You’ve got the songs. You’ve got the talent. Thinking about self-producing your album? Here are a few reasons you might want to consider working with a producer.
 

You need someone who knows your potential who can push you. You might be happy with the first take, but you need someone to say, “You can do better.”

 

An outside perspective helps. Maybe your voice sounds tired. Maybe you come across as sad during your happy, peppy song. Sometimes we need fresh ears to get the best take.

 

You need a signature…

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Without going into intimate details, let’s just say that, 7 weeks away from my due date, I’ve gone through some dramatic physical changes in the last few months. I used to fear these changes; they meant my body would never be the same--that my life would never be the same. But today, as I inspect these changes in the mirror, I’m fascinated. And for some reason it reminds me of the path I’ve taken in music and my decision to teach.

 

Some say that those who can’t do teach. This is absolutely wrong. Teaching…

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 http://deborahcrooks.blogspot.com/2013/07/artist-interview-its-all-happening-for.html

 I just received my first hate mail. After reading all my songwriting articles, the gentleman said I was trying to put every songwriter into the same box. He called me the master of the formulaic approach. This actually made me chuckle a little, since my music has been referred to as “avant garde with elements of pop”. But I took it as a compliment.

Yes, I teach formula. I believe in knowing the rules, theory, everything. Why? Because he who has never known boundaries is more lost than free. Only if you know…Read more

 
As I come to the end of a four-year recording project, I look back on vocal tracks I did two years ago versus a month ago. The difference is striking. After trying so many versions of the same song, I have come to understand something so fundamental but which has eluded me for years:

A good vocal track is not about being perfect.
I am a classically trained chorus girl ‘til the end. I’ve spent my entire musical career aiming to sound as perfect as possible. And while I have managed to make an…Read more

Mount Something, OR

I spent a long weekend in Portland with my husband who was competing in the Magic: The Gathering Grand Prix. We stayed with our good friend Joe Streckert (who had officiated our wedding). Apart from getting a nasty stomach flu on the second day, the trip was splendid. I made new friends and spent time with a good friend I hadn't seen since living in Japan. We rounded off the trip with a Game of Thrones viewing and brunch before our flight back.

 

 

  

During my stay, our host treated me…

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 Busking, or street performing for tips, is not for everyone long term. But trying it can yield fantastic results on many levels.

1. Good practice. You were going to practice anyway, right?

2. Tips. Depending on the time of day, it can be worth your while. It'll at least cover gas money.

3. Exposure. This word gets tossed around a lot, but in the case of busking, you expose your music to ALL kinds of people, many of whom would never heard your music otherwise. I've gotten gigs through people just walking…Read more

 Ha! It was a fabulous workshop tonight. A night of firsts, as well: The eloquent and knowledgable Tony Asaro joined as a special guest (or first!) and shared some great insights with everyone. Tonight was also our first time streaming the workshop. It wasn't widely publicised as it was a trial run, but it meant that a couple of our members got to watch from afar and even type in some comments. I think this will open up whole new vistas for future workshops. 

I worked part time at an ice cream booth on the pier when I first moved to the city. It was fun work for the most part, meeting tourists from all over the world and either thrilling or disappointing them with my sundaes.

There was a co-worker I loved to work with because he was friendly, helpful, and fun. I didn't even know that he was technically my superior because he didn't think it mattered.

After work he always took some leftover coffee to the homeless busker who sat outside drumming for change.

At…Read more

 This post is a little late in posting (I had to recover, after all), but here is my experience in Los Angelos from the past week.

Day #1 I took megabus (supercheap, you should try it) for the 7 hour trip from SF. I even had a little righteous moment where I helped "wake up" the girl pretending to sleep so she could spread out on two seats while a family struggled to find any free ones. (I normally don't approve of bullying, but there's an exception to every rule). I arrived at 6:30am, got on another bus,…Read more