barry and michelle patterson

Melissa Passes the Baton to Barry (and a special song for you)

 

Melissa's project is complete!  It was finished before Christmas but we have been waiting for it to be downloadable to announce it to you.   The process was fun for all of us.  We accomplished a great deal in little over a week and we can't wait for you to hear it.  Download it at CDBABY or itunes.   We are so proud of her! We really believe in her and the songs God pulls out of her and this cd will be good for your heart. 

It seems she has passed the recording baton to Barry and he has very recently (as in yesterday) decided to do the recording I have been begging him to do for 7 years.  He has set aside this entire coming week to record an acoustic, Barry and guitar project.  He has 17 songs to choose from and I just listened through all of the scratches and got super excited. It is pretty near a crime that some of these songs have been locked up for so long. I will stalk him a bit this week and try to make him give you a sampling.

And, as a special treat for you, we are posting a really special song for you to download.  Michelle's dad, Russell Thornberry, was a big Canadian folk artist when she was a child.  He recorded hit after hit in his day and the songs are proving pretty timeless.  For Christmas, we recorded our version of one of his #1 hits. For your listening pleasure, Miss January.

Miss January

The Trainwreck Congregation

As we promised, we are keeping you in the loop about our work with Esther Sparks.  We, along with a bunch of other folks in our community, have been working on a project with the Sparks for a while now. We are delighted to let you know that the project is complete and has morphed into a website called The Trainwreck Congregation.  It is a gathering place for everybody in need of redemption, so.....that means everybody.  The music set the tone for a site that welcomes frank conversation and mutual encouragement. Check out The Trainwreck Congregation.  Because we love you and want you to hear the music, here's a widget that will let you download the project free if you will pass the word along to five friends or for a donation.

8 Reasons YOU Should Go On Tour

Barry continues to make fun of the fact that I call an extended mostly-house concert trip going on "tour".  I will continue to call it that because I know I am working harder than most big-record-deal-rock stars and I need to call it that.   We have all been talking about what we liked and disliked about this tour.  The dislikes were mostly limited to the lack of space in a minivan, the weird November Texas heat and no hotel swimming pools, so we are all good. We have also been talking about what God did and how He led us, even when we thought it was just our "schedule". As we were obedient to give out what God has put in us, He continually arranged for us to be loved on and encouraged by the folks we were serving.  It is always refreshing to travel around and get peeks into the beautiful communities He inhabits. It's hard for us to describe all the different places and adventures, so we have compiled this special slide show so you can see the beauty for yourself.  You will most definitely want to go on a "tour" after seeing this. :)

San Antonio

Pulling out of San Antonio this afternoon after a wonderful night with Dan and Dawne Broadfield. They graciously hosted a house show and decked out their pad for the occasion. They are all eat up in art and our favorite piece on display was this smiling girl by Meagan Cullip.

We are cut from the same mold as those Broadfields and our kids adore each other as well. They head up a ministry called Artlife that we fully endorse. We made them open for us and we loved hearing them live for the first time.

Also thought you'd want to see a picture of Barry making a set list next to a jar of honeycomb and doll parts.

Thanks San Antonio! Warm air and warm folks!

Headed South

Southerners, we are headed your way!  Our fall tour starts October 9th and takes us all the way to the beginning of November.  DFW, San Antonio, Houston, Tuscaloosa, Birmingham & Baton Rouge are all on the docket.  Some cities have multiple shows, so you have lots of chances to come and see us.  We have new music to try out on you.  It's probably time we confessed why we like touring so much....it's because we always receive more than we give out.  It's fairly selfish really.  The folks we encounter inevitably bless us, speak into our hearts and encourage us.  We are praying that what we give out to you might even come close to how you bless us.

Colorado locals, please note the tour kick-off concert next Wednesday, October 8th.  It's your chance to hear us state-side.  We will be trying out some new songs on that crowd to see if they are tour worthy.  Come on out and be a part of the panel.

Here's another little treat for you.  Click HERE to access the live interview Michelle did in Nashville for Women's Radio at the Indiegrrls Conference.  It's a little noisy at first but it is a fun interview as Michelle was the surprise guest that the host knew nothing about.  There's a new song there as well...Diamondback.  Check it out.

All About You-showcase for Womensradio.com @Indiegrrl Conference in Nashvegas

Nashvegas

Sitting in the airport in Nashville thinking about my big weekend with my mom art the Indiegrrl Conference. The conference is an educational forum and showcase opportunity for independent female artists. I met a ton of really neat gals who are all trying to do the same thing I am, so there is definitely a sense of comraderie in place. The highlights of the trip are outlined in the photos.

1) an all female population
2) Tara Kayln Norman, a 15 year old up and coming and her brand new Luna guitar
3)www.weaseltrap.com. Bob and his amazing harmonic capo class.
4) Getting to play for new folks. I played 3 sets, one over streaming radio. My sweet friends, the Todds and Liesa Elliott (Nashvillians) came out as well.

I come away from this conference feeling encouraged that B and I are indeed doing a lot of things right. Also, further convinced that there is something inside of me that other people need. Bring it on. I love music.

What Patty's Do in August? Playing, competing, booking the south and scouting.

Patty's have a fun August in store and we'd love to see you at anything we are doing!

PLAYING
Locals, this Saturday, the 8th Michelle is performing with Rahim Quazi at the Woodland Park Art Alliance.  Email ascensionarts@mac.com for more info. He will also do a house concert in WP on the 14th, which you are cordially invited to. Check out the evite here.

Denver & WP, check our calendar for our Park Church and NCCF dates.

Nashvegas, get ready.  Michelle is coming out to play at the Indiegrrrrls Conference in the Rockin' Mom's showcase.  Her own rockin' mom will accompany her and we are praying it will be a fruitful trip for the kingdom and for Patty music!

COMPETING                                                                                                                                         Here's where we need your help.  From now through August 31, we are competing in the Taylor/Elixir Strings Test Drive contest.  If we can get our fanbase to vote us into the top 25 by August 31st, we move onto the next round where we compete musically. The prizes are a Taylor guitar and an edorsement of sorts.  You can vote once every day, so if you have nothing better to do with the remaining bits of your summer, will you vote for us?

BOOKING THE SOUTH                                                                                                                        We are taking a tour through the south in October.  We are booking it now and if you are a southerner with a hankerin' for some Pattys in your life, email us at ascensionarts@mac.com and let's be together!

SCOUTING                                                                                                                                         Elk hunting season is upon us and Barry will be ramping up his efforts to track them down. If you see any, please let him know.

Tioga, Bluegrass, Vacay & Besties

TIOGA                                                                                                                                               Michelle here as your storyteller for August...

We set off on our fateful journey with no inkling how interesting things would get... fast.  We left Colorado in our faithful Suburban and made it all the way to Harlowton, Montana.  Whereupon, the suburban proceeded to throw a rod.  We had to make a quick decision, as we were due in Calgary that night. We have put too many miles on that ol' wagon to justify fixing her at that point, so we looked around the booming metropolis of Harlowton to see what our options were.  The only thing in town that would fit all of us and our gear was Tioga. Tioga is a 1974 Doge camper.  As we were standing there praying about what to do, I remembered that Barry has been praying for an rv for a year now.  I could not stop smiling as we drove Tioga towards the border.  The kids were ecstatic at the lack of seat belts, the bench seating and the table.

 

I was ecstatic about a potty and fewer stops.  We were less ecstatic on the ride home when she started to leak like a sieve.  And increasingly less ecstatic at the thought of driving Tioga (currently our only family vehicle) to Wal-mart.  Let's all thank God for Tioga and join together to pray for a new vehicle for the Pattersons!

BLUEGRASS                                                                                                                                      Onto the musical portion of this month's blog.We played a house concert with my uncle Al in Calgary and it was a warm and comfortable as a house concert gets. Old school friends came out for it and that set the tone for a "reunion" theme for the whole trip.  We Tioga'd on out to Caroline, Alberta, my hometown, for a Gospel Music Festival.  It was really moving to be playing at the Living Faith Bible College campus where I grew up. I learned loads of Scripture there as a child, how to play volleyball and how to sing. I felt the heritage with many warm fuzzies.  One of the highlights of the festival was getting to hear the Larsgard's play.  They are a family that I grew up with that now has formed there own bluegrass band and it's a hoot to see these kids all grown up and mastering their instruments, actually, kicking their instrument's butts. Brilliant. We also had an intimate house concert with a gal I used to cheerlead with.  It was intimate enough to really get to have meaningful conversation and we loved it. Thanks, Aleta!

 

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VACAY

For the vacationish portion of our trip we did things like ride a roller coaster, go to a small town circus, swim in the creek, visit the Olympic park in Calgary, canoe, mini-golf, fish our brains out and drive around and look at some of the most incredible beauty in the universe.  We stayed with my parents, which was divine.  Gramma and Papa loved up on us hugely and the kids had the time of their lives.

      

LAKE LOUISE

BESTIES
One of the special parts of the vacationish part for me, was reuniting with my two closest childhood friends, Penny Harrison & Leona Dirsten. We have all been in each other's weddings but this was the first time all of our progeny was together at one time.  Please note and commend us for multiplying so well.  (one child is missing due to illness)  There are some friendships that are for life and these girls are lifetimers for me. What a blast to be together again.

  

Oh Canada, we enjoyed thee so much.  What an adventure! We can't wait to come back.

Rainbows, Rockin' Moms and Canadians

Canada, here we come.  We are starting at the bottom of the rainbow and driving to this far and distant land next week to reconnect with family and friends-the other end of the rainbow.  We are playing three different venues and we want the Canadians to come in droves. So here is all the information you'll need to find an event that will work for you! We still have available dates if any of you Canadians are in need of our services.  Just contact us at ascensionarts@mac.com.

CALGARY, July 15

GOSPEL MUSIC JAMBOREE, July 17-19

for the Jamboree, our scheduled appearances are as follows:
Friday (17th)  10:05 PM
 
Saturday (18th)  2:15 PM
 
Saturday (18th) 9:15 PM
 
Sunday (19th) 9:30 AM Leading worship

ROCKY MOUNTAIN HOUSE, July 19th                                                                                               When:   7:00 PM
Where: Weslowski's, 6020 59 St.

Here's a fun bit of news for you--Michelle was chosen to be a featured artist at www.rockinmoms.com.  Read the interview here.