Red Dress

Hi Friends near and far,
I had a wonderful time playing at the Bellevue Arts Festival last weekend. Carol was great playing percussion, as well as Michael was great playing the electric violin. We had a stranger wanting to hire us for a private party, so we must have sounded okay.
It was very soul pleasing to play my original songs once again. Full circle. Back to where I belong. : ). Here are links to my music sites, Laurie Miller at Reverbnation, and my Facebook Fan page. Thanks for looking and listening, and adding as a friend if you chose. My son, Michael, won first place for photography at the Magnolia Arts Festival this past weekend too. You can look at his picture under this link - Run Down Gas Station. I'm including a miniature acrylic painting (I painted last night) called - Red Dress with this blog, and a link to my 'I Like You' song. I'm off to get my oil changed and teach. Have a Nice Day! xxoo Laurie

Charcoal Drawing - Bellevue Arts Festival

Hi everyone, I will be playing my first acoustic original gig with Michael, my son, playing violin, and Carol on percussion in five years. It should be fun. It is a nice sunny day here in the Seattle area, so I'm ready to burn. We will be playing at the Bellevue Arts Festival Saturday (today) July 30th from 4 - 5 pm. Here are two sites where you can here my music and fan me if you like - Reverbnation - Laurie Miller Band, and my Facebook fan page - Laurie Miller band.. My son finished the layout of my art site, Laurie Miller Modern Art, and he did a great job! Off to get ready for the gig!! Have a Nice Day! xxoo Laurie

Rose with a Hand

Hi Everyone! It is sunny and warm here in the Seattle area. It is supposed to get up to 80 degrees today. I know we are extremely lucky that we are not frying in the east coast heat wave. Stay cool sister!! Terrible news concerning the Norway shooting incident.
My thoughts go out to them. I had a fun gig playing with Hans and company last Friday. Sounded great with the new drummer, John, and Doug on sax. I'm getting geared up for the gig next Saturday at the Bellevue Arts Festival. I'll be playing an hour acoustic set of my originals featuring my son on violin and Carol on percussion. I dropped my cell phone in water on Friday, so no microwaves frying my brain for a couple of days. This is probably a good thing. I wonder what the human cell phone brain is starting to mutate into? I'm including a new miniature acrylic painting I created last night with this posting. My son and I should be done with my new temporary art site by sometime this week - www.lauriemillermodernart.com. We have about four or five more categories of art series left to complete. Onward to get some housework done before teaching. 'Have a Nice Day' - xxoo, Laurie

Green Hills

http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/lauriemiller2dd
Hi everyone, time flies when you're having fun. Okay, when you are still working 24/7/365. Currently Michael is a tremendous help when it comes to getting my Facebook Fan page promoted, updating my art site, and helping to get my music out in general. He is also going to play violin with me at the Bellevue Arts Festival - Saturday, July 30th at 4 pm. Carol will be joining us on percussion. It should be fun. This will be the first original gig I've played in awhile.
Here is the link to my Facebook fanpage: Laurie Miller Facebook fanpage. To become a fan, go to the page, and PUSH the 'Like' button. Thanks for the support.
I'm also getting all of my art prices reposted to my new art web site that Michael is building for me too. www.lauriemillermodernart.com. We are still building the site, and we have four more categories to complete. We are also going to include a new category of miniature acrylic paintings - $20.00 each. The art with this posting - Green Hills is one of the miniatures for sell.
I know I have more to say, but I'm fading. I'll post sooner next time I promise. Nighty night. xxooo Laurie
My song Take My Hand is linked to this blog posting.

Utterances of Blue

Hi Everyone! I know I've been slacking with my blog postings, but my body has been fighting allergies and fatigue. I played gigs last week with Tim Turner on Wednesday, and Granite Reign on Friday. I'm still preparing for my original music acoustic gigs, and I plan on booking gigs soon. I'm focusing this week on finishing a couple of drawings by Friday to enter into the Edmonds Arts Festival. My modern expressionism art is still part of a group show at Couth Buzzard Books . Check it out if you get a chance. My new art web site is finally in the process of being built. Yahoo! I can't wait. I'm really enjoying reading about the Expressionist and then channeling this style. Very soothing to my soul. I'll be at the Rim Rock in Lake City with Tim Turner and Billy Spaulding again on Wednesday, so come on out and dance if you get a chance. My poem today was inspired by the word 'utterance' which was provided to me by my friend Carol. I've also linked my song 'Crawling' to this posting. Have a nice sunny day! xxoo

Utterance of blue
Utterances of blue
Falling over you
Time to break free
From the likes and dislikes of others
Time to be true
To your views
Changing the utterances of blue
With a new wind blowing through

2011 New Year's Resolutions

Hi everyone! To quote my good friend, Sal, "I feel more like I do today, then when I first got here." I have enjoyed a wonderful past couple of weeks, due to having my wonderful son home with me. I've also finally had a few days of 'down time' where I can recharge my life instead of living inside a never slowing gerbil wheel, "Going nowhere fast." I've finally started painting and writing songs again which soothes my soul. The picture I'm including with this post is an acrylic painting I created over the past two days. The entire image doesn't fit on the scanner, so here is a portion of the painting.
It reflects 'somewhat' the Expressionist movement I've been studying. One goal for the New Year is to create my new art web site including my new artist statement. I hope to submit art to shows again, and to have a solo show and/or to be included in group shows.
In regards to my music, I plan on recording a couple of new tunes I've written and then release my CD. I also plan on booking acoustic original gigs. Thanks to all of my bffs for listening to me bend their ears this past year; my sister-Kristie, Susan, Maureen, Cathy, Cindy, and Carol. Thanks to all of the musicians I've made music with; Tim, Hans, Freddy, Billy, Rick, Dr. Z, Sheldon, Jeff, Doug, Eric, Chris, etc. Thanks to my wonderful students. Thanks most of all to my son and cat! Instead of a poem I'm including a list of New Year's Resolutions I wrote last night. I've also linked Claude Debussy - Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun to this posting. Have a Nice Day! xxoo


2011 New Year’s Resolutions
1. To love myself more, thus I will be able to love other people more.
2. To not be so hard on myself.
3. To forgive myself constantly, and to forgive other people.
4. To be true to myself, my dreams, and my desires.
5. To continue having an ‘attitude of gratitude.’
6. To not take myself so seriously. (Dr. Wayne Dyer)
7. To live with courage, integrity, and kindness as my foundation.
8. To remember that if I can’t say something nice,
even in defense of myself, I shall not say anything at all.
9. To remember not to throw my pearls before swine,
and if I have to (to earn a living ), then to turn a deaf ear to criticism (consider the source), and to not give them my energy.
10. To create the best life I can, where my creativity will flourish and my spirituality will grow to new heights.
To create a life protected and surrounded with love.
Copyright 2010 - LAM

Christmas Roses

Hi Everyone! Even though technically it is still December 26th here on the west coast, it is three hours ahead on the east coast where my sister lives, so it is now December 27th. Kristie's birthday!!! Happy Birthday! Vegas trip coming up in 2011. I feel that aftershock! Cover, duck, and hide!
I had a fun gig with Tim at the Wild Vine in Mill Creek. It was a special gig because my son, Michael, sat in on the congas with us. He did a great job. Stephanie, Michael's fiance, also played a couple of songs on the congas too, and Marky Mark played the jingle bells. Saturday was a fun Christmas gig with Tim Turner and Billy Spaulding at the Rimrock in Lake City. Today, as in Sunday, December 26th, Michael, Carol, and I had our christmas dinner. Michael cooked most of it (ham, beans, sweet potatoes, etc.), and it tasted great! I have a little bit of extra time this week to plan, organize, and paint a few large scale pictures. Hopefully starting tonight, but I am feeling a little full. I might have to take a nap!
The art piece for this blog is a colored pencil sketch I did of some roses. I've linked Marilyn Monroe to this posting singing Santa Baby. Nighty night. xxoo


Christmas Roses
Christmas roses
Singing sweet songs
Harmonic melodies
None too long
Beautifying the world
Hope for warmer days
Christmas roses
Waiting to perform
Their last ballet
Copyright 2010 - LAM

Creative Harmony

Hi Everyone! I hope you are all well? My sleep pattern has been thrown way off lately, and I think it is due to my cold medicine. I've been falling asleep around 4, 5, or 6 am, and then I only sleep for a couple of hours before I wake up. My cold is getting better. I just have that wonderful nagging cough left. I taught a ton of piano and one violin lesson today, thus is my inspiration for my blog posting tonight. Hopefully I can read a little bit before passing out tonight. My friend Carol gave me the 'Eat, Pray, Love' book by Elizabeth Gilbert over two years ago, and I've been stuck in India, which is the middle of the book,
for sometime now. I really want to finish reading the book before the movie version, staring Julia Roberts, premieres.
Nighty night. xxoo

Creative Harmony
Creative harmony with intention
Lay your ego aside
Return to your melody
Reorganize your leading tones
Make sure they are compatible
With their corresponding chord tones
Listen carefully
Again and again
To see if this is the sound
You want to send
Into the universe
Listen to the music
Forward and reverse
Edit your tune carefully
Shifting a measure or two
Add in a 6th, 7th, 9th or 13th
Be at peace with the harmony
You created today
Copyright 2010 - LAM