The Brink Lounge in Madison

Last night was a great turn out, yet again. My brother outdid himself with this show, and brought a bunch of people to see me at the Brink Lounge.

It was a pretty cool lounge area, with great drinks, and delicious pizza, so I was a happy girl. I got to reconnect and see people that I haven't seen in years. Everything went very well until our drive home...

My parents got a flat tire on the way from Madison to Green Bay at midnight! It was crazy, they ended up getting home at 2 a.m. those party animals, I think they just wanted to wait up and greet their anniversary like rock stars (happy 39th m & d!).

I'm tired tonight and have to get up to sing for 8:15 tomorrow morning, so I'll leave you with a few photos.

Here I am at The Brink Lounge - check out those fancy stage lights!



Here's Gaby with my friends Sarah, Jay and their kiddos Henry and Brin.



Thanks so much for following along. Tomorrow morning I'm singing as a musical guest at Calvary Lutheran Church, and the next show is in St. Paul, MN on Tuesday. We'll be at Dunn Brothers on Grand Ave - stop in if you're in the neighborhood!

Open mic night in Chicago...

I have been having the best days!

This morning Luke and Julia took off for their jobs (Julia just graduated from medical school and is now a resident at the Children's Hospital - congrats, Julia!!) WAY early this morning, and Gaby and I took our sweet time getting up and at 'em.

Anyway, we spent the day walking around Chicago, we went to the beach, we had some lunch, we walked more, and we saw a cool nature preserve pond. It was a great day, very relaxing. Then we all went out to dinner together at a cool little place just down the road, and then Luke and I went to Murphy's Bleachers right across the street from the entrance to Wrigley Field where I played at open mic. (Julia had more work to do, and Gaby isn't 21 yet).

It was a great open mic, I got to meet a few people, I got to hear some great people (thank God, because some open mic nights can be brutal - we've all been there...) and I got to play some more of my songs in yet another city.

Anyway, thanks to those of you who have been following along this tour, and thanks for reading these blogs. I've included a few more photos!! Here's the photo of me in front of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Seriously, how cool is that building?



And here's a picture of the Chicago skyline at the beach. What a great view. And we have been staying just a half mile from here - how lucky are we?! Honestly it could be a postcard.



Thanks so much for following along! Tomorrow, we head for Madison, WI at the Brink Lounge. It's going to be great!

Rock n' Roll, baby!

After a fun show last night, Gaby and I crashed pretty hard. We of course shut down the bar, because we ended up staying in the apartment right above it. The owner of the Town Fryer puts up her out of town musical acts (thanks Susie!) and lives in one of the coolest apartments ever. It's making me think about moving to Cleveland and opening a bar. Moving along...

We got up this morning by 9 because I wanted to finish a little work before we went to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. It was awesome! I saw so many things (actually at one point, we needed to sit down and take a lunch break, because I just couldn't focus on all of the things I was seeing anymore) lots of original lyrics, old guitars, the piano used to record at Sun Studios, crazy outfits people used to wear (there's a Madonna display - you can imagine the cones!) It was really great. And how cool is this, if you're a touring musician and bring in your CD, they'll let you in for free. Just more potential displays I guess - who knows, someday my bootleg copy of "Stay" could be in one of those glass cases. Ah, to have a dream.

Gaby and I walked around a little bit - saw Lake Erie and the Browns Stadium (I don't know why I reacted so strongly - must have something to do with the Green Bay still in my blood), and then we took off and had a nice easy drive to Chicago.

We're staying tonight and tomorrow with my friends Luke and Julia (thanks guys!) here in Chicago. It's very fun seeing them, because the last time we were together I was singing at their wedding - crazy, huh? Be careful if you ever ask me to sing at your wedding, I may just ask you to lend me your couch - something to think about. Anyway...they have a really cool place, in a great part of the city so I can't wait to walk around a little and explore before I play tomorrow night.

Check out the photos - I'm sure I'll have more to update you on tomorrow!


Here I am in front of a HUGE boat! I was talking to my brother while Gaby took the photo - hey, bro!


Here's Gaby in front of Lake Erie - we had the most gorgeous day for a little walk.


Seriously, what's my deal? I don't even know what happened, I just felt very green and yellow for a moment or something - must be because I've been hearing so much about Brett lately.


Gaby and I were trying to think of a way that we could keep track of all of the states she's been to. We decided that posing her with a map of Indiana in front of a busy highway would be the best way to prove she's been through the state.


Gaby took a great photo of the sunset that welcomed us to Chicago. Hey dad, I've been keeping my windshield pretty clean!

The Town Fryer

This morning, Gaby and I got up and took a scenic route out of Pittsburgh (we were mislead by a detour and the Garmin) and ended up at a beautiful overlook. We took a few pictures, take a look!





We took a nice and easy drive to Cleveland (I was super sleepy again today) with a few breaks. We stopped for lunch at the McDonald's in the visit center, which was absolutely disgusting and delicious at the same time! But it provided us with some nice information on the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame - we'll be visiting tomorrow before we leave for Chicago!

We arrived nice and early at the Town Fryer, met Susie, the owner, and got set up, ready and rested for tonight's show. I played with some fantastic musicians, and we did a cool thing. All five of us sat on stage at the same time, played one song after another, and told the stories behind our songs and why we were playing them. It was like VH1 behind the music - at least I'd like to think so - and it ended up being a really cool evening. I played with Ryann Anderson, Shawn Brewster, Randy Martin and Jim Snively, who are all local musicians. It was great to hear their songs and get to talk with them throughout the night. Plus we all swapped CD's so Gaby and I will have some nice tunes on the way to the central time zone tomorrow.

I'll be performing in Chicago on Thursday night at 9 p.m. at Murphy's Bleachers. If any of you live in the area, or have friends and family there - tell them to come out!

Lastly, I've included some photos, you can see Gaby and I in Boston with Sam Adams, Gaby and how the songwriter night looked tonight at the Town Fryer (left to right: Randy Martin, Jim Snively, Ryann Anderson, Shawn Brewster and me.) Enjoy!

Ladies night in Pittsburgh!

Another great day today.

Gaby and I left Harrisburg this afternoon and arrived in Pittsburgh in time to go out for Chinese food with my new friend Joy.

We played a "ladies night" at Connections Cafe in Oakland, and had a great time. The line up was Heather Kropf, me, and Joy Ike, it was a night of ladies and a night of piano!

Tomorrow we're off to Cleveland for another songwriter showcase, this one will be all men (and me!) and a lot of guitar! Stay tuned...

ps...I posted some of my photos from the Litchfield Concert on the Green - look at all those people!

Sleepy Sunday!

Wow, am I tired today.

Friday night I played at a house concert with my friends Josh and Jake in Providence, RI. (Their band is called Gamblin Hands and you can listen to their music on myspace.) We had a lot of fun. We were outdoors performing on a deck with Christmas lights and candles - to keep away the bugs - and had a great turn out and a really fun evening.

The next day, we got up (Bryan, Gaby and I) and drove off leaving Bryan in Connecticut as Gaby and I continued on to Harrisburg. We battled thunderstorms and NYC traffic, but made it to Harrisburg, PA in one piece and with enough time to eat dinner before I had to play. Last night I played at a really cute place called the Crimson Frog - they have a cool piano there and the place has a really cozy vibe, so I enjoyed myself a lot. I was especially flattered when I received a request for a song (and it wasn't even from a friend or family member!). I had a great time meeting everyone, and seeing people that I hadn't been in touch with for a few years.

This morning I was up bright and early (my alarm was set for BEFORE 7 a.m.! For those of you who know me - really? How shocked are you? Anyway, I played at two church services this morning, at the church that my aunt, uncle, and cousins attend. It's a really cool congregation (they didn't even mind when I rocked out "Trouble" during the offering) they were so happy to have me there, and I even received an invitation to accompany them on a working trip down to Mexico in the fall. I think I might try going to Mexico sometime - I've been told that I would enjoy it. :)

And so now, I'm sitting on a very comfy couch writing this update, and frankly, I'm about ready to cuddle up next to my aunt and uncle's dog (her name is Charlie - and she is awesome!) and take a little nap.

Thanks so much again for all of your support, and stay posted as I head off for Pittsburgh tomorrow to play with my new friends Joy Ike and Heather Kropf!