So Do You Sing Much Lately?

Sorry to disappoint.  But no, not much other than lullabies...

Cantico: The Portland Chamber Singers

So I've been looking for collaborative music projects lately. I think the solo thing may have wiped me out for a while (not to mention the "having a baby thing" or "having a sick husband thing" that came afterward). So while I play here and there solo, I'm lately more interested in musical projects that aren't ENTIRELY my own responsibility to run.

Enter Cantico, a small chamber choir startup in Portland. Great, great singers, all. This is a small group of incredible musicians who are mostly too busy to really be out performing much, but we're managing, together, to do some incredible music.

You should check it out. We won't perform again until late fall or Christmas, but when we do, be ready....

www.CanticoSingers.org.

Should Be Famous

I have just joined a fun little project as a co-host on the new Should Be Famous podcast. You should check it out. It's a little show where we three hosts (my brother Clayton, a guy named Chris, and I), find what we consider to be good music by people who are not professional musicians, by people who are busy doing real-life kinds of things -- like, say, working a real job, raising children, stuff like that -- but they have some talent or some luck or, in any case, some song that is really worth hearing. But because they're not promoting it, it will never get picked up by a label or a radio station and YOU would never get to hear it. Our quest is to find those songs.

So check out the podcast. The webpage is here: www.shouldbefamous.com or you can subscribe at iTunes directly by clicking HERE.

Hope you enjoy!

P.S. If you know of a great song by a non-professional musician, please leave a comment and let me/us know. We are finding these gems almost entirely by word of mouth.

Remission

He's in remission. He has been for some time, actually, but for some reason the aftermath of a family illness like that is somehow harder to deal with than the illness itself. So I've made some cameo appearances here and there over the last year or so, but that's about it. I haven't even bothered to include them on my performance calendar (sorry).

I have a lot of big questions to ask myself at this point about music. Getting into it again would be far more complicated now than it would have been after only a few months off for baby-makin'. And I'm not sure I have the energy to continue as I was doing then. I miss playing and singing desperately. But I don't miss the hassle and stress of setting up shows and promoting myself. It's been a nice break, and I now have to really think about what I want out of my music, who really cares other than me, and what kind of difference it makes, if any, whether and how much I play again.

I am thinking I want to do an exploratory show or shows soon here. You know.... see if anyone comes, see if it's more fun than not, see how it feels to get the rusty pipes out. I'd love to see you there, so keep in touch if you're around. I'll be looking for a friendly face or two.

No More Monkeys Jumping on the Bed

My husband has cancer.

Nope. No joke. The most commonly asked question I get these days is "where have you been?" or "when are you going to play again?" I know. Even I anticipated getting back on the scene by now. I even had a gig or two set up for late summer.

But... life has thrown me yet another one. About a month ago my husband was diagnosed with a rare, aggressive form of non-hodgkins lymphoma. And, of course, that changes things.

If you're interested to read the details, you can find them on my personal family blog. I know, I know. I get lots of people concerned about my giving such personal information on my music site. But, you know what? My music is personal. Singing is personal. Songwriting is very personal. Everything about my music and performing is more personal than many people get even in day-to-day interactions. So... I figure as long as I don't get any crazy fan stalkers, no harm in sharing (Hey, you two fans that I have left after all this time, no stalking! k?)

As Heard on Mormon Stories Podcast

One of my hymn arrangements has recently been featured on Mormon Stories and Mormon Matters podcasts. Thanks to John Dehlin for the plug! :) Since you're all beating my door down, here's some more info:

"Nearer My God to Thee," as arranged and performed by yours truly is included on a soon-to-be-released hymn compilation by my brilliantly musical brother, Clayton. You can pre-order the CD and hear samples of his other tunes at his website, www.ClaytonPixton.com. I highly recommend checking it out.

You can hear/download my song from the podcast at my website under 'music' then 'live recordings,' or just click here)

...Till the Fat Lady Sings

So I haven't played out much lately. I've been asked about it by various fans, so I figured I'd better enlighten the masses.

The fat lady sang. And now... well... she may not be so fat, but she's a little busy.

Seville's First Week in the World

Never fear. We'll pick it up again soon. Meanwhile, I'll be working on the lullabies, I expect. :)

Diva Series: October 9, McMenamin's Edgefield

Always a breath of fresh air to play this show with Skip. After a summer of outdoor shows I was reminded of why I love the acoustics of this cozy space. Some really great new people came, and I was graced with family as well. Happy Birthday, Dad, by the way!


This show was my first experiment in live recording with some techie-gear I just bought. I have yet to master it (I'm a musician, not a techie, and I generally like to keep it that way, but alas, I must learn to make basic recordings of my own stuff). After I take a listen and sift through I may post some live clips of favorite songs, so check back about that...

Diva Series: April 10, 2006

So I decided to give the audience members "ballots" for all the new songs. Since I don't play as often these days, I also don't get as much feedback about which songs people love (oh, of course, you all love all of them, I know. But I want to know which ones really... shine). I figured, "why not just ask people? Maybe they'd tell me.

So I did. And to be honest, I was surprised at the responses I got. Songs I figured weren't that great were loved and vise verse (shows you what I know). Most people did more than check the little boxes. I got a lot of comments, and they were so good, I decided I'd publish some of them here. So, here's the shake-down on which songs got the most votes, and some of the things people said about them:

• 8 - Reaching Up
• "My fav. You sounded like an angel singing this."
  
• "My favorite. 4 thumbs up. Love this one."
• 5 - Betrothed
• "Very pretty."
• "Every time you hit the first note of every line in the refrain, it was like light." [what a poetic fan this one is!]
  
• "Great. Very emotionally moving song."
• "Madly, deeply in love with this."
• 7 - Prayer
• "Beautiful"
• "Great. Add 1 more verse. Lyrics/Music on point."
• 3 - Angels Could Not Hear Me Cry
• "Good. Made me sad though."
• 8 - Tell Me Baby
• "Love it! Would listen to it in the car all the time!"
• "Great! Add a few more chords and this is a top 10 hit."
  
• 6 - Change My Mind
• "A song for all to hear."
• "We love this song"
• "Wow!... and I am a guy."
• " :) "
  
• 4 - Start Over
• "Fun song"
• "I like how this exposes the circus of logic we play with ourselves."
  
• " I think [this was] my favorite. It really hit home being single."

I also got a lot of other warm fuzzies, like:

• "I love the way you write. The words really speak to my heart! As you sing with the music it flows so well."
• "I always get goosebumps when I hear you sing a.k.a. you're an 11+ in my book!"
• "What a joy it was to listen to you! You are very talented! Thank you for an enjoyable evening."
• "Times I cried: IIIII"

sigh. It doesn't get any better than that. I should do this every time! Of course, I got some suggestions too, but I figure those are just for me. Actually, all of this is just for me, I guess. Is it a violation to post people's comments here? I hope not. I just thought people might be interested to know what others think. It's like American Idol, right? Also, I get to bask in the glory of praise and feel good for a moment. Hopefully a moment long enough to keep me going...

and going...

and going...

Thanks, everyone, for coming and filling the room!

Skye

Iiiiiiiit's Official!

Yep. According to the Portland Children's Museum, I, Skye, am a

musician.

Whew! All this time I thought I was pretending. But now I really am. In fact, my credentials as a musician are sufficient that I was the guest musician of honor on Friday for their special "Who Are the People in Your Neighborhood" exhibit (you know, the song from Sesame Street). Apparently they think we have musicians in our neighborhoods. (Isn't there a government registry for that or something? Conscientious parents might want to know.)

I went to talk to the kids about what a musician does and what it's like to be a musician. Answer: mostly I sit at a desk just like every other boring job. Maybe 5-10% of my work time is spent playing music. But that's a boring answer, so it's not what I told the wee ones. In fact, it's a boring topic if you're three years old, so I spent about 60 seconds on it before I moved on to the discussion of "who wants to play an instrument?!" and passed out little shakers and tambourines n' stuff. I did try asking them what they think a musician does. They raised their little hands high and gave me answers like, "They pull rabbits out of hats!" "They do magic tricks!" "I saw a firetruck!" (I gather from these answers that kids a) cannot distinguish between a MAGIcian and a MUSIcian, and b) do not distinguish between what happened earlier today and the topic at hand).

Anyway... I'm pleased to be recognized by the museum for what I truly am. My name badge proves it. And if you think I photoshopped the name badge, YOU'RE WRONG! It's real. I swear! I even have it around here somewhere and I can show you! You gotta believe me, man....

Okay, okay, okay!

I give up! I'm joining the crowd. I'm going with the flow. I'm on the bandwagon. I'm on myspace.

I've been made fun of, cajoled, harassed, and questioned enough. Okay I believe you all! I should be on myspace. And now I am. :)


Are any of you on myspace? I feel kinda lonely there so far.

• If you are on myspace, add me as a friend (lest I look like a hermit to people who visit).
• If you are on myspace, use my tunes on your profile. yeah!
  
• If you are on myspace, listen to music, comment on it, tell friends.
• If you are not on myspace, maybe you'd enjoy checking it out and listening to the audio-stream.
  

myspace.com/skyepixton

Really, thanks, all you who love me, for making me do it.

Edgefield: Skye & Kyrstyn

The Edgefield was such a fun success after such a long break!
Some of the happenings:

Fans eat creme brulee and chocolate-something-awesome (I had a bite) while listening.

Hot girls came.

Lyric sheets were provided for some of the new material, so you could read along. Apparently it sparked magic here. hee hee.

Skye on break.

New Songs.

See the rest of the pictures HERE.

Rescheduled! (sort of in a way)

After weeks of illness, some laryngitis, and having to cancel my first Diva 2006 show (sniff), my voice is back and my fingers are itchin'! I'll get to do the Diva thing with Skip in April, but until then, you may wish to pass the time with this special little solo show that just came up...

Skye & Kyrstyn
Monday, March 6th
McMenamin's Edgefield Hotel Winery
2126 SE Halsey, Troutdale
7-9pm
21+, no cover

Yes, it's the same time/location as the regular Diva series, but we'll be doing it sans Skip this evening. Two crooning and wailing sisters, we'll be!

Friendly faces are always wanted. I hope to see some of you there. :)

Diva Series 2006

Skip VonKuske's Diva Series is changing up this year. He's only working with 6 women (and I'm one of them), and we'll be on a regular rotation. I have every other month, every 2nd Monday.

Other Diva's are: Susie Blue, Ashleigh Flynn, Laurena Marrone, Myshkin, Terra, Lea Kruger.

Too see when and where I'll be playing, visit my website calendar.

We Got Press!

The Deseret News printed this review of the Hot Apple Cider Album in my last post (and they mention MY track specifically! yay!):

VARIOUS ARTISTS; "Hot Apple Cider" (TSSA)
The Timpanogos Singer/Songwriter Alliance serves up a varied menu in this compilation album. It's a sampler of genres — everything from Celtic to folk to country to pop to blues — as well as a mixture of instrumental, vocal and group performances. There's a lot of originality, with a few new interpretations of traditional songs stirred in. And it all works well together. Especially flavorful are Jesse Thurgood's original "Angels"; Carrie Scott and JaNae Kotter's blend of "Still, Still, Still" and "Silent Night"; Jeff Hinton and Quint Randle with a countryesque "I Still Believe"; and Skye Pixton's soft and airy "Angels We Have Heard On High." Also contributing are Eclipse, Sam Payne, Shawn Cavalli, One Voice Children's Choir, Peter Breinholt, Jon Schmidt, Fiddlesticks, Russ Kendall and Amy Gileadi and Johnny and the Rebels. — C.W.

Angels We Have Heard on a New Holiday Compilation CD!

Remember the Angels We Have Heard on High single that was so popular in 2003? Well, it's included on yet another holiday compilation CD! This one is put together by the Timpanogos Singer/Songwriter Alliance, and it has a wide variety of styles and songs all about Christmas from artists such as : Peter Breinholt, Gladys Knight's OneVoice Children's Choir, Fiddlesticks, John Schmidt, Eclipse, and a bunch more.

CLICK HERE For info about this and other holiday compilation CDs.

To celebrate, to make Christmas Money, and as a cheap marketing ploy, I'm having a December CD Sale! All CDs are 2 for $20. To take advantage of it, CLICK HERE.

Thank You Universe!: The Enchanted Love Lies & Skye E.P. Release

Thank you, Thank you, thank you to everyone who made this night such a magical success! Thanks to my talented musician friends, my supportive & giving homies, my ever-loyal family, the great vibes, the ambient red Mississippi Studios & staff, anyone who took a chance on the evening, and especially YOU lovable beautiful fans! We had an enchanting standing-room-only event.

CLICK HERE TO SEE PICTURES

taken throughout the night of (you) fans & band.
or CLICK HERE to see a fan's take.

And please leave your comments! I would love to hear some feedback.

Namaste!
Skye

P.S. For those who missed it, or who want to reminisce:

Opening the show was Eric D. Snider, humor columnist, songwriter, & self-proclaimed slacker. Dang, he was funny! Thank you, Eric, for gracing us with your one-of-a-kind humor!

How do you describe the show to someone who didn't come? I've been trying to do that for my in-laws. hmmm. Something like...."I told my story, the history of my songs and personal life path, and described how the songs fit into that, along with some other skits, stories, film, slides, etc." Does that make sense? How would you describe it?

ALSO, for anyone who missed it, you can now buy the CD! Click here to find out how you can get it and/or listen to clips.

Here are some excerpts from a comedy sketch:

CELL PHONE SKIT:

Skye: I’m calling for Mom. She wants you to come over for dinner. Of all things, she’s making chicken livers later.
Clay: I’m…sorry you cut out. She’s sick & what?
Skye: Chicken livers… later
Clay: Mom has Liver failure? Oh no! That’s terrible!
Skye: Actually it’s not that bad. I’ve had it before.
Clay: You never told me you had liver failure.
Skye: What?
Clay: When did you have that? I had no idea.
Skye: I don’t know. I was at my in-laws I guess. It’s okay, it just makes me feel kindof sedentary.
Clay: It’s hereditary?!

Hey! I'm in the paper!

The Lake Oswego Review and West Linn Tidings both circulated this article about me and the CD Release. Yippee! Maybe now I'll be famous!!

Well... at least at home :)

It's nice to get a little media attention now and then. Now, if only I could get in Rolling Stone....

MusicFestNW 2005

What an event! I saw some amazing musicians myself, with my handy little wristband. Thanks so much to everyone who came to my little set, in the outer-edge of MusicFestLand. The Pizza was hot, and it was greek, and there were three other bands to see, and plenty of other folks hangin' around. What a great time.

Rose Festival 2005

Last Friday we played the Rose Festival on the Waterfront. I was joined by all my favorites: Skip Vonkuske on cello, Courtney Atack on backup vocals, and for the first time, Leila Cheiko on percussion. She was great!

Despite some sprinkling (and then some torrents) we had a great time. The stage and seating were covered so we all crammed under the tent like a big cozy family until the end of our set. Thanks so much to everyone who came out for the show!

To see more pictures, CLICK HERE.