New Year approaching...

My goals for the new year:

1. Successfully release 2 full length albums for digital and physical distribution everywhere :)

2. Play as many shows for as many people as humanly possible.

3. Travel and explore my country to appreciate the everyday ordinary beauty that is all around us.

4. Collaborate with fellow musicians and have fun with it :)

5. Make time to really appreciate all of the most important people in my life.

6. Start getting more sleep! - Realize that my body cannot continue functioning for long days on a half charged battery ;)

7. Minimize the need for my day job. . . hopefully by making some sort of dependable living with my music. . . which means steady gigs, exposure, and album sales! (that's where all of you come in).

8. Keep up on my healthy eating habits that I've been working on and fitting in a regular exercise routine even if only for 20 minutes every other day. Our bodies are our vessels and the only ones we have. It's important to value them with our lifestyle choices.

9. Embrace love.

10. Embrace peace, understanding, tolerance and change. The key to everything is balance and managing stress with self controlled thought.

Here's to 2011!!! - This is the year of positive changes and progress. This is the year of success. This is the year of unimaginable joy and thankfulness. This is the year of graciousness and love. Let's all make this year our very best. We can have and do anything if we just believe it and make ourselves open to the opportunities :)

I hope you all are well. I've been recording whenever possible. The albums are coming along and I couldn't be more proud. I am absolutely bursting at the seams to get the songs finished up and have all the photos/art done and everything printed. I can't wait to get that package in the mail and hold all my hard work in my hand and know that I can reach people with my songs. There is nothing more fulfilling.

Happy Holidays to Everyone :)

kori.eryn

Plans for the coming months....

So 2011 is looking good :)

I have been making some great plans for music. I suppose I should start at the beginning...

EARLY 2011

I have released my 4 song EP Droplets locally for sale at all my gigs. I have 2 full length albums in the works as well. One is being recorded by a good friend of mine, Neil Anthes, who has much knowledge of the science and art of sound recording and I'm lucky to have his help on the project. That album will be comprised of what I consider to be all my most promising songs thus far and the ones I deem worthy of the time and effort of recording "properly". This album will be named REASON FOR RAIN and will feature many musicians that I have had the pleasure of working with over the years. The second album I am working on is being recorded by yours truly in my bedroom in little ol' Westerly, RI. The songs chosen for this album were what I consider to be the glue holding my songwriting together throughout my early years of songwriting and are of personal value to me. The name of this album will be TEMPEST MAKES ME SHIVER.

....Now, do you see a theme? Storms, rain, drops... such is the early years of my songwriting...the road my life took me on since I have been writing as an adult have been stormy at best and it has definitely shaped my songs into melancholy splendor. The songs are my silver lining. The songs are the healing. The songs give me hope and restore. The songs help me gain perspective and help me relate. I absolutely cannot wait to release these albums! They are set for release by early spring 2011. I am recording like crazy and planning all the details.

I will be doing some photo shoots for the albums as well in the meantime. I have some great ideas for the cover art which I am excited about getting started. I have an absolutely fantastic photographer helping me out on that as well. More news on that as it becomes relevant. . .

SUMMER 2011

I am rather antsy about summer arriving because of all the ideas I have rolling around in my crazy brain.

First off I will be playing gigs around my hometown like crazy and hopefully getting in some shows in cities and towns in the close vicinity such as Providence...we'll see. I am also planning on doing some backyard shows featuring many local musical talents as a fundraiser for my autumn 2011 plans....more on that in a moment. Summer in new england is truly beautiful and I am lucky to live here. Outdoor shows will give the musicians and listeners alike to draw inspiration from the gorgeous scenery around us and gather to celebrate it. I also am hoping to put together a mini week-or-so long tour of new england during the summer where I travel to Maine, Vermont, New York, Boston, and perhaps a few others to play some shows for new listeners!

AUTUMN 2011

So....funds raised and plans made with 2 full length albums in tow, I will be setting off for a tour of this beautiful country I live in. I will be stopping in several towns during the journey (currently unbooked! - so if you want me in your town, send me a message and let me know!). I will be making my way slowly but surely towards the much dreamed about California. I will be scoping out towns along the way, specifically on the west coast for possible areas to relocate to in perhaps the following year to pursue my music in an area with optimum opportunities for my personal brand of songwriting and performing. Again, I am open to suggestions. I am in the process of planning the route. As soon as my albums are released I will be sending out press kits to venues along the way in hopes to secure some shows. In all of this, I'm hoping to have some fellow musicians joining me to keep me sane...haha. Also, it's great to share experiences such as travel with friends and its always nice to have some friends along to jam with in downtime when the inspiration hits or a song is just brimming on the edge of completion and absolutely must be shared!

A lot of planning is yet to be done as you can tell, but hopefully things will progress as I stay motivated on this grand path less travelled. I will be updating via blog a bit more frequently as progress is made. I also have a fun mini-project which I will keep as a surprise. Completely not helpful clue: the project will be released simultaneously with the self recorded album Tempest Makes Me Shiver :) ...Guesses??? haha

I'll leave this post at that. Oh, and I'm working on a way to may my EP Droplets available in physical form by directly ordering from me...I'll let you know when it's available so that you can all get a sneak peak at the sort of things I've been working on and tide you over til the other albums are released to complete the set :)

Much love for all the support,

kori.eryn

Here's a link to the video for my newest original "If I've Been There...(California)"

If I've Been There... (California)

I've been struggling with a throat infection unknowingly for the past month or so. Once I started actually losing my voice and having trouble breathing, I went to the doctor. Now I know not to leave a throat infection untreated as it makes for uncomfortable days. I'm currently waiting for the antibiotics to heal me...in the meantime, I'm not supposed to be singing - But try telling a bird not to fly, or a fish not to swim, or a horse not to run...they won't concede willingly, and neither will I. When musical inspiration strikes me, it would be torture to resist.

That being said, I have been mulling around the idea of the following song for perhaps a couple of weeks and my guitar was so inviting last night - with new strings and after a much needed tune-up - that the process had begun before I realized it. The following are the lyrics at current:

There was a time before the war

Before lines were crossed and goodbye innocence and talk was hushed

There was a time before the storm

Before trees were fell and hello missing you and homes were shells

Well, if I've been there, I don't remember

If I've been there, I was too young

And I didn't appreciate it

If I've been there, I was too young

I'm dreaming of California

I don't know if I'll make it alive

I never much cared for changing

But it's changing that helps me survive when I know that I'm wrong

I know when I'm wrong.

There was a time when the willing would stay

And sacrifice made was always repaid by lovers missing the lost

There was a time we believed in the American dream

And talk was sincere. It was worth it.

But, if I've been there, I don't remember

If I've been there, I was too young

And I didn't appreciate it

If I've been there, I was too young

We're all dreaming of the west coast - never will we let it go

Though they say Cali is sinking - it sure as hell don't let it show

I'm dreaming of California

I don't know if I'll make it alive

I never much cared for changing

But it's changing that helps me survive when I know that I'm wrong

I know when I'm wrong

You'll know when I'm wrong

'Cause wind will blow and shots will ring

While all of nature laughs and sings

If we don't bend, we'll lie in wake while sister, brother weep and shake

You stole my heart - I let you take it

Knowing well you'd probably break it

And when you did, the moon still rose. . .

I never saw the grass so green, the colors so clear, the clouds so near

As on the day I knew I'd survive

And I'm going to California.

Lyrics © k. eryn

November 7, 2010

"To Be Saved"

New original song lyrics written today.

Lyrics:

I won't believe in fairy tales and dreams when I can see the seams

Lights are deceiving - just another pawn to distract us from what's wrong

I don't want to be saved...

Chorus:

We're not weak, you see. We're all strong.

We need all these curtains down.

Hide the charades away.

Challenge everything. Fight the air you breathe.

Inhibitions - fly, life will blow you away.

We can't all be nodding our heads...or we'll miss everything.

I know the secret but can't make you hear it. Love's breaking my spirit.

Irons and shackles are only as tough as you give them credit for.

Find no peace in a cage...

Chorus: 1x

Bridge:

There's spots on the ceiling.

The red dye is bleeding.

I'm planting the seed in the back of your mind.

If you won't heed it,

No flower can grow.

Perhaps you know better than to reap what I sow...

You don't want to be saved.....

Chorus: 1x

...we can't all be nodding our heads...or we'll miss everything.

==================================================

On that note, I wanted to mention that I am happy. Live music is invigorating to say the least and I've been trying to fill my life with it as much as possible. I can't and I won't let myself lose sight of my own goals... I have so much to share with everyone! It makes me crazy when I write a new song and have no one to share it with. This one in particular won't be heard until its debut tomorrow night at the open mic at Perks and Corks in downtown Westerly, RI! There is nothing sweeter than to be drowning in a sea of music.

Perks and Corks open mic night :)

I played a total of 5 songs that night. I played a brand new song that is yet untitled, a song called Stay Anyway, another original called Twice, another called Reason for Rain, and a cover of Free Falling that I play as a mix between the original by Tom Petty and the brilliant cover by John Mayer. I also felt creative and realized that Free Falling has the same chords as the chorus of the song Love Story by Taylor Swift, so......I decided to transition into that and back to free falling :) oh what an adventure. It was a ton of fun. Maybe next time I will have a friend video tape the performance to share with the online community. I think that'd be a fun project. The open mic at Perks and Corks, the local coffee shop/martini bar, is every monday night so hopefully soon i can share something more satisfying than photos. lol

*kori eryn*

"Full Alive"

this is probably the world's worst audio quality for which i beg of your forgiveness. lol... Using only my video camera at the moment. I tried to edit the audio by extracting it from the movie file and sending it to garage band but even after lots of tampering, little good was accomplished. - too much treble in the vocals, terrible guitar - vocals ratio, would have loved some harmonies, but alas, my mixing board needs to be replaced so the use of my current microphones is out of the question. I hope this tides people over a bit. :? hope your eardrums forgive me...in my defense, i think this is a great song :)

Lyrics:
I've woken up to find I've been afraid of living all this while,
but i'm not afraid to smile.

I wasted it away while wasting me away under the shade
Of the "do nothing, been nowhere"
As though I had no time for it.

I'll never say I have it made,
But I can't stop - can't stop - I have become addicted.
Seems like just thinking its enough
And the world just plays along
As if I'm changing all that's wrong til it goes my way...

I've been thinking, "what a fool I've been"
Can't believe I wasted time on them

Now my smile is full alive - neglected phrases find their rhymes
This capsize is hypnotizing
Never thought I'd love drowning

I'll never say I have it made,
But I can't stop - can't stop - I have become addicted.
Seems like just thinking its enough
And the world just plays along
As if I'm changing all that's wrong til it goes my way...

Now my smile is full alive, neglected phrases find their rhymes
This capsize is hypnotizing
Never thought I'd love drowning

I'll never say I have it made
But I can't stop - can't stop. I have become addicted
Seems like just thinking its enough....

I can't change all the things I've done
Like I can't stop the rising sun

Now I am skydiving
I don't need a hand behind me
I've got this motivation
Can't stop the earth's rotation
Now that I have all my pieces
I think that I could need this
But am I strong enough to believe you?...

Music and lyrics © Kori Eryn April 2010

I Speak Because I Can - Laura Marling

Musical Genius. the voice, the playing, the writing speaks for itself. Laura Marling is epic.

Gravity - Sara Bareilles

This song was requested by the one and only Keith Cowley: http://www.youtube.com/user/keithcowl...

I'm so glad to have heard this song and been able to spend the time learning it. :)

In other news I got my first ever iPod today!!! stay tuned after the song for me. talking. and watching me open up the package etc in real time. lol. how very entertaining...

"Reason for Rain" by Kori Eryn

Another rough recording to get out my new songs :)
4th fret capo - standard tuning
I recorded most of this during the day on march 3rd and mixed and edited it that evening when i got out of work for a couple hours. finished by 2am. HAD TO SLEEP. slept. woke up exhausted and posted the video for all to see. :) Better audio recordings to come in the future of many originals that when done will absolutely be posted for download on my facebook fan page. I want to get a good set of them done (demo album????!) before I release them. maybe i'll make a proper album production out of it. All recorded from home, all album art etc, by me. That sounds like a good project. Very fulfilling, though at times very frustrating. . . but that's the nature of the beast. Then I can release some music on iTunes as many of you have requested. enough rambling. enjoy this new song.

Lyrics:
Take your time to tell the tale
Don't leave out those words you said
Don't forget the part you played
in lies of love and beds un-made

'Cause nothing's right if nothing's changing here
Something's wrong if we don't recognize-
Our actions speak the lies our lips refuse

Treat me right - I'll be your lover
Play your cards right and I'll stay
Swear to me that you'll be faithful -
No lies of love and beds un-made

But how can I be certain when ever there's a velvet curtain shutting out
The light behind your eyes that tells it better than you
And our actions speak the lies our lips refuse.

I don't mind - I understand indecision
What I despise is lies of love and beds un-made
and that I'm entwined in lies of love and beds un-made

I'm no stranger to loving with my eyes closed
I'm no stranger to sleeping all alone
The danger's in the season when I can't find the reason for rain...
**************************************** ******************************
Lyrics and music © K. Eryn 2010

http://www.tonesofbittersweet.blogspo...

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Kori-Er...
http://www.myspace.com/korieryn

korieryn@hotmail.com

Winter in New England

I thought I'd post up some pictures I took of the snow here in Rhode Island...or at least in the immediate area surrounding my house. So here they are:

Blurry sunset? awesome.

Experimenting with the mirror.

I've posted some of my better photographs on redbubble.com :)

Here's a photo (courtesy of Keith Cowley) of my little show at Applebees on January 22, 2010. It was swell. I was really nervous at first but I relaxed after a while and had a blast! Thanks to any that came out to see me :)

I had to learn a lot of covers for that show, so I'll be putting them to good use via my youtube channel. So be on the lookout!!

*kori eryn*

Blogging first thing in the morning...

So yesterday, I determined to record a song. I chose an original called Once Again. It was always my Nonie's favorite. I wrote it when I was 13 or 14 - one of the first I ever wrote after having picked up the guitar. Then, as I was practicing, I decided I needed a distinct ending. So I started playing around with some different pickings. Having found something that sounded cool, I decided I would make an outro to the song where it picks up a little and give it some energy (it's kind of a slow ballad-type song). However, the music has a mind of it's own and decided it needed to be a separate entity from Once Again entirely. So I switched up the capo position and got to work on some lyrics and melody. Two hours later, I had a finished song.

I made special arrangements to my day so that for 3 more hours, I could record the video. The audio tracks are the base recording of the guitar and me together, the harmony vocals, and the second guitar. I had some timing fluctuations, but I forgive myself having just written the song and it being so new. I had the lyrics typed up on the screen so that I could read off of them while I recorded. This is the first time I've ever had to do this with an original. Usually I just have them in my head, since they're usually either very old songs or at least one's that I'm very familiar with having had a lot of opportunities to practice them. Regardless, I enjoyed doing the video cuts and working with the lighting, etc.

One of my loves either second or equivalent to music, of which I know very little, is film. I find it utterly fascinating. What I create cannot be truly considered film, I know, but it's the thought that counts. Literature, film, music - fascinating. They all go hand in hand to me. I wish I was more cultured and versed in them.

While I'm thinking of it, I thought I'd mention that the book shown in the Tempest Makes Me Shiver video is indeed The Lord of the Rings by JRR Tolkien. He is a mastermind. Language, I forgot, is another long lost love of mine and Tolkien was a master of language in particular. I thought seriously of becoming a linguist when I was in high school, but it never panned out.

Also, in the video, there are two clips of a shot that looks like scribble letters and a map behind it. That is a bookmark that I drew and laminated of a map of Middle Earth and the inscription of the One Ring is written in elvish script across the middle. I love this bookmark. It stays in my book always :) I'm laughing at myself for sharing this in a blog right now, but it's part of who I am. Take it or leave it, I guess...lol.

I did a little work on my youtube channel background and used a similar background for my iLike banner. It was a fun little project that, since I don't have a specialized program for graphic designing, I had to be creative in using programs like 'preview' and 'powerpoint' to get the job done. haha. well, I'll catch up more later!

*kori eryn*

just happy

I recorded a video cover of the Fleet Foxes "White Winter Hymnal" that I'm excited about. Thanks to my friend Z, there's no more buzzing in the audio track. Electronics malfunction around me, apparently they do the opposite around him. I think together, we evened it out and the audio cooperated :)

The video should be in the video box to the left or on youtube.

I've had requests for more originals so I'll work on that in my future videos but I also have another Laura Marling song I want to put up. I'll just have to do a little of both. If anyone has a request for any covers, send them my way and I'll consider them :)

Other than that, I'm trying to get a little store up and running on etsy. I'll be sewing things like decorative pillows, pillow cases, blankets (any size from crib/infant to king), crib bumpers and burp cloths/bibs, as well as tablecloths, table runners, and cloth napkins and beaded napkin rings. I have a lot to do before this is all up and functioning properly but i'm taking orders. Everything at a reasonable price. I'm not trying to get rich off of it or live in a mansion, I'm just trying to make it by. The prices all depend on the item chosen and the fabric being used. I'm definitely accommodating in making sure the product is what was desired. So email me with any requests and we'll work together on it. I'm actually working on a request - a vest. I know it's not on the list of things I make, but I'm open to suggestions.

Stay tuned for more to come in the amazing adventures of my life...lol.

And happy new year to everyone.

*kori eryn*

2010

I need a better attitude.

"This attitude's no better than hitting the floor"

I need to learn how to be okay with a step by step process to just about everything in life. And also, I need to get better at figuring out the steps to accomplish my goals.

I have a toddler to potty train, blankets and other sewn home items to make and hopefully sell for profit on etsy and elsewhere, youtube videos and audio recordings to create, a tolerable part time job to find, a career in music to launch, an education to hopefully continue starting this year, a novel to continue writing and all the research that goes along with it, and my sanity to keep intact. I've been re-reading The Lord of the Rings trilogy again and watching all the documentaries that accompany the brilliant films by Peter Jackson and it's reminded me how inspiring the film process is.

Here's to keeping my head screwed on tight over the coming months...

*kori eryn*

Here's my brand new artist Facebook...What should I include? Any suggestions as to make it more appealing? I haven't really started yet but hopefully it'll be one of the things I begin working on this coming week...