Tara Hawley: Journal

...especially during Fashion Week in Cleveland! Dr. Donald Shingler, Founder and Director of Fashion Week Cleveland, asked me to bring a little music to the fashion again this year--to the VIP party to be exact. This year, the event was held at La Place in Beachwood, and the VIP party was located on the upper level, overlooking the seemingly endless red-carpet runway lined with little white chairs for viewing The Cleveland Fashion Show at 10pm. (The picture in the photo gallery only shows about half of its length.) I was fortunate to be able to share the VIP space with some great people from Sushi Rock, a fabulous sushi restaurant in La Place. They served a variety of sushi and chicken hors d'oeuvres and were kind enough to treat me to a little sampling post-performance; the food was really delectable! Gotta go rock some sushi there soon; I'm more of the veggie and/or crab/lobster sushi type (which was fabulous!), but maybe I'll be brave and venture into some hard-core sushi someday soon...

Pre-show was a lot of hard work for everyone, setting up and getting a boutique mall turned magically into a fashion runway, tango dance floor, VIP party room, and, well, you get the picture! It's a wonder we all looked fashionable by the end of it all! The air hung heavy that evening, humid and threatening rain. It only actually rained while we were loading up the equipment, of course, (so thankful it didn't rain while we were loading in!!) but it was quite hot, which translated into the venue being quite hot as well. I'm happy to see from the photos that I didn't look as melted as I felt, but I did notice the chocolates were starting to get a little soft around the edges--yes it was that hot!

With a lot of hard work, the evening went as planned besides the air conditioning lagging behind the muggy evening temperatures, and everyone seemed to enjoy themselves. Thanks to all for the nice comments about the music! It was fun to sing in such a lively, yet spacious venue and watch the creative fashion flow in and out of the space. Among the VIP attendees were Miss Ohio, Lindsay Davis, as well as Christopher Boyle, the Black Tie Gala's featured designer who has designed for celebrities such as Jessica Alba and Ashanti. You can check out his beautiful collections here.

I hope you get a moment to check out the pictures from Fashion Week posted in the gallery, and I look forward to sharing more news with you soon! Enjoy your summer... It's certainly flying by already.

So, as most of you have noticed in the news section, there have been some major changes in the last couple of months. It’s hard to adjust to major changes, isn’t it? I love Meg Ryan’s line from You’ve Got Mail: “People are always telling me that change is a good thing, but all they’re really saying is that something you didn’t want to happen at all has happened.”

Sometimes that’s how I feel about major transitions in life, but yet I know that change, even though we may not have wanted it to happen, may be the vehicle for bringing something new and wonderful into our lives—something that could not have happened had the change not occurred. As I have mentioned, I really do believe that God has everything in His care, including my life and love of singing and music. I’m learning lessons of trusting in God and letting go…letting go of fear of the unknown and taking time for reflection and giving thanks. Singer/Songwriter India.Arie puts it so well: “I have learned that you must be willing to let things and people go to really enjoy them being in your life.”

Therefore, I really am excited about the opportunities that lie ahead—building on the past, yet looking forward with hope toward the future! I wish I could share them all with you now, but, in time, as I am able to do so and as things happen in more certain terms, I will do my best to keep you all posted each step of the way. Please continue to support me by calling in to the radio stations listed on the website and requesting me! It’s hard to keep momentum sometimes in this crazy music world, but, with your help, it can happen! It’s so great that you keep checking back here and continue to tell others of my website and music. I hope you will continue this great journey with me…

Hi, everyone! With all of the site updates, I haven’t been very good at keeping up the journal communications, but what’s new, right?

I just had to take a minute to say hello and wish everyone a wonderful Thanksgiving! As the holiday season arrives in a flurry, I’ve been trying to reflect on all of the blessings given to me. While life can be difficult at times, it’s so important to remember all of the wonderful things we take for granted each day. And speaking of thanks, I want to send a shout out to Rebecca and thank her for all of her help with updating the look of the website!

Right now, I’m sitting here, enjoying Andrea Bocelli’s new Christmas album My Christmas. And let me just say that it has definitely exceeded my expectations. I expected great, but it is better than great. David Foster has outdone himself, yet again, with producing and arranging this amazing album and using Andrea Bocelli’s talent to the fullest—he has the special knack of getting that out of people. You think a certain artist is great already, and then he just accentuates it even more… How inspiring, to hear and feel beautiful music like this... Just what I needed...

Okay, so back to my journal entry. I wish I had some great jokes like Josh Groban manages to post all of the time on his blog—you’re making it difficult for all of us other journal-ers (not a word, I know...) to look good, you know that don’t you, Josh? Seriously, it’s a great blog, if you haven’t checked it out.

Let's see... Some new photos have been posted in the gallery, finally! I got to meet Robin Swoboda (host of Fox8 TV’s “That’s Life” weekdays at 10am), and that photo’s been posted in the gallery as well. We’re looking forward to performing some Holiday songs at Laurello Vineyards for sure in December and maybe a few tomorrow night, if we feel in the mood! It’s such a great time of year; we hope to see you very soon!

Keep spreading the word of TaraHawley.com, high and low! Oh, and don’t forget to request our songs on 91.5FM. (See the news page for station number info!) Again, thank you for all of your support—each kind word, guestbook entry, call to a station—it means so much more than you could ever know...

Dare I say it again? Yes, it has been awhile! But, for all of you who have received my news e-mail and checked out our “Latest Updates” on the Home Page, a lot has been going on lately, which is great news!

One of the most exciting things happening right now is that our new songs are getting air play on Gary Rhamy’s radio show on WSOM AM 600!! For those of you who have asked, four of the six songs being played on the radio are newer recordings than are on the website at this point in time. Call or e-mail Gary and request the songs! (The station number & links are on our Home Page.) It’s been so much fun to tune in online and hear them being played this week, and we’re looking forward to meeting Gary at Leo’s this weekend! Thanks so much, Gary, for playing the songs and announcing our website on the air. We’re so thrilled to hear that they are being received so well!

We have some other things in the works as well, as always, that take a lot of time and energy—I’m having the time of my life, but it can be exhausting... So, if I don’t post as often as I should, know that I mean well, am having fun making music, and am busy working all of the time toward making new things happen! Ah, there’s the rub! You have to make news in order to post it, but then you have to have time to post it after making the news…There certainly are not enough hours in the day…!

What else…? Thank you all for your continued support. Please continue to pass the word along to friends and family—it means so much to have people come out to hear our music, sign our guestbook, request our songs, refer us to new venues & events, and so on. We couldn’t do it without you, and everything you do in support is greatly appreciated. I’m looking forward to seeing you all out and about throughout the rest of the patio season! Our venues are so lovely and so much fun!

The year is flying by already with the quiet hope of summer’s coming whistling in the wind… the quiet hope of things to come… With the season’s change, the opportunity comes along for us to re-think, re-focus, and try new things—so I thought I’d catch you up with the new things going on with us.

We’re so excited to have the new tracks up on the website! Thanks to all of you who have sent your comments! It’s always great to hear feedback about the things we’re working so hard to create. We’ve got some more tracks and things in the works, as always, and greatly appreciate your support and kind comments, ideas and suggestions.

On that note, please take a few moments and sign our guestbook! It’s been so fun to see the comments, and it will be great to have some of the wonderful things you send us/tell us about our music, performances, etc. on our site. The more the merrier! :o)

Another note of news: Chris & I will be playing at FashionWeek Cleveland 2009’s Black Tie Gala. I’m really excited about being part of this event—it’s such a great opportunity for us and should be a fun evening. It seems like it’s been a while since I was part of the fashion scene in Cleveland—maybe I’ll run into some people I used to do fashion shows/shoots with…Who knows?

As a prelude to that event, we attended the FashionWeek Cleveland “Meet the Designers” VIP Party at XO Steakhouse downtown on April 17th. It was a perfect excuse to put on a new cocktail dress I’d had hanging in my closet for quite some time and eat some delicious hors d'oeuvres. (Their mint chocolate mini-cakes were fantastic! Picture the goodness of Thin Mint cookies made into a gourmet treat…yum…)

Weather-wise, it was such a lovely evening for mid-April! The night brought out the fashionable side of Clevelanders from all sides of town, who converged and walked through the Warehouse District streets, making our own Mid-Western city feel like a big NYC scene of fashion, surreptitiously over-priced drinks, and perfectly good, gentle lighting (indoors and out, but of course)…

That’s about all for now, I guess… The Laurello Vineyards gig was a lot of fun on Saturday—a busy evening and a great crowd. We’re staying busy, adding more songs to our playlist, and gearing up for the 2009 patio season, which will soon be upon us! Keep checking back! We’ll have more news for you soon…

Hi there! I just wanted to write a quick note and say how much we enjoyed being out at Laurello Vineyards on Valentine’s Day! We had a great time performing love songs for this sold-out special event at the winery and felt very at home there. The food was fabulous and the staff was extremely nice, making us feel very welcome and excited to be performing for the first time in Ohio’s wine country.

We’re looking forward to going back in March and once a month thereafter for 2009. So, there are plenty of opportunities to find an excuse to take a little weekend adventure and see us there.

Feel free to send us your comments and keep passing the word along about the website! We've been so blessed with the opportunities we've had over the last year, and we're praying that 2009 holds the hope of many more...

Okay, so I guess it isn't that 'bleak,' but it is January in Northeastern Ohio, which doesn't bring much sunshine but certainly lots of snow and cold temperatures. So, anyway, for those of you who have wondered what we've been doing over the last six weeks or so, here's the wrap up!

Even though we haven't been out performing much during this time, we've definitely been hard at work. Chris & I decided to take advantage of this time to record some new demos, because, just like everyone else, we had so much free time over the Holidays...Okay, so not really! We've been cramming like college freshmen to get this stuff done on weekends and late night evenings in the midst of 'regular' life, our 'day jobs,' and all of that. We've been arranging, recording, mixing, and, of course, re-mixing. All in all, we've gotten things done in a very efficient fashion, but, as with anything worth doing, it does take time...

Now, I'm happy to announce that we've got a couple of tracks ready to go, and you'll see them on the website shortly, with a few more coming after that. Check them out and let us know what you think! We always love hearing from you!

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and great start to 2009! Chris & I are looking forward to heading out to Geneva's Laurello Vineyards next month for the first time and, then, every month this year. Check out the calendar for specific dates and updates, as always, and check out the photo gallery for some pictures of me in the studio. (Special thanks to Wesley for the photos!) Here’s to a wonderful 2009!

Here I sit again, realizing how long it's been since I've written any new tidbits for this 'notes' section. I figure it's a good time to catch up on these things as I'm snowed-in on a Sunday morning, having awakened with all intentions of going to church and then getting a glimpse of the nearly white-out conditions. Oh well...

To re-cap on the last two months, we've been busy as usual, and we've had the added interest of having the coldest and most snowy November we've had in quite some time. (We're certainly used to feet of snow at a time, but not until December, at least.)

We had a great time at our Michaelangelo’s dates so far! Thanks to those of you who came out to see us and to enjoy the cozy, yet chic, atmosphere in the wine bar. The warm fire and low lighting make for a relaxing time on a blustery evening, and the food is fabulous & unique. (Thanks to Michael for sharing some of your gourmet pasta treats with Chris & me!)

This past Sunday was our appearance at Eton, kicking off their Holiday Season. The acoustics there are amazing and really allowed the music to soar. We enjoyed it tremendously and loved seeing some familiar faces as we performed over two hours' worth of our favorite Christmas songs. (Special thanks to my mom and Lisa for the pictures of us at Eton in the gallery.)

Well, I should go for now… Perhaps, we’ll see you out at Michaelangelo’s this week for some Christmas music. I hope you had a blessed Thanksgiving and can take a little time to enjoy the beauty of this sacred season amidst the hustle and bustle of all that Christmas brings…

Hi, everyone! As I look at this page, I guess I haven't posted any news in a while. I must correct that! There's always something new, right? The fall is flying by already, and we're looking forward to our upcoming Little Italy dates at Michaelangelo's and to Holiday Music at Eton over Thanksgiving weekend!

And, in the recent past, there was the 2008 'Reason for Hope' Ball—such an exciting event at the Intercontinental Hotel in Cleveland. We had a great time playing for the cocktail and silent auction part of the evening and even playing a few songs after the main event while the crowd was lingering.

Check out the new pictures in the photo gallery to see us all dressed up for this event. It's fun to get really dressed up once in a while and have a special night out, right girls? ;o)

Thanks to Jenny & Jim Zinkan for asking us to be a part of the event. We're happy to be involved in such a great cause. All of the staff & volunteers were very nice, and I even met someone who used to live in my neighborhood—just down the street from my house. What a small world!

Enough new news for now, I suppose. We hope to see you out this fall and holiday season! Until then...

I'm sitting here listening to the sounds of a hot air balloon pass over my house. Its slow descent makes subtle but strange sound effects for the sunset on a nearly perfect summer's day. So many things to do and to see in a lifetime! (I'm going to hitch a ride in one of those balloons, one of these days...) What a blessing to witness such beauty—man-made beauty floating through an incredible, God-created sky.

Speaking of blessings, we have been so happy to have had so many wonderful patio dates this summer! Seeing so many familiar faces and meeting so many new ones has been such a pleasure. It's a lot of work, setting up and tearing down, but the middle part—making music for people to enjoy—is what makes it worth it.

We only have a couple of scheduled patio dates left for this year! So, come out and see us if you can! We hope to have more dates soon to begin our fall season. Keep checking back and we'll see you somewhere; I'm sure of it...

It's Monday morning after quite the busy weekend! We performed at The 100th Bomb Group Restaurant on Friday to a full house (or maybe I should say 'a full deck?' :-) ). It was a great evening, watching the planes land and singing underneath the clear sky. We could even see the fireworks in the distance from downtown.

Then, we turned around and went east to Leo's on Saturday. It was our first rainy patio gig, (we've been so blessed with lovely weather) and, let me tell you, it rained...and stopped...and rained harder and harder. We wound up in a puddle a couple of times, and, with each rain, we inched our equipment farther underneath the awning.

The evening wasn't a total wash, literally, however. We did get to perform for a total of 2 hours out of the 4 we were scheduled to do, and the people who came out really let us know they were enjoying our music. That always makes it worthwhile! Thanks to everyone who stuck it out with us despite the frequent delays!

Hi again! I'm sitting on my porch enjoying this beautiful day and thinking of the wonderful weekend we had. Thanks to everyone who came out to see us!

Trifles was a lot of fun, as usual, on Friday night, despite the stormy weather. We're looking forward to going back there in a couple of weeks. And Leo's patio was just lovely on Saturday night, especially as the evening wore on: the sun set and the nearly full moon risen in the clear black sky, the patio lights creating a romantic glow. What a spectacular way to spend a summer evening!

We've got two more Leo's dates to go for the summer, and we're really looking forward to them...and here's hoping we’ll be blessed with such balmy weather again...

Hi, everyone! We're very excited to present to you the new website! There will be updates made to the website regularly, including new calendar dates--so check back often. Chris & I are looking forward to seeing you as we are out playing music. It's going to be a busy summer...and yes, we've only just begun...