SAND IN MY SHOES Lyrics: Susan Santiago Music: Rebecca Dru

Rebecca Dru opens Bitter and Sweet Chocolates, The Annual TASTY WORDS™ Valentine's Inspired stories

Thursday was a HUGE day for me as it was the first time in 24 years I sang live. I was invited by Wendy Hammers, the creator of TASTY WORDS™, to participate in her show as the musical guest.

Wendy had been "encouraging" me for MONTHS to sing and I finally took her up on the offer. This show was filled with stories about love and the pursuit of it, just in time for Valentine's Day; a great collection of bitter, bad date stories and romantic tales of joyful and requited love.

She had a terrific line up of writers:

Romie Angelich - Being Mrs Peter Moor

Ken Bank - Velcro Boys
Barra Grant - An Irish Hebraic Love Story
Judith Allen - The Captain (A Love Story)

Dave Kessler - True Stories of Dave Kessler, The Dating Daredevil

Wendy Hammers - Jewish Girl Eats Bacon and Finds God
Dylan Brody - True Romance
with musical guest Rebecca Dru

I loaded my gear in the morning. I'm so glad I bought a new mic. I had picked up a HEIL PR 30 at WLA Music and I love it...it's really responsive to my voice. I just didn't want to start back with a Shure SM 58....it's too abrupt. Once set up, I did the sound check with Marjorie Lewis who stopped by to listen...and dance...had a bite with her...relaxed at home with my dogs until it was time to go. I passed by my husband with a big kiss on my way out as he had just returned from an LA PHIL rehearsal...and on my way I went.

You have to understand...I was never going to sing live again...outside my home..so this was a big moment for me...either I was going to love it or not....and baby..I am BACK!! I took those 24 years...and enjoyed my life...my family..and filled it with love...and it made a difference. I'm not doing this for any other reason then for the pure pleasure of it...and let me tell you I had a blast! I did two songs....ANOTHER ONE OF YOU , I wrote with Susan Santiago, which is about meeting someone who's already in a relationship and wishing he/she had a clone. The other was a love song I wrote for my husband. It's the first song in the 25 years we've been together that I've written for him. I started working on a list of why I loved him and realized...I don't need it...I love him JUST BECAUSE. I collaborated on it with a wonderful lyricist out of New York, Carole Blake. Just to side track...I met Carole via my cousin Susan on Facebook. I haven't seen her since I was 3 (and I'm 51 now). I had never worked with someone I didn't know before...but Carole is fantastic! She connected with me on the sentiment of the song. I already had the chorus and the bridge and the line in the verse, " I love the way you...." and she finished it. Now the fun part is she just got married tonight and had been looking for a love song for her wedding.... THIS was her love song that she used for the first dance!

I'm thrilled....I'm relishing in this first performance...I was pleased.... and now I'm getting ready for the next one at The Santa Monica Playhouse on April 8th...where I"ll be doing more songs...new songs...songs that are pertinent to my life now. I'm excited!

4 days to San Miguel De Allende in July 2010

Next July I'm doing a 4 day road trip with my dear friend, Susan Santiago and her Basset Hound, Nico, to her new home in San Miguel De Allende from LA. Susan's already begun planning this trip with great excitement...and my homework so far... is to check out where we'll be stopping in Texas: Big Bend National Park and

Marfa. Marfa is a cultural little town in the middle of NOWHERE!!!! That's cool..she just better be prepared for my camera and FLIP video. I can't wait to put this visual together!!!!

PS..If she gives me a hard time...she'll just have to swim across the Rio Grande while I wave from the car!

TAKE MY HAND makes the OLYMPUS Finals

OLYMPUS had a Battle of the Bands Proof Contest and the song I wrote with Susan Santiago was picked out of thousands as a contender for the finals. To take a listen: Choose TAKE MY HAND by Rebecca Dru Voting is now over.
Thanks to everyone who participated by voting. I appreciate your support!

vote for TAKE MY HAND

TAKE MY HAND is in the finals for Battle of the Bands at Get Olympus.

Please take a moment and vote...just ONCE (or your vote will be cancelled).

Click on TAKE MY HAND to VOTE

The idea behind this was to take the Olympus digital hand held recorder and just show how you use it. I had just finished writing this song with Susan Santiago and decided to just  try it...and here we are....so VOTE!!!!

Have fun!

Dru

TAKE MY HAND - song #22

I'm so excited....we finished song #22 TAKE MY HAND and I think it's my new favorite. If I could only record one of the 22 songs we've completed....this would be the one. It's about rekindling the love that was and the music is beautiful, fitting so perfectly to Susan Santiago's lyric...I'm thrilled!!!

Rebecca Dru's SALON # 5 & 6

More New Songs and the next Salon

Happy New Year! Hope it's filled with lots of love and tremendous FUN!

Susan Santiago and I have been writing quite a bit over vacation. These last five songs seem to have taken on a new direction. They are, perhaps being my favorites; kind of reach out and grab your heart.

I'm thinking about making the next Salon in March. If you're interested in coming, send me an e-mail as space is limited.

Finished another song....

That makes 15 songs in 15 weeks.... and what a roller coaster. I love the writing process...and yet for me..it's a torturous experience in that, the actual writing of the song is peaceful and almost meditative. A part of me closes down and I just go somewhere deep inside... the music comes out of my fingers and my voice. My husband doesn't understand it, being a traditionally trained musician. I don't try to understand it..I just to with it. It's after I actually write the song when I'm back in a conscious state of mind that the torture begins...It almost feels like my heart is being ripped out..hard to explain. I become more isolated as the song settles in...and then I come back to life....but as long as I have a writing partner, I won't stop. Susan is planning on writing 50 lyrics by the beginning of the summer.

Salon de Rebecca Dru

Friday night I had a group of people over to hear the first selection of songs Susan Santiago and I have completed. I wanted to make it VERY casual in that it's been a long time since I've done this and I wanted to be very relaxed and make it fun for myself. I even kept on my beach garb..my torn off sleeved T and shorts...no shoes. I figured I'd change when we went out to dinner afterwards. I had drinks...but no food.....and that's MAJOR for me being that I love to cook..and people expect treats from me...but I really thought I'd run through the songs and we'd be off for Indian. WRONG! I guess I didn't expect the level of comfort I had nor the patter than ran out of my mouth. I also had invited some other talented people who performed some of their original material and it became an evening of entertainment. My poor friend, Diane, was gnawing at her fingers she was sooo hungry. What I thought would take under 30 minutes to play..ended up taking about two hours....and will become a regular affair. Another friend said she loved the idea of bringing back the "Salon" of the 30's.

The songs went over very well. I'm so pleased with the response and have started working on the next 5 songs. Susan's left me with a stack of lyric as she returns to teaching at the High School. I'm aiming to finish this next group soon and have another salon at the end of September.

I'd like to invite a few more people to this one. I'm hoping my friend, the comedienne can make it as well as my friend who does interpretive signing. She's wonderful to watch...and if I can get Phillip, the angel who lives next door to play for her while she signs, I think it'll be incredible to watch. We all have different talents...what a wonderful way to spend and evening sharing that with each other.

And yes....next time I will have food.....lots of food.

New Song

Susan and I finished our 4th song this morning. Each one I love even more than the one before. I really can't wait to record them. I've got two more that just need the music for the verses and we're half way done.

Songwriting

I've been writing with Susan Santiago...she's been kicking out at least one lyric a day...sometimes two. What a great lyricist...I'm in awe of her prowess and honored to write with her...nice working someone of her caliber. I love the new songs we've written....and I'm enjoying singing again. Hopefully in the next few weeks, I'll have some of the new material up for a listen on my various sites. Keep you ears open as I'd love some feedback.

PROLIFIC

I'm laughing so hard...... my friend, Susan Santiago, who is my writing partner is RELENTLESS....she wants me to put this CD out yesterday and so she's popping up on my computer all day to see if I'm writing and to work on these songs....we've written 3 songs in 3 days ...except for a little polishing.... and she's got 3 more lyrics in the making...... and I have some melodies that need some bridges and some polishing....whew...it's a blast...been years since I wrote like this (like in the '80's when I spent 12 - 18 hours a day!)...barely having time to come up for air....exhausting, refreshing and GREAT fun!

I listen to the younger singers songs and they're all full of fresh young love and hope....and then you get to be my age and all of a sudden the songs are of broken relationships, friends' illnesses, passing hopes and dreams...OY! I think it's time for some up songs. We've both been in marriages that have lasted over 20 years....and I'm more in love with my husband than ever...perhaps we'll write a song about that.....

Ricardo Osorio, who produced my Lullabye CDs is fixing up my studio so I can start recording again...I'm so excited! Now if I can just settle down to learn how to use everything....I find it harder to focus on the technical things that used to come so easy.....but I'll accept the challenge.

Have FuN!