I have been back in the studio recording a new album with my sweet friend Tamila. We are working with producer Chris Karn (who produced Tyrone Wells' last album "Hold On"). It has been a blast and we wrote a blog about our experience so far (with pictures!) and you can view it at: myspace.com/elinamusic or myspace.com/tamilaandelina Tamila and I have a new residency at Table Ten Bar and Grill in Downtown Fullerton, CA.
Come see us share music together every 3rd Wednesday and 4th Friday of the Month starting back up in July 2008. Table Ten has a mouth watering delicious menu and a great vibe: http://www.tableten.net/
As for June, there will be no shows because I will be off galavanting with a certain cute, tall, white and bald musician! (camping in Oregon, then off to London, Maui and Idaho and a Family Reunion at our house to be exact!)
Hope to see you around in July!
-Elina
YOUNG@HEART
Have you had a hard time finding any movies that are worth paying for lately? How about a movie that is inspiring and good for the heart?
Well I have a recommendation, the film documentary "Young at Heart". It is one of the best films that Tyrone and I have seen in a long time. You'll have to look for it and search the art houses for it, but it is well worth it. The film follows a group of elderly people (all over 70 years of age) called "Young at Heart" who tour Europe and the US singing contemporary rock hits.
These people will warm your heart, make you laugh and inspire you that age does not matter to be able enjoy life.
Spending months in the studio is a dream when working with amazing people. Listening to Stevie D., the drummer who has personality, vibe, and rhythm that won't stop is incredible! And Wayne, I mean COME ON, a smooth English accent and unbelievably funky bass riffs ~ the man has no limits.
The impressive, yet down to earth Stevie D:
(To name a few credits: Stevie has played with Kenny Loggins and Crosby, Steels and Nash)
And to top it off, I file away downloadable sound bytes from producer Chris Karn who's sayings have the ability to enlighten and transport us to where we need to go – and somehow he takes us there!
Chris Karn (producer and Lead singer of Deccatree) with Wayne (who plays and with The English Beat)
These guys have credentials to be arrogant musicians, yet somehow have beaten that ugly downward spiral by their passion for creating music. I have been a bit in awe.
Elina and I have been challenged to play our own instruments – which wasn't what we were thinking when we walked in. It has pushed us in a good way and we are growing in our abilities. I can't complain about that!
Lunch breaks consist of salads from Daphne's and Chipotle, we get in a rutt and keep going back for more. OH, Boneheads is a great place for chicken ~ they have sauce for whatever your taste buds crave (And Elina can use all of them).
We've completed 3 songs and are working on 4 more. No end in sight, but we are a step closer to it! When you hear a song, let us know what you think. And in the meantime, (with the exception of June), come on down to Table Ten in downtown Fullerton. We play on the 3rd Wednesday and 4th Friday of the month. Order an appetizer, drink and a meal, the food is oooh so good.
By: Tamila Zahrndt
I completely agree with what Tamila said. By: Elina
I remember helping my husband set up and sell for shows at the OC Market Place and Irvine Spectrum. Now I am following in his footsteps with my own first CD, just trying to do my part in bringing in the income when I am home. So now I have played several times at Irvine Spectrum, The OC Market Place and Birch Street Promenade. I am not writing this blog to brag about all the awesome prestigious food courts I have played shows at, but the real reason I am writing this blog is to brag about the wonderful people that are willing to help me at these 3 hour busk shows and then some. I am so grateful for the support, friendship and help I have received from several helpful angels.
Jenn Chinn- My Booker, Merch Muscle Woman, Taxi Cab to the airport, Aunty Jenn and babysitter to my little Pono, My Personal Pep- Talker (when I am frustrated with Incompetence), Considerate Roommate and dear friend. Jenn has been right beside me thru many great and terrible shows (and told me why the terrible shows were not so terrible after all.). All of your hard work and dedication to us songwriters will pay off. Love You Jenn!
Jenn and I in Arizona
Connie Blood- She has given herself the name "Tyrone and Elina's Second Mom" and she is just that in so many ways! Thank you Connie for all the encouragement and support from the sidelines, your upbeat nature and parent-like pride in what we do, the warm meals, reminders for us to get our windshield washed (so we can see when we drive) and the gloves for cold Irvine Spectrum nights! Keep shining your brilliant light. You rock mamma-cita!
Connie helping me at Birch Street.
Amy Bartlett- Ty's cool bass player's girlfriend, tour buddy, Pono-sitter and my companion at one too many shows. Amy, thank you for being willing to sit at some of my shows too ( and I don't even have a cool bass player!). Your drive and heart will take you so many places.
Amy and Aaron somewhere on the road.
Sunny (& Christine)- Sweet Sunshine, front row seaters and two of Pono's favorite visitors at Irvine Spectrum. Thank you so much to both you and Christine (not pictured) for all of your support. When we get old, let's all play Bingo together, because I am sure you two will still have your sweet friendship even then!
Sunny helping me at Irvine.
Angel- (Not Pictured) 3x5 music, tie-wearing-cell phone talking business man, part-time booker and Elina myspace page and postcard designer. Thank you for all of your free time and belief in me... and thanks to that sweet brother of yours, Manny.
So several months ago, Tyrone wanted to surprise me for our 2 year anniversary and booked a vacation in Australia. However he forgot that the confirmation gets sent to our joint e-mail account, so I was excited to see very early on that we were going to Australia. I of course jumped on board with all the travel plans, and discovered some diffrences between my husband and I when it comes to traveling. It might be a guy vs. girl thing. Tyrone could relax in one place and I on the other hand, could fit in a lot more (if we traveled so far) to see the wonders that Australia is known for. So we were able to find a nice balance and I was in the end grateful for relaxation at one place for awhile and Tyrone was happy that we added on the Great Barrier Reef and The Rainforest. It was a 14.5 hour flight to go from Los Angeles to Sydney, but Quantas air gives you all kinds of movies (mainstream, art house, foreign films, Tv shows) to help you endure it and enduring the long flight is well worth it.
Our first stop was Sydney, so beautiful, clean and friendly. I was also amazed at how many waterways were in Sydney. So many harbors, beaches and boat town neighborhoods. You can catch ferries and water taxis to many different locations in the city. Of the many beaches to visit, we chose Manly Bay and Bondi Beach, both picture worthy. We crossed the Sydney Harbor Bridge daily, until we realized we could take a ferry practically to the door step of our hotel, but the scenic walk across the bridge was beautiful and good cardio for our lazy bums. We took in a play at the Famous Sydney Opera House (I was tired from the flight so I had a $50 ticket to nap). Tyrone said that the play was brilliant though. I agreed that it was well done in the moments that my eyes were open.
2 amazing and movement crazy years of marriage and still so happy to be side by side.
sydney's harbor bridge:
the famous opera house:
Sydney's Business district-The CBD:
view from the top:
we went into a butterfly sanctuary and we saw all the butterflies landing on the children so obviously tyrone waited for a butterfly to land on him:
and waited..
and waited
boohoo no butterfwies!
and then...look at that proud face:
and me too!
Mommy and baby koala. They sleep for 20 hours a day so their bodies can digest the toxic Eucalyptus leaves, their diet of choice.
We also had some great food in Sydney. Sydney is rich in culture and diversity.Many of the people we met were not even Australian but foreigners living there. We had some great Thai, Italian and Japanese food. One place that Sydney is known for is Harry's Cafe De Wheels, a little pie stand in Waloomaloo. We're talkin hot beef, chicken mushroom, veggie or curry pies topped with mashed potatoes, then topped with mashed peas, then covered with rich brown gravy (you can also add mint sauce and hot sauce, which I had to try since I am the Sauce Variety Queen). Apparently it is a favorite among natives like Nicole Kidman and Russell Crowe. The Breakfast at our Inn reminded me of the countless breakfasts we had in Ireland (soft sausage, tomatoes, thick ham slices that they call bacon and the signature "brown sauce"). Australia would have a huge Irish influence since most of the early settlers were Irish convicts. The British and Irish prisoners built most of the original structures in Sydney.
what most of our pictures usually look like-tall one and shorty getting cut off from the image (Harry's Cafe De Wheels):
it really did hit the spot:
Just walking around Sydney and taking in the harbors, beaches, historic streets and parks were the highlights for me. While we were walking in Sydney's Botanical Garden, Tyrone looked up at a tree and said, "are those birds honey?" and I have better eyesight with my contacts on, and I said, "No, those are bats! Hundreds of bats!" Nocturnal fruit bats that they call flying foxes just sleeping until they hunt for food at night. They were both disgusting and kind of cute at the same time. It reminded me of how unique Australia is, with 80% of the land being populated only by nature and wildlife. Wildlife that is unique to Australia.
park flowers:
view from the park:
the bats in the park:
While in Sydney we bought a couple digireedoos. Aboriginal instruments- tree limbs hollowed out by termites. Just the art work alone on the outside is beautiful.
Some Aboriginal natives:
Our next place to visit was Surfer's Paradise on the Gold Coast where we watched the entire Harry Potter series and drew our two year anniversary protrait (if you don't know already, Tyrone and I started a tradition of painting or drawing each other in the same picture every year that we have been together). Its more for our entertainment than anyone elses. We are both pretty bad at it.
Our next stop was at Cairns- the gateway town to the Daintree Rainforest and the Great Barrier Reef. The Great Barrier Reef is one of the 7 wonders of the world and we got to see why. Plugged up with our snorkel masks Ty and I could both hear ourselves saying "wow!" under the water.
You take a 1 hour boat ride out to the the reef and then you jump in to water that is about 20 feet or more deep ( I tried not the think about Australia's Jumping Great Whites that could mistake me for a seal) but once I jumped in and realized that I was staring at another planet under the sea I was captivated and could not contain my excitement. The reef was like a huge cliff in the water covered with colorful corals and plant life. We saw colorful tropical fish, huge clams with purple and turquoise spotted lips (the size of your sink!) and a huge gentle blue Maori Rasse fish about 4 feet long, we tried to swim pretty close to him.
On our visit to the rainforest we stopped at a wildlife park and fed and pet Kangaroos and Wallabies. A highlight for us was seeing a baby joey in his mommy's pouch up close and personal. The rainforest reminded me of my backyard in Hawaii only you had to watch out for crocodiles, venomous snakes and huge Cassowary birds (that look like colorful ostriches).
Unfortunetly I did not have pics on my digital camera of Surfer's Paradise and Cairns because my camera stopped working and was only able to film video. I will try to download the videos soon.
Love Regina Spektor, so unique, give her a listen.
Currently
listening
:
Begin to Hope
By
Regina Spektor
Release date: 13 June, 2006
So I have been meaning to get back in touch with the blogging skills and put out a new travel blog but time just kept slipping away, and Ireland has been impatient for me to finally brag about her. (And Angel, who manages my site here told me I had to write a new blog. Thanks Angel!)
I started by looking at my pictures again and remembering what an absolutely beautiful place Ireland is. She is green, lush, prosperous, musical and very friendly with a cute thick accent. She has miles and miles of green landscape and rocky coastlines. She has healthy and well fed farm animals, cute wild donkeys, sheep on the road and lots of dogs to pet. She likes to serve thick slices of bacon, eggs, tomatoes and black pudding (bull's blood) in the morning for breakfast (every stinkin day!). She has musical parties every night at the pub. She likes to wet your nose and frizz up your hair with her brisk wind and tears and then smile on you with a glimpse of sunshine. She is very welcoming and loves all, especially America, but she does have a hard time getting along with the British.
My brother, sister and I were all born and raised in Hawaii with our Hawaiian and Chinese culture but my mom is part Irish and she wanted to take us to Ireland to learn a little more about our other side, our whiter side. I am so grateful that we all went. We stayed at B&Bs and sometime my dad would have us all perform for our hosts, basically we were forced at times to perform. My brother Kevin would play his ukulele and sing Hawaiian songs, My sister Kelly would dance the hula and Tyrone and I would play our guitar and sing. Tyrone actually sang "Sea Breeze" for a B&B called Sea Breeze in Galway, Ireland.
I am so proud of the other side of me! My Irish side. I am proud of the people and the hardships they have had to endure throughout history. I am proud of the fight they have within them to form a better Ireland. I am proud of the warm smiles, the laughter and the singing. I am proud that U2 is from Ireland too!
Here are some photos to give you an idea of our trip.(Warning: my husband decided to grow all of his head hair out, just in case you were wondering who the tall, hairy stranger is in the photos.
"Hey, I thought castles had fancy spacious staircases! "(Bunratty Castle)
My dad enjoying the old Irish Musicians at the Durty Nelly Pub in Bunratty, Ireland.
Her Rocky coastlines
me and my new Irish friend
ty and cows
The Cliffs of Moher and a cave man
some friendly Irish Folk
Lush gardens in every small town
eating again
Her gardens ( mom, ty and Kevin)
farmhouse B&B
Her green landscape
The secret garden
Dublin's Fair City
Trinity College
In Dublin we went to see the Dubliners in Concert on my mom's b-day. The whole show was one big sing-a- long with friendly and drunk Irish folk. Check out the music below.
As payment for a private show, Tyrone got four tickets to sit courtside at a Clippers game. With my husband being a Washington fan all the way, we of course went to a game when the Clippers were playing the Seattle Sonics. This was truly an experience. These men were giants and I was older than most of them!
"Thumpety, Thump, Thump, Thumpety, Thump,Thump, Look at Pono Go! Thumpety Thump, Thump ,Thumpety Thump Thump, humping his big stuffed bone." (Elina and Tyrone's dog Pono enjoying his big stuffed bone)Pono's Amazing Bounce Hump
Since we had a show to do on Valentine's Day, my husband booked a weekend for us together in Nashville. We stayed at a Loews Pet Friendly Hotel.
Pono got a huge goody bag. Pono had a good Valentine's Day too.
Pono also got a chance to explore the hotel by himself one day. When a guest service man visited our room, Pono ran out our door and before we had time to stop him he entered the elevator and the doors closed. Tyrone and I got frantic and I waited by the elevator while Tyrone and the service man went down to look for Pono. I waited with a bunch of thoughts in my head about what kind of trouble Pono would get himself into. Then after a few minutes the same elevator doors opened and inside was a nice couple holding Pono as he tried to lick their faces. They said that they entered the elevator and didn't even see him and then they looked down to see his little face just happily riding the elevator having a good time.
Great Steaks sizzling in butter at Ruths Chris in Nashville.
Tyrone took me around to explore Nashville since it was my first time. First we stopped at Starbucks which is the norm whenever we head out on the road. My husband invests a couple bucks each day at Starbucks. I don't drink coffee.
Then we drove around and oo-ed and awed at the really big homes of Belle Meade (do a lot of country stars live there?)
We also drove down music row. I was surprised that a lot of the record labels were in humble structures and cottages. We ran into a man down there that told us his name and we should look out for him because he is going to be famous one day. I forgot his name.
Then we took in the hustling and music filled down town:
We had some tasty and unique sushi at the highly recommended Samurai Sushi:
the aloha role: shrimp with cream cheese, wrapped in mango and macadamia nuts
the volcano role (our personal favorite) spicy tuna, asparagus topped with spicy shredded crab
and we had another one with strawberries on top
An Amazing display:
That night we went to see The Grand Ole Opry show at the famous Rhyman Auditorium. It is filmed for TV and airs on country radio all the time. Just about every country star has performed on this show:
we got bored waiting for the show to start:
The Cherryholmes (A Musical Family) was by far the biggest hit. They all play an instrument, sing and dance amzingly well. I turned to Tyrone and said "maybe we can be a family like that.":
Pono in front of the original Grand Ole Opry House:
Pono and Mark are loving each other more and more each day they spend together:
Pono and I at the Opry Land Hotel, a huge and famous hotel that has boats and gardens running thru it's core:
My husband made our Valentine's Weekend very special. I made his Valentine's special too in many ways, but I'm not sharing the details on that one.
Currently
listening
:
Cherryholmes
By
Cherryholmes
Release date: 27 September, 2005
Photos: On the road again. This time with a furry friend.
Pono on the road:
Yes, another Pono blog, but I had to write about his first time road trip. Besides he's much cuter to look at in pictures than myself or anyone else for that matter.
In December 2006, Tyrone and I spent some time praying to God and asking Him to give us the dog that was rightfully suited for our little family and our traveling lifestyle. We prayed for a male dog that would behave well, be smart and make everyone find companionship in him. Pono Wells has been an answer to prayer. Pono is actually sitting next to me in his travel bag right now. I am typing away on my lap top in the Denver Airport and he is sleeping soundly with his face smashed against the netting.
Pono does not shed, he is smart and he hardly makes any noise, he really doesn't. Most of the time people don't know he is with me/us. He has been socialized early by the breeder and by us, so he is comfortable around anyone and he loves and kisses everybody (not a good watch dog, but I don't think his size would ever make him a good watch dog!) I actually have huge plans for Pono. I want to get him certified to visit hospitals, elderly or children's homes. I know he can bring more hope and smiles to hearts quicker than I ever could by myself.
When we told Mark (our tour manager) that we wanted to get a dog who would travel with us, he was not very happy, he actually said (part joking, part serious) "Its either the dog or me!" But it did not take long for Pono to melt Mark's heart, it actually only took a few seconds and Mark was giggling like a little kid as Pono basted his face.
Pono has been great on the road. When we put him in the bag he sleeps. When he is on the plane he sleeps. When he is in the car he sits on your lap or sleeps with you and he will be happy in the arms of anyone who wants to hold him. The whole band likes him and I taught the boys a song that Tyrone and I sing to Pono and one night in the van in Nashville, we all sang the song to him. Everyone is in love.
When I talk to him he tries to listen/understand by tilting his head, it is the cutest thing:
As much as I like Cesar Milan (The Dog Whisperer), I don't think Pono will need a visitation from Cesar. I will do my best to be a "calm, assertive and consistent pack leader" for our dog.
Thank you God. Pono has made the perfect travel companion.
Do you have a furry friend that you take on the road? Any travel tips or things you like to do with your pet? I'm all ears.
My husband's CD is available in stores now. If you haven't already go 5 copies, get out and buy one!
Currently
listening
:
Hold on
By
Tyrone Wells
Release date: 06 February, 2007
Tamila and I have a new residency at Table Ten Bar and Grill in Downtown Fullerton, CA.
