Words, Wisdom and Songs

 

It was the 8^th Annual 30A Songwriters Festival this past weekend and we just returned home. There were 175 artists covering 30 venues along Scenic Highway 30A in Northwest Florida. I’ve gone seven out of the last eight years, dragging my kind husband along. He doesn’t care one hoot about music, but he cares that I do.

Since I love all genres (country, indie, soul, opera etc.) and he loves me, we attend plenty of concerts. I’ve been known to dance in the forbidden aisle only to be escorted back to my seat by the guard. Tina Turner made me do that with her six-inch pumps flying in the air!

 

 

Okay, here’s a confession from a girl who spends hours writing. I’m a music junkie and Pandora is my drug. I-Tunes is peddling close behind. The number of songs downloaded on my apple device is shameful, ridiculous. I’m not oversharing that number with you, I’m just not.

Author friends always ask, “Prissy, how do you write with that noise?”

I like what I like. That’s why there’s chocolate and vanilla ice cream. End of story.

Seth Walker: New Orleans roots made him a fave for me. A poster boy for blues, gospel, pop, rock, R&B and a dash of country. And he’s cute, don’t you think?

I’m not only a music junkie, I’m also a nerd. I’m not to be confused with smarties who score 1500 on the SAT. That’s another specimen, entirely. Those people are science, math, computer– genius nerds– who turned our world around and changed lives forever: medically, technically, and productively. Then there’s me. I’m just a word nerd and will never make the world better, or different.

But I did make a world of difference for me. It wasn’t easy, or fast, or even planned. Like everything in life, the difference occurred while journeying the unknown. I translated my internal thoughts- convergent and divergent- into words. It happened moment by moment, day by day.

I like to compose and string words into sentences, paragraphs, pages, chapters, and hopefully, a book. I do this playing music in the background.

It’s been a deep-rooted excavation of my soul, again. Trying to make sense of dreams, memories, choices, mistakes, regrets, life, even me. I’ve realized through each tap, tap, tap on my keyboard, it’s not for the faint of heart.

Yrsa Daley-Ward, a favorite poet

Occasionally, a thought germinates in my head. Where did that come from, more importantly, why? I can barely decipher the thought, much less the meaning.

Perhaps, I’m no different than an artist who stares at a blank canvas. She’s holding her bristle brush loaded with paint, just wondering. She has so many color options, a plethora of paint tubes she’s collected over the years. She chooses one color and stares, thinks, waits for that inspiration. Finally, it comes and she begins her creation. She has no idea where it will lead, how it will end, what it will be. That’s the beauty and madness of an artist.

It’s daunting, challenging, and exciting laying that first stroke. She tries to understand the flow of her brush, blends the edges, fills in those tiny corners one seldom notices. She worries as she writes paints, afraid of critics lurking nearby. Is it good? Will past admirers be happy? She sees her vision with each tap stroke and tries to capture on her page canvas. Sometimes she feels brave, most days only afraid. She refuses to retreat, because, well, she can’t. She’s compelled to complete her book painting. Otherwise, it festers inside her being, consuming her daily thoughts and nightly dreams. That’s simply unacceptable to this writer painter.

My 30A weekend was different this time. I think I learned something about myself and understand where my passion for music originated.

It came as I sat inside a listening room at the venue I chose. Sitting next to me was a sweet, adorable girl talking, while the performer sang his heart out. I perked my lips and gave her a shh!! I can’t believe I did that. But he was singing beautiful lyrics, his tenderness coupled with pain. I had to hear the words behind his song. Didn’t she?

It was in that moment it clicked. My passion isn’t about the music, but rather the words inside the music. The message.

The Song{writers} Festival is full of lyrical stories.The beats, rhythm and cords are played with guitars, violins, accordians, horns and everything in between. The melody is just icing on my lyrical cake.

All those words strung into lyrics, melodies and songs tell us stories.They are all storytellers like me. Only they write with melody, I write with ink… in blogs and book(s). I had never really thought about that. Not really.

As I listened to their lyrics, I understood the hard-knock lessons they wrote, recorded, and hoped to sell.  Some may get that record deal they want…if lucky. Some may realize they were better off without it. The music world, the movie world, the publishing world- they are all alike. It can be a delicious entree, but it depends on the chef. You never know until you order, pay and taste. It may be the most expensive rotten bite you ever tasted. Risk. Is. Always.There.

Songwriters and memorists journal from deep within:  love, sadness, pain, addicitions, joy, happiness, rebirths, reinvention, even destruction are shared. The lyrics and songs, pages and books- they all come from lessons endured. They decide to share, perhaps knowing it may lessen the pain and heartache of listeners. And in my case… readers. It was an epic moment for this author. I understood. Finally.

 

Farewell Angelina:  These girls aren’t just singers, they’re friends. They were a slam dunk this weekend. I’ve watched from the sidelines as they rose to the top. They have made it! They have reached the ‘tipping point’ and don’t yet even know it. Their humbleness makes my heart sing.

We first met when they played one of my book-signings in Tallahassee. It was a Far{m} Outside the Ordinary party at The Space I co-hosted with The Space and Fresh New Start,  a non-profit organization for young widows. Fresh New Start.

Fast forward to now! They have been named one of the Top 10 Upcoming Country Artists in Rolling Stone magazine, climbing the stardom ladder step by step. Beautiful girls with lovely souls who work hard every day. Check them out: Farewellangelinamusic.com

 

Jim Gray, a five-star guy, shuttled us to our car (a long walk) in his newly refurbished five-star luxuryVW Bus.Thank-you for that, Jim! Love the outfit, btw:-)

 Florida day in a Florida way…

Val and Dave… the epitome of good karma who radiate warmth to anyone nearby. I got tanned just hanging around them all week-end.

I think 30A (Alys, Rosemary, Watercolor, Seaside ) is growing faster than summer weeds. It’s been discovered. Darn it!

The homes are stunning with plenty of culture, art, shops, and restaurants nearby. Plus Hidden Lantern in Rosemary Beach & Sundog Books in Seaside live there. I love those independent bookstores most of all! Visit them!

It’s been said the beaches along 30A are some of the best in the world. I wish I was taller (who doesn’t) so you could see that heavenly, white sand behind me!

Below: “Hay there” Southern-Italian style hello. NOTE:  Lips are inches apart. We are NOT kissing. But we wanted Garrett, my daughter, to think so! We be bad, but we be fun!

Michael is her sidekick at Maclay School. He makes her job fun ’cause he’s fun. Everyone loves them some Michael Obrecht, King of the Music Groupie Empire.

We ended the weekend with a Gospel Brunch at Caliza’s, inside the heart of Alys Beach. There are no words for how this concert moves me.

Ben Glover entertained us. He is a two time Grammy award winning songwriter and producer and has penned over thirty-five #1 hits in multiple genres of music. He was named ASCAP’s songwriter of the year in 2010, 2012, 2013, 2015 and 2016. Kudos. 

He held court with Brian White, Karyn Williams and Phil Madeira…think Alison Krauss, Garth Brooks, Emmylou Harris, Civil Wars, Amy Grant, Keb’Mo’, Mumford and Sons. Phil has written songs for all of them. It was a glorious morning full of Hallelujah!

 

Laughter is life’s best medicine. Always. I laughed so much I grew welcomed wrinkles. Wait. Are those muscles on my arms? Score!

 

God and the cosmic universe navigate my life. Pieces of conversation are always nuggets of gold for a writer. I try to listen. Sometimes conversatons aren’t realized, or even understood, until much later. Like in the middle of the night, nudged out of sleep, the aha moment, with dazed eyes. Awake!

The night before I left for 30A was one of those nights. I bolted straight up from my sound sleep. And, just like that, I knew. 

I waited for the sun to rise to text my Far Outside the Ordinary cover designer, Katie Campbell. Her ‘butterfly’ on my bookcover was recognized and awarded as one of the top five designs that year…. right next to Justin Timberlake’s merchandise. That was also her design.

My FOTO cover was featured in the prestigious Print magazine, right next to Me Before You. Katie is beyond cool…. but even better, she’s my niece! She belongs to my sister, Gina.  Give her to ME!!!!

We set the date and time for our new ‘cover slam jam’.  But Katie cancelled, pushed my anxious fanny aside to meet her big deadline.  Later, on her instagram feed, I saw that deadline. I had to laugh. It was so fitting after my music revelation over the weekend. The circularity in this author’s life is stellar.

Katie is in high demand: LA captive, LA escapee, LA recaptive. Zac Brown was the perfect ending to my weekend. After all, he’s a writer, singer of great melodies. It’s fitting his music should trump a word nerd. Not to mention, I pay far less $$$.  ‘Nuff said.

But just so you know ’cause she’s so humble and would never boast, or share, I can. After all, it’s my blog, by golly.

Here are just a few other clients I’m up against. AC/DC; Aero Smith; Demi Loveto; Fleetwood Mac; Florida Georgia Line; James Taylor; Jewel; Justin Timberlake; Kontra band; Kurt Cobain; Live Nation; Lynrd Skynrd; Madonna; Selena Gomaz; Straight No Chaser; The Ten Tenors. 

Say what? I swear.

Screen shot of my Far Outside the Ordinary cover on her website below. Campkatie.com

Enjoy our January summer. I just killed a mosquito in 77 degree weather today. That’s wrong on so many levels.

My next blog caption may/could/should read:  Cover, Title, Touchdown. That is if those more important ‘folk‘ don’t throw me to the curb and steal my Katie’s time. 

We can only hope….

 

Cheers and Hugs!

Prissy