Nashville Diaries: One Year

I can’t believe it- it’s the one year anniversary of me moving to Nashville. 

I’m writing this from the back of a tour bus. I’ve been gone for the last 4 days with a country band, something I never would have expected. When I get home on Wednesday, I’ll be handed the keys to the first house I’ve ever owned, and it’s in Nashville. I’ll be building a recording studio on the land behind the house. It all seems a bit surreal. 

How can I sum up the year of living in Nashville? Challenging, exciting, heart wrenching, unexpected. Both Sarah and I knew we were in for a wild ride, but I had no idea it would twist and turn the way it has. Here’s some of the highlights over the last year career-wise: 

• I got to meet with a bunch of amazing musicians. I’ve had literally hundreds of conversations with the best musicians in Nashville about music, and I even got to join a thriving musician meetup group. LINK They’ve encouraged me, challenged me, and given me a road map forward. 

• I got to work with a bunch of talented musicians. From Ben Jackson to the Sneed Family, I’ve gotten to work with musicians that are masters at their craft, and it’s really pushed me to up my playing and my professionalism. 

• I learned to love this city. I love St. Louis so much that I’ve had a hard time adjusting to life in a new town. After exploring the city and getting to know the people, I feel like I can finally feel proud to call Nashville home. 

What’s next? Good question. I really don’t have a clue, but I can make some educated guesses. . . 

I’m planning on having my recording studio up as soon as possible, and that will mean I’ll be producing more artists than I have in the past. I also feel like people are just finding out that I can play, and I’m getting more show opportunities. I’m expecting things to continue to pick up over the next year in that area. From there, I haven’t any idea what the future holds. It’s exciting to be hitting stride in a new chapter of my life. 

I’ll continue to keep you all posted on what I’m up to, and I’d love it if you did the same for me. It’s fun to hear where our musical stories are headed. 

Here’s to one year.