Amy Dalley | Coming Out of the Pain | CD Baby

Amy Dalley | Coming Out of the Pain | CD Baby look! it's HERE and Ready and waiting for you to listen!

THANK YOU !!!! amyd

GUESS WHAT?!?!! it is HERE and you can get it August 30th! ww... on Twitpic

GUESS WHAT?!?!! it is HERE and you can get it August 30th! ww... on Twitpic

tricky little keys

Last night I did the most stupid thing! ok...I will stop right now and say, NO NOT THAT! haha  but really...this story is ridiculous....
I was at the MTSU campus because Madeleine had Cinderella rehearsals. I had sat in the theater for a bout 4 hours. I got up only once to walk to my car to get a jacket because it was FREEZING in there. Went to the restroom. Sat back in seat. at 10pm the rehearsal was over.  I dig in my purse (and I do mean DIG) to get my keys. not there. no really, not there. yes, I looked again. and again. and dug some more. walked to the car WHILE diggin in giant purse. not there. reach vehicle. peer inside, scared to death that they are laying in the seat. but I see nothing. It is DARK. I am standing outside with a shivering little ballerina. no one is around. I am on the verge of hysteria but I am calm....sort of. We walk back towards the theater. I try to flag down a police man, but he drives past me. (bastard) I see the stage manager and tell him what is up. We ARE the only ones left after all. he has a flashlight! yay us. we get back to the car. still do not see the keys, but I have to get in there to find out...they could be laying there under the lunchbox..or under the mapquest paper, right??? so we call campus security.
The guy comes with the thingy. it takes him forever because apparently my car is "nearly impossible to break into" well that is great...except I really need to get in there. FINALLY he unlocks it!
NO KEYS. I swear I thought I was gonna cry. Now it's 10:45. We are very far from being in our cozy beds!  We go back into the theater once again with the stage manager to "look one more time"
i search my seat. I retrace my steps.  nothing. I have NO IDEA what I will do. The campus is dark. Noone from the studio is left. I am thinking ok, call a cab or hitch a ride to a hotel, then call a locksmith to make a key....
then on a whim I went to look in the bathroom once more. I mean I hadn't been anywhere else. remember washing my hands. so I dump the trashcan in the floor. BAM my keys fall out on my foot.
THANK YOU LORD!!!
I felt like an idiot, but I was SOOOO relieved I didn't care. Me and Mad nearly cried we laughed so hard on the way home.
love, dorkalicious

being uncomfortable

I had a music meeting today. I am not good in meetings. I can never remember anyone's name. Even people that I know really well....I look at them and I blank out on questions that I know. like, "who did you write that with?"  crickets. nothing.oh I am good at laughing  it off...even making it seem cute that I can't remember...but WHY? I have no idea. I am nearly paralyzed by wondering if they are gonna like the songs I guess. It totally sucks. Imagine this. I (and when I say "I" I mean me and my peeps) have worked REALLY hard on this album. I have cried tears and fought for things and felt bad and fought through it. I have put so much love into it. so Im sitting there. WAITING on a RESPONSE. and I do know the response I am looking for. so the expectation is really sky high. but that is just me.  The first verse comes. then the chorus. was that a head bob? tapping of the foot? are you serious?  he is closing his eyes and really getting INTO this! WOW ..... I breathe. relaxing one notch...but sure I can't just let go and relax and listen too. no. that's when they go in for the kill. That is when it will hut the most when you are totally vulnerable. letting the soft underbelly shine for all the world to see. So I keep up my guard. Oh I smile. I LOOK LIKE I am totally cool and like it is no big deal. but underneath my blood is rushing. my pits are sweaty and there is a desperate taste in my mouth. I hate this. I am uncomfortable. Song number two begins. It is one of my favorites. which makes it even scarier. what if he doesn't get it? I mean THIS song is the one I am thinking is gonna be THE ONE that will really set this whole thing off.  he tells me he has always loved my voice.  I exhale.  I get a "man, Killer!" and a for sure head bob. ok, this  is more like it. ok....I think I am gonna  live. uncomfortable.  I hate this feeling.
But this is what I do. I expose my heart and soul through melody and lyrics.  This is not the way I like to do it. sitting in a room. What I love to do is PLAY.  Now THAT I am comfortable with.  I guess because I can get lost in what I am doing...not what someone else is doing  while they are listening.  the bummer is that I will have this uncomfortable feeling again and again.  and again. It wont hurt any less. and it wont be any less uncomfortable. The high wont be longer when the news is good. no the highs are short and sweet. but this is what I do.  I am good at it.  But it is uncomfortable. so uncomfortable. and I will replay the whole thing over and over until I can put into words how the meeting went.  until next time :) amyd

sparkle & spackle/grated thumbs and cheesy smiles

So the photo shoot went very well :) I had a great team of people working with me.  Alyssa Kennedy helped me choose clothes that looked good on me. She pulled it all together the day of the shoot with cool accessories :) Robin Geary did my hair and Makeup. she is awesome! I call them my sparkle and spackle team :)
 Glen Rose was the photographer.  I really really like him. He is very cool and laid back. never in a hurry. sometimes on shoot the photographer is hurrying the H &M girl...so that makes everybody anxious. but it never felt like that.
ok so great team? check.  operation starvation/workout maximum? check
should be a piece of cake right? NO. Oh My gosh!!! I hate having my picture taken! I really do! AWKWARD!!! I was def not in my element. In retrospect, I wish I had been a little more relaxed or more animated or had a little more energy....but the truth is I was kind of scared to death.  on the other hand....we got great pictures so I guess it doesn't matter. ha
 what a silly thing! One of my pet peeves is when people put their face on the album cover. I know, I know...You need to. but it seems so country cliche. but I will prob have my big face right there on the cover of this one..hahha

I don't think you could see my chicken burn. so that's good.  I also woke up with a scratch down my arm. I have no idea how it got there. weird. Then I was grating lettuce the other day and grated my thumb. right on the knuckle. OUCH. it hurts so stinkin bad! I am so clutsty!!!

I will check in with more later :)  oh here is one of the pics in my "not my most favorite, but it's ok" stack :)

zumba, girl tools and chicken burns

Well there are two days till my photoshoot for the album cover. MAN! I hope I have done enough. I know I have worked REALLY hard as far as the workouts go. I did two today.  Have you ever tried Zumba? it is fun and hard and silly and it makes my stomach so sore! I take it at the dance studio. I like to laugh at myself :))

Madeleine got accepted to The School of  Nashville Ballet's Summer intensive program. wowzer! She also auditioned for The Dance Theater of Tennessee. She takes two clasess there a week now and loves it. Haven't heard if she made that program or not, but she had so much fun at the audition. It is fun to see the lightbulb go on in your kids.  To see them really click into something that they love! I am so excited for her. This year is gonna be the tipping point for her as far as dance goes. I can just tell. She is on the cusp of breaking through.
Jackson just started sleeping in his big boy bed. The first night he got out and walked down the hall and sat at the kitchen counter and said. "mom? where'd you go?" hahaha so funny!

On a totally different subject, there is a song that I love on my album. Jack and I wrote it with someone. The ENTIRE time we wrote it the person was on the phone. Texting. Distracted. uninterested. acted as though we were beneath her. well as it turns out, I loved the song and was dying to sing it. We never demo'd it. we just recorded it straight from the worktape for the album. It turned out so sparkley and beautiful to me. I still love to sing it. I love the words. the meaning. the feel. I sent a copy to the girl (never really told her we had recorded it. haven't talked to her since the day)  do you know that she did not respond at ALL? nothing! not one word! don't you think that is weird?? oh and i KNOW she heard it or at least received it because her people emailed me wanting details from the album. UGH! the GALL!! am I wrong to feel like that is  totally crappy??? I mean I really do not care about her opinion of the music or my singing....BUT come on...the nice southern girl thing to do is to say" thanks for cutting our song" Even if she hates it, she got it demo'd for free.  what a tool. (can girls be tools? she is....)

ok I feel better now. dang I am hungry. Today I rotisseried (I have no idea how to spell rotisserie)  a chicken and it smelled so good! I had to have one bite...but when I was getting it out of the oven thingy the chicken landed on my hand and now there is a big burn there.  Probably because my hands were shaking because I was hungry! hahaha . so when you see my burned hand in my album art, you heard it here first. chicken burn!
(I hope you know I am totally exaggerating the eating thing. I AM eating. just not very much. torturous for me because I REALLY like food. I like to cook it. I love to grocery shop. I love to plan meals. I love to think about it and watch it on tv. I really like to make something wonderful and savor the first bite. I love it when my family likes something that I make. ah man I'm hungry! haha)

I will check back and be posting pics from my shoot. It is going to be in a downtown Nashville highrise. I am excited.  I want a cool cover. this music needs cool....

 :) amyd

hiking, opinions and hunger

Wow! I can't believe it has been 2 weeks since I blogged. bad me! I have had so much going on!!! Lot's of fun things :) Last week was spring break for the big kid...which means we all get a break! YAY!!! We didnt do a lot except hang out together. it was nice! took a couple really good hikes in the woods. luckily both my kids really like that, because Jack and I love it! well...I should say Jackson LOVES it. Madeleine only likes it....she doesn't like bugs near as much as he does and she is hyper paranoid that she sees them, which is super funny for the rest of us! haha She loves to make people laugh!!!

The album is ...I dont know...I think it's awesome! haha Can I say that? I mean, I love it. really. I did an interview on Sunday with an internet radio station (you can hear it on Saturday March 26th at 10 pm central/ www.musictogoUSA.com)  and the guy asked me what Genre I thought the music fell into because" it isn't really country and it isn't really crossover". I guess that is a little true. in defense of that I will say that my VOICE is very country. (I will never, nor have I ever, tried to escape my east Tennessee accent. ) and I am SINGING ABOUT country things, topics, situations....BUT I do not have a lot of hoe down instruments on either album (It's Time and the new one...which reminds me, what in the heck am I gonna call this thing!?!?!?! ) But I dont think there is anything wrong with that. I mean, there is a little mando here or there. some banjo on a couple songs... does that make it not country enough? too country? does anyone care really? one thing I did do was stay really true to who I am. What I wanted it to sound like. I HOPE people will get on board and say," hey I like that, I think I am gonna drive around with the windows down blastin some amyd!"  but I guess if it falls into some weird spot?? I have never thought that...maybe that guy was just a big doodoo head for actin like it was "odd" in the first place. I love it. so I will just drive around singing it loud to myself I guess....haha now THAT is funny.

Charlie Sheen: I know a guy like that. I mean THAT narcissistic. THAT full of himself. THAT druggy. I am serious.
I love the sunshine. I really do. It makes me feel so much better.
 I had a good meeting today. I have two more this week. cross your fingers for me. I need a job. My middle schooler needs a better school. Mama got to come off the wallet fo dat one!!! YIKES!!!
photoshoot VERY soon! i am hungry. just flat out hungry. and sore. my muscles hurt so bad it feels like I've been ran over. I sure hope I look good. pictures last forever! HA
love, amyd

testing

I am trying to add this directly to my facebook page, but it won't let me. poop.

Scary, neurosis, kale, superfan :)

At this very minute there is a guy listening to four of the songs from my album.  A music  biz dude.  Isn't that scary?  It really freakin is. I mean, please, that isn't a first for me...but it IS for this record. I have such high hopes for it. I love it so. I took such great care of it while it was being made....now I am beginning to cut the strings. SCARY!!! I hope he likes it. but if I have learned anything it is that it is all unpredictable...and even the things you are SURE of, aren't really that secure. SCARY. but GOOD :)

I just took Zumba and tried not to think about it.  The other artists this guy reps are VERY different than me. which is good I guess, right? but then again..no... see? I have no idea. the neurosis of me is insane.

I drive me crazy. I drive the hubs crazy. but Dang...he is so awesome. He is my biggest cheerleader. he brings me back to earth and reminds me of what's important when I get too whacked out. Today tho...he said the funniest thing.... in a totally joking way.... "I can't be your only superfan" hahahaha   I busted out laughing of course and realized that I was being too dramatic, worrying too much, fretting too much listening to final mixes.... KOOKOO!!! but that is me.

one funny story... ME~ to Jack :   "I was thinking of making sauteed Kale to go with the BBq pork sandwiches. I can't remember, do you like Kale?"
Jack ~  "What the Kale?" which led to, "Kale No" which turned into  "get the Kale outta here" over a fit of giggles.  hahaha

sheen, crabs, schools, rants

ok. Charlie Sheen is a great source of tension release! I know I know...It is going to end badly. BUT in the meantime hasn't it been fun to just say #WINNING! ??? I think so. Looking at his deranged life is better than TV. and yes, I feel sorry for his kids. I really do. hopefully the moms will do the right thing and keep them away, but in the meantime.... Sheen ON!  haha

I am so bummed! here in Nashville they have offered Open Enrollment to a few schools, which means that even if you aren't zoned for that school, if you get your app in soon enough your kid can go there. We actually do that already, but they also opened 6 new magnet  schools (with the 12 million dollar grant we received) . First let me say that I LOATHE middle school. The peer pressure to do what everybody else is doing, The ugliness of girls at this age is outrageous! I HATE it! Madeleine makes really good grades. (mostly A's, has good work ethic, really cares about doing good) so I thought WOW a magnet school geared toward Math and Science and Hands on Learning....that sounds great! and I actually filled out the application online. THEN I kept looking up the schools. found a Youtube video from one of the schools.  Found out that the two schools that promised the most and sounded the BEST for learning are located right in the middle of the projects. Worst part of town in all of Nashville.  Why would they do that?
I mean,am I wrong here? it stands to reason to me that if you REALLY want children to excel and be the leaders of our country in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM magnet schools) you don't put those schools in places where violence and drug behavior are all those kids see! A place where parental involvement is close to nothing. It so pisses me off.  please know that this is not a racial thing. Madeleine's school now is mostly white and Im sorry,  but mostly white trash.  The parents don't care. The teachers have to work the hardest for the ones who are the most behind. so the smarties are left swimming on their own. The schools here really really stink. Yes, We should move to Franklin. yes, we should pay for private school.  I hope I sell a lot of records so we can.  ok, enough of THAT rant!~

I have heard a few more mixes for the album :) YAYAYAYAYAYAAAAAYYYY!!!! I am so happy with it! I Cannot wait for you to hear :))

I have a couple shows coming up :   on April 1 I will be playing a wondwriter round in Lebanon in Tn. It is a benefit for Habitat for Humanity. I love this organization! I helped build a house for them one time!! It was fun and felt really good to help! The show will be at Journey Church in Lebanon. Mssg me for more details!! Come!  20 bucks get you a GREAT meal and show!!!

Then, wait for it....Memorial day weekend... oh...yeah..... BLUE CRAB FESTIVAL time!!! Jack and I will play and acoustic show on Friday night and the whole band will join us on Saturday afternoon! Palatka, FLORIDA (my favorite state )   SO fun!!!

more later! amyd

rock and roll anyway

I miss the hubs.  he makes me laugh when I have a sucky day, like I did today. It started off ok.  Took Madeleine to school, everyone woke up happy. i did one of the hardest workouts EVER. (Jillian Michaels). It hurt so bad....4 times I said out loud..."I really can't so this!" I am telling you I am a freak with the workouts. haha now not only am I trying to do more than jillian and her girls, but I am talking to the tv as if I am there with them...could be losing it people! haha oh well!!!   so after I did that and nearly puked... I got ready to go write.

I do not know what is wrong with me but  cannot write a song these days. It breaks my heart and pisses me off so bad. I think I am just really really stressed about a lot of things. I can't seem to shake it. Im so bummed! I tried to write today with this sweet, funny girl. I had nothing. she probably thinks I am an idiot. oh well. today I was. ha!  that is the crazy thing about songs though....they really do have a time and a mind of there own.
 Most of the time when there is a block it is because I am in the way. over thinking, trying too hard. not hard enough. being distracted.  I think my problem right now is that I haven't done it enough lately. I have been spending my time trying to get more gigs, trying to get a new pub deal (how ironic!) and it's kind of like once you get out of the habit of spitting stuff out as soon as you think of it your self editor sits in the room beside you. I hate the editor. she is so all knowing. pompous. she doesn't know what is gonna sound good or not.   so why do I listen to her? usually I don't. but it is a practice of confidence. It is not EASY to sit down with a stranger (mostly) and share your thoughts or feelings. Have you ever tried to sing a new idea out loud while you are thinking of it? scary.  I mean crap, I am good singer, but until the melody is nailed down, it is gonna sound goofy. i KNOW this because I have been doing this forever. and mostly I never think about it. but today I was really self conscious of every word and sound that I made. I blame the editor. I hate her. she annoys me. and she definately sunk the ship today.

the hubs would make me feel better about it. He is on the Conan show w Jason Aldean  tonight if you wanna check it out :)  ...a better day tomorrow is comin Im sure of it :)   till then

I cannot begin to tell you how sore my body is! Last night Jackson got up in the middle of the night coughing so I went to get him some water and my shoulders were so sore I could barely lift the glass!! that is so terrible! I feel like I am kicking so serious butt though. I have discovered a few things about me though. 1) I am very competitive....(which I knew...but not in an exersize context...) like I try to do the moves BETTER than the girl on the tv.  why? I do not know...something just clicks in my mind and I have to DO it! 2) I am a lot more self motivated than I thought I was. I am very glad about this discovery. I have always be very active and done SOMETHING. but last year, I just really slacked off....because I didnt have time. no, really. There were not enough hours in the day for me to work out AND shower (then go to work and do all the other stuff I had to do) so I think I got used to saying I dont have time, I think it started sounding fake even to me. but the truth is I really didnt have time. haha So I am relieved to know that NOW I will drag my butt in front of the tv , find the channel and rock it! WAHOO! let's hear if for endorphin high!!!!
Today after my regular workout Jackson and I went outside to play. He wanted to go to the baseball field to run the bases. well, I ended up running the bases while he cheered for me to run faster from  the dugout! I am telling you he is my trainer! haha so cute.

I think you are going to like my album. I hope so! The songs are sounding so good :) I love it. i hope it lands somewhere  fantastic. somewhere  exciting. I want the hype. the love. the wish. the spark.   I am gonna hold out till it feels right. We have worked really hard on it. It deserves to be heard. pardon my pride. excuse my self promotion.  accept my offering of painstakingly passionate work where every note has been labored over, yet freely flowed till it felt perfect at the time. until it felt effortless, intentional. I hope you love it and talk about it and play it for your friends and share it because you are excited to hear something fresh yet familiar.  i hope I hope i hope.

funny story :  today Jackson was singing "Birdie Birdie birdie OHHHHH" ya know like Justin Beiber's "Baby Baby Baby Oh"..... hahaha  enough with the BIRD!!! ha

closer and closer

ok! I have heard song number 2! YIPEEE!!! I may HAVE to give you a sneaky peak of this one. I will not be able to control myself!!! I LOVE love love LOVE it! ok, good that is out of my system.

I met with photographer #1 today :) I took pictures of what I like and dont like and I think we have a good idea of what the photoshoot will be like! I am getting excited about it. Like I said before I am not a fashionista, BUT I have to admit that I liked buying magazines this week and looking at what I like and dont like. down to make up and hair, clothes, shoes. It is kind of fun :))

random~ if you like The show Top Chef (Which I LOVE) then you should check out please pack your Knives And Go blog. SO funny.

Random #2 (yes, get ready it is another Jackson story)  I took him to Chic Filet yesterday. there were two other older boys (4yrs) in the play area. well, Jackson, being only 2 thought this was AWESOME!!! He was laughing SO hard he could hardly walk....(I dont know why he was laughing, they were just running and laughing and being boys. ) Then out of the blue Jackson YELLED, "I love my birdie!" and literally fell over laughing. let me explain...he calls his....thing....a bird. HA so he thought he was really gonna make those older boys laugh so hard if he said the word BIRD! HAHAH of course they had no idea what he was talking about, but they did laugh because he said it in a funny way, and he was hysterically laughing. LOL His little personality kills me. I mean, haven't we all done that? gone for the shock factor to make people laugh? hahha I love it!

more later...nobody say "bird" hahahaha
amyd

S's and other randomness

yeah..I love things that start with the letter S. Sun, Sand, Salt, salsa, strawberries, sushi....just to name a few. I know that is random, but it is so true...and a little weird. What is your "letter" ? think about it.

House parties are fun. Have you ever had one? or been to one? It is all the new rage. you find a musician you like, contact them, then they come to your house to play some of their tunes, eat your food and talk to all your friends. sounds weird and out there right? i know, but it is happening all over. I actually like to play house parties! It is very grassroots, but I guarantee that people walk away from those with a better appreciation for the artist playing at them. It is a great way to support indy artists like myself. plus I am a lot of fun...haha anyway. think about it.

I have a meeting with the photographer on Friday. any thought on what the album cover should look like?  any thoughts on what I should call this album? I am really not sure. But I would like to hear what you think ! so lemme know!

another random thought: Yesterday Jackson and Jack and I were walking on the Greenway by our house. And Jackson said, "You can watch movies on your ipod everyday" totally out of the blue~! bwahahaha! WHY did he say this? I have no idea. then he just kept walking like it was no big deal. He is so funny!
maore later :)) thanks for your input!
amyd

I am so excited! I heard mix number one of song number one for album number 2~  YAY!! i am loving it! It sounds so ....BIG! YAY .   The song is  called "Comin out of the Pain"  I cannot wait to get another one finished!! It is so weird because usually it all happens so fast.  The mixes get turned around really quickly, but it seems like the making of this album is taking forever! BUT what is weird is that I don't feel impatient about it. I feel good about it. I am enjoying the process. I am really proud of the work and the heart that  went into it...that is going into it. I don't know where it will land, but I have found my dreams again. and I love that.  I love dreaming of what could be. of what might happen. of possibilities.
dream with me. it works better en mass. :))

thanks guys! more later!!

close to death and back

Ok, so maybe "close to death and back" is a little dramatic, but then again... I had a stomach virus from hell. I am not kidding. First I had the snot flu (cold, achy, headache, sore throat, fever....) THEN jack went out for the weekend (a show that I was supposed to go to and couldn't because of the snot flu) and came home and said that over 40 people in the band and crew were sick! (He was sick too, which he is NEVER sick)  The next night, I knew. I was gonna hurl!  o my gosh it was the most awful feeling. Then my daughter got it the next morning. I had planned on Jackson staying away at my moms house, but she called tuesday evening and said he was sick too. SO pitiful!!! anyway...I cant believe I just spent an entire paragraph grossing everybody out with my puke stories. enough!
We are better now. whew. That should be out quota for the year!!! YAY

on a totally different realm: I heard that one of my songs for my new album is mixed and sounds amazing! BUT I haven't actually heard it myself yet. (doesn't seem fair, or right and I WILL talk to somebody about that! ha do they not know I do not like to be last? ha)  Hey I am just glad it is being worked on. and embraced! I swear it has been so long since I sang those dang songs I forgot what they sound like! What a happy surprise I will get (HOPEFULLY) .
I am just excited for you to get it and let me know what you think of it!  I love love love the songs. there are some funny ones and some heart breakers. It has a different feel than , "It's Time" but I think that is because I feel different now too.
well I hear my lil man waking from his nap. on to more sword fighting, basketball shooting, wrestling...and tomorrow it's hanging out with Madeleine at  dance competition and a BIG  Ballet (Cinderella)  audition. wish her luck. new place and all....I think she feels out of place. but dang she works hard!!! I love that girl :)))
Thanks for listening Seattle! oh wait...that was weird. I watched "Frazier" as I was falling asleep last night...sorry!
more later :))
Amyd

Wow! What a busy busy week this has been! On Feb 1 my sister had a brand new baby boy. oh he is the softest, sweetest thing! He smells so heavenly !!! Mama and baby are good. I don't envy her with an 18 month old and a newborn!!! But she handles it really well :)
THEN I threw the hubs a surprise bday party!! It was fun and made me totally anxious! I realized that I am a horrible sneaker/liar! HAHA so I avoided letting him in on the surprise by barely speaking to him in the days prior! He was on the road so when he would call we would chat for a minute then I would put jackson or mad on the phone so he wouldn't catch on! and i never once mentioned his birthday...which obviously was  a dead giveaway...BUT the party was great, we yelled surprise and most of our favorite friends were standing in our kitchen eating bbq and cake laughing about stupid stuff. It was worth all the sneaking, but i was so relieved when it was over!!
The next major event for the first week of feb was that my whole family (with the exception of Jackson so far) got the crud....a cold...the flu....some kind of wretchedness that I never want again. It literally took us down! So I have not felt like writing or thinking about writing the blog. BUT the good news is that I am feeling much much better today. gonna do a strength yoga today. It will prob kick my booty, but hey, that's the point, right?
I am getting closer and closer to a photoshoot. Why do i hate them so? for 1, it seems obnoxious and totally self absorbed. I KNOW it is necessary. You need it for an album. but dang!!! I am just not the fashion forward, girlie  fashionista that you are supposed to be for that I guess. I don't like to look at magazines. I usually dont care what people wear. I mean, I LIKE to look good, but I dont sweat it. and I like it best when people tell me what looks good and that is what I wear. on the other hand, I like unconventional things. I don't like to look like everybody else.  reason #2 for  hating photosessions: It is scary as hell. Hell people!!!! These pics will be around for a long time. So your inner dialogue is  "is my arm fat?  what about my butt? suck it in!! dont do that thing with your lip! you know nobody wants to see all your gums when you smile!" all the while trying to look cool. yeah, HELL! haha but on the other hand. I will have someone help me with my "Style" and I will have someone doing my hair and makeup and telling me when to suck in my gut, haha. We are also talking to a fab photographer that I am really excited about!!! so I need to tell my inner darling to shut it! so there! SHUT IT!
The album is going to be so sparkly and fantastic. I am trying not to think about it so much. The guy who is mixing got sidetracked by working on Don Henly's album. yeah, that Don Henly. (Is that how you spell it? Heneley? Henely?) Anyway. when it is finished it will be a fine fine day !!!
that's it for now. gotta go tighten the arms and butt  for well...you know....

love, amyd

Resolution???

Did I Resolve to write everyday on this blog? I can't remember. If I did, I over spoke. That happens to me alot! HA not really. but I do THINK about writing the blog when I am not writing th blog. and I think that counts. I do what I can...just like we all do.
Sunday. My favorite day of the week.  what's yours? Sundays make me think of when I was little. We would go to church and come home and eat a big lunch.  Just hang out together. I love those memories. That is pretty much the routine that we stick to with my own little family. although it gets harder because sometimes Jack is still out of town and when he is home....Sunday is his anything goes day...as far as eating goes. which is horrible for me! HA but it's fun!!! We usually make some kind of disgustingly delicious brownie or hot cookies  :)  good thing he is not home today (whew! no cheating!!!)

I had 3 meetings last week. meeting one was shockingly blunt and the forecast there is grim. Meeting two went well. I think they liked me more than I liked them tho. Meeting 3 was great but only in a way that showed promise WAY down the future.  SO the search continues. Jobs and relationships are similar. You want one but you NEED a GOOD one. because there is nothings worse than settling for something that is either not good for you, or will hurt ya later.

I did get a gig!! It only takes ONE to make it grow into something more! Jack and I are gonna play the Blue Crab Festival. It is in May. So if you live in/near Palatka FL. come on down!!!  I can't wait to tell my friend Amy M that I am playing there again!! We had such a good time last year! She and her sister provided "supplies" for the funky hotel that they always put the bands in... you know lysol, a fresh comforter :) I do have a hotel policy  of not staying somewhere with the doors leading directly outside (scary! ) and this place had put one of those smoking stations right outside my door...and yes people did gather there. HA but I love playing that festival!! So I will do it again!! haha
I think that is what I need a little more of. giggggsssss!!!
Have any of you ever thought about hosting a house party? They are pretty cool! Sometimes greater than other times, BUT if you have a house and some friends that like to hear music, but don't like to go to bars, or maybe you do, but you want people to come do a show for YOU. then hit me with a mssg and I will give you the details and see if we can work it out.  :) It's not as big a deal as you might think. and it's cool and fun!!!

My photoshoot will be very soon. preparations for the new album. I dont like having photoshoots. but I will do it. operation starvation continues. !!!  haha more later!!!

Bottle it up

This is one of my new favs. I hope you love it too. This will be available on the forthcoming album (only without the family pics !!

seeds

I was just sitting her sulking thinking about things. I know...highly unattractive...but still....I can't help it. I was thinking about my new pub deal job search. I keep going to meetings. I keep calling. I keep playing the music. I am determined. I am positive I will find the place that is RIGHT for me.  I MUST!! But then, there it is...that little bitty niggly feeling in the back of my  mind (we will call it the devil) that whispers, 'well you prob don't deserve it, you really dont write THAT great, if you wanted it bad enough, you would get it' I hate that voice. He always gets you when you are down. and when you are down he speaks louder... causes doubt in what deep down inside you KNOW you can do....what you KNOW you  love...what you are meant to do.  I hate that voice. He keeps me awake. He distracts me. He preoccupies me. Why? Why do I let it get to me? Why do I listen? How can I even let myself hear it when I have such wonderful things around me? Such beautiful music inside?

 I write songs. All day. everyday in my head. I don't always sit down and take the time to write them down or record them, but I write songs all the time. I couldn't keep them away if I tried. I always thought I was weird and it took me a long time to realize the everybody doesn't do that.  So  why do I let negative thoughts about myself dictate my feelings?  why do I let it make me suffer? UGH. and UGH! 

But  tomorrow is another day. I will take another meeting. I will play my music. I will wait for the responses I always get ("wow, this sounds great. what a great singer, you mean that hasn't been cut yet?..." ) I will brace myself for the "well we aren't really signing anybody right now, but let's hook you up with so and so and let's keep in touch" goodbye. 

I will plant a million seeds if i need to. a million. surely out of a million one will grow and bloom and flower and spread nurturing light and love to all that sees it. right? a MILLION. I will not be defeated. This is who I am. My name is amy and I write songs. and I sing the crap out of them.  a MILLION!!

What a relaxing day we had today. I like those. Jackson and I played with playdoh. then I pretend to be a horse while a two year old rode on my back. Then there was a round of living room baseball where he acted out running the bases in slow motion. oh but that isn't all!!! not by a long shot! We wrestled. We boxed, only he had the only boxing gloves...  It was fun. He is funny and says the goofy stuff that you wanna write down and keep forever.  I feel really lucky to have been able to have him.
Madeleine was gone most of the day at a birthday party. She is growing up. It makes me sad. I still think of her as being little with two crooked pony tails.  She is sweet and smart and funny. We tried out a new dance studio this week. Everyone needs to expand and reach out of their comfort zones, but man is it hard to do! She really embraced the opportunity though and she shined! I was so proud of my sister for that. Lea (my sister) is such a great dancer and such a great teacher. that really showed when Mad went off on her own and took what she had been taught with her. It is such a special thing. You never know what you got till you are tested. when it comes to that testing moment, you have two choices...go all the way or don't go at all.  I am proud of Madeleine and I am thankful for Lea. What a gift she has given Madeleine and all the girls she has taught.
Glad the hubs is comin home tomorrow :) It has been a while since he has been gone. I miss him!!
ok...enough reflecting .....

songwriting is tricky

Songwriting is tricky. It really is. there is a fine line between cheesy and precise. It is hard. but it is awesome. The feeling you get after you write a song you love is so great! One thing that I have learned  is that that wonderful feeling is fleeting! It doesn't last! You write the song. You feel great! You and your cowriters are high fiving! You are get all amped  up talking about the production! Then you go to bed. sleep well, wake up and realize that you have to do it all again! The blank page is scary. I always wonder if it will ever happen to me again!
 Today was a pretty good day. I wrote with friends. we laughed alot and made up stuff that we think is cool. Is that enough? I don't know. I really dont. Today for me was difficult. usually I have a good attitude. Im a kind of nothing keeps me down, rocky balboa kinda girl. I just keep swinging. I am not sure if it is the horrible GRAY January that we are having or the fact that I am looking for a new pub deal (prob a good old fashioned one two punch of BOTH!) but I cannot shake my funk!! I swear I am trying!!! I want to be my normal perky effervescent self, but I feel like mush and yuck and blah on the inside!!! I think yoga is  helping. I hope it is anyway.  I am gonna go to bed now....hoping tomorrow is full of light and hope for me...and for you too!!!
later gators!
oh one quote from today " Oh my gosh! I am a very bad streetwalker"~ Amyd (while trying to cross the road and nearly being run over... then making it worse when everybody in my party was laughing at me for saying that. you had to be there! )
amyd

new hair=LOVE

Why is it that when you get your hair colored you feel like you lost 10lbs? Isn't that awesome??? I didnt get even one hair cut but I feel lighter. perkier. peppier...YAY!! See, isn't this better???

"Home for Christmas" cast pic!!!

This is the cast of "Home for Christmas" a musical that we did in December. I am so proud of everyone involved!!! It was fun to write. I had never done that before, but I loved it. I miss it because it consumed my life for a while!!! I really want to do another one :) 

ok first a paying job, then another musical!! 

more later...so glad I figured out how to add pics...

nope no babies....

I hae received several tweets and messgs asking if I am having another baby.  that would be a big fat NO. haha  I do love babies. I have two right now, one big one and one little one :)  I think the question stems from some pics that are on my facebook page.  I was in a Christmas musical, called Home for Christmas and in that show I PLAYED a preggo. It was fun being skinny everywhere else and  only having the perfect round mound of a belly.... feeling perfect all over...having that knowing feeling that your butt is still the same size it was, your face hasn't tripled in size, you still recognize your own nose....Yeah that's because it was FAKE! HAHA so, no I am not pregnant.

I did love writing the musical though. So I wrote myself into the show. It was a lot to take on. To be the creator and director and actor, but I had a lot of really wonderful help and an amazing cast!!! It was fun and I Would love to o another show. I think it would be awesome to write a murder mystery! I am gonna think about that one. we will see!

But! Speaking of babies...I saw the most beautiful baby this weekend! My new little cousin. Davis. He is a miracle, as they all are. So sweet and soft and cuddly. He is so loved!!!  Such a blessing :) AND my sister is due any day!  I cannot wait to meet him.  and I will admit, seeing all these new little babies  along with seeing how FAST time flies...it does make my heart skip a little faster. It does make me want to slow it down and bottle it up and keep it forever. (Yes, that is a direct reference to one of my songs on the new album..Bottle it Up) and on certain days I can imagine us with another.... but then I come back to reality and realize that I already feel like I am swimming upstream with only one arm...so I smack myself out of my hysteria and everything calms down again. HA I will just love the ones I have!!!

I am still on the job hunt! got a few new leads over the weekend...UGH! I am trying to be still and pray and listen to what I am supposed to be doing and not let my over active imagination get the best of me.  I will keep you up on my meetings.
I am trying to learn to add pics to this blog, but for some reason I can't. working on it!!!
more soon!!! Amyd

Bringin back the blog: the new blog page :)

Bringin back the blog: the new blog page :)

www.amydalley.com

the new blog page :)

I think I like this. the new blog page. I don't really know what Im doing on here yet, but I will figure it out. I always do. I think I am having a hormonal low. don't you hate that?  I do. I always start thinking why this and why that, what if's will get ya! I am usually NOT that way at all. I am a fly by the seat of my pants kinda girl. go with the flow. not today though. Oh i know what it is.  I need a job.  I have had a publishing job (I am a song writer) for the past 11 years. Making really good money making stuff up. I have been successful. I have songs on the radio.  but for the last couple of years, I just settled. I am so pissed off at me.  I was making great money at probably the most CRAPPY job I could have had. Yes, it was a publishing company. and YES I was getting paid to write, which was good. but believe me when I tell you that the people that are running and Nash arm of this place have NO FREAKIN CLUE!!! but you know what? It is totally my fault. I KNEW before I went there that I had never heard of this guy. So why was I surprised when I discovered that no one else in town had any kind of relationship with him either. and believe me, Nashville is a relationship kind of town! UGH. totally mad that I went there! Now I feel like I have been in some dark hole for 3 years. like Im some kind of accidental recluse. I am mad at myself for taking the easy road. I never do that. the easy road is for sissys. UGH.
BUT now that that is off my chest I do feel kind of better. so thanks!  haha
love, mad mama amyd