Music Video

Dave and I spent pretty much all of Monday shooting our new music video. It was so exhausting, but so much fun! Bradley Gregg was the director, and his wife, Dawn shot these awesome photos (in addition to helping us with the storyline, costumes, models, etc.). She's basically really great.

Here I am in Dawn's hat (which I didn't end up wearing on-camera), hanging out with baby Heller #2.

There were some really funny moments.

And there were times to be serious.

We had such a wonderful crew.

AND the location was fantastic! We shot it at Modern Manor in downtown Phoenix.

The furniture and decorations there really made our video unique and beautiful. What an enormous blessing!

All of the the footage is complete, but now we enter the editing process where it all gets pieced together. We've seen the Lord working through every step of the process, and we pray that He continues to lead and inspire us to create something wonderful that brings glory to His name.

Control

This past summer, Dave and I had the chance to hear part of a friend's story while we were working together at Young Life Camp. Brittany shared with us (and the campers) about her difficult family situation when she was growing up. They looked to her to be the "perfect" one who held them all together. She decided that if she was going to be feeling pain anyway, she wanted to be the one who was in control of it, and that was the start of her addiction to self mutilation.

Fortunately, she eventually found herself in a community of friends who loved her and showed her that God wanted to heal her. She realized that it was only when she gave up control to the Lord, she could finally be free of her addiction. I took her story and ran with it. I hope "Control" does her justice.

The song is available exclusively through digital retailers like iTunes. Click the photo (below) to check it out. If you want to share it with friends on Twitter, or Facebook, you can do it right from the iTunes Music Store. Just click the little arrow to the right of the "Buy" button, and select "Share on Twitter/Facebook."

Radio Interview

Dave and I had a chance to visit the K-LOVE studios this Friday. We spent an hour in the studio with afternoon DJ's Scott and Kelli. It was A LOT of fun. I hope you enjoy listening:)

The interview segments are at the beginning, 7:17, 27:58, and 44:19.

JJ Heller 11/20/09 KLOVE Interview from The Secret Life Of Kat on Vimeo.

Here it is!

Thank you, Diana, for such a beautiful dance, and for making my song a part of your story.

Tonight... I Dance!

... well... not exactly. In case you're not on our email list or you haven't heard through facebook, our song, "Your Hands," will be on the Fox show "So You Think You Can Dance," tonight at 8/7c!
This is the closest I'll ever get to being involved in any sort of dance competition. Like my family always said... "short arms, can't jump, can't dance... the curse of the Kellners (my maiden name)." Believe me, you should be glad I stuck with singing :).

Kinda Creepy

Dave and I just finished another recording project with Mitch Dane at Sputnik Sound. I usually try to make Mitch a Thank-You gift at the end of our session, (this was the first year's gift, and this was the second) and this time was no exception. I decided to branch out a little bit, and make something that I knew he, especially, would appreciate. So... here is my skull pillow complete with embroidery:
It didn't turn out exactly how I was envisioning (and I wish I had the chance to take a better photo of it!), but Mitch totally loves it! It's so rewarding to make a personalized gift for someone who truly values the gesture. Mitch is the best!

Songwriting

We've spent much of our time songwiting lately. Most of the time we'll record song ideas on Dave's beloved iPhone. More often than not Lucy puts in her two cents. Here's a sample of what most of our voice memos sound like:)

Photo Shoot #2

Dave shot some more photos of me as the sun was setting the other night at camp. I'm glad we were able to take advantage of the beautiful surroundings up here.

Ohio!

We just got back from a wonderful trip to Ohio (we were home for one full day, and now we're in Baltimore... photos to follow). Traveling with a baby is proving to be quite a challenge. We've discovered that Starbucks is a great place to stop and feed her.

Here's Daddy trying to get Lucy to burp :)...

And here's a cute photo that I wanted to post just because...

Our dear friends sent us a bunch of wonderful things for Lucy (including a pair of tiny, pink Chuck Taylor-style shoes). Here she is modeling them as we wait for chapel to start at Malone University in Canton, Ohio.

She's wondering what these strange things are on her feet. I hope she doesn't grow out of them too soon because they are just so darn cute. Thanks Mike and Shakeh!

While we were in Canton we were housed in an unbelievably awesome bed and breakfast. We got to stay there for three nights! I wish I had taken more photos to share, but these are all I have...

This is the fireplace in our room:

Here's Dave and our friend Lindsey (who has graciously agreed to be Lucy's nanny when we travel in the East) sitting down to a delicious breakfast.

Doesn't is look amazing?

It was such a great trip and I hope we get to go back for another visit!

Tomorrow Is The Last Day...

Since August 15, "Painted Red" been downloaded over 16,500 times! Tomorrow (November 1) is the last day that you can get it for free (legally and guilt-free that is). I hope you have a chance to download it:)

Music!

Hello blogging friends! Dave and I just released our new record, "Painted Red," and we're giving it away as a free download until November 1. I hope you like it :)

Parting Gift

We're done recording! I can't believe it. It went by SO fast this time around. Somehow we tracked and mixed 12 songs in 10 days. We are always so thankful for the opportunity to work with Mitch Dane.. he's such a wonderful producer, and a good friend (so kind, in fact, that he's giving us a ride to the airport tomorrow :).

As a small gesture of our gratitude, I made him a throw pillow for the studio. It has a spaceship (the studio is called "Sputnik Sound," so there is SOME reasoning behind my madness), and the Nashville skyline. This photo was taken before I sewed up the bottom, so please excuse the bunchiness.

More Studio Photos

I got some more photos to cooperate and finally load... so here they are!

Studio

Our friend Casey was kind enough to come into the studio yesterday and document our time there. She took a ton of killer photos, but unfortunately, only two of them want to load right now. Hopefully I'll post more later.

By the way, the project is sounding really great!

Recalling Camp

I was looking at my facebook page, and I noticed that my friends had posted some great photos... and I stole them!

Our "assignment team" pitched in (although Dave and I still have to make our contribution!) to buy a tree to plant on the property at Oakbridge. I love the imagery of planting something there at camp that will continue to grow. I'm on the left side in the second row with the white headband on (it was All-Star night... we had dress like athletically). 

Here we are with some of our friends...
This is Pam.. she was one of the other head leaders... and a WONDERFUL person. She was really gracious with me. I realize that my shirt looks kinda weird in this photo, but I assure you... that is my tank top showing :)

Photo Shoot Part 2

We didn't take a whole lot of footage of the photo shoot, but this will give you an idea of what it was like. I'll post more photos once Casey edits them.

Denver Golf

Today was a PERFECT day in Denver. Dave and I have some gigs out here, and it's been great to spend some time with his sister Jessica. Today we played golf. Yes. Real golf. Well, I guess it was just kind-of real because we played on a 9-hole course designed for little kids. I wasn't planning to play, but then I saw how close the greens were, and thought I'd give it a shot. I had moments of brilliance, but mostly played pretty badly. I ended up at 19 over par... or was it 21? I can't remember for sure.

I took this photo of Dave when I was trying to figure out how to use the timer. I was going to trash it, but then it made me laugh, so I decided to post it :)

I finally figured out how to use the timer and was able to shoot us with our golfing buddies, Jess and Tony. I'm not sure why Jess and I are leaning in so much, but apparently the boys would have none of it. Also, the golf course had a "no jeans" policy, so I had to scrounge for some alternatives.

They compete like no other, but they love each other lots.

Proud To Be A Harmonican

A few days ago Dave and I were watching a DVD series by Tom Jackson. Not only does he flip his long, straight hair ALL THE TIME, but he also might just be one of the most eccentric people I've ever met. His job is to keep people entertained (very appropriate). He does consultations and seminars to help musicians improve their impact on audiences from the stage.

I gleaned several nuggets of useful information from his "All Roads Lead to the Stage" DVD series. Here are some highlights: 1. People don't come to a concert to hear music, they come to see people. 2. Most people in the audience WANT to like you. 3. People want to experience "moments" during the course of the show. Is it bad to tell you that one of his favorite points (he says it ALL THE TIME) is: "the audience is ignorant." He obviously hasn't met all of you guys :).

Tom Jackson inspired Dave and me to brainstorm about creating another "musical moment" in our live show, and thus... drumroll please....I bought a harmonica. It's true! I bought a professional Hohner in the key of C. I decided that Dave can be the guitarist, and I can be the harmonican (yes, I made up that word, but I like it). I've been practicing for the past few days, and we might even use it in our concert on Sunday night during our song "Small." I don't really know if I'm even holding it right, but so far it sounds pretty decent :).

I just found a video of this guyplaying freakishly fast, and it REALLY made me feel like a poser. I just decided that during the concert on Sunday night, I simply need to act like a pro, and maybe the audience will REALLY be ignorant and love me for the fantastic harmonican that I am.

Corpus Christi, Texas

This is the church where we played last night and this morning.

There was THE CUTEST little puppy that was half chihuahua, half dachshund... they called him a "chaweenie."

Some of the staff took us to a fun fish and chips place right on the water.

Me and the gang in the dining area, with a beautiful view.

We got the fried mahi mahi and french fries. So bad for us but so yummy!

Edinburg, Texas

We ate here last night.

I'm so bummed I didn't bring my camera inside! I forgot it in our room, so I had to take pictures on our way out of town today. I've never eaten anywhere like it. It was a gas station/restaurant and our food came in a big plastic crate. Dave was unhappy that they played country music inside, but the turkey was good and it was a genuine, authentic Texas barbeque experience.