Singer/Songwriter

My life has been an unbelievable whirlwind of activities for the last several months. The Tribute Christmas Concert (our 15th) went beautifully and I am happy to report that there were no incidents or accidents or illnesses. It was terribly cold out that night, December 11th, but the audience didn’t seem to mind. My only wish is that we could have done more than one show – but oh so thankful that we had such a large audience! Thank you CR! I will cherish the memory of this nearly sold-out show not only for the wonderful audience, but also just to be standing on that stage at such a grand house – the beautifully restored Paramount Theatre. I’m filled to brim with thankfulness and humility to have played there for such loyal, supportive people who are like family. We get together once a year to welcome Christmas into our hearts and minds. What a good thing!  Merry Christmas!

The month of June was a bit of a pivotal month for me due to the fact that I have in my life some pretty amazing friends. Friends who care enough about you to not mince words, who critique with kindness, encourage, and offer helpful suggestions and insights. I consider my life richly blessed to know these women and count them as friends and hope I can reciprocate for all their kindness. So, what have I learned or have known all along? After a survey, I realized that I have a lot of songs – songs that I have started, but never finished. This is because I usually write on the fly. Whenever the muse strikes, I grab whatever piece of paper is lying around and scribble a line or two. The result is multiple scraps of paper, multiple spiral notebooks with multiple songs that have a beginning, but no end – not yet anyway. (Starting them is easy, finishing them is… not so easy.) I sometimes get distracted by the laundry, the groceries, the dirty dishes in the sink, etc. It’s no coincidence that over and over I keep getting the same message – through my friends, through Bible study, through articles. So, what’s the message? What’s the problem? What’s the solution? Discipline. Plain and simple. I marvel at the simplicity of discipline and how a disciplined, orderly life is so completely freeing! One of my dear friends shared with me the following article by Carey Wallace. I love it and am excited to share it with you, especially if you struggle with discipline too.
http://www.cardus.ca/comment/article/2778/
I’m expecting some good things to come by taking aim at this thing – but don’t expect to see the laundry neatly folded and a spotless kitchen. I’ve got more important things to do. Hope you do too.

I was just on the phone this morning with fellow singer/songwriter and new friend, Mary McAdams. Mary and I met at the FARM (Folk Alliance Region Midwest) conference last October in Chicago. Mary is from Ankeny, Iowa, just a few miles south of Ames, where I grew up.  Mary and I were discussing the pursuit of gigs and life in general when the subject of the Folk Alliance International Conference came up. The conference will be held February 16-20 in Memphis, TN. As a result of that conversation (and Mary’s bubbling enthusiasm), I am now registered to attend! This will be quite different in size and scope from the Chicago conference with some 2,000 in attendance. Mary registered much earlier and managed to secure a couple showcase slots – way to go, Mary! We’ll be sharing a room to help keep costs down. I’m excited to be going for the first time to see and meet so many great musicians I know will be there – not to mention getting away from these sub-freezing temperatures.