Tuesday, September 11, 2007

Entry #204

Burning Man 2007 was awesome. Once again it proves to be one of the most free places on the planet for a week.Ben and I arrived in Black Rock on Tuesday around sunset. It gets dark FAST there as soon as the sun sets over the mountains so we set up our tent and camp real fast after finding our friends at 5 and A (the address). Wednesday was spent mostly integrating. It is VERY dry there so when you get there, you're body goes through this whole process of realizing it's losing water at a rate it's probably never experienced before. You drink and drink and still you're dehydrated! Gatorade is a friend out there. Thursday we got into costume as the sun set and made our way in a group to party on the playa. It was fun although we were exhausted! We spent the past 6 months planning our wedding, the weekend before executing our wedding plans, and then dropped ourselves into Burning Man three days after our wedding! Ironically, we found a subway entrance out there. An art piece someone had made. It looked like a subway entrance for somewhere in the East Village of NYC. We felt right at home. There was a couch at the back wall of the structure. We took a nap on it! We were trying to party but we were too tired! So, we got back on our bikes and went to camp and fell asleep.Friday was a good day for our energy. We did another wedding ceremony out on the playa at the Temple right after sunset. Our friends Kevin and Leslie led it. It was a Hand-Fasting ceremony. It was beautiful! This was actually our third wedding in one week!Afterwards we had been invited to a sushi bar on the playa (a camp that created a sushi restaurant, all vegetarian.) so we biked there and although there was a very long line to get in, Glenn asked for our friend by name (who had been at our wedding in Shasta), and we were seated right away! It was great. What fun. Crazy Burners! We had a very magical night and danced, partied, eventually came back to our own camp and Dave and Heidi brought out their fire brazier and lit up a nice fire. We had people around the fire all night from all over the planet. Our camp was "Z Bar" as in "Z bar is over there." So, as soon as the lights in Z Bar lit up, Burners flocked and our friends tended bar. Saturday was spent with Ben and I packing up our tent and cleaning up what we could of our camp. We drove out of Black Rock as our friends were finishing getting in costume and were leaving to watch the Man burn. There were only about 3 other cars on the road. This was my 9th year at Burning Man and Ben and I both felt that leaving when we did was clever and one of the only ways to actually do everything we needed to and make our plane on Sunday night in Oakland. We drove to Reno that night and slept for 4 hours. We drove to Mt. Shasta Sunday morning and gave back the truck we borrowed from our photographer and ate delicious lunch at Billy Goat's Tavern and then drove to Oakland, dropped off the rental car and got ourselves and 7 huge bags on the plane for NYC. Now we've been home for a little over a week and life is back to normal and WE'RE MARRIED!!!Jessica Star-Sanders!

Thursday, September 06, 2007

Entry #203

Well, I'm a married woman! Ben and I just got back home to NYC from our whirlwind trip out west to get hitched! We first went to Boulder, CO to meet up with our good friends and go to Reggae in the Red Rocks~ very cool! What an amazing amphitheater! Also amazing was that the next day, Sunday, everyone went back to the show and I opted to stay at our friends house by myself and did the best yoga! I did yoga out on their balcony overlooking the mountains and trees and open sky. I needed the time alone to wrap my head around our then upcoming wedding festivities. It was blissful.Then we flew to San Francisco and drove up to Mt. Shasta on August 20th. We were crazy busy pretty much the entire time we were in the most restful place I know! When you throw a party for 100 plus friends and family, a wedding no less, there is A LOT to do and it's all timely. We did enjoy all of it though. That's the key. My best friend and Maid of Honor, Micaela Colley (Google her name, you'll be amazed!) said that being real busy is not really the problem; it's when you realize you're busy and resist the flow that it becomes a problem. So true, so true. So, I just DUG being busy and it was like riding down the rapids on a sturdy raft. We had our beautiful ceremony right on the mountain herself at a place called Red Fir Flatt. We had the most beautiful ceremony. It was Jewish style being that Ben is Jewish and I'm not yet. We stood under the Chuppah and had a female rabbi officiate. She did such a good job. Her name is Rabbi Jacqueline Brodsky from Ashland, Oregon. We had our reception down the mountain at the Mt. Shasta City Park at the Upper Lodge. Our friends and family decorated it so sweetly. We had Brenda from the Buddha Belly in Weed, CA cater it with her great staff. The food was heavenly. Hardcore Coffee of Sebastopol provided the java, Lani Phillips of Rare Images in Mt. Shasta was our official photographer, and Ed Russ (DJ Jah Karma) of Austin, Texas spun the tunes. The most fun part of the reception I think for me was the Hora. It's when the bride and groom get picked up on chairs and the crowd lifts them up and dances around them to this great music! We were on folding chairs! Don't ever use folding chairs for this! Both of them broke while we were up there! It only added to the danger/excitement! We had our first dance to the Big and Rich song, "Lost in this moment". We were going to try to have an after party at the chalets where we were staying but we were finished! The next day after a little running around (more like walking slowly around) we made our late way up to Castle Lake and it was so perfect and pretty. Two days later we were at Burning Man in Black Rock City, Nevada!!!So that is my entry for now, hopefully I'll come back and fill you in on what all happened at Burning Man 2007!!!Jessica Star-SandersPretty nice, eh? Someone who sands/polishes the stars!

Friday, April 06, 2007

Entry #202

Hi all! I'm still recording and writing new songs for my new album! I'm also getting married! Yep, to my dude of the past 4 and a half years, Mr. Benjamin Sanders! We got engaged on February 18th and I've wasted no time planning our wedding. I'm very happy, yes, thank you. We met at Burning Man in 2002 and then I moved in with him into his little apartment in Manhattan. Things have obviously gone well. I am on myspace. Just go to myspace and search for me by my name under the music category. The actual url doesn't seem to work. I'm still doing lots of yoga and digging it. I've upgraded to the Pro Tools digidesign 003! I love recording in my studio! I'm still learning how to do it as I go. My garden is starting to pop up tulips and other spring bulbs that I planted last fall! That's the scoop. I've been very busy. I anticipate my new album will be out next spring. I hope this finds you happy and loving the life you live.Jessica Star

Tuesday, February 20, 2007

Entry #201

We just got back from our yoga retreat in the Dominican Republic with our teacher, Vivekan. It was amazing and I am very sore! What a beautiful country. The people for the most part were very warm hearted towards us. They're so poor! Wow. It is a real eye-opener when you see poverty like that. There's barely a middle class. It's either wealthy or poor living in a shack. That was the first time I'd been to that island before. It reminded me of Jamaica when we first got there but as we integrated I noticed the Latin culture and just how lively people are. You hear Meringue and Reggaeton music loudly all the time. The hills of the country are filled with the sounds of roosters, dogs barking, crickets and other bugs, birds, Spanish speaking, music from radios, and motorbikes. We ate typical Dominican food, which was delicious and mostly fried. I took one shower in five days! We swam at Boca Chica beach, also at a natural spring that is a public pool with salsa music blaring, lots of people dancing (dirty dancing), swimming, playing a loose form of volleyball and eating. We went to this cave where people have been coming for hundreds of years at least to make ritual offerings to their Gods. There was a lot of drawings on the cave walls of animals, bugs and people snorting hallucinogens through long straws up their noses. What a trip! I'm happy to be home and I'm grateful we got to have that deepening experience.Jessica Star

Wednesday, February 14, 2007

Entry #200

Hi y'all! Recording! Pro Tools! Rocking in my NYC recording studio! Dave was here yesterday and we recorded drums on two songs. Today I recorded lead and harmony vocals on two songs. I love this part of my life. Having my own studio and this righteous digital equipment is something I've wanted for a very long time and it's so satisfying to learn and watch my music grow. Am I repeating myself? I know I've been in this recording process for a while but I only got Pro Tools in December so now I can really make headway where as before I was still trying to figure out how I was going to get all my tunes recorded. This equipment puts making albums into the hands of the musicians and it's about time. Now I just need my fiddle player! Calling my fiddler! Jessica Star TM

Friday, February 02, 2007

Entry #199

Yep, been recording tracks with Dave and Kentucky (drums and bass) these past weeks. It's exciting and sounding great! Music is magic! Get it, magician~ musician.. Sounds very similar. To be able to create new sounds out of seemingly thin air.. I've been getting messages from you readers and they mean alot to me! Keep writing! I love being in touch with you! Jessica Star

Wednesday, January 17, 2007

Entry #198

I hit high C today!! Twice!!! What is hitting high C and why am I so stoked about it? I exercise my voice everyday and usually I can hit high A to A# with true sound and something happened today where I made it up to high C twice in my exercise! That feels great! I guess it's like hitting a new level in my range. It makes sense though because I've diligently been working at it for a while now. That rocks.You rock. Seriously. Give yourself credit for all of your efforts.Rocking in to 2007,Jessica Star

Friday, January 05, 2007

Entry #197

We just got back to Brooklyn from our two week holiday trip out west! It was great! We went to Ashland, Oregon for Christmas and Truth Or Consequences, New Mexico for New Year's. Ashland is famous for its Shakespearian theater and "T or C", as the locals call it is laden with natural mineral springs. We had a fantastic time with all of our friends! I'm going to try to write more often in this online journal as my friends have been telling me they've been reading my blog and want new commentary! I had a huge realization in T or C. Ready? I am a Country singer. People have been telling me this for years and I never felt the truth of it. I just had some experiences down in New Mexico that really made this clear to me. It's beautiful! I feel like I can write music in many different styles and I've been wondering which direction to focus in. Now I know. I was going to put a little Country flavor on my new album but now I feel I have a real direction and I am very grateful. I've always had a little twang anyway. I feel the reality of this so deeply that even if some people don't like it, it doesn't matter. It's what I am and now I know! So hopefully you'll dig my new songs! I'm just starting to learn Pro Tools so I'm excited about recording! As a matter of fact, I gotta go so I can work out my vocal chords and jump into my new learning curve! Happy New Year to you all!!! I feel really blessed in my life and I hope you do too. Jessica Star

Friday, September 29, 2006

Entry #196

Yesterday I auditioned for Nashville Star! It's a reality show for finding the next country star. It was cool and fun. I'm not going to be on the show but I wasn't really attached to that one anyway. It was fun going through the process of auditioning. The auditions were held at the Rodeo bar on 27th and 3rd in the city. I met some cool country music loving folk while waiting for three hours in line. I sang the chorus to a Gretchen Wilson song. I have to get that song out of my head now! I'm very sound sensitive and when I'm learning something, I listen to it over and over til I know every nuance. Then I have to not listen to the song for a very long time so I can get it out of mind. I've been in my studio recording and writing almost every day! My drummer and bassist come over and record too. It is really important to enjoy the ride. Jessica

Sunday, August 20, 2006

Entry #195

Today was a lovely day. I have been recording in my studio and I love it! My past experiences in studios have been that I was paying by the hour so there wasn't a lot of time for trying things out, redoing, recording it until it's perfect, at least to my ears, and then listening to it over and over. Also, it's such a sweet experience be able to be in the studio alone. It's no one else's studio but mine and I love it! Collaborating is great, but there is such a beautiful magic in actually going deep inside your heart and mind and pulling out the music you hear in there. It's a very new experience for me to have my own space, as I'm a bit of a nomad. I lived in my car~ multiple cars for years, travelled around and stayed with friends which was great, I dug it while it was happening, but this is a whole new chapter in my life. I love having a home, I love having a garden, and I love having a space to do my work. Now that's a lot love! In the last month, I've written two songs that I really like (okay, I love them; I just didn't want to be redundant). I'm writing a new album. I already have enough new songs for an album, but I think if I keep writing songs, the newer ones are going to sound more cohesive together. So, that's what I'm doing. I know I talk a lot about yoga and its many benefits and I'm not stopping now! I've lived in New York City for almost 4 years, and it's just been in the last eleven months that I've developed a yoga practice. These have been the happiest and sanest eleven months since I've lived here! I'm falling deeper and deeper in love with this city. She opens her arms and embraces some people, and she chews up and spits out others. I got lucky. Our garden is glorious. I'm growing Anasazi corn among many other plants, and it just started to sprout the silky hairs of the corn. I planted grass seeds last Sunday, and it was the quick grow kind so they are sprouted and green, although a little patchy, but it's better than having bare dirt. I figure growing a garden and taking care of the space in my backyard is something that I can do to give back to this truly amazing metropolis (at least my neighbors appreciate it). I've definitely improved the quality of the earth out there. You would be amazed at the piles of broken glass, old bottles of lipstick, antique broken medicine bottles, bricks and all sorts of garbage that I've found and pulled out of the earth and sent to the dump (back to the earth, but at least it's a designated rubbish heap) I enjoyed every moment of working back there, believe me~ and it was very hot out too! It's kind of like an archaeological dig. It clues you in to what people thought was acceptable, just throwing bottles and broken things in the backyard. Mother Earth has every right to be livid. I really do hope we can pull it together to change our ways of living day to day and stop damaging the earth and our atmosphere and actually treat her like she deserves to be treated; as our mother and as our support system. But people treat their own bodies in the same ways. In our ignorance we eat garbage, we watch rubbish on television, we spew trash out of our mouths and we entertain thoughts that are~ garbage. Is that mean of me to say? I don't think that everyone does this, but I think that this is the common tendency of humans and until we really start coming out of our laziness and taking steps towards becoming evolved, those are the things we do because they're easy and within reach of our daily lives and maybe we don't know better. It's common, so it seems normal. I'm not free of it by far! Yoga definitely helps though, at least you start becoming concious that you have those tendencies. I'm in the mode of being a forward thinker, and not looking to see people thinking the same thoughts that I am and agreeing with all of my views. If you're truly a visionary and a revolutionary, you're going to be thinking things and doing things way before anyone else has caught on so you're not going to see the reflection in the outer world of what you think is an "ideal world". If you have information that could help set people's minds free, its your job to share it. And I thought I didn't have a lot to say today! Jessica Star!

Wednesday, August 09, 2006

Entry #194

Hi peeps! Hope you are enjoying this summer so far. This is Wednesday here in the Big Apple. Last Monday night I had drummer Dave over with his bassist friend, Kentucky. We added Reggae drums to my new song and then recorded bass for it! The art of recording well is very vast indeed. Luckily, our friend Keith came over just in time to reposition the mike and get us a decent recording on the very last take. Yesterday I recorded two vocal harmony parts~ one higher than the lead vocal and one lower. This is merely for the purpose of songwriting and fleshing out my ideas. Once I know way more about engineering and have the proper set up in my home studio, I'll be able to record cd worthy sounds. We've decided we're not attending Burning Man this year. Yep, the playa is not for us this time. It's cool, we're not really feeling it so, oh well. Maybe we'll go to Costa Rica soon or Ireland! The Black Rock Desert is extremely harsh on your body and at least for me, it's not what I need to subject myself to right now although I'm sure I'm going to miss it while it's in full swing. Ok, the truth is, I don't want to leave my beautiful garden, cats and home studio! What on Earth has happened to my priorities?! Things change, thank Goddess! We grow and change and things that were huge parts of our lives aren't so enticing anymore. We'll be there next year, no doubt. I'll be the one in the crazy costume. Enjoy and focus your thoughts on an abundant, positive future! Jessica Star

Tuesday, August 01, 2006

Entry #193

It's a hot day here in NYC and I'm happily inside in the cool air conditioning. Today is Tuesday, and last Sunday night I played a gig in Amagansett, New York at Stephen's Talkhouse which is way out on Long Island in the very wealthy area. Apparently Sting, Paul McCartney and Billy Joel all have houses out there and from time to time come to the Talkhouse and jam. I sang with Hylton Beckford and Joe "Small Ax" Sinclair of the Slickers, and a band called the Majestics. We played Reggae music and had a great time. The band was hot and very tight, they play all the time. Their lead singer, Mesha, is great. Her site is http://www.mesha.org ~check her out!

Thursday, July 20, 2006

Entry #192

I just got booked at the Center Camp Cafe at Burning Man!!! This will be my 9th year on the playa and I finally made it to the Center Camp stage(although I'm pretty sure I played there a few years back but the memory is vague and covered with playa dust). So, we're definitely going to Burning Man now! I wrote a new song last week and Dave came over and put digital drums on it. It sounds groovy. It's very cool being able to record my ideas and then develope them into a full song with my recording equipment. I'm digging it. My garden is rocking. Next weekend I'm playing in South Hampton at a private party for an art magazine and at The Stephen Talkhouse~ both shows with Hylton "Johnny Too Bad" Beckford and a hot Carribean band. Even though the media and the world around might look bleak, there's a reason that we're here on this planet and it certainly is not to be bummed out and feeling like the greedy bad guys have all the power! Make an effort daily to make your world more healthy and positive! Stop complaining and make positive changes in your life. Do yoga, grow some plants, help someone who needs it, even if it's just saying hi to an old person. Reduce your red meat intake if you are experiencing alot of anger and frustration. The beautiful thing about being an independant musician is that I can pretty much say whatever I want! I love making music and forging my own pioneering path in the world, opening up new pathways for future generations. Jessica Star

Thursday, June 22, 2006

Entry #191

Hi! Sorry it's been so long since I've blogged! My trip to Northern California rocked, simply put. I rehearsed with my musician buds out there Wednesday, Thursday and Friday and then we played at the Harmony Festival on Saturday, June 10th and at the Ace Cider Pub on Sunday the 11th. I had a fantastic outfit on Saturday; a silk corset in shades of blue, a ruffly aqua skirt and the prettiest aqua blue backless shoes (mules) with a very small heel. The shoes were covered in beads and sparkles! For the Ace show I wore a black "Barbarella" tank that apparently belonged to one of the members of Four Non-Blondes, black Brooklyn Industries Capri pants and yet another pair of those ADORABLE shoes in black with sparkles! We recorded the Ace show and we actually sounded pretty good considering we had only three rehearsals. I had my own hotel room and rental car!!! Yes, this is a big step up from when I first moved to California and I was on the road hitch hiking around. Having your own hotel room is awesome. I hung out there every night and took hot baths listening to my ipod. Thank you to EVERYONE that came to our shows! It was really good for my heart to see all of you, just like old times but now we're older and hopefully wiser. I went to the ocean a bunch and everyday to the famous Hardcore coffee shop to meet my friends and catch up with them. I've been working in my garden since I came home and I love it. Last night I went to Hammerstein Ballroom with my drummer Dave Dawson and saw Pat Benatar. She and her husband Neil are still great. I was standing up with everyone else singing along to "Hit Me with Your Best Shot". And today was a delicious yoga class. Someone was writing in the sky above NYC today, "OHM" which is the sound that God/Goddess made to create everything. I think there are a lot of people who probably have never been to New York who think this city is not spiritual and just a greedy place. I think that is bogus. There are probably more yoga practitioners here per capita than anywhere else in America and people here are driven to work and create. God/dess in action~ karma yoga. It's all about your intention and motivation. It's also alot easier to be a wise person when you're in the beautiful country or on a mountain, it's alot more challenging to be a genuinely good person when you're surrounded by people, poverty, and pressure. Believe me, I've met some aspiring saints here! And as it turns 3am, I bid thee farewell and goodnight, Jessica

Thursday, May 04, 2006

Entry #190

We are all moved into our new apartment in Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn! It's a two story! We have a big backyard, a new dishwasher, and a private laundry room! I love moving to a better space. The neighborhood where we live now is really cool. We moved over the weekend and we're still coming out of boxes. The downstairs is going to be my recording studio! The last guy who lived here ran an independent hip-hop label out of the basement. It already has the vibe. I'm very excited about the backyard. It's three times the size of our last apartment and it gets sun all day long. Oh the garden I'm going to grow! So, I'm confirmed for two shows in northern California. I'm playing the Harmony Festival in Santa Rosa on Saturday, June 10th and the Ace-In-The-Hole Cider Pub in Graton on Sunday, June 11th. I can't wait to go to the ocean out there. I'm kind of happy in a way that I don't miss living there as much as I used to, because that used to make me sad. But I am so happy and grateful to be able to go back and visit and play music. We just got back from Bed, Bath and Beyond in Manhattan and got all the goodies to spruce up our upstairs bathroom!!! Alright, this is the end of my evening rant. Signing off, Jessica