Putting A Record Out, Is Hard! (AKA: The Indie Chick Challenge)

Ah yes, "sometimes it's hard to be a woman, giving all your love to just one man..." 

...but you know what's even harder than that?  Putting out a record as an indie-pop chick!

If you've never done it, it might look like fun.  And of course there are bits of it that are frekkin' fun, like getting to play Glastonbury, having a song you wrote in a feature film, or hearing your music on the radio!  But the behind-the-scenes work can be pretty all-consuming & in this day and age, most indie musos have day jobs (I do).  And therefore, the thing that makes you tick is delegated to the evenings and weekends.  That's not defeatist, it's realistic, London rent is steeeeeeeep!

So, sorry friends if I haven't been able to hang out with you for a while.  I've been gathering my PR assets & those assets are about to be unleashed on the world & then we tour.  Get ready for it people!

Meanwhile, there's album artwork, video shoots, press release, EPK & web site, photo shoots, remixes, b-sides, Itunes bonus book, merch, chasing, rehearsing, researching and lots and lots of e-mailing.  It's essentially like having a 2nd job as a project coordinator.  Does that sound glamorous to you?  I have spreadsheets, multiple spreadsheets & that doesn't feel too rock 'n' roll!  Did I start a band to make spreadsheets?  Hello no!  But do I want to do a proper job of this to enable my album to connect in the biggest way possible.  Well, yes of course!

And therein lies the rub.  If I'm going to do this, I want to do it correctly & well & make the most of my opportunities.

I don't think Janice Joplin would have been too dutiful with metadata, I'm not sure if Jimi Hendrix could have been trusted to organise a video shoot, do you think Led Zeppelin set up their own PRS registrations?  Nope.  But "times they are a'changing" and I don't curse that really because it simply is what it is.  Music bizz has always changed, it started out as sheet music ya know?  So we've come a long way from there.

The Indie Chick Challenge is compounded by not having any money for anything.  So everything is "on a favour" and "could you help me?" and "mate's rates" and as an artist I know that people's skills and talents are worth something.  I would LOVE to pay everyone who helps me, lots of money.  One day, maybe I can/will!  But it's nice that nobody seems to worry about it too much in the meantime.

I think that the people who help me know I appreciate them.  Sometimes we do things on a trade, like The Real Tuesday Weld has kindly done a remix for me, in exchange for some singing, see?  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cYBCrYPRFUU

Or once Carim from Psapp mastered an album for me at a heavily discounted rate and I baked him 4 cakes to supplement the fee.  (Carim loves cake!)

And for every Piney video you see, you can know that it has been created thanks to kindness & willingness to participate.  See? https://www.youtube.com/user/MissPineyGir/videos

Here I am just before a photo shoot I did last week.
Katrin was rushing over after work to take the pics.
Thanks Katrin!

I guess we just have to get creative with our approach, because let's face it, unless you're Katy Perry, Mumford and Sons, or Florence and the Machine, it's not likely you are surviving on your creative output/income alone, or if you are, then you definitely don't live in London (or you might have help from Mom and Dad, but that's a whole other kind of blog - there are quite a few trust fund musicians out there).

And so the creative family helps one another out, artistically.  Actually, that's a beautiful thing & enables a sense of community.  In that sense I'm lucky, really really lucky to be surrounded by the people that I know.

Okay, so maybe it's not SO bad,
but it's still hard to do loads of spreadsheets!

Wish me luck,

x

Piney

 

New Year's Resolutions

So what are your New Year's resolutions?

They say if you tell people what your resolutions are you're more likely to stick to them... here are mine!

1. Ebay all those old dresses I no longer wear - I know, a girl can never have too many clothes right?  Well, I can't fit the clothes into my closet & this has been a case for some time now!  Ever since I moved out of the Listria Park (if you ever saw my room there it was likened to a vintage clothes boutique: with walls of dresses and wracks of shoes) I haven't had sufficient space for my dresses.  I currently have over a dozen boxes of dresses that I need to auction off.  Beautiful, one-of-a-kind, vintage frocks, that for whatever reason I don't wear.  I guess my stage look has evolved a bit, it's less Sandra Dee than it used to be, thus the surplus of dresses...  This is a serious task, but will feel good to get it done and free up that space!

2. Figure out what the heck a 'cloud' is and back up all my techie stuff.  At the moment I am so NOT techie that if my computer failed tomorrow, that'd just be it, everything would be gone... so yes, I need to figure this shizz out.  Any tech tutors out there?  I can pay you in enchiladas, or bake you a cake. 

3. Get all that Piney Merch photographed and over to Greedbag.  I have a Piney Gir shop, see?  https://pineygir.greedbag.com the thing is, I have all this cute jewellery and other lovely handmade things at home, cluttering up my hallway when these things could be out there making people happy. Then I'd have more space for shoe storage.  Win/Win!

4. Figure out the shoe storage issue.  I'll spare you the details but believe me it's an issue! 

I just proofread this blog and I sound a bit vacuous running around town moaning about shoe storage.  I am blessed to have the problems that I have!  But what I can take away from this blog is this... I need to create more space and more order so perhaps that is the umbrella for these resolutions, the general 'to do' as it were.  When my physical space is calm, my inner space will also be calm (that's the idea anyway)... 

So 2015 will be about creating space and achieving a sense of order both outwardly and inwardly.

Wish me luck!  

xx

Piney

Home Sick & Blogger Blues

'Tis the season for cooties, and I a got 'em!

I haven't been home for 3 days in a row since I moved to my new East London pad 6 months ago.  So in a sense, that's been nice, it's a shame it takes feeling bad to give me some chill time, but that is how it is.  I have made a new Spotify playlist that I can't stop listening to, caught up on some Piney admin,  cleaned the house from top to bottom, written 4 songs for the next album & now I'm saying hi to you.  "Hi!" After this I'm going to do one of those green face masks.  You can picture it now, ay... all 50's housewife cliché!  Maybe I'll bake some bread.

Anyway, I have a case of the blogger blues in the sense that I can't seem to blog consistently, then I feel guilty about it, then I put it off, and it's a viscous circle.  I like writing, I like putting it out there... it's just life innit?  It gets on top of you, mundane stuff gets in the way, or sometimes you're too busy doing things you could blog about to find time to blog it.  Catch 22, but a nice problem to have I guess.

So, Thursday night I went to my lovely friend Alice's opening, she's created a new shop called "We Built This City" which is currently a pop-up shop on Carnaby Street.  Check it out!  It's like an affordable art gallery or something, it's all London-specific, but not in a tacky t-shirt way, but more in a "Ain't London great?" kind of way.  A lot of artists, designers and makers are inspired by this city.  It was great to be reminded of that.

If you do go to the shop, all the pigeons within the shop were assembled by mine own hand.  It basically involved connecting the feet to the bodies, so fairly minimal effort on my part, but there were 50+ of them.  Alice sold one of them on opening night, so that bodes well.  In fact, here they are.

Kate Beckinsale's scream

For those of you who don't know,
this is Kate Beckinsale.

So, I mentioned in my last blog about how I have a new job... the other day the sound effects company downstairs came upstairs to ask a favour of me.  They needed Kate Beckinsale to scream... however in the footage they had of her she was not really screaming, instead she was doing more of a confused grunting thing.

I'm not sure why the guys downstairs thought I'd be good at screaming, perhaps they sense I have big lungs or maybe I have a loud mouth!

Anyway, I viewed the scene and they explained my motivation and I did several types of screams for them to choose from.  It was fun & made everyone laugh; a funny 5 minutes out of the day to help those guys out.

(FYI: if you see this film, my scream can be heard at a moment when you see Simon Pegg's face & Kate Beckinsale is scrambling around.)

What a funny aspect of the ol' day job, ay?

But then I felt a little sad, because I didn't realise this scream is going to be part of Robin William's final film.  It's called Absolutely Anything & he voices "Dennis the Dog."  I can hear his voice floating up the stairs all day, every day, as they splice the film and voiceover.  It's eerie, haunting, comforting and sad all at the same time.

I never dreamed I would be linked to Robin Williams, especially not posthumously.  I grew up with Robin Williams, and now my scream can be heard in a film where he voices a dog.   It is truly an honour.

Spoiler Alert: this is Dennis the Dog and Simon Pegg
from the film "Absolutely Anything"

I have a new job...

Hi there,

It might surprise some of you to know I have a day job. However, if you know any musicians or songwriters they all most likely have a day job (unless you are mates with Katy Perry or someone like that). This is by no means a blog-rant about the music bizz & the plight of the indie muso & more of a thing about my new job...

My new job is in Soho, London. I’m still getting used to that fact.

The past several years I have worked in the depths of Way West London, for some reason what I do by day gravitates to that part of the world. I have always lived in North-Northeast London resulting in epic commutes for years. I have written most of my songs/albums on the tube = FACT! 

Now I work in Soho. That’s a nice sensible place to work, no? It’s the middle of town so anyone can get there with relative ease. This in itself is a good thing! When I have a meeting, I can literally pop out and have the meeting, I no longer have to budget an hour to get there and an hour to get back meaning a 30 minute meeting really takes 2.5 hours of the day.

There are limitless options for lunch. I heard that Obama’s favourite Hawaiian burger joint opened a branch in Soho, so I tried the halloumi and sweet potato fries there = winner! Fancy a burrito? = check! Ah, I could really do with some proper Italian pizza by the slice = oh there it is! Nice, sunny day? Why not cue up for Savage Salads? (Savage Salads is my fave Soho food truck & apparently a lot of other people’s favourite food truck too). Heck, you could even meet a friend for lunch (unless you’re working up against the clock on a brief & that DOES happen - well it's a job after all).

Going for a drink after work doesn’t mean getting home super late (unless you end up at Trisha’s or The Pheonix, natch!).

But what I’m finding most interesting about working in Soho is the Crossrail project. I bet you didn’t expect me to say that!

London's historic 'Astoria' is no more.

I’m sad The Astoria is gone (although having played there a couple of times, I’m pretty sure there were plenty of rats backstage)... but all in all I’m pleased with this development. For a start it should help commuters & I’m all for that. But what’s cool is my office looks right over it. I can peer into the pit and see the Crossrail developing and changing and it’s really cool. I’m right by the hole where they discovered the Roman Ruins.  See? http://www.crossrail.co.uk/sustainability/archaeology/

What’s also funny about the Crossrail is the number of builders’ conversations I have overheard. It’s been a hot summer, so I’ve been working with my window open & I suppose they don't know I can hear them. Now, it’s not been like the famous Diet Coke Ad, believe me! BUT I have overheard chaps talking about methods they use to chat up a girl in a bar, say.  As a girl who hangs around in bars, this interests me.  This particular group of builders seems to like to watch “An Idiot Abroad” - so do I!  And I heard one of them talking about taking his girlfriend to Paris. It’s sweet & has been an insight into the mind of the average man because men talk differently when a girl is around. I seem to meet a lot of middle class fopps to be honest (that’s not a diss, I too am a middle class fopp & I’m fairly sure builders are more well-off than me and my foppish friends & our low-paid media jobs funding our flat-shares). Perhaps builders get a bad wrap. They don’t all wolf-whistle or swear like the stereotype of yesteryear, and yes it's true... some women are known to fantasise about some hot builder whisking them off to Paris, and ladies it would seem that's an achievable goal!

Xx

Piney

How to be a Punk Rock Girl...

So I might seem the most unlikely suspect to blog about being a Punk Rock Girl - I wear dresses every day, I love Dolly Parton, I recently blogged about a cupcake tour of London... these things are NOT the stereotype of what a Punk Rock Girl is, right?

But I think being a Punk Rock Girl comes in many guises... it's having a rebel yell in your heart, it's the smoking-behind-the-bleachers attitude that never leaves you (even if you don't smoke - p.s. E-cigs are not punk rock!), it's drinking cava in the park even though it's against the law because it's a silly law on the hottest day of the year.  It's telling it like it is even if it's hard to say.

A Punk Rock Girl is an outsider, she plays by her own rules.  That's not to say she's a baddy.  Punk Rock Girls can have good manners too.  I.e. if someone's glasses fall off in the mosh pit you help them find their specs.  That's just common pit etiquette!

A Punk Rock Girl has an adventurous & curious spirit and will try most anything once.  She has a strong sense of self and doesn't need to be told what to do or how to do it.  She forges her own path, even if it is the road less travelled.

So in that sense ladies and gents, I am a Punk Rock Girl.  I do my indie thing and embrace new experiences with a sense of wonder.  I find solidarity in my fellow riot grrrls and sense a new wave of feminism is upon us.  One where the Punk Rock Girls will lead the way and I mean Punk Rock in the broadest & most inclusive sense... (p.s. you can be a Punk Rock Guy too).

I'm going to leave you now with The Dead Milkmen enjoy!  And hey, do something a little crazy, something you've never done before, something a little out of your comfort zone.  I dare you...

xx
P

A Cupcake Tour of London - bon appétit!

As I type this I'm aware that this is possibly my twee-est blog topic... but if knowing is half the battle, then I'm halfway there, right?

My dear friend Katrin, some might remember her as 'The German One' from The Schla La Las.  If you don't remember who The Schla La Las are, we were a blip on the London art-rock scene a few years ago, here we are on youtube, see?  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9jDI6oUkudw


Anyway, I digress... so Katrin kindly took me on this cupcake tour of London, it was a touristy sort-of outing.  I so rarely stop to enjoy the city I live in.  I'm always too busy rushing around, trying to take over the world!  So it was a much needed day out.



Here she is with a miniature cupcake at Lorraine Pascale's Cupcake Bakehouse in Covent Garden

We then went to the famous French macaroonerie Ladurée of which there are 2 in London and yes, we went to them both!

Our charming Scottish tour guide took us down the real alleyway that inspired Diagon Alley from the Harry Potter Books, which was conveniently near Sweet Coutoure


We walked through China Town and I was disappointed we didn't stop at any of the odd Chinese bakeries, but I can always go back to China Town.



We passed through Soho and our tour guide told us all sorts of facts about the old Soho, the new Soho and some of the rock 'n' rollers that passed through the historic region over the years.

We had more cupcakes at The Hummingbird Bakery which never disappoints.

Then we had more sweet treats, this time macaroons, at a blue place that looks like an Aquarium and these may have been the favourite sweet treats of the day in my book!  But this is not the end of our sugary plight.




We crossed Soho to Patisserie Valerie for more French fancies and then headed to Savile Row to see where The Beatles did their famous roof-top gig.

(Apparently, it's possible
to get a vegetarian version,
but I'm not very desperate
to try one.)

Last but not least we went to Fortnum and Mason which was established in 1707 and takes credit for inventing the Scotch Egg.

As a vegetarian, I have never tried a Scotch Egg.  For the fellow Americans of you, dear readers, I will explain that a Scotch Egg is  a hard boiled egg covered in sausage meat and breadcrumbs and then baked.  Sort of weird, huh?  But normal if you grew up over here in the UK post-1707.


We then bid our lovely Scottish host Adieu and hopped in a black cab for a sugar-fuelled adventure, an adventure for another blog post, as this is getting lengthy.  If you want to see more photos of our culinary adventures, the cakes we ate are all here for you to see...

https://www.flickr.com/photos/88986055@N00/sets/72157643524024644/

Meanwhile, don't forget to take some time out and enjoy the cake, the scenery, or whatever takes your fancy.  Bon appétit!

xx
Piney

Tube Strikes = Lord of the Flies

Those of you who have not lived in a large metropolis might find the issue of a tube strike un-relatable.  But to those of you who do, you will know just how our 'survival of the fittest' instincts start to kick in.  I think there's a kind of fight-or-flight reaction to it.

I am a flight person, i.e. I want to stick to the walk-able distances from my house and work from home and let the world duke it out.  But sometimes that's not possible... I.e. my day job seems to have a more 'bums on seats' mentality.  A lot of places do, spurring a cold, hard case of presentee-ism.

So, I made it... schlepping from a corner of North East London to a corner of South West London, I wasn't sure I would make it, but here I am.  And for those of you (Kansas City, home-town friends I'm looking at you) who have never experienced this, this is what it feels like...

This scene from Godzilla (1998) is not far
off from today's commuter experience

Leaving the house, the streets were overcrowded with grumpy people, late, in a hurry, rushing, and tutting when someone crosses their path.  Hostility fills the air like a thick funky fog.  There are people in suits with briefcases literally running.  There is no point hailing a cab, traffic isn't moving.  I'm not sure how to sum this up really, but if you've ever seen that film where Godzilla is crushing New York and people are running around all crazy while traffic is in a state of grid-lock, then you're not far off.

Luckily there was still a skeletal tube system on offer, slow and intermittent, overcrowded like the typical sardine-can metaphor.

I was lucky enough to get a seat, but ended up sitting next to a guy who actually urinated on the floor whilst sitting next to me (and yes, I was fast to pick my pink leather bag up off of the tube floor) the miniature yellow rivers trickling ever-closer to my suede, ankle boots; smells filtering through the carriage.  Good morning, Britain!

The mile-or-so walk from West Brompton involved, getting totally lost, stumbling onto a construction site in conjunction with icy gales of wind hailing South from the Scottish Highlands.  Oh to be indoors sipping Scotch and nibbling shortbread next to a fireplace with a hound at my feet.

This man looks very pleased
to be cooking me up for dinner

The tube strike brings out a real animal quality in people, snarling for space, pushing their way through with a sense of self-importance.  It clashes with the Golden Rule: "Do unto others as you would have them do to you."

If Tube Strike = Lord of the Flies then I'm yesterday's BBQ.
xx
P

Sometimes it’s good to remember where you are from.

This lesson has taken me a while to learn.

When I left Kansas City I felt like I couldn't get far enough away.  That’s not a bad slant on Kansas City… K.C. is an awesome place to be from & a great city.  I had to grow up somewhere and I would have wanted to flee wherever I was from; that’s my nature to explore the exotic… So I went as far away as I could think to go.  London, England.  And here I am; lately I’m feeling a sense of nostalgia.  Maybe it’s the long winter nights giving me too much time to think… this heightened nostalgia could be a result of social networks like Facebook and Twitter and Instagram.  There are always reminders of old school friends; it’s so simple to be a part of someone’s daily life by scrolling through their Instagram profile, or to get a little banter going on Twitter that you would otherwise have had to plan a long distance phone call, write a letter or compose a thought-out e-mail to achieve.  Technology has connected me to my roots, and now that I’ve been far away for a while… I miss it!  Dorothy Gale had it right when she said, “There’s no place like home.” 

Dorothy Gale & Toto

I’m just not sure where home really is.  The only constant place in my memory is my grandparents' farm in Wisconsin… surrounded by forest, sometimes we’d spot a wintry wolf on the trail of a fat wild turkey; in the summer if the wind was right, we could hear the Dixieland jazz coming from the river boat cruises on the Mississippi River.  But Kansas City’s different from that, it’s more cosmopolitan yet still with a friendly Midwest sensibility: there are kitsch cafes, vintage shops, velvet lounges, red-neck bars, cool little art galleries, the jazz district at 18^th and Vine, and diners!  24-hour diners where you could get a grilled cheese after a night out and all the freaky people would be there downing pancakes and fried fancies at 4:00 AM debriefing the evening's events with friends, waitresses never stop pouring coffee top-ups and driving home when the sun came up.  I miss that!

That being said, I love London; it’s a vibrant city full of culture, bursting with creativity, and plenty of quirk and glamour.  These things are what drew me here.  I’m also a big fan of vintage detective mysteries like Poirot and Sherlock Holmes, but that could be a topic for another blog.  Having been in London for over a decade now, I have a lot of good friends; like a second family.  I have career opportunities, creative outlets, constant cultural stimulus… I can’t complain.  I came here and I ‘made-it’ for lack of a better word.  But it’s funny how the grass can start to seem greener on the other side of the pond.

This photo was taken in Kansas City by Nate K.

It makes you ask yourself what ‘home’ means.  Is it where you are from?  Is it where you are now?  Is it where you are going?  Or is it simply where the heart is? 

One thing is for sure… I’m not in Kansas anymore.

xx P

p.s. Yes I have the sparkly red shoes
and no, they do not work… 

My New Mission & Golders Green

Hello Readers

I am on a mission to rediscover London.  After living here for over a decade now, I find myself in patterns and ruts adhering to the daily grind… cramming in studio time, gigs, videos and all the busy Piney stuff on top of work work work.  It's a viscous cycle and if I don't do something to break that pattern I will soon be mayor of Burn Out City. 

So, I have made a list of cool stuff to do in London to remind me why I live here.

Because we all know London is one of the finest cities in the world, right?  There is the best theatre, modern dance, art galleries, music of all types, fashion shows, pop up restaurants, cocktail clubs with secret doorbells, tranny bars in Soho, foodie markets, dog beauty contests, kitsch bowling and indie discos alongside the Royal Opera House and Shakespeare's Globe… every night one is spoiled for choice, able to do just about anything at any time (apart from ordering blueberry pancakes at 3AM - if anyone finds a place like that in London, please let me know!)

Anyway, it is so easy to find oneself suffering from tunnel vision; when all we see is what we already do as a course of habit.  It can be a real drag, the same-o/same-o, and one could forget why we chose to live in The Old Smoke in the first place.

… and so I've made a list, because I don't want to lose sight of why I live here, that it's not just about paying bills and cramming in as much work as possible.  It can also be about the good stuff.  I need to make time for the good stuff.

Now, my idea of the good stuff might be different from yours… but join me on my 'Rediscovering London' Mission if you wish, and feel free to post your ideas on this here blog forum.  Thanks!

Today, I went to explore a part of London that I've never been to before.  Golders Green.  Golders Green is historically Jewish - popping up as a London suburb in the 1800s or so… though it is more diverse in these modern times, there's still a hub of kosher delis, bakeries and shops.  Some local attractions tend to be closed on Saturday (the Sabbath) so bear that in mind if you're planning a trip to G.G.

This zone 3, North London destination may not be everyone's cup of tea.  However, I had a fantastic time exploring.  I browsed the many charity shops (there are so many, that I lost count!) charity shop staff was quirky and attentive, prices were very reasonable and there was a good mixture of genuine vintage and designer labels as well as your typical discarded Top Shop and Primark fare; I bought a few Christmas presents (yes I always start early with that kind of thing) and enjoyed whiling away the afternoon on the little high street there.

I went to the Paradise Bakery and bought a chocolate babka that was AMAZING.  I had a coffee-flavoured gelato at Bella Del Gelato and a good strong kosher coffee at SoYo.  Though what makes a coffee kosher, I'm not sure… does it need to be blessed by a rabbi?  

I went to Golders Hill Park for a walkabout before the weather changed.  And then had some fresh sushi at Cafe Japan.  

All in all it was a grand day out...

Stay tuned for the next instalment!  I wonder what I'll do next?

xx

Piney

Londonniversary - 15 years!

So, it's official, I think I can truly call myself a Londoner, I have been a girl about town in London for 15 years now!  

I know, it’s hard to believe that 15 years ago, I got off the plane from Kansas City via Newark with two big trunks full of tweed and wool and jaunty little hats and sensible shoes (because I thought that’s how Londoners dressed... well that’s how you guys dress on the shows I’d seen on PBS like Poirot and films like Cold Comfort Farm).

I soon realised that y’all are a much more stylish bunch, intimidatingly stylish.  I went through phases to try and blend in, wearing all black, the C&A equivalent of what waspy girls were buying at French Connection in 1998, I tried to dress ultra modern in 2000 – ya know, millennium style , lots of white and silver, anime Japanese tops  and crisp trendy sportswear, my favourite store was SuperLovers on Neal Street...  I recall having a silver bum bag (which of course I referred to as a fanny pack).

Then I thought, f*ck it, who am I kidding?  I like vintage dresses, the kind I used to pilfer from the back of my grandmother’s closet, why am I trying to blend in?  The thing is, you can take the girl out of Kansas, but you can’t take the Kansas out of the girl.  And it was then that I really felt I found my niche, my London niche, and I’ve stuck with it for 15 years...

My first weekend in London I went to Notting Hill Carnival.  I vowed never to go back!  But this year, just days before my 15 year anniversary here in London, my boyfriend’s mother was really determined to go, she’d never been... and I felt sort of morally obliged to help her though the experience.  Like a local guide who enables tourists to climb the Himalayas so shall I guide my boyfriend's mom through the Notting Hill Carnival. 

Now, one thing I can say is Notting Hill Carnival is the same now as it was 15 years ago and something tells me it wasn't so different from the first Carnival in 1966.

But I tell you what, this time it was different, this time instead of feeling overwhelmed by the sea of people, the chicken bones in the street, the warm Red Stripe, piss and vomit creeping steadily down the streets and sidewalks; I felt strong, I knew where I was going, I knew what side streets to take to avoid the worst crowds, I knew which tube station to hop to, to avoid the worst of the rush, and I knew I wasn’t going to let Notting Hill Carnival win.  I felt a bit like I’d conquered London, I’m winning!

You’re a tough city London, but I love ya (most of the time)

xx

Piney

My Will Oldham Story - the FINAL Installment

Okay, so I’ve kept you waiting long enough haven’t I?

Here is how the story ends.

After the gig Will Oldham was swapping wardrobe tips with Calexico (before you get too baffled by that fact, they were discussing the merit of vintage waistcoats) and I was stood about 4 yards away discussing with G, Rob and Garo the “Should I / Shouldn’t I?” talk-to-him dilemma.  I was there, holding the CD with my cover of the Bonnie Prince Billy song “Ease Down The Road” and I had totally psyched myself up to give it to him leading up to my trip to West Virginia’s Mountain Stage.  

But when we finally came to be in the same room he had these intense eyes, he barely spoke to anyone pre-show (I put this down to him getting into character) and frankly, he wasn’t putting out a ‘come-up-and-talk-to-me’ vibe.  And so I was nervous about approaching him.

Eventually Rob told me to, “Get a grip, he’s right over there and he’s just a guy so go talk to him if you want to.  It’s no big deal.” – Easy for you to say Mr. Robert B. Campanella!  And so I took a deep breath and marched on over there. 

Me: “Excuse me for interrupting (your discussion about vintage waistcoats).  I wanted to say how much I enjoyed your show.  I’m a big fan, and I have even covered one of your songs on one of my singles.” 

I shoved the CD into his hands, he looked down at it... 

...insert awkward silence here...

Me: “So if you hate it, then you hate my guts”

...More awkward silence... I turn around and walk away...

Will Oldham (speaking to the back of my head): I liked your set.

Blushing giggles in the back of the tour van, "He liked my set, he liked my set!" cue copious amounts of wine at the after show.  The after show!  This is where we'll become new best friends over a few drinks and some vol-au-vents...everyone loosens up after free hotel wine and black olive tapenade, right?

... And then he'll invite me to tour the world with him.  I'll sing on his album, he'll sing on my album.  I'll move to Kentucky, we'll be neighbours.  I'll make him a pie for his birthday.  He'll whittle a flute for me out of a twig.  I'll learn to play that flute.  I'll become the greatest twig/flute player the world has ever known, and I'll owe it all to him.  Good ol' Will, my new best friend.

But he didn't come to the after show.

That’s right folks, I’ve met Bonnie Prince Billy, and unfortunately we are not new best friends.  He might remember the girl who once said "If you hate it, then you hate my guts" though.

Xx 

Piney

My Will Oldham Story – part 3

“Man she’s really dragging this story out!” you might be thinking... but it’s amazing how a short trip to West Virginia can feel so epic.

I believe we left off here: After grabbing the guitars from Michael’s West Virginia Hall of Fame, we went to collect Rob and G at the airport.  They schlepped over from Los Angeles; the ice and snow of the Smoky Mountains was a complete culture shock for those California boys.

We were safely shuttled to the city centre where we visited a rockin’ pizza place called Pies and Pints http://www.piesandpints.net/ the guys crashed out because we had a big day to come.

** my pizza did not have meat on it! xx p

The following morning the Culture Centre welcomed us with open arms (and all-you-can-drink coffee).  Because me and Garo live in London and G and Rob live in LA we hadn't played together since the tour in October.  So we jammed in the dressing room for a couple of hours while Calexico http://www.casadecalexico.com soundchecked with all their wonderful warm mariachi brass and crazy percussion pit.  They don’t half put on a show!

I was running around with curlers in my hair trying not to get nervous, that all-you-can-drink coffee wasn't helping the nerves.  

Chatted to those nice chaps from Camper Van Beethoven for a bit... 

...and I got to meet Larry Groce http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Larry_Groce not only is he the lovely presenter of The Mountain Stage, but he was a pop a star in his own rite!  He had a hit with Junk Food Junkie http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZLiVeRJTtqo and it was even covered by the Jackson 5 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MWEe3IR58lw AND he wrote albums for Disney.  How cool is that?

So we do our gig and it was really great fun to play such a classy big venue, and to see a radio show recorded live and to see all the other performers.  The House Band was off the hook!  And we had the best seat in the house for the rest of the gig, just backstage on the left...In fact you can hear the Mountain Show, on NPR here:

http://www.npr.org/event/music/177043995/piney-gir-on-mountain-stage

Will Oldham’s set moved me to tears when he did a cover of the Loudon Wainwright song “Screaming Issue.” But I can’t tell you what a fan I am of Will Oldham already anyway... and he had such an intimidating air about him I didn't know how to act.  Rob said I was probably just making that up in my own mind.  Rob is probably right.  Maybe what seemed intimidating about him was just shyness or getting prepared in his own mind for his show to come.  He had very intense eyes and he barely said a word to anyone.  

My anticipation in the weeks building up to the Mountain Stage Session was magnified by how big of a Will Oldham fan I actually am.  I covered his song, ‘Ease down the Road’ on one of my Country Roadshow singles a few years ago.  In my mind I was going to meet him in West Virginia, give him the copy of the (now very rare) single where I covered his song, and he would love it... then we’d be new best friends.  He’d put me on his speed dial (if he even has a speed dial) and I’d be his quirky Kansas City via London gal pal.  We’d tour the world together; he’d sing with me, I’d sing with him.  My friendship fantasy grew and grew... Will Oldham was going to be my new best friend! 

Stay tuned for the final instalment of ‘My Will Oldham Story’

Do you think we are new best friends?  Vote now: yes/no...

Xx

Piney

My Will Oldham Story - part 2

Right, so here’s part 2:  We dump our stuff at the Super 8 and go across the street to the grocery store to stock up on supplies.

By supplies I mean the stuff I get homesick for living in England.  I.e. S’mores-flavoured Pop Tarts, lemon meringue chewing gum, Lawry’s Seasoned Salt, Kraft Mac ‘n’ Cheese (yes the kind that comes in a box with the powdered cheese), Jello Pudding (all flavours), Jiffy Corn Bread Mix, a variety of hot sauces, Kool Aid (Black Cherry & Pink Lemonade flavours specifically), Peanut Butter Oreos... you get the picture.

After the big shop, we meet Adam from Mountain Stage and his lovely girlfriend Trish at the Mexican restaurant across the road and we heartily decide it’s ‘margarita-o’clock’ so get stuck in to chips, salsa, and salt-rimmed glasses of tangy lime tequilas.  We ordered extra queso sauce and I daresay we feasted.  

After being awake for 36+ hours we then passed out in a food-booze-queso-induced coma.  I have never slept so well.

The next morning super-sweet Jeff from Mountain Stage collects us to take us to The West Virginia Hall of Fame, it is here we meet Michael who kindly let us use some lovely, vintage guitars and we nosed around his Hall of Fame, which is basically a bunch of super cool West Virginia stuff!  http://www.wvmusichalloffame.com

Michael is also in a band, they’re called The Carpenter Ants http://www.carpenterants.wvmusichalloffame.com/ and wow were they good!  Great musicianship, wonderful singing, and just the kind of gospel-tinged, blues-oriented, riff-led,  country-rock you’d expect at the foot of the Smokies... After the Mountain Stage show we ended up at a The Empty Glass http://www.emptyglass.com where the Carpenter Ants were playing.  The bar girl gave my band free hot dogs which pleased G and Rob muchly!  I spotted there were a couple of girls in that bar that took a shining to my boys but they were obliviously chomping on their freelicious hot dogs... 

Ah!  But I digress, because this happened AFTER the Will Oldham encounter, and that’s why you’re reading this blog right?  Hmm... this is getting pretty long though, so stay tuned for part 3

xx

P

My Will Oldham Story - part 1

Right, so for those of you who haven't been in the loop you may not be aware of the fact that I now have a 'Will Oldham Story'...

Yes he's a bit of a hero, right?  I mean, he's a strange, warped, twisted hero, but you can't deny he's an indie-rock-underground legend!

So I went to the Mountain Stage, in Charleston West Virginia and this is how the story goes.

Firstly, our flight was cancelled in the middle of the night, luckily I was online checking last minute e-mails before the trip to West Virginia to play NPR's famous Mountain Stage Sessions with an amazing line up!  We'll get to that in a minute.

So we literally hoof it straight to Heathrow at 2:00 AM in hopes they can put us on the next flight.  You see, because our flight was cancelled we would have missed the session!  It was tres stressful!

We hang around Heathrow for hours, fueled by large coffees, on the promise that they will get us on a flight, and they do!  Hurrah!

The flight is turbulent to say the least, there is a serious blizzard brewing below and there were times I wondered if the Mountain Stage was worth risking my life for... When we landed safely I kissed the earth, the terra firma that is my homeland - America awaited me.  We were in the nation's capital city of Washington DC and we had more hours to kill waiting for the 2nd flight.  Much to my delight there were burritos and tortilla soup in terminal C, and I utter the words "there is no place like home."  You see, Mexican food made by a Mexican person is in another league to this British Mexican food we get here in the UK, and that's true even in the airport.

We get on a tiny tiny plane, which requires bundling up and slipping out onto the runway where the salt and grit had melted the ice away in little pathways.

The plane felt like it was made by Playmobil.

We hadn't slept for 24 hours.  The view below was stunning and other-worldly, like a white-dusted, crazy quilt.  I felt like I was floating due to the lack-of-sleep, caffeine-fueled, post-Mexican-food, trance-like state I found myself in.  It was a beautiful way to see the Smokey Mountains, up high in the clouds with snow below.

Adam from the Mountain Stage was there to greet us and he was the epitome of Southern hospitality.  He took us to our Super 8 through the winding, snow-ploughed roads.  He was used to these conditions.  He runs the Mountain Stage dang it, and he's a Mountain Man, a little snow on the zig-zag roads left him nonplussed.

And we were there!  The city of Charleston welcomed us and that's where I'm going to leave you (until the next installment)

Here's a little video about the journey featuring a cover I did of Bonnie Prince Billy's "Ease Down The Road" - please check it out!

And watch this space for Part 2 of the story!
xx
Piney

It's The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year (?????) I think so...

Okay, so basically my favourite day of the year is Halloween, I love it!  The wild nights, the crazy costumes, the free candy, I can't get enough of Halloween.  From Halloween to Christmas it's good times a-go-go!  The hols in fall and winter are pretty good.

In the UK there is Guy Fawkes night, which is kind of mental.  Children burn scarecrows on bonfires and people blow stuff up to commemorate Guy Fawkes' failed attempt and blowing up Parliament in 1605.  What an odd thing to celebrate, right?  But it's pretty and it's a good excuse to drink hot chocolate on Primrose Hill watching the fireworks over London town.

Thanksgiving, being an American in London, I tend to miss out on.  It seems like the universe doesn't want me to have Thanksgiving, because every year I have a gig that I am either playing or I must attend for social obligation (you know how it is, being a girl about town and all).  This year I was at the Father John Misty gig, delivering a special loaf of banana bread.

And so it's been YEARS since I've had a Tofurkey... and did you know the UK doesn't do pumpkin as a sweet thing?  They do pumpkin curry and pumpkin soup, but pie = no way José, unless it's a pie with goat's cheese and potato and pumpkin.

So I get the yearning for sweet pumpkin pie.  It means scouring the American section of the food hall in Selfridges to buy a can of pumpkin (have you ever tried to make pumpkin pie with a real pumpkin?  It ain't so good).

And that little jaunt to the food hall on Oxford Street can fulfil me when I feel homesick...that and Selfridge's ample supply of Jif peanut butter, which is a whopping £4 a jar = that's like $6.50.  I justify this expense because I would happily spend that much on a glass of wine in a bar, so why not spend that much on many pieces of wonderful breakfast toast?

I digress... so Christmas is coming.  I like Christmas, but thinking back, Christmas really stopped being a big deal after my parents split and when I was a teenager, I usually spent Christmas like a waif/stray at friends' parents' houses.  Thinking back that's kind of odd.  But I guess my mom wasn't much of a cook, and the lovely Robinson family, who Mom tended to spend Christmas with, well... they put bacon fat in EVERYTHING.  As a vegetarian it meant only eating pumpkin pie on Christmas day.  Which is kind of nice, but every now and then a girl wants some stuffing or green beans, right?

Once my mom took me to a Polynesian restaurant out by the airport, because it was one of the only places that was open in Kansas City on Christmas day.  I have really fond memories of this exotic Christmas dinner.  The tiki lounge feel of the place suited my inner spirit, which is kitsch through and through.  The pineapple in everything baffled my Kansas palette but it was something of an experience.  Don Ho's 'Tiny Bubbles' infiltrated the atmosphere, and then we went to see a movie.  It was something like Home Alone 2.  It might not be the traditional Christmas that people think about, but I'll always remember it well.

And this brings me to now.  This year, I am spending Christmas in the Oxfordshire countryside and it's a sparkling, traditional, family Christmas that I am lucky enough to be a part of.  The nights are very long in England this time of year (it's dark by 3:45 these days) and it's very and damp (because we are an island the wind is wet and stings).  So cosying up with a hot toddy and a game of Jenga is just what's needed to evoke true Christmas spirit.

Now all I gotta do is survive Christmas party season!  Wish me luck, and godspeed to you too dear reader.
xx
Piney

Chelsea Boots Girl

If you know a little about me... then you'll know that I am stuck in the 60s.

I don't know why, because I wasn't alive in the 60s, my parents never talked about the 60s and I'm not one of those people that seeks out LSD and free love.  I do not own anything tie-died.  There are still hippies everywhere, especially in California and Northeast London... but it's fun to dabble with hippy stuff sometimes; i.e. I am wearing 2 crystals today and a Mary Quant-style dress with lashings of eyeliner.  That's pretty 60's right?

I've been known to drink a Cherry B or Baby Cham purely for the kitsch packaging.  It's so sickly sweet, but I feel cool holding the bottle so I sip it slow. *footnote*

And I just love 60s clothes, man... I love them.  I collect them.  My bedroom is more like a giant closet with a bed in it, than a bedroom with some clothes in it.  I guess vintage fashion is my hobby and I have taken that hobby to an extreme.  I justify it with, "well I can always wear it on stage" and I do.

Last night, I was delighted to be on the Father John Misty guest list.  I felt like such a a jammy hipster, and it was a good gig.  Anyhoo... a hot London gig requires a good outfit and my black dress needed blood-red, velvet Chelsea Boots, natch!  But here's the catch, in London, in November, IT RAINS!  and I mean, it really rains, like a cold monsoon.  You'd think having left Kansas and lived here for 14 years now, I might have thought of that before leaving the house.  The thing about velvet shoes and rain, is that your feet get totally soaked, they are more of a glorified sock.  And so I've learned my lesson, the boots are on the radiator and I am hopeful they are not ruined.  I have nobody to blame but myself (and perhaps God for making it rain).

Chelsea (home of the Chelsea boot) ain't what it used to be.  Apparently in the 60's it was a real epicentre for music, fashion, cafe culture and general cool cats & beatniks.  Now Chelsea is full of rich people, Starbucks, and overpriced boutiques aimed at yummy mummies and retired media lovies.  Property values may be high, but if you ask me... there goes the neighbourhood!  Times They are A Changin' and there's no point fighting that.

I am trying to figure out why I'm obsessed with an era that is so distant from me.  Why do I feel this passion for a time that I have never known?  Why do I cling to a nostalgia that I have only experienced second hand?

I think it might have something to do with the fact I discovered secular music late in life, so when the rock 'n' roll flood gates were opened I soaked it all up like a sponge and took great fascination with the past.  I wanted to learn what made music what it is, the past that shapes the future.  There will never be another time like the 60's when it comes to music.  So I revere it, I respect it, and I feel a little sad I missed out.  I live vicariously through music, art and fashion.

I guess there is a sort of freedom in the fact that in the 60's there was this fun sonic playground that nobody had discovered before... such an exciting time with the invention of the Mellotron, synths, overdriven guitars, the notion that you can use the studio as an instrument, manipulating sounds and atmosphere.  Some classical composers played with this idea, people like Cage and Stockhausen, but pop pioneers like Phil Spector, The Beatles, The Stones, The Beach Boys, made it mainstream and we've never looked back.  Modern bands like Radiohead and Flaming Lips would not be what they are today if peeps in the 60's hadn't pushed the envelope waves.

So what better way to love you and leave you than with a song... a song by a band that inspire me a lot.  They capture that edgy, dangerous thing that the 60's represented, untapped rebellion with an icy, cool sheen.  Enjoy Velvet Underground, I love this song!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YuM3SteeAgY

xx
Piney

* it's probably not 'cool' to admit that something makes you feel cool *

Sugarman...

I am currently obsessed with this album!  Cold Fact by Rodriguez.
 
I know, I'm a late bloomer... y'all were telling me to see 'Searching for Sugarman' back when it came out last spring.   But I'm a busy girl and barely ever find 2 hours to sit still.  So I finally got round to seeing the movie a couple of weeks ago, in Pasadena, at a cute little art house cinema (with dollar popcorn, I might add!)

I have to say, this film spoke to me by the buckets.  Tears they did fly, but not sad tears, happy ones.  How joyous to see someone like Rodriguez who has fulfilled his destiny after long last and great patience.  He is unspoiled by his success, he is unaffected by his newfound fame.

Rodriguez, I salute you!  And I cannot wait to see you later.  I'm baking you a Sugarman cake as we speak...

xx
Piney

For those of you who like to know... I have just complete demo number 16 for the next Piney album, how exciting is that?!~!?

I have to say though, the last song I just finished (like just now, i.e. just this minute I finished it) sounds pretty goth.  I can't say I've ever written anything like it (well I guess Creature from Peakahokahoo was a little bit goth/Fad Gadget inspired)... but this new track is a lot more Tim Burtonesque, not so synth pop.

I think I blame the chronic grey skies here in England, today is particularly Sweeney Todd don't you think (Englanders, I'm talking to you!)?  Also, Katrin Schla is coming over later to watch a vampire movie with me, I've been looking forward to that all day!  We might have to get really garlic-laced pizza so we don't get attacked in the night.  I will sleep in my rosary beads with crucifix in tow.

I'd defo say the whole album is not goth, in fact it's just the one song (well and there is another one about a ghost of a mouse, but it's quite cheery really, that one).  Maybe it's too weird to even include on the album...  But people like weird stuff sometimes right?  Diamanda Galas has a whole career based on her weird and wonderful voice.  

Robert Smith is in one of my favourite bands, and he's done well out the goth persona.  One thing I'd say about The Cure though is if you didn't know what Robert Smith looked like, they wouldn't be a 'goth' band.  I mean their songs are pure pop!  Boys Don't Cry and Friday I'm in Love are some of the best pop songs ever written... put Robert in front of 'em and they get bracketed as a 'goth' band. 

But I've never been a fan of pigeon holes...  xx

Piney

Here's Looking At You: Hollywood Style

For those of you following our LA chronicles, this week features our good times had with the lovely Josh and Aurora... Josh directed the Here's Looking At You video (which is being edited in the other room as I type this) and Aurora sort of produced the video, or at least she helped scout locations, herd the boys around, give us fun facts about the neighbourhood (Old Hollywood) and generally kept our morale up when the sun was at its hottest!  Not only are J & A great friends and lovely ambassadors for LA, but they also do this cool blog/podcast, The Weekly Dictator, see?  Get your humorous history fix here!  http://weeklydictator.com

The sunglasses are to hide the tears..

Growler and Garo get emotional at Hard Rock when they spot Axl's jacket and Izzy's guitar...





So after a long day of shooting (and I have to say it was a long day!)  We whole-heartedly deserved this megarita!

It was soooooo hot, like the desert!  And while the boys watched football in an English-themed pub (yes really?!) I was out defacing stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, posing in front of old cinemas and standing by signs on street corners.

I did have a moment of reflection in Amoeba Records and was delighted to discover The Betty Page Store.  So as hard work goes, it sure wasn't bad.

There are a few more photos here if you want to check 'em out.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/88986055@N00/sets/72157631320703138/

Keep an eye out for the finished video and the next blog, coming soon!
Cheerio....
xx
Piney