Priscilla Hernandez's blog

Well, you may all know that I like fantasy costumes... in fact I keep a blog about fantasy costumes called YOUR FANTASY COSTUME :) I created a while back to bookmark all the fancy things I like (or would long or crave to buy for my performances hahah). Anyway, as I'm an illustrator I like to draw and design garments... the problem was that despite making some crafts like crowns and some easy customizations I really never had any skill for sewing... yes... not even a button or fixing a sock!!  But last month my friend and designer Alassie (from El Costurero Real) encouraged me and a couple of friends to make a garment for ourselves to attend to her faerie birthday party and for a couple of weeks, all girls gathered on a weekly workshop :) to learn to make our own garment for the party... So it was FUN and we were busy bees and it was so lovely to see that we were creating our own dresses... I felt very accomplished and I know it´s my first and maybe not so perfect (almost hand-made too) but I had never done anything before so I was really proud.

Here´s a pic of my green dress... the skirt will now grow (cos a friend got me a sewing machine as a gift and I'm learning to make things easier) and I definately will make add bits to it, but this is how it looked like :)

I played a few songs with my hammered dulcimer (humble accoustic performance for really lovely friends) including some exerpts of tracks from the following album on the making "The Underliving". My friend Jorge Lamata joined with the guitar in a few... It was really cozy and personal.

and here´s a picture of the other girls and dressed they made for themselves... (by the way, some followed tutorials of making wings posted in your fantasy costume and they made a great work!)

 Above: some of the people attending with their fantasy costumes to the birthday party... isn´t it a cool idea? why not to spice your wedding or your anniversary or a friends meeting with some color, fantasy and fun! We all had a great time... so give it a try... it´s a good excuse to use your fantasy garments!

I'm excited to announce that Ron Ewing (luthier and dulcimer player has endorsed us a Baritone dulcimer made by himself). Most even, he´s come to Barcelona himself to hand it to us... and thus we could even take a picture together and I could listen to his lovely playing to get inspired and encouraged to go on learning this lovely instrument.

Again thanks to Ron and all the  ones that have supported us with instruments, i'm setting up a page for you all coming up soon

More about Ron Ewing Dulcimers here:

http://ronewingdulcimers.com

If you have an instrument that YOU DON'T PLAY and it's getting dust in a wall, consider to donate it to us and make it happy! :) I may get sound out of it!! If you think you have something we could use or play that is just there being an ornament in your attic (your old student violin, lever harp, drum, whichever... let us know) Of any device that could make a musical sound to sample, to have a replacemnt for travelling or simply to learn new things...  Consider to send a private message and donate it to our project.

Thanks to our  OFFICIAL  ENDORSing COMPANIES TOO:

Hind ocarina: double ocarina

Tribal thunder: oscar drum

Schatten pickups: pickups/di

Ron Ewing dulcimers:baritone dulcimer

Gerry Henkel: 10 strings kantele

Thank you!

My friend (luthier Ron Ewing from http://www.ronewingdulcimers.com/ ) sent me a tutorial book and cd so I can improve my skills at the appalachian dulcimer. He's also building a model for me and i'm excited beyond words about it.

My friend Lisa Stock will be shooting a prequel to her long planned fantasy movie Titania next early june, thus she made a fundraising (promoted even by author Neil Gaiman) to be able to cover the expenses for filming such prequel. I'll be contributing myself with a little song (a reprise of my old song "flying" specially designed for the trailer).  I collaborated with her previously in the short movie "Brother and Sister"
There are only a few days left to go and she needs to archieve the goal to be able to collect the money.
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/LisaStock/titania

I'm planning aobut making a fundraising for Underliving later in the summer
 

Last week we were undone, she was missing through a duct... we thought her dead, did whatever we could, but after no signal in an accesible, cold and empty space within the facade of the building we lost all hope

but she's back and alive  and yes TOTONIKA IS THE CUTEST HAMSTER EVER still and for a long long time more!!!  we cried so much and were so worried, thanks for coming back to us!

Totonika's amazing story can be read in Hector's blog

http://hector-corcin.com/blog

I'm so happy beyond words!!

she loves the lap dulcimer and have good attitude!

I found this by random search, first thanks to the ones that listed me, also thanks to the ones who voted... feel free to post your review

http://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/priscilla_hernandez/ancient_shadows__the_ghost_and_the_fairy_/#ratings

My friend and guitarrist Gaston Iungman is coming tomorrow to visit :). It's been a couple of years we don't see each other (he recorded electric guitar in "Nightmare" song). He'll collaborate in a few tracks of the new album. I'm excited about it, and also to share some tea time with a friend again.

My sweet brother German is also visiting late this week :) I miss him so much!! He's always been the handsome of the family and so clever, fun and nice. I thank him also to be the most supportive of my family regarding my carreer, to the point that he may try to sing a few lines for a couple of my songs...! :) I wish he would decide to move to Barcelona :(. All my family live just too far away.

The new hamster is now officially named Totonika Nova :) and she's a cute little thing. She enjoyes broccoli like crazy and is a lovely excuse to make us laugh and smile at dinner time. But she's a bit crazy and always try to jump from heights when we let her be a bit on her own. It's been many years since my last hammie, but It feels great to have something breathing and alive by your side while you work.

I keep on studying the kantele, I was doing it all wrong so i'm trying to get the proper technique now. I really need to invest a little time to look for band members for next year. We´ré back being only three in the ensemble and I need a percussionist quite urgently... sigh! I'd like to find another girl for the backing vocals specialy if she plays violin or guitar... but i'm not sure if focusing in it right now as I may move soon. Investigating the "youhikko" as I may get one soon. Looks difficult but much more affordable than a nickelarpa. Probably it will sound like a screaming cat first year in my hands but I think it's time for learning some bowed string.

I do send an apology to all my friends for not being so much in touch lately.
Weather is getting nicer... time for long walks!

I absolutely love the sound of my Kantele (thanks once more to Gerry Henkel for building mine. It's amazing how a simple thing can sound so heavently. I composed my first improvisation with it, and I've decided to give it a proper shape into an interlude called "into the mist".

Been also playing like crazy the lap dulcimer (I never played guitar so this one has been hard for me in terms of learning to strum and keep rhythm) but I feel now i'm getting to a poing I can make simple arrangements while I sing and It's so fun. Thank you to Poe and Amelia for this wonderful gift (and congrats on your baby!!) and also to Ron Ewing for the advice to learn to play (your capo looks and work wonderfully on it)!! Of course hammered dulcimer is not deserted and I keep some time a day also with my flutes and the oscar hank drum. It's crazy but I may expend hours practising till my dingers go achy. But I'm glad to have had some time to do this (even if it all looks quiet regarding activity). I needed some time to polish, to study and to approach to new things in my music. I'm starting to study theory too, never did as I'm self taught, but at some point I guess I had to have some background.


I leave you with a pic of me with my double ocarina (the hardest flute I have in terms of playing but also the most special). It was made by Charlie Hind from and it's a brain trainer, believe me. This lovely dress was endorsed by el Costurero Real and the photography was taken by Sebastià Paragolas a week ago for a local magazine. It's sort of a test picture too as I'm performing in the Opening credits of a internet broadcasted independent tv miniseries called "El Cordial de Medianoche" (inspired in the XV century it mixes historical elements with fairytales storytelling) + info coming soon here:
El Cordial de Medianoche




I'm thinking of installing a chat there and schedule maybe one day a week.