My Biggest Musical Influence

Recently a friend asked me to do a Fugee's cover with him. To which I replied, YES! Catfish Mustache sometimes plays "Killing Me Softly", in the style of the Fugees, but which isn't an original Fugees song. I'm very excited to do a song or two that show off Lauryn Hill's amazing talent as a lyricist.
If I could only name one musician or band that is my biggest influence for the music I write, without a doubt, it is Lauryn Hill, without question. She is the only female who can rap and sing in a way that isn't cliche or a gimmick or whatever. No female rapper or singer can hold a flame to her. That's it. No debate.

ready or not

lost ones

the sweetest thing

Doo- Wop

I think it would be so much fun to start a musical side project similar to the doo-wop lady groups of the 50's and 60's. I wanna do it all out too... matching dresses and heels, bouffant hair do's, synchronized dance moves ... the whole 9 yards. I want people watching at shows to feel like they have traveled back in time. 

The last great lady group similar to this style was (NOT Destiny's Child) but En Vogue. They were amazing! I recently found one of their cd's at a thrift store and you better believe I swooped it up. I used to have the tape.... that's how old I am.

Anywhatever, En Vogue was heavily influenced by groups such as The Shirelles, The Marvelettes, The Chiffons, etc... and so am I. I would love to start a group like these.

If there are any ladies who can sing and want to be a part of this, send me a message and we will get this show on the road... literally.

I will also need some musicians. We will definitely need a drummer. I would also like to have a stand up bass... maybe some horns... you know... we can play it by ear.

Also, I should note, that just because I want to start this group, doesn't mean I have to be the lead vocalist. If you've got pipes and can wail, then you could be the front woman. I'm not a hater or an attention whore... well, usually I'm not.

Here is a little inspiration for you:

The Shirelles

The Ronettes

The Supremes

and last but, not least... this is one of my all-time favorite songs!

Ladies and Gentlemen...

En Vogue!

What I'm Listening To Today- Frank Sinatra

It was a natural progression goin from Nancy to Frank... actually it should've been the other way around, but, hey, whaddaya gonna do?

We cover this song. It sounds pretty funky in the Catfish Style. If I had video of us covering it, I would post it as well, but we don't. I'll record us doing it soon and post it up here.

Frank's got jokes.
He also has a nice Jersey Shore tan goin on.
I'd also be willing to bet that he's drunk on bourbon here.

The moon landing is a conspiracy... maybe.

Aliens exist.

And Frank Sinatra is a bad ass.

What I'm Listening To Today- Nancy Sinatra

My musical influences really are spread far and wide. From Herb n Life to Nancy Sinatra.

We will cover this song... I just need to convince the guys.

A Day In The Life

I'm often asked how I manage to be in a band when I have three kids. It's not always easy, that's for sure. There's often times that we have to cancel band practice, because of school schedules, illnesses or lack of a babysitter. There have been a good number of shows that we haven't been able to perform at for these reasons as well. This band is my job, so I do what any mother of three with a job would do, and that is manage time, prioritize, schedule, etc... I'm definitely no expert on the subject, but I think that, since the beginning of the band, I have figured out some ways to organize my time.
The week of a show is always hectic. We make sure to practice at least twice in the week before a show, but more often than not, we'll make time for three of four practices. The guys have day jobs and the kids have school, so we have to work around that. Also, our babysitter works during the day and sometimes can't watch the kids at every practice. Before the baby came, the older kids could watch tv or play games while we practiced in the other room, bcuz our practice spot is in our house. We would have to break after nearly every song to check on them, but at the ages of 5 and 7 they were pretty independant. Now that the baby is here, we can't do that any more. She needs constant supervision, so in the event that a sitter can't come over to watch them, we would split up the practice. I will go in and do a few songs with Brandon, our drummer, and then switch off with Eric, guitarist and baby daddy, so he can then run through some songs while I take care of the kids. It can get frustrating sometimes, when we really need to practice all together to make sure everything is tight, but it's better than no practice at all. On a side note, when Eric and Brandon are practicing new songs, I'm still able to hear the music and write lyrics while I'm taking care of the munchkins. In this way, the split practice is sometimes beneficial.
So the week goes; day jobs, school for the kids, taking care of baby, split practices in the evening, dinner break in the middle of those, early ending practices to get the kids ready for bedtime on school nights, also early ending practices through the week so we don't piss off the neighbors, kids bathtime and getting baby and kids to bed. Sometimes, if we get the kids all to sleep, Eric and I will work on songs together, provided he doesn't have to get up too early for work and provided we have enough energy after all that to even attempt to play any more music. Needless to say, we don't get a lot of sleep these days, but I think we both feel like it's worth it. We're trying to make what we love into a living and to do that, you have to make some sacrifices... we sacrifice a lot of sleep in this process.

On the day of a show, my schedule goes something like this:

6am- feed and change baby
630am- get kids up and ready for school: make coffee, breakfast, pack lunches, pack backpacks, etc...
8am- drop kids off at school
830am- feed and change baby
9am to 230pm- whirlwind of taking care of baby, dishes, cleaning house, laundry, getting clothes ready for show, grocery shopping, making sure there is something for dinner for the kids (depending on how busy the day is, I will either have frozen pizzas on hand or I will get something going in the crockpot, so the babysitter will have something ready for the kids to eat at dinner time), and I'll do any other housework I can possibly work in while the baby is sleeping. I will also, try to find time in there to promote the show online and through texts.
3pm- pick kids up from school
330pm- make kids after school snack- if they don't eat something right after school, they can get a little crazy.
345pm to 530pm- This time is usually spent just taking care of the kids: feeding/changing baby, helping kids with homework and feeding and changing baby (babies eat and poop a lot at this stage- it takes up quite a bit of my time).
6pm- Eric comes home around then and I can shower and start getting ready for the show, however, he needs to get ready too, so I usually speed through this process. This can explain why I sometimes am not too dressed up at shows, I just don't have the time.
7pm- Babysitter and Brandon usually arrive around this time and we will try to run through a couple songs to get warmed up before the show.
730pm or 745pm- load up the van and head to the show.
830ish pm- arrive at the venue and unload van. You would think at this time, I would finally be able to relax, but I can't, because I'm always nervous before every show. Even after all the shows I've done, I still get nervous before every single show... sometimes I'm more nervous than other times.
9pm to 2am- I watch the other bands that are on the bill, perform myself and drink a couple beers as long as I'm not the designated driver for the night.
230am- back home to relieve the babysitter from duty. If I'm the designated driver for the night than I am able to breastfeed the baby, otherwise, I usually eat a bowl of cereal and pump the alcohol-laced milk from my boobies. and then sleep.


So, that's pretty much it in a nutshell. Some people might think that we shouldn't practice at home with the kids there, but they like it. They will come in after we finish up a song and applaud us. They sing our songs around the house all the time. It's the sweetest thing. They are our number one fans for sure. Most importantly, they are our top priority and if I ever thought that what we were doing was hurting them in any way, then we would stop. It's all about finding a balance.
 I believe that doing what we do is more beneficial to them than anything. Being surrounded by music all the time, allows our children to think more creatively. Also, kids learn quite a bit by example. When they see us working hard towards a goal, they will be more likely to have that same work ethic when it comes to the goals they set for themselves. Most parents tell their kids that they can be anything they want to be when they grow up, the problem is that half of those parents didn't follow their own advice. How is a kid supposed to believe in an empty promise like that?
For those parents who feel like you have given up on your dreams just because you had kids, my advice is this: Don't give up and be prepared to make some sacrifices. Dreams aren't easy to achieve, that's why they are called dreams and not reality. If it was easy, than the outcome wouldn't be as great. It's been said, "The greater the risk, the greater the reward." and it's true. You won't get anywhere you want to be if you just follow the motions like a robot. You have to put in the effort and sometimes that may mean not getting much sleep, but in the long run you will sleep more soundly. You will be able to lay your head down at night and sleep easy, regardless of if you achieved your goals, because you will know that at least you tried.

p.s.
Don't forget to enjoy the ride. Half the fun is in the journey, sleep deprived or not.

What I'm Listening To Today- Kora

I recently downloaded  The Pier's Pacific Island Sampler, which features 17 different artists that hail from the Pacific Island regions. There are so many great tracks on the album, but my absolute favorite is "Skankenstein" by Kora.

Absolutely every thing about this is fantastic!

Go see what else these guys are up to here.

What I'm Listening To Today- Herb n Life

What can I say about this band that would do them the proper justice? They are just fucking awesome. When we first started Catfish Mustache, Herb n Life was one of the very first bands we played with and I have been die hard fan ever since.
The first video I'm posting was written by an original member of the band, Joe Pealstrom. Although he passed away, his memory lives on strong through the wonderful music he wrote. I never got the priveledge to actually meet him, but something tells me that he is not resting in the afterlife, but rather rocking out somewhere and blessing each note that Herb n Life plays and sings.

One of my very favorite songs....

This next one was written by lead singer, Sam Edwards. Enjoy.

If you will be in the Phoenix area on Novemeber 5th, I highly recommend catching these guys at the Marquee theatre. They will be opening up for another hometown favorite, Authority Zero. Go here for more info.

What I'm Listening To Today- Spartacus

I need to think of a better title for these posts, instead of Daily Inspiration. It sounds like some kind of religious post, but I guess in many ways music is my religion, so...

As most of my friends know, I'm not a big fan of main stream music. It seems that, more often than not, bands are signed to big labels for other reasons rather than talent. Just take a look at the top 40 hits of today and you will see what I mean. So, I often search for new music through independant labels and most often through bands that we play with.
Most recently, we played at The Hut in Tucson, and another band that was on the bill that night was this lovely trifecta of gentlemen called Spartacus. They rocked their asses off that night! Seriously, I found myself thanking them after each song they played. I made sure to get their cd and it has been playing on repeat in my car ever since.
These boys are from California, but I am working on getting them back out here to AZ to play another show with us.

Enjoy

this vid starts off a little slow, so watch the whole thing please

What I'm Listening To Today- Kool Keith

Based on my last post, about how I am often inspired by kids tv shows, I decided that I will now start posting something that inspires me every day. Hopefully, I will be able to keep up and remember to do it everyday.
To start it off, I am posting this nice video of Kool Keith. This song is off of his album "The Return of Dr. Octagon". And I have to say this is probably my favorite track from the disc.
Kool Keith is an original member of the Ultramagnetic MCs, a hip hop group based out of the Bronx. It is from this band that I learned about him and have been a fan ever since.
From his start with this group he has branched out as a solo artist and has produced countless albums. He also goes by countless aliases, such as, Dr. Octagon and Black Elvis, just to name a couple.
So, without futher ado, here is my daily inspiration from the one and only, Original Black Elvis...

turn this shit up!!!!

The Charge is Electric...

Once you become a parent, you will soon find yourself watching childrens television shows. Some of them will be hard to get through, but you will suffer through it for the enjoyment of your children. Some of them will be so good that you will catch yourself actually watching them even when your kids aren't around. Good or bad, one thing that almost all kids tv shows have in common is music. It is nearly impossible to watch a kid show without there being some sort of song incorporated into the storyline.

As a musician myself, the music is often my favorite part of these shows and often times, I find myself inspired by some of these songs. The most recent of these shows is, The Electric Company, which airs weekdays at around 4 on PBS. My kids, who are ages 6 and 7, absolutely love it. The show is filled with songs by the cast and they also feature musical guests.

Here is one of my favorite songs from the show. It's pretty funky. Kinda makes me wanna dance.

One member of the cast is a dude named Shockwave, who is an incredible beat boxer. Here is one video of him teaching kids about punctuation.

My daughter, who is 7, beatboxes everyday and I have to attribute that, in part, to this show.

Here he is with a beatboxing guest.

My most favorite of Shock's beatboxing videos is when he teams up with Lin-Manuel Miranda, a Tony award winning writer for the Broadway sensation, "In the Heights".

I sing this song all the time!

... and this next one...

They also work together outside of The Electric Company. I found this little vid of them announcing an open mic mc battle.

Now, I'm going to get off subject a little to talk a little more about Lin-Manuel Miranda. I found out about him, hilariously enough, through this show. However, his talents far exceed what you see in this show. As I said before, he won a Tony Award for his work on the broadway play, "In The Heights". Now, I'm not a big fan of broadway, but this guy gave the best acceptance speech of any award anyone has ever won anywhere, ever! You have to check this out.

As if that wasn't amazing enough, he also performed at the White House and performed this little number.

So many MC's can write about how great they are at rapping. It seems like that's the only topic of most mc's raps these days. But, how many mc's can write an amazing rap about a historical figure? I doubt very many can.. at least not like Lin-Manuel.

So, now that I've gone far off topic to show you the outstanding talents of Lin-Manuel Miranda, let me get back to the Electric Company and show you one more outstanding musician that has been featured on the show. I'm talkin now about the "Music Man" or better known in the real world as, Reggie Watts.

Here he is performing live in Chicago. While he is mainly considered a comedic musician, his songs are still super bad ass! Just look him up on youtube and find a million incredible videos of him.

So, I will wrap this up now, but what is the point of this post besides showing you a bunch of videos of music? I guess the goal here is to show you that inspiration can come from anywhere... even the television shows your young children watch. So, pay close attention to the world around you. You never know where you might see a spark of genius.

Fish and Chips, yo!

The Catfish Mustache family definitely enjoy good food.

Can't you tell?

Not only do we like good food, but I (Tania- singer/bassist) most definitely like to cook it. My creations don't always come out delicious, but I really have a good time experimenting in the kitchen. I've learned so much just from trial and error that I have come quite a long way since the days that I burnt fried chicken on the outside and left it raw in the middle.

I don't serve my fried chicken raw anymore, but I am still working on perfecting that recipe. One recipe I have seemed to master is beer batter. The first year that Catfish Mustache was a band, it became a ritual to go to our house after every show and I would make beer battered onion rings. Normally, I like to eat pretty healthy, but sometimes there is nothing better than fattening, fried food... especially after a night of drinking and rocking out on stage. So, after dozens of shows and dozens of batches of onion rings, I think I've finally got this beer batter thing down.

In this post, I used the beer batter for fish, but it is a recipe that can work for just about anything you can imagine.

Don't have a good imagination? That's ok, let me give you some ideas of what you can use this for:

onion rings- duh

fish- double duh

zucchini

eggplant

okra

fresh broccoli or cauliflower (trust me, it's freakin delicious)

chicken strips or breasts (haven't tried it on bone-in chicken yet)

i hear you can fry a twinkie this way, but i haven't tried that one yet, either.

Keep in mind that the measurements in this are all relative, the most important thing is that you get the right consistency, which is close to a thick pancake batter.

Basic ingredients:

• about a cup and a half of white flour
• seasoning- whatever you like! In this recipe I used salt, pepper, cumin, cayene pepper, curry, and garlic powder-to TASTE!
• about 12 oz. of beer - give or take- and whatever kind you like! I prefer an amber beer
• 2 egg whites

 First, season your flour in a large bowl. Depending upon what you like and what you are making, you may want to season this differently at different times. So, start mixing in flavors you like about a 1/2 tbsp at a time, then taste the flour! Yea, that's what I said, taste the flour. It's going to taste floury, but on the back of that you should get the flavor of the seasonings coming through. If you don't, then you need more seasoning.

Once you are happy with the flavor of that, it's time to add the beer. Add a little bit at a time and mix in between until you get the right consistency, which will be like a very thick pancake batter. Taste it again. You should be able to get the beer flavor now and the flavor of your seasonings coming out. If you only taste beer and flour, then add more seasoning. Start with salt and pepper, because most of the time, that is the first thing you need. Also, if you still only taste beer and flour, you might just have a shitty pallette and there is not much anyone could do to help you with that.... proceed to the next step.

In a separate bowl whip two egg whites to soft peak stage. This means that you beat them until they turn white and frothy and sort of look like bath bubbles that you use to make crazy hair doos or beards and such with. Or until they look sorta like this

Now, fold that egg mix into the beer batter. That doesn't mean to stir it in like a crazy person using all your arm strength or all you mixer's strength. Just gently scoop it around the bowl a couple times until it is just mixed in. Over mixing will take away all the bubbles in the eggs that you worked so tirelessly to get, which you don't want. The air in the bubbles is what helps to make such a crispy, delicious batter.

At this point, check again for consistency. The goal here is thick pancake batter. If it is too thick, add a little more beer. If it is really thin, add a little more flour.

It is important to note, that different climates and different elevations, always affect your cooking. You really have to play with your food to find out what will work best where you are cooking.

Heat your oil at a medium high heat. Use oil with a high smoking point. I usually use vegetable oil. If you are making something small, like onion rings, okra, zucchini, etc.. heat your oil in a deep pot. For something larger, like, fish, chicken, etc.. use a skillet, but be sure to fill the pan up about half way with oil.

Test your oil to see if it is ready before you begin. Throw a pinch of flour into your oil and if it bubbles up, you are ready to fry your food. If the oil in the pan is smoking, it is too hot. Turn the temp down a little and maybe move the pan from the heat for a moment.

Before battering wet items like, fish or chicken, be sure to pat dry with a towel and season well with salt and pepper.

Now, dip your food into the batter allowing excess to drip off and gently place it in the oil. Cook until golden brown on both sides. Transfer to a plate with a towel to pat the excess oil off. Season with a little salt.

I served my fish with a garlic horseradish mayo and a side of french fries(chips) and coleslaw.

In a later post I will give recipes for this full meal, but until then, I hope you experiment with this one and fry up something delicious.







Finally Home!

The newest addition to our family decided to arrive 7 weeks early! Technically, as I write this, she should still be in my stomach... for two more weeks! Alas, she is sleeping in her bassinet right now and I am enjoying a much yearned for glass of wine.
The poor babe had to spend 12 days in the hospital after delivery. It was the worst thing in the world to leave my brand new baby there as I went home. I drove to the hospital everyday, with my other two munchkins in tow, and stayed until they basically kicked us out everynight. It was rough. And might I add, I will not miss eating the hospital food!
So, now she is home and doing quite well. We had a little photo shoot today and here are just a couple pics of our little munchkin.

If you are in the Arizona area and need professional pics done, please contact this amazing photographer! She is sooooo good! Brittney Williams Photography

It's so easy, when you become a parent, to judge the way others parent their children. I try so hard not to do this, because everyone is different and has different parenting styles and really who am I to judge anyone? I'm not a perfect mom. I still have a lot to learn and still make mistakes, so how could I possibly tell someone else that they are doing it all wrong? This is the attitude I try to have, but sometimes there is just no way I can remain that righteous when I see a truly shitty parent.
I spotted said shitty parent at a Catfish Mustache show a few months ago. We played at an all ages bar/ restuarant and we were set to go on stage around 8pm. As we were loading all the equipment on stage a little kid came up and started talking to us. He was a really cute and polite little kid, same age as my daughter, 6 yrs. old. I thought it a bit odd at first that his parents would just let him come up on stage, but given that the set up of the place was slightly family oriented and it seemed his family was sitting right up front, I quickly dismissed the oddity.
Then we started playing our set and we were suprisingly joined by the little kid as he stood in between Eric and I and played air guitar throughout our songs. He was really getting into to it too, dancing around a bit and sporting a serious rock star face. It was a pretty cute scene, but I was concerned with his safety. He posed a distraction, because I was so worried that one of us might bump into him or that he would fall off stage or that his delicate, little ears would be damaged by the loud sounds booming all around us on stage. None of this seemed to be a concern for his parents, however, as he remained on stage with us through the entire 2 hour set. I didn't have the heart to make him get down off stage, because he was so polite and he made sure to stay out of the way and well, he wasn't my kid. This is where the judging comes in; I would never let my 6 yr old do this. I would at least make sure it was ok with the band first, before I let my kid dance around on stage the whole time. However, no adult came up to claim the kid, to check on him or anything of the sort. Did she have her back to the stage the whole time, I wondered?
I proceeded to help the guys get the gear off stage and help our friends in the next band bring their gear on stage. The whole time, the little guy was trying to help us as well. We let him carry a couple light weight things off the stage and each of us spent a little time just chatting with him. He said he was in kindergarten and he had school the next day. He really liked the guitar, but the drums were his favorite. I asked him if he needed to go check in with his mom and he said no. In fact, whenever I mentioned his mom, he appeared to be quite annoyed. It was evident that he didn't care to spend any time whatsoever with her and it certainly seemed like she didn't want to spend any time with him either.
As the night progressed, the other band went on stage and they were also joined by the six yr old. He spent the whole 3 hr set with them and he even hit on the drums a little during. Luckily, the drummer of that band is highly talented, not easily distracted and was very tolerant of the little guy. He let him hold a couple drum sticks and gave him a nod when it was time to hit the cymbal. I couldn't help but worry that he was going to get knocked in the head as the drummer jammed out on some of the heavier parts. He never got hurt, but I worried about it the whole time.
I convinced him to sit with me at the merch booth for a little while. We chatted and I shared some of my dinner with him. He seemed hungry and I don't think he had eaten anything the whole night. Poor little guy. I have to admit that he was a very good kid. He was super polite and seemed amazingly well-adjusted despite his mother's neglect.
At 1:30 in the morning we were set to leave and the little guy was still hanging out with us and his mother was nowhere to be found. We debated calling child services. His mother had been drinking all night long and we wondered how he was going to get home. I worried that some sicko might come up and steal the kid after we left. We were the only ones watching him and what was going to happen after we left? Who was going to watch him then? Surely, it wouldn't be his worthless mother. The only thing that reassured us, was the fact that his mother was an employee at the place and everyone working there seemed to know him and was aware of him. However, no one was really watching him except us. We had become the entertainment/ babysitters for the night. A couple of us convinced him to go hang out with his mom, because we had to leave. We didn't want him to be all by himself on the side of the bar that had a gate opening out into a dark, dismal street. None of us would leave until we saw that he was finally sitting at the table where his mom was, although she still seemed to be oblivious of his presence, her "boyfriend" was talking to him and he finally seemed "safe".
It was still hard for us to leave. We all felt like we should do something, but what exactly? I'm sure we didn't know the whole story, I guess, but still. I was heartbroken when we left. I was torn between bitching out his mom for being so neglectful and just calling child services. I think about that kid all the time. I wonder if he is ok. I wonder if his stupid mom still takes him to the bar on school nights. I wonder if he is safe. I still debate whether or not I should call child services in the area and let them know about the situation. I'm sure they would do a thorough investigation. I would adopt him if I could. If we play there again, I hope he is not there, being ignored by his parental unit. I won't be able to hold my tongue a second time. I'm still not sure if I did the right thing by holding my tongue the first time. I'm always going to wonder about him and hope that he is doing ok. Maybe one day I will be going to one of his concerts; he loved the stage so much. I can only hope that something positive like that comes out of such a heartbreaking situation.

Baby Bump Pics

I personally haven't seen any other pregnancy pics that are as good as these. I promise I'm not just saying this because it's me in the pics. Actually, they would probably be a lot better if I had actually taken more time doing my hair and what not, but I digress.
The reason they are so good, is because they were done by an amazing photographer at oceanlo.com. If you need any kind of pics done, I highly recommend hiring him. Not only is he good at what he does, but he is a very genuinely good guy, easy to work with and he is pretty funny too.
I also really like these pics, because they are not your average pregnancy photos. I mean how many pics do you see of pregnant women on stage with a bass in hand? Perhaps there are some like that out there, but I haven't seen them. If anyone has, send them over, I would love to check them out. In fact, if any of you out there have any pics of a typical, pregnant-bodied woman doing something atypical or extraordinary please send them my way. I would love to do a post about remarkable pregnant women, because a lot of people seem to think that once you become pregnant, you can't do anything else until you give birth. It is a common, yet annoying, misconception.

Easter Schmeaster

Happy Easter everyone! I hope everyone has a wonderful day today, going to church, spending time with family and taking their kids on Easter egg hunts, yada yada yada. I appreciate the holiday for what it truly stands for and that is the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Although, I'm not extremely religious, I am open minded enough to believe that this story could be true and I wasn't there to say that it isn't, so... Despite my religious affiliations (if I had to pick one, I'd have to say I'm Buddhist) I still respect and appreciate the holiday for what it stands for. What I don't respect is the damn Easter Bunny. What does a huge bunny that goes around and poops candy filled eggs in people's yards have to do with a dead guy coming back to life?
I'm sure there is some kind of far-fetched reason that links the bunny symbolically with the story of Jesus, but I didn't really feel like looking it up. It just seems like it would be, as I said before, pretty far-fetched.
I've never really worried about it too much until I had kids. I remember in my youth running waking up to a plastic grass filled basket with candy, jump ropes and coloring books. Then running around the yard to find the elusive hidden eggs. It was never too thrilling for me, except for the fact that my parents made finding the eggs a bit of a challenge by being very creative in where they hid them. The best part of the holiday was the fact that my Grandma would always take me out to get a fancy new Easter dress to go to church in. The time spent with her is what I cherish the most. That and the time I spent with the rest of my family who would all come over and feast on a delicious meal. I think that is what I like the most about any holiday, spending quality time with the people you love... and the food, the food is always delicious.
Now that I have children of my own, I'm expected to follow these same traditions. I still do some of them. I don't go to church like I used to, though. I hope my Grandma isn't too disappointed in me over that. I think she might understand, considering I'm thousands of miles away from the beautiful church that she used to take me to. It had huge, ornate columns everywhere, beautifully detailed stained glass windows on every wall, the service never lasted too long and it was accompanied by an amazing choir. I have yet to find a church like that here in Arizona. If I could just find a church with an outstanding gospel choir here, I would probably go. I'm sure to ask every bible thumper that comes to my door if they have a gospel choir and when they say no (as every one of them has) I say "No thank you. God Bless." I know that's not really what church is about, but for me, music touches me in a very spiritual way (which might be why I'm in a band) and it is important for me to have a church with amazing singers pouring their hearts out in song.
I tried out a church last year and the service consisted of the pastor (who couldn't have been more than a few years older than myself) trying desperately and with as much "evidence" he could muster about how Jesus really did die and come back to life. Unfortunately, he did just the opposite and very nearly convinced me that there is no way in Heaven or on Earth that this event could have ever taken place. Like I said before, I've never truly doubted the story, because I am very open to the possibility of extraordinary things in this world. And here I have this young guy failing miserably at convincing me about the "truth" of Jesus' resurrection. Also, the fact that he was so, so young really turned me off. I picture my pastor as a wise, old white haired man. Following up his speech he decided to play the most gruesome clips from "The Passion of The Christ". Epic Fail. It was so depressing. I thought this was a day to rejoice in His coming back to life, but instead we had to re-hash his darkest and most painful moments before and up to His death. It really put a damper on the day. And as I suspected, the service ended with a crappy "garage type" band playing non-traditional songs of praise (that I'm sure they wrote themselves) and we were supposed to sing along to; following the words projected on the same screen where we just saw Jesus being tortured. The best part of that Church going endeavor was that they served some pretty tasty biscuits and gravy before the service started.
Needless to say, I won't be going back to that church this year. I will, however, partake in the tradition of feasting and spending time with my family, which includes my two young children aged 5 and 6. I'm expected to get them a messy, non-earth friendly, grass filled basket of goodies and hide a bunch candy eggs around my yard, hoping my dogs don't decide to eat them. Some of you may think I'm a bad mom, but I can't bring myself to do this. First of all, it is completely meaningless and un-related to the true reason for the holiday. Secondly, there are children all over the world who go without the basic necessities and I am supposed to indulge my children in buckets of candy and cheap toys that will just end up in a land fill one day? No thank you, it just doesn't seem right. And lastly, I'm supposed to lie to my children about where all these meaningless and over-indulgent goodies came from. Which brings me back to that damn Easter bunny.
Easter is a religious holiday, yet society tells me to lie to my children about a giant, sneaky bunny. Well, the bible tells me not to lie. I feel bad enough lying to them about Santa Claus and the Tooth Fairy, but I can't bring myself to tell them the truth about those just yet.
So, here it is, Easter morning, and my kids wake up and don't find any baskets of candy and toys and don't see a yard dotted with colorful eggs. But you know what? They are still very happy. They are contently eating donuts (a little indulgence) and drinking orange juice right now. In a little while, they will help me finish the dessert we started last night and soon we will all head over to my Mom's house to spend time with family. They know what the holiday is about, not only did I tell them, but they actually did learn a couple things at the church we went to last year. Thankfully, they didn't have to sit and watch Jesus being tortured, because there was a different service for all the kids. But, regardless of the fact that the Easter bunny didn't  show up at our house this morning, my kids are still very happy and so am I. Not only do I not have to lie to them, but I also don't have to "feed the machine" and buy a bunch of useless, non Eco-friendly crap. Maybe next year we will try to go to church again, that is, if I can find one with that elusive choir.

i think of this clip every easters.. haha

The fam is growing

What you may have heard or suspected is true, we are expecting a new member to the family. My belly is growing nicely.. and so are my boobs, which is a nice change of pace for me. Unfortunately, I was not endowed with a generous sized chest, but when I am pregnant, look out! I have the best rack ever! I love it! But, enough about my boobs.
I've been asked, "what does this mean for Catfish Mustache? Are you still going to do the band?" And to that I answer, "Fuck yea we are still doing the band!" Most women work full time jobs while they are pregnant... right up until they have the baby. So, why should I quit my "job"? As far as I'm concerned, I have it pretty easy. I get to sit around and write songs in between eating pickles and bowls of cereal. And then I get to go out and play shows a few times a month. Each show only lasts about an hour and I am lucky to have two amazing band mates who carry all the equipment to and from the stage. So, I do think I am pretty lucky.
The timing turned out to be perfect too. We had already planned on taking a couple months off from doing shows this summer so we could begin recording our next album. The baby is due in August, so there ya go. It's quite possible that I may be breast feeding while tracking vocals... I gotta multi-task.
Some may think that having a baby at this stage in the game would pose a lot more complications for the band, but actually, it isn't going to change much. We already have two children that we have a nanny for, so the babysitter will just have one more kid to look after. Also, our other children are really easy to look after and I'm sure they are actually going to be great helpers with the baby; getting diapers, bottles, clothes, etc.... They have actually already volunteered their services.
Besides the fact that I will be rocking shows with a big ole belly making my bass stick out, it will be business as usual. Well, I also will not be taking shots of whiskey on stage for awhile either, but that is probably a good thing.

Welcome to the Family

Hello. My name is Tania Warfield. I am in a band called Catfish Mustache with my husband, Eric Stewart and his cousin Brandon Frisby. We have been together as a band since late 2007 and we're still going strong. We've come a long way since we started the band having gone through many of the same trials and tribulations as any band. However, there is another aspect of our band that is not so typical with most bands. Eric and I have two amazing children together and they are just as much members of the band as the rest of us.
Most bands who write blogs talk about the recording process, partying, shows, tours, etc... We find time for all of that, but with an added attribute of kids parties, diaper changes, finding trust worthy and sometimes elusive babysitters and juggling quality family time with quality band practice time. Having small children while struggling to make our band successful is quite a challenge. Many would argue that we should quit the band and focus entirely on family. I disagree. What kind of example would we be setting for our children if we just gave up on our dreams? I want to instill in my children the importance of working hard for what you want in life and what better way to do this than to lead by example.
I don't know if I have any solid goals for this blog, other than to tell our unique story to whoever might want to read about it. Perhaps,  I could provide a little inspiration to other Moms out there who have let go of their dreams a little since they have had children. I did, in fact, go through a stage after having kids, where I forgot all about myself and put everything into them. I soon found out that doing this is no better for them as it was for me. Every mom needs to have a little "me" time. And every kid does too. It's not good to smother your kids with love and affection every moment. It may sound good, but they need the opportunity to learn independance and self worth and it's not gonna happen if you are standing over them 24/7. Will your plants grow if you constantly stand over them and shadow them from the sun? no. And I don't know if that analogy is very good, but I'm leaving it in anyway.
So, this is my blog about my life. It's about everything we've gone through since the start of the band and everything we've learned along the way. I may throw in some videos of our band practice and one day I might give you a recipe for a quick and easy meal for your family. I'm just gonna go with the flow and we'll see where this ends up. This is the story of the Catfish Mustache family.