Magical Verbena

Last evening I went for a small walk because my tummy has been upset for the past few days. The air smelled so fresh and clean (for L.A. air), so I decided to take a little of it in before it got dark.

My neighbors have a big beautiful bush, with all these little teensy weensy flowers on it. I've always admired these little buds, so last night, I decided to pluck a stem off for myself. I took a big whiff, and it smelled so good! Then I smelled my fingertips, and realized that the stem had made my fingers smell exactly like my lemon verbena lotion that I have at home. I couldn't believe how aromatic this little stem was, and how delicious the smell! It immediately lifted my mood and made my tummy feel better!


I came home to look up what a verbena plant looks like, and lo and behold, it's a verbena plant! Reading more about it, I learned that it was believed to have magical healing qualities to it.


Then I read that it is the birthday flower for July 29th. Birthday flower?? I never knew there was such a thing! How cool! My birthday flower is the Anemone.

What's your birthday flower?

love,
p. ahn

Featuring Willoughby

“Imagine a 1960s-era lounge, the sort that James Bond would casually visit for his shaken-not-stirred vodka martini, and you might start to get a feel for what Willoughby has created.” - NPR

"It essentially sounds like a heartbroken, Mellow Gold-era Beck armed with an acoustic 6-string and a bottle of Xanax, sharing his intimacies with Elliot Smith" - Spin - Catch The Buzz

“Gus Seyffert has worked out a sleek, retro-fitted style you could call spy rock. Recording under the alias Willoughby, he performs songs steeped in the sort of secrets shared over the pillow. This is candlelit music, low-key and laced with tremolo, delivered with a conversational intimacy.” - Blender

Need I say more?

Yea, why not?

Gus Seyffert, who is Willoughby, is such an amazing talent. I'm proud to say he's been an integral part of my last 2 records, as well as my EP from ages ago. We've co-written many songs together, one of which was on my last album, entitled, "Astronaut". If I knew how to stream my own songs on my blogs, I would.

Gus has also been on the road with Norah Jones for the past year or so, and is now jumping on tour with The Black Keys. You may have heard of these bands.

He's currently finishing up his newest album (which I've had the pleasure of hearing some tracks and it's killer!). He produced it himself, and played most of the parts himself too. This guy is a music-making machine.

"You should definitely get his album, 'I Know What You're Up To'. I feel cool listening to it." - Priscilla Ahn ;p


love,
p. ahn

Miamiri, Loulou & Elvis, YMC

I just received a few new things in the past couple of weeks. One of which is this Loulou & Elvis bracelet. It's made of vintage leather, and is so cool looking in my opinion. The bracelet I have is not actually available on their website yet, but I have a feeling it will be soon. It's so cool because it's unisex! You can check out the other bracelets they have for sale here.

And then right at the beginning of my CD release week, I received some beautiful pieces from a very cool, and very cute German brand called miamiri. I love the pants and shirt combo above. Their materials are so soft and just feel special. And on top of that, they have a very sweet blog!

I've become really into Chino pants as of late. I used to be that girl who only owned 2 pairs of pants. Gross -- I know! But a few weeks ago I splurged on 2 more pairs of chino pants from YMC. I'm into the boy fit chinos A LOT! They're so comfortable, and are made from salvaged material, which is probably why they're so soft and broken-in feeling. Their lookbook on their homepage is really pretty.

Hope you all have a lovely Saturday!!!

love,
p. ahn

Featuring Alanna Lin

Alanna Lin
Don't be fooled by her cuteness! She is a force!!
[photo by Wendy Wang]

This gal is a character, and I love that about her! I had the pleasure of meeting her thru Alex Lilly, and then I had the pleasure of singing with her for my shows. She encouraged me to chart out all the harmonies the girls had to sing, which was something I'd never done before, but was so much fun!

Her website is so creative, as it's filled with all the different things she does: music, writing, performance art...

She's a very cool girl with a heart-breakingly beautiful voice and I'm happy to know her. :)

love,
p. ahn

Featuring John Wood

far right, John Wood

John Wood, keyboard extraordinaire. John played almost all of the keys on my new record. He is simply a genius. And not one of those snobby geniuses. The nice kind who are also funny and can make you laugh.

John has an amazing project, that I regret to announce, is coming to a close. It's called Learning Music Monthly, where he makes one album a month, and if you subscribe you get a new limited edition, homemade album in your mailbox! How cool is that? You can still listen to all of his albums he's made here: Learning Music You should just check this website out anyway. The artwork is so cool!

This summer he'll be playing keys for none other, than the appropriately named band, The Black Keys.

Need I say more?

love,
p. ahn

Featuring Alex Lilly

This week I'll be featuring all the people who played with me for my CD release week. They're all so cool, I can't not share their crazy talents with you!

photo by Wendy Wang

What better person to feature first than the amazing Alex Lilly. I'm a huge fan of her band Obi Best. Tonight she is having her EP and new music video release show at Bardot. Here is one of my favorite songs off her album "Capades".




I just got a secret copy of her new EP, and it's so cool! If you like Inara George and St. Vincent, you will love Obi Best.

Songwriting aside, Alex is a bad-ass singer. You may have seen or heard her singing with such groups as The Bird And The Bee, and The Living Sisters.

If you haven't heard of her yet, check her out! I'll be at her show tonight, possibly straight from a yoga class. So I might be really gross... I'm contemplating if this is not cool of me. I think the answer is yes. Hmm... I have to rethink my game plan for tonight. I might have time for a bird bath!

love,
p. ahn

My Favorite Commercial Ever?

How do I get one of these phones?? I discovered this via Sarah Fritzler.

love,
p. ahn

Behind The Scenes Photos

The following are photos from my big last week!

Hello!

We only drink water thru straws in here so we don't botch up our lip gloss sheen.

David Cox, primping my hair, and Judi West, my Mother-In-Law.

Thanks David!
(he's also the one who chopped off all my hair almost 2 years ago)

Soundchecking for a private CD Release Show.

The amazing Alanna Lin & Alex Lilly soundchecking.
(photo taken by the awesome-est, Wendy Wang)

Moog settings

TV shot of us setting up for Jay Leno.

Sign outside my dressing room door.

Me and the gals in the dressing room.

Everyone got dressed up so nice!
Including Jake Blanton.

To Jay Leno's credit, he's still one of the only talk show hosts who will always pop in to the dressing room and say Hi and thank you for being on his show. Thanks Jay!

Now back to normal life! Yay!

love,
p. ahn

Unforgettable Week

Last week will be unforgettable.

My record, "When You Grow Up" was released on May 3rd, which was the same night I performed on Dancing With The Stars, accompanying the beautiful Patricia Zhou. Her performance made me want to cry at the end! (I'm so glad I didn't cry though on National TV. People probably would have thought I was crrrazy)

The very next day, I performed a private showcase with a full 9-piece band, at the amazing Village Studios. Hosted by Entertainment Weekly, and Seattle's Best Coffee (all of whom I forgot to thank during my show, but I am wholeheartedly thanking now!).

Following that night, was another early call to be on set for soundcheck for The Tonight Show. I was tired by the end of it all. FUN FACT: After my performance on the show, Jay Leno, Ralph Macchio, and Wanda Sykes come over to end the show. Wanda said to me, "How's it going?", and thinking she said, "Nice going" I replied saying, "Thank you!".

All very fun and amazing stuff. And, in lieu of Mother's Day this past weekend, I felt so happy to have my Mother there by my side for this very important week! Not only my Mom, but my husband and friends... All who helped give me peace when my nerves would start to set in.

Things I learned:

- Honey Lemon Throat Coat tea gives me dry mouth
- Water makes me burp and pee a lot right before I go on stage
- High heels and me singing need practice together (I'll have to explain this in another post)
- When in doubt, use cue cards! (I'll have to explain in another post)
- Next time I'm on tv, I will bring a candle (again, another post)

All these things will be explained in my next post, along with behind the scenes pictures!

Happy Belated Mother's Day to all you moms out there doing your best!

love,
p. ahn