Life After The Voice

Lia Lando from News 10 NBC and I showing off my Team Gwen shirt in studio.

The weeks following my TV debut on NBC’s The Voice were anything but uneventful. TV interviews, newspaper, magazine, blog articles and radio spots quickly became common place. I was even asked to open for Mat Kearney and The Script at a radio sponsored concert. I received emails and messages from people all over the world expressing their gratitude for sharing my story and my voice. The response was overwhelming, and I welcomed it with open arms.

Before my involvement on The Voice, I had worked as a graphic designer at the same place for over 7 years. It was challenging to give my music career a real chance while working a day job. With all the traveling I was doing for The Voice and the gigging opportunities I received, I got the courage to quit my day job and persue music full-time.

Mat Kearney and I backstage for the 100.5 The Drive Mistletoe Show in 2014.

I took advantage of my momentum and free time and decided to start recording a solo CD. This time I wanted to try my hand at recording and producing it on my own. Over the winter months, I worked with a local drummer to lay down some tracks. It had its challenges, but in about three months worth of time we finished recording. I took the tracks to a local engineer and had him mix everything. Then I sent it off to get mastered and pressed.

In April of 2015 I released my first solo EP (which you can purchase through my website or on iTunes). I then organized my own North East tour to promote it. I was pretty proud of myself for accomplishing so much and mostly all on my own. I probably would’ve never been able to do this without the The Voice. Why? Because The Voice gave me the momentum, the resources and the courage to quit my day job and spend the time needed to achieve these things.

So has being on The Voice helped you?

The number one thing I get asked about being on The Voice is “So has it helped you?” It has helped me immensely! I’ve gained a ton of new fans, and it definitely helps when I’m trying to book out of town shows. Also, as I stated earlier, it has allowed me to quit my day job, which in turn has allowed me to travel more and spend more time on my music. Aside from all that, the experience alone taught me so much about myself. It was a huge learning experience.

Performing at the New York State Fair 2015

Did you make any connections?

The second most common thing I get asked is “Did you make any connections?” I think the general public has a bit of a misconception about these reality singing shows. These shows are in the business of making good television, not necessarily good music or music artists. Sure, I met lawyers, producers and sound engineers who all have connections in the music industry, but they aren’t there looking for the next Justin Bieber. They are there because they are getting a paycheck from the show.

The music industry is so different these days. Record labels can’t afford to sign artists who haven’t “proven” themselves yet. By “proven” I mean selling a ton of records on their own, and/or selling out shows. You may be thinking “Well what about the coaches. You at least made that contact.” Not quite. Despite how it may be portrayed on TV, the coaches don’t spend their free time working with the contestants. They have very busy lives, not to mention they are artists themselves. I was able to email Gwen through a Voice email client, which I’m sure isn’t even active anymore. So it’s not like I could contact her even if I wanted to. So, no, I did not make any music industry connections, but I did make some new friends.

Are you going to try again?

Sometimes I get asked if I’d ever go back and try again. I don’t even have to think twice about this one. Nope. Not because I didn’t enjoy it, but because once was enough. I had a great time, made some new friends and learned a lot. I came, I saw, I conquered. Now it’s time to move on.

Why the hell are you still in Rochester?

Occasionally I also get the “What are you still doing in Rochester?” I hate this question/comment. Maybe it’s because I ask myself the same thing at times. Maybe it’s because it plays on one of my biggest fears – looking back on my life from my deathbed and regretting the things I didn’t do. I’ve tried to get away from the mindset that living in a big city gives you legitimacy as an artist, but it still strikes a chord with me. This is another misconception the general public seems to have. They equate good talent and level of seriousness with big cities.

For the past 5 years I’ve been saying this was my last year in Rochester. It’s mostly because I’m so over the winter, but also because I succumbed to that very mindset. This past summer changed my perspective. I realized something while I was on tour – I can do mostly everything I want to do while still living in Rochester. Just because I live in Rochester doesn’t mean I can’t travel to play shows, or work with other producers. The only downside I’ve found to living in a smaller city is the lack of available, professional and diverse musicians to work with. There’s way more options in a bigger city.

Right now, someone is playing a cat piano and selling the songs in iTunes.

Like I said earlier, the music industry has changed drastically since the Internet phenomena. You can now reach millions of people with a simple upload of a song or video. You couldn’t do that before. The record labels used to be the music gatekeepers. Now the Internet is the music gatekeeper and it’s free game for anyone and everyone, but I digress.

Life after The Voice has been wonderful! And while I don’t want to only be know as “the girl from The Voice”, I’m taking advantage of it while I can. I know pretty soon, it’ll just be another bullet on my resume or a fun fact I tell at shows. But until then, I’ll be riding the waves. Cowabunga dudes!

This Is The Voice! – Part VI

You win some, you lose some, but in the end it’s all in how you play the game. And you better be damn proud of how you played it!

In the weeks leading up to the Battles I did nothing but take some much needed chill time, which of course included practicing. Almost every song I cover gets a unique A.L.P. spin, and because I had already been playing Jolene for so long, it did take a little adjusting to conform to the Battle arrangement. I didn’t want to over think it, but I needed a secret weapon. I needed to add something to the song that no one had heard or would expect.

Something else I tried to work on was my “blocking” or how I would move on stage. I had to go big this time. Sandy really challenged me in this aspect. She said to really go for it, even if it feels awkward. I’ve had my fair share of experience on stage without a guitar, but not like this. I had to bump it up about 10 notches. I practiced in front of a mirror and studied my movements right down to the details. I practiced until it no longer looked like a middle school dance routine.

About a month went by, and I was on a plane back to LA. I was feeling confident and excited. This time I was way more relaxed about everything. I knew exactly what to expect this time. I walked into the hotel cool as a cucumber. Looks like I’d be getting another chance at rooming with Jean Kelley.

Jean was quite hilarious and full of energy. She was also an avid Harry Potter fan. I’ve never watched any of the Harry Potter movies nor read any of the books (not that I would be opposed to doing so). Upon learning this, Jean enthusiastically played a Harry Potter movie she had on her laptop and explained what was happening in each scene. I enjoyed her energy, and we frequently exchanged music stories and Voice conspiracy theories. She was partnered up with Sugar for the Battle Round, and they gave me a sneak peak of their Battle performance. Holy Crap! Talk about making the stage explode!

The same schedule followed as usual: voice lessons, blocking, filming and meeting with our coach one last time. Taylor and I presented our polished performance of Jolene to Gwen and she loved it, though she did have some suggestions. She said we had to interact with each other more. We had to create a performance, not just sing. I agreed. After all, we wanted our Battle to be interesting enough to get air time. The last thing I wanted was to get montaged. A boring performance wouldn’t help our case.

Getting Montaged: Having your story, interviews and/or performances get cut or shown for only a bleep of a second on TV. This is the worst thing that could happen to a contestant. Getting montaged has nothing to do with whether you made it on the show or not. No matter how far you made it, if you got montaged the viewers would never learn who you are.

Taylor and I got together a few different times to make sure we completely nailed it. I suggested interacting a bit more, but he said he didn’t want to rehearse anything. He wanted it to look natural. I did too, but I also wanted it to be an entertaining performance. I brought it up several times, but he just wanted to go with the flow and feel the moment. Hmm, I thought maybe he had something up his sleeve and that he would break out some crazy breakdance move that would have Gwen melting in her chair. Well, whatever he decided to do, I knew I had to go big.

It was the day of the Battles and everyone was getting pumped. This time none of the wardrobe came out of my own closet. I firmly reinstated NO HEELS or dresses. They respected that, and I was pretty happy with what they picked out – blacked studded leggings with a casual suit jacket and some rocker boots. It looked pretty rockstar, and everyone was jealous of my sparkly pants. Even a couple of the hair dressers and make-up artists checked the tag to see who they were made by. Taylor looked adorable in his folky hipster outfit. This was going to be a great battle!

The infamous sparkly pants the day of the Battles!

We met up with Gwen backstage before going on. She was so sweet and told us we both looked great. She quietly whispered how nervous she was, which was endearing. She gave us a pep talk for the camera, and we were sent to our spots to be announced into the ring.

“Amanda Lee Peers – the confident graphic designer from Rochester, NY!” I walked out and waved to Sandy and my dad sitting in the audience (they allowed my dad to come in place of my mom this time). I met Taylor on stage with a curtsy and he returned with a bow (one of the few little things we did rehearse together).

We started in. I was having a bit of trouble hearing myself, but I just let muscle memory take over and went for it. The a cappella intro was dark and haunting, then the music kicked in. I cued the audience to start clapping their hands as Taylor took the first verse. “Go for it, go for it!” was all that kept ringing in my head. I came back with raw energy and soul, using the mic stand (one of Gwen’s suggestions) like it was my dance partner. Taylor stayed in one spot for the most part, but what his performance lacked he made up with his vocals. They were smooth and fluid. I pulled out all the stops, going up front in center and dropping to one knee.

The apex of our performance was coming up, and Taylor and I faced each other once again. I leaned into him, hoping he would see my game and lean back into me, but he just backed away. “Come on dude! Work with me here!” I was thinking. He slowly came back in for the end of the song and we sang into each others eyes, just as we had for the beginning of the song. We hugged it out and nervously looked at the judges to hear what they had to say. Check out our performance here.

Adam started off stating his undying love for Taylor (Adam was the other coach that turned around for Taylor in the Blinds), but then went on to say how Taylor should take notes on how passionate my performance was. Even though he said I had Taylor beat on the performance aspect, his pick was still Taylor.

Blake commented on how I “sang the crap out of that song” and that my performance was more believable. Something that they didn’t air was Blake’s disdain for Taylor’s lack of enthusiasm on stage. He stated in more or less words that “you should never look like you’re ungrateful to be on that stage.” Ouch. Blake said his pick was me.

Pharrell echo’d Adam and Blake’s sentiments on how well I worked the stage saying he appreciated how lost I got in the song and that my ad libs were beautiful. The ad libs were my “secret weapon” that I had saved for the Battle. I’m glad someone took notice to that! He also commented on Taylor’s star quality. They cut out that Pharrell’s pick was me.

Then there’s Gwen. She had nothing good to say about my performance and praised Taylor for how far he had come since the first practice with her and Gavin. She then went on to point out she was the only coach that turned around for me and how downhill my Blind performance went after she turned her chair. Granted, it wasn’t my best vocals, but I don’t think I deserved that. She made no comment on how I just poured my heart and soul into performing Jolene, especially after all three coaches pointed that out. Regardless, I was hoping she was just trying to make Taylor feel better before she picked me. “The winner of the Battle is going to be…..Taylor.”

My heart sank. I was in shock. I hugged Taylor and thanked the coaches for their kind words. Begging wasn’t my style so I just expressed how grateful I was for the opportunity and walked off stage to give them all a hug, anticipating a steal. I hugged Gwen first, and she regretfully said “Please don’t hate me.” I didn’t hate her. I knew it was all a part of the game. Pharrell told me he hoped I would come back next year. Blake was the last one to hug before the exit. Once I got past his chair that was it. I gave the giant teddy bear a hug, and he told me I did a great job. I was past the chair and no steal. I couldn’t believe it.

Sandy and my dad were there waiting for me as I exited the stage. They both were emotional, but I tried to stay strong. I didn’t want the cameras to see my disappointment. An interview followed with one of the producers. She stated they were all just as much shocked as I was about Gwen’s decision. One of the questions that was brought up was “Is this the end of the road for your music career?” Ha! “Absolutely not. This was only a pitstop on the way to the top.” I replied.

I was then escorted out to a golf cart where I’d be taken to give them back their clothes and change into mine. Then there was the “exit interview.” Basically, I had to meet with a shrink to make sure I wasn’t suicidal after being booted from the show. It sounds silly, but I can see why they do this. No matter what you tell yourself, no matter how you act, reality TV really messes with you mentally, emotionally and physically. I was emotional to say the least. I was heartbroken. I was confused. I felt betrayed. Tossed away like trash. I wasn’t going to kill myself, but I won’t lie and say I was fine. I wasn’t.

Me, Sandy and my dad went back to the hotel to spend the last night together before leaving the next morning. Luckily, they put us in the same hotel. During the course of the show, family and friends stayed in a different hotel, and were not allowed to see contestants except when filming.

I avoided Taylor at all costs. Not because I didn’t like him or that I blamed him, but because I felt like I won that Battle fair and square. I was resentful. I wasn’t ready to talk to him or really anyone else for that matter. It was getting late and of course those damn singer circles were roaring. This was all new to Sandy, and she was enjoying the music and camaraderie. I couldn’t stand it. We found a quiet place in a different part of the hotel. I completely broke down on her. I just couldn’t understand why I hadn’t been picked. It was killing me inside, and I couldn’t hold it in anymore.

I skipped spending my last night with my roommate Jean Kelley and opted to stay with Sandy and my dad. The next morning we all had breakfast, and I said goodbye to fellow contestants Ethan Butler and Griffin who happened to be having breakfast at the same time. We waited outside for the van to pull up. Jean Kelley came out and gave me a big hug goodbye. She had made it to the Knockouts, and I was happy for her.

I was curious to see who else would be joining me in the van home. Jonathan Wyndham walked up and started putting his bags in the van. “You’re leaving?” I was shocked! Jonathan was my buddy during the legal meetings. I’d always sit next to him and ask him to explain what all the legal jargon meant. Well, one thing was certain. I wasn’t alone.

The conspiracy theories started swirling in my head. Right before my Battle, I was pulled aside by a producer. “We need you to re-record what you said about being kicked out of the church.” What? Why? “Our legal team doesn’t want to get in a battle with the Christian church. Can you just say you didn’t feel welcome at the church anymore?” Did I have a choice? Not really. This literally happened right before I walked on stage.

I started replaying that in my head along with the fact that two of the coaches said I won that battle. Why wasn’t I stolen by them? I started thinking my journey was cut short, because The Voice didn’t want to deal with any legal difficulties my story might cause. I aired my theory with the show and followed it up with a phone call to one the staff members.

I started telling her my theory and completely balled my eyes out – which very few people have seen or heard me do. Seeing that I was clearly torn apart about the decision, she reassured me that I gave an amazing performance and that I’m more than who I was on The Voice. She tried to put my conspiracy theories to rest, stating she wouldn’t work for a company who would do something like that. I appreciated her reassurance. While I still wasn’t sure if I bought it, I welcomed her encouraging words.

For the next couple weeks I didn’t want to get off the couch. All sorts of self-loathing and self-pitying thoughts came into my head. One day Sandy finally gave me a well deserved ass kicking. I had my time to mourn, now it was time to regain my confidence and be proud of who I am and what I did. She was right. Enough was enough. This wasn’t me. I pushed through the pain and started writing and working on my music again. I wasn’t going to let The Voice conquer me.

My friends and family getting ready to watch my TV debut!

I wrote another letter to The Voice production team and thanked them for the entire experience. I also thanked them for giving me the opportunity to share my story and my voice and asked them to air my performances as well as my story. I emailed Gwen and expressed my gratitude once again for turning her chair and giving me the opportunity to be on the show. Lastly, I sent Taylor a long overdue congratulatory email and wished him the best of luck on the show.

The TV show aired and sure enough my entire story and performances were shown. I was so grateful for that. Watching my Battle on TV lifted my spirits, and my confidence was restored. I performed just as good if not better than I thought I did. It was one of the best performances I had ever given! I had absolutely no regrets. In life, you can only control what you do. You can’t control the actions of others. I gave it 110% and was proud of every second. That’s what it’s all about.

My journey on The Voice was over, but my journey to the top isn’t.

If you have any questions about The Voice that I didn’t cover, please leave a comment or email me at contact@amandaleepeers.com. I’ll write a new post with answers to all your questions!

Thanks for reading everyone! Subscribe to my blog to continue following my journey!

 

This Is The Voice – Part III

“Oh you’re calling from that TV show The Voice? Meh, sure I guess I’ll come to LA to sing in front of four celebrity judges and millions of viewers all over the world. Why not. I got nothin’ better to do.”

Months had gone by and I was over the wait. I was leaving it up to fate and went on with my life. At this point all the excitement had been sucked out the whole thing by these ridiculous waiting games. Just when I was about to give up on the whole thing, I got the call! It looks like I’d be heading back to LA!

This of course didn’t mean I made it to the actual Blind Audition, as cuts could still happen, but I was that much closer. I was curious to find out if I’d see any familiar faces.

Hey Roomie

This time I’d be in LA for almost a whole month! I also found out I’d have a roommate the entire time. “What?!” I wasn’t too keen on the idea, but I couldn’t really complain as I was basically getting a free vacation. Since I attended a local community college and just drove in and out every day, I never got to experience the whole college dorm thing. I guess this would serve as the college experience I never had.

I checked in and was on my way to see who my new roommate was. I stumbled into the room over my giant luggage bags and was greeted by a bleach blonde California girl – not the annoying kind, the cool kind. Her name was Megg. Luckily, we had a bunch in common and got along really well. This was going to be much better than I had anticipated.

I left my bags in the room and went to get all my info and paperwork. This time we didn’t require a chaperone, we just had to sign in and out and couldn’t be gone for longer than an hour or so. Three strikes and you’re out. They were serious about this rule.

Our hotel was situated on the infamous Ventura Blvd, where we had a lot more options to pass the time with. When I wasn’t doing something for The Voice my day usually consisted of eat, gym, eat, pool, walk around, eat, sleep. There was even a grocery store nearby, which was amazing for stocking up on snacks, water and the singer essential Throat Coat tea.

L to R: Megg, me and Sugar

After checking everything out, I headed back to the room and Megg and I chatted for a bit. Then there was a knock on the door. I opened it, and some girl was standing outside. She was there for Megg, and I was a bit confused as to who she was. Was she a part of The Voice or was she just a friend of Megg’s who came to visit?

She introduced herself as Sugar. She was another local Cali girl who was there for The Voice. I hadn’t seen either of them during the last round of auditions, because they were local to the LA area and only drove in and out for the meetings and audition. We all got along well and hung out together for the remainder of the trip.

That’s So LA

There was much more on the itinerary this time around – meetings, voice lessons, choreography, make-up, hair, wardrobe, band rehearsals, and lots of filming. We were about to get little taste of what commercial success would be like LA style! It was all really exciting, but as busy it got, I still found time for some good old-fashioned R&R.

Getting some R&R by the pool

Of course the singer circles were in full force now, and I stayed as far away as possible. Megg had the same disdain for them, and we both smirked as the volume of the singing gradually got louder. Oh well, to each their own, but I wasn’t about to lose my voice right before my Blind Audition.

Meetings

I looked forward to the meetings. It was the only hope of getting information on what was going to happen next. Then there were the legal meetings. We were separated into groups and presented with three law firms, in which we were to choose one to represent our group. All sorts of questions were asked, and I tried to pay close attention to how screwed over I was going to be after signing the contract. The Voice would basically own me for as long as I was on the show and even after I was off the show. What was my alternative though? Refuse to sign, and go home? Not a chance!

One of the many meetings

Along with production and legal meetings, there was what I like to call the “crazy test.” We were all given some sort of physiology Bubble Test to gauge our mental stability. Of course we were timed, and I didn’t get to finish but I was eager to learn what the test revealed about me. Everyone had to meet with a Physiologist who would review the test results and determine whether or not you would be a liability to the show.

You might think “Why would anyone be a liability to the show?” Well, I’ll tell you what, going through this process and being on the show is NOT for an unstable person. It is emotionally, mentally and physically draining and could cause someone to have a serious nervous breakdown if they aren’t ready for it. This show really f#@&$ with your head! If you can’t take rejection, DON’T EVER AUDITION FOR THIS SHOW! As a matter of fact, if you can’t take rejection, forget about music as a career.

Voice Lessons

The voice lessons were a pleasant surprise. I’m really glad we got them but for the Blind Audition, I’m not so sure they helped. My Blind Audition song, ZZ Ward’s Put The Gun Down, was naturally raw and emotion filled. The voice lessons had started to polish the raw character, and instead of just feeling the song, I started thinking about reaching a certain note or forming my mouth a certain way. It made me think way too much, and I felt like I lost that emotion the song really thrived on.

That said – all of The Voice vocal coaches are top notch, and I’m so grateful to have worked with them. Later in the competition they improved my singing immensely. For the Blind Audition, they got inside my head too much, which wasn’t any fault of the vocal coaches, it’s just a lot to think about before the big audition.

My favorite matcha brand Breakaway Matcha!

I did learn a whole lot about vocal health though. This was when I decided to stop drinking coffee and taking allergy medicine. Both dry you out and can affect your voice so I wanted to do everything I could to take care of my instrument. I switched to a strong type of green tea called matcha, and I’ve been drinking it ever since! I still miss coffee sometimes, but I feel immensely better off of it! Singers and non-singers alike should give it a try! My favorite is called Breakaway Matcha.

The single most important thing I learned from the vocal lessons was to always warm up your voice before singing!

Choreography

I was a little worried about this one. I had flashbacks of myself practicing break dancing and other cool dance moves in my bedroom. Those moves were best left in that bedroom a long time ago. Luckily, “choreography” was more of a “blocking” lesson – basically how the stage would be set-up, where we were supposed to stand and where to exit the stage. They did give some tips on how to make the performance more entertaining – no break dancing needed.

Make-Up

I’ve never been big on wearing make-up, and my hair was pretty easy to style – just blow dry and go. That would never fly on TV though or at least on The Voice. Because of the type of cameras they use, you had to wear a special HD foundation, so America doesn’t see every pore on your face. The make-up starts out very natural, so they can gradually build you up over the course of the show. As “natural” as it looked it was still way more make-up then I’ve ever put on my face.

Hair

The hair stylists were exactly what I had envisioned a Hollywood stylist to be. They embodied the stereotype I was hoping for, and I loved it! Unlike NYC, LA was living up to all my expectations and pre-conceived ideas of how it was out West. I’m sure any LA native would cringe if they knew what those ideas were, but for me it was just as it was supposed to be.

Wardrobe

Wardrobe was interesting and they surprisingly liked a lot of the clothes I had brought. They had racks and racks of clothes, shoes and accessories. I do like shopping, but after a while I suffer from shopper’s fatigue. This time they did the shopping for me, so no skin off my back! They even tailored my clothes to custom fit me. Not too shabby, huh? The other thing I had discovered while at wardrobe was that a couple rooms down, the cast from the TV show Parenthood hung out. I loved that show, so I thought that was pretty cool.

Band Rehearsals

The band rehearsals was where I came alive. I was in my element, and being able to rehearse with world-class musicians was even better. Paul Mirkovich, the band leader and piano player for The Voice band was super laid-back and said I had a cool voice. I was most excited about the guitar player Justin Derrico – who was P!nk’s guitar player. I’m a huge fan of P!nk so it was awesome playing with him!

One of the buildings we filmed in

Filming

I’ve never had any experience with filming, minus the silly plays my friends and I would record on my dad’s camcorder in middle school. I secretly had visions of the producers telling me “Wow you’re a real natural. You should get into acting!” Well, I never heard those words per say, but I was given plenty of encouragement. I actually really enjoyed filming and wouldn’t mind doing more of it in the future. I had make-up and hair touching me up between takes. I felt like a star already!

My Story

Remember back to Part I when I said you should know your story? Well, after some digging I realized what mine was. It wasn’t necessarily something I’d want to blast all over a major network television show, but I knew it was what helped me get here so I didn’t have much of a choice. That’s what the producers wanted, so I gave it to them. So here it goes.

I grew up in a strong Christian family, went to church every Sunday and spent a lot of free time doing churchy things. It was all I knew, but I enjoyed it and have a lot of great churchy memories.

Me at age 12 with my first guitar

I got a used acoustic guitar for Christmas when I was 12, took lessons and started playing in my church’s band. Years went by, we switched churches, but I continued to play guitar in the church band and stayed pretty involved in church activities.

There was something that I had always struggled with though. I always felt different from others, and couldn’t shake the feeling of being attracted to other girls. I never told anyone because I grew up thinking being gay was wrong and sinful. I guess it would be something that I’d just have to struggle through.

There was a point that I had confided in a good friend of mine who also struggled with the same thing. I thought, “Well maybe I’m not so different.” until one day I was called in for a meeting with my pastor.

He had found out through “my friend” that I was involved in a relationship with another woman, and because that church believed that was a sinful lifestyle, I was not allowed in any leadership role in the church – including being in the church band. I did have an option, however. I could go to counseling to be “fixed”, and once I had successfully completed counseling I could return to being in the church band. That was the last day I ever stepped foot in that church.

Playing guitar in the church band

I was devastated, but didn’t realize how much that affected me until being asked to talk about it on The Voice. They have a way of pulling things out of you. Because church and music were so intertwined for me, once I was rejected from the church I stopped playing music too.

Years went by. The wound healed, but the scar was still there. I played my guitar every now and then in my bedroom. A friend of mine came over one day and asked if I would sing for her. It took me forever to muster up the courage to do so, but eventually I did, and she was blown away. She started telling all her friends and encouraged me to start singing out again. I’ve been pursuing music ever since, and if it weren’t for her support and encouragement I wouldn’t be where I am today. My friend’s name is Sandy, and her and I are now partners.

Sandy and I backstage

After telling my story during one of the on-camera interviews I explained to one of the producers that I didn’t want to become the “token lesbian” on the show. I didn’t want them to focus on that instead of who I was as a musician. She understood, but explained that my story and struggle is what helped get me here, and that she would do her best to spin it in the best light she could. I agreed that would be okay. I didn’t want to be difficult to work with and decided the best thing I could do was just to be true to myself.

Looking back, I am SO happy I got to tell my story and let America hear the struggles the LGBTQ community goes through. I’m actually really proud of myself for telling that story on national TV. I never talked to anyone about it and had buried it deep inside. I needed to get that out. The Voice helped me do that, and I’ll be forever grateful to them for giving me that platform to not only showcase my voice but to also tell my story.

To Be Continued…

Musicians Are People Too – ARISE AND SEIZE THE DAY!

“Unfortunately, we don’t have a budget to pay musicians, but this is a great opportunity for exposure!”

Every musician and/or artist will come across this at some point. Venues will either say they can only pay you in pizza or they can’t pay you at all, but the exposure will be great! Some venues will even require you to pay them to play on their stage. There is some diseased mindset that musicians and artists are a sub-human race that will do anything to share their talent. WRONG!

Being a serious musician isn’t easy. You have to wear many hats – manager, booking agent, accountant, songwriter, performer, etc. Many people don’t realize how much blood, sweat and tears is put into our craft, and they think of our talent as a luxury, something disposable. By playing for pizza, for free or even paying to play, we are enabling our own demise. We must TAKE A STAND AND SAY NO! Now watch this video…

If we don’t take a stand for ourselves who will?! If a venue wants you to pay them to play, they are either shady, stingy or you don’t have a big enough fan base to impress them. Find the venues in town that support you as a musician, not the ones that want to use you and give nothing in return.

But you say you want to play that giant auditorium or festival?

Well my friend, you will if you keep working hard and continue building your fan base. But I’ll let you in on a little secret…always play venues that you can sell out. If that means playing small bars and coffee houses than so be it! It’s better to sell out a small venue than to play a giant stage with a quarter of the seats filled. If other venues see that you are selling out shows, they will be the ones knocking at your door.

So don’t be discouraged if you are only playing coffee houses. Every successful musician started out just like you and I, playing house parties, coffee houses and even sidewalks. You are worth more than pizza, so don’t give them a reason to think otherwise! If you can’t find a venue who will fairly compensate you, then create your own! Don’t settle just because you think it’s the only way.

ARISE AND SEIZE THE DAY!

The Recording Studio III – The Dragon Tamer

 We had come a long way, but our journey was far from over. The road behind us had proved more difficult than we were prepared for and our morale had suffered greatly. Everything started to look the same and we began to wonder if we had been walking in circles.

We were at a crossroads. Were we to continue down the same path in hopes of reaching our destination or abandoned the road ahead and forge a new path? We decided on the later and made our way through the dark, ominous forest.

We noticed a strange, blue glow up ahead and pressed forward cautiously. As we got closer, the silhouette of a man started to appear. Whether friend or foe we did not know. Swords drawn, “Who are you? Show Yourself!” I shouted. The man laughed and pulled his hood back, the blue light from his staff illuminating his face. “I am the Dragon Tamer. Follow me.”

It was July 2012. We had just finished up the same three tracks we started with in January. Now read that again.

It was July 2012. We had just finished up the same three tracks we started with in January. Six months had passed and we had only finished three out of the ten songs to be on the album. Our goal of releasing the album by summer had been slaughtered, and our sanity was next in line if we didn’t find a solution fast.

Now don’t get it twisted. The people at ACME were very professional and knowledgeable. We ended up with three great recordings which would later be used on our album, but the process had gotten too long and too expensive for our needs. We were running out of time and were low on cash. There had to be another way.

I was browsing the musicians section on Craigslist and came across a post advertising a recording special with a money-back guarantee. I was intrigued and replied to the ad. The mystery man behind the listing was a gentleman by the name of Jason Lustig. He was a local freelance engineer with over 12 years of experience and a Bachelor’s Degree in audio recording. The list of credentials went on. Then something caught my eye.

“On Location Recording”

That meant we could record in the comforts of our practice space, otherwise known as Seniuk’s basement. I proposed the idea to the guys and they were all in favor, so we crossed our fingers and booked our first session with him.

Recording with Jason Lustig in Seniuk’s basement.

It was recording day at Seniuk’s. We all felt a sense of relief being in a familiar environment. We hear a knock at the door. A small framed guy, who looked to be somewhere in his 30s, stood there with a big grin. His glasses and demeanor gave hints to a possible gamer and/or comic book reader. “Hey Jason, come on in!” I led him down a small flight of stairs and through a series of doors which led to the practice space. He looked around and set his mic cases on the floor. “Alright I can definitely work with this. Let’s get started!”

Mics were set up and we layed down the basic tracks for the seven remaining songs. How long did it take us? One day! Now we’re talking! Things were looking up, and we felt like we had just found a nugget of gold while sifting through the dirty trenches of Craigslist. Usually our Craigslist experiences resulted in no-shows, crazies and ego-maniacs, but this time we struck pure gold!

The process seemed effortless this time. Maybe it was because we just wanted it done, but there was something magical about the process. New ideas trickled in and were executed without taking up days of recording. We welcomed Lustig’s criticisms and looked to him anytime we were fresh out of ideas. His extensive knowledge and experience in the dark art of musical engineering was exactly what we needed. He knew just how to manipulate the dragon to make it bend to his will.

We finished up the tracks in Lustig’s basement, where he had built a control room and small iso booth for vocals and guitar overdubs. He mixed and mastered the tracks and the CD was sent off for duplication by the end of November 2012. We ended up with an amazing product that we were all really proud of.

Our first full-length album titled White Horses & Black Jeans  was released on December 18, 2013 . You can find it on iTunes, Spotify, Amazon, Google Play and CdBaby.

Well folks, this concludes my recording studio series for now. I hope you all learned some valuable lessons from my experiences. In case you missed them, here’s the big ones I learned along the way:

• Always come to the studio prepared! Know your parts like the back of your hand.
• Get your instruments intonated and tuned prior to recording.
• When researching studios keep in mind that it’s not all about the fancy gear and bells and whistles. What matters most is finding an engineer that can adapt to your needs and understands the sound you are trying to achieve. This is vital.
• Remember that time is money…your money. Make sure you and the engineer are on the same page with deadlines and budget. 
• Don’t do something just because you think it’s the “right” way to record. Different styles of music require different approaches to recording. Do what will benefit your music the most.
• Have fun and admire the journey!