All videos by Chris Fuller

"Hipster Haircut"





"You Told Me"







"Victoria"





"Tangled"




Pass them along if you like them! 

Turtle Party by Beverly Crawford

(Look at the turtles!)

Well, I have a TON of stuff going on right now, and it's getting all crazy! I'm going to try to write a blog in a few days listing all of the awesome artistic events going on in June and July. I know there is a lot going on and a lot of artists who need your support :-) (I decided to combine the two months since I will be in Mexico in July.) Here's what's going on with me!

Hedwig and the Angry Inch - I'm playing Yitzhak in my favorite play ever, Hedwig and the Angry Inch, and I've been rehearsing like crazy lately with the band! They are all really awesome, though! We've got Valerie Pool on piano, Monica Nicole on lead guitar, Colin Freeman on bass, and Jason Sokṓlic on drums. As Yitzhak, I'm mostly singing backup and playing a little rhythm guitar. The show is shaping up to be a really good one, especially with Matthew Gordon as Hedwig. If you are in the Augusta area, June 18th and 19th, stop by Sky City and check out the show! Here is a little commercial! :-)


The Cult Following - We're just trucking along in the band, and I'm having the best time with these guys. They are really incredible musicians and just awesome guys to be around. We have a couple of shows coming up in June!

• Saturday, June 12th at Cool Beans in the Marietta Square - 8:30 - FREE - All ages - I will be playing a few acoustic songs solo, and then we'll be playing a full set outside of Cool Beans. So come get some coffee and rock out with us :-)
• Friday, June 25th - Red Light Cafe - 8:30 - 7$ - All ages - This will be our last show until mid-August as I'll be in Mexico for all of July, so you won't want to miss it! Plus, our good buddies Goodland is playing at 7:30, so get there early. You don't want to miss them, either!

I have put up a couple of live tracks from our last two shows on my music page, so check it out!

Other than that, I'm getting ready to begin the University of New Orleans Low Residency MFA in Playwriting in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico! I'm so incredibly excited about this! First of all, I'm really starting to miss being in school. It will nice to have classes again. I'm taking a Playwriting Workshop and a class called Form and Idea. I've already started on the reading, and they both seem like they will be really interesting classes. And I'm excited to get back into playwright mode after taking a few months off. Also, we have all of these really amazing excursions planned (like going to see the pyramids!), and there are tango classes, film screenings, student readings, and a ton of other awesome activities planned. Now I just need to work on my Spanish, which is severely lacking for the time being. Haha.

So I may be sort of inactive here on the website while I'm San Miguel, but I'm sure I'll post a few travel-related blogs. And I'm definitely going to be involved in a lot of artistic activities in Mexico, so I'm sure I'll write about those, too. :-)

I'm hoping to be much more involved in playwriting and theatre when I get back from Mexico. I'm sure that I will as I'll be writing a lot for my grad school classes (which I will be doing online in the fall). I'd like to be more involved with Working Title Playwrights, for example, as they have had a lot of really exciting events going on recently. There are just so many incredible things going on in the Atlanta theatre scene, the Atlanta music scene, the Atlanta visual arts scene...it's hard to get to everything! That's the best problem you can have, though, I think. Having so many incredible opportunities to share, create, and experience art that you simply can't cram them all into your life. Haha. But as always, I will try! Maybe if I cut out other things like sleep. Who needs that, right? Music/theatre/art is so much more important! :-p

I hope everyone is having an amazing summer so far! I know I am! It's really busy, but I absolutely love everything that I'm doing, so I can't complain. :-)

Well, I'm off to Java Monkey for poetry night!

Sara Crawford and the Cult Following...and the ZomB Nation...5.20.10 Smith's Olde Bar - photo by Kyndal Foshee


Hey everyone!!

First of all, thank you SOOO much for all of the awesome support for the first two shows with my new backing band, the Cult Following. Both the show at Lenny's last weekend and the show last night at Smith's Olde Bar in the Atlanta Room were definitely successful, and we all had a blast!! I am so grateful to have so many people in my life who are so supportive of new and local music. I try really hard to thank everyone individually for coming to the show, but there is always so much going on at shows that sometimes I miss people. And I'm really sorry for that! I never do it intentionally. So if you're at one of my shows, make sure you come say hi to me if I don't say hi to you! I'm not trying to ignore anyone. I just get REALLY distracted by everything that I have to do at shows, and sometimes I need people to be like "HEY! SARA! I'M HERE!" for me to notice them. Haha. I'm slow, what can I say? Anyway, though, I just want to say thank you so, so, so much to all of you who take the time to make it out to my shows. I appreciate that more than any of you will ever know. It's not easy to be a local original musician sometimes, and we definitely need all of the support we can get. So thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you. One day I will make cookies for all of you! (Haha. And special thanks to the ZomB Nation. ZOM-BIES! ZOM-BIES! ZOM-BIES!)

I put photos up from both shows on the photos/videos page for those of you who want to check those out. (Photos taken by the awesome Kyndal Foshee.) Also, there are three tracks from the Smith's show (courtesy of Z-Man!) on my music page if you want to check those out! And there will be a couple of videos up in the near future as well so stay tuned for that. Also, if you haven't gotten a chance to see us, we will be be playing another show at Cool Beans in the Marietta Square, Saturday, May 29th at 9:00 pm. This show is FREE, all ages, and Goodland and Strangelove will be playing as well! Music starts at 7:00 so get there early, drink some coffee, and have a fun night :-)

I have a lot going on lately! I recently got some news about some upcoming poetry publications! My poem "Coffee Roaster" will be in the fall issue of Aries, the literary journal from Texas Wesleyan University, and my poems "For Frank" and "Visiting" will be in the fall issue of Illogical Muse. This is very exciting to me, especially with my first ever book of poems, Coiled and Swallowed, coming out on September 7, 2010 from Virgogray Press. I'm also thinking about doing some sort of poetry night event at Cool Beans or somewhere for my book release. Have the first half of the evening be "open mic" with various poets reading their work, and then I'd read some of my poems from the book and have copies available. And also, I'd encourage all of my awesome poet friends to bring their books, too.

In other news, I was listening to this Wayne Dyer tape the other day, and he was talking about how one day, he received two letters from two different readers talking about one of his books. The first guy was just going on and on about how great it was and how it saved his life. The second guy told him it was the worst book he ever read and he wanted his money back. So he mailed the positive letter to the negative guy and the negative letter to the positive guy and just wrote them both back with, "You might be right." I really loved that story. Because other people's opinions are just other people's opinions. That's definitely something you should be fully aware of as an artist. I'm faced with harsh criticism and rejection quite often, but I'm also showered with compliments and have quite a bit of artistic success. It's completely subjective.

I've been told that sometimes I "beat my readers over the head" with my message, but I just think it's so important! And it's worth repeating. Create art, express yourself! And support other artists! Or even just support other people in their endeavors. Even for non-artists, I just think it's really, really important to believe in yourself. I think it's important to not let your music die inside of you. Everyone is here for a reason. You all have some gift, some talent, something to offer to the world. So find it and do it! That's really all I'm trying to say. I just want to encourage people to live the lives that they've always wanted to live, ecourage people to be kind to each other, encourage people to be happy. It's a message of love. And I'll say it over and over and over again and use 18,000 exclamation points because I'm just so passionate about love and life and happiness and art!!!! And if other people have a different opinion, well, that's just their opinion. They own that, not me. And often, criticism/judgments have far more to do with the person criticizing that the person receiving the criticism. That's a good thing to remember, too.

I feel like I'm just at a point in my life where I'm really growing spiritually, and I'm really figuring things out. It's a constant journey, and obviously, there's still a lot I don't know, there are still many mistakes that I've made along the way. But I try to own up to my mistakes and learn from them. Even negative situations, feelings, thoughts, etc. have within them something you can learn. Every situation offers personal growth if only you can see it! And I guess I'm just really excited about my own journey and the growth that I've been experiencing. I've gone through a lot so far this year, with the ending of a very long relationship, shifting of artistic projects, getting ready to begin grad school, and I feel like it's caused this huge shift in my perception, in the way I think about things. And once again, I am SO grateful for all of the people around me who encourage that growth, people who support me and love me no matter what crazy mistakes I make. I can never tell you how much I appreciate you. And I think that's worth repeating myself over and over again! Because I love you guys. Everyone who is reading this. I love you!

Now, here, listen to some Tom Petty!

Out by Beverly Crawford

So I needed to write a blog. ( And you're thinking, "Oh, God, here comes Sara gushing about all of the AWESOME music again!") Haha. And...that is true.

My life is overflowing with good music. Right here in Atlanta! First of all, Monday night, I went to play at the Open Mic Night at Eddie's Attic. Now, typically, I'm not really a fan of making music a competition, and the Eddie's Attic Open Mic is a competitive event. At the end of the night, there is a top 3, and they all get to play an extra song. Then one person wins, and there's prize money, and they get to go on to the big Open Mic tournament they have twice a year. Usually, when music becomes a competition, I feel like the atmosphere is a lot more judgmental and critical, and there's not as much support for your fellow musician, but I think Eddie's Attic is just the opposite. Yes, it's a competition, but I think all of the musicians are really supportive of each other. Everyone actually listens to you while you're playing there, which is not true of many other venues. And I think they've done a great job at setting up a really cool atmosphere where musicians can really share their art.

I saw tons of great artists Monday night! The most memorable for me was a group called Momentary Prophets. You should definitely check out their music! I really loved their whole energy and their songs are very well-crafted.

Then, Wednesday, I went out to Smith's Olde Bar for the 500 Songs for Kids benefit. What a great show! They spend a week counting down the 500 greatest era-defining songs, with 500 artists covering each song! And all of the money goes towards the Songs for Kids Foundation, which is a really, really great cause. Check out some of the things they do on their website! 500 Songs for Kids is still going on tonight and tomorrow night, so make it out if you can! Or just stop by the website and donate! I saw some really great musicians on Wednesday! Drivin' N' Cryin' actually stopped by to ROCK out Tom Petty's "American Girl." There were tons of other amazing musicians playing that night, all coming together to support a great cause. It was actually really cool. And I thought my cover of Dolly's "9 to 5" went really well. I might even break that one out at future shows sometime!

There is just SO MUCH GOOD MUSIC! Everywhere!!! On the internet, on independent and college radio stations, in local venues and bars, everywhere!! It's so exciting! Sometimes I feel like I'm going to explode, like I'm just going to bubble over from all of the SPECTACULAR music! I think I'm going to post another music sharing podcast coming up, too! Mostly local music, I think. So look for that! You'll see more of what I'm talking about when you can listen to it!

There are a lot of really great things going on in my life right now. First of all, I'm completely STOKED about the backing band!! We finally have a new name by the way, Sara Crawford and the Cult Following. Our set for the Lenny's show is sounding awesome! We're playing the full band versions of a bunch of my Unsent Letters songs, bringing back a few of my favorite Novo Luna songs (I sang with both Adrian and Geoff in Novo Luna), playing some new songs (I have a new 50's-sounding piano tune called "Hipster Haircut" which I'm particularly excited about) and a kickass cover! And Goodland, Strangelove, and Wade in the Rhythm will all be playing, too! I can't WAIT!

Also, I'm turning 25 this Sunday! I'm pretty excited. 24 was cool, but I am really looking forward to 25. I love New Years and birthdays! It feels like you get a chance to start over. I mean, you get a chance to start over every single day, really, but those two holidays seem to be symbolic of that. If you feel like getting me a birthday present, all I really want is for you to come see me and the backing band on May 14th at Lennys, May 20th at Smith's Olde Bar, and/or May 29th at Cool Beans! :-)

And I'm gearing up for two really exciting things. Hedwig and the Angry Inch and my first semester of graduate school in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico! As most of you know, I'm starting graduate school this summer. I'm doing the University of New Orlean's low residency MFA in creative writing with a focus in playwriting. I opted to do this program because summer semesters are in person doing a study abroad, and fall/spring semesters are online. I thought it'd be ideal because I can travel and have new experiences but also stay in Atlanta and continue to be a part of the wonderful music and theatre scenes that are here, which I've fallen in love with. So, this July, I'll be starting the grad school experience! I'll be in Mexico from July 3rd to July 31st, and I could not be more PSYCHED !

I feel like everything is just flowing effortlessly. I made some health decisions recently, and I've been surrounding myself with amazing, positive, loving people. Sometimes I'm just completely giddy. I'll just go on random laughing fits over seemingly nothing because there's just so much joy! I've also been doing a lot of self-work, spiritually and otherwise, making a lot of self-discoveries. I feel like I'm starting to find the love within myself, which makes it so much easier to love others because it's a more pure love, it's not a love based on needing approval or co-dependency. It's a constant journey though, a process! I just feel like finally my eyes have been opened and I can actually appreciate and see my growth, my journey, the lessons I am learning, and that's a really amazing thing. It definitely helps to have so many incredible people in my life who inspire me every day.

Now that I've gone on a total hippie rant. Haha. It's okay. I can accept my hippiness. I still have a job and take showers, so I'm not a COMPLETE hippie, right?

Well, guys, the weather outside is gorgeous, everything is beautiful, and on any given day, there are at least ten incredible things to do here in Atlanta. Go see a play! Go to an art gallery! Go see a band! Go see an independent film! Go try a new beer! Go for a walk in the park! Go read a book of poems! Go tell someone you appreciate then! Go make a mixy for someone! Draw someone a picture! Drive around aimlessly just to listen to good music! There is SO much to do, so much beauty in the world, so much love, so much to be happy about! So go be happy. :-)

MAY IS HERE!!! May is always one of my favorite months of the year (and not just because my birthday is May 9th!).

I have had the opportunity to see SO many incredible musicians live recently! I recently saw Beach House (who I'm currently totally obsessing over) in Asheville, North Carolina. What a wonderful experience! First of all, I'm totally in love with Asheville. It's a beautiful town in the middle of the mountains, there are tons of really friendly, laid back people, and the music/arts scene is completely thriving. Thursday night, my little brother and I went up to check out an open mic night at the Courtyard Gallery. That was one of the most diverse and unique open mic nights I've ever been to! I had a great time. Afterwards, we just wandered around Asheville where TONS of bands were playing in several different bars/venues. We finally stumbled across a bluegrass band called The Blooms. They were totally ROCKING IT OUT! They had so much energy and passion! It was contagious! People were dancing and having a great time.

Needless to say, the Beach House show was completely amazing, totally worth driving four hours. (They actually played in Atlanta at The Earl the night before they played Asheville, but that show sold out in like five minutes and I couldn't get a ticket! And besides. Any excuse for a road trip!) I just love everything about them, their stage presence, the way Alex Scally's guitar parts intertwine with the organ and the vocals so well, Victoria Legrande's passionate vocals, the overwhelming longing and emotion in every single note. They played every song from their latest album, Teen Dream, which I was thrilled about because I'm completely in love with the album.

I loved being in Asheville. The whole town just seemed to be in love with music the way that I am and everyone seemed so supportive of local and independent musicians. I would love to live in a place like Asheville someday. And I plan on going back and playing a show there sometime in the near future, hopefully with my backing band.

Speaking of the backing band and my music, May is going to be a HUGE month for me/us.

- Monday, May 3rd - 7:00 pm - I will be playing Open Mic Night at Eddie's Attic in Decatur. This is a pretty big Open Mic Night. It's a competition, and the winners win prizes and get a chance to compete in the Open Mic Tournament! Musicians come from all around to play here. You have to sign up for it months in advance! One of the judging criteria is audience response so if you aren't doing anything tomorrow night (er...tonight?), come down and cheer me on :-)

- Wednesday, May 5th - 11:00 pm - I will be playing "9 to 5" by Dolly Parton for 500 Songs for Kids at Smith's Olde Bar. This should be SO much fun!! And it's for a great cause. 500 Songs for Kids is going on all week, so check it out at some point!

- Friday, May 14th - 9:00 pm - Lenny's Bar - FIRST SHOW WITH BACKING BAND - First of all, I'm ecstatic to be playing with these guys. I always leave band practice with a huge smile on my face. They're giving my solo songs so much ENERGY! And they're all such solid musicians. I absolutely love playing music with these guys. And I'm REALLY excited about the Lenny's show because Goodland and Wade in the Rhythm will be joining us!! So make sure you come check that out!

- Thursday, May 20th - 10:00 pm - Smith's Olde Bar - Atlanta Room - We are playing another show (me and the backing band). The Atlanta Room is one of my favorite places to play, and I'm just so excited to be getting out there with the new band!!! So come out and support local music :-)

- Saturday, May 29th - 7:00 pm - Cool Beans - Marietta, GA - We'll be playing outside of Cool Beans, my favorite coffee shop ever. This show is free and all ages, so for those of you who can't get into Lenny's or Smith's, make sure you come check this show out!!!

Of course, we all know this blog definitely isn't just about me and my artistic projects. I just want to share art with people!!! I can't say that enough. I'm just so excited about it all!

So here are a few really cool events coming up in May where you can support local/independent artists!!!

MUSIC

- May 5 - Krog Jam - Electric Duane - The Ruination - Invisible Circus

- May 15 - Star Bar - A Fight to the Death (CD release) - Adron

- May 21-22 - Freedom Fest at The Lake Claire Community Land Trust - Wade in the Rhythm - Selmanaires - Charlie Wooten Project - Carnivores - The Nice Guise - The Jason Allbright Band - Invisible Circus - Abby GoGo and many, many more!

- May 25 - The Earl - Tealights - The Sour Notes - Little Tybee



THEATRE

- Jitney - True Colors Theatre Company - May 2 - 30 - A boisterous gypsy cab station offers a poetic thrill ride look into the vitality of life in Pittsburgh’s Hill District in 1977. A son returns home after twenty years imprisoned to face his father whose station is threatened with demolition. Battling the forces of urban redevelopment, the motley crew of drivers plan, dream and muse in this rich blooded humorous testament to August Wilson’s enduring legacy.

- The Nerd - The Rosewater Theatre - April 23 - May 22 - One of the funniest plays ever written, this extraordinarily inventive, side-splitting comedy was first presented by the Milwaukee Repertory Theatre, then produced in Great Britain, then went on to Broadway. The action centers on the hilarious dilemma of a young architect who is visited by a man he's never met but who saved his life in Vietnam—the visitor turning out to be an incredibly inept, hopelessly stupid "nerd" who outstays his welcome with a vengeance.


VISUAL ARTS

- Disaster Planning - May 1 - 30 -  Young Blood Gallery - with Atlanta artists Steven Dixey, Stenvik Mostrom, & Kenn TwoFour

Hedwig logo by Melanie Rivera

Well, ladies and gentleman (whether you like it or not), I've been cast as Yitzhak in my absolute favorite play ever, Hedwig and the Angry Inch. I'm so, so, SO excited. I have such a history with this play! When they did the play in 2003 at Actor's Express a couple of my friends and I were the official groupies for the show. I think we saw it like 30 times. We'd dress up and make signs and virtually be a part of the show. I've always absolutely loved this play and the film. John Cameron Mitchell and Stephen Trask are totally brilliant. (Especially Stephen Trask! I love the music!) I could talk forever about the show, but I won't....right now...

I also booked another gig at Smith's Olde Bar in the Atlanta Room recently! I'll be playing there Thursday, May 20th. Hopefully with my new backing band! So far, the backing band consists of Geoff Goodwin on bass (of Novo Luna, Night Eve, Goodland, 18,000 other bands that have played around Atlanta - haha) and Brian Teague on drums (check out his solo stuff, Eat the Sun - it's badass), and we're adding Adrian Rhetts on lead guitar (Novo Luna, The Dali Standard). I'm really, really excited! These guys are all really solid musicians but laid back and fun to be around and play music with. So far, it's been really fun, and I love adding a fuller sound to my songs!

Speaking of awesome, I've realized lately how many friends I have that are creating incredible art, whether it's visual, theatre, music, film, literature, etc. I know I sound like a broken record with that, but it really makes me happy! So stay tuned. I plan on doing more promoting other people's art in the near future, in any way that I can!

Looking forward to an awesome weekend! Tonight, it's off to the con for Rocky Horror! Tomorrow, show hopping at Smith's Olde Bar and the Five Spot! And Sunday, Easter with my awesome family followed by practice with the groovy backing band. Plus, it has returned to FLIP FLOP WEATHER.

Life is good, people.

Photo by Beverly Crawford

SPRING IS FINALLY HERE! I couldn't be more excited. I always feel like spring is the most hopeful time of the year. For me, anyway.

So. I was at Lenny's last night seeing The Judies, and I was thinking (as I do often), "Wow, there is so much good music going on in Atlanta! I'm so glad to be here right now." Seriously, guys. You can go to any venue in Atlanta virtually any time of the week and see incredible musicians. They're everywhere! And there's music for everyone! The Atlanta music scene is such a great one. You guys should all go take advantage of that!

On that note, there are a lot of great things going on in April, and I thought I'd share my picks for the month with you so you can go check them out! :-)

MUSIC

• Judi Chicago CD release - Friday, April 2nd - 9:00 pm - Lenny's Bar -  21+ 10$
   
• Marc Lawson - Geisha Hit Squad - Saturday, April 3rd - 9:00 pm - Smith's Olde Bar in the Atlanta Room - 21+ - 8$
   
• Secret Army - Invisible Circus- Bobby Lee Rogers - Danny Bedrosian - Saturday, April 3rd - The Five Spot - 21+ - 10$
   
• The Temper Trap - Friday, April 9th - 9:00 pm - The Loft - $15 - All ages
   
• Thee Crucials - Doomstar - The Sylvans - The Kooties - Saturday, April 10th - Drunken Unicorn - 21+ - 5$
   
• Sweetwater 420 Fest - April 17 - 18 - Candler Park
   
• Owen Pallett - Snowblink - Tuesday, April 27 - The Earl - 21+ - 15$
   

THEATRE

• Lookingglass Alice at the Alliance Theatre - 3/31/10 - 5/2/10 - Defy logic – and gravity – in a topsy-turvy, timeless tale of a little girl who journeys through the looking glass to become a queen. Marvel as Alice floats, falls, and flies overhead in a radically reconfigured Alliance Stage. It’s a dizzyingly playful feat of ingenious wonder, peppered with playful acrobatics certain to awaken the kid in all of us. Once you pass through this looking glass, you may never want to come back out!
   
• THE SHOW! - Out of Hand Theatre - at Horizon Theatre - 4/2/10 - 6/18/10 - A 60 minute late-night Freak Show, Out of Hand style. The Show! is never the same twice because the audience runs The Show. A ridiculously interactive Choose-Your-Own-Adventure Event, The Show! is wild, big fun!!!!
   
• 100 Saints You Should Know - Actor's Express - 3/18/10 - 4/17/10 - The lives of five people collide in this emotionally charged drama about unraveling faith and the redemptive power of human connection. While Matthew is on an enforced furlough from the priesthood, he seeks refuge at the home of his curious and devout mother. He is followed by Theresa, the rectory’s cleaning lady, who is desperately searching for meaning and completion while trying her best to raise her unruly teenage daughter alone. Through vividly poignant character sketches, we find sometimes that God really is in the details – even when those details get messy. Featuring Carolyn Cook.

VISUAL ARTS

• Fight or Flight - New work by Kelly McKernan - Beep Beep Gallery - Opening Saturday, April 10th 8:00 pm through May 2nd - In this newest body of work, Kelly McKernan continues to explore her psychological responses to the stresses and struggles of reality. While much of her previous work commented on the consequences of using idealism as a coping mechanism, “Fight or Flight” takes a more direct and personal approach by addressing these responses in terms of biological survival tactics.
   
• Cartoon Madness 5 - The Lunchbox Show - Alcove Arts Gallery - Opening Saturday, April 10th 8:00 pm - For thirty-five years, metal lunch boxes were a critical accessory for school kids. Starting with the Hopalong Cassidy model in 1951, a lunch box could be a child's most personal statement. While the exterior let everyone know what was the coolest new TV show or pop music group, the interior neatly housed a meal of your choosing (with help from Mom).
   
• Conor McGrady - On Foreign Soil - Saltworks Gallery - March 19 through April 24 - SALTWORKS is pleased to present On Foreign Soil, featuring new works on paper by New York-based artist Conor McGrady. The exhibition will be on view from March 19, 2010 through April 24, 2010. This is the third solo exhibition on McGrady's work at the gallery.

OTHER EVENTS

• Collective Conscious Art Show - Friday, April 9th - 8:00 pm - 431 Fair St. SW, Atlanta, GA 30313
   
• Extremity Experiment - Open Mic Night - Saturday, April 24 - 6:00 pm - Atlanta Contemporary Art Center - As always, we welcome singers, poets and musicians to bless the mic and those looking to network. This experiment will be sure to enlighten and entertain all of your senses.
   
• Rocky Horror Picture Show at Frolicon - For all of you convention goers out there, make sure you check out Rocky Horror Friday, April 2nd at Midnight (Technically Saturday...). I'll be playing Janet this year and it's carnival themed! Should be a lot of fun!!
   
• Talking Back to the Muse - Saturday, April 17th - 8:00 pm - Composition Gallery - Poetry Atlanta and Composition Gallery in Candler Park team up for this special evening to celebrate National Poetry Month on Saturday, April 17, 8 p.m. Favorite Atlanta poets will be reading a classic poem followed by a response, rebuttal or rant of their own. It's sure to be a unique evening of poetry.
   

There you go, guys! Lots of incredibly awesome things to check out. I'm definitely going to be at several of those events! So get out there and support your local and independent artists! Share the art! You never know what you'll experience. You could go to a show and the band could play that perfect song that you need to hear, you could see a painting that really touches you, you could see a play that makes you laugh your ass off. There is all kinds of wonderful art going on in Atlanta, so get out there and experience it!

If I missed an event that you'd like to share, make sure you leave a comment here on the blog!

Thanks for all of the support and well wishes from everyone recently! I really have appreciated that. I am so blessed to have so many awesome, wonderful, loving people in my life. (And I'm also really glad that I have so many diverse people in my life of all different ages, ethnicities, sexual orientations, and with all completely different political and religious beliefs - as was further solidified in the massive healthcare debate that exploded on my Facebook today. Haha. It really keeps things interesting for me, and I just love being around all different kinds of people!)

I'm doing much better. On top of everything else, I randomly got some kind of stomach flu over the weekend that my mom also had, which made for a pretty miserable past couple of days. But today, my flu is gone, I'm on the painkillers for my endometriosis, and I made an appointment with a new doctor for Thursday. So I'm feeling pretty good about things. I feel like it's all a part of a huge shift that I'm going through, even me getting sick and having these endometriosis issues. I can't really explain it, but I feel like something important is happening and there's a huge shift in my life, my attitude, my way of thinking, etc. I feel really good about it, though.

So. As you can see above, I'm playing a show on Friday! It's at the new Hearth Atlanta in Little Five Points, which I'm really excited to check out. I hear it's an awesome new venue. The address is 317 Nelms Avenue, Atlanta, GA. I'll be starting off the show at 8:00 pm. I'll be playing some new songs, some old songs, a new cover or two. And I'm really excited because the night is going to be such an incredible and diverse night of Atlanta music! Headlining the show is one of my absolute favorite Atlanta bands, Wade in the Rhythm. I've gotten a chance to see them a few times and even play with them (as Long Absent Friends), and they always, always put on an awesome show. They're a reggae band comprised of incredibly talented musicians, and I love how positive and spiritual their lyrics are and how they always have the whole crowd dancing. Even if you can't make it for my set on Friday, they are definitely worth checking out! This show is actually all ages! (For once!) And it's BYOB. 7 bucks at the door, 5 bucks in advance. I'd absolutely love to see you there! It's going to be such a fun night! And it will give me a chance to make up for the show I had to cancel last weekend, too! Here's the facebook event.

Sorry I didn't get my March events posting up, but here are some awesome things that are going on the remainder of the month:

Music - Shearwater - Wye Oak - Hospital Ships - The Earl - Wedneday, March 24th - 8:30 pm - 12 dollars - 21+

Film - 5th Annual Women in Film and Television International Short Film Showcase - Midtown Art Cinemas - Thursday, March 25th - 7:00 - 9:30 pm - 15 dollars

Music - Sara Crawford, Wade in the Rhythm, Dre Money, and others at Hearth Atlanta! - Hearth Atlanta - Friday, March 26th - 8:00 pm - 5$ in advance, 7$ at the door - BYOB - All ages - See above

Theatre - The Annunciation...Sort Of: Mary Says "No" by Celeste Miller - 7 Stages Theatre - March 25 - March 28 - Featuring Celeste Miller’s own famous talking dance in rare form, this lively, collaborative piece presents a different outlook on what might have happened if the world’s most beloved religious mother, Mary, had said “NO”. This world premiere is a combination of dance, live music, spoken text, and video, and draws its content from the Gospel of Luke and Charles Darwin’s Origin of Species.

Theatre - Fuddy Meers by David Lindsay-Abaire - Onstage Atlanta - March 19 - April 10 - It’s just another day for Claire... she wakes up and has no idea who or where she is. Her husband greets her with a cup of coffee and her book of memories. But on this morning, a man appears from under the bed and convinces her to go on a journey to find out who she truly is.

(Sorry. I don't have that many event listings for March, but all of these things are definitely worth checking out! Send me your events for April!)

Well, I had to cancel my Smith's show tonight.

I have endometriosis, which has pretty much given me hell over the past three or so years. So, last night I started having severe pelvic and abdominal pain. I didn’t get much sleep at all. And I woke up this morning throwing up because I was in so much pain. I couldn’t even stand up for longer than two minutes, I could barely move. So of course there was no way I was going to get through a 45-minute set in that condition. I assumed I had a ruptured ovarian cyst because last time I had pain this severe, it was due to ovarian cysts and this was so much worse. I went to the doctor, though, and the ultrasound was normal. She said it was probably just my endometriosis acting up, but she didn’t seem to have any solutions. I’m already on the Depo shot, which is supposed to help the condition, and it has. But in my experience, after being on the shot for about a year, I start having pain again. Last time that happened, I just went off of the shot for a few months, went back on, and that seemed to help. But now the pain is back and it’s so much more severe than it’s ever been. I’m going to another doctor on Monday or Tuesday that has more of a specialty in endometriosis. She’ll probably suggest going on a stronger shot (basically medically induced menopause) or surgery.

So I came home, took some low-dose pain medication, and some old nausea medicine we had lying around, and I passed out around 7. And now I’m awake and I can’t go back to sleep. As long as I stay lying or sitting down with the heating pad, the pain is at least tolerable enough to where I’m not crying or throwing up.

It’s just frustrating because there really is no cure for endometriosis, and any treatment that you do is only effective for around one to five years, depending on what it is. So I’m essentially going to have to deal with this for the rest of my life, and it doesn’t matter how much I exercise or how healthy I am. And I get the feeling that some doctors don’t believe that I'm in pain (even though my file clearly says I have endometriosis, which causes severe pain at times) and they just think I’m some young person trying to get pain medication. But it’s not just in my head. I’d never cancel a show if I was in any way, shape, or form capable of playing it.

I realize this is pretty “personal” stuff to be posting on the internet, but I guess I just wanted to explain why I had to cancel the show. And besides, my life is basically an open book. I put so much of myself in my songs, poems, and plays, which automatically makes you open, honest, and vulnerable. But I’ve always been really honest and open with anyone who cares to know about me. Sometimes it freaks people out, but I can’t be any different than who I am.

I guess it’s like that saying, “when it rains, it pours.” I’ve been going through so much emotional pain lately, and now there’s physical pain on top of that. But I have faith that things will turn around, that I’ll come out of it stronger and happier than I’ve ever been. And I have so much loving support from those around me. I was so touched by all of the messages I received today and how much my family was there for me. I can’t express my gratitude for all of the wonderful people that I have in my life.

I’m still scheduled to play a set next Friday, the 26th, opening for Wade in the Rhythm, one of my favorite local bands, at the new venue in Little Five Points, Hearth Atlanta. I’m really excited about that one. It will be my make-up show. Hehe. I’ll post more details about it. I’m just going to take it easy this week, go to the second doctor, do a lot of lying around with my heating pad, taking pain medication, and resting up. And hopefully, I’ll be in much better shape for the show on the 26th.

Just wanted to say thank you all so much for all of the support, prayers, thoughts, wishes, positive comments, etc. It really means a lot to me, and I’m so blessed to have so many loving people in my life.

Symphony of Light by Florian Kehrer

I decided to actually write a somewhat personal blog. It's not something I do often, but sometimes I feel like sharing more than my art.

So. I was watching the episode of Oprah where Ellen was on, and she was talking about how after she came out on her show, she didn't work for three years. And she was depressed and going through a difficult time, but then she said that's when you really do your soul searching and kind of figure out who you are. It was really kind of inspirational for me, because I feel like that's where I am right now. And Ellen seems like such a genuinely loving and happy person now (I absolutely love her show), and I don't think she would be if she hadn't had that difficult time. (Yes, I am aware that this is a celebrity on television that I don't know. But I really think her happiness and love for people is sincere. You'd have to be pretty...ridiculous to fake that for so many years.)

Anyway. So here I am, coming out of a three and half year long relationship (off and on, but still), and I'm having to kind of start all over. I'm at a point where I have to do a lot of soul searching, myself, and sort of rebuild myself. I think I'm doing well so far. I started seeing a spiritual counselor. I've only seen her once, but so far it is really helping. She pointed out things that I wasn't even aware of about myself, and she's really helping me to figure out ways to get rid of the things that aren't working for me. Along those lines, I've been reading helpful spiritual books (first The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle and now The Proof by James Twyman - my counselor let me borrow her autographed copy!), I've been practicing meditation and affirmations, and I've been doing my best to try to completely accept my emotions and thoughts, who I am, and what I'm going through right now. I know it's all an important part of my journey. Also, I've been keeping up with exercising, walking more outside now that it's slowly but surely getting warmer, hanging out with lots of supportive and loving friends and family, keeping myself incredibly busy with playwriting, music, and work, going to support other artists, etc. I'm still going through an extremely difficult time. Some moments, I feel like screaming. And there's a lot of anger and sadness and hurt. But I think this time, I am at least able to appreciate those things because I know they're teaching me something.

What I'm saying is, I know now that I am important and that I have a purpose. We all are. You are important. You're here for a reason. I'm here for a reason. And maybe I don't quite know it yet. I really hope that my purpose is to be someone's Billy Corgan, someone's Morrissey, someone's Radiohead, someone's Stephen Chbosky, someone's Sarah Ruhl. The songs that save someone else's life. To give someone else a moment of pure artistic magic, like so many artists have done for me.

I guess I wanted to share that for those of you who may be going through difficult times. It's important to keep in mind that there is always something to be gained in a situation. There's always something to be learned, an opportunity for growth. And I hope you won't forget that. I hope I won't forget it, either.