Check Out My Friends!

I've been meaning to do this for awhile, but some friends of mine are making some pretty awesome art... please go check out their stuff, especially if you are in Nashville, they are extremely talented and its a privilege to know them and to share their art with other people.




Alva Leigh

I met Allie in our freshman dorm (Hail Hall) 5 years ago at Belmont. I noticed a pair of converse shoes she was wearing and she noticed mine and we decided to trade shoes without exchanging names. She made a record a couple years ago under the name Allie Peden titled "With This Love" and is preparing the release of her new record in 2010. She's an exceptional songwriter and her songs have a voice to them that is all her own. Her music is a mix between Nashville indie love and Mississippi truth with pop thrown in along the way. You will love it.

www.myspace.com/alvaleigh




Jake Ousley

This boy can write. Hes got a couple songs up on myspace but a whole lot more he hasn't even unveiled yet. A couple months ago he invited me to go to a YoungLife leaders retreat weekend and one of the nights we were there he played a show of just his music. The atmosphere he created was like being in a living room .... He's got a lot of stuff going on so check him out.


www.myspace.com/jakeousley



Kaiti Jones

I've known Kaiti for a couple years and everytime I hear her stuff I'm continually blown away. She is one of those artists that you wish played more shows because her live performance matches the quality of her recording. She recorded an Ep with Mike Odmark( Nashville producer and engineer) called Arise Child. You can buy it on itunes or get it from noisetrade.com.

www.myspace.com/kaitijones




Lindsey Jones
Lindsey is a singer/songwriter who is always doing great projects. I met her last year and heard her self titled Ep (produced by Andy Osenga of the Normals and Caedmons Call) She is part of a duo called This & That. They have just made their grand entrance into the Nashville scene with a killer Ep. She will be doing big things, keep an eye on her.

noisetrade.com/thisandthat
myspace.com/lindsey jjones

Frothy Christmas?

I have to say.... I've lived in Nashville 5 years now and I haven't always been a fan of Frothy Monkey mainly because whenever I showed up they were closed or I thought their coffee wasn't that great. However, today I with a full stomach and a warm drink in my hand completely satisfied with my decision. Good job Frothy, I may come back and visit. No worries Portland Brew... you're still my main squeeze.

Get ready because I'm about to post some Christmas Playlist suggestions as well as an actual post....totally depending on my battery life and my attention span.

Open your itunes library or your friends and search for the following....

1. Sara B and Ingrid Michaelson - Winter Song
2. Leigh Nash - Last Christmas
3. Fiona Apple - Frosty the Christmas
4. Mindy Smith - Follow the Sheperd Home
5. Mindy Smith - I Know The Reason
6. The Choir At Your Door/ Nathan Phillips - Through the Snow
7. Sufjan Stevens - That Was The Worst Christmas Ever!
8. Rosie Thomas - River
9. Jars of Clay - Winter Skin
10. Katie Herzig - Silent Night
11. The Choir At Your Door- Its Christmas Eve I've Lost My Job

This isn't your average Christmas Playlist I mean I didn't even put Amy Grant Tennessee Christmas because we all know you are already listening to it.

Merry Christmas!

Peter Bradley Adams

Couple tings(like things but better) people....

1. I don't write to much on here anymore
2. I wish I did
3. I've decided to do a couple of music recommendation posts for the next couple of weeks. Starting tonight....

Drumrolllllllllllllll please.....

I found this record last night and I'm giving it a shout out.



Peter Bradley Adams

He is a genius with lyrics and his instrumentation is absolutely brilliant, its a mix between nickelcreek mandolin glory and traveling to the mountains in winter, or a good cry maybe.

Hear it, Love it, and share the love.... like butta.
However, he is probably a starving artist, so pay for the butta.

Cheers.

Portland.

I write to all 4 or 5 of you from Portland, OR. I am currently enjoying my last spring break and I can't tell you how great it has been to sit and enjoy not doing much of anything except to drink coffee, take pictures, read, watch movies, and have good conversations with old and new friends.

Portland is a strange city. I flew in over a sea of lights that strangely had the ability to comfort me through my bumpy flight. Its odd to be introduced to a city and further more want to stay in that city when it changes its weather pattern more than I change my mind about what profession I want to pursue. But somehow Portland has the ability to make me love it despite the weather.

For some reason I've always wanted to see Reed College (which is in Portland). I had this idea about what it like was ever since I read Donald Millers Blue Like Jazz book. Today my friend Erin and i drove over to see the campus and it was so small. maybe a couple of city blocks long and there wasn't anything that really stood out about it. I kept imagining the huge festival that happens there every year, the one that everyone hears about... if you haven't heard about it, Reed has this weekend festival where all of the students get high, or try out different drugs. They even bring in a special emergency response team called the white dot that helps treat people that are having bad "drug trips." Anyway, I had a hard time picturing everything that Don talks about. It seemed so quiet and intellectual that a lot of the things he describes in his books... I couldn't quiet picture it for myself.

Yesterday, we went downtown and I was able to get some pretty good pictures, I will post those later this week if i remember. I also saw some pretty cool shops that were so original and made the city feel unique. Tomorrow, Erin and our friend Matt are heading to the coast. I think its going to be really fun, both of them have heard of some great places to check out while we are out there.

I hope everyone is doing well and check back in the next couple of days because I should have some other posts up for you guys to read about somethings I have been working on for a little while. Love as always to all of you.

Last semester of college.

My last semester of college starts tomorrow. I can't say that I a thrilled to begin this semester because I'm not sure what it actually marks for myself. I will be completing time I've spent working on a degree but other than that tangible measurement I am unsure of what life will look like come May. Its kind of odd to think that life will not be measured by the times that I have classes or free time determined by the number of hours I have left to turn in a paper.

It seems that there are always people you meet before undergoing a transition that seem to depart a word of advice about the change you are about to experience, whether you want to have it or not. When I was about to start Middle School, I was warned that other girls my age were sometimes mean and unkind towards one another. When I started high school I was told that I would encounter many opportunities to "party" as well as when i graduated I was told I would never have it as easy as I had it during my high school days. Entering college I was told that I should take the time to find the right campus for me and that it was fine if I changed my major because everyone changes it at least once. Now as I prepare to leave college, everyone has told me I will miss it and will never have a time like it again. Its almost like signs on the highway that tell you how many miles away you are from something. Or the signs that say " Now entering (insert city of choice here)"

While I am writing this I am watching planet earth, the one produced by BBC. Its wonderful. God is freakishly funny and beautiful in his creativity. They should just let kids watch this in school and we would all grow up to be strong willed environmentalists.

Well friends, I am off to continue watching planet earth. Rent it, watch it, Recycle and plant trees.
later.