Christmas Fundraising

Lotsa good times at On The Rocks this past sunday! I was super stoked for this show because we'd sounded so sweet in rehearsal, I couldn't wait to play a new song from the new album. Man did it sound good! And soooo much good talent all in the same room! What a fucking honor to be a part of that group, seriously, everyone that got up and played was fucking amazing, the whole show blew my mind. Some of my own personal favorites include Whiskey Wagon http://www.myspace.com/thewhiskeywagon Landon was so funny on stage and their christmas song was an original. And he told me stories about smuggling booze into bars. Always a fav of mine. I don't really have to anymore because I keep getting paid in the stuff...
Of course there were lots of other great performers. All of them. I don't think at any point in the night did I think "Dude, this band sucks. I wish that other dude was playing again." Or anything even along those lines.
I do have a new demo up of the song we played that night. "Tonight" is up on my facebook/reverbnation page and you should give it a quick listen. "Gotta get that Money" was sung by all the boys in the band (it's a backup line in the song and its hilarious) and I really really wish that I could see a video of them singing it hahaha I wish I could see a video of the whole damn performance!
Anyway, lots of great music, so many new friends, lots of good shows coming up for me, and I'm happy to be doing all of it. But I'm really fucking happy to be done for the month, and relaxing in my new fluffy sweater and my underwear. See you in January! Thanks for the support! Thanks to all the venues that booked me this month and let me drink 'til I shouldn't be drinkin' no mo! Thanks to everyone that's ever come out to a show this year and supported a drunk asshole like me! Thanks for reading my blog and telling all your friends about it! Each and every one of them!
heart tiff

Now that I'm done ranting about whether live music will die or not, we can all go back to enjoying our beautiful yeg weather :p Come on guys.... you live in Edmonton Alberta! It snows here. Every year. Lots. Every year. Let's all get used to it, it's not like it's freakish or abnormal, it's VERY normal for us to have cold weather and shitty snow-blown roads on December 15th right?
I got together with my pal Jesse Peters yesterday and we're working on some harmonies for the album and all kinds of fun stuff. He's also got his own album coming out, a tasty little jazz treat you might like.
http://www.indiegogo.com/jessepeters
Go there!! Check out his stuff and this cool little website where you can donate to help his cause: good music. And if he gets famous, that helps me because we're pals, and he produced my album, so we're workin' together. Get him muthafucking famous dudes!
I like the website, and I've seen something similar before and it worked! I'll probably set something up like that one of these days as well, because Gawd, it's expensive to get your music out to people.
But I've got gigs coming up, so I'm makin mullah, don't worry 'bout my rent peeps. We're playing this sunday night at On The Rocks to help raise monies for the Bissell Center. My normal drummin' pal Nick Lovejoy won't be joining us, but our new drumming pal, Kurtis Schultz aka Beat Boss Robot (I gave him that name. Now who's cool) will be joining us and don't worry, he's a nice robot, he doesn't rip arms out or laserbeam anybody so you'll be fine. I'll protect you.


See? That's him with Ajay and Drew. He seems nice enough. Don't be afraid. There good boys.



Oh, see now there he is with a boy who doesn't like shirts. Maybe he's roboting him there, I'm not sure...
Don't worry, I do know he can play drums and that we will be having a great time this weekend raising money for charity (which is always good times!) and then I'm done! I'm done for Christmas and I will be enjoying BC with mum mike kyle morpheous and sunshines!
But come to On The Rocks Sunday night, check out some great live music (or I'll rant again, I'm warning you!) and all our playing helps out the Bissell Center, and you'd like that. So would Santa.
heart tiff

I don't want Live Music to die!

I got an email from the booker at Lyve on Whyte and I'm super sad that the place is closing down. I'm not surprised, just fucking sad. It's all about numbers. You just can't get people interested in live music anymore and that obviously fucking sucks for me! I don't know if it's because there are soooo many bands out there and some are going to inevitably suck balls, and people are sick of hearing them, or if it's too cold to leave your house, or the style of music thats super popular these days isn't possible live, but fuck! If you don't support it, it will die, and then we're stuck listening to Rhianna and Eminem and fake music made out of peoples basements on computers all day.
I like technology and what it can do for real instruments, I don't like that people who can't fucking sing or play anything are richer than me in this profession!!!
I guess I'm just upset today cause it makes me think: What's going to happen to me? Nobody likes music, you can't get a music venue to stay open because they can't afford to, and that's sad for me cause that's how I pay my bills, and also how I showcase my own stuff and try to get famous!
If anyone out in internet land is reading this, I'd love to know what it is about music venues you don't like. Seriously! I know for me, I hate watching shitty bands. There I said it. I know you've got to start somewhere, but hopefully you started in a rehearsal room or something along those lines. I like watching good bands! I love watching good bands! I like watching people start their career but who have something worth starting a career with!
Just let me know what you think about music venues and why they aren't really getting the support they need, let me know why guys! It's not like I can do anything about it, but I like the conversation. I just want to talk to sommmmebuddy.

But good news, I'm busy as all shit this December! Make money money make money money! So I wasn't all that worried about myself this month. I'm so busy I don't know when I'll be able to get into the studio and finish layin down vocal tracks for the album! But we've got to, cause this is one bad muthafucker and we need to finish it so you can hear it. If you liked the last one, you'll like this. If you didn't like the last one (well a, you suck) then you'll like this one, cause it's a gem.


Don't forget to check out this invite on facebook: http://www.facebook.com/#!/event.php?eid=131674613554259
It's an event I'm playing right away in December, and all proceeds are going to the Bissell Center! Lots of cool artists from around town are playing, including myself, and we're gonna party it up Christmas style! Bring your ugly ass christmas sweaters!
Also, I love Movember when everyone has ugly facial hair. It's my favorite holiday. DONT SHAVE DUDES! I THINK YOU LOOK HOTTER WITH A MUSTACHIO!

heart tiff

edson crazy days

You know you've made it when you're being asked to sign old hairy asses.

Yup. I'm a pretty big deal.
This particular ass is from the Nitty show, the picture is taken by the Reverand Lovejoy, and he so graciously sent it to me from his iphone and I have decided to share it with you my pretties.

As we were signing that ass, we were drunkenly booked for a birthday gig in edson, playing for the dude booking us, Brian, who had planned a surprise birthday party for his wife. So we get all set set up for this gig, drive down to edson, turn at the big
"Happy 40th Birthday Biatch" sign and get set up to play. But first we made ourselves alittle special friend. His name is Darcy. Old, self important, drunk, and quite sure that the Fab Tiff Hall is gonna go outside with him, smoke dope with him, then drive her band up to Revelstoke to play for his family, and then crash at his house. Yah, he's probably right, I'm totally into doing stupid crazy stuff. Not stupid crazy stuff with dudes older than my dad thank you very much. I'm an alcoholic, I'm drunk all the friggin time, and my beer goggles have been fine tuned.
The gig went well, we had some beers at old Castaways again, and tried to make friends with the band playing there. Who knows what they thought of us, but we didn't get kicked out of the hotel and I consider that a successful night for Tiff and the Jews. (Not our real band name, just a really bad inside band joke. But I'll keep it if you like it!)
Anyway I've sobered up since then, finished writing the last tune on the next album with Jesse Peters http://www.myspace.com/paramedicmusic and started looking for the next date I can book time with Jeff Olson at http://www.phoneticsound.com/ (who actually has a really cute blog posting about me if you'd like to see it!)
I've been a busy busy girl.
heart tiff

Western Gear

Adventures of being a warm up band for a band you've actually heard of. And so have your grandparents... my Papa most def knows "Fishin' in the Dark" I bet he can do the Cadilac Ranch. I apparently can't spell it, but I bet my 75 year old grampa can shake his ass to it... And knowing him, he's got a few ladies shakin' it on either side of him. #pimpdaddy
Did you see that? I just put a hashtag in my blog. What is this shit? Twitter? No. It's not. What are you doing up at this hour tiff?

So I finally get my shit together and print out my contract for this gig this weekend, and there are a few questions I have about it so I call up the dude that's taking care of it. We sort some shit out and then I throw in, mostly as a joke, "It says we have to wear western gear, is that fo' real?" I don't call him homeboy though... but he essentially told me yes. It's in my contract to wear country western gear.
I can't even write this blog without laughing to myself over that one. I'm relatively new to this music thing (in the grand scheme of things) and I haven't seen this yet. I'm prepared for the crazy ass things I'm going to encounter in this line of work, but I guess I didn't think I was going to be signing contracts that say I have to wear western gear. Oh well, I was born to break the rules, especially if they're rules about employment. So I told the band I didn't care what they wore, they just aren't allowed to look like the city kids they are. No scarves and skinny jeans boys.... Kyle always makes fun of the kids on whyte ave, says he can't drink on whyte unless he's wearing one of my scarves, but I have a memory (very blurry) of him dancing like Michael Jackson in a white jacket of mine that didn't cover his belly button, under one of those purple light things...
The whole thing is ridiculous! My shit! Nitty Gritty's shit! Cowboy hats and 1400 people doing the line dances... how did this happen???? We're not a country band! We're not even a rock band! We're not even a blues band!!!! But we know how to get the party started and I'm interested to see how this goes...
Like, look at those guys!!!!!!!!!!!!
Now picture me with my hot pink buttons that say "mother fucking fab" and my mother fucking blog, and Karma, and I just want to take his shirt off, and all my pretty shoes....
HAHAHA WHY THE HELL AM I OPENING UP FOR THESE GUYS??? WHO DECIDED THIS WAS A GOOD MATCH??!!! Of course, I want to do this, I want to play in front of any amount of people, let alone a sold out show of 1400, but why the hell did anyone pick me? Hey, I know, I kick ass, but in a whole different arena of kick ass then them. I'm in a different province of kick ass, if they're B.C. I'm the Hudson Bay or something...
Look! That's me! Hunting gophers in a cute poncho from Le Chateau... that's the only time I've ever spent any significant time on a farm and I had ballarina flats, a poncho and hairspray...
Oh well!
Then the next day I'm at Kyle's mom's house eating turkey and drinkin' tequilla like everything's back to normal!
heart tiff

Gittin' Gritty

Oh fer sure we're in. We had no doubts evah. Evah evah. If they didn't let us open up for Nitty I was gonna give up music all together. I know there's only a few things I'm good at, one of them is performing. Actually, until recently I thought maybe that was it! That was the ONLY thing I was good at, but maybe I'm alright at blogging. Lovejoy keeps telling me that my blogs make him laugh, so maybe I'll just keep blogging about our crazy road trips. And Oh em gee guys, the new band? They are crazy. We most def will be having crazy road trips. I can't even tell you about what was talked about on the way to Edson, it was seriously crazy! Funny/gross stories had to be stopped because they were pretty gross.
But we get to Edson start getting our stuff in there, I don't have a piano stand. We get up on stage, I don't have a piano pedal. No biggie. I'll play the piano laying on my belly and without any sustain-age happening. (no.)
Guess what else I don't have? The power cord. Oh! Sure, Tiff doesn't need a piano. I'm just queen of dueling piano extraordinaire and have never performed without a piano in front of me. So we do it sans piano. And obviously we killed it. Not 100% sure what to do with my hands, but I like moving around on stage, being able to turn and look at the boys, make my way over to whatever safe place I've put my beer....
and oooh nelly there were some of those afterwards. We make our way over to Castaways after we're all done, and there is a STELLAR band playing! Zoo Lion from Calgary who, apparently, opened up for fucking Bon Jovi. Same kinda situation as we just went through, they entered a contest and the prize was BJ (hahaha)
They were great. We chatted with them, got our drunk asses home, and woke up the tenant downstairs. He had no shirt on, and it was 6 30 in the morning... weird, but I was drunk enough still it didn't phase me. In fact I stayed drunk until we got back into the city, where I finally sobered up enough to pass out again.
Nice.
So if you're in the edson area, come check us out Oct 9. Word on the street is we're in Hinton on the 10th, but thats not confirmed. We're also at the Brixx Oct 29 but I'll get ya some more details on that when I'm done recording my demo today : P

heart tiff

Gettin' Nitty and gritty and possibly dirty

So I grew up in Edson Ab. Say whatever you want about it, I won't say anything here. But I've got some old family friends there and they let me in on something happening this weekend. We're trying out to be the warm up band for Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. Now I know... I'm not a coutnry artist but what the fuck do I care? I like gigging, and I like gigging with names that I recognize. And I have to play fishing in the dark or that other one with the line dance all the time at work (ahem cough cough dueling pianos. feel free to book me to duel at your venue) so why the hell wouldn't I want to open for them? I think it's neat-o. And of course, the band has yet to have played together. YIPPEE. So speed rehearsal tomorrow! Not that I'm worried, they're good players, and it's typical cover stuff we'll be playing anyway. I'm more worried that I haven't heard back from the organizer of the event about how long we play for, if they want covers, or originals, what kinda gear do we need... so I don't even know how many vehicles we need to get to edson. Sigh. The worst part is that I'm sitting at home with nothing to do but wait for a list of people to get back to me. And I can't think of anyone else to get to in the first place so that they can get back to me too! So I play some dorky computer games, stalk people on facebook until I find someone else I should be getting in touch with. It's a hard job. It is!!! I don't know what to do is the hardest, so how do I do it? Anyway, I found this, so I'm doing something this weekend.

I played the ol' dueling pianos at Overtime in Sherwood Park this weekend and to my pleasant surprise, I was playing along Jesse Dollimont from The Consonance. We only got one boy to take a shirt off, but we gave away some shots and that makes for a good night of dueling piano in my books. Check out: http://www.youtube.com/theconsonance cause they've got some good stuff up there.
So... just checked the ol' email. nothing from noone.
This might not get me famous, but it could get me skinnier, which could get me famous so I might as well put it up here: I'm looking to join a soccer team again! Nothing competitive, just some ladies my age running around and having some fun. I like to practice and play games and I miss it. So if you're looking for a funny, once-was-actually-pretty-good-but-now-is-starting-to-get-alittle-older-and-fatter kinda player, then let me know!
heart tiff