Singing from the Rooftops

Hey guys! My last post included a lot of “wah wah, woe is me” — not very New Year friendly, but certainly not out of character for me, eh?   I did mention that I had some good news that totally trumps all cranky sentiments.

Before I divulge the news, here’s a little history so you can understand how excited I am…

I always joke that I came out of the womb singing. It was just something that came naturally and that I loved to do. A lot of my childhood was spent either annoying my brothers, friends or neighbors with my countless renditions of Disney songs (particularly The Little Mermaid — my fave!) or trying to get others into singing as much as I was (“hey, I’ve got a karaoke machine!” or “hey, let’s record our voices — it can be fun!”).

Singing for me was not so much about expressing myself as it was a passion and coping mechanism. Singing was mine. In the middle of my parents separation I’m pretty sure I did not stop listening to Mariah Carey’s “Without You” and, in typical melodramatic fashion, I would lay on my floor, hidden in a crevice, just singing the song over and over, concentrating on flawlessly hitting each note and belting when M.C. did. While most kids were probably trying to beat the next level of a video game, I was trying over and over to emulate Whitney Houston in “I Will Always Love You.” If anyone hurt my feelings on the playground, I always secretly thought to myself, “ok. But can you sing?”

At one point when I was little I sought voice lessons since it seemed that if you want to take a talent to the next level, you get lessons to improve. After meeting a teacher who looked at my little pudgy tummy and said singing properly would give me abs like Toni Braxton, I decided I’d rather forgo lessons and maintain my pudge so that I never equated singing, my passion, with something as superficial as 6-pack abs on my 9-year-old frame.

From there, I decided my lessons would come from just doing it. I sang in a church choir with my mom who has an amazing voice (so amazing, in fact, that she was often on the radio in Costa Rica when she was a little girl). I sang in every school choir I could join. I sang in the morning when I got up and when I was brushing my hair. I serenaded my pets. Even when going to sleep, I sang in my head — trying out new melodies and going over old favorites.

High school was a turning a point for me. As much as I was an obnoxious little kid growing up who loved to entertain strangers with her voice, I was completely introverted and shy. But no matter how shy and awkward I was, I knew I had to let go of my fears and let out my voice. I auditioned to sing “Angel” by Sarah McLachlan as a “solo” in one of our music department’s concerts. When I later saw my name tacked on the list on the choir door as those who made the cut, I was both stoked and terrified.

When the actual performance came, I was surprised to find how comfortable I felt on the stage when it was just me, a microphone and an audience. I became someone else who was actually comfortable in her skin. Someone who wasn’t afraid to take risks and I surprised both myself and my choir instructor when during my actual performance I ended the song in a belting-fashion that had never come out before in rehearsals.

I decided I wanted to try out voice lessons again to further refine my voice. I found a very nice instructor, at the recommendation of a choir-mate, and I spent a few months with her learning the basics of music — i.e. how to read music, how to “sight sing,” etc. (things I’ve since forgotten lol). These were things my fellow choir members had learned to do years before, so I had felt hindered by my inability to do them. At the end of the day, I never really liked turning singing into “instructable” art since, for me, for so long, it was just something that I did without anyone interfering and/or trying to make a science out of. Plus, lessons aren’t cheap. I broke away.

After high school, I attempted to join a college choir, but left in the middle of the audition after realizing choirs were just not my thing anymore. I focused on playing my guitar and singing along, but my guitar playing was elementary (even after years of lessons), and I missed the collaborative environment of choirs. I decided I wanted to be a part of a band.

One night on a whim, I posted a Craigslist ad saying I was a singer and wanted to be part of a band and gave a list of my fave bands and whom I had been likened to as a singer. I got some strange responses (as per usual with any Craigslist posting), but then got a response that was rather intriguing. This band had just lost their singer and was auditioning new ones, so they wanted me to send over samples of my voice. I borrowed a friend’s MP3 player and crappily recorded myself singing and playing guitar to “Lithium” by Evanescence and “If it Makes You Happy” by Sheryl Crow. From then, the band members and I decided to meet up and chat. Long story short, I met two dudes who would end up becoming my second family. We have grown together so much as musicians and as a family that it has truly been the most rewarding experience in my life.

What did my life history have to do with my good news? Well, singing is obviously a *huge* part of my life, so when one of my singing heroes, Joey Belville of the Echoing Green, invited me to collaborate with him on a couple tracks, it was like an out-of-body moment. Pinch me, pinch me! I will be leaving in less than two weeks to embark on this awesome adventure! What a way to ring sing in the New Year, eh?

<3,

The Cranky One