Songwriting with Gailene E.

Gailene E. has worked with some of the top musicians in New Orleans, Los Angeles, San Francisco and the Bay Area. Gailene's last demo, (featuring many of her close musician friends) "Suspended Animation" features: Kevin Hayes--drums (Robert Cray Band, BB King, John Lee Hooker, Van Morrison) Rock Deadrick--percussion (Ben Harper,Tracy Chapman, Ziggy Marley) Richard "Ozelle" Washington--bass (Robert Cray, Etta James, Keith Richards Band,) Steve Kimock--guitar (Steve Kimock Band, Zero, Grateful Dead, Bob Weir, etc) Vernon Black--bass (guitarist for Whitney Houston, Mariah Carrey, Herbie Hancock, Aretha, Babyface, Lionel Richie, Narada Michael Walden, etc, etc) Jimmy Pugh--keyboard (Robert Cray Band, Rubicon, Todd Rundgren, Etta James, etc) Eric Schramm--guitar (Neal Shon, Clarence Clemmons, Neil Diamond, Narada Michael Walden, Vernon Black, etc) Keith Crossin-sax (Tommy Castro Band, Mary Wells, BAMMY house band, Lenny Williams, Albert Collins, etc ). While living in New Orleans, Gailene sang backup with the renowned bassist George Porter Jr, (the Meters) and keyboardist Art Neville (The Meters and The Neville Brothers) and drummer Russell Batiste in George Porter's side band "Runnin' Pardners". Gailene was in a popular local Sonoma County band with famed guitarist Steve Kimock and sax/keyboardist Rob Sudduth (Huey Lewis, Nora Jones, etc) for 6 years, and later in her own band "The Hi Beams" where she was one of three lead vocalists, played rhythm guitar and sang with drummer Kevin Hayes, bassist Steve Evans (Roy Rogers Band, Elvin Bishop, Brian Auger, etc) and alternate bassist Steve Ehrmann (Roy Rogers Band,Gospel Hummingbirds, John Lee Hooker, Angela Strehli, etc), Rita Thies (Kenny G, Jesse Colin Young, etc) on sax and vocals, Stevie Gurr (Don Henley, Elvin Bishop, Zig Modiliste, etc) and/or Eric Schramm on guitars. The HiBeams played in the San Francisco and North Bay area and opened for John Lee Hooker Band, Doyle Bramhall I and II, and many other great bands. Gailene currently teaches Voice and Performance and Beginning Guitar to professional and non-pro vocalists in Northern California, and is producing many of her students in performing and recording their own originals. She performs around N. California in various bands, and also works as an on-call recording studio vocalist/guitarist on many other artists' projects in the greater Bay Area. *** Lesson Details *** It’s important for me, as a teacher, to cater to each students’ unique personality and voice so that they get the ultimate delivery of their performance and consequent reaction from the audience on every song. Over time, we focus on attaining flexibility, power, soul-level and pitch. We work to get the “soul level” that makes the song believable/honest and insures that the listener feels it and is “moved” by the performance. One by one, as songs are perfected, vocalists acquire a list of songs that they can perform with ultimate confidence and conviction. I work with every level of vocalist, from beginners to pro recording/touring artists. One of my strengths, I feel, is to focus on whatever is holding the vocalist back in their performance or voice, be it psychological or physical. I have a strong background/education in Anatomy and Physiology and Psychology, so it's easy and fun to work on turning a student's "weak points" into their strengths. I'm a very honest and open person. I want to get to the seed of the problem that is stopping the vocalist from attaining their perfect vocal performance. My studio is a very relaxed atmosphere, but with the professional level of players that I'm fortunate to work with, I have to be at the top of my game, as vocalist and performer, and that excites and instills the same level of performance in my students. Students (vocalists and guitarists) bring 4 or 5 songs that they're interested in perfecting just for fun, or for a particular project that they are performing in the future (i.e.: Public gig, studio CD recording, public speaking, audition, etc.). We start with mic technique (if the student is a beginner), or I listen to them sing a song and see what problems might be plaguing them personally and vocally. We do vocal exercises, and yogic vocals to increase flexibility, accuracy, power and stamina for the voice and vocalist. With Beginning Guitar students (some are pro singers that are learning guitar and some are not pro), we work on many of the same things, i.e.: perfecting the craft of guitar so that it is riveting and gets the ultimate response from the audience. *** Studio Equipment *** Lives in a beautiful country setting, fields of grapes and cow pastures on every side of house. Gailene has converted a portion of her home into a recording studio and voice studio. Has lots of parking, several lovely waiting areas (for anyone that is with the student) outside, or friends/parents can sit in on lessons. *** Specialties *** Seth Riggs, Bobby McFerrin (voice lessons). Instruct artists/students in performances "live" and recording studio. Voice and performance instruction for world-touring artists and novices alike.