#17 - Boredom and My Creativity

Hello everyone! So, I was bored earlier today and decided to get a pillowcase and cut it up into a shirt. One thing you guys should know about me, is the fact that I LOVE OFF-THE-SHOULDER shirts...so therefore, I made one. And you're NOW about to see some pics of me (sorry for the failed model pics I'm about to show you guys) with my pillowcase shirt haha. Enjoy <3

Well, that's it for this blog. Just thought to show you guys one of the things I do when I'm bored and still awake at 2 am in the morning haha. 

Much love,

MD

#16 - Last Performance of 2012 @ The Alchemical Theater Laboratory (12.23)

Hello everyone! Today is officially CHRISTMAS! So, Happy Christmas to everyone! It's around 12 something in the AM over here in NY and I'm excited to spend Christmas day with my family and for them to spend time with Noah and Chris. Around lunchtime today, we're going to visit my mom, grandma, cousins and aunts and uncles and just enjoy Christmas with everyone's company. I'm sure Noah (my 19 month old son) will really appreciate being around my side of the family. I am also cooking something, soooo that is going to be fun. I was thinking of doing this pork dish I usually do, that my husband loves, but then...I'm thinking of doing a filipino dessert dish called - Turon. It's basically like an egg roll...but it's filled with plantains/bananas with some jackfruit and fried with brown sugar. It's SOOOO yummy! Anyways, I'll figure out later what to cook haha.

So, I must tell you all, I did my last show of 2012 at this amazing venue in NYC - THE ALCHEMICAL THEATER LABORATORY. I feel bad because I keep messing up the name and ended up putting on my YOUTUBE video (THE ALCHEMICAL LABORATORY THEATER). But, it's understandable haha. Here's a clip of one of my originals that I performed that night.

There were tons of great acts that night and I definitely was fans of all of them. I will be including pics and telling you all about the artists of that night. Here are some pics in the dressing room area for artists:

Now, I took some awesome pictures with some of the acts that night and with some of the people who were in charge of the venue and booking the show. Some awesome people they were :)

Bryan Durieux (http://www.facebook.com/BryanD.music) is a singer-songwriter who has a lot of soul in his voice and guitar playing. Alongside him, is his beautiful girlfriend, with killer vocals! She and Bryan did an acoustic cover of JESSIE J'S "Nobody's Perfect" and I must say, these two are absolutely perfect. I can't help but smile and want to work with them in the future.

I took a pic with the awesome THE LONELIERS and was ecstatic to see them play. They were all about the message I was trying to spread too. It's basically to erase negativity in people and to be happy for who you are and to believe in yourselves. They're amazing and I only look forward to playing with them on the same bill again.

James Franchise was the guy who contacted me and booked me this show. He's amazing, by the way. He's a really nice guy and the venue that he had us perform in (THE ALCHEMICAL THEATER LABORATORY) was such a great venue for all us acoustic artists  The sound resonated so well that I could've played even without a mic. I was in awe of how great the venue was. And the audience was great as well! They paid attention to all the artists, and it was a different venue for me (since I usually played bars and all that jazz). They all sat in their seats and enjoyed every artists' work. I loved it! The girl next to me, is Massiel. She apparently remembered me from when I performed at the TOY DRIVE at the ROCKAWAYS, which was pretty awesome of her!


Now, I am also playing again at the same venue on JANUARY 13, 2013. Same place and all that jazz. I will be notifying all of you on what the times will be when I get the event page on FACEBOOK. But for now, I hope you guys enjoy your CHRISTMAS and have a happy new year everyone <3

Much Love,

- MD

#15 - My 22nd Birthday Show at Gussy's Bar (Astoria, NY) and Thank You's

Hello everyone! So guess what? I'm now 22 years old! Yay! So, I had a show the night before my 22nd birthday (which is Dec. 21 - the "end of the world"...which wasn't), that was scheduled to be at RAPTURE LOUNGE on Dec. 20th. However, due to unfortunate circumstances, the venue's main power shut down. So, we were cancelled. And to be honest, I was extremely saddened by the cancellation, especially since it was the night before my birthday. I called my manager up and told him the news and posted everywhere that I wrote about my show at RAPTURE LOUNGE, that it was cancelled. I was near to tears because I was looking forward to the show. So, then...my manager calls me up and basically saves the night. He had talked to a good friend of his, from GUSSY'S BAR at Astoria, NY - OZZIE MORTANIS - and basically got me my own show. I was so ecstatic that the night was still going on. So, I rushed to post everywhere and tell everyone (that I already said that tonight's show was cancelled) that we had NOW changed the venue. This was probably the cause that only about 10 people attended. And we also had another artist on the bill that I contacted if she wanted to still play that night. And her name is SARA NELMS. You guys should check her out on FACEBOOK.

SARA NELMS - http://www.facebook.com/saranelmsmusic

I quite enjoyed Sara's sound and songwriting. I tell you guys that you MUST check her out, because you MUST! She's amazing and she is such a wonderful person. She's also pretty gorgeous (which is two very complimenting words). Now, what are you doing? Check her out!

Alright, so as the night progressed and I played my more-than-one-hour set at GUSSY's (thanks to OZZIE and to my manager, Hal, for setting it up on such short notice), it was almost midnight. I didn't even realize that they had brought in a birthday cake, until one of my friends was walking up with a red velvet cake that said, "HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MD". I was seriously about to cry because it meant so much to me to have such great people spend the night I turned 22. There are a couple of names I should mention and they are:

Alyssa Martone, Gabriella Neglia and Nina Theophanous.

These girls are amazing and I'm so glad to have met you all and I hope to create a bigger bond with you guys <3

Anyways, here's a little video I made that night after my 22nd birthday (12.21). The video I created was to thank everyone who sent me their birthday greetings and to all my fans and supporters and to show everyone how much I loved them and appreciate their awesomeness and where me and my husband decided to give everyone a "treat" at the end of the video. So, here it goes...and until the next time, 

Much Love, 

- MD

#14 - A Duet with Jason Waters

Have you ever listened to this amazing singer-songwriter, Jason Waters? Well, if you haven't, now you will. Jason and I did a duet, recently, to Tyler Hilton's song feat. Kina Grannis "I BELIEVE IN YOU". Let me tell you something about Jason. He is so amazing and so talented that I felt quite intimidated sitting next to him while singing this duet. However, I felt quite homely at his home studio. We recorded a live version of this song and you can take a listen to the track here:

"I Believe In You" (Duet Cover) Mary Desiree and Jason Waters

The live video recording to our duet cover is in the making, and I will be posting it here as soon as it's finished. 

Jason Waters can definitely make you feel the music when he sings and plays for you. Some of Jason's influences are John Lennon, Bob Dylan, Tom Petty, Johnny Cash, Coldplay, U2, Nick Drake and Ray LaMontagne. In my opinion, his voice is really unique and very captivating. Jason is also an active member in the music scene and you can even hear some of his music through college radios. This is something I am also planning on doing with my music. 

Jason just posted up in his FACEBOOK page (http://www.facebook.com/jwatersmusic), that due to the ghastly event that happened at the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut, he was inspired to write a song with his brother to give some sense of hope to people. The title of his song is called, "LOVE". Please take a listen to it and you can even download it here:

"LOVE" by Jason Waters

I told you his music was amazing. Now, here are a couple photos (some pretty funny) that was taken during our recording. Hope you guys check him out and share his pages to all of your friends and families. I promise you won't be disappointed! And don't forget to check up here for the video of this duet. Thank you all and I hope you had a wonderful day today. Until next time!

Much love,

MD

#13 - Apologies/Windows of Opportunity Inc. and Toy Drive for Hurricane Sandy Victims

First of all, I want to apologize for not posting any new blogs lately. I have just been really busy and tired from all the work I've been doing with my music. There is a lot to talk about. But, I will start off with what happened yesterday. 

Saturday, December 15, 2012, I volunteered to play music and provide entertainment for a TOY DRIVE for all the families who were affected by HURRICANE SANDY. Like you all may know by now, I am a part of this amazing incorporation called, WINDOWS OF OPPORTUNITY, INC. (WOO). My manager and other board directors of WOO and some models from SHORTSTACK MODELING AGENCY drove to Far Rockaway, NY, at around 6:30 in the morning. I must say that WOO and all its members are wonderful people and they all care about those who need help, especially during this holiday season. The Shortstack models volunteered out by unloading food and drinks from trucks and bringing it in the tents and handing out foods to the people who needed them. My manager and I, along with TRACY MIGNONE, provided the music and equipment needed for it. Tracy did a wonderful job with this toy drive by organizing everything and just overall, being a wonderful person to even think of doing this. I am so proud to be a part of this wonderful program. There are so much more to WINDOWS OF OPPORRTUNITY, INC that people will be seeing soon! Please check WOO out at http://www.wooinc.org, SHORTSTACK MODELING AGENCY at http://www.wooshortstack.org, ROCK UR HEART OUT at http://www.rockurheartout.com and THE INNER YOU at http://www.theinneryou.org. Here are a couple pictures taken from that day:

SHORTSTACK MODELS 2012

FOUNDER of WOO and my Manager - Hal Eisenberg

Me prepping up for performing Christmas songs and my originals for the families of the Hurricane Sandy victims.

Me and a couple of amazing kids sang Jessie J's "Price Tag". It was an absolutely amazing moment.

Windows Of Opportunity Inc. volunteering for a toy drive at Far Rockaway, NY.

This was such a wonderful experience for me and I cannot wait to do more of these events. Thanks to WOO for making me a part of this program and for allowing me to feel the joy they share with everyone else. More to come everyone!

Much love,

MD

#12 - Happiness Comes to Those Who Work Hard and Deserve It

Hello everyone. Can I just start this post off with an emotion I'm feeling very deeply right now? I want to tell you all how happy I have been for the past couple of weeks and how inspired I am by a group of people who I just have started getting close with. And that group of people are involved with this amazing program called, WINDOWS OF OPPORTUNITY. My manager, Hal Eisenberg, is the founder of WOO, and I must say, this guy has changed my life so far, in so little time, without him realizing it. He says that I am like a miracle brought into his life, but I really think that he's the miracle in mine. Without his help and his constant drive and passion for change and believing in one's self, I don't think I would be getting this far with my music career. I have met (and will continue to meet) some of the most amazingly talented and passionate people I'd ever get the chance to meet. There's so many things that I hope for and that I'm so grateful for that I cannot even express in words how much this all means to me.

I feel like I've been changing for the good each time I'm a part of Windows of Opportunity and all its programs. And I encourage you all to take a look at what WOO stands for, and hopefully, you can help out with the things they need the most. This program WILL change lives and give the youth their voice back, without feeling any negative emotion by it. And being someone who has dealt with self-esteem issues and bullying of all sorts, I can say that the programs involved with WOO definitely helps me out. WOO is a safe haven for all that needs a place to just feel free from all the chains in their lives and to get that breath of fresh air that can save a life and turn it around. And WOO CAN save a life. I really hope you all can join in on the journey that I'm also taking with WOO. It's never too late to help out a cause and to change a life for the better. And I think that's the best feeling in the world that you could EVER have; doing something from the goodness of your heart and believing in making an impact on someone's life.

And on that note, I will end with a video that I worked on with my manager, Alyssa Martone and Gabriella Neglia. This is the video that will hopefully inspire the right people. I hope you enjoy and I hope you check out WINDOWS OF OPPORTUNITY. YOU can help change a life if you just believe.

Much love,

- MD

#11 - Forest, Swamps and Moss. Oh My!!! (Photoshoot w/ the amazing Kasheem Daniels)

Hello, everyone! I hope you had an amazing day today (and to those who just started their day, I hope you have a wonderful day). There's a lot to talk about on this post. As some of you have read from my previous blog, today was my first photoshoot with an amazing photographer, KASHEEM DANIELS. I was so excited to do this shoot and extremely nervous. I wasn't sure how I'd be in front of the camera. So, I woke up early today to get ready for the shoot and pack some changes of clothes in my duffel bag. I basically just kept my hair straight with my bangs. My first outfit was a long sleeve dark gray v-neck and this maroon high waisted shorts I got from FOREVER 21 (which is my favorite store to shop in). I wore some black knee-highs and with my black boots. I wore my dark brown leather jacket with my dark gray scarf, as usual. It wasn't really that cold, but it was a bit damp and foggy outside. It made me think of SILENT HILL and zombies (which I absolutely LOVE). The mood felt like a little mysterious/elegant/eerie. And I absolutely love that style. Especially the mysterious part.

So, my manager, HAL EISENBERG, picked me up from my house and we set off to meet up with my photographer. We drove all the way to Far Rockaway and were trying to wake ourselves up by playing some GAVIN DEGRAW music as well as the famous musical, RENT. My manager and I both love RENT and we enjoy blasting the music in the car and singing along to the most amazing songs we've ever heard. So, we meet up with Kasheem and got our fix of STARBUCKS (as you all may realize that we LOVE). I got my usual JAVA MOCHA CHIP FRAPPUCINO, which was delicious! I don't know why I picked a cold drink at this season, but I just do. What's your favorite drink from STARBUCKS? 

Here is a picture Kasheem captured of me talking about my favorite drink:

And then, Kasheem catches me smiling here:

This here, is my usual from STARBUCKS :)

Okay, onward to our journey. We left STARBUCKS and ventured off to a forest/swamp area at MALBA. Here's a couple of the sceneries I took pictures of from my phone:

I managed to capture Kasheem and Hal walking through the swampy forest :)

This photoshoot was one of the most exciting events in my life. I got to sing in the forest guys! And I also got to get my shoes dirty haha.

This was one of the props used for our Industrial shoot. It was really cool playing my guitar in the middle of the street (a little dangerous, but there were barely any cars passing through where we were). We also took photos around the water there, and I must tell you how slippery the rocks were! And, the water was FREEZING! I cannot wait for you guys to see the pictures!!! I'm super duper excited beyond belief! It's going to be awesome!

And here is Kasheem editing a few pics to show to you guys (which are all here). I cannot tell you guys how grateful I am for these two guys to be a part of my life (Kasheem and Hal). They are so wonderful to work with! Kasheem has a great eye for this work. He can capture the beauty in yourself that you never saw before. And that's how you can tell that he's amazing at his work and very passionate about it. He takes his time to ensure that his work is perfect. And I'm sure that I won't be disappointed at all. 

And as for my manager, Hal, he has exceeded my expectations of someone managing my music career. Without him, I don't think my music career would be moving forward. With his help, and his amazing program (WINDOWS OF OPPORTUNITY, INC.), I can ALMOST believe I can make it all the way. But, then that's just me. I need to truly believe that I can finally reach my dreams. And this is where my song, "BELIEVE", comes to view. I NEED TO JUST BELIEVE. And I shall.

And here's just some pictures that I took of our food. I love Chicken Caesar Salads and I'm a PEPSI gal. Yeah. Haha. I hope you guys liked some of the preview photos I put up here and I hope you check out KASHEEM DANIELS at - http://www.kasheemdaniels.me/

And don't forget to keep checking out my website - http://www.marydesireemusic.com
and http://www.wooinc.org

There will be SO many more things coming up and I don't want you all to miss out on this journey to reaching my dreams <3 Until next time, keep reaching for your dreams, never give up and just believe.

Much love,

MD

#10 - Updates, Surprises and Photoshoots

First of all, I would like to apologize for not posting for the past 3 days. I have just been so busy and still quite sick. I was feeling very nauseous today and it might be a bug going around, or probably not enough sleep due to so many things happening with my music career. And I am so happy to share it with you all! For the past few days, a lot of great things has happened. Yesterday, I went to a Hebrew School with my manager, Hal Eisenberg, and Gabriella Neglia (one of the directors of Shortstack Modeling Agency). Hal was doing a stress management program with these 13-17 year old teens. And he apparently had a surprise for them, which I found out, was me talking to them and performing two of my songs. I talked with the kids about my experience with bullying and how I managed to take myself out of that situation. I told them that I went to music when I was troubled and whenever I felt a deep emotion, I had the inspiration to write about it. They were nice and attentive. There were about 4 of them that I can remember clearly because they stood out a lot and asked questions and interacted with me. I love reaching out to my fans and supporters and would love them to feel as comfortable as me when I talk to them.

I sang my two songs, "BELIEVE" and "BURY ME". We're planning on getting to the studio to record these two songs and to create a professional music video to it. I mentioned to the class how I would like some of them to be a part of a scene in my music video for "BELIEVE", and they were ecstatic! I handed out my business cards and told them to contact me and that we would be holding casting calls. It was really nice to talk to these kids and perform for them. They kept mentioning how they would vote for me if I was on X-FACTOR and that they would tell their friends that they met someone famous. It was very flattering. OH! And how could I forget?!

So, my manager had a big surprise for me then and the kids in the room were the first to see it. Can you guess what the surprise was? :)

MY OWN PERSONAL WEBSITE!!!

I was so happy! I couldn't express myself! And I wasn't even able to see my website til I got home much later. Before I forget, here's my website:

http://www.marydesireemusic.com

GO CHECK IT OUT AND SPREAD THE WORD!!!

Obviously, it's still on the works. But, I'm so grateful for my manager and his team for doing this for me. It was an absolutely amazing surprise :)

Alright, so enough about me for a moment. I want to talk to you guys about a person I will be working with tomorrow. His name is Kasheem Daniels. He is a professional photographer and an amazing audio engineer whose long resume includes working with 1228 Lounge Recordings, Rock Ur Heart Out, Windows of Opportunity, Inc. and Atlantic Records. Tomorrow, he will be doing a photoshoot for me and I am soooo excited! And nervous too! You guys have no idea how shy I am. Ahhhh! Haha...I'm typing with excitedness there. Anyways, this is going to be my first official photoshoot. Can you believe it? :)

Here is a place where you can find some of his site online:

http://www.kasheemdaniels.me/

There are other people I will be working with soon. Two I can mention from the top of my head, are Jason Waters and Jason Lapin (both different and amazing guitarists and songwriters).

I will be doing a duet with Jason Waters and posting a video up on my YOUTUBE once it's done, as well as singing a Christmas classic with him.

There are so many great things happening and I'm just overall grateful for the sudden, but wonderful changes in my life. Oh! I will also be going back to my old high school (like I usually do every year), to perform and talk with the vocal training classes. My old choral teacher has always supported me in my music and welcomes me to share my experiences and my music with his vocal training classes to show them that you can still do music after high school. And I intend on inspiring some of them when I go there on Wednesday. Well, that's it for now. i'll keep you guys updated on what's going to happen tomorrow!!! I hope you're as excited as I am!

Much love,

MD

#9 - I NEED To Get My Sleep Schedule Back To Normal

Yay! It's my 7th day post! Just so you all know, my favorite number is 7. And I think what I'm going to do, is that every 7th post, I will post lyrics to my originals and videos and links to it. This is just the start. I'll figure out something better as we go on. And my goodness, I really need to get my sleep schedule back to normal. I have been sleeping all day and going to bed around 3 am. I don't know why, but I feel more lively at night. But, I MUST GET IT BACK TO NORMAL! Haha. It's hard, but I must try!

Anyways, today, I'm having another band rehearsal and I always look forward to these nights. I really enjoy playing music with these dudes and I feel really comfortable around them. They're like my brothers and that's how bands should feel like; a family. Anyways, right now, we're working on material to play for our first show, whenever that will be. But I assure you guys that we're going to sound amazing one our first show :) So, stay tuned! And also, I think we're going to be discussing what our band name would be tonight! :)

Okay. I wrote my original, "THE WAY I AM", two years ago in my bathroom at around 3 am. Yeah...most of my stuff was written in the bathroom at times as early as that. I don't know why, but I would get a sudden inspirational wave in my mind at that time, and it just so happens I've written a song a few minutes later. I'll write in another post soon of how I get my songwriting done. But for now, here are the links and videos to my song, as well as the lyrics. Everything is copyrighted, just for your information. So, if you would like to cover my song, please ask me for permission first, just so you won't get into trouble if anything :) Here you go, guys. Enjoy!

THE WAY I AM

Lyrics and music by: Mary Desiree Full band (members): Darius Nazario & David DiTrapani (Trombone and Trumpet), Hiro Yamao (Guitar), Derrick Rice Jr. (Bass) and David Guevara (Drums).
Studio Recording: New Royalty Records (Nick Gardino)Music Video: Mighty Mayo Films (Ling Mai)


Verse One:
How does it feel to be me?
How do I deal with these things?
You ought to know it ain't easy, baby
But I know, I'm sure, definitely

Chorus:
Everywhere I go
People wanna know
Where I'm going and who I'm with
And if I'm sleeping with him
But, no, no, no
Darling no
I'm all by myself
So, don't go talking 'bout this nonsense
And live your life
Coz your chance with me is now
Shot to hell

Verse Two:
Maybe I need to be rude
Maybe I need to be cruel
Coz I hate being walked on
Like some kind of fool

Verse Three:
Maybe I should be a bitch
Coz I'm done with your shit
Maybe I'm through with all the things you do
And I just need to be free
Oh

Chorus 2:

Everywhere I go
People wanna know
Where I'm going and who I'm with
And if I'm sleeping with him
But, no, no, no
Darling no
I'm all by myself
So don't go talking 'bout this nonsense
And live your life
Instead of talking 'bout the way
The way I am

Bridge:
Does it make you wanna cringe?
The way I am
Like I'm some kind of an itch
The way I am
I don't think I can resist
The way I am
You don't wanna meet this bitch
The way I am

Repeat Chorus 2


Studio recording audio by NEW ROYALTY RECORDS (NICK GARDINO) &
Music video by MIGHTY MAYO FILMS (LING MAI)

Full band performance at TAMMANY HALL NYC

#8 - Styling My Hair Differently and Cutting My Bangs

I was bored and decided to just cut my bangs and style my hair differently tonight. I really like it actually. Here's a pic for you all to see what my boredom does haha.

#7 - Picture from The Marine Corps Ball, As Promised

I'm so sorry to not have updated the day right after the ball. The reason was merely the fact that I was absolutely tired from enjoying myself that night. I must say, since I didn't get to go to my prom in high school, this ball made up for it. And the best part is, I get to go to the ball more than once. Since it's annual, I get to go every year, and I don't even have to think about missing my high school prom, because I'm reliving it in some way. Anyways, the ball was absolutely amazing and I had so much fun! The food was scrumptious and everybody seemed to enjoy themselves on the dance floor. Everybody was dressed so spiffy and I was quite admiring some of the ladies' dresses! But anywho, here are some pics for you all to see.