Festival!

This weekend I performed in a music festival on the Oregon Coast.

I love it there - especially in the wintertime - there are fewer tourists, and the weather is so wild and wet and windy.
I lived there for ten years, so I know many people in the area, too.

I sang in a couple of venues on Saturday, and late that night I sang in the Open Mike event....in the true spirit of open mike events, I sang a song that I wrote in the car on the way to the coast! It went over very well; in fact, I was beseeched by all for an encore, which made me happy, and so I sang "Lover Man". That is one of my very favorite songs to perform - it's full of longing and it's very sultry, but in an old-fashioned, classy way.

Sunday afternoon was the big concert, and I sang two sets, along with three other female artists, in a beautiful old theatre. I love performing there - the acoustics are wonderful and it's a really lovely historical building.
I'm always nervous when I have to play the guitar standing up. I did well, but I could tell I was nervous, because I was standing a bit stiffly - also the microphone was only hot enough for me in a particular spot - so I was trying to keep my mouth right there!

After the break, I sang my set with the piano, and I'm the most comfortable that way...I sang one of my new songs "Missin' You' and it went over very well. I did it first, because it is a little difficult, and I.....oh! did I mention I had pneumonia????
Did I forget to mention that little fact? So yeah, I was wheezing and coughing in my dressing room and wondering how in the world I could possibly go onstage at all, but of course when I got out there, sheer adrenaline made me do it well.

So next I sang "Rain", which I have never performed in public before, though I've recorded it....it is so dramatic and full of ache, and I could hear that sort of stillness come over the crowd that happens when they are taken by surprise...when I finished, there was a moment of stunned silence before tumultuous applause...that little moment of silence always just floods my soul with pleasure, like the first long drink of cool water after a hot day of labor.

I finished with "Luminous", and it thrilled me to hear murmurs of pleasure and applause as I began the introduction...enough people are familiar with "Luminous", and love it, to recognize the delicate, opening bars.

When I was done, I went out to my CD table, and I sold all but two in about twelve minutes. Every single person who bought one wanted me to sign it, and most everyone took a business card, too, which pleased me....I hope they will check out my website so I can let them know when the next CD comes out!

After my adrenaline crashed, I was utterly exhausted....I am still weak and coughing relentlessly, which keeps me from sleeping decently, but I am HAPPY! because I can see that every year that I come to this festival I perform better, sell more, and have a fan base here that is visibly growing.

What more could a musician want?