Blog for Rachel Kays

Big EXCITING News!!

2011-07-25T14:47:30-04:00

I am super excited to announce that I now have a band! We start rehearsals tomorrow night and hope to be doing shows by mid-August. Please help me welcome Daniel David on lead guitar, Jack Daniel on drums, and George Roque on bass! More info and pics coming soon!

Also, two music videos are in the works! We are just at the concept stage right now, but will be shooting around mid-August so stay tuned!

My Nashville Experience - CMA Fest 2011 - Day 2

2011-06-20T14:03:13-04:00

Friday, 6/10, was the 2nd day of CMA Fest and the biggest day for me. We started the day off right with a good breakfast - with JOSH TURNER! (and about 500 other fans :) It was his fan club breakfast, and soooo worth it! We ate and then I stood right in front of center stage to wait for one of my favorite country artists.
It was amazing to stand right in front of Josh and his special guest, Randy Travis, as they told stories and sang songs together. I especially enjoyed a story Josh told about the first time he heard Randy Travis sing a song that Josh had written - what a thrill that was for him. I thought, "Someday, maybe Josh Turner will sing one of my songs with me and I can tell him about having the same feeling he talked about with Randy at this show today!" Each band member also shared their story of how they got to Nashville. They were all so interesting and I loved learning a little about their backgrounds. I really liked his keyboard player - his wife! She was so pretty and funny, talking about how he turned her from Opera to Opry. His fiddle player is from the UK by way of Austin, TX. When Josh announced that, it became obvious to everyone that Mom and I were just about the only Texans in the room! :D
The fan club party lasted longer than we planned and by the time he started the meet-n-greet (autographs, photo ops), we had to leave. :( We needed to get back to the hotel so I could get ready for my Nashville debut. I guess that's about the only thing that could have stopped me from meeting Josh Turner! I gave his wife a copy of my CD and asked her to give it to him for me. She said she would...so, I think he has a copy of my album! I was pretty excited about that!
We got ready at the hotel and got the front desk to call us a cab about an hour-and-a-half before we needed to be at the Nashville Palace. We waited...and waited...and waited. The cab never came & we finally just jumped in one that had come to drop off some people at the hotel. I walked in to the Nashville Palace about 12 minutes before it was my turn to take the stage! Talk about stressful!
I was ok, though. I was determined to wow the crowd and luckily I don't get nervous (Mom does that for me). It was very loud in there as people ate, drank, played pool, and were generally not paying much attention. That didn't bother me, until.....I realized my music was playing and I could barely hear it! I struggled a little as I tried desperately to make out the beat and a pitch or two. Trial by fire, I guess! I just kept smiling and sang what I hoped were the right notes! It wasn't what I had envisioned, but it was a great experience. My second set went much better (still couldn't hear my music, but was more prepared for it that time). I try to see everything as a learning experience, and I definitely learned a lot from my first performance in a Nashville showcase. One thing I will change next time: I'll do at least one or two covers. I think I could have gotten an even better response from the audience had I done a song they knew. Overall, it was a fantastic experience and the challenges just made it more rewarding in the end!
That night, we found a Mexican food restaurant on 2nd called El Rey. Next, we headed for the bridge so we could walk to LP Field for that night's concerts. We saw Lady A, Sugarland, Keith Urban, and Reba - all were awesome! Lady A debuted a new song. Sugarland was incredible - sooooo much energy! Keith Urban did part of his set from up in the stands, making everyone go nuts. And Reba was....well Reba was Reba - absolutely amazing! Since I'd already performed, I could sing and scream all I wanted, too - and I did!
We left the stadium and began the competition for taxis - us and 50000 other people! An hour or so later, we were finally back at the hotel, winding down and getting ready to tackle Day 3! Watch for my next blog post about our tour of the stars' homes, more great concerts, and a fun poolside patio jam!

My Nashville Experience - CMA Fest 2011 - Day 1

2011-06-18T12:57:51-04:00

My mom and I flew to Nashville on Thursday, 6/9, the first day of CMA Fest 2011. The flight was a little scary since it was the first time I could remember being on a plane. I wanted the window seat, but was mostly too scared to look! By the time we landed, I was fine and just excited to explore Music City USA.
We got to our hotel, the Millennium Maxwell House (where the famous coffee was first served), unpacked, and took the shuttle downtown to find something to eat. The first 'bar & grill' we went into asked for my ID. It turns out that most places wouldn't even let me in the door, even though I was with my mom and we just wanted a burger. We ended up at a place called The Merchant, which was a little fancier (and pricier) than we wanted for lunch, but it was great food and the service and view were fantastic.
We couldn't find one of the free shuttles to LP field, so we walked across a giant bridge over the Cumberland River to get to the concerts that night. It was hot and quite a climb, but the view of the city on one side and the stadium on the other was worth it! We could already hear the music and there were people in lawn chairs all along the bridge, listening and seeing what they could for free. (tip for anyone wanting to do CMA Fest for cheap)
I still can't believe all the great artists I saw in just four nights! On this first night alone, I saw Sara Evans, Easton Corbin, and Jason Aldean. There were some acoustic sets each night during set changes, and on Thursday they were Ricky Skaggs and Casey James. The night began with the Zac Brown Band, which had several special guests, including Alan Jackson and Randy Travis.
Of all the artists that night, Jason Aldean was my favorite! He put on a great show and I love his songs Dirt Road Anthem and My Kinda Party. Kelly Clarkson came out to sing Don't You Wanna Stay with him, and the crowd went nuts! Beautiful song - so awesome to hear them do it live!
The closer was Brad Paisley, but since I had to get up early the next day and ONLY because I'd already seen him in concert recently, we decided to beat the rush and leave the stadium early. We walked back across the bridge where we could still hear the music anyway and were able to catch a cab as soon as we reached the street on the downtown side.
We were back at the hotel by 12:30, and I was dreaming of the next day's breakfast with Josh Turner by 1am. Above my bed, there was a picture of Loretta Lynn smiling at me and I imagined her wishing me luck on my performance the next day. It was a great first day in Music City USA! Stay tuned for more posts about the rest of the trip!

Helping Joplin, MO is NATURAL

2011-05-26T13:57:08-04:00

I have many friends in Missouri and they are heartbroken over the devastation in Joplin. Their family, friends, and neighbors are hurting and it is only NATURAL to want to help them. I've come up with a way to raise some money for their relief efforts, and am thankful that I now have the ability to do so.

Starting today through June 11th, for every NATURAL CD that is bought directly from me (see the very bottom of http://www.rachelkays.com/store ) I will donate $5 to the Joplin Relief Fund.

For CDs or MP3s of the album bought on CD Baby, Facebook, ReverbNation, or my official on-line store (top of Store page on my website), I will donate $1. I can't donate a portion of sales on iTunes or Amazon because I don't get that information for 60-90 days after the sale.

Help me help the people of Joplin, MO, by clicking on the link to my store above, scrolling all the way to the bottom, and clicking the 'Buy Now' button today! Also, please share this with your social networks so we can raise the most money possible for this great cause.

--Rachel

PS If you'd like to send money directly to the relief fund without purchasing my CD, you can make a check payable to The Joplin Relief Fund and mail it to The Corder Bank at 227 North Layfayette, Corder, MO 64021.

What a week! NATURAL is finally here!

2011-05-12T17:39:12-04:00

On Monday, I had a live radio interview. Yesterday, my debut album NATURAL was released. I had so much fun visiting my producer at the recording studio and the great people at the mastering studio - they were all so happy that this first project is finally out there for others to enjoy. I also liked meeting the people at the local record stores who were so helpful and nice. Tomorrow I have another radio interview with a DJ in Australia...not live, but he'll play it on his show in a few days.

So what am I doing today? I slept late listening to the rain (strange sound after many weeks without) and now I'm relaxing and studying for my learner's permit test so I can start learning how to drive!

I better get back to studying, but just wanted to say thank you to everyone who has bought my CD / album download so far and all those who have sent congratulations - you AMAZE me! Keep visiting my sites and playing my songs - sharing my music with you is what it's all about. :D

First Live Radio Interview

2011-05-09T21:25:38-04:00

I had my first live radio interview today with Mike Walker on BlackSkyRadio.com He played five of the tracks off NATURAL and talked to me in between. I think it went great, although I need to brush up on my interview skills. The more I do it, the more confident I get. It's not like singing - answering questions like that doesn't come quite so naturally to me. I know it's part of the path I've chosen, though, and am looking forward to more opportunities to sharpen those skills. My next chance will be on Friday, 5/13, with Jase of 2RDJ-FM and Triple H - FM in Sydney Australia. Both Mike and Jase have been playing my music on their stations for quite a while now & I'm so thankful to both of them!

Update on ReverbNation Pop Charts

2011-04-12T10:29:25-04:00

I'm still holding at #4 in Austin - more than 2 weeks straight now!
Nationally, I've broken into the top 250, currently at #248 out of more than 20,000!
And on the global pop chart, I've broken into the top 500, sitting at #499 as of today! WOW - in the WHOLE WORLD!!! :D

The more YOU visit my websites and listen to my songs, the higher I move on these charts, so thank YOU ALL so much for taking the time to support me. I appreciate each one of you so much and am glad you are with me on this musical journey!

Too - Much - Excitement!

2011-03-22T18:41:19-04:00

There is just so much going on that I think the only way to cover it all is in a blog post - so here goes!

REVIEWS: The first review for my debut album 'Natural' was published yesterday! You can see it here: http://angusmarriott.wordpress.com/ What do you think?! Thank you, Guss - proud to have it as my very first album review ever!

TWEEN POP RADIO: Last week, my single 'Left Me Hanging' was featured on Tween Pop Radio's 'New Track Tuesday' edition and debuted on their Tween Pop 40 Chart at #25! Thanks to all who voted last week!
This week's voting started yesterday and will close on Saturday evening. You can vote up to 5 times each day! Here is the link where you'll type 'Rachel Kays - Left Me Hanging' in the voting box http://tweenpopradio.com/votefortweenpop20.htm
Please vote as often as possible and share this link with your friends! Thank you Tween Pop Radio!

RADIO PLAY: This weekend, my single 'When You Were Mine' was played on the radio in Sydney, Australia and streamed live on the internet! Thanks, Jase!
Also, Mike Walker at BlackSkyRadio.com has all four of the singles released so far in his regular rotation!

CLIMBING THE CHARTS: After breaking into the top 20 on the ReverbNation pop chart for Austin, TX a couple of weeks ago, my supporters have pushed me all the way to #4! Thank you for visiting my pages and playing my songs because that is what moves me up on that chart! Visit often and don't forget to hit the play button :)

WEBSITE NEWS: My official website is in the works and we'll have a big announcement when it's really ready to show off. But it is live if you'd like to check it out as we're building it. There's not a whole lot there yet and the custom design is not in place, but stop by any time and bookmark it! www.rachelkays.com

UPDATE ON 'NATURAL', THE DEBUT ALBUM: Cover art for Natural will be ready any day now & it's off to the manufacturer - yes, we will have physical CDs in addition to downloads! Pre-orders will be taken soon and will come with a free download of a single from the album. The official release date is April 30th, but those who pre-order will receive theirs earlier.

Whew! I think that's all.....nah, I probably forgot something. :) Thanks for reading and keeping up with my musical journey! I appreciate you all so much!!

--Rachel

Kick back and stay awhile!

2011-03-04T18:32:03-05:00

Hey ReverbNation! Glad you stopped by!
Please don't just hit the fan button and move on. Kick back and stay awhile! I'm here to share my music, not necessarily to see who can get the most fans.
It would mean so much to me if you'd listen to a track or two and let me know what you honestly think. If you're short on time, check out the tracks that say (sample only) for a 30 second clip to get a feel for my style. Or grab the free download of 'Still in Love with You' and listen whenever you want. :D
Thanks for listening and for being a part of my musical journey!

Win Prizes - Join my Street Team!

2011-02-20T12:34:44-05:00

If you want to help me get my music to more people AND compete for cool prizes, please join my Street Team!
We will be posting Street Team Missions soon, so join today!

Missions will be things like:
-Go to my YouTube channel and rate, favorite, and comment on my videos.
-Write on my Facebook wall.
-Post a link to my profile on ReverbNation on your Facebook and/or MySpace page.

These are just some examples, but you get the idea. It's easy and the best promoter each week will win a prize. We'll give a free download of a single to daily winners and the weekly top prize will be an autographed CD! We'll also have other giveaways like posters, T-shirts, etc., but you'll need to be an active member of the Street Team to find out how to win those!!

Thank you for all your support! We are in this together because I need your help! Join my Street Team today and get ready for your first mission!!