this is what i'd like to call an update...

it's been a while. so i shall write.


let's see about two weeks ago i had a gig at a place called the "keno cabana". i think i would probably consider it my first real bust of a gig. it was after the husker/usc game (ask me if i really care) and apparently since the huskers lost all of nebraska had to get their prescriptions for anti-depressants refilled. so, after the game, everyone went home leaving me, my dad, my guitar player and his wife and the staff to listen. lame.

none the less, i still got paid...(half the original amount) and got a gig booked for november. (hopefully there won't be a husker game that night)


also, i played again at chilis. this time they called me. it was for their st. jude's all profits day. now here i have a few things to reflect on.

the night started out rough. they were planning on putting us (i'll get to who "us" are in a minute) outside, but it was going to rain...so that was a no go. so we wandered around for about twenty minutes trying to figure something out...i was about ready to leave-thank goodness for my dad who can talk things out much better than i can-they ended up putting us in the bar....and people loved it. we made about $100 for the hospital, and just overall had a great time. now i'll get to the "us".

see, over the past four months i've been having a really hard time meeting friends here in omaha, but lately-i think things are changing. I've been spending some time with a fellow omaha musician, stephanie pilypaitis over the past few weeks, and i am really excited for whats to come in our friendship. she came out and played with me for the chilis event, and in turned asked me to play with her next thursday at this AMAZING martini bar called MYTH. we went tonight and spent about two hours just talking and listening to some music played by chris saub, probably one of the hardest working musicians in omaha. anyways...i'm just really excited, because now not only am i making some friends...but their also musicians...and good ones at that!


other than that, nothing much new in the music realm. the cd's been on hold for about three weeks, scheduling conflicts and business abounds. but...we'll get back in track soon, i hope!

i'll let you know how things go next thursday night!


jessicalindsey

tonight was....cold...

something ineteresting happened today...

i had a gig...


an outdoor gig to raise money for st. jude's children's hospital at chili's...


...and it was sixty degrees out with blowing wind...




...i played for a total of six people plus a couple of wait staff people...no one wanted to sit outside...








cold + outside = stopping an hour early cause my fingers were shaking

it's what they call a 'scratch'

so...tuesday was officially day...let's call it day six of actually being in the studio....


(i have to pause for a moment to say that in the midst of feeling quite possibly the most alone i've ever felt in my entire life...i
know now more than ever that this is exactly where i am supposed to be right now)

so..tuesday.


we showed up to the studio around nine at night...afterall, what good musician ever records a minute before then anyways. tuesday night was the night for me to lay down piano tracks to (what we thought would be) four of the six main songs. started with 'crying alone'. it's an easy enough song for piano...nice 6/8 feel...pretty straight forward. it took me a take or two...but we got it. then we moved on to 'why don't you'. let me just say that this song is turing into something i never ever expected it to turn into. the bass line is absolutely phenomenal. it's kinda got a life of it's own. so, the piano playing was again pretty straight forward (so as to not take away from that the bass and lead guitar would be doing).

two songs down. two more to go....


and this is where i got scared.


see, i would never really consider myself a 'piano player'. i play the piano. i can easily accompany myself while i sing. but...playing lead keys really isn't my strength. so...the next song we took on was 'before'. matt (my producer) and i wanted to come up with some great coldplay-esque piano lick that would kind of work as a hook for the song. (something that when you hear it you know exactly what song is playing) well, we thought about it for a good twenty minutes or so...and then decided...this is not for me to play. i'm not a fill player...at all....which is totally ok...but...at the moment seemed kinda disappointing. plus, it didn't really make sense to try and put in a piano hook with only bass and drums laid down....since 'before' isn't really a piano driven song. so we put it on hold.


then we came to 'johnny'...and thankfully it didn't take us more than say, ten minutes, to realize....there most likely won't be piano on this song either. (at least not any played by myself)

so...then we moved on to me laying down some scratch vocals for the lead guitar player and strings guy to hear while they are laying down their tracks...it was fun...except that i am in the middle of an allergy thing...so...at times...well, let's just say those vocal tracks will be deleted someday...


...so...for now...things are looking like the end of november...hopefully...we have a lot of outside people that have to do stuff with the album (mastering, strings, artwork) so...it kind of depends on their schedules...



...i am so loving this...

part deux of the state fair....

i'm going to take a second and explain the title of this blog to you, whoever you are...


'the one that got away' is *potentially* going to be the name of my project when it comes out (which will hopefully be by late october/early november) i got the idea for the name from one of my dad's friends and at first, i didn't really like it at all. to be honest, i wasn't totally sure if i even wanted to title the album, thought i might just call it, 'jessica lindsey' or something original like that. well, i talked with my producer and he said it is totally normal for people to title and ep...so, i started thinking up some titles and the one that just kept coming back was 'the one that got away'. i couldn't shake it.

so i started thinking about it more....and i fell in love with it for so many reasons.

not to sound proud...but i think it's a great way to look at situations when they don't quite go your way...



take the state fair talent show for example. today was, by far, not my best performance...i got ambitious and walked off stage and into the audience while i was singing...which kinda slipped me up a little...but besides that my vocals were strong. i had really great stage presence...and had a loud cheer from the audience when i was done...and yet, the judges didn't like me...i guess i wasn't their style....i sang 'we belong' by pat benatar...maybe they don't like pat benatar...

WHO DOESN'T LIKE PAT BENATAR THOUGH???


anyways...so back to 'the one that got away' so i think that i have found myself feeling a little like i am the one that "gets" away in a lot of circumstances...maybe it's a good thing...i always learn from every experience. but...well...it's hard to be "let go"....


so...what do you think of it for a title of an album? if the cover had catchy artwork on it...would you buy it?

corn dogs and cows

today was round one...

of the state fair talent show here in nebraska. as most people already know, i participate in a county fair earlier this summer and got second place...thus leading me to the semi-finals in the state fair today. so, my dad and i showed up around 10:15...even though the letter we received said to get there at eleven...good thing too, cause they actually meant for us to get there at ten...so while they were running behind...it appeared that i showed up nearly on time...

...we all (all fifty contestants) proceeded to rehearse the finale number God Bless the USA (which i begrudgingly sang...not because i hate the united states...i love the united states...i just hate this song)

the contest for underway around one and i sat around watching other acts perform. there was this one little girl who played the accordian...SHE WAS FANTASTIC!!!! and a kid who played a AC/DC song....he probably changed how i view guitar players.


so then it was time for my group....we are called the 'novas' (every age group has some kind of a star name: -12 comets 12-19 and novas 19+)

so, i was like fifth i think...and i sang bonnie rait's "something to talk about". let me put it this way...if you're reading this...you most likely know me...i'm not a prideful person...infact most of the time i have areally hard time thinking i'm much good...but tonight...

I @*!@* rocked....like....i sang the heck out of that song....and not only that, i performed like a true performer....i mean...really...

i walked off the stage feeling like about five million bucks...i was sure i had it in the bag.


so, the rest of my group finished, and then it was time to reveal who was moving on to sing tomorrow...they read all the names of the people that were in the top five of each age group...and mine was not in that group...

i was bummed....but, oh well...i got to perform...and even though i felt like i did the best out of anyone there...i figured, whatev....


well then they announced they were going to also advance eight more people in additon to the names previously called.

da da da duh...Jessica Lindsey.



so...needless to say...although i wasn't in the top five i did advance and i'll be singing Pat Benatar's We Belong at the state fair finals tomorrow:)


i'll let you know how things go