If you’re new to this message board community, I wanted to invite you to listen to True Story Radio.

It’s a topical, weekly, one-hour show with a mix of music and laughs, discussion and interviews that you may not find on your local CCM-format radio station.

You’ll hear a big variety of music, including rock, singer-songwriters, bluegrass, jazz, urban, pop and even some CCM classics.

The thing I like best about producing True Story is that YOU shape what True Story Radio sounds like.  The weekly topics come from what we’re passionately talking about here and in other online communities and from the news.  The songs are from your list of favorites or new tunes that you’ve just discovered. During the show, many of us come back here to this thread to discuss what we’re listening to together.  True Story is very much an extension of this community.

For the last two years, True Story has aired in the Washington, DC region on the secular, free form station WEBR and online at http://www.fcac.org/webr .  We have active listener-friends in about 30 states and a handful of countries. And we’re working on plans to bring True Story Radio to a round-the-clock, online channel of its own so you’ll be able to tune in whenever it’s convenient for you. 

But in the meantime, I hope you can carve out some time to listen to True Story Radio online, Thursdays @ 3pm eastern/2pm central on http://www.fcac.org/webr .

Your friend on the air,

nancy

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summer festival audition season has started.  one of the ones i’m auditioning for requires a CD with no orchestral excerpts (much to my delight...i hate those things!).  i recorded 3 of the 4 things i’m including on the CD yesterday and just wanted to share them…

sergei rachmaninoff - vocalise
w.a. mozart concerto in Bb, 1st mvt. exposition
jacobi etude no. 2

let me know what you think

~Jessica

I’ve been starting to think about this recently. I’ve been helping promote artists and their music for quite awhile now. I have felt that God wants me to try and serve others more than myself. Recently, I have started thinking more about myself since I am getting more confident in my music. This brings up some questions for me though. It seems that a lot of singer/songwriters that I meet are very nice people but they seem to focus more on themselves than others. It has been my desire to see these accomplished singer/songwriters do their best to help the less accomplished ones. I don’t see that happening though. They seem so focused on their own work that they don’t spend time helping and encouraging others.

I have seen some exceptions to that though. I’m encouraged when I see artists like Glitter Rose in Dallas who hosts an Open Mic every month at Poor David’s Pub. She is an artist herself but sees the importance of helping other singer/songwriters with their craft. I also have come to appreciate artists like Margaret Becker. From what I have read, it seems that she found herself focused too much on herself and realized it was time to help others. She has been very active in the last few years with mentoring and producing projects for other female singer/songwriters. She also is very active in helping Indie artists get more exposure by featuring them on her website.

It is my prayer that other singer/songwriters that have achieved success in their craft will think about drawing their attention off themselves for awhile and help others who need encouragement. When someone gives you a CD, don’t throw it away. Listen to it! Email them some encouragement. Leave them an encouraging comment on their MySpace page. These up and coming artists tend to put artists like you on a pedestal. Please try your best to come down from that pedestal and talk to them artist to artist.

I joined this MySpace thing mainly to network with other singer/songwriters and in turn help promote their music. I was hoping to get some encouraging personal message from them but it seems I mainly only get promotional messages for their recent CD’s or for upcoming concerts. Please take advantage of this great thing called MySpace and let’s build true community!

It’s inspired in part by a wonderful poem by Daniel Priest, called Heaven’s Rope. (The link is to a blog post, the poem is at the end of that post).

If you like the poem, Daniel has a book of more you can purchase.

Tell me whatchya think. If you’re musically minded or have a way with recording (which I certainly don’t), feel free to critique.

(Song is released under a Creative Commons by-sa license.)