Good Morning, Lorrraine here, writing from Malena’s computer…

I have yet to find any orange groves out here in the West , but I have found a lot of other things that more than make up for it. For instance, you can drive five minutes and find the Best Indian food ever made. This more than makes up for the lack of orange groves . And there are lemon trees, and palm trees and gardens that grow roses taller than I am, not to mention the kind of plants that I can see generally only in exotic plant type shops, all growing just as ordinary as you please all over the place.

Did I mention the Indian food?

Also, Malena is here. ‘Nuff said.

We worked most of yesterday on the CD and got quite a bit done. We are making practice tapes on Emma’s ( Emma Bull, of the Flash Girls ) old 4-track, which I can run well enough for Malena and I both to sing into and record, and we ought to have a version of just about everything by the end of the day today, except for Jane Yolen’s song which is still waiting for a tune.

Lojo Russo ( www.lojorusso.com ) called yesterday and we talked about ” I’ll Tell Me Ma ” which we are doing a version of. She will be singing it, as her version is the coolest , most haunting thing I have ever heard. She is going to call and sing it into Malena’s answering machine today so Malena will have a something to work with. ( ah, the heights of recording technology ) Malena will do some of her wonderful ghostly backing harmonies that she is so very good at and I will be fiddling all over the thing. Lojo also offered us another song, hurrah!!! We get to hear that for the first time today, it’s called ” I ( heart ) Stephen Merritt ” and she says it is written in the style of Stephen Merrit and is Right up our alley. Can’t Wait!!!

Some of you may know that Malena and I have been offered our first actual gig last week. We will be playing at a benefit concert for a free medicial clinic, with none other than Garisson Keillor, next month. Aaahhhh…I have had some serious first gigs with my bands before ( Flash Girls opened for Warren Zevon and Folk UnderGround played the Main Room at First Avenue ) but this one blows my little mind. ( I tried to think of a more elegant way to put that, and nothing I can put into print came to mind…) Adam Stemple will be backing us up and we are SO looking forward to it. I think it will be more fun than new kittens and we have been working hard on the songs we are going to play for it. We are beyond happy to have been asked, and honoured as well.( Not to mention dancing wildly around the room from time to time in a frenzy of excitement )

Today is more recording , more working on songs and more walking about the lovliest place I have ever been. Malena has promised to take me to see many wonders the next time I come out ( in two weeks actually, lucky things that we are ) but for now , the music is more than enough.

And perhaps some more skateboarding.

( did I mention I learned to skateboard yesterday? )

Who would have thunk it?

Love and light from the West,
Lorraine