I’ve had a lot of great concerts, with the band and solo. I truly appreciate every chance I get to share my music with listeners.
Some of my favorites as an acoustic artist:
- Opening for Chonda Pierce (video here)– 500 attendees, including encouraging words from Chonda
- Cooper River Bridge Run — 30-40k happy runners cheering us on as they passed
- North Charleston Arts Fest — 40 enthusiastic dancing kids… I love when people dance to my music!
- Habitat for Humanity fundraiser concert in my hometown — sharing music with friends, family, people from my old church, and sharing a brand new song I wrote for my grandparents, while they listened.
- Freedom Concert — fundraising for Doors to Freedom, and integrating the arts (music, visual art, dance) into an inspirational event to rise up against human trafficking. I also had my friend playing cello with us that day!
But another favorite is for different reasons. This January, I got to participate in Morgan Creek‘s Wintertide Songwriters in the Round series. It’s fashioned after Nashville songwriters events, where three songwriters take turns sharing songs and how they came about. We could also play/sing along with the other songwriters if we came up with something on the spot that would fit their song; that part was fun! Amanda and I shared the stage with Jeff Liberty and Bobby Sutton. I occasionally came up with some fun harmonies and a bit of background guitar parts to play with their songs. A couple times the guys played guitar parts over my songs. It was neat to hear another’s interpretation of the song and how that came out through their playing. The place was pretty full that night, and people seemed to enjoy listening.
The best part about this gig was the emphasis and appreciation of songwriting as a craft. [SO REFRESHING!] I love songwriting. If I could just write songs and have people to share them with regularly, (without all the work of booking, business/finances, recording, carting equipment around, spending hours learning/practicing cover songs…) I’d be a happy camper! Many places we play expect a mix of covers in with the original stuff. Some venues/events will only book cover bands. Songwriting is a craft that I’ve spent years and years learning and developing in. There is an art and a science to it. I can tell the difference between a beginner songwriter and an advanced songwriter… and there is a huge difference between my first songs and my current songs! With all that said, it felt great to be in a place where they really wanted to hear my songs, and my journey in writing them.
I was also glad that my songwriting and my guitar skills were comparable to the two guys sharing the stage with me. As a female in a very male-dominated field, I put high expectations on myself. Many people expect females to be all about the singing, and not skilled at guitar. I refuse to be a “one trick pony;” I strive to be well-rounded and excellent in each area. I work hard to develop my songwriting, my singing, and my guitar skills… along with all the other stuff that comes with being an independent artist. I was thrilled to feel “up to par” at this gig.
I was also proud to be able to say at this event that there were actually four songwriters on stage. We surprised everyone by having my sister put down the supporting/percussionist role and share the song she wrote for her [soon-to-be-adopted] son. She wrote a few songs for the band back in the day, but this was the first one she wrote in a long time. She doesn’t pursue it like I do, but when a song starts coming to her, you can tell it’s from deep within her soul, and it’s beautiful. I especially love her sweet lullaby to her baby boy… and I’m sure he will someday too.
One of my favorite moments (besides when a couple of old friends surprised me by showing up) was when I played “Wait in Hope.” Up until that song, people were generally paying attention, but there was some chatting. When I played that song, the entire room went silent. They all tuned in, watching and listening carefully. They seemed to be soaking it in. I think hope was raised in the room that night.
artist of the heart 