The shot below of Pea Pickin’ Hearts was taken by Hillary at the Hard Rock Gatlinburg, reminds me just a touch… of Priscilla and Elvis. Maybe it is the sepia tone, my freshly coal-tinted locks… or maybe it is just the pictures of Elvis looming over Jon’s left shoulder.

Don’t forget to mark your calendars to see the Pea Pickin’ Hearts in the Wedding Chapel at the Hard Rock Gatlinburg on Wednesday, November 30th at 7pm for the Hard Rock Whispers series.

We’ll sing a few songs and tell a few stories
about the songs we sing (and maybe make them up)
The entertainment is FREE &
a full Hard Rock menu and bar will be available.

See you there!

NEVER READY
…for our CLOSEUPS

There aren’t alot of published candid pics of the Pea Pickin’ Hearts.  My vanity makes me a bit relieved that all the pics that I couldn’t Photoshop aren’t running rampant across the internet, ha.  You can’t blame a girl for disguising double chins and digitally helping the girdle do its job.  And don’t think that Jon is immune either.  He isn’t a fan of the alien-esque look his forehead takes on when shot at the wrong angle, ha, or how white is beard looks with too much flash.

However, this shot of Pea Pickin’ Hearts, taken by Hillary at the Hard Rock Gatlinburg, reminds me just a touch… of Priscilla and Elvis.  Maybe it is the sepia tone or my freshly coal-tinted locks… or maybe it is the pictures of Elvis looming over Jon’s shoulder. Regardless, we are both fans of this pic, double chin and all. continues below

Don’t forget to mark your calendars to see the Pea Pickin’ Hearts
in this same location, the Whiskey River Room,
at the Hard Rock Gatlinburg on

November 30th at 8pm
for the Hard Rock Whispers series. 

We’ll sing a few songs and tell a few stories
about the songs we sing (and maybe make them up)
The entertainment is FREE &
a full Hard Rock menu and bar will be available.

See you there!

It has been a whirlwind Summer for the Pea Pickin’ Hearts.  We’ve had more fun that we can explain as a part of the Smoky Mountain Tunes ‘N’ Tales program including making new friends Steve and Susie (known on the streets as Earl ‘n’ Pearl).  We were privileged to play The Inn at Christmas Place every Wednesday in July and lots of private shows for parties and celebrations all over town.

The Summer is winding down, and it has been an adventure.  I auditioned for The Voice, and although I didn’t get a call back… Jon and I had a great weekend in Nashville.  We just have three Tunes ‘N’ Tales gigs left, but we are looking forward to great gigs this Fall and Winter.  We are booking new dates every week from private parties to the Hard Rock, so make sure you check back often.

Work has just begun on the new CD.  Yes, we did promise to have it finished by now, but life has been a little hectic.  Be patient… it will be worth it.

Stay tuned and don’t forget to share us
with your friends on Facebook!

Today marks the 40th
Anniversary of the Hard Rock Cafe! 

The Pea Pickin’ Hearts are honored to be a part of the celebration by playing at 1pm at the Hard Rock Gatlinburg (@HRCGatlinburg).  In honor of the years the Hard Rock has rocked hard, we are playing a set of our originals mixed in with tribute performances of our favorite music legends from Patsy Cline and Hank Williams to Loretta Lynn and Tennessee Ernie Ford.  We’ll make it a sing-along, ha.  See you there!

Line Up for Founder’s Day at Hard Rock Gatlinburg:

11am Melanie Reed
1pm The Pea Pickin’ Hearts
3pm Martha Christian
7pm-ish Roman Reese
9pm Shawn Mullins!

Thanks to the Hard Rock for
Loving All and Serving All for 40 Years!

We sing about the agony of going 55 Toward 40, but Hard Rock Gatlinburg is making 40 look great with 40 Days That Rock. 

Come hear the Pea Pickin’ Hearts at Hard Rock Gatlinburg on Tuesday, May 24th at 9pm.  And it is FREE!

By the way, we want to say a HUGE “Thank You” to the Disc Exchange (where you can buy our CD) and Myi105.com for having us perform in-store on over the waves on the weekly Homegrown show.  We had a blast.  Thanks to Tony Cox for the picture below!

April showers have definitely brought May flowers… pea blossoms, if you will. It has been a CRAZY few weeks for the Pea Pickin’ Hearts! We even played Christmas songs before the Easter Egg hunt at The Inn at Christmas Place. Confused by the holiday fusion? We were too… just a little. We had a blast, and can now play “Peter Cottontail” by request, ha!

The Pea Pickin’ Hearts have just added some May dates including a live performance at the Disc Exchange that will be broadcast live on i105′s Homegrown show on May 18th! Plus, you can see our first of two performances on May 24th for the Hard Rock’s 40 Days that Rock celebration in honor of HR’s 40th anniversary!

Stay tuned for June updates… they are HUGE!

HOW THE COOKIE CRUMBLED

Well folks, Cabin Fever at the Hard Rock in Gatlinburg is over for another year, and here are the results:

Third Place went to the Pea Pickin’ Hearts.  No cries of protest, please.  We deserved third.  We ran into a sound nightmare and let it spook us.  As a result, we put on a bad show.  It happens.

Second Place went to the lovely Melanie Reed.  I was THRILLED to hear Goodbye You, Hello Chardonnay again and touched to receive a t-shirt with the same slogan.  I’m wearing it now, but thought drinking chardonnay at lunch was ill-advised.

First Place went to Martha Christian.  She was lovely last night, as always and had the crowd all but hanging from the rafters.  Congratulations on a great peformance, Martha.

The Peas are taking a little time off until April 10th.  We are headed to Phoenix for the opening of my first solo/duo art show in 2 years.  Then we return to record our radio spot for Mixx 105.5 FM’s locals show.

Thank you for all of your support!

We hope to see you out in support for the Pea Pickin’ Hearts at the Hard Rock in Gatlinburg for the Finals of the Cabin Fever Singer / Songwriter competition.  The competition begins at 7pm, but you remember our motto, right?

COME EARLY. SIT CLOSE. SCREAM LOUDLY.

Where was this dress when I was deciding what to wear tonight?

COMPETITION
stepped up
AGAIN!

The Cabin Fever Singer Songwriter series at the Hard Rock Gatlinburg continued with the Semi Final round on March 3rd.

This was the fifth of a six-night series and featured regional artists showcasing original acoustic songs in competition for nightly prizes as well as a series grand prize. The Finals are up next on March 17th (St. Patty’s Day) and will feature top four winners from the Semi Final round. 

Here are the results along with a little unexpected video of The Peas.

The grand prize
includes the following:

An 8-hour recording session courtesy of Music Row Studios, Appearances on Writer’s Block , Home Grown, Local Mix at Six, and the main performance stage at the Nashville Songwriter’s Festival on June 4, 2011.

We were honored to be amongst the finalists and great company with such talent.  All four finalists were seperated in score by ONE SINGLE POINT.  Don’t forget to come out and cheer during the Finals on March 17th!

The 4th Place finalist was the lovely Melanie Reed from Johnson City, TN (pictured left). 

Melanie was the first place winner of Week 2, and she was also the first female to place in competition!  I can’t wait to hear what she’ll sing at the Finals… fingers crossed that I get to hear a reprise of “Goodbye You, Hello Chardonnay.”

The 3rd Place winner was Roman Reese (pictured right).  Roman was the 2nd Place winner from Week 3!    He had my attention from the first line of the first song: “How do you clean blood from a hard wood floor”– pardon my paraphrasing.  If you want to learn more about Roman, head on over to Facebook, listen to Hemlock or check out his site www.RomanReese.com.  And, don’t forget to pick up your copy of Listen Before Dialing!

The 2nd Place winners
AGAIN were yours truly,
the Pea Pickin Hearts.

We simply had a blast. We started our show with Suspicious–one of my many ramblings about my favorite subject–Jon.  I know, I know, ewwww!  Luckily, our friend Becky captured Suspicious on video… including my explanation that I am not a lush.  Geez…just great.  Thanks, Becky!

But, between songs, I heard the bar bell ringing, and honestly, it made my night. We finished up with “Sky is Blue Truth,” a campy little number written about living in a small town.

Special thanks to all who turned out to cheer for us.
The crowd was deafening.

Is it too much to ask all of you for yet another encore experience as our audience? We’d love to have you come out on March 17th and bring all of your closest friends. No, really, ALL of them. 25% of our score is audience response.  

We tied the first place winner for audience participation tonight.  So you did your part.  We are just asking for one more repeat.  We promise to sing different songs. And hey, it is St. Patty’s Day to boot! 

First Place went to
Martha Christian.

Martha beat us as the winner of Week 4 too.  I wanna dislike her, really.  But she’s made it REALLY hard.  She’s sweet, talented and the mother of FOUR kids.  Then she had to go and friend me on facebook.  I am convinced that being nice is another part of her shrewd strategy.  We love her.  And we are giving our fans permission to love her too… just not as much as The Peas.

Follow the Pea Pickin’ Hearts by Email to receive updates on the Hard Rock Gatlinburg Cabin Fever Singer Songwriter series!

You helped us get to the Semi-Finals at the Hard Rock Cabin Fever Singer Songwriter series… so we’re counting on you to take us all the way. Come cheer for the Pea Pickin’ Hearts at the Hard Rock in Gatlinburg on Thursday, March 3rd at 7p.m.  No Cover!

COME EARLY . SIT CLOSE . SCREAM LOUDLY.