Well my friends…it has been a trying weekend, but an excellent one. I couldn’t have asked for better shows at Joe Squared (B-more) and Busboys & Poets (DC). I
was completely blown away by the turnout at BB&P. Incredible! I hope you got a chance to catch the live video webcast (that’s one reason you should join the
facebook group or twitter…so you can get those status updates about random webstreams…etc.
Also, I’m especially thankful to BB&P for taking a chance on 3 artists who have never
played there before and 2 artists who had zero fanbase in DC…especially since they rarely have music on a Saturday nights. Truly grateful.
I’m gonna say the highlight of my weekend was listening to Hiram Ring. I was so excited
to meet him. His music is meaningful, beautiful, and holy…and it kept good company on my drive home from B-more (since all my other CDs were stolen).
Oh…and about my car window…I wasn’t able to get that fixed in B-more…so if you know any great auto glass repairmen in Pittsburgh who will cut me a deal, please
pass on the info. According to Tim’s friend the dog walker, I should leave a bible on the passenger seat of my car anytime I leave it in a sketchy neighborhood
*chuckle*. Not a bad idea! People are still scared of God, right?
The selfish side of me doesn’t like anyone else in the car when I travel b/c it’s the only time I really get to think, dream, and reflect. My drive home from
B-more in addition to listening to Hiram’s CD and Cameron Blake's new CD (sooooo
amazing), and Pinkle music…which were the other non-stolen CDs, was spent giving birth
to BIG VISIONS for the next CD. A possible title: “Growing Pain”. Man, I am ready to produce something beautiful. And I want everyone to have it, to hold
it in their hand, put it in their ear, and then give it someone else. I am still in the writing stages but the recording process will hopefully start at the end
of summer/early fall.
Now I’m back home and ready to majorly promote the full band show on July 11th. Cameron Blake and some of his posse will be coming down from Baltimore...as well
as Kings of Tragedy from Cincinnati. Oh man…this is gonna be so good!
(rsvp on facebook)
June 20, 2009
To the person who broke into my car last night…
You suck! And I can’t believe, all the things that were in my car, you stole my box of CDs…of some of my favorite bands and singer/songwriters. I am truly
disappointed in you. I’ll now be spending my Saturday morning at an Auto Body repair shop here in Baltimore. And after I replace the passenger seat
window (which currently does not exist), I’ll be broke. And any money I would have made here in Baltimore will have slipped through my fingers and landed
in the hands of a greasy mechanic. You’d better hope it doesn’t rain tonight b/c the garbage bag covering my window probably won’t be that effective. So I
am sad…b/c #1- I am broke, #2 – my drive home from Baltimore will be good-musicless for the most part, and #3 - you don't have a conscience.
June 18, 2009
On this trip to Baltimore...
I found m’self loathing the number of cars on the road at 7am. I mean, really? A 4 hour trip shouldn’t take 6 hours. I shouldn’t have to wait that long to
pee!
I rediscovered my love for The Rocket Summer. He brings out the “Emo Screamo” in
me. And I still want to sing pop rock someday on a stage w/ tights and a tank top embellished with sequins.
I loosly brainstormed arrangements and ideas for the new CD. It will be killer! I’ll most likely begin the recording process at summer’s end or early fall.
Probably a lot less piano, much more bass, and some guitar thanks to the feedback of many people and the hindsight of m’self. Oh and a more polished feel with
hand claps, snaps, “ooohs”, and “ahhhs”. And of course plenty of strings (i.e. upright bass and cello).
I chewed intently on Pastor Rock’s msg. from last week. “We are what we worship.” You can tell what type of tree a person is by the type of fruit they produce.
This statement is so valid and I’m realizing more and more how easy it is to see who a person is just by listening to them talk for 10 minutes. A man speaks
out of the abundance of his heart. And then wondering how to change what goes into a man, in order to change what comes out. What are some practical ways to
invest in children so that they don’t idolize movie stars, themselves, and each other. How do you go about putting values in teenager so that the 21st culture
century doesn’t become even more desensitized and superficial. Why are we spending so much time worshiping the earth and overdoing the whole “Green” msg.
Ya…we are! Sorry if you don’t agree with me but its just ridiculous at this point and most people are only doing it because it’s the current trend. And
that’s just stupid. So let’s spend more time worshiping the creator and not the creation. I’d like to write a song about this b/c I think it’s important to
challenge people (including myself) to stop being idiots spending their time on things that don’t matter and will one day deteriorate.
April 17, 2009
There are very few things that are more peaceful for me than a late night/early morning road trip. It’s nearly 7am and I just arrived in Baltimore. There’s
something about being awake while everyone else is sleeping. It feels like the whole world is all mine and I can do anything and think anything I want. These
trips are a time for me to reflect – to think about the people in my life, the things I’ve done, the things I want to do, and the life God has given me.
April for me is always a busy, hectic time, but this year April has been especially filled with alot of overwhelming situations. This past Saturday, my family
held a memorial service for my brother. I can’t believe how quickly time passes. I can’t believe he has been gone for a year. And I still can’t believe I didn’t
take the time to know him better. Regrets. It feels like it’s a weird fuzzy dream that I’m still trying to decide whether or not is real. Where did he go? Did he
even exist or was it all imagined? And now as I arrive in Baltimore, I realize that it feels like I was only here last week…when really it was 3 months ago. My
life is flying by! And memories from my childhood are so clear that they could have happened yesterday. Or maybe they are so blurry…like maybe they never really
happened atall. Oh my God!
At the memorial, family and friends gathered to worship, fellowship, and eat. There was this song my dad played on the stereo that stuck right into my heart. I
don’t know who sings it but I will find out. It’s called “Give Me Jesus”. Something like “you can have all this world but give me Jesus.” And I thought about
how my brother and the rest of us humans spend so much time in this world doing things and going places and trying to love people, but when it’s all said and
done, we die. And we don’t take anything with us except what we believe about our souls. And our spirits fly away into the judgement of God. And this completely
baffles me! And I truly want to live a significant life. And so as I’m driving to Baltimore, I feel totally justified in spending 4 hours in a car just to play
2 hours worth of music for audiences that could be as small as 20 people. Because not only am I having a chance to reflect on my life, but I’m hopefully writing
and sharing music that will help others do the same.
Hope to see you at a show this weekend.
April 3, 2009
Well ya’ll, its been quite a day. If you’re not on my
facebook group, on my
twitter, or didn’t receive a text from me, then you don’t know that my brand new
keyboard stopped working yesterday...right at the start of my show! The thing is only 5 months old! Luckily
facebook let me use their Casio. Thanks Nick for convincing me to get a warranty.
So I spent the day visiting Guitar Center, calling the service company, various ppl, and texting friends in an attempt to find a board at least for 2nite’s shows.
Thanks to Amy and Joel for helping me out for the weekend. And thanks
to Sherry Maholtra – the mother of a girl my sister went to high school with (I know…random) who will be coming in from Erie 2morrow and letting me borrow her
keyboard for all of April! I can’t even believe it! I’ll be driving back to Erie to drop it off once my Yamaha is repaired. It’s supposed to be anywhere from
2-4 weeks. In the meantime, I’ll be learning how to use Sherry’s Roland RD-700 and am excited to try out all its incredible sounds!
So while the first half of my day was very stressful, the second half couldn’t have been any sweeter. I split a show with
Mike Strasser at
Voluto Coffee…Pittsburgh’s newest coffeeshop in the Garfield/E.Liberty area. It’s so
simple and saavy! The evening started off slow but attendees from the Pittsburgh Glass Center trickled in over time. Elliot and I had a chance to work out some
new arrangements with our piano/cello duo. I love playing with Elliot! Brad Yoder
then made a guest appearance and accompanied us on saxophone…followed by
Martha Jane blessing us with her presence and subtle harmonies. Unexpected
but completely wonderful. The highlight of my evening was meeting Amelie, the owner of Voluto. She was one of my brother’s nurses before he passed away.
A few hours later I found myself at Off Fifth…a get-together of a whole bunch of Pitt college kids in the basement of Bellefield Church. Brad Yoder joined in on
this gig as well…and Peace stopped over. The second highlight of the evening involved three students flawlessly performing the full dance to Michael Jackson’s
“Thriller” all while maintaining the most serious looks plastered on their faces! Priceless. I’m still in awe!
I’m really looking forward to tomorrow’s show on the Cathedral of Learning lawn for the American Cancer Society benefit concert! I have had so much fun playing
at Pitt this weekend and I LOVE MY JOB!!!
Please check the myspace calendar and come out to a show in April. There are so many good ones!
March 18, 2009
The weather was so incredible today that I had to give a CD away. Here was the question, and here were some answers from people
(click).
I thought I'd share b/c they were so good.
March 13, 2009
I write this blog every year, but I can't really contain my excitement! I've always been a person who covets new beginnings and the Spring symbolizes just that.
I am so ready to rip out the sandals, the tanks, and the long bohemian skirts. And I won't miss winter b/c I never do.
This week, I have thrown out alot of unecessary things, sorted through months of mail, and sold clothes to the resale shop up the street. I have vacuumed my room
for the first time in over 6 month (yes I'm ashamed to say so), cleaned the toilet, and done two loads of laundry. I am heading to the Strip District on Saturday
to buy fresh flowers (hopefully lillies).
I am readying myself for a wonderful season. Its the season of expectency. I have a mailing label stuck to my computer. On it I wrote a quote that I heard from
this pastor a year ago: "Be aware, persistent, relentless, specific, alert, and expectant." I haven't let go of this quote since and its guided everything I do. I
feel like I am preparing for something but I'm not sure what.
2009 has been so rewarding in many aspects, the friends that have come into my life and remained in my life till now are worth keeping and worth cherishing. They
have made all the difference and they are much more important than any show I could ever play. Then there are the shows...the hard-to-believe opportunities that
have knocked on my door. Thank you Jubilee.
Thank you Festival of Faith & Music. I don't even know
what to say.
This week has been a bit interesting for many reason. One, because I have dealt with an unbelievable amount of frustration in trying to book my next trip to
Baltimore. I didn't think it would be this hard the 2nd time around since the 1st time was so easy. But a really really sweet gig came through for the 17th. I'm
still working on the 18th (suggestions please!) The week was also difficult b/c I realized that I'm probably not as nice as I think I am. Well...I am. But I'm
also not. Does that make sense? Good, cause I don't get it either.
So now, I'm one week out from Spring (march 20 to be exact), and I'm interested in what my introspective Spring cleaning will reveal. I am light this year. The
burdens are lifted, the smiles are genuine, the self realization has been realized. I think I'm ready to shed another layer.
March 9, 2009
Back from Cincinnati and had an awesome time! Well...y'know most of the time. I played at a couple college venues - Baba Budans and
Rohs Street Cafe. Some things didnt go right with Baba Budans but I'll leave it at
that. Rohs St. however, was the bomb! I haven't seen much of Cincy to date but I strongly believe Rohs is one of the best atmospheres for LIVE
community-cultivating music. I opened for good friends MCTill and
Wonder Brown. They released their Kings of Tragedy CD...and had an incredible
lineup of local hip hop artists including K-drama, Sean Little, and D-Maub. Nothin' but good good fun, really great people, and a whole bunch of teenagers in the
back crunk linedancing (i guess that's what you call it).
Sooooo all that to say, I was able to make some solid connections with music lovers in the area and I hope to revisit Cincinnati sooner than later. Yah!
February 15, 2009
I just came out of the most beautiful weekend ever. Have you ever heard of
Jubilee? Its a national college conference held annually in Pittsburgh at the Westin Convention Center. I have never been so inspired to love God,
love others, create beauty, encourage beauty, be change, welcome change, criticize culture less, influence and nurture culture more.
Its always hard for me to recap something that has profoundly moved me...usually because words sometimes make larger than life moments a little less significant.
I'd encourage you to visit www.atjubilee.com, www.livingjubilee.com, and
www.flickr.com/photos/livingjubilee , for videos, blogs, notes and pictures from the weekend.
So lemme just say, I've never played before an audience of 2500+ students! I am so so appreciative of the Jubilee staff, and the series of random events that
took place last summer to bring this into fruition. The late night concert (with Justin McRoberts and Johnathan Walker (was an intimate time of sharing
experiences and stories that have influenced our worldview). For all ya'll that went to bed early...*sigh*
Here's a video from a student.
By the way, kudos to the weekends camera crew, videographers, and soundmen. They were fun and easy to work with. And thanks to Elliot Anderson who I met on
craiglist last week! :) His cello playing kicks some serious buttocks!
January 31, 2009::: Baltimore Day 3 - "Day of Memorable People and Places!"
The day started with the most unpleasant headache that prevented me from smiling all afternoon. The headache that later subsided when I dropped a music stand on
my thumb and had a new body part to complain about. There were many once in a lifetime things that happened on Saturday however, that still made it an excellent
day.
For one thing, we went to Angelo’s down the Street. Angelo’s is famous for having the largest slice of pizza in the United States. The slice is 3x longer than
the length of my hand and very nasty.
(
Here's a picture for reference). I know this because I needed to use the bathroom behind the pizza shop’s kitchen and upon entering the bathroom,
discovered that there was no soap. So while the pizza itself was not very dirty…I did not feel safe eating it.
The show at Joe Squared was one I’ll never forget. Talk about an awesome spot. Pittsburgh has absolutely nothing like it. From the outside, you can’t really
tell that this place is worth your time. But inside the walls are bright red, the waiters and bartenders are extra friendly, and just as I was told, the place is
filled with a whole lotta “hipsters.” A mix of trendy-looking 20 and 30-somethings tightly packed into a medium-sized pizza bar. There are graffiti-painted
train parts on the walls and fresh flowers at every table. Yah!
I opened the evening with a 45 minute set at 10pm. The crowd was aaawwwwesome! There’s something about playing for new ears that makes touring so exciting. And
to see people’s faces as they try to decide what they think about you. Like? Hate? Indifferent? Question marks on their forehead as they try to figure out what
genre I am. I dunno.
The most memorable part of the evening was an over intoxicated black man who greeted me at 9pm as I was hauling in my equipment. “Oooohhh I remembo’ you! You was
here last week! Girl you sounded goooooood!” My response: “Actually, no. This is my first time in Baltimore and I’ve never been here before. Are you sticking
around for the show?” He said something like “Ya girl! I’ma stick around. You gon’ be good!” If you can imagine Tracy Morgan from SNL (or 30 Rock) saying
that, then you’ll have pretty good idea of how this guy sounded.
Did I mention he was terribly drunk? This tiny fact drastically affected my set. Drastically. For one thing, Mr Drunkman served as my interpretive dancer for
the evening. We captured this on video during the song Unconditional.
Check it out (around the 2 minute and 30 second
mark)! At the end of every song Mr Drunman ended with a “Tada!” (like he just performed a magic trick) or “I like that! I like that!” or something else.
He talked a lot.
By the end of the night, Mr. Drunkman was so inebriated that he couldn’t sit in his chair without falling to the ground (and this did happen a few times). A boy
in a red sweater who looked like Matt Theissen (of Relient K) from the back took responsibility of the drunk man and worked to keep him still. After many
unsuccessful attempts he was finally escorted out to a Baltimore Ambulance van.
My homeboy and true brother Cameron Blake and Laura Brino each took the stage with their bands later that evening. I couldn’t have picked a better lineup or
group of people to share the evening with.
Group Photo!
(Always carry a bigger memory card so you can take extra video).
Anyhow I hope to back in Baltimore in mid April. So please stay tuned and let me know if you’re aware of any art festivals, gigs, or special events that I can be
a part of. You rock Baltimore and I love you. Really.
January 30, 2009::: Baltimore Day 2 - "Day of Weird Things. Just Weird!"
Did you know that Baltimore has a 73-80% high school dropout rate? That’s rough, yo! Rough! I know this because Tim, Cameron’s friend works in the Baltimore
public school system and said that most kids don’t make it out of 9th grade and that they’re trying to fix this. Here are some other thing Tim told me…
1.) Baltimore is known for its beautiful row house. And they are beautiful because I saw them! Especially a small neighborhood of houses called “The
Finger Lady Strip”. The houses are blue, red, orange, yellow, green, pink…and on and on.
2.) The KFC on the meeting point of East and West B-more was voted the most dangerous KFC in the US 15 years ago. Because there was a lot of gang war
between the sides, the KFC was kinda the center for gunwar, knifing, and other random acts of violence. This is sad and funny at the same time. The barbed
wire is off the KFC now though.
3.) 1 out of every 3 people in Baltimore is addicted to heroin. I don’t know if this is believable but Tim says it’s true. It’s because of the
Baltimore Harbour. It supposedly makes the stuff easy to smuggle in.
Tim said it’s easy to find negative things about Baltimore but I was able to find some beautiful things…like the fact that there are Jesus Birds! Ooooo
weee! The birds apparently walk on water. Most likely, the river is just frozen over, but I’m gonna suspend my disbelief on this one. I also noticed that
even the statues play instruments.
Check it out...
Tonight’s show was at Mayorga…a huge coffee/art gallery in Silver Springs (roughly an hour out of Baltimore). The crowd was mediocre but I had chance to meet
and reconnect with a few friendly faces…including an old college friend.
January 29, 2009::: Baltimore Day 1 - "Day of the Uncomfortable Bladder"
The trip to Baltimore was smooth. I will say that my bladder has never ever endured such a painful existence as today’s. Word to the wise (and unwise): If
you need to use the bathroom, just take the first exit that you see…because you might not see another for 40 miles.
Other than that, my first day in Baltimore has been absolutely fabulous! Talk about a supportive scene! We played at Teavolve – an extra saavy tea bar in the
newly created (or so I’m told) Inner East Harbor of Baltimore. I can’t remember the last out-of-Pittsburgh show I did where so many people intentionally came
out to listen. People I don’t even know! Also two friends I went to high school with (we were in Spanish class together). I never thought it paid off to SPAM
people’s myspace’s pages. I literally spent several hours last week finding Baltimorians (is that what you call them) and writing notes like, “Well hi! I’m
coming to B-more next week. I hope you like my music enough to come to a show. And I hope you don’t hate me for spamming you.” It actually worked.
The evening topper was that the Baltimore Sun had picked Teavolve as their style spot for the week. A reporter liked my outfit and got her photographer to
shoot some photos (before the show). I’ll be in next Friday’s paper. Sweeeeet! She plans to call and interview me tomorrow. The only downer is that it’s for
the style section, so there’s not much music promotion involved. But I seriously couldn’t have planned such a coincidence on my own. *looks upstairs beyond
the clouds*
After talking to several people today, I found out that Baltimore does not have a strong singer-songwriter scene. Craziness! The Teavolve crowd coulda fooled
me though. But that basically leaves tons of room to come down here often and create something that does not exist. Can’t wait!
After tonight’s show Cameron, Chris, and I danced under the disco ball in his living room to some David Bowie and Tina Turner music.
Here's the video.
But don't watch it! It simply proves the white men can’t dance.
January 17, 2009
"the white snow paired with the vintage-yellow of the streetlights"
There are very few things I love more than coffee, music, and people all packed into and intimate space. Tonight's Songwriters Circle was another
beauty-filled evening of just that.
Bryn kindly stepped in for Mark Williams who had the flu. He pointed out something that really is true. A staggering
percentage of men in Pittsburgh have facial hair. In looking over the room, I notice only two out of 20 men were hairless. Its some kind of interesting
phenomenon that was possibly brought on by this week's below 0 temperatures. It went back to a steamy 22 degrees today and upon leaving Arefa's, Chris pointed
out that tonight was perhaps the most beautiful winter walking weather. The white snow paired with the vintage-yellow of the streetlights was simply
breathtaking. And as I drove home, I wondered what would happen if snow and sun could coexist. I for one, would be much happier. But then again, I think
winter brings a warmth that can't be found in Summer. Late night round table music discussions about lack of song structure, moving to Switzerland, and
scoring music. Dialog about the quality music of Anathallo, Sufjan Stevens, and Sigur Rose. Talks of a laid back musicians dinner party with lasagna and no
live music. I wonder if winter is a blessing and forces us to coexist more intentionally with the people we love and the people we'll come to love. In that
respect, the sun and snow do coexist.
pictures from the circle
January 16, 2009
You know how you can look into someone's eyes and immediately learn more about them? You can tell if they are an honest person, if they are lonely, if they
are smart? Maybe not always...but you can tell alot about a person by just taking some time to look in their eyes. Well, I've been thinking about this alot
lately...about the fact that I want to slow down this year and take more time to absorb things. I want to address real needs in people. If they need someone
to talk to, I seriously want to take the time to notice...and then strike up a conversation. I want to pause more to hear what people aren't saying. That's
all...and I hope this explains my
Band-Aid post.
(this has been an inspirational moment with Joy Ike. *chuckle*)
January 13, 2009
It is 5am in the morning and I just finished the last of 3 posters for my trip to Baltimore in a few weeks. Yes! Can I just say that I am so excited to be
driving outside of my comfort zone in 2009? New Ears in the New Year! The highlight of the weekend will be Joe Squared. Many thanks for to my homeboy
Cameron Blake and Teporah for helping me to get these gigs. If you're in the B-more area, please come out! Click
this link
for details and to RSVP via Showclix.
January 5, 2009
Yo People! 2009 is going to be great! I am so pumped you don't even know!
I mean...look at my face!
At First Night last week...some guy at one of the outside concession stands was telling people to start off the New Year right with Kettle Corn.
Well that makes absolutely no sense to me. But I'm gonna tell you right now that 2009 is a year of new things on every single level.
I've made some killer resolutions. Killer! For myself and for my music. Here are a few of them:
1.) I will be free! I will do things without reservations. I will worry less about what people think of me and worry more about what I think of
myself. I will love relentlessly. I will forgive happily. I will be happy. So far Dec 31st was the happiest day of 2008 and I have been awesome ever since.
Thank you God!!!
2.) I will be investing time in people and spending time with those who want to invest in me. Friends and fellow musicians. I will surround myself
with others who will encourage me in my faith. No compromise this year. Unashamedly for Christ...and thankful to the people who accept me as I am. And I
will continue to accept you as you are. Also will be spending time with other driven musicians. I'm excited for how some musicians in Pittsburgh are
really trying to work together. I will also be heavily promoting Grassrootsy in the hopes that more musicians will learn something valuable and input some quality information. If you're a musician, go check it out.
3.) I will travel. Starting with this weeks impromtu trip to Chattanooga. Ya the ticket was...well...ouch! But I just wanted to get out of
Pittsburgh for a while...and I might not have another show-less weekend for a while. I will be in Baltimore Jan 29-Feb 1 and Cincinnati
March 5-8. The goal is to go out of town at least every other month...and maybe once a month.
4.) I will play more colleges. I want to talk to people who are like me- young adults, college kids who also have no idea where they're going in
life. I will be at Robert Morris College Feb 23rd. Geneva College Feb 25. Univ of Pittsburgh April 4th. And I will be doing a major
college event with Jubliee at the Convention Center Feb 13-14. Can't wait!
If you want me to come to your school, let me know.
5.) I will give more. In every capacity. This year I'm partnering with Rice Bowls
to raise money at all of my shows. All you gotta do is take home a plastic rice bowl piggy bank. I'll supply it at each show. Fill the bank
with coins and bring it back to me at a later show. Or you can count the money (if your nice) and write a check made payable directly to Rice Bowl and I'll
mail it out to them. More details here
6.) Music licensing. Yep. Music for TV, and movies. This one seems a bit harder...but I'm gonna try. Any help would be much appreciated.
Also would like to get into doing voice overs. I love speech.
7.) Higher Standards. I will try my hardest never to give you a crappy show...even if the sound system sucks and it's not my fault! And even if there's
only 3 people in the audience. I don't really practice much...but admit that sometimes I should :) Haha. There goes.
December 13, 2008
The natural reverb in the Carnegie Museum's Hall of Architecture kicks some serious butt! This afternoon's holiday concert was beautiful! We chose a mixture of
originals from the CD, traditional Christmas tunes, and songs with a New Year theme.
Today I was reminded of how important it is to hold onto the Christmas songs of old. I think as Christmas continues to be more and more commercialized...and as
Christmas slowly turns into Xmas, the only way to hold onto its beauty is by singing some of these old Christmas hymns. I can't tell you how beautiful it was to
hear the audience sing along with us. Call me a traditionalist or old-fashioned...but I'm proud to be just that.
Some time in the last 4 months, working from home became less of an option. I began sleeping in more and more, being less and less productive, eating more and
watching more tv. Ouch! By the beginning of October, I started to wonder what I was doing with m’self. “C’mon Joy!” So now, lemme tell you what happens
when you force yourself to get up in the morning (more like afternoon) and walk to the library. By the way, what is this white fluffy material descending from
the heavens?
Discovery 1: I’ve discovered that the library, and practically every other establishment in Pittsburgh has a faster internet speed that my
apartment…and now realize why I can’t upload any videos from home
Discovery 2: It’s stupid to pretend you are working in your apartment, but it makes more sense to do this in public.
Discovery 3: You can’t sing in libraries. This is perhaps one of the most depressing things.
Discovery 4: Alas, even people who work in libraries can be perverts! In fact, the security guard by the water fountain makes sure he’s around
everytime I take a sip. *sigh* Thinking of flinging a book.
Discovery 5: I’ve noticed that I get really excited when strangers talk to me (with the exception of the security guard). It’s a chance to meet someone
new and since I’ve been staring at them across the isle and making up stories about who they are, I now have chance to get the facts. It’s exciting.
Discovery 6: There are so many teenagers walking around pointlessly in the library! They look like zombies!
Discovery 7: Men do in fact wash their hands after using the bathroom. I know this because the men and women’s bathrooms are partly connected and I can
actually hear men washing their hands after using the bathroom. 3 out of 3 so far. Who knew!
December 4, 2008
Tonight I got to record a Christmas song at SLB's (Saturday Light Brigade) studio in the
Children's Museum. Good, quality fun! Justin Chechile and Larry Berger rock my world! Larry is probably one of the best conversationalists I know but he had to
leave. Justin handled all the recording and he was totally stellar! Really down to earth and good at what he does! Hmmm...what else? Well, the song is an original called Citizens. Check back on Tuesday because it will be a FREE download! We
did this really awesome vocal layering. Yes! They sounds like Christmas Bells. There was also a little congo action. Truly excited to hear the final mix. Oh
hey...why don't you come to our Holiday Concert at the Museum
next Saturday? Merry Christmas!
November 23, 2008
The beauty of it all blesses me! This weekend I saw God in three neighborhood churches…not in the buildings but the people. I am in love with the idea of
there being so many different stories behind the faces I meet. Seeds of Hope celebrated its establishment as a Parish. The Bishop of South America came to
officiate the service in addition to various guests who performed a song to consecrate the event. Mosaic was blessed by the Urban Impact Choir this morning, and
we rocked it out with a full band. And just a few hours ago, and in one voice, Jonah's Call worshipped with a guitar-piano-kick-drum-djembe-accordion ensemble.
Here are some people I've discovered and/or especially appreciated in the past 36 hours.
Also,
here are images of the various faces and places from the weekend. Be blessed, yo!
November 17, 2008
I told Erin that I would probably head home after the PPT concert and write one of those “I love the world blogs.” So here it is:
Thank you! To everyone who came out to our Pittsburgh Public Theater Show on Friday, it was truly one of my favorite performances to date. It isn’t very often
that a huge bulk of my fanbase unites and makes it out to the same show (unless it is a CD Release). So I am super appreciative of everyone who has helped me
to get this far. Thanks to a couple people who helped spread the word via facebook and their blogs. And Kudos to word-fm for the last minute interview on
Friday afternoon during drive-time. It also isn’t very often that I get to dress all spicy n’stuff! Hooray for Goodwill and that $5 dress! Shhhh! Don’t tell
anyone!
Images from the show are uploaded
here. Special kudos to Chris Massa, Peace Ike, Erin Erhlich, John D’Amico and Bob Banerjee for taking things up a notch.
They are all better musicians than me…which makes everything sound better and challenges me. Lastly, thanks to Rob Zellers for extending the invitation to
perform. That’s all for now!
October 31, 2008
Today's blog is in form of picture. So I finally got a new camera! My camera crashed and burned on me a few weeks back and life without pictures is a boring
existence. Anyhow, Canons are wonderful creations! It came in the mail this morning and I could not help but take pictures all day. After doing this for a
couple hours, I realized that it might make for a dramatic picture-story of what happened throughout my day...involving my grandma's departure to Nigeria, and
sad conversation between two old men who were finding it harder to get by on their Social Security checks.
Check it out...
October 29, 2008
Seeing Angelique Kidjo at the Byham tonight was one of the most fulfilling,
culturally significant experiences I've had in a while. Kidjo is such an inspiration. There are very few people who can discuss important issues of poverty and
war while still maintaining a lighthearded atmosphere. Not to mention she was able to get the whole theater to dance! And over 50% of the audience was over 50.
That, my friends, is an accomplishment. Extra kudos to the 70 something year old man who danced on stage with his cane. I think every person left the theater
wanting to make the world a better place. Inspired.
October 21, 2008
People who quit their jobs to do music full-time are crazy! So yes...I am crazy! But really..."it's a bit like dying. It's a bit like fallin' in love". Its the best of both worlds and I am feelin' the heat on both ends. Cameron Blake is wonderful and you should know this. He and his cronies came up from Maryland last weekend and stayed over. Good memories of cellos, chinese, and the Mt. Washington incline. I am, once again, inspired. Pittsburgh is rubbing me sore. Sore. I am so thankful for people like
Ange & Ris and Cameron who are passionate about their faith and making their
music relevant to our culture and generation. They give me life! "Do you see a lifeless kingdom? Do you see it on the rise?" Yes, it's on the rise. And
I feel passionate about making a difference. Less dying. More loving. More living. More life. Give me life. Give me Christ. Give me truth. Less b.s. Less
meaninglessness. By the way...have you noticed that everybody likes God, but very few people like Jesus (unless he's on a homeboy shirt)? Just a recent
observation.
p.s. Wondering why some things are in italics? Visit Cameron Blake online and listen to the tunes.
October 4, 2008
I went to the Pittsburgh Public Theater for the first time this evening. I'm sorry to say that I had never gone before...and the only live plays I had ever
seen were at the University of Pittsburgh during my college years. Those don't count. Anyhow, going to the Oreilly Theater tonight made me proud to be part of
the Art scene in Pittsburgh. I saw Radio Golf, an incredible August Wilson performance about the implications of being a black person with power. That's the
short end of it...but it was definitely my kind of topic and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Afterward, Roger Humphries and his band played a beautiful jazz set. The
Gallery Crawl on Penn Ave kinda hyped things up. Anyhow, just a blog to say I've found a new love and I can't believe I've been missing out on this side of
Pittsburgh.
p.s. save the date. My "cronies" and I will be performing at the Oreilly Theater on Nov 14th after the 8 o'clock show! Its really a great crowd and excellent
vibe.
September 30, 2008
Well hi!
Its been a while since i wrote a "real" blog but things have been kinda busy and boring at the same time. In other words, I haven't had the
time to bore you. Here are some things that I've been up to lately.
1.) Making turkey burgers. I made 13 last week. Peace and I have eaten all of them.
2.) Songwriting! Yes! I'm back in songwriting mode. Its been a long time coming...maybe a year. But now I have finished 2 songs .
I didn't realize how much listening to Brooke Waggoner over the past 8 months
had influenced me until writing these new tunes. This new stuff is more poppy-ish with some definite classical sounding stuff. But its not
really classical b/c I don't know anything about classical music. I am also hearing all these cello parts in the new stuff...that I can't wait
to record...but not anytime soon.
3.) Googling my name. In August I played at the 23rd Annual Mexican Street Festival in Chicago. Today, I ran into Vocalo.org and fell
upon a the most beautiful sound bite by this guy David who took the sounds from the street, and meshed it with feelings of nostalgia and both the
live and studio versions of my song "Remember". Check it out.
4.) Brainstorming. I'm realizing more and more how short the shelf-life of a CD is. Good Morning hasn't been out long but it is already
so much harder to generate as much interest as 3 months ago! Can you beliefe it! So if you got any ideas for promoting, I'm all ears. I'm still
pushing and things are generally going very well!
5.) Photoshooting! Thanks to David Eiffel who recently spent a
couple hours with me shooting some new headshots, torso images and this super creative feet-and-scarf shot. It was so much fun! David is
talented and you should hire him. There's this new generation of young professions with decent jobs leaving their secure lives to pursue their
passion of art. David is one of them. We do it because we love it...in the hopes that we will be able to live off what we love doing!
So pay us, yo!
Check out images from the photoshoot.
6.) Revamping. When things stay the same for too long I get uncomfortable. I need change...which is why I change my default photo every
week. Plus, it keeps you coming back to see what's new! So I am cleaning house. New changes have/will include:
***FREE CD Friday every week!: Yep, I'm givin' away a copy of Good Morning every week. If you want to receive a reminder on Friday mornings, just
subscribe to this blog.
***Revamping the myspace and website. Be on the looking for new things like a readers polls...and i dunno...other stuff! I'm not completely
sure what yet:)
7.) Booking and Looking! There are some most excellent shows coming up in the next couple months and I am TOTALLY excited! Totally!
***The Andy Warhol Museum (this Friday)
***Pittsburgh Young Professionals Espirit Gala
***The Carnegie Museum Christmas Concert Series (band)
***Light Up Night in Downtown (band)
***The Pittsburgh Public Theater (band)
I'm still looking for sweet gigs and thank you for passin' them along. If you want details on the above gigs, check the calendar.
So, once again, THANK YOU for your support! And make sure you continue to spread the word! p.s. today's the last day to vote for me in the CP.
GO!
Joy
September 9, 2008
Sometimes I wonder if what I'm doing matters. "I have especially felt like this for the past two weeks. I wonder if all the stress of planning
events, driving miles upon miles, staying up late to update websites, send emails, create flyers is "Joy Ike making her mark in the world." Is
it? Yesterday (Monday) was a day that I think the answer was 'Yes'. But I think many days the answer is not yes.
I'll first say that the men of Piano's 'n Stuff are intimidating. Walking into the store I get the feeling that they are all wondering what this
chic is doing in the store trying to pick up two speakers, two wedges, two drum mics, 1 vocal mic, xlr chords, ¼ inch cables, and a mixer. And
b/c this girl is not initially sure of what all she needs, they make me feel a little unqualified. And I think to myself that I feel stupid and
should go back to doing non-music things like sitting at a desk all day and making phone calls.
So I start shooting out phrases like "gotta get my gear" and "thanks dude" and "ya, that's cool" to sound extra hardcore…to sound like I can
take care of myself and don't really need their help.
And then I wonder if all of the drama with the Student Union was a sign to cancel Back to School Ballyhoo! And then 30 minutes before Ballyhoo
I start to bite my fingers and wonder if anyone will show up…and wonder if all the sound will go to crap because we don't have anyone to operate
the PA system I had to rent. I just keep wondering things…and wondering things…and wondering. And then I realized that its 6pm and 33.33333% of
the bands still aren't here.
But when 6:30 hits and Blvd of the Allies starts to play, people
come, and people sit on the grass, and people are comfortable. And the feeling of accomplishment overwhelms me when I see students sprawled
out all over the grass.
Marc gets up on stage before the Caleb Lovely Band begins to play
and talks about STAND (Students Taking Action Now: Darfur). He encourages students to write letters to their senators about addressing the
genocide in Darfur. During tear down, Marc reads one of the letters to the volunteers.
"Dear Senator, please save Darfur. Who knows, one day you might need someone to save you."
It is 9pm and I am overjoyed with knowing that I have just had a chance to share my music, thoughts, and hope w/ random people walking down the
street, with students who have just come from dinner, and with professors who have just finished teaching their late night class.
The feelings of inadequacy, insignificance, and inferiority are gone for just a bit…and I think that maybe this is really worth my time.
September 1, 2008
Hey Ya'll,
Ok here goes: The City Paper has kicked off its annual "Best Of" Readers Poll. Could you please vote again for me this year?
Every vote counts! I tied for 2nd place last year...and just one more vote would have made the difference. So please, visit
PghCityPaper.com
and vote for me in the "best solo artists" and "best artist" categories!!! Placing in the top three is very helpful when it comes
to getting my name out there! note: City Paper only counts votes if you make an honorable effort to answer some of their other questions
(i.e. best place to eat, best public art...etc).
Thanks again,
Joy
August 25, 2008
Ok, watz the deal with technical difficulties? I dunno. The power went out during our set at the Sprout Fund this weekend. Major bummer.
It cut about 20 minutes from our program. But the peeps were very understand and we did a little impromptu rapping. Peace broke it down by
"spittin' a verb" (is that what they call it?) and I stood in the corner with some backing vocal stuff. Then the sound came back on but
everything was a mess. We couldnt hear ourselves on stage...and it was just a trainwreck! But it was so much fun!! Word! Yep, I'd do it again...
except for the tight, shiny dress that I couldn't breathe in. p.s. pictures from HotHouse are in my
albums.
Here are some things about Blessing that have stuck with me...
Blessing thought he was always right. Here is something he said often…and something that is still posted on his myspace page:
"When I'm right, I'm right. And when I'm wrong I still could have been right. So I'm still right."
Blessing loved hot sauce! For Christmas in 2007, Peace and I bought him a package of 4 different types of hot sauce.
Blessing hated stupid questions. If you asked him a stupid question he would ignore you and pretend you never opened your mouth.
Blessing knew everything there was to know about any movie ever! He knew what year it came out, all the lead actors and actresses…and a
whole lotta uninteresting facts and statistics related to movies.
Blessing loved to hike and go camping and do anything outdoors.
Blessing loved to work with disabled children and got mad at me when I used the word "retarded" out of context.
Blessing loved Basketball passionately. He was such a great player and would have given anything to be able to play again. I'm sure he is
playing now.
Blessings always liked to argue about the most insignificant things.
Blessing was so strong-willed.
Blessing liked to be called "Ike" because he thought his name was girly.
When we were kids, Blessing took pleasure in pinching the fat on the back of my arms until I cried in pain. He also did this to my ankles.
Blessing likes all types of music. My fondest memories are of him bouncing his head to Daft Punk.
Blessing thought he was the man. His email was was ithe_man[at] yahoo [dot] com.
Happy Birthday Blessing! Rest.In.Peace
August 17, 2008
The Headhouse Market in Philly was maybe one of the most rewarding parts of my trip. There is something about performing at Farmers Markets that
excites me. Everything is so fresh, ears readily absorb the music, and there are so many colors.
Here on the corner of Lombard & 2nd …two blocks away from South street, I begin to remember a song I wrote nearly two years ago, during my last
visit to this part of town… about the war between living life freely and living a life planned out by the American Dream.
"…on South Street there are so many places to play my piano
…and on North Street there are boxes called buildings with more boxes called cubicles
…and on East Street is my future house with future spouse and children. Oh can you hear them?"
I will work to pull this song out of the archives and play it at the next Songwriters Circle (Aug 30)
At the Headhouse, the analytical side of me realizes two things. #1 Everyone all of a sudden assumes that, because you are a musician, you are a
very interesting person. As I set up my sound equipment, they watch out of the corner of their eyes. And when I look up, they look away as if
disinterested. #2 People don't want to buy CDs but they do want to tip you and pay you with produce. So I have a bin full of green apples,
peaches and I dunno what this other fruit is called but it looks like a smushed peach. It is so cute to look at! It was suggested to me that
I consider making a pie with all my fruit. I don't really make pie, but maybe I will try. Do you want some apples?
Before leaving Philly, I made a bet with myself that I could make it home without filling up my tank a 2nd time. I lost the bet and paid myself
$50 in gas. My drive was primarily set aside for Coldplay and
Laura Brino. I think I will talk about Coldplay in another blog,
but you should know that Laura Brino writes perfect, tug-your-heart music. Listening to her live at the Songsisters festival we played was such a
privelege. Her songs brought back so many memories on the road home. Having to stop for gas in the middle of the CD was a huge disappointment.
Yo, Peace totally killed my Sunflowers when I was in Philly. She claims she watered them, but I dunno man. They're far gone and I hope that I
can bring them back. This was the longest I'd ever been able to keep a plant alive :)
Other than the seemingly dead flowers, being back in Pittsburgh feels so good. I am getting geared up for the major
Sprout Fund's HotHouse event this Saturday. Wow…can't wait!
note: pictures from the Philly trip are now up on the myspace
August 15, 2008
The only thing I could think of while in West Philly today was The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. Did Will Smith really grow up in West Philly?
I dunno.
My drive to Wilmington, DE (right outside of Philly) last night was a smooth 4 1/2 non-stop trip. No music for the first 2 hours...b/c sometimes
driving at 1am in pure silence is the only vacation I make myself take. It was priceless. But by 2 1/2 hours,
Heather Kropf's songs were ringing in my head and I had no
choice but to put her CD in the player.
I think Philly will redeem last week's trip in Chicago. Here is some dissapointing news: many of the keys on my keyboard are no longer working
due to harsh treatment from last weeks flight. This tripped me up real bad. The board was totally jacked up, yo! Luckily I was able to fix
many keys but cant do anything about the irreplaceable 12 in the higher register or the significant crack. Moral of the story: never fly with
you instrument.
Anyhow, today I discovered Chestnut Hill. So far, it my favorite thing about Philadelphia. It is a cozy neighborhood centered around Germantown
Ave. The streets are cobblestone and they are chopped up every couple feet by railroad tracks even though the train doesnt run through the town
anymore. It is so beautiful! The shops are of course very expensive. So you don't buy anything. You just look. I walked up and down Germantown
for two hours with Bizz. It was my first time seeing her since my senior year at Pitt. Totally worth the busted flip flops.
Tonight's gospel event was great fun and I ran into a couple friends who were in town from Houston. I also met a boy named Banjo. Anyone whose
name is Banjo can be my best friend.
August 11, 2008
I guess I shouldn't take on a defeatist attitude about anything…but I'm ready to come home. Today I had to part with my keyboard stand.
The one and only keyboard stand I've been using since I bought my keyboard three years ago. Even though it fits in the plane's cubbyhole,
Chicago Midway would not let me carry it on board and I would have had to check it in for $100 if I want to see it again. I don't get an
attitude often. But I got an attitude today. "I just don't understand! This is lighter than a carry-on or baby carriage. They let me carry it
on the way here from Pittsburgh." The lady tells me that I might swing it and knock someone down. I say, "Are you kidding me!" I just don't
have the patience for this anymore! I leave the metal detector area almost in tears and just know that I am ready to see my city, my car, and my
"normal" again. So I am looking to buy a double-braced keyboard stand before my show at the Backstage Bar on Thursday. Do you have one? Will you
sell it to me? Even better…will you give it to me? :)
The morning started off sweet. I woke up at 9am and took a walk to Lake Michigan. I have never seen water so blue! It is beautiful! It is God
in liquid form, I guess J I hope to have pictures and video from this weekend up very soon. The walk was peaceful but I got lost on my way back
to the apartment I was staying at and had to hold off on using the bathroom on the street! *chuckle* I would never do that anyhow! However, in
the midst of my confusion, I came across the most wonderful Spanish bakery on Sheridan Ave. I have never had stuffed bread – stuffed with sweet
potato! Splendid! But the cashier was totally making up prices as she went along. She charged the guy before me like $4.60 for 10 items. She
charged me $2 for 3. But that's ok. It was worth more than $2.
Two things that made the weekend sour. 1.) Losing my independence – especially in the form of relying on others for rides to shows. This was
harder for me than it should have been. 2.) I noticed very quickly that the city, though diverse, is very segregated. At least from a visitor's
point of view. This visitor. The North is upscale and "belongs" to whites, Africans, and the gay community, the south is a bit worn down and
known for its black community. The West is just that part of the city that you don't ever want to go –war torn by gangs and regular shootings
(or so I'm told). I never really saw anything that brought everyone together. It was severely disappointing. I think/hope/am sure that there
are exceptions to this.
I am very much looking forward to next week's trip to Philly. I will have a chance to reconnect with
Ange & Ris and play at the Songsisters festival (3 stages of
female singer/songwriters and female-fronted bands! All day! Woop Woop!). And I will roam through the city to my hearts content!
August 9, 2008
My first performance in Chicago was at an annual Spanish street festival. This was such a great experience. I've never had homemade enchiladas
before. Splendid! And tanned-skin babies are just about as good as it gets. I had a chance to do some more brushing up on my Spanish. The old
lady I passed: Abuela. The little boy playing kickball: Chico. What is your name?: Como te llama? That's about it. People listened to the
music, appreciated, and even bought a few CDs. Yah! On the way over, we drove past downtown. And I think if winters weren't as cold as
everyone says they are, I would gladly live here. It is so beautiful and friendly. So beautiful!
From the Spanish festival, I headed over to the Southside of Chicago for a Gospel Street Festival hosted by Another Chance Ministries. Really
great talent. A group called Joshua's Troop kicked some serious choir butt! An ensemble of 40 teenagers. Black people can sing, yo! I'll
upload a video soon. Following, there were these two little 6-year old brown boys. They called themselves The Brown Boys. Apparently they have
been on Oprah and Good Morning America for the obvious reason that they know how to get "crunk" *chuckle*.
At both festivals, I received all kinds of reactions…mostly an infatuation with the fact that I could sing and play piano at the same time.
Apparently…its not too common in Chicago? I dunno. "You sing? And play too? That's like two-in-one!" "Yes," I said.
"It's like two-in-one." *smile* My favorite people so far were the two older ladies at the Gospel event. They looked to be in their 60's.
Lady 1: Honey, come on over Lady 2: Should we tell her? Lady 1: Naw, don't tell 'er! Lady 2: Ima tell 'er. Lady 1: Aight, go'head. Lady 2: Girl, we thought you was Chinese!
August 8, 2008
There's a man in the airport walking around with a coffee cup in his right hand. But I don't think its coffee he's drinking because he's
staggering a lot. I've had miserable traveling experiences, but this probably tops it. Traveling with a keyboard has always made things extra
difficult…like the extra luggage fees, and the pressure of checking bags that are potential overweight (all things that have happened today).
Now, as I sit near the baggage claim in Chicago waiting for my ride to come (going on 3 ½ hours now), I know everyone passing me can see the
tired in my eyes…the anger…and maybe the sadness too. For the first 45 minutes I sit and stare impatiently…and begin noticing that, compared to
Chicago, Pittsburgh is severely lacking in the area of diversity. During the 2nd hour I discover a crossword puzzle book that almost made it
into the garbage but didn't. I realize that while I have never been a fan of crosswords before, I now appreciate the fact that this stimulates my
brain. During hour three, I repeatedly pull my cell phone out of my purse and say to myself, "It can't possibly be 11:30! Can it?" Especially
since I left my house at 2:30 and I was only in the air for 90 minutes. And then I sigh, sit back and ask myself, "When do I catch a break?" and
"Can I find a roadie on craigslist?" And then I laugh and decide that things could be alot worse and I should just continue people-watching…like
this good-looking, scruffy, facial-haired gentleman in from of me, or the drunk man who is still hiding behind his coffee cup.
August 6, 2008
This is just a little belated, but Tuesday's Drum Circle at the Plaza was FEE-nomenal! I can't remember the last time I had that much fun.
I guess lately, I've been feeling like this music has become work (which it is). But I still love music! And a drum circle is the perfect way
for me to still play music without the pressure of putting my best game forward. I still fully enjoy playing my PEE-ano but came out of a rough
weekend where I needed a good outlet.
Mona Statmore organizes a West New Guinea drum program with a couple of men who are from the country. They host workshops at Dance Alloy and your
Inner Vagabond. She brought her crew out...including some children. One of the chicks from Pitt's Drum Ensemble showed up, Kevin who I met @ the
Polish Hill Art What You Got, and then my Afro Carribean Dance Instructor from college wandered over! So there was impromptu dancing in the grass!
And if you know me...I am definitely one to dance to grass.
Around 7:30pm, as the Carnegie Library neared its closing time, families and little babies began trickling out of the library doors. The little kids
were so excited to join in! Yes! So much fun!
I am so excited for the next one and will definitely keep you posted. It will probably be the end of August or begg. of September.
(if you wanna join the Circle e-list, shoot an email to joy[at]joyike[dot]com)
August 3, 2008
Thursday
On Thursday I backed into my roommate's car on the way to Club Café. I dented the right rear pretty badly and the car is now in the shop.
I've never gotten into a "real" accident before. But I have a very bad reputation with parked things…like my parents garage door (sophomore
year of college), my mom's extra large freezer (sophomore year again) and Victor's Honda (junior year). The show was ok.
Friday
Joel Lindsey's Best of the Burgh was really a great time. Good vibes and a great atmosphere of brotherly love. I love Connections.
I also realized that AcoustiCafe is the best thing that's happened to Pittsburgh's music scene in years probably. It has created this very
tight-knit network of singer-songwriters who enjoy each other's company and music. If you are a musician, check out the AcoustiCafe open stage
on Monday nights at Club Café.
Saturday morn
I fell in love with Pittsburgh on this day. Out interview on SLB radio went very well and Larry spent just as much time asking Peace questions
as he did me. It made for a well-rounded conversation about music, physical therapy, and our childhood. You can listen to the podcast here:
www.slbradio.org/listen.shtml (we're in the very last hour). Afterwards, I made
my way to the Strip District to buy some turkey from Wholeys. That sickening smell of raw fish that hits you as soon as you enter is something
"uniquely Pittsburgh". It was somehow very inviting that day. And everyone was of course speaking Pittsburghese. "yinz, "dawntawn", "pixburg".
Saturday eve
Stephenie Meyer is a best-selling author so I thought that would generate enough interest. *sigh* The show, however, did not have too great a
turnout and was a disappointment. The highlight of the evening was Erin's cello and strawberry smoothies. Also, the turkey burgers that I made
earlier that evening. Kick butt! Truly!
Sunday
There were potentially…errrr…600 people in the park? I dunno. I'm really bad with guestimations. I'd say an active listening audience of 150.
People sitting in chairs, on blankets, standing, walking…etc. This was the show to redeem the whole weekend. This was it. But I've never had
technical problems like I had today. We made it 1 minute into Strongman and then the piano kept cutting out. At the end of Strongman, we did a
bit a troubleshooting then start-stopped "Warriors Get Your Gear On" three times. By the end of Remember, it was decided that we would end
prematurely on Jacob & Esau. A man came up to me afterwards and asked to be my manager. But he was very unkempt. I decided that, because he
could not take care of himself, he could not possibly take care of me.
Monday
I am looking forward to this night. Kristen will be in from Connecticut tomorrow eve. She's traveling with an exchange student from Mexico,
she said. So I will brush up on my Spanish and enjoy a chilled out ladies night event at Connections. You can come if you want. It's all ages
and it will sooth your soul.
...the ups and downs of it all.
July 27, 2008
Last night's Songwriters Circle was like the feeling of pulling on a pair of white linen pants. Exactly! A room full of people willing to sit
on the floor and stand for 3 hours just to listen to, and support quality local music. Mark Williams, you are the man! I truly felt like we
were a huge family sitting by the camp fire singing carols or something (I know that sounds cheesy). Check out the video from last night...and
save the date. The next circle is Saturday, August 30th @ 8:30pm.
Ok people...if you've been subscribed to this blog for over a year, you will clearly remember
my February 6, 2007 blog about the Mary Kate & Ashley lip gloss I owned that tasted like poison! I stood on my little soapbox and
questioned movie star perfumes and beauty products that could potentionally cause cancer and other unknown diseases.
And now, almost 18 months later... the news is out! July 17th the
Environmental Working Group has determined that the Olsen Twins have
in fact licensed their names to...and endorsed cancer causing products.
I am literally tripping over myself!
I still have that lip gloss and it is going in the trash like...5 minutes ago!
Read the whole story ....and yea...the rest of you should really
subscribe to my blogs .
I'm like a prophet or something :)
July 20, 2008
Many, many thanks to the honorable Tricia Chika for taking such a beatiful photo from last week's "Summer Stew at the Union Project.
more pictures in the Summer Stew folder on myspace).
Today I was told, for the first time, that there is no "in" crowd...that I don't have to worry about fitting "in" because there is no "in."
It's just something that exists in our heads. So to celebrate I went to the Strip District and bought flowers. Here are my sunflowers!
July 9, 2008
Hey Friends,
There are so many exciting things happening and I'm so limited in what I can put in my weekly e-newsletter. So here are some things that
I've been wanting to say but haven't had a chance to. Read on if you please.
I know I've said "thank you" many times already but I really am so thankful. The last 3 months have been so surreal with the passing of
my brother, and the many many encouraging emails, cards, hugs, and love people have thrown my way. I am truly blessed. I honestly don't
think I have taken the time to really digest the fact that he's gone but I really miss him.
Things have been going very well on the music end and I feel confident that I can continue to make this work. Most importantly,
I feel alive again. If you have any music leads...especially with radio and publications looking for review material, please pass 'em on.
So here are some other things...
Facebook: I've started a Joy Ike Music facebook group.
Go ahead, add yourself! (you can only join if you're a facebook subscriber)
SayNow: I've also started a SayNow account. Why? Because it's fun! It's a way for you to call
me and leave a message. Say anything! All you gotta do is text "joyike" to 729669 and follow the directions. No fees. Then head to the
myspace and listen to all the messages that people have left.
There are some fun ones on the home page already.
Coming to a City Near You: I will be in Chicago from Aug 8 - 11th and Philly from Aug 15-18th. Yah!
Do you want me to come to your city? Hit me up, yo!
M-M-Media: Here are some great great media opportunities that I'm really psyched about.
Please look out for the following
*** tracks from Good Morning will be played on WYEP throughout July.
*** there are two interview/feature write-ups in the August and October issues of Pittsburgh Magazine.
Please grab a copy. (more details to come)
*** there are several other interviews and reviews I've been working on with other publications but
air/print dates have not yet been determined.
Funky Band Sounds: Please come to one of the upcoming band shows. The band adds a whole new feel that is
totally unreal!!! It is kickin' and I am just soooo excited! Check the shows section to find out which ones are with the full band.
Carnival! The only thing that I am aching to do right now is go to a carnival with fun rides and cotton candy.
Will you take me? Puuuuleaaase! I'm serious.
p.s. I'm not too happy with the new Coldplay CD
July 4, 2008
Family trip to Philly! "Woohoo!" *sigh* My family is super great but somethings I like "Joy time." I like extra late night drives at 2am when
I can turn my music up loud and cover a 4 1/2 trip in 3 hours and 45 minutes. Nigerians are naturally loud, boisterous people and everyone talks
at the same exact time! The exact same time! Can you imagine that! No? Me neither. But I do have the pleasure of experiencing it. There are
also a variety of smells in a 5-hour car trip. A mix of cooked rice, curry, sour breath, and stinky feet (I take full responsibility for the
stinky feet). Sometimes I regret the fact that I don't own an ipod. But to give my family some credit, the music selection on this particular
trip has been extra special. We've been listening to some well-produced Ugandan stuff. So yea...major cowbell action. So no..I don't need more
cowbell. One last thing. It is sometimes very scary to see me without makeup. I hope the man at the rest stop will recover and maybe one day
forgive me.
June 29, 2008
Whoa what an amazing night!!! I am overwhelmed by all the support that was packed into one room at the CD Release last night. I thank you
all so much because you made the night worthwhile - worth all the work spent in recording the CD, scheduling practices with the band, driving
across the city posting flyers everywhere, sending out press kits and copies of the CD to media, spamming your individual myspaces, sending
facebook invites...etc. I hope you come out and support the band again this afternoon as we wrap up the Tour of Pennsylvania Bike Trek at
Market Square's Berry Festival. This is sure to be another kickin' show. We play at 3pm and 4pm. So here are all of my thanks!
***Thanks goes to Seeds of Hope and The Pittsburgh Project who definitely shipped their crews over in vans!!! You are awesome!
***Thanks goes to Brandon who was harrassed by the "flyer patrol" for hanging posters without having a permit. I still think thats cridiculous (
crazy + ridiculous)!
***Thanks goes to people like Aaron who called off from work just so he could come.
***Thanks in general to everyone who bought a CD and supported the not-so-eccentric lifestyle of a starving artist.
***Thanks goes to Angela who is the most honest, trustworthy, reliable, person in my life. If a song sucks, she'll tell me. She couldn't be
there because she went into labor 4 hours before the show. But babies are more important than CD releases. Congratulation Mr. and Mrs. Chung!
***Thanks to GetGo for giving me 69 cents off per gallon (this is not directly or indirectly related to the CD or its release).
***Thanks to momma who spent a solid 20 minutes on the phone with me before the release trying to convince me that I needed to eat her Jolof rice.
I told her I'd eat it but I wouldn't gaurantee eating it today because I wasn't hungry at the time. But I definitely ate it when I got home.
I also had some plantain, spinach, and turkey.
There are so many people who are consistently shooting me emails of encouragement. Dropping me notes. Thank you so much for your graciousness!
I had alot of people asking me where to get Brooke Annibale's CD. Here goes:
www.myspace.com/brookeannibale. Girl's got a voice like none other!
If you took any pictures/videos at the release, please email me at joy@joyike.com or let me know where I can find them online.
Also, if you fancy the CD, please tell someone else about it and let them know they can have their very own copy :)
Good Morning!
June 21, 2008
Sometime in the last year...and I dunno how this happened...i crossed over into the pop music category.
I passionately hated pop music - maybe because of its association to N'Sync and Britney Spears. Last week I changed my status to indie/pop/soul.
I think for me, artists like Kenna, Brooke Waggoner,
and Regina Spektor have redefined the definition of pop music and I now feel more comfortable
with the idea of teenagers popping their gum-chewing heads to bouncy music. It's ok, Joy. It's ok.
June 9, 2008
Have you ever shaved with butter? I'm watching this specific episode of Seinfeld and I'm really tempted to try this. Kramer claims that it
makes your skin smoother than a baby's bottom and I especially love smooth legs. Wish me luck on this one!
June 5, 2008
Ok, I will admit...I am supa dupa stressed right now! Like majorly! What have I learned in the past month? If you want something done,
do it yourself. Period. You can only ask for help so many times and then it just gets to the point where you have to teach yourself how to
do things. Woop Woop! Empowerment!
I will tell you that I am extra excited for what the next month has in store. Once June 29th comes, I will be able to take a deep breath of
fresh air. Supa fresh! I am attempting to revamp my website and myspace in 4 days. Wish me luck! Go check it out now www.joyike.com.
Then check back on Tuesday and tell me what you think! Thank God for DreamWeaver and Photoshop. I am also attempting to finish up all
promotional materials. by Monday. Also, "Strongman" will be free for download next week!!! Matt and Adam Robusto are genius!!!! Thank you, men.
Oh...I almost forgot. Here is the CD Cover!!!
Some things are a blessing in disguise, I know. Borders asked to host the release...which was a very exciting offer because they are very
central and I wasn't feeling like a bar atmosphere for the release. But at the same time, they will be taking a cut from CD sales. I'm not the
biggest fan of this but it's the biz. But most importantly, they will be helping to promote the event by sending out Press release, handbills
by the cash register, posters, and info at the bottom of receipts when you buy a book. Go buy a book!
So, I really need your support on this! For real! I am 6 weeks into being a full time musician. The first week I didnt know what to do with
myself. I felt awkward and out of place when my alarm rang and I didnt have to get up. Now, I am overwhelmed with work, publicity, and new
ideas!!! It's so exciting. But unfortunately it doesn't mean anything if you don't support. So please...SUPPORT! Thank you so much!
p.s. let me know if you wanna do some grassroots street team stuff and I will recruit you! contact me at joy@joyike.com
May 16, 2008
I get Garfield in my inbox every day. This is just about my favorite one. I hope you like it :)
May 11, 2008
There's nothing like reading the book of Ecclesiastes to put things into perspective. Lately, I've been feeling like I'm living in a
dream...or really a ball of glass. And someone (God) is holding that ball. And everytime he shakes it, something different happens.
Maybe there's a thunderstorm. Or maybe a car drives by and I can hear its wheels splash through a puddle of rain water. Or maybe the keyboard
stand that's been laying agains my living room wall suddenly falls over and makes this loud crashing noise that almost wakes me up.
It feels like a dream that I'm partly watching and partly in. "Enjoy prosperity while you can," verse 7:14 says, "But when hard times strike,
realize that both come from God. That way you will realize that nothing is certain in life." The certainty of uncertainty is just about the
hardest thing I've ever really understood. The permanence of death is hard to grasp but is becoming clearer by the day. And the word "dead" is
still very hard to say. "Death" is just a concept. But "dead" means that you're actually referring to something. Like "my phone's dead." Or
"my car won't start. The battery is dead." Or, more realistically, "my brother's dead." The more I realize that nothing is certain, the more
I realize I need God. Happiness has become so temporary, so short-lived. But for some reason...and I don't understand how this works...pain
makes life sweeter. And so, while nothing is certain or permanent other than life and death...and knowing that God holds both in the palm of
his hands, I am feeling more obligated to try and understand God. Why he gives and takes away. Why he makes and breaks. Why nothing is for
certain.
April 30, 2008
Today I learned that I could have easily prevented the unfortunate death of my ladybug by using granulated sugar to feed my flowers instead
chemicalized flower food. I don't really know if ladybugs can swim, but if they can, I'm pretty sure they prefer sweet water over poisonous.
April 26, 2008
My heart goes out to the ladybug that drowned in my flower vase today. My guess is that the ladybug saw the lilies and in its attempt to
a walk from one leaf to the next, it fell off of a white petal into the pool of water. The water was contaminated with "flower food" that
i believe is a chemically enhanced granulated substance meant to prolong the life of the flower. Sadly it truncated the life of the ladybug.
April 23, 2008
Healer
written April 16, 2008
by Victor Ike (drums)
Peace Ike (piano and backing vocals)
Joy Ike (lead vocals)
audio posted on myspace
Oh my soul does not understand
Still I say it is well with Your plan
Questions and answers are all in Your hands
You giveth and taketh away
Through the storms You've been there by our side
For comfort, to shelter, to lead, and to guide
Bless the Lord, all that's within me
Angels surround him and sing
God is your healer
He will take care of you...now
Strength for the journey and rest in the end
Forever protected in your Promised the Land
Bless the Lord, all that's within me
Angels surround him and sing
He will take care of you now
March 17, 2008
Something I’ve realized about myself in the past year is that I absolutely hate phone calls - not that I hate talking on the phone.
I hate hearing the phone ring and wondering whether or not it might be someone I don’t want to talk to. When my phone rings, unless
I’m expecting a call from a specific person, I usually don’t look at it. And if I do look at it, I don’t answer it.
I think this has something to do with my teenage years. I know that when I was around the age of 16-ish I had a major phobia of phones.
Like...major! I had stuttering issues that made talking on the phone extremely embarrasing. I had the fear of awkward pauses and the worry of
forgetting what I needed to say. I remember taking bullet point notes on tiny sheets of paper and pulling the slip out of my pocket right before
picking up the receiver.
My hatred of phones these days has much to do with my attachment to computer screens. If you want to get a response back from me in 24 hours or
less, you should email me. If you’re calling to ask me something music related, you should check my website and/or myspace first b/c the
information is probably already there.
Also, I can’t remember everything so I like to have concrete information in my inbox to refer back to. I also like to CC (carbon-copy) and BCC
(blind carbon-copy) people. That’s harder to do over the phone.
Please know that I don’t hate when you call, I just hate hearing the phone ring. I realize this is very impersonal and I’m sorry for that.
I like you...I really do. But please work with me.
March 16, 2008
Ever since I was a child, I’ve always had these illusions of grandeur...or, as I like to call them, delusions of grandeur.
My childhood was actually a good one. I grew up in a good, safe neighborhood. Parents had good jobs, I had a great education.
Never got into trouble. Always made high honor roll. And while I’m thankful for all of God’s provision, I sometimes wish it hadn’t happened that way.
I dunno...I kinda like the underdog type story where the girl raises herself in the back of a trailer. She lives off banana peels and half empty
soda cans for the first 18 years of her life. And then...against all odds she becomes a nationally known artist. Ya, that actually sounds appealing.
But, that wasn’t the case with me. Life has honestly been easy. So when I think of the day four years ago when my brother was diagnosed with cancer,
I think of the fact that I didn’t believe it. I definitely said something along the lin
es of "Oh, he’ll be better next week."
Or something like "Naw, this doesn’t happen to the Ike’s. The Ike’s are perfect."
February 5, 2008
After much thought...I've decide that racisms is just as prevalent as it was 30 years ago...only a little more subtle.
At choir practice, the kids subconsciously split themselves up by color. White kids in one section of the room. Black kids in the other.
At the January Transformation hip/hop gospel event, there are sixty people in the room. 5 of them are white. At WYEP's Alternative Superbowl
event, held in Barnes 'n Noble, there are black people shopping in the store, but I'm the only black person at the performance area. I start to
wonder about things that I've been thinking more seriously about in the past couple weeks: Is the distinction between "white music" and "black
music" more than just a figment of our imaginations. Why am I more likely to find a white person in a coffee shop? Why isn't there a Starbucks
in any of the black communities in Pittsburgh. Why is there a "black community?" Why is it ok to say "Black Community" and offensive to say "White
Community"? Why are there Black Colleges? The existence of black colleges is great in my opinion...especially b/c these colleges were founded during
an era when black individuals weren't given the same opportunities to prove themselves just as capable and intelligent as whites. But this is the 21st
century. Why, now in the 21st Century, when black people like Obama take on a major task (i.e. running for president), why does he get a pat on the
back, major endorsements from the black church, and Oprah's support? Why isn't it just as common to see black people in places of power?
This past week I have been so angry because as much as I try to bring my two worlds together, they don't want to meet. I guess I feel awkward and
completely out of place. I don't really feel American, and I don't feel African American. I feel Nigerian - a Nigerian who is actively engaged in the
best and worst of both worlds. I think about myself and know that I can do alot better. I need more black friends (not just so I can have someone to
braid my hair). I need more white friends too.
This is the charge: Think about your social pool. Do you associate with a diverse group of people? If you think hard enough about it, you'll
realize that you probably subconsciously gravitate towards people who look like you because it's more comfortable. The bottom line is that we
accept each other but we definitely don't associate with each other. For years this has been the discussion topic of Black History Month symposiums,
racial diversity workshops, and speeches. It makes me sad that nothing is changing...at least not as significantly as it should be. Anyone can agree
that racism is wrong but most people won't prove it.
I'm interested in what you think about this.
Head to the myspace to
comment on this blog.
January 18, 2008
Many moons ago...18 months to be exact, I wrote an extensive blog about
shoes and the women who wear them. This was a blog I felt very
strongly about. I believed everything was true - that women who wear pointed shoes usually have a pointed/sharp personality...and that women
who wear round-toe shoes are a bit softer, sweeter, and laidback. I sent it out to the women in my office and received an extremely
negative response - the beginning stages of my growing unpopularity at work. Well, yesterday, I purchased my first pair of blood red,
sharp shoes. They're so hot! Thank you payless. *cheesy smile*
Many moons ago...18 months to be exact, I wrote an extensive blog about shoes and the women who wear them. This was a blog I felt very strongly
about. I believed everything was true - that women who wear pointed shoes usually have a pointed/sharp personality...and that women who wear
round-toe shoes are a bit softer, sweeter, and laidback. I sent it out to the women in my office and received an extremely negative response -
the beginning stages of my growing unpopularity at work. Well, yesterday, I purchased my first pair of blood red, sharp shoes. They're so hot!
Thank you payless.*cheesy smile*
ln 1: Have I become what I once hated? *lifts her hands to the sky dramatically*
ln 2: Am I my worst enemy? *falls to the ground and struggles to pull herself together.*
(end Act 1)
As I stood in the store yesterday, I asked myself, "Joy, what will it mean if you buy this pair of shoes? What will happen when people at work
see you with these shoes? Will you be able to look at yourself in the mirror?" I didn't have any answers. But 24 hours later, I can tell you
that I'm still able to look at myself in the mirror. *sighs in relief then doublechecks herself in the mirror*
In the original blog, I claimed that round-toe shoe people never bite. This is still true. But I think I'm a biter now. I'm a little more
opinionated than I was a year ago. A year ago i would have never bought those shoes but now I'm much more driven and I have a plan. I am not
as laid back as I used to be, which is a bit dissapointing. I'm also getting better at telling people what to do. This is good and bad. But I'm
still an excellent follower. This is good.
So this is the grand finale: It is ok to be the leader. I am fine with this now. It is also ok to have friends who wear pointy shoes.
It is also ok to wear both round and pointy shoes. And just in case you were wondering, I will continue to go barefoot at my shoes...
but 2nite's Club Cafe was an exception.
This is, in part, a ridiculous blog...but not really.
January 1, 2008
This is what happens when you write down on a piece of paper all the things you want to let go of from 2007, put them in a bowl, and set
them on fire. Here's to 2008!
