EXCEPTIONal 1st Collaboration

A songwriter's first collaboration may not come as easy or as utterly enjoyable as mine did with Boston's popular singer/songwriter, Louie Bello. Other than the fact that he's been a BMA Nominee more than once, is currently a Hollywood Media Award Nominee for 2013 and puts on one hell of a show - Louie is one of the most talented, dedicated, nicest guys you'll ever meet.

Let me start from the beginning. The birth of my latest release, Exception, went a little something like this: It was the dead of nite and I was sound asleep. I woke myself up with my own voice - I was partially humming, partially mumbling the phrase "with the exception of you" to this sort of haunting melody. Before it slipped away from me, like it has so many times,  I grabbed my phone (thank you again, voice memo app) and groggily recorded myself. I listened back the next morning and, apart from my sleepy voice I had a feeling that it was going to be one of my favorites. Lately I had been thinking about the formula for a happy life. I was always pretty confident that if you had your health, a supportive family, a loyal group of friends and the strength to pursue a dream, you were good; sunshine and rainbows would follow you wherever you went. Well, not exaaaactly. You may get that stubborn black cloud that looms overhead like I did, that one that blocks out that one last ray. In (unfortunately large amounts of) time, however, I learned this: figure it out and let it go before it consumes you.

I sat at my trusty (and a little rusty) piano and played it out. At the risk of sounding like a total cheese ball, those five mins were more therapeutic than I would bet any person could get from 25 sessions at their local psychiatrist. I'm not knocking therapy, I'm just saying - there are lots of ways to feel better and music--more specifically, this song--was mine.

This song was so much a part of me and more personal than anything I'd ever written before that I decided I would carry it around with me for awhile, nurturing it and helping it grow like a parent would their own child. I knew that whatever happened with it, it already was the best thing I'd done so far. When I showed it to Steve Catizone, my producer, he seemed to understand it instantly - in its entirety. That's the great thing about Steve - I don't need to explain anything. He just hears its potential in the first few notes and runs with it. It is important to mention here that my producer and I had the same idea for this song: a different vocalist - a male vocalist - would fit right into the current music world. I'd been toying with the idea for a very long time, listening to a ton of different local vocalists, not totally committing myself to it yet until I heard Louie Bello's song "Chasing Rainbows." And so began my first collaboration.

My first recording session with Louie was, to put it mildly: FUN. Fun for me is watching an artist who believes in their work and does it well without trying. Not only did Louie sing my song effortlessly, he sang it with so much emotion and passion you could almost swear he was saying goodbye to the most important person in his life, right there at the mic in the middle of Serenity East's live room. He is THAT good. Not only was I the songwriter, but before Louie I was also the vocalist. We had only one recorded version of Exception and it was my demo. Now, for this first session with Louie, I was standing in as producer (my producer was in his LA studio at the time). I was a little unsure of how it would all go, but Louie made it easy. He took every note that I had and did me 10 better. Louie is such a professional, 100% committed to his work and it shows. In just two short sessions the vocals were complete - and simply amazing.

When Steve completed a pretty awesome mix and sent it over I was floored. I couldn't stop listening to it. I kept thinking - wow, is this really my song? - and the funny thing is it wasn't that different from the original, it was just better. It was almost up to its full potential. I say almost because I felt it was still missing something that ended up being, other than Louie's sweet vocals, my very favorite part of this track -- the cello. I happen to be with a producer who works with some of the greatest musicians out there. One of them, Irina Chirkova, a Bulgarian cellist who has been playing since the age of five, has one of the most impressive resumes I've ever seen. She studied at The Boston Conservatory, won countless cello competitions all over the world, performed at the Grammy's with superstar Carrie Underwood, the Latin Grammy's, American Idol and much, much more. She is currently a member of Celine Dion's orchestra, Sully Erna's (Godsmack) solo band and, well...the list goes on and on. When Steve chose her for my track I was more than a little excited, to say the very least. She recorded at Serenity West studios with Steve in LA. When he sent over a picture of her about to lay it down, the smile on my face could've lit up all of Boston and its suburbs.

Once Steve had all of the ingredients (a guitarist also came in named Michael Woods to record some acoustic stuff that put the finishing touch on the track), he mixed it more than a few times. We worked together in Boston, he worked alone in LA. All the while he kept saying how this song was special. I hoped it was (as a songwriter I've never been more self-conscious) but its the greatest feeling to hear it from your producer who works with crazy talented artists every single day. Months later, after a few more working sessions, five mixes and close to 100 emails, phone calls and texts we were happy at the sixth mix. Not only did I have the official track but I also had an "Unplugged" version as well as the "Instrumental." I can't decide which is my favorite, but they're all amazing for different reasons. I think you'll understand when you hear them.

Before I send this baby out into the world, I thought a lot about how I wanted to release it. For such a special project I felt it needed an equally special cover. As far as I was concerned, the one and only person that could create amazing art out of a simple idea is talented graphic designer Brian Curran of Abacab Designs. When I sent him the song and lyrics his response and analyzation were so thoughtful that I couldn't have explained it any better myself. I was touched that he really spent time so closely listening to and working through Exception. We threw our ideas around and, finally, with all of our thoughts combined, I had a great idea. I sent it to Brian...he loved it, too. He pretty much created a masterpiece, as far as I'm concerned. Its exactly what I pictured in my mind and I'm certain is the best possible album cover for this song.

Thank you to all who helped turn my dream (literally, my dream!) into EXCEPTION. You have officially made this song my most popular and in record time! Please help me to keep it going - share, share, share! The goal for this song was always to sell it to a recording artist once we had the best possible version of it. Someday if it gets the attention and interest that it so deserves I will be ecstatic. For now, though, I think its a pretty solid and rocking track as is.

http://www.reverbnation.com/arlannasnow

If you like what you hear, you can hear MORE by purchasing/listening to the Exception single package on any one of your favorite digital music stores: (iTunes, Amazon...etc...) where you will also get the Unplugged version (Louie's voice really shines in this one!) and the Instrumental (Irina's notes are so rich and haunting in it) - you will not be disappointed!

One final thing - please, PLEASE check out Louie Bello, Irina Chirkova, Serenity East and West Recording studios and graphic designer, Brian Curran on their own sites. I only work with the best ;)

dreamBIG,
Arlanna

http://www.louiebello.com
http://www.irinachirkova.com
http://www.abacabdesigns.com
http://www.sanctumsound.com
http://www.serenitywestrecording.com

Acousticiiiiize the demons...

You know that moment at a great rock concert when you just don't think that it could get any better? Then out walks the lead singer, sans band, who sits down on a stool, guitar slung around his/her back and says "Hey, everybody. I'm going to take things down a notch or two." From that point on you are transported from a 15,000-full arena to an intimate moment between only you and your favorite storyteller, completely mesmerized as you sink into the most breath-takingly sweet, stripped-down version of your favorite song. Whether it be that artist's song or a cover, its one of the coolest musical experiences, like, ever. Remember when D.H.T. released that piano-only version of Roxette's power ballad "Listen to your Heart?" How about the Sundays haunting guitar rendition of the Rolling Stones' "Wild Horses?" I was blown away when 90's rock band Matchbox Twenty released their live acoustic version of "Push" - a hard-core, controversial alt/rock song when it was released as their first hit single; a sad, borderline-depressing ballad as the acoustic version helped you finally understand. It wasn't some abusive man pissed at his girlfriend; quite the opposite, in fact. The acousticity made you wonder how you could have missed that this was a sad boy being taken advantage of by someone he loved most, leaving him feeling worthless. Yes, the "singer" was leather-clad, eyes and fingernails coated in black makeup, his smoker-gravelly voice practically spitting at you when he sang "I wanna push you around, I wanna drag you down." However, the real story came from the songwriter underneath all that leather, being told from a not-so-nice girlfriend's point-of-view. This example is to point out how an acoustic set can take the audience on an entirely new journey. By peeling back each layer of a song right down to its core it becomes raw, allowing the audience to experience the singer's emotions in their purest sense. Its almost indescribable, but I'm doing my best! Anyway, I decided to take a little "acoustic journey" of my own; this time, I was the one doing the acousticizing, all with the help of one very talented, very kind and very talented (oh - did I already say talented?) guitarist and friend of mine, BJ Knights.

BJ and I were introduced at a local recording studio years ago. He recorded guitar on a few of my songs so he was already very familiar with my music when I proposed an open mic idea to him. Open mics are the best (and pretty much one of the only) avenues for unknown songwriters like myself to get their songs heard. I'd already done the gig where I sang to my own backing track (and we all know how that went down), but I felt that a one-on-one acoustic experience might really allow me to get creative with my songs. This time I hoped that the crowd would understand the lyrics as they were meant, using a more vulnerable, softer side of my voice to convey my stories better. Its always cool to slip in a cover song for the crowd's pleasure of singing along - and even cooler when that cover can mash into one of your own. After hearing an amazing acoustic version of one of my all-time favorite songs "Bittersweet Symphony" (The Verve) and realizing how similar the theme was to my own song "100," I thought - this is perfect.

I did some research on open mic nites and threw some places out to BJ. He suggested that we do a more laid-back open mic at Irish bar Mr. Dooley's in Wrentham, MA first and then take it to the bigger city crowd at Boston's King's Bowling Alley and Lounge.  BJ can play anything - if he doesn't know it yet, he makes it happen, no questions asked. With a guitarist like this, you quickly learn that you can play off of each other without planning too far ahead or even rehearsing more than once. BJ's super comfortable, laid-back attitude on stage made me feel instantly at ease. Stage fright and I officially said our last goodbye. I  had a blast! Not only did things go smoothly, but I had FUN, and that's the best part of performing. We got some great feedback and encouragement to do more and that is exactly what we're going to do.

So stay tuned and keep a lookout for some upcoming shows. You can go to a rock concert with thousands of other fans any time - for now, let this just be you, me and the music. ;)

reverbnation.com/arlannasnow

Hell, It feels SO GOOD to stand up here

Well, I did it. I grabbed stage fright by the gonads and, well, I kicked. HARD. I performed my very own songs to a crowded room without losing my breath, my lyrics or my mind. That's not to say that it went off without a hitch - there were plenty. Enough to break me? Nope. Enough to scare me from the stage? Never. Enough to make me bitch and complain? Hell to the Yes. But that's what I do: I experience, I write, I record, I perform and I bitch -- the entire time, most always for good reason. If you know me and still talk to me after all of that, God love ya! Seriously, though, let me back up and talk a bit about getting de-stagenized.

My first opportunity to let my babies - these songs of mine that I had kept to myself for years - loose into the world was not even close to what I had dreamed. That's not to say it wasn't fulfilling, it just wasn't what I had expected or envisioned. In preparing for my recording studio's "artist showcase," my name, my songs and my spirit got a bit beaten up in the process. Promotionally I was either non-existent or went by different versions of "Arlanna Snow." As for scheduled performance time, it was a constant back-and-forth. I was going on last, no I was going on first. FIRST!?!? I was performing two songs; never mind, just one. No, wait. I'm back up to two. Don't get excited!  Only one again. For an artist who was used to performing, this may not be a big deal. For someone who had never performed in her ENTIRE LIFE, this mattered. Like... A LOT. At the semi-famous Middle East Club in Cambridge, MA I was to take the "Upstairs" stage at 7:15. After driving up a very steep ramp situation (thanks, Dad), I was officially in it and I planned to win it. Then again, some things went beyond my control. Like the microphone stand being set for someone about a foot taller than me, a keyboard (sans pedal) in which I had never laid eyes (or fingers) on which produced a horrific, generic-like sound and where were those little monitors that performers wore on-stage to hear themselves? I was supposed to do sound-check, but again I was (or someone was) misinformed and I had to just go for it. So, blindly (really, all I could see were red lights) - I did. I was cranking out the song like no tomorrow until - wait a minute, where did the music go? My first-and-only song cut out smack dab in the middle! DJ wasn't playin' NO song all night, on and on and on. You'd think he'd at least start over from the beginning? Nope. I just had to find my way. I stumbled, oh yes I stumbled, but I didn't fall. Later on that night I got a second chance. I performed a second song and it felt better, easier, more fun. I still couldn't hear myself, but I was drunk, who the hell cared at that point anyway? I jammed. You jammed. We all jammed.

Let's get to the heart of it all, though. The energy I felt up on that stage looking out into the faces of everyone who supported me and loved me all these years, no matter if I sank or swam, singing the words that came from somewhere deep inside of me - it can only be described as what I would assume to be the best acid-trip ever. I left the stage that night (with applause I actually did only think I would hear in my dreams) to see first my producer, then friends, family and even strangers - who congratulated me and hugged me with a ferocity reserved only for those really proud moments; the kind that mean you did something in which only true courage and unbreakable passion are necessary for.

So, to all of you, THANK YOU. 100 TIMES, THANK YOU. I couldn't have done it without you! Cheers to many more! Dream BIG! ~Arlanna