Caroline Waters’ Vocal Freedom Blog

Entries categorized as ‘Healing’

My Tribute and Rascal

March 5, 2010 · Leave a Comment

As I venture farther and farther into my Exposed musical adventure, and as I receive more and more feedback from angels on my tour, I realize more and more how much I have learned, not only from those who ventured before me, but also from what the journey itself has taught me.

I have labeled this new album a tribute to some of my favorite heroes and heroines in songwriting, such as Joni Mitchell, Leonard Cohen, Suzanne Vega, Jennifer Warnes and George and Ira Gershwin. And as I receive the most amazing feedback from audience members and people who just happens to find me on the Internet, I understand on a deeper level just how much these people have shaped my life and music for the better.

Peoples Parties

Joni Mitchell was my first teacher in the art of playing guitar and singing from the heart and soul. Her album, Court and Spark, healed my heart over and over as I practiced every note and every syllable exactly the way she did it. The reason I chose Peoples Parties for my CD is because I can relate so much to every single person she describes. It makes me laugh and reminds me to have compassion for myself and others.

Song of Bernadette, Famous Blue Raincoat and Gypsy

Jennifer Warnes, Leonard Cohen and Suzanne Vega was referred to me by my dear friend Stefanie Stroh, the very last time I spoke to her. She disappeared after almost finishing her year-long vision quest, backpacking around the globe, and vanished only a day away from home. Stefanie loved Jennifer Warnes’ renditions of Famous Blue Raincoat and Song of Bernadette and urged me to get her album. She also sent me a copy of Suzanne Vega’s Solitude Standing. These songs carried me through years of desperately seeking Stefanie, who is still missing to this day.

Just the other day, as I had just finished my performance at Life on Wilshire, a man approached me, introduced himself as Steve Postell, Jennifer Warnes’ guitar player, expressed how much he enjoyed my set and wondered if he could have one of my CDs and release party fliers to give to Jennifer. I was of course thrilled and gave him two CDs:) Don’t you just love how synchronicity works?

Summertime

Anne Brown made George and Ira Gershwin’s Summertime famous in 1936 as the first Bess in Porgy and Bess. She was my first voice teacher and remained my good friend and mentor until she passed away at ninety-six. This amazing woman, who refused to perform unless they changed the law to include “colored” people in the theatre, back in the day, helped me through the toughest years of my life. She treated me like a star when I felt like a complete failure in most arenas, as I was slowly recovering from a car accident that left me with a amnesia and brain damage. Through her guidance, I was able to sing from my heart with no holds bar, effortlessly and powerfully.

My Cat, Rascal

I feel unusually calm, as I sit here with my green tea latte at Starbucks in Culver City, finalizing the set list for tomorrow’s release concert at Kulak’s Woodshed in North Hollywood. It is perhaps the sadness of my beloved cat Rascal’s imminent departure that is laying so heavily on my chest… She has been with me for almost twelve years, and just like my childhood dog, Hippie, she has been part of all my creative adventures with a constant outpouring of adoration and unconditional love. I will sing for her tomorrow night, for her life and her love, as I share my tribute to those who have touched me so deeply with their song.

Thank you, Joni, Leonard, Suzanne, Jennifer, George, Ira, Anne and Rascal! You live on forever in my heart and in my song.

Here’s Rascal :)

And here’s my all time favorite tune, Song Of Bernadette, as I sing it on my new CD, Exposed.

Love and Blessings, Caroline

Categories: Caroline's Concerts · Healing · Liberation · Life and Career · Self Empowerment · Songwriting
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Benefitting Relief Efforts in Haiti

January 24, 2010 · Leave a Comment

I must admit I feel mighty small in the face of such devastating news that we are receiving daily now from Haiti. Words escape me. I’m on emotional overload. I take it in and I take it on. What can I do?

The first thing that comes to mind is to use my talent the best I can to contribute in any way that I can. So, the upcoming concert at Herr Nilsen in Oslo will definitely benefit Haiti. Secondly, the products that I have for sale can also be useful, so I’ll have 25% of all CD sales go to Haiti as well.

Other than that, I believe that our thoughts, prayers and songs and living our lives in alignment with our calling creates great energy for the world at large. So, I will continue to express the song in my heart as powerfully and as joyously as I can with my words, music, teaching and performance.

We all have the power to help and inspire. I’d say, let’s move this world into a better place by aligning with the song in our hearts and by letting that song move us into action in whatever way feels the most natural to each and every one of us. And let us listen to each other, really listen, and see how and where we can contribute most effectively to the big chorus of love and consciousness expansion that propels us forward in this time-space reality.

Let us listen to the song of Haiti and contribute with our individual hearts and voices in whatever way it moves us. We can do a lot of good here. Let’s do it!

Here’s a video of me singing my song Little Angel, recorded live at TV Follo’s Christmas special in Norway. Little Angel can be found on my CD’s, Exposed and Venus Envy.

Love and Blessings, Caroline

Categories: Benefitting Haiti · Caroline's Concerts · Healing · Songwriting · Vocal freedom
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Managing Temperature Changes

December 18, 2009 · Leave a Comment

These are challenging times for the world at large and for individuals such as redheads who are sensitive to changes in temperature. And, just to be clear, I am not comparing my measly challenges to the ones of the world at large. I am merely drawing a line from the global to the personal, in an attempt to gain perspective from where I stand.

Cleaning up my own mess

I am a great believer in cleaning up my own mess before I try to mess with other people’s mess:) I believe that when we create a healthy foundation for our own well being, so that the song in our hearts can come through as loudly and clearly as possible, we have that much more power to affect the world at large. As a matter of fact, I believe that the song in our hearts, when we allow it to really sing, in itself works as an energetic cleanser, which in turn heals and nurtures the wounds of the world in mysterious ways.

Energy Sufficiency

First step for me, in dealing with the climate crisis in the world at large, is to get myself as healthy and energy sufficient as possible; by taking long walks every day, eating healthy and simply, giving away that which I no longer need/ use to those who might need it, being mindful of what I acquire, by collaborating and sharing with others whenever possible and by cutting down on my own poisonous emissions. This includes my thinking and speaking.

It seems easier to cut down in Oslo than Los Angeles. For example, in Oslo I don’t need a car, because distances are shorter and public transportation works swimmingly. On the other hand, I have to deal with freezing cold weather. Today it has dipped below 14 degrees. The way that I cope with the cold weather is by walking faster, farther and harder and by dressing accordingly.


New Solutions

Climate changes requires new solutions. If I were to expect to continue my Los Angeles routines here in Oslo, I’d be sadly disappointed. Instead, I conform to what is available here, in the freezing cold. I eat the foods that are the most energy sufficient to the climate. And, instead of going to the gym, I get all the workout I need from walking to and from where I need to go every day. It is tempting at times, to jump into a warm taxicab. It is also tempting to eat junk food and chocolate. But I try to keep a high awareness about the result I want for my body and well being, knowing that I have a job to do in the world at large. Knowing that I really do want to make a difference, not only with my words and music, but with how I conduct and treat myself, as part of a much bigger organism.

Willingness to adapt

To my surprise, I have gained tremendous momentum from this drastic change in climate, simply because I have embraced the change with such a willingness to adapt and take advantage of the opportunity the change has presented. Believe me, I was not looking forward to loosing sixty degrees of comfort…

It is my hope and my vision, that we, as humanity, seize the opportunity that the current climate crisis gives to gain tremendous momentum in our physical, mental and spiritual health and awareness. Perhaps we can finally learn to see ourselves and each other as vital parts of a much larger organism? I certainly do:)

Here’s a song I wrote about being one with our amazing planet:

FLYING ON THE WINGS OF LOVE
Words and Music by Caroline Waters

I am so amazingly in love

So remarkably connected

So nourished and protected

I can feel the earth sustaining me

Every heartbeat of the planet

Moving me in mystery

Coloring a rainbow trail

A highway of delicious moments

Calling me into the core

I am in ecstasy

In love with me

So thoroughly in awe

The intensity of beauty

Increasing as I breathe

I am a Goddess

In a world of awesome mystery

A reflection of divinity

An original epiphany of love

Flying on the wings of love

Categories: Climate Solutons · Healing · Self Confidence · Self Empowerment · Songwriting · Vocal freedom
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What I Learned from the Gnarly Bug

November 15, 2009 · Leave a Comment

Loosing weight, the hard way

It was just before summer. I had finished my new CD, Exposed, and was hanging out in Oslo, Norway, to visit friends and family and see how I might proceed with marketing and such. I felt sluggish, energetically, in spite of the fact that I was very happy with the new CD and excited to promote it. Feeling overweight and out of shape, I decided in my mind that I needed to loose about twenty-two pounds.

Shortly after I returned to LA, I got hit with a bug that sent me into the hospital with acute colitis. I lost twenty-two pounds in three weeks, the exact number I had intended to loose. It was the weirdest thing. I couldn’t really understand why I got so sick, since I was eating fairly healthy and also had stepped into a healthier routine in many ways. The hospital couldn’t figure it out either. Was it simply the power of my intention, without properly specifying the method of accomplishment?

Changing my life for the better

It wasn’t fun, I can tell you that, and it has taken several months for me to be able to eat normal food again and take a walk without feeling out of breath. But somehow, the whole incident has changed my life for the better. Being so completely dependent on other people for help and so completely unable to make things happen the way I was used to making things happen, by pure force, I somehow opened a new door to my existence.

I have achieved humility, appreciation and the ability to more fully receive the love that others have for me. And I have achieved a new perspective on time, one that lets me breathe and take the time it takes to do whatever is needed. I have never before allowed myself this luxury, of letting life happen in its own sweet time. I’ve always felt a need to force things or make them happen. But as a result of this newfound humility, and consequent ability to receive life in a more organic fashion, I have gained tremendous momentum both in my career and in my personal life.

In just a few months, I have gained clarity in how to proceed with my music and performance. A tour of Scandinavia is in the works, a beautiful lover has arrived to accompany me on my journey and synchronicity abounds. I am in the flow of something real good. It is as if I have stepped into the next chapter of my life, where things move faster while I get to relax and enjoy the process. To my surprise, the weight has stayed off, in spite of the fact that I have gained back muscle and am eating much more food on a regular basis than I have in the last twenty years.

Receiving all the love that abounds

I don’t feel sluggish anymore. I feel eager to seize the day and see how I might contribute to the community at large with my music and being, receiving all the love that abounds in the process. Last Thursday at TID Kafé in Oslo, was a perfect example of this new gift of being, this perfect flow. The house was packed with the most loving audience ever. I sold more CDs in one setting than I ever have. And my heart was completely at ease, flowing over with appreciation for all that is, even the gnarly bugs that appear to rack havoc in our lives from time to time…

Here’s a link to Dancing In the Nude, a video snippet from the last concert and the lyrics below so you can sing along if you like:)

Dancing In The Nude by Caroline Waters
©2009 by Redhead Records. All Rights Reserved.

Dancing in the nude

Getting in the mood

Laughing as I groove into my

Being fully alive, feeling the drive

To be completely wild and seeing

All my worries fade away

As I begin to seize the day

I reach for my spirit in the sky

Flying high, not questioning why

Categories: Caroline's Concerts · Healing · Liberation · Life and Career · Self Confidence · Self Empowerment · Vocal freedom
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It’s Time to Celebrate!

June 3, 2009 · Leave a Comment

Signed, Sealed and Delivered

Exposed by Caroline Waters

I am deliriously happy to announce that my new CD, Exposed, has been delivered to the plant and is being printed as I write this. I am embarrassed to say that it took me some time to arrive at the deliriously happy stage, because I was still in obsessive work mode and could only think of what I needed to do next, like organize a release concert and tour and distribution and radio promotion and all that jazz.

The Beauty of Celebration

Coming from a family of highly effective worker bees, the need to constantly produce results is deeply embedded in my constitution. However, I have come to appreciate the value of celebration and savoring more and more. As a result, I am committed to creating a way of proceeding with everything in my life from a place of celebration.

The beauty of celebration gives everyone involved a chance to give thanks, to acknowledge and be acknowledged, to deepen our love for each other, to appreciate the fruits of our labor from new perspectives, to savor the journey itself and to allow ourselves to be inspired to even more joyous creations in the now. I love this!

The Power of Surrendering and Trusting

I realize how much of my life have been spent in a problem solving mode, getting from point A to point B, overcoming obstacles and hurdles, crossing off tasks in a list and achieving various degrees of success in the process. Even the celebrations have had an element of a need to achieve in them.

So now I am thinking, “What if I just let myself celebrate and savor without worrying so much about what it’s gonna look like or how it will be received?” It’s a frightening concept, to be less in control of the outcome, but also appealing. The notion that I can step into a place of surrender and trust that the idea of celebrating alone will attract a chain of events that will be pleasing to everyone involved is a new one for me.

The Art of Receiving

Esther Hicks channels the idea that if we stay out of the details as much as possible and focus on the art of receiving as much as possible, all will unfold that much more deliciously. This idea has also been my experience. The more I can keep my control issues at bay and simply receive the gifts of what I have summoned in my creatively inspired adventures, the better of I am.

My resolve is this: to celebrate the unfolding of the journey of this new CD as joyously, curiously, childlike, inclusively, blissfully, organically, socially, wildly unusually, serendipitously, romantically, gently and lovingly as possible. I welcome all who wish to join me in this adventure, to celebrate and co-create and dance with me. Let me know your thoughts and how I can be of service with my song and being in your joyous unfolding:)

Caroline Waters Exposed

If you’d like to check out my new CD, which is a collection of songs that have helped me through times of great adversity and songs written by some of my favorites heroes and heroines in music, such as Leonard Cohen, Jennifer Warnes, George Gershwin and Joni Mitchell, click here!

Love and Blessings, Caroline

Categories: Healing · Liberation · Life and Career · Self Confidence · Self Empowerment · Songwriting
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Exposed

January 29, 2009 · Leave a Comment

New CD in the making.

I am working on a new album entitled Exposed. The idea is to explore just how honest I can get with my vocal expression. And, since I am accompanying myself on guitar, there’ll be no hiding behind anyone else’s musical genius in performance. My intention is, in the naked simplicity of my being, to reach a new level of vulnerability. It is my desire to connect with each and everyone who wants to listen, naked to the bone and with no holds bar.

The Healing  Power of the Wider Perspective

Have you ever experienced how events that in the moment fill you up with anger and self-pity can turn into the greatest blessing when seen as a vital part of a chain of events that has lead to where you are today? Discovering how different experiences look from a wider perspective has blown my mind completely.

I just finished writing my first novel, which is based on some of the most dramatic events in my experience.  The process of writing, in itself, has forced me to evaluate my life, the good and the bad, in a whole new framework.  As a result, I have reached a deeper level of loving acceptance for myself and for each and everyone who has graced my path so far.

The songs that I have chosen for the new CD are powerful reflections of that level of understanding.

More to be revealed…

Love and Blessings, Caroline

Categories: Healing · Liberation · Life and Career · Self Confidence · Self Empowerment · Songwriting · Vocal freedom
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