Thank YOU, hello, and welcome to another fun East Side Storytellin’. If you’ve been living in a cave, good for you … you’ve probably missed the fact that we just rounded out 2 years and 48 other East Side Storytellin’ shows up to this point. Cave or not, welcome to the 49th episode. Like the 48 previous shows we’ve put together from East Side Story, we’ve all arrived at this spot, here and now, to get y’all cultured up just right in the form of a 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. Unlike the previous 48, the featured author in this round is not from or living in Nashville at the moment. You can ask her after the show via email at her website as to why she hasn’t decided to move here already if you’d like. It might help if you drop by East Side Story and buy her book first.
Before I get started, I know I’ll get to it more in detail in the recording of the show below, but I was first introduced to the concept of the story and the theme of this particular show almost two years ago in a graduate level creative fiction workshop while attending the School of Letters at the University of the South at Sewanee. East Side Storytellin’ 17 alumnus (http://eastsidestorytn.com/east-side-storytellin-17-where-virginia-was-for-lovers-of-great-literature-and-music-moved-to-tn-alike/), published author, and newly married woman in Kathryn Williams, handed our class the rough draft of a concept that would later become the beginning of a successful publishing series in the making. This past summer, with the series in full effect, Kathryn suggested that I have tonight’s artists on the bill together because they are very talented in their own rights but also because their art was brought together for said unique project. Like Kathryn did for her man, I said yes and these girls said yes and now we’re all here with or without bells on to tell you the next part of the story. Thanks be to Kathryn. Without further ado, this is East Side Storytellin’ 49. Let us begin, again.
The first featured guest of the night also hails from the hallowed ground of the bluegrass state of Kentucky. A graduate of UK in Theatre and Advertising, writing was never too far behind in her overall passions after she won the Soil Conservation Essay contest in the 4th grade, selected as a Governor’s School of the Arts student in Creative Writing in the 10th grade, and then a Top Ten Finalist in the US Southeast Region for the Ten Minute Playwriting competition at James Madison University. Her personal essays have been published in the anthology Blink: Fiction in the Blink of an Eye, several times in Underwired Magazine, and her first novel and proudest artistic accomplishment is appropriately called The Queen of Kentucky. She loves to make author appearances in schools (making several stops in Kentucky before heading to Music City in fact), she’s been on The Ellen DeGeneres Show several times, even dropping a spot as a contestant on the TV gameshow Deal or No Deal, but I’m pretty sure she was most excited about being at East Side Storytellin’ and sharing her stories in Nashville … I’m pretty sure. For this special occasion, she planned to introduce you to Wildflower, the first novel in her three book series about a young girl’s rise to country music stardom, released this year. The new setting indoors and downstairs at Mad Donna’s was filled with happy faces that joyfully welcomed the Kentucky born and New York City livin’ writer to the stage. They were pumped to see and hear from the featured author, Alecia Whitaker.
Alecia took to the microphone like a professional. She reminded me of several other featured authors that graced our stage that utilized the full range of her voice and accents to vocalize the conversations from the excerpts that she chose to read from for the evening. It was fascinating actually. Her energy, paired with enthusiasm for the main character called Bird and the musical journey that she went on throughout the book, was something awesome. Without having read the book yet, I was wondering if Alecia was going to sing any songs that were in the book. She did. It made several laugh when Alecia called herself out for being a writer and not a singer, after the fact, but it was honest and innocent and great for the experience. In fact, she called out the crowd to participate as the fictional crowd in a particular scene she read in the story and it really made the story pop off the pages into reality for all to enjoy for ourselves. After several sections of reading, all I can say (and you can tell from the recording below) is that it was a real treat to have Alecia visit and talk about the amazing book and book series she was helping to create.
Before we knew it, it was time for the author to sit back down with her amazing son and let the music come alive from the pages of the book. This project was the treat that kept on giving.
The featured music of the night was someone you have already heard from before, whether you know it yet or not. Born on a Navajo Indian Reservation in New Mexico to two teachers and raised in creative culture of Albuquerque and Santa Fe, she now calls Nashville one of her homes as she is renowned for her piano, vocal, and songwriting talents near and far. She wrote the Grammy nominated and CMT Video of the Year song Every Day for Rascal Flatts. Her music has been featured on Laguna Beach, The Hills, How I Met Your Mother, Guiding Light, Days of Our Lives, and used for promotion on shows like Army Wives and Grey’s Anatomy, on top of countless others. She normally splits her time performing between Nashville and LA in places like the Grand Ole Opry, Bluebird Cafe, House of Blues, The Viper Room, and The Hotel Cafe, to name a few in both cities, but, once again, I’m pretty sure that she was most excited about being at Mad Donna’s this special night and sharing her songs and stories with you … I’m pretty sure. I was not alone in giving a raucous ovation for the likes of Alissa Moreno.
Alissa was cold, at first, and literally cold enough beside the window that she had to put her jacket back on to perform at the level was comfortable. She quickly warmed up to the stage and the crowd at hand. She dove right into several emotional songs that really struck a chord with the night. Specifically, she kicked off the set with the song Notice Me, a song performed by the fictional character Bird in the book of the evening. Alecia did it justice with her tiny singing segment, but Alissa really took it all to another world altogether. It made me laugh when Alissa made a comment that she didn’t consider herself much of a singer when compared to one of her favorite co-writers because she was so amazingly talented. Again, I was not the only one to comment or say so out loud this evening.
Before Alissa finished her eclectic set, she brought up her good friend Josh Charles (Dr. Josh as she coined later because he had learned some piano tricks from the Dr. John). Alissa switching to guitar several times during the show, they started off with a song that had an interesting change of tone and melody and backstory to anything that Bird’s book was telling. I believe it was called Tripwire, but I went away from it feeling like it could possibly be a song for Bird by book three or beyond … you know, when she goes on that Taylor Swift/Miley Cyrus PR downfall that inevitably comes along with any ounce of fame in this world these days. It was just a thought for the book series. But yeah, the second to last song really touched me more than any in awhile. It was exactly what I needed to hear after a good long day beforehand, mixed with the bitter cold outdoors lately. Alissa finished the set with her song Every Day, proving that this day, November 18th, 2014, was extraordinary and not like every other day.
I had both artists, who in fact hadn’t met in real life before this momentous occasion beyond calls and emails to inspire one another for writing the books and songs together in their own rights. I thought the event, the performances, and the closing conversation that explained their inspiration from and about this epic project put forward by Kathryn Williams was all very fitting … like baby bear soup, just right. Kathryn wasn’t there in person, staying cold but happily married in Maine, but she was there in spirit.
Before I say proper thanks to everyone that helped make this night so special for #49, I’ll let you partake in a wonderful tradition on these recaps. Here is the recording of the show, edited for your pleasure, so you can listen to Alecia and Alissa do what they were born to do and did for Nashville to help warm our cold season. This is the recording of East Side Storytellin’ 49. Feel free to share with others, over and over, and listen to countless times for yourself. Enjoy, over and over.
https://soundcloud.com/
Now, I’d like to give a big round of thanks for Alecia Whitaker and Alissa Moreno (and Dr. Josh too) for sharing their stories, talents, and time with us.
You can read more from Alecia Whitaker here – http://www.aleciawhitaker.com
You can listen to more from Alissa Moreno here – http://www.alissamoreno.com
I’d also like to show much love to Clay Brunton for the beautiful artwork for the prints made by Kevin Anthuis at 5 Points Digital Imaging (http://5pdi.com) to celebrate tonight’s show.
I’ll keep the gratitude going for Tom Eizonas, Otis James for my wicked cool hat, my lovely wife and most talented artist in Emily Harper Beard (http://www.efharper.com), 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.
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 –http://eastsidestorytn.com/in-our-own-words/
But we are not finished.
The NEXT East Side Storytellin’ 50 event will be …
EAST SIDE STORYTELLIN’ 50
TUESDAY, December 2nd, 2014
Time- 7 pm sharp (Central)
Location- Mad Donna’s (1313 Woodland Street)- http://maddonnas.com
Need information or details about Mad Donna’s, call 615-226-1617. Otherwise, it is first come, first available seats.
Who will be featured- author Jewly Hight (https://twitter.com/rightbyherroots) and music by Angaleena Presley (http://www.angaleenapresley.com)
That’s all for the East Side Storytellin’ 49 show, two years of epic shows in the bag. Thanks for coming out and sharing the good word. Remember to be nice to one another out there. Thanks and good day your way.
Much love,
mE