October 11, 2004

October 11

I'm so glad we've about made it through hurricane season! I was scheduled to play the Brown Bag Concert Series at Marietta Square in September but Hurricane.... was it Frances?, I can't keep track.... came through and the concert was postponed until this week, Thursday Oct 14. I'm really looking forward to the show.

We just got back from Savannah late last night and I loved playing the Sentient Bean and also playing with Amy Steinberg who is just amazing and a lot of fun. My family drove all the way down from Atlanta and we spent Sunday just hanging around near the River and sampling all of the candy in the candy stores. I've been munching on glazed pecans all day today. I also found this gallery I'd stumbled on a couple of years ago and one of the artists I really, really liked. His name was Chuck Hamilton... well, I mean I didn't meet him but I loved his paintings.

A week ago I played the Harvest Square festival in downtown Marietta and except for my piano having heatstroke and quitting on me twice it was a really great show and I met lots of folks and bought some fancy dog biscuits, a really outrageous-looking hat, and tasted all of the chip dips this guy was selling and bought a few! I always end up spending all of my money at those arts festivals.

So, what else is new for me? Well, I'm busy rehearsing for a Sondheim concert at Converse College where I'll be accompanying a few of the voice professors on piano. I've also hired a life coach and she's helping me get organized....finally!!!!!!!!!! Maybe I'll finally get all of those business cards and stacks and stacks of papers all piling up in the corner of my room into my database I bought 3 years ago!

September 10, 2004

Back from Philly!

I just got home from a very fun weekend in Philadelphia at the IMC2004 music conference! I met so many great folks, played a showcase at a great outdoor venue, Cavanaugh's, right on the river. I attended workshops, listened to the other folks perform, learned all about my personality type according to Myers-Briggs (INTJ - introvert, intuitive, thinking, judgemental if you're familiar with the Myers-Briggs test) and learned that I'm a very rare type of person.... like I didn't know that, right? No Cinderella was even reviewed by a panel of A&R folks and producers....someone called me eccentric. Is that true? I learned all about the music biz stuff like marketing and producing. But, mostly I met some really great people and made some new friends and I always love that. I heard a really great Japanese country band...well, maybe a little rockabilly thrown in for good measure...from Boston. And Maya Azucema from NYC sang with a full band and it was this spacy soul kind of like Zero 7. Very cool. And I loved meeting Toni Koch from WarriorGirl Music and Jason Rubel, a PA producer, and Eric de Fontenay from MusicDish, and Bill and Kay Pere from CT, and Noel Ramos and Elaine Law, and Wendy Keilin from the Artists' Edge, and Jessi Hamilton from NC and Robyn Harris from Philly and the list goes on. And I ran into Christina Ward again.... we had met last March in NYC at a conference and she has a beautiful soulful voice.

This weekend I'm hosting and performing out at Coffee Underground for the Sunday Southern Emerging Songwriters' Festival. Next week I return home to Marietta, GA, for the Brown Bag Concert Series for the 5th year in a row now so I always love playing that show. This will be the 1st year I'm playing it solo, though. Hopefully I can get the kids dancing...they really are cute when they start dancing.

I just got home from NSAI night at Coffee Underground... great fun! But, now I'm a little sleepy so off to bed!

Oh, if you're wanting to listen to a few of my songs a few times but aren't sure yet you want to buy there's a new thing called WEEDFILES. You can download them for FREE and play them 3 TIMES then if you want to hear them more you buy them ($1.00 each) and you can distribute them to anybody you please and actually make money off of it. Imagine, making actual $$ distributing Leslie Berry songs to people. I'd appreciate it, of course....it's always great when you turn folks on to my music. And you could make some $$ too. Here's the website link http://www.weedfiles.com/artists/1149

Thanks!
Leslie

April 23, 2004

April 22

Last week was just crazy but so much fun! First, David put on his annual faculty recital at Converse College on Monday night and he played several cuts off my new CD including the Chopin Interlude and Tragic Queen. Then the Converse Dance Ensemble danced to my arrangement of Boys of Kilkenny. It was lots of fun but, wouldn't you know, my video tape ran out right in the middle so I'll try to get the whole thing on tape when they perform it next week on their spring recital. Then Wednesday Denise Barbarita and Rich Kulsar and Kristi Martel and Sarah Woolf all arrived for the Susan G. Komen Benefit, only Kristi and Sarah arrived a little too late for the show because they'd been driving for three days from California and didn't quite make it! But, Denise and I played a couple of extra sets and had a great time. I really like Denise's music... she rocks! We had Thursday off and everybody was crashing at my place and Denise was so cool she made us sweet potato burritos and they were so good! I hardly ever cook but I want that recipe! Never mind that the sweet potatoes kind of got lodged in the garbage disposal and David had to take the sink apart to get them out. : ) Then Friday the Coffee Underground show with Kristi and Denise (and Sarah and Rich too)...small turnout but great room and it was fun hearing Kristi for the first time too.

Saturday, the Tori Tribute Concert/RAINN benefit. Only someone crashed into the Toyota on the drive there on I-85N in Charlotte and I spent 2 hours waiting for the cop to get there and then waiting for him to write up the accident report. But, managed to duck tape the spoiler and back panel back on the car and drive on to the RAINN concert, only to arrive 10 min before the show. But, hey, I got through the songs and then had a great time listening to everyone else play Tori songs. They actually had a Bosendorfer this year too! Lots of great performers, Angela Ai, Lisa Ray, Alysson Light, Denise and Kristi, Christine Havrilla, and some other folks too. The show wasn't quite as high energy as last year's show but I really enjoyed it. Can't wait to hear the CDs when they arrive.
Then, the highlight of my week was definitely Sunday at the Ooh La Latte Cafe in Durham. We kicked back and relaxed and the "visiting angels" all played half hour sets and got to shop in the Untidy Museum and hang out and talk. Lots of fun! Also pics available at www.ToriTribute.com.

That's all for now!

March 02, 2004

Was It Blue?

The new CD, "Was It Blue?", will arrive tomorrow and I'm so excited I wanted to share the news with you. You can preview tracks on this website at www.LeslieBerry.com/music.html and also at www.Sonicbids.com/leslieberry, www.duckonbike.com, and www.garageband.com. These are all great sites I've uploaded mp3 files to for streaming. "Was It Blue?" coming soon at www.CDBaby.com so keep checking back!

I've been a little remiss in updating my journal but I will do better, I promise.

I'm planning a bunch of tour dates for this spring and summer and I'm busy learning two new Tori Amos songs for the Tori Tribute concert April 17 in Carrboro, NC. The dance ensemble at Converse College, here in Spartanburg, SC, is dancing to an electonic arrangement I did of a traditional Irish song, "Boys of Kilkenny", so I can't wait to see that performance on April 12 at Converse College. I'll be able to sit back in the audience and enjoy it which will be a really nice change. I'm also hosting a show at Converse on April 14 with two great singer-sonwriters from NYC, Denise Barbarita and Kristi Martel and then we're playing out at Coffee Underground in Greenville that Friday, too.

My friend Lindsay Smith is giving her CD release in Atlanta at the 10 High on March 13 and we're going to drive down for that.... can't wait to hear her new CD.

So many things coming up... but check out some of the songs and sign up on the mailing list and I'll keep you posted on upcoming shows. I'll be returning to all of my old haunts, Drips in Hickory, Essence of Thyme in Brevard, Canton Coffee in Canton, Caffe Driade and Open Eye in Carrboro....the Brown Bag Lunch in Marietta, too.

Stay warm!

All past journal entries can be found in the archives.