Cafe Coco and the Guitar-B-Que

Today was a very Nashville day - very social and full of music.

This morning I attended the Palm Sunday service at Church of the Redeemer. Last year, I was singing at a non-denominational church on Palm Sunday. It was a great church, but I missed my palm! Today's service started with the traditional outdoor procession, leading into the sanctuary. We sang great Palm Sunday hymns, and had a special vocal trio during the offering. The whole service was just full of joy!

This afternoon, Gerald and I played Cafe Coco. The front part is a very busy cafe, but they have a back room set up as a small music venue. It's very cozy, but they have music there all the time, so I'm sure it can get pretty busy. Today was not one of those days. We were part of a special all-day NSAI line-up to celebrate Tin Pan South. When we arrived for our time slot, there were 6 people in the room, 7 when the bartender arrived. I think we maxed out at 10 when a few people came in to find a quiet place to eat their lunch.

But, we followed the Equity rule and carried on with the show. (Equity says you must perform if the audience equals the cast + 1) They actually had several performers not even show up, so we ended up going on just seconds after we walked through the door. Gerald started with his set, including his ever-soulful "I'm a Real Big Fan", and "Never Learn". He hasn't done that song forever, so it was a real treat for me.

I did "My Father's Arms", with Gerald on guitar, followed by "Wedding at Cana" and "Abide With Me". After the set, I met a new Shoutlife friend! She had come to see me play, but because they put us on early, she only caught the last few bars. Disappointing on both sides, but at least we got to meet. Hopefully, we'll hook up again.

To top off the day, we attended Doak Turner's annual Guitar-B-Que. (I have no idea how to actually spell that!) Doak hosts the monthly songwriter party we attended back in November. At the monthly party, people group up in rooms in the house to play songs for each other. This time, it was more about the food and the socializing. There was one large song circle in the middle of the yard, but it was mostly loud party songs being performed. Surrounding the circle was a large crowd of songwriters recovering from a crazy week and stuffing their faces with pulled pork and sweet tea. (soooooo good!) We saw tonnes of people we knew, including NSAI Toronto members, so it was a great time.

Gerald met up with a guy who also writes Christian songs, and we all got curious about each other's music. When it was time to leave, we left with this guy and his wife, found a quiet place on the lawn of a nearby church, and sang our songs under the trees. Such a great way to spend the day.

We're going home for Easter this week, so it's going to be crazy busy, but this was a great way to end Tin Pan South and just enjoy being in Nashville!

Stephen Schwartz!!!!!

I had to choose an obvious title, because I never want to have trouble finding this post. Tonight was a night to remember and revisit!

We continued our Tin Pan South journey tonight by attending a show at the Bluebird Cafe. As soon as I saw the TPS schedule, I knew I had to see this show: "Nights on Broadway: The New York - Nashville Connection". Because it's the Bluebird, I needed to make a reservation weeks ago, but I couldn't get a reservation, so I was put on a waiting list, and finally got a call this Tuesday to say we could get seats, and we still had to show up an hour before curtain! And it was all worth it...

Tonight's show, held in the round, was hosted by singer, Lari White, and featured music theatre composers Amanda Green, Marcus Hummon, Mike Reid, and the completely amazing Stephen Schwartz!

Stephen Schwartz has been in my life for a long time. I grew up listening to a record of Godspell, and very early in my career, I was thrilled to play "Peggy" in a Toronto production. Most recently, I, like half of North America, fell in love with Wicked. I couldn't have been more excited for tonight's show. I've been singing "Beautiful City" and "Day by Day" all week!

I don't even know if I can find the words to tell you how amazing this show was! (yes, bad sentence structure!) Each and every song was brilliant. The songs were dynamic and funny and painful and fascinating.

Amanda has a recent Broadway hit with the musical, "High Fidelity", based on the John Cusack film. She did 2 songs from the show, plus 2 others, and they were all funny and wickedly entertaining.

Marcus did songs from "American Duet", which he's hoping will hit Broadway in the fall. One of the biggest surprises of the night (at least for me) was when he silently sat at the keyboard, and with very little introduction, started to play his non-theatre song, "God Bless the Broken Road". I love that song! I couldn't believe this was the man who created it!

Mike did some never-before-performed material, which was pretty awesome. And again, he pulled it out of the music theatre realm for a minute with his song, "I Can't Make You Love Me", as recorded by Faith Hill. Unbelievable!

Lari would sing harmonies, and tell a few stories about the Broadway scene, and she did some solos as well. She has a real ability to communicate a song.

But, of course, my favourite moments all came from Stephen. I'd never heard of his first song, which was a delightful and witty interpretation of trying to fall in love in New York City.

Next, he said he didn't want to sing a theatre piece. Instead, he wanted to do a medley of a few songs, and I knew the first tune within a few notes: "Colours of the Wind". Amazing! I'm sitting there, not six feet from Stephen Schwartz, listening to him sing his song, "Colours of the Wind". But then he switched into the second song of the medley: "When You Believe", from Disney's Prince of Egypt. Last October, when Gerald and I had our Nashville Bound concert, Esther and Monika sang this song for us, as a blessing for our adventures. I couldn't believe he sang it. I just started to cry!

Next, he did a newer cabaret song that I'd never heard of. I can't even tell you the title of it. But the song talks about having parents that hurt you and didn't love you. And it says the best way to heal that pain is to wrap you parents in love and forgiveness. It was powerful, and received the only standing ovation of the night (except for the end of the show). Looking around the audience, the tears showed that this song touched many hearts.

Stephen, of course, got the final song of the night. I was really hoping for something from Godspell, but he chose to sing something from Wicked. Couldn't really complain about that. And what did he choose? "For Good". At Dad's retirement in January, we were all brought to tears when 3 teenagers from church stood up and sang this song. The entire lyric is moving, and the chorus ends with "But because I knew you, I have been changed for good". This song would be powerful on any day, but to have people sing this to my Dad was amazing. And then tonight, with that memory still fresh in my mind, to sit 6 feet away from the writer himself, and hear him sing it...well, it was just too much. I couldn't help but burst into tears all over again.

Who knew Tin Pan South would be so emotional?

After the show, I just had to introduce myself to Stephen and say "Thank you for your songs". Gerald and I both agreed it was our favourite show this week, and we couldn't imagine any of the other shows topping it.

The whole thing was just so complete. I just feel so satisfied in every way. I don't even need a late night snack. I'm all filled up with good stuff!

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.

The Hit Men

This is such a cool week to be in Nashville! Tin Pan South is an annual songwriting festival sponsored by NSAI. It's a week of shows, 2 shows a night, in all the best venues, with all the best songwriters. Later in the week, there are 2 days of songwriting workshops, called 'Songposium', and Gerald will be taking part in that.

Tonight's show was called "The Hit Men", a title taken from a new reality show being shot about 4 of Nashville's most successful songwriters: Jeffrey Steele, Craig Wiseman, Bob DiPiero, and Tony Mullins. These guys are not only songwriting peers, they are also great friends, so the energy on stage was pretty wild. The energy outside was pretty wild too, with the line-up stretching down the side of the building, and only people with festival passes actually making it in to see the show. (Yay! We bought passes!)

Even if you've never heard of Jeffrey, Craig, Bob, or Tony, if you listen to country music, you will have heard their songs.

Every song they played was great, but the show was so much more than just the songs. The energy among the players was infectious. They would just jump in on guitar or vocal harmonies, and suddenly you were watching a band of buddies and not just solo performers.

But the highlight (and what may very well be the highlight of all Tin Pan South for me) was "Believe". The first time I heard this song, I just shook. I couldn't wait for Gerald to hear it. I've heard it a hundred times in the past year, and it never fails to move me.

Craig Wiseman co-wrote the song with Ronnie Dunn, and near the end of the show, he started to tell this story about talking to a woman from his hometown, who reminded him that all his songs come from God. As the story developed, you knew it was coming, and I was so excited.

Craig isn't the same kind of singer as Ronnie, but it didn't matter. His performance was passionate and authentic. I couldn't help but cry. You could feel God's presence in the bar. It reminded me of a speaker I heard recently who said that we are always so determined to 'invite' God into our worship, that we forget that God is already here, no matter where 'here' is. And God was definitely in the room tonight.

The rest of the show was so good, and it ended on a truly awesome note: Craig's other life-changing song, "Live Like You Were Dying". It was one of the few moments of the night when the audience really sang out and sang along.

Such a great night! Can't wait to see what else is in store this week...

The 23rd Psalm Cafe

For months, now, I've been seeing an open mic advertised at The 23rd Psalm Cafe. It didn't seem to be part of the main-stream venue line-up, but it was obviously a Christian place, so I've been wanting to check it out. Tonight, we got our chance.

A few weeks ago, Gerald and I drove to the Cafe to play the open mic, only to find out that the paper had the days listed incorrectly, and the venue was actually closed that night. Gerald ended up speaking to the owner, Ben, on the phone, who remembered my emails, and a few days later, we had an invitation to play The 23rd Psalm Cafe.

It's a small white building and, as we suspected, it is far off the main strip. Inside, it's even smaller, and quite cluttered. The walls are covered in 8 x 10's of artists who've played there. The whole thing feels a little like a Newfoundland kitchen party: great food cooking in one corner, a stage in the other, and all sorts of people crammed into every nook and cranny, laughing and singing and telling stories. But the spirit is tremendous, and we were in for a great night of music and fellowship...

There were several other singer-songwriters, and a band from Kentucky. Gerald was second on the line-up, and he opened with "I'm a Real Big Fan" - perfect choice cause it just got everyone going. He followed with "Do You Trust the Wings God Gave You?" and "My Child is Dancing With God". Beautiful!

I was supposed to go next, but Ben decided he wanted the band to play next. So up comes this 6 piece worship/rock band, with a huge sound and great players. And all I could think was, "I have to follow this? Me? With my solo guitar and my pretty little church songs? Arg!!!"

Yes, fear swept through me. I could imagine the crowd taking their smoke break when my turn finally arrived. But then I smacked myself in the head. I reminded myself that I wasn't in competition with anyone, and that the only reason I had for writing or singing was to please God. If I could be worthy of Him, then any spot, any time, would be just fine.

As I was coming to this conclusion, a friend of mine walked into the Cafe. She came to hear me, but had gotten lost.

If I had gone on earlier, she would have missed my performance. Funny, huh?

When my turn came, I brought Gerald up to accompany me on "My Father's Arms", and then kicked him off the stage so I could do "The Wedding At Cana" and "Abide With Me".

In the end, I think we both did really well. But there was so much more to experience that night. We heard some great singer-songwriters, and met some wonderful people. Ben knows several other Christian venues, so we may be able to find some more opportunities that way.

And once again, I was reminded that God's plan is always better than the one I design myself!

Painting Cars and Goober.

Today was filled with two truly unique events.

At Cafe Forte on Monday, we met an artist named Rachel Kice who invited us to her performance art piece this afternoon. Rachel has a friend who's a single mom, and this mom's car broke down. Obviously, as a single mom in Nashville, which has practically zero public transit, you need a car. So Rachel and friends brought the car out to Caffeine Cafe, and parked it on the side of Demonbreun. Accompanied by live music, Rachel began to paint the car with wild colours and abstract designs. Later, the car will be auctioned off and the money will go to buy the single mom a new car.

Rachel is associated with the Muzik Mafia (which isn't as subversive as it sounds. It's a music collective who does a tonne of charity work.) The Mafia has given the car a starting bid of $2000, and they are also sponsors of the event. The whole thing was pretty fun, and Rachel even had some children filling in the colours, and adding pink hearts in the 'empty' spaces!

While I was watching the car painting, I was invited to another event tonight. At 5:30, I wandered over to the Belcourt Theater, which is a local rep cinema in Hillsboro Village (an area like Toronto's Annex). I really didn't know what to expect, and when I arrived, I felt like the loner in high school. I was by myself, and everybody seemed to know everybody else.

The place was packed, so I grabbed a few snacks off the complimentary buffet, and settled into a seat. It ended up that this was the release party for a new country video by the sister act, Moore and Moore.

The song, "Find Me a Man Like Goober", was inspired by the Goober character of the Andy Griffith show. The video not only featured George "Goober" Lindsey, but a host of country music legends, such a Porter Waggoner, Little Jimmy Dickens, and Hee Haw alumni, the Hager Twins.

After they showed the video, I saw some people I knew, so I started chatting and meeting people. Before long, I was one of the last people in the place, meeting artists and folks and just having a great time. (I am so my Dad in those moments!)

I had a very different day planned - very practical, finishing my paint job on the kitchen, faxing Toronto's DVM - but this was just all awesome and fun. I think a lot of doing well in Nashville is just being open to new people and new experiences.

BCC Easter Video

A few weeks ago, I went to the Artist's Well at BCC, where I got to meet all their music and art directors. I volunteered to get involved with their music and drama areas, and today was my first opportunity.

BCC is a huge church with a 'contemporary' style of worship, basically consisting of 30 minutes of music and 30 minutes of message. One of the ways they segue the music and the message is by short videos pieces that focus on the theme of day. They show the video on the large screens in the church.

Today, they were shooting a video for Easter Sunday, and I was invited to take part.

I had to read a rather long section of Isaiah, followed by a few lines from Matthew 28 (which I love because it was read at our wedding!) They're going to shoot several people reading the passage, and then intercut us, so one person says a line, another says the next line, etc.

We just shot in an office at the church, and it went pretty quickly, but it was still pretty cool to do. We won't be here on Easter when it's shown, but they post all their videos online, so I'll be able to see it when it's done.

We shot it early, so when I was done, I wandered into Happy Hour (their name for coffee hour!), and then attended the service. Great way to spend a morning!

Tea and Jam and Shoutlife

Last month, I joined an online community called Shoutlife. It's like the infamous myspace, but it's all Christians. I found it really easy to use, and I've just loved being on it. There's tonnes of musicians, and lots of them in Nashville, so I've been able to ask questions about the gospel music industry here.

Well, today, my Shoutlife life started to meld with my real life.

This afternoon, we got a call booking us for a gig in June. It's an all-day festival of indie Christian musicians, ranging from country to rock. And I booked it through Shoutlife!

Tonight, we attended an event called Tea and Jam, at Madison Church of Christ. It's a monthly event, with live music, free admission, and complimentary tea and sweets. We went because the 2 performers were both Shoutlife members!

When we walked in, we started meeting fellow Shoutlifers right away, which was just surreal. The space was set up cabaret-style, and was originally built as a small TV set, so it was all very cool.

Our first performer was singer-songwriter, Rachel Carrozziere. Great voice, with really good songs. Next up was Christian comedian, Marty Daniels. He told great stories, but he ended the set with his personal testimony, which was powerful.

The whole night was awesome! Yes, great entertainment and wonderful snacks. But the best part was meeting people! Here are all these people who, up til now, have only been represented by a few lines of typing and a tiny head shot on a screen. Tonight, they became living, breathing, new found friends.

Sometimes, it's a very, very small world.

More CWE!

Tonight, I was blessed to perform again with the CWE (Christian Women of Entertainment). They're committed to having a showcase once a month, so I was thrilled to be invited back.

They're always trying to find non-smoking venues, and tonight's show was at the Rutledge, which is downtown. (As a side note, the smoking regulations are terrible down here. You can actually still smoke in restaurants! It's so gross. They're trying to bring in new smoking bans. We're crossing our fingers!)

The Rutledge is a very funky, somewhat urban club, with a bar on one side, and a partially enclosed music venue on the other. Tonight's line-up contained a few of us from the February show, but mostly new performers. The thing that impressed me most was the huge variety of performers - jazz, gospel, folk, and even Christian rap. Everyone was good, and some were well above good!

I started with "The Wedding at Cana", which I introduced as my version of a Christian 'drinking' song (since we were in a bar...the song is about wine...you get the picture!). Next I did "I Call Out Your Name", followed by "Welcome to Bethlehem". Yes, a Christmas song in Lent. I told the audience, "This is the part of the show where you either go 'She's crazy' or 'She's fearless!'" Gerald joined me on stage to add his funky solo guitar part, and the song got a huge response.

I felt very comfortable on stage, and got a lot of laughs from the audience. I think my performing and improv skills are going to be an asset here. A lot of songwriters aren't performers, so if I can make people laugh, I think it will make me stand out from the crowd.

Of course, singing Christmas songs in March will also make me stand out too!

NSAI One-on-one...

Every 6 months, as an NSAI member, I get to sit down with an NSAI staff member for a one-on-one session. Since we're so new to town, Gerald and I decided this would be a good week to do this. The point of the one-on-one is to determine where you are in your songwriting career, where you want to be, and how you're going to get there.

My session was with a girl named Jimi. My greatest fear was that I would get my one-on-one with someone who didn't know about Christian music, but Jimi actually writes CCM, and she's had some indie cuts, so it was a great match up.

First, she listened to 2 of my songs, "I am Waiting Here for You" and "Infinitely More". She gave me a little feedback that mostly involved tightening things, but overall, her response was very strong. She really liked my melodies, and that was a really pleasant surprise. I guess I think of myself as lyrics first, so it's nice to know that good things are happening with the music side of things.

Next, we discussed a 6-month-plan for me. I told her that my main focus was to be an 'artist' (as opposed to a full-time writer), and that I'd like to start co-writing with other people. She gave me lots of ideas for live venues, networking places, and tips on co-writing in Nashville.

The whole meeting was just great. I left feeling very encouraged and inspired.

Tonight, I attended the Lenten program at Church of the Redeemer. There was a meal, which was great for meeting people, but the main focus was the Bible study on the Letter to the Colossians. I was expecting a gentle, after-dinner study involving phrases like, "Paul said this..." and "The Colossians felt this...". Nope! This was like a university level discussion involving a study of myth, empire, and metanarrative. Totally not prepared for it, but I loved it. I'll definitely be back next week. (I actually need to go back. I'm still slightly confused, and I'm hoping a return trip will straighten me out!)

Watching and learning...

Today was a good, busy day. This afternoon, I got to visit my friends Tracy and Shawn at UpTown Studios. Shawn is making a choral CD, and is in town to record the instrument tracks. (Tracey is doing the piano parts. I know both of them from Stamps-Baxter.) He'll take the tracks home where he can finish the recording with his church choir.

The studio had a great set-up, with a main room, that was surrounded by lots of smaller, isolated booths for piano, drums, guitar, etc. (The guitar player was Kevin Williams, of Gaither Homecoming fame.) The booths meant that everyone could record a take of the song at once, but then they could go back in and fix up individual parts without losing the whole take. Wish we'd had that with the big band recordings I did!

The most impressive part was watching the musicians with the charts. These are all seasoned session players, which is a very different beast than a live performance player. And all the charts were in the infamous Nashville Number System. Before each song, the players would sit quietly in a room, each looking at a single piece of paper that contained lines of numbers, with a few dashes and dots added to mark repeats, etc. They would talk through the structure, but they would never really practice anything. Then they would step into the studio, and just start to record. A few things would need to be adjusted, but basically, they would get the bulk of the song down in a few takes. Amazing!

Tonight, I attended a Christian writer's night at NSAI, where we had a guest speaker. Dan Keen is a VP with ASCAP, and he specializes in Christian music. He was really fantastic because he covered both sides of the business. He spoke in very practical terms about copyright, streams of income, and PROs. (Performing Rights Organizations, like SOCAN or ASCAP). But then he also spoke about the role of Christian writers to serve the needs of the church. He encouraged us to be very local, and to create projects specifically for our community. It was all really well balanced, and very inspiring.

From Day 1, Gerald has said that we are here to learn. Today was definitely a great day for that!

Asked back...

This morning, I continued my hunt for a home church by actually returning to a church. I attended the morning service at Church of the Redeemer. I really enjoy their worship style, which I think they call "evangelical Anglican". The service ended with "It is Well", which I ,of course, love. But they played it uptempo with a drum beat. Very cool and unexpected.

This evening, we had one of the great honours you can have as a working musician: We were asked back. It's wonderful to go and sing in a new church, but when they ask you back, well, that just means so much.

Calvary Baptist Church, where we sang last week, is starting a new Sunday evening service. It's very casual, in their Fellowship Room with the congregation sitting at tables, "cabaret" style.

I sang "I Call Out Your Name", and Gerald did one of his new ones, "Reborn". We also did a duet of "People Get Ready", which was really fun to work on.

The service was very relaxed, with a great energy. It's such a warm and welcoming congregation. This was their very first service of this kind, and I hope it's a ministry that grows and grows.

And, of course, I hope we're asked back!

Allison & Wess & Allison.

I feel like I just made my non-Stamps-Baxter-Southern-Gospel debut!

Tonight, I attended a concert in Walling, about 2 hours from Nashville. I'm sure in the light of day, it's beautiful country out there. But getting lost and ending up on a unlit dirt road was not my finest moment. I'm a city girl - I like streets that are concrete and have signs that flash at me. But I digress...

The concert started with the Anchored Quartet. Great sound, with a strong blend. Next was my friend, Wess Adams. I met Wess and his wife, Susan, at Stamps-Baxter 2 years ago. Last year, he moved to Nashville and recorded his first CD. It was great to hear him in a full set with his own songs.

And then came the headliner: Allison Durham Speer! It was so good to see her. Allison is one of the best live performers I know. Her voice is tremendous and she makes great song choices. She has the best stories about her family, and she always throws in a good amount of theology to boot.

One song she chose tonight was "Sweet Beulah Land". I just loved hearing her voice soar on that chorus. But then she turned to me, put the mic in my face, and said, "Do you know this?"

Eep! I do know it, but I was a little freaked out, so I took the mic, Allison fed me the words, and I sang the first verse. When it came to the chorus, Allison whispered, "Take the lead" and she sang a harmony line. I couldn't believe I was singing an impromptu duet with Allison Durham Speer! At the end of the song, the audience gave us a standing ovation. I was overwhelmed....

At the end of the show, Allison got Wess, the quartet and a few friends up to sing "What a Day", and I was also invited up to join in. Again, I just felt honoured to be up on stage with this great group of performers.

After the show, so many people came up to compliment me on my voice, welcome me to Tennessee, and to tell me that they would pray for my ministry. A little girl asked me for my autograph.

Tonight was an incredible show with great talent and wonderful songs, but being invited to sing just made it over the top. Allison and Wess and Susan, have offered to give me some advice on getting in the 'loop' here in Nashville. Driving 2 hours there and back and getting lost was all pretty awful, but it was so worth it all. Tonight was incredible! It was so worth the drive!

Cafe Forte

One of the fabulous performers at the CWE showcase on Friday was Elayna Boynton. After staring at her, I realized that we had actually met 2 years ago at 'Write About Jesus' in Missouri! Anyhoo, we got to talking and she told me about her gig tonight, so I went to check it out.

Cafe Forte is a weekly event held in a cafe in the Music Row area. Each Monday, they feature 2 music acts. The music is a variety of styles, but always Christian, or Christian-based. Between the acts, they have a time of fellowship where strangers are encouraged to become friends, and bonds are built within the music community.

Elayna has great songs and a fantastic voice (even when she's fighting laryngitis!), and the second act, Chris Eddy and his band, just rocked, so the music was great.

But it was also wonderful to meet other Christians in a low-pressure, supportive environment. I met the organizers of the event and passed on my demo (prayers lifted!), and even met a woman that may end up being a co-writer! Oh, and I saw people I know! 2 of them! I'm starting to realize that living in Nashville is going to be a lot like living in St. John's - Every time you go out, you must be prepared to run into someone you know. (No more running around town in pjs with no make-up!)

I have another way this place is like Newfoundland: Guess what they say about the weather?

"If you don't like the weather, wait five minutes."

Omiword! We grew up saying that!

Final thought: For the last few years, I've been hearing Christian writers talk about doing gigs in 'coffee houses'. In Toronto, no one sings in a cafe, and on the rare moments they do, it's certainly not Christian music. But down here, the cafe is a valued venue for Christian artists. It allows a space that is smoke and alcohol free, where a Christian organizer can set up a regular or special event. It allows Christian music to move outside the walls of the church and into the "real" world. And it allows the musicians to sing songs that may be Christian or Christian-inspired, but that wouldn't necessarily be sung in a worship service.

Also, a lot of churches here actually have, for lack of a better word, cafe ministries. Some have a fully working cafe in their lobby that is open before and after Sunday morning services for fellowship time. Others actually meet in a room in a church, school, etc, where they set up a cafe and they hold worship in that environment - sitting at tables, singing praise songs, listening to the message, discussing ideas.

It's a little strange to see people walking into the church with their lattes in their hands, but if it's making people more comfortable walking through the doors of the church, I can't really argue with that. After all, God calls us to "come just as you are"...

Calvary Baptist Church

This morning was my first chance to minister to a church here in Nashville!

A few weeks ago, at an NSAI meeting, I met the music minister of Calvary Baptist Church. We got to talking, and he invited me to come and sing at the church some Sunday. So this morning, Gerald and I packed up the guitars and went to church...

We were asked to open the service, so we did "I Have Decided to Follow Jesus" with dueling guitars (me on rhythm, Gerald on lead). For our solo pieces, we wanted to do songs of comfort, so Gerald did "Do You Trust the Wings God Gave You?" and I did "Abide With Me". All the songs were really well received.

It was a wonderful service. Everyone was very friendly, even before they knew that we were there for the music, and a lot of people came up to us after the service with very kind comments. The message was great too: The pastor preached on the story from Luke when the paralyzed man couldn't get in to see Jesus, so his friends lowered him down through the roof. But his message wasn't about the sick man or the miracle of healing. Instead, he took the theme of "caregivers", and focused on the friends who cared enough to do whatever it took to get their friend to Jesus. It was a great perspective to take on the story, and he branched out to talk about the importance of caregivers, and how Jesus is the ultimate caregiver.

This morning felt like the start of something very good. Actually, with the CWE performance on Friday, this whole weekend has felt like the start of something good. I've been trying to find my specific place in this city for a few weeks now. I know I have a long way to go, but tonight, I feel like I have my feet on the right path.

Oh, and we've been asked back to Calvary Baptist for another service! Can't get much better than that!

Christian Women of Entertainment.

Tonight was my first official Nashville gig! Whoo-hoo!

(It didn't pay, but that's pretty typical for a first Nashville gig!)

Christian Women of Entertainment (CWE) is a newly formed group in Nashville. The goal is to provide opportunities for performance and fellowship to, well, Christian women who entertain!

Tonight's showcase was held at the Curb Cafe on the campus of Belmont University. (If I ever decide to go back to school, Belmont would be my first choice. Awesome music program!) There were 6 performers, each doing 3 of her own songs.

The talent was really impressive! Some great songs and really interesting voices. It was great to see the range of songs presented too.

I opened with "Infinitely More", which was a little plagued by nerves. But I settled in and felt happy with my performances of "The Wedding at Cana" and "Abide With Me".

During my patter, I talked about our move here and how I'm on an artist visa. After my set, one gentleman called out, "Thank God for visas!" Made me smile...

Actually, a lot made me smile after the show. I met some really great people, and I'm going to hook up with some of them again. I got some wonderful feedback, and I've been invited to sing in a church. I realized I'd met one of the girls at Write About Jesus, and I'm going to see her perform again on Monday. And, I think I'm going to be able to perform in another CWE showcase in the spring!

Since arriving in Nashville, I've realized that every songwriter event has 2 women and 10 men. Tonight, it was nice to hear other women who are not only creating music, but who are giving it up to God.

Bluebird Magic...

Tonight we headed over to the Bluebird for a show. Our friend, Marc-Alan Barnette, was performing a show with his band, Volcano of Soul. As it was the Bluebird, it was all original songs. They reminded me of The Commitments, and the ladies had some awesome harmonies.

You always hear stories of going to the Bluebird for a show, and a songwriting legend shows up. Well, tonight was one of those nights...

Halfway through the show, Marc-Alan pulled up this gentleman named Billy Edd Wheeler. Don't worry if you don't know his name - I didn't either. But as soon as he started to sing, I knew his songs.

First, he sang "Coward of the County", which, funnily enough, is one of the songs we chose for our singalong during our 13 hour drive down here.

Then, he sang his song, "Jackson". Yes, the Carter-Cash classic! He sang it with one of the girls in the band, doing his own impression of the Man in Black.

It was such an awesome moment! Pure gold!

And what an inspiration! Imagine writing a song, and the moment you sing it, everyone in the room starts to sing along...

Catching up...

I can't believe I haven't blogged for so long! For a while, I guess it felt like very little was happening. Our days just felt like hours and hours of dull moving stuff - unpacking boxes, taking trips to the recycling depot, trying to get the last of the paperwork done. But now a lot has happened, and a lot more is happening in the next few days, so it's time to start writing some of it down.

First, I have my social security card. Yay! Yes, very dull for the rest of America, but very big for me because it means I can finally work here. It also means we can do things like set up a bank account. Our lives as aliens can officially begin! And that's great because...

I got my first paying gig! It came about because of a conversation at the NSAI Christian songwriters meeting. This Sunday, I'll be singing at Calvary Baptist Church. It's not huge pay or even a huge gig, but it means a lot to me. This is exactly what I came here to do: Sing God's word, in different churches, and making a living doing it. Nervous, but excited!

I've also been able to book a few gigs in Toronto for this spring. It will be like a mini tour! (Last week was very exciting with bookings coming in every day!)

I've recently spent time setting up a page on Shoutlife. This is like myspace, but it's all Christians. So far, it's been really great for me. I've met gospel singers in Nashville who've given me info about places to sing and how the large festivals work. I'm also getting some opportunities for airplay, and maybe even some gigs in the future. Feel free to visit: http://shoutlife.com/allisonlynn

This past Sunday, I decided to continue my quest for a home church. I attended Crosspoint Community Church. I'd heard it mentioned by someone, so I thought I'd check it out. The music was really good - praise and worship, but not overly loud and in your face. The preaching was awesome! The people were happy, but not friendly; no one made an effort to talk to me. I filled out a visitor's card, but it's late on Wednesday night, and so far, no one has contacted me. Not a good sign...

Gerald spent the last 3 days at an NSAI songcamp - all day workshops, song critiques, and networking. He just loved it! On Monday, I joined him to watch the faculty concert. It was at the Douglas Corner Cafe, which is a highly renowned songwriting venue. There's not a bad seat in the place. The show was phenomenal! Every song was well-crafted and interesting,and some were very emotional. Such a great night of music!

Last week, the NSAI meeting was a pro-teacher night. Gerald and I weren't able to attend, so we watched it on webcast. It recommended that each and every day, you do one thing to further your songwriting career. It doesn't need to be a huge thing, but just doing one small thing will keep your momentum up, and will encourage you to move further along your career path. And, of course, work begets work, so one thing usually turns into 2 or 3 things. Gerald and I have now started a Sunday night meeting of our own. (We meet on the couch and Sebastian chairs the meeting.) We set out what our one thing will be for each day of that week. We try to find things we can do together, or things we can help each other with. Some things are obvious, like writing or practicing or booking gigs. Other things are less obvious but equally important: building bookcases to house my music books, putting new strings on the guitar, reading a book on songwriting. Many years ago, I got in the habit of doing one thing each day for my artistic career. Now I don't even think about it. But adding one thing specifically for songwriting is new, and I'm already finding it inspiring.

Tonight I decided to go to an Ash Wednesday service at Church of the Redeemer. I really enjoyed their service a few weeks ago, and I'm interested in their Wednesday night Lenten program. The service tonight was wonderful. Very calm and soothing, yet still infused with joy. I also had a very special moment - I saw someone I know! For weeks, I've been visiting churches where I don't know a soul. After having a home church for 17 years, it's very strange to go to church and not know anyone. Seeing a friendly face was such a blessing! This just gives me one more reason to go back...

Finally, I have to say this lovely thing. After church, I came home to the nicest surprise: Gerald set up my writing room for me! I painted it last week and put up the bookcases, but it was still full of boxes and quite unusable. So tonight, while I was at church, Gerald unpacked my essentials and cleared out the unnecessary boxes. It's all ready for me to use in the morning. I'm so excited to get in there and get started! Husband of the Year!

I Am Waiting Here For You...

It's gotten very late, but I really want to write about tonight. After all, I've been waiting for months to attend my first...

NSAI Christian Workshop!

NSAI does a weekly meeting on Thursdays, but the first Tuesday of each month is the Christian writers workshop. I wanted to attend this summer when I was here for Stamps-Baxter, but it was cancelled. Then, I thought I'd get to attend in December when we were here, but again, cancelled! So, tonight was the night.

I really didn't know what to bring. My new favourite song is "Abide With Me", but it didn't seem right to get critiqued on a lyric that's mostly not mine. So, I chose an older song, "I am Waiting Here for You". I've had it critiqued before, but I really wanted another opinion. I think the song is really close to being ready, but I just didn't know how to tweak it into that final state.

The whole meeting was awesome! There weren't a lot of people (compared to the regular nights) and they only listened to half the song, so there was lots of time for feedback. The critiquers also gave lots of great thoughts on writing worship songs, becoming "armchair theologians", and how writing Christian music is a different responsibility than writing other kinds of music. All the feedback was honest, but very encouraging.

The feedback on my song was very positive. They especially liked the concept and the music. They had a few suggestions for tweaking the lyric, so I'll probably revisit a few lines. Overall, I was really happy with the experience.

After the meeting, another songwriter came over to tell me how much he liked my song. We got to talking. He leads music at his church, and today, he visited 4 of his parishioners who are terminally ill. He said he wished he'd had my song to play for those people. So I gave him a copy of it. I just hope it brings them some peace at this time. I have such a special place in my heart for those dealing with death and grief. It honoured me that he'd want to bring my music into that environment.

I'm so inspired to write after tonight! There were so many good songs... I want to have new songs to share each month!

The Redeemer and The Crabbs

Interesting title, I know, but it sums up my day nicely.

This morning, I continued my hunt for a new home church. I visited The Church of the Redeemer, an Anglican parish not too far from our place. Before Christmas, I did a Google search of "Anglican Nashville". I got a number of hits, but this is the one that caught my eye. Most of the others were very proud of their "traditional" Anglican roots, offering services using a hundred-year-old prayer book. I know that suites lots of people - it's just not what I'm looking for.

Church of the Redeemer is actually only a few years old. They describe themselves as "evangelical" Anglicans, so I was expecting something non-traditional. The service was similar to something you'd experience at St. John's West Toronto, or the 9:15 St. John's York Mills service.

It was Holy Communion, and it used contemporary language similar to the BAS. The music was lead by a praise band, and the songs were a mix of hymns, praise choruses, and taize - realllllly good! The preaching was vibrant, and the whole service was very relaxed and joyful.

They have an interesting policy: "After the service, the first person we speak to is someone we don't know." And they really do it! I met about half a dozen people and had a few nice chats about the church and what they do. I really had a good time there. I felt very comfortable, very at home. I'll probably go back soon for another visit...

This afternoon held an awesome treat: I saw the Crabb Family in concert! I've been a fan of this group for a while, but, like so many Southern Gospel groups, they never make their way to Toronto. Actually, you'd probably call this group "Progressive" Southern Gospel, meaning they mix contemporary sounds, and songs from other Christian genres, into their music.

They had a wicked band of 4 members, and then 4 of the family members were on hand to sing and play instruments. They did a lot of songs off their "Blur the Lines" album, which I just love. Jason opened with his very soulful rendition of "Shout to the Lord". Actually, I don't think Jason can sing anything that's not soulful!

Terah, Adam, and Aaron all got turns to shine on lead, and their harmonies were just wonderful! They did some building, with one person singing harmony, then adding another person, and so on, and then they did a lot of just power-wall 4-part stuff. Everything was very tight and very smooth - the work of a lifetime of singing together!

They ended with "Redeemer" - another favourite of mine! After the show, they were all out in the lobby, so I got to meet everyone and say Hi. I would have bought CDs, but I think I have everything by now.

Like any great show, I walked away a little exhausted, but also completely inspired.

Inspired to make music... inspired to write songs... inspired to use it all for the glory of God!

Home at last!

We're here! We're finally back in our Nashville home!

It's too easy to say, "It's been a busy week". The real truth comes when we say, "It's been a busy year!". In the last 12 months, we've handled our wedding, Dad's retirement, selling our house, Mom and Dad buying their house, applying for my work visa, moving us to Nashville, moving Mom and Dad to their house... and somewhere in between, we had to make a living, and spend quality time together as newlyweds!

But there's no place we'd rather be than right here, right now.

We left Toronto early Monday morning. Gerald and Sebastian and I were in my car, and 2 friends drove a rented truck carrying all our earthly belongings. The truck took a bit of time at the border (3 hours!), so we didn't start the bulk of the drive until almost 5pm. Gerald and I decided to plow right thru without breaks. And thanks to great music, lively conversation, and chocolate-covered espresso beans, we pulled into the driveway safely and cheerfully just after 2:30am. The truck had to drive slower, so the guys got here around 3:30am.

The guys stayed for a few vacation days, then headed back on Thursday. Gerald and I are now in a house stacked high with unpacked boxes, and we couldn't be happier. We've decided to take a few days just to rest and relax and spend time in each other's company. Next week, we'll attack unpacking, getting new Tennessee plates for my car, blah, blah, blah.... We just need a little break from paperwork!

But before I sign off, I just have to tell this story from today:

It's been bright and mild all week, but this morning, we awoke to a gorgeous virgin snow on the ground. Pure white. Just a few inches. Exactly what you'd love to find Christmas morning. Sun shining. No ice on the roads. Kids sliding and having snowball fights.

What? Kids on a Friday morning?

Yes, they closed the schools! It was so mild that you didn't need to clean your car cause the snow was melting right off it. Not one flake fell from the sky all day. But those tough Nashvillians were at the Walgreens stocking up on 'supplies', businesses were closed 'due to weather', and the children were home from school.

Where's Robert Ripley when you need him?

God Makes a Great Man...

I'm exhausted from all that this weekend has entailed, but it wouldn't be right not to drop a few words on the events of the last few days.

This weekend, my Dad, Rev. Hollis Hiscock, retired from almost 43 years of full-time ministry in the Anglican Church of Canada.

Dad has worked in various capacities, but the bulk of his career has been as a Rector, which is the 'head priest' of an individual parish. He has worked in Newfoundland and Ontario. He has edited a provincial church paper, and he has taught at the high-school and university levels.

For most of that time, he has had the love and never-ending support of my mom, Helen.

He has visited the sick, counseled the troubled, held the hand of the dying. He has lead regular Sunday services, and national church events. He has chaired countless meetings and committees. And yet, he has never missed a birthday, or a choir concert, or a chance to just chat.

We've all known this weekend was coming for a year now, but the last few days have been more a daze than anything else. We're all ready for it - it just doesn't quite feel real.

On Saturday, the church held a huge dinner that welcomed so many people, they had to have 2 seatings. After the meal, we all made our way up to the church for stories, entertainment, and tributes. Several people sang, including an Elvis medley dedicated to Mom. Gerald and I did a set of songs written for Mom and Dad. We did "One Sure Step" that we wrote for the 40th anniversary of Dad's ordination. I did "All Because of You", a song I wrote for Mom. And we finished with Gerald's new song, a tribute to Dad and his ministry, "God Makes a Great Man".

Sunday morning, we had a Holy Communion service at 10am, featuring hymns and prayers from all the different books Dad has used in his ministry. We were blessed with performances by the Drama Group, the Handbell Choir, and all 3 vocal choirs. Dad chose all the music, including asking the Youth Choir to sing my song, "Marching in the Light of God". He asked Gerald and me to sing "Here I Am Lord". This song has been of great significance to Dad in his ministry. We did up our own arrangement with Gerald doing fingerstyle guitar, me on lead vocals, and Monika and Leo on harmonies.

The church was packed, which was great, but I couldn't get over the range of people who came. People from all the different services. People who don't come to church regularly. People who were old, young, and everything in between. People who have moved away, but who came back to celebrate this day with Mom and Dad.

I wish I had something profound to say today. I just feel so overwhelmed by it all, and the pressure to say something great is stunting my thoughts. So, all I'll say is this:

My grandfather, Dad's dad, used to say, "Leave a place better than the way you found it".

Dad, I think you're leaving the church better than the way you found it.

For that, and a thousand other things...I'm so proud of you!

NSAI Round in Toronto

Tonight was a first for me - I did my first round concert!

For the un-Nashvilled in the crowd, a "round" is a concert when four songwriters sit on stools and play their songs. They start at one end of the group, each playing one song at a time, and round and round they go.

This kind of concert is the norm in Nashville, but very rare here in Toronto. However, our NSAI group has started holding a monthly round, and tonight, I was one of the featured writers!

I was on stage with Laura Ranieri (NSAI-TO co-chair), Jeff Davies (great picker), and Asetha Power (gorgeous voice and a Newfoundlander!). We each did 4 songs each.

I will admit up front that I was wickedly nervous before the show started. It was my very first round, so that brought on a few nerves. And also, it was all my own stuff, which is always a little scarier for me. But the biggest thing: I was doing Christian music in a bar. Who knew how people would react? My greatest fear was that my songs would become the "bathroom break" of the show.

Before the show, I just prayed, asking for the reminder that my music doesn't need to please anyone else in that room. I just wanted to lift my songs up to God, and let Him take care of the rest.

Once the music started, I relaxed and had a great time listening to everyone's songs. I opened with "Infinitely More", and followed with "I Call Out Your Name", with audience improvised harmonies. Next, I did my Christian-drinking-song, "The Wedding at Cana". The choir did this song at our wedding, but it's had a small re-write this year, and it's now good to do as a solo. This one got many smiles and a few giggles.

I ended with the 'premiere' of my "Abide With Me". This song actually got the strongest reaction, inspiring many compliments. I had several people say that their favourite hymn was "Abide With Me", and they just loved what I did with it. (Basically, I've retained part of the original lyric, but created all new melody, chords, and structure.)

Gerald very generously allowed me to borrow his new Taylor T5 for the night, so I definitely had the prettiest guitar on stage. There were many compliments on the guitar itself, but one of the highlights of the evening was the compliment I got on my guitar playing! A gentleman told me he loved the style of picking I did on "Abide With Me". Yes...an actual compliment, not on my voice, but on my playing!!! I got some wonderful comments on my voice and on the songs, but this guitar comment was something special.

In the end, I'm really pleased with tonight. I got to spend time with talented people. I performed beyond my own expectations. And I was able to touch a few people with my songs.

I must slip off to bed soon. Tomorrow is a great day of change for our family...

VISA APPROVED!!!!!!!

I'm pretty sure I'm in shock right now:

I just got the call today...My American work visa has been approved!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Other than my university degree, I've never worked so hard on anything in my whole entire life!

I started working on it just after the wedding last year, and now, almost 10 months later, it is not only finished but approved!

This is just crazy awesome good! There's still a bit more paper work to do, so we're probably here for a week or 2, but that's not the point...

The point is that I can now work in the States for the next 3 years! I can sing or write or create shows or sell CDs and people will actually be able to pay me and it's all good!

Shock! I will be able to to write about this with more sense later... Right now, I'm just....thrilled!!!!!

Whooooooooooooooo-hooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

All Saints Epiphany

When I found out I had this Sunday free, I contacted Jeannie to see if she'd like me to sing at All Saints Church. After she said "Yes", I decided to ask Gerald and Monika if they would join me. It's pretty impossible to get the 3 of us together for any kind of gig. But God was working with us, and this morning was something special.

We decided we could still do Christmas music since this was Epiphany Sunday, so the next step was finding stuff that would incorporate the 3 of us. I chose "Welcome to Bethlehem" as our first special song, since it's uptempo and fun and allows us to play dueling guitars.

During communion, we kept it simple. I played, while Moni and I sang "Infant Holy, Infant Lowly" and "The Stable Bare" in harmony. Always sooo good to sing with Monika!

This past week, Gerald wrote a stunning new song, "My Heart is the Manger". It was inspired by Dad's Christmas sermon, when he talked about preparing your heart to receive the Christ child at Christmas. Moni and I worked for hours on harmonies, and we presented this at the end of the service. I looove this song!

"Welcome to Bethlehem" was a huge hit, especially with the children in the congregation. So after the service, Jeannie asked if we'd sing it again so people could dance. So we played, and people of all ages started to get up and dance. (Things you can do when you have no pews!) It was awesome and joyous and totally wonderful!

It was Moni and Gerald's first visit to All Saints, and I was curious as to how they would react to it. The consensus was that a lack of financial weight has given the church, and it's people, space to discover a spiritual purity. I am always so blessed by my visits there, and I'm so happy that it affected my friends in the same way too.

I highly recommend a visit...

Bangladeshi Christmas Dinner

I sang tonight in a fundraising concert that followed a Bangladeshi Christmas Dinner.

I hooked up with a member of this group a few months ago when I last sang at All Saints Church. This group was holding regular Christian music concerts to help fund rural schools in Bangladesh. I'm always ready to use my talents to help underprivileged children, especially in the area of education, so I said I would sing in the next concert. And as it worked out, it was in this short time that we're back in Toronto.

We gathered at 6pm for a traditional Bangladeshi meal, full of curries and rice pudding. Sooo good. Then the whole crowd moved into the sanctuary of All Saints for the concert. There were only 2 other performers besides me, so we all had a fair amount of time to fill.

"Nueva Trova" is the choir from a local Spanish congregation. The 9-member-group sang traditional songs and hymns in Spanish, accompanied by guitars, tambourine and a rain stick. Robert Baidya, one of the night's organizers and our fabulous chef, entertained us with traditional Bangladeshi songs and instruments. The performances were intriguing because of the different sounds and languages, but the most captivating part was how sincere everyone was in their desire to praise God through music.

I did 2 15-minute sets. The first was all gospel music, and I accompanied myself on guitar. I wanted to throw in some originals, so I did "Infinitely More" and "I Call Out Your Name". Gerald joined me for the second set, which was all Christmas. We did "Twas in the Moon of Wintertime" with djembe, and "Welcome to Bethlehem" with dueling guitars. He also accompanied me for "The Joseph Carol" and "Mary, Did You Know" - our Holy Couple set!

The acoustics are so beautiful in All Saints that we did everything unplugged. The sound obviously carried well, because the feedback was very very positive. I was even invited to sing at another church, which we can hopefully work out on one of our return trips.

I had so many gigs cancel on me this Christmas season. For a while, I was very frustrated by the whole situation. But tonight was something good. It was a little reminder that God's plan in still in place. I will continue to say, "Yes, Lord."

The Rockettes!

Tonight, Gerald and I enjoyed one of our Christmas gifts – tickets to the Radio City Christmas Spectacular, featuring the Rockettes!

I’m a huge sucker for music theatre. A well-choreographed song and dance number just does me in, so once the show started, I was grinning and giggling like a child. And tonight, I officially fell in love with the Rockettes! You hear about them. You make fun of them (who hasn’t made a kick-line with their friends?) But until you see them in person, you just can’t appreciate what a strong performing team they are. I love the kick-line and, cliché though it may be, my favourite was the March of the Wooden Soldiers. So simple and charming!

But here’s the thing: We’re watching the show, and it truly was all about glitter and bright colours and shopping in New York. Santa was our emcee for the evening, and at one point, he announced that if he didn’t get out with the toys, Christmas wouldn’t happen. Well, I’m a huge Santa fan, but I know for a fact that Santa does not dictate the arrival of Christmas. As I’m watching it, I’m thinking, “This is what’s wrong with Christmas. We see these shows that teach us that Christmas is all about toys and shopping.”

But, boy, was I wrong.

I’d heard about the Nativity at the end of the show, but I truly had no idea what was coming...

They introduce the scene by acknowledging that this story is the true reason why we celebrate Christmas. They quote Isaiah’s prediction of the coming of the Christ child. (Yes, the Biblical Isaiah.) Then they tell the story about the census, the traveling, and the night of Jesus’s birth. There is no dancing, no tap shoes, no dialogue. It is sensitive and respectful, and truly stageworthy. The costumes are beautiful, but still restrained, and the lighting makes use of shadow and scrims. There is one flashy, yet completely appropriate piece of staging: the shepherds have real sheep, and the kings have real camels! (Yes, on stage!)

At the end of the scene, all the characters are on stage for the “living nativity”. A voice-over reads the poem “One Solitary Life”. The pit-singers burst into “Hark the Herald Angel Sing”. The woman next to me starts to sing along. I reach up to wipe the tears from my eyes. (I’ve been doing this since Isaiah).

And that’s how they end the show.

No kick-lines. No curtain call. No final bows.

Just a baby in a manger.

You can’t tell me this isn’t ministry. This show attracts thousands and thousands of people a year, and each of those people is given the chance to hear the Gospel story. I just sat there, amazed at this bold move. I know that money and audience numbers determine what goes into a show like this, but they could have ended with a huge song-and-dance "holiday" number. In our politically charged era, they make no bones about the fact that this is a Christmas show, and that Jesus is the reason for Christmas.

A few weeks ago, a Toronto judge received public flack for ordering the removal of a Christmas tree from the lobby of a provincial court. She deemed it to be a “religious symbol” that might offend non-Christians. Well, if she’s really worried about offending non-Christians, she should march right down to the theatre and protest the Rockettes, because every night, this Christmas, they are telling the true story of Christmas to thousands of people...

... and I'm so glad they are!

Merry Christmas!

It's so good to be home for Christmas!

Yesterday morning, I attended our 4th-Sunday-in-Advent service. Last night, I attended our family worship service, where Gerald and I, accompanied by Esther and Michelle on harmonies, performed "Welcome to Bethlehem". At midnight, I attended our late service to hear Dad's Christmas sermon.

This morning, Gerald and I got up early to attend the Christmas morning service and perform "Mary, Did you Know".

And this afternoon and tonight, we gathered with family, and with friends who have become family, to eat, drink, chat, laugh, and just celebrate being together on this most blessed of days.

In his sermon last night, Dad referenced one of my favourite Christmas songs, "The Christmas Traveler", performed by the Irish Rovers. The quote is this:

A kingdom for the loving, He has come to lead us to.
The Son of Man is living now. Can you feel it too?
I scarcely can believe my ears. The joy is in my heart,
For God has heard His people's need, and gave a brand new start.

In a year that is seemly full of endings for us - Dad's retirement, leaving Canada, selling our house - what a blessing to know that God is always full of brand new starts!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

A long day with no theme.

Tonight’s blog will probably be short and full of typos as I’m dropping-tired.

I had a gorgeous and luxurious day. Today, I received my birthday gift from Gerald - a day at a spa! And not just any day, but a day full of special Chocolate and Peppermint treatments! I won’t bore you with the details (even though there was nothing boring about it!), but I must share this one image: I started the day with a soak in the jacuzzi, which is outdoors! The sun was blazing down, and the water was so hot the steam was billowing into the cool air, yet it was so mild that I could sit outside after to dry off. And all I can think is, "This is MID-DECEMBER???" Heaven!

Tonight, I attended a Gordon Mote concert at St Paul Community Church. Gordon is always great when you see his 2-song set in the Gaither concert, but a solo show is a real treat. He played songs off his new Christmas album, and was joined on vocals by his wife, Kimberly, and friend, Angie. The harmonies were gorgeous, and it was lovely to hear the different voices come in on the solos. I picked up the album last week, and the songs are great. It’s a nice mix of simple piano/vocal songs, and fully ramped uptempo stuff. Gordon also did his "Mary Had A Little Lamb" bit, where he demonstrates the way different churches play the same song. Very funny, and if you watch the audience closely, you can tell who goes to what church!

We’ve decided it’s time to head home for Christmas! We’re ready for Mom’s gingersnaps, Aunt Florence’s cherry cake, and Sebastian’s wild and crazy lovin’!

Tonight was our last late-night Walfart shopping spree, pickin up water and snacks for the road. Tomorrow is all about planning our drive, arranging a rent payment for January first, paying our electric bill, and making sure the house-sitter knows the code for the laundry room.

Sing it!

I’ll be home for Christmas...You can plan on me....Please have snow and mistletoe... I love that jacuzzi...

Time to pray!

Today, I received notice that my application for an American work visa has finally been submitted. It's taken much longer than originally planned, but we have finally collected all the info we can, it's been all properly arranged, and it's now out of my hands!

Now, all I can do it trust in God. (So much easier to say than do!) We're praying that my application will be judged fairly, and that it will be quickly and smoothly approved. If you're the praying kind, we would love your support on this...

Tonight, I started reading a new book, and following verse was printed just inside the title page:

25"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? 26Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?
(Matthew 6, NIV)

Isn't funny how God always knows just the right thing to say?

Walk Thru Bethlehem

First of all - Happy Nashville Anniversary to us! It's been one month since we left Toronto to start our Nashville adventure! Whoo-hoo! A lot has happened, and we're just loving every day of being here.

But yesterday, I was homesick!

10 years ago, Dad came to me, and several other people in the parish, with an idea: What if we told the story of the Nativity in the churchyard, outside... in December! He had this idea that we would put stages up, each with a different scene from the Christmas story, and the audience would walk through and see each scene, ending with the Holy Family. I was brought on as co-writer and director, sets were built, 50 actors and singers were cast, and the first staging of THE REAL CHRISTMAS STORY magically appeared. Now, 10 years later, we have performed that play for over 5000 audience members, and the 2 years it appeared on Vision TV, it played for an audience of over 60,000 people. All of this, from my Dad.

Yesterday was this year’s show. We’ve all been praying for good weather, and in the morning, Dad called to tell me it was 2C and sunny - just perfect. I got an update last night, and even today, they’re continuing to send me stories of actors who pushed through illness to take part, and audience members who have come each of the 10 years.

I’m so thrilled that this ministry has been a source of joy for so many people. I hope it continues long after we’re gone from the parish. But for this weekend, it all just makes me a little homesick, and wishing I was there to say, “Welcome to Bethlehem!”.

So, today, I decided to do some Christmasy stuff to lift my spirits. I had seen signs for something called “Walk Thru Bethlehem”, and thought this would be the right choice.

It takes place each year at Woodmont Christian Church, and, like our play, it is put on by the church to reach out into the community at large. It runs 1:00pm - 7:00pm, and you can go at any time to ‘walk thru’. When I arrived there were literally hundreds of people lined up right around the parking lot. It was a warm night (10C after dark!), which was a blessing cause the wait was about 40 minutes. The big difference between this and our show is that this is NOT a play. It is an event, a happening, a truly interactive experience.

Every once in a while, a Centurion soldier would walk past to keep the line in order. I heard parents whispering warnings to their children that the soldiers were looking for little boys under the age of 2, so they’d better behave. (Don’t know if that’s really in the Christmas spirit...) As the line snaked around, I noticed they had a large wood fire burning on the little hill by the building. I thought, “How nice and charming. It will keep people warm.” But this fire wasn’t for us; it was for the shepherds. How do I know this? Because next thing I saw was the sheep! That’s right - sheep! Half a dozen sheep, roaming the hillside. Actually, they were tethered on, but in the dark, you couldn’t see that, and they just looked like they were roaming. Crazy! There were kids all over the hill, petting the sheep and getting close to the fire. Every once in a while, a light would shine from one of the lower roofs on the building, and an angel would appear to the shepherds. A recorded voice-over would read the angel’s announcement from the Bible, and the angel would stand out there in blazing white glory. It was so awesome!

The event proper was inside. When you arrived at the door, the first thing you did was register for the census. Everyone had to fill out a census card with the number of people in your family and from whence you had traveled. Then, we were greeted by a citizen of Bethlehem who told us the political climate of the day, and how excited they all were that the census had brought us here. He invited us to wander freely in Bethlehem and to enjoy our time here. At this point, I still didn’t know it wasn’t a play, so I was all geared up for a good show. I had no idea what awaited me...

Around the corner, we saw the grain and fish vendors from the market. I thought, “O dear, is this whole thing going to be something we just look at and walk past?”. Then, they offered us samples of nuts, and dates, and fish. What???

A huge door opened up, and we entered the marketplace of Bethlehem. And I’m serious - We were in Bethlehem, first century. The floors had been covered in layers of mulch, so you felt the earth under your feet. The walls and ceilings were draped in burlap and cloth. Every where you looked, you saw a beautiful detail that spun you back in time. And everything was interactive!

First, I saw the Village Oven, where they were grinding grain with this rotating stone. You could help them make the flour and the dough, and a few steps down the line, you could taste the bread. You could watch the carpenters building house-hold items, and the sellers trying to tempt you with brass knick-knacks and ‘real gold’ jewelry. The weaver informed us that the sheep we saw outside belonged to her family, and that the shepherds were their husbands. She told how they would collect and spin the wool, and how they would die it with ginger and figs and pomegranates. She made bracelets and gave them to the children.

There was a well in the middle of the market, so water was accessible to everyone. A man with a recorder walked about playing beautiful melodies. A special room housed a storyteller who told legends to the children. There was a booth were we could “buy” doves and sheep for our sacrifices. And then, we could enter the Synagogue. It was full of artifacts, and write-ups explaining their use in worship and education. This was the only place in the market that didn’t have a mulch floor. It was covered in rich carpets.

There was a place where the children could make rag dolls, and even if you didn’t make one, they would just give you one. (Mine is blue!) I dropped by the Physician’s tent to see what they were all about. A healer asked if I had any ailments. When I mentioned I’d had a headache last week, she grabbed my hands and taught me an acupressure technique. I listened in for a bit, and whatever people mentioned was their ailment, they had an oil or herb or technique to heal it!

The Tent Maker explained how the goat wool sheets were light and airy so your tent would keep out the sun and the heat, but that when it rained, the goat wool would expand to keep out the water. The Basket Weaver was twisting reeds to make bracelets for everyone to wear. At the Food Tasting booth, we could try matzos in honey, spiced tea (amazing!) and sesame cookies.

Not a detail was missed in this market. Tables were filled to overflowing with wares and supplies. People greeted you with “Shalom”. The lighting was soft, and the pathways were crowded with people, and lined with palm trees. This was not a museum piece - Every spot was filled with the tastes and smells and sounds of a busy marketplace.

It was even appropriately messy. At the wine press, they had an huge barrel filled with grapes, and on top of the grapes was a bare-footed child, squishing the grapes with his feet. (And no, they let us taste fresh grapes, not wine.) At the Potter’s booth, you could watch him work the wheel, and then you could grab a hunk of clay and make something yourself. And then there was the Olive Press. It was 5 feet high by 3 feet wide and made of stone. There was a central tub filled with olives and a large stone that could be rolled through the olives using a large wooden handle. Three children were working the press and explaining the process. They were up to their elbows in olive oil, and the smell penetrated the air.

At this point, I chose to leave the marketplace, and go outside to the Stable. There, I saw Mary and Joseph and the baby (which I think was a doll). The Magi were there, and they would let you touch and smell the frankincense and myrrh. No free gold samples, unfortunately. And there were more animals! This time, it was sheep, goats, a long-haired ox, and ... wait for it... a camel!

What an incredible experience! It’s very different than our show, but it is truly unique, and a great way to touch on the world as Jesus may have seen it.

I felt very inspired and Christmasy at the end of the day. After the show, I bought a wreath for my car. Tis the season...

Gaither Joy!

Tonight was awesome! Remember in September how Gerald and I ended up working Gordon Mote’s table at the Gaither concert at the ACC? Well, a few weeks ago, we realized that the Gaithers were going to be here in Nashville this week. So we wrote Gordon’s manager, offered our services, and ended up working the table at tonight’s concert!

I was so excited to see the show, and I hoped I would run into some people I knew. Our table was right next to the Speer table, so I got to have a lovely visit with Ben, Miss Mary Tom, and some of the family. Mike Allen was there, and I also got to say Hi to Reggie Smith, who helped coach me and Scott Baker for our "I’ve Just Seen Jesus" duet this summer.

Gordon was fighting a cold, so we didn’t get to see him in person, but he was in fine form on stage. Actually, the whole show was pretty incredible. Most artists did Christmas music, so that was great, and the stage was simply decorated with wreaths and trees covered in white lights. It opened with the awesome Christ Church Choir, directed by Landy Gardner, with Joy as the soloist. I’d heard great things about their choir, and I was not disappointed. It was a total star-studded evening (and I use that word with proper respect), just full of great artists. Reggie and Ladye Love did a duet, followed by sets from the Easters and the Isaacs, whom I always love! Linda Randle did a few songs, including "His Eye in On the Sparrow", which she practically owns at this point. Ben sang the SG classic, "Beautiful Star of Bethlehem". Signature Sound and GVB were absolute crowd-pleasers, and they just sounded great.

One of the true highlights was Mark Lowry! The only time I’ve really seen him as a soloist was at the Toronto taping last fall, and it seemed that he never really got a lot of air-time. But last night, he was relaxed and funny and completely entertaining. He did a solo and told some great stories, and carried a pocket of one-liners tailor-made for Bill. But the finest moment was when he sang, "Mary Did You Know". Of course, I’ve sung this song often and I just adore it, but what a treat to hear it sung by the writer himself. Actually, as he was singing, I remembered this summer, when I heard Buddy Greene, the co-writer, sing his interpretation of the song. Both men sing it very differently, but both also sing it from a deep and grounded place. Such a blessing to hear both writers sing their song within months of each other.

And here was the other highlight: Gloria was there! It is no secret that I am a huge fan of this lady and her presence and her incredible ability to recite wisdom through a simple lyric. She did a few stories and poems, and laughed as Mark told tales of their breakfasts together, and their talks of God and His wonders. It’s very clear I’m not Gloria’s only fan.

The show went very late, but the hours just flew by. At the table, we got to talk to lots of great people - long-time Gaither fans, and people attending their first Homecoming concert ever. I even had the quirky experience of meeting Wendy V, a lady who reads my blog and who once reviewed my CD. There were people who had never heard Gordon play, and people, like me, who have become recent, but devout, fans. People were quick to share stories of the effect Gordon’s music has had on them.

Such a great night of joy and blessings! And, as these concerts always are for me, it was a reminder of what I want to do, and of the high standard being set by those around me. Tonight, I am inspired... to sing... to write new songs... and to spread the Gospel through song.

NSAI Christmas Party!

I'm actually staying up late looking for a new church tonight. Not that I haven't liked the ones I've visited, but I still want to keep looking til I decide to settle on one. Put "episocopal church nashville" and "anglican church nashville" into Google to see what I'd get. There was more choice than I thought, and I think I may have found a good one to visit.

But on to the adventures of today...

This afternoon held a seemingly dull, but hugely important job. Today, we mailed my visa application back to Toronto. I dropped by ASCAP to pick up my final letter for the package, assembled my pile of documents, found a post office, and had it all sent back to Toronto. Praying it will be filed very soon! Whoo-hoo!

Tonight, we attended the NSAI Christmas Party. More whoo-hoo! They have a huge building, and it was just packed. I saw people with plates of food, but the crowd was so tight, we never actually found the tables hosting the food. Not to worry - we did find the bar!

Actually, the first person I saw was Ralph Murphy, who just wrote my letter for ASCAP! He remembered my face from this summer (people here are so good at that!), which was great cause I got to thank him in person for the letter.

The place was just crawling with people, so we grabbed a drink and just started talking to folks. We ran into some people we’d met already through the critique meeting, so that was cool. And we got to meet a few new people as well.

Don’t know how much legitimate networking was done, but we heard about some great restaurants, exchanged a few cards, and got an invitation to a songwriting party on Saturday.

All in all, a great way to spend an evening!

Gig complete!

Tonight was the night of our first Nashville gig at BCC.

We arrived at the church at 5:00 tonight for a pre-service rehearsal. But, of course, most people were late and rehearsal didn’t actually start til 5:30. Still, we got to run through everything once, so that helped. Gerald and I had taken time to rehearse during the day, so we felt well prepared. But as we ran through things, my mic was still not working! I mean, it may have been working for those in the audience, but I couldn’t hear a thing. Not one single note! Not only is this disorienting when you’re on stage, but it also meant that I couldn’t tell if my harmonies were fitting in with the key of the song. I had complained about this all the night before, and really didn’t want to complain again, but I also didn’t want to be making ugly sounds into the mic. So after rehearsal, I made one more request for my mic to be turned up. I crossed my fingers...

The kids attending the service started to gather around 6:00 for pizza and basketball and just hanging out. Such a great place for them to gather! A few minutes before the service, the music and ministry team gathered for prayer. We then moved backstage where we waited for a music countdown before going on stage. I was so nervous. Singing with a band like this is something I never really do. It’s much more rockstar than my normal kind of music. I felt miles outside my comfort zone. Standing backstage, I took a minute to pray silently, and what I mostly prayed for was to remember that I was not there for the band or the music or the sound. I was there for God. I was there to serve God and to bring His children closer to Him through worship. I prayed that focus would replace nerves, and that everything I did tonight would be in service to Him.

When we got out on stage, our first song was uptempo, and the kids stood up and started singing along right away. That was a great response, and it filled the room with energy. “So Good to Me” is actually a duet, so when we hit my solo verse, I started to sing, and I could actually hear myself! Yay! I sang out, and it felt good. Now that I could hear myself, I felt tonnes more relaxed and the rest of the set went very quickly. I played tambourine, sang harmonies, and even did a nice little ad-lib here and there.

Gerald had a wicked guitar solo coming up on one of the songs. When his time came, I was so excited, I turned around to watch him. But nothing came out of his guitar! Now that my mic was working, his wasn’t! That gorgeous solo was lost in the barrage of sound! Arg! They hooked him back up for the rest of the set, but it was disappointing that no one got to hear his solo in the service.

After the service, we said our thank-yous and headed out. The night before, we had seen a house with lots of Christmas lights in the distance. Since it was dark now, we decided we would drive around to try and find this mystery house... but you would not believe what we found!

Mom, get ready for this: We found a small little street where each and every house was completely covered in Christmas lights! I don’t mean a few wreaths in the windows and a string of lights in the bushes, I mean all-out-North-Pole-freaking-Christmas-lights! I don’t know if they have a local Christmas lights competition or what, but this was truly and wonderfully insane!

Each and every house on the street was all lit up from lawn to chimney. There were wreaths, Santas, candy canes and gingerbread. One lawn had a vintage near-life-sized Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. One had lights in the shape of a family ice-skating, and another shaped like a carousel. There was a huge arch with elves welcoming us to the North Pole. There were more elves throwing presents into Santa’s sack. There was Christmas music being piped into the air. There were several nativities, but the best one was all white, and larger than life! And the piece de resistance: One lawn even had a real live Santa who would greet you and give you candy canes! Seriously! They had Santa on their lawn!!!

It was so awesome! I didn’t have my camera with me, so we’re going to go back another night and try to get some photos. I only hope Santa is still there!

For people who don’t get snow, these Southerners certainly know how to do Christmas!

Our First (non-paying) Nashville Gig!

I haven’t had a chance to actually get to the computer in the last few days, and now I have a tonne of catching up to do. Lots has been happening...

Sunday morning, I decided to go back to last week’s church, BCC. It was such a unique experience that I wanted Gerald to check it out. Also, I’d exchanged emails with someone from the music department, and I wanted the chance to introduce myself in person.

We decided to hit the 11:00am service - such a nice change from the earlier services I usually attend. The music was already on the go when we got there, and the band was even bigger than last week. This church is in a time of transition and, like St. John’s, they are looking for a new preacher. They’ve narrowed down their selection, and this Sunday, one of those short-listed came to preach. He continued in their 8-week preaching theme of “Break Free”, and spoke about breaking free from the self-destructive labels we put on ourselves. He based his sermon on the story of Peter. When Jesus renamed Peter, “the Rock”, Jesus was not just saying that Peter was a rock now, but that Peter would continue to develop into a stronger character who would provide strength and stability to those around him. This preacher challenged us to open ourselves up to God, and to allow God to take away our negative names, and replace them with names of strength, love, and power.

After the service, we started talking to people, and I was lucky enough to speak to Anna, the person who had emailed me. Well, as we’re chatting about the church and all its programs, the assistant music director comes up to Anna and announces he’s in trouble for the youth service Wednesday - He’s without a guitar player and a harmony singer. Gerald and I sort of looked at each other, and very shyly piped up, “Um, we do that”. Next thing we know, we’re exchanging emails and marking a rehearsal time into my datebook.

(As a side note: Yes, this is non-paying. BCC has a roster of volunteer musicians, and we’re not able to accept any paying work without a work visa.)

Later that night, we received an email containing charts and lyrics for the music for Wednesday. We’re thinking, “This is cool. It’s only 4 songs, and it’s a good chance to jump into the music program two feet first.” Then we open the charts... They’re all in the Nashville Number System! That’s that thing I mentioned that Gerald is learning in his guitar lessons where all the chords are represented by numbers instead of letters. But notice I said “learning”, not, “he’s-learned-it-and-it’s-second-nature” So, we both put in some significant time figuring out how to translate the charts and then rewriting them into letters.

In the midst of all this, we still had a bunch of errands to do. Yesterday took us all around, but the best part was a visit to NSAI. We were gifted a few mugs as a welcome-to-Nashville present, and then we decided to use the computers to print off the lyrics for Wednesday. We discovered that the member lounge is a great place to meet other people, and almost lost the whole afternoon to chatting and socializing. And Gerald had a wonderful moment where another songwriter remembered his song from the critique meeting last week and exclaimed, “That was the best song of the whole night!”. Yes, my husband blushed!

Later that night, we had dinner with our great friend, Joel. It was a great chance to catch up and try out a fabulous new restaurant (well, new for us), but it was also an important meeting as Joel is my visa sponsor, and this brings us one step closer to filing the package. I also need a letter from ASCAP, and today, I brought my package to their offices to get that final letter. Then it’s back to Toronto for the final polish and filing.(Sounds like we're giving it a pedicure!) It’s months later than I wanted it to be, and this may keep us in Toronto longer this winter, but I’m so impressed with how it’s looking, and I’m so anxious to have it sent in. Praying like crazy over it. If you’ve got an extra prayer, I know a good use for it...

So, after all that visa stuff, errands, and trying to use our community’s fitness centre (I’m working out every second day!), we still had to spend lots of time practicing these songs. Let’s not forget: Neither one of us had ever heard either of these 4 songs before. Gerald has never read numbers charts before, and I’m okay at harmonies, but listening to recordings and having to pick harmonies out is a pretty daunting task. (I’m no Monika!)

This afternoon, Gerald had a guitar lesson at 4, so he got his teacher to look over the charts to see if we had them right. (Almost perfect!) After the lesson, we jumped in the car and raced over for the 5:00 rehearsal.

BCC’s youth service is held in a funky-shaped portable building called the Onion. Every Wednesday night, approximately 50 high-schoolers gather for an one-hour worship service. They have social time before, and then a full service with music, prayers, and a message. Tonight’s rehearsal was for the band and tech. There were 8 of us in total, and a full sound team made up of young people. We spent a lot of time working out the sound. The acoustics in the room are terrible, but the team worked hard to find a balance. We spent several hours working on the songs, and ended with a final run-through of the set. There’s one other harmony singer who’s done all the songs before, so that makes it a little easier.

We were a little nervous going in, but everyone was very cool and supportive, so we had a lot of fun. We’ve kept tomorrow quiet so we can rehearse a little more. Going to get a good night’s sleep so I have all those pretty notes in my throat!

Accidents and Accusations.

Whoo-hoo!!! What a night! After a week of shopping and making phone calls and trying to find a cheap desk, we decided to treat ourselves to a great night out - Tonight, we saw the Dixie Chicks in concert!

What an amazing show! It took place at the Gaylord Entertainment Centre, which is like our ACC. It wasn’t sold out, but it was pretty full. (The Chicks actually did sell out Toronto, and I think it was for 2 shows.) And the crowd that was there was loving it. I think this was their first concert in Nashville since the infamous show-down. They’ve called it their “Accidents and Accusations Tour”, and it was a real homecoming night.

The opening act was local singer-songwriter, Pete Yorn. He had such challenge in playing this huge stage, already full of the Chicks equipment, in this cavernous space, with only a four-piece band. But the crowd loved him, he had great songs, and his band really rocked out. Gerald picked up his CDs after the show.

The Chicks came on the stage just after 9:00pm, and the crowd went insane! They were backed up by a 9-piece band, which at different times included strings and organ. And everyone in the band was a monster (aka: incredibly brilliant player). You could tell they were having a great time with the music and the vibe of the crowd.

They opened with stuff off the new album, which we picked up last week. All the songs on the album are co-written with all three members of the band, plus one other writer. Their songs have such gorgeous melodies, and the crowd joined in on most songs. After a rocking start, they brought us close to tears with Landslide - such a stunning arrangement. And they did my personal favourite, White Trash Wedding. It’s such a weird little song, and I was really hoping they’d play it. They did an instrumental song too, which was great for showing off the skills of the band members.

When we got there, I realized I was about to see my first country music concert, but after the show started, it was clear that these Chicks are total rock stars. The crowd was wild for them, and they played it up every chance they got. Nathalie Maines is just visceral on stage - she’s all energy and voice and body. Real masterclass on how to play for a crowd that size.

The concert ended about 11:15pm. After the show, we wandered down Broadway and visited one of the honkeytonks (the name for the local country bars). They had a great band, so we boogied down for a few songs, and then headed off for late night eats at the Sunset Grill - a trendy Yorkville-type place that offers an after-midnight menu.

I’m so glad we went to the concert. First off, it was just a killer show with great music and exciting performances. But secondly, it gave me ideas for music and melodies and arrangements and performances. What more can I ask from a show?

NSAI - Nashville!

Okay, I know some of you will be thinking, "What took you so long???", but today, we finally visited our NSAI office here in Nashville.

I had a short visit there this summer, so I was sort of familiar with the building and some of the services they offer that can’t be offered at our Toronto chapter. For example, we get some use of the building during business hours. There are rooms that can be booked for co-writing sessions, and a lounge with computers, a phone, and a library of songwriting books.

NSAI is running a huge song contest, so part of our visit today was so Gerald could submit songs to the contest. (They’re mostly looking for country songs, so I decided not to enter anything.) The prizes are many and awesome, as is the competition - literally thousands of songs have been entered! Gerald submitted "Comin’ Home" and "All Her Flowers Are Wild" (with me and Monika on background vocals!). All Her Flowers is my favourite song Gerald has ever written, so I’m thrilled that he entered that one. Fingers crossed! xxxxx

Later, in the evening, we returned back to the office for our first Nashville NSAI meeting. When we got there, we were greeted by the membership co-ordinator, who greeted me by name - she remembered me from this summer! Very impressive...

Tonight’s meeting was a Christmas Critique Night. People could submit any songs for a critique, but Christmas songs took the priority. The meetings are run quite differently from the Toronto chapter. At home, the general structure of a meeting starts with a guest speaker, or a songwriting lesson, lead by one of the group’s co-ordinators. Then we have critiques, where you either play your song live or on CD, and then everyone in the room can give feedback.

In Nashville, not all the meetings involve song critiques. Sometimes, the meetings are solely for pitching songs to publishers. Or, the whole meeting may be devoted to a speaker or pro-teacher. Because of the large number of attendees (30-50 a meeting), songs can only be played on CD, and you must be a member to have your song critiqued. (Guests are welcome to come and watch the meetings.) If there’s a crowd, like tonight, they may only listen to half of your song. And who is ‘they’? The critiques are only given by industry professionals. There are a lot of groups in the city where you can go to give and receive group feedback. But NSAI only gives professional critiques. And again, because of the large numbers, you’d be there all night if you had everyone commenting on every song. Our panel tonight was the husband-wife team of Patty Way and Damon Medic of Quarter Moon Music.

Gerald submitted a new song called "Santa Smells Like Uncle Ron". He wrote the lyric over the summer, and when he found out tonight was focusing on Christmas, he whipped up a tune and laid down a quick demo. It’s a fun and irreverent look at a childhood memory, and Gerald got lots of laughs and some great feedback.

I submitted "Welcome To Bethlehem", using the new demo we did just before we left Toronto. They were a little taken aback by my "unusual point of view", but they both really liked it! They said it would be a difficult pitch (which I already knew) because of its odd style. But they also thought it was well written and fun. My favourite part was when they called it "weird". Made me smile!

I felt very inspired after the meeting, and I have stayed up very late writing something new. Actually, I started one song, got very frustrated with it, and moved on to a second song. I’ve completed a lyric for it, but I’ll have to look at it again in the morning to see if it’s actually worth keeping.