I’m really excited to be playing at the Foggy Bottom Coffee House for my Habitat for Humanity benefit concert! I’ll be playing with two other really talented local artists and all the proceeds, including admission, will go to Project Be The Light (compassionrules.com) which is raising funds for Habitat for Humanity to build a home for a family in Washtenaw county. No cash? No problem: bring cans or loose change! We’ll take anything that has some value!
If you can come out to support the cause, that would be great! Thank you all so much!
Starts: 6:00 PM Ends: 8:00 PM Address: 7065 Dexter Ann Arbor Rd, Dexter, MI 48130
Hi All,
Hot on the heals of my return from the JetBlue Live from T5 competition in NYC, I’ve entered another music competition! This one, sponsored by one of my favorite places to shop, Nine West, is hosted on YouTube and asked participants to record 60 seconds of an original song and post it on their channel. I asked my photographer, Dan Stewart, to come over with his new wife and record it and we were able to get something together pretty quickly!
Go here (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G2DeqarSQGk) to see the video to rate/comment/favorite it!
Thanks everyone, and stay tuned for more information on my upcoming album “Nobody”!
Forgive me friends for my long absence. I’ve felt a little anti-social lately. But mostly I’ve been dreading writing this long awaited post.
Life has a funny way of not being so funny, but rather of being more unpredictable
than we would care for. And that is all the preface I will give this news.
As you know, Almost six months ago, me and my crew went down to Nashville TN to record “Nobody.” It’s hard to believe that much time has elapsed. The week of recording was quick and almost painless, which was great for me—the recording process isn’t really my favorite. By day five, we had left Nashville with the cat in the bag so to speak. Over the next six months Andy Walker, my former producer and I, commuted our producing and mixing by email week after week. Sure enough, in our rush to get things done (we only had a limited time before my husbands springbreak was over) we had neglected a few important things. So I had to go back into the studio in Northern Michigan and re-record a few times. After a long arduous process, Andy and I decided to part ways professionally. So, now I am producer-less. The project is 85% done, and I am just waiting. I already tried to rush this thing out the door, and look where it got me…here. So unfortunately I cannot give you guys a definite date for the release of Nobody. Because of this fact, I will be releasing some new songs online available for free download. Thank you all who pre-ordered my album, hang in there—you guys will get free t-shirt, 4 cd’s to give away, and bumper stickers!
This project has been the cause of many tears. My expectations for others, and myself challenged, rearranged, and finally just erased all together. To say that this has been a learning experience would be an understatement. I always thought the word “perseverance” was a nice, heroic word. Easy to toss out, but not so easy to live out. I am learning through this project, the art of waiting…it is an art. The art of trusting.
There have been so many times when I told my husband I was “quitting,” and giving up on this, and just leaving it altogether for someone else to clean up someday. Perhaps that’s just the drama queen in me, but no, I do feel things deeply—and that’s okay. I have learned through all of this, why I do this. I do this because a secret was whispered to me before I was born. There was a song planted in me…and I have no choice but to sing of it’s colors in every season, and in every circumstance. When it’s easy to sing, and when my singing sounds more like sobbing. This is what my maker has called me to do…to bring joy, express freedom, and inspire true beauty in your life…perhaps where you never saw it before.
Many good things have come from this painful learning experience. One in that I have decided to start my own label, and to release this new album under it. The label is called “Sunshine Wreck Chords.” I have the hope of starting out small, and hopefully growing to support other young, passionate artists.
What else is new? My husband, our pug named Otie, and I moved into a new house! It’s in a super cute and charming town that still has a train go by, and beautiful church bells that ring. We painted the walls in our living room green—and since then I’ve been feeling pretty inspired. There is a fireplace, and I have deemed that room my new writing room. The other day I curled up on a pillow and sat by the fire (it was raining, so why not?) and tooled out a few new songs.
And last but not least…about a month ago I entered my new song “I Love You” in a contest sponsored by Ourstage, JetBlue (the airline), The Bowery (BIG part of Bonaroo), and Superfly Productions. The contest winners get flown to New York to perform at JFK airport at Jetblue’s terminal 5, and also at another NYC Bowery venue TBA. With that said, the other day I was getting my teeth cleaned and my phone kept ringing. I finally answered and it was my manager Carl. He said “Jetty, don’t you have something to tell me?” I replied, “Um no not really, no cavities to report.” At this point Carl informed me that I had been chosen as the grand prize winner for this contest, and that they were flying me out to New York! Wow! I am really excited about this opportunity, and I’d be lying if I told you I wasn’t totally psyched to go to New York, and to sing in an airport!
Ah, it’s great to be a winner…but just maybe, that’s not what life is all about. Having not felt like much of a winner lately, I feel I need to encourage those of you who can relate. My advice to you—find out what you were made to do, and do it with all your might. Do it when it’s the hardest thing to do.
Love you all—enjoy the new tunes for now!
Hey Peeps!
Just a little update on what’s going on with me. I am still currently working on my next album which shall be called…drum roll please….“Nobody”! Sorry Chaising of the Winders—maybe next time! Thanks for all the votes! I am pushing the release date back to August…it could be done sooner, and I think it will be, but that is the tentative date. I have to do some more recording up north with my fave studio here Dave Runyan Studios! On my last album my cousin Brian played guitar, and did a wonderful job. I was not that good of a player, and time was of the essence. This album, I tried to “cheat” so to speak, and have someone else play, but I’ve decided to re-record the guitar myself.
I am a little nervous about this peoples, it’s new territory for me…but I am excited as well—because this next album is really going to be “me”. Sorry about the delays, and thanks for the pre-sales! You have raised enough for my mastering!
Recently a wonderful photographer named Danny Stewart, my husband, and our little puppy pug Otis did a photo shoot in Ann Arbor! It was so much fun, and we got lot’s of great shots for the new album, as well as postcards and posters! You can see the blog he posted about me with tons of pictures from the shoot here
http://danstewartphotography.com/2009/05/its-my-pleasure-to-introduce-you-to-jetty-rae/
Hey Everyone,
I just wanted to let you all know that there is a sneak peek off of my new album at Ourstage.com! The song is called “Blink of an Eye,” and I put it up there hoping to win some cash to get the rest of the cd made! So, if you would like to speed up the cd making process you can pre-order “Chaising of the Wind.” Oh, that’s news as well, I am changing the album title from “Nobody,” to “Chasing of the Wind.” So if you would like to help me out by either voting for me under the “Acoustic” category on Ourstage.com, or by pre-purchasing you album that would be mighty kind of you!
You can send your $20.00 check/cash/money order to:
Jetty Rae
3570 Pheasant Run Cr.
Apartment #3
Ann Arbor, MI
48108
Thanks a lot, and stay tuned!