Fan Fair

The last few months have been filled with airplanes and sky miles and shaking hands and meeting people . Playing the name game, so I can remember what I am afraid the good Lord didn't gift me with, I never forget a face, but I can never remember a name! In trying to prepare myself for all this travel and music, I don't think I could really prepare myself at all. But every single day I find that no matter what happens, good or bad, with our "single" or all the ups and downs of being "new" I am still just so grateful to have an audience. People who believe in Leah and I, and are willing to invest in our dream.

When I was a teenager, and barely a teenager, an artist named MC Potts came to our Wal-Mart in Lucedale, MS and played on a flatbed truck with her big beautiful tour bus shining right behind her. I met her bus driver "Bud" with my mom and dad, told him I was aspiring 13 year old country singer & he graciously offered us tickets to fan fair. I begged my daddy to drive me to Nashville. I remember pulling up to the fairgrounds, and seeing Tony Brown walking around backstage and thinking if I could just shake his hand, or hang out around that long table of food now known to me as "catering" long enough something might happen! Fan Fair, is now CMA Fest, and Leah and I have the opportunity as artists to participate. I know it's gonna be hot, and humid... but I just wonder what little girl might be there just like me years ago, waiting to catch a glimpse of someone who might look at her and think she's special.

One of the amazing things about Country Music is that it truly is a community of artists. What format in the world has a gathering of every artist, old. new. platinum... or not... in one place... for one week.

If you are in Nashville next week... I hope we see you there.

xoxo

Brandon

Country Weekly Fashion Show

http://www.countryweekly.com/fashionshow

Ladies Home Journal and Second Harvest Food Bank..

http://bit.ly/c28TJZ

The first time you hear your song on the radio...

I am going to let my sister tell you this time :)

Sunday, March 07, 2010

You would never guess....

I thought I'd be in the car, or at a truck stop, or in a store. I didn't even realize till a little later how monumental this moment was, not just the moment, but where it happened: Standing in my grandmother's kitchen, the house Brandon and I grew up in, the house my grandmother and great grandmother were born in, the house my great great Grandfather built, the house we lived in while we were traveling all over the country singing, the house I snuck out of, the house my parents decided to leave so we could move to Nashville..... standing in that house, in that very kitchen, we heard Bring On The Love for the very first time on the radio. Brandon, me, my husband, my grandmother and my little boy stood in the kitchen and listened to it.

Never in a million years would I ever have guessed that would be where I heard it on the radio for the first time. But I must say, it sure felt right. Every now and then it's nice to get a little message that you're right where you're supposed to be.

Funny, on the way home we heard "The House That Built Me".

- Leah

Currently listening:

Revolution

By Miranda Lambert

roller coasters and such

I have been living on a roller coaster. Which is crazy because I get motion sickness.

I have worked my entire life for the chance to put out a record, on a major label that I am proud of. That I believe in. I've been in Nashville eleven years and I thought I was prepared for what could come with that. Like how venerable you feel when you play your record for somebody new. Knowing that they are completely inside your head, inside your private world. Every single song is personal and sometimes you pray they don't know just who it is about! I have been in that room. I have been that girl. The day your song goes to radio (which was 3 weeks ago for us!), the same feeling follows. The naked in front of the classroom feeling, knowing everyone is watching the charts, some praying for your success, others for your failure. Just wanting the chance to have it heard. But there are a few things, quite honestly I wasn't prepared for. The first time you google yourself and you see that somebody loves your song. It's a good feeling. The second time you google yourself and see somebody hates it, and is questioning your existence in an industry you have given blood for... is the strangest, most complex.. wanna hunt em down and let the air out of their tires... well, you get the point. I have been told at this point to STOP googling myself by my husband. Which I think is really funny. I never thought that would be me. The last few weeks the birage of emotion I have had. The roller coaster I am on. Making a music video and then seeing our video for the first time. I have never been the girl who watched myself in the mirror preform, not as an adult anyway :) Seeing myself, and my beautiful sister on the screen. I keep telling everyone.. I can't believe it. But I really truly can't believe it. I keep saying each day just gets weirder than the last. Because, at the heart of all of this, we are just regular people who this kind of thing doesn't usually happen too. I feel like I have been playing the lottery for 15 years and finally got a winning ticket. . And every single day something wonderful, or heart breaking, or exciting and always always something NEW happens. And I just can't help but think that I am finally living out my dream. And the way that makes me feel... is so much more than I can contain in a blog. But I am certain you will eventually hear it in a song.

This journey is simply amazing.

Did I mention we are playing at the Ryman next week? I can't even go there or I will cry. again.

Gratefully,

Brandon

If you would like to see our new video.. click here :)

http://www.cmt.com/videos/coldwater-jane/484597/bring-on-the-love.jhtml

Bring on the Love

When you wait your whole life for something, well I should say... when you work your whole life for something and it finally happens.. it's real. It's amazing, and scary and hit me upside the head yesterday like a ton of bricks. I don't know who reads this... besides maybe my mamma & brother and sister... but I am a recording artist. I am in a band with my little sister, who is this amazing songwriter and an even better friend and we are called Coldwater Jane. Our single, is a song we wrote with Kevin Kadish & Wayne Kirpatrick... two dear friends & collaborators. It is called "Bring on the Love". It was written in a really organic fashion. We were sitting around with guitars and mandolins and resonator thingys just jamming. And that's how it happened. It's personal, it's honest and says something and I couldn't be more proud for it to be our musical introduction to the world. And yesterday, I realized.. it comes out in 3 weeks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It attends every country music station in America on January 25th. Not only that, but you can buy it on i tunes on January 26th. It has all happened so slowly.. the last 10 years of this incredible journey to here. But the last year, since we signed to Mercury, has happened SO SO fast. I can't believe that I am the girl who's dreams are coming true. I thought that only happened to other people. And it is happening to me. And no matter what happens... It is happening and nothing.. not time or opinion or my place in the world can ever take that away. Leah and I are getting a shot !

"Bring on the Love" is coming out. Our music is going to be heard. I hope you will continue to join me on this rollercoaster!

I'd say I can not wait... but it's happening.. and I don't have to anymore!

Brandon Jane

Rochester, New York

It's supposed to be cold when we get there tomorrow. Rochester New York. Leah and I have never ever been to Rochester and it is the beautiful beginning of Coldwater Jane introducing ourselves to the world. I don't even know if my sister has ever been this far north before! I am completely excited. Totally overwhelmed, because we have to sing a Christmas song I can't seem to remember the words to when we rehearse. And so happy I get to do this with Leah. I can't believe it is finally time to say our first "Hello" & start singing the songs we have held so closely for so long. But this is what it is all about. Making music you are proud of, and then letting it go, so other's can listen, and hopefully enjoy.

I hope you will follow us as we begin this new journey. What I am sure is going to be a very colorful chapter of our lives. So, here we come Rochester & here we come world.

Brandon Jane

follow our journey on twitter.com/coldwaterjane

28

I have a theory that when things aren't going right time passes slowly. And when they are, life flies by. I don't know about you but I was looking at my calendar today and realized we are in November! Wow. And this particular year, 2009 .. has gone by in the blink of an eye. We are done with our record and go to master in a week. And my lifelong dream, well... i am living it. Finally. It's funny because I have always measured myself, well at least my success in music over last 10 years, in birthdays. My birthday is in November. And at the beginning of every single January, I say, "Self, this is your year. This is the year it's gonna happen". And usually another birthday rolls around, and it hasn't happened. And come November, on the day I was born, it passes by and no record deal. No start. And as I have gotten older, more tears tend to appear on that day. But this year is different. This year has gone by so fast making our record, I haven't had time to lament the days. Or wonder how depressing 28 is gonna be for me. And in just two weeks I will be there. And I have a feeling for the first birthday in a long time, I won't be crying! And if I am trust me, they will be pure tears of joy.

Who knows what will happen with our music. I guess that's all in God's hands now. But Leah and I did it. And I am gonna celebrate. 28 is looking up.

Brandon

Joshua Ragsdale

Nashville is a pretty small town. When I was a kid, living in Mississippi it seemed like the center of the universe. The thought of moving to such a mecca seemed daunting. But after being here for a while you start to learn I-65 and I-40 and how to get from here to there and you realize that Nashville isn't that overwhelming. And time passes and you learn the music business is even smaller. I guess my family has been here about 10 or 11 years now and over that time you come across a lot of people. Some you remember, most you don't. Two people I do remember seeing around town though, was this brother and sister group from Mississippi called "Ragsdale". They were gorgeous, had these beautiful harmonies and the sister wore these amazing hats! Leah and I would see them around, playing here and there. I don't know them. But I knew who they were. And I always admired that lovely girls hats :) And well, the fact is, we are both from Mississippi and you never forget someone who came from the same place you did!

I have been living in a bubble over the last few months. Kind of my shangri-la I guess making this record. But I was jolted to reality, the reality of just how small we are and how fragile our bodies can be when Leah told me that Joshua Ragsdale has been diagnosed with CML (Leukemia), which, from what I understand is pretty aggressive and he only has a few months to find a match for a bone marrow transplant.

Normally, I would let this go by me. What can I do? But, we can do something to help him. A fellow artist, songwriter. It's free, it's painless. It takes 5 minutes.

Go to www.marrow.org and join the bone marrow registry. They send you a kit, you swab your mouth and send it back. It's that simple.

Here is his facebook page if you would like more information:

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=143381280558&ref=mf

There is no donor match for him in the marrow bank as of now.

Sending off for my kit.

With much love and gratitude,

Brandon Jane