Two Firsts

Dear friends,

Do you remember the feeling when you first learned to ride your bike? The thrill of being able to balance for even just a few feet when your daddy first let go? Or do you remember pulling out your first tooth? Even though it hurt, it was such a rewarding experience!

Firsts are always great. Within the past two days, I've had two firsts!! I'm very proud of myself, and I'm using this blog to brag! Haha... yup, true.

First #1:

Yesterday, Anna and I had our big concert at the Heyde Center in Chippewa Falls, WI. It was such a great night! There were so many people there. Friends, family, fans... everyone came! We sold lots of our new CD - Ready to Go. (It's availabe to listen to on Anna's myspace: http://www.myspace.com/annajohnsonmusic. It's available to purchase on iTunes!)

The concert was a wonderful experience.

For the past few weeks, Anna and I have really been thinking about where we're supposed to go, now that our CD is done, and some of our big concerts are over. We've been figuring out who to work with as a manager, and other things like that. As a result, we've been really praying that God would show us where we belong in life. What exactly is our purpose? This question has been so important to me that I wrote a song! Yes, I wrote a song. And guess what? I sang it at the concert! It was the first time I had ever performed that song in public. Nobody had heard it but Anna. It was the first time I had ever played guitar in public. It was the first time I sang into a microphone while playing guitar STANDING UP! That was pretty difficult for me. Haha... Lots of firsts, and it was a success! People really enjoyed it, and I have the pride of another first!

First #2:

Today is the last night that my Uncle Dale will be in town. He's heading back to Texas early tomorrow morning. We wanted to have him for dinner, but my mom wasn't sure what to make. I had an idea! I took it upon myself to put the cooking lesson I had a couple weeks earlier to use. A friend of mine taught me how to make chicken cordon bleu, and it was pretty delicious. So I recreated it (without a recipe...I forgot it in Nashville...) all by myself! I made the meal for eight people! My grandparents, uncle, and the rest of my family! So many people. It took me a really long time, but it was a success as well! They loved it! And I ate too much. That was the first time I ever cooked a meal for anyone other than Anna and I. It was hard work, but very rewarding!

Now I am full, and proud. Thanks to everyone who has encouraged me to cook, sing, and have the confidence to share it with people!

Cool.

Joelle Maddyson

Today Anna and I drove to Murfreesboro to spend some time with our musician friend, Joelle Maddyson. We spent the day at her apartment chatting, drinking coffee, and sharing music.

She is a classically trained opera singer, but writes and sings the most beautiful songs in a completely different style. As a classically trained violinist, I understand how she feels. She has used her technical training as the groundwork to create music that really comes from her heart. That's exactly what I do with my violin when I perform with my sister, Anna Johnson! Joelle sings very passionately, and accompanies herself on the piano. Her lyrics reflect deep emotions that she has felt - real experiences that make her performances very sincere, heartfelt, and personal.

Anna and I are looking forward to sharing a show with her at JoZoara's in Murfreesboro. It's a nice coffee shop where we will take turns playing originals, and helping each other out. She's going to play piano with us, and we'll bring some harmonies and violin to her music. It's going to be a wonderful experience! (I'm not quite sure when the show will be yet, but I'll let you know!)

Random story: Toward the end of his life, Joelle's grandfather made beautiful fiddles for a hobby. Although none of her family plays the fiddle, they've kept all of them as a reminder of their loved one. (I'm glad they kept them! They have wonderful sound!) These fiddles have sortof become a family heirloom.

For the past few months, Joelle has been working on her album. She just finished six songs (I think...). They're quite fantastic! She worked with the same producer with which we recorded our album: Billy Smiley. Although she's done for now, Joelle would like to record a few more of her songs. She wanted to do a more acoustic set, and asked me to play one of these old, precious fiddles on the album! I am honored to be able to play! The fiddle needs a few repairs... It hasn't been played for about thirty years. But considering the situation, it has a wonderful sound! Such open, resonant sound. It'll be great to play on her album. Her family will be thrilled to know that one of their great-grandfather's fiddles is finally being played. I am honored to be the one to play it! Thanks Joelle!

If you'd like to hear some of Joelle's music, check out her myspace! Or any other site that she has. She's great at self-promotion! :)

(That was a great friend plug, wasn't it? Haha!)

Starting Over...again

Today I remembered that I have a blog. Yes, I had forgotten. Haha!

When I finally figured out my password and logged on, I changed the layout by accident. Ugh. Then, I couldn't find it again! It looked awful because whatever I selected, by accident of course, was ugly. Haha! So... I took forever to find this new background. It's not the greatest, but at least it's something!

This time, I hope I will stick with it and write steadily! Anna and I would love it if people actually read our blogs! As musicians, we want to be really real to our fans, and have a personal relationship with them. We want to stay connected to real life, and real people, even if our music brings us success. God has blessed us with a gift, and we want to share it with as many people as possible, on a personal level! We want our music to touch people, like it has touched us.

So, maybe this blog will be a way for you to get to know me... whoever you are! Haha... if anyone even reads this. Hopefully, someday, someone, somewhere will read this!

NEWS: Anna and I have more shows coming up! A big concert in Chippewa Falls, WI on July 31st at 7pm. We're bringing in a band, and it'll be great! It's a beautiful venue.

By the way, Anna and I saw Taylor Swift at this little frozen yogurt place in downtown Franklin, TN called Sweet Cece's! She is very beautiful, and seems very sweet. We were going to introduce ourselves, but an older man who was with her said they were in a hurry, and kinda shoved her out of the door! Yikes. Cool thing: On the way out, she told Anna - You're really pretty! It's nice to meet you! - Isn't that wonderful? How kind of her, even if they wouldn't let us actually chat with her.

Oh, and Anna chatted with Amy Grant on the phone today. They're getting coffee on Wednesday! :)

Praise the Lord for music, and all of the wonderful people we can meet because of it!

Hiccups

I have crazy hiccups right now. :)

(How's that for an update?)

Happy Easter!

Exciting.

Things have been wonderfully exciting lately.

On Monday, I did so many great things! I went to Belmont University to sit in on a performance class. I met a lot of nice people and listened to some great performances. After that, I went to this really neat place in Nashville called Fido. A friend of mine met me there and we chatted for awhile. I had some delicious carrot cake. Delectable.

Then...the exciting part...We went to a church where a whole bunch of people meet around 5:00pm to get together and prepare meals for the homeless. We had to leave before we got to give the food out, but next time I will totally stay for that! We made TONS of spaghetti. Guess why we left? We went to a faculty concert at Belmont. In the Belmont Mansion. It was terrific. Wow. Such beautiful music, and such a beautiful building! It was one of those nights when I didnt' want it to end. I didn't want to go to sleep. That's for sure.

I'm really excited because I'm finally starting to meet people! I'm making friends, and having a great time.

Tomorrow, we are finishing our moving. We're moving into a bigger place in Cool Springs, TN. It'll be really nice. :) I'm just tired of moving, again. Haha. Oh well.

Tonight, I played lots of duets with my fake brother, Bryce. He plays the cello, and we like to mess around. We take piano books and play off of the sheet music. I play the right hand; he plays the left. It's pretty exciting. We're starting to sound really great!

Now, I'm talking to one of my buddies on the phone. It's hard to type and talk at the same time. Haha...but I'm getting the hang of it. :)

Life in Tennesse is exciting. You're very right, Mishel.

Short Update

I'm following Mishel's advice and updating my blog. :)

Things have been crazy lately. I think they are every time I decide to write. Life is super exciting in Tennessee. Tonight, we played in a writer's round at Hotel Indigo in Nashville. It went wonderfully.

I'm sleepy, and have some work to do...but I'll write more in the next couple days!

Good night friends.

Oh Happy Day.

Today was crazy and wonderful.

It was absolutely beautiful, warm and wonderful outside. The sky was super blue. I went on a walk with the Beyer family (my fake family) and the dogs (Charlie and Max).

I made Clara a birthday cake and cupcakes to bring to our show. I made it all by myself and it turned out wonderfully! Delicious.

We tried to pick Billy up from the airport and we got lost...because our exit was closed. And we didn't know what to do. Ugh. And hour and a half later, we got Billy from the airport.

Then, we rushed home, packed up our sound equipment, and rushed off to Murfreesboro for our show. It went super well! Billy, our producer, came. It was a blast. And....best part...My family came! We gave Clara her birthday gifts before the show started, and sang to her and everything. It was just a wonderful night.

Now, I am spending quality time with Bryce, Ethan, Laine, Chris, and Anna. All my favorite people. How happy.

I'm sleepy. And I can't wait to see my family more tomorrow. And I'm excited for our week in the studio. I think I'm just happy right now. Super tired, but really happy. Thanks you Lord for a wonderful day!