ADORABLE!!! Just Had to Share

Ok, so I'll continue with adorable kid vids. :) I saw this the other day though, and was glued to the screen the whole time! I can't get over how this little one (Dillon Dixon's little boy - fantastic Nashville songwriter/Berklee alum) sings and "plays" guitar perfectly with Randy Houser!

He was actually featured in the music video... and you'll see why!

This may just be me... but I think we need to get Drake Dixon and "Pearl" - Will Ferrell's Landlord to collaborate! :)

Link for facebookers ;)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-skhdupQmu8


Enjoy!


Peace. Love. Fiddle.
~natalie

GAC Flood Relief Telethon Already $1.5 Million

My nephew Cameron:

"Ummm... When it rains, are the clouds going to the bathroom?"

We celebrated a belated Mother's day with most of family today at my parents house in Columbia. It's like recharging your battery to spend time with family. I mean, don't get me wrong - I'm completely drained! But it feels so great to have spent a much-needed family day in Columbia. I've missed the last few Mother's Day's the last couple of years, and this year I got to actually spend Mother's Day with my mother-in-law one weekend and my own Mamma the next. AWESOME.

Tonight was the GAC Telethon to raise money for Nashville flood relief. I didn't get to watch due to our Mother's Day festivities (which just ended). BUT I've already read an incredible article that makes me so proud!!! The count is already at $1.5 Million and they'll have the final tallies by tomorrow morning.

The article comes from Forbes Online:
Stars Help Raise Over $1.5 Million For Tenn Flood Relief

Peace. Love. Fiddle.
~natalie

Matt Got Fired

We just couldn't take it anymore. I mean, we tried, but that one chord that he missed in the first show... I mean, COME ON.

So we had to kick him out. Left him in Scranton, PA because that's the worst we could come up with.


I KID!!! I KID!!!

But the real story is almost as ridiculous.

James pulled into a Sheetz in Scranton, PA to stop and gas up and well... because Sheetz is THE BEST GAS STATION EVER. Matt walks up to me as I am purchasing my Green Tea and says "I have a monkey wrench."

I'm not even sure I actually responded as I pondered what in the world he was talking about.

He then said "I have a monkey wrench to throw into the equation."

AHHHHH Blondie catches up!

He continued to explain that his sister lives 5 minutes from where we were and wondered if our route on Monday would take us back up that way. We're spending a few days in NYC on our off time (not a bad life, huh??) and then our next show is in Watertown NY. So I got out the laptip did the ole "Drag the route the way you want it to go" in mapquest and ummm.... it was a 2 minute difference from the original suggested route!

So we left him there at the Sheetz! (Well... we waited on his sister's roommate to pick him up.) But seriously!!! He gets a last minute visit with his sister and his parents - and we're just gonna pick him up on our way up to Watertown on Monday! It couldn't have worked out more perfectly.

The best part was how confused David was when he came out of the bathroom. He wasn't in on ANY of the discussions. So he walked out into the parking lot and Matt was just standing there with his bags and guitars out...

Classic.

So we caught up on Lost tonight on the 28th floor of my mother-in-law's gorgeous apartment overlooking the Chrysler Building. And Panther has never been to the city before. But David lived here for a number of years. They are both out exploring - we get texts every few hours :)

Our hearts and thoughts and prayers are all still with everyone in Nashville. They need so much help. I just hear story after heartbreaking story. And then I hear story after story of the outpouring from volunteers. Makes me so proud.

Peace. Love. Fiddle.
~natalie

More Nashville Flooding Pics and Video

Many people around the country don't even seem to know that we had floods in Middle Tennessee. The oil spill and other catastrophes have seemed to triumph the "front page" attention in the news.

Even though I have seen videos of downtown Nashville the past few days, nothing prepares you for seeing it in person. As we passed by this morning, it was shocking to see HOW MUCH water has engulfed downtown.

Here's a picture of downtown that I found on a friend's blog.


Last night I saw a picture album on facebook of Opryland... Opryland was my home away from home growing up and it still feels that way. I have spent most of my life doing shows there...

This is the guard shack where we would meet every morning to head into the themepark. And the brown building was where we rehearsed for EVERY show. I even rehearsed there for my Grand Ole Opry performance. This was also where my first fan letter EVER was sent when I was 10.


Many of you have been to the Opryland Hotel for vacation or Conferences...




And then the historic Grand Ole Opry House


The artists' entrance to the Opry House


Here's a video that Tim Denbo had reposted on facebook. I thought it was worth sharing.

The link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vwCGz1vSh_M&feature=player_embedded#!


The video:


Text REDCROSS to 90999 to donate $10 to the American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund.

Or visit the link below to find out how to volunteer and other ways to help.
http://www.uss.salvationarmy.org/uss/www_uss_nashville_ac.nsf/

And PRAY for Nashville!

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

The Great Nashville Flood of 2010

Today was one for the record books.

Nashville is completely under water. I've never seen anything like this before. The stories from friends and family don't seem real. James and I are so lucky where we live. We have had power and haven't had problems with flooding. But nearly everyone I know has had damage of some kind. Including our band.

This is just a few blocks from our condo


Downtown Nashville


This dude caught a fish on Edmunson Pike!




We were supposed to leave today to head to Ohio. But our band physically can't get to us. Squad cars are blocking the roads, because there's so much water over them. We keep hoping the water will recede enough for everyone to get out... we're waiting...

But I feel silly talking about THAT being our biggest complaint.


I have a friend who was picked up by a boat from the second story of her flooded house where she was trapped... She was dropped off at Kroger, and made way to a friend's. This was after she and her mother watched her car, her mother's car, and her sister's car all be swept away by the water. She and her mother are just 2 of the 600 who have been rescued from their homes so far this weekend. And 36,000 people are currently without power.

My brother has a friend who stood waist deep in water and watched his house burn to the ground because the fire trucks couldn't get to the hydrants... they were all under water. The irony of that is too much.

Thank goodness we haven't tried to leave yet because all 3 of the major interstates around Nashville have been shut down for most of the day - including the one we needed to get to Ohio. Check out this crazy video of a mobile classroom that was caught on tape floating down I-24 earlier today:

Here's the link for you facebookers.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zHuMn1AVRDg&feature=player_embedded#!

And here's the vid for the blog readers.



That video was just down the road from where our guitar player lives that can't get out of his house!!! We're just thankful he is ok.

Our prayers are with everyone who have lost their homes and been forced to evacuate to shelters. Currently over 400 people are in shelters. But as always, the churches and people around town have come together and been providing amazing support to everyone.

We're still working on it, but it's not looking like we're gonna make it to our show in Ohio tomorrow. We NEVER take canceling a show lightly, but I am sure they will understand.

It feels like I am watching news stories of other people, and then I look out my window and see that it is HERE. Thank you for all the kind words of support on facebook and twitter. Thank goodness the rain has finally STOPPED. Here's hoping the water recedes sooner than later so people can begin putting their lives back together.

Peace. Love. Fiddle.
~natalie

More Love

My first thought was to start off the blog tonight by saying:

"No one should be this loved"

but I have already defeated that statement in my own mind before I could even type the thoughts quickly enough with the keypad.

Instead... I believe:

EVERYONE should be this loved.

The last week, I have had a hard time as I have realized some of the sacrifices I have made in order to make my dreams happen. Mostly, the people in my life that have not been given the attention that they deserve and that I wish I could give... I love what I do. I chose it and I wouldn't take it back for anything. ANYTHING.

But tonight made me feel as though I am doing something right. I know I have many flaws. I know I have many weaknesses. But I felt more love in that room at 3rd and Lindsley tonight than I have felt in a long time. I can't even begin to describe the feeling I had on stage tonight. It was powerful. It was overwhelming. It was incredible.

The room was packed. We played our hearts out. And I don't think I could have felt much better about the show. I know there a few mistakes or little flubs made... but overall none of that mattered.

I didn't necessarily see a strong reaction from the "suits" in the room. Not that you really ever see a strong reaction from them... they see great shows and terrible shows and everything in between every single day.

But for the first time in my life - it didn't matter. I know how far we've come. I know how much we've accomplished all on our own... without a big ole label or financial backer calling the shots. Is it the long way around? YES. Do I feel more proud BECAUSE of that? YES.

So I am happy. I am continuing to grow. My music and my artistry and my voice and my playing continue to get better. I have PLENTY of areas that need MUCH work. But in a creative world that will ALWAYS be the case. YOU, who read this blog and come to the shows have watched me grow and have grown with me. And we will continue to do so in even bigger and better ways than we can even imagine.

Peace. Love. Fiddle.
~natalie

America's Next Great Star

I'm sitting in the back of the van... watching John Mayer on DVD heading SOUTH!

We're driving through Atlanta at the moment. Even though we've had the week off... this is the third time we've made this drive in a week! On our way back from Ft. Benning.... I popped down here and back yesterday.... and then we're passing through on our way to Jacksonville. Sometimes I sit back and look at my life from outside myself and just smile. I always wanted this. It's been way harder than it is now. Parts of it may get easier some day. But whatever form it takes... I just want to keep these wheels a rolling and never stop this train. :)

On Saturday night after I accepted my awards at APCA, I was asked to be a judge on America's Next Great Star. Think American Idol/America's Got Talent... but one that comes to you! Campuses can hire the show, "The Live Entertainment Experience" and audience members get to participate. After the judges select 3 top acts, the audience gets to text for their favorite. They do the WHOLE show - from auditions, to interviews and testimonials that they air as the person is walking on stage to perform... multiple camera angles shown on the projectors during the show... It's really a cool thing.

The student that won APCA's won $250, their tape will be sent to "industry professionals" in Nashville, New York, and L.A. The winners of the campus-wide tour have a chance to win $15,000.

It was so fun being a judge. And it was HARD! There were some VERY talented students and participants. I loved being a part of the show, and I was so glad they asked me to judge.

It was fun because they actually got to play with a live band. It's a band that was showcasing at APCA and they do "live band karaoke". The students had to pick from a list of songs (just like Idol) but they actually got to play with a live band! So cool.

I highly recommend the show. Campus advisors were asking me questions later... and they really do a great job of capturing the entire experience. I'm a fan!

Peace. Love. Fiddle.
~natalie

Single Marine Program Brochure

So this is pretty cool....

:)

Last night after the awards ceremony, Ari (my agent... eh emm... Agent of the Year) showed me the new flyer that was made for the Single Marine Program. The Single Marines brought us out to play at Quantico last year, which was an INCREDIBLE show. We had a blast, and took tons of pictures. And they voted for our picture with them to be in the center of their brochure!!! It goes out to all the Marines to let them know how awesome the Single Marine Program is. They put on tons of events and create great opportunities for the Marines. And I love them because they brought us out to play a show!! :)

The front and partial inside flap:


The smack dab middle of the inside of the brochure. How cool is that!!??!


We made it home to Nashville safely, and I even squeezed in a late night writing session with Gordon Brown and Corey Wagar - who are in town from New Jersey writing and recording music. And tomorrow we leave for Jacksonville, Florida!! I hope this weather continues. Today was GORGEOUS.

Peace. Love. Fiddle.
~natalie

Campus Activities Magazine Awards, Nashville Show...

It's Sketchy motel night!!!

We called about 15 different places tonight close to Bossier City where we are playing tomorrow and everything is sold out.... so we are in the kind of motel that I usually avoid at all costs. But it's not too bad.... there were black hairs all over the towels in the bathroom... but this is WAY better than having to sleep in the van!

Two bits of GREAT news I have to share before I brave the sheets of this bed. :)


We have our first Nashville show booked in over a year! We are playing at 3rd and Lindsley on March 9. WOOO HOOOO!!! I am PUMPED.


And 2ndly...

We have been nominated for TWO of the highest honors by Campus Activities Magazine this year!!

Best Band
and
Best Performer

The Performer award is the biggie because it includes comedians, musicians, lecturers, singers... any kind of performer.

Student Activities Members at Colleges (the people that hire us, choose us, and put on the events) are the ones that vote for these awards.

So yeah. I am excited!!! It's such an honor to be nominated among the thousands of options these colleges have!

Peace. Love. Fiddle.
~natalie

Let's Take Our Love To Mexico...

We can see Mexico!!!! Seriously - the buildings right across the way are in Mexico. It's pretty sweet. The people here in South Texas, and I mean REALLY South Texas, have so much pride for this area. They have been unbelievably welcoming to the guys and me, and they have gone WAAAAY above and beyond to help us and put on a great event tonight.

Texas is always great because it is this unique cultural pocket in the world that has a feverish excitement for INDEPENDENT country music. And even though everyone has always said it is impossible for girls to break into the Texas market... and most Texans hate "Nashville" (as in the kind of country music that comes out of Nashville) I haven't felt that way AT ALL!!! I have felt nothing but love from Texas!!! And I have given nothing but love back, which I will continue to do over and over again!

And coming this far south has been so much fun for us. The students at UT Brownsville are AWESOMESAUCE!

They were champions with load in and load out - we couldn't pack up fast enough after the show cause they had everything on the elevator so quickly!

And the show.... oh my lord.... so many cameras and cell phones a flip cams. These kids rushed the front of the stage EARLY in the set and gave us SOOO much energy. The guys and I had a GREAT show because the audience was so great. One girl, Roxy, found me before the show because she came to the show last night at UT Pan Am AND came tonight!! That rocked my world. Tonight was the kind of night we live for as musicians. We've already had quite a few of those on this trip, too - which is just incredible!

Let's keep this ball rolling! :)

The Sigma Psi Delta girls!


Fei!!! Even though we are in America, and can see the border of Mexico, Fei is here from China! :) (It was his first country concert)


The awesome student group that put this whole thing together!!


Signing the chucks!


My first Belt signage!


They found us loading the trailer after they went back and got their white chucks! She had us all sign both of them!


The GIANT basket of Mexican Goodies they gave us!


Us devouring the giant basket of Mexican goodies in the hotel room!


And we even got a private tour of the school at the end of the night which was REALLY cool. They have a gorgeous campus and really awesome facilities. It makes it so much more personal for us to really get to see the campus like that. And this campus looks more like a luxury resort than a college! It's so beautiful!

Another wonderful night down. :)

Do I really have to go do normal people stuff like pay bills right now? ;) Night y'all.

Peace. Love. Fiddle.
~natalie

Shalimar

In the spirit of Christmas and worldliness...

ok. ok. Actually, because friends invited us...

I ventured into Shalimar tonight. :) I tried Indian food. James and I went with some friends who knew what to recommend. And everyone that I have ever heard talk about Indian food in this town has mentioned how great Shalimar is... and it is just a hop, skip, and a jump from our place.

It's completely unfair... but movies have never made trying Indian food an appealing thing to do. And that has really been my biggest point of reference. But stereotypically... if they want someone to get sick in a movie... they go to an Indian restaurant. That is so not the case!!! At least in my case!!! And I don't exactly have a stomach made of steel.

It was so fun to go with friends that knew what to order. We tried Samosas - which were little fried dumplings shaped like a pear, that had cute little umbrellas in them :) like a tropical drink. And then James and I both ordered the chicken tikka masala at varying degrees of hotness :)

I really expected to see a lot more exotic meats on the menu, but it was mostly white chicken breast that marinates in different spices overnight. And I'm not sure what I expected as far as the spices go - but I definitely would have expected something a bit more jolting and surprising to my palate. (Wow... I really don't know what I am talking about... I think I have watched too much Top Chef this year) The flavors were really good! And I am ready to go back any time :) (Who am I kidding? I have an entire box of left overs in my fridge)

Peace. Love. And Curried Fiddles.

Cheap Trick

We went to see Cheap Trick at the Ryman Auditorium tonight!!! Paul (my manager) bought tix for James, Ben, and me as an early Christmas present. And Cheap Trick is one of his favorite bands, so he wanted us to experience the almighty Cheap Trick for ourselves :)

It was SOOOO MUCH FUN!!!! They are incredible live. And dude. Robin Zander?!?!? Good Lord. If I have half of his voice when I am over 50, I will be good to go!!! The bass player was playing a 12 string bass. Ummm... NEVER seen that before. But it was really cool.

These guys KNOW how to put on a show. They are rockers in the true sense - as in, you don't feel like they are trying to rock. They just do. And the audience was pretty impressive. It was packed with session players, artists in town and even LARRY DAVID! Hilarious! No idea what he is doing in Nashville, but I saw him... didn't think it was actually him... because, well, why would he be in Nashville??

Man, I really loved that 12 string bass. It was such a cool sound. And he had the most gorgeous finish on it - very sparkly - and has given me inspiration for my next fiddle finish. :)

Yeah. So tonight rocked. It was a great way to kick off our marathon of being at home! Grandpa walked 4 times today, and his chest tubes came out. So YAY for that!!! Progress there :)

And welcome to the new blog followers! I see there are a few newbies to the list :) I'll try not to let you down. I may not be on the road the next few weeks, but I have no doubts there will be plenty of adventures to share :)

Night all.

Peace. Love. Fiddle.
~natalie

I Got To Go Home Today! For 30 Minutes!!!

I AM SO TIRED OF BEING IN THE CAR.

Yesterday morning we were in Laurel, Mississippi. We left that morning and drove 6 hours to our gig in Louisiana. We played our gig, got in the car and drove 5 more hours... Spent the night somewhere else in Mississippi... left this morning and have been driving ever since. It is 2:30am and we still have 3 hours left. Ughh.

We stopped in Nashville for less than 30 minutes tonight. I stopped by my apartment and grabbed a sweater. Miguel and James had to swing by Guitar Center for a couple of things to make it through the rest of this week. So Jenn and Ella met Miguel at Guitar Center to give him some extra clothes, too. We all were under prepared for the cold on this trip!!

And then we struck out about 10 times in a row on trying to eat somewhere. We were trying to stop quickly so we plugged in a Dunkin Donuts into the GPS. But it turned out to be a gas station that happened to have a DD coffee dispenser. So then we tried the Arby's down the road. Closed. Called Jimmy John's we ALWAYS go to in Louisville. Closed. Got off at the next exit with a Subway/Gas station... CLOSED. Got off at the next exit because there was a Dunkin Donuts sign on the board. Never found it. Pulled into the Wendy's. Closed. 4 more exits later we found a Subway open. Good Lord. It's frustrating because with all that time driving in circles we could have just eaten with Jenn and Ella in Nashville instead of trying to grab something quickly.

So it's been a long couple of days of traveling. Every time we pass a tour bus I just sigh. And dream. :) Really... it's not even the bus that would make me all giddy. Just having a driver would change mine and James' lives! But this is what we have to do for now.

"Whatever It Takes" right?

Peace. Love. Fiddle.

~natalie

Beeping Fiddles!

I broke ANOTHER string!!!! This is just getting ridiculous, y'all. We keep playing shows outside in the cold, and I am about to run out of fiddle strings! I am gonna have to overnight some strings to our next location, so that I have enough. Whoa.

We played the 90th Annual South Mississippi Fair tonight. It was really cold outside. When we left Nashville a couple of weeks ago, I didn't exactly pack for cold outdoor shows. We haven't ever really played many of those. But the last few weeks, it seems like that is ALL we've played!

Tonight I wore a scarf with a short sleeve shirt. Yeyeah! Don't be confused. It's the new hotness. :)

Man. Last night... James and I fell asleep sometime after 3am. I was excited because we were gonna get to sleep in since we didn't have to be anywhere until 12:30. I got TONS of work done last night. But then WAKE UP!!!!! 6:45 am (NOT my best time) the smoke alarm in our room starts going off like crazy. It would beep beep beep (BLARING... I mean, rattling my ear drums) and then it would hiccup a bit... then it would stop. We thought it was over. Fooled again. And again. In my hazy, angry, fog I remember James calling down to the front desk and saying, "Is there actually a fire, or are you just messing with us?" The guy on the other end of the phone said, "Excuse me, Sir?" And then BEEEEEEEEEEEP The front desk dude, who i think about fell down from having his ear drum berated, said, "OH MY GOODNESS. Sir, I'll be right up"

He ended up ripping it out of the ceiling because he couldn't get it turned off, and didn't know what else to do. It was a very loud, sleepy, disturbing 30 minutes of my morning. Luckily, I don't remember much that early in the day. :)

But then, Chris I guess accidentally texted me at 8:30... and my text message alarm beeped a bunch of times. THEN a crane started working right outside our window around 9. I kept waking up and thinking, "Goodness! That truck has been backing up FOREVER"

So all that to say... it was a long morning of beeping. But tonight is going to be a short night of sleeping, so I better hop to it. If that smoke alarm goes off now... well... I'm just going to assume that God doesn't want me to sleep tonight. :) (As I look up and see exposed wires just hanging out of the ceiling)

Peace. Love. Beeping Fiddles.

~natalie

Sunset Cannon Shoot

Yesterday a band called "Stainless Steel" opened for us - a steel drum and a singer/guitar player. :) That was a first!

Today we played the afternoon beach party at Schooners. I kept looking to my left - where I could see the ocean. It starting POURING rain during the second set... but the bet part? It was pouring if we looked to our right and when we looked to our left, it wasn't raining at ALL!

We finished our last set 2 hours tonight before we normally even start playing at Spinnaker... which is so funny. I can't believe we are already done. :)

We met some other Nashvillians tonight:


Schooners is known as the last "local" beach club. Every night at sunset, they shoot off a cannon to celebrate. EVERY night ;)




Peace. Love. Fiddle.
~natalie

That Guy is So Nashville

It's funny what the term "Nashville" means.

As in - that guy is so "Nashville".

I hear people saying that more and more these days to describe someone. Typically it is used to say that someone who is extremely well dressed... probably networking you for something... has the talk down, the right hair cut, and looks like they could be playing with Rascal Flatts... You get the picture.

The funny thing about that is, most guys in town that are the REAL deal... the guys who've been on something like 40 million records or more... look a lot more like your neighbor... Or maybe the guy you would see behind you in Whole Foods. :)

True story: A few years ago James got the chance to go to lunch with one of his all time drumming idols, Greg Morrow. Greg has been one of, if not the most recorded drummer in Nashville for a while... Like probably 50 million+ records... Big time.

Well, James met Greg at a Captain D's fish place down on 8th Ave. Greg showed up in typical comfy studio clothes: Sweatpants... high-top Chucks... Cut-off Tshirt. They sat and chatted for a while. At some point in their conversation Greg trailed off and paused a second. He looked at James and asked, "Who is this on the radio right now?" "It's Carolyn Dawn Johnson" James replied... "Who played on this?" Greg asked. "Ummmmm. You did..." James said. "Oh good... I thought someone was trying to steal my stuff..."

Are you kidding me? How nutty is that?


It was Carolyn Dawn Johnson's "Complicated" which was #5 on the Billboard Charts at the time. :) RIDICULOUS.

What made me think of all this is that Dan Dugmore came in to put steel on my songs tonight. Before tonight I definitely knew OF Dugmore... but I had never had the privilege of meeting him. There couldn't be a nicer guy in the world. He has a farm. With horses. His wife has a Yorkie rescue. He's so soft spoken, but hilarious... He seems like a guy that would have a nice farm.

After he had completely floored me with his playing.... I sat in awe and tried to connect the mild-mannered man sitting in front of me with the stories of hanging out with Keith Richards and the night that "Jackson Browne" ended up driving him home after a Linda Ronstadt after party in the Hollywood hills. Yeah... ridiculous. His resume is astounding... everyone from Stevie Nicks and James Taylor to Keith Urban and Reba. Hmmm. And I got him on MY record! That's right!!! :)

Here he is in action:


I am so very fortunate to be able to hear my music realized in such a way.
Yeah. Recording is fun.

Peace. Love. Fiddle.
~natalie

Over 500 Hours in the Suburban

In my sleepy stupor this morning, I failed to realize we had just completed the last date on our Winter/Spring Tour of 2009!!!

What a ride it has been!!!

53 shows... lots of rockin'

27,209 miles... lots of driving

Over 500 Hours in the Suburban... LOTS of Sopranos

Spending day and night with Hootie.... Priceless.

Google maps only lets you put in 25 locations at a time.... I had 64... So it is split up into 3 different maps. But I figured I'd include since I had to map it out anyway to see how far it was!!! :)

1st 25: 12, 676miles 8 days and 9 hrs


View Larger Map



Next 25: 9,596 mi – about 6 days 16 hours


View Larger Map



Next 14: 4,937 mi – about 3 days 8 hours


View Larger Map


It's so fun to think back on all the different shows and locations we played this Tour. I have an abundance of great stories and memories on the road with these guys already, and I am just getting started!

Tomorrow is the big day!! We will record all the "basics" with the session players for the new EP!!! WOOO HOOO!!!

What an exciting time.

Peace. Love. Fiddle.
~natalie

"I Made It All The Way To West Virginia"

This afternoon I was running on Belmont Blvd in Nashville, TN. Tonight I just checked into a hotel in West Virginia. :) I love that this feels NORMAL.

I spent the first 5 hours of the drive entering emails from the email list. It was almost an entire month's worth of emails! I tried to write a new email for everyone, but quite a few roadblocks appeared. But it's coming soon :)

As we were packing up to leave, I wanted to restock the cds. And to my surprise I emptied the LAST box of cds for this trip! That means it is time to reorder cds AGAIN! And the best part is, I will be reordering the first one at the same time I will be recording the new one :) YAY!!! Pretty excited about that. This means I have sold nearly 3,000 hard copies of cds with well.... I'm not sure HOW many have been sold on itunes, but it's quite a bit as well. :)

Tomorrow we are playing a show at Penn State in Altoona, PA. Every time I read "Altoona" I hear it in Arnold Schwazenegger's voice. You know... like, "It's not a Tooomar" :)

Ok. yeah. I should probably try to sleep or something. It IS 4:30 and the birds are already chirping...

Peace. Love. Fiddle.
~natalie

Virginia Wesleyan College

We played Virginia Wesleyan tonight. This is the second school so far that we have returned to for a 2nd show! They had a huge Seafood dinner for everyone along with a DJ and well.... US! SO fun :)

It was a GORGEOUS day. Couldn't have really gotten any prettier. Not a cloud in the sky. 70 degrees. Yeah. Awesome day for an outdoor event!!! It was the PERFECT day to model my new clothes I got in Providence on our sleepy shopping spree :) I usually don't like to shop... I either don't find much I want or I refuse to pay the ridiculous price tags on the things that I do want... BUT NOT IN PROVIDENCE!!! We found a Delia's in the mall... which I had never seen an actual store of! I used to get the catalogues as a kid.... but never seen a store. So I sported my "ManEater" graphic tee along with my fun crazy jeans :) Sorry to be so girlie right now... but I was REALLY excited!

These were the girls that took care of us ALLLLLL day and night!!!


This was one of the Deans!!! I love that she came out. She's a big country fan. I actually met and talked with the President of the school for quite a while at soundcheck. It is always so cool to get to meet the President and Deans of a renown School like Virginia Wesleyan College!


This is WAC - they are the group of students that put on this event :)

I am proofreading and just made myself laugh out loud.... sounds like I am getting all ghetto on y'all. "This is WAC! Fo Shizzle"

And here we are in my favorite GIANT CHAIR!!!!!! I was SOOOO hoping these huge chairs would be back this year. I love them.


This is Scott. We have been talking back and forth for WEEKS now on facebook about this show. He was gonna rally the front row lawn chair peeps... he ended up being stuck in 4 hours of traffic and being late.... but he made it for most of the show!!! It was really cool to see him after talking and corresponding so much. Felt like we were old friends :) I love facebook.


These girls ran my merch table for me during the show. They were SO sweet. I had no idea they were gonna be there, so we didn't get to talk before the show. They had to find everything out themselves.. Me and my 3 crazy bags of merchandise.... But they figured it all out and were so helpful!


Hannah and Carter were Adorable. Hannah plays piano... but "when she's done with that, she's gonna start playing the violin" :) Pretty cool, huh? She's got a plan! Obviously - there were a few cameras going here. FOCUS NAT!


I love what I do. And I love when we are asked back to a campus to do "what we do" a second time around. We had a lot of fun today. I just love being outdoors. It's good for the soul.

Now we head to Texas. But instead of staying in random hotels the next 2 nights... drumroll PLEASE!!! We get to stay at HOME in Nashville!!! LOVE it when it works out that way :) Miguel and I were trying to figure out if he left his car at our apartment on this last trip... but neither of us could actually remember leaving Nashville. That's funny...

Peace. Love. Fiddle.
~natalie

P.S. We ate at Red Robin for dinner. Just like we did last year... but there was no carnival in the parking lot next door like last. But it mattered not, for Red Robin IS off the Hizzle!!