We're on the news!! Sort of... ; )

Tonight was another wonderful night at The Rathskeller... Cool venue, great food, a club owner that has one of Steven Tyler's microphone stand scarfs... What more could a country girl ask for? ; )

In other exciting news today... I logged onto my facebook page today and saw that someone had uploaded a video from the Gloriana show the other night. (While we were playing I saw a guy down in front of the stage with a fairly industrial looking video camera, and now I know why) :)

Robert, I found out after some Facebook investigating, is a recent Army vet who is enrolled at WIU for Broadcast. He put together a news story about the show on campus (Maybe for class, maybe for campus news... That I don't know) But what I do know is that he did an awesome job and that it was really fun to watch, so I decided to share with all of you. :)

Now, it's a Facebook video so I can't just include it in the blog like I can with videos on YouTube, but if you click on this link you should be able to see it. (with any luck...)

http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=378309560698&ref=mf

Isn't that cool?!? Good luck Robert! I hope you're able to make many more!

Anyway, as always thank you Dan and the rest of Indianapolis for showing us such a great night!

Until next time...

Peace. Love. Fiddle. And delicious tuna sandwiches at nice German restaurants...

~natalie

LOVE YOU Karen and Pat for always bringing a crowd!!!

I <3 The Rathskeller

Dan McMichael, the owner of the Rathskeller, shared his box of concert memoribilia with us that he has been collecting since he was 8-years-old! I was most impressed with the scarf :)


We found some more gems after taking video - an Eric Clapton pic AND this lovely garter worn by Stevie Nicks!
She was singing Landslide, and Dan handed her a rose, and she motioned for him to stay right there... she put her leg up on the monitor, and then took her garter off and handed it to him! SO COOL!


The show was packed and awesome. Our good friend Carl Pike, who grew up in Indy, but lives in Nashville, opened for us. The crowd was so great tonight - bachelorette parties, birthdays, National "Talk Like a Pirate Day" (And there were some amazing pirates and wenches on the dance floor!) Kenny Chesney, Miranda Lambert, Montgomery Gentry, and Sugarland were all playing a show in downtown Indy, and we were the afterparty! :) It was so fun! Here's just a few of the awesome people we met tonight! (You can see the beautiful stage behind us in the pictures - it's one of my favorites.)





And here's Carl and his Uncle - who was VERY emphatic on buying a T-shirt!


Peace. Love. Fiddle.
~natalie

What a day... Right Lego Michael Jackson?

There have been few times in my life I have ever felt this sick.

It was so hard to pull out of the show tonight. We love the Rathskeller, Dan is so great to us and we had been looking forward to playing outside again there for almost a year now.

Plus, my parents, Tim's parents, James's mom, Grandma and Grandpa, and his Dad were all going to be there. And worst of all, since James's Dad lives on the west coast (where we never play), this was going to be the first show he had been able to see in almost 4 years. How crazy is that? Of course it was this weekend. In a strange way though, I'm glad the decision was easy... It was a heartbreaking show to have to cancel, but there was just no way...

For now it's medicine and bed. I wish I could type more but I can't... so I'll let Lego Michael Jackson do the talking for me...

The RATHSKELLER!!!!!

The Rathskeller is THE BEST BAR in INDIANAPOLIS!!!! If you live anywhere close to Indianapolis and you have never been - YOU NEED TO GO NOW!!! Seriously. RUN! I'll time you :)

The Rathskeller is just so cool. And the food. Oh the food... Don't get me started - I'll get all hungry again. Though I don't know how I'll EVER be hungry again after how well they fed us tonight.

Dan, the owner aka Dan THE Man... of awesomeness.... is one of the coolest guys in the world. It's not often we get to really talk to and hang out with the owner of the clubs we play in. The managers? Yes. The owners? No way! They usually aren't there! But Dan is.

When I walked in today, Dan pointed at me and said, "Tortilla Soup, right???" (Somebody's been reading the blog!!! YEHYAH!!!) I said "Ummm, yes please!!!" He said "I have some you'll LOVE. It's Shrimp Tortilla Soup"
Ok, I've put hamburger and ground turkey in mine - NEVER thought to put shrimp in. MMM. mmm. MMM!! It was so good. REALLY spicy. Just how I like it! Man, I wish I had another bowl right now.

Dan the Man (who you can see in Tour Diary #2 from the first time we played at the Rathskeller)


And then Dan's wife and her 2 best friends came back. This is a really cute story. Leslie and Jackie - the 2 beautiful ladies on the left side - came to our very first show at the Rathskeller. They met for the first time that evening. They have been best friends ever since!!! They even just went to Cabo San Lucas together! Isn't that cool? Peace, Love, Fiddle - bringing people TOGETHER!



Ok. Now for THE BEST SURPRISE I've had in a LOOOOOOONG time. (I LOVE LOVE LOVE surprises) MAMMA and DADDY came!!! They are so sneaky! I had NO idea - not even a hunch they were coming! They drove all the way from Nashville just to surprise us and watch the show. It was so exciting to have them there and share the night with them. We have so much catching up to do ALWAYS. But I won't have to catch them up on THIS show! They got to witness all the craziness firsthand! And Dan. My Goodness. He gave them the star treatment! Every time I looked up they were wisked off to meet more cool people! (And Daddy was VERY happy with eating dinner here!)


We were gonna try to stay at the same hotel, but it ended up taking us a while to get packed up at the end of the night. Plus, we were going in different directions. Plus, good ole Jeeves... trying to take us on state roads even though there was an interstate RIGHT NEXT TO US. We keep ending up having to navigate with our iphones. Dangit Jeeves! Get it together!

Karen and Pat.
Ok. These two are such wonderful people. The last time we played the Rathskeller, they came and brought me a present. Karen had made me Peace, Love, Fiddle earrings!!! How cool is that? This time... they brought a HUGE group of people with them AND they made me another design of Peace, Love, Fiddle earrings!!!! Goodness. I love them.
James was there to document the whole thing!
Me unwrapping the earrings (Did I mention that I also LOVE to unwrap things? Cds... Dvds... wrapped boxes... they don't even have to have anything in them. It is just fun to unwrap!! Seriously.)


Me showing off the earrings:


Me thinking that Karen made them again:


Me finding out that Pat drilled holes in them - so he made them too!!!


And then tonight I took a picture of BOTH pairs of earrings so you could see how adorable they are!!! The first pair is on the left and tonight's is on the right:


And the whole group they brought with them!!! How AWESOME are they!?!?



There were a few celebrities in the room tonight as well :) Along with Karen and Pat's group was their niece, Sarah Fisher - a professional Indy Car Race Driver. She's the on the right.
In 2000, Fisher became the third woman to compete in the Indianapolis 500. She went on to become the first female to earn a pole position and is the fastest woman to qualify for the Indianapolis 500 with a four-lap average of 229.439 mph. I looked it up! I mean.... I knew that off the top of my head :-)~


And then all of a sudden, all these guys with these gargantuan Super Bowl Rings seemed to appear out of nowhere! I am not sure about all of them, but I know one of the guys said he a Doctor for the team!


I didn't want to be left out, so I stuck my ring in there, too. And I thought MY ring was big.


Happy Birthday Lawana!


Jill's sons were at the venue across the street watching Mudvayne. So she came over to the country concert! She ended up staying the whole night!


The show was really fun. We hadn't played a bar set in a LONG time it felt like. So far on this leg of the trip, it has just been Colleges. We ROCKED IT OUT tonight. Once Pat and Karen took the dance floor - the rest of the crowd followed their lead, and they all stayed out and danced for the rest of the night. It was so fun!!!

Next time we go back to the Rathskeller is July 11. We'll be back out at the Bier Garden in the beautiful warm weather!!! But I will definitely remind everyone when we are going back! Thank you for everything Dan!!

Peace, Love, Fiddle,
~natalie

University of Wisonsin, Parkside Arts Alive!

Tonight we played at the University of Wisconsin, Parkside. We played in a gorgeous theater as a part of the Arts Alive! Series. They really did a fantastic job putting on the show. I am so disappointed I didn't get any photos of the theater to share with you. I have been searching online to try to find some, but no dice...

The stage came right up to the front row, and the bottom level sat 500 people, which was packed out. It still had this very intimate feel even though it held a lot of people. The stage itself reminded me of the "Austin City Limits" Stage. We played 2, 45 minute sets, which was fun because it was just a bit different than our last few shows. Lately they have all been 1, 60-75 minute set. It's always fun to have a little change in there! I was worried about being too loud because they told us that they were trying something new with us. This crowd isn't accustomed to "loud" music. :) (It's funny to me that... little country girl is considered "loud music" but Lord knows.... we love to cut loose when you give us the chance.) We had our amps turned down, and even put a road case in front of Miguel's guitar amp so that it would stifle the stage volume that bleeds out into the crowd. That just gives the Front of House sound man a little more control over how loud everything is out in the audience.

The crazy thing is that, even with all of that, we still had a few people that were holding their ears during the first set. I get so stressed and worried looking out and seeing that. It makes it so hard to play. I don't want anyone hurting!!!! And all I can focus on are the poor people holding their ears. But of course, at the same time, I don't want to lessen the show for the other 496 people that DON'T think it is too loud. So I made some adjustments on the fly to the first set... (God Bless the guys for always just following me!) made sure we skipped anything that was a little on the louder side... and it all worked out!

The sound guys, the band and I all had a little pow-wow during intermission. They brought the sound down in the house and we tried to be even more conscious of our own levels on stage. And the show didn't suffer a bit! We were still able to play everything we had planned on and the young 'uns AND the not-so-young 'uns ALL had a great time!!!

You know, all the craziness and unpredictability... that is the beauty of live shows. AND the beauty of playing such a wide variety of venues and events. Tonight was a LOT different from a bar set. I was able to take my time and tell the stories of each song. This theater and the stage set-up really lent itself to allow me to have more of a dialogue with the audience. I LOVE being able to do that.

Tonight was a really big night for the band, too. Last year in Feb, we were heading to Wisconsin when we got hit on the interstate.... we never made it... So to make it tonight, and actually play the show... well, that was a big deal!!!

As we were loading in - we saw 5 deer just hanging out on campus!!! It was so beautiful!



These 3 guys were JAMMING OUT in the front row right in front of Miguel the WHOLE night. It was awesome :)

I like Zombie-Hoot in this picture. :)

The boy on the left? He's a cello player. His sister? She plays the violin. :) They both take Suzuki lessons which is how I started!!
How fun to have a sibling to play with!


Happy Anniversary!!! :) Shhh... don't tell Ramon, but he is getting a cd!!!


DATE NIGHT!!! First night out alone without the kids. :) They have a 6 month old and a 22 month old. PHWEW!!!! Yeah, I'd say they were definitely in need of a night out!!!!


LOOK at that cute little guy on her backpack!!! I LOVE him! :)


Emily just got cast in the Music Man!!! YAY!!! Congrats sweet girl! And she still had homework she had to go home and do after my show (it was about 9:45 at picture time). The life of an artist!!! Brings back memories...


I have to say a HUGE thank you to our sound guys again. One of our easiest sound checks ever. John, you have got to be one of the nicest and most accommodating sound men in the world. You're so fun to work with! And thanks is GREATLY due to Dwight who REALLY took care of us tonight. Thank you for the chicken parm, bringing us to Wisconsin, unbelievable amounts of kindness, and even escorting us to our hotel! (since Jeeves failed miserably tonight at that one) For anyone who is confused - Jeeves is our GPS unit - he has a British accent, so he is our "Jeeves".


And can I just say? Thanks for reading! Hope to see all the Indy folks out at the Rathskeller tomorrow night! WOO HOO!

Peace, Love, Fiddle

CU pics, Indy Radio Spot, and Awesome Write-Up from the University of Wisconsin!

When we had a few hours in Nashville this last weekend - our stop off between PA and OK - James went to get the oil changed and the tires rotated on the Suburban. He went back to the place where he bought the tires a few weeks ago. The guy was so confused when he asked him to rotate the tires - he said "There's NO WAY you've already driven 5,000 miles". James said "Ummm... yeah.... actually we have." The guy didn't believe him, so he compared the odometer with his records. He was stunned. His response was "HOW MUCH DO YOU DRIVE!?!" I love it. :)

We left Oklahoma this morning from our awesome Best Western (Thank you USAO!!!) and it was 65 degrees. We are now a little north of Springfield Illinois and it is snowing. Yup. That's pretty normal these days :)

So I got on facebook today and I was so excited. There were a bunch more pics uploaded from the past few shows. And Amanda Finch actually posted some from MY point of view at Cameron University!!! I didn't even know she was back there taking pics, but I am so glad she did. Now you guys can understand what I am talking about!!


I wish my monitors had been closer to the front of the stage.... I wasn't close enough to everyone!!! But if I am playing fiddle in the song I am singing, I HAVE to stay behind the mic stand because well... I just can't hold the mic, sing, AND play at the same time. That'd be pretty impressive if I could. Maybe if I had a 3rd hand. I should work on that.

But when I got the chance - I was RIGHT UP FRONT!!!
This right here = happiness.



We also just heard our radio spot for our Indianapolis show at the Rathskeller!!! We play on Friday night at the Rathskeller from 8pm -12! So come party with us!!! The Rathskeller is one of our favorite bars. That place is so cool. You can listen to the spot by clicking the video - we added a little visual stimulation since we have the technology :)




Our show tomorrow sounds like so much fun! We are playing at the University of Wisconsin in Kenosha. Here's the awesome write-up they provided:

Arts Alive presents Natalie Stovall
Communication Arts Theatre

The UW-Parkside Arts Alive! series, in partnership with the Parkside Activities Board, proudly presents singer/ fiddler Natalie Stovall in concert. This bundle of musical energy bursts onto the Communication Arts Theatre stage at 7:30 p.m. for a sensational one-night-only performance. Although her star is just beginning to rise nationally, Stovall has been building her musical reputation in her hometown of Nashville for two decades. Starting with the Opryland Kids Club as a youngster, she made her Grand Ole Opry debut as a teenager playing fiddle and singing Mary-Chapin Carpenter’s “Down at the Twist & Shout.” She appeared on “Oprah” at the age of 16. Since then, Stovall’s rapid-fire fiddle and powerful voice—alternating between angelic and sultry—have solidified her status as a hometown hero and put her on a path to national stardom. Arts Alive! Director Dwight Vaught said although Stovall’s roots say “country,” her performance strays to rock, pop and blue-eyed soul. “She, and her band, are so versatile that an evening with Natalie Stovall will take you through several styles of American music--often during the same song--with some great arrangements,” Vaught stated. “She’s as good a songwriter as she is a singer, and she loves to perform. And when you realize she is such a mature artist for only being in her mid-20’s, you’ll be seeing a lot of her in the years to come.” Vaught said her concerts alternate between songs from her “Late Night Conversations” CD like “If I Run To You Now” which is part of the soundtrack for the upcoming Farrelly Brothers film “Bag Boy,” and music made popular by artists like Shania Twain, Bonnie Raitt, and Dusty Springfield. Her version of the Charlie Daniels’ “The Devil went down to Georgia” redefines the song with fiddle playing that rivals Daniels’ very best.

Tomorrow is a great day, and it's not even here yet!!!
Goodnight from a Comfort Inn somewhere in Illinois. :)

Peace, Love, Fiddle,
~nat

Rathskeller & a deer hood-ornament

We played The Rathskeller again tonight. What a cool place.

I literally sang my voice out :) I'll be on vocal rest all day tomorrow.... So I guess blogging is a great way to communicate right now! I've felt pretty crummy all week, but I was just hoping I could make it through tonight! And I did! YAY!!!!
We sure made it worth it tonight.

I'll have to share the highlights with pics when I get them off my camera. I have some very special thanks you's to send out, but I want to do it properly!

I will say that on the way to Indy.... we saw a deer strapped to the hood of an explorer.... Not the roof.... the hood. WHOA. It was pretty.... ummm.... I don't know? Well, it was something special. I wouldn't have even been able to see over the deer to watch the road if I had been the driver. But that is probably the most unlikely thought I have had all day..... me driving a car with a deer strapped to the hood. Yeah. Never gonna happen.

For now. I go to bed :)

Night!