Robin Yukiko

 http://deborahcrooks.blogspot.com/2013/07/artist-interview-its-all-happening-for.html

 I just received my first hate mail. After reading all my songwriting articles, the gentleman said I was trying to put every songwriter into the same box. He called me the master of the formulaic approach. This actually made me…Read more

 
As I come to the end of a four-year recording project, I look back on vocal tracks I did two years ago versus a month ago. The difference is striking. After trying so many versions of the same song,…Read more

Mount Something, OR

I spent a long weekend in Portland with my husband who was competing in the Magic: The Gathering Grand Prix. We stayed with our good friend Joe Streckert (who had officiated our wedding). Apart from getting a…

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 Busking, or street performing for tips, is not for everyone long term. But trying it can yield fantastic results on many levels.

1. Good practice. You were going to practice anyway, right?

2. Tips. Depending on the…Read more

 Ha! It was a fabulous workshop tonight. A night of firsts, as well: The eloquent and knowledgable Tony Asaro joined as a special guest (or first!) and shared some great insights with everyone. Tonight was also our first time streaming…Read more

I worked part time at an ice cream booth on the pier when I first moved to the city. It was fun work for the most part, meeting tourists from all over the world and either thrilling or disappointing them…Read more

 This post is a little late in posting (I had to recover, after all), but here is my experience in Los Angelos from the past week.

Day #1 I took megabus (supercheap, you should try it) for the 7…Read more

 One of the main tools in your songwriting arsenal is the almighty Chorus. Sometimes it comes naturally, sometimes it is elusive. Oftentimes, it gets lost in the other sections and needs a way to stand apart. Here are nine unabashed…Read more

 I understand how frustrating the music industry can seem at times. Sometimes it's like you are shouting into a void and you hear no reply except your own echo. But you have to ask yourself something and then decide:
If… Read more

 I recently came across Bitter Gertrude’s blog post about a common problem made by beginning female playwrights. Being a gal who creates things, I thought this could apply to more than writing plays. Boy, was I right (pardon the expression)…Read more

Volary, a good friend and brilliant singer-songrocker, told me once to always write a bridge. I have since perpetuated this advice in my songwriting workshops is that you should always try to write a bridge because you never know…Read more