02-03-2010 | Lovefest MMX - GreenStage & Ham!

I’ll be celebrating Valentine’s Day a little early by performing in GreenStage’s annual Shakespeare Lovefest at Hattie’s Hat in Ballard on 2/11! $15 gets you in the door, and Hattie's will donate a portion of all food and drink sales for the night - so eat, drink and be merry as you enjoy songs, sonnets, raffle prizes, clowning around, and some Shakespeare Karaoke. There may even be a kissing booth! Proceeds from the evening go to support GreenStage's 22nd season of free theater. Must be 21+ to join in on the fun! Visit my shows page for ticket info and time.

01-26-2010 | Innocent Words Magazine Review

So much is going on and I have so little time to report! The most exciting news of the week is that Troy Michael’s review of Pyro Aesthetic has been published in the February Issue of Innocent Words Magazine. I am so thrilled, especially by the concluding paragraph!

“Jerin Falkner may have built her fan base with lyrics and an acoustic guitar, but Pyro Aesthetic finds this young lady blossoming to detail how truly artistic she is. The acoustic singer/songwriter material was good, but with these songs, it truly gives Falkner’s music a much needed kick in the pants to separate her from the horde of other females with a guitar.”

To read the whole review, click here.

01-03-2010 | Innocent Words Magazine Video of the Week

Happy post-New Year to me! Innocent Words Magazine named “Count of Three” their YouTube music video of the week. To watch the video, click here.

12-27-2009 | Ooo Baby, It’s a Wildy’s World

"Seattle's Jerin Falkner brings a quirky Pop sensibility to her latest album, Pyro Aesthetic. Falkner stands out among her peers as a singular talent, and she just keeps getting better and better." -- Wildy's World Album Review

Merry post-Christmas to me! I’m thrilled to report that Pyro Aesthetic received a 5 out of 5 star review from Wildy’s World and was ranked #22 in Wildy’s top 40 albums of 2009. Click here to read the full review.

12-09-2009 | Highlights Continued

US/Canada Border Crossing

It’s hard to explain how jean and I accidentally drove through Canada. Perhaps our GPS (nicknamed Gypsy) was too efficient. Or perhaps our minds were too preoccupied with shows to come. Either way, instead of driving through Ohio and Pennsylvania to get to New York, we drove straight from Michigan to Ontario. When I noticed the huge sign that said “Canada Border Crossing 1 mile,” I turned to jean and said, “Canada? Like the country Canada?” Neither jean nor I had our passports, and we had just driven over an hour in the wrong direction. So, naturally, we decided to be foolhardy and keep the course. And even with the car crammed full of stuff, we managed to cruise through two border crossings with just our driver’s licenses. Phew, eh?

Kane Mountain Fire Tower (Caroga Lake, NY)

After a half mile hike and a few flights of steep stairs, I reached the top of the fire tower on Kane Mountain. Fire towers were built in the Adirondacks in the late 19th and 20th centuries so that New York could report forest fires throughout the Forest Preserve. Today, 34 of the towers have been restored and are accessible to the public. Though the trail head was a little tricky to find, the hike, the tower, and the view from the tower were well worth the adventure.

12-08-2009 | Baby, It’s Cold Outside

Whoa. It was one degree when I headed out the door this morning, and I have on far too many layers of clothes! I guess winter really is almost here, and I’ll enjoy my hot coffee while writing about more tour highlights.

Farmers’ Market (Hudson, WI)

Believe it or not, Wisconsin had more than jelly beans. While in Hudson, I visited a Farmers’ Market that offered local produce, flowers, and crafts. Since several varieties of apples were in season, I enjoyed a honey crisp apple at the market and bought a bag of Cortland apples for the road. I saw a humungous head of lettuce (literally the size of my head) and sampled pure Wisconsin Maple syrup. One of the best things about the market was that each vendor had a sign with their name and how far their farm was from the market. The produce was so local, in fact, that the farthest farm was no more than 15 miles away.

Franklin Cider Mill (Franklin, MI)

Built in 1837, the Franklin Cider Mill has been around as long as Michigan has been a state. The building is engulfed by the smell of sweet apple cider, and there are bins and bins of fresh apples for sale in front of the mill. There is also a small outdoor market that sells all kinds of apple products, such as cider, apple butter, apple preserves, and apple sauce. Once indoors, it’ll take about ten minutes to tour the mill and taste the cider. If you have the time, however, I recommend staying a bit longer, taking in the history, and enjoying a homemade mill bakery pastry.

The Heidelberg Project (Detroit, MI)

Throughout the tour, I kept asking audiences for recommendations of local places to visit. Following our show in Lansing, a man ran up to my car as jean and I were getting ready to leave. Since we were so close to Detroit, he said we had to visit the Heidelberg Project. He also recommended that we stay in our car and drive through the HP without stopping because “well, it’s Detroit.” Interesting.


Created in 1986, the HP is a large outdoor art environment on Heidelberg Street that takes up about three city blocks. It is a statement about the decline of Detroit and the deterioration of a community. Many people still live in the houses surrounding the HP, but numerous homes are abandoned. Windows are broken, doors are boarded up. The HP exhibits are constructed using brightly colored paints and the refuse from these abandoned houses. In essence, it's art made out of garbage, in a place that is both hollow and hopeful at the same time.

11-25-2009 | Hello Flickr

I take so many pictures that it’s about time I opened a Flickr account. Though I posted several show snapshots from the tour on my facebook page, I haven’t taken the time to write about my non-show highlights from the road until now. So I’ve put the photos in my first ever Flickr set titled, "The Road Less Traveled.” Since there are quite a few noteworthy moments, it might take me a few entries to write about everything.

Outhouse with a View (Hope, ID)

Overlooking Lake Pend Oreille, my home stay host in Hope, Idaho owned property with a view fit for a queen. His eclectic house and assorted gardens were complimented by an outhouse consisting of three sturdy wood walls and a roof. If the bathroom-goer needed more privacy, a woven blanket nailed to the roof could be pulled down and serve as a door. Admittedly, I was self-consciousness at first while using the rustic potty. I rarely use an outdoor bathroom, let alone one without an actual door. However, I quickly got used to it. Especially when I realized that if I had that view, I’d have an outhouse, too.

Salem Sue (New Salem, ND)

She’s the World’s Largest Holstein Cow and utterly fantastic. After several hours on I-94, I wasn’t sure if Salem Sue was real or just one of those figments of a tired driver’s imagination. I believe I said, “Oh my god. I see a really big cow. We have to drive towards it.” At which point, jean probably thought I was crazy until she looked across the fields to see a massive heifer standing far above the alfalfa. Taking the windy, uphill approach to visit the goddess of dairy, I wanted to pat North Dakota on the back and say, “Well done, ND, well done.” No steak pun intended.

Jelly Belly Factory (Pleasant Prairie, WI)

So many jelly beans, so little time. After stopping at the Mars Cheese Castle, the Jelly Belly Factory seemed like a natural follow-up destination. Though I didn’t have enough time to take the full tour (so sad!), the gift shop experience was sweet enough. The jelly bean mecca of Wisconsin was filled with row after row of colorful candies as well as dancing children and exhausted parents. Before leaving, I bought a small bag of jelly beans, filled mostly with Juicy Pear, Peach, and Red Apple flavors. Yum!

11-10-2009 | Ch-ch-ch-ch-Changes

The ol’ website is getting updated this month. If you see a random graphic out of place or text wrapped around the navigation bar, check in with your friends on Facebook and come back. I should have most of the issues fixed in a couple of weeks.

PS For some reason, I was listening to David Bowie this afternoon, and the title of this entry seemed very fitting. Just like his spandex in Labyrinth.

10-30-2009 | Tour Video 3

"Shake Your Aspen" (tour video 3 of 3). Watch it on You Tube!

10-18-2009 | Tour Video 2

"The Good, The Bad, and The Doobie" (tour video part deux). Watch it on You Tube!

09-25-2009 | Tour Video 1

I’m happy to announce the first tour video is complete! Watch it on You Tube!!

09-23-2009 | New York is for Glovers

jean and I originally intended to spend this week in Maine, driving north up the coast. However, we landed in Gloversville, NY on Monday and decided to stay put at SkyHeart Studio. Our generous hosts, Hannah and Michael, offered us a private, downtown loft for the week, and we’ve spent the last three days relaxing after our 3,000 mile drive across the country. In addition, Michael owns and operates a baking company called Sugar, and he keeps us sweet by feeding us chocolate covered ounce cakes, peanut butter bar cookies, cheese cake, blueberry pound cake, and plates full of other homemade treats. I feel so spoiled here (and so full of delicious goodies!).

Looking around, Gloversville is a beautiful little town that history distinguished and time deteriorated. It would be a lie to say I’m sitting in the midst of a thriving economy. Several store fronts and apartment buildings have For Rent signs posted in the glass display windows. The Glove, a historic downtown theatre, has a fundraising thermometer above the main entrance that says, “Help preserve and restore our theatre.” Only $20,000 of the $200,000 goal has been reached, and the edges of the sign’s paper have started to yellow with age.

However, in spite of the poor economy, there is an irresistible charm to this place. Yesterday, I went for a run along the Rail Trail and thought about what the town must have looked like when business was booming. Over 200 glove manufacturers used to call this area their home, and according to local report, one out of every three gloves in the world was made in Gloversville at the height of production in the 20th Century.

Although the history of Gloversville is leather-filled, Daniel Storto is the only glove maker still in town. His little workshop produces top-of-the-line gloves that have been featured on covers of Vogue, Vanity Fair, and 2wice. There’s a picture of Nicole Kidman hanging from his store window, and she’s wearing elbow length black gloves crafted at that very shop. Though he keeps irregular hours, I hope to see Daniel at work before we leave for NYC on Saturday.

09-03-2009 | Hold Me Closer Outrageous Dancer

Pig Out in the Park is one of Spokane’s huge food festivals. This year, 42 food vendors packed into Riverfront Park to tempt hungry visitors with every cuisine they could possibly desire. My mom and I opted for Tastin’ Texas BBQ sandwiches and fresh ears of sweet corn from Southern Roasted Corn. My dad went for Eldon's famous sausage sandwich and an ear of sweet corn.

Pleasantly full, we found seats for the evening’s live music entertainment, Too Slim & the Taildraggers. Too Slim was already a song or two into his set, and a small crowd of enthusiastic fans had huddled close to the stage. Standing at the very back of the crowd was one rather distinct man. He was tall. He was sweaty. He wore a white bandana and blue muscle tank. His moves were so extreme that I dubbed him Outrageous Dancer the instant I saw him. OD’s dance style was a fusion of mosh pit hops, pelvic thrusts, chicken dance arm flaps, and a move I’m coining as Stomp the Grapes*.

As I watched OD flail to the music, two young girls stood up and started mimicking his moves. It was the most hilarious spectacle to see. And in the midst of Too Slim’s blazing country rock guitar solos, Elton John popped into my head in the form of a parody. Hold Me Closer Outrageous Dancer. I’ll let you know how that lyric writing goes.

*Stomp the Grapes is executed by standing with your feet 24 inches apart, toes pointed out. Lift one foot up and slam it into the ground. Lift your other foot up and slam it into the ground. Repeat. Ta da. You’ve now learned how to Stomp the Grapes.

07-21-2009 | The Awesome Pile

Holy schamoly. I’m in the middle of booking a US tour. Exciting? Yep. Disappointing? Sometimes. My inbox is like Christmas each morning. I wake up, brew some strong coffee, and start opening emails from venue bookers I’ve contacted the day before. Most of the folks that respond are super helpful and straight forward. It’s actually better for an artist to receive a solid “we’re booked” right away rather than a “we’ll look into it and get back to you.” I walk a fine line of wanting to hold a date open and just pushing forward. I’m sure bookers feel the same way. How the heck do you judge an artist based on a myspace page or an Electronic Press Kit (EPK)? Especially when you receive hundreds of solicitations a month. Sheesh.

In college, I used to do part time booking for a coffeehouse as well as run the sound board during shows. Thinking back, I really enjoyed artist solicitations for the most part. I still have stacks and stacks of demos of all genres. Some are awful. Some are awesome. Some are just plain scary. Like the lady that play