Today I started thinking about this… as an actor and singer, rejection is so….typical. expected. par for the course. We performers deal with hearing “No” more often then not. Like, seriously, ALL the time! Sometimes it really hurts…. sometimes we just end up having a soy latte with our Besty at Starbucks and never think about it again…. but the fact is, we get said “No” to SO often that now I’m starting to wonder… is that weird? Are there other people out there who get rejected this much? Are there people out there that DON’T have to hear “No” 100 times before they hear “Yes”?

I’m guessing you can learn a lot about a person by how they react to hearing “No”  (although I hope no one is studying me, because I admit I’ve had at least a few seriously questionable reactions myself!! )  Do you get crushed? Do you feel defeated? Do you feel enraged? Defiant? Does it empower you to keep going? To pick yourself back up? To do better? To be the BEST?

As I was thinking about all of this… I saw this quote posted on Facebook:

“Success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm.” – Winston Churchill

That’s the same guy who is quoted as saying this:

“Never, Never, NEVER Give Up.”

That sounds like a guy who heard the word “No” a few times.

Matt was only in LA for a short time, but he quickly got involved with our little circle of musicians and made his mark playing bass for The Cold Chills while he was here. We are *so* going to miss him!

The song he chose was Amy Winehouse’s “Back to Black” … I love this song. This was the song that made me realize what a great songwriter she was… like, next-level…she stopped me in my tracks with lines like …

“Life is like a pipe…and I’m a tiny penny rolling up the walls inside…”

Really, Amy!? you’re killing me… She had this way of getting you inside her head and somehow making you understand… She had a perfect balance of blunt realism and poeticism that I always loved… so sad that she’s gone.

So, this is our take on a great tune… Thanks for shooting this with me, Matt!!! And as always, special thanks to Rob Gaudet for shooting and editing this video!!!

This song means a lot to me too… As the story goes, my Dad, who has always been a working musician, was on his way to a gig the night my mom went into labor with me. He ditched the gig and rushed back to the hospital to be with her…

The next time he had a gig with the band he told them he had a little girl and they dedicated this song to me!

…I believe that event was also somehow responsible for my life-long Love/Obsession with Stevie Wonder.

Here is me and my Dad, Bob Schlink, doing “Isn’t She Lovely” by Stevie Wonder…

Special thanks to Rob Gaudet for shooting and editing this video… and for traveling all the way to Providence, RI with two cameras, a tripod, and an entire light box in his suitcase to make this happen!

I’m so excited to be hosting ONE MIC STAND, the very FIRST open mic night at Whiskey Blue LA! Our first night is this THURSDAY, February 2nd! Here is some info and a few guidelines for how the night will go…. lets have some fun and make some MUSIC!!!

GUIDELINES:
Sign Up:
You must SIGN UP to perform! You can contact me via email or Facebook to put your name on the list, OR you can sign up when you get there. The sign up list is FIRST COME FIRST SERVE, and that includes email sign ups… this means, if you are the FIRST one to email me, you are FIRST on the list and so on… for this reason its it’s best that you get there at 7:45/8pm SHARP to see where you are on the list! If you are not there when you’re called, I’ll call the next person…if you come late you are free to sign up again at the end of the list and I will get to you if I can!

Performance Time:
When it’s your time to shine, you are allowed 2 SONGS OR 10 MINUTES, whichever comes first! This is to give you a fair amount of time to do yo’ thang, but ALSO leave enough time for everyone else to get their shot to perform too. I will be strict with this. :/

Backline and Equipment info:
This is an ACOUSTIC open mic night. We do NOT have a drum kit, and we do not have enough gear to support an entire band. We DO have a keyboard available to use, mics, and amps for guitarists.

Your Host:
I will be your HOST for the night! That means that I will be the one minding the sign-up list, calling up our performers, and keeping track of our 2-songs-or-10-minutes rule. It ALSO means that I will be doing a few songs (with my friend David Mendoza on Keys) to warm up the crowd at the beginning of the night. After our short set of tunes, I turn the night over to YOU!

Parking, Drinks, and The W Hotel:
There is NO cover for this event BUT we encourage you to DRINK, EAT, BE MERRY (and TIP your servers & bartenders!! ) We will have drink & food specials as well as discounted VALET PARKING!

PLEASE feel free to contact me with questions, and contact me if you want to SIGN UP to perform! ava@avagaudet.com

PLEASE forward to your friends! The more people we have involved the more likely it is that this night will continue! Let’s make some MUSIC!!!!!

Casey is in the band 9 Electric, and if you haven’t already heard of them I have a feeling you may soon… they’re kinda blowing up at the moment, So stay tuned… Check them out here: www.9electric.com

He chose the song “Uprising” by Muse…I love this song… and you know, we did our own little thing with it…

THANKS CASEY!! …and of course, very special thanks to Rob Gaudet for shooting & editing this video!

Twisted Cabaret will happen EVERY first and third wednesday of every month, so if you can’t come on Wednesday, come to the next one on December 21st!

“Come drink while your favorite music videos come to life featuring some of LAs hottest singers. Each week a celebrity surprise guest tears it up on our stage! Please spread the word. Every 1st and 3rd Wednesday of the month! Lets get twisted at the newest Live music night. This ain’t your grandmas cabaret!”

REVOLVER is located at 8851 Santa Monica Blvd , West Hollywood, CA 90069

Show starts at 9pm

hope to see you there!!

Noah chose an amazing song, Eric Clapton’s “Change the World“. I didn’t realize how much I loved this song until we started working on it! Thanks for joining me Noah! 

And special THANKS to Rob Gaudet for recording and editing this video!!

Stay tuned for Session 3, coming soon!!

For more info on Noah and downloads & show dates for The Cold Chills go to:

www.TheColdChills.com

SUBSCRIBE to my YouTube channel HERE

Here’s one of the scenes my character has in the video game, inFamous 2

Sarah, the sacrifice.

enjoy, y’all!

Shattered Pitch 

starring Chad Coleman (The Wire, I Hate My Teenage Daughter), Lyndsay Haldorsan, Dawn Noel, and myself…

Help support the producers of this film by contributing to their kickstarter account! ANY contribution will help the cause…

Watch their video and read more about this project here:

www.facebook.com/ShatteredPitch

Special THANKS to Alex, and to Rob Gaudet for shooting and editing this video!

Tune in for the next one coming soon!