Throwin' Rocks at the Moon
by Rachel Millman
Singing is like the air I breathe -- I can’t live without it. It’s something I’ve always done and I’ve never known anything else. When I was 2 or 3 years old, I would run around the house pretending to be Ariel from The Little Mermaid and singing “Part of Your World.” (Actually, I still do, even though I’m 23 now!) Singing has always come easily to me; I simply can’t imagine what my life would be like without my voice and my music.
My mother told me that my first Broadway show was “Les Miserables” at the age of 5. I sat in my seat with jaw dropped in awe the entire time – and that’s when I fell even more in love with singing, music and Broadway.
I had my first lead in a play during one of my first summers at Camp Schodack when I played Joseph in “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.” I like to think that I did pretty well playing a boy and everyone else seemed to agree. Lucky for me, there were no funny costumes involved, and the transformation into a boy was as simple as tying my hair into a bun!
My nerves were in full effect, and I’ll never forget how my voice shook for the first few lines of my very first solo. But that shaky feeling went away as soon as I felt the rush of being up on that stage. I knew that everyone’s eyes in the audience were on me – and that I was in charge of keeping their attention. More importantly, I had to entertain them. From that moment on, I knew I loved performing and being a part of a production.
My passion for singing skyrocketed. I knew I wanted to sing for as long as I lived, so I began taking voice lessons and concentrating more on my vocal abilities. I have been trained in Broadway, Opera and Pop music. Belting out Broadway tunes is one of my favorite things to do. The way they’re written, with their soaring melodies and amazing build-ups of emotion, make Broadway songs exciting to sing. I also continued to participate in productions throughout middle school and high school: “South Pacific,” “Annie Get Your Gun” and “Jekyll and Hyde” were a few of my favorites.
In the midst of high school, a family friend put me in contact with Brian Reeves at Jungle Room Studios in Glendale, Calif. He had only heard what my voice sounded like from a videotape of me singing “I Hope You Dance” at my cousins wedding, but he liked it and invited me out to Los Angeles to work with him. I was so happy to hear that he liked my voice and thought he could help me out with my future career. And the moment I stepped into the Jungle Room Studios, I fell in love.
I grew up as part of the MTV generation, watching shows like “TRL“ and “Making the Video.” I thought I already knew what a studio looked like, but actually being in one is an entirely different feeling. To me, being in the studio is calming, creative and fun all at once. And while most people may not associate a studio with calm and serenity, I do: It’s in the studio that I get to be free and get into my groove.
Brian and I began talking about the kind of demo CD I’d want to make. I told him it was important for me to have a great pop/rock jam as well as a really strong ballad, because those were the kinds of songs I always knew I’d want to record if I was ever given the chance. I’ve been a fan of pop music for as long as I can remember; there’s something so fun about an up-tempo, catchy beat.
Brian really wanted me to be involved in the development of the songs on the demo, and as he was working on them, he’d send me ”rough drafts” while I was away at school. I knew about every change he was making every time he was making it. By the time I went back to Los Angeles to record, I knew the songs by heart. Recording was much easier than I thought it would be, and six days later, I had completed my first demo album!
After graduating from high school, I attended Pennsylvania State University. I knew it was important to get a full education, and with all of my friends going away to school as well, I felt it was the right thing to do. Even though I was still interested in pursuing my singing career, I had always wanted to have a real college experience. I graduated with a degree in Telecommunications. I did participate in the Women’s Chorale for a year and continued to take voice lessons, but my career had really taken a backseat to my college experience.
Once I was out of college, though, it was time to decide what to do with my life. Where was I going to go? Could I move to New York City? At that point I really just didn’t know, and without a job my move definitely seemed far away.
But right after graduation, I got lucky and had the opportunity to work with a jingle writer in my hometown of Springfield, NJ. I did some jingle recordings for both TV and radio, and the best part was I got paid to do it! It was an incredible feeling. Suddenly I found myself thinking, Wow, can I actually make money doing this? In no way, shape or form did it feel like work. I already knew that being in a studio was something I absolutely loved and craved, so I made it my mission to find out how I could get into this jingle singing business.
I really didn’t know how to get a career like this started, but I knew I wouldn’t be able to just walk into a studio and ask for work. I definitely needed help. That’s where my amazing producer and manager, Denise Marsa, comes into the story.
In early October, I went out to dinner with my family for my Grandpa’s birthday, and met Denise’s father Billy, who happens to be married to one of my grandpa’s good friends. Billy told me about his daughter, Denise, a singer/songwriter and producer who runs her own boutique PR and Marketing firm. After hearing about the hopes I had for the next phase of my life, he suggested that I get in touch with her; that she had worked in the business, had lots of experience and possibly could help me out.
When I first met with Denise, I told her that I wanted to be a jingle singer, and really just wanted to make money by doing what I love. Well, Denise had other plans for me – major plans! I won’t lie…at first I was a little bit hesitant. My dreams of being the next big pop star were over, mostly because being on the radio, touring and selling millions of records wasn’t what I wanted to do. I thought the road to getting all of those things would be long and hard with many near-impossible obstacles. And really, I just wanted to make a living by singing.
But Denise showed me how I could expand my singing career, not necessarily focusing on being a pop star, but by crafting my skills, finding my market and becoming a business woman. After many meetings with Denise, I knew that working with her would be a perfect fit – and about a month later, I was signing a contract to become her next client. She was going to help develop me as an artist.
Denise introduced me to a demo song called ‘Throwin’ Rocks at the Moon’. I was HOOKED. I simply said, “I need to record this song”. The lyrics were beautiful and directly related to my life. The song tells of a great love story; the struggles that people in every day life go through all the time.
”Throwin’ Rocks” has all of the elements of a great pop-rock song, including my favorite aspect: the opportunity to sing at the top of my lungs! Denise was ecstatic about getting our first official project underway. She got everything figured out: the studio, the band, all of the players, the engineer… the whole shebang! I couldn’t wait to finally get started.
By the end of January, the recording of ‘Throwin Rocks’ was complete. I couldn’t believe how fast time was flying, and I loved every minute of everything I was doing. I only wished I could be in the studio more often.
One day, Denise and I were talking on the phone about the new recording and the recordings from LA, and we decided to release the four tracks as an EP, sort of a calling card for me to get started. I thought it made perfect sense, especially since I still loved the recordings I did with Brian. Things started to progress pretty quickly after that.
The photo shoot we did went surprisingly well, even though I usually HATE being photographed. I suppose it’s like an insecurity thing. You could say I’ve been a bit insecure about my appearance, though I never let it stop me from living my life and more importantly, loving it. But at that photo shoot, I actually felt confident about the way I looked. It was fun to feel like a model for a day -- the fan blowing my hair all over the place definitely made me feel glamorous, if even for a minute.
Once every piece of recording had been taken care of, it was time to decide the song order for the actual CD. ‘Throwin' Rocks' is the first track, since it’s the first single being released. The second track is the title of the album, "If I Believe,” With the economic downfall our country has been facing, I feel that titling my CD ‘If I Believe' is a strong, hopeful statement that many people can relate to. Next is ‘Hold On To Me'. As the only ballad, it gives a nice break in the pop/rock lineup. Following the ballad is "Waiting for Someday," and the album ends with a soulful, pure acoustic remix of "Throwin' Rocks.”
Soon after that, we were designing artwork for the album and talking to different radio promoters to try to give the music a little extra lift. While it may seem like I should be exhausted from everything that’s going on, I’m not at all. Everything happening is way too exciting to even think about exhaustion. I’ll save exhaustion for a later time! I kind of can’t believe that eventually my voice will be on the radio. It’s been a dream of mine for so long. Now it’s actually happening!
And while I do have a jingle which I recorded almost a year ago playing on the radio in Westchester, NY, it’s not MY music. I swear, if I hear ”Throwin’ Rocks” on the radio while I’m in the car, I may pass out at the wheel! It’s all so exciting, so surreal, but I’m trying not to let it get the best of me. People in this business can chew you up and spit you out, and I know I have to keep a strong head on my shoulders and just go with the flow. Luckily for me, I have found the most amazing group of people to surround myself with and lead me through this journey. I NEVER would have been able to do it alone.
There is really no other way to explain it: I LOVE to sing. I HAVE to sing. Having this ability gives me the purest happiness, and I’m really excited to share all of my work in the coming months with everyone and anyone. This journey has been absolutely incredible so far -- I can’t wait for what happens next. And whether it’s good or bad, easy or difficult, I’ll be happy no matter what. I’m doing what I love, and there’s nothing better that.