Bloggy Wog by Chrissy Coughlin

Hola amigos

It is crazy that it is March 24^th.  Crazy crazy crazy…But it’s been a good year so far. So good that I have been horrible about writing my blog, which is, well, NOT good!

So!  Here we go…I have been somewhat hunkered down in the Boston area these days and it’s been nice.  Working on some new songs and figuring out some next steps.   Tonight, for instance, I am going to be drinking a bottle of wine over the phone with a friend and catching up…it’s the little things.

Last weekend I was out in Kansas City for my niece’s baptism and it was pretty cute seeing her in her little dress, etc.  I am in love with this child.  She is my first niece and she is pretty much the cutest thing ever….so that was fun. Exhausting but fun. And we went from 65 degrees on Friday sitting outside for lunch to 9 inches of snow the next day. It was bizarre but I think snow is pretty so I wasn’t complaining too much. The big deal was that everyone pretty much brought “springy” clothes and shoes for the baptism when winter boots ended up being more appropriate. We managed.

The biggest news of 2010 so far is my trip to South America.  I got back about 2 weeks ago already. That is also crazy. I went to Argentina and Chile and had the best trip ever. I started in Buenos Aires and checked out the city for a day and a half and then headed down to Patagonia to do some trekking.  I started off in El Chalten in Argentina (Parque del los Glaciares) and did a few days of hiking there and then made my way over to Chile  (the day after the earthquake) where I went on a 7 day trek in Torres del Paine National Park.  Words cannot describe the infinite beauty of both El Chalten and Torres de Paine (Torres del Paine was my favorito).  I met the most amazing people, hiked in some the most stunning places this earth has to offer, and drank some of the best wine ever.  What more does one need?   Well, I can think of a few things…but you get the picture. If you are a facebook friend, I have posted my pics on my personal page. I fell in love with Patagonia and am plotting my imminent return. I wrote lots of lyrics down there.

I am wrapping this up post bottle of wine with friend so I am going to sign off.  Send me stories of what’s going on in your lives!  If you are in Boston, definitely let me know. I should be posting some shows soon.  I hope that everyone is having a great 2010. Thank God for spring.  It is cold in Boston.  Please say hello anytime!!

Besitos!

Chrissy

Best decade yet!

Hi there my friends.   Wow, I feel like 2010 has certainly started off with a bang! It’s always an interesting time for me because my birthday falls close to the new year as well so I am double whammied with the whole new year’s resolution start fresh thing.  This year I just decided to take it stride and look at things a little differently.  Rather than setting (relatively) unattainable goals, I have just taken a deep breath, appreciating all that I already have and what I am already doing and also working on minimizing the energy sucking distractions.  Easier said than done but so far it feels pretty good.  Living in the moment is hard as a musician (except for on stage of course!) but it really is all about the journey and adventures along the way.  And I have had some good ones!

I just had two shows in NYC that were really fun.  One was at Norwood Club, a private creative arts club, and the other at Rockwood Music Hall-one of my favorite venues in the city.  Chris Benelli played drums with me at Rockwood and it was awesome.  I also got together with a bunch of friends for my birthday and it was amazing. I loved bringing everyone together, introducing people to each other, and just hanging out and talking and catching up. It was a great way to start the year. Man, I have some amazing friends. I am a lucky woman.

I also have completed two new tunes!  I am so excited and am in the process of recording rough mixes.  I have a few more in the works but it’s nice when you feel like you can put a tune down and say, “okay, that’s it!”  Working on what to call them now.

Other than music, my mind this past week, much like yours I am sure, has certainly been focused on Haiti.  It is horrific and every time I turn on the TV hopeful that things are getting a little better down there, I am taken aback by all of loss of life, uncertainty, and devastation.  Seeing it on TV doesn’t even compare to what it must be like in real life but it still leaves me feeling incredibly sad.  It is nice to hear the occasional happy story of a successful rescue but it is still overwhelming.   I just hope everything possible is being done to help everyone down there be as comfortable as possible during this life altering heartbreaking transition and beyond.

Well! I hope that everyone is embracing the feeling of hope that comes with a new year.  It’s going to be a good decade for sure.   How can it not be as long as there is music in the world??!!!

xo

Chrissy

Sunny Florida shout out!

Well! I am just going to go ahead and say that I am typing this outside in 75 degree weather with the breeze blowing ever so slightly taking the edge off of the heat and sun exposure that my so very white pale skin has been deprived of for so very long.  I am in Florida with my family and it is fantastico. I can’t remember the last time I was so excited to walk out of the airport into the tropical air. Don’t get me wrong, I might prefer a tropical island with umbrella drinks being handed to me left and right, but this will do just fine. And as I said, I am with my awesome family.

It is so nice to take a chill pill from the frigid Northeast and kick back and eat my mom’s brownies…you know the ones with butter, graham cracker, chocolate chips (of course), coconut, sweetened condensed milk, and walnuts to boot? I mean seriously. They are good for breakfast, snack, lunch, snack, dinner, snack, late night snack, insomnia snack…whenever. In fact, I woke up this morning, poured my coffee, and said to myself, “Oh, I think I will” as I grabbed one off the cookie tray thingy. I thought nobody heard me but my sister-in-law did and laughed at me.  Alas, no guilt just bliss.

Okay, enough about the brownies. But I will say that one of my friends/music fans sent me a care package the other day consisting one Tolberone, one Chunky, and one Ferrara bar (I had never heard of that one but it was good.)  It was clearly spurred by the Toblerone blog and my not so subtle obsession with chocolate products.  I screamed in delight. Who wouldn’t like to get that chocolate fest in the mail?  Then I contained myself and went into grateful mode. How thoughtful of him.  This is also the same person who bought a whole case of CDs to give to his office mates for the holidays this year. HOW COOL IS THAT? I still like Toblerone the best.

Onto music stuff! I have three shows in January in NYC that I am fired up to play. It’s always fun to report shows at the beginning of the year. I have birthday in early January as well so the New Year takes on a whole double meaning thing of new goals, dreams, hopes, desires - all of which, by the way, I intend to make reality. No pressure or anything.  So, January 6th I will be playing at this private arts club called Norwood, January 12th I will be playing at one of my favorite venues in NYC, Rockwood Music Hall, and then at the end of the month on the 30th I am playing the Redhorse Cafe in Park Slope, Brooklyn.  All great and very different venues. Good stuff. Check out my Website soon for updated info on those shows.

Alrighty!  So, the end of the year has come. It’s been coming a little quicker these past few years but that is fine.  It’s just important to wake up every day and do our best. Right!? That’s all we can do. I have to say, I am so damn appreciative of all of my friends, family, and people who I don’t even know who like my music and show their support for me. It’s a pretty great reason to want to keep on making music and get better.  I hope this next week is fantastic for each and everyone of you.  One more week of a decade that has come and gone. Make the most of it!  We will soon be embarking on a new decade together so let’s make it ROCK and ROLL!! Happy Holidays!!!!

xo

Chrissy

Dancing in December

Hi friends!

It’s Sunday afternoon, it’s getting dark, and I am tired in that good, “I danced until the dawn” way. There’s just something about letting it all go and feeling as free as a bird.  I went dancing last night with some friends and it was awesome. That’s the second time in the past couple of weeks where I have cut a rug and it feels pretty damn good.  A friend recently told me that he thinks more people should dance.  I believe he was implying that we would all be a lot happier. I couldn’t agree more.  I mean you don’t have to be a “good” dancer or anything or possess all of the slick hipster moves - you just have to be able to move.  And its soooo much fun.

This morning I woke up to a beautiful coat of snow on the ground.  Some people around here are unhappy about the arrival of this snow but I love it.  What I think is really going on is that a mere 48 hours ago or so it was 70 degrees outside and people were out in tank tops and shorts and loving life and snow now means cold.  But snow also means beauty so I hopped in my car this morning and took a drive off the beat and path.  It was magical. The snow was clinging to the branches of the trees and the sunshine was pouring through making everything glisten.  I was so happy.  Once I was in the general location where I wanted to be, I just let myself turn on roads on a whim. I had no idea where they would lead me but one brought me to Walden Pond.  I had never been there and I thought that it was pretty fantastic.  I stopped and took it all in.  Good times and good lyric making.

Well, it’s pretty crazy that we are already into December but that’s okay.  I have been so lucky to have recently been able to spend some quality time with family and old friends and new.  It has all been pretty wonderful.  I am working on cranking out new tunes that I hope to be playing out soon. I have a feeling that 2010 is going to be a pretty good year but I will talk to you before that. Now go out and dance.

xo

Chrissy

We have found Chunky

My friend/music fan Ralph from Chicago fame has reported to me that Chunky is alive and well at Walgreens. Attached is proof. I thought they said bye bye to those long ago. Although I am happy Chunky is still alive, I would pick a toblerone hands down!

I love Toblerone

Hello sweet friends and music lovers-

I am sitting here eating a chunk of Toblerone and thinking about all that has transpired in the last couple of months. There is something about Toblerones for me. I bought one of those big huge ones at the store and pretty much every day I take a chunk off and eat it.  I had never seen a Toblerone so large so of course I had to buy it. Tonight I decided to eat my chunk as an appetizer. Yum. (Remember Chunky’s as a kid…some of us?) They weren’t as good as Toblerones but that’s a fun random memory. Where did they go?

Anyhow! I am currently hanging in Boston for a time and have been picking up the guitar a whole heck of a lot more which feels good. I have come to realize more than ever that I am truly a gal who needs wide open spaces. Grass, trees, sky, openness. I mean Boston is no Badlands but it is a nice change for now.  I will keep you posted.

I am also writing writing writing. I have lots of little songs at this point that will be coming together. I am thinking a new album in 2010 would be nice:) I think if I keep on eating Toblerones, the songs will come quicker. That’s a nice theory as long as I write some upbeat songs and dance the chocolate off the bootie.

Oh and nougat, too. The best part.

xo

Chrissy

Are you a “tobleroner “?

4am

I am here sitting home on Saturday night because I came home at 4am this morning. People who know me know that I don’t do things like that very often.   I was just having too much fun to go home and you know when you get that “I’m so tired that I don’t even know if I am tired” thing going on? Well, that’s what I had. I was hanging out at the very cool Norwood Club with my friend Doug and his two British friends Sophie and Helen. It was fantastic just talking about life and laughing. I hadn’t done that in a long time, which is not good! Norwood has guitars hanging out on the 3^rd floor so they grabbed one and had me play a few tunes in the downstairs bar. It was cool.  I got to Norwood at 8:45 and thought I would stay there maybe two hours.   We closed the place down. You never know where life is going to take you.  (It took me to get a slice of pizza on the way home!)

Last week it brought me to Colorado Springs where I attended the Durango Songwriter’s Expo. It was very cool to be hanging out with people who love music, are dedicated to it, and come at it from all different angles. It reinvigorated me! My friend, Al Moss, of Nashville and Americana Radio fame, encouraged me to go and I am really glad I did. I even got to perform my song ‘Wait for You’ at the showcase the first night. I was sicker than a dog that night but drank ten mugs of hot water and lemon and got up.  And to sing at 6,000ft made it doubly as interesting!  I felt like all of the cotton fields of Georgia secretly found their way inside my mouth but I made it through the song with decent resultsJ

Then I hit Kansas City to see my bro, his wife Katherine, and my sweetness of a niece Grace, and oh yeah, their awesome dog Stanley, the big black lab. It was awesome.

Now I am back in NYC.  Have been laying a little low but am getting back into show booking mode.  Gotta keep it real!  And it looks like I am going to be up in Boston in November doing some writing and catching my breath but I will keep you posted!! I am excited to create a whole new batch of songs for you!

Big huge hug-

Chrissy

Lots to be happy about

Hi friends-

Hope all is well. It’s been an eventful few weeks. My brother and his wife just had their first baby and I am a new aunt. I can’t believe how amazing it feels. I was out in Kansas City with them for almost a week and it was so incredible holding this tiny little angel. I love her so much!!! I will attach a picture after this blog. It’s amazing how innocent she is and how she is just taking it all in with wonder and amazement. Ah, I could on:)  Babies are pretty cute.

On a sadder note, it is amazing how deeply affected I have been about the Air France flight that went down last week. I guess we all need constant reminders of how fragile life is, but wow. I guess it is because it could have been any one of us…but also that they don’t know what happened. I just hope and pray nobody suffered.  I hope they did not really even know what hit them. I just hope all of families are hanging in there and finding some iota of comfort from each other. Go give someone you a hug.

And on the music front, well good things are happening! I am booking more shows and just got this great show at this private club for creative artistic types in NYC called Norwood. I am going to be doing a set there next Tuesday the 16th.  Some famous members include Mick Jagger, Michael Stipe, and Prince. I won’t hold my breath that they will be in attendance but just dreaming about the possibility is enough for me!

I also just found out that my song, Do it Out of Love, is being featured on a new podcast called Woman of Substance. This show is going to be playing for the forseeable future Mondays from 7-9pm. Here is the link. http://www.live365.com/stations/breenoble

So I hope everyone is doing great. Say hello when you can and remember to tell your friends about me!! You can be a fan on my facebook page:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Chrissy-Coughlin/48452827773

Or join my email list by emailing me by going to www.chrissymusic.com and I will keep you posted on stuff!

Wishing everyone the best!

xo

Chrissy