The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2011 annual report for this blog.
Here’s an excerpt:
The concert hall at the Syndey Opera House holds 2,700 people. This blog was viewed about 15,000 times in 2011. If it were a concert at Sydney Opera House, it would take about 6 sold-out performances for that many people to see it.
lately i’ve been obsessed with the idea of parallel universes. i started watching every video i could on the subject on youtube. i bought Fred Alan Wolf’s book Parallel Universes: The Search for Other Worlds - which is fascinating! (check it out! i’m so excited! i can’t! stop! using! exclamation points!) and i even started writing a song (that may go on the new record) about lovers that aren’t together in this world but are united in a parallel universe. here are some of the lyrics…
parallel universe / where u and i exist / intergalactic / sex / magic / bliss
we can’t be denied / stepped onto the other side / can’t turn back now / gotta know what this world is
just because it’s not reality / doesn’t mean that it’s not real / i’ve touched you in a thousand dreams / i know your depth / i know your feel…
more to come…
bisous,
bella
By Nicole Breanne
Andree Belle walked into the bar where I was meeting her and immediately brightened up the room. There is a warmth, and an almost physical presence about her. Once she sat down and we began to speak it was clear what I was feeling, I was feeling connected. A singer and song writer, newly certified yoga instructor, but that’s not all, Andree is also on a mission. With her new album “The Soft Glow of Electric Sex” she hopes to start a sexual revolution. It’s important to her to feel that women are empowered and are valued, that we’re more than our bodies or our looks. She’s working extremely hard on her new album in the hope that it will bring a platform to inspire young girls, and of course…get people moving!
NB: Tell me about The Soft Glow of Electric Sex”
AB: This EP is an exploration of our sexuality. The name of the album comes from the movie, A Christmas Story. When Ralphie’s father wins the infamous leg lamp, he is captivated by “the soft glow of electric sex”…. it’s funny to me because it can be perceived as being so sexual, but it’s silly at the same time because it’s from a classic holiday film, it touches on the multifacetedness of our sexuality.
Though we can be empowered by our sexuality, we are so much more than that. One of my missions is to help women embrace authentic expression of their sexuality and be empowered by it but also find empowerment from their spirits and minds.
NB: How is this EP different that your first album?
AB: I’ve grown as an artist, writer, performer and I believe this project will reflect that.
NB: How much does your heritage come into play…would you every “tone down” your Latin vibes?
AB: NUNCA! I’m proud to be Boricua, it’s a part of who I am. My Puerto Rican heritage comes across in the way I move on stage, I dance a lot. In my first project, M.U.S.I.C. we had two Latin tunes, “abuela” and “te necesito” and a little interlude that Dre and Leo did called, “rabo de galo.” Also, there’s one Latin song on the next record called “beijo,” it’s a little interlude I wrote about my love. He’s from Brazil and beijo means kiss in Portuguese.
NB: What’s your creative process? Do you like writing with people? What inspires you?
AB: I don’t like to box myself in. I like creating in every way, by myself, with other people…. on the spot creation, sometimes the concept is first, sometimes a melody, sometimes a poem turns into a song… My life is what inspires me. There’s a song that I wrote called Sexploitation, and it explores me paying my way through college by working at a burlesque club. I learned a lot there. It was a very dark world and its been very cathartic for me to write this song… it can be a bit scary too, to be that vulnerable. But I feel like you have to be that vulnerable for people to really feel it and understand you as an artist.
NB: You talk a lot about sexuality, and a sexual revolution. But you’re not promoting promiscuity…so what are your feelings on monogamy?
AB: I think whatever is true to you. To each their own. It’s all about honesty. If you can handle an open relationship then great, do you…. I will have a song called “Serial Monogamist” as well on the next record, because that has been my relationship pattern.
NB: How important is it to you that this project do well?
AB: I really want to do it big! I want to go on tour and reach the masses. I’m fearless! I’m very determined for it to succeed. It’s everything. I live for connecting with others through music. Every time I’m on stage I think “this is gift,” I’m so grateful. The more success you have the more you’re in a position to talk about bigger things. What is the purpose of fame unless its to influence in a positive way?
NB: Who are your idols?
AB: I love all the old school soul artists, Aretha, Stevie, Marvin, and jazz singers, Billie and Ella… but new artists who inspire me…The Black Keys, they’re really dope. Janelle Monet is electric on stage, she’s very inspiring and very conceptual. I love Little Dragon, V.V. Brown is super creative and she’s about the message too. She’s a real, true artist and I think that’s needed and important in pop music. I just had the pleasure to sing backgrounds for her promo tour. I love Erykah Badu. An authentic artist whose career I would like to emulate. I’d love to open for her.
NB: Any plans for acting or fashion??
AB: I am a bit fashion obsessed. I would love to have my own lingerie line. I’m intrigued by acting, I love the psychology behind it, there are a lot of similarities to music. I’m open to exploring that world.
NB: You’ve written about how you didn’t have the easiest of childhoods, you’re parents relationship wasn’t ideal. Has that inspired you?
AB: Growing up I didn’t really see a loving communicative relationship. I grew up in an abusive environment, a lot of turmoil. My Mom is very close to me and is extremely loving and supportive. I have shared a lot of my childhood experiences on my blog and how I dealt with those experiences. Readers would message me and it was beautiful to see how it touched people and inspired them. I saw a lot of things I shouldn’t have, but I think that’s what makes you who you are and it makes you stronger.
NB: You mentioned “your love” tell me a bit about him.
AB: He’s my musical soul mate. Dre (yes we have the same name) is a genius. He does everything- plays, writes, produces, mixes. He’s an inspiration to me for sure. He teaches me so much even the way I listen to music is different now because of him. I love creating with him. I call him the co-writer to my dreams.
NB: How important is it that people feel connected to you through your album, or feel the love you’ve put into it?
AB: It’s very important but I feel like it’s easier to convey through my live performances.
NB: What’s your main goal with this album?
AB: My goal is to spark a sexual revolution where we are embracing our sexuality in a healthy and multifaceted way. Mind, body, and spirit. American culture is so funny, we’re either repressed or we’re at the opposite end of the spectrum where we are obsessed with sex. I think the repression has led to this obsession with it. Thinking about it historically, women were the leaders and now we’re repressed. I think its great to be empowered by sexuality but I feel like there’s so much more to us that we need to talk about. I think it’s great to grind it out, but what else is there? You look at Madonna and she was very provocative. She inspires me. Now there are artists that are so called empowered by their sexuality but if feels false to me… in the videos they’re straddling some kind of phallic object. Some girls think that’s all they are (their sexuality). What do you do when you’re 65 and have only been empowered by your looks and sex your whole life? You’re so much more than that.
NB: Pop music is so auto-tuned, you’re not doing any of that on this album, why not?
AB: It’s the imperfections that are beautiful and I’m all about celebrating our imperfections as women. I think it’s a travesty that everyone is so auto-tuned and sounds the same. I’m about authentic self-expression. Mainstream music is homogeneous right now, we need a revolution. I hope to be a part of that revolution.
i just got back from a promo tour with the lovely and gifted VV Brown! what an amazing experience. i sang backgrounds, played my blue tambourine till i was black and blue, and rocked my glock (glockenspiel that is)! i feel so fortunate to have worked with such talented and authentic musicians. we became a little family so quickly sharing intimate stories and silliness. i feel very blessed to have created abundance through music, to travel, and to have communed with these beautiful souls.
jody giachello (drums) has the best positive energy, is so solid and committed, and has the best curly fro ever (i’m trying to get him a hair product endorsement, i believe in his hair that much). greg malone (bass/md) not only is super talented but always kept his cool even in high pressure situations, a true leader, and has lived such a fascinating life. nick paul (keys) is quite an artsy man and a freakin musical genius. luke aiono (guitar) is a f*cking rock star. he elevates the stage! i so appreciated his dance moves. and ms. vv brown can sing anything, is beautiful, intelligent, a TRUE artist, and she’s what i call “elegantly crass” which i love. tig moore (our sound man) was the man. thorough, intelligent, and good hearted. and he made really weird noises into the mic to do very advanced and unparalleled testing to get us premium sound in any condition. 
cez darke (tour manager) was the best tour manager ever! everything was smooth like butter thanks to him. i also enjoyed his dance moves, style, beautiful curly hair, and unintentionally sexy boutique hotels he put us up in.
here’s to living the dream!
check out some of my favorite photos from the tour…
YAY! Thank you to my Kickstarter backers! I am BEYOND grateful for your generosity! I know times are tough and I truly appreciate you supporting my music. I hope you love the album. I’m going to put every drop of love and inspiration and brilliance that I have into it. Thank you for being a part of The Soft Glow of Electric Sex! LOVE YOU!
Xx,
Andree
the other night my man and i went out for dinner to eat sushi in little tokyo. we sat at the bar because we like watching them create. the chef was really not in a good mood. he wouldn’t make eye contact, had a scowl on his face, seemed pissed off… he kept angrily putting the sushi down right in front of my love. so i thought i’m going to try a little love experiment….. this might sound strange to some but those that know how energetically we are so connected will totally get this… i concentrated on sending him love… i imagined love radiating from my heart and it surrounding him… i did this for a couple of minutes… and then all of a sudden he looked at us in the eyes and smiled! (and he started putting the sushi in front of me)!!! my boyfriend called me a witch… well if i am, then i’m the good witch of the south! lol! it was kind of amazing.
i did the same thing when we went to eat Indian food the next day. our waiter was in a bad mood and very annoyed with us for sharing a meal… when dre ordered a beer, the waiter said, “are you going to share that too,” inferring that we would be cheap customers. i kindly said, “no, i’m not drinking.” i then did the same energetic, positive love intention towards him. the next time he came to our table, he was kind and smiling and even said to me “you are very sweet, like an Indian girl, not like an American girl,” which was his way of complementing me. my boyfriend was again amazed at his transformation all from me sending him loving energy.
if you’ve ever read about dr. emoto and the hidden messages in water, then you know how powerful our thoughts are. and if people respond to words and touch, why wouldn’t they respond to our thoughts? it’s output of some form of energy. dr. emoto does experiments where he’ll have a group of people say a prayer or think of a concept- war, love, peace, etc. and then focus that thought energy on water. he then magnifies the water crystals. the ones that were LOVE crystals look beautiful and perfect. the war water crystals look distorted and “ugly.” so when you think that we are made up of water, it is clear that our thoughts are able to affect us and others profoundly! fascinating!
check out this video which shows some of the findings. it’s beautiful.
Marvin Gaye is one of my great musical inspirations. His music connects to the root of me, whether he’s crooning about the state of humanity in “What’s Going On” or sparking a sexual revolution with “Let’s Get it On.”
“Although there was a ‘conscious’ revolution, there was also a great sexual revolution … I think Let’s Get It On was Marvin wanting to make commentary on what was happening. I think there was a big ‘love-in’ that was going on. And with him quoting T.S. Elliot [in his liner notes, that life amounts to "Birth, copulation and death"], and the young lady moaning [on the album], we hadn’t heard that before. That was another first, as well as him capturing erotica like that, and weaving it into the music the way he did; it was mind blowing. I think it was a natural progression, because we were having a revolution with our minds, and then with our bodies at that time.” -Q-Tip
Rarely are the erotic AND the divine aspects of our sexuality explored through music. Marvin Gaye was the pioneer of this exploration. He soulfully, consciously, and effortlessly connected our bodies and souls almost without us even knowing it.
I truly want to share the gift of music to INSPIRE and empower others and by contributing to this project you will be a part of a positive musical movement!
My music is eclectic soul (soul with other genres mixed in). This EP is an exploration of sexuality (the erotic, the spiritually divine connection, the emotional love aspects, there’s even a little bit of social commentary woven within the songs). We’re getting deep with it (no put intended)! I’m very excited because I have a brilliant musical family and we’re collaborating to bring you something truly magical.
Your generosity goes towards my funktastic band, production, studio time, mixing, mastering, and hopefully well go over the goal and have additional funding for marketing, publicity, touring etc. By contributing to The Soft Glow of Electric Sex, you can receive some truly unique, fabulous, fun, and wonderful gifts: and you will be a part of a musical revolution (music that makes you feel, and think, and move)!
Click on the link below and be a part of The Soft Glow of Electric Sex!
this documentary explores the portrayal of women through the media. quite an eye and heart opener. be the change.
The unsung heroes
ironically
are the musicians.
No, not the soldiers at war
in their masses
playing out the archetype
like a worn out pop record.
It’s the musicians
who rise quietly
late in the morning with the
the world pointing at them, yelling
slackers!
theives!
They leave their lovers
still warm in the bed,
saturate bitter coffee
with dark sugar
and take up their instruments
to their hot mouths
in their calloused hands
against sky swelling chests
and cradled in arms
and do
what they must do
or else die.
Their own survival at stake, sometimes they forget about you
and when they lay down their clothes
and walk into the sound
they keep forgetting you until,
the sound consuming them -
all abandoned house afire-
they become every
one
and every
thing.
They are the re member ers
for us all
putting our arms and legs
and heads back on
particularly
after the soldiers
come marching
home
when
and
if
they
do.
poem by my beautiful friend Jen Ziel Klewitz
