Archive for January, 2008

It’s a beautiful day!

{ January 29, 2008 @ 8:06 pm } · { about my music }
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Wow! What a gorgeous day today! Sun was shining as if she was in love and thanks to my very nice team mates at the office, I was able to enjoy the lovely sunshine up in the mountains instead of at the office. Couldn’t sleep that well last night, so I was pretty tired when I was on my way to go skiing but somehow, this inspired my creativity and finally one song that I had in mind for about half a week just dropped out, piece by piece… Of course, I need to find a melody now (I couldn’t entertain the whole train with singing out loud :-D ) but somehow I feel that it will just be similar to the text: wait a while and it will come out by itself.

So I was pretty exhausted when I returned home tonight – it feels so good to have a lil space that’s just your own and where you feel totally comfortable, where you can return after anything and just be yourself. Home is where my heart beats…

Do we know when we go?

{ January 27, 2008 @ 8:52 pm } · { music in general }
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I’m ok again. :-) I slept quite a long time and this morning I felt like going to ski so I packed my skis, my bag and surely my ipod and left home. I just ignored the weahter forecast that said stormy wind and 8/8 stratocumuli – can’t be true, as always. But it was. Still, a great day. Bad weather means not so many people on the slopes. And snow was gorgeous! And of course, what can’t be missed when I go skiing is my favourite skiing music: System of a Down! I mean, I can always listen to their songs, but it’s best when you ski. It gives you the right energy. Somehow. My absolute favourite is “Toxicity“, but the greatest beginning of all has of course “This cocaine makes me feel like I’m on this song“. It’s so energetic, you just have to jump around!!! Aerials, Hypnotize (by the way: gorgeouse pictures from the stage in this video!!!) and Question! are as well great songs. I can’t stop listing :-) I just love them! Don’t know, what drugs they take while writing their songs, but must be good stuff ;-)

So, I have to leave again – I spontaneously (as everything in my life) decided to go to the cinema and meet some friends I’ve not seen for a while and I have to note a few ideas for songs that I had while skiing today.

when you’re down and troubled

{ January 26, 2008 @ 10:45 pm } · { about me }
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Do you know these days when you feel empty, imprisoned, sad and lonely? When you don’t know where your life will bring you or where you want your life to bring you? When no one is around that could slap you into your face to waken you up and tell you how good your life is? And you don’t have the power to slap yourself? Today was one of these days. No matter, what music I listened to, it only pulled me deeper. I tried to go for a walk down at the lake, but I couldn’t even enjoy the setting sun. I was wondering how I ever got so low – must be my kind of boring life these days. Nothing big happening. I’m a victim of entertainment. I want to be distracted because I can’t stand being with myself!

At least, my voice had a good day, so I sang my soul out of my body – and it worked. It brought me back to what I want and what I need. And it’s music.

Things have changed

{ January 24, 2008 @ 8:56 pm } · { about me }
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Yes, I know, I shouldn’t be here blogging – I was supposed to meet my drummer and work on our song… But, he’s very busy working at the moment and he had an emergency so it’s pretty much ok that he takes tonight off. So I just spend an evening on my own, at home, relaxing and preparing for my show that comes nearer and nearer. Serious preparation is alway something I really weight heavily for concerts and for recordings, as there are so many things that can go wrong anyway so you’d better not make it more complicated not being prepared. I still need to learn the lyrics of six songs and I want it to be perfect! I would hate myself if I ever get something wrong, especially the lyrics…

And then, I think I just make a beauty-evening, as this has to happen sometimes as well – getting myself in shape and looking nice, listening to some easy music, for example Sade and just enjoying being a woman ;-) I will feel good tomorrow! :-D

how to start a week

{ January 22, 2008 @ 8:35 pm } · { about me }
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Almost everyone I know hates Mondays. You’re still tired from the weekend, it’s the first day of work again and the next weekend is never farer away than then. So what one should do to prevent from depression: go out and party!

That’s what I did yesterday. I had an appointment with two of my lovely honeys at my new favourite place, called the Almodo bar. And as it was such a bad Monday, one of my working mates joined us as well and then there was a friend of a friend and later, more friends joined us and it was just lots of friends and lots of beer and lots of singing (I think, we entertained the whole bar or maybe everyone escaped, as it suddendly was very empty or maybe it was just because it was Monday and usually folks have to go working again on Tuesday – so did we but we just didn’t care) – a perfect start in a week that now just has to be perfect as well…

Of course I was fucking tired today – but I would have been anyway and it’s just so much easier to be tired with a lovely memory of a pleasant evening and the joy of looking forward to the next one… So, I have to go to sleep now :-)

And I say thank you for the music!

{ January 19, 2008 @ 6:34 pm } · { music in general }
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Why do I plan things? I really don’t know. It always turns out to be quite opposite from what I planned. What I want to say: although I planned a quite evening at home yesterday, I found myself at the Hallenstadion watching four people looking and sounding exactly like ABBA.

It was about five o’clock when my singing teacher called me and told me she had free tickets for the show, because she has coached a chlidren choir that was on stage with them that night. If I would like to join? What a question! Sure! I love ABBA! I love their songs so much! It’s just a classic, no need to explain that…

So we were watching that show and the two singers were great! Very, very professional and together with the orchestra (around twelve strings) such a nice sound. No need to say that these songs are just great from the prospective of songwriting and producing. They sound so easy-going, but if you really look close, it’s so complexe, temporarely with 8/9 times and such funny things!

After an hour – break. I didn’t like that. After the break, I was somehow no longer in the mood and the whole spirit was just gone. But the sound was still great. But the blinking from the seven huge LED-screens got on my nerves. Then the children choir came – they were just too cute…

After all the hits, we decided to go and have a drink and chat. :-) It’s always fun to talk with her – all her stories make me smile!

And another thing that made me smile was that a friend called me and asked if I would do a little show case at a friends birthday party – sure I will! And I already have a very good idea what I’m gonna do on stage. But I won’t tell now, because it’ll be a surpriiiiiise! :-)

Workin’ hard…

{ January 19, 2008 @ 2:03 am } · { about my music }
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…this is what I did yesterday. I had another singing lesson and it’s getting more and more fun. Although it always has been fun. My singing teacher was very suprised how high I reached yesterday without switching to head-voice. Maybe this comes from the recent practise I have – I was singing my lungs out of my body the whole week and somehow I’m just in shape.

So we worked quite a while on “Seduces me” from Céline which is just an incredible cool song and such a good example to practise with. The way she sings it on the record is just crazy! The part of “I go down on my knees for all the love we made” is terribly high and needs so much power and concentration. I think, I’m gonna need one or two more weeks to get it properly from the beginning, but if ever I succeed, it will be another big step forward…

This is where the story really begins…

{ January 16, 2008 @ 11:50 pm } · { about my music }
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My stomache is back in shape finally! (the good thing about a crazy stomache: I lost some weight, almost eight pounds, so after this Christmas eating disaster, I’m back in shape :-) ) So we (the drummer and I) went to work together tonight. In our bandroom. With the new PA system. And I tell you: it rocked so much! I can learn so much from him. It’s great. We began on the first song and I looped it like thentousand times (which is positive, at least I know the lyrics now) and he tried seventousand different beats and versions until we found that we found the right one for this song. I never knew that I can be that bossy: do this, do it like that, no take the other one, no, keep it simple, don’t use this and don’t do that… :-D

First, I had some problems: my voice was not warm and I felt not sure about the song as I didn’t like the first part how it came out but every time I tried to change I failed – so I decided to leave it until the big idea comes to my mind (which did not so far). But as I sung it over and over again, I grew more confident…
And while working on it, I realised that I had to change the verse a little bit and that it needs more lyrics and so I took a bunch of work out of the bandroom tonight. But of course, making music was not everything we did, we talked a lot about life, love and music and other artist and beats and harmonies and then the tram came and we had to split. But I’m looking so much forward to the next session, that will be soon for sure, to work more and more and sing more and more and just to have fun!

ready, steady, go…

{ January 14, 2008 @ 9:44 pm } · { about my music }
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Despite my stomache-problems, I went to buy some equipment on Saturday, together with my drummer. Or to say better: I paid and he carried :-)

I bought a Yamaha Stage PA System 300 which includes two passive boxes and a mixer. It’s just perfect for what I need! It’s not too big to carry around (even if I’m alone) and it has enough power so that I’m able to keep up with the drums.

Of course, we installed it at once and tested it with a little jam session. But then, my stomache rebelled again and I did not have too much power so we stopped it and decided to postpone it.

So plan is to meet again this week, if time allows and to work on the first song. And I need to burn him a CD with my favourite songs so he knows my groove – seems to be very important to him.

I’m really looking forward to it as now it seems that we crossed the starting line…

To team or not to team, that’s the question…

{ January 12, 2008 @ 9:55 pm } · { music in general }
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I recently came along this blog from Soundcraft, a songwriter’s community in Singapore. The one who writes the blog is the founder of the community and his idea is to share ideas and present the own songs to others, discussing about problems while songwriting.

I like the idea of a community, as I am a social animal, I would say. And of course networking is great! But somehow, I can not imagine writing songs in a group. I am surely a team player but songwriting is so much of a personal and somehow spiritual thing that I couldn’t share this with others and surely not with strangers. Maybe with someone I really know very well. And for me it’s nothing you do on command – it comes to me or it doesn’t, so there would be no chance to make an appointment to write songs.

The other thing that disturbed me a lil bit was that he was somehow scared that no one will ever listen to his songs. I feel quite contrary. It’s strange for me to show one of my songs to someone else as it’s coming from so deep inside and is somehow my baby and I don’t want to give it away. I don’t need anyone to hear my songs to feel good.

Next time, I’m gonna tell you what I bought today and what I did with it ;-) so keep comin’ back…

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