20 Years: All That’s Changed is Everything and Nothing August 15, 2009

I’ve just returned from 10 glorious days in Kodiak, Alaska for my 20 year high school reunion.  I captured 8 hours of video, wrote 3 new songs, and took scores of photos.  Best of all, I reconnected with classmates and THE WILD.  I can still smell the smoke from the driftwood fires, the fish rotting in the creeks, the salt air cleaning me inside and out.  Here are the lyrics to a song that I penned with my pal, Jennifer Beardsley.  I performed it at our 20 year reunion party at El Chicano’s.  It was written for our classmates, to the tune of a certain Guns ‘n Roses song that we all loved.  89 is FINE!!!!

 

Julia and Jennifer on the float plane from Larsen Bay to Kodiak, AK. 8/5/09

EVERYTHING AND NOTHING
Lyrics by Julia Francis and Jennifer Beardsley
Copyright 2009 No Shrinking Violet

 

Shed a tear, I was missin’ you, my class of ’89
It took all my airline miles to get here
Some lost weight and some lost hair, but there’s one thing that we all share
20 years roll back with a shot and a beer

 

Where were you when you lost it?
Where were you when you tossed it?
All that’s changed is everything and nothing.

 

Too young for the bar, so we drank Luckies in our car
Cruising the road to Chiniak
She puked on your pants, before the teen center dance
Got the evil eye from Mr. Kubiak

 

Where were you when you lost it?
Where were you when you tossed it?
All that’s changed is everything and nothing. 

 

He touched me out of bounds, late one night at the Rodeo Grounds
Straight up now tell me are you really gonna love me forever
He said let’s just be friends, thank God there was no Facebook then
I was a sucker for any guy in leather

 

Enough Bartles and Jaymes’ and you won’t care what their names is
Coastie says ‘Hey baby, you got a nice rack’
You got spew on your shoe, at the VFW
Tomorrow morning your boat leaves for Afognak

 

Everything and nothing….changes…
Everything and nothing….changes…

 

Scorps had a really cool truck, but did he ever get a single fuck
Larry Ledoux tellin me what do to, and I’m breaking own my own curfew
I just want to fit in, I’m waiting for my life to begin
Everybody’s cooler than me, I’m as morose as Morrisey
I want you to see me, I want you to know me
I want you to hold me, just hold me, please hold me…

 

As I look around the room, I see the story’s the same
We did what we had to do to make it
New friends may come and go, but only you and I know
Our special strength and how this island shaped it

 

Where were you when you lost it?
Where were you when you tossed it?
All that’s changed is everything and nothing.

California’s Going to Pot July 23, 2009

Well, our East Bay neighbor Oakland has just stepped up and demanded a tax on its medical marijuana clinics. My beautiful homestate’s finances are going down the toilet faster than you can say ‘4:20′, and the idea of fully legalizing and taxing the Weed statewide seems more and more possible.

Might be time to start your own P patch, folks. I mean, if you haven’t been furloughed yet, it’s only a matter of time before you’ll need some way to keep a roof over your head.

And have you heard – we may also soon have 140,000 inmates released from our prisons to help manage the budget crisis. Maybe they can all start their own drug rings and bring in more money for the state!
It was the highest of times, it was the worst of times.
Read on, homies.

So much fun, so little time May 25, 2009

Victor and Mike

 

This picture pretty easily sums up my feelings about playing NYC last week.  I was fortunate enough to have my Milwaukee-based Lucky Penny producers, Victor DeLorenzo and Mike Hoffmann, join me onstage, (along with John Montalbano) and it’s safe to say we had a blast.  My iPhone captured this happy little moment on May 19, 2009, after our rehearsal at Smash Studios in Midtown – we were cabbing it back to have drinks with the lovely Karen Keene at the Hotel Giraffe.  I am so grateful for these guys in my creative life – they inspire me, encourage my voice, helped me realize my latest album, and then were good enough to come and play the songs live with me.  I love their spirit of fun and exploration, and their willingness to jump in on harmonies.  Just so much fun, and it was over way too fast.  I look forward to the next time we’ll get to play together.  Our shared creative time is a big ol’ gift to me, and I can’t thank them enough.   If I may say so.  And I do.

Irish Inspiration March 18, 2009

This lovely Irish lady showed me how to make new sounds with my voice, when I was a teenager.  I never get tired of hearing her sing.  This song in particular just slayed me, before I even knew what heartbreak meant.

The Cop and the Pot Brownies. Priceless. January 31, 2009

Okay, so maybe Fox news isn’t totally worthless, because this just made my morning.

Speak up for family planning! January 28, 2009

Breaking news: Family planning stripped from stimulus bill

The Medicaid Family Planning State Option is a provision that would provide health care coverage for 2.3 million low-income women while generating savings for states and the federal government. Now, after misinformation was spread by opponents, it’s been cut from the economic stimulus bill. Call the White House comment line now at 202-456-2111 and speak out in support of this important provision.

Calling the White House is quick and easy. Here are some ideas for what to say:

1. The White House switchboard operator will answer first. Tell the operator you have a comment about the economic stimulus plan, and you’ll be transferred to a White House staff member.
2. Give your name and say you are a constituent with a comment on the economic stimulus bill.

3. Say that you are disappointed that affordable family planning has been stripped from the latest stimulus package, and that you support restoring the Medicaid Family Planning State Option.

4. Thank the staff member for passing along your message and say goodbye!

New song is up! January 24, 2009

That was some Inauguration! January 21, 2009

And it IS cold outside. December 10, 2008

My favorite holiday song so far this year.  Enjoy!

Mama Africa November 11, 2008

Thanks to Laurence Ani for this tribute to a woman who made incredible sounds, and who died today.

“On stage, Miriam Zenzi Makeba exuded an uncommon grace that was unforced just like the simple lyrics of her songs that has thrilled audiences across the world for decades. You need not understand the lyrics of her songs to appreciate both the intensity of their message, or the ingenuity that underpin them. They were simple country ballads and village lores that evoke memories of lost innocence, an idyllic existence that speaks to our shocking repudiation of brotherhood and community.”