It is a beautiful spring day here in North Central Florida.  The wildflowers are blooming, the birds are singing and my new album is almost finished!  We are currently polishing the mixes and should have  Twists & Tangles available next month!

One of the great things about any new endeavor is the awesome people you meet along the way.  One of those awesome people is Wrenda Slaymaker, owner of Wrenda Slaymaker Photography.  She did a wonderful job photographing this camera-phobic songwriter : )

Last Friday night at The Emerald Thread was so much fun!  Many thanks to everyone who came out to hear Megan Webb, Matt Stanland and me performing our songs.  It was The Emerald Thread's first ever songwriter's round and the turn-out was great!  

​For those of you who missed it, Shaun got some video clips of some of me doing a few songs.  Enjoy!

I'm happy to announce that one of my newest songs, "Down to the River," was named to the top 10 of the Will McLean Song Contest!  This is an annual contest that honors songs written about Florida.  "Down to the River" is my first Florida song.  It's based on my memories of growing up near the Ichetucknee River.  Here's a video of early draft of the song filmed at the head spring of the Ichetucknee - one of my favorite places on the planet.

I can't wait to hear some of my favorite performers and discover new favorites at the festival.  ​It's going to be an awesome weekend! ​

The new year is off to a busy start!  I have several performances scheduled for the next month in the North Florida area.  I'm excited to be playing alongside some very talented singer/songwriters.  So come on out and support your local songwriters.  I would love to see you there!

Thursday, January 14th                                               Essence of a Song 
            @ 6:00 pm                                                       High Springs New Century Women's Club  
                                                                                         High Springs

Saturday, January 23rd                                              The Songwriter Spotlight
            @ 7:00 pm                                                       The Doris Bardon Community Cultural Center
                                                                                        Gainesville

Wednesday, February 3rd                                       Ray Lewis' Songwriter Showcase 
            @ 7:30 pm                                                       Mudville Music Room
                                                                                       Jacksonville

Friday, February 5th                                                  The Emerald Thread
             @ 7:30                                                             Lake City

    About 5 years ago, I attended my very first
    Florida Folk Festival and I fell in love.  I
    haven't missed a year since.  Each year I
    discover great new artists, hear amazing
    folk legends, eat great food, and dance
    Zydeco with my Mom.  

    Ever since my first festival, it's been my
   dream to perform there.  This year my
   dream has come true!  That's right, folks,
   come Memorial Day weekend, 2016 you'll
   find me on one of the stages of the Florida
​   Folk Festival!!!

I'll post details as the festival gets closer.  In the meantime, mark your calendars.  You don't want to miss it!    

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday because it reminds me to count my blessings.  And I have been so absolutely blessed!  Most days I pinch myself to be sure I'm not dreaming.  Truth is, I simply could not write, perform, and record my music with out the help and support of my friends and family.  I will not name names because I don't want to leave out someone.   So to those who have taken an interest in my music, listened to my songs, helped create the album, come out to hear me play, watched my kid while I was performing somewhere, encouraged me, or shared my music/videos with others - Thank you!  I couldn't do it without you! 

I am beyond excited to have the opportunity to perform in Macon this Saturday to celebrate of the life of Macy Easom, a precious four-year-old girl diagnosed with hepatoblastoma who passed away at the age of five.  Music4Macy and the Macy Easom Cancer Research Foundation were established  in her honor to fund the research to increase the survival rate of children diagnosed with hepatoblastoma and other pediatric cancers.

Curing pediatric cancer is a cause very near to my heart.  My nephew, Eli, was diagnosed with leukemia at the age of 3.  The diagnosis was devastating for our family.  The joy and fun of Eli's childhood was replaced by chemo, spinal taps, and endless trips to the hospital.  Thankfully, Eli was able to make a compete recovery and is now a smart, talented, funny 13 year old.  

I feel extremely privileged to help build support and awareness by participating in Music4Macy.  Please visit their website to find out more: ​princessmacy.org.

Each week, we are getting closer and closer to finishing the album (yay!), and with a little help from you all, it even has a nifty name, "Twists and Tangles."  We're still few months  away from releasing it but I have a little preview of what you can expect when you take off the shrink wrap.  

I can't go an further without thanking Dave Melosh of Medusa Productions in Gainesville, Ricky Kendall (guitar), Jon Alexander (pedal steel), Jared Broom (drums), Ryan Baker (keys), and Jeremiah McInnis (bass).  These guys have done some amazing work on the album.  

So here's a sampling of what we've been up to for your listening pleasure...

Come out to High Springs for a great day of music!  The festival starts at 11 am.  There will be music throughout the day at various venues.  I play at 5 pm at the High Springs Playhouse.  Hope to see you there!