Those who know me well have likely heard about my pipedream to live in Nashville and work in the country music business. This stems from my deep love of music that took old when my mom brought home a Reba McEntire greatest hits album when I was 8 years old. Since that day I have made it my business to know and love music – especially country.

Unfortunately I don’t currently know how I can make a move to Nashville a reality, but in the meantime I have had the awesome opportunity to book and promote some local acts at my parents’ guest ranch in Southern Oregon. On Saturday we welcomed Cloverdayle to the resort and had an absolutely incredible time. If you live in the Northwest and love country music, make it a point to see them perform this summer, because this fall they move to Nashville and there’s no telling when they’ll be back. I have gotten a total rush out of identifying great talent in the region, booking them, leveraging some good ol’ PR skills to promote the show and then getting to partake in the fun on event night.

For hard-working ranching families who live in that part of the state, taking a break from reality and enjoying a great meal followed by a fun performance is a special way to spend a summer evening. And for me, getting to meet these up-and-coming artists and pick their brains about Nashville and any inside scoop they can share about business allows me a brief window into this world I’ve watched from afar for so many years. So while I’m not working on Music Row, this is a pretty fun next-best-thing. Thanks again to Chad and Rachel Hamar for the amazing performance and for my parents for being willing to put on these annual concert series, and indulge my inner music producer.