Vette Muse

Playing Crock-Bar in Verbier, Switzerland

2012-02-24T03:42:00.000-08:00

Merci Marie Claire - owner of Le Croc or Croc-Bar in Verbier, Switzerland. I had a lot of fun playing there last night! Being a foreigner traveling through the Swiss alps has made it difficult to book as many gigs as i would have liked. So, apart from the shows in Vienna i have been playing and continue to have scheduled, i had nothing else on the calendar. So, I have started to approach local venues on our itinerarie for last minute shows. Marie Claire Bircher let me play an impromptu Thursday night show at her killer venue, Croc Bar in Verbier. They also play sweet old school soul and R&B tunes on nights they don't have live acts playing. If you are ever in Verbier, definitely check out this sweet little bar with a killer patio overlooking the town and the mountains.

Lonely Fighter Video Shoot - This Feels Like Something

2012-02-17T09:29:00.000-08:00

Jonelle Vette & Bergen Moore shooting the video for "Lonely Fighter"

Recently, thanks to the help of friends Mike Eaton and Ron Haas, who also happen to be professional editors and videographers, I was able to shoot my first "real" music video a few weeks ago. (Also thanks to Bergen Moore who often performs in a duo with me and who sat in on bass in the video; and to Lucinda Vette - my sister who happened to be visiting that weekend and helped with the shooting, makeup, etc.) It was so fun and i was thrilled to be doing something i've wanted to do for ages but haven't had the money or a clear vision for. I have also tended to question the value of doing music videos for my songs, and wondered how i might come close to creating something beautiful, sincere and competitive? I've seen a few of those in the past year - fantastic and inspiring music videos by indie musicians like Lana Del Rey - but how to pull that off myself? Hmmm.

I finally decided that waiting for vision was like waiting for rain in LA, and in order to keep my momentum moving forward i needed to make this video more than i needed Jean Cocteau's version of "Beauty and the Beast." Even if it were a "bad" video, it would be enough - at this stage...

This shocking realization allowed me to notice that for the first time in my musical life, i had control - of everything. I've been wanting to do this for a long - to be in control of not just the songwriting but the visual imagery associated with the songs - to be the write and director - at least for a little while until i've developed my artistic vision. But i've been too scared to just take it all on myself without a record deal or someone older and wiser telling me what to do...So what can i say, art house fantastic or not, i wrote the song, recorded it and directed a video shoot. Finally I took my creative life into my own hands in a way i've never done before. And that feels like something.

I wish i had the video to share here and now! but it's still being edited, and actually the audio track for the song is also being tweaked. So, please enjoy these images taken from the video footage, and this raw, unfinished audio track used to shoot the video on February 4, 2012.

Show at The Viper Room! Sunday March 18

2012-02-13T15:20:00.000-08:00

Sunday, March 18th, at 7:30pm Hollowbody LA presents Vette (and other artists), along with bassist and multi instrumentalist, Bergen Moore, in the the world famous "Hollowbody Lounge at The Viper Room" on the strip in W. Hollywood. This show, taking place in the Viper Room's acoustic venue, "The Viper Room Lounge" will be incredibly intimate and ideal for taking in every note and lyric.

It will be a 35 minute set so it's best to arrive a little early since it won't last too long! Besides there are great drink specials, cheap parking and the upstairs main stage. So, come early and find a good spot (parking and seating).

Ticket Details:
21+, $10
**Guests of Vette please pay at the door. Do not purchase advance tickets from the Viper Room website - which give access to upstairs shows and are booked separately. But never fear, Hollowbody Lounge/Vette guests will have access to the entire venue.

Drinks Details:
The "Hollowbody Lounge" bar offers serious drink specials for its guests. Well drinks are only $5. Pabst cans are only $4. These amazing drink specials are ONLY GOOD FOR THOSE WHO ASK for the "HAPPY HOUR SPECIALS" (proving you've caught wind of our promo efforts, otherwise it's full price!).

Parking Details:
Metered, 2 hour street parking is available on and around Sunset Blvd. Also, a block away, across from Red Rock there's a 1$ all night parking lot. Otherwise there's a lot on property, which is $10.

Here's the complete artist lineup:
7:30 Vette
8:15 Eddie West
9:00 Alexander III
9:45 Gram Hill
10:30 TBA

8852 W Sunset Blvd

West Hollywood, CA 90069

2012-02-10T05:05:00.000-08:00

Another show at Cafe Concerto on March 8th. If you're in Vienna, please come!
Cafe Concerto / Vienna Folk Club
1160 Wien, Lerchenfelder Gürtel 53

5 Euros for vienna folk club members
7 euros for non members

2012-02-09T01:33:00.000-08:00

Show tonight! If you're in Vienna, Austria, please consider attending:

Cafe Concerto
3rd Floor (which is actually on the lower level)
Lerchenfelder Gürtel 53 1160
Vienna, Austria

Featured Artists
Jonelle Vette @ 10:30
Tom Strasse @ 9:30

Price: $7

The Greatest

2012-02-04T01:53:00.000-08:00

I've been busily spending most of the day toiling away on the rough recordings for some new original songs and a cover song called "the greatest" by catpower. this is one of my favorite songs, and she is an artist i am quite fond of.

the plan is to shoot a few 'live performance' music videos tomorrow, featuring this and an original song called "lonely fighter." and even though this song will change - probably significantly - before it's finished, i really am enjoying the process of bringing it along and i like this version of the song quite a bit so i wanted to share it and remember it in this form.

Credits: song by Chan Marshall (Catpower), vocals by Vette, bass by Bergen Moore

Welcome Home

2012-02-03T17:04:00.001-08:00

Untitled

2012-02-03T16:19:00.001-08:00

The Painful Process

2012-01-31T12:00:00.000-08:00

When it turned out that auditioning for a show like The Voice wasn't for me, it really disappointed people. I found myself almost being forced to offer some sort of explanation over and over again. And it was really hard for people to understand that this wasn't the end of the line for me - like some sort of career suicide. No. It was a choice that defined me. It's been interesting to realize what a huge gap exists between the average person's perception of "entertainment" and the real world of entertainment and TV - the business of fame. It's also becoming clear that the average person has no idea where artistry falls into all of this.

Our culture seems to have very little collective wisdom about process - the often painful process - that all successful artists go through to build themselves piece by piece over time and then to continue to fight for that ongoing growth and development. Most people believe that becoming famous even if you have nothing of real substance to offer, must equate to money and success - even if that fame leads to extremely short-lived fame or humiliating situations. While i understand what people mean when they say "bad PR is good PR," it can really backfire especially for vulnerable artists just starting to figure out who they are and what they've got to offer. Look at Rebecca Black. Try to tell me that girl isn't wishing right now that the word "Friday" never existed.

But this whole idea of mistaking just the experience of "fame" - whatever the reason - for "success" or "being loved" which is an increasingly common mistake these days, thanks to shows like The Voice and American Idol, etc., which ultimately are designed to make audiences feel like everyone can and should dream of becoming famous overnight, can really undermine a talented person's path toward developing the kind of vision that their "value" or "originality" or "unique ideas" has got to stem from. I think this is not true for artists who do know themselves and who are really ready with something to offer that audiences are craving - that people will find valuable. Personally, I know i could use more time to become clearer about where my value lies before i attempt to promote myself on a mass audience scale.

And in reference to "value" above, of course i'm talking about my definition of "value" which is to be able to create some sort of art, music, etc that feels like it has staying power. That makes both the creator and consumer understand that something great has just happened, here. You don't become great as in - David Bowie, Prince, The Pixies, Warhol, Picasso, Thelonius Monk, Miles Davis, Nancy King, Frank Sinatra, The Beatles, Elvis, Michael Jackson, and even much smaller less famous examples like in my opinion Fognode, Cortney Tidwell, Gillian Welch, The Violent Femmes, my Suzuki violin teacher from childhood - by going on TV. These people are truly brilliant, they have worked their ideas out time and time again - they've suffered and toiled and learned and made critical decisions and they value above all 'the process' - and this is where their value comes from.

- Taken from a Facebook conversation started with one sister then finished with my other sister.

Call Me Crazy, But...

2012-01-31T11:00:00.000-08:00

Recently I was invited to audition for a certain reality show for singers. (The Voice). They saw a cheap little video i had recorded of myself singing a cover song of "Cover Me" by Bruce Springsteen and contacted me, weirdly, the day after i posted it. Initially i couldn't imagine not doing it due, obviously, to the idea of getting exposure. But then i watched the show...Immediately I was hit with the conflict between desperate, needy "have to do it" sorts of feelings and a clear repulsion to the show and the painfully obvious lack of it's lining up with me. And I feel like i'm just at the beginning of this really wonderful wave of actually putting all the pieces together - of having a vision. So I feel vulnerable right now and while it's nice to feel like i'm being noticed on some level, I don't want to just take any - whatever - opportunity for exposure. I want to define myself ... on my terms ... and i don't want a million TV viewers watching every decision i make along the way.

I'm blown away at how women as young as Lady Gaga and Lana del Rey have figured out exactly what they're doing - how to combine both music and visual imagery into a completely striking concept that accounts for all the moving parts of a songwriter/performer's presence. And even much less "fabricated" artists like Cortney Tidwell and Gillian Welch - brilliant songwriters whose focus is simply on the songs themselves - all these artists have such integrity and sense of vision, which i cannot help but want to emulate.

I think this quotation sums up at least part of my feeling nicely: "The constant compulsion for stardom or discovery is the single biggest block to creating original music (or art). Why break from your own current path of individually to make yourself indistinguishable from other performers?" - Sean Harris

Making You Feel Like A Woman

2012-01-23T04:12:00.000-08:00

This is a video of me performing a song I wrote for a male character in AOL web-based reality show (whose name can't be publicized yet), airing early in 2012. Both the song and I were featured in one of the episodes consisting of a husband learning this song and then singing it to his wife as a token of his appreciation for her. The song is not my usual repetoire, but i have a soft spot for it and had fun hamming it up in this video. But i hope someone like Dierks Bentley will give it a home on a country road somewhere.

Lyrics to "Making You Feel Like a Woman":

I watch you when you're sleeping
And trace your falling breath
In those peaceful quiet moments
I thank the gods you let me in

Making you feel like a woman
Doing the best that i can
Making you feel like a woman
Is making me feel like a man

Who was i to get you
Just a boy caught in your eyes
You cast me into this daydream baby
And i'm still hypnotized

Making you feel like a woman
Doing the best that i can...
Making you feel like a woman
Is making me feel ... like a man

Oh babe you know that i try to be your fantasy, don't i
Oh baby you know i can't lie, and i wanna be
i wanna be, i wanna be

Making you feel like a woman
Doing the best that i can
Yeah making you feel like a woman
Is making me feel... like a man
Making you feel like a woman
Is making me feel like a man

"Lonely Fighter" Video

2012-01-20T12:00:00.000-08:00

Lonely fighter is a song (music and lyrics) by Vette. So far it has not been released on any album (as of January 2012). The photograph on the wall behind Vette was taken by the ambient composer and photographer, Brian Siskind, aka "Fognode."

Lyrics to Lonely Fighter:I hear you speak in my fitful sleep
Missing your words and the sounds of the rain in the clouds
And the beating of our wings
I guess it's my fate to carry this ache in me
Heavy sleep heavy thoughts
Wicked slumber

Wake me up, somebody
When i've had enough
Whisper soft and gently
Wake me up

I'm lost at sea fighting my destiny
Caught in some stormy waves, God make me brave
For the war that's waged in me
Yes it's the war between what was and what will be
Had to run, try my luck,
lonely fighter, lonely fighter

Wake me up, somebody
When i've had enough
Whisper soft and gently
Wake me up

Setting sun, highway stop
Road behind us
Had to run, try my luck
lonely fighter
lonely fighter

Lonely fighter, wake me up
Wake me up
Wake me up

Living in LA: LA Hair

2012-01-18T18:47:00.000-08:00

This is a re-edit of a comic video i made about what happens to people once they start "Living in LA." Future episodes would possibly venture into more extreme territory though this is relatively lighthearted wholesome. : ) For example, no conversations with women who got vaginal liposuction. (I made that up thinking it seemed almost too extreme to exist but i just googled it and actually it DOES exist, and it's called "pubic (not public) liposuction." I should watch out, if i stay here too long i'll be getting tatooed eye liner, lipo-suction, botox, eye lash extensions, breast lift, butt lift, etc. But damn i'll look good for 75.

SOPA / PIPA: Getting Political!

2012-01-18T17:12:00.000-08:00

I went to Wikipedia today, one of my all time favorite forms of free education, and found it blacked out in opposition to the SOPA / PIPA legislation! I had actually forgotten that today was the day, and feeling the sting of inconvenience thrilled me! I realized that this is the beginning of a new era where people don't have to wave weapons in order to win. If a message is important enough to everyone else, it'll go viral - and fast!

Through the internet we/I/us have more power than ever to make congress act in our favor, to make a business back down or improve their product, or their practices, etc., and we do it without spending money. We just participate. I participated in the Godaddy.com boycot. It was annoying to switch everything over, but look at the result! To see this happening - especially a nation as powerful and dominating as the US - is very cool in my opinion.

The beauty of it is that Congress is actually listening. As far as i can tell, it's an historical moment and as much as i have tried - in the darkness that is the "post GW" world- to let go of engaging in angry, disappointed, fearful and heated political debate in favor of focusing my energies in areas that make more sense for me, this issue really gets me fired up. So i did something dorky today (and political) that my mother would actually be proud of. I wrote the following letter to my representative in Congress, Lucille Roybal-Allard. It was a small act that was TOTALLY MANAGEABLE.

And BTW, maybe i'm simply being too optimistic or too eager to 'believe' that voting with dollars and this blackout is symbolic of some newfound freedom or that "writing your representative" actually works (it does, by the way...), and that all of this working together as the 'one and the many' represents something new and better than ever for the masses? But i don't think so. I think we have just officially become the information age David to the corporate Goliath. And in honor of Martin Luther King day, let's think of this as a manifestation of the ideas he put forth in his "i have a dream" speech. Those powerful words contain ideas that apply even today and to all civilizations who take civil rights seriously. (Yes, i consider this a civil rights issue!)

Oh and another BTW - as a musician, i am not in the slightest worried about my music being given away for free. At least at this point in my career, that would be the best thing that could happen to me to have one or several of my songs go viral. I also understand that this legislation can be revisited again and again until either a better law is written, or the industry changes it's business model to adapt to the latest technologies.

Now, back to music. All the best everyone.

---------
"Dear Rep Roybal-Allard,

I am writing to express my opposition to the SOPA/PIPA legislation. While the issues behind the bill may be important to resolve at some point, the answer is NOT from what i can tell via SOPA/PIPA. No corporate entity should have so much control over the internet that they can actually in effect, "legislate" it via lobby power when in fact their business model is the problem. Just because they cannot keep up with current technology does not give them the right to push for legislation that could in any way choke off the internet to others. Not to mention that attempting to "censor" the Internet is a Machiavellian move which can lead to at best, a temporary solution to their problems.

Another thing that concerns me is the probability of a negative "slippery slope" if SOPA / PIPA were to pass into law, which could result in a slew of attempts to lobby congress for more legislation that would attempt to control the internet in similar or other ways.

Any sort of legislation that handcuffs current entrepreneurial activities online could risk injuring our the pillar's of our nation's political system - "pursuit of happiness," (whatever that means...lol) as well as legally encourage civil rights violations, draconian forms of censorship in general, and the choking off of the economy at a time when we need the economy to adapt to new times.

I do not know of any individual on either side of the aisle who supports this legislation. If you vote in favor of this legislation, i will most certainly vote for another candidate in the next election. And as i'm sure you already know, I am not alone in holding this well founded and strong opinion.

Thank you.

Sincerely,

Jonelle Vette

Covering "Cover Me" by The Boss

2012-01-18T14:11:00.000-08:00

The New "Vette" TuneCore Media Player

2012-01-12T01:21:00.001-08:00

After we slid ...

2011-11-01T22:45:00.000-07:00

"The words, 'sliding down,' are intended to symbolize a 'moment of surrender' - the type that opens a passage through which images and ideas well up from the subconscious mind." - Vette

Go here for Music From "Sliding Down," October 28, 2011

Eric Byers

Photo by Seth Weiner

Morgan Gee. Projections by Carrie Schrek & Sam Partal
Photo by Jonelle Vette

"Beyond my bedroom I haven't invested much energy into

fronting my own project, preferring to work
within a group or supporting solo artists. I found that promoting my
project and singing to an audience were my two biggest obstacles.

Promotion is a difficulty every artist faces,

it's hard to toot your own horn, but every artist must come
to terms with their entrepreneurial side in order

to get their work into the public. Singing has always
been a fear of mine, I'm more used to

playing an instrument which supports and sometimes
takes solo, like viola or musical saw. The voice is the

instrument of our body and connects to others much
more powerfully than any man made instrument

can, attracting more attention for good or bad. What made
things easier was to work with a diverse group of my friends

from different disciplines (Carrie Schreck and

Samuel Partal on visuals, Andy Ben and Masatoshi Sato
supporting the musical side of the

performance and Darija Varnas supplying the costume),

they were all so thrilled about being involved and did a
great job supporting the concept. Overall I think the
performance was a success–there were a few

complications but I felt good getting it all out and
I'm already working toward my next project." -Morgan Gee

FromVette:

SlidingDown endedup being more like an “art event” than a music event for a lot ofreasons. I invited musicians who were concept-driven, and also verydifferent from one another. Their willingness to create newworks for this show and to experiment was inspiring and completely apart from the usual "songwriter" experience. Soin the months before the show, my songs were impacted as i reached tofigure out ways to push my own boundaries in new directions. What became clear for all of us was that each artist was at some sort of turning point in their art career, feeling a little vulnerable, and shifting toward something that emerged at Sliding Down.

The show itself became like an installation - a live performance where artists and the audience unwittingly influenced one another via: performing new and "vulnerable" works, artists feeling like they could take risks, interactive presentations, use of multiple performance spaces, very little boundary between audience and performer. According to Rollo May in "The Courage to Create,"it's through a complex web of community that new ideas well up from thesubconscious minds of artists, reach audiences, and cause new cultureto be born and reborn on a continual basis. I think the show truly manifested this kind of experience because it promoted community for the artists and audience as well as the exchange of new ideas. And you could feel this happening. It felt different than other shows, and wholly positive.

Myhope is that we'll do a follow-up event in 6 months or so withthis same group of artists just to see how we have developed ourconcepts; and also, of course, to continue creating more eventsfeaturing new artists.

Fromthe Audience:

"SlidingDown was an amazing event that gave an important space to performersand musicians who are doing something experimental and out of themainstream. There aren't a lot of venues for that, as far as I cantell, and it was really refreshing." - Keppie Coutts,Australian Songwriter, Singer, Educator

“SlidingDown was such a fantastic event. Diverse musical talents, awesomevenue, very beautiful people...Great job in curating this. Keep itcoming!” - Nicole Wang, Attendee

Vette playing So Late with Bassist, Bergen Moore & Keppie Coutts

“I had been wanting to break into a slightly new sound, which

I did, thanks to the pressure I felt for this particular show.

I also wanted to use these songs to explore a 3-part story of a

woman who chose to risk everything familiar and comforting

for a new life. The story traces the stages of her

flight from old to new: So Late, Lonely Fighter and Looking Back.

I failed to complete the 3^rd act of my story and to find the perfect

way to present the story elements to the audience.

I ran out of time!” - Vette

Karaoke Roulette by Sadie Siegel

"Ialways think twice before driving across town during rush hour on aFriday night. But I'd do it again to hear either Eric Byers's soaringexperimental cello works or Vette's captivating vocals alone. And tohear the range of musicians at Sliding Down wasstrange but wonderful – not just about the individual parts. It'sabout the seductive array..." - Theresa Sotto, Poet,Arts Educator

"SlidingDown. What an effective installation piece. I've been to eventsdowntown. At galleries. With pole dancers, fire eaters and livebands...surrounded by hanging artwork...somehow dramatically missingthe mark. Sliding Down, however, presented a genuinelyartistic, thoughtful approach to mixing art and music...with thesights and sounds of an 'experimental' evening altogether. Set at R&RGallery. Punctuated by Vette's tasteful, well-written vocal-basedsongs; her voice was lost on no-one. Full and true...and with aneducated control that the audience was audibly remarking on. Withplenty of heart. Coutts and Moore offered their kindred support tothe modern torch songs, juxtaposed between more avant garde offeringsthat did, indeed, push to make one think, hear and feelunexpectedly.

Theroom was set with 3 different stages (or 4 if you count thebar), triangulating the performers to rotate: Vette, Byers,Vette, Siegel, Vette, Gee...and out with Siegel's Karaoke Roulette.

Atthe risk of sounding overly gushy...Eric Byers is a virtuoso with an amazing brain for a) arrangement b) harmony c) dynamic d)rhythm. His three extremely musically complex pieces elicited swells of rich texture, warmth and visuals by sending 4 overlapping butindependent, live-looped parts, separately out of 4 speakers with anethereal, experimental, yet canon-like effect. His song, "SeaShanty" did, in fact, elicit images of the sea and a deepunderstanding of how one CAN connect music to imagery viacomposition...a mini-movie running in

our own minds. Veryscore-feeling. Very cinematic.

All performed by a very humble,extremely accomplished player. A real treat.

Siegel'spieces were decidedly the farthest pushing of the evening. Longsine-like waves, droning...using a microphone as a sound device,distorted. I felt under water for most of this performer's piecesand, at times - JERKED! out of the water with a drastic change intone. An emotional roller-coster punctuated by electronic slaps inthe face.

Gee'svideo-supported lecture and beautiful vocals and viola playing werefascinating. In a good way. She talked about love andheartbreak...chemically...and, frankly, made me think about severalinstances in my own life where I realized...ohhhhhhhh...so THAT's whythat happened. Throwing around words like Oxytocin...the science nerdin me got a solid kick out of this one.

Theevening wrapped up with Siegel's Karaoke Roulette...which was a bitof a 'happening'. Involving the audience. Music started. Lyrics wereprojected. People stepped up to the mic and started singing. In somecases you'd not have known that they'd NEVER heard the song before(as is ironically common with REAL Karaoke...where the singer's heardthe song a million times and STILL sounds like sh*t singing it)...

Fora $5/bottomless glass of wine and a suggested $10 donation at thedoor...it was well worth fighting traffic for...and I'd go again.Even to see the same performers do their *thing* all over again on adifferent day. It should be noted that I spent much of the eveninglaughing. Not at the performers...but with many of the fun, creativepeople at the event. Many thanks." - Catharine Wood,Artist/Producer, Planetwood Productions

Fromthe Critic:

Carrie Schrek

Darija Varnaite

Morgan Gee & friends

Sadie Siegel & friends

Audience & Column Studies

"Withher piece Column Studies, Sadie Siegel triedto straddle the boundaries between performance and sculpture, betweensituationist sound, and song structures with mass-appeal. Andshe gloriously failed. Two columns, made of wood and drywall,functioned as gigantic amplifiers and formed the center ofa "Pop Arty" installation piece composed ofsmooth-surfaces, and yellow, spray-painted gear.

Siegel'sexperiment invited the audience to focus on the physical qualities ofsound. But this invitation was oddly not rigorous enough fromSiegel's side. Though the performance clearly aimed atdisrupting conventional stagings of music and sound, her set didn't allow these built structures to stand for themselves and to resonatewith an environment that was truly receptive.

Siegel'sconceptually tight and highly entertaining KaraokeRoulette didn't get its well-deserved attention later on inthe evening, however, due to the venue's time constraints..." -Claudia Slanar

Happiness is a Strange Notion

2011-10-28T02:04:00.000-07:00

Sliding Down flyer, featuring a sketch by Sadie Siegel.

Flyer designed by CW

I've gotten very controlling over many of the details of this show. I want it to go perfectly. I want all the performers to feel like they have everything exactly as they need it to be to give their best performance. I also want a million people to show up, and i want the venue and every artist to take some money home with them.

I am much less laid back than i used to be. So many things can go wrong. This new me is not maybe as "cool" as i used to be. Wouldn't it be better to be relaxed? For ones health? Hopefully this changes ... soon.

I read a quote by werner herzog the other day which made me laugh. He said, "I have never been one of those who cares about happiness. Happiness is a strange notion. I am just not made for it. It has never been a goal of mine; I do not think in those terms." When i hear that, i imagine a man whose only goal in life is to finish his film - no matter what he has to do, by god he's going to do it. I found it liberating to imagine myself not caring about the concept of my own happiness - ironically the thought made me happier. How does anyone in this culture do that? Aren't you conditioned to be really worried if you're not happy? And spend lots of money on therapy? I suppose if you were unconcerned about happiness, you could instead choose to live, simply, for a moving purpose regardless of it's ability to feed or shelter you... i'm confused because that sounds really great. Another irony - Herzog - the braggard - seems like one of the most content people i've ever seen or heard interviewed. The bastard has an imagination that winds its way into everything - like an invisible hand. http://blog.therandr.org/

@ Tiger Moon's Poets Perch, Thursday, Oct. 20

2011-10-16T23:42:00.000-07:00

I'll be playing here this week
Thursday evening with Bergen
Moore on banjo and bass in case
anyone cares to join us. :)

Vette Muse News

2011-10-12T14:04:00.000-07:00

Being from a land with 4 seasons, fall normally feels like an archetypal preparation for death - a cruel final kiss on the cheek before the deep freeze sets in. But not in California! These days it feels more like spring. We are awake and busy and so are the squirrels.

In October i began teaching songwriting at a small music college in Pasadena, called "LAMA" (Los Angeles Music Academy). After only one class, it's already been a transformative experience. I'm also writing a lot of new material and will be playing some of that material at two upcoming events. I also sang the vocals for a song used in an indie Halloween Horror Short called Mr. Tricker's Treat created by Mike Kochansky and Mark Byers (who also did the score). More on that later...

In October, I'll be playing new music with Bergen Moore at the following events:
1) Thursday, October 20th @ "The Perch" hosted by Tiger Moon
900 E 1st Street,

Los Angeles 90012

* Tiger is an actress, film maker and writer. The perch is an alternative performance space in a warehouse apartment building in downtown, LA. They hold poetry slams, spoken word and music events.

2) Friday, October 28 @ The R&R Gallery | Project
The show is called "Sliding Down", was curated by me and will feature an amazing lineup of artists.

929, East 2nd St. Suite 106

Los Angeles, CA, 90012
(213) 626-2261

**Learn more about R&R here.

Killin Me With Love (Soundtrack for Mr. Tricker's Treat)

2011-10-07T03:33:00.000-07:00

You gotta love LA. Where else in the world do you have a neighbor stop bye to ask if he can borrow your record player as a prop in the short horror film he's shooting for Halloween? "Mr. Tricker's Treat" was created by Mike Kochansky and Mark Byers and stars Michael Serrato. I was happy to contribute a vocal to the soundtrack, "Killin Me With Love".

Here's a little demo version (not the final mix) of the song. It was so fun to sing a little jazz again and it's always fun working with Markaholic.

Try to imagine this song playing in the background while the killer (played by Michael Serrato) does something horrible to someone. :) Rest assured, we will be replacing the midi saxophones with a real sax solo in the next few days - though i have to admit something about their tinseled tonality is starting to grow on me.

Killin Me With Love (Feat. Jonelle Vette) by BrotherMusicHouse
Killin Me with Love is the soundtrack for Mr. Tricker's Treat by Mike Kochansky and Mark Byers.

Lyrics
He's such a man
Don't know how he took to me so much
He's so kind he's cruel
And I doubt if I can ever measure up

He treats me like a flower
In its biggest bloom of the year
Don't know what I'd do
If I didn't always have that man right here

And I can't stand it
He cares so much it slices me up
No I can't stand it
He's killin me with love

He does me in
With that big ol' shit-eating grin
He's skewered my heart out
If I still had my eyes they'd be for him

And I can't stand it
He cares so much it slices me up
No I can't stand it
He's killin me with love

WARNING: The following film if it had a rating would definitely be rated R for violence and disturbing images.

Sliding Down: An Exciting New Show

2011-09-26T17:31:00.000-07:00

I'm really excited to be sharing the stage on October 28th for a show i've curated called Sliding Down, with the likes of Eric Byers, Morgan Gee and Sadie Siegel. Busting myself up to getting the new songs finished just for this event!

It came about because, as a songwriter, i was inspired by the boundary pushing ideas that inspire the work of all these performers - who work in various styles of music. So i approached them in the hopes that they would want to be a part of a show that in my opinion would be just as much a work of art as the pieces that would be performed. So, thankfully everyone was into the idea. And even though we all make very different statements with music, I soon realized that each of us would all share one very interesting and important goal - all of us are wrestling with new ideas and new expansion in our work that really reflect our lives, our skills and the ideas that percolate up from our subconscious minds. So for this very special event, Sliding Down, we will all be pushing our own comfort zones to present not only new work, but a new side of ourselves.

For a long time i've yearned to find a way to make my songwriting feel more like an exploration on a conceptual level rather than being so focused on the typical outlets - film, TV, album, music industry, etc. So it's a new venture or adventure for me to behave as more of a visual artist, and to work in a focused manner around a theme which would explore one concept, for a specific event, and whose final output will have been influenced by the other artists involved in that event.

Another aspect about this show that is worth mentioning, is the community aspect. Everyone performing in this show is a friend. The art space itself is a warehouse space called The R&R who refuses to take any money for letting us use the venue. People will attend the show and donate money that will go to the artists and the venue. And because of the non commercial, underground nature of the experience, the spirit of experimentation is in the air. It's the sort of show that invites artists to explore their ideas, without the pressure of having to bring 25 people or any pressure other than whatever level of artistry they demand from themselves. It also invites the community to come in and get to be completely surprised with what they find - and to be a part of something raw, passionate and unconventional rather than polished and refined and expected. Don't get me wrong, the quality of the performances, i have no doubt will be impressive and perhaps even polished, but the overall impact of this blend of musicians in that space, performing new work doused with the spirit of experimentation, gives the community something to experience as a wonderful and surprising alternative to what they've grown to expect as the 'only game in town'. I'm not saying that these sorts of events are enough to sustain an artist who intends to live off their work, but they certainly do keep the life force flowing, keep the community strong, and breathe new life into everyone involved.

Reposting of a Facebook Thread about the American Apparel Plus Size Photo Saga Instigated by Nancy Upton

2011-09-15T13:30:00.000-07:00

Who knew that such a bad and possibly "stupid" campaign by American Apparel could lead to such an interesting FB discussion that's actually had an impact on my personal growth - helping me to make some good connections between my own goals as a creative person, my thoughts on feminine identity, and the reasons why i follow and admire certain female figures in the culture today.

-----------------------------------

Libby Brouwer
I'm completely captivated by this ongoing story of American Apparel's most recent photo contest (in a where on earth will this go from here sort of way). They've never been one of my favorite companies since their business decisions often seem a little on the creepy side. Read on to see their response to Nancy Upton's photos and click through to the Daily Beast article for her response to them.

American Apparel Sends Nasty Open Letter To Satirist Who Won Their Fat Girl Contest

thegloss.com

Remember when we told you about the awesome woman whose joke entry to American Apparel’s “Next BIG Thing” plus size model contest hilariously skewered its incredibly offensive tone? Well, that woman, whose name is Nancy Upton, actua

· · Share · 2 hours ago · Privacy:

You like this.

Jessie Rothwell Nancy Upton is my hero. I've been following the story so far - thanks for this update.
2 hours ago ·
Libby Brouwer I'm amazed at how much coverage this is getting. American Apparel generally quashes things before they reach this point.
2 hours ago ·
Jessie Rothwell guess they can't quash everything - at least not without making themselves look worse...
2 hours ago ·
Leah Sproul Pulatie Yeah! I just read about that yesterday. I am generally creeped by AA, too. I think it says something to their policies that a. She won as an obvious satirist, and b. It's getting so much press. Crazy
2 hours ago ·
Jonelle Elle
The shorts in my current fb profile pic are from AA. I live right near their outlet store in LA. Dudes, i can't help myself. it's cheap. it fits. and it doesn't display any logos - which i hate. Please forgive my weak weak self. So maybe i contradict myself when i say i love the criticism of this particular campaign, but i do. I also admire artists who manage to intelligently comment and bust through the limiting portrayals of female beauty in our culture.

about an hour ago ·
Julie Gordon
I've always disliked American Apparel for their cheaply-made, ill-fitting clothing and exclusively sexual ad campaigns that usually depict very young women. Especially because of the multiple stories of their photographers treating their models inappropriately. I couldn't care less whether or not they already offered XL sizes, I agree that this campaign smacked of bullshit. I think that Nancy Upton's entry was a perfect send up of all that is wrong with them, and I think they lack grace, compassion, and self-awareness for writing such a blatantly defensive and ridiculous response to her. Last I heard they were about to declare bankruptcy. I won't miss them one iota.

about an hour ago · · 2 people
Jessie Rothwell agree with everything you just said, Jules. For people with any kind of hips and chest, the clothes look ridiculous and feel crappy
about an hour ago · · 1 person
Jessie Rothwell read this. Disgusting.http://www.claudineko.com/storiesamericanapparel.html

claudine ko - american apparel
www.claudineko.com
Thousands of pretty young women are obsessed with American Apparel’s T-shirts. Some even make out with its idol-like founder. Claudine Ko tries to keep him out of her pants.

about an hour ago ·
Libby Brouwer ‎Leah, did you follow any of the coverage when it came out that the photos of the "models" in the creepy bedroom shots were taken at Dov's house and that most of them were employees? Now that was super creepy.Jonelle, I've always found your love of AA a contradiction knowing how you feel about similar things. But that's why I love you. You are constantly surprising me.
about an hour ago ·
Libby Brouwer Julie, I can always count on you to succinctly sum up the various thoughts rattling around my head. Thanks.
about an hour ago · · 1 person
Jonelle Elle
well, libby, in all seriousness, i may still simply carry a bit too much of the traditional feminine willingness to trust the voice that encourages self loathing in my core (although self loathing can also lead to good honest growth - not necessarily feminine - within the right contexts). and let's face it, fashion (and also many men) tend to prey, exacerbate and rely on, that particular voice in women. i think they call that psychology "abusive" in relationship therapy. in fact i think that's probably the fine line most women never cross - to fully get out from under the extremely limiting beauty (perhaps abusive) culture, while raising an unapologetic fist (or middle finger or better yet - eloquent voice) to the critics of their actions, ideas and desires.hmm. interesting. i've never thought about it this way - exactly.

about an hour ago ·
Leah Sproul Pulatie Yeah, I did. Ugh. Creepy. I can get on board with some of the ideas behind their company--simple, minimalist basics, made in America, etc. But I never shopped there because their ads were so smarmy.
50 minutes ago ·
Jonelle Elle
i think this is why a lot of my female heroines tend to be sort of in your face, unapologetic, brutally smart people. they manage to challenge these suggested limitations on the customary female beauty, behavior and actions in a very kick ass - PHYSICAL way. Hazel Dooney, Le Tigre, and Amanda Perry - to name a few. i haven't shaved my head or anything (yet), but i used to dream about it. and obviously i shop at american apparel from time to time and i enjoy looking at all kinds of images of women, but not without awareness. Intellectually, I was totally disappointed and even a little pissed off by the exhibit "beauty culture" being held at the Annenberg Space for Photography in LA. It completely failed in any way to raise and carry out any decent criticism or questioning of the reigning beauty culture. Any time they got close, the line of thinking just dead ended. But beyond "intellectual" criticism, like i said, i haven't shaved my head yet. So, I agree, women (myself included) should be absorbing these ideas more thoroughly and using them to cultivate some sort of action that goes far beyond crusades against american apparel, but results in enviable lives - that emerge from an integrated core philosophy. These women i mention above, draw attention to their ideas and draw attention away from their physical beauty (i think). Easier said than done when being "loved" or "wanted" in your youth by a guy (let's bring it back down to earth), usually only happens if you look good. RARELY - does a man's preference for a great mind in a woman trump his deep desire for a great body or a pretty (in a stereotypical way), non intimidating woman. There simply are not enough of these men in the world to go around - not even around the fucking block. Most women would have to become lesbians or never have sex to BE the CHANGE we're talking about here. If you look at my list of female heroes. At least Amanda and Hazel are with remarkable, rare, men. I mean, so, therein probably lies the contradiction that i experience in myself. At some point, maybe the passion for my ideas and overall creative output will trump my need to be stared at and desired by a dude. oh lord...

33 minutes ago · · 1 person
Libby Brouwer ‎Leah, I love when you say smarmy though I'm glad you don't have more occasions to say it.
30 minutes ago ·
Libby Brouwer ‎Jonelle, two things. First, I didn't know Facebook allowed you to write that much in one post. I am impressed. Second, I must now digest all of what you've said. I miss the ability to have these conversations in person.
26 minutes ago ·
Jonelle Elle
the short of it? basically there's intellectual criticism of the bigger implications of the American Apparel situation, and then there's living these ideas. So, how far do we take the criticisms? Boycotting limiting female images is one option - tho difficult considering their pervasiveness - but how do you actually wear your criticisms on your self? on your person? how do you live the ideas in an integrated way? I guess these are the basic concepts of feminism. i usually just bitch for awhile, then go back to living my less than triumphant life. LOL. I'm being a bit critical and flip in that statement. but the deep integration of ones philosophy (feminist or otherwise) into ones lives is a rare and difficult accomplishment - even for really smart people. Why? because at the end of the day most of us want to be loved. we're motivated by urges to connect, be comforted, to be part of a community. OR another way to say it is that our "intellectual property" is not always as valuable to us as our friends, boyfriends and social circles. But then you look at the lives of people like Hazel Dooney or Amanda Palmer and you might think - maybe it's worth it to attempt to take it that far? maybe that's a life well spent. . .

13 minutes ago ·

SLIDING DOWN: Press Release

2011-09-05T18:56:00.000-07:00

SLIDING DOWN: Press Release

Thewords, “sliding down,” are intended to symbolize a “moment ofsurrender” - the type that opens a passage through which images andideas well up from the subconscious mind. On October 28, The R&R Gallery | Project willpresent Sliding Down - a music event featuring performances byan inspiring variety of East Side/Downtown artists, whose workreflects this type of surrender, pushes personal boundaries, and embodies whatauthor and educator Robert Henri called "the art spirit".Together, the performances will result in a spectrum spanning andblurring the boundaries of music's purpose as a tool for catharsis,emoting, storytelling and entertainment; as well as a scientific,philosophical and even, humorous exploration of reality.

PERFORMERS

EricByers will be performing his own music for solo cello. Using livesampling, his cello becomes part of a multidimensional celloensemble. Eric is the cellist of the LA-based Calder Quartet. soundcloud.com/ericbyers

Eric Byers with his Cello

Morgan Gee's set will explore love and more specifically the 'broken heart',beginning with a short lecture on neurophysiology and continuing witha performance containing noisy soundscapes, original love songs and acover by the country icon of heartbreak, Tammy Wynette. Morgan willbe joined by circuit-bender Andy Ben, bassist Masatoshi Sato, visualartists Carrie Schrek and Samuel Partal and costumes designed byDarija Varnas. morgangee.com

Morgan Gee

Songwriterand singer Jonelle Vette will use new songs to explore “the hero's journey”embarked upon by a character who rejected the "expected" life, inorder to try to redefine herself. The result is a set of hauntinglullaby's that trace her undulating slide away from former comfortsinto the unknown. vettemusic.com,facebook :vettemuse, blog,bandcamp

Jonelle Vette, self portrait

Sadie Siegel isaself-taught musician, trained as a visual artist and architect willbe performing ColumnStudies,a set of sculptures that mute, hold and amplify audio, askingparticipants to consider sound as a physical quantity and to reflectupon the social space created by its performance. Siegel’s KaraokeRoulette willalso be installed, welcoming guests to sing from a catalog of unknownsongs created by plugging various articles about the politicaluncertainties of the Arab Spring into an online lyric generator. sadiesiegel.bandcamp,practicing-a-broken-ceiling

Image from Sadie Siegel's "Karaoke Roulette"

CONTACT& EVENT INFORMATION

Curator: Jonelle Vette, jonellev@gmail.com, 617.459.6236

Event: SlidingDown,October 28, 2011, 8pm – Midnight +

Venue: Raquel Beck at TheR&R Gallery | Project; (213) 626-2261

Raquel@therandr.org

TheR&R Gallery | Project

929East 2nd St. Suite 106

Los Angeles, CA, 90012

Song placed in the Show, "Switched at Birth"

2011-08-28T02:06:00.000-07:00

The other day i was mulling over a possible agreement to have a few of my poppier songs submitted to a new, small, publishing catalog when i realized "i still have a contract on these songs!" with a different placement company (Crucial Music) i hadn't heard from since the day i signed the contract 2 years ago.

I pondered over what to do: had the contract expired? and if not, would it even be an issue since they didn't seem to realize I was alive? Then i went to my mailbox and low and behold what was sitting there but a nice-sized check from that same company for getting my song "Take Me Away" (with Mark Byers)

&lt;p&gt;&amp;lt;a href="http://vette.bandcamp.com/track/take-me-away"&amp;gt;Take Me Away by Vette&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;&lt;/p&gt;
placed in "Switched at Birth" recently - an ABC show with 3.3 million viewers. Can you say WTF? What are the odds that the one day in 2 years i thought of this placement company (and thought about firing them) was also the day i received a check from them? Is this a sign, world? If so, what does it MEAN?

Day Dreaming & the Union of Ron and Polly Haas

2011-08-28T01:15:00.000-07:00

Dear Polly and Ron,
Your wedding was fun! and lovely.
I still have cake in my teeth.
The children dancing circles around adults trying to give speeches was a lovely touch. Did you hire them?
I was honored to contribute my song, "Day Dreaming," to the ceremony.
I probably shouldn't admit to this, but I made a mistake. However no one noticed, and it lengthened the song, making it end precisely on the lines "you're saving me, saving me," which is basically what Ron had asked for.
You two will be happy as a couple. It's clear. That's not always the case.
I wish you many years to come full of happy day dreams.

Just in case you're curious, I'm posting here, below, the original rough sketch of "Day Dreaming," before it was finished. It used to be called "What You Are," and "Day Dreaming" was going to be a different, sad little song, which so far, hasn't been finished.

&lt;p&gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://vette.bandcamp.com/track/what-you-are-demo-3"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;What You Are Demo (#3) by Vette&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&lt;/p&gt;

Why is Rebecca Black Famous?

2011-07-24T18:45:00.000-07:00

Will someone PLEASE explain to me why Rebecca Black is famous!? Well the obvious answer is that she got millions of followers for having a terrible song. OK, Fair enough. Good business opportunity for a record label to come in and produce song number 2 with her, put her on Jay Leno and give her a spot in a Katy Perry video. But i mean - is it really true that being associated with bad or supremely average songs will get you famous? Apparently for some people, yes. But first of all - should it? (obviously the record labels think so - check out her new video... "My Moment") and secondly can this be a formula or is it just "Rebecca" that has some sort of je ne sais qua for frustrating the hell out of millions of people? I mean aren't there tons of bad music videos out there on youtube? Why is hers so big?

It's hard to even understand why she got so hated in the first place, and then why such dislike would lead to fame. Yes, Friday was a bad song but what was that enough to inspire a whirlwind of HATE and therefore interest for that video to go viral? Was it the odd combination of her cuteness mixed with the bumpy ride of mis set song lyrics and hearing about cereal and hangin out 8th grade style that got people so enraged? The truth is, Rebecca Black is sort of cute and pleasant and seems very sweet and pretty. So, why did she get DEATH THREATS for "Friday"? I mean who really cares? It's not as if she's running for office.

Actually I can understand why after the song received a certain number of hits that maybe people began to resent that her averageness was garnering her so much fame. Granted, it is sort of annoying for a musician or songwriter to think about - why someone could get famous for producing art that's so average. But viral? hate? and now probably a major turnaround and a real shot at a pop career? It's just so weirdly fascinating when you think about how getting hated by massive numbers of people, could actually help you.

Maybe what i'm really wondering is the answer to an age old question "how exactly does fame work"? because it's clear that it's not always about having something of high quality to offer the world. And usually we associate fame with love but maybe it's more about obsession and projection?

I wonder as more and more pop phenoms like Rebecca Black emerge, with the help of Youtube, what are music songwriting educators going to start telling their students about the business of music and song craft? "Oh, by the way, the right thing to do is to hone your craft! but... if you actually want to make any MONEY at this or become a famous pop star, write a notably bad song before the age of 16 that goes viral and try to finish high school - if you have time..." I'm sorry, music and arts schools won't tell you that. They will encourage you to make videos, etc. but mostly the focus is on developing skills as a musician and finishing your education. Are they right? I guess it depends on what you value in this world. Anyone who cares about the quality of an art or the craft of songwriting or the need for an educated youth, would never encourage newcomers to do what the business people driving the fame machine in pop music would have you do. It's possible for overnight success stories like Rebecca, that she wouldn't really have had many chances at fame. And that her circumstances right now, at this moment, make her ripe for the picking - her age, her look, her averageness, etc.

So what's a person to do? I really don't know. I personally wouldn't want to be in Rebecca Black's position. Even for all the potential money. As an artist i find her presence on the level of absurd and not in a good way. But as a business person, i can see she's in a position to make a lot of money. And if you do write pop and want to have a career as a pop singer, then fame is also a part of that equation and YouTube is also a great tool to help you along with that. And Rebecca Black, Lady Gaga and Paris Hilton are probably all people to be studied if fame is your goal - i mean that is - if you have time to study ... anything.

Well, i still haven't figured out what the fame sparkle dust sprinkled around Rebecca Black's song "Friday" is all about nor have i unraveled the mysteries of how or why fame works, but if you do, please ... let us know. It's just such a curious thing. . .

Experiment in Pop Up Shows: Send Me Links

2011-07-18T12:52:00.000-07:00

I've gotten it in my head that i'd like to experiment in putting together some 'pop up' shows featuring musicians, songwriters and bands i admire in spaces that aren't main stream music venues. So i found an artspace nearby (therandr.org) that wants to host varied events which support both the maker and consumer of all kinds of art. I co-hosted my first show there with Keppie Coutts last Thursday. The focus this time was on acoustic songwriters. Sarah Sample was our headlining act and was truly breathtaking. I opened along with 2 other artists (Beautiful Nowhere & EchoRev) and in the end, it was quite a success.

The venue sold a painting and said it was a great turnout for a first time event on a Thursday night. The headlining artist got more money than she was expecting, all the artists made new friends and the audience seemed really happy with the show.

In my opinion, playing in that sort of environment is so much more fun than playing at venues where the pressure to bring 25 people is always weighing on you. I much prefer an underground vibe that reaches out to friends and people who want a unique experience - who are friendly and genuinely appreciative of what you are doing. At these types of shows, attendees don't have to buy a ticket, but rather, they give a donation for entrance and for alcohol. And, imo, playing shows in houses, lofts, abandoned buildings, alternative spaces of any kind, etc. can be a lot more exciting than playing the mainstream venues, especially before you've developed a big enough following to guarantee that 25 people.

So, if you're interested in playing at a pop up event downtown, please send me links to your music and any shows you might be playing. I'm interested in alternative music, experienced songwriters, visual artists creating music, performance artists, absurdists, experimental musicians, ambient musicians, and interesting acoustic acts (that includes acts that aren't normally acoustic but would like to experiment with playing an acoustic set). I will be 'curating' evenings - finding 2-4 artists that thematically tie together.

Thanks!

Banksy!

2011-06-23T15:00:00.000-07:00

I was recently introduced to a comic book superhero - the batman of all the worlds top street artists - Banksy. He has managed to become one of the most successful and controversial image makers in the world - yet no one knows what his face looks like. A master at getting attention and yet, anonymous. A ghost. He slips in, strikes, and then blends back into the crowd. He accepts no public honors and devotes his life to a wicked and I dare say wonderful criticism of what he perceives is wrong within the dominating world cultures. When i hear his name, in my mind, I see a never ending Twitter feed of his artwork and the stories I've heard, but not his face. When i hear his name, it's followed by the legacy of his ideas.

So i wonder, why such a focus on physical recognition? Why such a need to have our faces be remembered rather than our ideas? Banksy is a reminder to me of how cool it is when an artists legacy is their body of work, rather than their face, an ego trip or some sort of addiction to fame.

A quotation from The Daily Mail: 'I have no interest in ever coming out. I figure there are enough self-opinionated a**holes trying to get their ugly little faces in front of you as it is.'

Thanks, Banksy. Stay hidden.

Princess Diana Banknotes created and printed by Banksy

Images by Banksy

Bedroom Window

2011-05-29T16:38:00.001-07:00

TodayI watched the frozen oak get hacked

intohundreds of bite-sized pieces.

Ithad fallen near the barn where the wind

tookit and now a man heaved himself at it -

wintersweat dripping from his chin - until

thejob got done. Later his cracked hands would

sopup soup with warm bread, turn a few pages and

remindhim, when softer skin used to mend him

everyevening by the fire.

Song Idea: What You Are

2011-05-26T18:12:00.000-07:00

&lt;p&gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://vette.bandcamp.com/track/what-you-are-demo-3"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;What You Are Demo (#3) by Jonelle Vette&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&lt;/p&gt;

What i'm sharing here is the results of day 3 of a song a day project i did in December. This song needs to be worked on before it's finished (in my opinion), but i believe i might have finished it tonight. :)

What You Are

Purple clouds, pink champagne, birthday suits rainy days
Little smiles, our memories
You got me going, on the back of a twinkling star
You got me day dreamin of
What you are … to me

What you are what you are
Suckle sweet beauty
What you are is savin’ me
You got me goin on the back of a racing car
You’re black magic mayhem,
You are … for me

Love can lead to
Mountain tops with icy stops
Storms roll in
The sun will see you thru
Lonely beds to holy cocks (lol)
Love can leave you cold
Or … not

Purple clouds, pink champagne, birthday suits rainy days
Little smiles, memories
You got me going, on the back of a twinkling star
You got me day dreamin of
What you are …

What you are what you are
Suckle sweet beauty
What you are is savin me
You got me goin on the back of a racing car
You’re black magic mayhem
Yes you are …

Happy happy me
Ha ha ha
Happy

the zoo

2011-05-21T21:16:00.000-07:00

wheneverI see a red fox cutting

throughsomeone’s yard at night he doesn’t look

worriedabout the odor of the rent.

andthe squirrel whose cheek is stuffed with loot

mightscold but never apologizes, and

Ihave never heard of a tiger torn up over

tearingthe sinew off someone’s bones.

butwhat if they saw me clawing at tree trunks

dressedin pink perfumed traces of what

usedto be some raucous fur?

iwould be the laughing stock

leftto swing between 2 branches

ofthe YMCA

runningin place

lookingstraight ahead

dreaming about escaping

iceland

2011-05-18T20:51:00.000-07:00

today i saw an old house hunching its back into the wind

while the waves combed the sea grey behind it

through a cloud.

i had no questions like "what do i want" "who am i" or "why"

and the usual expressions lost their right to speak

to the narrator and me

so we wound ourselves around words

stirring up bent images of our attempts to burn.

we sat half lives apart in our spaceship

inhaling and exhaling

through a wall billions of dimensions thick

and said what couldn't be written

on a postcard

For a Photo Essay about Travelers vs. Tourists, go here: http://jpgmag.com/stories/2748

Lille Thomson, RIP

2011-05-18T14:32:00.000-07:00

thank you for keeping your fangs hidden

and for your bitter pill and will of stone

for becoming a rock slide's bride

who left you here with twisted insides

and to keep it up alone.

but i will not go where you have gone

my life will become my own

a quiet voice has been telling me to

is it you?

A Thing for Lingerie

2011-05-18T02:48:00.000-07:00

My first experiment in conversation as sound and as music, and also an accompaniment to a non related visual scene. In this example, i take the most interesting pieces of the conversation and repeat it in ways that sort of remind me of the kinds of repetitions you find in pop songwriting. Of course so much more was said, literally, but ultimately the overall impact of the conversation was able to be amplified with only a few repeated phrases.

A conversation between a woman and a man about lingerie blends into the music from a jam session at a warehouse party.

She asks:
So now you have a thing for lingerie?

He answers:
I do.
It creates such a sexy look.
It creates such a sexy look.
Something on the legs - hoes, stockings, whatever you choose, there's a sheerness to it.
Something about lace and satin and silk.
Sensuous.
Sensuous.
Such a sexy look.

Something on the legs - hoes, stockings, whatever you choose, there's a sheerness to it.
Something about lace and satin and silk.
It's sensuous.
Sensuous.
Such a sexy look.
Lace and satin and silk.
Such a sexy look.

So now you have a thing for lingerie?
I do.
Lace and satin and silk.
It's sensuous. Sensuous.
Lace and satin and silk.

ICELAND SKETCHES: UNTITLED

2011-05-17T23:37:00.000-07:00

theblack wind galloped past

knockingme down to the ice-slicked stones.

soonI'd be dragged off

intothe howling night

pastthe point of holding on

tobricked corners

orbolted down planets of man's making

Before Dark

2011-04-27T02:48:00.000-07:00

i remember a day we walked through the snow
hands holding across a field
in my mind we marched straight and far
but our boot prints just pounded out circles
you never spoke of the thin cold air
but you never lost sight of the car
i made an angel, you took a photo
and ushered us home before dark

the heroine

2011-04-20T00:57:00.000-07:00

death delights in (her cold lips.
they have kissed bones.
sinewed wired calloused hard –
she sleeps on stones.
you must realize her wings are crystallized,
her road unwinds like smoke,
and so, you must try to wear her
let her touch your skin
without slipping in)
stealing your worth.

Cold Stone

2011-04-19T22:39:00.000-07:00

Song Sketch: Cold Stone

Kiss away, kiss away

kiss away the anger

Kiss away, kiss away

kiss away the danger

Cold cold stone

&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://vette.bandcamp.com/track/cold-stone-chorus-2"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Cold Stone Chorus by VETTE&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;

Let Me Go

2011-04-18T17:40:00.000-07:00

Song title: Let Me Go

&lt;p&gt;&amp;lt;a href="http://vette.bandcamp.com/track/let-me-go-chorus-10"&amp;gt;Let Me Go Chorus (#10) by VETTE&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;&lt;/p&gt;

Lyrics

I can't help it if you want more than i got in my soul

maybe i just don't know how to show you more

or how to, let me go, let me go

uh oh uh oh, i ... !

let me go, let me go

i'll show you...

Self Portrait

2011-04-06T17:19:00.000-07:00

Regarding the blue shorts image (self portrait), i was struck a long time ago by some photos of patti smith. I just never forgot the look in her eyes. It was as if to say, "here i fuckin' am". I think lots of people i admire look at the camera in this way - without fear, vanity or an attempt please - but fully exposing their vulnerability and strength. The result is the capturing of something intangibly beautiful. It's as if the photographer caught them in a flickering moment and managed to reveal something - some truth. And if you could see behind those eyes you'd find a long history of triumphs, failures and passionate moments all strung together into an unapologetic life story. You'd see a commitment to art or to some great dream they had. Or maybe it's a willingness to choose a philosophy or a difficult path with no promise of reward. Anyway, at least in patti's photos, i can see it in her expression - that she's crossed some line that most people never even get close to. So, basically with the blue shorts image, i was trying to find that place in myself and capture it. I continuously try to dwell in that place.

Yes! Requests: Hold on Harder

2011-03-31T12:00:00.000-07:00

The Yes! Requests Project is an experiment in which you listen to one of my song sketches, and then, if you love it, you request that i finish it. Your request will put you in a list of people who will be notified when the song is finished, so that they can download a free copy.

So, if you love it and / or will want a finished copy of the song, just tell me, "Yes! (+ song title)". If i get 30 Yes! Requests then i'll finish the song and make it available as a free download to everyone who requested it.

Thank you!

(PS - You should see a music player below. If you don't, please hit the refresh button on your browser.)

Today's song sketch: Hold On Harder

Wanna hold on harder, each step i take

Wanna hold on harder, your beautiful face

If you hold on harder, well, it won't make love stay, anyway

The delusion fades

&lt;p&gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://vette.bandcamp.com/track/hold-on-harder-chorus-12"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Hold On Harder Chorus (#12) by VETTE&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&lt;/p&gt;

the delusion fades

2011-03-29T18:12:00.000-07:00

At one point in the conversation, Gary said with his particular weave of eloquence and poetry, "with every relationship after a certain point, you know... the delusion fades.

The delusion fades. The delusion fades. Even just by themselves, sitting there alone on the park bench, they're like a little auditory phrase-painting. An itsy bitsy, guttural, poemita there to be plucked from the white noise. How many layers upon layers of human story could be imagined from those 3 words?

Maybe i should include that Gary is a conceptual avant gard composer and curator of the Wulf in LA. He is a compassionate critic of the world and humanity. He is a beautiful, high caliber sort of guy. So you can imagine that these pretty little trinkets kept dropping from his lips as he spoke, and i gratefully caught at least one. (Sigh...)

In life, I've missed so many trinkets dropped by so many lips, but at least i've finally realized when i miss them. It's usually in those times that my racing mind can't sit still long enough to really picture peoples words. It's not enough to hear the words as tiny envelopes of meaning rolling along on a conveyor belt of sentences, but also to picture them in colors and pictures - like musical polaroids only available for a brief window of time.

Lyrics for "Hold on Harder Chorus" inspired by Gary...

Wanna hold on harder, each step i take

Hold on harder, your beautiful face

If you hold on harder, well, it won't make love stay anyway

The delusion fades, the delusion fades

For Love or Money?

2011-03-17T01:21:00.000-07:00

Where the scrambling for security feeds fear, love is the fount of nourishment for us all - especially for the artist. And in this way, the idealized image of the monk-like artist un-corruptible by the dangling carrot of security, serves as an ideal. The artist may be poor (or not), but she is comforted in knowing she made the right choice. She always chooses love. What would that feel like - to choose right every single time?

I'm not talking romantic love and i'm not talking about promoting poverty consciousness. I'm just saying... in life, as we grow up and learn how to choose and we decide what to pour ourselves into, shouldn't it be love? Shouldn't we learn how to get the thump thump of our heart beat up up? Can't we learn to do this first and foremost so that instead of asking kids what they want to be when they grow up we ask them, "so - what makes your heart go pounding down the street? What makes you wanna run up the side of a mountain in order to get to it? What makes you jump up and down? What makes you sigh a breath of relief and think, "yes. this is enough."

Breaking Free

2010-11-16T14:47:00.000-08:00

Today i heard a note in a leathered man's voice

Said "watch out, i'm 'bout to break free"

Right now he could be racing on a wild man's horse

Or, dozing off in his sleep.

I wonder if i ever saw him again

Would he whisper, hey! this is how it's done.

just run, run run...

chorus

breaking free

gotta try to think things through

how should your life end

how's that something you can be or do

breaking free

i wish i had the sight to see

How my life could end

And if that man could ever be me

Breaking free

She & I (an ode to hazel dooney's 'self vs. self')

2010-11-16T14:45:00.001-08:00

today She sat at the piano. i worked at the computer for hours.
i wrestled with a bunch of disconnected pieces
and i wrote out a long page of thoughts regarding my work.
She sat there as free as a beautiful bullet tearing through the bullshit
all through lunch i tore out my stomach

my sister called. late for my meeting. cracker crumbs in my teeth.
i interrupted someone. we crashed but i kept talking til he stopped. that means i won.
the meeting had a dulling effect

later, when i told Her, She laughed and showed me the solar system of lost souls

She was born already feverishly concentrated
from some dark corner of my subconscious dream world
She is my connection to the middle of the earth

Her fingers are rough and calloused

some days She smokes a cigarette, shows me a project and asks, what do you think of it?

but doesn't wait for a response.

She wrestles everything to the ground until it's done

envious hello's i shout out to that bitch
greedy prayers i heave at Her, i can't help myself
She's fearless, ruthless and perfectly out of reach
somedays She floats through the crack in the wall to taunt me
the ghost of what i must become