Oh Windy Day

I'm in the back of the van right now. We just got pulled over.
Thankfully it was just because the lights on the back of the van
weren't working. I was actually the one who plugged them in when we
hooked up the trailer tonight, and It felt like they were in
securely. But something was off. James said he actually had to try a
couple of times before he got them to come on with the police officer
standing there. Whew. Glad it was a simple "jiggle the handle" kind of
fix.

We're driving through the night tonight to get to TN. We actually play
at Maryville College tomorrow :) It's so fun to play in TN!

Tonight we played Indiana University in South Bend. They had a big
stage with lots of different bands set up on a giant lawn in between
some of their on campus residential housing. It was beautiful!!! And
quite the windy day!!! At one point, I just resolved to having to sing
with hair in my mouth the rest of the show. There was nothing I could
do. And I had to position myself awkwardly every time I played to try
to keep my hair from blowing across my fiddle. When that happens, my
hair gets caught under the bow and prevents sound from coming out! Not
a good thing. I think I did a good job of still trying to look cool...
But it just felt awkward. I couldn't look in Miguel's direction at all
or ALL of my hair would blow over my face for the "Cousin It" look. :)
The wind actually blew David's guitar over during the show :( But it
seems to be ok - at least right now.

The show was really fun. It was the typical spring fling - dunking
booth, lots of food, Greek life "pie in the face" booths... And tons
of people were flying kites and free massages were being given out (I
took part in those!) - and dance contests were happening while the
bands were switching over.

We were actually supposed to play at 6, but the band that was supposed
to go on at 5 was stuck in traffic. We were already there though, so
we went on at 5. We've been the band stuck before!!! That is SO not
fun to be unable to get there in time. It was awesome to have gotten
there early
enough to help out.

So yeah. We played. The wind was strong, the kites were high, and the
dancers were all over the lawn!

Wish I had pics, but this was one where we had to pack up so quickly
that I was unable to hang out very much after the show. I don't like
it when that happens... But that's the way it goes!

Peace. Love. Fiddle.
natalie

Sent from my iPhone

OCC, Yeah You Know ME!

I had big shoes to fill today. Garrison Keillor spoke last week on the same stage where I played today. Whew.

Owens Community College - I Do NOT feel the least bit sorry for you for having to move your spring fling indoors. What a cool "alternate location" you had today! We had so much fun. The stage was awesome. The inflatables were ginormous and numerous... The food was scumptious. Great day!

Lauren and I FINALLY got to meet today!


The scariest 2 autographs I have ever signed!!! I was so scared it was gonna pop - I had my eyes squinted the whole time....




Brad!!! The man with the most energy of anyone I have ever met!!! You put together an amazing event today!


I think I signed more cell phones and ipods today in one place than ever before!



John!!! (It was a 60's theme today) Thank you for everything!


Thanks for coming, y'all.



And Happy 21st Birthday to my dear friend Jessie!!! Jessie has been helping me with merch since she was 18... she will FINALLY be allowed into ALL the gigs I play now. :)

Peace. Love. Fiddle.
~natalie

Hang On Sloopy

Ohio State University, Mansfield. Small Yet MIGHTIEST audience ever. :) These kids were AWESOME!!!

We played in a really cool intimate auditorium. I believe the auditorium was built to project sound - speakers, lecturers, that kind of thing. So playing with amps and electrified music provided a challenge. :) We had an extended sound check and still fought with the sound the whole show. HOWEVER... a rock show is supposed to be loud, so I guess that worked out well in our favor tonight! ;)

And the auditorium was intimate enough that the audience and I were able to talk between songs - I could hear them clear as day!! :) It was a good show. Standing ovations in the middle of the set make for a very fun night for the boys and me. :)

CAB!!! Y'all rocked our world. Thank you for everything.


Jamie!!! Thank you for helping us out so much today. AND for paying for everyone's cd's! You've got 5 I.O.U.'s coming. :)








Mark and Janice surprised us! I knew we were in their territory (only an hour from their hometown) but I didn't know if they'd try to come or not. But they did! And they came out to eat with us afterwards. We went to Cheddar's. It's a restaurant I have seen a BUNCH of times, and recently a lot of people have told us to try it out. Tonight the students convinced us to go. It was excellent! I will be going back. :) Soon.


Peace. Love. Fiddle.
~natalie

Shut It Down

We just had a GREAT show at Bowling Green State University, despite a meltdown of gear before soundcheck....

We've all battled so many gear-related issues lately! I mean, you know that upkeep is a part of being on the road... but this seems a little excessive! One of the problems tonight was actually pretty funny. I turned my amp on and a radio station was coming through it CLEAR as day. I tried moving it around, but that didn't help one bit. When the announcer came on and said something that I won't repeat... Time to SHUT IT DOWN.

So I ran my fiddle through a D.I.

Panther's Amp starting popping and cracking so badly, that HE had to SHUT IT DOWN.

So he ran though DAVID's D.I. and David had to play electric the whole set. And he had to use my D.I. for his acoustic during his opening set. Whew.

Anyway... we got around all the electrical problems in time to have an excellent show.

Tonight was an especially emotional night during "Angel". Miguel's Abuela (grandmother) passed away yesterday in Chile. He's doing well and our prayers are with his family. She was in the hospital for the last week and a half, and the doctors were amazed at her strength. I know she was looking down tonight and is SO proud of him. I had more chills than normal. I don't think that was a coincidence.

The UAO was SO great to us tonight. Our green room was filled with BGSU t-shirts, a sweatshirt, sweatpants, and other goodies. I am wearing my tee and sweatshirt already! :) And they got us dinner from this amazing local place. We were all drooling over how great our dinners were.

Thank you UAO Music Board!


















I LOVE my new BGSU Sweatshirt and tee!!! They are awesome.


I was really impressed by this mixer!!! Aunt Carol needs it for making mashed potatoes at Thanksgiving. She makes such a huge batch every year and this would really contribute to the cause! :)


Peace. Love. Fiddle.
~natalie

Joust!

We've been flinging a LOT lately :) 'Tis the season!

Today's Spring Fling Concert was at Indiana University Southeastern.

Alas, it was raining... again. But as always, everyone makes the best of the situation! The inflatables, the stage, the food, the cotton candy and popcorn and the students all moved inside for a little more indoor kind of fun. :)

The best part was that behind the audience was where the jousting inflatable was set up. So the entire time we were performing... people were jousting and knocking each other down. Entertainment for the entertainers! :)

I have to pause, though and say a big GET WELL SOON to beautiful Zyriah. The sweetest little girl - that was WAY into our sound check (and especially my amp since it has a Z on it). She was playing in one of the bouncy inflatables and broke her wrist :( Her mother texted one of the organizers from the hospital because Zyriah wanted a signed poster from the band. Isn't that just the sweetest thing??? HOPE YOU'RE FEELING BETTER ZYRIAH!

The guys raided the inflatables after the show. I didn't quite get to the jousting in time for pics... (but James and Miguel duked it out and it was quite funny) BUT I caught the guys at some of the other places. :)

David... in the boxing ring... alone... with oversized gloves... after he tackled Zach and ran off Miguel... he wouldn't stop bouncing, so the pic is blurry :) Only adds to the awesomeness.


James and David played basketball... I played skee ball... I LOVE that inflatable skee ball exists.


We drove 6 hours up to Bowling Green, Ohio tonight. It feels so good to be in the hotel early!!!! It's only 12:30. So amazing. PLUS it's the best hotel ever. There's a Starbucks, Chipotle, Waffle House, and Jimmy John's all within walking distance. Upon discovering this, Miguel let out a giant AHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!! WHAT ARE WE GONNA DO? WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO EAT EVERYTHING!!!!!!!

Peace. Love. Fiddle.
~natalie

GO! To Chipotle.

Another rainy Sunday, another 12 hour drive.

We spent the first part of the day getting the oil changed in the van... not supposed to be difficult, but the giant trailer we pull had to be dropped in order to make that happen. Again, not a problem, except the fact that the universal hitch lock bought for the trailer... well, isn't exactly universal. Our trailer may be one of the very few it doesn't fit, but it definitely didn't fit. James got it to stay on once... but we were able to pull it off. Not exactly what you want out of a lock.

But the guys had an excellent idea. We bought a cable lock, you know - used on bicycles, and locked the two wheels together. AHHH. It worked! And no one stole the trailer while we headed down to Chipotle! :)

I know I've said it before, but I'll say it again. Chipotle is EXCELLENT. We recently stopped at a Moe's which I had never tried before.

Doesn't

Even

Compare.

Not even a little bit. The ingredients and the pure conscientiousness Chipotle (at least SEEMS to) possess makes it an incredible establishment. I feel healthier when I eat there. I just love it. And so does the whole band. Even David, who has a hard time on the road since he is a vegetarian. But we ALL love the Chipotle. :) I think you should go there. Right now. Seriously. I'll time you. 1, 2, 3, GO!

And with that, I bid you goodnight.

Peace. Love. Fiddle.
~natalie

Mt. St. Mary's University.... Older Than Chile

Seriously... it was founded in 1808 and Miguel said they are celebrating the Bicentennial this year in Chile!

Mt. Saint Mary's has a gorgeous campus, located atop a beautiful hill... and it is the oldest independent Catholic college in the U.S. Their spring fling had to be moved indoors today because of rain... but it was no less exciting! Inside the cafeteria, they had a big ole stage for us, mechanical bull, flavored oxygen, old timey pics.. it was awesome!

We were really happy to arrive this morning. We arrived at the hotel around 11:30am after driving all night long. James and I make such a good driving team. We each took a couple shifts and managed to get enough rest while the other was driving to take over again after a few hours. It ended up being about 13 hours total.

The show was awesome - the students were all right up at the front of the stage and I sold OUT of my first cd! We have more ordered, but tonight the last of the most recent batch was sold. Always a good feeling :)





Signing the headphones!


The school is located really close to Camp David - The President's Retreat. We're on Season 4 of the West Wing on DVD in the Van right now, so that was really cool to find out!

It's time for some relaxing with the guys... bed time later is gonna be amazing.

Peace. Love. Fiddle.
~natalie

Dunk Your Favorite GA Highlands Professor

Georgia Highlands Cartersville, Round two... SUCCESS!!!

They had a big Spring Fling Family Celebration, including a full time Dunking Booth Schedule with your favorite (or least favorite) professor!!! You could plan AHEAD for which professors you wanted to DUNK!!! How fun! I may not have much of a throwing arm, but I know a few times throughout my life where having a professor in a dunking booth would have gotten me into shape QUICK! ;)

I love it when the audience comes representing!


These girls saw us in Hilton Head TWO YEARS ago!!! They go to school here now, and were singing every word to my songs! :)


Blayne and Morgan!!! Sweet girls.


They were quite taken with Zach and David :)


Caiden wanted me to sign his picture... but started crying before we could take a picture. BUT! He felt better shortly after and came back for his photo op :)


Jeff!!! He's my sister's brother-in-law's good friend. Did you follow that? Probably not. But I like it when friends of a mutual friend show up - he heard the ad on the radio last week and came to the show!


MADDIE!!! or maybe Maddy... I forgot to ask how she spells it. :( This is just the sweetest puppy. Her owner was looking for a shitzsu to rescue... but couldn't find one. A week later, this sweet puppy shows up on the door step of her lake house. She was malnourished, all matted up and obviously had been mistreated. Ever since, she has been nothing but spoiled rotten!!!! And she doesn't whine, bark, or make a peep or disturb a soul!


Thanks for coming everybody!!










Peace. Love. Fiddle,
~natalie

This Best Western Feels Too Much Like Home

Hope you liked the mini blogs today! :)

It's our last night in Rome, Georgia. We leave tomorrow night after our show and drive through the night to Maryland. Ahhhh... life on the road. :)

I realized today that we have played every campus possible in Rome. It's not that big of a town... but we have played 6 different college campuses in the Greater Rome, Ga area. It's like we are the official college country band of this town. :) After this week, we can all give great reviews of the local restaurants and laundromats!

We all spent the day taking it easy, catching up on work (I myself deleted over 3,000 unread emails! WOO HOO!!! THAT feels better), and hanging out. Days off are good. Especially when they are so few and far between.

Looking forward to playing my awesome new amp again tomorrow.

Peace. Love. Fiddle.
~natalie

Ansley's First Sip...

...of a Carbonated beverage!!! My sweet niece ordered a Cherry flavored drink, thinking it was like fruit juice... but it was more like a shirley temple. Steph said she pretty much froze in this position for quite a while.

CLASSIC



Peace. Love. Fiddle.
~natalie

The Race

Has been posted. HAHA!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tFHIOUguxBM



Peace. Love. Fiddle.
~nat

Panther's Fortune

Zach just got this in his fortune cookie and set it down in front of
me... You know... Because I sign his checks. It was pretty
spectacular. :)

La Guapa

I just played my first show with my NEW AMP today!!!! It was amazing.

I bought a Dr. Z, surf green Maz 18. She shall be known as La Guapa! (We've been quoting 3 Amigos all week... David's been doing the El Guapo dance... it just seems to fit!)

I really thought originally that I was gonna get an Orange Amp or one of the hand wired White Vox's... but nope! Dr. Z won out in the end. It was a no-brainer. Plus, this store exclusively has the surf green.... can't get it anywhere but Ft. Oglethorpe, GA at Humbucker Music!!!



As Kiwamu - one of my former guitar players - put it, my never ending search for the perfect tone has just begun!!! :)

La Guapa's first gig was very much a success at Ga Highlands College in Rome! It was our 2nd time at this campus... but this time we didn't get put in jail :) (The students put us in jail and people had to pay $10 to get the whole band out last year. Fortunately it was for a good cause, so someone ponied up the dough)
I had to dig WAY back in the archives for this one...


Thank you HIP for bringing us to campus and helping us out today!!!


I raced a few of the HIP girls in the inflatable obstacle course... got quite the battle scars to prove it, too!!! Miguel said I look like Ella - my whole arm is scraped from the velcro. It was worth it! I won that race! I didn't win the next one, though... she was undefeated... and I just barely came in second :)

And thank you John!!! John has always taken good care of us :)


We play at Ga highlands Campus in Cartersville on Friday night at 7pm. If you're around the area, come on out!!! It will be a great event with food, games, and of course we'll make sure the music is played :)

Coming to you from the Super Laundromat in Rome, GA...

Peace. Love. Fiddle.
~natalie

We Rock the "G"

We rocked Georgia Northwestern Technical College so hard.... that we rocked the "G" off the wall. OOPS!


The Head of the Rome Campus came in after the show, asked "Did I miss the WHOLE thing?" And Brandy and Dione told him it was so crazy I smashed my fiddle and broke the "G" on the wall. I think as soon as he looked at me, he knew that wasn't true :)

Dione and Brandy... our awesome peeps the last couple of days!


Thanks for all the help David!


We had a lot of fun playing for 2 of GA Northwestern Tech's Campuses. And they even gave us CHOCOLATE BARS today!!! Woo hooo! (I'm a cheap date)

Looking forward to GA Highlands tomorrow!

Peace. Love. Fiddle.
~natalie