We can fly! She can fly! We can Fly!

We had a good rehearsal last night! Many of you have probably seen our first shameful rehearsal; obviously we don't sound that good (don't worry, we know it too). But last night's rehearsal went really well, in fact so well, that everyone is feeling a lot less discouraged and is excited again about our potential Summer plans.

Unfortunately, we didn't take a video last night. I think we were all so shamed by the first one, that no one could stomach putting up another one.

Some reasons why last night went so well though, Aspen rocked it on the tambourine! No seriously, Aspen kept the beat for us (becoming our own personal metronome) and really figured out some good beats. She managed to even coax a few different tones from a one tone instrument. Even though she's only been playing a little while she's picking it up quickly and seems to have found a niche as a drummer. We're looking into finding some bongo drums or something for her, to borrow, rent or buy, so if anyone knows of a place or person who has a bongo drum and might be interested in one of the above three, please let us know!

With the added beat everyone kept with each other so much better. We also incorporated some left hand rolled chords. (Rolled chords are basically a chord, you just play each note individually, one after the other.) Adding these smoothed out the sound of the harp, really giving our music some body. Before we had noticed that just playing the melody only produced a plinky sort of sound; adding the rolled chords really produced some continuity to the piece and made the songs sound absolutely gorgeous. My goal for the next few days is to arrange my own left hand to the songs, since so far I've been really dissatisfied with the ones from the arrangements we've been using.

I also happened upon some really beautiful notes that transition between the verses of some our songs really well. Janelle had the great idea to add small harp solos in between the verses, so I'll be working on developing those as well.

The last reason why things went so well last night is also the singing. Janelle has a really beautiful voice, especially for the folksy, Celtic music we've been playing so far, but for the song "Danny Boy" we've decided to all sing it. I'm not sure how it came about, but we realized that the three of us singing and harmonizing on that song really sounded great. Now for those of you familiar with Aspen and myself, you should know, we don't sing. Ever. We don't sing in choirs, I know I don't sing in the shower and I barely sing in my car (for the last two you'll have to ask Aspen about that). For some reason though, our three voices blended really well, especially since Aspen and I have more alto based voices and Janelle is a strong soprano. Now, we won't be singing loudly, but adding some background vocals really spiced up the song.

For those of you who know us, you should realize that us singing is a big deal. It's incredible we even sang during rehearsal, doubly more impressive that we agreed to sing in public. I feel  like the kids in the Disney version of Peter Pan when they realize they can fly. Imagine that scene happening in my small apartment bedroom...


So anyone, this is a positive post. One filled with hope for our future as a band. Things had been pretty dicey the past few weeks, what with little time to rehearse, and bad rehearsals when we did manage to get together. However, I think we're here to stay guys!

Why You Never Quit Your Day-Job

True to our promise, we are sacrificing our dignity on the alter of entertainment to make your day a little brighter...or at least your appreciation for music a little greater.  This is a documentary of sorts, recording our epic first rehearsal.
Don't be fooled by the oh so casual language.  This is so embarrassing and I might never live this down (I can't speak for the other two members).  --Jaenelle
P.S Am now eating large quantities of chocolate to reclaim self esteem.

If you can't get the video to work, here is a link.  

Why Hello Dose of Reality, Where Have You Been?

Already this expedition of ours has worked changes in me that I hadn't anticipated.  I guess if you have the courage to become a vagabond and the confidence to live off talent alone, stepping into the "real world" becomes less scary.  If I'm willing to dedicate a portion of my live to passion, then dedicating my whole life seems more obtainable.

Christmas Break and the time-out it provided me with my family put my up-coming decisions into high-relief and, since I have committed to complete confessionals, I have to admit I almost folded in this whole affair.  This semester I'm taking 18 credits, so I don't have the time I need to dedicate to the penny whistle (luckily I've been singing for years, so  I won't be building from the ground up with that).  I also remembered one night while I was drifting off to sleep that the loan money I have needs to last me six months instead of four because I'll still be in school Spring Semester.  Which means the little cushion money I have in savings might get used up before we hit the road.  Needless to say, Christmas Break wasn't as relaxing as it could have been as I tried to reconcile reality with desire.

Have no fear, starlings, the band has not disbanded and thanks to Pepper's dedication and optimism, I haven't hung up my lute (so to speak).

But I have a plan now, for life after the Renaissance Faire, something I have been struggling to develop for almost a year.  Like I mentioned before, taking a chance on myself, on my talents and intelligence and merit, has become less scary thanks to this crazy idea of ours.  I want to go to Graduate School for English Literature or Creative Writing, so at first I was going to go to Northern VA, get whatever job I could find, and save up.  While the over-all structure of this plan has remained in place, the location has changed.  Again, the revelation came over Christmas Break.  Working retail so far away from my family means I won't be able to come home for the holidays.  (ok, I know I'm not aiming for the stars there, but I am trying to be a little realistic given this economy)  My family and I are really close (Which sounds cliche and trite for some reason written out like this.  After all, starlings, you have no obligation to take my word for anything), the thought of missing holidays with them made me choke-up a bit.

So, new plan.  Move to Northeastern Ohio or Anne Arbor, work there, go to graduate school (P.S cost of living in Ohio is ridiculous, so I could afford my own house on hourly wages).  Write books.  Do Kung Fu.  Live life. --Jaenelle

I'm blushing...but I'm going to post anyway

So, posterity had better thank me for this, because this is pretty embarrassing. Here's a video of a recent harp practice I did, it's fairly ridiculous, but it should give everyone an idea of what we're working on. I guess I should get used to performing in front of people anyway....

Enjoy....I think.

Eleven Pipers Piping...and a harp

I am now, finally, the owner of a harp. While owning the musical instrument that I intend to haul across the United States is undoubtedly, important, having a harp means so much more than that to me. In order to demonstrate how much this means to me I'm going to tell you a story. When I was a little girl my mother would read a book to me called Gwinna, written by Barbara Berger. It's about a young girl with wings who hears the sound of a harp in the wind; she begs her father to build her a harp, however he's not able to build one for her.  One day her parents are turned into stone by an old crone, luckily, a Griffen helps her to fly to a magical mountain where a beautiful young tree donates herself for the wood of a harp. The Griffen turns into an old man who is also a skilled Luthier (someone who builds harps). From that small harp comes the sound that is able to free her parents and obviously, allows her to fulfill her dreams.

That was a terrible rendition of one of my favorite, childhood stories. Seriously it's way more complex than that, and worth reading to your own children someday. Anyway, I LOVED this story as a child and from the time I was about five, I begged my mother to buy me a harp. Because we didn't know of any harp teachers in the area, that dream did not become a reality until I was 15 years old and met a harp teacher at church; however, even then I never owned a harp, we merely rented one.

Therefore my current status as harp owner is awesome! It's a small lap harp made by William Rees Harps and it's what is called a fullsicle; it has 26 six strings and full levers. For those of you who aren't harp junkies like myself, there are two different kinds of harps: pedal harps and lever harps. Pedal harps have a pedal for each key. Depressing a pedal causes all the corresponding strings of that key to become sharp, moving the pedal up flats the strings. Pedal harps usually have at least 40-47 strings and are used for classical music. Lever harps on the other hand, have levers over every single string (or occasionally only the C or F strings), and when you intend to sharp a string you lift up the lever and it causes the string to move up a half-step (if you need flats you usually have to retune the harp to a different key). Because of this, lever harps range from 22 to 40 strings and are the harp of choice for Celtic and folk harpers, since they are much smaller and easier to transport. So when I say that the harp has full levers it means that there are levers over each key, allowing me to play a much bigger range of music.

Anyway, beyond practicing my music for the group and tuning the harp constantly (harps have to be tuned 2-3 times a day when they're new) a few small things have progressed for the group. I talked to my grandmother the other day about costumes, apparently she was also a part of renaissance fairs when she was younger. (Ren fairs must therefore be in my blood. I'm taking this as a good sign for our chances of getting accepted as performers). She told me about the different costumes for different classes and it seems as though we might have to change a few things about our costumes; I didn't realize how many restrictions they put on what you could wear. Everything needs to be completely authentic, right down to the type of fabric you use.

Other than that, things are sort of on hold right now for the holidays. Once we all regroup in Utah we'll be able to practice as a group and get started on our demo CD. I will try to post a video of me playing the harp sometime soon...or at least a recording or something, no judging my harp skills though if I do. I'm still getting back into the groove of playing; hopefully the groove returns in full-force soon--Pepper.

Torturing the Folks...and other Holiday Notions

You know how Lady Gaga refers to all her Twitter readers as "little monsters"?  It made me wonder what she would call the wonderful people who have been diligently reading this blog.  Since the band will be playing at Renn Faires, I guess that narrows down the themes she could draw from.  So far I've come up with "Sparkly Unicorns" and "Zesty Dragons".

So... hello my zesty dragons.  wasup? thnks 4 reading.

Okay, not capitalizing words makes me twitch.  As does calling people zesty dragons or any other mythological creature.  And to our 8 fans (ok... 5 if you don't count us), you make us feel like rock-stars.  We appreciate you.  And Charlie, thanks for commenting on our posts.  We really like comments.

Sorry we haven't been posting much this past week.  It's Christmas break, so we're all spending time with our families and friends.  Don't worry, along with re-reading the first Dragonlance series and stuffing myself with mom's homemade candy, I've been diligently practicing my penny whistle (P.S I found the Dragonlance books used at this hippie town in Cleveland for $1.50 each.  They smell like incense! Ahem.  Anyway.).  At first I was a little timid, terrified that I'd get mercilessly made fun of (which is a bit sad, since I'm the oldest and should be the one doing the teasing, not the other way around).  But I've grown more bold and now play in the piano room.  Speaking of pianos, my parents own this beautiful Steinway and I've been practicing some of our songs, learning the melodies and picking out some of the harmonies. 

I told one of my brothers what we've been concocting (the one who's old enough to keep a secret).  I think my boldness comes from his approval  and support.  Now, if I can find a way to tell my dad... at the moment, the plan is to get hired by a few venues first and then tell him.  He's been taking me to Renn Faires since I was six, so I'm hoping he'll be as excited as I am...rather than the voice of reason. 

I did apply to summer jobs in Alaska, so if everything falls apart, I could still see remote regions of the country while working for minimal wage!  Yes!  Win win!

Don't worry, starlings, we have some Christmas presents tucked in our long, flowing sleeves just for you.  Pepper is in CA with her new harp and hopes to upload some footage.  I've been memorizing a jig for my penny whistle, so I might play that for ya'll...and maybe sing a song.  Aspen is in New York, so maybe I'll bug her with a text and get her to write another post :)  Until then, here, listen to some actual musicians.
It's going to be legend--wait for it--

Jaenelle

An Elephant in Mouse-skin

I'm not quite sure how to express why this adventure of ours matters in written words.  Hopefully this disclosure won't bore you.  I think I speak for all three of us when I say, this isn't about the Renaissance Faire.  No, we aren't people who feel the need to wear cloaks on campus or spend our free time playing Ring Around the Maypole. While we might be atypical, we express our freak-flags in different ways.  Since this is my post, I can only disclose my own secrets.  (For instance, I enjoy pressing all the buttons on the elevator before getting off.)  Yet here we are, working our butts off and stretching our budgets further in order to make Pepper's crazy idea a reality.  If it were just about the Renaissance Faire, I don't think this idea would have ever made it off the ground.

What is it about then?  Why would three girls want spend the summer living in a car, living off paltry wages?

For me, this trip is like Rosalind's journey into the Forest of Arden, a pastoral time-out of sorts.  She is banished from court and disguises herself as a man. While I intend to remain a woman on this adventure, there is something to be said for dedicating a space of time for exploration.  After reading novels such as The Road and The Things They Carried, I've come to realize that leaving the environment we are comfortable with reveals what really matters.  The cultural hang-ups we find ourselves running into become irrelevant because that culture no longer applies.  And as a writer, getting at meaning through unconventional experience is everything.  What is left when we subtract the "-isms" we categorize ourselves by?  What is left when we subscribe to our own ideals of happiness rather than the ones society offers?  Which pieces of the self can one uncover?

Hopefully I haven't lost you.  Sorry, I'm applying literary theory to real life here and maybe the only person that would interest is me.

Anyway, identity, then, is defined by what you do.  I know some people who define themselves by the rules they live by.  I know others who do so by the rules they break.  Some girls define themselves by whether or not they have a successful relationship, others by their career.  Since I'm not a boy, I'm not sure what they define themselves by, but based off off the movies I've seen, it seems like some define themselves by whether or not they're virgins (or maybe it's their cars or how buff they are? that gender still baffles me).

I want to be the girl who has an idea and follows through.  I want to be the girl who dreams big and doesn't settle for what's practical just because it's safe or expected.  I want to dedicate myself to what makes me happy, such as writing and music, rather than to house payments or bills.  I want a life I can be passionate about.  I want to die knowing that I've lived each day to the fullest capacity possible, that I pursued every opportunity in my path and followed the mythical "what if" to its end.

As graduation approaches, I realize that the choices I make will determine the person I am, the life I live.  This trip affirms a commitment to the ideals I believe in.  It is a declaration of identity. 

So yes, the thought of washing my hair in a bucket and sleeping in the back of a car sounds exciting.  The thought of donning the garb and performing for whoever will listen puts a smile on my face.  I have been going to Renaissance Faires with my family ever since I was six years old and I have always wanted to work at one.  At the moment, the only person I'm accountable for is me, so why not live like a hippie for a few months and see the country?  My week will consist of sight-seeing, reading, playing music, doing yoga in fields, jump roping, running, and writing (and maybe practicing Kung Fu so I don't back-track too far).  I've also decided to use all that car time to study for the GRE so I can go to Graduate School in Fall 2012.  

Already I've been finding some clarity in terms of the next step I'll take because now I'm giving myself permission to take them.  After our adventure, I'm going to apply to graduate school for English literature and perhaps get my P.H.D. in creative writing.  It's time to shed the restrictive skin of convention and simply exist as myself...or something deep and sentimental like that. This might be the last serious post from me for awhile because it reeks of sentiment, which makes me break out in hives.  Oh well.--Jaenelle 

P.S Or do boys define themselves like girls?  By relationships or careers?  Or sports?  If boys are anything like girls, which I often suspect they are, then maybe there is no absolute definition :)