Whiskey and Flannel-a love story

Well Howdy ya'll, Yeah that's right. I went to Nasvhille for 4 days and now I say ya'll. It was my first time there but definitely not my last. I really loved it. It went by so fast that I'm not even sure what happened!

I was there for a workshop which was awesome. Very informative. A little overwhelming but generally helpful. It was a 3 part workshop. Part performance, part vocal, and part business.

All 3 guys that were teaching are very established and respected in their fields. Tom Jackson for performance, Brett Manning for vocals and Rick Barker for business. In fact what they all have in common, amongst other things, is that they all worked with Taylor Swift. Rick was her manger when she busted on the scene. And actually, he's a big reason she did.

It was cool to hear their stories and see them in action. Tom is a genius when it comes to live performance and he really said some things that got me thinking.

The biggest being that you have to "make moments" in your performance or else people won't connect, and will be bored.

Brett brought someone on stage and helped him get rid of the flip in his voice. The flip is the moment when you go from head to chest voice. It's pretty subtle and I'd love to see it again, but it was  amazing to hear even just the new confidence that this guy sang with after.

And Rick Barker, well….he had lots to say. He talked a lot about Taylor and how they made making connections with fans the most important thing to do.

It was funny that they all said it wasn't her voice or performance that got her to where she is. At least not in the beginning. It was the relationships she made with the people who supported her.

Aside from the workshop, I tried to see as much live music as I could. To be honest, I wasn't completely blown away by anyone I saw but I don't think I went to the right places. There was one guy who was at a writer's night who sang about going down a whiskey river and it was the best song I heard the whole time.

Everyone down there wears flannels and drinks bud and/or whiskey. It was cool to be around and watch. (I was driving so I didn't drink much of either.) And for the most part everyone is really friendly. I got a bit o' summer down there and it was niiiiiiiice. All in all a successful trip.

So, the moral of the story? Well, clearly that I didn't spend enough time in Nashville:) I'm looking forward to going back knowing what to expect and setting up meetings and checking out more (and better) live music. It was just a test run.

and so, my summary of Nashville ends. Have you ever been? Whadya think?

All my whisky-drinking and flannel-wearing love, Dana