Happy Thoughts...

Hi Everyone,

I just wanted to post a quick blog on this rainy Tuesday (we're having some dampness here in CT) about having some good thoughts. First thought...I'm posting some details on my tour today, so scroll through my shows on KristenGraves.com and keep track of when I'll be in your town! I still have some work to do, but I should be able to get all of the details wrapped up pretty soon.

Actually, just now as I was typing, I got a phone call from Java Joe's in Des Moines, IA confirming my show on July 7. So things are working out!

Besides my tour, I have some more news. Recently I was introduced to a few positive blogs by my friend Matt. Since I'm working so much on this recording project it's pretty much all that I can talk or think about. As many of you know, it's based on hope. Having hope, giving hope, inspiring hope...because I think that's what the world needs right now. Anyway, as we were talking about happy things, Matt mentioned his own blog: The Sun Shines On, and one that he reads regularly: Super Forest.

I highly recommend visiting both blogs, especially for that kumbayah feeling that I so enjoy. Both blogs are great, and post interesting and positive entries with videos, photos, poetry, etc. Here's an example for you. Check out 13-year-old, Sunha Jung, playing Come Together. He will blow you away!



Amazing, right? Would I lie to you?

Have a great day,
KG

Two cool things.

I love a lot of things, but I will focus on just two things for tonight because it is late, and I'm reading a book that I really want to finish.

1. I love having my name/photo in the paper. It always leads to good things. Here I am in the Middletown Press as a part of the promotion that they put on for the 5Arts2010. Thanks, Middletown Press!



2. I love cool jewelry, especially when it's old or has a story. Bryan gave me a cool ring today, just because he thought I would like it (awww....) it's not old, but it does have a story, and it's cool, so there you have it.



Just wanted to keep you in the love loop. Oh yes, and I have many loving feelings for all of you. I'm hitting the studio tomorrow, and I'll definitely let you know how everything goes!

Sleep tight,
K

Tour planning, and more Mexico pics!

Hey everyone,

I know I wrote so much about my trip to Mexico in the last blog, but I just can't help it. Before I get into the work that we did this past week, let me just tell you that I have some amazing tour plans coming together. I am so excited!

I've been booking some great rooms (Uncommon Ground in Chicago, Club Cafe in Pittsburgh, The Brink Lounge in Madison, The Walnut Room in Denver, and the list goes on and on!) and I've been setting up some shows with great people. I'm going to announce the final details sometime this week or next, so stay tuned.

Of course, all of this is subject to change, but so far, here is a city itinerary:

6/14 ~ Harrisburg, PA
6/15 ~ Pittsburgh, PA
6/16 ~ Cleveland, OH
6/17 ~ Chicago, IL
6/18 ~ Madison, WI
6/19 ~ Green Bay, WI
6/20 ~ Green Bay, WI
6/21 ~ Minneapolis, MN
7/1 ~ Eagle Butte, SD
7/4 ~ Rapid City, SD
7/5 ~ Denver, CO
7/6 ~ Lincoln, NE
7/7 ~ Des Moines, IA
7/8 ~ St. Louis, MO
7/9 ~ St. Louis, MO
7/10 ~ Nashville, TN
7/11 ~ Nashville, TN
7/12 ~ Louisville, KY
7/13 ~ Columbus, OH
7/14 ~ Reading, PA
7/15 ~ Philadelphia, PA
7/16 ~ Princeton, NJ
7/17 ~ New York, NY

How great is that going to be?! I'm getting really excited about it, and I'll be keeping you all in the loop as things continue to work out. Not to mention, I've been spending some time in the studio, and it looks like I'm going to have a new EP to help promote the tour as well...what's next - t-shirts? I think so!

As for this last trip to Mexico, we spent some time in the city of Oaxaca visiting friends from past projects, and spent the second half of the week in the jungle, hosting a food distribution party. It was amazing, and 2,963 people came through the line to receive food for the month. It was pretty incredible. Below are some pictures, since I'm sure you're dying to check it out. For more info, you can visit the Simply Smiles website.

Talk to you again soon - and stay tuned for summer tour details. I'm coming your way!
Kristen




That's a whole lotta food.




Who wouldn't want to work hard to help feed this little cutie pie?




I had the best job. I was the one who got to let everyone through the door when it was there turn. Of course, I was supplied with a microphone, so I sang a few little songs as well. Too bad I only know one Spanish song, and most of the people there didn't know it...




We caught this little grandma grabbing a balloon to bring home...we all need to have some fun!




Everyone was so happy to be going through the line...there were a lot of hand shakes, and a lot of smiles!!

Thanks again for checking in...I'll be in touch again soon about my tour, and I'll definitely keep you posted on how the new CD is turning out.

Take care,
K

5Arts2010

I just got to be a part of a really cool thing that I wanted to tell you about! This past weekend, I sang at The Buttonwood Tree in Middletown, as a part of an arts evening hosted by the Middle City Stage Company.



The evenings included, one-act plays, a short film, music (by me!), poetry, and there was awesome art hanging on the walls. It was a great experience and I had so much fun. To find out about it, you can visit: Middle City's website and read up. Please google everyone, and check out their stuff. You won't be disappointed!

I'll definitely be getting in touch with you next year for 5Arts2011, whether I'm invited back or not, because it's such a great event. Really, where else can you go and have 'every taste tickled?'

An Epic Journey…and lots o’ CT shows!

By now, you all know that it took me 68.5 hours, and more vodka tonics than I’d care to admit, to get to Oaxaca last week. I want to let you know – it was completely worth it!

I had a fantastic week, got to get to know a group of volunteers & friends really well, learned a few more words in Zapotec, got to hang out with great kids, and got a dog! (Her name is Negra, she’s scruffy and soooo cute.)



The last week made me think a lot about what it’s like to be one of the “haves” of this world. Even on days when our electric bill comes a bit earlier than I’d like, or when I am working on saving up for a new run of CDs, it’s important for me to remember how lucky I am. Just wanted to pass that along to all of you – we are so lucky, and should be so grateful and happy to live in our shoes!

We had an incredibly successful trip to Oaxaca, and got a lot of work done. The first part of the week was spent constructing the first building for Simply Smiles’ Center of Operations in Oaxaca City. It looks great, and I’m excited to have a place to land every time. (Plus, I can keep my clothes in a drawer rather than in Rubbermaid bins to keep them from the rats…)



This part of the week was also spent reconnecting with the kids at Casa Hogar, and our friends in the dump. It was really nice to see everyone and check in. I even found out that one of our friends is getting married – TODAY! Congratulations, Madai!

The second part of the trip was spent in the jungle – a six-hour car ride from our Center of Operations – to host a food distribution party in the village of Santa Maria Tepexipana.

The drive was beautiful…



The people are beautiful… (is there any question as to how Bryan came up with the name Simply Smiles??)



And we got to pass out food to 1,897 people!



My favorite attendee, is the little girl who inspired my song, Keep Hope Alive. I affectionately call her “No Name” because she doesn’t have one yet. She’s four-years-old, and doesn’t yet have an official way to introduce herself.



Doesn’t matter - I was really happy when she showed up! We spent some time chatting, but since she speaks Zapotec and I speak Spanish, we didn’t understand each other much. But we did have a good time laughing, making faces, and playing in the dirt! Really, what more do you need?

Rather than driving the 6 hours back to Oaxaca City, we all flew out of Huatulco, which happens to be an airport in a beach town…so we just needed to spend a few hours in the ocean! I think everyone enjoyed having a nice shower and a clean bed before heading home. I know I did!



We even brought Negra to the beach with us…maybe so we could take a family photo? If only Gaby had been there!

I returned home and jumped right in to a very busy week of shows.

First, I started off in Hartford, CT at Trinity College on Thursday night in the Underground Coffeehouse. It was crazy weather, so most kids stayed in their dorms, but the ones that did come out – thank you!

Last night, I hosted another Singing for Hope Concert at Southport Congregational Church. Now that I’ve given a name to this concert series things have really taken off. And we’ve raised over $3,800 to support the work of Simply Smiles! It was a great night, with music from my friends P.J. Pacifico and Glenn Roth, and the pastor of the church did a few covers as well!

Tonight, I’ll be hosting ANOTHER Singing for Hope event in Watertown at Caffe Napoli to benefit the Shepaug High School/Roxbury Church service trip with Simply Smiles. This one starts at 6:00 p.m. and I’ll be playing with some really talented kids – Callie Huber and Sarah Paisley & James Donovan. I’m so excited!

Tomorrow night (Sunday), I’ll be playing at the Stafford Arts Commission Coffee House, which is held in Stafford Springs. We start at 7 p.m. and I’ll be co-billing with Jared Polens.

Next Wednesday, I’ll be at The Space in Hamden, CT (9 p.m.) and next weekend (3/11-3/13 @ 7:30 p.m.) I’ll be performing as a part of the 5Arts 2010 Series at The Buttonwood Tree in Middletown, CT. Not a dull moment booked in the calendar!

For more information and details, please visit the shows section of my website.

I am so happy to be home and I’m ready to share all of my new stories and songs with you, so I hope you can make it to one or all of my upcoming shows!!

Much love,
Kristen

An Epic Jouney…One Musician’s (Attempted) Trip to Mexico

Status:
Hours Traveling: 50
Number of Outfits: 1
Pairs of Clean Underwear Left: 1
Vodka Tonics Consumed: 4 (over the course of 3 days…)
Number of Planes boarded: 2
Number of Cities Visited: 4 (Fairfield, New York, Nashville, & Chicago, I’m including where I started, but it counts!)

This travel story is worth telling, so here we go...

Everything started at midnight on Tuesday night when I received a phone call that my flight to Mexico had been cancelled due to the snowstorm in New York. I spent some time on the phone with an unhelpful American Airlines employee. Tried a few other options and called back hoping to get a different worker…and did! I got a flight with an extra connection (through Nashville) but was only going to be delayed one day. I was so happy. Little did I know…

My journey officially started at 1:00 p.m. on Thursday (EST – noon CST) when I loaded two 65-pound tents (a.k.a. my luggage) into the car to drive down to LaGuardia Airport. I made it easily and with no traffic. However, after arriving and parking in long-term parking, I realized that they had no luggage carts available. So I tried to carry two tents at once. I made it about 100 feet, and then started carrying the tents one at a time. I would move one about 10 feet, then go back and continue. Rinse and repeat - you get the picture.

At some point a guy came up behind me and offered to help me carry a tent. I was so grateful! We made it out of the long term parking, but realized we still had a lot of distance to cover, so we tried to get a cab to give us a ride. Well, the cabs were in line to pick up arriving passengers, so none of them really wanted to give up their spot in the line to give us a ride (read: less $$) to the departures. We found one willing cab driver, so James* (*name changed to protect his identity) and I piled in with the tents. We dropped James* off, I thanked him profusely, and I headed to the American Airlines drop off.

When I arrived, I was greeted by a very friendly gate attendant. You can check your bags in at the curb at LaGuardia, which is really nice, and was especially nice for me because of my heavy tents. To make this part of the story shorter…the guy at the gate wanted a bribe so that I wouldn’t have to pay American a fee for overweight baggage. I declined the bribe, he yelled at me, I paid the money, and moved on. Be aware of this! And American should know that some employees are trying to steal from them.

Anyway, I got on my flight, sat next to a very sweet lady (she had been interviewing a woman whose husband had died in Haiti) who had been stranded in New York for a few days, arrived in Nashville, got my tents, and got a shuttle to the hotel that I had reserved…the Drury Inn. It was fantastic! When I arrived, they were having a complimentary dinner (I chose chicken fingers, a baked potato, and some vegetables) and they offered you drinks with dinners. (That accounts for the majority of the vodka tonics.)

I spent the rest of the night in my room working and surfing the TV for my new favorite show, Criminal Minds, and had a great (though short) night’s sleep.

The next morning, I was on the shuttle by 4:15 a.m. and arrived at the airport with plenty of time. Unfortunately, all flights to Dallas had been cancelled due to the foot of snow they had received. (I guess snow has been following me around lately?) So me, and a lot of other people were going to be stranded in Nashville for no less than one day. I would have appreciated a phone call the night before, American!

After being on the phone for 45 minutes and being “cut off” and then speaking with an unhelpful and semi-rude agent in person, (I didn’t really blame him…I would have hated his job that day – but I was being really polite!) I decided to buy a one-way ticket to anywhere and try to get some different flights. So yesterday (Friday) morning I bought a ticket from Southwest Airlines to Minneapolis (with a connection in Chicago) knowing that one of the two cities had to be able to help me.

At 6:00 a.m. I started texting Bryan to wake him up so that he could help me solve my ticket crisis while I was in the air, and he did. He found that the best options were in Chicago, so I gave up my connecting flight to Minneapolis, knowing that if something didn’t work out, I could just get back on a different flight later. Southwest tracked down my stupid tents, and I talked with Bryan about getting on a flight out of Chicago. While flight after flight was disappearing before his eyes, he had a woman through American Express Travel start looking as well. Together, they figured out that I could only get on a flight the following day (today - Saturday) so he reserved me a room at the Hilton attached to O’Hare’s Terminal 2.

Since I’ve had a cold this entire time I’ve been traveling (by the way…cold or not…my vodka tonic ticker just clicked to 5…) he got me a nice big king-size bed. But - before I would let myself check into the hotel, I decided it couldn’t hurt to try and get on that flight out of Chicago as a standby passenger. After sitting around for 3 hours, seeing people with tickets turned away from the flight (it was oversold), I accepted my fate, went to the hotel, checked in, and promptly fell asleep.

After a dinner, working, more Criminal Minds, and a great night of sleep (thanks Tylenol Cold PM!), I arrived to the airport today with plenty of time to spare. You can imagine why I was nervous. Anyway, I was in a huge line, when I remembered that Bryan had used points to get me a Business Class upgrade (did I mention how helpful he’s been?) and I scooted up to the first class line. I checked in, said good-bye to the tents for the final time (I hope?), and headed off to the gate.

Upon arriving at the gate, I saw that something was up as soon as I saw a group of people huddled around the ticket counter. That would be because there is no plane here for us! Why? There was weather in Monterrey…did I mention that snow (weather in this case) has been following me around?! We won’t have a plane until 4:30 at the earliest, and by then…my connecting flight will most likely be gone…and the epic traveling saga will continue. I’ll certainly keep you posted!!

Never take for granted flights that are on time, or that happen at all. Apparently it’s very rare!! (P.S. Vodka Tonic #6 will be happening very soon. Don’t worry – I’m not making them very strong…)

Much love and safe travels to you all!

Another snowy weekend…

I guess the snow is following me around! I was supposed to be on a plane tomorrow morning heading down to sunny Mexico, but those plans have changed. Instead, I’m going to be snowed in for a day, which gives me time to get rid of my little cold, catch up on e-mails, finish my taxes, post a new blog, and hang out with this awesome old dog, Buddy.

Isn’t he the cutest?

I have a few things going on that I want to let you know about…first thing, I’ve been featured on a few blogs recently! Blog feature #1; my book review of Seth Godin’s, Small is the New Big, was featured on Derek Siver’s (founder, CD Baby) blog. You can read my review and a bunch of others here

The other blog feature was an entry written by my good friend, Joy Ike, who manages her own independent marketing blog called, Grassrootsy. She wrote a post about me after we shared a show in Pittsburgh with Heather Kropf. You can read that blog by visiting her site.

I’m so flattered!

Second, I wanted to let you know that I have a new song posted on my website. I think I’ve mentioned this already, so I’ll just remind you that you can download my new song, Keep Hope, by visiting my homepage (KristenGraves.com) and entering in your e-mail address. It will help us stay connected, and give you a sneak peak of my new recording project!

Last, I wanted to let you know that I’m heading down to Mexico to work with Bryan’s non-profit, Simply Smiles, for an amazing project. I’ll have blog entries and photos to follow!

For now I’ll leave you with a video that my friend Joy posted on youtube. She, Heather and I had a great show at Club Café in Pittsburgh, and here’s a small bit of the night so you can enjoy it too! Talk to you soon.

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!