Carissa Schroeder (Lady Brain Collective member and founder of The Bold Vocal, has just launched her new online coaching course called Living Room Rockstar. The four week bootcamp is designed for singers who want an easy system for confidently performing live online, and a way to create cash flow from the comfort of home. According to the course description, Living Room Rockstar is an easy, repeatable, system that anyone can do, from anywhere in the world, to get cash in the bank and ears on their music.

Thank you to everyone who came out to February's sold-out community gathering entitled Love in the Round. We kicked things off with a couple tunes from our gracious host Bonnie Nicholls, followed by a Nashville-style songwriters round featuring Astra Kelly and Carissa Schroeder. The space was made all the more lovely thanks to artwork and decoration from Barbara Rutherford, not to mention the loving attention from our listening room audience! 

Special thanks to our water sponsor Topo Chico for keeping everyone hydrated! If you're interested in getting involved, there are so many ways to contribute. Please consider becoming a Lady Brain Lover or Community Gathering Sponsor - these generous folks help our young organization grow and thrive. Or, if you have venue space and/or any other items to donate toward our cause, we want to hear from you! As we always say, art is a team sport, and we really appreciate ALL of the folks on our team.

ON DECK: Don't miss out on our March community gathering, happening this Saturday, March 7 from 5-8pm at Whistle Stop, where we'll be hosting a Lady Brain Presents takeover of the long-running music series Grampa Drew's Flim Flam Revue. This 21+ event is free, and a portion of the bar sales will benefit RAINN, the nation's largest anti-sexual violence organization.

photo credit: City6Studios and Barbara Rutherford

February is the shortest month of the year, but it is jam-packed with events from members of Lady Brain Collective. Mark your calendars for great music, art, and entertainment from the most creative womxn in town!

Saturday, February 1 - Corina Rose Collective Album Release w/ Shane Hall at EVE Encinitas
Groovy, funky spiritual soul and rock and roll! More info

Saturday, February 8 - Tori Roze & The Hot Mess at Amplified Ale Works in Pacific Beach 
Tori Roze & The Hot Mess brings you funky-jazzy-Neo-soul original music and cover jams at your fabulous neighborhood brewery featuring 16 original brews and delicious Mediterranean grub. No cover. 8-10pm. More info

Friday, February 14 - Calamity at De Oro Mine Company in El Cajon
Come solo or bring your sweetie to “the Ford Pinto of bars" De Oro Mine Company on Valentine's Day. Join the Calamity gals for some self-love, great music, games, and raffles. Three full hours of fun beginning at 8pm, no cover. 21+. More info

Saturday, February 15 through Wednesday, February 19 - The Muse in Winter: A Creativity Retreat in Taos, N.M at the Mabel Dodge Luhan House 
Restore, revitalize, and nourish your creative self where creative greats from Georgia O'Keefe to Martha Graham received creative inspiration. Writing, art, yoga, improv games for the intimidated beginner to the seasoned expert. With author/illustrator and creative coaching guru, Jill Badonsky. More info

Tuesday, February 18 - The Spiritual Motels and The Banduvloons with Touchtone at The Casbah
Come out and support Lady Brain members Amy Day, Karina Frost Moreno and KC Deichler as The Spiritual Motels and The Banduvloons make their Casbah debut!  9pm, $6, 21+.  More info 

Saturday, February 29 - Lady Brain Presents “Love in the Round" Community Gathering in South Park
Please join us for this historic leap year event at a private residence in South Park, where we will explore various definitions of and experiences with love. Our host Bonnie Nicholls will kick off the night, followed by a Nashville-style songwriters round featuring Astra Kelly and Carissa Schroeder. We will also showcase art by Barbara Rutherford. $10 advance tickets. Limited capacity seating; please make sure to RSVP early! More info

Welcome to Boss Ladies, the review column written by members for members! In this special holiday edition, Carissa Schroeder reviews “Just a Sad Xmas," new from Tori Roze and The Hot Mess.

​You’re at a bar – the kind that is still “cash only” – the kind where the bartender’s a certified asshole unless you’re a regular. Green glitter naugahyde covers the booths along the wall; it’s December and gobs of tinsel wind around the ceiling, competing for attention with the disco ball, eternally spinning over the black and white checkered dance floor. You swill your Wild Turkey old-fashioned and mash the bright red maraschino cherry and orange wedge together in the bottom of your rocks glass.

Now, imagine a Christmas song coming on the jukebox. But not the jolly, saccharine, Hallmark kind. This kind of Christmas song – a sad and soulful one – warms you like the whiskey, from the inside out. It’s noisy, it’s busy, and it’s got some stank on it. The fat bass lines (played by Harley Magsino) and the criss-crossing vocal riffs (cue guest artist Nina Leilani Deering) create the perfect holiday storm.

That’s exactly where Tori Roze and The Hot Mess take me with their version of 1969’s lost ode to the holidays, “Just a Sad Xmas.” If you’re already a fan of Roze, you won’t be disappointed. (If you’re not already a fan, it’s time
to catch up). She shows up on the track with nothing less than her signature style of vocals – soulful, free-flowing, expectation-bending, and seemingly effortless. Deering executes the backing vocals just as they should be – with the intentionality of a lead vocal but the timbre and intensity of a supporting part. Her tone choices are the perfect complement to Tori’s.

The cover is an underground cut, originally written by Ida Sands of The Soul Duo, about getting dumped right in the middle of the holidays (ouch). Brought back to life with a respect for the genre, thanks to Rashaad Graham’s clean and simple drumming and Alan Sanderson’s production style, the track remains closely related to the original while fitting into the Hot Mess setlist seamlessly. Props to the band, overall, for having the discipline (and musical maturity) to not overplay. Johnny Alexander achieved the ideal guitar tone for the song, making really
tasteful choices in his playing. How the hell Deering was able to pull off an accordion track in a song that could easily be on the soundtrack for a holiday themed installment of the Shaft franchise, I’ll never know. But it works.

The traditional, quoted Christmas lyrics (such as “Jingle Bells”) sprinkled through the song set the scene for us. The protagonist of the song is lamenting, “why can’t loneliness let me be” while being physically surrounded by the joy of the season. About halfway through the song, the tone changes from wallowing in the misfortune of the circumstances, to looking forward to a “New Year’s resolution” to reunite the love affair.

The listener never gets to know if the couple in question does, in fact, reunite – but you can absolutely put yourself in the shoes of someone, turning the facts over and over in their mind, trying to make sense of the juxtaposition of “green, red and blue (…) lights and décor” and a mood that is “grim, gray, and black.”

Overall, this is a solid pull from the Hot Mess crew. If you, yourself, were experiencing a less than joyful holiday season (perhaps drinking alone at a dive bar), this would be the kind of song that would get you swaying on your stool – or maybe even up on the dance floor. With this kind of late sixties soul laying the foundation for the sonic landscape, you might even snag yourself a new lover. This thing’s got some ass on it.
​
Support by downloading “Just a Sad Xmas” on iTunes on or after December 7.

Happy holiday season to all our friends and readers! If you're looking to fill up your seasonal social calendar with amazing art, music, education, and creativity, the Lady Brain Collective has you covered for fun things to do in San Diego in the coming weeks:

Sunday, December 8 - Lady Brain Presents: Home is Where the Art is Holiday Party at The Holding Company in Ocean Beach
Lady Brain Presents will host its first annual holiday party and winter clothing drive titled “Home is Where the Art is,” with performances by Chloe Lou and The Liddells (retro rock/soul), Julia Sage and The Bad Hombres (South Americana), Miki Vale, (hip-hop) and special guests including emcee Tori Roze. In addition to musical performances, the event will feature a raffle, a collaborative art activity for all attendees, and a winter clothing drive to benefit North County Lifeline’s LifeSpring Program, which offers transitional housing for former foster youth and youth experiencing homelessness. Guests are encouraged to bring (preferably new) beanies, gloves, scarves, socks, blankets. Free, 4-8pm, 21+. More info

Tuesday, December 10 - Acceptance: A soulsong.life Transformative Songwriting Workshop with Astra Kelly at The Lotus Room in Hillcrest
Experience growth, healing, and connection through music by tapping into the creative source. As a group, we will explore the theme of “acceptance" in depth and write a song together that reflects our shared perceptions and experiences. No musical skills necessary! 6-9pm, $60 (Special holiday rate to make it easier to give yourself this gift!) Advance registration required. More info/Register

Friday, December 20 - Tori Roze and The Hot Mess SPECIAL Xmas Show at Bar Pink in North Park
This funky jazzy neo-soul brings you a SPECIAL Xmas version of themselves, including soulful holiday mashups and funky non-denominational tunes to put a smile on your face through the New Year. There will also be a limited edition EP available for purchase by Tori Roze and Johnny Alexander called “Classy Xmas” to stuff those stockings at home! Free, 7-10pm, 21+. More info

Sunday, December 22 - Carissa's Birthday Show ft. Golden Howl at Sycamore Den in Normal Heights
This Lady Brain-laden event will be headlined by Golden Howl (featuring collective members Marlo Smith, Rachel Riba, and Jules Stewart). Birthday girl Carissa Schroeder will open the evening with a solo set of original music on the beautiful (albeit slightly out of tune) piano at Sycamore Den.  Situated nicely between Carissa's birthday (12/20) and the end of year holidays, CS invites you to celebrate with an evening of goddess-y, all-the-feels music, perfect cocktails, delivery ramen, and skeeball.  It's a win-win-win-win. Free, 8-10pm. More info

This edition of Boss Ladies is brought to you by member Carissa Schroeder, who reviews “Amulet," the latest single from Lizabeth Yandel.

If Lizabeth Yandel ever decides to throw in the proverbial music towel, it’s safe to say she has a solid future letting her subconscious mind design interiors for the trendy, San Diego restaurant group, Consortium Holdings (Born & Raised, False Idol, Craft & Commerce). Her latest single, “Amulet,” was born from a dream in which she sat, having a drink alone, “in a narrow little tavern lit by small star-shaped lights. It was decorated with vining plants and pieces of stained glass strung from the ceiling, which was almost completely comprised of windows.” The moon was out. She sat in her booth and sang the first verse of “Amulet” – a song that was fully completed and already in existence in dreamland – when an oddly specific 2000’s version of Erykah Badu appeared with her squad and started singing along in lush harmony.

You’ve gotta love dreams.

What I wouldn’t give to step inside this woman’s head for a day! It seems so magical. Truthfully, she did an incredible job of capturing that sense of whimsy and magic in the song. Her ability to bring her inner world out through music is uncanny. I could place my own two feet in that tavern if music could physically transport my body.​

By experiencing the audio playground that is “Amulet,” it’s clear that Yandel embodies the reason that people need to start paying better attention to the local music that is happening right beneath their noses. This song has everything it needs to become a favorite in your rotation – it’s (literally) dreamy, well-written and recorded, and it has a lyrical, soul-forward, message that we so desperately need right now.

Yandel, who has admittedly battled with depression, feelings of hopelessness, and even mild suicidal thoughts, calls this song, “a heart-aching celebration of music for all the ways and times it has saved my life.” Her lyric, “Be alive,” swirls around repeatedly at the end of the song, like a mantra, reminding us that it’s a “constant choice to stay alive” and fight life’s battles.

I believe that this is truly what we need to hear, right now, as a collective. When so many of us these days report suffering from anxiety, depression and isolation, it’s no wonder we are maligned with what seems like endless news of suicide, mass shootings, and unspeakable violence.

If American society is teetering on a narrow ledge – dangerously see-sawing between a destructive past built on problems swept under the rug, and an unforeseen future where we publicly acknowledge our wounds and heal them – Yandel fits neatly into the pocket of the phrase, “Think globally, act locally.”

How many lives could be changed, or even saved, with music like this? How many people need to hear the words, “it’s your one true light, let it guide you through, you don’t have to hide…” or, “at the center of all our darkest secrets is one same song, beating right in time…”?

Yandel has a new fan in me, and the next time I’m feeling disconnected from others, or untethered to my purpose, I will revisit this dream. I will let this multi-dimensional, creatrix of a womxn remind me that “we are lyrics written from the stars,” and that “we can be free inside our minds.” I will find solace here in her divination, and a peaceful knowing that I am not alone in this fight to stay alive.

Stay connected: http://lizabethyandel.com

Additional Credits:
Drums & Intrument Tracking - Jules Stewart 
Bass - Melanie Medina
Backing Vocals - Siena Beacham, Jillian Wilding, and Shala Harmony (from SD Resistance Revival Chorus)
Mix/mastered by Victor Franca, Track Town Records in Eugene, OR
Single art - Johnny Hoolko

Wednesday, September 4 - Julia Sage and The Bad Hombres at The Holding Company
Local band showcase.  Come on out and party with us!  Julia Sage and The Bad Hombres starting at 9 pm sharp. More info

Thursday, September 12 - Golden Howl at Til Two with The Strawberry Moons and The Powerballs
More info

​Friday, September 13 - Chris Avetta & Golden Howl at Moose Lodge in Oceanside

Saturday, September 14 - Kinship Cafe Singer-Songwriter Showcase at Eve Encinitas
This showcase at Eve Encinitas will feature short sets from six acts, each of which includes at least one woman, and four of which feature Lady Brain members: The Banduvloons, Dixie Maxwell and Lee Coulter, Mayzie Jean, and The Spiritual Motels (plus The Shift and Dulaney and Company).  7-10:30pm, $10, all ages.  More info

Saturday, September 21 - Calamity at Artwalk Carlsbad
Don't miss the gals from Calamity playing originals during Artwalk Carlsbad from 3:15 to 4pm. No cover, all ages. More info

Sunday, September 22 - Tori Roze and the Hot Mess at Coronado Music Festival
This inaugural three day music festival kicks off on Friday September 20, with Tori Roze and the Hote Mess headlining on Sunday, September 22. The family-friendly weekend features local and regional musical talent of all genres and visual art. This marks the first event for Coronado Music and Arts Foundation(CMAF), a nonprofit, whose mission is to provide cultural music and art experiences for at risk and homeless individuals including youth and special needs adults through a variety of settings in Coronado and San Diego. More info

Thursday, September 26 - Lady Brain Presents Community Gathering In Celebration of Life
Lady Brain Presents is back with a special art/music/spoken word showcase centering around the topics of death, dying, and existence. Join us at a private Ocean Beach residence around 6:30pm for sunset, social hour, and art viewing. Performances will kick off around 7:30pm. $10 Suggested Donation, proceeds will benefit the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. More info

Thanks to all who attended our August meet-up! Shout out to Jessica Lerner for hosting us and setting up a lovely mimosa station! This month's special guest was Kelsea Rae Little, Media Director at GoFundMe and host of True Stories of Good People podcast. Kelsea fielded our questions about crowdfunding and shared her story of how she got involved with GoFundMe, as well as severals stories of some of the everyday heroes who have used the platform to do good work in the world. There was not a dry eye in the room!