AnnieMac's Blog

Hey Beautiful people,

It’s been quite a while since I’ve blogged. I had some technical issues that got in the way and then there was all the rest of the stuff…. My life is a adventure and full of change.

Here’s the latest news: Last Thursday I got on stage for the first time in a long long time. It felt like home. I love singing and performing with a big band and a big audience. Thank you to the Rogue Suspects for having me up. And thanks to all who helped with the benefit for Haiti. It was an amazing night. I have a writing session with Dean Angermeier, of the Rogue Suspects tomorrow. Bret Levick and I are going to finish Fillaree very soon. Jeff Pevar, and Inger Jorgensen and I have talked loosely about putting together a musical review with Cornflower and Jaese Lecuyer. I hope we can all find the way to make it happen this year! And last but not least, The Suspects have issued an open invitation to sit it with them. I think they will be learning some of me songs too! I love music, it’s my passion and I’m devoted to it.

For those of you who don’t know me, I am a singer, a songwriter, a designer and color specialist with McIntyre Interiors, I am a co founder of the Mistress Mind and most of all I am a woman who loves transformation and seeks a greater understanding of herself in the world.

If you’ve been following along over the past year, you will know that my band AnnieMac dissolved last spring  after recording our last single, then the housing market changed the amount of design work I was receiving, and then the state of my  marriage changed as well. This is not a lament, it’s just the facts of my life. I know I am not alone in change. So many of us have been going through it.

As for my marriage changing, I am blessed with having an incredible friend whom I love so very much. After a lot of thought and deep work we both came to the difficult conclusion that we are not the right romantic partners for one another. He is amazing and brilliant and I have so much respect and love for him. And as we change what has been, I know that we will be part of each others lives forever.

Throughout the last year I have mostly stayed on top of the wave of change, riding it with my eye on the horizon, looking for deeper truth and understanding, and occasionally I’ve gone under, tumbling along the rough sea floor before surfacing again gasping for air.

For now it seems my seas have calmed, I feel as if the biggest part of the swirl is over and I have direction again. There may be some turbulence, that’s just a part of it all, but now I see a way to move and be moved, in both the literal and figurative definitions of the word. Motion and music beckons me and I am following.

As you may know I’ve been searching for a new location, I looked at Nashville, and Asheville, thought about Austin, New York, Portland, Seattle and Chicago. I was on the hunt for more music opportunities, as well as a way to make a living in the mean time.

About a week and a half ago I drove my mom down to the Bay Area. As I left Vallejo behind me and drove across the salt marsh on highway 37, my heart expanded. I breathed in the fresh  salty air, saw the sun reflecting off the vibrant green of newly sprouted grass and I knew I was home. Joy infused my heart. I had to move back to Marin.  The rest of the day I was filled with knowing. This knowing has stayed with me – it’s the right choice for now. I will miss Ashland and my incredible community. I will be back and forth a lot to visit and gig. There is sadness in leaving, and joy in moving. A complicated heart beat.

There were a few people I meant to see on my trip that I didn’t, and some that I saw that confirmed to me that my choice was a good one. I have a girl friend who is about 2 months ahead of me in the relationship change. She is already in Marin and will be my new room mate. I’ll be moving in April, and will be down in the meantime making music and design contacts. If you have ideas, send them my way!

My business partners in the Mistress Mind and I are in the midst of writing a book about our work. It’s an exciting process, and I love it. Once the book is finished we will be giving seminars and changing lives. I am so exited about what we have put together.

So, here’s what I need: A beautiful and affordable rental in Marin for Kia and I. Three bedrooms, so we each have one and also have a guest room for all our Ashland friends. Some fun design and color work to pay the bills, and a new musical project with players that are way better then me. Not too much to ask right?

Thanks for following along. I am sending love and gratitude. Thanks for listening,

Annie xox

The following is also a letter to my fan base:

Hello Beautiful People,

I hope you are all doing well in the days before Thanksgiving. The light this morning was so clear, sharp and extremely beautiful and for some reason it made me think of all of you. I guess I have gratitude on the brain.  Thank you all again for the support of my music, and also the support on my latest travels. Because of some of you, I met some incredible new friends and music contacts in the South East.

Have you all been reading the details on my Blog? If not, the link is http://anniemacmusic.com/blog Here you can read about my adventures on the road, the trip to Asheville, Nashville and points in between. It was one of the most incredible trips I’ve ever taken. I am home with renewed focus, energy and love for who I am and what I do.  I am currently writing up a storm – 5 new songs this week and about 20 more ready to record when I find the funds.

I’d love to hear back from you about what you are grateful for this year.  Share your stories on my Blog in the comments section, or email me back in person.

As we approach the holidays you may be looking for presents for friends and family – I wanted to plug some gift opportunities here:

The first are Soul Reminders – these are cards that my husband Jeff designed and I helped with. They celebrate the divinity within us all – http://www.divedeeppress.com/reminders.htm they are available both as the deck and beautiful greeting cards.

The second is a book that may change the way you look at living – Marley Rides I can’t recommend it enough. I know Marley’s mother Jennifer who is the author, and even knowing the story first hand, this book opened up my heart even bigger. What a life and what a story -  http://www.marleyrides.com/

The third is my CD Ignition or my single – I know a lot of you already have it, but maybe someone in your life needs some more music in it! http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/anniemacmus

Thanks for listening and lots of love,

Annie xox

I left Nashville last Saturday night after another eventful day in the city. Woke up early and had breakfast at the reliable Cracker Barrel, went for a fun motorcycle ride through the west side of Nashville and then on to Music Row, and ended with having an awesome dinner with Gary Allan Patrick who is an amazing artist and songwriter. I met him through my vocal teacher Ken Orsow. They are song writing partners and are going to make a BIG splash together when Gary releases his next CD. I can’t wait to hear it!

I left about 8pm and drove East towards Asheville. I made it to Monterey, Tennessee where I suddenly had a bad stomach problem. I stayed the night at a Super 8 that happened to be right there on the exit. I must say it was really nice room and perfectly situated for me. Being sick on the road by yourself is truly a drag – yuck. I had a lot of driving the next day and it was difficult to do it alone, but I made it back to the loving home of my friends O’Neal and Pete. I loved staying there again and having some real home cooked yummy food. I really don’t want to offend anyone, but I just don’t get the grits and gravy thing – sorry!

The next time I go back,  I may just spring for the GPS system you can rent with the car. I am good with directions and I still found the freeway numbering system out there confusing. One freeway can have three different numbers and two cardinal directions on it at the same time… Crazy making! If I had a copilot it would be different, my iPhone rocks, but it’s hard to read and drive + not a good or legal idea!

Monday I flew back to SFO. On arrival I heard that my dad was in the hospital with a bad stomach thing too. Wired timing – us McIntyre’s and our stomachs… My dad doesn’t recommend the hospital he stayed in. Not a great experience, but he is better and back home thank god! After going and visiting him at Kaiser Vallejo Tuesday morning, I drove up to Ashland with my friend Kia.

We dropped through thick cloud on the north side of the Siskiyou Pass and the valley and Ashland appeared below. A shinning beacon in the fog. I am so happy to be home.

I’ve been incorporating the lessons of both parts of the trip. My seminar was outstanding, profound and life changing. If any of you have an interest in knowing more, I’m happy to email you about it, just ask. The music part of the trip was eyeopening and a wonderful learning experience. I look forward to a collaboration with the wonderful Melody Guy, and I can see going out to Nashville for 2-3 months and doing some intensive work on my writing. I’ve been working on a new song about forgiveness that I wrote during the seminar. And, I can’t wait to find that new co-writer I am looking for. Where are you anyway?

There is a lot of change in the air for so many of us these days. I hope you can meet it with love and compassion as I am doing my best to do.

Sending love and thanks again for your support and listening,

Annie xox

Hey beautiful people,

I was describing my experience to Eddie Bayers yesterday after leaving our third recording studio for the day.  I said,  I think Nashville is like a Disneyland for musicians, he agreed. I got to shadow him through three sessions at three recording studios – Beaird, Omni Sound and Legands. The songs I heard recorded ran the gamut from good to excellent.

I heard some of Nashville’s best players, and writers and some real Legends like Hargus “Pig” Robbins. “Robbins’s distinct style can be heard on … Charlie Rich’s “Behind Closed Doors” and Crystal Gayle’s “Don’t It Make Your Brown Eyes Blue,” and he also played on classic hits by … Patsy Cline, George Jones, Brenda Lee, Loretta Lynn, Roger Miller, Dolly Parton, Conway Twitty, Porter Wagoner, and Tammy Wynette, among others.” Nashville Cats Interview

Danny at the board at Legends Studio

I also met Al Anderson -  formally of  NRBQ. He is an amazing song writer and man he had a hot new one last night. I gave it a 10 when asked.

I sat next to Debra, Porter Wagoner’s daughter on the couch at Omni Sound. What a sweet woman. She and the session players told amazing stories of  behind the scenes antics at the Grand Ole Opery. I heard some amazing tales! Her dad was known as Mr. Grand Ole Opery and worked with Dolly Parton for years. Wow what a day.

Tonight I am headed out to hear Melody Guy at Second Avenue Live. She is a new connection for me. We’ve talked on the phone and she seems like such a cool woman. Plus I love her music!

Oh, I also started two new songs today!

Till next time, thanks for listening.

Annie xox

Asheville, North Carolina is an amazing town. It’s quirky, friendly and beautiful. I took 5 days and changed my life there last week. It’s hard to put into words, but I’ve found a way to heal my heart and I feel free in my skin for the first time in memory. All is I can say is Waahooo! Thank you Jennifer for the suggestion.

I stayed a day after the seminar and hung out with fellow participants. We ate breakfast at the City Bakery Cafe (yum) and had awesome hot stone massages at Sensibilities Spa and then drove and hiked along the Blue Ridge Parkway. It was  glorious.

I then headed to Nashville by car. I followed a detour from I40 (closed due to a rock slide) through the mountains and across the French Broad river several times. It rained almost the entire way, creating misty views of ridge tops and rivers,  but cleared up as I got closer to Nashville. The city center sparkled with the last glow of the setting sun.

Today I hung out with the legendary and very kind Eddie Bayers at the Beaird Music Group studios today. It was so cool to get a behind the scenes view of a successful Nashville recording studio. I met a string of songwriters who each came in with a song. Six songs recorded in 3 hours -  totally cool – what incredible session players – wow.

I want to thank everyone that sent me suggestions of people to talk to and meet on my trip. I am making some great connections, and I have more meetings set for later on this week. I am so excited! I’ve been writing some new songs all in all this has been a great trip so far.

I’ll write again soon. Lots of love, and thank you again for your support! I can’t wait to get back out there and make music!!!

All the best,

Annie xox

Hey beautiful people,

I thought I’d check in before I go. The light is filtered through the thick fog this morning, muffled bird song and the occasional leave fluttering to earth mark my early start. I am gathering myself up for my trip, a soul search and expedition to parts of the south east.

I hope your Halloween was great. It’s one of my favorite holidays. I love dressing up in costume, having fun with my friends, and watching the awesome Ashland parade, but this year I stayed in by the fire, quiet, contemplative and content.

I am looking forward to the week long spiritual seminar in Asheville. And then on to music connections in Nashville. I look forward to my first drive through the Blue Ridge Mountains! I hear it is beautiful. My voice is practiced, my songs are my emissaries and I look forward to meeting new musicians  and connections there. I decided going to Austin was just too much for this trip. Another time in the near future.

On my return on the 16th I’ll be landing in the Bay Area and hope to catch up with old friends and maybe do some singing there if it all works out.  I look forward to hiking the flanks of Mount Tam and dipping my toes in the chilly waters of Muir Beach.

Mt Tam from Zigzag trail

Muir Beach

On practical matters – I wish I had a bigger suitcase! I’ve always prided myself on being a good packer, but packing for two distinct activities in one small suitcase is difficult. And now that airlines are charging for bags… Well, I guess I’ll have a large carry-on.

I leave for the drive south to SFO tomorrow morning and will be back in the world of communication Monday the 9th. (A week off-line and mostly silent!) I am planning on walking around Asheville the 9th and seeing the sights. Then driving to Nashville on the 10th.

I’ve gotten a few great leads from you all. Now is the time if you know of anyone else I should meet, or something that I need to see. Shoot me an email and I’ll look them up. annie@anniemacmusic.com

Thanks for listening. Till next time,

Annie xox

Hey Beautiful People!

It’s been a while. I thought I’d catch you up on the latest. The wait is over!  I have a plan. Or at least I have a plan for a plan!

I am headed out to scout out the perfect place to make music and revive my musical career. In hindsight, it feels like this year has been about deconstruction, this might be true for a lot of you. In a lots of large and small ways, things have fallen apart, fallen away, or changed in big ways.

Change as they say, is inevitable. It’s what you do with it that counts. I feel as if I am suddenly awake after a long hibernation.  The world looks new and intriguing, instead of daunting to me.  And now I am finally ready and able to start the reconstruction process.

There is a concept I’ve heard about being responsible for your own happiness -   I feel I finally beginning to have a handle on that one. I’m so happy to be alive and feel my fire and drive return. And I am so excited and happy to jump back into music with both feet.

I have continued to write and create, and now I want to find the perfect place, and an incredible musical partner to bring my music back to life on stages all over the world.

So I am headed out for a scouting trip back east, or maybe more accurately southeast. I am visiting Asheville, NC, Nashville, TN and then later on  Austin TX. I want to feel into each location and see if I can imagine my life blossoming there. I’ll be on a road trip between Asheville and Nashville and flying the other legs of the trip.

I am curious as to whether any of you might have friends and contacts that would be good for me to meet? There is nothing like getting a locals inside view of their city.

My dates are a bit flexible for the first part of the trip – I will be In Asheville around the 9th of November, Nashville Nov 11-18ish.

I would love to meet some other musicians, songwriters, industry people, or just your good friends and get the lay of the land and check out the music scene in each city. I’d love advice as to what to see, and where to stay or a place to stay. You can email me at annie@anniemacmusic.com Thank you for your help in advance!

In other news, my new venture with my business The Mistress Mind is a success! I am having a blast helping women to live their biggest lives possible. My partners and I will have new openings for more of our intensives in the next few months. There seems to be a big pull for us all to really find our place in the world and do what we are most passionate about.  Our process helps you figure it out. If you are interested in finding out more,  please let me know and I will keep you updated.

I want to thank you for your support and your help, and I wish you all the best in your lives.

With love,

Annie xox

Hey Beautiful People!

Some of you have asked me how I write songs, or how they come to me. Here’s an example of one that I wrote recently with Bret Levick.

About a month ago I came up with a melody and some lyric that I liked. They often arrive in my head at the same time. The ones that catch my attention tend to play more often in my head like a song bomb in my ear, also called an earworm. (although I like song bomb better.) Here’s what Wikipedia says about earworms

In regards to this song, I had been thinking about the ramifications of not speaking your truth, and how you can really twist into yourself when you don’t say what’s true for you.

Storkbill or Filaree seed heads

Then I thought about other things that twist, and I remembered seeing this seed head in the hills of Marin, where I grew up. I Googled it and found pictures of the common Storksbill or Filaree, the seed head twists as it dries and “the familiar corkscrews then twist into the soil as they go through day-night cycles of wetting and drying, each time the spiral forces the sharp seed deeper into the soil.” (hastingsreserve.org)

Storkbill or Filaree

I applied the analogy about twisting to the song and loved the name Filaree – It’s fun to sing! – the beginning of this song was born. I then took the chorus, which is also the “hook” of this song, to Bret and we started our collaboration process. As an aside, here’s more about hooks!

Bret Levick has a great way of simplifying lyric and  he added some great music to the verse section of the song. Bret worked on recording the music while I worked on more lyric and we got together a week later to polish Filaree. We went through my new verses and picked the best ones. When I say the best ones, I mean the ones that really tell the story, and progress it from it’s beginning, to its end. We then decided to double the chorus length and recorded a rough track of the vocals. I am so pleased with the song. There are some little tweaks I want to change, but on the whole I love it! I’ll be sure to let you know when it’s released.

Here’s a sample of a single chrorus and a verse of Filaree for you to hear. Filaree edit for blog (Filaree © 2009 McIntyre & Levick)

Thanks for listening!

Love,

Annie xox

What makes a good teacher and lesson?

I was thinking it over on my drive over to see Ken Orsow, my vocal teacher, what makes a good voice teacher and what makes a good lesson? I think it depends as much on the student as it does the teacher. You really need to find a good match for your style and needs. And the teacher has to have a great ear, be compassionate and have the technique down, not necessarily in that order!

I love learning and sharpening my skills. I am always on a quest for self-knowledge and understanding and I want to be the best I can be at whatever endeavor I set myself to. Continuing my musical education has been rewarding, challenging and fun.

I’ve had about 6 voice teachers so far in my life. There are some excellent teachers out there,  but two of them really stand out as ones that work well for me. And I think that’s because I not only got lucky and found teachers who are great at what they teach, but also great at communicating what they know, in a way that I can really grasp and apply to my voice.

All of us learn how to do things differently.  It depends on whether someone is more attuned to kinesthetic, auditory or visual learning. Personally, I learn best using both kinesthetic and auditory modes. I discoverd this when I studied Neuro-Linguistic Programming with Lindagail Campbell. “In NLP we know that each person has a unique style of learning, perceiving and responding to the world.” Lindagail Campbell. If you don’t know about NLP, check Lindagail out. I think she is a master teacher and an incredible woman. Anyone would be lucky to learn from her! There are ways to intuit what style most fits you. And there are many youtuble videos and sites devoted to helping you figure it all out.

Here are some questions to ask yourself when choosing your vocal teacher. I recommend trying out at least one lesson before committing to a series of lessons.

1. How do I learn? By asking yourself this basic question, you will get so much further with your lessons! It is really important to understand yourself when deepening your knowledge. Personally I like to be familiar with how the mechanics of the voice work. And I need someone who can really communicate clearly so that I can visualize what he or she is saying and apply that action my vocal chords, diaphragm, glottis, and resonating points. Seeing a diagram of the interior of a head and throat can be really helpful in understanding how things work.

Anatomy of the voice

2. Do I feel comfortable with the teacher? You need to be able to both fail and succeed in front of your teacher. You need to feel comfortable enough to make mistakes and learn from them. Your teacher should both support your learning and help you to feel successful.

3. Does the teacher speak your learning language style? I once had a piano teacher that just didn’t know how to teach from the beginners mind. He knew how to play, but not how to transfer the knowledge to me. It was such a frustrating experience! Make sure you understand your teacher and that they understand you!

4. What are your goals? Do you want to sing theater, opera, blues, jazz, rock etc? Find a teacher who excels in the area that you are passionate about. And also crosses over into different vocal styles. They need to be able to sing you examples of what you are learning!

5. What makes a good lesson? Learning how to improve yourself, getting accurate feedback and feeling successful. I think coming away with a great practice tape and knowing exactly what to do with it is crucial. Practicing everyday and returning at least once a week to your teacher is an awesome way to hone your skills.

Lastly, you need to feel and hear improvements in your voice, and with each successive lesson get better and better. You may not have the ear to really hear yourself at first. But by the end of 3 to 4 weeks you should notice some positive changes! Bad habits can be pretty ingrained and give yourself the time and dedication to wotk them out of your system! It can take months.

All the best and thanks for listening,

Annie xox

Hallelujah!

So the latest chapter in my wonderful unfolding life is…. No recheck on the dreaded lumps for 3 months. I take this to be a sign that the lumps are of no significance and so I will imagine them dwindling away… and poof they’re gone.  In reality I am making sure that I pay attention to any changes and will return to the doctor if anything alters shape or size before my appointment in October.

I wanted to thank all of you who wrote to me with your personal stories and advice. Thank you, you are amazing!! And to those of you who thought good thoughts and sent prayers – you rock! I also wanted to say that I’m sorry if I didn’t get back to you personally – but it’s just been way too hectic.

Music wise I had a great time writing with Bret Levick of Bang Hard Music today-
www.banghardmusic.com. We worked on three new songs together. Bret is an accomplished musician and his style is a complement to my own. It was so much fun to collaborate musically again.  We have already come up with some great stuff.

Yea, I feel so lucky!

Happy Annie

Also – thanks for checking out Jango for me – Some of you said you were confused as to what to do when you got to the site – here’s the 411.

Hit this link – http://www.jango.com/music/AnnieMac?l=0

In the top right corner you will see the song player. Right underneath it are some little faces. If you like the song, click the one with the biggest smile (the one on the right!).
If you’d like to become a fan on Jango. It will walk you through the sign up process. It’s easy and doesn’t take very long.

With your help, I will soon get to the point where Jango will put my songs into regular rotation!

Happy summer to you all and thanks for listening.

With love,

Annie xox