Aloha everybody!

Tp here still in Hawaii. Just a couple more days here in paradise, before I head off to Japan. This time here has been really nice, though for some reason, I am excited to get back to work.

I feel a little bit guilty, like I put out my record and then peaced out on vacation. But, I know I needed this, I know it helps put a positive skip into every other part of life I step into. I surfed again today! I cant remember the last time I surfed more seven days in a row!

I feel like I’m back in high school. After spending this much time in the water and at the beach, I really don’t know how the heck I stay away from the beach for so long. I don’t know what I’d do if I didn’t have surfing. It seems like its so easy to get stuck doing emails, running errands, and wasting time doing who knows what. Man…, I am the queen of wasting time. But its so amazing, that when I go surfing, it feels like time stands still, nothing matters, all you can really do, is just be there, in the ocean, in the moment, enjoying nature, connecting, and appreciating. I am so thankful Its been part of my life, a family requirement.

Anyhow, so everything here has been great. And I think I could just live here, and surf and make shaved ice and work at the ABC store. Maybe I could make Haupia Pie and do the Hula? My mom has been cracking me up, and we reminisce about when I was a wee little kid, we talk about relationships, and about life. As my brother and I have grown older, my parents and mom especially feels more like a best friend than a parent. I really wouldn’t be here without them, who I am and what I stand far, all comes from the foundation that they built for us growing up. Without them, I probably wouldn’t be playing music either. Many of you know, but for those of you who don’t; my parents were the one that came to one of my first shows, and said, ‘ehh’ think you should just ‘take a break’ from college and try your luck at music. This seems to really make you happy, and you can always go back to school later.’

My mom should be head of the street team, it seem like when I come home, I never have to tell anyone where I have been, or what I’ve been up to, she informs everyone. Hehe!

The boys and I are gonna be on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno, May 22nd!!! I am so excited, cause.. well shizz yo, its Jay Leno! Haaayy! So make sure to tune in and watch us Madly Madly Madly away. It’s the day we come back from Japan, so I hope we’re not to jet lagged!

Also, this summer I have teamed up with Barefoot Wine and the Surfrider Foundation, to take part in the 2nd annual Barefoot Beach Rescue Project. I’ll be helping to clean up the beaches as well as playing at the after parties that follow the cleanups.

When this opportunity came my way, I couldn’t think of a more awesome way to spend my summer. I get to be on the beach, play some tunes and give back at the same time. Growing up in San Diego, I cleaned the beach all the time. In high school I had a class called Surf P.E. No lie!

I really got credit for waking up every other morning and surfing! But when the waves were flat we had to pick up trash to get the days credit. Still to this day, I am always picking up trash, and even today when I was paddling in, I picked up a shopping bag that had washed up. The basic idea is that everybody can make a difference, whether you live on the beach, or miles away. These events are a great way to bring the community together. We spend a couple hours tidying up the beach, and then we get to celebrate with free wine and some music! Doesn’t get much better than that!

The first event kicks off May 29th in Montauck, New York with G. Love, of G. Love & Special Sauce. Followed by:

July 12th, Ladybird Lake, Austin, TX
July 26th, Ocean Beach, San Francisco, CA

And the 4th location is up to you!

If you are interested in getting involved, or want to bring the beach clean up your way, head on over to: barefootbeachrescue.comfor more information! See you at the beach! See you in Japan! See you sipping wine, with your footsies in the sand!

Lotsa Love,

Tp

A couple weeks ago I lost my voice. It was a week long ordeal, getting sick, losing it, getting it back, losing it again…we had to cancel two shows which really sucked. I hate canceling shows, but I didn’t know what else to do.

The next day, I went to see a voice specialist, who gave me a full voice exam. I had a camera down my nose and down my throat… it was madness. Basically he said I just needed to get some good rest to sleep as much as possible and save my voice for the show. Sleep is really important and I have a tendency to Myspace ’til 2 in the morning. These days I am trying my best to shut the computer and go to bed!

Aside from the lack of sleep the doc was shocked that I traded in my exercise activates at home for hardly anything on the road. He said my body was probably in shock. Getting exercise was vital even if it was just jumping rope 20 minutes a day. He was right.

We are headlining and my record just came out so there are tons of commitments all day then and we spend four to eight hours a days driving in the van. The doctor suggested yoga, getting in touch with my breathing — which would help my singing and in general and it would be good for the mind, body and soul. So off I went to the Whole Foods and got myself a couple DVDs — a mellow yoga stretching DVD, a core workout as well as a faster-paced yoga workout DVD.

I have always enjoyed the thought of doing yoga but I always said I was too impatient for it. In the past I have always opted for a walk outside because I feel like DVDs are so hard to get motivated for.

I will say that those DVDs have saved me on this tour. Whether its 15 minutes of stretching or 40 minutes of intense Pilates, I feel good for the rest of the day and they calm me before bed. I feel stronger and more limber and in general, better all over.

Well I think that’s about it. Those are my tips as I type this I am having a soy latte and a lara bar, and I’m about to get in the van. I didn’t wake up early today. We are in New Orleans and we went out for a night on the town last night but luckily in cities like this you can walk everywhere which definitely counts as good exercise!

Well that’s all for now, see ya next time!

Love,

TP

In this installment of Tristan’s tip for staying healthy on the run, she shares how to manage the eating well portion of the equation of good health while touring the country. Today in part II, she illustrates the small secrets to healthy eating, even in the middle of nowhere!

When we are starving and there is nothing but fast food, Taco Bell fresco menu is good, or just a taco or 2 is a good hold over. I have also been know to just order a slice of whole wheat bread from Arby’s and buy peanut butter and jelly at a truck stop to make a sandwich. In short my rules that I try to follow on the road for food are:

· Lots of water…like two to four liters a day. Fiji is my favorite. It also has Silica in it which they say strengthens your hair and nails. I think it does. Both are growing like weeds when I drink lots of it…I can’t remember the last time I drank soda or anything super sweet. I am a big fan of Vitamin water.

· Veggies and Fruit as much as you can, anything in its most purest natural form is the best for you.

· If I do go for the BBQ or dessert I just eat a couple bites and I let the boys finish the rest.

· I don’t really drink on the road besides for the shots of tequila at every other show! Oy…..

· Always opt for grilled or steamed. I try to avoid anything fried, and butter and dressings on the side. (You’d be surprised how many extra calories butter and dressing has). A good trick for salad, is dip your fork in the side of dressing and then into the salad, that way you will still get a little dressing, but not a whole glob if it.

· When we can get to a Whole Foods or a health market I stock up on Kombucha (great for digestion and overall well-being). I eat avocados by the half, oranges and tangerines. I hit up the salad bar for all the fresh & raw veggies, nuts, and a little bit of pasta. I make a big enough helping so I can eat half then and then the other half before the show. It keeps me full all day long. Yogurt is really good especially goats milk yogurt is really amazing for you.

· Basically anything that is prepared fresh not fried and has lots of spices vs. butter and oil (unless olive oil) is really great for you. I love the Whole Foods, because you can actually see what the ingredients are for the items in the deli case. Mostly everything is super fresh tossed with olive oil, salt and pepper or is made from simple fresh ingredients…nothing processed. I’m also a big fan of cayenne pepper/red pepper chili flakes and anything spicy like sirachi sauce and tapatio hot sauce.

So that is half the battle. The 2nd part is exercise.

Until tomorrow for Part III.

I will tell you it’s no easy task but I can’t lie, I have been blessed with some pretty good genes. Maybe more importantly my parents always made us eat pretty healthy growing up. No junk food ever which is why we were always so stoked to go to our grandma’s house. She had this pantry with everything you could imagine, cookies, candy, chips, snacks, she had it all. Grams was good like that. She also made the best grilled cheese sandwiches, and fried catfish! And always had about 4 different flavors of Dryers ice cream in the freezer!

Anyhow, back to the road, and being healthy. I’ve been touring now for about 4 or 5 years, so figuring this all out has taken some time. All in all it breaks down to exercise and eating well. I’ve been pretty healthy all my life, who am I kidding? I’m a total health nut…I can smell the Whole Foods from miles away! I also grew up playing soccer, ice skating and then eventually shifting all my focus towards surfing in addition to strength training which is important since it helps with everything from posture, to breathing, keeping you flexible and strengthening your core.

All these things in a round about have helped my singing and even guitar playing. Overall by focusing on this stuff I have never felt better and it has definitely helped me as a musician.

It all starts with focus and a goal of being healthy but you have to translate that into you routine. I have a career that has me driving from town to town and city to city every night for 30-45 nights in a row. Yup touring pretty much screwed up my whole routine. You see I live in San Diego and I went from having all these daily activities at my fingertips plus being able to choose from about four healthy food markets in a 1 mile radius from my house to crappy hotel gyms/or no gyms and fast food…needless to say it was really depressing at first. Often I never even had time to even find a healthy market and it takes some real self discipline to get up an hour early before van call to get a workout in.

So here is my plan and the way I approach health and diet on the road. First and foremost, food. I don’t eat much dairy except I do love an occasional cheese plate and wine with my girl friends. I try to stay away from any dairy on the road mostly because it hurts my throat and singing. Soy lattes are a must every morning and sometimes a croissant. I read a book a while ago called, ‘The Fast Food Diet’. It’s a great book and generally tells you how you can accomplish a well balanced meal at fast food joints. Generally it’s not what you eat, but how much of it you eat. A calorie is a calorie whichever way you put it.

So on the road I eat meals, but small ones, little snacks every so often. A handful of chips here, lara bar there a banana and lots of water. Water fills you up, and keeps you hydrated especially when you are in moving in and out of different climates. I try to limit my meat intake, and only eat fish. But sometimes I indulge in the BBQ pulled pork…when you are in the middle of Alabama, you only live once!

Visit Tristan’s blog tomorrow for part two, where the singer shares her five-point plan to staying healthy on the run, only here on SheKnows!

This week, Tristan reflects on the fan response to her being ill just prior to her album being released. The support was shown in chat rooms and emails. That goodwill from her fans was evidenced in the singer’s album debuting in Billboard’s Top 30.

Current mood: Chill
Category: Life

I’m gonna make this short and sweet, cause I gotta get up at 6 a.m. But I just wanted to thank everyone for being so nice and understanding and sending warm wishes to get well soon.

I was just writing back this person by the name of ‘cheese’. Hah…you guys are funny with your display names…anyhow they said ‘hope you are feeling better…’ to which I replied,

“Honestly, I think sometimes when we start doing something, and do a lot of it, in my case, singing/traveling/music-ing…nonstop, sometimes we get to a point where we forget why and what we are doing. It is important to have time to regroup, re-balance, re-energize and get re-inspired. So we can continue to head down the path, with the purest and clearest intentions. I think I just hit a wall of exhaustion and stress and non stop everything.”In return, when our bodies are worn down, is when they usually start giving out. This is the best and easiest time for your body to catch a cold, or in my case, lose a voice. When we are stressed, we are weak, and the areas in which we are pushing ourselves, tend to be the first to go. After having a minute to just chill out, read a book, do some yoga, and not worry about doing something related for music, even for just this day. I am feeling much better.

I just wanted to share this with you guys, ‘cause I think this is pretty much what I have gathered over the last couple days. It’s important to take time out of our days for ourselves. Whether its five minutes or 20, early in the morning, or after a long day. The little time will go a long way.

I just did yoga in my hotel room, something new I am trying, I hate those darn DVD’s, so hard to get motivated, but I am feeling the benefits even though it was short and sweet. I think for most of us, we worry about taking care of everyone around us. Its rare we actually do something for ourselves, and while buying a new pair of shoes is nice for yourself, the takin’ care of yourself I’m talking about, is entirely different — to each there own though.

But I really am finding that, especially in my case, making time to do the things that remind me of me, and what my life is like when I am home is important. I am so used to surfing, training or walking with my mom or my best friend. I eat a crazy healthy diet and like to cook and read and hang on the couch. I like mellow nights at home. To go from that to being in a van for most of my day, in a new city every night, different hotel room, meeting all sorts of people, eating potato chips and crap ‘cause there is nothing else, is not exactly my idea of fun. Sometimes it makes me wonder what the hell I am doing this for.

And so I have to ask myself, ‘What am I doing this for?’

Well…I am doing this cause I love to play music, ‘cause I know how its affected people and i know its capabilities of touching people. I know that if I open up my heart and mind, I will learn so many things out here on the road. Things I could never learn by going back to school or simply getting married and living the good life. Simply put, I do this because I am in love with music and being able to play it every night. Music creates a vibration within me that I don’t get from anything else I have ever done in my life. (Surfing comes pretty close but that’s a different kind of buzz.)

So over the past could days I have realized that I have to create the balance for myself. Because there will always be tours, interviews, recording, traveling and other demands that take up my time. Its up to me, to say ok, I gotta figure out something that I can work in. For the sake of having a bit of time, to just go away in my head from everything, and get re-centered.

I think first off, the fact that I am aware of this, is a good first step. I got some yoga videos and i know now that exercise even if its just 15 minutes of stretching in the morning, or having the boys pull over and let me run after the van for a couple miles, is worth it. I also realize that it’s important to eat healthy, even if that means Googling the local health market, waking up early and packing a little lunch for the day.

As a performer and a singer, and I think any of us, we want to feel the best we can feel day in and day out. I know for me, when I am getting some exercise and eating healthy it shows. Our bodies are temples. We must learn to treat them with care and love. What we put in them, affects our minds, our ability to learn, our skin complexion and overall appearance, and our overall well being. I swear if you make just the tinniest changes, you will see huge differences.

Hopefully all this enlightenment, will lead to no more cancelled shows for a very long time. I am feeling better and I am ready to get back out there. More inspired than ever, and I hope you are too :)

We’ve got a record out people!

A NEW RECORD! HOLY COW!!!!!

I can’t even believe it!!! Finally!

Smiles,

TP

Call me crazy but…

I have like 51,000 friends on this Myspace thing. If 10 percent of those 51,000 people bought the new record, I could sell like 10,000 records in my first week. I remember when “twentythree” came out, I was psyched that I sold 2,000 the first week.

But…if I sold 10,000 records my first week, or more…this would send a huge message to my label and the industry, that what we got here, is something special, genuine, real. I think we can do it!

So if you guys can, and have some extra dollars lying around, try to buy the record this week. I-tunes, your local record store, Best Buy, Target, wherever they sell it. Doesn’t matter where you get it…

For every artist, the first week is huge. And though I don’t need instant gratification, I know the longer it takes, the longer it will last, it would be pretty darn cool to achieve this goal.

So if you can get yourself a copy, your mom a copy, and tell 10 friends to buy a copy..I would love you, more than I already do…hard to believe that’s even possible I know, and I would be forever grateful.

This is where I put my hand out in front of me, and you all out your hands on mine, and we say go team, hut-hut, hike, 10-4, Roger that….whoot whoot!

I am feeling much better, and off to Nashville, ill be in touch :)

Big smiles and thanks for the support and thank you to everyone who pre-ordered the record. Every little bit helps!

XO TP

Whoops: New Record Out Now! Just realized something…

Ten percent of 51,000 is not around 10,000, its more round 5,000….that’s why I play music and don’t teach math. I have been thinking in 20 percent all day — anyhow — you get the gist of it, every little bit helps

:) TP

Editor’s note: Tristan Prettyman’s album “Hello” is currently number 12 on the iTunes charts after barely a week of release. All of her hoping and hard work has paid off, Tristan’s album debuted at number 27 on the Billboard Hot 200 charts. Artists sitting below her include the mighty Alicia Keys, Carrie Underwood, Miley Cyrus, Mary J. Blige and Snoop Dogg.

That’s some serious company our SheKnows’ blogger is keeping. Congratulations, Tristan!

In the last couple days I have lost my voice, and gotten it back, lost it again, gotten it back, and today I woke up feeling like a baby gremlin covered in glass had made its home in my throat. I never like to cancel shows but i just went to soundcheck and tried to sing, and I nearly started crying at the sound that was coming out of me.

 I have been looking forward to this show and so stoked that it sold out. Philly is such a great town, and last time we played the World Cafe it was just so magical and intimate and lovely. I would never cancel a show unless I absolutely felt like it was necessary – tonight is one of those nights.

I just wanted to apologize to everyone who bought tickets, and came. I know some of you drove from hours away. I really feel horrible, but the last thing I want to do is struggle through a performance. You as fans deserve better than that, and i as a performer, know I can give better than that.

We are looking into dates to reschedule and will let you know as soon as we know. I hope you all can come back on the rescheduled date and we can have an amazing evening together.

I am going to see a throat specialist tomorrow and have been ordered to rest. So tomorrow’s show in Arlington, Virginia will be cancelled as well. We will reschedule as soon as possible, and I look forward to coming back and putting on one heck of a show!

Again, sorry for any inconvenience, but health has to come first out here on the road, otherwise it just sucks. So I hope you can understand. Thank you for supporting the music and being the best fans ever. I will see you soon! Hopefully better and healthier than ever, very shortly.

Hugs,

TP