As promised, I wanted to share with you info about some of the people that I met at a recent BMI event which focused on amazing songwriters that should be on our radar! They were all talented with many of them having such accomplishments as writing for Jaheim, Rhianna, Chris Brown and so much more. With each person that I met, I was definitely excited to go back and see who they wrote for and of course, looking forward to see who else they will collaborate with next! I hate saying that someone is a favorite over another; however, I did have a favorite - Shawn Fisher!

If you want to see Shawn FIsher and his band, it seems you will have to be in Orlando; however, you can see his music on You Tube and also on MySpace! Above, I have included the acoustic version of 'Come Back Home'. Fisher not only has his band but is an accomplished song writer that signed with BMI. This month, he and his band will share the same stage with 3 Doors Down and Candlebox. What I loved the most is that even with all the buzz that's surrounding him, this Jacksonville native is super down to earth! We both talked about how much we enjoyed Aerosmith and which songs were our favorites! I'm definitelty excited to continue to see him and his band continue to get out there for more people to fall in love with his sound and his true passion for music!

I never know where my emails will take me. A few weeks ago, BMI (much like ASCAP it's an organization for recording artists rights) sent out an email about April Smith who would be apart of their "BMI Pick of the Month Sessions". This is a great way for artists to continue to perform in front of various groups while also getting the support from this group!

As I entered the Mercury Lounge (217 E Houston), it reminded me of my days of doing PR for my digital artists. I loved seeing the band warm up, those who came to support and those that have a love for live music who decide to come in. I had never heard of April Smith; however, based on the press release that her music has been included in The Hills, Newport Beach and more. As I watched the Great Picture Show get on stage (they are the band behind her playing on keyboard, guitar, drums and bass), I almost missed this 5'2" girl being lead to the stage. April Smith is the tiniest person that I have seen but the range of her voice is amazing!

April Smith is not the typical artist that is easy to classify. She is pop, country, jazzesque, broadway and so much more. I loved every song; however, the first song that you hear on this video is "Battle of Eliyahu" which is a great song to lead off with and yet in the midst of her fun, jokes and theatrics - she can have a song that almost brings you to tears - "Beloved" was amazing. I loved the lyrics which were so haunting and yet we have all been there whether we were thinking of someone who we broke up with or someone who is no longer with us.

I suggest that you visit her site to hear her music and to also read her lyrics. For those of you out west, you should definitely see where she's playing next. I'm looking forward to future sessions (previous participants were Macy Gray and Lady Gaga)!

UPDATE 03.01: I love my readers and a very savvy one said that the first song you're hearing in the video is actually "Summer Spell". I also love that she was at the event as well! To also answer her question, this was the only footage I took as I didn't have enough space on my Flip; however, my next coverage of any show will be a lot more video!