Mason's Daughter

Full Moon Fever

Thu, 24 Mar 2011 20:09:00 -0400

Did anyone see the moon this weekend? On 03.19.2011 the moon was the closest to earth it has been in 18 years. Thats kind of a big deal. Lucky for me I was in the city and could enjoy it with all the other decorations Chicago offers.

A "Sleep" Soundtrack

Wed, 02 Mar 2011 20:21:00 -0500

While I am busy everyday, doing the daily grind, waking up, making lunch, going to work, putting in the 8/9/10 hours a day at work, trying to grow my music and gig on the occasional weekends yet still have a life and be close with my family and friends… I sometimes get lost in all of it. My brain can forget what is really important and what path I’m really working towards. Lucky for me my positive attitude always beats my negative one and I end up just keepin’ on.

I got the below letter the other day and after reading, it was one of those stop-in-your-track moments. I sat there for a minute in awe, thinking is it possible? My music is going to Afghanistan?! Wow…

Music does make a difference whether I am seeing it on the daily or not. While I’m thankful for reassuring moments like this, I’m most thankful that I’m helping a person feel better - especially someone who is putting their life on the line for our country every day.

I wrote a letter to Alison Krauss in 2006 while I was in Iraq. I had been having trouble sleeping due to some things that were happening. The only thing that helped on ‘bad nights’ was listening to her sing “Baby Mine” the song from the movie ‘Dumbo’. I would turn it on repeat and go right to sleep. It calmed me down and helped me to forget. Since then I’ve found a few songs here and there that help on ‘bad nights’ that I still have sometimes (especially when I’m in the field training, which I am now) I wrote the letter to her just to say thanks for singing so beautifully and helping me go to sleep. I’m sure she never actually read the letter but someone responded for her I guess, it was pretty cool anyway.

The point of telling you that is that I just recently bought your newest album and found a couple songs that slow the heart rate and relax me when I’m ‘wound up’. I leave for my 4th combat tour sometime next month. I’ll be in Sangin Valley, Afghanistan and those songs will be on my ‘Sleep’ soundtrack with Alison Krauss and a few others. Thank you for singing so beautifully and helping me go to sleep. Keep up the good work.

I posted this anonymously, no identity is needed to get the point across.

Hope everyone sleeps well tonight. :)

Dave and I recorded Man Over. We like this song a lot. My...

Tue, 01 Mar 2011 20:05:24 -0500

Dave and I recorded Man Over. We like this song a lot. My camera seems to be doing an ok job recording so i’ll be making more… keep on, keepin on…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2OsIu66xJDc

A George Clooney kick?

Sat, 26 Feb 2011 19:58:00 -0500

George himself has been hanging around town filming a movie. I just so happened to see him at dinner a Dee Felice in Covington. I’ve also been completely consumed with the soundtrack from a recent movie of his, Up in the Air. I just can’t get enough of this soundtrack, very chill and Saturday mornin kinda listening.

I also love that when I discover new music, it is sometimes old music. This Crosby, Stills and Nash song is on the soundtrack - Taken it All - and I am not sure how it missed my ears before! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3C8ySBZZ2yQ

Speaking of, Crosby & Nash are coming to northern KY next month. Ray LaMontagne this June and Brandi Carlisle is opening. Holey moley! Gonna be a good summer.

Oh - for those of you that were wondering - yes, George is beautiful! :)

This year I’ve been busy with my best friends getting married....

Wed, 23 Feb 2011 05:10:00 -0500

This year I’ve been busy with my best friends getting married. I wrote them a song and recorded a version using my camera. This is called Common Law. Hopefully I’ll be making more videos soon!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hmr6mfqlla4

KY Cardinal

Tue, 28 Dec 2010 19:44:00 -0500

My favorite thing to do in the winter (besides sit next to a fire) is feeding the birds! Check out this handsome fella…

My daily visitors

Tue, 21 Dec 2010 19:42:00 -0500

Morning View is peaceful. These pictures are of the little group of deer who stop by each day to munch on the acorns.

Ohhh Oh Mexico

Mon, 15 Nov 2010 19:20:00 -0500

Mexico was beautiful and a MUCH needed break. The water was 3 colors of blue. I have a new appreciation for pelicans and sea turtles. & Sol beer.

I saw my second wonder of the world - Chichen Itza.

This was a cross hidden underneath a circled graveyard. This architectural suprise doubles as a rain catching basin where all water flows to a hole underneath the cross. Candles sit in each of the small holes you see in the wall to light the life of those buried above it. This was the view from the bottom, looking up. Possibly one of the neatest places I’ve ever been.

There was live music. & birds.

We were there to celebrate “dia de los muertos” or day of the dead on November 2, 2010. Almost every store or shop had their own alter setup celebrating the lives of those they’ve lost. They make food, bring drinks, light candles, pictures and even empty shoes to the spirits. There were skulls all over the place which is also a common symbol for the holiday.

This picture makes me love photography. There was a busking “feathered serpent” on the street. This is the Mexican God Kulkulcan. Here is his head dress.

P.S. I only know all of this because I travel with a Spanish teacher!

Life is good…

The Salt Lickers

Wed, 20 Oct 2010 20:25:00 -0400

Occasionally, I play bass.
Love it, but I’m no expert.
We made people happy in October.
In the sun.
At a state park called Big Bone Link.

Also including Dave Hawkins, Eric Edwards and Keith Clifton.

The World Equestrian Games

Sat, 16 Oct 2010 08:53:00 -0400

This was quite the experience. Also known as WEG or “weg”, the World Equestrian Games was held in the US for the first time in its history. To see so many different cultures and hear so many different languages in our great bluegrass state was really a treat! This picture is of the main arena for the games. There were a couple of these but this was the BIG one.

Lexington was just beautiful the day we were there. In the 70’s and sunny.

This was the stage we played on. The KY Arts Council booked all the musicians, who all happened to be from KY, for 45 minute sets throughout the days of the 3 week long games. I was honored to be chosen.

To some, this is the olympics of horse racing. There were racers, teams and fans from all over the world. This is a warm up area. Can you imagine, some of these horses were flown in over 10-15 hour flights!

We tried to make the faces of the statues. We had a hard time not smiling.

Heather sang with us that day. She tried on the racer hats.

This is the band together. From left to right… Chris Damele (bass), Dave Hawkins (lead guitar, mandolin), Me, Jason Halker (drums & percussion) and Heather Turner (back-up vocals & percussion)

Music brings us all so much. :)

October 2010

Thu, 07 Oct 2010 11:52:00 -0400

This October 2010 has 5 Fridays, 5 Saturdays and 5 Sundays, all in one month. It happens once in 823 years!

ROCK light

Wed, 06 Oct 2010 20:31:00 -0400

What a bad ass can! How in the hell have I missed this in the store?

I discovered this song around this time last year & I just...

Tue, 28 Sep 2010 13:00:00 -0400

I discovered this song around this time last year & I just love it. I think the video is sooooo cool! M. Ward is a genius. Lyrics below. Enjoy!

Chinese Translation - M. Ward

I sailed a wild, wild sea
climbed up a tall, tall mountain
I met a old, old man
beneath a weeping willow tree
He said now if you got some questions
go and lay them at my feet
but my time here is brief
so you’ll have to pick just three

And I said
What do you do with the pieces of a broken heart
and how can a man like me remain in the light
and if life is really as short as they say
then why is the night so long
and then the sun went down
and he sang for me this song

See I once was a young fool like you
afraid to do the things
that I knew I had to do
So I played an escapade just like you
I played an escapade just like you
I sailed a wild, wild sea
climbed up a tall, tall mountain
I met an old, old man
he sat beneath a sapling tree
He said now if you got some questions
go and lay them at my feet
but my time here is brief
so you’ll have to pick just three

The Cow Whisperer

Fri, 17 Sep 2010 13:17:00 -0400

I have lived next to cows my entire life but still to this day they make me nervous. I think it is because they are bigger than me. But, not Adam! He makes buddies with them - I have to admit, I’m a little jealous. They never let ME pet them like this! Maybe they can sense my fear?

Grass in Morning View is ugly brown right now. We are about 6 inches under the average for rain this summer. When you walk it crunches. I feel bad for the cows, its slim pickens for them!

Looking forward to fall…

Turtles!

Thu, 16 Sep 2010 13:13:00 -0400

Love em :)

Labor Day 2010

Thu, 09 Sep 2010 12:06:00 -0400

I always REALLY enjoy this holiday. Mostly because I love September and, seriously, who doesn’t love a long weekend? I have spent a lot of weekends on Lake Cumberland in KY this year. It has been beautiful and so fun - thank you to all those who have had me, your hospitality is surely appreciated! This Labor Day weekend I smiled & laughed till my face hurt. I also…

… went tubing! I haven’t done this in about 7 years!

… got my hair braided! It is SO FUN to feel like a kid again! =)

… played music on the water. (This was a first! I need to figure out how to make money doing this!)

… I think I also gained some new fans :)

I listened to good tunes like Simple Man by Lynard Skynard and stopped, for a few moments, to really think about the lyrics and realize they are right on. ”Oh take your time, don’t live too fast, troubles will come and they will pass.”

I also woke up early enough to see the sunrise over the water & watch the fog lift. It looked like clouds and I couldn’t decide which was more beautiful, the water or the sky.

… I am so lucky.

Peace like a river,
Lauren

Ray LaMontagne on Critics

Tue, 24 Aug 2010 09:15:48 -0400

I read a great interview last night with Ray LaMontagne on www.nodepression.com. I’ve often referred to Ray as my “modern day Neil Young”. His music and lyrics continue to inspire and move me in ways only my absolute favorites have. In this particular interview, I enjoyed reading this part the most…

“…being critical with myself, isn’t helping me. I mean, to an extent you always have to want to get better, and I do all the time, I always want to write a better song, to be a better musician, I want to grow as a vocalist, I want to learn to use that instrument better especially. I always want to get better but, there are enough people out there that want to knock you down, there’s no sense in knocking yourself down.”

I couldn’t agree more. Being an artist, sometimes it is really tough to put yourself out there, completely, for the music. There are always people judging and more time is spent than necessary worrying about that crap. Bottom line is, you just gotta keep on keeping on, believe in what you do and hope it helps someone along the way. It is both interesting and comforting that very sucessful artists experience the same type of things. Full interview here: http://www.nodepression.com/profiles/blogs/ray-lamontagne-gets-better-an

Welcome to my Garden!

Mon, 09 Aug 2010 18:20:00 -0400

So this is the second year I’ve had a garden. I will admit, last years harvest was way better. KY is really dry this summer and I’m a slacker when it comes to watering. I had to wait till friggin August to get a red tomato!

Finding this really depressed me. I didn’t know what it was until I got closer and realized it was a creature. The size of his frown is just awful, poor guy. Those are wasp egg parasites on its back (thank you Jenny for educating me). Mother nature, I guess… :(

Very Nice...

Tue, 03 Aug 2010 19:33:00 -0400

The CDs are being printed… which means… the covers are finished! These photos were taken, of course, one morning in Morning View :) by my friend Allison Ballinger. The graphics were put together by another friend Jim Fugett. Thank goodness for good friends!

The front…

The back…

Get your own copy at the CD Release on August 13, 2010 at the Southgate House in Newport, KY. Or, order online now at CDbaby.com.

Behind the Curtain

Thu, 22 Jul 2010 17:39:00 -0400

My CD is finally finished! (Insert deep breath here!) We started this project in March and we all worked hard and fast. It might seem crazy that an eleven song album takes 6ish months to complete but when you all have full-time jobs and you’re recording on nights and weekends - trust me - it is no easy feat!

People ask me sometimes what recording is like. In words, I would say it is repetitious and time consuming - fun… but work. When I got my new camera this summer I took these pictures to help paint a picture around what the studio was like (for me).

Above is Studio Cozy in Covington, KY. That is Jeff Perholtz, Proprietor & Producer as well as music genius, band member of The Newbees and my friend. Like always he was working hard to get it right! I enjoyed having his wife Misty nearby… who was always right upstairs and would occasionally come down to tell us how things sounded. Jeff also helped with bass, accordian, piano, steel guitar and a few “ooo’s and ahhh’s” on the tracks.

Below is Paul Patterson playing banjo on Kentucky Dream. I took this from inside the room where the computer stuff is… Paul is behind a sound-proof window in a sound-proof room so the only way he can hear us is through mics & heaphones. Paul is so great to work with, he brings so much energy to the table. We worked together on my first album, which happened to be at Hale Groove Studio in Florence, KY and for that he played violin and madolin. This time around he played violin, viola, cello and banjo. He plays for the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, is a member of the band Faux Frenchmen and also travels around the world fulfilling his many commitments. (So what I’m saying is, I’m really lucky!)

When we started in March, we did two full days over a weekend. ”We” consisted of me and my awesome band mates that have the pleasure of always putting up with me (ha!) Dave Hawkins & Jason Halker. I did not have a camera to take pictures at that time. :( I wish I had! Dave plays lead guitar and madolin. Jason is the percussion man, banging on the bongos and drum kit. Heather Turner of Tupelo Honey also came in near the end of the process to lay down back-up vocals. To put it simply, they all rock!

Though I’m busy and I complain about that all the time (sorry friends!), I am so happy to be able to follow my dreams and work with such talented people.

Next post will be a picture of the CD covers when they’re ready! Stay tuned! =)