Sara Culler

I wanted to finish this year by blogging about my highlights - there have been MANY this year! Sometimes many under the same category. Ooohhh boy - this is going to be a looong list and SOOO MANY NAMES TO THANK!!!!!! I may add stuff if I freak out when I find that I forgot something or someone… If I forgot someone I'm sorry - My head is NEVER where it should be... Let me know OK?

Here we go - In no particular or chronological order!

This years debut: Well - I made it! And I made it all the way to the Forfey Festival on Northern Ireland! The best festival in the world! Played a great 35 minutes for a wonderful audience, which brings me to the next post.

This years live gig: Again - Forfey Festival @ Willie Ramblers in Enniskillen, Northern Ireland! Juliana Hatfield and the venue KB - all regards to you but the feedback in a country you've never been in, the AMAZING people!!! Matt, Dianne, Dave (x how many? - there were many Dave's!), Lee, Neil, Jamie, Johnny, Mike, Helen - gosh I don't want to forget anyone but you were sooo many, so professional and so kind!

This years opening opportunity: When I opened for Juliana Hatfield @ KB. Amazing to finally be on that stage with my own music. I have done backing vocals on that stage sooo many times...

This years "I surprised myself": Covering Madonna's "Who's That Girl". Download here for free. Don't forget my other downloads - here.

This years studio: Fashion Police Studios

This years release: "At Least Like Melissa" on "Fingertips: Unwebbed". My Demo "Wolflike They Are" - Over 600 sold and a few promoted copies and still selling... To buy go here.

This years mystery: All the 300 new visitors I get every day - Who are you, where do you come from and how did you find me?

This years nice people @ radio stations: Lisa Wall - P4, Pelle Gustafsson - P3 Lab, Stuart Flanagan - The Signal, Stephen McCauley - Electric Mainline on BBC Northern Ireland, Geoff Lloyd - Virgin Radio.

This years "meet": Finally, after a lot of MySpace chatting, Bryce Kushnier AKA Vitaminsforyou getting his acts together and coming to Malmö! Yo La Tengo and crew after Malmö gig - WOW :O)

This years "being in the right place at the right time": Meeting Yo La Tengo and crew + getting on the guestlist for their Copenhagen show.

This years "being in the right place at the wrong time": Trying to see Oppenheimer and finally meet Mr. Rocky O'Reilly has been hard. First of all, David and I should have been in the US of A when they had their first tour there. I would have actually been able to meet them in my other hometown, Dallas, Texas… Unfortunately we were "robbed" on our promised advance so we never made the trip… I played the Forfey Festival on August the 26th - Rocky and Oppenheimer came home from the tour on August the 30th… I was in London - doing backing vocals with David & the Citizens at Dublin Castle - Oppenheimer played there a couple of nights later… … … Not being able to make the Yo La Tengo Copenhagen show…

This years music: Oppenheimer, David Fridlund (new solo album tba), Futia Expo 79, Vitaminsforyou, Headlights, Via Audio, Kyle Andrews, MEW (can't get enough this year either), Electric President, The Album Leaf, Lali Puna, Imogen Heap (and Frou Frou), Sufjan Stevens, Mates of State, Goddamn Electric Bill, Yo La Tengo, all the bands at Forfey Festival, Lisa Germano (always close to my heart) Cat Power, David & the Citizens' new album and many, MANY more!

This years list of people close to my heart: David Fridlund, Rocky O'Reilly, Shaun Robinson, Jeremy Schlosberg, Mangnus Josefsson AKA Mango, Anders Mortensen, Steve Glenn, Bryce Kushnier, Stephen McCauley, Lisa Wall, Pelle Gustafsson, Scott Dixon, Ginny Hall and family, Matt & everyone at the Forfey Festival, Niklas @ Fashion Police, Jo Barker with colleagues & friends ;o), Stephen Kempner, Kalle Metz (for meeting me), Anneke, Andrew (Sleep The Clock Around), Anna x 2, Jamie in London/NI (you did brighten up that evening :o), Malin (country girl), Justin and the people at Weekender Club, Karin @ SOFA, Daniel Jansson, Johan Sigerud, Jonas & Blood Music, Marc Xavier LeBlanc AKA DJ Bones, Avi Roig, Totte Lundgren & KB, Annette Persson and Adrian Recordings (Annette for selling demos for me and A.R for server space), Jesper Kumberg (for being there), Niklas Herrström (for helping), Rose, Andy, all the people with comments on my blog, all my MySpace friends, Tomas & Johanna, Peter and David and David and Therese and Hanna, Viktoria AKA Mangobruden (for nice words and photo!), Mine, Mina, Joel Fridlund for computer and last but not least - Family and friends.

This years horrible fact: Global warming and its effects…

This years evil people: The ones that have been and are wolflike...

This years WORST namedropping list: THIS ONE!!!

This years love (like every year): David Fridlund

Hey. Here are the facts.

I have been working on a cover off and on for about two months now. Last week I was too sick to put it out here but now it's Monday - I'm feeling better - New week - Everybody's at work at his or her computer - Bored. This is where I come into the picture. To be more precise - This is where my cover song comes into the picture. It's NOT a Christmas cover, sorry, but I hope you like it anyway…

I sat at the computer one day last spring. Obviously not my home computer since I can hardly count on e-mail being sent out of it… At a Pro Tools workstation, playing with some plug-ins. They had a sample of Redrum and I started to play with it as well. I saved the drum tracks - as a memory of my first "childish loop"… This little loop came on to a CD during the summer and that's when the idea came to my head. I could only think of one song that I could use the loop for - being in that tempo and pattern… It wasn't as laid back as the original version - Instead it was a bit more forced and anxious - If you guys know what I mean…

Anyway. Listen to it and hopefully you'll hear what I mean…

I had a couple of years in my pre teens when this woman captivated me…

The woman is Madonna. The Song is "Who's That Girl".

This is my take on it. It's not a happy take - emotionally - I think I turned things the opposite way compared to the original. I don't know Madonna's intentions but the video seems to portrait a young undamaged woman with not a single cloud in sight. My "girl" is the opposite. No one knows her. The ones who THINK they do get their dreams crushed and they really hate her when she finally reveals a smile… She's seeking a life that's brighter.

The song's recorded by myself on my BR-900 digi porta with one acoustic guitar and two keyboards. That's it. Hope you all like it. Please leave a comment…

Here it is:
Sara Culler - Who's That Girl (Madonna Cover)

Sincerely,
Sara