Musician's Widow

Everyone is volunteering to help flood victims. Distributing water. Donating clothing. Donating money. Helping people rip out things from their flooded homes. Opening homes to strangers in need of a place to stay…

I wanted to find a place to help out, preferably somewhere that would allow me to use my talents.

A friend posted on her Facebook page that she was starting work to plan a benefit concert to raise money to help flood victims. I’d worked with the friend before on fundraisers, and I definitely wanted to help her again.

So last Wednesday, eight of us gathered in a house in Nashville to plan out this benefit concert that my friend had already set far into motion. Dividing up the work, bouncing ideas off one another. Some good ideas. Some not so good ideas. But by the end of the night, we had a solid game plan formed.

Joe Diffie, Lee Roy Parnell, Billy Dean, Lee Brice, Jeremy McComb and Jerrod Niemann are among artists scheduled to perform.

On May 17th, music fans are encouraged to join us at Limelight in downtown Nashville for a night of great music, good times, and a chance to raise money for several great organizations who are working hard to help flood victims.

Our lineup includes performances by:  Rick Huckaby, Glen Templeton, Melanie Martel, Jared Ashley, Chad Warrix, Jeremy McComb, Lee Brice, Jerrod Niemann, Billy Dean, Lee Roy Parnell, Joe Diffie

Doors will open at 5:00 pm, and the music starts at 5:30. A $10 donation will be taken at the door to benefit the Nashville Red Cross. Silent Auction (which includes donated items from the Nashville Predators, Tennessee Titans, Marriott, area salons, Atlanta Braves, area restaurants, George Strait autographed guitar, and much more) and sale of t-shirts and koozies to benefit Salvation Army, Nashville Humane Association, and Happy Tails Humane.

In addition to the donations and the sale of shirts, etc. we will be taking item donations for all the organizations. The needs of each are as follows:

Nashville Humane Association is asking for:

• Dry Dog Food and Cat Food
• Small Size, Joy or Dawn Dish Liquid
• Kitten Food
• Puppy Food
• Cat Litter and Litter Pans
• Animal Toys
• Food Bowls
• Leashes, Collars
• Carriers/Kennels

Salvation Army is asking guests to bring:

• Cases of Bottled Water
• NEW socks, underwear, and t-shirts
• Hygiene kits
• Supplies for clean-up kits which include: mop, broom, work gloves, mask, sponge, rubber gloves, bleach, all-purpose cleaner, trash bags, and paper towels

Happy Tails is asking guests to bring:

• small blankets for crates
• Pillow Cases
• Towels

As many know, the music community was hit hard by this flood, just as many families. Millions of dollars in gear were lost when Soundcheck, where many musicians store their gear, was among the businesses underwater. The photos and stories coming out of there are heartbreaking, and they personally make my stomach turn. Unfortunately, many of the musicians did not carry insurance on their gear, and are left with  no where to turn.

At this benefit, 5% of all bar sales will benefit musicians affected by the flooding of Soundcheck storage facility.

We encourage everyone to come out and show their support.

To anyone outside of Nashville wishing to support the cause, you may have heard you can text “REDCROSS” to 90999 to donate $10 to the Red Cross. However, perhaps you are like me… I can’t do $10 more on my cell phone bill. It’s a budget thing for me. I know what my bill is going to be, and when it wavers… it throws me off big time. But, I can donate otherwise! (Or perhaps $10 just isn’t in your budget, but you can do $5. Or $10 isn’t as much as you want to donate, and texting 10 times to donate $100 is just a pain.)

We have set up a Post Office box to accept donations for our charties. Pick one of our charities you’d like to support (Nashville Red Cross, Salvation Army, Nashville Humane Association, or Happy Tails Humane) and mail a check in THE CHARITY’S NAME to:

BANDing TOGETHER
P.O. Box 23474
Nashville, TN 37202-3474

I assure you, none of the donated money will go anywhere other than the charity you make your check out to… these will be delivered directly to charity. For any new information as it becomes available, visit our Facebook event page, and please spread the word! It’ll be one AMAZING night.

If you don’t know that October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month you’ve either just not been paying attention or you’ve just not been paying attention. Everywhere I look these days, I see pink as, thankfully, these days Breast Cancer Awareness is at the forefront of our media.

Here in Nashville, last night the Grand Ole Opry even went pink. As I watched the news, they showed the video screen on the Opry stage as it listed survivors and those that had sadly lost their lives to breast cancer. I recognized one name.

Earlier this year, a friend — a fellow “musician’s widow” — was diagnosed with breast cancer, and she has been undergoing treatments for it.

I can’t begin to say how much I’ve admired her as she has gone through every hurdle placed in her path. She has only one more round of chemotherapy to go, thankfully. She’s been through a lot, but through it all she’s had a smile on her face, a loving husband by her side, and a million friends standing by to help her (and a million more silent admirers). She is without a doubt one of the strongest women I am blessed to know.

No one should ever have to go through all she’s been through, but, sadly, according to the American Cancer Society, over 190,000 new cases of invasive breast cancer are expected to be diagnosed in 2009. That number is far too high.

I still remember when I was in high school, I was among a group of four or five girls sitting in a circle waiting for the bell to ring to change classes. Somehow the topic of breast cancer and self examination came up, and one of the girls went, “You know… statistically, one of us sitting here will get breast cancer.”

She has no idea how that statement impacted me in that moment. It really rocked me back on my heels. It was the first time I really gave breast cancer much thought.

Fast forward about five or six years to when I worked at a newspaper in Texas. I covered the town’s Relay for Life and I quickly got caught up in the excitement and passion behind the event.

“It was like a punch in the stomach. It takes your breath away,” Karen Meyer said as she spoke about her battle with cancer to a small group of men and woman who met to plan the upcoming ‘Relay for Life’, an overnight event designed to celebrate survivorship and raise money for research and programs of American Cancer Society.   (Excerpt from another article about the event.)

My hat’s off to the men and women of the American Cancer Society who do so much for those diagnosed with all forms of cancer, and for their families.

Today, I’m finding there is more and more appreciation, respect and attention given to breast cancer and those diagnosed with it. Tonight, when a friend, Sarcastic Mom, Twittered about Boobie-Thon, I had to investigate (and ultimately participate.)

Much like Sarcastic Mom’s Bewb Fest, I discovered a respectful celebration of “boobies” in general. Let’s face it, part of the hurt and pain of breast cancer is the removal of a woman’s breasts. We might not admit it in general, but many women get a lot of confidence and pride from their breasts. I’ll say it right here and now (just this once — haha) that I know I do!

From the Boobie-Thon site, though, I found myself linked to countless wonderful sites focusing on breast cancer awareness. Independent sites focused on bringing breast cancer to the forefront in an almost paradoxical manner of celebration. Let’s celebrate women and the breasts, but lets also be aware of how many women fight breast cancer. Money raised towards research helps to eventually eradicate it, and the lessons towards detecting it early helps to lower the mortality rate.

To end this blog, I will leave you with some of those links I found. Remember, ladies, to love your boobies. Check yourself regularly. Get yearly mammograms. Give love and support to those dealing with the challenge of breast cancer, both the women and their families… help them all get through the challenge and remember that they are FABULOUS and AMAZING.

We ALL are.

Two nights ago, my husband played at Big Valley Jamboree in Camrose, Alberta, Canada. This in and of itself is pretty mundane. Tonight, though, its noteworthy as today a storm hit the festival and the main stage collapsed. As of right now, one has been confirmed with 60 others hurt. Billy Currington was finishing his set when it happened.

When I heard the news, I was literally in shock for a moment. Because on certain levels you really think it just can’t… won’t… happen.

How many times has my husband told me about their being in tornado watches and warnings. Trying to outrun storms in the bus. Etc. And every time they seem to get out unscathed. You slowly start to build this feeling of invincibility. Then… it does happen. The storm hits. And even though my husband wasn’t there tonight, it still hit far too close to home. It could have very easily been him scrambling off that stage. I had to hear his voice after wards.

Beyond that, though, the music community (especially the Nashville music community) really is like a family. Think of it kind of like a family tree, with all these little families making it up. And a branch of that tree suffered a very close call tonight. I worry for them all out there, and I send a prayer up that they all make it back home to their families safely every run.

Sidebar: I also find myself thinking about gear and equipment. This would have been a good time to be using backline, no? haha  Not a time to laugh, but I admit, the thought crossed my mind. For musicians, their equipment is their livelihood… its like a computer is to a data entry specialist. They need it to do their jobs. Stage collapse can spell being sidelined in your line of work if your equipment is damaged in the event.

Like me, I’m sure there was that element of belief in everyone affected today that it just can’t happen. I guess this proved… it can and does happen. You just never know…

Article on the event:  http://www.edmontonsun.com/news/alberta/2009/08/01/10337516.html

It’s been all over the news the last few months. Twitter. That social networking site that asks, “What are you doing?” And like every “new big thing” it has its fans, it has its haters, and it has its lukewarm participants.

I, personally, land in that first group. Twitter has become my new one-stop-shop online. It lets me get the news, check in on friends, share pictures, have a laugh, etc.

However, it does have its “haters.” I can understand this group. Twitter does come across as one huge narcissistic tool for users. Who really cares what you made for dinner, what color your underwear is, and/or if your cat just hacked up a hairball? Beyond on that, is it really safe to tell the world where you are at any given time?

Posting your location at any given moment, gives an unheeded vulnerability to your life and your safety. This is a stalker’s DREAM, and even a house burglar’s. I admit myself of being guilty of exposing myself with too many details on my location at a given moment. Its all too easy to do, and you get caught up in the moment, never thinking about the potential consequences.

Some question if Twitter is the death of the true blogging or journaling. In this world of faster is better, are we sacrificing well thought-out writings to made a point quickly in 140-characters? Possibly! I admit that that is very possible.

However, despite the misgivings of Twitter, I am a solid fan of the site and the “product” it provides its users. I can receive the latest news in world news, local news, entertainment and financial. They are delivered to me, by my choice, to my Twitter page, or whatever program I’m using (TweetDeck or Twhirl are my favorites). I can access it by cell phone, update it via text message, and even choose “Twitter feeds” that I have delivered to my phone via text message! (A favorite is Nashville Traffic updates.)

Herein lies my strongest vote for Twitter. The instant news updates.

Last week, middle Tennessee became the target of an EF-4 tornado. A tornado that came within about 10 miles of my house. My absolute best updates on the storms came from Twitter. People who live near me were posting updates. The local news media posted updates. All of these were available at the tips of my fingers with the simple click of “Refresh.” Within hours, I knew people were safe. My home was safe. And I “met” people online who knew those who weren’t as lucky as I was.

In those stressful hours, I came to realize what an invaluable tool Twitter can be. It could be considered our modern day Ham Radio and/or telegraph.

Twitter is serious in serious times. When times are good, its a fun discussion among like-minded people (some have come to call their followers their “Tweeples”) that, yes, consists of what they had for supper, what they think about the latest infomercial or the fact that their cat hacked up a hairball. Witty banter, mundane day events, and hard news exist side-by-side in the Twitter universe.

As with any social networking site, post your thoughts carefully. Choose your follows even more carefully. Make friends… make enemies. Spread the news. Learn the news. Realize that jobs can be made and lost based on your Twitter posts. Realize its the Internet, and much like life… once you say it, you can’t take it back.

I last wrote in this blog right after the inauguration, when the country’s optimism was high and hope was the feeling in the air. I still stand by my belief that optimism and hope are something we needed and still need. However, with unemployment rates at 1983 levels and home foreclosures happening just down the street on almost every street in America, optimism is hard to find again, and hope seems like a childish feeling in the face of the economy’s harsh reality.

I’ve not written in here in awhile because I’ve been “on the road for work” myself. I’ve been in Texas working with my parents through tax season. I’m grateful for the work, and I honestly enjoy it! It’s at times like this that I wish more than ever I could move Arkansas and Louisiana and bring Texas and Tennessee a lot closer together!!

Working with people’s taxes, I’m amazed how the economy’s downward spiral is a lot like a tornado. Hitting this house and that house, but not touching this other one over here. For every few people that are struggling — praying for a large refund to get through for awhile longer — there’s that random person who is thriving. Their company is growing or they’ve just been able to more effectively manage their money. That random person who is proud of their success, but sometimes I get a sense that there’s this underlying feeling of guilt to be thriving as others struggle.

Personally, I see those people who are thriving as those beacons of hope that we all still need. Hope is not childish or naive. Faith is not a lack of realism. Fear is to be expected. Worry runs rampant today. But I, personally, choose to use all of them together. Worry and fear to feed my desire to keep fighting. Hope and faith give me the determination and ability to win.

38 more days until April 15, 2009