Natasha Miller: News

Send me your song requests! I'll keep a tally
here for you to check out! I'd love to know why the
song is special to you too. I might read your request on
stage...
let me know if there's someone special you'd like me to
dedicate a song to.

Any songs you've heard me perform before or a song you
haven't heard me do, but would like to will be considered
too!

Song Tally:
Tenderness on the Block- 1
God Bless The Child- 1

Just got word that "Don't Move" has been chosen by Ken Cicerale at ASCAP for their JazzPodcast. Awesome! Check it here http://www.ascap.com/network/podcast/jazz/2007/mp3/jan01.mp3

So, I was so sick the day before my concert, and I woke up on Sunday about 85% better. I can't believe it! Thanks to all that put in a "special request" for my recovery. The show was so much fun! Thank you so much for all that came! And thank goodness the seats were filled... that's good news for my workshop! (whew!)
I hope to see you all in the audience on March 5 @ Yoshi's. I need you there. We'll do some of the songs from last night, as well as some new ones. Your suggestions are welcome!
Natasha

Set List from Last Night:

SET ONE
Unchain My Heart
Natural Woman
Ain't Gonna Let You Break My Heart Again
Before I Die
Hold On
Blues Tune (Nicolas Bearde)
God Bless the Child

SET TWO
You're in Each Breath That I Take
Little Wing
Please Believe Me
Treasure Every Moment (Bobby Sharp)
Who Amoung You (Bobby Sharp)
Walking on the Moon
My Sleep
In My Life

So I'm suffering from my 2nd cold this year, and have a show in a few days. Just putting it out to the Universe that I need a little help getting over this in time for the concert. I want to sing my best for all that come to see the show. I haven't done a concert in about 4 months or so, and would like to start off this year with a great one!

Thanks for your thoughts.

Well, the "New Me" might be wishful thinking... but everything else is new. I unveil the newness next Sunday, and hope that if you live in the Bay Area, you'll consider coming. If you don't (live in the Bay Area) well... I'll just have to think of something.

Giant steps to overcome pathologies that keep me from moving forward, instead of sloppily side to side. Waking up to embrace fully the day ahead. Engaging in the more meaningful things in life: helping people be better, helping people to help themselves, helping people who just plain old need to be helped. Rekindling my spirit. My reason for being on this earth: being a mother, and making music. Why a day marked on a calendar would really make a difference, I do not know. But I will take the tradition and mark myself as having participated. May this new year bring greater joy and less sorrow. Or make the sorrow be a good lesson and leave swiftly.

See new photos from the Downtown Berkeley Jazz Festival by Hali McGrath here: http://www.natashamillerweb.com/photos-group-87.html

Oh my Goodness! I saw this band for the first time last night in SF, and they were truly AMAZING! I couldn't believe their musicianship, stage presence, comraderie, multi-instrumentalism, energy and production. It was perfection! They'd be good for any musician to see and learn from!

Well, I'm in a state of reinvention. You could also call it a rut. But I'm sure to come out of it soon. I've written a few new songs, and am getting a new sound together for the new year. I've been spending some time taking "self portraits" just for fun. Maybe I'll do one a day. But probably not. They're here: http://www.natashamillerweb.com/photos.html

I've just taken on a new client, and am the Marketing Director for the Jazzschool in Berkeley, CA! It's a wonderful organization, and the classes are for kids to adult/beginners-pro's! Check out their web site and take a class in January! http://www.jazzschool.com

So, I was walking down Park Street in Alameda, wandered into my favorite bookstore, Books Inc. and who was there sitting on a table reading from his new book??? Andy Summers, guitarist for my all-time favorite band The Police! I bought his book, had him autograph it for my brothers, and posed for a photo with him. I KNOW I'm a jazz vocalist, and I'm supposed to say I am influenced by Billie Holiday, but I LOVE THE POLICE!!!

OK, why is this so important? I had the honor of performing at the Monterey Jazz Festival on Thur night, and got to meet the sweet, and wonderful Mrs. Dina Eastwood! She and her husband Clint were in attendance, and lucky for me, they sat front and center for my one and a half hour concert! I was thrilled, the band was cookin' and I think the Eastwood's enjoyed themselves! I guess it's so amazing to me, because coming from the mid-west, you're not likely to run into someone as creative, accomplished and iconic as Clint, much less get to sing for him. Life is good.

Hi everyone- It's the eve of Sept 11. I felt compelled to offer to anyone who would like it, to allow for the free download of my song, 'Eleventh of September, 2001'. It features bagpipes, timpani and is the fictitional story from a boy's point of view of loosing his father that day. You can find it on the "listen" page of this site.

peace. natasha

Last Saturday night I was a part of an amazing concert with Frederica Von Stade, Marisa Lenhardt, and Steve Erquiaga. The evening was a benefit for Cole Cloren who lives here in Alameda, you can go to: http://www.givecoleachance.org to know more. Music and good spirits made for a magical night.

On another note, I moved back to Alameda last week and am enjoying life in a beautiful Victorian home. It's good to be back "home".

I also taught another class at the JazzSchool. It was my 2nd class there, and i loved it!

I'll be at the Downtown Berkeley Jazz Fest on Sunday and giving a talk before as part of the UC Berkeley Extension.

Until next time, take care.

Natasha

OK, it is HOT here. I can't even describe it, and I'm going to stop whining... right... now.
I sang at Blues Alley last night and am only now recovering. It was great... the band was great (most of them from the Navy Band), and the audience was WONDERFUL! I always feel like queen for a night during these gigs!
Earlier, I met with Senator Tom Harkin for a constituents breakfast, then later with Senator Barbara Boxer. It was interesting being on Capitol Hill. It's a whole different world here compared to the Bay Area. The security and barricades rule this town, as do suits. But guess what? I saw flip flops on the feet of most of the people in the Senate office, at least on the younger set. It's too hot for socks and shoes! Check the photo gallery for pix when I return.

I enjoyed a few amazing concerts including one in Hollywood (Catalina's), a fantastic sold-out crowd at Kuumbwa in Santa Cruz, a lovely evening at the Jazz Standard in NYC, and a HUGE success in my hometown of Des Moines IA. I performed on my high school front lawn to what I'm told was 1,400 people!
What a rush! That was a night to remember! (thank you soooo much to all that came out!)

OK, so Yoshi's was fantastic! I nearly fell into the drum set, but didn't, so it was funny and not so fatal. Check out the photos by Amy Tolbert!

The Hollywood gig at Catalina's was nice too, really great people and audience there! The band was smokin'!

In other non-related-to-music news, I ran the Bay to Breakers in San Francisco on Sunday. It was a 12k which is about 7.5 miles. It was a glorious day and I can't believe I did it! I saw a bunch of crazy costumes and a whole lot of nudity. This Iowa girl cannot believe people can so non-chalantly take a 7.5 mile run through SF naked! Oh my!

I'm playing on a softball team with my office mates, we're called the Studio 880 "Rockstars" and we're more like the Bad News Bears, but what we lack in skill we make up for in loud enthusiasm! These guys are much better at Ping Pong (played seriously daily here) than softball anyday!

Don't forget to check back often to see new dates, and news! I love to hear from you, so please do drop a line!

Natasha

Hi everyone!

Happy Easter/Passover to you! This was a great week for me and Bobby! His CD release party was amazing (see photos on bobbysharp.com) and we did a CD signing on Thursday night. In 3 hours we sold 80 CD's, and signed them too! What fun!

I'll be back with more...

Natasha

Christopher Loudon from the JazzTimes wrote a beautiful review of "Don't Move" Check it out here:
http://www.natashamillerweb.com/press.html

I just posted a few photos from the Uptown in Oakland gig. It was so much fun to put on my "Rock Goddess" persona. I need to do that more! A HUGE thanks to sweet and incredibly talented Amy Tolbert for being at my shows and taking such great photos!

I've also uploaded "Little Wing" from the show, so check it out. I love it!

I just received 400 copies of the new album, and they're all going out to the National Press like NY Times, Oprah, etc. I'll be receiving the rest for retail soon!!! I'm so excited for you to see it. The hard-bound book is beautiful, people are FREAKING out about it! Thankfully it sounds as good as it looks! I'll keep you posted.

Thanks to my great friends and fans who came to the Oakland Uptown gig on Saturday night. Was very nice to be the Rock Goddess for a night. I've turned right back into a jazz vocalist, don't worry!

I've just handed in my first acrticle for the Music Scene magazine. I wrote about Studio 880 and John Lucasey, and it will be published in the Feb issue! Starting in March, I'll be writing a monthly column about the music industry for the Music Scene as well! Never a boring moment here.

And in other pub news, look for an article about me and the new CD "Don't Move" to be in the April issue of the JazzTimes magazine!!!

From the MusicScene:
Studio 880 Funky, Hip, Groovin’ Workplace in Oakland

By Natasha Miller

Tattoos. Piercings. Low slung jeans and hip-hop grooves doing battle with alternative music blasting of juvenile angst. Welcome to Studio 880, home of Goapele, Blackalicious, Zion I, and Greenday. GREENDAY? Greenday. Yep, they’ve moved into Studio B, brought their motorcycles, tricked out bikes and their entourage of really cool looking guys. In their domain are pinball machines, a ping-pong table, requisite basketball hoop and a secret code to enter. I know the code, but I can’t tell you. It’s cool though, as only rock-star codes can be.

On any given day as you drive through the anonymous gates of Studio 880 in Oakland’s Jingletown neighborhood, you are greeted by an endless stream of young recording engineers in the making (interns), producers responsible for platinum-selling recordings, and some of the Bay Area’s hottest recording artists. Also in the mix is the controversial and confrontational Hooman of Alice radio, graphic design studio White Noise, Marshall Lamm Publicity (a veteran in the industry–having worked at GRP/Verve and at Yoshi’s) and video production company OnPoint Productions. No, these people aren’t all hovering over the biggest act in entertainment of this decade. They reside in the tropical Indiana Jones themed office complex that sits opposite of the building from the recording studios.

This entire experience is the dream and making of John Lucasey. Lucasey spent his youth in the very spot that is now the control room of Studio A helping his grandfather with his manufacturing company. When Lucasey bought the building in 1998, he says, “You could roll a bowling ball from one end of the building to the other.” Now the warehouse that sits on the I-880 freeway houses 3 beautifully appointed state-of-the-art recording studios that have been witness and creative force to many music projects ranging from Robert Cray to Chris Issak.

Lucasey hasn’t always made his career in recording music. He’s also been a bass player in local punk and rock bands, a stunt man, an actor in Los Angeles and San Francisco with recurring roles on Nash Bridges. He’s a skilled artist in metal fabrication and just happens also to be a doting husband and father to 2 young children of Moraga.

He is a playful, athletically built 40-year-old, arriving at the office no later than 9:00 am each morning. He sits at his computer in his relaxed office adorned with colorful electric guitars checking email alternating with playing a couple computer games. This is all before taking the helm of his new Digi-Design mixing board in his private studio. He just happens to be at the very end of mixing the debut CD of his newest discovery, Maypole – a heady Coldplay meets Jeff Buckley mood band.

Lucasey realizes his dream by welcoming all these entities under one roof. His roof. And getting to walk through the halls and the parking lot of his creation is enough to keep him coming back every day.

Natasha Miller is a jazz vocalist who runs her record label and production company out of the Studio 880 complex. She fancies herself a hipster while on the studio campus, but is really a conservative mother of 10-year-old daughter Bennett Smith.

I'm off to the incredible city of New York for a couple days for some publicity work and a conference. I'm preparing for the release of Don't Move, and can't wait for you to hear it!

I'm taking a little tiny break to enjoy the other pleasures in life. There are lots of them currently... but one that I most enjoy is skaeboarding at our AMAZING new park down the street. I go with Bennett (who rollerblades) and take my brother's old skateboard out from the 80's. It's "ph(f)at" and holds me better than the new ones. I know, I need a helmut and will work on that when I return from NYC where I'll attend the IAJE conference.

I have ideas, arrangements and many plans cooking for the new year. I hope things are really good out there for you all. They're really nice for me so far this year, but we're only just into it.

Savor all the moments you enjoy.

- Natasha

What do you get the man who doesn't want or need anything for Christmas? Well, last year it was a license plate that reads "BSHRP". This year it's his very own website!!! Be sure to check it out (especially the archival photos) and sign his guestbook to say HI!

http://www.bobbysharp.com
Happiest New Year to All!!!

Natasha

It's the holiday season. It's always a mix of emotions for everyone. I'm so thankful that this year is feeling pretty wonderful. I'm thankful for my incredible family, my loyal friends, for my sweet daughter, for my incredible career, for the ability to work the way I want to. I can now look back at the past and see how much I should enjoy and be thankful for this exciting and peaceful time. To really enjoy it is a blessing.

I hope for peace and joy for all of you, and look forward to all of the wonderful things coming to us in the new year.

Natasha