Thursday, March 28, 2013

Performing Thursday the 28th at 6pm!

Tonight, Keaton Wilson will be on the piano accompanying me for another great night of jazz at the Montgomery Distillery.

This is the second show in a series that we've created with the distillery, where we perform a showcase of classic jazz as well as a few originals.

Some originals we will be playing:
Smoking Gun
Beautiful Sight
Charlotte ---(BRAND NEW!)
Red Candy Heart
You Lied

Plus, I can't wait to put our spin on Heartbreak Hotel and Puttin' on the Ritz.




Please visit my Facebook page: Montana Jazz Vocalist and stay connected!

The Montgomery Distillery is located at 129 W. Front St. in Missoula, MT and music will be between 6pm-8pm.




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Monday, March 18, 2013

Some Celebrities With Solid Marriages

When it comes to pursuing music as a career, my main fear may surprise you. It's not the people and pressure that most scare me.

It's success!

I'm afraid of success because of the seemingly endless examples of the music industry's propensity to tear apart relationships. So, to counteract my fear I sought out some good examples of some marriages that have stood the test of time (at least 20 years), despite the pressure of limelight.

I hope this list can encourage you too. It's no secret that media puts emphasis on negativity. You'd be surprised how many great marriages exist in showbiz. I know I was!

My favorite couple in showbiz is Gloria Estefan and Emilio Estefan. They were eachother's first girlfriend-boyfriend and truly seem to be an ideal match. I love it! There picture is featured below.

Gloria and Emilio Estefan

Celebrities with successful marriages (20+ years!)

 Denzel and Pauletta Washington
Faith Hill and Tim McGraw
Tom and Lois Bergeron
Jerry Stiller and Ann Meara
Jon Bon Jovi and Dorothea Hurley
Samuel L. Jackson and LaTanya Richardson
Ann-Margret and Roger Smith
Suzanne Somers and Alan Hamel
Mark Harmon and Pam Dawber
David McCallum and Katherine Carpenter
Tom Selleck and Jillie Mack
Frankie Avalon and Kay Diebel
Richard Benjamin and Paula Prentiss 
Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward
Tom Laughlin and Delores Taylor
Mel Brooks and Anne Bancroft
Bob Hope and Dolores DeFina
Ozzie Davis and Ruby Dee
 Charlton Heston and Lydia Clarke
Tony Martin and Cyd Charisse
James Garner and Lois Clarke
Ronald Reagan and Nancy Reagan
Robert Sterling and Anne Jeffreys
Larry and Maj Hagman
Rance and Jean Speegle Howard
Alan Alda and Arlene Alda
Kirk Douglas and Anne Douglas
Jamie Farr and Joy Ann Richards
Bill Cosby and Camille Cosby
Jimmy Stewart and Gloria Stewart
Rosalind Russell and Frederick Brisson
Ozzie and Harriet Nelson
Julie Andrews and Blake Edwards
George Burns and Gracie Allen
Billy Crystal and Janice Crystal
Susan Lucci Huber and Helmut Huber
Fred MacMurray and June MacMurray
Regis And Joy Philbin
Donald Sutherland and Francine Racette
Vicki Lawrence and Al Schultz
Charlie Chaplin and Oona Chaplin
Ron Howard and Cheryl Howard
Patrick Swayze and Lisa Niemi
John and Elizabeth Larroquette
Sidney Portier and Joanna Shimkus
Suzanne Somers and Alan Hamel
 Paul and Linda Mc.Cartney
Meryl Streep and Don Gummer
Jay Leno and Mavis Nicholson
Jeanette MacDonald and Gene Raymond
 Ringo Starr and Barbara Bach
Lucille Ball and Gary Morton
Phil Donahue and Marlo Thomas
Juliet Mills and Maxwell Caulfield
Danny DeVito and Rhea Perlman
Chevy Chase and Jayni Luke
Dan Akroyd and Donna Dixon
Henry Winkler and Stacey Weitzman
James Earl Jones and Cecilia Hart
Martin Short and Nancy Dolman
Jeff Daniels and Kathleen Treado

May this list inspire you to keep your relationships strong no matter what the pressures of life bring you. As a unit, you are more powerful, let nothing come between you! <3

Saturday, March 16, 2013

I'm a 1920's Flapper! Jazz ~ Jazz ~ Jazz!

Preparing for this 1920's themed show has been a jazz and blues vocalist's dream come true. Along the way, I've been learning a lot about the music and fashion that shaped the jazz age. It was during this time that the Flapper style emerged, and not just the style- but a whole new type of woman.

The flapper was at the epicenter of the culture war that forever changed the way society views women, and set the tone for the women's suffrage movement.

The "flapper" was a term for a woman who cut her hair in a short bob, wore a good amount of makeup, and wasn't afraid of defying the rigid Victorian social norms that women of the day were expected to adhere to. They were known for listening to jazz and carrying themselves with a unique confidence and independence. Sound like someone you know? I hope so.

The way I see it, the 1920's were the American Woman's teenage years. Boundaries were tested and pushed. Swearing, drinking, carousing were the behavior of a woman who could be seen as "of the times". While I don't fully identify with the characteristic "flapper girl", I admire the spirit that was necessary to counteract the serious discrimination that women endured for so long.

At my show, I'll be proud to represent the women of the 1920's who threw off the shackles of yesterday, and made way for women like me who can perform onstage, kick butt in the office, and make an honest living without being dependent on a man to get by. I'm married and so happy, and part of my biblical view of marriage is that the woman should not a burden, or merely a child-rearer, rather a go-getter, and a financial team-mate in the household, just like it says in Proverbs.

This flapper fad died away with the Great Depression. Like one of life's hard lessons- a death of a friend, a broken heart, the Great Depression became the antidote for a generation experimenting with sometimes unweildy amounts of hedonism. But, they came out the other side with new value systems, which included greater respect and broader definitions for the female's role in society.

I love this white dress that I found with the event organizers at the Missoula Children's Theatre. If you're ever on the hunt for great vintage clothing, make sure to check into your local theatres and playhouses! That's where I find the good stuff for my shows.

What I love best about this dress is that it makes me feel free- the fringe flaps around and is a whole lot of  fun, and still the dress isn't too revealing.

I would love to see you at this show. There's so much more to it than just this dress! With some great local musicians, I've created a line-up of songs that are both reminicient of the 1920's and modern at the same time. I can't wait to sing it for you!

Please connect with me on my facebook: www.facebook.com/laura.sings.jazz
And subscribe on the sidebar to keep getting my updates!

Jazz on, my friends!

Thursday, March 14, 2013

Big show on Saturday the 23rd!

It's been a fun few days as I prepare for my next big show! It's a 20's themed event, and I will be performing songs old and new with Missoula's Keaton Wilson on piano, Ed Stalling on drums, and Pete Hand on bass. These are some of the best players in town and it's an honor to be sharing the stage with them, and especially for such a good cause.

Get tickets here: Get tickets for Many Faces of Women 2013

The event is a fundraiser for WORD (Women's Opportunity Resource Development). It's a charity dinner and acution to support their vision to model and actively promote ways of working that:

  • Value and celebrate women’s experiences and contributions;
  • Respect individual dignity and honor diversity;
  • Ensure accessibility for those with the least access to resources, value and power;
  • Are holistic, client-centered and strengths-based;
  • Encourage creativity, community and openness to change 
I've lined up a great set list and will even be doing a little decorating of the stage. I can't wait to help you cut a rug!



I invite you to connect with my Facebook!
www.facebook.com/laura.sings.jazz
Come "like" the WORD page to show your support:
WORD facebook page: www.facebook.com/WORDMissoula

Monday, March 11, 2013

"Charlotte"- Lyrics

After over 6 months of writing, molding and tweaking, my song about a woman's firearm is finally ready to record... interesting timing! I was inspired to write this song with the mounting news of sexual violence occuring in my own small town of Missoula, MT last Summer. I can't wait to share "Charlotte" with you, surprise a few yawners and turn the tables on crime, hopefully sometime next week?

Here are the lyrics:

Charlotte is a gun
I keep her in my garter just in case, some guy think's I'm for fun
That's the worst mistake he's ever gonna make

Charlotte doesn't sleep
Charlotte doesn't blink or take a break
Charlotte is a gun
Charlotte says she don't care what you say

She knows the truth, she needs no judge,
She is the last thing between you and God
She needs no proof of what she's seen,
She is my angel and my machine

Charlotte is a gun




" 'Safety first' is the motto of Miss Mary Jayne of Keith's circuit. Mary Jayne, seated in rocking chair with pistol strapped to her knee, claiming exemption from concealed weapon regulation by saying her thirty-two isn't a concealed weapon in these days of knee-length skirts." National Photo Company Collection, February 14, 1922.