tag:roxielenton.com,2005:/blogs/latest-news?p=4Latest News2020-12-24T15:56:06-06:00Roxie Lentonfalsetag:roxielenton.com,2005:Post/65072452020-12-24T15:56:06-06:002023-12-10T12:48:29-06:00A different kind of Christmas<p>As many of you surely are as well, I will be spending the holidays this year missing a number of family and friends, due to restrictions put in place to keep us all safe. In spite of the important reasoning behind this holiday’s changes, I can’t help feeling a bit lonely this year and I imagine I’m not alone in that. So, instead of wallowing in thoughts of what I don’t have for Christmas this year, I decided to have some fun and try to spread some holiday cheer by making a video of one of my favourite Christmas songs: “Santa Baby”. If you watch the video, I hope it makes you smile, but whether or not either of those things happen, I wish you the very best of holidays. Take care of yourselves (and that means your spirit too; don’t forget the importance of finding bits of joy wherever you can).</p>
<p>XOXO</p>
<p>Roxie</p>Roxie Lentontag:roxielenton.com,2005:Post/64447682020-09-29T07:05:00-06:002023-12-10T10:59:57-06:00Escaping into nature and love<p>Today I am releasing the live off the floor performance I did for the Songs4Nature show last month. I wanted to share my new song “Waiting by the Shore” with everyone (rather than limiting it to the people who could make that show - one benefit of digital shows). If you’re interested, it’s on this thing I recently heard of called YouTube. Wait, does 13 or so years count as recent?</p>
<p>Anyway, I’m really excited to share this song with you, as it’s one I’ve been continually working away at for a while. I got the initial idea in February last year, but this year is when it really came together. I even made some significant edits shortly before the show in August - the song was so hot off the press for that performance, I was happy to be able to get through the current version without reverting to the previous one. I say current because just as the song changed this past summer, there is no guarantee it won’t change more in the future. Songwriting is such a fluid art form and songs can change over time, particularly prior to hopping into the studio and releasing the resulting mastered recording. That being said, I’m thrilled to share this performance of the latest version of “Waiting by the Shore” with the world. (I doubt everyone in the world will watch it, so technically I’m sharing the song with whoever wants to watch it. No need to worry, I do have realistic expectations; I know this won’t get Taylor Swift level views on YouTube, her audience is a just touch bigger than mine.)</p>
<p>Fun Fact: The first line of the song is the first line I wrote. In fact, the lyrics of the first verse have remained unchanged since the first day I wrote them.</p>
<p>Wishing you health, safety and happiness.</p>
<p>XOXO<br>Roxie<br><br>P.S. It’s possible the title of this blog post makes no sense unless you listen to the song. Feel free to let me know. (Having written the song, I happen to have heard it before, so it’s hard for me to be the judge on this one.)</p>Roxie Lentontag:roxielenton.com,2005:Post/64089982020-08-13T16:24:31-06:002022-07-26T03:15:57-06:00First Digital Show + Songs 4 Nature Camp<p>Happy Thursday! I just wanted to write a quick update to let you know what I’ve been up to musically lately.</p>
<p>I recently participated in the first ever digital Songs 4 Nature camp, which is a songwriting camp for Saskatchewan artists that is put on by the Royal Saskatchewan Museum. It focuses on the connection between nature and songwriting and finding ways to use nature as inspiration. I have never attended one of the in person camps in previous years, but was very happy to take part in this digital version. It was a really fun experience that took me a bit outside my comfort zone and had me explore music in some different ways.</p>
<p>The camp officially comes to an end this weekend (Saturday, August 15th) with a wrap-up show featuring performances by both mentors and members from the camp. There will be over a dozen performers and the whole show is a fundraiser with all the proceeds going to ‘Friends of the Royal Saskatchewan’, to support local nature-based research and education programs. I, along with all the other artists, will be performing one song, so there will be a wide variety of music throughout the evening.</p>
<p>I will be premiering a new song during the show, one that was inspired by nature (among other things), so if you want to be among the first to hear it, feel free to pick up a ticket for only $5. It’s supporting a great cause and great programs such as this one.</p>
<p>Lastly, in case the title was in any way ambiguous, I shall explain. This will be my first ever online/digital show and I’m glad I get to share the experience with a group of artists, many of whom are also in the same boat. We’re all in this together. (Naturally, now I’m thinking about High School Musical - some of you will know why, but if you don’t, just pretend my post ended prior to this bracketed section.)</p>
<p>Stay safe.</p>
<p>XOXO<br>Roxie</p>Roxie Lentontag:roxielenton.com,2005:Post/63036912020-05-03T16:02:47-06:002022-08-15T17:36:39-06:00Some Good News<p>When I thought of what to title this blog post, the first thing I thought of was borrowing a page from John Krasinski's SGN (Some Good News) book. (Okay, technically it's not a book, it's a YouTube show, but they're basically the same thing, right?) In a time of such uncertainty and quite a bit of negative news, it's extremely important to remember the good things. SGN is doing that and so are other talk show hosts and artists. Many people have been finding ways to entertain us and remind us of the positivity that exists in this world.</p>
<p>I've decided to join the positivity party by releasing my first real YouTube video! I had one of my original songs filmed 'live off the floor' (a.k.a. one take audio) prior to the pandemic and instead of questioning whether or not now is the right time in my career to release the video, I simply asked myself if it was the right time for me and (hopefully) for the people watching it. If I can provide something new for people to watch and/or listen to during this time that might bring some joy or even just a distraction from life's problems for a few minutes, then I want to do it.</p>
<p>The song itself, while upbeat, addresses mental health, so I also thought the content would be fitting, given the number of medical professionals who have stated the toll that this situation is taking (and/or will take) on everyone's mental health. I have experienced my fair share of mental health issues prior to all of this and am a firm believer that the more we talk about it, the more effective we will be at reducing (and hopefully one day all together eliminating) the stigma that exists around mental health. It is for this reason that I try to be as forthcoming about my issues as possible, inspire of my fear of being judged for them. (When thought about from a medical standpoint, such a fear ought to be ridiculous because any issues with the mind are medical and therefore one shouldn't be judged for a mental illness any more than for a broken leg, but unfortunately that's what a stigma does). I say this now because I want you to know that if you are suffering from any mental health issues, you are not alone and because I want to encourage you to please, pretty please, reach out for help when you need it, as scary as it is.</p>
<p>In an effort to add in a touch more fun, I created a Trailer for the song I'll be releasing on Thursday at 12pm CST. It gives you something extra to potentially entertain you in the meantime. Hope you enjoy and that you are staying safe and healthy.</p>
<p>Xoxo<br>Roxie</p>Roxie Lentontag:roxielenton.com,2005:Post/56781102019-03-12T17:42:59-06:002023-12-10T12:03:46-06:00Remember me?<p>It has been quite a while since my last blog post. Did you wonder where I went? Maybe you didn’t, but for anyone who did, I’m going to tell you. In 2016 I started having health problems that affected my breathing and caused pretty bad coughing fits, which prevented me from being able to sing for quite some time. As that issue was beginning to resolve, my boyfriend proposed and I went full steam ahead into wedding planning. For anyone who has planned a wedding, I think you know how very time consuming it can be. I had no idea just how involved it would be until I was in the middle of it making millions of little decisions and stressing over all of them for fear that any decision could be the wrong one. (I may be a perfectionist.). All the time and enegery spent was well worth it because I got to marry the love of my life and have a really awesome party celebrating our love with family and friends. </p>
<p>This brings us to now: the year 2019. With my singing voice back and the wedding behind me, I am finally able to get back to music again. The first thing I’m doing is performing a show one week from today at the Creative City Centre in Regina. It is the first place that ever paid me to play music, so I couldn’t be happier to have that be the location of my first performance after this long break from music.</p>
<p>At the show next week, I’m going to be performing a new song for the first time, along with some others you might recognize if you’ve been to some of my live shows before. I also get to share the stage with two wonderful ladies: Annie Sumi and Piper Hayes.</p>
<p>It is going to be a wonderful night. I’m looking forward to it. If you live in the area and happen to read this blog post in the next week and want to come by, please do. I won’t stop you. Promise.</p>Roxie Lentontag:roxielenton.com,2005:Post/44035382016-10-04T13:08:16-06:002023-12-10T12:05:07-06:00It's not about me... only sort of...<p>Last year around this time, I was fortunate enough to take part in Divas Night Out, a fundraiser for Women's Shelters in Regina. This year I'm not involved in the event, so I was completely taken by surprise when I opened the paper this morning and saw myself. I won't lie, I was excited to see myself in the paper - it was a wonderful reminder of the great experience I had at last year's event and it's especially nice to be reminded of right now since I've been unable to do music for over a month due to an extremely clingy chest infection. That being said, I have no stake in this year's fundraiser and while I'm psyched they included a photo from last year's event, I urge you to focus on the words rather than the picture.<br><br>The fundraiser is this Friday night (October 7th) at Double Tree by Hilton and they're having trouble selling tickets. It's a great cause (the proceeds go to shelters that help women and children escaping domestic abuse) and the change of venue means it's now open to all ages. Last year's event was a blast so I would bet this year's will be as well. If you're free this Friday night and have the money to attend, please do, or if you know someone who might be interested, please tell them about it. This annual charity event may not continue beyond this year if they don't sell enough tickets by Friday. For more information check out this <a contents="Leader Post article" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://leaderpost.com/news/local-news/divas-night-out-struggling-to-sell-tickets-to-support-regina-domestic-violence-shelters" target="_blank">Leader Post article</a> or the <a contents="Diva's Night Out website" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.divasnightout.ca/home.html" target="_blank">Diva's Night Out website</a>.<br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/134461/66f6f174060ccdb506602f499a9f4a2b0d65aea4/original/fullsizerender.jpg?1475603042" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>Roxie Lentontag:roxielenton.com,2005:Post/42573422016-07-06T10:15:00-06:002022-06-06T18:42:13-06:00What do love and a deck of cards have in common?<p>Add them together (along with a bunch of other words) and you have my new song <em>This Deck Of Cards</em>! I'm really excited to be performing it for the first time tomorrow night (July 7th) at The Capitol with my friend Kara Golemba! <br><br>Harmonies - Check. <br>Guitar - Check. <br>Keys - Check.<br>Deck of Cards - Not Check. (I probably don't need to bring an actual deck of cards with me... although now that I've thought about it, I kind of want to... just because.)<br><br><em>"There are no other suits in this deck of cards<br>There's only hearts"</em></p>Roxie Lentontag:roxielenton.com,2005:Post/42573112016-06-30T09:52:36-06:002022-08-10T05:23:18-06:00Debuting a new song with a little help from my friend...A week from now I'll be debuting a new song during my performance at <a contents="The Capitol" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.thecapitol.club" target="_blank">The Capitol</a> in Regina, SK with the help of my good friend (and talented singer-songwriter) <a contents="Kara Golemba" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://karagolemba.com" target="_blank">Kara Golemba</a>. We've been getting together for rehearsals over the last few weeks, with our final rehearsal yesterday afternoon. All set to duo the heck out of my new song on <a contents="July 7th" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://roxielenton.com/shows" target="_blank">July 7th</a>. <br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/134461/2380839f589b04617f197fd368a08499f51a51d7/large/img-9835.jpg?1467301322" class="size_xl justify_center border_none" alt="Me & Kara at our last rehearsal" />Me & Kara at our last rehearsal.<br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/134461/1a72b5ebef9d112ab36cb6b98658eccb24dd62ab/medium/img-9838.jpg?1467301320" class="size_m justify_left border_" /><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/134461/2b7abd4d61f89a5726e2d957e081122c888612ed/medium/img-9836.jpg?1467301320" class="size_m justify_center border_none" alt="Not all the guitars will be used in the performance. It's just a lot of guitars (and a mandolin barely making the shot on the left)." /><br>Not all these guitars will be used in the performance. That's just a lot of guitars.Roxie Lentontag:roxielenton.com,2005:Post/41680772016-05-05T19:49:30-06:002022-04-20T12:47:42-06:00I'm back! And I'm breathing!I know I haven't been around much for the last while <em>(since the beginning of this year to be exact) </em>and that's because my year started off with some pretty serious breathing problems <em>(has anyone else ever noticed how amazing it is to breathe?!)</em> that made me his the pause button on music<em> (and a lot of other things) </em>for a while. <em>(This might seem odd, but when you can't really breathe it's a little hard to sing. Who knew, right?)</em><br><br>Finally, after 4 long months, my breathing is back to normal and one week from today I'll be taking the stage for the first time in 2016! I cannot even begin to explain how incredible it is to be able to get back to music and to connecting and sharing with all of you <em>(I missed you guys so much!)</em>. <br><br>In short, my 2016 feels like it's starting a bit later than everyone else's, but I'm sure glad to be joining party! I'll even be unveiling some new tunes at next week's show in celebration, so come by if you want to be the first to hear them. I'll be splitting the bill with 2 other talented ladies (Kara Golemba and Kenzie) at the Creative City Centre in Regina, Thursday May 12 at 8pm <em>(doors at 7:30)</em>. Tickets are on sale now <em>(see my Events page for more details)</em>.<br><br>Eeeeekk!!Roxie Lentontag:roxielenton.com,2005:Post/39264782015-11-21T11:52:37-06:002022-04-20T12:47:53-06:00Girl Power!! (or Woman/Female/Lady Power)<strong><span class="font_large">Women are</span> <span class="font_large"><em><u>[insert flattering term of choice here]</u></em>!!<br>Women are also <u><em>[insert other flattering term of choice here]</em></u>!!</span></strong><br>(Not saying those with both X and Y chromosomes aren't also awesome (because you are!), but this post is about the ladies.) <br><br>As it happens, the last 3 performances I've had were also all about the ladies!! It wasn't planned that way, but sometimes cool things happen on their own.<br><br><strong>1)</strong> First, there was <span class="font_large"><strong>Divas' Night Out</strong></span> in October. This fantastic fundraiser at the Casino Regina raised $5500 for local Women's Shelters (<a contents="Regina Transition House" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.reginatransitionhouse.ca" target="_blank">Regina Transition House</a> and <a contents="YWCA Isabel Johnson Shelter" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.ywcaregina.com/Programs/AbusePrevention/IsabelJohnsonShelter/" target="_blank">YWCA Isabel Johnson Shelter</a>)!! In its 13th year, Divas' Night Out is an event put on by women for women - a truly female powered fundraiser, it's a great example of "girl power"! A huge thank you to all the women who made that night what it was! (And a huge thank you to the men who came out in support of women!) Special thanks to Tess Boehm for putting together this year's event and inviting me to be a part of it!
<div class="captioned justify_center"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/134461/4c2a8d6afe748a162152fc6ff3b8303060014472/large/divas-night-out-tess-frank.jpg?1448127949" class="size_orig justify_center border_" /><p class="caption">Left to Right (Tess Boehm, Me, Frank Boehm)</p></div><br><strong>2)</strong> Next up was <span class="font_large"><strong>Women In Song</strong></span> at Bushwakker (Regina) earlier this month. This series celebrates "women in song" by featuring local female singer-songwriters. I had the great pleasure of performing with the very talented <a contents="Megan Nash" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.megannash.ca" target="_blank">Megan Nash</a> and <a contents="Kara Golemba" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.facebook.com/karagolembamusic/?fref=ts" target="_blank">Kara Golemba</a>! Not only are they uber awesome at music, they're also incredibly super human beings. If you haven't heard either of them before, you should definitely check them out!
<div class="captioned justify_center"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/134461/2886c81bfa6106d76ee44a803655431c4fb13bfc/large/img-3286.jpg?1448127543" class="size_orig justify_center border_" /><p class="caption">Left to Right Guys (Chris Mercer, Brent Nielsen, Taron Cochrane); Front to Back Girls (Megan Nash, Me, Kara Golemba)</p></div><br><strong>3)</strong> Last but <u>definitely</u> not least was <span class="font_large"><strong>Girls Night Out </strong></span>this past Thursday (November 19) at the Club (part of the Cultural Exchange in Regina)!! Again featuring local females in music, this event was put together by <a contents="Kaeli Dane" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://kaelidane.bandcamp.com" target="_blank">Kaeli Dane</a>, a sweetheart and a wonderful singer-songwriter! I had the great pleasure of both meeting and hearing her music for the first time that night and it was fantastic! In addition to Kaeli and myself, the 3rd act of the evening was <a contents="Lysh Music" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.facebook.com/lyshmusic/?fref=ts" target="_blank">Lysh Music</a> who took the stage for their first ever performance!! I'm quite glad Lysh has started sharing their music with the public and I expect you'll be hearing more from them in the future! Add in to the mix one of the most attentive and supportive audiences I've ever played for and what you get is an extra special evening! Thank you so much to all the people who came out on Thursday, you're super amazing!!!!
<div class="captioned justify_center"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/134461/f23731593e0d372ff8235223ebdd6d2a6f4a1868/large/img-4137.jpg?1448127519" class="size_orig justify_center border_" /><p class="caption">Left to Right (Alyshia Chabot [Lysh Music], Kaeli Dane, Me)</p></div><br>I feel extremely lucky to have been part of these 3 fantastic events and I'm happy to see so much love and support for women in Regina! Now, if anyone happens to put on a guys night out, I'd be eager to come watch - after all, there were men in the audience of each show supporting us ladies (thank you for that)!<br> Roxie Lentontag:roxielenton.com,2005:Post/38769582015-09-30T21:29:41-06:002022-04-20T12:48:21-06:00A for Alexandra, B for Beat, C for Culture, D for Diva Busy, busy, busy. That was me this past week. Having a blast. That was also me this past week. Here is the story:<br><br>Side-note: I have heard that when telling a story one should start at the beginning. But I say, I should start where I want to start... which is the beginning... The beginning of the week, not the beginning of the alphabet.<br><br><strong><u>D for Diva</u></strong><br><em>Divas' Night Out</em> is coming up in a little over a week and I have been busy preparing for the show. Rehearsing for the performance is just one aspect of that. Another aspect is getting all Diva'd up!!! (See? That's me in the picture. Don't let the tiara and boa fool you; I may be diva'd up, but I'm still me.) Last Monday, I picked up my tiara and feather boa then went to a photoshoot with <em>Erika Templeton</em>. It was fun expressing my inner diva by dressing up and I look forward to doing it again on October 8. Tiaras and boas will be for sale at the event next Thursday, so if you're interested in joining me, please do!<br><a contents="" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.divasnightout.ca" target="_blank"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/134461/0ee5762bff1a6f556e8b61333d43cf2092b1de45/medium/roxie-diva-4.jpg?1443655121" class="size_m justify_center border_" /></a><strong><u>A for Alexandra</u></strong><br>Saturday afternoon (Tuesday to Friday were less eventful), I went to a <em>SaskMusic</em> workshop where <em>Craig Silliphant</em> of Saskatoon taught us all about one-sheets and bios. It was very informative (<em>SaskMusic</em> is wonderfully consistent that way) and not only did I learn stuff, I also got to see fellow musician friends and had the pleasure of meeting the lovely <em>Alexandra</em>. <em>Alexandra</em> is one half of the duo <em>Acadence</em> and also just released her very first single as a solo artist! I encourage you to check out her single <a contents='"Masquerade"' data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://youtu.be/etwW9CyxFRA" target="_blank">"Masquerade"</a>, which was recorded at <em>Nebulous Entertainment</em>.<br><br><strong><u>B for Beat</u></strong><br>Saturday evening I went to Live Band Karaoke at the <em>Creative City Centre</em>, which was part of <em>Culture Days</em>. <em>Jaxe</em>, the live band, were rockin' out and everyone had tons of fun. I may have had my own dance party at the back of the room (this is where the beat comes into play). I hopped on stage at one point and sang "Let It Be" - my first time ever doing karaoke with real live people instead of a machine. Pretty cool!<br><br><strong><u>C for Culture</u></strong><br>Sunday afternoon (also known as yesterday afternoon), I went to a whole medley of <em>Culture Days</em> activities at the <em>Creative City Centre</em>. I got to screen print a T-shirt at <em>Articulate Ink</em>, made my own buttons (the pin kind not the button-up shirt kind), got my face painted (so not just for kids - don't let anyone tell you it is), and sewed a business card holder. That was a very full afternoon and a very fun afternoon! If you live in Canada, I hope you also had a chance to check out some <em>Culture Days</em> activities on the weekend! If you feel like it, I'd love to hear what you did for <em>Culture Days</em>!<br><br>This week is likely to be less action packed but I'll be busy preparing for the Casino next Thursday night. If you want to know more about the show, please check out my <a contents="upcoming events" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://roxielenton.com/shows">upcoming events</a>. <em>Divas' Night Out</em> is fundraiser for the <em>Regina Transition House</em> and <em>YWCA Isabel Johnson Shelter</em>, so it's a great cause!Roxie Lentontag:roxielenton.com,2005:Post/37498182015-06-21T19:32:36-06:002022-04-20T12:50:36-06:00With Great Power Comes...As most superhero movies demonstrate, power can be used for good or for evil. Perhaps in real life the divide is not always as drastic as superheros and supervillains, but power does put people in a position where what they say and do has a much larger and wide spread effect. The more famous someone becomes, the more powerful they get.<br><br>I have been a Taylor Swift fan since I first heard "Teardrops on my Guitar" on the radio in 2008. Since then, she has continually grown more famous and achieved superstardom (probably music's version of gaining superpowers). I greatly admire what she is doing with that power - especially the way she uses it to stand up for the rights of others who are not in such prominent positions. Most artists couldn't afford to take their music off Spotify or stand up to a huge conglomerate like Apple and even if they did, no one would notice. This is why I want to say thank you to Taylor Swift for doing what others can't. <br><br>Last year, she took her music off Spotify and other artists followed her lead. Today, she posted an open letter to Apple regarding Apple Music's free trial period for which artists will not be getting paid. I think Apple is fantastic and agree with Taylor's praise of the company and her other comments in the letter. I hope they will change their decision to not pay artists during the 3 month trial, but whether or not they do, Taylor Swift continues to draw attention to aspects of the music industry that would otherwise go unnoticed by most. If I could speak to her I would say, "Thanks for using your superpowers for good Taylor."<br><br>To read her open letter to apple go to: <a contents="http://taylorswift.tumblr.com/post/122071902085/to-apple-love-taylor" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://taylorswift.tumblr.com/post/122071902085/to-apple-love-taylor">http://taylorswift.tumblr.com/post/122071902085/to-apple-love-taylor</a>Roxie Lentontag:roxielenton.com,2005:Post/37216162015-05-29T19:50:30-06:002022-05-22T03:42:13-06:00Soul Sisters & Crafting New GearLast night was the Soul Sisters Benefit for the YWCA at The Bushwakker in Regina. I had a wonderful time performing and getting to know the other musicians - Rebecca Lascue, Judith Morrissey, and Joel Henderson (Poor Nameless Boy) - both on and off the stage. I also got to chat with a number of other people for first time and saw a few familiar faces. I want to say thank you so much to everyone who came out to support this cause and to everyone involved in making the event happen! I'm happy I was able to be a part of it and I was even happier to see so many people there, helping to fund the YWCA and their programs for women and children.<br><br>Now, you may not know this about me, but I'm a little obsessed with crafting. Recently, I felt inspired to make myself a new gig bag, one that reflects my personality. I used it for the first time last night and in the spirit of helping, I am going to share a bit of a tutorial on how I did it, in case any of you folks are interested in knowing how to make something like this:<br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/134461/d35b880e18b4e0c754b06617e5adeae3f7831e98/medium/img-0611-2.jpg?1432942948" class="size_m justify_left border_thin" alt="" /><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/134461/59c9f8b1311aaaf774425ce069260f6b82f87ee2/medium/img-0614-2.jpg?1432942994" class="size_m justify_center border_thin" alt="" />(If you don't want to know how I made this, stop reading here, because the remainder of this post is the tutorial.)<br><br>As you can see, it's actually more of a gig briefcase (I have multiple gig bags with different purposes). I didn't think to take a before photo, but it started out as a fairly standard brown leather briefcase (see photo below from www.styleforum.net), which a family member had given me because she no longer needed it. (Free stuff!! Boo ya!! - Btw: If anyone tells you no one says "boo ya" anymore, you can be like "Oh yeah? At least one person does, so there!" Also btw: you should probably not take advice on comebacks from me because I suggest things like that.)<br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/134461/f635892c89d5bdd5b55332057def4c8baf3c7d81/small/plain-brown-briefcase.jpg?1432948090" class="size_s justify_left border_thin" alt="Photo from www.styleforum.net" /><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/134461/40842a45929422b7c219cf7880a8945f497c856d/small/img-0609.jpg?1432942901" class="size_s justify_center border_thin" alt="" />Anywho (not a typo, typed "anywho" on purpose), to personalize the briefcase, I used Martha Stewart Crafts Multi-Surface Paint combined with Martha Stewart Crafts Fabric Medium (mixed together they make fabric paint). I used one color (a dark metallic silver) for the front and back of the case and mixed two different pinks together to create the pink around the edges. <br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/134461/9f580ff1416af80a3bcb64a9c6a415a689c93104/small/img-0612-2.jpg?1432942975" class="size_s justify_right border_thin" alt="" /><br>I cleaned the briefcase (with leather cleaner, about a week before I started painting, so feel free to actually follow the instructions on the paint if you want to do it properly, but this seems to have worked fine), then painted the first coat. I let it dry about an hour between coats (followed the instructions on that one), then after the second coat I waited 24 hours for the paint to dry completely (also in the instructions). I had to do the painting in more than 2 steps so the paint in one area had time to dry before doing the next section (I painted all sides, including the bottom, and the handle). I didn't tape before painting, but if you wanted really clean lines it would be best to tape off the areas you don't to paint.<br><br>This is the order in which I painted the sections. In between each section, I waited at least an hour after the 2nd coat had been painted before moving onto the next (I waited about 24 hours before flipping the case over to paint the back, because I wanted to make sure the <img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/134461/8e7c349c9ee752717731313e19558610784b8ac4/small/img-0610-2.jpg?1432942932" class="size_s justify_right border_thin" alt="" />painted side resting on the floor was completely dry).<br><br>1) I painted the top and both sides of the briefcase pink (with the exception of where the handle was resting on the top).<br>2) I painted the front of the briefcase silver.<br>3) I painted the bottom of the briefcase pink.<br>4) I stood the briefcase up and flipped the handle to the other side so I could paint the remainder of the top pink.<br>5) Day 2, I laid the briefcase with painted front on the floor and painted the back silver.<br>6) I stood the briefcase up to paint the handle. I painted one side of the handle, then once it felt dry, I flipped the handle over and painted the other side.<br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/134461/9b19b0c1889e5c2be9c458abb1894c3e26402bc5/small/img-0615.jpg?1432943006" class="size_s justify_right border_thin" alt="" />One last thing. This particular briefcase does not stay open on it's own (notice the silver stick keeping in open in the photo). Since I didn't want to hold the case open myself, I devised a simple (and free!!!) way to prop it open. I took a thick cardboard tube that had been the inside of a roll of paper and cut it to the size I needed. Then, I painted it with 2 coats of the silver Martha Stewart Crafts Multi-Surface Paint (without the fabric medium). I let the paint dry an hour between coats and 24 hours after the 2nd coat. It worked great for the show last night and when closing the case, I just lay the post flat inside the briefcase. <br><br>Ta-da! That's how I made my personalized gig briefcase! I might decide to add even more detail/personalization to it later, but simply painting it has transformed it significantly. Hurray! It wasn't hard to do but be aware that it does take a good chunk of time. And make sure you cover your work surface if you don't want to get paint everywhere. If you have any questions for me, I encourage you to leave them in the comments and I will answer them to the best of my ability. Happy crafting!Roxie Lentontag:roxielenton.com,2005:Post/36539582015-04-12T19:47:06-06:002022-04-20T12:50:29-06:00Inspiring and educational experience: Learning to use new tools (not the household kind)Two weekends ago, I had a fantastic, soul enriching and inspiring weekend. I went to a live performance by Amelia Curran and Ryan Boldt (from the Deep Dark Woods). I had never heard either of them before and they were both great! The following day I attended two workshops: the first was a songwriting workshop with Amelia Curran and the second was a Looping Pedal workshop with spoken word artist and musician Moe Clark. All 3 of these events had the artist in me grinning (a Julia Roberts grin) and inspired me to try some new things with my songwriting.<br><br><strong>More on Workshop 1</strong>: <br>Amelia Curran is well-known for her descriptive lyrics, full of imagery and metaphor. Seeing her perform before attending the workshop was very rewarding for me as I got a sense of how she applies metaphors and images to her songs (and how well they work!). At the workshop, it was great to hear more about her writing process, how she finds inspiration and what writing methods she uses. The interactive form of the workshop also gave us all a chance to learn little tips and tricks from one another. Songwriting is such an individual thing, everyone writes differently and there is no one right way to do it; so I have always found it very rewarding to hear how different songwriters write. It gives me new ideas of things to try in my own writing process. I like to challenge myself and try new ways of writing to see what comes out, discover new sounds and continue growing as an artist.<br><br><strong>More on Workshop 2:</strong><br>In the workshop with Moe Clark, we explored the looping pedal from an interactive perspective - we all had to be spontaneous and create a group piece using our voices and the various instruments Moe had brought along. She introduced new methods of experimenting with the writing process using the looping pedal and it was a very soul-enriching experience to interact with other artists in such a way.<br> <br>Then there was the technical side of the workshop, learning how the Looping Pedal works and what it can do. Moe has a nice fancy one and I absolutely want to get one for myself. Alas (that's right, alas), there is this little thing called money the people at the store want in exchange for the product... so I don't own one yet. I am not the most technologically skilled person, so it was great to learn about the pedal and see it action in the workshop. I had only ever seen them in use on stage before and for whatever reason the people don't stop their performance to explain to you how it all works. (Weird, right?) I feel like a looping pedal would add another great experimental aspect to my songwriting process and possibly to my stage show (I look forward to playing around with one and discovering how I want to use it).<br><br><strong>The Result:</strong><br>All of those experiences combined to inspire a new song over the following week, written with some different techniques/ideas than previous songs I've written. The song is not completely done by any means, there are still so many fun things to explore, but I have the basic form, melody and lyrics and I'm quite happy with it! I was so inspired to try out some of the new techniques and apply them to my own songwriting... so I did! It was fun, and I look forward to having a wider array of tools in my songwriting toolkit going forward! The only problem is that now I'm quite jealous of anyone with a looping pedal... I didn't know what I was missing out on until Moe's workshop. I'm no longer blissfully ignorant when it comes to looping pedals and I'll be saving up so I can afford one of my own. (In the meantime, if I see you with a looping pedal, I will probably be staring at it, drooling enviously. Don't mind me.)Roxie Lentontag:roxielenton.com,2005:Post/34727042015-02-11T09:47:43-06:002022-04-20T12:50:23-06:00Excited for Valentine's + Free DownloadI'm getting excited for Valentine's Day! Valentine's to me is a celebration of all love, not just romantic love. Love is what makes our world beautiful and there is a far bigger spectrum of love than the romantic kind alone. Given that, I have always loved Valentine's, as a kid and as an adult, regardless of whether I'm single or in a relationship. My parents used to give us little heart-shaped boxes of chocolate and I loved giving Valentine cards to friends and family. I have always looked at Valentine's as an opportunity to celebrate love between people (friends, family, lovers, etc.) as well as love of one's self (I mean, I can buy myself a heart shaped box of chocolates because they're delicious and hearts are awesome. And to quote a Whitney Houston song "Learning to love yourself, it is the greatest love of all."). So I encourage you to show some love this Valentine's Day, whether it's to yourself, to a family member, friend, partner, stranger, or anyone else you can think of!<br><br>I'd like to show my fans some love over the next few days by offering a free download of my song "Hey Valentine"! For the next four days (Feb. 11, 12, 13 and 14) anyone who signs up for my mailing list, follows me on Twitter, or Likes my Facebook page will get a free download. And to thank the wonderful fans and followers I have already, if you have previously done any of those things, just message me if you want the free download! I don't want you to feel deprived because you became a fan too early!! I love all my fans and I want to thank you for being awesome!! :)<br><br>Mailing list Sign Up is right on the website and you can find Links to my Twitter and Facebook accounts here as well.Roxie Lentontag:roxielenton.com,2005:Post/34313132014-12-23T13:40:10-06:002022-04-20T12:51:42-06:00Construction CompleteI know it's been quite a while since I posted anything. So here's the story of what's been going on.<br><br>Back in June, the basement in my house flooded and the entire basement had to be ripped out and rebuilt. The basement is where I had my music room set up (with all my music equipment and everything). Fortunately, my equipment wasn't damaged in the flood (yay!!!!), so I still have everything, but given that the size of the house was cut in half during the last 6 months, most of it was in storage. In addition, if you can believe it, it's also a bit harder to work when there's a whole assortment of loud noises from the workers and their machines throughout the day (it's honestly sort of strange to have silence now lol).<br><br>I've still been doing some singing, songwriting, and piano & guitar playing (thankfully), but with everything going on, it has been more limited. There was also quite a bit of work for the house that we had to do, so I've had less space, less equipment, and less time to work with. (Btw, this is the super short version of the story, I could probably go on about this for quite a while because living in a construction zone has been my reality for the past 6 months.)<br><br>Now we're at the cheerier, exciting part :). Finally, a very long 6 months later, the basement is finished. We have moved everything back into the basement (well, everything that wasn't damaged). I have my music room back with all my equipment set up, and I am ecstatic to get back to my usual routine (well after Christmas anyway). Awesomely (you may not want to use my posts as any kind of proper English guide), this was all completed just in time for the holidays!!!<br><br>I wish you all a very Happy Holidays, a very Merry Christmas, and a very Happy New Year!!!!!!!!! You'll be hearing more from me in the new year.<br><br>Sidenote: the weather here is actually super nice right now, which is also awesome because it's often so cold you want to stay indoors around this time of year. So I'll have the white Christmas I'm used to without the super freezing cold. I'm so lucky in so many ways this Christmas and I'm so looking forward to spending time with family, which for me, is what Christmas is all about.<br><br>Bye for now, talk to you in 2015! :D<br> Roxie Lentontag:roxielenton.com,2005:Post/29657992014-05-22T17:06:38-06:002022-05-30T02:08:13-06:00The Power of WordsI have always been particularly fond of lyrics. The story of a song is such a huge part of what moves me and makes me fall in love with a song. So, I'm not particularly surprised that I have fallen in love with the art of Spoken Word. A few months ago I attended my first ever Poetry Slam, a very interactive event where poets get onstage and share there poems. Poems that are very different from any other poem I had heard before and to hear these free form poems performed with great emotion by the poets was an entirely unique experience. I was quickly drawn into this open, intimate atmosphere and was so inspired by all these brave people baring their souls on the stage that during the open mic following the poetry slam I got up and performed a capella for the first time ever in front of an audience, stripping one of my songs down to it's raw form of lyrics and melody. It was a thrilling and nerve-wracking experience and it was fun enough that I sang a capella again at a slam a couple months later. I really find the emotion and rhythm of spoken word to be fascinating and I admit I am now hooked on this wonderful art form. Last night, I attended the local Poetry Slam Finals in Regina that were part of the Cathedral Village Arts Festival and got to experience our very talented local poets once again and see the team members selected for the Poetry Slam Nationals in the fall. I am excited to have been introduced to this awesome art form and to the fantastic artists I've met along the way. Yay art!! :)Roxie Lentontag:roxielenton.com,2005:Post/28505752014-04-07T10:41:24-06:002022-04-20T12:51:58-06:00First News ArticleThis morning Metro News Regina posted an article about me and my submission to the CBC Searchlight Competition for Best New Artist. It happens to be the first written news article done about my music so it's extra exciting! Thank you so much to Marco Vigliotti from Metro and to Searchlight for the opportunity! I won't know whether I made the regional Semi-Finals in the competition until this afternoon but regardless of whether or not I do, I'm very happy to have entered the competition which has allowed some new people to hear about me as an artist and to hear my music. I'm on an exciting journey following my dream of music right now and I'm so happy to be able to pursue this dream!!! :D Here is the link to the article: <a contents="Metro Article" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://metronews.ca/news/regina/994225/regina-musician-eyes-national-online-talent-competition/#" target="_blank">Metro Article</a>. And here is a screenshot I took on my phone of the article: <img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/134461/cf4cc2930416cb7208f0c74e8e4e81d86f55e86f/original/image-2.jpg?1396888846" class="size_l justify_center border_" />Roxie Lentontag:roxielenton.com,2005:Post/28024022014-03-24T15:11:10-06:002014-03-24T15:11:10-06:00CBC SearchlightI have entered CBC Searchlight, a search for a new Canadian artist and I could use your help with votes! From now until April 6 you can vote for up to 10 artist per region PER DAY. I'm attaching the link where you can vote for me, any support would be greatly appreciated!! Thank you so much!! http://music.cbc.ca/#/artists/Roxie-LentonRoxie Lentontag:roxielenton.com,2005:Post/27827392014-03-20T20:36:32-06:002022-04-20T12:52:06-06:00All Kinds of FirstsSo I finally have my very own website! I am so excited, this year has been so fantastic to me already and it's only March. I have had an insane number of firsts in the last few months that have made the beginning of my career in music so exhilarating. In February, I released my first single to iTunes, "Hey Valentine", a love song for Valentine's Day (I've always loved Valentine's Day), which I recorded entirely on my own - completely new to me. I learned how to mix and I experimented with the different instruments and sounds. What is really cool about recording it on my own, though it was challenging at times, is that it is 100% my product - I decided on how everything should sound and then created that sound. I am lucky to have been able to do that and share it with the world, thanks to the changes in the music industry and world today (oh technology). I also love collaborating to create a song but I found it to be a great experience to do this one on my own.<br><br>Following the release of "Hey Valentine", I heard myself on the radio for the first time, I had my first TV interview and my first radio interview!! Soooo cooool!!! Thank you to CJTR, Access 7, and my92.1 (Harvard Broadcasting) for making those things happen!! Then, just last night, I did something a little bit crazy, something else I had never done before: I sang (a capella) a new song I'm working on for a roomful of strangers before singing it for a single person I know!!! Strange for me but very cool! It was lots of fun! And now I have my own website and I get to have fun designing it and all that great stuff. I'm so looking forward to performing more in the near future and continuing to work on my album (which will be another first!). Yay!!!!!! :)Roxie Lenton