Monday, September 22, 2003

Entry #63

  It’s Monday afternoon and I feel like I’m just waking up! I plan on being very on this evening around 11pm so, I adjust my day accordingly. It’s overcast here in the city today. Last Saturday, I rode the LIRR (Long Island Railroad) out to Westhampton and sang with the Bobby Nathan Band for a wedding reception. It was fun and they fed us swordfish! I met some really nice people there who were mostly from Manhattan. I spent the night out in Westhampton since the train didn’t make a late-night run and woke up the next morning at 7am (uhggg!!!) to catch the early train. My honey and I went to Central Park after I got home, and gathered with thousands of peaceful people to listen to the Dalai Lama! Yeah for New York City! The Dalai Lama was funny. He laughs often and is really refreshing! Richard Gere introduced the Dalai Lama.To me, Richard Gere was just another New Yorker up there, one who is well-known and a good public speaker. He seemed nice. We walked around the upper west side afterwards and went to the Columbus Street Fair and the flea market~ I scored! We bought a cool plant for $5, I bought a very glittery sequined and beaded aqua jacket! We got special soap from a lady who hand-makes it and I got a psychic reading from a cool woman who reminded me of cranberry (she had a lot of that color on). All in all it was a very good day. I am sneezing up a small storm! I’m either allergic or allergic to something…Tonight I attend the Monday night jam at Le Bar Bat (57th and 8th) to sing! To sing! To sing!!!   That’s all for now, signing off!   Jessica Star  

Friday, September 19, 2003

Entry #62

Hurricane Isabelle is flaring her wind and rain through Washington D.C. and us New Yorkers are getting the very edges of it! I actually love torrential weather so, I think it's great! It's funny, there's so much going on here at all times that, when I write this journal I have to really think about what specifically is happening with my music. I just got booked into the New York Comedy Club on October 1st. It's a competition and they have comedians and musicians so, they want me to be one of the contestants and I think that's great. I tend to be kind of funny in between songs anyway so, I think it will be a good night! I met the contacts for that booking when I was on the Joe Franklin Radio Show. Apparently, Garth Brooks, Bette Midler and a host of other talent appeared on the Joe Franklin Radio Show before they hit it big! Yeehaw! I've got projects in the works that are very cool. It's funny also about this place, and the reason that talent comes here specifically; when you meet people in the entertainment industry, at least from my own experience, they tend to actually be in the industry. I'm talking about like, when you meet people who say they're in the business when you're in another part of the country, sometimes they are and sometimes they're not. This place is kind of made for the entertainment types so, the connections you find here are usually pretty deep and connected. There are always schmuks but, that's true anywhere. I'll also be playing at The C Note on October 21st! Tomorrow evening, I'll be singing at a wedding with Bobby Nathan's band. Bobby hosts the Monday night jam at Le Bar Bat that I go to. Well, that's it for now!   Rock on! Jessica Star

Wednesday, September 17, 2003

Entry #61

Tonight I was on the Joe Frankin radio show! It will air this Sunday morning between 3-5am on 710am... They Might Be Giants were on in the beginning of the show. They were good and apparently, they're from Brooklyn and they're doing some kids album. They're pretty funny! I played," Baby Blue"!     Jes

Saturday, September 13, 2003

Entry #60

 It's a mellow Friday night here in Gotham and we're chillin'! This has been a pretty busy week. Sunday night I went down to the A&M Roadhouse and sang at the blues jam and then headed over to the Red Lion for a little jam with some players. I sang a few tunes there. Then on Monday I sang at Le Bar Bat for the Monday night jam and it was also the one year anniversary of that jam so there was a lot of picture taking and fun going on. Wednesday afternoon I played down near the United Nations outdoors with Chris Carter, Ivan Bodley, and Kenny Soule. That was a fun time! We musicians are usually late nighters and late wakers so, a noon concert is pretty early for us cats! It was really fun though! You get people from all over the world in the audience and there was one man from Iceland! Later that night I went to Ye Old Triple Inn and sat in with the same musicians plus one of the Uptown Horns and a keyboard player. I met Bobby Hardin, a vocalist, and really had fun. It always amazes me how performing can completely alter the way I feel. Of course, I did a lot of other things this week to make it "busy" but, they're not music related so, they don't go into this journal! Okay, okay, I went to the dentist! There! Whew! I'm really letting you into my personal life! So, this week was pretty heavy in a lot of ways. Johnny Cash and John Ritter died this week. We went to a funeral for our friends mom on 9/11. As you remember 9/11/01 was the falling of the World Trade Center. Pretty heavy... We were out of the city that day but, at a funeral. It's interesting how you can be trotting along in life thinking that all of this is just normal and nothing really looks different or has really changed that much and then you're really reminded how none of this is permanent. All of life is change. You never know how long you're going to be here in this life. John Ritter died while filming his new TV series. He died, I believe, standing up while filming. I can only imagine that maybe he had a wish that he would go doing what he loved... Johnny Cash was nominated for the MTV Music Awards and lost to Justin Timberlake. Justin did say that he felt like he was sharing the award with Johnny since he was raised listening to him. It's just interesting timing that Johnny Cash died right after that. These are all experiences that I put into my singing. I think maybe I am a blues singer. Some part of me feels folky and like I'm a folk singer singing blues because there's an audience for it but, lately more and more I think that really I'm a blues singer and I'm just coming into that realization... It's an interesting time in the evolution of society also. I feel like most of the things I see that are being promoted and printed and publicized are the exact opposite of the truth. The truthful things are more the articles you read on the internet that are written by concerned citizens, people who love America and see the immense need for change. Living here in NYC is trippy. It's the "financial living room" of the world as a friend of mine put it and you really feel the financial pressure here. I know you feel it other places too, I've lived in other places and felt it but, here people are so focused on it! Food does not grow here, everything's imported. I'm rambling! I guess I reflect on how I feel about the things I see that are right in front of my face and that teaches me more about myself in relation to the world around me.   a little melancholy,   Jessica

Tuesday, September 09, 2003

Entry #59

I just got home from the Monday night jam at Le Bar Bat. It was the one-year anniversary of the jam hosted by Bobby Nathan. I had fun! Richie Cannata (Billy Joel's sax player) was there with his son Eren Cannata who was singing. Eren's playing the Bitter End this Thursday night in case you want to hear him live! Yes, lots of good musicians and performers there tonight.. I spent the morning at the dentist in Brooklyn... Oh boy!   Jessica Star

Friday, September 05, 2003

Entry #58

I am so full of it right now! Roooaaaarrrr!!! This is my pent-up Burning Man energy!!! Yyyaaarrrrggggghhhh!!! I am ready for a revolution! A real revolution! One without blood-spilled! A revolution of conciousness! The happiest as a musician that I've been was when I was at Burning Man playing on random stages for gathered groups of people. There's no vending at Burning Man so, it was not about trying to sell a million cd's! I had someone trade me a really cool fish necklace for a cd! Ha! I was talking with an artist friend of mine last night and she was telling us of her idea for more of a socialized way of dealing with society. Artists are soooooooo important and integral to a healthy society. This has been proven over and over. Artists should get paid by our delightful government for making art! Just above minimum wage, at least $10 an hour and  we would have to make our art useful. Our music would be USED! Played! Remove those that are in the game for any other reason than they absolutely HAVE TO MAKE ART!!! We would get help with rent and have nice places to live! Artist communities! Ya! One of the saddest things is to meet an artist who works a stupid job just so they can make enough to pay for their lives and their kids and at the end of an unfulfilling day, they have no energy  left to give to their real purpose~ to make art!!! I've been one of those people! It sucks! Anyway, we have a long way to go to get to a place where America actually "sees" their artists as a necessary part of our society and culture. Art keeps people sane.   Regards, Jessica

Thursday, September 04, 2003

Entry #57

Well, my show last Tuesday was rained out! That's the joke about "outdoor shows"! Next week is supposed to be nicer weather so, perhaps it will be next Wednesday! Tomorrow night I'll be singing with Bobby Nathan's band out in Southampton at Belle's Cafe! They have deeelicious Cajun food and a nice little stage to perform on! This is a fun gig. I'll ride out there and back on the Long Island Railroad and I get back into the city around 4a.m.! I like to burn the midnight oil, what can I say? I also like this weather we've been having. It reminds me of Portland, Oregon~ cloudy and drizzly! I know, most people do not dig this kind of weather but, I grew up in it and it's nice in its own way.  We went to Woodstock, New York last weekend for a little outing from the city! First we went to the original concert site which is an hour from the town of Woodstock! The site is actually in Bethel. The town was wild and packed because it was Labor Day weekend. Bikers on Harleys chopping up and down the one main drag in the town, hippies who never left, tourists (us), and lots of cool people with dogs! It was fun. There is a magic shop with a real magician who makes magical coffee drinks! Rock on rockers! Check out the show "Performing As"! It's on Tuesday nights at 8pm on Fox...     Carry on! Jessica  

Friday, August 29, 2003

Entry #56

Greetings from an internet Starbucks in NYC! It's muggy but not too hot out today. It's nice and air-conditioned in this coffee shop though! It feels good here in the city today. I have a show coming up next Tuesday near the United Nations again at Dag Hammarskjold Plaza! I'll be playing with Chris Carter on lead guitar, Ivan Bodley on bass, and Kenny Soule on drums... This should be a good show! Did I mention what a fantastic time I just had in Northern California? Well, it was FANTASTIC!!! I'm so happy and grateful that I got to go. I saw a lot of my very close friends and took in the energy of the place... Now, I'm booking shows, writing songs and short stories, reclimatizing to this city, and focusing on MUSIC!!! Enjoy your Labor Day weekend, Jessica Star

Thursday, August 28, 2003

Entry #55

Good evening! Last night we went to the Howard Dean rally in Bryant Park and there was a very good turn-out. Our friend and fellow Burner (Burning Man), Heidi Cuppari, organized the rally and one of our other friends, Anan, DJ'd and the Democratic populace rocked! If you don't know who Howard Dean is, he wants to become the Democratic candidate for presidency. It's very strange; at this time last year, some of the friends I was with last night and I were all at Burning Man together! This year, I look around and instead of the playa, we're in NYC, at the Howard Dean rally! Anan was spinning at Burning Man too! There was one moment that I only heard about last year on the playa where Anan was spinning out in the desert at a rolling party on Leticia's Loveship or something like that and, as legend has it, Anan had everyone entranced with his Middle-Eastern beats and tunes and then, at the precise moment that no one could have foreseen, he busted into," Come On Feel The Noise" by Quiet Riot!!! He was very politely told that the party was really a mellower, mystical trancey feel and could he please resume the music he was playing before?! Ah, we missed that one! We were off dancing in Disorient, one of the NYC theme camps on the esplanade... "Memories! Like the corners of our minds!!!" Can you believe this? Here I am, going through memory lane about Burning Man last year! Because we're not there THIS year!!! Whatever! So, this is the Wednesday of the one week a year of Burning Man. Burn on Burners!!! They even have wireless internet in the Center Camp Cafe! There was a super funny article in a paper called The Onion that was all about how no one showed up for Burning Man this year! I read it over internet and coffee today at our local Starbucks and was laughing hysterically because I thought," Wow! We didn't go and no one else did either! Ha ha ha!!! Didn't miss a thing I guess! Whew!" and then, I was told that The Onion is a paper that runs farce stories. Well, I of course sent it around to some friends, two of which are at Burning Man right now and are organizers of it! Signing off for now, Jessica Star

Monday, August 25, 2003

Entry #54

Now, this is another strange font! I'm back home in Manhattan! I got back on Saturday night just after midnight. It took forever to get from JFK airport back to our apartment in the city! It's SO different here than in Northern California, which is one main reason I like it. We walked around for a good eight hours yesterday (Sunday) and went to the East Village for the "Howl Festival". Howl was a poem written by Allen Ginsberg and it shocked the world!!! Ah, the Bohemians! There's a good rentable video on the Bohemian movement which preceeded the hippy movement. I'm sure that I'm an offshoot of both. Well, it's back to my music career here! I love being bi-coastal! Someday, I'll be international! For right now, I'm getting the two places I love the most~ Northern California and New York City! Burning Man officially started today! We're not there so, it must be perfect right? This is a really sparse time here in the city. A lot of folks leave this place for the last two weeks of August. It's not as hot and muggy as I've been told it can get. I feel like I'm moving about as slow as a slug! That's Northern California compared to Manhattan! Alright, from the Upper West Side, I say Farewell! Jessica

Thursday, August 21, 2003

Entry #53

Hey folks! I'm still in Northern California in Sebastopol! This is a strange font,eh? We spent the morning watching,"Sex in the City" and then went to Hardcore coffee to be hardcore and drink their coffee! I had one cup and I was going for two but, never drank the second one... I did still have it about 7 hours later(thinking I would drink it cold!). Anyway, it's very mellow here~that's probably why I really like to drink coffee here! Hardcore is not your average cup of Joe either. Hwy.116 and Bloomfield Road- just remember that if you ever happen into a town called Sebastopol... Then, we went walking through Armstrong Woods in Guerneville... Armstrong woods was saved by Colonel Armsrong back in 1909 and it's a giant grove of Redwoods that are over 1300 years old. It's a beautiful walk. It was warm out and the sky above the tall trees was bright blue. Giant stumps from ancient trees fallen over with exposed roots~giant roots. Life is unique here. It's unique to this place. I miss New York and my life there. I miss Northern California when I'm in New York! I guess this will keep me bi-coastal! I'm more tan than I've been in a year! We do tend to gather together here and celebrate often. I like this place. Jessica

Monday, August 18, 2003

Entry #52

Hey y'all! I write from Sebastopol, California! I lived here for nine years before I moved to New York City. I spent the past week up in a mountain town in Northern California. I think I have about a week left here on the west coast before I fly back to New York. I feel refreshed and I'm starting to miss Manhattan. Just tonight I was thinking how I can't just go down to the corner deli that's open 24 hours... Things are great, I don't have much to write. Jessica

Wednesday, August 13, 2003

Entry #51

It's so mellow and relaxing here! Alright, the first weekend I was in Northern California, I went to the Sebastopol flea market both Saturday and Sunday, early and scored hard! "The early bird gets the worm" is definitely true for the flea market! Birkenstocks for $3.00!!! There was a moment I had sitting in a friend's garden, barefoot in the grass when I  felt the bottom of my feet relax! Makes sense, right? I've been walking around in the city with cement under my feet for nine months! Ah, nature! I have a gig on Friday night up in Ashland, Oregon at a friend's restaurant called," Jazbo Lounge". Ashland is a very cool town. It's all about Shakespeare there. Visit if you ever get the chance! They put on fantastic live productions! Alright, from the Northern reaches of California... Oh, and it looks to me like I won't be going to Burning Man this year! Maybe I should celebrate that as much as I celebrate going to Burning Man! Just for kicks! I feel absolutely no pull to be there this year! It's a strange thing not to feel because this would be my 7th year! Ah well, it hasn't happened yet! Cheers, Jessica Star

Tuesday, August 12, 2003

Entry #50

Good early morning from Northern California and (1:30am pst~ 4:30am est)...Yep, I went to the beach that I missed and it was the weekend so, I walked on it and dug the ocean but, after tasting a little bit of space, I had to completely get away from all people... I went to a much less populated beach a little further north on the 1 that has a gnarly cliff that most wouldn't consider a nice path to the beach so, I went. It was glorious... Everyone needs there own space without anyone else to focus on. It feels so incredibly good just to let my mind melt while I'm listening to the ocean and looking at seals drying themselves on a giant rock surrounded by the Pacific. I can feel layers of city energy just sliding off of me. It is very cool. Musically speaking, I played at a friends' wedding last Saturday night... It was a midnight wedding on the almost full moon so, I sang one of my songs," Full Moon Rising" which we called," Midnight Wedding"! I played with Gregg Tilles on electric lead guitar. There were these absolutely deeeelicious truffles! They were very small and chocolate... MMMmmmmm!!!! Jessica

Tuesday, August 05, 2003

Entry #49

I cancelled the show today at Dag Hammarskjold due to predictions of thunder storms scattered throughout the day! And then it didn't even rain!!! That's how it goes though, right? If we would have been there playing, most likely the rain would have been torrential! Tomorrow I fly to Oakland, California for three weeks out there! I'm so excited! There's one particular beach I need to spend some quality time on, the same place I wrote," The Ocean". on the fringe of Black Rock (http://www.burningman.com) Jessica Star