Alright, this blog is pretty special. ;)
Just last week I celebrated a very special anniversary: my music turning 100. Yes, I know, my music seems like it's practically a teenager, or at least an semi-dramatic undergrad a la Felicity, but my music is actually 100 stations old. It had been hovering around 98 stations old for several months, perhaps slowed down by winter, but thanks to an early spring (and a gangsta week where I played on both WinCAM and BNN) the big bday came last Friday. I celebrated with a cake, some wine... and then some more cake and wine! It felt so good to pause and feel grateful for how lucky I've been... and then the sugar high set in and I just danced around like crazy! ;)
I'll let you know when my performances on WinCAM's "The Music Closet" and BNN's "Bostonian Rap" air, but in the meantime, I've got some footage of me covering Cyndi Lauper's "Time After Time" on WinCAM streaming at
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xiMEbV8e6x8 . I've added it to the playlist of cover tributes I've been building. You can check out my version of songs by Garbage, Oasis, Depeche Mode and Lady Gaga on my YouTube channel: http://www.YouTube.com/LaurenFlahertyMusic. (Please subscribe!)
Meanwhile, I'll be stepping far, far away from computers (well, once I finish typing this, lol!) to play at TT the Bear's this Saturday night with a full rock band. We're opening for Grace Woodroofe, an Australian artist on Universal Records on her international tour. (Yup, you read that right. It's a pretty sweet gig!) The show starts early, with doors at 7 PM and me on a few minutes after that. There's no late night cabs or snow involved and it's a GOOD bill. I hope you'll join us!
Rawk on,
-Lauren
P.S. Check out Grace's music and tour info at gracewoodroofe.com.au/
Music played on 100th station! Opening for Universal Records Artist Grace Woodroofe's tour, new YouTube videos posted!
2nd printing, TT the Bear's & OWN TV... thanks to you all! :)
I'd like to thank you for helping me make 2011 such an awesome year for my music. I got to play live on the radio for the first time, hear my songs on new radio stations *and* TV shows, and take goofy risks recording- including trying to sound like Kanye West while messing around with intentional auto-tune at midnight! You can hear the craziest example of that in my song, Wingwoman.
The biggest news is my new EP "The Southie Chanteuse" moved to its second printing. If you'd like a copy, you can order a physical CD for $8 from http://laurenflaherty.bandcamp.com/ (CDs are $5 at shows- including tomorrow night's set at TT the Bear's in Cambridge.) You can also order a digital download of the album by naming your price at the same site. (Earlier albums are still on iTunes, with physical copies available at http://www.cdbaby.com/Artist/LaurenFlaherty )
My back catalog has been doing very well and was recently played during several episodes of "Breaking Down The Bars" on the OWN network. I haven't been able to find any online clips to share yet, but if you'd like to listen to my song "Just Rain" and read true crime stories about women, you'll have some of the effect they've been going for. ;)
Some random updates: I didn't get to play at Occupy Boston because the power grid was destroyed by rain earlier in the day. I'm sad to see the tent city gone but I am relieved that no one was seriously hurt. New England is a hard place to be outside in the winter!
I was lucky enough to get some amazing feedback from labels and publishers when I was in NY for CMJ. Since a lot of people who enjoy my music are artists in their own right, I'd like to share their top tips in the hopes they will light your creative fires:
- social media is great and selling lots of tickets and drinks is fabulous, but the quality of the music is essential, otherwise your "art" is disposable.
- the best way to attract the interest of the music industry (or probably any industry) is to build on what you have in your own backyard until it is so big you can't keep up with it.
I'd like to add to that by saying, at the end of the day, businesspeople are just business people. They don't make the music and it doesn't sound any different if they leave the room. If the musicians leave the room, the music stops. Let's never forget who makes the music happen- musicians and fans!
The biggest news is my new EP "The Southie Chanteuse" moved to its second printing. If you'd like a copy, you can order a physical CD for $8 from http://laurenflaherty.bandcamp.com/ (CDs are $5 at shows- including tomorrow night's set at TT the Bear's in Cambridge.) You can also order a digital download of the album by naming your price at the same site. (Earlier albums are still on iTunes, with physical copies available at http://www.cdbaby.com/Artist/LaurenFlaherty )
My back catalog has been doing very well and was recently played during several episodes of "Breaking Down The Bars" on the OWN network. I haven't been able to find any online clips to share yet, but if you'd like to listen to my song "Just Rain" and read true crime stories about women, you'll have some of the effect they've been going for. ;)
Some random updates: I didn't get to play at Occupy Boston because the power grid was destroyed by rain earlier in the day. I'm sad to see the tent city gone but I am relieved that no one was seriously hurt. New England is a hard place to be outside in the winter!
I was lucky enough to get some amazing feedback from labels and publishers when I was in NY for CMJ. Since a lot of people who enjoy my music are artists in their own right, I'd like to share their top tips in the hopes they will light your creative fires:
- social media is great and selling lots of tickets and drinks is fabulous, but the quality of the music is essential, otherwise your "art" is disposable.
- the best way to attract the interest of the music industry (or probably any industry) is to build on what you have in your own backyard until it is so big you can't keep up with it.
I'd like to add to that by saying, at the end of the day, businesspeople are just business people. They don't make the music and it doesn't sound any different if they leave the room. If the musicians leave the room, the music stops. Let's never forget who makes the music happen- musicians and fans!
Post CD Release Awesomeness!
Things have been pretty crazy for me since I released "The Southie Chanteuse" (now on iTunes and Spotify!) I got to open for Rebecca Loebe at Cafe 939- you may know her from NBC's The Voice, but I know her as my friend from Berklee. I am thrilled to say that she is still 100% a sweetheart, now with killer chops to boot!
To promote my new EP, I also played live on WMFO's The Dweezil Show, hosted by DJ Phil Fleming. I've never played solo on the radio before and was worried the July heat would make my brain melt and forget all my lyrics and chords, but amazingly, it didn't! (The heat did get to me when I managed to get lost in Somerville afterwards... yeah, that's right, it was the heat's fault...)
I've been enjoying a great reception to the new material and was played for the first time on WFNX's Boston Accents and WZLX's Boston Emissions. Host Anngelle Wood was even nice enough to ask me to play her MONDO Thursday Showcase this week at the Plough and Stars! As far as I'm concerned, anytime you are invited to play a showcase by a big DJ in your city, you are doing something right! ;)
If late nights in Cambridge pubs aren't your thing, two of my older songs "Show To Me" and "Wake Up" will be featured on NECN's morning show this Friday, sometime between 7-9 AM. (I'll be setting my DVR and hitting snooze!)
I want to thank everyone who helped get me to this exciting point. There is no better feeling than having your hometown's support for doing what you love. Over the next few months I'll be playing more local shows and FINALLY returning to NYC. I'm also testing the waters with possible mini-touring, internet performances and winter recording. My plan is to just keep going since music feels more fun than ever.
But what I'd really like to hear... is what you would really like to hear from me, so please get in touch if you have something to say!
To promote my new EP, I also played live on WMFO's The Dweezil Show, hosted by DJ Phil Fleming. I've never played solo on the radio before and was worried the July heat would make my brain melt and forget all my lyrics and chords, but amazingly, it didn't! (The heat did get to me when I managed to get lost in Somerville afterwards... yeah, that's right, it was the heat's fault...)
I've been enjoying a great reception to the new material and was played for the first time on WFNX's Boston Accents and WZLX's Boston Emissions. Host Anngelle Wood was even nice enough to ask me to play her MONDO Thursday Showcase this week at the Plough and Stars! As far as I'm concerned, anytime you are invited to play a showcase by a big DJ in your city, you are doing something right! ;)
If late nights in Cambridge pubs aren't your thing, two of my older songs "Show To Me" and "Wake Up" will be featured on NECN's morning show this Friday, sometime between 7-9 AM. (I'll be setting my DVR and hitting snooze!)
I want to thank everyone who helped get me to this exciting point. There is no better feeling than having your hometown's support for doing what you love. Over the next few months I'll be playing more local shows and FINALLY returning to NYC. I'm also testing the waters with possible mini-touring, internet performances and winter recording. My plan is to just keep going since music feels more fun than ever.
But what I'd really like to hear... is what you would really like to hear from me, so please get in touch if you have something to say!
