Just a few quick updates on the new song  and the short film. For the record: In my last post I titled the song, "Only A Whisper" which was not correct. It is "Whisper". Oops! The song  has received a lot of positive feedback and our VIP Insider Club members really like it! We are hoping to make it available to download through itunes and amazon in the future.  I'll keep you posted!

The short film, "Family Law" has a Facebook page! The film is also being submitted to more film festivals. A Premiere is also in the works and I will be performing! More details soon!

If you want to hear all the new songs right away and give feedback, our VIP Insider Club is the best way to go. I've already recorded 15 new songs this year and have 5 more ready to go, and more I'm writing! Our VIP members will also help choose the songs for the new CD.

I probably sound like a broken record talking about the club all the time, but it really is the best way to experience all that is happening first hand! We've added a new "Gold" option for $19.95 for a whole year of receiving 12-24 songs! There will also be a Private Concert for VIP members only, in May. We really hope you'll join us.  Check out the VIP page for more information.

Hope to see you at the next event! Don't forget to check the News and Devotion pages often, since I'm regularly posting!

Vanessa E.

I'm excited to have just written a new song for a Christian short film project! It's called, "Only A Whisper", and is based on the Bible story of God demonstrating his awesome power through the wind, fire, and an earthquake, but speaking to Elijah in only a whisper.  It has a cinematic feel to it with the strings, electric and acoustic guitar and other instruments. Greg did an awesome job with the instrumentation and mixing and I can't wait for everyone to hear it! It may make the new CD, that's for the Insider Club Members to decide! If you are on the Insider Club, you will be getting the song this week!

We have officially started to record CD #4! The first session went great with Bob S. laying down some drum tracks and acoustic guitar tracks. Can't wait for the rest of the band to add their talents!

I had a great time speaking at the SEA Conference in Lisle, this weekend! It was an awesome conference for independent artists of all types and I really enjoyed meeting a lot of talented artists.

I am really excited about what's new in the Insider Club! Please check it out and join us!

Vanessa E.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! Thanks to all of you who came out to our Christmas Concert and a special hello to our insider club members! It was great to see all of you and celebrate the season!

I look forward to continuing to write and send out new songs for our insider club and hearing from all of you! The band and I will be working some of them up to play at upcoming concerts. We'll keep you posted on next events. Please know how much we appreciate you and look forward to keeping in touch and seeing you at the next Vanessa E. show!

Vanessa

The Backyard Coffee House was a blast! I loved rock'n with the band and enjoying the near perfect weather in the fun and casual environment! It was also great to meet some very talented musicians who performed throughout the day! It's awesome to be among fellow artists who encourage one another! Thanks to Scott & Jin Koetje who have a tremendous gift of hosting and go out of their way to make everyone feel welcome! Can't wait until the next one!

See you soon!

Vanessa E.

The Songwriter Concert was awesome! Thank you to all of you who came out and donated items for our bake sale. Through this concert, were able to raise a generous amount to be given to our neighbors who lost their home after the gas explosion!

It was awesome to hear all the artists and their original songs and writings! Pastor Dennis Taylor was the emcee and made the evening flow with ease! The band and I opened with a couple upbeat songs from "Meant To Be." Tracy Vocak set the tone for the evening with a poem titled, "The Symphony", and inspired us all with her emotionally engaging poetry throughout the evening. Renea Taylor was amazing as usual with her powerful and soulful voice and rappers Stephen Guiterrez and Tye Smith ignited the crowd with their high energy and stellar lyrics! Scott Koetje inspired us with a couple of his uplifting songs and Megan Le beautifully sang a tender original song.  The band and I came back up to  play some of our favorite songs from Meant To Be and Streams In The Wasteland. I loved jamming with the band and rocking out a bit! Greg and I also debuted a new worship song acoustically!  The Romeoville Campus Choir Choir & Renea Taylor  joined us on "Come Home ".  They gave me goosebumps, they sounded so awesome! The Choir also joined in on one of Renea's original songs and on "I Am Free", which was performed by Greg and Renea and all the featured artists.

So all in all a pretty exciting night and I look forward to the next one!

See you at the next show on July 25th!

Vanessa E.

Hi friends!

Please join me and the band for a special Songwriter Concert this Saturday,  July 11th at the Children & Arts Center in Romeoville, IL at 7:00pm to showcase new and established songwriters and benefit a local family that lost their home and 2 dogs after a gas explosion. This actually happened on my block and our neighbor was also injured, since she was inside when the house exploded.

This is a FREE concert for ALL AGES, however; we will be having a bake sale and taking up a free will offering and proceeds will go to this family.

I am excited to perform with the band and debut a new song! The talented and energetic Renea Taylor will be performing as well as Tim Taylor from The Family Worship Center in Indiana and the CCC Romeoville Campus Choir. Introducing up and coming local talent:

Scott Koetje
Stephen Gutierrez and Tye Smith, StuCo Rap Artists
Megan Le, StuCo Vocalist
Tracy Vokac - Poetry
And Pastor Dennis Taylor - MC

Please go to the shows page for directions and to view the flier.

Please help spread the word and most importantly: Please join us!

Vanessa E.

Praying through the next steps for growing this ministry has lead me to an innovative way to share new music/writings and the creative process with you. I call what I do a ministry because I feel I am called to create art that inspires others to experience God.

As many of you know songwriting is a huge passion of mine and if I could make a living at it, it would be a dream come true! It is probably my favorite creative thing I do, hands down! I have decided to challenge myself and write at least one new song a month (maybe more). I would also like to write some worship songs this year as well as some songs to pitch to other artists to record. These songs may or may not make the next Vanessa E. CD but we would still like you to hear them and give your feedback.

Greg (my husband) and I have talked for a year about what it would look like to include you more in the creative process and have you partner with us. In praying through this, we came up with the idea to have a Vanessa E. Insider V.I.P Club! It will be a great way for us to include you on all the details of what is going on creatively behind the scenes! You will get to hear the new songs in their raw form as well as the stories behind them and you will get to help pick songs for the next project as well as give your on-going feedback! We pray that in doing this we will be inspiring and encouraging each other in our relationship with God.

There will be other special perks for members as well. For example; you will receive a complimentary autographed copy of any new releases and one free copy of each of the full length CD's plus a member discount on all Vanessa E. merchandise. You will receive regular podcasts and other bonus info that will not be released to the public! You will also be invited to a private concert for members only!

If this is something you would like to be a part of, you can sign up to become a member through the website on the insider club page.  Once you pay the yearly membership fee of $49.95, you will receive your first new song and hear the new podcast. The first song is called, "Starting Now" and I hope it will inspire you to make a positive impact in all you do! We will keep you updated regularly on what's new and will email you when the next song is ready for you to download and provide a way for you to give your thoughts.

I hope you will consider partnering with us on this exciting adventure of creating art that makes a difference!

God's blessings to you,

Vanessa

I'm excited to share the new Christmas EP with you titled, "Celebrate". This acoustic collection includes 3 original Christmas songs as well as some classic Christmas favorites.

The title “Celebrate” is inspired by the original song, “Why we Celebrate” and is a reminder during the busy holiday season to remember the true reason we celebrate. All the songs on this CD convey the message of God’s love through the gift of His Son and will hopefully inspire us all to celebrate the birth of Christ.

"Close To Me On Christmas", another original, is a dedication to the loved ones we miss especially during the holidays. I pray it is a blessing to any of you missing someone, it was helpful to me to express my own feelings through this song.

There is also an acoustic version of an earlier original, "The Gift" and a few of my favorite Christmas songs which include, O Holy Night, Go Tell It On The Mountain and our own bluesy version of Silent Night.

If you'd like to hear song clips or find out how to get copies of the new EP, please go to the music page.

We will have them at our next show which will be Sunday Dec. 14th at 7:15 at the Children & Arts Center in Romeoville. We will be performing the songs from "Celebrate" and a few others! You can also come early and check out the Pop Singer Christmas Student show and hear the talented students I teach at 6:00pm. Refreshments will also be served!

We hope to see you there and pray you have a blessed Christmas!

Vanessa