Control

I’ve heard people say “God’s in charge.” When I have no clue about what I’m supposed to do with what has shown up in my life I like to say that, too. It’s comforting to believe that there is a greater intelligence handling things that I have no way to understand. “God’s in charge” means I’m not alone and I’m not supposed to have all the answers.

But then living the part where I’m not in charge is challenging. Now I have to stop my mind from trying to impose its rules and regulations around what I’m doing. If God is truly in charge than my “rules” aren’t in force. And the circumstance in my life is not for me to dictate. That means I have to give up control? But….wait a minute.

It’s not a total loss. Even if I’m not in control of things I can still make decisions. Oh, good. That’s a relief. My mind can still do something to be useful. I may not be writing the script of my life out in advance but I can make decisions in how I respond to the script as it plays out while I’m in it. Now that sounds interesting.

Blessings!
Laura

You can decide to check out my website at:
http://www.LauraCohnMusic.com
Where Music Meets Artistry

New Day, Same Issues

I’ve been reading comments from a folk music group online about declining show attendance across the country. It’s interesting to hear that many performers that were drawing sell out numbers now barely fill half a room. It’s sad to hear that people aren’t going out to support live music as much. Many reasons are being noted.

Higher gas prices, increased family overhead, more responsibilities and less time seem to be the issues. It reminded me of something I read in a book that was written in the 1500’s. There was a time when I was reading a lot of orthodox literature from the middle ages. The middle ages saw some of the greatest luminary rabbis that have ever lived.

The book is called Ahavath Chesed, which means loving kindness, and focuses on the importance of charity. It was noted that while businesses were struggling with rising costs, employees wanting to earn more money and customers wanting to pay less for things it was still important to be charitable, support the community and those in need. How is it that we still have the same “problems” as people did 500 years ago?

Blessings!
Laura

You can help support an artist for just 99 cents. Download a song in the online store at:
http://www.lauracohnmusic.com/
Where Music Meets Artistry

Power Naps Are Good

It’s funny that when I need strength, it’s there in abundance and when I don’t need it I can seemingly melt into my furniture and not have any ability to move. I guess that’s what power naps are for. And I know that I’m where I’m supposed to be when I have energy to be there because when I don’t have energy, I just don’t.

When I woke up this morning and had a training class to go to, I wasn’t sure how I would get through it. The trainer is hard core and working us to the max every session. We’re getting stronger and have more endurance which is cool. I got through the class and felt good. The power nap I took a few hours later was really nice.

When I have a lot on my calendar, I have to remember to take time to chill. I love doing laundry because it’s the ultimate in lazy multi-tasking. Put some clothes with soap into the washing machine, turn it on and go rest. Come back, move the clothes to the dryer and lay around some more. Zzzzzzzzzzzzzz. I’m doing laundry.

Blessings!
Laura

Want to check out more Laura Cohn stuff? Go to:
http://www.LauraCohnMusic.com
Where Music Meets Artistry

Changes

I don’t know about you but I am so ready for the time change. Lately when I wake up in the morning all I can do is hit the snooze button and think of how nice it will be when I’ll get to sleep in an extra hour. This year is the first year that I’ve really felt that. Things are changing in my world. I am doing things differently, so I’m getting new results.

My newest change is being off sugar for the last 25 days. It came about with the infomercial eating program they gave us to use during our training period. I’ve never gone off sugar entirely. I’ve always used natural sweeteners like honey and maple syrup. I’ve noticed that I feel much better without it. Now I use stevia.

Sugar isn’t particularly great for the immune system. I learned about that when I was recovering from a chemical injury. Fruit tastes really sweet to me now. I also have discovered raw chocolate. It’s got a different kind of taste and it’s very crunchy. Cacao beans are an amazing food. I like the affect.

Blessings!
Laura

Sign up for my weekly newsletter to get gig info and more at:
http://www.LauraCohnMusic.com
Where Music Meets Artistry

Because I Am What I Am, I Am

That’s the chorus of my song, “I Am’. You can hear a sample of the song in the online store on my website, www.LauraCohnMusic.com. I sang that song at my gig at Universal Bar & Grill in North Hollywood. I do it as a sing-along and it’s always fun. It’s great to see people smile when they sing the chorus with me. We laugh.

If someone ever asks you why you’re doing what you’re doing and you don’t even know why, you can answer them with, “Because I am what I am, I am.” There isn’t much they’re really going to be able to say to you after that other than, “Oh. Okay.” I use that on myself when I don’t get what I am and what I do. That may sound strange.

I’m not what I thought I was going to be and I don’t know why that is other than it’s because I am what I am, I am. And there’s a lot about life I don’t have answers for that I thought I would know by now. Why I thought I would have answers for things that humanity has been questioning for thousands of years is beyond me. It’s just what I am.

Blessings!
Laura

You can check out a video clip form my one-woman show at:
http://www.LauraCohnMusic.com
Where Music Meets Artistry

Balance

I was in acting class last night over at CAP, http://www.completeactorsplace.com/, and our director, Lonny Stevens, was commenting on a scene I had done with a fellow actor. My character had gotten out of balance in her life and Lonny asked me how crazy I thought she really had gotten because we all get crazy when we’re out of balance.

That is so true and I know that when I get out of balance for whatever reason I get nuts. It usually starts out innocently enough. I may not sleep a lot, eat regularly, or may start scheduling too much in my day. I remember when I was recovering from a chemical injury and I could only schedule 2 things to do outside my apartment each day.

I had gotten really sick, so being able to get out at all was great. I wanted to do so much but my system would crash if I over did it. I still have to be mindful to schedule rest as a part of my day so I’m balanced in my life. I need time for family, friends, to relax, to work, to do things for others and to create. A little here and there gets quite a bit done over time.

Blessings!
Laura

“Bright Blue Skies” says it all for me. You can hear it in the online store at:
http://www.lauracohnmusic.com/
Where Music Meets Artistry

ABCDEFG

Maybe I have too much time on my hands today, but the alphabet song just came into my head and I realized that I don’t know who put the letters of the alphabet in order. There have been times when I thought that my ABCD was somebody else’s JRQW because we just weren’t on the same page at all.

What makes sense to me sometimes seems to be the last thing that anyone else would consider. I’m getting used to it, but it is pretty remarkable how many stories people are living here that have nothing to do with reality. When I look at anti-Semitism for example, it is amazing to think that someone would hate me who has never even met me.

Why put a label with a definition together and make decisions based on an idea that may not have any bearing on actual experience? How can I see when I’m doing that? If I keep an open mind without any preconceived notions about what I’m going into then it may be that what I experience is different than what I thought it would be. Hmmm.

Blessings!
Laura

Sign up for my weekly newsletter to get up-coming gig info and more at:
http://www.LauraCohnMusic.com
Where Music Meets Artistry

Getting The Lesson

I’ve known for awhile that what I say and think has an effect on my life and situations I’m in with other people. Many spiritual, self-help motivators have parroted versions of “change your thoughts, change your life”. So when I find myself having not-so-great thoughts I have to find a way to stop myself in my tracks and shift mental gears.

Well the past couple of days it seems that I've found a new way to stop very quickly. I have cut two of my fingers,(while I was slicing vegetables), when my mind wasn’t being gracious or kind in its behavior. It wasn't my intention. The lesson that was clear to me…I’m hurting myself when I think that way. It’s a good thing that butterfly bandages were invented. I’ve needed them and used them.

The first cut was really bad; this second one is more minor, but still needed the butterfly. So as I look at my fingers I can laugh at myself and realize that in all my knowing about what to do, doing it is still a practice that I need to be working on, daily. I can also be grateful for a couple of cuts instead of something worse.

Blessings!
Laura

If you haven’t seen my website, there’s some cool stuff to check out at:
http://www.lauracohnmusic.com/
Where Music Meets Artistry

Thoughts

Have you ever noticed that what you’re thinking creates a lot in your experience? I was talking with a friend today and we were discussing perception. I can look at my life and describe it in any way I choose to. In gratitude and appreciation my life is grand. In looking at what I don’t have and needing to have more, my life is lacking happiness.

I also find that my thoughts about people, my work, my friends, and myself can create many feelings about things. I’ve spent quite a bit of time re-writing the “story” about my life. My first “draft” read like a melodrama. My second “draft” had more humor but was still on the pathetic side. My current revision is a life of purpose, harmony and bliss.

I think my response to pain hasn’t been accurate. Part of my “problem” was that I learned reactions to situations from a fear-based mentality. That kind of mentality usually sucks, in my opinion. So now I’m looking for other things in what is going on. My big clue for re-writing happiness is that there is a reason pain comes in and I don’t have to create that.

Blessings!
Laura

Check out “Highest Power” in the online store at:
http://www.LauraCohnMusic.com
Where Music Meets Artistry

Singing

I was singing in the shower, getting ready for my gig tonight and realized how free I feel when I’m just singing to sing. It really is a beautiful gift that God has given me. There aren’t that many things that use the body in a way that transforms it into an instrument. I know that there are other things I do that bring in joy and that’s a good thing.

A qi gong healer told me that singing is good for the spleen. I’ve told people that on stage when I let them know that we’re going to play a sing-along song and they get to participate. It usually makes them laugh. It’s a good thing to get people to laugh and think of something new about something they do, in my experience with things.

I do know for me that singing is a healing experience and it is something that is fun to share. I don’t like getting caught up in the business part of music even though I need to keep certain things in mind for myself. There’s something about showing up for the sheer joy of singing that makes performing more appealing.

Blessings!
Laura

Sign up for my weekly newsletter to get gig info and more at:
http://www.LauraCohnMusic.com
Where Music Meets Artistry

Exposure

There was a solicitation for artists who take risks, so I took the bait and answered the ad. It turns out there’s an artist coach working on a book who is looking for people’s stories. I was asked to write a 400 word story about myself and to send a jpeg picture that would be featured in the book. So I asked if there was any compensation for contributors.

It took a day for a reply to come back to me. The answer…No, but we hope you will value the publicity. Their books sell in B&N, Amazon, other outlets and MOMA. So I asked my friend who knows quite a bit about PR what he thought. After he read my 400 word story that I wrote he said the publicity would be good for me.

He also suggested that I write a book and find contributors who would be interested in getting publicity for themselves. So I’m looking for people that have succeeded in doing something they weren’t supposed to be able to do who would like some recognition for their accomplishments. Send in your stories to Laura@LauraCohnMusic.com. 400 words please. :)

Blessings!
Laura

Check out the video clip on my website to see one of my artistic risks at:
http://www.LauraCohnMusic.com
Where Music Meets Artistry

Couldn't Tell You

I realized today when different people were asking me questions that I really have very few answers. It may have been because I was being asked why things were being done a certain way, why things had happened the way they did and why people had made the decisions they had made to do what they did.

It may be that sometimes the position I’m in makes me look like someone who would have answers and that’s why I was being asked. It’s rare that I can tell someone why I do what I do let alone have any clue about why other people do what they do. My guess is that what they did seemed like a good idea at the time they decided to do it.

I’m actually getting better at not knowing things and better yet, not particularly caring one way or another if I know anything outside of what is happening in the moment. Not knowing is more relaxing. It helps me look at what is happening rather than what I want to have happen. What is happening is usually better for me anyway.

Blessings!
Laura

“Don’t Ask Me Why” is a song I wrote about not knowing. It’s in the online store at:
http://www.LauraCohnMusic.com
Where Music Meets Artistry

Sasha The Mouse

My friend rescued a baby mouse that one of her cats had brought to her as a present and put it back outside. The cat went out and brought the mouse back again. Obviously it was this mouse’s destiny to be a house mouse so my friend kept it in a box and was deciding what to do. She broke down and got the mouse a cage.

I was told about the mouse a couple of weeks ago. I rescued my two rats, Carole and Nicole, back in March and they are wonderful, loving little creatures. Since my friend knew I had my rats she called me today looking for a home for the baby mouse. Having the mouse with the cats wasn’t working out. So now I have 2 rats and a baby mouse.

When the mouse arrived at my apartment she needed a name. Sasha was the name that came to me so her name is Sasha now. She’s grey with a white belly, big black eyes and a black tail. She is a tiny thing and now my rats look kind of big to me. Carole and Nicole are full grown now. Maybe when Sasha gets bigger she’ll be able to play with them.

Blessings!
Laura

There’s a picture of me with Carole and Nicole in the photo gallery at:
http://www.lauracohnmusic.com/
Where Music Meets Artistry

Living In Existence

My friend sent me an interview about the translucent awakening happening with people on the planet. Apparently people are waking up to the truth of what we are here and not living unconsciously. That’s good news. The old paradigm of fear and lack are loosing their grip and the essence of what we are in our experience is shining through.

To me it’s a matter of choice. Do I choose to see or not? What am I choosing to see and where do my definitions come from? I remember a conversation I had with a gentleman when I was living in Telluride, CO. The subject came up as to why people do things the way they do them. I asked him if he knew why he drank coffee the way he did.

Until I started questioning the little things I was doing in my life, the big things were a mystery to me. After I had asked the guy about how he drank his coffee in the morning and where he got that behavior he was no longer idling running on auto-pilot. Suddenly he realized that he was making choices in how he did everything. Let freedom ring.

Blessings!
Laura

My favorite answer about myself is in my song “I Am”. It’s in the online store at:
http://www.LauraCohnMusic.com
Where Music Meets Artistry

Full Moons

I love full moons. They just have a vibe about them that is very cool. I remember when I was young, my friends and I used to howl at the moon, especially around Halloween. There was something magnetic, mesmerizing and intriguing to me when I was howling at the moon with a group of friends. May be there’s a wolf totem in my path.

When I lived in Telluride, CO. the full moons in the winter were the most majestic. The light of the moon would reflect off the snow covered mountains and a glow would cast the most gorgeous colored light everywhere. You wouldn’t really need headlights to drive at night it was so bright.

I wrote a song called, “Full Moon”. It’s on my Telluride album. It’s kind of a stream of consciousness piece. The lyrics always seem to relate to whatever is going on in my life no matter what year it is. That's kind of cool to me. There isn’t a sample of that song in the online store yet. Sorry! I’ll have to work on getting that together at some point.

Blessings!
Laura

You can listen to some other songs in the online store at:
http://www.LauraCohnMusic.com
Where Music Meets Artistry

Keys

I’ve always loved the piano. There’s something magical about the sound. When I was younger I took piano lessons. My teacher yelled at me and that was the end of my interest in playing it. After I picked up guitar I knew I had found the instrument for me. I totally love being on strings. A guitar is also easier to carry around.

When ever I listen to a song on keys, it just seems more stunning for some reason. Maybe because I’m used to playing guitar it doesn’t impress me the way piano does. When I was rehearsing with Bill McRae for our gig at CAP it was the first time I sang some of my tunes with just piano accompanying me. It was fun.

The sound of my chord progressions seemed more dynamic to me. Maybe it was the way Bill played them. He knows my material pretty well. It was really fresh to sing that way. Even though we were playing my songs they seemed like something else to me and that brought me to a different place vocally. I’m excited to do the gig.

Blessings!
Laura

If you want to get info on where I’ll be playing, sign up for my weekly newsletter at:
http://www.LauraCohnMusic.com
Where Music Meets Artistry

Gifts

When I take stock in the people in my life I realize that I am surrounded in gifts. The love that I share with people, even ones that I’ve never met face to face is amazing to me. Maybe that happens because we’re all part of the same thing here and there is a lot of love for us to share.

People are gifts even when they’re not aware of it. Even the so-called assholes in my life have been gifts to me, because of what I’ve learned. The driver on the street who seemed to be annoyed with me today was a gift. I could see the reflection of when I am annoyed and it made me laugh. I can be so silly when I’m caught up in things.

Someone wrote to me who had stumbled across my website. His name is Jeremy. He told me some things in response to what he had read in my blog. It was beautiful to have a complete stranger share what he finds meaningful in life. At the end he said, “The question that I bring myself back to is "what have I done to improve the world?" Amen.

Blessings!
Laura

Sign up for my weekly newsletter at:
http://www.LauraCohnMusic.com
Where Music Meets Artistry

Car Stuff

My car is a 1989 Honda Civic. I’m the original owner. I got really lucky with this car. It’s been with me in 4 states. It has this unique ability to let me know exactly when it needs to be brought in to the shop. And when the mechanics look at the parts that need to be replaced they always tell me they don’t know how I’ve been driving with the part like that.

Today was no exception. My car started having trouble getting power going up hills. I was hoping it was just a spark plug issue. It turned out that the clutch needed to be replaced. Apparently, when they removed the clutch it was in about the worst condition they had ever seen. I’m lucky that my car gets every mile it can out of the parts it has.

Fortunately, I was able to get rides to where I needed to be today and when I get the car tomorrow it will be all happy again. It will be like driving a new car. I was also told that with the new spark plugs my car is idling beautifully. It’s great to have a car that is so careful to take care of me that also makes it easy for me to take care of it.

Blessings!
Laura

Check out my website at:
http://www.LauraCohnMusic.com
Where Music Meets Artistry

Feelings

I’m not sure what power is in the physical world. To me, true power is the creative force that makes me what I am. Power in any other form is just a variety of the same. There seems to be an illusion that shows up that has nothing to do with reality. I call the illusion my feelings. And they are very real to me on some days.

I have to remind myself that my feelings are only part of the equation here. When I have a strong feeling about someone or something, I have to remember to take an inventory of what I have in my life and what is really there. My feelings can take me on a wild mystery ride that has nothing to do with what’s really going on.

My feelings can also give me radar. I think a lot of women are intuitive. Some men that I’ve met are highly intuitive, although they would never want to admit it. Intuitive radar is a powerful thing to have in one’s arsenal. If someone acts with a covert agenda a person with strong intuitive radar knows that. Some are more obvious than others.

We are all connected here in the same field of intelligence, so anyone can tap in. Some people choose to and others don’t. Some of the most brilliant people I’ve ever met have dead on radar. They can spot things most people don’t know exist. That doesn’t mean they are immune to stupidity or blind spots. We are human here learning stuff.

But the strongest connections where I pick up on things have the radar going both ways. I have found that when I am picking up on someone they are able to pick up on me and usually do. It can be an interesting game of cat and mouse: Cat being the physical world and mouse being the intuitive, spiritual one.

Some people like the intuitive side of things because it runs deep. Some people prefer the shallows. Surface stuff is fine, but when a person runs deep it doesn’t take long to recognize. The deeper someone goes the more interesting the shallows become because life doesn’t just exist there and yet they can still hang out.

You’ll know when you’re dealing with someone who runs deep because they’ll make you think about things that you don’t normally bother with. Or they’ll just happen to show up when the timing is right for them to be where they want to be. It’s all about strategy in an intuitive psyche. Learning when to move and what things indicate takes practice.

Blessings!
Laura

Sign up for my weekly newsletter at:
http://www.LauraCohnMusic.com
Where Music Meets Artistry

Water

I don’t notice how much water I drink until I’m fasting for Yom Kippur and not drinking any. Then my throat is telling me that it likes what it’s used to. After 2 hours, I was thirsty. Now I am working on keeping saliva in my mouth so I can swallow it. Too much information? Sorry.

Being a singer, I’m used to drinking a lot of fluids to keep my throat moist for my voice. For God, I’m willing to forego what I’m used to. I guess the little things I’m used to become bigger to me when they suddenly aren’t there. It’s important for me to remember this so I can stay in gratitude in my life for what I have.

My friend, Kandi, says that staying in an attitude of gratitude is what keeps her on track. It makes sense. If I nurture something it will thrive. If I neglect it then it will die. I’m neglecting “problems” in my life so they will, metaphorically speaking, “die”. I would rather focus on what I enjoy having in my life so I can have more of that.

Blessings!
Laura

Let me know what you’re grateful for. You can email me at:
http://www.LauraCohnMusic.com
Where Music Meets Artistry

Living Without Fear

The other night I was thinking about what it would be like to live without fear. It came up because of a situation that kept tripping me out with fear and I was wondering what the situation would be like without fear in it. I wondered what I would be like if fear didn’t wind up running through my veins.

Fear can be a great motivator, but I think there are other motivators that are more pleasant for me with better results. What fear motivates can leave me feeling like a pile of wreckage and I’m tired of dealing with it on all fronts. I’m tired of operating in fear based messages and I’d like to be in a fearless mindset from now on.

If I go out of the box for a bit and shift my perspective there is something else that I can look at going on in the world today that doesn’t define anything as bad and has nothing to do with fear. That may sound weird, but then again I’m a girl who named her guitar Rosie Hitler as kind of a metaphysical psychological experiment.

Hitler is an interesting scenario. So is Stalin’s and any murdering regime. Not so much the actual events in the stories, but the result of those stories can be significant. And I’m not talking about emotional issues here. Let’s just talk about numbers and facts. Between those two leaders, around 42 million people were murdered. Hitler -12, Stalin -30.

So, if those 42 million people had lived most likely they would have reproduced children into the world. So maybe today we would have 7 billion people living on the planet today if those people had lived. Now somewhere the idea came along that we already have too many people living on the planet. Have you heard the term overpopulation?

Since we have the word, overpopulation, then there must be a belief somewhere that too many people are alive today. Wouldn’t that idea then create a need to eliminate some of the population if we’re overpopulated? To solve that “problem”, a person may get the notion that they need to kill off a sector of humanity.

Aren’t most murdering regimes self righteous about their mission here? It may not be true that we’re overpopulated here on Earth at all. It just may be that at sometime somewhere someone’s perception led them to believe that it was true and let other people know about the “problem”. We are an interesting species when we get an idea that triggers fear.

Blessings!
Laura

You can download the album of my one-woman show, “Introducing Rosie Hitler” in the online store at:
http://www.LauraCohnMusic.com
Where Music Meets Artistry

Convenience

I’ve noticed that what I like most about using technology today is that doing stuff is more convenient. Ease and comfort are two priorities in my life. With a laptop and a cell phone I’m pretty much styled for just about anything. I guess if I got myself a small color printer, I could set up my office anywhere there is electricity.

I’m sitting in the spin room at the gym with my laptop because it was more convenient to work here than to drive in traffic to get home. I have to be on this side of the hill anyway, so here I am. In LA, driving is more of a strategy than in other places I’ve lived. I’m not the happiest sitting in bumper to bumper traffic, even though I like being with people.

It does impress me to see how well we all do driving together on the roads. It seems like people driving in LA tend to be pretty considerate and patient with each other most of the time. Maybe that’s just my experience because I don’t drink coffee. I don’t find myself in frenetic energy much. Having good Feng Shui may have something to do with it.

Let me explain. It may have just been a coincidence but one day I was out driving and it was just hell on the road. It was SO not the norm of what I’m used to that I just could have jumped out of my skin it got me so annoyed. I’m usually a fairly calm person even in a rough day. For some reason everywhere I was just seemed blocked and stuck.

When I did get home, I found that my neighbor had decided to dry her sweaters on a couple of chairs by our courtyard and had blocked the sidewalk with them by my front door. I took a deep breath, wrote her a little note telling her not to do that and moved the chairs out of the sidewalk. It felt better right away and I haven’t been in bad traffic since.

I don’t know why that is, but then again I typically don’t know why most things happen the way they do. I just show up. It’s nice when things in my life are convenient. I don’t know if it’s necessarily a good thing, but it is my thing. What is funny to me is that it wasn’t that long ago that I didn’t even have a computer or a cell phone. Now I love them.

Blessings!
Laura

Do you like to download? Check out my online store. It’s secure at:
http://www.lauracohnmusic.com/
Where Music Meets Artistry

It Feels The Same

I was in the training class for the infomercial I’m doing. After we finished our workout, one of the girls in class, who is a yoga instructor, was leading us in stretching. She is very limber, to say the least, and when she stretched the position her body was in looked quite a bit different then all of ours.

She and the trainer both said that we shouldn’t be concerned about how limber we are when we stretch because the more we stretch the more limber we will get. Then she said something that struck a very deep chord in me. She said, “My body may look different in this position than yours does, but inside I’m feeling the same thing you are.”

She was referring to how muscles feel when they’re stretching, but what struck me was the concept. What looks different on the outside feels the same on the inside. I should keep that in mind when I look at other people. I don’t know where I got the ability to compare myself to others, but if it feels the same how it looks shouldn’t really matter.

It’s funny to write that because I live in LA where looks are so important. Back in the 80’s, Billy Crystal had a character he portrayed who said that it doesn’t matter how you feel, it matters how you look. He had a point. Billions of dollars are spent every year on beauty products. Most of what we’re sold promises to make us look good to each other.

I guess the idea could be turned around. Maybe looking good won’t feel much different to me on the inside, but if it feels the same, I might as well look good while I’m feeling it.

Blessings!
Laura

Check out the online store at:
http://www.LauraCohnMusic.com
Where Music Meets Artistry

Majenta Jets

I played a gig at Universal Bar & Grill in North Hollywood. There was a girl band scheduled to play after me called Majenta Jets, (They said it’s spelled with a J). This was their first gig out together in about 5 years. I was told they used to play around quite a bit. I wasn’t playing in LA then, so I had never heard of them before. They rocked!

I guess the part that made me smile the most was watching the 2 electric guitar players rip up leads. The bass player kept them in the pocket and did some really nice things. I don’t see many girl bands do rock around town. They had a great vibe together and had so much fun performing. It was awesome to see.

It inspires me to be around a lot of talent. I appreciate the chemistry and magic that happens in bands when great musicians perform together on stage. It’s truly an act of God when a band sparks and creates majesty. I’ve seen enough players try to get that magic to happen in a group without getting there to know when it’s special.

The song that stood out the most to me was the one that made me laugh the most, too. It’s called, “Everybody Loves You When You’re Bi”. One of the guitar players wrote it when she was in Florida. It has a great little hook and the girls all got into the groove in bouncy, fun way. It kicked the energy up for the rest of their set very nicely.

It’s a treat to be playing on a night when great artists are on the bill. I learn so much watching other people perform and I love how we all do such different things with the same set of notes. I don’t know if Majenta Jets will be booking more performances, but if you ever hear of them doing a show somewhere it will be worthwhile to check them out.

Blessings!
Laura

If you want to get notices for my gigs, etc. sign up for my weekly newsletter at:
http://www.lauracohnmusic.com/
Where Music Meets Artistry

Late Night

I don’t know why time just gets away from me sometimes. I guess when I’m busy I don’t pay much attention to the clock even though there is one on my computer screen. I even wear a watch. I can forget to eat or not want to take the time to get into preparing food. If something to eat is fast and convenient I’m pretty happy.

Even when I’m not thinking I’ll be up late at night, I manage to be working until 1 or 2 in the morning. There’s something about the 10 – 2 time period for me. In Aryvedic medicine, I fall into the type that functions best during those hours. It seems to have a magical quality that keeps my focus clear and direct.

I remember reading that King David used to wake up at midnight so he could pray and be with God in the Garden of Eden. It was a practice among Rabbis as well. There’s a wealth of information written about the opportunity to safeguard ones soul in the overnight hours while many people are asleep.

My friend in New York once told me that the hours between 4am-6am are sacred. She likes to meditate. Most of my friends do. I guess spiritual types are attracted to each other. Usually when I meet someone if there is any kind of connection it’s because there is a deep spiritual light in their soul that they focus on to some degree.

It seems to me that the reason I like the late night hours is because the level of activity slows down with so many people sleeping. It’s easy to focus without the phone ringing or places I need to go. It’s a quiet time that gives me a lot of peace. I treasure those moments of tranquility where I’m just where I am and it’s all okay.

Blessings!
Laura

If you’d like to get my weekly newsletter, sign up at:
http://www.lauracohnmusic.com/
Where Music Meets Artistry

Listening

There was a comedy improv class I took with Paul Ryan at CBS Studios a couple of years back, www.paulryanproductions.com, and I learned some very important things when I did. He had us doing a variety of exercises. Some of them were more comfortable than others. Then again, that’s kind of the point. To stretch.

One time, he gave us scenes to work on and then he directed us in a cold reading. We got to look over the material and then he brought us up in pairs. Before we read through the scene, he asked each of us a number of questions so we could bring our personal experience into the situation the scene portrayed so it was real to us in our acting.

When it was my turn with my acting partner, Paul started talking with me and asking questions about my life that would give me something to work with. My acting partner was off in his own little world, looking at his lines and getting a feel for his character, or at least it seemed that way. He didn’t listen to anything that we were talking about.

When Paul asked him questions, the guy was clueless about the whole scene, didn’t know what had been discussed and totally missed the point of what we were doing. He wasn’t even aware of it really because he didn’t know what he had missed. Paul and I didn’t say anything and didn’t bother to fill him in. We just went on and did the scene.

It was a huge lesson for me about listening and paying attention to what is going on in a room with other people rather than just focusing on myself. If I’m only concerned about what I’m doing, what I’m getting or what people will think of me than I’m usually going to miss the mark and won’t know what the right thing is to do.

Blessings!
Laura

Did you know you can buy downloads of my music? Check out the online store at:
http://www.LauraCohnMusic.com
Where Music Meets Artistry

Children

Today I was with some 4 year old children and it really showed me how magical they are. Children live in the moment. So much is new to them and being discovered all the time. A lot discovery is still happening in my life, but in a different way. With children it’s the basics. With me it’s unlearning basics and acquiring new ones.

What struck me being with these children was how loving many of them were and how much they need from adults. Listening to little children talk takes some adjusting. They’re new to language so I have to be very patient and ask questions so I can try to understand what they mean using the words they know.

It’s like a language barrier to some degree. I have to keep things simple in how I look at stuff when I talk to kids. It’s more about being a witness and guiding them with what they’re doing. It’s more than listening, it’s hearing what they mean. They’re taking in so much information, and they want to get it right, whatever that means.

A smile and a hug can make all the difference in a child’s day. Maybe in some adult lives, too, but to see a child’s face light up in sheer joy is a heartwarming experience. I can’t help but smile when a child is captivated in happiness. It’s easy to love a stranger when a child comes into my life. It makes me want to be a mom even more.

Blessings!
Laura

To hear my fairy tale song, check out “Once Upon A Time” in the online store at:
http://www.LauraCohnMusic.com
Where Music Meets Artistry

Happy Birthday Humanity!

It’s Rosh Hashanah, the anniversary of humanity being born. Today I did something I’ve never done before. I cooked a pumpkin. I was given this pumpkin, not for Halloween, but for the holiday. Pumpkin or squash is eaten with a special blessing to ensure a good year ahead in Jewish tradition. There are other foods that have blessings for the holiday, too.

So it must be very auspicious that I was given this pumpkin, although Orthodox Jews wouldn’t have cooked it on the holiday. I feel that it will help me with a lot of things in my life. That kind of reminds me of “It’s The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown”. The mystique of something powerful and great is alluring to me at any time of year.

I have no idea what dish I’m going to make with cooked pumpkin. The infomercial diet I’m on takes out any sweet baked goods options. Pumpkin soup is one thing I know people eat. I bet if I go online and do a search on pumpkin recipes, I’ll get pages of them. I’d like to find a good salad recipe that has fresh cooked pumpkin in it.

It’s good for me to do new things so I get new results in my life. I know things are changing because prior to this year if someone had given me a pumpkin this close to Halloween, I would have carved it. The idea of carving it didn’t cross my mind until now as I’m writing this. I’m glad I’ll have a blessing in my life instead of a jack-o-lantern.

Blessings!
Laura

Do you have a good recipe that uses cooked pumpkin? If you do, please email it to me at:
http://www.LauraCohnMusic.com
Where Music Meets Artistry

Food

My relationship with food doesn’t really dawn on me until I’m asked to change what I’m eating. Then I realize, “Hmm, how much chocolate do I need to eat in a day?” and “Gosh, I guess I could be eating more vegetables.” It comes up because of the infomercial I’m doing. We had our first meeting/training session and were given our eating plan.

The first 10 days are critical. We’re not eating carbs. (Sound familiar to all you Atkins, South Beach fans?). I get to plan out what I eat, write down what I eat when I do eat and exercise regularly. After our first 10 days, they will add more foods to our list of what we can eat to balance the diet. Our nutrition coach, Peter, is doing the diet. We’re not alone.

Our trainer, Sean, put us through a lunge and squat routine that had better make my butt look better considering how much I already feel it and it hasn’t even been 3 hours since the work out. The good part was that he had great music for us to work out to and that made it fun. I can tell that he knows what he’s doing and has a plan for our goals.

I came home and prepared my meals after the gym session. It’s Rosh Hashanah, so I feel it’s a good sign that I’m starting this program on humanity’s birthday, and it’s a new moon. I’ll be fasting on the 9th day of our diet for Yom Kippur. I’m hoping that after having been without so many foods for 8 days fasting will be even easier.

I started fasting on the holiday a few years ago after hearing from a rabbi’s wife that fasting represents us being like the angels in Heaven and standing before God. There was something cool about not needing food or water for a day and I wanted to know the feeling. It was like escaping the human condition for a day. That was a treat.

My relationship with food also shifts after fasting. For awhile I did quite a bit of fasting to detox my system. If you’ve never done that, it’s an experience that brings all kinds of things to light. It can have tremendous healing effects, too. If I hadn’t needed to do it, I probably wouldn’t have done it at all. I eat regularly and enjoy my relationship with food.

Blessings!
Laura

What’s your relationship like with food? Let me know at:
http://www.LauraCohnMusic.com
Where Music Meets Artistry

Songwriting

Today a songwriter I met earlier in the year came over to see about collaborating with me. Her background has been in Country music and playing with a band. Her name is Irene. I forgot to get her last name. She came to one of my CAP shows and thought it would be good to see what kind of writing we could do together.

First we did the girl thing and talked for awhile. Then she played me some of her music. There are 2 songs of mine that she really likes “Don’t Ask Me Why” and “Wakantanka”. She asked me to play them and started singing some harmonies. It was cool and they sounded pretty. Every singer has their own harmony style. Hers is nice.

After that we decided that we should start working on a song. We decided it would be easiest to start with a chord and a rhythm. She likes Marshall Tucker’s song ”Fire On The Mountain” so we started with E to C on that groove. Then we structured our own verse, chorus and bridge sections. We’re going to work on the words next week.

One of the basic pop song structures is Verse, Chorus, Verse, Chorus, Bridge, Chorus, Out. Every song I have ever written using that structure usually gets a good response. There are a lot of songs I’ve written that don’t follow a structure like that, but once I learned what that structure was it made songwriting more of a formula.

Some people could argue that using a song structure isn’t artistic, but to me if I’m any good at my craft I should be able to create in any format I choose to. It’s kind of like poetry. I don’t have to write haiku, but if I take my vision as a writer and plug it into that established structure it becomes an interesting exercise for me in being concise.

Basically, when I’m writing a song, I’m communicating something I care about with words and music. Choosing words to convey thoughts and feelings with a melody in a given pop structure is dynamic because it requires some foreshadowing in the story with what the chorus says and how it carries the listener through to the end of the song.

I’m curious to write songs with Irene and see what we come up with. Sometimes collaboration works beautifully and when it does it can be very cool. Writing has mostly been a form of therapy and a platform for me to share ideas. This will take what I’m doing to another place in a new way. I’m excited to see how it goes.

Blessings!
Laura

If you want to hear a song I used the pop structure with, listen to “Somehow My Heart” in the online store at:
http://www.LauraCohnMusic.com
Where Music Meets Artistry

Fires

There are fires burning around LA. There’s a big one in Burbank. The pictures of them on television are wild. Fires seem to have their own personality. It just looks that way when I watch them consume things in their path. I’ve never had to deal with any big fires. The air around here has been smoky. In some places there has been falling ash.

Every so often the wind carries the smell of a large bon fire through the air. Not good. There’s a lot of wood being charred. Some houses have been lost. On the news, they showed a hillside in Box Canyon where fire fighters were trying to contain a fire from burning up homes. It must have been intense for the homeowners to see it on television.

Nature can really humble me when these events are going on. When I lived in the mountains it had the same affect. I’m such a little thing in relation to everything else. I think that’s why I find comfort being with people. I don’t feel so overpowered when I’m not alone. There’s safety in numbers.

That’s a cool saying with an interesting double meaning. Maybe that’s why we keep statistics and records. It’s a way of gauging things in our lives. We use time which is measured with numbers. Money is a big measuring stick. We’re mathematical in how we’re structured in society. How much and how often are what we depend on.

In fact, I don’t think I’ve ever tried to imagine my life without numbers because they are just so much a part of what is there when I live. Time and space are delineated with numbers. Dimensions and proportions are how I get my bearings. In fact one of things that matters most to a lot of people is that they count.

Blessings!
Laura

“Once Upon A Time” is a song I wrote when I was wondering about life. You can hear it and buy it in the online store at:
http://www.LauraCohnMusic.com
Where Music Meets Artistry