Tag Archives: California

A Sneak Peak of Videos and My Birthday!

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Hi. I hope everyone is having a lovely start to the holiday season. Ready for a sneak peak of the videos I made for my new jazz band? I got together with Vic Wong of Panique Jazz,  Brandon Essex of No Coasters and Brian Campbell of Campbell’s Jazz Soup. Take a listen to a couple of songs that have been added to the set. We did “Straighten Up and Fly Right” and “Sweet Pea”. The band is now ready for bookings, so if you have an event you want live music for, find me.

On another note, it was my birthday today. What a great day it was! I spent the morning singing songs with my son, did a bit of work for the day, and then spent time alone sitting in the sun before it went down, writing in my journal and making a vision board. Then I ended the night with a fabulous spaghetti dinner and a bit of vegan chocolate pecan pie for dessert, all homemade by my wife. It doesn’t get much better.

That’s all folks. See you on the flip side in December!

Rachel

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In 20 Photos….Willie Nelson, a High School Reunion, and a Clean(er) Studio.

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What I’ve been up to over the summer – in 20 photos.

1.Traveled up a winding road to the top of a mountain in Saratoga, California to see Willie Nelson and Kasey Musgraves at The Mountain Winery.
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2. Got to the top of the mountain and took in the view. Look at that sun!
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3. Gazed into the valley. Thought about my favorite novel, East of Eden.
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4. Checked out the amphitheater. Cool, huh?IMG_6702

5. Sat back and relaxed. Date night, beer, great music, no toddler.
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6. Watched the sunset and listened to Kasey Musgraves. Wow, she blew me away.IMG_7232

7. Watched the legend himself, Willie Nelson. More beer and “Always on My Mind”.IMG_7272

8. I flew to Florida, where I grew up. Usually the first thing I do when I’m in town is get boiled peanuts. If you are from The South, you know about boiled peanuts. Thinking about family and friends in Florida right now, as Hurricane Irma is blowing across the state as I write.IMG_6400

9. I was in town for my high school reunion. I attended The Douglas Anderson School of the Arts, a visual and performing arts high school. Ya know, just like “Fame”. It has changed a lot since I was there. Now they have a sculpture garden.IMG_6500

10. There it is, my old locker. IMG_6504

11. Did I mention a lot has changed since I attended there? Now they have a full fledged jazz recording studio! I went there the first year it opened. We just had a trailer in the school parking lot for a few music classes. It was really impressive to see how the school has developed over the years and the opportunities students now have to develop their artistic talents. IMG_6523

12. They also now have a fully built out theatre. Did I mention our theatre was the un-air-conditioned gym?IMG_6525

13. Every good arts school should have student sculpture in the library. IMG_6590

14. Also, an incredibly cool wire car sculpture. I wish I knew who did these pieces, as I would give them credit here. IMG_6589

15. Oh yes, the reunion itself! You know when you go to a performing arts high school, there will be “A Chorus Line” style kick line at the party. IMG_6649

16. Finally getting around to cleaning my studio.IMG_7769

17. See, nothing on the floor.IMG_7768

18. Last, but not least, the beach. IMG_7046

19. There is always a time for the beach. We sat and watched the waves.IMG_7055

20. Now the real last, but not least. Always time for a hug.IMG_6341

A new video, my “Why” List, and a messy studio.

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It’s amazing how I can’t get the song “Fly Me To The Moon” out of my head. It is such a popular song, although I didn’t really learn it until recently. I’ve added it to my set list to do … Continue reading →

Maybe my work studio should become my play studio.

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I have a room in my house that functions as my music studio. My instruments are in there. My computer and recording gear is in there. My desk is in there. Everything music related is in there. But somehow, I never seem to get around to organizing it or giving it much love. It remains a bit of a mess on a regular basis. What I find instead is that I work all over other parts of the house, inside and out.

For example, my dining room table is probably my favorite place to write out music and do research. My backyard has lately been my favorite place to practice, come up with new ideas on the guitar, or write in my journal. Soon I will likely start recording vocals in my bathroom. I keep giving myself the goal of cleaning and organizing my studio but I never do it. Maybe it’s because I lived in New York City for so long in small apartments with barely enough room for a music studio that makes me want to spread out. Maybe it’s because I’m a procrastinator. Maybe I’m just a mess maker. Who knows.

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I’ve started noticing that the places I end up working in are the same places in my house where my kid is playing. Right next to his train set in the living room. Right next to his dirt garden outside where he runs his trucks around. He doesn’t play in his room either. His toys, as you can see in the pictures above, are usually spread out all over the house. Maybe this means my work feels more like play. Maybe I can’t work in a space with four walls and a desk. I wonder if I make my work area seem more like a play area if I’ll be inspired to create in it. I think it’s time to bring the outdoors and a different set up to my studio. I’m thinking plants, flowers, a dining room table, and an Adirondack chair. Maybe also a sand box? What do you think? I’d love to know.

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That’s all folks. Hope you are having a great week and enjoying your summer, wherever you may be. Before I sign off, did you know I have a new Instagram account just for RachelLeeWalsh music? Find me there at RachelLeeWalsh if you want to connect.

 

The Mockingbird Song & My Little Slice of Heaven

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Well hello again!

This week, there have been some beautiful days here in the Bay Area. It’s generally a beautiful place to live with really nice weather, but the last few days have been particularly nice. I was sick the last few days so being able to get out and sit in the sun in my back yard felt pretty amazing. I even grabbed my guitar and sang a lullaby. I did “The Mockingbird Song”, using the words in the Carol Thompson version of the children’s book. I followed the words almost exactly with an additional twist at the end to make it a Mommy and Mama song, since my son has two mommies. Check out the video I recorded here on my RLW YouTube page. I love the backyard in my rental house and have  found a new spot in it to sit, relax, and play guitar. It’s now My Little Slice of Heaven. It’s the perfect reading and recording video nook. For fun, I included some pics below of how I set the camera up to record video and how I taped up the lyric sheet in front of me to keep it from blowing away. This is what ladders are for, isn’t it? Also a pic of the book, should you want to get it for your own child. Great words in it. Less buying of animals and diamond rings and more loving of nature and tickling of babies toes.  That’s all folks. See you next week. Here’s to good weather, good music, pretty flowers, and singing songs to our children.

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“Trapeze” A Patty Griffin Cover by Rachel Lee Walsh

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Week 5 Trapeze

 

This week I was in the mood to do a cover of a Patty Griffin song called “Trapeze”. I find the lyrics of the song to be so beautiful and inspiring, so much that at one point I thought of getting a tattoo of the chorus. I didn’t end up doing that…yet.

Check out my video of the song on my RLW YouTube page.

Thanks for listening.

See you next week.

Rachel