Once again SUSTAYN made the trek to Anaheim, CA to experience “Disneyland for musicians” or the National Association of Music Manufacturers Show (NAMM). If you’ve never been there it is truly a sight to see. There are over 1,600 booths representing more than 3,500 brands and over 62,000 attendees. We made a number of social media posts highlighting all the fantastic gear we checked out and celebrities we connected with. So be sure to keep up with us on your favorite platform. Here’s a few highlights:
- Alisha Keys clear acrylic Yamaha piano display
- A throne of guitars by Gibson
- Jon Batiste in concert on the Main stage
- Meeting Mark Maxwell of Maxwell’s House of Music (“If you’re in a band…”)
- Sightings of Phil X, Nita Strauss, Pete Thorn
- Playing the Billy Gibbons edition Magnatone amp
You can see all the photos in our gallery HERE.
Unfortunately, our time on the Expo floor was short this year for a couple reasons. We were involved with volunteering for the She Rocks Awards which obligated us for 2 days of the show, and also the show didn’t have a final day on Sunday as it did in the past. However, the She Rocks Awards were well worth the effort.
Before talking about the She Rocks honorees I need to say a word about all our behind the scenes family. This is my second year, and it was so wonderful to reconnect with friends and artists that I would only have the opportunity to see here. The behind the scenes is just as wonderful as under the lights. We had a great working environment with an energetic positive crew that easily got every job done with a smile. From the top down, this is a fantastic organization.
This year’s awards honored some of my personal favorites. Jennifer Batten and LIndsey Sterling co-hosted. At one point they were introducing Lindsey and she yelled from backstage, “She’s hot!,” then confessed from the microphone that she has no shame. She was hilarious. Nichol reported that Stiched up Heart had a great vibe as well. Honoree, Myxi, jumped on the table during her set for the fun of it. Her Dad was there and got into the mood by giving himself the title of Content Creator on HIs NAMM badge, since he created her. While the rest of Sustayn worked backstage and got to hang with all the cool kids all the time, I was more suited to Front of House and my interaction was limited, but memorable.
I was privileged to escort honoree Paula Cole after the sound check. Her energy was so calm, warm, and friendly. I’ve always been impressed with her as a songwriter after hearing Chiaroscuro in 1995. It’s such a rarity for a songwriter to include heady words like xylem and phloem in lyrics. I was enamoured to meet her. And Nicohl was impressed that Paula remembered her name four hours later! Now, I call that serious class. Her speech that night addressed empowering women with confidence, and how sadly deficient of confidence her students are at even a prestigious school like Berklee School of Music. Everything she spoke about resonated with my own experience when I was younger. Not much has changed I see.
Amanda Palmer, honoree, gave the most intense speech I think I’ve ever heard at an awards ceremony. I was riveted by her force of conviction. The quote I will keep forevermore is, “Don’t criticize the fingernails of the woman digging her way out of prison.” I didn’t know of her before, other than gossip surrounding a lawsuit with her ex-husband, Niel Gaiman. Since the awards I’ve explored the Dresden Dolls and Amanda’s solo work. She is an incredible creator and my new girl crush.
Samantha Fish was the night’s major highlight. I’ve seen her in concert a number of times and have emulated her mesmerizing performance of “Spell On You” into my own set. She is likely the only woman with short hair that my husband would have googoo eyes for, and rightly so. She is authentically sexy like all the photographs. As a superfan, I was elated to get a selfie with her anime sized eyes and full kick ass attitude. Ironically, I discovered that her drummer, Jamie Douglas, and I studied at IU at the same time! It really is a small world.
There were plenty more honorees that I didn’t get a second with or even get to hear speak because I was busy doing all the things. You can see the full lineup of honorees and learn about the event HERE. I am incredibly grateful to be able to volunteer for this epic gathering of high caliber women. I have been inspired and fueled by all of them on stage, backstage, and in the front of house. Thank God I get to go back again next year!