"I know your life
On earth was troubled
And only you could know the pain.
You weren't afraid to face the devil,
You were no stranger to the rain.
Go rest high on that mountain
Son, your work on earth is done.
Go to heaven a-shoutin'
Love for the Father and the Son.
Oh, how we cried the day you left us
We gathered round your grave to grieve.
I wish I could see the angels faces
When they hear your sweet voice sing.
Go rest high on that mountain
Son, your work on earth is done.
Go to heaven a-shoutin'
Love for the Father and the Son.
Go rest high on that mountain
Son, your work on earth is done.
Go to heaven a-shoutin'
Love for the Father and the Son."
Written by Vince Gill
Hey, hey! Spotify!
Let the confetti-throwing commence!
Why?
Well…
See that little blue checkmark?
As of right now, my Spotify account has been verified!
Thanks to you, I am now able to control the Spotify channel where my music plays!
And we step forward.
One of the things I can do now is share playlists... which is just fun.
On the heels of a road trip to the East Coast and back again, I put a playlist together the other day of my favorite road-trip songs--Gordon Lightfoot, Michael Martin Murphy, John Denver.... And you can find it there or right here.
I'm excited to take control of my Spotify channel...
Thank you so, so much.
If you haven't yet, please do follow me on Spotify!
-Brittany
Virginia Dreams Show
Hello friends!
Last month, I told you I had the chance to be a musical guest on the "Virginia Dreams Center Stage" TV show, but at the time I didn't know when they would start to use those video clips...
Well, it looks like the first song aired a couple days ago! On national television!
You can watch it here!
My song starts at the 9:55 mark.
I hope you enjoy the video.
I'll let you know when the others air!
I learned a lot from this experience, and I'm thankful to the team at Virginia Dreams for the fantastic opportunity and for the way they welcomed me so graciously.
I'm thankful for open hearts and open doors.
-Brittany
“Music is better if someone’s listening…” -Opal
On Saturday, April 29th, I was getting ready to sing at the Winery at The Fontanel.
Hearing about this venue in advance, I was really excited. Getting to sing in Nashville is always a big deal—I loved singing at The Commodore just three days before, but getting to sing for a couple hours? All by myself? … Even bigger deal. I sang from 2-4 PM in a gorgeous setting, but I’ll be honest…
I was a little disappointed.
Now, I should explain why because it wasn’t because of the venue, or the the people, or the sound, or the quality… No, it was simply because of circumstances.
There was a marathon going on right outside, and almost no one came inside. Those who did come inside didn’t really stick around for long. Because there was a marathon going on outside. I was constantly trying to think of ways to get people interested enough within thirty-second snapshots to sit down for a bit…. I think about all kinds of things while I’m singing. Sometimes it’s something productive like this. Other times, I’m noticing the kids who are playing Jenga at the table in front of me. Lesson learned about the kids playing Jenga at the table in front of me:
Don’t ask them who just won. Got it.
Anyway, it just wasn’t the most encouraging performance in the world.
Oh, and on top of the marathon, there was an outdoor show of some kind starting shortly after me in a completely different location, and seeing people driving up and parking on the grass to go to this other show was… also not encouraging. Encouraging for that band though, of course.
Why am I telling you about this? To complain?
No, not at all.
I enjoyed singing there. I did.
It wasn’t what I hoped for, but as always, I was grateful for the opportunity.
No, why I’m sharing this with you is because of what happened next…
While I was singing, there was a couple sitting at a table for a long time, and they were listening. I didn’t get a chance to meet them, but I noticed them; and I noticed when they moved over to the table my mom and dad were at. I found out afterwards that these two were from Franklin and they were giving my parents a list of places I should check out. Places where I could sing. One of the places they recommended is called “It’s All About Z Music”. “It’s All About Z Music” is a series of in-home concerts geared specifically towards songwriters. Terry and Wanda Seay host these shows in their home in Franklin, TN, throughout the year, and it just so happened they were having a concert that night on the 29th. I’ve always been curious what house concerts are like, so I was very interested.
A long story short, my dad called Terry and Wanda to find out if they “might have tickets available for three out-of-towners”. They wanted us to send them an email so they could send us a packet of information about their concerts, and a few texts and a power outage later, my dad told them we’d heard about them from a couple at The Fontanel where I’d been singing earlier that day. They responded by telling us to come on over and that I could sing a song or two….
Then they texted again to say I was up at 7:30.
We hadn’t even been asking for that. We just wanted to go to the show.
With a big smile, my dad asked me, “So, what do you think, Brit?”
Open door.
I said, “Let’s do it!”
So I grabbed my guitar, we picked up a couple trays of fruits and veggies on the way, and we went. Here’s a picture of their setup...
I sang three songs right at the beginning of the night, and it was wonderful. It was honestly so much fun. I played one of my brand new songs for the first time, and afterwards one of the other artists said something to me that my parents and I have been quoting ever since. He told me, "Wow, that was a heck of a set!" But he didn't say "heck".
His comments that followed (which I'll keep to myself...) made me feel like I belonged--with him and the other artists performing that night (even though in truth I'd fallen into that concert and was kind of winging it) but also in Nashville Music in general.
I felt like I belonged. My music belongs.
Everyone who came was there for the music—they were all kind and extremely welcoming, the setup was beautiful, the sound was excellent…. And I enjoyed everything about it.
And I really enjoyed hearing the other songwriters perform.
There was a round of three featured songwriters at the end of the night (Mark Irwin, Riley Weston, and Clay Mills) who have written songs for Darius Rucker, Alan Jackson, Randy Travis, Martina McBride, Diamond Rio, Clay Walker, Trisha Yearwood...
And why was I there--with the likes of them?
Because a couple of kindred spirits were at The Fontanel earlier that day.
-Brittany
P.S. While singing at the Fontanel, a girl came up to me near the end of my set saying she grew up in IL, her parents now live in Chelan, WA, and that her dad (Who I believe I met at the concert at The Ruby? Is that right?) had told her about the show?! Chris Heal! It was so lovely to meet your daughter—she was so nice! Thank you for extending the invitation! That was a great feeling. It’s a small world. :)
When in Nashville...
What a week!
Monday and Tuesday were spent in the studio, and this session was much different than recording sessions past. In the picture above, we have Joel Key on the left, Paul Nelson, myself, Gary Prim, and John Nicholson. Once again, John (engineer and producer at Hilltop Recording Studios) did a fantastic job of putting a great team together for me. Joel, Paul, and Gary... These guys...
They got the songs perfectly.
The sound for the songs we recorded earlier this week was crafted by Joel's acoustic guitar, Paul's cello, and Gary on the keys. These are the first songs I've ever requested a cello for, and oh my goodness! It won't be the last!
My grandpa played the cello, and I've always loved the sound--who's with me?
I'd been looking forward to this session with the cello and the smaller team of musicians for quite some time... and they didn't disappoint.
I can not wait to let these songs be yours.
On Wednesday night, I had a chance to be a part of the Nashville Rounds at The Commodore downtown. Every time I get to sing there, it just gets more and more fun. I love all the original music and hearing what other songwriters come up with. There are a lot of talented people in this city.
Last night, my parents took me to a show at The Ryman! That was a first for all of us! The show was hosted by Larry Gatlin (he is the definition of "If you wanna make a living, you gotta put on a good show"), and I couldn't help singing along to "All the Gold in California". The guests on the show were Linda Davis, Rhonda Vincent, Daryle Singletary, and... The Oak Ridge Boys. The Oak Ridge Boys!
I loved every bit of it.
And tomorrow... April 29th...
I'll be singing at the Winery at Fontanel in Whites Creek, TN from 2-4 PM!
If you know anyone in the area, feel free to pass this along! I'd love to meet friends and family of friends and family!
Then I'll soon be homeward bound. What a week.
I hope you all have had a good week too!
-Brittany
P.S. On a side note: I played some Piano Guys music for my dad on the drive from Washington to Tennessee--for inspiration, and Steven Sharp Nelson's "Cello Song" and their rendition of "Story of My Life"... absolutely beautiful.
Well... all of their music is beautiful.
I Promised
Well...
I promised to tell you about my adventure in Virginia... So here goes.
Last Friday, I got to do something I've never done before. I was a musical guest on a TV show.
"What?!"
I know, right? WHAT!
I went to a set, met some of the nicest people (also some of the most patient), did an interview, and performed ten songs in front of cameras for the "Virginia Dreams Center Stage" show.
I... don't even know what to say about it.
It was scary. It was fun. It was hard. It was rewarding.
It was a fantastic opportunity, and certainly the adventure I thought it would be.
And I learned a lot.
Here are just a few of the lessons learned:
1. I need to learn how to talk
2. Cameras make me forget everything I've ever known
3. There's nothing like a warm welcome to calm nerves
I'm not sure when my clips will air, but they probably won't until sometime this summer... So there will be more on this later. But for now... WHAT!
-Brittany