Day 25 in the Studio

Walked out of the Studio today like I was walking on a cloud. What amazing day! Yeah, I'll say it again what an amazing day. We are embarking on a new song, kind of retro, Motown feel but with modern sounds. What's that, well it's fun, energetic, get up and dance kind of music. I remember when I was around 14, 15, 16, our Saturdays were dedicated to house cleaning. We did the works; dusting, sweeping, mopping, dishes, bathrooms...and the first thing we would do is put on the music. Really it's the only thing that made it fun. And for some reason I still like to have music going when I wanna get motivated. It works for me, I guess everyone has their own way to groove, for me it's the jams. I love music and how it can make you happy, silly, funny, sad, melancholy, make you sing at the top of your lungs while your driving, does anyone else do this? I know you do, and really feel like you sound just as good or better than the artist, that's ok

. Back then I wanted to sing like Donna Sommers, than it was Barbara Streisand, Minnie Ripperton, Chakka Kahn...then I became more mature lol and I wanted to sing like Natalie Cole, and Diana Ross, well as you can see the list goes on. I love the different eras, it is amazing to me with all the years of recording history that people are still able to create new songs. I know it hasn't all been said and done, there are a lot of talented people out there. And I think the key is knowing who you are, your abilities, and of course your message. My music is about who I am, where I've been, and where I'm going. The guys are doing such an incredible job of building that timeline through music.

I wanted to have a small kids choir come in and sing on Good Times. Sam had asked me to come back into the Studio around five o' clock and re-sing one small part on this tune. It just so happened that I left the Studio around four o'clock, went to pick up Rocky, then to pick up Dusty from school, then back to the Studio with the crew, Felice met us there, the kids and I had a quick bite to eat. Then it was time to get to work. I sang the small part Sam had requested, then I thought well Dusty knows the words to the song...why not let him sing on the chorus. Not exactly a kids choir but he was so excited about it. We filmed him and Rocky in the Studio and yes even Rocky got in on the recording. Oh so precious, it was so cute to hear their lil' voices singing out. Rocky called out Dusty's name so we just built on that for our intro. Totally cute! I just can't wait for y'all to hear it!

I have in my hand my practice cd for our ballad which we have appropriately named "I Do" for you know who...you guessed it my Sissy and Nandy. She has decided on a wonderful Fiesta theme for her wedding. So bright and festive, full of life just like her. So I have been looking at a lot of different ideas for projects that will be hand made such as: napkin rings, ring bearer pillow, anything that will add a special touch to that very special day. My joy is full and God never ceases to amaze me by His goodness.

And finally our first six songs are off to be mastered, we are so close, and what a joy to be able to upload the songs so you can hear them. It will mean our dream, our vision, for this project has come to fruition. If I have not told you lately, let me say thank you for reading, commenting, supporting this project. I am having the time of my life, thanks for sharing it with me.

<3 Lizzi

Day 24 in the Studio

Good Morning, today is gonna be a great day. We have some friends visiting from Aguas Caliente Mexico and we will be showing them San Francisco. Sometimes we take for granted the beauty that we are surrounded by. And they have waited their whole lives to cross the Golden Gate bride and experience one of our beautiful cities. I am so excited to see it through their eyes. Pretty sure the weather will be perfect, since we've had a couple of scorchers. I don't know about you, but I hardly slept last night.

So, weird, unexpected things happening in the Studio. We met yesterday around one o'clock and were determined to complete our lovely ballad (musically) and possibly start a new song. The guys asked me what direction I would like to go for the next song, it's wide open for any style. Wow, honestly I don't know! Well John went out for a break and came back with some chords and a beat. But...the system just wasn't cooperating, they tried to shut everything down and start again, reconnect everything to make sure wires weren't crossed. The MIDI just wasn't recording, by this time it was around three o'clock. All of a sudden the light, the fan, and the video production system turned off. Now it doesn't take a genius to understand that this just is not gonna happen today. I was disappointed but I know there are things that just can't be controlled. Today was one of those days and it was squelching hot. I don't know about you but this heat makes for a fussy Lizzi.

Sam went straight to the Studio from work and set to figuring out the problem. Not even sure what time he rolled in (it had to be past 1am), I guess the beauty and reality of the project is that "this is real life" and we all know it's not always smooth skating, we come across hiccups in the road and it may shake us or even knock us down, but we get up and keep moving forward. And that's what we'll do...keep moving forward, hang in there with us you'll see it'll happen.

In the meantime we are off to San Francisco to enjoy some nice fresh air, and enjoy the beautiful sight that is San Francisco.

<3 Lizzi

Day 23 in the Studio

Hello, seems like forever since I've sat and written my blog. Last week the boys worked on a couple of things, where my presence wasn't needed. Then they went to Las Vegas to watch the WEC championship fight between Cruz and Benevidas at the Palms. So I haven't been in the studio for a week. I know we are behind schedule because Sam has told me several times. But my daughter Felice is back in school so I no longer have the luxury of going into the studio daily. Really we are about fifty percent complete with the recording. Sam is nearly ready to master the five songs and release them. Song number six is almost ready, so I went into the studio on Friday around 2:00 pm and we worked on lyrics for the outro of our ballad. This took about 15 minutes if even that. The song resolved itself beautifully with the simplest of phrases.

Then John went in the vocal booth and laid down the scratch vocal for me. To finish up our session we decided on the right key for me to sing the song in. The boys will be on a video shoot on Monday so on Tuesday they will complete it musically and make me a cd so I can begin practicing it. I'm pretty sure inspiration will start us on a new song. But my question is what do you follow a ballad up with, we'll see right. So time wise for me I'm not really sure how we will schedule our studio time. Maybe evenings will work better now. But, I'm sure it'll all work itself out.

<3 Lizzi

Two Days of Rest

Sometimes things just fall beautifully into place. This week has been a great example of everything being in alignment. I had a couple of days in the Studio where we completed the lyrics to two songs, then I had a few days off. This really wasn't a scheduled selah, but the boys needed to complete the two songs musically before I could go in and sing the lead vocals. Of course the ballad may need some key changes, but we'll cross that bridge when we come to it. It's great when each song just seems second nature to sing. Once I memorize the words that leaves one less thing to worry about. Which makes for a superior lead vocal.

I have had much to do these days off. My son has been away at Royal Kids Camp this week, so I made it one of my goals to go through and clean and sort his room out. I also needed to do some deep cleaning, some delicious baking (my bananas were screaming to become bread), I also made some fabulous berry muffins. I just love baking, I used to think that would be my profession of choice. But then I began with the Taqueria, and decided I loved cooking. I collect cookbooks, among many other things like: vintage buttons, electricity conductors, stamps, I love vintage things, there's so much history, character, and detail in the simplest of things. That's why I love buttons, because they were the first apparel accessories, and many were hand painted, or carved, really little pieces of art.

I was able to get a lot accomplished this week and it feels good. But I absolutely can't wait to see my baby boy. He's my little sidekick, he loves to hangout with me, eat what I eat, likes Subway sandwiches, sushi, fruit, he's totally happy with a salad for dinner. Sam pretty much detests veggies so to have a son that loves them is pretty odd. Anyways so excited to pick him up tomorrow. I will be back on track on Monday, in the meantime I will have some much needed home time.

<3 Lizzi

Day 22 in the Studio

Oh my goodness, a truly beautiful ballad. We completed the second verse today, nothing like celebrating love! Who doesn't love that warm cozy feeling you get when you think about love. John was totally on a roll, the inspiration was just flowing so I just went with it and took it in. I can see the song being created in stages, but the most incredible part is when we get to sit back and listen to the whole song.

So now we will move onto the lead vocal to Paradise of Life. I really like the rhythm of songwriting to recording that we've got going. This way I get to sit with each song a few days, practice it, get used to it, decide how I want to attack it, than I get to record it. Of course John and Sammy give me direction as well, you'll see in the You Tubes how they gently redirect me at times. Being sensitive to the artist is critical at times because when your in that sound booth it's just you and your voice and any mistakes you make are clearly heard. There was that one day while singing that I was getting so frustrated with myself that I was pretty close to tears! Oh the song Good Times caused me a tough time, but in the end it came out great. Tomorrow will also be a great day since I get to sing DISCO, woohoo fun!

Much <3 Lizzi

Day 21 in the Studio

This weekend just flew by. I was so excited about going camping, it reminds me of when I was a little girl and our whole family would go. My Daddy loved camping and although us kids must have been a nightmare to travel with, my parents did it. I remember waking up to chorizo, eggs, and papas (potatoes) yum. I think when you're a kid you attach yourself to certain aromas, I remember the smell of coffee percolating on the grill, the Bonfire burning for warmth, tortillas slightly charred. All these smells are comforting to me.

This is an annual trip, the first weekend of August and it's on! Dusty experienced his first camping trip at just one month old. Abalone Diving in Mendocino, such a beautiful place, and what a scenic drive. Really just crossing the Golden Gate Bridge makes it special. Sam & I decided that for our next anniversary we will walk across the bridge together. Told you I was starting a Bucket List. This is something we have always wanted to do, and we always try and do firsts together. Even driving on a new freeway is monumental for us. We just noticed one of our favorite landmarks was knocked down, it's a cement factory right off of 280 which we always called the chicken factory. We told our kids when they were little that the chicken sat at the very top, laid eggs, and they rolled right down the egg shoot. Sad to see it go, wish I had taken a picture : (

Anyways camping was super fun, the weather was great, the food amazing, the people were fantastic! I have never seen a group of people come together and serve, share, show love, respect, and patience towards one another like this group of friends and family. The adults took time to play hide n seek with the kids, allowed them to participate in the pounding of the abalone, and although it is hard dangerous work diving for the Abalone, the men never complained once. Needless to say the spread of food was amazing, tri-tip, chicken, hot dogs, hamburgers, fresh Abalone. Oh I ate too much, but I knew this wasn't gonna happen again until next year. But it didn't stop with dinner, oh no, we had fresh peach cobbler, brownies, smores, so much deliciousness... Something about just getting away, breathing the fresh air, looking up at the stars, taking walks by the river, relaxing, and enjoying each others company is refreshing. Now if they could just get some towers up there so I could use my cell phone and iPad that would be perfect.

As wonderful as it was, it was great to come home to a nice HOT shower, and my comfy, cozy bed, what can I say I'm a city girl! I was anxious to get back into the Studio, we need to try and stay on our schedule. So today we completed the second verse to Paradise of Life; sweet Disco beat, easy flowing melody, this is gonna be a good one to do housecleaning to (I think some days we could all use a little motivation). As usual I laid down my scratch vocal to complete the song, and brought my cd home to practice. This is a fun song, it's about living life to the fullest, you don't need anything but a positive, and thankful attitude to be happy. Making life what you want it to be, just like my lil' Rocky, he just hears a beat and he happily begins to do his wiggle dance. Nothing matters, sometimes he wants me to dance with him and he'll grab my hand to come, and just start dancing, absolutely priceless moments. There is so much we can learn from our children, much of it we know, but we forget because we're too busy being responsible. It's okay to let your hair down once in awhile and enjoy what we work so hard to preserve. We will continue to try and capture the magic of music so we can pass it on to you.

<3 Lizzi

Day 20 in the Studio

Great day in the Studio, my husband Sam brought in his Boss and co-workers to eat and hang out while we worked in the studio. A very nice group of six men, funny to put a face to the names you hear your spouse talk about. We had a good time, their all a hoot, especially his boss JB. Sam showed them a couple of songs that are ready to be mastered, which they liked very much. After they left back to the office, we settled in and John began playing a song on the keyboard. Well you know what happens when John has a song in his heart, that's right onto song six! This one is a beautiful ballad, a true love song. They recorded a portion of the song and John laid down a scratch vocal of the chorus. Again truly amazing to witness a song come together from just a simple thought, to a melody, to lyrics, to recording the music. Technology is amazing, but even more so is the creativity God gives us to create something from nothing. This is the beginning of a beautiful and memorable song. I am so happy and proud of this project because it has already surpassed my expectations, it's tested the very limits of my singing and writing ability. I know that anyone who is interested in music, recording music, or writing songs would benefit from watching the online webcast. I am learning so much about what I love to do...make music. It feels great when someone takes you to higher place of learning and that is exactly what the Iklectixs are doing for me. We can touch people through our music because music moves you, it can reach where no one else can, your very soul, because we were created to sing and praise with our voice, our hands, our feet, and there is much freedom in rejoicing. I hope our music will inspire and move you a step closer to fulfilling your own dreams.

<3 Lizzi

Day 19 in the Studio

TUESDAY

Had a day off yesterday not just from recording, but from writing my Blog as well. This is actually the first time I skipped my blog, and to tell you the truth I was just too exhausted last night and fell asleep early. My daughter Senia invited Dusty and I to her company picnic, she works for Tivo and they had their annual picnic which was a Carnival theme. Much fun, tons of food, snacks (which I love), these were not your average snacks, they had flavored snow, so light, fluffy, airy, but tons of flavor! Also Kettle Corn, buttered popcorn my absolute weakness, Snow Cones with a zillion different flavors to choose from, Cotton Candy... Jumpers, a giant Shark Slide, oh and two baby white Tigers for photo ops. Lots of people and lots of fun for the kids. We hung out there for a few hours, then came home.

A close family friend called me to ask if I could babysit his little 7 month old baby girl in the evening. Well I've been around Antonella a couple of times, but this was her first time being babysat and really by a complete stranger. So you know what that means, yes she cried, poor baby I felt bad for the both of us! Senia came over and we took turns carrying her and wouldn''t you know it - Sam came home and she liked him! We finally found relief from her crying, it was pretty cute, and he was incredibly proud. Sam had to go back to work at 9pm so he left and again waaaaah! But then Sissy came home, and guess what she liked Sissy's arms. Beautiful baby girl, but she's gonna have to stay more often so she doesn't have to go through shock next time.

Anyways, we have been doing the Insanity workout and I got my workout gear on, then just totally pooped out. I couldn't keep my eyes open - I hadn't felt this way in a long time and I couldn't stay up if I wanted to. I went to bed and thought well I'll wake up and write my blog, but it never happened. Sometimes your body just let's you know that it's done, and I was definitely done, oh well I'll work out super hard tonight.

WEDNESDAY

Business as usual today, I went to the Studio, it was a pretty short day since everyone needed to leave a bit early. But we did complete the chorus on our new song Paradise of Life. And the background vocals for Good Times. So still pressing on with the project. I must say it's getting difficult to juggle the home, work, studio, social events. Gosh my house, my little garden, and my kids are suffering. Not such a great summer for the kids, but we knew it was gonna be a stretch for us all. Summer Project is in full swing, Sam has also been putting in long hours, so I rarely see him. So we're gonna get away for some much needed family time this weekend with a couple days of camping. Can't wait to sit around the fire eating roasted marshmallows. Tomorrow we will be starting early, around noon, stop in if your able to online, I think we'll get a lot accomplished. See ya then!

<3 Lizzi



- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Day 18 in the Studio

After a couple of days off in the Studio and an amazing weekend, it felt great to start working again. I think the whole family is still reeling from the big birthday/proposal dinner for my daughter Melissa. We are so happy and yes I am already thinking of more grandchildren. But no pressure right? First let's get them married off and than go from there.

What an incredible way to start the week. We officially have a new song, that's right it's onto song 5, so exciting. The wonderful title of this song is "Paradise of Life" not a song about a vacation, or about stuff in life, but THE STUFF of life. The things we should value the most, the simple things in life. Our treasure, our true treasure is not in the things we own, nor the things that own us. But it's really the intangibles, the things we could never place a price on - oh the Paradise of Life when your livin' it! So we completed the first verse and the pre chorus, it's a fun 70's beat, disco, totally my era. Laid down a quick scratch vocal so I wouldn't forget the melody so far.

The newly engaged couple came into the studio so I thought while they're here I might as well do a quick interview with them. I also had Melissa take a solemn oath not to become a Bridezilla, raised right hand and all. So we'll see how that all works out, I hear wedding planning is not for the faint of heart. But thankfully I have my sisters to help me out, and this is just the kind of event us girls like to rally around. Looking forward to tomorrow because I never know what we'll be doing, but no matter what, we always have a good time. The You Tubes are awesome, if you haven't gotten a chance to watch them, take a look and rate them. Every view helps boost our ratings and puts us on a higher rotation bracket. So until tomorrow, have a good one.

<3 Lizzi

A Monumental Day

The only other day that I can compare the joy that I feel right now was the day my Grandson Rocky was born. This is a day to remember! My daughter celebrated her 22nd birthday and was engaged on the same day. What a privilege to witness such a happy event, I saw my daughters eyes well up with tears of joy as her boyfriend professed his love for her and asked her to spend the rest of her life with him. Chills! Surrounded by family made it all the more special. To see my baby girl so happy made my heart completely full.

Now is when we see the fruits of our labor, all of the love, commitment, diligence, discipline, and the example that we have tried to display to our children has come back to bless us. I have always said that we were blessed with a beautiful, intelligent, loving daughter in law, and now we will have a wonderful new son to add to our growing family. It's amazing all the love and care that you pour into your children and to one day see it come full circle is just amazing. It's so hard to put into words what I feel right now because I am so overwhelmed with how God has blessed us. Again I stand in awe!

Melissa was born August 1, 1988, our first baby girl. So much of my hopes and dreams were tied to this baby girl, because I knew one day she would be an incredible woman. Her heart was so sweet and full of love that she gave it freely to her father & I, and her brothers. She has such a big heart that when her lil' sister was born five years later she loved her like a little mommy. She is creative, sensitive, passionate, and driven. I would like to think that I am the heart and soul of the family, but I know now that it is my daughters. To see them work on making each and every event special for one another tells me that long after I am gone, it's them that will continue the traditions. I have been blessed so far with three beautiful daughters, three incredible sons, soon four, and I know that as the family grows that there is always room for more. I know I say that now is the best time of my life, because now I see the best part of me, my children, growing up and making wise, sound decisions for their life with the knowledge and promise of hope for tomorrow. I believe that with God we can do all things, and it has always been His grace that carries us through.

<3 Lizzi