2021? We need to talk!

Oh, 2021. Oh, you long-awaited savior of the world. We have high hopes for you! Well, to begin with, the bar is pretty low. You see, your predecessor was just awful at its job. It was like a bad, gory, never-ending movie, and we were all strapped into the theater seats with our eyes held open with toothpicks. But don’t get freaked out, or get performance anxiety or anything. We are all now on anti-anxiety meds and anti-depressants, or we’ve taken up some stress-reducing hobby or meditation regime, so we are pretty primed to be pleasantly surprised at the smallest effort.

What your predecessor who-shall-not-be-named did right was put us all in a place where we’ve come to realize what we value, and what is most important. Aside from the lowest of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, I believe many are most missing shared experiences like visiting friends and family, going to concerts and shows, hanging out at local coffee shops, bars and restaurants.

This is the time a lot of people make resolutions, or set goals. I usually set goals, but for you? For you I have no goals or resolutions. For you, I have hope. Hope to see my 91-year-old mother turn 92 in February. Hope that I get to hang out with my family, friends and fellow musicians. Hope that I have some sort of album release that is worthy of the music we’ve created.

I have hope that you are kind, 2021. I have hope that you are generous with your time, and that you are a year we are all proud of. I hope that when we ring in 2022, we are grateful for you, slow and steady you that took us to a better place.

I don’t know many people that want to go “back to normal”. Disconnection was never normal, and your predecessor made disconnection a non-contact sport. But we were already disconnected and divided long before the past year. Maybe if we realize how much we value connection, we will have a new beginning where life is more meaningful. That the way we interact in life is in a more grateful way – grateful for each other and for shared experiences. Grateful to live in the moment. 2021, you will be filled with moments. May we make the most of them.

Pre-order Jellyfish on the Moon, the new album to be released March 2021!

<$15 will get you the digital release and my unending gratitude!

$15 (or more) will get you the digital release, the cd mailed to the address you provide me and my unending gratitude!

Where to Send $

To help me complete Project Jellyfish, send your offering and mailing address to

PayPal @LisaJeanette

Venmo @Lisa-Jeanette-1

Or send a check to: Lisa Jeanette, PO Box 1325, Exton, PA 19341

The Big Project Jellyfish Reveal!

Uh-oh. I’m having a JELLYFISH EMERGENCY! It happened because, as you may well know, technology has a mind of its own sometimes. While updating my sites with the new artwork today to get ready for the release of both Mrs. Claus, a holiday single from the album, and for the release of Jellyfish on the Moon, let’s just say things went “topsy-turvy”.

What? You missed the drum roll? Don’t worry, drums are in the mix!

My favorite album artist, Samie Dozor, came up with the artwork pictured above for the album cover, and not even knowing my affinity for planets, stars and constellations, she just blew me away. On top of that, it is a watercolor painting sitting in my music room right now, waiting to be framed and hung. I am so grateful, Samie! How do you manage to be in my head??? I couldn’t have dreamed up a better representation of this album. It is “far out”, to use a John Denver expression, because why not! It’s just that kind of a day.

And then there’s this…

Lisa Jeanette Jingle Single to be released November 2020! Photo: Rich DeAngelis

Coming soon!

I am fortunate enough to get songwriting coaching from Vance Gilbert, and as he was coaching me through recording Mrs. Claus, he had something to add, and I am so grateful, honored and in awe that somehow he agreed to be on the recording. Vance brought the fun and I can’t wait for you to hear it!

It’s a new holiday song with a traditional flair, and is just the sort you might hear in your favorite Christmas movie. Produced, recorded, mixed and mastered, masked and with social distance, by Glenn Barratt at MorningStar Studios, it is a wry, socially conscious protest song that puts climate change at the center of the North Pole. Think The Grinch Who Stole Christmas meets up with the Pink Panther. You’re gonna love it! By the way, I’m not really sure what Glenn Barratt looks like without a mask, and I am confident if we met by chance a year from now without masks, we might not recognize each other. He doesn’t see how much I smile in the studio behind my mask because I am SO HAPPY! This is what recording is like in the times of COVID.

The full album won’t be released until February 6th, but you can pre-order the album now. For anyone that pre-orders the album, I will send you a link to the Mrs. Claus single for free!

<$15 will get you the digital release and my eternal gratitude!

$15 (or more) will get you the digital release, the cd mailed to the address you provide me and my eternal gratitude.

PayPal @LisaJeanette

Venmo @Lisa-Jeanette-1

Or send a check to: Lisa Jeanette, PO Box 1325, Exton, PA 19341

Also need to thank Joe Iadanza for his help on Mrs. Claus graphics – he knocked it out of the park!

Stay tuned – the music is coming!!

Imagine you are making my 2nd album with me – how exciting is that?!

Recording Project Jellyfish, the Jellyfish on the Moon album of my music, has been a life-altering experience for me. I will never be the same. Will you join me and pre-order Jellyfish on the Moon?

Recording Project Jellyfish, the Jellyfish on the Moon album of my music, has been a life-altering experience for me. I will never be the same. But I’ve come to the part where I am running out of funds and I need your help! Will you join Project Jellyfish with me and pre-order Jellyfish on the Moon ahead of time? This will make YOU an important part of the album-making process because frankly, I can’t do it alone.

Most suggest an offering of $15 for the album, but if you want to offer less or more, I am open to that as well. I just need your help to get this Jellyfish to swim!

What You Will Get

<$15 will get you the digital release and my unending gratitude!

$15 (or more) will get you the digital release, the cd mailed to the address you provide me and my unending gratitude!

$25 will get you Vinyl – this is a test market and I’m not sure of the demand, so if you want it, please specify! Of course, that comes with gratitude . . . and a cool retro factor.

It’s that simple.

Where to Send $

To help me complete Project Jellyfish, send your offering and mailing address to

PayPal @LisaJeanette

Venmo @Lisa-Jeanette-1

Or send a check to: Lisa Jeanette, PO Box 1325, Exton, PA 19341

When?

Well, of course I need the funds now, but the album will not officially release until early February. I’m targeting my Momma’s 92nd birthday, February 6th because without her, there’s no me, no album, no jellyfish gonna swim.

making Jellyfish on the Moon album
Glenn Barratt and Ross Bellenoit at MorningStar Studios – social distancing, of course!

What’s In It for You?

  • First and foremost, you will be helping to make a great album of original songs a reality.
  • By pre-ordering, you are giving support to the musicians, the studio, the producer/engineer, visual artists, cover designer, printing costs, production of the digital and physical product, promotion, shipping costs to DJs – all this takes “a lot of money, a whole lot of spending money, it takes plenty of money” and “I’ve got my mind set on you, I’ve got my mind set on you!”
  • Speaking of you, you’re gonna love being part of this album. I can say I am proud of every single song on this record – there are no weak links.
  • Songs include Jellyfish on the Moon, Don’t Blame Me (Jolene’s Reply), the Brahms/Schumann Trilogy, i.e. World Don’t Perish Sky Don’t Fall, Darling of the Muses, You Don’t Look My Way; Aging Like a Son of a B, Still You Choose Love, Portrait, For You and I, I Am Nothing New, Our Face, Never Been to War, Top of the Ferris Wheel and Mrs. Claus (feat. Vance Gilbert). 14 songs in all for your listening enjoyment!
  • The album is being produced and engineered by Glenn Barratt at MorningStar Studios and artists include Ross Bellenoit on Guitar, Chico Huff on bass, Erik Johnson on drums, with some special featured artists like Jay Davidson on saxes and flute, Michael Ronstadt on cello and Gary Oleyar on fiddle. And a very special addition, Vance Gilbert, my mentor, coach and friend, lends his comedic talents to Mrs. Claus, which is an environmentally conscious and fun holiday song! If you don’t know any of these artists, please let me introduce you!

So, it’s pretty chock-full of whatever the heck chock is. I am so grateful to all of you that have supported me one way or another, and I can promise you Jellyfish on the Moon will be worth the wait.

@lisajeanetteme

Recording session at MorningStar Studio Still You Choose Love #loveisloveislove

♬ original sound – Lisa Jeanette

Surviving or thriving – 50/50?

I wonder how y’all are doing. Surviving? Thriving? A little of both?

I’ve been back and forth between the two. On one hand, I am finishing my album which is set to be released in the Jan/Feb timeframe, and it’s sounding better than I ever imagined it could. There will be a release of a Christmas single as well, Mrs. Claus, which is a environmentally conscious jolly song – so fun! I could not be happier with my experience at MorningStar Studios. It’s been a blast.

On the other hand, there have been anti-depressants and anti-anxiety meds, which I am grateful for. I’m fortunate to have healthcare that gives me the opportunity to address my mental health and take action when I need it. By the way, it’s okay to talk about mental health out loud. In fact, it’s essential to healing.

I don’t want to give a laundry list of reasons I am struggling – I know you have your full laundry baskets as well. We all do right now. The dirty laundry’s piled up, and the washing machine is broke, metaphorically speaking.

Okay, I’ll give you one thing from the list. Our dishwasher broke, literally speaking. I know, “first world problem.” Many do not even own a dishwasher, and I haven’t for most of my life, but when you’re used to having it, you miss it when it’s gone. We haven’t had one for a little over two months. Quarantine = more dishes. Again, there are two ways to look at it – a pain in the arse that is a time-consuming chore, or a few minutes of meditative cleansing that grounds you. I know, I know, it’s a stretch, but I’ve tried to approach it as the latter. The new Bosch low-noise dishwasher comes tomorrow. Low-noise was back-ordered. Bring on the dry meditations!

One of the thriving parts of quarantine has been that I got the opportunity to take a master class with Louise Goffin, who is Carole King and Gerry Goffin’s daughter, through the Songwriting Association of Washington. Before her 5-week class, I was having a dry spell with song-writing. She and the other 18 people in the class, helped me fill the well, and I’ve written three pretty decent songs since taking her class. It was very inspiring – she gave me a lot of food for thought.

So surviving and thriving. Yes, I’ve got both of those, and I know how fortunate I am to be able to say that. Some days are for surviving, some days are for living your best life, right where you are.

If you are struggling…

  • Talk to a professional if you can. I love therapy – it’s one hour and it’s all about me!
  • Write down 100 things a day you are grateful for every morning. Can be single words – doesn’t have to be neat or poetic. I learned this from Oprah.
  • Get out in nature.
  • Find music that soothes your soul.
  • Journal
  • Phone a friend
  • Do something to benefit/ help someone else
  • Eat right – begin to journal how food makes you feel. Sugar is not your friend.
  • Most importantly, and one I struggle with since breaking my foot back in January – exercise. It really is a mood enhancer.
  • Make your own list of ways to manage your moods. Here’s mine.

Another thing, do not compare yourself to those who are thriving when you are feeling like you are only surviving. Everyone has their time to shine. If you are not shiny right now, that’s okay. Your light will brighten for you in time, and it may be the light others in your life need.

Oh, and one more thing. Please vote. www. vote.org

Tumultuous Trilogy

The Sultry Love Triangle between Brahms and the Schumanns

Three of the songs that I recently recorded at Morningstar Studios are a trilogy about the love triangle among Johannes Brahms and Clara & Robert Schumann. Each song is in the voice of the three:

  1. World Don’t Perish, Sky Don’t Fall was the title of one of Brahms’ first songs. Brahms never married, but he loved Clara Schumann.
  2. Darling of the Muses was actually the title Robert Schumann gave to Johannes Brahms, or “Jojo” as he’s know in this song. Clara was smitten.
  3. You Don’t Look My Way is what I would feel if I were Robert Schumann, not necessarily how he actually felt.

I will sing all three songs, and tell the story of these mid-19th century historical figures on Friday night at 7:30pm Eastern Time on Our Community Cup Coffee House Facebook Live event. The concert will be 1 hour long. This is a rarity for me – I’ve only done one or two concerts during Covid 19 time, so catch me if you can!

P.S. I am having a blast recording this new album. I am full of amazement about it.

Recording Studio, Successful Session 1

I wore this mask in the studio made by Rich DeAngelis. It’s pretty foxy.

Overcoming the phobia of going into the recording studio has been a journey. Recording my first DIY album was a great experience and I learned a bunch, but it left me pretty gun-shy for a host of different reasons. But I’m happy to report that I am cured!

Project Jellyfish

I went into Morningstar Studios for the first time a couple of weeks ago. It took me a long time to settle into the idea, but I’d heard the results of Glenn Barratt producing a bunch of musicians that I have so much admiration for, like Tracy Colletto, Meghan Cary, Katherine Rondeau, Lili Aňel and Lizanne Knott. Listening to their recordings, I knew Glenn could get a good sound for me, too. So into the recording studio I went, where I encountered the house band, who are AMAZING BLOW YOUR MIND musicians; Ross Bellenoit on Guitar, Chico Huff on bass, and Erik Johnson on drums.

Okay, so that last paragraph? It contains all the reasons I no longer have a phobia.

Source: https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/phobia

Might you have a recording studio phobia?

Well, maybe phobia is not the right word exactly, because I could explain some of my phobia, and it was totally logical to me. But I am truly healed, and it is because Glenn and the band made it so easy.

We did take precautions in this time of Corona, including wearing masks and keeping our distance/keeping to separate rooms. This was important to all of us.

Freedom from fear

What freed me? Glenn’s rock steady and calm approach. Each band member displayed focused musicality and were very lyric-sensitive, which as a song-writer surprised and delighted me. I shared a couple songs with my sister, Valerie who said, “it sounds like you and the guitar are having a conversation.” … and we totally are.

Ross doesn’t accompany you, he hugs you. His playing feels like a hug. And I have to admit, before we even got into the studio, I told Glenn that I don’t have a fondness for the snare drum. At least not the high-pitched type that often to me sound like the worst click track ever. Rich, being the drummer that he is, does not understand this, and tells me drummers LIVE for the snare. Sorry, drummer friends, but I snarl at the snare. Well, Erik came with a “prepared drum kit”, and I swear if I could tell you exactly what I wanted on each of these songs as far as drums go, which I can’t because I’m ignorant of such things, what Erik does would be it. Holy smokes, the drums are killer. And Chico on bass – I’m not sure I know too many people that have as much fun playing bass as Chico seems to. You can tell by the bass lines he’s paving the ride. Just wonderful, these guys are.

So far, I’m blown away by the rough cuts. I go back Friday to do some more. I am pinching myself as I’m realizing how good this album is going to be.

“Come to the edge.

We might fall.

Come to the edge.

It’s too high!

COME TO THE EDGE,

And they came,

And he pushed,

And they flew”

― Christian Logue

P.S. The photo is of me wearing a mask that Rich made for me. He makes amazing masks. If he would only make matching handbags, we could both retire and I could be in the studio all the time. Universe, please make it sew!

This Is Us

I was sitting on my sofa with a broken fibula awaiting surgery to put me back together again after a hiking incident. My friend called and said, “Put the television on”, and when I did, I watched for the first time the twin towers falling. “It was on purpose” I heard her say. I remember being shocked to my core. Who would do this on purpose? Why would anyone hate Americans?

That began one of many harsh awakenings that my idealism and naivete would bear. This is us, and things weren’t as they seemed. I’ve had many harsh awakenings, and the one I’m going through right now is in the top 3.

My upbringing was littered with racism. I’m not even sure how it didn’t glom on me more strongly than it did, but I recognize that it skewed my unconscious bias and narrow world view.

In the recent past, I’ve described myself as “a little woke” because for the most part, I thought I understood, mostly, the plight of people of color. And since the Black Lives Matter movement began, I learned more from friends with children of color about their challenges, and was horrified. I knew I was on a learning curve, but after what I, and most of us, have been exposed to in the United States these last few weeks, the curve is steep and deep. Another harsh and sorrowful awakening that literally takes my breath from me. This is who we are. This is us.

The version of American history that I learned in school is not the history that has shaped America, and I need to get myself a better education.

Consider that maybe what you think you know from what you learned might not be the whole story.

I am learning, listening and reflecting on how I can change those things I cannot accept, thank you Angela Davis. Transformation starts with me. I bought the book “Me and White Supremacy” before it was a book. I had to download it and get it bound at FedEx printing. It’s not a book you read, it’s a book you do. It involves hard work, and I must admit, I’ve had an easier time following Layla Saad and #meandwhitesupremacy on Instagram and coloring the hearts red than doing this work, and that’s on me. There is no time like the present and I commit to this.

If you are like-minded, white and ignorant of black history except for the white-washed version of Harriet Tubman, Rosa Parks and Dr. King like most people I know, let’s get an education together. There has never been a better time with the access to information we have right now.

If you are journaling through “Me and White Supremacy”, please reach out to me and share your journey. If you want to share what you are learning, please comment below. If you are a BIPOC, and want to be my sanity check, I really welcome that.

My first assignment for myself is to commit to the hard work of journaling Layla Saad’s book, and also checking out Netflix Black Lives Matter series. I’ve started watching 13th, which so far is EYE OPENING! I will be binge learning about black history for the next little while, thanks to Netflix’s new Black Lives Matters genre. #bingelearning, it’s the more intense and sophisticated version of #bingewatching.

For anyone that’s read this far, and just bristled at the words “Black Lives Matter”, take a deep breath, and know that saying it takes absolutely nothing away from the fact that you matter, too.

Who do we want to be, America, ’cause it sure as hell ain’t this. Part of understanding who we want to be is learning who we are. Join me.

House Arrest and other quarantine songs

It takes me a lot of time to process things in my head, and I spend a lot of time doing it. I am mostly a feeler, but I have to be a thinker to understand what I’m feeling. That’s where songwriting comes in for me. It is a processing of those feelings into something tangible. This article from the Harvard Business Review helped me understand anticipatory grief, and how we are all feeling like someone close to us just got a terrible diagnosis.

I wish I were an instrumental composer right now, because somehow I think it would be easier to transcribe what I was feeling into music. Sometime feelings transcend words. And right now, there is just too much to process. No amount of feeling, or not feeling at all, or thinking, or not thinking can help me through this trauma. Yes, trauma. This article helped me understand that.

I have been in quarantine for longer than most, since I broke my foot, and couldn’t drive. The foot is healing nicely, but that morphed right into a carpal tunnel flare up that feels like I just moved from one prison to another.

Maybe this is why I came up with a new quarantine song, “House Arrest (A Quarantune)”, which was a bit cathartic. It’s the catharsis I am after. It helps me break free – and have a few laughs while I’m at it.

I am a person who keeps myself a little on the edge with being too busy. To be forced to slow down for months on end has been a challenge, but in some ways, I’ve been able to experience silver linings. And some of the silver linings have been amazing.

But you also have to face your demons – those things that drive you to be so busy. Does being busy and on the move help one feel valuable or in control? Can someone still feel valued or in control if you’re not doing all the things?

How do you find solace? I’ve read a lot of posts on social media, and the answers vary widely. Some use mediation or yoga. Some need to be outside in nature (*raises hand*). Some find it in music, books or art. Some binge-watch shows to escape. Some try it all (*raises hand again*), and some things just don’t work for everyone.

I’m wishing that you find comfort in the things you enjoy. I’m wishing you laughter, which has always been the best medicine. I’m wishing you peace. Peace that passes all understanding.

Lastly, if you need a good cry, check out this quarantine song from my wonderful friend Nancy Huebner who in addition to being one of the most clever songwriters I know, is also a nurse working on the front lines.

God bless and keep all of our healthcare workers, and all of the people on the front, and all the people in their care.

Saturday Salon BYOB (Bring Your Own Brunch!)

Hi everybody!

How’s it going? I miss people, how about you? Come hang out with me tomorrow morning for some music and connection. Right in your living room. I’ll be on YouTube live, and you can come into MY living room just by clicking this link: https://youtu.be/csbzhqMJF5w

Can’t wait to see you all – bring something tasty!

Peace,
Lisa Jeanette