The Breath Isn't Just Deep, It's Also Wide

The Edward Gorey Garden Party at the Historic Overlook House:

In a swirl of black and lace, I made my solo singing debut after almost 7 years of virtually no vocal performances. With the generous aid of my trusty new accompanist friend, Adam, I rediscovered the power in my breath and belly, to soar through the notes of pain and passion in 8 beautiful songs. These songs are people to me, people who I know intimately, like the best of friends and lovers. It was wonderful to meet with them again. Like a wobbly revisit on a long forgotten bicycle, things my body once knew in every bit of flesh and bone came inching back into my consciousness as I reconnected with these song people. The most profound of these old knowings was the sensation of breath which supports truth and tone. This breath isn't just deep, it's also wide. To get the right support to release a high B or C or F, a singer must allow the breath to open and fill every little crevice of their core and let it become the fuel for inspired vibrations to emerge. It's the the play of breath and flesh and space that make the instrument what it is. Free, flowing, and alive, or pinched, frightened, and controlling. This breath is the ultimate Wu Wei, the art of non-doing, or doing effortlessly. In the the not trying, the magic emerges. It's about trust. When we trust, everything flows.

Fledgling Myspace Music Page...

Hello my dear fans and readers!

Please hear some of my musical work on myspace at www.myspace.com/novadawnsong.  Everything that's up right now, I did in college.  Hopefully, I'll be adding more recent stuff soon.  Enjoy and let me know what you think!

Cheers!

Mlle. Novadawn M.

The Salon Gets a Face Lift!... Sorta...

Dear fans and readers,

I've decided to dedicate this blog to the wanderings, meanderings, adventures, and explorations into my world of creation.  To translate, I will now focus entries on my creative work and that which lies within it's orbit.  Perhaps, I'll still throw in an occasional personal diatribe or rant on other goings on in my life, but for the most part, I want you and me to enjoy the pleasures and pains of my laborious journey into a life lived for art.  So, here we go!  The Siren is singing, let her reel you in!

Love and Light (and Midnight too!),

Mlle. Novadawn M.

Creativity Titer

The question has been, "HOW?".

Now that that's out of the way, I remain unsure of many things.  The titer has returned confirming a positive.  My immunity to creative death is strong!

I've been infused with the knowing once again.  I'm infected with a good disease, right to the core of my bones.

Creation Flows.

Yesterday, on the bus a rather strange woman invited me to a party.  She thought I looked down, but I was just tired.  I was good tired from the hard work of creation.  She saw books in my bag and asked me if it was science or history, or what it was that I was studying.  I told her it was singing, and performance and such creative things.  She said she wanted to be like me.  She asked me how.  It finally, truly made sense to me.

The answer is and always was, GO, DO!  It's sometimes called showing up.

Away with the intellectual pondering of potential and possibility.  Go into it with not a thought, but what to sing in this moment, or that.  It's not the song, it's the voice.  It was always the voice.  The voice alone is enough.

Donum of Vox Vocis ~ The Gift of Voice

Now I obsessively repeat, "Today is a good day to sing."  It's my mantra, my melody.

Now I step through every doorway of opportunity, and let it lead me into the mystery.

Tomorrow, I fly south to sing.  

Here's a Little Message From My Friend Jackie...

Current Obsessions and Interests!

A few things I'm into at the moment:

Music: Vashti Bunyan. I'm enamored of her sweet soft voice, a gentle and clear whisper. Listening to the lyrics takes me into a dreamlike UK countryside, a place I desperately yearn for, where my heart is at home. I can't seem to get enough of her album "Just Another Diamond Day". If you like dreamy music, she's your girl! Read her bio here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vashti_Bunyan

Books: "Awkward and Definition" by Ariel Schrag. This book is two graphic novels in one, penned by then high-schooler Ariel in the mid-90's, chronicling her freshman and sophomore years. The art is great, the writing well-done and the story-lines charming. I'm about a year older than Ariel, so it's really a blast from the past for me, a little reminder of my own high school experience with references to bands, fashions and the general teenage weirdness of the day. Ariel, being in the Bay Area, was probably more worldly than I was, well... more infused with booze, sex and drugs anyway, but I can still relate to the questions on sexuality, celebrity crushes (even if she literally worshiped Juliette Lewis and I literally spat on her every visage), and experimentation with "adult" games, substances, and responsibilities. I heartily enjoyed reading "Awkward and Definition" and look forward to reading the third installment in her series of 4, titled "Potential". Here's a little more about Ariel and her work: http://www.arielschrag.com/pages/bio.html

Dance: Butoh. I just saw and amazing Butoh performance last night by a group called Death Posture. They performed at the Fez Ballroom with a live experimental noise group made up of two prepared guitarists and a percussionist. I was lucky to have the chance to chat with the two dancers, Alex and Vanessa, about their work, and learned a lot about the meaning, intent and history of Butoh as well as their personal artistic processes. I have played with the idea of studying this dance of Japanese origins in the past, but am now even more interested, as it applies to work I've already done and to work that I'm in the process of creating. It would be a welcome addition to my artistic pallet for sure. Look here for some more info on Butoh: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Butoh