It's official! My long awaited CD "Someone Like You", 2-years in the making and seriously kick-ass (see other posts), is complete and was OFFICIALLY released on Saturday, October 11th @ the Toad Tavern! Thanks to all of yooz beer-drinkin', booty-slappin, music-appreciatin', love-muffins for coming to the celebration and adding to the "Holy cow that was fucking cool!" evening!

My band: consisting of Neil Zimmerman and Zak Sloan on lead guitars, David Derby on drums, Spencer Pyne on bass, Amanda Ray ..board and vocals, and Mark Mauldin on pedal steel, were estactic to bring you their bountiful musical MOJO for all of you awesome MO'FROS. Hugs and love all around from us to you!

Thanks to all of my friends and talented, beautiful band who contributed to making this a delisciously magical, unforgettable evening. I am speechless. And thank you LD50, Quillion and Demon Funkies for bringing IT on! You are greatly appreciated.

Neil, thank you for all of the fun and laughs in the studio and for all of your meticulous, dedicated and thoughtful approach to my music. It goes unnoticed.

A juicy hug, a smile & a kiss, Elana 

See you at the next show!!

As the holidays surround us I recognize this as a time to embrace your loved one's and your family - especially for those like me who lives hundreds of miles away from their family. It's our heratige that adds to the puzzle of our makeup. Our heratige and our families are something to embrace, cherish and respect.

There's a story about my late grandmother, Clara Mae Rogers, that I would like to share...

You'll find a photo of Clara in my "friends & family" album. It was the "flapper" era! Yep, my hawt grandmother. The photo was taken in the 1920's. One day I was playing around with photoshop and I ran across this amazing photo of her. You can almost see her stunning bright blue eyes. I found this "watercolor" effect which surprisingly adds a mysterious, antique, smokey feel to it. For me it's reminiscent of the era, the age of the photo, a "ghost-like" presence (as I feel she watches over me), and reminds me of a haunting night of fire. Let me tell you more...

On a cold January night in 1979 I was awakened by my grandmother to the sound of frightening, screaming sirens. It's as if they were sitting right on top of us. Little did we know that very house next door was burning to the ground. The firetrucks had, in fact, taken over Mema's driveway. We were asked to evacuate. We put on our robes and escaped into the cold winter air. She held my sister and I close to her as we stood helpless on the sidewalk and watched the house burn to the ground as the firemen worked feverishly with their strong, loud water hoses.

I watched the roof crumble and cave in upon itself with a loud roar. Soot and burning ash filed the air. The thunderous sound of the fire was terrifying. It was one of the most frightening visuals I'd ever encountered. I was only 6 years old.

What had happened was the neighbor was smoking a cigaratte and fell asleep before putting it out. Luckily she survived, but her home and and years of memories did not.

At the time the hit song "I Can't Tell You Why" by the Eagles was in regular rotation on the radio. From that day forward into present day, when I hear that erie song it reminds me of that unforgetable, haunting night and gives me chills.

- Elana

The. CD. Is. Almost. Finished.

In the beginning of my next CD's creation I did not foresee it taking this long, but that's the point. Patience makes perfection! But for those of you whom have recorded albums know the drill. Yet for those whom have never been in the studio before or worked on a recording project (etc..) don't realize all of the meticulous inner-workings that occur *behind* the scenes, adusting of frequencies, compression, layers, tracks, harmonies, scratch tracks, etc.. Neil Zimmerman, my very talented, committed, thourough, to the "T", precise engineer can vouch for that, and I thank him for believing in me and in my music and for being so dedicated. Comparing the development time to other CD's, a year and a half is not that bad.  Not to mention he and I both have full-time day jobs and have our own bands and busy schedules.

This very special CD dances on new extra flavors such as a cello player, guest vocalists, a saxiphone, steel pedal, TWO lead guitarists this time (Zak Sloan and Neil Zimmerman), Derby on drums, Spencer on bass and course - Neil's magical engineering touches. Each song has it's own style and technique and something special about each one. I'm not interested in nailing down my style into one genre. If I did that would not represent me as a person. I'm all over the map. So this CD will bring examples of folk rock, ballad rock, motown vibes, country, hard rock, soft rock, etc... It's very sophisticated and explorative and that's what this CD will bring. Dynamics, class, diversity, creativity and it will keep you guessing around every corner!

I'm very, VERY excited about the final product and it's ultimate release! Which is now scheduled for Saturday, October 11th at the Toad Tavern in Littleton!

Precious things come to those who wait, and I can't wait to give you this new CD! (well, with a small price). ;-) 

See you soon! 

Elana

So I'm learning the art of mix-n-mingle collaboration-ness with a mass of talented musicians and friends who support me in keeping the music alive. The journey continues. Honestly, I would much rather prefer to perform with a band than solo. There's something to be said for that core explosion of ultimate self-expression that can only be satisfied by performing live with a thriving, heart-felt band.

I'd like to take a moment to give kudos to all of the kick-ass friends and musicians who continue to support me... (in no particular order)

Dave Diflumeri - rockin' drummer from "Elana Rogers & The Reason"

David Derby - drummer on both albums: the upcoming one titled "Someone Like You" and the "One of Those Days" EP which recieved rave reviews in the Westword (yup, still proud of that one!). Aso drummer for Melanie Susuras Band.

Chris Woodward - a whiz with the sticks... also drummer with The Demon Funkies and SPIV

Amanda Ray - beatiful girl with a beautiful voice. You'll hear her backing vocals on "Masqerade Game" on the upcoming CD. Also performs with Melanie Susuras Band and Quillion.

Marley Foreman - charismatic bassman since February 2007

Spencer Pyne - A much appreciated, charismatic, dynamic bass player who will be heard on my upcoming CD who was also the bass player on my "One of Those Days" EP!

Zak Sloan - smokin' Texan, lead guitarist since May 2007

Eddie Garcia - innovative guitarist from "Elana Rogers & The Reason"

Wes Michaels - insightful cellist soon to be heard on the upcoming "Someone Like You" CD! Also performs with Wadirum.

Ryan Rister - fun guy on congas, great harmonies,  also plays guitar with Kelly Said

James McNamera - Rockin' drummer who helped us out on a few shows.

Chris Childress - guitarist with Melanie Susuras Band has helped me out a time or too with his flippin' guitar licks

And last but not least....

Neil Zimmerman - Engineer and co-producer of both CDs who also will also be adding his creative guitar voices on the upcoming CD. There's never a recording session where we're not laughing with tears.

Love you guys!

Let's keep on rockin'...

Yours truly,

Elana

I'm excited to announce that I'm officially returning into the studios in October 06' w/ Neil Zimmerman to begin recording my 2nd Colorado CD release, tentatively titled "Someone Like You". This is going to be an exciting CD filled with newly written originals and refurbished classic originals from days passed. And I have some very special guest vocalists in mind. ;-) Eeets a secret.  To be continued!

The 2 obscure covers (an Elana tradition) to be included MIGHT be:

"High & Dry" by Radiohead, and

"Meet You in the Tower" by OURS!

See you soon at a studio near you!! Enjoy your beautiful 2006 Autumn!

 

Hi! Damn, it's been too long since I've entered blogville. So here I am... blogging.

In case some of you are wondering, I'm taking a break from the band you know as "Elana Rogers & The Reason".  We had an excellent year together and had a lot of fun making new friends, writing new material and playing in venues such as the Toad Tavern, Soiled Dove, Oriental Theater, The D Note, and the Gothic Theatre. We fought our way up to the FINALS of the "Get a Leg Up" battle of the bands. Yay! Needless to say it was a blast, a lot of hard work, a golden experience and I wouldn't replace it with anything else.

An opportunity presented itself for me to take some much needed time off and I'm gladly taking advantage of it. I'm taking some road trips, getting back into yoga, bought a house, learning how to cook better (LOL), seeing more shows of my  friends, partiying at Southpark Music Fest, and enjoying good times with friends and family. Attempting to live life to the fullest. Heh.

I'm starting to work on some new material and will soon be returning to the studios in the fall for my 2nd Colorado-release! Recenly, Jake Schroeder invited me to participate in 99.5 The Mountain's "Homegrown Hour" which was aired last week. Groovy dudesters David Derby and Chris Childress accompanied me during a flavourful night. I will soon have the whole show uploaded to my personal website: ElanaRogers.com

See you soon at a gig near you!

Blogging off with love,

Elana 

 

A little over a month ago, an unexpected tragedy occurred. Two acquaintances of mine, Rachael Wick and Cody Vargas - both just 21 years of age, were killed instantly in an unfortunate car crash. I had met them both at the Mead Street Station open mic. From there, I continued to run into them in the Denver music scene. Until finally, Niki Jenewein (fellow singer/songwriter) and I attended a party hosted by both Rachael and Cody. That was the last time that Niki and I would see them alive.

Since Rachael's death, hundred of poems have been discovered by her family. One such poem was written when she was 13 where she predicts the circumstances of a collision that cost her life. The poem is titled, "I Can Fly".

While Rachel and Cody were alive, they were in a band called "Milkleg". They had an existing website. Her parents have since taken over the site and have dedicated it to their memory: The Music.....The Photography...The Poetry....The Art. Having never seen Rachael's art, I am amazed and besides myself. The pieces of art are nothing short of incredible. I hope that you take a moment to see for yourself. Rachel represented the epitome of a true artist: a singer, songwriter, musician, poet, and a superb painter. Without the support of her loving parents, she would not have had the freedom to explore this magic that resided within her. There is a lesson to be learned from this.

May your memory live on Rachael Wicks and Cody Vargas!:
The Website

Elana

Although we DID make it to the FINALS, we did not win the first prize...but we did win a prize! Beating out 21 bands to make it to the finals is prize enough. We are simply happy to have been a part of this journey and to have been recognized for our talents and performing abilities and my songwriting. It means a lot to us and we are happy to have been a part of the finals. Thanks Toad Tavern!!

More good music to come...

Elana

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

(2-20-06) Below was my entry when we, "Elana Rogers & The Reason" won the first round in February. Well we did it AGAIN on March 16th!! Now we're on our way to the finals!! Exciting times.

For being in the top 3, we're now up against sole survivors Epilogue and Blackbird Down. The BIG show is on April 6th at the Toad Tavern. We hope to see you there at the FINALS!!! No matter what happens, we are happy to have been a part of the journey and exploring the fun and sharing our love for music. Thanks to the Toad and the sponsors for the opportunity!!

Love, Elana

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

If you're familiar with the Toad Tavern's "Get a Leg Up" competition, we won the first round! Thank you to those who came out and showed your support last Thursday. You were AWESOME!

This also marks my very first battle of the bands! So to win the first round means a lot to me.

With this achievement we'll be launched to the SEMI-FINALS which will be held on Thursday, March 16th - again at the Toad. We hope to see you there!

The concept behind this competition is to help new bands. For instane, the 3rd-place winner gets a 3-month booking contract and the 1st prize winner gets a 6-month booking contract, a 4-demo song recording, a photo shoot (we need one!), and more! It's basically a great opportunity for any new band in town. It helps them "get a leg up".

Details of the competition (and to view other winners) are here: Click here for details

See you on the 16th!

Love,

Elana

 

 

When it rains, it definitely pours! Within the past 48 hours (literally) two pubplished articles have surfaced themselves for world-wide review. The last time (and only time) I had anything written about me was my CD review in the Westword back in May 05'.

Well here's some new juicy press!

Click here for the MILE HIGH NEWS article!

Click here for the What's Doing Tonight on-line review!

 

Okay...I have to admit... I'M STOKED!!

Tomorrow morning I'm heading out to San Francisco (woo-hoo baby!) for a fun-filled 4-day weekend in an effort to celebrate my birthday...which is on FRIDAY the 13th (oooooh).  I knew I wanted to take myself somewhere special for my birthday, especially since it falls on a rare Friday, but where? Having been there a few times, San Francisco is one of the most fascinating and culturally inspired cities in the nation. Where else can you go to get a taste of all things and meet fascinating people in such a short time, much less in a absolutely georgeous, architecturaly exciting city?  Need I say more?

I can't WAIT to stroll through colorful and noisy Chinatown, the historic Italian neighborhood of Noth Beach and enjoy a cup of coffee at Mario's Bohemian, savor the fresh crab from Fisherman's Warf, cherish the Victorian homes in Alamo Square, take in the mystic aromas groovy duds of Height & Ashbury, sip sangria at Cha-Cha-Cha, and last but not least - embark on a 10-hour journey to Napa Valley where I'll learn the art of wine-making and dabble with varied Pinot's for a sip or two, or three or four...

To all of you other Capricorns out there, HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU ALL!

Love,

Elana