Shows shows shows! And then some more shows!

So April had a great show at the quirky UnUrban cafe in LA!  Over the last couple of years, I have acquired a cadre of AMAZING singer/songwriter friends from the workshop I've participated in at the Songwriters School of Los Angeles.  (Big shout out to founder, songwriter, teacher, and all around incredible individual Rob Seals for creating such a place for all of us to gather and grow.  Visit www.thesongwritingschool.com for class info!)  A few of us - namely Eric Shouse, Marijke, and Mat Koehler - decided to try a "songwriters in the round" style of performance for this gig.  I've admired this set-up for years after having seen LA local favorites Tyrone Wells and Mike Barnet do numerous gigs this way:  2-4 musicians on the stage, each taking a turn playing a song, and sometimes jumping in with a backing vocal or a little extra guitar, shaker, etc.   We did the same set-up at UnUrban, and it was awesome!  It's a really fun experience for the audience because even if someone can only hang around for 30 minutes or so, that lucky chap will still hear 3-4 different songs from 3-4 different people.  More bang for the buck.  (But good luck leaving after just hearing one song from each of us!)  We enjoyed it so much, that Eric, Marijke and I will be doing it again on a grander scale at the Gypsy Den on May 25th!  I encourage you to come out and become fans of Marijke and Eric - they are truly outstanding musicians and wonderful people.  I'm excited to be there just to have the chance to listen to them.  Stay tuned as a bigger version of this set-up is in the works with many more people from the workshop, a la the famed "Ten out of Tenn".

Then the workshop singer/songwriters got together AGAIN, this time for an open mic night arranged by the brilliant Miranda Zeigler and held at the super hip Lock & Key bar in Los Angeles this past Monday, May 6th.  We pretty much rocked that little bar's hinges off.  Looks like they'll be doing this every Monday, at least for the month of May while they try it out, so head on down there at 9:00pm!  And be sure to wear cocktail attire.  (Check website for deets:  http://www.lockandkey.com)

I am currently in rehearsals for the BIG SHOW!!!  BIG BIG BIG!!!  EYES OVER HERE, PLEASE!  We're playing at the rad Coach House in San Juan Capistrano again on June 8th, and it will be my first band show in over a year!  I can't tell you how excited I am.  We're welcoming Eric Berumen on electric guitar (he's playing with us for the first time), and Mark Moloznik on keys, as well as the brilliance we've come to expect from Paul Antony on bass and Steve Ochoa on drums.  It's going to be absolutely epic.  Lives will be changed.  People will speak of it for years to come.  Please buy your tickets from me (they're $15 from me, $20 at the venue) via the totally secure PayPal link on the "Vanessa's Shows" page here on the site.  

Finally, on this Mother's Day weekend, my mother gave me permission to accept an offer to do worship and some original music at a church in Moses Lake, Washington and I couldn't be more excited!  If anyone in Moses Lake is reading this, and you'd like to come out on Sunday morning, please drop me a line!  For everyone else, I promise to share some pictures and some anecdotes next week.

Be well, all!  

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