Pheaturing Alumni Tiffany Thompson

Hello, and welcome to the Phile for a Thursday, I am your host Mr. Mom. Thanks for all the feedback about my wife's house. She is doing well, and I managed to open up a can of soup and heat it. So, I guess I am doing good. Well, as you know, Conrad Murray was charged with manslaughter, they got him on that. Also, reusing rubber gloves. And tongue depressors. A giant asteroid is rocketing toward the earth. This only happens like once in a century. It’s so rare it's like a guilty verdict from a Los Angeles Jury. They sentenced Lindsay Lohan to prison for 30 days, and she did five hours. I just pray that she can make it on the outside now. On the bright side, just a few more mug shots and Lindsay will have enough for a calendar. A 1,300-foot wide rock just missed the earth and not a single one of us even looked up from our cell phones to see it. We only care about flying objects when they're angry birds. The asteroid missed the earth, fortunately, but the president had Bruce Willis, Michael Bay, and Aerosmith standing by just in case. There's a fifth woman that claims to have had a problem with Herman Cain. If this keeps up, it seems very unlikely he will be president, although it seems more and more likely he will become governor of California. Did you watch "Dancing With the Stars"? If you didn't, like I didn't, Nancy Grace was brutally eliminated from the dancing competition and she's not going to rest until she finds out who did it. But at least now Nancy can go back to doing what she does best, which is not dancing. There was another Republican presidential debate on TV the other night. This one is focused on why there were so many Republican presidential debates. Mitt Romney said he created thousands of jobs at governor of Massachusetts. Rick Perry said he created thousands as governor of Texas. Herman Cain said he tried to create a number of jobs for women but now he's getting attacked for it all of a sudden. If I were Mitt Romney, I wouldn't show up anymore. I would just go to Hawaii and wait it out until the election, drink some caffeine free Diet Coke and watch Herman Cain and Rick Perry self-destruct. Well, in two weeks the new Twilight movie comes out and they are already releasing the inspirational posters. Here is one, kids.

I used to live in Oxford about thirty minutes from Stonehenge which I have never seen. For years we never knew what formed the stones, but scientists just figured it out. 

You know, I cannot vote, but if I could I would vote for Herman Cain. Have you seen his new ad? He rocks! 

It's brilliant! And now from the home office in Port Jefferson, New York, it's...

Top Ten Reasons To Watch The Al Jazeera Sports Network
10. They're number one among terrorists aged 18-35.
9. All the excitement of women's beach volleyball without the distraction of exposed skin.
8. Snappy catchphrases like, "He took you to school, Abdul!"
7. See which athlete Libyan socialite Kim Qaddafi will marry next.
6. Post-game executions.
5. Original programming like, "Pardon The Interrogation".
4. They issued a fatwa against Chris Berman's Swami character.
3. At least they still have basketball.
2. Marv Albert's wacky torture bloopers.

And the number one reason to watch the Al Jazeera sports network is...

1. Hired Hank Williams Jr. to sing "Are you ready for some jihad!"

Okay, today's guest was last on the Phile on September 30th, 2010, and that entry has gotten a lot more hits then any other entry. Since then she has a new record out called "Let It Break Through" which is available from her website tiffanythompsonmusic.com along with a bunch of videos and stuff. She'll next be appearing on November 13th in Los Angeles at Dragonfly. Please welcome back to the Phile, the lovely and talented... Tiffany Thompson.

Me: Tiffany, welcome back to the Phile. How've you been?

Tiffany: I’ve been traveling a lot, and I actually went to Europe in Oct. 5 to serve with some churches over there. So things are just getting started.

Me: Congrats, Tiff, your interview entry has had more hits then anybody here on the Phile! What do you think about that?

Tiffany: I’m excited that a lot of people have read the interview. Hope it was truthful and encouraging.

Me: Do you think readers think I interviewed porn star Tiffany Thompson? I didn't know there was a porn star named Tiffany Thompson, did you?

Tiffany: Perhaps, what can you do. I just wish that I did not share the name with a porn start because it makes it really hard for people to search my name without having to sift through a lot of dirty sites and pictures.

Me: Okay, before I talk about your new music and stuff, I read on one of your many websites that you went to the American Idol Experience at Hollywood Studios and auditioned and everything. That is so cool, Tiffany, I work at that attraction. When did you go?


Tiffany: You work at that attraction?! Really – that’s crazy. I went last May with my family. My mom has been a fan of the show for years; so I think she might have even enjoyed seeing me up there more then I did. ;-)

Me: How did you do? Tell the Phile readers what a great time you had, and everything.

Tiffany: I won the first round, and was named an “American Idol” for the day. Little girls kept on coming up to me at the park asking me to autograph their little books. That was my favorite part. And the judges were a lot nicer then on the show.

Me: What song did you choose for your casting director audition and what song did you perform on stage?

Tiffany: I choose “Breaking Free” from High School Musical, which has a really tough key change in it. I think I also sang part of another one, but the casting director like "Breaking Free" cause no one ever choose it.

Me: Okay, let's talk about your own music. You have a new single out called "Let It Break Through". That's a sad song, Tiff, what is it about?

Tiffany: Interesting that you think it is sad. I like to think of it more as a mending song; a song that talks about pain in order to help you get through the pain. Though it does talk about brokenness and trials, my hope for the song is that people are encouraged by the chorus line “Don’t you ever feel your heart is lost/Heaven’s light you can trust to break through.”

Me: You wrote it with Chris Franz or Chris Frans. It's spelt both ways on your website, right?

Tiffany: Ooops. I am self admittedly a bad speller and probably a worse editor. I’ll have to change that. It’s Chris Franz... chrisfranzmusic.com.

Me: Is Chris your new writing partner? How did you two meet?

Tiffany: Chris and I met through a mutual friend on one of my trips out to LA earlier this summer. We really connected musically and he suggested that if I came back out he would love to do a track together – to test out the musical chemistry and see if we could write well together. I love what we created.

Me: You are selling your music and stuff exclusively through your website and not iTunes or anything. What made you decide to go that route? iTunes takes a good percentage I know. Is that why?

Tiffany: Ya, I sold the song exclusively on my website the first month mainly test out a great new service called DailyDigital. It enabled me to sell not only the song, but like 10 behind the scenes videos as well, including a music video! I’ll post the content on iTunes this month, since that is still a primary place people get their music. But I think a service like DailyDigital is the future.

Me: I like that you put out behind the scenes videos and show the process of making a video and recording. Kinda like a DVD has bonus features? Did you think of releasing the stuff on DVD? I would buy it.

Tiffany: Ah, thanks! That’s exactly the idea, but the reality is that I can’t afford to create DVD's. So selling the whole package through DailyDigital lets me share that content with friends and fans who are also willing to support the music by paying an extra $1 for it. And that extra dollar helps record the next song—you know!

Me: Have you been doing a lot of songwriting, Tiffany?

Tiffany: Tis true, tis true.

Me: Last time you were here you mentioned you are working on a full length, is that still the plan?

Tiffany: Hum, at some point. Right now I am growing a lot as an artist and songwriter, and I feel like I need more time to write the songs that I love and really want on a record. Along that way, I’ll release singles and EPs that consist of great music and let people join me on my musical journey.

Me: I know you are trying different types of recording sounds. What kinds of stuff have you tried?

Tiffany: First, I did a four song acoustic EP in April, consisting of cello, light drums, upright bass, piano, shaker, and guitar. It was very organic sounding, but I think the songs are authentic and people have said they really enjoyed the record. Second, I’ll be releasing a pop-electronic influenced EP sometime. I’m really excited about this one cause the songs and sounds are so good. It’s fairly different then my live show, but the songs are strong, and I think people are gona love the fullness of the production. I really believe in these songs and am investing in a killer mix – it’s gona be good. Third, I recorded “Let It Break Through” with Chris, and that is more of an Alt-Folk song. One producer I shared it with said it reminded him of U2, a huge compliment. Perhaps the younger U2. Chris and I will also be working on a few more songs to create an EP. Lastly, I recorded my song “Real Joy” in Nashville in October with a producer/friend of mine who I worked with back in high school! I wanted a song to give away on my trip to Europe, and he was able to work within my really tight time frame.

Me: One of my favorite songs of yours is "Till That Day Comes". What a damn catchy song, I love it! Do you like writing ballads or faster songs the best?

Tiffany: Thanks! I do like that song. I think I naturally write ballads, in part because I used to write at night when I was chillin out. But now that I am playing out more and writing at all times of the day – I think I like songs with a great groove (fast or slow) the most.

Me: I watched he video for "Till That Day Comes". Was it fun to make? How long did it take to film?

Tiffany: From when I sat with the producer having coffee till we posted it on YouTube, it must have been almost a year maybe? But filming it was not bad at all – maybe 2/3 days of shooting. Alex Houston did everything for it – really amazing guy.

Me: You worked on another video with your brother, right? Did he direct your other videos as well?

Tiffany: My brother Derick did the “Please” music video, but has not been part of anything since then. He lives in Chicago.

Me: Tiffany, where do you live?

Tiffany: I live in Alexandria, VA – outside of DC.

Me: You're not originally from there, right?

Tiffany: No, we moved quite a bit when I was younger. But I was born in Dubuque, Iowa, where I recently played a show.

Me: You mentioned last year you lived in Russia for five years last time you were here. Why on Earth did you do that? Did you perform over there?

Tiffany: Haha. It was in the 1990s when I was a kid. My dad is a pastor, and he worked at a church. I was just going to school, eating chocolate, and playing kickball. ;-)

Me: Do you speak Russian? I cannot imagine being there for five minutes, let alone five years.

Tiffany: I used to speak it fairly well – but I’ve forgot all of it. I know a few words, but no grammer. It’s sad; I so wish I still spoke it.

Me: I was introduced to you by Joy Ike who has been on the Phile twice now as well. Is there anybody you can recommend I interview?

Tiffany: Wow... after being in Nashville and meeting so many amazing artists, that’s a hard one to answer. Maybe one girl, one boy. I’m going on tour with Jenn Bostic in December, so it would be great to have you talk with her a bit. And my producer and friend Phil Danyew out in LA is an AMAZING musician, songwriter, guy – totally worth a talk for sure.

Me: Tiff, thanks so much for being on the Phile, and I hope you will come back again when your next project comes out. Go ahead and mention all your websites and everything.

Tiffany: Thanks for having me. Here are a few sites to find me stuff: tiffanythompsonmusic.com (go to the store to get the special video/song packages). Also facebook.com/tiffanytmusic and twitter.com/tiffanytmusic. I keep my website really up-to-date with show dates and stuff – so keep an eye out for the December tour. It’s gona be three weeks and all over the place.

Me: All the best, and continued success, Tiffany.

Tiffany: Thanks!

There you go, that about does it for this entry. Thanks to Tiffany for a great interview. As quick as she releases material she will be back on the Phile soon I am guessing. Okay, the Phile will be back tomorrow with my good friends and Alumni The Whiskey Saints and then on Saturday it's Alumni Charlotte Sometimes. There'll be no Phile on Sunday as I will be at the Orlando Calling music festival but on Monday it's Scott H. Biram. So, spread the word, not the turd. Don't let snakes and alligators bite you. Bye, love you, bye.