An Angel dances to Taco Bell Jingle

by Kamile Posted on May 15, 2012

 

 
 
The other day, I met two angels. I asked these two young guys to help me carry my groceries home and they turned out to be two charming brothers from Texas ~ Brandon, the comedian and Kevin, the poet.  I played them my songs and they loved them.  They laughed and smiled and grooved to it and said it was the best stuff they’d heard from musicians they’d met in Hollywood so far.
 
I played them this jingle I wrote with fellow Musicians Institute classmates, Oliver Mueller and Rudy Quinones, for the Taco Bell, “Doritos Locos Tacos” contest.  Brandon started dancing to the jingle and we shot this video.   Unfortunately, we missed the deadline for the contest.  However, I still think Taco Bell should use our jingle.  I listened to all of the entries for the contest and, although they were clever and musical and funny, I don’t think they found their jingle.  Until now.  
 
Coincidentally,  that same day, Brandon Lee Rowell, the comedian brother, was walking down Hollywood Blvd. when a producer stopped him and told him he was exactly what he was looking for, for the main character of “Angel” for a Showtime pilot.  I think it’s called “Entourage.”  The next day he got the part.   I can say “I knew him when.”  And, “Check it out, that guy’s in my Taco Bell video!”
 
The brothers have been here almost a month and they’ve been living out of their car.   They figured it’s just a matter of being here and things are bound to happen for them.   I am inspired by that.  No safety net, just trusting that the universe will provide their just deserves.  How can the Universe help but comply?
 
In my “Songwriters” class last week, we had 24 year old Sony songwriter, Scotty Granger, come speak to us.  After studying recording at the Berklee College of Music, he came out to Hollywood, got a job at Starbucks and lived out of his car for two months.   He heard about an audition for a Songwriter’s reality show, Platinum Hit.  He won 2nd place and landed a job working for Jordin Sparks and then got his Sony publishing deal.   
 
Personally, I don’t think I could last one night in my car.  I think my back would go out.  I do admire people who can do it though.  But then, they are 22. :)  
 
 
 
 

 

 

 

Posted in Inside the Musicians Institute | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

She wrote “Skaterboy” and “Complicated”

by Kamile Posted on April 20, 2012

Today at school, I met Lauren Christie, the woman who wrote Avril Lavigne’s hit songs “Complicated”, “I’m with you” and “Skater Boy.”  She also wrote Enrique Iglesias’ hit song, “Tonight I’m loving you”. She’s co-written with Jason Mraz, Christina Aquilera and many others.

“But I thought Jason Mraz wrote his own stuff?” I asked.  She said, “He does.  I just came in to help out.  He played me what he had for “Remedy” and I could tell it was a hit.  It just needed a chorus.  So I helped him write that.”

She writes with her songwriting team, “The Matrix” (pic above) who won BMI Pop Songwriter of the Year in 2003 and now write for Universal.  The Matrix (named just before the movie came out), were all performing artists who turned to songwriting in their 30′s.  For a long time, they were just getting by, writing songs for unknown artists on the label where they had their publishing deal.

Avril Lavigne was just another one of those unknown artists until those songs hit it big.  Now, Lauren never has to work again.  But she does keep working and writing because she loves it.   Ah, the love of music.  ”That’s why we’re all in this crazy business,” is what the instructors and guest speakers say again and again at school.

I remember “I’m with you” hitting me hard.  The image of that poor lost waif standing on a bridge, waiting for someone to show up and take care of her.  It’s the same theme as my “Map Song” and “Ordinary Man” which is probably why it affected me so much.

Lauren Christie was this week’s guest speaker in Allan Rich’s class “The Songwriters” at the Musicians Institute.  After the guest speaks, the students share our songs with them.  

There’s a lot of talent in our class.  This tall Swedish girl has this great dance track called “Lady Boner” which always blows the guests away.  One guy sings half in Chinese and half in English.  There are a couple of R & B singers who look and sound like they walked right off MTV.  

Our teacher, Allan Rich tells us every week how amazing we are and how proud he is to show us off to the guest songwriters.  He says the only thing separating us from success is luck, who we meet, being at the right place at the right time, etc.  Lauren Christie recommends asking for help from God, which has been her biggest secret.  He just has a way of making stuff happen, she says.    

I shared my new song,  ”Loving every day” which Lauren loved.  She smiled at the line “This tension could bring us such pleasure,” and said it touched a chord in her personal life.  She and the teacher said my stuff was like “indie girl” and they could hear it on TV shows, like “Weeds.”  

Or, Lauren suggested, you could find your Avril.  Find a young artist who’s like you and get her to sing your songs

I think I want it all.  I want to sing and perform my own stuff, but I’d be very happy performing at Folk Fests, 200 seat concert halls and doing a house concert tour of the US and Europe.  

I also love songwriting and co-writing and would love to work with great songwriters and get my songs in films and on TV.  

And finding my Avril?  Well, hey, maybe that would be like having a daughter.  Many people say there is nothing more fulfilling than that.

 

Posted in Inside the Musicians Institute | 1 Comment

Two new songs and I won a cymbal!

by Kamile Posted on April 17, 2012


Yay! Here are two new songs I recorded with my good friend, James Smith right before I left Vancouver!

Check them out and if you like them you can download them for FREE!!

 

 I’m headed into the third week of The Independent Artist Program at The Musicians Institute (MI) in Hollywood. I am excited, inspired, and BUSY!

 I’m learning Logic so I can record my own stuff and Photoshop so I can make my own album covers. I’m studying the latest recording techniques, songwriting and learning how to rock out on the keys.
 
To end last week with a BANG, I won a Cymbal (!) at the 75th Anniversary of the American Marketing Association. This was an event put on by my Entertainment Business teacher, Bobby Borg. The keynote speaker was Nance Rosen, former marketing executive for Coca Cola. Nance was totally compelling. I felt like I was in a TV studio audience watching her. She talked about how the key to being successful is discovering what is likeable about you and creating a brand that communicates that. She made Branding sound like a very soul searching activity!
 
There were some goodies raffled off, my number was picked and I won a Cymbal! How symbolic is that?
 
MI definitely focuses on making money at music and learning how to do what’s NOW and what’s Commercial. As a person more than a little attached to being my own person and living “outside the box,” I’ve been a little resistant to this idea. I’ve been feeling some fear of losing who I am or being told that who I am is not saleable. However, I’m warming up to the because I’m seeing that it could actually work for me. 
 
Let me give you an example. I meet each week with hit songwriter, ex A & R guy for Sony, Stevie Bensusen.  Last Friday,  he helped me with my song “Effleurage” about wanting to give my guitar teacher a massage.  When I’ve played this song in the past I think people have thought, “What a clever song and isn’t that Julia something else? She’s so different. I mean, how many women write about wanting to massage their guitar teacher?” Holy niche market!
 
Stevie told me I had to get to the chorus sooner and cut out a bunch of the story. Well, that really got my back up because I thought the story was really good. But now I see that the changes make this song much more universal. It’s now less about me and more about my guitar teacher, who is an archetypal figure, actually.
 
We all know that guy whose guitar is his significant other.  
 
We’ll call the song “Light your Fire” now. Because that’s what this guitar teacher does when he plays. All his energy goes into his music and you feel it.  That’s what makes him great.
 
I’ll be recording and producing this song myself over the next eight weeks. I look forward to sharing it with you!
 
In the meantime, please have a listen to the music on my music page and go ahead and download it on band camp for $1 or Name Your Price for the album. The most important thing to me is that my music gets heard. I have put a lot of time and resources into my recordings, however, so if you feel like donating, I’d really appreciate it! I might even get you to sign my cymbal!
 
Posted in Inside the Musicians Institute | 2 Comments