Author chyna

Today I am excited to announce that I am releasing a new studio album in February and you can come be a part of it on Kickstarter.  The title is Bright Lights, Long Drives, First Words … because I like to keep it short and catchy!

This is my 9th studio album and as an independent artist, though the record is finished, my work is just beginning.  It takes a lot of hard work, and money to put this record into the hands of people who can help it get heard by a wider audience.  My community has always been my record label … YOU ARE THE RECORD LABEL.

When you back this album on Kickstarter you can choose from a passel of different reward levels and EVERYONE who backs it gets their name in the liner notes…as a part of the artwork.  I’ve got a vision for it and it’s gonna be SWEET.

Our goal is to raise $40,000 in 33 days.  Come check out the Kickstarter page, find a reward that is exciting to you, and become a part of the record.  And friends, you’re always so good at helping me spread the word about upcoming shows and new music with your community…I know I can count on you to spread this campaign around to your music-loving friends, family, colleagues, pets, etc…

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Join me and a maximum of 12 other songwriters for a weekend workshop, where you will learn and practice techniques for generating, refining and editing your songs, digging into the stories that you love and developing an understanding of the styles and tools that will help you best express them. The workshop’s goal will be for participants to leave with a finished song along with a new set of skills and ideas to continue exploring songwriting on their own. Group sessions, co-writing, one-on-one mentoring, performance feedback, and directed individual work will all play a part in the experience.

The weekend will be hosted by me and my husband Joe Overton at his historic family home in Smithville, TN, 60 miles from Nashville. Delicious, home-cooked meals will be provided for the duration of the workshop, and evening activities will include a living room concert with a special guest artist from Nashville and an open mic night. Housing will be provided on site.

PLEASE NOTE: A 50% deposit is required to secure your spot, which may be paid via this link. The balance will be due before the commencement of the workshop and is payable by check, or cash.

Register now: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/weekend-songwriting-workshop-with-nora-jane-tickets-66691924341

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Few things in life bring me as much joy as singing with my dad. My mom tells me that when I was 2 years old I would wait by the window for my dad to walk home from the train station after work and greet him with a yodel. When I lived in NYC, my dad and I started performing in dive bars in Brooklyn and folk halls in New Jersey. We called our father-daughter duo: Dirt Road Sweetheart.

In 2008 we recorded an album entitled “I Heard the Bluebirds Sing” right before I moved away from home, to Nashville, to try and “make it” as a musician. Ten years later, we recorded our second record, “Rose Of My Heart” and I’m so proud to share both of them with you now, in a limited edition Double Vinyl and Double CD. You can learn more and place your order right here.

These recordings are as honest and real as they come and I think when you listen to each song, you’ll hear not just the one performance that is captured here, but all of the thousands of hours spread out over 30 years of two people making music together for the shear love of it.

Father’s Day is on June 16th. Celebrate someone you love, your father, your father-in-law, your husband, your grandfather, yourself! with a gift of music. We’ll officially release the album that weekend, but if you pre-order now you can receive this collection of songs that are so special to me early enough to gift them to the special father figure in your live.

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Our sweet daughter Annabell Jane Overton was born 11 days early, on Dec 22nd at 2:15am. She is such a love. Joe and Annabell and I have been nestled in our little home since Christmas Eve, enjoying getting to know each other. So far she’s shown us a calm and gentle temperament and she eats like a champ, for which I am wildly grateful. It was a challenging birthing, with several twists and turns: 24 hours of unmedicated labor, followed by 18 hours with the relief of an epidural, culminating in an emergency c-section. I’m healing well and loving every minute with our girl and Joe is the most wonderful daddy, as any who’ve met him might guess. We’ve been supported by Joe’s family here in Nashville who brought a full and delightful Christmas to our house (along with a very welcome supply of meals and treats) and my sister who flew out from New York to meet her wee-niece, cook us delicious food, and help us get some extra naps. Joe and I feel beyond fortunate to be able to take the next two months to stay home with Annabell and look forward to the new challenges that our musical ever-touring lifestyle will bring come March. We so look forward to start introducing her to our community but in the mean time, boy-oh-boy does it feel good to be home in these early days as a family of three.

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