Woke up on the bus this morning, it's 8 am (I think). Could be 9 am or 7 am...not sure what time zone we're in so it's hard to say.
We're in Milwaukee today and the view outside of my bus window is of 20 other busses. I made some coffee, walked into the venue to use a real restroom and headed back to our bus. So much for being a rockstar and sleeping all day!
On the flip side, my husband and I are opening up a restaurant/cafe in Los Angeles right now. It's not easy making esthetic executive restaurant decisions while shaking my ass on stage in front of thousands every night. I have been leaving most of the decision making process to my mother and husband giving myself final approval. Seems to be working out well.
For anyone interested, It's called "SweetSalt" and we're opening up in Toluca Lake...(Yes, I live there and so does my boss). Purely coincidence. We're planning on have a charcuterie, fresh bread/pastries, gelatos, fresh soups, salads, sandwiches, coffee bar, hard to find beverages and a variety of spice rubs, salts, candies, and anything else I can think of to stock on the shelves. It's exciting to be able to own my own store..and pick my own merchandise. I'm looking forward to getting back home to my "other" job as a cafe owner/manager. How lucky am I to have a chef for a husband! I'll have to buy him a nice big present for opening up this whole restaurant in my absence. Or maybe it's easier for him with me not around anyway ??
So, big show tonight in Milwaukee. As soon as Carmel hops out of her bunk i'm dragging her to the mall down the street. I am in much need of NOTHING but like to spend time browsing the endless racks of fall fashion....
xoSara
Saturday, October 10, 2009
Friday, October 9, 2009
Monday, September 28, 2009
Backup Singer Part 2
I forgot to mention how I got the MILEY job specifically. First I got the call to come and audition. I was told to learn a handful of songs, not all of them Miley's. I took it upon myself to learn both the top and bottom vocal parts (I didn't know which part they were looking to hire and wanted to be prepared for anything) I spent a few hours putting together different outfits that I thought were appropriate and looked "right for the job". Ended up wearing black leggings and patent leather flats with a bright yellow tank over a white tank...and lots of bracelets, made my hair super curly, a little blush and eyeliner and I was ready..
I walked into the lounge at the rehearsal space (the band was rocking in the next room) and I was greeted by some of the best singers in the business. These girls had worked with Chirstina, Britney, Macy, Beyonce, Enrique, Madonna...I mean the competition was FIERCE. I was already psyching myself out of it, thinking I wouldn't get the job. When it was my turn to sing however I realized I was just as good as those other girls and maybe this was MY time to get a "big job". I hadn't been a working backup singer for a few years so it was really time for me to work and tour again. But I was just as good as them. My resume, however not as "current" was just as "strong". "Harry Belafonte is an icon and I worked with him for almost 10 years..." I repeated this to myself as I approached the microphone.
Needless to say, some of the girls knew their stuff and some faltered. One girl had the audacity to tell me I was singing the wrong notes on something. I just looked at her and said, "ok thanks, but i'm sticking with my part". I'm sure she was just trying to be helpful...or unhelpful? The tension in the room was high and we had been there for about 6 hours now. They moved different girls together until they had heard everyone they needed to hear and landed on me and Carmel. We sang a few more times together and then the whole thing was over. They found the blend they were looking for. Carmel and I were ecstatic and jumped up and down like screaming children. I ran to my car and hunched over in tears. I called my mom and said, "Mom, I got it...I finally got a singing job again" It was one of the greatest days of my life.
I don't really want to go into too much more detail as to stay respectful of the other girls there and keep some part of the whole process sacred. Just know, that any audition you go on is going to be different than the one before. Some days you will feel like it's not going to happen for you and who knows, you'll get a callback! Sometimes you'll walk out and not hear from them again or you may hear something a year later (like in my case for the Setzer gig).
Just keep your head up and never stop dreaming. When you lose perspective and your strength you lose a little bit of twinkle out of your eyes...and you need that to be a star!
I walked into the lounge at the rehearsal space (the band was rocking in the next room) and I was greeted by some of the best singers in the business. These girls had worked with Chirstina, Britney, Macy, Beyonce, Enrique, Madonna...I mean the competition was FIERCE. I was already psyching myself out of it, thinking I wouldn't get the job. When it was my turn to sing however I realized I was just as good as those other girls and maybe this was MY time to get a "big job". I hadn't been a working backup singer for a few years so it was really time for me to work and tour again. But I was just as good as them. My resume, however not as "current" was just as "strong". "Harry Belafonte is an icon and I worked with him for almost 10 years..." I repeated this to myself as I approached the microphone.
Needless to say, some of the girls knew their stuff and some faltered. One girl had the audacity to tell me I was singing the wrong notes on something. I just looked at her and said, "ok thanks, but i'm sticking with my part". I'm sure she was just trying to be helpful...or unhelpful? The tension in the room was high and we had been there for about 6 hours now. They moved different girls together until they had heard everyone they needed to hear and landed on me and Carmel. We sang a few more times together and then the whole thing was over. They found the blend they were looking for. Carmel and I were ecstatic and jumped up and down like screaming children. I ran to my car and hunched over in tears. I called my mom and said, "Mom, I got it...I finally got a singing job again" It was one of the greatest days of my life.
I don't really want to go into too much more detail as to stay respectful of the other girls there and keep some part of the whole process sacred. Just know, that any audition you go on is going to be different than the one before. Some days you will feel like it's not going to happen for you and who knows, you'll get a callback! Sometimes you'll walk out and not hear from them again or you may hear something a year later (like in my case for the Setzer gig).
Just keep your head up and never stop dreaming. When you lose perspective and your strength you lose a little bit of twinkle out of your eyes...and you need that to be a star!
Salt Lake City
Hey everyone,
I'm in Salt Lake City...it's beautiful here and the weather is lovely. I'm still wearing flip flops (even though I packed 4 pairs of boots for this tour). Speaking of the tour, things have been so crazy and exciting! Our Staples show was amazing and it was so cool playing in my "hometown". I think i'm getting together with a few of the dancers and Carmel to go out to lunch and get mani/pedis in a few minutes. Last night we went to see FAME (Ryan Novak, one of our dancers is in it!). Anyway, i'll leave you with my favorite pic from the Staples show! I have many more pics and will post them as soon as I get back to my room tonight.
xo
Sara
I'm in Salt Lake City...it's beautiful here and the weather is lovely. I'm still wearing flip flops (even though I packed 4 pairs of boots for this tour). Speaking of the tour, things have been so crazy and exciting! Our Staples show was amazing and it was so cool playing in my "hometown". I think i'm getting together with a few of the dancers and Carmel to go out to lunch and get mani/pedis in a few minutes. Last night we went to see FAME (Ryan Novak, one of our dancers is in it!). Anyway, i'll leave you with my favorite pic from the Staples show! I have many more pics and will post them as soon as I get back to my room tonight.
xo
Sara
Sunday, September 6, 2009
There's always gonna be another mountain...
Quite a few people have asked me how I became a back-up singer...here's the story...
I'll start with the obvious; I've been a singer since I could speak. I started playing piano when I was 5 years old, writing songs and playing mostly by ear for years. I now know how to read music...albeit very slowly and methodically and poorly I should add. When I was in elementary school I started to perform in choirs and musicals any chance I got. Auditioning for anything that involved singing and usually getting cast. I also had the opportunity to sing on some professional movie soundtracks (helping me get my SAG card at a very young age...) I went to a performing arts summer camp named French Woods in upstate NY which gave me so much performing experience I am still shocked we did 3 musicals in 9 weeks. I am still friends with many of my summer camp friends and some of them are currently working on Broadway right now. While I was at Emerson college (where I majored in Musical Theatre) I was cast as the lead in a few musicals. Yet, there was always something missing. I had been writing my own songs for years and really wanted the chance to sing my OWN material. When I was in college, I started playing guitar and writing more songs, eventually leading to a record deal with MCA records (which got shelved). I played gigs around Boston and NY as much as I could. I immersed myself in music any way I could. Meeting and working with as many musicians as I could. Some of those musicians are in Miley’s band and I am honored to be working with them again. After graduating from college I moved to NY to obviously try and get a job in a Broadway musical (since I majored in it in school). My first audition was for AIDA on Broadway. This was back when head shots were in black and white. Because my hair is really curly and I have olive skin, I suppose that's how I got through the door...I look "ethnic". The casting people must’ve thought I was half black.. They flat out asked me at the audition (after seeing me in person) "Are you black, you don't look fully black". I sang for them anyway, walked back to the piano player to get my book and was ready to walk out with my tail between my legs when the accompanist stopped me. "You have a really great voice. I play piano for Harry Belafonte and they are looking for a back up singer. May I pass along your information to their musical director?” I said, "o....k........." and left thinking to myself, "YEAH RIGHT!".
Sure enough, the very next day I got a phone call from my agent saying Harry wanted me to come in and sing for him. When I got to Carroll Music (where rehearsals and the audition was held) there were 30 other black women there getting ready to sing. Honestly, I almost walked out right there. I had already been asked (point blank) about my ethnicity the previous day...why would I pigeon hole myself AGAIN? But, I stayed. I wanted a job. I needed a job…I got the job.
There were many things however that led up to my getting the job. It’s not all talent. I have an ear, and the musical director dissected it thoroughly during the audition. He would sing a phrase to me and ask me to sing it back to him an octave higher…or up 1/3…or he would ask me to sing in different crazy time signatures to see how my timing was.
Before going to ANY audition I do my research. I buy every record I can on iTunes and before iTunes existed, I would go to Tower Records or scour used record stores. Spending money on music for an audition is a tax write-off (and well worth it). I would go to the library and read about the artist I was auditioning for and spend hours on the internet reading as much as I could. Honestly, as embarrassing as it is, the mirror was my best friend. I still spend hours in front of the mirror singing and dancing in front of a microphone. I even dress the part, putting on the right clothes and makeup and will sing through the songs learning as many vocal parts as I can…memorizing the lyrics and getting completely familiar with the material. When I walk into that audition, I am ready.
So how did I get other jobs? Right place…right time…but more importantly…right perseverance and right preparedness. I email and network and sometimes I feel like I am downright annoying people with my correspondence. I met Brian Setzer’s tour manager on an airplane. He was sitting next to me and I noticed he had a numbered luggage tag on his carry on. If you are on a big tour, the management always gives out a number to every employee of the tour…so I instinctively knew he was working with a musician, or was one himself. We (I) started chatting and he mentioned he might be looking for a backup singer in a “few months” and that he’d call me. He never did, but I made sure to get his card and I emailed him over and over. Sure enough a year later, he called me in to sing for Brian and I didn’t get the job. Another year after that, a few more emails from me just “saying hi” and I was hired. Eventually they needed a new girl and thank god I was on his “radar”.
That’s just one example of how being polite and pounding the pavement can help get you through the door. There have been quite a few times when I was called back (over and over) and STILL didn’t get the job. I still get back up on my feet and continue auditioning. I never forget the in-betweens. It’s not always rock star tours and tv shows. A few months ago I was paying the bills working at a postproduction facility in Hollywood – making 20 pots of coffee a day and feeding actors and singers just like myself. In fact, Miley came in one day in January to do overdubs on the Hannah Montana Movie…and I put a plate of bagels down on her soundstage…with a smile. Not even knowing that a month later I’d be singing back up for her…and honored to do it with an even bigger smile ☺
I'll start with the obvious; I've been a singer since I could speak. I started playing piano when I was 5 years old, writing songs and playing mostly by ear for years. I now know how to read music...albeit very slowly and methodically and poorly I should add. When I was in elementary school I started to perform in choirs and musicals any chance I got. Auditioning for anything that involved singing and usually getting cast. I also had the opportunity to sing on some professional movie soundtracks (helping me get my SAG card at a very young age...) I went to a performing arts summer camp named French Woods in upstate NY which gave me so much performing experience I am still shocked we did 3 musicals in 9 weeks. I am still friends with many of my summer camp friends and some of them are currently working on Broadway right now. While I was at Emerson college (where I majored in Musical Theatre) I was cast as the lead in a few musicals. Yet, there was always something missing. I had been writing my own songs for years and really wanted the chance to sing my OWN material. When I was in college, I started playing guitar and writing more songs, eventually leading to a record deal with MCA records (which got shelved). I played gigs around Boston and NY as much as I could. I immersed myself in music any way I could. Meeting and working with as many musicians as I could. Some of those musicians are in Miley’s band and I am honored to be working with them again. After graduating from college I moved to NY to obviously try and get a job in a Broadway musical (since I majored in it in school). My first audition was for AIDA on Broadway. This was back when head shots were in black and white. Because my hair is really curly and I have olive skin, I suppose that's how I got through the door...I look "ethnic". The casting people must’ve thought I was half black.. They flat out asked me at the audition (after seeing me in person) "Are you black, you don't look fully black". I sang for them anyway, walked back to the piano player to get my book and was ready to walk out with my tail between my legs when the accompanist stopped me. "You have a really great voice. I play piano for Harry Belafonte and they are looking for a back up singer. May I pass along your information to their musical director?” I said, "o....k........." and left thinking to myself, "YEAH RIGHT!".
Sure enough, the very next day I got a phone call from my agent saying Harry wanted me to come in and sing for him. When I got to Carroll Music (where rehearsals and the audition was held) there were 30 other black women there getting ready to sing. Honestly, I almost walked out right there. I had already been asked (point blank) about my ethnicity the previous day...why would I pigeon hole myself AGAIN? But, I stayed. I wanted a job. I needed a job…I got the job.
There were many things however that led up to my getting the job. It’s not all talent. I have an ear, and the musical director dissected it thoroughly during the audition. He would sing a phrase to me and ask me to sing it back to him an octave higher…or up 1/3…or he would ask me to sing in different crazy time signatures to see how my timing was.
Before going to ANY audition I do my research. I buy every record I can on iTunes and before iTunes existed, I would go to Tower Records or scour used record stores. Spending money on music for an audition is a tax write-off (and well worth it). I would go to the library and read about the artist I was auditioning for and spend hours on the internet reading as much as I could. Honestly, as embarrassing as it is, the mirror was my best friend. I still spend hours in front of the mirror singing and dancing in front of a microphone. I even dress the part, putting on the right clothes and makeup and will sing through the songs learning as many vocal parts as I can…memorizing the lyrics and getting completely familiar with the material. When I walk into that audition, I am ready.
So how did I get other jobs? Right place…right time…but more importantly…right perseverance and right preparedness. I email and network and sometimes I feel like I am downright annoying people with my correspondence. I met Brian Setzer’s tour manager on an airplane. He was sitting next to me and I noticed he had a numbered luggage tag on his carry on. If you are on a big tour, the management always gives out a number to every employee of the tour…so I instinctively knew he was working with a musician, or was one himself. We (I) started chatting and he mentioned he might be looking for a backup singer in a “few months” and that he’d call me. He never did, but I made sure to get his card and I emailed him over and over. Sure enough a year later, he called me in to sing for Brian and I didn’t get the job. Another year after that, a few more emails from me just “saying hi” and I was hired. Eventually they needed a new girl and thank god I was on his “radar”.
That’s just one example of how being polite and pounding the pavement can help get you through the door. There have been quite a few times when I was called back (over and over) and STILL didn’t get the job. I still get back up on my feet and continue auditioning. I never forget the in-betweens. It’s not always rock star tours and tv shows. A few months ago I was paying the bills working at a postproduction facility in Hollywood – making 20 pots of coffee a day and feeding actors and singers just like myself. In fact, Miley came in one day in January to do overdubs on the Hannah Montana Movie…and I put a plate of bagels down on her soundstage…with a smile. Not even knowing that a month later I’d be singing back up for her…and honored to do it with an even bigger smile ☺
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
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