The embryo that is "Woman" June 2002

January 2002 The embryo that is Woman 6th feb 02 - australia is creeping up soooooo close. i'll be touching down there on my birthday, 29th march. the tour kicks off around the 3rd april. not much breathing space in between but it's going ot be wonderful. the album "woman" is coming along really nicely. we tracked the drums (brian burwell) and bass (jeffrey dean) over last weekend. i didn't get much sleep, mainly because of all the excitement. gordie germaine came in monday night to start tracking the guitars. we've added these high death metal meets prodigy guitars on the songs "Organic" and "Woman", even though the latter has dance beats. It's going to be totally crazy and nothing like you'd expect. It's like Prodigy and Live meets Tori Amos, Kate Bush and Sade. It's the next step on from "Temperamental Angel", and she's very temperamental, but also a little more grown up and convinced in herself! There's a lot of sexuality and sensuality oozing out of this new album. Songs like "the seducer" which I produced over at Ken Moore's studio in Sherman Oaks, is like Sade, with a lot of space, yet she's really gone over the deep end. Cindy Alter guests on backing vocals. She shines like a star! The main songs with full band have been tracked over at MT STudios, owned by Matt Thorne, who is a cool dude - the Sonic Doctor - and he does good shit. That's our new studio term, when we like something: "yeah, that's good shit." Well, it's kind of Aussie anyway. Matt engineered the recent, to be released, Kate Ceberano album. I went to the Australia Day ball on the 26th Jan. Man that was fun. I was helping Shelli-anne Couch on the production side, and I got to meet and hang out with a whole bunch of people: Sam Neill, Rob Lowe, Cameron Daddo, Billy Zane, Rachel Griffiths, Genevieve Davis (remember her? She sang the National Anthem in Oz and well, seh's over in L.A trying to climb that wonderful ladder I've been on... ha ha), Julian McMahon, Max Sharam, Nikka Costa... gosh it was a ful celeb night. I got up and sang a song - LAnd from Down-Under' with Jim Manzie and his band (ex Old 55.) It was alot of fun and I drank alot of champagne! Check out Shelli-anne's efforts at http://www.aanza.org and the press release for the night is at http://www.aanza.org/events_archives_AusDayBall2002.html On a different note, I've been ultra busy as a professional music big wig. Well my wig is getting big that's for sure, not so about the status! All work no gratification at this stage, but who knows... I'm the guest speaker at the Songwriters Network in Altadena Ca. tonight talking about "doing it the indie way." the Songsalive! Expo 2002, as Executive Producer, is taking way so much of my time but our team is strong and will be an awesome event. I'm also starting production of our Finnish artist, for Warrior Girl Music Aeneis is his name and his album should be getting pressed March/April. Further, I've opened a new web site called www.ArtistToolbox.net and it's a great resource for music artists who want to market their music. It gives a step by step approach on how to do it. Finally, my book, I Am A Professional Artist is finished and going through typesetting and layout, while we also hunt for the right publisher. It's all systems go! yay. check out the press release on the album "Woman." 12th Feb 02 - What an awesome weekend I had. My fifth trip to Phoenix in not even 12 months. Toni Koch, promoter extraordinaire, organized an acoustic show for me at The Vine, in Tempe. Thank you Todd from the Vine for the gig, the keyboard and the care, a big thank you to Roland for the flyers he designed. Awesome. Thank you Toni for always taking great care with me. A true friend. I particularly enjoyed the trip to Sedona and if the royalty checks ever start coming in, I'll be making a gilli moon mark there, that's for sure. Those red rocks remind me of Uluru, Australia. So majestic, so emotional, the vortex of life. Coming up this weekend is our big party bash at Rusty's at the Santa Monica Pier. I'll be doing that in between recording in the studio which has become my life daily. I don't know how Matt Thorne, my engineer, puts up with me but he's wonderful and if anyone is looking for a studio in Burbank, he's your man. All on pro-tools. Fabulous. Onwards and upwards,... I feel like my days are a countdown to March 27 when I hop on that big plane again to Australia. I'm hoping, as much as I am the warrior girl of indie routes, to secure some kind of backing for the next record to get it out. I've given my package to Nettwerk in Bev Hills, and will do the same to similar indie labels. I know, it's so against my nature. But I need the promotional pull and the dollars for retail and radio if I'm going to get "Woman" out. A joint venture with Warrior Girl Music would be great. So... here goes... 15th Feb 02 - Studio, studio, studio. It's fun working with Matt Thorne. Even though he's a Taurus (well no one can be perfect like an Arian!), he's so FASt and meticulous and he has high energy. Loving it! We finished all the guitar parts last night. Exhausted Gordie! 4th May 2002 - I can't believe it's been nearly too months since I wrote. I was so busy late February and all of March finishing the album recording at Matt's. It ended up that I had finished the recording 10 days before having to get on the plane to Australia. We then mixed 10 songs in 10 days. The last song was mixed the day of departure. Talk about busy! Plus I was working by day so I didn't sleep. I got to Australia and just slept and slept. Then did some gigs and have also been writing my book and sleeping some more up in the Bush. I get back to the U.S on May 15 so it will be about 6 weeks away from everything. While here, my computer crashed and i was told i wouldn't be able to recover my data. I thought I had lost 4 weeks of book writing. I was so sad. But then I found this other company and woo hoo, they recovered my data before overhauling the hard disk. Wow! Now I need to soak up a few more sleep moments before the hectic days begin again! 10th June 2002 - I just got back from NXNE toronto canada. what a blast. What a city! it's like sydney but it has an even more of a european flavor. the night life is great. you can bar hop (without paying any door fees) and listen to different kinds of music, from jazz to rock to country to acoustic. it's all great. the food is wonderful. very italian flavour with some french tongue here and there. they have a tower just like centrepoint, only taller! the convention itself was really good and although it was small it was perfect for my liking as I was able to get upfront with everyone and meet people. i performed at lounge 88, in the heart of Little Italy and Terri DiMarco, although we couldn't hear each other on stage, did a great guitar performance. we then hit the tequila which, for a low alcoholic gal like me, was really fitting whilst on this working holiday! i read a book here and there, met some wonderful people and wrote an article on 'Taming of the Music Mafia.' I also wrote a few things to add to the nearly finished BOOK. Here is what I wrote. It kind of was some notes based on a recent Howard Fine acting class that inspired me: Live your life now the way you see it tomorrow. Live as if you’re already successful. Now is truly your moment. The entertainment industry is seductive and the competition can be so overwhelming that we tend to look at the future as when all our dreams will come true. But to be convincing to yourself and others that your dreams will come true, you really have to live your dream now. That doesn’t mean pretending. No, grab hold of what you have going on, even if only a small part of the greater vision. Endow it with success and accomplishment and worthiness. You must feel worthy now in order to receive tomorrow. BE THAT. Endow that. Then people will see that too. RIGHT NOW, I feel like everything is right. I have an amazing sense of happiness about me. Opportunity is coming to me without me trying. Without me wanting. People are offering me jobs left right and centre. My music is being taken to the next level. I love my life. I love who I am. Two years ago, coming out of the darkness, I thought THAT was light. But right now I feel so in tune with my life and who I am and who I want to be. I feel energized, more so than ever before. I feel like anything is possible. And why? Because the first time in my life, I DON'T CARE. That's right, you heard me. I'm not FRUSTRATED. I'm not DESPERATE for the fame or the wealth or the love or the attention. I'm just being ME and being creative and finishing my projects diligently and timely. I'm not asking anybody for anything and ironically it is coming to me. I sleep and I have time for work and also time for play. I'm writing, I'm loving I'm eating well and exercising. I love my body, I love that I am a 33 year old woman who looks 20 and yet has the wisdom and fortitude of a 60 year old. I feel at one with myself.' I AM FINDING PEACE. This is a perfect time in my life to release my new album "Woman" which I am SO, SO happy about. As it is filled with JOY. Thank you, mother earth, for allowing me the opportunity to be so full of creativity, energy and passion to share. Thank you.