Banjo | Courtney McClean

0 Performance Achievement Unlocked: LUCENT DOSSIER!

December 13, 2016
by dirtycurls
· Courtney McClean · Guest Performances · Live Performance · News · Upcoming Shows

MCCLEANIACS! I am beyond stoked to tell you that I am performing with the literally awesome Lucent Dossier Experience/Lucent Enchantment Society (I don’t know if there’s a difference) for their New Year’s show a few days early on Dec. 29 at the incredible Clifton’s Republic in downtown Los Angeles. Buy tickets here!

If you don’t know the Lucent Dossier Experience, it’s like Cirque Du Soliel meets Steampunk meets a great psychedelic drug trip.

lucent-dossier-experience-2016-2 — None of these people are me physically, but probably yes metaphysically.

How did I get this amazing opportunity? It’s who ya know, bro!

The story: a long time ago I met a gal at my college in my acting class and our professor said we were like sisters from another universe or something. We of course became great friends till we graduated and we kinda lost touch. Till Facebook, of course! I found my pal Erin about 7 or so years ago and reconnected with her and discovered she was performing with this really cool performance collective called Lucent Dossier. I was an instant fan. The costumes and makeup and the talent! I never saw a live show, but just from what I saw on the internet, I knew I would love to be involved with Lucent someday, but I didn’t really think of how, nor did I put it to the front of my mind.

e4433f59ab80f05165998a6f71a4379c — Erin! I’m sure not her character’s name. That’s probably Space Baby or some shit.

Then I moved back to California and a little under a year later, Erin contacted me to ask me if I wanted to collaborate with her and another performer, a musician named Ursula, to create an experience station at a Lucent Dossier Experience show. Of course I was like HELL YES, and here we are a couple months later, about to premiere our station at Lucent’s End of the Year show!

I know, you’re like “station?” what the heck is that? Well, without giving too much away, the 3 of us are hopefully going to be in a hidden part of Clifton’s that a roaming Lucent performer will lead you to. We’ll be playing music, singing… and washing your hands. I know, what? If you can make it, please come out. It’s going to be such a unusual and amazing experience.

Dec. 29! Tickets are here. Kill 2016 with us.

Pre Show Lucent Dossier in Dublin, Ireland — Lucent performer in Dublin. NOT ME! But looks like me, right? WEIRD.

0 SHOWS! And… ooops.

December 9, 2016
by dirtycurls
· Courtney McClean · Live Performance · Upcoming Shows

Hey SoCal McCleaniacs!

I have TWO shows this upcoming week!

dec-2016-shows

I’m so excited to tell you I’m BACK at El Cid as the featured performer on Monday!! Get there by 7:30 to get a good seat. It’s only $5 cover and there’s no drink minimum, but you shouldn’t deny yourself the incredible sangria.

If you miss Monday, I’ll be back at Canteen Points at The Good Nite in North Hollywood on Thursday, Dec. 15. That show starts around 8pm, and if you’re a comic, you can sign up for the open mic! It’s a lottery for 5 slots. (get there at 7:30 for that… you might have to wait outside for a second if they don’t haven’t opened the doors yet)

So, remember when I was committing to a shitty first draft each day? And how it lasted 3 days until the election and then I went into a kind of anxious depressive shell like a lot of us did? And I recorded 2 more, wrote 1 more after that? And it’s been crickets since?

I’m sure the only person counting on me doing this every day was me. But… fuck it. Butt-fuck it, even.

But now I have 6 shitty first drafts of brand new songs. And now I know that I can write a song really quickly within the creative limitations . I did realize after the first couple that most of my creative time was towards brand new stuff, and not working on the drafts to develop them or practicing anything else, mostly because I didn’t make the time for anything else. But I have to remember that even the shitty first drafts are practice: getting my hands on the banjo, writing, singing. “No practice is wasted.”

Old Courtney used to beat herself up about not being able to commit to something like this, but now I realize that is a waste of energy, and if I’m not feeling that kind of creative output, I’m not going to do it well. We all do things our own way, no matter what books, people, assholes are going to tell you differently.

But seriously, I better get to some practice for Monday’s show. Keep your chins up, McCleaniacs, and keep fighting the good fight. See you soon?

0 Sexy Shitty First Draft #3 “TKO”

November 8, 2016
by dirtycurls
· Courtney McClean · Sexy Shitty First Draft · Videos

I don’t want to give away who this song is about right away, but HAPPY ELECTION DAY! #vote