Meredith Crawford, local East Texan plays for us - Kiepersol Texas Podcast ep 10

Kiepersol Texas Podcast

Meredith is from Chandler, TX. East Texas born and raised, she just graduated from UT Tyler with a Bachelors in Accounting. . Meredith started playing music at the age of 10, originally playing in a choir and opera. By the time she was 13, she started playing old country music. After Meredith played her first show, she earned enough tips to go out and purchase her own guitar from a pawn shop, which was a Johnston guitar. Meredith's mother purchased her a "Fake Book" of a bunch of old country songs. She learned chords and eventually started writing her own songs. . The music scene in East Texas has been present for a while but it is growing, even though at times it may seem like it isn't. Meredith has played many different wineries, breweries, and restaurants in East Texas, mostly in Ben Wheeler, Tyler and Longview. Meredith prefers to incorporate all styles of music and likes to play all styles as she grows in her skills. Being able to jump around in genres allows her to connect with the audience a lot more because it appeals to so many different demographics. Country, old folk music, 60s/70s/80s rock, jazz, blues, they all inspire each other and create nostalgia for the audience. . Meredith was in school and would have to do typing tests, which she capitalized on that opportunity to learn new songs by writing the lyrics in these tests. This along with mastering cover songs helps create repetition, which sometimes gets "old". Learning a new song or changing up how you learn is important. This idea of consistency through change allows you to prepare for fighting past your own thoughts and helps you to focus. Sometimes while you're playing in a show your mind will wander and you with have some really weird or dumb thoughts, which can derail your performance if you're not prepared. Being nervous is okay, you just have to fight the urge to fly away or given into a momentary fear. Fighting your thoughts through self-awareness helps you to gain confidence, which is really important to being a musician/performer. These skills sometimes require experience in order to learn how to overcome the hurdles. Stay true to your goals and passions, which will create new opportunities to get your first show or your next show! . In Meredith's experience, booking shows really came through relationship and word of mouth. Sometimes venues would approach her and sometimes she would contact venues directly to play, however, the most effective way she was able to get booked was through relationships she built with other people. As she made friends with everyone and heard her play, she would end up getting referred to play different venues and shows. . Meredith gives some perspective on local music and how we should encourage artists through our business. Sometimes going to a restaurant or a venue for a show or there happens to be a show, you walk in with a preconceived notion on what you should get out of the restaurant, venue, band or music. The best thing you can do is to have an open mind when you're going into an establishment with a local artist. Engaging musicians before or after shows is always nice, as well as showing appreciation for what you're hearing or experiencing is greatly appreciated. Sometimes just showing up to a local show and giving it a chance, can be a great surprise! If you don't like it, you can always leave and do something else here in East Texas. Meredith highlights some of her favorite East Texas food joints: San Pedro's Restaurant - Chandler, TX The Forge Bar and Grill - Ben Wheeler, TX Moore's Store - Ben Wheeler, TX Stanley's Famous Pit Bar-B-Q - Tyler, TX WaWa's Seafood Shack - Athens, TX . Meredith loves sweet wines, specifically Moscato . Song: Transit - on the coming Meredith Crawford Album in January 2019 . Follow Meredith's social pages or track her latest shows: https://www.facebook.com/meredithcrawfordmusic/ @meredithcrawfordmusic . Visit us at Kiepersol - www.kiepersol.com . Hosted by Michael Roth