Sep 22 2006
Back from Nashville!!
Well…UHaul has decided to endorse my album along with the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence for the song “While You Were Sleeping”! Broken Bow and RCA are both presenting my album to the next group of people in their Labels to present to and Warner Brothers wants to come hear me sing out with my band! I am very happy 
In the meantime, because of the high demand we have been getting for the last few months while I was being pitched to release the album, my Attorney Bill and I have a non-exclusive agreement where the alum is now going to be released on his Label within about a month until a decision is made on all ends regarding the Labels. We will announce through the free newsletter first as soon as the album is out for sale!
The details:
I felt like a kid on Christmas Eve before I got back to Nashville! Labels don’t sign people on the spot, but I figured this got me one step closer! I had been waiting for this moment for the last seven years.
The first meeting with a Label I had was with Broken Bow. I got off the plane, put my gym bag in the back of my Producer Charlie’s car, ate some lunch and we were at Broken Bow by 3pm. For those of you who are not in the music business, from what I understand there are maybe only about 12-15 “A List” Producers for Country music at any given time. One of them is Keith Stegall and he recently decided to take over Broken Bow. If you do a search on Keith, you will find information about him under CMT, Ticketmaster, VH1 and Music World Hitmakers. Coincidentally, my Producer Charlie wrote “Between an Old Memory and Me” with Keith, as well as many number one hits on his own. Charlie recently wrote a beautiful ballad which I put on my album called, “Everything but Lying”. If you have a chance to listen to it, please let me know what you think! Keith’s father, who also is at Broken Bow, is a legend all unto himself as well. So this was a great meeting! I got to meet with Bob and listen to some old, as well as new news – like how Allison Crouse produced Alan Jackson’s latest album and about how Willie Nelson got arrested Monday for drugs on his tour bus (not good)…
My meeting isn’t for another half hour, but the gentleman from A&R gets done with an earlier appointment ahead of time and sits down to talk with me and Charlie. He loves the album (thank you God) and one of the songs “Hangin’ On Hope” was even written by one of his Artists signed to Broken Bow (Lila McCann). He says he wants Keith to listen to the album now too and he is looking forward to seeing me again. What a wonderful first day!
The next morning Charlie and one of the guitarists that played on my album (Robert Author) and I went to EMI first to practice the three songs I was going to sing for Warner Brothers and RCA. I decided that “Straight to the Bone”, “Cry me a River” and “While you were Sleeping” were the best songs to sing a capella or with just a guitar. Robert was right on with his guitar that day and Charlie even did background vocals with Robert! I had been in all the Labels when my old Manager was pitching Brad Johner four years earlier so I knew where the Labels were and who some of the people were as well. But, like with any other job, A&R jobs change every now and then. The last two times I was at Warner Brothers I swear it smelled just like the Hershey Chocolate Factory the two days I was there – it must have been something someone was cooking or eating because it did not smell of chocolate this time and I was just at the Hershey Chocolate Factory in July while visiting family.
The three of us walked a block from EMI to Warner Brothers. It was a beautiful sunny day and it had just turned slightly colder, which felt good. The guard in the parking lot was (I am pretty sure) the same gentleman I had seen four years prior and was very nice. Once we were called back we went up stairs to the third floor to meet the Senior Director of the A&R Department. She was energetic, open to ideas and made all of us feel very welcomed – not what you would think about auditioning in front of a major Label right? But, even with that, it can honestly be nerve-racking performing live like that with the ‘deal of your life’ hanging over your head. I could perform in front of 100,000 people easier (literally). I have always felt more at home on the stage than anywhere else. She said I sang very well, had talent, drive and she loved my vision of what my album was about and how I want to inspire people through my music and especially loved my goals regarding the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence. She said I was 75% there gave me her card (normally A&R people only want to talk with you through an Attorney, Manager or Producer) and said she would be interested in following my progression and in hearing me out with my band. I have always felt it is so much easier to put more feeling into a song when you are out and energized by a crowd than even in the studio. Anytime I was interviewed I was almost always asked if I preferred being on stage or in the studio. I would always have the same response which is that I have always preferred singing live. So as soon as the schedule is complete for our up-coming shows and events I will be sending it out to (of course) all of you as well as Warner Brothers…please wish me luck with that
At this point we had been in this poor woman’s office now for an hour and we were running late to meet RCA… normally a Label will book you for an introductory meeting for about 20 minutes, tops. Charlie mentioned to her that we had to be at RCA by 11. She said “Great! That gives me three more minutes to talk with you.” …I was ecstatic. Charlie called RCA to tell him we were running late.
RCA has always reminded me of a college dorm or a church with the yellow brick it is made out of. As I found out that day apparently it actually really used to be a church. Sony is in the same building as well. The guard let us in and we went to the fourth floor. They had been painting so the elevator was padded; Robert said that was for the people that just found out they got signed so they can bounce off the walls and not hurt themselves. We go back to the conference room and I got to tell the A&R Representative about how I was in Pennsylvania with my family when I found out he wanted to meet with me and how glad I was to be there! I got to tell him about the album and how all the songs represent my life. Charlie had also told him how normally people just ask him for hit songs, I wanted that as well, but finding my songs took a little longer because I had a purpose with these songs. See, the only way you can really reach someone who is feeling low is to feel what they are feeling – which “Everything but Lying” and “Straight to the Bone” does. Then you reach the next stage of ‘grief’ if you will, which is “Hangin’ on Hope” then anger which is the next song, “If you’re gonna leave me, leave me alone”. Then you start to feel a little better because you’re not feeling better yet but “I Will Be” (which is the song endorsed by the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence) and then you come to acceptance which is “Headlights on the Highway”, the title of the album. We are all just trying to ‘drive straight’ and do the best we can with what we have. The final song is “Cowboys never do it that way” which shows you the type of partner, friend or relative you really want to be around – one that gets to mending their fences, gets back up. It is also the first song on the album so when you are done healing with the other songs you can go back to the first song and feel energized. After all, who hasn’t been through a break-up, worked hard and lost a job or lost a friend or worse, was betrayed by who they thought was a friend? How you come out the other end determines how you healed. If you have to go through every-day grief why not enjoy some good music as well?? He also listened to “On the Fourth of July” since Charlie had played him three other songs on their first meeting where he said he would like to meet me. I told him about the radio air play “On the Fourth of July” had been getting (which for the last year has been tremendous) and also about how UHaul and the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence is endorsing my album. He said he would like to take the next step to present my album to the rest of the A&R group and go from there. What a great second day!
So, now is the hard part….waiting. But, I am one step closer and five minutes late for getting in the shower to meet my band down in St. Pete to sing tonight.
Thank you for reading everyone! You have no idea just how much I truly appreciate every single one of you and your support! Please know that your support has made my dreams of inspiring and helping others really come true. I can’t thank you enough.
May God bless you and I hope you have a good night,
Rebecca