Chelsea Mazur - Don't Call It a Dream, call it a plan.

-Chelsea Mazur-

“Don’t call it a dream. Call it a plan.”

Chelsea Mazur lives by the above quote. Chelsea has arrived in Nashville not with a dream but with a plan. That plan is a simple one, she intends to further her music career here and won't stop until she gets where she wants to be.

Chelsea Mazur was raised in Jackson, Michigan and fell in love with music at a very young age. She began writing songs at age seven, she allowed the music to take her away getting her through any hard times. At age fourteen, Chelsea started entering singing competitions, and routinely finishing in the top three. She has performed at many venues and has sang the National Anthem at numerous sporting events.

The talent doesn’t stop with music. Chelsea has studied dance all of her life and got very competitive with it. Being a studio trained dancer paid off in 2015. That is the year she graduated from high school and her dance studio. Chelsea auditioned with 148 other dancers and became one of the nine new members of the international hip-hop crew called "2XS" in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Her dance choreography was performed in Chicago and numerous places in Michigan.

Chelsea remaind with the crew for a year before deciding to pack her bags, move to Nashville, and focus all of her energy on her music and music only.

Chelsea has released two singles. The first titled “Home” was released in September 2016. Her second single “Hopeless Romantic” could not have been released on a better date than February 14, 2017.

Purchase “Home” from iTunes

Purchase “Hopeless Romantic” from iTunes.

Both singles can also be found on Spotify and several other music sharing websites.

This past year Chelsea has been writing, co-writing, and networking every day while working on her first album with the help of her producer, Gary Garris. I asked Chelsea how that was going.

“I have tons of new music in the works. I've written too many songs to count since “Home” and “Hopeless Romantic” came out.

Then she let me in on a surprise she has in store for her fans.

“I am releasing two demos on my SoundCloud really - really soon so stay tuned. ;)

Since Chelsea is focusing on co-writing and recording right now she doesn’t have any shows or tours scheduled at this time. However she hopes in the near future she will be out and about playing around town.

Along with her music Chelsea has started dancing once again working for the dance company “Hall of Fame Dance Challenge”. Chelsea is excited about touring the United States with the show. Her next tour will start in January 2018 and end in July 2018.

I asked Chelsea with her busy schedule did she ever get any down time and if she did what did she like to do?

“On my down time in Nashville I like to go to the Farmers Market and buy fresh vegetables and take advantage of the free samples, 'cause of struggling musician probs. ;) I also like to hang out with my friends and go on walks in East Nash and get burgers at Dino's. (They’re the best)”

The next question I tossed at Chelsea; are you a dog or cat person?

“Well I love both cats and dogs but overall I am a cat lady. In Nashville I don't have any animals because I'm too busy to have them. Back home in Michigan I have two dogs: a Jack Russel named Mercy and an Australian Shepherd/Elkhound mix named Lacy. I also have 6 cats (yes, I know, I'm the crazy cat lady) and their names are Ellie, Clemintine, Peaches, Monkey, Arie, and Cow. (My 10 year old sisters named most of them so don't judge me...)”

Since we are transitioning from summer to fall I wanted to know if Chelsea was a beach or mountain type of person. Then I asked her what her favorite season was.

“This question is so hard for me to answer because I love nature and the outdoors so much. I love both. Honestly California may just have to be my home one day. I love every season also...I'm from Michigan so we definitely have them all. But if I had to pick just one I would have to say fall.”

I inquired what Chelsea did to relax and unwind after a stressful day.

“I'm very big into yoga and meditation. When I'm feeling stressed or just need to relax I will spend my time at Hot Yoga East Nashville. Or just watch That 70s' Show on Netflix, which works too.”

We all have to eat to survive so I asked Chelsea what her favorite food was and where in Nashville did she love to dine.

“Ugh the hardest question of them all!! Hahaha. I love literally all food except for shellfish (because if I ate it I would probs die #allergic) but if I had to pick one kind of food I would have to say Mexican. I think I have just about tried every place in Nashville. I love me some Bar Taco, Taco Mamacita, and Rose Pepper.”

As you can tell by some of Chelsea’s answers she has a great sense of humor and loves life along with being filled with talent. Make sure you follow her on one of the below social media sites as not to miss the two upcoming demos and to see when she begins to book shows.

• Official Website
• Facebook
• Twitter
• Instagram
• SoundCloud

Written by: Joseph Clay

[Joseph Clay is a Georgia native who now resides in East Nashville, Tennessee with his family. After twenty plus years in the engineering field Joseph decided to hang up his hard hat and retire to focus on his true passion, writing.

Joseph is a full time author and consultant for ThunderHorse Publishing, and is currently working on his next novel. His latest release Witch’s Dilemma is on sale now in paperback and eBook format. For more information on Joseph and his books visit his Official Website.

As a blogger Joseph not only contributes to Live Laugh Love Nashville - Music Monday Feature and other blogs, he has two of his own. Joe Coming Unglued and Joseph Clay - Author the Official Blog.

You can connect with Joseph on Facebook, Twitter and/or Instagram. You can check out Joseph’s book trailer videos on his YouTube Channel.]

-Sasha Aaron-

For singer-songwriter Sasha Aaron, the struggle to find herself and her calling ended the first time she picked up her father’s guitar.

“That was it. I started teaching myself by listening to country and classic rock albums. Eventually I started taking lessons, singing and, before I knew it, I was writing songs.” - [Source: sashaaaron.com]

[Photo Credit: Adrian David Payne.]

Sasha Aaron is a Miami native who now calls Nashville home. Musically influenced by Linda Ronstadt, The Eagles, Sheryl Crow, and Trisha Yearwood – Sasha's sound is the result of a perfect balance of California rock and the honest sensibilities of country music. The decision to move to Music City immediately proved positive as Sasha quickly gained the respect of top musicians and songwriters, co-writing with hit songwriters Steve Dean, Frank Myers and Rob Crosby, among others.

Her talent landed her a first place win in the 2014 Frank Brown International Songwriters Festival in the Songwriting Competition with her song “Throwback Radio” (co-written with veteran writer Bill DiLuigi). That same year, she headlined her first solo show at Nashville’s famed Bluebird Cafe. In 2015 Sasha had the honor of being a part of Clint Black’s “Competing for a Cause” benefiting RettSyndrome.org. As a final four contestant, she had the opportunity to sing with the country music superstar on national TV and perform her original song “Red Roses and White Whiskey”. Follow the link to view the spectacular performance.

Most recently Sasha played Rock Boat XVII alongside Sister Hazel, Better Than Ezra and Matt Nathanson. In all, her performing and songwriting skills have provided her the opportunity to open for several major acts and her songs have been featured on several MTV and CW network shows.

Sasha demonstrates the balance of California rock and the honest sensibilities of country music, mentioned above, along with her song writing talents and strong vocals on her single “Intervention” released in late 2016. “Intervention” is a single from her latest album, Look Good Gone, which is Sasha’s first full-length album with Grammy-nominated producer, Kent Wells (Dolly Parton). Look Good Gone was released in March of this year. Sasha’s new material is honest in content and exceptional in artistry. Here is what Sasha had to say about the album.

“The music on this project is the best I’ve written to-date, thanks to my growth as an artist and writer. It's a reflection of how living in Nashville has shaped me - for better or for worse.” – [Source: sashaaaron.com]

Sasha draws inspiration from her life and the lives of others, her primary motivation in everything she does remains, helping others.

“Country music is all about stories, and I love being a storyteller. My hope is always that, through those stories, someone will hear and say, ‘someone else out there gets me’.” - [Source: sashaaaron.com]

[Photo Credit: Adrian David Payne.]

Look Good Gone

“Ghost in This Town” (Watch the Video Below) –

“Intervention” – “Leave Love’s Bones Alone”

“Red Roses and White Whiskey” – “Barricade” – “Neon Sunshine” –

“Look Good Gone” - “There’s a Beer for That” – “I See Roses’ -

“Throwback Radio

Purchase the Album Look Good Gone

[“Intervention” Cover by Gabriel "gabo" Bautista Jr.]

Purchase the Single “Intervention”

Here is what Sasha had to say about this incredible cover for her single “Intervention.”

“One thing that has been important to me this time around is being true to who I am, so I'm embracing my geekiness and am commissioning some of my favorite comic book artists to create the art for the singles off the new album. This beautiful cover is done by Gabriel "gabo" Bautista Jr. You can find out more about him and see his amazing work by clicking HERE!” – [Source: sashaaaron.com]

Sasha’s debut Country album titled Sasha Arron was released in 2015. The album featured five songs. “Not Today” – “Billboard” – If I Could Make it Rain” – “Love Takes Everything” – Down on Duval Street.

Sasha’s music can be found on iTunes, Spotify, Amazon, and many other music sites!

Purchase the Album Look Good Gone

[Photo Credit: Tyler Miler.]

Want to see Sasha Arron in person and enjoy her music live, you want be sorry you did. Sasha makes it easy to keep up with where and when she will be performing. To find out if she is coming to a venue near you all you need to do is go to her website and click on the Shows tab in the menu. Below are some of her upcoming shows.

• Saturday August 12, 2017 @7:30pm – Franklin, Tennessee – Merridee’s - Songwriter Feature Series: w/ Jeremy Dean and Mandy Brooke
• Wednesday August 16 – Sunday August 20, 2017 – Gatlinburg, Tennessee – Smoky Mountains Songwriters Festival.
• Sunday September 24, 2017 @ 8:00pm – Nashville Tennessee – Blue Bird Café – Sunday Night Writers Night.

Below are the links to connect you with Sasha Aaron on the internet and social media sites.

Official Website

Facebook

Twitter

Instagram

YouTube

ReverbNation

Purchase the Album Look Good Gone

Sasha when not in studio or on the road works within the community She spends time volunteering for the local charity Musicians On Call, which delivers the healing power of music through on-site performances for those undergoing medical treatment.

When I asked Sasha what she did in her down time, outside of the music and charity work she replied.

“In my downtime, which honestly isn't much these days I'm either reading, catching up on nerdy TV or playing World of Warcraft. I've been playing since college. I've tried taking breaks from the game, but I always go back to it. It's my favorite thing to do to relax.”

Sasha also like comics, however what she reads depends on her mood. The last new series that she picked up, Animosity by Aftershock she fell in love with. With her busy schedule she has been keeping up, as best as she can with Saga, Birthright and The Wicked and The Divine (all Image comics). Her favorite series to reread are Hawkeye (Matt Fraction's and David Aja's run) and Superior Foes of Spider-Man. Sadly Sasha doesn’t get to go to a lot of Comicons. The few that she has got to attend were for work but some were for fun. She finished the conversation about the Comicons with this statement.

“I have so many that I'm looking forward to going to one day! NYCC is on my list of hopefuls this year. I love getting dressed up to go, it's one of my favorite parts. I've previously dressed up as Phoenix, Batgirl and Baroness (from G.I. Joe).”

[Bloggers note: If you don’t know who Baroness from G.I. Joe is, google a picture of her. Look at it and compare that pic to the one above and you will see Sasha nails it, right down to the glasses.]

Sasha is both a dog and cat person but at this time has only cats. Their names are Ivy, Gracie, Misfit, and Arthas. Before I could ask why so many cats, she explained. Sasha’s answer shows the heart of someone that cares about the animals of this world as well as people.

“I know 4 sounds like a lot, but previously working at animal hospitals it sometimes just happens!”

Sasha enjoys Nashville because there is something new popping up every day. She tells me that checking out all the new restaurants is probably her favorite thing to do and her favorite food is Cuban. She stated that sadly there is lack of Cuban food in Nashville for the most part. Her favorite place to eat/drink is {Pub}licity. Then she proceeds to inform me.

“I'm a West Nashvillian, we do have good food over here too!”

This proves Sasha not only has a voice of an angel, she also has super powers that allows her to hone in on people. Somehow Sasha knew I lived in prestigious East Nashville.

To wrap the interview up, before she figured out more about me, I ask Sasha what her favorite venue in Nashville was to play.

“My favorite venue that I've played here in Nashville is probably City Winery, but Bluebird Cafe will always be home.”

Purchase the Album Look Good Gone

Written 6-24-2017 by Joseph Clay for Live Laugh Love Nashville - Music Monday Feature.

[About the blogger: Joseph Clay is a blogger with two blogs of his own and a contributor to several other blogs. Joseph Clay is also an author for ThunderHorse Publishing. His latest release Witch’s Dilemma is on sale now in paperback an eBook format.

Official Website

Facebook

Twitter

Escape Experience

Escape Experience

Nashville

Do you love to solve puzzle? Work better on a tight deadline? How about creating your dream team where you are locked in a room and challenged to escape in sixty minutes or less?

Escape Experience Nashville is your ultimate destination, and was nominated for best Escape Game in the U.S. by "USA Today" in 2016. Spencer Rowland, one of the owners of Escape Experience, was nice enough to invite us over to the Nashville location, at 501 Union Street, try to escape. We didn't escape, we did however have a great time and will definitely be going back to try again!  We were also able to briefly interview Spencer, here’s what he had to say:

What is the most popular experience chosen?

It's hard to pin point one experience that people like the most. People have always had a fascination with busting out of prison so a lot of people love C-Block for that reason along with the mug shots before hand. For those who love a challenge (and the Back to the Future series), The Inheritance is the favorite. And if you're into a more physical/intense experience, Vaccine is a must do. 

Are there other experiences, maybe for the future? Chattanooga has The Bunker coming soon.

Absolutely, yes. Our Chattanooga location is finalizing The Bunker which we believe will be the most immersive and expansive escape room in the country. In Nashville, we have just started development on our fourth experience. We are not ready to release the theme or story line on it yet but if you're a fan of the movie Memento, get excited.

Has any one group escaped all three experiences?

Yes. The escape room industry has developed a hard core enthusiast community around it which has been fun to watch emerge. Within it, people band together to form teams where they go around the country/world to face off against escape rooms. We've had teams come through many times and do all three of our experiences back to back to back. Several have escaped all three. One of these teams currently has two of our existing records (C-Block and The Inheritance) and narrowly missed the record for Vaccine.

How do you come up with the ideas for new experiences?

A lot of our design is scratching our own itch. We start with what we would like to see ourselves in an escape room and build a story and narrative from there. Once we have a story line in place, we begin to build the environment in which it unfolds. Within that environment, we try to stuff as many puzzles, challenges and surprises as possible to make a truly memorable experience. We believe this design flow fosters the development of what is most important in an escape room - environmental authenticity and immersive story telling.

How long does it take to pull an experience together from start to finish?

Our design team is a stickler for detail so a lot of thought and effort is put into each experience. Typically, the complete development of an experience takes about three months. However, we're getting better at streamlining production which has allowed us to be more efficient. To counter that, we are always upping the complexity and technological innovation of each new experience which adds time to the development process.

What do you want people to know prior to starting an experience?

As little as possible. The surprises and spontaneity of our experiences is what make them such a blast. If you're new to escape rooms, be prepared to have your mind blown.

How long have you been located in Nashville?

My brother, cousin and I (owners) have lived most our lives in the Nashville area. We opened the doors to the Escape Experience - Nashville in February of 2016.

Whether you are looking for a venue for a team building event, an amazing activity for a birthday party, or just a challenging but unforgettable outing in Nashville, Escape Experience is prepared to meet all of your expectations.

Do you have what it takes? How well do you really work under pressure? You have only one hour. The countdown starts in 5…4…3….

Escape Experience Nashville is located at 501 Union Street. Reservations may be made online or calling (615) 891-7929.

Follow on Facebook, Twitter , and Instagram. Visit their website for photos, FAQs, and Experience descriptions.

Written by Heather Clift for Live Laugh Love Nashville

Making Mental Health a Priority

Making Mental Health a Priority

When it comes to our wellness, it’s easy for us to focus on the apparent. You know? The things that are easily seen by the naked eye and require little in the way of investment to manage. We try to be careful of the things we eat and we make sure to get our bodies even just a little more active to maintain our physical wellness. We are socially encouraged to get regular physical check-ups and most schools require records of said exams and records of immunizations to further our education. We talk about washing hands to prevent communicable disease; we encourage rest when we catch the common cold. It almost seems we have concluded, as a society, that wellness isn’t just about treating major illness but preventing it, and addressing minor infections before they become big.

This awareness, however, stops a few paces short of being holistic because the same approach isn’t being used for mental wellness. We’re getting to a place of awareness in our society as it pertains to mental health, and that is a good thing! Unfortunately, we are still approaching it from the vantage point of mental illnesses rather than on a continuum of wellness. As it stands, many healthcare plans that cover regular physical examinations exclude counseling. At work, we can call in sick for fevers or vomiting, but if we aren’t having a healthy mind day, we are often reduced to feigning physical illness to be excused. The same schools that require batteries of physical exams and preventative shots for admission have students on roster that have never even had a psychological evaluation, let alone 30 minutes of counseling.

Let’s be very clear. Just like every human being hiccups, coughs, encounters bouts of the common cold, food poisoning and the like, EVERY SINGLE human being experiences mental un-wellness. Every single human being and subsequently our society would benefit greatly from a yearly mental wellness exam. How many people found, in a simple routine examination, the early stages of cancer and could tackle it head on because it was caught early? Would not the same happen with fatal mental illnesses if we caught the early stages in routine exams? What would it look like if we could rest through a heavy anxiety day in the same way we rest through a feverish one? What would it look like do things DAILY to maintain our mental wellness in the way we wash hands to maintain our physical wellness?

Our beings are whole entities. We are body and mind. We must tend to both our physical and mental selves to attain to our highest level of wellness. Sometimes that means looking past the readily apparent and taking time to sit with the tougher sides. At the end of it all, our lives depend on it. Let’s be well!

Written on 05/15/17 for Live Laugh Love Nashville's Wellness Wednesday Blog by Del-Amina

Alexander's Catering and Café 15

The first definition of cater is to provide food and drinks, typically in a social setting, in a professional manner. Take that one step further; to cater is to accommodate and satisfy one’s needs.

Alexander’s Catering in Nashville encompasses and exquisitely solidifies the definition of cater and will exceed your expectations regardless of your event. From a boxed meal for a working lunch to an elegant, plated affair, Alexander’s Catering specializes in accommodating a variety of tastes from around the globe. Gluten-free, vegan and other dietary requests are also available. 

At the heart of this family-owned and operated dining experience are Stephanie [Kissleburg] and Alex [Griffin]. Meeting one another in the late ‘90s while working in a Nashville restaurant, this perfect pairing set the stage for their purchase of the company in 2004 after the birth of their son. The next course was, “to move into the Nashville City Center building in 2005 shortly after Metro moved to make improvements to the John Henry Hale housing area near Charlotte and 13th Ave. There is now a large community garden visible from the freeway where our kitchen once was,” Stephanie writes.

With over thirty years of culinary excellence, Alexander’s Catering services the Nashville/Davidson County area and other surrounding counties.

You can get a taste of Alexander’s daily. Quietly tucked away, but conveniently located on the 15^th floor of the Nashville City Center is Café 15.

When asked about this secret-but-not-really club-like hot spot, Stephanie’s passion glows. “It’s quite humble, but I'm really proud of the quality, price, and service we offer. We prep everything fresh each day, and I think we owe our twelve year success to that ethic.”

Get your day off to a start with something from the rotating breakfast menu of hot breakfast sandwiches. Maybe Waffle Wednesday or Big Breakfast Friday will hit the spot.

Need a mid-day pick me up? Drop into Café 15 for their hot lunch buffet, or a fresh salad and deli-style sandwich.

Café 15 is open Monday thru Friday from 7a.m. to 3 p.m.

Fun fact: Stephanie is half-Icelandic. Customers traveling to Iceland have had the opportunity to meet her family. (You can, too. Just ask her.)

***

Nothing brings people together like good food. Alexander’s Catering completes the experience.

Follow them on Facebook and Yelp and check out their Website to see the daily menu.

Written 5-12-17 by Heather Clift for Live Laugh Love Nashville - Small Business Saturday