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

The Night Hawk Made It's Live Debut

I AM OPENING FOR GRETCHEN WILSON ON FEB 12!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We found out today :) Can you tell that I am excited?? We're playing at the Country Club (not the golfin' kind... the line dancin kind...) in Augusta, Georgia.

WOO HOOOOOO!!!

Here's the link for the info if you want to come!
http://www.augustacountry.com/events.cfm

In other news :) The guitar I won when I was 12 years old, made it's debut on stage tonight! I won a Gibson Night Hawk (they didn't make them for real long... but they are great guitars) in a contest sponsored by Vietti Chili and Oscar Meyer. Irlene Mandrell hosted it, and I sang and played fiddle. It was aired on tv and people voted by writing their favorite entertainer on the back of a Vietti Chili or Oscar Meyer label and mailing it in. There was no limit to how many times you voted...

We ate a LOT of Vietti Chili that year. :) I think we were eating cans for over a year after that contest.

What is it with me and random food sponsored contests?

Anyway... I won a Gibson Night Hawk, and a dinner cruise on the General Jackson with Irlene Mandrell :)

I played the Night Hawk a bit... but I never took to guitar very much. I'm a fiddle girl. Can't fight it. My brother played it a little bit. And Ben has used it on records in the studio for the last few years. But David is gonna play it on the road with us. And tonight, it made it's love debut!!! 15 years later!!! Isn't it funny how things like that happen?

Look how pretty she is!

And David looks pretty snazzy, too. That's Zach, our new bass player, on the right.

Peace. Love. Fiddle.
~natalie

Hung Out With Barney Fife and Played With The Drifters

Well...

We got completely rained out for the first 2 shows today. It was so disappointing. We got to the fair grounds around 10:30am and sat and sat and sat... in soaking wet clothes... until 5pm. We left to go put on some dry clothes at that point and came back for our 8:00 show. But since we hadn't had any way to set up yet, we were having to set up quickly on the fly, and get a sound check all at the same time. Our set was supposed to be from 8-8:30. (The final set is a quick one) Our poor sound guy, Leon, who we love, was running around like crazy. There just wasn't enough time.

At about 8:20 he was close to having the sound set up. It is so stressful for EVERYONE involved to be trying to get the sound right and just standing on stage not being able to do anything with an audience present. SUCKS. But Leon got things done very quickly and we just played late tonight. It was a bit of a rough show. I think we were all off-kilter for, well, the number of reasons I have already mentioned. Plus, it started "misting" (the best way I can describe it) during the last part of the show. The Drifters were on the stage across the way... so our sound was competing with one another. Does it count for me to say I've played "with the Drifters" now on my resume? I was playing an original while they were playing "Under The Boardwalk" :)

I DID get to hang out with "Barney Fife" during a lot of the day. He actually asked us to go out to the bar with him tonight... but we are all spent and gonna have to hang another night. (He's already been here for 5 days!) He was awesome. He and Gomer drive around in their crazy Mayberry police car all day.


Peace. Love. Fiddle.
~natalie

I Want To Go To There

We made it!

We're in GA. And we get to stay in the SAME hotel room for 6 nights. SIX NIGHTS!!!!!!!!!!!!! That is monumental. I haven't stayed in the same place for six nights since we took a break in May to make the record. I wasn't even home that long when I had bronchitis this summer :)

I'm already starting to feel at home here at the hotel in Perry, GA.

And we all laughed when we got in the car today - it was only a 6 hour drive! After the drive from New Hamphsire, that seemed like a hop, skip, and a jump. Although, I got tired after driving 4 hours. The other day it was 10 hours before I needed to switch.

I'm excited about playing the fair all week. I have missed the fair that comes to Columbia for the last 4 or 5 years, but I think playing 3 shows a day for the next 5 days is more than going to make up for it!

Peace. Love. Fiddle.
~natalie

Great Grandaddy was a Fiddle Player?!?!

Today I found out that my great grandfather played the fiddle. I had NO IDEA!!! Granny has never talked about that before. But apparently he had an amazing ear and could play anything. And his brothers all played instruments, too - banjo, guitar, and jews harp. How cool is that!?!?!

We got to Columbia around 8:30 this morning. That means we spent 23 hours in the car non-stop. I am not sure how in the world James finished it off. I went to bed about 11:30am... RIDICULOUS! But we've had a good day of errand running... still doing laundry right now, and hoping to get done soon so I can get some sleep tonight. That took a lot out of me... but we are going to play the Ga National Fair for 5 days in a row! We get to stay in the same place for 5 days! YAY!!!! We have 3 shows a day, but still... it will be nice not to have to shift hotel rooms every few minutes :)

Night night.

Peace. Love. Fiddle.
~natalie

Salmon. It's What's For Dinner.

What kind of food do you expect when you go to an outdoor concert? Burgers, hot dogs, chips... you know... the usual...

Ummm... at Brenau University? Nope. Gourmet. Some of the best Salmon I have EVER had (other than my Daddy's Jack Daniel's Salmon), Sweet potatoes, baked ziti, yummy rolls, red velvet cake... They live it up in Gainesville, GA!

We played at their outdoor amphitheater, and the students in charge said that the seniors have NEVER been able to have an outdoor show. Every year when they've tried, the weather has caused them to have to move indoors. But our recent weather luck did not follow us, and we actually got to play outside!

Brenau is an all-girl campus except for 5 guys that take night courses :)



Tonight we are getting to stay in one of our favorite hotels - Hilton Garden... mmmm... best beds.

Tomorrow? Show 9 of our 15 shows-in-a-row stretch!

Peace. Love. Fiddle.
~natalie

We Made It!

Just in case you ever need to know:
There aren't a lot of tire stores open on Sundays in Conyers, GA - especially ones that carry trailer tires. Thank goodness for Walmart! They were the ONLY people who had anything close to what we needed.

Turns out that the spare tire the trailer store had given us was the wrong size! Way too big for the trailer... But we got one new tire to get us home and we'll get another tomorrow. Poor Tim had a session at 7pm tonight, and we pulled in RIGHT at 7. He was just a bit late, but I am hoping it wasn't too big of a deal for him.

We dropped the trailer at the gas station, Tim and I headed with the busted tire to Walmart, and James and Miguel stayed with the trailer. They got us all fixed up at Wally World, so all is good! Turns out our original tires were overinflated about 20psi... that'll make em wear strange, for sure!

Any time something changes personel-wise it's like the stars line up differently. :)

Hootie had the women's panties in his bed on the first road trip.

When Peter subbed, the first Suburban COMPLETELY died in Carlisle, PA.

And on Justin's first trip... Amy was also subbing for us (so it was DOUBLE the luck) and that was when we got hit by a semi.
Hmmm...

And Tim got the ever-so-uneventful flat tire.

I don't actually think it means anything. But maybe next time a new element is added, I'll ask for a few extra prayers. :)

Peace. Love. Fiddle.
~natalie

Too Many "Natalie's" for One Bathroom Stall

One of the harder things to do as an artist, is to play original music during long sets at a club. I've gotten spoiled lately by doing only college/ Performing Arts Center shows. Club shows are very different from a show where you get to just be an artist... At colleges I get to do all my own music. But at a club (until you get to a point where you ARE the draw) You have to create such a balance. Most people come to a club to hear songs they already know... so if they don't KNOW your songs, you run the risk of disappointing your crowd. And it is much easier to keep people on a dance floor when they KNOW the music.

I have always tried to balance that by playing a few of my strongest originals here and there... in between all the recognizable covers... and usually earlier in the night (before everyone is crazy and just wanting to dance and sing as loud as they can).

Every time I get a new batch of songs rehearsed with the band, I get so excited to play them for a crowd. That's the TRUE test.

But tonight, every time I did an original, there was a noticeable difference in the crowd response. It lets me know I am headed in the right direction. If I can get a room filled with hundreds of people who have never heard me play before to respond almost as strongly to my stuff as they do to a Shania song.... I am doing something right! It hasn't always been that way. But the progress is visibly different to me. And THAT, my friends, feels wonderful!

The show was REALLY REALLY fun. We were all able to cut loose and let it all out on stage. The stage and lighting and sound was AMAZING.... so that always inspires a more energetic show. When we first walked in, I thought that Georgia must have switched over to the "no smoking" law. The club didn't have any remnants of smoke in it. It wasn't until I noticed the ash trays that I figured it out. Well, until the doors opened and everyone started smoking.... THAT was a big clue ;) But it's just ventilated that well! It was one of the cleanest clubs I've ever seen... And every bathroom stall in the ladies room had a full length mirror on the back of the door. Hmmm... I guess in case you want to watch yourself pee?? But yeah, I was surrounded by "Natalie's", which was a tad umm, let's say, Strange. There were posters on the walls with my picture... plus the mirror.... too many Natalie's for one bathroom stall!

Before we even got started, Chester walked in and brought me a picture from the last time we were in Augusta. He came to our Coyote's shows. What a great surprise!


Brandi and Chad were celebrating their 6th Anniversary!!! We played "When You Say Nothing At All" for them and afterwards they told us it was their wedding song. I LOVE it when that happens!
Plus Bradi was down front dancing and singing all night long!


The Bachelor and Bachelorette - Chris and Kaelin
They had a huge party up in the VIP section right next to the stage.


21st Birthdays!!!



God Bless our Troops!! And we had a lot of them at the show! The one with the tags is stationed at Fort Gordon which we are playing on June 6. YAY!



And I will leave you with my favorite audience member of the night. I don't like to play "favorites" but this guy was amazing. he was down front and dancing from the first song on. He had the most infectious smile and was a sweetheart. :)



Yay for The Country Club!!! Can't wait to go back there :)

I have now officially been up for 28hrs. We had to drive back right after the show to get Miguel to the airport. He gets to go home to Chile today!!! YAY!!! But oooohhh how I am about to sleep!!! My husband and puppy have already crashed. And now, so will I :)

Peace, Love, Fiddle,
~natalie

Natalie Stovall Newsletter #2 (Now with Free Song Downloads) ; )

Happy Mother's Day!!!

I sure hope all the mothers out there, conventional and unconventional, had a wonderful day. We spent it driving home from Michigan. Though I didn't get to spend the day with Mamma, she held up the phone so I could "be in a picture" with her and Granny and my sister. :)

Next Week

5/16 The Country Club - Augusta, GA : Show 9PM

If you are in the area for this, we would love to see you! For more information about this show or any others you can see my full calendar by clicking here!

Home

Did I mention that we are HOME?? We've been on the road since Jan 13!!! We've had a few stops here in Nashville, but for the most part, we've spent our time elsewhere. We have 1 more show this weekend in Augusta Ga at The Country Club, which is our final show for the Winter/Spring Tour of 2009. I sure didn't think it would go by this fast. What a whirlwind of zigzagging all over this beautiful country! We've gone through snow storms and sunburns, ski lodges and spring flings; I've tried scrapple (and spit it out) Chacarero's and empanadas, and I've gotten to sing at the Boston Garden, open for Josh Gracin, AND the Los Lonely Boys!

What a ride :)

And now... we're gearing up for the summer tour. We're constantly updating the summer calendar, so keep an eye out. We have some really exciting shows and venues coming up!!

 

Last Week

Picture Of the Week (I <3 Miguel)

Other fun stuff:

We found Bear Poop in our Hotel Lobby :) It was pretty exciting... and not nearly as gross as it sounds! (Click HERE to learn more)

We learned that they still don't even have leaves on the trees up in Northern Michigan!!!

We spent 4 days in Reading, PA

The whole band got to sign a script of "The Office"

We played shows at colleges with punk bands and ska bands and I got in touch with my inner "indie rock chick" by sporting a Valencia Hoodie all week. :)

Some great blogs showed up online about some of the shows. This one is from a fantastic photographer and it is filled with tons of great pics of one of our shows:

http://www.bardenphotography.com/blog/2009/natalie-stovall-2/

And this one is from the same show, but includes some video of the crazy rock medley we do:

http://www.jaredbarden.com/blog/categories/natalie-stovall/

Free Song Downloads!!

As promised... finally... the song demos for "Silly Kid" and "Best Years" are the first two songs available for download EXCLUSIVELY for people on my email list! YAY!! There will be plenty more where that came from, don't worry!!

To download the songs head to www.reverbnation.com/nataliestovall

CDs

Wanna know something that blows my mind and makes me so happy? We've SOLD OUT of another batch of "Late Night Conversations"!!! It's time to reorder cds! I knew we were getting close, but I had no idea we would be OUT by the end of this trip. We didn't even have enough at our show last night. Thank goodness for itunes!

Internetin'

For anyone who doesn't know.... I add ALL the pics we take at shows to my facebook page and myspace/website slide show. And I write a blog every day where I include pictures and stories of our crazy adventures :) Twitter is all the rave now, and I am proud to say that I am a full blown addict. Can't hide it and wouldn't try. And of course the Youtube page has had a few additions as new videos keep popping up online!

Peace, Love, Fiddle,

~natalie