Life in Nashville UPDATE

It has been a hot minute since I've blogged! The following is an update on my current life. Future blogs will have more specific content, but for my family and friends that don't ever get to see me... here we go!

I just turned 30 in May! I thought i would hate it and just wither away to nothing, but as it turns out... I love it!!! I think I will be very productive in my 30's! My roommates and boyfriend threw me a surprise white trash birthday party. It was AWESOME. Cameron also took me on a weekend trip to Destin FL which was also AWESOME!!!







I am still dating the most awesome guy ever, Cameron Cleland. You can check out his blog at www.cameronmicah.com
He is a guitar player/teacher. He also leads worship part time at a baptist church. Today we are celebrating one year of being together! WooHoo!! It has been one of the most amazing years of my life. I am truely blessed, humbled, inspired, encouraged, and impressed by him. If you haven't met him yet, you need. to!



I am also still working as a daycare teacher for 2-3yr olds, right here in downtown Nashville. I still love my job and am getting better at it everyday!


Music is still going well! I had a bit of a slow start this year. I went for about 5 or 6 months without playing any shows from January until late May... But it has picked up in a major way and I am playing bass a bunch! So busy! I have also spent more time writing. I have written several songs lately, all of which you can find on youtube, some will be up shortly, some are already there. I had the privilege of recording a song that I wrote with some very talented musicians and an amazing vocalist. That wll be on youtube soon as well, as soon as I figure out what footage to put with it! My dream is to make writing a career, but I love writing, so I will do it wether it is an occupation or not. Cameron bought me a ukulele to make writing a little easier for me and is giving me guitar lessons, as well as theory lessons so that my writing will improve, and eventually I will be able to play my songs out in "writer's rounds" where people come to hear an acoustic set of songs people have written. Can't wait! It's one of my goals for 2011!

ukulele songs here

Plans are set for me to be home for about 10 days in July. I arrive the 7th and leave the 18th. Would love to see all of you who are there, so holla at me! If you have any questions about my life, feel free to comment, or just call me!

Susie, mi abuelita

My grandmother is dying. It's interesting how when someone says that to me, I feel sad for them, but maybe not as sad for them as if it were their best friend, or perhaps a sibling or parent. I think it's because at my age, grandparents have lived a long life, and as hard as it is, sewing this earthly body back into the earth is just the next part of life. It does however take on new meaning when it's YOUR grandma. I can actually remember thinking as a youngster that MY grandparents would never die. They are so healthy and fun!

As my grandmothers frail body gradually shuts down and returns to it's helpless, infantile state, I find myself thinking about her and what she is leaving behind. Maria de Jesusita, or, gramma susie, has left nothing less than a true legacy on this earth. A God fearing woman with the purest servants heart. Never could you leave her presence without feeling like she tried to serve you, love you, in some way. People would stop by her house unexpectedly, and they would leave fed, physically and emotionally. She would talk on the phone for hours, often without a break in her story :) She was a conversationalist of the truest kind. She could go on forever if you simply asked, how was your day? She loves people, and though she is frail and confused, seemingly beaten by the dementia, her heart and sweet nature remain. Her genuine desire to tell a story and be in the loop remains. I visited her Memorial Day weekend and she seemed to remember who I was, even asked how my sister Theresa was doing. This surprised me considering the stories I had heard about her mental state. She even joked along with my mom and me at one point and I caught a glimpse of the sassy, funny, generous grandmother I had the privilege to know and love in my life.

She leaves behind a Godly family. All of her children serving the Lord, all of their children serving the Lord. As she stated time and again "I may not be rich with money, but I am rich with family." I loved hearing her say this. Thru teary eyes, on Christmas Eve, as we gathered around the Christmas tree for presents and singing, my grandmothers heart overwhelmed with gratefulness for what the Lord had blessed her with in this life, and it blesses my soul to know that I am a part of that blessing.

I know it will be soon that I will join with the family again in California, and this time it will be to honor and celebrate the life she lived, and is no longer living. I know it will he difficult, I also know that we will rejoice in the knowledge that she has gone home to be with her heavenly father.... to walk with him and talk with him, to worship Him, to sing His praises. Wow.... my little grandmother, walking hand in hand with the creator of the universe... perhaps telling him that she was born on January 1st, and is a "new born baby" haha. Oh how pleased our father must be with her. She is loved my so many but nothing compares to the Joy in our Fathers heart when he hears her voice and listens to her prayers and her praises to Him. What and example of a righteous woman. I pray that the legacy I leave on this earth resembles what she has left.

Thank you Gramma, for standing in your faith and always being a woman of character, grace, and servitude. I love you!

To succeed is to sacrifice...

After spending 10 wonderful days in California celebrating Christmas with my family I had a hard time leaving the amazing warm weather and heading back to Nashville! Although I didn't get a chance to see all the people I wanted, I did get to spend quality time with some of the people who I wanted to see most. It gets a little tricky when you want to get around southern california and you don't have a car!

This was my third trip home this year since living in Nashville. I can't believe it will be a year in January! It's funny, it seems that every time I go home I am asked the question, "so how long are you giving yourself to do this? do you have a time limit on how long you'll stay?" And the answer is no, I don't. When I moved here, the only plan I had was to become a professional musician. I wanted to try and make money at doing what I love to do. Lofty goal? maybe... but people do it every day.. why not me? I've only been here 1 year and I have achieved many of my goals already. I am, in fact, a professional musician! I get payed to play bass all the time! Yes, I still have a day job to pay the bills, but bass playing is definitely a big part of how I pay those bills. I have been on a tour bus, I have done a studio session, I am the permanent bass player for at least 2 artists here in town, I have played on Broadway (downtown nashville) and I honestly believe I am on track to making a living on bass playing alone. In this respect, I am already doing what I came to do... so if the question "how long?" is in regards to, how long are you gonna try this before you give up? well, i'm doing it.... so no need to give up! I did it, I'm here and I am a payed musician who gets gigs regularly. IF the question is in regards to "how long will you stay there as a bass player?" well, I have no idea. I guess when I feel it is time to move on to a new dream, I will! As for now, I feel good about the decision I made, and I think I've worked really hard to get where I am, and it can only get better from here!


When I first moved to Nashville, people would ask me.. "how is it?" and my thoughts then are the same now... it is a town that humbles you and inspires you all at the same time! I love that about this town! There are a million musicians that have been at it longer, know more about it, have more experience, and are just better than me! That humbles me every day! And yet, I am so inspired by that. They had to start somewhere too! They had their first studio session, their first 4 hour set in a honky tonk, their first road gig, their first rough gig, their first amazing gig, their first payed gig, their first WELL payed gig.. haha! Sometimes after a new gig, I will get advice from a drummer or the lead singer. They stick around and tell me a little more about how the town works, and how I can better prepare myself. It's hard to take sometimes, because that means they could tell I haven't been around long, apparently it looked like I needed the advice, but at the same time, I am so grateful for it! Instead of talking down to me, or just leaving me without imparting anything into me... Nashville musicians look out for each other. They like to help each other and when they see a newbie like me... they are eager to take me under their wing. Perhaps they see a little of themselves when they started out, or perhaps they just feel sorry for me... either way, I'll take all the advice I can get! After all, I had NO IDEA what it was going to be like when I came out here! Now... I even find myself giving advice to people who have just moved here....

People tell me a lot that they think it's great that I am trying to follow my dreams, some say they wish they could do the same. I just don't know any other way to live life? You are given a life, and it is your choice daily to live it how you want to. You are given talents, desires, characteristics, qualities, and all of these put together create endless possibilities for every person! What did God put in you? What is unique about you that you can share with others? You are different. And you have a purpose. When you pursue dreams, and desires in your heart, I believe it pleases God so much. He put those there! He wants that for us. He put such a huge passion for music in me, of course I need to pursue that! do it as long as I love it! That's not the only passion I have... so it's probably not the only thing I'll pursue in my life... that's what's so awesome about life! I can change my mind! I can switch it up! I can go from getting a degree in Communication, making videos, writing scripts, doing graphic design... to making music! And your interests and passions don't have to be your vocation or occupation... they don't always have to make you money for you to be following them and achieving them. I can honestly say that even though it has been really really hard to be here sometimes, leaving my family, making less than half the money I was making in CA, leaving friends.... I am happy! I have Joy because I am diving into what I feel I was created to do! It's not easy! but what about life ever is?? No, it's not easy, but it is rewarding and satisfying. And I am having a blast. Do I miss my family? more than they know, do I miss my friends? LIke the desert misses rain. Yes, I am sacrificing right now. A lot. But I get one shot at this life, and I want to experience all I can, all God has for me.

I'm moving into 2010 with more excitement than ever before. 2009 was definitely a turning point in my life. I have learned a lot about myself. I have made many new friends, I have cut ties with old ones. I have loved and lost. I have cried many tears, and I have laughed a lot. I have tried new things, been places for the first time. I have written songs, blogs, letters and checks! I have played bass in churches, bars, festivals, big stages, small stages, backyards, living rooms. I have cried on shoulders, I have offered my shoulder to cry on. I have changed. My life has changed. God still remains and I delight in the comfort of knowing that He loves me, that he's "got" me, and even more so in the comfort that nothing can separate me from His love.

Rock ON!
Love God. Love People.

Workin on it...

wow, it's been a while! It is not out of a lack of events that I have not written a blog in a while, but rather a lack of time to right about the events due to the frequency of them. huh? yah, anyway.

Well, it's October, and the leaves are changing colors. The temperature is dropping. The sun has gone into hiding for a while. It's a little dreary, but life is good!

Since I last wrote, I have picked up 2 more jobs. I have been the school age director at For Kids Only, and now I also work at American Eagle in the Opry Mills Mall, as well as serve at a small restaurant/sports grill 2 nights a week. The jobs are keeping me busy, but I have managed to still take bass gigs, rehearse and perform. Lately the gigs have been paying a bit more and it seems that every show I play, another opportunity presents itself. Which is great!!

Recently I played with Ben Sturgell at his album release show. We worked on the music for months and I think the show went really well!! We had a full band including brass, strings and even a clarinet solo! Hopefully the I will get my hands on the video soon and the live audio tracks. It was a lot of fun, and I was really proud of Ben and the band that night for such a great performance. I had a ton of fun!! Now that his album is out, he has been in several meetings with booking agents, publishers, and labels to get this project going. Hopefully we can book a tour soon and hit the road!

In the meantime, I have been playing with several different artists all over nashville and surrounding cities and states. Just last weekend I took a road trip to Monroe Ohio to play a gig with the Michael Gordon band. So much fun!

What I love about this business is that you are constantly meeting new people. And not just meeting them and moving on, but building friendships! Most of the time now, when i play a show, there is either someone I have already played with in the band, or when we show up to play, I know/have played with someone in the band before or after us. Small town! I finally feel like I am in the pool of hired musicians here in Nashville, and it feels pretty good.

Prior to Ben's album release show, I was suffering from carpal tunnel. It scared me because I know how bad it can get, and I also know that bass playing is a career choice for me, not a hobby, and I am going to need to keep my limbs healthy! I wore a brace for a while and took ibuprofen to keep the swelling down. It was annoying. Ben prayed for my wrist often, and I am thankful for that! My wrist is much much better now! Sometimes in long sets or rehearsals it will still tighten up a bit on me, but I am working on my technique to prevent this from happening.

All in all, I feel a bit settled in this town now. I can now get around town without getting lost EVERY time... I have friends... I have a church... I have jobs... things are going well! I still miss home very much. I miss my niece Riley like I've never missed anything before, and it makes me sad that I cannot be there to watch my nephew Ethan grow up. I am thankful for video chat! when it works... but it's just not the same. I can't wait for my sister to come out and visit next weekend!!! and then I will be home for 10 days around Christmas. So excited!!

You have been briefed.

Ben Sturgell Release Photos

Lake House Weekend!

There are a bunch of Birthdays among my friends here in Nashville that occur in May. For this reason, we all decided to celebrate them collectively at a lake house on Center Hill Lake. There were about 16 people who were up for it so we rented the house and set off for a fun filled weekend at the lake. Of course... cuz it's nashville.. it rained the ENTIRE time...

It's ok though! We still had fun! We spent... well... i spent... a lot of time in the hot tub outside.. even while it was raining! which was pretty awesome. We ate amazing food all weekend and watched movies and played tons of games. It turned out to be very relaxing and really really fun! There were a few of us that turned up with a rash when we got home.. i guess when that many people are in and out of a hot tub, you're supposed to add more chlorine... who knew?? gross! Here are some glimpses of our weekend at the lake. Luckly, it stopped raining just long enough for us to go down and skip some rocks.

First Professional Gig in Nashville

I am excited to share with you the experience of my first professional gig as a bass player here in Nashville. Although I have been playing for a couple different artists here and there, nothing had payed me any money, although all of it is good exposure and experience. Well I got a call during church one day, which I of course didn't answer. When I checked the message, it was a girl by the name of Erika Jo who was looking for a bass player to play a show in Arkansas that very next weekend. I called her back as soon as got her message. It had only been about 45 min since she called, but she said she had already found someone but that if it fell threw she would give me a call. BUMMER!! I felt like it had slipped through my fingers. In addition to me wanting to play a professional gig, I was really low on money, and needed something just to earn my rent. So ... I took it to prayer. And I told sarah to pray too, because she is God's favorite. I had almost given up on the thought... and I got a call on monday afternoon while i was at work. Apparently the other bass player couldn't make it to the rehearsals, so she called to offer it to me! Yes! The Lord came through once again! I told her I would absolutely do it, and i went after work and met her at a cracker barrel parking lot to pick up 2 cd's worth of music to learn for the show that weekend. She explained that the show was in Fordyce AK, we would be taking a tour bus to get there, food and beverage were taken care of, the show payed $300 and each rehearsal payed $25. I was sooo excited! but I tried to play it cool. haha!! when I got home is when it hit me... OMG... I have 26 songs to learn and memorize in 4 days!!! So I got to work... I stayed up late... drank red bulls... woke up early... putting hours of practice time in to chart and learn the music, and then get off the charts. I came to the first rehearsal pretty nervous. I got through it ok with my charts, and then went back to practicing... by the second rehearsal, I had everything pretty much nailed into place, and by the time rehearsal was over, I felt pretty confident! I didn't use any charts at the second rehearsal, and I did pretty good! I also started feeling more comfortable around the band mates, which was good, since we had quite a bit of time on a bus ahead of us. We Caravan'd to a kroger where we met and loaded the bus at around midnight on a friday night. We drove through the night, and I slept in my first tour bus bunk, hopefully the first of many! Erika Jo and I hit it off right away. I loved hanging out with her and she made me feel very welcome and comfortable. We played to set's, and apart from shorting the fuses a million times and dodging the rain... I think it went pretty well!!! then we got to eat some corn dogs and funnel cake. Can't beat that!!!! Erika and i plan to hang out and eat some sushi! although, being this far away from any ocean makes me a little nervous about sushi! Anyway, I did it. I played my first show and got payed, and met some really amazing musicians in the process. I hope it leads to more in the future!!

Show Time

So a lot of people wonder what I"m actually doing here in Nashville. Am I actually playing? Am i playing in a band? What kind of music? How do i get gigs? Well, I wanted to share a little taste of what my musical life is like out here! Tonight I finally got a perfromance on video. It's just one song, and we only did 3. It's what is called a writers round. It's when a bunch of writers come out and showcase their songs. Everyone does about three songs with an acoustic set and it's really fun! I played and Sang with Steve Virginia tonight. He is the artist I play with the most out here so far. In addition, I try to get gigs wherever and for whomever I can! I do this by meeting people who pass my name on, or knowing other bass players who may pass my name on or need me to cover a gig for them, and of course, Craigslist! So here is a video of Steve and me playing at a little place called the Edgehill Cafe, playing for a writers round put on by Jennifer Adan, who wrote Blake Shelton's latest "she wouldn't be gone"