Author Archives Jenna Paone

It’s been cold here in Boston…I mean, REALLY cold. Yes, I’ve lived here my whole life and should be used to it, but doesn’t the chill feel just a little bit unnecessary to anyone else? I thought so.

Despite that, it’s been another banner week. Samm Bahman and I kicked things off on Monday night with an awesome night of music at the Lizard Lounge Open Mic Challenge. For those of you who don’t know the Lizard Lounge, it’s a warm, intimate venue in Cambridge and the perfect place to listen to some thought-provoking music from twenty of your closest friends. Ringmaster Tom Bianchi is just about the nicest guy you’ll meet and a fabulous (and funny) host. We heard a lot of great musicians, and were thrilled that super secret special guests (and local powerhouses) Ryan Montbleau and Tall Heights dropped by to play a few sets. And the kicker for the evening? Samm and I actually won the open mic competition! Judge for the Night Aerica Lauren chose us as her favorite act, which really made us feel special. We can’t wait to go back and see the gang again!

Samm and I with Tom Bianchi after our win!

The phenomenal Ryan Montbleau tearing up the stage!

I’ve also been back in the studio (of course), working on the remaining pieces of the solo album. This week, we worked out background harmonies, arranged string and horn parts, laid down some extra guitar parts, and more! It’s been such a long process, but we’re almost in the clear, and it’s amazing to see how it’s all coming together.

Working out some string parts at the piano.

Samm apparently thinks recording guitar is hilarious.

We topped off the week with some more video shoots for some of my original tunes, and this time we filmed in a beautiful dance studio! Samm is a great amateur filmmaker as well as a phenomenal guitarist, and he’s willing to go to some “tall heights” of his own to get the right shots.

Setting up an aerial shot – fancy!

Warming up for the big shoot.

Looking forward to sharing them with you soon – oh, and Happy Veteran’s Day, everyone! Thank you to all of those who serve and have served our country.

Have you ever had one of those weeks? Sometimes it seems like I’ve been having “one of those weeks” for several months now. Every time I think things are going to slow down, they simply speed up even more.

This past week (and I’m counting from last Tuesday until today, which is really a bit more than a week) was even crazier than most, mostly because I’ve been traveling – to Washington DC. The Future of Music Coalition, a national nonprofit that advocates for and supports artists and music industry professionals, hosted its annual “Future of Music Summit” this past Monday and Tuesday.

{Image via The Future of Music Coalition}

It was an awesome event full of inspiring speakers and presenters like fellow Massachusetts musician Erin McKeown, musical activist and filmmaker Ariana Delawari, legendary manager of Pink Floyd Peter Jenner, hip-hop artist and organic gardener DJ Cavem, emcee and educator Stephen Brackett of the Flobots, and many more.

{Peter Jenner had the best quote of the conference, regarding music distribution online: “Anyone who thinks we can control the internet is up their arse!”}

Luckily, it wasn’t all work. I was able to spend some quality time with friends in the DC area, have some great meals, do a little pre-Halloween celebrating, and even take a little trip to the White House on one of their bi-annual Garden Tours. We saw the famous Rose and vegetable gardens, the exterior of the White House up close, and a lot of gorgeous greenery!

{My friend Simone and I on the White House lawn.}

{I was surprised by how small the White House looks up close as opposed to other palaces and government buildings I’ve seen around the world}

{The White House vegetable garden- yum!}

By the time I got home, I was exhausted, but rallied to watch my hometown heroes the Red Sox win the World Series! Say what you will about Boston, but we are a sports town through and through, and with all we’ve been through this year, we needed this win. It’s an amazing moment of celebration for a city that has suffered greatly in recent months, and I’m exceedingly grateful to have witnessed it.

{Image via Boston.com}

Back in the studio tomorrow – oh, and Happy Halloween everyone!

{Image via Pinterest}

Wow, is all I have to say. The response to last week’s TV Tuesday post of my “Royals” cover has been outstanding. I’m thrilled that so many people are enjoying and sharing it, and can’t thank you all enough. Hope you enjoy this week’s video just as much. It’s an original, my song “Little Stone Church.”

This song actually has a pretty interesting backstory. Several years ago, I read Suite Francaise, Irene Nemirovsky’s unfinished novel about the Nazi occupation of France during WWII. It was heartbreakingly beautiful, not only because the writing is absolutely breathtaking (seriously, every sentence is perfect) but because Nemirovsky wrote it in real time, as the events unfolded in front of her eyes. She originally intended this prose opus to contain five separate novella sections, but completed only two before being taken into custody by the Nazis because of her Russian-Jewish heritage (despite the fact that she had converted to Catholicism some years earlier.) Nemirovsky was sent to Auschwitz, where she died in 1942 at the age of 39. Years later, one of her daughters dissevered the work in a journal of her mother’s, and had it published.

I get inspired by many things, and this novel was one of them. It’s a small tribute to those who have endured great suffering and those who are suffering today, and I hope it brings a few moments of peace to whoever hears it.

Little Stone Church Lyrics

There’s a little stone church
In a little stone village far away
Had its ceiling blown off in a bombing
But it still feels holy
So I guess I can still pray here

And I think of the last time that I saw you
Through the window of that train
And you could smell something coming
You said this city’s going down
And it’s going down in flames, dear

And are we one more triumph of heroes
The stuff of the legends revived from these stones
Or one more
Story they’ll write down in novels
And sell on the shelves when we’re gone
Well, I don’t know.

And you might look older now
But that’s alright by me
These days I’m no daisy myself
It takes most of my strength just to breathe
And brave the air

Oh, but say one May morning
You’ll waltz down that lane
Laugh at the little Church, the two of us
And the pile of dust left
From all we became this year

And are we one more triumph of heroes
The stuff of the legends revived from these stones
Or one more
Story they’ll write down in novels
And sell on the shelves when we’re gone

Oh, one more classic
Brave and romantic
Sprung from the ashes
And etched on the sun
Or
One more tragedy
A publisher’s fantasy
They’ll break it pieces
And spell our names wrong
Well I don’t know

But there’s a little stone church
In a little stone village far away
And the war’s come and gone now
But the ceiling’s still missing
So I might as well stay.

Copyright 2009 by Jenna Paone