Joy Williams Interview Part 2

Hey y’all.  Annie here, back today to bring you the second half of our interview with Joy Williams. (Read part 1 here.) As you were saying, Joy…..

AB: For Christmas, you gave away your recording of the song “Bring A Torch, Jeanette, Isabella”.  What made you decide to do that? (Besides the fact that you were in the Christmas spirit. ) What kind of response did you receive?

JW: I thought it would be fun to share a favorite French carol of mine that might be a little out of pocket compared to the more familiar Christmas songs. It had been over 4 years since I’d recorded anything new, so offering the tune was also a way to take a pulse - to see if anyone was still interested in what I was doing musically. I didn’t know what to expect, and I was blown away by the number of downloads the song wound up getting.

Side note from AB:  Good job, bloggers!  Getting the word out there about Joy’s free download really upped those numbers.  You are so powerful it frightens me a little. 

AB: Speaking of bloggers and the world wide web in general, how has the Internet changed the music industry for you?

JW: It’s taken away so much of the red tape! It used to be almost paramount that you signed with a label if you wanted to have a career in making & distributing music. But it’s not that way anymore. The Internet has opened up channels for artists to succeed, giving both the music-maker and the music-listener almost direct access to one another. Unaffiliated acts now have the ability to create niches, and income, for themselves online. And that has been what Nate and I have started doing with our new company, Sensibility Music. Having a Facebook, a MySpace, an iLike page, a ReverbNation page, a blog, setting up a mailing list…all these things have created a greater awareness of my music. It’s given me a chance to freely plow new ground creatively and to make more genuine connections with people who still want to hear what I do.

AB: You live here in Nashville, TN.  Is that town a good fit for you?

JW: Most days I think so, and certain days I don’t. Just depends which day you catch me on. I still miss my Northern California, but I love our home and the community of friends here.

AB: What’s your favorite lunch place in Nashville?  What do you order?

JW: I love going to Marché in East Nashville (crazy good appetizers and crépes), or Fido in Hillsboro Village (awesome salads). Too many favorites to pick just one.

AB: Just so you know, Joy, I’m not trendy enough to go to Fido alone, but when I’ve gone with trendy friends, I have really enjoyed it.  Turkey and brie sandwich?  Please and thank you!

AB: On a serious note, how can the bloggers at BMN pray for you?

JW: For peace, open doors, and creativity.

AB: The big closer:  BMN stands for Bloggable Music Network.  What else could it stand for?

JW: I’m spit-balling, but here I go…off the top of my head:
Brighter Monster Niche
Bring Me Neosporin
Bohemian Maritime Nachos

Well done, Joy.  Well done.  Bohemian Maritime Nachos?  I’m picturing crab meat, brightly colored tortilla chips, maybe some edible flowers.  And cheese.  Lots of cheese.


What other questions do you want answered by our featured artists?  Leave them in the comments or send us a note on the Contact page.

Kat here again…
Here’s a fun video of Joy making up a song on the spot. Girl’s got a sense of humor!

If you missed part 1 of Joy’s interview, (read it here.)

Joy Williams Interview Part 1

Hey y’all.  This is Annie from AnnieBlogs.  I am a huge fan of Bloggable Music Network…. and I don’t have a real job.  Did you know that part already?  Yeah, I’m a freelance writer, so I get to spend a lot of time online.  A LOT.

You know Joy.  She’s been a familiar face around this corner of the internet sky for a while.  She has a new EP titled One of Those Days that you can already buy online and as of March 3, you’ll be able to get your hands on a hard copy of the CD.  I asked Joy some questions about this new CD, new season of life, and of course, Nashville.  [Because y’all, I’ve only been here seven months, so I’ve still got a lot to learn.]

AB: Please tell us a little about your new album.

JW: The “One Of Those Days” project is a 4-song EP that I recorded from July to October of this year with a friend, Jeremy Bose, in his den of a studio in Nashville, TN. These songs are meant to be a musical conversation, touching on the power of nuance that is often tucked into our everyday experiences.

AB: Your music style has changed significantly with this new album.  Where does this change come from?  New influences?  New writing style? New season in your own life?

JW: All of the above, actually.  Learning to trust my instincts more, songwriting professionally for the last few years, going back to old records, discovering new ones that inspire, great books, realizing more of my musical preferences outside the realm of record label pressure, and just savoring new seasons in life…it’s all played into the different tone of this EP.

AB: You write your own music as well as songs for other artists.  Tell us a little about the writing process for you.

JW: Writing is such a strange muscle that gets stronger by practice, conversation, and experimentation. I enjoy the freedom in writing my own songs, drawing lyrics from the everyday details, and crafting my own melody as I tinker at the piano in my living room.  On the other hand, writing for other artists is a bit like trying to read minds. Learning to step into the artist’s own, unique story and anticipate how they may view (and want to express) the world they live in is always an adventure, because the artists vary from day to day. I enjoy both kinds of writing. Both keep me on my toes.

AB: Will you be touring anytime soon?

JW: When I made this EP, I made it almost solely for TV/film…with no real intent to tour it.  But with the response being so positive, I’m more than likely going to be going back out on the road again. I’m beginning to think of ways to make a live show different than my shows in the past, a more genuine reflection of who I am now versus who I was. Nate and I are working right now to field some offers around the country and see what hitting the pavement is going to look like as this new chapter continues on. Feel free to check out http://www.myspace.com/joywilliamsmusic for future touring information and dates.

Mmmm… I’m looking forward to Joy taking this EP on the road.  It has been on repeat in my earphones for quite a while now.  If you don’t have it yet, click here to download your own copy.

Do you want Joy to tour near your neck of the woods?  Shoot her an email and request it!  Who doesn’t like to hear that they are wanted across the continental USA?  

Head back here tomorrow to hear more about Joy’s career, the internet, and some good laughs.

Kat here. (Any grammatical errors below are all mine - not Annie’s. I don’t think she’s capable of grammatical errors.)

Here’s a fun video of Joy singing her song Say Goodbye, which she intertwines with Time after Time. Kinda cool.

Sara Groves’ New Blog

A trip to Rwanda inspired this song by Sara Groves and apparently it’s inspired a new blog as well.

Check it out.

I particularly liked this post and the short video at the end. 

Yearn - Shane and Shane with Bethany Dillon (Amazing)

I’ve been playing this over and over for the past couple days. Gorgeous.

Enjoy.

A New Road For Addison Road

Addison Road has taken a turn on the internet highway. They’ve left behind the world of seemingly-but-not-really-interactive all flash websites, and they’ve embraced the highly interactive world of blogging and twittering.

I’ve been reading Jenny’s blog for quite awhile now, but I look forward to seeing what the band as a whole has to say.

Check out their new site here: Addison Road’s new blog.

Click here to follow Addison Road on Twitter.

Anyone else glad to say goodbye to all-flash websites? Perhaps it’s just the web designer in me…

(Mucho props to Skorinc - the company behind the new site.)

Michael Tait To Join The Newsboys

Photo by the newsboys

According to the Newsboys website:

After 22 years and more than 2000 shows, newsboys frontman Peter Furler will no longer front the band in concert. Michael Tait will be touring with the band as lead singer with Peter making special appearances throughout the year.

Wow. That’s pretty sad/exciting news! My mind is having a hard time wrapping itself around the idea of the DC Talk guy joining the Newsboys, but I think it could be a great merger. Can’t wait to hear how it sounds and how they gel in a live show.

What do you think?

The 50 “Most Social” CCM Artists

I’ve put together a list of CCM (as always, I use that term loosely) artists and their social media profiles.

I focused on their official sites, blogs, twitter and YouTube. In the coming weeks other profiles and information will be added, but I thought I’d go ahead and post it so you can get a head start on all that Twitter following and RSS subscribing.

Stay tuned for interviews and free music from some of these web saavy artists.

The Purpose
The purpose of this list is to get you all connected with your favorite musicians and provide an easy resource for you to connect others to them.

The great thing about this digital age is that we as music fans can make a significant impact on the careers of the artists we enjoy.

So be sure to blog, twitter or write a Facebook status about a few of these amazing musicians.  Spread the music love.

It’s also a great list for finding new music (like Joel Rakes and the new Joy Williams...)

2 Questions

1. Which social media sites would you like to be added to the list?

- Facebook
- Last.fm
- ReverbNation
- Other…

2. Also which artists am I missing from this list?

Click here to view the list of Chrisitan artists and their social media profiles.

Charting New Ground In The Music Industry…

Brody Harper and Randy Idontknowhislastname are the guys behind Skorinc. If you haven’t hear of Skorinc, it’s the company that is revolutionizing the way the Christian Music Industry is using the web. Brody and Randy are constantly creating ways for artists to connect with their audience.

Their most recent brainchild is to bring blogging and Web 2.0 to a tour. The Rock and Road Show has it’s own Facebook, Twitter, Myspace, Youtube Channel and Blog.

I’m sure they’ll be breaking a lot of new ground and have blast along the way. So be sure to check out the site and join the fun.

Sneak Peek at a New Shane and Shane Song

photo by williamhartz

Shane and Shane just posted a sneak peak at a song they’re working on for they’re upcoming album. The song is entitled “Everything Is Different.”

Check the new song out and let them know what you think!

An Amazing Blog Post from Jenny Simmons of Addison Road

Jenny Simons from the band Addison Road, wrote an amazing post over at Inspired to Action, a social justice blog. In the post Jenny shares the moment when she realized she must live differently and “walk the talk.”

Enjoy...

The Immaturity
I was popular in my very, very big Texas high school. Not the most popular girl because I wasn’t actually cool. I had a veggie tales Bible cover, wore headgear for a short period of time, didn’t know that girls were supposed to pluck their eyebrows, and I was the only cheerleader not having sex with football players or partying on the weekends with the rest of the cool people.

So take that back, I wasn’t popular, I was just very well known.

It’s quite embarrassing now to think back to ALL the things I attempted with such innocent vigor and excitement in high school. I was a teachers dream and the fodder for a lot of jokes by people my own age. Miss high school. I wanted to do anything and everything. As a result, I pretty much knew everyone in the school. The dorks, the jocks, the cafeteria lady, the choir peeps, the cheerleaders, the drama group, the smart people and the intellectually challenged…you name them, I knew them somehow.

And that led me to one of the most pivotal moments in my life.

Read the rest of this entry »