Bourbon Vanilla Apple Cider Donuts
I tried this recipe for Thanksgiving this year and it was a HUGE hit! I was planning to try a different recipe for fried donuts, but lets be honest. Mama didn’t need the stress of burning down the kitchen with experimental donut frying while chasing after a toddler on Thanksgiving morning.
I’ll tell you what I was thankful for: this recipe for baked apple cider donuts! Frying is a big “no.” Baking I can do! My recipe is adapted from Sally’s Baking Addiction. I tweaked a few ingredients and added my own twist. My in-laws loved them. I’ll make them again!
Make sure you reduce your apple cider on the stove to pack a punch of flavor in the donuts. Allow the cider to cool before using it in the recipe. I reduced mine the night before to get a head start.
You also want to make sure your donuts are cooled enough to handle before trudging them into the topping.
Other than those two quick notes, this recipe is really simple and easy to make. These donuts might just become a fall tradition in my house!
Try the Drink…
Bourbon Cowboy Twist
Catch the episode!
Ep. 02 - The Importance of Keeping it Super Real - Jenny Gill
Ep. 01: The Power of Persistence - Whitney Duncan
In this inaugural episode of Happiest Hour, my guest is recording artist, songwriter and reality TV star, Whitney Duncan. You may recognize Whitney from her single, “Skinny Dippin’” or from her appearances on Survivor, Nashville Star and The Amazing Race!
Ep. 01 The Power of Persistence - Whitney Duncan
In this inaugural episode of Happiest Hour, my guest is recording artist, songwriter and reality TV star, Whitney Duncan. You may recognize Whitney from her single, “Skinny Dippin’” or from her appearances on Survivor, Nashville Star and The Amazing Race!
Whitney shares about the power of persistence in both her personal and work life. We also cover:
• Being multi-passionate and finding balance between a variety of interests
• How to navigate the different career phases of a professional musician
• We unexpectedly took a deep dive into our family planning stories — including IVF struggles and pregnancy loss.
If you watch the live video of this episode on YouTube, you’ll notice that Whitney is pregnant! Her little bundle of joy came a few weeks early and she is now living the full-on mom life!
Follow along Whitney’s journey on her Instagram and listen to her music on Spotify.
Don’t Forget the Recipes!
We paired two delicious recipes with this episode. Grab them below. Cheers!
Hack for Super Creamy Hot Chocolate
Classic Roasted Root Vegetables - Perfect for your holiday table!
More Happiest Hour…
Jeb's Super Creamy Hot Chocolate
Music, friendship and food are three of my favorite things. When I first hatched the plan for my new podcast, Happiest Hour, I knew I wanted to chat with my guests over a delicious beverage and share recipes. In Ep. 01, my guest is recording artist, reality TV star, and super pregnant, Whitney Duncan!
I turned to my supporters in our private Facebook group to find a few good recipes I could share. They had some great suggestions!
One idea came from Jeb in Virginia. It’s really more of a hack than a recipe, but it’s a darn good way make simple hot chocolate super creamy and kid-friendly so that the whole family can get involved! This was a perfect choice for Whitney, my mama-to-be podcast guest.
A hand frother or a blender will be your best friend for this hack. And don’t forget the marshmallows!
Try this Easy Side…
Classic Roasted Root Vegetables
Add beautiful color and delicious nutrition to your holiday table with this quick and easy side dish!
This nutritious and delicious side dish will be the perfect addition to your holiday table! Get the easy weekend recipe paired with this week’s Happiest Hour episode here.
Catch the Episode!
→ More Happiest Hour Episodes
Ep. 01 - The Power of Persistence - Whitney Duncan
Classic Roasted Root Vegetables
This is the PERFECT side dish for your holiday table! And it’s easy as pie to make — except it’s more nutritious than pie. 😉 This rustic roasted veggie dish will add beautiful color to your plate.
Dan doesn’t even like cooked carrots, but he LOVES this dish. And can we take a moment to talk about fennel? I’ve been sleeping on fennel! One of Dan’s favorite recipes that I cook utilizes fennel seed, but I have never tried the real thing until recently. Now, I slice raw fennel into my salads, I use the fronds in homemade salad dressings, and I chop it into wedges for this beautiful dish. If you’re not familiar with fennel either, don’t let it intimidate you. Treat it just like an onion. Trim off the ends, peel back the top layer and you’re good to go.
Check out how easy and delicious getting your veggies in will be with this easy weekend side dish:
Try this Beverage…
Super Creamy Hot Chocolate
In Episode 01 of Happiest Hour, my guest, Whitney Duncan, and I tried this hack that will make your next cup of hot chocolate super creamy. Check out the drink recipe paired with this week’s Happiest Hour episode here.
Catch the Episode!
Ep. 01 - The Power of Persistence - Whitney Duncan
How the Happiest Hour was Born
How “taking over” Living with Landyn’s Instagram feed for a day planted the seed for the Happiest Hour Podcast and why shining a spotlight on the inspirational people in my life feels so important.
Catch the Trailer…
Over the summer, I had the opportunity to “take over” the Instagram page of one of my favorite lifestyle entrepreneur’s, Landyn Hutchinson of Living with Landyn. For one day, I shared what it’s like in a day-in-the-life of a professional singer/songwriter, my favorite life hacks, recipes, books, and most importantly (to me), inspirational people and organizations that have transformed my life.
I received a bunch of DM’s on my Instagram page asking me for more information and recommendations. I mean… what?! I’m a working singer/songwriter mom having a little fun playing “Landyn” for a day. I did NOT expect people to turn to me for advice on life or lipgloss.
One of the most popular questions I received from that day was: how do you foster such a strong sense of community in your life as an adult, and how can I find ways to transform my own life?
Sometimes social media can feel super gross and self-indulgent to me, but it felt so comfortable and fun to shine a spotlight on other people in my life. Then to go a step further and realize that by sharing about who and what inspired me was actually helping other people… whew! That felt fulfilling!
That’s when it hit me.
I took inventory about what was so meaningful to me about that Instagram takeover day. Authentic connection, fostering community, fun, food, drinks… well, heck. That sounds like one of my favorite things: happy hour!
“But better,” I thought to myself. What’s better than happy hour?
The Happiest Hour!
The idea for the Happiest Hour was conceived.
Lauren Lucas with her first guest, recording artist and reality TV star, Whitney Duncan.
I hope you enjoy this inaugural season of the Happiest Hour. It’s a space to find inspiration and feel authentically connected with the world around you. I interview the most inspiring people in my life in the fields of music, film, wellness, and creative entrepreneurship. You’ll find a shot of humor and a dash of down-to-earth grit in each episode. My guests and I don’t shy away from real talk! Plus, we pair a delicious beverage and an easy weekend recipe with each episode. You can find the recipes and more information about my guests right here on my website.
Find the Happiest Hour on your favorite podcast platform or watch the live interview on YouTube.
The trailer is available NOW! Click the buttons below to enjoy. ↓
The Best of Happiest Hour
Savory & Salty Roasted Pumpkin Seeds
There are so many flavor variations out there for roasting pumpkin seeds. My personal favorite is a savory and salty seasoning that’s easy and delicious! I got the thumb’s up from my son, who loved the taste. My home smelled cozy and amazing during the roasting process, which is an extra bonus! Plus, I’m saving some money because nuts and seeds are expensive! I’ll eat a handful of seeds as a snack, sprinkle them in soup or on top of my salad for lunch.
Read on to get the recipe for perfectly roasted savory and salty pumpkin seeds.
When I was in college, my roommates and I would visit Gentry Farms in Franklin, TN and pick the perfect pumpkin, then carve a jack-o-lantern just before Halloween. I’m almost positive it was a Martha Stewart recipe for roasting pumpkin seeds that initially inspired me, and now I look forward to roasting my jack-o-lantern’s seeds every year. I doesn’t get more fall than that!
My two year old and I carved our jack-o-lantern this weekend and roasted the seeds. These days, I just go by memory for the recipe, so I’m sharing with you how I seasoned and achieved perfectly roasted pumpkin seeds.
There are so many flavor variations out there for roasting pumpkin seeds. My personal favorite is a savory and salty seasoning that’s easy and delicious! I got the thumb’s up from my son, who loved the taste. My home smelled cozy and amazing during the roasting process, which is an extra bonus! Plus, I’m saving some money because nuts and seeds are expensive! I’ll eat a handful of seeds as a snack, sprinkle them in soup or on top of my salad for lunch.
Read on to get the recipe for perfectly roasted savory and salty pumpkin seeds.
Recipe card for Savory & Salty Roasted Pumpkin Seeds by Lauren Lucas
Sweet & Spicy Avocado Toast
I don’t know about you, but I tend to eat the same thing for breakfast over and over again until I’m sick of it. Then, I stand in front of the refrigerator with the doors flung wide open wondering what to make because nothing sounds good.
Enter: sweet & spicy avocado toast!
Read on to learn how to make this super quick and easy breakfast recipe.
I have been LIVING for this avocado toast variation. I don’t know about you, but I tend to eat the same thing for breakfast over and over again until I’m sick of it. Then, I stand in front of the refrigerator with the doors flung wide open wondering what to make because nothing sounds good.
Enter: sweet & spicy avocado toast!
I used to make the standard avo toast — a little avocado sprinkled with salt. Or, I’d throw an egg on top. Those are good, but this recipe takes it to the next level for flavor.
My wellness coach, Cindy, first recommended I try this breakfast staple with gorgonzola cheese for some extra flavor. Cheese may as well be my love language, so I was all in for this suggestion. And the gorgonzola does pack a delicious punch!
Then, I started getting creative and improvising. It’s very mediterranean of me to combine pistachios and honey. That’s such a yummy combo! If you get Mike’s Hot Honey (or a similar brand), you’ll get just the right amount of heat.
On the other hand, I use regular honey (no heat) and remove the pistachios for my toddler. He loves the more simplistic avo toast with a little gorgonzola. (That seems awfully fancy for a 2-year-old, but he can’t get enough!)
I’m a busy mama trying to get the household together in the mornings and out the door. This sweet and spicy avocado recipe is super quick and easy. I also love that it’s full of nutrition with the whole wheat bread, healthy fats from the avocado and added protein from the nuts.
Give this variation a try. Or try your own variation and let me know what you come up with!
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3 Things Every Songwriter Should Know About Using Imagery
As I'm preparing to teach my songwriting class at Belmont University, I'm reminded of something my friend Jamie Floyd shared with the audience about songwriting at our recent show at the Bluebird Cafe: the more detailed and personal the lyrics, the more universal the message for the listener. It seems counterintuitive, but it's true. In fact, the text we use for our songwriting class begins with this very lesson. Read on to learn 3 things to remember when using imagery in your lyrics…
Read on and you’ll see what I mean. Here are 3 things songwriters should remember about using imagery in their lyrics:
The other day, I was preparing for the next lesson in my songwriting class at Belmont University. The lesson was about using description and imagery. I was reminded of something my friend, Jamie Floyd, shared with the audience at the Bluebird Cafe about songwriting at our recent show together: the more detailed and personal the lyrics, the more universal the message for the listener. That might sound counterintuitive, but it's true.
Image by my friend and former band mate, Clint McKoy!
One way to make a song’s message universal is by using imagery. Read on and you’ll see what I mean. Here are 3 things songwriters should remember about using imagery in their lyrics:
Make the details personal: The steady “tap tap tap” sound of summer rain dripping out of the gutter is the backbeat of my backyard. Water pools in this one little dip of our flagstone patio. It doesn’t stand a chance. High-pitched squeals and the faint smell of rubber come crashing through the backdoor as my toddler’s yellow boots aim right for the puddle: splat!
In my head, I am seeing exactly the way my backyard looks after it rains. I see where the gutter hangs on the corner of my house, and where my son’s favorite puddle forms on our back patio.
You have no clue what my backyard looks like, and you don’t have to in order to make a connection to that image. While I’m describing my backyard after a summer rain, your brain is likely envisioning an experience you’ve had about summer rain. When we draw from details in our own lives, our experiences transfer to the mind’s eye of our listener. Our audience inputs imagery from their own life or imagination.
Use poetic license: In Pat Pattison’s book, Writing Better Lyrics, he warns songwriters not to let reality get in the way of the truth. Yes, drawing from our own lives can help us jumpstart a song idea, but we don’t have to tell every detail exactly the way it happened. The truth lives in the universal emotion of our human stories. Allow your imagination to wander. Have some fun! If it’s better for the song to make the car a little red Rodeo with Texas plates (who caught my 90’s Collin Raye reference?! 🙋🏻♀️), but in reality, it was a Honda Civic, go with the candy apple red Rodeo!
You can train your brain: My mom recently reminded me that one of my greatest music teachers growing up, Dr. Dick Goodwin, told her years ago that people think songwriting is an innate talent, but in fact, it is absolutely a learned skill. You can get better at using imagery in your writing simply by practicing. Here’s an idea: after you wake up and get your first cup of coffee, set a timer for 5 minutes. Think of a childhood memory and describe it in as much detail as possible. Allow your language to show rather than tell. When time is up, stop writing. The next morning, choose a different childhood memory and do it again. Then do it again the next day. And again the next. And the next. Pretty soon, your brain will become accustomed to looking for the details more quickly and with greater ease.
As listeners, we all know that incredible feeling when a song speaks directly to us; like somehow the songwriter must have jumped in our skin and lived our life when we weren’t looking. As songwriters, we yearn to write songs that make people feel that way. Keeping your imagery detailed and personal is a great way to aim at the heart of your listener.
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How to Write a Song When You’re Out of Ideas
Every songwriter has a blank page problem. Here's how to fill it.
Lauren lost in a song — the best kind of lost.
If you are a songwriter, then you have a problem.
Relax. I’m not talking about Hemingway-sized alcoholic tendencies or crazy dark mood swings (although, many creative writers have those problems, as well). Your problem as a writer is a blank page. Our job as songwriters is to take the essence of an idea, marry it with emotion and make it rhyme in 15 to 20 lines of lyric.
So, how are we going to fill that page?
In my experience with co-writing and talking to my peers in the songwriting community, it seems no one finds inspiration the same way. Some people start with a lyric idea and don’t even consider melody until the lyric is written. Others vibe out on a melody and let nonsense words or syllables fall out until they turn into actual words. There are countless other ways. Let’s look at a few of my favorites.
I’m going to share with you 4 ways to find the inspiration you need to write your next song, even if you don’t have any ideas.
Make inspiration, don’t wait for it. Stop the scroll! Yup, you heard me. Turn off the smart phones, TV and laptop. Plan 30 minutes, an hour, 3 hours - whatever you’ve got. Discipline yourself to stay focused on creativity for that amount of time. What happens in this time doesn’t have to be active writing. In fact, it’s probably not going to be. The flip side of turning off all distractions is that you sit in a quiet room with an empty head waiting for brilliance to strike. If that’s your strategy, you’ll likely be waiting or a long time. Then, you’ll just get frustrated coming up with nothing.
In the time you’ve set aside for yourself, do things that inspire creativity. You might strum your guitar, or brain dump into a journal. Perhaps you already have a lyrical hook burning a hole in your brain. So, maybe you take 30 minutes to write as many rhyming couplets as you can think of for that hook.
If you do any of these things during your distraction-free creative time, then that would be a good day’s work. You’re teasing out inspiration. The more you set aside quiet time for creative play, the more often inspiration will appear.
Read. Let’s be honest, there are no new ideas. We’re all subconsciously “borrowing” from everything we’ve ever heard or experienced and putting our own spin on it. We need input in order to have output. A former publisher of mine used to tell me, “You can’t write if you don’t read.”
Tom Douglas (“The House that Built Me,” “Little Rock”) told me that he reads the news, the Bible and a piece of fiction every day as part of his daily writing process.
Hey, if it’s good enough for Tom Douglas, it’s good enough for me.
Dare to suck. This might be the most important step. It took me years to feel comfortable opening up to my co-writers with ideas or lines that weren’t quite perfect. Even now when I write by myself, I have trouble letting everything flow out without major self-editing. At this point in the writing process, it’s just a big ol’ brainstorm. And here’s the thing about brainstorming: there is no such thing as a bad idea. When you say (or write down) everything that’s on your mind during brainstorming, one of three things will happen:
Ideas build upon each other. Whatever you say will likely spark a new idea in yourself or your co-writer.
Sometimes, you just need to get the mental cobwebs out in order to get to the good stuff.
You’ll solve your problem and finish your song.
I can’t promise you a hit song, or even a cut, but I can promise you the sooner you dare to suck, the better writer you’ll be.
Quit. Sometimes a song just won’t behave. The momentum dies, you’re frustrated and the meter or rhyme isn’t feeling quite right. Don’t force anything. Just quit! Not for good — for a few hours or maybe for the day. Go grab lunch. Take a walk. Movement is a great way to get yourself unstuck.
Sometimes we’re just too close to the idea to see how the story should go. When your brain is fried, pushing through will likely just make you more frustrated and you won’t get any further. Or worse, you’ll start phoning it in just to make the line rhyme or the phrase fit. Give your brain the mental break it needs and come back fresh. You’ll likely see the problem and be able to fix it quickly when you revisit the song.
Every writer finds inspiration a little bit differently, and often no one finds it the same way twice. Do you have any tried and true ways of finding inspiration to write and teasing out new ideas? Let me know in the comments. I want to hear them!
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How to Make Friends as an Adult
A few weeks ago, I received some DM’s during my Living with Landyn Instagram takeover about how I cultivated community for myself as an adult. Some people moved to new towns, some were in career transitions. Even for seasoned networkers on Music Row, let’s face it: making authentic friends as an adult can be difficult. Here are a few thoughts on what helped me.
I was newly divorced and super lonely. I suddenly found myself with half of my friend group — and most of them were married and had young children. Even though we were in our late twenties/early thirties at the time, our lifestyles were very different.
It also turns out that when you get divorced, you go from a double income family to a single income real quick. At that time, I was searching for my next publishing deal and working a “civilian job,” as I like to call it, so chasing my dreams became even more dire. Life literally forced me to make one of two choices: curl up in a ball and shrivel into darkness (okay, that sounds dramatic, but it felt pretty dramatic at the time) OR put one foot in front of the other and try some new things. For some reason (the likely reason being therapy), I chose the latter.
Networking and meeting new people is the name of the game in the Music Business, so I had some familiarity with the process. Still, it’s hard making new friends and finding community as an adult.
A few weeks ago, I received DM’s on Instagram during my Living with Landyn takeover about some things I mentioned on stories. During a portion of the takeover, I shared about hobbies, books and counseling/coaching that has been truly transformative for me. I mentioned that I joined the Nashville Rowing Club for a short a while. I talked about discovering The Estuary, a spiritual healing center where I continue to take classes that have helped me grow and transform in ways I never thought possible. Some folks wanted to know how I got so involved in my community; how do I find people and organizations that really light me up? Some people said they had recently moved to a new town and were having trouble plugging in and finding good resources.
Whew. I’ve been in your shoes. But I wasn’t exactly sure how to answer these questions at first. “Just get out there and go for it,” seems like an annoying thing to say. If you’re having trouble plugging in, it’s probably because you already are “getting out there” and aren’t finding what you want. As a toddler mom, I’m reminded that we used to make friends by literally walking up to each other and asking, “Will you be my friend?” It just doesn’t feel that simple now that we’re adults.
Giving advice can be tricky business. I can, however, share my experience and maybe something will resonate. So, I thought about what was it that was so impactful to me about how I built community around myself that has been so life-changing. A few things dawned on me and I will share them with you.
Here are 4 ways to make friends as an adult:
Get curious. When I found myself in a huge life transition, I chose to get curious. There was nothing and no one holding me back. I got to make all the rules in my life with complete autonomy. So, I got curious about how I could shake up my old routines, what inspires me and what I’d always wanted to try but never felt like I had the time or gave myself the chance. If you’re in a new town or going through a major transition like I was, now is the time! Your life just blew up and a new thing is happening! Aren’t you curious to see what it could be?
Keep an open mind. Here’s what I mean: if I try something (e.g. a class, a meet up group, a new sport) and it turns out not to be a good fit, I don’t see the experience as a waste of time. Instead, I feel grateful that I checked it off my list and can move on from it quickly to the next thing. Knowing what I don’t like is just as important as knowing what I do. It’s like when we were kids and our parents forced us to take “at least one bite” of a new food. How do you know if you like it or not until you try it? As long as an idea matches up with my values, I’m here for it. At least once. Where do I sign up?
Find the exit. This is the most important thing of all: I have learned to feel in my body when something is not meant for me. I get it wrong sometimes, but I’m a lot better at it than I used to be. If I feel dread about going somewhere or doing something, I know that I shouldn’t have committed to it or enrolled in the opportunity. The next time I get an idea or an invitation and it makes me feel that way, I will politely decline. That invitation was apparently not meant for me because it didn’t bring me joy.
On the other hand, if I feel a super high vibration of frantic energy or urgency when I see an opportunity to connect, I also know that’s not meant for me. I am likely wanting to impress someone, people-please or get into perfectionist mode when I feel that way. A who’s who event is likely not for me. I know myself. I will be too temped to hustle. I’ll be concerned about people-pleasing, fitting in and attempting to be “perfect” in that environment and it will wear me out. I stick to things that feel truly aligned for me. I have learned how to tune into my body for that because my mind will deceive me real quick.
Again, I get it wrong sometimes, but tuning into my body has been one of my best guides in life. I only wish I knew how to trust it sooner. I usually feel things in my gut, but some people feel a tightening in their throats or the hairs stand up on their arms. Pay attention. Where do you feel your body guiding you?
Make yourself useful. Sometimes, instead of asking “Where do I belong?” I asked, “How can I help?” Being of service to others is one of the best ways I know of to find connection and change a life — quite possibly your own. Around the same time I was going through that big life transition, I participated in my very first Habitat for Humanity build. I ended up meeting so many wonderful people across several generations and nationalities. I’ve gone back to build annually for nearly ten years. I make true connections and I learn a few new skills (no previous experience required). If you need someone to hang insulation, calk or install windows in your home, I’m your girl. 😉
“Being of service to others is one of the best ways I know of to find connection and change a life — quite possibly your own.”
Welp, that’s about all I know. This journey of building community is trial and error. There are no quick fixes in that list; rather, a few ideas that will maybe resonate with you about how to feel your way through a new stage in your life.
I’ll list the groups I mentioned in my Living with Landyn Instagram takeover below. Some of the things I’m involved in offer virtual events and classes, so even if you’re not in Nashville, you can participate. Obviously, don’t feel any pressure to do the things I love. These are some of the things that light me up. You will find what lights you up. When you do, will you please let me know in comments? I would LOVE to know how you’re connecting in your communities!
A few of my favorite things…
The Estuary — A non-profit spiritual healing center located in Nashville. They have an office in Nashville for local in-person offerings. They also offer virtual classes, workshops and counseling for integrative therapy.
The Liberated Eater — An online wellness community to help you trust your body, led by intuitive eating coach, Cindy Landham. Cindy is absolutely fabulous at what she does. Her business is head quartered in Murfreesboro, TN, but she reaches people worldwide through her online workshop and virtual coaching.
The Nashville Rowing Club — Beginner lessons and Master Rowing Club. Hey, if you’re in Nashville or ever find yourself visiting, check ‘em out!
Jazzercise — Not your grandma’s workout! For real. Mary Helen is the JAM here in Nashville. Her classes are mostly women of all ages, but several husbands come on the reg. There are franchises worldwide and probably in your area. If you want to experience the magic of Mary Helen, but you’re not local to Nashville or don’t want to come in-person, maybe Mary Helen will let you take the virtual option through her franchise? It’s worth checking out.
Habitat for Humanity — A nonprofit organization that helps people in your community and around the world build or improve a place they can call home.
NSAI (Nashville Songwriters Association International) — NSAI is the first stop for aspiring and professional songwriters. I served two terms on the board of directors for this organization. (Oh! That reminds me: Board service. That’s another great way to connect in your community!) NSAI is a fantastic way to get connected for songwriters of all levels and, really, for anyone new to town wanting to get into the music business. The organization offers a variety of tools, coaching, and networking, plus a strong presence on The Hill fighting for creator’s intellectual property rights.
Why I'll Never Get Gel or Dip Again
I'm a guitar player and busy mom who destroys a manicure in 48 hours. Here's the chip free nail polish system that finally held up — and the one I switched to for at-home manis.
Why I Quit Gel and Dip For Good
Okay, this is by far the most popular question I got from my Living with Landyn Instagram takeover — why did I say I'll never get gel or dip again? If you're an active woman looking for chip free nail polish that actually holds up, here's everything I know.
I'm a guitar player and a busy mom. I love a fresh mani/pedi — it's one of those small pleasures that makes me feel put together. The problem is I'm constantly raking my nails across metal strings, digging into a bag, or washing my hands twelve times a day. Gel and dip were never going to work for my life.
Every time I get gel or dip, I regret it. I’m stuck with the color until I can get back to the salon to get it removed with foils. Typically, after a few weeks, the polish starts to crack anyway. Or my nails grow out so far from the bed that it’s not a good look. And my nails are absolutely destroyed if I take off gel or dip and decide not to get them done again for a while. They’re paper thin, scratched and it takes the entire time of a nail to regenerate for them to look decent and strong again. You feel me, ladies?
The Polish That Started It All
Enter Dazzle Dry. This is the product that started it all for me — chip free for 1-2 weeks on fingers and 3-4 weeks on toes. It comes off with regular polish remover, and it's clean, cruelty free, and vegan. The system is four steps and you have to follow the directions exactly, but once you get it down it's easy. I still get Dazzle Dry on my toes at the salon. It's unbeatable for longevity.
This is day 5 of my mani.
“Alluring Charm” is my go-to Dazzle Dry color.
My next favorite part is it comes off with regular polish remover. Bonus: it’s clean, cruelty free, and vegan (did you know some polishes use animal by products? I didn’t until recently. What ARE we putting on and in our bodies?! Ew!).
My friend, Steph, originally told me about it and said a salon in my neighborhood offers it. I love getting my nails done professionally because they paint them way better than I can, but I’ve also bought the Dazzle Dry system and done them at home myself when I can’t get to the salon.
The system is 4 simple steps, but I will warn you: you must use the entire system and follow the directions for the polish to cure properly. When you receive your product in the mail, Dazzle Dry includes a QR code where you can watch a video to see how it’s done. It’s easy, but there are nuances. If you try it, I highly recommend watching the video first. The director training will make no bones about it: if your mani chips before 1 week, then you missed a step in the directions. I can attest, it took a little practice for me, but as I type this right now, I’m on day 4 of my at-home mani and going strong.
What I Use Now for At-Home Manis
For at-home manicures on my fingers, I've since switched to Olive and June. Easier system, same chip-free results, and the color range is incredible. If you want something low-maintenance that actually looks like you got them done, this is it.
Shop Olive and June on Amazon →
Try One. Tell Me Everything.
If you try either system, come back and tell me what you think. And if you want to see what I'm actually wearing on my nails any given week, I'm on Instagram at @laurenlucasmusic.
If you're in the market for more things I genuinely use and get asked about constantly, this post has you covered.
Keep Going ↓
The Carolina Kind
How a song keeps living on and impacting lives… especially mine.
This year, I’ve been performing livestream concerts every-other-week for my supporter tribe. The connection we’ve made in that group has been very meaningful to me. I met some of the people in the group two decades ago when I first began releasing music publicly. I know their favorite songs, their families, their health issues, their losses, their celebrations. They have forged friendships with each other from meeting at shows or chatting in the private group. This tribe really is a tight knit community that has taken on a life of its own and for that I am so grateful.
One of the things that strikes me is how often certain songs get requested in my livestreams. “The Carolina Kind” is one of the most requested songs. This song means so much to me because it came from a personal place. And it is such a thrill to know that it hits other people in a personal way.
When I first recorded “The Carolina Kind”, the intent was to put it on an album that would be publicly released by a major label. I hoped it would be the title track. Alas, champions of mine left the label before the album was released, a new guard came into the label and that dream of an album titled, The Carolina Kind by yours truly never came to fruition. Recently, I came across a mockup of what the album cover might have looked like and I thought it would be fun to share.
This might have been what my album cover looked like!
I still love playing “The Carolina Kind.” Sometimes songs lose their shine after years of playing them, but this is a song that still means a lot to me. I’m so glad it means a lot to other people, too. In fact, it means so much that I decided to re-record the song years later and included it on my EP titled, If I Was Your Girl. You can hear the produced studio version two ways:
You can choose to stream it on your favorite digital platform or go old school with a physical copy.
Been a Minute
An overdue update on becoming a mom, laying low and making music from my home studio!
Hey there! It’s been a while since I’ve properly checked in. A lot of new things have happened since the beginning of 2020. Here’s what I’ve been up to:
I became a mom! Yup, I had a baby in late March of 2020, just as everything was beginning to lockdown here in the U.S. I’m a boy mom to an adorable toddler.
He was pre-term, so we spent several weeks in the NICU. We will forever be grateful for the nurses, doctors and neonatologists who helped our little nugget grow big and strong. They are angels and heroes.
I mostly spent the next several months staring at my beatiful boy and being a hermit. I learned that postpartum baby blues and anxiety is a real thing. But, the fog does eventually lift and when it did…
I began diving back into my home studio. I’ve been staying mostly behind the scenes tracking voice overs, vocals and guitars for friends’ projects and corporate clients. It’s opening up a whole new chapter in my creativity and, ultimately, my music career.
And now I’m coming out of hiding — feeling good, super busy in a great way, and enjoying the heck out of reconnecting with y’all!
Soooo, catch me up. What have YOU been up to? I’m spending most of my time over on Instagram these days. Hit me up at @laurenlucasinsta and fill me in!
Story Behind the Song, "Addicted to the Rain"
The summer before my senior year at Belmont University, I worked as a host at P.F. Chang’s on West End Avenue. One day, a man and his wife walked in to be seated. He struck up conversation and mentioned he’s a songwriter. I told him about how I was working towards an artist career. (How “Nashville” can we get?) One thing led to another, and within a few weeks, I found myself at Curb Publishing on Music Row writing with Jim Reilley.
Now, if you’re not familiar with Jim’s work, let me tell you a little bit about him. In addition to writing songs for acclaimed artists such as Jack Ingram, Hal Ketchum, Joy Lynn White and Sam Bush (just to name a few), Jim is co-founder of the folk-rock duo, The New Dylans. He’s shared stages with Shawn Colvin, The Band, 10,000 Maniacs and Townes Van Zandt. The project of Jim’s that is my personal favorite is his 2003 solo record, The Return of Buddy Cruel. I highly recommend you check it out on your favorite digital site.
Over the next few years, I found myself in that writing room many more times, as Jim Reilley became a friend and consistent co-writer of mine. Of the songs Jim and I wrote together, I felt most connected to one song in particular and chose to record it for my Warner Bros. album back in 2004. It’s a song called, “Addicted to the Rain”.
Around the same time I met Jim, one of my professors introduced me to veteran guitar player/producer, Biff Watson. Biff and I became fast friends and collaborators. Biff ultimately helped me land my deal with Warner Bros. and produced the record.
We all thought, “Addicted to the Rain” was a special song. The recording was made even more special when Biff made a phone call to a guest artist to sing background vocals on the tune. None other than Mr. Vince Gill came over to the studio and put vocals on the song (and guitar on a different tune). I absolutely loved the way it turned out!
Fast forward almost fifteen years. Jim reached out to me to have coffee. Through conversation and reminiscing about how much we loved writing “Addicted to the Rain”, we agreed it was such a shame that Warner Bros. never released the finished product for the public to hear. How could we get to your ears?
Let me pause here and share a little music business 101 for anyone wondering how this works: Warner Bros. does not own the publishing on any of the songs I recorded for them; however, they DO own the master recordings. After all, they paid for those specific recordings. So, in order for me to release any of those songs for public consumption, I have to re-record the songs and own the masters myself. That’s exactly what I did when I re-recorded “The Carolina Kind” for my EP, If I Was Your Girl. And that’s exactly what I did again last year when Jim and I re-recorded “Addicted to the Rain”, which you’re about to hear when it’s released this Friday!
Now, for those of you who’ve been following along since my Warner Bros. days and are familiar with the original version: hold onto your hats. This new version is a LOT different. Jim and I started asking ourselves questions like, “What if we completely re-imagined this song?” “What if we changed the tempo; even changed some of the chords?” "What if we made it super dramatic, almost like a film score?”
The answer to those questions will all be revealed this Friday when the single is available on all major digital distribution outlets. I’m super proud of this single and can’t wait for you hear! Jim Reilley is at the helm producing. Eric Fritsch at Eastwood Studios engineered and mixed, as well as built the track with Jim. Additional mixing by Park Chisolm. Mastering by Alex McCullough for True East Mastering.
Mary Sue Englund designed the single artwork. I happened to run across an old picture of me as a child from around Christmas, 1989. I used to love playing in empty boxes. Apparently, I fell asleep mid-playtime and for some reason I had an open umbrella in the box with me. What can I say? Using your imagination can be exhausting! Anyway, I thought it was cool to draw inspiration from the photo and Mary Sue made the vision come alive in a beautiful way. So many of you commented on how much you love the artwork. Kudos to Mary Sue for that.
I have to brag on my talented niece, Natalie Combs, for candidly capturing photos of the studio process with such artistry. Check them out on my Instagram throughout the week.
This Friday, January 31st, the new version of “Addicted to the Rain” will be available as a single at your favorite digital retailer. Please go stream, download, playlist, save, like, and share the new version of “Addicted to the Rain” with your family and friends! Then, hit me up on my socials and (kindly) lemme know what you think.
Thank you for following along. Your support means the world to me. I am having so much fun making music that satisfies my soul. I hope you’re enjoying it, too. More to come!
xo,
Lauren
Joy and Cheer
I have a confession to make: I am the type of person who starts listening to Christmas music the day after Halloween. I keep my radio dial in the car set to the station that plays all Christmas all the time starting on Thanksgiving day. National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation is a December tradition, and I DVR The Holiday Baking Championship so that I can watch it when my husband relinquishes the remote. My only redeeming quality around holiday time is that I do wait until Thanksgiving before putting up the tree.
So why, might you ask, has it taken this holiday nut so long to release my own Christmas music? I don’t have a really good answer, but I’m thrilled to say it’s happening!
Joy and Cheer, my new holiday EP, is available starting this week on Friday, November 8th. Here’s a little bit about it:
I teamed up with my friend, Park Chisolm (Kevin Costner & The Modern West/Aubrie Sellers), on production. Park played most of the instruments on this three song project, with the exception of the second track: a song I co-wrote with my friend, Matt Ridenour (Jonny Lang/Julie Roberts) called, “I’d Be Fine with Christmas Time”. Michael Rinne from Miranda Lambert’s band laid down a sweet upright bass part on the track, and Adam Wright (Lee Ann Womack/Bruce Robison), played the Rhodes piano. That’s me you’ll hear on electric guitar and Wurlitzer on a few tracks.
I’ve heard it said that a sculptor doesn’t chisel an image out of the rock. Rather, they chisel the rock away little by little and allow the image to appear. That’s how making this EP felt. We didn’t record in a big fancy studio. Most of the recording was done in my upstairs guest room over several weeks. We lit some candles that smelled like pine trees and hung a wreath on the door for some extra vibe. It was such a fun, relaxed and joyful way to create. We didn’t have a lot of answers going in. We allowed each song to come alive the way it wanted to.
Probably one of my favorite nights of recording was when a small group of friends came over for pizza and wine, and we all gathered around a microphone to sing layers and layers of choir-like vocals on the Ray Charles classic, “That Spirit of Christmas”. A huge “thank you” to Shannon Wright, Sara Beck, Kimberly Quinn, Matt Ridenour and Park Chisolm for lending your insanely talented voices to this project.
The final song on the EP is the Irish folk song to which no one ever knows the words, but is sung every year at New Years: “Auld Lang Syne". The haunting melody is so beautiful to me. We kept this track super sparse and let the melody and emotion be the stars of the show.
Beginning November 8th, you can download and stream the EP from your favorite digital retailer (Apple Music, Spotify, etc.). I’m also offering a holiday bundle on my website, www.laurenlucas.com, which includes a signed physical copy of the EP along with a hand-made custom ornament.
My hope for this project is that you will savor it over a cup of morning coffee curled up on the couch on the weekend; that it will be the soundtrack to your family opening gifts, or the music you play during your holiday dinner. Most of all, I hope this music brings you joy and cheer year after year.
Back to the Basics
I participated in a three-day intensive creative writing workshop with one of my musical heroes: Jonatha Brooke. Read on to see what happened…
Almost four weeks ago, I participated in a three-day intensive creative writing workshop with one of my musical heroes: Jonatha Brooke. Jonatha is a folk/rock singer-songwriter and now playwright whose career began in Boston with the duo, The Story. I was introduced to her through her solo work back in college. I took a songwriting class at Belmont and one of the guys in the class kept going on and on about Jonatha Brooke. I took a listen and immediately fell in love with her lyrics, the musicianship on the record, and her vocal delivery.
Soon after my discovery, the local indie radio station in Nashville, Lightning 100, started playing her single, "Linger," on heavy rotation. I performed that song for my senior recital in order to graduate. So, you see, my love affair with Jonatha Brooke goes waaaay back.
When I was signed to Warner Bros., I got the chance to meet her at an afterparty for the ACM's or CMA's... I honestly can't remember which. This was around 2004 or 2005. I had just performed a set with my band at the party, got off the stage, and saw her in the crowd. I totally fan-girled her (can I use fan-girl as a verb?). Anyway, she was so kind and she was even gracious enough to snap the picture that's at the top of the page.
Earlier this winter, I was listening to a playlist on Spotify and the app populated a tour date for Jonatha in Nashville in May. I haven't seen her perform in years. No way was I missing this show! So, I clicked on the link, surfed her tour page, and discovered she was also leading a creative writing workshop in Nashville the days leading up to her show. What is life?! How can this be?!
So, I took myself back to school. Jonatha School. 20 other participants from all over the world and I bared our souls by sharing unfinished seedlings of song ideas. We walked around Vanderbilt in tempo like crazy people to shake loose new song ideas. We played instruments we'd never played before and tried tunings we never could have dreamed up on our own. We even sat in front of the room and (gulp!) got a song critiqued in front of the whole class. We went back to the basics.
Going back to the basics can be frustrating and hard. I'm impatient. That weekend, I learned that the basics were exactly what I needed. The experience was exciting, hard, emotional, inspiring and even spiritual. Actually, it was mostly spiritual. For me, anyway. It's opened up my writing in the most exciting ways! I was groomed on co-writing. It's the Nashville way (at least since the mid-90's). A few years ago, a songwriting friend encourage me to write more on my own. It felt scary. I'd get stuck and not know how to finish it. So, I'd use the beginning I'd created as an idea to present to a co-writer at my next appointment. On one hand, I felt accomplished that I had contributed an idea. On the other, I let myself down time and time again by not sticking with the song when it got tough. I needed to learn how to do the work. How to dig in, dig deeper, and where to even start excavating!
Now, I'm at least beginning to better understand how to do the work. I got to crawl inside the brain of one of my biggest inspirations to learn, to improve, and to understand how she teases out lyric ideas, creates interesting melodies and gets herself unstuck. It was exactly what I needed to reinvigorate my own creativity. I also received major impact from the other 20 creative souls participating in this workshop and getting to hear the inspiring and important things they had to say through their art.
Based on my recent experience, I encourage you to stretch yourself, no matter what your career or passion. Don't be afraid to get schooled. Get uncomfortable. Play. Go back to the basics. I promise you'll surprise yourself.
Vintage
Earlier this week, I received a text from my friend, John, telling me that New Country Brew is featuring Farewell Angelina's recording of, "Vintage!" New Country Brew is a radio show syndicated in 43 stations around the country and in the UK on CMR Nashville.
Earlier this week, I received a text from my friend, John, telling me that New Country Brew is featuring Farewell Angelina's recording of, "Vintage!" New Country Brew is a radio show syndicated in 43 stations around the country and in the UK on CMR Nashville. How cool is that?!
Many of you know that Farewell Angelina is a sisterhood I'm so proud to be a part of. Once an Angelina, always an Angelina. And I'm thrilled to have written three of the songs on their current EP. These women have worked so hard and are kicking butt on the road!
Vintage is one of my personal favorites that I've written with FA. Nic, Andrea, Lisa and I penned this tune with long-time friend and musical badass, Joe West. It was inspired by one word that Joe threw out as an idea: vintage.
We wrote this tune at Joe's gorgeous home studio out in the country. His studio is built inside of an old barn with platinum records hanging on the walls and the random Grammy award sitting on the studio console. No big deal.
The acoustics, lighting, and entire vibe of this place is conducive for songwriting magic. It took a while to wrestle the lyric down, but finding the lyrical angle is probably the most fun for me. Once we got a handle on it and a sweet guitar riff, it flowed like wine. I even got to squeeze a line in the chorus about my husband's '68 Camaro. I won some major bonus points for that one on the home front.
Here's an acoustic songwriter take of the tune from yours truly. See if New Country Brew is syndicated in your area and crank it up! And, for sure, check out Farewell Angelina's studio recording of, "Vintage" off of their new EP.
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Up to Somethin'
About two weeks ago, I received a voice message from my friend, Marjorie. "Hey, Lauren, I'm in town tomorrow and curious if you can grab lunch? I'm up to somethin'," she giggled.
We sat at an outdoor table at Taqueria del Sol in 12th South over fish tacos and margaritas (because Sunday Funday) when she told me she was about to make her Grand Ole Opry debut!
About two weeks ago, I received a voice message from my friend, Marjorie. "Hey, Lauren, I'm in town tomorrow and curious if you can grab lunch? I'm up to somethin'," she giggled.
We sat at an outdoor table at Taqueria del Sol in 12th South over fish tacos and margaritas (because Sunday Funday) when she told me she was about to make her Grand Ole Opry debut!
Marjorie Eastman is not a musician. No. Marjorie Eastman is a retired post-9/11 United States Army intelligence officer and combat commander, a wife to a retired post-9/11 Army helicopter pilot, and a mother to a beautiful little boy who survived pediatric cancer. The entire family are warriors in the most literal sense of the word. She's also an award-winning author, an entrepreneur, a champion of veterans, and many more things, I'm sure.
Oh yeah... and she's not even 40 years old. What have you done with your life?
Most recently, Marjorie wrote a column highlighting 52 businesses and charities launched in the U.S. by the military community. She collaborated with Bicycle Playing Cards to transform that column of 52 into the Most Wanted Frontline Leaders collectable deck and partnered with the Grand Ole Opry for the official release! Big & Rich (former label mates!) performed that night and held up the deck from stage and promoted it to the crowd.
Earlier that morning, the 52 honorees saw the deck -- and their specific playing card -- for the first time in a private ceremony at Mission BBQ. Marjorie asked me to join her in her mission, and I was honored to sing our National Anthem for a room full of veterans. Listen, I've sung our Anthem a lot of times over the years and for some incredible crowds (can we say 2016 NFL Chiefs vs. Raiders game?!), but to lead a room full of women and men who made the choice to protect our country -- and to hear them singing back -- was incredibly powerful.
I'll tell you something else that's powerful: witnessing how these 52 leaders lift up others through their businesses. I met owners of a non-profit who help veterans learn to code at no cost. I met a veteran who travels the world to find retired K-9's and helps match them to their original soldiers. One man creates lighting technology that helps keep fire fighters safe. I watched Marjorie start with a seed of an idea to follow her passion for writing and grew it into a full-blown love fest to highlight other people's hard work, sacrifice and success.
I recently read this opinion article by David Brooks about two kinds of people: one-mountain people and two-mountain people. The article explained that we're typically all one-mountain people in our early adulthood -- climbing to get the best education that we can, clawing to the top of our profession, striving to win accolades and merit. Some people become two-mountain type people when they realize, either by force or by choice, that the first mountain leaves them feeling unfulfilled; like there's a higher purpose and a different definition of success. Two-mountain kind of people often find greater meaning in community, service to others, and family.
There’s no doubt Marjorie and her 52 Most Wanted Leaders are two-mountain kind of people. Makes me curious about what mountain I’ve been climbing. How ‘bout you? It also makes me think if we find our second mountain, I wonder what we might get up to?
To read Marjorie's inspirational, award-winning book, The Frontline Generation, and to get a Bicycle collectable Most Wanted Leaders playing card deck all for yourself, click here or swing by her Facebook page and say hello!
Today, you see Cyndi Thomson's luxury jewelry dripping off superstars like Lizzo, Lauren Alaina, Natalie Hemby (of the Highwomen) and Kimberly Paisley. Did you know that Cyndi was on the verge of superstardom herself with a hit radio single and gold album, My World?
Cyndi made the difficult decision to walk away from the music business as her star was on the rise. In this episode, we talk about how walking away from one thing means walking towards something else. And what a beautiful, big life she walked into!
Listen on your favorite podcast platform or watch the live interview on YouTube!