Fishgirl Speaks

Rockstar for a Night

 

A little while ago, my mom alerted me to a competition with musical genius Imogen Heap. I’m a big fan of hers, so I’m not sure how I missed the memo. In any case, she was looking for local, a cappella accompaniment for her song “Earth” from her latest release Ellipse. The song is brilliant – one of my favorites on the album – and I had already listened to it I don’t know how many times. I was insanely busy when I first heard about the competition, but as the deadline approached, I knew I would kick myself for the rest of time if I didn’t at least try something.

I pinged my musical partner in crime of over 25 years, Juanita. We’ve played at music camp (one time, at band camp…), in a garage band, and in The Choral Project. She is not as familiar with Imogen as I am, but I guess she’s a sucker for a fun musical project. We printed up the scores that were made available (written in 12 parts, including leads) and hashed out a road map, covering as much territory as possible.

On Sunday, June 13th, I got out the video camera, played with some lights, and rigged up a serviceable set. Juanita came over and we laid down a lead track against which we could sing our backup bits. That was the easy part. Then we rehearsed our parts a bunch, and started videoing some takes to see what was what. You know how you always sound funny to yourself? Well, the same goes for video as far as I’m concerned. I was planning on makeup for the final anyway, so I dolled up a bit, and we did some more takes. The funny thing about the makeup is it made me more aware of my eyes and lips, which helped me be a little more expressive on camera. Silly.

After a lot of rehearsing and recording, we started to fatigue around the same time, noting that it wasn’t going to get better at this point, so we chose our best take from the batch. Due to technology fun and games, we ended up having to make a DVD from the videotape through the DVD player and TV. Then we could drop the disc into the laptop to trim the ends. I uploaded our audition late Monday night, the 14th.

After a few days of the waiting game, I checked my YouTube account Thursday morning before work, where I saw the notification from the tour assistant. I had to read it over and over to convince myself it was real. I pinged Juanita, and then we pretty much spent the next 36 hours bouncing off the walls. We talked wardrobe, rehearsed a little more that evening, and prepared ourselves as best we could for an amazing evening.

We drove up to Mountain Winery in Saratoga for our 5:30 call time on Friday.  After being chauffeured on a short and very chilly ride down to the backstage area, we were shown our dressing room, labeled “choir,” and met the Tour Assistant, Cara, and the Tour/Production Manager Kumar. Everyone was just as pleasant as could be. We waited and watched off to stage right while Imogen did some of her soundcheck. They ran “Tidal, “ and then it was our turn for “Earth.” We were given in-ear monitors, which was a new experience for both of us. We got on stage and met Imogen for the first time. I was wearing 3” heels, she was in flats, and I was looking up at her. I had no idea she was that tall! Juanita and I each did a quick mic check, then we ran through the song once. Part way through, Imogen said, let’s do a break here. Then we just picked up on her cue and finished it out.  The sound was kind of tripping me out as I’m not used to amplification, let alone the monitors.  One run through was it, then chill time for a while.

We had a time sheet posted in our room, and were shown the set list so we knew when to meet Kumar backstage. Meanwhile, we had plenty of time to wander about with our all-access passes and chat with some friends and family in the audience. A friend from the gym saw me there, and asked if I worked there sometimes, since I was in all black like the other worker bees. I told her no, but she’d be seeing me on stage later! We enjoyed the first part of the show mostly from near the soundboard, and eventually went inside to warm up.

Finally, our moment arrived. Imogen introduced us by the name we had chosen only the night before: Harrison Shepard. I’ve been on lit stages before, but it was still pretty blinding when we walked out to great applause. What a marvelous support group and we hadn’t even opened our mouths! There was a brief moment of time moving slowly, smiling at each other, making sure we were all ready to start, which was my job. I turned to the mic and got us rolling. The audience loved it immediately.

I forgot/bailed on some of the clapping I had planned, but I didn’t really care. There was one section where I felt completely off the notes because I was so not used to hearing in that fashion, but I managed to sail right past that and got back on track. The audience continued to eat it up and it felt AWESOME. At the end, we got a standing ovation! Big hugs from Immi, waves to the crowd, and we were back off the stage. What a rush and what a relief!

Coming off the stage, we were congratulated by the crew, who all said they had never seen that kind of response before. The supporting musicians, Geese (a duo) and Ben Christophers, were more than kind, and offered us drinks. We took everything in and it felt like we could breathe again. I also took my glass of wine in rather quickly, so I was extra loopy for a spell. We ventured back outside and found some seats to watch more of the show. We were prepared to grab our gear and get out of the way, but they encouraged us to stick around.

We chatted with Immi briefly after the show and shared some pizza. Juanita asked if they were going to take a break after the tour, and she said the tour was a break for them. When she’s home, everyone is trying to get a hold of her and “it’s pandemonium.” We also talked about the Earth competition, and said it was very brave of her. She said it had been a success every time – they hadn’t come across anyone who couldn’t cut the mustard. Cara made sure we got T-shirts, and Immi graciously signed them for us. We even chatted with some music developers for Apple’s Garage Band and Logic who offered a copy to Juanita.

"Robin! Fantastic! They + I loved you! <3 Immi xx"

Imogen is very connected to her fans through social media, and it was an amazing experience to participate and be her “local talent” for a night. In addition to providing this opportunity, and creating customized set lists for each venue through online voting, she also performed an improvised piece based on key and tempo selected by her audience. The piece will be uploaded and proceeds from the sale of downloads goes to a charity suggested by each venue. Audience participation during the concert extends way beyond simple clapping, with all of us singing along to “Just for Now” in three parts. I don’t know of any other performer who connects with her listeners the way Imogen Heap does. She’s simply brilliant.

Here is the end result. I can hear how nervous I was and the parts where I had trouble hearing. But that can't take away from how much fun we had!

 

And then, there was FIRE!

A couple weekends ago, I had the great fortune to perform with the Star Wars: In Concert production. They hire local talent for the choir, and I know people who know people. We did a Friday evening and Saturday matinee in Sacramento, and two shows on Sunday at the HP Pavilion. What a ride!

Friday, we checked in and got our official performer's badges, met some of the other singers, and waited for our call. With this sort of venture, there's a lot of hurry up and wait. After hitting a few spots in the music, we lined up, and went on stage for our soundcheck. Lots of necks were craning, checking out the enormous set. We filed in and found our spots. Mine was right behind one of the light towers. I could barely see much of anything. Neat! The Maestro checked our entrances, and that was that. More waiting....waiting...then we lined up plenty early, and our stage manager (that's right - ours) led us on. Plenty of nervous energy filled the back of the stage where the choir awaited the drop of the curtain.

Have you ever heard the theme for 20th Century Fox live? Right after the THX theme rumbled us in our seats, the brass and percussion charged ahead to open the show with the familiar fanfare. The crowds were going bonkers already. Then the orchestra went right into the main Star Wars theme, while the audience watched all sorts of newly edited clips on the huge, specially constructed LED screen. After the theme, there were some ominous Darth Vader sounds, then jets of steam/fog at the front of the stage blasted upward, which was also our cue to stand. It was pretty motivating, I have to say. Anthony Daniels (aka C-3PO), the charming narrator, made his entrance and set the story in motion. The choir then sang their little hearts out with the third number, and sat quietly for four more numbers, enjoying the orchestra from right on stage. For the eighth number we were up again, adding texture and color to the whole sound with our dramatic, yet wordless chorus. At one point, our voices all came in on a middle C. On the same downbeat, great plumes of fire jetted from the front of the stage. Fire! Woohoo! We could easily feel the heat from the back, and could only wonder how it felt on the Maestro's podium. Then the Imperial March closed the first half.

Here are the last two numbers in the first half:

We were able to watch the second half of the concert in the audience, and were treated to lots of lasers, on top of everything else. I've always enjoyed this music, but have honestly gained a new appreciation of it from sitting behind the percussion. I could witness the complexity of the score first hand, and see all the detail and care that went into creating it. 

Who knew that the triangle part was so important to the Dark Lord's theme song?

Backstage, we had the additional treat of several visits from Anthony Daniels. He was very gracious, posing for group pictures and signing autographs.

 
Matt brought his very nice light sabers with him, and we ended up goofing off in the parking lot after Friday night's show. With the lighting conditions, we ended up with some really fun pictures. Here are a couple of my favorites:

 

While in the Sacramento area, a few of us stayed overnight at Britta's parents' place in Roseville. They treated us to a lovely nightcap of cider and scotch, homemade pumpkin cake and shortbread. I slept surprisingly well for being in a bed not my own, and woke to an equally lovely breakfast of homemade muffins and baked eggs. It was quite the Bed & Breakfast experience and we were all grateful for the hospitality to help us through the long weekend.

 

Here's Juanita, Matt, and me at the HP Pavilion, showing off our badges:

On Sunday, we had about three hours in between shows, and the gang surprised me with a little birthday celebration in front of the Pavilion. Charles lugged a banana cake over and met us there.

 

Oh, and to cap it off, we all got paid for the Star Wars gig (which put me at a personal record for five jobs at once - heh!) A big thanks to everyone who made this weekend possible!

Photos courtesy of Matt and Britta.

Zen and Zappa

Mystery Date the Second

A week or two ago, Charles asked if I was doing anything on Saturday the 30th in the afternoon Wednesday the 29th in the evening, to which I said no. He booked us for something, and decided to keep it a surprise.

He took us to see Chris Cornell at the Catalyst in Santa Cruz. If you're not familiar with Chris (if I may use your first name, sir), he's best known as the lead singer for Audioslave and Soundgarden. I can't say that I'm entirely intimate with either of their catalogs, but I've always loved Chris's voice and will listen to pretty much anything he does (much like Cee-lo, of Gnarls Barkley - see Mystery Date the First). Oh, and live? HE FUCKIN' ROCKS.

He performed stuff from Temple of the Dog, Audioslave, Soundgarden, and his solo stuff, including a couple from his upcoming album Scream, which I've already pre-ordered on Amazon. He also did a set in the middle with just him and an acoustic guitar - the fun and friendly kind of thing you can only do in a club. At one point he started a song, and was trying to decide on tempo. He said, "Nah, that's too slow. That's like forgot-to-feed-the-cat slow." Then stoner-style: "Did I feed the cat this week?" He also mentioned a special fan that he flew in from Florida, who missed him when he had to cancel due to a "glass football" in his throat. She was celebrating her 10th birthday that day, so we all sang Happy Birthday to her ("You know, you and me. Not the paid musicians.") Awesome. Another time, he played part of a song, then said he'd have to work to relearn it. He was so happy his career had been this long that he'd have to relearn stuff, then thanked us all for making that possible. Again, awesome.

Good pics were hard to come by on our teleputers, especially with the insanely bright LED displays behind the band. I figured the above crazy pic would suit, given that it was taken during "Black Hole Sun." Heh.

My sweetie loves me and spoils me rotten. ROTTEN, I tell you.

Mystery Date

A week or two ago, Charles asked if I was doing anything on Saturday the 30th in the afternoon, to which I said no. He booked us for something, and decided to keep it a surprise.

For fun, I posted on Facebook that I was going on a mystery date. Of course, everyone thought I meant "date" as in the person as opposed to "date" the activity. Heh.

All I knew was that we were going to SF, I should dress in layers - casual OK, and be ready by 4pm. We left early, after a big fat lunch at Hobee's. I was cool as a cucumber on the outside, while on the inside I was guessing like crazy. Eventually, we ended up at Fort Mason, where the Slow Food Rocks festival was happening, headlined that day by none other than Gnarls Barkley!

My sweetie loves me. He gets a Klondike bar.

And, as if that wasn't fabulous enough...they covered a Radiohead song - "Reckoner," off of their latest.

SQUEEEEEE!

Tunes and Technology

Radiohead - In Rainbows
Many years ago, a friend recommended OK Computer to me. I tried listening to it once, and didn't get very far with it. About three years later, I picked it up again, and have been a big Radiohead fan ever since. Their latest album lived in my CD player (yes I still use those) for quite awhile. As with most of their other albums, it took awhile to really appreciate what they had put together, and every time I listen, I pick up new things.

 
Gnarls Barkley - Odd Couple
I raved about their first album, and I can rave about their second in much the same fashion: holy crap, that's some great stuff.

What both of the above groups have in common is a fair amount of musical innovation. They really don't compare to anything else I've heard - which either says they're brilliant, or my ears need to get out more. I'm going to go with the former...because I can. Interestingly enough, they also share a certain rough quality to several of the tracks - as if the purity of digital lacks meaning, lacks earthiness. The added background noise is a curious juxtaposition to the otherwise tech-oriented music making. All in all, brilliant stuff!

*****

Another recent acquisition is my HTC Tilt phone. It has many bells and whistles, including the ability to actually call people. That's sort of easy to forget, since cell phones don't really feel like phones to me anymore. It's more like "Hi, I'm calling you from a very small computer."

A lot of people go through phones like they're disposable, which, sadly, is how They essentially make and market them. I'm happy to say this is only my third cell phone ever, and I hope to make it last as long as possible. In fact, the salesfellow sort of raised his eyebrows at how old my Nokia was. It even had a pull-out antenna.

An early adopter I am not. It just makes an upgrade all the more fun.

More Xmas Fun

Sorry - couldn't pass this one up. Made me laugh out loud*

http://www.savagechickens.com/blog/2007/12/projectile.html

*So funny, I actually spelled out LOL.

Fum fum fum

And also this:

Let There Be Jazz

The Jack Conway Trio has just released their first CD:

Longtime friend Juanita sings, and that's my Pop on bass, of course. Get yours now at Amazon!

Don't Let the Raccoon Scratch Your Face

Last night we saw Zappa Plays Zappa in Berkeley. Holy friggin' guitars, man.

The evening started with a tour of the Bay Area. From work in Sunnyvale, I drove to Stanford to pick up Juanita, then across to Hayward to pick up Charles and C4, then up to Berkeley. We experienced no major traffic hiccups and found perfect parking between dinner and the theatre. We seemed to beat the rush at all points - from dinner, to the will call line, heck, even the line at the "ladies' lounge."  The tickets were comps, courtesy of my brother's connection to Scheila, who does saxaphone, flute, keyboards, and vocals for the band. Although the seats were separate, they were excellent. Juanita and I took row H (8th row, roughly speaking) and the boys were in row N. There was no one sitting directly in front of me. Aw yeah.

Although I count myself as a Zappa fan, I'm really not well versed in the rep compared to most. It was still a totally rockin' evening! They opened with something from Yellow Shark (which Juanita pointed out to me, and I nodded, yes, that sounds about right, having heard it maybe twice). Lots of stuff I didn't know, a few I did. The ensemble was tight. Dweezil seemed pretty mellow - maybe it was nerves, the enormity of playing his father's music, or that's just the way he rolls. He pretty well summed it up when he said that Frank liked to "beat the shit out of some songs."

Charles has heard some FZ here and there, but it was entirely new to C4. I think he enjoyed the music. I know he enjoyed watching all the aging hipsters trippin' out.

We also scored some backstage passes, but we were pretty wiped after over 2 1/2 hours of nonstop funk/rock/blues/craziness, so we didn't linger long, and did not get to say hi to Scheila. She fuckin' rocked, by the way. What a great gig.

Our pre-concert mojo was counterbalanced by driving craziness on the way home. A few wrong turns meant additional touring of Hayward. Got the guys into their car, then took Juanita to the train station where her car was. Finally got home and crawled into bed a little after 1 a.m.

At 4:30 a.m. I woke to Charles's alarm, with no Charles in sight. I rolled over and hit every button I could and it still wouldn't shut off. I tried hitting them harder, but that didn't work either. All I could manage was to reset the alarm for 6. When Charles came in a little later, I grumbled at him about the alarm so he turned it off. Or not. It went off again at 5:30 a.m. By that point I was so annoyed I couldn't go back to sleep, so I got up. Hopefully the alarm isn't still going off by this point. I called Charles to let him know I was already up as he was going to call at 6 to help me up anyway. Between the smoke and cheering of last night and the lack of sleep, my additional, vocally enhanced grumbling at him about the alarm must have been effective. Later at work, he sent me this:

My ears are still ringing a little - we were a bit late with the earplugs - but it was worth it all.
BTW, this post's title comes from an improv bit they did. I don't think I could explain if I tried. Maybe after some more sleep....