News you can use from... "Queenie"

Sterling30sg · Joined: 03 Sep 2002 Posts: 186

I love getting these in the mail..

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QUEENIE NEWSLETTER APRIL 2004 -- School of Rock Movie Review, What has helped me sell CDs continued, Mother's Day Cookie Recipe

If you do not wish to receive future newsletters, then please write an email and send to:

unsubscribe@queeniemusic.com

Includes:

Article: School of Rock Movie Review

News: Queenie gig in June, More of what has helped sell Queenie CDs lately

Vegetarian Recipe of the month: Mother's Day Kolachky

SCHOOL OF ROCK MOVIE REVIEW

My piano student, a 13 year old girl, came to lesson one day and started playing a rock and roll riff on the keys that I had not heard since I first began guitar lessons in the late 1980's. The riff was "Smoke on the Water". She asked me: "What is this song?" Then she begged me to teach her the rest of it, which I did, after which I asked, "Tina, that song is one of the first songs I ever learned on electric guitar when I was fifteen. Where did you hear it?"

She explained that she had seen an "awesome" movie called School of Rock with "some guy in it" who I informed her was the actor Jack Black. As I had heard a number of good things about the movie, I decided to go see it for myself.

School of Rock is the story of Dewey, the ultimate slacker turned World's Greatest Music Teacher. In the movie, Jack Black plays an out-of-work gigging musician who gets booted from a pretty boy metal band in favor of, well, a prettier boy. He falls into a teaching job at a snooty prep school by an accident of mistaken identity.

The movie gets off to a slow start as Dewey encounters his class for the first time: a cadre of precociously gifted 9 year olds who sit quietly as he sleeps off his hangovers. After spying on his kids in nearby music class, where they are performing a stultifyingly dull hit of the late Renaissance era, Dewey realizes that they have real musical talent which can only be realized in one form: ROCK AND ROLL!

What follows suspends our disbelief as Dewey turns his class into a performing rock ensemble complete with a 9 year old manager, back-up singers, electric bass, sound team, lighting, and costume design. All of this occurs unbeknownst to any of the parents of the 9 year olds, other classes, and the marm-ish Principal, played to the hilt by comedienne Joan Cusack.

The movie has been called "Mad Magazine's Mr. Holland's Opus"" by the prudish Church Lady Dr. Laura, who seemed disturbed by the movie's rebellious themes and boo-hooed that "Dewey showed little tolerance for those he did not like".

Unlike "Mr. Holland's Opus", School of Rock focuses equally upon the development of characters of the students as much as the teacher. The students are the whole reason to watch the movie in the first place. The 9 year old characters in School of Rock range from a Classical-guitar-playing boy with a domineering father to an insecure chubby girl who learns to sing like her idol, Aretha Franklin.

The kids are THE reason why this is such a funny movie. As a piano teacher who was formerly a member of a prestige-obsessed organization of pushy, uptight music teachers, I can vouch that each one of the kids in School of Rock resembles a real child that I have encountered during my travels in Piano Land.

The movie also has other cool things about it. Jack Black is a real musician, so he seemed perfect as the lead character. Most of the movie is wholly predictable, even the ending, but after a while I didn't care as the movie was so charming.

Hilarious in every respect, the best reason to watch School of Rock develops the characters of each of the kids authentically. Thumbs up.

QUEENIE NEWS:

I've been SELLING OUT! Of QUEENIE CDs, that is. I am ordering more CDs duplicated on Monday as my CD sales have shot through the roof lately. I used to sell about 1-2 CDs PER MONTH. Suddenly it is up to 4 a day! Yikes! I can barely keep them in stock!

Of course I want to share the reasons why I think that things have changed, as I simply was not selling as many CDs last year as I am this year. Here are some things that have happened that may be the reason for my increased sales:

1.In early 2004, I changed my website to one absolute focus: selling of the QUEENIE CD. The index page I loaded with links to the "Buy CD" page. I even put up a money back guarantee and a whole page devoted to "why buying CDs through CDBaby is safe".

2.CDBaby started a 3-for-15 dollar promo & I joined it. On CD Baby, you can get 3 CDs for $15 if the CDs you choose are from the special Gallery. This has led to a ton of sales, though some are still choosing to buy the Queenie CD at $9.99. I just donated $50.00 to Operation Smile of CD sales with the holiday 2004 proceeds.

3.Changed my blurb. My blurb on CD Baby used to read, "Melancholy, New Age Pop." Now it reads a whole paragraph about how my voice is so great & I sound like Enya and Sarah McLaughlan, blah-dee-blah. I think the focus on my voice helped turn things around, simply because even though I refused to see it, my voice seems to be what is attracting my listenership.

4.Some articles I put on the web may have drawn traffic to my site. I wrote a few articles for various websites and small mags. I wrote them to help indie musicians but I think they might be working in my favor.

MORE NEWS:

My weird & mostly dumb opinion about Martha Stewart. www.queeniemusic.com/diary.html

Queenie performance with FRANCES MAI-LING! Cool back-to-back show with Queenie and Frances who are starting a RECORDING LABEL together!! It is at Oakbrook Border’s Books & Music scheduled for Saturday, June 12, 2004. 8:00 to 10:00.

RECIPE: KOLACHKY FOR MOTHER'S DAY

Another diet-buster from Queenie. I'm just a wicked witch trying to fatten you up! These are lovely aesthetically pleasing cookies that any Mom would like.

Ingredients:

Dough:

2 8-ounce packages of cream cheese at room temperature

2 cups unsalted butter, also room temperature

4 cups all-purpose flour

Either a Kolachky-cutter or a shot glass and a large drinking glass

Filling:

3 cans of Apricot, Strawberry, Raspberry flavor pie filling, or any flavor of your choice!

In a large bowl, mix together cream cheese and butter until well blended. Use your hands or you can also use a wooden spoon. Mix in the flour 1 cup at a time. As the dough becomes stiff, turn it out onto the counter and knead in flour until it is no longer sticky. Continue to knead the dough for 5 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees Celsius). On a well floured surface, roll half the dough out to 1/4 inch thickness. Cut the dough into circles using the large circle on the Kolachky-cutter or a large drinking glass. Place dough circles in neat rows on a cookie sheet.

Place a teaspoon of pie filling in the center of each circle. Now roll out the other half of the dough for the tops. Cut these out with the large glass this time, but then cut yet another small hole with the shot glass in the center. Place a top on each cookie. The smaller hole acts as a little "window" so you can see the filling inside. Bake for 14 to 17 minutes in the preheated oven, or until very lightly browned. When cool, dust with confectioners' sugar (optional).

Makes 48 servings

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bbchris

Don't know who Queenie is but that's a lovely story Gregg!! Thanks for sharing!! :banana

Sterling30sg · Joined: 03 Sep 2002 Posts: 186

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Edited by: Sterling30sg at: 4/12/04 3:01 pm

Sterling30sg · Joined: 03 Sep 2002 Posts: 186

www.queeniemusic.com/

Seriously, but I've been getting Kim's newsletters long enough to trust it was good. I did get to the bottom though about more advice for selling CDs on-line.., Queenie is the best of the indies.., very driven and hard-working and is alwys willing to share what she finds works for her.

Not to mention she may be the most talented songwriter on the net and anywhere for that matter, as well as a phenomenal vocalist, arranger and producer.., I strongly reccommend everyone buy her first cd titled "Queenie", it's among the best I've heard anywhere from any era..

bbchris

I'm listening to her song "Lost" because of your recommendation Gregg and that is one lovely track. She looks fresh-faced and sounds so sweet! Thanks for posting her newsletter too.

Sterling30sg · Joined: 03 Sep 2002 Posts: 186

Queenie's biography..

www.queeniemusic.com/her_story.html

bbchris · Posted: Tue Apr 13, 2004 7:08 am Post subject: Re: This is a good read..

AH! She's Eurasian like me!! COOL! And she doesn't really look Japanese - she's got quite a way about her. Interesting lady. Have you been in contact with her Gregg?

Sterling30sg · Joined: 03 Sep 2002 Posts: 186

I was one of the first people who learned about her music, I think it was an email from her asking for listeners when she first came onto mp3.com and one of the songs was called "Hey Soldier" which was just pheomenal. I made sure people who could make a difference became aware of her and in a few weeks ahe was prominantly featured, thank's to Rod Underhill.

She's featured me in several of her song reviews too, and she tells me when something isn't good.., so I respect that honesty. I think I have a spot in her next calendar feature too if I recall correctly..

Yes, I like Queenie very much, she's a very nice lady who should go on to big things. As a songwriter she's as good as anyone. Her first album is really that phenomenal and I'm looking forward to the 2nd. one being released.

If you ever get into the business of promoting an artist in your part of the world Chris.., this is the one. Buy her album.., you won't be dissapointed.

bbchris · Posted: Wed Apr 14, 2004 3:19 am Post subject: Re: This is a good read..

With a recommendation that high, I think I MUST buy her album. Off shopping now! :banana

RonOnGuitar · Joined: 08 Jan 2003 Posts: 1916

Quote:
"The riff was "Smoke on the Water". She asked me: "What is this song?" Then she begged me to teach her the rest of it, which I did, after which I asked, "Tina, that song is one of the first songs I ever learned on electric guitar"

Cool story, Sterling! It brought back a fond memory of when I was at some snooty religious camp for a weekend (more like a suburban lake getaway). They had this big chapel with a pipe organ. I wandered in one day when the chapel was empty and started out on the organ doing some Little Richard/Jerry Lee Lewis riffs and then cranked up into "Smoke On The Water". Was awesome sounding to pound out that low G bass key while doing the chording with the other hand (ala the "Japanese live version").

Some lady walks in gives me a dirty look and sez: "You know, that's the Lord's pipe organ, don't you?"

I sez to her, "Yes, but He wasn't playing it when I came in."

Errr....I returned home before I had planned to that weekend, hahaha!

Anyhoo, I think it's great when the young uns pick up on the "classics".

Sterling30sg · Joined: 03 Sep 2002 Posts: 186

I remember one guitar Mass the electric player once laid really heavy on the whammy bar on the last note of a song during Mass and I'll never forget the glare the priest gave him.., that's was funny..