June 22, 2009

*Warning: This is a long one, much to update you all on!*

What a whirlwind June has been for me! I'm sitting here on my manager's couch in her office and feeling like this
is the first few minutes of downtime I've had in weeks! Pretty crazy, huh? But I love it!

CMA Music Festival was beyond anything I could have ever hoped for! Meeting all of you...some for the very first
time, and others I got to re-connect with once again at this year's festival...such a thrill for me! I really can't even put it to words! I just remember my first year of being at CMA Fest in 2007, and thinking to myself"I hope that people will want to meet me", "I hope I get to sign a few CDs and pictures", etc. That year ended up being a great success! Last year's experience was unbelievable to me then because it was even bigger and better than the year before! But this year, yall made it INCREDIBLE! I'm still riding high from it! I got to meet so many of you, we ran out of pictures (we printed over a 1000!), the shows were packed, we got my brand-new EP in the hands of so many of you, you all were so enthusiastic to buy my CDs! Freakin awesome! Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU! I can't wait to see you in 2010--and this time, we're aiming even higher! STADIUM, BABY! ;) Check out photos from CMA Fest on my BRAND NEW MYSPACE PAGE at myspace.com/rachelwilliamsmusic!

My brand-spankin-new 7 song EP, "Lovers & Liars" is officially out and ready for you to download (if you haven't already)!! It brings me great joy to finally share new music with you after all this time! I've been pretty good at posting demo recordings on my MySpace and on my Fan Page...but to have an actual CD for you all to take home (or download onto your iTunes, hehe) is so rewarding and exciting for me! I co-wrote all 7 songs as well as co-produced this record...so you're listening to "my baby", as I like to call it. I've been through SO much in the last 2 years since "Lonely At The Bottom" and here is a short time-line of all those experiences. I've been as happy and in love and carefree as can be and I've been devastatingly heart-broken more than once. I've learned so much about myself and the people in my life and redefined my role in their lives and their roles in mine. It's very liberating!! I've had my eyes opened & I love that I'm able to share so much of this with you...even if it is only 7 songs this go-round! My hope is to release a new EP every 6 months or so, that way, we are constantly giving you fans what you want...NEW MUSIC! And I'm a writing fool, so I'm more than happy to oblige ;)

Download "Lovers & Liars" on Bandbox, iTunes, or Amazon. Get a physical copy of the CD here on my website on the Store page! Get the lyrics to each song on my Music page here!

This Wednesday is my CD Release Party and I am so beyond stoked! It's been 2 years since I've been able to throw
a party to celebrate a new music release so...I'm READY! BRING IT ON! I'm going to have some of my great friends
and some of my favorite co-writers join in the festivities and perform at the bash! Catch singer/songwriters Karen Staley, Sara Beck, Mark Narmore, Karleen Watt, Bonnie Baker, and Bruce Wallace and then my band and I tear it
up to close the show at 3rd & Lindsley here in Nashville from 6-9PM! I'll post pictures on MySpace & Facebook soon
after!

Congratulations to my little sister Erin, who won Belleville's Strawberry Queen over the weekend in my hometown of
Belleville, Michigan. I was lucky enough to have been present and watch my sister DOMINATE the stage with her
performance of "Popular" from the musical "Wicked"! Who knew that we had yet ANOTHER musical talent in the family?!

And a big congrats & shout-out to my little brother, Garrett who graduated from Belleville High School and had an
a HUGELY successful graduation party over the weekend as well! It was SO great to be home and with all of my
family...it was definitely a reunion of all sorts! I had a blast! I'll probably post some photos from that trip as well very soon on MySpace & Facebook! I love you guys!

Okay...that's a lot.
*deep breath*

Thanks for reading this. Hope you enjoy the new music and I hope to see and/or hear from you all real soon!
Hope you all are enjoying your summer thus far and have a Happy 4th of July!

June 4, 2009

This time of year always reminds me that it is indeed true...I thrive on chaos. It's "crunch month" as we like to
call it here at the office. Which means, we are working at an abnormally busy pace to make sure we've got our stuff together for this year's CMA Music Festival. And like my experience at CMA Fest a couple years ago, this go round it's triple insane because we'll ALSO be launching the release of a new CD! My 7 song EP, Lovers & Liars is officially done! The photos and graphics are printed, the songs are mixed & mastered, and I was able to hold the finished product in my hands today! Pretty cool, eh?

I'm so excited for you all to hear what I've been doing over the course of the last 2 years since Lonely At The Bottom. I mean, you won't hear ALL of the last 2 years (kinda hard to sum up 24 months in 7 songs) but you'll definitely get a glimpse into my world, get inside my head a bit. Hope you're ready, haha.

Check out my full CMA Fest itinerary on my Tour Page here and also on my Official MySpace page! I'll be signing advanced copies of my EP, Lovers & Liars from my booth (#235) all four days as well as performing a show every day of CMA Fest! I'm sure I'm over-extending myself, but hey, this time only comes once a year and I want to make the absolute most of it! I can't wait to see all my fans and friends alike...see familiar faces and turn new people onto my music! I've been anxiously awaiting the arrival of CMA Fest weekend and it's almost here!

The official release date of Lovers & Liars is Tuesday, June 16th. We're working to make this release more digital than buying a physical copy of the CD. We're using this new digital store called Bandbox, which is one of the fastest growing digital download stores out right now! Bandbox has worked exclusively with artists such as Taylor Swift, Keith Urban and more when they released their latest CDs and singles and the coolest part about Bandbox? Well, unlike so many of these other download sites, the artist makes 100% of the digital download profits! Talk about supporting your favorite artists, right?! We've been and will continue to run specials on downloads through Bandbox on my MySpace page this month, just so that you can try it out! Bandbox will download straight to your iTunes, iPod, Zune, etc! The new EP, Lovers & Liars will also be available through my website, on iTunes, Amazon, and most other download sites as well! So mark your calendars for June 16th!

We'll finally be drawing a winner for the mp3 player that's loaded with all my music (both CDs, both EPs, and unreleased demo recordings) on Thursday, June 18th! Good luck to everyone who submitted themselves!!

After all the craziness with CMA Fest wraps, and the official CD release and mp3 giveaway are both over, I'll be heading up to Michigan for my brother's graduation party for a few days. Talk about a whirlwind! Then upon my return from Michigan, a couple days later I'll be rocking out with the biggest show of my year---my CD Release Party on Thursday, June 24th! I've asked some of my FAVORITE co-writers to join me for a complete extravangza at 3rd & Lindsley and it's going to be one hell of a party! You won't want to miss it!

Okay, that's about all my brain can handle for right now. My best friend just flew in from Florida today and so I'm trying to squeeze whatever few minutes I have left in my crazy day to go meet her for coffee.

I will talk to you soon! Hope everyone is well!!

May 18, 2009

I am feeling so good lately! Things are really coming along in every aspect of life these days and I couldn't feel more grateful, hectic, busy, productive, and blessed!

I have been a singing fool! On top of finishing up the EP (which yes, it's done and it sounds AMAZING!), singing demos in the studio, writing songs...I've also been performing a TON lately! The last few shows have re-ignited something in me. They've really inspired me to keep making my shows bigger and better. I love that high you feel after a great show and I'm ready to keep that buzz going all the time, with everything I do! It feels sort of like it's motivating me to get back on track with so many things...be the best at what I do with everything. I love that feeling!

Most recently, I performed two shows last week that have really opened my eyes. First being the Bruce Holloway Memorial Benefit concert on May 13th. To be paying tribute to my dear friend who lost his life last month was such an honor for me. It was heart-breaking but also very healing. To be able to hear songs that Bruce had written with others, to sing songs that he and I had written together, to share stories about our buddy, and just to be in the midst of such INCREDIBLE talent... Jeffrey Steele, Chuck Cannon, Emily West, Randy Houser, Kim Carnes, and so many more...I mean, it just really doesn't get any better than that! It was a true privilege to share the stage with these people and remember Bruce. We miss you!

The second show being just this past weekend, May 16th, at the Jo Dee Messina Music Row Road Race. I really didn't know what to expect when I woke up Saturday morning. The mega-band and I (three guitar players, keyboards, bass, drums...the whole works) were performing at 9:45am downtown for the race. To wake up to thunder and see the continuous pour down of rain from 7AM til almost 9AM was not looking too promising...but I tell you what...the second we walked out of the house and made our way to the show, the clouds opened up and the sun started shinin bright as ever! It continued to shine the entire race for all those runners and kept it going through the performances afterwards! I'm definitely no runner by any means, so it felt good to contribute to St. Jude's Children Research Hospital the only real way I know how...through song. The band and I rocked it out through our set for a crowd of appreciative runners, families, and other supporters! With the Cracker Barrel banner hanging behind me (they sponsored all the festivities and the race itself), it was hard not to flash-back to the good ol' days of wearing my Cracker Barrel apron, serving corn bread and sweet tea back in Belleville 4 1/2 years ago. Crazy, huh? Haha! At the end of my set, none other than Miss JO DEE MESSINA herself surprised us all and jumped up on stage with me! Talk about an adrenaline rush! I've seen her multiple times in concert over the years and am always blown away but her stage performance! I'm a big fan!! So to stand on stage and sing "Something To Talk About" by one of my idols, Bonnie Raitt, was more than a thrill for me! See pictures of the performance on my MySpace page!

I'm playing a writer's round with my guitar extrodinaire/best friend/awesome dude, Joe Spivey at Limelight on Wednesday night...looking forward to jamming with him and debuting some brand new songs (newer than the EP songs!) A bunch of my good friends will be playing that night too, so if you're about, come see us starting at 7PM! Then the VERY NEXT DAY I'll be playing the legendary Bluebird Cafe with some of my favorite people of ALL TIME---Karleen Watt, Bruce Wallace, and Chelsee Oaks. Reserve your seats today at www.bluebirdcafe.com!

Keep checking the website for CMA Music Festival information! I could have as many as FOUR SHOWS during CMA Fest. I will be at my booth, signing copies of my upcoming EP, "Lovers & Liars" all four days of CMA Fest! Can't wait to see some familair faces, meet new fans, and let yall hear the new music I've been making! This is gonna ROCK! I will post all the information SOON...I swear!

Well, that's about all I can handle right now...as you can see, so much is going on with me---it's hard to keep track...and that's just the way I like it! I love you guys so much and thanks for checking in! See ya real soon!

April 14, 2009

Soo…a ton of you have been asking me about new music lately and it brings me MUCH joy to announce to you that YES…it’s on the way! We’ve decided to release an EP with 6 brand-new songs that I’ve written over the last year or so! The EP, Lovers & Liars, will be available on June 16th to everyone! And for those of you attending this year’s CMA Music Festival, you can purchase advanced copies of Lovers & Liars from me personally at my booth in the Convention Center June 11-14! YAY!

Also, the MP3 player that we’ve been hyping for Lord knows how long will FINALLY find it’s home on June 18th, just 2 days after the EP is released! This mp3 player will be full of all things that are Rachel Williams…I’m talking EVERYTHING I’ve done over the last 5 years! So keep sending in those questions and captions to be entered to win!

I have a photo shoot on Saturday. I’m kind of freaking out about it. I haven’t been very good with the whole diet/exercise/tanning regimen like I wanted to be. But oh well, it’ll be what it will be and I hope you all will love it! I’m such a camera hog anyway, I’m sure I’ll have fun with it!

The last-minute Bluebird show that I did last week was AWESOME! Honestly, probably the most comical/entertaining/talented round I’ve been a part of yet! If you missed it, be sure to watch the YouTube video of me performing a new song off the upcoming EP, called “Unbroken Ground”!

As most of you know, Middle Tennessee went through hell last week with numerous tornadoes touching down! Two of them being as close as Murfreesboro (25 minutes from downtown Nashville!). Sitting on my couch (sick, of course), wrapped up in a blanket, glued to the TV for hours as the horrific images were coming in and the sky kept changing colors was an experience that I hope none of us have to see again. Ever! My hearts go out to all those affected by last week. If you’d like to donate to the Red Cross or help in any way, click here to find out how http://www.newschannel5.com/Global/story.asp?s=10165995.

Be sure to check out the new show dates I have posted on the Tour page too! I’ll actually be playing Murfreesboro this Wednesday…then a FULL BAND, ONE HOUR show on May 6th at my favorite…3rd & Lindsley! Also performing will be Angela Engelman from “Next GAC Star”. Bluebird again on May 21st….Information about CMA Fest shows coming soon!

That’s all for now. I need to go run with my dogs…they’re looking bored ;)

March 17, 2009

Mother Nature is being a mean ol’ thing these days. She teases us with incredible weather (I’m talking 70’s and sunny here) and then 2 days later, we’re waking up to snow and frozen over windshields. Spring fever has officially hit me…I can’t wait to start hiking, walking the dogs, canoeing, and all that good stuff (everything but roller-blading…I learned my lesson, haha!) on a consistent basis!

Things have been pretty good my way. The last few shows have been super awesome! I had a blast playing the benefit concert at the Wildhorse last month!! It’s kind of crazy…here in Nashville, we get used to playing the smaller clubs with the smaller stages (the musicians and I are practically standing on top of each other) and then we get to the Wildhorse and the stage is sooo big…I don’t even know what to do with myself! I swear, it’s like I could do back flips or something, haha!

I’m playing The Listening Room at the end of the month. Pretty stoked for that one…it’s fastly becoming my favorite place to play in Nashville. It’ll kind of be an “unofficial” kick-off to Tin Pan South week…so for all of you in town for that, come check us out on Monday, March 30th at 6PM!

Been writing like a fool and in the studio recording some brand new songs. I’m thinking we’re going to release an EP sometime in the next few months…I’ll definitely keep you in the loop over that. I’ve seriously written my next 4 albums in the last year…guess I’ve had a lot to say ;) So to narrow that down to 5 or 6 songs seems near impossible! Either way, I’m getting some GREAT demo recordings to pitch the songs…even if I can’t release them for myself just yet!

I head up to Michigan in a couple weeks. I CAN’T WAIT! Haven’t seen the family since Christmas and I’m missing them. My two younger siblings (Erin, who’s a junior in high school and my brother Garrett who’s a senior!) both have leading roles (Charlie Brown & Peppermint Patty!) in Belleville’s High School’s musical! I’m SOOOO proud and excited to go see them! It’s hard being 550 miles away when your younger “kids” are growing up…so I want to be able to play the ‘big sister’ role as often as I can! If any of you are in town April 3, 4, and 5…come to the BHS musical and check ‘em out! I’ll be the one hootin and hollerin (and probably crying) in the front with my parents, hehe!

Well that’s all for now…

Lots of love to you all! Hope March is treatin ya well ;)



February 12, 2009

My oh my, what a month can do…

This business is insane. Well, my life in general, is pretty insane. But in all honesty, I wouldn’t have it any other way. My 2009 started off a bit bumpy, but it has smoothed out quite nicely over the last month. Things are really starting to fall into place and I couldn’t be more grateful. We’ve had some really amazing meetings which I feel has just blown the door wide open for all sorts of opportunity this year! The universe seems to be in-sync with what I’ve been working so hard for all these years, and even if things don’t pan out the way I want in the end…the high I’ve been riding these last few weeks was a good one ;) Hopefully I’ll have exciting news for you soon!

Thanks to everyone that’s been coming out to these recent shows of mine! They have been ROCKIN!! I have been privileged enough to share the stage with some incredible talent, meet new people and make new fans, see old friends, and sing my lil heart out! Speaking of which…would LOVE to see you February 25th at The Wildhorse Saloon! I’ve never played the Wildhorse before, so I’m stoked! The band and I are gonna rock a full set as part of the Champions for Children Benefit show, featuring acts like myself with JIMMY WAYNE & BUDDY JEWELL…just to name a few! So come on out!!

Also, please be sure to check out all the new videos we’ve got posted! I’ve been debuting so much new material at all these shows I’ve been doing…and lucky for you, my manager is video camera-happy…so she’s got it all on film! Haha! Not only that, but be sure to watch the brand-new Q & A video posted on my FANS ONLY page! If you aren’t in on the action yet…shame on you! (j/k) Be sure to sign up for my FREE monthly fanletter so that you too can access all the goodies, exclusives, and contests we have on my FANS ONLY page! Okay?? Okay!

Well, that’s about it for me. The weather here in Nashville has been insanely beautiful and I’ve been so busy writing and in the studio, I haven’t been able to enjoy it near enough! I think I’m gonna take off early and walk my doggies today…woohoo!

January 9, 2009

I always feel compelled to blog when it’s late at night and I’m sitting on the couch listening to my incredibly loud furnace kicking on and off with good ol’ “Golden Girls” muted on the TV. Yes, yes…there’s no finer time to blog.

I sincerely hope that everyone enjoyed their holidays and was able to spend it exactly how they wanted and with who they wanted! Christmas was a good one back home in Michigan. It’s lovely that everyone I needed to see and visit with lives within a 5 mile radius from my house. That’s the beauty of Belleville…you can assemble a party of 20 in 5 minutes or less. And you’re bound to run into everyone and their brother for the $2.25 breakfast special at our local Red Apple and see everyone you went to school with and their parents roaming the aisles of Meijer around the holidays. It was good to be home. Unfortunately though, I did end up getting sick right after Christmas. I drove home to Nashville with a kidney infection which resulted in me sleeping my way through New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day. Which then led to me catching a pretty snazzy cold right after I finished my antibiotics. So add being sick, putting closure to a relationship and waving good-bye to 2008…I’ve decided to re-launch my 2009 this weekend. Yes, ladies and gentlemen…I’m throwing myself a NEW New Year’s celebration to make up for my sick and crappy first week of 2009. I need to start it off right and I intend to!

After much thought and soul-searching, I’ve come to the conclusion that 2008 was the year that “loaded the gun”. The year 2009 is the year that I pull the trigger, so to speak. And I couldn’t be more liberated and excited to do so!

I learned so much last year about myself as a “real person” and as an artist. And not only was I able to recognize the truth in myself but in others surrounding me as well. Like I said in my birthday blog a few months back…I did things I never thought I could do before in the year 2008. I detached from people I never thought I could, I wrote songs that I didn’t even know existed in me, I played some of the most memorable shows of my career, I met some of the greatest people and allowed myself to be inspired by them, I forgave when I didn’t think it humanly possible, I accepted change as a blessing instead of torturous, I got to travel and see things I never had before, I tested my strength and bravery in quite a few instances, but most of all…I got to grow up. I got to know ME a lot better. The greatest lesson I learned was accepting what I am and what I’m not and learning to own it and never apologize for it. I hope all of you feel the same way about yourselves as well…hell, it only took me 23 years ;)

Between all the new songs I’ve written (which YES, there WILL be a new project out this year!), having such a successful CMA Fest experience, a schedule full of great shows, getting to know you all so much better…it’s was a very fulfilling 2008 on the music front. But…I’m ready to rock it like never before in 2009. I feel like I’m about to be unleashed!

The year 2008 was when all the lessons were thrown on my lap, hence it “loading this gun”…2009 is the year I apply it all and use it dominate ;)

I am so blessed and no matter what, I hope I never EVER forget it. We have lots of big dreams for 2009 and the plans to back it up…so watch out! I’m coming!

From the bottom of this little ghetto-hilbilly’s heart…I love you guys, each and every one of you. You’ve inspired me in ways you’ll never fully comprehend and I appreciate your support oh so very much. I’m ready to give back the love 10x this year! It’s gonna be a good one <3

P.S.

Be sure to check out my round at The Bluebird Café next Friday, January 16th at 6:30PM with the amazing fellas Mark Narmore and Paul Sikes and my BFF/best writing partner ever, Karleen Watt!

December 4, 2008

IT’S DECEMBER!

Talk about mind-blowing…I can’t believe it’s already almost Christmas! The year 2008 has completely taken me by surprise on many levels, but mostly, with how quickly it has flown by! Does this mean that I’m getting old…? ;)

I have so many things to do! I dragged out all the Christmas decorations from the basement the other day, however, they’re still sitting in a box in the middle of the dining room…untouched and taunting me. I just don’t the energy for it yet, I guess. I need to get a Christmas tree PRONTO too! My family thinks it’s kinda crazy that I’m getting one, seeing as though I’ll be going back to Michigan for over a week around Christmas. But, I don’t know, I just want to make my house all Christmas-y again this year…even if I have to decorate it into all hours of the night b/c that’s the only time I have, haha. Check out my new Christmas songs on MySpace! And as a gift from me to you, I want to give both songs to you as a FREE DOWNLOAD! Just sign up for my free FanLetter, get your login and password for the new FANS ONLY page, and download from there! MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

Speaking of the holidays…

My family left on Sunday to head back to Michigan. My parents, two out of three younger siblings, my grandma, and one of the family dogs all came down to Nashville to spend Thanksgiving with me. So that means…7 people, 3 dogs, and one bathroom in my house for 5 days. Yeah, we would’ve made a great reality TV show! ;) Grandma stayed behind a few extra days to visit her brothers that live about an hour out of Nashville. So it’s been good to spend some extra time with her and to see her brothers and stuff. I’m taking her to the airport this afternoon. Usually I’d be super emo about her leaving, but since I’m going to see her in just over 2 weeks…I feel better!

I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving! I know I certainly did! I’m STILL recovering from DAYS of nonstop eating and relaxing…yes, it requires recovering, haha. I participated in Black Friday shopping with my youngest sister the day after Thanksgiving. Arrived at the stores at 4am, shopped all morning/afternoon, came home to be too exhausted to sleep so instead decided to go groom my dogs, came home and got ready for my show that evening at The Bluebird Café! It was an AWESOME show for many reasons! 1) My family was there! 2) A lot of my friends were there with their families too! 3) We packed The Bluebird to capacity! 4) Tim Buppert is one of my all-time favorite people! And 5) I debuted a bunch of BRAND NEW SONGS! (You can see a video of one of those new songs, “Black & White” on my MySpace page!)

Well, even though the music business is on hiatus until the New Year…I’m still going to be keeping busy with writing appointments, studio stuff, a couple more shows, some Christmas parties and such until I leave for Michigan on the 21st! We’ve definitely got some things in the works and the second I can let you know of any new developments, you better believe that I will!

Well that’s it for now! I sincerely wish all of you a very happy and safe holiday season and I’ll see you next year! Here’s to making 2009 THE YEAR…for all of us!

October 16th, 2008

Okay, so no excuses…the fact that I haven’t put up a Diary entry in MONTHS is pretty much ridiculous. You have my sincere apology and hopefully…it won’t happen again! However, I WILL say that since my last entry…A LOT has happened.

As most of you know by now, I fell and broke my wrist literally DAYS after my last entry in August. Rollerblading. Don’t try it at home. Or on cement. Better yet, don’t try it anywhere haha. I ended up completely shattering my right wrist (of course) and going in for surgery a few days after the accident. Let’s just say, the whole week was nothing but a dramatic blur. I had my first ambulance ride, my family came down from Michigan, I was high on pain meds for a week, I had an extensive surgery that left me with a metal plate and screws in my wrist forever, and I hosted and performed a late round at the Bluebird Café ONE DAY after surgery. Pretty impressive, right? Haha. Ridiculous, I tell you. You can watch a video on YouTube of me performing “Happy (If It Kills Me)” during the show. Kinda funny…I’m so out of it, but hell, I sounded good. ;)

So on top of breaking my wrist, having my already busy schedule of writing, being in the studio, and performing get even busier with frequent doctor visits and physical therapy sessions…it’s been a rollercoaster of a time. And not only that, but I also managed to celebrate my 23rd birthday on September 22nd. Thank you so much to everybody for their well wishes with the surgery and the birthday…yall are so sweet! I had a GREAT party…my friends made me a celebrity/paparazzi birthday cake, I got Hannah Montana gifts, and Bekka Bramlett showed up and we got onstage at the bar and sang “No One Else On Earth”. Pretty much perfection, folks!

On the actual date of the birthday, I flew to Arizona for a writer’s retreated hosted by The Harters. It was one of the best experiences of my life. Aside from the whole “high school complex” of not knowing anybody right off the bat…it was great. It was so relaxing and inspiring to be in such a peaceful and serene place. The scenery was incredible. To wake up at 7am and just sit in a hammock with my coffee for an hour was unlike anything I’ve felt in a really long time. My soul was at peace for the first time in I don’t even know how long. I managed to write 3 happy LOVE songs in 4 days. My publishers are still in awe of it. And not only that, but since returning back to Nashville in the last couple weeks…I’ve written MORE happy songs!

Then, after coming back home from Arizona, I participated in Nashville’s Race For The Cure which was raising money for the Susan G. Komen Center in finding a cure for breast cancer. If you’ve checked out my MySpace in the last few weeks, then I’m sure you saw my blog about raising money for Team Cristina. If you haven’t…check it out and listen to a snippet of the song we wrote for Cristina last year called “Beauty In Broken”. The race was SUCH an inspiring experience. So many people. So much support. It was honestly just incredibly humbling. I can’t wait to do more stuff like that soon…I was so happy to be a part of it.

So overall, life is extremely good and busy right now. I’m feeling happy. I’m feeling blessed. I’m feeling like 23 is going to be the year that changes it all. I’m feeling re-inspired by things everyday. Whether it’s writing a great song, having some amazing industry meetings, taking the dogs for a nice, long walk, or participating in things like a retreat or Race For The Cure…I’m finding many reasons to thank my lucky stars these days.

Hope you all are doing well…I miss you!

August 14, 2008

Oh my, my, my how time has flown! I’m SO sorry that it’s taken me this long to put up a new Diary entry! Things have are just go-go-go here since CMA Music Fest and I haven’t had time to process much of anything going on these days, haha. Speaking of which, where the in the world did the year 2008 go already? Are we REALLY in August?? I can’t believe it! It’s almost my birthday all over again, WOOHOO! ;)

I find that I’m feeling pretty good these days. On the musical front, I’m writing more songs than ever before and it feels great. I’m really proud of the stuff I’m coming up with. I’m proud of the fact that I feel confident enough in what I do that I can be in a room with a complete stranger and leave a few hours later with a song I believe in and having made a new friend! I’m wanting to find a way to stream my demos on this site that’s just for you “online fan-club” members! That way, you don’t have to wait til the next album to get a sneak peek and what I’m doing now! So if you haven’t already, sign up for our FREE mailing list and get in on the goods!

Aside from songwriting, I’m performing some of the best shows I’ve had in awhile. Whether it’s at the Bluebird Café, 12th & Porter, 3rd & Lindsley, or a great interviewon the radio…it’s been SO much fun and I’m meeting so many new people. And the fact that when I introduce myself and people have already heard of me makes me feel like, yes…this really is happening. I’m so thankful.

((drum roll please))

Buy your tickets now! A week from today, Thursday, August 21st! I’m hosting my second ever late round at the legendary Bluebird Café. This is a HUGE honor and I’m so thankful that this industry and the people at the Bluebird believe in me enough to let me keep playing there! I’m starting to feel like a regular now! I called my good friends whom ALSO just happen to be mega hit songwriters, Karen Staley, Angela Kaset, and Bonnie Baker! We are going to blow the roof OFF of the Bluebird…I’ve never been more stoked for a round! So, you should come. Visit www.bluebirdcafe.com NOW and reserve your seats before they sell out! My Mom and Daddy-O are even driving in from Michigan to see it…yay, I can’t wait!

Speaking of family… definitely love having “connections” in this town. I just hooked my granny and my parents up with great seats for the Josh Turner show in Detroit AND they get to meet him! This is pretty much the best birthday present I could’ve ever given my grandma. And not only that, but next weekend I get to come up to Michigan and be with her on her ACTUAL birthday! I’m so excited! I miss my siblings oh so very much. They are growing up too fast! And of course, I miss my parents, my granny, all my cousins and my aunt. I can’t wait to see everybody!

In conclusion, would like to give you all big ol’ heart-felt thanks. Thank you for coming to the shows. Thank you for all the kind words you leave me on MySpace and at my performances. Thank you for taking the time to read this. Thank you to WLAC, WDKN, FAB, Dan Hodges, my fellow singer/songwriter friends, my managers, and my friends, family, & fans for making the last few months SO amazing! I owe you BIG TIME! ;)

June 16, 2008

Well, well, well…what can I say?!
This month has shaped up to be the best for me so far this year! CMA Festival was SUCH a whirlwind…so busy, so crazy, so FUN, so rewarding, so inspiring! I thank you all from the very bottom of my polish/ghetto/hillbilly heart for making this year’s experience at CMA Music Festival such a great one! I had the best time meeting each and every one of you—talking to you, taking pictures with you, signing autographs for you. It was incredible and definitely just made what I’m doing feel all the more real and inevitable. This industry, this town, can feel like such a JOB sometimes, you know?! You get caught up in the business of it all…but then something like CMA Fest comes along and it puts it all in perspective…it reminds us of why we do what we do! Read all my blogs about the experience on my MySpace page!

So, I’m in week 4 of my boot camp classes at my gym. It’s 4 days a week at 5:30am. Crazy, right?! Well, I’ve been surviving it so far. However, today had a major wipe-out during our run. We ran uphill (mind you, I am NOT a runner) for awhile, then to this park where we did a bunch of drills/sit-ups/push-ups. So after we’re exhausted, soaking wet from crawling around on the wet, newly mowed grass, then COVERED in grass…from head to toe…we run back to the gym, downhill from the park. I definitely tripped somewhere on the sidewalk and wiped out…Scraped up and bruised the palms of my hands and my knees pretty good. Impressive, I know. I’m so hardcore. ;)

Now, in the aftermath of the busy, crazy, thrilling rush of CMA Fest…I’m just trying to recuperate. Finally did my laundry and a little house cleaning the other day! Lord knows when I’ll have time to do THAT again, haha. The dogs are good. My family back home is good (though I WAS a little emo that I couldn’t be there for Father’s Day). Everything is good. We just did a DYNAMITE demo session yesterday where I recorded 3 new songs I wrote and we have another one next week where I’ll probably do another 4! I’ve pretty much got a whole nother album done! Woohoo! Just keeping busy with a lot of co-writes, studio sessions, and SHOWS! Speaking of which…

Don’t miss me next week on Tuesday, the 24th, when the band and I play The Billy Block Show at Cadillac Ranch at 8:30PM. You can catch the show LIVE on the web at www.billyblock.com! Also, will be making my FIRST APPEARANCE at Eddie’s Attic in Atlanta, GA next Thursday, the 26th! Totally stoked about that one! I’ve heard nothing but rave reviews about the venue and already, a lot of fans and friends are telling me they will be there! Can’t wait!

Well that’s all for now.

May 18, 2008

CMA Music Festival is less than a month away and there's so much to do, so little time, so little sleep to be had even though I'm in desperate need! Haha! CMA Music Festival (forever known as Fan Fair to most) will be taking place June 5th-8th here in Nashville! Last year was such a great experience for me, getting to meet fans from all over the world! Since it was my first year, I stayed at my booth all day, every day, breaking only to use the bathroom. This year, I'm going to do my best to be there as much as possible; however, I've got a few shows going on during Fan Fair as well so… I will have to frequent with my breaks a bit more!

Important things you should know:

1) My booth number is 318. Repeat it over and over, even in your sleep ;)

2) I will be there all four days. I hope to look pretty all four days too, so keep coming back and let me know if I'm still cute the next day. Thanks. Hehe

3) -Last year, I signed the strangest things. I'm hoping to beat the foot tub experience and the whole autographing-an-infant-child thing this year.

4) I love signing my name, so please, don't hesitate to give me as many things as your little hearts' desire.

5) I like to approve pictures taken with me. I mean, here you are, driving however many hours to Nashvegas, meeting me…how could I let you go back home with a less than stellar photo of us?!

6) I have merchandise. And it's a pain in the a** to load in, so we'd prefer you all take as much stuff as humanely possible so we don't have to load anything out. Haha.

7) My booth will be by Bucky Covington's again. Which means, well, anyone who was there last year knows what this means…

8) WYNONNA IS GOING TO BE THERE THIS YEAR! And not only that, but her booth is SUPER CLOSE TO MINE! AHHH! So, if for some reason you find that I'm not in MY booth, I'm more than likely taking creepy stalker pictures of my idol just down the way. So come over and say "Hi" to me over there. (I joke, I joke.)

9) Come see me on Friday, June 6th at the Acoustic Corner performance (inside the Nashville Convention Center) from 1:15 pm - 1:45 pm

AND

10) MY FANCLUB PAR-TAY! Fuel (on 2nd Ave…walking distance from EVERYTHING downtown!) Starts right at 4PM and goes til 4:45PM

More details and possible show dates coming soon!

Other things of note...

-Warner/Chapell set me up to write with some big songwriters over in Denmark for the last week or so. It's been wayyyy fun to think outside the box and write songs that are a little different than the norm here in Nashville!

-My days are filling up SO fast lately and it's great...the music biz is the best job there is. If I'm not busy in a cowrite, then I'm in a session, or there's lunch with so-and so, or we're auditioning this musician, or there's an industry party at this time, blah blah. It's fabulous. I was wanting to get up to Michigan sometime this month, but it looks like I won't have time til end of July or August!

-My brother was SO great in his high school musical a couple weeks ago! I was so ridiculously proud. Being here in Nashville, it's not often that I get to play the proud big sister so it was awesome to be able to do that again! I ran into old friends, parents of friends, dance teachers, choir directors...it was mind blowing and SOOOO cool!

-I start boot camp at my gym on Monday. 5:30AM four days a week for 6 weeks. Yes, I'm insane.

-My neighbor got a puppy. I want to steal it. I hope he doesn't read this...

-We hired a new song plugger who's AMAZING. He goes above and beyond the call of duty and is booking me up with some cool new co-writes, introducing me to people, and so on. It's really exciting to have new energy on our team who really believes in me and my songs!

-I just got another new guitar AND new amp. It's my first REAL electric...it's beautiful! My neighbors are going to HATE ME, because I practice. LOUD!

April 7, 2008

So, I’m sitting here at the office and no one is in the building but my two dogs and myself. There is a plate full of brownies sitting in front of me (such a generous gift from one of my managers) and I am beyond will-power at this point. Someone please remove these things IMMEDIATELY! Haha.

So it’s dawned on me that it’s been so long since my last entry! I have blogged on MySpace since February though, so go ahead and check that one out too while you’re at it… www.myspace.com/rachelwilliamsmusic.

I’m pretty pumped for my performance at The Billy Block Show tomorrow night! I just love my band to death and we have been consistently rocking people’s faces off with the last few shows…I’m sure tomorrow will be no different! I’m also doing some new songs, bringing back some great oldies too. So it’s good! ALSO…

I got a new guitar!

The brand–new singer/songwriter model Takamine. It’s beautiful. It sounds INCREDIBLE. And it will be making it’s debut tomorrow night! Woohoo!

Anywho, a brief run-down of things since my last Diary entry here:
February was a crappy month for me for a lot of reasons. However, March was splendid. I got to go to Vegas! (Unfortunately, didn’t win anything—realized I have an addiction to video Blackjack as well as shopping. Well, we already knew about the shopping, but still…it was never more evident than in Vegas.) My siblings came down for their mid-winter break, so that is ALWAYS eventful and entertaining! I’ve done some truly kick-ass shows…like, really. I mean, not that I ever have “bad” shows, but the energy is just different with the last few. It feels good. It feels like those first few shows I did in Nashville where you knock the socks off of ‘em and make new fans…making a steller first impression feels good. It’s refreshing. I dig it. I’ve been super busy with demos (finally, I could support my shopping habit for a few weeks!) and writing. It’s good, really good.

Like I said in my MySpace blog just over a week ago…I don’t know what it is, but it feels like something’s different. I don’t know if it’s me, my new “enlightened” perspective on things or what, or if it’s just an overall change of energy in my surroundings. Either way, it just feels right. I’m happy with life lately. It feels inevitable. It feels like everything is going to work itself out in the end, and I just have to keep myself happy, productive, and positive until all the pieces fall together. I’ve never once doubted what I’m doing here, musically, in Nashville. And I don’t now either. I know this is happening. I just don’t know when yet. I feel like I’m in a good place, personally and musically. I’m evolving. I’m learning from mistakes…mistakes of others and mistakes I make myself. I’m forgiving what I can’t control and change. It’s a very freeing experience.

Another experience I’m looking forward to is my trip back home to Michigan next week. My little brother is the lead in our hometown’s high school musical. They haven’t done a musical since I was the lead in “Oklahoma!” my junior year. Isn’t that insane?! I’m so proud of my brother and I CAN’T WAIT to be there, front and center, watching him!

Well, it’s a beautiful day out today…for the first time in a week, it’s not thunder-storming (ugh, my house is so muddy and gross from the dogs)…so I think I’m going to the park now. Yeah, I’m living the life. ;)

February 22, 2008

Hope your Valentine’s Day consisted of exactly what you wanted it to…whether it was a romantic date, hanging out with friends, or protesting the holiday all together (I’m a mixture of the three). Anyway, hope you enjoyed!

My song “Uphill” has made it into the finals of the International Songwriting Competition! Check out the News page for more information on how to vote for me!

Things are EXTREMELY busy here these days! Music is good...I’ve been quite active in the studio lately. Whether it’s singing demos for other songwriters or recording my new stuff, it’s busy, it’s consuming, and it’s JUST WHAT I NEED! Also, my writing inspiration has been completely stirred up recently and I’m super excited about the stuff we’re coming up with! I’m sure you females will whole-heartedly appreciate where I’m comin from! Besides, who REALLY enjoys happy, love songs anyway, right?!?! Haha!

If I’ve been reminded of anything in the last couple weeks, it’s that music and me go hand and hand. Together forever. I am who I am, I make no apologies for it. God built me to be quite the strong one. And even when I fall on tough times, I still come out bigger and better. Us girls gotta be fierce, ya know?! I always have stuff to say, and lately, I’ve been saying quite a lot of it. Hehe. My songwriting is my therapy and I’m so happy, so blessed, so grateful that I have such appreciative ears listening and relating to what I’m putting out there. Thank you, thank you, thank you. Can’t wait for you to hear some of the new stuff!

The team and I are going to be running a VERY special promotion through the website for all of you on my mailing list! So if you haven’t already signed up, please do!!! I’m really excited about this one and I’m sure you all are going to thoroughly enjoy it too! More details are coming soon!!!

My siblings were in town this week during their school break! I always enjoy hanging out with them and getting to play “big sister” while they’re here in my “Nashville world.” It was too short, but great! This weekend, I fly to LAS VEGAS, baby! Woohoo! Hopefully I come back RICH! Yay! Wouldn’t that just rock?! Don’t worry, I’ll take pictures and be sure to post them for all of you envious people! Haha, just kiddin!

Well…check out my MySpace next week. We may be posting a new song up there too. And new photos have been posted, so check those out too! And uh…well, that’s about all I have to say for now! Love you all!

January 3, 2008

2008.

Kinda crazy, isn’t it? Already a new year!?! I’m shocked at how much time has flown by but also relieved and encouraged to embrace a fresh start. The year 2007 was a good and productive one but I have no doubt in my mind that I can beat it. I’m determined to make this year bigger and better than all the years before it! I WILL get a cut this year, I WILL write a ton more songs. I will put myself out there more, I will play more shows. I will get the attention and recognition that I deserve from the people that can take me to that next level. I will get into a routine and be more strict, more disciplined, more consumed and dedicated. I will get stronger vocally, make my show the best it’s ever been, and rock it on my guitar. I will make healthier decisions…whether it’s eating better and/or not giving into unhealthy drama and chaos whenever it presents itself. I will learn to love, accept, and forgive what I cannot change and change whatever’s possible. “Let it go.” Happy 2008!

Hope everybody enjoyed a safe and happy holiday(s)! Michigan was great for Christmas! I got to spend a lot of time with family that I haven’t seen since the summer. I ran into quite a few people that I haven’t seen in years while going out and about with friends and family, so that’s always nice too. Also, reunited with some old high school girlfriends of mine, which was fun! I spent New Year’s here in Nashville, ringing in 2008 on the dance floor, champagne in hand, singing along with friends as the band played 80’s covers! ‘Twas lovely!

And now that the festivities have finally started to wind down…
I’ve got two shows this month that I’m pretty stoked about! One being this coming Tuesday, January 8th, with The Billy Block Show at 9:30PM. We always have such a great time playing for his show at Cadillac Ranch, so hopefully, you’ll join us! If you’re out of town and unable to make it out, check out www.billyblock.com, take 2 seconds to register (it’s FREE), and watch a live web-cast of the show!

The second show is Thursday, January 24th at 7PM. I’ll be partaking in a new showcase at Fuel on 2nd Ave called Fuel Underground. I love playing Fuel and so far, it’s catching on! Hope you’ll make it out to that one as well…40 minutes of me and the band is sure to rock!

We’re having a rehearsal next week and I can’t wait! I’m sooo excited to start working up new songs! Not only will I be adding newer songs that I’ve written since “Lonely At The Bottom”, but I’m also throwing in some pretty awesome cover tunes for the longer shows we do! AND…digging up some of the oldies of mine from the 1st CD and the EP that we released a couple years ago. It’s been so long since I’ve done anything from my prior CDs, so I can’t wait to bring ‘em back!

Well, that’s about it. I’ve got a lot to do and little time to do it! I’ll talk to you all soon!

December 8, 2007

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

I can ’t believe it’s December already! I feel like there’s SO much to do and so little time! I hope that everybody’s enjoying the holiday season. I decorated my house a couple weeks ago when my family came into town for Thanksgiving. However, my beautiful Christmas tree is still sitting in my living room, with no decorations. I don’t even have time to stop by Target to pick up ornaments! Haha.

Well as you can tell from the fan letter and the announcement on the homepage…I finally did a Christmas song! I know, I know, it’s long overdue. You all have been requesting it for quite some time now so I’m happy to finally have it out there for you! I wanted to leave it up to the fans and so I stayed true to what was voted…however, to appeal to the masses, we did a medley of your top TWO picks! Going into the studio to record these two particular songs was SO much fun, you have no idea! The musicians had a great time…we were all joking around and hanging out. It just kind of lifted everybody’s spirits. Christmas music has a way of doing that. Singing backgrounds on “All I Want…” was a riot too! Long story short, I thoroughly enjoyed recording these songs for you and I hope that you like them too! You all have been so good to me this year so it’s the least I can do to give a little something back! Be sure to read all about our special promotion!

Next week I’ll be participating in the 1st Annual Music City Celebrity Chili Throwdown. I’ve never done anything quite like this before…sing and cook chili all in the same hour, however, I’m open to it! Haha. Lorrie Morgan, Hal Ketchum, and friends will all be there so it should be a great time! This is taking place Wednesday, December 12th from noon til 4PM in the parking lot of Buddy Lee Attractions right off 16th Ave on Music Row. It’s open to the public, however, people are encouraged to bring one un-wrapped gift to donate to Toys 4 Tots. I’ll be singing around 1PM, can’t wait to see you there!

I’ll be headed up to Michigan for Christmas this year. I can’t wait! I feel like I haven’t seen my granny and aunt and cousins in forever (even though it’s really only been 4 months)!! Not looking forward to the frigid cold temperatures up there though. However, hopefully I’ll see snow for Christmas!

To wrap things up, I’m happy. I’m a tired-busy that’s productive. I’m spending time with people I love. I’m in the holiday spirit. Me and the poochies get to go up north soon. Life is good.

Merry Christmas.
I love you guys!

November 19, 2007

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Yay for Fall! This is definitely my favorite time of year. I love wearing sweaters without jackets, hearing leaves crunch under my feet when taking my dogs for a walk, seeing all the colors change on the trees… There’s just something so peaceful about this season. Oh, and I also LOVE the holidays! So yes, Fall makes me happy. First things first though…

Want to give a shout-out to Clear Channel for making me one of the Artists of the Week for their NEW! page online for the country genre! My song, “Lonely At The Bottom” was chosen out of thousands of songs to be featured! HOW COOL!! Thank you so much! www.clearchannelmusic.com

I’ve got two more shows coming up at the end of the month! On Tuesday, November 27th I’ll be hitting the stage for The Billy Block Show at 8PM at Cadillac Ranch. I always have a great time playin for Billy and I certainly look forward to doing it again! Then on Thursday, November 29th, I’ll be opening for southern rock/country band, Caddle (check ‘em out on MySpace!) at my favorite place, 3rd & Lindsley! Show starts at 9:30PM and I’ll be playing for an hour! It’s going to be SOOO fun, so I hope you all can make it!

Thank you to everybody who came out to my TWO shows on the 6th! We had a GREAT time! The Bluebird was sooo fun, despite the hectic start (Lisa Carver got sick and couldn’t be there unfortunately and I got stuck in traffic, so in true diva fashion…showed up way late to my OWN SHOW! Ahhh!), but it turned out to be such a relaxed and music-filled night once we got started! Much thanks to Bonnie Baker, Karleen Watt, and my guitar player, Joe Spivey for joining me! Then right after the first show wrapped just after 8PM, we had to haul our butts across down to be on the stage by 9PM for my second show! On The Rocks was super fun too! Such a party crowd! The place was packed and everybody was there to just dance and have a good time. I had a HUGE group of friends there and they were a riot! I definitely need to do shows like that more often! You can check out new photos from both shows on my Photos page!

Other than that, not too much to report. All of my family is coming down this Wednesday for Thanksgiving! Being in my new house and all, I can actually accommodate more than one guest at a time! So my younger siblings, parents, and grandma are all coming down! I can’t WAIT to see them! Seriously, I’ve been so homesick for them lately so this couldn’t come at a better time! Not to mention, I LOVE to eat, so Thanksgiving will be fabulous, and I LOVE to shop, so Friday’s shopping is going to be crazy! And I’m already going crazy getting Christmas decorations! YAY!

Okay, that’s all from me for now. Hope everybody has a GREAT Thanksgiving!

Talk to you soon!

October 10, 2007

So much going on, so little time, I swear! Things have not slowed down a bit since my last entry, not one single bit. Not to say that I ’m complaining whatsoever, because I am happy with it…just a wee bit exhausted and daydreaming of a beach vacation soon, haha. First of all, let me start out by saying THANK YOU! Thanks to all of you for coming out to my big birthday bash show last month (the pictures have been added to my photo page, so check ‘em out!) and for all of the birthday wishes. I really appreciate it! My 22nd year of life was celebrated in a BIG way that week and it just makes me even MORE excited about what’s in store for me! The show was great, then a big group of friends and I went for dinner and drinks a couple nights later and THEN…Dollywood! Seriously, there was nothing like it. Pigeon Forge/Gatlinburg, TN was SO much fun and absolutely breath-taking! The sights were great, the entertainment was fantastically cheesy and wonderful and the food was…demolished by me and my friends! Haha!

AND THEN…
The very next weekend we moved into a new house! It was rather painful, to be honest with you. I hate packing. I hate having to clean through all my crap and realize just how much crap I do indeed have. Then having to pack it all into the U-haul, drop it off in the middle of the living room of the new house, cleaning the new house, THEN start to unpack everything. Ahhh…it was quite the draining work-out. Luckily, I had help though and the house is really beginning to feel like home to me now. I don’t know about you, but I’m one of those “impatient” people. I can’t stand to “start slow and work on it a little at a time”. I want it done when I want it done, even if it almost kills me. So I worked at a feverish pace until it was the way I wanted it and I absolutely love this place. My upstairs still needs some help, but for the most part, the house is just as it should be. It’s such a creative space for me and I feel like a brand new start. I’m excited! So now I have a different house, a new cell phone, we’re rearranging/redecorating my office, and I just feel like I’m heading for a fresh start at 22. It feels awesome!

Music is good. I’m really throwing myself into writing a lot these days. Whether it's alone upstairs in my room or it’s having co-writes 4 days a week. It feels good to be doing it, to be keeping busy, to be building up my catalogue and giving my managers and song pluggers more songs to work with. The band is starting to work up some of the new songs as well and I’ll be playing them at upcoming shows (OCTOBER 16TH AND NOVEMBER 6TH, DON’T MISS ‘EM!)! Things are good. Very good. No complaining here, except maybe a nap request every once in awhile… ;)

September 7, 2007

I haven’t a clue as to where I even begin with this entry! It’s been awhile since I wrote to you last and much has happened since that time!

First of all, it’s September!! I can hardly believe that we’re already into “fall” (though, it’s still 100 degrees here in Nashville). My birthday is the 22nd and I can’t wait! To help celebrate this “monumental event” be sure to check me out when I play with my boys (and a couple gals) full-band style for the Billy Block Western Beat show on Tuesday, September 18th at Cadillac Ranch in downtown Nashville! I’m playing for 40 minutes and we hit the stage at 7PM, so don’t miss it! It’ll be exactly two months since my last band show (my CD release party) and let me tell you something…I’m DYING to get up on that stage and rock it again! I can’t wait for the time in my career when I get to do my show every, single night of my life! It’s coming soon, I can feel it! But until then…guess I’ll try’n be productive in other avenues.

Speaking of those other avenues, I’ve been quite the busy little bee with my songwriting lately. I’ve finished great songs with some of my favorite people and some hit songwriters you might recognize such as Tim Owens, Karen Staley, Angela Kaset, T.W. Hale, and Derek George as well as new writers Jared Johnson and my girls, Karleen Watt and Vickie Carrico! PLUS, I’ve got some upcoming co-writes with some big, big, BIG songwriters in the next month or so! I’m definitely gonna be having a big session coming up so that I can demo all these new songs!

On a personal note, I’m moving again. So that’s always exciting and stressful and a realization of how much money you blow on stupid things…haha! It just came to a time where I needed a bigger place for me and my pups, however, I’m going to miss the cute little house I’m in right now! It’s kind of bittersweet, but I know in my heart that this is a good step forward for me. This new house is in a great location, closer to work, real close to the dog park, cute little porch and big back yard for my pups! I’m pretty pumped!

And I guess now would be a time to let everybody know that since I’m in town more often, I AM singing more demos these days for other songwriters, so if you ever need me, just give us a holler!

Well, I’m trying to get back into the swing of things lately. You see, I drove up to Michigan for my granny’s 80th surprise birthday party the end of August to help celebrate! The party was GREAT and she was definitely shocked that we’d been so sneaky as to assemble all of this without her knowing! However, during my trip I came down with strep throat. And due to this illness, it prevented me from pretty much everything for 2 weeks. So now I’m trying to get back to work (and let me tell you, there’s LOTS to be done!!!), working out, cleaning my house, taking care of my poochies and so on and so forth.

By the way, made some really cool updates to my MySpace page while I was bound to my house (hehe) so be sure to check it out!

Hope everybody had a great Labor Day weekend! My best friend since the 1st grade drove to visit me from Atlanta over the weekend with her little 6 and ½ week old lab puppy, Conan. I swear, I can never get enough of dogs! Between my Deliah and Delaney, my godson Pete (12 week old retriever pup) and Conan…I looked like the crazy dog lady! Haha. But it was so much fun and we had a great weekend canoeing on the river, eating ourselves stupid, playing with the pups, and catching up!

And that’s about all I’ve got to say for now… Talk to you soon!

July 24, 2007

WOW! That’s all I can say. A week later, I’m STILL riding high from my CD release party last week! I just want to say THANK YOU, thank you, thank you! Everybody’s support means the world to me and honestly, I just couldn’t have asked for a better party! (To see pics from the show, visit my Photo page!) So many people that I love and respect showed up to show their support; fans (even a few special ones that drove ALL the way from MICHIGAN for my show), family, friends, industry peers, and so on and so forth. We packed ‘em in like sardines that night, and even though it was hotter than hell the whole time, we still ROCKED and blew the roof off of 3rd & Lindsley! Thanks for being an incredible audience and buying the CD. And for those that already had purchased it, thanks for singing along to EVERY WORD and loving the music as much as I do! A special thanks goes out to Marcia Ramirez, Karleen Watt, Wood Newton, Karen Staley, Austin Cunningham, and Lisa Carver for starting out the show for me by gracing us with your performances! I thoroughly enjoyed hanging with you guys and getting to hear you play. Thanks for helping make my party SO great! Also thanks to my managers, Kim Copeland & Susan Tucker, without them, this party nor this CD would have taken place. I don’t have enough room on the page to thank you for all that you do and all that you are to me. Shout out to my band- Joe, Andrew, Brian, Luis, Lydia, Vickie, Ronnie, and Kim…uh, you ROCK MY WORLD! Thank you for being the best! And for those that couldn’t make it, thanks for all the emails, MySpace love, text messages and everything else wishing me luck!

Outside from that, things don’t seem to want to slow down much. I’m still TRYING to recuperate from all the stress and energy that went into making the party happen, and then of course, trying to come down from cloud nine after the fact. My family was in from out of town and that’s always a super busy time as well. But now, things are somewhat back to normal. Except, I STILL have to find time to catch up on laundry! Haha.

Me and management are strategizing where to go next with the CD. The feedback thus far has been AMAZING! Honestly, I am pleasantly surprised as to how well received this CD has been. When we went into the studio, we really weren’t aiming to please anyone but ourselves and fans that were already on board from what I’d done before. But now? I feel like we’ve just opened a flood gate of support and admiration from old fans, new fans, radio, industry, and so on! So BIG YAY! We are in talks about radio, distribution, showcasing some more for major labels, and bunches of other stuff! My “To-Do” list is getting longer and longer and longer.

And to wrap things up…I’m sure that dog obedience school tomorrow will bring me right back to earth. Haha. Oh, the joys of being a mother to two poochies. Hope everybody’s enjoyin their summer and keeping cool!

June 26, 2007

Hey Hey Hey! Thank you so much for coming back and checking out my brand new site! We’ve been hard at work for months trying to coordinate a launch of new Rachel Williams stuff and now it’s FINALLY HERE! My second and most recent CD, “Lonely At The Bottom” is now available for your purchasing and listening pleasure! Also, I get to unveil new photos as well as updated pages on the site, and on my ridiculous addiction, my MySpace page. Hehe!

I’d like to take this time to give a shout-out to those wonderful individuals that none of this would have happened without…My managers, Kim Copeland & Susan Tucker and my webmaster, Sue Manginelli—love you ladies!

I’m so excited for all of you to see this stuff! Like I said in the entry prior to this one, not being on the road as much in the past year has been hard on me. I never want to lose my connection with the fans I’ve already made, and I certainly don’t ever want to miss out on the opportunity to gain new fans! However, staying in town HAS had its benefits. I’m constantly working and writing and recording and I’ve had time to focus and give certain aspects of my artistry a “make-over,” as I call it. With this CD, I really got a chance to reveal a lot about myself as a person and as an artist. I couldn’t be more pleased and excited with the way all of the recordings came out and the photo shoot…well, you can see for yourself…it was INCREDIBLE! I feel grown-up, confident, and well-adjusted to where I am in my career today and I feel like this project really reflects that. I hope that you agree and enjoy!

My big CD release party is going to be Wednesday, July 18th at 3rd & Lindsley here in Nashville from 6 pm-9 pm. I’m going to have some VERY special friends play the show with me, so you won’t want to miss out! And also, it’ll be my first FULL BAND show since February! Can you believe it?!

Keep checking the site for new reviews that we get back from the CD. Also, be sure to check out the brand new Store items that I’m particularly proud of. We created a brand new 8 x 10 headshot and poster to help celebrate the release of my Lonely At The Bottom.

Okay, well, that’s about it. Hope everybody is enjoying their summer thus far! I’m headed off to Michigan this weekend for my little sister’s AND my cousin’s high school graduation. I feel so old… Bye for now!

June 12, 2007

*Attention: Official CD release of “Lonely At The Bottom” AND new website launch is coming JUNE 26TH!!! Yay!!*

Okay, well, let me just start this out by saying THANK YOU! I know that many of you are visiting my website after meeting me at this year’s CMA Music Festival (still Fan Fair to me though) and I couldn’t be more thrilled about it! I had the most INCREDIBLE experience this year and I was sad to see it end. But you can count on seeing me again next year, and this time, I promise to have more shows booked!! This was my first Fan Fair, ever. I had no idea what to expect but me and my managers couldn’t have been more pleased. I met so many people, signed SO many autographs, took a bazillion pictures with people, sold plenty of merchandise, and just got to actually TALK to all of you that were there. I met people from all across America (even fellow Michiganders!), as well as from Italy, France, Germany, Australia, and Canada! I signed anything from pictures and flyers, to cowboy hats and guitars, to alarm clocks and foot tubs! It was amazing!

I made sure to be at my booth pretty much all day, all four days. A lot of people couldn’t believe that I was sitting there so long b/c apparently most artists only appear one day, or if they come every day, it’s only for a couple of hours each day. But as an independent artist without a big hit out on the radio (yet!), I wanted to be sure that I met as many people as humanly possible! So sure, by the end of my days my hand was cramped and my cheeks were sore from smiling, but it was WELL WORTH IT! I met such a diverse crowd, from all ages and backgrounds, and it was so inspiring! Being in Nashville 24/7 and not being out on the road much in the past year has been tough for me. I mean, playing in town is GREAT but Fan Fair reminded me of why I love to get on the road, meeting people from other places, exposing my music and making new fans! This was such a great opportunity for me and I’m forever thankful for it!

Well, we made sure to take A LOT of pictures of the whole experience, so be sure to check back to the website on JUNE 26TH to see all the bazillion pictures that we post on my Photos page! Also, on the 26th you’ll be able to purchase my 2nd CD, “Lonely At The Bottom,” as well as enjoy updated pages, new layout, new photos/banners/icons, etc.!

I hope that you all had as much fun as I did this weekend and enjoy the rest of your June! We’ll be seeing you soon!!!

P.S. We have officially booked my CD release party for “Lonely At The Bottom” for Wednesday, July 18th at 3rd & Lindsley here in Nashville, so…MARK YOUR CALENDARS!!!! More details coming later this month!

May 1, 2007

Let's start this entry out with announcing the most exciting news of all...the release of my second CD, Lonely At The Bottom, will be coming to ya June 26th!! Can you wait that long?! Haha. If you can't wait til then and you want to be one of "the chosen few", then those of you that visit me at my booth during this year's CMA Music Festival (June 7th-10th) will be able to purchase it BEFORE it's release date!!! YAY!

We have all been bustin our butts the last few weeks trying to make all of this happen for you guys! Because honestly, what better time to make a CD available then during the most fan-oriented festival EVER?! It's a close deadline to make, but we are more than willing to put in the extra time and energy to do it! I'm SO pumped!!

We did a photo shoot last week and the pictures are GORGEOUS! I'm so excited for everybody to see them! It's pretty much completely KILLING me not to show you guys right now, but I guess I'll at least "try" to practice some patience and wait to release the new photos! I'm just so excited with the way everything's turning out. The photos are something that you've never seen from me before. Rachel done growed up!! ;)

I'm really happy to show my fans what I've been up to...how I've been feeling, what I've been writing, how I'm maturing as a vocalist, how I'm growing as an artist AND as a person. This CD reflects so much of where I've been, the place I've reached at 21 years old, and where I'm planning to go in the future. Everything is here. Influences from country/rock/pop/southern rock/blues. I'm going places that no one's heard me go before, unless of course, you've heard some of the new material at some of my shows this year. But those of you that haven't, expect something different than what you heard on my first record, First Day Of The Truth, or on the EP, Some Things Make Her Cry. I'm experimenting and broadening my musical horizons. For the first time, I feel like I'm doing a project and not necessarily aiming to please the higher powers that be. No one will be able to fit this CD into a box b/c there's something for EVERYBODY on it! Ahhh, the wait to have you hear it is unbearable!!! Haha.

I've got some upcoming shows where I'll be debuting some of the new stuff, so be sure to check out the Tour page! And also, I hope to be posting some of the new photos up on the website soon and definitely up on MySpace in the near future. So my advice to you? Just keep checking back...and back again...and back again...and....

March 25, 2007

So...I have a lot of things to cover. But first things first ;)

I'M GOING TO BE AT THE CMA MUSIC FESTIVAL THIS YEAR (FAN FAIR)!! I'm so freakin excited! I probably have no idea what I'm in for, but I'm incredibly honored to be given the opportunity to be there and able to meet with so many amazingly appreciative and enthusiastic country music fans! I'll have a booth in the convention center, along with all the bizillion other country artists and I'll be signing autographs, passing out pictures and other free giveaways for four days, June 7th-10th! There's word about a couple performances as well, and I'll be sure to announce it once they're confirmed! YAY!

Well, yesterday was my half-birthday. Haha. Yes, I'm being serious. I'm now officially 21 and a half years old. Isn't that crazy? I went home to Michigan to visit my family last weekend and it made me feel kinda old. Now, I know what you're probably thinking right now. You'd like to beat me in the head for thinking 21 and a half is old, but really now... Going home is always a rather surreal experience for me. Not much has changed, but it has. Does that makes sense? I wrote a song called "The Only Thing Harder Than Leaving" (I do it at my live shows) about just that. It's such a small town but not. Some of the kids I went to school with left it behind (like myself), and some didn't. It's weird to know people EVERYWHERE you go. It's not like that so much here in Nashville. It always takes me by surprise that when I show up for the $1.99 breakfast at 9AM in my PJ's with my mom back home, I'm probably going to run into the entire town that morning. Haha, PERFECT! It's good to be reminded of where you came from though. I drove by my old house (we moved when I was 8, my family is still in the same house) and you wouldn't even recognize the place. It was crazy to sit back and think about those early years of life, that house, those things that I can distinctly recall from my childhood... all of which helped form who I am today and the career that is on the brink of booming! And then there's Main Street, the church I grew up singing in, the high school, etc. My little sister graduates in May. The youngest sister is a freshman. It's all just too much sometimes. I can't believe it'll be 4 years this May since I, myself, graduated from high school. I go back home and I see what my life could've been if I'd chosen to go that way. Thankfully, I was much too crazy to stay and instead, decided to run in the opposite direction and chase after a dream that I knew I'd catch if I continued to want and work hard enough!

But enough of that... So my days have been crazy. As you can recall from my last entry, things are in a good place for me right now. Just when I think I've settled into feeling one way about something, an event/opportunity will come along that changes everything. I've been doing a lot of meetings and such lately. Lots of planning/strategizing. Lots of thinking. Lots of buying new clothes and gettin my hair and