Team Smile and Nod on YouTube...

Sooo... we did it! We joined YouTube AND posted some videos! There are a couple videos from COMFEST last year... which happened to be our 3rd show eva'. So yeah, our shows are different now... more fun electronics to work with... i.e. Rich got a MacBook, so that opened a lot of options for us... we use the MacBook connected to a midi keyboard/controller and Korg Kaoss Pad... which gives us lots of options for manipulating the electronics. At COMFEST, we did the show with 2 mics, 2 guitars, 1 guitar pedal, and 1 JamMan (which is this super-awesome looper/sampler pedal where we can store the electronic components to a songs for playback... it's simple, but effective when toting our entire set-up would be silly).




Here's a link to our channel where you can see a few more videos: http://www.youtube.com/user/TeamSmileandNod
I did a couple solo cover songs... I plan to do more. It feels weird videotaping myself alone in a room, but, oh well. I'll try to get some footage of me and Rich rehearsing, too. Please leave a comment, if it's nice ;)

In summary, the tulips are blooming and that is great. Next year, Katie and I plan to plant a bunch of tulips in the backyard in rainbow colors. It will be awesome... Like, a clump of each color in rainbow order... eh?!?! Thoughts like this make us feel soooo very gay. Whoo!

AUDIOBLOG #1 !!!

Sooo... I decided to try an audio blog. It's about songwriting... kind of. FYI, I realize that I am not cool. In fact, knowing this releases me from the pressure to BE cool. Further, the layer of music on the "audioblog" essentially PROVES that I am not cool... at all. Lemme know what you think... if you wanna.

Curve Magazine... and us in it... whoo!

Soooo... today I must toot our horn (wha?) and share that we are in Curve Magazine this month of April. Curve Magazine is "the nation’s best-selling lesbian magazine." They printed a nice blurb about our CD and a little pic of us. So very nice!! Here's what they say:

"It's hard to resist something billed as "lesbian-fronted electro anti-folk," isn't it? The interesting combination of politically charged vocals with danceable electronic beats offered up by the duo Kara Sherman and Rich Ratvasky works particularly well on clubby cuts like "Still Stuck," and humorous diatribes like "Consumer Whore."
Curve Magazine, April 2009

Sooo... thank you to Curve Magazine and Margaret Coble (music editor that made this happen AND a super nice person).

In summary, I can't wait for the tulips to bloom! I need some bright, happy flower action!

Pants... Shopping... Sadness

So... the other night I went shopping. Not something I like to do. Not something I do often (except for food). I needed pants. Badly. My current pair was hurting my belly. Badly. So... I went to a store... that sells pants. The employee to customer ratio was about 4:1. Point being, it was not busy, at all. Which is a good thing 'cuz it was beautiful outside. AND, I like to avoid people. Unless I'm in performance mode. But that's another story... So I tried to find some pants in the clearance section... and of course, there's a woman shopping nearby. She starts heading my direction and says, "Can I get by, big guy?" Okay... so I have a hard time speaking when people refer to me by the wrong gender. I'm a woman, with boobs. Obvious boobs. And my face looks like a woman's face. And yes, my hair IS short, but come on now!!! Plenty of women have short hair at this point AND mine isn't even buzzed right now! So I just laughed. Luckily, I didn't feel the anger I sometimes feel. That came later... so I kept shopping... wasn't going to let her destroy my mission. So THEN, she says "Hey, do you like this coat?" I didn't know she was talking to me. "Hey, this coat is a good deal! Do you like it?" I turned... and in my very-much-female voice said, "Uh, no, I have a coat." To which she replies, "We live in Ohio, you need more than one coat." And I say, "I'm fine, thanks." Okay, so I start to realize that she's an insane extrovert type... So I find a pair of pants and go to the dressing room. And THERE she is!! Sitting, waiting for her daughter. I try on the pants... look around a bit more... go to the checkout line... and THERE she is AGAIN! Classic. I flippin' hate shopping.

In summary, Katie keeps me sane. I would likely be dead without her. No joking. No exaggeration. Seriously. I consider it a happy statement.

SHOUT OUT! Nicole J. Georges!

Nicole J. Georges is an author of zines, an illustrator, has a great personal blog: http://nicolejgeorges.blogspot.com/, and another great blog that is a humorous advice column http://asknicolegeorges.blogspot.com/. She has published two volumes of an anthology of her zine, Invincible Summer. She is currently working on a graphic novel. Here is her main website: http://www.nicolejgeorges.com/

Okay, now that you know who she is/ what she does, I must say something: SHE ROCKS. Seriously. I'll say it again, SHE ROCKS. Katie (my partner) and I love Invincible Summer. It is honest, well-written, funny, totally cute (illustrations), fun to read, thought provoking, and fabulous. Point being... it rocks. She's got some super-cute stuff for sale here: http://spinstersummer.etsy.com OR you can buy her books (Invincible Summer) at Amazon.

Nicole J. Georges kindly listened to our CD... Here's what she said:
"Team Smile and Nod play catchy latin-spiced electronica-folk that is 50% Ani DiFranco, 50% Miami Sound Machine, and 150% Political."

It made me smile. After reading that, I went to YouTube and watched this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rMJ-uv9hspc DUDE! Check out the keytair!!! Flippin' awesome. So hey, thank you to Nicole J. Georges. Check her out. You will thank me.

In summary, the rhythm is gonna get you.