Day 4 in Rio de Janeiro

Ah, another uneventful day!  I had breakfast on my balcony overlooking Sugar Loaf and the weather again was perfect.  I wrote a song too!  I walked around Santa Teresa, seeing sights like Parque das Ruinas and  Casa de Benjamin Constant.  Then I had coffee with guarana at this cute outdoor cafe called Cafecinho, and wrote another song.  I then pushed myself to do something challenging by taking the metro to go to downtown.  Everything was eerily closed because of the holiday, so I quickly returned to my neighborhood, buying empanadas, ice cream, and guarana, which I consumed again on my peaceful balcony, enjoying the sunset.  I didn’t realize guarana had lots of caffeine….

                                                           view of Sugar Loaf from my balcony

For evening entertainment I went to Rio Scenarium, which is a three-story entertainment palace.  No words can describe the energy of this place.  There  are tables everywhere to sit and eat full meals and drink, there’s a live band on the bottom floor playing Brazilian music and people are dancing, and the place was packed! It was quite an experience and I realized firsthand that samba and salsa are very, very different from each other!

Day 3 in Rio de Janeiro

I was very sad to leave Copacabana, but on the other hand, it is time that I check out the rest of this Cidade Maravilhosa (marvelous city, which is Rio’s nickname).  I checked into my new place, Guesthouse Bianca, in a cute artistic neighborhood called Santa Teresa.  My photos just don’t do this place justice, but their website says it all. I have the Sugar Loaf room, which I thought was named that, because Sugar Loaf is a popular landmark in the city.  In fact, I have a view of the Sugar Loaf from my balcony. It’s incredible!

tram in santa teresa

Guido, the owner, was very sweet. He walked me through the main cobblestone streets to show me around and referred me a great restaurant. I had feijoada–a bean stew, with a salad, rice, and fresh fruit (always the fresh fruit!!!). And since beer is only sold in the 40 oz variety, I am always a little disoriented after every meal.  I always have to buy a 40 oz of bottled water to balance it out!  Then I met my neighbors, Gloria, a wonderful painter who makes these beautiful silk scarves, and her son Kim who is a renown drummer in Brazil.  We talked about his career starting from when he studied at MI in Hollywood and how he has been able to pursue music as a career in Brazil.  Brazil actually has begun producing its own musical instruments, which is another indication of how Brazil really is developing economically.  Kim’s drum equipment is mostly Brazilian brands (also helps that he is endorsed by many of them!) and he performs with many renown artists and gives drum lessons.  I was again, very inspired.  He actually also sent me a list of venues that I can contact to get a gig, as well as places to check out live music.

Arlindo Cruz was playing at Teatro Rival that evening, so I took a cab to downtown Rio.  I stood in the wrong line for a while (always happens when I’m traveling!!!) and then when I went to the correct line to buy a ticket, a man who apparently was working at the ticket booth came out to tell everyone that tickets were sold out. I didn’t really understand what he said, but I could tell, because everyone in line started getting angry and complaining, but no one would leave, so I didn’t leave either.  Then the guy came back and said to everyone again, “Look, there are no more tickets, so there is no reason for you to wait here.”  Of course, I’m just guessing that’s what he said, since everyone left at that point. I was a little peeved because I had just paid for a cab to come here, and I don’t know downtown Rio at all.  On top of it, when I finally found a cab, I told him to take me to Lapa (which is where all the bars and clubs are at), and he wouldn’t.  He said (and I’m just guessing again) that Lapa was too crowded and he did not care to drive me there.  He told me to walk there and pointed in the direction I should go.  I was in Cinelandia metro station and that was pretty much all I knew. So I walked in the direction he told me to, and let me tell you, the streets get seedy at night! Here’s what I learned when traveling, especially as a lady:

1. Try to dress like a local. Meaning: no cargo shorts or sandy-colored tank tops, jesus sandals, backpacks, military hats…although you are dressed down, these things scream, “I’m a tourist and I have a lot of money”. As for me, I love Brazilian fashion- short skirt, summer sandals, trendy halter top!! Sounds crazy but I definitely blended in with the ladies.

2. Walk as if you know where you’re going, even if you don’t. If you find yourself somewhere where you know you shouldn’t be, walk into a well-lit store/restaurant (official-looking chain stores are best), and ask someone inside for directions to where you need to go.  Have a pen and notebook with you at all times.

3. Don’t carry a lot of money with you. Duh. And the bag you carry around should not be Louis Vuitton/Gucci/Coach. I don’t care if it’s fake, just don’t look rich.

4. Know your limits. I know that I can handle about one caipirinha a night, and that’s it.  And I should not be hanging out too late especially since I’m alone, so I returned to my hotel before midnight.  Good girl.

After wandering around, I was super relieved when I saw the Arcos da Lapa  which is the entryway for all the craziness that goes down in Lapa. The bars, clubs, and restaurants are bustling with people everywhere, spilling on to the street. I went from bar to bar, listening to different kinds of music: samba, jazz, forro, rock, MPB (brazilian pop), and eventually found a gig worth playing in.  Boemia da Lapa does not look spectacular at all from the outside.  If anything, it looks like a regular pub, but it had a great vibe, and a great sound system (important!!!), and when I met the owner, Marcio, I knew that it would be a perfect place to play.  I met the singer of that evening’s band. His name is Big Fabio and he was such an awesome guy.  He even gave me his CD as a gift!  So I will be performing between his set next week, and I can’t wait!

That evening, I also went to Lapinha and listened to some amazing Latin American fusion music.  Guitar, flutes, sax, upright bass, percussion, drums, and a caipirinha. Amazing! And I got back to my guesthouse despite the fact that my cab driver got lost and asked several people for directions. We laughed a lot about it. And so that was Day 3. Perfect.

live music in Lapinha club

Day 2 in Rio de Janeiro

I woke up really early…9am….ate breakfast that consisted of these amazing cheese balls called pao de queijo. I kept coming back for more…oh, and fruit.  And watermelon juice.  Then I went to the beach, rented a nice little chair and umbrella and laid out in the sun for hours and hours.  Of course I replenished the sunscreen. And I did test the waters, it was quite warm.  So that was pretty much my day.

copacabana beach

From the outside, it was quite an uneventful day. And at night, nothing too exciting. I dressed up in heels and a summer dress and went to the Sofitel Hotel for a drink.  While I was drinking my first caipirinha in Brazil, I felt a little bit of magic. There I was, sitting in the balcony of this swanky hotel bar, overlooking Copacabana beach. The full moon above, and antonio carlos jobim playing in the background. it was so perfect!

Day 1 in Rio de Janeiro

I left Los Angeles at 7am on Sunday morning and touched into Rio de Janeiro at 10am the following day—a 27-hour journey.  Needless to say, I was a bit frustrated when, upon finally arriving to my hotel at noon, I was told that check-in was not until 3pm, and that I was “free” to walk around town until then.  I walked to the nearest bar and ordered a beer and fried chicken.  (Could you blame the lady?) But my hotel room was completely worth the wait. On the fourth floor, I am directly facing the water and I can see the ladies on the beach in their filo dental, and the guys in their speedos (no one wearing board shorts!).  I took the longest shower in the world and wrapped myself in the nice white hotel robe and fell asleep to a Brazilian soap opera.  When I awoke, it was 6pm and I was hungry (of course!).  I was a bit peeved also that the internet in my room was only functional if you had a PC, so I decided to go out and have dinner, a drink, and maybe run into an internet café/cute guy/shoe store along the way.  Copacabana Palace seemed like a reasonable choice for me—I heard they had a poolside bar—but it was pretty boring.  So I wandered down the other way of Avenida Atlantica and veered to one of the small alleyway streets (I know, I know, dangerous!) and found… an internet café! Bingo, now I can tell everyone on facebook that I am safe in Brazil.  And down the same alleyway I found a burger joint where I bought a burger. (Hey I know I should be eating Brazilian food, but I do like to see what burgers around the world taste like). And it was pretty good, except that it had a lot of mayo. I was thirsty at this point and I spotted a bar that looked like it was a local hangout.  So I went, and glad I did, because I met three awesome guys—Leonardo, Daniel and Gustavo—who  just so happened to be in a rock band together.  Their band is called Himalaia and they just finished recording a full-length album.  We obviously ended up talking about the music scene in Brazil and we compared experiences about being a musician in Los Angeles and in Rio.  Turned out that we had much in common in regards to challenges and opportunities.  We hung out until late into the evening and they invited me to their rehearsal on Wednesday. I am really excited about meeting my new musician friends.  Check out their music at www.himalaiarock.com.

with the band members of Himalaia

Bittersweet Thoughts

So as of this afternoon, copies of EP3 are now at Amoeba in Hollywood, looking for new owners to entertain (please pick one up!).  It’s only a 4-song EP, but granted, the songs were completed in 50 days, which is actually pretty impressive.  And this EP means so much more to me than the fact that it was completed so quickly.  These past couple of months have been life-provoking, to say the least.  Working full-time, getting my MBA, and recording an EP may seem like my usual schedule (after all, this is my third EP!) but this time,  I felt the growing pains of an artist discovering herself.

I had just met Michael late December 2010, and it was very interesting working with a producer who wasn’t a friend first (as Olajide and Candice were).  Michael is a very direct person. He does not beat around the bush. He had strong opinions about my songs, my voice, my performance, etc. It was intimidating and a bit embarrassing at first. I felt like an American Idol contestant being sized up by Simon Cowell (hence the reason why I would never audition for that kind of thing).  But eventually I understood that Michael had valuable insight, and if I wanted to get better, I should listen. I won’t pretend that the process was easy and painless.  I remember when I played my rough draft of Infrared to him, being a little smug because I thought it was a great song. He was unfazed. “I’m just not feeling it.” he said.  What??? I thought, a little offended. How can he possibly not like the song?  The air was full of tension until he said, “Well, the song has too many moods.  It’s confusing to listen to.”  But I couldn’t possibly change the song, or so I thought.  But little by little, we revisited the verses, the chorus, the lyrics, the arrangement, and I must admit that the song is way better now than how it was before. And the same went for the other songs that we recorded.  And I’m very happy the way the songs turned out.  There were actually other songs we worked on too, but we decided not to release them, as they are not completely ready just yet. (stay tuned).

We actually didn’t meet the Amoeba deadline of getting the CDs in the store by March 1st due to this creative process.  But I learned that you can’t force inspiration to happen, just like you can’t force love to happen.  Many times it happens, but in its own time, and not in the way you expect.  I’m just relieved that inspiration was gracious enough to wrap it up before my Artist of the Month post at Amoeba was over. (Ok, so I have five more days to gloat, but still.)

 

I feel like a different person from who I was when 2010 ended, and I still need time to figure out this new me. As I sit here in my little studio, I’m excited to write new songs because my mind and heart are full of new ideas and I can’t wait to share them with you.  I hope you enjoy Bittersweet Chocolate, as it reflects that love truly is bittersweet.

with love,
Layla

Come to my debut show at the Voodoo Loun

Come to my debut show at the Voodoo Lounge House of Blues in Los Angeles! Saturday March 5! RSVP here! http://ow.ly/47q2L

please don’t die, record store!!!

i went to second spin today (that’s a used music store) and it was pretty depressing.  a room full of cds and two customers (i was one of them).  i get it though…who buys cds these days anyway, right? especially when all you’re going to do is burn the cd into your computer? but i guess i’m just sentimental that way…i personally own lots of cds and vinyl and yes, even cassettes, and i like the ritual of pulling out a cd from the shelf and playing it. and then hopefully i remember to put it back in its case and in the shelf again.

but anyway, i love record stores.it gives the music lover somewhere to go on a sunday morning. and i do like album artwork. i like reading the liner notes.  it won’t be the same again when everything is completely digital. and by the way, the .wav format sounds so much better than the .mp3.

so even though i didn’t need to, i bought a cd, just to support the cause. i bought an electronica album, nuvol i cadira by Animals on Wheels.  It’s pretty cool, but most importantly, i felt good knowing that i did my part in keeping the record store alive.