The new rock band “51 Pegasi” made its debut this week at the Xi’an International Expo 2011.  This project took shape in July after several “we should all play together in the same group” conversations with some of my favorite artist friends in Shanghai.  Good everyday people that you chill on the couch with any afternoon…who also happen to be some of the best in live entertainment today worldwide.

Doing an 8-day tour with these folks in the hometown of the Terra-cotta Warriors has been an incredible ride that will not be soon forgotten.  From performing daily high-energy concerts, to nightly group acupuncture and massage sessions, historical sightseeing, bike rides on the ancient city wall, hotel room parties, and spontaneous club jams with local musicians — we are living a unique “musical family” experience set a world apart from your typical gig situation.

"51 Pegasi" backstage @ Xi'an Expo 2011

51 Pegasi is…

(front row from L):  Dana Shellmire ~~vocals ||   Boyana Walsh ~~vocals ||   Rosita Janbakhsh ~~flute ||   Denise Mininfield ~~vocals ||   (back row):  Charlie Hitchcock ~~guitar ||   Gilbert Kuppusami ~~drums/vocals ||   Alain Couronne ~~bass ||   Byron Hill ~~keyboards ||

What’s in a name? 

“51 Pegasi b is a Sun-like star located 50.9 light years from Earth in the constellation Pegasus.  It was the first Sun-like star, other than the Sun, to have a planet orbiting it, a discovery that was announced in 1995.  It is estimated to be 6.1-8.1 billion years old (somewhat older than the Sun) and is visible from Earth with binoculars, or with the naked eye under dark sky conditions.”

Four more days to go and I can’t wait to see what this lifelong fascination with astronomy can lead to in a rock & roll context!

~Dana, 51 Pegasi

We went to our first jam last night at a happening little spot in the Latin Quartier called “Caveaux des Oubliettes.”  Vladimir had not been there for 10 years, and it was my first time.  Wednesday night is “Soul Connexions,” showcasing modern R&B, classic soul and funk.  Vladimir jammed some Marvin Gaye on bass, and I sang a somewhat obscure Stevie Wonder tune.   We did not get to play together this time, unfortunately, but it was actually cool to stand outside and look at what we do individually (and get some good video).

We left just before 2am feeling uplifted enough to spontaneously rent a few bikes and do a little night tour of the city in the damp zero degrees (celsius) weather instead of dealing with the lame taxis.  It would normally be a 6km ride home directly, but we took our time, made many detours, and got some nice shots.  I did not think I would get to ride a bike over here, let alone during the winter.  So that is one dream I can check off now!

Off to the studio now, where I can write and live inside my head for a few hours. =)

This clock reminded me of "Back To The Future."

The circus.

Street art with a kind message.

Love of my life.

The massive hill we climbed outside Bar La Faille.

For Cindy Vaca. =)

Peace & Minute Maid orange juice!

Shanghai is over and after some good rest back home in California, I have re-imagined myself as the second half of an acoustic jazz roots duo called “Dana & Vlad” (Dana Shellmire from USA – vocals  and Vladimir Legay from France – guitar).  We are doing our first tour of Europe, where we will be performing a series of shows at some cool venues in Paris, Cork, and Dublin.  Tour details are here: http://www.noomiz.com/danaetvlad.

Our project officially began as somewhat of an after-hours dare in late Summer in Shanghai, and has blossomed into something  really fresh, exciting, and cosmopolitan.  We are getting ready to release our first acoustic EP in the spring, and it has already been getting great buzz over here in Paris.  We did an impromptu mini-set at a birthday party of one of Vladimir’s schoolmate friends and got a very warm and welcoming reception.  Vladimir actually had not seen a lot of these people in many years since moving to China.  It was a nice reunion and I met a lot of cool people who I will get to see again at our Paris debut show at Bar La Faille on Thursday, February 3: http://www.la-faille.com

Bar La Faille Promo Poster.

First few days in and so far so good.  I am taking my time easing into the way of life over here…a few social and art events and the tour prep.  More news and pics soon!

We are 5 years old.

Aude's Birthday Party @ Loulou's - Part 1

Aude's Birthday Party @ Loulou's - Part 2

Aude's Birthday Party @ Loulou's - Part 3

Celebrating 15 Years of Shanghai’s Best Blues and Jazz

Dana Shellmire – Vocalist for Mike Null & The Soulcasters

Most venues in this city don’t make it past their first birthday, let alone into their second decade. But the House of Blues and Jazz has proven itself to be one of the few exceptions to the rule as it turns 15 this November.

Since 1995, it’s been a second living room for those who are hungry for quality live music and a home for blues and jazz musicians from all over the world. It was the first blues and jazz bar in “new” Shanghai, opening initially on Sinan Lu, in a space that’s now a furniture shop, before moving to the Cypress Hotel in Hongqiao, then to Maoming Lu during the street’s glory days before upscaling to its Bund-side digs in 2008.

This month, anniversary celebrations see a host of artists returning to the venue. First up are the Cangelosi Cards, a small, soulful unit that combines the best aspects of old-time swing, hot jazz and acoustic roots and blues. Hailing from New York, the quintet features the inimitable singing talent of Tamar Korn, who takes her cues from old New Orleans jazz.

After that, there’s a week of shows by Shanghai stalwart Carlton J. Smith, who played his first Shanghai gig at the House of Blues and Jazz back in 2005. There follow shows by blues outfit the Sam Hooper Group and high-octane soul vocalist Greg Luttrell, all of them backed up by the HOBJ’s house band, Mike Null & The Soulcasters.

Music at the House of Blues and Jazz feels up-close and personal, which is exactly what jazz and blues needs to be. The management has always supported those who come to Shanghai and try to make a living out of their music, and it’s cited again and again as a favorite place to perform by the city’s jazz professionals.

Link to story: http://www.cityweekend.com.cn/shanghai/articles/blogs-shanghai/shanghais-nightlife/celebrating-15-years-of-shanghais-best-blues-and-jazz/

DETAILS

What: The House of Blues and Jazz Birthday Celebrations

When: The Cangelosi Cards play Mon. Nov. 1 | 9:30PM
Carlton J. Smith plays Nov. 2-7 | 9:30PM
Sam Hooper plays Nov. 9-14 | 9:30PM
Greg Luttrell plays Nov. 16-21 | 9:30PM

Where: 60 Fuzhou Lu

Tel: 6323-2779

How much: RMB50 on weekends

For reel though...

Yep, I am still in China doing my thang…using my ghetto slang…but nobody has been hearing about it stateside because I fell off FB and then fell off  its replacement since July!!  Boy, there is nothing like losing your voice to bring that whole “writing medium” back into your life, lol. =)

No dress. No heels. Just writing in my pajamas with orange headphones on.

You heard correct.  I have a combination of laryngitis and bronchitis brought on by the flu, and have been ordered by a doctor not to talk or sing for the next 7 days.  Ouch!  Rather than dwell on the news and let being sidelined from live music get me down, I see it as an opportunity to let everyone in on exactly what has been going on in our wildest of worlds these past few months.

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BY POPULAR DEMAND, THE SOULCASTERS GET CONTRACT EXTENDED TO JANUARY 2, 2011!!!

Sunday jam with visiting UK Jazz singer/actor James Lambeth.

Of course, this is great news for us and China, but perhaps not such great news for our friends and family in Boston, Los Angeles, Ohio, and Kansas City that expected us back this Fall and home for the holidays.  I am very sorry for any disappointment this may bring, but I hope you understand that we have been given the chance to do exactly what we have wanted to do since childhood, on our own terms, and with some of the best people we have ever worked with.  What is a better feeling than this?

Joy!

We are the first band in the House of Blues & Jazz’s 15-year history to receive this honor, and are now ranked among the top bands in the region.  In August, the band appeared in a major commercial for Canon in Shanghai only two months into its contract; an unheard move to this point: (http://www.canon.com.cn/products/camera/ixus/ixuscolor/nightphoto/index.html).

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GRAMMY AWARD-WINNING TRUMPET PLAYER CATCHES THE SOULCASTERS AT HOUSE OF BLUES & JAZZ IN OCTOBER.

Grammy award-winning trumpet player Roy Hargrove (RH Factor) paid us a surprise visit two nights in a row a few weeks ago (along with members of Dianne Reeves’ band), and celebrated his 41st birthday with us on our stage on October 16th.  We sang him a funky birthday song and Mike got some nice footage of everyone chopping it up that night.  Out of this world to be that close to the sound!

Mr. "Hard Groove" himself.

RH Part 2

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“…I’M GONNA BURN, BURN, BURN SHANGHAI DOWN!!!”

BEST T-SHIRT EVER AWARD!!!

I have been jamming on the regular with this homicidal maniac French/Russian African-Reggae-Hip Hop-Soul-Gypsy-Jazz (but hates Jazz and gets mad when people call him that) guitarist, classical pianist, composer, bassist, drummer called Lebowski — aka “El Dude,” aka “Fuck With Lebowski Day,” aka “Hey Bitch!,” aka “Whatever I Feel Like Calling Him Today.”

We have three new songs going simultaneously, one which we debuted in a whiskey haze as an impromptu acoustic duo following what was originally supposed to be The Soulcasters’ last Sunday night jam on October 17th.  It blew crazy, the owners took loads of pictures which I still have yet to see, couples were dancing cheek-to-cheek right in front of us, and we thought, “Damn, guess we got something here!”  It was also our piano player Gabriel’s last night in town before his new hit in Hong Kong, so a fitting end to a lovely evening.

The Soulcasters on Jam Night!

The episode continued with the two of us jumping in a crazy cab at 3am, and heading over to the even later Sunday jam at Anar — this time with a much more violent show involving cigarette lighters, pogo-dancing, drums, Chinese instruments, gongs, and super-rare public improvised rapping from me.  ALL UNTIL SUNRISE!!  This is where Lebowski first dropped the hook for our third collaborative joint (of a proposed eight to ten), “I’m gonna burn, burn, burn Shanghai down!”  It was so aggro coming from his sensitive marshmallow-like soul — totally inspired and rocking.  We have not jammed again since and I do not know where he is right now.  Probably down south narcking me out to the Chinese feds, so I cannot kill him again and drink all his coffee…bitch.

The jam couch with powder blue pillow I used to kill Lebowski about 7 or 10 times now.

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MY LAST SATURDAY NIGHT IN THE BIG CITY FOR THE MONTH OF OCTOBER.

How am I doing? You're looking at it, sweetie.

This is the last night I performed before the flu (not a cold like we thought) took hold and wrecked my shit.  Still disbelieving, drinking all the water and green tea I could stand, and making it happen.  There were loads of guest musicians joining us that night, including a cool lady trumpet player from New Zealand named Edwina.  Everyone left the spot in high spirits and I decided to pay a random visit to JZ’s 2am jazz jam with Sean.  I ended up running into a few cats I had not seen in a while, as well as meeting some cool new cats like singers Boyana Walsh and Heather Jakeman, and a Cuban musician named Philip who played during the Latin music portion of the evening.

I had not planned on singing because I could feel a wicked cough coming on, but the mood was so upbeat and the line-up could not have been more killer: Sean Higgins (piano – USA), Gilbert Kuppusami (drums – Mauritius), Vladimir Legay (guitar – France), Damien Banzigou (bass – Mauritius), and Irwin Hall (alto sax – USA).  None of us had ever performed together in this configuration, and we were only moderately familiar with the tunes — a TRUE jam scenario!  We did Stevie Wonder’s “Sir Duke” and Sly & The Family Stone’s “Thank You” and got the party cracking in that “cult-y” sort of way I love — where people come up to the stage and dance like nobody is looking (but are not wasted), and give you high-fives from below while you are performing.  It was dopesauce!

Then thinking I could just sleep off the “cold” I thought I was getting, like so many times before, I fell into the crowd with the cool kids out by the dumpsters behind the cafeteria; then the lunch lady yelled at us to clear off, and I have been in bed since Monday.  Time to take my last dose of medicine for the night and turn on the heater.  I have not spoken one word all day for the first time in my natural life.  Six more of these to go.  THE END.

Stepping on the Blues in the Big City.

After faithfully enjoying a weekly ritual of Tuesday evening post-rehearsal pre-show Chinese massage, we headed to a House buzzing with the sort of “listening room” energy we live for as performers.  I think Mike Null put it best in a recent article of “The Killing Floor” for the Boston Blues Society when he said, ” though I enjoy the dancing room, I must say that I do not consider dancing a sign of success.”  Dancing is wonderful and I can’t help doing it myself, but I love when people are actually vibing off of what they are hearing and seeing, snapping there fingers in time because that’s what we do in our “living room” a.k.a. the stage, and really going there with us solely based on what we are putting out at any moment.

Blues diplomacy in action: USA meets Australia in China.

People from all over the world were present, in addition to the local audience: Australia, Khazakstan, Colombia, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Morocco, and Orange County (hehe) to name a few.  Their responsive participatory nature fueled the fun we were having just knowing there was a little United Nations sitting a few feet away totally digging the Blues!  We got to take chances and go in completely new directions with the material by playing them in different styles and feels and with different levels of intensity than usual — leading everyone by the hand through the multifaceted history of this music that has an undeniable hold on our hearts.  It felt sooooooo goooooood toooooo!

The 3 M's: Monique (from Australia), Me and Mike.

China TV sound check!

Yesterday was one hell of a roller coaster ride lesson on the wondrous nuances of Chinese television culture, the effect of Blues music when taken out of context, and just the fun we all have measuring and pushing our creative and physical limits as situations dictate.  I really appreciated the generosity of the House of Blues and hotel staff, and the Caissa Touristic Group for whom we were performing.  The event was very well-organized and attended, scenes went off without a hitch, and they took great care of us — most notably our first Cantonese meal at a top quality restaurant nearby.  It was also cool to watch Mr. Lin Dong Fu do his thing as Master of Ceremonies and hear his rich speaking voice booming through the sub woofers!  

Marveling at some "dick-joke cigarette box puppetry" up in VIP. I love my job!

Part ii: Back at the House of Blues & Jazz later that evening…

Okay, now for the really fun part…I have a hole in my last back upper tooth on the right side that made its presence felt right before I hit the stage at the House of Blues & Jazz for our second show of the day.  The crushing out-of-the-blue pain could best be described as a 200 lb man (who also lifts weights and does the triathlon) punching me in the right cheek 3 times in a row and then saying, “All right, you’ve had enough…time for you to go on stage and sing now.”

So I did the first set raw in some of the most debilitating pain in recent memory and felt the Blues deep down in my jaw-bone, right eye, and lips.  My temporary remedy to get through the second set was a glass of wine and lots of laying on the couch upstairs for the first time in my career.  I thought, “Jesus Christ, so this is how the cats make it happen and still go on stage in those shiny dresses and suits!”  I wanted to take off my mouth and right temple after each song, rest them on the softest pillow ever made, and then put them back on and continue.

Mila the house manager later came with a Bayer tablet that seemed to work for a bit, then completely wore off.  I’m guessing all the dancing, sweating, emoting, and raised metabolic rate were the cause.  So I followed it up with a second glass of wine before the final set, which seemed to do the trick. I don’t ever advise this.  Ever.  But when all eyes are on you, you are at work, and there is no calling in sick, perform you must.   And perform I did, at times actually “seeing stars,” which I thought only happened in cartoons or if you got hit on the head really hard.  Nope, it is very real and ay de colores!

In short, we have to take the rough with the smooth here in Shanghai.  A lot.  And we have a lot to learn about each other, let alone how to be the best we can in our chosen field.  As that “realness” continues to show itself in our day-to-day, and once we work out the kinks, start watching and listening more, and realize that no feeling is forever, I feel that it will all serve to galvanize our aims as Blues music ambassadors in a country that is just starting to open up to receive the message.

This can be difficult for everyone in a climate characterized by such urgency, but as Maxwell put it, “we are already half-way to half-way to the end of our contract.”  That is both real and a little hard to imagine.  But the displays of togetherness and awareness (not self-awareness) yesterday in our being thrust into situations outside our normal depths, made me feel like I was a part of a solid unit just budding with untapped emotion and potential.  I would not trade any of these moments to be firing on all cylinders in a business suit and pumps on Monday morning at the office.  No, I will be at the fabric market and hunting for a dentist on Monday, thank you very much.

Gabriel + Maxwell = some cats.

My alarm clock just didn’t go off this morning, which meant that I got to sleep in for an extra 30 minutes.  It also meant that I had to beg off going to the fabric market with the band because I was in an uncharacteristic fog much better suited to writing than, say, being in public dodging watch and tie merchants.  Yes, I am that girl right now…but there won’t be a duck recipe today, I’m afraid.

Today we meet at the club at 2pm and will be shuttled to our first live engagement outside of our residency space, orchestrated by the House of Blues Shanghai.  I am very honored to have been offered this only two weeks into our contract, as I understand it’s not a typical move this early in the game.  We must be making a very strong impression!

I was told that we are performing at an event hosted by German dignitaries and must be on our baddest behavior musically, while cutting a look on stage that would be right at home at Michelle Obama’s birthday party. So I will don my cream and black Jackie O-style dress by Marc Jacobs, complete with “ambitious pumps,” while the band becomes Her Majesty’s Secret Service.  Mike Null & The Soulcasters: International Blues Band of Mystery.

The event will last about 2 hours, and then we head back to the House to tear it down for the Friday night crowd.  Twice the joy, twice the amazement, and twice the wonderful food — I’m ready to play some Blues!

42

…and just push some buttons on a Chinese-only washing machine and hope for the best.  That, my friends, is a Shanghai Thursday afternoon after a raging Wednesday night live performance that looked and sounded more like a weekend.  In fact, a very comely Swedish guy informed me that they call Wednesday ‘Little Saturday” where he comes from.  His equally comely Australian friend concurred, and it certainly was the case as I saw more drinks being consumed than just about any weekend in memory.  The place was on fire!

A few of our local musician friends even came through for birthday festivities and a little jam ensued.  This is one of the most wonderful perks of being the hosts of any great venue — you can pretty much do what you want, when you want, with whomever you want so long as the end result is “WOW!”  The owners were present for the whole show and seemed very impressed with our collective Master of Ceremonies approach to conveying the Blues mission.  As Mr. Dong Fu put it, “this is YOUR house.”

I felt like we were all so ON IT, and not a minute sooner than I had hoped for us one month down the pike in a strange place that only one of us had ever been.  Especially considering that it was this amazing International residency that brought us all together.

With that said, it is typically my nature after such an eventful microcosm to step back and take stock of it plainly through “next day” eyes — not because I don’t trust my eyes in the present tense, but more that I really need to be sure that this is as evolved, mysterious, and anomalous as it feels with this band in those moments.  Nostalgia is one hell of a drug that I aim to kick once and for all on this contract.  I hope that others will do the same and really enjoy this beautiful present tense while it has us.

So I finally asked Mike point blank, “how does this band stack up, in your mind, when compared to last year’s?”  Seems like a loaded question at first glance, but not exactly.  In fact, the answer to this has nothing at all to do with the question — sort of like how college has nothing to do at all with learning particular subjects or majors, and quality and popularity are mutually exclusive.  His answer was something to the effect of us doing exactly what he had hoped for the next time around after such an amazing first time.  Also, that this incarnation is more “ensemble-focused” and less of a “musician showcase;”  Leaving more room for him to concentrate on his role without carrying the full weight.  I can dig it.

But then again, I do get this nagging feeling that I was afraid to consider, but cannot help expressing frankly through the best medium I know how to with a non-confrontational nature that only becomes more so as the years pass because I value harmony above just about all else.  There seems to be an element of “truth” that is missing from this unit and its surroundings that gives me a bad feeling on a personal level  — a double-standard of respect reserved only for others.  It’s in the way we take taxis, how we sit and socialize at work and elsewhere, how we conduct our daily lives.  I still feel a huge disconnect between what happens on stage and what happens immediately after, even during breaks.  The “joy” and “collegial” factors seem to begin and end there, and is so murky in general that it makes me want to escape both physically and mentally most times.  And when the gate closes repeatedly at the hands of an assumed friend, you must not only suffer with the knowledge that you are not friends, but the ambiguity of ebb and flow surface deeds that amount to more of the same in the end.  For someone who loves people and honesty as much as I do, it is hard to feel so auxiliary from the group and makes me question if I made the right decision not to just stay home and finish my record with the group who values my presence, actually treats me like a “friend,” and would not relegate me to a role.  I have never felt this way before and would take just about any opportunity at this point to make it stop and return to the realness that brought us here.

Our very first night in Shanghai as guests of The Cangelosi Cards of New York City.

…because it sleeps its days away and has to have something to show for becoming a vampire before the last curtain call in October.  I tell you truly, were it not for an overdeveloped sense of irony and the unmitigated audacity to write about it, one might think I was actually online a few minutes ago ordering dress pumps because none of the stores here, so far, seem to carry my size.  Such is the plight of those with long forearms who are also terrible at basketball.

Tonight we are hosting our third Sunday night jam, followed by the World Cup match of Holland vs Spain.  Just about everybody I have talked to seems to favor Spain to win, as it would be their first ever.  That is, everybody except for one Dutch guy we met last night who was fascinated with my shoes and must have taken a good two dozen pictures of them from multiple angles.  Funny, I bought them on a whim the day of our send-off show at Smoken Joe’s for $10 — didn’t know they were such wildness.

I look forward to jamming with Yasushi, our harp player friend, and seeing how word has been spreading since our first appearance three weeks ago.  I know that people are shy here, so I want to do my best to help bring folks out of their shells in a way that suits such an old and delicate  culture — direct James Brown-style commands from the stage emphasized by finger-pointing, hand-clapping, stiletto boot-stomping, and “testifying.”  Yep.  That’s the right way for a Sunday.