the last blog of 2014 - because I said so!

It’s no secret that in addition to recording an album, I am also writing a book. No, it’s not another memoir. (And why am I suddenly picturing George Stephanopoulos exclaiming, “Thank God!” right about now?)

No, this book is a self help one. And I’d like to share a thought from it that I have about helping yourself become or achieve anything you say you want. It is not about acquiring or obtaining anything. It is about what you are willing to let go of.

So as 2014 gasps its last breath, what are you willing to let go of in 2015 in order to be and do and have what you want in your life?

In the spirit of thinking and committing out loud here, I am putting forth some of what I am willing to let go of…

I am willing to let go of limiting beliefs and old stories about why things can’t work out.

I am willing to let go of the person I was in order to be the person I’d like to be.

I am willing to let go of the phrase “I can’t.”

I am willing to let go of stagnant thinking.

I am willing to let go of the way I’ve always done things.

I am willing to let go of how I’ve seen myself until now.

I am willing to let go of anything that doesn’t serve my best interests or highest good.

The things I would like to keep include my sense of humor, idealism, and my cookie recipe. See, right there – priorities.

I am optimistic for the New Year ahead. We have the chance every day to make a new start, create a happier and more beautiful world simply because we decide to.

When we were little tots, our mothers, no doubt gave us a very concrete reason for things, that, in youth, we took at face value and accepted – “because I said so.”

That was all we needed to know. But somehow, when we grew up, we questioned and challenged and defied any explanation as simple and straight forward as “because I said so.” And we surely never learned that that was a viable reason with regard to our own choices.

I’d like to offer the thought that there is no external seal of approval, blessing, or permission you need to do what you want to do in life. That you want it is good enough – because you said so.

We get to have the kind of world we want when we say so.

We get to experience love and gratitude, forgiveness and redemption when we say so.

We get to know peace and joy and abundance when we say so, and not a moment sooner.

There is enough, and we are enough. And it is time to say so.

So here’s to a 2015 that’s filled with bold choices, bright ideas, the coming to fruition of the inherent greatness we all possess.

Happy New Year!!!

...what kind of year has it been?

As the last remnants of the past year fade away, I always get a bit reflective, if not melancholy.

We like to measure things in our society by quantifiable results. Number of widgets sold, dollars made, things bought, places traveled. We want to be able to say that we’ve amounted to something we hadn’t before. And that’s commendable. I like being able to say that, too.

But what about the ways we’ve grown inside, the depth of how we love, the new foundations we’ve laid where the old have crumbled? What about the times we persevered when we were sure we couldn’t and the people we’ve become in the wake of that?

Growth is often messy, but I, for one, wouldn’t change that. I wouldn’t want to finish running a marathon and look like I never broke a sweat. I want to wear the journey with grace, but I want to wear the journey. I like knowing that the person who is sitting down writing this is not the same person who was writing a year ago. And I hope to God to be able to say the same thing next year.

I feel, in many ways, like 2014 has been a roller coaster, and what I’ve learned on the ride is that both the highs and lows are tenuous and temporary.

I’ve taken the risk of honesty, of baring my soul on more than one occasion this year, both in my life and in my writing. And I have found that no matter what the results looked like on the outside, it was a good and soul-affirming thing to be willing to be seen and known for who I truly am and how I truly feel.

Of course, of all the accomplishments I can think of for 2014, at the top of my list is recording the album In Color, which will be completed in 2015.

The journey that is and has been the making of this album has been one of the hugest opportunities for personal, professional, and spiritual growth I’ve ever experienced.

The updates I post are only one small part of the story. There are stories behind the story, which, believe me, are highly entertaining. (One involves eight people, a pot of meatballs, two iPhones, and a very creative producer. See? You’re entertained already.)

There’s something inherently beautiful about the old giving way to the new, even as we resist the whole notion of it. It’s the natural order of things. And if we could but embrace it, maybe it wouldn’t seem like such a huge monster lurking.

Maybe tomorrow is destined to be better than today. Maybe our best moments of all are still in front of us. Maybe we haven’t even begun to fathom the level of joy or love or peace or exhilaration we will experience. Maybe our greatest masterpieces have yet to be created.

I know that I am willing to let go of anything that keeps me from embracing what I was meant to do and be and have at my fullest potential. I also know that that isn’t for the faint of heart, because it means I have to be willing to do things differently, see things differently and show up differently in the world.

I am willing to entertain new thoughts, bolder dreams, a bigger set of goals, and a greater vision of what’s possible. Aren’t you? Isn’t it time? Don’t we all deserve a world that’s looks more like that?

I am so grateful for the moments I’ve shared with each and every person over the past year. I am so grateful that life brought me to you and you to me.

Whatever your greatest desire, I wish it for you tenfold.

Whatever your health, I wish you restoration, healing, and vibrancy.

Whatever your dreams, I wish you something greater than you can even imagine for yourself.

Whatever your mistakes or regrets, I wish you lessons learned, forgiveness, and the knowledge that you are wiser than you were before.

Whatever our journeys may be or wherever they may take us, together or apart, I hold as my intention for 2015 one of love, compassion, kindness, peace, fulfillment, abundance, and joy that surpass our greatest expectations.

Thanks for stopping by. Please tell your friends.

Peace & blessings to you in the New Year!

Ilene

...a season of miracles

The holiday season is in full swing and most of us are getting wrapped up in the frenzy of it all. Me, I decided that this year I would not be frenzied, but rather present and appreciative of every moment. I also decided that I would take time to stop and enjoy all the goofy, sappy wonderful things that bring me joy this time of year.

So my car has been a non-stop music fest of every Christmas CD I own. And last night, I did something I haven’t done in years – I rode around for a little while with my friend Dora Jean and looked at all the Christmas lights on people’s houses.

Whether you celebrate Christmas or Chanukah, this is considered a season of miracles. But if you ask me, we don’t have a shortage of miracles no matter what the season.

There’s a quote attributed to Albert Einstein that I love -

“There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.”

I am, not surprisingly, the latter. I believe every day is a gift and each breath, a miracle. And the older I get, the more that becomes true for me.

As I was looking through my address book writing Christmas cards, I saw an inordinate number of names of people in it who are no longer alive. It wasn’t one or two. I suppose that this is a natural occurrence with the passage of time, but still, it was shocking to me and got me thinking about what is truly enduring and miraculous.

We live largely in a world of distractions. We make assumptions about tone and text and email. We create fiction in the silences between each other’s replies, and don’t hesitate to offer righteous indignation over the slightest of offenses.

None of this brings us peace or joy or an expansion of love in our lives. But these are the things of the times in which we live. So to alter that lifestyle, it would take a conscious decision on our part.

This season, I am making a concerted effort to really talk to the people in my life, to lose the superficial, which I’ve never been any good at, anyway, and to look people in the eye, to listen with my heart, to love beyond the petty hurts and grievances, and to savor the moments of beauty and candor and connection.

We are given a short time here. And I guarantee that no one will remember the outfit we wore (with the possible exception of Lady Gaga’s meat dress), but we all remember how we felt in any given moment. Moments and feelings are the indelible things we take with us on our journey through life.

On the good moments and feelings, we reflect longingly, and on the bad ones, we either take the lessons offered and let it go or carry it with us, retelling it and reliving it until we learn that it doesn’t serve us anymore.

A miracle is defined as an event that is inexplicable by natural or scientific laws. So I think that makes love a miracle. And those who choose to practice it, miracle workers.

We have the chance every single day to be someone’s miracle. We have the opportunity to be kind for no reason, to love without justification, to help in the slightest way when the world would say that’s crazy, or worse – stupid.

Love is a miracle in these times. There’s no logic to it or for it, and it doesn’t seem to be the natural or scientific order of things. And yet, we are called to it, drawn to it, long for it, live and breathe for it. We are here to do and be one thing – the inexplicable, the miraculous – love.

So in this season of miracles, let’s know that we are the living embodiment of the greatest miracle of all - love. Let’s walk like it and talk like it and live like we know that.

Thanks for stopping by.

Peace, Blessings, & Love to you all,

Ilene

a birthday blog for my friend, BethAnne!

Every so often, when some unsuspecting friend has a birthday, I decide I’m going to blog about them and their awesomeness. Today is my friend BethAnne Clayton’s turn. So first off, Happy Birthday, Beth!!!!

Beth and I met our first few days in Nashville, 1996, through our mutual friend Robin. We moved there the same week, and I don’t know how many people Beth knew when she moved there, but I knew only one – Robin.

That Beth and I would become friends seems inevitable, as I think about it now. We were born three months apart, grew up in the same area of the country, love all the same music and artists, not to mention foods. We both play keyboard and I think even had the same keyboard at one point.

I could go on about how we enjoy a good shopping bargain and how she started me on my Partylite candle obsession. Oooh, and then there was that Tupperware party. I laugh every time I see our same cookie containers these many years later.

The quirky fun stuff wasn’t all we shared in common, though. We each had a parent who had Lupus and lost their battle with it, so there is an unspoken understanding of that particular kind of suffering and loss.

Friendship is an interesting commodity that people define in many different ways. I myself have only one criterion, basically, that defines someone as a close friend of mine or not – can you be counted on. If I called you at three in the morning and needed you, would you be there, regardless of what it was for? I think of all the qualities I love most about BethAnne, this is the thing I know about her and love the most. Well, that and her meatloaf. Seriously. It’s the best damn thing I’ve ever eaten in my life.

And I’ve gotten this far in the blog without even getting to her musical genius. I don’t even know where to begin about that. When I met her, she only played keyboard. And when I say “only” played keyboard, I mean you could name any song ever written and she could sit down and play and sing it as if it had been well rehearsed. One day she picked up an accordion and just started playing it. Then it was guitar. I think she had one lesson and started playing gigs – on guitar. Need any kind of harmony sung or arranged? Beth can do it – on the spot – perfectly. And her voice? Gorgeous. I am convinced she could sing a lead vocal while eating a taco and it would still sound better than any other singer’s best efforts without the taco. (I have no idea why I threw the taco thing in there, but now that I mention it, I could really go for Mexican.)

Oooh, while I’m singing her praises, go buy her Christmas album! It’s one of my all time favorites. (Beth's music)

I could go on and on, but the point it this – I am blessed to have BethAnne as a friend, and if this blog could make her feel even half as special as her friendship has made me feel over the years, then I’ve done my job.

Beth, I hope your day is a non-stop joy-fest of love and happiness.

Happy, Happy Birthday!!!

Love,

Ilene

Beth and Me on my birthday this year!

a Thanksgiving blog, 2014

I know, I’m getting a jumpstart on the holiday, but is it ever too early to be thankful, really?

With each passing year, I become more keenly aware that we aren’t promised even the next five minutes, let alone days or years, so I try not to let an opportunity go by where I don’t savor the present moment and make sure the people around me know that they are loved.

There’s a lot to be thankful for – always. So if you’re reading this, please know that I am thankful for you, whether it’s the first time you’re dropping by to see what my blog is all about or you’ve been a faithful follower from the get go.

Time seems to be going faster and faster, maybe because the world is getting smaller and we’re inundated with news images 24/7. Because of that, we know what’s going on everywhere, but just this once, I’m gonna ask you to join me in stopping for a moment to check in with what is going on inside your own heart.

There can be no peace in the world that doesn’t first begin in a single human heart, so as we watch the unrest in our country with great despair, let’s take a moment to contribute something resembling peace, instead.

Whatever relationships we would want to have healed in some way, let’s be the healing force for them ourselves. Pick up the phone, extend the olive branch, take the first step. I’m all for prayer, but turmoil, unrest, and discord are manmade. And whatever is going on in our individual lives is reflected out in the world around us. So let’s take a moment before turkey and football to find the place where peace and gratitude reside within us and let’s begin inhabiting that with regularity so that it might be reflected out in the world.

As has been my tradition for several years now, I like to make a list of what I’m thankful for, a random stream of consciousness, if you will, encompassing whatever pops into my little head at the moment. So here goes this year’s list in no particular order.

I am thankful for –

Every moment spent with people I love.

Good friends, good wine, and good food (preferably enjoyed together).

Pro Tools – it had to be said.

Sappy Christmas movies.

Good health.

Did I mention friends? Seriously, I have the BEST friends.

Music – and the ability to make it and share it.

Dreams that have come true.

Sarcasm.

Apple products.

Tanya – because she’s texting me as I type this, so she’s getting her very own shout out. Plus, I’m thankful for her.

Whoever invented luggage with wheels. Bravo.

The Broadway musical.

Jeans with lycra/spandex. This cannot be overstated.

Shiny things – lip gloss, diamonds, Christmas lights – whatever makes life prettier.

Kale. Totally joking.

Passion.

Moments that take my breath away.

My niece Samantha.

Yesterdays remembered, today cherished, and the promise of tomorrows.

I am thankful for every moment lived and every person who has ever crossed paths with me.

What are you thankful for? I so appreciate you stopping by. Please tell your friends and have a beautiful, blessed Thanksgiving!

xo

Ilene

"Meet the Players" #3 - Bass and Drums

When I started out to create this album, I didn’t know who all the participants would be. I only knew some. The thing I did know, however, was that I wanted more than just talent. I wanted people with heart playing on it, who would actually care about the project.

That sounds like kind of a naïve intention for someone who has been in the music business for a lot of years and done countless studio sessions. But it was because I have done countless sessions that I knew the difference.

When it came time to start selecting musicians, Tanya, my producer, started throwing out names. Really, from the get go, she only said one bass player and that I would love him. She called him, in fact, right then and there. And he said he knew the perfect drummer for us, too. Awesome.

Do I trust this and just go with it? What if I don’t like it? I don’t have funds for redo’s of anything.  I decided to trust the part of me that knew this was a good idea.

Both the bass player and drummer are Nashville based. So we would be sending music files and they’d be sending files back.

When we got the first group of songs back and sat down to listen I was nervous. Not because they didn’t have ridiculous resumes, which I’ll get to in a minute, but because this was the moment this project went from being just Ilene and her piano to “the band” and “the record.”

They weren’t just great. They were absurdly great. I did my happy dance around the room and let out at least one audible squeal of delight, accompanied by, “It’s a record! It’s a record!” possibly a few dozen times.

So I am thrilled to introduce you to Mark Prentice on bass and Matt Bubel on drums.

Mark Prentice is a Grammy winning musician, producer, and songwriter, who has worked with Michael McDonald, Bruce Springsteen, Keith Urban, Vince Gill, and a huge, long list of others. I had the pleasure of meeting him a few months ago when he was in town touring with Felix Cavaliere. And he’s as nice and funny as he is ridiculously talented.

Matt Bubel is an amazing drummer who has worked with Darius Rucker, Kenny Rogers, and Ben E. King, to name a few. He has the distinction of being the only person on this record whom I’ve yet to meet face to face. I could try and make stuff up about him, but really, all you need to know is that he is amazing.

So that concludes this installment of “Meet the Players.”

I am getting more and more excited as this project progresses toward conclusion, as I hope you are, too.

Since we are coming upon the Thanksgiving holiday, it seems like an excellent time to say, “thank you,” again. This project would not be coming to fruition without your support in every way, shape, and form.

Thank you so much!!!

Peace & Blessings (and hugs and kisses) to you!

Ilene

a moment's candor

I suppose it could be argued that each time I blog or write a project update is a moment’s candor on my part. But this feels somehow different, so I’m going to just go with it.

I recorded my next to last lead vocal this week, and it was probably the most profound of the experiences I’ve had singing for this record so far. The beauty of it was that it was completely unexpected.

This thing artists and writers do, when I stop and think about it for a moment, seems part magic and part madness. To create something out of thin air is one thing, but to allow something to emerge through you is another. It requires complete surrender, getting out of the way, dropping the baggage.

What we do is about emotion laid bare. Let me tell you about my deepest heartache, greatest joy, biggest fear, wildest dreams. Let me be exposed and vulnerable, showing you my weakness, while at the same time exhibiting an extraordinary amount of strength and bravery by doing so.

When left to our own devices and highest calling, this is what my fellow singer/songwriters and I do. We share the human experience and give it meaning in the way that only each one of us can. And it is a privilege to get to do so. Sometimes we forget that.

So I got to the studio on Monday, thinking I would be singing “No End to Love” just like I had been doing since I wrote it with my Nashville co-writer, Fred a number of years ago – straight forward and big.

This is the song on the record that’s been in existence the longest, the one I never recorded myself, one that had been on hold for at least half a dozen artists, including Faith Hill, Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers. (None of whom cut it, by the way – which is why I’m sure a lot of writers take up drinking, but not me. I prefer to bury my disappointments in sarcasm, peppered with a dash of irony. Also, ice cream. Ice cream works well for me.)

Where was I? Oh yeah, so as we were listening down to the track, I was singing along softly to it. Tanya (my producer, for those of you just joining these festivities now) realized that something special was happening. She ran and moved the mic and everything else over to where I was sitting, and I recorded the vocal right then and there. Quietly. Intimately. In the moment. As the private conversation you will all be privy to when the record is done and out. 

Lyrics take on different meaning at different moments in our lives. If we’re lucky, that meaning deepens with the passage of time, like it did for me in this instance.

And I suppose that, just as surrender is necessary to allow for something bigger to emerge through us, surrender is also necessary to allow for it to travel where it is intended to go.

As this project continues on its path toward conclusion, I am in constant gratitude for the experience, for the chance to share that experience in all its different facets with you as it progresses, and for the immense joy it is to do what I love doing most.

Thanks for stopping by and for hanging in there with me. Please tell your friends. 

Peace & Blessings (and hugs and kisses),

Ilene