Showing posts with label Music. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Music. Show all posts

2/12/2016

Jae Franklin Single Review 'Weary'


‘Weary’ by the fantastic singer Jae Franklin is a song that everyone can relate to. It stresses the way that we can feel when we’re lost or unsure about what is to come. Underpinned by her amazingly clear and powerful voice, Franklin delivers a message of kindness and affection that is much needed in modern times. 


With a singing style that reminds of singers like Mariah Carey or Whitney Houston, the Dubai based musician is demonstrating an immense talent and a maturity that certainly makes her ready for the world’s big stages.  ‘Weary’ is a track to put on repeat.



1/28/2016

Seitlos Debut Catchy Single Featuring Timotion



Seitlos is the brain child of producer/writer and multi instrumentalist Tim Milliken. The band consists of various musicians, dancers, performers and artists all bound together by a love for music. Hailing from Nashville, Tennessee and London, Tim is crafting his own genre of dance orientated pop music for a worldwide audience. Counting high profile names like Boy George amongst his fanbase, Tim is ready to take the industry by storm.
As a band, the idea behind Tim’s project Seitlos was to formulate a completely new brand of music to bring it to the forefront, blending a variety of styles and genres to create something beautiful. Essentially Seitlos is about breaking the mould of pop and becoming the most unconventional, unorthodox, and exciting act possible.


The debut single from Seitlos is upbeat and exciting, uncompromising and surprising in equal measure. It is music that inspires you to do something different and picks you up on a gloomy day. A combination of both the new and the old, Seitlos are doing something different with conventional channels to music. They don’t care about accolades or praise they just want to make music that people can enjoy and invest in.

Music for Seitlos is not about high profile names or locations associated with pop stardom, music to them is about passion, creativity, love and strength all of which is condensed and put into the craft and performance of their songs.

‘Just Do it’ is out NOW!
Links



1/23/2016

Featured Stream: Kathryn Kaye-Learning To Waltz With Clouds

Kathryn Kaye's latest release is There Was A Time.

Kathryn's recording output has been totally consistent and complete quality for many years and I would anticipate another wonderful group of tracks on the new album.

One example that surely indicates that is the focus track "Learning To Waltz With Clouds." The title alone suggest something so beautiful and spiritual that it cannot miss hitting you just the right way. Her piano playing is gorgeous and you can envision getting in step with the billowing clouds above. The thought of it brings a quiet to your inner being and of course the music leads the way.

This is a great introduction to her latest outing and I certainly look forward to hearing more of the same!

Keith "MuzikMan" Hannaleck



More About Kathryn Kaye:

http://kathrynkaye-music.com

Kathryn Kaye grew up in the Appalachian Mountains of southeastern Kentucky.  She began playing piano at the age of four, and music immediately became an essential part of her life.  She majored in voice and keyboard in college, after which she moved to Germany to further her training.  Prior to and during her years in Germany, Kathryn performed professionally as a folk singer and soprano soloist in concerts, recitals, and operas, and she has appeared as a solo performer on television in both Germany and the United States.

Kathryn has been influenced by the simple harmonies of the folksongs and hymns that she heard, sang, and played as a child, by her years of experience with classical music, and by the beauty of the Rocky Mountains where she now lives.  Her music ranges from compositions with strong, emotional melodies through more contemporary, meditative, instrumental pieces.

1/14/2016

The Namaste of Ashlee K.



by Katharine W. Poole
For Women of Music Music of Women






Thomas that is.  Ahhhhhhh Ashlee…. This is how it feels even sitting with her in the bustling Barista Parlor on the east side of town.  Her divine light is an aura that lyrically breathes calm into any space.  When asked what brought her to Nashville, other than the obvious, music, her response is simply: “Cool.”  She let’s that word hang in the air.  There is no urgency in the moment of silence.  No bated breath of Hamlet.  It is simply an acknowledgement of a memory.  And then…

“I had never been here.  I had been to LA.  I’d been to New York. I — couldn’t really hang in LA —I like it but it just didn’t feel right.  New York I felt was so cool, but I felt like I would be surviving really hardcore.  I actually never really thought about moving here.  I was on the road in Wyoming, in the Winnebago - and I was like: ‘What to do?  What to do?’   My Mom passed away about a year before I moved here and I swear I just heard her voice say: ‘Go to Nashville.’  So I went.  I didn’t have any idea…”  Ashlee’s mother was a pianist, and she sang.  Music was in her blood and she passed that on to her daughters.  “We had a little quartet in our Thomas House.”  The sisters and mother banded together, with two violins, a flute and piano.

“I started classical violin at four - was begging for it before I had my own pencils - my mom was like: ‘you’re two.  You cannot play yet.’  Then she let me.”  The deal was, once she started lessons, Ashlee was not allowed to quit until she was eighteen.  “‘You have to practice every day, except Sundays.’  I took classical lessons all through high school, and then my senior year I was just so over it.  I quit.  Then [my Mom] found an audition for a scholarship at Utah Valley University - she said: ‘Just try.  You don’t know what you want to do.  Just go.’  So I did and I got a scholarship.  I went to college for a year…an’ I was like - ‘Peace Out! I don’t want to play classical music anymore.’”

Ashlee reverts to high school momentarily.  “About the time when I quit violin, I picked up my mother’s guitar and just taught myself. It was a twenty-five dollar, nylon string, terrible guitar to learn on - oooph my fingers! They hurt.  I remember just sitting there pressing so hard to get those damn strings down  The action was like an inch off.  It was so bad!” She laughs.  Ashlee’s mother told her: “I have given you lessons. I am not buying you a guitar.  You can earn your own guitar.”

As soon as she could play a few chords, Ashlee realized she could write her own songs.  “I started playing open mics in Utah - sneaking in through the back door because I was eighteen - just started playing wherever I could - these really weird songs that were not crafted the way that Nashville would say a good song is crafted.  But, they were from the gut and from my heart. People responded.  It was really lovely.  So, I got on the road as much as I could.”

Ashlee also prepared herself for “real life.”  She studied Hair Styling and became an Esthetician, attending school in Salt Lake.   “I am a hair stylist.  Which I love.”  Interestingly, Ashlee only cuts and styles women’s hair. Not intentionally it just kind of morphed into her M.O.  She also studied yoga and became an instructor.  A musical Yogini.  “It’s like therapy.  I sing in all my yoga classes.   You open the body and then your pour some music into it - it’s like magic.” Through it all Ashlee found that music was a part of every outlet she pursued.  She strived to connect her music to everything she did.


A native of Utah, Ashlee’s introduction to Nashville in 2008, at the age of 24, began in East Nashville; which she muses, she found on Craigslist.  She thought its sounded like her kind of vibe.  “We drove in and my Dad’s like: ‘Oh my Gosh.’  We pulled up to Shelby and 14th - I had a great little apartment with a great girl.  I didn’t know her.  I met her on the internet, and she turned out awesome.”

At the time Ashlee was still working for a company based out of Salt Lake.  She worked remotely by computer.  “I had flexibility. It wasn’t great money, but it was enough.  And then, I walked into a salon on Elliston Place one day and they hired me.  I’ve always been really lucky because everybody I work for is hands off.  You manage yourself.  Which I really need.  It’s been a gift.”

“The first night I was here I cried.  I was like: “What have I done?’  And then I thought - get it together.  So, I looked in The Nashville Scene and I see The Bluebird Cafe has a writer’s round - but I don’t really know what this means, because we don’t really have writers rounds in Salt Lake.  So, I show up with my guitar thinking I’m gonna go play.”  Ashlee learned, like many new to town musicians, that’s not how the Bluebird works.  They explained she could attend the open mic night with Barbara Cloyd, and graciously gave her a ticket so she would have a spot the following Sunday.  Intuitively, Ashlee stayed for the show that night.  She sat.  She listened.  She soaked it in.  “I had never even heard of the Bluebird Cafe.  I knew nothing of Country Music…maybe some old Country.  I had no idea about Nashville…no idea what was going on here.”

She found Nashville beautiful.  “The music, I thought it was so good, but it was so left field for me - or maybe right field - maybe I was left field.  It sounded like stuff you hear on the radio and that wasn’t really what I was doing, or even attracted to…” She wondered if she came to the right town.  But it grew into a place where Ashlee thrives.  She felt her mother all around her as she found herself surrounded by a growing network of women. 

“Nashville has evolved so much.  I’m more of a hippie - spirit, Earth - and thank goodness it’s here.  It’s here in it’s own kind of Southern way.  I thought: ‘What am I going to do without the mountains?  What am I going to do without my desert?’”  She grew up ten minutes away from all the ski resorts in her hometown.  “I could leave my parent’s house and run up the mountain trail.”  She was afraid of losing that connection to the outdoors.  “It’s very easy to be outside in the West.”  She notes the lack of bugs and continues, “Here I was like chiggers?  What? What is this?  I didn’t know what they were ’til I got ‘em.  Rolling around in the dirt.” she laughs.  “My cat had fleas.  I had chiggers.  I had to treat my cat.  You don’t have to do that in the West, ‘cause there are no fleas.”  It was an enlightening introduction to the South, but she adjusted, maintaining both her outdoor and musical lifestyles.  Ashlee found the artistic environment inspiring.

“ I love the creative energy…I love that everywhere you go someone’s creating something - not just music.  It’s really awesome.  I love the green.  I love the birds.  I love running in the city.  I love the music.  I love that you can go to The Basement East, The Building - so good - It’s growing so fast.  It is a big small town, but at the same time I only know a small section of the pie.  There are so many people I do not know in the music business that I want to meet.  So many musicians that want to collaborate with.  I like that it’s a huge vessel of possibilities.” she adds, “I love the Salt Lake music scene.  I still play a lot in Salt Lake, but it’s small.  I kind of know almost everybody there.” 
Ashlee has a strong fan base at home.  And rightfully so.  But she wanted a push.  She wanted to travel to a place that challenged her.  “I wanted to go to a place where they were like: ‘You’re not very good.  I wanted to grow. I was gonna get a record deal.  I was gonna give it one year.  Then I heard people say, this is a five year town.  I was like: ‘I don’t have five years.” she laughs from the heart, “Yeah, you do!  You’ve got eight.  You’ve got twenty.”  She is joyous about the reality.  It’s refreshing.  “I was gonna make it happen.  I just really wanted to be a better songwriter.  So I went out all the time, by myself, to writers nights, listened, and then asked to play.”  

“Eight years down the road…” she smiles the most eloquent of smiles, noting this wisdom and its beauty.  “My goals are so different.  Except that I want to write better songs.  There’s always room for that, which is so exciting.  I want to give energy.  Healing.  I use my hands in hair.  I use my hands in yoga.  And I use my hands in music.  I feel as though I have been waiting my whole life for this kind of energy to arise…I’ve been waiting for the magic to come back.”  She describes her style as Earth-Folk, a genre that marries her passions. “My focus is using Yoga and music together…The Yoga community swooped me in; wanted me to teach.  I love putting Yoga in the most unlikely of places.  Say, Yoga at the Barista Parlor,” she regards the surroundings, a plan formulating as a spark in her eyes.  “Or Yoga in a bar, like in a dirty place.” She giggles.  “It’s happening.  I’ve done it at the Tennessee Brew Works.  I want to do a Yoga thing at The Ryman. “ 

She wants it all. “I want my music to be as big as Grace Potter - to tour with her - to be her opener - but it doesn’t fuel me every day.  I don’t know.  The music industry doesn’t know what it’s doing right now.  A record deal from the right company.  A small, more obscure publishing house would be definitely awesome.  The big mainstream Country, it’s not my thing - especially as a solo act.”  

Ashlee was once a member of Midtown Violets.  A duo with Karen Waldrup.  A Country project. Which was an exceptional venture.  The two created a sound that rocked the house everywhere they toured.  But in the end, there goals were just different.  “I want to have big Yoga music events, because they are equally as important to me.”  She pauses, sipping her coffee.  “I’m making an EP right now, three songs and three videos.  Nashville took all of my fire and my belief in myself out of me, during Midtown Violets, it was sort of off focus - I wanted to tour.  I wanted to work hard.  I wanted to make music full time.  And we did it.  Karen and I both loved to work our asses off.”  The girls could be on the road, play a four hour set and continue well into the night for a private after party when a fan asked to hire them.  They were tireless, never turning down the opportunity to play.  The project was a great success and learning experience.  It taught both women skills they needed to pursue their own individual dreams and solo careers.

For women in music to get support Ashlee believes: “Women have to do it.  You have to see it.  If I want to be heard and I want to be supported then I go see other people.  As women, get out and support each other.  All of us.  It’s easy to get out of that.  Easy to get tired.  But you never know who you might see, or collaborate with in an amazing way.  When I got to town I met Herky Williams, who was the Vice President of ASCAP at the time, he and his wife took me under their wing - they were so good to me.  He said: ‘Listen.  Ya’ gotta hang in.  Hang on. Hang around.  And hang out.’”  Words to play by in this town.

“If you don’t go out, nobody can meet you.  It’s easy to do as an artist - I’m just gonna stay home and smoke a little and write.  No.  Put it down.” She laughs, but she’s right.  The artist thrives and suffers in the solitude of creativity.  It’s easier to hide behind the art than go out and sell it.  “Put your make up on, or don’t, and get out the door.”

Other than her mother’s influence, Ashlee is inspired by her father whom she describes as freakin awesome.  “I call him The Wise Man - I think every one has an archetype - he just has such sound advise.  He’s just so good.”  She breathes, and continues.  “I love Bob Marley, musically and for what he stood for.  I love Michael Jackson, musically and for what I believe he stood for. I love Paulo Coelho, the author,  The first time I read The Alchemist I [thought]…” her voice takes on an almost gutteral sob effect as she expresses: “Somebody else feels like this too - you know I was 17 and was like: ‘Thank You’ - he put into words so many thoughts I just hadn’t [experienced that before.]” And women of music that influence Ashlee?  Clearly, the powerhouse Grace Potter, whom she refers to again and again with respect and admiration.  Along with the poetry and reflective artistry of Jewel - whom she describes as a “grounded goddess.”

In Ashlee’s eyes, the unique nature of the female Nashville musician begins with the fact that “not many are from here - so they bring a little bit of every state to this state.  Where you are affects the music that comes out.  When I go back West the songs I write change.  They feel more West.  Being here, I’ve got a little Country in me now.  Which is cool.  I mean,” she states with surprise, “I wear Cowboy boots!”

“There’s this pulsing energy of songwriting here that if you can tap into…let it come through…I think songwriting is about getting out of your own way.”  This matches her philosophies of life and Yoga.  A “let it come through” approach.  “Stop forcing things,” she smiles.  “I’ve done it with my music career and my life so many times I’ve forced things into action, and it dissolves.  Everything I’ve ever forced into action taught me great lessons, so I don’t regret it.  But, it can be easier.”

Ashlee is on the road much of the time, but this year is a bit different.  She will be spending more of the winter months in town.  9 weeks in a row.  A long stretch for her.  She is looking forward to recording, connecting and “just being” in Nashville.  “I always have one foot in the West, a little bit.  It’s been hard to connect.”  Ashlee’s experience is not uncommon.  It’s the nature of this business, especially for women who have to tour to maintain a financially supportive career in the music business.  “I want to play shows here!” She exclaims, adding as a note to self:  “Let some things come to you.” 

There are many highlights for Ashlee as a resident of Nashville.  The diversity of musical opportunities speaks to her her being.  From seeing Loretta Lynn and Gillian Welch at the Ascend venue, which she describes as “a little mini festival” - to playing at a Yoga/Music event in Centennial Park with four hundred Yogis - to doing a fundraising event at The BlueBird Cafe for a friend who survived a rare form of cancer, and inspires her with the human cause, daily.

And the challenges?  “Losing myself musically in Nashville.  I felt like I lost my voice.  I didn’t even know how to sing.  It’s back now. But, I think you almost have to go there to really hold it.  You have it.  I’m by far, a million times better writer than I was when I got here eight years ago.  I can apply what I’ve learned from this city, the songwriting techniques, and also apply what is inside of me that nobody else has.  That’s the gift.  That’s the point.”  I don’t want to blend in with all the other fishes.  I want to be the tie-dyed fish.” she is serious.  And with that, Ashlee demonstrates another of her profound gifts: the ability to bring it all around to a positive light.  What could be the most challenging of obstacles she turns into the power of her own artistic impact.

When asked what she accomplished that she never expected, Ashlee laughs, aghast at the reality of it even now, “I produced a Country record!”  She continues, “…and I actually like it.”  She never would have thought that when she arrived here, but it happened.  And it led her to so many new opportunities. Her new goal is to focus and excel.  “To try to master all of my three crafts, because I love them all.”  She aims to hit the stage at The Ryman, not just musically but combining her Yoga and her music.  She describes that dream as “being able to hold more space so that I can do bigger things.”  For Ashlee it is clear that accomplishment comes from self reflection, exploring, learning and crafting. 

Her secret for fellow female artists is simply and eloquently stated.  “There are no secrets.  Put yourself out there.”  She throws in a story of a friend who got a song cut for Allison Kraus just by cleaning a house.  “Do what it takes.  Don’t think you are too good for anything.  Know that the pathway is clear, you just can’t see it.  [Sometimes] It’s hard to have faith in it.”

The Nashville 7:
 
The final questions posed to Ashlee (inspired by James Lipton’s approach to interviewing for Inside The Actor’s Studio.)
1 In one Word describe Nashville:  PULSE!
2 Your favorite food experience in Nashville: “Turnip Truck!”
3 One word that describes your music style: “Witch-Folk.”
4 Who is the one person you want to meet in Nashville: “Jason Isbell.”
5 If you could ask (him/her) one question what would that question be: “In one sentence, tell me about evolving to a certain kind of songwriting…”
6 What is your favorite Nashville venue: “Third and Lindsley.”
7 Your favorite lyric from a song you wrote: She pauses, looking up, “Hmmm…any song?” A reflective moment, then, “Peace is in the trees I burn.” A lyric from her song, Oh My Darlin’.

The Shanti of Ashlee is contagious; in her music, her words and the softness of her presence.  The strength she brings is an inspiration for female artists. Here, she has found love, a creative community and a new voice.  She brings with her a Western influence and shining hippie vibe that flourishes in the East Nashville scene and is sure to change the face of music in this town.

Ashlee K Thomas will be performing at : TN BREW WORKS YOGA AND MUSIC with ASHLEE K THOMAS
Jan 9 Sat at 11:30a and Jan 14 Thur 6:30p

Women of Music Music of Women is an alliance for women in the music industry to network, support, promote, and recognize the many talented women in the industry by bringing them together with all aspects to include artists, attorneys, agents, managers, artist development, label execs, publishers, media, songwriters, past present and future talent to discuss and address the issues that concern women in the industry.
Like our FaceBook page: Women of Music Music of Women – you may promote yourself
Gig Swap: Group: WMMW Gig-Swap request to join Group to interact and share gigs
Contact us at wmmwusa@yahoo.com . You may also summit material for consideration to be a featured artist to wmmw@nashvillemusicguide.com
*The material included in this article is the sole property of the writer, (Katharine W. Poole,) and the photographer and President/Founder of WMMW, (Cilene Bosch.)  All elements may be used in other publications as determined by the owners. Permission must be obtained for reproduction.


12/16/2015

The Divinely Delicious Dana


By Katharine W. Poole


Dana Radford Sits on the back deck of her East Nashville home.  It is a sanctuary of color and nature.  Her haven is a covered, open-air room with a rainbow of tapestries
blowing in the autumn breeze, birds singing and puppies playing - she captivates the space with a joyous energy.  Dana is truly delicious - her favorite word - she is full of sweet and savory energy.  Her voice, even in conversation is lyrical and vibrant - a combination of deep resonant sultry alto tones and high pitched enthusiastic notes. Her journey to Nashville is a unique and unusual tale.

“We had been living on Martha’s Vineyard and winter rolled around - as a musician you can only work six months of the year there - and we were like - ‘Oh boy want are we gonna do this winter?’ - we’d been writing country songs so we thought ‘Well, let’s give Nashville a shot.’” December 2005 Dana and her husband Judd Fuller arrived in Nashville and rented a place.  Within three months Judd had a gig playing bass for Rodney Atkins.  And here they remain.  Ten years later.  This may sound like a typical transplant, but Dana’s story is anything but typical.

Dana has never been one to follow “the norm.” She moved out from her family home at a very young age to perform. When asked about college she shrieks: “No I’m Canadian. We don’t go to college!  I was a singer at 15, in a band called The Advocates, with my boyfriend who was the guitar player.  I finished high school early, in December. [I was] living with my boyfriend in his parent’s basement, in 1979.”  That boyfriend begged Dana to move to Vancouver with him but at 16 Dana did not feel ready; she encouraged him to pursue his dream.  “I then went on the road with another band, Noise and the Boys . Played in that band for seven years on the road, all around Saskatchewan, in a van.  It was crazy.  All my education was ‘street smarts’ being a chick singer in a band with a bunch of boys.  My education was the real world.”

All that “real world” experience has been an asset to this power house singer.  She brings to the stage, and her writing, a depth and presence that are infectious in the best possible way. “I was living in Toronto when I got scouted by an agent to go to New York.  I worked for them for ten years.  I’ve had lots of lucks.”  Dana moved to Martha’s Vineyard when she was offered a gig singing for the summer season.  She went because it would more than pay the rent and would also get her out of the sweltering city. During that time she traveled back to NYC every three weeks to collect a change of wardrobe from her apartment and pay her bills. It was during that time that she met the love of her life, Judd. The two had a great thing going on the Vineyard, a close-knit community, paying gigs and a large following of fans. 

“It was hard coming here, because I knew first and foremost that there are no paying gigs.  Every one plays for the hat.  And I’ve never done that.  I’ve been a singer for hire my whole life.  I’ve made a living as a singer.  When I lived in New York, I was a jingle singer. I’ve always sung for my supper. So, coming here I knew I had to put my ego in my back pocket, and I knew that I wasn’t going to make a living as a singer.”  

“With that being said, I really focused on songwriting. I hired a song plugger, we started writing.  To this day, ten years later, I am still doing that.  And that’s fabulous, but I’m so used to being a singer for my living that it has been very emotionally difficult for me because I don’t get to sing every night.”  “When I lived on Martha’s Vineyard I sang five nights a week.  I could have sang seven nights a week, but I needed a couple of nights off.  I was big fish, small pond - even in New York City, believe it or not.  When I got to New York I was little fish big pond, but within the first six months I was singing in 6 original projects, singing on records - the way of the world in those days, I guess it was part my hunger - I was hungrier - my drive and my thrust for success - I was really hungry - and I was really active.  I was really involved in the community.  I sang every night in New York.  And then I got to the Vineyard and I was big fish, small pond.  And it was wonderful.  Then I get to Nashville and I’m small fish, bigger pond - you know, that much later in my life.”  

“It’s hard getting older with the influx of younger women coming up and wanting to take your spot, trying to stay hip, stay pretty, stay cool, stay funky…but, I’ve got a voice like nobody else, so my competition with other women in this town is very different, because I’ve got a different sound.  I don’t have a little country girl voice.  I’ve got a very big, rock and roll soul voice that can sing country.  So I’m kind of lucky in that sense, where there’s not a lot of competition for my sound.  And I was that girl in New York too - I was a contralto female vocalist - a lot of my friends were sopranos - so I never felt like there was a big competition.  I’ve been lucky that I can market that.”

“When we first got here it was still a small town.  I had said to myself I am never living in another big city, because I had moved from New York City to Martha’s Vineyard and I was loving my small town lifestyle.  I was ready to be an old lady on the Vineyard.”   Dana is the furthest thing from ever becoming an old lady.  “So we get to Nashville and I was like - oh great it’s not a big city - it’s a little town - it was truly ‘little big town.’  It’s funky.  Every one knows everybody.”  

“It has changed a lot since we got here.  The way I see it has changed mostly is the influx of people moving to town, looking for work.  I swear.  I think that the word is out that Nashville is the cool place to be.  And, it really wasn’t when we first got here.  Lower Broadway is still ‘Lower Broad,’ - but we’ve got all kinds of restaurants and night clubs and everything is just more chi-chi.  We’re like a baby, little New York City.  Everything got fancy.  It was a little simpler in 2005.  The big pop culture of Country Music hadn’t hit yet.  Bro Country hadn’t broken yet.  Taylor Swift hadn’t made a name yet.  We were still in the world of Shania and Garth.  The world of Country Pop hadn’t cracked yet.  So I watched that blossom and evolve.”


The conversation shifts to passion behind her own music. Dana shivers, smiles and squeaks in her contagious way: “Oh my God, that just gave me goosebumps down to my ankles - asking me that question - because nobody’s ever asked me that question before.  Honestly, my passion, I love, love, love nothing more than to get on stage and rip out a tune.  I love to connect with people by voice. For me it is so incredibly emotional.  For me it is not just standing on stage and singing for somebody.  It’s standing on stage and sharing something that God gave me for an audience and having them absorb my sound.  That for me is delicious.” And there it is.  The word that encompasses this divine woman.  It’s as if, when she is singing or speaking that the flavor of words and sounds permeate from her entire being.  

“I [expletive] love being able to give that to people - because people really connect with me on that level.  But then, flip side the coin, I absolutely love, nothing more than being able to sit down and write a song - let me tell the world what I have to say. These are my words.  Like when I wrote Be Mine for Juddie, I wrote that song in ten minutes, and it just happened.  There’s nothing more fun and fulfilling than to know that that just comes from inside of you - to share that with people and it’s yours.  There’s nothing more beautiful.  They’re [singing and writing] both very intimate” she reflects.  “But one might be more dramatic and theatrical than the other - one more introverted, one more extroverted.  They find a happy balance inside of me. Truly.”

Her advice to women pursuing a similar career is clearly thought out. “First and foremost, follow your dream.  I followed my dream, went on the road with my band. Follow your heart.  It doesn’t matter what your parents say! Exclamation Point.  Secondly,  just know that there’s gonna be a lot of ‘Nos’.  There will be a thousand ‘Nos' to one ‘Yes.’  You have to have thick skin.  Be prepared to pound the pavement.  Be prepared to keep smiling, even when there are tears in your eyes.  AND…Get a day job.  With no disrespect.” She repeats this emphatically.  “Or you’re gonna spend your trust fund or all your dad’s money.  You have to be able to balance.  Unless you go on the road and tour, you cannot live in Nashville.  You have to play writer’s rounds and go out and be your best cheerleader, and promote yourself and support other people.”  

“That’s a big thing in this town - the support that you get when you support others.  It’s so fun like that!  The second you are friends with three other chick singers, you’re friends with twelve other chick singers…it’s like: ‘and they told two friends, and so on, and so on…’ It’s really amazing!  In Nashville, chick singers are friends with other chick singers.  We’re a really, really supportive group of women.  I love that about Nashville.” Dana pauses to reflect that there is competition regarding publishing deals - “I don’t want to be competitive, because I want to be genuine.  I want people to like my songs, and like me, because I am a good person.  I feel like you get closer to the prize when you have sincerity and understandings and a good attitude.”

Her goals?  “I thought I would have a cut by now.  I honestly thought we had a chance in the game, and I still do after ten years.” When I first got to Nashville they told me it was a five year town.  And now, they say it’s a ten year town!” She is tentative to express the next thought. “I really felt I was unique enough in my sound and in our writing that we would have gotten cuts and gotten a publishing deal.”  That was their goal, as a couple, as writers.  “Judd’s goal was not to be on the road playing. But,” she continues, “the beautiful thing is, he’s had a wonderful career.  Has been able to tour all over the world and has a great gig.”  

“I really thought I would have a career in the music business by now - the way it is these days, is that no one really has a career in the music business in this town any more.  Everyone fights, strives and struggles to do what they love.  Does that really equal career? I don’t know…when we say career, we think that comes with a paycheck.  The paycheck is not what I see when I write songs, right now.”  She smiles and winks. “They always tell me: ‘Put it out to the universe’ - songs equal paychecks!” She holds her arms up to the sky, sending it out there. “I’m putting it out there right now!”

“I still love this town.  Have I cried?  Yes.  Have I been frustrated?  Yes.  Have I made amazing friends?  Yes.  Do I love my life here?  Yes, I do.  Do I wish that I had more successes? Yes, I do. Of course I do.” It is a calm and peaceful statement of the truth.  “Success for me would be to be able to write every day with other writers.  Get songs cut.  Enjoy mailbox money.  And hear my songs on the radio. Go to number one parties…The little successes for me are that I can call friends of mine that are writers in this town and say let’s get together.  I can make that appointment.  I can show up at a gig and they say: ‘get up and sing with us.’ I can be that girl.  People want me to sing. Those are little successes.  People wanting to know where I’m singing, when I’m singing, wanting to hear new songs.  Those songs may not be cut, yet, but people get excited.” Invitations to write, writers rounds and parties, these are some of the things that keep Dana driven.  “I always feel at the end of the day that I’ve checked off a few things on my yes list - if I can keep doing that every week, that’s a little success.”

She becomes seriously reflective when asked whom her influences are other than other musicians and songwriters. “That’s a very interesting question,” she starts, “because when you think of someone you’re going to think of somebody who is either a singer or a writer.  I think that I am influenced by strong women of the world.  My mom is a great supporter and a great believer, and a great understander.  She’s also a singer.  My
Grandmother was a singer.  My Grandfather was a singer.  My Great Grandfather was Vaudeville.  So,  I mean I come from a long line of entertainers, but I don’t think I draw any influences from that.”

“I truly believe that most of my influences are from musicians and are musical.  I have been very influenced my whole life by - obviously The Rolling Stones - The Beatles, Bob Dylan, Janis Joplin.  The Sixties and Seventies - that’s my era.  And all that AM Pop Music from the Seventies - that really, really taught me harmony.  Taught me melody.  Taught me the love of singing along.  All that music I just really respect - it’s still in my heart and it’s still in my head.  Sadly, I look and I say: You know it’s 2015, Dān, and your still stuck in 1976 - and I’m like - Well, is that a bad thing?   No!” she squeaks again lyrically. “I’m so motivated and moved by songs that I knew as a kid. My dad was a big country music guy - so I got all my country stuff from my dad.  My mum was Rock and Roll.  So, I’m a little bit Country, I’m a little bit Rock and Roll.” She laughs.  “In the words of Donny and Marie!”

“Growing up, we had records, you know, we had Buddy Holly…my dad was Kris Kristofferson and my mum was The Beatles. The influences that we grew up with, those are what I still hang on to.  If you were staying for dinner, I’d put on old records.  My dad just came here from Canada and brought me a stack of old records, because he knows I’ve been collecting vinyl.  I’m inspired by tones.”

“When I write, I don’t really find inspiration from the records I listen to.  I really kind of just tune into myself and my history.  And whatever that is that day, that’s what I get.  I’m not like - I’m gonna write a song like that today.  I don’t do that.” Dana writes melodies vocally. “That’s why I married a guitar player.” She smiles a wide silent laughing face and then cracks up. “I married a guitar player, because you don’t want to hear me play guitar!  Judd will play a chord and he’ll say: ‘Okay, Sing something.’  Literally, he’ll play a G chord, and I’ll sing.  And he’ll say: ‘Keep going.’ Then he’ll try and follow me.  It’s really fun!” 

The best and worst musical experiences for Dana are clearly shared.  “I have two and they’re complete opposite spectrums…I got to sing the ACMs and the CMAs with Rodney Atkins as one of his back-up singers.  I got to be on TV, big stage, big stadium and that was really delicious!  Then on the other hand, some of the best Nashville moments that I’ve ever, ever had are singing on a bar stool with my husband - singing songs that we’ve written at The Listening Room. How do you gauge the best?  In my heart, singing songs that we’ve written, with the man I love is the best.  Being on a big stage, with a big star is really pretty cool too.” The worst experience for Dana, is something many songwriters can relate to.  “Sitting on a bar stool in a sports bar and nobody’s listening.”

The Nashville 7:

The final questions posed to Dana (inspired by James Lipton’s approach to interviewing for Inside The Actor’s Studio.)
1 In one Word describe Nashville:  With a slight hesitation: “Drunk.”


2 Your favorite food experience in Nashville: “Oh my God.  You’re gonna laugh.  Capt’n D’s  Grilled Wild Alaskan Salmon Sandwich.”  

3 One word that describes your music style: “Honest Roots”

4 Who is the one person you want to meet in Nashville: “I would love to meet Shania Twain, because I am Canadian.”

5 If you could ask (him/her) one question what would that question be: “Would you write with me? Or, or - will you cut one of my songs?”

6 What is your favorite Nashville venue: She makes a loud guttural “hmmmmm” sound, but after clarifying: “You mean music venue?”  the answer is easy: “Dan McGuinness.”  She continues, “It reminds me of the Wharf Pub [On Martha’s Vineyard] - and” she looks, as if asking permission to add her other favorite - “The Five Spot.”

7 Your favorite lyric from a song you wrote:If love is an ember he turned me into flame - from Danny Angel.”

That flame burns brightly with the voices of angels in the Radford family.  Every Christmas they meet at home in Canada and sings songs around the campfire, drinks in hand.  When she returns to Nashville, after the holidays, you can catch the delicious vocals of Dana Radford at Dan McGuinness on Tuesday Nights.


Women of Music Music of Women is an alliance for women in the music industry to network, support, promote, and recognize the many talented women in the industry by bringing them together with all aspects to include artists, attorneys, agents, managers, artist development, label execs, publishers, media, songwriters, past present and future talent to discuss and address the issues that concern women in the industry.
Like our FaceBook page: Women of Music Music of Women – you may promote yourself
Gig Swap: Group: WMMW Gig-Swap request to join Group to interact and share gigs
Contact us at wmmwusa@yahoo.com . You may also summit material for consideration to be a featured artist to wmmw@nashvillemusicguide.com
*The material included in this article is the sole property of the writer, (Katharine W. Poole,) and the photographer and President/Founder of WMMW, (Cilene Bosch.)  All elements may be used in other publications as determined by the owners. Permission must be obtained for reproduction.