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December 31, 2007 and Jan 1, 2008
Happy Holidays!
Here we are on the last day of 2007. We just had another snowstorm
here in Maine last night and this morning and another on--even
bigger--is on the way for tomorrow. It's a winter wonderland up here
for sure. I am heading for Los Angeles on January 8--I just might be
looking forward to that too.
Looking back--for me professionally, 2007 was great! The creation of
The Refugees was certainly an incredible gift to me. And the fact
that I was able to perform many shows of my own this year, and to
once again tour in Europe was again such a blessing. I see nothing
but good things ahead for The Refugees and I look forward to writing
and creating new songs and projects for myself too.
Personally, of course, the best things about 2007 was the marriage of
my daughter Reid to her wonderful husband, Derek. And the birth in
April of their daughter and my first grandchild, Tobey! What a joy in
my life!
I haven't written a blog since I returned from Germany so I will go
back now and catch you up on my doings for the past couple of months.
There was no rest for the weary when Joanne and I got back from
Europe--the next weekend we flew down to Memphis, Tennessee to spend
the weekend and perform a "Jessie" concert that my dear friends Sue
Ann Duffy and Pri Morden organized as a way to honor their precious
sons Will and Kyle. Both Sue Ann and Pri were so generous; Pri giving
Joanne and me her house and her Mini for our stay. They fed us and
showed us around and made us feel so welcome.
The concert was for their friends, families and folks who had lost
children honoring and celebrating Will and Kyle's vibrant lives. It
is always a very powerful experience for me! I met many wonderful
people. And I am so grateful for the opportunity to share my music
and the "Jessie songs" with others. JB and I were also honored at a
party at the beautiful Memphis home of friends Wayne and Kathleen.
They even had the Red Sox play off game on the TV! We had a great
time in Memphis and I thank Sue Ann and Pri for being such
inspirations to me.
On Halloween, I flew out to Portland, Oregon to rendezvous with The
Refugees at the Far West Folk Alliance conference where we were
performing. Then the next weekend Deborah and Wendy flew into Boston
where I picked them up. Deb and I did a quick interview on favorite
Boston radio station WUMB before picking up Wendy on a later flight
and we drove to the Catskills in New York state for the Northeast
Folk Alliance Conference, where we again, schmoozed and performed.
All good! Then The Refugees played the next night at the great
venue--a beautifully renovated fire station-- Natick Arts Center in
Natick, Mass. We all had family (my sisters Deb and Suki and cousin
Mardi) and friends there along with old and new fans. Then the next
night, Sunday November 11, The Refugees played in my hometown of
Portland, Maine. Deborah and Wendy got to meet my Reid and Derek and
my granddaughter, Tobey, my ex- Dan and my good friend Mary Noyes.
Deb and Wendy stayed here at Casa Bullens, met my Jack, and were a
bit surprised by my decorating "skills". Deb said my house was much
more "Martha Stewart" then she expected. Huh! Not quite says I. I
think it's somewhat rustic. But, well, I guess that's a compliment!
(It was the towels in the bathroom rolled up in a basket that did it,
I think ;-)) They flew back to LA and I got to stay home for three
whole weeks before I flew out to LA myself on December 6.
On December 7, The Refugees played once again at The Coffee Gallery
in Altadena. A great crowd turned up and we had a lot of fun. The
next day Deb, Wendy and I loaded up Deb's minivan and drove many
hours north up into the Sierras. We got up early the next day to
perform and talk on the radio station KVMR in the beautiful little
historical town of Nevada City, California. It was such a cool
place--historical and hip at the same time. And we had a GREAT
breakfast at the Pine Street Café--a place now on my "go back to"
list. (And the station folks were so nice!) That night we drove
into the hinterlands of the Sierra's to play a concert at the
American River Resort in Coloma, CA. Honestly, as the sun was going
down we were driving on these curvy, narrow roads deeper and higher
into the mountains, I was wondering where in the world we were going
to end up. At last we came to the entrance to ARR--which was a muddy
dirt road to what seemed like a deserted ghost town. But there in a
large log cabin-like structure, folks were busy at work setting up
for the concert. Now THIS is rustic! Refugee's friend Bruce Hayden
arranged this night with his wife Cindy. And even though we were
miles from any community of size--it was a great night with a
terrific crowd. We look forward to performing at the American River
Resort again soon. We actually drove all the way to Santa Cruz from
Coloma --over three and a half hours-- after our show because we had
yet another morning radio show. This time it was with KPIG in
Freedom, CA--one of the great stations in the US for my kind of
music. It was a beautiful day on the northern coast of California--I
love it there! We played and talked on KPIG's Please Stand By program
with Sleepy John--which is heard (and seen!) all over the world over
the internet. It was so much fun! Not only did we get a lot of
positive feedback from the station and the listeners (from South
America, Alaska, Oklahoma), Sleepy John asked us to come back in May
and play at one of the best venues in Santa Cruz. Oh Yeah!
After our KPIG performance we headed to Sand City, a few miles north,
to perform on Michael Nesmith's (remember The Monkees?) new
venture--Video Ranch. Now, I thought I was fairly tech savvy but
after the experience of performing on a "green" stage with avatars as
our audience (that we could see on a big screen in front of us as we
played)--now...I am thinking that I am BARELY tech savvy. It was a
truly eye-opening and different experience. Michael Nesmith was there
and could not have been nicer and more supportive. He has a unique and
incredible setup there: Extremely professional and state of the art in
every way. Hey who would have thought that three middle-aged women
playing together as a new band would be so hip and 21st Century!
That's us, baby! So check out VideoRanch for you PC users.
Unfortunately (and I discussed this with Michael)--the process is
done on Windows and not entirely Mac compatible right now. But it you
have the Intel system--you are ok. So... what next...oh yeah--we
played for the second time at Don Quixote's Music Hall in Felton. It
was good. Shall I say another "small yet enthusiastic" crowd? Same
with Berkeley's Freight & Salvage the next night. But we actually did
ok for a Monday night in Berkeley. I love it there. We're playing
again at Freight end of May on a Saturday night. No matter what size
the audience, The Refugees music and playing is getting stronger and
so much better. Don't forget we are all playing stretching ourselves
with different instruments, songs, parts, playing than we've ever
done. And that's what we LOVE: That we get to do that in this band.
With complete support and encouragement from the others. So cool!
Also as we record these songs--we are learning them inside
out--breaking them down in every way. Did I say how much fun I am
having? Except when I have to record a solo on the mandolin--geez!
Did I really agree to play that thing? It's the yin and yang of it
all, I suppose. So I won't go into our interesting drive back from
northern to southern cal. But we made and immediately went into the
studio to record the next day. We are now working with a wonderful
engineer Rob Hoffman. He has worked with everyone from Christine
Aquilera and Michael Jackson to The Rolling Stones, Etta James and
The Dust Brothers! Wendy met him working in Poland of all places,
where they both were working on projects. I feel very fortunate to
have him working on our project. He's knowledgeable, creative, quick
and very likeable (not to mention easy on the eyes.) So thanks Rob,
for coming on board and helping the Refugees make a great record!
For the next five days we listened, recorded and re-recorded--finally
ending up with ten tracks. We've got a lot to do yet --I am leaving
for LA on January 8 for two weeks to finish the CD--but it's very
exciting. We are hoping to have it available some time in March.
Most of my doings coming up are Refugee related. But there are a few
Cindy Bullens gigs in there too. In fact, I MUST do a new CB
recording this year, and I will. Got a few different ideas. I'll let
you know.
I do believe 2008 is going to be a great year. And with the
presidential elections happening--it's going to be a very interesting
year as well. So Happy New Year to everyone! Peace Love and
Understanding!
If I forgot anything--someone please let me know. There is certainly
a lot more to come and I will try my best to keep up.
Take care and thanks as always for your love and support.
Cheers
Cindy
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