Sunday, August 03, 2003

Entry #48

Today I recorded again with Raviv and we put some ad-lib harmonies on to the song," Letter  To Freedom" that we recorded about a month and a half ago. We recorded up in Harlem at his studio. Next Tuesday I play again at Dag Hammarskjold Plaza near the United Nations at lunch time with Chris Carter, Ivan Bodley, and Kenny Soule, weather permitting! Wednesday I fly to Oakland, California to rest, rejuvenate, caffeinate (at Hardcore in Sebastopol), congregate with my groovy friends, and lose myself in the wild. I think Burning Man could make it onto my calendar this year... Ah,  New York has been "fantastic" to me since I've been here. I come back in early September and will have shows coming up in the City and on Long Island! So yes, Burning Man... Usually I spend a good deal of my time during the year thinking about Burning Man. This year, I've been living my dream~ big time and haven't thought much about our little (30,000) city in the desert of Black Rock, Nevada... I feel fine with it, I've been creating a bit of an "all-year-long" playa experience being here in Gotham. There are concerts in the park every weekend, street performers, ah, I  know it's not Black Rock but, people here know how to have a good time and do it with style! Believe me east and west coast alike, I am soooooo excited  to be in Northern California! I'll get to realize just how much my time here in Gotham has changed me! Experiment in motion!!! Farewell reader! Jessica Star

Friday, August 01, 2003

Entry #47

It's Friday morning, and I do mean morning! It's about 5am and I just got home from Southampton where I played a show with Bobby and Joanne Nathan and their band! I took the Long Island Railroad out and back and read some Robert Jordan," Wheel of Time" on the way. I realized I'd already read the ninth book only on my way back to the city. Have you read any of that series? Pretty good stuff. The show was at Eli's? I'll have to check on that name but, it is a really cool restaurant that serves Cajun food among other things. Very yummy food! We played from 8:30pm to about 1am with me playing and singing," Me and Bobby McGee" solo acoustic for a request at the tail-end! We played with Gary and Mario of Sam Taylor's band. Sam Taylor is a legend. Gary and Mario rock as do Bobby and Joanne Nathan! Next week I fly to Northern California for about three weeks! It's so funny how much I missed it when I wasn't sure if I could go visit and now that I have my flight booked, I'm thinking and feeling how much I'll miss being here! I do think that this is my new home! Ah well, it's good for the soul to go be by itself and reflect on it's current state, right? To all the homeless people out there...   Jessica

Monday, July 28, 2003

Entry #46

Greetings! It's Sunday night and there is a powerful lightening and rain storm happening here! Today we went to the flea market! Then headed over to a garden party in Brooklyn at Cafe Kai in Carrol Gardens. There was live music on the back patio! Tony Mason on a snare drum and high-hat, Ken Rich on bass, Pat Cisarano on vocals and Bill Simms Jr. on guitar!!! They asked me to come up and sing so, I did! We did," Summer Time", " Cold Sweat", and "Little Wing". It was such a rush! Beautiful sunny day and fantastic music wafting through the air! Today was one of those days that you hope for! Sometimes you come up for a nice breath of fresh air amidst all the work. Here, it is such a trip, the air is hot and muggy then you go into an even hotter subway and then step in to an air-conditioned train! Long train rides are nice right now! Brooklyn felt really good to me... The buildings are built shorter so you can see the sky! You don't even realize that you haven't seen the sky living in Manhattan until all of the sudden, you can see it! Once, I went to Jamaica and when I stepped off the plane, the atmosphere of Jamaica was so light, I was amazed! That's kind of how I felt today stepping out of the subway and in to Carrol Gardens in Brooklyn. All my best to you! Jessica

Saturday, July 26, 2003

Entry #45

It's early evening here in Gotham. Burning Man comes closer and closer in time and I feel the urgings of flight, travel, freedom... So far this summer has been good as far as the weather goes. I have another show coming up at Dag Hammarskjold Plaza on Tuesday the 5th of August! This show will feature Chris Carter on lead guitar, Ivan Bodley on bass, and Kenny Soule on drums. I feel northern California chirping away with it's summer harvest and ocean pounding the west coast shore. Soon I'll be on my roller blades, skating through the isle of Manhattan!!!   Carry on! Jessica Star

Friday, July 18, 2003

Entry #44

i'm so tired, i haven't slept a wink, I'm sooo tired (in the voice of John Lennon) Today, we got up at 6:30a.m. and took a walk across the park, picked up the amp and cabbed it down to Dag Hammarskjold Plaza on east 47th between 2nd and 3rd. The band; Bernice "Boom-Boom" Brooks on drums, Dean Zucchero on bass, and Chris Carter on the guitar did fantastically. We played from 12- 1:30p.m. in the hot blazing NY summer sun. We were between skyscrapers so, the sun wasn't on us at 11:45a.m., it was RIGHT on us at say, 12:30p.m. and stayed on us all through the performance and at 1:45p.m., it went behind a skyscraper and we were shaded again... Mysterious? We played cover tunes from Aretha Franklin, James Brown, Etta James, Janis Joplin, and some of my originals; Baby Blue, Cupid's Arrow, and The Ocean. I forgot to wear sunscreen. The sun here is no joke. A VERY trippy thing happened last week regarding synchronicity. As a musician, timing is key and synchronicity is something I pay attention to. I magically met up with an aquaintance from when I was about 17... A found friend here in New York City. His name is Darin Chumbly and he's a dancer. I met him when I was a mere 14 years old and starting to take ballet classes. I went to the studio where he studied to take my first dance classes. Then, we were in community theater together, went to the same high school up in Vancouver, Washington and eventually, lost touch. So, we met up mysteriously last week down on the pier and I'm very thankful. Talking with him awakens me to just how disconnected I am from my past. It's another life-time ago, really. Anyway, rock on synchronicity!!! Dig Deep, Jessica

Tuesday, July 08, 2003

Entry #43

Greetings! I'm really excited about my upcoming shows at Dag Hammarskjold Plaza! The first one, on Thursday, July 17th, will be a terrific line-up of musicians with Chris Carter on guitar, Dean Zucchero on bass, Bernice "Boom-Boom" Brooks on drums and yours truly on vocals (loud pipes save lives)! Yep! Then, our second show there at Dag will feature again, Chris Carter on guitar and, Kenny Soule on drums, Ivan Bodley on bass and, yes, Jessica Star singing up front! I went to the Monday night jam at Le Bar Bat last night and sang. It was fun and there was some real nice talent on stage. We also skated last night at sunset at Riverside Park, on the Hudson River. The air feels really good after the sun goes down out there on the water. I wish you all the best. Today I have that really nice peaceful feeling where things just feel right in the world and in my life. Nothing has really changed but, it just feels peaceful. I extend that peace to you... Love, Jessica 

Saturday, July 05, 2003

Entry #42

We got roller blades!!! Oh, the fun! It's hot here and fully engaged in summer and we skated all over the place yesterday! Then, we went to see the fireworks over the East River! It was packed, hot, no bathrooms, and I felt like we were cattle being prodded up into a gated off area but, once the fireworks started, it was awesome... They really know how to do it right here. Beautiful. The experience of coming home on the subway was a little gnarly. It was so hot down there! Anyway, happy fourth of July! Jessica

Sunday, June 29, 2003

Entry #41

Woo!!! The play is finished and it's Sunday... Ah... It's beautiful outside! We went walking around the hood this afternoon, which we like to call," morning" and everyone was out. So, Friday afternoon we went in a car, out to Westhampton for the," Are You Experienced" Blues show. The traffic was very heavy and slow and the weather was HOT! Luckily, we had air-conditioning! We had some interesting conversations like; What are the first three things you'd change if you could change anything in the American government? The show was really fun and fiery! My band and I played six songs: Baby, I love you, Next time you see me, my original- Fallen Rain, Jimi Hendrix's Little Wing, my original- Baby Blue, and Janis Joplin's Get it while you can! We were treated very well by the promoters and bookers of the theater and I sold a bunch of CDs! Then, there was a marguerita party across the street so, we went! Love, Jessica

Friday, June 27, 2003

Entry #40

Last night I went on the," Joey Reynold's Show" on the AM dial, 710. I'm a little bit tired! I sang," To Laugh" and," Baby Blue"! It was fun. It's really a talk show. I sang in," Her Sonoma Story" last night also, before the radio show (that went on the air live at 1am). You can get really busy here! Today, in about an hour, we're driving out to Westhampton with the band to play in the," Are You Experienced?" Blues festival! I'm pretty excited! Love, Jessica

Monday, June 23, 2003

Entry #39

Hi everyone! I am getting soooo busy! I know that's good, especially here. Now I'm really using the giant calendar I bought in the winter! Let's see... I'll start with the weather here in Gotham. As of late, it's been gloomy and rainy and today, it was hot and sunny! Summer is ON!!! This coming Friday, June 27th, we'll be playing in Westhampton at the," Are You Experienced" Blues Show! We open the show at 8pm and will be doing," Little Wing" by Jimi Hendrix! I'll be playing for the first half hour of the play," Her Sonoma Story" this Wednesday, Thursday, and Saturday night starting at 7:30p.m. It's at the Neighborhood Playhouse on east 54th street between 1st and 2nd Aves. My c.d.s are now listed with CD Baby! They do a great job. Just go to http://www.cdbaby.com and put in my name as the artist you're looking for and my two c.d.s will pop up with bio information and you can listen to two minutes of the songs from each c.d.! I think it's very cool! Being here in New York has really been GREAT for my music career! There is such momentum here! They say to live in California but leave before you get too soft and, live in New York City but leave before you get too hard. I lived in Northern California for nine years and I think the last two years I was getting too soft. Actually, the last year I lived there, I was really traveling around in my motor home through Arizona, Utah, New Mexico and all parts of California, thinking about moving to New York City. My solo show at The C Note last Saturday night went really well. It's a pretty cool little venue and bar. It still seems ODD to me that there is a law against dancing in live music venues here in Manhattan!???! I mean really, does that sound like," Footloose" or what? I guess if the venue pays for a "Cabaret License", then people can dance and the place won't get fined or shut down but, it seems so backwards that the greatest city in America that has so much art, music, theater, and dance and an international crowd has a hard-core law against dancing!!! Aren't people supposed to get wild in these places and when the live band plays "dance music", people dance? It actually makes it more appealing to do non-dance music because the audience can't dance to it anyway- by law!!! Ah, another VERY COOL thing that I got booked for recently is happening this Thursday night at 1a.m. (actually, very early Friday morning). I'm going to play live on the Joey Reynold's Show! It's 710AM and I'll be on at 1a.m.! It sounds like a pretty liberal talk show. They were talking about the origins of Mad Cow Disease last night ( if you knew, you'd never eat beef again!). I hope I make it to Burning Man this year and Northern California!!! I know I'm supposed to be here right now. Ah, life is treating me fantastically!!! Believe me, I know the difference! I wish you all the best, thanks for reading my musings and hey, write me a note in the Guestbook and let me know what's up with you!   Sincerely, Jessica Star

Friday, June 20, 2003

Entry #38

Greetings! I had rehearsal with my band today and then headed to The Neighborhood Playhouse where there are six women acting in a play about women in Sonoma County called," Her Sonoma Story". I met these actresses last friday night at Gallagher's when I went on the Aaron Braunstein Show. Chance coincidence or divine perfection? They are acting out a play about the exact place I lived before I came here! So, I sang tonight on stage for about 25 minutes before they started, telling the audience a little about Sonoma County and how funny it was that I was there! It was cool. I'm actually going to play before the show for pretty much the run of it except for the matinees which I just don't want to get up early for! What else??? I turned on the AM dial last night and caught the last bit of Aaron Braunstein's show that I sang on last friday. I didn't hear me sing but, a friend of mine who told me about the show in the first place heard it the night before and said it sounded clear and good. Alright, I'm over and out. I hope you're all doing fantastically!!! Love, Jessica

Sunday, June 15, 2003

Entry #37

Good evening! Yesterday I recorded a new song that I co-wrote with a local musician/producer named Raviv. He gave me the finished music tracks, I wrote the lyrics and melody and within one week, we recorded it with at least six vocal tracks~ harmonies and all. It was a very sweet experience! That was on saturday. Friday, the day before, I went to a restaurant called," Gallagher's" which must have been around since the 1940's and took part in a taping for a radio/TV show hosted by Aaron Braunstein. It was really fun! I sang," The Ocean" and," To Laugh". Apparently, Marilyn Monroe's biological daughter was there also. She's had DNA testing and everything... What do you know? I am meeting some REAL characters here!  Love, Jessica  

Tuesday, June 03, 2003

Entry #35

Greetings, it's the night before our afternoon gig near the U.N. I'm getting everything prepared such as set lists and "To Do" lists to make sure we have all we need once we get there. I am usually still sleeping at the time that we'll be playing tomorrow! We play from noon to 1:30p.m. in an outdoor plaza. Our guitarist is sick and he's bringing all the equiptment AND there's no provided parking AND we still need an extension cord and power strip! Oh, the list goes on! It's always something, ya know? I love being able to go play music. I think we'll have a good time once we have all the equiptment set up. Our next show after this one is going to be at the C Note in the east village on June 21st, which is a saturday. I think I'm going to have a little bit of a different line-up as far as musicians go, maybe a bass and a fiddle... I just love those fiddles. Alright! Carry on! Love, Jessica Star

Entry #36

The show at Dag Hammarksjold Plaza went fantastically! We ended up jamming on some blues for a while and just winging it... It seemed to be what was called for so, we listen and respond with song... Yes, definately a fun manifestation this is. And what do I mean by that? This life, my choice to be here and live out the life of an up and coming rock star. We'll see how it unfolds! I'm having a great time! Love, Jessica Star

Friday, May 30, 2003

Entry #34

Ah, it's friday evening and a peace comes over the city... Next tuesday afternoon, me and the boys play an outdoor concert near the United Nations. I think that will be fun! The weather was neat today. I was out and about and it was really warm and sunny and then, as I got home, it started sprinkling. By the time I was inside there was crashing thunder and giant raindrops!!! A lot of people on the street did not have umbrellas! Talk about a wet t-shirt contest! Ha ha ha. Yep, I'm thinking about Burning Man, the west coast, roadtrips, hippies, surfers, all the mellow stuff. We ate at Grey's Papaya tonight. It's a Manhattan tradition. Sarah Jessica Parker loves Grey's Papaya! They give you two hot dogs with kraut and a papaya drink( for digestion) for $2.25! Roll on! Jessica Star