So I think my last entry was just prior to my Austin gig with Rodney Crowell. It was a fundraiser for “Healthy Child Healthy World” and of course anything with Rodney Crowell is already stellar!
We performed at a “green” house in Austin built by Stanley Lerman, an ecologically designed contemporary sanctuary.
This is Stan. He’s quite an amazing guy, having also been a successful clothing designer, as well as a master of yoga!
Here I am with Anne Robertson from Healthy Child Healthy World, and Rodney Crowell. I serve on the Board of HCHW. It’s a great organization!
And this is our Executive Director Christopher Gavigan. We are holding up the just released “Healthy Child Healthy World” which Christopher authored. This book is a MUST HAVE for families, especially those with small children. Don’t walk. Run out and buy it. Or order it from Amazon. Having been touched by cancer twice in my life I have been very drawn to learning about toxins that are all around us in our culture. I have to say this book covers a multitude of information on how to keep your family and yourself safe! Visit healthychild.org for more information!
Next fun adventure to talk about was this year’s BNC Creativity Stargaze! What an amazing group this year. There were so many talented people and some great surprises!
We started off with a cookout on Friday night. Thanks to Rocky doing all the cooking...except for my roasting my own marshmallows! Here are some of the workshop attendees!
Here’s Amy checking in the troops! This is Lisa Ashook signing up...Lisa is one talented lady! (So is Amy...)
Below is Anna Wolfe hanging with her hot dog at the cookout on Friday night.
We also got a chance to view the rings of Saturn on Friday night. There’s nothing a peek into a huge telescope to give you some perspective.
This is Eddie Wohlford and his lovely daughter Katie. Eddie and I used to play in a band back in the seventies called “Harmony”. This band was the hottest ticket in town in Montgomery Alabama. We played in the “Kegler’s Kove” lounge...4 hours a night six nights a week. I played there for almost 2 years! That was like going to “song college”. I’m so glad Ed and Katie could be at the Stargaze this year!
So “Blasting Off With Beth” was the first class of the day on Saturday.
This was a really fun group. Good listeners!
We all had divine lunches by Gabrielle on Saturday and Sunday.
Here’s Gabrielle explaining the mouthwatering organic food to the creative geniuses!
One of the coolest things about the Stargaze is that it is an international gathering. This year featured some incredible talent from Northern Ireland.
This is Brian Houston and Eilidh Patterson, both from Belfast, who performed a great tune they wrote together.
There was also some spontaneous post-lunch frolicking that was initiated by Anna. This was probably due to an abundance of creative energy brought on by the fab food and overall inspiration of spring!
And then it was on to Rocky’s talk about the universe. This is always mind-bending and it’s a great wake up call for the part of us that wants to take things too seriously. Rocky’s a great songwriter and producer of records. You’d never know that when you’re listening to him being an astronomer. How does he do it all?
This year’s Drive-by-hit-songwriters included the perennial favorite Bill Lloyd who always blows everyone away.
And on Saturday evening we were graced with a lecture by none other than Mike Reid, who truly charmed everyone with his sense of humor while exhibiting such diversity and breathtaking songs...including “I Can’t Make You Love Me” which he performed.
One of our surprise guests was Craig King. I met Craig a couple years ago. He’s astonishing! Not only does he work with the likes of Ludicris and Kanye West, he possesses an otherworldly expanse of talent on the piano. It made me so happy to introduce Craig and Mike Reid to eachother, both extraordinary, and each so respectful of the other’s talent.
Talk about some creative skills! I would stand between these two guys for days! Below is Anna, Paul Reisler and Ernest, my son.
This year we pulled Master Songwriting instructor Paul Reisler back into the Stargazer. Paul’s become one of the most in demand teachers around. He’s just so good! I got wonderful feedback from students on his comprehensive focused instruction. We work well together as a tag team.
So thanks to everyone for coming this year and being a part of making the Stargazer 2008 really special!
Here’s to next year!!!!!
Ok....after the Stargazer I headed to speak at the Alabama Writer’s Conference in Monroeville, Alabama. That was really cool....there were poets and authors there too.
And then it was on to Montgomery Alabama to perform at the Capri Theater for a fundraiser for that old theater that was just across the street from my ninth grade classroom. It was great to see old friends and be a part of saving that wonderful old theater!
Here’s a shot of my sisters Barbara and Beverly who I turned into the merch-queens of the evening!
This week I head to the Festival of Homiletics in Minneapolis where I’ll be doing several presentations of song and speaking about the creative spirit.
In addition to performing in the round with authors, sermon writers, and poets, I’ll be presenting a workshop with Naomi Tutu on creativity. Here’s a little explanation about that.
Stepping Out In Faith
Presented by Naomi Tutu and Beth Nielsen Chapman
Naomi Tutu and Beth Nielsen Chapman will conduct a workshop together on the power of dropping into the heart and listening to the guiding voice of spirit. Beth’s songs, interspersed with story and insights from Beth and Naomi, will explore both creative expression and preaching from the perspective of Divinity in action. In the process of song-writing, Beth describes the moment of inspiration as ‘lift off’, or a feeling like ‘divine intervention’. In preparing to preach, Naomi’s approach is to “read and reread whatever the selected texts are for that day and listen to what they say to me”, and then to put them away and find the thread from the center of the heart and follow it. This method of opening up to trust in the guidance of spirit is empowering and allows for the greatest sense of free flowing creative expression.
Well, that’s all folks! Check for updates! Next month I’m going to the Yukon...I can certainly say I’ve not been bored since I can remember!
Oh yeah! I’m signing off with two great shots from a fundraiser I sang at this past March. This was such a blast! And it was for a great cause...to support John Hall for re-election to Congress. Here I am playing in “the band” of my dreams!
With Bonnie Raitt, John Hall and Hutch Hutchison...with cameo appearance by Jackson Brown!
:)BNC
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