Because we all need a little more 'Sun' in our lives

If you know me at all...then you know how much I love music by Chan Marshall (Cat Power). If you don't know me...well then now you know. Can't tell you how excited I am that there is a Cat Power release on the horizon. Her songs were what lit a fire in me to even pursue songwriting beyond a hobby in the first place. I can only hope to be as badass as she is one day. In the meantime, I will continue to ride the rainbow of having shared a stage with her. Done and done. Now to pre-order....you're welcome. ;)

The Sea

There is nothing better than hearing a cover one of my songs. Stumbled on this video when I was looking for something else on YouTube. My friends from "Wait For It" put their own spin on "The Sea" and completely made it their own. Love <3 it.

Pics and more pics

I have never been much of a wordy person, but I do take pictures of everything. I was sorting through my photos on my laptop and found some pics from my last recording session at Type Foundry that I thought I would share; otherwise they'll just live on my computer and probably never get looked at. So here you go. 

In the meantime, I am targeting August for the EP release. I've got a title, a cover artist, and 4-tracks, so outlook is good! 

I have started working on new songs for a full-length album. That probably won't come til next year, but I am working with someone who I think is pretty rad and I think you will too. If I can squeeze another EP through I'd like to but we'll see how it goes. My brain has been chaos trying to get time to work out ideas I have had over the past few months. If it gets quiet on here bear with me...just means I'm having fun tinkering around in my tiny apartment. 

A week off

Wasn't much of a big 'music creation' week for me. Lots of housekeeping, planning future projects (exciting stuff), practice and watching 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer.' Yeah, you read right. Got in some good time with friends, pups and nature. Can't complain. Now back to work.

 

 

 

P.S. My fab friend Pua got us tix to see Fiona Apple next month. My 90s-era self is overjoyed. 

  

And then...a title.

I took this picture this past Spring while out on a walk in my neighborhood. Flowers were blooming everywhere. Each corner I turned down welcomed me with the brightest colors and sweetest scents. After months of gray skies and rain during the winter it felt like a new beginning and a sense of hope began to rest on my shoulders.

At the time I had already written a handful of songs that I later realized all had a running theme, a new beginning. Previously most of my songs had been about love, loss and desire; but this time around I noticed the words focused inward on the self. I began to explore new sounds and instruments. Not a huge departure, but subtle accents in sound and harmony that set me on a new path.

A few nights after I took this picture I stayed up really late working on a new song. I was having really bad writers block and hated everything I was coming up with. Finally, I just went back to the basics. Simple chords, simple melody, and the lyrics came naturally. Maybe I was inspired by the season and the life that was growing around me, the lyrics were short and simple and heartfelt, about letting-go and that moment when you need to change the path you are on. I wrote it in 10 minutes and called it "The Shift." From it came the title of the EP, "In the Light of Morning."

The Shift

I realize I've fallen

And everything we made

I cannot save
I cannot save

And only in these moments
It brings a shift inside

And in the light of morning

We came alive

We came alive

Til then, we fall

Til then, we fall

Til then, we fall

I'm in a band? I'm in a band.

So this isn't really "Montclaire" news, but I was so excited to be a part of it that I figured I'd post it anyway. My friend Nate Ashley (he added his vocal and bass skills to my new tracks) asked me to join his band for some Summer shows. If you don't know Nate's music...you should because it is lovely and he manages to put lyrics and melodies together like no one else. Plus, he's just an all around dapper guy who's cool as hell.

We've had a few rehearsals and I've got a ton of catching-up to do as a new addition to the line-up, but I love playing his music and we've got some pretty cool harmonies in the works. It's been a fun musical addition to my life.

To my Portland peeps...just got word we have a house show coming up at the end of the month. I'll give you all details when I get them. In the meantime, here's Nate's music page. Take a listen. You'll like it. I promise.

Gonna take the weekend off from the blogosphere to work on new songs and relax. Thanks again for visiting! There have been some amazing traffic numbers on here! Super blessed to have such great support. xx

Good people doing good things

It's pretty quiet around these parts today. The weather is doing this very manic sunny to rainy to windy thing that I am not appreciating. I've got practice later with my buddy Nate Ashley's band (who you'll all have to check out cause he is the real deal), and otherwise just enjoying a day at home with my pup and lots of coffee.

Figured that I'd share this video of my friends Sing The Body performing live with hip hop/rap artist Navid Najafi. Both acts were nominated for a Na Hoku Hanohano Award which are sort of like the Grammys for Hawaii or Junos for Canada. Navid took the win for his category, so congrats to him for that. The guys from STB and I go a couple years back now. They are not just talented musicians who continue to try to push the limits of their sound, but also good people who put on an amazing live show. One of these days I hope I can convince them to join me on the road for a combo tour.

Scene + Heard

For over a year now I have been lucky enough to write a blog focusing on music for the Honolulu Star-Advertiser entertainment blog Honolulu Pulse. I try my best write about Hawaii-specific music when I can because I enjoy the opportunity to promote Hawaii's diverse and unique musical culture. I focus on new bands, established bands, events, promoters, venues, etc. I post weekly (every Monday) an urge you to check it out. It has been such a great opportunity for me to talk about what I love (music), meet new people who share my passion, and always keep a connection to my home. If you have a topic idea for me feel free to drop me a line too. I can only post once a week so it can be difficult to choose just one, but if it catches my ear I will do my best to write about it.

There Is No Finish Line

Even though this is from my last album "The Hawk & The Hunter," I wanted to share the trailer for this lovely documentary that was created by some great people and scored by an awesome person (John Askew). The film has two of my songs in it. So proud to have music put together with a film, especially one about such an amazing woman.

The process

I was cleaning out my hard drive this morning because my computer has been running slow due to all the junk I have on it (movies, music, pictures, etc.) and found a bunch of demo tracks I recorded over the past year. Some of them great...some of them....well, not so great. ;)

I haven't really ever been the person to share much of the process of how I write, but I always enjoy reading and listening to demos from other artists/bands so I thought I'd share a song.

First, I should say that I never really used to make "demos" in a studio for any album or do "pre-production," until the past year. I am not exactly sure why I haven't, but my process of demo-ing had been to record bits and pieces of song ideas or lyric ideas either into a tape recorder I have had since college (though carrying tapes around can get heavy), or record it onto a tiny digital recorder. Then I just piece them all together like a puzzle and record ideas over and over on tapes until I am happy with it. This process I love and hate. It's like a really good crossword puzzle where it's so difficult that you want to give up but yet you can't stop because you want to finish it. In the end you stop and think "Yes! I did it!"

I am also probably the least tech savy person out there when it comes to recording music. I got a ProTools Mbox a few years ago as a gift and never made much use of it. Though, I have started using Garage Band more which is nice.

Before working on this latest group of tracks, I was blessed to know some amazing people who allowed me studio time to record song ideas. I had three demo sessions over the past year and probably recorded enough songs for a full album that will most likely never see the light of day.

One session that stands out was last fall at Soul Sound Studio in Kaneohe, HI. I was back home in Hawaii for a week and my friend Shawn Livingston Moseley, who owns the studio, invited me in to record with just an acoustic guitar, live, no click track...just straight forward songs and help me sort out my ideas. It was so wonderful to have that time to work with my friend and have those ideas documented.

Here is one of those tracks called "Blue." I have played this song live a few times and it seems to be a favorite with a lot of people so I thought I would share it. I wrote it when I moved to Portland in 2010 and the weather had just started to turn from Summer to Fall. The song has since changed some lyrically and melodically, but this was in the beginning stages.  Sorry...this one didn't make it to the upcoming EP...but maybe in the future. In the meantime, click here and feel free to take a listen and enjoy a stripped-down track. -Lots of love, xxMontclairexx
(Photo by Toni Wong)

Let's get social baby

I almost forgot to let you all know the social network pages for Montclaire are up and running.

Facebook lovers, I invite you to read my comments and share your own (about music hopefully) at my music page. http://www.facebook.com/montclairemusic. And if you feel so inclined please "like" the page and we can travel the Facebook journey together!

Twitter loves, you can follow me at @sabrinaland.

If you are addicted to Instagram, like I am, feel free to follow my feed at @montclaire. My status is set to private but that's just to keep the spam out. If you send a request I will be happy to share my pics!

Like this handsome one of my dog Frankie, the official Montclaire mascot, in the studio. Because I know you wanted to see more dog pics. ;) j/k

Thanks again everyone for the love and support of Montclaire! Can't wait to share the new music with you. xx

Success!

 

Thanks to Cory (pictured), the quick mixing session at Type Foundry seemed to finally get the tracks where they needed to be. Very excited! Mastering....cover art...then release! Working on putting a few shows together. Will keep you all updated. xx