Heather S. Ingemar's Blog, page 41
June 17, 2011
June 16, 2011
Musician Adventures
Part of what makes this job so much fun is the fact that almost every new show, or rehearsal, or other-music-related-thing, is an adventure of its own. In my years playing music, I've:
been stuck on a bus;
gotten lost with the rest of the band I was with;
had to scramble from one performance location all the way across campus to the other because the check-in peeps told our director wrong (and this was after we'd already set up);
been asked at the last minute to up the tempo of a song by 100% "for the dancers" even though we'd all been rehearsing it slower for weeks;
dealt with funky acoustics;
been told the waiting room was in the "dungeon" below the stage;
had to cover for fellow musicians who couldn't make whatever function we were at;
arrived at a gig to find I wasn't even on the schedule;
and so, soooo much more…
These sorts of things keep you on your toes. Yesterday's audition was no exception.
It was a beautiful day, so I decided to take my motorcycle to the talent show audition. I packed up Nika (my ukulele), made sure I was wearing a nice shirt, and away I went! The ride down was lovely (aside from crazy drivers, but that comes with the territory), and when I arrived at the audition, they got me in right away. I performed well, answered questions, packed up my stuff, then went to head back home.
I'm not even 10 miles out of town when it starts to rain. (I should note here that my uke case is a semi-hard, nylon case — and not waterproof!) I pull over long enough to dig out my rain poncho and throw it on over top of the case. Suzi and I sped like a hungry fellbeast and angry nazgul to the next little town (about 6 miles away) to find shelter. Thankfully, their little grocery store had a nice covered awning with a bench, and I was able to pull underneath it to wait out the rain…
I waited for an hour before the rain finally let up enough I felt I could continue my journey. I watched the sun set and I watched cars pass by. I watched cats in the bushes on the side of the road. I watched little birdies.
It was a cold ride the rest of the way home. Nika survived, I survived, and I've got another experience to add to my collection. 
June 13, 2011
Frank Zappa
A composer is a guy who goes around forcing his will on unsuspecting air molecules…
June 10, 2011
June 9, 2011
Little things matter
It's kind of funny, how something so simple as taking my songs out of where they were buried in the middle of my music book and putting them right at the front can have such a profound impact on how I see myself as a songwriter. It's like saying, "Hey, my stuff is just as valid as these other songs I've got in here."
June 7, 2011
Summer Solstice Contest!
So, I can tell by the number of listens that people are liking — or at the very least interested in — my new single, "Wait for You."
I'll be to the point: I want to run a contest.
Since "Wait for You" talks about love throughout the change of seasons, and since the Summer Solstice is coming up (a celebrated time of change in the Celtic calendar), I thought it appropoh to end the contest then. 
So what's the deal, you ask?
The rules for Heather's Summer Solstice Contest:
Help me spread the word about my new single. I'm not picky: you can post a link on your Facebook page, you can mention it on your Twitter feed, or whatever. It's all good. Just…
Let me know where you've done it! If I don't know you've done it, your name won't go in the hat, and that would be a tragedy!
You can send me a note via my contact page, or reply back to me on Facebook or Twitter. You MUST include a link to where the mention is at.Mentions must be done by midnight on June 20th, 2011.
It's that simple. On June 21st I am going to draw five names out of a hat and those five lucky people will be emailed a free download code for "Wait for You."
My single is available in any format of your choosing, and the best part? I've released it with the lovely Creative Commons A-NC-ND 3.0 license. That's right — after you have it in your hot little hand, you can share it with your friends (non-commercially!) so long as you make sure they know it was done by me.
Go to it! 
June 6, 2011
Being Goldilocks
I've spent my entire life in a pursuit for creativity. From crayon scrawls across the walls of our home to years spent with some instrument cradled on my lap, to walking in May '06 with a B.A. in English Literature, I have pursued a sundry list of arts and humanities that would make any mini-van mom quail.
While it's easier to give into temptation and say, "Oh, but none of those *other* pursuits was the right one for me," it would be a lie.
As I grow older and get more life experience under my belt, I have come to realize that, at any given moment in our lives, we are searching for what we need — at that given moment. And what we need (to express, to create, to accomplish) changes as we age. When I went through my sketching phase, creating visual representations of the world as I saw it was what I needed to do. When I packed up my musical instruments following my last music courses in college — and the subsequent four year hiatus — to pursue publication with fiction? It was what I needed at the time.
I needed those things to help me grow as an individual. Kind of like that phrase, "a well-rounded education"…
Which brings me to songwriting — the latest in a string of artistic pursuits. At this moment, it feels *right*, a little like Goldilocks in the Bears' house. Right now, telling stories (and exorcising personal demons) with words and music is what I need. You won't find me touting it over my fiction or other endeavors (though songwriting certainly seems to more closely match the pace of my personality than other arts I've tried), because I know — in time — I will need those other things, too.
I am Goldilocks, and have just sat in Baby Bears' chair because it meets my creative desires right now.
June 5, 2011
Great weekend at Dayton Wine Works
Again, another AWESOME night at Dayton Wine Works! A huge thank you goes out to everyone who came out to see me play. 
There's just something really neat about playing music outside as the sun sets on a beautiful day…
As per my schedule, I'm going to be back there in July — which I'm really looking forward to! Hopefully this next time, I won't be fighting bronchitis-related stuff and will be able to sing lots! AND, I'm planning on having more of my own songs ready to perform for you all as well.
'Twas a good day, tater…
June 4, 2011
Dayton Wine Works gig!
Last night's concert?
AWESOME!
Intimate concerts are very cool, because you can really get to know the people you're entertaining. That's how it was last night at Dayton Wine Works. I had a very enjoyable three hours entertaining an ever-rotating handful of people as the sun set over the hills. (On a side note, my voice did just fine, and I was even able to sing more than I had planned — always a good thing!)
And tonight? I get to do it again! If you came last night and enjoyed the concert, tell your friends — or better yet, bring them along. If you didn't make it last night and aren't sure what to expect — come on down and let me surprise you.
The details:
Dayton Wine Works
http://www.daytonwineworks.com/
7-10pm
June 2, 2011
Tired
I'm so tired of being sick. I'm tired of trying to cough my lungs out all over everybody.
Mostly? I just want to have confidence that I'll make it through my concert tomorrow without having a sore throat/hacking cough/headache/other, evil, bug-related symptom. I'm doing better — MUCH better, actually, since last week — but still not "better" to my satisfaction.
I'm planning on going heavy with the flute music, at least the first night. Three hours is a long time to sing, even for a healthy, non-bronchitis-afflicted throat and lungs. Thankfully, there's nothing wrong with my fingers. And with as cold as it's been? (Seriously, I drug out my WINTER coat this morning) I need to figure out a concert-appropriate outfit that doesn't have me looking like an eskimo or give me the flexibility of the Michelin Man. I'm thinking long-johns, jeans, and sweaters (sounds like I'm planning for a Fall outdoor concert instead of a Spring outdoor concert, doesn't it?)…
I'm looking forward to playing (I love outdoor concerts), I just can't believe this weather!!
