Bev's Blender Brain Blog

Audible cues on a teleconference

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I was in a meeting this morning with a client, which included remote participants who dialed in via conference call. One of the key participants also dialed in from his car as he was driving to the office.

I was struck by the audible cues we all had as he approached.

We heard the car door open, and the ding ding reminding him his keys were still in the ignition. The building is near a small airport and we heard the putt putt of a private plane engine through his Bluetooth, at the same time we heard the muffled sound of the engine penetrating the confines of the of the conference room window.

We heard the echo of his voice and his steps in the stairwell, then the soft thuds as he unpacked his briefcase in his office. I found myself counting silently, to see how long it would take him to enter the conference room. I hadn't picked up on his stop at the kitchen to grab a muffin.

This is not judgemental account, just an observation. It was not distracting to the meeting - just an observation that I made.

On the other hand, I was on a non-profit board teleconference last week with about 10 people. One of the participants was 15 minutes late to the call (someone had to ping her by cell phone to remind her) and when she arrived with a flourish, the background noises were deafening. She was out to dinner and called in from the restaurant.

When I suggested that she mute the phone when she wasn't talking, she asked "how do I do that?"

Conference calls with more than 3 or 4 particpants are hard enough without constant noise and distraction. Is it too much to ask for people to be aware of how they are affecting the dynamics of the larger group? Literally, and figuratively?

Can Technology be Funny?

I think the key to humor is not taking yourself too seriously, and avoiding laughs at someone else's expense. Oh, and rising above the cheap and taudry laughs that appeal to 13-year olds. I like my humor on the intelligent side.

Here are two videos that I shot and edited recently for my client, FaceTime Communications. My colleagues Larissa and Sarah developed this idea and wrote the scripts. As Larissa explains in her guest post on the Bright Blue Marketing Blog, maintaining a marketing presence through an economic downturn requires some out of the box thinking.

So far so good, with more than 700 You Tube views for episode one in just one week and 125 views of episode two in the past two days.

Let me know what you think, even if you have no idea what URL filtering fees are!

Creativity: the highwire between art and commerce

Innovation is the high wire between art and commerce ... with death a distinct possibility

Jessica Hagy's Indexed blog has received several awards, including "favorite reason for the Internet to exist." I have to agree, its a favorite stopping point for me. Every morning Jessica sits down with a cup of coffee and a blank index card, and waxes philosophical with statistically irrelevant graphs.

Like this one from January 9, 2009. (thanks Jessica, for permission to reprint)

Last May, I blogged about creativity and the day job, and where I was with my own internal struggle on that topic. Seeing Jessica's statistically irrelevant graph prompted me to think about where I'm at now.

Its clear that this topic is on more minds than just mine. Last November, Christine Kane blogged about whether or not "going pro" can squeeze the joy out of your passion, prompted by a blog by Seth Godin. I agree with Christine's assessment - I'm paraphrasing to match my theme here, but the gist is that the happiest people are the ones who decide how they are going to balance art and commerce in their lives. (read her whole post linked above, its very good)

Last week we had a surprise visit from a friend and touring musician, Hans York. I love Hans. He called us in the morning and said he'd be passing through the area later that day and asked if we had time to hang out. We invited him to stay the night, and he made us a fantastic dinner - I mean Michelin Five Star fantastic. But I digress. (and I'm still drooling...) Hans, Greg and I talked about this topic of art, creativity and money that night.

I moderated a panel at the 2008 FAR-West conference on touring strategies for independent acoustic musicians with Hans, Freebo, Cosy Sheridan and TR Ritchie. We talked a lot about balance in that session. Staying grounded, taking care of yourself, making yourself available to innovate.

Freebo is spending more time at home in LA these days, doing creativity workshops. Cosy and TR stay out about 2-3 weeks, then "head home to the barn" in Moab Utah where they run the Moab Folk Camp. Hans tours for about three months at a time - and that's really hard. All agreed that balance comes from searching out those situations that renew and revive. In Hans' case, it means not getting caught up in the quest for the big stages (not that he doesn't love playing them) but rather enjoying the intimacy and soul-feeding experience of playing house concerts.

Which brings me to last Friday night, January 9 - the day Jessica posted her indexed graph on commerce and art.

In our living room, we hosted a house concert featuring Randall Williams, another good friend and touring musician. Randall, like Freebo, Cosy, TR and Hans, is someone who has always made his living by his art. He's traveled the world - some of it solo in a very small sail boat. He's written a book about that trip, called The Sea Inside. He's taught clinics, written a book and cut an instructional DVD on partial capo techniques for Kyser. He's also currently on David Wilcox's PR/social media team.

So all of those things that are outside of writing, recording and performing his own music, would be his "day job," right? Those collective experiences are what drive Randall's innovation. The crazy high wire of booking, driving, marketing, teaching, etc. - it all impacts his writing, recording and performing. How could it not?

So here's where I am with this now: I think every innovative artist is the sum of all his or her life experiences, whether those experiences are with driving children around your home town, international travel, heartbreak, elder care or a day job related to music, PR, technology, or whatever. At the end of the day - or the end of the concert - were you moved? If so, who cares where they took their lunch break that day?

blog republished 1/15 with corrected links. and spellilng.

Scrabble, community, and what I learned from my mother over Christmas

Greg and I just spent four great days with my mom and dad in Texas, about an hour outside of Austin. No schedule, very quiet ... lots of time for napping, afternoon wine and Scrabble.

My mother is a Scrabble shark.

Over the past four or five years of visits to Texas I had never beaten my mother at Scrabble - until now. I finally realized that while I was growing up and she was teaching me to play nice, preparing me for a community-minded adulthood where I value creativity and pride myself on creating opportunities for others, what she was really doing was plotting her Scrabble domination strategy.

You see, I look at the Scrabble board and want to play a long word that will open up more opportunity for others to play. I look at those seven letters before me and I try to create something beautiful - the perfect word for the perfect spot on the board. While my mother - the artist - looks at how she can score 45 points with one letter.

This time, I finally got it. I chose not to care that the entire upper left section of the board was blank. I played the word WEIRD, capitalizing on mother's "FAKE," which included the high scoring "K." I found numerous other opportunities for those 'one letter takes all' kind of moves. Final score? Bev 301, Mom 265. Ha! Got her!

True to motherhood, she was very happy for me. And she didn't even point out that she was the one who suggested I play ANTSY, which racked up a whole bunch of points.

So what was the lesson learned? Community is wonderful. Creating opportunities for others is still the best way to conduct my life and engage that community. But maybe, just maybe, there are times when I need to make sure I really understand the rules of the game and use them to my advantage. And the experts at the game might even notice my community-mindedness and offer to help me out with the tough spots, even when I get antsy about it.

Thanks mom.

Jingle Bells

Merry Christmas!

Here we are - the last day of the 11 Blogs of Christmas! This, by the way is the first day of the 12 days of Christmas, but I won't be blogging about that. I need a rest, and from what I've heard so do many others who are getting tired of Christmas music, tinsel and lights. It seems that all the holiday hoopla reverses its charm and gets on our nerves after awhile.

But before you turn your radio dial back to All Elvis All the Time as an annecdote to Christmas overload, here's a bonus track for you. At the end of Starry, Starry Night, 30 seconds into track 11, you will hear me saying "are you ready?" Greg saying "no!" Then me again saying "one, two, three, four..."

Jingle Bells. Featuring Kevin on trumpet after two months of lessons. Stephen on piano. Me on a very out of tune flute. Laura on the jingle bells.

Here you go... one last download to top off your Christmas season, from our house to yours...

Download Jingle Bells

Silent Night

Its Christmas Eve, and Day 10 of the 11 Blogs of Christmas. Fittingly, today's song is Silent Night.

Listen to Greg's guitar instrumental here 

image via www.wordle.net

Go to the download page for your free MP3 of Silent Night from our Starry, Starry Night CD
Download available through 9pm Pacific on Monday Dec. 25, 2008 to accommodate email subscribers.

Christmas for Cowboys

Day 9 of the 11 Blogs of Christmas brings us to this tender, sweet song written by Steve Weisberg for John Denver. It first appeared on Denver's Rocky Mountain Christmas album in 1975. This is the only song on the Starry, Starry Night CD (besides the two instrumentals) that features Greg only.

I originally found the song through a Google search when we were looking for songs for A Cowgirl Christmas. I showed Greg the lyrics online and he said "its perfect, who wrote it?" I said "Steve Weisberg" and he said "Steve Weisberg from John Denver's band?"

Greg lived in Aspen in the late 70s, when the country rock scene was hot. Members of the Dirt Band and Denver's band would often sit in with the local bands in the Aspen hot spots. So, as it happens, Greg played a gig with Steve Weisberg circa 1977.

About a year after we released Starry, Starry Night, Greg got an email from Steve, out of the blue, wondering if the song we included was the one he wrote for J.D. all those years ago (we'd licensed it through the Harry Fox Agency). He didn't remember the gig, of course, but what a cool circle. 

Greg loves this song. Its sweet and strong, all at the same time. You can hear Denver's version on Steve Weisberg's MySpace Page. You might also want to pull out your Rocky Mountain Christmas album - and for that matter, all the other John Denver albums too, and rediscover one of the finest singers and songwriters of our time.

Go to the dowload page for your free MP3 of Christmas for Cowboys from our Starry, Starry Night CD
Download available through 9pm Pacific on Monday Dec. 23, 2008 to accommodate email subscribers.

The Christmas Star

Day 8 of the 11 Blogs of Christmas brings us to Carol McComb's The Christmas Star. We first heard Carol's brother Dean perform this song at an open mike in San Jose where the rules state "two songs or 10 minutes, whichever comes first." That night Dean sang only this song, because its 8 minutes long.

Carol is one of those born teachers. Her musical career began when she was still 17, with her duo partner Kathy Larisch. Their album Kathy and Carol debuted on Electra Records in 1965 - the year they played the Newport Folk Festival. For the past 30+ years, Carol has taught guitar at Gryphon Strings in Palo Alto, California - home of the Gryphon Carolers. Each year, Carol and jazz guitarist/vocalist Ed Johnson together with a core group of musicians and around 30 volunteer voices create a magical Christmas concert. As a result, Carol writes a lot of Christmas music.

The Christmas Star is the story of a young, homeless girl who discovers a very special star that warms the snowy streets, growing larger and more brilliant as she sings her song...

Star of wonder, star so bright
I dreamed your heavenly, holy light
Came back to earth on this Christmas night
Came to shine on me
Star of baby Jesus' birth
Born to light the universe
Born to ring peace and love to earth
Oh won't you shine on me

Our version is arranged as a duet, with Greg singing the verses and me singing the chorus - joined by a choir of several of our friends on the last verse.

The only thing is, the song changes key in the chorus. When Carol sings it by herself its no problem. But doing it as a duet meant having to negotiate a key that would work for both Greg and I. Its near the bottom on his range, and pretty much at the top of mine.

So here's one of those behind the scenes stories for you. I thought we were finished recording for the night, and went to taco bell for a taco supreme - yes, with cheese and sour cream. When I got back, Greg told me we had to record all the choruses again. Yeah. The choruses that stretch the limits of my upper range. So, with my stomach growling, I gritted my teeth and sang them again. Once we were finished, I practically dove for the taco and devoured it.

Then through the crunching I heard Greg say oh %?$# (insert inappropriate word to say during Christmas music recording). He lost the file. So with my throat coated with sour cream, I sang those choruses yet again. And they sound pretty good, I think. So maybe I'm on to something with the sour cream.

Download free MP3 of The Christmas Star
available through 9 pm Tuesday Dec. 23 to accommodate email subscribers.

While Shepherds Watched, Yee Haw Style

Its Sunday Dec. 21 - Winter Solstice.

And Day 7 of the 11 Blogs of Christmas - I've been waiting for this one all week!

In 2003 our friend The Rev. Nancy Harrington, who officiated at our wedding, wrote a short sermon/drama called A Cowgirl Christmas. Its the story of the Cowgirl who was over on the next hill with her herd, watching all the goin's on with them shepherds and those bein's hangin' in the sky. Just like the cowgirl in the story, I'm convinced that Nancy would spend the winter out on the range with her horse and the cattle, given the chance. 

Nancy asked us to help her with the music for Cowgirl. It was serendipitous that we'd already written Starry, Starry Night which worked perfectly. We found others that worked for part of the story - but we needed something for that crucial moment when the Cowgirl realizes what those bein's were, well ...

"They was ANGELS!"

I went to the red Lutheran hymnal of my youth and found "While Shepherds Watched." I sang it for Greg, and he said "I don't think so." Go here for a MIDI sample of the original version. Turn your speakers on, then come right back.

Ok, now you know why Greg was skeptical. But I told him I had an idea for how to re-write the verses, and insert a snappy chorus.

And here it is. Straight out of Bev & Greg's Yee Haw Hymnal.

And we love playing it with friends. This was one of the highlights of our TrueWind Music Christmas House Concert this year. 

Music has the power to impact our emotions like nothing else. And in the Christian church, "what's proper" music-wise has been a source of conflict for many millennia. While Shepherds Watched is a good example.

The original hymn was written by Nathum Tate sometime before 1700. From Wikipedia:

The exact date of Tate's composition is not known, but the words appeared in Tate and Nicholas Brady's 1700 supplement to their psalter, New Version of the Psalms of David of 1696. It was the only Christmas hymn authorised to be sung by the Anglican Church; before 1700 only the Psalms of David were permitted to be sung.

Rules schmools. King David would be up there twangin' his harp and yee-hawing right along with us, given the chance.

Go to Download page for a free MP3 of While Shepherds Watched, Yee Haw style.
Download available through 9pm Pacific on Monday Dec. 22, 2008 to accommodate email subscribers.

Forget about me

Day 6 of the 11 Blogs of Christmas points toward thinking about those who don't have a beautiful 8 foot Christmas tree in their living rooms, like we do.

You can start downloading Forget About Me at the download page here, and while its doing its thing, read on about ways you can help those in need during the holidays and year round.

The song starts out with a kid who want's something that he might not get - a new leather jacket, or a TV set, and his mama says "don't worry, Santa won't forget." Lucky kid.

Then we're two blocks way, in a world of doubt where its a little colder, 'cause the fire's gone out. And some poor kid want's something that he might not get - a little something to eat before he goes to bed. And his mama says "don't worry, God won't forget."

I'm gonna have a merry, merry Christmas
I'm gonna trim an eight foot Christmas tree
I'm gonna pray for them that God remembers
and I'm telling Santa, to forget about me

The fact that people in the Bay area - in America - anywhere in the world - go hungry, is just really stupid. Thank God for people who are passionate about creating and sustaining programs to end hunger. Our friend Pat Plant started Sunnyvale Cares about 5 years ago, with the goal of ending hunger in Sunnyvale California. Period. End hunger in Sunnyvale - seems like an attainable goal, doesn't it? Now each month churches from all faiths throughout this Bay Area suburb bring literally tons of food to the central collection point at Sunnyvale Presbyterian Church and it is distributed through six different agencies in the city. The point is to solve hunger, period, no strings. Because its stupid for anyone in a city with an average family income of over $90,000 to go hungry.

The Second Harvest Food Bank is another local agency that we support and have great respect for. Second Harvest has a Four Star rating on Charity Navigator. They offer a variety of programs in addition to the typical holiday food drives, including a summer "Share Your Lunch" program to provide nutritious lunches during the summer months for children who's parents depend on school lunch program during the school year.

Find out how you can help Second Harvest raise $8 million and collect 1.7 million pounds of food this holiday season. 

Or donate to the food banks in your area - because, say it with me, people going hungry is just stupid.

And so is war. And the ravages of war. 

In another village, a world away
the bombs are dropping, and the mines are laid
and some poor kid wants something that she may not get
just to know if her daddy's alive or dead
and a mama that still believes, God won't forget

My son is a high school freshman. His world geography teacher is one of those gems - the teachers who love to figure out how to engage kids in what they are learning. One of the first things they did at the beginning of this school year involving teaching the kids about the realities of the third world. Each student was assigned a country to "be" in this little game.

The next day the teacher set up a beautiful table with iced water bottles at each place setting and a big cake in the middle. The desks were still set up in the middle of the room ... but over in the opposite corner was a ratty blanket on the floor. Then came the bad news. She read the name of each student's country and told them that they were either part of the first world, second world or third world... and where they would be spending the rest of the class period. The second worlders also got water bottles, but the third world got little paper cups and one warm bottle to share among them. Then came the lesson in third world relief. Those at the table, enjoying their cake and iced water and those at the desks (this was September in California, it was hot) were invited to share with those in the third world. The third world countries all shouted out why they thought they should get the cake and water. They held out their little paper cups. They grabbed for cake crumbs.

I'm sure at the time she wasn't sure if this was having an impact - I can just imagine the mayhem in that classroom. But in the next weeks those students learned more about their countries, and how we all relate to each other in this world.

Kevin's country was Sierra Leone, the blood diamond capital. And yes, it had an impact. Here's just a sampling of what he found out: 

A devastating civil war gripped Sierra Leone throughout the 1990s and into the turn of the century. Rebels gruesomely amputated the hands and feet of men, women and children, both to terrorize the population and to deter them from supporting the government.

Learn more about the Prosthetics Outreach Foundation and how you can help the Sierra Leone amputees.

And here are some other links that my blog and Twitter friends have suggested, as you sit by your eight foot tree in your very warm home this Christmas season:

Kiva lets you lend to a specific entrepreneur in a developing country, empowering them to lift themselves out of poverty.

Heifer International works with communities to end hunger and poverty and to care for the earth, giving families a source of food rather than short-term relief.

Donors Choose, where teachers list projects, you choose what you want to fund, and if you fund the project to completion you get a report from the classroom which is very cool.

Veterans for Peace, working together for peace and justice through non-violence.

Veterans for America Campaign for a Landmine Free Worldhas, for more than a decade, worked to raise awareness about the suffering and devastation caused by landmines by advocating for a global ban on antipersonnel landmines. Also check out the Concerts for a Landmine Free World CD featuring tracks from some of our favorite performers.

Feel free to add more suggestions in the comment section. There are so many ways you can help.

I'm gonna have a merry, merry Christmas
I'm gonna trim an eight-foot Christmas tree
I'm gonna pray for them that God remembers
and I'm telling Santa, to forget about me