Stamps-Baxter - Day 3

I can't believe this first week is now half over! How did that happen?

Today was long and full and wonderful. The morning was just very busy with running errands. Nothing glamorous, but exciting for me to know that I'm contributing to the school in this way. It's nice being in a different position this year. I'm getting to make friends with people that I've just met in passing before. And I'm gaining a new respect for the amount of effort it takes to organize the school.

After lunch, I had my first songwriting lesson of the week. Daryl Williams is a patient and generous teacher, always ready with a simple but powerful thought. We started by chatting about my writing over the past year. I was very glad that I've picked up on my writing discipline lately so that I could tell him about my Song U classes and my solo writing time. I played him "Wedding at Cana" as an example of a completed song. (I actually wrote that song a few years ago for my choir, but after learning a few new things this year, I did a rewrite and ended up with the version I play now.) He really liked it, and then asked to see what I'm working on now. I sang the new one, "Do You Wanna Be My Neighbour in Gloryland?". As soon as I started, he said "That's a Stamps-Baxter song!". Yes, it's peppy! He liked the lyric, and gave me a few ideas for polishing the verses. It was a satisfying lesson, not just because he liked the song, but because the things he criticized were the things I knew needed work. I'm taking this as a positive sign towards my growth as a songwriter - the ability to look at my own work with a critical eye. I mentioned that Gerald and I are co-writing a lot, and we're going to look at those songs at my next lesson.

For this afternoon's elective class, I decided to stay with this theme and attend the songwriting workshop with Dave Clark. He talked about raising the bar, not just as individual writers, but also as a songwriting community. We made a list of great song attributes, such as tltles, structure, etc. Dave then encouraged each of us to make our own list of things we think make up a great song. We are then to work on each subject on the list, and as we improve in each subject, we will be able to chart our progress as writers. I can't get over the number of writers here this year. I wish we could do a whole songwriter night here some night.

Supper was very rushed for a great reason. I ate quickly and jumped in my car ... to go home and get Gerald! For the first time ever, a member of my family got to visit the imfamous Stamps-Baxter School of Music! I was so excited!!! We got back just in time for group singing. Gerald decided not to join the group, but he did get to sit back and listen to our voices in harmony. (Of course, we're still learning the songs, so there was the occasional moment of un-harmony!) Next, we ran over to Wakefield House for my private voice lesson with Glenn Wilson. Gerald squished into our hot little rehearsal room to audit my lesson. Then we ran back over to the auditorium to watch the last part of the Reggie and Ladye Love Smith concert. I really wish we could have seen more of this. Since they're a husband-wife duo, I thought the concert would be a good learning tool for me and Gerald. Reggie and Ladye Love have such a natural onstage energy, and their harmonies are just incredible. Their blend is so easy, even down to their effortless phrasing.

After the show, I jumped out to the lobby to help out with the product table again, and Gerald got to visit with people. When the rush of CD-buyers slowed down, we went back in the hall to see some of the student performances. When the singing stopped and the bulk of the crowd had cleared out, we just sat and visited with people. It was so awesome to share that part of my life with Gerald. For the past 2 years, I've been a part of an incredible world that my family has only experienced through photos and a blog. It was just so wonderful to finally bring my family into that world - literally!

Stamps-Baxter - Day 2

This morning started early, if not exactly bright. After devotions and announcements, I spent the early part of the morning helping set up the product table. All the large group events happen in the same auditorium, and in that lobby, there's a central area which serves as home base for staff and all things info. There's a large product table featuring CDs and songbooks by faculty members. Students can also come to the table to purchase water, drop off lost and found items, and just find answers to any questions. Between classes, things can get very busy, and working that table is part of my job this week.

Things overall were a little more relaxed today, so I got to sit in on both group singing sessions. I thought I was doing okay on the shape-notes til we got to a fast song. Still 8 more days to master it...

But the highlight of my day actually happened this morning - My first voice lesson with Glenn Wilson! I was sooo excited about this! Glenn was my teacher last year, and I just loved him. I've had a lot of training, so I'm pretty picky about teachers. I want someone who is positive, but I also want someone who will challenge me. I also want someone who is able to pick out those little details and just work them til they're beautiful. That's Glenn! He really knows the voice, and he loves great singing, and it's just such an honour to be his student again.

After lunch, I finally got my eye medication! Yay! There was actually more drama around it, because the pharmacy had forgotten to order it for me and wanted me to wait another day, but all things worked out in the end, and I'm hoping to see a difference soon. It really started to hurt today, so I'm glad it all worked out.

Allison Durham Speer was back today. Each day, she will teach a 30 minute vocal technique class, basically covering warm-ups and all things related to the voice itself. I decided to stay in for her performance training class as well. Since it was her first class, she did a lot of overview, which was mostly review for me, but completely valuable none the less. We also had some great performances by Ben, Michelle, and Jordan, all of whom are singing in the concert on Saturday night.

This afternoon, I had a bit of a magic moment. We found ourselves with a few moments of quiet, so I got my guitar to squeeze in a little practice. I thought I would find an empty room somewhere, but everything was full. So I found a spot outside, on a bench swing, under a willow tree. There was a gentle breeze, and no noise at all. I sat there for half an hour, just playing and singing. Maybe saying Hi to a few people who walked by, but just sitting there, in the cool of the day, making a little music. Heavenly!

After the evening's group singing session, we had our first concert of the week - Stephen Hill. I offered to help with his product table, and as we were setting up, he asked if I had any requests. Of course! I asked for "Lo and Behold", a funky Christmas song about the possible reactions of the Bethlehemites when they found out an unwed girl was pregnant. It's so smartly written, with a great melody. After the show, he told me he never does that song live, so I felt honoured that he would play it for me.

Stephen's solo show is great. He started with a few songs with tracks, and the rest of the set was a mix of hymns and original songs with just voice and guitar. I really didn't appreciate Stephen's talent til I saw his solo show. His writing is great, and his guitar playing is wonderful, and well matched with his soulful voice. But, now that I've seen him a second time, I think what I appreciate most is his patter. He talks about the wonder and reality of God's love, but never in a way that's preaching or churchy (and you all know what I mean by that!) He just talks about it in a way that let's you know it's cool to be Christian and it's cool to be overwhelmed by God. Love it! He encourages a lot of interaction, and with a singing school, you know that's going to be good. Every singalong becomes a harmony exerience!

I missed performance opportunity tonight because I was out at the product table. We were there til close to 10. After, I wandered out to the bluegrass jam session for a bit. It was great! There must have been a dozen musicians and twice as many singers. At one point, I counted 3 fiddle players, 3 on guitar, one mandolin, a double bass, a harmonica, and even a saxophone. (That's less than a dozen, but you know what I mean.) I stayed as long as I could, but I wanted to drive home before I dropped from exhaustion. That's the only rough spot about commuting - you can't just crawl back to your room!

Tomorrow will be my first songwriting lesson with Daryl Williams. Can't wait!

Stamps-Baxter - Day 1

I forgot this: The first day of Stamps-Baxter feels like a week! I can't believe the things I'm going to talk about only happened this morning!

But first, an official piece of news: I am now on staff at the Stamps-Baxter School of Music! It sounds a little more impressive than it really is, but I couldn't be more excited! I'm basically an on-call assistant, ready to do what ever needs doing. I feel like a PA (the production assistant on a film set). I really think this will be a great learning opportunity for me, and I'm just so happy to be involved with the school in this way.

This morning, I helped with photocopies, breaking down the registration set up, organizing teacher's materials, and helping a new student find out what theory class he's in. I've been bothered the last few days with a bit of a red eye. Well, there's a doctor in the school, who was able to diagnose me! I spent most of the afternoon driving around looking for the right medication, which I couldn't find, so I had to order it and go again tomorrow, but what a blessing to have someone finally tell me what's wrong, without even having to leave the school!

I got back just in time for the afternoon electives. This is the only time of the day when students get to choose their class. The auditorium always holds Allison Durham Speer's performance class, and then they hold 2 smaller workshops on things like sound, songwriting, career development, etc. This year, they're holding one class on radio promotion, which I will definitely be attending. Today, I sat in on performance training. Allison is away til tomorrow, so today's class was hosted by Mike Allen. Mike makes no secret of the fact that teaching in front of a crowd is way outside his comfort zone, but if he hadn't said it, you wouldn't have known it. He was really relaxed and welcoming, and he made everyone feel very comfortable. A bunch of people wanted to sing, and you could tell most people hadn't preplanned it because their tracks were left in their rooms. They all bravely sang acapella. Let me tell you, there is some great talent in this school. And a lot of songwriters too! Really nice to see that. One of today's highlights was the family of 5 children who sang acapella. So cute, and so much talent!

After supper, I finally got to sit in on a group singing session. How much have I missed that! 200 voices in 4 part harmony! I was a little dizzy with my first run at shape-notes, but some of it was stored in the back part of my brain, and bit by bit I started to recognize the musical hieroglyphs. By the end of the school, I'll be flying! (she says with hope...)

Next we all gathered on the lawn for the school photo, and headed in for what will usually be concert time. Tonight, we jumped straight to "performance opportunity". This differs from the afternoon class in that it's more concert style, without the teacher feedback. Again, some great singing and writing. My favourite was 13-year-old Jacob, who played a simple version of He Touched Me. When he got to the chorus, the entire audience began to gently sing along in 4 part harmony, letting Jacob lead the way. Pure magic! How much do I love this school? And the grand finale was the always incredible Miss Mary Tom Speer, accompanied by Ben on piano. Just amazing! Please, let me still sing that well in my eighties!

The night ended with a bluegrass jam session, featuring the legendary Earl Scruggs! He was joined by 6 other people, including students and guests. They played about an hour - some traditional bluegrass, some originals off his latest album (yes, he's still recording!), and, of course, the theme from the Beverley Hillbillies. (Mom, I thought of you!)

What an incredible day! It's strange and good to be commuting from home this year. It's awesome to sleep in my bed, kiss my family goodnight, and write this on my own computer. And wonderful to tell people, "Yes, I've moved to Nashville!", especially when I get to tell them how much the school influenced that decision. Just awesome! I can't wait til tomorrow...

Stamps-Baxter - Registration

Sing it: It's the most wonderful time of the year!

That's right, it's time again for Ben Speer's Stamps-Baxter School of Music, right here in Nashville, Tennessee. And for once, I don't need to risk my guitar to the 2 hour flight and sadistic baggage handlers. (See last year's entry for details...) Nope, this year, I am a mere 15 minute commute to the school, and I couldn't be more excited.

I called Ben yesterday to see if they wanted some help today with registration. I was put in charge of giving out the school folders, but I ended up being the Info Girl as well. So many new people this year! It's pretty awesome. And, of course, today was also a great reunion with many old friends. It was great to see the kids that have gotten taller, and to hear the stories of people's lives over the past 12 months.

On Saturday, I'm taking part in an alumni concert, organized by fellow alumnus Wess Adams. Originally, the concert was scheduled for a church in Walling, about 2 hours from Nashville. But Wess got to talking with Ben, and the show was moved to the First Nazarene church here in Nashville. Great, huh? Well, it gets better - Ben is joining the program! Yes, I'm going to share the stage with Ben Speer! I think a few other groups from the school might come too. There were posters everywhere today, and I think most of the school is planning to come. I really wasn't nervous before today, but now, the pressure's on!

I just got home a little while ago. It's going to be a crazy (and wonderful) 2 weeks, but I know the key to surviving this school is lots of water and lots of rest. So, here's to another great year of Stamps-Baxter!!! Whoo-hoo!!! Nap-time...

NSAI & Kenna Turner West

Today was a full writing day for both of us. Gerald had 2 - yes, 2! - co-writing sessions today, including one with a staff writer at Peermusic. (A staff writer is basically someone with a publishing deal, which means any song they write together has a decent chance of getting cut.) Very exciting!

I took advantage of the empty house and sat down for another solo writing session - my 2nd in a week! At the end of my time, I had a new lyric, and a semblance of a tune. I think it's actually my first praise and worship song. The title is "Sure as the Sun", and it was inspired by the Bible study of Hosea I've been attending.

This afternoon, I spent time at NSAI, and then came home to do another Song U class. I'm continuing my course on Power Rhymes. Later this week, I'm going to start the Indie CD course.

Tonight was my favourite night at NSAI - Christian Writer's Night! We were blessed to have guest speaker, Kenna Turner West, who has written for all sorts of SG artists, including the Easters, the Talleys, and Karen Peck and New River. You know, SG is the niche of Christian writing, and so far, we've had 2 of these NSAI nights featuring SG people. Very happy for that!

The night was organized like an interview, and Kenna illustrated her stories with clips from her songs. The whole night was full of practical information about writing, demos, and pitching. She's very vibrant and funny, so it was pretty entertaining too!

We got to chatting after the event, and I mentioned that I'm recording this year. We exchanged info, and she's going to send me some songs to consider for the CD. Yay!

What a satisfying day! *sigh*

Cafe Forte Open Mic

For months now, I've been spending my Monday evenings at Cafe Forte, a Christian songwriter gathering. I've been hoping for a chance to jump up on stage, and tonight, they hosted an open mic.

I was really hoping to look at the night as an 'audition' for their regular shows. Unfortunately, due to various reasons, almost all the organizers were away for the night, including the booking person. Arg!

Still, Gerald and I arrived, guitars in hand, and sang our songs. Gerald did "Real Big Fan", and "Never Wait Until Tomorrow", with me on harmonies. I did "Wedding at Cana", and then Gerald accompanied me on "The Point of the Song". "Wedding" got lots of comments after the show. I think that song just tickles people!

There was a real mix of performers, including a trumpet player, and a couple of 15-year-old singer-songwriters who are poised to do great things. The level of talent in this town never fails to amaze me!

Not an enormously glamorous night, but still a very satisfying experience. Just continuing to sow the seed...

Happy 4th of July!

This is our first ever 4th of July as non-immigrant aliens!

We spent the very hot afternoon down by the riverfront, which Gerald and I keep calling the "harbourfront". We joined our friends and their very new baby for a great afternoon of music and food. They had this huge stage set up, and some people had arrived at 9 in the morning to get prime seats for the evening's headliners and fireworks. They also had a huge kidzone, complete with a mechanical bull.

We didn't want to face the crowds for the night-time performances, but I think we got the best show of all - songwriter Jeffrey Steele. You may not know his name, but if you listen to country music, you have definitely heard his songs.

But here's the highlight for me: I tried alligator!

I actually ate alligator! They had it deep-fried on skewers, like satay, and they were calling it Gator-on-a-Stick.

Because it was deep-fried, it tasted a little like chicken at first (Kentucky Fried Gator!), but the meat itself was more like a dense white fish.

I liked it, but I don't really know that I'll be making it at home. That would just be too weird.

We are so not in Kansas any more!

A Songwriting Day...

Today was all about the writing. One of the things I've decided to improve is my commitment to finding solid, preplanned stretches of writing time. I found out Gerald would be out tonight, so I marked a few hours into my datebook. It's been a while since I've had this kind of time, so I decided to do some prep work throughout the day:

I've been continuing my Bible-in-a-year readings, so I read a little this afternoon to fill the well of my imagination. (I'm really enjoying this project, by the way. I'm a little behind in the Old Testament, but I digress...)

I picked out a new, sparkly pink journal to use for lyric writing, and found an awesome pen I picked up at GMA Week.

I recently won a 3 month tuition for an on-line songwriting school called SongU.com. I decided to spend a little time on that to remind myself of the discipline to the craft.

And, finally, I decided to blog tonight, as that gave me a bit of pressure to actually write something and not get distracted by laundry. It's amazing how important the laundry can become when it's writing time.

After Gerald left, I grabbed my little pink book and planted myself in my beautiful writing room. I poured myself a glass of iced tea, opened all the windows, and said a little prayer.

I'd written a chorus a few months ago, but I'd never gotten around to writing verses. I've realized lately that I'm very good at starting songs, but not so good at finishing them. I wrote out the chorus in my book, and began to work on the verses. I had an idea for a verse melody (the melody for the chorus was already complete), so I tapped it out to figure out approximately how many syllables I'd need for each line. I knew I wanted to start with the chorus, which would give me space for 2 verses. So, with that info in place - theme, melody, rhythm, and structure - I dipped into the well and started to write out some verses. Several hours later, I had 2 fairly complete verses. I think they're probably pretty good, but I decided to close the book on them for tonight. I'll go back to them tomorrow to see if they're really okay, or if I need to start all over again.

I felt drained but empowered after my writing session, so I jumped back on the computer and headed over to Song U. They offer a range of self-paced and instructor lead courses on everything from lyrics and melodies to business and recording. There's even a group there that does the Artist's Way. I finished the Orientation class, and chose my class list. I'm starting with a few lyric courses, a class on commercial song structures, another on the Christian market, and finally, a 3 course series on recording an indie CD. I started a course on rhyming tonight, which is another reason why I want to check the lyric again tomorrow. Maybe I'll find a newer, more exciting rhyme for one of my lines.

Oh, and the song is called "Do You Want to be my Neighbour in Gloryland?", complete with Canadian spelling!

HAPPY CANADA DAY!

That's right, Happy Canada Day! Some of our new American friends are shocked to discover that we have a Canada Day. Some are asking if we celebrate the 4th of July. And a lot want to know if it's actually Canadian Independence Day.

Well, not really. Here's how Wikipedia describes it: "Canada Day marks the creation of Canada as a Dominion through the British North America Act on July 1, 1867, uniting three British colonies—the provinces of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Canada. The three colonies united to form one country divided into four provinces. The Province of Canada became Ontario and Quebec."

Other than the Stanley Cup playoffs, it's one of the few times of the year when Canadians are outrageously and publicly patriotic. I've always enjoyed going out to see fireworks, or going to a Canada Day party, so I wondered how we would spend tonight.

Well, Carol, who runs the back room at Cafe Coco, is Canadian! She decided a year ago that she wanted to have a Canada Day party. On her last trip home, she brought back Tim Horton's coffee and Molson Canadian (you know that sold out fast!). They put poutine on the menu, and filled the stage with some great Canadian singer-songwriters.

The back room was packed, and I think they were actually having to turn people away throughout the evening. There were young couples and families with kids. People were wearing red and white. The crowd were only half Canadians; the rest were obviously super cool Americans! We heard great music, Gerald found a possible co-writer, and I gave out advice on getting an O1 Visa. What a great night!

HAPPY CANADA DAY!!!!!!!

Avenues and Updates

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

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

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

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

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

And updates:

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

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

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

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

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

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

Indie Fest '07

This morning saw me and Gerald up at the crack of dawn. (Maybe not 'dawn' exactly, but close enough for my liking.) For today, we took part in our biggest Nashville gig to date - Indie Fest '07.

I found out about Indie Fest through my latest favourite place, Shoutlife.com. The page advertised an all day Christian music festival featuring indie musicians. Since it was only a short drive from Nashville, I wrote and asked if they still had openings, and I was able to book Gerald and myself as a duo.

The buzz was all over Shoutlife about the festival, but, unfortunately, the audience was smaller than we all would have liked. Despite that, this was still a great event and an amazing day.

Gerald and I kicked off the day with a 40 minute set of mostly original music. After that, we were able to relax and enjoy the other acts, all of whom were incredible. This is the first time I've ever been on the same line-up as rock bands and a hip-hop artist. Shoutlife became real life as I got to meet many of my cyber friends face to face. The music was dynamic and spirit-filled, and the fellowship was awesome! At the end of the day, Gerald and I walked out with new friends, a future co-write, and a possible booking agent. And we were all honoured to bear witness to the surprise marriage proposal of Anthony to Kelly. I just met them, and I'm so excited for them already!

All in all, this was a blessed and wonderful day. We heard awesome testimonies, amazing songs, and great words of faith. And I think Gerald and I are finding something wonderful between us on stage. We sang together long before we were even dating, but lately, I think we're finding something new and unique in our music and message. I don't want to define it yet, but it's very exciting, and the response has been very good. We may have another gig tomorrow (we'll find out in the morning), and I'm just seeking opportunities to be on stage together.

Tea and Jam - Nashville style!

We're back in Nashville! Toronto was a lot longer than planned, but all in all, it was a very satisfying trip. After our crazy gig-filled week, we finally had some time to do family stuff. We ate lobsters, lassie buns, and lots of homemade cooking. We visited the Shaw Festival to see "Saint Joan", which was incredible. And we had many parties, including a sushi birthday, a spa birthday, and double celebrations of Mother's Day and Father's Day.

We took 2 days to drive back, enjoying a silly night in a roadside hotel - eating fast food outdoors, watching fireflies, and following the adventures of some local children and a litter of new-born kittens in the woods.

This week has been a little rough. I had 2 paying gigs almost firmed up for the summer, and both have fallen through in varying degrees. That, piled up with several smaller issues, left me feeling a little beat up by week's end. But I got lots of rest, and started to sing again (the antidote to all wrongs!), for tonight, we had...

Tea and Jam! Several months ago, we joined several fellow Shoutlifers at a great event called Tea and Jam. It's held at Madison Church of Christ, and features 2 musical acts (that's the "Jam" part). It's a free event, and they even serve complimentary coffee, hot chocolate, sweets, and ... Tea!

Tonight, we shared the stage with saxophonist, Jamie Reid. He's just put out a new hymns project, and his music is gorgeous!

We each had 12 songs to perform (Gerald and I were performing as a duo, so 12 songs between us). Usually each act does one set, but they tried a new format tonight with each act performing four 3-song-sets. We were worried this would be too much jumping up and down and resetting and stuff, but everything was very well organized, and I think the format made for a nice flow.

We did 2 covers - "I Have Decided" and "People Get Ready" - but the rest was all originals. Gerald did "Do You Trust the Wings God Gave You", which he hasn't done for ages. We did "My Child is Dancing With God", with me on harmonies, and as he sang his other songs, all I could think was "We need more harmonies!". After the show, our friend Tara came up and said, "You know what I wanted to hear? More harmonies!". If that's not a sign...

I did my personal favourites, including "Wedding at Cana", "Sing Me a Song", and the new one, "The Point of the Song". Overall, I was really pleased with things. The sound was great, which made us feel very comfortable. And I feel like we're building a performance repertoire, so that's feeling stronger each time. The crowd was small, but the feedback was great, and we've been invited back when our CDs are done. Whoo-hoo!

It's so good to be back here. I loved being home, but this is the adventure. Three years sounds like a long time, but I don't want to waste a second of it. I have so much I want to do here!

Tour Ontario! - Gig #6

That's it! We're done! It's been awesome, but now, I'm looking forward to a little rest time!

This morning was the final gig of our Tour Ontario week. We were blessed to visit Mom and Dad's new church in Burlington, St. Christopher's Anglican. This is a vibrant and growing church, with a new organ, a guitar club, and a great choir. But today, all the musicians were away, visiting another church. So they took advantage of the timing, and had us in for some special music.

We didn't do any of the hymns or liturgical music (which was okay after our huge show last night). We were just in charge of the music during Communion.

Their congregation is used to singing along during that time, so we chose "Just a Closer Walk" and "I Call Out Your Name". I printed the "I Call Out" chorus in the bulletin, and I was thrilled to hear so many people singing along.

After Communion, we did our duet version of "People Get Ready" as an anthem. When we reached the end, the congregation broke out into applause. And not polite applause. Generous, appreciative applause. The kind with a swell in it. It was a little overwhelming. This is a church that is used to great music, and apparently, they rarely clap for it. Gerald and I were surprised, and very moved.

After the service, we had a tremendous response from the congregation. One woman was so happy she came this morning, because we played "her music". Apparently, they rarely have Gospel music, so we were a bit of a treat. The feedback was great, and I think we have an unofficial invite to come back in the fall!

And now - rest time! Actually, it will be family time. Tonight, Mom and Dad hosted a BBQ with family and friends. So wonderful and completely needed by me and Gerald. The past week has had 6 performances in 8 days in 4 cities. (We prepared for a 7th, but it was cancelled). We've tried new arrangements, and even finished and debuted a new song. We've sung for hundreds of people, and met and chatted with lots of them. All in all, I'm so happy with how things have gone.

Some time this week, Gerald and I will sit down, go over things, and figure out what worked, and what needs working on. But for now, we're just grateful for doors that have been opened, and opportunities that have been blessed. And personally, I'm so happy to have a loving partner to join me on stage and in my ministry. Feeling very blessed and satisfied tonight!

Tour Ontario! - Gig #5

Tonight was the biggest gig of the whole week - a complete concert of just me and Gerald!

We did it at Church of the Holy Family, a wonderful Anglican church in Brampton. I did a worship service there last summer, and we've been eager to go back.

The church had a good crowd, especially since we're competing with basketball and hockey playoffs right now. But most importantly, they were an enthusiastic crowd! I asked for a show of hands, and over half had never seen us perform before. But they were with us from the opening notes, right through to the ice cream reception that followed the show.

We called tonight "Cowboys and Angels" to reflect our mix of country and Gospel. We did a few covers, but mostly originals. A lot of the songs we've done this week became part of the program, including our new song, "Praise", and our new jammin' version of "Infinitely More" with Gerald on djembe. We couldn't plug in both guitars, so when it came time to do "I Have Decided to Follow Jesus", we unplugged everything, walked into the aisle, and sang out.

I did Mom's song "All Because of You", and we did "I Call Out Your Name" with Gerald on lead vocals, and me on guitar and harmonies. We ended with our super-fast Celtic version of "Lord of the Dance".

After the show, we got to catch up with a few old friends, and got to meet a lot of the members of Holy Family. One woman told me that she has been through a lot lately, but during the show, she felt peace. That made it all worth it for me.

I also need to note that this is the longest show that Gerald and I have ever done with just the 2 of us. Our full concerts have always included guest artists, but this time, it was just us for the whole 90 minutes. I'm really proud of us. At the risk of bragging, I think we did a dynamic show with lots of music, yet we still felt very relaxed on stage. All in all, a very successful night!

One more gig in the morning. Off for sleep!

Tour Ontario! - Gig #4

First, an announcement: There will be no Gig #7. Sunday afternoon, we were booked to perform at an interdenominational worship service at Billings Court Manor seniors residence. Well, this week, we got a call saying the whole building is locked down under quarantine! What an awful situation! But on our end, we've told the chaplain that we will gladly take a rain cheque and perform next time we're up this way.

Tonight was Gig #4 - Tin Pan North!

Earlier this spring, I wrote about Tin Pan South, the awesome songwriting festival that happens in Nashville every year. (That's where I heard the amazing Stephen Schwartz concert!) NSAI Toronto is the only chapter outside Nashville to try and replicate this festival. The northern version is slightly different in that it's smaller, and it also features NSAI members, and not just pro-writers.

Our round was at the NOW Lounge, which is a great venue for this kind of show. Cozy space, and great sound. Each round in this festival features a headliner, and our's was none other than Marc Alan Barnette from Nashville. (We stayed in his house when we first moved to town.) Laura Ranieri, NSAI Toronto co-coordinator was our fourth, and she brought a lead guitar player into the mix.

I was really excited to be on stage with all these great players. Gerald opened the round with "Hot Bath, Cold Beer, and You", and I followed with "Wedding at Cana". Laura and Marc kept the rounds going with party songs all night. Gerald did "Never Learn", his newly written "Never Wait Until Tomorrow", and "Barrel of a Gun", which was a total treat because he hasn't played that in ages!

I did "My Father's Arms", and "Sing Me a Song". On that one, Gerald did rhythm on the guitar (we accidentally left the drum at home), which was really interesting because the strings rang every time Gerald hit the body of the guitar, giving it a new age/Celtic/new music kind of sound. Laura sang harmony, and then the sound guy put an awesome echo on my voice, making the whole thing sound very atmospheric. Sooo cool!

We ended with a brand new song called "Praise". The full hook is "The point of the song is to praise", and it was inspired by people who had trouble understanding why I wanted to sing Gospel music. And I do mean brand new - I brought the lyric and most of the melody to Gerald a week ago, and we just finished it yesterday. But all things considered, I thought it went really well.

After the show, we got to chat with friends we've been away from for far too long. It was so great to reconnect with people! We got great feedback on our performances, and I had several people come up to tell me how much they loved hearing Gospel music. I was a little nervous singing my songs in that environment, so that confirmation meant a lot.

All in all, it was a great night of music and fun. Must rest - the big show is tomorrow!

Tour Ontario! - Gigs #2 & #3

Busy day!

We started off with Gig #2 - our "Southern Fried Gospel" concert! We were invited to perform a 45-minute lunchtime concert as part of the Music Mondays series. Housed in Toronto's gorgeous Church of the Holy Trinity, this series is in its 16th season, and I've been thrilled to perform there twice over the last 5 years. This marked Gerald's first time with the series, but we led music for several Holy Trinity worship services last summer.

With our "Southern Fried Gospel" theme, we wanted to do songs that reflected what we're learning and writing in Nashville right now. We did a few traditional covers, like "I Have Decided to Follow Jesus" and "Do Lord", and the rest of the program was filled with originals. We've always performed as solo artists, but we're working on our skills as a duo, so we tried several new things with our originals. While I played "Infinitely More", Gerald jammed along on the djembe. I played tambourine for "Real Big Fan". We also added djembe to "Sing Me a Song", keeping it really light to emphasize the Celtic feel of the piece. Gerald also debuted his latest song, "Never Wait Until Tomorrow", inspired by a letter written by Erma Bombeck after her cancer diagnosis.

We had a small crowd, but as the first concert of the series, we sort of expected it. But the audience was with us the whole time, and we got to chat with several people after the show.

We enjoyed a little downtown living, before heading off for a quick rest in preparation for Gig #3.

Tonight, we performed at the Moonshine Cafe in Oakville. This small venue has only been open for a year and a half, but they already have a reputation worthy of any great Nashville club. They feature live music every night of the week, and they host songwriter workshops too.

Monday's are open mic and 2 feature writers, and we, as a team, were one of the feature writers. The other was Nancy Dutra - an incredibly genuine person with beautiful songs. Gerald and I did a 30 minute set, with a mix of Gospel and country. We did some of the Gospel songs from this morning, but Gerald added in a few party songs for good measure! We finished with a duet version of "All Her Flowers are Wild", my favourite of Gerald's country songs.

All in all, the past 2 days have been a great start to our tour. We're now almost halfway through, and we've covered 2 cities and 3 completely different performance venues. Tomorrow will be rest, and starting our preparation for a very busy next weekend!

Tour Ontario! - Gig #1

Whoo-hoo! The tour has begun!

As of today, we have officially started our Tour Ontario! It's not a 'tour' in the traditional sense, where we'll have to travel from city to city, staying in hotels and eating restaurant food. (Not that I'd complain about that!) This part of Ontario is very densely populated, so we'll be able to use my parents' house as a home base, and just 'tour' around from here. We have 7 shows in the next 8 days, in the surrounding cities of Burlington, Brampton, Oakville, and, of course, Toronto. We're doing concerts, church services, cafes, and NSAI Toronto's Tin Pan North festival. The performances are clustered around the weekends, as opposed to spread over the week, so we'll have to be aware of rest and water. But all in all, I'm very excited!

We started this morning with a church service at St. John's West Anglican Church. We always love returning to this vibrant and awesome congregation. In some ways, it was the toughest gig because we had to learn several new songs, and we couldn't just choose whatever songs we wanted to sing. Our main role, when we visit St. John's, is to lead the congregation in singing hymns and liturgical music. I'm very aware of picking songs that fit the theme of the service, and I want to choose pieces that will be easy to sing and fun for the congregation. Between myself and the church's music team, I think we had a good line-up for this morning's service of Pentecost, including one of my favourites, "Wind of Change" (F. Kaan, R. Klusmeier).

They did something different for the sermon today. St. John's supports a local food bank, so in order to put a 'human face' on the project, they invited a guest speaker. Dawn is a woman who has had a difficult life with schizophrenia. She is not always able to make ends meet, so sometimes, she has to use a food bank. She talked about bringing grocery bags to the bank, so that neighbours will just think she's been shopping. She talked about not being able to have custody of her daughter, because of her illness, and because of her poverty. But she also talked about her faith in God, and how she is never poor because she has God's richest blessings. What an amazing faith!

I had to get up and sing my solo after that, and with tears brimming in my eyes, it was no easy feat. I sang "Abide With Me", and suddenly, the words took on new meanings. "When other helpers fail, and comforts flee. Help of the Helpless! Oh, Lord, abide with me.".

After the service, we got to catch up with old friends, and enjoy the great fellowship. We basically have a standing invitation at St. John's, and have already been told to reserve a Sunday for them on our next trip home. Gladly!

Tomorrow, we have 2 shows in one day. Off for a big glass of water and some of that rest I was talking about...

Under the cover of darkness...

I hate to start with a complaint, but I have had an ongoing battle with my allergies all week. I've been dying to plant a garden, but I literally couldn't spend the time outside. The heat and the pollen were overwhelming! So over the last 2 nights, under the cover of darkness, I broke ground and planted my garden. It's not very big - just 4 hanging baskets and 2 small beds, all pink, white, and blue - but it's so pretty! At the risk of sounding punny, I feel like I put down my own roots in Nashville this week.

My dear friend, Kimberlee, who is also the organizer of the CWE nights, had a solo show tonight. Kimberlee is an amazing singer, who recently had such severe voice problems that she had to take a complete year off from singing. She's just getting back at it, so tonight was a brave move.

A few days ago, she asked if I'd sing a few songs. I was thrilled, but given the state of my allergies, I was also a little nervous. My head, nose, and throat have been pretty awful. I decided to only do 2 songs: "The Wedding at Cana" and "Sing Me a Song". They're not necessarily easy songs, but I feel very confident with them, and sometimes, that's easier than 'easy'.

Both songs went well, and were very well received. Kimberlee did a great set with one original gospel song, and covers of some soulful R&B classics. She had a strong combo put together with keyboard, bass, and 2 harmony singers. She should definitely do more gigs with this group!

The night was wrapped up by April, another CWE alumnus. As usual, all the CWE girls chatted long after the show. I'm finding this group to be such a support for me. Not only am I getting opportunities to play, but I feel like I'm part of a real community. I may also have a new co-writer for the summer! Yay, Nashville!

Pastors, Allergies, and Joy!

Okay, a little business to start: I forgot one more good thing in my Weekend Update post. I got an letter last week inviting me to join the BCC (Bellevue Community Church) music team. Yay! It's not a weekly commitment, which is good, and they make great music. Very happy for this opportunity!

On the down side, I am completely plagued by allergies right now! They were annoying in Toronto, but there's something different in the air down here, and I've been in terrible shape for 2 days now. And yes, I am taking antihistamines! I was supposed to go hear Allison Durham Speer in concert last night, and Buddy Greene tonight (both artists that I adore!) and I couldn't make it to either show. Very frustrating!!!

But, here's the real highlight of the day: Bright and early this morning, around 8:30am, we received a phone call asking us if we could sing at noon! Don Burnett is the interim music director at Calvary Baptist Church, where we sang before Easter. He's involved with a weekly fellowship meeting for Baptist ministers, and he sometimes gets to bring in the guest musicians. Well, today, with 3-and-a-half hours notice, we were invited to come and sing for the group.

We were very excited about the possibilities, because each of these pastors could potentially invite us to sing in their church. We only had to sing 2 songs, but sometimes, that's harder than singing a full program. Those 2 songs really had to count! We rushed around getting ready, warming up, and choosing arrangements. The room we'd be visiting had no real sound system for the guitars, so we were really excited to use the new amp!

We packed up the car and headed downtown to First Baptist Church. The meeting room was small, with 25-30 pastors having lunch. After the lunch, and a few announcements, we were invited to sing. We started with "I Have Decided to Follow Jesus", with both of us on vocals and guitars. In our introduction, it was announced that I was a PK (Preacher's Kid). It wasn't until I was announcing our songs, that I realized how special this event was to me. For years, Dad went to clergy conferences and meetings, and I know how much they added to his life and ministry. Standing before these men (yes, Baptist church, all male pastors!), I recognized the importance of that community. They were gathered together to be around other men who "got it", other men who could understand the unique pressures of being in the ministry. I suddenly felt very emotional, and very humbled, to be invited into this time. I mentioned that briefly in my introduction, and we ended with our second song, "People Get Ready", a vocal duet with Gerald on guitar.

After our songs, the main speaker gave his message about 'anger'. He was a great storyteller, and spoke about the anger that seems to be infecting individuals in our society. He also spoke about the anger that many people feel towards the church, and how they, as ministers, can address these needs in their congregations. It was a wonderful talk. After the meeting, we got to speak with many of the pastors, and then had a great Italian meal downtown.

This afternoon, Gerald continued his co-writing session with Lisa, and I continued to work on the tour. We leave next Wednesday! Can't believe it's so soon! There's so much work to do, but I refuse to get overwhelmed by any of it. I was watching Oprah today (yes, big Oprah fan!) and she was talking about 'joy'. In many and various ways, she seeks to invite joy into her life. Not simply peace or contentment, but joy! I love that, and I've decided that, throughout this touring process, in everything from the booking to the driving to the performances, I will seek JOY in all I do!

(Of course, if I have a cranky day, please refer me to this entry!)

Weekend Update

Today's title was inspired by the recent SNL retrospective! So funny!

It's been a busy weekend of small and large accomplishments, so I thought I'd do a quick summary here.

I've been invited to join the Christian DIVAs network. I know! Of course I'm a Christian diva! But in this case, DIVAs stands for Devoted Inspired Victorious Artists. This group is by-invitation only, and provides opportunities for fellowship and promotion. They have some great artists, and I'm really thankful for the opportunity.

I'm on the hunt for a producer for my CD. I really want to start recording this summer, with a release date before Christmas. I want the music to be rooted in Southern Gospel, with influences of jazz and big band. As an indie project, the producer will be a key element. On Thursday, we met with Aaron Minick, who worked on Allison Durham Speer's latest project. My meeting went well, but we still need to figure out all our options. Even though our budget is small by industry standards, it's still a lot of money for us, so we want to be wise with our choices. If you can pray for us in this process, we would really appreciate it.

But the big drama this week was the amp. Gerald is working hard to have his first CD ready within the next week or so. It's all acoustic versions of his own songs, and he's even doing all the recording himself (in our bathroom studio!) He wanted an amp to add different sounds to a few songs, and he's been searching for weeks for the right one. Well, last weekend, he found the perfect amp and ordered it. The large box arrived on Wednesday afternoon, and the excitement was palpable. We dragged the box up to Gerald's writing room, opened the cardboard top, pulled out the heavy piece, and heard the sounds of ... tinkling? Yes, little glass and metal bits tinkling around inside the amp! The speaker had completely smashed out of it's place and was floating around inside the casing of the amp. Our hearts sank! Needless to say, it was not a good day.

Friday, we declared official Amp Day. We made a list of stores, grabbed a mango sweet tea for the road, and started the new search. But it really didn't take long. In the first store, Gerald saw all 3 amps that had made his short list. He got to try them all with his T5. Because he had done so much research, he noticed that 2 of the amps seemed overpriced. He questioned the prices, the staff double-checked, and dropped the prices accordingly.

Long-story-somewhat-short, we walked out with the perfect amp at a great price. It sounds incredible, and will give Gerald the final technical tool he needs to complete the CD.

As I'm writing this, I'm watching the Dove awards ceremony that we attended just a few weeks ago. I'm revamping the calender for our upcoming tour of Southern Ontario. I'm listening to Gerald co-writing upstairs. And I'm planning my songs for tonight's show. I feel so many things swirling around me, so many plans and so much energy, and I just want to be calm and focused, and enjoy every minute of it.

Cafe Forte & Rick Cua

Cafe Forte has become my favourite place to spend a Monday night. It's always great music, and you can meet some really cool people there too.

Since I've been going, the format has been a 30 minute set by one artist, 30 minutes of fellowship/networking time, and another 30 minute set by a second artist. The organizers have decided to start switching up the format so they can meet more of their ministry goals, and tonight was one of those first switch-ups.

Our feature artist tonight was Rick Cua, who has had a lengthy career as a bass player, band leader, and songwriter. He was joined by guitarist, singer-songwriter Tony Hooper. Other than visiting Rick's site this afternoon, I'd never heard of Rick or Tony, but I quickly fell in love with their music. Great melodies, great vibe, and lots of soul!

After a few songs, our host, Jeremy, grabbed the mic and started to interview Rick, and this became the format for the evening. A few great songs, and a few questions to help us learn, not just more about Rick, but more about the skills and talents needed to build a lasting career. After a while, they opened it up for questions from the floor. I asked about Rick's program of sharing free music with churches, which was really fascinating.

We had such a great night! Awesome music, and great info, and just incredible people. We even met a couple from BC who are here recording an album. I guess all musicians have to come here eventually!

NSAI Pitch to Publisher, and Our Bathroom Studio!

Gerald has been collecting recording equipment over the past few months with the goal of building a small home studio. He doesn't want to start producing or anything. He just wants to be able to make killer recordings at home.

So today, we recorded our first full-out song: Gerald's song, "My Heart is the Manger", which was inspired by Dad's Christmas sermon.

I've mentioned several times how much we love our new living environment - trees, clean air, and lots of birds... which is a problem with recording! There was so much noise from the birds, we had to move right into the center of the house. So, our studio is in the bathroom! Luckily, it's a big bathroom. Gerald set the mic up on the counter, and the tiles gave a lovely acoustic. A little unorthodox, but we ended up with a great recording!

Tonight was NSAI's Christian pitch to publisher night. This is when a publisher comes in to hear songs, and we all hope our song will get chosen for publishing. Many are heard, few are chosen! Gerald has had a country pitch to publisher, but I've been waiting months for Christian pitch night.

Our publisher tonight was Rick Shelton of Daywind Publishing. I felt some confidence in that Daywind's primary focus is Southern Gospel. Yay! But due to a series of mishaps, I had to enter the session with a less-than-perfect package, which shook my confidence a little. I couldn't print off my lyrics, so I had to give in a hand-written lyric sheet. And then we couldn't find the right version of my demo, so I had to bring in the version without the harmonies. Arg!

My song choice was "Welcome to Bethlehem". An odd choice, perhaps, but I've heard this is a good time to push Christmas songs, and I was hoping the harmonies would sound Southern Gospel (those harmonies that weren't on my demo!)

Because pitch nights bring out so many people, they only play a verse and a chorus, and the publisher gets to read the whole lyric. When my time came, I was nervous, but I also decided that I wouldn't take it personally if it was rejected. Well, he liked it! He said it could have "commercial appeal" in a musical, and maybe even in a children's musical. He said it's not the kind of thing he can use directly, but he gave me some names of other publishers to approach. Yay!!!

This was such a huge confirmation for me! A lot of my songs feel weird and not commercial. I know I'm not writing country radio hits, which seems to be what most people here are aiming for, and I'm not writing the big CCM or Christian rock hits either. Maybe I'll write hits someday, but the truth is, I don't really care who sings my songs - churches, choirs, Sunday schools, youth groups - don't care! I just want people to sing my songs and feel closer to God. So, tonight just let me know that there can be a viable place for my music, even the weird stuff. It was a reminder to stay open to the creative process, to write what feels true, and that "a good song is not written, it is rewritten."

This is all good! And now, to contact those publishers...

Michael English in concert!

Tonight, I drove to the other side of town to see Michael English in concert. (It was actually close to the Stamps-Baxter end of town.)

The concert was at Una Baptist Church. I'd never been there before, and once I got in the area, I had that uniquely Nashville problem: I hit a strip of churches, all next door to each other, all with very similar names. I only had to go to 2 before finding the right one, but I did end up with a very nice invitation to a Spanish fellowship night.

Una Baptist Church is quite beautiful, with a not-too-large sanctuary, perfect for an intimate concert. And I just need to get this out right away: Michael English has one of the most amazing voices I've ever heard. I'd heard recordings, but nothing prepared me for this live performance. It's a really incredible instrument. It's strong and soulful, and he has a very precise control over it. Very, very impressive!

He started with a few songs, and then moved on to "Mary, Did You Know." (Michael was the first to record this song.) He introduced his family, and his 3-year-old little girl nearly stole the show with her rendition of "You are my Sunshine". He does a real mix of southern gospel, black gospel, CCM, and hymns that have been all funked up. Love those hymns!

In some ways, he wasn't what I expected. His voice is incredible, but I thought his stage presence would be more polished. Instead, he was a guy who just told stories about his life. He talked about some of the problems of his past, and how he is now choosing to approach life with complete honesty. When he brought up guest soloist, Christopher Lee, for a song, he admitted that part of the reason for having a guest soloist was because he needed a break. He said that his body can't sing as high or long as it used to, so now he takes a little break in his shows. How many musicians would admit that?

An honest Christian musician. What a novel concept!

After seeing the 'mix' of Christian musicians I saw this week at GMA, Michael was a reminder that brilliant talent is best used for God when used with genuine intentions and an honest spirit. At one point he talked about his resume. Years ago, he would tell people he had a brilliant resume. Now, he says, his resume is terrible, but he is better equipped for the job of ministering the Gospel than ever before.

Isn't that the goal?

GMA Week - Day 5 & The Dove Awards!

What a long and incredible day!

This is the final day for the GMA Week seminars, and we started bright and early with "Sole Story, Soul Art". Al Andrews gave us the template of Innocence, Tragedy, Contending, and Resolve to study the story of the Bible, and then, the stories of individual people. All our lives can be told through this pattern, and when we understand this, it can help us to better understand other people. When turned on ourselves, it can also be used to improve and affect our art and ministry. Very intriguing workshop!

Next, came our keynote speaker - Max Lucado! This session started with a worship session lead by Joel Engle. Joel has a fantastic testimony of losing his parents early in his life, being raised by his grandparents, losing them, and then being adopted by a family when he was 16 years old.

Max Lucado spoke on the theme of his latest book, "Facing Your Giants". What a gentle and wonderful speaker! Some speakers like to bounce all over the stage to get your attention, but Max is passionate and calm. His theme was based on the five stones that David chose to fight Goliath, and how we have five "stones" we can use to fight our giants. Brilliant and wonderful!

Then it was home for a quick nap and a make-over, cause tonight was...

The Dove Awards! The Doves are the Grammys of Christian music. I've seen the awards on TV, but this was my first ever chance to see them in person. Tickets are pricey, but we discovered we could go for free if we volunteered as seat-fillers. In retrospect, this was a win-lose situation - 'win' because we saw the main show for free, but 'lose' because we had to wait outside for a long time, so we missed the whole pre-show.

The pre-show has some performances, but most importantly, this is when the bulk of the awards is given out. And these are the kind of awards that really interest us, such as 'Song of the Year' and 'Album of the Year' in different genres like Southern Gospel or Inspirational.

The main part of the show is the stuff filmed for television. As seat-fillers, it was our role to fill unsold seats on the main level, or to fill seats for artists as they went on stage to perform or give out awards. At first, we were seated right in the back. But the people next to us (also Canadians!) had a writer friend who was nominated for an award, but she didn't want to sit up front. So they asked us to switch! We got to sit in Row F, which was one row away from the Crabb Family, across the aisle from David Phelps. Whoo-hoo!

The show started with a huge performance featuring Toby Mac, Kirk Franklin, American Idol's Mandisa, and a killer gospel choir. Awesome! But as soon as the song was done, we took our first 'commercial break', and the tone of the evening was set. Since the show is taped for TV, it runs just like a TV set. There would be a relatively short burst of excitement while we'd have one song or one award, and then we'd take a break for them to reset the cameras and set pieces. As a live show, it was hard to build on the excitement because we were stopping so much. The pre-show started at 5:30 and the show finally ended at 11:00. But in between, we had some awesome performances!

With only a few exceptions, I'd never seen any of these people perform live, so each performance was a real treat. Steven Curtis Chapman, Mark Hall (Casting Crowns), Mac Powell (Third Day) and Brian Littrell (former Backstreet Boy) performed as a group. Mercy Me was fantastic! Newcomer Aaron Shust held his own as the only singer-songwriter on the bill, and walked away with several awards.

Gerald and I were both blown away by acapella harmony group Take 6. Brian Free and Assurance raised the roof with James Cleveland's "King Jesus". (Love that song!) Chris Tomlin and friends did an incredibly moving performance of his version of Amazing Grace, from the film of the same name. Chris was introduced by teenage activist, Zach Hunter, who is working to abolish slavery in our modern world. Did you know there are 27 million people still living in slavery today? How can that still be happening?

The show ended with gospel music history. As we all know, the Crabb Family has decided to retire this August. Tonight was their final Dove Award performance as a group. They did a rocked up version of "Power in the Blood", with great solos by Jason and all the instrumentalists in the band. Such a great group!

How do I feel about my GMA Week experience? Well, before I did this, I was told I would see the best and the worst of the gospel music industry this week, and that was true. I met people who were incredibly genuine and passionate about spreading the Gospel though music. And I met people who have read their own press and become seduced by the glamour of the music industry.

But overall, I'm so glad I went. I think I got a really good sense of the music industry in Nashville. I learned a lot about the business of touring, promotion, and digital music. I met some wonderful people from all around the world. I learned that Southern Gospel really is the smallest part of the Christian music industry. And I heard many words of brilliance and wisdom.

But most importantly, I have been reminded that the industry must be a tool and not a goal. For...

I'd rather have Jesus than men's applause.
I rather be faithful to His dear cause.
I'd rather have Jesus than worldwide fame.
I'd rather be true to His holy name.

(Rhea F. Miller, 1922)

GMA Week - Day 4

This morning started bright and early with a session entitled "Still Standing". Bishop Paul Morton had a thriving ministry in New Orleans, until Katrina hit. His story of survival through the storms of life was nothing short of inspiring. He illustrated his talk with stories from the Gospels of Jesus calming the storm and walking on water. The Bishop is also a singer, and he sang his new song, also named "Still Standing". He has a wonderful voice, but mostly, he just has a wonderful spirit!

The next workshop was excellent! Called "Making the Cut", it dealt with many issues surrounding getting signed to a major label. I really have no desire to get signed to a major label right now, but I still found this workshop to be invaluable. It brought up the debate of indie artist versus indie label versus major label. The panel offered a check list of things the majors look for before they sign you, such as the number of dates you're playing, the publicity you're self-generating, your fan base, etc. Even if I never try to get on a label, this checklist is a great set of goals to work towards.

Just after this workshop, I got the call from the auto shop. My tires were repaired! Translation: I didn't have to buy new tires! Whoo-hoo! Answered prayers. Picked up my car and took a little break before...

"The Power of Personal Branding" with Phil Cooke, who is definitely the single best speaker I've heard all week. I took more notes in this session than I took in first year psychology. It was incredible! Phil deals with branding in all kinds of corporations. He describes branding as 'the story behind a person, product, or service'. He gave us tonnes of advice on discovering our own uniqueness, and then building our brand around it. There was so much information, but Phil is also a dynamic speaker with lots of insight and wisdom. I tried to buy a recording of the session, but this is the one class they couldn't record. Very disappointed!

We finished with a panel of heavy weights. "Behind the Music" featured some of today's top music producers, including people who produce for Yolanda Adams, Janet Jackson, and Prince. That was all very cool, but, admittedly, I was there for Wayne Haun, who is one of the top producers in Southern Gospel. The discussion was very industry focused (as opposed to artist focused). It gave me a new perspective on the production of the music and the artist, and how that feeds back into the whole music community.

On Sunday, I said that there were 2 shows this week about which I was really excited. Well, the second one was tonight - the Southern Gospel Showcase! The evening was hosted by Michael Booth of the Booth Brothers, and it featured a large line-up. Each artist performed 2-4 songs. It was different than a fan concert - no product table, no long patter, and the only things pitched from the stage were Jesus and Compassion International. This was actually a great show for me to see. In the past year, I've been able to learn about a lot of groups through Singing News Magazine, but I've never been able to see most of them. Tonight, I got to see several groups for the first time.

The opening act was one such group - The Skyline Boys. They have a traditional sound, with a super-high tenor! Next came Mark Bishop, another Singing News discovery. Mark has great songs, and an engaging stage presence. I've seen Crystal River on a DVD, but it was great to see this young quartet carving out their own place in the Southern Gospel world. Hope's Call was another group I'd only heard about. I love their mix of Southern harmonies with bluesy, pop rhythms.

Next came SG royalty - Janet Paschal. Janet has a new album coming out, so she was previewing some new songs tonight. So charming and beautiful on stage! I'd read about the Triumphant Quartet, but you have to see them live to appreciate them. Great sound, with a really fun, and sometimes goofy, stage presence. I'd also heard of Three Bridges, but I was not prepared for this trio. They mix Southern Gospel with 'black gospel', and it's awesome! Great harmonies, great voices, and killer fun songs. Love them!

Next came someone I just admire so much: Karen Peck and New River. Karen's song choice is always great, and she's a fantastic communicator. If I was a little more country, I'd be singing her songs all the time. And, of course, I'm always biased towards sopranos. The grand finale was the Booth Brothers. Their sound just gets smoother ever time I hear them. They did a few new songs, plus "He Saw It All".

Such a fantastic celebration of Southern Gospel music. I saw some friends too, including a Stamps-Baxter friend I haven't seen for over a year. What a great night!

GMA Week - Day 3

Tonight has ended roughly, so I may not sound very excited about my day, even though it was great. I left the conference at 6:00 to pick up Gerald so we could go to a showcase together. That's when I discovered I had, not one, but 2 flat tires! Needless to say, the evening went downhill from there. My car is at a repair place tonight, I've sat in my second tow truck in 3 weeks, and I'm in a city with no public transit. (deep breath)

... But today was excellent ...

To start the day, I attended a panel on touring. Most of the people were from Christian and crossover rock bands, but the reason I went was to hear Ronnie Booth (of The Booth Brothers). There are so few Southern Gospel people here; it's mostly CCM and rock. Most of the questions were directed at the rock dudes. When Ronnie was finally asked a question, he acknowledged that he felt a little out of place, and that 99% of the people in the room probably didn't even know who he was. When I stood for my question, I started with, "I'm a Southern Gospel girl, and I know who you are." He was so great in his answers, and said he felt hopeful that a young person wants to sing SG. We chatted for a bit after the discussion. Very kind and humble man.

I hooked up with my friend, Kimberlee, who is the organizer of CWE (Christian Women of Entertainment). We had a long leisurely lunch on Broadway, and picked up more free stuff from the exhibit hall.

This afternoon focused on the digital market, and I must say, it was a little depressing. I love holding a CD and reading the lyrics and credits in the little booklet. According to today's panel, the CD will be completely out of commission in the next 5-20 years. Maybe in 20, but I don't see it in 5. It's not that the technology won't be in place and simple to use. I just think there will still be people in 5-10 years who won't know how to download, who won't want to download, or who won't own a computer. I probably sound very old-fashioned, and I'm okay with that. I think digital downloading is pretty incredible, and I'm completely in support of adding that to the music industry. I just don't like it when technology people give off that "join the wave or you're a loser" attitude.

The afternoon ended with a really strong panel called "Blurring Genre Lines". The group was a mix of agents, managers, and artists who have experienced a lot of crossover in their careers. It was a heavy-hitting group including the Foreman brothers from Switchfoot (a crossover rock band), the senior VP from the William Morris Agency, and songwriter/music-innovator Kirk Franklin. First of all, what a great topic! And secondly, how smart of GMA to have such diversity on the panel. The information was a good mix of spiritual insights, story-telling, and just good practical advice.

After that, I left the conference, and we're back to my first paragraph. Tomorrow, I'll get a call that will either be for a reasonably priced repair, or a very expensive replacement. Praying for the first one...

GMA Week - Day 2

It's been a wickedly long day, and all I want to do is crawl into bed with the family, but I really want to get all this down. Please excuse typos and things that just don't make sense!

This morning started with a worship service for the whole conference. Ross Parsley, from Colorado Springs is not just the Senior Pastor of his church, he's also the music minister. Very impressive to see the music leader suddenly stop jamming and just start preaching. He was good, but there were so many sound issues that it just got distracting. The percussion overpowered the vocals, so you couldn't sing along. And then a very loud sound check in the next room killed almost every intimate moment in the sermon. Rough way to start the day.

After that we had a rather long break, so I wandered through the exhibit hall, filling up my free tote bag with free pens. Love free stuff!

This afternoon was awesome! We did "networking roundtables". We all sat at round dining tables in a large room, and each table had an "industry leader". This person could be an artist, booking agent, manager, radio promoter, producer, etc. We would have 20 minutes to bombard that person with every possible question we might like to ask. After 20 minutes, the industry leader would stand up and go to another table. We now had a new person to bombard with questions. My table had a publicist, a record distributor, an artist manager, an indie booking agent, and an e-newsletter developer. It was just incredible. The manager was the last one, and by that time, the other people at my table were networking amongst themselves, so I got to have her all to myself. I took tonnes of notes. This workshop also had a reception with cannoli and chocolate-covered strawberries, so this gets my vote as Best Workshop of the Week!

Right after this, we all raced down to the park across from the Country Music Hall of Fame for the Music City Walk of Fame induction ceremony. There were several people honoured, including The Crickets, Wynonna Judd, and Nashville BMI founder, Francis Preston. But I had personal interest in the other 3 honourees. Emmylou Harris is the love of my father-in-law's life (don't' worry, my mother-in-law knows). I felt I was his proxy today. Michael W. Smith was nominated, and his chosen presenter was his good buddy, Jim Caviezel (Jesus of "The Passion"!) Finally, John Hiatt. John Who? John Hiatt wrote "Have a Little Faith in Me". Gerald sang that to me constantly when we first met. It eventually become 'our song', and that was our first dance at the wedding. *sigh*

During the afternoon, I hooked up with some Write About Jesus alumni, so we all headed down to the Hard Rock Cafe for supper, and then off to the first of the evening's concerts. Hillsong United in one of the world's leaders in praise and worship music. One of the most popular praise songs ever, "Shout to the Lord", came out of their music program. Tonight, their youth band lead worship at the Ryman. I've seen them before, and for what they do, they're just fantastic. They are bringing teens and young people back to the church in droves. I can't believe I'm going to write this, but at the risk of sounding like an old lady, I just don't like loud music in worship time. I like to hear the voices of the other people singing around me. Yes, even those of you who think you can't sing. But I can never put down the incredible gift of ministry present in these young musicians. They are truly blessing so many people.

Michael W. Smith was the host of this worship time, so he came out to lead a song or 2. Then he brought out his good buddy, Jim, again! Jim Caviezel is a soft spoken and articulate man. It is clear from his demeanor why he was considered for the role of Jesus. He told some amazing (and some frightening) stories about making "The Passion of the Christ". He talked about getting the call from Mel Gibson. But most importantly, he talked about finding God while he was literally hanging on the cross. He reminded us that earthly fame is fleeting, but we have the greatest awards and rewards awaiting us in heaven.

Finally, at 9:30 tonight, we got one of the 2 shows that got me really excited. (Tuesday will be the second) The Songwriter's Showcase featured some of the top songs of the past year sung by the writers. A lot were artist co-writes, but a few were pure writer performances. The best of these was definitely my friend, Joel Lindsey, and the song I adore, "Orphans of God". I sang this song at an audition last week, so I sang it about 20 times in rehearsal last week. But tonight, it still moved me. It still gave me chills and made me want to stand up and cheer. What a great song!

The artist line-up for this show was completely impressive. One of our hosts was Mandisa (who got kicked off American Idol way before her time; what were Americans thinking?), and she sang a song off her new album. Great song, and what a set of pipes! I hadn't heard of our other host, Mark Schultz, but as soon as he started singing his song, "I Am", I recognized it from the radio. Chris Tomlin sang "Made to Worship" with his co-writers, and ended by leading us in a chorus of "How Great is Our God". Everyone sang, and people added harmonies. Awesome! Jonathan and Ginger Bond of Young Harmony sang "God's Sing God", which combined a powerful testimonies with great harmonies. There were a few bands that did acoustic versions of their songs, which was very cool. It ended with Mark Hall's "Praise You in the Storm", which I'd never heard before. (sometimes I am so out of the loop!) It's a song about giving God praise even when your life is completely falling apart. It's not just a great message, but it's a great song.

And now, tonight, I'm tired and inspired and ready for bed.

GMA Week - Day 1

GMA is the Gospel Music Association, and this is their week in Nashville!

GMA Week is a 5 day conference for people in all areas of the gospel music industry - artists, promoters, agents, radio djs, producers ... everyone. There are workshops and special events all day, and concerts by top artists each night. The whole thing ends with a bang Wednesday with the annual Dove Awards ceremony. For the uninitiated, the Doves are the Grammys of gospel music.

I'd heard lots about GMA Week, but it was never feasible to go. But now that I'm in Nashville, it just made sense to sign up. I'm hoping to get an overview of the industry here in Nashville, and to learn about the services and options available to me as an artist.

It started bright and early this morning with registration and orientation. I'm in the "Music Professional" track, and our special track for the weekend is called "Indie Impact", focusing on the needs of the independent musician.

Our opening speaker was Christian artist, Shaun Groves. Shaun lead us in a few worship songs, and reminded us that this week must be about finding fame for God and not ourselves. The rest of the day was organized with panels of 3-4 speakers with a moderator. The panel idea was good because you got many answers to each question, but there was also a bit of rambling at times.

The first panel spoke about finding an online presence through sites like myspace. I was quite surprised that none of them knew about Shoutlife. Luckily, one of the audience members brought it up during the comment time. I can't say this was my favourite panel. The presentation was quite jumbled, and it was hard to get clear information. I have a basic knowledge of operating online, but I think a newcomer would have just been lost.

Next, we had a great panel called "Place in this World", about finding your niche. Again, a bit of rambling and storytelling, but there were some great stories, and some great advice. Denver Bierman was one of the panelists, and he has a group called the Mile High Orchestra that does Christian big band. Definitely going to check them out.

This panel also featured Tammy Trent. I first saw Tammy on 100 Huntley St, about 4 and a half years ago. She was speaking about the losing her husband, Trent, through a shocking accident. As she spoke, I realized that she had lost Trent only 3 months before I lost Steve. Our grieving time-lines were the same. I wrote her that night and told her how much it meant to me to hear her testimony. At the time, I was still so mad with God, and I was so impressed to hear how Tammy had clung to God in the same moment that I had pushed Him away. I've been on her email list ever since, and write her occasionally, and it was through Tammy that I was introduced to Shoutlife, which has been nothing but a blessing! I took a minute before the session to introduce myself to her, and to thank her for sharing her story. Such a gracious lady! Tammy Trent is a masterclass on how to treat a fan.

Next was a panel on touring. At first, I thought this might be beyond me because it seemed to be dealing with bands, but it ended up being one of my favourite panels of the day. Tara Leigh is a solo artist who tours and does all her own bookings, and she had great practical information about the ins and outs of booking yourself.

We ended with "The Long Haul" featuring artists who have built careers spanning 20 years or more. I was uber-excited about this panel because it featured the wonderful Allison Durham Speer. There were obvious lessons from each panelist about being persistent, but there was also a lot of detailed practical advice too. They recommended writing out a mission statement for our ministry, so that will be a project for me.

I met some great people today from the States, Canada, Ireland, and Poland. I heard some inspiring stories of overcoming great failures. I connected with some very interesting artists, and made plans to see some great shows.

However, I must say this, too. I was warned that GMA Week will show me the best and the worst of the industry, and my greatest annoyance in the church reared it's ugly head before the day had even begun: Denominational Snobbery. I hate hearing Christians make snide remarks about denominations that are not their own. The Devil is never happier than when we're fighting amongst ourselves.

(Must stop there. I could vent for days on this topic... and it wouldn't be pretty!)

There was a showcase tonight featuring delegates, but I was really exhausted from the past week, so I decided to head in early. Tomorrow will start at 9AM and end around midnight, and I really need my beauty sleep!

CWE Showcase at Caffiene

Tonight, I was blessed to perform at this month's CWE (Christian Women of Entertainment) songwriter showcase. I got involved with this group in March, and I'm just loving it. There are monthly showcases, and next month, they're hosting a fellowship night.

Tonight's show was at Caffeine, which is a great cafe on Demonbreun. It was extra special to have Gerald play with me tonight, because we used to visit Caffeine on our honeymoon!

It's an intimate venue, and tonight, it was packed! Some people stayed the whole night; some came and went; but it was full for the whole show. I felt very lucky that I actually had people there to see me - 6 Shoutlife friends came to see the show! Yay, Shoutlife!

I started with "Infinitely More". Then Gerald joined me for "My Father's Arms". Then I booted Gerald off the stage so I could do "Sing Me a Song, Sing Me a Lullaby". I was happy with all the performances.

We met some great people tonight, heard some good music, and got some really wonderful feedback on the songs. But I must get some sleep tonight - GMA Week starts bright and early tomorrow morning!

A Round of Pizza

Tonight marked a milestone for us - Gerald and I performed our first round together!

I think I've explained this before, but a "round" is a performance style unique to Nashville. You get 3-4 songwriters on stage at a time, sitting in a row, each with their own stool and mic. The first sings one song, the second sings one song, and so on down the row. At the end of the row, you go back to the first songwriter and go "round" again. You go round and round til everyone has done 3-4 songs. The number of songs generally equals the number of performers, but not always.

Last night's show was at Pizzereal. Yes, we performed in a pizzeria, and yes, we were actually paid in pizza. (Welcome to Nashville!) It's actually a gorgeous little place, built on the first floor of an old house in East Nashville. This was a monthly songwriter night organized by songwriter, Donna Long, who we met at Doak's party. (Who haven't we met at Doak's?)

Gerald did some of my favourites: "I'm a Real Big Fan" and "Never Learn", and we finished together with "All Her Flowers". I did "The Wedding at Cana" and Gerald accompanied me on "My Father's Arms". I also debuted a new song, "Sing Me a Song, Sing Me a Lullaby". I sang it acapella, but I think it might be nice with a light djembe under it. I was completely nervous to do something new. Unfortunately, the audience was loud when I started it, but by the end, I had their complete attention. Gerald had never heard it before, and it got good reviews from him, so that's always very satisfying.

One of the great things about rounds is that people tend to jump in and add to each other's songs with vocal harmonies or guitar leads. Obviously, I'm not going to add guitar to any one's song, but my ability to improvise harmonies is getting better by the day. In our round, we were joined by Diana Gibson-Kelly, and I felt myself humming along on her songs (beautiful melodies!), but I wasn't sure if I should sing it into the mic. I think I'm still getting used to the etiquette. She told me after that she could hear me and loved what I was doing, and that she wished I'd done it into the mic. Next time...

For now, I'm happy with another performance done, and my first round with my hubby!

The Isaacs in concert!

We are hosting our first Canadian house guests here in Nashville - my in-laws are here for a visit. But I'm very aware that we are not the only attraction here in Tennessee, for tonight, we all headed off to a very special treat - The Isaacs!

We first heard the Isaacs in the Gaither concerts, and it's always one of the highlights for us. But tonight, we got to see them in an intimate, full-length concert, and it was great.

The family has a wonderful stage presence, with lots of joking and loving, and I think a lot of that is lost in the large auditoriums. Tonight's concert was at College Heights Baptist Church in Gallatin (just outside Nashville). They had a great venue with an enthusiastic audience, and that combination led to a great show.

They have just put out a new album, so the show was a mix of classic and new material. In this intimate setting, even the old songs seemed to take on new meaning. I've heard "Yours and Mine" many times, and I always love it, but tonight I could really see the intimacy of the mother singing to her daughters, and it was just beautiful. Of course, since moving to Nashville, this song just makes me homesick...

Because it was Nashville, the audience was full of musicians, so they started pulling people up. I couldn't catch all the names, but at one point, there were 10 people on stage performing an impromptu arrangement of "In the Garden". The Florida Boys' Gene MacDonald was pulled up to sing bass, and I just love his voice! The whole song was terrific, and it received the only single song standing ovation of the night.

The whole show was awesome, and, as all great shows should be, it was inspiring. Gerald and I left hungry to play, write, and sing. And that's all we ever ask from a show.

Nashville Symphony Hymn Sing!

We're back in Nashville! We did the whole drive yesterday. I have to admit: We had rain for the first few hours of the trip, and I was very nervous because of it. But deep breaths and constant prayer kept me calm, and we arrived home safely and in good spirits late last night.

And we had to arrive home quickly because I had a 12th row centre ticket tonight to the Nashville Symphony Hymn Sing!

Let's just start by getting it out in the open: AMAZING!!!

The event was held at the brand new Schermerhorn Symphony Center's Laura Turner Concert Hall, which is nothing short of spectacular. It's very ornate and built in the style of an old European recital hall, with gorgeous white and grey details, a fabulous pipe organ, and long galleries on all sides.

I saw this concert advertised weeks ago, and it immediately appealed to me for many reasons. First off, we all know how I feel about hymns. Second, it was a hymn sing lead by a huge orchestra and choir. (The Nashville Choir is similar to Toronto's Mendelssohn Choir.) And third, it had a killer line-up of soloists, including my favourite: David Phelps.

And this is where the only disappointment of the evening occurred.

There was no David Phelps! They weren't really honest in their advertising (in my humble opinion), because David was only singing in the Sunday show. I was at the Friday and, therefore, Davidless show. Not impressed.

But I was able to recover quickly because the show was brilliant from the first note.

It opened with the choir singing the Doxology, acapella, from all different parts of the galleries. Gorgeous acoustics and stunning harmonies. Hearing this choir brought back so many great memories of my time with the Toronto Mendelssohn Youth Choir!

The choir then moved to the choir loft, and the hymn sing proper began. Everyone was given a beautiful hymn booklet when we went in, so when the choir arrived up front, we all joined in the singing of the Doxology again. The conductor encouraged us to sing, but the audience needed no encouragement. Voices soared all around me, and I could even hear an audience member singing the occasional harmony line.

Gerald and I have a test for great songs: they can bend, but they won't break. The great hymns fit this category. Tonight's program ranged from gospel classics to the lovely Irish and British hymn tunes. They were sung acapella, with solo piano, or with full majestic orchestra. Each song bent to fit into it's chosen interpretation, but none fell under the weight of diverse rhythm and harmony.

Our first guest soloist was Steven Curtis Chapman. I know I'm so behind on this, but I am only a recent fan of Steven's. He accompanied his own solo of "Fairest Lord Jesus", and then acted as emcee to introduce the other guests and lead in the audience singing. His humility and warmth were perfect for the occasion.

I was incredibly excited about the next soloist: CeCe Winans! How can you not love that voice? CeCe is so well-suited to sing with an orchestra - so much poise and a voice that was never overwhelmed by a stage full of musicians and a 100 voice choir.

Next, we were treated to the Fisk Jubilee Singers, and I mean treated! They sang 2 spirituals, acapella, and they were just incredible. Clear tones, perfect blend, and sopranos that make you sit up in your seat. And here's the wild part - Their conductor walked out with them, but he stood behind them the whole time. A chord would play on the piano, but he wouldn't give so much as a downbeat. Without a physical act that I could see, the choir was completely self-directed. I was just in awe! I've sung in lots of choirs, and seen lots of choirs, and I've never seen a choir do this. I kept thinking, "Maybe he's poking them in the back to tell them when to start?" Okay, pretty sure that's not true, but you've got to wonder...

Next came the song that, Sunday, will be the David solo, "What Wondrous Love is This". Tonight it was performed by CCM artist Steve Green. And I don't mind admitting, I was completely impressed. He had incredible poise, stunning tenor notes, and a heartfelt performance.

Our final soloist also gave cause for excitement: Alison Krauss! Who's not a fan of Alison's? I have to admit, I don't think she was entirely comfortable singing in front of the orchestra. She had her lyrics with her and never seemed to get physically comfortable. But that voice! Her song was "Be Thou My Vision", and I can't think of a more perfect marriage of voice and melody.

But even with all those artists and all those musicians on stage, the best part was still the hymns and the corporate singing. Thousands of people, all singing the great songs of the church. When we reached the 3rd verse of "Amazing Grace", I had to catch my breath. "Through many dangers, toils, and snares, I have already come." I flashed back to last week, sitting in our car on the side of the road, and realizing Gerald, Sebastian, and I were all completely unharmed. God has been so good to us, so I sang extra loud on "Great is Thy Faithfulness".

I don't think I can even properly express how wonderful it was tonight. From the theatre to the songs to the choir to the soloists, it was all just overwhelming in its power and beauty. Where else but Nashville could tonight have happened?

NSAI Toronto meets an Alien

Tonight was a very cool experience: I was a guest speaker!

One of the hardest parts of getting my American work visa was just getting the correct information on the process. When I got my visa in January, I offered to speak about my experience to the NSAI group in Toronto. Tonight was my night...

I knew there was some interest in the topic, and we packed the meeting room with over 30 people, which is great for this group. I was also joined by Erica L. James, my immigration lawyer.

It was great to do the presentation together because Erica could provide proper legal info, and I could talk about the human experience, including some of the quirky parts of the process. For example, each of my letters of reference required a resume from the writer, but some of the artists didn't have resumes! So, I spent hours googling names and searching websites, building resumes for people! Crazy, but it worked.

We'd planned on speaking for an hour, but there were so many questions that we ended up speaking for over 2 hours. The feedback after was tremendous, and Gerald and I received many great words of support for following our dream.

I really just wanted to make it easier for other people. I spent the first 4 months of the process just trying to find out how to get the visa. If I can save someone that time, I think that's a great thing. After all, what's the point of having "extraordinary ability" if you can't spread it around?

Jesus, take the wheel!

We arrived in Canada last night, but I was too tired to touch the computer til today. For those who prayed for our safe journey - Thank you! I'm writing today to tell you that your prayers worked.

The drive from Nashville to Toronto is approximately 13 hours of driving time. We have done the trip in one day twice now, so we figured we would do it again on Wednesday.

The day started perfectly - clear sky, but not too sunny; cool weather requiring neither heat nor air conditioning; good moods and lots of car snacks. What else could we need?

In northern Ohio, we hit a small patch of snow. We considered stopping for the night, but we drove through it quickly and decided to press on. After all, I have all-weather tires on my car and I took all my driving lessons in thick, Newfoundland snow. I have no fear of weather.

The border crossing was very quick, and we were now facing the final 3 hours of the trip. The weather was clear, our moods were great, and the chocolate-covered espresso beans were keeping us bright and alert.

We hit London around 11pm, and that's when the snow returned. First a few flakes, then almost total white. I slowly brought the car to a slower speed, but we were hit with a driver's nightmare: sudden road freezes. The pavement became an ice-slick.

Within seconds, I lost complete control of the car. Before I knew what was happening we had slid over into the left lane. I realized we were spinning backwards, and then...off the road. "Please God don't let us flip over!" Snow sprayed everywhere. Within seconds, the car stopped, and I realized we were completely off the road, looking up at it from below.

Gerald and I turned to each other. "Are you okay? How's Sebastian?" The first moment of peace came in realizing that, even though we had just spun 360 degrees and flew off the highway, we were both completely unharmed.

Now what?

We were shaken. I tried to drive out of our spot, but a quick inspection by Gerald determined that we were completely stuck in a muddy field. A car stopped by and offered to call 911. Thank you. Within half an hour, the police arrived.

The weather was too rough for towing, so we had to leave the car in the field and hope it would be clear enough in the morning. The police called around to find a hotel that would take dogs. We threw our suitcases and guitars into the cruiser and slowly, very slowly, drove to the hotel.

On the short drive to the hotel, we saw 3 more cars off the road.

The hotel gave us a special rate. Sebastian loved staying in the hotel (2 beds!). By morning, the weather had calmed, so we had a tow truck help us out.

The car was half sunk in the mud, which had also frozen. It pulled out okay, but the tires were caked with mud, hay, and the odd piece of garbage. It felt a little stiff to drive, but when it hit 60 K, it would just start to shake.

We went to a Canadian Tire (so happy to be in Canada in that moment!). The guys spent 2 hours removing over a garbage can's worth of mud and ice from my tires and axles. They thought I had done some serious damage to the car, but once it was clean, it ran just as perfectly as ever.

We got in the car, took a deep breath, said a quick prayer, and drove to Mom and Dad's place.

Today, I am exhausted.

Last night, I saw a short TV clip of a car spinning out of control on a highway. My stomach tightened.

When I think of the 'what ifs', I just have to stop myself. I don't even want to open my imagination to the possibilities.

Our car lost complete control, and yet I, Gerald, Sebastian, and the car were completely and utterly unharmed. We always say 'nothing matters but my family', but I can honestly tell you that, for me, that statement will forever have a deeper meaning. We could have lost the car, the clothes, even the guitars, but my family was safe, and nothing else mattered. We have been so richly blessed!

"His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He's watching me".

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!