I Really, Really Love My Life

As the holiday season is coming to an end, as the New Year approaches, and as the release of my EP is coming up ever so quickly, I’m taking a step back and putting everything into perspective.

2014 has been a whirlwind of crazy, exciting things. I graduated high school, worked my butt off the entire summer, and recorded an EP in November. Eventful, but ever so amazing. Saying I’m thankful is an understatement for sure. I’m overjoyed, overwhelmed, gratified, contented, satisfied.. and I’m running out of adjectives to describe how happy I am to be living this life that God has blessed me with.

God hasn’t only given me things recently, he’s placed many people in my path along the way that have pushed me and made me who I am today. Without them I’d be at college right now, sitting in my dorm, snacking on a bucket of cheese balls. (Ok maybe not, but it’s still a possibility though)

I’ve been singing ever since I could remember, so that means that people have been inspiring me ever since I could remember. I really started focusing on my musical career when I was fourteen years old. I was in eighth grade when I entered a talent competition in my home town. The people that supported me then were just as amazing as they are now. It meant so much to me to come out every Wednesday night and sing for a mere two to three minutes, and people would cheer every time, so loud I could do nothing but smile and say thank you over a billion times. Music isn’t the most “excepted” thing in this town, and it was nice to express what I loved to do, and actually get positive feedback. Sure, there were still the people that didn’t like me. Maybe because I was too young to even be competing, maybe because they thought I was just doing it to show off, or maybe they were just plain jealous. Whatever the reason, they are the ones that pushed me to become better every week. I wanted to make the people that supported me proud, and prove the people that hated me wrong. Because of all these people, I won the competition and gained a new outlook on my career, and for that I am forever grateful.

After that competition, I began working even harder on making my dream come true. Now that I had a clear vision of what I wanted, I could begin to seriously focus on what needed to be done. I started to play gigs at local restaurants and sing the national anthems at my school’s sports games and events. The feedback was amazing, but then came the question that I would always answer with an exuberant yes, but would never want to actually play something like that in public.

“Do you write songs?” countless people would ask.

“Of course I do!” I’d answer, but inside a knot would begin to twist and turn and I’d say something like, “uhm, yeah but I don’t have the music” or, “I forgot the words.” I’m upset at myself for not wanting to play my songs when I was younger, but I feel like I had a perfectly logical reason then. I was fourteen, and to some people a fourteen year old is immature and they don’t have a reasonable outlook on life. I felt the opposite. I felt like I understood what life was, and in all of my songs I poured my feelings into the words and my emotions into the piano, and because of this I was scared to let people hear these songs, because then they would be peering directly inside of my brain. I didn’t like feeling that vulnerability back then. I wanted to fit in, not stand out because I came off as some emotional wreck.

So anyways, I cast my favorite lyrics into a notebook I hid under my bed, and started writing basic, simple songs that I could play for my “fans”. I wrote songs that blabbered on about teenage crushes and heartbreaks that I only read about in back-cover magazine stories. It seemed to be working though, I enjoyed the catchy melodies that I would plunk out, and the people that I played them for seemed to catch on really quickly, memorizing lyrics and requesting my own music whenever I’d play somewhere. I started to really love playing my own songs. A memory I will never forget was when I was at our good family friend’s house and everyone was sitting around the piano listening to me. Lucky, which was one of my songs, was requested by my best friend Natalie, and I started to play it. To my surprise, everyone in the room knew the lyrics, and they sang along throughout the entire song. It was the most amazing thing to have people singing my own song with me. It was like, “hey man, yeah, you understand me too. We’re on the same page, that’s awesome bro, yeah.” It was so cool!

Anyways…. Since these simple songs were sticking with people, simple songs I continued to write. I don’t even think I could count on 12 pairs of hands how many people asked if they could get the songs on iTunes yet. Even though these songs were sitting well with my audience and I, I still had this quiet little longing inside of me to play my more meaningful songs. Yes, I was scared out of my pants, but I knew I had to.

When I was a senior in high school, I decided to try out one of my songs. When I was ten or eleven years old, I wrote a song called “Breathing Underwater”. I have no idea where the inspiration came from at that age, seeing as it’s practically impossible for an eleven year old to experience a love as deep as the one I sang about. Anyways, I was sitting at home with some company that had come over for dinner and my mom had me sing some songs while we waited to eat. I sat behind the piano, and I remember telling them that I had a new song I wanted them to hear. I played Breathing Underwater and after I finished the last notes on the piano, I remember looking up and seeing nothing but smiles. (Contrary to what I thought I was going to be seeing, which was a look of a mix of discontent and horror) In that moment I knew my emotional self would fare well in the public eye, and I could begin to publicly sing my songs. Not entirely though; I mixed the catchy, simple stuff, with the deep emotional stuff, and wrote some more songs. I wrote a couple called “Leaving Scars” and “La La Love”. People loved them, but that little, tiny person inside of me was still quietly screaming that I wanted to play the deeper material that I so reluctantly kept under my mattress.

Then came this last summer, when I worked three jobs and had no free time for friends, or family.

(Hey, the EP wouldn’t be where it was today if I hadn’t worked my arse off) The only people I had were the people I worked with, and luckily they were some of my favorite people I’ve ever met. I’ll admit I lived a pretty sheltered life, in a way, in the past, but this summer my reigns were loosened and I had a little more freedom than I used to. Thank God in heaven I was able to do the things I did, because the experiences led to more songs upon more songs. I sang every Tuesday night at the same resort I waitressed at. Every week a bigger crowd formed and the more fun it became. Interacting with the audience was my favorite thing to do, and making them laugh was so rewarding. I am usually a very shy person, but once I stepped behind that microphone and piano, I completely opened up somehow, and gave it all I had. Those people who came back to watch me week after week, and the people that only saw me once, were absolutely amazing. My co-workers though, that stayed after sometimes and listened to me sing, meant so much to me. They clearly could have had enough of me every other day of the week, putting up with me and teaching me the ropes of the restaurant biz, but still they chose to stay after their shift was done and listen to me sing. It meant so much to me, even if I didn’t show it all that well.

Even though I came home at midnight or later almost every night, I still sat down behind the piano and filled countless pages of notebooks with songs and lyrics, because I was feeling so much and experiencing life as more of an adult. Growing up and having responsibilities was exciting to me, and as the summer drew to a close, I too began to wind down. My high school friends were leaving for college, my new friends were off to new adventures, and there I was, stuck in this same town, forced back into my old way of life.

There were just short of three weeks left to summer, and work was slowly getting quieter and quieter. I remember one night as I was cleaning the kitchen with one of my co-workers, we got to talking about music. He asked me what my favorite song was lyrically and I instantly blurted out Miss Atomic Bomb by The Killers. I explained how the way that they told the story was mesmerizing, and the lyrics keep you hooked verse after chorus after verse. Then another question slaps me in the face, “what’s your favorite song that you’ve written?” There was that same old knot, twisting up inside of me. For some reason though I opened up more than usual. I was older now, and more mature about my music. I told him the truth, which was that I was scared to sing my favorite songs for other people, because I was afraid of how they would react. Maybe my words won’t make sense to them, or maybe they won’t like the vulnerable side of me. He then told me something that stuck with me to this day. It was something along the lines that I needed to let people hear my music and not be afraid, because the people that like it, are going to love it, and I don’t need to be afraid of the people that won’t like it, because they’ll only build me up. Props to him for being so wise.

Who knew that one person could flip a switch inside of me, and all of a sudden I was ready to play my songs for people. I posted the first one, “Forevermore” on Facebook. The feedback I got was outstanding. People were sharing it left and right and texting my phone asking for more. I was overjoyed and blown away that people liked it so much.

Right before Nashville though, I went through this “funk”. All my friends were gone off to college, summer was over, and I was just plain depressed. I had gotten close with so many people, and it was hard to watch them all move on without me. So I took to the paper and pen once again, but this time locking myself in my room for days on end and writing until I couldn’t feel my fingers anymore. Out of this came some of my best work though, and I am so proud of what I accomplished during this time.

My EP consists of four songs. One, which is Breathing Underwater, was written when I was younger, but the other three, were all written right before I went in for recording, when I was in that “funk”. Little White Lies, Somethin Like That, and Her, all were written in my bed, with nothing else but my pj’s on and my bedside lamp for a light.

Absolutely NONE of this would be possible without the countless people who have supported me from day one. Yes, I remember every single one of you, and I will never, ever forget you. You all mean the world to me, honestly. I am so thankful for not only the people who are in my life now, pushing me and supporting me, but for the people that have recognized me at such a young age, and stuck with me through all these years. Happy tears are clouding my eyes as I write this because of how amazing people have treated me and accepted me.

As I’m sitting here listening to my songs again, the excitement inside of me keeps building. I want to share this music with you NOW! I am so thrilled to release my “diary” to you all in a way. I can’t wait to interact with you, and see how you feel about my music. 

So as I write this blog, I am also announcing the release date of my music across the web….

(drum role please….)

 

On January 16^th, not only will I turn 19 years old, I will also be RELEASING ‘HER’ THE EP for all you lovely people to enjoy!!!!

So, I would love to connect with all of you and get to know you.

Please feel free to email me and ask me any questions you may have. Or if you need a friend, advice, any way I can help, I want to. You all have done so much for me, I am now reaching out to you.

Also, send me an email if you want to pre-order the EP. If you pre-order one now through January fifteenth, you will get a second one free to give to your friends so they can hear it too! Woohoo! Who doesn’t love free stuff!!?

You all are amazing. You all are little gifts from God to me.

So please, talk to me, I’d love to hear from you J

 

madconsoer@gmail.com

 

-Madeline

Girls Run The World.. Literally

Girls with short hair are pretty. Girls with long hair are pretty. Tall girls are pretty. Shorts girls are pretty. Skinny girls are pretty. Not skinny girls are pretty. Every single girl is pretty and I’m getting really sick and tired of people saying you have to look a certain way in order to “fit the mold” and be what everyone else considers “pretty”. It’s not fair.

I know that this is a very talked about topic right now, and I don’t want to bore anybody out of their minds by reading the same thing that they’ve seen over and over.

I’ve seen the videos proven that models are photo shopped. I’ve seen the ads that speak to millions when they say “even the girl in the magazine doesn’t look like the girl in the magazine”.  And yes, I HAVE seen people that walk past me and I think, “she’s perfect, I feel so disgusting about myself”. I’ve seen, heard, and felt it all. I’m no stranger to the scene of insecurity.

But I’ve recently had a revelation myself. My weights fluctuates like the temperatures in northern Wisconsin. One day it will be fifty degrees, the next it will be below freezing. There’s no steadiness there at all. Even though my body changes like the seasons, I need to stay confident about it all the time.

I know. It’s so hard. BEING A GIRL IS HARD.

First of all, we’ve got a lot more going on than boys do, and isn’t it scientifically proven that us women are some of the strongest people on earth?? There is no way in heaven that a man could go through what we do. I think that’s scientifically proven too... or something like that.

Anywho, since girls are straight up awesome, we should all be pretty confident, shouldn’t we? Heck we can get away with a lot. Here’s a short list:

1.       We can wear guy clothes and look pretty hot. If guys wear girls’ clothes, we question things.

2.       That time of the month thing can really be a pain, but we can eat chocolate for a week and no one bats and eye.

3.       Dark eye circles? Bruises? Zits? We got concealer for that. Again, a guy wears makeup, we begin to question.

4.       Our faces do not need to be shaved.

5.       It is always socially acceptable for us to bring a stuffed animal to bed, no matter our age.

6.       If we kind of flip our hair and shake our butts we look like we know how to dance, when we really have no idea what we’re doing.

7.       Back to the time of the month thing, we can blame EVERYTHING on that. Cranky? Tired? Angry? Don’t want to talk to anyone? …blame it on your monthly cycle.

8.       Boys bring us flowers and chocolates to make us happy.

9.       We don’t need to use stupid pick-up lines, we just kind of do that duck face thing and maybe wink and we hook the bait.

10.   We get to wear dresses, and let’s face it, it’s so easy to wear a dress. It looks like we took the time to get ready, when really we just threw one thing on and walked out the door.

11.   We don’t have to stuff boxers into our jeans.. Isn’t that kind of hard to do?

12.   If we’re short, we have the miraculous product of platform heals.

13.   We live longer than men… 7 years on average. Beat that.

 

Given these thirteen reasons to bow down, people should really realize how awesome we are. (I have nothing against men, they are wonderful beings but...) women are amazing and we need to realize this. The number on the tag of our jeans, on the screen of the scale, on the back of our shirts, doesn’t mean a thing. What does matter is what we can do with our lives. We can do anything we want if we set our minds to it. Anything at all.

Let’s become scientists, astronauts, doctors, personal trainers, models, dancers, pharmacists, super stars, truck drivers, ballerinas, professional sports players, fashion designers, inventors… we can be anybody we want.

If someone tries to put you down because you’re “too big” or your “hair is too short” or something else completely stupid and irrelevant, just walk away. You don’t ever need that kind of negativity in your life. The only opinion that matters right now is yours. Love the body you have; love your hair, love your eyes, love your smile, love your belly, love your legs, love your feet and your toes. Love yourself!!

Don’t rely on the love and acceptance of others in order to feel happy with yourself. God gave you a beautiful body, respect it.

You want to look better? Hit the gym! Eat healthy! Show love to your body instead of sitting around wishing you looked different. Change is in your hands, you possess the power to change anything you want, including yourself. So let’s quit putting others down and start building ourselves up.

You’re all beautiful. I can promise you that.

 

-Madeline

Thinkers are the Best Kind of People

I haven’t been blogging lately because I’ve been thinking.

As said by Forrest Gump himself, “life is like a box of chocolates”, and right now I’m chewing on this really sticky one with that caramel inside that’s like a surprise because you thought it was going to be some decadent, gooey, chocolate masterpiece, but instead it’s super hard to even get past the gag reflex. Nobody likes that kind of chocolate, and I’m sorry for you if you do. I wish I could just spit it out, but I can’t because it’s stuck in my teeth and it’s making things real difficult.

Last Saturday I drove down to Minnesota for the first time on my own. It was just me, the radio, and the road. I loved those four and a half hours to myself, jamming and thinking.

But then I started to think too much…

And that’s not good. When my brain starts to think, it doesn’t stop. Let me give you an example: If I start thinking about food, I’ll start thinking about what I’m going to eat for dinner, then I’ll wonder where I’m going to get it, then how I’m going to pay for it. Then I get depressed because I’ll have twenty less dollars than I did before, and then I’ll start thinking about money, and how I need to get another job. But new jobs are nerve racking, and I start to get real anxious about if I’ll find a good job, or if I’ll be stuck flippin flap jacks in the back of some I-Hop for the rest of my life, and…..

Yeah.

The brain of Madeline Consoer ladies and gentlemen.

So on this road trip of mine, you can bet your bottom dollar my gears were turning. I’ve been gathering my thoughts about my relationships with people and how I could improve with them. Saying that Nashville threw me through a loop is an understatement. What a fantastic loop it was, but I didn’t talk to a lot of people when I was there because of the lack of time, but when I did have time, I didn’t hear from some of the people that I really cared about. I think I was kind of hurt by that. I was going through something so amazing in my life, and some of the people I really wanted to share that joy with, didn’t seem to care.. or were too busy with other things to even look up and notice I wasn’t reaching out to them. Yet, here I am, still waiting for them to care for me the way I care about them, instead of moving on.

I came down to the single factor that this is my problem: I care too much for people, that don’t care even half as much about me. I don’t really see this as a bad thing though. I’m ALWAYS there for my friends, always. No matter what. I could never turn my back on anyone. It’s impossible. Someone could break my heart, but if they asked me for help a week later, I would be there. I’ve been told I’m too nice. “Thank you!” I say back, but inside I’m like “crap… I look like a pushover.” Which I am not by the way! I know how to say no, just not one hundred percent of the time.

I am a people person, and I like to make people happy. It’s easy with my music and I love it so incredibly much, but it’s harder when you’re only left with words and actions that aren’t strung together with a melody, or pre-orchestrated on a piece of sheet music. You’re left to your own devices, which can be really stressful. I’ll be honest and blunt in saying, it’s easy for me to attract people with my singing and music, but it’s hard to make them stay once they learn I don’t sing everything I say,  I’m normal and I talk, just like an average person. Normal isn’t cool, or so I’ve learned. In order to be somebody, you need to stand out, and with that I agree. I think what every person aims to do with their life, is create their own brand. Say George really likes wearing aviators. Sure, a lot of people wear those sunglasses, but nobody wears them like George wears them. That’s his brand. And while George is over here wearing aviators, Susy is out there wearing cable-knit sweaters. Susy rocks those sweaters with scarves and boots that make her brand unique.

The same thing goes for music. People always ask me, “So, what kind of music do you sing?” and I answer the same thing every time, “I sing Maddie music.”

Plain and simple.

It’s my own “brand” of music. It’s not simply country, or simply pop, or simply rock, it’s simply Madeline. And that’s all.

So I think all this thinking makes me pretty special. Yeah, it freaks me out sometimes, and I get really worried about tiny little matters, but I sure get a lot of ideas. And you know what ideas are good for? Songs!!

Because I think so much, I get tons of good songs.

So anyways, to the people that I have tried so hard to keep in touch with and be there for, I will always be here, but I think I need to take a break. I need to focus on my “brand" of music, not on the fact that you aren’t talking to me, or you’re too busy with more important matters.

Music is my muse, and I need to grind that into every little wrinkle in my brain. I need to worry about people that worry about me too. Simple as that.

You all should do that too. You only need people in your life that need you! So take a colander and put all your friends into it as if they were all floppy spaghetti noodles, and the ones that don’t fall through the little holes are the ones worth having around. Weird analogy, but hey, whatever works.

I hope you all are having a wonderful week!

It’s always wonderful when it’s the Christmas season anyways, so go out and look at pretty lights, go ice skating, bake cookies, make a snowman and name it, give gifts to people, give love to people. And don’t forget what Christmas is really about; Jesus was born for US, and we must always love him and worship him.

You all are amazing.. never forget that!

 

-Madeline

Home is Where the Heart is

Helloooooo
I've just woken up from my food induced coma
I was out for a while
I ate so much food it's not even funny.
I actually think I ate more the day after than I actually did on thanksgiving day. Leftovers are seriously the bomb though. We made turkey club sandwiches and turkey and biscuits and pizza with other leftovers on it and I ate everything. The only thing I didn't get to eat much of, and I'm really upset about, is pie!! I made four pies and I only got two really small slivers. Not fair.
Anywho, I hope everyone's thanksgiving was amazing too. Here's some pictures to take up some space so I don't have to think of something to write at the moment:

my smile was always my best feature anyways...

 

Family game night,

where we act like mushrooms

or something like that

 

post thanksgiving meal..

I swear we love each other

sacrificed my life teaching my cousin how to snowmobile

but it was worth it

underneath that face mask is a smile

 

Here is an explanation of where my musical talent comes from

we all sing, we all play an instrument, we all know what's up

 

 

So there's a short synopsis of my Thanksgiving. I spent it with my lovely family doing random stuff like playing charades and snowmobiling and playing music until the wee hours of the night. I wouldn't have traded those days for anything. I always like to say, my family may not have it all together, but together we have it all. (I'm so sentimental, I know) 

Something else super cool happened too. My cousin Steven and I wrote a song!! Well we didn't finish it, seeing as he's back home now. But it's super cool and we really like it and I think we laughed more than we actually sang, but hey! It was a good time. I'll post about that later 'cause it's sure to be a hit... if I do say so myself.

Anyways, Saturday night there was a falcons game (home town hockey team) and I sang the National Anthem at it. That was pretty cool. It was kind of like my first performance back home since I got back from Nashville so it was little nerve racking for me. Like, my old friends from high school were there and people I worked with last summer were there and well, the whole town was there, so yeah. I had some people watching me, no big deal. I posted the video on you tube if you want to see it... It's pretty cool. You should watch it, just sayin.

I was sitting at the piano today and I was writing a song about being home and what not. My favorite lyric is:

"It takes you home

where the weight falls off your shoulders

you don't feel alone."

That just rings so true to me right now. I know that no matter where I go or what I do, I can always come back home and feel welcome. This song can kind of go the other way too, because I'm leaving for college shortly and I won't have the comfort of home to come back to every day. I'll be on my own, which is exciting, but scary at the same time. I know I'll have an amazing time and meet so many more cool people, but I'll still miss home and miss the comforts it gives me. No matter what though, I can always come back, no matter how many times I've been knocked down off my feet. That's the gist of this song, it's about how the world can be an "ugly, cruel, and mean old place" but everyone back home will still be there and you'll be okay.

So enough of this deep stuff, I just thought I'd share a little inspiration with you all. Maybe you wanted to peer into a songwriters head once and see what it's like, I dunno. There's a lot that goes on up there... it's a busy place.

I think that'd be kind of a cool idea. Sometimes when I write a song, I should share with you guys my inspiration and the story behind it. That way when you hear it, you can be like "oh yeah I totally hate that guy she's singing about too!" I might be doing that periodically, so make sure you keep reading these... duh.  

 

So now that it's socially acceptable to sing Christmas songs, I hope you all put your favorite Christmas cd's in and dance around like sugar plum fairies

the view from my window right now is very Christmas-y.

that's why I said that



I hope you all have a wonderful Sunday night.

God bless

 

-Madeline



 

 

 

 

 

Happy Turkey Day!

Today is the day before thanksgiving....
We made it.
Give yourself a high- five because...
We survived the cleaning, the whining, the cooking, the baking, and the endless hours of stressing.
Speaking of cooking.. look what I did today.....

Festive holiday cooking brought to you by Madeline

(yes there's a piece of pie missing)

(actually, there's more than one missing)

 

oops.

How can you bake all that food and not help yourself to a piece of pie? I guess it's possible, but not for me. I like my pie.
So! Four pies, two batches of cookies, lots of deviled eggs, and a vegetable tray later.. I'm finally done. I still have to make a LOT more food tomorrow, but I got the annoying stuff out of the way.
We do Thanksgiving BIG here at the Consoer household. And to add to that.. we make every single thing home made, even down to the cocktail sauce. I always say, "Go homemade, or go home!"
If you bring a store bought pie to our door, better leave it right there. Honestly though, there is nothing on this planet better than homemade anything.. it's true!!
While I was cooking and baking, I was definitely listening to Christmas music too. no shame. Not the pop, new stuff though, it HAS to be the classic Christmas music. Like Bing Crosby, the Vince Guaraldi Trio, Charles Brown, or anything from the Trans-Siberian Orchestra is all amazing and makes me so happy. It's just so classic and perfect and original and I could listen to it over and over and over!
My favorite Christmas album though is anything Michael Buble. His voice is butter (I have a crush on his butter-like voice, does that even make any sense?)
My dream is to make it so big, I can be the kind of famous where you have more than ONE Christmas album. I want like six of them. I'm not even kidding either. I would so put a Christmas tree in the recording studio too and wreaths, and bake cookies and pies and I would go all out every single time. Guys let's aim for it!!!! Help me, ok? Keep supporting me just like you're doing so amazingly already, and once I get to the point of my first Christmas album, there will be no stopping me! To Christmas, and beyond! (Sorry, that was lame, I know)
Well that about did er for me. I don't have any other exciting news to share with you all, except that I'm so excited to stuff my face tomorrow with marvelous food. I hope you all eat too much and enjoy you're wonderful time with your families. Thanksgiving is about being thankful, so remember to count your blessings and thank God you've got friends and family to surround yourself with. He's the reason we have Thanksgiving anyways!
Love you all so much..
I'm thankful for YOU!!

-Madeline

I'm Dreaming of a White... Thanksgiving

It's still a little too early to be singing Christmas songs.. but ummm, there's about eight inches of snow on the ground right now and it has my holiday senses tingling. I really don't understand why there is no thanksgiving songs... I mean, yeah what the heck would we sing about.. pilgrims? Seems good enough.
Alright so anyways, today I woke up healthy and happy!! Well, I'm always happy honestly, just happier than normal today. The flu has run it's course and I'm back on track. Meaning, running around the house like a chicken with it's head cut off, trying to clean and get ready for thanksgiving. (actually it should be turkey with it's head cut off... get it?)
I'm also writing like a mad woman. The words are just spinning around in my brain, screaming at me to come out. So, I've been a slave to all those words, writing them down and hammering out chords and what not on the piano.
All my songs come from experience, and then sometimes I exaggerate and make it sound like I had the worlds worst heart break, when in reality I ended up okay in the end. Just a couple of days ago I got to see someone I hadn't seen in a while and I missed him so much it's not even funny. We talked for what seemed too short of a time, but what time we had was so worth it. He makes me happy, and that's just fine. So guess what y'all... I wrote a song about it! It's pretty cool. I like it. I'll be posting it on youtube pretty soon so in the meantime, go on youtube and subscribe to my channel so you can be one of the first people to know when it's posted! woohoo!!
Let's see, so today I went to lunch with one of my best friends and I was really excited about that! I haven't seen her since I left for Nashville and that's a long time. We ate and talked and ate, and then talked while eating and ate while talking. If you can't tell already, I love eating. It's a favorite activity of mine. I don't love it as much as music, but it's a close second.
Okay so anyways, I received the almost finished product of my EP and let me tell you guys, it's amazing!!!!!! It sounds so incredible.... I couldn't believe my ears. It was insane!!! I loved it! (Thanks David Hall) 
I say "almost finished" because there's still a few more little tweaks to make and then it will be perfect! Then it's a waiting game for you guys as to when I release my music ;)
I can't wait for you all to hear it. I know for sure that it will bring tears to my eyes seeing everyone listening to what we created. It'll be like listening to my diary... which is kind of scary actually.. but I know y'all don't judge. ...right?
Either way it doesn't matter. The emotions really play through each song, I think it's clear how I was feeling when I sang each one. I go from having fun and living it up, to innocence, to hurt and heartbroken, to passionate and indifferent. That's a lot of adjectives, but hey, I have a lot of feelings. My EP is like a wild roller coaster ride, where you go up and down and upside down and side ways and all around, and in the end you're left wondering what the heck just happened. (in a good way of coarse) Gah! I could go on and on and on, but I'll shut up now, I've got to leave something left of a surprise for you.
Now is the time of the blog post where I sit back and thank you all so much for everything. You all are amazing and I'm just so thankful.
Love you all..
God bless

-Madeline

Some days are diamonds, some days are rocks

Tom Petty is a pretty cool guy. I always find myself humming his songs, or quoting his lyrics.. hence the title. The words to his songs aren't just run-of-the-mill lyrics. They always mean something, or have double meanings, or have cool back stories. I love looking into them and learning more about them.
That's the kind of music I like. The kind that makes you think.
That's the kind of music I want to create.
Today was not a diamond day, it was a rock. I woke up at 3 am sick as a dog. I was so cold I couldn't get warm and I had a fever, plus a headache, and all that other good stuff that comes with having the flu. It gave me a lot of time to reminisce on my time in Nashville. It seems like that was the highlight of my life so far.
There I was, laying on the couch with a thermometer in my mouth, a glass of ginger ale by my side, and a notebook for writing my thoughts. I found myself writing about how much I miss Nashville and all that came with it. The music was amazing, the experience was unforgettable, but the people left such big impacts on me. They taught me so much about music and the business of it all, I wish I could talk to them and ask them questions forever and ever. I left that city nothing other than immensely grateful and hugely inspired.
But then there's reality.
It waits just around the corner to slap you in the face.
And slap me in the face it did. I came back home to bank account notices, college letters, and a house to clean before thanksgiving. (woohoooooooooo)
Being back home isn't all that bad though.. I get to see my dad now, which I love! He's just the best dude ever. I love him :) (insert that red heart emoji that every teenage girl uses)
I also get to eat snacks out of the pantry whenever I want! Because a hotel doesn't have a pantry, or snacks, so this is awesome! I get to sleep in my own bed... and take showers in my own shower... and drive my own car. I have my old life back! But hopefully it doesn't stay so plain-Jane for long.
I give voice lessons to these two little girls who are the cutest most wonderful little things in the world. I love every second I spend with them. It's also pretty cool to share what I love most, and be able to teach it to someone who looks up to me and aspires to be like me someday. Their mom told me that the youngest of the two had to make a poster for school on what they are most thankful for, and she put a picture of a piano and said she was thankful for "the piano and Maddie Consoer". That honestly made my week. Those girls, and that whole family, is soo sweet. I just love it.
I also have this "wall of goals" now in my room. It's pretty cool. I took notecards and made a giant time line all across my wall. Starting with this month, and going all the way through to next year. It has short-term and long-term goals that I can keep track of so I can keep my eyes on what's really important. Of course most of those goals are music oriented, but some of them are just for fun. Like for instance, I have one under December that says "read 5 more books by Christmas" and another that goes into next year says "learn a new language". I love those. It's something new and exciting, yet it's broadening my views on things and making me smarter. I once told my dad that I wanted to be the smartest woman in the world. He told me, "well go and do it!" So that's what I'm going to do! Make amazing music and become insanely smart! So pretty much, take over the world.
Just kidding!!
So when I think about it, today really wasn't a rock at all. I had the chance to reflect, and in turn I become so much more thankful for the things God has blessed me with.
Looking towards the future, all I see is good things.
And that makes me extremely happy.
I am more focused on my music now than I ever have before. Nothing on this planet makes me happier than my music does. I'm so grateful to be able to share that with you and let people in on my little piece of happiness.
Love you all so much..

-Madeline

I'm Back!!!!!!

Hey everyone!

So sorry I disappeared for a while......  I was doing some pretty amazing things.

Anyways! These last two weeks I have been in Nashville recording my official, brand new, first EP ever! And what an incredible experience.  I was introduced to so many amazing people and found out so much about myself and my music that I will be forever thankful to have been a part of this. I truly feel I'm changed in a very, very positive way.

So, I'll start from the beginning for you all, and give you snip-its of awesomeness so you can hopefully see into what I accomplished. Recording music is a gift, and when you un-rap the finished product at the end, it's so unbelievably beautiful and rewarding that it's overwhelming. Here's just a peak at my overwhelming gift and what you can expect from me in the very near future!

Day 1: I had a vocal lesson with the incredibly amazing Brett Manning. I had a ridiculous experience, as if I had opened Pandora's box, and magic and crazy awesome things came out of my voice and I hit notes I never knew I could hit. But hey, what did I say about Brett? He's amazing.
Later that day my mom and I dressed up like ninjas for no reason, (seeing as it was Halloween night) and the producer of my EP, David Hall, invited us to the studio to check things out a little before stepping in and doing tracking the next day. So we talked, looked at cool stuff, then took a selfie...

How cute.

 

 

So anyways...

 

Day 2: In the early AM, we stepped into the first day of tracking for all the instruments on the album. I knew from the minute I walked in, the bass player, the electric guitar player, the acoustic guitarist, the drummer, and the pianist, were all a part of this amazing dream and they were all there to help me achieve my goal. There's only one word to explain how I felt; blessed.

I watched my songs come to life and presented in living color and I was completely blown away. (cue the Carrie Underwood song going through your head right now)

Here's just some pictures of some of the instrumentalists and how tired I looked after this insanely long day...

 



This is the drummer, he was awesome.

well, everyone was awesome, this picture just turned out the best.

Here you see me in my natural habitat:

The vocal booth.

Here you see me strikingly disgusting looking and very tired.

 

 

Where did I do all this fabulous recording and stuff you may ask? Well, of course, at the one and only:

BLACKBIRD STUDIOS!!

I put it in all caps because it's really important and I'm afraid if I don't give people and things their proper credit and identification then I might be in trouble, and worse yet, I would feel extremely and terribly bad if I forgot ANYBODY at ALL!

Okay, moving on again... (squirrel)

 

Days 3 through 14 are all a blur and I'm not even going to attempt in trying to mark down what I did each day, seeing as that would end in an utter disaster. So, the day after tracking I stepped into studio C and started laying down smooth vocal tracks. Haha just kidding about the smooth part, I just sang by guts out and put my heart and soul and being and everything I possibly had into the vocals of my songs and gave it everything I possibly could. If you don't hear and experience the emotion when you listen to my songs, then I think you have something seriously wrong with you. (911 please, we have an emergency)

David Hall, the unbelievable and marvelous producer I was so privileged to work with, helped immensely in getting that emotion out of me. He put me in different rooms, he sat me down, he stood me up, he gave me different mic's, he danced, he gave me scenarios, basically he did everything he could to help me. And now, I will share some pictures for your viewing pleasure:

 

Just me taking a selfie with my friend Mic

 

Oh, am I supposed to sing into this thing?

Gotcha

 

This manager, JP, stopped by and gave me amazing advice..

No big deal..

 

Just one of the super cool background vocalists I got to work with, Jason.

P.s. he does a sick Luke Bryan impression, kinda

 

Vocal coach Brett Manning, random girl, producer David Hall

just kidding... that random girl is me.

Oh, and for those of you who don't know this already, Hunter Hayes is one of my
biggest inspirations. He is incredible, aaaaaaaaaaannnndddd I maybe have a crush on him but that's beside the point. Anyways, for inspiration purposes, David printed off a picture of my boy Hunter, except with a photo shopped mustache, and taped it in the room for me to see... to "inspire" me...



 

 

 

Anyways, vocal tracking days were tiring to say the least, but I loved every single second of them. David kept calling me a "race horse" because I just wanted to go, go , go, and hit all the notes and stretch my vocals to new heights and never ever stop. But just like any athlete, I had to take breaks and rest too. Your vocal chords are a muscle too, and just like any other part of your body, they can be overworked, and they need time to recover. After each session of recording I would go home and eat dinner, but I couldn't utter a single word because I was under vocal rest. (no, not vocal arrest.)

Except one night, I sang karaoke....

 

shhhhhh, don't tell David

 

I'm going to skip over details and jump right to the almost end of the story because I can't wait any longer! The best, most truly satisfying moment of all of this, was sitting down and listening to the almost finished product. When I was placed in front of a set of speakers and David began to play the beginning of one of the songs, "Her", I felt chills run up and down my spine and butterflies flying every which way inside of me. The verse played and the chorus orchestrated itself, and when the bridge beautifully echoed through the room, tears welled up in my eyes and I couldn't hold my emotions back. I was left motionless, I couldn't believe this was MY music. The song I was listening to was mine. I heard the story played out in front of me once more and I felt the exact same way I did when I wrote the song. I sat in my chair with my face in my palms and let every tear out that was inside of me. The feeling was indescribable, the feeling of being so blessed, so honored, so thankful, so humbled, all at the same time is incredible.



actual photo evidence I was sobbing:

rare indeed.

 

I offer all of this to God in heaven. He gave me this opportunity and I took it and ran with it. I trusted David to create this music, and what we all came out with was a work of art.
I'm still speechless as I write this blog today. I can't come up with words to type that perfectly describe how I felt and how I feel today..
A never-ending thank you to all you guys for your support.
Speaking of:
I have over 10,000 views on my blog!!!! HOLY MOMMA!!
Thank you all so much for helping me achieve my goals, and making my dreams a reality. I am blessed beyond my own belief and to be able to share this experience with everyone is amazing.
Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!!!
I can't say it enough..

Love you all!!

-Madeline

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

This is Really Blowing My Mind

So today I was given the official track list of my EP that I'm recording starting next week and I think I just stared at it for about 10 minutes.
THIS CANNOT BE HAPPENING!
When I saw the titles to my songs laid out on a piece of paper in front of me, I could do nothing but smile. It feels so real now, seeing all this come together. I'm getting samples from the musicians on how my songs are going to sound with a real band. I honestly feel like a princess and nothing less.
I'm also taking voice lessons now, something I have never done in the past, and I can clearly see a difference in the tone of my voice. I have so much more power and maturity that I never had before.
Seeing all these positive changes, and seeing this process laid out before my eyes has me freaking out in a way. Not in a bad way though at all! In a really, really good way. I can't believe that my dreams are finally coming true.
Most importantly, I can't believe you guys are going to be able to hear my music possibly by the end of the month, depending on how much time mixing takes.
But thank you all AGAIN for your continuous support. I wouldn't even be in the position I am right now if it wasn't for you!

I love you all so much!!!!
-Madeline

I'M SO EXCITED!!

AND I JUST CAN'T HIDE IT!!!!

Oh my gosh guys I leave for Nashville in less than three days and my brain is going in about 5,000 different directions and I just wish I could leave right now!
I'd like to start this post with a huge THANK YOU to every single person who has been supporting me though out the years and making this dream come true. I honestly would not be where I am today if it wasn't for all of you guys. I love you so much and my biggest wish is to make you proud. :)
Also, another big HA HA to all those people who thought I could never get here. Look at me you dummies, I'm following my dreams and I'm probably the happiest I've ever been in my life.
Anyways, I wrote a new song yesterday called "Somethin'" and it's pretty cool. I think we're going to squeeze that one on the record I'm recording on November first because it kind of has a different feel than the other songs. It's blues-y kind of and then it's sort of R&B and than it some what sounds pop-ish but you know, who knows. We've never been able to pin me down to one genre anyways.
ANYWAYS, I just wanted to let you all know that this record is only going to be about five songs, but, it's going to be five AMAZING songs.
I have worked so hard into making these songs into what they are right now, I hope and pray and dream that you love them as much as I do.
My music is a byproduct of myself, so from the very first second you press play on track one, all the way until the instruments run out of space to play on track five, you'll be listening to my heart and soul being poured out on five simple tracks. Where ever you are, whether it be in the car, in your room or at the gym, it'll be just like having a little me sitting next to you!
Actuallyyyyyy that's creepy..
Anyways, thank you again from the bottom of my heart for all you guys have done for me. It means so much.
But please!!!! Don't stop here!
Keep spreading the word! Do whatever you can to get my name out there so I can share my music with everybody.
You all are amazing, never forget it!!

Much Love,
  -Madeline

Home is where the heart is! ..kinda

Now that I'm back home for a while, I'm really starting to miss Nashville... I really, really, really, really like it there. 

Sure I love my home and being with my family and seeing friends, but Nashville is where my dream lies. When I'm there I feel like I can reach out and touch it and it's right there in front of me.

Today the weather is depressing here. I live on a lake that looks like this in the summer... 

Buuuuut today it looks a little something like this...

What lake, right? 

Oh, and did I mention it's 39 degrees out? It's a bit nippy.

Anyways, I guess this weather is good for writing. I've been needing a good session with the pen and paper lately so that's exactly what I'll do. 

Come November first though, I'm recording some original stuff back in Nashville! SO EXCITED!!!! I can't wait for y'all to hear the music I've been working so hard on. 

But until then, I'm going to lay in my bed and look out a dreary window and write music to cheer me up.

Love y'all so much!

Sayonara for now,

-Madeline 

Who is Madeline Consoer?

Oh yeah that's me.. First things first, my name is Madeline Consoer, and I'm the realest. Just kidding. I'm just a small town girl from all the way up in Eagle River, Wisconsin. Pretty typical right? Yes. Typical.
I write my own music and sing so that makes me one of those singer/songwriters I suppose. I've been singing ever since I could open my mouth, and playing piano ever since I could stretch my baby sausage fingers across more than two keys at a time. Now that my fingers are more like spaghetti noodles, and I'm 18 years old, I'm ready to share with the world what I've been doing my entire life. Music is my passion and that's why I'm starting this blog. I want y'all to be able to keep up with me on my journey with my music and everything else along the way. From new music that I'll be releasing, to how I write songs and my daily life while I bask in all that Nashville has to offer. (I also like to post pictures of my dog a lot, and food.)
The BEST part is, you can tell your friends about this very blog and tell them to read it too! Have everyone read it for that matter! The more people I share with the happier I'll be!
So without further adieu, I'm Madeline Consoer and I hope you'll enjoy my 'Road to Music Row' as much as I will.
Stay tuned for pictures, videos, links to music, and more!

Love y'all,
Madeline

P.S. follow me on twitter too for more fun stuff! @SSMadelineMusic . I'm pretty sure I can link that in somewhere to my site but I'm new at this so I don't know how to do that yet.