We filmed our Short Film 'Skipping Ahead' at the end of July before McCracken had moved back to North Carolina. Neil put together an edit within a week (because he's awesome) and after a few tweaks (and moments of my perfectionism, who says you can't look at 20 different fonts and not like any of them...oops, that's me) we got to the final video!
There's even a little out-take at the end of the video!
I love that I got to play so many different characters throughout filming. I had so many emotions and the script really gave me a chance to play all these levels and show some range. I really loved the finished product and hopefully you enjoyed the short film that we all worked so hard on :)
Earlier in June, Neil and I had gone to see Sean McCracken, in a 10 Minute Play Festival. We saw about seven different 10 Minute Plays and we were immediately captured by the play that McCracken and another girl performed. So when Sean came to Neil telling him he wanted to film the play/scene, Neil was in. When Sean's scene partner fell-through, I jumped into the role with open arms!
We had a couple rehearsals to put together an idea of what we wanted to do for filming, and tightened the script so it would run smoothly. We discussed costume changes, locations, and any other details that needed to be worked out. Sean had found a great park to film in, Lacy Park in San Marino/Pasadena, Neil had the camera, we had nine scenes to do, with nine different costume changes, and the script was ready for us to rock.
When we got to the park on that Friday afternoon it was kid central (as any park is going to be) so we finally found a bench that was further away from the play area, that was shaded by a nice big tree, and we prepped everything for our first shot about an hour after arriving. Little did we realize why Production blocks off a whole street when they're filming something because the people walking into the shot, or talking loudly, the kids running by and playing in the trees were all stuff that would have been avoided. Unfortunately, we can't stop the planes and helicopters from flying overhead or the wind that rustles the trees for minutes on end. So we'd have to stop and start but I think we all handled it really well and certainly made us all far more patient that day!
First day of shooting...'Maybe we should skip ahead some more!'
A few hours into the shoot, Neil's camera died, but we were able to work around that by having him charge the battery at an electrical wall while McCracken and I changed wardrobe and rehearsed the next scene. The only other thing that could stop us was that the light changed after being there for five hours. It was the end of day one and we had done six of the scenes and we had saved all the emotional stuff for our last day of filming.
From happy to angry in seconds...oops ;)
We shot the last three scenes earlier in the morning a few days later and this was where all of our emotions were coming into play. We had a huge fight scene, a very sad scene, and the opening scene. I had to get emotional and teary-eyed which actually came fairly easy for a bunch of the takes but by the end of the day, I was all dried up. Thank goodness we were done after two hours because I had nothing else to give!
Neil did a great job directing us and giving us ideas to play with and change around. Not only was he the director but he also was editing the entire video and had hours of footage to go through for this 10 minute short. It was fun to work with McCracken and joke around on-set. I was able to play all these different characters and felt like Kate Hudson from How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days. There was a lot of Method Acting going on for me, which means I pull from personal emotions and memories to live currently in that moment; especially on our second day of shooting. We also used the Meisner Technique which allows quick responses spontaneously with what you're saying in that present moment.
Now we're just waiting on the final finished product and I'll be really excited to share that with everyone :)
A couple weeks ago Neil played his first Acoustic Show in over a year! I was excited to see him play at Universal Bar & Grill and also very happy that my friend, Katy, was having her Birthday Party in North Hollywood that night as well!
Neil's show started promptly at 8 pm as he had a bunch of new music to play but also some crowd favorites, and was hoping to get everything in with his 50 minute set. He opened with 'Dizzy' which is a great starter to get the night going since most of the people at the show had seen him play before. He swapped between new and old music, and also adding a couple covers too. Since his parents had taken down his childhood basketball hoop, Rimmy, just that week he even made a dedication to his life-long friend growing up, doing his first cover of the night, 'Born To Run' by Bruce Springsteen and even played the harmonica. I finally got to hear 'Winona' for the first time since he wrote it almost four years ago and the crowd loved it. Well-written lyrics and a gorgeous melody equals a winning combination! 'The Seagull' is another crowd-pleaser but I love 'Veil of Tears' and he made it new by adding a little Lady Gaga 'Bad Romance' before he went into the song. Neil's been writing a bunch of new songs lately so he played 'Like We're Brand New' which has more of a country feel and beautiful lyrics. He had a great turn-out and I think everyone enjoyed hearing the new music and we're all looking forward to his next show :)
At Bow & Truss with the Birthday Girl!
After Neil's show, I knew I had to see my good friend, Katy, since she was in town from Sacramento for a few days to celebrate her Birthday with friends and family. I've missed her so much so I was glad to catch up with her at Bow & Truss which was just down the street from Universal Bar & Grill in North Hollywood. It was my first time there and although they had a great cocktail menu I decided to stick with wine. It looked like they had an awesome menu, and one of the girls at the party, said her brother was one of the chefs, so I'll definitely go back to try the food! Katy had a bunch of activities planned throughout the weekend and just a short time to fit everything in. I knew I had to speak in Church on Sunday to the Confirmation class so I wanted to spend as much time with her as I could before she left for Nor Cal. Lucky for me we got to see a movie together on Saturday night, and she was able to squeeze in some more time for me during her busy schedule. There's a post about Maleficent here on my blog! Katy, I hope you're moving back to LA soon because I miss you like crazy and love our 'Bachelorette' nights in or going out for drinks!
It was definitely a fun night out and great to catch up with friends, hear some awesome music, and enjoy being out! I have so many friends with Birthdays in June so this is a month of celebrating especially since my Birthday is in a few days. It's nice to have a couple days off before the craziness begins...
Neil's Dad turned 60 this past week and in honor of this very special Birthday he put together a music video that was dedicated to his Dad's love for plaid flannel. He got friends and family of his Dad to send in 'video selfies' of themselves dancing and singing to add to the personalization of the video and this is the final product!
Not only did Neil rap and sing in this video but he was the creative mind behind the lyrics, scenes, and editing! I had a fun little cameo as well, so if you want to see my old-school dance moves make sure you check it out :)
Last week Wednesday was the Eve of Halloween and when Gabe's was doing their Halloween Party and Costume Contest, right at midnight! Slowly but sure we've built Wednesday Night Karaoke during the week of Halloween and last Wednesday was a busy night, with lots of costume changes, prizes, and tons of dedications and Karaoke songs.
Justin & Ciara
My Costumes for the night were all fashioned after Aaliyah and Ciara with their hip hop vibe and style; some costumes were certainly better than others but I sang each song, 6 total, in a different costume. Neil and Chris also came dressed to impress as Neil had different looks for Justin Timberlake as well as Eminem, and we even did a duet together. Chris was dressed in the 'Humpty Dance' costume and waited to perform his song till we had a full crowd and sure enough, he won our Costume Contest that evening! Second place went to Jerry who was dressed as a Domino's Pizza Delivery Boy and 3rd went to Neil for once again, completely changing his look throughout the night. There was a Pirate Carebear, Jessica Rabbit, Ghouls & Goblins, and dead Witches and Zombies in costume as well.
I started off the night with one of my new songs, 'Try Again' by Aaliyah, wearing my new wedged sneakers (which by the way, are super comfortable, and give me an extra 3 inches; I highly recommend them). Next up was 'Are You That Somebody' with a costume super similar to Aaliyah's in the music video and I even pulled out some specific dance moves with each song. Another favorite part of my first two costumes was getting to wear a chain that was connected to a wallet in my back pocket; I kind of want to wear it all the time! From there I switched from Aaliyah to Ciara and started off with her hit, 'One Two Step' which was another new song for me. I wore these shiny pants I had bought in college that still fit (YAY) and my outfit matched Ciara's perfectly! I loved that it got people that were totally involved in their pool game up and dancing with me :) After that I switched it up, putting on my fedora for 'Like A Boy' and thankfully I had gotten in some practice of the song since my last performance, and that was highly necessary with all the quick raps and melody.
'As long as I've got my suit and tie...'
Halloween Karaoke
During all this Neil had performed 'Like I Love You' and 'What Goes Around Comes Around' by Justin Timberlake and then went into Eminem mode for 'Lose Yourself.' It was back to Justin for 'Suit & Tie' with a little help from McCracken who was dressed as a Michael Buble/Josh Groban hybrid, and thankfully was wearing his suit and tie. It was time for Neil and I's duet of 'Love + Sex + Magic' and another perfectly matched costume like Ciara's from the video. I had forgotten to change the key and lower it but we managed to make due and had a lot of fun with it, even though it was a new and quite difficult song for both of us! There was more N'Sync happening from Neil and McCracken singing 'This I Promise You' and both duets with Neil were new songs for McCracken. Everyone definitely got an A for effort in trying all the new music and putting in thought and detail to specific outfits. I closed out the night with 'Goodies' by Ciara, another new song for me, and got some help on the rap from Chris, who surprisingly new the song pretty well. Guilty pleasure? The song was a blast to sing and once again had people singing along and dancing!
It was a fabulous night for Karaoke and a great Halloween Eve! Carolyn and Matt even came in to celebrate their recent engagement and dedicate songs to each other which was super cute! There's just 358 days till Halloween so you better get started on your costume soon...
Halloween is here and it's the perfect time to bring out the Halloween Music Video 'The King Of Halloween' that Neil and I had worked on the past few weeks!
Neil had told me he was going to record a Halloween Rap and make a video for it and then asked me to sing on it, in the style of Eminem and Dido. He recorded his rap part and then we recorded my vocals in his studio and I was able to play around with my final part which was fun! Then a couple weeks ago we recorded my scenes in a set that Neil created. He put so much time and effort into making this video really special and totally Halloween. His rap is smart and very quick; super impressive for a singer/songwriter :) There's even a cameo by Diego who plays the piano solo for the song! You can see the video right here!
The video was a blast to shoot and it came out awesome! I can't imagine editing all those images and scenes into the video, matching up the vocals with the singing shots, and the video is seamless from beginning to end.
A couple weeks ago one of my co-workers had her Birthday Party at The Garage and instead of just playing music on an iPod there were Acoustic Performances throughout the night. Talk about an awesome idea and it was the perfect opportunity to do a Live Performance and work on some music stuff.
Neil and I got together a couple days before the Performance and figured out what we wanted to sing and we decided to do 3 Super-Sets of Songs. We had to figure out which key the songs were in so they could flow together seamlessly and at least stick with a similar theme. Once we had practiced some songs and put them in the right key, we put together each super-set and practiced it as a whole. In two hours we finally had a show. The next day we rehearsed the sets all the way through, learning harmonies and our parts and a couple hours later, we were exhausted but felt like we had covered a lot of ground before the performance the following night. The day of the Birthday Party we got together one last time to go over all the songs, completely through twice. For putting something together in 2 days and just a few hours I was proud of our hard work and dedication!
Neil & I after our Performance at The Garage!
The night of Angela's Birthday in The Motor Club at The Garage, there were tons of acoustic performances and singers; it was such a fun and different way to bring music to a Birthday Party! Around midnight, Neil and I took the stage, and started the first song of our Three Song Super-Set which was 'Summer of '69' by Bryan Adams and that flowed into 'Baby One More Time' by Britney Spears, and everyone joined in with us. The last song in that set was an original by Neil, called 'Dizzy' which is one of my favorite songs. The Party seemed to enjoy the original but we were happy to jump right into another song they could sing along with us, so our next Set started with Mr. Big's 'To Be With You' which everyone knew. We slowed it down with U2's 'With Or Without You' and the Acoustic version of 'Livin' On A Prayer' by Bon Jovi. I think that might have confused everyone because they knew the lyrics but couldn't figure out what it was right away. The last Super Set started with a more recent song that had everyone singing and dancing, which was 'Call Me Maybe' by Carly Rae Jepson. Neil and I took a queue from David Cook and did Mariah Carey's 'Always Be My Baby' which he sang on "American Idol" and we closed out our entire set with 'Don't Stop Believing', the "Glee" version so everyone could sing along with us!
This was definitely a creative way to play music and get everyone at the party involved with songs they may want to hear or dance to. We all have our guilty pleasures and Neil and I were able to perform 9 of them in just under 20 minutes! We both had a lot of fun and we'd definitely like to do our Super-Set again for our friends at a show :)
Friday night was going to be a big night because Neil was playing a show for the first time in a month, and I was going to be singing a couple songs with him. So on Friday afternoon after making a stop at Guitar Center for some cords, and me desperately searching for Nikki Sixx (he wasn't there), we got in some rehearsal time before the show.
Like I said in my initial rehearsal blog for this show, to me it's completely different than doing Karaoke. First off, people are paying to walk in the door, whether they are listening to music or not, and if you're up on stage performing, they expect you to be good, and third, I'm not performing songs in my comfort level. On Tuesday we had rehearsed a few songs, but settled on 2 for the show at Universal Bar & Grill that night, because Neil was only going to be able to play about 10 songs. Needless to say, I was nervous, and was going to be glad when both songs were done and I could enjoy the rest of the show, but Neil told me his final song of the night was one of our duets...well, guess I'm just going to cheer and be loud to get my jitters out of the way!
All of the songs Neil performed that night were 80's Rock songs, he played Tom Petty's 'Free Falling,' Journey's 'Don't Stop Believing' which the crowd loved, as well as Mr. Big's 'Be With You,' which went over fantastically and more!! You can see all his songs, covers, as well as originals on his YouTube page at: Neil Daly's Music Videos
Lucky for us, we kind of got to practice one of our songs (our closing song for the show) at Karaoke on Wednesday. While the version was similar, just hearing an acoustic guitar while we were singing, made it so different, and prettier to me. After a couple songs, Neil called me up on-stage and we did U2's hit 'With or Without You.' We had sang that at a show back in November, but we had made some changes to it, and also were able to work on it more, since we had only practiced it a few times before we sang it at his first show at The Good Hurt in Culver City. I loved the version we did because we really made it our own! It's always great when the crowd sings along or you hear the excitement when you start singing, so we knew we had picked a winner! After a few more songs Neil called me back on-stage and we closed the show with 'Living On A Prayer' by Bon Jovi. There's an amazing Acoustic Version out there, that we did our own little take on, me being Richie, and Neil rocking it as Jon. You can see us singing to Bon Jovi's famous song on My YouTube Page or Neil's YouTube Page. Make sure to check out more of the 80's Cover Songs there as well...but enjoy Neil's version of 'Don't Stop Believing' right here, right now!
It's definitely fun singing and listening to covers, but I'm really excited for Neil's show at the end of the month, back at Universal Bar & Grill, where he'll be playing his originals with a cover song or two added into the mix. Both of us were happy with our performances and Neil was excited to do something different, because it keeps people guessing, and hopefully gets some more fans to enjoy his music! Singing live is really such a fun experience though, because it's so different for me. My brother does it all the time with his band The Hussy, as they tour all over the country, so I know it's hard work to get up there every night and sing. It is a huge rush, and always good practice for the future, and since I love to sing, it's giving me a chance to be doing something creative and out of my comfort zone!
The rest of the night was a blast because we were able to relax, play some pool, drink some shots (not me!), and grab a bite to eat with some good friends! So let's keep bringing on the 80's!
I'm always glad when I can start my week off with something creative, and it was great to have an Audition on Monday and continue to keep the groove going with Rehearsal on Tuesday!
Neil's going to be playing an Acoustic 80's Cover Song's Show at Universal Bar & Grill in North Hollywood on Friday. He had his own rehearsal on Monday Night when he played a set at Skinny's, and has informed me I will be singing a couple songs with him at his show on Friday Night. We sang together in November for his first show at The Good Hurt, and it was so exciting and nerve-wracking at the same time!
On Tuesday we rehearsed a few songs and listened to some music. I love the 80's, personally, I think the best music came out then...well-written songs, rock and roll, passion, and there was something for everyone, not to mention, totally danceable and with-standing the test of time as a lot of those songs are still popular now! Now I can't say what we're singing because it's a surprise for Friday, and I don't even know the rest of Neil's set, because it's supposed to be a surprise for me, so I'm really looking forward and excited about the show! Lucky for me, I know a lot of 80's songs, so the songs we're singing were some of my personal favorites :) I even pulled out a tambourine at one point, and added to one of the songs! To be perfectly honest, rhythm isn't my strong point, and I played the piano, so I don't know why that is, but apparently, practice helps, and if that song stays in the set, I'll be rocking out with my tambourine!
We'll have another rehearsal later this week, because I want to feel comfortable with the songs. It's amazing how at Karaoke, I can feel confident with the songs, but once I get in front of an unknown audience in a different setting, my nerves creep back in. I'm a firm believer in, if you're not nervous, then it's not worth it! It keeps you on your toes, and makes sure you're prepared for anything! (I actually used to shake before and after every time I sang the National Anthem at Sporting Events at Winona, but not while I was doing it, it was weird, but I expected it.) Nowadays, I get nervous right away, but usually everything fades and I completely forget where I'm at and just get into the groove, and that's the way I like it :)
Oh Monday, the start of the week, and it's going to be busy. I couldn't be happier!
I headed off to my Audition in Burbank on Monday morning prepared, as a snobby girlfriend, who paraded herself in front of the boys, with a good back-story and everything I needed to rock my audition. This audition was for '1000 Ways to Die' which I had worked on in 2010, but currently, my episode has yet to air. I was hoping this time I would be cast, and finally have my Spike TV debut. After about 10 minutes in the waiting area, I was called in for my audition, which was going to be all improv, and it definitely was! I looked a little more 'Jersey Shore' than the Casting Director had expected and a quick change was made to my audition, and all my original thoughts and ideas were thrown out the window to be a Reality Star who owned her own Tanning Salon, a-la Snookie. I think it's weird for my family to think that I could be ethnic looking, as they see me as their 'Little Lyndsey,' who is Irish and German (technically Luxembourg,) while in Hollywood, I could be Middle Eastern like Kim Kardashian, Italian/Spanish looking like Penelope Cruz, the cast of Jersey Shore, or Michelle Rodriguez, and even Jewish, like Mila Kunis or Lizzy Caplan, in which I've heard a reference before. Needless to say, the quick change flustered me, and I felt like I didn't audition at my best ability. I am glad to say, it's been a long time since I've felt that way, but frustrated that I was unable to rock the audition like I had planned.
Instead of letting the audition eat away at me all day, I'm lucky it was my day for Yoga. I went in with a heavy mind and was able to leave a little more at ease with the days events. After Yoga, I was starving so I went home and cooked up a nice pasta dish and decided on watching 'The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.' First off...it took almost an hour to get into the movie for me, which at that point, hit a very graphic turn, and would cause most to turn it off at that point, but sucked me in to find out what was going to happen. Thank goodness for IMDB, because I was able to follow along on the Plot Analysis, because I felt like the dialogue was very quiet, a little muffled, and hard to understand with the accents, not to mention, all the Swedish names made it confusing as to figure out whom the actors were talking about. I actually look forward to watching the original movie with the subtitled Swedish. Overall, I feel it's one of those movies you'll understand and like more as you watch it and more than once, although I think the average person will quickly move on past the graphic scenes as they are terrifying. I definitely want to see it again, and look forward to the original movie.
So as the day started off rocky, and moved into a peaceful state, and yet again back to a hyper-sensitive state, I went into Venice to see Neil at Trip Bar on Lincoln Blvd. We got there around 9:30 pm and literally, doubled the amount of people in the only Wine and Beer Bar. Neil was able to play a full hour set, and while he was overcoming a case of Bronchitis, he rocked it out for a bunch of people that showed up to see him play! The sound quality in the bar and his vocals were incredible as he played new songs and old, along with a great version of 'More Than a Woman' by the Bee Gee's, and yet finally, my 'Everlong' by the Foo Fighters. Trip is definitely a great bar to check out local musicians as well as sporting events and new beers!
This weekend literally knocked me out, and I was so glad to crawl into my comfy bed and get a good night's sleep that night...finally :)
I've never been to The Viper Room; it's world famous, and in my opinion, is something every person in LA needs to experience at least once!
Thi, Dale, and I at The Viper Room
Lucky for me, Neil was playing a show at The Viper Room Acoustic Lounge on Sunday Night. I had a couple friends who were coming to the show, one of my best girl's, Thi, who has incredible style, so I knew this was an opportunity to get all gussied up, and play up my rocker chic vibe since we were going out in Hollywood to a fabulous venue! Even better, we had access to the whole club, so while the Acoustic Lounge was downstairs with it's own bar and drink specials, the upstairs had the famous stage and big open dance floor. Most people who have been to the Viper Room have a really good story to tell, but I'll leave that up to you to find out on your own! The band playing upstairs was pretty good but my friends and I wanted to be sure to have a place to sit for Neil's show so we enjoyed the other artist before Neil in the Lounge.
Neil went on at 10 pm and got to play for almost an hour. Always playing his own amazingly written songs, and adding a couple new covers to his play list for the evening, there was something for everyone. Much to my surprise, a short intro and then a few familiar chords, and I got my 'Everlong!' Absolutely amazing! After that, it became effortless for Neil, and waiting for an encore, the audience got quite a treat. He started playing Poison's 'Every Rose Has Its Thorn!' And by the time he got to the chorus, the entire room was singing...you can see for yourself here :)
All in all, we had a blast at the show, and it's going to take a lot to top this Viper Room visit! Rock on!
Last night my lovely girls, Bree & Kristina, and I went to Bar Pico to see Neil play an Acoustic Set! Lots of people from Gabe's showed up to support him, which was super exciting since he's so talented and is now sharing it with the world! He played a couple new songs, and did spot on performances of 'Sandy' from "Grease," 'Unspoken,' which was a crowd favorite, and 'A Perfect World.' It's always wonderful to be able to hear live music and be around good friends. We toasted to a great show and a wonderful New Year with Blueberry Bomb shots. So delicious.
After Neil's show we all headed over to Gabe's for some Karaoke action and of course celebratory shots. Marcus who started Karaoke late so he could make it to Neil's show had a full house and long list for Karaoke but was able to get all of us up and singing 'Loveshack' and 'You Oughta Know,' because it is every woman's anthem at some point in her life :) The night ended with a Girl's Slumber Party, Pizza, and Whiskey Coke's served in wine glasses of course, because we're fun like that, and laughs at a wild and fun night. I'm pretty darn lucky to have such wonderful friends in my life. Don't take your friendships for granted. Appreciate those who are there for you with a smile on their face and a shoulder to cry on...should you need it.
Yes, that's what my scene partner turned into at my audition yesterday. I rehearsed 3 different scenes for the series yesterday, and fortunately, was able to do all three at my audition. We did a little interview session beforehand and I got along great with everyone in the audition, and I believe I impressed them with my amazing fire-breathing skill on my resume. Heck yes that's on my resume! It's a conversation starter!
Three different scenes that dealt with the trials of dating, both good and bad, and included some vampires. I knew this was a horror series, and they have some good stories up their sleeves. I got some great feedback from the director, who said I brought something different to each scene that he hadn't seen yet that day, which is always exciting, and mentioned they were shooting all sorts of videos in the next 6 months, keeping very busy, so I'm hoping I'll get cast in something they've got coming up :)
Last night, I also went to Neil's Acoustic Show in North Hollywood, where he played an intimate set complete with rock songs, and even a cover of 'Purple Rain,' which had the crowd singing along and waving their hands in the air. It was a story-telling series of songs performed really well! I've definitely gotten more into live music in the past couple years and I really enjoy checking out new venues, bands, and musicians!
Today I had to send in a video audition for a company based out of Washington. I've sent them multiple auditions over the past year, and hopefully, one of these days, I'll be perfect for one. I keep trying to wear them down ;) It's hard to stay patient, but they continue to have me audition, so I know it's just a matter of time and effort!
It's been about a week since I started my blog and it keeps getting easier each day to write and share! So feel free to share your thoughts, ideas, or anything that makes your day. Thanks for taking an interest in a Midwestern girl with big dreams and aspirations <3
Updated Post!
I forgot to mention how thankful I am for my wonderful rehearsal partner, Neil! I couldn't have done as well as I did, or been more prepared if I hadn't practiced with him, and got his perspective and ideas to take into my audition! It's always so beneficial to get to rehearse with someone, so thank you :)
Yesterday, Neil and I headed over to Bar Pico for their Open Mic Night (I occasionally fill in as a Bartender there on busy nights). Neil is playing a show next week so he wanted to see the venue and check out the equipment. He ended up playing a set at the request of the Promoter, and because the list was so short, ended up playing a second set. After Neil's first song, he pointed to me, and said, With or Without You. We hadn't sang or practiced the song in over 2 months, but for some reason as I got up there, I wasn't nervous at all, and we did an amazing job on the song! I definitely look forward to working on more music together :)
On my flight to Wisconsin over Christmas, I actually wrote some lyrics, and want to continue doing that. Definitely a good way to get out my emotions.
I've got an audition later this afternoon and I'm Hosting my first Karaoke Night of the New Year at Gabe's tonight. Keep the creativity flowing...fingers crossed!
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