Never before, and probably never again am I
gonna do something like this.
Give a look at this week's video. If
You have ever had projects that you felt like giving
up on, I challenge you to think differently. You'll
never experience success if you keep saying you're
gonna get to it "someday."
Let yourself off the hook!
You deserve a little bit of time to clear your head - maybe some
down time, sure - but if you keep quitting before you start, you'll
never get where you want to go. I'm
gonna share with you a little secret... When you
run through this video, you'll see what I mean. Somewhere
around the 1:13 mark, you'll find out my "third approach"
and how it can help you get through task overwhelm. If you feel lost in the
desert on the number of projects you've got on your plate,
you are not alone. Just remember that quitting is
never the answer. It's gonna take stamina, it's
gonna take determination, it's gonna take sweat equity to
make your dreams come true.
You deserve to stand tall and own your dreams. Don't
cry about missed opportunities. Keep pressing on!
Never give up on what really matters. I'm
gonna say that again. Never give up on what really matters!
Say to yourself that you're worth it! Say
"goodbye" to negative thinking. You're
never going to entertain those thoughts again. You're
gonna take the world by storm!
Tell everyone about your awesome new plan...
a plan that will give you power over overwhelm. Don't
lie around waiting for "someday" to sneak up
and leave you high and dry. Get over your
hurt and let the world know how lucky we are to have
you in it!
(Or just watch the video and it will all become clear)
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It took Bart Howard well over 20 years.
Bart was a piano player in the Blue Angel cabaret, working on his own music, in the hopes of one day working with his idol, Cole Porter.
Most musicians know the name Cole Porter. Very few know the name Bart Howard. But this one song is his legacy.
Bart wrote dozens of tunes, but none were as popular as "Fly Me To The Moon".
Bart was asked by a publisher for something simple, and in 20 minutes he cranked out this cabaret waltz. The publisher asked him to change the lyrics, but Bart refused - a move that could have jeopardized his opportunity to have this song produced. But Bart held his ground on his song. Since then, "Fly Me To The Moon" has been covered, re-arranged, and even had the time signature changed when Quincy Jones arranged a version for Frank Sinatra.
Originally titled "In Other Words," Peggy Lee recorded and later performed the song on national television. As it grew in popularity, Peggy convinced Bart to change the name to it's well known opening line.
For Bart, it was this song. The success of "Fly Me To The Moon" was such that he continued to live off the residuals of that one song for the rest of his life. It's considered a "Towering Song" in the history of contemporary popular music. In 2004, 50 years from when he wrote that tune, Bart died.
This week's song is a request from @PattyKogutek on Twitter. Thanks, Patty! It was a joy to learn this story and be able to share it with everyone.
Just one step. Just one song. Just one moment. That's all it takes to make history. What will you do?
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On the heels of last week's post about Comparison-itis, I was driving in the car with Hubby yesterday and this tune came on the radio. It reminded me that nobody's perfect, we all make mistakes, and that's how we learn.
Have you been beating yourself up because you're not perfect? This catchy little tune might help. 🙂
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So I'm in Minnesota this week, and I'm spending time with my coach, workin' on me. We take a dinner break and head to a local joint, the Green Mill, and on the radio, I hear what I think is Journey's "Don't Stop Believin'" - a tune I can never get enough of.
But you know how it can be noisy and chaotic in a restaurant, right? I'm trying to tune in, and realize what I'm really hearing is Bono from U2, singing his melancholy "With or Without You".
And BAM! A musical mashup is born.
Here's this week's tune - completed just before I need to leave for the airport to come home. Enjoy!
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This song was recorded before I left town for the Pink Papaya national conference. It was a song I'd heard a couple of years ago
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Happy Independence Day Weekend!
For the 300 songs project this week, I thought it was ironic that I was singing a breakup song by a Brit today (since the US broke up with Great Britain all those years ago), but the votes on Facebook made it hands down the winner. Next week, I'll post the Beyonce tune. 🙂
Watch for my badass boots and my Grandfather's military jacket from WWII. Later this year, I'm hoping to have my Dad's military medals, and when I get them, I'll show them to ya!
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I'm proud of my family's military history, and I'm grateful to ALL the men and women who put their life on the line every day to keep our country in one piece. Say what you will about the current regime, these people risk everything so I can sit in my living room and sing to you. "Thank you" doesn't begin to cut it, but it's what I've got today. THANK YOU!
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I may be ill this week, but I'm not skipping my weekly video. It's time again for another musical medley mashup!
This time, it's the most well known Sunday song of all time (that classic Commodores hit, "Easy") with a little country thrown in for good measure (that Tim McGraw hit "Watch The Wind Blow By").
Lionel wrote his song as a breakup tune, while the other is just a feel good, kick back love song. Put the two together, and it's a fun little anthem about freedom and doing what you love on your own timetable. Enjoy!
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367One of my favorite Jim Brickman tunes is not just a great love song, it's a powerful reminder to own your dreams.
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Well, the auditions for Season 7 of The Voice have come to a conclusion for me. I filmed this yesterday on our way out of town. The audition was awesome, and while I didn't make the cut, I'm completely happy with my audition and learned a lot along the way. A post will follow in the coming days. For now, enjoy one of the songs the judges didn't get to hear.
One last clip from the May show. This is our original jazz arrangement of that classic Mowtown hit "Tears of a Clown".
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If you missed the May show, you can catch the replay here.
This was the finale from our show this month. Needless to say, this was one of those "dream come true" moments for me. When I first started writing this song a couple of years ago, it begged to be played with a band. The Damn Whippersnappers do not disappoint, and Kris' solo is just the soulful kind of melody the song needed.
I heard a whisper on the wind
and an echo in my heart trying to tell me to begin.
I knew the words, held deep inside,
but the spirit wouldn't flow
and no matter how I tried
to fill the void of distant spaces
with the workings machinating in my mind,
to find true love in vacant faces,
it was you. You were with me all the time.
And you will never know what love can do.
My wounds are deep, I can't deny.
And the salty rivers flow down my face 'til they run dry.
I ran away, in shame and pride,
but the echo in my heart keeps telling me to try.
And once again your love is calling with the words so gentle and so clear
I'd give my heart, I know I'm falling into faith.
I just want to have you near.
And you will never know what love can do.
Once again your love is calling with the words so gentle and so clear
I'd give my life, I know I'm falling into faith.
I just want to have you near.
Consecrated deep inside, emancipated, satisfied.
And you will never know what love can do.
(Lyrics copyright 2012 Lisa Robbin Young. All Rights Reserved.)
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Saturday, May 17, 2014, will be the day I count as the day my dream began anew. My whole life I wanted to be on a stage and perform for an international audience. Well, the first installment of the Front Row Sessions played host to people in London, Canada, and all over the US.
It's the first time in my life I've had the honor of playing my own original music with a live band. And WHAT a band! The Damn Whippersnappers are simply a fabulous bunch of boys - and fun, too. This monologue and song opened the show and set the tone for what I believe (from all the comments on social media) was a powerful and fun afternoon for everyone watching. This was also the debut performance for my new song, "Photoshop Me" - a song about self acceptance and being proud of who you are (the song starts around the 6:40 mark).
This afternoon wouldn't have happened without this awesome band I call The Damn Whippersnappers:
Piano: Desmond Sheppard
Bass: Owen Ananich
Drums: Joe Neminski
Guitar: Kris Kress
It also wouldn't have happened without the gracious support from the folks at Gigee.com and my behind-the-scenes team of Tanya Brayer and Jen Harris. They kept the broadcast working like a charm and the chat room hopping.
And lastly, this dream come true wouldn't have had any meaning without an audience. My fans all over the world are the biggest reason I put this show together. THANK YOU for being so awesome and supportive!
Happy Mother's Day! Today, I'mma be chillaxin' with my fam, opening gifts and posting the pics on facebook.
This coming weekend, I'll be doing my first live "solo" performance in about 10 years. I've been in a lot of shows since I got married and had another kid, but I wasn't really the "star" of any of those shows. This weekend, that changes.
On Saturday May 17, I'll be hosting the first in a series of livestream concerts with my band "The Damn Whippersnappers" (get tickets here). They are so named because they're all about half my age, and I could almost be their mom. But don't be fooled, these guys are phenomenal talents. The video below is only after about 15 minutes of rehearsing "I Cain't Say No" from The Rodgers & Hammerstein cowboy classic, "Oklahoma!". You'll notice that Des, our piano player, isn't even using music.
This was our first rehearsal. These guys are THAT good - and we didn't even have our drummer, Joe, with us! This song - and others like it - are just the tip of the iceberg.
While I'm thrilled to be singing some of my favorite tunes - in my own style - I'm more excited that this show isn't just about great music. It's about inspiring people to own their dreams. In addition to the fantastic music, I'll be sharing some personal stories that I've never shared publicly before about my journey to own my dreams and be myself without apologies.
The Damn Whippersnappers left to right: Des, Kris, Joe, Owen.
The Damn Whippersnappers are incredibly talented and dish it out as well as they take it. We have a blast playing together, and they're going to knock your socks off when you hear them play in a performance setting. Heck, they blow me away in rehearsal!
The Damn Whippersnappers have never played to a national (or global) audience before. They all have musical aspirations, and this project is an important opportunity for them to bring their very best to the world. I'm humbled, honored, and amazed at the musical gifts they bring to each rehearsal.
More than that, though, I'm impressed by their level of commitment and professionalism - that's only rivaled by their ability to have fun. We've had some fun outtakes where music just spontaneously shows up - like our "Jazzthoven" moment, or the rehearsal where Michael Jackson's "Thriller" made an impromptu appearance. They are SO much fun to work with, and the best gift I can give them is a huge audience.
A huge audience would be awesome for me, too! This show is truly a dream come true for me. I've always wanted to play tunes I love - and a couple of original tunes I wrote - with a band of my own. To have an audience that hears these songs, these stories, and leaves the show inspired, changed, and better off because of it.
My biggest dream is to help you live yours.
If you're worried about the time, grab a VIP seat and you'll get recorded highlights from the show, so you'll have the best bits to enjoy for years to come. We're hoping to do more shows this summer, and ultimately record the best songs for posterity. In less than a week, it'll be all over, you'll miss out on a huge dose of inspiration and you'll probably kick yourself for years to come.
Save yourself the bruises and get your ticket to the show. And if you're local, we've got house seats, too... but not for long!
"Dirt and dust - that's where it all begins. Digging in. Digging in.
You've got to lay a strong foundation before you make it to the ground floor."
- from "The Ground Floor" by Lisa Robbin Young
I'm writing lyrics again. It's been about (more…)
2013 started with the best of intentions. My goal is to record 300 songs before the year ends, and I'm well over 10% of the way there.
And yet...
It feels like this hugely daunting task right now. Like I'll never make it.
I know I'm in the thick of it. I know the year's only just begun. I also thought I'd be farther along by this time.
I mean heck, it's almost the end of the first quarter. By my math, that's 75 songs that need to be in the can by the end of the month.
I'm about half way there.
I was reading Josh Pais' blog. He was recently in a car accident, and (more…)
You can see all the songs I've been working on for my #300songs project here. I've got a goal of 200 subscribers to my YouTube channel by the end of March. Can you help? Subscribe and help spread the word!
This week, I spent a lot of time rehearsing songs from the 1980's. This one is STILL a popular tune at my local karaoke hangouts. I secretly think we're all still trying to re-live the 80's.
'
This week marks the last video of the month, and since this is the month of love songs, I figured I'd end on a psychotic note - hee hee.
"Every Breath You Take" was penned by Sting in less than an hour, and the rest of The Police then added their own unique touches to make this one of the most popular songs when it was released in 1983. The original music video even won awards (unlike this one).
Oh, and yes, I really did ask my son to pelt me with snowballs for this video. Enjoy!
This week's song is a cover of a classic by The Beatles. "All You Need Is Love" was written to be a mantra-style piece - sort of like musical brainwashing. You hear the refrain over and over, with a march-style feel that gives it an almost militaristic, "drilling it into your head" sensation. I've yet to meet anyone that sings the refrain that stops after singing it once time through. It's THAT effective.
The curious thing about this piece is that it was written in mixed meter - 7/8 and 4/4 time. It makes the verses feel very conversational, but it's a bee-otch to count, because it always feels like you're on an off beat (or slightly off kilter). That off-kilter feeling seems to represent how discombobulated the world is - until you get to the "march" section where the mantra begins (and everything's in an easy to count, straightforward 4/4 rhythm). I think that's part of why it was written that way (from a music theorist's standpoint), but I couldn't find any research to confirm my theory.
So I took the original and modified it slightly - I took out the entire 7/8 feel and made it all a plain 4/4, and gave it a contemporary groove that gives you a little bit of an off-kilter feeling, but in a much more satisfying/sexy way. The march style instrumentation was replaced with a vocal harmonizing that keeps the traditional "bum-bada-da-daaah" feel after each chant of the mantra, but without the march-style feeling.
Yep, I know. That's a lot of musical theory-speak in what seems like a simple cover tune, but since this is the FIRST video this year where I actually wrote the arrangement, I wanted to 'splain myself a little - especially since purists will probably hate the fact that I "desecrated" a Beatles tune in the first place. Overall, it's a much "sexier" tune this way - even if the lyrics seem a little redundant in places. 🙂
