NASHVILLE WILL RISE AGAIN

June 3, 2010

After being in hibernation for the early months of the year, May certainly jolted me back into reality in an unexpected way! Who knew that a rain shower that began on the first day of May would end in such devastation, wreaking havoc on the town I've called home for almost eleven years. My own home was spared, albeit a few inches in the basement that my husband and I were able to control. Many of my friends and neighbors were not so lucky. As I sat watching the local television coverage that weekend, I wondered if the rest of the world had any idea what was happening to our precious "Music City," and what would happen next. It soon became obvious that even with the billions of dollars in damage, Nashville's weather-related tragedy would be over-shadowed by other news of the day. My heart filled with the realization that if Nashville was to triumph over this catastrophe, it would be up to the residents to see the city through its healing.

I don't know why I've been lucky enough to be spared so many times in my life. I've been on the brink of some very serious situations and made some not-so-smar decisions over the years, but, thankfully, God has given me a number of "near-misses." That statement comes with a hard knock on wood, by the way! Because of God's grace, I felt very compelled to use the free time I am blessed with as a song-writer to help my neighbors. It was a very surreal, challenging, inspirational, and self-learning experience. I saw folks in the midst of losing everything still find a way to smile. I also saw them fall to their knees and cry. I worked for, and alongside, total strangers, and found that team work only takes unity for a cause. It does not matter if you agree on politics, religion, or anything for that matter, as long as you agree that the task on hand is worth completing. I realized that there is a time for pride, and a time to bare all and let go. I also realized that another breath is worth far more than the junk you have piled under your bed.

It was hard to come home and sleep at night during the eleven days that I volunteered. I could not turn off the events of each day, and felt guilty sleeping in my bed after dragging someone else's to a trash pile earlier that day. As much as I hated seeing the devastation, I realized I was receiving a wake-up call in my own life about what is important, and, what simply is not. The crazy thing is that I had been praying over the last year that God would find a way to open my heart and allow me to do something positive for someone else outside of music. The energy that I put into being an independent artist can be rather self-absorbing and, day after day, it can start to also be quite unfulfilling without a balance. Now, I didn't exactly mean for my answered prayer to come in the form of a horrific flood, but I certainly won't let the life lesson go unlearned.

As the days turned into weeks, I eventually had to return to my day-to-day life. l still longed to offer something more to the flood relief cause, particularly as a musician. I had a song in my catalog that I had written with Jami Grooms about a year or so ago which I planned to build a non-profit organization around called "We Will Rise." The premise of the organzation was, and is, to bring arts into the lives of foster care children through work-shops and mentoring from city independent artists throughout Nashville, and eventually the nation. I was just in the beginning stages of this idea when it suddenly occurred to me that this song could possibly help the flood relief cause immediately, and then serve to grow into my non-profit vision down the road. With the help of my friend Liz Carden and Damien Horne, we were able to pull together 14 independent artists to record a new version of "We Will Rise." Lori Brown stepped up to quickly design a website and edit video footage. Joe Hardwick, my husband, photographed and videoed the session. Shawna Carter donated a logo. Studio 515 let us record vocals, and Stacy Hogan at A Writer's Paradise, produced the instrumental track and mixed the final product. My publisher, Rick Hall Music, agreed to let me release the song. Within two weeks, we had an actual song and website ready to release to the public. It was an amazing time of unity among people I love and respect, and I will be forever grateful that it all came to fruition.

And now, for so many of you who have written me wondering how you can help "Team Fox" rebuild Music City, I am offering both a gift and a chance to help. Please visit www.wewillrise.org and get your FREE download of our song. There you can also donate any amount to Cross Point Flood Relief. Cross Point is a community church in Bellevue (a town on the outskirts of Nashville that was pummeled during the flood). You do not have to donate in order to get the song. We just hope it might inspire you to do so, or maybe just to do something positive in your own community. Either way our efforts will not be in vain.

Thank you so very much to those of you who encouraged me through the last month. It really meant so much to have friends and fans across the country cheering Team Fox on as we volunteered. And, to my friends here in Nashville who stepped up to the plate to help, I am honored to call you friends. I saw the true hearts of many people I've known for several years, and never thought I could possibly respect even more.

There is a reason it is important for me to save this town. Not only because it's full of good people and it's the place I call home, but also because, through all my "near-misses" over the last eleven years, it has been the place that has turned me into someone I can look in the mirror and be proud of. MUSIC CITY WILL RISE AGAIN!

Love you all,

Jaime

Summer, summer, summertime (almost)!!

April 25, 2010

I am so thankful for warm weather. It gets harder and harder for me every year to stay upbeat during the winter months. I thrive on sunlight and energetic people around me, and it seems we all go into hibernation during January, February, and March! It makes my heart beat fast to see the tulips in our yard bloom, the light return to people's eyes, and to be able to go to the store in my flip flops. I'm back, world!

Summertime means "busy time" for me. Lots of trips, shows, and exciting things going on for me, both personally and musically. I am headed to Connecticut in mid-May to sing at a benefit for the Walk-Me-Home Foundation to benefit foster children. I love these events because I love the kids! These boys and girls are heroes to me. They have every reason to give up, but they keep smiling. It's heart-warming to know I might help make their smiles a little brighter with my music. If you live anywhere near Hartford/Middletown, please come support this wonderful cause.

Shortly after I get back from CT, I am going to.... ATHENS, GREECE!! This is a very unexpected trip, and we are more than ecstatic that we get to go there. It's purely for exploration and fun, absolutely no work involved! I cannot wait to see, in person, all the landmarks I've learned about over the years. To be able to touch something that has been on this Earth since the 5th century BC is just unreal. What a blessing that we will have this opportunity.

When we return from Greece, it's all about CMA Fest. My parents will be making the trip again this year! AWESOME! And, I'm thrilled about the number of tickets we've sold so far to the Nashville Navy Celebration at Limelight (June 8) and to my Fox Fan luncheon (June 9). It's shaping up to be even better than last year. If you haven't gotten your tickets yet, what are you waiting for?? :) Go to my website tour page for ticket links. I also will be playing in the World's Largest Fan Club Party festival at Big Shotz on June 11 at 3pm. I have one other show that will probably be doing that week that is very special, but it is still up in the air at this point.

After CMA Fest, we are West Coast bound to the Skagit Casino in Bow, Washington. I adore my fans and friends out there, and look forward to these shows throughout the year. Somebody please bring the band some "Apple Pie!" ;)

We are still working on the dates for the rest of the summer. I have a couple potential fair dates in the mid-West and I have my fingers and toes crossed that they work out. Our mid-West tour was a blast last year!! Check out my website picture gallery called "On the Road" to see some photos from that tour.

And, speaking of my website... not too shabby, huh?? I am so proud of my friend, Lori Brown, for all that she has accomplished in learning how to design website. Not only did she design mine, but she also gave a face-lift to my husband's site. Check out joehardwick.com when you have a chance! Of course, Joe shot the majority of the photographic images on the site. He's so talented!

I will be blogging again very soon with a special announcement... but my lips are sealed right now. I'll give you a hint - your ears will be happy. :)

Love you all!

xo Jaime

Review of Listening Room Performance

February 9, 2010

From Rock On Together----

I finished the music week on Tuesday night since I spent the remainder of the week in Louisiana. On Tuesday, I got to hear Jaime Fox (the girl). It's been a while since I've heard her and WOW was I impressed.

Starting with a song for all the cheaters out there. It's called "Talkin Bout The Truth." With Jaime's delivery of this song, it is apparent that no cheater would want to face her. The song is fierce and justifiable. "I'm talkin' bout the truth. I'm talkin' bout the elephant in the room. Talkin' bout the who's and the what's and the where ya been's. I wanna hear something that makes some sense from you."

Jaime also has the ability to rock a love song. This was evident on a tune she wrote with Walt Aldridge called "You Stayed." Most people are looking for the person who will love us for all of our faults and still be there in the morning. The song paints a romantic picture with that sentiment in mind. Jaime sings it beautifully. "I don't ask many questions. I don't even care why. All I know is I waited. Never heard goodbye. That's when I knew you were all the way in. You stayed over and over and over again. and 100 hearts would have stood in line for a chance to love you, but you chose mine. And you never slipped away like the sands of time. You stayed."

I have to say my favorite of Jaime's was a hilarious and sassy tune called "The Girl Your Ex Hates." She wrote it with Erik Halbig (you might know his as the guitar player for a band I've told you about called the Locash Cowboys). ;-)

This tune says it all. Come on ladies, admit it. We all feel this way. "I wanna be the girl that your ex hates. The one that your Mamma loves and your Daddy wants to date. I don't mean to be vindictive, cause that's not the way I was raised. But I wanna be the girl your ex hates." :)

Jaime has a great time on stage and it is fun to watch her with the band. It's always enjoyable for an audience if it's obvious the artist is having fun. Although it was a short set, it was 100% worth it. Jaime can SAAAAANG! She is a country girl who has found her inner rock star edge. That night on the Listening Room stage I heard her take charge of every song she sang.

---Krista Darting

Diary of My Midwest Tour!

August 19, 2009

I know it’s been FOREVER since I blogged… but geez, sometimes it’s impossible to stay on top of everything!! This summer my focus has been on getting my band out nationally, and we just returned from an amazing Midwest run. I met some of those amazing people from all walks of life, gained some new fans, and made a lot of contacts for future shows. I wanna tell you all about it! Check out the pics I posted on my page too! BEFORE I GET STARTED – search for my FACEBOOK FAN PAGE page and become a fan… PLEASE!! I check in on this page regularly and update my status.

ON TO THE TOUR…

We started our journey at 11 pm Friday, July 31st from Nashville all the way to North Platte, Nebraska. It took 15 hours to get there, and we drove all though the night and most of the next day. My husband (and manager, photographer, roadie, and driver) rode in the captain’s chair, and got us there safely. I took a different band than I usually use because my regular guys were all booked up. The guys I brought were all Belmont graduates – Josh Ingram on electric, Chris Dunn on bass, and McCoy Gibbs on drums. They all sang harmony and really played well. I was nervous not having the band I’m used to, but they went out of their way to do a good job for me.

We arrived in North Platte around 4pm, did a quick sound check, and then headed to the hotel for 45 minutes. After a lightening fast shower, we headed back for the show with Kansas City artist, Tate Stevens. We couldn’t help but laugh because we played in the demolition derby track behind a chicken wire fence. It was like being in the movie, Roadhouse! The crowd was small, but we found out that they hadn’t had live entertainment at the fair in over 15 years. The funniest moment was when I called some kids on stage, and one of them happened to have the same name as the daughter of a good friend of ours. It turns out that he is actually friends with her on FB and had talked to her on there! It’s such a world. Anyway, the entire fair board, firemen and women, Sherrif’s officers, and the town folks were so nice to us, and we joined them in the beer garden after the show.

After a short night of rest, we hit the road to Des Moines, IA. I ‘d never been to that city and was blown away by how progressive the downtown area felt. There were so many new restaurants and bars, and the venue we played was nicer than any I’ve seen lately. We played a club called People’s Court where they have a small stage and a main stage. Because we are just building our fan base in Des Moines, the small stage was better for us. A group named Douglas Acres opened for us, and brought lots of friends to help support us. We had a nice crowd and I even had a myspace fan named Paul drive from out of town to see the show with his wife. The club owner liked our show so much that he invited us back the next night for a second show. We were thrilled to oblige and are looking forward to returning to Des Moines.

After two nights in Des Moines, it was on to Kansas City. This was such a nice, short 3 hour drive, finally! We took our time getting to our KC band mom, Norma’s house. When we got to Norma’s, she had prepared homemade egg noodles and chicken with a fresh garden salad. Her home-cooking came right on time! We had the night off, so we ventured to Wal-mart and the boys played cards. I crashed out on the air mattress. The next day I went to the KC Royals stadium to sound check for the anthem. Everyone there was extremely nice and complimentary. I was nervous as heck to sing the anthem, especially with my mug on the world’s largest jumbo-tron. But, everything went off without a hitch and it was very flattering to have the Royals players tell me “good job” on the way off the field. My hostess was quick to tell me that they don’t do that for everyone. I had to go straight from the game to play a show at a club called “Infused.” We had a nice turnout, and I was really excited that one of the KC disc jockeys came out to see the show. Thanks to TJ, a new fan, for plastering her car all week with flyers! The next morning we left for National, Iowa for the Clayton County fair. This is a SMALL town with a LOT of corn. In fact, I’ve never seen more corn in my life than I did on this tour! The fair board members were so kind, and they toured me through the livestock areas, and even showed me how to milk a cow. I was amazed at how hard the kids work to show their animals, and it broke my heart to see them have to say goodbye after the auctions. That takes a lot of heart! Before the show, we had a delicious meal at Brainerd’s Country Change, and met a neat lady named Brenda whose grandson has a tumor at age three. We decided to help out by donating a portion of our merch sales to her cause, and announcing an upcoming benefit at the show. The show itself was a blast. I had a great time singing my new song, Talkin Bout the Truth, to a local couple named Gary and Dixie. They were a lot of fun, and Gary hugged me so tight after I could hardly breathe! I was so happy to have my longtime pal, Meng-Long, and his son, drive up for the show as well as our two cousins. After the show, we went back to Brainerd’s and had a couple beers with the locals and even did an impromptu acoustic show on top of the bar. Bottom line, a lot of good-hearted peeps in Clayton County!

Early in the morning, we hit the road for Greenwood, NE and the I-80 Speedway to perform a Make-a-Wish benefit concert. I was able to get a guitar donated by Samick Guitars and signed by James Otto for the event, and we were so happy to help bring some exposure to this great foundation. Donnie from the speedway treated us wonderfully, and everyone who came was very kind and welcoming. A local band named Badland opened up for us, and we all had a great evening. Kind of sad that we didn’t get to take a ride in one of the two-seaters though! Next time…

Our last stop was Mitchell, NE for the Scott’s Bluff County Fair to open for the LoCash Cowboys. I really can’t say enough about the people in Mitchell. They were so accepting and loving, and were so happy to have us there. Just like in Clayton County, the fair board president toured me around the entire fair, and made me feel like a celebrity. As we watched over thousand people make their way to the grandstand we were pumped for showtime. And then… it happened. Five minutes before we hit the stage, buckets of rain poured down with continuous lightening. After an hour, it didn’t let up so they cancelled the concert. My husband literally carried me over to the LoCash bus to take cover. Inside, the boys and I lamented about how disappointed we were. We decided that we would play SOMEWHERE. It took two hours and a lot of folks helping, but we managed to find a covered area, set up a small sound system and move the show across the fairgrounds. The radio stations even made an announcement for everyone to come back. About 500 folks stuck through the storm and cheered us on for an acoustic show. It ended up being a big party, and the highlight of the whole tour. We can’t wait to go back to Mitchell.

The biggest thing I’m taking away from this tour is that there are some of the hardest working, kindest people living deep in the heartland of this country. I really got to see firsthand how Mid-westerners live, and I know it’s going to help me make my song-writing more relatable. I got to see what they care about, and what makes them tick.

Thank you so much to everyone who made this tour special, all the radio stations who played our music, and all the fans who came out to support us. We will be back on the road real soon!!

Love y’all!!

Xo Jaime