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

Waynesburg University Times Two

Last night we played a show at Waynesbyrg University in Waynesburg, PA. It was a bit creepy driving into Waynesburg. ALLLL these memories started flooding back out of nowhere. We played at Waynesburg U on Oct 11 of 2007. I remember because it was James' birthday. And it was the final trip in Cowboy Troy (Our first Suburban). We played the show, and everything was great. But the next morning, we woke up and The burb would NOT start. Not really a surprise. That car AWAYS had something wrong with it.

Awful break-downs are pretty much the longest and worst "initiation" into being a musician. Just like a fraternity - you aren't really and truly "in the club" until you breakdown.... and breakdown... and breakdown again... and... ok, you get the picture.

Car wouldn't start, and the guy at the Super 8 refused to give a jump. He had a new car and was worried jumping OUR car would mess with his GPS system. Ummm. NO. Not possible. But fine. (And he wasn't very nice about this either. I wouldn't have been frustrated if he hadn't have been so rude). There was a muffler place up the road, and one of the guys brought his truck down. We just needed to make it to the Auto Zone down the road to get them to install a new battery.

Got the jump, got the brand new battery and we were on our way to Philly. (We were supposed to impress a middling agent at a new club in Philly)

But guess what? On our way? We broke down.. AGAIN... on the PA turnpike.

This time? It was the LAST time. I can't tell you how many times that first truck left us stranded. But this was the first time it ended up costing us a show. We had to cancel, and that agent we were supposed to impress? Yeah. He doesn't work with us now.

There was NOTHING we could do, though. We were hours from the club. We had the Burb and trailer towed to a shop, and they thought they could fix it at first.... but as the hours passed, they realized it was the ENTIRE ENGINE that needed replacing. (We had JUST replaced the transmission a month prior). We ended up having to leave the Suburban in that parking lot for a long time.

I rented a car and got the band home. James stayed, and our best friend in the world, Ben, drove James' Explorer through the night to PA to tow our trailer back. We bought the second Suburban to get us back on the road. And on our first trip in the new (and MUCH improved) Suburban we PASSED the old one and waved to it from the interstate. And eventually, my dad bought a pick-up truck, got a gooseneck hitch installed, and brought Cowboy Troy back to Columbia where he now resides. He is completely fixed now... of course. We took it to our guy in town (Keith Throneberry - THE BEST), and though it didn't need a new engine, it did need some major repairs.

So yeah. ALL THAT came rushing back when we got here! Luckily, we were staying at a different hotel, so we didn't have to deal with the grumpy guys at the Super 8. :)

Now for this year's WU show:
I am happy to report that we safely made it to our show today after playing in Waynesburg!!! The WU show was in a different venue than last time. They have a really cool auditorium, but it was already booked. So they put us in a church-like room. No reverb needed last night!!! James actually didn't even set up his whole kit. The room was SO loud and echo-y that we all had to turn down and play a softer show.

It was a small but attentive audience! :) Today was actually the last day of classes for WU. The school was so awesome and trying to give the students a "break" from studying by putting on a concert the night before the final day of classes. But if these students are anything like I was in college - they were all in their dorms frantically finishing up all their last-minute projects and papers!!! :) But it was really cool. It ended up being like a private concert for 15 or so students! That's what is so great about this tour - one night the stage is so big I can't see the audience through the lights. And the next night it is such an intimate setting that we get to have conversations with each person in the room during the show. It really keeps you on your toes. And it spices everything up. I LOVE that.

These 2 ran our sound. It reminded me of "That Thing You Do" when they record the album in the church :) I love that movie!!


This guy was amazing! He was so attentive that even if he had been the ONLY person there, the show would have been well worth it. He is one of those audience members that you wish for as a performer. He MADE the night for me.


I realized when I got back to the hotel room that I had 2 different sized hoop earrings on. Shhh.... don't tell anyone, please.

One of my keyboard players from a few years ago came to the show, too. Jason played in the band for a while, and he now lives back in PA about an hour from Waynesburg. He came to the show and then we all hung out afterwards. We traded "breakdown" and "Whiskey River" stories. A band he was in for a long time played some of the same clubs we have played including Whiskey River in Macon Georgia. Oh the stories that have come from Whiskey River :) I could probably write a whole book from our experiences at that ONE club. :)


Thanks for having us back, Waynesburg! I feel like we're all good friends after that intimate show!
Oh, and today was incredible. I'll tell you ALLL about it tomorrow. :) Hope you had a great day!

Peace. Love. Fiddle.
~natalie

Opening for Josh Gracin!!!

Our very first college show 2 years ago was in Elmira, New York, and it was an opening slot for Josh Gracin. After touring colleges and universities pretty solid ever since.... we were asked to open for him again. This time at Mansfield University in PA - only 45 miles south of Elmira. How crazy is that?!?

The show tonight? AMAZING. It flew by. The audience was packed. People were screaming uncontrollably. I felt like I was a headliner in my own little 30 minute opening slot. (which is SUCH a quick set for us!)
You want to know the craziest part? Not only did I FEEL like it was an incredible show... but I spent more time at the merch table than I ever have before. It was a solid line the whole time. How long? 2 hrs and 39 mins. WHAT!?!?!?! I could not believe how amazing these people were. I went to the table to start signing autographs and take pics after my set. I missed Josh's ENTIRE set... plus stayed until they were hauling sound equipment off the stage. But I promised to get to EVERYONE. And I did!!! It was SO FREAKIN AWESOME. I was overwhelmed by the enormity of the response to our set. People were so kind, when I was just happy for the opportunity.

And OH the food. The food was astounding. NOT ONLY did we have plums from Chile in our dressing room (which made one Chilean guitar player in my band very happy) but the salmon and the couscous. Perfection!!

We had LOTS of protection tonight :) (And good-looking protection I might add!)




I had an interview for tv and 2 newpapers before the show. :) Here's all the interviewers:




These girls asked me to sign their biology notes.


I must have looked at them a little funny because THEN they explained. They told me that they came to the show instead of studying for their exam.... I hope they do well on their exam because if they don't I would feel HORRIBLE. (I couldn't even pronounce the study points next to where I signed)


I signed a bunch of normal stuff tonight - you know - hats, t-shirts, ticket stubs. But this was the first time I ever signed cowgirl boots!!! And BOTH girls had me sign their boots. Adorable.


These ladies were at the Elmira show, too!!! We were all really excited about that.


SO I could go on and on and on with stories of everyone I met at the merch table. But I need to sleep in a bad way, so I am gonna move on to the after party. Everyone was going to a bar down the road called Changos. I was exhausted but I really wanted to hang out. Plus, I felt horrible - I never got to even see Josh or thank him for having us as an opener. Well... Josh and his guys were all going, too. And Josh had told Miguel the same thing - he felt bad that we didn't get to talk.

So we headed to Changos


When we walked in, 2 guys were singing and playing acoustic guitars ("Don't Stop Believing" I might add). As we walked into the bar - they announced "Natalie Stovall has entered the bar" and Oh MY, Y'all. The whole place started cheering! Talk about making a girl feel good!!! And then the first girl I saw was ALREADY wearing the Peace, Love, Fiddle tee she had JUST bought!!!


A few minutes later Josh walked in. And we FINALLY got to talk!!!! I think he's my new BFF. :) (Don't worry Farm Boy... no one will ever be my FFBF but you.... there's a BIG difference) He is really a great guy. He puts on a heck of a show and he was so great to talk to. We bonded over the industry and the business and just making things work. He was incredibly sweet about my band. So yeah. I love Josh Gracin. We all do. Actually, Miguel and James are downstairs in the lobby with Josh and his band right now... they weren't ready for the party to stop!!!


We had a rough time leaving. But I knew I needed to go.... we have another 7 hour drive to Boston tomorrow and it's another big day. I'm singing the anthem for the Celtics. And even though it is only one song - it is one HARD song to sing. My voice is pretty swollen just from all the non-stop talking, interviewing, and show-puttin tonight. (I WOULDN"T HAVE IT ANY OTHER WAY!) But I knew I needed to go. It's almost 4am right now... normal... but sucks when you have to get up at 7.... AGAIN.

We all tried to leave about 17 times. This was what happened when I was trying to leave.


Since that didn't work so well... James had to take matters into his own hands.



Good times. Although.... I am still not sure how Josh beat us back to the hotel. He was still inside when we left??? But he was inside the hotel when we got here. Hmmmm... He's magic.

This was even more than I hoped it would be. I had an overwhelming amount of friend requests on facebook when I opened up my laptop. What a great feeling. We're moving on up, ya'll. And it is all thanks to YOU. So THANK YOU for letting me get to do what I do. I will forever be grateful. And I will always stay until the last autograph is signed.

Peace. Love. Fiddle.
~natalie

E-TOWN!!!!

Today, Hootie MORE than made up for no one coming to see him at Mt. Ida in Newton. :)
We all FINALLY got to meet his sister, Hannah, his niece Sydney and his good friend, Ben. They all drove up to hang out with Joe before the show. Glenside (where we played last night) was only an hour away from our location today. Whew. What an easy drive!!! We ended up sleeping in AND getting to our hotel 3 hours early. Perfect time for hanging out with friends and fam. :)

Sydney is SUCH a beautiful baby and she is SOOOO good. Plus I have wanted to meet Hannah for ages now. I have heard SOO much about her from Joe. :)
Look at Uncle Hoot!


And I have to include this one... She looks like she is practicing her karate moves.... Mr. Miyagi would be proud :)



We played Elizabethtown College tonight in Elizabethtown, PA. We weren't sure of where to go on campus when we arrived. Sometimes it's pretty obvious, but this is a very large, beautiful campus and we had NO clue where to go.
Wanna know how we figured it out? James and I found a poster of myself that had all the information for the show on it... including the location of where we were supposed to be. How funny is that? LOVE IT.

We were playing in a really cool room with a very intricate and impressive lighting rig. They had free pretzels and a root beer keg at the show! It was so fun!!! The show went REALLY well. I <3 the new song we've started opening the show with "The Power of You and Me". It is one of those songs that just makes me happy to sing!

They asked for an encore so we did some Journey! Bangor - you started something!!! I love it when everyone is singing along with me right up in the front of the stage. It is SUCH a great feeling!!

These girls were in the front the whole night. Look at those beautiful basketball players that make me look SO freakin short!!! I even have my boots on... The two girls on each side of me actually started crying during "Angel", which made it hard for me to look at them. It gave me chills... I get choked up enough on my own on that song. It means so much to me when something I've written touches other people - ESPECIALLY Granny's Song.


Jim and Todd!!! Another great team of sound engineers. All the sound guys on this leg of our trip have made our lives so much easier on stage.


This sweet girl is a huge country music fan!!! She just fell in love with country in the last couple of years, and she is coming to Nashville this summer for the first time. I told her to come during the week of CMA Fest. Right y'all? Back me up here!


Annette! She took care of us all night and was definitely running the show. Thank you for everything!


Marilyn! Yet ANOTHER person who came for Hootie tonight! Marilyn first saw Hootie at an Irish Pub he plays in his hometown. She came out to our show in Savage Maryland in September, but I barely got to talk to her that night. So I was really glad to see her and actually get to catch up with her tonight!


And I ended the night with something I've been craving (but have resisted for a while). A Snickers Ice Cream bar. All is right with the world :)

Peace, Love, Fiddle,
~natalie

If You're Ever in Jonestown, PA...

The guys and I drove for 16 hours today.... we stopped about 95 miles short of Scranton. Scranton was our goal - it was where we wanted to sleep tonight. (Plus, it makes me feel cool to stay where The Office is supposed to be set :) )

But this RIDICULOUS snow storm started. It is gorgeous - huge puffy, beautiful flakes - the kind that you yearn for as a kid and the kind that DEFINITELY gets schools closed in Tn. But also the kind that is NOT good for driving. As we were trying to make it to a gas station, a few trucks passed me in the left lane and when they'd go by, I couldn't see the road. It was ALL white. So, yeah, we decided to stop for the night.

We're in Jonestown PA and the first hotel we came to was a Best Western. Now, normally I really like Best Western's and this one looked brand new. But this one is not on my "favorites" list. (And for some strange reason I feel like I know a thing or two about reasonably priced hotels... hmm wonder why??)

First of all they keep the door locked this late at night. No big deal, but there was no where to ring a bell or pick a phone to let someone know you are standing outside in the freezing cold. I walked around 3 times trying to find a way to notify the night attendant, and then the automatic doors closed ON me. Umm.... how does THAT happen??? Then, when I finally was let inside the second set of automatic doors, the man inside abruptly said "We don't allow oversized vehicles". I know I looked at him strangely. I mean, REALLY!?!?! It's a Suburban pulling a 5x8 trailer.... And I guess, yeah, that would be considered "oversized" but it only takes up one extra parking space. Plus out of ALL the hundreds of hotels we have stayed at over the last few years traveling, no one has ever refused us a room because of our vehicle. It's not like it is a semi. But whatever. It probably wouldn't have irritated me as badly if I hadn't just been slammed in by their door and battling the crazy blizzard outside. I get it's not his fault or policy. And I wasn't rude or anything. I was just very frustrated.

So then we went down the street to the Days Inn. SCORE!!!!!! This place is AWESOME!!!! And the guy at the front desk, John, wiped away all my frustration. He was overly accommodating and just so friendly. After I checked us in, we started unloading the car. Right before we got in the elevator, he let us know that he had just gone up to our room and turned on the lights and the heat. WHO DOES THAT!!?!? That was THE NICEST thing in the world he could have done for us. What an thoughtful man. And the room... It's a business suite, so it has a full kitchen, two beds, a pull out couch (so Hootie and Miguel don't have to snuggle tonight) and a whole little office area.

See? Everything happens for a reason! I am SO glad we aren't at that grumpy Best Western.

Plus, this place inspired some good music! I know it may seem strange, but I come up with a lot of good song writing ideas in the shower. I came up with a really cute one tonight. It's one of those that I can hear almost the whole song - I just need to work out the details of the lyrics. But I know what I want it to say :) So after I showered, I got all bundled and went out to the Suburban to have some quiet to record my ideas. (I say that, but really what I mean is that I get embarrassed about recording song ideas in front of the guys so I have to go somewhere else) But yay!!! So that's ummm over 10 songs that I need to finish now??? Good Lord! That's a whole album! How awesome would it be if they were ALL album worthy!?!

So now I must sleep. We have to leave early early. It's 2:30am and we have to be at soundcheck tomorrow in Maine at 7pm. With all this crazy snow... who knows how long it's gonna take us.

Whew. Life on the road is crazy.

The moral of this story? If you ever get stuck in Jonestown PA - stay at the Days Inn.