A L B U M cover :icaimages

This is literally a direct cut & Paste from Ica's Blog! www.icaimages.com about the process it took to make my first album cover/packaging. { check her out! }

In Print: Hope Makes Music - Part 2

After going through my last post featuring little Miss Hope,

I realize I've forgotten to to blog one very important thing...

Hope's album.

Hope released her album Valentine's Day this year and thinking back on the journey it took to get there, and the separate journeys she and I have been on since, have been quite amazing. Looking back, I feel like Hope's album was a labor of love for the both of us and I'm so blessed to have been part of such a wonderful project.

If you can recall the very first shoot I did with Hope, we'll here's where those photos ended up ...

{Left. Front Cover, Right. Back Cover (Back Cover image by the incredible Douglas Sonders}}

For the first time in a few years I was asked to put my graphic design education into good use for someone other than myself. Hope not only asked me to shoot the images for her album, but she also asked me to design her actual cd from cover to cover.

It was a long, but fun filled process that turned out {what I believe} to be beautiful. Not forgetting the beautiful music packaged inside. I wanted to make sure all of Hope's hard work and pretty tunes were displayed in packaging as lovely, and sweet as her music. Together, I think Hope and I make a pretty good team.

This album was released almost a year ago, and since then I've seen and heard Hope's music and sound grow so much and I know that this is the first of many wonderful cd for Hope ... and it just gets better from here. Stick around ... Hope's going to be big, I just know it.

Buy Hope's album HERE.

a new G U I T A R

2 1/2 years ago, I bought my first guitar. It is an exotic wood Acoustic/Electric by laguna. if you were to " rank " this guitar, it would be considered a middle guitar. It isn't quite a cheap beginer but John Mayer is certainly not itching to borrow it from me anytime soon. I wanted to put in a decent amount of money and pratice on a good guitar, but I didn't go all out incase I totally sucked and or gave up or both....

Well, I didn't give up & I've gotten much better over the last year and a half. It took me a while to get started on it after i bought it, partly out of intimidation (partly because i refused to stop having girly long nails that were manicured every other week. )...lame, i know.

lately, I've been wanting to get a new guitar, although i love mine, and she is very pretty, i'm ready for something even-more-better. Especially because my laguna has been having some issues. My saddle was oversized and causing extra string tension which then caused my bridge to crack ( OUCH!) - it sucked getting that fixed. Luckily the guys at Sam Ash here in LA took good care of me and my guitar.

The other day i strolled into Guitar Center. Totally unplanned. Anyone who knows me knows that i go shopping on Fridays. The twins I nanny are in their learning center for 2 hours and I just have all the time in the world to wander around the Redondo beach area... so I shop. Usually just thrift shops, etc. and hey, it's payday! but yesterday, I made the mistake of wandering into a shop where everything costs a few hundred dollars....

I've been debating what kind of guitar to get next. I've considered trying out Electric, but the songs I have are of a much warmer sound than that. And lord knows i dont play lead. Ive thought about a traveling guitar, a martin, an old school Gibson, even a kids sized....

I went into the acoustic room and picked up a kids sized Martin which is what i thought i would want. didn't love it. I picked up a Taylor GsMini 3/4 and BOY DID I FALL IN LOVE. it has the WARMEST most resonant sound! When i strum the sound carries for 15 seconds. Its unreal. So welcome to the family... TAYLOR.

all of my babies.

the new GS

already hope-i-fied.

making P E A C E

So my good buddies the makepeace brothers are so close to me now it's lovely. When i moved to Marina del Rey - they became neighbors rather than friends across the country!

Same with the LOVELY Miss.Jessie Payo. Both of these peoples are amazing singers and are in the little round of mraz-feedingthesoul-making the world a better place type people. They had an event last week at Aviatior Nation on Abbot Kinney in Santa Monica. ( It is a swanky little place where people pay $100's for recycled sweatshirts in vibrant colors. I'm saving up.....)

Aside from it being a fantastical retail location it has a gorgeous and romantic little spot out back with a stage and yes my favoritte- christmas lights. It was lovely dancing with friends, and of course the MakePeace brothers mom Emily was in town, which is always a joy! makes me excited for the day when my parents make it out here to see me play a show!

Anywho, MPB is pretty well known for group sing alongs and collaborations live - and they asked my lucky little self to get onstage alongside them, jon marron, the livingstons, and Jessie Payo for a little rendition of their song " Thank you" with a gospel flair. I will be sure to post the video once mr.chelko posts it!

lovely nights in LA.

Another night in H O L L Y W O O D

This week ( on Thursday) Me and Mr.Cassidy hit the town for another night of acoustic delight. We played during an artist showcase at Genghis Cohen in West Hollywood.

Tuning up Backstage

I had heard mixed things about this venue. Although, mainly wonderful things. A range of people in my LA life had been to the venue before and complimented the atmosphere and the food.

----> awesome side note: genghis cohen is a chinese restauraunt and you can order food into the music room. sesame seed chicken and live music? super sweet.

The only down fall i had heard was from another artist who just said he felt a lot of pressure from the promoters there. to be honest though its sad as an artist when you realize that venues need you for business just as much as you need there space, so when your draw or pull ( the amount of people who come to see you) isn't what they need - you aren't good for business. Grrr I hate the business side of things.

End Result, it is hard to get people to come out, especially on a week night, etc. but the people from Shout It Out Promotions were incredibly nice and accomidating to Scott and I.

We played 4th on a list of 5 and were lucky that so many people stuck around to see is, it was just about packed. In front of the stage are rows of church-like-pews with little tables attatched for your chinese food, obvi.

Our set went pretty well, I opened with a cover of Janis Joplin's Me and My Bobby Mcgee. I usually screw this song up. The song progresses up so the chords are not repetative, and I get really into it ( because come on it's janis joplin)... anyways i didn't mess up! for the first time ever! ( go me!)

We premiered some of our new songs that are part of the "story album" and explained a little of the concept so people could follow along which was great fun! We were able to get some more feedback on that.

Some of our new friends from St.Nicks Naked Angels came out too! so thanks for that ya'll! <3

if you missed it- SORRY! we are going on again there Dec.9th at 8:00 p.m. $10 at the door 8$ in advance, and a few more slots in january/february.

hope playing C A R D S ?

so, i got this little picture in my inbox today. and that it was just the coolest thing ever. ica, who does all of my photography as you've heard me say a million times just had new business cards made, there is a whole variety and GUESS WHOSE FACE IS ON SOME OF EM! thats right! mine! like little hope playing cards! or little ica playing cards however you look at it!

oh love. love . love. so exciting.

in other news, Scott and I are playing at Genghis Cohen this Thursday in Los Angeles, California ( West Hollywood) at 9:00 so be there, k?

a new O R I G I N A L song

I forget that not everyone is as dedicated to You tube as I .

So i figured i would re post this here: This is an original song of mine called " Never saw it comin" to be honest, this is not a very solid version of it, but i was very anxious to post it and my little sister has been begging me to, and who can say no to this face?

Also the timing in the video is off, haha whoops.

First week of Shows in H O L L Y W O O D

Oh, H o l l y w o o d . The land of dreams.

When I came to california, I can't honestly say I had a "plan" . I knew I was in the right place, and I knew I had a great circle of friends, but I suppose it is like anything else new you do in life, you sort of just close your eyes and jump, and hope that you end up in the right place... and I did.

Very soon after unpacking my boxes, My friend Jessie Payo gave my name to the board of the Hear NoHo festival, for the november 4th date. There it was my first Hollywood gig... crazy.

But even before that, I was also introduced to Scott Cassidy. He had booked a show October 30th at the Room 5 Lounge, and asked me to come on board. We started practicing on the weekends and even began writing together.

I was also asked last minute to play at St.Nicks Pub. Which is an amazing Writers Workshop here in LA. It was started by the Naked Angels in 1986 in NYC and has locations all over the globe. An audience of 80-100 people cram into a theatre space above a bar and listen to cold readings of a few scripts and half way through a singer songwiter of the night tries out new material to spice things up!

So let's start with Show 1: Room 5 Lounge. (Oct.30th)

Well, first of all, it was Halloween Saturday so that alone made it fabulous. I suppose it's a good thing we didn't do any sad songs because everytime i looked up from the stage I saw a drunk marilyn Monroe, a Reno 911 cop, and the bartender dressed in S&M handcuffs.

It felt good to be on stage with Scott. I am not the best guitarist and i feel like we compliment each other beautifully. I am finally singing the type of music that I not only want to sing, but also, that i would love to listen to myself and that has always been a goal of mine. It was a great first show, as good as it could have gone I imagine.

And then there was Show 2: St.Nicks. (nov. 2nd)

What i love about this spot is that everyone there is an actor, or a writer, a director, a musician, etc. so they really care about the material. Scott and I suited in a retro look ( him in a bow tie and chucks, me in a vintage country dress) shared with them some of the new songs we've been working on. Afterwards, there is a cocktail hour, and the feedback was so wonderful. Not just because it was positive ( although it felt great to know we were on the right track) but because it was specific.

And the final show of the week: Hear NoHo Festival (Nov.4th)

There are countless things I could say about how wonderful Hear NoHo is. First of all, they have PR down to a T! Fliers and radio annoucements, even driving into North Hollywood a giant banner spanned the street announcing the music. Secondly, everyone who is involved does it for the love of music and art. and they are some of the kindest people I have ever met. And finally, everyone who I shared the stage with that night were so remarkably talented. Jessie Payo and Parker Ainsworth and Scott Cassidy are gems, so if you are still reading this blog, take a break ( its a long one) and check them out... This was Scott and I's longest set together. It was so beautiful to look out and see friends of ours watching. And again, o getting feedback from other artists that I love and trust means the world to me.

So that's it. That's what I ( we) have been doing. and its been going so well- I appreciate all of the support from the East Coast, and of course, every new person I meet on the West Coast.

Also Check us out November 18th or December 9th at Genghis Cohen!