Castles in Spain is fronted by award-winning vocalist, guitarist, multi-instrumentalist, and songwriter, Biachi Notaro, who embodies the swagger of Joan Jett, heartfelt passion of Melissa Etheridge and Johnette Napolitano and melodic songwriting sensibilities of Linda Perry. Castles in Spain is rounded out by Joe Birtola on bass guitar, Derek Richmond on electric guitar, and Anthony Verdier on drums. Castles in Spain, referred to as “Bombay Zeppelin” by the San Francisco Bay Guardian,  just released their fifth studio CD, Reminiscing Chapter V, on July 23, 2011. The ten track Reminiscing Chapter V, released on the Chameleon Music label, was recorded at Radiostar Studios and produced by Sylvia Massy, who has produced such iconic acts as Prince, Tom Petty, Red Hot Chili Peppers, R.E.M, Johnny Cash, and countless others.

*above photo credit to Karima Cherif

I am truly delighted to bring you this interview with Biachi Notaro

I really love the name of your band, how did you come up with the name Castles in Spain?
Honestly, I was having a difficult time thinking of a name. I had a very good friend of mine help me by going through a thesaurus, and I asked him to "look under the word fantasy". He started reading "castles in the air, visionary, dreamer, castles in Spain" and I very anxiously said "that's it! Castles In Spain! So poetic".  It was as simple as that. 

How did you get your start in music and, who were your early musical influences?
My mother really inspired me when she sang, played the organ and piano. Mesmerized by her voice, I would always sit right next to her on her piano bench and watch her with so much admiration. At the age of four, she let me sing a few songs with her at a nightclub, and then my father was always encouraging me to sing and play the drums. He bought me my first drum set at the age of seven and would watch me bang on those drums smiling the entire time. He inspired me as well because he is a survivor of three major wars, but he never wanted to go to war. He had to enlist in the Marines because he was incredibly poor in his upbringing, yet he always had a positive outlook in life. An amazing thing my father did for me was enroll me in just about every sport so I would build confidence. We moved a lot, and let me tell you, as a child growing up and trying to make friends at so many schools, you had to have confidence. Music and sports are so opposite, but for some reason for me, the combination of of the two complimented each other.

My early influences range from The Supremes, The Beatles, Stevie Wonder, Billie Holiday, Curtis Mayfield, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, and then a handful of melodic artists from the 80's like Sinead O'Connor, Annie Lennox, Roxy Music, Chrissie Hynde, Gary Numan. The list is endless. I could go on for hours about my early influences.

I read on your facebook bio that you plan to someday soon call Barcelona your home, too.  Has moving to Barcelona been a long time dream of yours?
I've been thinking about Barcelona for a while now. The more I read or hear about the culture, the more it intrigues me. Both the passion and the laid back lifestyle sounds really good to me. I honestly have a lot of opposite interests. I have never been to Spain, but the culture and especially the weather sounds delightful! 

One of the songs on your new CD, Reminiscing Chapter V is dedicated to your brother, Nino. Could you tell us a little about the song, "The Way You Want To"?

Nino and I were very close. My heart was shredding into pieces while he was sick, but I never showed this in front of him.  After I lost him, I crumbled and was devastated.  He lived with me and watching him slowly fade right before my eyes was incredibly heart wrenching.  My closest friends really helped me through this and if it were not for them, I would have lost it.   We all needed to "feel AND heal" and the day he died, I went home and wrote this song.  I cried so hard singing and playing this as it came out naturally.  I was doing my own therapy without even realizing it.  "On Top Of The World" was also inspired by Nino and also one of the engineers at Radiostar Studios who passed about a month before Nino.  I poured my heart and tears on my 12 string and it was a very strange way to write as I mourned.  

I just love the visuals in your music video for "My Blue Sea". What was it like for you seeing it all come together, the music, the lyrics and then the video?
Well, honestly, my best friend Alexandra Lasky was the genius putting the video together. What is so shocking is that she used one camera and edited it in a very basic program. She put this together faster than many big time videographers and directors have done, and I was blown away by her imagination. She understood which direction to go with this video. Alexandra shoots and edits all my music videos, and I have complete trust and faith in her.  As the music came together,  it was truly a very quick and natural process to write the melody and lyrics.

People are having a time of it trying to describe the sound of Castles in Spain? How would you describe it to someone who was about to listen for the first time?
Tribal, cinematic, soulful, melodic, ethereal and ambient vibes with Middle Eastern and Spanish influences. In a shorter description, melodic spiritual rock. (not Christian Music though).

Tell us one thing about yourself that most people don't know?
A lot of people think I am this party down rocker, player type, but I far from that.  I mean, like anyone in their 20's, I did the weekend warrior partying, but now,  I am usually exhausted after a show as I give 100+%.  I am definitely more of a nerd type.  =) If  I had it my way after every show, I would shower, take a jacuzzi, get a massage, have a good meal and call it a day or night.

Is there someone that you haven't yet worked with that you would love to create music with?
Oh yes!  Dave Navarro, Annie Lennox, The Edge, Nancy Wilson, Bono, Chris Martin, Seal, and the list goes on and on.

Where can your fans find you and the band?
In person, its hard to say as we all have different lives and interests. In record stores, some Rasputin, Amoeba. In the cyberworld, castlesinspain.com, youtube.com/cispain, facebook.com/cispain,  I Tunes, CDBABY, IODA, soundcloud, revernation, and if you google us, there are many more sites you will find. 

Biachi, thank you for taking the time to interview with Dorothy's Closet!
You are very welcome and thank YOU! 

I'd love to leave you all with the music video for My Blue Sea!

The RRSP Secret: Defend and Build Your Wealth with This Powerful Investment Strategy
Greg Habstritt
Wiley

If you're a Canadian investor who's feeling ripped off lately, you're not alone. Canadians pay the highest fees in the world when it comes to investments in RRSPs and other registered accounts. Is this just because Canadians are foolish, or is there something more sinister at work?

Now, and for the first time, The RRSP Secret reveals many of the financial industry's most closely guarded secrets - providing the individual investor an unprecedented view into how the financial system negatively impacts the financial freedom of most Canadians. More importantly, the book outlines specifically how to defend your wealth and use a little-known strategy to create double-digit returns - the same way the banks do.

You'll never hear a bank manager or financial advisor tell you about this secret strategy, and you won't read about it in the newspaper. Why? Because they'd rather continue selling you underperforming investments that increase their profits instead of making you wealthy. The financial industry is a massive marketing machine that isn't designed to make you money, and the only way you'll become financially free is if you take control of your financial future - and this is your opportunity.

In The RRSP Secret, Greg Habstritt teaches you how to use the money in your RRSP, TFSA and other registered savings accounts to invest in one of the most reliable and secure investments available to you - and it's exactly the same strategy that the banks use to create profits themselves. You'll finally be empowered to turn the tables on the financial industry, and beat them at their own game. You'll learn how to invest for double-digit returns without having to take massive risks, or pay hidden fees and commissions.

Stop being taken advantage of, and start making better decisions with your money. Your financial future starts now!

Greg Habstritt has a unique skill set that not only allows him to be a successful full-time investor, but he also has the ability to teach others how to create wealth and prosperity for themselves. He truly "walks the talk", as he teaches principles and strategies that he personally has used to create a significant investment portfolio and net worth.

Throughout his business career, Greg has founded, built and sold more than 20 companies and received number of citations and awards for his entrepreneurial spirit and success, including Young Entrepreneur of the Year in Canada in 2000. In addition, he has been featured in several media including Inc. Magazine and the National Post.

" Greg Habstritt is a multi-millionaire who can show you exactly how to build massive wealth by using cutting-edge strategies and a formula for predicting markets. I teach people to learn from the best, and there's no one better than Greg!"

~ T. Harv Eker, Author of the #1 New York Times bestseller Secrets of the Millionaire Mind

"I have known Greg Habstritt for several years and have always appreciated his integrity, honest approach, and willingness to ‘tell it like it is.' The concepts you'll read about have been used by wealthy Canadians for decades and now, for the first time, they're being shared in a very straightforward, step-by-step guide."

~ Don R. Campbell, President of the Real Estate Investing Network and bestselling author of Real Estate Investing In Canada 2.0

"If you need street-smart skills on how to make millions in real estate like the pros do, then stop looking! Greg Habstritt teaches his secrets on how to build massive wealth through real estate investing. Greg teaches what he does and what works, and you can take that to the bank."

~ Keith J. Cunningham, Master Teacher of Business, Keys to the Vault Business School for Entrepreneurs

You can learn more about The RRSP Secret and Greg Habstritt at his website.

Jane Lynch's memoir Happy Accidents covers her comedy career, from the Second City theater to movies Best in Show and The 40-Year-Old Virgin, and discusses how she learned to her embrace her homosexuality and overcame alcoholism.

Today, Jane Lynch is enjoying life—in 2010, she’s gotten married and won an Emmy, a Golden Globe, and a People’s Choice award—but fans would never know how hard it’s been to get there. Nothing, including finding love, was ever easy.

In her memoir, Lynch shares the story of her unhappy childhood and how she was consumed with anxiety, feeling out of place in both her body and her family. At age 12, she first heard the word “gay,” and thought it was a disease. Later, drinking helped dull the pain, and she became “a real-life Sue Sylvester,” feeling terrible about herself and pushing people away. At 31, she got sober and her career began to take off, with a commercial leading to a role in the Christopher Guest movie Best in Show, which helped her get cast in The 40-Year-Old Virgin. Her career skyrocketed, and she finally found the courage to embrace her sexuality. And then, along came Glee, which changed her life completely.

Today Lynch has finally found the contentment she thought she’d never have. And it all came from the knowledge that if you can just get out of your own way, you, too, can find true happiness. Part comic memoir and part inspirational narrative, this is a book equally for the rabid Glee fan and anyone who needs a new perspective on life, love, and success.

Order from the comfort of the Closet: Happy Accidents: My Gleeful Life

Linda Perry is back with a new album and a new band, Deep Dark Robot. Linda has spent the greater part of the last decade producing and song writing hits for Pink, Christina Aguilera, Gwen Stefani and others. Her record label, Custard Records has had great success with the signing of James Blunt.

Linda came to San Francisco at the age of 21 in early 1987. Although she had been involved in music and pursued some sort of musical interest while a teenager in San Diego, starting out playing the guitar and auditioning for all-girl cover bands, her arrival in San Francisco marked the actual beginning of her career in music. Waiting tables, doing coat check, and working at a pizzeria, she lived in a very small room without a window and would play her guitar and sing her own songs out on the street in the city. People started recognizing her as "that chick with the big voice."

After some time spent paying dues as a solo singer at Bay Area (San Francisco) clubs and coffeehouses, Perry composed her first professional song, called "Down On Your Face", and was recruited into the band 4 Non Blondes by its founder Christa Hillhouse in the middle of 1989. After several years of playing locally and negotiating with various record companies, the band finally signed with Interscope Records and released its debut album, Bigger, Better, Faster, More!, in late 1992. The album, featuring Perry as lead singer and dominated by her compositions, was an immediate success and spawned a hit single, the Perry-penned "What's Up?" (often erroneously called "What's Going On?", since that line is sung repeatedly in the chorus). While promoting the song, Perry was touring around the world and displayed the word "dyke" on her guitar for a performance on the 1994 Billboard Music Awards.

Linda also has for the past three years been partnering with the L.A. Gay and Lesbian Center to put on the event "An Evening With Women: Celebrating Music, Art and Equality". Proceeds from the event support the Center's vital services for women.

Pink and Linda Perry wow the crowd at the L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center's star-studded "An Evening with Women" in 2010 with a surprise performance of "What's Up," written by Perry.

 

Deep Dark Robot

Perry is focused and ready to make music.She is now fronting the duo, Deep Dark Robot. Linda is quoted as saying, "I want to be an artist in this. What happens next year, I don't know, but this year, I want to focus on it because I need a break from the studio, I need to be outside," Perry said during a recent interview in a New York restaurant. "I need to be talking to people. I've been cooped up for a very long time, and I'm a big personality."

Linda Perry and Tony Tornay are Deep Dark Robot. Tornay, drummer for Fatso Jetson, and Perry met through a mutual friend. At their first meeting, they didn't exactly hit it off but eventually became close friends. Linda mentioned that she wanted to start a band. It had been fifteen years since her last band and felt like the right time to get back out there. This first album, 8 Songs About A Girl, is exactly that, 8 songs about a girl. The creative spark for Perry was love. She fell hard for a woman who wasn't gay, but enjoyed her friendship. It was basically unrequited love, and Perry ended up with a broken heart, but the girl became a muse for the record. Deep Dark Robot has a gritty,raw rock sound.

Linda Perry & Tony Tornay with their new band, Deep Dark Robot, in Philly North Star Bar in March 2011. To find out more about Linda and Deep Dark Robot, you can got to their website.

In his groundbreaking book, Secrets of the Millionaire Mind™, T. Harv Eker states: "Give me five minutes, and I can predict your financial future for the rest of your life!" Eker does this by identifying your Money Blueprint. According to Eker, we all have a personal money blueprint engrained in our subconscious minds, and it is this blueprint, more than anything, that will determine our financial lives. You can know everything about marketing, sales, negotiations, stocks, real estate, and the world of finance. But if your money blueprint is not set for a high level of success, you will never have a lot of money - and if somehow you do, you will most likely lose it! The good news is that now you can actually reset your money blueprint to create natural and automatic success.

Secrets of the Millionaire Mind is split into two defined parts. Part I explains how your money blueprint works. Through Eker's rare combination of street smarts, humor, and heart, you will learn how your childhood influences have shaped your financial destiny. You will also learn how to identify your own money blueprint and "revise" it to not only create success but, more important, to keep and continually grow it.

In Part II, you will be introduced to seventeen "Wealth Files," which describe exactly how rich people think and act differently than most poor and middle-class people. Each Wealth File includes specific steps for you to practice in the real world in order to dramatically increase your income and accumulate wealth.

Using the principles he teaches, Eker went from zero to millionaire in only two and a half years. He is now the president and founder of Peak Potentials Training, the largest success training company in North America. Peak Potentials has changed nearly 1 million lives throughout 101 countries, and publishes Secrets of the Millionaire Mind in 31 languages.

 Click here to watch a short video clip of T. Harv Eker speaking on Secrets of the Millionaire Mind.