Kendra Emery

Connecticut, again

7/8/2017

Many of you might be hip to this news already, but as I have been changing my online existence it might have gotten past you. Daryl and I have moved back to CT! We are living in Cromwell with our 2 lovely cats and happy to be back.

Some of you may ask why? What was wrong with Vegas? Did we fail there? Well, the truth is, we made the move there to be near family, get away from the snow (for my sake), and try new opportunities. We did all of those things but were left wanting a different lifestyle. Despite hating the snow, I missed the green, the lakes/rivers/waterfalls, the hiking, the small town festivals, the list really does go on. Despite growing up in the southwest I have been converted. The music scene is also far different in Vegas and not exactly what we art snobs were looking for.

Some good things we/I got out of Vegas. We got to teach at the college level, we both taught history of rock and music appreciation. Daryl even got to teach some percussion ensemble classes and lessons. That was fantastic and something I might not have ever experienced here because I was resting on my laurels a bit and set in my pattern. I started teaching flute! I've double on it in jazz band in the past but never picked up teaching it because I didn't have any student doublers like I did on clarinet. We both got to know each other's families much better, it was nice being close and I will miss them all so much, but modern technology rocks for keeping in touch! We also came back with 2 adorable kitties (who did not enjoy the journey but survived it) who make our apartment a home, all gagging due to cheesiness aside, I do love them in the most annoying fur baby parent way possible. I will talk about them as if they are my own children, because to me, they are.

Another exciting thing, with the lack of musical outlet we were looking for, Daryl and I started developing a good gig set. We now have a jazz duo consisting of steel pan and sax/vocals. It's a lot of fun and letting us delve into new challenges in a relationship we feel comfortable being exposed in.

What to expect from the future? We will both be teaching private lessons. Send people our way if you have them! We will find a way to reward you for your referral. We will continue our fun jazz duo. We will be upping our avant garde/contemporary performing again. By the way, I didn't mention our duo name yet, if you don't know it we are the Belery Duo (BELcher + emERY).

If you don't know where to keep up with me on social media, I'm mostly posting to my "artist" page on facebook (click to see it and follow) and our Belery Duo instagram, which I don't know how to link in here, any tech savvy people out there want to tell me how in the comments? Well if you made it to the end thank you, keep watching and listening, good things to come.

Addendum thanks to the fabulous Meerenai Shim (who you should check out if you don't know her, she's amazing) here's the instagram link http://instagram.com/beleryduo.

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The Art of Asking: Or an open love letter to Amanda Palmer

1/17/2017

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"The Art of Asking: or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Let People Help" by Amanda Palmer. Where to begin. Well first, my relationship with Amanda Palmer. I have been with her since the beginning of the Dresden Dolls. I have been to 2 live shows, once with The Dresden Dolls and once for her and The Grand Theft Orchestra. I still have a flamingo they threw into the audience from the stage at the last concert (pictured below). I always have to travel for her shows because she never plays in my town, and something bad always happens after each show, I mean really bad. I won't go into detail, but despite these life altering events I stuck with her, after all, it's not her fault people suck. Also, to warn you, this may devolve into a more of a love letter to Amanda Palmer than into a book review but I think it's worth it.

I didn't buy this book for myself, it was a gift from my lovely husband. I am not one to buy things I want for myself, except for splurging on food (sushi). And thank god that beautiful man got this book for me, because as I have battled dry spells where I can't write and feel artistically dead, and have wallowed in some hardcore depression without trying to fight it, this book has been the thing to raise me back up. Which is why, even though it was published in 2014 I am just now finishing it.

I let myself have snippets at a time and then let the creativity and positivity lead me back. This last slump I've been in has been one of my worst, I have not created much of anything new in the last year and a half since I moved. I went from playing 1-2 shows a month (which is pretty good for the kind of music I create) to being lucky if I have 1 every 6 months. It has been culture shock and quite the adjustment, and I have let it beat me for too long. So, I finally dove in and let myself finish the book.

This is a must read. Not just for musicians, although I do recommend it to them. It won't teach you the secrets of how to raise a million dollars in a kickstarter, other than being real and connecting with your fans on a human level. But it will inspire, again not just creatively but also emotionally. She puts it all out there.

I don't want to give any spoilers, I'll try my best. She talks about the Fraud police, who I know we have all feared. I often think i should get a real job because i love what i do too much for it to be work. I get to talk about music everyday and have conversations with people about their lives! i get to play duets and watch as the lights go on and different things click. And I get to be a friend to all my students as well, I'm so grateful that someone else collects the money because it is so hard to do when you feel so emotionally invested in someone's life! But even Amanda Palmer fears the Fraud Police.

She talks about her relationship with her sexy, older, successful, British , author husband Neil Gaiman. And to give away one specific, how hard it was to accept financial help from him. I get this! At the beginning of my relationship with my husband I was the one making the most money and when I paid for things and he protested I always told him not to worry about it and just to let me because I liked being able to. I have always thought of myself as a fiercely independent woman who needed no help from anyone! I even felt guilty the one year my mom bought my place ticket home for Christmas and I insisted that be my only gift! But now the role is reversed and my husband is making more money then me, and rather than get another job so I can contribute more I want to stay home to practice and write songs. Which makes me feel so guilty, but Amanda helped me feel less guilty. Accept help where it is given.

She talks about some of the internet scandals and hate that has gone her way and I feel for her. In particular, the tour shortly after her kickstarter where she had volunteer musicians play with her even though she "made" 1 million dollars. I had a roommate at the time who is also a musician who told me he hated her and couldn't believe I liked her (he used stronger words than that but we'll leave it there). As someone who has done a kickstarter (not even close to as successful as hers but we still made it!) I know that there isn't much padding in those numbers. You're really just hoping to make back your expenses. Also, those musicians VOLUNTEERED. She didn't seek them out and ask them to play for no pay. IF you're a musician, think about the ones who have influenced you the most and shaped who you have become and what you do with your life, the ones who made you passionate about music in the first place. If they offered you a place on their stage but weren't paying you, are you really going to tell me you wouldn't take it? I would. She is hands down one of the top 5 most influential musicians in my life and it would be an honor to take the stage with her or busk before a show.

I believe there are different kinds of gigs, ones you play to pay the bills and ones you do for personal fulfillment. Yes, I think in an ideal world all musicians and artists would always get paid what they deserve for their craft and all the hard work that went into developing it. But that's not always the case. I play some gigs for money and some for me. If I had the chance to play with Amanda Palmer that would be for me, and it probably was for those musicians as well. Also, she is such a giving person that if you want to think about it from a business perspective (as we often have to) I bet if they asked her to blurb about their band or CD online to her many fans she would be more than happy to put that out there to her fanbase and give them a little exposure.

Amanda Palmer works her ass off and gives so much of her heart to complete strangers. She wasn't born into the world of famous people, she worked her way up and worked very hard. She is trusting and loving and I'm sorry so many people misunderstand her. She is also loud and brash but still very fragile on the inside like all the rest of us. I do recommend you read her book. It made me cry, more than once, and to me that is a sign of good art.

Flamingo from a show in Boston with Amanda Palmer and The Grand Theft Orchestra

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Welcome to your 30's

9/16/2016

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I know that with each passing decade people tend to reflect greatly on their lives, many panicking about their lack of successes and not being where they want to be yet. I am attempting to accept that I am a constant work in progress and where I have been leading up to now is leading somewhere great. I may not love my current surroundings in their current state but I have the ability to transform, inspire, and be the hub that makes change.

There was a list I made when I was young and foolish and thought 30 was old. It was a bucket list with things like own and start playing cello, have a doctorate, and be in an established contemporary chamber ensemble that tours and records. But not all the things on that list are necessarily relevant to who I have developed into as a person and musician.

This next bit may seem like a bit of a brag sheet, but here are a few things I have accomplished and am incredibly proud of. Things that make me feel optimistic.

Found an amazingly sexy and talented percussionist and had a ring tattooed on it. I was adamantly against marriage for a large part of my life, and then I met him, he ruined it all.

I own all 4 of the major saxophones. The last, my bari, thanks to the wonderful Hartford Arts and Business Grant, I am still so grateful to them.

Released my first CD. I had a lot of momentum after the BOAC summer music festival. It seems like maybe I should have released another since it's been almost 2 years since that one but why rush it? I don't want to put the time, effort, love, and public support into a project I am not completely confident in and proud of. Which I definitely was with the last one, those composers are such talented and wonderful people.

I have traveled to 13 foreign countries, including living in France for 6 months, there are many left on the list but this is a good start.

I have taught over 200 private students, many of them resulting in great friendships that remain today both with the kids and the adults.

Founded an amateur ensemble for my adult students back in CT, the Just For Fun Ensemble. I led it for 3 years and it is still going strong today now that I have left under the guidance of Dr. Colette Hall. I believe very strongly in the importance of chamber music and in the relationships it helps us build with others, this group proves that over and over.

In conclusion, I am a force. A wonderful composer called me that and I loved it. I will remain steadfast in my belief and in my stubbornness to create the kind of art I wish to create. I will not settle and I will not lighten up.

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Belery duo score call

8/22/2016

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Hello Friends! The Belery Duo is in the middle of a score call. If you haven't heard of us yet, it is a duo made up of myself on Saxophones and my insanely talented husband Daryl Belcher on Percussion instruments.

We are looking for more music to play together so if you have anything for our combination, anything that might be adaptable, or anything for indeterminate instrumentation please do share. Below is the basic gist of what we are looking for as well as a link to the score call on composers site.

"Preferred saxophones are tenor and alto. Percussion preferences are drum set, low G tenor steel pan, conch shell, and pitched or unpitched indeterminate instrumentation. We will accept other instrumentation but these are our preferences. We like working with electronics. We have 2 samplers for loading pre-recorded sounds each of us can trigger."

http://www.composerssite.com/opportunity/7508

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#Spotify

2/19/2016

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Hi friends, this is a very simple and easy to do call to arms! As many of you know, my album "Beautiful Mess" is up on many digital platforms, including Spotify. Spotify does not allow an artist to claim their page until they have 250 followers. I would love to have control of my page.

I'm not sure of all the many benefits that may come from this. I know I can change pictures, see more of my stats, and create a related artists section. This last bit makes me the most excited and the most nervous since I'm not exactly sure who I sound like. So if you could do me 2 favors please.

1) If you are a Spotify user and like my music please click on the link below to follow me. If it doesn't work you can just type my name into Spotify and like me there. This won't add you to a mailing list or give you any annoying emails, it will just notify you in Spotify when I release a new song or album, and it will hopefully get me to my goal.

2) Would you mind giving me some suggestions as to who I sound like? Feel free to leave a comment at the end of the blog or email me if you prefer. I'm just curious and have always had a hard time labeling myself. Although I think the label I would like to use is Avant Classical. But Avant just means after, so after classical? The idea is that it brings up the notions of avant garde and mixes it with classical in your head for a nice little musical cocktail.

Thank you for following if you do! I can't thank you after you do though because it doesn't notify me as I have NO CONTROL over my artist page. So I thank you now.

Yours,
K

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Projects

2/12/2016

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Hi all,

I know there hasn't been a lot of info coming from me lately. It's been a long time since I posted a new song or a new anything. But, I have projects up my very long sleeves! Well, the sleeves aren't quite as long or thick now that I'm not stuck in the snow anymore, suckers! I have been re acclimating to the Southwest and getting my ducks in a row work wise.

I'm enjoying teaching at NVMA and handling other business responsibilities there, learning new things and taking on extra challenges. I'm also enjoying being a professor at CSN. I still have impostor syndrome on a daily basis but it's less intense then it was a month ago.

As far as projects go! I am writing music for the dramatic reading of "Filtered" by G.K. Lamb. If you haven't read it yet I highly recommend it! If you like dystopian novels, this is an awesome trilogy with a very strong female lead who doesn't change for a man/boy like many of our other "heroines". I will be using my whole bag of instrumental tricks for this one and luring my husband into contributing as well.

The ebook is available on amazon here
If you want a physical copy you can buy it from the publisher here

Stay tuned for a spoiler sample release of the dramatic reading as well!

I'm also starting a new project with my good friend Brandon Lussier on a slightly smaller scale. He is an amazing poet, writer in general, and person. When I played my first looping show over 2 years ago (time flies!) he was there and said he wanted to collaborate. Well, we are finally getting around to it! I sent him a sample (click for sample of sample) and he is toying around with it.

Brandon also recently started a blog. He quit his job and is finding his passions in life again. I recommend reading his blog what-nexting as he is a very entertaining fellow.

Talk to all y'all soon!

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Playlisting

12/28/2015

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Hi friends, with 9 days off work I am a little stir crazy by day 5. The holiday festivities were fun and family filled. Too much delicious food and sweets as usual. But now in the lull between Christmas and New Years I am starting a new project.

I have launched a new Spotify playlist. Partially out of shameless self promotion, and partially out of the sense of a need for it. There are a lot of awesome spotify created playlists out there but most of them are filled with well known established names that are represented by labels or managers. My playlist does include many well known established names, how could it not as they have been great influences in my musical life. But it also includes lesser knowns, friends of mine, me, music I find interesting...

This will be a continually updated project. I stole the title "Indie Classical" from a current playlist. There are debates as to whether or not we like this name, but in a world that demands labels I feel it's the best we currently have.

I'm sure I missed many of my friends, if you have an album on spotify that is hard to categorize please do let me know! If you have any recommendations, contact me! I will try to add 1 new track a week, I feel this is a very ambitious goal but there is a lot of music out there I have no idea exists, it will take some digging but I think it will be fun.

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Life in vegas

12/11/2015

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Hello Friends! I promised an update on our life here in Vegas so far and here it is. I still miss everyone in CT and New England a great deal but things are starting to pick up here and the sunshine is wonderful. Although, from what I hear it has been a mild winter in Hartford this year. I finally move to escape the snow and they get a relief. Well, I am happy for you. However, I don't have to wear a jacket yet during the day if I don't want to so that is nice.

I have been hired to teach at 2 studios, Nevada Music Academy and Brill Music Academy. Things have been picking up at NVMA a lot in the last couple months. I have added flute to the list of instruments I teach which has been a fun addition. Things are a little different here, they don't start band until middle school so I don't have any elementary aged students yet but I already have some adults. I am also taking a more active role in the business and will be helping develop some additional programs as the studio grows. I get to go to the NAMM convention in Anaheim, CA in January to learn more about music business. I'm very excited about it because I have wanted to go for a decade! And maybe I'll run into some of my old Tucson music folk there.

Daryl and I are both part time faculty at the College of Southern Nevada. This semester we taught online history of rock classes and next semester we will be doing it again and adding music appreciation. The MA classes will be in class lectures and we're pretty excited for that. I am grateful to be using my musical knowledge in another capacity.

My performing opportunities have changed a bit out here as well. I am still getting to know the lay of the land and where I can perform so I have taken a small break from the looping project, plus that duo concert last month kept me plenty busy for a while! But I will get back to it soon. Daryl and I are continuing our duo project together. We have a couple commissions coming in next year, one from Ken Steen and one from Thomas Schuttenhelm, 2 Hartt faculty members we have a great amount of respect for and whose music we love. We are also working on adapting "Nausea" by Brendon Randall-Myers (composer of "Salvage" from the album Beautiful Mess), originally for distorted bass clarinet and drum machine, to a live version for tenor sax and drummer. I am also subbing in with a big band called the Mellowtones and the Summerlin Saxophone Quartet. I didn't get to play jazz during my grad degree and it's nice to get back to my early years. I am playing bari in both groups. It's super fun to lay down the low end again.

Daryl and I also adopted 2 cats in October and NV SPCA. Sadly one of them was very ill and died 2 weeks after we got her. We did everything we could for her and she spent her last few days on an IV and feeding tube at the vet. She died before they could figure out what was wrong with her. It was pretty tragic for us. We fell in love with her so quickly. But our second kitty is doing her best to give enough love to make up for our loss. She likes to play with random objects, like Daryl's cymbal felts and nail files. She chirps and meows a ton, especially in the morning when she cons Daryl into giving her wet food every day. Her new favorite spot to cuddle is on my outstretched legs, especially when I am on the computer, she is actually there as I type this. Her name is Evey and she is pictured below.

Well, I can't imagine much else to say after all that cuteness. It's nice to be near family, Daryl's family is very loving and supportive, and my mom and sisters are just an hour plane ride away now! And I must reiterate, the sunshine is marvelous. No more snow! Also, stay posted for a website redesign in the near future!

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Fall in ct

11/17/2015

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Hello all! First, let me start by saying, I acknowledge the fact that I owe you an update on Vegas and how life back in the southwest is treating me. However, I do believe my recent trip back to CT merits more discussion at this time. So, check back in a week or so and maybe I'll give a more proper life update then.

Daryl and I took an overnighter last Wednesday and landed in CT on Thursday morning. Dr. Colette Hall picked us up at the airport and took us back to her place, the photo below is the view from her porch, lovely isn't it? We immediately jumped into rehearsals. Fun fact, we rehearsed Russ Podgorsek's recent saxophone duo "Kaidan" in the apartment he used to live in when he lived in Hartford. The same apartment I hung out with him at on my first visit to Hartford when I was considering going there for grad school. Small world eh?

The next few days were a series of rehearsals squeezed in between Colette's work schedule and my social outings. It was so nice to see all the past students and friends who were able to make time for me! I really appreciate and miss all of you.

Friday morning we had a coaching with David Macbride on his new saxophone duo "A Path" (audio below) which we premiered the following Sunday. The coaching was lovely. Imagine playing in a window filled room with a gorgeous wooden arched ceiling while the wind rustled the colorful leaves outside. The screen door was open so the sounds of nature were strong and now I feel like the piece should always be played outdoors.

Colette and I played 2 concerts on Sunday, featuring music from the composers we selected from the score call we did back in February. The morning concert was at the South Congregational Church of Glastonbury. We played "Adages" by Sy Brandon, "Flight of Fancy" by Matthew Orlovich, mvt. 1 of "Kaidan" by Russell Podgorsek, "Rough and Tumble" by Martin Jones, and closed with "Black" by Marc Mellits. The last piece was not from our score call, but who doesn't love it? The congregation was very kind and welcoming. It was a lovely concert and we are so grateful to them for having us.

For our Saturday afternoon concert we played at the Universalist Church of West Hartford. As many of you know, this place has been a host to many of my concerts and events over the last few years. I am so thankful for Ted Hine, he is so gracious in sharing his space there and giving new music a home.

We had a couple repeats on the afternoon concert including "Flight of Fancy", and "Black". We also played the first 2 of 3 movements of "Kaidan". We had 2 pieces by Princeton composers who I got to meet about 2 years ago when I went there to premiere Alex Dowlings' "Alphabetics" and Emma O'Halloran's "Drip". We did a workshop performance of "Breath(e)" by Dave Molk, the piece will be officially premiered in January by the Epoch duo. We had a lot of fun with "Dart: Don't Be His Shadow" by Quinn Collins. The centerpiece of the concert was the premiere of "A Path" by Hartt faculty David Macbride. I have been a big admirer of his music for a long time and getting to premiere such a lovely piece was a great honor. Now I just need to meet some classical saxophonists in Vegas so I can play it again. If you are out there I am sending out the Bat Signal! Contact me!

Kendra Emery, David Macbride, Colette Hall

It was great to go home, to my old home, for a bit. But the last couple days were cold and I am happy to be back in Vegas where people are complaining about it getting cold, if only they knew. Thank you again to all the composers who submitted to the score call, not just the ones we selected to perform the music of, we appreciate your bravery and willingness to share your music. And now, I will leave you with some ear candy. Live recording of the premiere of "A Path" by David Macbride.

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He liked it, so his tattoo artist put a ring on it

5/8/2015

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As many people know by now, I met the love of my life recently. He is a sexy, talented, brilliant, caring, giving, loving, hilarious, percussionist. Here are a couple older examples of his brilliance.

To give you THE (not just my) abridged version of the story, we met at my birthday party in 2013. I didn't see him again until he played on a house concert at my place on Easter 2014. Starting that day I pursued him.

In his obliviousness, because he doesn't realize what a catch he is, he missed all the signs. It took some pushing from our good friend who is also an incredible trumpet player, the now minister, Seth Bailey (i can't find a website or video of Seth performing solo so here is a link to a band he's in Milkbread) for him to see it.

Our courting began around April of 2014 and quickly escalated. Neither of us ever wanted to get married but, here we are. Our wedding was on March 21. A nice little house concert/wedding/party at his sister's house in Las Vegas. Seth married us and played "Born to Beat Wild" by Nebojsa Zivkovic with Daryl as the ceremony opener.

We wrote our own vows for each other to agree to. These vows were a surprise that no one else had heard, including each other, until the ceremony. The video below is a short clip from the wedding including our vows.

Daryl and I closed with an arrangement of Laurie Anderson's "From the Air" which we had worked up for his recital.

We have a nice little thing going here and are looking forward to starting a duo project and seeing where that takes us. We are currently reworking "The Candle" by Stephen Feigenbaum, we originally premiered it as a quartet in October but will be performing a duo version soon. We are also in collaboration with Brendon Randall-Myers on a duo tenor sax and drum set version of his death metal bass clarinet work "Nausea." And we will be commissioning Ken Steen (aka UTG) for a duo this year as well!

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Connecticut, again

The Art of Asking: Or an open love letter to Amanda Palmer

Welcome to your 30's

Belery duo score call

#Spotify

Projects

Playlisting

Life in vegas

Fall in ct

He liked it, so his tattoo artist put a ring on it

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