Avenues and Updates

So many things to talk about tonight. We just got home from our performance in the Avenues Showcase, a monthly songwriter night hosted by Lisa Dotolo. We attended one of her shows a few months ago to hear our friend John, and that lead to our booking. We were really excited to do the show because it was held at one of our favourite venues, Caffiene. (You may remember this as the cafe we visited on our honeymoon.)

Well, last week, we got a disturbing email - Caffiene was closed! NOOOOOO!!!!!! We love that place!

Lisa was finally able to reschedule at Cafe Coco, a busy cafe with a back room where they hold music nights. The show's audience was lower than usual due to the reschedule, but we still performed to a nearly packed room, so no complaints here.

We were each invited to do 4 songs, and Gerald was crazy/brave enough to try 3 (yes 3!) brand new songs! I did 2 on my own, and then had him join me for "My Father's Arms" and "The Point of the Song". It's always a little risky doing Christian songs in a non-Christian environment, but I felt very well received. Several people came up to speak to me after, and one person took my card so they can get me to come to their church. Gotta love Nashville!

Oh, and another cool moment of the night - I met another Shoutlifer! Carolyn and I have chatted through Shoutlife, but we didn't know the other was on the line-up for tonight. Small little wold!

And updates:

We are still seeking gigs for the summer, but the big thing is prepping for my CD!!!!!! A few weeks ago, I hired Aaron Minick as my producer. I want a CD that's rooted in Southern Gospel, with jazz and big band influences. When I met Aaron, I knew I'd found my producer.

Aaron's Dad, Johnny, sang for many years with the Happy Goodmans (Howard and Vestal), so Aaron grew up surrounded by Southern Gospel. But now, Aaron's own music is influenced by the same big band jazz crooners that I love. The perfect mix!

I'm aiming for 10 songs - some classic SG, a hymn or two, some of our songs, and a few by other writers. I can't afford to hire a big band, so we're going for a 6 piece combo set-up. We're going to get started this summer, with a goal of releasing it in time for Christmas.

I am sooooo excited about this! This is one of the reasons why I came to Nashville. To work with people who are in the SG industry, people who've grown up with this music. This will also satisfy one of the goals on my 100 Life Goals List. Yay!

Speaking of the List, I'm also working on another goal - "Read the entire Bible". Like most people, I'd read the popular parts, but never the whole entire thing. Let me tell you - it is looong! I'm loving it, but I'm finding it a struggle to keep up with the daily readings. I'm reading the Message translation, with the Apocrypha from the Good News translation.

We're also preparing for a fair bit of company this summer, so we have plans to finish the unpacking (yes, we still have boxes!) and get all the painting done soon. And somewhere, in all that, we're going to find time for a trip to Memphis! Can't be this close to Elvis country and not drop by for a visit!