ful Music Insider: Michelle Penn

Hey everyone! It's Michelle Penn here, reporting from my home recording studio in Los Angeles. As an indie musician, sometimes I feel a bit ill-equipped to do as much as I'd like. There's always a better guitar, a better recording technology, a purer sound to pursue. And in terms of audience, I imagine I've entered the great Twitter race as the turtle, slowly and steadily pushing to earn more followers than that rabbit Ashton Kutcher -- only he's on 3g and I'm still on dial-up. But despite the inherent challenges of this business, there's nowhere I'd rather be than in the studio, just me and the music.

And that's exactly where I've been for the past few months. I recently finished a new song dedicated to the men and women of the U.S. Armed Forces, hoping for their safe return home. (Look for it on iTunes soon! It's called "I Need to Know.") I'm in early talks to shoot a music video as well, perhaps with the cooperation of the USO. I'm polishing a couple of other new songs, nearly ready for mixing and mastering. I find those final mix sessions most exciting -- hearing all the pieces finally come together in finished form. As an artist, transforming the song from mere ramblings in my head into something fully-formed and tangible is an amazing experience. I truly believe it's a universal pursuit -- the desire to make something from nothing -- no matter what the context. Whether it's a platinum-selling song or one shared only in the coffeehouse, the process and the intrinsic reward remain the same. To check out some of my latest work, check out www.myspace.com/michellepenn. As summer approaches, I find myself seeking out song placements for the upcoming fall TV season. I'm excited to report that I'm currently hard at work on the theme for a TV pilot -- the details of which are still heavily under wraps. But I look forward to exploding with that good news soon! So stay posted! Finally, since ful has brought me to your attention, I can't let you go without a quick review of the new music line. After enduring years of luggage mishaps while touring nationwide, I'm exited to know my tour manager will have no problem recognizing our bags right out of the chute. And a bag built specifically for my needs? This turtle just got a lot faster -- watch out, Ashton. I'm planning on returning to my hometown of Detroit later this year to reunite with my old band and rock a few of my favorite local haunts -- and ful will be right there with me!