Rehearsal #1

hip hip hooray, we're officially making noise...getting ready for the CD release party at Harlot on March 25 with RTFM Records, Groovera and WomensRadio - as well as our show at Swig on April 1 with Below Zero Beats...happy hours are so nice, we prefer to throw them twice...

so...tonite we had our first real rehearsal of 2010 - woo hoo!  in the past, we've used Logic during our live shows...we're in the process of moving over to Ableton Live which gives us soooooo much more flexibility with each song - we can loop & effect sections, stretch out and generally amuse ourselves much more thoroughly within this new paradigm...

also terribly exciting is the fact that we have a new band member, Daniel Durrett, on Live & KP3 looping + fx.  Daniel is also a solo artist and i'm sure you've heard the RTFM gang tooting our horns about his gorgeous new release 'Hello, Inner Sunset'.  and of course, it wouldn't be a proper party without our trusty wunderkind Daniel Berkman...he's still hovering a few inches above the ground with his plethora of toys - well, actually, he's currently experimenting with pretending he is just a guitarist.  we're quite happy to have him play whatever he pleases, frankly.  anyhoo, D squared & myself had a fabulous time dipping our toes in the pond together for the first time tonite.  lovely chemistry and lots of snickering & giggles, and of course endless hugs from the wonderful fuzzmeistress Nala.

here are a couple video samples, straight from the living room on Cole and Haight...

just getting warmed up with a little improv:



(Daniel D was clever enough to record a live stereo mix...here's an mp3 just for you)

and a sneak peak at the curly tail-end of Auralei:



onward and upward, my friends...

birthdays n bliss

happy belated valentines day!  and happy belated birthday to the Auralei EP!  as you may have noticed, it's been a bit of a prolonged birth process...she's been up on the bandcamp site for a couple weeks now (though you'll notice we've now switched the artwork to the lovely version created by AM Radio, which we've used for the first run of physical CDs)... she went live on iTunes and Amazon on the 14th as scheduled... but she's not yet available at CD Baby because there's been a series of small delays with getting the CDs pressed and shipped.  but joy of joys, i've just learned they'll be arriving tomorrow!  so very soon, this little journey through the birth canal will be complete.  we'll be sure to let you know when the tangible little cuties will be available - we'll also be offering them through the Bandcamp site...we're whipping up a variety of packages to offer, so please chime in by commenting below if there are goodies you'd like to see.  our brilliant creative minds have so far come up with...um...t-shirts :) - maybe some with the AM Radio design, and some with Keith Crusher's design...i have a couple other nifty ideas i'll spring on you in a bit.  for now, we may be limited to things that can be created on-demand due to our teeny-weeny-microscopic budget...but we're voting this will change very soon...

speaking of spare change, we're also getting creative about how to fund the fund-hungry aspects of finishing the full-length album Body of Glass, and have been recently turned on to the magic of Kickstarter for helping indie artists of all stripes gather the resources to realize their visions...it's a really neat concept and platform.  the trick is, right now the ability to start projects is by invite only...so, if anyone has an invite lying around gathering dust, we'd be most grateful to put it to good use!

fun happenings lately...airplay in Austria and Bremen, Germany this week, and featured as the breakthrough artist of the week on Below Zero Beats...also a nice feature in Kimberly Wilson's podcast, Tranquility du Jour.  that was a lovely surprise - her blog is one of my faves...of course, there's also the launch of the brand spanky new Groovera site...which is gorgeous if i do say so myself...congrats Groovera!!

also caught an awesome performance by Return to Mono and special guest Divasonic at a super-secret-warehouse party in San Francisco over the weekend...RTM played mostly stuff from their new album, and boy is it tasty!! 

another treat is the new single Divasonic and i have been tinkering away on together...grrrl power!!  having so much fun...can't wait to give you a peek, but she'll have to simmer just a bit longer...

oh yes...i meant to share some bliss.  for valentines day, i made what has been lovingly dubbed Paradise Pie.  it's based on a recipe i used to make years ago, with a couple new twists... i thought i'd share the recipe with you, it's a wonderful tofu-based "cheesecake" - believe me, if Keith likes it and it's made from tofu, you can be pretty sure it's well-disguised tofu!!

but first, the tempting visual representation:

Paradise Pie:

Candied rose petals (this part takes the longest! maybe took me 1.5 hours...but would probably be quicker if you used normal sized roses rather than the mini ones that grow in my garden):

2 large egg whites
1/2 c sugar
petals from 2 organic roses

whisk egg whites in a small bowl till foamy. with a pastry brush, paint both sides of each petal with egg whites, sprinkle both sides with sugar.  dry on nonstick rack (i used wax paper) at least 6 hrs or overnight.

The crust:

1.5 c graham cracker crumbs
1/4 c hazelnut oil (or almond or some other yummy nut)
1 tbsp sugar (optional)

it's your basic graham cracker crust - mix all ingredients well, press into a 9" 2pie plate.

The pie:

3 c tofu (i used silken)
juice of 1/2 lemon (about 2 tbsp)
1 tbsp rose water
2 tbsp pomegranate molasses (can be bought at an international or Indian/Middle Eastern grocery)*
1/4 c unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 c hazelnut oil (or almond etc)
3/4 c sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp whole cardamom seeds (removed from about 5 green cardamom pods)
pinch of salt
a few pistachios

*if you can't find pomegranate molasses, you can use 4 tbsp of lemon juice instead of 2 tbsp, and a full cup of sugar instead of 3/4 c...

put everything (except the pistachios) in a blender and mix till creamy smooth - can add extra liquid at end if needed to make tofu smooth.  pour into pie crust and bake at 325 F until set in the middle.  cool to room temp and then refrigerate for at least 2 hrs.  top with rose petals and raw unsalted pistachios.

enjoy the bliss!!

p.s. we had our pie with a bottle of Francis Coppola Diamond Claret...it was yummy.  i'm no wine expert so perhaps some will snicker at my wine choice, but hey, i just trust my taste buds :)

p.p.s the little squares in the picture are the beads that Keith made for me, which will eventually become a bracelet...they're little picture frames with images from the film Blood of a Poet by Jean Cocteau...one of my all time faves...

p.p.p.s  more exciting news about CD release party and other live show dates in the next day or two...but first...off to dream i wander...

has it really been a year?

wow...here i am thinking i am talking to you all the time, but apparently it's all in my mind.  it's not that i have nothing to say...i have a million things to tell you and ask you and i'm never sure where to dive in.  how about here.  the new Auralei EP is finished...the music is finished and polished and mastered to a lovely sparkle.  the official release date is 14 february, but if you are clever enough to be reading this little ditty, you will have discovered you can find it already on our bandcamp page....for a discounted price until the end of January.  the artwork that is currently there was meant as a temporary sketch, and will soon be replaced by a lovely design conjured up by our deeply talented friend AM Radio - if you've never visited Second Life, meeting him is reason enough to venture into the unknown...

of course, the "temporary" artwork for Auralei, which was whipped up by our very own everyday hero Keith Crusher, is a gem itself...we're quite tempted to do CD runs of both versions of the artwork just for kicks, but may have to wait till the tooth fairy drops by to double our budget (if you happen to bump into her, tell her she can find us here)...in any case, we'll put both versions to good use...

which reminds me...i'm curious - what kind of goodies do you like to scoop up from your favorite artists?  do you like vinyl?  a spiffy one-of-a-kind art print you can frame and put on your wall?  a lovely pillow you can fluff up for your boudoir?  i was thinking - the image of Auralei comes from a piece of fabric my grandmother gave me which was given to her when she was young.  the fabric has panels with different lovely ladies printed on each one, and i was thinking of using one or two of the Auralei panels to create handmade pillows...i might have to be coaxed into parting with them, but i've always wanted to do something with this beautiful fabric rather than it being tucked away in a hope chest for eternity... there are all sorts of little treasures i'd like to conjure up and offer...but i also like to know what you like.  hmmm?

also, if you are listening to our music and get a creative bee in your bonnet, don't be shy...let us know what you've been inspired to cook up, and we'll put it on our fan page...photos, videos, drawings, cookies...as an old friend liked to say - the world's the limit, the sky is your oyster...

well...the land of nod is calling...i spent the afternoon with keith at Muir beach, doing another round of shooting for the 'Ella' video, which is being expertly crafted by singer/songwriter/artist extraordinaire Nicky Cairney...a little promo clip of this hand-drawn animated treat can be found here, there and everywhere...anyway, it's funny how a day by the sea is both energizing and sleep-inducing...not sure if it's all those negative ions, or the multiple rounds of falling into the sand (no i've no stunt double)...i haven't fallen that many times in one afternoon on purpose since i played Luisa in the Fantasticks in high school.

so much more to say...so many goodies on the grill...but for now...

here is Keith's Auralei design (we'll save AM's until birthday time):

nite nite...