It's Been a While!

Hi Friends!

So this past month has been busssyyyyyy! Showcase is now over, Bound for Broadway is finished, and I am currently in the process of auditioning and having meetings.  As soon as I have video footage of Bound for Broadway I will be sure to post it for ya'll.

It's been crazy trying to get a clean, organized book together.  Ya know, something that truly shows off everything I can play without going too far out of the box.  But I think I'm finally getting there!

I am having a lazy day today, which means I am watching 'Friends' all day and laying on the couch.  Next week is bound to get more hectic, so hopefully I catch up on some rest today.

I'll fill ya'll in more this week!  Have a wonderful night!

*HUG!*
Honey

Bound for Broadway!!!

Hey Everyone!

So I know it's been a little while... AGAIN!  Things are in full swing right now for rehearsals, my parents are in town, auditions are attacking me left and right... so finally I got the chance to take a breath and fill all of you in on my life!

As you all know, the websites are coming along like I mentioned last time, which I am so incredibly excited about!  And recently I have been going on random auditions and have gotten called in for a few things.  What I am the most excited about though is a cabaret show I'm doing in a few weeks!

It is called the "Bound for Broadway" cabaret and it takes place at the Duplex in NYC.  Please be sure if you are interested to click on the link for more details and let me know if you're interested.  It's going to be a really fun night and I absolutely cannot wait to be a part of it!

Bound For Broadway

I hope to fill you in more soon, but the parents are here and breakfast is ready :-) Have a wonderful Labor Day weekend!

*HUG!*
Honey

Keepin' Ya Posted!

Hey Everyone!

It's been a while since I've last written, but I promise it is for a good reason!  I figured this post would be a great way to catch you all up on what I am currently doing and what projects I am working on!

To start off, I am almost finished with my website.  There are a few fixes that need to be made, but here is the link www.HoneyRibar.com

Another project I have been working on is getting myself out around the web and cleaning up all of the site I am currently associated with.  Here are the following links if you'd like to take a look:
www.facebook.com/honeyribarmusic
www.twitter.com/honeyribar
www.youtube.com/HoneyRibar
www.showcaseyourmusic.com/honeyribar
www.linkedin.com/in/Honeyribar

And of course this blog page...

As you see I have been busy in the online world.  Other than that I have been to a few auditions/callbacks in the past two weeks.  I was recently callback for a fun NYMF show called "Greenwood" and the equity tour of "Hair".  I am also going to try and go to the Mamma Mia call this week.

I am now in full swing of rehearsal for my latest upcoming project, which is Cap21's Summer Practicum showcase.  For more information about it, please visit my new website HoneyRibar.com

Fhew!  I feel like that was a lot of info in one blog but i thought you would all like to be updated since I have not written in a while.  I will keep you all posted on new projects/events in the upcoming future.  For now I love ya'll and hope you're having a wonderful weekend!

*HUG!*
Honey

What Influences my Art

Hey everyone!

So I was thinking about showcase today, and about where life may or may not take me after.  Then I thought about what it is that has kept me constantly loving what I do and continually having my passion for art and performance.  I honestly could not answer the question when I thought about it.
At first I thought, "IT"S FUN!" and lets be honest... IT IS! But there is something deeper lying under the surface that I couldn't quite touch.

Finally I thought about and came to this... I love to perform because I feel that a part of me is dead when I'm not.  I feel that me in real life is great, but me on stage is 10 times better. I feel that i am able to express sides, emotions and parts of me that I am unable to express or show in real life.  I feel that performance is a way to get out of adulthood and go back to childhood.  Playing make believe and creating an objective and obstacle to get what I want, that I necessarily can't have in every day life.  Performance makes me feel beautiful, it makes me feel powerful, it makes me feel in control of my own life, even if I'm not in control at all!

There are sooooo many reasons why I love doing what I do... but what influences it?  I got may answer... people.  People are what inspire me.  Watching people, observing people, mimicking people, copying people.  I can't even count how many times I've taken someone that I've seen on the street and turned them into a character I have played in a class or on a stage.

But the people that inspire me the most are my friends and family.  My Mom for always pushing me to go after my dreams, my dad for telling me to not be so hard on myself and to relax once in a while to gain further knowledge of what I am doing, to my three brothers for always complimenting me even when they have heard the song for the hundredth time, and to the love of my life, Matt.

Matt tells me every day "you are amazing".  You would think it would get old after four years, but it honestly hasn't.  And even on the days when I'm not on my game he still tells me it over and over.  Sometimes I am self conscious, insecure, or just plain scared that I won't reach my dreams or goals.  And when I am he is always there to grab me by the shoulders and talk some sense into me.  Without him in my life I honestly do not know where I would be.  I must admit that I can be a little technically challenged so whenever I need help with anything he is there at the blink of an eye.  My new website, this blog, the videos I post on youtube... he is the man behind the scenes and behind the camera.  So I thought I would shed a little light on him for once, to show him that he is my spotlight.  Without him I would be in the dark.

Who or what is your inspiration?  I honestly would love to know!

*HUG!*
Honey

Cover Letter = Ahhhhh!!!!

Hello Friends and Family!

I am writing this blog on account of my feelings towards cover letters =)

I've always found it hard to talk about myself, so when I think about my future in the performance world, I can't help but get nervous thinking that for the rest of my life (or at least until I have satisfied my inner artist) I have to sell myself as a product and "talk myself up".

One of the assignments in our business class it to write a cover letter to a manager.  I have never written one of these before so I find the task quite daunting.  I mean I can't tell if I am getting too personal, writing too much, writing too little?  I can't tell whether or not this letter is really going to sell who I am or even if it will get me an interview.  One of the things I have always felt confident about is my personality.  I seriously could sit and talk with a person for hours, even if we have absolutely nothing in common.  So how do I sell myself in a few paragraphs or less to get them to want to meet with me?  If anyone has any ideas please let me know! =)

To be honest... I have never been one with "the words".  My college essays weren't A+ papers like many of my friends and I sometimes find it hard to express what I truly mean or how I really feel. Which is why performance has become the drive of my life.  I feel like when I perform, I don't even need to say anything... it simply is expressed through what I am doing.  I've always been a firm believer in "actions speak louder than words" and I as a performer live through that statement.  I wish there was another way besides writing a letter to get an agent or manager to interview me, or as I like to say... get them to know who I really am and appreciate my product.

In the end... we're all looking for the same thing.  We all want to be seen and heard and in the end it is going to be based upon: what you have in common, connections, and simply what they need in that moment of time.

So hopefully this letter turns out lovely; and hopefully Honey what they are craving that day! ;-P

*HUGS!*
Honey

I am... Honey Fierce

Hello my friends, family and fellow bloggers!

Yesterday I went to an all day audition for the NBC television show "The Voice".  It was so much fun! My darling brother and I woke up at 5:30am (which ain't bad compared to some of the auditions I've been to), jumped on a train to port authority, road a bus over to jersey and walked to the IZOD center from the bus stop.  We finally got in line at around 8am and for my 2pm audition slot.  Thankfully we were one of the first people there for my audition time so we both felt happy about leaving at the time we did.  After making friends with the people in line and getting baked by the hot summer sun, Grant was asked to step out of line so that I could enter into the grand stadium by myself.
After waiting 5 hours out in the 100 degree weather, I walked into the blast of ice cold air and registered for my chance to sing before a judge.  It had been another 2 and a half hours before I was seen.  When the time finally came, my group of 10 went into a small, dark room and each of us got up to sing before a blonde woman, no older than 25 years old.
I was the second to last person to sing my song and as I got up everyone in the small room cheered for me.  I smiled internally and externally as I stood up and walked to the center of the room.  There I stood in my ruffled dress, tan heels and jean jacket as I cheerfully introduced my song "River Deep Mountain High."  My mouth opened as I blasted my first note.  I made sure that the song I chose was balanced enough so that whoever I sang for would get a full taste of what my voice sounded like in head, chest, mix and belt voice.

After I sang my song the judge smiled at me and thanked me.  Another girl sitting in the seats that I became friends with in line threw her hat at me and told me to "get the hell out" haha.  Everyone cheered  and laughed because they did not expect the sound that came out of my body.

After the 10th person sang, the judge said that no one in our group made it but we were so close and to try again next year.  I have been told by people I know through these shows that there are certain rooms who can choose tons of people, some rooms that can only choose a few people and some rooms are just unlucky rooms and do not get to choose anyone.  I honestly feel that I got the room that chose no one because there were a handful of beyond amazing singers in my group and not one of them went through.

After I walked out of the IZOD Center with my new friends they all expressed their feelings about my voice and how they weren't expecting what they heard to come out of my mouth.  They expected some Taylor Swift, country song or simple, all-american sound, which brings me to my whole point of writing this blog today.

Sometime I sit and think about school, performing, and just life. I contemplate the "type" of person I appear to be, am told to be, or would be best marketed as.  But is this my true passion?  I do love singing country music and I do love curling my hair to look cute for a day or two.  And, lets be honest, I am a good girl raised in Minnesota by a good family so I have turned out with a personality that settles well with the all around "good, all-american girl".  This is all fine, it really is; and it is definitely a character I would love to play.  But at the end of the day... I cuss sometimes, and I wear dark makeup, and I sing a song where I'm riffing or belting my face off.

My point is... we all play a character in life. I do sell well as the all-american girl, but my voice sure doesn't.  I sound like an r&b or pop singer and have been told many times that this is not the music I should sing because it does not fit my look.  Well... I disagree!  If I can sing it and it is what I love, nothing will stand in the way of it.  But I will not forget what brought me to this place.  I am still a girl from Minnesota, who goes to church every sunday, wears sundresses and treats people with the respect they deserve.  Therefore, I will not run away from what I am "thought to be", however I will not limit myself only to that.

I am... Honey Fierce

*HUGS!*
Honey

Hello my friends!

I hope you're all having a wonderful week!
This has been a crazy busy week, but it's finally starting to wind down.  This weekend is going to be full of refining music, my book, headshots and resumes.  I'm really looking forward to organizing my artistic life.  I still feel like I have so many questions and second thoughts about songs in my book.  I mean... "Is this song too old for me or isn't it?" "Is this too dark?" "Is this too corny?"... I mean I guess it's all an opinion anyway.  No one will ever feel the same exact way about something and I guess instead of trying to please other people what I really need to start doing in order to make myself feel more confident in my performances and auditions is please myself.

Of course there are rules to that statement, but I feel like those of us who are artists trying to break out into the world really need to first and foremost love the piece of material we are using to audition, because if you don't, then what is the point in all of this.

I finally found a song I believe to be truly me.  I am a fun-loving girl, who is madly in love, I am bubbly, hopeful, and young.  On top of all of that I love singing pop/rock music, belting, yet also using other variations of my voice... and I feel like the song I have found finally does all of this!
I would love to sing it for Showcase so I hope when I bring it in, the directors all agree with me.

Anyways... it has been a long few days and I am going to sleepy sleep now.  Goodnight loves!  Sleep good!

*HUG!*
Honey