Lindi Ortega and a note on rejection...

Singer-songwriter Lindi Ortega drops by with a note on rejection.


Well hello there...

I have come to give a little speech about music.

What prompted this little speech was watching "American Idol" one night: When a talented girl is rejected, she is seen sobbing in the elevator as though her life is over and her one and only chance at making her dreams come true are all but shot to hell....

Let's talk about the word REJECTED for a moment shall we. What does it mean exactly?

Well firstly let me tell you I have been rejected from lots of things my whole life. Most recently I was rejected from Canadian Music Week. I'm not so sad about it because I've played CMW three times before and I suppose it was someone else's turn to get in, however, I am smarting a wee bit about paying $50 to apply for nothing, but that's another story. So I was rejected and have been rejected for many other things before, be it, grant applications, festivals, labels, managers, etc. I suppose I could have cried and threatened giving up on music... but if I did that the first time I got rejected from something, then I would never have released two records, played some really awesome shows, met some really amazing people and continue to be met with amazing opportunities.

The thing is, the music industry is not easy. Canada is especially difficult to try and conquer. This is something most independent musicians learn rather quickly. But really, anywhere you go, to have significant success in the music industry is a very difficult feat.

One thing is for sure ... if you give up you are guaranteed to go nowhere.

A lot of wonderful musicians have struggled immensely to get to where they are. Some have no lime light or glory for what they do, but they achieve their own standard of success and they are content with it.




At the end of the day, why do we want to be musicians, singers, songwriters... is it because we want to make lots of money? Is it because we want people to recognize us on the streets and ask for our autograph? Is it because we want to be shown on MTV Cribs with our 12 cars and 20 room mansions? Or is it because if we think about not doing music we suddenly feel like we cannot breathe and realize that half the reason our hearts beat is because of the love we have for what we do.

Validation for that thing we love does not come from a reality TV show, it does not come from a record label, it does not come from radio airplay, it does not come from a five star review in Rolling Stone, and it does not come from winning a Grammy...Validation comes from within.

So to all who find themselves in pieces on the floor after they've been rejected, do yourselves a huge favor and get yourself together!!! The great thing about life is you don't have to rely on people to make you happy, to make your dreams come true. You can do all that yourself. NO really!! You can! It's #$&%@*$ hard as hell and sometimes times you get all beat up and broke down on the side of the road..........but when you finally achieve something that you busted your ass for all by yourself, then you are hit with the biggest most euphoric high you've ever known.

Let me tell you something; you don't really want to be famous like Britney Spears... look what's happening to her? Learn to enjoy meager success in small doses...you won't have to give up your private life forever...and you can still do what you love and live it every day!

I am proud to say that next month it will be one year since I decided I would no longer work a full time job. I knew I wanted my life to be music. I am not famous, most of Toronto still doesn't know I exist even though I've been playing this city for almost ten years. But that's okay...because I get to do what I love every day, I make very little money, but I survive and that makes me so unbelievably happy....I find great joy in truckin along, fighting the good fight...I am proud of my struggle, I wouldn't want it to be easy because that's friggin boring and the best part is when little opportunities come knocking at my door I get so very excited about them. I don't take the feeling for granted.

So at the end of the day, when you're a rejected idol hopeful and you're dropping tears on elevator floors....then get the $#&@ over it, look at yourself in the mirror and tell yourself that YOU can do ANYTHING!






Posted by Lindi Ortega

Lindi's follow up to her 2002 album "The Taste Of Forbidden Fruit" is now available. You can listen to some of the songs from this talented artist's latest album "Fall From Grace" at her official website and at MySpace Music.






www.lindiortega.ca

www.myspace.com/lindimusic

Pete Townsend, Lou Reed, the state trooper, and me…

Singer-songwriter Rachael Yamagata chimes in today with yesterday's latest adventure as a musician.


So...

I played a show and didn't even get to post it before it was sold out so that is the only reason I didn't bait you with an announcement of it.. ;( It had some big wigs so tix were gone in 15 secs and I added on late, but I'll fill you in here on the details…

Joe's Pub NYC (capacity – small and intimate)
Line up – Rachel Fuller / Jimmy Fallon / Amos Lee / moi / J Mascis (Dinosaur Jr)/Pete Townsend / Lou Reed

It all started at 8:30 am Wednesday morning when I left with my drummer to drive to nyc – leaving plenty of time to get to a 1pm soundcheck, cuz damn if I was gonna be late for that one! Unfortunately for me I'd forgotten that mercury (planet) is retrograde (going backwards) and that will most surely screw up any electronics / travel etc. till it goes straight again. Therefore, of course my gas gauge died, or rather lied, and 10 miles onto the thruway.. well, I ran out of gas.

So, we're sitting on the highway and I'm frantically calling my guitarist who hasn't left in his car yet and roping him into a stop at the gas station to rescue us. I'm taking pictures cuz isn't that exciting to capture every dumb adventure, and freezing cuz I've forgotten no gas means no heat, when the state trooper pulls up behind us. He comes to my window and is looking all serious and asking for my registration and why do I have diplomatic plates...And I'm thinking, well, libras are the diplomat, but I'm pretty sure I don't have diplomatic plates and fishing in the glove compartment for said info showing him jiffy lube bills and asking if that was it – no – etc… He's staring at my license and repeating my name and looking funny, and then asks why it sounds familiar. Lol. So I say I'm a musician and sometimes the local radio station plays me and he smiles and says "Rachael Yamagata! I've got your songs in my Ipod! Rachael Yamagata" at which point he kindly tells me to put my tire inspection notices away and goes off on a comedic routine that had me in stitches for 10 min. straight… "Rachael Yamagata! Girl! Times MUST be TOUGH! I mean, why are you driving this piece of shit car! Doesn't Itunes pay you anything?! I mean, girl! It's all about perception…Now I could call road side assistance for you, but you'd have to PAY for that" etc. etc.

It was hilarious. So of course I gave him some cds and took a picture with him and the cop car, which I'd post, but I don't want to get him in trouble...I did dedicate a song to him at the show, so trooper you-know-who-you-are, many thanks!

I did make it to soundcheck and of course was flitting nervously around and pulled the amateur card out and announced to the room that I was completely freaked out playing if front of them, but all were so very nice and lovely and beautiful so I didn't throw up on stage and lord it was great fun...Rachel Fuller is my newest crush cuz she has a stunning voice and smokes like me and is hilarious! Pete Townsend – my god – so down to earth and awesome. Graciously told us some tales of the Who and lord – played on 'Paper Doll' with me. It was surreal. Amos and J were awesome and Jimmy Fallon was just as nice as can be and a fantastic host of the evening...Lou Reed was a legend and I busted out of his dressing room sneaking a cig when I noticed the sign on the door… Eeek!

Elephants – a capella
Be Be Your Love
Paper Doll
Sunday Afternoon

Short set, but all went well.

The series they are doing is called 'Attic Jam' and it is creating history I believe...Their line ups are always stellar and if I'm lucky I'll get to jump on a show again sometime...Check them out online and buy tix early! I believe they filmed the whole thing so if I ever get my hands on footage I'll let you know.

Thanks to all of them and Carrie for a surreal night.

Xoxoxo
r


Posted by Rachael Yamagata









The Time Machine




Thursday, February 22, 2007 at 12:07 PM

You were so lucky on the highway yesterday. When we had Jeff Daniels on the radio show, he told us how a highway state trooper had no problem giving him a ticket. Jeff is an Oscar nominee who has even portrayed cops. You'd figure that the trooper would have recogized him. I guess Jeff wasn't on his iPod. *lol

Love Rachel Fuller. Her song "Eat Me" still rocks my boat and still gets some airplay here on Maui. It's off of her 2004 album "Cigarettes & Housework". I know that's an album title close to your heart.

:=)




Rachael's music has had a home on our playlists and in our hearts since her debut release. Be sure to pick up a copy of her first album, "Happenstance" and keep an eye peeled out for Rachael's upcoming release. You can get a sampling of what she's been up to lately at her website www.rachaelyamagata.com

Happy V.D.

...erm, I mean Valentine’s Day. “The road to hell is paved with good intentions” about sums up my history of Valentine’s Day experiences. The growing animosity towards all things Valentine started when I was in kindergarten and my older sister thought it would be cute if she sent a Valentine in my name to one of my classmates. Little did she know that she set in motion events that resulted in her sister being known as the little brown haired girl who liked smelly boys that pee in their pants.

The 33 years of Valentine’s Days that followed were filled with overpriced dinners at horrible restaurants, flea-ridden giant stuffed pandas, car trouble, break-ups, stalkers, and losing the key to the handcuffs (It’s a long humiliating story that I won’t go in to, but let’s just say that culminates in someone being locked to the bedpost while someone’s father sawed them free.)

But the pièce de résistance was a cold snowy day a couple of years ago when my boyfriend was making a romantic dinner for us. He had the veal saltimboca almost ready, the champagne was being chilled, and there was a gorgeous chocolate mousse cake for dessert… when the cat vomited in the heating unit. Let me tell you, the pungent odor of baked cat-puke is not only perfect for driving evil spirits out of your house, but also the potential for whispering sweet nothings and other romantic refinements. The evening was spent with scarves wrapped around our noses and mouths, scraping puke out of the hundreds of crevices in the heater with a Q-tip. It was then that I realized that Valentine’s Day wasn’t meant for me.

The final nail in the coffin occured last February when I had an out-of-body experience at my second-cousin’s Valentine’s Day wedding when I found myself dancing with my father to “Superfreak”. It was bad enough being my Dad’s date, but by the end of the night, the groom was in the corner of the reception hall making-out with a bridesmaid while the bride and her other sisters (other as in not the one making out with her new husband) were on stage, drunkenly belting out “Since U Been Gone”, the train of her dress in tatters as the band’s lead singer was holding the poor girl up by her boobs.

As I watched the guests start removing cash from the gift envelopes that were intended for the no-longer-happy couple, I permanently dissasociated Valentine’s day from romance.

Perhaps there are lucky people out there who get to have those storybook Valentine’s evenings filled with La Maison du Chocolat, Perrier-Jouet Fleur de Champagne, and long-stemmed roses, but after a lifetime of spoiled dinners, bad dates, and cat puke, I am done. You all go off and have your caviar wishes and champagne dreams whilst I rip this page out of my calendar.





Posted by Sugarbabe





The Time Machine



Wednesday, February 14, 2007 at 10:00 AM


Oh my gosh! Outside of those, should I say, not so romantic moments…that has got to be one of the funniest things I’ve read in a long time. Thanks for sharing your VD history.

It does appear that your sister set things in motion for you back in kindergarten. I don’t have anything remotely even close to your horror stories. My first official date was in the sixth grade. I was eleven and she was nine. I had the roses and box of chocolates in a red heart shaped box for our “romantic” evening at the movies. It was a school night and it was a Disney cartoon so the theater was empty of my fellow sixth graders except for one who said “hi” to me but she didn’t recognize the pretty underclassman sitting next to me. She proceeded to let in her younger cousins and sisters into the theater from the exit door. They sat in the front row. My date and I were near the back of the cinema. This was it. We pretty much had the entire theater to ourselves. The date was off to a great start until the last movie patron showed up and sat next to us. It was my friend who apparantly also had a crush on her and decided to crash our date. Very “Wonder Years” I know…*lol

:=)




Sugarbabe



Wednesday, February 14, 2007 at 11:20 AM

Hey, what’s a little VD between friends? (sorry…I think that horse has been beaten to death….) But that’s such a sweet story even if it didn’t turn out like you planned. Whatever happened to that little girl?




The Time Machine



Wednesday, February 14, 2007 at 2:17 PM

What do you mean what happened to that little girl? You don’t remember that night at the movies. I’m speechless. *lol

: = )

Just kidding…wouldn’t it have been funny if it was you?




Sugarbabe can be found musing about music at her MOG site http://mog.com/sugarbaby.




Enjoy this video clip from "The Daily Show":

Rachael Yamagata finally finishes...the new record

Singer-songwriter Rachael Yamagata drops by with some news that she needs to get off her shoulders today.

the new record....

Well, it's done.

The music part that is...Mixed, mastered, ordered, spaced – done.

If I hadn't recently lost my hearing out of my right ear, I'd be able to comment on how it sounds, however, whatever I'm listening back to at top volume in car stereo is really coming through left ear only. No worries on this front – apparently, I should be repaired in a week or two more according to 2 specialists who have now told me I shouldn't free dive in ocean at depths of pain.

I've started on all post album rituals – sighing, crying, drinking, wanting to burn it, forcing myself not to burn it, praising it, loving it, hating it, forgiving myself for it, writing new songs with crap lyrics, rearranging apt furniture to set up play space to relearn new songs for performance, giving up and watching movies, reading self help motivational books, and taking very unmotivated naps.

Travels are finished, snow covers ground, cat has stopped shitting outside the box letting me know he does not appreciate my vacation away and I am onto things like artwork. In fact, I've discovered I own about 200 colored pencils sharpened and ready to go should I turn out to be one of those multi talents that design album cover with poignant sketch giving light to some new facet of undiscovered personal depth. That, or I'll start a fashion line catering to upstate New Yorkers – overalls, tank tops, winter boots and ratty hair. My fav outfit of late shows that I have indeed thought nothing of photoshoot world yet.

What can I tell you about the new record…Hmm. Well, it's different. It's a growth.. Not a growth as in a leechy kind of infection that will kill you growth (that's for my relationships), but more .. a step beyond where I was. Touring gave me a thirst for edgy in your face survival. I'm not making any sense here...I know it. You know it...I mean – I started to love guitar...So I wrote a lot on guitar...I got a little weathered, grittier, feistier. These songs are like that. They may surprise some from that last record because we didn't shy away from letting it all hang out. Gritty, scruffy, biting, hypnotic PJ Harvey, Zepplin meets Buckley meets Pulp Fiction eerie vibaliscious rockin out. If you've seen the live show, you will get what I mean and be happy that we got some of it down on record. For those who haven't – it's "Letter Read" and "Paper Doll" taken to the next level.

The "beautiful" tunes are nostalgic and heartwrenching and more poetic lyrically than I've ever been. The strings are haunting and lush and you'll even find a French horn and some woodwinds on a couple. I found a soundscape in anything eclectic and texturally interesting for the song – marimba, melatron, moog, the sound of tape running in the background, wind or rain howling from the day, stomps, claps – I think we even have Jack Daniel bottles clanking away in one. A nice compliment I've received was a comparison to Tom Wait's 'Raindogs'… others are gospel backed calling out cards to past straying loves, or whisper sung lullabies with nothing crowding them but honesty. Hahahh! I had to write that...I'm on a pretentious who does this muthaf...think she is streak.

Having just gotten off the phone with my drummer – I asked him to comment on the record saying I was in the midst of a blog about it.. I quote…

"Yo yo bitches – this album is off the hizzy. Holla back. True dat. Represent ildelph 215."

I have no idea what this means, but I know he lives in Phily and the area code there is 215 so I'm thinking at least that part is what is known as a shout out.

Anyway, I'm planning on a deluxe edition for you – superfans / myspace addicts / my peeps. The additional disc will have 5 songs that are drenched in mood and sadness and all those good things and seemed to fit nicely together as it's own piece.

It's a drive record. An active listen record – it won't satisfy your dinner parties, but it may just dig into you in a way that will spur you on. That's pretentious too, but you have to forgive me this one blog because I will soon be faced with size 0 fashion stylists telling me some designer dud "just isn't working on her" and we all know that what I write in these blogs has the potential to be very influenced by cabernet and dark woods and well now, the imbalance caused by hearing out of one ear only.

So stay tuned folks. The first bit will draw you in, the next will rough you up, you'll descend into some ethereal journey for awhile and the last moments will break your heart.

I love you all. I love this record. It's time to go start a fire.

I kill me.
Lol.

Xoxoxox
r




Posted by Rachael Yamagata









The Time Machine



Sunday, February 04, 2007 at 2:01 PM

Sa-weeeet! You know that we got your back and we'll be spinning that puppy! Musically salivating just thinking about it. Waiting to press "play".

= )

Luv Ya and Other Sentiments...





Rachael's music has had a home on our playlists and in our hearts since her debut release. Be sure to pick up a copy of her first album, "Happenstance" and keep an eye peeled out for Rachael's upcoming release. You can get a sampling of what she's been up to lately at her website www.rachaelyamagata.com