From Garner to Asheville…
Hi friends!
I’m happy to say I’m writing this blog with a joy filled, grateful heart. This past week I was home in NC for my livestream concert with my band at Garner Performing Arts Center followed by a weekend playing music in Asheville, NC for Vintage Market Days. Music! Music! Music!
Man, it feels so good to say that.
It was a bit of a rollercoaster week for sure. Just a warning, it’s a bit of a long story of how my week went. Read on if you dare….
LET THE JOURNEY BEGIN:
The weekend I left Nashville, I woke up super early that Saturday morning. When I have a limited amount of time at home I wanna knock out that 8 hour drive as quickly as possible. At 3:30am I set off for home and by 12:15pm I made it to NC. I spent some time catching up with my best friend at Sunday brunch, I hung out with my grandparents, and I enjoyed some quality time with my mom and dad. I knew Thursday-Sunday would be a crazy busy few days so I tried to relax as much as possible.
Brunch with the bestie!
I managed to get a band rehearsal in with the guys for our show that Thursday night. It felt AMAZING to be playing with them again. We normally do a little dinner together before we rehearse and as we sat there catching up, I realized we hadn’t played music together in over a year! What!? Needless to say, we all needed it.
Wednesday morning, I received a call from the GPAC staff about the severe weather the Raleigh area would be getting on Thursday. It just so happened to be blowing in around the time we were suppose to be arriving, sound checking, and performing our show. At first I was so worried it was going to get cancelled. We had spent months planning and looking forward to this event. Thankfully, everyone who works at GPAC worked with us. They were concerned about our safety and also the threat of the power going out, so we managed to plan on coming in early that morning before the storm would hit and record the show. They called the lights/sound/hospitality crew and they all agreed to come in early with us. We would get there at 9am, sound check, record our show, and be out of there before the storm would hit.
SHOW TIME IN GARNER:
Early Thursday morning, my dad and I set off for GPAC. It was the beginning of a wild ride that’s for sure!
When we got to the venue my band was there setting up. The GPAC Staff had provided coffee and bagels for everyone and a wonderful BBQ lunch afterwards. They treated us so well and I felt like someone special with all the stops they pulled for us. The fact they all came in early meant a lot to me as well.
Thanks GPAC for my awesome new mask!
While we were sound checking, I didn’t notice my guitar strap wasn’t on fully and my guitar fell straight to the ground while I was adjusting my mic. The sound made everyone gasp. My “sweet baby James” Taylor guitar was busted at the seams… literally. I had a big ole dent in the bottom of the guitar and the seams holding the top and side wood together had burst. I wanted so badly to cry. I could still play it, barely, but it had a terrible buzz and was visibly about to come apart. It would work for our show but that was it.
I don’t really own a good back up gigging guitar. Most of my other guitars were bought when I first started playing music and they don’t have any pick ups in them. I had to compartmentalize my racing thoughts about the state of my guitar so I could play the show. There wasn’t enough time to get it fixed; with damage like that it would take weeks. I had to be in Asheville that night to play at VMD Asheville the next morning. I didn’t know what I would do. So I sucked it up and played our show.
Despite the stressful guitar situation, I had the best time performing with my band again. Some of the GPAC staff sat in to listen, and they even got up to dance at one point! Paul, Ardis, and Will did a fantastic job having my back as always. If you’d like to watch the show, check it out HERE!
Photos sent from friends watching the show at home!
Real quick, a massive thank you to Garner Performing Arts Center for hosting us and being so wonderful. That was one of the best hospitality experiences we’ve ever had at a show and the lights/sound guys were so kind to come in early.
After we finished our show, I said goodbye to my band and my dad and I hopped back in my car. He had told me not to worry about the guitar situation all morning, so once we were finished with the task at hand I turned to him and said, “What are we gonna do?!?!” He typed in the closest Guitar Center and we were off on our next leg of the trip.
Taken after the show. My wonderful band! From left to right: Will Cochran, Paul Graham, and Ardis Vickers!
THE ADVENTURE IN BETWEEN:
We pulled up to the smallest Guitar Center I had ever seen. When I was younger it use to be the place I would beg my parents to take me. There’s definitely something different about guitar shopping when you are desperate and in need vs just having fun looking. They had absolutely nothing to choose from. I panicked. I didn’t like the idea of buying a guitar on the spot (they can be super expensive) but I had no choice. My dad and I agreed we would check out the GC in Asheville. As we were leaving, I noticed there was a Sam Ash across the street. We took our chances and headed over there. When we walked in the acoustic room they had a wall full of Taylor Guitars. It was glorious! My heart felt a little lighter. I played every. single. one. But none of them compared to my Taylor. I had been playing it since I was 12 so there’s no wonder it didn’t feel the same.
My dad was a hero and so patient. He pulled down the guitars I wanted to try and waited as I played them. We tested out so many and compared the ones we liked. Still nothing. Finally, we walked over to a tiny wall with two Gibsons… the only acoustic Gibsons in the room. I had never really played a Gibson I liked but my dad wanted me to humor him. He pulled down this beautiful Parlor Gibson. It had a beautiful warm tone. We plugged it in and it sounded even better. We both agreed maybe it was time for something that would be different. My Taylor would eventually get fixed and then I’ll have another acoustic that has a different sound.
Beautiful Dolly!
We agreed it was the choice and went to check out. I’ve gotta give a big thank you to my dad. He not only helped me with my shows this past weekend but he helped me get my guitar. It was an unforeseen expense that I was not prepared for, but my parents stepped in and gifted it to me. I know I’m very privileged to have parents who would do that for me, but I’m equally grateful for the fact that they believe in me enough to invest in my music. They have always championed me and supported me 100%. I definitely don’t feel worthy at all but all I can say is thank you to them for loving me so well and to God for giving me parents like them.
As we left Sam Ash, I felt like I could relax a bit. I had a beautiful new guitar to get me through my weekend shows. My sister lived close by so before we pointed our car to Asheville we decided to go see her and her new house. I kid you not, we were 300ft from turning in to her neighborhood when we got pulled over by a cop for speeding. I would like to state, it definitely didn’t feel like we were speeding, but then again my dad and I were talking a good bit so who knows… The cop was nice enough to let us go on a warning. I was very grateful because after buying a guitar I didn’t want my dad to have to pay for a ticket too.
My sister and brother in law’s house looked beautiful. They helped me name my new guitar, Dolly, “Because she’s got curves in all the right places.” - a direct quote from my brother in law haha. It started looking stormy so we hugged them and headed out.
On the ride to Asheville the clouds got dark and we started to get worried maybe we had waited too late to leave. Then we got a tornado warning on our phones. (Ptsd from Nashville tornados plus the hurricane I lived through this summer!) Thankfully, it was a small strip of storm and we drove the rest of the way in semi nice weather while listening to Armchair Expert.
VINTAGE MARKET DAYS OF ASHEVILLE:
We made it to our hotel, rested up, and first thing Friday morning we went to set up at VMD. Scott and Earl always do a fantastic job with their VMD events! They had me a nice little nook inside for my set up. I played music on and off throughout the day and so many kind people threw in tips, got a cd, or bought a t-shirt. (I have shirts on my website if you’d like to buy one!) After I got done singing, we went back to the hotel and I had to change my guitar strings because it desperately needed it! #LifeOfAMusician
Saturday, my mom came with my pup, Caroline. After I played my sets, we went back to the hotel and got some the best pizza I’ve ever had, Acropolis Pizza, and watched Miss Congeniality 1 & 2. Then on Sunday my best friend and her boyfriend drove 2 & 1/2 hours to see me. I felt so loved!
Sweet Caroline!
My best friend!
The thing I love about Vintage Market Days is the community. I got to see some vendor friends and my buddy Eric who sells the VMD shirts right next to where I was playing music. He kept joking about songs I need to cover. Some of my personal favorites were Metallica, Mama’s and Papa’s (who?), and Tracy Chapman. I’ll be working on it for next time, Eric haha! VMD feels like going away to camp. You get to hang out with all these fun, sweet people and it’s sad when you have to leave.
When I sang my last set Sunday afternoon, I hugged my best friend and my parents goodbye, and I set out on the road to Nashville.
HOME SWEET NASHVILLE HOME:
I made it home exhausted. I grabbed some Titos Mexican food and went to bed early so I could get up and go to work the next day. It was a totally insane 4 days.
Caroline was exhausted after her busy week!
So, there you have it. That’s the whirlwind life of a musician. It was great to spend some quality time with my dad and then my mom when she joined us. There were definitely some situations I could let define my whole weekend in a negative way but if 2020 taught me anything it’s to be thankful for the moment in front of you. Usually, the rest will work itself out.
Thanks for reading this far! I just wanted to share a little bit of what a gigging week looks like for me.
Upcoming Shows:
April 1st - 7-8pm Porch Stomp (Writers Round Online! Catch it on their Facebook Page HERE!)
April 10th - 6-8pm Soulshine in Franklin, TN
I love you guys!
xx Carson