This is another just for fun cover i recorded recently with Anna Gibson (trumpet) & The Banana Sessions frontwoman Roberta Pia (backing vox). It’s my bad self on vocals, ukulele, melodica & shaker. I have been absolutely in love with this song ever since I saw Bernadette Peters & Steve Martin perform it in The Jerk (above piccies!).
——————————————————— Tonight You Belong To Me
words & music by billy rose & david lee
I know (I know)
With the dawn that you will be gone
But tonight you belong to me
Although (although) we’re apart
Your part of my heart
And tonight you belong to me
Way down by the stream
How sweet it will seem
Once more just to dream
In the moonlight
My honey I know (I know)
With the dawn that you will be gone
But tonight you belong to me
Way down, way down along the stream
How very, very sweet it will seem
Once more just to dream
In the silvery moonlight
My honey, I know (I know)
With the dawn that you will be gone
But tonight you belong to me
Just to little old me
———————————————————
Sadly I again don’t have time to blog all that I wish to boohoo… but I will sign off by spreading some more musical love. I am currently learning the bass parts for my debut one-off gig as a bass player for The Banana Sessions (so excited!) This ‘ere is a video of their Prodigy Medley as youtube favourited by The Prodigy themselves just yesterday!!!! Go watch it ‘cos its ruddy bloody great.
lotsa dovely love
Donna x
ps. I played a wonderfully enjoyable Love Music Hate Racism show on saturday in brixton with my friend Halle on cajon. I am SO glad to say i feel I am finally mastering my box of ridiculous FX pedals onstage. Aboot time eh. Thanks SO much to all who came down & supported the performance & the cause. I had a bitchin’ sambucca hangover the next day *shudder*
When you wish upon a star
Makes no difference who you are
Anything your heart desires
Will come to you
If your heart is in your dream
No request is too extreme
When you wish upon a star
As dreamers do
Fate is kind
She brings to those who love
The sweet fulfillment of
Their secret longing
Like a bolt out of the blue
Fate steps in and sees you through
When you wish upon a star
Your dreams come true
———————————————————
I bought Pinocchio on DVD last week to celebrate and I’ve watched it 3 times already and every time it fills my little heart right up. Then just 5 minutes ago I sat one of these daft online tests to determine which quite interesting dead person I was and got ‘Hans Christian Anderson, Author of Fairy Tales’ which fits my song choice tremendously!
And oh, everybody!I must not forget to tell you about a show I am playing in the spirit of Love Music Hate Racism next week on Saturday 5th December at The Windmill in Brixton. I’m on at 11.15pm till 11.45pm. Here is a link for more details and to buy tickets. And for all you facebookers, here is the Facebook Event page.
You know, winter really knocks me for six. I’ve had to dedicate a whole chunk of time now to sleeping like a hibernating bear. I don’t wanna have to sleep, I wanna be making music muthahubbardwinta.
But, its ok… cos I already have my next tune ready and mixed and everything It’s a duet with Roberta Pia and a cover of another of one of my most favourite songs in the world. I’ll post it up super soon. I have so much exciting stuff to blog about too when i finally get the chance.
Hello! my trusty good vibes! I hope you are all are well. I’m just dropping by quickly (sadly without a new recording in tow as I have had to focus on rehearsing this past week or so) to say I have a show this saturday at one of London’s most beautiful venues, The Union Chapel. It kicks off at noon sharp and is FREE OF CHARGE to get in. Check this place out its incredible, this is when bjork played it:
I’ve got to hit the hay quick, long day at work tomorrow, but before I go let me share a few lovely things with you…
I read this week that watching footage of cute animals is scientifically proven to calm, destress and make people happy. I don’t know if this particular video will calm you because it doesn’t really calm me but I can’t stop watching it OH MY GAWD HE IS SO OUTRAGEOUSLY CUTE!!!! AAAAAAAAAHHHH! I want to eat him.
I’ve been subscribing to this guy & his band with his girlfriend – pomplamoose – for about a year now, this is his most recent videosong. They continue to be my youtube heroes. The guy’s a freakin’ genius.
Here is a funking brilliant Pomplamoose cover:
And probably my favourite off their album:
This never ceases to make me really lovely happy:
Thanks for all your wonderful feedback to my last tune, I really, really appreciated it so much and I’m sorry again for not yet having replied to emails. Just been so busy at work and rehearsing. Special super thanks to Cesar in Peru who within a week sent me an acapella cover of it! Ha! THAT put a mega grin on my face. I was practicing tonight with dave for saturday’s show and it’s made me very excited to one day record that particular tune with the backing of a full band on it. YES.
I have 4 new recordings on the go at the moment including proper versions of ‘Kiss Me You Fool’ & ‘Some Things Have To Be Believed To Be Seen’. I’ll try and get them finished and up over the next week or so!
This tune (some of you may already recognise from a youtube vid i posted at beginning of this year) really merits a full band, kickass, rockout treatment, but I’ve had to make do home demo-ing it as best as I can with what means I have. This is the first time I have ever in my puff played electric guitar on a recording. I’ve been pouring over the mix and constantly tweaking as a consequence of this very fact, doubting, doubting, doubting myself… But right now, (time of writing is 2am, I’ve been recording since 9.30 am yesterday… a 17 hour stint almost), I’m past giving a donald duck about it. So I’m taking the plunge and puttin’ it out there as it is. Down with my perfectionism!
I finished writing this tune earlier this year, although have tweaked the lyrics since. I remember when I wrote the little guitar riff (after the first chorus & in the outro), I couldn’t even play it and had to practice it for days & days & days. I like little technical challenges like that. It’s a shame I didn’t feel the same way when I had grades to practice for in piano lessons… I really didn’t like practicing for piano exams much at all. Hence never ever advancing past grade 2! Oh well. I know my lovely ex piano teacher reads my blog, so maybe he’ll have something to say about that He was the coolest though and let me play stevie wonder tunes instead.
So this recording is comprised of me playing my beautiful fender telecaster deluxe (busting my first ever guitar solo woop woop), beat boxing, singing and a lot of jiggery pokery/choppy/pastey/FX in Logic Studio. It was all in all a good wee challenge.
Always open eyed
Its the way to be
The mountains in our eyes
Every touch like the first my girl
And the magic of coincidence!
This stuff could be the killer
The killer of us both
Holding up to ransom
Everything we thought intact
Now I’m praying to god knows
Couldn’t feel more estranged
And yet the history,
History cuffs me to the bed
What has gone before
Now just seems a sentence I’m to serve
You can leave the light on
I’m looking the mirror
I’ve really got nothing left to lose
So leave the light on
I’m ready for the brutal truth
You have every right to feel the way do
Just let it be
For it is what it is
Tired of second guessing
Slippery uncertainty
Stranger to me now
Sleeping in the same bed
Sharing all our secrets
Clutching on to brittle straws
Oh I couldn’t feel more far away
Couldn’t feel more estranged
And yet the history,
History cuffs me to the bed
A sadness so profound
I can only weep now to the stars
You can leave the light on
I’m looking the mirror
I’ve really got nothing left to lose
So leave the light on
I’m ready for the brutal truth
I’ve looked from the cliffs
Fingers on the switch
I’ve looked from the cliffs
Fingers on the switch
———————————————————
Time of in lieu is a great thing. I have another whole day off work to dedicate to music making!
I hope you are all well
love, Donna x
ps. I have a little treat for those who have been nagging me for details of how to play some of my previously posted tunes. I’ve been meaning to get round to it for ages. Make sure & check back soon.
This is a brand new song, written in less than a week and recorded in a day. (I finish work at 11.15am every Monday – I call ‘em my Music Mondays!) There was indeed a little bit of flat diet cherry coke drinkage involved to keep me going for the 12 hour recording & mixing stint. Lins (my new lyric writing partner in crime) and I wrote the words together… and i found it altogether a kind of heart breaking experience. The words and the melody together just really conjured something up in me. The overall sound is very much in the same vein as The Nothing & The Numb. I’m really enjoying experimenting with the ethereal vocals-scapes. I unleashed my newly repaired Fender Deluxe Telecaster for bits and bobs in the 2nd verse too! She’s a wee beauty to play.
Special thanks go to my lovely friends Sadie & Simone, who provided some useful late night feedback which really helped me get this recording done and dusted tonight.
I don’t even know your favourite book
But I like the way your hands look
The way you move them when you talk
Tracing out your stories with invisible chalk
I might now know your favourite colour
But have you some other lover in mind
Cos another girl couldn’t love you
The way that I do from afar
No another girl couldn’t love you
The way that I do when I don’t even know you
I’m not thinking
Just breathing you in and feeling
How it would be a shame to
Walk away and only see your face
When I’m sleeping all alone, all alone
I don’t really know what makes you cry
But I love the way your eyes look
When they’re in wonder at new things
Soaking up the chance to be a much better person
And to put down all the poisons
You’ve been filling yourself up with for so long
Cos another girl couldn’t love you
The way that I do from afar
No another girl couldn’t love you
The way that I do from afar
Maybe you think me far too naive
For wearing my heart on my sleeve
I guess I feel that life is too damn short
To let a thing like this go by
Yeah maybe you think me far too naive
For wearing my heart on my sleeve
I guess I feel that life’s too short
———————————————————
well there we are and there we go.
goodnight my good vibes,
Donna x
ps. I’m totally gonna get round to replying to those who have emailed me recently later this week. My apologies for the delay!
pps. I figured out the problem you peeps have been having with the whole logging into make blog comments thing… basically this ‘ere website assigns you a horrendously difficult to remember password when you first sign up. When you login for the first time, do make sure to go into the settings panel and change your password to something you will actually remember in future. That’ll save you having to constantly reset your password!
Well I spent the best part of last night and today recording this next tune. I necked a 2L bottle of diet cherry coke at about 8pm yesterday so I could stay up till 5am to do it – when the flat is empty whilst my flatmates are away, I gotta make use of every perfect recording opportunity! Amplifico followers will probably recognise this song from way back when… I revived it for my solo shows in Scotland last week and the positive audience response motivated me to finally get a version of it down on record. I’ve always had a soft spot for it. The words have always meant a lot to me.
The song was kicked off by a lovely little chord progression the wonderful Ross Kilgour (guitarist in Amplifico) was playing around with back in 2006. I loved the chords when I heard him jam them at practice one day, noted them down and basically used them to come up with this tune, finally finishing it in November 2006. It was one of the first songs I went all out loop pedal live on as well (the ending on this recording with the build up is how I’ve always performed it live on the loop pedal) Structurally, I have kept pretty close to the arrangement Amplifico used to play live, but decided to turn the sound of it on its head – I use ukulele and beatbox(!) instead of playing piano (and not beatboxing!) The ‘nothing’ in the lyrics/title is indeed a reference to the idea of ‘The Nothing’ in The Neverending Story. That was probably my favourite book and movie as a child. The film I watched on repeat, but when I read the book, it BLEW my mind. One of the most incredible reading experiences of my life. I WAS Bastian. I returned to read it again in my late teens and remember being really disappointed… I therefore much prefer to dote on the memories of the very first time I read it.
Special thanks go to Roberta Pia with this recording. She made me push my boundaries so she did.
A few people have been saying recently that they have been having problems logging in to my site to post comments on my blog posts. Can you please let me know if this is the case for you too? I am concerned something is kaput since I upgraded the behind the scenes stuff! Email donna at moochacha dot net with details thank you thank you very much appreciated!
Little, you’re so little
Only little to the world and its woes
You need a hug and a friend to wrap you up
In a thousand cosy arms
A cotton wool seaside for you and just now
I saw you lose limbs to the nothing and the numb
But you can take them back
Or you can have mine
You can have mine
Yeah that’s fine
And it’s swirling I can’t get enough
It’s like love but it’s not
And it’s turned out to be the same kind of fix
And only I can feel the full effect of this
Only I can see the full effect of it
I’ve tasted all your tears from miles off
———————————————————
On a hilarious note before I sign off, whilst doing my usual searching for an appropriate pic for the this post via google images, I stumbled across this.
Love it!
And you guys of course!
Donna xxx
ps. I don’t know how the hell I’m gonna get to sleep tonight because I’m so freakin excited to record more songs!!!! Aaaaaaaah. I feel like I’m on a proper roll at the mo. It’s fabulous darlings!
Just another wee hello tonight before I set about nailing that rap…
On my last night in edinburgh I badger’s bum rough recorded another version of Soul Worth Mending with The Banana Sessions singer Roberta Pia on backing vox and guitarist Calum Wood on acoustic guitar. Download away using the link at the bottom of the post. (And if you’d like to be notified by email every time I post up a new song, just subscribe away by visiting this link).
I typed ‘banana soul’ into google images for fun…
This banana got soul that clearly don’t need mending:
My next new song is another collaboration with my new song writing partner in crime Lindsay Skinner. I sent Lins a text one day a couple of months back, inspired by a quote by some dude who I can’t quite remember… Anyways the text to her was something along the lines of ‘some things have to be believed to be seen‘. That was all. I LOVED the idea of it. And she said she HATED it. But off she went and wrote some lyrics in response to it anyway (good lass), emailed them to me, I liked them a lot, fiddled about with them a bit, did some jiggery pokery and then put music & melody to the whole lot whilst on holiday in Torquay in July. The song came together so effortlessly to be honest. It was a beautiful, wonderful thing. I love working with lindsay, we are excitedly very prolific together so far. Long may it continue.
The other day in Scotland, Calum Wood (guitar) & Roberta Pia (BVs) from The Banana Sessions and I jotted a recording of it down on my dictaphone for your listening pleasure. Again, i apologise that it’s not the best quality, but you get the jist of it!
There’s always a reason to feel alone
I know what its like
To be forever searching for home
But if you look inside of yourself
You’ll see you’re not on your own
Some things have to be believed to be seen
Walking lost through london streets
Keeping your gaze
Auto focussed to your feet
You don’t wanna catch anybody’s eye
But if you look inside of yourself
You’ll see you’re not on your own
Some things have to be believed to be seen
And the twisting turning streets seem infinite
You need a guiding light
Somewhere you misread the map
And you’re not sure which footsteps will take you back
The twisting turning streets reach outta sight
You need a guiding light
Somewhere you misread the map
You’re not sure which footsteps will take you back
All of the buildings just look the same
You can’t for the life of you
Recognise any of the road names, no
You could ask for directions
But you are haunted by your father’s instructions
That strangers are just like churches
Cold, dark, they only want inside our purses
The twisting turning streets seem infinite
You need a guiding light
Somewhere you misread the map
And you’re not sure which footsteps will take you back
The twisting turning streets turn into night
You need a guiding light
Somewhere you misread the map
You’re not sure which footsteps will take you back
In street lamp hope you are alone
When an anonymous man crosses the road
Heart thumping, you turn your head
He looks into you thumbing his A-Z
The twisting turning streets seem brighter now
There was always a guiding light
Sometimes you misread the map
But forward footsteps mean you don’t have to go back
The twisting turning streets seem brighter now
There was always a guiding light
Sometimes you misread the map
But forward footsteps mean you don’t have to go back
———————————————————
So yesterday I returned from a totally wonderful & somewhat emotional trip to scotland. I was wallowing in the murky depths of the-end-of-holiday-blues on arriving home… I was really so sad But today I am feeling heaps better thank gawd! I had such a fantastic time and am especially incredibly grateful to The Banana Sessions and The Pink Bus for making the 10 days so special for me. It felt kind of a big deal getting out there again after such a long sabbatical from proper gigging to be all of a sudden playing shows every night & performing new material, not to mention catching up with my dearest friends. At my first show I was so nervous, my voice was shaking and everything, but thankfully soon got over it and went about enjoying myself at every possible musical opportunity, even picking up a few extra impromptu gigs on the way!
Some relevant pics & things I found online…
One of the most wonderful things ever created in the world, (i LOVE) The Pink Bus where I played 6 shows throughout the week. Look out for it at a festival near you next year:
The Banana Sessions, The Pink Bus Crew (Victoria, Caroline & Tom) & Me (tucked away in the right corner) sitting in the stage of the Pink Bus:
I returned to the glorious edwardian Inshriach house in aviemore for my 2nd stay this year (and all night jam sesh) after playing a gig in a local pub. This is the bed i stayed in the first time i was there A-M-A-Z-I-N-G:
This is The Banana Sessions performing their absolutely freakin AWESOME Prodigy medley. I never tire watching them play this live, they are one of my favourite bands in the world right now:
I got my illustrator hat on a couple of months back to do the artwork for both The Banana Sessions recent EP releases which are well worth purchasing:
Ok enough from me for now. I’m determined to nail The Fugees Ready or Not rap by the end of tonight. I’m on a hip-hop roll at the moment.
Hi there my trusty good vibes. Recorded another new tune on my dictaphone tonight. Woop. I’m enjoying the motivation of getting these new tunes out there, even if the recordings are as rough as a badger’s bum. I’ll maybe dust off my sony minidisc player & stereo mic and revive their usage for this kind of thing, because at least that way hopefully there wouldn’t be so much yucky hiss audible on the recordings. It’s raw though innit!
I’m especially pleased to unleash this song as it represents the beginning of a lovely little songwriting collaboration project I’ve been working on recently with writer Lindsay Skinner. She writes the words, I write the music. Which is great because I have never been particularly prolific lyrically and this girl so far appears to be a lyric writing machine. Some of the stuff she has sent me has just been so beautiful & inspiring. I look to forward to soon unleashing more songs we’ve written together.
Phone call ending
Reaching for a soul worth mending
Like chasing ghosts
That disappear when you get too close
You say start a refrain
Life is like a melody
You can just pause it and begin again, begin again
It makes no difference to say
I have to walk away
Because there’s nothing left to take
A heart can only break until its broken
It makes no difference to say
I have to walk away
Because there’s nothing left to take
A heart can only break until its broken
Seperate sleeping
Trying to dream a dream worth keeping
Like quiet searching
For the lost loving part of you
You say that we’ll be fine
Like the wounds had never happened at all
Scars they’ll heal over time, over time
It makes no difference to say
I have to walk away
Because there’s nothing left to take
A heart can only break until its broken
It makes no difference to say
I have to walk away
Because there’s nothing left to take
A heart can only break until its broken
And I need a soul worth mending
I need a soul worth mending
I need a soul worth mending
I need a soul worth mending
Train station leaving
All your revelations weighing
Just like cold weather
You say we can piece it back together
Get back on track
A heart is just like a jigsaw puzzle
Whose pieces you can put back, you can put back
———————————————————
Recorded this on my wee dictaphone earlier this week, just don’t have time to record properly at the moment boohoo. Thanks to my beautiful friend Azadeh for jamming with me on the melodica and singing backing vocals. I’m on the Uke & busting the beatbox on the loop pedal.
I’ll be playing quite a bit in scotland for at end of august, will keep you updated on the details. Life is real busy right now, I hope you are all happy & well.
love & good vibes!
Donna xxx
Choose love
Choose to love yourself
Choose to let somebody else love you as well
Choose to look into my eyes
Let me look into your soul
Choose to let go
Choose to freefall, to freefall
Choose the trees
And the ocean
And the sea
Choose the countryside you, you so suit
And you so love her
Choose gratitude
The kind that makes you fall to your knees
Choose to say thank you
And thank you and thank you again
Oh kiss me you fool
Please go on and kiss me you fool
Lets go surfing the synchronicities of the universe
On my vegetarian surfboard
Of course I wouldn’t say no to a pork chop
And you can come flailing that chicken drumstick all you want
We’ve got a wonderful thing to know
We’ve got a beautiful seed to sow
We’ve got a wonderful thing to know
We’ve got a beautiful seed to sow
Choose to no longer care about what other people think
You said you don’t like labels
So why put any on yourself
Choose to hold your head up real high
To be proud of your story
And everybody involved
Choose to give from the heart
Only sincerely
Choose the kind of people who glow and ooze kindness
Choose to laugh, choose to play and to adore
And to say just what you feel
Choose affection and more oh…
Kiss me you fool
Please go on and kiss me you fool
Lets go surfing the synchronicities of the universe
On my vegetarian surfboard
Of course I wouldnt say no to a pork chop
And you can come flailing that chicken drumstick all you want
We’ve got a wonderful thing to know
We’ve got a beautiful seed to sow
We’ve got a wonderful thing to know
We’ve got a beautiful seed to sow
Such a gratitude
I’d never known it before
Such a gratitude
Down on my knees on the floor
So all the little things
Go on at blowing your mind
All the little things
Go on enriching your soul
———————————————————
It’s a duet with Roberta Pia and a cover of another of one of my most favourite songs in the world. I’ll post it up super soon. I have so much exciting stuff to blog about too when i finally get the chance.
But today I am feeling heaps better thank gawd! I had such a fantastic time and am especially incredibly grateful to 
