When the call comes.

We were on our way home recently from a show - Rod Picott and Jess Morgan. Lovely night. I met Lorrie and Tommy (Lost Hollow) from Nashville and we had a great time chatting away about this and that. The music was grand and everyone enjoyed the night. A tiny village hall in a tiny village in the UK. On the way home I decided to check my email - I had an email. Not a spam or a pr announcement about someone else's big news. It was addressed to me from the director of the Isle of Wight. I had sent him a preview of the album. I didn't ask him for anything - I just wanted to keep in contact with him. Two days after the preview was sent I received an email from him with the statement 'I would like you to play the acoustic stage' referencing IOW 2016 in the title. I was stunned. I was beyond excited. I was dubious. I didn't believe it. I looked for the 'but' because there is always a 'but' when you're independent and promoting yourself and that's just the way it is. Hell, the music business is full of them even if you're a known artist! BUT the album had turned his head. That was it. That was the magic. It was a genuine offer.

Joe has been saying from the beginning that once people hear the album they will get it, good ears will take notice, etc. But (and that was my 'but') it's been a long time coming. The previous albums have been lovely, don't get me wrong, but when we took an 8 year break - well, we withered on the vine. We lost all of our momentum, or most of it anyway. Only a handful of folks stayed in touch. We have been climbing up the wall of the Grand Canyon unaided and have finally reached the top edge, throwing one hand up clutching the new My Girl The River album. It's everything to us now in regards to our musical future. It's a head turner, a door opener, a life changer. Someone heard it and got it. The silver lining, the not giving up, the believing in your dream, all of those things apply. It's hard, especially when money is an issue. Especially when you work virtually alone. But we've thrown ourselves into this one and when it spits us out, we'll be happy, no matter the outcome. No buts. No ifs, either.

And so we drove home in a state of excitement. We sat down together and watched 'The Rookie' (about high school teacher and baseball player Jim Morris) from start to finish. And although it was baseball, it was me. I LOVE Dennis Quaid. And I love this film. And it was me. Doing the kids music. Enjoying my work with children. But my passion is music - writing it and performing it. Getting a great idea, pulling out the guitar, writing with friends, playing a show, chatting to the audience. It's easy with kids because I love them and we have a great time. But the dream is still there - to go off and play, to give my songs to an artist who loves them, etc. I know that already happens on a small scale and I love it. BUT wouldn't it be great to realise the dream. In it's full form? The Isle of Wight is certainly a bucket list item - a great festival with a huge musical legacy and reputation. It could be the beginning or the end. It doesn't matter, it happened and the dream lives to see another day. And so you better be ready when the call comes. Because if you work hard and believe and put it out there...the call will come - it may be different to what you thought would happen - but it will come, all the same.