Since moving to Nashville, I have been looking forward to performing locally! Just being here and being a part of the energy is encouraging in itself. There seems to be something in the air. I feel more inspired and even more creative. After just a couple months I was able to book two venues to perform at in the Nashville area.
Here is a picture of me performing at Ugly Mugs Coffee, a listening room venue in East Nashville. The place was packed. I put up flyers, promo CDs, and posters. I also added my show to various online calendars in Nashville. I was amazed at how many people actually came to see me because I barely know anyone in the area. I personally drew about 15 people. It's not much, but for a person just arriving to the music scene, I'd say that's pretty decent. Add that to the 25 people who were already there, we had a full house. I was a tad nervous because people were coming up to me saying that they had come to see me perform and they were looking forward to hearing me. My stomach was in knots. The pressure was on. I had better give them a good show, I thought!
Well the first song was a huge success. We opened with "My Red Shoes." Although I didn't have my red shoes on, the people were pleased, especially the ladies. We had a 30 minute set so we kept it to originals and high energy up-beat songs. Most of the people signed up to my mailing list and a we sold a few merchandise items. All in all it was a great show. The best part about it, Ugly Mugs invited us back to perform there again in April.
I also performed at Ri'chard's Louisiana Cafe in Whites Creek, TN, a suburb about 20 minutes northwesterly of Nashville. Ri'chard's is a nice quaint cajun restaurant. Richard the owner has a love for New Orleans and decided to bring a piece of it to Nashville. God bless that man! We did a 45 minute set there. We played only originals and Richard himself sat in with us on his harmonica and guitar. It was magical. Not as many people came to this show because the venue is a little farther out, but even still, 3 people did come to see me perform specifically! I was very happy to see them. :)
These shows were very encouraging to me. Before performing, I was feeling a bit intimidated being a part of such a competitive music scene. But these shows confirmed that I can hold my own. Next time you're in town, please come by and see me. I'd love to have you.