Potentially Interesting Places #4

Sooo.... I'm a whole day late with it this week. I swear, I'll get my stuff together. Someday. However, this one was filmed at midnight or so in an IHoP, so imagine the hilarity. Just imagine. I did break one of my rules about not having a friend hold the camera for this video, but I'm not sure how my consequence system works for that kind of thing yet. Maybe every time I break a rule, you guys get to pick the next song?

Anyway, here's my song "Independent Together" at the IHoP on Madison in Seattle, WA. I have a few memories there. Late night coffee and side dishes, being called to pick up and escort a friend out of the place at roughly 5 AM.... Actually, maybe it's just those two. This song was the counterpart to "Once Electric." It's kind of about finding out that it might be time to give up the chase, and it's full of trivial references to things I was reading at the time. Prairie voles are maybe the most commonly studied creatures when comparing human mating behavior to what goes on in the animal kingdom as they're one of few species that bond monogamously. Blue light is most efficient at cutting through fog. "Endless Summer" and The Knack are less efficient, but really good to have on vinyl nevertheless.


Songs in Potentially Interesting Places #4 from Cristina Bautista on Vimeo.

Potentially Interesting Places #3

It's a late one today, sorry! I decided to take it back a bit and play "Once Electric." This is a song I wrote on the ukulele that Connecticut Four adopted. We played it much louder. Since the first tour I ever went on was to the midwest and south with CT4 last year, I felt my heartstrings tugged at a little extra along this past Visqueen tour. (Sidenote, Rachel did some guest backing vocals on the Connecticut Four recording of this song!)

Today's Potentially Interesting Place was the Larsen Lake Blueberry Farm in Bellevue, WA. Challenges faced included: my cold I've been fighting off since Missoula, the super squishy and wet ground (I got some pretty epic wet-butt while trying to set up the camera), finding a place in a blueberry bush to hold a camera, and maybe this isn't so much a challenge, but a lot of folks walking past can get distracting. I imagine when people see someone playing ukulele and singing in a blueberry field it looks ridiculous, but the thing is... it is ridiculous. I'm ridiculous.

Aaaaaanyway...


Songs in Potentially Interesting Places #3 from Cristina Bautista on Vimeo.

"You're out of my life! ...except for forever!"

Potentially Interesting Places #2!

Vimeo is processing this week's video as I type this. We had some technical issues earlier. So it goes.

I made this one this morning before we left the Chicago Days Inn where we stayed last night. Apparently it's the "rock and roll" hotel of Chicago? That part's debatable, but we had an okay time and they treated us quite well. Since I received a comment last week about the noise, I thought I'd try to find a quiet place this week. I chose the hotel stairwell. I personally think this is one of the videos where the "I only get one take" thing is totally apparent, so that's... super comfortable for me [/sarcasm]. Also, I think you can hear it in the video - a person or two came into the stairwell on a lower level. I think they just hung out until I was done. 

Anyway, this song is called "Space Between" or "The Space Between" if you prefer. I know everyone writes dumb love songs, but this year I've been remapping my brain and heart a little bit, redefining my idea of love... so it is taking up a little extra space in the writing tank. It's evidenced in last week's song, "The Opposite of Love," as well as this one. "Space Between" was written in February about the sense of resignation that came with feeling committed to people who were perhaps terminally noncommittal. Please try not to mistake people who write songs for the characters who sing them; I'm not entirely convinced I work this way... anymore... I hope.

Songs in Potentially Interesting Places #2 from Cristina Bautista on Vimeo.

Potentially Interesting Places.

This is one of several challenges I'm placing before myself this year: Once a week, I'm recording a performance for anyone who comes here and presses the play button. I make a lot of music, the vast majority of which never leaves my home. I'm about to loosen the spigot for the first time in a while, probably alone, probably unplugged and certainly in places where performances do not typically occur. Being on stage tends to be comfortable; it's the rest of the world where I feel ridiculous. My hope is to find a new location every week that is beautiful or awkward or scary and a way to be resourceful about recording a single take. That's it. One song, one take, once a week, a new place each time.

Please send feedback, requests, ideas, anything short of explosives, really. As far as I'm concerned, this is a fun art project, and I'd love if it was interactive.

... And on that note, here's my first go at Potentially Interesting Places. A new song of mine called, "The Opposite of Love" recorded in a place more beautiful than scary, a driveway in Closter, NJ. It's the first one... no major challenges, just a pretty place.


Songs in Potentially Interesting Places #1 from Cristina Bautista on Vimeo.

Structural integrity.

Visqueen shot a music video this weekend! It was primarily filmed in an auto wrecking yard in south Seattle... Just imagine fields and towers of smashed cars. Rachel even got to crush an SUV!

Meanwhile, the rest of us got to hang out in a sweet old '55 Buick Special. It actually was pretty effing special.

You'll get to see the whole car eventually... in the video.

Also, for the record, Boeing Field and that access road that goes into Georgetown is one of my favorite places in Seattle. I just want to go down there with a couple of sandwiches and watch planes.

Lately... lately.... lately

It turns out being home is busier than I thought it would be. Before that happened, though, my brother and Ollie and I went on an adventure to find a ghost town.

We got most of the way there only to find that the road to get there was still covered in snow since it hadn't been warm long enough. Super treacherous. Not Prius conditions, certainly. Bummer.

Then Sean Nelson and Jacob James played In the Round (with Eric on guitar, of course. That's just what you do for magic). Jon Sands performed also. They almost made me cry about five times. What a brilliant event.

A day or two later, I made my triumphant return to the House of Breaking Glass to dust off some old sessions to send to Ben to maybe mix. That's right, my songs are moving around again. ...like zombies!

That's a gun in the guitcello. Did you know Phil Peterson's middle name is Spector? (...That's 'cause it's not.)

And Visqueen got back to practicing again. I have a personalized parking spot at the space. Kinda.

Oh, and Strap Straps played! Ben Hooker plays bass, y'all!

Anyway, now there's a whole bunch of administrative work (and more practice) going on. I mean, it's actually chaotic and ridiculous. Gearing up for tour always is a little bit, but things are being shaken up a lot with this one. You'll see. And on top of that we have a show on Vashon Island and another video shoot this weekend.

ALSO!!!! The video for "The Capitol" is premiering REALLY, REALLY soon. I'm excited for you to see it!

I thought it was a bird...

Having to stay alone in bed for a few days does terrible things to my head. That should probably never happen. Despite being functional again, it's a fight to not miss playing shows every night and laughing with people I adore who live far away from me. But I am fighting, and my weapons include gorgeous brand new music and the promise/threat of gorgeous brand new music from 

+ Damien Jurado

+ Brent DeBoer 

+ Mick Bassett and the Marthas 

...and, you know, those favorites I keep writing about.

I've also been keeping myself occupied with piano and violin on top of my typical instruments. Maybe I'll be competent with them someday! I'm spending at least 10 hours a day making music right now learning other people's songs, practicing and writing a ton. I want to start something similar to Jonathan Coulton's "Thing a Week," but that might wait a minute because...

I just put up audition videos for Glee. Yeah, really. Go look at them if you don't believe me... or if you just want to see me play "Rehab" with a ukulele! And if you feel inclined to "give me a gold star," I sure won't stop you. 

We'll be back on tour in about a month. I posted some of our dates coming up, and you'd better believe I'm about to start ticking down days.