Holly O'Reilly: Journal

The song, "One More Time", is a finalist in the International Songwriting Competition.

For more information, see www.songwritingcompetition.com

Happy New Year! 2008...holy crap.

Maddy is going to be 13 in April. My son will be 5 in September. When the crap did this happen?

I'm in school full time and working part time and its kicking my ass. I love it, though.

Not touring a lot, but am writing a bit.

I just put up a new song called "Fearless". Its a crappy demo I recorded on my computer, but you can see where I'm heading for the next record. It is at myspace.com/giftsandburdens.

Yes! I'm fine! No! I did not get my heart broken.

This is written for someone who felt like he needed to rush to commitment because he was afraid I might go elsewhere if he didn't.

Commitment cannot be made out of fear. It has to be fearless.

love to you-

xo
h

So, its the holiday season again, and do you know what fits PERFECTLY
into stockings??

(Technically, it depends on the size of the stocking...)

Normally, I'd send you to CD Baby, and I will provide those links
below, but one of my long time fans who is now a friend had a good
idea...

He emailed me and asked if I would sign a few CDs to give as presents
to his friends this Christmas. Much more personal than buying from
Amazon or CD Baby! I will even wrap and tag them. Yup...that's
right...signed, wrapped, tagged and delivered to your doorstep.

You can PAYPAL me at holly@cakerecords.com and let me know which
one(s) you want signed, and who to sign them to:

Gifts and Burdens $15.00
How It Is $15.00
Dream in Red $15.00
Live in New York City (cdr) $10.00
Three Chord Plea (cdr) $10.00

Or, a package of all five cds, signed, for $50.00.

You can also order by MAIL...just email me for details. hollyAThollyoreillyDOTcom

(The price includes shipping.)

If you just want to order cds and don't care if they are signed or
not, you can do that at CD Baby:

Gifts and Burdens
http://cdbaby.com/cd/figueroa5

Dream in Red and How It Is
http://cdbaby.com/group/figueroa

(Live in New York City and Three Chord Plea are out of print...you
can only order them from me, and I will hand make them for you.)

And, you can get tshirts, too!

http://www.cahootsmanagement.com/buy.html

Please order by December 10 to ensure delivery by Christmas!

I am excited and happy to report that my record, "Gifts and Burdens" has made it through NARAS (Grammy folks) scrutiny and is, in fact, on the ballot for the first round of voting in the category of Contemporary Folk Album! I am so grateful for this opportunity.

Now here' the deal: If you are a voting member of the academy, I hope you will consider "Gifts and Burdens" when filling out your ballot. If you are not familiar with the record, please check out selected tracks at http://www.myspace.com/giftsandburdens, or contact jim@cahootsmanagement.com to obtain a copy of the full disc.

If you know a voting member, by all means sit them down and make them listen! I have no idea who else is in this category, but I am sure they are all amazing and deserving and I wish them all the best!

In 2001, I put out my second record, "Dream in Red". The title track was based on the book "Into the Wild", by Jon Krakauer. The song was featured on NPR's "All Things Considered", and has consistently been one of my most requested songs during live performance.

Sean Penn has directed a movie based on the life of Chris McCandless. The trailer is here:

http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoID=2038412085

A quote from the movie, "I read somewhere how important it is in life not necessarily to be strong, but to feel strong."

I really identify with this statement, especially lately. The movie looks great...and Eddie Vedder did the soundtrack, with Charlie Musslewhite on harmonica...I mean...crap...the music alone is bound to be frickin' amazing. (The book is one of my personal favorites! I do hope this movie rox.)

Anyway, I put my song, "Dream in Red" up on my myspace page. :-) I hope you enjoy it...here are the lyrics. Hope you are having a great weekend.

xo
h

***

Dream in Red
H Figueroa, © 2000

five miles from salvation
came the end of the road
nothing but raging water and shifting sand
between you and home

I guess you knew that feeling all too well
like you'd never make your way
through the elements that seemed intent
on keeping contentment away from you

did you have some hope to hold onto
did you crave a little trust
did you wish that things could be different
with the ones you loved

there's no question you were strong
and now question you had to fight
but was your search for peace worth your life

did you dream in red and hope things would be okay?

looks like you were trying to make it home
work things out with your family
but late thaw and weariness meant you died cold and lonely

no one spoke a word, when they returned to where you died
no questions asked and none answered
no one understands why

because we all find some hope to hold on to
and we all crave a little trust
and we all wish things could be different with the ones we love

did you dream in red and hope things would be okay
but the hue grows deeper every day
so maybe in the end you could understand what
we don't know

maybe that kind of peace is worth dying for.

Here is a review of the new CD that the Seattle Weekly did, in
preparation for the show at the Tractor next Tuesday, April 17th.

http://www.seattleweekly.com/calendar/short-list/

If that makes you kinda wanna get the CD:

http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/figueroa5

Here's the link to buy tix before the show at the Tractor:

http://tinyurl.com/25nvnw

Another review from FAME:
http://www.acousticmusic.com/fame/p04210.htm

There is a video up of me singing "One More Time" from a show here on
Bainbridge Island on my myspace page:
http://www.myspace.com/giftsandburdens

"Gifts and Burdens" has been featured on NPR's "All Songs Considered"
this week. Yay! You can hear it at:

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=8959839

(if you can't click it, go to npr.org and search "Holly O'Reilly".)

CD Baby has sold out of the record right now, but fresh stock should
be there by tomorrow at the latest...you can buy it at
http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/figueroa5

And a request from me to you...I'd really like to play Bumbershoot
again this year.

http://www.bumbershoot.org/fresh-artist-picks.htm

So, if you'd really like me to play Bumbershoot too, and/or you
really want someone else you like to play, you can say so. :-)

And:

I'm playing at the Tractor Tavern in Seattle on
Tuesday, April 17th, 2007
8PM (I'm on at 9)
Seattle (Ballard), WA 98110
w/Blame Sally
http://www.myspace.com/blamesally

I'm playing with Zak Borden on mandolin and Dan Tyack on dobro.

:-)

xo
h

Hi!

At first, I accidentally typed "lots of bi news" in the header, and
while appropriate in some circles, is not appropriate for the header
of this message.

I'm listening to Dave Matthews "Under the Table and Dreaming" for the
first time in maybe 5 years. It is amazing how much can happen in five
years. I have your cards and messages from the last few months on my
windowsill in my room/office. They inspire me every day to work hard
and remember I'm not alone.

As a huge THANK YOU for all of your help and encouragement and good
thoughts, I've decided to give my new CD, "Gifts and Burdens" away for
free at my Seattle CD release at the Triple Door on March 20.

Yup.

When you show up, you get a free CD. If you already have one, that's
okay. This new pressing will have lyrics inside and the songs will be
remastered. Oh, and the tracks will be listed right on the back. (Its
the little things, really.)

Tickets are $12.00 online, $15.00 the day of the show. A deal either
way, considering getting in PLUS getting a CD would be around $30.00.
Now you can have the duck! Yum! (or the tofu. Or two more martinis.)

Click this link to buy tix online:

https://secure.guestbridge.com/r.asp?siteid=89&day=20&month=3&year=2007&time=1170&showname=HOLLY+O'REILLY+(FIGUEROA)+w%2fopener+Rachel+Harrington

or this one, if that link doesn't work:

http://tinyurl.com/35korp

What? You live in Guam and can't come to the show? (Why do I always
use GUAM? I don't know. I think it sounds funny. Maybe that's why.
GUAM. hehe. I heard on "The Beat" here in Seattle a couple of days ago
that something happens chemically in one's brain when they crack a
joke and it works...some type of adrenalin rush, which is why EVERYONE
is a comedian, right? I mean, take my wife...)

Shhh...don't pass it around, because there are only 15 left...but I
dropped the price of the new cd on CD Baby until March 20, or until
they are gone. :-)

http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/figueroa5

And you can get it on Itunes now too:

http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewAlbum?id=214610293&s=143441

or this one, if that link doesn't work:

http://tinyurl.com/2r82p8

OKAY, so here's the news:

1) I've accepted an endorsement deal from Luna Guitars! A
representative from the company came to my house on Saturday and
brought over a bunch of them. They are all gorgeous, and it was hard
to choose, but I picked out one of the beauties in the "Muse" line,
and it sounds AWESOME. Check them out: http://www.lunaguitars.com

2) I'm playing with a talented bunch of female singer songwriters on
a Carnival Cruiseship in August, and I want YOU to come along! Check
out the particulars here:

http://www.susansouza.com/kiss/kiss07_cruise.htm

And if you want more detailed, personal information, email me at
holly@hollyoreilly.com

Okay. I think that's it for now.

OH! One or two more things.

KBCS has put the new record in their library on "heavy rotation".
Yeah! KEXP has also added the record to their library, and KMTT is
playing it on specialty shows, but they need requests to play it. I
won't go on and on here again about how/when to request...but the info
is all on my site: http://www.hollyfigueroa.com/news.html

AND...I put some pics up of me and the kids on my site too...they
won't be up there for long, I just wanted you guys to see how well we
are doing. :-) :

http://www.hollyfigueroa.com/photos.html

I feel like I'm forgetting something, but it will just have to wait
until next time. :)

Love,

Holly

(PS...HOW HIGH was Dave? I mean...seriously. "I was there when the
bear ate his head...he thought it was a candy". Jesus. And that was
the single!!)

So...you want to hear the new record before its released?

Its on the radio! But you'll have to listen at these times, and if you really, really want to hear it, you should say so!

Here's how:

You can request songs on KEXP (and if you aren't in Seattle, you can
still request and listen online! KEXP.org) by emailing:

Don Slack, host of "Swingin' Doors", 6-9PM, Thursday nights
ctowndj@kexp.org (he played my cover of Richard Buckner's "Boys, the
Night Will Bury You" last week. :-)

Abe Beeson, host of "Audioasis" 6-9PM Saturdays, sonic@kexp.org

Greg Vandy, host of "The Roadhouse", 6-9 PM, Wednesday nights,
gregvandy@kexp.org

KMTT, 103.7 FM
http://www.kmtt.com <http://www.kmtt.com/>
(you can also listen to kmtt and kbcs online!)

Drew Dundon, "Sunday Brunch"
Sundays (duh) from 8-12n
drewdundon@entercom.com

KBCS, 91.3 FM
http://kbcs.fm <http://kbcs.fm/>

Richard Gillmann, richard@nwfolk.com
Lunch With Folks
Tuesdays, noon-3

Sean Donovan,
Lunch With Folks
Mondays, noon-3pm

Tracey Wickersham kbcstracey2@hotmail.com
Womanotes
Wednesdays, 7-9 pm