I Made It To My First Hall of Fame!!!

I got a message today letting me know that I have made it to Berklee College of Music's String Department Hall of Fame.

http://berklee.edu/departments/strings-hall-of-fame.html

WHAT THE!?!?! REALLY!?!?!?! (grinning ear to ear) Shhhh.... Don't tell them that I wasn't actually in the string department at Berklee - I was a voice major. I DID take classes in the string department!!!

You know what is funny? Berklee is where my confidence was destroyed on fiddle. Before college, I had ALWAYS gotten my foot in the door with things for being the "fiddle player that could sing". It's how I originally booked the Opryland gig as a kid. But I auditioned for Singer's Showcase at Berklee - the most prestigious and highly competitive show for the vocalist. The first 3 semesters, I didn't make it. I went in to talk to the judges and watch my audition tape. Want to know what they said? "STOP PLAYING THE FIDDLE. It's hurting your auditions."

I made it every semester after that and never played fiddle in the audition again.

Blessings sure can come in major disguise. That one specific moment - being told NOT to play fiddle - was where I FINALLY took myself seriously as a singer. Before that I never felt like a singer. I did, but I didn't. When I finally made showcase without my fiddle, I knew I was truly a singer and didn't need a "gimmick" to get me in the door.

It took me a while to build up my confidence again on the fiddle. I FINALLY feel like I am starting to get there again and think of myself as a double agent. Fiddle Player/ Singer. One is not dependent upon the other. It's a good feeling. I continue to learn more about my voice and my playing each day - especially on that fiddle. One might say I LOVE the PEACE I finally feel with my FIDDLE. *wink wink*

Peace. Love. Fiddle.
~natalie

Baby Sol is Here!!!!

Sol Elizabeth Cancino was born today, May 3 (on her due date!) at 3:30pm. My sister said it best, "What a blessing in the middle of such a mess." As most people deal with loss and heartache today around Nashville, the Cancino's have such a blessing in their hands!

She's 6 lbs. 6 oz. 19.5 inches and BEAUTIFUL!!!!!!!


We are so excited and happy for Miguel, Jenn, big sister Ella, Abuela, and their whole family!!! Miguel is taking a few weeks off, as he is on full time Daddy Duty! We had a GREAT rehearsal tonight with Matt Hauer, who is filling in Miguel's spot on the road. Matt really knew his stuff when he came in, and I am looking forward to playing with him again. We went to Berklee together and played in bands for other people together - but this is his first time playing in MY band :) Gonna be a good run.

Thank you for the beautiful prayer you posted, Farm Boy. We are all praying for those in Nashville going through such a difficult time. But I will say that our beautiful state is living up to it's "Volunteer" nickname!! The kindness and giving of strangers is overwhelming!

Peace. Love. Fiddle.
~natalie

You Don't Have to Call Me... Charley Pride...

I had lunch with my roommate from college - The lovely and incredibly talented Miss Julie Davis Donatelli. We lived together our first 3 years of school and and she is now married with the most beautiful daughter, Isabella!!! Today was the first chance we have had to catch up in years.

As we were sitting there chatting away at Pancake Pantry, this sweet man comes up and starts complementing Isabella and asking if he can talk to her. I look at Julie and mouth "Is THAT Charley Pride??" And she mouths back "I THINK SO!" His friends saw me say that and asked if I wanted a picture. Well... you ALL know the answer to that one!!!


For you young-uns out there (Like my niece, Bailey, who may be thinking.... who is Charley Pride??) -
Here's a little info I snagged from his website:
Over the past thirty years, Pride has remained one of the Top 20 best-selling country artists of all-time. His incredible legacy includes 36 #1 hit singles, over 70 million albums sold, 31 gold and 4 platinum albums - including one quadruple platinum. On RCA Records, Charley Pride is second in sales only to Elvis Presley.

To read more: http://www.charleypride.com/

The first time I met him was backstage at the Grand Ole Opry. Years ago. He is always so kind and approachable. Says a LOT about him. He's a country LEGEND!

That made my day. :)

Had a great night with all the Berklee folk - current and alums - at the Alumni Reception tonight!!! I'm so happy I went to such an amazing school. Good luck to everyone thinking about moving down!!!

TOMORROW.... Get Ready... The Next Tour Diary is COMING!!! Parts 1 and 2! (And rumor has it there's even need for a Part 3....)

Peace. Love. Fiddle.
~natalie

Recording, Shows, Muppets, and Queen

So much got done today!!!

We (David, Miguel, and me) did some acoustic demos with Ben Strano at Hat Factory Cinco today. I just needed to get some recordings of some of the new material we have started playing that there are no recordings of yet! That was so easy... and fun!

We ate lunch at Siam Cafe which was voted Nashville's Best Thai Restaurant of 2009. And it is the type of place that I probably wouldn't have gone into just by the looks... not unless someone could vouch for it. It's not that it looks gross or anything, but it is tucked away in an unlikely neighborhood... but once you get inside it is cute, the smells are amazing, and I think it is my favorite dish of chicken fried rice. :) Plus, the waitress that is there always gives us (but mostly Ben) a hard time! She's got a very thick accent, but she says things like "I hope it's raining when you leave so you get wet when you walk back!" And then just laughs and laughs all the way back into the kitchen. It's pretty spectacular.

I then came home, got all rock-starred up and headed down to the Rutledge to play an acoustic set for the Berklee students. The Berklee Spring Break Trip is in town this week. They have already gotten to partake in clinics with Alison Krauss and Vince Gill!!! Every year they get a bunch of alumni together to do a show for the kids... just to give them a taste of Nashville! It was so fun - and it is always great to get to catch up with all the Berklee kids and teachers. They kids are so gracious and it feels good to be a part of such a great community. David played with me tonight and he sounded SO good. He is really a talented guy and we are so lucky to have found him. He is a fantastic acoustic player and made me sound great tonight. Thank you David!

And before I head to bed and snuggle with Cinnamon...

I must share a video that was just shared with me. :) It is of one of the BEST versions of one of the greatest songs of all time. Enjoy as the Muppets give you their version of Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody!



My favorite part is definitely Animal when he keeps saying "Mamma". What's yours?

Peace. Love. Fiddle.
MAMMMMA!!!!!

~natalie

Fiddlepalooza

Videos are poppin up from Joe's!!! :) Here's the Fiddlepalooza Medley we love to do :) YAY!



In other news:
Tomorrow night I will be playing a 15 minute acoustic set at the Rutledge at 8:30 in Nashville. The Berklee trip is back! A group of Berklee students come down every year on their spring break and get to see the insides of Nashville. Or at least a Cliff's Notes version of the insides. :)

The show is for the students (and anyone else who shows up!) and is put on by alumni that are here in town and in the music world. I get to play with Lots of my favorite talented artists in town:

The Young Republic
Jenn Bostic and Caitlin Nicol Thomas
Maureen Murphy
Megan James
Emily Shackelton
Natalie Prass
Casey Driessen
Charlie Worsham + John Lippencott

So it should be a good time!!!

Peace. Love. Fiddle.
~natalie

Keepin It Real

I love working in this biz. Every day is so different. And within the same day, you have to be a business exec, creative person, accountant, web promoter, and part of the "job" is going out to other people's shows :) Man. It's a rough life. :)

I had my first co-write with Emily Shackleton today. What a great way to start the day! She's a fellow Berklee girl, although she started the year after I graduated. Last year we did a song writer's round together for the Berklee trip that comes down for spring break every year, and that is when I fell in love with her music. She is an extremely gifted writer, singer, piano player. And we wrote a great song today called "I'll Be a Fool For You"

She was PUMPED this morning. Her husband who's been out of work for over a year just got offered a dream job this morning! AND yesterday she found out that one of her songs is getting cut by an Australian country artist named Stephanie Brownlee. And she's already shot the video for the song!

The song is called "Keep It Real" and it is adorable. Here's the video!


I am so excited for her! Emily works her tail off. And I am looking forward to writing with her again. First writes can be the most difficult, but you wouldn't know it from today. It was easy as pie! (What a strange expression... pie ain't all that easy).

Off to meditate on song ideas for tomorrow's write!

Peace. Love. Fiddle.
~natalie

Running Out of Eggs Is Awesome

You know when you run out of eggs and it's annoying cause you thought you had more?

That little event - running out of eggs - made me SO HAPPY TODAY!!!! Do you know how long it has been since we have run out of something because we ATE it all??? You know.... instead of throwing it out because we were only here long enough to eat a little bit and then it was out of date by the time we got back. Yeah. That feeling of not wasting our food was AWESOME.

I have spent the last few hours going through all my songwriting ideas I have jotted down, or memos I have recorded on my phone. I can't believe how many great ideas I have that are just sitting there!!! I really thought I would be able to write more on the road this year. But with everything going on, it just rarely happens. At least so far that has been the case. The addition of some of our new band members for next year may change all that! WOO HOO!!!

But I am pumped to get back into the swing of writing. My good friend Jenn Bostic and I are writing tomorrow. It is our first time writing together. She is an incredible singer and songwriter. When I was at Berklee - I was the "country" girl that sang all the country songs in the showcases. After I graduated - Jenn arrived and she was the token "country girl" :) So tomorrow... the "Berklee Country Girls" UNITE. Watch out.

Peace. Love. Fiddle.
~nat

I Bought A FIDDLE!

Tonight made me feel like all this hard work we've been putting in is WORKING.

It wasn't that anything was extra special about the night. But we've never played in Raleigh, before. Ever. Yet we had a HUGE crowd at the show, and I had lots of people say that they googled me before they came to see what my music was like. And they must have liked what they saw online because they came!!!

It's just amazing. It's usually pretty tough to get people out when we play in a new city... understandably. I hope we get to come back. Because it was awesome.

My friend, Natalie, came out! She went to Berklee, too :) We both lived on the 4th floor of the dorms our first year at school - only 3 rooms of girls on the whole floor out of 50 rooms. And there were TWO Natalie's :)


Guess what else?

I BOUGHT A FIDDLE TODAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The best electric fiddle shop in the country is located in Durham, NC! Seriously. I've been waiting to go for over a year. You'd think, Nashville, right? And in Nashville there's The Violin Shop which is the best in the world for acoustic violins. But I have been wanting to try a bunch of different lines of fiddles for a while, now. And FINALLY today, and the Electric Violin Shop I got to try everything I have been wanting to play! YAY! And I actually bought one! I ordered a custom violin from Mark Wood a couple months ago, so I'm waiting on that one to come in, too. But today I bought a beautiful black Skyinbow. I loved the sound. And honestly, it is the only one I would have walked out of there with. I am very picky about the electric's still LOOKING like a fiddle. I don't like the cut away designs. I really want it to LOOK like a fiddle. It's VERY different from what I am used to. But I am pumped about working with it and my sparkle white Mark Wood Sabre that is coming in!

My Mouth Is Hungry But My Stomach Is Full

I love how different each day can be on the road. :) The last 2 nights, we were in a hotel that had a bit of a stank, the view was a parking lot littered with old mattresses, the curtains were falling off the walls...

Tonight? I am laying in a King size bed surrounded by a mountain of comfy pillows, the complimentary products in the bathroom are Aveda - my fav that's too expensive to buy - and the view is part of the NYC skyline (right past the Newark airport). The guys are in the bar downstairs having a beer after a nice leisurely 10 hour drive.

Playing in the Suburban today:
The end of "Yes Man"
"The Departed" (That was fun to visit parts of Boston - including Costello Liquors right next to Berklee's campus)
"Role Models"
"Nick and Norah's Playlist" (With a nice reference of Berklee in that movie - Michael Cera's character wants to go to school there!)
And "Half Baked"

And with my mobile internet working again, I got some major facebooking and emailing done. Whew. That felt good. Still backed up, but getting closer.

Tomorrow - we play for the Coast Guard on Staten Island! WOO HOO!

Peace. Love. Fiddle.
~natalie

Fort Gordon Article

Click on each page to read!

Country Girl Fairytale EP on itunes!!!

So I was pretty stoked yesterday when I heard that my good friend Ruth Collins has her EP "Country Girl Fairytale" on itunes!!! YAY!!!!! :)



Know why I am EXTRA excited about this one? One of the songs on there is one that we wrote together! Ruthie is such a talented girl. She was in a duo called Wild Honey that was on the first season of CMT's "Can You Duet". Ruth and I went to Berklee together, she was roommates with James last year, and now she is one of my favorite co-writers :) She is every bit as sweet as you think she is from her pics and bio. And she writes all of her own music. I love that girl! We wrote a really cute song called "Lottery" together and she sounds fantastic singing it!

You can get it on itunes OR you can order "Country Girl Fairytale" HERE.

She put a lot of love into the packaging because she hand-made them all herself!!! So go support Ruthie! And if you've got the time... write a good review on itunes for us ;)-


Studio Update:
I really forgot how all-consuming recording in the studio is.

We got soooo much done today. Fiddle AND vocals on 2 songs. Whew. May not sound like a lot... but when you're putting something creative under a microscope.... well it takes nothing but precious time.

So now we need to get fiddle and vocals on 2 more songs. I am hopeful to get both done tomorrow. Then we'll just have to get the backgrounds and any other miscellaneous parts added on. YAY!!!!!!! Have I mentioned how excited I am to be recording new music?? Yeah. I think I have. But I will AGAIN!!! WOO HOOOO!!!

Peace. Love. Fiddle.
~natalie

Cafe 939

These days a lot of places feel like home...

The Suburban

Hotels

Toll Roads

My manager's house

Waking up in strange places is one of the most consistent things in my life right now :)

But there's something so unbelievably nostalgic about walking up and down the streets of Boston. We were walking back to the car tonight at about 2am. We were around the Berklee neighborhood. And there were TONS of people on the streets. I had forgotten how packed the streets are on a Saturday night. Everyone is out. And most everyone is college age. And it felt like home.

And even though I had never played in this venue before tonight, nor did it even exist when I went to school there - it felt so normal. The place was packed. But the weirdest part about the show was the fact that everyone sat on the floor. That was a first for me. It kinda felt like a really rocked out story-time. :)

It was Cafe 939's birthday so they were having a big bash. The first act was Liz Longley and her band. And WOW. She was unbelievable. Seriously. Her songs. Her voice. Her writing. Her band. Her arrangements. All Fantastic.
And then we went on, did our thing and had a blast as usual.
And then Gina Cimmelli went on after us. I didn't really get to hear much of her because I was talking to everyone who came to my show and thanking them all. She was adorable and the one song I did hear was her "happy" song and she totally played a kazoo solo. It reminded me of the Popeye song "He Need's Me" - which my roommates performed at a 'Love is Deaf' Valentine's Day concert... so I have heard it a lot recently.... while they were practicing.. :)

Here's Liz and her band:



These girls were at our show at the Matterhorn. And they told me they wore their scarves for me!!! YAY!!!



This couple was so sweet. They sat right in front and I figured they were Berklee students. They both look like musicians to me :) But I found out after the show that they are just country fans. She saw my add on facebook for the show and they decided to come! We recently tried buying adds for a few of the shows... and we have been curious to see if they work. And they totally DO!!!! Also.... he goes to the Harvard Business School. I just met some guys at the Matterhorn who go to the Harvard Business School. I still had the pics in my camera so I showed them to him - he totally knew them!!! How funny is that? Wow.


Kristen and Sadie!!!
Kristen and I met a few years ago but she has never gotten to come to a show. It was SOOOO good to see her. And she had ordered a cd online the day I released it. So she brought it to the show and I signed it for her. I hadn't seen one of the original cds in a LONG time!!! So cool!!!


And then we got to go hang out afterwards with Jorge and Valentina!!! Jorge is one of Miguel's friends from Chile who is currently going to Berklee. And Valentina, his girlfriend is probably one of the sweetest people alive. We always have so much fun with them!


And then... 1:30am on a Saturday night at Berklee???? SUPREME'S!!!!!! Just like old times :) I went and got my steak and cheese with mushrooms.... James got his spaghetti with meatballs... College all over again....

Peace. Love. Fiddle.
~natalie

Oh Those Nerves

Anxiety has been on my mind today.

People are always asking, "Do you get nervous?"

And yeah, of course. But I get nervous a LOT less often than I used to. Nervousness is just a normal reaction when you are stressed or worried about something. But I never wanted to call it nerves... At least with performing.... I like to refer to it as "excitement". I always pictured those butterflies in my stomach fluttering around just getting me ready for what I was about to do... letting me know it was way cooler than a "normal activity" like eating an apple or watching tv. It's the same reason we get nervous around another person when we have a crush - your body does the same thing. You get that flutter, your heart feels like it is beating so hard other people can hear it, you start to sweat.... even if you are cold... It's just your body's way of getting excited.

Anxiety is the worst leading up to an event, though. I am always WAY more nervous for things up until I actually get on stage. Once I get on that stage, though, I know what I am there to do, and I feel at home. That comes with practice and rehearsing. If you do something enough times - so that you REALLY know it - it'll be second-nature. That doesn't mean it is easy. But it just means you'll be able to get through it :)

There was a time when anxiety would make me physically sick. And it still does to this day - sometimes I don't even realize it. I don't even know I am "stressed" about something until I get that feeling in the pit of my stomach or I feel like I am about eh em.... hurl.

But whether my sickness is caused by nerves or a stomach bug or whatever - the BEST thing is to push through it. It is the most rewarding feeling in the world to be so sick that you just don't think you can do something, but SOMEHOW make yourself get through it. That's where the real test is. And that's when you learn the most about yourself.

It all boils down to confidence. (As with so many things in life) We learn to trick our brains... or maybe I should say... train our brains to doing what we want. It comes into play with SO many different kinds of things. Believing in yourself is one of THE most important things in this life. It doesn't matter whether it is public speaking, singing, playing a sport or making friends - it is all derived from your confidence in yourself. The most popular kids in school or the biggest Hollywood stars out there have all the same fears and concerns that the rest of us do. It's just that the "popular" kids are better at hiding those concerns. I wish I had understood that when I was in middle school and high school. I wish I had understood that "popularity" is nothing more than exuding confidence. NOT Arrogance. There's a difference. :) Confidence and Compassion. Those are the keys.

I was a gymnast as a kid. I thought I was going to the Olympics. My sister was an incredible gymnast, but her injuries prevented her from continuing. Me? I got a job at Opryland.

But the cool thing was, they always had me do back handsprings and flips in the shows out at Opryland. So it made me feel like I got to continue that sport I loved so much... even though I had to quit. I got rustier as the years went on because I wasn't practicing anymore. Every time I would rev up to do a flip - if I had even a TWINGE of doubt about my ability... it wouldn't go well. I learned pretty quickly to tell myself before each flip - "you are awesome at flipping!" Most of the time it worked... but if I didn't REALLY believe it, that doubt would slip in and inevitably.... those would be the only times I would injure myself. Part of it too, was the distraction doubt would cause - I would lose concentration for a split second and forget "arms straight, spot, legs together, good jump, squeeze your butt..." all the stuff that makes up a good flip....

This topic brings to mind one of my FAVORITE stories from Kid's Club Days. My wonderful friend Janet Ivey was the adult in the show. We said a prayer each day before the shows. And this one day I was SICK AS A DOG. I had been throwing up all day. At this point I don't remember if that was a "nerves" day or a stomach flu day or what (probably nerves knowing me, though). Everyone circled up for prayer, and I was face down on the couch. Janet said "Dear God, Please help Natalie to stop blowing chunks so she can put on a good show" Ahhh.. Best prayer EVER.

But that's the thing. If you can push through, be confident, and KNOW that you can do something... you always can.

Lord, when I sang for the President? I was incredibly nervous. But I KNOW I can sing "God Bless America" so there's no reason for me to actually be nervous about it. My stomach could go crazy, my hands could shake, but I KNEW I could do it. And I did :)

Something that also helps me is to focus on the good things. I always say a prayer, and I thank God for "the gifts I have been given" and I ask him to "use me" for His will. It doesn't matter if that is singing for thousands of people or doing a speech for a class. It's all the same. It all boils down to believing in yourself and having the confidence to push through even when you don't want to. You know why? If you can train yourself to do it when it isn't a big deal... like a class or a rehearsal... or something. THEN when it IS a big deal - you KNOW you can do it!

I used to hear kids Berklee say "I really want to be in Singer's Showcase, but I am not ready to audition for it yet. I am too nervous" But I never understood that. The best way to get over being nervous about auditioning is to... AUDITION! Audition for anything and everything you can!!! And then by the time it is an audition that is REALLY important to you, you'll have that whole "audition thing" down. It took me 3 semesters to get into Showcase. But each time I learned something, made corrections, and then I made it the next 5 semesters straight.

I don't mean to be all up on my soap box tonight. But the issues of self-confidence and anxiety are all around us. And I feel like I have heard a lot about people I care about dealing with them lately. And since this is my little place to purge my thoughts - I figured I better get it out of my system. I don't pretend to have all the answers. This is all the stuff that has made sense to me over the years. I have about a million other stories that have come to mind. But I am sure I will eventually have a place for them :) So I am going to stop now.

The guys are probably wondering where I am. I left the hotel room an hour ago in a pensive mood and didn't say where I was going! :)

Peace, Love, Fiddle, and Self-confidence,
~natalie