Culmination of a dream...

The time has FINALLY come! My CD "It'll All Be Fine" is now on iTunes, Google Music, and the physical CD can be ordered directly from my song publisher West Gate Songs!!!!!

I seriously want to pinch myself to make sure I am not asleep...

If only I could use the time machine in Back to the Future and tell the 12 year old, doe-eyed dreamer me: the little girl who spent her spare time singing along with the radio and recording her favorite songs on cassette from her very first stereo so she could fill dozens of tapes to sing along with in her bedroom full of stuffed animals and a waterbed. I would tell her that those innocent, pie-in-the-sky, wishing on a star, Cinderella-esque dreams can come true...but I have a feeling even she wouldn't believe it.

Some of you have been with me from the very start of all of this and have continued to share the music, your love, support, prayers, and time, and have shared details with me about how the music affects you...I can't tell you how much I appreciate your help in getting this dream of mine to become a reality! You helped to encourage me when you didn't even realize you were helping!

Some of you have just joined this amazing journey that I am on. Maybe you are still trying to figure out if now is the time to jump ship but don't do it!...I promise you, you are going to want to stick around for the things that are to come!

I do ask this of you and anyone you share the music with: Please give all 12 tracks on this CD a listen. No two tracks are the same and there is more than likely something for you on this CD!

Moving forward: new music is going to continue to be developed, new songs will be posted, a live band will be assembled, gigs will be booked, shows will be played, hopefully the song lyrics will touch your heart, and the singer/songwriter (that would be me...) will continue to do everything she can to make music that you love and want to listen to and share with others!

Your support is so appreciated and I can't say thank you enough! None of this would be possible without each and every one of you!

Life is all about love, friends. And I love you all.

Keep sharing, listening, and in touch!
~Andrea

One giant leap for musician-woman kind

One giant leap...of faith, of endurance, of nerves.

That is what I have done, sweet friends.

A little less than a year ago, I set out with a musician friend to write and produce music that we could both be proud of. Since then, we have created 12 songs, an official CD for release soon, endless laughs in the studio, an official music video, a song publishing company, and the possibilities are endless as to where this is going end up.

Today, I have submitted my resignation at my day job. (Insert the obvious jokes about NOT quitting your day job here.) To some who have been in the music business for years, this seems to be an obvious thing to do. I have never been able to embark on this passionate, dramatic pursuit of music so vigorously before, so I do so with some nervousness but also with total and complete exhilaration! This has been my dream for my entire life. To do this wholeheartedly with nothing holding me back. Now I am!

Thankfully, I have wonderful people in my life who are strongly and passionately encouraging me to do this, not discouraging. My family, friends, and wonderful people like you who are reading this are what's motivating me and keeping me on this path. You are helping whether you know it or not with each and every comment, like, and post you leave for me every day.

When I think of all of the places my life could have ended up to this point, this was definitely not even in my wildest dreams. And I have you, my family, my friends, my supporters, and my listeners, to thank for it.

Here's to another leap of faith...the one that has now changed everything in the course of my life forever one way or another. Thank you for being a part of it.

Love, music, and hope for the future!
~Andrea

Happenings...

Good afternoon, sweet friends!

I realized when I posted about thankfulness the other day that I haven't kept you up to date on what's happening with the various projects that are going on with the music right now...

Video
I have seen the preliminary video for "It'll All Be Fine" before the Thanksgiving holiday and it was great! There are a few edits that are being made and I should be able to post a final product for you within the next week or so.

CD
We are in the process of finishing the last song, "Good Morning, I Love You" right now.

I am already working with West Gate Songs on designing the CD cover and selecting photos to use. I am writing my own liner notes and contents for the inside of the cover.

A lot of you have commented recently on the upcoming CD and are asking how to get a copy. We are beginning to work with iTunes and Amazon to get my music available to you for purchase there! It will be easier and more accessible to everyone in today's digital age. I do plan to get some physical copies of the CD as well for shows and live promotions.

A lot has to happen before the CD will be coming out but we are pushing as hard as we can to make it happen quickly. I am so excited about it and can't wait to hear your thoughts on the final product!!!

Christmas surprise
Unfortunately, with everything else going on right now, I am not going to be able to record a track of a Christmas song for you to enjoy. But I have a bit of surprise up my sleeve for you for Christmas and promise to post more about it when it's ready.

Following
As of today, my music page on Facebook has over 7500 likes! This is really incredible and I have each and every one of you to thank for it!! So exciting. Our goal when this project began was to build up to at least 10,000 likes on Facebook so keep sharing the page, the music, and the love! Also, if you want to see more pics of my silly, crazy life you can also follow me on Twitter.

Band
Still in the process of assembling a live act as there have been a few setbacks. We had a fully staffed band and then our guitar player developed severe tendonitis and had to leave the project. With the CD coming out soon, we are moving into the live act phase of this project ASAP and can't wait to bring the music to a venue near you!

Venues
I have asked for this information before on the page, but if you know of any local places to hear live music please leave me a note on the Facebook page so we can research booking there. I really want to sing for you live and if it's somewhere fun for you that makes it all the better!

Off to my weekly business meeting and then to the studio to get some more work done on the final track.

Knowing you all are reading this means the world to me.

Can't wait to sing for you...
~Andrea

Thankful doesn't even cover it...

Hello to you this chilly Florida morning...

I know everyone else has done it recently but I need to touch briefly on the subject of thankfulness.

YOU are a huge part of what I am thankful for this year. You are listening to the music that I am writing, putting my heart and soul into, and letting me know when it means something to you too. Thank you...

You listen and send me messages that are super supportive of my journey, wherever it will take me. Thank you for your support...

The communication I receive from you all are generally kind in nature and your super sweet comments sometimes make me blush reading them. At times, your comments have even moved me to tears. Thank you for your kindness...

A few of you have told me how excited you are about my upcoming CD and sent your support and best wishes. I can't wait to get that CD done so that you can listen wherever and whenever you want! Thank you for your excitement...

Several of you have commented that you can't wait to see the music video that is still in post-production at this time but it's coming soon, so get ready! It's awesome! Thank you for your anticipation...

From the bottom of my heart:

THANK YOU, FRIENDS!

This journey has only been from behind the microphone and in the studio so far, but get ready. I'm on my way to performing live for you. With your continued support, that will happen sooner than you realize!

With overwhelming Thanksgiving for each of you,
~Andrea

Familiar, but not.

Hi Friends!!

Since my last blog posting:

1. Professional photos have been taken- We are now awaiting editing of the gallery to choose our shots for the upcoming CD, advertisting, marketing, etc.
2. We have scheduled the upcoming video shoot for the song "It'll All Be Fine" in Orlando on November 3rd. I am so excited about this!!
3. I have moved up to #4 on the local Reverbnation charts! Yay!
4. Tonight I am hoping to complete the new song "On Our Day" that has become affectionately called "#9" by myself and my songwriter friend Ed, since it's our 9th collaboration.
5. I was fortunate enough to take a vacation with my super sweet husband in September to celebrate our wedding anniversary, attend his company picnic at Universal in Orlando, see some friends in Knoxville, do a photo shoot, and go to a college reunion.

Vacation was a great time for me to recharge my creative batteries and get back to the basics of who I really am...just a girl from Tennessee who loves and misses her little grandmother, who was a momumental part of her TN life, now resides in a nursing home, and barely remembers that I am her granddaughter.

Here where it gets really personal for me, folks. I am reluctant to even tell you about it, but I think I need to put it somewhere...

For some context, I grew up around my grandmother as we lived in the same small hometown. As she aged and after the sudden death of my grandfather (I'll have to tell you about that sometime too), I was a weekly caretaker for her for 5 years before I moved from Tennessee to Florida about 3 years ago. Each week I would drive from my apartment in Knoxville and head south for an hour drive to spend the day with her to help her with daily things we all take for granted. She couldn't drive so I would take her grocery shopping, assist her with a bath, doing laundry, cleaning here and there around the house, and the occasional fun things like painting her fingernails while we listened to Nat King Cole or Doris Day on the CDs I would bring. These were some of the most challenging and precious times I ever spent with her. Needless to say, she and I were very close.

My grandmother, a huge fan of music, was in attendance if at all possible when I did a live show or performance of any kind, including musical theatre productions, rock shows, church worship services, Junior Miss pageants, plays, etc. One thing I will never forget is how she used to walk around humming while doing chores or just walking from room to room, some of my fondest memories of her.

At the time I lived in TN and cared for her, she was able to live independently in the home she and my grandfather had built together. No surprise that after I moved away to Florida, she was put in a nursing home facility.

Back to the point of all of this. When I arrived at the nursing home a couple of weeks ago, she was curled up on her bed asleep. I was hesitant to wake her, but decided that she would never know I was there if I didn't. Through the grogginess of waking up, she put on a smile and pretended to know me. I asked her if she knew who I was and she said "I feel like I should..." My heart broke. Literally. I thought I was having, what I can only describe to you as, an emotional heart attack. Thank goodness my husband, my rock, was there for me. In the course of conversation and looking through family pictures, she eventually said she remembered me but I am pretty confident she was just being my sweet, little Southern grandmother who is trying not to hurt anyone's feelings and be polite.

As we are gearing up for the final push of writing songs to be done for my upcoming CD, this most recent encounter with my 92 year old grandmother left me wounded and slightly devastated which is always a good place to write from...feelings. I ignored them for a while to enjoy the rest of my vacation and recooperate mentally and emotionally. Until I found the perfect phrase to describe it...familiar face. I was thinking about how she knew my face but just couldn't put it into context or tell me who I am. This is the inspiration for a song I sat down and wrote yesterday. It's called "Familiar Face" and will be my next song after finishing "On Our Day". This song will be a very challenging but cathartic experience for me to finish and record.

Songwriting is so releasing and freeing. It allows you to go places you never thought were possible, "talk" about those deep places you don't want anyone to know about, and come to peace with it all. In itself, it is therapy. Probably long overdue in my case...haha.

What a blessing it is to do this now. Amazing. Just amazing.

Hope you are still there with me on this journey, friends.
~Andrea

Prepare for takeoff...

Hello friends!

Lots of things are happening on the music front right now. We, at West Gate Songs, have been interviewing bandmates for the backing band for my live gigs, preparing storyboards and concepts for my very first music video, getting all of my gear ready for my artist photo shoot in Tennessee, started advertising on Facebook, and continue to new material and recording songs as we go along. Whew! That's a lot to type...not to mention, how busy that is going to make me in person!

Amidst all of the chaos, I am finding an unexpected peace in the face of the unknown. I am SO happy to be doing what I love and being so heavily involved in the process. I am so fortunate to have people in my life to make this happen and a family that loves and supports me in this as well. My family is sacrificing so much time with me, enduring my grumpiness due to pure exhaustion, and encouraging me at every turn just to see me succeed at my passion. *blessed*

A close friend of mine, you know who you are, recently told me that they are seeing a new confidence about me. I really feel that doing what you love and being passionate about it will make you more confident in all areas of your life. I feel more like myself when I am singing, writing, playing shows, and mixing/producing songs. There is nothing like it.

Newfound confidence is a good thing when you are about to get professional pictures and video done, especially for someone like myself who tends to be very critical about my own appearance. It also helps to have a WONDERFUL photographer that also happens to be a very close, personal friend! Nothing like a friend to make you feel comfortable.

The video is a whole new venture for me. I am familiar with performing live, doing theatre, singing at church and such. But nothing is like being recorded while singing, making sure I don't look ridiculous, and hoping that I don't waste anyone's time. I did speak with the videographer yesterday over a conference call and he really seems cool. We have a similar love for the arts and desire to make the video everything it possibly can be.

One thing that has had to come up as a topic of discussion during all of this is image. In everyday life, I am not one to have an "image" but it's something I've had to think a lot about as I move forward in representing myself as an artist. I am definitely NOT the Lady Gaga or Ke$ha type but I am not the Beyonce or Mariah Carey type either. Finally the realization came that I want to have a classy image. Not in-your-face sexy, not trashy. More classy, timeless. I consider myself a pretty open-minded and accepting type of person, so I find it slightly hilarious that I am reverting to more of a traditional image. In this modern day world where anything goes, there need to be more people who take their image seriously, care about how they are seen by others, and don't want to change who they are just to sell themselves. I plan to stick to who I truly am, no matter where all of this takes me.

As for the now of things, my husband and I are going to enjoy each other's company today as we are going to have breakfast together (a rarity indeed!), get a guitar fixed and updated, and then check out new mobile phones for our personal and professional uses, as it's definitely time to upgrade (especially with all of the things I need to manage these days!). And I am sure my hubby will work in watching a football game at some point....aaah, Saturday!

Hope you all have a great Saturday!

It's happening...

Well, here I am.

So blessed beyond belief, surrounded by wonderful, supportive people who believe in my abilities (which I tend to feel are mediocre at best), feeling like all of my wildest dreams are about to come true.

And I am terrified.

My fear is twofold:
1. What if I can't live up to the potential others perceive in me?
2. I really don't want to suck at something I love so completely and wholeheartedly.

There it is, friends. Short, sweet, and to the point. I don't do that often so take advantage. ;-D