Maryville. All Rained Out :(

What a bummer!!!!! I was really excited to play in Tennessee today - it's so seldom we get to play this close to home. We arrived safely in Maryville around 6:30 this morning after a long overnight drive from South Bend. Grabbed a few hours sleep - just enough to rejuvenate and get all refreshed for a show!

We got to the school and this awesome singer songwriter - James Trimble - was playing an acoustic set. We unloaded all of our gear from the trailer (with LOTS of help from the students! THANK YOU!) got it to the stage... and then the dark clouds came a-rollin in.

After waiting a few minutes to see what would happen... we rolled all the heavy gear and amps back into the trailer and put the instruments close by under a roof. We headed in doors to wait out the rain. It got to the point where the radar looked like we were in the clear and the rain had stopped so we headed back outdoors. We unloaded the trailer again. Got everything onstage, started unpacking... and Guess what?! Even BIGGER drops started coming down.

We started packing up our gear and rolling is back to the trailer like a pit crew!

At this point the stage was all wet and there was just no way to set up electrical gear :( The inflatables all came down because the generators have to be shut off with the rain. Ughh. It was so sad. The students were SO sweet and helpful. Maryville College is on a gorgeous campus in Tennessee near Knoxville. BUT... no show. Oh well. Hopefully we'll get to go back sometime and ACTUALLY play.

They said they haven't had this event outside in 5 years. And this morning was gorgeous with a tiny chance of rain. BUMMER.

But the students ordered us food from this local restaurant called The Tomato Head. It was UNBELIEVABLE! I hope we get to go back sometime soon. One of the best sandwiches I've ever eaten! It was called the "Oh Boy!" And there were TONS of options for David, too. Normally he has to find whatever dish has the least meat and ask them to leave it out. But today he had as many or more options as the rest of us!

Now we are on I-40W headin home!!! We'll be there less than 24 hours, but hey! I'll take what I can get! We have just enough time to get some laundry done... drop off Miguel to welcome his newest child into the world, and pick up our sub guitar player for the next couple of weeks!

Yee HAW!

Peace. Love. Fiddle.
~natalie

La Guapa

I just played my first show with my NEW AMP today!!!! It was amazing.

I bought a Dr. Z, surf green Maz 18. She shall be known as La Guapa! (We've been quoting 3 Amigos all week... David's been doing the El Guapo dance... it just seems to fit!)

I really thought originally that I was gonna get an Orange Amp or one of the hand wired White Vox's... but nope! Dr. Z won out in the end. It was a no-brainer. Plus, this store exclusively has the surf green.... can't get it anywhere but Ft. Oglethorpe, GA at Humbucker Music!!!



As Kiwamu - one of my former guitar players - put it, my never ending search for the perfect tone has just begun!!! :)

La Guapa's first gig was very much a success at Ga Highlands College in Rome! It was our 2nd time at this campus... but this time we didn't get put in jail :) (The students put us in jail and people had to pay $10 to get the whole band out last year. Fortunately it was for a good cause, so someone ponied up the dough)
I had to dig WAY back in the archives for this one...


Thank you HIP for bringing us to campus and helping us out today!!!


I raced a few of the HIP girls in the inflatable obstacle course... got quite the battle scars to prove it, too!!! Miguel said I look like Ella - my whole arm is scraped from the velcro. It was worth it! I won that race! I didn't win the next one, though... she was undefeated... and I just barely came in second :)

And thank you John!!! John has always taken good care of us :)


We play at Ga highlands Campus in Cartersville on Friday night at 7pm. If you're around the area, come on out!!! It will be a great event with food, games, and of course we'll make sure the music is played :)

Coming to you from the Super Laundromat in Rome, GA...

Peace. Love. Fiddle.
~natalie

St. Andrews Know How To Party

We were back at St. Andrews Presbyterian College - one of our favorite campuses from the last few years!

We were close to the same place, but this time we actually got to play out by the lake because the weather cooperated! And the best is that it is called Lake Ansley!!!! Just like my sweet little niece, Ansley. And Lake Ansley is filled with tons of turtles that are constantly popping their heads up, hopeful for a little morsel :) I spent quite a bit of time hanging out with the turtles after the show.

They had a cook-out set up for the students, David opened the show, and it was another gorgeous day.

The owner of the last RED Peace, Love, Fiddle t-shirt from 2008!


My first beer can signage!


Sweet girls that helped us out all day!






My fiddles by Lake Ansley


And my own sweet Ansley :)


Now, I'm gonna hang out with the guys :)

Peace. Love. Fiddle.
~natalie

Sleep Remoting, S Polytech State University, and CHOCOLATE CHIP CHEESECAKE!

I hope Miguel doesn't mind me posting this pic :)
David posted it on his blog with the following caption...
Miguel illustrating his dedication to his van DVD remote obligations:


Miguel has always been the best at operating the DVD player. He'll fall asleep, and wake up JUST to fast forward through the theme songs at the beginnings of episodes. :)


Today we got a do-over!!!! We played at South Polytech State University in Marietta, Georgia. We were supposed to play there last August... We were all set up and ready to take the stage. They had a HUGE production with major lights and staging, and multiple bands... and THEN the thunder and lightening came and washed away any chance of a show. :(

But they brought us back at the END of the year today (they only have two weeks of school left!) to play. And we ACTUALLY got to play!!! I was waiting backstage after David's set for him to introduce me... I looked down and saw a 4-leaf clover! Just like Mamma always does. She has a talent for looking down and finding them without even trying.

The luck wasn't for the show, though. I know that much. :) My wireless mic went out a bunch during the first song. I couldn't tell if it was my monitors or my mic at first. But I figured it was my mic when Panther pushed his mic stand up to the front of the stage for me, and bent it down to my height! He was ON TOP OF IT! :) Turns out the mic had interference... which is something we hadn't had to deal with yet. But we got it worked out after the show. During the show... I used Panther's mic and he and David had to go all "Springsteen" for the rest of the show and share David's mic for all their background vocals. :)

The students took us to the Marietta Diner after the show. I have been dreaming about this Diner since last August. Justin and Miguel walked to it last year at 4 in the morning and raved about how awesome it was. (Plus it was on the Food Network as one of the top 10 Diners in the country.) We tried to go the next day, but it was so packed we couldn't park our trailer!!!
OH. But tonight? The students took us and it was amazing. I got my favorite - eggplant parm. And then. Oh then.

CHOCOLATE CHIP CHEESECAKE!!!!

I fell in love with Chocolate Chip Cheesecake in Boston at Mike's Pastries in the North End. But no one has it. Seriously. No one. Not even the Cheesecake Factory. They have every kind imaginable! But not chocolate chip. But tonight? HEAVEN.


The whole crew!!! BAND on one side of the table + S. Polytech CAB on the other = BEST TABLE IN THE DINER!


So glad today worked out with NO RAIN!!!!

Our awesome new Chinese friends!


Ian!


Thanks for the great pics, Ian!




I'm starting to get a tan on my face and arms from all this gorgeous sunshine! I love it!

Peace. Love. Fiddle.
~natalie

Or A Big Ole City

Thanks for the prayers Farm Boy! Lord knows we appreciate em!

We drove through the night last night to get to Ga State University. We got here at 9:30 (our load in was at 10)... James was quite the champion driver!!! He drove the whole way here.

But even though we arrived 30 minutes early... we made it to the venue 30 minutes late. The students had a hard time explaining where we should go. It's not an easy thing to do, ESPECIALLY in a big city like Atlanta. Plus... the equation of one way streets + a 14 foot long trailer = CHAOS. But we eventually got to where we needed to be (Whew), and got all set up. We had a GREAT couple of guys running sound for us - Coi and Ben. They were so helpful in getting us up and running speedily! We didn't have enough time for David to open. And THANK GOODNESS Jessie drove down from Nashville to help me with my merchandise! I'm not sure I would have even had time to set it up had she not been here!!!

The way the event was set up - food, games, streets performers, and dj's... they wanted us to play a 30 minute set with a 30 minute break and then another 30 minute set. It is so funny how trying to program a 30 minute set is more difficult for me than programming a 90 minute set! :) I guess that's not really a "problem" per say. Plus I like a good challenge. The show worked out great. AND I got quite the sun tan in the process. :)

Parking in a big city is always a challenge. ESPECIALLY when you have an oversized vehicle and trailer. Our hotel doesn't have any way to accommodate us, so the school had to get creative on where to have us park! But they were so helpful. James and I were double parked... moving... then double parking again... as we were waiting on instructions where to go. After about 3 1/2 hours, though, it all got figured out. And YAY!!! The lobby had free food, beer, and wine in the lobby when we got back. Could there have been a better surprise than that? Don't think so. Just what we all needed!!!

Jessie and I even hit up the all night diner on the next block after Lost, which was an excellent choice. And then I have spent the last few hours finishing up some good ole tax work. Yes. I realize what day it is. Yes. My accountant LOVES how much I procrastinate. :)

And Yes. I can barely keep my eyes open. Goodnight!

Peace. Love. Fiddle.
~natalie

Crawfish, Humidity, Flip Flops, and Spring Hill College

We played a Crawfish Boil today at Spring Hill College in Mobile, Alabama.


I really wanted to get in on the shrimp.... but I didn't make myself a to-go plate... which is the only way I get to eat food from a show.

A plate of shrimp + 2, 45 minute sets of singing = not a good combo.

I've learned similar equations many times over in previous shows. :) And no, I don't care to elaborate any more than that!

But the ladies by the gumbo saved some for me and OH how thankful I was of that! It was EXCELLENT.

Today was the first day of the year in which I wore flip flops during the show. When it gets this humid outdoors... I just can't wear socks and my boots... And the barrier has been broken. There's no turning back now!







Now we are driving through the night back up to north Georgia. We passed Hank Williams birthplace and the officially dedicated "Lost Highway". :) That was really cool.

Until tomorrow...
Peace. Love. Fiddle.
~natalie

Augusta State University Homecoming Week

Blogging is awesome :)

The husband of CryingWife herself (from CryingWife.com) posted a comment on yesterday's blog! That is just awesome! Thank you, Parker, for reading. I've gotten a lot of comments about my post yesterday :) The facebook world loves you guys!!! And Hollie is indeed adorable. I just want to be her friend when I see those videos!

We had a very cold, but very fun show at Augusta State University this afternoon! We were part of their Homecoming celebration. The big game is this weekend and they are ranked 7th in the Nation!!! SO EXCITING! So the campus was pretty buzzing today. Along with our show, they had free pizza, the Little Ceasars guy walking around, a Rock Climbing Wall, funnel cakes, plus a local high school band AND the pep band played after us! It was quite the celebration!

The Dean of Students told me that she was a bit confused when the students told her they wanted a fiddle player to come do their big Homecoming show. She said, "A fiddle player? Are you sure?" And they assured her that I am not just a fiddle player... nor just a country singer... there's a lot more to the show than what you would normally think of!! And thank goodness the students convinced her - she was one of my main dancers during the show!


I got to meet the President of the school.

AND The Little Caesars guy...


A sweet little girl named Natalie! (who was one of my other main dancers during the show)


An adorable but very scared puppy (I think he was the only NON-fan of the pep band on campus)


And lots of awesome students!





Alexis and Jasmine helped us out all day and took REALLY good care of us!!!

And then we came back and hung out on our awesome porch with rocking chairs... drank a little wine... relaxed.... watched videos of shows that have been posted and discussed ways to improve things... It is so nice to have another show in the same city tomorrow night!!! We get to sleep tonight! What a concept! :)

Peace. Love. Fiddle.
~natalie

What a Whirlwind of a Week

Man. Texas was a blast. I am now home in Tennessee for a few hours. But this whole last week feels like a blur. We were working at such a fast pace and it never stopped! We got home tonight around 11 and leave tomorrow for PA :) It is so great to get to do laundry and sleep in our own beds for a night!

I can't believe how allergic to Texas I was this week! And that's coming from a Tennessee girl!!! (The Tennessean's understand to what I am referring) But almost as soon as we crossed the state line... my eyes started to clear up. Whew. Something in the water or the pollen did NOT like me there. And it makes me sad because I love Texas. It won't stop me from going back.... Probably the fact that we did 6 outdoor shows didn't help the whole "pollen" thing. But yeah, that was crazy.

You know something that is funny? We sold less merchandise (cd's t-shirts, posters, etc..) in all 7 shows than we sold at almost every single show the last few weeks. It's not something I am upset about - just an observation. As an artist - the cd's and t-shirts we sell are our lifeline. So naturally, it is something we pay attention to. The enthusiasm of the audiences weren't down a bit. And I signed just as many or more t-shirts, cups, and scraps of paper this week than I usually do. But not nearly as much was purchased. It's so intriguing how things like that can be drastically different from show to show. But that's the fun of it :) If it were easy, everyone would do it!

Time sure is flying. I can't believe we only have 2 weeks left on this tour. It seems like it was just yesterday that we were putting the Tour posters together and gearing up for Winter driving! Now we're all sunburnt and the suburban is back to full on AC mode.

It sure is fun to look at this tour poster and think about where all we've been and how far we've traveled together!


Hope everyone is having a happy Monday! See you somewhere on the road.

Peace. Love. Fiddle.
~natalie