On the Grind, All the Time

Kids, it's been a crazy couple of weeks. As most of you know, we officially celebrated the release of my album and the launch of Eusonia Records with two (sold out!) shows at Joe's Pub here in NYC, followed by an absolutely packed after-party at the uber-chic nightspot France Origine.  As far as I'm concerned, there's no better experience in the world than performing, no more energetic exchange than that between artist and audience, and (outside of my family) no greater love in my life than what I do.  Suffice to say, it was quite a night, thanks to all who attended and partied (hard) with us... but it's probably better to show you rather than to tell you:

this is my happy place...


...and this is my zone.


You're looking at 2/3 of the most blazing band EVER -- love them!


Eusonia Records is officially launched... Thanks to our fearless leader, Scott (in the middle).


...and ready for mass consumption!


Eusonia VP Alex Bilowitz and me, having waaaaaay too much fun at the after-party...


Property of Eusonia Records (I really like that pose, huh?)


My Alpha and Omega... otherwise known as Mom and Dad.


Ain't no party like a Eusonia party...aww, you know the rest.

You can see the rest of the pics in my MySpace gallery (myspace.com/maiyshamusic). Not quite the same as being there, but definitely a taste. Long story short, the evening was a huge success, and big fun. We're so excited to have finally gotten this thing off the ground. and definitely set the stage (no pun intended) for what is promising to be an exciting fall...

Since then, it's been meetings, rehearsals, planning, and parties...in fact, I just played one for the opening night of the Visionfest Film Festival at the Tribeca Film Center, which was big fun. Next up will be a trip back to one of my hometowns, Chicago, followed by a benefit at S.O.B.'s for the man of the hour (and hopefully next eight years), Barack Obama, and then I'll be rocking the ballroom of the Plaza Hotel for the opening of Warren-Tricomi's new flagship.

As far as music goes, this week, I've been all over Jamie Lidell -- both albums. Really genius, and I can't wait to see him live at the Highline Ballroom in October.

So, what's true for this week?

I'm absolutely mad about...

1. "Burn After Reading".  Absolutely ridiculous, and completely hilarious.

2. My friend Matthew, who's also absolutely ridiculous and completely hilarious.

3. Spontaneous combustion.

4. The old French short "The Red Balloon", which I just recorded off cable.

5. Sunday brunch after a raging Saturday night.

I'm seriously mad at... 

1. Myself, for seriously believing that I can live on no sleep!
2. John Lithgow's character in "Footloose" (which I'm watching now).

3. Anyone who can't take "no" for an answer.

4. Anyone who keeps me waiting up.

5. This:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aNQ95bf4zU0

Note to Self:

I should be asleep right now...or getting my gear together for the gigs tonight, or readying my apartment for the family that is descending upon me in the next few hours... but instead, I'm going to do something I really haven't done in awhile - certainly not in the past few months - and take just a moment before I sleep to be...here. Not in later tonight, or next week, or last month, but right here, right now, with what is. On so many levels I'm still a long-suffering struggling artist, while on others I'm a seemingly overnight success, but in this (rare) moment, I can honestly say that (for the most part) I am exactly where I want to be, doing exactly what I always wanted to do...at least in this moment. True, I'm exhausted, overwhelmed, and anxiety-ridden, but I have to admit, I'm genuinely happy, too, because for perhaps the first time in my life, I'm genuinely doing ME. Don't know that I have much more to say than that, or if I'm really writing this to anyone except myself, as a reminder to appreciate all this, but to whoever might be listening, thank you for sharing this moment with me.

Big love,
Maiysha

What I Did On My Summer Vacation...

Well, it happened -- or rather it's happening (whether I'm ready or not)!  The album is, at long last, out.  And I am, at long last, returning to talk about it here (after many months' absence, for which I sincerely apologize), and give the full report (cue the chalkboard, notebook paper and dozing classmates)...

So, what's been happening, exactly?

Let's rewind about 8 weeks, and work our way here from there, shall we?  In July, I returned to my alma mater, Sarah Lawrence College, with good friend/fellow alum Damani Baker (now a successful director -- so proud!) to shoot the video for my first single, "Wanna Be", which was, to say the least, an adventure of epic proportions. Basically, take one emerging artist, a talented director and crew, two days, a half-dozen friends, and a shoestring budget, and stir!  You can see the results on www.maiysha.com, YouTube (leave comments - preferably kind ones!) or VH1 Soul, but here's a little tease...

Just when I'd recovered, I began a flurry of performances and appearances all over the NY/NJ/CT area, including hanging with the folks at KissFM, singing on The Weekend Today Show, rockin' two outrageous sets at the ultra-hip Tillman's in NYC (the mid-point of a 7-gig-in-6-days marathon), shooting for Lucky magazine, a road trip and radio appearance with Eusonia right-hand-man/resident comic Alex Bilowitz (of www.thebillablog.com), and having some serious girl talk with the crew from Seventeen magazine....and that's just the half of it!  In short, it's been a whirlwind.  We are apparently becoming the little album that could...and at the risk of channeling Obama (love him!) yes, we can!

There are a few major milestones for any musician trying to "break": the first time you hear your song on the radio, the first time you see your name in print, and the first time you see your actual CD/album on the shelves at a major retailer (a dying phenomenon, I'm afraid). In a rare superstitious streak, I joined my producer/label head Scott Jacoby, our friend and catalyst Arthur Everett and the Eusonia crew (of two) at Virgin Records at the stroke of midnight on August 26th to buy the first copies of "This Much Is True:" (it's supposedly good luck).  Admittedly, after all the promotional copies I've handled and signed, I was expecting it to be a bit anti-climactic, but somehow, seeing it there, wrapped in cellophane with all the promotional stickers, it felt like seeing my newborn babe...which I guess it is, at least for the time being.  Suffice to say, it is still (and will remain) wrapped in plastic, stickers intact.  One day (likely sooner than we think), the CD may be such a rarity that it'll be quite a keepsake (or if I'm lucky, a collector's item).

In spite of the gorgeous flowers I received on the morning of the release (big love to the gracious senders!), the mostly favorable reviews, and the continually growing interest, the truth is, the real work begins now.  In the indie game, we generally don't have big-money machines to fuel the fire, so the work primarily falls to the rag-tag crew that really believes in it, and is committed.  I'm blessed to have such a crew... not so rag-tag, either.  As for me, I'm painfully aware that this is just the beginning; since my focus isn't on short-term accolades (though they are greatly appreciated) but long-term relevance, that's what I'm focused on now: pacing myself, and periodically reminding myself to enjoy the ride... 

So, what's next? 

I'm taking over the legendary Joe's Pub on Sept. 11th for my record release -- yes, I know the date raises eyebrows, but what most don't realize is that "This Much Is True:" (the song, and by extension, the album) was actually written for and about NYC post 9/11.  It's my love song to my adopted hometown and its resilience.  With that in mind, in honor of all we lost, I can't think of a better date to celebrate both the survival of our city, and my own comparatively small accomplishment.

So there you have it: what I did on my summer vacation (minus the vacation part).  I promise my next essay won't be so... essay-like, but then again, who knows what mood I'll be in that day? Maybe a series of Haiku?  A monologue?  Or maybe just a song...(speaking of which, my favorite song this week is "Lucky" by Lewis Taylor... check it out).

At any rate, I'll leave you with a few... personal revelations. Let's just say "this much is true:"

I'm absolutely mad about...

1. Dancing all night to non-stop Prince, MJ, or Stevie and not caring how sweaty I am, how late it is, the identity of my dance partner (or whether I have a partner), or how much my feet hurt.

2. My sister (who always has my back & sings all my songs off-key) and her new fiance!

3. My dear friend Justin, who went to the store to buy my album, and made a stranger photograph it so I could be there with him.

4. The dog days of summer...and dining outdoors at every available opportunity.

5. A good hug.  I mean, a surprisingly good, strong, genuine, full-body hug.

I'm seriously mad AT...

1. Anyone who gets coveted front-row tickets to a sold-out show, and calls/texts you to gloat.

2. The auto-correct on my iPhone.

3. The "new" Facebook.  What was wrong with the old one?

4. Anyone who "drops by" my home unannounced, or calls obscenely early or late.

5.  The fact that U-Haul has a runaway slave promoting Ontario on one of their trucks - for real!

Make Me and/or Break Me?

So begins my first foray into the wonderful world of blogging, whence a pretty private person attempts to become a public entity... big fun, to say the least.  But seriously, my name is Maiysha, and I am a singer/songwriter (cue the other addicts: "Hi, Maiysha").  In my brief life, I've also been a lot of other things (to a lot of other people), but I'm a musician first, and will be as long as there's breath in my body... hopefully long after.  That's probably why I'm having trouble adapting to this new phase, when my life no longer seems to be entirely my own.  

Funny, I've always considered myself something of a shape-shifter, which is to say that "Me" has often been a fluid concept.  It probably started in childhood, as a way to cope with being part of a modern (read "broken") American family, living in different cities and homes, and basically wanting to be everything to everyone (or some similar cliché), but as I've come into adulthood,  I gotta admit that my undefinability (is that even a word?) is one of my favorite qualities.  I cherish my freedom, often at the risk of being intractable (just ask my managers), and will fight tooth and nail to keep the yoke of predictability from settling 'round my neck.

Now that I've gotten that diatribe out of my system, let me say for the record: I'm a writer... which is not to be confused with a blogger, so I'm not really sure where this is heading, but as it's apparently a necessary evil, I'll keep showing up.  The good news is that I'm in good company, so at the very least, I can hopefully make a few new friends (never a bad thing).  Worst case scenario, I divulge way too much personal information, and basically make an ass of myself... but as I said, I'm a singer/songwriter, so that's pretty much an occupational hazard, isn't it?  Actually, the worst case scenario would likely be that nobody reads this, and I'm just writing to myself, which for some reason strikes me as hysterically funny, since it's highly possible.

Okay, so why should you read this -- or better yet, why should you know me?  Well, the simple answer would be that I will hopefully infiltrating your eardrums soon, so we should be properly introduced.  I think I should probably insert some sweet endorsements from Newsweek or USA Today here, but how about this: check me out at myspace.com/maiyshamusic or look up "Maiysha" on Facebook, if that's your thing.  Or maiysha.com. Or iTunes. Or hold out and wait for the album release on August 26th.

Phew!  That was a mouthful.  

So, now that the shameless self-promotion portion of our communiqué is over (I think -- thanks for your patience), let's get back to true confession time, which basically involves me wondering aloud what is happening to my so-called life.  I have to admit, I started this blog under duress.  I asked what I could possibly have to tell everyone about my life that I'm not already saying in my music.  The answer was: "well, you do want people to actually listen to your music, right?" Point taken, though I have a feeling they might start handing me scripted entries after this little missive.  However, I also received some kinder, gentler advice (rare, in this industry), which was: "...think of it as an online diary -- or better yet, therapy.  People need to know who you are."  Kind of the "dance as if no one is watching" perspective, which kind of defeats the point, I think.  But it is valid, so I'm going to do my best.

So who am I, other than a highly sarcastic, commitment-phobic musician with a penchant for big words, parentheses and run-on sentences? That's a great question, and I'll hopefully be getting back to you with an answer soon... that is, as soon as my shape-shifting, smart-ass slows down enough to figure it out, because I'm certainly not who I was when I began this journey.   My bio says I'm "a striking new figure in the currently up-for-grabs realm of contemporary soul music... blessed with a seductive voice, rarified technical skill and acute emotional authenticity", which is flattering beyond belief, and hopefully at least mostly true, but certainly not the whole story.  I'm not entirely sure what the whole story is yet, as it's being revealed even as I write, but honestly, if you've never put out an album, or anything else that means everything to you, you should.  Seriously.  The risk it takes to let the part of you you love the most -- the part you're most fiercely protective of, and sensitive about -- loose on the world is no small thing, and in spite of my sarcasm, and all the pretense inherent in trying to "make it", this experience has been a humbling lesson in exactly what "authenticity" really is.

I am authentically in love with what I do, and how I do it.  I'm committed to telling the truth, and to causing as little harm as possible.  I'm devoted to my friends and fam.  At the moment, I'm completely overwhelmed, overworked, and over-tired, but happier than I've even been in my life.  I talk too much, and think even more, and am more than a bit of a control freak, but I get great results.  I'm not always well-received, but I am well-loved, and that's what matters to me.  I named my album "This Much Is True:".   And so it is.