A Video Snapshot from Henry Strange’s Studio
January 3, 2009 7:50 amChristmas ‘08– A Doughnut Christmas
December 2, 2008 1:29 pm
I know that snow is not that big of a deal in many parts of the country, but in Portland, we get some about once every couple years. So, this year’s snowstorms during Christmas were so exciting! The first days it happened, the whole town was in a great mood. It was this big, comprehensive snowday, because there’s like, maybe, one snow plow in the whole town and most people got out of work and school. We were all just slip-sliding around the sidewalks. I LOVED IT!!!
This is my friend Bill, who came to town for the holidays from Philadelphia, standing in front of my totally buried car. Underneath all that precipitation is a very loved ‘91 Toyota Previa Minivan!
Bill and I braved the snow on Christmas eve to walk to this guitar shop downtown because
I needed strings. It just *happened* to be right next to a certain very famous, edgy Portland doughnut shop called Voodoo Donuts. They make crazy signature doughnuts, like one that has actual strips of bacon on it, or flavored with things like Tang drink mix. This is a picture of one– a replica of a certain human appendage that says, “Deck the Balls!” You’re getting the idea, right?
Me and the 5 gallon bucket of Voodoo Donuts!
Anyway, Bill is a bit of a fritter connoiseur. So, we just had to stop in so that he could get this huge peach fritter. While we’re there, we see this big five gallon bucket of day old donuts for $10. I actually think we had the same idea at the same time. Buy these donuts and walk around downtown giving them away! And that’s just what we did for a couple hours. We got to talk to lots of people and spread some sugary Christmas cheer. Free doughnuts are good friendship lubricant.
And now, more pictures of me dancing around all happy-like in the courtyard of my apartment in the Christmas snowstorm: 
KATU’s “AM Northwest” Morning Show TV Appearance
November 16, 2008 9:11 pm
Today, Q and I were on TV. We played “Pink Elephants” It was a pretty weird morning… getting up at 4am, so I could warm my voice up in time… singing to the “live studio audience” while these robot cameras (see above) were swirling all around me. It’s hard to tell which camera to look at! Ummmm… what else? Oh yeah, and they kind of threw me with a random interview question… I hope it looks like I didn’t skip a beat… in my mind, I was like, “What?! I have this huge CD Release with a combined gallery showing of paintings in two days and *this* is what you’re asking me??” You can check out the performance for yourself here: http://www.katu.com/amnw/segments/34686339.html.
Putting a little lip liner on while I'm waiting...
Q setting up and me watching him (read: instead of helping)
Video Shoot
November 14, 2008 9:25 pmWe’re doing a little promo video and this past weekend, we did a 12 hour shoot. Here are some pictures from part of the shoot we did with my piano. Did you know I have a piano? I don’t talk about it much, because I don’t have anywhere to put it! It’s living at my friend Brud’s house/recording studio right now and he’s been kind enough to let me intrude on his life and play it a lot. That’s how I ended up writing four new songs over the past few months. There is just nothing like writing on a real piano!
Recording New Album
November 4, 2008 8:51 pmI’ve begun recording the next album! I’ve written the whole album (getting your heart broken will do that) and am very excited about it. It even has a title, but I’m not allowed to reveal yet. Jess Stroup (who produced “Messed Up” on my last album) has signed on to produce it.
I’m laying down pre-production guitar, piano, and midi tracks with my friend Brud at his home studio (brud.info). Sometime in the coming year, I’ll head down to LA to record vocals and stuff with Jess.
White Light for Halloween ‘08
November 2, 2008 9:57 am
So… this Halloween, for the first time, I have a sewing machine. So, I made my costume. I decided to be a superhero. Which superhero, you ask? Well, one I made up of course. Her name is “White Light” and it was totally fun being her for a night (or a life). What you can’t tell from the pictures is that my hair was glowing and my bracelets flashed on and off.
Met my friend Robert (the Holy Cow with little vodka spigots on his udders!) out at an art gallery party in the Pearl District. That’s where we saw this brilliant all-white art installation– at least that’s what everyone thought it was!
It was vodka! It was vodka!
White Light's Secret Headquarters
I think this one was from the same 6-pack!
Also hung out with my friend Adrienne, who got SO MUCH attention from guys in her costume. It resembled a potato sack every way, except that it was green, shaped like a beer bottle, and was inscribed with the words, “BEER.” Only her beautiful little face peaked out. But you would have thought she was wearing lingerie! When I say men were all over her, I’m talking about guys yelling things from their cars at her on the street, stopping all over the place to talk to her, trying to cop a feel through her green, felt, body-tent. It was amazing! And Adrienne, being Adrienne, was LOVING it! Love that girl! Favorite quote of hers of the night– “Oh, Summer, why wasn’t I born a beer bottle?!”
Then it was late night nosh at The Roxy, which is a 24-hour hip diner in the Gasoline Alley area of downtown Portland. The place is usually good for some characters, but on Halloween night, it was out of control! There were people dancing in a circle out front, a giant Rubik’s cube trying to figure out how to sit inside, among other things. By then, we’d hooked up with our friend Patrick, who was apparently holding the complete and total attention of Adrienne and myself. We were riveted! Well, we were when the pancakes came!
Robert, The Holy Cow and White Light
Hope everyone else had a fun Halloween. I like Halloween in general, because people aren’t afraid to let their silly out. Some costumes are so creative! And everyone talks to each other and is really outgoing and goofy (which I find to be rare in Portland, by the way). I wish that happened more often. Oh, and I really enjoyed going out in downtown Portland and everything being within walking distance of my apartment. One can really get used to that… even in White Light’s mega-heel boots!
W-L, baby!
