Home and Thanks!

I'm back in Seattle, Washington...which means the tour is over for the time-being! It's been fun. There were several locations I wasn't able to get to due to schedule conflicts and time constraints. I hope to get around to those folks in a future trip!

I'd like to thank each songwriter that participated in this project by donating their time and extending me their hospitality! Each of you is a unique talent and I appreciate your time.

There are some additional people I'd like to thank, each of whom contributed in their own way to help make this tour a success - Barry Markey, Brent Magstadt, Sherri Thal, Shannon Donnally Spasova, the folks at NSAI, Marc-Alan Barnette, Tonya Hood, Chuck Shute, Mom, Dad - THANK YOU!

Suzanne Reed - San Diego, California

I visited with Suzanne Reed in a San Diego suburb during an abnormally cold and windy patch of weather, but my host was full of warmth! We had a great time and I also enjoyed meeting her talented sons Matt and Mike.

Suzanne works at Taylor guitars and has been a performing artist since the early 70's, primarily playing cover songs. In recent years she started writing her own material and it has developed into a passion. She talks about the transition to performing her own songs in her interview below - check it out!

And see Suzanne performing her original song "Big Picture" --

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: