the Progress-Not-Perfection ediccione (if you will)

TABLE OF CONTENTS (Please scroll down for complete content.)


THE "NEWS" PART OF eNEWSLETTER:

1) I HAVE JOINED THE STAFF OF PHILADELPHIA WRITERS.COM/PAW PRINT NEWSPAPER AS ITS NEW (AND FIRST EVER) ADVICE COLUMNIST!

2) I AM FEATURED IN CURRENT ISSUES OF TWO LOCAL PAPERS-WRITER BLOCKS & PAW PRINT

3) I HAVE A PUBLISHED ESSAY IN CURRENT ISSUE OF GBF MAGAZINE

4) I HAVE A VERY FULL, COMPLETELY NEW, AND FREQUENTLY UPDATED "TOUR SCHEDULE" WEB PAGE

5) PROMOTIONAL IDEAS IN THE WORKS (CX T-SHIRTS, CONCERT DVDs, STICKERS & STREET TEAM)

6) FORTHCOMING RECORDINGS UPDATES

7) NEW MATERIAL IN THE WORKS (COMEDY SONGS, SPOKEN WORD & AFFIRMATIONS RECORDINGS, FULL BAND & STUDIO PRODUCTION)

8) NEW MANAGER & BOOKING AGENT FOR CASSENDRE: INTRODUCING CYNTHIA MULVANEY OF SERIOUS CREATURE MUSIC!

9) RE-PRINTING/COPYRIGHT REQUESTS

10)THE CASSENDRE XAVIER MUSIC GALLERY
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THE "NEWS" PART OF eNEWSLETTER:

1) I HAVE JOINED THE STAFF OF PHILADELPHIA WRITERS/PAW PRINT NEWSPAPER AS ITS NEW (AND FIRST EVER) ADVICE COLUMNIST!
"Ask Cassendre", which will make its debut in December, will be published in the next issue of the Philadelphia Arts Writers’ PAW Print newspaper. The column will answer questions about independent career art-making, focusing on the day-to-day/ins and outs of making a living as a self-employed writer, artist, musician, etc. I will also be compiling an Artists & Writers Resource Directory, which will include information about health care, finance & business, networking,grants, workshops, conferences, and recommended books.

It is my dream to create and manage a Classifieds and Events Listings section, a place where
community artists, writers, organizations, and independent arts-related companies can post their ads for low cost/sliding scale fees. This dream hasn’t yet been conveyed to PAW Print, but it soon will be!

To learn more about PAW Print, Philadelphia Arts Writers, and "Ask Cassendre", please visit
http://www.philadelphiawriters.com/. PAW Print is also seeking more writers
all genres, so please contact them for that info, too! (Writers email: submissions@philadelphiawriters.com.)

2) I AM FEATURED IN CURRENT ISSUES OF TWO LOCAL PAPERS-WRITER BLOCKS & PAW PRINT.
To read the features in PAW Print (one on the Black Women’s Arts Festival, which I founded
in 2003, and one on me), please visit www.philadelphiawriters.com.
To read the feature on me in the Writer Blocks (newspaper of the Society for Urban Literary Arts), please visit www.writerblocks.com.

3) I HAVE A PUBLISHED ESSAY IN CURRENT ISSUE OF GBF MAGAZINE
I wrote an inspirational self-realization type of article called "Is Fear Holding You Back From Your LIfe?" It appears in the current (Oct 2004) issue of GBF Magazine, which is available for sale (A measly two bucks and well worth it!) at Giovanni’s Room Bookstore, 345 S. 12th St/at Pine, in center city, Philly. Giovanni’s Room phone number is 215-923-2960. For more info about GBF Magazine, please visit http://www.gbfmagazine.com/. (Please note that the online magazine does NOT contain published articles that appear in the print format of the magazine.)

4) I HAVE A VERY FULL, COMPLETELY NEW, AND FREQUENTLY UPDATED "TOUR SCHEDULE" WEB PAGE
As you may know, I do have a personal website (http://www.cassendrexavier.com)/. I took over this site recently, to be able to make as many updates and changes to it as I want to on my own terms and in my own time frame.
Since it has been taking a while to figure out how to download the new site to my computer, I’ve experienced many delays in getting information out to you, My Adoring Fans. So, I decided to use my CD Baby web pages instead. I have several recordings which are being sold at CD Baby, and I can update those pages within seconds as often as I want, and anytime at all. Ive decided to use those pages in the interim, until the new CassendreXavier.com is ready for your eyes again.
So, in the meantime, whenever you want to know what my concert schedule looks like, just go to my page that has all my CDs on it: www.CDbaby.com/all/cassEndrE, and it’ll take you there!

5) PROMOTIONAL IDEAS IN THE WORKS (CX T-SHIRTS, CONCERT DVDs, STICKERS & STREET TEAM)
T-SHIRTS: Yes, Dahlinks, ‘tis true. I’m working on a T-shirt right now... so far, I’m thinking of one that says "With all the trouble in this world..." on the front and "...I can say I am a blessed child." on the back. Of course, it’ll have my website on it. Of course! :-)
My T-shirts will be sold at a reasonable price at my shows.
CONCERT DVDs: At some point, I’m going to record a concert of mine, and make it available to you online at CD Baby.
STICKERS: I’ve been using stickers for a couple of years, putting my favorite quotes on the top, and website address at the bottom, and putting them on my envelopes and packages before mailing. I’ve offered them free via my eNewsletter, and I’ve even sold them to people who came to my show and fell in love with the stickers. In my most recent batch of CDs, however, I’ve included one or two sticker inside of each CD. I think this is a fun idea, and makes customers really enjoy the package even more. Maybe you’ll get a lucky CD sometime soon! (They’re not in stores yet.. Only live CX shows. But that’ll soon be a changin’ as my store stock sells out and new ones are replaced...whoo-hoo!)
STREET TEAM: Every fan of indie music knows what a "street team" is, right? This is when an indie artist or star-in-the-making, black coal diamond-in-the-rough (if you will) reaches out to her fans far und zie wide, offers free concert tickets, promotional materials, VIP status at shows, hugs, and other perks & products, in exchange for distributing flyers, posters, postcards, demo CDs, and other promotional stuff in their neck of the woods or city.
I’m beginning to assemble mine, and already am lucky enough to have found the Leader of the Street Team. Actually, our REAL name is "The Cassendre Xavier Street Workers". The Leader or Chieftess, if you will, of this illustrious bevvy of beauties and beaus, is Madame Alisa Raymond. Alisa said she wanted it to be called "street workers" instead of "team". I loved the idea and thought it was hilarious, so I appointed her the Royal Ruler of the CX Street Team, because I liked her chutzpah, and because Alisa has already done so much to promote my music since we met this past summer at the No Lose Conference (http://www.nolose.org)/.
On the website and stuff, I’m still gonna call it "Street Team" just because I’m a business person and I feel compelled to go with name recognition. Everyone know what a "street team" is. So everyone knows to click on that if they’re interested. Only once they’ve entered the "Street Team" wing (as it were) will they then be introduced to the true nature of our fine tastiness.
Wanna get in on it? Just stay on the line, baby, and we’ll letcha know! Wanna get yer pals and enemies in on the CX Street Workers, too? Tell ‘em to send a blank email with "Street Worker" as the subject to: SeriousCreatureMusic@hotmail.com. If your friend doesn’t have access to
email, s/he can send a postcard to: Serious Creature Music, Attn: CX Street Team, POB 30204, Philadelphia, PA 19103-8204 USA. Folks from all over the WORLD are welcome to respond.
Places I like to perform: colleges/universities, community centers, wedding receptions, corporate functions, benefits & fundraisers, bars and clubs, women’s and folk festivals.
Places I DON’T like to perform: Outdoor barbeques (flies, bug-bites, and bad acoustics, Oh My!). I also really don’t like, and try my best to avoid: gigs that make me no money or sell no CDs. They SUCK! But that’s why I have a manager now, to say, "No, thanks, Sweetie! She’d rather be pulling her toenails out with red-hot pliers!"

Oh, Cynthia, my cute little pit bull of manager. How doth Moi loveth thyself? Let Moi counteth the ways, if thou willest:

"Cynthia, thou readest Moi’s contracts for the fine print imperfections that Moi would’ve otherwise missed. Cynthia, thou telleth non-paying gig offerers that Moi deserveth much more than that kind of treatment. Cynthia, thou insisteth upon Moi receiving cashola el green-o at Moi’s gigs, thereby avoiding the "sorry, the check is late" or other such inconveniences. Oh, Cynthia. If I didn’t already have a lover, Moi woulds’t seriously consider making thee Moi’s. Thank you, thank you, thanketh thee!!" (Now all I have to do is set that to music and I’m set.")

6) FORTHCOMING RECORDINGS NEWS
Live at the Kraftbrau, Kalmazoo was recorded months ago at the Kraftbrau Brewery in Kalamazoo Michigan www.kraftbraubrewery.com. The record is complete and is at this time receiving the final editing touches from my brother, hip hop producer jee eye zee a.k.a. Giscard Xavier. As soon as it’s done, it will be then given to Kerry Wilson, of Jill Of All Trades CD Duplication & Graphics, to turn it into yet another one of my lovely and rabidly sellable CDs! Look out for that in late winter 2004.
Live at the Kraftbrau, Kalamazoo has many new songs, including "One Lucky Girl" about my being a bi-cultural Haitian-American, and "Hatreds Too Easy" a self-explanatory song and haunting ballad.
I also have "Hope (Find Me This Way)", a new audience-participation song. Details later!
The Cassendre Xavier Collection Volume I is ready to go (due out this winter 2004) and features nine tracks, three songs from each of my first recordings The Whittenberg Sessions, Live at Cafe Improv, and the most recent Beautiful. This is my first collection and I’m SO excited about it!! Ialso like offering fans of my music a less expensive option of enjoying songs from previous recordings, when it’s clear I’m a prolific pup who will have dozens of albums by the time I’m fitty (godwilling)!

7) NEW MATERIAL IN THE WORKS (COMEDY SONGS, SPOKEN WORD & AFFIRMATIONS RECORDINGS, FULL BAND & STUDIO PRODUCTION)
Comedy Songs: For my upcoming gigs at Gayety Queer Humor Night at Joe Coffee Bar (see the Tour Schedule), I’ve decided instead of doing stand-up or reading something funny I wrote, to instead attempt composing funny songs and performing them for you, Moi’s Adoring Publique, if you will.

You see, I’ve been told that I’m funny. And I’ve been told I’ve got a nack for this here singin’ thing. So why not combine the best of both worlds to create music and songs to make you laugh?
I’ve teamed up with my lovers past and present-Kelli Dunham and Mark Brakeman, to add mmphh to the lyrics. So far in the works are a parody of "Mack the Knife"-which is an homage to former Philly mayor Ed Rendell’s penchant for restaurant hopping and munching at every turn...it’s called "Ed the Fork" and the lyrics are composed by Mark Brakeman. Kelli would like to come up with a song about the abuse of Alternative Remedies by Lesbians at Womyn’s festivals. We’re working on a song about the evils of commercially-manufactured tampons called "My Coochie’s Not Your Dumping Ground."
Kelli and I have begun a song called "Bending Over Blackwards". That’s a funny tune about how some white people would rather let Black people commit crimes against, or otherwise abuse them, rather than dare to call them out, such is the level of their extreme PC’ism and white guilt.
But it’s not that I don’t like white people! I’m currently schtupping one right now as we speak!
Really! You should see me trying to type right now...it’s quite a challenge with all this going on...but I’d highly recommend it!
I’d also like to compose a tune about my personal addiction...to lip balm. Think I’m kiddin’? There’s entire movement dedicated to exposing the evils of lip balm manufacturers, and offering help to true lip balm addicts. Check out their website (I’m so not kidding!) at www.kevdo.com/lipbalm.
Good luck and hang in there. Step AWAY from the lip balm!!

Spoken Word, etc: I'll be doing that, too, as well as incorporating other musicians in the post-production of my recordings.

8) NEW MANAGER & BOOKING AGENT: INTRODUCING CYNTHIA MULVANEY OF SERIOUS CREATURE MUSIC.
I am now working with a woman who manages my tour schedule and incoming requests for performances. This new arrangement has been wonderful in that it allows me to continue doing what I do best, perform and deal directly with My Adoring Public, while leaving the other gig-gettin’ stuff, like reviewing and processing contracts and similar paperwork, to someone who rules at that kind of thing.

Cynthia is your girl if you ever wanna book me for anything.

She can be reached at:

Serious Creature Music
Attn: Cynthia Mulvaney, Artist Mgmt.
POB 30204
Philadelphia, PA 19103-8204
Email (preferred): SeriousCreatureMusic@hotmail.com
Mobile: (available upon email request)

9) RE-PRINTING/COPYRIGHT REQUESTS:
As you know, I’ve always welcomed the copying/"bootlegging" of my music. Every new CD I’ve put out since 2003 has said on it "Please feel free to copy and share this music." All I’ve asked is that they not be sold, and that my contact info: www.cdbaby.com/all/cassEndrE or http://www.cassendrexavier.com/ be included on all copies.
If you’re exchanging online downloads of my music with your friends and business associates worldwide, please just include my contact info in an email or whatever it is you sexy computer nerds do.
The same goes for my ME ME ME eNewsletter or anything I write. Whether it’s my emails or my chapbooks of writing, please feel free to copy and give away not sell, them to any and everyone you want to share my work with.
I appreciate the promotion of my work and look forward to hearing from new folks who’ve been introduced to my music and writing. Thank you as always for your bra-like support! Feels good to be supported, and not flippin’ & floppin’ about like completely uncontrolled, half-filled water ballons.

10) THE CASSENDRE XAVIER MUSIC GALLERY
For quick-stop shopping, and to listen to EVERY track from EVERY one of my CDs, you can very easily just visit my complete collection. The site is frequently updated and kept very accurate by Yorz Trooli. Visit the Cassendre Xavier Music Gallery at www.cdbaby.com/all/cassEndrE.
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THE "LETTER" PART OF eNEWSLETTER:

TABLE OF CONTENTS (Please scroll down for complete content.)

A) GREETINGS UND ZIE SALUTACCIONES (AS IT WERE)
1) MY EATING IS (STILL!) OUT OF CONTROL...
2) CD BABY $5 SALE ROCKS!
3) THINGS THAT HAVE BROUGHT ME THE MOST JOY THE PAST FEW WEEKS
4) THINGS THAT HAVE BEEN NOT NEARLY AS ENJOYABLE
5) BIGGEST, COOLEST LESSONS I'VE LEARNED LATELY
6) THINGS I'M MOST GRATEFUL FOR
7) ME! ME! ME! PLUG O' THE MONTH: SISTERS' SANCTUARY
8) CALL FOR SERVICE (VOLUNTEERS TO ORGANIZE THE BLACK WOMEN'S ARTS FESTIVAL)
9) THANK YOU AND GOOD-NIGHT


A) GREETINGS UND ZIE SALUTACCIONES (AS IT WERE)
Helloooooo, m’wee pupperlings, how are you?!
I have missed ye terribly and I am SO happy to be back in touch with you!
I’ve been busy gigging, traveling to und zie fro, meeting folkseses, shakin’ the hands, if you will. Huggin the random stranger and new supporter of Moi’s Musique as it were. It’s been absolutely delightful and life changing. I’d recommend it to anyone!
I’ve enjoyed meeting your beautiful loveliness at the Charm City Kitty Club "Amazing Amazone" event at the Creative Alliance in Baltimore, MD. I’ve love shaking your handsome manly hands in Suburban Station whilst you hurried yourself off to work after and before your lunch break. I’ve loved meeting your adorable, huggable self at the Pride Center of NJ’s "Out of the Box" open mic event. I’ve enjoyed meeting you at various private events. And I very much look forward to seeing you again soon! I hope you can attend my various Borders Books & Music upcoming performances. I’ll be in Newark & Wilmington Delaware, and in Philly’s own center city store at Broad & Chestnut. All these appearances are full concerts, from 7-9pm, and totally FREE FREE FREEEE liken zie vind! I’ll be selling copies of my CDs. Borders no longer pays musicians to perform there, so I’m not going to be the least shy to ask that you either bring friends. Also, please remember that my main purpose in performing free/non-paying gigs is to promote my music through sales. I do accept plastic. You should see my credit card swiper. VERY sexy, honey, VERY sexy ;-)

1) MY EATING IS (STILL) OUT OF CONTROL!! OR "RAW FOODS DIET MY BIG FAT ASS!!"
(ACTUALLY MY ASS IS NEITHER BIG NOR FAT...I JUST THREW THAT IN FOR EFFECT.
I LIKE TO "AFFECT" YOU GUYS AND GALS. AND YOU LOVE IT ANYWAY SO THERE!
I DON’T KNOW WHY I FELT THE NEED TO PUT THAT IN ALL CAPS. BUT I DID IT AND
THAT’S OKAY. AFTER ALL, I’M GOOD ENOUGH, I’M SMART ENOUGH, AND DOGGONE
IT, PEOPLE SAY THEY LIKE ME EVEN THOUGH I DON’T ALWAYS BELIEVE THEM, BUT
QUITE FRANKLY THAT’S MY OWN SELF-ESTEEM ISSUE AND I’M WORKING ON IT EVERY DAY. MAKING PROGRESS, TOO. YEP! PROGRESS, NOT PERFECTION!)
My goodness. Right when I think I’ve got this compulsive overeating under control BAM, it comes back again to remind me how strong it is, even when it’s sleeping. For four days I ate only raw foods, (for health and state-of-mind reasons) vegetables, fruits, seeds, and nuts, that sort of thing. And when I was around like-minded people, it was fine, I received support and it worked and was relatively effortless. I was in Baltimore for two gigs in a weekend. I was around folks who drove me to where I was staying, instead of taking me to some restaurant that everyone was going to. There was food around that I could eat, and I was taken to a Whole Foods market to shop for more, and then I was taken to lunch at a vegetarian restaurant where I had my first veggie/juicing experience. Orgasmic, honey, Orgazzzmic. I’m workin’ on this "honey" thing. What do you think, you like it? I don’t think it’s really me, though I like it. That means, I’m gonna lose it. ‘Cause even though I like it, it ain’t Moi. You know how that is. Anyway...
I’m not going to wax eloquent about why I overeat or what my stuffing experience is like.
Not because I don’t wanna, but just because I’ve been writing all day and I’m tired. It’s getting to be time to pleasure myself and then take a nice nap. Did I just say that out loud? Anyway...
The latest is that I’m going to experiment with not having any food restrictions and just notice what I like. It shouldn’t be too hard to be relatively healthy, since my favorite things to eat are short grain brown rice and vegetables. I do have to control my sweets and salt intake. But I’m bored of this topic. Next!
Oh yeah, I remember why I brought up this whole overeating thing. Because it fills me with despair. Because most of the time my state of mind and outlook on life are affected by whether or not my eating disorder is active, and these days, it’s been very active. When it’s not active, I’m pretty happy and hopeful, and productive in my life’s work and fairly balanced in my relationships. When my eating disorder is active, I’m irritable, not nearly as productive, have more tendencies to be self-destructive, and stress out my partner with irrational behavior. The end.

2) CD BABY $5 CD SALE ROCKS!!! (RECOMMENDED & CX-REVIEWED ARTISTS & TITLES)
So, if you go to CDbaby.com and click onto the $5 sale section, you’ll find lots of titles from all sorts of genres of the indie recording artist that CD Baby sells music for. The neat thing about these is that they’re full-priced CDs which if you bought separately would still be full-price, but if you buy three of any of these artists’ CDs, their prices reduce to a fabulously low $5! Another great thing about CD Baby is after your first purchase, you qualify for a free CD the next time you order!
Here are some artists whose work I’ve enjoyed as part of the $5 promotion:
(You can find them in CD Baby and listen to their CDs online!)
Cristina Orbe: Sway www.cdbaby.com/cd/cristinaorbe
Saranji: balance your chi cdbaby.com/cd/saranji
The Shee Collective: a compilation by women artist of new jersey cdbaby.com/cd/shee
Suzi Katz: three day rain cdbaby.com/cd/suzikatz
Suzi Katz: suzi katz cdbaby.com/cd/suzikatz2
(Past purchases...doublecheck to make sure these CDs are still being sold for $5)
Inobe: I Am Inobe
Shadiya: Heart of a Woman
Here are some amazing CD Baby artists that I’ve found (NOT sale price):
KJ Denhert (an out, Black, guitarist, singer-songwriter whose jazzy bluesy sound makes her much like a guitar-playing Tania Maria. Tania Maria is a sultry Brazilian jazz pianist, singer, and composer.)
Bird York (a TV actress and amazing songwriter and sultry deep-voiced singer)
Rachel Cahn cdbaby.com/cd/rachelcahn

3) THINGS THAT HAVE BROUGHT ME THE MOST JOY THESE PAST FEW WEEKS
Credit card sales through CD Baby.
Making progress in my outlook on life and in my spiritual practice.
Making progress in my musical career.
Making progress in my relationships.
Knowing that everything’s gonna be okay.
Not worrying about my rent, utilities, phone bill, post office box or other payments.

4) THINGS THAT HAVE BEEN NOT NEARLY AS ENJOYABLE
Being upset at people for being the way they goshdarned are. Goshdarn it. They can’t help being annoying and imperfect. I’m annoying and imperfect, and people just let me be that way. Why can’t I do the same for them?
Repeatedly attracting people with a negative outlook on life.
Realizing they are only aspects of myself that I should deal with.

5) BIGGEST, COOLEST LESSONS I’VE LEARNED LATELY
I can create exactly the type and kind of life that I want.
Everything can be easy.
I can get what I want by being, today, the essence of the person I expect I will be when I get "there".
The journey is the destination, so I can be completely blissful now, and not wait a second longer to be in a happy place living an ecstatic "new" life.
I can always start anew.
I can be exactly who and how I want to be.
The best way to help others is to help myself first.

6) THINGS I’M MOST GRATEFUL FOR
My mate, boyfriend, partner, and supporter. All of them! Just kiddin’! Just one bright and beautiful man.
My sister, brother, parents, Kelli, sistafriends and other black female writers, artists, musicians, and supporters of my artistic self.

7) ME ME ME PLUG O’ THE MONTH: SISTERS’ SANCTUARY
A marvelous networking and support group for and about Black women www.sisterssanctuary.com. Founder director and filmmaker Lacey C. Clark! (exclamation point is part of her name) has recently partnered Sisters’ Sanctuary with Jill Scott’s Blues Babe Foundation.

8) CALL FOR SERVICE (SISTA VOLUNTEERS WANTED TO ORGANIZE THE BLACK WOMEN’S ARTS FESTIVAL 2005) EMAIL: BWAFPHILLY@HOTMAIL.COM
Philadelphia’s Black Women’s Arts Festival needs YOU (Black women ages 17 and up) to help organize our third annual festival. If interested, please email BWAFphilly@hotmail.com. (After the organizers have formed committees, then anyone can volunteer to produce the event. But the organizers themselves out to be Black chyks. It’s my festival (I founded it in 2003) and I can choose
if I want to, choose if I want to, choose if I want to. So there!)

9) THANK YOU AND GOOD NIGHT
I hope you dug this issue of ME ME ME, my sweet pupperlinks. See ya on the road, in the concert halls, on the Grammy’s, etc... the usual!
All best to you and yours. Take the best care of your self. Rock on and remember, nothing gets you as laid as the afterglow of *VOTING.
Warmly,
Cassendre Xavier
Singer-songwriter & Independent Recording Artist
Visit the Cassendre Xavier Music Gallery at http://www.cdbaby.com/all/cassEndre

*(Voting info: www.michaelmoore.com)


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