Happy Holidays!
I hope this newsletter finds everyone doing well during this wonderful season.
As a kick off to my holiday season, I spent a week in Nashville, TN, performing, meeting with DJs, songwriters, doing interviews and making many new friends along the way.
The first part of my visit included performing at the legendary Bluebird Cafe. This place is full of country music history. We played to a very appreciative packed house full of people who listened to every lyric and note. I loved working with my amazing guitarist, Shayne Hill (you may remember his name from the very successful band, Sawyer Brown!). In addition to the photos below, there are video clips of the show on my Facebook Fan Page, Reverbnation and MySpace.
Performing at The Bluebird Cafe
I had the pleasure to attend a meet and greet holiday party at the Country Music Association and Nashville Songwriters Association International, of which I'm a member. Always great to connect with new people and discuss this ever evolving music industry.
I also did a radio interview and performance with the wonderful DJ Captain Jack at Renegade Radio. Captain Jack is a live wire and so much fun to talk to! I had a blast. Jack is a New Jersey native who is now happily living in Nashville.
With DJ Captain Jack
Signing the "Wall of Fame" at Renegade Radio
My publicists, PLA Media held their holiday party at Pie in the Sky Pizza, and the party was followed by a songwriter's night at the Hotel Indigo in Nashville's West End. This was a really great night! I performed with three extremely talented singer/songwriters and met many cool people,one of whom was the famous singer from the 60s/70s, Melanie! (Brand New Key, Look What They've Done To My Song, Ma, and Ruby Tuesday, to mention a few!) She gave a surprise performance following our show. I had a chance to speak with her after the show and she was so warm and down to earth.
Interspersed with performances and meetings, I had the opportunity to have two songwriting sessions with some Grammy winning writers. I left Nashville with two new tunes - a good creative start going into the new year!
Really, the only downside of the week was dealing with the torrential rains for five days. That's always hard on one's "performance hair!" But honestly, if that's all I have to complain about, I know I'm doing really good!
At the end of the week I performed at the Ronald McDonald House in Nashville. The house is a very warm and cozy Victorian style home, and was decorated so beautifully for the holiday season.
The adorable Gingerbread Village at the Ronald McDonald House
I sang for many children and their families, and they were so appreciative to have me there. There was a deaf mother and her son staying there, and the boy wanted to sit with me while I sang, which was great by me, and his mother signed all the songs while I sang. They were a very lovely family. Also while there I spoke with several Mom's whose babies were born with birth defects who were staying at the Ronald McDonald house so they could visit their children at Vanderbilt Hospital. My thoughts and prayers go out to them and their families. These were some very brave and remarkable women.
After my work was done for the week, I rewarded myself with a great comfort food meal with friends at Rotier's in Nashville. This restaurant is an institution, a real hole in the wall, and a perfect comfort food destination. Yummm to the grilled cheeseburger with all the fixings and hash brown casserole!
I had a great trip and made lots of music, memories and friends. I wish you and yours all the very best this holiday season and for the New Year.
Thanks, as always, for your support,
Joanna
