Debra Arlyn: Blog

Hi !


Wanted to share some exciting news with you! I was just informed that my song "Tell Me Now" is a Top 3 Finalist in the 2009 John Lennon Song Contest, for the Pop Category!

The John Lennon Songwriting Contestis an international songwriting contest that began in 1997. The Contest is open to amateur and professional songwriters.

Natasha Bedingfield, The Black Eyed Peas, The Bacon Brothers, Ken Komisar and The Veronicas are some of the Judges - and to know they were apart of deciding the Finalist and Winners is a great feeling, especially since I admire much of their work!

It looks like I will be receiving some very cool prizes shortly, including a new iPod -- which is something I very much need! Ha ha.

For more info on the contest and to listen to the work of other Winners, check these out:


http://www.jlsc.com/winners/2009a/finalists.php
http://www.debraarlyn.com
http://www.myspace.com/debraarlyn


Thanks always for your support!


Debra ;)


Homeslice Music

www.debraarlyn.com
www.myspace.com/debraarlyn
debra@debraarlyn.com

Hi Friends!

Just wanted to let you know my song "Worth the Wait" was recently in an episode of the E! tv show "Keeping up with Kardashians".

The episode ran last month, and was titled "Distance Makes the Heart Grow Fonder".

My tune softly played in the backround as Kim and her boyfriend Reggie Bush snuggled on the couch. Cute! Ha ha

I was really happy they chose my song, it's always a thrill to hear your song on television.

Check out the episode on repeat if you can.

Thanks always for your support-

Debra ;)

www.debraarlyn.com www.myspace.com/debraarlyn

Hi -

I've had such an incredible last few shows, and I wanted to share
them with you!

I opened for not 1... but 3 major bands! The legendary Chris Isaak,
the incredible Tower of Power & the soulful Curtis Salgado!

http://www.chrisisaak.com http://www.towerofpower.com/2007/ http://www.curtissalgado.com/
All 3 bands/artists were extremely gracious and wonderful to us back
stage - we had a lot of fun hanging out, and playing for huge crowds
of almost 8,000 people!

Look at the pics from these shows here:

http://www.myspace.com/debraarlyn http://www.debraarlyn.com
I had a chance to get a pic with each artists, and talk to them about
music! I was pleasantly surprised at how approachable and willing to
talk all 3 artists were. It was such an incredible opportunity! Hope
you enjoy the pics ;)

Sunday, August 10, 2008


So much to talk about over the weekend! Read on...

Hey Everyone -

I've had a pretty interesting weekend that I wanted to share with you...starting with this past Friday, which as we all know was 8.8.08.

As Bob and I were driving out to our show in Prossar, WA we starting noticing some weird stuff involving the number '8'. Let me explain...

1. It was 8.8.08
2. We had to take HWY 82
3. We had to take Exit 80
4. Our hotel reservations were 3882..
5. My room number was 215 (2+1+5 = 8) and Bob's room number was 107 (1+0+7 = 8)

Now, we were both trying to figure out what this meant. Was it a sign? We'll here's where it gets creepy...

Just as we were about to load in and sound-check for our show (which was supposed to be a wine tasting event) a huge thunder/lighting/wind storm swooped in and starting blowing over tents. A hill not too far off in the distance had been hit with lightening and started a fire the night before. For some reason, the event organizers didn't feel the stage for the musicians needed a tent. hmmm....as a result, all the sound equipment and some of the musical equipment got drenched.

Needless to say, our show was cancelled. Was this storm in any way apart of all the strange '8' phenomenon? I dont know...I'll leave that up to you. HA.

We felt bad that we we'rent able to perform, so we agreed to play a show at a local downtown resturaunt instead. I wont go into the details of the night, but I will say this...BIG MISTAKE.

When you cant even get through your first song w/o 3 people walking up to the stage and saying 'TURN IT DOWN...YOU'RE TOO LOUD'...you know it's not gonna be a good night. Keep in mind that it was just myself & Bob at this show, playing at the volume of -15 & we didnt even use the sound system. The one speaker we had was facing the wall behind us. Grrrr....but, anyway...we got a nice free dinner ;)

It seems that the next day, our luck had changed as we headed back to Portland to perform at the super fun Bite of Portland Festival. We shared a set with our friends Intervision & The Liv Warfield Experience. It was so much fun!

There was TONS of people, and the crowd response was very supportive and energetic. Definatly one of the best shows we've had in a while. Check out some pics on this site...there's some good ones!

Anyway...it was an interesting weekend that showed me that one day can be...well, not so much fun...and then the next can be a blast! You just never know what life is gonna throw at you...especially as an independant musician.

Thanks to everyone who comes to my shows, supports my music, buys my cd's...and never utters the words "Turn Down" to me...you're much appreciated. ha ha.

Debra ;)

The state of Washington + playing music = good times
Current mood: chipper

Hey there-

I'm feeling really positive at this moment and thinking about what a cool few days i just had with my band in our very friendly neighbor of a state, Washington.

We played 3 shows in 2 days, and all 3 shows were alot of fun. The Washingtonians were very kind to us...overall we sold over 70 CD's in 2 days. Im really thankful for everyone who bought the CD at the show. It means alot to me to have your support.

First off we played an awesome show at Clearwater Casino on Bainbridge Island to around 400 - 500 peeps, followed by a show at Clark Colleges Annual Spring Thing Event, and capped off by a very intimate and yet mucho lively show at the historic Edgewater Hotel in Seattle. Each show very different from eachother in presentation and volume...but equally lovely.

I think I only got a total of 10 hrs of sleep over these past 3 days (not counting the times i slept in the back seat of out tour van...thats not real sleep ha ha) but it was really great hanging out with the guys along with some of our new WA friends. I've always liked Seattle venues and people alot...so far they've yet to disappoint.

I dont know if I've mentioned this so much on here, but sometimes being an independant musician is tough stuff...being a 'sensitive artist' type...makes this lifestyle sometimes not that easy...but this weekend was really positive and made me realize how crazy/random/cool/exciting/unordinary my life is.

Anyway...thanks to all our new and old Washington fans. We're tyring real hard to come up and play another a few shows for ya.

Thats all folks ;)

PS. Again I'm reminded that Oregon not having sales tax RULES!!!! ha ha

New Music Review - from a fan!
Current mood: excited
Category: Music

* I was so happy to see that a new fan of mine came to my show, and then wrote a review! Nothing means more to me then knowing that people care about my music and want to share it with others. i appreciate that so much. so, i posted the review below...read on! thanks elissa ;)


________________________________________________________________________________

Erin and I went to hear Oregon native, Debra Arlyn, at Bombs Away Café in Corvallis, Oregon last night. We first discovered the 23-year-old prodigy's music after a co-worker saw her perform at Luna here in Eugene and brought her CD into work. It instantly became a front-desk favorite.

I will tell you one thing, this girl can wail. Somehow they stuffed a mature soul singer into this little, blond, white girl. Erin and I repeatedly found ourselves looking over at each other in disbelief at her range and vocal ability.

I had initially been exposed to Arlyn's music from the LP, Complicated Mess, with music and lyrics written by the singer at the tender age of nineteen. Last night's show featured many unreleased cuts that were heavy with her new maturity. Deeply steeped in classic soul, blues, jazz, and funk, Arlyn's music has moved beyond the mainstream, radio-ready pop tracks from the first album into something both nostalgic and refreshingly new. Heartfelt, honest songwriting and homage to her musical inspirations set her apart from the cliché, cookie-cutter pop acts that saturate the airwaves. She will be a star, it is just a matter of being in the right place at the right time.

Arlyn remains extremely approachable. Her family members manage her performances and she continues to play very small venues. However, when you hear her sing, the walls seem to crumble around you with the power of her voice. The space is pushed back and you can almost see the future – some great concert hall with an exponentially increased audience and her music wrapping around even those in the cheap seats.

I am keeping my fingers crossed for her to get a deal with Capitol. The label seems to have done right by my beloved, The Decemberists, allowing them to remain true to their roots – and even branching out – while enjoying the benefits of major label promotion.

All else aside, we had an extremely enjoyable evening. We look forward to seeing her again and hearing the new album. Check out her website for a listen and to see her touring schedule, www.debraarlyn.com. She is also a "friend" on MySpace, so feel free to link to her from my page.

On a personal note, Debra recognized me from MySpace and came over and said hello and hugged me. Ok, girl, you have a fan for life. What a sweetie. ; ) Check her out!


- Elissa