emilyarupp

[emilyarupp]

The first night of Morgan Town Mic was a success!

We had music and story telling and even a brave soul from the bar joined some musicians for a collaborated inprov story/song!

I'll be hosting an open mic night at Morgan Town at 44 Wilson Ave. in Bushwick every Wednesday night! There is a house guitar, a piano, and a stage for you to share music, comedy, rants, and whatever else you need to express!

Every Wednesday at 8 PM - Sign up is a first come first perform basis

[emilyarupp]

Recipe 1 - Homemade Veggie Soup with Black Eyed Peas

I love soup. I love cooking with my crockpot. I love veggies.

Vegatables are my favorite food group. They are so versitile and can provide such a wide range of texture to any dish. Don't get it twisted, I am a hardcore carnivore and one of my favorite meal items is a big ol' cheeseburger. HOWEVER - sometimes it's a nice cleanse to use any veggies left in the fridge and let your bod chill and enjoy a hearty, soul warming soup. 

Check out my recipe after the jump.

Homemade Veggie Soup with Black Eyed Peas

By Emily Rupp

Ingredients

For this recipe I started with a base of homemade veggie broth that I had in my freezer. If you don't make your own stock/broth, any store bought kind will work. I'd reccommend sticking with a veggie base for this rather than chicken stock/broth. This was also my first time using black eye peas. I actually don't think I've ever eaten them before. I wanted a protein element without adding meat and I couldn't think of a bean or grain to add. After browsing at the store I settled on these and it worked out great - it really brought the earthy taste that I was looking for when I decided on making this veggie based soup.

About 36 oz of Vegatable broth 2 cans of black eye peas, drained and rinsed 1 can of corn, drained and rinsed  1 tbs of minced garlic 1 onion, chopped 1 green pepper, chopped 1 medium sweet potato, peeled & cubed 3 carrots, peeled & cubed 3 celery ribs, chopped 2 bay leaves Salt & Pepper Italian seasoning (dried basil, parsley, oregano, etc) Optional toppings: Parmesan cheese and fresh green onion

Here's the easy part: Put everything into the crock pot and walk away.

I added my items in the crock pot before bed on high heat. When I woke up, I turned the heat down and let it hang out on low heat all day while I was at work. 

I like to lightly season at the very beginning adding a small amount of salt, pepper, and any dried herbs I'd like to bring in flavor and then when I plate(or bowl in this case), each person can add any additional seasonings to their own preference. Sometines I get caught up with seasoning my soups. Anytime you add something it gets amplified over time - so by adding too much salt or pepper or spice will only make it get even saltier, spicier, etc over the rest of the cooking time. And nobody likes a one-note soup. 

The parmesan and green onion added a great flavor and freshness to the finished bowl of soup. It's always a pallate pleaser to add a fresh element to your soup servings. Soups are usually similar textured things in a liquid which isn't the most exciting thing for your mouth; but add something fresh like cilantro or green onion, and the brightness adds an element of excitement for your mouth.

Serve with a crusty chunk of french bread and you've got yourself a hearty meal!

HAPPY EATING

[emilyarupp]

Second week of Emily Idol!

This week I covered "Beautiful Disaster" by Kelly Clarkson. Kristen O'Connor of the American Idol top 12 sang this song on the show this week. My pal Elizabeth Seldin recorded this video in the beautiful Dragon's Egg studio in Connecticut during The Belief Project 3.0. Shoutout to Hannah Vaughn for playing the role of music stand!

Check out the video on my YouTube channel!

[emilyarupp]

Creative people...they are everywhere, aren't they? Whether they are called "artists" or "crafters" or "sculptors" or "designers" or "architects" or "engineers"...these are people who create meaningful products, solutions, and ideas while living a life that honors their creativity. Here are 5 steps to believe you are a creative person too.

I'm going on an artists retreat this weekend with FullStop Collective to create more material for The Belief Project. We are going to be exploring actions vs. belief and also opposing beliefs. While doing my research, I came accross this great article with some points about believing in yourself as a creative, no matter what your artistic medium is. Give it a read and let it inspire you to be the creative person you were born to be!

[emilyarupp]

Some photos from my show at Morgan Town in Bushwick shot by my brother, Chris Rupp. The bottom photo is from a new fan, Cee Cee who was taking photos and in between songs asked if she could take a photo for instagram - to which I replied OF COURSE! What a great turnout for the evening, everyone had a really really fun time!

See a few more photos on my facebook page here.

[emilyarupp]

bkbazaar's video on Instagram

[emilyarupp]

I've started a series on my YouTube channel called Emily Idol! 

Each week of American Idol's live shows, I'll cover a song that's been performed on the show! This week was the first of the live shows and I was inspired by Alex Preston's cover of "Volcano" by Damien Rice. Check out my own version of it on YouTube and share it all you want using the hastag #EmilyIdol

[emilyarupp]

This Wednesday, February 26th I'll be performing some tunes at Morgan Town in Bushwick, Brooklyn. A new spot on the scene that is a wonderful place for events, art shows, film screenings, with great drinks and a great staff. Check out there recently launched website at www.MorganTownBar.com and come hang with me this Wednesday!

Wednesday, February 26th at 9 PM MorganTown  44 Wilson Ave. (between George St & Melrose St.) Take the L train to Morgan Ave. Directions on Google here

[emilyarupp]

Word Association

I asked social media to give me one word to use for inspiration for songwriting. So far I've recieved: 

nerve

paint

luminescence

cowbell

incandescent

What words ring true to you right now that you can share to help inspire?

[emilyarupp]

Eye spy myself up on Bushwick Daily again!

This time I thought it appropriate to head out to a meeting in Bushwick with a purple sweater and purple lipstick. I guess it worked.

Check out the full post on Bushwick Daily here.

[emilyarupp]

Lyrics Pt 2. Do What You Want

2. In honor of today being V-day, I'm going to share my lovely ukulele tune called "Do What You Want". A song that spreads the message to #rise4justice and to do what you want with your life. 

(Photo by Bridget Badore)

The statistic that 1 in 3 women will suffer violence in their lifetime is alarming. News outlets seem to always have a breaking news headline that involves violence and quite often violence against women. At the time I wrote this song in 2011, there happened to be a lot of reports of domestic violence being covered by the media. I wrote this song through voices of a female victim and her inner conscious telling her to live her own life and do what she wants - that "independence isn't just his right". Listen to a live recording of this track and read the full lyrics here.

I don’t know how much more I can take

You are the one who can make me break

One day you’ll say, “why you look so down?”

I’ll run, I’ll hide, not to show my frown

Baby won’t you wipe those tears from your eyes

Wipe away all the sadness and lies

You don’t need him darling you’re better off

Just live your own life and do what you want

I didn’t know it would be so hard

I should have known to keep up my guard

One day you’ll say, “honey, why so blue?”

I’ll laugh, I’ll sigh, oh it’s nothing new

Baby won’t you wipe those tears from your eyes

Wipe away all the sadness and lies

You don’t need him darling you’re better off

Just live your own life and do what you want

Do what you want  

Don’t you want to live your own life

Independence isn’t just his right

Unlock your door and live a life that’s more

Cause you’re worth so much so much more

Yeah you’re worth so much, much more

Look around at your brand new world

No more trouble to make your dreams blur

You didn’t need him darling you’re better off

Now live your life and do what you want

Live your own life and do what you want

Do what you want

To learn more about the V-day campaign and the 1 Billion Rising initiative, visit www.VDay.org.

All music and lyrics are the copyrighted property of Emily Rupp

[emilyarupp]

Together we will RISE! Find more info about how people all around the globe #rise4justice at OneBillionRising.org

[emilyarupp]

Check me out on BushwickDaily.com's weekly style post.

[emilyarupp]

Lyrics Pt 1. Home Is Where The Heart Is

1. For my first entry of lyrics, I'm going to share my award winning tune - "Home Is Where The Heart Is".

(Photo by Leah Overstreet)

I moved to NYC right after high school. I'd lived in the same house since since I was born and then all of a sudden I'm a little fish in the big pond of New York. I talked to family and friends on the phone or on skype on a regular basis but it was lonely sometimes when I really wanted a hug or when I was missing laying in the grass in my backyard away from the city's hustle and bustle. This is a song for anyone who is away from "home" and trying to find their place.

The wind sounds so different now that I'm so far from home

I just can't seem to find a place to call my own

I see family pictures on the wall

Repeating memories that I recall

No matter how far, you will always be with me

I'll never forget the times that we have shared

The new places that I go,

The new things that I will see will always remind me

Home is where the heart is

I see buildings reaching for the sky but I'm used to an open road

Life may be much better now or at least that's what I'm told

Living each day as a new beginning

I've got no regrets from yesterday

No matter how far, you will always be with me

I'll never forget the times that we have shared

The new places that I go,

The new things that I will see will always remind me

Home is where the heart is

This song won me my first singer/songwriter competition in 2011. Recording Artists Development, Inc. rewarded me with studio time to record this track produced by Phil Carroll. I play guitar, flute, and sing on the track with additional guitar by Matthew Kiss.

All music and lyrics are the copyrighted property of Emily Rupp

[emilyarupp]

Show poster and live photo from my performance at The Trash Bar back in November. So much variety. SO MUCH FUN!

Photo by Lyz Manikas

[emilyarupp]

Random Act of Kidness

Last night I was on my way home from work in the cold, cold Brooklyn air and passed a gentleman sitting on the ground with a beat up cardboard sign asking for money and food. I didn't have any cash and walked passed as that sight isn't particularly unusual in NYC, but then suddenly felt compelled to bring him something.

As soon as I entered my apartment nearby I grabbed some leftover potato rolls and some extra goodies that I've been baking for friends recently and put them in a bag. When I returned to his spot, he was gone! It had only been but five minutes and he had disappeared. I walked around the block to see if he'd relocated and spotted him walking with his backpack that was taller than his head and went far out past each of his shoulders. I ran to catch up with him.

He had tattoos all over his face, gloves with no fingers, a slight limp on one leg, and kind eyes. I asked if he would like some food and I gave him what I had. His blue eyes lit up and he said thank you several times and then he was on his way.

"To give pleasure to a single heart by a single act is better than a thousand heads bowing in prayer."

- Mahatma Gandhi

You can do a random act of kindness everyday. Put it into action and make it a routine.

[emilyarupp]

Not that this video is a definitive representation of #sexism, but maybe it'll open your eyes a little bit wider