Indie Star Adventures (ISA): ep1

Hey babies, Vivian here with the next ep of ‘The Indie Star Adventures’..

So.. I got a little Tribe filtering through my NEW speakers. Yeah, I had to go out and get some new speakers today. The ones I had were really compact and lightweight which is perfect for travel but they had no bass.. Now you know you can’t be rocking Tribe without the low end, right? I was on a Biggie rampage last week, trying to eek some low end out of them damn speakers, I just couldn’t do it. So, I guess I’m gon’ be that ghetto chick that always has too many bags ‘ cause I gots to have me a bottle of Red Devil hot sauce, my giant ass speakers, hair grease, flat iron, too many pair of shoes, the kitchen sink, whatev’s..
For real though, I forget sometimes just how much I love Tribe and Biggie and then I put them on and it’s like I discover this music all over again and I have to listen to every record. It’s like I just get in a zone.. but I had to give Q’s Renainssance a rest, I have played that ish to death. Is it just me, or is that the dopest record out right now, still?? If not, please tell me what is ‘cause I damn sho’ need another record to play.. (and please don't holla at me about nan a record that aint banging' from start to finish, k?)

Ok .. So, I have been getting scolded left and right about my lackadaisical blogging..
Kevin, my girl Kat, even my boy Will.. I know.. I’ve been terrible, but I’m gonna do better..
Promise.. I even got a new camcorder (do we still call them that?) and I’m gonna start a vlog in a few weeks.. Just let me get my i-movie skills together

And now, here’s the latest..
First up, the P!nk tour – is going fabulously well, and that might be an understatement. So far every show has been sold out.
Now, I don’t wanna’ give too much away , ‘cause I want you all to come out and see the show, because honestly? This is the baddest show I have ever seen, much less been fortunate enough to be a part of! And that is no lie, just straight truth. If you never were a P!nk fan before, you will absolutely be one after you see this show.. She puts all the other divas TO SHAME.

First of all, the costumes are by Bob Mackie (Carol Burnett, Cher, and what a gentleman) and they are really beautiful and show off P!nk's fierce ass body.
The music is stellar and has something for everyone. The entire band is showcased, and we kick major ass every night whilst P!nk sings her ass off.
The dancers are beautiful, every single one of them.. and so graceful and so talented.
The lights, the movie screens and stage design are nothing short of spectacular, seriously..

The thing I hear the most from people, folks I know and strangers alike, is ‘I have to see it again, there was so much to see, I just couldn’t choose one thing to look at’..
Plus, I’m out here with Jenny, so you know.. trouble ensues, hahahaha. I should probably be calling this blog ‘The Adventures of the Shopaholics’ (hahaha, someone did that already, didn’t they?) It was Jen’s birthday last month so I treated her to a pair of Choo’s. All of y’all better know what a Choo is (lol). I try to spoil her whenever I can, she is my idol!

Then again, we have our down days too. So far, everyone’s been sick with a cold or the stomach flu. In fact I was patting myself on the back that I managed to escape unscathed, only to succumb last nite to the worst stomach flu I’ve had in a long time. Boy I went down hard. Let me tell you, it is not fun to have to perform when all you want to do is hug the toilet
So there you have it, it's not all fun, games and glamour. All the travel can wear you down sometimes, but we have so much fun too and you couldn’t ask for a nicer or more fun group of people.

Moving right along.. The new LP – is shaping up nicely.. Now, this is probably going to be hilarious to some of you, but I can’t decide what genre I want to do next so in typical Sagittarian form, I’m doing 2 records.. (haha). I know, I’m crazy but some days I wake up and feel like ‘This is the direction I want to go in’, and then other days I wake up and feel like ‘No no no, THIS is the way to go..’ so now you know, I’m indecisive sometimes.. I’m even going so far as doing separate artwork and the whole nine. Hopefully, as I get closer to the release date I’ll have a clue but until then, I’m just reveling in the music.
Chris is out here with me, (twice so far) recording, writing, brainstorming and getting in some quiet time ;-)

Got a couple of photo shoots coming up, starting to get pics together for the artwork and what have you. Getting all my ducks in a row for the next release. There is a ton of stuff that has to happen to put a record out, even as an indie, and being the perfectionist that I am, that means double or triple the work for me, so you most definitely need an awesome team.

Coming up in the next few blogs I’ll talk a little bit about the team we’ve managed to put together so far, but in a nutshell;
-We have an excellent PR firm that did some spectacular work for us with the last record. Everywhere you saw us, they had a hand in it.
-Through our PR company, we met and had several meetings with a great marketing firm, so hopefully you’ll hear us on the radio with this next record.
-An amazing graphic artist that I found on Myspace whose work is stunning. He’ll be doing the artwork for the cd and revamping the website.
-Our attorney, who is an absolute Godsend and goes so far above and beyond what is usually asked of an attorney.
-We are signing on with a new internet PR company who comes highly recommended the folks over at CDBaby.

We have a few other key players who are signing on to assist in various ways, as well.
The only 2 missing, but very key pieces to this puzzle are a booking agent and/or a manager. Like most indie artists, these are the 2 most coveted, yet hardest to fill positions in an artists career. Honestly, as an independent artist, if you have one, (either a manager or a booking agent) and they are really good, you usually don’t need both. It would be great to find a good booking agent, but I feel like with all we’ve learned in the last 2 years, releasing and promoting our own music, we would do better to find a really good manager so my goal is to get someone on board before the year is out and hopefully, in time, for the release of the new record.

What are the things you want in a manager?
-Honesty has to be first, right? No brainer there.
-Ear to the ground, needs to know what’s happening.
-Needs to get me, I want someone to see me and be like ‘Yep, I get it!’ (Is that too much to ask?)
-HUNGRY/driven, that one is important, I think.. Lots of get up and go.
-Charming/people person, natural schmoozer (that’s a gift, not everyone can do it, I, for one cannot!).
-Has to have contacts and connections or know how to get them.
-Kind, if you have to talk to someone on a daily, that would be nice, plus I’m kind of the sensitive artist type.
-Patient/stick-to-itiveness ‘cause I’m also kind of stupid sometimes, (sad but true), also comes in handy when it comes to waiting for answers, waiting to get paid, etc.
-Killer instinct, ‘cause people always say that’s a good thing to have in a manager but I want it to be known that I would only appreciate that trait if it’s not directed at me, (I felt like Woody Allen writing that).
-Funny, (I just threw that one in). Maybe attentiveness would be better? Funny goes a long way sometimes, though..
-Fair, also very important and although you wouldn’t think it, it's not the same thing as honesty.

HEY! This almost sounds like a husband list! I already got one of those!
I wonder if I could convince Chris to manage me? I’m pretty sure he’d never go for it.
Then again, you know one of those people who does everything so damn good they can’t never get nothing done, I’m just sayin’. So that probably wouldn’t work no how.. (lol)

Anyhoo, be sure to stay tuned for the next episode of the ‘Indie Star Adventures’ to find out how the search goes..
And as always, drop us a line, anytime..
Peace & love,
Your girl
Viv

Btw, music can change the world..