Friday, March 30, 2007

Crook, Kix, and Tin Pan South

Tonight, we continued our Tin Pan South adventure with an early show at 12th and Porter. (I realized today that, if nothing else, this is a good way to check out a bunch of venues. Most won't be places for me to play, but they will be great for Gerald.)

Once again, sooo happy for the pass! There was a long line, but we were able to jump to the front. Oh, and they had free valet parking. Nashville is great for parking!

Tonight's line-up was Peter Cooper, Marshall Chapman, Tommy Womack, and Kix Brooks (of Brooks and Dunn fame).

Kix was the only familiar name to me, and he was great! You usually just hear his guitar and vocal harmonies, but he's got a strong voice, and I really enjoyed his songs.

Peter, Marshall (a blues woman!) and Tommy were all very different, but really great to watch. Again, they would just jump in on each other's songs with harmonies and guitar solos. Marshall and Tommy are great friends, and obviously great fans of each other's music. At times, it was like watching a duo. Very cool!

After the show, we were invited to visit the Gibson bus. This custom designed bus sits outside the Tin Pan venues to act like a green room for the performers. It looked like a regular high-end tour bus (which is usually pretty gorgeous anyways), but it had all sorts of guitar and music themed stuff in it. The ceiling was one long, lit up fret board. The edging on all the counters and window sills was like a keyboard. The table top looked like a Gibson guitar top. There was even a small studio/practice booth. So cool!!!

This afternoon, I met with a representative from the Eddie Crook Company. This is a group that does a lot of recording and radio promotion in the Southern Gospel industry. They found me on Shoutlife (http://shoutlife.com/allisonlynn), and invited me in for a face to face. I had my list of questions about what they do, and they wanted to find out more about my goals in the industry.

I got some good counsel and, overall, it was a very positive meeting. I've been invited back for a second meeting. I have a lot of things to figure out over the next few months - what to record, how to record, when and where to record, and then, how to start finding the right venues and showcases.

I'm going to take Easter to consider some of my options. I feel like there's a bit of a catch-22 here in Nashville. Everyone tells you to wait and record your CD in Nashville, because that's how you'll get that authentic southern sound. But the minute you get here, everyone wants you to have a CD ready to play for them and to sell at events! I am anxious to get into the studio. It's been almost 3 years since my first recording, and I have so much more to say now.

Today was a reminder to look at all my options, be wise with my resources, and stay focused on my personal goals.

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