Well hello there!

Its been a month since I set off for the sights and sounds of ‘Music City’ and what a month it has been!

I came to Nashville to move away from my comfort zone, experience new things and get inspired to write new songs and it is definitely working! It is a beautiful city and the people here are truly what make it such a great city. I’ve been welcomed with open arms everywhere I go.

Since day one i’ve felt really at home here..honestly. I don’t feel thousands of miles from home (until I try to find Irish butter and tea..lol) and that makes for a good trip anywhere.

I’ve experienced a massive range of music from Bluegrass, Country, Folk, Gospel and even some African and Hawaiian sounds! Getting lots of ideas for my next record!

Of course no trip to Nashville is complete without a visit to the Country Music Hall of Fame. Having a look at historic memorabilia from Bob Dylan, Johnny Cash, Elvis etc! I even got to visit the studio where Elvis recorded ‘Are you lonesome tonight’. That was pretty special..the room had some serious creative energy seeped into the walls and floors.

I went to a show at the infamous bluebird cafe..very cool moment indeed. Don Henry and Beth Nielson Chapman both played amazing sets.

I played my song ‘Ghosts’ for Balcony TV Nashville which should be online soon (i’ll post a link) and have also been introduced to a very cool instrument called a ‘Frame Drum’. Basically it’s like a Bodhran but used to amplify the voice. I love singing acapella during my live performances so this will be a great thing to experiment with live.

Other noteworthy moments were Bluegrass Underground in McMinnville, the downtown Honky Tonk bars, Songwriting circles and house concerts in East Nashville (the cool hip area), bonfire s’mores with new friends, frame drum workshops, a Tornado warning :-o, a beautiful theatre show about female empowerment ‘Act like a Grrrl‘ and a trip to Lawrenceberg (about 2 hours from Nashville) for a ‘Crawfish Party’ (veryyy messy but fun).

I’ve also discovered two new artists who i’m obsessed with at the moment Trevor Hall and Nahko and Medicine for the People. Seriously check these two out!

I’ve decided to stay in Nashville until June as i’m having way too much fun and have some pretty exciting co-writes and shows lined up.

So i’ll leave ya’ll with some photos and will check in again soon! Make sure you sign up to the mailing list by clicking the photo on the upper right corner 😉

Love Ciara xx