Stephanie Renee: Blog

Man, what a summer it has been. A very necessary respite for me to just relax and enjoy watching other folks perform, for a change. I've been challenging myself to become a better photog and have been traipsing all across the city of Philadelphia, taking shots of the amazing live shows that have passed through. Ledisi, Lalah, Leela, Maysa, John Legend, Dwele, Anthony David, Raphael Saadiq and on and on and on!! It's been a superduper concert season, and I missed as many shows as I made!

As for my music, I will be back in the studio more intently over the next few months. Damon and I have been working on some fun stuff, but the real challenge will be getting back on task with my next solo project. I've officially mapped it out now, and will need to find a few good musicians to help me complete it.

Any great acoustic guitarists out there who work on the cheap and are willing to help me execute a vision? :-)

In general, things are very good. Finally achieving more of that elusive work/life balance and really enjoying waking every day to a new project and goal. I promise to keep you in the loop as things progress.

Oh...and did I mention that I've chopped off my locs too? See the photo page for a few new pics.

Hey peoples. Check out the Photo Gallery for new flyers for events that I have coming up in the next few weeks, including one that I host this weekend.

Also, I've started a Soul Sanctuary Radio Congregation group on Facebook, so if you've got an FB account, be sure to link up with us.

More personal stuff coming soon.

What's up folks? Popping in to say Hey and to let you know that the kickoff of the hectic summer season is upon me. I'm learning to be thankful for quiet time. Normally I'm grossly overscheduled, so while I am in between time-consuming work-related projects, I've been trying to organize and refocus my creative energies in positive ways. All of my various websites, including this one, need to be retooled and enhanced, so that it on my agenda. I am only 1/8 or so done repainting my house, so that's also on the To Do list. And we're about to launch Phase 2 of the recording process for my next solo album and for the 20th Anniversary CD for The Inspiration. Thus, this is the calm before the storm. And I'm trying to soak it in.

Everyone with me...OMMMMMM!

No, that's not a naughty assertion. Just wanted to let you folks now that I finally acquiesced and agreed to start a Facebook account. It's been a whirlwind of reconnections and app learning ever since.

If you wanna hook up on fb, hit me here:
www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=685985453

320 friends and counting...

I highly encourage you to check out this link:

http://www.postcardsfromyomomma.com/

Got an announcement about it in an email today and popped in during a break between teaching classes. The comedy of real life is truly better than anything we can make up in our heads. On a soggy day in Philly, this was just the pick me up I needed.

More music and gig news coming soon!

Hey folks. I've been really busy, but haven't forgotten about you.

Life as a teacher is HECTIC! If I never had respect for all that educators do in the classroom to impart knowledge and keep the kids entertained, I surely understand now. The girls at The Mount are precious and keep me laughing, but it's a bit daunting to look out at their faces and realize that they really are looking up to me to make them better than they are. What an awesome responsibility.

School ends in a few more weeks, and if there is one thing I will NOT miss, it's waking up at 5:30 am Monday through Friday.

Looking forward to hopping a plane and taking a quick holiday once school is over.

Whew! I'm still catching up on sleep, but Winter Music Conference was a much needed break from the Philly cold and city strife.

The Steal Vybe show on Sunday was fabulous. I hope to create a highlight reel from the video and DAT recordings we made, but until then you can check out the photos here:

http://picasaweb.google.com/MsMogul/StealVybeWMC08

More of an official update once I stop yawning. :)

The weather will actually be pretty nice here in Philly this afternoon, but I am pretty much DONE with the cold. Can't wait to get down to Miami this weekend, if for no other reason than to walk around with no coat and with my toes out for the first time in months.

If you're going to be in Miami for Winter Music Conference, you'd BETTER be in the house on Sunday night for my live performance with Steal Vybe. The party's going to be bananas!! See the flyer on my Photos page for full details.

Hey people! Just had to stop in for a quick note about my hostessing duties in NYC this past Saturday! I am soooooo proud of the very talented alumni of my college group, The Inspiration, for putting on a series of stellar performances. And I'm doubly proud of the work of our Alumni Foundation Board for organizing an event that raised approx $5K for our org's scholarship fund! AMAZING!

If you weren't able to make it, I've created an online photo album of some of my shots from the evening here -- http://picasaweb.google.com/MsMogul/IAFNYCFundraiserMarch08

And I expect to see a BUNCH of you in May for our next showcase here in Philly. Details coming soon!

If you haven't been here in a while, take a look around! I've tried to get a lot better at adding my event flyers and other info to this site regularly. Aren't you proud of me?

In other news, go to www.SoulCommune.com and sign up for an account. It's only the HOTTEST new social networking site specifically for soulful music lovers. They've got videos, a jukebox and lots of other ways for you to connect with soul pioneers and upstarts. I'm loving it! And Soul Sanctuary Radio is now one of their featured music feeds, rotating in a spot on the main page. So the love is mutual. Check it out when you can.

Man, if I have ever needed a personal assistant and a manager, I need one now. As we head toward the spring, things get mighty hectic in my world. New recordings and releases, rehearsals, projects...AAUGH! I need a vacation and a plan to keep everything together.

While I sort my life out, keep an eye out for clips of my new 2008 releases to be posted on the Sounds page. And you know I'll let you know when they're available for retail purchase.

OK, now back to the grind. :)

Yes, it's been months since I've left some notes here. But you all know how many pages and blogs and such I've got out in the cyberuniverse and sometimes it's extremely hard keeping on top of everything...especially when you don't currently have an intern (hint, hint).

Anyhoo, it is now late January and I'm gearing up for a new slate of 2008 releases over the next few months. First out of the gates is a new EP with Steal Vybe featuring some exciting remixes of a track called "High." Late Feb/early March brings at least one more new single and the brand-new Steal Vybe album, which I've got 2 tracks on that are more on the soul than dance tip.

And then there's our upcoming performance at Winter Music Conference.

So, cross my heart, I will have more news posted shortly and new music for you to listen to on the Sounds page really soon.

Hey folks. Popping in briefly to let you know that recording has resumed in earnest over the past few weeks. The music industry shuts down, for the most part, from Turkey Day to New Year's. So I'm busy running from studio to studio trying to wrap up my '07 vocals, in preparation for a slate of new releases in Spring '08.

Steal Vybe and I are confirmed to perform at Winter Music Conference in Miami next March, so you can expect many more details about the event, our show and our upcoming releases in the months ahead. "Deeper Love" was slated to be available on an IRMA compilation in November, but the label has delayed it until the spring as well. So...you'll probably see me on the beach peddling a bunch of new wares when WMC rolls around.

More news soon!

It's been a while since I've posted, huh? So sorry! Got caught up with other thangs! :)

The next few weeks will be extremely productive. Have meetings about TV projects and studio sessions for a bunch of new music that will be coming out early next year, in time for my scheduled live performance at Winter Music Conference 2008 in Miami! Gotta start working on my sexy now, so I can wow people on all levels when I'm there.

Even working on a track with my DJ/producer honey. It's mighty nice to be in a business & pleasure dynamic duo!

Hey people! We're in the home stretch of negotiations with JVC Japan for the release of Opolopo's album, which will include our fiyah single "Deeper Love." Release date should be in late September, so hold tight and I'll be SURE to bring you the complete details as soon as all of the documents have been signed and filed.

Just popping in to let you all know that I am finally about to get back on task at recording my next CD. After the hard drive failure that had all of my previously recorded material for the project, I had to take some time to hear what life was telling me about slowing down, being purposeful and saying what I mean. So the lineup of songs and poems is now going to look considerably different than it would have if I had wrapped up recording by next month, as originally planned.

I will definitely keep you all posted as to how things are going and the new anticipated release date for HOT LIPS as soon as I know.

Just popping in to say what a blessing it is to put a pause in your rushing to and fro long enough to fully absorb the beauty of each moment.

For me, that happened this weekend in a series of live performances that remind me exactly why I do what I do. Thursday night's Jill Scott/Chaka Khan show was plagued with little missing details, but the voices of those two women are so incredibly beautiful, rich and powerful. They command the stage like few others can. Yesterday afternoon, I led off the day's performance segment for the Philadelphia Juneteenth commemoration. From the 6-8 year olds in the front row to the many people who were just passing through the park and stopped to take it all in, it was a needed cultural reminder that we can all listen to one another and learn to embrace our history positively.

And then last night, I saw how African drumming and American jazz are born of the same experience. There is nothing like seeing a stage full of creative people at the top of their game. My spirit thanks Wynton Marsalis and Yacub Addy for making time to compose the breathtaking score of CONGO SQUARE! If they come to your city, do not miss it. Your soul needs to hear it!

Now it's time for me to figure out how to process all of this musical data and apply it to my own recording process. Wish me luck!

I've gotta tell you...there is nothing in the world as groovy as being a hit in a room full of little people.

This week, I'm working with Michael LeLand and Theatre Double on a musical production all about writer Langston Hughes. After the show, we do a brief talkback with the schoolchildren in attendance and today was an especially good day.

One of the visiting school groups, Neuberger Elementary, is located at 6th & Carpenter Streets here in Philadelphia, which is probably one of the most ethnically-diverse areas of the city. They stayed a little longer after the show than everyone else, and because I spoke so highly of international travel during the talkback, I found myself surrounded by a little United Nations eager to chat with me. An Indian boy, a Greek girl and a Mexican boy...none of whom were born here in the US. A small contingency of little black mamacitas, grinning up at me with their afro puffs and brightly-colored barrettes. They were all big fans of my singing and surrounded me firing off a bunch of questions about what it's like to perform on stage in front of lots of people and how much I knew about their homeland. What a joy!

I don't have any kids of my own and am not sure that I want any, but I can definitely appreciate the beauty of a snaggle-toothed grin from a wee person who truly enjoys live performance.

Fam, please send out some prayers of technological healing for me!!!!

Last night, I had just wrapped up a few new EQs and vocal parts for the new CD project. All I wanted to do was transfer MP3s of those takes to my iPod so I could give them a closer listen. I got up from my desk to get the iPod from my kitchen and heard a loud crash. My music external hard drive (which currently holds about 200 GB of information, including all of the files for the new CD) had slid off my main PC casing and hit the floor...HARD!

It will power up, but something is wrong with either the internal laser or the gears that spin the hard drive, because now it can't "start up." All I get is an error message. This hard drive holds ALL of my digital music files. ALL of them! Every single SSR show, all of the drops you guys have recorded or that I've produced, every single artist interview, all of the digital files for every single song I've released and the stuff that has never made it to the public's ears, and at least 20 GB of digital downloads...from other people's podcasts to single songs to archives of interviews I've done on other people's shows.

Of course, it is Sunday so I won't be able to get the drive looked at until at least tomorrow. And of course, the barely-breaking-even artist in me hasn't budgeted for such a stupid mechanical problem. So y'all PLEASE pray for me today...that I don't lose ANY of the information on that hard drive and that I don't lose my mind before I find out if and when it can be fixed.

I could scream, but it wouldn't change a thing. At this point, I'm almost numb.

I know...I've been a little delinquent in posting blogs, but I have been hoppin' lately! However, I thought you all might enjoy having a chuckle at my expense.

Some of my Sorors with natural hair have been trading emails about styling tips recently. And since Memorial Day weekend will mark the 4th Anniversary of my current set of locs, I thought I'd put together a little phot album of my many hair style choices since I first cut all of the relaxer out of my hair back in 1992.

Several of these pics can alreayd be found in my photos section here on this website, but I think this album tells a more complete story. :0)

http://picasaweb.google.com/MsMogul/StefSManyHairstyles