SNOW!

Ahhh the snow. Unfortunately, it’s the thing that I can’t really compete with. It snowed about a foot here in Reading last night, and it’s still going strong. The Corolla is good, but I’m not sure it’s that good!



I’m not going to make it to Harrisburg tonight, and I’m really sorry about that - but I hope everyone stays home, warm and safe. Enjoy a cozy night in your own house, and I’ll set something up again at the Crimson Frog soon.

Don’t worry. I haven’t let the day go to waste…I posted a new song, Keep Hope, as a free download on the homepage of kristengraves.com, so go get it now! All you need to do is join my mailing list and you’re set. If you’re already on my mailing list, you can just enter your e-mail address and you’ll get the song. It’s a preview of the project I’m working on, so I hope you like it! I’m hoping it will be done sometime this summer – I’ll definitely keep you posted.

Talk to you soon, everyone.

On the road again...

It’s so good to be back on the road! Pulling onto the PA turnpike yesterday with a full tank of gas and my guitar on the back seat…seriously, the song almost writes itself.

I meant to post something last night, but I ended up hanging out with my friend Joy for a while, and her very kind roommate (thanks girls, for letting me crash at your house!) and we had a lot of fun talking about music, songwriting, recording, etc. It was great to reconnect and talk shop. As a matter of fact, Joy, Heather and I all have new recording projects in the works, so it’s a very exciting time!

I apologize for the lack of photos, but I forgot my camera cord (shocker, since I’m usually sooo organized) and Joy took some video from last night, so I’ll post it a little later once I have it!

Forgetting things like my camera, and face cream (at least I remembered my toothbrush) just reminds me that there are always pros and cons to everything, so touring during the winter is no exception.

A few cons for this trip…
1. It’s cold, and I hate the cold.
2. It’s snowing, which makes me have to stop to give my eyes a break.
3. There are too many tolls and they are annoying.
4. It’s difficult to eat healthy on the road. In this rest stop I’m looking around at a Starbucks, Hershey’s Ice Cream Shop, Burger King, Famiglia Pizzeria, and Popeye’s Chicken & Biscuits. What’s a girl to do? The first group traveling down to Mexico with Simply Smiles is next week, and we spend the last day on the beach! Am I ready for swimsuit season to begin?? And can someone please tell Burger King that a handful of iceburg lettuce and a few sad shriveled tomatoes…well, it does not a salad make, my friends.

On the other hand…this trip rules, and I’ll tell you why (ps…this is why I will always keep traveling and touring!!)
1. I get to see friends and family that I usually only speak to via e-mail.
2. I get to play in great listening rooms, to a fantastic audience like at Club Café last night!
3. It’s snowing and looks really beautiful as I’m driving, plus less people are out on the road today, so I am cruising. (Don’t worry, I’m not reckless or anything.)
4. It’s cold, so I get to wear nice cozy sweaters.
5. There are too many tolls, so I finally got an EZ Pass and tolls have become EZ!
6. It’s difficult to eat healthy, so to compliment my lonely salad, I ordered some BK french fries and THEY ARE DELICIOUS. Bikini, be damned.
7. This little tour gets me so excited and motivated for what’s to come.

To let you in on my future plans - I am working on a new recording project, which will be called “Singing for Hope,” my Singing for Hope Concert Series has already raised more than $3,000, and my tour this summer is going to be bigger than ever! I’m coming as far as Colorado, so I’ll see you soon! I’ll have a list of dates and cities in the next few weeks, so stay tuned.

Certainly you’ll agree that the pros definitely outweigh the cons!! I’d be crazy if I didn’t think so. Love you all, and see you soon!

ps...here was one extra thought I had...

Marketing…a musician’s foe (but it doesn’t have to be!) - Part 1

It’s no secret that I’m a huge fan of Seth Godin (marketing guru). I read his daily blog, I have copies of his books, and I’ve gotten to hear him speak (through a lucky invitation…I have a separate entry about that! You can visit www.kristengraves.com anytime for a story session.) Through a chain of events, Derek Sivers, CD Baby founder, invited me to review one of Seth’s books, Small is the New Big, on my blog. By the way...it's a signed copy, and on the front cover I am referred to as a "rock starlet"... Just thought you'd want to know!



So, here we go.

To start off, I love books that come in small manageable chapters, so this is the perfect book for someone like me with a short attention span. This book is a collection of blog entries that took 8 years to write (he picked the best ones for us!) so get to the store, pick up a copy and start reading. You can read the first chapter in the parking lot!

Since the book should not be read in one sitting, but rather enjoyed in small doses, I’ve been taking my time, and plan on continuing to enjoy the book for a while rather than cramming through the second half of it while I’m on vacation. That’s how good this book is - it’s vacation good. I don’t feel like I’m working as I’m reading this book, and taking naps in front of the fireplace up here in Vermont…and now in Maine…

One warning: if you don’t plan on doing anything to change your current situation (your career, your promoting, your creativity – this isn’t just for musicians you know!) don’t bother reading the book. You’ll end up motivated, you’ll make changes you never wanted to make, and then you’ll be mad at me.

So here are a few highlights from the book…in no particular order.

1. You’re always marketing. To use myself as an example – if I perform somewhere and sound great – only to finish the show and behave rudely, that’s not going to sell many CDs. Another story: the last time Bryan flew with AeroMexico airlines he had a terrible experience with an idiot flight attendant (that’s not me being rude, she was really terrible…if you want to know the full story send me an e-mail at kristen@kristengraves.com and I’ll tell you the entire thing), do you think we’ll be back? She was the head of marketing for that flight, so to speak, and she failed.

2. In the face of change, the competent are helpless. Being competent means that you are steady and reliable, but it doesn’t mean that you’re FANTASTIC! AMAZING! THE BEST SHOW EVER! It just means you delivered what was expected of you. I had my oil changed a few weeks ago…not only did the guys change my oil (competence), but they were friendly, moved efficiently, checked my car’s other fluids, brake lights, etc, and finished everything within 15 minutes and with a smile! Now, that’s a place that I’ll definitely recommend to a friend. Bob Dylan, is not someone who we’d describe as competent…you don’t always know what you’re going to get if you go see him in concert because he’s always changing how he performs. One friend of mine saw him, but he played with his back to the audience tapping out his songs on a small Casio keyboard, while another friend caught an amazing full band performance. He’s not competent - he’s brilliant.

3. Ignore everybody. This is a title of another book that has been recommended to me, written by Hugh MacLeod. But to stick to this book…have you heard of Elizabeth Gilbert? She wrote the popular book Eat, Pray, Love. I watched a talk that she gave about a year ago before her second book came out. Basically, her talk focused on the potential future ‘failure’ of her upcoming book. She knew that it was going to be nearly impossible to match the success she had found with her first novel, so she decided to write her next book knowing that it probably wouldn’t measure up. She accepted this fact, wrote the book anyway, and ignored anyone who only wanted to offer fear. I like that idea!

4. Turn strangers into friends, friends into fans, and fans into a sales force! I have lived this. How many people have I gotten to sign up for Seth Godin’s blog? How many books of his have I loaned out to friends? I’ve even gotten a friend to go and hear him speak! All because I believe in what he’s selling. So come up with an idea, a song, or a product, and get your fans to believe you!

5. Doing a ‘good job’ does not make you remarkable. On page 110 of the book, Seth describes a visit to Hershey Park, and calls it ‘good’. As I child, I remember going to Hershey Park, and I remember going to Disney World. Which place do you think I talked about the most when I was little? One of them is ‘good’ and at the other you get to meet Mickey.

6. No one’s perfect, so cut yourself some slack when you make a mistake and keep working! There’s a typo on page 54 of this book. If you find it, I’ll send you a free CD.

Those are my lessons so far in this “book review” of mine. Enjoy them…musicians, marketers, teachers and everyone; let’s talk about these ideas! We can all use some idea sharing – especially when they’re good ones.

Haiti...

Last night I could not stop crying about Haiti. I was watching coverage on CNN and the tears just kept coming. I turned off the TV to put on Star Wars IV, (obviously it was Bryan’s choice!) I still couldn’t stop – and I’m pretty sure I don’t care that much about wookies and sand people. The stories of the children, families and workers in Haiti are haunting and heartbreaking.

The only consolation is that we didn’t do this to each other. This devastation isn’t a result of war or human violence; it’s due to a natural disaster. There’s no one to blame, so we don’t need to waste any time pointing fingers, we can just jump right in and help.

Bryan’s organization, Simply Smiles, has fantastic programs in Mexico and South Dakota, so we did our research carefully to find a program to support in Haiti. I encourage you to do the same. Read through the administration costs and percentages of whatever organization you decide to use, because we want to make sure that as much of your contribution goes directly to our friends in Haiti as possible!

There are plenty of great organizations out there, and we chose to send our money through the Clinton Bush Haiti Fund. If you’re still looking for an organization to use, visit www.clintonbushhaitifund.org to see if it’s a good fit for you. There is a list of other organizations on their website as well, but please, find one that fits for you and give what you can as soon as you can.

Together we can give hope and save lives.

O Holy Night

Hi there!

I wanted to make sure and wish you all a beautiful season of peace and love! Here's a video for you, and you can download my version of "O Holy Night" for free from my website, KristenGraves.com.

Enjoy!
Kristen

Getting some press.

I just wanted to send out this article that one of my students, my grandma-in-law and my co-worker all cut out for me. Turns out, the press releases I've been sending out to promote shows are making a difference. Always good to know!



And stay tuned...I should have a little Christmas tune available for you soon!

Birthdays rule.

I love my birthday! It's a chance to reflect on the year past, a chance to set new goals, and a chance to be excited and have a good day - just because. Maybe I'll feel differently once I'm a little bit older, but until then - I wish I could have a birthday every week!

Because I love my birthday so much, for the last few years I have invented a special practice - the Birthday Month. It may not be new, it may not bring world peace, but it does allow you to have a great month. For the entire month of November I try to do only things that make me happy. It may sound selfish, but hear me out. If there's something that I don't feel like doing - I try really hard to make it fun. For example, I teach music lessons to a bunch of cool kids. I like everything about teaching lessons except sending out my monthly invoices. I hate having to go through my calendar and figure out how many lessons the kids have during the upcoming month, how much it will cost, how much their new books were, etc...

So this month I decided to listen to the CD Baby DIY podcast (any musicians out there, you should definitely subscribe to this - they have tons of great ideas, and non-musicians if you're looking for some new music, you'll really enjoy a lot of the episodes) as I was working on my invoices. Sure, I was much less efficient and it took me a little longer (the invoices were three weeks late) BUT I enjoyed doing them! What a breakthrough! I will of course be continuing this practice forever, because now invoices are a chance for me to listen to a really interesting interview.

Obviously, the trick is self-control, and only letting myself listen to the podcast while I'm working on invoices. This makes the invoices exciting - I'm trying not to focus on the part of this system where I could just listen to the podcast at any time. We'll see how long I can go before the system breaks down...

Also, I wanted to post a flyer for a very cool show I have coming up in December. Friday, December 11 at 7 p.m., I'll be playing at The Buttonwood Tree in Middletown (605 Main St.) as a fundraiser and awareness event for Simply Smiles. It is one of my favorite venues of all time - and I'm really looking forward to the evening. So, please - copy this flyer, e-mail it to your friends, get the word out. It's going to be a cool show (I'm working on a few surprise covers and new arrangements of old songs) and it's for an amazing project. Please take a moment and help get the word out!



With all of that said...I thought you'd want to see the cool birthday presents I've received. Last night at midnight I got a great Patagonia sweater from Bryan, and this morning I woke up to a gift card and some funky earrings from Gaby. I have the best family ever!



Start celebrating your birthday month a.s.a.p. and have a great Thanksgiving!

It never hurts to ask!

I had the BEST day yesterday, and it's only because I had the guts to ask a question. (You may or may not know this, but I'm not very good at asking for things...I can't even order Chinese food over the phone.) So I'm hoping that this entry inspires all of you to ask a question, or make a move that you've been holding back on. It will be worth it!

To start from the beginning...I have been reading a lot of blogs lately and listening to a bunch of podcasts on different ways to promote your own music. Every time I listen to a new episode or read the latest update I'm usually led to another helpful site or turned on to another smart person. A few months ago that exact thing happened. I was reading an update from Derek Sivers (founder of CD Baby...check him out at: www.dereksivers.org) and he turned me on to marketing guru, Seth Godin. Well, I subscribed to Seth's blog, read a few of his books, watched some videos on youtube, and got tons of cool ideas! He's smart, funny, and non-boring (my biggest fear when it comes to 'business'), so when I found out that he was going to be speaking in New York I immediately clicked on the link to see how much the ticket prices were.

Umm...they were $880. I do not have $880. If I did, I could have bought a ticket, and it would probably mean that I actually have more than $880, so I could spend the rest of it immediately on recording my new song (which I'll be playing this weekend...11/20 at The Funky Monkey in Cheshire, CT, and 11/21 at The Falcon in Marlboro, NY). So I decided to take a chance and send this e-mail:

Seth,

My name is Kristen Graves and I'm a folk/pop singer and songwriter living in Connecticut.  I was turned onto your blog a few weeks ago by Derek Sivers of CD Baby, and have enjoyed reading your thoughts.  

I was looking at the details for your November Sessions, and though I can't afford to go at this point in my career, I'll get to one of your sessions eventually!  With that said, if you're looking to add an 11th person to the table discussion or have someone sit on the floor at the Helen Mills Theatre - I'm there.  And if someone cancels at the last minute you can give me a call and I'll gladly fill in so that you don't have one empty seat staring back at you - I would gladly sacrifice my day to do that.  

Have a great day, and enjoy a good laugh over the girl who tried to get into your seminars for free...

Take care,
Kristen Graves

PS...if you'd like to check out my music, please visit: www.sonicbids.com/kristengraves

Guess what happened? He said yes! No only that, but he said that in order to pay for my ticket I could bring my guitar and play a few songs during the breaks! I freaked out.

So yesterday morning I went down to Manhattan and listened to Seth Godin at the Helen Mills Theater (by the way, you should visit his website and subscribe to his blog as well...www.sethgodin.com...I guarantee you'll learn something).

During the first break, Seth introduced me to everyone, and had me play a song. I chose to play "Time" because I've been playing that song forever and I was feeling a little nervous, but when I was done, not only did people clap, they cheered and whistled! I was so flattered. I came prepared, and had made enough demos to pass out to the entire room, but Seth played a little trick on everyone and made it seem like there were only a few available. After the cheering stopped (seriously, I could not stop smiling) Seth asked if anyone would like a CD of me. HANDS SHOT UP! The CD's that he passed out were gone so fast.

So at the next break, people were asking me for my card and asking for my iTunes link, so when I came out with more CDs (surprise!) to pass out, people all came around and were asking for one. Then when I had a few of my full albums in my hand people started buying them! (It was Seth's suggestion to bring them to sell...I would have just been happy to give away the demo CDs, but he was right - told you he was smart - and people wanted to buy them.) One lady bought four copies!

The rest of the day was reserved for questions, and everyone had tons of questions, but Seth answers questions with a lot of analogies and stories, and in a way that helped everyone apply the answer - so again, non-boring. I even asked a question about promoting next summer's tour...which by the way, is going to be awesome, but I'll have more info on that later. And because I was brave, and asked a question, I was awarded a Seth Godin action figure.



So...it was the best day...I got Seth Godin to sign my book (I signed a CD for him too), we took a picture together on my cell phone which I accidentally deleted, and at the end of the day I got to chat a little bit with the guy who hooked me up in the first place, Derek Sivers of CD Baby fame.



I'm the luckiest girl! And I'm so glad that I was feeling brave enough a month ago to ask a little question.

By the way...how cute is my awesome partner in crime, Bryan. Look at the 'congratulations on a great day' present he got me. Cookies are, after all, my favorite food.



Have a GREAT day, everyone!

Thank You!

It has been too long since my last blog post! As I’m sure you can imagine, after tour was over, I was pretty ready to turn off my computer and walk everywhere! Driving and typing were my biggest activities on tour – besides singing of course. I am happy to let you know that I’m already planning my next tours (that’s right, I’m going for more than one next year) and I’ve been happy to be home and back to the notepad. I’ve got some new songs in the works, local shows booked, and life is good!

I do need to take care of some unfinished business before I can tell you about all of the new things going on. The first thing I need to do…thank everyone! I had such a great summer tour, and I owe the success to a LOT of people.

Just to name a few…many, many thanks to those who booked me, hosted me, and served me: Matt Glasser and The Tavern Downtown staff, Judy Watts, Daniel Chase, Jose Docen, Frank Martin, Joann Joseph, “Ma” the bartender, Vanessa Malone, my fabulous husband, mom, dad, brother, Andrew @ Las Vetas (and the fantastic baristas!), Steve Opgenorth, Terry & Hard Bean friends, Heather Kropf, Randy, Joy Ike, Mark Wilson, Host Bob and staff at Acoustic Café, Jim Snively, Charlie & Jackie Brown, Randy Martin, The Rider Inn staff, Luke & Julia Harris, Mason Green and friends at The Bourgeois Pig, Elizabeth Brink and friends at The Brink Lounge, Jan & The Cup O’ Joy Staff, Kent Paulsen and the staff at Calvary Lutheran, Denise Weidner, Eric Dobbertin, Jean Salzman & Bob, Amy and the staff @ Java Joe’s, Left Bank Books – Shane, and all of the poets, Aunt LaDonna, Uncle Jim, Chris & Amanda, Bobby Klein, friends at Vic’s in Columbus, and Bill and staff at D’Vine!

Whew! I’m sure I’m forgetting a few people…so I need to thank everyone who came out and supported me along the way – I appreciate you so much!

Since returning home from my tour, I haven’t taken much down time, so that I could keep my momentum going. Here are a few highlights:

My friend Chris (www.chriscubeta.com) headlined at The Bowery Ballroom in NYC! It was a great show, stop in and visit his website for a listen.



I performed for the first time in D.C. I sang at Vermillion in Alexandria, VA to be exact. Afterward I did my best to track down the president, who was addressing Congress, but apparently they don’t let ‘just anyone’ into those meetings.



And lastly…I competed in (but didn’t quite win) the New England Megastar Competition at The Big E in Springfield, MA. It was a great experience and I got to perform “Trouble” in front of a huge audience, with a full band! I had a lot of fun, and can brag that I was a finalist in the biggest competition in this part of the country. Not too bad! (P.S. I'll have a video posted on youtube as soon as I can.)



Anyway, things keep moving, and I’ll have much more to report as we head into the cooler months, so until then – stay well!

Last day in Pittsburgh...

So last night I arrived in Pittsburgh, and as you know, the first thing I did was head to a coffee shop and post my blog.

After that I made it over to my friend Heather's house. We talked business for a while, since she is taking a tour this September out to the west coast. We had fun exchanging ideas, contacts, etc. By the way, you should check out her music at: www.heatherkropf.com, and let any coasties know that she's coming.

We took off for D'Vine soon after I arrived and pulled up to a really interesting place. D'Vine is really nice, and it has a cool, classy feel inside, but it's a part of a strip mall. So from the outside, it's kind of an interesting layout. Once you come through the doors though, it has a great feel.

Anyway, Heather and I loaded everything inside, and I took a picture of our names on the sign! You know I love to do that, and I couldn't help but do it just one more time...



We switched off playing sets to a small, but attentive crowd, and got to eat some good food. The sound system was excellent, and the lights and atmosphere really fit our sound. Here's picture of Heather playing!



Our friend Joy came with some people to add to the audience, so that was nice. Instead of taking a set break with house music, which was our original plan, we just had Joy come up and play a few songs instead. It was nice to hear her again...and you should check out her music too! www.joyike.com.

Today I will be driving from Pittsburgh to Westport. It's a long haul, so I've planned a stop to visit family in Harrisburg along the way. Hopefully that will split the drive up well! I'll post all of my thank you's, and repost friend's websites either tonight or tomorrow. I need to acknowledge a lot of people, and hopefully introduce all of you to some new independent musicians! See you in CT!

Last show of the tour!

Well, tonight's my last night on this tour, and I have to say...it feels like I've been driving for years! But, I'm really going to miss this. It feels like forever, but it also went by really fast. I don't know how that's possible, that's just the way it feels.

Yesterday morning I had a nice breakfast with my aunt at Cracker Barrel. (As a kid I used to think that CB only existed in Missouri, because we'd only go there when we visited for a family reunion...so it brought back a lot of memories.) We had a lot of fun talking, catching up, solving the problems of the world, etc. You know...girl talk stuff! Anyway, she sent me on my way with a little baggie of goodies, which was AWESOME! She is a great cook, so I was so happy to see a bag of her banana nut bread. I've been rationing it over the last two days, but I only have one piece left. It's so tempting!! Anyway, I took a photo of it so that I can remember it even after I've eaten it all.



On the way out of town I snapped one more photo of the arch. Isn't it pretty??



Yesterday I had to drive from St. Louis to Columbus, which is about a 7 hour drive, and non-exciting. I was making a LOT of phone calls from the road yesterday, but in between towns and on those hilly roads my phone did quite a bit of cutting out. (You could not 'hear me now', thanks a lot Verizon.) So I tried to keep myself entertained by watching for the state signs as I was getting close to the borders.

I traveled through Indiana...



And a few hours later crossed under this pretty arch into Ohio.



I arrived in Columbus with about two minutes to spare, so I started setting up my equipment at Vic's right away. It's a cool place...a music room with a bar and good food. And I was excited because my friend Bobby (who is an AMAZING guitar player...http://www.myspace.com/tonejunketmusic) came with some of his friends from town to see me. Bobby and I went to college together at St. Olaf, and now he's in the PhD program at Ohio State University studying geography.

After I finished playing, and I called Bobby up to play a song as well, we went out for ice cream at the place where everyone goes when they're in Columbus. I certainly didn't want to be left out of that! We went to Jeni's, and I had Thai Chili ice cream. It was like spicy peanut butter ice cream...surprisingly delicious!



Then we went back to Bobby's place (I was falling asleep) and ended up talking about music for a long time. He's working really hard on getting some of his songs placed on TV and in films, and he's meeting some success. When you check out his myspace page you'll know why!

This morning I took off to check out Columbus a little bit, and went out for some breakfast at the Northstar Cafe. I got some work done while I was eating so that I wouldn't feel guilty about spending some time exploring. I walked past an electrical workers union building, and as a lot of you know I'm a Pete Seeger fan, and since he's a fan of the unions, I thought he'd like to know that the union is alive and well in Columbus.



I visited a few little shops on High Street (that's one of the main streets in town) and spent some time looking around the Ohio State Bookstore. I also walked around the campus a little bit. It's very pretty. I snapped a photo of the sign so that you could see some of the grounds. My favorite part about this sign is that it says: THE Ohio State University.



After walking around a little bit I got back into my car (I was kind of putting it off) and on one of my breaks in Ohio...I saw some Amish people! I was so pumped! As you may remember, earlier this tour I bought some Amish Cheddar Popcorn just so that I could feel like I had seen some Amish people...but here was a mom and son selling some jam and other homemade goods on the side of the road. I didn't catch them in the photo because I didn't want to be rude, but I gave them a little wave!



Soon after that I crossed into West Virginia.



I didn't even know I was going to be going through West Virginia (I do NOT have a PhD in geography) and I was instantly seduced by an attraction sign that promised a view of a golden palace. Well, I took a wrong turn somewhere and just ended up wasting 30 minutes, without seeing a glimpse of a palace. Instead, I saw these little fawns on the side of the road. How cute are they? They were a little scared of me, but only when I pulled out the camera did they turn to run away.



After getting back on the highway after my detour failure, I finally got into Pennsylvania. It felt like it took forever today!



I was so happy to get back into Pittsburgh. I really like this town, and took a photo of these eyes, which were in downtown Pittsburgh. Just like a painting they followed me even as I was driving away.



Tonight I play with my friend Heather at D'Vine Wine in Wexford, so I'll take some photos and let you know how it went tomorrow! I can't believe I'll be sleeping in my own bed tomorrow night...I think I'm going to sleep pretty late on Saturday!

Des Moines and St. Louis

Well, it's been a few days since I've been able to update my blog, and it's because I've been so, so busy, and having a good time!

Monday morning, I left bright and early to head off to Des Moines, IA. I've never been to Iowa before, and I was really looking forward to it. Driving through southwestern Wisconsin is really beautiful, there are a lot of rolling hills, and it's very green.



I was enjoying it so much that I almost didn't notice this bumper sticker! I doubt you can read it from the blog, but it says, "we don't dial 911" and has a picture of a pistol. That's nice and comforting! I just had to take a picture, but I didn't want to get to close because if I had accidentally hit the back of his car he would not have dialed 911.



Soon after the bumper sticker, I knew I was getting close to the Iowa border so I pulled off to take a little break and buy a snack. What kind of a vending machine did they have? A Packer vending machine! You don't see those everywhere.



Soon after the Packer machine I crossed the Mississippi...



And was welcomed by the people of Iowa!



I saw TONS of corn...



And of course, when I pulled over to fill up my gas tank, I was filling up my car with ethanol.



I arrived at my friends' house (Jean and Bob) and we caught up, talked about the tour, made plans for the night and ate a delicious dinner. (Of course we ate some corn on the cob with our dinner!) Jean and I took off right after dinner to get to Java Joe's in downtown Des Moines. It was really nice! The coffee house is really big, and they have a little stage where musicians can play, and they have a nice crowd of people that come to listen to the music. Among the listeners, was my friend Shannon! I was so excited to see her...we've known each other for a long time: she used to babysit me when I was little, I sang at her wedding...I'm pretty sure she's known me my entire life. It was really nice of her to come, especially since she had to drive 50 miles!



Then yesterday, I spent the morning chatting with my friend, Jean, and took off after breakfast for St. Louis. I was a little sick of seeing corn fields, so I was happy when I could snap a photo of my Missouri sign.



Last night, was interesting. I played at a book store as a part of a poetry night, at Left-Bank Books, and it was great. The poets were really talented, and had some amazing lines. It made me wish that I worked harder on my lyrics. There was a bit of a somber/serious theme throughout all of the work that was a little different than my mostly positive folk/pop songs, but all in all, the night really flowed well. Again, let me say that the poets were very talented. I did, however, have one concern when a female poet went up front to read some of her erotic poetry. Now keep in mind, I'm sitting with my aunts, uncles and cousins listening to some nice (though serious) poetry, so I thought they were kidding when the erotic genre was brought up. It was not a joke. After a few poems and a lot of avoided eye contact between family members, the poet finally arrived at her RACY poem. What had the other poems been? I felt really nervous and a little embarrassed, but everyone seemed to like the poetry and certainly, no one was bored during the reading!

After the show (I played to a full bookstore of really attentive listeners, including my friend Jenilyn from college...I've been SO LUCKY on this tour!) I went out to dinner with my aunt, uncle and cousin. Here I am with my cousin, Amanda who had just finished her second day of classes at St. Louis University.



I got a chance to see a little bit of the campus...it's really beautiful! We had dinner out at the Old Spaghetti Factory, and on the way back home, I had to snap a quick photo of the arch!



This morning I had a chance to chat a little bit more with my aunt at, and now I'm pulled over in a Drury Inn parking lot using their wifi, as I'm on my way to Columbus, Ohio. So far it's been kind of a long day, but I'll keep an eye out for interesting photo opportunities!

Last day in GB!

Ok, so here's a crazy story. Last night I was up late watching a movie (Practical Magic, quite entertaining...) and I heard some noise in my parents' garage. Since they just had their garage broken into a few months ago, I thought the worst. As I was making my way to the garage door, I heard a car door slam (making me think about my equipment) and then I heard the door to the house open! Well, just as I turned the corner to greet the intruder (with no weapon or anything in my hand by the way, I guess I was just going to have to scream "boo!") I heard him/her turn on the bathroom sink, and saw that it was just my dad washing his hands.

He had been out there, and I didn't even know it. What was he doing? Cleaning and waxing my car. It looks amazing! He said he wanted to do a nice 'dad' thing for me before I took off. For those of you who know him...you're probably just nodding right now.

So, bright and early this morning, I drove my very shiny Corolla to Calvary Lutheran Church and sang a few songs during the morning services. It went really well! They have beautiful acoustics in the sanctuary, so I love singing there. Plus, my former high school music teacher is the choir director, so it's always fun to catch up with him as well as all of the other members that I've known since I was little. They took up a special offering to support Simply Smiles, and let me sell CDs afterwards. I sold a bunch! I think playing 'Trouble' during the service helped me sell a CD or two. Anyway, here I am posed in front of my beautiful car!



As some of you know, I had originally planned to be playing in Minneapolis this evening, but it turned out that even after scrambling I couldn't get anything set up. So, rather than head out to play three songs at an open mic, I took it as a sign that I should just rest for the afternoon. So, rest I did! Here I am lounging at my parents' cottage on the Green Bay...I think I fell asleep about three seconds after this photo was taken and woke up in the exact same position!



I spent the rest of the afternoon reading my book (The Tenth Circle by Jodi Picoult...it's a very fast read, I almost finished the entire thing today!) and of course wandered a little bit in the water.



After dinner we hung around and watched the sunset. I went out on the boat pier to take a photo, but I had to pass by this huge spider to get there! I took a photo just so you'd all know how brave I am.



And here's the sunset. Now, is there any question that I made the right decision to stay here?! I think sunsets beat open mic nights any day of the week.



Tomorrow I'm off to Des Moines. I've never been there before, so I'll try to explore a little bit and show you want I find!

Haunted venue #2

As I mentioned last night, I had my best show ever! It was so exciting, that even though I was exhausted, I had a hard time getting to sleep.

Boy did I regret that this morning. I was booked to sing at a wedding this afternoon, so I got myself up and ready this morning looking forward to playing. I took off with plenty of time so that I'd be able to set up my keyboard and still have time to walk around (it was outside at an old lighthouse), I didn't quite plan on being lost for AN HOUR! I pulled in just in the nick of time, thank goodness. They had an amazing setting, with a beautiful day. Look at the backdrop!



And then I had to take a picture of the lighthouse. Now the legend is, the groom's great great aunt haunts this place, and she got married at this very lighthouse 120 years ago, to the day. Pretty cool, huh? That brings my haunted venue number up to 2 on this tour. I didn't feel any sort of presence as we were there, but they did leave a chair open for her just in case she decided to take a seat!



Tonight I played in Neenah, WI at my friend Eric's coffee shop. It's a great little place with a lot of character. I was competing with a Packer game, so attendance was down since I'm sure a lot of people were at home watching the game, but what can you do? Someday I'll be able to compete with the Pack, but not quite yet. :)

Tomorrow morning I am playing at my parents' church, and then I'm taking off the evening. The Minneapolis trip is cancelled, so instead I'm going to spend the afternoon and evening hanging out with my parents and brother. I'll take a picture of the sunset at their cottage, and I think you'll understand why the cottage won out over playing a few songs at an open mic!

My best show ever!

Ok, so just a quick blog tonight because I'm so sleepy! I just had to tell you about my show at The Cup O' Joy!! This is the best show that I've ever played...I had so much fun! The room was packed, the sound system is amazing, I sold a bunch of CDs, and they gave me a tin of cookies in the green room! (Don't worry, I only ate one.)



Plus, they made a DVD of my performance tonight, so I will be able to post a few more songs on youtube...yay. I'll let you know as soon as I have anything new posted. One of the coolest parts of tonight was seeing a lot of friends. I enjoyed catching up with everyone, and as always, meeting new people as well. And something really cool? My two piano teachers were there tonight to hear me play. I would have to say...they probably both liked "Back to Piano" the most! How wonderful of them to come out and support me!



Again, sorry for the short blog, but I'm really tired and need to get some rest! Tomorrow afternoon I'm playing at a wedding (at a haunted lighthouse...I'll keep looking for ghosts...maybe friends of the ghost from The Rider Inn??), and then tomorrow night I'm playing in Neenah, WI at The Rock Island Cafe. Then Sunday morning I'm playing at Calvary Lutheran Church and Sunday night I'll be hanging out with my family as I take the evening off. (Sorry Minneapolis friends, the house concert fell through...I'm really sorry and I'll get something set up soon!)

Thanks again so much for following along with my adventures, and yay to the best night ever!!

Home sweet home!

I know that I've lived in Connecticut for years, but there's something about coming back to the place where you grew up, you know? It's so easy here in Green Bay, I know where everything is, I know all of the street names - I don't even need to turn the Garmin on! (THAT has been amazing by the way...I've gotten to check out a lot of things because of this GPS, I highly recommend getting one if you travel a lot.)

Anyway, yesterday morning I left a rainy Chicago (by the way...people are terrible drivers when it's raining, but that's for another blog) and I quickly arrived at the "Welcome to Wisconsin" sign! I of course had to snap a picture of it through the window.



I arrived in Madison at lunch time, so I found a wifi coffee house to eat some food and get some e-mails done before walking around Madison. (By the way, thanks everyone for the e-mails, the facebook messages, I really appreciate all of the support and well-wishes!) Madison is a really cool town, especially right now. A lot of kids were starting to come back into town getting ready for school - I saw a lot of very full cars and lots of boxes! One of the first places that I walked to was the capitol building. Isn't it nice?



Then I walked down State Street, which is the main shopping street...it's very fun. They have a lot of clothing boutiques, funky hippie stores, coffee shops, and even a cheese shop! I thought all of you would like to see this sign...Wisconsin people sure know their cheese, and this store will mail it to you anywhere!




After getting my fill of college-town, I needed to head back to my car and put money in the meter. On the way I saw a familiar face in a coffee shop window! My friend Al was sitting there working, so I popped in to say hello! He was there working on his thesis paper (he's getting in Phd in viruses or something, he's really smart...) basically, he's working on curing the swine flu. How great would that be! I of course told him about all of my Mexico travels, and the fact that Bryan and Simply Smiles had to cancel a bunch of volunteer groups due to the H1N1 virus, and he filled me in on everything. Basically, we know nothing yet. Great, huh? But if you need an expert opinion, I've got the guy for you to call!

Anyway, Al needed to get back to work and I wanted to go sit outside and read my magazine, so he sent me off to a cool park on the water. Check out this view! That's Madison from the other side of the lake, isn't that a good-looking town?



I hung out and read my People Magazine for a while, and after I caught myself up on John and Kate, I thought it might be time to get set up at The Brink Lounge. I met a friend at the park who really wanted to come with me to the show, but they have a pretty strict "no duck" rule at The Brink. Maybe next time.



The show at The Brink was really fun. I got to see some friends from college and even a friend from high school! It was great to catch up and find out how people have been since my tour last year. Two of my FAVORITE fans of all time were there as well. Henry and Bryn are two of the cutest little people, don't you think? They helped me load up my gear when I was done at the end of the night. According to Henry, it was really cool to help me, so I'm thinking about hiring him for the rest of the tour!



After I was done with the show and catching up with people, I made the trip up to Green Bay so that I could sleep in this morning. It was great. :) I went out to lunch with my parents, and in a few minutes I'm going to get home to practice for my show tonight at The Cup O' Joy. This is a great listening room, and the BEST music venue in Green Bay. If you're in town I hope you can make it!