Closet Queens

So, the closet queens are still at it, holing away in the studio, whipping up fresh music to feast your ears upon...

I've picked up the phrase "closet queens" from the magical, mysterious musical genius, Edd Kalehoff, who is spearheading the production of my new album (and collaborating on a couple other projects too). It's pretty true. We spend the light of day with the blinds drawn (can't have glare on the ProTools screen), inventing vocal parts that will set off the lead, recording guitarists and programming loops, obsessing over whether or not we need a real brass section on this one (yet). We're close, with about 12 or 13 tunes that will be complete within "this" project, within a week or so.

I go thru my "phases" as a writer/recording artist, becoming a closet queen for a few months, and then easing myself back across onto the other side- where everyone wakes up at noon and plays music until 3 or 4 AM. It's getting back to that "be among the living" stage, and I've been loving seeing friends and everyone out on the music scene, catching up, playing some shows, starting to share the new records in their live form. Already this week, I got to catch up with the awesome people who run the Song Circle, formerly the NY Songwriters Circle, but now expanded to LA, Philly, Boston, Nashville, and Chicago. Tina Shafer always is such a beautiful, gracious host, and she and Billy and the team are doing amazing things to showcase new talent and SONGS- check out www.songcirclemusic.com


Then last night, when we went to check out some unbelievably amazing players at P&G bar. Hit songwriter/guitarist/producer Danny Kortchmar (James Taylor, Carole King, Jackson Browne, and tons of others), key/harp extraordinaire Jonny Rosch, super drummer Shawn Pelton, phat bass player Neil Jason, seriously? For free on the UWS? Yup. Banging away on a bunch of tunes Kootch wrote and getting everyone in that tiny dirty room jumping up out of their chairs. It's what I love about live music- that connection with the audience, the improv and listening between musicians onstage, the jamming, the mistakes that turn out better than what you actually had planned... Anyway, got to see a ton of friends in that crowd, and also have some drinks courtesy of guys in suits who blow of steam by pretending they're really rock and rollers at night (we love them, by the way). It was all going great until about 8AM, when I woke up, realized I hadn't gone to bed til 2, and therefore did not get my allotted 8 hours of sleep (not so much beauty sleep, more like "make sure i have a voice to sing today" sleep). Looks like I'm still a closet queen, at least for another couple weeks.

Got a lot coming up, some stuff I can't quite share yet, but a few highlights:

NEW WEBSITE! www.CassKubinski.com There will be quite a few changes coming to the site soon, so bookmark it and check back often...

NEW VIDEO!

LIVE SHOWS! This weekend in CT (thurs 7 pm at Trinity on Main in New Britain, and Friday at 8pm at Milford Fine Arts Council Coffeehouse), then the Show Choir Fest in Webster MA on Saturday, then the FULL BAND show on THURSDAY APRIL 7 at the BITTER END, NYC- we're celebrating Jimi Bones' bday, come party with us! 8-10 pm. Jimi's guitar work is all over the new trax.

That's the update for now. I hear Edd and Brian in the control room still stressing over which loop to add to the chorus of "New York, I'm Home", so I'm gonna go add my 2 cents. Peace and see you soon!