LA VIDA ES BELLA.

I know it's been a ridiculous 5 months since I've posted a blog, but my life has just been such a whirlwind of random, fantastic, wickedly awesome situations and adventures - I just haven't been able to find the time..

REWIND.

In December my mom and sister visited me from the states - we danced tango and salsa, visited Punta del Este, Uruguay, ate amazing Argentine beef, shopped at the artisan fairs, cooked dinner at home with friends, threw an unforgettable new years party in my apartment (my mom was a rock star, you should have seen her still going at 7am) and had an all around spectacular time...






After my mom returned to California - in January my sis and I visited the wine country in Mendoza, tasted a plethora of wines as we toured the various wineries on bicycles ... both dangerous AND fun :)

Here we are sampling a Norton Dulce Natural. YUMMMM:



Then we proceeded to take a double-decker bus over the Andes mountains and into the lovely little port town of Valparaiso, Chile. I hadn't returned to this little gem of a place since I lived there in 2002 and being able to trip around and share old memories while racking up new ones with my beautiful little sister was absolutely priceless.



When I returned home it was back to work for a couple short weeks before I took off again in February - this time to São Paulo, Brazil... to visit my friend, producer Edu Luke (photo of us in são paulo)



Then I met up with my sister for Carnival in Rio... it was my second trip to Brazil and I seem to fall in love with it more and more with every new experience within its borders.















March I worked like a crazy person, obviously, to make up for lost time and returned to my salsa and tango dancing full force dancing at least 4 nights a week - sometimes more.

April I helped to launch the first ever international Tango magazine called TangoZapa http://www.tangozapa.com - this involved participating in CITA, the second largest tango festival here in the capital of Buenos Aires, meeting with various dancers, musicians, vendors, and getting an all around in depth overview of the Buenos Aires tango scene, oh and of course, lots and lots of dancing.

Here's a photo from the closing party at a well-known milonga here in the capital called "Niño Bien"... the performances that night were out of this world:



My band and I returned to the studio to record the drum tracks for "Real Joy". I rented a state of the art drum studio in a facility called "MCL Records" - on of the best here in the capital. This place was totally amazing (see photos) and the coolest part was the impromptu visit from Spinetta (Argentine Rock God) who happened to be rehearsing next door. In two days Mr. Martin Sosa laid down a record 16 songs and we are now ready to go with the second phase of production. Aside from the music really coming together, a couple of filmmakers who do some work with my producer at Control Z Studios have taken an interest in our project and have begun to film a backstage "Real Joy: The making of" that we will be able to use along with our Electronic Press Kit (EPK) and perhaps even launch along with the album... we shall see... good things are happening.

Here are some photos from our "Drummer's Weekend" -










Here we are in May already...it has been a whirlwind of parties and celebrations, a couple of my closest girlfriends celebrated birthdays, which included music, dancing and delicious tortas with chocolate, liquor and of course... dulce de leche. Here's a photo of me performing alongside my best friend Denise at her party...



I adopted an 8 month-old cat and named her Lúcuma, she's overly affectionate and borderline crazy, so obviously she's perfect for me.



The film that I shot a few months back premiered in the Buenos Aires International Film Festival. That was quite and experience. It's called "Cinco" and truth be told, it exceeded my expectations in both the caliber of the performances and the quality of the cinematography.



Sitting in a state of the art movie theater along with a packed house and watching myself on that ginormous screen was surreal to say the least. I've always wanted to do film and the fact that my biggest involvement yet to date is in a 100% Argentine film is kid of ironic, and totally rad. I was so nervous before my scene showed my best girlfriend who had accompanied me to the premiere was rubbing my stomach and telling me to breathe.

Hmmm... what else, oh yes... I am starting a new project, a salsa quartet with a few of my closest friends, we are putting together a Salsa performance show that will include both salsa choreography and singing to perform at clubs, parties, events here in the city. We are totally excited to get things going. Check out my new shoes ** swoon ** I can spin like a million times, seriously, the day after the first night I danced in them I think I had a minor case of whip lash due to excessive spinning to test out my new shoes. It was hilarious.



In a couple of weeks, my band and I will be performing as the first band on the first date of a month long festival called "Proyecto Esmeralda" for female singer/songwriters here in the capital. The project is aimed towards spreading environmental awareness and it features 11 female artists in total. The venue is this great club called "La Cigale" downtown - a place I've wanted to play for a while now, so that should be exciting.

Once again and I hate to sound redundant, I guess I would just like to encourage you all to do whatever it takes to live a life that is pleasing to you - If you have this idea that your life could be better somehow, or different, or more fulfilling but there is something holding you back from taking the necessary leap of faith, pick up the phone and call me... seriously... I have words that'll make you jump right off that metaphoric ledge.

Now I am aware that despite a few difficult periods, I have lived a very charmed life. But I have become acutely aware over the past couple of years that I have missed out of more than I care to ruminate over by being so overwhelmingly wrapped up in trying to make sure my future was a success.

I am without a doubt happier now than I have ever been and much of that is do to a shift in consciousness. I can honestly say that for the last 12 months since I stepped onto that plane to South America I have made every effort to not miss an INSTANT of this crazy mixed up ride. I choose to grab it with both hands and gobble it up while savoring every moment. I encourage you to do the same.

Bottom line: if you aren't currently living the life of your dreams I encourage you to give it a try, it pretty much rocks.

FIRST CONCERT: La Dama de Bollini - Buenos Aires - December 11, 2009

My band and I have successfully played our first show here in the Capital of Buenos Aires, Argentina...

Being an indie musician comes with a plethora of complications and it is by far no easier here in this city where it's hard to make plans or get a straight answer out of anyone regarding almost anything.

That all being said - the night was a complete success. Prior to the show I made a list of "Five Reasons Why The Show Was a Total Success" (you can thank my positive thinking/creating your own reality/self help books, tapes and gurus for such an exercise)

The list read as follows:
1. The sound was surprisingly good and the mix was pristine
2. There was a huge turn out of amazingly supportive people
3. My game was on - solid vocals and rhythm and an appropriate mix of banter and music
4. The video turned out great with some killer shots and audible vocals
5. We started on time and there was no stress getting the sound set up

OK OK OK - so I didn't exactly manifest all of these things to occur - however - I number 2 and 3 totally happened and the others weren't that far off. hahaha.

There was a shockingly large turn out with standing room only during my set. The crowd was totally supportive and that fact that I had an opportunity to sing a couple of songs with Agustina Paz and her band (The Peacemakers) was a complete dream come true for me.

I hosted the after party at my apartment and about six in the morning - when a couple of the band members from Agustina's band were jamming on the couch I had a moment...

I thought... I showed up in this country less than six months ago with nothing but a suitcase and a whole lot of hope.

Now - I find myself surrounded by friends, music, dancing, parties, jobs, involvements... and it is such proof that we are capable of so much more than we have a tendency to believe and our dreams are so very important, and viable, and worth fighting for.

Video clips from the show will be up on youtube soon - and we seem to be booking more concert dates in the near future.

Hope all is well wherever you find yourself as you are reading this. Hope ... it's a good thing.

Un abrazo,
TJ

French Tango Dancing Seamen.

I thought that title might catch your attention.

So I went to "El Beso" for my Monday night Tango class ... I normally don't stay for the Practica as they charge an additional $7 pesos which I think is bogus, thus I typically protest by leaving directly after class however tonight I had to stay.

There was this one guy from France who I swear looked like a tall, better-bodied Leonardo DiCaprio (in the good years, before he turned dowdy and slightly unfortunate looking) He and his "companion" who may or may not have been his girlfriend and reminded me of across between Winona Ryder and Skeletor are here in Buenos Aires studying Tango for a month.

He asked me to dance the very first Tanda and he's so tall we sort of floated around the pista with these huge Fred Astaire strides... heavenly... like flying. So when the first song ended we chatted our obligatory 10 seconds before embracing again for the second song and I asked him in slow English "what do you do in France, for work?" at which point he smiled that dazzling smile, looked at me with those light eyes and gave his one word reply...

"Seaman" ...

Um. Seriously? ... Ah the list of potential responses... It took every ounce of mental willpower I could muster to not simply reply "Yes, Please" :)

instead - I got a puzzled look on my face, turned bright red and said "¿Que?" at which point he replied "Marinero"...

"Oh!!!" I exclaimed (since apparently I suddenly only spoke Spanish)
"A Sea-MAN - you work on a boat, in the sea!!!"

Um. Yeah. It wasn't my greatest moment.

So that Tanda ended (for those of you non Tango dancers a Tanda is a "set" of Tango songs that typically - unless you're rude or really have to pee - is shared completely with the person who originally asked you to dance for that particular set)

My next dance was with this older guy, maybe late 40's - greying a bit, physically fit. Wow. This guy was fantastic. His musicality - the way he soaked up every little bit of the music- the way he breathed me in with his embrace - he made me dance like an ANGEL. My only complaint; he sometimes made these almost sexual little grunting noises as he lead me into pasos (not intentional and not a pick up) I could tell it was just his way of connecting with the rhythm.

Kind of hilarious. And slightly awkward. I hope I dance with him again.

This older black guy from Cameroon took me out on a couple of Tandas - he was a pretty decent leader. What was hilarious was his mixture of French, Spanish, and English.

I couldn't understand a word he was saying but he thought he was making perfect sense. Priceless.

Finally there was the "All-in-black-i-take-my-tango-dancing-very-seriously" short Latino man. He had no rhythm. Like... None. It was as though he was hearing different music from the rest of us - towards the end of our Tanda (which was pretty much torturous) he said to me "Yea, women have mentioned that I don't hit all the marks with the rhythm, what do you think?"

Ummm. gee. let me think. how best to respond in this situation. I simply zipped my lips, put an uncomfortable grin on my face, and violently shook my head up and down.

Poor guy.

All in all ... it was a fantastic Tango evening, I only feel slightly guilty about my impending night of dreaming about my French Tango Dancing Seaman.

Ah, who am I kidding, I don't feel guilty at all.

Buenas Noches from Buenos Aires.

Un Abrazo...
TJ

Sometimes my Spanish acts like a woman...

There are days when it feels beautiful, authentic, clever and bold... then there are days when it feels clumsy, timid, difficult and refuses to show up for the occasion - whether that be an in-depth conversation about life's intricacies, or small talk with a friendly taxista.

There is no doubt in my mind that I have definitely arrived somewhere close the point of fluency that I always dreamed of as a little girl... took me 17 years to get here, but it happened. Even after all this time, however, I still find my mind hitting the wall at certain moments. Even as I write this I find my little overworked mind simultaneously translating the thoughts into Spanish. There is a lunfardo (Argentine slang) word - "kilombo" - it means something along the lines of "a chaotic mess." It originated in the 1800's when a slew of immigrants found themselves here in the capital of Buenos Aires and were ushered into camp like areas called "kilombos" - a madhouse of various people, languages and cultures.

MY MIND IS A TOTAL KILOMBO.

The point I'm arriving at slowly but surely... The past few days despite all of the fantastic things that have been happening for me in this extraordinary city, I have been feeling oddly enough and for the first time ... like a foreigner.

Perhaps it's the fact that I've never been away from my family this long or that I spent so many years prior to this in serious relationships where I always had a someone to share my life with. Now. In my new life, I am totally and utterly accountable to me and only me. And as I navigate my way through my new life in this new city with new friends and new involvements it sometimes feels really solitary.

With that being said my "down" days are few and far between - and almost always hormonally triggered - hooray for being a girl. When I take a step back and good look at my current situation I am happy indeed. I work a lot, what with my three jobs, various freelance gigs and the recording of the album - but I play A LOT to stay balanced. The best part about being a free-agent. I can eat pizza and drink red wine four days in a row if I want to. I can go dancing every night of the week and take the bus home if I want to... alone... or accompanied for that matter. I can meet my friends for drinks and live jazz in fabulous little locales and leave half way through the set when it gets too "experimental"... Furthermore, it's the first time in my life where I'm living undoubtedly in the moment and I can honestly say that it is the best place I've ever found myself to be.

I got cast in a film and the whole experience was wicked cool. Being the only North American on the set with Argentine, Bolivian and Chilean filmmakers - I had this constant feeling of "wow, I don't know how this came to be but it is completely perfect"

My role was very small and my biggest line of text was said mid sex-scene so I doubt it will be noted at all, however, the experience of seeing how complex movie-making is was eye-opening to say the least. The lightening, attention to detail, equipment, preparation all for a 20 second scene. It's intense. I have a whole new-found respect for the cinema world.






Real Joy.
As for the album, today we finished laying down the pre-production tracks on the last two songs. We now have 16 songs laid out and from that group we will choose 11 for the album. The next step of the process will be to replace any programmed tracks with live instrument tracks, then eventually move on to mixing and mastering. In other news, my band and I will be performing our first show here in the capital in December and once we have a solid set - more shows to come after the first of the year. I will most definitely be posting videos and photos.

Sending you all love and hoping that life is keeping you on your toes in ever-changing, challenging, surprising and fantastic ways.

Un abrazo,
TJ

Healing Session. Oct 16-19, 2009

It's funny how photographs capture moments and emotions that would otherwise pass swiftly - only to be enjoyed by the parties involved in that particular moment. This past weekend my friend Edu came to visit from Brazil. He has quite an eye for photography and documented most of our weekend in total tourist fashion (camera around neck at all times)... Normally I take extreme measures to NOT appear to be a tourist - however - in this case there was something so artistic about this process. It was like he was capturing these magical little pieces of time. The whole process for me - being able to look at myself and the way that I experience my life here in Buenos Aires was really special for me, and very very healing. I spend so much time alone, having a companion to hold a mirror up for me was meaningful, and I'm grateful. I won't say anymore, I'll let the pictures speak for themselves....

THANK YOU, EDUZINHO!!!


This bench tucked away in the corner of the famous Recoleta cemetary has been my backdrop for a few different emotional states and phases of my life over the past few years...I was happy to return to it to pose for a photo that reflects the joy and peace that I feel now...

This is one of the many antique bazaars in San Telmo - filled with history and treasures...

In front of a librería in San Telmo...


Giving Thanks in a beautiful Cathedral in San Telmo...

Posing with a statue of a Tango Couple - San Telmo...

In front of the Casa Rosada - in the Plaza de Mayo, Centro...

My new shoes painted by a local artist to say "alegría"...

Staring up at the stained glass in awe inside the Catedral Metropolitano - Plaza de Mayo...


Random detour down a graffiti filled alley in Palermo...

Now on to life announcements... let's see... I picked up some freelance marketing work for an international tango magazine that is starting up called TangoZapa. It's a fun involvement - I'm attending milongas and events, interviewing tango photographers and fashion designers - AND - I got cast in a national independent film being shot here in the capital... we'll be filming the week of November 2-5 - photos and news to come!!!

La vida es bellísima.

TJ

Life is So Precious. Real Joy Update.

I recently had a health scare that has got me thinking. Wow, we really have very little without our health. This may sound cliché but it is seriously true. I've spent the better part of a week - with a few days to go - almost entirely confined to my apartment. After three days of a wicked fever and unbearable swelling and throat pain - I decided it was time to call for reinforcements. My friend Eva picked me up in a taxi and we went to the local Hospital Italiano - one of the nicest, private hospitals in the city. Yes - it was a bit more expensive than a public hospital - but at that point in time - I wasn't messing around.

Just as I expected the throat specialist told me that it was a viral infection and that I should go home and eat a lot of ice cream to help the swelling. Not entirely worth $110 pesos that consultation. Good part was she wrote me a prescription which I took to a local pharmacy where a cute little old lady stuck a GINORMOUS needle in my "cola" - I was so desperate she could have been shooting me up with heroine, however it was a steroid injection which pretty much saved my life - or at least brought the swelling down and put me on the road to recovery.

I am back on track and will be heading into the studio this Thursday to resume work on the album. The week before last we laid down pre-production tracks for our TENTH song... It's really coming along.

I have been musing recently about the pure serendipitous nature of life. Being a songwriter I suppose it's sort of a built-in process. Here are my thoughts:

Beautiful, heart-melting moments happen - they do. They move us, shape us, make us shake with glee and cry from passion...Terrible things happen, we feel the floor disappear from beneath us and we find ourselves catapaulting into the darkest of depths. We experience the highest of highs and the lowest of lows. This is the gift of being human and having the opportunity to live a life on this earth.

In my case - there have been so many days in which I have cried over change, loss and fear and wondered how those things could possibly have a positive outcome in my life. And I am in this magical point in my life right now where I can see clearly that every moment leading up to this one as I am sitting at my computer writing this to you - have been part of an intricate and beautiful patchwork quilt - that work of art is my life and I wouldn't change a single moment of it.

If I had never experienced love as profoundly as I have then my sense of loss upon the end of that love wouldn't have been as real, poignant, painful, or inspiring.

The love was necessary and beautiful and real.

If the love had never ended, I would have never been given a reason to write about how beautiful it was or to sing about how much I miss it, or to cry in song about my journey towards finding myself - alone - in this world.

I don't know where these songs will go - who will hear them, take solace in them, find them comforting and relatable - but I do know that this process of recording this album is the most natural and honest thing I have ever done in my life.

There is no marketing strategy or attempts to make my voice sounds a certain way - it's just me singing about things that have happened to me - things that made my cup overflow with emotion. Happy things, sad things, hopeful things....

It is the over-spill - that is what Real Joy is made up of.

I can't wait to share it with you.

From my heart to yours.
Tiffany Joy

Dancing Queen.

So... since my last post it's been dancing, music, parties... and more dancing. The recording of the album is moving along splendidly, I can't wait to have something to show you all. Soon enough. In the mean time, I'm really enjoying being the in studio and filling my days and nights with work, friends, classes and down time in my apartment - which is hands down my own little piece of paradise.

I had my very first "housewarming" party last weekend. It was a total blast. I invited fellow singer/songwriter Agustina Paz and her band the "peacemakers" and all 7 of them showed up. They are such "buena onda." Having them, plus my various friends and peeps from the recording studio... it was a good group. And...aside from the fact that in my drunken, nostalgic state I leaned up against a cactus on my balcony and wound up with microscopic and impossible to locate and/or remove splinters for a week - it was altogether a great night.



A couple of weeks ago I was invited to this underground tango orchestra. We show up at this warehouse which was completely hidden from the street... and I swear everyone in this dark hole in the wall knew each other somehow. The orchestra was impressive. Granted, if I were to listen to this music on a daily basis I would slowly slip into a suicidal coma - but as a show it was definitely something to see. Dark, brooding, very intense. here's a clip to give you an idea...



Anyways... on to the dancing...I wonder if some people really live there entire lives like this. I mean, dancing almost every night. It's really easy to do in this city where there are fabulous opportunities monday through sunday... I think I'll keep it up as long as I can :)

A couple of weeks ago one of my neighbors got a few free tickets to a big Tango show at a fancy auditorium in Recoleta (Super chic barrio). . . The show featured Miguel Angel Zotto and his company who are the top of cool and have done various world tours. Here are a couple of video clips to give you an idea of the caliber of these dancers... granted, this is tango for show, you wouldn't see anything this acrobatic in a real life milonga. If a woman tried to kick her leg that high she would without a doubt impale numerous couples dancing around her. But, for entertainment's sake... these tricks are way fun to watch.




As far as my own dancing pursuits go, I've worked my way up to the Tuesday night advanced Salsa class, which basically has given me a free pass to the "popular crowd" - I even got invited out for drinks with a group of advanced salseros and after a couple of hours of chatting and drinking over a picadita, we are now planning a party next Saturday in my apartment. Fun people. Great dancers.

Here's a video of me dancing a few weeks back... I have improved quite a bit since this was taken.



I suppose that's all for now... I hope that those of you reading this are happy, healthy and enjoying everyday of this crazy mixed up and utterly beautiful thing called life.

TJ