It’s been SO long since I’ve written…again I’ve allowed too much time to go by without posting on either one of my blogs. There is just so much to do, and so many hours.

The band and I had our CD release party at Yoshi’s San Francisco in October. It was truly gratifying and wonderful to see so many of my friends who had driven over 60 miles to see us…from Santa Rosa all the way down to San Jose and all points in-between, I realize how many people I know! and how many of them like the music enough to travel on a week day night to hear us. Thank you EVERYONE who came to the show! I LOVE you guys!

Anyway, I woke up sick that morning, and thought I would share with you my remedies that helped me sing my heart out that night, have a great show, and feel really good about it when I was done. I awoke with a completely swollen throat and glands, couldn’t swallow without intense pain, major headache, and really bad body aches…naturally, I haven’t been sick in YEARS, so of course would wake up sick on a very important day! I allowed myself to panic for exactly 30 seconds, then made my plan. I hope it will help any singers out there who find themselves facing an important show with a sore throat or flu. Here’s what to get, and what to do:

1. Licorice root tea (loose tea, or tea bags such as “Throat Coat” by Traditional Medicinals); this is a MUST! Make sure you sip the tea through out the day, and definitely take a cup of it on stage with you if you can. It’s naturally sweet, and keeps your mouth moist on stage. Plus, it really does soothe your sore throat. I depend on licorice root tea and it’s really saved me.
2. Raw, organic, local honey: if you can get this, I’m not kidding…it’s awesome. It immediately soothes the throat, and also gives you some quick energy. I was so tired, and my body was so sore, the honey felt like an internal balm. Honestly. I had several tablespoons throughout the day, and brought it to the gig. I took a spoonful about five minutes before going on stage, and sipped the tea afterwards. Yum.
3. “Singer’s Saving Grace” throat spray: this is an herbal remedy. It also contains licorice root, as well as Yerba Mansa and others. It is in an alcohol base, so don’t use it exclusively, as alcohol will dry out your throat passages. It’s strong, and it does bring relief. I use one or two sprays, followed by a licorice root chaser…yum. (not really…it’s not yummy, sorry).
4. Lots of water, room temperature.
5. TAKE A NAP in the afternoon.
6. DO NOT WHISPER!!! That is the WORST thing you can do to your throat when it’s swollen. Whispering forces the air through your vocal chords in an unnatural way, and puts even more stress on them in their weakened state.
7. DO KEEP TALKING, AND SINGING. Talk quietly, sing a little bit throughout the day. I have some operatic vocal techniques that I have relied on for years. When I’m sick, I do a few of those exercises without straining. If I am able to do them, I continue for just five minutes or so, then stop. If I am unable to do them, I don’t panic. I stop, rest for a while, take some honey, and try again an hour later. Do this in intervals throughout the day. You want to keep your vocal chords working, and very slightly warmed up. This is so you don’t go on stage with ‘cold’ chords, and do more damage.
8. Don’t make the mistake of thinking you should NOT talk at all. That’s not true….keep your chords working gently, a little bit at a time, as the day goes on. In the evening, an hour before your show, do your warm up, very slowly, for about ten minutes. Rest, then warm up again, for ten minutes, fifteen minutes before you go on.
9. BREATHE. Deeply, quietly, alone if you can, before you go out there. Close your eyes, and imagine yourself singing the BEST show you’ve ever done. FEEL how great it is when your voice is strong and clear and you are in complete control. Focus your attention ONLY on that. It’s hard to do, because being sick might make you feel a little more nervous…I know I was! The breathing really helped.
10. Oh yes: the chef at Yoshi’s made me a HUGE bowl of some wonderful Japanese broth, with seafood, mushrooms, veggies and noodles. It was SO good, and I felt like new afterwards. I ate it in the dressing room an hour before singing, and it kept me going all night. I love Japanese cuisine! If you can’t get Yoshi’s marvelous soup, try to get some nourishing soup without a lot of salt in it. And no cream-based soups. Even though they say you shouldn’t drink dairy before you sing because it “coats your throat” or creates more mucus, my thinking is more along the lines that it just slows you down…it’s too heavy. Know what I mean? Of course, I am not a doctor, nor an expert, but my experience through many years of singing is that drinking milk doesn’t effect my throat…it effects the way my BODY feels - heavy, slow, yuck - so I avoid it.

So that’s my plan for taking care of myself when I have to sing an important show while nursing the flu or a cold. If you have other tricks you’d like to share, feel free to add your comments.

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This is a photo of Barack Obama speaking in St. Louis yesterday, October 18, 2008 (my birthday). Official estimates put the crowd at 100,000, which means it was probably closer to 150,000 or more. There is no way that this man will not win the election and become our next President. And I can’t wait. I finally feel some hope for the future, for my daughter, for all of us, and for the world. This country must come together, under the leadership of Barack Obama, to correct the wrongs that past eight years have wrought. The world is watching us, and they too, are hoping for an end to war, the destruction of the planet, the globalization and monetary policies that have destroyed their economies as it has our own. Is it too late for us, and for the planet?? No, I don’t believe it is. Can we change it all for the better, for ALL of our brothers and sisters every where??? YES! WE! CAN!!! GObama!!!

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I’m sitting at my computer, working at my “day gig” (my marketing company, Girl Friday), and watching the Democratic National Convention on TV (I moved my office onto the dining room table so I can watch while I work).

I’m watching the convention on C-SPAN, because, unlike on the “main stream media” stations like CNN and MSNBC, C-SPAN has no bloviating talking-heads opining and talking OVER the speeches I want to hear by people like Gov. Bill Richardson and others. So….C-SPAN is definitely the way to go. GREAT coverage. No talking heads. Just the info, thanks very much.

In between speeches, C-SPAN is showing the live music performances taking place by artists like Will.i.am (I LOVE his song, “Yes We Can” - it’s so beautiful I cry every time)….Cheryl Crowe just played. Over the PA system, in between acts, they’ve played Earth, Wind and Fire, Aretha Franklin, Stevie Wonder, John Mellencamp, Bruce Springsteen, U2…all uplifting, great, positive lyrics…and ROCKIN’ or FUNKY or GROOVIN’.

So, I’ve got the TV blasting through the surround sound, and it’s LOUD and I’m getting up and dancing.

Yes, dancing with those 75,000 people in the Mile High Stadium in Denver who are attending a political convention! But not just any convention! Oh no, this is the convention for the first African American Presidential nominee…the future leader of the free world. I wish I were there in Denver sharing this moment in history!!

Oh….here is Stevie Wonder with Take 6 performing live….be right back!!!!!

Wow, Take 6 are amazing. And I notice all the performers have ear monitors in both ears, rather than just one. I guess it must be really difficult singing in such a large stadium, with at least a one-second delay in the sound…

Anyway, I feel so excited, so hopeful and so PROUD of our country today. After almost eight years of near rage and almost physical illness every time I would hear or see the current resident of OUR White House, it is so refreshing to watch and listen to a beautiful, brilliant, inspiring, CLASSY man and his gorgeous family poised to bring us back a position of respect and admiration around the world.

I just hope and pray it’s not too late to repair what has been lost, destroyed or corrupted during the ‘long, national nightmare’ of the administration of He Who Shall Not Be Named So As Not To Sully My Blog.

Now, here’s Al Gore. Don’t even get me started on what could have been with him as our president.

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Well, I’m kidding, of course. I think.

Can’t believe it’s been almost two months since I’ve had the time or the inclination to post anything to this blog. I’ve been so focused on recording, mixing, mastering, doing the graphics, getting the liner notes, manufacturing, making mistakes, fixing those mistakes, spending way more money than I planned, marketing, promoting, obsessing, worrying and planning…oh, I’m sorry…did I go off on a tangent? Uh..yeah! Hello, Elaine? Your Life is on the phone…could you please answer now?

Meanwhile, I’m running my own business (Girl Friday Virtual Marketing), raising a daughter (well, she’s grown up by now…how did that happen so fast?), and trying to just maintain a sense of sanity and stability during this amazing time of change and growth in my personal life, and in my family, my community, and the country and the world….my head is spinning as I type this!!

You know that Paul Simon song: “Maybe I think too much, maybe I think too much oh ooooh, maybe I think too much, maybe I think too much oh ooh…”

well, he just sings that line over and over…geez…ya think??

Maybe I think too much!!!!

The CD, “Let’s Live Again,” has been mailed to media, and Monday it gets mailed to over 250 jazz radio stations across the country. It’s so exciting, and so gratifying that people seem to really like it. I had doubts, because I never think it’s EVER good enough, no matter what. But with this project the big lesson was learning to LET. GO….just LET. IT. GO.  For a control freak perfectionist that is a tall order. The process is just so much darn fun, though. I LOVE to record! So much hard work, and time, invested; I can only believe that it’s “worth it,” but really the way I think of it…it’s simply what I have been compelled to do. And I love every minute of the process.

So, it’s painful, you’re forced to grow, to stretch, and give birth to your creation through those labor pains. ALMOST as fun as giving birth (which I loved)!!

Are you an artist? musician? dancer? writer? actor? scuptor?

What’s your process about?

I’d love to hear from you!!

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OK, OK…finally we get to the fun part! If you’ve read Part I and Part II of Mixing Your Vocals, you’ll know that laying the musical foundation – a great mix on the instrumental tracks - will give you a ‘frame’ for your vocal track. The instrumentals need to enhance, showcase, support your vocal instrument, not distract or cover.

By the way, everything I’m describing in these posts occurs using ProTools recording/editing/mixing software. It’s the industry standard and it’s all I have ever used for my released projects. It works for me.

Start with a completely dry vocal track, that is, a track with no reverb or effects. As I stated in Part I, a good mic and a great room or recording booth will give you a clean, organic vocal slate to begin with.

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