R&R in Tah Town

R & muthafreakin’ R

I’m one of the lucky ones who considers home to be a place of R&R.  Home is wichita, KS for me and, let me tell you, i needed it.  After 10 LONG days in Boston recording with Bleu–where my average to-bed-time was 3am (but usually later), a laaaate night (awesome) party in NYC, traveling back to LA and recording my song for ‘Letters to Juliet’ my body was, literally, shaking from exhaustion.  it was pretty bad.  Luckily i had planned to return home for my sister’s 30th bday!  crazy.  i remember her 16th bday (we took a pic of her laying on top of her new car with the back shoe polished ‘16′).  time freakin’ flies.

So planes are good sleep-catch up for me too.  i’m ‘that guy’ with the hoodie pulled down over his face and ear plugs in my ears–with the neck pillow.  the full 9.  usually i sleep peacefully but this time, cause my body was going into ‘Fail Mode’, i was snorring and twitching and lookin’ all kinds-a-creepy.  Lucky for me, my first leg of my flight (since you can’t fly direct to Tah Town), i had a full row to myself and, most certainly, laid down flat across the 3 seats and didn’t think twice.  other than the beverage cart hitting my feet a few times it was pretty nice!

Here’s me with my parents two dogs and my sisters puppy (in the middle).  everyone in my family has springer spaniels.  we’re so ‘All-American!’  they really are the best dogs.

What breed of dog to you have?

It snowed 4 inches here last night.  very very pretty snow.  the pic above is from my street.  It’s no 27” like in DC but, hey, we do what we can.  i’ll see your 27” of snow and raise you a tornado.  so there.

anyways, i’m feeling recharged and ready to head back West.  I’m working on some more tv shows this week, have a few meetings and am back in the studio with Bleu doing preproduction on the last 2 songs of the album.  also, we’re sifting though a billion tracks of instruments etc on the first 10 songs.  cripers.  stay tuned.

Letters to Juliet + Me = magic

I’m very please to have just sung on the ‘Letters to Juliet’ movie soundtrack.  Its the new Amanda Seyfried movie that comes out (after Dear John) this May.  I’m singing ‘Quando Quando Quando’ during a montage in the film.  Should be fun.  I’m singing a little more classically in this one so you’ll have to keep an ear open.  good times.  good times.

Melora’s Magic

My dear friend, Melora Hardin, has got something special up her sleeve.  Well, not in this pic anyway (purrrrrrrr).  You might recognize her as Jan from The Office, or as Roxie Hart in Chicago on Broadway, or as Fantine in Les Mis at the Hollywood Bowl.  Yeah….she’s not busy at all right?

She’s managed to squeeze in time to record an amazing pop-cabaret record, produced by my other good friend (and entertainment extraordinaire) Richard Jay-Alexander.  it also has some mean piano from Ben Toth, who co-produced.  From the top down this record is one fun, sexy party and its out tomorrow (Tues, Feb 9) on iTunes and everywhere else.  Be sure to check it out.  I just wanted to brag on my friends for a min.  ahem.  yep.

Ellen Degeneres MANNhandled by me?  Help!

So the Saints won the big game!  now ellen should be in a realllly good mood to get all of our Tweets to help me get on her show!

Ellen is having a twitter competition to get new talent on the show.  You can help get Chris on the show!  Here’s how:

Just copy and paste this message and Tweet Ellen on Twitter…a million times:

Go Saints! Get Ellen MANNhandled! @TheEllenShow #MANNfans want @iamChrisMann on Ellen! http://bit.ly/bgsuNG #GetOnEllen (please RT!!!)

ALSO–Paste the message as your Facebook and Myspace status as well

and, lastly, forward this email & tell all your friends to do the same!  Let’s get Chris on Ellen!if you need a twitter account go to twitter.com–it’s so easy to sign up and help!

Thanks for your support!  Crazier things have happened….

Superbowl commercials

what’s the verdict here?  funny?  no?  i was disappointed, not gonna lie.  they weren’t funny and there was this whole ‘men in underwear’ theme going on that was confusing.

there were a few funny ones though.  the etrade baby commercial at the end of the game where he was on the plane with the mini neck pillow and glass of milk and his friend sitting behind him thinks the pilot over the loud speaker is his daddy.  did you see that one?  i laughed.

also the book club bud light commercial where the husband stays behind for the womens book club cause of budlight.  the woman asks “do you like Little Women” (as in the book) and he responds “yeah, i’m not that picky.”  classique.

what was your favorite commercial?

Chicken Parm and Get Chris on Ellen

HELP GET CHRIS ON THE ELLEN SHOW!

Thank you to all of you who are helping with my ‘Get Chris on The Ellen Show’ twitter campaign.  It’s going great so far so, please, keep it up!  I love seeing MANNfans coming together for this cause–lets make Ellen a MANNfan too.  Here’s how to help:

Ellen is having a twitter competition to get new talent on the show.  You can help get Chris on the show!  Here’s how:

Just copy and paste this message and Tweet Ellen on Twitter…a million times:

@TheEllenShow #MANNfans want @iamChrisMann on Ellen!
http://bit.ly/bgsuNG #GetOnEllen (please RT!!!)

ALSO–Paste the message as your Facebook and Myspace status as well
and, lastly, forward this email & tell all your friends to do the same!  Let’s get Chris on Ellen!

if you need a twitter account go to twitter.com–it’s so easy to sign up and help!

Thanks for your support!  Crazier things have happened….

***CONGRATULATIONS to Jennifer Stille in Minooka, IL for winning the ‘MANNville Fan Forum Twitter Competition!’  Jen competed with other residents of MANNville to see who could send the above tweet out the most by last friday and she came out on top!  She will receive an autographed CD and Photograph from Chris.  Be sure to go to MANNville (on chrismannmusic.com) to see about the next contest happening right now!  thanks for tweeting jen!  keep it up!

GOODBYE BOSTON!

I write to you from the ‘Bolt Bus’ riding from Boston to New York City.  It’s loaded with free WiFi which, coupled with only costing $15, is why I’m on Bolt.  Pretty cool, actually.  It’s a mystery how all these new England bus companies stay in business–the China Town busses, Fung Wa, Bolt, Mega bus–all for $15?  That means one thing only–there’s something dodgy going on underneath this bus–ie, carrying more than just luggage.  But, hey, $15 and wifi I don’t need to know what’s REALLY going on.

So the last 10 days have been a whirlwind in Boston.  Bleu, Ducky and I worked round the clock and recorded the first 10 songs on my upcoming album.  When I say ’round the clock’ I mean that the earliest I got to bed was 3am, and oftentimes later.  The studio is like a time warp where any concept of time of day is lost.  And having the Australian Open tennis tournament on the whole time only confuses worse since those matches started at 3:30am our time but are in the middle of the day there.  No clue.

Besides singing vocals on every song we did a mountain of ‘overdubs’ (replacing computerized instruments in the track with real-deal instruments) including piano, guitars, violins, saxophones, trumpets, tambourine, shakers and HAND CLAPS!  Woo hoo.  Those were the hardest–not really.  But fun.  Everything is sounding amazing.  Its crazy to have it all come together so fast after so much planning.

Check out this video I made from the studio in Boston:

There’s still plenty of work to be done–I’m heading back to LA (via NYC for a party tonight) to start the last 2 songs for the album and to wrap up these first 10.  Then we head back out east to do another 10 days and finish.

I do have a bone to pick with you, New England–its too F’in cold up here!  Seriously!  My pansy, LA ass cannot handle this!  I was raised in the mid west so, don’t get me wrong, I’ve been in the cold….but since moving to LA I’ve lost all tolerance and now I’m weak!  And all these beautiful old new England houses, god bless em, look great but can’t hold a lick-a-heat!  (what time period and regional dialect am I writing in right now?)  (wow)

One of my favorite things I did in Boston was go out to dinner at this great Italian place….that I’m completely blanking on the name….which kinda defeats to purpose of telling it at all–but I will anyways….no wait!  I just remembered–Felicia’s!  I think its in stoneham?  Or Medford?  Or something.  Anyways, it legendary–Sinatra use to frequent it, etc, and it has the best ‘kinda classy kinda cheap’ American/Italian vibe going on.  The good was AMAZING and the portions, to my pleasure, were huge.  But the best part was how ‘townie’ (aka–Boston locals) the place was.  The waitress couldn’t have been sweeter but that accent Was mind blowing!  ‘Ya waaant a bee(a)r wit ya chickin paaa(r)m?’  haha.  Literally was just like that.

And it made going out in that cold all worth while.

Can’t wait to come back to finish the record….
c

Help get Chris on The Ellen Show!

Ellen is having a twitter competition to get new talent on the show.  You can help get Chris on the show!  Here’s how:

Just copy and paste this message and Tweet Ellen on Twitter…a million times:

@TheEllenShow #MANNfans want @iamChrisMann on Ellen!
http://bit.ly/bgsuNG #GetOnEllen (please RT!!!)

*note you must include the video link and #getonellen.
ALSO–Paste the message as your Facebook and Myspace status as well

and, lastly, forward this email & tell all your friends to do the same!  Let’s get Chris on Ellen!

if you need a twitter account click here–it’s so easy to sign up and help!

Thanks for your support!  Hey, crazier things have happened….

Boston recording week uno

BOSTON WEEK UNO

we’ve been working very haaaa(r)d in Boston this week and I’ve got chills right now–chills from the 30 degree weather but more so from the amazing music we’re making.

*did you like the implied boston accent on ‘hard’?  funny, i know.  i try*

Bleu (my producer), Ducky (my engineer) and I have been putting in the hours in the studio cutting vocals and doing ‘overdubs’–replacing fake, computerized, template instruments (ie–fake piano etc) with real instruments.  don’t feel sorry for us–we’re having a blast!  it’s haaa(r)d to complain when ‘work’ is creating music and indulging in the occasional malty beverage.

So far we’ve worked on Foolin’ Me’ (drums, wurley, guitar, shakers), L.O.V.E (lead vocals, piano, shaker), Half way to Santa Fe (piano, wurley), Who I Am (shaker, tambourine) and Two Way Street (piano).  i think we’ve done more than that but i can’t think right now.  Tomorrow we’ve got a horn section (trumpet, sax) coming in to do a few tunes.  should be f’in shweet.  i’m doing a lot of ass shakin’ here–i warned you!  i think you’ll have the same reaction, i hope.

Listening to these songs unfold and come into their own is such a thrilling experience.  It’s 14 hours a day of creativity and making it all work.  we’re jamming, basically, and we’ve still got a week left this round in Boston.

Here’s Bleu, playing the guitar, and Ducky running the computer.  Bleu has been on point playing some ridic guitar solos and great wurley parts.  Ducky runs the studio flawlessly and makes a mean hot toddy, s’all i’m sayin’.  definitely improves the sangin’ voice…

I’ve put together a short video of the studio and some random shots of what i’ve been up to.  i’m gonna make a full video of the whole ‘making the record’ when i’m wrapped in march, so that’ll give you the full picture.

HAVE YOU DONATED TO HAITI?  PLEASE HELP….

PLEASE MAKE A DONATION TO HELP THE VICTIMS OF THE HAITI EARTHQUAKE!

CLICK HERE TO DONATE.

YOU CAN ALSO, AWESOMELY, DONATE VIA TEXT MESSAGE:

text ‘HAITI’ to 90999 to donate $10 through your phone bill

AND FINALLY….

i’m not gonna lie, i snuck out of the studio to watch the the football games last night.  the end of the Saints/Vikings game?– pretty intense.  Who were you rooting for?  are you hyped to see New Orleans in the Super Bowl?  The Colts?  Who you pullin for?

What’s your favorite Super Bowl Sunday tradition–besides gettin’ rip-roarin’ drunk?

Help Haiti

PLEASE MAKE A DONATION TO HELP THE VICTIMS OF THE HAITI EARTHQUAKE!

CLICK HERE TO DONATE.

YOU CAN ALSO, AWESOMELY, DONATE VIA TEXT MESSAGE:

text ‘HAITI’ to 90999 to donate $10 through your phone bill

Did I, sort of, win a Golden Globe?

The Section string quartet played on my record.  And killed it.

My upcoming record just got a lot prettier–The Section, one of the recording industries best quartets, played on 2 of my songs this past week.  The Section has played on about a million records, including Kanye West’s, and they really are the best.  It was a pleasure listening to them play on ‘Beautiful Life’ and ‘I Never Meant to Make You Cry.’

Its an incredible feeling to hear something you wrote being played by a string section.  i’ve found it to be surreal and very emotional *tear*.  I had the ultimate experience last year, for my Sony record, when i was lucky enough to have a full orchestra play on my record.  Paul Buckmaster arranged and conducted.  my head exploded.  Check out this video from that session:

THIS time The Section was, literally, about 10 times smaller than that orchestra BUT the exciting experience was the same–amazing.  I’ll have footage of that session next week.

Golden Globes:  Glee and Avatar are big winners!

This is pretty awesome, i must say.  Congrats to Glee for winning Best Comedy and to Avatar for winning Best Picture last night at The Golden Globes!  As you may know, i was lucky enough to have sung on both cast soundtracks.  So i pose a question–so did I, sort of, win a Golden Globe too?****  I had an amazing time recording both projects with the choirs and its hard to believe how both of them have blown the F up!

Its been a lot of fun watching these albums on the charts.  Glee 1 & 2 and Avatar soundtracks were all in the iTunes top 10 at once which was pretty amazing.  i guess you could say ‘I’ had three albums in the top 10….i’m basically Beyonce here.  ok, not really….at all.  which is good cause i can’t wear spandex as good as she does.

****(Chris is delusional and is fully aware that he did not, in fact, win a golden globe but is, however, pretty convinced that he is going to receive a proverbial Golden Globe in the mail while living vicariously through the acting casts of both projects so just let him believe this, ok?  don’t kill the dream.

MANNfan’s ‘Heartless’ video passes 100,000 youtube views!

Woo hoo!  way to go guys!  I’m so excited and honored to say that my/our Kanye West ‘Heartless’ remake video has passed 100k views on youtube!  i had an amazing time making it (with your help) and it’s pretty freakin awesome that its spread so much.  thanks for keeping it alive!

I have some good news:  I’m working on my next video and its gonna be a goodie.  you won’t guess which song i’m covering.  it’s a classique 80’s song by an iconic 80’s artist.  period.  stay tuned.

in the mean time…here’s Heartless.

Boston approaches

So all of the preproduction is complete for my upcoming record.  i’ve got the tracks, scratch vocals and templates completed on the first 10 songs of the record.  I’ve been in the studio every day for about 3 weeks now and I can’t wait to get to Boston this week to dig in with live tracking–that’s where we replace some of the computerized instrumentation with the real deal instruments.  It’ll sound way cooler.  I’ll also lay down my lead vocals and harmonies.  I’ll be sure to take some videos for next week’s blog and will be tweeting up a storm so be sure to check in with all that.

I’m not looking forward to freezing my ass off in the NE, though.  oh well….it’s for the art, right?

c

Leona Lewis, Black Crowes, Rooney and me?

Yes, those are 3 names you wouldn’t expect to hear in one sentence.  But, this past week, we’ve all come together in one way or another.  Let me explain…

LEONA LEWIS VIDEO SHOOT

So random things do happen to me.  a lot.  and another one happened this week.  I got asked, with actress Laura Perloe, to be in Leona Lewis’ new video for her song ‘I Got You.’  We were asked to be the ‘yacht couple’ and, man, it was tough work!  We went down to Marina Del Rey to meet the film crew at….you guessed it….the yacht.  We did wardrobe selections on the pier right next to the boat.  it was pretty hilarious.  observe:

The we hopped on to the ship and drove out into the ocean.  Dolphins were jumping in the wakes and the sun was setting.  It was really something.  So the director wanted to get shots of Laura and I being ‘couple-y’ with the wake and sunset in the background–kissy face, talking, teasing that i’m gonna throw her over board, me throwing her over board by accident, getting sea sick and vomiting over the side of the ship.  you know, the usual.

ok so most of those shots didn’t happen but some did.  Then they wanted us, solo, as if the other had left us.  Sad, i know.  This video is about human emotions so they wanted those 2 specifically.

Finally, they needed me dabbling my hand into the water.  We did this for a long time.  I was like, ‘don’t you think we’ve got this shot yet?  My hand is about to freeze off or get eaten by a shark.  no problem though.  i just leave it down here….’

So it was definitely a fun day at ‘work’ and we’ll have to see if we make the final edit.  there’s supposed to be a ton of other couples portraying emotion for the video so I have no idea if everyone will make the cut or it could be a total flash of each person where if you blink you’ll miss it.  we’ll have to wait and see.  i’ll post the video when it comes out.  fun fun for sure though.

ROONEY AND BLACK CROWE MEMBERS ON MY ALBUM

So i’m about 70% done with preproduction on my new album.   I’m in the studio every day working on tracks with Bleu and yesterday we had a real treat–Taylor Locke, of Rooney, and Adam MacDougall, keyboardist of The Black Crowes, played on my record.

Taylor played his Strat guitar on four of my new songs–Telephone, Foolin Me, Who I Am and a special cover song which i can’t quite reveal to you.  oooh, secrets don’t make friends!  i know.  i know.  sorry.

Taylor can play a majorly funky guitar part and it was perfect for these songs.  It was super cool.  Check out Rooney’s music here.

After Taylor left the studio Bleu and I went over to a studio in Los Feliz, in LA, to work with Adam MacDougall.  Adam had a room full of different keyboards ready to bring my tracks to life but i was only interested in one….the Fender Rhodes.  if you listen to a lot of 70’s music you’ve heard the sound of the rhodes.  really cool sound i’m into and Adam is the best at the style.

Adam played on my new song ‘i never meant to make you cry’ and it sounded amazing!  click here to see a live version of this song. You might be asking yourself, ‘um, chris plays the piano–why is he having someone else play on this song?’  that’s a great question.  Yes, i ‘play’ the piano but the style in which you play the rhodes is totally different.  I can play the rhodes, as well, and i do in my shows but i’m not about giving credit where credit is due–Adam is WAY better at playing that instrument than I am and I want this song to sound the best it can.   SOOO, i had Adam play.  it was verrrry worth it.  can’t wait for you to hear these new songs.

Big thanks to Taylor and Adam for ruling.

HEADING TO BOSTON

My upcoming trip to Boston to record the rest of my record is upon us…or, i suppose, upon me.  I’m more excited to head east than i can possibly describe EXCEPT for the cold.  let’s talk about this.  i’m an LA softie now and this whole ’single digits with snow’ thing does not mesh with me anymore!  i’m a wuss, what can i say.

RUFUS WAINWRIGHT RULES

When i saw that Rufus Wainwright was playing in Long Beach i bought tickets immediately.  I’ve never seen him live before and i was really curious.  I was so happy i chose to go cause he didn’t disappoint.  It was just Rufus and his piano and guitar.  1- he was f’in hilarious.  2- his songs are so unique–the structures are sometimes non existent and it doesn’t matter–you’re moved anyway.  3- his voice is pretty slammin.  4- he thinks like a classical musician, which i totally relate to and respect, and he does very classically minded things like–setting a cycle of Shakespeare sonnets and playing a piece from his new opera.

it was a very cool night.  if you get a chance to see him–go.

GO JOIN MANNVILLE FAN FORUM–GIFTS COMING SOON

if you’re not signed up for the MANNville fan forum on chrismannmusic.com you’re a loser….i mean, you should go join.  meet other fans and talk with me!  there’s going to be some give aways coming soon and you have to be an active member….go get signed up!

First MANNblog of 2010! Its a Beautiful Life…

Happy New Year!

So, how was it?  What did you do?  What did you drink?  What are your new years resolutions?

I must say, I’m really excited about 2010.  Last week I wrote a list of great things from 2009.  It was humbling for me to think back at all the good things that overshadowed the bad.  I was a lucky bastard last year.  Yes, shit happened to me–but it does to us all, right?  2010 has an aura to it, for me.  First, my favorite number is 5.  5 is a multiple of 10.  duh.  My birthday is May 5–that’s 5-5.  5+5=10.  Its like my roulette hayday year!  i should go to vegas right now (excpet y’all know i’m taking a year off).  I’m ready to let ‘09 go and bring in fresh times.  Kinda like a life diaper change.  Let’s rid the stank and get some fresh pampers.  Can i get an ‘amen?’  Alleluia.

I rang in the new year with Laura and some close friends.  No big parties.  Just amazing Thai food, a few drinks with my crew at 8449 in Hollywood and then champagne, cheese and chocolate with some good music friends.  Canadians, nonetheless!  after toasting in the year we all sat around and played each other songs.  That’s my kind of night.  quiet, close friends, music and, if i’m feeling crazy, strippers.  but not this year.   not this year.

I’m really excited about this MANNblogMonday cause its the first monday of the year.  I’ll be back in the studio working on my 6th song, called ‘Beautiful Life,’ for my upcoming record.  I love this song–it was the last song i wrote in London and it happened in, literally, 30 minutes.  Its about how, sometimes, you have to keep trying and hit those speed bumps before you find your beautiful life.  BUT that I (and, we all) will find our Beautiful Life, in the end.  It’s a really special song to me cause i’m bound and determined to have all i’ve ever dreamed of.  What’s so wrong with that?  I don’t think anyone should sell their dreams short.  They are all possible.  (dammit!)

The song is going to be very cinematic–string quartet, guitar, and symphony percussion.  I can’t wait to do the sting session this month in LA–and to play it for you soon!  I hope it reminds us all that we can all have a beautiful life.

Tonight I ate dinner at my old producer, Walter Afanasieff’s, house.  It was great A- because there was tons of red meat on the grill and B- there was, as usual, music after dinner.  Walter is an amazing pianist, as well all know, so its such an honor to just sit around and sing to his playing.  We played through a few older songs we recorded together on my Sony record (may it rest in peace) which was surreal.  it seems like forever ago!  again, goodbye 2009–HELLO 2010!  I also played some songs that will be on my new record, which was fun.  Walter and i finished with a major favorite of mine–Fly Me To the Moon.  done slowly.  the best.  It doesn’t take much, besides that, to remind me how much i love to sing and make music.

I can’t wait to make lots and lots of music this year.  Thanks for being a part of it!

Lastly, i just came across this picture on the internet–all these ‘top (blanks) of the decade’ lists.  I feel for BritBrit but, come on, this picture is f’in hilarious.  i think we’ve all felt like bashing in someone else’s car with an umbrella after shaving our head.  I know i have!  Let us all look at this pic as 2009 and any drama that may have been in our lives at that point and, metaphorically, beat the shiz out of it with our umbrellas.  ah!  that felt good.  2010 will be ready for us, now that that’s out of our systems.

Since she’s recovered and on 2 feet again–let us laugh at this pic–its genius.   Life is Beautiful!

c

Year in review…from Mexico

VIVA MEXICO!

Hola amigos!

Let me rub this in JUST a little…

I hate to be THAT guy but this is the view from the our rented condo in Puerto Vallarta.  Its really something else.  We decided to do something different this year instead of staying home in KS.  don’t get me wrong, we love our holiday tradition in KS, but this year something else was needed.  Our days are lazy and so are our nights.

If we’re not on the beach enjoying the warm water we’re in a bungalow at the infinity pool enjoying the view.  tequila and pacifico beer are sustaining me each day.  after the sun sets we’ve been hitting the sauna and, occasionally, the gym.

ok i’ll stop.  this is boarding douchy with gloating…but i had to a little.

So Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!  what did you do?  what did you get?  how was it?  what are you new years plans?  i can’t believe another year has past.  crazy, right?  big plans for ringing in 2010?

With 2010 approaching i’ve started thinking about how great my 2009 has been.  i got to sing for so many of you in so many places.  (be sure to post pics we might have taken together in MANNville community forum on chrismannmusic.com!)

YEAR IN REVIEW

IDINA MENZEL TOUR

I had a blast on tour with the amazing, Idina Menzel.  I met a BUNCH of you while on this tour and it was amazing!  did we meet at one of the Idina shows?  I saw a bunch of places i hadn’t been along the way and it was, truly, one of my favorite things i’ve ever done.

INDIA.ARIE TOUR

This is what I call a ‘dream come true’.  I got to tour, and sing with, one of my musical heroes.  India.Arie is THE TRUTH, y’all.  I had such a blast going through the west coast with Ms. Arie.  This evened out my east coast run with Idina.  Did you see any of the India shows?    Did you see me giddy like a little child on stage with her?

ROSIE’S BROADWAY KIDS

I was so honored to have been asked to sing at Rosie’s Broadway Kids’ fundraiser in NYC.  I can’t think of anything i did this year that was more fun and gratifying.  the kids were incredibly talented and so awesome!  i’m keeping up with a bunch of them on facebook.  are we friends on there? I got to rehearse with the kids for a day and teach them my song, NY Time.  Then we performed it together at the event.  so freakin’ awesome.

SONY RECORD

Despite the fact that Sony blows at life i did get an amazing opportunity to make a record on Sony records.  as you know, my label shut down 6 weeks before my release date and then kept my record for some reason–BUT i got amazing experience and had a blast!  i’ve started my next (way better) record in London recently and will have it out to you this spring.  I’m so freakin’ excited about it.  check out some previews on my youtube page.

LONDON WRITING TRIP

I spent 2 amazing weeks locked in a padded room at Kensal Town Studios in London and wrote my next record.  The writing gods were with me….the fruits of my labors will be here soon…

PRE OSCARS AWARDS PERFORMANCE

I headlined the Haven House Pre Oscars party in the Hollywood hills in LA with, Aussie Idol Winner, Guy Sebastian.  Good times, indeed.

SUNDANCE FILM FESTIVAL

Sundance was on of my favorite events of 2009.  Singing at the ASCAP cafe, hanging with Nigel Barker, skiing, the parties, Park City TV performance.  It was ridiculous.  Loved every second of it.

CAPITOL RECORDS STRING SESSION

Another dream come true was my string session at legendary, Capitol Studios in Hollywood.  Paul Buckmaster arranged the strings for my songs and we recorded them live for my Sony record.  This was so unreal my head exploded repeatedly.

THE HEARTLESS VIDEO

Thanks to all of you who participated in my Heartless remake video.  It’s almost at 100,000 hits on youtube.  that’s all you!

MAGAZINE MANNLOVE

MANNfans got some serious love in magazines in 09.  Elle and the cover of 360 Magazine, among others.  Paris looks a little jealous in the Elle pic….come on–you’ve had your fair share of pics.  leave me alone!

THE BRIAN MCKNIGHT RADIO SHOW

one of my other heroes is Brian McKnight.  He asked me to come sing on his radio show.  It was crazy.  i’ll never forget it.  there’s a youtube video of this.  check it out!

SINGING ON SOUNDTRACKS: GLEE, AVATAR, 2012

One of my favorite new experiences in LA has been singing on some TV shows and movies.  I’m very honored to sing on Glee and Avatar (who knew–the most expensive (and badass) movie ever?!)  I’m hoping to do a bunch more in 2010…

MY EP

in liu of my sony record i released my EP.  thanks for picking it up on itunes!

there was so much more that happened (like a million trips to vegas) but i’ll stop there.  2009 was very good to me.  I’m so blessed and i owe a lot of my success this year has been due to YOUR support.  i can’t thank you enough for being there for me this past year.  thanks for listening to my music and for telling all your friends and family.  it truly makes all the difference in the world.  i’m going to keep pushing forward for us all this next year.  i’m more excited about what’s coming than ever before…get ready.  i hope you’re all happy for a great new year.  be safe.

love, c

Happy Holidays! and some live videos….

Happy Holidays!

I hope you’re all getting as fat as me this holidays season.  Let the dinner parties begin!  I want you all to have a safe and happy holiday this week and for the rest of the year.  Be sure to send out my holiday music videos to your friends and family to brighten their day…and mine.  thanks!

I’m heading to Mexico for the big day this week and can’t wait.  LA’s warm…but Mexico is warmer!  i’ll be happy as long as the tequila is cold and tortilla’s are hot!

O Come All Ye Faithful

O Come O Come Emmanuel (with looping vocals)

‘Pitch Perfect’ blog interview….

I had a fun interview with a cool new blog this week.  It’s called Pitch Perfect and its written by a writer who also writes for GQ Magazine.  ooh la la!  The focus is all about A Capella singing.  If you didn’t know, i directed my college a capella group at Vanderbilt (and, more recently, sing on the hit show Glee) so they were interested in my thought’s on a few things.  Did you know Sara Bareillis and John Legend directed their a capella groups too?  don’t hate–some of us come out ok. click here to read the full interview.  do any of you sing a capella?  (in groups….not the shower or car!)  what’s your favorite song to sing?

Live show videos…

Here are a few more videos from my show at Room 5 in LA. Enjoy!

L.O.V.E.

Love Me or Leave Me Alone

I Never Meant to Make You Cry (with strings)

Cookin’ up a storm with Eli Sussman of ‘Freshman in the Kitchen’

So this new cookbook has been written by one of my good LA buddies, Eli.  It’s called Freshman in the Kitchen and you can get it on Amazon and in some book stores.  Its for people like me who want easy to make, yet gourmet, meals.  It’s the shit.  a perfect holiday gift you can use year round.  They’ve been featured on the Today show and, most recently, interviewed by the Huffington Post.  Check out the interview here. let me know which recipes you liked from the book…

Let the recording begin…

Today’s blog is short (sorry) cause i’m off to continue recording my album.  this is week 2 of recording and its going siiiick.  its a really cool album already and i can’t wait to see how it shapes up!  its definitely groovier than anything i’ve done before so, again, prepare thy asses to shake.

have a wonderful holiday!  look forward to talking to you next year (and from mexico)

adios-

c