Shawn Nelson - Austin, Texas

I met Austin-based performing songwriter Shawn Nelson at the Continental Club on Thursday night, just before he got on stage to play a set with his band. He invited me over to his home in west Austin and I had a great time hanging out. Check out his performance of his new tune "Let It Go" below.

In the interview, Shawn discusses songwriting, the journey of an artist and his brief stint at a publisher as a song plugger in Nashville, TN.

Kathy Jernigan - Atlanta, Georgia

Kathy Jernigan is a songwriter and NSAI coordinator for the North Metro Atlanta chapter. She has a professional background in journalism and law-enforcement, but she has always had an interest in writing. In 2007 she put out a children's book titled "The Know It All Kitty and the Peanut Butter Factory."

At the same time, she also took a more active interest in songwriting. Atlanta is just a four-hour drive from Nashville, and Kathy has taken full-advantage of her proximity to a major music center. Take a listen and hear her story:

Jeff Silver - Atlanta, Georgia

Jeff Silver is a performing songwriter and NSAI coordinator in Atlanta, Georgia. He's been all over the country doing music-related work over the course of several years, including Los Angeles and New York.

He has a background in composition that comes across in his flowing guitar arrangements. You can see an example of that in his performance of "Better Off Not Knowing" - be sure to check that out and take a listen to his story!

Chris Platel - Fernandina Beach, Florida

I visited with Chris Platel in Fernandina Beach, Florida - located on Amelia Island, "Isle of 8 Flags." Chris is a life and relationship coach, a practitioner of Voice Movement Therapy, and coordinator for the Fernandina Beach chapter of the NSAI.

Although Chris comes from a musical family (her brother is vocalist Lenny Zakatek from the Alan Parsons Project), she did not fully commit herself to songwriting until 2006. She talks about her journey in this interview!

Sheryl Paige - Cocoa, Florida

Sheryl Paige is a performing songwriter in Cocoa, Florida; she's also a coordinator for the Orlando chapter of the NSAI. With her husband Leon, they also do work in artist development. She had a lot to share in her interview below!

She also has a great song called "The Fine Art of Doing Nothing" - check it out:

Woody Garrison - Athens, GA

I got to hang out with Woody Garrison in Athens, Georgia on Thursday and Friday on my first official non-NSAI stop. Woody is a performing songwriter and works vocationally as a production assistant.

We've crossed paths a few times in Kauai as attendees of the annual Kauai Music Festival, which is always a great time! Woody is moving to Oahu at the end of the year. It's a very exciting time for him and we wrote a theme song for his move; I look forward to it being a hit in the islands.

For his video performance, Woody played a new tune called "Falling Fast" - check it out and take a listen to his interview.

Allen Shervelle - Charlotte, NC

Allen Shervelle is a songwriter in Charlotte, North Carolina; originally from New Jersey, he started out playing drums in bands before finding his path writing songs. He makes regular trips to Nashville and has plans to relocate there with his wife in the near future.

We had a good time writing songs; we finished two and had time to ride the light rail into the downtown area and grab a burger.

Check out a song he co-wrote with Gary Denis called "The F-word" and then take a listen to his story!

Bruce Smith - Baltimore, Maryland

Baltimore, Maryland was the most devoted football town I've hit so far on the tour; watching the Ravens game was a prerequisite to getting down to "official tour business"!

Bruce Smith is a songwriter who recently started an NSAI chapter in his area; his goal is to find others to co-write with. In the 70's Bruce was a successful bass player and ended up in Nashville, where he was signed to a staff writing deal. Check out his interview to get the rest of the story!

Debra Lee & Rick Denzien - Ambler, PA

Debra Lee and Rick Denzien were my hosts in Ambler, Pennsylvania. Debra Lee is a performing songwriter and a coordinator for the Eastern PA chapter of the NSAI. Rick Denzien is an artist, songwriter and producer at Slot One.

We went on a real songwriting binge during the visit - 2 songs in 24 hours, along with a show in Ambler. There are some recorded performances, but they are not available yet - I will update the blog when I have them.

Meanwhile, check out my first three-way interview; it was a lot of fun and they both have some great perspectives to share.

Mike McLaughlin - Eastern Pennsylvania

Mike McLaughlin is a songwriter and co-coordinator for the geographically large Eastern Pennsylvania chapter of the NSAI. He was an entertaining guy and I had fun hanging out and co-writing with him.

He has had some successes with niche marketing; he shares his perspectives on this topic and songwriting in our interview below - and don't forget to check out his song "No Yesterday"!