I could not be more excited about sharing this first single by my band, THEY RULE.  Truth be told, we've thought of ourselves as a band for a good two and a half years, but it took this long to be ready to share the music and concepts with a bigger audience. Here's our story:

Michael Pereira and I have known each other for a hundred years, and have been performing on one another's solo projects along the way.  A few years ago, we started talking about making a record that paid homage to the music we grew up listening to in Miami, in the eighties and nineties.  We got together to see if we could make anything interesting happen during a five day writing/recording hang.  The music we made in that initial session far exceeded our expectations, and gave birth to the first four songs on our forthcoming album.  We kept going.  We have lived anywhere from nine hundred to two thousand miles apart for the entire duration of our creative partnership, a fact that has been challenging but also given way to new approaches for collaboration. 

Our project has taken us out of our everyday personas and created new characters to express our ideas through: Microphone Mike and Beatriz La Beatz.  While their story is a sort of composite of our own lives, it has become its own saga, and Mike and Bea definitely have their own relationship.  Their history will be told through the full-length album, Make-Ups & Break-Ups, slated for release later this summer.  For now, the single "Microphone Love" will give you an idea of who they are, and what they value: music and love. 

Please support independent music.  If you like the song, it's only a dollar to own it, and you'll be helping more music make its way into the world.

Thank you,

buick audra, a.k.a. Beatriz La Beatz

my first affair with a microphone was with a Soundelux
I borrowed it from a friend of mine 'cuz they cost a thousand bucks
that U195 was mine on every single track
eventually that sad day came when I had to give it back

oh my, from condenser to directional
my transducer is perfectional
I find my sweetest heaven
when I use my magic SM7

I love my microphone
it's microphone love

the first microphone that I ever owned was no-name SM58
I bought it at the strip mall RadioShack, way back
'88 was the year, to be exact
I'd sing into that microphone loud as hell, no one home

People die all the time, and lately it seems like the music community is losing its legends on an almost weekly basis.  Still, something about Yauch's death feels different to me.  I've spent the last twenty-four hours mulling over why that is, in between bouts of grief that bring me to tears.  The loss of a creative spirit is always profound, and I never take it lightly, but some artists are so much larger than life that they feel like visitors from other planets.  Their fame separates them from the rest of us, putting them behind a glass wall, only to be observed.

But, when I think about MCA, I feel like I lost a friend.  I know that dude listened to Bad Brains and ate vegan doughnuts just like me.  He skateboarded and painted murals on walls.  He played bass in a Punk Rock band with his two brothers, Mike D. and the King Ad-Rock.  At the height of his fame, he made mindful contributions to organizations working with homeless youth and wote activist anthems for the causes he felt strongly about.  My tribe, my people - we live like that.  We believe in the greater good and that we have a hand in making a better day for our generation and the ones after us.  We learn from Run D.M.C. and Fugazi, and everyone in between.  We believe that love and positivity will ultimately win over hate.

Our team lost a good man yesterday, and it reminds me to take the big chances for the right reasons. I am so saddened by the untimely passing of a brother, but all the more grateful for what he taught us all through his music and his actions.  It's our job to keep making new roads, with courage and love in our hearts.  Thanks for the stunning example, MCA.

Rock,

buick audra

"So as pray and hope and the message is sent
And I AM living in the dreams that I have dreamt..."

~Adam Yauch/Beastie Boys, "Year And A Day"

Yours in Love and Rock,

buick audra

Enjoy,

buick audra

I started with someone that I've recently developed a working friendship with, based on a collaboration of ours, Chuck Treece of McRad.  'Weakness' is a song that is near and dear to all who loved skateboarding and/or punk music in the '80's.  My interview with him is finally up for you all to check out.  More incredible artists and songs to come!

Rock, buick audra

I'm checking in with some small, but cool announcements about my musical goings-on.  I've actually been chipping away at the mountain of Stuff To Do that I started this year with, and progress has been made.

1. The most recent development is that my brother just spent a week down here in Nashville, and his record (which I've been referring to as the Fortune Teller record) is now ready to be mixed.  We finished production and editing on all twelve songs, and even did some pretty decent rough mixes for him to live with.  We started tracking the album in May of last year, so it feels really great to have something to show for it - something pretty incredible, at that.  We plan to mix it over the next six weeks, and then I'll let you know what happens from there.
2. My super secret side project is much closer to having a finished album as well.  I've been editing and finishing production on that since the end of January (with a week off to give Fortune Teller my full attention).  I love it, and I bet you will too.  I'm thrilled to announce that we have Chuck Treece on a track that isn't for the album, but will probably be released around the same time (maybe this summer).  We covered his band McRad's song, 'Weakness', and he was gracious enough to lay down some sweet guitar tracks for us - on the road with the Lemonheads, no less!  I think he's going to do some of his own remixes of the song, which I promise to shove down your throats as soon as they're available.  The album ought to be ready for mixing by the end of this week.
3. The video that we shot for my song, 'True Story' from Family Album is just about done.  Yes, it took close to four hundered years.  Yes, I'm pretty much a different person than I was when we shot it... But, hey.  It documents a split second in our lives, and it sure does look pretty.  I'll obviously have it up here when I get a final copy.
4. Also in the realm of videos, on March 23rd, a live perfomance of me covering 'Under The Milky Way' by the Church will go live.  It was recorded as part of The Survivors music series.  We tracked my song in early December of last year - and I'll be seeing it for the first time along with the rest of the world, later this month!  I hope I did the song justice - I've loved it my whole life.  Check the project out, it's pretty interesting.
5. Two of my fantastically creative friends have been making a film for the past three years, called The Hunt For Good Americans.  It looks like this is their year for unveiling to the rest of us, and I'm kind of dying to see it.  I have a cameo in it, I wrote and performed a little song for it, and they've also decided to use 'Brand New Lie' from Family Album in the film.  Cool!
6. I have a new-ish band called Friendship Commanders with my husband, Jerry Roe.  We started an EP here in Nashville, but it looks like we may start over on that out West.  There is a rare and rad opportunity to record with some new folks, and I think we just might take it.  If it happens at all, it'll happen later this month.
7. Lastly, Ive been plugging away at both my Descendents quilt and blog, as well as the weekly posting of unreleased demos.  Please feel free to check those projects out.

That's it!  Thanks for your time and attention.  Go make good stuff.

~buick audra

I'm going to start intermittently posting some unreleased demos of mine up on my bandcamp page.  This terrifies me to the bone, as I'd love for you all to think that music just comes out of my mouth fully produced and mixed - but it just isn't so.  Most of my songs start with me sitting on my living room floor, or the edge of my bed, pretty much talking to myself.  If I'm feeling smart, I record what happens next so I don't forget it later on.  These documentations are in piles of digital files, just collecting cyber dust, so I've decided to share a handful of them.  This first one is called 'Simply Said'.  It's about four years old now, but I've always loved it and hope to record it For Real when I get any money or time to do so.  Sigh.

Thanks for listening,

buick audra

ALL

Those of you who know me will find this project to be no surprise.  For those of you who don't, let me introduce myself.  I'm Buick Audra.  I have the All-O-Gistics on my music room wall and I wear a gold pendant that says 'Good Good Things'.  In short: I'm a Descendents fan.  I also happen to be a maker of sorts.  These two parts of who I am will come together over the following thirty-six weeks. 

I currently live in Nashville where I enjoy a fairly chill life of making rock music and the occasional vegan cupcake.  I have a rad husband and a little old cat who wears a tuxedo, full time.  In past lives, I've also been the creator of many a thing out of fabric.  Lately those projects are becoming fewer and fewer, I guess to make way for the music.  It all started with quilting, many many years ago, and I've decided to get back in touch with that part of who I am.  I was recently flipping through a book of five hundred and one quilt squares and fantasizing about making a kind of sampler.  I've set out to do just that, though I'm adding my own punk rock twist: each square will have the name of a different Descendents song on it, by way of some fairly shoddy hand embroidery.  They will all be six inch squares with satin stitch embroidery.  I'm doing my best to pay homage to the Descendents font (Franklin Gothic Extra Condensed), but, yo... That's no joke, right there.  It will in no way be perfect, but I think it will be fun as hell.  I'm going to do one square per week, for the next thirty-six weeks.
This is my first square, and I started where it made the most sense to: ALL.

Enjoy, fellow Descendents nerds... Enjoy.
- B.A.

1. Write one more song for the Friendship Commanders EP.
2. Record that and two other songs for that same project (three already done!).
3. Edit tracks and finish vocals for top secret side project.
4. Finish tracking Bo Bertold's vocals for the Fortune Teller album.
5. Edit and mix the Fortune Teller album.
6. Work on the garments for the Ringing Bell project.
7. Sleep sometimes.
8. Do yoga badly in the living room to a weird lady's instructions on a DVD.
9. Drink lots of coffee.
10. Learn how to properly "tweet".

What's your year looking like so far?

Rock,

buick audra

I'm terrible at this website thing, but I do care, and therefore continue to try to improve.  As there are roughly thirty-three hours left in this year, I find myself reflecting on what's happened since this time last year.  I'm sure I'll forget a thing or five, but here's most of the truth:

1. We released Family Album.  Oh yes we did.
2. We shot a video for 'True Story', which may never see the light of day... But, we tried.
3. I co-produced a terrific record for a project called Fortune Teller.  That should be in your hands and hearts this coming year.  If you buy any music next year, let that be it.
4. My secret side project fell apart and then regained it's footing in the eleventh hour.  High-five to working through the tough spots.  More on that in the secret future.
5. I started a rad EP with a new band called Friendship Commanders.  We hope to give you six face-melting songs to light furniture on fire to very soon.
6. I got my very first instrument endorsement, and LOVE my new Taylor 614ce.  Rules.
7. Jerry Roe and I got hitched in our back yard.  Awesomeness cubed.
8. I got an SM7 mic, and will never let you forget it as long as I live.  You'll all rue the day my pals gave it to me.  You just wait.
9. Eleven of us rallied together to knit scarves for a local homeless shelter for families at Christmas.  I'm very proud of our efforts.
10. I have love and friendship in my life today, and credit everything above to that gift alone.  

Happy new year, gang.  Drive safely and beware of psychos in general.

Word,

buick audra