Guitar Review: The Bedell OH-12-GS

Today I have a new guest blogger, my husband, Chad McMillian!  He is a guitar genius and recently started blogging for Two Old Hippies.  I hope he becomes a regular here, because his knowledge of guitars is incredible!

Hi, This is Chad at Two Old Hippies in Nashville. The Bedell OH-12-GS is one of my favorite guitars. I love small body guitars and this little parlor from Bedell is no exception. The solid African sapele top, back and sides afford a rich, warm tone that complements finger-style guitar playing. The OH-12-GS is a little bigger than most parlor guitars making it great for strumming or finger picking. It has a slotted headstock which not only looks great but provides more bearing pressure over the nut for more punch and sustain. The 1.75″ nut width is extremely comfortable in the hand and is what most finger-style players prefer.

I have played much more expensive guitars from many manufacturers but this little beauty is hard to beat. The binding and rosette are all solid wood, and the bridge, fret board and headstock veneer are ebony. This guitar is also available with a Sitka spruce top (OH-18-GS) if you want a brighter tone. It comes with a deluxe hard shell case.

Stop by Two Old Hippies in the Gulch and try one out for yourself. Or, check one out here online:
http://www.twooldhippies.com/bedell-performance-oh-12-gs-parlor-acoustic-guitar

Doak Turner, A Songwriter's Guardian Angel

For the past nine years, Doak Turner has been bringing Nashville's songwriter community to the web and into our lives.

When he first arrived in Music City he couldn't cut-and-paste or play guitar, but today runs three blogs, multiple newsletters and is your go-to-guy for everything songwriting.

Doak's story is very similar to those who come to Nashville chasing a dream.  He's part of the club, just like me, made of people who moved here to start a whole new life. His past life was in radio, which lead him to Nashville from Charlotte North Carolina, (originally from St. Albans, WV) but his passion is songwriting and that’s where his Music City journey begins.

Doak simply started by sharing.  He shares who-plays-where to 4,000 subscribers in the music community through his weekly e-zine, The Nashville Muse. He even opens up his home to songwriters to play, eat and network once a month at the 3rd Sunday at 3.

"A lot of people play their first songs in Nashville at my house at the 3rd Sunday. It’s just a bunch of friends sitting around, we’re not judging we’re not critiquing. March will be 9 years of the 3rd Sunday at 3 and now 107 months later it’s still going."

He's such a super giving guy and is why so many people trust and cherish the services that he brings to the songwriter community.  He truly was put here in Nashville to help others and guide us as our guardian angel.

If you're a songwriter in Nashville or thinking of moving to Nashville, I highly recommend that you visit The Nashville Muse, Music Starts Here and Doak's Blog for online resources.

I have many more stories to tell from our interview, but those will have to wait for another day in another post.  Until then I'll leave you with some of Doak's words of wisdom:

"Love the journey, love the people and keep each other on the journey. That’s what it’s all about."

Doak's Writer's Night Winners

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Red Rooster on Wednesday nights with Lorna Flowers
The Listening Room Cafe
The Commodore Grill with Debi Champion
Douglas Corner Cafe
Bluebird Cafe
Blair School of Music hosted by Deanna Walker

Doak's Online Resource Recommendations

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The Music Starts Here
NSAI, Nashville's Songwriters Association International
Charles Alexander's Rock Your Net
Vinny Ribas Indie Connect Magazine
Marc-Alan Barnette
Steve Leslie

Doak Brags on Books

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Make Me a Star: Industry Insiders Tell How to Make the Cut, Make the Deal, and Make It in Music
Music Success In Nine Weeks
Think and Grow Rich
The Power of Positive Thinking
Crash Course: Getting Things Done Now: 17 Proven Principles for Overcoming Procrastination (Crash Course (J. Countryman))

Thanks for reading, please subscribe and share to spread the word about Nashville's Music & Art Blog!  I also would love to know what you think so leave a comment and join the conversation.

3 Ways To Do Business Better

Lately I've been thinking about the right and wrong ways to run a creative business. After a lot of thought, it seems to always boil down to the same thing, relationships.

Good relationships are essential for a happy life and a thriving business.

Here are three ways that I believe will help us all to have more fulfilling jobs and life through the relationships that we make.

1. Meet Someone New and Follow Through

Sometimes meeting new people can be scary, but let's put our fears aside and focus on why it's important.  Meeting new people expands your reach and connects you to opportunities.  Think about all the people you admire, what if that distant relationship became a friendship?  Everyday find someone to invite into your world, find your commonalities and establish a relationship.  It may work out, it may not, but over time if you keep it up you will find more and more people who support you and what you do.

2. Make It Personal and Give A Gift

After establishing a new relationship one way to stand out among the crowd is to go the extra mile and give a  gift.  It could be as simple as a phone call to stay in touch, a lunch invite or physical gift of kindness.  When you focus on giving it always leaves a great impression.

Gift to Tom and Molly Bedell at Two Old Hippies Nashville

3. Stay In Touch and Don't Rush

Good relationships don't happen overnight -- it takes months sometimes years to grow. Find a way to stay in touch with your contacts and give it time to flourish.  Email newsletters are a great way to communicate with your community, but if you want to make a more intimate connection, writing a personal email or mailing a card is far superior.

I hope these suggestions inspire you to make new contacts and expand your business with confidence.  These are some things I'll be working on this year and hopefully I'll make many new friendships and strengthen the ones I already have.

If you know someone that could benefit from this post please retweet or share on facebook!  Do you have any advice that your use to nurture your own business relationships?  Please share and leave a comment!

Dolly Parton Inspires A Painting

Two years ago Dolly Parton did me a huge favor.  She doesn't know it yet, but I'm so grateful for her kindness that I painted a portrait of her and will give the painting to Dolly (via a mutual friend) later this month.

This is a true story inspired by her and the people she changed through her incredible heart.

In 2004 I met a man who would change my life forever.  This man's name was Alex.  He was six feet tall, 31 years old and had brain damage caused by a car accident when he was only a senior in high school.

Nearly everyday for two years I went to his home and spent time with him and his family.  Every morning we went to the mall and walked for exercise, then we would have a snack, go home and have lunch, watch TV, take a nap and play games til the sun went down.  This routine happened everyday and it wasn't long before Alex and I became best friends.

Alex loved Dolly Parton.  He talked about her every day for as long as I've known him. Even though his accident took away many of the abilities we all take for granted, it never took away his ability to love.  He brought joy to everyone around him and I've never stopped thinking about how our relationship changed my life.

So every birthday, every Christmas and every Valentines Day I send Alex a gift.  It just so happened when his birthday was coming up two years ago, I was introduced to Dolly's personal artist, Sarah.

I knew it was a stretch, but I had to try.  I asked Sarah to get me an autographed picture from Dolly to Alex wishing him a Happy Birthday.  She said she would try, but knew from experience that Dolly doesn't personalize autographs.

Then about a month later Sarah brought me a packet including a personalized autographed picture (below), with CDs and all kinds of other merchandise.  I knew at that moment God had answered my prayers.

Sending Alex such an incredible gift was one of my proudest moments and is why I felt so inspired to paint Dolly a portrait.  I know it isn't much, but when I have a chance to share with someone how they have touched my life, I take it!

Sometimes people never know how they affect other's lives, but if we all just shared our stories to lift up the people that mean the most to us, then what more could you ask for?

In my artist statement it says, "My pieces reflect my own inner joy and my intention for my artwork is to cultivate joy in others."  That's what it's all about really and hopefully I've accomplished that one more time.

Dolly, 16 x 20, Mixed Media

Nashville Originals Restaurant Week 2012

It's Restaurant week!!  That means from January 16-22 Nashville's locally owned restaurants are serving up their best dishes at the best prices.  If you've been saving your pennies and neglecting yourself of eating out, this is the week to splurge.

Many of my favorite restaurants in Music City make up this exclusive local club including Burger Up, Caffe Nonna and Copper Kettle to name a few.  Check out Nashville Originals website for a list of all participating restaurants and their special menu prices.  Don't forget to make a reservation and thank you for supporting local restaurants!