The end of 2011 proved even a bit challenging for me, the eternal optimist.  In the end, the optimism helped a lot, and as I knew it would, everything worked out okay.  Now I have moved into a sweet little house, close to work and Escuela and am just this weekend going to start plugging in again…literally.  The guitars are looking at me longingly.  The keyboards seem sad set up on their sides, and without any connection to the wall.  Rock and Roll is comin’!

In the meantime here are some fun little bits of info from 2011 that you probably have not heard yet.  The first is a neat little film made by Kim Shively about the panel I sat on at the ever-entertaining and fun Feminism and Co. talks at the Museum of Contemporary Art.  What a BLAST!

And here is a fun little song I did for a client this year to remind you all about the Custom Songs that I do and what a fabulorific gift they are.  This couple was kind enough to let me share their 10th Anniversay Song which they hired me to write.  They provided the story and musical references, and I provided the ditty!

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO:  Hey Blackjack

by Camille Brightsmith

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO:  The Party’s OverThe party’s over

Just leave the empties on the bed

We had our clover

Long Beach Blvd and Banshee’s dead

We can never say goodbye

And we’ve never had a fight

You, the best looking ne’er de well

On the darkest LA nights

The party’s over

its time to put that shit to bed

crimson and clover

Sunset Blvd and Banshee’s dead

I will leave you everything

No I wouldn’t want to fight about it

I assume this broke you up at bit

But you never even shouted

The party’s over

Pink wine and redwoods on Coast

The party’s over

Only hangers on now and lonely boys

We were Tristan and Isolde

But the potion done wore off

Two short decades later

And every kiss still on my mouth

And every poem

And every lick

And all our mixed up foggy breath

Together flying cross the dry lake

Beds toward the freezing waters

The party’s over

Just leave the empties on the bed

The truth is I haven’t got the shoulders

To carry us back to the nest

All the legacy we left behind

Boy we sure did burn it bright

And in our wake now nothing but beauty

Click Here to Listen:  Make Our Garden Grow

What can we grow
Together with our big hands
And our small hands
What can we know
About this unforgiving sand

So little control
Can we carve out
With our dreams filled with green
Can we turn rocks and barren parking lots
Into joy and soil and beans?

We can make our garden grow
Put your fragile foot to hoe
We can make our garden grow

These foothills of gold
A barren patch
Of hardened sand
And a woman who knows
A woman whose wise and brash

Merry tribe of folk
And the rock hard ground
And the spade and fork
Yes the guitars played
In the berried shade

We can make our garden grow
Put your fragile foot to hoe
We can make our garden grow

A little child
Digs a hole
And she puts a seed to the ground to sew
And you kiss me
With my feet in the muddy soil
Of our souls

And we can make our garden grow

written and performed by Camille Brightsmith and Valentina, all rights reserved 2011

Day one with Valentina

We didn’t know you were a girl

Your mama pushed

And we could see you

As you slid into this world

5:29    You came out pretty

Brother and Sister

Filled with awe

Your papa stood

The angel Gabriel

So protective of his brood

Day two with Valentina

And they hooked you to the tubes

Somehow the hours passed

We entered the morass

It felt so sacred touching you

Day three with Valentina

She seems so perfect when we kiss her

She’s wheeled away

We are afraid

Her tiny body

Her sacred skin

As thin as silk

As they go in

To repair a heart

That’s barely tasted mothers milk

Day five with Valentina

And she is there upon her mothers breast

And she can breath

Without machines

And she has conquered every test

Brother and Sister have lived a year or two

Since the day that Vale came

Mommy and Daddy

Cannot describe their love

they cannot think about the pain

Day six with Valentina

She is home in Momma’s bed

There is something

Akin to normal

The kitchen is a mess

The dogs are barking

The kids are fighting

The baby’s craying

The baby’s crying

Valentina

Valentina

Valentina

Hush little baby don’t you dry

Momma’s gonna sing you a lullybye

Daddy’s gonna keep you safe and warm

Sisters gonna teach you graceful charm

Brothers gonna get you in lots of trouble

Sweet little baby, sweet little bundle

Valentina

Valentina

Listen To:  Winning Pretty

Now tell me of a citizen

Who cannot serve in infantry?

Somehow the celebrations

For our patriotic GLBT

Have left me feeling hollow

Since no matter what they swallow

They can kill and spill overturn

Crash and burn

I haven’t got a word now

For the feeling in between

You know I’m feelin’ so proud

As they march into the skein

We are free, now truly aren’t we?

We are proud and without lies

You can ask and I can tell you

What I enjoy between my thighs

You know we marched into the city

You know we camped out in the trees

But winning isn’t always pretty

They will cut you at your knees

And I can slaughter

I can translate

I can save you from the enemy

I can come home

Broken body

Disillusioned fighting PTSD

We are heightened

When we are equal

We are lowered

When we fight

Guess that’s why I’m feeling lonely

While I’m bursting with gay pride

How to harmonize

These feelings

I am in between the baffles

Alone, and keening

For the beautiful

The spacious skies

How are we choosing to spend our time this week?

Produced by Travis Dickerson, Written and Performed by Camille with Travis on who knows what all instruments…not sure if my piano part is still there or not?   Who knows, this was, as usual, very quick and dirty…

Yes, I want a tennis bracelet

Shiny certified

And yes I want a faux fur blanket

To keep me satisfied

And yes I want you to spoon feed me

I want a pillow pet

And yes darling you must believe me

Go diva chocolate

 

But don’t leave my side

On blackest Friday

Stay right here and tickle me

Don’t leave my side

On Blackest Friday

Stay right here with me my dear

I’ll keep you warm and fetch you beer

Ignore the things I whispered

That I wanted in your ear

 

Yes I want a teddy bear

Fair trade and Prêt a portiere

Yes I want the cashmere sweater

But you better check

No sweatshop fetters

And Yes I want the newest boots

And get some flack jacks for our troops

And stop to get my truffle soup

I want you to spoil me

 

But don’t you leave my side

On blackest Friday

Stay right here and tickle me

Don’t leave my side

On blackest Friday

Stay right here with me my dear

I’ll keep you warm and fetch you beer

Ignore the things I whispered

That I wanted in your ear

 

Yes I want a tennis bracelet

Yes I want a faux fur blanket

Yes I want a pillow pet

Yes I want you my kismet

Yes I think I’ll have that sweater

One in pink and one with feathers

Don’t stop and think things could be better

At home with you cuddling me

Written and performed by Camille Bright-Smith

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO:  Wilderness

copyright 2010 all rights reserved unless I give some to you!

I got two days
On the Roan Plateau
Poison Ivy cold waterfalls
Crazy friends
catching our breath
The canyon is epic

Two nights in a teepee
Buncha kids sleeping knee to knee
12 hours playin’ in the creek
water spiders big screams

We can never get enough wilderness
For quiet nights bright stars and good friends
We can never get enough wilderness
Clean air, clear water good love
Rock climbing getting dirty on the hunt
I can’t wait

We got 3 days in the San Juans
Staggered peaks and mushrooms
Lizard head kept his lizard eye
On happy faces
In the mountain wild

4 nights above Trappers Lake
Coyotes howling and an osprey with a snake
And one night in Vermillion Basin
Spirits of dreamtime
Speaking on the walls faces

Wilderness
For quiet nights bright stars and good friends
I can never get enough wilderness
Clean air, clear water new scars
Rock climbing getting dirty fallin’ stars
I can’t wait

Next summer gonna climb to the top
Of Blanca or Culebra
This winter gonna pack it in
On snow shoes with sloe gin and mandolins
We can never get enough wilderness
For crazy nights and wolf howls and good friends
I can never get enough wilderness
Rainbows and sage grouse and blue foxes
Blue birds and blue grouse and their offspring
Rattlesnakes and lost lakes and elks bugles
Bee stings and tall trees and changin’ leaves

Early morning late night and lots of cuddles

Its so pretty go and get the babies up

Torn pants, torn skin and stinging nettles
Falling in drying off and flower petals

Wilderness

copyright 2010 by Camille Bright-Smith and Travis Dickerson

the way you wear your work boots

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO:  I Don’t Need You

I don’t need you but I want to
Wanna be underneath your thumb
I don’t mean to be so see-through
Wanna get in bed
I Wanna play with guns

Drag me over the bridge and through the park
into the dark
into the weeds
between two trees
and on my knees
and you drag me down down down down down down down
and you run me down down right into the ground

I don’t need you….

Waves are crashing in at 4 am wanna take a swim
into the woods
into the dark
Pacific Rim
And your diving down down down down down down down
and we are shivering on the cold ground

I don’t need you….

Click here for the Denver B-Cycle Web Site
Join us tomorrow, Earth Day, April 22nd 2010 for the B-Cycle Launch at Civic Center Park at 9am. Kazoo’s, Flobot appearances, Brass Quintet, Bike Parade! See B-Cycle for more details!

copyright 2010 all rights reserved
by Camille Bright-Smith

Riding down to Swallow Hill
The breeze is fresh off Pikes Peak
Pedal up to Highland Bridge
Takes me to yummy things

I can ride from here to there
faster than you drive
I can ride my B Bike I can ride ride ride

Serene along the river
Roll into to Cherry Creek
I check her in on Columbine
Shop for fancy things

I can ride to a Rockies Game
To see the Av’s or March with Pride
I can ride to the Peoples Fair
I can ride, ride, ride

I can ride from here to there
faster than you drive
I can ride my B Bike I can ride ride ride

I can ride to the Orange and Blue
I can ride baby two by two
I can ride like a Nuggets Dancer
Meet me at the Double Daughter

I can ride on a first date
I can ride on my last
I can ride to the MCA

To see the Flobots or catch the Fray

I can ride from here to there

faster than you drive
I can ride my B Bike I can ride ride ride

Thank heavens for Travis Dickerson, Lindy Dickerson and John Bright.  Travis produced the song and played various instruments, John produced the vocals and Lindy played guitar!