The Writer's Share

Hard core music fans out there, clear your calenders for June 18th, 2009 and hop a plane to Nashville for this really cool, first in a series, showcase hosted by Jen Foster at the Bluebird Cafe.

Join Jen as she welcomes Richard Marx, Mike Reid, Chuck Cannon, and Lari White - to sit in the round with her at this world famous venue. The evening promises to be spectacular as the 4 musicians share their craft with the audience and each other. The fact that proceeds of the night go towards charity is the proverbial icing on the cake. Jen Foster, an award winning singer/songwriter herself, has this to say about this brand new project -

"I'm also excited about the songwriter's series I'm hosting at the Bluebird Cafe here. It will be 4 shows a year for at least 3 years, with the first event happening on June 18th. The shows will benefit the TJ Martell Foundation for Leukemia, Cancer, and AIDS research...

...I have some great songwriters lined up for the first show - Chuck Cannon, Mike Reid, and Lari White are confirmed - and if you Google those writers, you'll see why I'm so excited. Mike Reid, for one, wrote "I Can't Make You Love Me" for Bonnie Raitt - a freaking GORGEOUS song, and huge hit, to say the least. Chuck Cannon wrote the John Michael Montgomery #1 hit, "I Love The Way You Love Me". Lari White is Chuck's wife and a successful country artist in her own right. If any of you get the chance to come out to one of these nights, it will be well-worth the money spent for so many reasons. We will play "in-the-round" - which means we will sit in a circle in the middle of the room and go around and each do an original song, 5 times.

The Bluebird is a great place to play because people LISTEN there. They have to :)...it's the policy to "Shhhh" people if anyone talks during a song, and the management there has created an environment where people respect the music they have come to hear. You get some food, get a drink, and settle into a cozy room to hear music. The venue has lots of history and is world-famous for nurturing some of country's greatest writers and artists from their humble beginnings. The stories of the songs really come through in this atmosphere - and there is a strong connection that develops between the writers and the audience. These will be special shows for sure, so put the first one on your calendar!"

The Writer's Share is sure to draw attention from the musical elite in Nashville - don't miss this opportunity to hear these incredible creative minds making music together.

WHERE & WHEN
06-18-2009 9:00pm at The Bluebird
TJ Martell Benefit w/ Jen, Mike Reid, Chuck Cannon, & Lari White.
4104 Hillsboro Pike, Nashville, Tennessee 37215
Tickets $100, $50, or $20 - Click HERE to reserve yours!!

"Closer to Nowhere" to Air on "The Hills" on 4/13 at 9pm central

Do you know who you are, do you ever think about it?

If you are as big of a Jen Foster fan as I am, you have undoubtedly heard this line hundreds of times since the release of the award winning single "Closer to Nowhere", and it's video last year...on your iPod, on your computer, even on your TV in the late Friday night hours during the video's run on LOGO. Well, get ready Jen Foster fans, because "Closer to Nowhere" is on it's way to PRIME TIME...

Mark your calenders and set your DVRs for Monday, April 13 at 9pm central time - and tune in as the first single from Jen's long anticipated new CD finds a huge new audience on MTV's hit show "The Hills." This is awesome news for Foster, who works tirelessly writing, recording, touring, and developing strong connections with her ever growing and fiercely loyal fan base.

The new album, titled "Thirty Nine", is slated for release sometime in the summer, and Jen Foster's fans are already marking their places in line to purchase it. When asked to comment about the project, Foster stated simply that it is her best work yet...and even though I have heard all of the tracks from the 4 song EP that preceded the full project, I have a feeling that I haven't heard ANYTHING yet. In addition to the upcoming new release, Jen Foster recently wrote and released the controversial new single "I Didn't Just Kiss Her" - a response to Katy Perry's "I Kissed a Girl", and also launched a brand new website for her fans at www.jenfoster.com . Be sure and check them out!!

Congratulations Jen!! In your own words - you're going places....


Find all of Jen Foster's latest music for sale at iTunes, Amazon.com, CDBaby, and now on Bandbox... and don't forget to visit Jen's Official Myspace Page to become a fan and leave a comment!!!

Jessi Lynn Heads Back to Texas and Salon Nights on the Levee

Jessi Lynn is headed back to Dallas in a return appearance at Salon Nights on the Levee – finally!! I was introduced to this artist last fall, and am so excited to see her back again.

Born and raised on country music, Jessi Lynn found an early refuge in the stylings of greats like Waylon Jennings, Johnny Cash, and Willie Nelson – first falling in love with the music, and then finding her own voice in her songwriting. Making music her full time job came with all of the difficulty usually associated with struggling independent artists on a regular diet of ramen noodles – but it all seems worth it, Jessi says, when she learns how her music touches fans. “When I'm told that my music helped someone get through a tough time in their life, or has inspired them to do what they love… when someone tells me that they got something out of my songs, that is the absolute best moment of my life.”

When Jessi takes the stage, the passion that drives her music is palpable throughout the audience. Singing soulful songs inspired by all of the triumph and devastation of real life, Jessi pulls the audience into the stories behind the music. Whether she is singing “Anywhere but Here”, a song written during a time of life changing events and choices, or “You Ain’t Seen Nothing Like This”, about overcoming the inevitable obstacles that threaten to keep us from our dreams, Jessi Lynn’s simple acoustic style allows the power of her voice and the artistry of her melody and lyric take center stage.

After the show, you will not find Jessi Lynn hiding backstage. Her favorite moments are those in which she is connecting with the people. After she sings her songs, you are likely to find Jessi Lynn hanging out, having a beer, and chatting with fans about any number of things from photography, to her love of all things fitness (she is a certified personal trainer), her favorite charities like Rockin’ for Rescue and Susan G. Komen, or even her dog Cami – the love of her life.

This will be Jessi Lynn’s second appearance at Salon Nights on the Levee. When asked what makes a great venue, Jessi Lynn described a place where the management cares about the music and the artist. “I've played venues with the best stage and lights, but have been merely been wallpaper,” she says. “Then, I've played in the corner, no lights OR stage and have had the entire place hanging on every word. It's the people that make the venue, without that, it's just an overly priced room.”

If you live in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area, you do not want to miss this rare opportunity to hear Jessi Lynn live with Beth Kille at Salon Nights on the Levee, April 11th at 7pm. For more information on this show, visit www.salonnightsonthelevee.com

Katy Perry Just Kissed a Girl, but Jen Foster is Going All the Way

Her lyrics have been labeled everything from honest and direct to no-frills and unfiltered... and Jen Foster's brand new single certainly lives up.

"I Didn't Just Kiss Her" is a witty, tongue in, ummm, cheek response to Katy Perry's "I Kissed a Girl." Foster's response comes from the other side of the proverbial coin, and from a truly lesbian point of view. Says Jen...“It just seemed like there was probably more to it, you know? I thought this would be a good way to tell the other side of the story.”

So far, "I Didn't Just Kiss Her" is receiving rave reviews from the media, and Foster has several interviews scheduled to talk more about the single and the story behind it. Monday, March 30, you can hear Jen on Sirius Radio's OutQ with Larry Flick. The interview is scheduled at 9am central time on channel 109. Other upcoming interviews include OUT.com, and SistersTalk Radio. Keep an eye on www.myspace.com/jenfoster for dates and times.

Foster admits the lyrics are slightly more risqué than her usual fare, but adds “it felt right, and I went with it.” Of course, no song this honest can be released without some controversy. There are those who think maybe "I Didn't Just Kiss Her" pushes the envelope just a little too far. This blogger takes issue with that, only because, in the world of mainstream pop music, there has been no shortage of the expression of open sexuality - open, that is, in a heterosexual sort of way. But, somehow, the idea of singing about what lesbians do behind closed doors is offensive, too "in your face," or an indicator that there must be some gross immorality in your life. What is THAT about??? Really, some folks need to grow up, grow some skin, and learn to laugh a little. Seriously.

Foster’s enthusiastic fans are using popular social media tools like Twitter, Facebook and MySpace to feverishly spread the word about the new song. Released last week via Foster's Official MySpace page, "I Didn't Just Kiss Her" is continuing to pick up momentum after reaching 25,000 plays within just days of being posted. The single is available for purchase through Bandbox on Myspace or the newly redesigned www.jenfoster.com - or you can pick it up on iTunes.

Stay tuned, this song is just begging for club remixes and a really hot video....

A Window and a Mirror

A couple of weeks ago, I got a bulletin on myspace letting me know that Melissa Etheridge's single "Christmas in America" was being offered as a "Holiday Single of the Week" free download on iTunes. While I am not what you would call a die hard Melissa fan, I do like most of her music and was in the mood for some new holiday tunes on the iPod so I hustled on over there to iTunes to take advantage of their timely offer. As the single was downloading, I decided to read some of the reviews that other listeners had written. I rarely do this because I like to hear a song and form my own opinion based on the music rather than the things people have said about it, but you know...my connection was slow and I was fighting boredom. I have to say, I was REALLY disturbed by some of the things I was reading. This single, and Melissa herself, were being slammed left and right as being too "political," "self indulgent," and "whiny," just to name a few.

Too political??? What is that??? Music has been a vehicle for political messages and protest for ages. U2 has practically taken over the world with politically charged music. John Lennon, Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, Band - Aid, Live - Aid, USA for Africa, Pink, The Dixie Chicks, the list could, literally, go on for days. Politicians use popular music to define their campaigns and platforms - what is the problem with musicians using their own talents to express their own opinions about the state of current events and world issues? Have we really reached a point where we want music that's all beat with nothing to say?

In a world with obscenely popular songs with lyrics like "I'm bringing sexy back," and "I like big butts and I cannot lie," and, well, don't let me leave out Britney's new masterpiece "Womanizer, womanizer, womanizer"...it would seem like that is exactly where we are going.

Frankly, I prefer music with a message - doesn't have to be political, but if it is, I am not offended. I want music to say something to me about the world, and I want the music that I choose to say something to the world about me. I want the music that I love to be a window and a mirror - to show me things about the world and myself that I might otherwise miss. I want stories, and opinions, and confrontations, confessions, and revelations. This is probably why I lean so far towards indie music...

Anyway, that is my rant for the day...I happen to like "Christmas in America" ...political? Maybe. But loneliness and wanting to be with far away loved ones during the holidays are themes I relate to...

Imagine...

It was the first event in my life in which I remember exactly where I was and what I was doing when I heard the news...

October 9, 1940 - December 8, 1980

Video of the Year!!! LOGO's Best of 2008...

Congratulations to Jen Foster for making it into the running for this list....

Watch the video...click to vote !!!!