Grateful for all the Marsching, onward to April somehow

Releasing an album is very much like planning a wedding. 

Basically, "I spent a whole bunch of money on, and committed a bunch of time to, this thing. Now I'm having a party! And you, nice people, are invited!"

Nice people: "Yay!"

Me: "However, to come, you must pay $12 advance or $15 at the door."

Nice people, somehow, miraculously: "Yay!"

It was a dream of a night, and I'm so damned grateful for it all!

So many thanks to Felicia Cooper, Andy Caush, MJ Marsh, Matt Patrick, Josh Kaplan, Samantha Baker Harris, Jeffrey Nolan + Hawken Paul, Phantom Chorus Theatre, the Bryant Lake Bowl, Adam Iverson, Jeremy and Loanna, and you you you! Sometimes, it takes a village.

It was overwhelming and wonderful, and the most amazing folks were there. <3 =

Oh! And part of this album release video party is ACTUAL VIDEOS!

Here is Calico by Penny and the Bandits 
From the album Apocalypse Disco
Video concept, puppet creation, performance by Felicia Cooper

Edited by Jen Scott
Written and performed by Jen Scott
Drums by Josh Kaplan
Additional instrumentation and vocals by Matt Patrick and Jen Scott
Recorded, mixed, and mastered by Matt Patrick at the Library Studio in Minneapolis, MN.

Here is The Haunting of the Living by Penny and the Bandits 
From the album Apocalypse Disco
Video concept, creation, performance, and editing by Phantom Chorus Theatre

Written and performed by Jen Scott
Drums by Josh Kaplan
Additional instrumentation and vocals by Matt Patrick and Jen Scott
Recorded, mixed, and mastered by Matt Patrick at the Library Studio in Minneapolis, MN.

Here is Ghost of Whitman by Penny and the Bandits 
From the album Apocalypse Disco
Video concept and performance by Hawken Paul and Jeffrey Nolan.

Edited by Jen Scott
Written and performed by Jen Scott
Drums by Josh Kaplan
Additional instrumentation and vocals by Matt Patrick and Jen Scott
Recorded, mixed, and mastered by Matt Patrick at the Library Studio in Minneapolis, MN.

Part of all this releasing is making sure the captioned versions are also up, getting them in all the spaces, etc. I AM DOING IT. 

AND HERE'S THE ALBUM! (Adam Iverson is incredible. Please hire him. And Matt Patrick at the Library Studios. And Josh Kaplan. Good heavens.)

Here it is on Spotify. It's also on Soundcloud, Apple Music, and I'll send you a CD if you like!

I'm a very lucky jerk. 

Besides the PARTY, another highlight was playing for the PayGap Comedy Series. So dang lovely, and so many thanks to Carolyn Poole for being always an amazing charming dream. So grateful!

AND HEAR HER STORIES! It's the show's 3rd birthday; this year was so so so good. 

And so... April?

Oh man. 

I'm at the Guthrie teaching a spring break camp. Report to follow. 

I'm up with the Unnamed Jill Bernard Project at HUGE Theater, Thursdays April 11th & 18th. 

BRING YOUR KIDS! on April 13th, featuring special guests Z Puppets Rosenschnoz!

And Table Salt Production's Fiction, Sunday April 28th, 7 p.m. at the Bryant Lake Bowl. 

Whattayado with an album? Do you pass it to radio stations? (Check. I'll email some CDs too.) Do you contact music bloggers? Do you harass venues? Do you make more lyrics videos? Do you try and get a grip on your social media things? Do you figure out how to play your songs on guitar, so you're a fuller sound when you play out solo? Whattabout a backing track? To quote: 

Seriously, Trixie. 

But you you you. You're all great, and I'm so grateful for you. 

Dude appreciation post

I got to hang out at Star Studio at Children's Hospital with the Dude and play games and it is always the best dang time. 

The Dude is so so good at what he does: not only running/producing silly and sweet entertainment, but also taking you under his very chill wing as a guest. So many thanks to Star Studio and COMPAS for the delight!

MARSCH

 Happy whatever season this is! Things that started in January are in their 8 week-ish roll down...

 - I finished up 8 weeks with Episcopal Church Homes in St. Paul. 

 - I'm teaching an 8 week 301 at HUGE... We have two (?!) classes left? THEY ARE DREAMS!

 - I'm teaching a 10 week Intro to Improv at CTC... We have three (!?) classes left? They are IN MIDDLE SCHOOL. 

 - Two different shows are also wrapping up at HUGE. So much love for Give the Drummer Some and we get to Adorable at HUGE Wednesday one-last-time tomorrow. Both of these shows have been heart-filling in all the ways. So many thanks to the cast of GTDS for open, supportive, loving, roll around on the floors and so many thanks to Butch for making the loveliest scenes with the loveliest of trying lost souls. I'm so gd grateful. 

 - Also, Butch and I got to join James Rone on Saturday Feb. 24th for the sweetest of shows at Strike. James - - we're so grateful to be your friends. 

 - I made little promo videos and images for the two HUGE shows, and am unreasonably proud. 

And then MARCH kicks in!

 - I started with some 8th graders at Sunny Hollow Montessori in St. Paul, through COMPAS. They are ridiculous, and also learning about soul-rocking things. Like Portuguese. And the role of the American government in the mid-80s. 8TH GRADE IS DARK, y'all. We will do improv, maybe some sketch, and BE CONFUSING TO ALL. 

 - I'm still down at Ecumen in Mankato, and monthly at Amira in Forest Lake, both through COMPAS. 

 - Hear Her Stories returns! I get to curate and host this storytelling performance, produced by Mill City Museum. Saturday March 23rd, 7 p.m. show. Please join us!

 - Bring Your Kids rollllllllllls. Saturday March 9th at 4 p.m. at HUGE is our next one and it will be SO. SERIOUS*. 

March is for birthday parties (not mine, but some nuclear family members) and MUSIC. 

 - I'll be playing music at the Pay Gap Comedy Series at Malcolm Yards on Wednesday March 6th! 

 - ALBUM RELEASE VIDEO PARTY!! AHHHH! The exact opposite of monetizing your hobbies! My 'band' is Penny and the Bandits. The album is called Apocalypse Disco. The drummer is Josh Kaplan. The producer is Matt Patrick (of the Library!).. 

The party is on Wednesday March 27th at the Bryant Lake Bowl, 7 p.m.! It is an Album Release Video Party, as I've commissioned three different groups** to create music videos for three of my songs. I'm so excited. Live music by Andy Caush and Penny and the Bandits; videos by Felicia Cooper, Phantom Chorus, and Jeffrey Nolan + Hawken Paul. All hosted by the incredible MJ Matheson. 

Whewwww! Finally, ADORABLE TURNED 15! WE'RE SO OLD!

*This is a lie. It will be very silly. 

**March is also for video editing. 

FEBRUARY... Who actually pronounces the R?

Happy February! It is (creepily) beautiful here: bright blue sky, temperature in the 40s. Everyone's out enjoying the global warming, but also well aware that this ain't right. 

January projects have begun!

 - COMPAS: A memoir class at Episcopal Homes in St Paul, Amira in Forest Lake, and Ecumen in Mankato. Still lovely! It turns out, if you ask a certain group if they remember their first crush, you will get NAMES. What a silly and beautiful thing. 

 - Amplifying Voice 301 class at HUGE Theater is a dream!!

 - Improv for 6-8th grades at Children's Theatre Company is very silly. Truly. Silly. 

 - Give the Drummer Some, 9 p.m. Fridays at HUGE Theater until the end of February. This is a joy. I DON'T KNOW WHAT THE AUDIENCE THINKS, but, honestly, we're having a great time. It's all patterns and crawling on each other, and we're the luckiest ducks.  

 - Adorable, 7:30 p.m. Wednesdays at HUGE Theater until the end of February. So much gratitude to Butch for playing this with me. It's so so so much fun, and I love it. Hopefully, we can start making the festival rounds... Neither of us live with toddlers anymore. WHAT IS POSSIBLE!?

 - BRING YOUR KIDS! Next one is Saturday Feb. 10th!! We sold out January, and would love to rock dreamy February...  

Things that also needs to get done while doing the above things?

 - PROMOTION! Wuf. I finally got things together, and have been making little weekly videos for these shows. You can find my tiny and weird video collection here. 

 - CREATION! Matt Patrick of the Library Studio has the final mixes of my first album done! LET'S GO! 

 - APPLICATION! Many things to apply to. (Maybe not many, but it feels like many.) Also, many things to tend to. It's not spring yet, despite all the feels. I've been tending by way of pruning: getting rid of old socks, donating things that were purchased with unrealized good intentions. Make space make space make space, even down to my Google storage. What's filling vs. serving? THIS SOUNDS VERY FANCY, and not as potentially either panic-driven or cut throat as it sometimes feels. 

 - Also, community. There's been some sad and wonderful moments of community. Attended a celebration of life, and am thinking how grateful that we've memorized each others' laughs.

 - Also, community: got to be a part of a group of chaperones, taking 25 fifth graders across town on Metrotransit on a very cold day. Successful highjinks!!  

Onward and hoping things are good with you. <3 

Adorable from Jan 31st. 

Pure silly! A picture from the January Bring Your Kids