Dawn Mitschele - Thanks Giving

Vallie, Cat and I want to wish you a family-filled, friend-filled, love-filled, turkey(to-furkey)-filled Thanksgiving! There are so many wonderful things to be thankful for...YOU being one of them. We are so thankful that you see our dream and you actively participate in it. We love our life of service and because you support us YOU must love a life of service too. So thank you!

Another thing we are thankful for is Dawn Mitschele! On a personal level there is so much I could say about this beautiful soul...from mini-tours in mini-vans to a New Years in silence but the bottom line is...I can't picture my life without her. I can't picture where I would be without her energy and LoVE in my life. She is a complete lesson in LoVE...and without her voice as a sound track I would be in a world NOTHING like the one I am in. Geeesh. Can you tell I adore her?

On a professional level...YES PLEASE!!! Grab some Dawn Mitschele when you awake in the morning with tea, or have a meal from our cook-book-lette while listening to her gracefullness (it helps me in the kitchen) or even best, get ready for the clubs with the rapping of Diz Miz. :) She is the complete package.

We love you Dawn! Thank you for blessing us with your song "Thanks Giving"...it is an honor and a privilege to have you be a part of the FTSF team and our compilation CD!
Come join us at our CD Release Party to see Dawn live!

Friends, what a beautiful day to listen to Dawn Mitschele's Thanks Giving song!

In LoVE and thankfulness,
~Melissa

http://www.dawnmitschele.com/

The Makepeace Brothers - Thank You

Hi Friends, so this is my first FTSF blog and I’m so inspired by my subjects that I couldn’t write fast enough. The Makepeace Brothers from Ithaca New York via Los Angeles California are AMAZING!  And yes that’s their real name, which is so cool, right? Brothers Finian and Ciaran Makepeace and long time friend Conner Gaffney are The Makepeace Brothers.  These are three faces I love to see in a crowd, on stage, across a room, walking in the door or sitting across from me at a community gathering. When around them their happiness is contagious and I can’t help but smile when in their presence.  There are no half meaning hugs or negative energy these guys are pure wonderful. Their music is worldly and wise beyond their years. Three remarkable people full of love, life and laughter.  They write music from the heart and their lyrics and songs keep up a message of love and consciousness. They have an astounding amount of talent and will keep you singing and dancing until you can’t sing and dance any more. 

I’m blessed to call them friends and even more blessed for all their support. They have donated the “Thank You” song for The Feeding the Soul Vol. 1 Family Dinner CD and Cookbooklette. If you haven’t heard or seen them check them out at you will not be disappointed.

There new yet to be titled album will be released mid December and will be available for the first time at the Feeding the Soul December 18^th event, be one the first to experience this incredible CD. 

Thank you Finian, Ciaran and Conner for feeding my soul. We have so much love and gratitude to all of you for your contribution to this foundation, to our events and to our community.

~ Vallie

Watch The Makepeace Brothers perform "Thank You" benefiting Big Brothers Big Sisters of SD here.

http://www.makepeacebrothers.com/

Parker Ainsworth – Feeding the Soul

Austin native Parker Ainsworth describes his music as “patchwork Americana.” Indeed, he has a soulful voice, a stripped-down sound, and some Texas country influences, but he fits in perfectly to our love-centered community with lyrics and music from the heart, and a welcoming way with friends and strangers alike.

Parker has been part of a few Feeding the Soul shows right from the start, and we’re grateful to have him back for our CD and for the release concert. He has a generous soul, which feeds ours so we can pay it forward.

One of my favorite memories of Parker is from the original Feeding the Soul dinner and concert. I was nervous about getting the dinner tables removed and chairs set up in time for the music, and when the time came, I was in a tizzy – running back and forth without accomplishing much. As I fought with the folding legs of the table, into the fog of my panic floats the embodiment of calm in the form of Parker, with a smile, and an offer of help. I took a deep breath. It was the start of what I can only describe as a miracle: dinner for 100 people disappeared and the room transformed into a concert in less than 10 minutes. THAT is the power of community.

This is what Parker shared with us about his song:

"For me, the Feeding the Soul song sprang out of wanting to contribute to something outside of myself. I'd wanted to access the beauty of working together in the most simple way possible  and the process of preparing and sharing food is something that has most often conveyed love in my family. I thought that "feeding the soul" could be a mantra for service, and that when engaged in service the one making the food to feed others is actually being fed too. In this way, there's more than enough love and resources to go around several times."

Here in southern California, Parker’s known both for the soul in his music and for giving outstanding hugs. Be sure to get yourself some of each!
~ Cat

www.parkerainsworth.com

Bushwalla – Sun & Moon

The luckiest people on the planet consider Billy “Bushwalla” Galewood among their friends.  If this needs proving, I recommend listening to “Sun & Moon”, his contribution to our benefit CD, or giving yourself the gift of seeing him in concert. 

Bushwalla is an outstanding performer, an unflappable host, and The Original Ganster From Cleveland (oh-HI-oh!).  His positive energy and enthusiasm are contagious and GREAT fun.  His wardrobe choices alone can perk up a bad day – and that’s before he starts playing, juggling, doing magic, and making me giggle uncontrollably.

And then there is the music – acoustic hip-hop and genuine funk.  The Man Who Invented the Sky is a triumph – in command of a host of styles that represent B’s past, visited in a way that makes them fresh (and demands booty-shaking).  There are thoughtful lyrics in the midst of all that celebration, too.

In our community, Bushwalla is teacher, entertainer, co-conspirator, and beloved friend.  We’re lucky that way.

~ Cat

Bushwalla - Fall Through Glass (Acoustic Music Video)

http://www.bushwalla.net/

Alysse Fischer - The Be Love Song

Our dear friend Alysse Fischer!!!
When I think of her I think of her as a singing Goddess. Mostly because one of the very first times I hung out with her she was walking around with this beautiful dress singing as she was cooking a meal for about 20 people. I was in awe over the food she made…and the beautiful voice that gracefully flowed from her.

She has donated her time to Feeding the Soul, Jitters, Rock ‘n’ Roll Camp for Girls LA, and our community with grace and gratitude....plus she is a constant reminder that you're having THE BEST DAY EVER! We are completely honored that she would gift us her Be Love Song for our CD.

Thank you Alysse Fischer....for being love!

Watch Alysse's performance at Jitters in Oceanside here.

http://www.myspace.com/alyssefischer

MC Flow Song - "Everybody"

It's time to go with the flow...MC FLOW!!! <--- stole that from her bio...I laughed a lot. :)

I have only seen MC Flow (aka Abby Schwartz) perform once in public....other times were at our community gatherings among campfires and good food. When Feeding the Soul decided to bring 5 powerful female artist together to create and event to help raise money for Rock 'n' Roll Camp for Girls, MC Flow was at the top of our list! It was our Muse-ic Event and it raised 4 scholarships for girls wanting to attend the camp but couldn't due to financial restrictions. MC Flow was without a voice once the event came around but sent her ammmmazing friend Lauren DeRose to step in, along with merch and CDs to help raise money for the little female rockers. She contributed so much even though she wasn't able to be there. Amazing!

If you have seen her perform you are among the many jaw-dropping friends who love her witty and fast rhymin rappin'. She won Best Hip-Hop Album at the 2008 San Diego Music Awards, for her record Incredible, and in 2009 she won Best Hip-Hop. She is also a difference maker everyday...especially in the LGBT community. We reached out to her to see if we could use the LGBT Center for a screening of May I Be Frank and she welcomed us in with open arms. THANK YOU for helping us coordinate such a successful night!

I asked her to tell us about the song she contributed to the FTSF CD and this was what she said:

"The song "Everybody" is really about the universality of humankind -- how, when we break it all down, we are really all the same, no matter where we come from or what we look like. It's about having a positive outlook, being true to yourself and giving back when you can. I think it's vital that we all be grateful for the time we are given here are earth and that we use that time to make the world a better place. That was the message I was trying to get across with the song. We are all connected. We are all blessed with the power to make a difference."

Listen to "Everybody" here.

Thank you MC Flow for being such a stand for quality, love, and contribution. We honor you for all that you do...and we thank you for being our friend.
~ Melissa

Alex Woodard's Song - "Open Up"

Back in 2007 I went to, what I considered, one of the coolest small beach concerts ever. It was at Moonlight Beach in Encinitas...BroAm benefiting Stand Up for Kids. It was my first taste of music for a cause and also planted the seed for my future passion. I saw new musicians that lived locally and supported locally...one of them being Alex Woodard. I thought to myself "who is this cute guy with a beauuuutiful custom made guitar?" I was mostly there to support a friend, however, I walked away with Alex's Up with the Sun CD and became a secret super fan. Months went by and I found myself having dinner with him and my close friend Dawn Mitschele talking about the music industry and what the life of a musician looks like to them. Throughout the years Alex has become one of my closest friends and I was so excited when Vallie asked him to create a song for the Feeding the Soul Foundation CD. Alex's song witing skills are amazing to watch. He has a gift for story telling and I was lucky enough to watch this song grow. This song is a great reminder to open up and let love in. Sometimes we need a little reminder of that. I do anyway.

It is our privilege to give you the first taste of our Feeding the Soul CD!
Friends and friends of friends...Alex Woodard's Open Up!
Listen to Open Up here

Here is what Alex's says about his song "Open Up":

"I've moved through life in this rhythmic pattern of sometimes closing my heart off, sometimes opening up, but always searching for where love really lives.  So i had this idea of love living in a house outside of town, the kind of house that sits high up on a hill and looks deserted, with paint peeling off the sides and shutters barely hanging on.  Behind those weather-beaten walls, though, is a beautiful world, where love still walks the halls.

'Open up' is what happens when she hears a familiar voice coming from outside the door.  This acoustic version is just me and my utility player, Ike Marr.  I recorded the guitar and vocal live in my living room, played some piano on it, and then Ike sang the background vocal and played banjo."

I would like to acknowledge Alex for his commitment to  BEAUTIFUL song writing and story telling. His gift of music is only part of his raddness. I have seen him perform, host parties, cook for friends, teach someone to surf and love his dog...he is a super friend...and from the bottom of my heart I say...
THANK YOU Alex for all you do...and thank you for gifting us one of your beautiful songs!
~ Melissa

http://www.alexwoodard.com/