6/13/2010: CMA Music Fest

I sure had a great CMA week here in Nashville. I actually became busier then what was planned and I loved it! For starters, on the evening of the 7th, I hosted AristoMedia's CMA Global Artist Party at The Stage on Broadway and it was a great success. There was so much international talent there and it was so nice to meet these artists from around the world. That show would've never been made possible, though, without the countless hours of planning and hard work put into it by the great people from AristoMedia. So thank you to all of you for the great time!! I was excited because this was the first year also that I was part of the CMA Kick Off Parade! I was part of the Operation Troop Aid float along with Moxy Recording artist Chelsea Field, and Hollywood, just to name a few. There sure was a lot of country music fans in Nashville for that and for the week to follow. On the 11th, I went down to the Convention Center and I signed at the Microsoft booth. Well I tell you what, I was blown away with the response I received. I had a line that wasn't stopping to the point where the Microsoft crew had to cut my line, and ask me back the next day. I wanted to mention that the Microsoft team presented me with a gift while I was there as well. It's one of the Zune systems, that plays live radio, movies, songs and the list goes on and on. It's really cool! So, as was mentioned, I did end up going back to the Microsoft booth the next day and was pleasantly surprised with the support I received once again. Chelsea Field, as I mentioned above, is a new artist to hit Nashville. She's on the Moxy Record label and she's being taken care of by my same team from AristoMedia. Anyways, Chelsea and I ran into one another a few times during the booth signing experience and on the 2nd day I was there, Chelsea asked if I would be willing to come and sing a few songs at her show happening that evening at Cadillac Ranch. I told her I'd love to! So that evening I headed down to Cadillac Ranch and following Chelsea's show, I went up on stage and sang 3 songs! It was a great experience and I'd like to thank Chelsea Field for the opportunity to play! I stayed at Cadillac Ranch for a little while after I sang and then headed out to another venue to catch just in time, my buddy Curt Acuff's show down at the French Quarter the same night. Curt and his band Nexus Point had already been playing for an hour by the time I got there, but after Curt spotted me walking in, he called me up on stage to sing and I did 4 songs there, acoustically. That acoustic stuff is fun and laid back. I love it!! Thanks to Curt Acuff and his band Nexus Point for the opportunity there as well! Last but not least, I attended with my friends from Aristo, the last evening show at LP Field. The Microsoft team had previously invited us all up to their Skybox to hang for part of the show. They had catered food up there that was just awesome, not to forget to mention the kindness and generosity we received from the Microsoft people, so thank you! :) I'd say half way through the show, we said our goodbye's to everyone and then headed over to another suite where we enjoyed visiting and watching the remainder of the concert. Justin Moore, Kellie Pickler, Blake Shelton with special appearance from Miranda Lambert, Trace Adkins, Darius Rucker and Brad Paisley all played that night in the sweltering heat. It was a good show! Well, that about wraps it all up in a nut shell everyone and I don't think that I'm forgetting anything, but it's possible, being that I did so much in a short time period. Thanks for the continued support everyone and I'll talk to you later.

God Bless!

ag)

P.S. I forget to mention a very important point. On the 14th, I was part of a benefit fundraiser for my friend Larry Wayne Clark who's a Nashville songwriter. He has unfortunately been diagnosed with cancer and this show was to raise money to help them a little through this difficult time. I guess every little bit helps right. My prayers are with you Larry, hang in there...

6/2/2010: Canada, Shows, Family, Back To Nashville!

Hey everyone... It's been awhile since I posted a journal, so I thought it was a good time to do so. I actually just got back from Canada... I spent just over a week up there and was able to surprise both my grandma and my sister on their birthdays! The first day home, my Dad and I pulled up the driveway and my sister saw me behind the wheel and had the surprised look on her face. She had no clue I was coming home, so that was extra cool. My parents and I ended up celebrating Andrea's birthday at a Greek restaurant down on White Ave, with a bunch of her other friends, and it was nice to visit with everyone. Do you know that Birthday stems from the Greek word Birthulia lol just kidden. I was just thinking back to the My Big Fat Greek Wedding movie when the father puts a Greek meaning to every word. Anyways, so we had a Greek meal and later on went back to my mom and dad's and just chilled out for the rest of the evening. On the 23rd, my Mom and I drove over to my Grandma and Grandpa's house where I surprised my Grandma... My Mom rang the door bell as I waited around the corner, and when my Grandma answered, I popped around the corner and said Happy Birthday! She was completely shocked, to say the least and for a second or so she couldn't hold back the tears. I was so glad that I was able to make it back. Please, I would so greatly appreciate it if you would all say a prayer for my Grandma as she's been diagnosed with cancer. She is super positive and super strong, so I have no doubt that she'll get through this once again but she could still use all of your prayers. I believe I told you guys that my dad was building a deck on the front of our house, well anyways it looks awesome!! I was able to help him put up the railing around the deck and it just added so much to it's appearance! A lot of the neighbors have commented on how good it looks as well. Well, I didn't go up there for just family reasons, I also had a show at the Rainmaker Rodeo as one of the opening acts for Dwight Yokam. It's called the Rainmaker Rodeo because it usually involves a lot of rain, but fortunately in our case it didn't rain during our show. After the Rainmaker show, my parents and I headed home and I tried to get a good nights sleep because I was flying out the next day. My flight on the 29th departed at 2:30ish so at least I didn't have to wake up super earlier like past flights I've had to do. I arrived back in the States and last night I was part of a benefit show in regards to the floods which occurred here in Nashville. It took place down at the Limelight just across from LP field and there were a bunch of other artist that showed up to support the cause as well, which was good to see the support:) I invited my buddy Curt Acuff down with me, who is also an inspiring singer, songwriter and musician, and three songs into my set I invited Curt up to do a song. He did a great job and the audience loved him:) So all in all it was a good night and I was happy to be part of it. Anyways, thanks for all the continuous support and I'll talk to you all later. God Bless!

ag)