Susan Lily New Music


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Saturday 23 November 2013

Dear Wayne "Pricey" Price, thank you xx



There are people who come into your life who touch your heart and your soul and Wayne Price (Pricey) was one of those earth angels.  I’d released my very first radio single and was hoping it would be played on the community stations it had been sent to.  I was also going home a lot to Hay on weekends.  Dad mentioned that a guy called Pricey had heard my song, was playing it, and would I be interested in having a chat with him on air the next time I went home.  I was so excited that anyone would want to interview me that I said “yes”.  So I got to meet the man and entertainer behind the microphone on Hay’s popular Saturday morning show. 

I noted that his mobile phone would sound off the text message alert every few minutes; an indication of how interactive his show was.  He loved a laugh, and didn’t mind if it was at his expense too.  He had a running mock feud with a few people round town; something that we country folk do.  Mud-slinging is a form of love, affection and, respect and that shone through on Wayne’s show.  He and my mother would have a text feud through which he’d announce on air that “the wicked witch of the west” had been “harassing” him. 

Our view from the studio was out to the bushland and the platform of the old railway station (now a museum piece).  The air was fresh and we’d sit and laugh and chat with a coffee each about all and nothing.  In that gorgeous environment he was king.  A relaxed and genuine interviewer, he always took time and care with the artist he was talking with.  I learned, over time, that there were many stars of Australian Country Music who knew and loved him too.

Over the past 7 years I reckon Pricey has played my music more than anyone else on the planet.  I’m so grateful and humble at the same time.  Pricey filled the airwaves with music that he loved but also that he knew the town loved.  So many requests would flood in each morning and he would try and play them all.  He was a truly beautiful earth angel and now he is going to guard over all of us in his studio in heaven.

We lost a great man on the day that I celebrated my birth.  Now I know he will be remembered and celebrated every year in my household.  I will miss you Pricey; your grin, your care and, your beautiful soul.  Rest in peace Wayne, we will miss you always.


Love  Susan

Saturday 12 October 2013

My Mum the Car Whisperer

I’m from a small country town that has one main street with a smattering of side streets to park in when you go shopping.  My mother always had a number of “favourite” parking spots and invariably we regularly experienced  this question “kids, anyone remember where I parked the car?” 

We’d be loaded with grocery bags etc. and so the long march around to ALL the “favourite” parking spots would begin. Let me tell you, the car was always at the opposite end of the street when she asked the question too.

Gifted in many things, my mother’s ability to forget where the car was parked proved to be one her finest.  She once walked all the way home from work, right past the car, and then had to tell dad she’d forgotten that she’d driven to work that morning. 

She even began a tradition in town with where she parked the car.  Not one for reverse angle parking she would rarely be found parked on the main street.  However, it seemed that the days she DID park on the main street it would rain.  Out home we lived in a world of perpetual drought that was interspaced with small amounts of rainfall.   Word quickly spread round town and for many years mum would be asked “Did you park in the main street today?  We need the rain you know”

She’s fallen asleep in the car when giving me driving lessons and took her own driving test when I was but a babe in a bassinette on the back seat.  For my mum the car has been both a symbol of freedom and a talking point with so many.  I’m just not sure I’d let her park in a multistorey carpark by herself though.

Wednesday 21 August 2013

The Independent Music Artist part 1



My heart goes out to anyone who is currently doing a crowd-funding campaign for their next recording project.  It’s a hard slog, especially when you don’t have a great big fat fan base who’ve purchased all your other albums.  If you did have the aforementioned fanbase you would probably have a little more industry backing and maybe one of those elusive recording contracts that the media talks about.


In days gone by, when the majority of artists had recording contracts, everything was done and organised by a group of industry people.  Of course the artist would owe every cent back to the company (which is why some bands and recording artists went bankrupt) but at the same time those industry people knew who to contact and how to get the name of a new and exciting artist out to the general public.


These days there are very few recording contracts and even fewer if you are a country music artist in Australia.  As such every independent music artist does EVERYTHING that a recording company USED to do.  That includes funding every step of the way.  My very own album was paid for from my own pocket.  Then someone came up with the idea of raising money to fund a project and suddenly everyone who can use the web is setting up a project. 


Why are some successful and others not?  It’s a funny old world isn’t it.  Lots of people may say online or at gigs that they love someone’s music but when it comes to opening the wallet before a project is done a lot of people seem to be a little bit reluctant to actively become involved. So, what is the secret to a successful crowd-funding campaign?  When someone works it out, would you please let me know?  Thanks in advance.


So here I am, slowly regaining my savings and quality of eating (no more toasted cheese sandwiches or eggs on toast) and planning my own future projects.  How will I get there?  Not sure yet, but I have some ideas and when it’s time I will share them with the world.  

Until then I have an album which can be purchased digitally  (http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/susanlily)  or hard copy (by contacting me at susanlilyoz@gmail.com) or by contacting the lovely people at ELEVATOR MUSIC, SHOP 42 ALDINGA SHOPPING CENTRE, ALDINGA  SA   5173 (phone 08 8557 6221- within Australia)



Tuesday 9 July 2013

The Pink Balloon

The pink Balloon wafted into her daydream. It was so alive and real that her fingers tingled as she reached for the swaying ribbon.

She blinked a few times: startled by the feeling it was talking to her. "take heart" it said softly. "your path is here, you are on it and headed in the right direction for you.  Remember to rejoice in the small moments.  Write them down so you can see them when you are troubled.  We all wish things were different sometimes; that's normal.  Every step you take, no matter the size, is progress.  Remind yourself every day that the universe brought you to where you are for a reason. It will continue the journey and you may or not realise the purpose. Accept it for what it is, a step, a stop, a change.

Create tomorrow's history today where you can. Remember you're worth it, so very worthy.

Tuesday 2 July 2013

Dear Universe



She climbed under the covers, reached over  and turned off her bedside lamp, laid back and sighed.  “Dear Universe,” she whispered, “I would like it known that I am finished with the dating scene.  I’m so tired of it all; I would rather concentrate on simply enjoying life.  I hope you don’t mind. Goodnight” 


Looking back is not something I do very often and yet I found myself doing that as I wandered home after work today.  It’s July 2013 and who would have thought I’d be in a different city and state, a new job, plus have the most darling man in my life.  It was a bit of an odd moment when I lay in bed and told the universe to release me from the world of dating but now I see it as a pivotal one.  At the time I was tired of lots of things but especially the thought of being judged up close and personal.  We are constantly being judged and sometimes that’s simply a part of being in a society.  However, it’s also nice to be able to be around people who are happy with you the way you are.  


It’s so nice to be able to reflect on the recent past and know that where you are now is a product of the difficult times; times that you survived.  In 12 months I’ve come so far and so fast that it has blown my mind a little bit when I compare my life now to what it was back then.  


The universe certainly can deliver what we need; we just have to open our minds and our eyes to the possibilities and take a leap of faith every now and again.  I’m very glad I did, very glad indeed.

Wednesday 19 June 2013

Modern Dating - A Perfect Match



The following is a conversation between two fictional characters about a fictional date in a fictional town.  All names are fictional and bear no resemblance to anyone fictional or non-fictional... in fact, I’m not sure where the names came from.....

Jessica: “What did you do on the weekend?”
Penny: “Not much, went on a date.”
Jessica: “Oooh, how did it go?”
Penny: “Really great.  We had a lot of fun.”
Jessica: “Lunch?  Dinner?”
Penny: “Lunch”
Jessica: “What did you have?”
Penny: “I had a thai dish and he had a steak”
Jessica: “and how did you get along?”
Penny: “He’s so easy to talk with even though sometimes a bit hard to hear”
Jessica: “why was that?  Did he whisper?”
Penny: “no silly.  The signal was fading out and in”
Jessica: “Huh?”
Penny: “when we called each other!”
Jessica: “WTF? Why were you CALLING each other?”
Penny “WELL, he wanted STEAK and I wanted THAI. So we ate in different places silly!”
Jessica: “You were HAPPY with this????”
Penny: “Yeah sure.  I just had to have thai!  Next time we are going to try and find a place that does thai AND steak.”
Jessica: “So did you meet him or did he pick you up?”
Penny:” He picked me up at home.  Kinda romantic actually”
Jessica: “Well, how the f@#k did you get home then??”
Penny:” We met back at his car and he drove me home.  I’m not stupid!”
Jessica: “So did you get a chance to communicate a little better during the car trip home?”
Penny:”Well, I tried but he kept telling me that he couldn’t answer text messages whilst driving.  Something about crashing the car, cops... I dunno”
Jessica: “I give up” (smacks head with hand)

Sunday 2 June 2013

The Things You Find When You're Not Looking

It's funny what you can find when you aren't looking for it.  Take this next article that I found today as a "for instance" which was written on July 1st 2011.  I wasn't expecting to find it but I do remember what was going on around the time I wrote it.  I was a week away from launching my debut album and after losing my aunt to heaven in late May I was in need of something positive.  I must have felt truly blessed when I wrote this.  I still do feel rather fortunate given that back then I did not know how very different my life would be 18 months down the track.  So here it is.  I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I did when I rediscovered it.  

Love........



Love, even fleetingly can be good for the soul. Who says that it has to be forever? Who says it has to be textbook?  If the two people are happy with the situation they have then it’s fine.  There is only a problem when one wants more than the other can give, and demands it.  Love can cause pain yet it is a sweet one that gives a meaning to living.  True living happens when we feel, no matter what the feeling is.  If we deprive ourselves the gift of feeling we emanate a wall that people walk away from.   It’s perceived subconsciously as too much effort for potentially little gain.  Yet, if we open ourselves to love in one way perhaps we are setting ourselves for finding the lasting and realistic love we crave and deserve.  No instant however small is a waste of time.  Loving another does not mean you will share every moment, but loving another can open you up to a whole new world of opportunity within your own reality.  Love is always wanted and can always be found; we just need to have our receptors ready to take it and embrace it for the joy it brings.

Susan 
July 1st 2011 

 

Friday 5 April 2013

Rebuild and Give to Yourself



I used to be one of those people who detested the whole concept of going to a gym to exercise.  For me the time spent in a place where there was more sweat than air was just wasted.  I preferred to do something else like read a book under a tree in view of the ocean or recline to enjoy my favourite movie on the couch.  I tried a number of times to go to gyms, even to the point of paying a full year’s membership and then hating every minute of the gawking from the men and the stink eye from any women.  Then about 18 months ago I started having a rough time.  I was under extreme and unrelenting pressure in my workplace and nothing seemed to help redress how badly I was feeling.  Around the corner was a personal training business.  At first I thought the money I was going to spend was outrageously expensive. So I sat down and worked out a way for me to afford a twice a week trip to the joint.


Then I began my journey.  In all honesty I was a non-believer when it came to exercise making a difference to my life.  It’s not that I have been a couch potato and it’s not that I haven’t felt moments of great physical health in general.  In this case what I was inadvertently doing was protecting and healing both my body and my mind at the same time.  I never realised the link between the two.


It took me a long time to gain the courage to walk away from that job.  The exercise programme I was doing with my personal trainer became a therapy session for my brain too.  When I began to have successes and feel my body changing it freed up my mind to de-stress itself and start with fresh hope each week.  When the constant pain I had in my shoulders began to fade I felt relieved.  Tuesdays and Thursdays I would duck round straight after work and begin my de-stressing sessions with my personal trainer.  She taught me more than good posture and proper technique.  She showed me I was worth more than I thought I was.  I discovered an inner strength that I never knew I had.  Here was I a broken down human ( physically, mentally and, emotionally) who was essentially rebuilding herself.


Today most people will say they find me confident and fun to be around.  Nice contrast to how I used to feel.  My body is not cramped with stress and neither is my mind.  I’m no longer held by the shackles of a dysfunctional work environment and I am beginning again in a new state, city and home.  I’m so very happy now; really happy.  I’ve found a new gym, this time I’m in good company.  There are genuine people who, like me, are looking for ways to keep healthy and stay sane.  It’s like a small family and the owner/trainer of the gym knows everyone’s name and is always around to help when you need it.  I call my sessions “fun with Jack” which I think he really loved to hear.


If you find a gym you love or an exercise you like then don’t let yourself talk you out of it.  Find a way to budget so you can give to yourself every week and you’ll find a whole new perspective you never thought you had.  Did I mention I am taking up belly dancing again?  Oh, I’m also taking up salsa and rock n roll classes too now that I have someone to dance with  :)