![]() So much has happened since last week! I've played more shows and recorded even more parts. This past weekend I played another show with Another Michael (you can go grab the new cassette of his album Sans here) as well as my first Alenni show with a full band (Nick Sebastiano, Jake Crofoot, and Mike Doherty). The Alenni show was a really fun night full of great music. Callout Culture opened up the night with their intricate, experimental pops tunes, I jammed out with my bandmates (including a guest appearance of Connor Benincasa of Comfy on drums for a couple songs) for a very sweet and friendly crowd, and dollys closed out the show with one of the best sets I've seen in awhile. All in all it was one of my favorite shows. I even a had merch table with mugs and pins! The mugs sold out (thank you everyone who bought one!) so I'm looking into options for getting more. Look out for them on my store page! As for recording updates I finished recording my viola parts, I recorded almost all the violin parts (thanks to the lovely Jahna!), and I recorded all of the drums for the album. The drum session was easily the craziest session so far and I couldn't have done it without the help of Judybelle and Collin (so so much thanks <3). The session lasted about eleven hours and I recorded nine songs. A huuuge shout out is warranted for the drummers for putting their all into their performances: Nick Cavin, Mike Doherty, Collin Bevan, and Connor Benincasa (who came all the way from Utica!!) Here are some epic shots Judybelle took of the session: The toughest thing with this whole project so far has been the comping/editing. It feels like a never ending pile of work that will only grow as I record more instruments. It takes a lot of effort to stay on top of editing everything as I record it and even after I edit everything I have I just record more and have more editing to do! I can only dream of the impending gratification when the album is finished that feels so near yet so far away. To close out this post here's a clip from my show. Check out and subscribe to the events tab of my Facebook page to keep up with my live performances (click HERE!) Thanks Stephanie Sebastiano for taking videos at my show! Thanks for reading/listening/watching!
<3 Alenni What I'm listening to this week: "imitator" by dollys Since I last wrote I played three shows with three different bands, recorded flute and viola for my album, and performed at a tech conference in New York City. Busy busy times! On Thursday Amarie laid down some killer (and by killer I mean super adorable) flute tracks on a few of my songs. It made me want to write flute parts for everything! She is seriously so talented. ![]() I've been playing keys, guitar, and singing for Another Michael and on Friday we had our first show with the new lineup! It was such a great time. Playing music you love with people you love is probably the best thing in the world. The next day I played with Another Michael again as well as The Plastic Faction at an event held by Newlywed Records in Utica and THEN I played a solo set back in Albany. It was a hectic day but getting to hear so many different bands with different genres was a real treat. I feel really lucky that I get to do what I love so often. A millions thanks to Nici Alex Photography for this photo! Check out her other photos of me from this show as well as all of her amazing work here. ![]() As if four gigs in one week wasn't enough, I had one more performance in NYC for a tech conference at the Waldorf Astoria. I was the violist in a small ensemble and had the opportunity to play with some very talented musicians. The art deco styling of the building was jaw-dropping. I could have taken pictures of every single pretty shiny thing that I saw but I only got a photo of the chandelier in the grand ballroom, and I think it speaks for the grandeur of the entire hotel. Finally, once all the gigging and traveling was over (for now), I recorded the viola parts for most of the songs on my album that have strings. It's always a little lonely working in the studio alone but the payoff of getting work done and recording more instruments makes it worth it (plus look how pretty the studio is!) Thanks for tuning in! Here's a preview of Amarie's sweet flute and piccolo skills. <3 Alenni
What I'm listening to this week: "If I Had a Dog" by Frankie Cosmos ![]() This past week was full of album progress and birthday celebrations. I was able to get into the studios a few times as well as schedule a weekly time slot. Everything is going to plan! To start off the week I embarked on an epic birthday adventure to New York City with some of my close friends. We saw an amazing performance by EXO-TECH, an improvisational collective started by Kimbra and Sophia Brous, in Brooklyn, found a super cute candlelit bar with some pinball machines, played with the cutest kitten in the world (thanks Amelia!), saw an old friend from high school (shout outs to the original Emilia), and visited the oh-so-eye-popping Nintendo store. ![]() I spent two long sessions recording acoustic guitar and even a little bit of organ. There were a few hiccups here and there but it all worked out in the end. It's so exciting to see these songs come together! I'm happy I got the guitar done but now my fingertips are very sad. Plus I've been playing electric guitar for Another Michael so my fingers are extra exhausted! Last but not least, my coolest birthday present was by far these Mackie monitors. They've been great for editing (and for impromptu Beyoncé jam sessions) and I can't wait to mix with them. That's all for this week! I have another session tomorrow and a whole bunch of gigs coming up so I'll have a lot to update on soon. Thanks for reading and here's another preview! <3 Alenni
What I'm listening to this week: "Teen Heat" by Kimbra Today marks my very first recording session! I tracked the entirety of the piano on my album which makes me VERY excited. Playing a beautiful Steinway grand for five hours was a great way to start my day. Everything sounded great and made me feel inspired and motivated. Most of the times I've recorded my music I didn't have access to high-end equipment, so hearing the piano lines sound pristine and powerful made the songs come to life. None of this would've been possible without the help of some true heroes; thanks to Judybelle for setting up microphones, Collin for pressing record many, many times, Nick for being supportive, and extra thanks to Judybelle for taking these amazing photos! Here's a tasty little preview to wrap this up: <3 Alenni
What I'm listening to this week: "Char" by Crystal Castles |
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