Archive for the ‘God showing off’ Category

We did it! We did it! We…oh hallelujah!

After 30 days, I’ve come to a grand tally of $5, 425!

After wrapping the second week of recording, I was very relieved to let my producer & cellist know that they are, in fact, getting paid.

As the album comes together, I’ll begin sending out the rewards. I expect the album to release sometime in the Spring/early Summer 2012.

Until then, my heartfelt gratitude and thanks to:
Hayes Lee Williams, Mike Espinoza, Ray Prim Jr., Mireille, Joe Lynch, Neil McMcrea, Davis, Heather Tadros, Joanna L. Castillo, Marc Anselme, Carl Lyons, Alex, Oscar Valdes, Rob Z, Samantha Marquez, Ryan Williams, Steve Monier, Wolfgang Schaible, Seamus Enright, Bill Barker, Mitch Connell, D’Shan Berry, Lee Herman, Kim Bold, Oscar Perez, Preetam Sengupta, Courtney Sanders, Sheldon Gallegos, Andrew Pressman, Danica Dora, Michael & Jill, Matt Lupo, Kimberly, Dana Schack, Kazunori Yakuwa, Doug Bobo, Armando Ramos, Michel Jouan, DT, Ed Radakovitz, Renaldo Arroyo, Steven Rawlings, Xavier Cantu, Sarah Lovelace, Tomy Meny, Apryl, Dave Cool, Liz Murphy, Buckman Coe, Tara Craig, John M. Cook, Roger Temme, John S. Davis, Andreas Kusche, Hallie, Lisa A., Steven Goldman, Stephanie Giannone, Sebastian Ong, and of course, my folks: Nabil & Ellen Tadros.

PS. Remember that contest I entered to win $20,000 in gear and recording? Because of you guys, I’m in the lead. Voting continues till Dec. 11, and I compete live in Austin on Dec. 18th for the grand prize. I believe in Santa! I believe!

I’m sitting in the passenger seat of our rental. My friend, Nils is driving, ride-share gal in the back, en route to Frankfurt. I fly home to Texas in the morning, my heart is full of gratitude and nostalgia after an amazing German Tour.

So many of the shows were packed, full of smiles and yeehaws and earnest applause. A few, even lightly attended, but filled the room with dedicated listening and support. Many folks who started out as acquaintances at the onset of this tour, became late-night coffee and club matte buddies. I lost track of the long, wonderful conversations and life stories weeks ago. Not to harp on cliches, but I feel like this is the stuff of life: community. Killer shows come and go. The high of a great crowd never really lasts for long. Neither does the low of an awful turn out. The relationships I’ve forged in the last few weeks mean the world to me.

So, this blog post is for you guys. To Uli, for letting me crash in your bed while you slept on the couch for a whole week. Please keep growing your beard and by Christmas time I expect to see pictures of you dressed as German Santa. Nils, for sitting at all those cafes while I drank all those cappuccinos hiding behind my laptop, while you sort of read a magazine and sort of texted for 5 hours, waiting for me to finish. Also, for all the chocolate, and showing me that chivalry is alive and well in Germany.

To Andi and Benni for being our German psuedo-stalkers and Reiner for feeding us till we  waddled, Andy for my first stick-driving lesson, Pascal for making it feel like I was coming home, and every last person who touched my heart (here comes the sap) after a show. And who can forget the troupe of Serbian and Croatian dudes who serenaded us after the show in Berne. You guys are the reason I get through the rough patches.

I love returning to a city and knowing exactly where to find the forks in a kitchen, or what to order without looking at the menu. I love introducing the band to a life-long friend, and becoming fast friends  with everyone else’s.

The Sweetness has a few dates on the calendar for 2012. We have another North American tour in the works for February, and recording of another EP. Other than that – and my new album – I can’t tell you what the next year will bring. I can say my heart is pulling me back to the drawing board, creatively and intellectually. Sometimes it’s nice to feel remind myself that I’m not in control, take a step back and admire all that life has thrown at me.  The good and the bad.

It’s been a pretty great ride.

PS. If you haven’t heard, The Recording Conservatory of Austin has chosen me out of 400+ as a finalist to win $20,000 in recording and gear. Voting is simple and only takes two seconds – just click here!

If you’re not getting happier with age, you’re doing something wrong.

That’s what my buddy, Seth Glier told me Ani Difranco (my hero) said to him a while back. It stuck an absolute chord with me. And from time to time, I remember that statement and try to gauge my relative happiness. For whatever reason it came up tonight and here are the first few things that came to mind:

1) I am touring with a full band, in a new, stressful situation – one that’s made me painfully aware of my overall control issues. Mostly, when I feel like I’m out of control – I get snappy, defensive, and passive aggressive with the people I love. This was an issue when Chloe and I were on tour last year – she brought it up, and we worked through it. Later, she recognized the fact that I’d grown through the course of the tour.

My solution: remember that none of it is personal, it’s not just me running the show anymore, and that can be a beautiful thing. Meditate and let go. Recognize and apologize when I’ve been a bitch. I have total confidence I can work through this.

2) I am doing work that I love, some of which is not completely centers around making someone else’s material stronger. In the past I didn’t have the skills or patience to work as a sideman, or step back long enough to let someone else’s ideas shine through. I love watching other people’s reactions to my bandmate’s tunes.

3) I pack less. When I was 19, I went to Mexico for a week with my older sister on spring break vacation. I must have brought two over-sized suitcases, bloated and packed full of heels and dresses and all kinds of crap I didn’t touch once. I’m now traveling around Europe for two months with one carry-on size suitcase, my guitar and vihuela. It’s hot pink, and my older sister lent it to me.

4) It is 3am, I played a wonderful show tonight, my best friends are all cuddled up around me, and tomorrow morning, we will sleep in. I will eat oatmeal, go for my second jog around Berlin, catch our friend Aisha’s art opening and discuss possibly subletting a flat in May. I have a job that enables me to do all of the above.

5) I know now that all I can rely on is change. Even with that, unhappiness is a choice.  Even still, my mantra: all in life comes to me with ease, joy and glory.

All of these things make me happy.

I’m sitting in the middle of London Heathrow Airport, waiting for my next flight gate to post so I can scurry off to meet Chloe and Sam. We fly to Frankfurt, and Friday, debut as The Sweetness at Joe’s Bar in Berlin.

Here’s the deal. The last few weeks have been crazy, and uhmazing, and I’ve gotten distracted by all the work and haven’t kept in touch. Oy. Apologies a billion.

You can read about how we came together here, here, and here.

Read about how we’re trying to raise money to fund this lil’ European tour here.

and finally, the lineup of our dates this month.

Mar 25th, Silent Friday, Stuttgart, DE
Mar 26th, Sofa Salon, Berlin, DE
Mar 27th, Joe’s Bar, Berlin, DE
Mar 30th, Ae, Berlin, DE
Apr 1st, Waldsee, Freiburg, DE
Apr 2nd Universum, Stuttgart, DE
Apr 3rd, 59 to 1, Munchen, DE
Apr 6th, Canadian Blast Showcase – The Garage, London, UK
Apr 8th, The Moon and Sixpence, Glossop, UK
Apr 10th, The Puzzle Hall Inn, Yorkshire, UK
Apr 11th, The Gaslight Club, Oporto, Leeds
Apr 12th, The Garage Bar, Doncaster, UK
Apr 13th, The Laugh Inn, Chester, UK
Apr 14th, The Zephyr Bar, Huddersfield, UK
Apr 15th, The Local Presents – Downstairs at The King’s Head, London, UK
Apr 16th, The Regal Room, London, UK
Apr 19th, Seven Arts, Leeds, UK
Apr 21st, The Maze, Nottingham, UK
Apr 22nd, Walker House Concert, Nottingham, UK
Apr 23rd, Cafe Tarifa, Oxford, UK
Apr 24th, The Bullington, Oxford, UK
Apr 28-May 18th, TBA, Netherlands & Italy

But not without a sneak peak of a track I wrote off of our new EP, “What’s it like to be a Sprinkler, I Wonder?”

I give you, - “Sweet on Me”

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.