My New TV Show “Carla Lynne Hall: Music Trekker” Debuts Tonight!

Carla Lynne Hall: Music Trekker

I am soooo excited to announce the debut of my new TV show on MNN: Carla Lynne Hall: Music Trekker!!! The first airing takes place TONIGHT, September 17th at 9pm on Channel 34 on Time Warner Cable in NYC! You can also tune in for the live simulcast from ANYWHERE on MNN.org.

CLH: Music Trekker is a travel show, and the first season will focus on the musicians and musical venues in NYC. Tonight’s debut episode focuses on frequently asked questions from musicians considering a move to New York City. The next shows of the season will be on location in NYC, and I’m looking forward to performing around town.

As my show is influenced in large part by Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations, I can appreciate the irony that my debut show is going up against his time slot. But not to worry, the next air dates are: Tue, Sept 25 at 11:30 PM, channel 34 and Thur, Sept 27 at 3:30 PM, channel 56. Set your DV-Rs!

You can also LIKE us on Facebook at Facebook.com/MusicTrekker!

Finally, I must thank all of the friends, mentors, and colleagues whose ideas, encouragement and support helped bring this show to life: Jonathan Stone, Craig Ali, Thomas Paul, Gina Ratliffe, Gloria Messer-glovideo, Sissy Gamache, Jeremy ShowStopper NY-cortes, Christopher Wright, Ronald Thompson, PLUS Stefani, Roberto, Richard, Chuck and anybody else at Manhattan Neighborhood Network (MNN) who gave me the time of day! 😉 I am grateful!

Musicians – Go Back to the Woodshed!

Let’s Go Back to the Woodshed!

As the summer air is already turning cool and brisk, most kids and parents are thinking “Back to School!”
Here at the Rock Star Life Lessons blog, I’m thinking about going “Back to the Woodshed”!

In the good old days of the frontier, homesteaders had to set aside time at their woodshed. In order to have heat for their homes during the winter, they would chop wood into logs, and stack them in a dry shed. As wood logs burn quickly, and electricity wasn’t available, there would be lots of chopping and stacking going on – surely a tedious job – for months before the cold set in. But when the air turned cold, and the snows came, you knew that your woodshed would be filled with dry logs, and that you’d have heat.

In musician speak, “Going to the woodshed”, also referred to as “shedding” meant that a musician was going into a period of self-imposed retreat to study, practice and learn. One musician’s period of shedding may have focused on one particular song, or set of songs, for an upcoming performance, while another musician’s time in the woodshed would be used to sharpen or refine their style, or improve a particular musical skillset. Regardless of the reason, going to the woodshed, or shedding, enables a musician to bring the heat to their performances.

I realize now that I also went into the woodshed this summer, as I found myself drawn to certain activities that required me to stretch my capabilities as a musician. If you asked what I did for my summer vacation, you might think I went to summer school, as I found myself learning and stretching, via:

* Jazz Piano Lessons
* Private Vocal Coaching
* Performance Workshops and DVDs with Tom Jackson
* Cabaret Performance Debut
* R&B Open Mic Debut
* Songwriting Circles
* Mentoring and hosting an aspiring singer/songwriter

I learned so much from these summer experiences, and I know that these experiences will take my musical and performance skills to the next level.

While the current economy has a lot of people feeling nervous, now is actually the best time to invest in yourself, and your skills. This month’s Rock Star Life Lessons blog will present a collection of blog posts, articles, and interviews that will enhance your woodshed experience. Some articles you may remember from the “Recession-Proof Musician” series, while other posts may be brand new. The common theme will be topics to inspire and motivate, which is the mission of this blog.

Please feel free to share your woodshed stories with me here in the comments section. I look forward to sharing in your musical growth experiences.

Carla

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Photo Source: Celebrate Canada Blog [Nova Scotia’s wood-chopping John Brown (pictured) turned 79 this year!]

Twitter for Musicians Workshop – August 29th 1-3pm in NYC

Twitter for Musicians Workshop in NYC

You asked for it. You got it! “Twitter for Musicians” is the next workshop that I’ll be presenting in NYC on August 29th in NYC. If you’re not using, or haven’t gotten the hang of, Twitter yet, it’s a great social networking tool that enables you to get your point across in 140 characters or less. If you didn’t already know, Twitter is my favorite social network, and I’ve been able to start and build musical relationships via Twitter in less time than it take to send an email.

Did you know that you can use Twitter to:

* Build your fanbase
* Book gigs
* Sell your MP3s
* Meet and communicate with other musicians and music fans
* Get new visitors to your website, MySpace, etc
* Contact music industry professionals
* Learn the latest indie music news and trends
* Get your point across in 140 characters or less!
* Play Strip Twitter (okay, just checking to see that you were paying attention!)
* and more!

People who are unfamiliar with Twitter often get bored before they see the beauty and opportunity of Twitter. If you’ve given up on your Twitter account, or want to learn how you can use it to build your music business, this workshop is for you!

Twitter is a fun way to meet and communicate with other music lovers, as well as build a buzz about your music. This workshop will include case studies of twitter musician success stories, as well as video presentations and handouts. You can bring your laptop if you like, but you will not need a computer to enjoy this workshop.

Workshop is limited to 30 attendees. Please click here to reserve your seat via PayPal:

Twitter for Musicians Workshop
Date: Saturday, August 29, 2009
Time: 1-3pm
Price: $40.00
Location: Center for Arts Education
14 Penn Plaza (alternate address is 225 West 34th Street between 7th & 8th Ave)
Suite 1112 (11th Floor)
New York, NY

I look forward to helping you meet your music marketing goals via Twitter!