2012 IS MY YEAR!!!

This year is simply out of control.  I am overwhelmed by the support of my friends and fans (which are one in the same), and the opportunities they have provided me!! I pinch myself all the time and thank the good Lord for surrounding me this year with such amazing people.  I have learned this year, more than ever before, that everything happens for a reason, and that everything will work out in the end.  I am sooo happy with life, and pinch myself and regularly ask 'Is this all for real?'  I am going to be doing some catch up blogs to get you up to speed on 2012.......

I am one of the newest additions to WILD RECORDS!!

Back in January I auditioned for WILD on a whim, with one song I wrote and a Janis Martin cover 'Here Today and Gone Tomorrow'.

I played my first show as a WILD RECORDS artist on March 31, 2012 at the Observatory in Santa Ana as apart of their showcase after being totally bed-ridden with the worst strep throat I have ever had that whole week, but the show must go on! HEHE

Thank you Marlene of The Rhythm Shakers for the photo.

Sound-Check!

Thanks Jim Harris for the pic.

Thanks Bebo for the pic.

Thanks Michael Stadnick for the picture.

WILD RECORDS photographer, the most talented Daniel Funaki of Funaki Photography, captured this photo!!

Set list:

I Said I Loved You No More.

Where Ever You May Be

Pale Moon-Betty Cody Cover

I went to audition for Wild Records, not expecting anything to come from it.....

BOY WAS I WRONG!!

This is only the beginning, and if the beginning is this great, I soooo am looking forward to the future. 

Thank you friends for taking this ride along with me.

MUCH LOVE AND GRATITUDE TO YOU ALL!!!

XOXOXOX

P.S. I have a facebook fan page, be a pal and like it? MARY SIMICH

Pale Moon

I fell instantly in love with Pale Moon when I first heard Betty Cody singing it!! The only thing I have every purchased on eBay was the 78 of this record; once I heard it, I had to have it!!

Hear about Betty Cody from Betty herself:

I love this song, and this is just my silly attempt at trying to sing it!!

Happy Trails!!

xoxo

oxox-I Want to be a Cowboy's Sweetheart-xoxo

These photos were taken by one of my very talented friends!! Jessie Stopnik of the blogs, Jessica Stopnik and Miss Messy Jessie!! We have another photo shoot in the works!! She knows her way around a camera and is for hire! So HIRE her!!

I edited this one for fun!

I'm in a bit of a cowpoke mood today, and I had been meaning to learn this song for awhile. So I did, and made a silly little recording this afternoon....what do you think?

Happy Trails to you!!

I Wanted a Hippopotamus for Christmas.....

........but I got something much better. This here is my favorite Christmas dress. It was decided that for the evening I was channeling Miss Yvonne.

Being silly in front of the Christmas tree!!

This dress was hand made for me by Mr. Tiny of Mr. Tiny's Southside Market, and of the Wacky Tacky blog. The top is made of an old table cloth that was beyond repair, and thrifted green fabric makes up the skirt. The shoes were thrifted long ago.

What a nice guitar, to bad it doesn't belong to me!!

But why should I covet someone else's lovely instrument when for Christmas I got a MOUSEKULELE!!!

To be quite honest I was not hip to the Mousekulele until I saw one in my friends studio, and thought it was the neatest. I have a cheap ukulele that I taught myself to play on, but this is much more than just a regular old ukulele this is a Mousekulele. This ukulele was produced by Oscar Schmidt, but the graphics which make it super awesome were created by my friend's Kevin and Jody! I am not going to lie, I am a crier. When they gave it to me in front of a room full of people I started crying, I was beside myself. Go ahead laugh at me, but at the end of the day I am crying with a beautiful ukulele in hand.

I am so grateful for my new Mousekulele!! It is way easier to care for than a hippopatomus.

And I leave you with a little jingle I was messing around with this evening with my new Mousekulele.

Winter Wonderland

I was invited to the Candlelight Processional at Disneyland this year. What a treat!! It was a wonderful way to get into the Christmas spirit. It consisted of one thousand candle-bearing choir members, and the story of Christmas read from the Bible by Gary Sinise (Lt. Dan from Forest Gump). It was a great experience. Of course the occasion called for a new outfit. And of course Mr. Tiny, of Mr. Tiny's Southside Market and the Wacky Tacky Blog, had something up his sleeve.

Styled head to toe by Mr. Tiny.

Hat, shoes, and glasses thrifted many moons ago.

The sweater was found on a recent trip to Palm Springs.

Mr. Tiny found the sweater and knew he had the perfect fabric to match in his arsenal.

(Notice the candlelight pin. My mom always seems to have just the right thing in her jewelry box!!)

I am so blessed, and so very thankful for all my many talented friends and loved ones.

Peace and Love!

Count Your Lucky Stars!!

Well Howdy!! Western wear and cowboy tunes are some of my most favorite things. I think its in my blood. My grandfather was an Okie, and he grew up listening to The Light Crust Doughboys and Bob Wills and his Texas Playboys. He came from a musical family. My great great grandfather was a well known fiddler in Oklahoma, and my great grandfather believe it or not, was asked to play with the great Bob Wills himself. I am not sure how true that is, but it seems like an awful odd thing to make up!! Anyways, it is in my blood to be enamored with western swing, and that I am!! I love listening to my grandpa's stories about his childhood, he said his grandfather and his dad would play the big barn dance every weekend. How neat!! He recounted fondly the times he would sit around the radio and listen to W. Lee O'Daniel out of Texas. As much as my grandfather loved western swing, my grandma thought and still thinks it is equally distasteful. When they were dating Bob Wills and the Texas Play Boys toured out to California, he tried to take her out to see them, and she was totally disinterested because that was "hillbilly music"! Whatever you want to call it, I love it!! And talking about it now, has made me want to talk more about it to my grandfather.

Photo: Bea White

Photo: Bea White

Hat/Belt: Thrifted (Different stores)

Shirt/Shoes: H-Bar C Garage Sale (What a steal! Since it was old she gave me a deal on it!!)

Skirt: Handcrafted personally for me by Mr. Tiny of Southside Market.

I wore this outfit to go out and see my pals, The Lucky Stars!!

They are the finest western swing California has to offer!! They will keep you on your feet.

Sage, the lead singer, is one of the most clever lyricists around.

I don't know who was responsible for this shoot, but wowie!!

One of the sweetest guys I know Dave Stuckey singing this last one!! He's the best!! I meant it!!

I hope you will get out and see these guys one day, I promise you'll love it!!

Happy Trails!!

River, River of Love so Wide.

This is one of my favorite places to get away from it all. Up until recently the river has run dry. The other night I convinced some friends to go on a drive, we ended up here. People make fun of me for my love of stars, but they don't seem to understand that they are few and far between in my town, the light capital of the world. We beat out the clouds the other night and got to look up at stars. I looked out the car window, and then immediately pulled over. It was nice, even if just for a few freezing minutes (48 probably not freezing to the rest of the world, but I am a Southern California girl) to be out in the middle of nowhere in complete darkness, and be able to look up at a speckled sky. While on the side of the road, I heard the river running...

The song Big Wide River of Love came to mind.

I'd like to introduce you to Petunia and the Vipers!

It Ain't

The Ugliest, Bitterest, Coldest, Dreariest Place I've Ever Seen

-(I don't think that about this place, its just a nice song!)

Cold Heartbreaker

These guys are incredibly talented, kind, and warm.

I can't speak highly enough of these guys, I really look forward to their return!

I love these guys and if you live in Southern California, they will be here Feb 2011.

Check them out at PetuniaMusic.com

P.S. You're welcome, for introducing you to your new favorite band!!