BB King's

The people who work at a venue can really make performing at a club a wonderful experience or not. Tonight was a lucky night for me at BB King’s at Universal City Walk. The girl that booked me, Raven, was very nice. After my set, she thanked me for playing and invited me to call her if I ever want to come back to perform there again.

While that may sound like a normal thing, for LA, it’s refreshing. I’ve had some “promoters” get really ugly with me when they didn’t have their own clientele showing up for the entertainment they scheduled. I’m an artist, not a promoter. That’s why I’ve found rooms to play here where my job entertaining the audience is the priority.

The pay-to-play deal that started long before I moved to LA made the music scene here a hit or miss. In other cities, clubs listen to demo tapes or audition a group before they book a band. They have a reputation to uphold for providing great music so you have to be decent. That’s why they have regular customers. They do their job. I do mine.

Blessings!
Laura

Get gig info on the homepage at:
http://www.LauraCohnMusic.com
Where Music Meets Artistry

20/20 Vision

Sometimes I’m lucky that I don’t have a clear vision of what I’m doing or what is going on with people when I’m in a situation until I’m out of it for awhile. When they say that hindsight is 20/20, I’m not sure at what point 20/20 comes in. So many times when I’ve thought I understood my experience, something changed my perception again.

I guess the best part of my ignorance is that it can keep me from saying things that I would probably regret later. I know that I’m not always judged by people in a favorable way when I’m an easy person to fool or take advantage of, but I think my innocence is a great strength for me. I trust in God, not people, so it doesn’t matter what they think.

People teach me a lot when they deal with me from a place of their perceived superiority. And many times people mistake kindness or not reacting with hostility for weakness. There’s an enormous amount of stability that comes to me when I’m forgiving, patient, accepting, and neutral in my thoughts. And more opportunities show up for me that way.

Blessings!
Laura

Get gig info and more at:
http:/www.LauraCohnMusic.com
Where Music Meets Artistry

Dreams

I don’t usually remember the dreams I have when I sleep. Every so often a dream will be what wakes me up. In Judaism there is a prayer that people say with others when someone has a dream that disturbs them or they don’t understand. I thought that was cool when I saw that in a prayer book.

I’m not convinced that when I’m awake I’m not dreaming. My perceptions of things seem to be dream like and my memories are like dreams. It may be that when I think I’m awake I’m dreaming and when I’m asleep I’m awake. I think it’s the Hindus who believe that when God is dreaming we are His dream.

There are a lot of books written about interpreting dreams. There’s probably something to that if people write books about it. I’ve heard that a lot of people have falling dreams but I don’t remember what they mean. If a lot of people are dreaming the same things and feeling the same things, we must all be made of the same things.

Blessings!
Laura

Get gig info on the homepage at:
http://www.LauraCohnMusic.com
Where Music Meets Artistry

Darkness

Have you ever gone into the darkness beyond dark and light? There’s a darkness in the universe that created dark and light. It’s the Source of beauty. Darkness has gotten kind of a bum wrap in duality. The dark and light, good and evil thing is not quite accurate. Things don’t have to be grouped into sides just because people are used to doing that.

The darkness of beauty is just as loving as the beauty in light. It’s the same thing in different forms. People just aren’t used to acknowledging that or even seeing that. It’s not hard to experience. If you remove fear and evil from the equation of how you see, darkness becomes very clear and very wonderful, peaceful, and kind.

There actually is no fear or evil in true darkness. True darkness is the safest place to be. There are no shadows that are misleading to the mind. There’s just pure knowing, pure grace, pure intelligence and pure peace. If you’ve never experienced it, it’s worth looking into. You can get there by closing your eyes and taking a deep breath. Ahhh.

Blessings!
Laura

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http://www.LauraCohnMusic.com
Where Music Meets Artistry

Life = School

Life is like a school for me. There are always new things to learn. It seems that the longer I live, the more I can see myself inside of lessons. I’d say the most prominent lesson I’ve been looking at lately is not to take things personally. Most people are way too absorbed with themselves and what they’re doing and getting to even consider me.

So if someone happens to say something or do something that impacts my life in anyway, most likely they didn’t mean to, good or bad. I’m just an incidental bystander in their “movie” and they are the star of their show. If I’m lucky I can stay out of their way so they can go about their business and get done whatever it is that they need to get done.

I recognize that behavior in people because I used to be like that. It took some time for me to be in a place in myself where I had an understanding that my actions and my words did have an impact on others. Sometimes I still don’t realize that what I’m doing is having an affect. Especially when I’m writing a blog and don’t see who is reading this.

Blessings!
Laura

Get gig info on the homepage at:
http://www.LauraCohnMusic.com
Where Music Meets Artistry

Dead Relatives

Every so often my mind thinks of relatives that have passed away. It’s not always a conscious thought that my heritage has a lot to do with my make-up, and not just in regards to DNA. How my parents were raised in their families seems to have carried over and the psyche of my lineage has been pretty well ingrained in the fabric of my being.

So when my dead relatives come to mind, I consider it an opportunity to acknowledge them and the gifts that I have in my life that are part of their legacy. My grandparents and their parents and their parents all had experiences in their lives that impact what I deal with today. I’m sure it goes back further, but those lives are the ones I feel most.

The love I can give those who walked before me and whose bloodline I carry is more precious than I probably know. There are things we can do when we are alive on this planet in these bodies that we aren’t able to do once we leave. I feel honored when I get the chance to do things for my ancestors here that they aren’t able to do for themselves.

Blessings!
Laura

Get gig info on the homepage at:
http://www.LauraCohnMusic.com
Where Music Meets Artistry

Putting It Together

Performing at CAP Theater tonight was the first gig I’ve had where I played the songs I’ve been recording lead vocals on in the studio and had to put singing the vocal back together with playing guitar at the same time. I was doing my best to remember all the “notes” my producer, Robert, had given me recording and it felt good to be on strings.

There’s something magical for me about working things out in front of live audiences and I’ve been doing that for over a year now in LA. Voyce played with me on percussion. We’ve been playing at CAP over a year and a few other places. Next Thursday, August 31st, we’re going to play at BB King’s at Universal City Walk. That will be fun.

BB King’s does live web casting now, so my parents can watch my show at their house in Tucson. I have a lot of friends that don’t live in LA, so I’m glad they’ll be able to watch my show in the internet. That is so cool to me. I’m excited for them to hear what I’m doing vocally now. Lonny, the director at CAP, said he could hear a difference tonight.

Blessings!
Laura

Get gig info on the homepage at:
http://www.LauraCohnMusic.com
Where Music Meets Artistry

Pluto

It’s interesting that meteorologists have demoted Pluto from its planetary status. I was hoping the other masses of ice were going to get some recognition and broaden our solar system some. But I also wasn’t looking at the implications that demoting Pluto would bring. And that’s where I find having a little bit of astrology knowledge fascinating.

Pluto was known to be the planet of death and rebirth or regeneration. Pluto crossed over my sun awhile back and Pluto’s “death in a returning to nothingness” agenda was a daunting energy to deal with. It was about the roughest time I ever experienced in my life. And it had a lasting impact. It was the worse hell I ever felt and I hated it completely.

Now with Pluto no longer is having planet status, its energy will also diminish in influence, which in many ways is an answer to my prayers. I’ve felt for a long time that human suffering, death and pain were things we could do without. Our cells in our bodies regenerate daily and our souls are eternal, so Plutonian “death” isn’t in line with that.

Blessings!
Laura

Get gig info on the homepage at:
http://www.LauraCohnMusic.com
Where Music Meets Artistry

Power

For a lot of people, power is equated to money, property and prestige. And while those things are very cool and carry some weight around here, especially in LA, I find that true power has more to do with what is going on inside of the person rather than outside appearances. Money, property and prestige can be fleeting, true power doesn’t change.

I used to think that people who had the big house, the fancy car, the fabulous wardrobe and the stuff that goes with it were powerful. On some levels they are, but I’ve met quite a few people who have all the stuff and they weren’t really powerful in their being at all. I didn’t find that they had any real connection to their soul and that’s where true power is.

When there is nothing on the inside to carry the outside, things will start to collapse in a person’s life. It happens all the time. It’s a part of growth in some ways. True power doesn’t go away and it comes from the inner connection someone has with their soul. It allows them to live from their heart. I say this because it is my truth as an artist.

Blessings!
Laura

Get gig info on the homepage at:
http://www.LauraCohnMusic.com
Where Music Meets Artistry

Potato Chips & Chocolate

My studio staple foods for recording are salted potato chips and some kind of chocolate. The chocolate isn’t necessarily the best for my singing voice, but it is great for my mood. I’m a daily chocolate of some kind girl and very happy about that. I’m about to leave for the studio to record more vocals and just got back from Rite-Aid getting my stash.

I also got tea and fruit drinks. Anything with high fructose corn syrup is good for my throat. I also bring plenty of water. The oil and salt on the potato chips are great for my voice. I have a lucky skirt that I’ve been wearing when I go to the studio to record as well. When something works, keep doing it. And I’m into what works.

So those are my creative quirks on this project. I also bring medicine gifts every couple of sessions. It’s something I learned from doing Indian sweat lodges. The Native American culture is really beautiful. And since the first song off the album that we’ll be releasing is “Wakantanka”, keeping with tradition is important here, for my ancestors.

Blessings!
Laura

Get gig info on the homepage at:
http://www.LauraCohnMusic.com
Where Music Meets Artistry

Animals

There is something really special when animals come into a person’s life. Native American cultures regard animals with great powers. Whenever I encounter an animal I can see that. My 2 little rats are amazing creatures to share my space with. They are incredibly loving and sweet. When they look at me, I know everything is fine.

Recently I met a Bengal cat named Tiger. Bengals are a beautiful breed and somewhat exotic being that they are a cross between an Asian Leopard cat and a domestic house cat. Tiger is a very special guy and carries the wild side of his heritage in a regal manner. He is also extremely affectionate when he decides he likes someone. I can relate to that.

The most mystical “power animal” I have been intrigued by lately is the Killer Whale. Their striking appearance and their social behavior fascinates me. They have no predators in the seas that threaten them. As hunters they will eat sharks, seals, fish and even whales larger than themselves. How fabulous to have no fear of any other being where you live.

Blessings!
Laura

Get gig info on the homepage at:
http://www.LauraCohnMusic.com
Where Music Meets Artistry

6 Done, 4 More To Go

Today I was in the studio recording more lead vocals. We have 6 lead vocals done now and have 4 more to do. These took less time, for some reason. It was only an hour and forty five minute session. I’m always grateful when things go smoothly and I can do what I need to when it needs to be done. My producer, Robert was happy about it, too.

I saw some friends later on in the day and one of them mentioned to me that I was glowing. Every time I’m in the studio I glow. Friends have also noticed that when I talk about my music I light up inside. And when I perform I shine. There is something magical to me about connecting to my soul in my songs that is like nothing else.

I was talking to my mom today before I went to the studio. She’s really excited that I’m recording this album. She knows it’s important to me because for years she and my dad wanted me to give up my music and when I tried to do that it destroyed me on all levels of my being. I just wasn’t okay. I’m an artist and this is what I need to do in my life.

Blessings!
Laura

Get gig info on the homepage at:
http://www.LauraCohnMusic.com
Where Music Meets Artistry

99.6% Empty Space

I read in a book that microbiologists discovered that we are actually 99.6% empty space. So all my focus on material possessions and “looking good” kind of got shifted a bit when I thought about what that means. What I see as real and solid isn’t real in the way I’ve understood real to be. There is something amazing about that fact to me.

So how is it that on a regular basis I can delude myself into believing what is based on a perception of things that isn’t even what I think it is? My mind has been strangely trained to function in society. What a brilliantly designed “place” we live in. There’s a constant processing of information being configured into manifestations based on perceptions.

Maybe that’s what the Zen guys were talking about when they said that nothing (no thing) is real and that pain doesn’t exist. My mind has been very happy to tell me otherwise and my body has been going along with the program my mind runs daily. So with this new piece of information, what can I do that is different here?

Blessings!
Laura

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Laura@LauraCohnMusic.com
And check out my website at:
http://www.LauraCohnMusic.com
Where Music Meets Artistry

An Hour/Song

That’s about how long it’s taking to record lead vocals for my CD, at least so far. It’s a lot of fun to be in the studio. Sometimes I’m amazed at how long it takes to change the way I’m singing a phrase. I can hear what my producer, Robert, wants me to sing, but getting my body to do that is another story. Sometimes it’s a pathetically funny one.

It’s easy to be humbled recording an album with a producer. The playback does not lie. When it’s lame it’s just lame and there’s no denying it, just do it again. Fortunately, Robert is very patient and cool with me when I totally get it wrong. Eventually I do get it right but I’m just laughing at myself in this process of becoming a recording artist.

The real humor is going to come when I get the finished CD and have to start learning how to sing my songs like they sound on the album. Hopefully my neighbors will be very busy out of the building when I’m playing the songs over and over and over again and singing them even more. Excessive practice made Fred Astaire an amazing dancer.

Blessings!
Laura

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Laura@LauraCohnMusic.com
Or check out my website at:
http://www.LauraCohnMusic.com
Where Music Meets Artistry

It's A Matter Of Soul

I bumped into a writer/director I know when I was out today. He asked me how my CD recording was going which got us talking about making a living with music, screenplays and other forms of art. It helped me to talk with him because he’s an artist who has succeeded commercially as a filmmaker and understands how to be an artist in business.

He talked to me about how tough it is to be a creative person in the entertainment business because when an artist creates something then they’re dealing with their soul in negotiations and that’s harder than working on a business deal that isn’t personal, like selling houses. The person selling the house doesn’t have their soul in the deal.

As an artist, I tend to deal on a soul level anyway. Most people don’t realize that they’re dealing with my soul at all when they’re talking to me or that I might be looking at theirs. The difference between being with someone who is connected with their soul and someone who is not is that the person who is not doesn’t tend to see very much about life.

Blessings!
Laura

Email me to sign up for my weekly newsletter at:
Laura@LauraCohnMusic.com or visit my website at:
http://www.LauraCohnMusic.com
Where Music Meets Artistry

When I Get Lost

Somehow when I think I’ve wound up in the wrong place it turns out to be a good thing that I ended up there. Today I went to the County Clerk’s office for something I needed to do. In Van Nuys, there are a bunch of official buildings for things in the same area. It reminds me of a college campus for government stuff, except smaller.

A normal person would probably have found the place I was looking for very easily, but I was tired and parked far away so I could walk a bit and enjoy the sunshine and fresh air. Fresh air in LA is a mindset. Whenever the sky is blue, I get happy and then I like to walk. I ended up in the wrong building and when I walked in saw someone I recognized.

It was a friend of a friend and we had a great conversation. It was the perfect break in my day. I find when I get to talking with people a power comes in that gives us the right thing at the right time that we need to hear or think about and then we get to continue on with what we thought we were doing. I’ve realized I never really know what I’m doing.

Blessings!
Laura

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Where Music Meets Artistry

NARIP: The G-Man Talks

Scott G, a.k.a. The G-Man of www.gmanmarketing.com, gave a NARIP talk tonight about publicity and PR, especially in regards to the internet. It was one of those presentations that saturated my brain with a tremendous amount of information. I took a lot of notes, and Scott handed out material, so I should assimilate it all pretty well.

Scott pointed out that it is very important to know what business you’re in and who you are selling to. He mentioned that the railroad companies that saw themselves as being in the transportation business succeeded, while the railroads that thought they were in the train business disappeared. How I define who I am as an artist is vital for my success.

Scott was very candid about sharing ideas and experiences he’s had in writing press releases, articles, and how he’s submitted them for publication online and offline. He also talked about the kinds of materials that are appropriate to submit and where. Scott writes music and licenses his music for commercial use. A creative soul can wear many hats.

Blessings!
Laura

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Where Music Meets Artistry

"Lets Do Another One."

My producer, Robert Eibach, and I were in the studio recording lead vocal tracks. We finished, “Wakantanka” and “Miracle”. He took me through the songs line by line, section by section repeatedly. He would smile at me and say, “That was really great! Let’s do another one.” It was very funny. But it helped me get a good performance.

The nuances of sounding good on a recording are subtle and it takes time to get that last 20% -25% to make things just right. That’s the difference between sounding okay or amazing. I’m not sure where people will rate where I am on the scale with this CD, but I probably have a better chance at amazing than I ever had before recording.

It brought a lot of things to my attention about my songs that I haven’t really thought about before. When I write about my emotions or a story, I don’t always realize what pictures get painted for other people or how those things look in someone else’s mind. Sometimes my little world seems mundane to me, but a song makes it much bigger.

Blessings!
Laura

Get gig info on the homepage at:
http://www.LauraCohnMusic.com
Where Music Meets Artistry

Sentences

I heard someone say once that when we put words together and say something, we are creating sentences for ourselves that we have to live in. My mind flashed to a criminal being sentenced to a prison term. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that when someone is put behind bars it’s a prison sentence. Our words create circumstances in life.

When I first started writing music, I noticed that my lyrics were depressing to me. I didn’t want to sing a song if what I was saying was going to make me feel bad or make me feel stuck. So I started changing the words so what I was saying in my songs gave me movement and hope that I could do better, and things would improve.

Then I started paying more attention to how I used words and what I would agree to when people were talking to me, and that helped me change a lot. I was talking to a friend who I talked to a lot about positive speaking and spirituality when we first met. He had never been exposed to that. Now it’s 10 years later and he loves his life and what he does.

Blessings!
Laura

Get gig info on the homepage at:
http://www.LauraCohnMusic.com
Where Music Meets Artistry

Vocal Recording

On Monday, I’m going to the studio to start recording lead vocals. I’ve been listening to my scratch tracks with vocals and my guitar tracks with some percussion on them without vocals so I can practice. How it feels to sing a song and what it sounds like recorded are two completely different things. It’s an enlightening thing to listen to my songs on CD.

This process is giving me a new appreciation as to why people are called recording artists and not recording singers. Just singing a song doesn’t require artistry. Recording a lead vocal for a song does. How the characteristics of the song are emphasized vocally and how phrases are sung in rhythm can make a song amazing or just okay.

Tom Jones is a master at vocal delivery. I don’t know of many singers who could have made the song “Delilah” a hit record. Freddy Mercury’s recording of “Another One Bites The Dust” is probably one of the best vocal tracks ever cut. Annie Lennox has a vocal style that makes listening to a song over and over again a journey of discovery.

Blessings!
Laura

Get gig info on the homepage at:
http://www.LauraCohnMusic.com
Where Music Meets Artistry

Acceptance

A friend of mine and I went out for dinner tonight. During our conversation she said that she’s learned to accept herself and that makes it easier for her to be herself in her life. I think she is very wise. When I have things about myself that I don’t accept that’s usually when I become unhappy and discontent. I’m not easy to be around if I get into that.

Being an artist has not been an easy path for me. There are things about my priorities that haven’t always jived with the rest of the world. When I used to paint a lot and I was also working on my music, I would get so altered that it was hard for me to relate to people very well. I was anchored in my heart because that’s where I go to create.

My mind didn’t know what to do with that. It felt like it didn’t have the instructions about how to live my life when I tried to be in the world. My brother once told me that I’m a person who likes to live outside of the box. I guess he’s right about that. What my heart tells me to do isn’t necessarily what my mind wants for me: Hence my dilemma.

Blessings!
Laura

Get gig info on the homepage at:
http://www.LauraCohnMusic.com
Where Music Meets Artistry

Reasons

I find there are reasons for everything. I usually don’t know what the reasons are, but I do know they’re there. When I look at what’s going on in my life, the world, and listen to people talk about their day I can tell that there are underlying forces at work that we have no control over. I can’t tell you why I do most of what I do other than it seems right.

My perception of right changes fairly often. It’s an indication that I’m growing in my life. It also has taught me that I’m not really able to judge things very accurately at times. I’m pretty good at following my instincts, even if they don’t make any sense to my logical mind. When I listen to that, things eventually come around and turn out for the best.

I do find that when I trust the intelligence that creates everything to take care of what is needed in my life and in the world I am at peace and feel a sense of calm that I don’t get when I listen to the news and people ranting and raving. Emotional passion doesn’t always breed sanity in action. It can be very intense and very rough to get through.

Blessings!
Laura

Get gig info on the home page at:
http://www.LauraCohnMusic.com
Where Music Meets Artistry

Sunset Ranch Hollywood

I played a show at Sunset Ranch Hollywood last night. It was a terrific experience to turn north onto Beachwood Dr. off Franklin in Hollywood, drive up to the top of the road and find myself in the mountains in a rustic setting. It was wonderful to meet the people who work up there and great to see all the horses. Horses are special.

It’s been awhile since I’ve gone to the mountains and every time I do it brings me the most peaceful feeling. Performing outside under the stars with the full moon’s light was the perfect thing for me. Having a heater on stage with me was also a gift. It gets a little cold at night at elevation and it’s hard for me to perform well if I’m cold.

It’s nice to know that nature is accessible in the heart of city life. Most people think of LA as a concrete place. There is that aspect here. There are also some of the most gracious and kind people I have ever met living in LA, especially in the entertainment industry. I look for the best in people when I meet them and that’s usually why I find that.

Blessings!
Laura

Get gig info on the homepage at:
http://www.LauraCohnMusic.com
Where Music Meets Artistry

Press Release

SINGER/SONGWRITER LAURA COHN RECORDING A NEW SOCIAL/ POLITICAL CD FEATURING HER SONG “WAKANTANKA” IN RESPONSE TO ANTI-ISRAEL POLITICS AND WAR IN THE MIDDLE-EAST.

Los Angeles based singer/songwriter Laura Cohn is recording a new CD with producer/engineer, Robert Eibach, in world re-known trumpet player David Longoria’s studio at Del Oro Music in Studio City, CA. “I’m very grateful to be recording this album and it’s an honor to work with Robert and David on this project”, said Cohn, “Their experience, talent, and support are an incredible gift to my work making this CD.”

Percussionist, Voyce McGinley, III, who has been playing with Laura Cohn for over a year now, is one of the musical artists joining her on the recording. “The vision for this project is simple.” Cohn explained, “It’s a commentary on where we are at in our thinking as a society and how we can see a bigger picture of what’s going on beyond what is being reported in the news.” Laura Cohn is hoping that her CD will give people another way of looking at things so they can make new choices in how they see themselves and others.

In June, 2006, Laura Cohn said that she added the Muslim name, Allah, to her song “Wakantanka” after she read about Iran’s new law requiring Jews and Christians to wear identifying bands on their clothing. With the addition of the current Middle East war, Cohn believes it’s important for her to discuss new perspectives about how people are living in the world with her songs publicly. Laura Cohn would like to share a way for people to approach their lives in a mindset that focuses on social kindness rather than racism, fear and hatred.

Cohn explains, “When I hear people talking about the world and their beliefs, there isn’t an acknowledgment of some very pertinent information that is available to us today that wasn’t around when our forefathers were making decisions about what was right and wrong here. A lot of people are operating on a mindset that is thousands of years old. More has been revealed about what we are and what we are living in from various fields of science and mathematics that make the reasons people use to be at war with each other obsolete.”

Laura Cohn believes that social kindness is a key virtue that can be learned and utilized in very profound ways. Cohn stated, “People who feel overwhelmed or in a state of hopelessness by what they hear being reported in the world or the circumstances in their lives can change that feeling by being kind to others. It gives people something they can do that brings results.” Cohn has a prayer request column in her weekly newsletter called, “Be Kind To Strangers” where she regularly invites people to pray for others in need. “Small random acts of kindness can do a lot”, says Cohn.

* * *

For information, visit www.LauraCohnMusic.com.

About Laura Cohn:
Laura Cohn is an advocate of social kindness. She became a private pilot at 17. Cohn began writing music after she graduated from Tulane University with a degree in Political Science. Laura Cohn writes a daily blog at www.lacohnzone.blogspot.com to voice her observations, questions and musings about her life. She is currently performing around LA.


Contact:
Michael Levine
Levine Communications Office
310-300-0950 x230
www.lcoonline.com

Vocal Style

When I took acting lessons at CAP Theater with Lonny Stevens, I learned about being in character and maintaining my focus there. It helped me when I was performing, but it still didn’t give me the specifics in how to use that in my vocal style. That’s why I appreciate working with April Diamond on my songs. She’s my vocal coach.

You can find April at www.myspace.com/aprildiamond if you need a coach. She’s given me new techniques for my singing to get a better quality tone in my voice and she’s also worked with me on my delivery of my songs. The acting training I’ve had has helped me apply what April tells me about each song and what the emphasis needs to be.

As a songwriter, it’s easy to write down my feelings to tell my story or my point of view. Understanding what comes across in a vocal performance of a song isn’t always easy for me to get on my own. When a song is first written, the emotion is right at the surface and I’m able to convey that strongly. To make my older songs sound fresh again takes work.

Blessings!
Laura

Get gig info on the homepage at:
http://www.LauraCohnMusic.com
Where Music Meets Artistry

Words

It’s amazing to me that when words are put in writing that it takes on a different character than when they are spoken. It’s really something to marvel when a lawyer puts together an agreement on paper. All kinds of little things that cover subtle nuances and loopholes get a language all their own. Things I never would have thought of get spelled out.

It’s a fascinating process to take a simple conversation and then put it into words and make it coherent. Or if I have an idea that I want to convey to someone else it’s like a puzzle that gets pieced together when I have to find the words to describe what I’m talking about. I like having language to use, even if sometimes it seems limited.

When I’m writing lyrics to a song, being able to tell a story or paint a picture of emotions and images in a structured time frame becomes a very specific exercise in chiseling out the details in rhythm and rhyme. And the melody has to move in harmony to what the story conveys. It’s powerful to create with words in a song.

Blessings!
Laura

Get gig info on the homepage at:
http://www.LauraCohnMusic.com
Where Music Meets Artistry

Recording Tracks

It’s fun to be recording an album again. My guitar tracks are done and the good news is that they didn’t need to be edited. My producer told me that the couple of strums that he would fix can be done in the mixing. That saves time and money. I’m working on some new vocal style ideas that my voice coach gave me to try out. It’s keeping things fresh.

Voyce McGinley, III is adding in his percussion magic in our next session. Recording artist, Tim Fagan, (who is an amazing guitar player), is coming down to the studio to check out the project. He and Voyce play shows together a lot and Voyce had talked to me about recording with Tim before. Now we’ll get to make that happen.

With Tim adding lead and harmony guitar parts, the songs will have a great sound to them. Bass will be in the mix and I’m thinking cello in some places. Sax is always a favorite for me and I’m deciding between clarinet and harmonica for some things. Of course adding some beats could be interesting. I love creating.

Blessings!
Laura

Get gig info on the homepage at:
http://www.LauraCohnMusic.com
Where Music Meets Artistry

Live Rehearsals

Most of the time when I play a gig I consider it to be live rehearsal. It’s a chance to practice what I do as an artist in front of a live audience. That is so much more helpful to me than playing in my living room. A lot of things can happen on stage. The sound may not be right, people talk and it’s not always easy to tell how things are coming across.

The pay off from doing that, especially in non-ideal venues for music, is that my level of performance is not determined by the surroundings that I’m in. I need to be a competent performer whether or not the guitar sounds right or people are paying attention to what I’m doing. I’m the entertainment, it’s not about me. It’s about people having fun.

When I’m doing my job, I’m in a groove and people can hang with the vibe. The real pay off is being able to play my songs in the recording studio straight through without making any mistakes. That saves time and money. It also helps me be professional, which is a key issue for people who are looking to work with an artist. Play live and play often.

Blessings!
Laura Cohn

Get gig info on the homepage at:
http://www.LauraCohnMusic.com
Where Music Meets Artistry

Candy Apple Red

My car is being painted candy apple red at Earl Scheib today. It has a pearl finish to it. Did you know you can get coupons online with them? I was excited. My car is a 1989 Honda Civic. I’m the original owner. The car was red when I got it. I wasn’t looking for a red car the day I got it. I just needed a car and this was what they had for my budget.

I was 60 miles west of Chicago driving on a freeway when my gear shifter started falling through the bottom of my old car. With a lot of prayer and careful driving, I got back to the city and to a shop in Old Town. They said it would cost $29 for an estimate to fix it. I walked 2 doors down to the Honda dealership and told the sales guy I needed a car today.

The shop was going to charge me $400 to fix the old car, a Plymouth Champ. The dealership gave me $700 cash for the Champ and my new Honda to drive home in 6 hours later. I love America. My car has lived with me in 4 states and has around 137,000 miles on it. Candy apple red will be a nice upgrade for my car.

Blessings!
Laura

Get gig info on the homepage at:
http://www.LauraCohnMusic.com
Where Music Meets Artistry

NARIP at LA Songnet

Tess Taylor, President of NARIP, was speaking at a LA Songnet meeting in Alta Dena and gave an inspired talk to a group of songwriters. It was filled with very useful information that would help anyone in all areas of their life. She highlighted what makes a person desirable to work with and what makes a person more successful.

Emotional intelligence was one of the first things she mentioned. She also said that she would rather work with someone with mediocre talent who was persistent, intelligent, and had integrity than an extremely talented person who didn’t possess those traits. She noted that most artists do not have a marketing plan for their business and they need one.

She talked about some of her own goals and how writing them down has been a powerful tool to making them happen. She said she also makes it a point to help at least 3 people a day, which sometimes means she gets on the phone to call people she knows who could use some assistance with things. It’s no wonder that Tess is making a name for herself.

Blessings!
Laura

Get gig info on the homepage at:
http://www.LauraCohnMusic.com
Where Music Meets Artistry

Being Good To People

There’s a guy who works at the butcher counter at Whole Foods who is an artist and a pretty spiritual person. Today he pointed something out to me that I hadn’t really given much thought to until he mentioned it. I think that’s why I like talking to people. I get to learn so much from listening to other people’s understanding of the world.

He said there is a difference between someone who is nice and someone who is good to people. He said that a lot of people act nice, but they aren’t really good to people. Then he said that there are people who are kind of abrupt or harsh in how they come across, but they do good things for people. He said being good to people is what’s important.

When he said that, I thought of one person I know that always says nice things, but his actions aren’t usually kind at all. If he didn’t say a word and I were to just look his actions, I would say he doesn’t care about anyone in the world at all, not even himself. Caring about others comes from a deep love inside. Some people don’t ever go there.

Blessings!
Laura

Get gig info on the homepage at:
http://www.LauraCohnMusic.com
Where Music Meets Artistry