Cindy Grayson: News

I sent 4 copies in but never heard whether they got the Celtic Seasoning Cd but I have 5 more I'm sending this week and maybe I'll hear that they got them.
I know they're not as fancy as those people who have a professional company reproduce their Cd's but I'll keep putting them out and maybe one Cd will make enough money I can hire someone to do them for me and they'll look polished. In the meantime, I'll put out the folk music the way I hear it - simple and uncomplicated - and I hope you'll enjoy it anyway. Folk music should be simple and cleans anyway :-)

I've been fighting allergies. The Ornamental Pear tree in my back yard has been playing havoc with my vocal chords. If anyone knows a way to keep pollen from causing so much trouble with my voice, I'd love it. Maybe a barter would be worked out. I feel like I've got glue on my vocal chords. I haven't played at the Manhattan for two weeks but I will be there this Friday. I need someone to show up and take some good photos so I can use a good one for creating a new flier to put up next to the tip jar.
I'm hoping they missed me. Some day I'm going to show up and actually eat a meal there. I sit in my corner every Friday evening and watch all those wonderful smelling trays go by and wonder if they're as good as they smell. All the customers look as if they love the food. I can always plan! :-).
Stop in at The Manhattan Fine Dining Room and Continental Cuisine and say Hi.

March is here. It was 59 degrees today and 28 last night - 24 in some places. Things are starting to bud out. I have a portrait I've been working on since last September and the client hasn't called yet but I have been having a hard time making any progress. My goal this year is to try and get all the extra stuff out of the way so I can do more art and music.
I was playing at The Manhattan last month when a man named Phil Parr ( sp?) came up and said he liked my voice and would I be interested in doing some recording with him. I gave his wife one of my CD's and said I'd be glad to - now if I could only find the time. A woman from a magazine gave me her number and asked if I'd be interested in being booked for parties and such, I said sure. That was several months ago. Too busy trying to make a living but I'll get better organized this year and do more music. I think I've even found a way to combat the allergies here in East Texas.
We actually got snow last month! I ran out and took pictures before it melted. We looked like a winter wonderland - for about 48 hours!

I work at a tourist shop called The Heart Of Texas. Yesterday we had a group of ladies gather at the shop and set the bar behind the cash register up ( where we serve ice cream and sodas) with fruit and vegetable plates and punch and coffee. The shop was full of elderly ladies talking, laughing, eating and drinking. I took out my guitar and played for over about two hours and even gave up a business card. It was fun and they even cleaned up so there wasn't much for me to straighten up afterwords. I'll post the photos as soon as I get them off my camera.

I sent off copies of my Celtic Cd " Celtic Seasoning" to CD Baby today so hopefully you'll get to check it out as soon as possible. I'm sorry it's taken so long but I finally got it out. Hope you like it. I have a friend , Tom Houston, who has a big band Cd he recently put out ( it's great) and he said I aught to put more than 10 songs on a Cd but he can afford a company to produce regular Cd's with front and back covers on them and all that fancy stuff and I haven't gotten there yet. In the mean time I hope you'll enjoy my home produced Cd's with the information personally written on the front of the Cd's. Who knows, they might be worth a lot more someday?

I PROMISE i HAVEN'T forgotten it. I have it in an evelope but I'm waiting for the money order - as soon as I pay bills.

The sun was beautiful today even though the clouds moved in again toward the end of the day. I had to cancel my Friday evening at the Manhattan this Friday as I have to take my Granddaughter for a series of neuro and physc tests to find out why her emotional system seems lacking even though she pulls honor roll on her school grades. She is OD and totally Impulse ruled and there's no thought process involved in her actions. Human psychology is for trained people so off we go to Beaumont.
The evenings at The Manhattan are, however, pushing me to learn more cover tunes than I've ever had to learn and pushing my abilities which is good. My voice is getting stronger and my guitar playing is getting smoother.

Welcome to 2010 and I hope your New Year is a wonderful one with many good things to come. We all have resolutions we make every year. Mine is simply to take better care of myself and my friends. Each year opens new possibilities and new chances to experience new people, places and things. Here's hoping we all have the best year yet. Should we watch for 21-12.? :-)

Celtic Seasoning is in the mail!!!

It's been a rat race around my woods since my foreign exchange student arrived in August. I think things will calm down to more of a routine when the holidays.
I have a new schedule that should keep my week open at least 5 days for me and still be able to eat. It's hard on my creativity when I have to take so much time away from home that I don't get to do all the creative things I want to do. Especially when I do my best work when I'm left alone.
I think I've almost things worked out so I have some creative time. I've got my homemade CD" Celtic Seasoning" in an envelope on my desk finally and all I have to do is put my payment to CDBaby for their part in allowing me to have my music in their store and it will be on it's way.
I've been bad about getting things done and keeping you all posted but I seem to have a hard time keeping a working computer this fall. I believe I've got it fixed and I'll pick up my PC tomorrow and update everyone on what's going on.
Have a wonderful Wednesday!

I traded my computer for my Dad's and then my Dad's froze up on "standby" so now my PC is in the shop at Staples ( two weeks and still no word) so I bought a laptop Io keep up with things. I will spend the first weekend I can making a lot of CD's so I can send the Celtic Cd in to Cdbaby. Sorry I've been so slow. I also have a portrait on the drafting table I was suppose to start a month ago. Have a little more patience. I've been told I push too hard to do too many things but since my brain runs alot faster than I do and there are too many things I want to do that I haven't done yet, I can't seem to slow down. What's that saying? The hurrier I go the behinder I get.

Following my attendance at a lawn party for those of us with exchange students in our homes, I will be heading back to Camp Street. Any one who would like to do something really fun for the evening and who enjoys music should stop in. It's only $1 for the evening and the music is really great! We have a lot of fun.

This is a wonderful resturant in Lufkin , Texas, right around the corner from Destin's Martinni Bar on 1st St. My first evening as the background entertainment went well, I think. The responce was good. I even had them clapping and even singing before the evening was over. I believe the boss was pleased because he said he'd see me next Friday. Hopefully I'll have some photo's as soon as I get get some.
If you're in the area, stop in for a really wonderful dining experience and atmosphere. ( boy! do I sound liike an add or what:-) ) If all continues, I'll be there every Friday from 6:30 to 10:00 pm.

I now have a student from Germany, Kristin Trittermann, staying with me. I think more people should open up their homes to these kids. We can all learn so much from each other and the advantages gained in knowkledge on both sides is priceless. Kristin is a wonderful young woman and I'm enjoying haveing her in my home quite a lot.

I got offered a job 2 days a week working at The Heart Of Texas Gift Gallery in Nacogdoches and I also got offered a job starting this Friday at The Manhattan Fine Diningroom on 1st street in Lufkin , Texas . I'll be the background dinner music from 6:30 - 10:00 pm. It's a really nice place and I hope I can do it justice. It will be the first regular music job I've had. I'm so nervous about messing it up that my upper vocal register is trying to dissappear. I am so glad to be able to get work that will not only allow me to do hwta I love to do but it will be inside out of the weather. Keep your fingers crossed and hope my voice does what I want it to do.

It was a fun evening, even though Guy and Pip Gillette ( sp?) weren't there. I actually made it through another set without a hitch - except for my older son calling me just as I started my set - twice in a row. I have got to remember to turn my phone off when I go in the door.
I must say that my time that I've been spending on learning other peoples songs has helped make my performances smoother. I've also had a chance to meet some really tallanted and interesting people I wouldn't have otherwise. I'm looking forward to next month.

I'm having my property, known as Wilderhill, select cut and having all the big pines cut to try and generate some money to fix the fences and buy some equipment for property maintenance. I know, of course, that my mother loves her woods just the way they were but they live elsewhere and I'm in charge and there are some things that just have to be done at this point before the fence falls down and the plants take over. My first buy has been a riding mower so instead of 8 , it now takes 2 hrs to mow the yard and I don't have to push mow it anymore. YEAH! I just have to learn to wear a mask and protective glasses since I've now had to take an entire day off to try and recover from the grass and pollen and dust allergy attack I got. I have to clear up my voice by Saturday night so I can play at Camp Street. I guess I'll learn sooner or later:-).

I'm headed to play at the open mic at Camp Street Cafe this Saturday. I have three more songs picked out. So far I haven't had to repeat anything but since I've stopped keeping track, it could happen soon. I thought I'd start out with " Streets Og Larado" and then do an old funny tune and then I thought I'd drop an original on them and see what the reaction is. They all do oldies and I plan on sticking to that - really - but I just want to see what they do if I stuck one of mine in there. I'll have Don take some photo's and put them on here. Open Mic is the 1st of August and starts at 6:30 ( I think ) pm. The show is always great. Come and join us.

I just added some photos of some wonderful times singing with Joe Vega. The photos are taken by his parents, Joe and Gloria Vega. Not only is Joe Vega a great musician and performer but he has the best parents I know. If you're even in the Blind Pig Pub in Austin, stay for the evening show. He and John Chavez will rock the evening away and you'll have a great time.!

Well, talk about a full day. I don't know if I could do music for a living - not that it wouldn't have it's perks - but I'm exhausted! I know, I'm a woos. I played at the Farmers Market from 8 - 10. Then I packed up and went to Don Jones's place in the next town and Ken Ryans showed up so we all piled into Dons' van and loaded up our instruments and headed off to a family reunion at Lake Livingston where we all played for about an hour - trading off. So far so good. Responce was great and I got called to stay and play one more.
Then we went to Crockett for the open mic. Ken played the bass behind the three songs we agreed to work on " Gypsy Rover", "Blackest Crow" and" Wild Mountain Thyme". Applause was wonderful and I hit home. Got lots of good responce and Pip Gilette said he's even been playing songs from the copy of the Celtic Cd on the Saturday morning radio show in Crockett. Cool! I promise I will get the Cd - as it is- sent in to Cd Baby but I'm out of ink at the moment. Things run a little slow when you're producing your own cd's. Apparently they liked the cd so I'll get copies made asap.
All in all it was a great 4th of July and Don and Ken and I had a good time.

My thermostat on my kitchen wall said 111 yesterday. Today is about the same. For those of you who are not in East Texas, Be glad. We seem to have a heat wave that is stuck right on top of us. It's so hot.
Hope you stay cool and dry.

I've been actually spending some time playing with the music section of this site and I think I've got it to where you can listen to the songs but you can't record them. Hope you enjoy them as much as I enjoyed making the cd's.
Blessings to all.
( If I haven't - then I'll hear about it I'm sure)

Pot Luck dinner and a room full of musicians is a great way to spend the evening. Everyone with a chair and full of good food is the best way to spend an evening that I can think of these days when having a good time can cost so much. We aught to do it more often.
Everyone had a good time and we've all decided to get together again next month on the third Sunday - at Terry and Gladys Rays' house. It's a really nice house and was built in 1908. The Ray's have done a wonderful job on it and are wonderful hosts.
Don and Ken and I got to play through three songs we want to play at Camp Street in Crockett on the 4th of July. I think we may do ok.

Apology on not having my cd out yet. It's been a busy time trying to keep up with the flowerbeds I take care of for my clients and trying to work around this incredible heat is getting pretty tuff. I do believe that global warming is really happening because it's about to cook me.
As soon as it cools down enough for me to spend some more time here at my computer , I will make up several copies of my Celtic Cd and get then available to you on Cd baby.
Bless all of you and may you all stay as cool as possible this summer!

I have to say that at this point , 70% of my meals is coming out of my garden. Hopefully more will be forthcoming. I personaly believe we need to produce as much of our own food and other things that we can.The way things are going, survival of the fitist applies to us as well, regardless of what some may think.