JD Valerio: Journal/News

On Tuesdays, when I am in Sacramento I like to go to the Stoney Inn on Del Paso Blvd. I've been going there a couple of months now. In the back they have what is called the "Bluebird Lounge" and they have a killer sound system. Every Tuesday is their singer/songwriter competition. Music industry advice is provided, critique of song material is given, and each week somebody wins FREE STUDIO TIME. The people that run the bar are great and the folks that go there are down to earth. Sometimes after the singer/songwriter competion I sing Karaoke or do some line dancing. I may not be the most country boy that walked the farm, but I can shake my boots and love to do it!

Here is a song called Light it Up, performed at the Bluebird Lounge. This song is going on my new album which is scheduled to come out the first quarter of 2012.

Hi friends,
My endeavors in Minneapolis went quite well. The “bus ticket last minute show” proved to be effective and I have nothing but gratitude for those who helped me get home to California. A few people that I would like to give shouts out to for rides etc. include: Paul M., Travis C., Dan K., Nate R., Becky T., Toby, Sterling D., Josh M., Dan P., and Anne C. and also thanks to those of you who made it out to some of my underground performances.
Now I am back at the day job while I complete my upcoming CD. Song candidates for the new album include: Fire, Droid, Life is An Artform, Passion, Pirates, Light it Up, Deep End, Black Widow, Roar, Be the Change, Collective Sorrow Can Wait for Tomorrow, Inside the Artist, You Be I’ll Be, One More Night, and I am considering remake versions of Draw Me (2001) and Movie Maker (2001).
In addition to this project I am working on an instrumental record, forming a new band, and scheduling my next tour! So much to do, and so much time to do it in ;0. Last month I won a contest at the Bluebird Lounge in Sacramento and have 6 hours of free studio time with Pinnacle College. I am super excited to be working with college students again and look forward to the creativity that they will bring to the table.
I will be hanging out in Sacramento until the end of the year (minus a few weekend gigs in the surrounding areas).
If you want to give me feedback on which of the songs I should include on the new CD, please stop by www.jdvalerio.com and leave a message in the “guestbook” section. You can hear live versions of most of the songs above by Googling “JD Valerio (SONG TITLE) Video).
Have a great Holiday Season!
JD
CD RELEASE PARTIES TBA

Hi again,

I found an open mic that will put me on stage sometime between 8pm and 9pm tonight (Nov. 29th). The place is a coffee house called THE DEPOT http://www.thedepotcoffeehouse.com/. I haven't been there in years but it is a great place. Music starts at 8pm and it is FREE TO GET in. There will be a bunch of local artists from Minneapolis playing at well. If you have never been to an open mic and you are planning on coming tonight you are in for a treat. Here are the details:

9541 Excelsior Blvd.
Hopkins, MN
phone: 952-938-2204
you can also get directions at this page: http://www.thedepotcoffeehouse.com/about/directions.html
Have a great night!
JD

yo yo. tonight 11/29/2011 i will be playing a show in minneapolis to make a little extra money for a bus ticket and meals tomorrow. i will be taking a Jefferson bus back to reno to get my car. so if you have some time tonight come check it out. i will post the times at my website www.jdvalerio.com and at my music page on facebook. if you want me to text you the start time and location just send me a text to 916-xxx-xxxx. have a great day

One of the CEO's I enjoyed working for once said, "90% of success is showing up". Last night I saw that happen. I stumbled upon an open mic at the Bluebird Lounge (www.bluebirdlounge.com) which is a lounge located in the back of a bar called the Stoney Inn (www.stoneyinn.com". It turns out that there is a weekly songwriting competition there. I was there to test drive a song I wrote the same day called "Be The Change", so I played that first. Then I played another one of my songs, "Light It Up.". Players only get two songs to ensure that everyone who signs up gets a chance to play. Anyway, I won the competition! As part of my winnings I get 2 hours of free studio recording time which I will be using towards my new album (hopefully released by Jan or Feb of 2011. Life is good. .. even when it feels horrible.

I am also getting free video of the performance which I can use for promotion etc. I feel like I am 4 years old again. I can't wait to share the new song with you. . .but I will just have to wait.

Thank you for reading my journal, hope to see you soon at a venue near you.

Peace and all that good stuff,
JD

amen

I have been in Sacramento for a couple weeks now after a long tour across our wonderful country. Though I have very little in my bank account, I feel rich and at peace. I have been seeking part-time work and found a short term job for a few weeks. Yeah!. I have one show booked per month through the end of the year in Sacramento and will get to play with Chingus, Crazy Harris Band, Two Step, Earl Brooks and Gerard Fragman. All of this is so exciting. Life is good!

Well, I have pushed it to the max and now I am broke. Last December I quit my job in Business Development to pursue this full time. I was going to try and make it a full year without any additional income source asike from my 401k money. But now the money has run out. I am currently looking for some odd jobs I can do on the side to supplement my music career. Starbucks seems like the best fit, but I am also looking at retail like places like Bath and Body Works and Pier One imports. I think I am resolved not to go back into sales and marketing so that I can devote mental energies to the music career. I don't view this as a set back. I look at it as an oportunity to sit still after four months on the road singing my heart out. I will also be working on my new record. Maybe I'll get a piano too. . . well one thing at a time, one thing at a time. . .

Hi friends,
I have new buttons to help my friends and fans connect their friends and fans with my music. If you go to www.cdbaby.com/valerio2 you will see on the left hand side buttons for facebook and twitter. If you would like to help me spread the word on my latest CD, "hot apple cider" please try these buttons out.

Right now I am working on my new CD. I have received suggestions to put the song Roar and Pirates and Deep End on the next record. If you have any suggestions for other songs please let me know. Much of my new music is posted at http://www.youtube.com/user/jdvaleriomusic. The videos were taken with a flip camera so the sound quality is nowhere near a studio recording, but at least you can listen with headphones and get a good idea of what the newer songs are like.

My last record, Come Undone is available at Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Come-Undone/dp/B001UIIAJE
I am in the marketing phase of my business plan. I promise not to bombard you with emails, but as a professional musician it is important to sell stuff. Believe it or not that is my least favorite part of my job, but it comes with the territory.

Lastly but not least, I am seeking a simple job at Starbucks, or a dinner or something like that in Sacramento to supplement my income while recording the next record. If you know somebody in the Sacramento area that is hiring please point me in their direction.

Currently, I am living in Las Vegas, but I am moving back to Sacramento tomorrow. So for those of you in Sac Town I can't wait to see you!

Love,
jd

my little brother travis teaches me all the time to make light of challenges.

here is his way of coping with a gigantic scar from one of his many surgeries (he is a bone cancer survivor)

i need a sponsor for my next tour. i want to go all over the place. less sleeping in the car and more on a normal bed.

any ideas send to johndvalerio@gmail.com

thanks!

i am starting a band in sacramento. I need a bass, drums, keyboard, cello and violin. steel guitar too. just a project til january.

also, if you haven't heard my brothers music google him- jeffry valerio aka riotmaker

here is a homemade video i did for my song "new" which is on my latest CD, Hot Apple Cider and available on itunes, amazon, and other digital outlets:

Tonight I went wandering around vegas. I watched the fountain at the Belagio and had fun taking pictures for tourists. I also stopped by the Freakin Frog to say hi to some friends. I also picked up another show for next Wednesday at the Freakin Frog. I go on at 9:30 but if you and a friend are in town. . .come early so we can hang. I love life, and singing. What can be better than doing what you love for a living?

I am still in Vegas catching up on some R & R. I think my folks are ready to give me the boot though, 7 weeks is a long time to hang out with the folks (as great as they are).

I met some cool folks here in Vegas. Here is a tune by one of my new music friends, Amanda Morgan. She opened for me on August 19th at the Freakin Frog. She is very talented and has her Ph D in sex or somethin' like that

today i gave a guy on the streets $5 (even though I was close to broke myself). a few hours later while walking to the bus stop I found a $5 bill.

worry is bad, especially worry about money. it will all work out, just stay the course.

If you travel as a musician, "bad" things can happen. You can make them a "good" thing by doing things like writing a new song about the experience or writing a good "on stage story" to engage your audience.

Bad things don't happen, they are simply seeds for good things.

MY OLD NUMBER: 612-226-3923 IS CHANGING SOON TO A CALI NUMBER. TO GET MY NEW NUMBER EMAIL ME.

did you know i play the piano on my latest cd? it is called Hot Apple Cider. Here is some stuff of me playing piano at the Freakin Frog last night:

anyway if you are interested in buying any of my music you can get physical and digital CD's of hotapple cider at a lot of media outlets online like iTunes, CD Baby etc. if you want to get my christian cd, it is only available digitally. I finished that album in 2001 and was hiding from that record for a while. Partly cuz i like playing new stuff, but partly cuz religion and spirituality are different, and i didn't know that back then when i did the record. But if you want to explore the christian stuff go to http://www.amazon.com/Come-Undone/dp/B001UIIAJE