Being both poor & rich at the same time...

How is it possible, one might wonder, to be both poor AND rich at the same time? Well, it's not all about the monetariness (this word is underlined in red, meaning it's not a real word. I don't give a shit) of your life. Let me explain, if you care to listen. Please listen...

So let's start out simple. I'm poor in cash terms. If one were to look at my bank account, they would see that it is not spilling over the sides by any means. Yes, I do work in the financial world (unfortunately, and this is in no offense to those that do, good for you dull brainiacs) but this is not replenishing my account as fast as I am using it. The amount I am spending is much, much more than the amount I am making.

Now, what I am rich in is creativity. Creatively Rich? If you're still with me, let me explain...I know this isn't the most riveting blog you've ever laid eyes on. I apologize for that. I have a plentitude of songs, which I consider to be pretty catchy, heart-felt, melodic little ditties. (Why is plentitude underlined in red? I could have sworn that it was a real word! If it's not, it should be. Feel free to use it anytime.) I have lyrics and melodies coming out of every pore of my body. So fast I sometimes lose them to the land of the lost. If I could just figure out a mode of transportation to that land, life would be even richer. So, due to the extent of my creativity, I am producing these endless catalogs of four minute long wonders. Therefore, I am rich.

So there you go, rich AND poor at the same time. The thing I have to consider now, is, does one outweigh the other? And if so, which one wins? This might be worth my time to decide. Maybe I won't be happy with the result, but I can't let it get too late. Ok, here goes...

In one year, I have only been able to complete 4.75 songs in the recording studio. This, to me, is a bit ridiculous. In my opinion, a year's worth of studio time (and of course that is not every single day, it is a weekend here and a weekend there, four hours here and five hours there) should produce a heck of a lot more goods than what I have to show. Not only because of the time spent, but because of the money I have spent. I have practically cleaned myself out when I could have considered myself monetarily content in my thirty years. Instead, I decided to use the tools at my exposure that would take my songs and give them more life than I could have ever dreamed of. When expressing my concern to my producer/engineer, he consoles me by telling me we are not just laying down a track but that we are doing a LOT of production. Production that you get when your song is actually ready for the radio. We aren't spending our time making a demo. We are spending our time recording my first album. Sometimes he has me convinced that he is absolutely correct. Hey, he is the professional, after all. But then there are days like today where I would give anything to be at the studio but am not, thus forcing me to consider these things, flipping them over in my mind until they become like overdone pancakes all shriveled up in a frying pan. These next two weeks void of recording loom over me like a dark and angry cloud, bursting with these analyzing thoughts of "what the F is going on here? where is my money going? what age will I be when I finish this album?" raining down over my head.

But then I think back over the last recording session (last Sunday). It was a good one, I have to say. The fifth track is a ballad that I wrote at a pretty sad time in my life, when I watched someone slowly fading away from me and from themselves. It's pretty heavy in that way. But it's also just a really sweet melody. The music alone has desperation in it. That's really hard to create, but thanks to the studio and the professionals, it worked. And after adding my vocals and having one of my very best friends sing a pretty important backup element to the song, I can't help but be thankful. Because, see, this is when I realize that my money will get me there, I will make sure of it. I just thank my lucky stars every single day that I have what I have inside of me. Because I really do believe that it is going to change the world someday, somehow. Maybe not for everyone in it, but for those who really need it.

And that, my friends, is why my RICHness will always win.

dreamBIG,
Arlanna

Track #4 - Need To Shine

So the fourth track is officially complete, fresh and ripe from the studio. Just the way we like 'em! Its filled with guitar tracks a la BJ Knights and drum fills a la Matt Spitz from the Van Buren Boys band. Lets not forget Derek's "No Doubt-ish" bass line. All together, with my piano as the bottom line, the song came together (with many detours along the way) just fine.

Need To Shine was the first song I ever REALLY wrote. I played the pre-chorus melody that I woke up with in my head on my trusty piano and built the rest of the song around it. I was dreaming about someone who was going through a pretty rough time with a very scary, stubborn disease of the mind. The frustration of trying to help this person and constantly failing came out in melodic ways for me. It was a haunting feeling but with the hope of conclusion around the corner. One day I was playing it again for the millionth time...I started humming words to it...and Need To Shine was born. First, I recorded the music alone, very slow. Then I decided to play around with it on a keyboard, adding some percussion and kind of re-creating the song. Once I wrote the lyrics, I recorded the song with just vocals, piano, generic drum track and string effects. That version remains to be a family favorite, while the new version from the studio is the sound I dreamt about. My producer tells me it's a song that could be the theme for Rent Two, if ever there were a Rent Twp. Personally, I am not a fan of most of Rent's music. Then again, maybe if my song was in it, I would be a fan. Ha.

So now that you know a little background into the song, you will be ready to apply it to the first listen when it goes up on iTunes someday soon. Need To Shine is really my baby that I've probably spent the most time on. I hope someday it's the song that really puts me on the map. But then again, that is up to all of you. 

So onto the next song...track five and its been almost a year since I've been working at this record in the studio. Track five, I can promise you, will be a ballad through and through. Something, I'm told, that would come at the end of the CD. Not sure if I agree with where the track will go in terms of order, but for now it will be Track five. The title is still being decided on. Once I get closer to the final version of it, I will give that info away!

But until then - happy listening, everyone! Thanks for being my fans :)

dreamBIG,
Arlanna

Crawling along...

Whats up Blogsters/Twit-meisters/Face-munchers? Umm... ok.

So I haven't written in awhile and there is just no excuse for that. NO excuse. But I am here now, so that has to count for something, right? Hopefully all will be forgiven when you realize what I've been doing - nothing. Ha! Kidding.

Seriously, the third track has been complete for a couple of months now. You know the one I'm talking about - "Sometimes." I have to say it's a lot different than the other two songs I've completed. It doesnt have that upbeat feel but rather it's a bit dark with a bit of a hook. A dark hook. That would be a very cool documentary title, wouldnt it? Hmmm... 

So the third track has a little "Chris Isaac" and a little "David Bowie" hidden in there. Now don't get too excited, they didn't actually play on the track (a girl can dream!) but the sounds we created make me think of their material. The song is basically a ditty written at a time when I was feeling like the world was against me. And, let's face it, we all have those days. The difference is, I chose to write about it. I consider this challenging moment in my life as a good thing because when the song was finished, I felt a hell of a lot better. Thats the great part about songwriting - it relieves you.

So now for the bad news...the song is not going to be released on iTunes or anywhere else on the web - YET. Now that I'm writing this, I'm thinking I may have already broken this news to you. Senior moment at 29? Ugh. But I'm now working on the fourth track and I have to admit that so far, this year has not spared me much time to work as much as I'd like in the studio. However, I am starting to have withdrawals so it's time to head back, especially because, and I'm going to seriously toot my own horn here, I think the fourth track (spoiler alert: the first song I have ever written) is going to be the bomb-diggity. Do people say bomb-diggity anymore? I'm not becoming one of those women that still say "cool" to their kids' friends in my forties, right? Wait - I'm only 29. And I dont have kids. Ok, I think I'm safe.

Well, thank you for reading my weird blog today. I will return when I'm not so weird. Oh! One more thing before I go - check me out on www.whohub.com. I did a cool interview and it's...the bomb-diggity.  

dreamBIG,
Arlanna

Have A Little Courage

The release of my first two singles - wow. Seems crazy to think that anyone in the entire world can just type "Arlanna Snow" into Amazon.com, iTunes, Rhapsody, Napster and my album comes up. I just have to explain a few things, though.

First of all, my producer was hoping I would wait to finish the entire album before I released it to the world (which means it would have a normal amount of songs on it, not just my first two singles), but I guess when it comes to my music I get a teensy bit impatient. So for those of you wondering, what the heck kind of album has two songs on it? Well, mine. I call it a teeny-tiny mini EP. 

Secondly, the album cover that is currently gracing my songs is NOT -- I repeat NOT -- the official album cover. My official album cover is actually pretty amazing. It was designed by Abacab Designs - Brian Curran -- and will be taking the place of the extremely boring navy blue cover with white writing once my album is complete. 

Have a Little Courage is a personal title for me which I have always imagined to be the name of my freshman album for years upon years. Its kind of a throwback to my favorite film of all time - the Wizard of Oz. I guess I see myself as the Cowardly Lion - living his entire life afraid of everything but finally realizing he had courage all along when faced with some of his greatest fears. The songs on the album are sort of my journey into that realization. So it's all wrapped up into a nice, neat little package of fun. Now, isnt that cute?

Anyway - I am now nearing the finish line of the third song. I will only say that the title of it is "Sometimes" and is a bit different from the past two songs you've heard. I can't wait for the finished product, as it's one of my faves. 

Thanks to everyone who has downloaded the first two tracks so far - you should feel very charitable! Letting everyone hear what I have held in for so long makes me nervous, but your positive feedback has given me the continued courage I need to keep going. So, thank you a million times! And please stay with me because there is SO much more to come. Happy New Year to all!

dreamBIG,
Arlanna