Interpretive Dance To Kings of Leon at Winthrop University

I knew tonight was gonna be awesome. We were working with Boyd and the DSU Entertainment Crew at Winthrop University in Rock Hill, SC. Most days we have no idea what we are walking into. But when you are working with Boyd, you KNOW you will be taken care of!

Boyd and I met at a NACA conference a few years ago. I didn't know it at the time, but Boyd is legendary in the college world... as in, there's an award named after him that is given out each year! :) When we met we quickly figured out we were from the same hometown - and his parents lived 2 streets over from mine. SMALL WORLD!!! His Daddy, Wimpy Jones, was always the host of the Liars Contest during Mule Day every year and was ALSO legendary for his storytelling. And Boyd's father remembered me from a fiddle contest I played in when I was 8 years old.

Yeah...

And tonight I played at Winthrop University for the second time in my life. How cool is that?

Boyd is known for his GIANT Bear Hugs and Stinging High Fives :)


And Boyd sure knows how to pick the students for his Entertainment Board! They helped so much with load in and load out, and even had my merch table up and going without any instructions on how to do so! AMAZING!



Plus this is the VERY LAST SHOW EVER for the Dinkins Student Union. They are getting a new building, new name, new members, new logo - the WORKS! SO they had Eric O'Shea and myself for their final event.



Eric is HILARIOUS. Seriously, had me rolling. And it is really a great pairing to have a comedian warm up the crowd - he gets 'em laughing, we get 'em rocking. It's a great combo that we hope to do a LOT more of!
Just so I can share... I found a short clip on youtube for ya :)
He does this bit on what songs should go to television commercials...
(Plus he does a great Elmo, Family Guy, etc.)


Maybe because Eric got em going... or maybe because it was the last night, or who knows? Maybe just because they are awesome... these brothers broke out the worm, clogging, snake, sprinkler, acted out ALL of "Devil Went Down to Georgia" and even did a little interpretive dance on Kings of Leon. :)


Thank you so much for choosing us to be your last event! We now have a close friend now in Eric - who has stayed up and hung out with us all night tonight!





I haven't written a blog at 6am in a long time! It's time for some shut-eye :)

Peace. Love. Fiddle.
~natalie

Atlanta-Bound

So I'm wrapping up another few days at home to head back out on the road. Tomorrow, however... is very different!

I am driving to Atlanta, picking up James at the Atlanta airport, and then we are headed to the APCA National Conference. But not to perform!!! :)

I was invited to the awards banquet that is taking place tomorrow night because well... the awesome nominations we received this year!!! We are nominated for Best Band and Best Performer. I still can't believe it. And I can't believe that we are actually able to attend. I have been nominated in other categories in previous years, but I have never been able to attend the awards banquet because of our schedule on the road. We just happened to have this week blocked off for me to write!!! I am pretty excited about going to see everyone that I have worked with over the last year that attends APCA. It becomes such a big family; the agents, the students, the artists... And these conferences are actually some of the only times I get to spend time with my own agent, Ari. That's always a good time. :) Oh, Ari.

And Ari was actually nominated for Best Agency!!! So really, we are all just stoked about the recognition. The students and people involved in campus activities are the ones that vote on these awards.

I also found out that I am nominated in the other college association I work closely with... NACA. I am nominated for Best Female Performer and Best Music in that one. CRAZINESS!!!

Wish me luck!!!

Peace. Love. Fiddle.
~natalie

Happy Halloween NACA Style!!!

First of all... let me introduce my agent Ari to the world with the following video.



Ari and Wiggs. 'Nough said.


Look at this sweet Sugar Glider!!!


Getting into trouble with Laura's booth next door. I love me some Laura. And look!!! MIchael Kent, who showed us some awesome magic tricks when we played at E Ct State University!!! :) the chicken costume where you don't really have to commit.


The Heyday! What a BRILLIANT idea, carving their band logo into a pumpkin! These guys are great. They are from Denver and it was their first NACA with Ari. They were a hit!



Signing off from another great NACA conference! We had a great showcase and even had schools fighting over dates in the booth. There are currently 5 different holds for April 24. I wish we could do them all!!!!! Leaving Kentucky and headed up to APCA Northeast in Verona NY. I'm really excited about catching that extra hour tonight. WOO HOO!

Peace. Love. Fiddle. Pippi Style.
~natalie

NACA SOUTH = Awesome Show, Lots of Belding, and ANT!

I started my day by watching Mr. Belding on "Saved By The Bell" on television. I ended my day with Mr. Belding buying me a coke at the bar. I LOVE my life.

We had a LOOOOONG drive yesterday and last night. We left Northern Illinois at 2:00pm and arrived here in Winston-Salem at 8:30am. And the longest we stopped was at an Arby's to eat dinner for about 15 minutes. It was brutal. But we made it safely, and were able to take a nap this morning. I always worry about James. He can't sleep in the car. After the wreck... he just can't. So even though he "rests" while I drive... it's just not the same. But we always get it worked out between the two of us.

We played at NACA South tonight - we closed the opening night of the conference. It is so funny to play a 15 minute showcase. You blink and it is over! But it was SO much fun. And I met so many great students at the conference. And there were schools from Tennessee there!!! What a concept! Play a show in my home state? It is possible?

ANT (all 5 seasons of "Last Comic Standing", VH1, Tonight Show, Tyra Banks) was in the same showcase I played!!! It was so cool to meet him and play in the same show with him. :) He's fabulous.


I am SO excited about sleeping. Good night.

Peace. Love. Fiddle.
~natalie

OH! PS when I walked in the bar... this girl (Tuttie) freaked out and was so adorable and sweet about the show. She really wanted me to sign something, but didn't have anything with her, nor did I. She had me sign a menu. That rocked.

Videos That Appear As If From Nowhere :)

I love it when I wake up and a new video has appeared on Youtube of one of our shows. :) That's a GOOD surprise. And it never gets old.

Someone posted videos from the audience at one of the NACA shows we did in the fall. :) It's so fun to see something like this from the audience perspective!!!


And she also posted "Even Alaska". It was funny to watch this one :) This was before I had settled on a key - so it is a half step down from where I sing it now. It sounds so low!!! Originally, we started a whole step up from this key... but after a few tries I didn't like it. Then we went down to F.... and now we are in F#. And F# seems to be the key of the year :) I always do that - not intentionally - but I'll go through phases where I gravitate to a specific key. It use to be "D"
It's also before Miguel and I added the fiddle/guitar jam at the end. I like the way it ends now. :)


Happy Monday!

Peace. Love. Fiddle.
~natalie

Cameron University!!!

Tonight was one of those nights that I will never forget. It was a great day from start to finish!

We got up this morning somewhere in Arkansas and only drove for 6 hours to get to Lawton, OK. The drive went by in a breeze... I got a lot of work done... and we were able to check into the hotel before the show.

I LOVE being able to check in for an hour or so before show time. My hair is so massive, that it is just nice to be able to fix it before I am unbelievably rushed after a soundcheck. Plus, it means I will actually get to hang out with the people that book the shows instead of running around trying to get "show ready."

So Robin - our contact for the show. ADORABLE. The girl is just a burst of energy and she goes so above and beyond what she needs to do to help us out. And included in our snacks and drinks.... oh yeah... she got me Keebler Fudge Shop Cookies. HOW DID SHE KNOOOOOW?? I've been on a little Keebler Fudge shop kick lately. And there weren't any at the gas station last night. :) Oh but I got my fill for today!
And RYAN!!! What another sweetheart. Ryan was there from start to finish as well. He and Robin both helped us get all packed up and loaded in. It made things go so much quicker!!! Plus, Ryan and I met at the very first NACA I ever played in Little Rock, Arkansas. :) He took videos all night and is going to edit them all together. I can't wait to see what all that video includes!


There was an energy in the room from the moment we were introduced and hit the stage. Our sound guys tonight were SOOO good. They just ran sound for Rascal Flatts and Brad Paisley... ummm.... yeah, so you know we were in good hands.

This was Cameron University's big concert to kick off their homecoming week. (They don't have a football team so they do homecoming during basketball season. And yeah... I know.... NO football team at a college in OK... something just not right about that! It's a touchy subject... they didn't want to talk about it) But their basketball team is doing GREAT this season, which always makes homecoming THAT much more exciting!

The show was amazing. It was like we were in a packed arena - these kids NEVER stopped yelling and hollerin and getting ME pumped up. The Lambda Chi Alpha Guys were all in the front and were keeping everyone clapping.... The cell phone lighters were up and in full swing.... and there were girls running up and down the aisles dancing, two-stepping and cheering. It was such a fun party! I had a lady bug in my violin case when I first walked out on stage - so see they really are good luck!!! It was a GREAT omen for the show. :)
By the end of the show - everyone had left their seats and come down front. There were some many cell phones up taking pics and videos - Miguel was a freaking ROCKSTAR and was throwing picks into the audience (the ladies were LOVING him tonight) and people were reaching out to touch us when we'd walk to the front of the stage. I think it is safe to say we ALL had a great time tonight - Me, The Band, AND the audience. :) Right y'all??
When Hootie and I came in on the vocal intro for "Devil Went Down To Georgia" - it was like the video on Youtube at Ft. Benning when the soldiers were singing so loud I couldn't hear myself! The audience was SO LOUD singing along. It was so great.
And THEN they chanted for an encore. I LOVE that. So ummm, "Don't Stop Believing", anyone??? Mr. Belding!!! You started something!!! And Husson - You started the consistent encores! LOVE IT!

So yeah. And that was JUST getting started. I remember laughing SO much tonight at the Merch table.

The Lambda Chi Alpha guys.... ok... they were HILARIOUS. We had taken one pic, but then they wanted me and the guys to sign their shirt. So we had a re-do of the pic WITH the signed shirt.
They were VERY specific. They wanted this EXACTLY:
To My Biggest Fans - Lambda Chi Alpha
Peace, Love, Fiddle, "Sweet Thing"
Love Natalie Stovall


And the Sorority Girls were out, too! They were SO sweet!!!! And they sang me their theme song :) Or One of them at least:)



Bobby!!! Shake N Bake, boy! :) Bobby sang EVERY word of "Devil Went Down To Georgia" with me. Right up in FRONT!



I signed my first construction hat. Why am I wearing it?


Signing my first inflatable hammer. Do you think I will EVER sign another?


Miguel signing HIS first inflatable hammer...


And my second signed construction hat... I have GOT to stop wearing stuff with my own signature on it.


Did I mention that Miguel is a Rockstar??? He had a line of people who wanted him to sign his guitar picks for them. He only has 4 left!!!


PAC!!!! This is the group responsible for putting on the show. THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!!


Sweethearts :) These 2 are engaged and getting married this June!!! They were so cute!!!


These little girls were adorable. They were so patient and waited in line just like everyone else! Doesn't this look like a family photo?? :) Their Mom - The Dean of Students was refusing to be in the pic too because she had her glasses on.... which was so cute.... I asked them both what they wanted to be when they grow up and they both said "Ballerinas" I told them that I lived with 2 ballerinas in college. I am not sure they believed me.... but IT'S TRUE!!!!


Sam!!! Sam was our bodyguard tonight. (Because the students at Cameron are just SOOO scary... obviously...) Sam and I met at NACA and we took a pic where I was grabbing onto his ring... umm... just like you see here.... recreating it just seemed like the right thing to do :)


You know what is really crazy?? I could keep going for a LOT longer. I have so many fun pics and great stories from tonight!!! But a complete album of ALL the pics are uploaded on facebook and they will soon all be up on the myspace page as well.

The guys and I were starving after the show cause we hadn't had a chance to get dinner. At this point it was past midnight, but luckily there was an Ihop right next to our hotel. (Heeeeey. I like ihop. - Jim Gaffigan, anyone?) It was so much fun just going back and talking about the show. And somehow we got off on reminiscing about past shows and some of our favorite stories. I was laughing the WHOLE time. And then I would make a funny noise-laugh and they would laugh at the way I was laughing... ummm which would only make me laugh harder. I love nights like tonight :) And just in case you don't know about it - the guys have their own blog filled with crazy quotes, ridiculous pics, and many of our favorite random gas station trinkets. :)
natalieband.blogspot.com

It's 5am and we play in Chickasha tomorrow. It would be time for me to peace out for a little bit o shut eye. Thank you for an amazing day, Cameron University!

Peace, Love, Fiddle

"A Major Award!!!"

Whoa! My agent just sent me an email that read as follows:

"Natalie Stovall has been nominated in the Best Female Performer category in the annual Campus Activities Magazine Reader’s Choice Awards."


ME?? I bet it was the rice krispie treats! :)

That's pretty awesome! I am so excited to be nominated! You have to be a member of Campus Activities to vote, so if I have performed at your school and you liked us.... then please vote! The voting begins wih the announcements in the January issue of Campus Activities Magazine.

(kudos to anyone who gets the special holiday movie reference in the title)



Peace, Love, Fiddle

Fun In Hartford

We were in Hartford CT for NACA Northeast this last weekend. It was a HUGE conference for us, so we went out to celebrate afterwards! Dennis Haskins (Mr. Belding) and I are becoming good friends after all these conferences! And his good friend, Horatio Sanz (yet another Chilean-American) was hanging out too! Horatio was one of my favorites from SNL! What a fun night! :)

His watch.... AMAZING.


Look at those good-lookin Chileans :)


I NEVER thought growing up watching Saved By the Bell EVERY DAY after school, that I would be hanging out with Mr. Belding!!! He had to get a special pass to get in to see our show... and he was so sweet afterwards and told me that he is a huge fan. ARE YOU KIDDING!?!? I've been a huge fan of HIS for YEARS! My life is amazing.


As soon as I steal some more pictures from facebook, I'll show off the highlights of the conference :)

PEACE, LOVE, FIDDLE, Y'ALL!!

Naca.org

Whoa. This is crazy!!!! This is on the front page of NACA's website!
That was right after being in the ER and right before the infamous
"accident". Our trailer is still quite gimply, but as long as we
close her off with a big ole belt strap, we can get the door shut :)
She just needs a little help.... http://www.NACA.org