TWO MORE AWARDS!!!!

We have been in the car all day All day! :)

And after ...

"Dumb and Dumber"
"The Big Lebowski"
"Forgetting Sarah Marshall"
Miranda Lambert's "Revolution"
And
Tom Petty's Live "Anthology"...

...we are in Boca Raton, Florida. It is amazing you can drive for 12 hours and still be in the same state. :) Especially when you aren't in California or Texas! But going from the Northwest part of the pan handle down to the southeast part of the panhandle takes a while! There are so many Dunkin Donuts down here!!! I think it is because of all the snowbirds from the Northeast... they have to make them feel like they are at home. it is pretty awesome.

So for those of you not on Facebook, Twitter, Myspace, or Reverbnation who read this blog....

I have some more very exciting news! (I've posted a status on the aforementioned places)
I won TWO MORE AWARDS!!!!

Campus Activities Magazine posted their Awards for the year and we won:

Best Female Performer
and
Best Music

SO EXCITING!!!

I can't believe all this! It's just amazing. So yeah. That news rocks my world. :)

Good stuff is a happenin, y'all!!!

Peace. Love. Fiddle.
and
HAPPY BIRTHDAY MAMMA!!!!!!
~natalie

What a Downpour

Tonight we drove through some Biblical rain - I'm talking brighter than stadium lights lightening... torrential down pour kind of rain. I had the hazards on and was going about 30 in a 55 for quite a while. Whew. That makes me feel like I just worked out. It is mentally exhausting. And I'm not usually the one driving through that kind of stuff - it's typically James. I don't know how he does it sometimes!!! One day, y'all.... one day, we'll have a driver... a PROFESSIONAL.

We were watching the Tom Petty documentary tonight - Running Down a Dream :) Sound familiar? Yeah, every time we watch it, I get so much more out of it. One of the things he was talking about that stood out tonight was when he said:

"At first you can't get the gigs. Then, after a while, You can't get OUT of the gigs"

He was talking about how much they were on the road there for a while when things were really picking up. And just how hard you have to work to get it all off the ground and running. It's comforting. When I look at guys like that who have had legendary careers... telling stories about exactly what all we are going through... hoping to get to where they are now... I feel like I am doing the right thing. We all end up with different versions of the same stories. Which is really pretty cool when you think about it.

So here's to Running Down My Dream. (I'm raising my water.... cause it's all I got)

Peace. Love. Fiddle.
~natalie

I Spilled The Sweet Tea

Well dangit!!!

I forgot my camera uploader thing a ma doogie. SO I can't upload any of the great pics from the weekend so far!!! I have a couple from my iphone from yesterday, though.

TONIGHT?? AMAZING. Hot, sweaty, full of rock, packed with people. The way it's supposed to be!

NO WRECKS ON THE WAY IN EITHER!!! YAY!!!!

I spilled sweet tea all over my jeans during dinner. It also spilled all over the set lists I had just written out.... which actually made them stick to the floor better and not blow away :)

But Jenn & AJ had to take Ella back to the band house after dinner, so Jenn brought me some extra jeans to change into after the first set. It made me SO happy!

You know what's funny, though? The conversation we were all having at the band house was about wardrobe changes in shows. We were talking about how it's not very "rockstar" to change your wardrobe a bunch of times in a show. I mean, the girl in me thinks that would be so fun. Wear ball gowns for the big ballads... crazy rockstar outfits for the more uptempo ones... But I have to agree with the guys on this one. I mean, that's what the award shows are for. I am REALLY girlie. I'll never get away from wanting to curl my hair, wear dramatic eye make-up, and over-the-top ballgowns when I can get away with it. But for my regular shows? Yeah... one outfit. The show isn't about what I am wearing... it's about the music. As long as I wear something that allows me to move my hips back and forth and dig my heels into the ground... I am good to go! Tom Petty wouldn't change outfits... or Steven Tyler... or Mick Jagger...

Anyway. I thought it really funny that we had JUST talked about that... and then I go changing jeans for a Spinnaker show. I mean, I had a valid reason, but it seemed quite ironic to me. :)

Here's our view from stage:


And here's the guys setting up onstage. They look so summery in their colorful shirts!


May I just interject that the morning news just came on?? :) Yeah... this schedule is hilarious.

We had lots of repeat customers tonight - people from Macon Georgia, and people who have seen us previous times at Spinnaker. I had a blast onstage tonight. I let loose even more than normal and the crowd was incredible. I sure do love my job. I haven't felt that sweaty/rockstar in a while. I think it came with the change of clothes :) After I felt comfortable? I let it all go.

Can't wait to see what tomorrow is like!

Night night! Or Morning Morning? :)

~nat

Running Down A Dream

Today was a really good food day :)

We ate lunch at Red Robin my FAVORITE!!! It was on Stephen King Dr. - creepy....
And tonight we ate at a Boston Market! I am so bummed they don't have any in Nashville anymore. That place is SO good. I used to stop by the one next to my apartment in Boston when I needed good veggies but didn't have time to cook them myself. :)

We left Maine this afternoon at check out and just decided to drive until LOST came on. It is the first time we have all gotten to watch Lost when it actually comes on tv so far this season! :) It was nice not to have to rush anywhere today. We only have to drive 5 hours tomorrow to get to Arcadia for our show. That is so nice!

We watched the first disc of "Running Down a Dream" the Tom Petty documentary. It is SOOOO inspiring. Tom and all the "Heartbreakers" and many others are interviewed and talk about their journey from day one. Stevie Nicks says repeatedly that if she could have, she would have left Fleetwood Mac and joined The Heartbreakers. :) It adds a whole new level of inspiration to be in the back of the Suburban actively running down my own dream while listening to the artists I look up to. Listening to Tom Petty talking about what all he had to do to get where he is today... well.... it's good fuel! Literally.

When he is asked who his influences are, he says "The Radio" (and the 60's) which made me feel so normal! I always felt a little "uncool" to say that as a musician. (I have gotten over that now), but back when I was at school at Berklee, it felt strange to admit how much of a radio listener I have always been. I guess partially because it made me sound like "just a singer." And not to perpetuate stereo-types, but Berklee is full of ridiculously good musicians; it's kind of like the academic side of music to be in school there. And there was a certain respect that seemed to come with being into hardcore jazz and anything with an odd time signature or as many blue notes as one can fit... While I appreciate music that I have to "think" about while I listen to it - well... that stuff just doesn't move me like a "pop" song. How ironic is it that it isn't "popular" in certain music circles to admit that you like "popular" music? Hmmmm....

I must admit... I am pretty stoked about the fact that it is only midnight. I haven't gotten in bed before 4:30am or later the last few nights. Too much to do!!! But my pillows at this Comfort Inn are calling. Don't wanna leave em hanging.

NIGHT NIGHT!

~natalie