ANNE E.'S JOURNAL -August 3, 2008
	August 3, 2008 Greetings to all of you from Music City. I hope this finds all of you doing well. It's hard to believe it's almost August. My grandma always used to say that time speeds up the older you get. Sometimes it feels like that. Well I'm moving right along here. Basically my day is writing, writing some more, listening to country music, listening to more country music and studying country music lyrics although today I interspersed all that with a viewing of Talladega Nights. It's idiotic I know but there I was sitting on my couch laughing my head off. Anyway, country music has a style that is different in many ways than what I've been writing for the last 19 years. It's much more literal so prose is out. I'm working at making the lyrics sound like a conversation and leaving no questions about the story being told. Believe me, I will keep writing my own stuff my own way and releasing that music as I always have but I'm here to get cuts (having country stars record my songs) and there are some things proven to work. So that's what I'm up to. It's actually a great challenge and great fun. In so many ways Nashville has been welcoming to me. People are very willing to share information with you so that you can understand all the opportunities that are here for aspiring songwriters. All the potential is pretty incredible. Whenever I'm at an open mic or songwriters night performing I realize that practically everyone in the room is a songwriter, there to get their song heard, there to practice their craft and to get a publishing/record deal. So you're really not there to entertain people. You're there to try out your song, to see how it sings, how it feels, if it gets anyone's attention. I mean everyone gets applause, everyone... but there's a difference between that and really grabbing the room, knowing that people are truly listening. I try to focus on those things while in the back of my mind always, is the thought, "Anyone could be out there". It's very exciting. I've been focusing in July on compiling a group of songs to take to publishers. I've made a great connection here and have the great fortune to work with him on my material, getting it ready to present to publishers. He's setting up meetings for me. It's great. I feel like I've taken a giant step forward. So I've been working on rewrites and now have 7 songs I feel strongly about that I will pitch to publishers. I also finally had my meeting with the publisher I told you about emails ago. The meeting went very well and she has asked me continue dropping off material to her. She thinks I'm moving in the right direction and very close to the level I need to be at so that she can set me up with some co-writes with some established writers and pitching my music. It's pretty great when you're in these offices on Music Row playing your music for someone who has stacks of music on their desk and you realize you have had an hour with them. My job at this point is to keep those office doors open, keep learning and keep writing. I have some new shows posted on my web site. A couple were set up for me by a singer/songwriter named Charlie Baker. Charlie was produced by Andy Ackland, the producer of "Girls and Airplanes". Paul flew out to San Diego to play bass on Charlie's CD. So we knew of one another but never had met. Charlie and I connected online the other day. He's here in Nashville and was performing on Saturday. He invited me to come out and hear him play at an American Independent Music group event at Norm's River Road House. So out I went to Norm's. Norm's totally lives up to its name. I mean it's in the middle of nowhere. You drive down a country road, passing cows, donkeys (also known as jack asses-I couldn't resist), tractors, fields and up out of nowhere pops Norm's. It's a little house that's been converted into a bar/venue. I actually just realized that might be why it's called a "road house"....Just when I start thinking I'm smart. The place has a great vibe. It's the kind of vibe that the Winchester and the Barking Spider have. I immediately sent Kelly a text message and told her where we were. It will be one of our first trips next time she comes for a visit. It's her kind of place. Anyway, I got to listen to Charlie and other writers including a woman who wrote a number 1 for George Strait. Charlie asked me up to do a few tunes. One result was that I now have a few shows booked with Charlie and one at Norm's in September with American Independent Music group. I was also approached by John Haring from the Nashville region of the AIM and asked to sign up for the group. So I did. You can now check out my page at the NIM site and buy my music and check out all the other musicians there. Visit http://www.nashvilleim.com. (copy and paste the follwoing code into your MySpace so you can see Anne E.'s little spot on your site): <p><a href=http://www.nashvilleim.com/artists/anneedechant> <center><img src= http://www.nashvilleim.com/myspace/NIM MySpace Button.jpg height= 90 width= 400 ></center> </a></p> I found out that one of my songs has been added to the top 10 of the NIM radio show. That means I?m in a contest and that you can vote! The show will play all 10 songs on Thursday night. I don?t know what song they've added but I'll find out soon I guess. Anyway, you have a week to vote. The votes are counted and points are given for any sales (digital or physical) that result from people hearing the show and then the songs are ranked. Wouldn't that be something to get the #1 spot? I think if everyone who receives this email would vote, heck, probably even if a third voted, we might have a number one! Directions on how to listen to the show and to vote are below. Will you please take a few minutes to vote? You can vote every day for a week. And please spread the word by forwarding this email to anyone you know who might like to cast their vote. Thanks! If you live in the Radio Free Nashville coverage area, tune into WRFN 98.9 FM. Don't be fooled, though, by the country station in Lebanon that has their frequency in the rest of the area. WRFN's signal isn't that strong, so if you can't get it you can find the show on http://www.radiofreenashville.org. Just click the "Listen Online" button on the right column. They also have a signal on the SAP band of channel 10 on Comcast in Davidson County, TN. Instructions to get the SAP signal can be found on their website. 1. Now here's the fun part. Between tonight at 11:00pm CST (note the time change, it's explained below) and next Tuesday night at midnight, voting is open for the next Top 10. Go to http://www.nimradio.com and click the "Vote" button to go to the voting booth. Songs are listed in the order that they were played on the show. Only one vote is allowed from a single email address or computer for each calendar day. But, you can vote every day between now and Tuesday. ** VOTING BOOTH TIME CHANGE: Ok, here's the deal with the time change. The show is still broadcast at 10:00pm CST. We've found that there's a lot of people voting as soon as the show starts without listening to all of the songs. Also, knowing the order (especially the #1 song) before the show finishes takes some of the fun out of it. So, from now on, voting will start immediately after the show ends. And since our voting servers are in California, as well as a good number of listeners, it turns out, voting will end Tuesday night at midnight Pacific time, that's 2:00am Nashville time, so you will have an extra two hours to get that last minute vote in. Thank you!Thank you! I appreciate your time! As many of you now know, Katie Reider, the woman I wrote to you about in my last email, passed on Monday, July 14th, after a two year battle with a rare non-cancerous tumor that took away her ability to perform and eventually her life. Katie is survived by her partner of 10 years, Karen Reider, her father Rob Reider, two brothers, Robbie, 33, of Norwood; and Andy, 23, a pastoral studies major at the College of Mount St. Joseph; and three sisters, Kristin, 39, of New York state; Abby, 27, of Indiana; and Beth, 25, of California.. Katie?s mother, Gaile Reider, died of cancer in August 2007 at age 58. The day of Katie's passing, her father was quoted....."The mother and child reunion going on in heaven right now must be unbelievable". One online source wrote, "Through all of her treatments she remained positive, keeping her fans updated on her progress through the internet. She truly was a treasure and the Cincinnati music scene will not be the same without her." It is difficult and sad to contemplate the hardships people suffer. Sometimes the only thing I can draw from such stories is that I should enjoy everything I have, be grateful for it, help others and live fearlessly. I can make no further sense of it. Katie will be missed by so many. Please keep her partner, their sons and the rest of her family in your thoughts and prayers. The Reider family has asked anyone wanting to help that, in lieu of flowers, they visit and donate to the http://www.500kin365.org Web site. Thank you to all of you who have already given.... And now something we can all do now to make life better for someone else.... I have a friend. Many of you know her. Her name is Brynna Fish. Brynna has been a social activist and rabble rouser all of her life and has been working professionally in the field of social service for 30 years. Her record of service is outstanding. A career "networker," Ms. Fish is highly regarded for her ability to bring together people and build bridges on tough issues. Brynna's passion for the LGBT community, her vision and creativity has left its mark in many ways, the largest being the annual Cleveland LGBT Parade and Festival. Both as a volunteer and then as the paid coordinator, Brynna is the single consistent thread that has held Pride together. This past June the Pride Board honored Brynna?s 20 years with Pride by bestowing her with the singular honor of the 2008 Pride Parade and Festival Grand Marshall. This is the first time in Pride's history of having Grand Marshalls that the Board felt compelled to not only honor Brynna but to have only one such honoree. Brynna's first decade as a social worker was invested in community planning, administration and program development in the field of Jewish communal work. In 1987, a distress call from her long troubled younger sister resulted in both tremendous personal and professional change. As result of her sister's and then 18 month old nephew's domestic violence victimization, she became his permanent legal guardian. That began a shift in her professional direction leading to her to decades of family violence work. She is a recipient of the Community Health Advocate Award from the Academy of Medicine of Cleveland Alliance in recognition of her accomplishments in providing domestic violence training to physicians, nurses, counselors and other health care providers. Sought after to conduct local professional trainings and community education events Brynna has presented hundreds of workshops. She has also presented at national and international conferences and consulted with and trained staff around the country establishing their own domestic violence programs. (Click here to read the complete bio.) Two years ago Brynna was diagnosed a rare immune disorder that has completely changed her life. She has lost her job, continues to battle for health benefits and is facing losing her house as medical bills continue to pour in as a result of necessary treatment. And just as so many of you have had to, Brynna travels through the maze of the broken health care system, where doctors driven by insurance companies and drug companies to keep appointments down to 10 minutes, hardly have time to be doctors. You wouldn't believe how many people I have spoken to over the past 10 years who have had to diagnose themselves. Thankfully Brynna has been able to work through the maze and with the help of friends, has found a team of doctors and feels in good hands. But the situation remains. Brynna needs help. She needs money. The good news is, we can do that. On Saturday Sept. 6, I'm coming home and we're going to have a benefit concert. We're going to have a benefit concert for Brynna. At the end of the night all the proceeds will be counted up and given to Brynna. So I'm asking you to put Sept. 6th -The Winchester-10PM-Benefit Concert in your calendar. Come and Rock Out. Come out and make a donation, buy raffle tickets, have some drinks, hear some of my new tunes, sing along and feel good about helping someone out. In working with Brynna to share her story with you, I read a quote that she included in her letter to friends and family. It is this.... "There are two ways of having victory over illness: actually defeating the illness not suffering as a result of the illness" So let's take away some suffering. Let's help someone to feel a support system around them. Tickets to the show will be $10.00 but there is an option to give more if you can, a little more or a lot more. You will be able to purchase tickets at www.anneedechant.com in a few days and there you will be given the option to give an amount of your choice. If you do order online, your name will be at the door and you will be admitted to the show. There will also be a box available at the door where you can deposit your gift should you wish to bring it. If you cannot make it to the show, you can write a check or money order payable to Anne E. DeChant and your gift will be included in a check that will be presented to Brynna . You may mail your gift to 2027 Elmwood Ave., Lakewood, OH 44107. (Remember to make your check or money order payable to Anne E. Dechant - with "Brynna Benefit" indicated on the "for..." line. Thank you! ) Please give generously if you can. I want to thank my band members for doing this show with me. I couldn't do it without them. So that's it from here for now. I look forward to sharing more with you about all the developments. I'm really looking forward to coming home, doing a show and seeing all of you. Until then, take care and remember, live fearlessly! Anne E.