Raw Purr - ProfilesArchive

About Me

Piano lessons 1st thru 8th grades. I hated the discipline of practicing. In first grade I was already flicking lessons occasionally. I only kept at it because I didn't want to disappoint my dad (that fact, ironically, was the driving force of most of my early life).
Recitals every year. In 7th grade, I forgot where I was going and had to start over (Liebestraum) so you better believe I took the book with me in 8th grade (Moonlight Sonata - country blues and minor classical - need I go on about where the darkness of my music came from?).
In high school I was in a band playing and singing Neil Young and Aerosmith. Those were the only two music books I had. That 7th grade experience hadn't left me.
I was married and with infant at 19, finishing college, pursuing a career, managing a household so I disconnected with playing music until 15 years later. Lots of pent-up shit 15 years later. Lots to write about.
Being a romance junkie from a very early age combined with the eloquence of my dark music past - and lots of emotion to spill - I jokingly (only half) dubbed myself the Ballad Queen.
I've since expanded more into music that charts the progress of my awakening (although I still write an occasional kick-ass ballad) - which we're all stumbling towards (hopefully).
The piano playing? I still play at an 8th grade level but with decades more experience in nuance!
The point of all of this documenting of my search through song, through my voice which is my most potent tool? How real can I get? How much of the conditioned shit (fear is big on that list) can I cast off so that I can expand to become the fullest peace,love&groove pilgrim possible? We're all called to that. The world is so in need of that...

My Interests

Music:

Member Since: 10/25/2005
Band Website: rawpurr.com
Band Members: christopher: drums
crystal: bass
dawn: piano/vox
hayes: sax
vinny: guitar
Influences: I grew up in a household of old country music (Jim Reeves, Hank Williams) along with contemporary 70s country artists which my younger guitar-playing sisters were ALWAYS listening to - Glen Campbell (especially the album with Bobby Gentry), Charlie Rich...
We'd go home to Wisconsin twice a year where the extended family would gather and Grandpa and the Uncles (occasionally joined by G-ma and the sisters [my mom included]) would sing all the old country standards accompanied by my uncle's guitar. Although I've always rejected country music (c'mon, I was the oldest...the rebel) that old country bleeds out of a lot of my music.
During my teens: The Smoker You Drink, The Player You Get and Barnstorm albums by Joe Walsh, Paul Rodgers in his many guises (Free, Bad Co, The Firm), Wish You Were Here album by Pink Floyd; and, of course, Led Zeppelin (Black Country Woman playing while kissing a boy in the backseat of a friend's car)[smile]...
Blues music. I mean deep down delta, Mississippi, dark grinding blues. Throw in some of Buddy Guy's searing guitar work, Champion Jack Dupree's sass and keys, Big Mama Thornton's raspy, throaty vocals. Mmm hmm!
Sounds Like: Same ballpark as: Tori Amos, Fiona Apple, PJ Harvey, Lauryn Hill, Annie Lennox (not necessarily in that order)...somewhere out in left field...
Record Label: Grail Productions...let you know if I find it...
Type of Label: Indie

My Blog

arMars Journey of a Soul Chapter 1

The birth day (release) of arMar’s 12 Chapter musical epic Journey of a Soul began on the first day of Spring 1998. Chapter 1...age 0-7, the beginning of life. More at /armarmusic.Here’s t...
Posted by Raw Purr on Fri, 21 Mar 2008 06:28:00 PST

Why Raw Purr / arMar (pronounced armor) ?

arMar is T. Roth and myself co-writing (her on guitar, me on vox/lyrics) a 12-chapter EP musical epic, Journey of a Soul created simultaneously through some of the Raw Purr years. It will appear here ...
Posted by Raw Purr on Sat, 26 Jan 2008 03:49:00 PST

Find me daily at /thefunkyhippy

Alright, almost daily. As I continue to streamline my cyberworld into a golden thread of literary coherency, it seems that I can best serve that intent by writing from the shop's (The Funky Hippy) mys...
Posted by Raw Purr on Wed, 16 Jan 2008 11:12:00 PST

Shedding the skin

I've been maintaining several myspaces, a few blogger identities and have realized that it's too many facets. Great while it lasted but time to shed them and redirect all of that energy into fewer out...
Posted by Raw Purr on Fri, 11 Jan 2008 12:19:00 PST

For Bhutto

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Posted by Raw Purr on Tue, 08 Jan 2008 10:33:00 PST

corners of my mind

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Posted by Raw Purr on Sun, 02 Dec 2007 03:59:00 PST

I sense something stirring

It's been a while since I sat down and wrote (a song). Through the years (since Summer '93 anyways), I've consistently and typically written stream of conscious-ly(?!) - with the exception of the (rou...
Posted by Raw Purr on Wed, 31 Oct 2007 08:49:00 PST

Twinkle, twinkle

I was putting together a slide show for /thefunkyhippy (as I'd promised to do), and figured as long as I was making wishes tonight I thought i'd plant a seed here too. Loving the process of putting im...
Posted by Raw Purr on Wed, 10 Oct 2007 06:49:00 PST

...and another month rolls by

It takes a loooong time to erase conditioned thought patterns from our behavior. First, you've got to want to. Second, you've got to have the space to. The precious bubble of time I've been ...
Posted by Raw Purr on Sat, 06 Oct 2007 10:03:00 PST

Where have I been?!

Having performed at least weekly for nearly three years, I've not performed since the Kent May 4th concert. I love to perform. But I've loved being able to put it down for a while, step away from the ...
Posted by Raw Purr on Tue, 04 Sep 2007 09:59:00 PST