The show was held at the wonderful Ybor City venue, Crowbar, and from the bartenders to the door guy to the owner and promoter, the entire staff was so friendly, helpful and excited about the show, it was awesome! I have to give the sound guy a special mention here because he totally rocked! You could hear the lyrics and everything sounded amazing both on stage and off! We had a great turnout and everyone was on point. All the other bands that played, John Gold, The Sun Society and The Grecian Urns, were awesome and such pleasures to work with. A huge thanks to them for making the night that much more incredible!

My musicians never cease to amazing me and this night was no exception. Thank you guys so much for always having my back and making me look good! I would trust any of my songs to you anytime!

Thanks to all the other helpers I had, makeup, merch, photographers, videographers, street team, etc. You all are SO appreciated, you have no idea!

And a HUGE thank you to everyone who came out to enjoy and celebrate the night with me! I had a blast and I hope you did too! I’ll let you know when the next show is, got a few we’re lining up right now. And for those of you who couldn’t make it, my EP is now out on iTunes so go check it out and leave your thoughts!

Thanks for reading.
Hana-li

Contact:

Ferris Stith

Public Relations for Hana-li

press@hana-li.com

On the Rise! Tampa Bay Area Singer/Songwriter, Hana-li, Emerges ‘From the Dark’

Up and coming Tampa Bay area singer/songwriter, Hana-li, preps for her debut EP release on August 21st at Crowbar in Ybor City.

Tampa, FL August 2010 – Talented, bright-eyed singer/songwriter, Hana-li, is an artist not to be taken lightly. The New York born starlet’s lyrics are haunting yet inspirational as she weaves through stories of human triumphs and travails and the never-ending search of finding our true inner potential. With a wide range of vocal ability and influences, she seamlessly incorporates genres as varied as alternative, rock, pop, progressive and classical. Hana-li has something for everyone.

“I want to inspire millions of people to make a difference in themselves, their families, their friends and in turn, the world,” says Hana-li. “That is why I sing, why I write and why I live.”

Singing since the age of 2, Hana-li has always known that this was what she was born to do. Her influences include an array of artists such as Michael Jackson, The Beatles, Justin Nozuka, Bonnie Raitt, Three Days Grace, Jason Mraz, John Mayer, Prince, Joe Cocker, James Taylor, Hans Zimmer, Anjelique Kidjou, Jim Sturgess, Cirque du Soleil, Paramore, Celine Dion and Aretha Franklin.

It is with these sources of inspiration that she poured her heart, mind and soul into her debut EP, ‘From The Dark’. Comprised of 5 songs, the EP gives a full taste of where she’s been and what lies ahead for this new artist.

“Her many talents and her ability to make it go right have always made her one of my favorite singers to work with and are a mark of her professionalism,” says Music Director/Arranger/Bassist, Matt Lorentzen. “This has made her a favorite, not only with her fans, but with every musician and band director I’ve seen work with her.”

Hana-li’s music and performances have always been about the communication and connection with her audience. “I never want to take them for granted because it’s not a one way street. I give them something to lift them up and in turn I get their smiling faces and a better world,” says Hana-li.

The ‘From The Dark’ EP release show will be held on Saturday, August 21st at Crowbar in Ybor City/Tampa from 8:00pm – 12:00am. The show is all ages, $8.00 cover at the door.

About Hana-li:

Hana-li began signing at the young age of 2 performing for her parents and their friends in the living room of their home. Hana-li’s mom saw how passionate she was for singing and communicating to people and encouraged her to follow her dream. Hana-li spent two years singing back up for Isaac Hayes, Kate Ceberano and Doug E. Fresh and has also sung with Chick Corea and Mark Isham. She has traveled all over the world performing in Florida, St. Louis, Dallas, New York, Los Angeles, San Jose and San Fransisco, the Caribbean, England, Suriname (South America) and Mali, Swaziland and Lesotho (Africa), where she sang for the king.

Hana-li started writing her own songs five years ago to take her career to the next level. Hana-li’s style consists mainly of alternative/rock but also has bits of pop, soul, progressive and classical. Her biggest influences are Michael Jackson and The Beatles for their level of dedication to their craft as well as mankind, which has always been Hana-li’s true motivation.

# # #

I came to Clear Track Productions, a brand new, state-of-the-art recording facility in downtown Clearwater, FL, with 15 songs and a lot of passion. We spent three months in pre-production writing, arranging and rehearsing in Studio B.

Then we entered Studio A, the big room, and got right down to work tracking the instruments for all the songs. We recorded everything on a Studer 2″ tape machine to Pro Tools via CLASP to get that real, analog sound. Next came vocals, my favorite! We dimmed the lights and created the perfect atmosphere to sing for you, my wonderful listeners. You were there with me every note of the way.

Once everything was recorded, about a month and a half later, we switched gears and got into mixing. We mixed on an SSL G+ series console in an acoustically perfect room so the sound is incredible. Another month and a half and we’re down to the last night before our drive to NY for mastering. We finished the final mix at 3:00am! We made it!

After about a 20 hour drive we arrived in NJ to spend the night before our big day of mastering with the world renown, Ted Jensen at Sterling Sound in NY. We were quoted 8 hours of mastering time and he did it in 3 because our mixes were so spot on. Now that felt good! 12 minutes per song and we were done! A few days of celebration and it was time for the long ride home.

I hit the ground running with a photo shoot for the EP cover and designs for the packaging with my design team at Studio 98.

After 8 months of fun, excitement, work, and creation, my debut EP will be released on Sat, Aug 21 2010 from 8pm -midnight! The release show will be held at Crowbar in Ybor City/Tampa, FL for all ages! Tickets are $8 at the door.

I’ll see you there!

Thanks for reading.
Hana-li

One person makes a list of about 15 movies, bands, books, etc. and this person is the list holder. He sits in between the two separate rooms (so the other team doesn’t hear) where the teams act out items from the list. You start by having one person from each team get the first title on the list and they go back to their teams at the same time and start acting. Whoever guesses from each team gets to act out the next item. The holder’s job is to keep track of what title each team is on. Whichever team completes the entire list first wins! Then it’s someone else’s turn to write a list and be the holder.

Each round gets louder and louder, more exciting and more intense. You’ll have a blast and may you never be the same again! Just wanted to share that with you. Enjoy!

Thanks for reading.
Hana-li

To drink the rain is like drinking diamonds. To feel it on your face, tracing lines down your smile like happy tears…mmm.
I love to run and dance with my hair whipping around me soaking my face, singing to whoever is listening.

When I was little, my mom would take me out in the rain and I’d laugh, so much so that she gave me the nick name Laughing Rain.
There you have it, I love the rain.

Thanks for reading.
Hana-li

You can have a million favorite colors, one for every tiny facet of your life. I know I do!

When I’m on a walk in the woods, my favorite color is that perfect shade of green in the trees. When I’m at the beach, it’s the magnificent blues of ocean and sky. When being playful, it’s pink. For clothes, definitely black and for eyeshadow, well, every color of the rainbow and all the colors in between.

Colors express mood and one should be allowed to shift their colors with their moods. Who wants to wear yellow when writing a dark song? And who wants to use black and white film when photographing the sunrise? Not I!

So the next time someone asks you what your favorite color is ask them to specify. It might be fun.
Just something to think about…

Thanks for reading.
Hana-li

When you’re in a bad mood, what do you do? Turn on the radio and probably turn it up. When lost in sadness, one puts on soft and soothing tunes to ease the pain or simply to have a voice to cry to. When we’ve won a victory we sing a chant. And at every restaurant, party, cross country drive or grocery store we have music. Why? Because music is the soundtrack to our lives. I’ll bet if you look back to your favorite summer you’ll have at least one song that goes with it. How about Christmas? New Year? Your first kiss or first dance with your true love.

Movies my play a huge roll in all of our lives, I don’t deny it. But nothing in this world is more personal and connecting in the same moment than music. Listen well!

Thanks for reading.
Hana-li

Ever since I was a little girl this art has captivated me in its uniqueness. There’s nothing else in the world quite like it. The way it feels to have notes slip up through your throat and out your lips, turning from nothing, non-existent, into sound, music.

It’s magical. It’s global, cutting across all races, religions, ages, every barrier that we, man, have put up between ourselves comes crashing down in the presence of music and in particular, singing.

What is singing, and I mean really singing? I don’t think it really has much to do with singing itself as much as communicating. I’d rather listen to Janis Joplin screaming out her soul through her raspy lungs than some “perfect” singer who says nothing, feels nothing.

To really connect with your lyrics, your melody, yourself…and then pour that out into the universe in a completely unselfish and devoted way to others…now that’s singing. That’s the whole point of music and the wonderful art of singing in my humble opinion.

That is what I attempt to do in every show, always.

Thanks for reading.
Hana-li