I love this! Huge geeky smile the whole time it’s playing… Merry Christmas!
Merry Christmas!
December 25, 2011 By
“And it’s hard to dance with a devil on your back…”
October 17, 2011 By
One of the most powerful songs I’ve heard in a long, long time… my Lord, the lyrics! –>
Regrets collect like old friends
Here to relive your darkest moments
I can see no way, I can see no way
And all of the ghouls come out to playAnd every demon wants his pound of flesh
But I like to keep some things to myself
I like to keep my issues strong
It’s always darkest before the dawnAnd I’ve been a fool and I’ve been blind
I can never leave the past behind
I can see no way, I can see no way
I’m always dragging that horse aroundAnd our love is pastured such a mournful sound
Tonight I’m gonna bury that horse in the ground
So I like to keep my issues strong
But it’s always darkest before the dawnShake it out, shake it out, shake it out, shake it out, ooh woaaah
Shake it out, shake it out, shake it out, shake it out, ooh woaaaahAnd it’s hard to dance with a devil on your back
So shake him off, oh woah
Never give up!
October 1, 2011 By
If you can’t fly ~ then run. If you can’t run ~ then walk. If you can’t walk ~ then crawl. But whatever you do… You MUST keep moving forward.
The Civil Rights Experience 2011
August 3, 2011 By
“In 1961 an integrated bus of black and white college students left Nashville on a “Freedom Ride” into the deep South to oppose segregation, suffering immensely on the journey. 50 years later I’m on an integrated bus going to Birmingham and Montgomery to see the impact they made. We are all beneficiaries of their blood. Don’t you dare settle for modern day segregation.” – Pastor Chris Williamson (Strong Tower Bible Church, Franklin TN) … I was on that bus. The trip was life changing! I choose to remember the awful times in our history because I never want to repeat them.
In Marin Luther King's home at the Dexter Ave Parsonage, praying in the same kitchen that King walked into on the night of Jan 27th 1956 after receiving one of many death threats in the middle of the night. That was the night King famously bowed his head over an untouched cup of coffee and prayed aloud in desperation. King said that as he prayed he had an epiphany of the reality & presence of God as he heard God through an "inner voice" telling him to keep on fighting the good fight, and to not fear for He would never leave him, that He would be with him unto the very end. Three days later King's house was bombed and as his friends and neighbors rallied for a fight, King stood on his porch and told them all to go home, he was not afraid... King was determined to love the "Hell" out of his enemies...
A Day in Nashville (story, photos & video)
May 11, 2011 By
With Patrick Davis, Nashville, TN
My producer and music mentor, Mark Bryan (guitarist for Hootie & the Blowfish) came up to Nashville this week and graciously set up a co-write to introduce me to his good friend and songwriting master, Patrick Davis. Patrick’s 1st album, Chances Are, was produced by Mark and was released independently in late 2003. Since then Patrick has penned tunes with a wide range of artists and writers, including Lady Antebellum, Jewel, Darius Rucker, Steel Magnolia, Robert Randolph, Matt Kearney, Whitney Duncan, Josh Kelley, Guy Clark, Julianne Hough, Dallas Davidson, Jason Michael Carroll, David Wilcox, Radney Foster, David Lee, Pat Green, Cory Morrow, Tim Nichols and many of the top songwriters in Nashville, NY, LA and Texas. So yeah, it was definitely a momentous occasion to have him & Mark Bryan together in one room for a song writing collaboration.
I really didn’t know what to expect going in, but I had a good feeling it was going to rock my socks off. Patrick was a lot younger looking than I expected him to be based on his mature reputation and his kick-butt credentials. But as soon as he strapped on his guitar and began free-styling off the cuff, hit-worthy, totally original lyrics and melodies like he could do it all day, I knew why Jewel [Read more...]
Warriors Wear Pink!
April 4, 2011 By
I first watched this dance this time last year when a friend, Leslie Crawford Moore was going through her own fight against breast cancer and shared it on her blog Warriorswearpink.blogspot.com … She started the blog the day of her diagnosis and used it to document her journey to victory and as she said, to somehow pave a way for others to make sure no other “Warrior” walks the path of Breast Cancer alone. Her blog had a huge impact on me… Most days I found myself in tears after reading it, but I was ALWAYS left with a great feeling of inspiration and a deep awareness of how precious and beautiful life is. So in honor of Leslie and every mother, wife, daughter, and sister who woke up this morning to fight another day… may you find your strength in the one who gave you life, a God who longs for you to turn to him in times of joy and sorrow… I hope this dance and Leslie’s story [Read more...]
A Night to Remember!
March 4, 2011 By
I fell in love with Glen Hansard & Marketa Irglova my senior year of high school. I was taking Guitar at the time, and I convinced my teacher to let us watch the movie “Once” in class. The film was such an inspiration… there was a noticeable shift in focus & drive & creativity in all of us from that day on. You couldn’t walk the campus without seeing or hearing one or more of the guitar students playing down a hallway or in some class room or on a park bench. That was also the year I was hired by the library’s cafe to play a set during lunch & study hall breaks. And of course, for my final Guitar exam, I chose to perform a solo version of ”Falling Slowly.” Then, for my birthday, my Dad bought me tickets to see Glen & Marketa’s touring band, The Swell Season, in concert at the North Charleston Coliseum. The whole night was incredible! I had goosebumps for the entire concert & even got a little teary eyed during the farewell tune, a hauntingly beautiful Irish lullaby. The highlight though was when Glen started interacting with the audience & asked if we had any questions… I shot my hand up & when he called on me, I asked him if they were planning on creating a sequel to the movie “Once” … and he so perfectly answered, “We’re living it.” <3 Here are 4 of my favorite tunes we captured with our Cannon Elf camera from that night:
“Leave”
Click ‘read more’ below to see the other three music videos… they all ROCK!
[Read more...]
Dance like a dervish!
March 3, 2011 By
Meet Joe Black has been a favorite movie of mine since it first came out in 1998. I was only 8 years old the first time I saw it, but there was one scene in particular that made a big impression on me even then, and has stuck with me ever since… It was when Susan (played by Claire Forlani) was talking about love with her Dad, Bill (played by Anthony Hopkins) and he gave her this impassioned advice:
“Love is passion, obsession, someone you can’t live without. If you don’t start with that, what are you going to end up with? Fall head over heels. I say find someone you can love like crazy and who’ll love you the same way back. And how do you find him? Forget your head and listen to your heart. I’m not hearing any heart. Run the risk, if you get hurt, you’ll come back. Because, the truth is there is no sense living your life without this. To make the journey and not fall deeply in love – well, you haven’t lived a life at all. You have to try. Because if you haven’t tried, you haven’t lived… … I want you to sing with rapture and dance like a dervish.” –Bill
Soul sister…
March 3, 2011 By
I can’t stop listening to this song… Roberta Flack showing what soul sounds like <3 Here singing possibly my favorite ballad ever, “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face” … breathtakingly beautiful…
Mary Did You Know?
December 24, 2010 By
My Christmas gift …thank you to the writers, artists, & musicians who gave me the raw materials for this video and who have been inspiring me since I was a little girl. The song is “Mary Did You Know” by Mark Lowery, sung here by my Daddy… it’s from Robert Williams CD Change My Heart, featuring stills from the film Jesus of Nazareth with Olivia Hussey as Mary & Robert Powell as Jesus… Produced & arranged by Robert Williams, vocal by Wayne Caparas, guitar by Ty Curtis, piano by Bill Whitfield, saxophone by Robert Williams. Video edited by yours truly. I wish I could find one of the versions where my Dad performed it live with Robert P Williams… if I can find one, I’ll post it for sure! Merry Christmas!
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