The Sharaya Mikael House Show

Last night, my home had the pleasure of hosting a house show for Sharaya Mikael.

This talented songstress is a Portland native, now living in Nashville. A couple of my roommates met her during her 2010 48-state tour, and she decided to play a real gig at our place during her current tour.

Before, during, and after her set, Sharaya was a delight to spend time with. You can tell she is a passionate person and enjoys life, and that emotion comes through in her music (even the deeper stuff).

But first things first.

The opener for our house show was Shannon Simmons, a local DC artist that I know personally. She serenaded us on guitar and piano -- not at the same time, though that would be remarkable...

While I was tempted to bust out my Flip and get some footage, I hadn't asked so I didn't film any of tonight's concert. If you want to see a video of Shannon singing/playing, I found this one on YouTube.
Note: it's not a real performance [also, please don't be mad at me for finding and sharing, Shannon].

Next Sharaya stepped up to the "stage". She played songs from both of her albums, including upbeat tunes, some melancholy ones, and a cover of CCR's "Bad Moon Rising". The whole show was excellent, and I only wish it could have lasted longer.

If you'd like a little taste, you can watch this video for her song "Far Field".

Good stuff, eh? She's also on Twitter (I'm already following), Last.fm, Facebook, Spotify, and YouTube.

And if you want to buy her albums, you can do so on iTunes and Amazon.

Sharaya and Shannon after their performances

Great meeting you, Sharaya!

I believe I can speak for all of the DC crowd in saying we look forward to seeing you back here again soon, Sharaya. You're always welcome!