Ronnie Penque Band in Asbury Park, NJ on 12.12.09

Yesterday was an endurance test for sure, being that I'm 5 1/2 months pregnant and about to have a very long day of energy-intensive work and traveling, but I survived unscathed and a great day of music was played.

We arrived at the Wonder Bar at 2pm to load-in. Start time of our first show was 4pm. The club was a lot larger than I had expected and fully equipped with a sound system that sounded great, so I was thinking it would be a good day/night. I like to arrive early/on-time to gigs so I don't have to rush while setting up and I have more room to work, and especially these days, I'm moving a bit slower. :)

The soundman, Neil, was a great dude, very personable and seemed to know his stuff. He did know his stuff, because he played back some of our set that he recorded and it sounded great.

Show 1, we played about 3 hrs total to a crowd of around 400...mostly Deadheads and very appreciative of our music. They loved the originals (Ronnie's songs) as well as the Dead tunes that we played. The chemistry of the band felt great and I enjoyed drumming with them.

After show 1, we had a break for a few hours so Jeff and I went to check in at our hotel, the Laingdon Hotel in Ocean Grove, NJ. I didn't know anything about it and was so pleasantly surprised at the decor and vibe of our room. It was the nicest room I've ever stayed in, I think. More like a Bed and Breakfast, the owners were friendly and made us feel welcome.

During our break, we ate dinner and actually took a nap! That's a first. I never took a nap between shows before. I was a little worried I wouldn't wake up on time, but I did.

We headed back to the Wonder Bar at about 11pm for our second show. We were all a little tired, but the audience pumped us up for a roaring 2 hour set. Performing is a give and take experience. The audience is part of the experience and can help make a show awesome. The vibe was great, the people were appreciative once again, and I enjoyed pouring my energy out into the music for them.

We ended show 2 at about 1:30am and loaded out at about 2am...I should say that Jeff loaded out at 2am. He wasn't having me lift the equipment, which I appreciate, but it's hard watching him move and lift all our equipment by himself at 2am. I couldn't have done all this without him that's for sure.

Recording in the Studio

Just got home from a weekend recording with the Ronnie Penque Band. We started recording this record in August and it's now November 1st. We've had to work the sessions around tour schedules so that's why it's taken time. The major point that I want to talk about is how much I like recording drums with a click track now. It makes it so easier to correct timing issues in the songs or to single out issues with the blend of the instruments...if there are issues. It makes my job a lot easier. I also love recording and would love to do a lot more of it in the future.

Today, I release my second solo album and I'm already thinking about the third. :) Have to sell a lot of CD's to raise money for the third though.

Katie Pearlman Newsletter: My World Series

I started planning for our CD Release Party in August and it's now only 5 days away.

In August, the furthest thing in my mind was the Yankees playing the World Series on November 1st. OK, it wasn't a thought in my mind at all. I'm very happy for New Yorkers that their favorite team is in the biggest show of the year for baseball fans. I'm not a Yankee fan per se, but I've been watching most, if not all of the games because I enjoy it. It's hugely exciting, and for the winners and their fans, lifetime memories will be made as they watch with their families and friends.

This CD Release Party is my "World Series." Not every songwriter/musician gets the opportunity to make a record. It costs a lot of money and sometimes takes years to find the right musicians to play the music. In today's market, many writers are releasing digital albums rather than CD's. I still like "albums" and I'm lucky to have found a great team to help me make a second one. From the musicians to the recording engineers, and the mixing and mastering engineers, the photographer, designer, and the manufacturer, we've made an album. Ergo the name, We Make This. We've worked hard all year to make this record. We've put in the practice hours on our own and in rehearsals, and we're ready to present it to you. Fortunately, there are no losers in my "world series." Everyone wins in my book!

The good news for baseball fans and music fans is that the game doesn't start until 8:20pm on Sunday which will leave you just enough time to catch our show and watch most of the game. So you don't have to choose one over the other. I can also recommend a great place to watch games - the Brickhouse Brewery which is a few doors down from the Patchogue Theatre.

For those of you who don't live anywhere near Long Island, I'm sorry to say that we will not be airing our show on National TV. However, the album will be available at CDBaby.com on November 1st. You can purchase the CD or download the mp3 version of it there. Downloads are also available on ParadiddleRecords.com. It's coming to iTunes soon!

Until then, you can preview the album, We Make This, on these following radio stations. All have access online. We'll be live on WUSB this Thursday night (10/29) at 7pm.


- I did an interview with Brian Ball on WomensRadio and you can listen to it here.
- WEHM 92.9 and 96.9 will be featuring our album Thursday night also at 7:20pm. Listen online here
- Thursday night at 7pm (10/29) we'll be live on WUSB 90.1 fm and you can listen online here. Click the button on the top right.

I know I always say this and I mean it everytime. Thank you for your support. Thanks to those who've added our show to their calendars online and in their newspapers (too many to name). And thanks for the nice comments on facebook. It makes my day to see those. Don't forget, you can RSVP to our CD Release Party here.

If you'd like to read more newsletters like this, please sign up for the mailing list at http://www.katiepearlman.com/.

So excited to be playing tonight!

Man, I feel like it has been a long time since my last solo acoustic gig! My last solo show was at Evolvefest on Sept. 5th. That is a long time. I have been playing and singing with a lot of different projects lately aside from my own. Since the CD Release is coming up, it's good to get back into singing a lot more. In the Summer, I was singing my songs everyday. There's a big difference between doing solo gigs where I sing a lot, and doing side projects where I sing a few songs or do more drumming than singing. I playing a solo set next Friday at Ruthie's Nest. Good stuff. Keep my singing chops up.

October 6, 2009 CD Review of We Make This

October 6, 2009—Katie Pearlman has a new album. It is called “We Make This” (Mohawk Records). I believe we hear in this record Katie’s renewed commitment to songwriting. There are ten songs gathered there, all by her, all good. The cohesive band sound remains as a foundation feature, with Jeff Pearlman on keys, Joe Cesare, electric guitar, Tom Bowler, bass, and Katie on drums and some acoustic guitar.

The lyrics are centered around personal relationships and their entanglements, everyday life and its little trials and victories, and the feelings one can have in the middle of all of it. They engage.

The band sounds good, loose and Jamband like in a classic sense, with some of the ambience of the Dead. Short, incisive yet spirited solos by Jeff and Joe pepper the songs and give them leverage. Katie's drumming sparks the ensemble and gets it grooving.

Ms. Pearlman's voice is a real vehicle. There’s a soulful quality I’ve remarked on in earlier reviews, and it really puts the whole thing together. There are times I recall the old band Mother Earth in its rootedness when I listen to Katie’s music. Katie has a different sound than Tracy Nelson did in that band, but there’s a certain common feel there. On the other hand, there’s nothing really retro about her music. It’s more about timelessness.

“We Make This” is plush, wall-to-wall Katie Pearlman at her best. It nicely showcases Katie’s talent and gives plenty of listening pleasure. I hope it brings her much success.

Reviewed by Grego Applegate
http://www.gapplegate.com/musicalblog.html

Katie Pearlman in Music Blog

September 11, 2009 - Last summer I devoted a posting to the Katie Pearlman Band and their performance some time ago at Lee's Campground, which is downloadable on the archive.org site. I was taken by the strong songwriting, Katie's soulfully appealing vocals, and the loose Jamband feel the group brings to the stage. After reading my posting Katie very kindly let me know of her website (www.katiepearlman.com) and its extensive holdings of live mp3's featuring the band on various gigs. There is much to listen to there, and the "document as you go" nature of the recordings means that some nights have better balance between the instruments and vocals than others (mostly good), but a listen through the collection gives you a good handle on the repertoire and the full breath of Katie's music.

When I first heard the Campground download, I didn't realize that Katie was the drummer in the band. She's solid there and helps drive the band into the grooves they deliver. That's all particularly clear on the mp3's we speak of today. Most importantly these mp3's reaffirm to me her talent and the direct hipness of the band.

There is also Katie the solo artist to be considered and appreciated. There's a new album of Ms. Pearlman in this light as well as some mp3's that showcase this part of her music. I'll do another posting on that soon. In the interim I once again recommend you listen to this band in action, live, on the mp3's and flac downloads and/or through their CD releases. There's a classic quality to the music, and it's cool listening for sure.

- Grego Applegate Edwards blogs on Music and Musicians, with some attention to guitarists, bassists, and other Create People.

http://www.gapplegate.com/musicalblog.html

Settling in...

August was a whirlwind of a month and the past couple of weeks, I have been catching up with what it's like to be home. If you missed what our schedule was in August, let me give you a quick recap. Jeff and I set out on the road on August 1st. Our first stop was Georgia. We played two really great shows (one of which we have recorded and have available on our website) and got to visit with family. The second show, the crowd flipped with Jeff's organ solos. In a day and a half, we drove from Georgia to Phoenix, Arizona. We played a great little venue in Phoenix and got a couple of hours of R & R at our hotel and then headed up to Utah. Our stop in Utah was Park City where we played a small venue, followed by an early morning set on Park City TV. We have 4 videos on youtube.com from that show. That was worth the trip. After Park City, we hauled it 43 hours home.

The following week I flew to Nashville for the Indiegrrl Music Conference. My brother and sister-in-law met me there so I combined business with pleasure for a weekend and flew home to play the Be-In festival on Long Island.

Now, two weeks later, I'm just trying to catch my breath, relax, and get ready for our CD Release Party coming up on November 1st. I have a few shows booked, but I'm going to take it easy for a few weeks. I can't tell you how excited I am for you to hear this CD.