Friday, October 29, 2010

Just saying hi

It’s almost Halloween! The weather is getting chilly and just a little spookier than usual. I have my second to last slide guitar class tomorrow at the Jalopy Theater but way before that we’re going to a five year olds birthday party! It’s a costume affair and his parents are Burners like us ( we go to Burning Man) so I’m sure there will be no lack of festivities.
This is another picture taken by my friend Darin Chumbley at my last show at the Dinosaur BBQ in Harlem.

Happy Halloween,
Mwah ha ha ha ha!!!!

Jessica Star

Wednesday, October 27, 2010

More slide guitar class!

Hey people! I had another slide guitar class at the Jalopy Theater last Saturday with Ernie Vega. He's a good teacher. We're learning a song called, "Keep your lamp trimmed and burning". It's in open D tuning which is from the low string to the high: D A D F# A D. I'm excited to listen to the original version of the song. It's a dark sounding gospel kind of song. I got my pictures that my photographer friend, Darin Chumbley took at my last Dinosaur BBQ show! The photo at the top of the blog is one of many that he took. What a transformation to have a baby and then somewhat return to your original state. OK, so I may never be at my original state again but hey, I made a really cute little guy! I've been going to ballet class at the Mark Morris Dance Group here in Brooklyn and really loving getting back into dance. I think my next venture will be either modern or contemporary jazz. Dancing used to be my whole life until I was 22 and turned it all into music. Hmm, maybe I'll bring acting back in? It's just fun! There are so many things you can do here in NYC. Alright, goodnight. Jessica Star

Saturday, October 16, 2010

Ballet and guitar classes!

Thursday I took ballet class at the Mark Morris Dance Group here in Brooklyn. Very cool and fun class. Y'all know I used to be a very serious ballet/modern/jazz student? I danced very intensely from age 14 to 23. That was in Portland, Oregon. Then I moved to Northern California and just switched over to music full time. So now, 18 years later, I'm dusting off my ballet! I'm also taking finger style guitar picking and slide guitar classes at the Jalopy Theater and School of Music. I never wanted to go to college after High School but now I'm in the University of Jessica Star right here in NYC! Adult education rocks. Jessica Star

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Early Fall

I'm still living in Brooklyn with my husband, baby boy, three cats, two banjos and four guitars. I've been taking a slide guitar class at the Jalopy Theater and School of Music with Ernest Vega. He is a really great guitarist! We're learning different open tunings. I try to just write about musical stuff here on my site but I've been experiencing a whole new dimension being a mom! Talk about challenging... It's a steep learning curve. Definitely makes you put your priorities in place. I feel like I'm becoming a butterfly but right now I'm in the metamorphosis stage. Alot of songwriters refer to their songs as children. Well, Joshua actually is a child and he is by far the best creation I've made. I think he'll be a better musician than me too! If he wants to be. I've been taking drives upstate and it's so green and beautiful. I crave clean air and wilderness. I'm from the woods basically and I've been living in NYC for almost exactly eight years! EIGHT YEARS!!!! I thought I'd be here for two! Ha! At two years being here I had just barely begun to understand this place. Someone told me that NY will show you what you're not. It really does. People ask me all the time what kind of music I play and write so the question has been one I ask myself frequently in attempts to give my elevator speech," folk-rock", "country-rock" ... And then people say to me, " you're a hippy. Everyone knows you're an Earth Mama".. So, maybe I play hippy rock. Now I'm smiling:) hippy rock!!!! HIPPY ROCK!!!! I write as my family sleeps amid the constant noise that is NYC... Good night to you, Jessica Star