What I've Been Doing In NOLA.

This is a photo of Stanley on the corner of Jackson Square.  

Ok, so I've been in NOLA for almost a month.  Here's What I've done in a nutshell (pecan preferred):

WE FOUND A PLACE TO LIVE
called Parc D'orleans RV park.  It's, for some reason, touted the least desireable park of all 4 parks on the Chef Menteur Highway, but for us it is the BEST!  It's less crowded that the other tiny parks and about twice the size.  There are no stray/ferral cats running around like there were at some of the other parks  AND it was the second least expensive.  It is not gated like all of the other parks which was a concern due to all of the online reviews about the neighborhood.  Sure,we see lots of "laidies of the night" except I see them mostly during the day in their booty shorts and tittie tops.  This being said, we have had no problems.  Parc D'orleans is quiet and peaceful and I feel perfectly safe.  But then again, I've lived in Philly for the last 11 years...

Parc D'Orleans 

I GOT A JOB
at Cafe Amelie.  A little Cafe tucked away behind an iron gate in the heart of the French Quarter on Royal Street.  This quaint european-esque sanctuary occupies the former estate of the American Princess of Monaco built in the early 1800's and is not the norm for the French Quarter.  No fried or breaded foods here.    A simple menu created by exec. Chef Jerry and executed beautifully by the lovely cooks in the kitchen.  Our Shrimp and grits are topped with a corn Maque Choux (mock-shoe) savory and rich and complete with andouille sausage, cream, butter and bacon fat because that's how they role down south.  Never enough forms of fat in one dish.
I often feel as though I'm in an episode of Downton Abbey here.  I imagine what it would have been like to actually live in the servant's quarters where our office now resides and see the horse drawn carriages prance past the water fountain and into the carriage house, now our bar/restaurant/kitchen.  I think about all the people who had visited the princess while she resided there and the drama behind the scenes.  Anyway, I digress...
Amelie is a pretty great place to work.  It's a small business so there's not a lot of corporate rigamarole to deal with.  It operates pretty straight forward.  No menu tests to take, no week long training, afterall, we are just serving food to people.  It's not rocket science.

Cafe Amelie, Nick snapped a pic the day I went in for my interview!

I GOT INTO A BAND
called Fifty Shades of Blues.  It's a startup band, which is nice because we are all learning the songs at the same time, rather than me having to catch up to the rest of the band.  It's mostly jazz and blues tunes.  Some well known, others well known in certain circles.  I'm really happy with the professional level of the band memebers and that some of my song suggestions were actually considered and approved.  We are planning to start booking gigs in June!  That's coming up fast!  So far we've had 2 rehearsals each about 5 hours long.  Yes, I am a hustler baby.  Trying to get it all in!

Fifty Shades of Blues

I VOLUNTEER ON A FARM
called Sheaux Fresh.  It's a little plot of land across the river in Algiers that's privately owned and has been turned into a small farm that grows specialty produce for local restaurants.  They use organic farming principles and I'm hoping to learn a lot.  I've tasted Arugula flowers that are a nutty spicy surprise and some of the spiciest mustard greens I've ever had. Sometimes Nick drops me off and I take the Ferry back across the river into town.  It's pretty awesome.  I've harvested mustard greens, and curly endive and we had "compost day" last week.  Boy, that was fun.  I required an immediate shower when I arrived back to the RV.  Nothing like shovelling rotting produce filled with worms in 80 degree temperatures to get your blood pumping.  Oh, and I almost forgot about emptying the collection buckets of "liquid fertilizer" into 50 gallon drums.  Exhilarating and disgusting!
Unfortunately, I don't have any pics of this...yet.

I'VE BEEN EATING OUT A LOT
Booty's, Satsuma Cafe, Crescent Pie and Sausage Co., The Red Slipper, Maurepas, Fair Grinds Coffee Shop, Felipe's, El Gato Negro, Green Goddess, Smashburger, Slim Goodies Diner,  Taco Stand outside of BJ's Bar, Pizza Delicious, Reviews and pics to follow....

Crawfish Boil

Looks like there's more to eat than there acutally is.

Wat Mongkolratanaram Tampa Buddhist Temple

As soon as we realized we were stranded in Tampa for more than a few days I started looking up things to do around this town.  I stumbled upon Wat Mondkolratanaram Temple.  The Yelp reviews of it said things like "unique experience" and "there's nothing like it".  My curiosity was peeked, but I didn't follow up on going here until the garage manager at Cummins printed out pages of things to do and this Buddhist Temple was among them.  He highly recommeneded it and so we went.



Here's what it is.  Every Sunday the Temple opens up to the public from 10am to 2pm.  The temple is located on the bank of a river and they set up vendors on the huge wrap around porch of one of the buildings on the compound.

There are these signs posted all over the grounds of the temple including the Meditation Garden.  

You can get various traditional Thai meals, noodle soups, desserts, juices, coffee, and more.  There are tons of tables and benches along the river where you can sit and enjoy this communal environment.  There are flowers and plants for sale and early on in the day there is usually some live music.  It gets very busy and they do run out of certain items as the day goes on.  Expect a crowd, but this is part of the charm.   We arrived on the later side, around 12:30 and the crowds were not too bad, but some of the food options were gone already.  

These are the huge vats of oil cooling down after hours of frying up sweet potato and plantains!! Yum! 

Chicken Curry with rice Vermicelli, sprouts, basil and carrots 

Fried Plantains and Sweet Potato,  

View of the River from our table.  

The best technique we discovered is to purchase your main food items and then get on the coconut custard line.  You grab a to-to box and scribble your name on it, pay and give the box back to the vendor.

You can return in 30 minutes or so and your custards will be waiting for you and you just scoop up your pre-written care package and enjoy!  

Coconut Custard.  Sweet and creamy. It's like having a nibble of Thailand in the palm of your hand.  

You are welcome to join the monks in the temple at 2pm for their service, but you'll have to leave your shoes outside!

Homesick for the Holidays

Ice Cream at the Franklin Fountain with my good friend Adam. 

I want to go home. At least several times a day, i think about all the things back home that I miss.  My friends: hitting up the Boom Room where there are always friendly faces and a welcoming microphone or driving up to El Bar and ordering a tonic with lime and being my friend’s “wing man” as i pour my own flask filled with Gin into my sober glass. I miss my favorite restaurants with Brunches that are actually worth waking up for and the coffee shops where I can order a cup of coffee and not cringe in fear of the first sip as to whether I just wasted $2 of my hard earned and quickly depleting money.  The culture: walking down broad street and seeing all of the young and hopeful artists and actors and dancers from U Arts or grimacing at all of the bearded hipsters who put way too much time into their bicycles and tattoos. And who can forget the dirty streets that make it feel like real life instead of this make believe sod planted world called Florida that I’ve been floating through.  Although, I do appreciate the sun and copious palm trees.

It’s so hard everyday not to just turn around and go back to the place that I miss and didn’t realize how much I love.  Philly has given me so many opportunities like being in short films and dancing in shows on the Schkyukill River and taught me so many lessons like what friends to trust and when to walk away from a bad situation.  I grew into myself in Philly and now, on the road, in this metal tin can that I now call “home”, which has decided to betray me and become imobile, I feel like I just graduated college again and I don’t know who I am. I’m searching for some meaning.  Freedom is a wonderful thing, but sometimes it’s pretty scary.  I don’t know what I’m supposed to be doing every day.  I’m just “living my life”, but I’m not sure this is how I want to live it.  I want to work hard and make something of myself.  I can’t remember the last time I didn’t have a “job”.  I worked throughout college and after college I had 3 jobs at once and I loved it! Right now it’s so hard to keep my eye on the prize and without direction I just get lost.  My days are filled with problem solving, exercising and trying not to eat my way out of this boredom.  The road is a bit of a lonely place, it’s true.  My bond with Nick has gotten stronger than it’s ever been.  We spend so much time together, it’s a little bizarre.  Sometimes, I wish I had fallen in love with an amazing musician.  That would make this journey a bit easier, but maybe harder too.  Musicians are so unpredictable and narcissistic.  Who knows, maybe I still will fall in love with one along the way and have a riotous affair!  See?  That’s what I’m talking about!  That’s the kind of stuff I was expecting to happen.  Not getting stranded in a Cummins garage in the outskirts of Tampa with a cracked head gasket.  That’s not glamourous and exciting!  What is a leaking head gasket supposed to inspire?  

So, on this day when Jesus rose from the grave, I am far from home and the ones I love, I have found comfort in a bottle of Malbec and the familiar faces on Netflix, whom I’ve come to know very well.  ( Of course, there’s no WIFI here, so i’m watching it on my iphone. Eh, at least I have an iphone).  The wine is good and the wheat thins are flowing, so I must go, as my guitar is calling me.  Hopefully she will give me comfort on this warm spring night, in this odd southern town where I’m being held captive behind metal gates, under artificial lights.  

Brunch at Cafe Estelle was the best. 

Expectations, What Are They Good For...?

We all have expectations and we all have disappointments.  When things don't go the way you want  or expect them to, what do you do?

Nick and I embarked on the "Dream It True Tour" about 3 months ago.  What we couldn't possibly realize is how different it is to live on the road.  There's obvious changes that effect you in ways you wouldn't ever think of.  Like, we no longer work every day.  I used to walk dogs a least 2 hours a day, on a slow day.  I'm not doing that anymore, nor am I walking up flights of stairs all day.  We have two little steps to get into our RV.  So, with the lack of regular physical activity and the love of food, I've put on a few pounds! I usually weigh about 118.  I got up to 124, which may not sound like a lot, but if I didn't recognize it and make a change it would have continued.  Six pounds is the difference between my clothes fitting comfortably and being just a little too tight.  It's the difference between a tight shirt fitting smoothly and suddenly seeing a muffin top.  Or my thighs rubbing where they never did before.  Bottom line is that I don't feel comfortable in my own skin.    So, I've taken up swimming and biking and walking and watching what I eat.  Friggin' Charleston, SC got me with all of their delicious BBQ meats and cured pig products.  I haven't had any meat other than fish in over a month.  I cook a lot of vegetable stirfrys with organic locally grown greens and root vegetables.  I use My Fitness Pal app on my phone to keep track of what I eat and how much I exercise.  I have NEVER done this in my entire life, ever.

One of my super duper nutritious and DELICIOUS meals.

I'm sure part of my motivation in somewhat obsessing over my food and exercise is to feel a bit of control.  I was in such a comfort zone in Philly.  I had my friends, I had my places I'd get drinks, places to get food, I knew where everything was all the time, I knew where to get my pants hemmed and my shoes fixed, and of course I had a steady income coming in.  It takes a long time to figure out these things, so when you are moving all the time, it's nearly impossible to feel grounded.  All of these new adjustments add up and can make me feel a little crazy; unbalanced. In Philly, sure,  I had an odd schedule compared to the average person, but it was normal and regular to me. Out on the road, I feel as though I am at the mercy of so many factors.  For example, the weather can disrupt our driving schedule very easily.  If it's too windy, we can't drive because we are considered a "high profile" vehicle so high winds mean high danger. We don't drink the water in the holding tank of the RV, so we have to refill BPA free jugs of water every few days which takes time and forethought. When there's a problem with the RV, not only do we have to worry about the expense and having to locate a reputable place to do the work, but we also have to worry about where to stay while the RV is getting worked on! All of these little problems add up and it's not what I had expected.  It's not bad, just a different reality than what I had envisioned.

  I guess I had imagined myself immersed in musicians sitting around campfires and singing to the wee hours of the morning.  This was a very romantic vision, but far from reality, at least, so far.  As far as musicians go, I kind of expected that people would be interested in our trip and want to be a part of what we are doing. It was challenging in Philly to organize musicians, well, on the road it's way more difficult.  Most good musicians are super busy and are into their own projects, the less affluent musicians may show interest in my endeavors, but don't really have the chops to get involved or just aren't dedicated or have kids or whatever other issues that don't lend themselves to playing out or rehearsing. Still other musicians feel threatened by a new talented musician infiltrating on their "territory".   So, there are so many factors, more than I had thought there would be, that make life on the road so much different than life back home.

I've been going to open mics, jam sessions, jazz nights and sitting in with lots of musicians, but I haven't really made any headway, at least not in my eyes.  One night I sang at 4 different venues between sitting in and open mics. No one can say I haven't been putting myself out there.

Elise sitting in with some Jazz cats at Roadhouse Cafe in Fort Myers.  

It's said that crazy can be described as someone doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.  Well, at the moment, I've stopped trying to promote my music that has already been created and began to open myself to collaboration.  Collaboration creates connection and connections are what life is about.  I've decided to build relationships with people through the artistic process of creation.  Giving life to something new that never existed before.  That is how to build a solid relationship that lasts.  So, this is my new tactic.  This is the new plan.  It will have to be reassessed in the near future, but so far, so good.  I recorded a song last night in a small studio with a local producer and I'm working on another song with a local guitar player.  Maybe that's what this trip is about and not  just ME and MY music, but US and OUR music.

Don't forget to comment and visit my other pages for more info on my crazy journey!

Elise's FB Page

Elise's Reverbnation Page

Elise's Youtube Page

Break UP Music Video Release

Here's the music video for the title track off of my EP, Break Open.  Mp3s are available on iTunes, Amazon and reverbnation.  Don't forget to Like and comment so I know your thoughts and suggestions!!!






It's wonderful when hard work pays off.  There is a lot more work ahead of us on The Dream It True Tour.  Can't wait to jump the hurdles and hoops they're gonna put in front of me.

You can also follow us on FB.  www.facebook.com/elisemoureaumusic

Elise Sings at World Cafe Live and Other News

So, the summer continues to kick my ass. I am now performing in a wedding band which just got signed to CTO Agency. Yay! and a little scary. Will this distract me from my original music? My hope is that it will make me a more confident performer and a stronger singer. Keeping my instrument in shape and my performance skills sharp.

I am still attending meetings and getting ready to write some songs for "Constants". A show that will be taking place on canoes on the Schuylkill River in August. (You know you can't resist checking it out!)

I will also be singing at the Opple Topple Fest June 18th late late late at night into the AM of the 19th. If you want tickets to this, I honestly have no idea how to buy them, but I'm sure we can figure it out. Here's the FB link to the info:

Opple Topple Fest Info

Lastly, I sang at the World Cafe Live at the Queen in Wilmington DE a few weeks ago. Here is the footage of one of the songs I was thrilled to be singing. It's called Try You. Hope you enjoy and can relate. More news and footage coming soon. Hopefully on a new HD camera!!!!!!!!!!




Remember to DREAM IT TRUE!!!!!!

Time Restaurant and Bar Open Mic 5-3-2011

So I was able to squeeze in an open mic last week here in Philly at the wonderful Time Restaurant and Bar.  Great food and lost of music happening there all the time.  They even have events upstairs like "sex stories".  Sounds fun.  So, here is my 3 song set with the lovely Sarah Siahaan and Peter Gaudioso.  I love to hear your feedback, so don't be shy with the comments!!!!

Feast or Famine, Currently a FEAST!

With the nice weather comes more opportunities.  People get active  and productive after their long hiatus from society during the winter.  I myself have crawled out of my bear den to find fun offerings in the arts. 
    I was asked to audition for a new movie called Japanese Azteroids.  After 2 monologues and several readings later I am being cast in one of two roles.  Either a nurturing motherly role or the role of a jaded chaos creator.  Monday I go in to read for the ladder.  That is scheduled to shoot in June or July.  Updates will be coming as time goes by.
   The next project is an exerpt from a film being done by an aspiring film maker at Temple University.  The 3 page scene chosen from the movie Shallow Grave is deep with subtext and dark comedy.  We shot this saturday from 8:30 pm to 4:30 am!!!! What a fun and exhausting night/morning it was! I can't wait to see the finished product.
    Lastly, I was asked to partake in an Historic Tour of the Skyukyll River this summer.  The concept of this project is so unique.  It takes place at different locations along the river where you meet historical characters and you travel to these locations via canoe at night.  Wow!  How exciting is that?! The moon and stars lit up in the sky and you get to experience this intimate little show.  I'm so honored to be a part of this project with Alie Vidich and her Company Movement Brigade. 
   I am trying to keep this momentum going and not get complacent any time soon! Keep your eyes, ears and hearts open!!!

Next Step

Today I went to AAA to get whatever info I could from them. I was kind of surprised that they didn't have more to offer me, but they gave me a large map of the USA, which I requested, so that I can plot out the major places that we will stop. They gave me info on upgrading our AAA membership to cover an RV once we get one and info on the AAA auto buying program. I have no idea what the hell that is, but I'll find out. I got info on the auto buying program because in addition to the RV the plan is to have a little car that we can zip around in in cities that aren't necessarily RV friendly, plus once we plant ourselves in a campground for a week or for however long, then we'll save a ton on gas with the little car. This is the plan, anyway.


So I mounted the US map on a corkboard. I was going to just tape it to the wall in the living room, but then realized the pushpins illustrating our path will ruin the paint job that took me weeks to finish. And, I decided to move the map elsewhere. To a glorious place where much thinking is accomplished. Some of (hu)man's greatest thoughts were concieved in this place. The map has been mounted next to the toilet where it will get the attention it deserves. Plus, with all the time that Nick spends in there, he will be forced to daydream about something other than the Maxim and Playboy pin ups.

Ok, I have push pinned the cities of interest for me they are in no particular order:

Virginia Beach VA, Jacksonvile NC, Columbia SC, Charleston SC, Savannah GA, Atlanta GA, Nashville TN, Memphis TN, Miami FL, Naples FL, Tampa FL, Talahassee FL, Mobile AL, New Orleans LA, Houston TX, San Antonio TX, Dallas TX, Austin TX, Albequerque NM, Santa Fe NM, Tucson AZ, San Diego CA, Santa Ana CA, Pasadena CA, Santa Barbera CA, Los Angeles CA, The Grand Canyon (this would definitely be an inspiration stop), Denver CO, San Francisco CA, Portland OR, Seattle WA, and Chicago IL.

That's 32 cities. If we plan to keep this trip in a year, that is 11.5 days for each city and don't forget we still have to travel to and from each city. Maybe this trip will take 2 years! Clearly, we have a lot to figure out still. We might want to spend just a day or two in some cities, while other places may draw us in for a couple of weeks. Having a rudimentary schedule is going to be a lifesaver, but we don't want our existential journey to be dictated by time. That would defeat the point. I could lose 3 days of sleep trying to meet a deadline right here in Philadelphia. When opportunities present themselves we don't want to say, "oh we already have plans".

We want to be open and free as birds to meet new people and be inspired by whatever comes our way.

The Me Nobody Knows....yet.

This blog is about chasing your dream. It's about seeing an idea through, no matter how long it may take you; dreaming it true. If you never dream it, you'll never achieve it.

Our Goal in this blog is to catalog the journey, the ups and downs, and the eventual success (we hope) of an RV trip chasing my dream of becoming a professional singer. We are at the very beginning. We have nothing but an idea. We'll see how an idea can become a reality and how a dream can come true. It doesn't always go the way you plan, but that's kinda the point.

A Little History:
I'm Elise. I have been living in Philadelphia for almost 9 years. I came here with $2000 and a BFA in musical theater from Syracuse University. In other words, I was a waitress. After a few years here, I started a pet sitting business because bouncing from restaurant to restaurant and serving unappreciative diners their overpriced grub got old, fast. Since the inception of For Paws Philly pet sitting and dog walking, I have bought a house in South Philly in an "up and coming area" where people like to throw their trash on the street and grafitti neighborhood buildings for fun. After 3 years of both living with a mortgage and running a business I am feeling, what should we call it, TRAPPED? Down trodden? Unmotivated and fed-up? Yes, all of the above. Don't get me wrong, I have good and bad days, but the unfulfilled feeling is always nagging at me. I'm sure there are many of you out there who can relate to how I feel.






My dream since I was a small child was to be a singer, like Whitney Houston. I remember when I was 6 years old singing "We are the World" at summer camp and I knew that was what I was supposed to do with my life. So, how the hell did I get here?





Money is how I got here, or rather a lack there of. When I got out of school, keeping myself afloat financially was the main goal in my life. My dream of singing, dancing and acting was overshadowed by my need to work and support myself. After years of working jobs I hated for money that i could barely live on, I changed my goals. I wanted to make money and be in charge of my own income. Hence, the pet sitting biz. While this has been a great success in my life, it has once again taken away from my true dream of singing and performing.

So, now I am an adult, or at least, that's what they call it. Now it's time for me to take my destiny into my own hands once again and reconfigure my goals, but this time, around my dreams. If I don't do it now, I'll regret if for the rest of my life.

A few years ago I was lucky to run into a hip hop producer named Rooks Star. A young motivated man from the 'hood with a passion for music and dreams of big business in the entertainment industry. He played a track for me that I wrote my first song to. I called it Better off Alone. From there, I got writing fever. I was always thinking of song ideas and lyrics. I had rediscovered the passion that I had lost in my race for financial wealth.

Another twist of fate brought me to producer Tony Moore, who saw me at an audition and chose to produce my solo project. I wrote songs, worked with musicians, booked recording time, took photo shoots (which were painful at first, but thanks to Tyra Banks and ANTM, I figured out how to be in front of a camera), took voice lessons, talked with artists, looked for inspiration and 2 years later my EP Break Open has been released.





Ok, so that brings us up to date for the most part. Now I have my EP, I have my voice, I have photos, I have an EPK (electronic press kit)and I have a camp of artists, from TMmuzix, who are there to support me. However, I don't have a band, which is kind of an important element but we'll touch on these details at a later time.

So, this combination of feeling trapped and unmotivated along with my re-inspired dream and passion for music is pushing me to make a change. There has been a voice in my ear telling me to jump off the cliff and take the risk for over a year now. There is an opportunity in front of me, an open door, a possibility and somehow I have been able to recognize it. It is up to me what I do with it and I think I should take the wager. So, my boyfriend, Nick and I are planning our escape. We want to buy an RV and plot out a course for musical success or rather, exploration. So, here's what we need to do:

We need to save money for this trip. Buy an RV and probably a small car to pull behind it. Rent out the house, find someone to run the pet sitting biz, and figure out how we can continue to have income on the road. Then we need to plot out our journey. Coordinating the time of year and musical events around the country, with where we will be and when. I'll have to start networking with musicians around the country and get my performance tracks, so that I can sing my songs without any musicians, oh and I should probably start picking up my guitar and learn to play it. So, there's not too much to do, is there?



We'll see how it all pans out. We are going to watch where we triumph and where we fall flat on our faces, but for now, we have to start somewhere, so here we go......