Me and my friends

Yo kiddies ! Long time , no blog . I just finished a round of amazing fundraisers with my Balls , one for my friends , one for the kids and one doozy of a gig that raised more than $18,000.00 for AIDS research . Good times and great causes . Now I'm back at the work table writing and writing in preparation for the workshop at PCS entitled JAW ( Just Add Water ) . Where I will be working with my director and other talented writers (read people who KNOW what they're doing) and work on getting " Crazy Enough" on its feet . The first reading will be Saturday , July the 19th at 2PM in the studio theater . But enough about me . My great friend and honorary Ball , Kleveland's own , Stephanie Smith , has shot , edited and posted he new video for " You're Not Sorry " on her MySpace . Hot girls , cars , vampires and one dead DJ? Dude . Check it out . http://www.myspace.com/kleveland Another good friend from the RSSN camp , Lucas Rossi and his beautiful new band Stars Down are at the Viper Room this Saturday , June 21st . Besides the band being easy on the eyes , the music is sparkly dark , and full of lush harmonies . It's very passionate music and Lucas sings his little ass right off all night long . The Viper Room has such great sound , it will be a mad joy to experience . Check them out : http://www.myspace.com/starsdownmusic Enjoy my friends , and enjoy the day ! See you out there , xoStorm posted by Storm at 03:33 on 06/21/08

So Tardy .

I am very late in thanking everyone who came out to party with us these last few shows . Here's a recap : Mississippi . So cool . I was really nervous and super chatty all night , I might have been extra gross at times... but the new songs went over very well , I think . Stink , thanks for representing the absentee boarders , you are one thinky Stink! And I LOVED my roses , I dunno who orchestrated that , I heard Kadee was one culprit , but , they are in my livingroom not being allowed to die . So thank you for them . Portland Teen Idol . I've performed with Nina Hagen , John Doe , Dave Navarro and Hank III . But getting up to sing after some of those kids ? I was totally self conscious and felt like an ass . THEY WERE SO GOOD! I wish I had had some kind of creative outlet like that when I was 14 , or folks who pushed me and supported me in finding my own voice . What a great thing they are doing for those kids ... you will get to see some of them perform with me again for the Christmas show this year . Prepare to be stunned . Castcade AIDS benefit . We raised more than $18,000.00 for Aids research by auctioning off a private concert that was held in the Laurence Gallery on Fathers Day . Poor Davey was so tired , but he rallied and came down , as did Steph from Kleveland to donate their skills to the cause . My goodness , I do love the intimate setting for a show . So now I'm back on my schedule of writing for a few hours in the morning , trying to get some exercise , not drinking and endeavoring to not lose it while the clock ticks down to JAW Festival . That's it for now , Lovelies . See you out there . xoStorm posted by Storm at 11:41 on 06/17/08

BEST WEEK EVER.

After a long and exhausting build up to Candidates Gone Wild , the show itself was a huge success . Thank GOD ... I was sooo nervous . You have NO idea how many people worked so frigging hard to get that monster on its feet , and they were all counting on me to run the thing . Yikes . Happily , I didn't screw up on the show was AWESOME and so much fun . We have some pretty dope candidates .... Sam , Randy Leonard , Amanda Fritz and Nick Fish were all my favorites . John Branham is also a good candidate ... he took a deep screwing onstage and responded with grace and cool humility . He's pretty sharp , that one . Then I'm off to LA for my secret mission . Not like Davey's ultimatum ... but more secret because it was lining up to be so amazing , that I was scared to talk about it for fear it wouldn't happen . Well , it happened . Our buddy JT , (who's turning 50 on May 10th at a huge bash at Dante's ... I'll see you there .) he had a friend on tour with the Legendary John Doe (ummm ... X , anyone ?) Anyway , rewind 7 years and I wrote a song that was a bit different from the style I was performing at the time , called "Drive Away " . A good song that swept nicely into another I had written called "Under You" ... they're sister songs I guess ... but under you grew up and left home , while drive away stayed a baby . Anyways , I revisited the song last year and thought ... this would be hot as a duet . On more meditation I thought ... this would be great with John Doe's voice . On a whim I put out some feelers . I had heard that John Doe was a famously warm and approachable man ... what's the harm in asking ? Soon after , J.T. got back to me that he could get a message to him . Within a week I sent an MP3 to the man himself . As I sit here 8 months after our initial contact , with a hot cup of coffee , Davey blogging next to me , in Stephanie's parents' living room ,I can now safely announce: OH MY GOD WE RECORDED MY SONG WITH JOHN DOE YESTERDAY AND IT WAS AMAZING !!!! To make it even cooler , I had Davey on Bass , Steph on Guitar , our bestest buddy Greg Eklund on drums and we recorded at the Foo Fighters studio with the Southern miracle known as "Lou" manning the board . This has been the best trip ever . I got to see the whole house band , stayed with Paul and his family for a spell , went to a taping of Rock The Cradle ...not nearly the train wreck I expected , it was really fun . The House Band . I just don't have the time or room to express just how ridiculously good those guys are ... I love them so . Later I went to see Lukas' new band " Stars Down " . I was with Toby and his hilarious JK band mates , we had a bawdy good time .However , when Luke hit the stage , both Toby and I stood stock still , side by side in the balcony and just stared and listened . Every now and then glancing at one another mouthing "Awesome" or "Oh. My.God." Lukas has put together a righteous bunch of players and I caught myself tearing up a bit at how happy I was for him . He has really good people around him and it shows . His lush , melodic song after song onslaught was a joy to experience . Yeah , maybe I'm bias , but that little fuck can sing and put together a gorgeous phrase that pokes you in the squishy bits . I'm so happy for him . It was great to see Toby as well , he's doing great and is as wonderfully revolting as always . All my love and gratitude to Davey , Steph , (and Smith family) , Greg , Paul and my sister-wife Michelle and the goils , the House Band, JT , John Doe , The Foo Fighters , LOU! , Lukas , Kendra and that pig dog Toby Rand . All in all , it's been the best week ever this year (so far) . Here's to what comes next ! See you out there , xoxoStormer posted by Storm at 10:55 on 05/05/08

Madge...

Madonna is ten years older than me (maybe 11) ... and she has always been in my periphery . Not sure why . I guess I was a little into Desperately Seeking Susan , and I did had an 80s flop of bleached hair over one eye and fake black Ray Bans . I kinda wanted to be hot like her . Confident , iconic , sexy but not passively so , not " Oh yeah ... take me stud ..." but more " You WILL take me , because I say so , and by taking me , stud , you will thusly be taken yourself ." She was the slutty siren we all admired ... all us 14 year olds , that is . I bring this random thing up because I'm listening to a pile of old Madonna stuff and I'm grinning like a goofball . I realize that I love Madonna and always have . Not for any musical brilliance or anything , but she is the coolest and cleanest dirty bitch having fun at the expense of her critics , splashing about in the public eye and has always been totally applauded celebrated and richly rewarded. Even her scandals are super sanitized publicity blips that just come and go like minor speed bumps on the way to her fat ass castle full of awesomeness . She's an ok singer with decent pop songs and an assload of horrible movies , but I fricken LOVE Madonna , and I don't care who knows it . That is just something I figured out just now . It just happened . I guess I've been writing WAYYY too much about myself and needed to go look at some one else . Go Madonna ! xoS posted by Storm at 10:55 on 04/25/08

Much good stuff!!

There will be plenty to blog about soon , the Dantes extravaganza , the OUT FREAKIN' RAGEROUS Red Dress Party , how "Crazy Enough " is coming along etc.... but first and foremost : HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAVEY!!!! You are my love of loves and I'm so lucky not only to be by your side (and on/under you sometimes...) , and not only to play music with your badass self , but just to know you . You are a brilliant talent and one of Gods little night lights for sure . I love you , you sweet fuck . xoxoStorm posted by Storm at 02:01 on 04/18/08

Yo HO !

So this Friday we are back at our beloved Dante's for a reunion of sorts with our peeps on Burnside and SW3rd . We are playing with Mike D and Kleveland . Doors , I imagine are around 8 . I am so excited to shake off the Winter and perform again , I haven't stepped out with my Balls since December . It is soooo time for a show . I've been just writing everyday , which is great and all , but I don't want to be creeping around inside my own scull for too long with out being able to , once in awhile , get up and freak out in front of 500 strangers . So thank God for Friday ! Saturday is the Red Dress Party , and THAT too will be cool. In case you are not hip to the deal , it is a gi-normous benefit for aids related research and charities . The catch is , all party goers wear red dresses , boys and girls alike ... which brings me to my quick question : Does anybody know where I can find a red cowboy hat for Jimmy Jamms Beaton ? He needs to complete the look he's got going , which is a somewhat fuzzy Annie Oakly . Don't all go out and get one , just direct me , if you will, to a where one can be found and we'll get it . All that aside , this weekend is supposedly going to have gorgeous weather , and two heaping helpings of BALLS . Ah , Spring ... here you come at last you elusive bitch . See you out there , xoxoStorm posted by Storm at 09:49 on 04/09/08

HOME=SICK.

I was SO glad to get home last week . Been gone two months , was totally homesick ... the kind of homesick where that last hour on the plane is the most desperate crawl of slow ticking eternity. I had a sore throat and was very tired and just wanted to get into bed with my Davey , show him how much I missed him .... then show him again... ( I REALLY missed him...)then sleep in the sweetsoft embrace of home sweet home . Finally able to relax , my body went into full meltdown mode and the flu got me . The flu .... how common . I only get it every couple of years , so I suppose because I enjoy such great health most of the time , when I DO finally succumb , I get the BIG ONE , the one that kills babies and old people ... the one that goes up to 11 . Right now , my bones feel like bashed up hockey sticks , my face is a grayish horror mask , my esophagus feels like I ate a big crunchy bag of glass , and , once in awhile , I kick into a coughing fit that sets my lungs on fire . And , for good measure , if I am unsuccessful in hacking up the chunky dark planks of phlegm that come in shocking sizes and colors .... I puke . I have never been sexier . I sometimes can sing when I'm ill , but with this , what little sound comes out sounds like a bag of toucans being pushed into a wood chipper . Not pretty . So I've had to cancel a handfull of appearances and meetings this week and am resigned to soaking my blankets with stinking fever sweat and exploring the endless duh of cable television while I wallow in self pity . I don't know about you , but when I'm sick , I feel useless , pathetic and SO sorry for myself I can barely do anything . But this week marks the one year countdown to the craziest endeavor of my career to date . In a mad , overly caffeinated fit of bravado , I agreed to write and produce an autobiographical one woman show for Portland Center Stage . I thought " Sure! I'm a walking one woman show ... I've been doing it for YEARS .... piece o cake ... right ? " Well , as soon as I agreed to it , I basically fell into random fits of panic and hair pulling on myself moaning " WHY DID I AGREE TO THIS ?????!!!! I HAVE TO BE NUTS!!!! " It's one thing to rock out and run my mouth in front of 800 people at a Balls show , but to captivate an intimate crowd of 160 THEATER people , 8 shows a week , telling old scary truths about MYSELF ?! Not the big fearless sex thug rantings of a rock banshee , but the decidedly UNcool and at times sad story about a lonely kid trying to find her way to herself , by herself , through many missteps , mishaps , fuck ups and freak outs . The idea simply terrifies me and I have actually lost some sleep over it . A good friend of mine told me once ( and reminds me often ) if something scares the shit out of you artistically , that is EXACTLY what you should be doing . It's why, I imagine , I ultimately agreed to do this . I was going to call it "Big , Fat , Crazy , Bitch Whore ." But later decided on the simpler , and more theater friendly , "Crazy Enough" . It isn't going to be my life's story , but it will be stories from my life that bring me to present day . I'm a singer , first and foremost , and I absolutely credit music with saving my life , so there will be plenty of music ... mine and others . Knowing me , there will be inevitable tangents , rife with explicative filled rants , truths and opinions .... and what else ? I haven't the slightest . I'm just now barely well enough to write this . I'm still terrified , and I still think I'm nuts ... but here goes . See you out there . xoxoStorm posted by Storm at 09:47 on 03/03/08

Cabaret turns 100 ?

Today is our 100th show . Geez . It seems like only yesterday I was apologizing to all the gay boys I had to make out with for being an icky girl . ( I have since learned that a lot of gay men , and I mean A LOT , are still boob crazy ... umm ... well ... MEN . They might be thinking about Davey when kissing me , but hot diggetty damn , they sure know their way around a girl ! I love my job .) Aaaaaanyway .... We're at the 100th show and the final week here in Rochester . It's bittersweet because I want to go home now .... I'm kind of more than ready to start the next gig , but I love this show and all my kit kat cohorts . A few are headed back to Portland , but most of them are New York bound . I'm going to miss seeing, smooching , smacking and laughing with Wade , Romain , Amy , Gretchen , The Red Karen , Emily , Pilar , Kristen , Scotty , Buddy , Tim and Tommy , Randy-Marie , Chrisse and Richard ...and the behind the scenes beauties Nick and Steph . Not to mention the crew of sweeties running things backstage . Leah , Becky , Megan , Karin , Caroline , KB , my sweet Ian , Aaron , Nate ... and the ridiculously hot spot light operators ... Oh , sweet sorrow , this impending goodbye . The kind you wanna come up with a very clever and poignant gesture to really let em' know what they all meant to me . But I know we will all just get kinda buzzed and say , " Dude .... you know what ...? I .... yeah , you know ." and hug eachother . Which is still fine . The time has screamed by . I am headed to NYC afterwards to see some friends , eat some REAL New York Italian , Jewish and Chinese food ! ( I miss the die hard NY authentic fill in the ethnic blank cuisine ... MMmmmmmmm!!!) then head back to my Davey and my beautiful Portland . I can't wait . Until the next adventure , see you out there . xoxoStormer posted by Storm at 07:46 on 02/13/08

5 weeks!

I've been in New York for about 5 weeks now . Beyond missing home , my love , my friends and my wet walks through Mt. Tabor ... I've been loving getting back on stage as Sally Bowles with these wonderful people . I get to cuddle naked with Wade McCullem every dang day and smack smokin' hot Kit Kat girls on their ripe , bouncy butts at random . My life rules . Period . I've also been loving my quick spit of solitude , my own place to entertain the voices in my head or to just be quiet . I've also really enjoyed geeking out on all the primaries .... OH MY GOD WHO ARE YOU VOTING FOR ??? Everyone is so interesting on both sides . Except Mitt Romney . He , and his hair , bore the shit out of me . He won't make it past Johnny McCain . No way . Yeah yeah .... to all my liberal fans who hate all things republican ... you will hate me for liking McCain . Whatever . He's a crabby bastard but I like him as a person, I always have . Sadly I won't vote for him , but dammit I like him . Huckabee cracked me up a few times too . For a scary born again dude ... he's got a pretty deep sense of humor , he's a darn good speaker to boot . Romney is a straight up , phoney baloney douche bag . Ugh . He won't get the nod from the GOP . I'm still on the fence about Clinton or Obama . There's a whole lot I like about both . I'm leaning towards Barack ... not totally sold yet , just leaning . BUT HOW AWESOME IS THIS WHOLE THING THOUGH ?? JEEZ !!!I love it . It is easily , by far , the most exciting election in generations . How cool is it we get to see this in our lifetime ?! Gotta watch the debates now and get rested up for tomorrow . MY DAVEY IS COMING TO SEE ME !!! I can't wait . Yes , it might make me even MORE homesick , but sleeping with my naked belly against his , just for one night ... will be such a sweet escape . Bring the pain of him leaving again , it's worth it . Hang in there , everyone . Let's check in again after super Tuesday . xoxoStorm posted by Storm at 09:39 on 01/31/08

Rochester Yo!

We opened the show last week after a week of grueling 12 hour rehearsals ... but it seems folks out here are digging us . I try to avoid reading reviews until after the run , but it's hard when my mailbox , myspace and message boards are crammed with them . Thank heavens their all pretty good so far . Rochester is OK so far . Everyone's been cool to super cool with the out of towners . Also , I've been here two weeks and haven't froze to death yet . Yes it gets nipply , but I was wincing at the predictions from those in the know ...that , yes , your tears , boogers and lips freeze and your bits start turning black and falling off you in chunks and you can die . So far the only chunk missing is one from my heart that's in Portland {sigh} . For those of you coming out on the ninth , there will be a quickie meet and greet afterwards ... details to come soon . Stay tuned . See you out there! xoxoStormer posted by Storm at 08:23 on 01/16/08

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