I've been a diehard Boston Bruins fan just about all my life. My siblings put mittens on my feet so I'd fit into skates when I was two, and dragged me out onto our pond to learn to skate. I haven't stopped loving- and playing- and watching- the game ever since. I'm just so freakin' happy they finally won the Stanley Cup!
 

 
It's a grueling playoff- the most difficult trophy in sports to achieve (by far!), and also the coolest trophy in sports (by far!). Fitting, because hockey is and always will be the coolest sport (by far!)...
 
So, congratulations to the boys- and thank you for all the memories over the past 39 years. It's going to be a sweet summer...

Some great advice for the aspiring songwriter:
 
Axis of Awesome: How to Write a Love Song

It's that time of year again- for the "wrap up and look forward" entry. To be honest, I don't know what to think about 2010. It was truly all over the map for me, and the difference between "spectacular" and "total mess" just depends on which part of my life is in question.

Professionally, it was a fantastic year. I played a ton of music in so many cool places, sharing the stage with some absolutely amazing people & musicians. I'm never happier than when making music, so I feel pretty fortunate to have spent so much of the year doing just what I love. The best part is, all of the cool stuff that happened in 2010 is setting up for an even better 2011 (though I hardly dare to even type that, for fear of jinxing anything). I'm really looking forward to doing the work that's planned for the next couple of months. When you work hard at something and it pays off, you just want to work harder.

On the personal side of things, it was a difficult year. I lost my dad in the spring. He was truly a special person and he taught me more & gave me more than I could ever put into words, so I'm not even going to try. Anyone who knew him knows and that's enough. Naturally, I miss him every day- but more than anything, I'm just happy & proud that he was able to create such a great, complete life. He did all the things he set out to do, he had a huge impact on so many lives & made the world a much better place (you will never meet anyone who could make people laugh and feel comfortable as quickly and easily as he). He was also a realist; he liked to joke that "no one gets out alive." So when his time came to an end, he was ready (and as an executor of his will, let me tell you- the guy was prepared to the last dot of the i & cross of the t)- it was peaceful, in his own home, with all of his family there- on his own terms. You can't really do better than that.

In the early hours of Christmas day, a good friend (and former co-worker) succumbed to pancreatic cancer. She was only 49. Another really special person, gone- this time, way too soon. At least my dad had 84 years to do the things he wanted to- Mary had to cram in a bunch of stuff after she learned of her diagnosis. It's such a cliché sentiment, but really- if you knew you only had a year or two to live, what would you be doing? What are you waiting for?

Between May & December, I made some huge changes in my personal life. They were necessary... but not necessarily positive. I'm still trying to find my way through all that, and the giant ticking clock in my head is ticking even louder now with the perspective of the past year's events (no, I don't want kids- it's not THAT clock). I've been in a pretty dark place for the past few weeks, personally, as all this sorta caught up with me (in combo with the usual seasonal affective fun)... and my first inclination is to simply focus on what I can control, which is music. But that seems a little like surrender, too. I don't know. I want it all.

So it is with strangely mixed emotions that I think about all that happened in 2010. There are some giant holes in my heart, but I also feel so very, very blessed in other ways. 2011 will be about balancing out all the various pieces & trying to spin all the plates at once. I can promise you one thing- there will be much music. That's a certainty- and to me, it's a pretty good start.

This is the time of year when people like to make grand, optimistic assertions. "We are all connected!" "Everyone is blessed!" "There is good in everyone!"

I find this over-the-top 'good cheer' to be extremely annoying. I'm not a totally negative person- not Eeyore, down in the dumps all the time, by any means- but I'm a realist, and exaggeration bothers me. Fakeness bothers me, too, and just about everything surrounding the holidays is fake. Really- it's a bunch of bullshit and we all know it. People who don't even like one another are expected to get together, paste some smiles on their faces and try to make it all look as perfect as the pictures. Life is supposed to be a Christmas card and anyone failing to keep up the charade will be accused of lacking the spirit.

The fact is, we are NOT all connected- some people are very much alone. We are NOT all blessed, and there is certainly not good in everyone. We all know in our hearts that justice isn't always served. I can personally think of dozens of people who work their asses off and will never get a promotion or make what they're worth. There are individuals who treat others so incredibly well- and yet they are first to be forgotten and overlooked every time. Meanwhile, those who steal, cheat, and shit on everyone around them are somehow swimming in wealth & happiness. Justice is not always served.

The thing is, that's okay. That's life. It's imperfect. It's unfair and it's very often painful and unrewarding. Woohoo. But it's all we've got, so we have to deal with it as it is and keep trying to do the best we can within its imperfect framework. To me, that's much more inspiring than pretending everything will always work out for the best- somehow, some way... I'd rather acknowledge reality and live with the truth that yes, you are most assuredly going to be fucked over (repeatedly), but if you can still accomplish something in spite of it all, you're doing okay.

So happy fricken holidays, everyone. Try your best in 2011- who knows what'll happen but at least you'll be able to live with yourself if you give it a shot.

NPR posted a blog today discussing women in music who are often cited as inspirations/influences to other artists. Readers were asked to comment with their own list and it got me thinking: I could post my thoughts there (to be viewed by a bunch of random people who wouldn't give a John Boehner necktie what I think) or I could show some love to my own poor, bare blog cupboard. So, here we are!
 
The first consideration in creating such a list would be what criteria to use. Music I really love? Music that inspires me to write? Hmmm...
 
I decided that I've been influenced & inspired in so many different ways by so many different people (women AND men, but NPR's not askin' about the guys right now). As an obsessive student of all things music, I'm always interested in what others are doing- whether it's how they're using technology, how they create moments onstage, song structures, vocal delivery, recording techniques- you name it...
 
Inevitably, you pull tiny threads from these other places and weave them into the fabric of your own identity as a musician (and businessperson). Even after your creative identity and work ethic have been well-established, there's always something to be learned from what others are doing- whether it's something to incorporate or something to avoid.
 
So here, in no particular order, are the ladies who might be part of my musical dna, with a little explanation of what they've meant to me:
 
Chrissie Hynde (Pretenders)
The epitome of cool. Chrissie was definitely the kind of musician I could look up to as a girl growing up in the 80's. While Madonna was writhing around on the stage in a bridal gown, Chrissie was smart, tough, and a damn fine writer/guitarist. (Madonna was smart, too, but if bridal gowns were a pre-requisite for being a musician, I'd be an electrical engineer right now.)
 
Karen Carpenter
The most perfect voice ever. Hers was a singular star- no one will ever duplicate her effortless, pitch-perfect expression, no matter how much work they put in or how much training (plus, she played the friggin drums!). However, what I learned from her (at the ripe old age of five while riding around in my sister's Mustang convertible & belting out "Top of the World") was just how much fun it is to sing. The songs were so stupid- 70's soft rock, blech!- but her incredible gift was like a beacon right through the cheese. Later, she taught me that our time here is fleeting, so strive to make your mark.
 
Erin McKeown
Fiesty, hard-working, talented, strong, intelligent. She writes a hell of a good song and she's an awesome guitarist. Not in a "look at my athletic ability on the fretboard" sorta way- but in an "everything I do is musical" way. She has such confidence in her ability that she's free to explore & create onstage- then backs it up by never falling flat during these spontaneous musical moments. That, to me, is where creativity and hard work meet. You can't pull that off without great musical sensibility AND the training/practise hours to access that musicality. I want my life to be filled with music and I want to work hard at my craft, and she's an excellent, local example of what can happen when you do just that.
 
Shirley Manson (Garbage)
I just love Garbage and I love Shirley's voice (plus, I'm a total sucker for a Scottish accent). Garbage masterfully layered a bunch of little parts to create this giant sound- & they really opened my mind to the creative possibilities of looping/sampling as well as mixing electronic & natural instruments (though I haven't yet explored as much of that in my own work as I intend to).
 
Annie Lennox
Speaking of Scottish... Annie scared the hell out of me with that orange buzz cut back in the day... I loved it but I was afraid my dad might throw me out of the house if I said so. She had the courage to do whatever she felt like, and she always did it well.
 
Janet LaValley (Tribe)
Tribe's glory days coincided with the lifespan of our first band. We went to so many Tribe shows, it was impossible not to be influenced by such a huge persona (Janet was a little like a female Robert Smith)- but on top of that, the studio that hired me for my recording internship just happened to be where Tribe was recording their (unfortunately) last CD. So I had the opportunity to watch them working their craft, hanging out, interacting with the producer/engineer/record company/etc. It was all quite fascinating! I definitely would've killed to be Janet just for a day... (but instead, I helped her turn the tv on so she could watch her soap operas)
 
Carly Simon, Suzanne Vega, Aimee Mann & the Indigo Girls (Amy Ray, especially) should all make the list, too- but I can't think of anything in particular that needs to be said about them individually.
 
So there you have it. A musical stew brewed over decades of listening, studying, observing & absorbing.