So, today, we can officially use my new unofficial tourism slogan for Nashville:
NASHVILLE - It's like Newfoundland... but Hot!
Today, it's a whopping 21C! I have no idea what that is in Fahrenheit, but it feels awesome! We had breakfast on the front steps, and our jackets are still in the car.
I'm writing this from a cafe in Hillsboro Village (the cool Annex-like area). We still have no internet or phone, so it's a little hard to feel connected right now. We've decided to hold off on internet til the New Year, to keep our bills low while we're away. We'll be visiting cafes and the library to keep in touch there. And after we leave the comfort of this cafe, we'll start our hunt for a phone number.
The last few days have been relaxing and fun. We tried to see a show at the Blue Bird, but it was sold out, so we went to see a movie instead. The Queen. Brilliant on all sides of script, acting, and visuals. We've been meeting and making friends, so socializing is getting fun.
We've also become daily Walfart shoppers. It's a 24-hour Walfart, so 2 nights ago, we went shopping at 2 in the morning. You'd be surprised how many people were in there. Nashville is sort of an early town. Because people don't tend to have the standard Toronto 60-minute commute, things start early here. It's not uncommon for a concert to start at 6pm. We thought it would be tough to find anything that was open 24-hours, but the Walfart and the Walgreens are our friends. No IKEA though, so I'm a little confused about where to get curtains and tea-lights.
Yesterday was Thanksgiving here. Felt no great need to celebrate it, seeing as how we just had Thanksgiving a month ago. We slept in, worked out in our new workout centre, walked around the neighbourhood, and found the one restaurant that was open yesterday for supper. Very nice day of enjoying our house and exploring our 'hood.
Today, we're back to work. Our big goal is getting a phone, and trying to have one Walfart-free day (don't think we'll make it!).
Oh, and as we sit here, we are bombarded with Christmas music. Americans truly believe Christmas starts with Thanksgiving. Don't they know the no-Christmas-til-after-Allison's-birthday rule?
Off to explore our new city!
Friday, November 24, 2006
Tuesday, November 21, 2006
Home!
We're home!!!! We're in our new home!!!
First off, let's just state the obvious - We love it! It's a gorgeous 2-story townhouse in West Nashville. We're in a gated community (read: safe and private!) with a pool and a 24-hour fitness centre. It's a small community, with kids and a playground. We're in an end unit, which not only means it's quiet, but also means windows and grass on 3 sides of the house.
The house is 1350 square feet - that' s bigger than our place in Toronto! The main floor has a living room, kitchen, dining room and 1/2 bath. Upstairs has 2 huge bedrooms (one of which will become the music room) and a huge 2-sinked bathroom. It's full of closets and is impeccably clean. There's a dishwasher, a washer-dryer hook-up and ... wait for it... a wood-burning fireplace!
Outside, there's a small patio in the back, and we can plant flowers in the front and back in the spring. We are surrounded by trees and sunshine. Okay, the sunshine isn't guaranteed, but it's nice right now!
We haven't met our neighbours yet, but the staff is awesome. They all live on site, and one lady is going to lend us a bed and a sofa til we get set up. Southern hospitality!
We took a visit to Walmart tonight, where we literally packed up 2 carts with towels, sheets, dishes and brown sugar (for the espressos. We didn't bring towels, but we did bring our espresso maker!) The poor girl at the check out was a little stumped. She asked if we were newlyweds. Well, we sort of are...
We don't have the bed yet, so tonight will probably be camping out. But we don't care. We're just so thrilled to be here.
Tonight, we met up with a Canadian friend of Gerald's named John. He's a singer-songwriter who's been here for years. The three of us hopped off to F.Scott's to hear my friend, Teri Reid, sing. F.Scott's is very upscale restaurant with killer desserts that offers live jazz. Not very "Nashville", but very cool and fun.
I met Teri at Stamps-Baxter this summer. I had only heard her sing southern gospel then, so this was a real treat. She had a great quartet, with herself on vocals and keyboards, joined by sax, electric bass, and drums. Awesome sound in a great atmosphere.
We're exhausted and excited and just so happy tonight. I have to admit though, now that we have a place, I'm a little homesick for Sebastian! But we have just a few more weeks to get settled and make a few friends, and then we're back in Toronto for the big turn-around. The time is going to fly!
First off, let's just state the obvious - We love it! It's a gorgeous 2-story townhouse in West Nashville. We're in a gated community (read: safe and private!) with a pool and a 24-hour fitness centre. It's a small community, with kids and a playground. We're in an end unit, which not only means it's quiet, but also means windows and grass on 3 sides of the house.
The house is 1350 square feet - that' s bigger than our place in Toronto! The main floor has a living room, kitchen, dining room and 1/2 bath. Upstairs has 2 huge bedrooms (one of which will become the music room) and a huge 2-sinked bathroom. It's full of closets and is impeccably clean. There's a dishwasher, a washer-dryer hook-up and ... wait for it... a wood-burning fireplace!
Outside, there's a small patio in the back, and we can plant flowers in the front and back in the spring. We are surrounded by trees and sunshine. Okay, the sunshine isn't guaranteed, but it's nice right now!
We haven't met our neighbours yet, but the staff is awesome. They all live on site, and one lady is going to lend us a bed and a sofa til we get set up. Southern hospitality!
We took a visit to Walmart tonight, where we literally packed up 2 carts with towels, sheets, dishes and brown sugar (for the espressos. We didn't bring towels, but we did bring our espresso maker!) The poor girl at the check out was a little stumped. She asked if we were newlyweds. Well, we sort of are...
We don't have the bed yet, so tonight will probably be camping out. But we don't care. We're just so thrilled to be here.
Tonight, we met up with a Canadian friend of Gerald's named John. He's a singer-songwriter who's been here for years. The three of us hopped off to F.Scott's to hear my friend, Teri Reid, sing. F.Scott's is very upscale restaurant with killer desserts that offers live jazz. Not very "Nashville", but very cool and fun.
I met Teri at Stamps-Baxter this summer. I had only heard her sing southern gospel then, so this was a real treat. She had a great quartet, with herself on vocals and keyboards, joined by sax, electric bass, and drums. Awesome sound in a great atmosphere.
We're exhausted and excited and just so happy tonight. I have to admit though, now that we have a place, I'm a little homesick for Sebastian! But we have just a few more weeks to get settled and make a few friends, and then we're back in Toronto for the big turn-around. The time is going to fly!
Almost home...
We had great plans for today, but they were all pushed aside as we tried to secure our apartment! Word to the wise: For all you Canadians hoping to rent an apartment in the States, bring all your financial records with you! Seriously, it was easier to buy a house in Toronto than it was to rent a place here in Nashville.
We had hours of long distance phone calls, and faxing documents back and forth. There was nothing wrong with our records; it was just a matter of collecting all the stuff they required. Finally, at 4:55pm, we got the call that we had been approved!
We celebrated with dinner in a great Indian restaurant. We were seriously afraid that Nashville would only provide us with deep-fried chicken and barbeque (not that there's anything wrong with that!). But if you keep your eyes open, there's some great ethnic food around here.
Tomorrow, we get the electricity hooked up, and then we're good to move in! This is such a relief for us. We'll get settled in now, go home for Christmas, and when we do come back for our longer stay, our home will be here waiting for us. And now - decorating!
We had hours of long distance phone calls, and faxing documents back and forth. There was nothing wrong with our records; it was just a matter of collecting all the stuff they required. Finally, at 4:55pm, we got the call that we had been approved!
We celebrated with dinner in a great Indian restaurant. We were seriously afraid that Nashville would only provide us with deep-fried chicken and barbeque (not that there's anything wrong with that!). But if you keep your eyes open, there's some great ethnic food around here.
Tomorrow, we get the electricity hooked up, and then we're good to move in! This is such a relief for us. We'll get settled in now, go home for Christmas, and when we do come back for our longer stay, our home will be here waiting for us. And now - decorating!
Monday, November 20, 2006
Songwriter Sunday
This morning, I decided I would visit Christ Church Cathedral. This is the Episcopalian church I visited this summer, in my post-Stamps-Baxter days.
As I walked up to the front door of the church, I started to get very nervous. I couldn't really figure out why. I'm very comfortable in all kinds of churches, and I always love visiting a new church. And then, it dawned on me: I wasn't simply visiting this church. I was starting my search for a new home church.
Ugh! Everything dropped right into the pit of my stomach. I've never in my life had to search for a new home church. I've just always attended Dad's church. And now, in a new city, in a new country, I have to find a new church. One where Dad is not the priest, and nobody knows me from Adam. It's not even like attending a new church in Toronto where I might know one of the priests, or they at least would have heard of St. John's. It's going to be all brand new.
I'm sure, at some point, this will be a wonderful and dynamic change. But this morning, all I could think about was how many things are changing and how quickly our "normal" is going to shift. As Gerald pointed out, the last time my world changed this much, it was a completely traumatic experience. This is, obviously, very different and very positive. But I think my body relates change to tragedy, so it's probably bracing for the worst.
I found a pew in the middle of the church, and it really is a striking church. Beautiful stained glass, including 2 windows made by Tiffany himself. The choir is traditional and stunning, as the voices drift over you from the upper gallery. And the dark green paint and rich wood trim combine to make the huge sanctuary quite comfortable. It was a Communion service, with a lots of hymns and liturgical music - all very cheerful. They call their book The Book of Common Prayer, but it's almost identical to our much more contemporary Book of Alternative Services, so that felt homey to me.
The preaching was excellent (a perfect 15 minute Anglican sermon!). He spoke about the dangers of making success, materialism, and secular activities our "religion". He challenged us to look into our datebooks. Can you find something in the past week that honoured God? Can you find something in there that served someone in need? If not, challenge yourself to do both in the next week. A great exercise...
After church, I found out about their women's ministry, and picked up a newsletter. They're having a speaker for their women's group next Sunday. I think I may go. The church shopping has begun...
This afternoon, Gerald and I attended our first official songwriter's event since arriving last Sunday. Doak Turner is a songwriter, who has started a brilliant networking opportunity. Once a month, he hosts a party at his house. And at first glance, it just seems like a good time - lots of food, a beautiful setting, and 50 people in the mood for a good time. But this is clearly a party where the song wins out over the food. (Don't mistake me: The food was awesome!)
Everyone gathers about 3:00pm, and grabs something to eat. After the paper plates are tossed, and the grease from the fried chicken is wiped off the fingers, then the real party begins. Everyone pulls out their guitars and finds a room in the house, and just starts playing songs. I mean, every room in the house! With the exception of the bathroom and the kitchen, every room is just full of people playing their songs for each other. There is a keyboard in each room for the keyboard players, and one room is assigned to hold guitar cases.
Each room becomes a "round". A round is a common Nashville phrase where the songwriting conch is passed around. I play a song, the person next to me plays a song, and so on around the circle til it's my turn again. It's a very popular format for songwriting concerts. At first, I was completely intimidated. I mean, I write a few songs, but I know I'm a singer first. I don't have a huge rep of songs that I can just pull out and play and sing at any time. So, at first, I just sat back and listened as Gerald joined in the round. (Totally Gerald's element!)
But after a while, I got the itch, and I did the few songs I could do by myself. I was completely nervous, but so happy I did it. When I did "I Call Out Your Name", an impromptu choir formed and we had full harmonies on the chorus. What a blessing!
We met lots of great people, including a lot of folks who moved here from all over the country to chase their dreams. All week, I have been frustrated that it has taken us a whole week to get out to a songwriting event, but I met a lot of people who've been here for months and they're just getting out now. Guess it's all relative.
We hear about the apartment tomorrow. Fingers crossed. Prayers raised...
As I walked up to the front door of the church, I started to get very nervous. I couldn't really figure out why. I'm very comfortable in all kinds of churches, and I always love visiting a new church. And then, it dawned on me: I wasn't simply visiting this church. I was starting my search for a new home church.
Ugh! Everything dropped right into the pit of my stomach. I've never in my life had to search for a new home church. I've just always attended Dad's church. And now, in a new city, in a new country, I have to find a new church. One where Dad is not the priest, and nobody knows me from Adam. It's not even like attending a new church in Toronto where I might know one of the priests, or they at least would have heard of St. John's. It's going to be all brand new.
I'm sure, at some point, this will be a wonderful and dynamic change. But this morning, all I could think about was how many things are changing and how quickly our "normal" is going to shift. As Gerald pointed out, the last time my world changed this much, it was a completely traumatic experience. This is, obviously, very different and very positive. But I think my body relates change to tragedy, so it's probably bracing for the worst.
I found a pew in the middle of the church, and it really is a striking church. Beautiful stained glass, including 2 windows made by Tiffany himself. The choir is traditional and stunning, as the voices drift over you from the upper gallery. And the dark green paint and rich wood trim combine to make the huge sanctuary quite comfortable. It was a Communion service, with a lots of hymns and liturgical music - all very cheerful. They call their book The Book of Common Prayer, but it's almost identical to our much more contemporary Book of Alternative Services, so that felt homey to me.
The preaching was excellent (a perfect 15 minute Anglican sermon!). He spoke about the dangers of making success, materialism, and secular activities our "religion". He challenged us to look into our datebooks. Can you find something in the past week that honoured God? Can you find something in there that served someone in need? If not, challenge yourself to do both in the next week. A great exercise...
After church, I found out about their women's ministry, and picked up a newsletter. They're having a speaker for their women's group next Sunday. I think I may go. The church shopping has begun...
This afternoon, Gerald and I attended our first official songwriter's event since arriving last Sunday. Doak Turner is a songwriter, who has started a brilliant networking opportunity. Once a month, he hosts a party at his house. And at first glance, it just seems like a good time - lots of food, a beautiful setting, and 50 people in the mood for a good time. But this is clearly a party where the song wins out over the food. (Don't mistake me: The food was awesome!)
Everyone gathers about 3:00pm, and grabs something to eat. After the paper plates are tossed, and the grease from the fried chicken is wiped off the fingers, then the real party begins. Everyone pulls out their guitars and finds a room in the house, and just starts playing songs. I mean, every room in the house! With the exception of the bathroom and the kitchen, every room is just full of people playing their songs for each other. There is a keyboard in each room for the keyboard players, and one room is assigned to hold guitar cases.
Each room becomes a "round". A round is a common Nashville phrase where the songwriting conch is passed around. I play a song, the person next to me plays a song, and so on around the circle til it's my turn again. It's a very popular format for songwriting concerts. At first, I was completely intimidated. I mean, I write a few songs, but I know I'm a singer first. I don't have a huge rep of songs that I can just pull out and play and sing at any time. So, at first, I just sat back and listened as Gerald joined in the round. (Totally Gerald's element!)
But after a while, I got the itch, and I did the few songs I could do by myself. I was completely nervous, but so happy I did it. When I did "I Call Out Your Name", an impromptu choir formed and we had full harmonies on the chorus. What a blessing!
We met lots of great people, including a lot of folks who moved here from all over the country to chase their dreams. All week, I have been frustrated that it has taken us a whole week to get out to a songwriting event, but I met a lot of people who've been here for months and they're just getting out now. Guess it's all relative.
We hear about the apartment tomorrow. Fingers crossed. Prayers raised...
Sunday, November 19, 2006
A day to relax...
Today was our first day to really relax. Now that's we've found a place, we figured we would chill out and just have some fun. We got in the car and just started to drive, and by a stroke of luck, we found ourselves in Hillsboro Village.
This area is sort of like the Annex in Toronto. Lots of great little shops, restaurants, and cafes. There's a rep cinema, and an intimate guitar store, that we actually visited on the honeymoon. This part of town also features Jackson's, home of the infamous deep-fried twinkies, which I tried last summer. We also found a fantastic used book store, and now that we have an apartment, we clearly need some new books to fill it!
It was a gorgeous day (finally!) so we just tried to spend lots of time soaking up some southern sunshine.
Our plan was to see a show tonight, but we've received an invitation to a songwriter's party tomorrow. This is a monthly event where songwriters gather to share food and music. We don't really know what to expect, but we have friends who've attended, and they say it's just awesome. So, we've decided to stay low tonight and brush up on our songs for tomorrow. It's been so crazy this week with just getting around and trying to get set up that the guitars haven't had much breathing time. But tomorrow, bring on the music!
This area is sort of like the Annex in Toronto. Lots of great little shops, restaurants, and cafes. There's a rep cinema, and an intimate guitar store, that we actually visited on the honeymoon. This part of town also features Jackson's, home of the infamous deep-fried twinkies, which I tried last summer. We also found a fantastic used book store, and now that we have an apartment, we clearly need some new books to fill it!
It was a gorgeous day (finally!) so we just tried to spend lots of time soaking up some southern sunshine.
Our plan was to see a show tonight, but we've received an invitation to a songwriter's party tomorrow. This is a monthly event where songwriters gather to share food and music. We don't really know what to expect, but we have friends who've attended, and they say it's just awesome. So, we've decided to stay low tonight and brush up on our songs for tomorrow. It's been so crazy this week with just getting around and trying to get set up that the guitars haven't had much breathing time. But tomorrow, bring on the music!
Saturday, November 18, 2006
Apartment found!
We have fallen in love with a place! It's a gorgeous townhouse in an apartment community in the west part of Nashville - an area called, appropriately enough, West Nashville.
We have our application in, but because it was late Friday when it all came together, we won't get an answer til Monday. Fingers crossed and prayers raised!
We drove around the neighbourhood and there's lots of great stuff. Very convenient area - only 10 minutes from Music Row, and near a Baskin-Robbins and a Costco! That's just good livin'.
Actually, after we filled out the application, we looked around for restaurant for dinner. We took a wrong turn, and when we drove into a plaza to turn the car around, we found a Vietnamese restaurant! It was small and hidden, but completely authentic! It was so good - total comfort food!
I started to write a song tonight. It's about the Beatitudes. Part way through the process, I realized that, with some tweaking, it could be a good hymn. So I tightened the structure to fit it into the structure of a hymn. It's 3 verses, in a meter called CMD. (Don't worry if you don't know what this means. I don't really understand it very well either, but you know how some hymns can be sung to different tunes? Well, writing a hymn to a certain meter means that you know what tunes will fit your words.) At this point, I think it's good, but I'll have to look at it again tomorrow to be sure. Funny how things can look different in the light of day.
Not much else to write about tonight. We're just exhausted, and so happy to have found a place. We said we wanted to have a place found by the end of the week, and now that we've accomplished that, we can relax and have some fun this weekend. We'll probably go see a show, check out a church, and get in touch with friends. Whoo-hoo!
We have our application in, but because it was late Friday when it all came together, we won't get an answer til Monday. Fingers crossed and prayers raised!
We drove around the neighbourhood and there's lots of great stuff. Very convenient area - only 10 minutes from Music Row, and near a Baskin-Robbins and a Costco! That's just good livin'.
Actually, after we filled out the application, we looked around for restaurant for dinner. We took a wrong turn, and when we drove into a plaza to turn the car around, we found a Vietnamese restaurant! It was small and hidden, but completely authentic! It was so good - total comfort food!
I started to write a song tonight. It's about the Beatitudes. Part way through the process, I realized that, with some tweaking, it could be a good hymn. So I tightened the structure to fit it into the structure of a hymn. It's 3 verses, in a meter called CMD. (Don't worry if you don't know what this means. I don't really understand it very well either, but you know how some hymns can be sung to different tunes? Well, writing a hymn to a certain meter means that you know what tunes will fit your words.) At this point, I think it's good, but I'll have to look at it again tomorrow to be sure. Funny how things can look different in the light of day.
Not much else to write about tonight. We're just exhausted, and so happy to have found a place. We said we wanted to have a place found by the end of the week, and now that we've accomplished that, we can relax and have some fun this weekend. We'll probably go see a show, check out a church, and get in touch with friends. Whoo-hoo!
Friday, November 17, 2006
Hunting for a home...
Today was all about apartments. We got up early and started with our viewings. We had five apartments lined up, all in the west end of town. It's a gorgeous area called Bellevue, and it's about 10 minutes from Music Row. (Music Row is the part of town with all the publishers, studios and music makers. NSAI has its office and meetings there, so we know we'll be in there several times a week.)
Bellevue is hilly and intimate. The fall colour is just hanging on, and you can tell we just missed a stunning show. Today was, yet again, rainy and grey, but the whole area was still beautiful. The area is fairly quiet, but still has lots of shops and stuff.
Of the five places, only one was really ugly. The rest were all pretty good. They all have dishwashers (whoo-hoo!) and almost all had their own washer-dryer in the apartment (big whoo-hoo!). None of the places were simple apartment buildings - they were all apartment communities. With small differences among them, they all had a pool, a fitness centre, and a club house that hosts community events. They all had lovely landscaping and green spaces for Sebastian.
There's one place that's particularly caught our eye. It's mid-range rent, and definitely the smallest place, but it's completely charming: hardwood floors, private balcony, and a wood-burning fireplace. We'll probably see a few more tomorrow, but this is the one to beat.
Not much else going on with us right now other than apartment hunting. We are anxious to get started on making some music, but we really want to get settled in first. We both believe a good home environment is critical to the artistic process, so this is a huge job for us. We're hoping to have a place by the weekend. Then, let the decorating and music-making begin!
Bellevue is hilly and intimate. The fall colour is just hanging on, and you can tell we just missed a stunning show. Today was, yet again, rainy and grey, but the whole area was still beautiful. The area is fairly quiet, but still has lots of shops and stuff.
Of the five places, only one was really ugly. The rest were all pretty good. They all have dishwashers (whoo-hoo!) and almost all had their own washer-dryer in the apartment (big whoo-hoo!). None of the places were simple apartment buildings - they were all apartment communities. With small differences among them, they all had a pool, a fitness centre, and a club house that hosts community events. They all had lovely landscaping and green spaces for Sebastian.
There's one place that's particularly caught our eye. It's mid-range rent, and definitely the smallest place, but it's completely charming: hardwood floors, private balcony, and a wood-burning fireplace. We'll probably see a few more tomorrow, but this is the one to beat.
Not much else going on with us right now other than apartment hunting. We are anxious to get started on making some music, but we really want to get settled in first. We both believe a good home environment is critical to the artistic process, so this is a huge job for us. We're hoping to have a place by the weekend. Then, let the decorating and music-making begin!
Thursday, November 16, 2006
Getting stuff done...
Most of today was all about prepping for tomorrow. We've spent hours figuring out what we want in an apartment. After all, we haven't rented for years, and lots of things are different here. For example, most places have a "pet fee", which is a non-refundable deposit of several hundred dollars, plus $10-20 added to each month's rent. Clearly, we will have to find a place that's pet friendly. Some places have breed restrictions, but no one is very worried about a poofy pomchi!
So today, we short-listed apartments, and I've set up 5 viewings for tomorrow. All have pools and fitness centres. And 2 bathrooms - a necessity for the survival of our marriage!
After a very late lunch, we headed over to Gruhn's Guitars - Gerald's favourite place in Nashville. It's very specialized and high-end, kind of like 12th Fret in Toronto. We spent hoooours in there! I found a really tiny little Martin that I just love. It's small and sturdy, even smaller than a parlour size. It would be good for teaching, but the real draw would be traveling. Throw it in a soft case and you can take it on an airplane. After my airplane tragedy this summer, that's a pretty sweet option.
Gerald has fallen in love with Taylor's T5 - a unique guitar that can be played as an acoustic, and then, with the flick of a switch, it becomes an electric guitar. I played it too, and we tried a nice echo-effect on "Jesus Loves Me". Just haunting. It even makes me sound like a great player! Santa, if you're listening...
Tomorrow's going to be long and late, so tonight is going to be quiet and early.
So today, we short-listed apartments, and I've set up 5 viewings for tomorrow. All have pools and fitness centres. And 2 bathrooms - a necessity for the survival of our marriage!
After a very late lunch, we headed over to Gruhn's Guitars - Gerald's favourite place in Nashville. It's very specialized and high-end, kind of like 12th Fret in Toronto. We spent hoooours in there! I found a really tiny little Martin that I just love. It's small and sturdy, even smaller than a parlour size. It would be good for teaching, but the real draw would be traveling. Throw it in a soft case and you can take it on an airplane. After my airplane tragedy this summer, that's a pretty sweet option.
Gerald has fallen in love with Taylor's T5 - a unique guitar that can be played as an acoustic, and then, with the flick of a switch, it becomes an electric guitar. I played it too, and we tried a nice echo-effect on "Jesus Loves Me". Just haunting. It even makes me sound like a great player! Santa, if you're listening...
Tomorrow's going to be long and late, so tonight is going to be quiet and early.
Wednesday, November 15, 2006
5 Stays in 5 Days...
So, we're now staying in our fifth place in 5 days. You'd think we were on tour!
A friend of our's is out of town, and has offered us use of his house for the week. Talk about Southern hospitality! We really didn't want to move again, but it was an offer we couldn't refuse. So most of today was another time of packing the car, driving around, unpacking the car, finding out how to set ourselves up again in a new space... Sounds petty, I know, but it just takes up so much time and energy. Gerald has become brilliant at packing all our stuff into my little Corolla.
This afternoon was all about regrouping and figuring out how to approach the rest of the week. We gathered info on apartments and have made a shortlist of areas and places. We are determined to get a place with a pool! (Can't really blame us, can you?)
We found a Tower Records that's going out of business, so we went in and helped relieve them of some excess gospel inventory. (all 40% off! yay!) We then had over-priced lattes and tried to figure out a good map of Nashville to buy. So far, no real luck...
So let me say this observation: Toronto is huge, but sooo easy to drive! I will never take the grid for granted again! Nashville is twisty, like St. John's, but it also has this lovely habit of changing street names. Like one minute you're on West End, and then it suddenly becomes something else, and 5 miles later it's something else! And don't even talk to me about miles. No one says, "Drive 5 minutes" or "Drive 2 blocks". They all say, "Drive 5 miles". How am I supposed to know what 5 miles is? I'm a metric baby! Also the speed limits are higher here. Lots of residential streets are 60km/hr. Not really complaining about that, but it's taking some getting used to. Actually, it will probably take some real getting used to when I get back in TO. Don't really want any speeding tickets for Christmas!
We took a visit to a guitar shop today. It was pretty small, and didn't have a lot of selection. But there was no one else in the shop, so we kicked out a little duet of I Have Decided to Follow Jesus. Spontaneous and fun and lovely.
Tomorrow, we're hoping to start our apartment visits. Can't wait!
A friend of our's is out of town, and has offered us use of his house for the week. Talk about Southern hospitality! We really didn't want to move again, but it was an offer we couldn't refuse. So most of today was another time of packing the car, driving around, unpacking the car, finding out how to set ourselves up again in a new space... Sounds petty, I know, but it just takes up so much time and energy. Gerald has become brilliant at packing all our stuff into my little Corolla.
This afternoon was all about regrouping and figuring out how to approach the rest of the week. We gathered info on apartments and have made a shortlist of areas and places. We are determined to get a place with a pool! (Can't really blame us, can you?)
We found a Tower Records that's going out of business, so we went in and helped relieve them of some excess gospel inventory. (all 40% off! yay!) We then had over-priced lattes and tried to figure out a good map of Nashville to buy. So far, no real luck...
So let me say this observation: Toronto is huge, but sooo easy to drive! I will never take the grid for granted again! Nashville is twisty, like St. John's, but it also has this lovely habit of changing street names. Like one minute you're on West End, and then it suddenly becomes something else, and 5 miles later it's something else! And don't even talk to me about miles. No one says, "Drive 5 minutes" or "Drive 2 blocks". They all say, "Drive 5 miles". How am I supposed to know what 5 miles is? I'm a metric baby! Also the speed limits are higher here. Lots of residential streets are 60km/hr. Not really complaining about that, but it's taking some getting used to. Actually, it will probably take some real getting used to when I get back in TO. Don't really want any speeding tickets for Christmas!
We took a visit to a guitar shop today. It was pretty small, and didn't have a lot of selection. But there was no one else in the shop, so we kicked out a little duet of I Have Decided to Follow Jesus. Spontaneous and fun and lovely.
Tomorrow, we're hoping to start our apartment visits. Can't wait!
Monday, November 13, 2006
Cleveland...Cincinnati...Nashville!
We’re here! We’re in Nashville!
But how did we get here?
We were finally able to leave the city on Friday, so we packed up the car with a month’s worth of living, and headed off to the border. We were careful not to pack things that made it look like we were moving in a permanent sense, as that move won’t happen til January.
Still, one the border guards decided to give us some trouble. We were questioned separately about our plans and intentions, and our relationship to one another. But because we’re not planning on working while we’re here, and they couldn’t find any real issue with us, we were given our passports back, and off we went.
It’s about a 12 hour drive to Nashville, but since we have the time, we decided to make it into a little road trip. Our first day’s drive brought us to Cleveland, where we stayed in an awful little hotel. Happily, it was next to an awesome little Mexican restaurant, with killer peppers, and a hot sauce so tasty you could drink it with a spoon. (Well, we could drink it that way!)
The next day was dedicated to the Mecca of Cleveland (for the non-sports fans!), the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame! Wicked good fun! It’s full of exhibits and memorabilia and completely awesome things. I was most impressed with how diverse the music was in the museum. They had lots of displays on the early influences of rock and roll, including bluegrass, country, folk, blues, jazz, and gospel. Mahalia Jackson has been inducted to the Hall of Fame as an ‘influence’. And I discovered a gospel group called the Soul Stirrers, who’s original lead singer was Sam Cooke. Bought their CD - sooo good!
Some of our favourite pieces in the exhibits:
- Elvis’s grade 7 report card.
- Michael Jackson’s glove (tacky, but doesn’t it represent so much of our childhood?)
- Madonna’s Gautier bustier (again, tacky, but...)
- Aerosmith’s microphone with all the scarves on it.
- Handwritten lyrics by Hendrix, Orbison, and the Beatles.
- And my personal favourite, a hand-written chart for Bobby Darin’s rendition of Mack the Knife!
I loved watching the range of people that were at the museum - kids who play in a band back home, and middle-aged couples having high-school flashbacks. So many different people, all in love with great music and great times.
After a quick lunch, we jumped in the car to head to Cincinnati. On the way out of town, we passed by a parking lot full of football fans getting ready for the game, and they were having a tailgate party! They all had the backs of their cars opened up, and they’d dragged speakers and barbeques and dogs and children and noise into this parking lot. So American! Could have been a scene from a movie!
It was a terrible day for driving with Grade A Newfoundland weather - rain, drizzle, and fog. But a triple espresso concoction from Starbucks keep us on the road and singing in the rain.
We hit Cincinnati in the evening, so we really didn’t get to see much of the city. We were looking for flying turkeys, and I was tempted to put up masking tape walls in the room, but other than that, it all seemed sort of plain and normal. Our hotel was really nice, with a big cushy bed and a downtown location. We were exhausted from the rough drive, so we decided to head out for dinner and relax for the rest of the night. We found a great restaurant called Shanghai Mama’s, that advertises as "an authentic 1920's noodle house". It’s dark, and moody, and very cozy. We started with their award-winning shrimp tempura, and moved on to huge bowls of noodles. Mine was orange duckling with thick noodles and a spicy sauce. Just incredible! Next time you’re in Cincinnati...
Next morning, we got up early (well, early for us!) and headed straight for Tennessee. We drove through Kentucky, where we had our first Cracker Barrel visit. Hello! While in Kentucky, Gerald treated me to a medley of every song every written with a reference to Kentucky. And even though we’re definitely in the off-season, you can tell this is gorgeous country down here.
And then, we crossed the border into Tennessee! Whoo-hoo! For our first night in Nashville, we decided to give ourselves a special treat: A night in the Opryland Hotel!
The Opryland Hotel is not like your everyday hotel. It has over 2900 rooms, many with their own personal balconies that hang into one of the many atriums of the hotel. We had a standard room (read: barely affordable) but it was still gorgeous and lush and beyond comfortable. I completely fell in love with the crimped fleece throw on the bed. If I wasn’t so chronically honest, I would have accidently slipped one into my suitcase...
I don’t even know if I can describe this hotel in any way that will do it justice. It has enough stores, restaurants, and pubs to fill a mall. You need to carry your map with you at all times if you have any hope of getting back to your room. But the most spectacular things are the atriums. They are huge and tropical and gorgeous. They are full of palm trees and fountains and cascading vines. They are full of pathways so you can walk above the trees or behind the waterfalls. One of the atriums is so big that it houses several large buildings containing restaurants and stores. This atrium also has a river where you can take a boat ride. When they built the river, they filled it with water from rivers across America and around the world. (It reminded me of baptisms at St. John’s when we use water from the River Jordan and all the provinces.)
But the best part is that it’s all decorated for Christmas! The official shows don’t start til later this week, but all the decorations are up, and it’s fantastic! There’s the stuff you expect: mini lights on every plant, a ginormous tree, and a place where you can write (actually, email) Santa. But there’s also the North Pole village that floats above the Italian restaurant. And the jack-in-the-box that appears to be jumping out of the roof of one of the atriums. And the all-white, larger-than-life-sized nativity that is built in and around the outdoor swimming pool and fountain. (Yes, I did say in!)
The whole experience was romantic and luxurious and just plain wonderful. Not something we could do everyday, but definitely a great way to start our time here in Nashville.
Today, we have checked into a regular hotel in the city. We’ll be staying here til we find an apartment, which we’re hoping will happen this week.
It’s taken so much time and so much work to get here, but now that the time has come, we couldn’t be more excited!
We’re here!!! Whoo-hoo!!!
But how did we get here?
We were finally able to leave the city on Friday, so we packed up the car with a month’s worth of living, and headed off to the border. We were careful not to pack things that made it look like we were moving in a permanent sense, as that move won’t happen til January.
Still, one the border guards decided to give us some trouble. We were questioned separately about our plans and intentions, and our relationship to one another. But because we’re not planning on working while we’re here, and they couldn’t find any real issue with us, we were given our passports back, and off we went.
It’s about a 12 hour drive to Nashville, but since we have the time, we decided to make it into a little road trip. Our first day’s drive brought us to Cleveland, where we stayed in an awful little hotel. Happily, it was next to an awesome little Mexican restaurant, with killer peppers, and a hot sauce so tasty you could drink it with a spoon. (Well, we could drink it that way!)
The next day was dedicated to the Mecca of Cleveland (for the non-sports fans!), the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame! Wicked good fun! It’s full of exhibits and memorabilia and completely awesome things. I was most impressed with how diverse the music was in the museum. They had lots of displays on the early influences of rock and roll, including bluegrass, country, folk, blues, jazz, and gospel. Mahalia Jackson has been inducted to the Hall of Fame as an ‘influence’. And I discovered a gospel group called the Soul Stirrers, who’s original lead singer was Sam Cooke. Bought their CD - sooo good!
Some of our favourite pieces in the exhibits:
- Elvis’s grade 7 report card.
- Michael Jackson’s glove (tacky, but doesn’t it represent so much of our childhood?)
- Madonna’s Gautier bustier (again, tacky, but...)
- Aerosmith’s microphone with all the scarves on it.
- Handwritten lyrics by Hendrix, Orbison, and the Beatles.
- And my personal favourite, a hand-written chart for Bobby Darin’s rendition of Mack the Knife!
I loved watching the range of people that were at the museum - kids who play in a band back home, and middle-aged couples having high-school flashbacks. So many different people, all in love with great music and great times.
After a quick lunch, we jumped in the car to head to Cincinnati. On the way out of town, we passed by a parking lot full of football fans getting ready for the game, and they were having a tailgate party! They all had the backs of their cars opened up, and they’d dragged speakers and barbeques and dogs and children and noise into this parking lot. So American! Could have been a scene from a movie!
It was a terrible day for driving with Grade A Newfoundland weather - rain, drizzle, and fog. But a triple espresso concoction from Starbucks keep us on the road and singing in the rain.
We hit Cincinnati in the evening, so we really didn’t get to see much of the city. We were looking for flying turkeys, and I was tempted to put up masking tape walls in the room, but other than that, it all seemed sort of plain and normal. Our hotel was really nice, with a big cushy bed and a downtown location. We were exhausted from the rough drive, so we decided to head out for dinner and relax for the rest of the night. We found a great restaurant called Shanghai Mama’s, that advertises as "an authentic 1920's noodle house". It’s dark, and moody, and very cozy. We started with their award-winning shrimp tempura, and moved on to huge bowls of noodles. Mine was orange duckling with thick noodles and a spicy sauce. Just incredible! Next time you’re in Cincinnati...
Next morning, we got up early (well, early for us!) and headed straight for Tennessee. We drove through Kentucky, where we had our first Cracker Barrel visit. Hello! While in Kentucky, Gerald treated me to a medley of every song every written with a reference to Kentucky. And even though we’re definitely in the off-season, you can tell this is gorgeous country down here.
And then, we crossed the border into Tennessee! Whoo-hoo! For our first night in Nashville, we decided to give ourselves a special treat: A night in the Opryland Hotel!
The Opryland Hotel is not like your everyday hotel. It has over 2900 rooms, many with their own personal balconies that hang into one of the many atriums of the hotel. We had a standard room (read: barely affordable) but it was still gorgeous and lush and beyond comfortable. I completely fell in love with the crimped fleece throw on the bed. If I wasn’t so chronically honest, I would have accidently slipped one into my suitcase...
I don’t even know if I can describe this hotel in any way that will do it justice. It has enough stores, restaurants, and pubs to fill a mall. You need to carry your map with you at all times if you have any hope of getting back to your room. But the most spectacular things are the atriums. They are huge and tropical and gorgeous. They are full of palm trees and fountains and cascading vines. They are full of pathways so you can walk above the trees or behind the waterfalls. One of the atriums is so big that it houses several large buildings containing restaurants and stores. This atrium also has a river where you can take a boat ride. When they built the river, they filled it with water from rivers across America and around the world. (It reminded me of baptisms at St. John’s when we use water from the River Jordan and all the provinces.)
But the best part is that it’s all decorated for Christmas! The official shows don’t start til later this week, but all the decorations are up, and it’s fantastic! There’s the stuff you expect: mini lights on every plant, a ginormous tree, and a place where you can write (actually, email) Santa. But there’s also the North Pole village that floats above the Italian restaurant. And the jack-in-the-box that appears to be jumping out of the roof of one of the atriums. And the all-white, larger-than-life-sized nativity that is built in and around the outdoor swimming pool and fountain. (Yes, I did say in!)
The whole experience was romantic and luxurious and just plain wonderful. Not something we could do everyday, but definitely a great way to start our time here in Nashville.
Today, we have checked into a regular hotel in the city. We’ll be staying here til we find an apartment, which we’re hoping will happen this week.
It’s taken so much time and so much work to get here, but now that the time has come, we couldn’t be more excited!
We’re here!!! Whoo-hoo!!!
Friday, November 10, 2006
We're on our way to Nashville!!!
This is it! We are all packed up and ready to drive to Nashville!
I can't even tell you all the delays we've had in getting ready for this - Delays with renovations, installations, and just plain complications. I've wanted to write here many times in the last few weeks, but it has been very long days of moving stuff and cleaning stuff and fixing stuff, and at the end of the day, all I wanted was a cuddle with the puppy and a good night's sleep.
We've decided to make a road trip of the drive down: Tonight, we're going to hit Cleveland, so tomorrow we can visit the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Saturday, we're driving to Cincinnati where we will visit one of their many great-looking museums and galleries. And then, on Sunday, it's Nashville. Makes sense to land there on a Sunday...
Monday, we'll start looking for apartments. We've narrowed down our options, thanks to the internet, and we're probably going to choose a place just outside the city. We've been living downtown for so long now, and the idea of being surrounded by trees and clean air is pretty attractive.
And now, the horrible part: We're leaving Sebastian here for this trip! It's purely practical - We don't know where we'll be living yet and we know we're going to have to spend a lot of time out getting furniture and stuff. But, omiword!!!!! It's just the hardest thing to leave him. Mom and Dad will care for him, so he couldn't be in safer or more loving hands. But he's such an important part of our lives... If you're in Nashville with a cute puppy, please be warned that I may need to grab your puppy for a brief little cuddle. (Don't worry, I'll give him back!)
So now, final things in the car... make sure we have enough gas and a few bottles of water... and we're off!
Time to make the dreams come true!
"The universe will reward you for taking risks on its behalf." Goethe
I can't even tell you all the delays we've had in getting ready for this - Delays with renovations, installations, and just plain complications. I've wanted to write here many times in the last few weeks, but it has been very long days of moving stuff and cleaning stuff and fixing stuff, and at the end of the day, all I wanted was a cuddle with the puppy and a good night's sleep.
We've decided to make a road trip of the drive down: Tonight, we're going to hit Cleveland, so tomorrow we can visit the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Saturday, we're driving to Cincinnati where we will visit one of their many great-looking museums and galleries. And then, on Sunday, it's Nashville. Makes sense to land there on a Sunday...
Monday, we'll start looking for apartments. We've narrowed down our options, thanks to the internet, and we're probably going to choose a place just outside the city. We've been living downtown for so long now, and the idea of being surrounded by trees and clean air is pretty attractive.
And now, the horrible part: We're leaving Sebastian here for this trip! It's purely practical - We don't know where we'll be living yet and we know we're going to have to spend a lot of time out getting furniture and stuff. But, omiword!!!!! It's just the hardest thing to leave him. Mom and Dad will care for him, so he couldn't be in safer or more loving hands. But he's such an important part of our lives... If you're in Nashville with a cute puppy, please be warned that I may need to grab your puppy for a brief little cuddle. (Don't worry, I'll give him back!)
So now, final things in the car... make sure we have enough gas and a few bottles of water... and we're off!
Time to make the dreams come true!
"The universe will reward you for taking risks on its behalf." Goethe
Wednesday, October 25, 2006
Nashville Bound!
I'm taking a deep breath as I start this blog, because I can't quite believe we've reached this point. Tonight, Gerald and I performed "Nashville Bound - Our Farewell Concert". We really wanted to do a night of music to celebrate what we've done here in Toronto, and to look forward to the music we're going to do in Nashville. We've been talking about it for months, and tonight was the night!
We did it at our home church, and despite the fact that it's a Tuesday night, we got a good-sized crowd out. Mom covered our front of house, and Dad did our sound. He's never done sound before, but the church's sound dude was unable to come, so Dad learned how to work the board 2 days ago, and tonight he ran all the tracks. Yay, Dad!
We were joined tonight by some awesome friends, including our beautiful Monika. Moni was supposed to do a gig tonight, but at the very last minute (literally an hour before showtime!), a sub came through and she was able to join the party. More yay!
We opened with This Little Light of Mine, with everyone singing, after which Gerald did 2 of his songs - So Far and Comin' Home. Monika and I did a duet with He Touched Me, with my friend Marque on piano. I love singing with Moni. It's as natural as breathing. Esther joined us for a few songs, including When You Believe as a duet with Monika. I did Infinitely More and Jesus Loves Me, and then Gerald and I did I Call Out your Name. I love doing the duets. You get these awesome moments of really living the song together. Gerald and I finished the first half with the duet version of All Her Flowers are Wild. I loooove singing that song!!!!!
Our second half opened with Monika and Gerald doing a very jazzy version of Summertime, including a fake-trumpet solo by Gerald. (I don't know what else to call it - You know, it's when he puts his hand over his mouth and it sounds like a trumpet!) Next, we did It Is Well. Esther and I have both recorded that song, and between us all we've sung it a million times, but tonight, it just rocked (if that's an appropriate term for a hymn?) Marque accompanied us. I opened with a solo verse, and Esther joined with harmonies on the chorus. Then we did verse 2 in harmony, but after that chorus, we shot it up into a higher key. Halfway through the verse, I lifted up the melody a la David Phelps, and Moni came in with a third harmony line underneath Esther. For the final chorus and ending, we just opened up the harmonies and sang out. It feel amazing, and the audience reaction was powerful!
Then we invited up our friend, Michelle, who took the lead on Praise You, and Esther and I sang harmonies. Love that girl trio sound! More solos filled the middle part of the half, and then another girl trio on Mosie Lister's Down On My Knees.
Then Gerald and I did a first: We did a guitar duo! I wanted to do I Have Decided to Follow Jesus, so I asked Gerald if he'd solo a little over my basic rhythm guitar pattern. We both sang on it, trading the verses, and Gerald took one verse for a guitar solo. It felt so cool to actually be playing together! I've never done anything like that before! We shared a mic, and it all felt very Opry...
We ended the show with our very Celtic version of Lord of the Dance, with me on guitar and lead vocals, Gerald on djembe, and everyone else singing along on the chorus. It was just so much fun, and in the end, we were blessed with a standing ovation! Such an honour! The audience reaction was just so wonderful and generous. We have so much support from this group of people.
Tomorrow, we need to go back to clearing out the house and finding someone to tile our kitchen (Yes, another delay!!!) But tonight was so important to remind us why we're clearing the house and getting our kitchen tiled ... We're Nashville bound!
We did it at our home church, and despite the fact that it's a Tuesday night, we got a good-sized crowd out. Mom covered our front of house, and Dad did our sound. He's never done sound before, but the church's sound dude was unable to come, so Dad learned how to work the board 2 days ago, and tonight he ran all the tracks. Yay, Dad!
We were joined tonight by some awesome friends, including our beautiful Monika. Moni was supposed to do a gig tonight, but at the very last minute (literally an hour before showtime!), a sub came through and she was able to join the party. More yay!
We opened with This Little Light of Mine, with everyone singing, after which Gerald did 2 of his songs - So Far and Comin' Home. Monika and I did a duet with He Touched Me, with my friend Marque on piano. I love singing with Moni. It's as natural as breathing. Esther joined us for a few songs, including When You Believe as a duet with Monika. I did Infinitely More and Jesus Loves Me, and then Gerald and I did I Call Out your Name. I love doing the duets. You get these awesome moments of really living the song together. Gerald and I finished the first half with the duet version of All Her Flowers are Wild. I loooove singing that song!!!!!
Our second half opened with Monika and Gerald doing a very jazzy version of Summertime, including a fake-trumpet solo by Gerald. (I don't know what else to call it - You know, it's when he puts his hand over his mouth and it sounds like a trumpet!) Next, we did It Is Well. Esther and I have both recorded that song, and between us all we've sung it a million times, but tonight, it just rocked (if that's an appropriate term for a hymn?) Marque accompanied us. I opened with a solo verse, and Esther joined with harmonies on the chorus. Then we did verse 2 in harmony, but after that chorus, we shot it up into a higher key. Halfway through the verse, I lifted up the melody a la David Phelps, and Moni came in with a third harmony line underneath Esther. For the final chorus and ending, we just opened up the harmonies and sang out. It feel amazing, and the audience reaction was powerful!
Then we invited up our friend, Michelle, who took the lead on Praise You, and Esther and I sang harmonies. Love that girl trio sound! More solos filled the middle part of the half, and then another girl trio on Mosie Lister's Down On My Knees.
Then Gerald and I did a first: We did a guitar duo! I wanted to do I Have Decided to Follow Jesus, so I asked Gerald if he'd solo a little over my basic rhythm guitar pattern. We both sang on it, trading the verses, and Gerald took one verse for a guitar solo. It felt so cool to actually be playing together! I've never done anything like that before! We shared a mic, and it all felt very Opry...
We ended the show with our very Celtic version of Lord of the Dance, with me on guitar and lead vocals, Gerald on djembe, and everyone else singing along on the chorus. It was just so much fun, and in the end, we were blessed with a standing ovation! Such an honour! The audience reaction was just so wonderful and generous. We have so much support from this group of people.
Tomorrow, we need to go back to clearing out the house and finding someone to tile our kitchen (Yes, another delay!!!) But tonight was so important to remind us why we're clearing the house and getting our kitchen tiled ... We're Nashville bound!
Monday, October 23, 2006
Following the Call.
This morning, I again had the pleasure of leading music at St. John's West. It's hard to believe it has been a year this month since my first visit to this awesome church. I've learned so much this year! Last year, I was such a wreck that first Sunday. I had fears of dropping the guitar, or tripping on a mic chord, or meeting some other glamorous end. But I just kept praying my way through it, and now God has brought me to this place.
I still get nervous before I start a morning service, at St. John's or anywhere else. (I don't get stage fright, but I do value those little nerves. I think they show it's still important to me.) But that nervousness has softened, and I now worry about more important things, like choosing tempos that are easy to sing, and making sure everyone feels involved and free to worship as they please. And I am also much more free to enjoy myself! I love the process of choosing music for a service. I love hearing the congregation lift their voices in song. I love bringing in a new song I wrote and seeing people connect to it. I just feel so privileged to be doing this kind of work. I feel so blessed by the opportunities that are coming into my life.
This afternoon, I attended an ordination service at my home church. Catherine is a former teacher who has chosen to go into ministry. I love ordination services - they're kind of like weddings without the toilet-paper decorations and false shows of affections. As I watched this service of welcoming someone into their call to serve the church, I couldn't help but reflect on the changes in my career since my first trip to Stamps-Baxter last summer.
Over the last year, 80% of the music I have done has been Christian. Another 18% was devoted to children's music, and then I took 2% of my creative energy to shoot a commercial (which funded this year's trip to Music City!). That's a huge change from a career built on cabaret and music theatre. In many ways, it has been difficult and unglamorous. And yet, I feel so completely satisfied in all that I do. I'm not always perfect at it, and more days than not are full of huge mistakes, but I feel a peace and satisfaction that has never before been a part of my work. I feel truly happy and confident in what I'm doing.
It's been a full and a long day - a morning service, a little boy's birthday party, the ordination service, and a belated anniversary dinner with Mom and Dad.
This afternoon, I realized, "Oh, this is why Dad takes Mondays off".
Smart man!
I still get nervous before I start a morning service, at St. John's or anywhere else. (I don't get stage fright, but I do value those little nerves. I think they show it's still important to me.) But that nervousness has softened, and I now worry about more important things, like choosing tempos that are easy to sing, and making sure everyone feels involved and free to worship as they please. And I am also much more free to enjoy myself! I love the process of choosing music for a service. I love hearing the congregation lift their voices in song. I love bringing in a new song I wrote and seeing people connect to it. I just feel so privileged to be doing this kind of work. I feel so blessed by the opportunities that are coming into my life.
This afternoon, I attended an ordination service at my home church. Catherine is a former teacher who has chosen to go into ministry. I love ordination services - they're kind of like weddings without the toilet-paper decorations and false shows of affections. As I watched this service of welcoming someone into their call to serve the church, I couldn't help but reflect on the changes in my career since my first trip to Stamps-Baxter last summer.
Over the last year, 80% of the music I have done has been Christian. Another 18% was devoted to children's music, and then I took 2% of my creative energy to shoot a commercial (which funded this year's trip to Music City!). That's a huge change from a career built on cabaret and music theatre. In many ways, it has been difficult and unglamorous. And yet, I feel so completely satisfied in all that I do. I'm not always perfect at it, and more days than not are full of huge mistakes, but I feel a peace and satisfaction that has never before been a part of my work. I feel truly happy and confident in what I'm doing.
It's been a full and a long day - a morning service, a little boy's birthday party, the ordination service, and a belated anniversary dinner with Mom and Dad.
This afternoon, I realized, "Oh, this is why Dad takes Mondays off".
Smart man!
Sunday, October 15, 2006
All Saints, all faith.
This morning, I returned to All Saints Anglican, at Dundas and Sherbourne. The full name of this church is actually All Saints Church and Community Centre. I don't know if I've written fully about this before, but the building for All Saints is gorgeous. It's made of red and yellow brick, which was very popular in Toronto in the 1900's. Inside, it's full of stained glass and regal looking painted trims and motifs.
But there are no pews.
The pews have been removed, because during the week, the entire sanctuary of the church is full of desks and book shelves and everything else needed to run a centre for community outreach. Through countless programs, staff and volunteers strive to meet the needs of those in the downtown core - people suffering from poverty, homelessness, addiction, abuse, and loneliness.
And on Sundays, a space is cleared. An altar is pulled out onto the floor and candles are lit. Two rows of chairs are pulled around the front of the altar. And a small group of people - Christians, just like you and I - assemble to worship their Lord and Savior. The don't have a praise band or a powerpoint screen or a new grand piano. They actually don't have much of anything that the rest of us consider so essential for worship. They just have their hearts, their voices, and their honesty... and they have all of that in abundance.
When I visit All Saints, I sing a little during communion and then do a few solos. When I read the scriptures for the day, I realized "I Have Decided to Follow Jesus" would be a perfect fit. I worked up a little arrangement, and as I sang, people started to sing along, which was lovely. Later, I did my arrangement of "Jesus Loves Me", which just always feels so good to sing.
I continue to be impressed by the depth and sincerity of the faith I see in all the churches I visit, but I am never more impressed than when I am at All Saints.
But there are no pews.
The pews have been removed, because during the week, the entire sanctuary of the church is full of desks and book shelves and everything else needed to run a centre for community outreach. Through countless programs, staff and volunteers strive to meet the needs of those in the downtown core - people suffering from poverty, homelessness, addiction, abuse, and loneliness.
And on Sundays, a space is cleared. An altar is pulled out onto the floor and candles are lit. Two rows of chairs are pulled around the front of the altar. And a small group of people - Christians, just like you and I - assemble to worship their Lord and Savior. The don't have a praise band or a powerpoint screen or a new grand piano. They actually don't have much of anything that the rest of us consider so essential for worship. They just have their hearts, their voices, and their honesty... and they have all of that in abundance.
When I visit All Saints, I sing a little during communion and then do a few solos. When I read the scriptures for the day, I realized "I Have Decided to Follow Jesus" would be a perfect fit. I worked up a little arrangement, and as I sang, people started to sing along, which was lovely. Later, I did my arrangement of "Jesus Loves Me", which just always feels so good to sing.
I continue to be impressed by the depth and sincerity of the faith I see in all the churches I visit, but I am never more impressed than when I am at All Saints.
Sunday, October 08, 2006
Thanksgiving...
Wow, can't believe I haven't blogged once this month! We've been in pre-moving madness: There have been insane and stupid delays in having work done on the house. Applying for my work visa continues to take up an unimaginable amount of time. Apparently, no one is going to come in and sort out all the stuff I've been storing in the basement for the last three years; I actually have to do that myself. Occasionally I need to leave the house and work and make money. And, of course, there are the bold attempts to learn new music, write new songs, and just basically keep the artistic soul alive.
But the good news is: We're getting closer! The house will be on the market within the next 2 weeks. I have collected almost every piece of info needed for my visa, and last night, I got the news that a friend has agreed to be my sponsor. Whoo-hoo! On the 24th, we're having a "farewell concert", and a few days after that, we'll be heading off to Music City! We'll spend November and half of December there, coming back in time to do a few gigs and spend Christmas with the family. Then, back in the New Year.
This week has a great project in store, too. As a great gesture of support, friends have offered us 2 days in a killer studio for free. I'm going to do demos of a few new songs, but the bulk of the time will be Gerald's. He's got a lot of new songs, and he's hoping to get enough stuff recorded to start a small acoustic album. It's a big goal in a small amount of time, so we're not putting any pressue on it. In the very least, we'll get some great sounding demos we can use for promotion.
This morning was also a great blessing. I was back again at St. John's West. They are having me there twice this month, which is just awesome. I will admit I felt the pressure today. Not just any Sunday, but Thanksgiving! They usually have organ or piano on holidays so that people can hear all their favourite traditional Thanksgiving hymns. But as the schedule worked out, it was just me and my guitar. A lot of those traditional hymns were written for organ, so they can be a little choppy on guitar. We chose some traditional hymns, with a few newer pieces thrown in.
Last night, I really felt nervous about the whole thing. But this morning, I woke up to a truly fall day - crisp air and gleaming sunshine. When I finally left the downtown core, I was able to see leaves drifting off the trees, and new colours shining on the branches. My voice felt strong, and my spirit was ready to praise...
The service was wonderful! Today's Gospel was from Matthew, where Jesus tells us that if God watches the birds and clothes the lilies, then we have no cause for worry. Gary preached a great sermon on the reading, and I followed with "His Eye is on the Sparrow". People were ready to sing, and we had some great moments with "For the Fruit of All Creation" and "Great is thy Faithfulness".
Extra special treat: Mom and Dad came to the service! Dad gets few Sundays off, so it was awesome that his day off and my day on coincided.
After the service, I spoke with a very young 82-year-old woman who told me the music made it really feel like Thanksgiving. Love those moments...
(I've been reading Joel's blog, and he has inspired this next section.)
In honour of Thanksgiving, I am inspired to write a list of a few blessings:
- Gerald, who continues to challenge and surprise and love me.
- Mom and Dad, who have supported my dreams from Day 1.
- Monika, who loves me unconditionally.
- Sebastian (our puppy), who knows the value of a good cuddle.
- Steve, for always inspiring me to reach for my dreams.
- Nana, for teaching me the value of singing in church.
- My aunts and uncles, for their strength and friendship.
- and God, for always being faithful!
Happy Thanksgiving!
But the good news is: We're getting closer! The house will be on the market within the next 2 weeks. I have collected almost every piece of info needed for my visa, and last night, I got the news that a friend has agreed to be my sponsor. Whoo-hoo! On the 24th, we're having a "farewell concert", and a few days after that, we'll be heading off to Music City! We'll spend November and half of December there, coming back in time to do a few gigs and spend Christmas with the family. Then, back in the New Year.
This week has a great project in store, too. As a great gesture of support, friends have offered us 2 days in a killer studio for free. I'm going to do demos of a few new songs, but the bulk of the time will be Gerald's. He's got a lot of new songs, and he's hoping to get enough stuff recorded to start a small acoustic album. It's a big goal in a small amount of time, so we're not putting any pressue on it. In the very least, we'll get some great sounding demos we can use for promotion.
This morning was also a great blessing. I was back again at St. John's West. They are having me there twice this month, which is just awesome. I will admit I felt the pressure today. Not just any Sunday, but Thanksgiving! They usually have organ or piano on holidays so that people can hear all their favourite traditional Thanksgiving hymns. But as the schedule worked out, it was just me and my guitar. A lot of those traditional hymns were written for organ, so they can be a little choppy on guitar. We chose some traditional hymns, with a few newer pieces thrown in.
Last night, I really felt nervous about the whole thing. But this morning, I woke up to a truly fall day - crisp air and gleaming sunshine. When I finally left the downtown core, I was able to see leaves drifting off the trees, and new colours shining on the branches. My voice felt strong, and my spirit was ready to praise...
The service was wonderful! Today's Gospel was from Matthew, where Jesus tells us that if God watches the birds and clothes the lilies, then we have no cause for worry. Gary preached a great sermon on the reading, and I followed with "His Eye is on the Sparrow". People were ready to sing, and we had some great moments with "For the Fruit of All Creation" and "Great is thy Faithfulness".
Extra special treat: Mom and Dad came to the service! Dad gets few Sundays off, so it was awesome that his day off and my day on coincided.
After the service, I spoke with a very young 82-year-old woman who told me the music made it really feel like Thanksgiving. Love those moments...
(I've been reading Joel's blog, and he has inspired this next section.)
In honour of Thanksgiving, I am inspired to write a list of a few blessings:
- Gerald, who continues to challenge and surprise and love me.
- Mom and Dad, who have supported my dreams from Day 1.
- Monika, who loves me unconditionally.
- Sebastian (our puppy), who knows the value of a good cuddle.
- Steve, for always inspiring me to reach for my dreams.
- Nana, for teaching me the value of singing in church.
- My aunts and uncles, for their strength and friendship.
- and God, for always being faithful!
Happy Thanksgiving!
Wednesday, September 27, 2006
NSAI night...
Tonight was the first NSAI meeting of the season. I've been so busy with getting the house ready for market that I really haven't had much time for writing lately. I did some stuff last week, but really nothing worth presenting. (half songs, nothing finished...) But I was still really excited about going and reminding myself why I am selling the house and doing all this work.
The meeting was packed, which was great. Tonight's lesson was on co-writing. Til now, all my co-writing has been with Gerald. But once we hit Nashville, we'd like to start writing with lots of different people, so tonight's lesson was very well timed for us. Once we heard the topic, we were broken up into partners to do a co-writing exercise. Gerald and I took the chance to work with some other people. We were all given the title "The House on the Hill". We then had to go through the steps of brainstorming, choosing the singer's point of view, and choosing to whom we are singing. After 15 minutes, we all stopped to share our ideas. And, of course, it was amazing how many song ideas could come from the one idea.
After this was critique time. I didn't have anything brand new, but I did have something that really hasn't been heard by anyone. Last year, I worked on a Christmas lyric and tune. I was pretty happy with it, but as I started to pass it around, I started to receive negative feedback on the melody. It was a real lesson on presenting a song too early. I sort of hid it in shame for many months. But this year, at Stamps-Baxter, Daryl asked me to bring him an uptempo Christmas song. I pulled out the lyric and chorded a little tune that had been bouncing around in my head. His feedback was very positive. But since I only had the one opinion, I thought I'd bring it in tonight.
Well, at the risk of bragging, I have to say it was a hit! People clapped along on the last chorus, and then gave it rousing applause. There was some critiquing of one line, which was great because that line didn't sit well with me and now I have some ideas for it. But overall, it was all very very positive. One person wants to me send it to a performer who's recording a Christmas CD, and another wants to bring it to his church. Whoo-hoo! All very exciting!!!
*sigh* Back to house stuff tomorrow. Working for the dream...
The meeting was packed, which was great. Tonight's lesson was on co-writing. Til now, all my co-writing has been with Gerald. But once we hit Nashville, we'd like to start writing with lots of different people, so tonight's lesson was very well timed for us. Once we heard the topic, we were broken up into partners to do a co-writing exercise. Gerald and I took the chance to work with some other people. We were all given the title "The House on the Hill". We then had to go through the steps of brainstorming, choosing the singer's point of view, and choosing to whom we are singing. After 15 minutes, we all stopped to share our ideas. And, of course, it was amazing how many song ideas could come from the one idea.
After this was critique time. I didn't have anything brand new, but I did have something that really hasn't been heard by anyone. Last year, I worked on a Christmas lyric and tune. I was pretty happy with it, but as I started to pass it around, I started to receive negative feedback on the melody. It was a real lesson on presenting a song too early. I sort of hid it in shame for many months. But this year, at Stamps-Baxter, Daryl asked me to bring him an uptempo Christmas song. I pulled out the lyric and chorded a little tune that had been bouncing around in my head. His feedback was very positive. But since I only had the one opinion, I thought I'd bring it in tonight.
Well, at the risk of bragging, I have to say it was a hit! People clapped along on the last chorus, and then gave it rousing applause. There was some critiquing of one line, which was great because that line didn't sit well with me and now I have some ideas for it. But overall, it was all very very positive. One person wants to me send it to a performer who's recording a Christmas CD, and another wants to bring it to his church. Whoo-hoo! All very exciting!!!
*sigh* Back to house stuff tomorrow. Working for the dream...
Monday, September 25, 2006
Holy Trinity & Gospel Vespers.
A full and complete day! This morning, Gerald and I returned to the Church of the Holy Trinity (the beautiful little church by the Eaton Centre). We were guest musicians brought in to help lead the music. It is always so relaxed and welcoming in that church! So worth the visit!
We had a prelude planned, but tech gliches cut us short. Gerald sang his song, "Do You Trust The Wings God Gave You?", but we didn't have time for my "Jesus Loves Me". I did the opening hymn, "Be Thou My Vision", and Gerald played the other hymns. The responses, psalm, and sanctus were lead on organ, and the communion songs were acapella. Quite the mix of music for one service. And, of course, that gorgeous acoustic!
This afternoon was the start of our season of Gospel Vespers services. After today, I am no longer able to be a part of Gospel Vespers. We're going to leave late October, so we'll be missing the next service. I'm booking the talent for the next few services, but after that, I'm done. I've just loved being a part of this committee and I believe so strongly in this ministry. I'll be praying for its continued success after I'm gone.
But today was also a chance for me, Dad, Gerald, and Monika to work together one last time as a team. Our Gospel theme today was the parable of the lost coin, which Dad re-interpreted as "the lost credit card". Great idea as it made it more relevant for the congregation. I love the way he makes the Bible fresh and viable for people. I set up his sermon with the solo, "Orphans of God". I first heard this song at the faculty concert at Write About Jesus, sung by the writers Twila Labar and the ever-lovely Joel Lindsey. It all worked together perfectly!
My role today was to choose and organize the music. I lead the music on vocals and guitar, Moni joined in on harmonies and tambourine, and Gerald played djembe and a little guitar. We did lots of great uptempo songs like "Leaning on the Everlasting Arms", "Sunshine in my Soul", and "Just a Little Talk with Jesus". We also taught "I Call Out Your Name" and our dismissal "Give Peace, My Friend", which is sung to the tune of Shenandoah. I lead the prayer time, and Gerald underscored it with his beautiful guitar work. Lovely!
For the last song, we totally rocked out on a very uptempo, very Celtic "Lord of the Dance". We opened with solo drum, and then added guitar, and then brought in the vocals. When we hit the verse "I danced on a Friday when the sky turned black...", the guitar dropped out and it was just percussion. We had shakers in the pews for the congregation, so everyone was playing along. Well, it was going really well and everyone was singing and playing like crazy, and then the best thing happened: People started leaving the pews and walking and dancing and playing their instruments in the aisles! We had a parade of people going up and down the aisles singing and praising and making music! In an Anglican church!!! It was awesome and joyful and everything you want great worship to be! Praise God!
Tonight, I'm tired but full. It was great to work with Dad to build this service and hear him preach. He's so gifted at tying everything together so the whole service represents a theme and flows as one unit. And it is like breathing to sing with Monika. I love her voice. I love her spirit. And I love making music with her. And, of course, Gerald is my partner in all things good and true. To look to one side and see Monika singing, then glance to the other and see Gerald jamming along on the drum... I couldn't stop thinking of that great Gaither lyric:
Loving God, loving each other. Making music with my friends...
What a blessing!
We had a prelude planned, but tech gliches cut us short. Gerald sang his song, "Do You Trust The Wings God Gave You?", but we didn't have time for my "Jesus Loves Me". I did the opening hymn, "Be Thou My Vision", and Gerald played the other hymns. The responses, psalm, and sanctus were lead on organ, and the communion songs were acapella. Quite the mix of music for one service. And, of course, that gorgeous acoustic!
This afternoon was the start of our season of Gospel Vespers services. After today, I am no longer able to be a part of Gospel Vespers. We're going to leave late October, so we'll be missing the next service. I'm booking the talent for the next few services, but after that, I'm done. I've just loved being a part of this committee and I believe so strongly in this ministry. I'll be praying for its continued success after I'm gone.
But today was also a chance for me, Dad, Gerald, and Monika to work together one last time as a team. Our Gospel theme today was the parable of the lost coin, which Dad re-interpreted as "the lost credit card". Great idea as it made it more relevant for the congregation. I love the way he makes the Bible fresh and viable for people. I set up his sermon with the solo, "Orphans of God". I first heard this song at the faculty concert at Write About Jesus, sung by the writers Twila Labar and the ever-lovely Joel Lindsey. It all worked together perfectly!
My role today was to choose and organize the music. I lead the music on vocals and guitar, Moni joined in on harmonies and tambourine, and Gerald played djembe and a little guitar. We did lots of great uptempo songs like "Leaning on the Everlasting Arms", "Sunshine in my Soul", and "Just a Little Talk with Jesus". We also taught "I Call Out Your Name" and our dismissal "Give Peace, My Friend", which is sung to the tune of Shenandoah. I lead the prayer time, and Gerald underscored it with his beautiful guitar work. Lovely!
For the last song, we totally rocked out on a very uptempo, very Celtic "Lord of the Dance". We opened with solo drum, and then added guitar, and then brought in the vocals. When we hit the verse "I danced on a Friday when the sky turned black...", the guitar dropped out and it was just percussion. We had shakers in the pews for the congregation, so everyone was playing along. Well, it was going really well and everyone was singing and playing like crazy, and then the best thing happened: People started leaving the pews and walking and dancing and playing their instruments in the aisles! We had a parade of people going up and down the aisles singing and praising and making music! In an Anglican church!!! It was awesome and joyful and everything you want great worship to be! Praise God!
Tonight, I'm tired but full. It was great to work with Dad to build this service and hear him preach. He's so gifted at tying everything together so the whole service represents a theme and flows as one unit. And it is like breathing to sing with Monika. I love her voice. I love her spirit. And I love making music with her. And, of course, Gerald is my partner in all things good and true. To look to one side and see Monika singing, then glance to the other and see Gerald jamming along on the drum... I couldn't stop thinking of that great Gaither lyric:
Loving God, loving each other. Making music with my friends...
What a blessing!
Sunday, September 24, 2006
Gaither mania!
Just came home from a Gaither concert. For those who go to the concerts, you know what that means - it's late, I've sung a lot, I've cried a little, I'm very tired, and despite the fact that I have to get up early, I'm just too wired to sleep!
Tonight was actually very special because we didn't just watch the concert - we helped out! When Gordon Mote performed at Stamps-Baxter this summer, we got to talking and I told him I was from Canada. He asked if I'd help out at his product table next time they came through. A few emails later and the whole thing was set up.
Late this afternoon, Gerald and I arrived at the ACC to work the table. Well, it took us 5 or 6 different gates before we found one that would let us in, so that was a little odd. (Do they have a problem with people trying to crash the Gaithers???) But once we were in, it felt great. We, along with Gordon's manager, Bob, sold CDs before the show and during intermission. It was great to see the reaction of the crowd. Some people had heard Gordon in the London concert this spring, and a few had seen the new GVB DVD air on tv last night. But most people had never heard of him. In the first half, he did "If they could see you through my eyes" and "Good old gospel ship". The crowd went wild! Seriously! It was a huge reaction, so intermission was much much busier. After the show, it looked like the table was going to be quiet, til Gordon showed up for a meet and greet. Then the crowds came, all wanting autographs and photos, and just wanting to some how get close to him. It was wonderful to see how blessed people had been through his music and his message.
It, yet again, reminded me why I want to do this. I want to be a part of a music that can bring together Christians of all denominations. I want to encourage, participate in, and help lead the worship of God in a corporate setting. I want to, some how, maybe even help people discover God for the first time, or maybe re-discover Him if they're feeling lost.
Tonight was also a real blessing in getting to know people. Gordon is funny and infinitely charming, and Bob is wonderful and very, very cool. Got to speak to Mr. Ben several times, which is always a joy. Also got to meet Kevin Pauls, who is a Canadian who has been doing some singing on the tours. The whole crowd was generous and warm. During the concert, people would sing along and clap their hands. Thousands of people, gathered in the middle of the raging city, praising God! So awesome! I was chatting with a security guard from the ACC. He looked at me with a very relaxed smile and said, "Easy night tonight.". Clearly, the good energy was just in the air...
And, of course, the music: great hymns - fantastic bluegrass by the Isaacs - always loving Signature Sound - Marshall Hall singing Jesus Loves Me - Gordon's Good old gospel ship - Jesse Dixon singing anything! So wonderful!
Off to bed! We're doing 2 full services tomorrow in 2 different churches! Sleep please...
Tonight was actually very special because we didn't just watch the concert - we helped out! When Gordon Mote performed at Stamps-Baxter this summer, we got to talking and I told him I was from Canada. He asked if I'd help out at his product table next time they came through. A few emails later and the whole thing was set up.
Late this afternoon, Gerald and I arrived at the ACC to work the table. Well, it took us 5 or 6 different gates before we found one that would let us in, so that was a little odd. (Do they have a problem with people trying to crash the Gaithers???) But once we were in, it felt great. We, along with Gordon's manager, Bob, sold CDs before the show and during intermission. It was great to see the reaction of the crowd. Some people had heard Gordon in the London concert this spring, and a few had seen the new GVB DVD air on tv last night. But most people had never heard of him. In the first half, he did "If they could see you through my eyes" and "Good old gospel ship". The crowd went wild! Seriously! It was a huge reaction, so intermission was much much busier. After the show, it looked like the table was going to be quiet, til Gordon showed up for a meet and greet. Then the crowds came, all wanting autographs and photos, and just wanting to some how get close to him. It was wonderful to see how blessed people had been through his music and his message.
It, yet again, reminded me why I want to do this. I want to be a part of a music that can bring together Christians of all denominations. I want to encourage, participate in, and help lead the worship of God in a corporate setting. I want to, some how, maybe even help people discover God for the first time, or maybe re-discover Him if they're feeling lost.
Tonight was also a real blessing in getting to know people. Gordon is funny and infinitely charming, and Bob is wonderful and very, very cool. Got to speak to Mr. Ben several times, which is always a joy. Also got to meet Kevin Pauls, who is a Canadian who has been doing some singing on the tours. The whole crowd was generous and warm. During the concert, people would sing along and clap their hands. Thousands of people, gathered in the middle of the raging city, praising God! So awesome! I was chatting with a security guard from the ACC. He looked at me with a very relaxed smile and said, "Easy night tonight.". Clearly, the good energy was just in the air...
And, of course, the music: great hymns - fantastic bluegrass by the Isaacs - always loving Signature Sound - Marshall Hall singing Jesus Loves Me - Gordon's Good old gospel ship - Jesse Dixon singing anything! So wonderful!
Off to bed! We're doing 2 full services tomorrow in 2 different churches! Sleep please...
Saturday, September 09, 2006
The People's Church
This morning was an example of why we didn't want an outdoor wedding.
I woke up early today to prepare for my morning performance at the Willowdale Community Fair, sponsored by The People's Church. People's is a huge church in North York. I attended their service a few weeks ago, and saw their advertisements for this fair. I checked my datebook, realized I was free, asked if I could sing, and boom! - booked a time slot.
This is an entirely outdoor event, so what faced me this morning that would prompt my wedding comment above?
Rain! And lots of it. Newfoundland-style cold grey rain. This is the kind of day we usually declare "Cozy Day", basically meaning it's pajamas and movies all day long.
But I had a gig, and that always takes the priority.
We packed up the car and drove up to North York. When we arrived at the church, everyone was so positive that the weather was going to clear, but it was also clear that our set-up would need to change. We had plans for a product table, but there was no covering, so it didn't make sense to have my CDs sitting in water. I also had plans to use Gerald's guitar (mine is still in its post-airline disaster state), but the stage was fully exposed. Gerald has a hand-made guitar valued at thousands of dollars. It has many great features, but water-proofing is not one of them. So we grabbed my teaching guitar from the trunk of the car, tuned it up, and that's what I played.
Once we started, the rain had stopped, but it was still wet and the crowds were low, so I belted out my songs for the tech crew, Gerald, and the people driving by. (If you drove along Shepperd this morning, I was the singing girl who waved at you!)
I started with tracks and did "Shout to the Lord" and "He Saw It All". I then moved on to guitar and did "This Little Light", and my own "Infinitely More", and "I Call Out Your Name". I finished with my "It Is Well" track. Overall, I'm pleased with how I performed. Outdoors is a tough go even when the weather is nice. You never know how the sound will work, and there are a million distractions and potential disasters. But I feel I held my own, and I received a lot of great response, which is always nice.
And I have to say, it felt great to be able to sing some of my own songs in my set. I felt very strong and confident to be able to say that some of my rep was actually MY rep. I was really thrilled that I got comments on "Infinitely More". Someone who had never heard the song before told me she was singing along. I want people to be able to sing my songs, so Big Yay!!!!
After my set, the sun started to warm things up, and I think they probably had a better crowd for the rest of the day. I truly hope it was successful day for them. I just think this kind of outreach is so important. It's all about inviting people onto your grounds and saying "You are welcome in this church! It's a safe place to come! We are here for you!".
I also want to share a great conversation I had today: Gerald and I were telling people about our plans to move to Nashville, and this other singer said, "It's like walking on water". She went on to say that we know Jesus walked on water because he was God. But Peter wasn't! At Jesus's request, Peter - an ordinary dude like the rest of us - stepped out of the boat and walked on water.
Sometimes, in order to follow God's plan, we need to step out our comfortable boats, trust in God, and walk on the water. Such a powerful image, and the more we discussed it, the more it seemed to apply to all we're going through right now.
I'm not leading music anywhere tomorrow, so I'm just planning on attending St. John's York Mills. Dad's retirement is quickly approaching, and between now and January, I want to take every chance I can to hear him preach.
I woke up early today to prepare for my morning performance at the Willowdale Community Fair, sponsored by The People's Church. People's is a huge church in North York. I attended their service a few weeks ago, and saw their advertisements for this fair. I checked my datebook, realized I was free, asked if I could sing, and boom! - booked a time slot.
This is an entirely outdoor event, so what faced me this morning that would prompt my wedding comment above?
Rain! And lots of it. Newfoundland-style cold grey rain. This is the kind of day we usually declare "Cozy Day", basically meaning it's pajamas and movies all day long.
But I had a gig, and that always takes the priority.
We packed up the car and drove up to North York. When we arrived at the church, everyone was so positive that the weather was going to clear, but it was also clear that our set-up would need to change. We had plans for a product table, but there was no covering, so it didn't make sense to have my CDs sitting in water. I also had plans to use Gerald's guitar (mine is still in its post-airline disaster state), but the stage was fully exposed. Gerald has a hand-made guitar valued at thousands of dollars. It has many great features, but water-proofing is not one of them. So we grabbed my teaching guitar from the trunk of the car, tuned it up, and that's what I played.
Once we started, the rain had stopped, but it was still wet and the crowds were low, so I belted out my songs for the tech crew, Gerald, and the people driving by. (If you drove along Shepperd this morning, I was the singing girl who waved at you!)
I started with tracks and did "Shout to the Lord" and "He Saw It All". I then moved on to guitar and did "This Little Light", and my own "Infinitely More", and "I Call Out Your Name". I finished with my "It Is Well" track. Overall, I'm pleased with how I performed. Outdoors is a tough go even when the weather is nice. You never know how the sound will work, and there are a million distractions and potential disasters. But I feel I held my own, and I received a lot of great response, which is always nice.
And I have to say, it felt great to be able to sing some of my own songs in my set. I felt very strong and confident to be able to say that some of my rep was actually MY rep. I was really thrilled that I got comments on "Infinitely More". Someone who had never heard the song before told me she was singing along. I want people to be able to sing my songs, so Big Yay!!!!
After my set, the sun started to warm things up, and I think they probably had a better crowd for the rest of the day. I truly hope it was successful day for them. I just think this kind of outreach is so important. It's all about inviting people onto your grounds and saying "You are welcome in this church! It's a safe place to come! We are here for you!".
I also want to share a great conversation I had today: Gerald and I were telling people about our plans to move to Nashville, and this other singer said, "It's like walking on water". She went on to say that we know Jesus walked on water because he was God. But Peter wasn't! At Jesus's request, Peter - an ordinary dude like the rest of us - stepped out of the boat and walked on water.
Sometimes, in order to follow God's plan, we need to step out our comfortable boats, trust in God, and walk on the water. Such a powerful image, and the more we discussed it, the more it seemed to apply to all we're going through right now.
I'm not leading music anywhere tomorrow, so I'm just planning on attending St. John's York Mills. Dad's retirement is quickly approaching, and between now and January, I want to take every chance I can to hear him preach.
Sunday, September 03, 2006
Holy Family Anglican Church
Whoo! Awesome and vibrant church time today!
This morning, I helped lead worship at Holy Family Anglican in Brampton. Their preacher, Rev. Carol Langley, used to be an Associate Priest at St. John's York Mills years ago. She was visiting this summer and we got to talking, and today was the result.
Carol had this great idea of a service called "Give Me That Old Time Religion", and all the music would be good old standard hymns. Completely up my alley! We met for a great planning session and picked hymns like "Great is Thy Faithfulness", "In The Garden", and "Leaning on the Everlasting Arms".
Before the service, I did a few soft hymns, including something very special: my own arrangement of "Jesus Loves Me". What makes it special is that it is the first genuine arrangement that I've written all on my own. For many years, I've co-arranged, with me singing a song the way I want to do it, and some other brilliant musician finding the chords and accompaniment to fit my version. But this time, I found my own chords and chose my own picking pattern. The tune is basically the same, but I've just given it a different feel. So proud of myself! Definitely a new step in my own musical journey.
I lead a lot of the hymns on guitar, and I was also joined by their music leader, Sergei, who added keyboard and electric bass to several songs. Gerald joined in on tambourine and djembe, and we had shakers in the pews for the congregation.
Carol gave an awesome sermon called The Irreligious Jesus. She basically posed the question, "Do we really want that Old Time Religion?" After all, women couldn't preach, the poor were relegated to the back seats, and men were required to carry the majority of the work load. She went on to talk about Jesus's role as a rebel against the religious customs of the day - how sometimes we become so obsessed with keeping our religious 'traditions' that we ignore the larger laws of loving God and loving each other. Very inspiring!
Holy Family is a very multicultural congregation, representing over 22 countries, with a huge number of West Indian, African, and Jamaican families. These are countries with very distinct and prominent musical traditions, so I must admit - I really didn't know how people would respond to my music.
What I forgot to account for, however, is that if God is in it, people will always respond!
I'm hope I'm not taken at bragging, but the response was overwhelming! Lots of people wanted to meet with me and hug me and share their stories. I sold a good number of CDs, and just got so many great comments. Gerald even ended up having a little drum demonstration with some of the men of the congregation.
Why do I always forget? If I let God take control, it will always be so much better than anything I could do on my own!
This morning, I helped lead worship at Holy Family Anglican in Brampton. Their preacher, Rev. Carol Langley, used to be an Associate Priest at St. John's York Mills years ago. She was visiting this summer and we got to talking, and today was the result.
Carol had this great idea of a service called "Give Me That Old Time Religion", and all the music would be good old standard hymns. Completely up my alley! We met for a great planning session and picked hymns like "Great is Thy Faithfulness", "In The Garden", and "Leaning on the Everlasting Arms".
Before the service, I did a few soft hymns, including something very special: my own arrangement of "Jesus Loves Me". What makes it special is that it is the first genuine arrangement that I've written all on my own. For many years, I've co-arranged, with me singing a song the way I want to do it, and some other brilliant musician finding the chords and accompaniment to fit my version. But this time, I found my own chords and chose my own picking pattern. The tune is basically the same, but I've just given it a different feel. So proud of myself! Definitely a new step in my own musical journey.
I lead a lot of the hymns on guitar, and I was also joined by their music leader, Sergei, who added keyboard and electric bass to several songs. Gerald joined in on tambourine and djembe, and we had shakers in the pews for the congregation.
Carol gave an awesome sermon called The Irreligious Jesus. She basically posed the question, "Do we really want that Old Time Religion?" After all, women couldn't preach, the poor were relegated to the back seats, and men were required to carry the majority of the work load. She went on to talk about Jesus's role as a rebel against the religious customs of the day - how sometimes we become so obsessed with keeping our religious 'traditions' that we ignore the larger laws of loving God and loving each other. Very inspiring!
Holy Family is a very multicultural congregation, representing over 22 countries, with a huge number of West Indian, African, and Jamaican families. These are countries with very distinct and prominent musical traditions, so I must admit - I really didn't know how people would respond to my music.
What I forgot to account for, however, is that if God is in it, people will always respond!
I'm hope I'm not taken at bragging, but the response was overwhelming! Lots of people wanted to meet with me and hug me and share their stories. I sold a good number of CDs, and just got so many great comments. Gerald even ended up having a little drum demonstration with some of the men of the congregation.
Why do I always forget? If I let God take control, it will always be so much better than anything I could do on my own!
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