Sunday Gardening

I'm in the van on the way to Wisconsin to open for Elliot Root's cd release party and decided to share these. ...

My fall veggie gardening is on it's ascent to greatness.

This past Sunday Claire Benbow kept me company while I thinned out my sprouts.


These sprouts or cotyledons are generally composed of two leaves that are essentially food storage for the potential plant. So they are super nutritious, and I wasn't going to waste them! These are the thinned out bok choy and mizuna sprouts.



They were tediously washed.



This one still had a seed attached.


And they were assembled into a delicious salad of walnuts, olive oil, and campfire jalapeno goat cheese from Round Mountain Creamery.



And then consumed :)

On the affair of affairs. And blogging about blogs.

I am so honored to tell you about the NASHVILLE'S FIRST FRINGE FESTIVAL!!!
"Sideshow" will take place THIS weekend, September 29th to October 2nd, and is our very own underground arts celebration. Look at the schedule here. You may feel like your brain could explode with all that entertainment inertia.



Sorry, I have no consolation for you on that one. It might.

Stolen accordions, fire-eating, standup comedy. Annie Sellick. Never before seen theater. A 48 hour play with OPEN REHEARSALS ("its like the 48 hour film festival- you have to write and rehearse a short play in 48 hours based on the suggestions that you are given at the beginning of the competition!"). What things too see! What treasures to behold!

And I will be a lonely girl without your company at my set! I'll be on at 9:15 on the outdoor stage, which I believe is to be across from the Blackbox Theater on Compton (This will all take place in the Belmont/Bongo Java area). Single event passes are $10, full weekends are $25 (what a STEAL), and there is even a VIP option for $50. You can purchase tickets here.

And here is the home page.




(Photo Courtesy Craig Hill of Silent Tree Media)


Another matter I would like to discuss with you is that of this blog. Of all the promotional/social networking options available to an artist, I would like to make this my leading means of communication between you and me. Let me explain why.

1.) "Blog" is fun to say.

2.) If you hadn't noticed, I can be a little quiet when it comes to self-promotion, a hugely important task to an independent artist. I don't like feeling as though I'm only contacting people to come out to my shows. I love music because it connects me to other people. I want to consistently (don't read the dates of my other posts) and personally interact with those who so graciously support me.

3.) I want to share things that excite me- artists, new causes, local businesses, etc.- and for you to share them with me! We are swimming in a wealth of culture here in Nashville, most of which gets drowned out by the big music machine. Send me your art, your video links, your reviews, your show dates, or just the things you think deserve more attention.

And also, please keep reading, like it, post it, follow it, share it, comment on it. All that jazz. :)



Love,
Mandy

Time To See The Piper

Well, the first ever Writer's Rochambeaux at The Basement on Monday was one helluva good time. I dealt out plenty of lame insults to my fellow writers, and (standing at just under 5'2") received many a midget joke to boot. That's okay. I'm quite accustomed to it. I really loved being on stage with Peter Matteson, an eerie lyrics-man with a classically trained voice (although he uses it with a lot of beautiful grit). I bet he could have been a lot meaner than he chose to be, but with the humor I encountered off stage, I'm glad he took it easy on me. :)

I'm proud to announce that I'll be the first guest on Ty Brando's new radio show on Nashville Free Radio 107.1 WRFN! Tune in this upcoming Monday, the 13th, to hear me chat and play some tunes. I'll be on air at 7:30.

And finally, I had the privilege of viewing hit songwriter Marcus Hummon's latest Nashville theatrical production, The Piper. For those of you who don't know Hummon by name, you probably do know him by song- remember "God Bless the Broken Road" or "Cowboy Take Me Away"? Yeah, that guy! Maybe I just have witnessed/participated in too much Rogers & Hammerstein, but I think of myself as a hard critic of musicals in general. This, however, I loved from start to finish. I did attend with the knowledge that this was a working production.

UK native Kim Bretton takes a lead, and I swear, she's absolutely magical. Her eyes glitter like none you've seen and her warm presence on stage brought more than a few tears to mine. Set in 1890's Boston, it's a story of lust, redemption, and the power of story and song. Of course, being that we are here in Nashville, the musicians (including Hummon (and accompaniment by my friend Knox Ewing)) in the pit were seamless. You'll hear an assortment of flutes, Irish-inspired rippling guitar, mandolin, and hand drums next to flowing and at times dissonant piano.

It is so important to support your local arts. I'm not going to say the R word, but we all know that times are incredibly hard. I believe that one of the best ways to start digging us out of this hole is to put our money back into the pockets of our community. Theater itself has been a struggling art for some time now, but it is so fulfilling both for those on stage and those in the audience. Let The Piper be your reintroduction.

Remaining show times are:
Thursday-Saturday 7:30
Sunday 4:30

xoxoxoxoxo

Can somebody tell me what diddywahdiddy means?

It appears I'm much more of a winter blogger than anything else...

Maybe it's the free internet at my parents house during the holidays :)

I hope that the in-laws were well-behaved and that all your skeletons stayed neatly packed away in their respective closets. On the other hand, if they did NOT, I'd love the hear the horror story. As for me, Thanksgiving so far is well-oiled with Corona, infused with karaoke, and topped with wicked cold.

I am now working with producer and artist Zach Broocke hoping to record and shop an album! We have an exciting show on 1-11-11- it's my first time playing the 5 Spot in Nashvegas! Yay for $2 Tuesday!
$2 Tuesdays $2 Cover, $2 Yazoo pints, $2 Hotdogs....and me!

But before that rolls around, come see me at the Writers Rochambeaux on the 6th of December at The Basement. I am both insanely excited and terrified about this event. Supposedly, all rules and etiquette are off for this unique writer's round, where I'll be sharing the stage with my (as of now) good friend Sharif Iman . Shot's between songs, as well as lots of song-bashing. Come and see me weep.

Also, I need you to come and see me at the Exit/In on the 12th. It will be a great set. Tickets will be available this week.

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox

My Old Kentucky Home

I'm back in Morehead, KY for a little weekend visit. Not really much else to do here when it's 26 degrees other than right an entry.

Unfortunately, with as twiddle-your-thumbs-bored I am, I am feeling relatively uninteresting right now. So, to take the heat off of ME, let me share some awesomeness:

Warpaint

Adam Harding- love the work!

Ladies and Gentlemen, Erroll Garner


MY NEW SONG!

Had a lovely lovely lovely rehearsal with our full band last Wednesday, and very stoked about getting a killer show together!

Mandy Cook

Numero Uno

Schnee. (German)
Snow. (English)

Lots of it. At least it's a lot for Tennessee. Businesses have gone into hibernation, gigs (including one of mine) have been cancelled, and roads have all but ceased to exist. So I'm cozy in bed, starting the blog that I had promised myself would be up a month and a half ago. Snow is rattling against the window screens and the kitties' ears are cold.


Although, it would have been difficult to drag me out of bed snow or not. I played at Liquid Smoke in Murfreesboro for the first time last night and - ding ding ding- drinks were on the house. Now, I'm usually pretty responsible when it comes to mixing gig with beverage. But this does not happen in Nashville. I have played many a thankless, perkless gig in this town (not that I'm complaining, everybody must pay their dues), so any perk is glorified just by it's mere existence. Needless to say, I lived it up after my job was done. Mmmm 1554 you are delicious.

So.

Today's word of the day is Groovy. Why? Because this particular word is particularly accurate in describing the essence of Liquid Smoke. The sound system is a little lacking, so it's not so much a venue, but it is one hell of a cool place to hang out. A couple of cabinets full of cigars hang out amongst the shag-carpeted walls, laid-back twenty-somethings, and local-artist paintings. There is even a cozy little board-game filled chill room in the back. I approve, and will definitely be back.

The wonderful fantastic 247 , who got me the gig, came out and did a set as well. Click the link to check out his myspace. He's also on youchoob.

Stay cozy.
Mandy Cook