Friday, December 31, 2010

New Year, New Blog!

Hi Everyone! I hope you are gearing up to celebrate the new year in style!

I just wanted to let you know that I am going to be posting my blog straight from my website from now on...it's part of the new streamlined site I've got! (Thanks Mike!)

I've posted a few things about the CD Release and the year in review already...check it out!


And don't forget, if you're interested in buying the new EP or the Live Album...go right ahead!! :)

www.maryscholz.com/wp/store - for the new EP!

Saturday, November 13, 2010

"LIVE at The Blue Light Sessions"


My Live Album, "Mary Scholz LIVE at The Blue Light Sessions" is now available!
Download the album and receive a FREE track of of "Water Rising"
!!

All proceeds go to production costs for "Water Rising."

Photo by Denise Maggetti Nowak


Album Cover!

Ladies and Gentlemen, the Album Cover for
"Water Rising"

Photo and Design by Charles Kevin Mauer

Monday, October 11, 2010

1:45 am - Still working!

Just saying hello from the studio - at More Sound Studios in Syracuse doing the mixing session for the EP - still!

Yesterday we had a great editing session with our engineer Shaun and today was the first day of mixing with Jocko - it's sounding awesome!

As I've said before, I am working with some extremely dedicated people - we've been going strong since 3pm with only about 45 minute break for dinner.

We needed to re-cut some piano parts, and so we did.

Everyone is getting a bit delirious and goofy - time to turn in for sure!

****

Don't forget, if you're in the Philadelphia/New Jersey area. this Saturday I'm playing a show in Mount Holly which will be recorded for a LIVE ALBUM! The album will be sold as a digital download as a fundraiser for my studio EP .... there are 10 tickets left, so email me if you want one!
($20 includes the show and a copy of the cd)
mary@maryscholz.com

*****

Pictures of my trip to Niagara Falls coming soon!!

Tuesday, October 5, 2010

"We Are All In This Together..."

"I write about things that matter to me. Things that are close to my heart. And it's my hope that through music we can connect with one another, to better understand that we are all alike, and that no one is alone."

I said that once - I'd say it again.

This week there has been a lot of coverage about a shocking increase in reported gay teen suicides (emphasis on reported) including two 13 year old children. These boys barely even make it into the category "teen" at all.

The news stories talk about how these kids were bullied - made to think that they are different, that they are alone.

It makes me sick to my stomach to think of the way that this issue is being handled. Because it's not just children joking around or being mean - it is adults who continue to support a message of hate and intolerance. Even that word, intolerance, is wrong, because we should not "tolerate" each others differences, we should ACCEPT them. Because we all have differences. It is part of what makes us all alike.

To teach a child that being homosexual is wrong is like teaching a child that the color hair they were born with is sinful.

Think back to when you first felt the feelings of a "crush" on a boy or girl in your school class. You didn't choose to have feelings for them, it just happened. How about when you suddenly had feelings for someone who had been a platonic friend for years and you never thought about dating? You no more chose those feelings than you chose to be as tall or short as you are. It is part of the gift of human nature.

You may or may not have noticed that I never discuss things of a personal or political nature when it comes to my public self. Yes, I have opinions. I follow a certain faith, I believe in certain ways things should be run. But I don't discuss them openly, not publicly, because to me, the most important thing about music is bringing people together. I want someone to hear a song about my personal struggles and realize that they are not alone in theirs - that we are all struggling together - and that while sometimes we feel like we are alone, we indeed are not.

This is how I got through the most difficult challenges of my childhood and young adult life. Relating to those I heard share their story via song - because that was a language I spoke.
Do you remember what it was like to be 13? I do. I already felt different and strange. And yes, alone. And I didn't have anyone cramming my existence down my throat.

I want to alienate no one, because everyone has a struggle, and no one should be made to feel alone.

But what I write about today is not a political issue. It is not one of faith, it is not one of liberal or conservative standpoint. It is an issue about human rights. It is an issue about human interaction. And I cannot simply stay quiet while people are being mistreated and misrepresented.

It is often assumed that people of a strong religious background support the idea that homosexuality is a choice and a sin. I come from a very religious family, and am very dedicated to my faith. But my faith tells me to love one another, not discriminate against.

They say that the internet is written in ink - so let it be shown and never erased - I do NOT support those who preach a message of hate against those who are homosexual. I stand for an equal society.




To those struggling - those being told that they are less important and valid than they truly are - you are NOT alone, and the world needs you.

1-866-4-U-Trevor

(Credit to singer/songwriter Ben Lee for the title, "We Are All In This Together.")

Tuesday, September 21, 2010

The Lead Guitar is a Crazy Thing....

That's right, two blogs in one day!!

Today we were at the awesome Turtle Studios in Philadelphia to record the amazing Ross Bellenoit on lead guitar...slide guitar...and all of the fancy schmancy stuff he does (not to mention the tambourine action...)

Ross went to UArts with Nate and me but somehow this was the first time we worked together! He can generally jam out to every style of music on the guitar - listening was half the fun. :)
Thank you for all that you've added to the project!!

Our engineer today was Rob Shaffer, a seasoned musician in his own right! Thanks for your hard work today Rob!

Turtle Studios has a really great new space in South Philly and it was a ton of fun to record there!

www.rossbellenoit.com
www.turtlestudios.com






The Cello I Love the Most...

Last Tuesday Nate and I went out to Silvertone Studios in Ardmore, PA to work with the ever fabulous Alfred James of the Alfred James Band.



Silvertone is an awesome setup - they just added a new live room which is amazing - we didn't use it but it looked kick-a.

Here's Alfred adding cello tracks to the title track, "Water Rising."



As I told him, he and Nate seem to speak "Mary Scholz" - bringing to life all of these ideas I had that I couldn't seem to articulate. It's amazing to hear what others can bring to the table.

I am so grateful to have all of these talented musicians in my life!

www.silvertonestudios.com
www.alfredjamesband.com

Tuesday, September 14, 2010

To those who saved the day...

An additional thank you to two gentlemen who saved the day this weekend...

First, Tim Lappin, for sending files from Brooklyn after technical difficulties in Syracuse...

Second to Andrew Greacen for the use of his beautiful guitar after issues with mine!

Thank you both so so so much!!

Sunday, September 12, 2010

Studio Day 2 and 3

Day 2 and 3 consisted largely of rhythm guitar and vocals (me) with some added percussion and piano. Thanks to all of your prayers, crossed fingers and a large consistent amount of tea with lemon my cold behaved and I was able to sing with relative ease.

Saturday:

Control Room Setup



Me getting set to record guitar parts



Me filming some video



Nathan and Shaun enjoying some fine seltzer water



Nathan's seltzer water ad



The fabulous Shaun Sutkus - our fearless engineer. He has been putting in ridiculous hours on the project - thank you Shaun!



Tracking




Sunday:

Some alternate percussion....?



Getting silly



It's 10:44pm and we're still working - these have been LONG days. Thank you so much to Nathan Terry and Shaun Sutkus for sticking it out, and to More Sound Studio for having us!

Tomorrow Nate and I hit the road to work in another studio with the strings on Tuesday.....


www.moresound315.com

Friday, September 10, 2010

Studio time - New EP!

My 27th was my last post? Shame on me!

Well, this summer has been busy and great. I had a few gigs here and there, both in NYC, Harrisburg, Philly and Jersey. Most of my time (musically) has been spent traveling between Philly and Brookly for pre-production for the new EP.

That brings us to today - our first day of actual production! We are in Syracuse, NY for three days of recording sessions, then we head back to Philadelphia for two more days in two more studios. This sounds like my life in general - always moving, always in a different place!

Today is drum and percussion day, so I have a lot of time to sit and listen...and write this blog :)

Who is "we," you ask? I am here with my friend/producer/drummer Nathan Terry, our sound engineer Shaun and his assistant (and engineer in his own right) Andrew.

Here are some photos of the studio!

Upright Grand Piano - it sounds awesome - and was made in Philadelphia!

What's behind this wall of sound, you wonder....?

Shaun at the board, Nathan watching and Andrew looking on in the background.
This is where I am - relaxing cross-legged on the couch with my computer and my cup of tea. If I had thought about it I would have taken a photo of my view of the soundboard from the couch. Well, I did, but it didn't make the cut. :)



Stay tuned for more photos and perhaps a video or two as well...
(and say some prayers that this sniffle issue I woke up with yesterday corrects itself before tomorrow's day of singing!!)

Thursday, May 27, 2010

Trip Video!

As promised, here are a few videos from my trip!

The first is an overview of my time in California - a "music video" I put together, set to the song "Party In The USA," performed by Miley Cyrus.



Next up is a video blog from my time in Arizona!



The following video is a live performance of Natasha Bedingfield performing her hit song "Unwritten" at the ASCAP "I Create Music Expo" showcase!



And THIS performance took place the same night - Phil Vassar sings his song "Just Another Day in Paradise."



Lastly, this video has nothing to do with my trip, but is me singing "God Bless America" at the Camden Riversharks game in Camden, NJ on May 25th.



Enjoy!!

Monday, May 24, 2010

Kate Flannery and Malibu - last of CA

Okay so it's been a few weeks and I've failed to post photos from my last few days in California...so here we go!

On May 1st I had the opportunity to go see "The Lampshades" perform in Hollywood with a fellow UArts grad and actor, Johnnie Hobbs III. "The Lampshades" is a musical comedy duo who take on a ridiculous lounge act featuring Kate Flannery as Kassie Chew and Scot Robinson as Hori Pismo.

Both are hysterical - it was a great show! You might recognize the name Kate Flannery or her face in the picture below as she also appears weekly as Meridith on the show "The Office." (NBC) Kate is also a graduate of both my high school and college - Archbishop Carroll and The University of the Arts. It was a pleasure to meet her and get to chat for a bit after the show!



My last day in California was spent as one should spend their last day in California...on the beach. We finally had a really warm sunny day (a lot of chillier ones) so we headed to Malibu to soak up the sun!

(I love the tall tall palm trees)










It was an awesome trip! Check back tomorrow for some video!!

Wednesday, May 12, 2010

Lillith Voting Process

Hello Friends...

So I've been asked for a more detailed description on how to vote to see me open for Lillith Fair - and I am happy to oblige.

1) Go to www.ourstage.com - you can either create an OurStage account or login with your facebook account.

2) Once you've logged in, go to the search bar and search "Mary Scholz" - on the right side there is a button to "make your favorite artist" - this will ensure that I come up at least once a day in your voting.

3) Once you've created an account or logged in, find the tab across the top of the page that reads "Judge." If you drag your mouse across it, options should pop up - click on "Lillith Channels."

4) Select "Philadelphia"

5) Once you're on the Philadelphia page, you'll be given four musicians - you are required to listen to at least 15 seconds of their song before judging (if these musicians come up in judging again you will NOT have to re-listen)

6) Once you've listened to 15 second of each performer, you drag and drop their picture on the right side where it says "Drop Zone" - rank the 4 from best to worst.

You can check the standings by clicking the tab that says "Standings." I spent two days at number one and have since dropped off the top 100 chart completely - I haven't come up more than 4 times in my own voting tries and the same with Nick - although we keep seeing the same artists over and over again.

This is, needless to say, very frustrating for me and I hope to be able to come back and make it back to the top by the time voting ends (in 11 days!!)

Thank you as always for your support, time and dedication. :)

Friday, May 7, 2010

The Nashville Flood: How You Can Help

With all of this talk about the oil spill in the Gulf and the bomb scare in Times Square, the flood in Nashville has been swept under the carpet a bit...

Now if only we could sweep the water away as fast as it came! I received an email from a musician friend of mine who's whole house was lost in the flood waters - she is one of many people/families struggling to get back into their homes after such a devastating blow.

Coincidentally my travels were supposed to have me playing in Nashville just before the flooding, but scheduling conflicts brought me to Los Angeles instead - do you believe in the phrase "everything happens for a reason?" I do. I am so grateful to have not been around to need to be evacuated, lose my car, guitar, etc. I do not know the reason that can be given for the flood itself, but I do know that people need help and we are going to need to step in. The following is a list of organizations you can contact to volunteer your time, money or supplies.

And also,

Dear God - can we have a break from these natural disasters? There are too many to handle right now, and not enough time to fundraise enough money to help everyone affected.

Love,
Mary



The Nashville Flood: How You Can Help

Posted using ShareThis

"Thanks to all the wonderful fans who have inquired about ways to help victims of the Nashville flood. We’ve compiled a list of several organizations that can use everything from donations to household items to man power. We appreciate everyone coming together to help those in need!

Text ’REDCROSS’ to 90999 to donate $10 to disaster relief — or visit redcross.org to donate.


Check out the Nashvillest blog, with a section called “So Nashville Is Flooded…How Can I Help?”


Hands on Nashville has a number of volunteer efforts going on in Nashville and Williamson County. Please visit their website for more information.


The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee is working directly with Mayor Dean and Governor Bredesen on city and state emergency response efforts.


If you’re in or near Nashville, The American Red Cross is operating a number of shelters around the area and will be in need of volunteers this weekend to help distribute items. More information here.


Soles4Souls: Soles4Souls has generously donated 20,000 pair of shoes and boots to families and workers in need. They’re going to need help distributing these shoes, so call Isabelle at 615-392-5723 to volunteer in the coming days if you’re in the Nashville area. And as always, they could use your monetary donations if you feel so inclined. Donate here.


Please visit the Nashville Humane Association for information on pet food donations, assistance, etc"

Last May - my stop at the Grand Ole Opry

This May

Friday, April 30, 2010

Beverly Hills, Ventura...BEACH!






On Wednesday I took a tip into Beverly hills with my friend Paris to sample the famous "Sprinkles" cupcakes....yum!



(Yes that's one Jerry Springer doing interviews for his show...I did not volunteer for that one!)




On Thursday I picked up a rental car and headed north to Ventura for a lunch meeting - and found the beach on my way back :)







Check out the wind - crazy!!




Not only did I find the beach, I found the beach with a HUGE SWING SET....swinging on a swing on the beach? It was nothing short of amazing - I giggled out loud at the freeing feeling it gave me. A kickback to my childhood, and a reminder of how it feels to fly...(yes, I'm working on a song now with that theme...haha)






I then got to visit with some family and have dinner in Malibu - got to hang out with two awesome girls and talk about kindergarten and pre-school and tying shoes...it's amazing the enthusiasm in the smallest thing. Another reminder of what it feels like to fly.