Thank YOU, thank YOU, thank YOU. Hello Again! Welcome to another wonderful collaboration between East Side Story and The Post. Let me be the first to officially, whole-heartedly welcome you to the recap and recording of the 148th epic edition of East Side Storytellin’! Like the 147, I repeat … 147, previous shows East Side Story has put together, we all decided to take a break from our busy schedules all over town in order to sit back and relax and get everyone cultured up just right in the form of a Nashville writer reading from original prose, followed by an amazing local musician performing and talking about their original music, and then a round-up creative conversation with all featured guests of this event to talk about their individual journeys and personal ties to Nashville. Without further ado, fulfilling the entertainment portion of your day, this is the recap and recording of East Side Storytellin’ 148. Let us begin, again.
The first featured artist of the night is a friend that sold a lot of words at East Side Story from its earliest inception. Specifically, this artist made the coolest literary t-shirts under the moniker of Classic Coup. But tonight we are celebrating her writing off the shirt and on the page (or screen). She is a freelance writer, university English instructor, and narrative writing workshop leader. Her Southern Girl Gone Global travel blog is known and cherished worldwide, literally. She is the former recipient of the Journalism and Hispanic Community Award from the Nashville Area Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. Currently she is sharing stories from her No-Mom-Left-Behind memoir, Roses in the Desert. A friend who inspires me with her words, actions, and bravery, it was perfect timing to welcome back this friend into the spotlight. I’m talking about the very talented Cindy McCain.
Cindy, per usual, had prepared so much for the reading, from the notes on her writing to her spectacular wardrobe, that all she had to do by the time it was time for her to speak her first words into the mic was to breathe and let it be. A consummate professional with an open and honest heart for her truth, she jumped right into the first chapter of her latest book to give the audience a proper tease of what she is going to be releasing into the world officially later this year. I knew most of the backstories and notes from her book in the making because I was there in the bookstore when she first started to format and manifest all of the memories from her adventures into a story arc and collection form outside of her own head. For me, it was more than refreshing to hear each and every word and thought laid out on the page and shared with others in the room getting their first taste and sense of the adventurous and bold friend I am proud to know.
One of the best qualities about Cindy’s stories is the authenticity mixed with simplicity. She tells the most outrageous situations that you have to believe because she lived them, but she does so with such poetic and simple details that allows for the audience to follow along in real time and digest the setting as if it was your memory that she is reading from in the first place. Point being, it’s not hard to take in everything Cindy writes because she gives it up and out in a way that is just right. It’s like she’s invited us all to a hearty Thanksgiving family buffet dinner, and, although it looks like more than you would be able to handle at first sight and bite, you realize that you are in such trustworthy hands with your host Cindy that you’re enjoying your dessert portion of the meal before you know it. Again, point being, her reading lets you enjoy everything you’d hope to enjoy from a masterful personal narrative tale that feels as much like a dream hearing it as it was for Cindy to live and write it in the first place. She tells of tales filled with renewal and positive energy, taking chances and making great leaps of faith at every corner, and somehow always lands her on her feet like a cat, finding herself back on majestic grounds for her next big decisions/chapters that are always grounded in faith, family, and a future in search of absolute love. To say that she and her stories are inspirational would be the understatement of the year so far.
Our featured music of the night is actually a close friend of Cindy McCain. At least that’s how I caught wind of her musical talents and creativity in general. She is a singer-songwriter who began her music career in Jackson, Mississippi, writing for Patmos Productions – which is owned by Malaco Records alumnus James Griffin. She moved to Nashville at the age of 20, working with several other Mississippi artists, although she didn’t discriminate with writers from other states, of course. She and a friend wrote a track produced by Jimmy Buffet for the group Evangeline. As a vocalist, she has recorded with local greats like Dave Olney and Tom House, among others. She is working on a new album to release later this year, but this special night we got a sneak preview listen of sorts. Joined by her talented friend, the guitarist extraordinaire, Jim Martin, it was another perfect pairing to showcase the singer-songwriter, the one and only, Carole Edwards.
Carole wasted no time in getting right down to business. She was going to strum her guitar and basically sing us the melodies and lyrics of today. No, seriously, she started with her song Today, and she nailed every note and song she had on her setlist thereafter. From her first tune, she painted a picture for us that involved no troubles, no dark clouds overhead, a world that was weary but strong, and people around her that were going to feel as grateful as she. Suggestively singing that everyone should choose love over fear, I was not alone in wanting to stand up and join Carole’s vision of today and every day that comes in the near future.
Carole sang about love in many ways. While offering up odes to Southern men and everything else good that she sees in life, she also took us to various depths of heartache and similar renewal of positive energies that Cindy eluded to with Carole’s catchy ditty about life after a hurricane. And there was Jim on the side stage. Constantly finger-picking his guitar to every sweet tune Carole was cooking up, Jim was the icing to Carole’s songs’ sweet cakes. The melodic finger-picking took me to a place on the beach in my head, and I felt that overall the duo had a sense of 60’s folk music at its best with a twist of modern lyric references that let us see direct connections from the sounds of the past to the life of today. It really was a sweet sweet set to experience.
As always, I was able to coax the two featured guests to stick around for a minute or two to share some of the backstories to their creative drives and passions that they work on daily. There is plenty of thoughtful depth to each of these artist’s motivations to do what they love to do, and it was as cool as any other show to just throw some questions out to them and then step aside so they could share their gems of advice and answers that they have lived so far to get them where they are today and on track to go where they want to go soon. Just like the material they shared in their sets and in the recording below, these ladies are living and sharing their best truths and adventures for all those who follow or take notice of them to use in their own lives for the better. I’m not sure if I can say it better than that for these two (3, if you count Jim, of course).
So here is the edited recording of East Side Storytellin’ 148, a cold night where Cindy McCain, Carole Edwards, and Jim Martin warmed our hearts and our lives in general. This took place at The Post East on Tuesday, March 5, 2019. Feel free to listen to and share this recording over and over again with all you know and don’t know until we break the internet. It is that good.
Before I say goodbye for this round of fun, I’d like to give a big round of thanks for Cindy and Carole (and Jim) for sharing their stories, talents, and time with us.
You can listen to this show, edited, soon, alongside the previous shows too, on our website, www.eastsidestorytn.com, at our In Our Own Words Tab – see here – www.eastsidestorytn.com/in-our-own-words
I’ll keep the gratitude going for Tom Eizonas, my lovely wife and most talented artist in Emily Harper Beard (efharper), and everyone that came out live to support the show … and to everyone who has helped continue to spread the word and support the show online afterwards.
Last, but certainly not least, I’d like to give one last shout out to Tonya and Chris for making The Post so welcoming and positively life-changing for the East Nashville community at large.
Our next show will be
East Side Storytellin’ 149
Tuesday, March 19
at The Post (1701 Fatherland Street) at 7pm
reading- Henry Jones
singing- Tiffany Williams
That said, that’s all for East Side Storytellin’ 148 and another fabulous event at The Post with East Side Story at the helm. Thanks for coming out and sharing the good word and giving some love to all of these great Nashville artists and our creative ideas. Please remember to be nice to one another out there. I repeat, please remember to be nice to one another out there. Thank you and goodnight.
Much love,
mE