@jessamynorchard featured on regional television last weekend for a new show called MOstly Music!

Another noted and extremely talented local songwriter, Barak Hill, puts on a really cool songwriter showcase each month called Sketches, Scraps, and Lines at Lindbergs Tavern in Springfield, Missouri...and it's truly a gathering of songwriters, which is very refreshing in a local scene that sometimes feels like louder is better and words don't necessarily mean anything as long as they're loud, but Barak's showcase is always a great attentive audience who seems to be there to listen to not just the music, but the words, as well.

Springfield, Missouri hasn't necessarily proven to be the biggest supporter of single-artist, original singer-songwriter stuff unless 56% of your catalog is uplifting, about farm life, or the river...and while I enjoy all those things, my songs are not that. They are sad bastard as all hell and they're not necessarily "feel good" songs. If any of you have any tips on markets where sad bastard music is welcomed with open, crying arms, please let me know. (I know that demo is out there, and there's gotta be a town in the US that has that scene...if you know, let your girl know.)

Anyway, Sketches, Scraps, and Lines is a great showcase that I usually have the opportunity of being invited to play about once a year. The last time I played, however, I was also told that it was being filmed for a new local television program in development by Jimmy Rea, Chad Graves, and Betsy Beymer called MOstly Music to be aired on KOZL Ozarks 27, and that I was sharing the stage with some incredibly talented songwriters and musicians that my own self-doubt and self-deprecating sense of self said that I wasn't worthy of being on that stage with those dudes because I know I'm not as good as they are.

This particular night, I found myself sitting to the left of Jody Bilyeu, who in addition to playing in Big Smith, is a diverse artist with a wide repertoire, and general knowledge about music across the board.

When I busted into "Reasons," I could see out of my periphery that he was watching my chording, and I thought to myself, when am I necessarily going to have the opportunity to play with Jody Bilyeu on stage again?

So I looked over at him while I was playing, and asked if he wanted to throw down on top of my chords, and did he ever. Makes me so happy to have talented lead guitarists solo over my stuff. Brings an entirely different feel to the song.

I wasn't able to portion this down to just my section, but that's okay, because if you have just under half an hour, this whole show is worth a listen. I'm on right around the halfway point at 16:15, right after the mixology lesson from Lindbergs Tavern.

It's exciting to have this experience for my promokit, I suppose...and still feels surreal to have received pictures like this one of my niece, 100 miles away, watching her Aunt Jess on the television. That was the coolest feeling ever.

There are lots of exciting music things in the works right now in my world. I am going to try to keep up with my regular posts here, but I am in the middle of revamping all of my social media as well as building a website and getting sadbastardmusic.com all up and ready to rock and roll fully. I also have a pretty busy gig schedule over the next couple of weeks, so expect some gig reflections.

I'm playing what I'm calling the Sad Bastard Sunday Matinee at my favorite bar in town this Sunday, and I am a bit nervous because I haven't used the looper there yet, and that's my favorite sound system and sound guy here locally and one of my big beefs as a performer is that I never want to be a pain in the ass. I mean, sometimes asking for more vocals in the monitors (to avoid Mariah Careyesque New Year's situations) comes across as being a pain in the ass to me, and I've had to work on asserting what I actually need up there...so venturing into new territory in a place that actually takes care of their musicians is something I want to be perfect...and that's obviously never going to happen.

It's been a struggle for me to maintain positivity lately with some non-creative life-related things and I've really been having to push myself to make this happen out of me. It's an interesting feeling to simultaneously feel that I am oozing with ideas that just won't come out. I'm going to fake it until I make it, but it gets me down hard, and I have to fight retreat.

Could really use some positive vibes if you have them to spare, this week is already and will continue to be a struggle with some of the things I'm having to juggle right now.