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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.