Wednesday, September 21, 2005

Entry #174

Tonight we played at The Red Lion and it was fabulous! Thank you to all of my friends who came out to hear the newest version of my band play! We're still batting around a name for the band. I like "Black Rock" but we'll bat it around 'til it feels right. Aalics and Avi, our newest members, were great tonight. With more gigs and rehearsals it will only get better. The chemistry is there and that's really the crucial component in anything important. Dave goes without saying, well except that I'll say it; Dave is great. For those of you not in the "know", Dave's the cool drummer who's been playing with me for almost three years now. Dave and I have played a few shows just him and me back when we didn't have the other players. I think our group right now has a lot of potential. We like each other and like each others playing. It was a really magical night. Trebor Lloyd is one cool cat. He is the owner of City Canyons Records and he really supports indie music which is great for us indie musicians!!! Thank you Trebor! Yep, it takes a lot of different people with a lot of different talents to make careers happen. There were some real nice bands playing tonight. I think the line-up was perfect. Oh, just yawned; I think it's finally time to go to sleep , ~Jessica~

Friday, September 16, 2005

Entry #173

Hey people! We're back from Burning Man and oh was it fun! There is a good reason as to why I haven't been writing or typing in this travel log; I have a little wrist injury and typing kind of annoys it. So, here is my two cents for you; The desert was dry, hot in the day and cold at night, amazing and full of my friends. I've been to Burning Man eight times now and I was reflecting out there how when I first went in '97 I knew two other people. Now I know people all over the playa from both the west coast and the east coast. It's really fun to just go to different camps visiting people and meeting even more people! I got to perform out there at an awesome four pointed circus tent called Apollo by day/ Dionysus by night. I played solo with my electric guitar, leather pants, leather halter top and multi-colored Senegalese styled braids! This happened after I stayed up all night the night before so, I was in rare form. I had a great audience and ended the set with an acapella version of "Evergreen". There were some famous DJ's out there and we danced our fannies off to their music. I got to spin fire on the night of the burn which was one of my very favorite parts of all. Apparently, white gas is the preferred lighting fuel out there, not lamp oil. Lamp oil can run down your body and if it lights up, you light up even if it's at a lower temperature than white gas. It felt GREAT to spin hot fire. I play with my newly named band," Black Rock" this coming Tuesday at the Red Lion on Bleecker street! "Jessica Star and Black Rock" is the new name. I like it which is the most important part right? I hope you can all make it to hear us roar. Hurricane Katrina wiped out New Orleans while we were in the desert and there were apparently about 40 Burners from there at Burning Man. I got a widely spread email just after the tsunami hit a while back and it was from the Guatemalan Elders saying that everyone on our planet needs to start praying and truly wanting peace on Earth or disasters will keep happening. Well, now New Orleans has been destroyed. We need to pray for peace and REALLY WANT PEACE or I do think we'll keep seeing these kinds of natural disasters. Grim huh? Alright! Back in New York and greeting fall with a smile, Jessica

Monday, August 15, 2005

Entry #172

On Saturday we put our Burning Man gear on the container that's going to meet us in Black Rock! Yep, Burning Man is two weeks away and all of us Burners are focused on the big party to come. What a good weekend. It was really hot though. Today I'm rehearsing with the new bassist and Dave. We got confirmed for a showcase with City Canyon's Records on Tuesday, Sept. 20th at 9:30pm at The Red Lion! Last week's show at Dag plaza was really fun. There were about 100 little kids dancing and grooving to our music! Thank you to ALL of you who came out to our show. It was very magical. Check out my new comic logo! Go to the gallery of this website and you'll see it. It was drawn by an artist named Jason Johnson. Thank you Jason! ~Jessica

Tuesday, August 02, 2005

Entry #171

Hideeho citizens of the galaxy! It's a gorgeous summer day here in NYC. I've been riding my bike a lot and it definitely helps me stay happy and sane as well as in better physical shape. Today I'm rehearsing with my band and our new bassist, Aalics Bronson. He'll play his first show with us next Tuesday at~ you guessed it~ DAG! We play yet another afternoon show there in front of the lovely waterfall. Today is a good day filled with positive vibrations. Isn't it ironic when our government is planning and plotting to completely bamboozle our entire planet? Hmm, yeah, I still don't quite understand why when in the physical plane there is so much evil and at the same time the spiritual plane is brighter and brighter. I guess it's because we need those angelic beings even more so. These are my opinions and my own personal way of interpreting what I see, hear, and feel. By the way, on November 2nd~ anniversary of our stolen election~ we are taking to the streets to show our stance on the Bush regime. Check out this website for the details; http://www.worldcantwait.org .I think Burning Man is the society I'd live in year round if it were possible. Check out http://www.burningman.com it's a gift society where art is the way of life. In Black Rock City I can have a very successful music career without selling a single cd! I don't even have to promote my shows! Music is just what I give to the community. I'm working on a new comic logo for my T-shirts and other merchandise. I'm excited about it! I love comic books and that art style. I'm feeling more at home here lately (it can always change) and I'm happy about that. It's hard living somewhere when you've got one foot out the door which is how I've felt for uh, practically the whole time I've been here. Hang in there , ~Jessica~

Wednesday, July 27, 2005

Entry #170

Hey dudes! It was another sweltering hot day in NYC. Towards sunset it started to thunder and rain those big splashy rain drops. I was listening to Jennifer Knapp on my ipod coming up out of the subway. I felt so elated being in the refreshing rain with her voice crooning after a sticky hot day walking around the city in the fumes of busses, cars, taxis, subway grates, and general rif-raf (yes, we love it). You should check her out; she's a Christian rocker who is amazing. I guess she has been off the scene for a bit but you can still hear her music on the internet; I really like her style. I just got the edited video of the session we did at Euphoria! It's all cover tunes so most likely I won't be adding it to this sight but at some point, we'll do video clips for the site with my original music. That is all I have to write! Rock on and say hey in the guest book! ~Jessica~

Sunday, July 24, 2005

Entry #169

Greetings! I know I haven't written in about a month; that was due to my travel log program being broken but now it's fixed! Thank you Ben! It's really hot in NYC these days. Yesterday we took a bike ride to Rockaway beach which from our place, is thirty miles! It was very hot but it was a great ride (we ate pizza along the way). Last week we did another show at Dag plaza in front of the waterfall. It was a sweltering hot day. How do I know? I broke a string! My strings were too hot and twang! It popped. I want to say a public,' Hey!' to my brother Loren who lives all the way across the country in Washington state. Check it out; that's my garden! Thanks to my new travel log program I can include little pictures of what I'm talking about. Does anyone know who Ani Difranco is? She's great. Check her out by googling her name. She's having a tendonitis problem due to the fact that she plays SO MUCH GUITAR. She tours constantly and has been on tour for probably 16 years. I feel for her because I have a bit of that same problem myself. You only have two wrists (most of us) so when you get the message from your body that it's time to chill out on whatever you're doing, you have to listen. I haven't been playing as much guitar, only for my shows and practices, and I've given up knitting completely for the time being. This typing thing is still a problem so I don't do it that often. The amazing thing about bodies is that they DO heal up if you give them enough of what they need and stop doing the thing that's damaging them. It kind of took me a long time to really start taking care of my body. I'm really thankful that I've started being healthier though. Bike rides really burn it all right through. Hmm, I just woke up and it seems I don't have a whole lot to say. All of you readers TOTALLY ROCK! Keep it up! ~Jessica~

Wednesday, June 29, 2005

Entry #167

On Monday night, I went into Euphoria Studios with Jared Booty, Dave Dawson, and Justin Wallace and filmed 5 cover tunes. Pietro Rotondo recorded us. THANK YOU gentlemen! We did Complicated by Avril Lavigne, You were meant for me by Jewel, I hate myself for loving you by Joan Jett, Crush by Jennifer Paige, and Time of your life by Green Day. It was fun. We recorded at Euphoria Studios in Manhattan from 10pm-  to about 12:45 am. Justin was doing us a favor by sitting in on bass and he did a bang up job! They all rocked it.  I have been reading a book that I picked up at a stoop sale here in Brooklyn called, Native New Yorkers. It is about the Algonquin Indians who lived right here in N.Y.C. and all over New York State for up to 9,000 years before the Dutch arrived in 1524. Apparently there were up to 15,000 living in the five burrows of NYC and they had nearly no negative impact on the land. One thing they did not have back then though was the ability to make their own gravy! (Gravy is the stuff that drips on you from the air-conditioners in the windows above when you are walking down the street on a hot muggy day!) Anyway, I am thoroughly enjoying the book. It is really making me look at the land differently, knowing that there is so much history here and that a lot of the history has just been cemented over.   until next time,   Jessica  

Monday, June 20, 2005

Entry #166

The idea is to make it look effortless; the reality is that if it were that easy, everyone would be a rock star. I think it is pretty funny when someone who has never even been in a band wonders why it is so hard to keep a band together or heck, why there is any difficulty at all in doing this music dream. If I just tell myself that it is ALL hard and frustrating but at least when I am doing music, I am doing what I love, then when it becomes synchronistic it is like a fresh breeze (unlike the breeze that blows up through the subway grates in the street(egads!) Yes, there are many moments of grace but if you go thinking that all of life should be easy like that and fun why, that is when the hard and complicated stuff comes up and bites you in the backside.   ~Jessica  

Thursday, June 16, 2005

Entry #165

Whoa! We just rode through the big, huge, splashy rain drops and thunder! We were on our bikes and man, did it start POURING! That is part of a New York City springtime. Nice big wet drops of rain to completely soak us to the bone as we rode all of 14 city blocks!  Yesterday we took a bike ride down in the Red Hook district of Brooklyn and through Carroll Gardens and got some nice exercise. Then we went to the Park Side Lounge and heard some excellent Reggae and I got up on stage and sang! It was F.U.N. As I write my hair is dripping down my back. I should be drying off and instead, I am documenting!   Jessica

Wednesday, June 15, 2005

Entry #163

We played an afternoon concert at Dag Hammarskjold Plaza yesterday afternoon. I played with Dave, Jared, and Byrne. Thank you to all of you who came out to hear us! Yes, it was hot right in the blazing sun but we had a blast. We tried out a few of the new cover tunes and people were digging it.  It is very hot here these days; hot AND muggy! You would think it was already August, but no it is just the very beginning of summer. My backyard is amazing! I planted flowers in all these different colors and kinds, seeds for flowers, and GRASS! Yep, I hand tilled the dirt that WAS our backyard and spread grass seed and watered it religiously. Now we have an amazing yard filled with color!   ~Jessica  

Sunday, May 29, 2005

Entry #162

Ah life; it is so beautiful here these days. Spring is gorgeous in New York. I walked around Brooklyn checking out a few stoop sales today (Sunday) and played some music with a bassist named Byrne Klay. Yesterday we walked around Soho and had a great day just tooling around the city. Right before the rain came we took the subway home; it started as we were underground. Time certainly does move faster on the weekends. Last Wednesday night I met Dave Dawson and some new musician friends down at the A&M Roadhouse for the blues jam hosted by Big Ed Sullivan. I am looking for a lead guitarist and a bass player so I had some folks meet me down there and a few of us got up and played Summertime. It is always fun to get up and wail! Seriously, that is the most fun thing to do. 3 fun things; Swinging on a swing set, standing in the ocean and, wailing at a jam. It was fun walking around Brooklyn today in the sweet sunshine. I listened to my ipod. I have some great music on there. We are going to Santa Fe, New Mexico this week! I am so excited! I love the desert.   Sorry for the lack of paragraphs; this is just a ramble!   ~Jessica Star~  

Monday, May 23, 2005

Entry #161

I played at Pier 63 last Saturday for the Harbor Festival. What a trip! I was at the end of the dock, a place called The Frying Pan, on the stage. The combination of the room and the water below made quite interesting acoustics. It was not really an echo, more of a watery reverberation. There were two little girls dancing in the middle of the room; they looked like butterflies! I had a great time playing. That is really all I have to say right now!     ~Jessica  

Monday, May 16, 2005

Entry #160

Life; what a journey! Here, it goes very fast in many ways including life lessons. There is no sparing the lessons here. Today I played at the Fabulous 5th Avenue Street Fair with my friend Helen. It was really fun. The sky was overcast and it kept barely showering on us all day. We were on an uncovered stage so we had to keep our eyes on the weather the whole time. It was a fun day. It actually turned kind of hot towards the end. I saw some folks that I have met through playing in the subway. You know, there is a lesson that goes something like this; when you let things in life just flow and not try to control the outcome, it goes a lot better. Today was just that. I mean, you have to do your work and your job in making things happen but there is a whole level that you cannot control and that is where the beauty is. There were also a bunch of sweet stoop sales today that I went to (and scored at). I do love a good stoop sale; they are the NYC equivalent to the garage sale (because most of us do not have garages). To all of you who read my travel log and do not sign the guest book to let me know that you were here;               Whassup!!!!!!!!!!!   Ya! I love to hear that you read what I write! I changed the pictures around on the gallery page so check that out. Alright, This is the conclusion of this entry.   ~Jessica    

Saturday, May 14, 2005

Entry #159

Yesterday, Friday the 13th, I played music with Helen in preparation for the show tomorrow on 5th Avenue in Brooklyn at the street fair. I went to the most rockin' party last night at my friend Rose's Upper East Side rooftop! My friend Alan Watt from Northern California is in New York so he met me there with his daughter and we partied! What a view! It was so nice out too. It is really spring. Tomorrow I play the street fair; that will be fun. Once again, rock on! Jessica

Thursday, May 12, 2005

Entry #158

One thing to remember is to keep your sense of humor. If you do not have one, develop one fast! Humor is so crucial, at least in my life. Your perception IS your reality. What kind of lenses are you looking through? I have another thing called, " Be good to yourself day". It is simply that when your inner critic starts beating you down "being helpful" well; you counter the thoughts with pretty much the opposite of what your inner critic is telling you. If the voice says your ugly, look at yourself in the mirror and see your inner glow! If they say you are hopeless, that is exactly when that sense of humor comes to rescue you! Laugh at the critic! It is not easy because that inner critic has spent a good deal of time working on you and probably in a means to make you a better version of yourself. Most of the criticism is self-defeating and unhealthy. Ah yes, I do deal with my inner critic. I spent some time today recording one of my songs, "The River". I am really liking how it is coming along. Also spent time finding my new band. Yesterday I played briefly in the subway. The energy was kinda warped down there and I took the hint to get above ground, just as the police came to do something I did not really want to know about. It is all energy. Did you know that before the tsunami hit the land, the animals knew to go to higher ground? Intuition is our guiding voice (not the inner critic!) and keeps us safe and in the right flow. Wow, what a lot of advice I have today! Mostly it is for me to remember but if it helps you on your way, rock on! Enjoy, Jessica