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I am happy to report that through great storms there is always sunshine. I am a personal representation of this as I wade through the oceans of turmoil with new experiences ushering me towards land. I have been writing every moment I am not in a doctors office and I am finding solace in these songs. The standards that warm my heart and the original music that has become my record keeper teach me how to be brave which is good since I am going to be working my butt off in the next year. In October I am going to Los Angeles to create a new jazz record with the fabulous and long time jazz supporter Tim Flores of Playboy Jazz Radio and guitar legend John Chiodini. This is an amazing opportunity and a beautiful collaboration of standards and originals written by MBird and arranged by Chiodini guaranteed to bring a new voice to this Little Jazz Bird. I am honored and excited to be on this project and I will announce the release date as we close the project. The adventure continues for me as MBird embarks on hosting a video podcast and the recording of singles and two new music videos prepping everyone for the release of the full album Mercy Flight in 2012/13.

I’m very happy to report on the great things happening in my life but as some of you know there are more things swirling around me. I am sad to report that I am allergic to, and my body is rejecting, my prosthetic jaw. As some people recall in 2007/08 I was diagnosed with a rare disease that located itself in my jaw joint. The disease which still remains a mystery caused me to have a complete replacement done and it was a 2 year recovery process.
I was very lucky to be able to keep singing against all doctors expectations but I guess the journey isn’t over yet.
I am allergic to 5 of the metals in my face and they cause all sorts of problems in my body. My only option is to get control of my allergy to two of the metals Titamium and Polyethalin and then to head back to hands of medicine to give me another jaw. I’m basically in a repeat with a weird caveat involving getting control of an allergy no one really understands. I will undoubtedly be shooting these metals into my body in concentrate again and waiting until my body acquiesces or my brain explodes from overload. However I must point out that even though the thought of a repeat surgery is the worst thing I can imagine, the things I can’t imagine are what will happen if my body can’t get something in it that it isn’t rejecting. That is far worse than this situation. So friends my synopsis is this: I am going to keep singing and writing and getting better everyday. This stuff I am dealing with is messed up and sucks really hard but I am not giving up! I will reach out through storms, find that sunshine, eat it and then sing it out of my face to you. So anyway I just thought you should hear whats happening from me before you hear it from someone else, and if you are feeling sad or weird for me just re-read the beginning of this post and you’ll feel better. That’s what I do.
Thank you so much to all my fans, bandmates, fellow bloggers, and of course my family I need and love you all!
Come out and visit me and listen before Im on a healing vacation. Shout out to @KCJazzlark!
I’ll keep you all posted.
Love MBird

This is an amazing and crazy summer of singing all over the country and then back to Nashville and then to Kansas City. Tons of shows, lots of support, lots of new songwriting, lots of jazz, guitars and Cadillacs. Heh heh! I have been nominated for best jazz solo artist in Kansas City this year and I’m in awesome company. Kansas City has such terrific solo jazz artists, I’m not sure I could ever choose or even know how to make that distinction, but I feel really honored for being listed, none the less. In Nashville I am getting myself thrusted into the community and still getting settled. Being there half the time lends to feeling like I have only half a face. Plus, being on tour for 3 out of the 9 months I have had residency there probably adds to that feeling. However I am determined to find kindred souls and continue the songwriting work I have begun there. My production company has started work on several different projects this summer including drafting a video series for artists in development which is personally my most exciting twist. Of course the positive execution of this independent tour and the fostering of a possible European tour is hot on the discussion table. Personally I’d like to get another record out and another tour together within the next year and a half which financially is huge since I am self funded but I am trying to be innovative about new ways to engage folks in the process of music with honesty and integrity. Business in music has always been elusive for me until somehow about a year ago I got shot in the ass with a “figure it out and stop being sad, dummy” feeling. Everyday it’s like I’m going in for a huge test I haven’t studied for but if I don’t show up it’s an automatic fail. So I might as well take a shot, ya know? Anyway today I am feeling like things are gonna work out and I’m finally far enough away from this tour that I can piece together what happened and start something new. Which I always love to do.

Till next time
This is MBird
.Blogg On.

I’m really excited to get to be a part of the festivities this Summer out at Town Center Plaza. I’ll be playing with the amazing Bob Bowman on Bass, Paul Smith on Keys, Danny Embrey on Guitar, and Tim Cambron on Drums. Come on out to the East Drive on Thursday, July 15th from 7-9pm!!!! http://www.towncenterplaza.com/go/Poolb.cfm?MallID=998&FPURLID=2129971016

I’m in Boulder, Colorado and Im writing very quickly to say hi and let everyone know the tour is going terrific!!!! I have been editing and putting together our tour vlogs on you-tube under MBird so everyone can watch them and just generally vibe with us goin strong!!! The road is making me a little nuts I think but not in a bad way…just in a new way! hahaha! It’s been five weeks and 13 cities so far and I feel like every day kinda blurs into the next but I want to keep up with the radio stations that are playing the new record and with the fans that we are getting in all the cities. So I’m calling everyday and trying to keep putting things out there. The venues have been awesome and very accomodating:))) For what started as just a radio tour has certainly become more than that. It’s an everything tour consisting of live radio performances, talks with newspapers and magazines and of course live venue performances almost every two days. Incorporate that with two people, my moms car, and a song-writers book of music and it’s making me a different person. Kudos to all who have gone before me and to those who are coming. Follow me on twitter @mbirdmusic, youtube and facebook!!! I’ll write more soon the west coast half of the tour has begun!!!!

Love you all

Megs

Whenever we begin a new year I always go through a transition and an excited review of my year.  This has definitely been one of the most important years of my life.  Thank you to everyone who supported me this year and welcome to those of you I am just meeting.  I have sprinkled these last few years with survival and what I consider to be the beginning of my real life.  The deep waters of transformation have delivered me fresh and healed and I’m ready to meet the world again.  Specifically in ’09  I’ve relocated and I love it. It’s a blast, I’m meeting new people and having a ball.  My first MBird tour was a month ago in Kentucky and I loved it!!!!  I’ve started putting together a live jazz record to release this fall (’10).  I’ve been working with kids in theater, dance, and music while continuing to write music and play jazz clubs.  I’ve finished recording and began the release of my original record “Over The Bones” and will be embarking on a radio tour in the spring of ’10 that will drop me somewhere in Europe by summer.

“Over The Bones”  at www.mbirdmusic.com has helped to direct me creatively and supply me with seeds to plant all over this country.  I feel I am serving my gypsy nature and supporting my belief in great live music!!!!!  My motto is “All the towns I can play and all the people I can meet along the way bring me half way home to my heart”!!!   All of your comments and enthusiasm about this record have encouraged me to really push this tour and to move my music face to face and up close and personal.  Thanks for all your support and keep writing on our facebook fan page and follow my tweets at mbirdmusic [at] twitter [dot] com.

Happy New Year Everybody

Megs