This is my last interview with Dan and I have to honestly say, even with the ups the downs the sides and tears, the only eating apples some days and having a burger to share. The bartering for the smallest of things just to get props.

Losing the car, staying in worst few motels in Hollywood, whilst having no hot water to shower in. Misunderstandings, artistic, differences change in direction, sleepless nights planning and editing, singing, rehearsing, performing. Interviewing amazing people. Worrying how we are going to afford to get to our next point of contact. Tears, hugs, support, the art of listening. Car crashes, map reading, losing rings, finding them again. Living, sleeping, changing in a car and working all hours of the week back to back with the same person.

I am very sad at this moment. Looking up at Dan and knowing that this is the last time I am going to be chatting to him with one eye covered. Realising that the pitch I gave him after Christmas this year had turned into reality and we had done it!!!!!!!! WOW, a sad but overwhelming feeling of achievement what a team we were!!! And I am so thankful to everyone that was apart of my journey and helped me/us along the way. I am so happy to hear people’s stories and plans for their lives, about their dreams and how they are getting to their goals. For the people who played and sung and smiled with us and laughed and housed us and feed us, thank you. Thank you to Tony for investing in me and taking a risk on me. I wouldn’t have been able to do most of this without your help!!!!!! This is going to be BIG!!!!!!! thank you to my wonderful family and friends THANK YOU DAN!!! love you all x

Dan gently asks me the last questions about the trip, singing and the documentary. I feel it paramount that my last words are as strong and as wise as can be. But deeply at this second I am processing the reality that the filming being over.

Did I get what i needed from this experience? Did I make enough contacts? Did I come across well to others? Would they want me back? I’m I going to get a music producer? Will I get a record deal? Will this documentary work? Will I move here away from all my friends and family? Just  a few questions build up into a mountain like this…….. Deep breaths. I answer slowly and thoughtfully whilst people stroll by handing me a last smile, as if they also knew. The breeze brushes over my cheeks as I share my last goodbyes. I leave you there, the rest you will have to see once the documentary is finished

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I will be adding to the blogs, as the journey continues, whilst back in the UK and I will update those of you that have been following further info on how things work out with Marc, the documentary, and the debut album.

Thank you all for reading my bogs and staying with me along this chapter of my life. Lots of love and blessings to you all X

During the day we do the last write ups of what we need to achieve before Dan leaves in two days time.  We have one more interview to do this afternoon with Ephraim Sommers, a very talented singer song writer. A few more interviews with me. I need to call Marc and make a date to go back and see him after Dan has gone and call to arrange to meet John about any other contacts that might be worth perusing. Wonderful!!

I chat with Marc and he says yes for the weekend of the 14^th of May, great that’s still on! I’m buzzing about this opportunity to spend a few days with Marc and come up with some new ideas for sounds and music. He’s worked with some top people in this industry and has produced some amazing dynamic tunes so I’m extremely excited about meeting with him again.

I then chat to John and he says we should meet for lunch next Tuesday to talk about some people he knows in the UK that might be able to help me.

We then interview Ephraim and he shares his story of what brought him here to San Diego studying and working on his duet album and what first gave him the ears to write and sing music.

He grew up in Atascadero (the same town I interviewed Heath and Robbie in) with music shaking through the floorboards from his basement, with his dad to playing the drums. His dad taught him to play which later flowed into him being the lead singer for the Band ‘Siko’ a funk rock band.  However they told him he had to learn to play an instrument, so he picked up the guitar and played for 5 hours a day until he was up to power with them.

He shares his thoughts on the music industry in L.A and the opportunities ‘Siko’ had with Atlantic records, all very interesting.

He now talks about the groove which he wants to inject into his newer work and working on his solo career. He plays and sings a few songs in the garden. He has a soulful hunting voice, which gets you listening. It’s very cool. You can hear his music on myspace. http://www.myspace.com/ephraimsommers

We then all go down to the beach to catch the sunset, Ephraim and I go for a walk as Dan follows and plays around with his camera. Now we are not working, we are finally getting to be a couple after being away from each other for a month, I am so happy to be back in his arms. We laugh, dance around on the beach hands connected and play with the waves as our shoes take a dip. Then sink our bums into the creamy sand/seaweed mix and play the guitar as the sunsets. I missed him and this is perfect.

Dan and I hang out in Balboa Park. I write songs whilst Dan films some pickup shoots in the glorious sunshine. It is crucial that I get writing again before I go back to L.A, so I pick up the pen and guitar and started writing!

I feel like I would like to be writing more about other people than relationships so the park is the perfect place to sit back and observe peoples movements, families having fun and playing in the waterfalls with their kids. Couples walking, hand in hand to see the botanical gardens to the side of where we are sitting. The gardener, trimming the shrubs, looking up every now and again to give walkers by a warm smile.

A mature Saxophone player works on his new tunes, perfecting the new notes he is trying to reach as he follows us around with his jazzy sound flouting by our ears. I watch him take a brake and lay down on the grass 15 meters away. He has been playing since we got there, which was about 5 hours ago. He rests his Sax on his belly and watches the clouds, gazing at passes by to help conclude his choice on where the next best place is to set up camp is.  In this moment I wish I could play the Sax, what a sexy sound. Mmmmmmm.

Whist the Sax player relaxes, Dan and the camera chat to me about writing music and how one goes about wiring. To be honest, there’s no rules, you either feel it or you don’t, sometimes it takes a few minutes and sometimes it takes a few days and then a few years later you change the arrangement around and you have something new.  In many ways writing songs is almost like a journal or a poem, it’s another way of realising and releasing feelings you haven’t let go of yet and adding a mirrored dynamic perhaps with a melody.  Sometimes, what you write is a way of telling someone how you feel and other times its surface stuff or you are just in the mood for singing and writing.  But as it stands on this day for me I want to let go of relationships and write about this park and happy families.

I Mostly feel, pain and heartache, lose and the darker downs in life allow us to write deeply and quicker perhaps. I think about Ray Charles and Sam Cook and how many pains they had to go through to write their worldly loved and celebrated songs. Through their pain and failed relationships we are celebrating and enjoying their sounds that gave them that healing. So I guess it’s a fall circle. However, I don’t poetically want to be broken hearted that many times so right now I’m going to concentrate on writing songs of praise, with some groovy hooks!

As the sun starts to sink, Dan and I drive up to the hills of San Diego to film the sun settling behind the small mountain and off we go back to the house to edit and capture everyday nightlife in the Sommers household.

Anyhow, downstairs in the entrance I smile and gently explain to the guy behind the glass screen my case in calm manner “I would not like to stay the second night please”. After nodding and agreeing with every point I am making he comes to the answer that I cannot have a refund and that I can move rooms instead. I decide it’s not worth fighting about and leave to go and find a salon. Whilst marching down the road to find such a place of beauty, I am quickly aware of the masses crowding the once empty strip, with white, yellow and blue flags covering the walls. Hmmmm what was going on here? It’s an Albanian protest. Feeling unsafe I decide against the trek to find the salon and turn back to tell Dan about the non-refund deal. I tell him and he goes straight down to sort it out and gets the refund!!! So we’re outta there!! They watch as I take the gear down 3 flights of stairs to the car.

I was waiting on a call from Malcolm to arrange meeting at his studio for a look around and a sing, I felt it good to have a follow up chat with him after our meeting last week. Whilst waiting we grab a bite to eat and go to a friends, to play and swim in their pool, (thanks guys).

Then I get the text from Malcolm saying that he is still in the studio working on some tunes and that we would just have to meet him tonight at the House of Blues. Cool, that’s cool, it gives me a little bit more time to get ready and shake it up to looking the part.

Dana works on my face, layering purple colours and natural tones to complement black and gray dress, with little leggings, whilst I backcomb and attack my hair until I look like Russell Brand, smoothing it down turning it into a feature piece. Dana throws a thick grey chain around my neck, I plant me feet in some gold killer shoes and I am ready to play the part and network with full confidence. Haha…Dan and I cruise on out and get a lift with Charlie.

Wide eyed and business groomed, I work out the familiar picture of this place, it looks like something from the Adams family meets House of Fun….with a labyrinth of staircase and rooms leading to all angles. I almost expect to see Bowie sitting on one of the gypsy looking silk sofas. I say hi to Malcolm and then place myself at the bar to listen to the Australian speech about the new and up and coming artists and events which they are putting on. All of it is fascinating, watching people stare and gaze up at the speaker.

Working out, who the will be my first victim. I feel, I need to clear my head and have a smoke before entering that path. I meet some great people, all super interesting with fun interesting stories about their careers. We eat, we drink, we chat, we swap cards, and we pay interest and laugh. I feel like this evening has been worth the experience but feel it’s ready to walk away before the night takes a term.  I hope something comes of the new contacts.

Dan and I head back to Dana and Charlie’s and I think that it might now be a good time to drive down to San Diego. Haaha….I get up at 5 in the morning and drive into the sunrise with Dan chatting about our evening and sharing stories. Dan has me in tears reciting parts from Curb Your Enthusiasm….how funny. We now only have 3 more days of working together….what a lovely way to end out time in L.A.

We get to L.A. and check into one of the worst motels yet, it’s a place called the Hollywood Inn, on Hollywood Blvd. We chat to the guy and try to sort out our room and as we do, a very respectable prostitute falls through the door, losing her handbag behind her head, asking for some change to make a call. I guess her ride is late, it is only 2pm.

I do a quick change and get out of driving clothes into, I am serious about singing clothes, throw the guitar in the back and jump in the car and on to Marc’s studio.

His studio is filled with selective ambient trinkets and lighting to give it a relaxed retro rock vibe. A beautiful collection of polished guitars fill the sides of the rooms. Long purple and black New York concertina windows soundproof the walls. He has a nice range of recording equipment to cushion the instruments. I like it.

Marc and I have a good in-depth chat about his line of work as a music producer and his background in New York working with successful musicians. I find it all very interesting and feel honoured that he takes the time out to talk with me. We move on to discussing the direction of my music plan and I play a song for him…you guessed it the ‘Frog and Peach’ haha…I play this because I am not much of a guitar player and this seems to be the easiest one to do. He seems to like it but asks “why did you choose that one when you have so many other strong songs?” We carry on talking about my voice and what I want from this trip, my music and the direction I’d like to go.

At the end of the meeting he announces he would like to work with me on some kind of initial project, like a demo track. He wants see if we work together well, so basically he’s willing to take a chance on me, which is music to my ears!!!! Haha it’s much more than that but that will stay with me! He invites us to his gig that night at the ‘Key Club’ on Sunset Blvd, so I leave the meeting buzzing and overwhelmed!! Now we have to get ready for a night out in L.A. with no time to think!

We turn up to ‘Key Club’ and basically have a great time; Marc’s band Jinnrail is awesome! Loud, rock and punchy!! I particularly like the drummer’s jungle beat and have a little boogie. I think to myself that Trigg my friend and website designer would appreciate them too. After the gig they invite us to The Rainbow for post concert food and drinks. Incidentally The Rainbow is quite a famous spot in L.A., and I hadn’t heard of it, but as soon as you go in you realise how steeped in history it is. It is great chilling with Marc and the band.  Everyone is super relaxed, dynamic and well travelled.  This certainly has been a day and night to remember

So today I thought it best to send a short message to everyone to thank them for coming! THANKYOU!

Later I went through a big list of hot contacts for famous musicians, feeling confident i thought i might try and call up some major acts to see if they could spare 10 mins for an interview! So i tried the likes of Sheryl Crow, Fiona Apple and MGMT, among others. Turns out MGMT don’t live in LA, Fiona Apple doesn’t give a rats ass but I’m still holding out on Sheryl’s agent to get back to me, I’m sure he’ll come through for us, she doesn’t really have anything better to do these days…;)

Well in a nut shell i spent most of the day on the phone calling a bunch of agents, and tracking down the right people to talk to!! A word of advice, don’t bother unless you’re committed, it’s pretty draining….

Dan has been working on the film and captured the footage for the “Frog and Peach” so that’s now up for my mum to see he’s been grabbing stills and ‘logging’ shots for the blog. Way to go DAN! Anyway, by the time evening comes we’re fully up to date with everything, and then I get some exciting news. Marc, the producer I met briefly in LA wants to speak to me about my work, so we will leave San Luis bright and early in the morning, and take a nice cool sunny drive down the Pacific High Way to LA then stay in a nice swanky 5star hotel!!!

But before that, we needed to say a big thank you to Helen and Robbie for having us to stay and looking after us. It was SUSHI TIME WITH THE WHOLE FAMILY!!!! YUMMMMMY!!!