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

St. Andrews Know How To Party

We were back at St. Andrews Presbyterian College - one of our favorite campuses from the last few years!

We were close to the same place, but this time we actually got to play out by the lake because the weather cooperated! And the best is that it is called Lake Ansley!!!! Just like my sweet little niece, Ansley. And Lake Ansley is filled with tons of turtles that are constantly popping their heads up, hopeful for a little morsel :) I spent quite a bit of time hanging out with the turtles after the show.

They had a cook-out set up for the students, David opened the show, and it was another gorgeous day.

The owner of the last RED Peace, Love, Fiddle t-shirt from 2008!


My first beer can signage!


Sweet girls that helped us out all day!






My fiddles by Lake Ansley


And my own sweet Ansley :)


Now, I'm gonna hang out with the guys :)

Peace. Love. Fiddle.
~natalie

Singing. Sips. And Strokes.

Hope y'all enjoyed the Tour Diary Video from yesterday!!! I will be posting the next one REALLY soon. So keep your eyes peeled :)

I was back at Ben's studio, Hat Factory Cinco, today for just a bit. Ben is mixing a new song of David's that is absolutely gorgeous. I can't wait to hear the final version! And I got to sing pretty, airy backgrounds on it :) awesomesauce.

Last days before a big stint on the road are always a bit chaotic. It's usually when I realize how little I got done no matter how MUCH I got done while I was home.

But the one thing I did accomplish today was completely awesome and not at all work or music related. It was actually related to something that I have absolutely NO talent in whatsoever. Painting.

Jenn Cancino took me to a place called Sips and Strokes which is a "step by step" + BYOB painting class. Jenn and I were pretty hardcore with our waters and sprite :) I am usually one of those girls that sticks to polka dots and stick figures when I am expected to draw something. But I am so proud of myself!!! THIS was REALLY REALLY fun! The class was sold out - birthday parties, Red Hat Society Ladies, ONE token dude, and lots of spilt wine. (Mostly from the lady sitting directly behind us! HA!)

Jenn and me all excited to paint:


And our finished paintings! Mine's on the left... hers the right... You can tell I like big, dramatic hair...


It's amazing how different all the paintings looked as you looked around the room. Some people choose different skin and hair colors. But more than that, everyone's approach was so different! I HIGHLY recommend doing this if you live close to one! They have locations in Alabama, Georgia, and Tennessee. And I'm sure there are similar places throughout the country. I can't wait to go back!

Peace. Love. Fiddle. Sips. And Strokes.
~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

Introducing the New Band Members!!

Sooo....

I have alluded to the fact that new guys were coming on board over the last little bit, but I haven't said much because there were no "final decisions" made.

Today, that has all changed!!!

We have known for a while now that David Newbould would be joining Team Stovall. David will be coming on board as an opening act/ rhythm guitar/ vocalist in the group! We are THRILLED to have such a talented guy along for the ride. :) He's a fantastic artist - singer/songwriter/guitar player/overall awesomeness and in fact... you should head on over to his website when you have the time and take a look at HIS stuff!!!

http://www.davidnewbould.com/

He originally hails from Canada (thus furthering the borders of this international Stovall band) but he recently made the move to Nashville from Austin, Texas. We even figured out that Dave Madden - my first keyboard player... plays keys for David in Austin!!! Oh what a small world it is!


And the the part we haven't known until today - our new bass player!!!
Introducing Zach Morse (no kids... not Zach Morris... though I'm a little TOO excited about introducing him to Mr. Belding) from Cheyenne, WY (a new state to grace the Stovall Team). Zach has a very rich, deep voice which I can't wait to hear more of. He's a killer bass player. And he's got crazy curly hair to DIE for! :)

You can get a sneak peek at his myspace site:
http://www.myspace.com/zachmorsebassist

We had spoken to Zach, gotten GREAT recommendations from friends about him, and stalked him a little on youtube. Shhhh. We had a great feeling about him, but you can't exactly offer someone a job without meeting them and playing with them first. Well... you can. But, you know. So we got together with everyone today, played through some songs, dug the vibe, offered him the job, and thus now we have a full band again!

Whew. I can't even begin to describe what an incredible feeling that is. New Van, new band, new sound system, new songs, new sets, new fiddles... Whoa. I didn't even realize all the newness until I just typed it out!

Miguel, James, and I couldn't be happier with how 2010 is starting!!! Let's keep it a'rollin!

Peace. Love. Fiddle.
~natalie

103WKDF, Froggy 100.9, and UMASS Dartmouth!

I woke to a flood of delightful texts and phone calls from Nashville this morning!!! It was some very exciting news that at first... in my groggy state... I didn't quite believe it.

Wylie Rose on 103.3WKDF in the morning gave me a shout out on the radio station!!! I've heard a few different stories - everyone had their own version (kind of like the game telephone... but only real-life telephone) but the basic gist is that she said something along the lines of "If Natalie Stovall can't get a record deal... then I don't know who can." Ummm. WHOA. REALLY!?!?! That is pretty much one of the sweetest and most awesome comments on the radio I have ever heard.

Wylie and I met last November when I did a benefit for the Raining Season at 3rd and Lindlsey. There were tons of HUGE songwriters and great performers there. Wylie was the host of the evening. She had such incredibly kind things to say to me after the show. And to hear that she gave me a shout out ON AIR on one of Nashville's best country stations... well that my friends, ROCKS.

SO thank you to Wylie and David in the mornings on 103.3, and thank you to everyone who called to let me know they were talking about me!!!

I did my own interview over the phone with Froggy 100.9 in Barre Vermont today! Jim Severance had me on his "Drive at 5" show this afternoon. He was giving away 2 tickets to our show tomorrow night, and then they'll be giving away more tickets in the morning!! Hehe. So fun. I even got to pick which caller would win - but it was pretaped, so I didn't actually get to hear the winner. Oh well. Maybe I'll get to meet them tomorrow night!

And then on to tonight! We did a show at UMASS Dartmouth, I was really excited to be here - it's only an hour away from Boston!!! So I feel like I am at home. :) I was talking to one of the guys tonight and he had a really thick Boston accent. I asked where he was from (just checking) and of course Boston. Isn't it funny how a very strong Boston accent and a really strong Southern accent BOTH make me feel at home?

The University of Massachusetts in Dartmouth is Paul's alma mater!!! Paul (aka my manager) went to school here :) And since it is only an hour away from where he lives now, he came out to the show!!!! I always love it when Paul comes. And he's gotten to come to a lot more shows lately since we have been up in the northeast more.
Oh Paul. :)


There were SOOOO Many students there to help us today. Load in and load out seem like a breeze!!!
All the members of CAB who helped put on our show tonight!


And here's Chris who was our main contact and the Student Supervisor :)


They made some really cool posters for the show :)

They even made Life size Natalie Posters :)


You'd think I'd be able to do that pose down to a "T"... close.... at least I am wearing the same belt :)

Paul!!! Paul helped guide us to the venue and was so helpful the whole night. He even took us to the late-night dining place on campus so we could get some grub after the show. Thank you for everything! Told you I'd put this in my blog!!! I expect the same from you :)


Tapan. I loved this guy. The first thing he said was, "Say "hi" to your Granny for me. Tell her thank you for putting you on stage." And then later on he said "I just want to meet your Granny and talk to her." HOW COOL IS THAT? Granny will LOVE that story. I'm sure Mamma will print out this blog and take it to her... so "HI GRANNY." From Natalie and your new friend Tapan in Dartmouth Massachusetts.

I also love the guy in the background who is ALREADY wearing the Peace, Love, Fiddle shirt he JUST bought! :)

Jeff! Jeff did an interview with me for the school paper. Plus he was the photographer for tonight! He was pulling double duty.
:)


This guy knows EVERY word to Taylor Swift's songs. The ladies like that :) He's a smart guy.


He was VERY happy when we threw in a little Zepplin :)



And I am so bummed. I didn't get a picture with Austin. What was I thinking!?!?! Or not thinking... actually.... Austin was our soundman for the evening. And Chris informed me before the show that Austin's birthday was yesterday. :)- So we played Beatles Happy Birthday song and got him up on stage to dance it out. He was SUCH a good sport!!!

And also it is my Daddy's Birthday today!!!! He doesn't have myspace, facebook, or twitter, so instead of updating my status' today... I'll reach him through my blog. This is currently my favorite pic of me and Daddy. (Who everyone calls Colonel. Cause... well... he is. Yup. Retired Colonel from the Army. Don't mess with this guy. He's had to chew monkey meat!!! - and he's a jungle expert)

Happy Birthday Daddy!!