Michele after the 10:00 Show at Blues Alley. Thanks Michael M. for the snap!

By Sunday morning the weather had cleared and we hopped into the car, pointed it south, and set off for DC. My friends Alex Tang and Bob Bagnall allowed us to invade their gorgeous historic house in the Kalorama section of the city. We were provided with comfy beds, vegetable frittatas for breakfast and all the Girl Scout cookies we could eat. I wondered if they’d notice if we took up permanent residence on their third floor. Michael Miyazaki and Ron Squeri provided us with a wonderful evening-before-the-show supper that included several of my longtime DC pals. Michael and another DC friend Matt Howe provided me with the only pictures from this run of gigs, for which I will be eternally grateful. It was wonderful to be back on the stage at Blues Alley. The audience was filled with many old friends, and some of my very first mentors. The whole experience was like coming home. It was difficult to leave, but we’ll be back soon!

Me on-stage at Blues Alley...Photo courtesy of Matt Howe

On Tuesday we staggered to the car and up the Jersey turnpike to home, slightly the worse for wear but thrilled at the work we did. Many many many thanks to the top notch staffs of the Metropolitan Room and Blues Alley, especially Ted Stafford (Met Room) and Robby Cooper (Blues Alley) who gave us great lights and sound. I am grateful to everyone who came out to cheer us one. Thank you! It was a delight to sing for you. We are making plans to do this again in the near future, so keep watching this space for dates. Some nice people even wrote a bit about the shows, you can check out their thoughts HERE, & HERE, & HERE.

And before I forget, I’ve gotten some requests for the song list so here it is:

I feel Lucky Mary Chapin Carpenter / Don Schlitz

Walking after Midnight Donald Hecht

I Got Lucky in the Hall Marshall Barer / Dean Fuller

Breathing /So In Love Amanda Mcbroom / Michele Brourman
Cole Porter

Round Amanda McBroom / Joel Silberman

Lucky Break Melissa Manchester / Beth Nielsen Chapman

Once in a Blue Moon /Night Ride Home Anne Caldwell / Jerome Kern
Joni Mitchell

It’s Never Perfect Shelia Rae / Michele Brourman

Monotonous June Carroll / Arthur Siegel

Silver Heart/ Shut Up and Drive Michele Brourman
Melvern Rivers Rutherford III / Annie Tate / Sam M. Tate

Sometimes More is More Michele Brourman

Ring of Fire June Carter / Merle Kilgore

Independence Day Gretchen Peters

A Mother’s Prayer Melissa Manchester

Please Hold…

2010-02-22T19:42:00.001-05:00

We are madly busy this week rehearsing with Michele Brourman for the Metropolitan room and Blues Alley shows and we don’t have all that much time for posting. So while we’re off getting ready for our big gigs here are a few of our favorite things to amuse you…

To Watch:

Eddie Izzard in legos! We Redheads have an unabashed love for Mr. Izzard. In fact, for Christmas this year the big gift in the Bailey household was tickets for the three of us (that would be Redhead, spawn & spouse) to his show at Madison Square Garden. This particular bit is one of our favorites and whoever thought of setting it to legos we salute you!

At The Movies:

One of the smartest "dumb blondes" to ever grace the silver screen, Miss Judy Holliday. May we suggest a double feature of Born Yesterday and Bells Are Ringing?

To Read:

A great article on research into how singing helps stroke patients. Here

We’ll be back next week with a full report of the musical goings on until then enjoy the goodies. AND if you happen to be in NYC this coming Friday or Saturday we hope you’ll drop by the Metropolitan Room to see Miss Wendy Lane with Miss Laurel as special guest. For you DC folks we’ll be at Blues Alley on Monday. All the details are to the right under Where in the World Are the Redheads. Hope to see you there!

A Little Hold Music

2010-02-22T19:14:00.001-05:00

A little non-muzak for you to listen to while we're off prepping for The Metropolitan Room and Blues Alley. This is one of our favorite solo piano recordings from George Shearing. Enjoy!

Everybody Loves a Winner

2010-02-09T11:12:00.001-05:00

We are pleased to announce that the winner of our Monday Mondegreen is Charles E. Martin, one of our favorite Redhead followers.

The mangled lyric was Is that you, baby, or just a pig in this pie? The correct lyric is Is that you, baby, or just a brilliant disguise from the song Brillant Disguise sung by Bruce Springsteen . This was a tough one so many kudos to Mr. Martin for being such a sharp musical detective.

Charles, if you'll send a note with your address to us we'll have your JaLaLa CD out to you lickety split. For the rest of you, we'll post another Mondegreen with another prize later in the week. If you've misheard a brilliant lyric recently send it to us here, if we use it, we'll give you full credit and maybe even a trinket.

Wendy Lane Bailey From NYC to WDC

2010-02-04T15:25:00.001-05:00

Continuing on with our promotional whirl this week, here are the official flyers for Wendy Lane Bailey's gigs in

New York City

'Wendy Lane Bailey at NYC's Metropolitan Room'

Washington, DC

'Wendy Lane Bailey at DC's Blues Alley'

Song of the Day

2010-02-03T13:41:00.001-05:00

It's shaping up to be a busy week for Miss Laurel. Not only does she have a string of gigs with JaLaLa starting tomorrow, but a song from a project near and dear to her heart was chosen as National Public Radio's Song of the Day yesterday.

The track, Blue Skies, is from an album she did with the late Killian Mansfield. Killian was a young ukulele player stricken with cancer who died this past August at the age of sixteen. His courageous struggle to continue to make music in spite of grave illness was a source of inspiration to all who knew him.

Proceeds from Killian's CD Somewhere Else benefit the Killian Mansfield Foundation whose mission is to help young people with cancer and other serious illnesses through integrative health care.

To hear the NPR's Guy Roz interview Laurel, and Killian's Mother, Barbara Mansfield click HERE.

To hear Blue Skies featuring Killian on the uke and Laurel on vocals click HERE.

'JaLaLa Sings!' - The Flyer

2010-02-02T10:56:00.001-05:00

We just figured out how to post our e-flyers for our upcoming gigs on the blog. So as some extra incentive to make plans for later this week, check out where Miss Laurel will be...'JaLaLa Sings!'

The Pleasure Principle

2010-02-01T19:12:00.005-05:00

They, who are omniscient, say that to get people to read your blog you must titillate them, pepper them with details of your scandalous deeds, your darkest secrets, and throw in those of your friends while you’re at it. Ooops. Your Redheads left their attempts at scandal behind them once we realized that Versace doesn’t make sheer garments we like, and trying to become Paris Hilton’s BFF was just too large an assault on our collective dignity. We do have some guilty pleasures though, things that are so embarrassing that if they were known far and wide our faces would match our follicles. BUT in the name of internet popularity we’ve decided to share with you just a few of the things in which, when no one is looking, we indulge. Please don’t judge us too harshly…

Wendy Lane:

Richard Simmons’ Sweatin’ to the Oldies DVD’s: I know, it’s not cool, it’s not hip, but I just can’t help myself. When it’s cold outside and I can’t get out for my daily three mile constitutional there’s something really great about exercising with this sadistic little elf. He’s funny, he’s supportive, he picks great tunes, and you never get the feeling that he’s judging your décor. Besides, the people in his videos look like real people, not gym toned androids who’ve never tasted a baked good. Can twenty million people really be wrong?

Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups: This is the wound which keeps me from being a true foodie. I love European chocolate, and will happily spend hours and hundreds of dollars at Murray’s Artisanal Cheeses, but sometimes only the salty waxy taste of the original Reese’s will do. I’ve tried the upscale versions and keep coming back to the original.

Project Runway: American Idol makes me nervous, and the rest of the Reality TV makes me queasy. But Project Runway is special. Potato sacks, spare car parts, or items from D’Agostino’s produce department are turned into fashion for fun and prizes. The next day when I should be spinning around in my chair composing pithy prose or rehearsing for upcoming gigs I’m second- guessing the judges and comparing opinions on my favorite Runway-related blog Tom & Lorenzo. If only they’d do an "Outfit the Redheaded Singer" challenge I’d be set!

Laurel:

Spelling mistakes in public places, which can lead to hilarious unintended meanings. For example, I was just in a small take-out coffee place in the theater district where a handwritten sign said "Restrooms for costumers only". I guess the props folks are out of luck. Down the block, there is a sandwich board outside a faux-French restaurant, advertising the "pre-fixed" dinner. I sure hope that meal is dated...

Hulu and YouTube. "I don't watch television," I murmur. "I read a lot." The second half is true. I do read quite a lot. But the first half is only literally true. I do not own a TV, and haven't owned one for over a decade, so I cannot watch one. But I knew ten years ago that I would someday be able to watch shows directly on my home computer. That someday is now today, and that is how I have come to be addicted to Bones, House, Grey's Anatomy and Doc Martin on Hulu.com, and to any number of British shows and old movies chopped up into 9-minute segments on YouTube.

Rereading English murder mysteries, though I already know "whodunit". And, very specifically, Dorothy Sayers' Lord Peter Wimsey mysteries, because Lord Peter is so much smarter and more articulate than everyone else around him (except that dratted Harriet Vane who finally snagged him). Which makes him quite romantic to me, especially when I have bronchitis or the flu, which is when I tend to read these things. I love it it when Lord Peter erupts into French, which he only does in the throes of passion. And of course nothing inspires a man to sweep into the flat and make mad, passionate French love to a woman more than that woman having a runny nose and a cough that sounds like a seal barking. Mais oui!

We know we’re not alone, you’ve got a skeleton or two rattling around and we want to hear about it. What are your guilty pleasures; we’ve shown you ours, now it’s your turn.

JaLaLa - Moonriver/mooncountry

2010-01-28T12:53:00.001-05:00

JaLaLa's recording of Moonriver/Moon Country featuring Laurel Masse', Janis Siegel, & Lauren Kinhan from their album That Old Mercer Magic

All about JaLaLa

2010-01-28T12:51:00.005-05:00

Over the past few weeks we’ve referred to JaLaLa, Laurel’s trio with Janis Siegel of Manhattan Transfer and Lauren Kinhan of New York Voices. Well, just in time for the centennial celebration of Johnny Mercer’s birth they’ve come out with the perfect gift. That Old Mercer Magic, produced by the formidable Miss Siegel, blends their dreamy harmonies with the work of one of America’s great tunesmiths. As they have a few gigs coming up in early February (check out Where in the World are the Redheads to the right of this column for details) we thought it was the perfect time to post the group’s official bio and a track from the album. Don’t forget, we’re giving away a copy of this very album next week, all you have to do is guess our Monday Mondegreen and you’re eligible to be chosen at random for your very own copy.

The Bio...
Janis Siegel and Laurel Massé, founding members of the vocal group The Manhattan Transfer, have long shared a love of the great girl groups of American pop music like the Boswell Sisters, the Ronettes, and Goldie and the Gingerbreads. In 2000, they banded together briefly with fellow Transfer singer, Cheryl Bentyne, to form Moxie, selling out a weekend engagement at New York's famous Birdland and quickly developing a devoted following. But the Transfer touring schedule and Massé's solo career (she left the Transfer in 1979) made scheduling difficult, and when Bentyne and her family moved to Los Angeles, the three decided to part company. The dream of a close-harmony female trio stayed very much alive, though, and in 2006 Laurel and Janis welcomed New York Voices' Lauren Kinhan into the group. The three singers began to meet often to sing through arrangements of classic American standards and original material, but once again, the scheduling of performances proved difficult. With the Transfer, the Voices, and Massé actively touring, it seemed that there might never be a moment when the three women would all be available at the same time to perform together.

Then, Siegel was approached by Dare Records in 2008, and asked to produce a CD of Mercer tunes. She took the assignment, and finally the calendars aligned. This was the opportunity that had been so elusive, and That Old Mercer Magic became a showcase and tour-de-force for the new girl trio, now called JaLaLa (for Janis, Laurel, and Lauren).

JaLaLa, the collaboration of three extraordinary singers who each have formidable group and solo singing talents, is performing selected dates in the U.S. in February and June, 2010. Their debut CD, That Old Mercer Magic, is available through Itunes ,Amazon and other outlets.