Resting the Cords

So we ended up NOT playing tonight at Spinnaker. And although I would ALWAYS choose playing a show over not playing a show... It is a very good thing I am not trying to force what little voice I have left into 4 hours of singing tonight.

I have been on vocal rest all day and the guys are always entertained by my overly exaggerated motions to silently explain what I want to communicate. James is usually my interpreter. Earlier the guys were wanting to head to the grocery. I was trying to tell them "Let me finish this sandwich... and then I'll head to the store with everyone". Zach thought I was saying, "I need more lettuce." David had NO CLUE what I was saying. And Miguel just looked at James for the interpretation. :) It is sometimes the funniest and sometimes the most frustrating one-sided game of charades... EVER. :)

I've already been on vocal rest 3 times this year. I forget how much a part of touring vocal rest is! At least at this point... when you are a national act, you get to have your own sound crew... monitors are always the same so it doesn't matter how loud the stage volume is... smoke isn't really an issue anymore... you have your own driver... and 4 1/2 hour nights aren't really in the picture anymore. :) Sometimes I feel crazy for having vocal problems... but it is easy to forget how many factors play into our current situation. However... when you are a National Act... there are other problems that come into play. So don't get me wrong. I'm not whining. I am just recognizing certain aspects so that I don't feel like a wuss!

If it were easy... everyone would do this for a living. But James and I are constantly surprised at how little "music" is of being a full time musician! At least... an independent one. It sure does keep life from ever becoming routine. Every day is so different. Like so many passion-based jobs.... your work is never done. There is ALWAYS more you could be doing. Writing... promoting... internetin'... blogging ;)

But right now? I am going to go partake in some of that spicy, yummy, curry that David is cooking up in the kitchen!

Peace. Love. Fiddle.
~natalie

Spinnaker!!!!

So yeah. Spinnaker. Panama City. Hank Fm. AWESOME!

We have had such a great weekend. So great that we may be playing again tomorrow night at Spinnaker and we actually don't know yet. It would be rough.... my voice is shot... for no other reason than the fact that I am allergic to cigarette smoke, it's loud so I have to sing over loud stage volume, and I wasn't completely in full vocal health when we started. BUT I always find a way to pull through... so if they actually decide they want us tomorrow night, I know that I will man up and be ready another 4 hours of singing.

The guys are watching the videos we took from tonight in the back room. It so great to hear THAT instead of devastating news from CNN. Oh what a difference a day makes!

The Ms. Suwanee River Daisy Duke Contest was adorable. Those girls were shaking it and braving the cold like nothing else!

Here's some pics from the last 2 days.

All of us (minus James who is taking the picture!) with Melissa Miller at Hank Fm


Ummm... this guys kept trying to buy things off of me. He wanted my head scarf for $100 which I wouldn't sell because Mama gave it to me for Christmas! It was the first time I ever wore it and heck no! Well... then he wanted my OTHER head scarf which was under that one.... and is the on I ALWAYS wear on stage (which Mama gave me for my birthday last year). Then he wanted my flower.
Nope. From my wedding. All the flowers on my pedal board and in my hair originated from my wedding. I gave one to a girl that wouldn't stop asking at the Gretchen Wilson show... lost my other one... and now I am down to my last one for my hair. So nope.
I encouraged him to spend his money on my cd's and t-shirts... which he did. 2 cd's, 2 t-shirts, and 1 poster later.... he STILL wanted to buy the peace cuff I was wearing (for his girlfriend) I finally gave in. I bought it for myself about a month ago... and since no one GAVE it to me... I thought, why not! They want it so badly! I signed it and she wore it the rest of the night.


Jenna wearing my cuff


Cody Daniels :)


And then tonight with Rebecca!!! Rebecca was at our first show at Spinnaker and tonight she took some videos from the audience for us which look fantastic! I am sure you will see them soon :)


More fun girls.


Ughhh, Why is it always after 5am when I am even starting to get ready for bed in Panama City?? I think it is that way for everyone here in PCB. Guess that's just how we roll in PCB.

Peace. Love. Fiddle.
~Natalie

Miguel's Family is ok!

Everyone in Miguel's family is ok!!!!

He was finally able to get through to his dad who had already talked to his mom. Everyone seems to be fine. His dad said the shaking lasted 3 minutes and he felt like the house was coming down. But Santiago, even though it shook, is pretty well structured for earthquakes, whereas Haiti is not at all.

It's still devastating. But it isn't nearly as bad as it could have been.

Peace. Love. Fiddle.
~natalie

Overwhelming Helplessness

It's really amazing how you can be on stage, playing a show, having
the time of your life... And not know what the rest of the world is
going through.

Miguel got offstage at Spinnaker tonight to phone calls and text
messages from his wife and friends about the devastating earthquake
that happened 2 hours ago in Chile. It was an 8.8 - worse than Haiti.
There have already been two huge aftershocks as well. We're packing up
trying to get to CNN as quickly as possible. Miguel can't get any of
his family on the phone.

Ovewhelming Helplessness has overcome us all.

From facebook, word of mouth, and limited phone Internet... It
doesn't look like Santiago was affected (where his entire family
lives). But no one has talked to their families or gotten anyone on
the phone to make sure.

We wait and we pray for everyone in Chile and Haiti.

We'll let you know when we get any word.

Peace. Love. Fiddle.
natalie

Sent from my iPhone

Hank Fm, Liza's Kitchen, and Ms. Suwannee River

Minus the confusion with the timing of it all... our interview and performances with Melissa this morning on 103.5 Hank fm were so much fun!!!! I nearly overslept.... Shhhh.... I must have hit my alarm to go off instead of snooze... which I haven't done in a LONG time. :) But that's the beauty of radio... Can you say up-do???

Melissa Miller and everyone at Hank Fm are so sweet! We performed 4 songs, talked a bunch, and she played it all during the drive time hour. Plus she is going to play the new record on Saturday as a "Pre-concert" for the show! That will be AWESOME!

We went to Liza's Kitchen for lunch today - our FAVORITE place to eat lunch here in PCB. Some of our friends that always come to our shows, Amber and Brittany, joined us for lunch. And then we rehearsed until 4am for our shows this weekend. We needed to brush up on the 4 hour show since we rehearsed it all in January, played one 4-hour gig... and then haven't played ANY of those songs since! Everything sounds really good and I am so excited about playing tomorrow night. It's gonna be a bit chili, but from what I hear, that hasn't affected the crowd one bit!

This is what will be happening Saturday night:


Pretty Exciting.

Peace. Love. Fiddle.
~natalie

Sorry!! 1035 Hank FM airing at 3 Today!

So I wasn't thinking about how amazing technology is these days... We
recorded it at 11 and it is going to air starting at the 3pm hour
until 6pm!

We performed 4 songs plus they are gonna play songs from the new
record at different points throughout the drivetime hour. Sorry for
the confusion!

Peace. Love. Fiddle.
natalie

Sent from my iPhone

Live On 103.5 Hank Fm!!

Sooooo...

Tomorrow we are gonna be on the radio for ALL to hear!!! And you don't have to live in Panama City, Florida to tune in. :) They have live streaming on the website!!

We'll be on www.1035Hankfm.com at 11:00am Central Time with Melissa Miller. We'll play songs from the new record which is officially in production now, YAY!!!! And maybe you'll even hear sneak peaks of the new tracks... who knows. :)

Miguel will even be debuting my new Gold Tone Mando-tar which he has never played before. But the guys and I just got done rehearsing our acoustic versions of the songs, and it sounded so good!!! I LOVE having 3-part harmony back in my life. :)

Melissa is awesome and has been so great to us when we come down to play shows in PCB. And for those of you that do live in PCB or are near enough to make the trip... we'll be at Spinnaker Friday and Saturday nights this weekend. Spring Break Season has just begun down here. So it should be a party!

Click on the link and it will take you right to Hank FM so you can hang out with us in PCB... even if you are FAR away from the beach and 60° weather!

www.1035hankfm.com

Peace. Love. Fiddle.
~natalie

N. Florida Gas Stations with A Sense of Humor and/or Bitterness

University of North Florida Homecoming Hoedown

Tonight was the University of North Florida's Homecoming Hoedown!!!!

We had so much fun playing for them - they had free food, a mechanical bull, and a gorgeous audience! The girls were all dressed up so cute! It was awesome.


The guys weren't bad either :)


Surprise! These guys were showing the love!


They demanded an encore, and then AFTER the encore they starting chanting "Nat-a-lie! Nat-a-lie" Fort Benning style. :) Just awesome. If you had told me that kind of thing would happen back when I was an unsure and self-conscious teenager... not sure I would have believed you.

From left to right: Lynn, Wendy, and Laura who took care of us ALL day long!!! They got us food and even had our dressing room stocked with Vanilla Coke!!! That has NEVER happened before! Thank you to everyone at Osprey Productions for all your hard work. The event today was so professional and well done.


And LIZ!!!! Elizabeth Etherton is one of my dearest friends in the world. We were best friends in high school, we were in each other's weddings, and we always pick up right where we left off. We can go months even over a year without talking... but it never seems like we have been apart. She and her friend came to the show, came out to dinner with the whole band, and then I got to go hang out at her place and catch up into the wee hours of the night.


Great night, great show, great friends. :)

Peace. Love. Fiddle.
~natalie

I Wonder How Many Times This Diaper Changing Station Has Been Used Like This

America's Next Great Star

I'm sitting in the back of the van... watching John Mayer on DVD heading SOUTH!

We're driving through Atlanta at the moment. Even though we've had the week off... this is the third time we've made this drive in a week! On our way back from Ft. Benning.... I popped down here and back yesterday.... and then we're passing through on our way to Jacksonville. Sometimes I sit back and look at my life from outside myself and just smile. I always wanted this. It's been way harder than it is now. Parts of it may get easier some day. But whatever form it takes... I just want to keep these wheels a rolling and never stop this train. :)

On Saturday night after I accepted my awards at APCA, I was asked to be a judge on America's Next Great Star. Think American Idol/America's Got Talent... but one that comes to you! Campuses can hire the show, "The Live Entertainment Experience" and audience members get to participate. After the judges select 3 top acts, the audience gets to text for their favorite. They do the WHOLE show - from auditions, to interviews and testimonials that they air as the person is walking on stage to perform... multiple camera angles shown on the projectors during the show... It's really a cool thing.

The student that won APCA's won $250, their tape will be sent to "industry professionals" in Nashville, New York, and L.A. The winners of the campus-wide tour have a chance to win $15,000.

It was so fun being a judge. And it was HARD! There were some VERY talented students and participants. I loved being a part of the show, and I was so glad they asked me to judge.

It was fun because they actually got to play with a live band. It's a band that was showcasing at APCA and they do "live band karaoke". The students had to pick from a list of songs (just like Idol) but they actually got to play with a live band! So cool.

I highly recommend the show. Campus advisors were asking me questions later... and they really do a great job of capturing the entire experience. I'm a fan!

Peace. Love. Fiddle.
~natalie

Single Marine Program Brochure

So this is pretty cool....

:)

Last night after the awards ceremony, Ari (my agent... eh emm... Agent of the Year) showed me the new flyer that was made for the Single Marine Program. The Single Marines brought us out to play at Quantico last year, which was an INCREDIBLE show. We had a blast, and took tons of pictures. And they voted for our picture with them to be in the center of their brochure!!! It goes out to all the Marines to let them know how awesome the Single Marine Program is. They put on tons of events and create great opportunities for the Marines. And I love them because they brought us out to play a show!! :)

The front and partial inside flap:


The smack dab middle of the inside of the brochure. How cool is that!!??!


We made it home to Nashville safely, and I even squeezed in a late night writing session with Gordon Brown and Corey Wagar - who are in town from New Jersey writing and recording music. And tomorrow we leave for Jacksonville, Florida!! I hope this weather continues. Today was GORGEOUS.

Peace. Love. Fiddle.
~natalie

I WON! I WON!!!

I won in Best Band and Best Performer (the over-all entertainer category). AND Ari won for Best Agency!

What a day. I can't believe I won BOTH awards I was nominated for. The awards are beautiful and HEAVY! These are the APCA awards (The Association for the Promotion of Campus Activities) I got to see so many school and peeps that we have played for recently - it's like a giant reunion of a bunch of my favorite schools! And thank you Augusta State for trying to chant that you love me at the same time... I didn't hear it, but I heard ABOUT it later! AWESOME.

Ari and Me with our awards!


Ari and Me with Eric Lambert, the Executive Director of APCA


"Bill Clinton" and me


"Bill Clinton" and "George Bush" singing a duo in the bar where everyone hangs out after the awards ceremony. I really wanted to show "George Bush" a picture of me and the real President Bush... but it turns out talking to faux "Bush" seems as difficult as speaking to the real one :)


Peace. Love. Fiddle.
~natalie

Atlanta-Bound

So I'm wrapping up another few days at home to head back out on the road. Tomorrow, however... is very different!

I am driving to Atlanta, picking up James at the Atlanta airport, and then we are headed to the APCA National Conference. But not to perform!!! :)

I was invited to the awards banquet that is taking place tomorrow night because well... the awesome nominations we received this year!!! We are nominated for Best Band and Best Performer. I still can't believe it. And I can't believe that we are actually able to attend. I have been nominated in other categories in previous years, but I have never been able to attend the awards banquet because of our schedule on the road. We just happened to have this week blocked off for me to write!!! I am pretty excited about going to see everyone that I have worked with over the last year that attends APCA. It becomes such a big family; the agents, the students, the artists... And these conferences are actually some of the only times I get to spend time with my own agent, Ari. That's always a good time. :) Oh, Ari.

And Ari was actually nominated for Best Agency!!! So really, we are all just stoked about the recognition. The students and people involved in campus activities are the ones that vote on these awards.

I also found out that I am nominated in the other college association I work closely with... NACA. I am nominated for Best Female Performer and Best Music in that one. CRAZINESS!!!

Wish me luck!!!

Peace. Love. Fiddle.
~natalie

A Canadian View of My World

I am always blogging from my perspective of the band, the road, the audience, the music...

Tonight, I am going to let someone else do the talking.

David: my opening act, my rhythm guitarist, my new favorite vegetarian spicy chef, one of my stage left partners-in-crime... well, he blogs, too. He recently posted his own blog about the band and the road, but from a very different perspective. I just read it myself. And I was so touched, and it was so fun to see a different side of the same world.... I thought maybe some of you would enjoy it, too!

I am going to just give you a link. To post his text without the pictures and videos, would not complete the picture. It's a good, fun read. And I think you'll know us all a little better after reading it.

Thanks, David!!!

Click HERE to go to David's Blog

Peace. Love. Fiddle.
~natalie

I ♥ Fort Benning

Our last show was on Saturday for the Trainees at Ft. Benning. If you saw the Tour Diaries uploaded from this week, then you saw a bit of footage.... but I have yet to try to put it into words. :)

We've played at Ft. Benning before. The first show we played there still ranks as one of my all time most memorable and favorite shows. The guys were chanting my name at intermission, and they were one of the best crowds I have ever played in front of. And there's youtube footage to prove it. ;)

This time they were putting on a similar event. But they had to move the event indoors from the field where we were supposed to play. The snow that pounded southern Georgia last week caused a lot of shifting of well.... just about everything. They had to split the big giant event into two smaller events. We were playing for the "I. A.M. Strong" Tour which is an uplifting entertainment tour emphasizing the "I. A.M. Strong" message of sexual harassment and sexual assault prevention.

The I. A.M. acronym stands for Intervene. Act. and Motivate.

The tour is headlined by Leigh Jones and she was such an inspiration to watch and talk to. I was honored to be invited to be a part of this event!

I can't tell you how powerful it is to be in a packed room with this nation's finest. To have the opportunity to provide entertainment for them is a gift, an honor, and a pleasure. And those boys sure know how make a girl feel welcome :) It's an incredible feeling to stand on stage in front of the men (and women... but it was all men at Ft. Benning) that protect, sacrifice, and serve this unbelievable country. And I don't think I have never been called "Ma'am" that many times in one day!!!

One of my favorite memories of the whole show was right afterwards. I had to quickly help clear the stage, but then of course, I ran out to talk to the guys and sign autographs. They were all in full Army fatigues, but the guys working the event also had on orange vests. They had all put on their "I. A.M. STRONG" t-shirts that were given out at the event. And one by one. Each of those fine boys lined up, opened his orange vest, nodded and said "Ma'am" as I signed their shirts. Ahhhhh. I could get used to that!!! :)

And standing there with them after my show... I listened to the message of I. A.M. STRONG from Danny B - a soldier who is an incredibly talented rapper. He knows how to get those guys to pay attention and he got them ALL RILED UP!!!! It's such an eye opener to be in the room with those men. They have so much love for this country and their brothers. To get a glimpse into that is something I could never put into words.

Plus I feel an even stronger connection and pull to Fort Benning because that is where my own Daddy trained. Even though I wasn't even a thought yet, I feel so much pride when I am there.

As if getting to play for them isn't enough... they gave each of us the Fort Benning coin!



And here's a little more about the purpose of the I. A.M. STRONG tour.

The entertainment tour was designed to help military communities realize:

* When I recognize a threat to my fellow Soldiers, I will have the personal courage to intervene and prevent sexual assault. I will condemn acts of sexual harassment. I will not abide obscene gestures, language or behavior. I am a warrior and a member of a team. I will intervene.

* You are my brother, my sister, my fellow Soldier. It is my duty to stand up for you, no matter the time or place. I will take action. I will do what's right. I will prevent sexual harassment and assault. I will not tolerate sexually offensive behavior. I will act.

* We are American Soldiers, motivated to keep our fellow Soldiers safe. It is our mission to prevent sexual harassment and assault. We will denounce sexual misconduct. As Soldiers, we are all motivated to take action. We are strongest together.

'nuff said.

Peace. Love. Fiddle.
~natalie

Granny's The Queen

Granny was voted Queen of the Valentine's Day Party!!!!!

Granny is OBVIOUSLY the Queen of every party, but it is pretty awesome when the Assisted Living Place where she lives actually makes it official. I actually just finished my Valentine's chocolate from LAST year a few minutes ago. Talk about making it last! :) I would love to pretend like it's because I have that much will power... but really, it is more of a testament to how little I am home :)

David, as "in the band David" and his girlfriend cooked dinner for me and some friends tonight. David and Kim are vegetarians, and WOW. It was incredible. He made curry... probably the spiciest dish I have ever eaten. And I must say, I am completely turned off by the thought of tofu, but I couldn't have even told you what part of the dish was tofu! The whole dish was so well prepared, and it all went together so well. My mouth was on fire, but it was so good at the same time that I had to keep eating.


I finished a song today with Charlie Hutto. That's always such a good feeling to finish and song, listen back and go, "YEAH!" I still have some parts here and there that I want to tweak, so I didn't want to do a video blog of it. But I am sure you will hear a version of it soon.

Hope everyone enjoyed the Video Diaries!!!! I sure did :)

Peace. Love. Fiddle.
~natalie

TOUR DIARY #3 Parts 1 AND 2!!!!

New Flip cam means..... NEW TOUR DIARIES!!!! James may be somewhere else.... but he's been reliving Augusta all day in editing :) Enjoy!

Part 1:



Part 2:


Peace. Love. Fiddle.
~natalie

Opening For Gretchen Wilson!!

We dropped James off this morning at the Atlanta airport at around 4:30am, and then pressed onward towards home. It started snowing right as we hit Monteagle Mountain, and didn't stop until I got home. I know this all of this unexpected snow has caused many problems and frustrations for lots of people. I know it makes it difficult for this part of the country where we aren't prepared for it. But at the same time, there is something so magical about all of this beautiful snow gracing us over and over and over again in places where we don't normally get to enjoy it!

Even on that awful drive from Augusta to Ft. Benning where the roads were almost as bad as the ones in Texas (where we had to cancel a couple of weeks ago)... it was so beautiful and majestic and storybook-like that it feels like the Universe is telling us all to pay attention. These things are what we make of it. And yes, it can be a harsh reality. But it can also be a wonderful reminder of God's beauty. So I say a prayer tonight for all that have endured hardships and loss due to this crazy weather. And I also give thanks for being surrounded by so much beauty!!!

The Gretchen Wilson show was SOOOOOOOO much fun. It was a bit disappointing that we had to do it without monitors. I kept switching my earplug from my ear to my back jeans pocket... depending on which thing I needed to hear more - my voice (earplug IN) or my fiddle (earplug out). But ideal situations rarely happen. And I was so excited that very little could have disappointed me about the show. The room was packed and the snow did NOT keep people away.

I met Gretchen in the bathroom before the show and we talked for a while about the snow and the possibility of cancellations, and then she told me about their make-shift sleds they made last week in Tennessee. I could feel my heart beating harder than normal, and I told her how cool it was to be opening for her. After we finished talking, she walked out and told someone outside "I just met Natalie in the bathroom". It was so funny! Before I could even tell the guys I talked to her, she told someone ELSE that she met ME!!!! :) That was awesome.


The show itself was awesome. The crowd was electric, and they were so gracious! I know most of them were there to see her, but they sure did make me feel the love! And we put on a great show for them. I couldn't hear my fiddle at all and at one point I looked down and saw that my E string was a D#. Not cool... but I tuned quickly and that was really the hardest part of the show. I did start getting out of breath during a few songs because my adrenaline was pumping so hard and I was putting so much into it, that my body couldn't keep up. :) That's the way it should be! It's such a high!!!
Lots of pictures have shown up on facebook... I just grabbed these two quickly... Thank you Melanie Carver for posting!



My best friend, Sarah, drove all the way down + a surprise guest to come to the show. They got stuck in traffic in Chattanooga and Atlanta, AND it snowed so hard they had to go 45 most of the way. They got there about 30 minutes after my set ended. :( After all that. But we got to hang out the rest of the night... I hated they couldn't see the show, but it was amazing to have them there. The surprise guest was my former bass player and wonderful friend Amy Sporleder!!!! Amy is now playing in Sarah's band. I still can't believe they made the long trip down there!


There are pics of Gretchen and me somewhere, but I didn't get any on my camera. I will acquire them soon, I am sure. But this is us at the merch table. Gretchen and her merch guy were both VERY gracious and let me continue selling my cd's and t-shirts throughout the night. Even when she was in the booth signing.
Here we both are signing stuff - I think this was one of the times where the audience member wanted me and her to both sign a Gretchen t-shirt:


At one point, she poured a BIG shot of Jack Daniels for herself, her merch guy, and then handed me one. When Gretchen Wilson hands you a shot, you take it. And I did. :)

A few people had her sign my shirts and cd's which was so funny to me :) Awesome, and funny. And then Sarah had me sign her Peace Love Fiddle Tee and then got in line and had Gretchen sign the other side. I liked that. :)


So the night was amazing. I have some incredible fans in Augusta and surrounding areas that showed up. We've played there at the Country Club twice before, we used to play at a bar called Coyote's, and we played at Fort Gordon last year in May. There were people from ALL of the aforementioned places. Michelle, who made a blanket during my Fort Gordon show and had me sign it last year, brought me roses AND made me a scarf which was so beautiful!!! It was just so great to have some real fan support at the show. And I can't wait to play in Augusta again! I love it there!

Peace. Love. Fiddle.
~natalie

Nap Time

Today's show for the guys at Fort Benning and last night's show opening for Gretchen Wilson BOTH deserve WAY better blogs than I could possibly give right now. I'm not sure that I can be articulate or coherent at this point.

This schedule is about to kill me. We have had way too many all night drives and icy drives already this year... And we have yet to hit the full month marker of actually being on the road. It has snowed in every state we have played in thus far.... AND there have been strong advisories NOT to drive on the roads because of ice in each state. What is going on!?!?!? We tried to stay in the south this winter to AVOID the snow.

I didn't actually sleep last night. And we finally just got checked into a room at our hotel (it's 9:15pm here)... and checking into our hotel just now put us in a frustrating, exhausting limbo for over an hour. James and I went to our room and someone was already occupying it. We went back to the front desk.... got new keys... and there was someone in the next room.... and then they tried to give us another room, but we knew David was already in it. So FINALLY an hour later of hovering over our luggage, looking like zombies, we were given an unoccupied room key. HALLELUJAH!

The soldiers today were incredible! I can't wait to share stories from the last two shows, which have BOTH been unbelievable experiences for all of us. See... that's why I can't complain about the schedule. Who needs sleep? :)

Nap time!

Peace. Love. Fiddle.
~natalie

Opening For Gretchen Wilson

OH MY GOODNESS!!!! Tonight was amazing. I want to tell you ALLLL about it.

But

#1. It is 4:30am and I have to drive me and the boys to Ft. Benning in the morning... as in 1 and 1/2 hours from now.

#2 There was a BLIZZARD tonight in Augusta. A BLIZZARD!!! There's 6 inches of snow here. It is unbelievable. I have never seen this much snow this far south.

What is up with this weather, y'all?? I talked to Gretchen before the show and she was really worried the show wasn't going to happen because of the snow. But it happened!!!! And it was AWESOME!!! And lots of people came. And I was pumped and so excited on stage.

The monitor board got fried right before the show... so we had NO monitors at all which made for an interesting stage experience. But what would it be without a little more of a challenge???

So yeah... we had a great night!!! And I will clue you in later on the details of the evening :)

Night y'all! Stay warm!

Peace. Love. Fiddle.
~natalie

This Is Gonna Be The Funniest Hotel Ever

Augusta State University Homecoming Week

Blogging is awesome :)

The husband of CryingWife herself (from CryingWife.com) posted a comment on yesterday's blog! That is just awesome! Thank you, Parker, for reading. I've gotten a lot of comments about my post yesterday :) The facebook world loves you guys!!! And Hollie is indeed adorable. I just want to be her friend when I see those videos!

We had a very cold, but very fun show at Augusta State University this afternoon! We were part of their Homecoming celebration. The big game is this weekend and they are ranked 7th in the Nation!!! SO EXCITING! So the campus was pretty buzzing today. Along with our show, they had free pizza, the Little Ceasars guy walking around, a Rock Climbing Wall, funnel cakes, plus a local high school band AND the pep band played after us! It was quite the celebration!

The Dean of Students told me that she was a bit confused when the students told her they wanted a fiddle player to come do their big Homecoming show. She said, "A fiddle player? Are you sure?" And they assured her that I am not just a fiddle player... nor just a country singer... there's a lot more to the show than what you would normally think of!! And thank goodness the students convinced her - she was one of my main dancers during the show!


I got to meet the President of the school.

AND The Little Caesars guy...


A sweet little girl named Natalie! (who was one of my other main dancers during the show)


An adorable but very scared puppy (I think he was the only NON-fan of the pep band on campus)


And lots of awesome students!





Alexis and Jasmine helped us out all day and took REALLY good care of us!!!

And then we came back and hung out on our awesome porch with rocking chairs... drank a little wine... relaxed.... watched videos of shows that have been posted and discussed ways to improve things... It is so nice to have another show in the same city tomorrow night!!! We get to sleep tonight! What a concept! :)

Peace. Love. Fiddle.
~natalie

CryingWife.com

Thank you for all the comments here on the blog and of course on the automatic posts to facebook about my sweet Dolly Belle!!! You all are so sweet
#1 For reading
#2 For caring enough to say something. :)

Since I shared something that was a bit sad yesterday... and there's not much to report since we spent most of the day in the car....

I will share something I find to be funny and adorable.

It is called CryingWife.com

The video below is from a girl who just finished watching Star Wars for the first time. She cries at the end of happy/sad movies and the tears are 100% genuine. Her husband started filming her because he thinks it is so adorable. And he had to add subtitles because you really can't understand her through her tears! According to the website they NEVER expected to get so much attention from the videos on YouTube, but they've gotten nearly 400,000 views. She even cries at the end of "Back To The Future"!!! It is so adorable. And I COMPLETELY understand. :) You can suggest movies for her to watch on their site.

Watch and enjoy!!!



Click here to visit the site!
CryingWife.com

Peace. Love. Fiddle.
~natalie

Heavenly Dolly Belle

Tonight Mamma and Daddy were out of town, so James and I were supposed to take care of their dogs when we got to the house in Columbia. I let out Annabelle and Burnadette.... but I couldn't find Dolly Belle anywhere.

I called Mamma to see where Dolly Belle was... and Mamma's response was "aww... well, she's out chasing bunnies and butterflies forever" She passed away a few days ago, but they didn't want to make me sad while I was out on the road, so they hadn't told me yet. She's been unable to do much for a while. The Vet assured us that she didn't seem to be in pain, she was just so old she couldn't hold herself up to eat anymore or go outside on her own. I knew it was coming... but that never makes it easy. I've had Dolly Belle since I was about 12 years old. She was a really great pup and I loved her so much.

This picture is so great - she was the only dog I ever trained to do "Road Kill". Instead of "play dead" I tell her Road Kill, and she'd lay flat on her back and be still until I gave her the signal to get up. She was so awesome :)


So even though it makes me sad, I am so glad she is in doggy heaven right now. She was way too frail to live a full life on earth anymore. Daddy buried her up by Kitty Belle in the yard. Perfect.

Peace. Love. And Heavenly Pups.
~natalie

You Have No Idea How Awesome This Is

My first ever wireless mic... It feels amazing. It looks awesome and
NO MORE cables!!! It's my favorite - the Audio-Technica AEW6100. Yes,
Please!

Peace. Love. Fiddles. And Mics.
~nat

Go Saints!

Congrats to New Orleans!!!! I was so happy for the Saints tonight and what a great game that was to watch!! I love the Colts, too, but it was hard not to root for New Orleans in this one :)

I hope everyone had a great Super Bowl Sunday, whether you're a football fan or not :)

I had an awesome day of sleep, football, Cinnamon cuddle time, and Mamma and Daddy's home cooking. So yeah... that was awesome. Just what James and I needed. And tomorrow, back to work!

I wanted to share the pics I had of the show yesterday :)

This is me slightly underdressed with the BPCC Homecoming Court!


And our mascot - not just for the game, but for the show, too :) He had everyone dancin.


And Addie, who's sister brought her for her birthday!


And of course, Marjoree, who brought us here to play :)


It was cool to play in Louisiana yesterday and then root for em today back home in Tennessee. Now for more Cinnamon cuddle time.

Peace. Love. Fiddle.
~natalie

New Van, New Band, Success!

We made it home!!!

Our first trip of 2010 is completed. It's nearly 7am and we just walked in... it was a long drive!

We played yesterday in Bossier City Louisiana at Bossier Parish Community College for their Homecoming game. I think it was the first time I have ever "opened" for a homecoming game! We played at 3, were packed up and in the car by 5:30 and started the trip home.

Our Suburban wouldn't start when we got to our apartment (we had to drive both the Burb and the van down to Columbia cause the van needs some maintenance while we're home)... so that was fun at 5am having to jump start the car after a 12 hour drive. :) But it actually seemed somewhat normal. Is that odd?? Probably... but it wasn't all that bad. Especially now that we are HOME with the monkey!!!! Cinnamon is sooooo sweet. I love that dog so much.

And our band is awesome. We had a really great first trip - great shows, some not as great shows, awesome hotels, REALLY sketchy hotels, 12 degrees, 80 degrees, a few horribly long overnight drives and some short drives.... It was a great induction into the band for the new members and a great way to start the year for all of us!

GOOD night?

Peace. Love. Fiddle.
~natalie

Campus Activities Magazine Awards, Nashville Show...

It's Sketchy motel night!!!

We called about 15 different places tonight close to Bossier City where we are playing tomorrow and everything is sold out.... so we are in the kind of motel that I usually avoid at all costs. But it's not too bad.... there were black hairs all over the towels in the bathroom... but this is WAY better than having to sleep in the van!

Two bits of GREAT news I have to share before I brave the sheets of this bed. :)


We have our first Nashville show booked in over a year! We are playing at 3rd and Lindsley on March 9. WOOO HOOOO!!! I am PUMPED.


And 2ndly...

We have been nominated for TWO of the highest honors by Campus Activities Magazine this year!!

Best Band
and
Best Performer

The Performer award is the biggie because it includes comedians, musicians, lecturers, singers... any kind of performer.

Student Activities Members at Colleges (the people that hire us, choose us, and put on the events) are the ones that vote for these awards.

So yeah. I am excited!!! It's such an honor to be nominated among the thousands of options these colleges have!

Peace. Love. Fiddle.
~natalie

This scares me...

Rrrrawrrrrr

Let's Take Our Love To Mexico...

We can see Mexico!!!! Seriously - the buildings right across the way are in Mexico. It's pretty sweet. The people here in South Texas, and I mean REALLY South Texas, have so much pride for this area. They have been unbelievably welcoming to the guys and me, and they have gone WAAAAY above and beyond to help us and put on a great event tonight.

Texas is always great because it is this unique cultural pocket in the world that has a feverish excitement for INDEPENDENT country music. And even though everyone has always said it is impossible for girls to break into the Texas market... and most Texans hate "Nashville" (as in the kind of country music that comes out of Nashville) I haven't felt that way AT ALL!!! I have felt nothing but love from Texas!!! And I have given nothing but love back, which I will continue to do over and over again!

And coming this far south has been so much fun for us. The students at UT Brownsville are AWESOMESAUCE!

They were champions with load in and load out - we couldn't pack up fast enough after the show cause they had everything on the elevator so quickly!

And the show.... oh my lord.... so many cameras and cell phones a flip cams. These kids rushed the front of the stage EARLY in the set and gave us SOOO much energy. The guys and I had a GREAT show because the audience was so great. One girl, Roxy, found me before the show because she came to the show last night at UT Pan Am AND came tonight!! That rocked my world. Tonight was the kind of night we live for as musicians. We've already had quite a few of those on this trip, too - which is just incredible!

Let's keep this ball rolling! :)

The Sigma Psi Delta girls!


Fei!!! Even though we are in America, and can see the border of Mexico, Fei is here from China! :) (It was his first country concert)


The awesome student group that put this whole thing together!!


Signing the chucks!


My first Belt signage!


They found us loading the trailer after they went back and got their white chucks! She had us all sign both of them!


The GIANT basket of Mexican Goodies they gave us!


Us devouring the giant basket of Mexican goodies in the hotel room!


And we even got a private tour of the school at the end of the night which was REALLY cool. They have a gorgeous campus and really awesome facilities. It makes it so much more personal for us to really get to see the campus like that. And this campus looks more like a luxury resort than a college! It's so beautiful!

Another wonderful night down. :)

Do I really have to go do normal people stuff like pay bills right now? ;) Night y'all.

Peace. Love. Fiddle.
~natalie