Fun Brushes with Fame
If you look at the press biography my website, I have some very nice quotes from some semi-well-known people. I promise; I didn't make them up. :-P Each one comes with a neat story and a dose of encouragement to press on.I was at Soulfest (music festival in NH) when I decided to attend a songwriting workshop put on by Paul Colman. That year I had become pretty jaded by the music industry; the local market was shifting out of my favor, and it just seemed easier to give up. It seemed like I wasn't meant to do it anymore... which made me really sad to say the least. I had started to write some acoustic stuff just for myself or church. Well, I attended the workshop for fun, and Paul started inviting a couple people up to share a song. I was nervous since I hadn't played in a while, but I really wanted to share. We didn't have time to hear many people, though. My husband (then boyfriend) pointed to me when Paul asked who'd like to share a song, and I actually got chosen! I didn't play it perfectly, but it didn't matter; it was an opportunity of a lifetime to get feedback from such a gifted songwriter and musician. That was such an encouragement to me back then; it felt like God was telling me to keep using my gifts and push ahead. Here's the low-quality video from that high-quality moment. ;)
Daniel Ornellas and Phillip LaRue taught at the CMI Academy I attended while in Texas. They each listened to my music and helped me develop as a songwriter and artist. I am forever grateful to them!So this old college friend, Ed, somehow got invited to run sound for The Wrecking for a bit of their tour a while back. The Wrecking is one of my husband's favorites from high school/college, so I was well aware of them and had enjoyed a few shows. Some of the band guys were starting a recording/production studio, and were looking for talents to develop. Ed talked me up quite a bit and got me in touch with them. I sent some home recordings to get feedback on what to record. That's when Darren Elder gave me a call to talk production. He gave me some great tips and offered to produce my EP. Unfortunately, I couldn't afford to get up to Maine and spend the cash needed to complete the project. That's when I looked local (TX). I chatted a bit with Jimmy Needham's brother David about recording, but I moved to Charleston before getting the chance to follow through.
I played a fundraiser concert for Doors to Freedom, a trafficking aftercare program looking to open a home for girls. After enjoying the concert, my Pastor said he really wanted to see if he could get me to open for Chonda Pierce when she came to Charleston. I was pretty skeptical, as most national acts don't allow independent artists to join their shows. Well, Pastor insisted on trying. He persisted in calling up the tour manager, and then Chonda herself, and after some reassurance about my performance quality, they both agreed! Two days later, I got to perform for at least 500 people before Chonda went on. Chonda sat in the hall while I performed my set, so she couldn't see me, but she could hear. (Earlier that day, I left Chonda to enjoy the afternoon before the show, but wanted to make sure I met and thanked her before leaving.) When we met, she laughed about my quiet demeanor 
in comparison to the passionate singing she heard out of me.
JJ Heller never heard or said anything about my music, but I did enjoy transporting her and Dave around Charleston in my suave soccer-mom minivan while she was here to play at my church. My cousin told me once that I sound like her with some of my lighter stuff. Plus I enjoy her music and am inspired by her willingness to write for her niche listeners, rather than conforming for even more success. So that was a neat experience.Let's see, what else? ...When I was younger, I gave BarlowGirl my band's CD in the signing line. They inspired us a ton back then. Ok, I'm reaching now, so that's probably about it.Oh wait... Then there's Pastor Dave (ok, so he's not a famous musician). He's told me multiple times how much he gets a kick out of watching me jam out on my guitar. He does about the same on the keys. :)