Private House Concert

Recently Aj and I attended a house concert in Asheville. It was the perfect setting. A comfortable home, tasty snacks, a decent beer selection and free live music without a single bad seat! Ok, so there was a donation jar. But wow! What an awesome way to see live music. Hearing the songwriters every word and the breaths in between. Everyone was there just to hear the music and meet the performer in a setting that made you feel less like a fan and more like family.

Shannon Stephens house concert in Asheville, N.C.

Now typically these house concerts are hosted by a homeowner who wants to offer their living room up as a venue to a touring musician. Then the homeowner invites friends and neighbors over for a private concert. Musicians love house concerts because it gives them direct contact with an audience that is actually listening. Audiences love them because of the informality and opportunities to interact with artists and with their local community. 

This gave us the grand idea of changing it up a bit and hosting the house concert ourselves. Live music at the musician's house!?! Opening up our house to you, a great way for us to share our stories. We will also be using this show to break out a few new tunes we've been working on. There will be artwork on display by several local artists for your visual pleasure.

As with most house concerts, donation jars will be set up near the door. Donations will be accepted and appreciated but are not necessary. Money collected will help cover costs of refreshments which will be provided and to give aid to our future musical endeavors. 

This is a private event. Due to the limited amount of space it is an invite only event. Please RSVP through event page on facebook. If you did not receive an invite and would really like to come, please send a message to Liz Nance on facebook or send an email to usedmuses@gmail.com .

Call For Help

Ok, here's the plan. There is no plan. We are trying to make last minute plans, but we need your help. So, here's the idea.

Aj and I recently spent two weekends on a short musical tour in Georgia. The handy thing about these shows? They were close enough to my family to turn them into long overdue visits. They also allowed me to share relevant stories with people who could have written the songs themselves. Needless to say, some of my family didn't show. The truth hurts.  We were able to stay with my sis and her hubby and my aunt, uncle and cousin. I saw my dad (both of them in one place!) and their female better halves, my grandparents, my brother, aunts, uncles and old friends. It was much needed!

With the last week of September cleared of our "real jobs" we'd like to do the same thing only in the direction of Aj's family. This isn't about making money. In fact, the last shows just covered the expenses of our trips and kept our wallets from missing the real jobs. This is about sharing our stories, sharing our music, making connections, relating to other broken people. We want to take our music to the people, not make the people come to us.

The first weekend away we took a rental car. It was a pricey yet reliable venture that we do not regret. The second weekend we borrowed a car from a friend who is always kind enough to loan us, as she calls it,  "God's car". However, this next trip will be roughly 12 days long. This is too long , in days and miles, for us to ask to borrow a vehicle. The options we have come up with are hitch-hiking with bare minimum music equipment or having a last minute show in the coming week to help raise money for another rental car.

This is a very last minute call for your help. We aren't asking for your money or your car, but we are open to any ideas. We need your help, whatever that looks like.

We have potential shows in Asheville, Black Mtn, Lexington, Greensboro, Oak Island, Carolina Shores and Charleston. Yep, all the way to the coast! These locations will allow us to see Aj's dad, step-mom (on her birthday!) and grandparents in Lexington, NC,  aunt and uncle in Oak Island, mother in Carolina Shores and ending up at my dad and Chelle's house in Charleston.

So there it is, whatever it is, all laid out in black and white. If you can help or have any suggestions or concerns, we want to hear them. Get in touch with us in the comment section here, call us or send an email to usedmuses@gmail.com.

We've almost waited too long to put this out there. We are praying about it, something you can do for us as well!

It really means a lot to us to have the support of our friends and community! Nothing we do would be possible on our own!

Back in Bank Street

It was fun to be back in Griffin, Georgia at a venue that seems familiar and at the same time, brand new. A place that holds fond, crazy and memorable times. . . . .as well as times I'm sure I'd struggle to remember.

Bank Street Cafe circa 1999? Yep. That's me with my brothers, Phatboy & Jarrett.

We had a good turn out. Lots of family and old friends we haven't seen in years. Thanks to everyone who joined us. Also, thanks to everyone who came early to eat and visit. It's always good to see people supporting local and small businesses. Want to share some pictures from the show we played at Bank Street Cafe on August 25th. These were taken by my good friend Chelle Zullo. Thanks, Chelle for sharing your talent with us!

instagram photo by Stephanie Nemyer

A good time was had by all!

-liz

An Ear For Music

 When Aj's not working on his crazy guitar skills (that he picked up in no time), he's studying. Reading everything he can get his hands on. The topics are mostly music related. Lately it's been sound, frequencies, surfaces, room acoustics, etc. He learned most of what he knows at home. His ear was a gift. He then stretched out and started serving as sound man at The Grove Church where he continued to learn and grow.

He has now worked as the sound man for The Freight Hoppers on various occasions. As well as several bands and events at The Nantahala Brewing Company. He loves it and learns more with every show.

Sound Booth at Nantahala Brewing Company.
Aj running the board for local band, "A Pretty Piece of Flesh"
during the Smoky Mountain Roller Girls Fundraiser.

Aj running the board at the brewing company for
Asheville-based band, Now You See Them.

The only bad part about being a sound man and a musician? Not being able to do your own sound. Lucky for us, we have some close friends who have also been gifted with an ear and the technical knowledge needed to help us get the best sound at our shows. Thanks Ben King and Kerby & Erin Worley.

What's Ahead

Lots of little projects going on right now. Playing fewer shows, getting some gardening done, hoping to get back to Asheville to finish recording. This past week was a success. Helped lead the worship team at The Grove Church. Such amazing talent in such a small place. Played our first show at Papou's Wine Shop in Sylva. Looking forward to playing there again in June. Trying to get down to Georgia this coming week to play music with my sis and brother-in-law. Practicing some additional parts for the CD. We'd be a killer band if we all lived closer together! Time will tell. Got a couple of small shows coming up. . . . .an outdoor yoga class and a birthday party. Diggin' on the private events and dinners we're getting asked to play. Also looking forward to playing some outdoor shows on the front porch of the Tuckasegee Tavern, dates coming soon.

Right now here's what's on the agenda:

Thurs. June 21  Papou's Wine Shop in Sylva, NC 7-9pm

Thurs. August 9 Marianna Black Public Library, Bryson City 7pm

Sat. August 18 GSMR Depot for Bryson City's summer concert series, Music In The Mountains 6:30-8pm

We may make an appearance at Sand & Sauce, an awesome summer event put on by The Grove Church. This event is perfect for the family, free and open to everyone! We will also be playing in Bryson City for the 4th of July festivities and will let you know more about that as it gets closer.

Consider yourself filled in.

gettin' by with a little help from our friends

meet erin and kerby worley. without them no one would know who we are. we would never make it to shows, if we had shows. kerby is our fabulous manager, erin is his. kerby keeps us on track. erin is the keeper of "God's car " and "God's guitar". that is, they both recognize that the things we have here on earth are not ours.

i don't think i know many people as gracious as them. they do more for us than i could ever ask of them. they never expect anything in return. in fact, i couldn't give them money if i tried. . . .and i've tried, they won't take it. so this post is our way of saying: THANK YOU ERIN AND KERBY!!!! we love you guys!

 they're adventurers!

 

  erin knits!

 not just friends, but family

and a little tribute to the toaster, God's car

THANKS FOR ALL YOU DO!!!!!

music needed its own space

aj and i are jacks of all trades. we are always looking for new ideas and new projects. lately our music has taken the wheel. this blog will be dedicated to all things musical in our lives. we will continue to post our other ventures on our usedmuses blog.

this new blog will be a place for us to keep friends and fans updated with show dates and cd release info as well as a place for new people to find out who we are and what we're all about.

thank you for stopping in. check back often. more content coming soon!