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(MONDAY, DECEMBER 3RD, 2007)
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CLARITY

     So before moving to Nashville, I would have a gig at least two nights a week, sometimes four. This was what I did and it was what I did for over a solid year. After making the decision to move to Nashville to be with my beautiful fiancé Rachel, I wasn't quite sure what would happen as far as performing goes. At the time of the move I was so sick of singing and playing that I couldn't stand it. Part of me still wanted to do it. I suppose that was out of habit, and I felt that it was almost expected of me to do that. People were telling me "Good luck with everything! Don't forget me when you make it big". Thank you for the kind words and encouragement but in all honesty, I never had intentions of "making it big". 
      I didn't know if I would continue to play more when I moved down and possibly get some sort of big break. Then my mind would focus on that phrase, "big break". Did I really want that? Do I want to be that? The truth is that I don't want that. Sure, I love music and I always will. It is something that I am confident at and will always enjoy doing, but only to an extent. I love to write songs. I love to produce songs and to have a finished product of what I heard in my head. That is satisfying to me. Going from town to town, dealing with the hassle of the industry is not for me. Being alone at night is not for me. I have an amazing woman in my life and it is with her that I want to build my future. I want to be a family man. A man can't be the correct head of the household if he is always gone. I am almost out of college, which means I am closer to getting married. I love the sound of that. I certainly don't get that same feeling when I think of signing a contract for a tour or management.  I know that with some of my previous posts as far as merchandise and record label, I might have lead you astray. But this is to clarify. 
      I am a graphic designer. The T-shirt was an exercise of that and so that you could have something cool to wear. As far as the record label, yes that is all true. But it’s not a big deal. I am excited about it because I am able to get a great quality recording of my ideas and eventually sale them to someone who has decided to take the path of a performer. I live in Nashville. It's the hub of songwriters and that is how I am blending in with the music scene. Who knows, maybe I will have a song cut by a major name. Maybe I won't. All I know is that as long as I have my family and my friends and the things I need, I will be way happier then I ever would be otherwise.  I am sure that I will play a show here and there for old time sake, but I have no plans of perusing it to any level deeper than that.  I hope this clears things up. :) I will continue to write and post new songs and I will continue to look forward to your responses towards them. 

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(THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 8TH, 2007)
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FINALLY SOMETHING!!
Well I have four completely new songs that are finished as of now. I am pretty happy with how they are sounding. I wanted them to be raw and have the energy that you get when you hear them live, and I feel like they are pretty close to that. On my song entitled "Trouble", the drums, electric guitars, harmonica and everything are very "in your face" I suppose is the way to explain it. They are dirty and full of energy and it's great. I made myself avoid ALL effects this time around. The only thing with effects are maybe some of the guitar tones which would include some reverb and delay, but other than that it's pure. There is no pitch correction or anything other than E.Q. on my vocals or any of the tracks. I can't wait to share them with you! I am hoping to have them up by well before the end of the month.
All I have to say is that it's about freakin' time! I have had these songs in my head for way too long now and it's nice to start tracking them.
Starting next year, I am going to start tracking with some true professionals with top-notch equipment. The outcome of that will be a first completed album that I don't have to tie the words "Demo, scratch-track", or anything else stating how it is not finished As always... I'll keep you posted. :)

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(MONDAY, JULY 30TH, 2007)
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WHAT AN EXCITING WEEK!
+ So since last Monday I have gotten to meet and play with some of the hottest musicians in Nashville and in music history! Here are some pics and a bit of info. about each person. I love this town!

 

Here I am playing with Dean Hall and Bart Pike. Both amazing
and very well respected musicians in Nashville!!

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(THURSDAY, JULY 12TH, 2007)
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ALBUM SOON RELEASED!

+ Finally! An album that is commercially available! It will be available very soon. The paperwork is finished and now we're just waiting for it all to process. You will be able to purchase the album entirely or selected tracks through ITUNES, Rhapsody, Tower Records, and many other online retailers. I'll give you a full list as soon as everything finalizes!

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TOP NASHVILLE SESSION PLAYERS

+ On July 7th, I was fortunate enough to catch "The Players" at 3rd & Lindsley. It was the best playing that I've ever witnessed live. These guys are amazing. Not to mention they are amongst the top session players in Nashville. I was able to meet one of my all time favorite guitarists Brent Mason. He is the most recorded guitarist in music history, and for a great reason! Anyway... if you ever get a chance to catch these guys...do it!

Here are a few pics: CLICK ON THEM TO GO TO THEIR WEBSITES

The most recorded guitarist in music history!




(Sting, Mark Knopfler, George Strait, Alan Jackson,
Shania Twain, Barbara Streisand and Megadeth to name a few)

I'll post more pics from this event later. Great seats by the way. Check out some of the people they've played with as well as music and videos. If you don't know of these guys, after some research you'll understand.

:)

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(WEDNESDAY, JUNE 06TH, 2007)
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(Part #2) Live Music & Decisions
After hearing a few comments about my blog post on May 9th "Live Music & Decisions", I decided I needed to clear things up a bit, as well as correct myself. Here goes:
So playing music live is something I love to do. When I first started playing, I played my own tunes. While doing so, music made me feel 'alive'. When I started playing out more and more, I began learning popular songs to cover as they were being requested. Before I knew it, I refused to play originals. I just assumed that no one wanted to hear them. I replaced my songs with what I thought people wanted to shake their booties too. It was partially a good decision but mostly bad. It was good because it got me more gigs. That was it. Every other outcome of that decision was bad. I started dreading gigs. I would feel like you feel when you have to go to work and absolutely don't want to for whatever reason. The amazing people that were regulars eventually stopped showing up. I don't blame them.
In saying all this, here is what I mean:
I love music. I love to entertain. I certainly don't mind playing cover tunes either. I want everyone to have a great time. It would be stupid of me to completely cut out every cover I've ever played because I do enjoy them and most people enjoy hearing them. So what I am going to do is just incorporate originals in with these cover sets. I apologize to my friends who constantly requested my songs at shows and I denied them most of the time on account of wanting to "entertain". Maybe I should start giving myself more credit or something... or just stop being such a puss and lose my fear of rejection.
Whenever you hear me play from now on and you ask me to play an original, I will; gladly!

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(FRIDAY, MAY 25TH, 2007)
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"Air Quality Alert"
Yesterday was a first for me. While driving home from work through downtown Nashville, I read the traffic advisory marquee as I usually do. I want to know if traffic has slowed down, where, and if I can perhaps take an alternate route. Yesterday's message as well as today's said nothing about traffic control. This is what I read:

TODAY AIR QUALITY ALERT CONSIDER TRANSIT

 

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(WEDNESDAY, MAY 09TH, 2007)
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Live Music & Decisions
So if you've noticed, I don't have anything booked after this weekend. Usually I would have six or seven shows always booked in advance. I have to be honest. Having a clean schedule feels great. Playing music will always be a love of mine, but I've got to be honest. I have made myself absolutely miserable doing this. Almost to the point of hating it. I have put so much thought in to figuring out why I have grown to hate what I once loved. Anytime I would play out, sometimes three nights a week, I would play cover songs. I would learn these tunes note for note. I would work hard to sound as much like the original as possible. Keep in mind, usually the same songs. Request after request for these songs, (the same songs) over and over begins to take a toll on you rather quickly. So...

+ the verdict:
Playing songs for others makes me miserable. Learning songs that are played by every bar band in the world night after night is what has gotten so old. (Where's the originality in that?) When I first started playing, I played what I knew. I play what I had written. Mostly written from life situations where I sang from what was inside. I didn't play for tips. I didn't play just to see how many people I could have up dancing around. I played for myself. I played to share feelings through music because most of the time words just don't cut it. That's when I was "alive" musically.

+ Conclusion:
After this weekend at Buddha, I will no longer book to play cover songs. Of course I'll throw in some of my favorites, but my set list will be primarily originals. I have been told many times that my songs are something to be heard. It's not until recently that it has started to sink in. Much of my realization that cover tunes make me miserable and my own tunes are fun helped to make this decision as well. So from here on out I am going to have fun. I am going to share what I have written. If you want to book me to play cover songs...you'll have to try hard. If my decision doesn't get me the gig, that's great. I don't want it anyway. No more misery with music. I have returned and I will remain true to myself and my songs from this point on. Best friends and fiance', you can now stop hounding me to be original. :)

Peace and love,
Brent

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(SUNDAY, MAY 06TH, 2007)
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Country Music Marathon
I know this is a couple days late, but the Country Music Marathon was certainly a day to remember. And from amount of sun I received, I'll be feeling it for a couple of days as well. MANY MANY MANY thanks to Logan and Kelly Sams for driving down from KY to play at this event with me. You two are honestly some of best musicians in the world today...no doubt! Your ability to hear the most subtle things, how you play parts absolutely perfect and your knowledge on music theory and anything that goes with it. I hope you receive the credit one day that you deserve!
Thanks again to the Nashville Sports Council for the invite to the marathon! I hope to play more events hosted by you in the future.

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(SATURDAY, APRIL 14TH, 2007)
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Name Changes #3
Thurman Murman. What an unfortunate rhyme. Would make a good name for a mouse or something.

+ I am a fan of alternative energy sources. Especially whatever takes away our dependency of foreign oil. Gas prices are ridiculous. Although I wouldn't mind being a family member of a leader who pockets billions a year from it. The point is that I am not. Neither are you. It is stupid to keep throwing away money towards something that we could change. Not only for the betterment of financial gain, but for the betterment of our environment as well. RENEWABLE SOURCES---HURRY THE HECK UP!!

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(THURSDAY, APRIL 12TH, 2007)
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Name Changes #2 (plus some)
I have Aqua Teen Hunger Force to thank for the next one.
If and when I ever get a pet, (dog, cat, whatever it is), It shall be called "Nathan Scott Phillips".

+ I get to visit home Saturday. I'm very excited. I am going to play poker and probably lose. Maybe I should just save my self some time and just put the money directly in the cash pot. I'll use the rest of the time to drink. Maybe I could also save my self the time and trouble of drinking and just pour the beer directly into the toilet after it's opened.

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(WEDNESDAY, APRIL 11TH, 2007)
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Name Changes?
So how lazy am I? No post's since Feb 28th?
My fiance' and I enjoyed double-header Nashville Sounds game on Easter. It was very fun. We danced on top of the dugout for a "dance contest" at a chance at a free dinner. We lost to a mother/daughter pair. They deserved it. We sure tried though. I was so nervous. I'm ok with getting in front of many people if I have my guitar to hide behind. It's tough to do otherwise.

Today starts a series of what I would change my name to for amusement or something out of the ordinary.

+ Fievel Mousekawitz (can't spell).

Check back tomorrow for another name.

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(WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 28TH, 2007)
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Nashville...
So first off, here are some pics that I took of my new home. Nevermind the quality. It's from a cell phone. I just wanted to share the view with you that I see everyday. I have a fascination with buildings and the work that goes into making them. Seeing these everyday never gets old.

At night.....

Daytime....

I like the composition of this one. It's the "Bell-South" tower.

That's about it for this post. Everything's going great here. I like the challenge of starting new. The new roads are a little tricky but I'm getting it. I have a few shows coming up in May including a very important gig at the 2007 Nashville Country Music Marathon. Read more about it on the "NEWS" page.

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(FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 16TH, 2007)
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HERE I GO!!
Yesterday was my last day at the place I have been employed for over a year. That's not a very long time in the "business" world, but it was long enough to make some great friends and good times. During the final hour, I thought that most people would be sad about change. I wasn't. I had many ways to "leave my mark" throughout the company to remind people of me. When it came down to crunch time, I just let it go. I figured that it wasn't really that big of a deal. I had done enough there for the people who mattered to remember me. I didn't want to be annoying about it.
So today, I am packing up more things and heading to my parents house who are kind enough to be free storage for a bit. My TV is disconnected, my bed is no longer assembled and I am pretty much just waiting. Waiting for Sunday morning when I wake up and Jarrod and I load up the cars and head south. Thanks Jarrod for the helping hand. It means the world to me. Most people would be getting nervous and some butterflies in the tummy. But me? I am just getting more and more excited about the new life. The new opportunities, and whatever else God wants to put in front of my Fiance' and I.
The past week or two I have gone through the thing with each venue of "this is probably my last time of playing here". That was nice. I have played Richmond, KY into the ground and it's time to go. Tonight I'm playing at Madison Garden's. I hope friends come out for my second-to-last show in KY. It almost seems silly to me to count it down like that as if KY will be completely dead to me. It won't be. It's just a new chapter starting. Kind of like after you graduate high school and then you're off to a new place for college. I suppose it could be similar to that in the "moving to the new town" aspect. Any way.... I'm packed up, letting go, and moving to Nashville. I am extremely excited and I hope to see you all at my "farewell kentucky" show this Saturday night at Hamilton's. If you need direction's, call (606)344.8281. Thanks for all the support and kind words!

Sincerely,
Brent

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(TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 6TH, 2007)
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OLD PHOTOS....WELL NOT THAT OLD
While cleaning up some files on my pc, I ran across a couple pics. They made me miss music and what it meant to me during the time of my life when these were taken. I am a drummer at heart. My first semester at Eastern Kentucky University I became involved with the Baptist Student Union in which I made very close friends with a group of guys. We were the band. Every time we would play, I felt alive. Man, did I love music. These are from those days:

It's kind of sad how things change. But it's usually for the better. I suppose that learning to not miss something is harder than the actual change itself. I want to say though that I wouldn't have my life any other way. I am very grateful for how things are going. I am in love. I am moving to the town that I've always wanted to live in. Things are coming together beautifully. I have an amazing family and right now, life is great!

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(WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 10TH, 2007)
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INNOCENCE OR BLATENT DIS-REGUARD?
A couple of Sundays ago before walking into the restaurant to enjoy a nice tasty meal with my Fiance', I spotted this van. I had to have a picture. Obviously I didn't care if the owner's spotted me taking snap shots of their masterpiece. You can see proof of this in the photo's from the previous blog (below). Any way.... I like to think they are just funny people who made a joke back in the 70's, and they got such a kick out of it that they continue to drive the "Enhancement" van to bring smiles to those who are easily entertained like yours truly. :) Am I the only one who finds this somewhat funny?

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(MONDAY, JANUARY 1ST, 2007)
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ONE DAY IN THE SOUTH...
See for yourself..... truly a Mulletude of "10" !! YOU GO GIRL!!

Agreed? Thank you. :)

(This is not to offend or make fun of, but to share with you as someone who notices the WIDE variety of "styles" in the world today)

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(FRIDAY, DECEMBER 8TH, 2006)
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THE DRUMS & SUCH
So I haven't had a chance ot update this section as much as I though. It's final's week at EKU and it sucks. However...this is my last semester there as I am moving to Nashville at the end of February and I'm really excited!

CONGRAT'S to my Brother Steven White who received an MVP award for Football at North Laurel High School. Keep it up!!!!

Here's to Troy: Troy Jones is an amazing drummer. Troy Jones and I have played 3 shows together now all without any rehearsal at all. Troy Jones knows. Troy Jones should run for president. Troy Jones. Troy Jones!
Uh..Sorry. So, Troy and I jammed out last night at Paddy Wagon as we did the past 2 times. It was a great time. I've never connected with someone so much musically that we can just make up these funk jams and hit all of the non-practiced, non-written stops all together. It's amazing to get on the same wavelength as someone for a few minutes. Thanks Troy for jumping in. I'll keep you posted on when our next show is together.

Here's to Troy and Steven::

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(THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 23RD, 2006)
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WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU GROW UP? (part 2)
I decided that the last post was WAAAAY to long. So this here's my attempt to make it up to you:
Happy Thnksgvng. Break=good. Family. Sleep. Break=needs to be longer.
Sincerely,
B.W.

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(TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 21ST, 2006)
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WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU GROW UP?

So when I came to a conclusion to add the "blog" portion to my website, I told myself (intercommunication...i don't have audible conversation to myself) that this would be primarily to make fun of, allow me to be an ass, and to show the lighter, more humorous side of who I am. I feel like all of my websites and all that the internet world knows of me is something more serious than I really am. But after tonight's conversation's with my girlfriend and with my father, I've decided to use this to get things off my chest as well.

I don't know anyone who has been able to give a straight answer to this question:
"What do you want to be when you grow up?"
Sure, when I was five I would without hesitation shout out, "An astronaut". A year later the answer might be "A fireman", with that answer changing as the days do. It was always so easy to say what I wanted to be. I'm just wondering, when did that question become an almost impossible one to answer? I'm guessing it was sometime between well, I'm not sure... but I can think of what is blocking me from immediate response.
Here goes: Reality, maturity, and trying to follow the "norms" of society that your supposed to follow as you progress throughout life that keep you from leaping out and following your real heart's desire.
What I mean is.... You go to school to be a lawyer because it interested you. After graduating and realizing that it's not what you want to do, and even while being in school and daydreaming about what all you could be, you just hang it up because you either can't afford to go back to school, or it's just not a practical thing to do at the time because you want to "get on with your life". You get a job. It's not your dream job, but you take it because it's decent pay, and hopefully benefits. You might like certain things/people about the job...but deep inside you want more. You're not happy, so you keep searching. You find another job. It's the same deal going on inside. So, once again you find another job. You're constantly searching from job to job, hoping to find that thing that just makes you fall in love. That low stress, exciting job that you’ve always dreamed of. My question is, is that really possible? Even though you may have the best job in the world, are you really going to be satisfied?
My theory: We were made for so much more than to just classify who we our and the worth of our lives by doing one job for the rest of it. Let's say that I chose to play music for the rest of my days. I don't want to be known as "that guy that sings 'Your Eyes'". I want to be known as "that guy that would give you the shirt off of his back. He gave so much to people and the world is a better place because of him". I think society has put so much emphasis on how much $ you have and whether or not you're a big-shot, that we are constantly trying to get the best position, often "dog-eat-dog" about it. Who cares about what they are going through. This is the job I need, so I'll do whatever the hell I need to do to get it!". Is that what we were created to do and be? No. I don't believe so. There is so much more to life than material things. There has to be! But does anyone know a way to get out of the vicious cycle of working to pay bills to keep ownership of the things you want/need to get by? Is there a real way to live everyday, devoting your time to be a volunteer, or just anything to help people instead of hording all the crap that you can? There has to be something better. Anyone know where it is?

My girlfriend had a cool analogy, and I'll end with this:
"I feel like my life is stuck. It's almost like a video game. You know when you first start playing, and you're feeling good about it all. You breeze past the first couple of levels, getting high scores, and feeling like you've got it all the way to the end. Then all of the sudden there is this level. No matter how hard you try, you can't get out of it. You think and think. You search and search and just can't find the way out. That's where I feel like my life is at. I just don't know what I want to be when I grow up".


To lighten up the "feel" of this post, here's a random picture of a kitten:

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(FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 10TH, 2006)
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I will post something very soon...other than this.
The cool thing about this is that you can read it without having to log in to something that doesn't work half of the time anyway. (myspace). So... stay tuned....?