Goodbye 2012: The Sparkly Moments

Hello 2013.  Hello chance to start over or chance to move forward.  Hello new day.  You’re looking more promising and more bright than ever.  I’d like to take a moment though, to reflect on the moments of last year that have brought me here to this very moment sitting in Whole Foods in Nashville.

The first half of last year was filled with the determination to find answers on how to move forward with this music career of mine.  I spent almost every Monday going to an open mic at Kulaks Woodshed in North Hollywood, played shows around town, wrote original songs and teamed up with two guitarists who helped me tremendously (Joe Devenney and Andrew Heath).   I played impromptu mini shows at a coffee shop, Republic of Pie, in North Hollywood every chance I got.

However, key moments that would change the course of my life forever:

1. Move to Nashville July 1st.

(I did not take this photo)

2. First co-write with Josh Withenshaw July 6th

3. Met and Wrote with Ernie Halter (who I had been a fan of since his album Congress Hotel.. eek!) July 23rd.

September:

-Played Whiskey Jam with Josh and his buddies from Every Avenue (Matt and Jimmie)

-Shot music video for Cowboy Lovin in Malibu

October:

-Started recording 6 of the tunes I wrote with Josh Withenshaw

-Rebel N Rose was born on 10/22/12 (duo with Josh Withenshaw)

NO WE ARE NOT DATING. 🙂 We are just best friends forever.

November:

-Attended the BMI awards – refer to Mission Accomplished if you want the deets 🙂

-Visited my sister in Texas and got to meet my baby niece Amelia (who is the cutest thing ever)

December:

-Wrote with Brennin Hunt.. and am super excited about recording the finished product in January!

-Went to the studio to meet the Pistol Annies (Miranda Lambert, Ashley Monroe, and Angaleena Presley) and witness their new record come to life. This was my TOP moment of the year, no doubt.

-Invited back AGAIN to the studio for the final listening party for the Pistol Annies new record where I sat in a room with country player legends who played on the record as well as producer, Frank Liddell.

-Went to Sheryl Crow’s house for her Christmas party. Had a fantastic conversation with Jimmy and Karen from Little Big Town about the music industry and rising above the nonsense and nonbelievers. Got to see Sheryl’s home studio.

Well, 2012, you did good.  I’ve got a lot of plans for this year.. but I found that less planning and more dreaming allows the Universe to bring about opportunities I would have never thought possible.  If you would have told me 6 months ago that in December I would be standing in a studio kitchen discussing liquor of choice with Miranda Lambert, I would have laughed and told you, you’re crazy.  Well played, Universe.  Well played.

Looking forward to an incredibly successful, abundant, spectacularly bright new year filled with sparkles, rainbows, and butterflies… and cupcakes.  A year of more doing, and less procrastinating.

As for you, I hope that you’ll dream bigger than ever before.. and as you dream your dreams into reality, I hope you find that to be a dreamer is so much more satisfying, exciting, and rewarding than to be a boring, dumb “realist”.

Random Morning Thoughts: Nashville and Life

It’s all happening.  My life has been a dream since the moment I got to Nashville.  I spend most days writing songs that even I would listen to with people I adore and respect as songwriters.  I have a consistent writing buddy who is wonderful and amazing and everything good named Josh Withenshaw and writing with him has become one of my favorite things- here’s why.  I forgot for a split second that music (or anything you commit your time and energy to in hopes to earn a living at it) is supposed to be enjoyable.  For one day, I hated it and second guessed my move to Nashville and my career choice.  But, it took all of ten minutes of a conversation with Josh to reassure myself that I had made the absolute right decision- after some Mexican food and margaritas, we went back to the writing room and put the finishing touches on another tune we had written the day before.  We make ridiculous jokes and laugh a ton throughout the entire process.  It really has been a match made in heaven.  I’m really lucky to have him as he is an incredibly talented guitarist and songwriter (no, I’m not just saying this- It’s fact).  He’s also in a band called Every Avenue (Check them out!) and lives with the bassist, Matt (who is also, amazing. obviously) who played bass our demo of Carry On- a song I hope you’ll get to hear one day.

Anyway, being in the studio was an absolute blast as well.  FUN is the key word here.  I laughed so hard my stomach hurt.. and it’s been a while that I laughed this hard.  I’m surrounded by the most awesomely talented, amazing people who have been nothing but kind and helpful to me.  Sometimes I’m like.. is this for real?  how did I get so lucky?

Side Note: I was lucky enough to get to write with Ernie Halter a few days ago and we pumped out an AWESOME song.  I’m excited about it, anyway.  And it might just be a duet 🙂  I know you’re jealous.  I walked out of the kitchen to use the restroom and I could hear Ernie’s voice echoing through the halls, but instead of being the voice that I used to hear out of my computer speakers, it was real.. and live.. in my kitchen.  This was a very surreal moment.  One of those moments where I thought, there is a very mysterious and real reason for everything and it’s just kind of CRAZY!  I never thought (especially not when I discovered his music in 2008) that I’d ever meet, let alone write with this crazy talented and amazing singer man.  The Universe is such a wild and amazing place.

For now, I have to run, because I have a writing session with one of my dearest friends, Rachel.

It’s all happening.  Think it, believe it, go for it, do it, now.

peace and love!

mac