Tricia Sebastian: Journal

Well I have been having a crazy year of being a mom, business woman, and of course musician/teacher. 

This year has been some NEW changes for me and I have been moving in different directions, more towards my family life as my kids are both in school now. 

I am no longer working for Old Town School or Ravinia Festival but I do still perform!!!! Email ME ANYTIME! 

at t_ssebastian@msn.com  or leave a message on my website page!   My company name is TS Works LLC 

I have recorded so much music for kids for practicing, I have decided to rerecord them and make up third bilingual kids CD geared to the younger crowd with some fresh now sounds but some traditional and original material.  I'll let you know how it goes! Mil Besos xoxo 

Teaching Wiggleworms Mixed Ages in Evanston 10 AM and 11 AM classes for the Old Town School of Folk Music on Mondays if your interested in registration go to www.oldtownschool.org and look under Wiggleworms Sibling Classes there you should find my name and the Location Evanston to register. Hope to see you there! :o)

Also, I'm back on Tuesday's at Irving school with Kinder, 1st, and 2nd grade classes. We are studying Anasi and the Moss-Covered Rock, adding music, drama, art and all sorts of created and academic delights to preform in a few weeks. What a fun ride! Love to all...

Thanks to everyone for your support during the crazy year of 2010!!! I worked, I sang, I taught, I loved, I laughed, I cried, I was inspired and now am beginning the year with new ideas and songs for my singer songwriter adult music. Something different yes, there are many parts of me you haven't heard and the more I'm allowed to express myself the happier and more fulfilled I am. And I really hope that is portrayed in my music! I am back to work with Old Town School Of Folk Music teaching Wiggleworms in Evanston and also working with Ravinia's Music Discovery Program in the city at Irving Elementary K-3rd do music integration and I love it!! I hope to see you at some future concerts and if your interested in booking me please contact me at t_ssebastian@msn.com Cheers and love, Tricia

Well what can I say, it's been a crazy year! The CD sells are picking up and I'm starting to perform again for the summer. I had a big set back in my personal life! I'm starting to feel better now, but had to have a couple of surgeries for my little old brain, hence no journals or updating on my page. Thanks to everyone who has been supporting me through these tough times! Just know that no matter what, my music lives on and I already have plans for CD # 3! Woo hoo. Blessing to you all and Besitos too! With love, Tricia

Hi Everyone! I hope all is well and the warmer weather is blessing you with fun filled days outside with your family. The new CD has received favorable reviews and Canta Conmigo is selling well after it's re- release.

Thank you everyone for the support of you have shown by buying my CD's both in the stores and online! I really appreciate it. Many of us independent artist would never be able afford recording without your support. So, from the bottom of my heart THANK YOU. MIL GRACIAS.

I love making music for you and your children and I hope you know it spills out of my heart and I will do my best in the future to continue the path.

On a personal note, I have yet again been fighting my battles with health and underwent a pretty serious surgery in Feb 09 and now again in a couple of weeks will have another one. I'm scared as most of us would be, but my two beautiful daughters keep me focused on a positive outcome.

I have had to cancel a couple of shows one at the Chicago's Folk and Roots Festival and the other at Evanston Arts Festival both in July. Please be on the look out for me around Chicago for future gigs. As soon as I can I will be performing again. Count on that! Enjoy your summer!

Con Todo Mi Amor,

Tricia

My new CD Corazón Alegre – Happy Heart is here! Can you believe it? Some of you know that I have been talking and working on this project for a long time. I released my first family CD Canta Conmigo back in 2000 and since then I have been very busy with teaching, recording, gigging, and living life. Eight years have come and gone and I now have a family and many more responsibilities. I have continued my work with kids and will strive to always move forward and continue making music. The songs on my new CD are all connected to me in some special way. Many I wrote for my students and some I have sang since I was a very young girl. I hope you will enjoy them as much as I do.

I’d like to give a special thank you to all incredible musicians who recorded with me. Most of all I’d like to acknowledge Steve Rashid of Woodside Avenue Music Production in Evanston. He was the task master and without his skills and friendship I would have never finished! Oh and he makes a great espresso too!

Anyway, if you want to hear more, buy a CD! It’s all there, my happy heart! Besos, Tricia

Well can you believe I am done with my new CD. All that is left is the final graphics and duplication. I'm very excited to finally be completed with the music portion. I know it took a long time, but I hope it will be worth the wait when you hear it! I'll post a couple of tunes on my myspace in the next couple of weeks. Check them out. Loving the summer, Tricia

Hi Everyone, check out Ugly Betty tonight on ABC at 7pm and listen for my Chocolate song! I was just told a couple of days ago about it and am looking forward to hearing it again on national TV. Yippy! If you're visiting me here because of it, please return soon for my new CD which should be out mid June entitled Corazón Alegre. Also, Canta Conmigo CD has been sold out for almost a year but will also be coming back with a slightly new look. Thanks for all your support! And consider booking me at your next event!
Peace and Love, Tricia

Happy Easter!!!! I hope you are all well and staying away from the flu. It struck my family pretty hard. My little one, because she was a preemie, especially had a hard time. It took about two months of doctor, hospital, and ER trips to finally get her better. It continues to be a fine balance to maintain my life as a mom and musician. The mom part is increasingly challenging as my baby suffers from asthma and chronic ear and respiratory infections. I do love my job and will do my best to keep moving forward, but my children of course come first. My CD is moving along, Steve Rashid is mixing it now and I am going into the studio this coming week to have a listen and add some gritos. Music as been many things for me in my life, but for now it is my outlet and I appreciate all the opportunities I have to do it. In peace and love, Tricia

Hello out there, hope you all are well and happy and not freezing! I had a great week in the studio. The harmony vocals have almost all been recorded thanks to Shana Harvey, Karen Banks-Lubicz, Rose Nadolsky, James Hamilton, Alby, Anitra Romfh, Karen Outzen, and kids Celia, Sheila, Brenda, & Amabel. Steve Rashid will also be doing some singing on a couple of tracks. This week I am doing a bunch of misc. recordings mostly fixes and last minute changes. Then we are mixing!!! Yippy. It’s moving along. Praise the Lord it’s almost done!

I have been very busy the past three weeks. My residency for Ravinia Festival has started at a new school called Erie Elementary Charter School located near Division and Western Ave. in or right next to the Humbolt Park community. My students are for the most part bilingual and I fit right in. I love it. However, it’s been lots of extra work, but I am also making progress on the CD. I’ve been recording my final vocals and after next week will begin bringing in other vocalist for the background vocals. Things are moving along and we are hoping to be done with the recording part of it by Valentines Day. After that I need graphics and duplication. So it is coming hopefully sooner than later. I’ll update soon, for now take care of yourselves during this cold spell!! Love, Tricia

Hi Everyone, Happy New Year! I've been making slow but steady progress on my upcoming CD. I have about
90 +% of the music recorded and I’m beginning to record my final vocal tracks. Following that there are many more steps, but we are moving along. My Ravinia residency begins again from now till May so I will be dividing my attention. But I will be working hard to finish this CD.

I’ve been having lots of fun recording with some outstanding musicians. It’s been such an honor having them participate and play on my tracks. I’ll list them another time when I can get links to some of their websites. Anyway, your enthusiasm and encouragement for this project has been awesome. I love hearing from y’all! Thanks for the support!!!!! Happy New Year! Tricia

Hi Everyone, I’ve been busy the past couple of months with personal obligations but I have also been making steady progress on the new CD. It’s starting to sound more and more complete and I’m loving it. I hope you will too! The percussion tracks are all done and bass is almost there. Keep checking in and I’ll keep you posted on what’s been going on. Thanks for your support and keep positive I need the good vibes. Tricia

I've been enjoying my time in the studio. My scratch tracks are mostly done and we will start recording bass and percussion this week. I'm hoping that the entire project will be done by Fall. I've been working on reduplicating Canta Conmigo. I had to find a new graphic designer to help out and now it's finally starting to seem possible. I know I've kept many people waiting but it's coming! Plese hang on and keep checking back. Take care and keep playing!

I am currently in the studio recording again. I'm making slow but steady progress. I'm hoping to have the new album out by Fall. Let's keep our fingers crossed that everything will go as planned. I'm recording at Woodside Avenue a studio owned and operated by a very talented guy named Steve Rashid. You can read about him at http://www.woodsideavenue.com/steveRashid.html

This Friday 3/24/07 the Chicago Tribune is featuring some local Children's Musicians. I am one of them, check it out in the ON THE TOWN section.

I'm working on reordering so if you're looking for my CD it'll be here soon. Keep checking back and I'll post it when it arrives.

Hi everyone, I just wanted to say Thank You for all your kind words and enthusiasm about the commercial. It's been lots of fun hearing from you, and a great way to come back after such a crazy time in my personal life. Please sign my guestbook and join my email list. I'll be in touch with you about future gigs and music. Mil Gracias!!! Tricia

I recently flew to New York to record a commercial spot for Life’s new chocolate cereal. The session was at Avatar Studios on 54th Street between 9th and 10th Ave. It was a long but fun day of singing El Chocolate over and over again. I finally saw the commercial spot just the other night and thought it was great. I’m so glad I was a part of it. Hopefully you’ll see it too! Check out the Links page of my website for links to the cereal and the studio. Also take a look at the Gallery to view new pictures of my trip

Well, this is my last day of being a stay at home mom. I'm returning to work full force. Although I feel sad I'm leaving my beautiful girls, I know they will be in good hands and I am anxious to start singing and playing my guitar agian. I will be teaching CDLA & Estudiantina Classes at the OTS so if you were wondering please reregister! Also I'll be in New York on the 9th & 10th (my birthday) to record the song El Chocolate for a New Quacker Life Cereal. Lots of fun let's keep our fingers crossed it gets aired. My outreach program for Ravinia at Cleveland Elementary is starting this week and I have a gig at OTS over the weekend. A bit of a crazy 1st week, but still I'm happy I'll be working agian. Hope to see you all very soon! Peace out

Hi everyone! It's been three crazy months around here. I'm the proud mommy of a little baby girl who happened to come 3 months early. So you can imagine the stress I've been under. However, after 7 weeks in the hospital she is now doing well and we are enjoying our time together. I will be coming back to work for Ravinia in Jan. and OTS in March. So I hope to see you around.

Hi members, we are going to rehearse Wed July 5th at the Lincoln Building OTS 6pm-7:30pm in room B2. Drop me an email and let me know you're coming, I will put in some calls to tell everyone. See you there!

Last year for Folk and Roots Festival I made a CD out of my home studio with the songs the CDLA class was performing. It was well received and many people enjoyed it. So this year I did the same thing and I now have for a very short time a limited supply of the 7 song F&R CD. They are available for purchase through me. So if you would like to one please let me know ASAP. They are $7 and feature me and my brother Albert Martinez. Send me an email for more info. tsebastian@triciasebastian.com

June 25th at Cedar Playlot was cancelled due to rain. I know many people showed up, and it turned out to be a beautiful day. We hope you return this coming weekend on July 2nd for our rescheduled performance. Thanks for your support and I hope to see all of you agian!!!!

We are performing in 3 weeks. Unfortunately, it falls at the beginning of a new session, which means that we will have mostly new students who have to perform after three 45 min classes. That’s a little nuts. This is also a problem for the new Estudiantina class which is also learning instruments. We will do our best to teach the students the material and Alby and I are making a recording of the tunes that they can practice with. They will be on sell for $7 and hopefully be available by this week. Hope all can attend Sunday July 9th at 2:30 under the kids tent. We will be meeting much earlier for a last minute rehearsal and then all walk to the event together.