My last two days in Nashville went by so quickly. Pretty much the only thing I did Monday was go back to the BlueBird Cafe. They really talk up the BlueBird and make it a big deal but I felt far more comfortable this time and wasn't nearly as nervous. It helped that I happened to be in line with some girls from the hostel who kept me company during the hour long wait. There was one thing that really made my whole night though. When I got into the cafe, this woman came up to me and was so happy to see me. She had heard me sing "Supergirl" last week and didn't get a chance to exchange information so she came back this week hoping I would be there. She said she felt so moved by the song and that she was able to let go of some things in her life because of it. God works in some awesome ways and I was so humbled that this woman would come up to me and share that with me. It was a reminder of why I live this crazy lifestyle and why I write music.
To determine the order in which the musicians play, they draw names out of a hat and mine was the first to be pulled. I played "So Far Away" and got some good feedback. No publishers or anything, but the audience enjoyed it! I'm glad I went back this week because there were quite a few blues singers that night. There was this young girl from Mississippi that could belt her lungs out. She sang her song entirely a capella with nothing but a hand-drum to accompany her and she blew everyone away. It's interesting because you never know what you'll find here.
Tuesday night I was determined to get a spot to play at the Douglas Corner Cafe. I called in entirely too late last week and didn't find out until it was too late that you have to play the game. They do sign ups via voicemail specifically for the open mic. The website says to call anywhere between 1 and 6pm but all the musicians know you have to start calling at exactly 1 to get a spot. Everyone is calling all at once though so you keep getting a busy signal and it's just the luck of the draw if you get an early slot. After 93 calls between 12:56pm and 1:08pm, I finally got through and made it as number 29 and didn't play until after 12:30am that night. I didn't win that hand for sure. I decided I'd stick it out anyways since this was my last open mic before I left.
It seemed like all the great songwriters I had met while I was in Nashville were all there that night and it was great because they were all able to give me some last minute advice before I had to head back home. Tommy was there, of course, and he continued to be a wealth of information. His good friend Gary, whom I met at Richard's, was also there giving me loads of advice. He also reassured me that I may actually know some music theory, which I've always felt I lacked, so that was a good confidence booster!
I finally got to play in the second to last round. Most places you only get to play one song but everyone does two songs here, which is bittersweet because you get more time to play, but I was also there from 8pm-1:30am. I played "Everything" and "Supergirl" and I think the few people that stuck around enjoyed it. I would have really liked to get more feedback on my songwriting while I was there but the people I talked to about it suggested that an open mic isn't really the place to do that. The open mics are mainly for networking. I need to get involved with a songwriting group to really work on my craft. I'm pretty sure there's a branch of the Nashville Songwriters here in Pittsburgh, so I will definitely be taking advantage of that while I'm home.
I stuck around to hear the last round of writers and was so glad I did because I got to hear Tommy Turner play one last time. He's got this hilarious song I've heard him play a couple times called "Have You Seen the Hole I Dug For You Outside". Everyone at the bar knew it and we all sang along. It was a great way to end the night and to end my trip in Nashville.
Now I just have to decide where to go from here. I really loved my time in Nashville and would love to live there but I would be focusing entirely on songwriting if I move there. That's not a bad thing, I just have to pray about it and see if that's the route I need to take. I'm thinking about taking a trip to New York or Chicago or something and seeing if I would do better in more of a jazz scene. Or maybe I'll just stay here and travel to all the big cities. I'd be okay with that. Anyways, thanks for reading about my adventures. There will be plenty more to come :)
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