Recording Adventures!

One morning just over a month ago, I got a text from my friend Michael Goodman asking to record background vocals later that day for a song on his upcoming album “Unbreakable Heart”. I’m pretty sure I wrote, deleted, and rewrote my response at least 3 times as I was trying to tone down my excitement about getting to experience the recording studio world for the first time.  

I’ve mentioned Michael before, but here’s a little history: I met Michael soon after Rebecca and I had first moved to Chicago together on Thanksgiving of 2010. He and I met through his ad on craigslist looking for a female vocalist to join him in a costumed caroling gig for a Christmas party in Old Town (which we both enjoyed doing), and have kept up ever since. He not only performs his own music, but also is currently understudying in the Chicago cast of Million Dollar Quartet, as well as improvises with his improv group around Chicago.

Back to the story: In preparation for recording, I had to find the perfect outfit, of course, and my roommate Denise  talked me out of wanting to wear cowboy boots (hey, it’s a “honky tonk” album) due to it being hot and humid that day (typical CHI summer).  (It didn’t help that I’ve been recently obsessed with the show Nashville--so obsessed that I've been telling telling people that I want to move to Nashville and sing—and, of course, practically everyone in that show is in cowboy boots) Then, I was finally out the door and parked. After nearly skipping down the sidewalks, I greeted Michael, walked into the studio, and met the other female who I was to record with: the lovely Whitney Jones who is currently playing the role of Dyanne in the Chicago cast of Million Dollar Quartet. We had previously met a couple of times before at MDQ events, but it was a surprise to get to record with her! I definitely still had a tough time holding in my excitement. “Rachelyn, act like you get to do this every day” kept running through my mind to help out the situation. We recorded callbacks for a song just twice and were finished. After I had returned from a two week Europe trip, Michael asked me to record more background vocals for another track, and I was ecstatic for the opportunity once again!

Ben, the owner of Minbal studio was fantastic, and I could not stop studying all of his cool equipment in the studio. All of the recordings for the album were done on a type of mic that Elvis had used in his records. The feel of the studio was very old school, which I obviously loved. All of the tracks have been recorded and mixed and the album should be out in July.

Here's a peek at his album! https://soundcloud.com/michaelgoodmanonline/sets/unbreakable-heart

Michael and Ben in the studio!

Menken!

Two and a half weeks ago, it was love at first sight. A week later, I signed the contract to love him forever and brought him home. Meet Menken!

Buckled in and very scared after just getting him from the shelter

Meeting little diva&divo

Meeting more friends!

And somehow, all of his cuteness makes up for the fact that he has completely taken over my pillow.

Since I couldn't join my family for Easter, I took road trip to Ashley, IN to the "Ashley House" where my mom's side of the family and I have many 4th of July and other reunion memories as it has been in the family for just over a century. The smiley face water tower is an main Ashley landmark, and on road trips growing up, we would always see who could spot it first on our way up I-69.

Road trip hair and the smiley face!

I used to admire the Hydrangeas my grandmother planted while walking around the yard with my bug cage searching for a new critter and picture myself as an adult living at the Ashley house, since I loved it there so much. Then later on in life my sister and I started joking that we'd live there together forever like two of our great-great-aunts did.

Here's where Menken comes in. I was reading a book just after arriving for my relaxation escape from Chicago, when a mouse climbed down the drapes, ran over to a chair, climbed up the side, and settled onto the armrest, and stared at me. Then, another one shot up the couch from the kitchen and stared at me until I noticed it and shrieked. That's when I called my mom who suggested getting a mouser kitty from the nearest animal shelter. That idea was way too appealing to me, as I've been wanting a cat for years. I arrived at the animal shelter just before closing time, and my heart broke over all of the homeless adorable dogs and kitties. I couldn't make up my mind in the two rooms filled with cats, until a fluffy orange face that had just woken up peeked out his cage at me as I was leaving the room. I turned around, opened the cage, picked him up, and immediately knew this snuggly sweet cat was the perfect one. While talking to the worker, I learned that he had been at the shelter for 8 months, and had no idea why he was overlooked all the time. That was it. I had to adopt him. I couldn't take him home until the next weekend, so since the mice weren't cooperating in singing songs and sewing surprise ballgowns, I set up traps to get rid of them. The next weekend when I came back for Menken there was no sign of the mice! After he settled into the Ashley house a bit, my Aunt came over to meet him and bring him toys before we left for Chicago. :)

His original name was Pumpkin, but in the new family tradition of naming our animals after artists/composers, I now call him Menken after Alan Menken (Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, Newsies, Pocahontas, Hunchback of Notre Dame, Hercules, Enchanted, Tangled...You get the picture) who has been a big part of musical lives. 

He's still kind of wary of new people had hasn't fully bonded to my roommate, Denise, but oh, he will. How could two gingers not become best friends? ;)

le mois de français

It's only fitting that the month of Valentine's day has been and will be filled with the language of love. Not too long after my return to Chicago, I happily began rehearsals for my very first play "A Night in Provence" as the role of Yvette, the French wife in one of the "three European couples triple booked for a romantic getaway." Being the smallest cast I've ever been a part of before, it has been quite the fun experience getting to work with our director more closely and getting to know the cast as a whole better. I've been so excited to play opposite of Caleb Scales (Maurice, Yvette's husband) who was in Legally Blonde with me!

This character has revived my big love (ok..obsession) of all thing French that I've somewhat stifled in the recent years. Chateau Byron is beginning to be filled with French music, Truffaut films, Cirque du Soleil, and French cuisine. Antique French books are going back on my nightstand next to my Eiffel tower souvenir my parents bought me when we were in Paris when I was 6. I'm thankful that my mom has been able to coach me over the phone on forgotten french pronunciations!

Our poster designed by the lovely Rebecca Primm:

An exciting announcement: After at least 7 years of wishing and scheming, mine and Rebecca's dream of a vintage business is in its beginning stages. I've been privileged to get to be a part-time nanny for my little diva and divo again, and now I have a bit of extra free time to work on the business. Updates on our future website and blog will come soon!

Happy New Year!

And as 2013 begins, here's a few of Regina Brett's "45 Lessons Life taught me":

"Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful, or joyful."

"Forgive everyone everything."

"Don't compare your life to others'. You have no idea what their journey is all about."

Rachelyn's Favorite Things: 2012 edition

Here's just a few of the things I've fallen in love with this year a long with an explanation. Some of these make excellent last minute stocking stuffers, presents for yourself, practical presents for other people, White Elephant gifts if you like putting practical things to watch people fight over them, or more presents for yourself. One day when the lovely Denise Boylan and I have an established TV show with lots of audience members, we will make a super long list with even cooler items and hire people to throw the items to our audience members. Kind of like Oprah. 

Relaxation:

• Fleece Pajamas

      When Rebecca and I were visiting our brother Matthew in Hartford, CT to watch The Cherry Orchard and hear his underscoring, we went sheet shopping for him in pity of his lack of apartment items (starving artist AND a student).We settled on buying him fleece sheets, because we knew the cold days were coming and he needed more warm things. Once we made his bed to surprise him, we could not believe how soft and cozy they were! Well, we returned to NC, I looked for them in stores here for my Chicago bed, and they were nowhere to be found. BUT I found fleece pajamas and was excited at the thought being able to get up out of bed with that cozy softness when wearing fleece pajamas.  

      I feel so strongly about these, I've already purchased my mom and little brother some for their birthdays and want to give the rest of the family some for Christmas.

Rebecca and me in our fleece pajamas when midnight of 12/21/12  hit so that we would be wearing them when the "world ended" ;)

• Green tea with Cinnamon

       No favorite in particular--any green tea sprinkled with cinnamon! Soothing, yet detoxifying, and a metabolism booster--times two!

• Epsom Salt Baths

        Well, you can't give baths as presents, but you can give the Epsom salt...to yourself!

With my own bathtub here at home in NC, I've rediscovered how peaceful and relaxing baths are. I copied my mom in using Epsom salts in her bath with a splash of lavender body wash for bubbles. With benefits such as "eases stress and relaxes the body, relieves pain and muscle cramps, eliminates toxins from the body" and much more, how could you resist? 

• Moisture Renewal Mask

          I didn't know a moisture renewal face mask was an important part of your skin care regimen until visiting a spa to redeem a gift package for a facial earlier in the year and talking a lot about skin. I use Mary Kay's (as I'm still a consultant) and it smells and feels delightful.

For when you have to be in front of a lot of people:

• Luster Premium White NOW! Toothpaste

    While searching for nannying tips in Parent magazine, I read about the toothpaste's Bluevrite technology that creates the optical illusion of white teeth. The article was one on fast beauty tips for moms on the go. Instantly intrigued, I had to try it for myself, and it works!! 

• "Not Your Mother's" Dry Shampoo

      I'm pretty sure my sister and I have tried every single dry shampoo available trying to find the perfect one. This one works instantly (no waiting for it to dry), doesn't white leave residue, and doesn't leave your hair smelling like lemon pine sol. Besides the obvious purpose to get rid of oiliness in hair, it works great as what I'll call a "hair primer" for easier styling, or for adding more volume. 

• Got2b Volumizing Powder

       It's like magic! One second it's powder in your hands, and as soon you rub it into your roots under your top layer of hair, it disappears and adds EXCELLENT volume.

• Mary Kay Oil-free Eye Makeup Remover 

       Ok, so I discovered this before 2012, but I just recently started using it as a painless false eyelash remover after shows.

Outdoor Winter Strolls:

       

• Timberland Boots

       My first rain boots! Snagged these at Rugged Wearhouse (one of my favorite stores in the south) at an incredible price. Unique and warm. They'll be great for Chicago snow once lined or worn with wool socks!

• Fleece-lined tights 

      Here's the fleece theme once more! I think it's self-explanatory now ;)

Music: 

       So many albums to enjoy this year, but this one is extra special...

•  Alex Maryol's new album Six

        This past January I took a trip to Santa Fe, NM to visit dear friends Alex Maryol and Andy Primm, and ended up having such a memorable weekend (blog posting can be found here )

         When Alex was driving Andy and me through the Sangre de Cristo mountains, he played some of his songs from this (not yet named) album for us. Well guess what? The album has now been released! I may or may not have "Falling" on repeat as I've been typing this...

Be jealous of my signed copy. 

        

      

Christmas Cheer

Recipe for Christmas cheer before a Christmas show performance:
   --Eggnog in place of creamer in your coffee
   --A plentiful supply of candy canes

Explanation:
    Eggnog: It tastes delicious with your coffee (hot chocolate, too), and you only have a little bit of time before they take it away until next Christmas season!
    Plentiful supply of candy canes: Perfect for getting in the Christmas mood, great breath fresheners since you will be in close a proximity with other actors, and a nice sugar boost to keep your energy up through the show. You need one while getting ready before the show, one during act one, intermission, and act two. Your castmates will be jealous of your brilliant idea, and you'll be in the giving spirit to share your treat, anyways. Just make sure they don't get stuck to your costumes or street clothes.... ;)

On a different note:
As heard quite often, it's in the valleys that you grow. Over the past few years I've really been able to experience God's provision as in Philippians 4:19. For example, when Rebecca and I moved to Chicago two years ago, we didn't know how we were going to pay the upcoming rent, we shopped at the dollar store for groceries but only for the bare necessities, and all of a sudden we were provided with a random job as personal assistants for a day for a family planning a party who not only paid us well, but gave us a few great pieces to furnish our apartment. I also was provided with the gig of Christmas caroling in costume with Michael Goodman, and later got the fantastic nannying job to afford the Chicago theatre life for the year and a half to follow.
Currently, as my family is struggling financially (which is the main reason I've been here in NC--to help out in moving to a smaller place) we've been able to experience His provision even more. Some examples--The water heater here at my mom's house died just over a week ago, and I had no idea how we were going to be able to afford getting it replaced. A dear friend from church came to replace it and told my mom's Sunday school of the need, and they covered it! Also, I've just started a part-time nannying job for the next few weeks until I return to Chicago---They contacted me through SitterCity (how I found my previous nanny family), and are only 3 miles away!
There is also an amazing job I'm being considered for, which I will definitely post news of if I get it :) It's related to the performance field and would provide such great experiences. 

Blonde!

First off, this past weekend was opening weekend of White Christmas! It was so much fun, and I'm looking forward to eight more performances and seeing it grow even better each time. The set came together gorgeously, and I feel so special to have gotten to be a part of that aspect of the show. I was honored to get to go to the "tech people" opening night party, haha. My older brother, Matthew, was able to fly in for the weekend to see it, so all of us Primm's were reunited!

 Here's a little show invite video from  my partner in crime and me that we did for some of her friends ;)

They say that "every woman should have the thrill of being a blonde. It gives you an automatic boost of confidence and it's just plain fun." What I failed to listen to was "make sure you get it done by a professional, especially if you have dark hair." Aside from the video above, here's the outcome in a couple of White Christmas photos: 

BUT, that didn't come without an almost hair tragedy!

I had been planning to lighten my hair to overall blonde for quite some time, and when Teya (Rhoda in White Christmas) and I were discussing show hair, I found it was the perfect timing to go blonde for the show so that I would contrast her reddish hair! In order to save money...famous last words when referring to hair...I did some research and decided to attempt it all by myself since I've had coloring success in the past. I purchased Clairol's Born Blonde, mixed the ingredients, received some help in application to the back of my head from my mom, and finished the rest. It was taking a bit longer than I had expected to lighten, and I had originally wanted to go Platinum, but was worried that my previous highlights were going to turn blue or another odd color, so I washed it out. At that moment I realized a BIG mistake--I forgot to add the liquid lightener (step #3) to the bottle! After it was dried, the outcome didn't look terrible, but it didn't look GOOD. It was yellowish and my previous lowlights were a weird red.That night I went to sleep and had nightmares about the hair, haha, and the first thing the next day I contacted my stylist friend. She reminded me about using toner when going blonde! Whoops--and I had even known that from past highlights! Off to Sally's Beauty Supply I went to purchase Wella toner, went home, applied it, used a deep conditioner, and VOILA! It was fixed!! 

Lastly, here's a photo from one of rehearsals of one of my favorite moments in the show:

Photo Credit: Willa Folmar

This is Lucia as Betty Haynes in the Regency Room scene singing "Love You Didn't Do Right By Me". Also during this scene, Bob Wallace sings "How Deep is the Ocean". Aside from my mom's giant chiffon curtain, my diamond curtain, artist Larry Wu's NYC painting, and the beautiful music...I want to point out Lucia. She's amazing. Every time I hear her voice I want to close my eyes and soak it in. She has been through so much this past month in her life AND to add to that--two days before the show opened, she was injured backstage and severely sprained a ligament in her ankle. If you look closely, you'll see the boot on her right ankle. She has been performing--including doing choreography in the song "Sisters"--with it--in spite of the pain!