jaimes

Musicians like Kristin Hersh and Tonya Donelly of Throwing Muses were a huge inspiration to me as a teenage girl guitarist trying to feel at home in a sea of punk rock boys. Records like The Real Ramona and Hips and Makers acted as rafts for insecure girls like me to climb on top of and play without drowning.

During my teen years, there were only a handful of known female musicians who could really play and who played in undeniably great bands. And they all seemed to know each other. Throwing Muses, Belly, and The Breeders shared and traded members like the MVPs of the underground pop scene.

After Throwing Muses broke-up, Kristin went on to play solo, at times playing all of the instruments on her records. She’s complicated, authentic, and wears her truths on her sleeve. Diagnosed as schizophrenic, and later, bi-polar, she’s had some heavy demons to battle, and her albums show the scars.

What happens to the punk rock kid when she grows up becomes a mother? Does she put that part of her to sleep with a lullaby? (more…)

Last weekend, I met up with an amazing group of women called ArtMamas Atlanta, and we watched the documentary Who Does She Think She Is? The film profiles the lives of five mothers who are visual and performing artists.

Each woman in the film honestly tells her story of carving out a career as an artist in the throes of motherhood. If the names and faces of these artists are not familiar, their daily rituals are common to us all: the mad rush to get to school or to and from after-school activities; the sounds of a crying baby or injured toddler; slicing vegetables in preparation for dinner. And the personal struggles that can surface in any relationship: partners feeling neglected, teenagers feeling embarrassed, divorce, and paying for bills and groceries on a meager income. Sacrifices abound in these women’s lives, but creativity trumps hardship when you are living with purpose. (more…)

When I was a kid, I used to daydream about running away and making a home for myself. Not in any permanent way, I loved my family. I just enjoyed the idea of making a home for myself away from everyone and everything. Like a treehouse in the backyard I could visit but still be close to home. That would have been perfect, but we moved too often to set up a treehouse. I’m not complaining about the moves. I learned the blessings of impermanence at a young age. Moving often was great practice for accepting change and letting go of the old, to make way for the new.

I got in the habit of daydreaming about homes in unusual places. Driving by an underpass, I would imagine a makeshift home with a sleeping bag. I imagined living in one of those huge cylindrical cement tubes out by the railroad tracks. I pictured mattresses, cushions, and curtains to keep out the rain. Lest you think I only fantasized about the hobo life, I thought of real homes, too. I’d picture myself living in a round house on the beach, sitting atop stilts, like the homes in the Outer Banks of North Carolina, where my family used to vacation. Wide, open spaces with minimal furniture. Windows open with only the sound of the ocean and the wind to keep me company. These images comforted me. I lured myself to sleep many, many nights decorating these makeshift homes. (more…)

Guess who won’t be getting drunk for nine months?

I’ve wanted to do a profile on Kaitlin Olson, who plays Dee on It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, for months now; but she’s not a mom and I really try to stick to the mama theme on this site. But now, that’s all changed, because…

Surprise bitches! Sweet Dee is pregnant. (more…)

I know nothing about art. I can play music; I can write; I can dance and do yoga. All of these things require coordination and rhythm, which I have. Is there rhythm to writing? Yes, absolutely. Just read a poem if you don’t believe me.

While I can appreciate visual art (how hard is it to nod at a painting?), I cannot do it. Believe me, I have tried. Just ask my daughter, who is not afraid to say her daddy is “a much better drawer” than her mommy. No matter. We all have our strengths. Did I mention I can imitate Pee Wee Herman AND most of the Spongebob characters?

Anyway, I have no clue how to critique art or break it down or compare it and categorize it; like music, I just know if I like it. So, when Stephanie of Weekday Women here in Atlanta suggested I profile the Taiwanese American artist, Marlene Tseng Yu, I had no idea how I would do it. But, then I checked out Yu’s art, and I knew exactly what to do; because like all great artists, she inspired me. Not to paint, but to create nonetheless. (more…)

I hunt the internet often for talented musician moms to highlight on jaimes. On these treacherous searches through the internet jungle, I sometimes find great bands who do not fall under the ‘moms who rock’ category.

I’m not a big fan of record reviews, which may sound odd coming from a writer. But, why do I need three paragraphs on what a record sounds like when I can just listen to the band to see if I like them? If I don’t like a band, no amount of adjectives or metaphors is going to convince me otherwise. So, when I’m looking for new music, I tend to just listen to one or two mp3 tracks for about 10 seconds and say yay or nay, or sometimes hmmm…which leads to 10 more seconds of another song.

Here’s a few bands that made it past my 10 second test. These are 2010 releases that I play while I blog, do the dishes, and play Chutes and Ladders with the kids.
(more…)