"I am a Carpenter (Joseph's Song)" Debuted Tonight!

I have the biggest butterflies flying around in my tummy - my Christmas song, "I am a Carpenter (Joseph's Song)" debuted tonight at First Baptist Church in Lewisville, TX, for their Christmas show, "Wonder." It runs for two more nights...

I am going nuts WONDER-ing how it went!!! :) They have a 130+ member choir and a 30+ piece orchestra. They found the song on iTunes, and we got all the sheet music printed up as fast as we could.

I wish I could have flown down to Texas to see the performance - I feel like my "baby" (the song) is at its first day of school without mommy. Hope he made lots of friends... I'm waiting here at the bus stop...

Holiday Lights Festival/Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

We had a fantastic Thanksgiving performance - from a musicians standpoint, nothing beats a great performance, when everything goes right. Last night, we sang for the Holiday Lights Festival downtown. Omaha kicks off the Christmas/holiday season with Holiday Lights Festival every year. The Mayor does a countdown, and over a million tiny white lights covering all the trees that align our downtown streets light up simultaneously. It's quite breathtaking.

We were honored to perform a half hour "pre-lighting" show, filled with Christmas music from our first Christmas CD, "Ribbons and Pine", our lullaby CD, "Stardust" our upcoming Christmas CD, and a few other just-for- fun Christmas tunes.

Now when you're booked for a gig in late November, outside, at night, in the Midwest, you're taking a few risks...the weather could be awful, you freeze your hands off, the wood on your guitar could crack, gusts of wind could choke your throat and blow over the keyboard, and no one would show up. Or, as was the case last night, you have a clear, beautiful, slightly cool evening - nothing that a free cup of hot chocolate won't cure - a perfectly exquisite sound system with professional sound persons, a well organized event, and a crowd of nearly 30, 000.

People cheered, clapped, sang along, and were just generally the perfect audience, made up of all generations. Lots of families with kids happily running about, enjoying the night air and each other. It was so easy to sing our hearts out on this one. A big thanks to Carly Barth, who organized the event - she did an amazing job!

Top this off with Thanksgiving dinner in the company of a warm, loving family of over 70 people, more music, and plenty of sentimental tears... and I know that these are the memories I want to hold on to for life. It was a perfect evening.

M.E.L.O.D.Y.

I can't believe I've been MIA for nearly a month! When you read what follows, you'll understand why. We just sent this out to our mailing list, but also wanted to post this here for all of our cyberspace friends. Thanks in advance, for your support, and for spreading the word to your friends.

xoxox Cher
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Dear Friends,

We are writing to thank you for your generous support of our music. With your help, Stardust has gone on to win eight parent and family awards and is in the running for four more awards! We are also very excited to let you know that Stardust is a Grammy entry in six different categories!

Today we are asking for your support in a different way. We are honored to have partnered with the Help Group – UCLA Autism Research Alliance, and are seeking to raise funds for a groundbreaking new program that uses music-based research, therapy and education to help children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD).

“Music Enhanced Learning Opportunities for Developing Youth (MELODY)” is a new program being developed by Dr. Istvan Molnar-Szakacs, a neuroscientist at UCLA’s Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, in collaboration with The Help Group and with the support of The Friends of the Semel Institute. It aims to harness the universal power of music to help children with ASD overcome their difficulties in social and emotional communication. Children with ASD experience challenges with communicating and understanding of emotion, such as interpreting facial expressions. In contrast, they appear to show no deficits in processing emotion in musical stimuli.

The goal of MELODY is to improve socio-emotional functioning in children with ASD by using a music-based approach which includes 1) studying the brain bases of socio-emotional deficits using neuroimaging techniques 2) developing a music-based therapeutic intervention to teach children emotion recognition skills and 3) conducting quantitative and qualitative evaluations of music education programs for children with special needs.

Since the release of Stardust, we have received countless letters from grateful parents of children with special needs, sharing their personal stories of how Stardust has helped calm, relax, and focus their children. Through our years of performing, we have seen first hand the beneficial effects of music on children. We could see how music would light up their eyes, bring smiles to their faces and laughter to their hearts. We are so grateful to know that we have an opportunity to help raise funds for a research program that could bring us a step closer to understanding autism, developing new treatments and helping these special children and their families.

We need your help to accomplish all this work! We have set a goal to raise $100,000 by March 1st, 2009 and are asking that you consider making a tax-deductible gift of $25 or more to help achieve this goal. Your contribution in any amount is greatly appreciated, and even a gift of 20, 15 or 10 dollars will make a huge difference! Your donation will be used to support the development of the MELODY program and will help improve the lives of these special children with ASD and their families.

To donate directly to MELODY, please visit The Friends of the Semel Institute’s website, the support group for The Semel Institute at www.friendsofthesemelinstitute.org and click on “Donate Here” at the top of the homepage. This will direct you to a new page, where you can click “Click here to donate and become a member.” This will take you to a secure page allowing you to make your donation by choosing one of the amounts on the drop-down menu or choosing ”Other” and filling in any amount you’d like to donate to MELODY. Please designate the amount of your donation and be sure to write “MELODY” in the Comments box at the bottom of the page, ensuring that your donation will go directly to the MELODY program.

For more information on the MELODY program, please visit http://www.npi.ucla.edu/creativity/research/autism/ and for The Help Group – UCLA Autism Research Alliance, visit www.thehelpgroup.org


We thank you from the bottom of our hearts,

Your friends,

Cher & Gene

I Couldn't Sleep...

So the Grammy Ballots arrived! I blogged, Twittered, posted, made phone calls. Immediately after, we went to do a tv taping - nothing big - just filling in for the people who sing at the Mass for Shut-ins... then babysat my 3 year old nephew and we wall went out for Chinese food. Came home. Twittered. Posted more.

I just couldn't get tired! I had 1307 butterflies in my tummy. I counted them. Each one. After the sheep. This is just so exciting.

Do I campaign? I haven't a clue. This is a first for me - hopefully, not a last. But I want to savor every second of this - new is good.

I didn't sleep much - but that just didn't seem to matter much today. :)

Grammy Ballots JUST Arrived!!!!!!!!!!! WEEEEE!!!!!!!

Oh oh oh oh !!!!! Grammy ballots just arrived!!! We're in 6 categories!!! I'm callin' on all of you to spread the word!!!!

Field 18 - Children's
Category 77 - Best Musical Album for Children
We are #093. Stardust - Cher & Gene Klosner

Field 23 - (we have two entries in this Category) Composing/Arranging
Category 85 Best Instrumental Composition
We are #188, "Pillow Soft, Blanket Warm" - Gene Klosner
AND
#283 "Wynken, Blynken and Nod" - Cher Klosner

Field 23 - Composing/Arranging
Category 86- Best Instrumental Arrangement
We are #135. "Pillow Soft, Blanket Warm" Gene Klosner, Arranger

Field 23 - Composing/Arranging
Category 87 - Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist(s)
We are #226 "Wynken, Blynken and Nod" - Cher Klosner, Arranger

Field 27 - Production, Non-Classical
Category 92 - Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical
We are # 307 Tom Ware, Engineer

If you haven't heard Stardust, you can listen to soundclips here: www.StardustLullaby.com/musicclips.html

Please, please, please pass it on - vote for Stardust - Cher & Gene Klosner - Twitter it, Facebook it, Stumble it, MySpace it, etc., cuz ya never know who is an Academy member!!! Or who is married to one!! :)

Thank you all sooooooooooo much!!!! I love ya!!!!

This is SOOOOOOOOOOOO EXCITING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Cher :)

Busy, busy, busy...

Just so darn busy! Busy with Boo's school work, making sure he is staying on top of his addition and subtraction, spelling and social studies... busy with my work, last minute submitting Stardust to Holiday gift guides, figuring out a fair price for octavoes, getting orchestral and piano parts off to our wonderful music copyists for our Christmas song, "I am a Carpenter" - a 200 member choir and orchestra at a church in Texas wants to use it in their Christmas program this year - WOW!!! (I wish I could hear the performance - I know it will be gorgeous!) And busy trying to balance family - housework, folding laundry, it just never ends. I would love a day of just - nothing. To sit and eat chocolate. And watch a movie that makes me cry happy tears.

Speaking of happy tears, one of my very best friends - Shell - and her two beautiful kids were in town last week!!! Oh, we had fun!! And oh do I miss her! I cried all the way from the airport to my beautician's where I had a hair appointment. She was new, and wasn't sure what to do with me when I burst into tears for having said goodbye to Shell 20 minutes prior... :( Fortunately, her gut instinct told her to just give me a hug, which she did, then went off to mix my colors :)

I am so fortunate to have good friends in my life - and I am so grateful!

Happy days everyone - take time to share a glass of wine with a good friend this week - it'll do your heart good (especially red wine with all the flavanoids ;) ) hehe...

Submitting for the Grammy’s

In my last post I mentioned submitting for the Grammys - Stardust has been submitted –for 7 categories - it is a cool process. We have “submitted 7 entries” - this is not the same as a nomination – that comes later. This has been on our dream board for several years. It seemed so unattainable ’til we started walking through the steps.

Step 1: Recording the CD. We had to start with a recording that we felt was Grammy worthy. So we went into the studio with that attitude – Is it Grammy worthy? Which means, no cutting corners, every song has to be the best we can make it. We also had to plan the release date to fall within the eligibility period – for Grammy 2009, it would have to be released, and able to be distributed nationally (via brick & mortar stores or internet) no sooner that October 1, 2007 and no later than September 30, 2008.

Step 2: Get your credits listed on All Music Guide. Before a recording can even be submitted, we needed to be a member of the Recording Academy (formerly called NARAS). Before we could become members, we had to have several recording credits under our belt and be listed on All Music Guide. They can be on the liner notes of the recording you are submitting, or past projects - fortunately for us, we've recorded several projects prior to Stardust so getting listed on All Music Guide was just a matter of submitting the paperwork with all of our past credits. Once the paperwork was submitted to AMG, it took about 6 weeks to get listed, but once we were on AMG, we were eligible for Academy membership.

Step 3: Becoming Recording Academy members. This was so exciting – I have dreamt of being part of the Grammy process since I was a kid. All the years of watching the Grammys and envisioning me there – as an audience member, as a voting member, as a participant, as a nominee, as a recipient… these visions are the sugarplums that have danced in my head. So signing up online, was absolutely painless (almost anti-climactic) – we filled out a form, paid our dues…that was it. We got a quick confirmation online that our credits were accepted and verified. A few weeks later, we got the packet – we were official Recording Academy Voting Members!

Step 4: Submitting the Entry Forms. In July, we got another packet containing all the info about how to submit. There are 31 fields (genres) and 110 categories of music within those fields. I have to admit, the children’s music division is in dire need of expansion, as there are only a two …but I digress. There were plenty other categories in which we were able to enter Stardust, or tracks thereof.

So, over the next few weeks Gene and I went back and forth on which categories were appropriate, and entered online once again. With each entry my heart raced from the rushes of adrenaline…my hands are sweating now just relaying my excitement! And we got it all done with just minutes to spare before I hit a landmark birthday - oh happy day!!! We boxed up a package – 4 CDs per category - and shipped it off to the Academy, got the confirmation that it was received.

Step 5: Tell the World!! Okay, maybe not the world, but we definitely want to let people know, and if they happen to have friends who are voting members of the Academy, to please consider Stardust for a nomination…then we hope for the best!If it is meant to happen, it will. It may be a longshot, but it’s not impossible. We’ll know by early December. And if any of YOU are Voting Academy Members, your vote for a nomination is greatly appreciated!!!

Stepping Away...

I took a couple weeks off of blogging, PR, computer work, just so I could get back into the swing of school - sometimes I wonder if it is a bigger adjustment for parents than it is for kids! And how the heck do parents of more than one child do this? Homework, ordering books, having clean clothes ready... gee wiz...I have a whole new respect for my mom - she had 6 of us!

So during my work hiatus I shampooed carpets, met with a personal trainer, gave two keynote presentations, organized and cleared out all my sons drawers that had clothes that were too small - by next year, I will pass this duty off to my son... I got a lot of rooms cleaned in the house...it felt good to get this all done - but no better than hiring a house cleaner would have felt. The end result is the same. A clean house.

The positive of all this is de-cluttering. Stepping away from my daily "work" routine allowed me to de-clutter a bit - not just my house, but also my head and spirit. I feel a little more focused on the things that I want out of my life, by taking a look at the things that are keeping me from or are distracting me from attaining what my purpose on this planet is, things I don't need in my life anymore - and letting go.

It ain't easy, but I'm ready to move forward.

In my last post, I promised to post about the Grammy's - I will get that up tomorrow. Cross my heart. :)

Oh yea, ...homework.

So, I haven't posted in a while. One word will tell you why...homework. Boo has started second grade. I liked Preschool, Kindergarten and First grade. He did his school work at school, would come home and we'd go to piano lessons, ride our bikes, make dinner, take a long bath, snuggle and head off to beddy by.

His world - and my world - are forever changed. Pages upon pages of math, spelling, and more math are coming home daily in his bookbag. The "tests" have begun - the teachers set goals that the kids need to attain in the classroom. I saw the despair on his face the morning of the math testing - he asked if I would still love him if he didn't reach the goal. And I saw the pride on his face when he got home from school, scoring well above the goals that were set for him. My little boy is growing up. I don't want to miss another minute.

Winds of Change

Reverend Wills was laid to rest yesterday.
I have to share a beautiful story someone told at his funeral yesterday. A man saw Reverend Wills walking with his brooms and stopped to give the Rev a ride in the car (which I learned that so many of us had done over the years.) After the usual pleasantries, the man asked, "Rev, are you ever angry with God?" Reverend Wills replied, "Why, no." The man said, "Come on, not ever?" the Rev said, "Not ever." The man, wanting to hear a different answer, said, "Rev, you mean to tell me that you have never once been angry that you were born blind?" Reverend Wills paused a moment, then answered, "Why would I be angry? I have never had to see war, or bloodshed, or hatred in someones eyes. How can I be angry when the first face I will ever see is the face of God?"

It must have been glorious, Reverend. And I know you are now playing and singing with the angels.

Other stuff...
Alleluia! Ben will be back to work September 15!!!! Oh LORDY - I am 10 pounds lighter from the stress that has melted away. I slept like a log last night. First time in 10 months, since that stupid writer's strike went into effect. I am THANKFUL!!!!!!!!!! I can breathe again! AAAAaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhh!!! Stardust has been selling like crazy, thanks to the Omaha World Herald, Borders, and to the special sale we ran for our mailing list and a couple of Mom sites where I feel very at home.

The winds have changed - I can feel it.
Tomorrow - all about submitting to the Grammys, (yes, we did) and, everyone needs a birthday party!! :)

Tonight. More restful sleep.

Happy Labor Day weekend, friends and loved ones!

Good night, Reverend Livingston Wills

I wrote the following post back in April about my dear old friend, Reverend ("Rev") Livingston Wills. Shortly after this post, he was moved to a nursing home. I got to visit him a couple of times at the nursing home - his health and memory were fading steadily. He wasn't eating much, didn't remember my name, and didn't want to get up and walk around. Thankfully, the home had a piano not too far from his room. We walked to the piano, and the moment he touched the keys, he came to life again. We spent the next half hour singing and playing. He even asked the nurse for ice cream so we all had a dish. We sang together just like the first time we sang together so many years ago.

On my last visit, I bought a broom from him, just for old times sake. I knew it would be the last broom he might ever sell, and the last broom I would ever be able to buy from my old dear friend. Reverend Wills, died yesterday. He was one of the greatest Gifts that God ever put in my life, so it was fitting that he died on August 22, my birthday. Rest in Peace, my Friend. As the Reverend would always say, "God is good." I already miss you.
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Posted April 30, 2008

I have a friend named Reverend Livingston Wills. I met him when I was a little girl, maybe 4 or 5 years old. He was a strong, handsome man and liked to hum a song and whistle a tune as he would walk briskly down my street, balancing a dozen brooms over his shoulder with one hand and bouncing a white walking stick with the other. I had never seen anyone like him before. He'd stop at every house knocking at the doors, selling his wares. Like most of the neighbors, my mom would buy her brooms from Reverend Wills, and would always get a "little girl's broom" that was just my size, for me.

Most people knew him as "the Broom Man" and it was a usual and welcomed sight to see Reverend Wills walking around town with his brooms.

A few years later, we moved to a different neighborhood, and I didn't see Reverend Wills again 'til I was a teenager. I heard a knock at the door and there he was ready to sell me a broom. It was hot out, so I asked him in for iced tea. We talked, and as our iced tea turned into a meal of tuna fish sandwiches and cookies, he shared about his life and his faith. A truly remarkable and inspiring man.

Our friendship has continued over the years. He taught me the song, "What a Friend We Have in Jesus" which I later recorded on our "Sunday" CD and in the liner notes, I wrote a special dedication to Reverend Wills. Once I brought him to one of my performances as my special guest, where I witnessed just a tiny fraction of how many lives he had touched - when I said his name and asked him to stand, I could hear the awesome hush fill the air and the entire auditorium gave him a rousing applause and a standing ovation! We went out to lunch several times, and I was honored to have Reverend Wills say a special blessing at my wedding. That was 11 years ago.

I spent the afternoon with Reverend Wills today. He is in his 90's now, and the years are beginning to take their toll. He's forgetful and was having a hard time remembering my name, but I didn't mind. Just to spend time with him, singing songs while he played the organ, then sitting together on the couch, listening to him recite his favorite poems or tell his favorite jokes as I held his hand, was enough for me.

I thank God for putting Reverend Wills in my life. He is a reminder to me of all that is good here on this earth.

God bless you, Reverend Wills, and thank you for being my friend.

Nice write-up in the Omaha World Herald

Oh Hooray!!!

We got a great review in the Sunday Omaha World Herald - front page of the Entertainment/Travel/Arts section - from the well-respected Arts and Music columnist, John Pitcher. The World-Herald is the nation's 49th largest daily newspaper.

http://www.omaha.com/index.php?u_page=2620&u_sid=10408118


We've gotten a lot of press around and outside the country, which we are very appreciative of, but none have given us the results that the World Herald has. That very morning, we had a ton of web hits which turned into sales. The next morning, a store called to tell us they had sold out of Stardust. They Reordered. That night another store sold out of Stardust! Another reorder! Today, because of the article, we were contacted to perform for an event. To live in the house that Jack built.

Now that Boo is back in school, I'm going to start adding more content beyond Stardust. I am also going to start sharing some of my favorite things on this site, as I am involved with so many great mompreneurs, and I love to share the cool products these brilliant women have come up with.

We also have some summer drawings to do, so stay tuned and sing pretty. :)

Cher :)

I'm hooked on the Olympics!

I was never a big sports fan growing up, but I gotta tell ya, I am HOOKED! Especially on the Swimming. Now, granted, I am biased after singing the National Anthem for the US Olympic Swim Trials in July, but even with that aside, the US swim team is awfully impressive this year - watching the men's relay the other night, I was literally screaming at the tv, "Go- oh, go, go, go!!!!!"
I am so proud - Michael Phelps, Dara Torres, all the women and men representing the US. And I am so honored to have played a role in this historic event.

And I'm awfully glad I wasn't replaced at the last minute for having crooked teeth...

Stardust in Libraries!

I am so excited!! We are now with a distributor in Canada, who does distribution to libraries throughout Canada. They contacted us, after receiving several requests for Stardust from different libraries in Canada! We were also recently contacted by a library in Los Angeles who had heard our music. They put in a request to us and to their distributor in the US! We have been in contact with the distributor and will soon be available to every library in the United States! WOW!!!!!!!! I am so excited I can't contain myself!!! But I will... :) The librarian in LA said they get requests for our kind of music every day, and they have nothing in their systems like it! It would go very well with teachers and parents.

Me happy.

We are also going to be adding more content to this blog, dealing with sleep issues, relaxation, pursuing dreams - at ANY age - and more. Can't wait!

Also, if you are reading my blog, please feel free to leave a comment and say hi :)
Have a super day! I am!!

xooxo Cher

No-see-ums??

I just spent two weeks in Florida - Orlando and Vero Beach. Aaaahhh... Disneyworld! The sunshine! The beach! The ocean! The no-see-ums..huh??

I live in Omaha, Nebraska. We have mosquitos. We have ants. We have bug repellant. We move on, fairly unscathed.

My first afternoon in Vero, I skipped merrily to the pool, slathered on the sunscreen and leaned back in the lawn chair. Just to be out in the sunshine was heavenly - Nebraska has left a lot to be desired this summer with all the storms, tornadoes and grey clouds. My mother-in-law sat down beside me and said, "Now down here you'll want to make sure to wear plenty of sunscreen (check) and get some bug spray for the no-see-ums." If you knew my mother-in-law, you'd know that half the time she is pulling your leg so you let things go in one ear and out the other without giving it much more response than a chuckle. Unfortunately this time, wasn't one of those times.

What I learned as I woke up itching at 4:30 the next morning, is that there are these nasty little critters in Florida called, "no-see-ums." No-fooling. I got over 200 bites on my right foot, and about half as many on my left. I could see the patterns they walked in - some marched along the edges of the bands of my flip-flops. Step-munch-step-munch. Some danced around in circles. Sidestep-munch-sidestep-munch. Some just hopped around deliriously happy to have found fresh Nebraska meat. Joy!-munch-Joy!-munch.

My feet swelled up like Italian sausages. My arms looked like I had the chicken pocks. I was going stir crazy, itching and scratching. All because of these mean, little, invisible people-eaters.
All the hydrocortisone, calamine lotion and eucalyptus oil could not bring relief to the aftermath of the war raged upon my little piggies.

Doctor said, "Benadryl." I found some relief and enjoyed the rest of my trip.

Sunshiney afternoons, trips to the park, time with family. Boo and his cousins had a sleepover at Grandma's and I had a midnight get-away to the beach with my hubby. And in my knee-high socks, tennis shoes, long-sleeved shirt and sweat pants, we listened to the ocean waves, felt the cool breezes and watched shooting stars write our names across the sky.

No-see-ums??

US Olympic Swim Trial/National Anthem on YouTube!! :)

WEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!! Just got the DVD of our performance from the U.S. Olympic Swim Trial - check it out here if you like!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9uFXARXiUR4

It's Friday - gonna make this short, so I can go snuggle and read a book with my boy - he is going to read me a story :)

Have a great weekend!!!

Cher :)

I am Thankful...

Time to start counting the blessings again -

I have a great husband, a wonderful son and a dear brother. I am blessed.
I get to work at what I LOVE - music. For that I am truly Thankful.
I found a part time music job that will allow me to continue to work at getting Stardust out to the public, and discovered today that the person that hired us really does appreciate what we have to offer. That makes me thankful.
We learned that Ben might be back on a show by August 3. That would be wonderful.
The first of many contractors came out to give estimates on the damage to our house. Most everything will be able to be replaced, fixed, repainted and covered by our insurance. I'm thankful.
We are openly talking about where we will live in a year. Nothing is sealed in stone but we are talking about it. And we see that we have options. We had been frozen in "shock land", unable to move, because of the writers strike. Now, hubby is taking action, so we are becoming pro-active in our decisions, rather than sitting helplessly while the industry determines our future and destroys everything we have built over the past ten years.

Tonight, I count my blessings, and am thankful.

The Calm After the Storm?

Okay...storms are over. We can see clearly now...Insurance man came out to assess the damage. Yikes! Good thing we have decent insurance.

Sometimes, I have to remember that it is all in bigger hands and that things happen for reasons. The storm, which ripped out areas of the back of our house and pushed me over the edge two weeks ago, may actually have been an awakening for me. It not only shook up the house, it shook up the household. My sweet 7-year-old son is still checking the weather channel every morning, and wants to discuss clouds, and how many miles per hour the winds will be each day... but it also made hubby and I talk about our future here in Nebraska, and weather or not (yes, intended) we want to stay here.

Heading back to LA is becoming a real possibility. And I feel comfortable.

Olympic Swim Trials is Flying 1st Class

Just got back from singing at the US Olympic Swim Trials - the Finals. There was a record attendance tonight for ANY US Olympic Swim Trial event in US Olympic history!! ... and we had the honor of singing at it!!! The event was like flying first class ... in every way. Every detail was thoroughly planned out. It was wonderful. Plus we got to hang out with all the past Olympians (yes, Mark Spitz was there) prior to the Swim Trials. The sound system was delicious. We stood in the exact spot where the medals were handed out. Our names were spelled out in this super- cool flourescent green waterfall!!! Our contact - Lou Brennan, from Austrlia -was absolutely lovely. Our escourt, Jason, from Omaha, was fantastic. I tell ya, have never experienced such a great event.

I am so humbled and honored. I have to get to sleep, but I had to share this small slice of heaven with you - it just doesn't get much better than this!!

Cher :)

Life Happens

The past few weeks has been a reminder of what happens when I'm forced to step outside my office long enough to breathe...life happens. Weddings happen. Storms happen. Death happens. Power outages happen. Hail with 90 mile an hour winds happen. Damage to homes happen. Friendships happen. Neighbors helping neighbors happen. Writers' strikes happen. Gas hikes happen. Life happens.

It's been a really difficult 7 months, in so many ways, and it has been a really wonderful 7 months in so many others. We've been feeling the economic crush. The writers strike has left my hubby out of work since November. And my entrepreneurial journey is a SLOW one - I am so happy we put out our latest CD, but had I known there would have been a writers' strike lurking the same month Stardust would be released, I might have held off on the project. Hindsight is always 20/20. But, life is a rollercoaster - sometimes I'd like to get off and ask for a refund, but for the most part, I enjoy the ride. Right now, though, if I have to endure one more upside down loop, I'm certain I'll toss my cookies.

Monthly Stardust Giveaway!

Every month through the end of December, you'll have a chance to win your very own copy of Stardust! Just sign up on our mailing list - easy as pie! We send out an e-mail every month with our updates, peformances, and the name of our lucky winner for the month. Visit our home page to sign up! http://www.stardustlullaby.com/ And please be assured that we will never share your information with other companies - we like ya too much!
Thanks everyone, and, good luck!!

Cher :)

Do Lullabies Help Sick Babies?

When I was little and would get sick and couldn't sleep, my Mom would rub my forehead and sing soft, soothing songs to me. It didn't make the fever go away or heal the chicken pox but it sure would calm me down and make me feel safe and secure. I do the same with my son, Boo, whenever he isn't feeling good, or just to help him relax.

Here is a great story about lullabies - "Science of Song: Do Lullabies Help Sick Babies?" by Juju Chang and Maggie Burbank - this was on ABCNews.com May 29, 2008. And feel free to pop in your Stardust CD while you read. ;)

http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/comments?type=story&id=4956969

You CAN teach an old dog new tricks...

I was posting on another thread about my day yesterday - it was pretty exciting. But I realized that 3/4 of the things that happened yesterday were a direct result of being on the Mompreneurs Online board - had I not I joined Mompreneurs, these events in my day yesterday probably would not have happened.

1) We had 5 web sales - all from different places. Due to all the PR we are doing - before Mompreneurs, my PR was limited to local papers, and places where we were performing.

2) We were contacted by a wholesaler in Canada. Before Mompreneurs, I didn't know what a wholesler was, and never dreamed we would be getting requests for orders in Canada!

3) We got a dropshipper acct set up in California. Before Mompreneurs, never heard of DropShipping. Still figuring it all out too, with everyone's help there. Thanks!!!

4) We got a great review from another product review blogger site. (Parents With Style http://parentswithstyle.blogspot.com/search/label/Stardust ) Before Mompreneurs, I had never heard of a Product Review blog.

5) We were contacted by a national magazine!! (More on that later,when it happens, but WOWEEE!!!!) Before Mompreneurs, I didn't have the slightest idea how to approach a national magazine, and I always thought it had to be a BIG company to get national press. I've learned so much and gotten the information necessary to feel very comfortable approaching any magazine.

6) I was able to hold an intelligent conversation about SEO, page rankings, and metatags. That sentence would not have been spoken from my lips 6 months ago. I owe all that to felow Mompreneurs, Holly, Jill, Amber, Amy and Lisa (and anyone else I am forgetting...) Thanks Gals!! You would have been proud of your humble student And, I have found an amazing community of great women there that I consider my teachers and my friends. Thanks, El and Pat for providing the Mompreneurs board, and thanks fellow mompreneurs for making this journey a great one!!

The other cool things that happened yesterday, - un-Mompreneur related - we booked a House Concert, and we also took a part time job putting together a choir for a nearby church.

I needed to do something for my spirit - I visited my friend, Reverend Wills, at his new home - a nursing home :( We were able to find a piano and sing some songs. Several residents wheeled themselves in to the little room and sang along or listened. I'm going to go again next week. THAT fills my soul. And at the end of the day those are the things that matter.

Um...did we just sing the National Anthem at College World Series?

Well, we just sang the National Anthem at the College World Series...the performance went great, but it was sure crazy!!!

We followed a game that was the longest game ever played in College World Series history, so it was a little bit chaotic. The plans were that Hubby was going to video the singing, so we could use it for some additional promo video clips (I have been working really hard this year on getting into better shape, I just had my nails done and spent the morning at the beauticians getting some summer highlights and a new do ... I even fit in to a jacket I bought just for this - sort of a mini goal I had set - and achieved, I'm proud to say :) So I was really looking forward to some new footage, especially after last year's performance, when my hair puffed up like the stadium's cotton candy from the humidity!!)

The best-laid plans of mice and men...I should've known better. The game was originally scheduled to start at 6:00 pm. The rumors going around the stadium, however, were that the next game wouldn't be starting til 6:30, since the last game went so late. So this year, because of the rumors, I just incorrectly summized that we would go on at 6:27. WRONG-O!!! Our escort was late in meeting us so I stood outside in line sweating like a little piggy. When he finally arrived I was informed I had 8 minutes to go potty, freshen up, have the "sitter" meet us to sit with my son before hubby, Gene and I go out on the field to do the anthem. We went on at 6:02. The stadium had JUST cleared out from the last game, so it was barely a quarter full when they got us out to sing. My hubby was not on the field - the sitter was still stuck outside because they were just starting to let the people in...she wasn't in yet...so hubby stayed with son, and we just rolled with it, and sang our hearts out - we gave our very best.

There was some huge camera on us - I don't know who it belonged to, but later we heard from lots of baseball fans that they saw us on a screen outside the stadium. The camera man did a fantastic job too, from what I was told. I didn't see it - I don't know if it aired on ESPN or not - it's all kind of a weird blur, because absolutely nothing went as planned! But you know what? You'd never know it. Ya just roll with it.

There's no business like show business, that's for sure and if there is any lesson for all of you WANTING to get in to the music biz it is this - BE FLEXIBLE and learn how to wing it, because winging it is all part of the game. I LOVE this business - you have to, in order to be insane enough to go into it.

And if any of you happened to tivo the game, can you let me know if our performance airedon ESPN?? And if it did, could you send me a video clip???

The Tornado Hit Close to Home

I have to share - cuz I can't seem to focus on anything else today. I sat up all night with my next door neighbor whose son was at the boy scout camp that you might have seen on the news today. This was one of the most difficult nights I think I have ever experienced as a parent. We didn't know til about 1 in the morn if he was alive or dead. Thank God he survived - 4 other precious boys didn't.

Last night, we were trying to distract my friend, just to fill up the hours of waiting with something that wasn't the looming, eerie silence of not knowing if her little guy was buried under a heap of concrete, or in a hospital, or dead. Sometimes she'd want to talk about her feelings, it made it better for her, but would also make it worse for her. Lots of meaningless babble - talking about American Idol, or Grey's Anatomy, but it didn't make the underlying truths go away. It was awful. When we got word that he was "on the list" - that he was okay, we were relieved, but it wasn't til he called then walked through that door 2 hours later and we got to hold him and hug him and hear his voice, that we could exhale a bit. This morning, he went outside and lowered the flag that was up on a flagpole he and his dad built 4 years ago. He's only 13.

Today, I can't even focus. I have tried working, and doing anything to distract myself, but it's not doing any good. Emotionally, I am numb. But all I want to do is hug my son and my husband, and I want to make chocolate chip cookies and go to the park and play.

Please keep all these kids in your prayers tonight - and give your kids an extra hug and kiss- there are 4 families here who can't. My heart is aching for them.

Singing National Anthem at US Olympic Swim Trials!

Gene and I have been asked to sing the National Anthem at the US Olympic Swim Trials July 5, 2008 in the eve. I am speechless. We are so honored to be able to a part of such a monumental event. We will do everything in our power to make it memorable and to inspire the Olympic hopefuls as much as they inspire me.

We have two national events in the next two months - the Olympic Swim Trials and The College World Series, June 14th, Opening Day Game #2, 6 pm. If you are around, be sure to say hey!! :)

I am also on a kick-behind Olympic Countdown-get-healthy-eating and exercise regimen. I'm on Day 3 - it's going well. I even turned down a dish of Oreo Cookie pudding hubby made... I'll keep you posted. My dear friend, Shell, had surgery today - gall bladder removed - I've been worried all day, but just got word that she is out and fine. Shell is making some healthy changes, and so are a lot of my Mompreneur friends. So I am in GREAT company - I'm ready to move on to the second half of my life with a new attitude - and an Olympic behind.

Happy Memorial Day!

Oh my gosh - I have been WAAAAYYY too busy... I hope you all had a great Memorial Day weekend! We did - we got to put on our"performer" hats this weekend - one of the many hats we wear - and by far one of our favorite hats - in the music biz. We were in concert at Feather River Vineyards in North Platte NE. It was a gorgeous evening - apparently, one the first night it hadn't rained in a while! The vineyard was beautiful stretching out to forever. The audience was heavenly - a wonderful mix of people all ages and backgrounds. Got a standing ovation and an encore call...it is so nice to be appreciated. The next morning we sang for a church service at Holy Spirit church, also in North Platte, and got to see many of the same folks we met from the winery the night before. Everyone sang their hearts out - it was just beautiful! I love the people there and we made many new friends. We also got to spend time with my wonderful Aunt Karen and Uncle Dave. - they spoiled us rotten with cinnamon rolls, banana cake, enchiladas, a trip to the railroad yard, and tons of love... Boo got to meet some new cousins which is always a plus.



On the promo side of business, we won a Parents' Choice Award! Cool! Also Got some great write-ups too, in Nashville Parent (NAshville, TN), in All About Kids (Richmond VA), in TDMonthly (Toy Directory Monthly) and a few other places I can't think of off the bat...



I'm pooped today, but life is good.

Not every day is great...but that's...ok.

Last night was a bit of a bummer - had a trade show that was a bust. On top of a lagging economy, hubby still out of work from the writer's strike and now the actors may strike (which is another post altogether) - the tradeshow pushed me over the edge...and it all led to a very fragile me today...

Not every day is going to be great. I know that. My life's problems are so insignificant compared to women being raped in the Congo, or families who are living homeless on the streets. I live a very good life. I have a loving husband and a great kid. I work with a brother who is just a love. I love my family. I have a handful of a few great, very close girlfriends. And I am very thankful to my Mompreneur friends...they remind me that this too shall pass.

But I can't deny that today - sucked.
But that's... okay... I still have the right to grrrr.
Grrrr. And, thankfully, I have that right to say so.

Tomorrow will be better.

Reverend Wills

I have a friend named Reverend Livingston Wills. I met him when I was a little girl, maybe 4 or 5 years old. He was a strong, handsome man and liked to hum a song and whistle a tune as he would walk briskly down my street, balancing a dozen brooms over his shoulder with one hand and bouncing a white walking stick with the other. I had never seen anyone like him before. He'd stop at every house knocking at the doors, selling his wares. Like most of the neighbors, my mom would buy her brooms from Reverend Wills, and would always get a "little girl's broom" that was just my size, for me.

Most people knew him as "the Broom Man" and it was a usual and welcomed sight to see Reverend Wills walking around town with his brooms.

A few years later, we moved to a different neighborhood, and I didn't see Reverend Wills again 'til I was a teenager. I heard a knock at the door and there he was ready to sell me a broom. It was hot out, so I asked him in for iced tea. We talked, and as our iced tea turned into a meal of tuna fish sandwiches and cookies, he shared about his life and his faith. A truly remarkable and inspiring man.

Our friendship has continued over the years. He taught me the song, "What a Friend We Have in Jesus" which I later recorded on our "Sunday" CD and in the liner notes, I wrote a special dedication to Reverend Wills. Once I brought him to one of my performances as my special guest, where I witnessed just a tiny fraction of how many lives he had touched - when I said his name and asked him to stand, I could hear the awesome hush fill the air and the entire auditorium gave him a rousing applause and a standing ovation! We went out to lunch several times, and I was honored to have Reverend Wills say a special blessing at my wedding. That was 11 years ago.

I spent the afternoon with Reverend Wills today. He is in his 90's now, and the years are beginning to take their toll. He's forgetful and was having a hard time remembering my name, but I didn't mind. Just to spend time with him, singing songs while he played the organ, then sitting together on the couch, listening to him recite his favorite poems or tell his favorite jokes as I held his hand, was enough for me.

I thank God for putting Reverend Wills in my life. He is a reminder to me of all that is good here on this earth.

God bless you, Reverend Wills, and thank you for being my friend.

We have a Bloggy Giveaway Carnival Winner!

Okey Dokey - the winner has been drawn for our Bloggy Giveaway... my son, the official MC of the Giveaway Headquarters, drew the lucky winner's name from our Stardust Giveaway locale - his clubhouse :)

Congratulations to... Jennifer Bogart!

Thanks to all who entered! Want to try again at winning a free Stardust CD? Each month through the end of 2008, we are holding a special giveaway - but you must be entered to win! Sign up on our mailing list for your chance to win your very own copy of Stardust!

Don't want to wait? We are holding a special Mother's Day Sale through the end May! Visit http://www.stardustlullaby.com/



April 26, 2008 1:30 PM

Bloggy Giveaway Carnival!!

Happy Earth Day week and welcome to my Bloggy Giveaway Carnival Post!!

My name is Cher Klosner Lane - I'm a Mom and a...musician, producer, arranger, composer, recording artist, Mompreneur (TM) and Co-founder of Audible Chocolate Productions. I'm married to my super- cool hubby, Ben, who is an Emmy award-winning animator and assistant director for "The Simpsons." We have one great, loveable, extremely right-brained kid who keeps us on our toes. :)

My blog, "Stardust Lullaby" is all about the roller coaster ride of my entrepreneurial journey juggling music and family - and following what goes on behind the scenes of creating an award winning lullaby CD.

Our giveaway: One lucky winner will win ....(drumroll please!!!!) ...1 brand new shiney copy of Stardust, a 2-disc lullaby collection for all ages, featuring rich lilting vocals and authentic instrumentation performed by symphony, conservatory and jazz musicians (none of that annoying synthesizer stuff you find on so many kids cds!) Stardust is an "iParenting Media Award Winner - 2008 Best Products -Audio," is up for several more parent and music awards, and is getting fantastic reviews!

Visit Stardust Lullaby to hear soundclips, read reviews, download free Stardust bookmarks and play some super fun games like Stardust Swap... but I'll warn you - they are addictive! :) . And, while you're there, check out our new animated video, "Seepy Sams" produced by Animation Lane and animated by Pascal Campion, who has done several animation projects for They Might Be Giants.

So here are the rules:

- If you want to win, leave me a comment on this post. Please write something beyond I want your CD... just cuz I want to know something about you... and it's good manners ...
- Don't enter more than once because duplicate entries will be deleted, along with it's original...soooo...follow the rules :)
- No anonymous comments - ummm... I can't contact you if you're anonymous...
- This giveaway is open to everyone, and you don't have to be a blogger to play along.
- Winner will be chosen on Friday and I'll contact you then via e-mail.
- You'll have til the following Monday eve, 10pm to respond.
- If I don't hear from you by then, sorry... we'll need to redraw.
- Be sure to check your spam folder.

Thats it! Good luck, and have fun!

Cher
Cher & Gene Klosner
Stardust Lullaby..Audible Chocolate for Sweet Dreams!

Spring is here!

My blog is about my journey with Stardust, being a Mom, being a songwriter and being an entrepreneur. As I have said before, every day is different.

What would you guess is the most time consuming part of being an Mom musician entrepreneur? Cuddling with my boy? Writing a song? Nope. Those are the easy parts. Recording? Naaa... once it is done, it is done. Performing? uh-uh. Wrong again. Give up? It is the marketing of your product. Unless you have the luxury of a massive advertising and marketing budget that you can pay someone to introduce your music to the world, you are in for a very fun, interesting and never ending journey - reviews. The not so good news is there is definitely a waiting game involved - once you submit your product for a review, you'll hurry up and... wait. Up to many, many months for larger publications. But the great news is, once those seeds begin to sprout, it is like SPRINGTIME - beautiful bouquets of wonderful thoughts, insights and opinions about your "child." It's like going to a PTA meeting, and your kid is having a really goodschool year, and you just hope and pray that the teacher "gets it" about your baby.

Been a busy few months submitting Stardust for reviews. But Spring has finally arrived, as reviews are popping up all over the place, and the sun is starting to appear. I think starting on my next post, I'll post any links at the end, that way I can talk about other stuff :)

Quickly though, just tonight we received our first review from a Product Review site, Boutique Flair, http://www.boutiqueflair.com/ . Boutique Flair is owned by Krista Peck, who is a wonderfully warm and lovely person, and also a Simpsons fan so I immediately liked her :) Thank you Krista, for the beautiful review!!!

We also received a surprise write-up from the founder of MomsofOmaha.com http://www.momsofomaha.com/ Rhonda Dunaway. We had no idea we were going to be featured on the site and Rhonda shared how Stardust has worked like a charm in getting her son to sleep. We have included portions of Rhonda's write up in our upcoming Press Release, "Mothers Now Have Instant Relaxation Option to Help with Stressful Parenting Moments." Rhonda has a super cool site for Moms living in the Omaha metro area - she's a great gal and Rhonda's musings are witty and lots of fun. Thanks Rhonda, for the great write-up!!!

Stardust was also written up in the Lowcountry Parent - a great parenting publication in Charleston South Carolina, and thank you Leslie from Grill Charms http://www.grillcharms.com/ for surprising us with a copy of the magazine in the mail! That was fantastic!

Stardust is now in 13 stores - we just added another Borders to the list - in Papillion NE. YAAAAYYY!!

I have to get some sleep - I babysat two girls ages 5 and 6 over the weekend - put them together with a 7 year old boy with no sisters and you have a very interesting, enlightening and exhausting weekend!

Life is good.

Stardust got another beautiful review!

"Stardust" got another beautiful review - this is by Stephanie Mondrut at http://hearitloveitshareit.blogspot.com/ I gotta tell you, this was so beautiful it made me cry :)

Stephanie is a well respected children's music reviewer, and we are honored that she took the time to really do a thorough - and glowing -review

Thank you Stephanie!!!

Happy Anniversary!

My hubby and I celebrated our 11th anniversary today. We slept in, then went to a Dan Zane's concert - with our son and my brother! I know, doesn't sound like a typical thing to do for an Anniversary - we usually like to slip away for a nice romantic dinner at The Melting Pot but - I REALLY wanted to see Dan Zanes. The only day he was hewre though, just happened to be on our anniversary. I love my husband - he'll do anything to make me happy.

So why a Dan Zanes concert? With our Stardust CD, Dan Zanes and I are kind of in the same target market. Plus, I used to see videos of Dan Zanes when my son was little - I think they were on Noggin - and I thought he was just - well,... cool. Unlike so much junk music that is dummied down and spoon fed to kids on certain kids' stations that just make my stomach turn, Dan Zanes is simply refreshing.

The musicianship was remarkable - he played guitar, (acoustic and electric), mandolin, banjo, and harmonica, - and his band was a wonderful mix mega-talented women and men, who played stand up bass, acoustic guitar, accordian and one of the coolest drum kit combinations where a set of bongos subbed nicely for additional toms (I was pretty far back, so forgive me if I didn't see any extra toms :) Every person in the band was engaging right from the start.

The concert was only an hour - one lively hour- perfect for the munchkin age - and his songs were an interesting mix of original and covers. My favorites are his originals, but the covers he did were Dan Zane-ized, and he pulled them off well and made them fun. He encouraged the audience to get up and have a party from the get go, so the kids and parents were dancing in the aisles. He did a tune from an upcoming album that was wonderful, and had the audience singing along on that and a couple other tunes.

A toddler managed to climb up on the stage and "rush" the band - instead of security hauling off the crazed fan, the band all bent in to the sweet parent position and waved to her saying "Hi!!" - it was simply precious.

At the end of the show, the band walked through the audience playing their instruments singing goodbye... I actually got a little teary.

It was a fun afternoon for all of us - even my 7 year old who is going through the nothing-kiddie-is-cool gave his Mom a twirl on the last song.

That being said, someday I would LOVE to hear Dan Zanes at a House Concert, or in a setting where the kids are down for night and the adults in all of us parents can come out to play. Dan and his band would rock the house!

And by the way, the night is still young, so I'm off to celebrate the remainder of my anniversary! ;)

Stardust's "Seepy Sams" Video on YouTube!

I feel like a rock star - we have our first very own video on YouTube !! LOL!! Actually, we just put up a video of "Seepy Sams" from our Stardust lullaby CD. The animated videos are all in the hands of my incredibly talented, Emmy Award -winning husband, Ben Lane, who has put together a team of equally talented animators for the DVD project. This is the first finished piece, by Pascal Campion, who has done many projects for "They Might Be Giants" and is an all around wonderful guy. Thank you Pascal, and to all the artists who are going to be working on this project! On YouTube, files have to be compressed to the max, so the quality on YouTube is...well, YouTube quality. :) But you'll get a peek into what will be coming soon on DVD!!

Enjoy! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gbfnw5LbYkA

College World Series!!!

Holy smokes!!! We just got a letter from the College World Series that we are singing the National Anthem OPENING DAY, 6 pm!!! This is one of the highest attended games of the season, averaging about 26,000 fans!!! Woo-HOOOOOO!!!! My hands are already sweating!!! :)

On the subject of music, I have to tell you about a great music program for kids, called "Kindermusik" . My son went through the program, and it was wonderful. When I first started checking around for music programs for kids, I couldn't find the right balance of fun and educational - either too dopey silly, or jusat too plain rigid for a 4 year old. I can't stand the music on most kids CDs - I threw away countless discs, because the music (if you can call it that) on so many CDs for children was unbearable and "dummied down." Kids aren't stupid. Music isn't complicated. So I was delighted after hearing the Kindermusik CD's, and I was hooked. Real, authentic instrumentation, fun AND educational.

The programs are all over the US, and I highly recommend them to any parent wanting to introduce their children to a solid foundation of music. The curriculum includes teaching notes, and the kids are exposed to an array of musical genres - age appropriate but without dummying down the music. I give Kindermusik 5 stars out of 5 stars!

Setting Goals on a Dry Erase Board

Ten or so years ago, I purchased a huge dry-erase board. It has been the center focus of my office, in the last 3 places I have lived. I started it in a January, and wrote all of my short term (1 year) and long term (2-5 year) goals and things that I need/hope to accomplish on the board . As the year progresses, I refer to the board regularly, not always consciously, but it's always there. At the beginning of the new year, my brother and I visit the board, check off all the things we accomplished, re-assess what wasn't, and set new goals for the year. Then we high five all that was accomplished and wipe the board clean and start anew. (This year, cuz we've been so dang busy, we weren't able to get to this til yesterday, but I'm glad it was somewhere in the first quarter).

WOW!! We accomplished over 95% of the things we set out to do last year!!! What an amazing feeling!!! As we wiped clean each goal met, I felt amazingly proud! I had to pull my hubby and son in the room just to show them how empty the board was!!!

2007 was a great year (and a quarter!) And 2008, even with the Writer's strike, we are kickin' butt in the goals department. By the way, "finding other Moms online that are in business" was one of my goals - and it was one of the happiest goals I've met this year! I've met so many new friends - it is wonderful! The other on the top of my list - win a Grammy for 2009 - I am now an official voting member for the Academy, as of yesterday!! "Stardust" will be submitted for Grammy consideration at the latter half of the year.

And, yes, I am already practicing my acceptance speech - but, as the old saying goes, I'll be happy just to be nominated!! ;)

House Concerts Rule!! :)

Oh boy!!! I had so much fun this weekend singing at two House Concerts Saturday and Sunday evening!!! What a great way to get to sing to a whole group of appreciative music lovers!! It was soooo much fun!!! I am dead tired, but flying from this newfound love of singing in an upclose, personal intimate setting! I feel like I made a bunch of new friends. Gene and I have sung to crowds of a half a million in Denver, 6,000 in Minneapolis, 4, 000 in LA - but this is completely different. We are able to "connect" on a deeper level - and WOW!! is it ever wonderful.

Well, my feet are swollen from all of my jumping around, so I am hitting the hay - last night, after our performance, I went to sleep and had "flying" dreams (my favorite of all dreams) - I woke up so "at peace" - I know I am finally listening to my heart.

I Need Stardust Tonight!!

I am sooooo tired and am running on pure adrenalin. My feet hurt, my voice hurts, my back hurts, and I need to unwind. Fortunately, I have the perfect solution. I am going to fill up the bathtub with HOT water and lavender bubbles that I am borrowing from the kid's bath stash, am lighting several nice candles, setting the the cd player on the counter, and will play "Stardust" til every ounce of stress has left my body and flown out the window :) Aaaaahhhhh..... I'm relaxing already! :)

Performance Week - Not One About Stardust?

This week is gonna be nuts - GREAT nuts - but nuts, nonetheless. The funny thing is, very little of it has to do with Stardust.

Sunday, (Happy Easter, by the way) we'll be singing at an Easter service using a lot of original music that we have composed over the years for church services (another topic altogether), Monday, one of the local news stations is doing a story on us, Tuesday eve we are performing at a cool event called Acoustic Roundtable III in a "writers -in-the-round" setting with a group of 22 other writers, Wednesday we're getting the piano tuned :). Thursday we are off, (I mean, not performing - we still have a business to run in every one of the daytime hours), Friday night, we are singing for a private event, Saturday morning we are singing at the National Anthem tryouts for the College World Series (we sang for the CWS last year, but everyone goes through the audition process every year - we are in the finalists - it's really a fun process!) Saturday night we have a House Concert, and then again on Sunday night, another House Concert.

Stardust is a lullaby album. Yet only one of these events is solely about Stardust (the interview - they are writing about the "i-Parenting Media Award" we won). But every one of these events has to do with survival in the music world - versatility, flexibility, exposure, a real passion and love for what you do, and a willingness to put in the mega hours necessary to be successful. And a very supportive and loving spouse and child who adore their insane mother and love seeing her happy. :)

I Won, I Won, I Won!!!

Songwriters need inspiration. I need to be moved enough by something - could be anything - to write a song about it. A change of scenery, change of season, a great - or rotten - day, a gorgeous autumn night, a date with my hubby, reading a sad story in the paper - you name it. The other day my hubby went to the store and took my son with him, and I had the house ALL to myself for a few hours - first time in in what had seemed like years - I wrote a song. Of course, after a few hours, I started to miss them, so the song that came out of it was aptly titled "Lonely". When I went to London, I was so inspired by the different surroundings and the rich history, I wrote a handful of songs as soon as I got back - one was even about a ghost, called "Ghost in London"

So you just don't know how happy I am to report that I won an incredible two night stay in Catanzarro Italy!! I can already hear the new songs singing in my head :) The beautiful Cherrye from my-bella-vita.blogspot.com owns a Bed and Breakfast in Catanzaro, Italy and I am the lucky recipient of the prize!! Just the pictures alone are inspirational - check it out on her blogspot! Thanks to Cherrye, and the 5 Minutes for Mom Ultimate Blog Party for such a great event! I'll be posting soon on all the new friends I met this past week - in the meantime, I'm off to change the strings on my mandolin :)

A Day in the Life of a Musician- Pt. 3

I have been MIA for a few days here, I know... I have 2 reasons - Ultimate Blog Party - I've met some great new friends hopping around blogs - I only got through about 150 ot of over 1000, but I will get to them hopefully soon. The other reason is, Part 3 - of my serties, A Day in the Life of a Musician - performing!

At the end of the month, we have several performances lined up. I'll talk about one of them. We're doing a "House Concert" - literally, a concert in someone's home. House concerts are the COOLEST - we are able to be up close and personal with people who are there just to discover new music - in this case, my and my brother'smusic. Music that has been written from our heart and soul. And the attendees get to know us beyond just the songs - they hear the stories behind the songs, they get to know us and talk to us and have a glass of wine with us - it is very down to earth - the way I like it - no smoke and mirrors, just the raw music played on acoustic guitar and piano. We'll be throwing in a harmonica and a penny whistle too.

So for the past week, we've been , picking out the material we want to perform at the House Concert, writing some new songs, and coming up with new ways to "deliver" the music live - outside the studio!! All sorts of new harmonies and arrangements - it's a lot of work - but this is why I got in to the music biz in the first place - The MUSIC. The SONG.

I'll keep you posted on our performances, and by the way, if you are ever interested in hosting a House Concert for any of your favorite travelling singer/songwriter musicians, it is a LOT of fun, and you will definitely become the coolest party thrower on your block :) Leave a comment and I'll send you info.

March is Colon Cancer Awareness Month

A friend of mine told me today that she saw her poster up in a grocery store this week - I said, "For what?" - knowing she had never robbed a bank nor was she wanted by the FBI, I was surprised when she casually replied, "I had become somewhat of a poster child for colon cancer." What? I didn't even know she had gone through this! I said, "Sister of mine!!" She said, "Did you have colon cancer too?" I said no - but I lost my colon about 8 years ago (and I can't find it anywhere...) so this is a subject very near and dear to me.


Three months after my son was born, I had a bad reaction to an "antibacterial" that killed off all the bacteria - the bad AND the good, and shut down my colon. I was hospitalized for nearly 6 weeks, nearly died a few times, and had to have my entire colon removed. I don't even have a semi colon... (oh, and the jokes keep comin' :) !!)


But - thanks to my heroes - my medical team - I pulled through, had a reconstructive "J-pouch" where, over 3 surgeries, a portion of the the small intestine is reshaped to take over some of the duties and function as a large intestine. I have had absolutely no problems with this since the surgery, I'm not on any drugs or steroids - the only foods I can't eat are raw broccoli raw cauliflower and stuff with super high fiber or roughage. Well, I CAN eat them, but it's pretty hard to digest.


Why am I sharing this with you? Because March is Colon Cancer Awareness Month. My friend had just gotten one of those test kits and sent it in. Just because. She hadn't been sick, but because her doc recommended that she ought to get one since she was 51, she said what the heck. A month later, she got her results, and immediately contacted her doctor. She had her colonoscopy, and they spotted a "Pollup" - a mass - she had it removed and it was cancerous. But, because it was detected early, she didn't have to go through chemo or radiation.

We got word not too long ago, that another friend of ours had just died of colon cancer - a young friend, the picture of health. But it was never even discovered, til it was too late. Colon cancer is very treatable if detected early. Please - do something good for yourself - get a colonoscopy. And if you're uncomfortable talking about it, you can borrow my dumb jokes :)

Welcome Gals to the Ultimate Blog Party at Cher's!

Hi gals!!!

Welcome to the Ultimate Blog Party!!! I am Cher Klosner Lane! I am so glad you are here!!

I’m a mom, a musician, and co-founder of Audible Chocolate Productions and co-creator of our Stardust 2-disc lullaby CD! My music and business partner is my brother Gene Klosner, and my sweet hubby is Emmy Award-winning “The Simpsons” Assistant Director and animator, Ben Lane. Ben has put together some fun animated shorts for all of us here and has come up with some cool downloadable party favors (bookmarks) and games for us to play – I love “Stardust Swap” and “Melodibox” (Gene is a champ at "Stardust Swap" - my brother Joe likes "Sheep" ) but I’ll warn ya, you’ll be hooked!! My 7-year-old son loves the “Dream Easel” and he can print off all of his beautiful creations!

Ben and I both work from home. Ben and our son, "Boo" love to work and play together – Boo has done some animation work with Ben as well! Here is their first collaboration, “Smooky Ghost Story.” Music is a big part of our house too so I’ve put up a song, “Little Sir Echo” from our Stardust CD that features Boo and I singing a duet.

One of my favorite stories/poems growing up was "Wynken, Blynken and Nod" by Eugene Field. When it came time to record the CD, I toyed with the idea of putting music to the words, but decided against it, because I was so limited on time before going into the studio. I told my Mom I wasn't going to do Wynken, Blynken and Nod, and she said "You HAVE to have Wynken!!" I said "Mom,...umm... I haven't written it yet." She said, "I don't care! You HAVE to have Wynken." Umm..okay...Mom!! :) I am so glad she pushed me -here it is:

Who likes treats? We do!!! Here is my family’s favorite recipe of all time, “Sugar Cream Pie” – it’s super easy and especially great for holidays, but Ben likes this sweet treat year around.





So come on in, hang out, play some games, download party favors, check out our site, listen to soundclips of our lullaby music, www.stardustlullaby.com/ leave a comment and party with us!!! Make yourself at home and have fun while you’re here - it’s so nice to meet you!!!

Cher :)

PS Gifts...Hmmm... in the order of what I'd like first :)

1) INTL - # 11 - My Bella Vita

2) #58 - Go Workout Mom

3) #36 Marketing for Entrepreneurs

4) #21 - Foot Revitalize

5) #70 - Chocolatista

6) #92 - Lonely Pearls

7) #79 -Goat Mik Soap

8) #82 - Pillowcasegram

9) #54 - MikaRose.com

10) #130 Starbucks Gift card

A Day in the Life of a Musician Pt 2 - Songwriting

Yesterday, I started " A Day in the Life of a Musician" and since no two days are ever alike, today I'm going to talk about the songwriting process.

This morning I woke up around 5:30a.m., with a song idea in my head. I didn't turn on the light because I didn't want to wake up hubby so I tiptoed through the room and instead, managed to trip over a laundry basket that I thought was a few feet away from me. Oh. That is the OTHER laundry basket... I fell flat on my face with a loud thud and a nice groan...so much for not waking up hubby.

So I have this song idea in my head. First thing I do is grab my tape recorder - which is always handy - and hum it in to the machine. If my guitar isn't around, I just say, "Here is a song idea, here's the 1 - 3 - 5 - of the key it's in (so I know the key, chord and harmony notes, if it's a minor key, major key, etc.) what time signature it is, (4/4, 6/8, 3/4, etc.) - this is all the "frame work" of the song that I just automatically make note of, so when I go back to it later on, I have a reference. Then I hum what is in my head. People ask which comes first for me, the melody or the song? For me it is usually melody with syllable "sounds" - I know what sounds I want to go with those particular notes - what vowel and consonant sounds. I remember reading when Paul McCartney wrote "Yesterday" he had the melody and the "sounds" of "Ham and eggs," which later translated to "Yes-ter-day" - this is the same process.

Okay, time to wake up son :) I'll continue this tomorrow! By the way, the song I'm working on is a bluesy song - syllable sounds, ah uh the woo, i ooo whu Ite.... :)

A Day in the Life of a Musician...

I am a musician. When people ask me "But what's your REAL job?" I repeat, "I am a musician." I make a living at making music. Many people think being a musician means going to gigs and playing music. But the truth is, a successful working musician needs to be flexible and wear many hats. Some of my hats include composer, producer, performing artist, songwriter, recording artist, arranger, engineer, publisher, musician, publicist, booking agent, saleswoman, distributor, accounts manager, bill collector, and the list goes on. Throw into the mix, wife, mom, businessowner. No two days are ever the same. It goes without saying, you need to be good at what you do - a little talent and a LOT of hard work go a long way. But most important, you need to be business smart. When a teen says they want to go into music, I tell them to go to a school where you can get a degree not only in music, but where you can also minor or double major in the business of music. It's a whole different animal.

Once someone learns the business of music, they are armed with knowledge of the ins and outs of the music biz...and will have a better understanding of what it will really take to succeed as a working musician. And just as no two days are the same, no two MUSICIANS' days are the same...so here is a look into this musician's day today...

Woke up, got my son up as my hubby cooked breakfast. Looked through son's school bag, to see if there was anything due today... :) Hubby took son to school, and I went to the computer. I checked e-mails, then the day began. I booked a few concerts, confirmed some dates at a winery, sent off some CD's for magazine reviews and an order, ran fliers to a few pre-schools, delivered CD's for a fundraiser and also discussed storyboard ideas for an upcoming animation project using our music, wrote a check out to the milkman, contacted a PR firm that I am going to be using, and filled out a few contracts for two companies that want to license our music. After I pick up my son from school, we are going to go eat wings and listen to a blues singer that I will be performing with later this month.

At the end of the day, I will smooch my husband, and be thankful that I do what I love for a living.

Congratulations to Our First Giveaway Winner!

We had our first giveaway today - we have made it a family affair, so my son Benjamin is now the official Grand Master of Ceremonies... this was very fun - and VERY grass roots!! Congratulations to our winner!!! Thanks to everyone who signed up! Your names will continue to be entered every month through 2008, so no need to sign up again. If you would like to see who won, you can witness the drawing here :) http://www.stardustlullaby.com/stardust_drawing%201.wmv

The Ultimate Blog Party!!

Hi All!!

Inviting all women bloggers to the Ultimate Blog Party!! (sorry boys, this one is just for the gals).

Between March 7 - 14, there will be a par-tay goin' on!! Click on the pink "Ultimate Blog Party" button for details - last year there were over 1,000 women bloggers hopping around visiting each others blogs and sites - it's a great way to expose your site and make new friends. I'll be out here in cyberspace with my dancin' shoes on and sugar cream pie recipe in hand - probably have some fun party favors for the kids to download too!! Check out the giveaway list - it is huge!!! Ultimate Blog Party 2008 Prize Page Oh yes, and during the giveaway, one lucky gal will win a "Stardust" CD!

So get those party hats on and join in the fun!

Cher :)

I've Got Dreams...and Buddy Miles...to Remember

I saw Buddy Miles perform at the University that I would attend less than a decade later. He was the embodiment of blues, soul, R&B, funk, and he could sing and drum like nobody 's business. One of my crazier friends, T.G., had been "turned on" to Buddy Miles by some of her pals from Boystown. T.G., knowing the budding musician that only she recognized that I was in those early years, said "We are going to see Buddy Miles."

I had no idea who Buddy Miles was. I didn't know his music. He wasn't played on the radio stations I listened to. But there he was - this larger than life drummer, who hailed from Omaha - sweating up a storm - singing from his core... let me tell you, he was the rhythm in Rhythm and Blues - and he changed the way I heard music for the rest of my life.

Buddy's songs, and Buddy's versions of Buddy's songs, -"Down By the River", "Them Changes", "I Still Love You", "Dreams (I've Got Dreams To Remember)" became the soundtrack of my 14. I could tell you every note he sang, and could also tell you every skip and flaw in the album, that resulted from constant replays with a cheapo stereo needle. His songs were covered by many artists including Neil Young, Carlos Santana, Ramsey Lewis, King Curtis, Big John Hamilton in a duet with Doris Allen, Lionel Hampton, Paul Humphrey, Allman Brothers and others, but to me Buddy was the king of his creations. Buddy recorded with Jimi Hendrix and then went out on his own, leaving musical marks on the world, unbeknownst to the massses, but highly respected by those who knew better.

Years later, a commercial aired featuring "The California Raisins" - I knew that voice had to belong to the one and only Buddy Miles. Yes!! A whole new generation would come to know and love Buddy Miles, even if they never got to see him, they "felt" him - and they "got" him.

Many years back, I attempted to find "Buddy Miles"on the internet - tried to track him down to see if - and if, where - he would be performing, and to see if any of those old vinyl LP's that I had wore out as a kid had been reissued on CD - to my delight, I found a CD, ordered it and introduced my husband and young aspiring drummer son to the greatness of Buddy Miles. When I finally found him, I told him he really should get a website :)

Just this week, while penning a new song for an upcoming performance of mine, I kicked off the tune with a groove similar to the intro to "Dreams" - I played it for my husband and said "This one is completely inspired by Buddy Miles."

Today, Gene called to tell me Buddy Miles died yesterday. My younger years flashed in front of me as if I were 14 all over again. Tonight at dinner we prayed for his family, and thanked God for letting this beautiful spirit that was Buddy Miles roam the earth and touch our lives and hearts for the 60 short years that he was here.

Rest in peace, Buddy. I'll remember.

Stardust gets another great review!!

Boy, I am just on cloud nine. I woke up yesterday morning to an e-mail from a wonderful Dad out in the blogosphere letting us know he had written a review on our CD - I know that everyone has their own tastes and feelings about music, so when my "baby" is about to be reviewed I get a little anxious.

Sort of the same feelings I had when sending my child off to his first day of preschool...we have raised him with lots of love and now he's out there to stand on his own two little feet and make his way in the world.

And now, Stardust is out there in the world - and thankfully, the seven months of care and love that went into the recording is allowing Stardust to stand on it's own as well. And thanks to wonderful reviewers, like Phil Corless from "A Family Runs Through It" Stardust will begin to to make it's way.

Thanks, Phil Corless, up in Idaho! We sure appreciate you! And if anyone would like to read the review, and his wonderful blog, visit http://www.pkmeco.com/familyblog/ Feb.24, 2008

OTBN (Open That Bottle Night)

I love a good cabernet - any good red, for that matter. But, being a Mom, and an entrepreneur, I rarely have - or take - the opportunity to savor an uninterrupted glass with adult friends. That's why when I received an invitation to attend an "OBTN" - Open That Bottle Night - party this past Saturday night, I was thrilled!

Beginning in the late 90s by Dorothy J. Gaiter and John Brecher of the Wall Street Journal, Open That Bottle Night has become quite a popular event and every year, more and more bottles are uncorked across America on the last Saturday of February.

"We invented OTBN for a simple reason: All of us, no matter how big or small our wine collections, have that single bottle of wine we simply can never bear to open. Maybe it's from Grandpa's cellar or a trip to Italy or a wedding. We're always going to open it on a special occasion, but no occasion is ever special enough. So it sits. And sits. Then, at some point, we decide we should have opened it years ago and now it's bad anyway, so there's no reason to open it, which gives us an excuse to hang on to it for a few more decades. So OTBN -- which is now always the last Saturday in February -- offers a great opportunity to prepare a special meal, open the bottle and savor the memories."

With more than 30 adults in attendance, we each brought a bottle of wine that we've been "saving for a special occasion" - we were given a blank notecard, and instructed to write a little something about the reason that wine was special. We placed the cards by their bottle, and we all took turns reading the cards, laughing, sampling wine, making new friends and having a lovely night.

If you enjoy a nice glass of wine, think about hosting your own OTBN next February. I'm already looking forward to it!

The Total Eclipse of the Moon

Last night was beautiful. It was freeezing here - been way too cold a winter - but that didn't stop us from enjoying "The Total Eclipse of the Moon" as my 7 year old son calls it... Had it been just a wee bit warmer, we would have sat outside and watched from the porch, with a fire pit and a hot chocolate - but no such luck last night. My nostrils stuck together with every inhale. Forget it. So, hubby son and I spread a nice cozy blanket across my son's floor, popped in "Stardust," listened to "How Pretty the Moon," pulled the shades wide open, lit a couple of long tapered candles and shared a pot of chocolate fondue. It was wonderful.
Today, he said he wrote about it in his journal at school. He said it was his favorite day and wished we could watch "The Total Eclipse of The Moon" every night.
I'm game.

Kansas City Here I Come

I just got back from a great little weekend getaway with my hubby and two other adults - I stress two other adults, because this was the first time I have taken a weekend getaway with no children. It was weird at first, because my brain has been re-wired since the birth of my son - 7 and a half years ago - to be constantly thinking about his whereabouts, his well-being, his breakfasts, lunches and dinners, etc. When he got a little carsick the day before the trip I even felt a little sense relief that I wouldn't have to go on the trip after all and leave my son in someone elses care. And that's when it hit me - I NEED to go on a trip. With just my husband and two adults. And no kids. For MY sake. For my husband's sake. Just to get in touch with me - the adult, the woman, the musician, the friend.

I left my son with one of my oldest and dearest girlfriends and her wonderful husband who have kids my sons age, and who I trust with my life. Day one - drove 3 hours, checked into the beautiful hotel, napped, watched some tv - worried about my son - called to make sure he was ok, and soon realized he was having the time of his life with his buddies. My brain let go and I enjoyed the rest of the trip. The rest of Day 1, and Day 2, we went to restaurants, saw a movie, drank wine, listened to a fabulous Kansas City jazz band, relaxed, smooched my husband, and started to feel refreshed. Day 3, we drove home through an ice storm, but made the best of it, glad that my son was safe and warm without a care in the world, and probably missing me, but only very litttle.

I got to my friends house to pick up my son - he wasn't ready to go, just having so much fun.

We're going to do this again soon.

Stardust Lullaby's First "Official" Review!!!

Oh my gosh!! I am SOOOOO excited!!!!! We just received our first official review from Chip Withrow - a wonderful guy from Muse's Muse - a well respected music website that gets over 1.25 million viewers a month!! If you'd like to read it, here is the link:

http://www.musesmuse.com/mrev-klosner-stardust.html

I tell you what, I think Chip spoiled us for all remaining reviews - this review was SO good I am just speechless - and that is rare! Just ask my hubby... :)

Nighty night! I WILL have sweet dreams tonight... Thanks Chip, wherever you are!!!

Cher :)

Valentines Day Special Broadcast For Entrepreneurs

Hi all! This just in, hot off the press!! We're being featured on our first Podcast! Read all about it! :) Hope you'll check it out.

Omaha Nebraska, (February, 2008) - Listeners to the Christian Work-At-Home Moment Radio Show are in for a real treat this week as entrepreneurs from around the country call in for a special Valentines Day Broadcast. Business owners or those looking for the right business to start from home, should tune in and hear from others that are currently in business and find out what makes these entrepreneurs' business thrive. With over 35 entrepreneurs calling in, the opportunity to hear from different businesses has never been better. In addition, most are offering freebies, discounts and specials including free e-books, gift certificates, free coaching and more.

Best yet, the featured special guests include award-winning singer/songwriter Cher Klosner and Christian chick-lit author Julie Carobini. Klosner recently appeared on 'The Big Idea' with Donny Deutsch and is featured in January's Omaha Family Magazine. Klosner's new CD Stardust is a soothing lullaby collection with music for all ages. Carobini is the award-winning author of the newly released book Truffles By The Sea. Carobini burst onto the Christian chick-lit scene last year with the novel, Chocolate Beach. Carobini’s novels appeal to women of all ages and give a real-life look at life through the eyes of the often imperfect, hilarious characters.

The Christian Work at Home Moment Radio show is produced by Jill Hart, founder of CWAHM.com, a website devoted to Christian work-at-home moms. The weekly show was created for all parents who have the desire to work from home. Hart states, "Helping other parents find a way to work from home and be with their families is our main mission. Many parents don't have the time to search through the thousands of pages on CWAHM.com, so the radio show gives them an easy way to listen in and learn about working from home."

Each week, the show also features the Success From Home Segment from author Diana Ennen of Virtual Word Publishing, http://www.virtualwordpublishing.com. Ennen has been working at home since 1985 and recently was featured in Family Circle Magazine. Ennen states, "This special broadcast is our way of helping listeners get acquainted with different businesses and have the opportunity to listen directly to the business owner themselves. Then they can stop by our site to get additional information."

Share this Valentines Day with other entrepreneurs who have found success. Tune in to at http://www.cwahm.com/loudblog.

Can Lullabies Soothe the Savage Beast?

"Music hath charms to soothe the savage beast - to soften rocks, or bend a knotted oak" - written by William Congreve, an English playwright in 1697.

This theory has always intrigued me. I know how music affects me, but I am a musician. I had the opportunity to test it out though, when I worked at a theme park as a "roving musician." The now defunct themepark, Opryland, had a mini "petting zoo" with goats, rabbits, lemurs, marmasets and several monkeys. One, in particular, was named "Goblin."

Goblin was the loudest, wildest monkey in the park. Goblin would scream and chatter, and had a reputation for throwing things at the guests (sadly, I witnessed on several occasions, little human monsters throwing things at Goblin to instigate this behavior.) Nonetheless, Goblin was a handful. So one day, I thought I'd see if there was any truth behind Mr. Congreve's writings, and purposely stood by Goblin's cage as I sang "Twinkle Twinkle" to the little ones passing by with their parents in tow. Sure enough, Goblin immediately sat still then began slowly bobbing back and forth. Not knowing whether or not this was a fluke, I decided to make it a point to swing by the petting zoo (pardon the pun) on a regular basis and get a song in nearby (for) Goblin. It worked every time, and by the end of the season, Goblin would see (or hear) me coming, and assume the I'm-ready-to-bob position.

The next season, Goblin was gone - too "unmanageable" is what I was told. I gottta admit, I miss my little friend, and hope that wherever Goblin has ended up, someone knows of William Congreve.

CNBC's "The Big Idea" w/Donny Deutsch Rocks!!!

I tell ya, I LOVE the Donny Deutsch show - "The Big Idea" on CNBC - that guy gets me sooo fired up. The only trouble is, if I catch the midnight show, (which is often, cuz I'm a night owl) my brain is so alive and my entrepreneurial wheels are a-spinnin' so fast, that I can't get to sleep :) If you EVER have an idea, and want to do something with it, watch CNBC's "The Big Idea" with Donny Deutsch.

I even have a dedication to him (and Oprah) on "Stardust," for pushing the idea of following our dreams and our passions. I'm there, baby!!! :)

Cher