Taken with my Driod while working on my Thinkpad

The usual Pandora system for an independent artist, as I understand it, goes like this:

1. You submit two songs to the Genome Project through a complicated and time consuming process via the Pandora website.
2. Several people in different departments over at Pandora listen to those songs and decide if your music is high enough quality to be a put into the rotation (for lack of a better term)
3. If the two songs get accepted then it takes another 3-4 months before they become available to the listener on the site (again, as I understand it, they get sent through a rigorous and time consuming labeling system that allows the song to be put in the correct genre and categories)
4. THEN wallah – your two songs are in the system and available to be heard by the listener.
5. More songs may not be submitted for another 6 months, and then the same process starts again.

So when I submitted Unruly Helga I only submitted two songs, as directed (Maybe You and Light As Air).  I am very good about following instructions and I know the repercussions in cases like this are usually harsh – as in – “You didn’t follow instructions?  Thrown out. Don’t bother re-submitting. You’re a loser who can’t follow simple directions. Go away.”  I was very careful – as usual.

I put a note on my calendar from the time my songs got accepted for about 4 months later and started checking… nothing… nothing… still nothing.  Should I email?  No – that’s annoying.  Leave it alone.  Nothing…
Then oneday I was rehearsing with my talented friend Nathan (for a different project to be announced at a later date) and he randomly told me that he has been on the Unruly Helga station on Pandora but no Unruly songs were coming up.  What??!  So you CAN make an Unruly Helga station?  This is news.  Rehearsal was interrupted as I opened up Pandora and tried to enter Unruly Helga.

Well – what do you know? The first song that came up was NOT one of the two songs I submitted.  Huh.  That’s weird.  I wonder what happened?  Well apparently someone over there either messed up or really liked the whole thing for some reason because every 5-6 songs you’ll hear another new UH track.  That’s nice.  That kind of thing does not happen often to me.  And when it does.  It feels good. I just wish I could have a conversation with the person who made that decision and ask them why and how.  I like/need the “why” and “how” of  all things, so imagine how curious I am about this?  But I’m going to leave it alone and just be happy that my songs somehow made it in without ever being submitted.  So cool.  BONUS: I also REALLY like most of the songs that get played on my station.  That’s really really nice as well.  So many talented artists out there that you’ve never heard of!  UH is for sure in good company.

I love Pandora.  I have always loved Pandora.  The station most listened to in our house right now is “Sesame Street” so my son loves Pandora too.  I am very grateful and excited to be a part of such a smart website.

Now I just have to find the time to start to overly complicated and annoying process of getting lyrics and bio linked up to my station and songs.  But that’s another entry…

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ps – when you listen don’t forget to hit THUMBS UP for the UH songs you hear and like.

This means that you will hear a few Unruly songs for every 10-12 other songs that Pandora deems to be in the same genre.  I have no idea what that means other than that it’s totally cool.  Also – I was under the impression that only a few songs would go up, but so far it seems like the whole “Unruly Helga” album is up there.  More cool.

One more thing – if you don’t know about Pandora – it’s free – it’s GREAT – it’s all I listen to, and you can “like” or “thumbs up” songs you like when they come on, so please feel free to give UH a thumbs up when the songs come on.  That helps spread the songs around the other stations in that genre AND spread the word.

Did I mention cool?

If you haven’t heard of Pandora or just don’t use it, WHAT are you waiting for? It’s awesome and it’s free.

Why?  Well – for those who have been asking, here’s the very short answer:  I was extremely burnt out from a thankless industry, and desperately needed time away from the constant pressure I put on myself, my music, and my band to reach goals that are seemingly unreachable.  I needed to shake things up before I was going to put myself back out there to play music again.  I wanted to spend time with my family, figure out how to be a mom, stop worrying about “making it” and start thinking about more important things, like my son and my husband.  So last August, we moved out of sunny/smoggy Los Angeles to beautiful, bountiful, unbelievable Bend, Oregon.  What’s in Bend, Or? So far everything that’s NOT in Los Angeles.  It’s truly been a Utopia.  I love it here.  I am stress free here.  I am pressure free here.  I am inspired and not so tired here.  I can breathe.  And, I actually WANT to play music again.

So the time has come for another new beginning.  Only this time I have about a million different things happening, and not a single solitary moment of solitary.  So although I have a several great new music projects started in my head and tons of big ideas, a start and/or finish date is not set for any of them.  But, here I go again…

Deena

Deena In the center of Bend, OR. Photo taken by Angela Kamm while walking and shopping Downtown.

Middle Man is a newly released Short Film produced by Nice Industries that I recently wrote an original song for called “Way That It Goes”. It also features our lovely little tune “Waiting for the End” so you can imagine what an upbeat, bright eyed, happy go lucky tone this film probably has. Go watch it now! It’s really smart, and beautifully shot and there is a cool little twist at the end. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kTZw7U3J5Dc

So Sean C. did all the original scoring. He’s amazing and inspiring to work with. The two songs he wrote he spent very little time on and they sound liek the best shit you’d hear in any big budget film. Why isn’t he famous?? Dunno. He’s got a case of the “I don’t care’s” I’ve been there.

I wrote the end credits song titled “Way That It Goes”, but Sean and I produced it together and I hope to one day do a full length version of it because, sadly, only part of the song could be used due to time constraints, and I REALLY like the whole song. We would also do a totally different musical arrangement, as the film version very specifically called for an acoustic, French street vendor sound. The full length song would also be more of my regular rock sound. I like it, and may save it for the next album.

I think the thing I am most excited about though is I wrote and co-produced the Nice Industries production card you see in the beginning of the film. I also played a very shotty but very fun accordion. I’ve never even held one before, and I have a whole new respect for accordion players. I was using a toy accordion – a little mini one with I think three bass chords key and maybe a 10th of the buttons. I’m so uneducated and unskilled with this instrument I don’t even know what the buttons are called. I just know that when you push them the notes change. Rad. I will play this instrument flawlessly in my next life. I love it. Sean and I had a lot of laughs getting this 10 second track down without sounding like complete idiots. I don’t think we recorded an award winning track, but I do think it’s working well for the production card and I love the way the whole thing came out in post.

I’m getting into this whole scoring songs specifically for a film or a scene in a film. I want to do more more more. Hire me!! I’m cheap!!! And I won’t charge much either.

Middle Man is a cool little movie that gets better with every veiwing. Each time I watch it I see more nuances. I’m happy I was asked to be part of it and I’m happy I was able to do it. Thanks to Zeke Kamm (yeah – he’s realted) for pulling it all together and letting Sean and I get involved. I’m looking forward to his next project, which is already started. I know he is already in discussions with Sean for the original score. I can’t wait to hear what Sean comes up with nex.t That guy… so talented.

Okay – go watch the film and let me know what you think!!

Middle Man

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http://www.x-tremeweekend.com/x-treme_weekend.com/Web_Series_9.html

I wrote it, arranged it, sang it, and played the schmaltzy piano opening. Sean did everything else; music, drum programming, mixing… We did it all separately because time was an issue, so we didn’t have the luxury of working together, but that proved to be pretty interesting. We found out it was a good set up if we ever need to do it again. Thanks to the world wide web, we emailed files back and forth and talked about it all over the phone. Super easy, and faster than driving 5 miles in rush hour traffic for four days in a row.

We ended up doing a sarcastic love/hate pop song in the vein of the Ramones called “Fee Fi Fo Fum.” One of these days we’ll get around to recording the full length version which is pretty good too.

Here’s part of the poster from the orginal film version:

for more info you can go to the film website: http://www.x-tremeweekend.com/x-treme_weekend.com/index.html

Check it out!

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I saw something very different. I saw a wild woman who has no control over her actions and complete control of everything else. I saw a little girl so freaked out that she withdrew into a woman who can only express her pain through lyrics that fuck you up with awkwardness and horror and humor and bizarre imagery. I see a brilliant talent, misunderstood like most brilliant talents.

Tori is one of the most fascinating artists I have ever seen with my own eyes. I still can’t understand how she can pedal two different melody’s with dueling piano, pound on the keys to one with her left hand and tinkle the keys on the other with her right hand. And she’s playing ALONE and it sounds like there are fifty musicians on stage with her. It seemed like the bassist and drummer barely played and when they did it was clear that they knew to stay out of the way. I wouldn’t ever try to get involved. I give them credit and it was clear that she did too.

I have never seen anything like it in my life. I couldn’t take me eyes off of her. I couldn’t get my jaw off the ground. I was in tears. I was in awe. I was inspired. I was totally intimidated. I was totally freaked out. It’s why I love music. It’s what music is about. ugh. Amazing.

She hasn’t had a radio hit in a while, but her fans are hardcore and I can see why – she will most likely always be able to tour and make money playing. And good for her. It’s a total shame that she’s not changing the direction of music and radio independently. At least she’s staying true to herself and making you want to die from the addictive uncomfortability at her shows. That’s who she is – at least on stage anyway. I get the feeling that in person she can barely even speak. She seems painfully shy, until she’s onstage and then she’s painfully in control of everything.

She’s rad. Go see her. Don’t spend a dime on another show unless you have enough left over to see her when she comes to a theater near you. Everyone should experience that kind of raw passion and talent at least once a year or so. Very few people in this world have it. So it makes sense to revel in the ones that do. Revel in it. areciate it. Even if you don’t like her music, at least bow down to her ability to play it.

Thanks to my friend Katie for dragging me out. I wasn’t really looking forward to it other than just to get out of the house and go see music with my friend. Now I’ll be at every Tori Amos show I can make when she’s in town.

Out of 42,000 albums and 560,000 songs submitted in 2008 (this makes it the largest music awards of any kind in world history), Unruly Helga was nominated not once, but two times for the 2009 Just Plain Folks (JPF) Awards!

“You Did This…” from No Alternative is up for Best Alternative Song, and “Burnin’ For You” from Unruly Helga (self titled album) is nominated for Best Cover Song. 

The awards are being held in Nashville, TN on August 29th!  Check out the JPF website for more information, the pre-show, and the awards show.

Big thanks to all the judges who listened, like and selected UH to be nominated!