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Monday, February 9, 2009
Bill Clinton to Shawn Mullins: I should have brought my sax!
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Singer-songwriter Shawn Mullins recently entertained former President Bill Clinton, and now lends his talents to an upcoming charity event. Photos by Jessica McGowan.
Guests at this year’s gala benefiting the Partnership Against Domestic Violence are in for an awesome evening.
Singer-songwriter Shawn Mullins is scheduled to perform at the Feb. 21 event, being held at the InterContinental Hotel in Buckhead.
Best known for hits “Lullaby” and “Shimmer,” Mullins also recorded a song called “Eggshells,” telling the story of a woman who has endured an abusive situation.
“It’s never not been on my mind,” he said.
Suzanne Sitherwood and Guy Griswold chair the black-tie event, which raises money for violence prevention, emergency intervention, and long-term advocacy for battered women and their children in metro Atlanta.
“I do upwards of 150 shows a year, and after each show I go meet people and thank them for coming,” Mullins said. “There isn’t a single show where someone doesn’t say, ‘Your music helped me through something. So I’m really excited to be involved.”
The gala features a cocktail hour and seated dinner, silent and live auctions and a raffle of a 2008 Porsche 911 Carrera S coupe valued at $94,000. Raffle tickets are $100 and 1,500 will be sold. Tickets to the event are $350 and sponsorships range from $5,000 to $75,000. For info call 404-870-9616, e-mail development@padv.org or see the PADV Web site.
We caught up with Mullins Monday afternoon at Inman Perk to talk about his fledgling acting career, his recent encounter with President Clinton and his thoughts about becoming a first-time dad later this year.
Q: What are you writing these days?
A: I’ve been going to Nashville a lot to write in a country vein. Simplifying sometimes is the way to go. The first 10 or 15 years of songwriting, I would think how can I be smarter in my songs. I just wrote a song called “Light You Up.” I have a really good feeling about it.
Q: What do you think people want from the music scene today, given the dreary headlines that dominate the news?
A: We need hope right now. We all need to feel like the struggle is going to end. Things are going to be ok. We’re going to work it out.
Q: You performed in Washington around the time of the inauguration?
A: It was a fundraiser for Terry McAuliffe who is running for governor of Virginia. I got to meet Bill Clinton. What a presence. He’s like a rock star. He made it a point to come over and say hi. He said, ‘I should have brought my sax!’
Q: How’s the acting going? (Mullins is appearing in a new online series called High Rise, and just read for a part in a movie called “Get Low,” starring Robert Duvall and Sissy Spacek.
A: When I was a kid I was in a lot of plays and musicals. I took classes at the Alliance. I haven’t had any training as an adult. I don’t really know what I’m doing as an actor. I’m so in my element as a singer and songwriter and musician.
Q: How are you preparing to be a father?
A: The biggest thing is stopping all the negative stuff that a kid can pick up on, just being the most happy, positive adult I can be. I’d like to write songs for my kid. That’d be really cool. I can’t wait to be able to sing for my kid.
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Grammy Night in Atlanta
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
We didn’t make it to L.A. for the Grammy Awards, but were happy to meet street musician Mitch Green, who was taking requests outside a private party Sunday night.
Metro Atlanta and beyond was well-represented at this year’s Grammy Awards, with Ne-Yo, Sugarland, T.I. and CeCe Winans among the winners. The closest we got was the private party hosted by the Atlanta chapter of The Recording Academy. The event, which featured the Grammy Awards telecast on a huge screen, was held at the Hard Rock Cafe downtown.
Richard Redding, above, showed up in this fetching marching band get-up.
“I’m the drum major of funk,” he explained. Aha.
He attended with friends Celina Butler, Dr. JoAnn Donaldson and Esy Bait.
We also visited with Willie Turrentine, Stephany Garcia, Stevie Green and Ricarrah Riddle. The crowd of sponsors, artists and invited guests took in a buffet spread and then indulged in dual chocolate fondue stations, one milk chocolate and one white chocolate.
Also enjoying the evening were Sharee Clarke, left, and Angel Williams
and Trace Ellington, left, and Carmen Jones
Outside on the sidewalk, we ran up on a private concert. Jamie Flick and his son Benjamin, 10, are visiting from Pennsylvania (hope y’all are enjoying the 70-degree weather, fellas!) and had tried going into the Hard Rock. No dice. It was a private party, remember?
But street performer Mitch Green was taking requests. Benjamin wanted to hear the “Sesame Street” song and Green pulled out his trumpet to oblige.
“Can you tell me how to get, how to get to Sesame Street?” he asked, pulling the horn from his lips. “I’ve been trying to find it for a long time.”
The Pennsylvanians were on their way so Green asked if we had any special requests. I asked if he knew “Blessed Assurance,” No. 77 in the Methodist hymnal.
“Oh! That’s a good one,” Green said. Then he helpfully provided a list of Methodist churches in the area.
