Jane Brock: Home
Hi Again!
Sometimes it just feels great to laugh at something good that happens simply because it is so unexpected.
This past week I received some fantastic feedback from two fans I didn't know I had--and they're from a demographic of the most unexpected type. Get this....
I received an email from Andrew, the force behind City At Night magazine in Nashville, an entertainment and news publication that really gets it about indie musicians as well as the mainstream happenings here in NashVegas. As the entertainment editor, Andrew receives piles and piles of CDs from independent musicians (like me) that wish to be written about in City At Night. Anyway, in his email Andrew tells me that he asked his 3rd grade daughter to pick out her two favorite CDs from his collection. Lo and behold, she picked my CD, "Low-Backed Dress" as one of her favorites! Her other favorite? Miley Cyrus!! Go figure! No joke. Miley and me. Me and Miley. This was the coolest news, and really made me laugh, smile, and feel very appreciated. Ah, but there is more....
Later in this same week, I received a message that another elementary school kid, a boy who lives in Michigan, absolutely loves the title track "Low-Backed Dress", and according to his parents, carries my CD to and from the car every time. I was a little, er, worried it might be the cover photo that did it, but no, he says himself that his favorite song is "number one!", which is the title track.
I know it sounds like I'm bragging on my "fabulous self" as I tell this story, but I assure you that is the farthest thing from my mind. I am IMPRESSED that these two kids have sophisticated-enough taste to appreciate music that is obviously not cookie-cutter, auto-tuned, over-produced, watered-down, same-ole-same-ole stuff that is played on pop radio. You know, the stuff that is aimed at the young audience the way sugar-laden breakfast cereals are. I know the parents must be mostly responsible for putting great alternative music in front of their kids, but the fact that the kids are receptive to it...wow, that is really very cool. Advertisers, music executives, record labels, radio stations...you should all take note of the point made by these two members of the consumer market.
Kudos to both of these kids, as well as their parents! I promise to put out some more great music, hopefully this year--and I'll want to know what YOU think of it! And then let's eat cupcakes....
Love,
Jane
(previous blog post)
Hi!
Well, whether we like it or not, it's a New Year. But considering some of the dismal events of last year, I am endeavoring to be optimistic!
I have big plans. I have a head full of new songs and can't wait to finish them and get into the production process. I seriously love songwriting, and I have been occupied with too much other stuff in the past year that has distracted me from what I love to do. Not that those things were unimportant, because they were extremely so. The care of my Alzheimer's-stricken mother, the mismanagement of her healthcare by people who were supposed to be looking out for her best interest, and her subsequent passing was a drawn-out series of events that drained a lot of my strength, patience, and joy. Thank God for the wellspring that He has instilled in me; what internal resources I've lost are being replenished by His grace.
All that said, we grow from our trials, yes? And I know I've grown from all the difficulties. I also know that I have friends that love me, both in the music business and outside of it, and they are hoping for my recovery, such that it is. I have family who care and support me. And I as well have dreams for my family and friends, too, kind of like a reflection of their love for me--I want to bounce back to them what they send my way.
Lots of work waits in the wings of 2009. It will be a long haul to finish up all the business work on my mother's estate. And I intend to pursue some justice in what happened to her. I did all I could do to keep her healthy and safe, but sometimes the liars and arrogant cowards of the world get the upper hand. I will call them out and hold them accountable, and pray that justice will prevail. I also am more than toying with the idea of expanding my music career with more than songwriting and recording...perhaps a record label of my own is in the works...??
Those question marks are appropriate. Not because of doubt, but because of faith and dreams. We don't ever know how or when dreams will arrive, or in what form. But they eventually do arrive, and that's the faith part.
So to wind this around on itself, yes, it's a New Year. I have sketches of big plans. There is much work waiting to be done. I am being replenished by grace and strengthened by experience. Now I want to color in the sketches, and exercise my newly developed strength. So Year 2009 can do its best or worst--I am up for the challenge. And I think I'll be seeing some of you on this year's road, too.
Hello Friends--
Here are the visitation and funeral arrangements for my mother, Jean Denman Harris, who passed away on Thursday, November 27, 2008:
Visitation is today (Sunday) at Chattanooga Funeral Home East, South Moore Road, in East Ridge, TN (37412). Hours are from 3:00 until 8:00.
Funeral is tomorrow, December 1, (Monday) at East Ridge Baptist Church, Ringgold Road at Marlboro Avenue. Funeral is at 11:00, followed by 3:00 burial in Jasper, Georgia, at Sunrise Memorial Gardens.
This notice is for those of you who are close by and might want to attend, but as it is such late notice, I certainly understand if you can't be there.
I thank you for your thoughts and prayers. My mother was a sweet little lady until the very end. She will be missed greatly by those who knew her, because they loved her. It was easy to love Jean.
Thanks so much,
Jane
(previous text entry)
What I’ve been doing all this time..
Hey, Everybody--
You're right. My site here has been consistently lackluster for quite some time. My gig calendar has been bare, and evidence of new songs and other creativity is absent. And while this is not good for my music career, I must come to my own defense and let you know I have been spending my time in good faith.
Some of you already know that the last 3 years have been tumultuous, but for those of you who don't know or who are new to my site, I have been taking care of my Alzheimer's-stricken mother as well as her estate since my father passed in 2005. I've learned a lot about caring for the elderly and ill, making long-term financial decisions that affect the futures of more people than myself, dealing with chilling facts and scalding emotions, and becoming reluctantly aware of the heights of integrity and depths of depravity that exist in humanity. I've come to decide that self-centeredness is the original sin, and that it controls people's hearts and minds more than I'd ever before thought possible.
However, the bright spot in all of this is that I am protecting and serving the woman who sacrificially did the same for me when I was a child--innocent yet selfish, equipped yet unable, smart yet absolutely unwise. I remember designing my album liner notes ("Low-Backed Dress", 2007) and feeling so indebted to my parents. In the thank-you section, I wrote "I miss my father and wish he could hear this work that I know he would love. And to my mother, who waited for me through countless piano lessons, thank you for being the example that I am following. I know you are now unable to remember, but I do."
Yes, that all sounds really noble and rather like patting myself on the back. Yet it is the product of true humble gratitude of which I've been both the beneficiary and the extender. During my tenure as my mother's guardian, I constantly wrestle with anxiety-laden days, sleep-robbed nights, and the sad attack of cortisol and stress-eating on my waistline. However, I really can find affirmation and even occasional joy when I am able to step back and view the wide horizon of my current world. Yoga and Rozerem help me look for that horizon, but willingness to let God adjust my desires helps me to SEE it. Smoke, fog, forests of dead trees, ghosts of the past and spirits of the present often obscure the view. But I know that horizon is always there, so I keep holding onto the vision of what I have seen before and what I know I'll see again at just the right time. I think that's called Faith.
I still carry my lyric notebook with me. I still have songs in my head. I still listen to everyone's music, maybe even yours, composing all the time. More music is coming, I know. So I don't want you to feel sorry for me. I just want you to know what I'm doing these days.
My mother sometimes knows who I am. But even when she doesn't, I find such sweetness in close moments with her, unavailable anywhere else in this life. So when I see her toothless smile, so like a child's, I know that I am doing the right thing. Thanks for thinking enough of me to read this. Again, I'm not asking for your sympathy at all. Just letting you know what's going on in my world. And I know I'm not alone.
(previous welcome message)
Hey, Everybody!
I'm finally back from our most recent trip to England!
This one was even more fun and more productive than the last one in 2006. I LOVE England! The highlights were many, but as I know you don't want a travelogue here, I'll just get right to the music.
My music pal Andrew James (met on MySpace back in 2006) returned all my favors from the mini-tour I arranged here last year in Nashville by setting up two great gigs for us in England. First, we played in Stratford-upon-Avon (of William Shakespeare fame) at a cool venue called Cox's Yard. GREAT crowd of enthusiastic and interactive listeners, not just sitting in chairs and chatting, like many of the Nashville venues we've played, but actually getting into the music and participating. (Ironically, Nashville's Albert Lee, world-class guitarist, is playing Cox's Yard this week!) I loved this show, and we rocked out my usual moody and melodic tunes--great response from the audience! Andrew also set up a fabulous outdoor concert in his country town of Oxhill, near Stratford and Woodstock (did someone say "outdoor concert" and "Woodstock" in the same sentence??), home of the exquisite Blenhiem Palace. The eclectic English weather cooperated, and the crowd again was very enthusiastic and welcoming at this intimate nighttime event. Funny how this happened in a place where I knew nobody other than Andrew and his family, whereas I have plenty of friends and fans in Nashville--the nature of the crowd response was SO very different and encouraging!
So , all in all, the trip to England was expensive but so worth it. We were so busy that I didn't get to catch up with a few other MySpace musician contacts that I'd intended to see (sorry, Andy Smythe and Julian Lewry! hopefully next time!), but I guess that's how it is when the schedule is tight and the work ethic is dedicated. Shout outs to new friends and fans Shah, Amber, Tracy, little brother Adam, Darren, Ellie, Judy, Harry and friends, Pete & Pam, Adam, Tim & Sandy, Malc Evans and his band, Sam at Cox's Yard, and of course, John, Judith and Andrew James. Also, a huge thank you to Paul Johnson and Derek Marshall, my new UK bandmates who played brilliantly and without ego--SO much fun and such great music we made! Jesse Brock, my son and guitarist prodigy, is a joy to have onstage and a real pro already. It just doesn't get better than gigging with your own kid!
Thanks to all who have supported my music, and to all my new friends and fans! I will be posting photos as soon as I can figure out how to do it--always a challenge for me--sigh--. Keep in touch, and I'll keep you apprised of all that's going on new with me!
Love to all,
Jane
My album, "Low-Backed Dress" has been getting airplay in Nashville! Yay! That's a major miracle for an indie artist in this town. WRVU, Vanderbilt University's station at 91.1, was our first "champion", but I recently got some very cool support from WRFN-FM 98.9 as well as some very cool feedback from their listeners. Again, an amazing thing in this town. If you want to give me a little boost, please call in and request my songs. Right now we're focusing on "Not Tonight" or the title track, "Low-Backed Dress", but if you like another one better, just ask for it! Here are the request line numbers that I know of:
WRFN 98.9: 662-8229
WRLT "Lighting 100" 100.1-FM: 777-5100 (ask for Local artist Jane Brock)
WRVU Vanderbilt University 91.1-FM: 615-322-7625 or 615-421-7625 (ask for Jane Brock's or Andrew James' songs in their "Local" library section).
THANK YOU! I'll keep you apprised....
In addition to the 2008 shows in England, Andrew James and I have had fantastic fan support during our July, September, and December 2007 shows. Our fanbase is growing, too, so come on out and be part of it. Also, please check out Andrew's sites at www.andrewjamesmusic.co.uk or www.myspace.com/andrewjamesmusic!
Things have gone quite well since "Low-Backed Dress" came out in mid-2007! Thank you to all of you that have purchased CDs; I hope you love them! I'm also marketing the songs to film and TV outlets, as well as advertising outlets. So maybe your favorite song from the album will be on the next Target commercial...!
Hey, I still love to hear from you! Thanks for all of your messages--keep 'em up! Please leave me a comment by clicking the "Guestbook" tab above. And if you don't mind, please enter your email address in the box at the top of my home page so I can then thank you via email for your comments. You can also contact me via www.myspace.com/janebrock if you're a "myspacer", or at www.cdbaby.com on the "Jane Brock, "Low-Backed Dress" page.
Thanks so much for all the positive response you've sent me! I will keep you apprised of new events and developments.
Love and Thanks, Jane
