Thanksgiving and Recording

So last week was a very fun and busy week! Anytime I'm planning on going home for a few days, I'm always running around NYC to get everything done before the trip. Between all the meetings, sessions, and everything else, I was certainly busy but once I got to CT it was nice to be there :) on thanksgiving I went to Massachusetts to be with the family and to model my thanksgiving turkey hat haha :) it was great to see everyone and catch up! 

Yesterday was the big day! I got all the production and artist/producer agreements signed which means I officially start recording my new stuff this week! I've been in recording prep but this is the real recording! I start Thursday! Can't wait!!!!! I'm hoping to have most if not all of it done by the end of December! Fingers crossed!

 

Aerial Acrobatics and Movie Sets

This week was a very busy and interesting one! I had several writing sessions to tweak songs that were already written and I gotta say, I'm so excited about the new versions!!!

The other day I was in the TV show "The Carrie Diaries" for the second time. The first time I was in an episode, I played a high school student in the school. This time, I was at prom! (For the record, staged proms are much more fun then real proms! Or at least better then my senior prom!) I went to the fitting expecting them not to have an 80's style prom dress small enough to fit me but they did! Turns out I'm not the only teeny tiny actress on the show! The dress they gave me to wear has been in the Warner Brother's movie/tv show costume collection for decades and was the dress that the Lead actress AnnaSophia Robb was wearing for a scene in the first episode that got cut out. People on set were constantly telling me I looked like her so its probably a good thing she wasn't seen with that same dress or we totally would be twins. The other difference between this time on set and last time was that this one went ALL DAY AND ALL NIGHT! 14 hours of being on set in high heels and a dress! It was brutal but I'd totally do it again and probably will! I was in direct view of the camera this time too so I can't wait to see the episode!

Carrie Diaries 80's prom 

Today I went to take a dance class and once I got there I found out the class was cancelled so instead, I took the Aerial class! I WAS A BEAST AT IT!!!!! All those years of being a competitive gymnast paid off I guess! This particular aerial class was called "aerial silks" which means there are 2 connected giant pieces of silk fabric hanging from the ceiling and you wrap your legs in it and do tricks in the air! It's exactly what the music artist Pink does on stage!!!!! I thought of her the entire time I was upside down! I never thought I would actually get a chance to do something like this and can't wait to do it again! Now if I can only figure out how to play guitar while hanging upside down from fabric in mid air...hmmmmmm maybe next class. ;)

Pink!

Just hang in out

Puppy Insanity and a sleepless week

So this week was...interesting to say the least. Sometimes during the week in addition to music I petsit since I love dogs and don't have one in NYC. I've never had any problems with the dogs I've had until this week! The company told me I was watching a little yorkie and the woman shows up at my house with SIX DOGS! She drops them into the door and basically runs out before I can say AHHHHHH YOU SAID ONE DOG! Lets just say 6 dogs in a little New York apartment is NOT a good mix! If I so much as turned my guitar volume up to 2 it was a total bark-fest! I was so paranoid that my neighbors and landlord were going to find out I had 6 dogs in my apartment that I kept the lights out and tried to calm and quiet down 6 puppies every second and was a nervous wreck! I tried treats, toys, and just about everything. It didn't work. There was nothing I could do so I let all 6 dogs sleep on my little twin size bed and curled up into a little ball and prayed they would stay asleep! They did for about a minute! One of the dogs in particular was the ring leader of bad behavior and barking so the second day I had to find a pet sitter for him because I just couldn't handle 6 dogs going crazy! This dog was nice when he was alone with you but had a thing against men. He HATED them! every time a man went by he would try to attack him and bark hysterically. The only last minute petsitter I could get was in Brooklyn so I stuck him in my purse and brought him on the subway and lets just say I got a whole row of subway seats to myself when people heard my purse hissing and growling. That night was a little quieter but still, 5 barking puppies is no walk in the park. I was so excited to see them go home but sadly I miss the tiny pomeranian puppy! Makes me want a puppy! JUST ONE THOUGH!

Almost Halloween!

I can't believe its almost Halloween again! Seems like only yesterday it was still summer...but I will admit I had so much fun carving a guitar pumpkin :) I went to the Museum of New York with my Aunt and Uncle yesterday and they had an exhibit about Hurricane Sandy. I can't believe it was only a year ago! I remember last year it was my first Halloween in the city and I was so excited for the big parade downtown then the storm hit! My apartment luckily wasn't hit but I remember all the subways being shut down, not being able to get cabs, or basically go anywhere! It was horrible in the city! The year before that we had a snow storm where I Lived in Connecticut and lost power for an entire week! So this year I AM DETERMINED TO HAVE AN AWESOME HALLOWEEN!!!!!!!!! I WILL MAKE IT TO THE PARADE!!!! I haven't decided what to dress up as yet, vampire maybe? What will you be dressed as?! :)

My guitar pumpkin!

Movie Fight Scenes, Liam Neeson, and Doggie Dinos

So this week I got to be in my first movie! I've been in TV shows like the Carrie Diaries and Law and Order SVU and now "Run All Night" with Liam Neeson! I was featured on camera too! I was waiting in the fancy actors tent and the director randomly called me and was like "Ok, you're going to be one of our featured couples, you're gonna hold this guys hand and walk by the fight with Liam." Turns out the guy I was partnered with was one of my friends I had met previously on the set of The Carrie Diaries! I was surprised at how many people I had met previously that were on set! Guess the acting world is just as small as the music world! I was glad to run into so many of my friends because the shoot was overnight for 12 straight hours both days! When I was on camera I got to witness a fight scene up close and personal! Lets just say...It was possibly the coolest thing ever. I never realized just how choreographed fights in movies are! I just assumed people threw punches and ducked. NOPE. Each move is so calculated and is the same every time! When you're that close, you can see how when Liam Neeson throws a punch, it isn't even close to hitting the other guy! there was a good 6 inches between fist and face! Every time a fight scene is in a movie, theres always some sort of music or noise in the background but when it's being filmed, there's silence! all you can hear are random grunts from the fighters. If I didn't know there was a fight going on, I would have assumed a few guys were struggling to move a heavy piece of furniture because all I heard was "MUHHHHH, GRUHHHH, and UHHHHH!" Liam is so tall! He's really nice and chill off camera and so were all the other actors! I got to meet Joel Kinnaman the other lead actor too, he was covered in fake blood and still looked good! The entire scene was filmed in a subway and I must say I'm so glad the scene called for us to wear winter clothes because being outside 12 hours was FREEZING!!! I still had fun though :) Hopefully I'll be in another movie soon! Here are some pictures of the set, camera, and props!

Joel Kinnaman :)

Liam Neeson

Now on a completely unrelated to acting note, I entered my dog Chloe in a costume contest! It was a blast! I used to dress my poor dog up all the time as a kid but this was serious business! We were dressing for the win! She was a Raptor Dinosaur and I must say, wore it very well. My dog acted like a total super star and WORKED that raptor suit. Unfortunately she didn't win but we had so much strutting in front of the judges and looking at all the dogs in their costumes! (I felt like one of the pageant moms on toddlers and tiaras when I was competing!) All I can say is thank god I'm not as competitive with my dog as I am with performing or it could have gotten ugly haha!

Acting, Liam Neeson, and Launching

So Today I got cast in a movie with Liam Neeson! YAYYY! When I first got the call I didn't know anything about the movie, other than I had to be at the movie set at basically the crack of dawn but when I got the follow up email and found out I was going to be in a scene with Liam Neeson, I got all excited, jumped up and down, and sang for a while...let's just say it's a good thing my window blinds were closed because that would have been awkward! LOL! I'm hoping the scene will be an epic action packed scene, but with Liam Neeson, how could it not be?! :) Can't wait to shoot this week! Ahh!

Liam Neeson :)

I'm also excited to enter the next phase of launching as an artist! I've been writing songs like crazy, working on my live performance, practicing, practicing, practicing, and uh... oh yeah! practicing! and now I finally get to put all that practicing to work and begin recording new songs, and getting a bunch of new material together to show everyone all the sides of me and what I can truly do as an artist! I'm so excited for the big meetings coming up with my team and just getting ready to launch to a whole new level! Watch out! ;)

Get Ready! 

Watch out! :)

RECORDING!

Sound Clash Studios NYC

So the time has come for me to head back into the studio and start recording all my new material! The past few months have been filled with me writing new songs, co - writing, and just creating new material that truly represents me as an artist. I'm so excited about the new songs because I feel they really represent me sound wise, lyrically, and showcase my guitar playing! They're a combination of catchy pop melodies with a rock guitar edge and of course, epic guitar solos! The most exciting part of this whole project is the fact that I'll be working with different producers who are such amazing musicians! I can't wait to watch how they add their personal edge and learn some of their recording techniques!

Sound Clash Studios NYC

The other day I had a song writing session with a new song writing team and it came out absolutely AMAZING! I really didn't know what to expect going into the session but the 3 of us collaborated so well! I started off the song with some acoustic guitar, we added amazing beats, synth, distorted electric guitar, you name it, it's in the song! The entire song was built around a guitar chord progression and what I loved about it was that we all equally contributed and brought our styles together resulting in an awesome song all 3 of us were really happy with! I can't wait to write more with them! <3

Drum Machine and looper!

Writing Session!

xox ARIEL