Today is Coney Island’s Mermaid Parade!

Rain or shine, today Coney Island’s Mermaid Parade welcomes Summer!

This annual art parade in Brooklyn’s Coney Island is the place to dress up as your favorite mermaid or sea creature. Last year I was a spectator, but this year I may break out my fins and participate. For more info, read the article below, and visit The Coney Island Mermaid Parade.

Hope to see you there!

Related blog posts:
Mermaid Parade 2008
Carla Lynne Hall’s Rock Star Schedule for June 2009

Refi Rock Tonight on The Intrepid!

Tonight, Thursday, June 18th, the guys from Aged Inventory and I are playing Refi Rock at The Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum, which was formerly known as The Intrepid Aircraft Carrier.

Refi Rock is a Wall Street Fundraiser for the Boomer Esiason Foundation, which raises money to fight Cystic Fibrosis. Aged Inventory has been fortunate to play this gig twice a year for a few years now, and we always have a lot of fun!

If you’re in the mood for some Jimi Hendrix, U2, or Green Day, this former aircraft carrier is the place to be! Tickets are $40 (no credit cards accepted on the ship), and proceeds benefit The Boomer Esiason Foundation whose mission is to fight Cystic Fibrosis. Visit Refi Rock for more details!

Aged Inventory plays Refi Rock on The Intrepid on June 18th
Pier 86 – 46th & 12th Ave ~ New York City
8pm sharp

Related blog posts:
Credit Suisse Traders Keep Rockin’ Through Firings
Carla Lynne Hall’s Rock Star Schedule for June 2009

Are You Going to TechKaraoke Tonight in NYC?

As a last minute entry to this whirlwind week, I’m headed to tonight’s TechKaraoke, as part of Jeff Pulver’s 140 Character Conference, which explores the disruptive nature of Twitter, “140 characters at a time”.

Says Jeff about the 140 Character Conference:

While the original scope of the event was to explore “the effects of twitter on: Celebrity, “The Media”, Advertising and (maybe) Politics”, the scope of the event has expanded and we will be covering these topics and a lot more. #140conf will be taking a look at twitter as a platform and will be taking a look at some of the industries which have been disrupted by the advent of twitter.

For the final night of this event, Mashable’s Brett Petersel (@brett on Twitter) has organized TechKaraoke, which is gonna be awesome! Tonight’s event will raise money for North Shore Animal League America, Inc, America’s largest no-kill animal shelter, is the largest hands on humane organization in the world. They rescue and give medical care to over 20,000 orphaned animals each year,

At tonight’s event, keenkong will match each dollar (up to $400) for every song sung at TechKaraoke. It’s recommended that you donate $1 for every song you sing ($2 if you rickroll) at FirstGiving. All money will be sent to the North Shore Animal League America and all FirstGiving donations are tax-deductible.

If this is up your alley, sign up now at http://techkaraoke.eventbrite.com/ and I’ll see you there!

Related blog post:
Carla Lynne Hall’s Rock Star Schedule for June 2009

Carla Lynne Hall’s Rock Star Schedule for June 2009!

I don’t know how it happened exactly, but my June schedule has EXPLODED! In addition to gigs and Musician Lunches, I’m also hosting my first BOWLING MEET UP at Harlem Lanes, which should be a lot of fun. Lots of great things happening, and I hope to see you out and about this month!

Thursday, June 18th – Refi Rock Spring Fling on The Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum
I’ll be playing Refi Rock, the Wall Street music fundraiser, with Aged Inventory, my classic rock band of bankers. If you’re in the mood for some Jimi Hendrix, U2, or Green Day, this former aircraft carrier is the place to be! Tickets are $40 (no credit cards accepted on the ship), and proceeds benefit The Boomer Esiason Foundation whose mission is to fight Cystic Fibrosis. Visit Refi Rock for more details!

Aged Inventory plays Refi Rock on The Intrepid on June 18th
Pier 86 – 46th & 12th Ave
8pm sharp

Saturday, June 20th – The Coney Island Mermaid Parade
This annual art parade in Brooklyn’s Coney Island is the place to dress up as your favorite mermaid or sea creature. Last year I was a spectator, but this year I may break out my fins and participate. For more info, read the article below, and visit The Coney Island Mermaid Parade. If you’re planning to attend, let me know!

Sunday, June 21st – Make Music New York
Now in its third year, Make Music New York is a unique festival of free concerts in public spaces throughout the five boroughs of New York City, all on Sunday, June 21st, the first day of summer.

I’ll be performing at 2pm in front of Divalicious Chocolate! at 365 Broome Street in NYC (212 343 1243). Run by the Executive Singing Chef, Jackie Gordon, the show is gonna be SWEET!!!

Tuesday, June 23rd – Red Room Open Mic
In the Washington Heights neighborhood of NYC is a popular open mic held on the 2rd and 4th Tuesdays at The Red Room Vinoteca. Open Mic-sters at this diverse venue play everything from rock, pop, to hip-hop, and I’ll be there too with my guitar. If you’re an adventurous NYC musician, make the trek to “Upstate Manhattan”, and I’ll see you there!

Red Room Open Mic starts at 7pm on June 23rd
1 Bennett Ave (at 181st St)

Saturday, June 27th – Musicians Lunch NYC
Interest in Musicians Lunches has been steadily growing, and I’m totally psyched to host my third Lunch in NYC (My fifth one in the States!). If you’re a musician who wants to learn how to market and sell your music over a tasty meal, visit Musicians Lunch

Musicians Lunch NYC June 27th 1-3pm
Restaurant suggestions still being accepted!
Click here to book your seat via PayPal

Tuesday, June 30th – Carla’s Bowling Meet Up at Harlem Lanes
If you’re on Twitter, @HarlemLanes celebrates “Twitter Tuesdays” at 8pm: Unlimited bowling plus shoe rental for $20 if you TWEET you’re at @HarlemLanes! They also serve food and drinks, so let’s have a party – remember to bring your socks!

Harlem Lanes
2116 Adam Clayton Powell Blvd, 3rd Fl
212-678-BOWL (2695)
@HarlemLanes on Twitter
“Twitter Tuesdays” at 8pm: “All you can bowl”, plus those HOT SHOES for $20!

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That’s all for now (I think)! I’ll blog more info about these events closer to their date. Hope I get to see you!!!

Musicians Lunch NYC ~ Saturday, May 9th at 1pm

Lunch & Learn

Musicians Lunch NYC is back, and scheduled for this Saturday, May 9th at 1pm!

Musician’s Lunch is a luncheon event to bring together musicians who are interested in learning about the latest trends in music marketing and ideas for promotion over a meal. The cost is $25 in NYC, and you pay for your own lunch. In addition to the fun we’ll be having, each lunch attendee in NYC will also get a free music marketing strategy guide! If you have your heart set on sitting next next to me, that spot goes to the first musician who offers to buy my lunch!

I love talking about music, I love breaking down marketing strategies, and I love eating out. This project is right up my alley, and I plan to do as many musician lunches as I can fit in this year. If you don’t live in NYC or London, and you’re interested in participating, leave me a comment below, and we’ll see if we can find a way to visit your town. After this, I’ll be heading next to New Orleans for a Musicians Lunch on May 23rd!

If you’re interested in learning the latest music marketing techniques successful musicians use to build a buzz, grow their audience, and sell more CDs, visit Musician’s Lunch!

Click here to book your seat via PayPal

Fifth Annual Hedge Fund Rocktoberfest 2008

Once again, Classic Rock band Aged Inventory will be rocking the house at this year’s Hedge Fund Rocktoberfest, but this year we’ll be playing on a bigger stage to meet the demand. So instead of playing at the A Leg to Stand On (ALTSO) long-time home at BB King’s in Times Square…

We’ll be playing at The Hammerstein Ballroom!!!

The Hedge Fund Rocktoberfest event is a “Battle of the Bands”, featuring bands made up of hedge fund managers and other Wall Street professionals. Rocktoberfest raises money for A Leg To Stand On, a non-profit organization that provides prosthetic devices for children in India, Haiti and Colombia. The organization was co-founded by Octagon Asset Management chief C. Mead Welles, who doubles as the drummer for The Subscribers, the hedge fund band that organizes the annual concert. It’s rumored that this will be the Subscriber’s “Farewell Show”, but we’ll see about that!

What: Fifth Annual Hedge Fund Rocktoberfest 2008
Where: Hammerstein Ballroom, 311 West 34 St, New York City
When: October 16th, 6 pm onwards

Tickets Before September 30th – $150
Tickets after October 1 – $200
(Price includes: Unrestricted admission, open bar, food, open seating)

To buy individual tickets, click here

For more information, please contact info@altso.org.

Crystal Blue Radio Podcast Interview with Carla Lynne Hall

Earlier this week I participated in the 3rd Annual Digital Press Conference, which was an awesome opportunity to get interviews with tons of podcasters, internet radio DJs, and other new media maven. I’m gathering photos and other stories to prep it for Rock Star Life Lessons, but in the meantime, here’s a link to my interview for the Crystal Blue Radio podcast with Dan Herman.

More about Radio Crystal Blue

**To hear Radio Crystal Blue live, please tune into the Live365 network Sundays 7pm ET http://live365.com/stations/142950

**To subscribe to the Live365 podcasts, go to the RSS link or click inside the FeedPlayer:
http://bigcontact.com/radiocrystalblu/rss

**To stream the podcasts for Live365 Go to http://radiocrystalblue.com and look for the FeedPlayer window, with mp3s of previous shows. Use the different buttons to subscribe, to syndicate, or to simply listen.

New iProng Magazine Features Interview with Carla Lynne Hall

The summer 2008 edition of iProng Magazine is out today, and features an article with yours truly! iProng is an online magazine for iPod and iPhone users, and is available via iTunes.

Click to read the latest issue of iProng Magazine here.

Me and iProng Magazine publisher, Bill Palmer

Overcoming Creative Jealousy by Carla Lynne Hall

What’s green and felt all over? It’s Jealousy, that evil monster. Yep, folks, it’s the dark side of being an artist, and not very pretty. I guess we are all susceptible to it, though some times are worse than others. Some may disagree, but I rank jealousy with masturbation. Ninety percent will admit to it, and the other ten percent is lying.

What I’m here today to discuss on my soapbox is not that jealousy is an evil thing, but that it’s normal. Of course, I’m not condoning the shredding of a rival diva’s costume minutes before she goes onstage (which has happened in real life to a friend). I’m only saying that when she gets on stage, looking totally fly, singing fierce, singing her ASS off, it’s normal to want to strangle her. And if she’s a bitch to boot, it’s even more difficult to be happy for her (”Gee, I don’t know why God decided to give me all this money this year. Isn’t it great??” – Yeah, right). Before I go on, I want to make it clear that I admire tons of musicians, but I’d be lying if I said that there had never been any moments that I thought, “Damn, that was good. I suck.” To be fair, maybe someone has thought that during one of my shows. Maybe not, but it’s still a fact of life for an artist.

Being an artist of any medium practically is an ongoing challenge. Commercial demands aside, as an artist you are constantly faced with a blank sheet of paper, canvas, or lump of clay. Sometimes you feel inspired. Sometimes you don’t. Sometimes you come up with roses, other times it’s manure. An artist is rarely happy with his/her work At least, not for long. You finish a project, and you can’t believe that you created it. The next day (or sooner), you wonder if you can ever do it again. Creating art, like dying, is something done alone.

The helplessness of an artist probably contributes to various addictions. When you add the demands of the marketplace to the equation, it can get ugly. We ARE our demons…Of course, I can still find the positive spin to all of this. When you see someone else kicking butt, especially someone you know (and usually like), listen to your heart. The jealousy and envy stem from wanting something they have. Deep down in your heart, you always know what you lack as an artist. When you watch someone who has it, it hurts. It’s WAY too easy to get stuck in “Oh, she slept with the producer”. Maybe she did, but I have yet to see ANYONE get ahead just because they knew “who to do”. It takes a lot of work to go forward. Besides, the producer probably made her dress up in a Wonder Woman costume. He may even have incriminating photos of the moment as well that she will forever worry about. Tell me that that’s not hard work!

But I digress. The trick, I think, is using that feeling to energize your own improvement. Personally, I find that watching someone who has something I need to improve upon makes me work for it even more. It can be painful, no doubt, to watch someone on stage have a seemingly flawless performance when you feel that your own stage presence lacks, due to nervousness. Well folks, one thing I learned is that there is NO magic involved to great performances. It’s really true that practice makes perfect. Whatever you want to improve, you can. You think you’re not connected, get out and meet people. You want to write better songs, put in the time. You want to know more about the business, read some books.

You know what I hate? People who go to the same seminars that I do, but ask the same question (or different versions of it) time after time. I just want to say, “You got your answer last month. Get on with it!” There comes a time in each life when you have to own up to what you need to do to make it happen. If you can’t or won’t do it, perhaps something else is meant for you. I say all that to say this: sometimes jealousy tells you what you need to do. Other times, it’s plain old envy. Just don’t let it rule your life. By focusing on others, you’ll lose track of your own growth. This year I challenge you. Work on ONE thing that will bring you closer to your goal. You know what it is. Just do it.

Excerpted from The DIY (Do-It-Yourself) Guide to the Music Biz by Carla Lynne Hall. Available at http://DIYGuide-MusicBiz.com

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More music biz articles can be found in the Rock Star Life Lessons Reading Room.

New Supernova Review in Feminist Review!!!

Have I mentioned yet that I’ve hired the fabulous PR team at Ariel Publicity? I’m in the middle of my first three month campaign, and in addition to getting songs from my Supernova CD added to internet radio and podcasts, I’ve also been getting CD reviews. The reviews are now coming in, and this one from Feminist Review is pretty awesome:

“First, they should try to get the Top 40-friendly “Supernova” (or its “Reprise”) onto as many radio playlists as possible, and maybe even pony up the money for a well-edited music video to promote the single. The twang and vocal stylization of “Long Distance Love” could work on radio stations with a more traditional county and western format. The soul-stirring “My First Child,” the uber-passionate “My Body’s Keeper,” or the sweepingly romantic “Fallin’” would all boost record sales as follow-up singles. (Incidentally, the seamless arrangement of the horns, organ, and Hall’s voice on “Fallin’” had me hitting the “repeat” button several times.) And “Lucy and Ethel”, a bittersweet ode to female friendship, can be included on the soundtrack of a tear-jerking chick flick.”

What great adjectives this writer uses: “Soul-stirring”, “Uber-passionate”, “Sweepingly romantic”! WOW!!!!!!

And this is only a small part of this great review, although I’ve included my favorite parts here. To read the rest of this insightful review, check out Feminist Review here.

I am surprised at how much the country twang elements were highlighted in this review, to the point where the funkier/pop songs seemed, in the reviewers opinion, out of place in comparison. While Supernova definitely has a bit of country to it (for example the pedal steel featured on “Long Distance Love”), I’m not sure if this CD really defines me as a country artist, as the reviewer believes. Still, I love hearing how my work is received, and I’m grateful for the time taken to listen to Supernova and write an opinion.

Love and thanks to Ariel, Christina, and Stefan at Ariel Publicity for all their attention and hard work. Keep the reviews comin’!!!