Living Room concert with Rosie Thomas

Rosie Thomas at Quincy House

Last night I went to a concert that probably goes down as one of my favorites. Rosie Thomas, an indie singer/songwriter gave a concert at the Quincy House - a house of Catholic guys not too far from where I live. It was really neat to attend a concert in such a small intimate setting. There were probably just over 30 people or so there.

I was introduced to Rosie Thomas through Pandora, and loved her simple, whimiscal songs and how she gets to the core of life, love, and loss in her pieces in a very relateable way. Many of her songs have a definite underlying tone of melancholy and saddness, but as she said at her concert, they also carry with them threads of hope. I think some of her songs about searching for love and searching for her place in the world really have resonated with me and my current state in life.

Although I went to the concert expecting to hear good music, I left the concert with so much more - I left feeling very inspired and encouraged, both as a young woman and an artist.

Rosie is a delightfully down-to-earth musician, eager to share her story with her audience, and to talk to them as long lost friends, rather than distant fans. From the minute she introduced her show, I was impressed at how real she was, and how much simple wisdom she sought to share with us.

It was very sweet, because her guitarist is now her husband; I believe they got married about two years ago. It was neat to watch them playing together, and to hear her talk about the ways that they complement and complete one another. What a beautiful witness to marriage. But she was talking about how when she got married, one of her fans came up to her and asked, "Aw, Rosie, are you still going to write sad songs?" She thought about it for a minute and then explained that, yes she would. She went on to say that even though marriage is a beautiful thing and she is so blessed to have found her soul mate, there are still going to be times of hardship. That's just life. You are always going to have struggles, and challenges, and loneliness. There is always going to be difficulties, and so yes, she was still going to be writing some sad songs. Her fan was grateful. She said, though, that despite the sad tones of many of her songs, she also sought to impart a deeper message of hope. Hope despite the sadness in life. I think this is why her music is so brilliant. We can all relate so well to the cries and wonderings within her songs, but there is still an underlying redemptive seed within them. And this, essentially, is what the Christian journey is all about.

Guitarist, Jeff Shoup and Rosie Thomas

Another thing that really inspired me about her performance was the way that she imparted her love for her art, and her love for using her art to touch people. She talked about the things that bring her joy, and she said "being vulnerable and transparent in my music" in order to touch people brings her a great joy. It made me think about how vulnerability and transparency is often an essential part of creating art; it's about revealing deep parts of yourself, your insecurities, your hopes, your fears, and your dreams to the world through a particular medium. It can be a little scary at times to be so open and honest. But in the end, it is that vulnerability that creates a bridge to other seeking souls and strikes a chord within their own personal experience. And in the end, this is incredibly fulfilling to use your art to speak truth.

I could go on and talk about many of the other things she shared between her songs, but I think I will leave it at this, with the lyrics of one of my favorites of her songs. She reassured us that this song was a testament to the fact that even when you think you will never find true love, it can happen after even after a long time of waiting, doubting, wishing. A lovely witness to hope.

All My Life

I've been waiting all my life
I've been waiting for you to come
I've been traveling and wandering
Alone on my own for too long
I swear I tried to convince myself
It would be much easier being alone
But after running circle after circle
I'm tired of being on my own
I've been waiting all my life
I've been waiting for you to come
I've been traveling and wandering
Alone on my own for too long
I wish I could have met your brother
I would tell him how much I am in love
I swear I'll ask him question after question
Confessions about you growing up
I thank God for blessing me
Well beyond I could have thought
And reminding me of how good life can be
When you let yourself fall into his love
Cuz I've been waiting all my life
I've been waiting for you to come