Shopping

I don’t know if it’s a girl thing, but I really do like shopping. It doesn’t even matter what I’m going shopping for. A trip to the store for toilet paper makes me smile. Probably because I usually find things I didn’t know I needed that are so conveniently placed in the isles for me to buy. And I love finding new things.

I also find that there are certain stores where I buy certain things, even if I’m in a store that carries the same item. I don’t know why I’m like that. It’s just how I am. Some stores just work for me and others don’t. It takes a really good reason or a great recommendation from a friend to get me into a new place. I’m a creature of habit.

That’s probably what gives me the ability to perform the same songs on a regular basis. It’s just habit for me at this point. I do like getting dressed for a gig. I like having a reason to wear glam gowns and dresses with heels and lipstick. I’m a girl and I like girly things. And I find that it’s more fun being a girl when I do what a girl can do.

Blessings!
Laura

If you’d like to get my weekly newsletter, email me at:
Laura@LauraCohnMusic.com
Where Music Meets Artistry

Ending the Year

It’s always nice to get to the end of a year and look back to what I was doing a year ago at this time to see what has changed. I usually look back at my calendar to see what I was up to. Performing was on my calendar quite a bit. I also was writing a lot. This year I started recording my new CD and that was on the top of my “to do” goal list.

I usually write goals out for the upcoming year sometime in December. I’ll be writing my goals out tomorrow. I started my prayer request in my newsletter at the end of last year. The first two prayer sections were dedicated to people’s goals. It’s fun to see how my goals influenced my activity for the year when I look back on them.

This year my goals are much simpler. Being a gentle, kinder being is one of the things on my list year after year. That’s because a man came in to a store I worked at one night and his presence alone changed how I felt. I don’t think he said more than 10 words and wasn’t in the store long either. But what he was in himself was amazing to behold.

Blessings!
Laura

Check out my friends at:
www.myspace.com/lauracohnmusic
Where Music Meets Artistry

Closet Work

This is a follow up to my plumbing situation. The problems in the apartment upstairs from me have been fixed. There was a lot of water in my lighting fixture in the closet after the work was all done. So the owner’s husband took care of that. We had a bucket in the closet to make sure there weren’t any further pipe problems.

There wasn’t any water coming in this morning, so now they can repair the damage in the closet. I was told that would be done sometime before the end of next week. It will be a few weeks before they replace the living room floor. The maintenance guy is out of town. This will be the second new floor that I’m getting in this apartment since I’ve lived here.

My cat, Macey, is having a good time with all the stuff out of the closet. For her it’s like a jungle gym of excitement to have so many things to explore. I’ve been sleeping at my boyfriend’s place since my clothes are all on my bed and there’s no place for me to sleep while this is going on. He’s made going through this a lot easier.

Blessings!
Laura

If you’d like to get my weekly newsletter, email me at:
Laura@LauraCohnMusic.com
Where Music Meets Artistry

Plumbing

I really do like indoor plumbing. And I know from experience that when plumbing issues happen it’s best to take care of them immediately. Apparently my neighbors upstairs weren’t aware of this because they didn’t bother telling the manager in our building that they were having plumbing problems for about 2 weeks.

I know about this because when I came home this evening there was water on my living room floor and my walk-in closet has water dripping from the light fixture. There was also quite a bit of water on the floor in there as well. I’m taking a break from emptying out my closet and throwing out the stuff with water damage.

Cleaning out that closet was on my list of things to do after Christmas. I just didn’t know I would be doing it so soon or that I would be getting rid of so many things. I’m glad it’s warmer out tonight than it’s been lately. That’s a plus. The plumber will be here to fix everything in the morning. So much for that relaxing evening I was going to have.

Blessings!
Laura

If you’d like to get my weekly newsletter, email me at:
Laura@LauraCohnMusic.com
Where Music Meets Artistry

Merry Christmas!

Ho! Ho! Ho! It’s a beautiful day in LA and what a great Christmas! I love being in LA for the holidays. So many people leave town and it’s really quiet around here. Without the hustle and bustle it’s easy to relax and kick back. We’re going to my friend’s house later to celebrate, so I’m appreciating the calm now.

We were catching some of the Christmas stuff on TV earlier. A lot of choir singing. The Disney World parade was pretty cool. I guess if you have kids going to Disney World for Christmas would be fun. It’s a magical place. I was looking at the performers all dressed up in costumes. That must be a tough job after awhile.

My favorite of all the shows we saw was one about tacky Christmas lights. It was on last night and showed a bunch of homes in Richmond, VA that had hundreds of thousands of lights and decorations for Christmas. It took them more than a month to put all the stuff up. It was pretty impressive. Seemed like a lot of work to me, but that’s me.

Blessings!
Laura

You can sign up for my weekly newsletter at:
www.myspace.com/lauracohnmusic
Where Music Meets Artistry

T'was The Night...

Christmas Eve is always a wonderful night. There’s plenty of chocolate around, all the Christmas gifts are wrapped and dinner will be special. I used to love watching the Christmas specials on TV. Rudolph, Frosty, and The Grinch are still shows I enjoy. I also have watched a lot of Disney stuff over and over again. I’m just a kid at heart.

Tonight will be a quiet night at home. Tomorrow will be very social with lots of great food. I love holiday eating! Even the grocery stores have a big selection of holiday fare. I guess that’s what makes the food special, because it’s for the holidays. Of course, my Jewish upbringing probably has something to do with my food focus.

Other than Yom Kippur, most Jewish holidays are celebrations surrounded by food. Luckily I learned about nutrition and holistic health. That keeps my holiday eating at a reasonable pace. There are some very healthy things to eat during this season, so I do eat those. I like the gift giving part of Christmas. Everyone is happier doing that.

Blessings!
Laura

Check out my friends at:
www.myspace.com
Where Music Meets Artistry

Rock N' Roll Sushi

My friend, Leslie, celebrated her 40th birthday with a rock n’ roll sushi party. I had never been to a rock n’ roll sushi place before. Bright lights, loud music and people getting rowdy reminded me of my old bar days. Leslie was having a great time and that was awesome to see. I think she knows every song from the 80’s.

It was fun to watch people standing on chairs singing to the music. The wait staff got everyone in the restaurant up to do the chicken dance. That was a nice break between courses. The food was pretty good. I’ve had better sushi, but not with as much excitement going on. Usually the restaurants I go to are fairly low key.

The holiday decorations they had in the room were pretty. I love Christmas lights. I found myself kind of mesmerized with everything at times. It was great to celebrate Leslie’s birthday with her. It’s wonderful when I get to share events in my friends’ lives. It’s sharing things with others that makes things special in my life.

Blessings!
Laura

Check out my friends at:
www.myspace.com/lauracohnmusic
Where Music Meets Artistry

Universal Bar & Grill

I played a gig at Universal Bar & Grill last night and it was fun to play. It’s a great room for me. I’ve been playing shows there for over a year now. Sheena Metal books me for shows there. She used to book some nights over at Moonshadows over in North Hollywood and I played there for her as well.

It’s very cool to play the same room on a regular basis. It makes performing very comfortable. It’s important to be comfortable on stage. The audience is comfortable when the performer is comfortable and has fun when the performer they’re watching is having fun. It takes practice to get comfortable as a performer, or at least it has for me.

I’m a pretty shy person and performing in front of people has been something I had to get used to. I remember when I was little, my aunt Gerry used to tell me to sing for people because I could carry a tune. It made me cringe and I hated it. It’s funny that now I’m driven to sing for people quite a bit and I’m recording an album.

Blessings!
Laura

Check out my artist page at:
www.myspace.com/lauracohnmusic
Where Music Meets Artistry

Bass Tracks

My producer, Robert Eibach and I were in the studio working on the CD. Robert put together a CD for Scott Riedle, the bass player who is coming in to record on my songs.
We’ve got 8 more songs for him to record bass parts for. In a couple of weeks, Scott will come in for a session to get the next 4 done.

It’s really nice to have Scott playing on the record. We first got together playing music when we both lived in Tucson. It’s nice to have him playing on the record. Scott is also a great guitar player, so he may do some guitar work as well. Robert hasn’t heard any of Scott’s guitar work yet, so we’ll see how things go.

Robert also worked on the drums for “Bright Blue Skies”. That song is coming together nicely. I have some harmony vocals to record for it and Del Oro Music recording artist, April Diamond, is going to add some vocals on it as well. Robert is an awesome producer and I’m really grateful that I’m recording this project with him.

Blessings!
Laura

You can find Robert Eibach and April Diamond in my top friends at:
www.myspace.com/lauracohnmusic
Where Music Meets Artistry

Sweets

I’ve been given home-made caramel corn, zucchini bread, chocolates and candy canes so far for Christmas. My friend shared some of the Christmas cookies he got with me as well. I usually don’t have much of a sweet tooth, but I’m finding it easy to enjoy the holiday goodies that come my way. So far the Christmas cookies are my favorite.

I had one of the best sugar cookies I had ever eaten last night at a party. I’m not eating big meals these days, so the sweet treats don’t weigh me down. A few small meals with some kind of protein and vegetables work well for me. I’m drinking a lot of hot drinks because it’s been cold lately and plenty of water. That keeps my voice in shape.

I’m thinking that instead of my monthly ice cream indulgence for the holidays I may have to go for another piece of fresh banana cream pie. I was at a Christmas caroling dinner over the weekend and that was my dessert. I had forgotten how much I like whipped cream. I’ll have to forget about that real soon.

Blessings!
Laura

Check out my friends at:
www.myspace.com/lauracohnmusic
Where Music Meets Artistry

Happy Hanukkah!

I don’t know why I seem to be more in the Christmas spirit this year than Hanukkah. Maybe it’s because I haven’t eaten any potato latkes yet. Those are potato pancakes for those who aren’t familiar with the tradition. I haven’t been in the mood for a powder sugar covered jelly donut either. The Israelis I know eat those for Hanukkah.

This year I have more Christmas stuff going on than Hanukkah stuff. I’m playing at Sheena Metal’s Christmas party at Universal Bar & Grill in north Hollywood, 9p on December 21st. I’m even going to play the Christmas song I wrote. Every Jewish songwriter needs to write a Christmas song in my opinion. The best ones are by Jews.

I do like the candle lighting during Hanukkah. Hanukkiahs are pretty. But with a cat who likes to get into everything I’m doing, leaving a bunch of lit candles in the window sill may not work out so well. When Macey gets older, I’m sure she’ll be more laid back about new stuff in the house. Just about everything is a play toy to her at this point.

Blessings!
Laura

Check out my artist page at:
www.myspace.com/lauracohnmusic
Where Music Meets Artistry

The Red Carpet

Last night my friend, Lance, and I went to TinselRock on December 15th at the Key Club in Hollywood to see Del Oro Music recording artists David Longoria, Juliet B. Rock, and April Diamond in concert. I’m recording my album with Del Oro Music so I was excited to see my fellow artists on stage. When we got there, I was invited to walk the Red Carpet.

I was glad I was wearing a great dress. It was such an honor to be asked. My buddy, radio personality, Bradley Quick, was interviewing the celebrities so that made it even cooler. This was my first ever walk on the Red Carpet. I pretended to be a celebrity on a red carpet once when I was at an event while it was being set up. This was even better.

Lance walked with me and he thought it was pretty cool. The show was a lot of fun and the music was awesome! Juliet B. Rock has a rockin’ band and the perfect voice for a rock star. April Diamond had everyone bopping to her beats. And David Longoria’s 17 piece band filled the stage with magic. I love being an artist with Del Oro Music.

Blessings!
Laura

You can check out all of Del Oro Music’s great talent at:
www.DelOroMusic.com

Sentimental Value

When my mom and dad were on their honeymoon, 51 years ago, they bought a round amethyst. It’s a pretty stone. When I was in high school, I found a setting for the stone and had a ring made for my mom. When I was in Tucson my mom gave me the ring for my birthday. I’ve been wearing it everyday.

The ring looks good on my finger. It makes me feel good to wear it because it’s a stone my parents bought when they first got married. There’s something special about that for me. It feels like it’s bringing me good luck. Amethyst is a stone for spirituality and strength. I don’t know that I feel stronger wearing it, it just reminds me of my parents.

I’m not one of those people who collects a lot of stuff. I moved a lot in my twenties and I learned to keep my possessions down to a minimum. I have more space where I live when I don’t have lots of stuff. Every year or so I go through my things and give a lot away. I like things to be simple. Life is so much easier that way.

Blessings!
Laura

Check out my artist page at:
www.myspace.com/lauracohnmusic
Where Music Meets Artistry

Happy On The Inside

I have a friend who makes a lot of money and she is always complaining that she doesn’t have enough. Maybe she’s trying to fix how she feels on the inside with stuff on the outside. I remember awhile back I was talking to someone who gives me great advice about getting a new car. She told me a new car wouldn’t fix me. She was right.

My car is perfect for me. It’s paid for and easy to maintain. It’s reliable, gets me where I need to go and is comfortable. I know I would look fabulous driving a hot little sports car, so maybe one day I’ll get one. The truth is that I look fabulous driving my Honda civic. I’m happy and happy people look fabulous. Have you noticed that?

I heard once that happiness is about wanting what you already have. I love what I have in my life. I love what I get to do with the people I spend time with. I love my cat, Macey. She is such a wonderful kitty. I love where I live, where I shop, what I buy and what I eat on any given day. What do you love about your life?

Blessings!
Laura

Check out my artist page at:
www.myspace.com/lauracohnmusic
Where Music Meets Artistry

Song Choices

My producer, Robert Eibach, and I were in the studio and went over all the songs for the album. We have 14 basic tracks done, so Robert picked out 2 to put on the back burner. It’s good to have choices. I don’t know which songs of mine are the right ones for the CD. I wrote them and have a special relationship with all of them.

I’m happy with the choices Robert made. One of the songs he picked to hold off on is one that I’m going to be re-working a bit. My sister gave me some great feedback when I was with my family in Tucson. She’s always been a fabulous director and has given good suggestions before. I run that stuff by Robert now since he is a professional producer.

I’ve got some rehearsing to do for some lead vocal recording we’ll be doing for the love songs we just got working on. I’ve got a gig on Saturday, so I’ll be able to play thru them during my show. Live performance is the best rehearsal for me. It’s tons of fun and gives me a chance to work things out. I’ll still be singing in my living room. That works, too.

Blessings!
Laura

You can find Robert Eibach in my top friends at:
www.myspace.com/lauracohnmusic
Where Music Meets Artistry

Layers

Today I got one of those bone chills and no amount of heat was going to be enough. So I went to my closet and pulled out long underwear to put on under my jeans, and 3 long sleeve tops to put on under my jacket. I also added a scarf, mittens, and sheepskin lined shoes. I was toasty and very happy. Staying warm is a top priority for my health.

I learned to be a layer queen when I lived in the mountains in Telluride, CO. I had experienced a lot of cold weather before, growing up in Chicago, but being at 8,750 ft. gave me a new definition for chilly. I’m glad I know how to layer for warmth and comfort. I have a gig on Saturday night and I need to have my voice for the show.

This is the first time that I’ve pulled out long underwear in LA. I’m glad I have some. Other people I know are very comfortable with a chill in the air and don’t need a lot of extra clothing. That’s just not how my body is today. I’m going to be adding a lot of hot soup to my meals now that winter is kicking into gear. Mmm, mmm, good.

Blessings!
Laura

If you’d like to get my weekly newsletter, hit me up at:
Laura@LauraCohnMusic.com
Where Music Meets Artistry

Sex Trafficking

My friend, Sharon Plache, www.myspace.com/peaceflags, invited me to join her at the UN Film Festival at the American Film Institute in Hollywood. The subject of the documentaries I saw were about modern day slavery, other wise known as sex trafficking. It’s a worldwide issue and very much alive in the United States.

Cargo: Innocence Lost is filmmaker, Michael Cory Davis’ 2nd film covering the topic of sex trafficking. His first film, Svetlana’s Journey, was inspired by a young girl he met at an orphanage in Bulgaria when he was working on a project. Svetlana survived her experience of being sold into prostitution and her story changed Michael’s life.

What I find sad is that these girls that are forced into prostitution typically have sex with 15-30 men a day. So my question is, if these men knew that the girls they are paying for are engaged in sex with so many other men on a daily basis and that these girls are seriously abused when they are brought into this trade, would they still be clients?

Blessings!
Laura

You can find out more about Michael Cory Davis’ film at:
www.cargoinnocencelost.com
It’s wonderful that a man is educating people about this issue.

Cat Toys

I’ve tried to let my little cat, Macey, know that plants are not kitty toys. She doesn’t seem to be getting it. I have a small jade plant that is slowly being taken apart. She likes to get in the pots of my bigger plants. Maybe it’s a jungle adventure she’s going for. I’m not sure. She does look really cute when she’s sitting in a plant looking stealth.

When I’m working on my computer, she finds everything on my desk very important to play with. She likes walking across my keyboard when I’m writing. It just makes me laugh. I pick her up and give her big hugs when she does that. I’ll put her in my lap and pet her for a bit and then she’s off and running to find something else to play with.

I was told when I got her that she was very mellow and didn’t really like to play. She is pretty mellow, but she loves to play. She likes ribbons and bows a lot. In the morning she’ll bring her ribbon with her onto my bed and play on my legs. I did buy her some cat toys but those don’t seem to be as interesting to her as my stuff. She must love me.

Blessings!
Laura
If you’d like to get my weekly newsletter, email me at:
Laura@LauraCohnMusic.com
Where Music Meets Artistry

Blue Glass

I picked up some cobalt blue glass water glasses, bowls and a couple of platters today at an estate sale. It was fun to look around. I love colored glass. My parents used to take me with them to glass art shows when I was still living in Chicago. There’s something magical about glass: Maybe because glass shimmers in the light.

I also like using glass dishes better than anything else. It’s cleaner to eat off of than ceramic for me. I used to like ceramic bowls and stuff, but now I’m into glass. When I was recovering from a chemical injury I was told not to use plastic containers for food or water. Glass was one of the suggested materials to use for storage.

That must have stuck with me because doing that and other things helped me get my health back. It was a long process to regain my ability to function in the world again. I had never dealt with a health crisis before. It changed everything about my lifestyle. And since what I did made me better, I’m sticking with what works.

Blessings!
Laura

If you’d like to get my weekly newsletter, email me at:
Laura@LauraCohnMusic.com
Where Music Meets Artistry

Understanding

I find that when I have a clear understanding of what my objective should be I’m much more effective in getting things done. And sometimes that requires some communication. It’s not that I need to understand much. I need to understand what has to be accomplished, not why, just how it all comes together and who the players are.

Usually a series of questions with an adequate amount of explanation will go a long way, especially when the objective I’m going for is of benefit to those involved in the situation. It’s amazing how willing people are to help out when they are put in a situation where they will win for doing so. Everyone likes to be a winner.

I’ve noticed that honesty is the best policy when I’m working with others. People hear the truth and get very comfortable when they’re being dealt with in a straight up manner. I always notice that the truth cuts through anything and helps things move forward more smoothly. Telling the truth is an easy thing to do if you’re willing to do it.

Blessings!
Laura

If you have any questions about this you can email me at:
Laura@LauraCohnMusic.com
Where Music Meets Artistry

Recording

I got a call from David over at Del Oro Music, that Robert was running late and to bring my guitar in to record the new songs for the album. I wasn’t sure about doing that because I thought I should have rehearsed a lot more. I, of course, used the excuse that my guitar strings should probably be changed to do the session.

When I stopped home, I pulled out my guitar and played through the songs. I decided that Robert could decide if the strings needed changing and headed over to the studio. Robert actually thought the guitar sounded better because the strings were broken in enough to have a warm tone. It felt good to be recording tracks again,

We got the guitar parts done for three songs and recorded a live version of “Baby So Long”. That’s the song I wrote with my family when I was 12 yrs. old. It’s fun to sing. It took a few takes to get it right. With a live recording, Robert can’t go in and sweeten some things like he can with separate tracks. This album is coming together nicely.

Blessings!
Laura

You can find Robert in my top friends at:
www.myspace.com/lauracohnmusic
Where Music Meets Artistry

Rehearsing

I’ve been getting ready to record the love songs for my album. They’re not the standard Laura Cohn songs that get played in every set. I have a few of those. It’s fun to play them. For the studio, I have to be exact in timing, articulation, and expression on every song. It’s a lot to think about when the song has a lot of chord changes.

Two of these songs have finger picking guitar parts. “Our Love” is pretty intricate with the changes. My neighbors will probably know the song well after I’ve played it about a hundred times. That’s what it takes to get my chops in shape on a song like that. One song I wrote took me over two years to be able to play right, when I first started writing.

Most of the extreme talent people display is a result of a lot of rehearsal hours. I’m lucky that I can be redundant in my personality. It gives me the ability to play songs over and over again without getting tired of it. That and being a perfectionist gives me stamina. Rehearsing for the studio is different than rehearsing for stage. It’s more work.

Blessings!
Laura

You can find my producer, Robert Eibach, in my top friends at:
www.myspace.com/lauracohnmusic
Where Music Meets Artistry

'Tis The Season

It’s been really pretty at night around the Valley now that people are putting up their Christmas lights on their houses. I love the Christmas season. I’m kind of a bling bling girl at heart and anything that sparkles and shines with lots of colors puts a smile on my face. It’s always been that way with me ever since I was a little kid.

I also like that the holidays get me to slow down a bit. With the winter weather coming in and less hours of daylight, it’s nice to be in a mode of celebration, giving, and shifting gears to end the year. I’m always amazed at how much goes on in a year. When I look back at how things were in January and how things are now I can see growth in my life.

It’s good for me to take stock of how blessed I am, how great people are in my life and what I can do to be more helpful to the people around me. That gives me a good starting point in setting goals for the upcoming year. I don’t make New Year’s resolutions. Goals work better for me. With the holidays I can get quiet and re-establish my priorities.

Blessings!
Laura

Check out some of the great people in my life at:
www.myspace.com/lauracohnmusic
Where Music Meets Artistry

In The Moment

I’m not sure if it’s the holidays or something just shifted in me. Ever since I got my cat I don’t feel any need to rush or get things done quickly. It’s not that I’m being unproductive. I’m accomplishing a lot. It’s just that in each moment there is plenty of time to do whatever needs to be done and time takes on a different energy in the moment.

It’s like time isn’t what it used to be. I used to be in a hurry. I don’t know what the sense of urgency was exactly, but it’s nice to be relaxed in getting things done. There are times when I’m dealing with people who are in a mindset of immediacy and a little panicked in how they are approaching what they’re doing. It’s such a contrast.

It seems that there’s more time in a moment when I’m in the moment instead of in my head thinking of a bunch of stuff. It’s easier for me to focus on what I’m here to do when I’m where I am in my thinking. My mind used to wander a lot. Maybe I’ve just learned to appreciate what I have more so being where I am is more fun than anything else.

Blessings!
Laura

To sign up for my weekly newsletter, email me at:
Laura@LauraCohnMusic.com
Where Music Meets Artistry

Del Oro Music

I was over at Del Oro Music today to drop something off. The people there really have fun working together. That’s probably what makes the vibe of the place so conducive to fabulous creativity. Aside from the fact that everyone is extremely talented, one of the nicest things about being there is that everyone is very real and down to earth.

It’s been fascinating how in a subtle way my producer, Robert Eibach, guitar extraordinaire, Carl Strand, percussionist/actor/photographer, Eddie Rouse, and vocal coach, April Diamond, have all helped me grow so much, and not just as an artist, but as a person. My approach to my life has changed from their influence.

And I just thought I was paying for studio time, vocal training, and some music tracks for my songs. It’s fascinating how my perspective shifts as things unfold. I don’t know what will happen with my album or my songs. I don’t know how people will respond to my songs at all. The funny thing to me is that I’m not even concerned about it.

Blessings!
Laura

You can find Robert, April and Carl in my top friends at:
www.myspace.com/lauracohnmusic
Where Music Meets Artistry

From Taking To Giving

I heard a guy talking about being a taker. He said that he couldn’t go from taking to giving because you can’t give anything if you don’t have anything to give. He said that he needed to become a receiver and then he was able to become a giver once he had learned that. He also said that receiving is a gift for the people who are giving to you.

He was the first person I had ever heard talk about a process of change in that way. I hadn’t given it much thought. I’ve noticed that some people who give without being able to receive have a tough time being peaceful. It’s almost as if they’re stressed when they give. Before that guy mentioned his transition I didn’t see the connection with that.

I know for me, when I feel safe it’s easy for me to receive and give. If I’m not being honest with myself and get caught up in some kind of agenda then I can get off balance in how I show up in situations with people. I’m better when my heart is open to caring about others and contributing something that’s useful when I’m involved in my circumstance.

Blessings!
Laura

If you’d like to receive my weekly newsletter, shoot me an email at:
Laura@LauraCohnMusic.com
Where Music Meets Artistry