Singing. Sips. And Strokes.

Hope y'all enjoyed the Tour Diary Video from yesterday!!! I will be posting the next one REALLY soon. So keep your eyes peeled :)

I was back at Ben's studio, Hat Factory Cinco, today for just a bit. Ben is mixing a new song of David's that is absolutely gorgeous. I can't wait to hear the final version! And I got to sing pretty, airy backgrounds on it :) awesomesauce.

Last days before a big stint on the road are always a bit chaotic. It's usually when I realize how little I got done no matter how MUCH I got done while I was home.

But the one thing I did accomplish today was completely awesome and not at all work or music related. It was actually related to something that I have absolutely NO talent in whatsoever. Painting.

Jenn Cancino took me to a place called Sips and Strokes which is a "step by step" + BYOB painting class. Jenn and I were pretty hardcore with our waters and sprite :) I am usually one of those girls that sticks to polka dots and stick figures when I am expected to draw something. But I am so proud of myself!!! THIS was REALLY REALLY fun! The class was sold out - birthday parties, Red Hat Society Ladies, ONE token dude, and lots of spilt wine. (Mostly from the lady sitting directly behind us! HA!)

Jenn and me all excited to paint:


And our finished paintings! Mine's on the left... hers the right... You can tell I like big, dramatic hair...


It's amazing how different all the paintings looked as you looked around the room. Some people choose different skin and hair colors. But more than that, everyone's approach was so different! I HIGHLY recommend doing this if you live close to one! They have locations in Alabama, Georgia, and Tennessee. And I'm sure there are similar places throughout the country. I can't wait to go back!

Peace. Love. Fiddle. Sips. And Strokes.
~natalie

Country Girl Fairytale EP on itunes!!!

So I was pretty stoked yesterday when I heard that my good friend Ruth Collins has her EP "Country Girl Fairytale" on itunes!!! YAY!!!!! :)



Know why I am EXTRA excited about this one? One of the songs on there is one that we wrote together! Ruthie is such a talented girl. She was in a duo called Wild Honey that was on the first season of CMT's "Can You Duet". Ruth and I went to Berklee together, she was roommates with James last year, and now she is one of my favorite co-writers :) She is every bit as sweet as you think she is from her pics and bio. And she writes all of her own music. I love that girl! We wrote a really cute song called "Lottery" together and she sounds fantastic singing it!

You can get it on itunes OR you can order "Country Girl Fairytale" HERE.

She put a lot of love into the packaging because she hand-made them all herself!!! So go support Ruthie! And if you've got the time... write a good review on itunes for us ;)-


Studio Update:
I really forgot how all-consuming recording in the studio is.

We got soooo much done today. Fiddle AND vocals on 2 songs. Whew. May not sound like a lot... but when you're putting something creative under a microscope.... well it takes nothing but precious time.

So now we need to get fiddle and vocals on 2 more songs. I am hopeful to get both done tomorrow. Then we'll just have to get the backgrounds and any other miscellaneous parts added on. YAY!!!!!!! Have I mentioned how excited I am to be recording new music?? Yeah. I think I have. But I will AGAIN!!! WOO HOOOO!!!

Peace. Love. Fiddle.
~natalie

Studio Backgrounds

Today was fun :) I had a bunch of running around to do... as always before a big trip... and Ben called and asked if I could come into the studio to sing some backgrounds for him.
I say Ben like everyone should know who he is, so let me explain :)
Ben Strano produced "Late Night Conversations". We met at school in Boston, and he turned out to be one of my best friends from Berklee. He is one of the most hard-working and talented individuals I have ever met. We have had a LOT of great times together. And when he calls, I NEVER know what kind of session it will be. Which is SO much fun for me.
He's currently working on a record that Dan Baird is producing. Yes, Dan Baird as in the lead singer of the Georgia Satellites. You know "I got a little change in my pocket going jang-a-ling-a-liiiang"
Dan calls me his "Country Kitten" :) Maybe because he can't remember my name.... but I don't really care the reason. It's pretty awesome to have a nickname from a rock legend.

Ben's on the right, Dan's on the left.



It was SOOOO stinking cool! The lead singer of the band has a very raw and uninhibited voice. And my job was to come up with harmony lines in certain places that would follow her vocal. That is so fun because it means I get to sing with a totally different voice than I normally would. Stylistically, she is so unique that I ended up doing some things that I have never done before. If you soloed my voice it would probably sound ridiculous but as a harmony part, it totally worked. And the guys seemed very happy so that means I am doing my job!

They had a really cool assignment for me on the last song. They told me to listen to the song and come up with a tag line that would be repeated as a background harmony at the end of the song - a la Beach Boys. And they had asked everyone else that had come in before me to do the same thing. They didn't play me the other ideas, they just wanted me to come up with my own. I used a line from the song and came up with a 3-part harmony - just the first thing that popped into my head. I can't WAIT to hear how they intertwine all the background parts on that one. I LOVE stuff like that. Ben and I had a lot of fun coming up with all the parts at the end of "I Needed You" on my record. Ben and I both love coming up with cool and interesting background parts. I could have gone on all day with that one. It will be really cool to hear the finished product.

Ben snuck in and got a pic of me singing in the vocal room.



He said that mic really liked my voice. :) We've tried a LOT of different mics on my voice to find the best one - especially when recording vocals for my record. Who knows - maybe that's the one we'll use on the next record :)

I'll let ya know when they get done with this record and tell you more about the band and where you can listen!


peace, love, fiddle ya'll