]]> http://www.alexnelsonmusic.com/2010/02/30a-songwriters-festival-video/feed/ 0 http://www.alexnelsonmusic.com/2010/01/30a-songwriters-festival-video-1/ http://www.alexnelsonmusic.com/2010/01/30a-songwriters-festival-video-1/#comments Fri, 22 Jan 2010 17:31:09 +0000 nelsone http://www.alexnelsonmusic.com/?p=670 httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UiCGK5USsS8

I can’t believe this is only the third week of january. Right?  Things started off on the 2nd with the show at Luna Star, the Wallflower and then this past weekend with the 30A Songwriters Festival in Santa Rosa Beach.  It’s been a lot of fun.  There are a bunch of other shows coming up that I’m really excited about including one weekend that will have me in Washington DC on Friday and Saturday and then Georgia that Monday.

With all the the things that have been going on, I’ve wanted to figure out a way to include all of you in this mess and for you to see some of the behind the scenes of what goes on.  This is an idea a had a while back but just didn’t really know how to present it.  Really, I still don’t.  I put together a little trailer of what I think it’s going to be like and I’m calling it “Are we there yet?”  You can view the trailer here:  http://su.pr/1dlCuZ

The title doesn’t really mean much.  Most people always ask me what my aspirations are with this ‘music’ thing and it seems that everyone is referring to “making” it.  which just got me to thinking, “what does that mean?”  ”making” it?  Is making it being in a specific place where you can say that you’re successful?  I don’t know.  So the title is a play on that.  I’ll let the audience decide where we’re going and let me know when we arrive.

What I’ll do is try to keep you all in the loop as to everything that is going on.  Without any censoring (unless absolutely necessar).  Names and numbers will be bleeped out if any of that footage is used.  It will be more than just video however, I’ll also post more detailed blogs when I can.  I’ve already started some of that now with some notes on the recent festival I played.  Another reason for doing this is to also contribute to the music community.  Perhaps another musician will see what I’m doing and find it helpful to them.  Either way, I hope you are all in for the ride.

For the next few weeks I’ll be travelling.  This weekend and Next will be in central Florida (Winter Park, Deland, Orlando) then after that I’m off to DC and Atlanta.  There is some negotiation going on surrounding a festival in NJ and once I have more information on that I will let you all know.

Lastly, thanks to everyone who has been contributing to the “again” project.  It’s coming along nicely.  I think I’m just going to let it keep going and we’ll just keep editing that thing until everyone is in it.  Please be patient, I’ve got a back log of about 20 videos at the moment that I haven’t been able to get in there, but it will!

Thanks again for everything and I look forward to seeing you at a show!

yeah!

A.N.

Oh and PS-  Know anyone that might like me or my music?  Please feel free to forward this along.

hotel courtyard

late bed time.  I believe it was 4:30am when I finally laid down to try to get some sleep.

It was a overcast day and finally rolled out of the room around 11am.  Some friends that had come up from Gainesville to attend the festival (who are obsessed with the Indigo Girls) were already in line at that show.  I had gotten a txt from them around 8am that they were in the line already.  I was hoping that I would be able to make it to the show but having woke up late, I had some things I wanted to get done.  As a result of the Indigo Girls show, some of the events were postponed and this ended up working in my favor.

Central Square Records

One of the things that I wanted to do was to get to Central Square Records and have the guys film an intro to their store for my ‘are we there yet?’ project.   So we headed over the store, hoping that there wouldn’t be too many people there so that they would have the time to do it.  And… they did!  There were people there however as Louise Mosrie was just finishing up her in-store there, but the guys still made some time.  I’m hoping to post what they did soon.

After that, it was a walk around the town and trying to decide what to eat.  While we were getting some outside shots of the Central Square building we ran into the sound guy from Bud & Aly’s from the previous day.  Since everything was pushed back for the Indigo Girls show, he was waiting in Seaside for things to get back on schedule.  He couldn’t make it down to the IG show because he was driving a large shipping truck so we just told him to hang with us.

We ended up at a nice restaurant right next to the record/book shop.  I can’t recall the name.  Mostly because my tooth, which had started to bother me the night before, was really killing me.  Needless to say, I worked through the pain and ate my lunch.  The highlight?  The sound guy telling our waiter that he was serving a ‘platinum selling recording artist.’

After lunch it was back to the room for some string changing and warm ups.  I had no idea where the time went, but it seemed to me like the day was flying by.  Well, waking up late couldn’t have helped.  I thought I was going to have to rush, but we received word that the IG show was being delayed a little bit.  From what I understood the show was being held at a stage on the beach.  I was just imagining it being super cold and perhaps windy and wet.

So then, with new strings on it was time to head to the venue.  Packed the guitars into the car and headed out.  The venue was Caliza at Aly’s Beach which was where we saw Matthew, Susanna, Amy and Shawn the night before.  This venue was also right across the street from where the Indigo Girls were playing.  The parking situation was crazy.  Lines and lines of parked cars.  Luckily, we were able to park near the venue entrance.

Once there, we were able to listen to the last few songs of the IG show while we let the sound engineer for this show to warm up and setup some additional equipment.  This show was with Bob

Corley, Effron White, and Blake Guthrie.  Once the Indigo Girl’s show was over, people started pouring in over to our venue.  It filled up rather nicely. The host for the night was Kevin Boyle whom I had met at my show on Friday night.  All in all, this was a great show. It was a little cold and I think you will see in the video that I’m rubbing my hands together a lot.  But it was great.

After the show I stood around the merch table and met some of the people that came out. It was great to see people who had seen me from some of the previous appearances I had done.  It meant a lot that they took the time to come back out to see me.  I’m super appreciative of this.  I think this is a little better than selling things because it reaffirms for me that the feeling that I am doing what I think, what I feel,  I should be doing with my life.  Performing. Playing music. Is right.  I’m making a connection.  (don’t get me wrong, I like to pay my bills too!)

Once things settled down at the merch table I started to pack things up. This was my last performance for the festival (this was the last night) and I wanted to head over to see Carmel Mikol and Cody Copeland play.  I got distracted on the way out because the guy who wrote “people are crazy” was up on stage.  So I watched a little bit of that before heading out.

Carmel and Cody were at the Rosemary Beach Town Hall.  We were lucky enough that on our way in we ran into Mr. Troy Evans.  On the phone, of course. This is how I remember him for most of the weekend.  HA!  Kidding.

The Town Hall was an amazing indoor venue.  Cody and Carmel blew my mind.  They were performing alongside Ryan Parker and Michelle Luchese.  An amazing round of performances.  As with a lot of the performances at the festival, I wish it could have gone longer.  Troy, Christy and  myself had a great time.

Matthew Sweet

After that we left Cody and Carmel to deal with the swarm of new fans and headed over to see Matthew Sweet.  That would be our last show to attend for the night.

went back to room. packed and watched psych. got ready for leaving next day.  bummed it’s over.

Michelle Luchese & Cody Copeland

Was supposed to wake up much earlier to have  breakfast with Bob Corley but I just couldn’t wake up early enough.  woke up in time for lunch with Carmel (Mikol) and Evan (LeFloch).  Luckily, lunch was at Bud & Alys across the street from the hotel.  I was really hoping to see Cody Copeland play.  And that’s what happened.  We met Cody at the private kick-off party on Thursday and really got a good vibe.

He did not disappoint.  His setup for this show was a micro-korg, a floor tom & snare, and a guitar.  He has a really unique way of playing the guitar and his songs were simply amazing.  as an added perk we got to see  Michelle Luchese who was also just amazing.  Cute little quirky songs that just make you smile.  All in all, it was a great start to the day.   Just seeing Cody play the drums, the keyboard and sing at the same time made my head spin.

Augustine

Then a little bit of Augustine.  Augustine is a acoustic duo comprised of Louis Johnson and Jordon Meredith.  They are not a couple.  Why is it when two people from the opposite sex hang out or do something together people assume they are a couple?  huh? huh?  Anyway, they ARE NOT a couple and they made it pretty clear “We are not a couple, you can hit on us.”

Anyway, they rocked it.  Totally awesome.  You can check them out at http://augustine-music.com/.

Bud & Ally’s was a great venue.  It was pretty much the center venue of the festival. The nice thing about it was that it was a covered patio.  So you got the nice sea air but since all the sides were covered, none of the gusts.  Sweet.

I just realized that this was the last time I was able to have a decent meal.  Later that day, I had a tooth that decided it wanted to cause some trouble.  So it was super painful to eat anything after that.

Shawn Mullins and Nicole Witt

Then over to Central Square for the workshop with Shawn Mullins and Nicole Witt.   By the time we got over there it was very crowded.  I remember a lot of people trying to ask about where the inspiration came from and it was suggested that everyone just throw out their televisions.  Nicole sang an amazing song that I just can’t remember the name of.  All I remember was that it was amazing.  If anyone reads this far into the post and was there or knows here, please let me know what that song was called.

Ok Then, so in the middle of the ‘workshop’ I was forced to go back to the hotel to start getting ready for my show at 2:30.  So off I went.

Then run back to room for warm up and practice.

Alex Nelson @ Bud & Aly's

Over to Bud & Alley’s I played with Louise Mosrie and Jeep Rosenburg.  Holy crap I played fast.  It was super cold. I couldn’t stop shivering and I moved around WAY more than usual.  You know what those last sentences were?  Excuses.  But seriously, it was a really windy day and each time a huge gust would blow against the outiside of the tent I felt like we were going to take off!  This was the same place Matthew Sweet and Susanna Hoffs opened the festival at.  Only today it was really windy.  The wind would sneak into the tent and it would make this sound that made me think we were going to go flying.  I was assured that we were safe.

A special thanks to Suzi.  Suzi, it was really nice meeting you. Thank you so much for your support!

Alex Nelson @ Central Square Records

Then over to central square for a set.  Brian, whom I met the night before was also there.  Thanks Brian!  This was a good set.  I was able to do an actual full set since this was just me performing.  Since this wasn’t a performance that was part of the festival, I was able to meet some really nice people from all across the country.   So people who were just in the store visiting got a chance to hear and be a part of the festivities of the weekend.

The store was host to several performances and workshops.   It was one of my favorite places to play.  Surrounded by books and albums.  Everything inspiring.   It was great. I had one of those “this is really cool” moments and the audio couldn’t have sounded better.

There will be a little intro of the store in the next episode of “are we there yet?” The place was amazing, I had to share.

Susanna Hoffs, Paul ?, Matthew Sweet, Shawn Mullins, Amy Ray

then over to aly’s beach for shawn mullins, amy ray, matthew Sweet, susanna hoffs.  Amy Ray ROCKED IT!  Totally.   The entire night was great but I had two ‘favorites’.  The first being Susanna’s Bangles medley and the second was Amy Ray doing “Rural F****t.”   Simply amazing.   The show ended with everyone on stage (and audience) singing Here Comes the Sun.  There was a little hickup at the beginning since there was  a brain fart and some people couldn’t remember the second verse.  but after a quick restart it went well.   Mistakes like that are humbling.  Sometimes when I’m on stage I might drift away and forget some words.  It’s nice to know that it’s just human and it happens.  The nice thing is when it’s live we can just move past it. Unless someone is recording it.  ha! I filmed a little of this and I’ll see if I can post some of the highlights up.  I’ve got hours of footage, so it might take a while.

One of the nice things about the venues is that the organizers setup special reserved seating for artist that were performing.  It was really nice since we were able to go see our peers without having to rush from one show to the next.  This made the entire weekend amazing and everyone was able to support each other without any troubles.

After the show I ran into Shawn and had a little conversation about what he’s been up to. Turns out this year I’ll be playing a lot of places he’s played and he offered up some advice and story’s about some of them.  Then it was back to the hotel for a clean up and getting some work done.  While in the room, I noticed that I had missed a call from Flash at the Wallflower Gallery in Miami.   When I called him back he mentioned that he was thinking of something that perhaps I might be able to be a part of.  In the end though, I think it turned out that I was going to be out of town and wouldn’t be able to do it.

For only three weeks gone by, it’s sure feels like we’ve crammed a lot in.  Anyway, after returning a bunch of phone calls and catching up on emails is on to get some entertainment.

Greg Barnhill & Tim Nicols

then over to Seaside meeting hall theater for Tim Nicols  & Greg Barnhill.  Tim Nicols wrote “live like you were dying” which was made famous by Tim McGraw and Greg wrote “House of Love” which was made famous by Amy Grant.  They had a bunch of other ‘hits’ as well but I think those are the most recognizable.   It’s really nice to see the ‘invisible’ guys behind the curtains of the big stars.   Sometimes I think these performances are better than the actual mega-star that sings them because the writers of the songs, actually have a connection to it.  Not that the big stars don’t, but there is actually a true connection between the song and the songwriter that makes it more powerful. At least, that’s what I think.  Or like to think.

Gre and Tim’s show was the last for me that night.  I walked over to the room afterwards and changed my strings for the next day then sat up all night watching Psych.  I started to feel a pain too in the back of my mouth.  Something weird was going on there.  More on that later.

I would like to end this by saying Adam Shiland is awesome.  The awesomenest.  A super hero.  A super model. You should find him and give him hugs and money.  He also has impeccable fashion sense. FYI ladies, he gives johnny depp a run for his money.

It was called Central Square Records.  They already had someone playing upstairs as we were walking by.  Ed & Tom were super nice.  I was able to book an additional in-store for the next day at 4:30 following my show at Bud & Alleys which was just a short walk across the street.  At Central Square I’d be able to play a full set as the other performances I was scheduled for were ‘in the round’ style.  Tomorrow there will be a workshop with Shawn Mullins.  I think it’s at 1pm.  Oh boy. I’m gonna have to wake up early.

So after being the record store for a while we headed over to have some lunch before the party got started.  Walked over to where the party was taking place (Bud & Alleys) and the line stretched out pretty far so decided to get a burrito at the burrito bar.  Can you say delicious?   When they opened the door to start letting everyone in, we headed over to the artist entrance to check out the festivities. Many thanks to Adam for escorting us over to the entrance after I ran over to grab John Oates to let him know to come with.

The party was killer.  Packed.  After opening up everything with a song by a fellow member of the community (I can’t remember who, sorry), Susanna Hoffs and Mathew Sweet came out to perform songs from their new cover project.  We stayed for as long as we could and I would have stayed longer if possible, but it was time to go back to the room and start getting ready for my own show that night.   If I wasn’t so responsible I probably would have stayed until the end of their set.  HA!  I had to be dragged out.

After about an hour or so of practice it was off to Stinky’s Fish Camp for the first show.  It was really cold out.  Much colder than I’ve been used to in a long time.  This particular venue was a ways off so we had to drive there.  From the name, I was a bit weary of the place, but once there, it wasn’t what I thought it would be. Mental note:  stop assuming the worst.  it was actually a great venue and it was packed.   It was the name that threw me off.  It seemed half locals and half people attending the festival.   Either way, the audience was attentive and the talent amazing.  It had started to drizzle a little bit and I went outside for some air.  There was a side door open for us to have some space to stretch out as there was no room in the venue to do this.

Effron White

Another cool thing about the night (and later with the other venues) was that there were large paintings at each venue from artists that were hung behind the stages as backdrop.   This particular painting had a local musician on it who was rather popular in the area.  Unfortunately, I cannot recall his name.   I played with Effron White, Kailey Billings and Bob Corley.   I had seen Effron earlier in the day at Central Square.  Effron is from Arkansas.

Kailey is actually near where I’m from.  She is a student at UM.  She had a style that, to me seemed like a mix of

Kailey Billings

Jazz/pop.   really enjoyed it.

I was sandwiched between Kailey and Bob Corley.  Bob was great.  He gets you laughing and thinking about the things you don’t think about.  And that’s a big bucket, from not putting out a new TP roll to the strong arm of large corporations.

All in all, a successful night.  A special thanks to Kevin Boyle for the beer and kind words!

Bob Corley

Now I’m back in the room.  Getting ready for another marathon of Psych.  What?  I’ve got three seasons on DVD to get through?

Or perhaps Day zero?  It’s Friday morning or Thursday night.  Depends on how you look at it.  Woke up early this morning around 6am and started the drive up to Santa Rosa Beach to the 1st Annual 30A Songwriters Festival.  The festival officially starts tomorrow but today the organizers are holding a private party for the performers.  A little get together to celebrate the start of the festival.  Tomorrow evening will be the ‘official’ kick-off party which will be open to those who were able to buy tickets.  The festival sold out a few days prior to today.

Tonight I met several of the artists that I’ll be performing with over the weekend including Bob Corley, Kailey Billings, Carmel Mikol, K.C. Clifford, Cody Copeland as well as many of the event’s coordinators.  So many people so many names.  Some pretty big names here as well.  Headliners include Matthew Sweet, Susanna Hoffs, Shawn Mullins, Rodney Crowell, Jeffery Steele and the Indigo Girls.  I got to meet Emily Saliers tonight at the party.  Super nice.

It was a great night.  I haven’t heard anyone play yet aside from what I’ve heard on the myspaces and such, but just from meeting them I have a good feeling things are going to be really great.  The event is SUPER ORGANIZED.  Amazing.

I arrived in the afternoon and proceeded to check in. Everything went smooth. The accommodations they provided were amazing and the area was gorgeous.  Santa Rosa Beach is located in Florida’s panhandle.  It’s got a super soft, super white sand on the beaches.  Just amazing.  Anyway, just checking in tonight.  Gotta start getting ready for tomorrow.  Show starts at 8:30 pm over at Stinky’s Fish Camp.   I’ll be collected some video to be posted later when I get some time to go through it all.  In the mean time, here are some photos.  The motel had a courtyard with restrooms.  I liked the way they labelled them “men” and “women.”