In case you were wondering what I've been up to in 2008, check out this event...

Hosted By: Marianne Pillsbury
When: Monday Dec 22, 2008
at 8:00 PM
Where Mudspot Cafe
307 E. 9th St. just east of 2nd Ave.
New York, NY 10003
United States
Description:
Marianne Pillsbury shares songs & stories from "Depression: The Musical (A Girl's Guide To Falling Apart & Putting Yourself Back Together)".

Click Here To View Event

As you may or may not know, I've been teaching songwriting workshops to girls ages 8 to 18 at the Willie Mae Rock Camp For Girls this summer and last.

Now I'm starting to teach my own 5-day SONGWRITING WORKSHOPS (in addition to volunteering), and I thought I'd start out in my own neighborhood...BAY RIDGE, BROOKLYN.

The first workshop will be held at a new community arts center, called The Storefront, the week of AUGUST 4TH - 8TH, Monday–Friday, 4:00-6:00pm, with a free open-to-the-public performance on Saturday afternoon, August 9th.

There are still OPEN SPACES for NEXT WEEK!

The workshop is open to girls ages 8 to 18 WITH OR WITHOUT MUSIC EXPERIENCE. By the end of the week, each girl will have written her own song and have the opportunity to have it performed at a free open-to-the-public show on Saturday afternoon, August 9th.

It's all about EMPOWERING GIRLS TO EXPRESS THEMSELVES through writing songs.

To learn more about the workshop and apply, go to www.songwritingworkshops.com or e-mail marianne@songwritingworkshops.com.

xo
MP

So, I finally got around to recording this song that The Marianne Pillsburys used to play. Here are the credits for the recording...

BOYS!
Music & lyrics by Marianne Pillsbury

Recorded, mixed & mastered by Pawel Sek
@The Distillery, Brooklyn, NY
www.thedistillery.org

Performances:
Drums -- Pawel Sek
Bass -- Carl Barc
Guitars & keyboards -- Anna Hovhannessian
Vocals -- Marianne Pillsbury

©2007 Average White Girl Publishing

The track will be available for purchase on iTunes soon. But for now you can enjoy listening!

Amy Winehouse wins Best New Artist! Her brilliant song "Rehab" wins Song of the Year AND Record of the Year! Not to mention a couple other awards they'll need to ship to her in London.

I, for one, am inspired to keep "writing my reality" (to paraphrase Frida Kahlo...she said "I paint my own reality.").

P.S. What the fuck is wrong with this country for denying her Visa? Is her "use and abuse of narcotics" really a threat to national security? (Any more than Britney Spears' is?) Or are we just butting into other people's business as usual? You know what, it's probably best for Amy that she did stay home. God bless her. I wish her well in her recovery. And I swear, if Hillary doesn't win, I'm moving to Europe. Yes, I said HILLARY!

P.P.S. Have you seen Michael Moore's documentary SiCKO? See it. You'll want to move to Europe with me.

You may have heard the rumor that Brooklyn-based pop-rock singer-songwriter Marianne Pillsbury entered rehab for her Lord of the Rings addiction. Or that she joined a cybercult and now lives only through her avatar, who is happily married with 5 children. But no, we're happy to report that Marianne is still alive & singer-songwritering in Brooklyn. And now I will stop talking about myself in the 3rd person and tell you what's been going on...

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RENT-A-SONGWRITER LAUNCH
http://www.myspace.com/RentASongwriter
Just in time for Valentine's Day, I'm finally officially launching my Rent-A-Songwriter(TM) business. Which means that you — yes YOU — can have a personalized pop, rock or hip-pop song written & recorded for a loved one (or for yourself) by me. The latest song I wrote for a special occasion was "Domesticated," inspired by the wedded union of my dear friends Alina & Eric of the pop-punk band The Domestics. I also recorded a "hip-pop" track called "Here Comes The Bride Yo" to give to my sister & her husband as a wedding gift (that's my bro rapping on it!). You can listen to these and other songs I've crafted for previous Rent-A-Songwriter(TM) clients and get more details about my services at the myspace link above.

WILLIE MAE ROCK CAMP FOR GIRLS
http://www.williemaerockcamp.org
Last summer, I volunteered at the Willie Mae Rock Camp For Girls. It was truly one of those "life-changing experiences" I've heard about on daytime talk shows! It was crazy exhausting fun teaching Songwriting Workshops to the girls ages 8-18 and helping coach two of the camper bands (Rockified & The Dangerous Mz. Pac Man!). And now I'm totally psyched to be on the 2008 WMRC4G Advisory Board. Which means you'll definitely be hearing from me about upcoming fundraising events...

THE STUBBORN BELLY FAT LP
http://www.myspace.com/AverageWhiteGirlRecords
Although I'm focusing more on writing songs for other people these days, I do have these 8-9 demos that have been accumulating over the past year, some "stubborn belly fat" I'd like to shed as a follow-up to The Wrong Marianne. Some of the demos are posted at yet another of my myspace pages (see link above). My plan is to release one song per month digitally and have you, my friends & fans, vote on which song gets released next! More to come on that...

GOT LYRICS?
Need a Bernie Taupin for your Elton John? A Drew Barrymore for your Hugh Grant? (You know, in that movie Music & Lyrics.) If your music just isn't connecting with audiences because they don't know what the hell you're talking about, try working with a talented, experienced, award-winning lyricist. Yes, me! Check out all of the above myspace links to hear and read samples of my lyrics...

DEPRESSION: THE MUSICAL
Last, but not least...it seems that I have been drawn back to my musical theater roots. The idea for a musical about depression has been in bouncing around my brain for a few years, and now with the help of my dearest friend — writer/artist/strategist extraordinaire Katherine — "Depression, The Musical : A Girl's Guide To Falling Apart & Putting Yourself Back Together Again" is becoming a reality. It's going to be a multi-layered, dark-humored, pop-rocky-as-hell production about a subject with which I happen to have lots of real life experience. So, all you Theater Fans out there, get ready to come out of the closet and show your support!

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Well, I hope this post has satisfied your curiosity about Where Marianne Pillsbury Is Now. You can always check http://www.mariannepillsbury.com for updates on these and other exciting ongoing projects.

"DOMESTICATED"

Music & lyrics by Marianne Pillsbury

Recorded, mixed & mastered by Pawel Sek
@The Distillery, Brooklyn, NY
www.thedistillery.org

Performances:
Drums -- Pawel Sek
Bass -- Carl Barc
Guitars & keyboards -- Anna Hovhannessian
Vocals -- Marianne Pillsbury

©2007 Average White Girl Publishing

Also, "credit" should be given to my dear friends Alina & Eric (of the band The Domestics) for falling in love and getting married and inspiring me to write this song!

The Song Hoes are a group of 5 songwriters (including myself) who meet once a month at an undisclosed location to share top secret new song material. Using their songwriting powers for good, they generously give each other constructive feedback to help make each other's songs better which, in turn, makes the world a better place of course.

Now for the first time, this Quintuplet (who refer to themselves as The Song Hoes) will publicly perform together in a tribute to what would have been Kurt Cobain's 40th Birthday. Five self-obsessed singer/songwriters on stage at the same time playing songs from Nirvana's Nevermind album?!?! You do NOT want to miss this...

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 20TH, 7:00PM @CAKESHOP, 152 LUDLOW ST. NYC
(More details in the Upcoming Shows section)

But seriously, these other 4 songwriters (who shall remain anonymous for now cause I'm not sure if they want me to out them as Hoes!) are extremely talented musicians and all around good peeps and I'm so grateful they agreed to step in and help me pay tribute to Kurt since I don't have a permanent band backing me up right now and this ding dang herniated disc is still keeping me from playing guitar. (Wow, that was a serious run-on sentence.)

So, anyway, I'm excited to get on stage and sing my little heart out. Especially on one of my fave Nirvana songs and probably their most popular and pop-iest. You know me...I like pop. It's been awhile since I performed live and it may be awhile before I do again. But I promise you, whoever you are who may be reading this blog (KFlo?), that I AM working on songs for a new record. In the meantime, I'm paying tribute to a songwriter who has definitely influenced & inspired me. Tuesday night should be good times. Yeah!

xo
MP

You heard it here first. Well, maybe you heard me play it live before. But I'm preparing to submit it for some songwriting contests. Sooooo tired. Have to go let Johnny Depp's wacky Willy Wonka lull me to sleep. zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

That's right, it's me! I caught the bouquet at my sisters wedding last weekend, so I am slated to be the next victim of love! And you are cordially invited to come celebrate my future nuptial bliss on Monday night at CBs Gallery.

Well reminisce about my days as a cynical singleton with songs of frustrated love. Plus, Ill be debuting some brand new songs I gave birth to (out-of-wedlock!) this past summer.

Im registered at Guitar Center. But, in lieu of gifts, please feel free to bring your single guy friends cause ..1 on my list of wedding planning things-to-do is to, uh, find a husband.

xo
MP

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MARIANNE PILLSBURY SOLO (but not for long!)
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 18TH, 9:00PM
CBS GALLERY, 313 BOWERY, NYC $5
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P.S. This is also my last performance at CBs since they are officially closing at the end of September. Really, they mean it this time!

P.P.S. Check out the song I wrote and recorded at home on GarageBand for my sister & her husband. It's back on the home page...the 4th song..."Here Comes The Bride & Groom". It was a big hit at the reception! And that's my bro rapping. Hee hee.