Monday, October 31, 2011

Happy Halloween My Pretties!!!

love,
p. ahn

Art Is A Dog



My first day in Berlin...I stumbled into an art gallery next to my hotel, called DAD. Inside was an exhibit for Peter Bastiaanssen's work. It was love at first sight. The flutes of champagne they were handing out at the door may or may not have helped. ;)


his paintings are so cozy


i love his woodworking as well

what a genius idea!


This gallery was such a cool space! I found the whole evening inspiring. The very nice girl at the door handing out champagne encouraged me to speak to the curator of the event. And then I discovered that the artist was actually there to do a Q&A! So, with the help of my champagne, I roused up the courage to introduce myself to him too! And then, being the dork that I am, I sat in on the whole Q&A which was entirely in Dutch. I have no idea why, but I just wanted to be a part of it.

After that, I ventured off into the night, where I came across a beautiful street singer. But I'll save that for the next post...

love,
p. ahn

Saturday, October 29, 2011

Packing for Berlin to Cass McCombs

It's a lazy Sunday morning on my way to Berlin. Packing my bags and listening to Cass McCombs. Reminds me of that other lazy afternoon when I got to sing a Cass song with one of my musical heroes, Andrew Bird.

Also, for those of you who don't know what the Voice Project is, it's a beautiful non-profit. Check it out!



love,
p. ahn

She's A Black Cat

My new favorite Halloween song!



I wish I was in L.A. to be a part of the festivities... :( Mreow. I think they celebrate it in Berlin?

love,
p. ahn

Sunday, October 9, 2011

Iowa City, Evanston, St. Louis

So I thought I'd update you a little more frequently on this trip. Right now I am typing this from somewhere between St. Louis and Kansas City -- which could be anywhere! I'll try to keep my typing brief, as Wendy is fast asleep in the next room.

Gabe's, Iowa City
I did a little IU radio interview before the show which was really fun. The campus here is soooo beautiful! The next morning we woke up to a lovely Saturday market outside our hotel.

Young people getting grilled cheese at the Market.

My posse: Chris (Tour Manager/Sound), Wendy (bass, guitar, vocals), & Gary (keys)
I hope they don't mind me posting this pic of them!

A street piano!
I love how the yellow leaves naturally encircle it. Pianos can be magical like that.

Space, Evanston
This is probably one of my top favorite places to play in the U.S.! If you live in Chicago and like my kind of music and better, and haven't been there yet, you must check it out. My favorite thing about this space (besides the people and the sound and my show) is the decor! Unfortunately I didn't get too many good pictures of that though. Special note: Kelsey Wild opened this show for me, and I was so drawn in by her music. I am now a huge fan! You must check her out.

Just a corner of our green room area. All 50's era retro furniture. Recording studio in the next room. Really homey wainscoting.

Me downing some after show "Crispin".
I look wasted but I'm not. I'm just tired.
And that bottle was hilariously huge.
Someone described the taste of this beverage as, "It tastes like champagne, but watered down".
Yum?

And then lo and behold we are back in Hammond, Indiana! Same place, but at the hotel next door. So now I got this view of the signs (see previous blog).

Same pond, new sign.

Old Rock House, St. Louis
Between soundcheck and the show, we had time to take a little stroll around our area. It was a beautiful night, with an almost full moon.

I heart graffiti.

I also heart when you can see old writing on brick buildings from long ago.

Cardinals played the Brewers tonight. Beautiful baseball stadium.

Naturally we had to walk towards the Arch. That little ball of light is the moon.

The Arch was surprisingly stunning up close!

Walking beneath it's enormosity, I felt like Atreyu from "The Never-Ending Story" when he approaches the Oracle.

Looking up.

A different angle.

And last but not least, Willie, the cutest little puppy who hung out backstage with us. He was definitely a kindred spirit.

Look at how crazy happy I am!

Ok... no pictures of the Arch -- I promise!

Lots of love,
p. ahn


Autumn

Here is a little animated short my friend Randy Link made about all of his favorite things about his favorite season, Autumn. And I had the honor of doing the music for it! (I especially love the bit with the candy corn!)

Hope you all are enjoying the changing of the seasons. I can see it in the trees that we drive by on this tour, but it still feels like Summer here in St. Louis!

Enjoy!



love,
p. ahn

Thursday, October 6, 2011

Halfway Point

Hello everyone!

I am writing to you in the very middle of my U.S. tour which has been so much fun so far! This is the first time I've been able to sit down and catch up on emails and take a breather... so I thought I'd quickly sum up the first half of the tour:

Iota Club, Arlington VA

Our very first show of the tour. I meet Milow for the first time. He will be on the first run of shows with us, and soon I will be opening for him in Germany! He sounds so incredible, and is so unbelievably nice. Lots of friendly people came to support our show. Worked out some kinks in the set list!
Our ride. It's name is "Pink".

Tin Angel, Philly PA
The first night was a quiet one because of the Jewish New Year. But it was an intimate show for those who did come!
Love the architecture in Philly.

Good ol' City Hall. I remember driving around this thing late at night in my teens on my way home from seeing a show.

Night 2
The second night was full of family and friends, and even my vocal teacher from my competitive singing years! Amos Lee was a special surprise guest, and we sang "Black River" together.
I woke up that morning with that horrible pinched nerve in my neck again! Boo... but I got a massage at Terme Di Aroma, and my therapist, Michele, was so gentle and really understood what was going on with my muscles. I felt back to normal in 2 days!

Maxwell's, Hoboken NJ

Another fun show with family and friends. This time it was raining. Not only outside, but inside! Poor Milow, who played just before me, got wet from a leak in the ceiling! I proceeded to go on stage after him with a steady stream of water falling next to me into a bucket. It was like playing on stage next to a fountain. The amazing Madi Diaz and her band opened up the night. They rocked it!
A really old McDonald's. My only concern, "Is there Monopoly here??"

Night Cat, Easton MD

This show was in the cutest little town. It was drizzly and dark when we got in, which made for a cozy, Fall feel. Wendy said it felt like we were in the movie "Back To The Future". I loved playing this club. It felt like my old coffeehouse days. It was warm and friendly, and made for a very intimate night. Thanks to everyone (and it was literally everyone) who drove from far places to see the show!

My friend John Alagia attended the show and let us crash at his house, where he just finished recording Rachael Yamagata's new unreleased album. He let us listen to a few rough mixes. All you Yamagata fans are in a for a real treat!
Beautiful view from John's back porch.

Music Hall of Williamsburg, Brooklyn NY

I think this show was my favorite I've played in NYC. I was nervous, as I always am for NYC shows... but this venue was so awesome, and everyone who came were so loving, that I felt like I really performed my best! Woo hoo!
I think this is pretty self-explanatory.

Ok...it's the marquee with my name on it!

Milow sounding and looking like an Angel. ;)

I've thoroughly enjoyed hanging my hand-sewn "Priscilla Ahn" banner at all my merch tables.
Also there: handmade poster zines, limited edition tote bags, t-shirts, & CDs.

DAY OFF - drive thru PA to OH

We stopped off in my hometown where my Mom cooked us a huge Korean feast! It felt so much like Autumn there, and made me really miss the quiet and outdoors -- and of course my Mom's home cooking!

Fungus flowers

The Basement, Columbus OH

First thing I noticed when we landed in Columbus was a.) the amazing weather b.) the good air quality! I know, I'm weird. But it's true. The Basement was... a basement. But the show ended up being super chill and cozy. People sitting on the floor and chairs. Great audience, and Wendy Wang from The Sweet Hurt opened up the set!

The Ark, Ann Arbor MI

I love love love playing here! Like I said to the audience, it almost feels like a piece of home coming back to play here. I've been there a number of times now, and every time, all the workers and volunteers are so nice and cheerful and the audience is so great. Really appreciative of folk music. I met so many awesome people after the show.

A tandem bicycle outside of Eastern Flame.

DAY OFF - to Detroit, to Indiana

And that brings us up to speed to today. We drove to Detroit to do an online radio interview for udetroit.com, which I didn't realize was video recorded and posted online until I got there! I was not dressed for the occasion, hehe. Usually you can just roll up to radio interviews in your PJ's and no makeup. Whoops! It was really cool to be in the city on the day of the big Tigers vs. Yankees game. You could feel the excitement in the air!

It was a gorgeous day in Detroit!

A view from where we're staying.

Alright... I gotta hit the sack and get ready to launch into the second half of this tour. Lots of longer drives coming up for us as we start heading west.

[photo by Wendy Wang]

Love,

p. ahn