Tuesday, August 23, 2011

Elvis (Costello),Mozart, Swolen ankles, Jewelry and Earthquakes

AIM 8/23/11 1:15 PM
N:hi
A:hi
N:where are you now?
A:Home and waiting...for the birth of my child.
N:WEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!
A:It makes singing kind of sucky
N:Yeah. It must be hard to breathe or you know, see your feet!
A:that too. less important in the singing thing.
The last concert I did was a Mendelssohn Elijah in the Berkshires
I was a little more concerned about peeing in my pants than breathing (pick your battles)
N:amazing. right. I was at Falcon Ridge playing bass with Susan Werner! I love that those are so close and always the same weekend
A:I wish they weren't at the same time though!
N: So annoying that we can't go to each other's shows but we get to go to Manna Dew and Rouge!
A:OMG it was so hot that weekend. so...playing bass while sweating...not fun at all?
N:Yeah. Not so much. But playing with Susan is always a blast
A:Totally. She's amazing. Berkshire Choral Festival I was mostly dealing with my feet not fitting in my shoes and the pee pee issue. ;-)
N:Did you wear a diaper?
A:I did not. I did, however, consider it.
So besides sweating your ass off, how was it?
N:It was great. We played the next day at the XPoNential festival in Philly. That was a blast. And I get to play bass a bunch this fall- September 24th at the Auditorium Theatre in Chicago and then in October in Nevada and then Pepperdine University in Malibu
A:Ok. Emergency. Gotta pee. Be right back.
N:Ah, pregnancy is so glamorous.
A:No kidding. Ok I'm back. Tell me about Mary Chapin Carpenter. Didn't you just open for her?
N:I did! At the Zeiterion Theatre in New Bedford. She was so incredibly nice. Her whole crew and the band, just the nicest people. And she was amazing. I've never seen her play before. Such a good show!
A:She's famous! Even I know who she is
N:Ha! Well, I somehow missed the MCC boat and didn't know any of her songs but I'm a big fan now, I'll tell ya that. And I do know that a LOT of people LOVE her so I really kept that in mind when opening for her. As in, keep it short and sweet and get outta the way
A:Very cool. I have been listening to Elvis Costello lately.
N: Really? Wow!
A:Yeah. As part of a return to my musical roots - Men at Work and Toto, our first records.
N:Followed closely by Thriller of course.
A:Of course.
N:Which Elvis Costello record are you listening to?
A:I got a greatest hits. And they are. Great.
N:Ha! God, that voice!
A:So good. And such interesting harmonic stuff too
N:Have you heard Raul Malo?
I opened for him last year at the Ram's Head in Annapolis.
A:Where I just saw you open for Shawn Colvin? Where the hell was I?
N:Yeah. That place. And who knows?
A:Um, no...don't know Raul Malo but now I'm curious.
N:I'll get you some of his music. And again- nicest guy ever.
A:Awesome
N:So after the baby, will you take some time off?
A:I am planning to take the semester off from teaching at Catholic University
N:That'll be hard on your students, I bet. They'll miss you.
A:I'll miss them too, but it seems like the most prudent thing to do. And I've got two gigs in November which will be my first ones "back"
N:Yes! I'm coming for those!
A:You're coming for the Mozart in Spain
N:Olé!
A:I've also got a gig at the Kennedy Center with the Washington Chorus
N:Jeez! That's amazing!
A:My friend, Julian Wachner is the music director
N:Cool. Can you hang on? Now I gotta go pee. I went to a spin class this morning. Thought it might be good since I pulled my back last week....not so much
A:I'm sorry!Maybe yoga?
N:Yeah. I did that yesterday. That was good. like super slow old people yoga.
A:Um...maybe lie down?
N:oh. right. lie down.
A:that's my speed of yoga
N:haha. pre natal = pre sleep yoga
A:I tried to touch my toes last night...not so much
N:haha
A:I did touch my knees
N:that's a good start. half way
A:I'm told they're en route
N: Yea. Your knee bones are connected to your cankle bones
A:nice. oh, and my protruding (half anyway) belly button
N:that's how you know the Turkey's cooked
A:COOKED
N: Ok. So Spain, Kennedy Center...then what?
A:Spain, Kennedy Center - my friend Julian Wachner wrote a piece that I premiered for him in Boston with the Back Bay Chorale a few years ago. We're doing the Washington premiere in November. It's beautiful - called Come My Dark Eyed One.
It's one of my favorite pieces of contemporary classical music.
N:Oh yeah. I came and hung out with you in Copley Square
A: Right. Did you come to the concert though?
N:I didn't. I came to the urban outfitters.
A:Better choice ;)
N: Wow, you're gonna be a super busy new mom!
A:I'm having panic attacks
N:Well, she's gonna be super portable for a couple years so that's good
A:right
N:And you'll have help! Any time you wanna take me to Spain, I'm in!
A:I wake up in the middle of the night in a cold sweat about how to get her through the airport.
N:Uh...in a stroller?
A:Right. I just mean, I know how to travel by myself. I'm even good at it, but now I've got this little creature to take care of - or I will in about a week - and I don't know how to do that yet let alone how to work while I'm doing it
N:you're gonna be great at it!
A:Thanks.
N:She's gonna have the coolest mom!
A:She'll definitely have the coolest aunt.
N:Awww...
A:A lot of vocal exercises are great for babies. They love the weird sounds
N:Totally. And girls are really vocal. girl babies. lots of cooing
A:and drooling
N:yes. and other double o words...spooning?
A:are you going to make her jewelry?
N:Are you gonna pierce her ears?
A:She can have her ears pierced when she's old enough to take care of the earrings.
So, when she's 30
N:or what was the rule we had? not until you're 11 or when you get boobs. I think you got boobs. And I got whiney
A:ha!
N:and boobs
A:I thought it was 10...it was 11?
N:maybe you're right
A:You know, my right earring hole is too far back.
I've always wanted to get that fixed. I think I must've flinched.
N:What was that place we got our pierced?
A:Enrique's?
N:Wow. I have no idea
A:Yeah. They now have moved to the East side of Broadway on 86th street
that was the Italian restaurant
N:Wow. I can't believe that place still exists.
A:We're all holding up. I was at least, until my ankles decided to become personal floatation devices
N:haha.
A:Ok. So you and Adrianne Gonzalez are quite the renaissance women! Maybe the baby and I can come sell merch for you two?!
ooh la la
N:OMG! That's a great idea. She'll be the best model! The necklaces might be a little long for a while but you know, maybe handpainted onesies are next
A:That's a great idea!
N:um. actually it kinda is.
A:Maybe also a hand painted bib - you could make the center from guitar wood so it could just be wiped down.
N:Whoa. You're blowing my mind. See? this is how it happened.
We started with the paintings- choosing a lyric and then "illustrating" the songs. made like 35 paintings. and then we started playing the shows. We printed out our lyrics and people posed with them. we call that part Art.is.You. Then we had all these amazing photos so we started printing them onto canvas and guitar wood
then we made all this jewelry on guitar wood from Guild guitars with our lyrics on em
A:So fun!
N:We just started our Etsy Store and we're making a whole new batch of stuff for a show in September in Key West.....
.....
....
um. I think there's an earthquake
not kidding
OMG
A:I just ran out of the house
We just had an earthquake here too
N:are you ok?
A:omg
It's now on the news
It knocked some shit over
N:I'm trying to call you. Not working
are your phone lines down?!
2:23 PM
N:you ok?
2:39 PM
A:Yeah. I'm ok.
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