Lily Wilson: Journal

I'm so sad! I never thought I could get teary about a magazine going out of publication, but here I am reading this announcement and crying into my coffee. Performing Songwriter was an amazing magazine. I've always read it cover to cover, and it has given me a sense of true community in this crazy musical world. Sometimes change is hard.

Thanks to everybody who came out to see me play at Molly Malone's last night. It was such a special night! I love it when the room is packed like that- such great energy! It was so awesome to debut "Still," the song Bernie Barlow and I wrote last week, and to see people bobbing along with it in the audience...

Kiki's early set was amazing as always. I love singing with her!

After my set I chatted with Sasha, who was working at the bar, and she told me that Molly Malone was her grandmother. There's a beautiful painting of Molly over the entry to the music room, and I have always wondered about her... Sasha is so sweet and so passionate about the spirit of her grandmother. It's a beautiful thing- especially in such a big city like L.A. So now Sasha's dad owns Molly's and Sasha works there because she loves it. I have always felt such a great energy at Molly's, and now I do even more.

I stayed till the end of Philip Sayce's amazing set, and loved chatting with all the people who had come out to see us play. I truly appreciate everyone's support. I am so blessed.

I've had to cancel my show tomorrow (Friday, April 17th) night in Monterey because I have bronchitis! Don't worry- I'm resting, drinking plenty of fluids, taking antibiotics, etc., etc. I'm just BUMMED we won't see everyone in the area. We will reschedule, and hope to play another show at Plaza Linda. It's supposed to be a really great venue...

Being sick really makes me see things in a new light. I have a bad cold/ flu and I have no energy to be running around doing my millions of different things. I've actually had to cancel about 6 things I had planned on for this week. So, here I sit. On the couch. In the backyard. In bed. On the roof. That's fun. I like it up on the roof. We get the perfect morning sunlight up there and I can take my yoga mat out and soak up some warmth. I feel really grateful for little things in my life. I feel like I could survive on cayenne soup if I had to. My sweetie brought me his AMAZING french toast this morning on the roof. He put orange juice in it and I could just barely taste it. My sense of smell is almost completely gone. I've never experienced it like this before, and so I've been thinking a lot about the importance of being able to smell. Our sense of smell tells us so much, and probably saves our lives frequently. The smell of smoke in the air, the smell of rotten food- it's all about survival. So, I've been leaning on my other senses I guess. Everything feels pretty dull. I miss the bright shiny life where I can sing and hear and smell...

I love it! I'm a Northern California girl, and I really do miss the way the clouds come in and stay for a while during the winter. I have learned to love the desert, where I live now; but I am so comforted by a good storm. Not just a fleeting thundering downpour for a couple of hours, but this kind of soft, misty cloud that wraps around us for days. The strong showers come in waves, and sometimes it's so loud on the roof that we look at each other and laugh. It breathes new life into us. My plants are singing.

I just added songs from “The Right Time” on IndiEclectic (http://www.indieclectic.com). It's a pretty great site where you can join for a flat $20 a year and have access to a TON of great music. To be an artist on the site, you have to be recommended by another artist on the site, so it keeps the quality levels up :-)

Last night I sang with fellow IndiEclectic artist, Stephanie Schneiderman at the Hotel Café. She’s awesome. Her new CD is awesome. Check it out!
http://www.stephanieschneiderman.com

She says I don't blog enough! So, O.K. here I am blogging... Hi Mom! I really want to be out hiking in this gorgeous, crystal blue sky puffy white cloud day. I loved the rain last week.
I wrote a song with my new friend Kelly Fitzgerald (who is amazing-http://www.kellyfitzgerald.net/), and we recorded it and sent it off to Nashville. It's called "If You Knew," and I think it's pretty great. I love co-writing! I love writing songs, and it's such a fun thing to share with somebody else. It's always an adventure... I'll keep you posted on where this one takes us.

I wrote a song called "Freedom Cried" with my friend Sonia Leigh for this amazing project called "Dream On!" You can actually download the song for FREE on the website: http://www.thedreamcontinued.org Please read about their mission, listen to the other songs, and make a donation to one of the charities on the site. It's a celebration of Martin Luther King's vision. He would be 80 years old this month.

I had the privilege to sing with Melissa Etheridge earlier this month for her Christmas CD live at The House of Blues. Tune in if you can!

"HD Rock Live: Melissa Etheridge - A New Thought for Christmas Holiday Special." Melissa's Nov 8 show at the House of Blues in Atlantic City was taped for this holiday special which will premiere on Sunday, Nov. 30th, 8:00 PM ET on HDNet. This program is part of the HD Rock Live concert series. The special will be re-broadcast on Monday, Dec. 1st 1:00 AM ET and Sunday, Dec. 7th 6:30 PM ET. Check HDNet for more details and future air times.

I think there might be a few people who don't like pumpkin pie, but I haven't met any. I decided to make my favorite pie into an ice cream. I used an ice cream maker, Straus whipping cream, and organic pumpkin puree; and it was AMAZING! It was a great way to feel like fall is here, without having to bake anything in the 90 degree weather we've been having in L.A. It's too hot to carve a pumpkin. Too hot to not wear flip flops. The news says we might get a little rain this weekend. That would be GLORIOUS!

Speaking of glorious, "Glorious," is my new favorite song on Melissa Etheridge's Christmas CD. It's so pretty! I've been listening to her CD a lot lately, practicing my parts for our show in Atlantic City. It's going to be so fun- a quick trip to the east coast and a live taping of all the songs on the CD... It's really a blast to sing backgrounds for her. I get the awesome perspective of seeing the inspired and joyful audience as kind of a fly on the wall. And I live for harmony.

So, that's what I'm up today, singing Christmas songs and eating pumpkin ice cream...

Wow- September REALLY flew by, right? I have so much to write about- it's hard to begin!
Most exciting was the release of my new CD, "The Right Time." We had a huge bash at Molly Malone's, and it was amazing to see everybody and to feel all that love and support in one room. Thank you to everyone who came out. There were even some people who had to take a plane to get to the show, and I am so grateful to you! Thanks also to my super duper Dream Band, who made my job really easy...

Mark and I just got back from a house concert tour up the state of California, and that was a blast! We played in open courtyards, and grassy backyards of some beautiful Northern California spots. The weather was perfect!

Now we're back in L.A., and have been really amazed by the great response we've been getting to "The Right Time." It's so exciting!

One cool thing- my song "A Little Life" was chosen to be part of a special American Airlines in-flight station. So, if you fly on AA in November, you'll hear me and see me in Paste magazine on the plane. Since it's really a song about leaving home, I thought it would be the perfect airplane song :-) I guess they thought so too...

Other than that, Life is good. I love October...

This is so great- I was just playing guitar along with my CD that I had loaded into iTunes, and up popped a picture of "The Right Time" at the bottom of the screen! Yay! "The Right Time" is on iTunes just in time for the release party! It all feels very official now. I have a new CD out! I know it has been a long time coming, and I'm super grateful for everyone's patience... We're planning the celebration on Tuesday night at Molly Malone's. It's going to be a lot of fun. The group of musicians joining me for my set is just amazing. It's like a Super Duper Fantasy Dream Band. It's true. I'm blessed.

Thank you so much to every body who has pre-ordered The Right Time!

I am so honored to have so many great fans that want to support my music. Your pre-order makes a HUGE difference in my life! It takes a lot of time and work and love and work and time and money and work and money and more love to make a CD; and I am so proud of this one. I can't wait to get it into your hands!
(Just click on "Add to cart" on the homepage to pre-order "The Right Time."

I’m flying across the country today. I’m praying for peace. I’m feeling the joy of millions and the heaviness of our place on this earth. What a beautiful place we have here. How fortunate we really are. I’m leaving the smoke and bursting into the desert. I’m meandering with the green river that cuts through Arizona’s red, red rock. Slicing it’s own perfect route through the stone- slowly, steadily, finding it’s way back to the sea. I’m skipping over a desert thunder storm, and am suddenly reminded that I’m a human in a big steel tube bouncing along with a couple hundred others. My heart skips a beat. That was a big bump. Up here, above the clouds, a dark and brooding storm is beautiful and soft and white, but it still jostles the plane.

I peer down at our beloved Rockies. I see snow. It has been a while. Chocolate mountains with feathers of white like an eagle’s. They remind me of the place where the white feathers meet the dark feathers at the base of a bald eagle’s neck. Like an eagle, I fly; and I get to look down on the beauty. Now just clouds and more clouds.

The new Coldplay album is in my ears. “Cemetaries of London.” Wow. What a song. God is everywhere. I remember when a toothless and joyful old woman in Chile said that to me with such conviction and elation. She pointed to the fruit tree in her humble dirt yard. She picked an apricot and shared a piece of God with me. “He’s in the dirt. He’s in my blind eye,” she said. “They go searching to see God in their own way,” goes the song.

Now, the farms. The green circles and half circles. The patterns that shape the sustenance of so much of the world. Please, never let us forget how to grow our own food. Never let us forget of the miracle of planting a seed and watching it grow. These crops that offer themselves up gladly for our survival aren’t afraid to grow again. They all reach towards the sun without hesitation. They never question their own beauty the way we humans do. Working with plants keeps us in touch with the cycles of the planet. Farmer’s know what’s in the soil, and where to find water. My dad’s a farmer, and I’ve learned to rely more on his weather forecast than on that of the news. Farmers and sailors just know. Their lives depend on it.

Now we’re on the other side of all the clouds and over lake Michigan. Small ocean lakes in the middle of our continent. When you’re flying over them, they really do look like oceans. I don’t see any waves today. The light is different over here in the east. It’s a little older, wiser, and a little more set in its ways. The light here above the clouds even, invokes visions of sturdy brick buildings and clock towers. Civilized navy pea coats and hearty meals. I’m a stranger in the east. It never feels like home, and it excites me. I wonder who I would be if I were from here. I’d probably be a photographer. I’d shoot things in this beautiful old light, and in a studio in a loft in an old brick building. In winter, I’d walk, holding the collar of my pea coat tightly around my neck, and I’d be comfortable in the freezing air. But I’m a guest here. I look with wonder and try to fit in a little.

I'm posting Meet Me in the Middle- all done! It's all mixed, mastered, and polished for your listening enjoyment. More info on the release of the new CD coming soon...

Greetings from the edge of the "Wild Fire!"
I'm home visiting my family this week, and all weekend this fire has been surrounding us. They've evacuated the other side of our little country road, and all the roads in our area were closed over the weekend- if we left, we couldn't come back in. The smoke is really bad. Today it's 40% contained, and they seem to have a better handle on it with cooler temps and fog coming in. To top it off, my 4 yr. old pup- cattle dog was bitten by a rattle snake on Sat. morning, so we had to take him to the emergency vet, and then we couldn't get him back from the vet till this morning at 6:00. He's O.K. now and back at home. He looked like he had a cantaloupe in his cheek on Saturday. They still have road blocks everywhere, and I guess they're stepping up the support this morning. Arnold is supposed to make an appearance just down the road. There are over 400 fires in Northern CA right now because of the crazy lightning that came through Sat. morning. I'm so ready for some peace.
Music is what gets me through times like this! I have my old Martin in the closet here, and it always comforts me to play...

I listened to the latest mixes for The Right Time this morning in the car, and I'm starting to get really excited about putting this CD out to the world. There's a song on it called "Sweet Time," that I wrote with Mark Browne and Debra Davis. That one is my current fave. Debra Davis, Bernie Barlow, and I sang backgrounds on it. I LIVE for singing group harmonies around one mic.

There is something so inspiring and magical about feeling your voice blend with others. I think it's a healing and necessary thing, actually. I think we don't sing together enough in this culture. Humans have been singing together since the beginning of time. Let's bring it back! Be prepared for many sing alongs on the new CD. And in concert. Sing, sing sing... It's good for you. (Even if somebody told you you can't hold a tune...)

Here's a clip from my last show at Molly's with Cameron Stone, Kiki Ebsen, Mark Browne, and Fritz Lewak: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fGt5h_ZDlwQ we're playing "The Right Time"- the title track. This was a super special night...

I want to apologize to anyone who reads this and wonders why I have waited so long to write about anything. I have no real excuse, because the truth is, I think about writing every day...
The truth is, I get distracted. And the truth is, there's nothing I'd rather do than to write about the truth. The truth as I know it...
I'm sorry for letting myself believe that there were more pressing things to be done. It really only takes a few minutes to tell the story of my day.

So, here goes:
I am still on cloud 9 after our show at Molly Malone's on Wednesday night. It was so much fun! I live for that kind of fun. That is absolutely what I was put on this planet for.

Richard, the sound guy at Molly's, really put so much thought and care into making us sound great; and I appreciate that. I think about all the music he must hear, and I know his heart is HUGE to care like he does about us.

I had a really wonderful group of musicians on stage with me. My husband/ producer/ hero/ bassist, Mark Browne was playing bass, and had helped me put together this band. Cameron Stone played cello, Kiki Ebsen played keyboards and sang backgrounds, and Fritz Lewak played percussion. Each of them has such an intense resume, I won’t even start to go into it. Basically, if I think of a favorite song over the past 10 years, one of them probably played on it...

Some of the songs I played, I’ve been playing for years. Some of them were newer, and a little scary. I felt with this group of musicians though, that even the mistakes would sound good ☺
The thing that I am always amazed by is that I can play a song a hundred times, and feel it like it’s brand new every time. Playing it with different people always adds something special too.

And, of course, the audience is a major part of the equation. Sometimes when I’m singing about a certain emotion, I can feel specific audience members’ connection to that emotion. It’s amazing. I rarely can make out a face in the dark- maybe it’s a subtle shift in posture, or something purely energetic. I always know which songs affected certain people in the audience more than others. And sometimes it’s really intense! I get chills, and I feel it in a totally new way. There was a moment during “Heavy Heart” where I got chills. I guess that’s just the power of music. It’s a vibration that connects us all on such a deep level. Songs are just another way of sharing the story of what it means to be human…

We played “The Right Time,” which I haven’t performed much yet, but is the title track of the new record; and my voice totally cracked on the first line! WOW. I actually thought it was kind of funny, because it was SO out of the blue, and I was loving the way the song started off. It was like life’s way of saying, “Hey! Pay attention!” and from that line on, I completely inhabited that song. The funny thing is, I think it’s my favorite of the night. Just goes to show that perfection is so overrated…

Ahhhh, it feels good to write! Thanks for reading. Thanks for listening.

For clips from the show on Wed. night (4/23), go to http://www.youtube.com/lilywilson
Peace,

Lily

I just read an interview with myself on Yeppie Nation's new on-line mag. (Thanks to my street team for always being one step ahead of me :-) I think this magazine is pretty cool. They're based in San Francisco. Check it out if you'd like:

http://yeppienation.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=372&Itemid=49
Currently listening :
Back to Basics
By Christina Aguilera

We went to Largo last night to see the Watkins Family band. It was amazing. We have a couple of friends who were playing with them, which is what inspired us to go. Jay Bellerose and Greg Leisz, who have both graced my songs with their playing, were on stage, along with Benmont Tench, the Heartbreaker pianist, and Amy Mann's bassist Paul Brian. The band was incredible, and perfectly supportive of Sarah and Sean Watkins' beautiful music. It was raining, and we had to force ourselves out of our cozy house after a long work day. But as soon as we got there, I knew this one night of music would inspire me for a long long time. We looked at eachother, laughing and shaking our heads. Wow. And it seems like the most amazingly gifted musicians are always the most humble. Sarah's stage presence is so unassuming, and then she wails on the violin and sings like an angel. Their harmonies have that heavenly blend that is so unique to siblings. I just felt really blessed to be witnessing such spontaneous creativity as the rain tapped on the roof. There was a lot of improvisation. Benmont played the most beautiful parts on that soulful upright piano. The stage had the feel of someone's living room with a super cool jam going on. Greg played lap steel, pedal steel, and dobro. Wow. I'm even more honored that he played on my CD now.

Here's a little piece of writing I found in my coat pocket this morning:

I live for these moments when I feel like I'm RIGHT where I need to be. When I feel good to the core- like there's no place I'd rather be. A simple piece of heaven. Right here. Right now. I'm here, at this magical moment on earth. And the very best musicians smile bashfully at our crazy cheers. They know- it isn't really them. It's the beauty and the power of the universe coming through them...

Currently listening :
Why Should the Fire Die?
By Nickel Creek

I had the honor of singing on some brand new Philip Sayce songs in the studio over the weekend. What fun! He is one of the most hard-working, crazy-talented, and inspiring artists I have ever known. If you aren't familiar with his music, check out his website: http://www.philipsayce.com We sometimes get to be in Melissa Etheridge's band together, which is always a blast. This Wednesday night, we're both playing at Molly Malone's in West Hollywood. I go on at 8:00 and he goes on at 10:00. Philip's playing there every Wednesday night this month. Check it out!

So, yesterday morning I put on my red raincoat and walked a few blocks to my neighborhoos kids' clothing store. It was brisk and gray, and it was actually raining- which is a welcome novelty in L.A. It was early for me, even though it was 10:00 a.m. We had stayed up till 3:00 recording the night before. I warmed up my voice as I walked.
I met Mark, Tor, the keyboardist, Marc Schulman, the drummer, and Vivienne Campbell in the back studio. We were there to play a free concert for kids (ages 0-5).
Vivienne plays guitar with Def Leppard, and we actually did an amazingly beautiful acoustic rendition "Hysteria." Remember that song?!?!??? Vivienne is an awesome singer. I got to sing the high harmony on it. The kids went crazy! They were shakin shakers and twirling- by FAR the cutest audience I've ever seen. The rest of the time we did Beatles songs, and a few of mine. It was such a blast. What a way to start a Sunday. I love my life...

It was kind of a random way to be nominated for an award. I was asked by a booking agent to come and fill the slot at a showcase for the Los Angeles Music Awards because an out-of-town band had just cancelled. So, I took it. Why not? I sent out a few frantic emails to my peeps begging them to show up and make some noise, scrambled some of my favorite musician friends together to come back me up, and ended up playing a really fun show at the Palmer Room in West L.A. It was the last showcase of the year, and I ended up being nominated. (THANKS to everyone who was there that night!!!)
So, the main event, where they pass out all the awards, happened last Thursday night, and guess what? I won! Imagine that! “Best Adult Contemporary Female Vocal of the Year” for my song “A Little Life” which you can hear on MySpace, but won’t be released until next year.
If you watch the awards on their website, mine is the second one given out, but it took me a while to get to the stage. It was a pretty hilarious comedy of errors, actually. We were told to be at the awards at 5:30 to sign in and to do the red carpet walk (ahem). So, when we got there, there was a beautiful line of nominated musicians winding around the block on Hollywood Boulevard, patiently awaiting their interview and red carpet walk. We ended up standing out there for two hours (I can’t believe Mark didn’t bail!), and making friends with some REALLY cool people (that’s why he didn’t bail.) We met Julie Gribble, and Claire Reynolds, both super sweet, super talented, and in my same category for the night. By the time we got into the theater (which wasn’t easy even when we did get to the front door,) all we wanted was a drink, so we headed upstairs to the balcony bar. As soon as we entered the room, we heard the DJ announce my name over the loudspeaker, and then they started playing my song! “Come to the stage, wherever you are, Lily,” he was saying. O.K. so we scramble down three flights of stairs and get to the door of the main room where the stage and all the VIPs are. But, apparently, I didn’t have the right color wristband to get into the room, as I was informed by the huge security guard (who happened to have a VERY thick Russian accent.) I finally was able to sweet-talk another security guard at another door to let me in, and Julie, her friend Steve, Mark and I squeezed through and into the exclusive room. I found my way through all of the tables, and onto the stage, where the DJ and some pretty model girls presented me with a big plaque and took my picture. YAY!!! Then they ushered me off stage, took the plaque (said they’d send me one with my name on it), and pushed us through the door and into the cold concrete hall. Mark and I stared at each other. “Did that just happen?!??” I guess it did, because I was able to just watch it on the internet.
Thank you so much to The L.A. Music Award Panel, to my producer/ bassist/ hubby, Mark Browne, to my awesome band, James Harrah, Dave Beyer, Kiki Ebsen, and Nick Kirgo, and thank you Julie Gribble, and Claire Reynolds, and everyone else in my category. I feel very honored to have been in the same category with you!

Speaking of You Tube...
I have an official page there now, and there are a lot of clips from my shows posted on it. Check it out: http://youtube.com/lilywilson Become a subscriber, and you'll get an email when we post new things...
http://youtube.com/lilywilson