kicking off the ordinary tour in an extra-turbulent world. - philadelphia sept 5 2005

My life as an artist. road warrior. communicator. sponge.

I sit in Montclair NJ resting, reading, writing. Feeling... Watching CNN.... crying. being just me, laughing. Having played a multitude of hats these last 4 days through tumultous times, I see my role as chameleon, as poet, as artist, educator and entrepreneur, as traveler, as lover, as child, as adult, as woman with a mission.... i am on my mission now. Making extraordinary changes in an ordinary way.

I've been in the studio for over a year and embarking on a road trip (which will be over a month's journey) is such a liberating feeling. I love seeing new sights and sounds, touching new hearts, and being touched. This is very invigorating.

Arriving in Philadelphia was like arriving to freedom. In my own personal way. I have been hibernating for so long, and now i am really happy to be out in the world, communicating once again, feeling the travel bug, the spirit of the journey, and roman sandles on my feet. There is much to do, say, hear, feel and share.

I just completed the first weekend of work: the Independent Music Conference in Philadelphia. We just left Philly last night having been there for 4 days.

It's hard to get all excited about a music conference when we are seeing such tragedy on CNN and any tv station about what is currently happening in New Orleans. But let me deviate from this for a moment as I recount the journey I have traveled these last few days that has left me ALSO inspired, motivated and rejuvenated, .. because where there is dark there is light and where there is tragedy there is hope.

The IMC conference www.IMC2005.com has just finished and we have been fortunate enough, as Songsalive! team members, to be part of making this a huge success because we were involved in it to create change, be impactful, educate and inspire artists and i believe that we SUCCEEDED. It takes one person at a time to create change and music and the arts is a hugely impactful way to do that. I am blessed to be an artist and educator and I discovered such love, harmony and synergy amongst the artists who attended this conference. It has reminded me why I have chosen this path.

Toni Koch (Songsalive! artist coordinator/Warrior Girl Music promoter) and I arrived on Thurs evening and caught a cab from the airport into the Conference hotel - Sheraton Society Hill. First evening, a quick walk down South Street for a bite to eat, discover some interesting bars, one in particular had "live painting" to DJ music, which inspired my muse immediately. This city is filled with artistry, on the street, in the bars, on the walls, in my MIND.

Friday morning we got to work. We set up the Songsalive! booth, www.songsalive.org, with stacks of stuff, artist info, our organizational information, our banner flying proudly on the wall behind and various things to display and sell. There were several booths at the conference, including some partners we are involved with such as Oasiscd.com (Cd manufacturing). Toni organized 3 days of amazing Songsalive! Acoustic Roundabout performances, where we had songwriters perform acoustically in the main room, Hamilton Room, with grand piano. This brought a new light to the conference for this year because we were able to provide showcase opportunities for artists without having to leave the focus of the event. Normally, and still this year, showcases are around town in Philadelphia in the evenings only. We were able to offer a showcase environment daily, during the conference activities, and music industry folk came in to check out the talent. it was great.

We saw some great performances at Cavanaughs River Deck (on the river near the Ben Franklin bridge), and I performed there also. It was kind of the evening hub for the conference and a lot of fun! I had a blast performing this weekend. Every day I hopped on the piano and shared, like secrets, my new songs from the new album extraOrdinary life www.gillimoon.com/extraordinarylife, and some old ones that felt like coming out of the bag.

I spoke on many music panels this year, focusing mainly on touring, promoting and getting out there as an indie artist. I also conducted my MPWR Workshop (path to artist empowerment)  www.warriorgirlmusic.com/MPWR twice during the conference and i know from the feedback i received that this inspired those who attended to continue on their artist path with strength, gave them motivation and positivism. I believe in defining success on one's own terms, and enjoying the journey. That being artists in this era we need to also be smart business people, using the left and right brains. That we can use the internet to maximize our relationships building. Being at a conference, we all got to know each other well... it was a small conference and in my opinion this was way more effective than being a huge conference where no one truly gets to connect one on one. Other panels i spoke on included Women in Music and the Discourse panel, critiquing artists' demos.

Toni also spoke on panels, including merch, building revenue streams, street teaming and more. On the last day we conducted the Songsalive! Songcamp, which is really becoming one of our BEST programs. We had mentors to assist the full day Songcamp - Steven Memel (Hollywood's celebrated vocal and performance coach), Patti Wolf from SmartWomen.org radio, and Bill Pere, 14 album songwriter and president of the Connecticut Songwriters Association. The Songcamp started out with critiquing, like we do in a regular Songsalive! monthly workshop. We had about 12 songwriters from around the country: Philly, L.A, Texas, New York, even... New Orleans. One artist, Nabiyah, is this young spoken word / poet from Philly had never sung before. We allowed her to present a piece and she sung a little lullaby she wrote. She was softly spoken, but gazed at all of us with strength. Then, when it was our turn to provide feedback, she fell silent and began to weep. I softly spoke to her and realized that this beautiful soul was new at opening up her words to strangers. We gave her encouragement. she then turned to us and said she felt so wonderful to have the opportunity to sing, and speak. Others wept. It was very special.

After lunch we got into the cool part of the Songcamp - co-writing. I placed the artists in groups of 2 and 3 and gave them 1 hour to write a song. it was a huge challenge. And the groups were varied, with songwriters who didn't know each other, and who were from a varied background including geography, race, age and musical taste. By 3pm we had 5 new songs written, within a hour. And they were all fabulous! The artists thought the Songcamp was energizing and challenged them beyond anywhere they'd been on their own as writers. I felt, even in my first few days on the road, that this day made it ALL worthwhile and reminded me why Songsalive! exists. It all started with a workshop, in the round, sharing and writing songs, and here we are still today doing this, making an impact on a grand scale. www.songsalive.org/programs for details on our songcamps.)

Other parts of our work here at the IMC was to promote our Songsalive! Cd Sampler 7, a few members who had partaken in the "Get Promoted" program (www.songsalive.org/sponsoredevents for details). Plus we are promoting two new Songsalive! partners: Unisong - a fabulous songwriting competition we are presenting, and ListRocket.com, a unique email fanlist service. Both are at www.songsalive.org/partners. We have bundles of postcards on these two partners and happy to send some to any chapter who wants some.... We also were selling the IndieBible on our booth, which is a fantastic resource of media and press to promote your music to. www.indiebible.com/sa to get it online.

In summary, Songsalive! was an integral part in the success of the IMC conference this year. I'm very proud. We feel it's like having our own Expo but on the East Coast. Our booth was the hub for songwriters to hang and feel supported and promoted. I want everyone to try and come next September. It's worth it, it's educational, and very very powerful. www.IMC2005.com to see what it's all about. We made connections and relationships with artists, songwriters and music business executives from all around the country.

Next stop on our tour, New York for our Songsalive! Showcase this Thursday Sat 8th @ C-Note www.songsalive.org/newyork for details. Then Connecticut for the associations meeting on 13th Sept where I will be talking, then the New England Music in Hartford CT on 17/18 Sept. My album launch on Wed 21st Sept at the Cutting Room NY. Then up to Boston to speak at the Berklee School of Music on Tues 27th Sept and Nemo Music Conference on 30th Sept and 1st October. www.gillimoon.com/tours and www.songsalive.org/sponsoredevents have all the details.

Our work for Songsalive! is a busy one this month. We are out and about on the East Coast being proactive, educating, building the name, recruiting members, conducing workshops, building the New York and Boston Chapters and doing what we are here to do..... providing opportunities of support and promotion for songwriters.

I do hope this little email was inspiring to you all in your lives this week as we go through hardship and struggle, with the devastation of New Orleans. We have many members from Louisiana. Our home page www.songsalive.org has a link at the bottom to lend donations to this current catastrophe.  My part right now is building consciousness and awareness about COMING TOGETHER as a global community in every way.... whether it's amongst us in songwriting, building relationships in the music business, making lifelong friends on the road, enjoyinfg the journey everyday in everything you do, feeling inspired by the little things that make impact, or... even building finances to help others. Songsalive! is doing that. As a 501 (c) (3) our mission is to educate and support. Go online and support New Orleans. Talk to your neighbor, give them a smile. WRITE A GREAT SONG TODAY.

LISTEN TO YOUR HEART EVERY DAY.

Right now, I'm gearing up for a Manhattan show this Thursday, for gaining my strength again to go out into this world and be the warrior. I am truly blessed.

Thanks for reading

xx

gilli moon

SEE THE GILLI MOON "ORDINARY" TOUR SCHEDULE

http://www.gillimoon.com/tours 

 Buy the new album "extraOrdinary life" at www.warriorgirlmusic.com/store
www.cdbaby.com/gillimoon4
www.gillimoon.com/download for ringtones and downloads

..............................................

gilli moon  www.gillimoon.com

Warrior Girl Music www.warriorgirlmusic.com

Songsalive! www.songsalive.org

females on fire cd www.femalesonfire.com

artistlivingroom discussion group www.artistlivingroom.com

Join the email list http://www.warriorgirlmusic.com/enews

ADD ON to last email - Rustling the fire beneath to create magic

oh and what about that Neal Barbosa? Painting al night "live action SensuArt". He must have painted 15 canvases, splashing as we performing, ever ending. He was a constant art piece, moving and feeling the energy and fire of each artist all night long. the joy of the team, behind the stage too, that made it happen. Toni Koch who has completely out done herself as a promoter extraordinaire. You have arrived! Dennis Hoffman on merch, all night, who also drove us home at 3am when we lost our keys (long story). But what could possibly put a downer on such a magnificent night! The club, Todd the owner, Dina on door and tables, Mike the warrior sound man, Curtis back stage with musicians.. I mean, it was a powerhouse team. ... and again... the artists... you all just BLEW me away. See other email;) yay

 

gilli moon

 

http://www.femalesonfire.com

-----Original Message-----
From: Warrior Girl Music [mailto:warriorgirl@gmail.com]
Sent: Saturday, August 27, 2005 11:56 AM
Subject: Rustling the fire beneath to create magic

Is there such a thing as euphoria in this modern world? I am feeling on top of the world this sleepy Saturday morning as I recollect what an unbelievable night I just witnessed last night at The Mint in L.A

 

Rustling the fire beneath to create magic

Is there such a thing as euphoria in this modern world? I am feeling on top of the world this sleepy Saturday morning as I recollect what an unbelievable night I just witnessed last night at The Mint in L.A

 

We had not 20, but 21 fabulous artists performing to celebrate the launch of the Females On Fire  compilation Cd and I am just OVER the moon about it. Why? Because each and every artist just BLEW me away. Everyone was amazing. They touched me, my soul, my inner fire. They made me remember why I love music, why I love ENTERTAINMENT, why I love the magic of "putting on a show". This show was one of the best I was able to help create and I am so thankful to be surrounded by such amazing talent and wonderful lights.

 

When we went through the sea of artist submissions to be on the CD, we chose what we felt were the strongest of the artists that came through and also those who showed commitment in their own careers, who were ready to put their best foot forward, who were serious about taking their music, their art, to the next level. And they all invested into the project, with more than what is required. They invested their HEARTS. Every artist talked about the Females On Fire CD on stage last night as if it were their own babies, and IT IS. It's working. This feeling of ownership, of joy to be part of something that is bigger than ourselves, beyond our own four walls of ego-centric art making, is what ART is all about. SHARING. Being part of the bigger picture, the bigger world... and in this case a fabric interwoven of artists that are timeless, professional, exceptional, full of love and grace and style, and pizzazz and punk and rock, and sensitivity, and melancholy, and action and passion.... all of it. These artists were all of it.... from 7.30pm till 2am, WE ROCKED THE MINT.

 

The house was full. People stayed till the very end. They STILL wanted more?!!!!!!?! We had to ask them to leave at 2am. Oh my god. What a night!

 

Penelope Torribio, sensitive and fiery at the same time, opened the show. Kris Miller stirred my passions and she sang so strong. Kelen on percussion and singing, blonde hair, lovely voice. So unique. Laura, that amazing girl with a voice that soars, Jamie Green, got the groove going for us. She is a rock goddess. People started dancing and it wasn't even 8.30pm yet!! Harmonies, rocking band! Alpha Cat.. lovely Elizabeth all the way from NY, gave us her deep, sensitive songs. People were like, "who is THAT? Wow". Then a guest spoken word piece by Antoinette Valente. The house was silent. Riveted! Vertigo Moon with Dawnia and Kim and a full band I'd never heard. Sharon on the electric violin. The Mint was packed by now and no one could resist moving and grooving. I got up to perform as the second "moon" in the show and didn't know how to even compare to what i was witnessing. But I was swirled into the magic and I loved the energy up there. Didn't you?! Then came Cindy Alter, back from South Africa, a voice a punk rocker in my heart, she always touches my soul. Holly Light, so light, so soulful, with her bluesy voice and fabulous guitar playing. Songs just suck me in every time.

 

Then guest spoken work J Walker,our fiery male, just made sense of it all. Speaking of pop culture and following the true fire in our bellies, delivering real songs, real messages, he hit home that we were here for something bigger than just ourselves. This show was education, it was about clarity and about sharing our secrets to an audience that We were strong, We have a voice, We fight the mainstream, the lowest common denominator, that we express music and songs that Can and Will be heard. Wow I'm on a roll, and it's still early! I should be sleeping...

 

Dina Gathe, now she's a punk rocker and she shows it. Her songs are hot. The band was on. Our hands were all in the air. Then came Little Sista. 3 girls up front dancing, singing, harmonies, rocking, grooving. I was at my plateau by now. Willow, who began her set with a warrior girl anthem... she defined it all for us, our strengths, what we need to survive this business, how we go out there, with our beliefs in ourselves, with our inner strengths. Willow was spiritual, she was groovy and fantastic. Celeste Lear had that unique edge that just balanced it all. It was getting late, and we were getting into the midnight our. Celeste took us on that journey of dark, yet also light, musical magic. Kim Erin came out and her soaring, beautiful gorgeous voice just lifted me higher. I was now in heaven. tch,.... trippy, interesting, quirky, vibrant. Lizzie, glamour, white and silver, blonde hair, she brought the rock back in for the late night lovers who were Still here wanting wanting wanting More More! Then Jackie Bristow, guest from Australia, brought it down, to a nice finale, with her sweet, tender love songs. We started to relax and know the night was coming to a sweet, soulful end. And finally Aussie Matt Ellis, magnificent male as a book end for a fabulous female night, .. he gave us some great songs, so humble, and so perfect.

 

Perfect. this night was perfect. And I thank each and every one of the artists who made it happen, from promoting it, bringing their friends, leaving their egos at the door to just be part of the tapestry that was the Females On Fire night.

 

And now, we begin promoting the CD out to the wider world. We hope they feel the magic.

 

THANK YOU.

 

 

gilli moon

 

http://www.femalesonfire.com

 

releasing, re-visualizing, rebounding, reliving

I am a very happy girl. Why? Because I have a sense of completion and that is one of my definitions of success.. to complete something. I've been working on a project for over a year. I didn't know where it would lead me, or how arduous the road may be... but I brought it to fruition, with grace, passion and fortitude: extraOrdinary life. We all know that life is, well, long. Ongoing. Days turn into months turn into years... a lifetime of memories, friendships, experiences, journeys. And this past year has been a mini life journey,....

 

From writing songs through my twenties and to now, on funky keyboards and pianos all around the world. I remember sitting at a piano in Santa Fe New Mexico, considering how to use the swamp sounds i had just recorded on my dat player watching an aligator in New Orleans. Writing Release Me in Vermont on a hotel piano after hours, at the beginning of my Eric Idle tour. Writing at home in Australia, surrounded by the bush, Circus of Life. Spaceship, on an old upright in Santa Monica on a gloomy day. My Extraordinary Life at home in Sherman Oaks, on my keyboard after listening to Maxwell,.. finding a groove on my little drum machine and tracking the beginnings of what you hear on the Cd, on my 16 track hard disk recorder. Writing The Wind in Cabo San Lucas, after letting go of a recent love on Divorce Beach, sending him to the wind. Hollywood, at home, about 1am, with a glass of red wine, dreaming of wide open spaces....

 

Then rehearsing the band... bringing my songs to groovy life ready for tracking..., practicing at home with them, then in at AMP our NoHo rehearsal studio.

 

Then recording, first the drums and bass, then overdubbing the guitars, loops, my keyboards and piano, percussion, saxaphone, weird soundscapes. Finally the vocals. Lots of editing and lots of fun... day in day out, to finishing the little baby songs and plotting them on the timeline called an album. I have learned so much being in the studio.... understanding more and more about arranging, about musical instruments, about listening to the divine and embracing those buddhist mistakes that make little gems within a song.

 

Then came mixing, the levels, the sonic textures, what needs to be heard, or subliminal. Our ears are amazing. I became so sensitive to every little nuance. Then the mastering process, where i didn't think the music could be taken any higher, it was... to its highest. Coming to a final conclusion on the song order must have been the hardest process of all. It took me a long time, and i sought advice from many because i could no longer see the forest through the trees. i was so embroiled i needed objective opinion. I have a great tight little team with me, encouraging me, guiding me, sharing their expertise. I am blessed.

 

Sunday night we put on a launch at Monsoon Cafe in Santa Monica. 170 people, grand piano, soft lighting, great food. Amazing energy. The band were fabulous. The crowd... excited. We had a great night. extraOrdinary life, my new album, is about a journey, a life long journey of discovery. It's not over. It's just begun. I am sharing moods, stories, feelings that we all feel, and a sense that life, no matter how simple, or complex, or ordinary, or fabulous.. is all.... great. I embark on sharing my songs with you, in my travels, from close to far. I will journey to the east coast in September, Australia at Christmas. Europe next year. And in between, cris cros across these United States.

 

I am also at a point in my life where i know i can do anything i put my heart to. I don't see, this time around, that i have to throw myself out into the world. I have nothing to prove. My pursuit of excellence is simply in creating, in the art. My art is now hanging on the walls. You are welcome to come and see it, observe, make up your own mind, and have a piece for your own stereo collection. I hope you do take something home with you, a life extraordinary for you...

 

xxx gilli

 

 

 

..............................................

gilli moon  www.gillimoon.com

warrior girl music www.warriorgirlmusic.com

songsalive! www.songsalive.org

females on fire cd www.femalesonfire.com

artistlivingroom discussion group www.artistlivingroom.com

funky media, film and graphics www.funkymedia.net

info@warriorgirlmusic.com

Join the email list http://www.warriorgirlmusic.com/enews

 

London - moon over the summer solstice.

It was the longest day of the year with the most sunlight - the summer solstice - and a really hot summer... very unusual for London.... but the fullest moon was out, guiding my way in this historic city. It's been a long time coming to this town. I came here in 98 very briefly

Oh my, what a change. They even have good coffee!

I arrived at Heathrow airport on the Saturday and was greeted first by a very young and hip-dressed customs agent who stamped my passport. "What brings you to the U.K?" this spunky plain clothed dressed Brit asked. "I'm here to see the Queen!" "Bless your heart,  you've got bollocks of that, she's away for the summer but the Palace is still there even though the weather's awfully sticky." With that he smiled and winked, stamped my passport, and let me through. What a change to the U.S airport, always so scary and army-like, with scrupulous questions and intimidating attitudes. The British customs seemed to friendly, and youthful. I don't reckon any agent was over 30.

Outside Rusty was waiting. If you ever remember the old JJ in Sydney, the now Triple J radio station, my good friend is Rusty Nails once greeting me on air every morning, on the best radio breakfast show there was. Now, he lives back in London and is to be my guide and rep in London. I was so excited to see him. "Hiya" he cheered as we hugged after not seeing each other since Christmas or thereabouts in L.A. "Hiya" is the welcome from everyone here. Always with a smile. We hopped into his little car and sped down the freeway to Kent.

The people are friendly this time around. Must be due to the weather. It was sunny and hot. So unlike London. Guys were wandering around town with their shirts off which is a bit of an eyesore as I'm sure most of them have barely let their skin see the sun, so it was like looking at bright pink skinny pigs. And the Brits drive like maniacs! I thought New Yorkers and Romans were bad, but the Poms are scary as hell on the road. They don't even look left or right when coming out of a side street onto the main road. They just come out, and push their way in. Pedestrians don't even look to see the cars coming. I don't even know how they all survive. I was holding onto my stomach as we sped through the outer southern suburbs of London.

Rusty lives about 35 miles outside London in Tumbridge Wells, a quaint town in Kent that is famous for its wells, (springs), but apparently the water is yellow. The drinking water in the taps, however, is crystal clear and clean. I drank a lot of it in the heat. Rusty has a cute 3 storey terrace house (in Boston they'd call it a Brownstone) with kitchen, TV room and back garden full of herbs downstairs, 2 bedrooms on the middle floor and another bedroom and bathroom up top. Really cute. So Rus and his mum, Ida (83 and still as pretty as she was young in the photos but just not as active) and his 16 yr old daughter Emily live together in this town. I was way happier to stay out of town than in the hustle and bustle of London. I'd seen the sights before, and my trip this time was of completely different nature.

I'm here to show this town a different kind of moon. a gilli moon ;)

The weekend went by fast. I did a bit of shopping and actually was impressed with the fashion although the prices were awful. The exchange rate is horrible with only 50p for a dollar. So everything cost double. But I loved the sizes of the clothes... just made for curvy girls like me. I am so sick of Hollywood stick thin sizes. I was in heaven here. I sat having a coffee at Cafe Nero, the new cafe chain that's everywhere. I saw a few Starbucks around, but they couldn't compete with the Nero chain. Way better coffee... real Italian expresso. I also listened to the radio a bit but really got sick of the music. They are very focused on pop here, anything that sounds like the Beatles for the boys, and anything that fits into a small mini dress and sounds like Dido for the girls. Nothing is unique. The charts is a huge focus in the U.K. It's all doof doof music to me, just electronic beats and choruses that don't have any meat. But that's what sells. Of course, U2 and Coldplay are big, but what stays on the charts are the fluff stuff. It was a little demoralizing. What was interesting to see is the lead up propaganda about Bob Geldof's new "Live 8" (he did Live Aid 20 years ago) which will be televised right round the world in many countries again and has all the huge acts.

The newspapers are all about sensationalism and sex. Front page headlines "How to find out if your partner is faking her orgasm". Oh-my-god. So if you happen to have sex in this cat scan type machine they can check your heat levels to see if the other is faking. Um... yeah right. The rest of the paper is about Wimbledon (tennis is on this week), Prince Charles and Camilla, Posh Spice revealing all just before the Spice Girls reunite (publicity), some Popstar making out with another popstar (more publicity to sell records), and how a local town gets hit by robbers and grave diggers (nothing changes in London.) Mainly though, the media is all tits and ass. I couldn't believe how the TV was full of it. It was like watching modern day Benny Hill and swearing is common even at the dinner hour.

Sunday night we drove down to Soho and met up with Tim Friedman at Ronny Scott's. Ronny Scott's is the coolest jazz club in London with a piano, in the round seating, low lighting and European style. Stu who runs the Sunday night program was the quintessential Londoner with his accent and good sense of humour. And then I met Tim Friedman. A seemingly quirky man (he liked when I told him he was 'quirky'), dressed in a soft pink shirt and pin striped jacket, and hair all over the place... Tim had already had half a bottle of wine and was in fine form. He reminded me of a dashing Yahoo Serious, eyes wild with..um well I don't know.. excitement? history? a dark past? His show was equally quirky. If you don't know this witty boy, he has a successful band called the Whitlams, in Australia. A solo show, Tim played a good set on the piano to a packed room of about 300 die-hard Whitlams fans, mostly expats living in London who have followed his career.  His first 6 songs were very melancholy. I think he is rather melancholy in general. Very dark and edgy. Should I slit my wrists now?... But wow he really knows how to use satire and humour to deliver dark truth. Half way he had me laughing. I was spellbound. I certainly was day dreaming of me up there duelling with him on two pianos.... seeing who could sing the darker song and outwit and tease each other and the audience. That would be fascinating. I certainly assimilated with how he poured his heart out on stage. I found it refreshing coming from a guy. It's usually a girl thing to do. So I liked how he was emotional.

The next day the three of us, Tim, Rusty and I, sat around a table drinking beer and talking about taking over London. He was leaving to go back to Oz, and my start in London was just beginning. But we promised to keep in touch, maybe get him to L.A, and me getting back to Sydney one day.

I loved Rusty's porridge every morning (they say it's good for cholesterol) but what I like about him the most was his fantastic hospitality when it came to my music. He had organized a show for me at Australia House, put on by the Australian Consulate and Australian High Commission, to welcome me to London. On the Tuesday night we caught the train to Charing Cross and walked along the Strand to the House. The Strand, a long famous street, is in the West End. All the best shows are on this street including Chicago which I remember coming to see my friend Michael in 98 playing one of the leading roles. Chicago was still there on the Strand as we walked by to my show.

I have to say that the show at Australia House was one of the nicest shows I've done and I was so taken by the welcome. About 80 guests arrived all dressed up (you had to really, just to feel part of the building, which is so regal and historic.) High ceilings, ornate windows.. and then of course the most delightful piece of furniture: the Steinway grand piano. Waiting for my fingers. Rita and Jeremy (Jeremy being the deputy High Commissioner) put on an amazing spread with free Australian wines and hors d'euves. There were people from the press, including Vince Lovegrove from the Daily Telegraph, agents and labels, even Hugh Cornwell from the band The Stranglers, and a slew of ex-pats from Oz living in London. I was so blown away. I began by sitting down on the piano stool and taking my shoes off, showing my newly painted toes. They laughed. Had to break the ice right. (Did they know what they were in for?) So... I did a quick 30 mins show on the piano delivering some old songs that I know goes well (this was a brand new audience.. had to go with stuff I knew without skipping a beat and that I knew would go well) and sung new songs from the album too, like Hollywood and Release Me. I even got on to Emma Carton's guitar for Evolution (she is a locally based songwriter who was so nice to bring her guitar for me) ...and I So enjoyed myself. I set it up "I don't play guitar so just concentrate on my lips ok?" Later, Hugh from The Stranglers said he loved my guitar song the most (I was shocked). "Sometimes one's first instrument (piano) can take away being able to really hear the song, and the simplicity of you playing Evolution on guitar allowed me to really hear the song. I also liked the A to Am. Really effective". Now that's big coming from a famous guitar player.

I did find the audience very serious. Was this London or just the venue calling for being polite? I wasn't sure. I'm very alternative and edgy on the piano, sometimes my hair goes everywhere (bit like Tim's really), and every time I caught a person's attention they were sitting prim and proper, clapped politely and smiled. They were so polite I thought any minute now the queen will make her entrance. It got me quite nervous actually and that's a rare phenomenon for me. I got a little stiff on the piano sensing their ever so proper reception of me... so wasn't sure how I was being received at first. But when I finished, I was taken back by the overwhelmingly positive feedback. finding out only after how much people enjoyed me, I felt like hopping back on the piano and really taking off. Maybe I could run around the piano like I do at my residency back in l.a when i'm really looney. hmm next time. Bunches of girls would come up to me and say how much they related to my love struck or love-gone-wrong songs, guys loved my personality and style and I sold a bunch of my new cds like hotcakes. Good test. This was the first time I had my new cd, extraOrdinary life available. I had people offering me more gigs, places to stay, things to do, and people to meet. It was a great night. The High Commission brought me flowers and a wonderful bottle of red. Heaven. Afterwards, Rusty and I grabbed some yummy pasta and a quaint Italian restaurant round the corner and hopped on the last train back to Tumbridge Wells. Couldn't have asked for a better entree to the London scene really.

The following night, my last night in this city, was spent at the old Bedford in Balham. Just south of London in the burbs, the Bedford is a historic old pub that makes good tucker, pulls good beer and has 3 stages for entertainment. My old friend Tony Moore runs the entertainment at the Bedford every night of the week. The first stage is in the ground floor room with a grand piano. Then there's another room that is a miniature Shakespearean Globe theatre, in the round with a balcony overlooking the stage from above with more tables and chairs. Apparently Tim and Neil Finn did a closed TV show here recently. I played in the third room, an intimate acoustic stage that is webcast worldwide on the internet. This is where Tony's Kashmir Club idea comes to life. When I first met Tony, he had just started an acoustic singer/songwriter night called the Kashmir Club in Knightsbridge. I only found out this time around that he had only done 3 shows when I first performed for him 8 years ago. Tonight I was performing with 4 other local artists, weirdly all male songwriters, to a packed room and the internet. So I shared some of my new album songs again, like I did at Australia House, had a great meal and a glass of red, and played to people that sang along, stomped their feet and clapped. I found the audience way more easy going tonight than last. Heck, officially this was my international launch for the album... all over the net! Ha Ha!

The songwriting scene in London seems to be kind of underground. I can imagine, with the tits and ass Pop Charts being so significant as what is "the music business", but yet so hard to crack, the true songwriter scene is kind of relegated to the underground. Well what's changed really! I felt Tony's night was extremely important for the songwriting community. I also was approached by at least 5 songwriters here who are eager to help start a local Songsalive! chapter so I'm very excited by that and we'll be getting that going soon, with critique workshops and showcases. For me, this is so important and it will help also create an immediate community I and other foreign members can find support through and interact. So look out for that!

Thursday morning we were up bright and early. It was time for me to say goodbye, but not for long. I know I'll be back to this town soon. I said goodbye to Ida and Emily, and Rusty and headed off to Stansted airport for me to catch the 2 hour flight to Rome, next destination. It was still hot and sticky, but the drive through green pastures was a delight and Rusty and I made plans to get me back for more. Onwards and upwards.

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gilli is about to release new album. read the press release here: http://mi2n.com/press.php3?press_nb=80458

"extraOrdinary life" ALBUM LAUNCH L.A Sun July 17 Monsoon Cafe, Santa Monica
RSVP: http://www.evite.com/info@warriorgirlmusic.com/cdlaunchjuly17