Home from tour..
Current mood: listless

Well, tour was fantastic! I really want to thank everyone who helped make things go well this last month. MOST of the shows were just great. I seriously loved Folk Alliance again this year, it just keeps getting better. I’m hoping right now that I can keep up the great momentum that I’m coming off of tour with.
I had such a great experience being on the road with the Torres sisters. All the shows went off pretty well, and I really respect the music they’re making: http://www.myspace.com/touchingground We really had a great time on the road, and finished our stint out with a great show in Beckett, MA at the Dreamaway. What a cool spot! I was so sad to part ways with ’em afterward!
The road back was a little rough *cough* Wisconsin *cough*, but I just always have the best shows in Rapid City, SD. They’ve got a really great community going on there. All in all, I had so much fun on the road, I really didn’t want to come home. But here I am, attempting to enjoy another gray March day...Wish me luck on that!!!!!

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Tour so far, Berkeley to New Orelans!!

Wow! This has been a fantastic tour so far. I started off in Berkeley at The Starry Plough. It was a great show with the Hooroders, and The Famous. Had a great time, and stayed with Burgess, a fantastic fella from the Hooroders (his chihuahuas were adorable!)
I took the day off after that, and made it as far as Palm Springs. Being so ignorant in the ways of the West, I was under the impression that Palm Springs was on the coast. GAYEST TOWN EVER! I made it over to Phoenix after that, and had a show at Mama Java's. It was a good time, but I'm not really coffeehouse material. I'm a little to brash, perhaps. Nonetheless, it was a fun time.
Then, thank God, I made it to Texas.I got to visit my family, including my beloved Grandaddy, Zeb. I was off to a couple shows in Austin/San Marcos after that. The Triple Crown was great, and I had a great time bein' home in Texas. It was great to play at the Carousel with my friend Raina Rose (who is PHENOMENAL), though some miscellaneous woman got my Mom loaded. I then learned that Jaegermister makes my Mom nutty, and I had to round her up! Who knew? Besides, it don't really matter who's in Austin, Bob Wills is still the king.
Unbelievable trip to New Orleans. I hadn't been south of Alexandria since 2000 (the last time I played NOLA). Goddamn if GW ain't trashed the place. I have half a mind to airlift the man and dump him in the middle of the 9th ward to see what the locals do with him. I had a sudden hankering for boudin and cracklins the second we made it to the TX/LA border. For the greater good, I skipped both. We made it to New Orleans, and the Circle Bar (I could go on FOREVER about how much I liked this place). This was by far the most fun show of the tour so far. Partially because some fella told me he skipped the Ludacris show to see my set!- best compliment EVER! Plus, I met a handful of AMAZING locals. I had the chance to play with The Geraniums, and I'm definitely a new fan.
Mom and I are hanging out in Clarksdale, MS tonight. I found this place that's an old cotton gin converted to a motel, called the "Shack Up Inn". So, we're staying in an old sharecropping shack. It's really an amazing slice of history here. On my way to Folk Alliance tomorrow, and totally excited. If you check my dates, and see I'm coming to your town, stop by!!
Take care,
Emily

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THE ONE AND ONLY RALPH BRONNER! BUY THE SOAP!
Current mood: excited

So, it's been a couple weeks, but I did get a chance to talk with Ralph Bronner. My fantastic radio promoter, Fred, put me in touch with him. What a treat! He's such a fantastic guy, and his family has done so much good with the company.

I never expected to really get anything from them for writing 'Doc Bronner', I just love the soap, and want to share. Besides, it practically wrote itself in about 30 minutes. So, it was a real pleasure to hear from him, at all. He sent me a package with fantastic CDs from Pamela Means (who is just amazing), Patty Stevenson, and a great comp. of protest songs called 'Vote in November With Joy in Your Heart'. He even sent me a couple of bumperstickers, and $50! I think I'll buy a ton of soap, and donate it to the home I work in. Too cool. THANKS RALPH!

Currently listening : Cobblestones By Pamela Means Release date: 02 August, 2001

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HORRIBLE ACCIDENT/TOUR BLOG

Well, the most important thing is that we're OK. While traveling down the Pennsylvania Turnpike, my roadie, Haley, and I involved in a major accident. We came upon a vehicle that was parked in the fast lane of the turnpike, and swerved to miss it. We then had to swerve the opposite direction to avoid running off the road. This sent us into a spin that we ALMOST recovered from. Just before we would have stopped spinning, we were hit by a tractor-trailer which caused us to spin out of control.

When we finally stopped spinning, I immediately began to pass out. Luckily, I was quickly revived by Haley and a Nurse who just happened to be behind us in traffic. They put us both in traction collars, strapped me into a gurney, and rushed me to a local hospital. Haley had to be cut out of the driver's side before she was also taken to the same hospital.

We later learned that the driver of the semi was flown to a hospital in Pittsburgh, but is in stable condition. We still have no idea why the car in front of us was parked on the freeway! Due to the current privacy laws, we're having a hard time learning the details of what has happened to the other parties involved.

Luckily, Haley and I are relatively uninjured. I escaped without any major injury, while she's got a few staples in her scalp. Other than that, we're just incredibly sore and shaken.

Due to some coincidence, I have almost a week off in my tour schedule. So, everything is going to move on as planned. I'll be heading to NYC to play on the 29^th…I have no plans to cancel any of my scheduled performances. However, I have decided to end my tour early. So, my last show will be in Arizona. California dates will just have to wait until a later date, I'm afraid.

The most important thing is that we're both OK. Also, by another stroke of luck, all of our equipment/belongings are just fine! My guitars are totally unscathed! My car, which I'm posting the pics of, is another matter. RIP Jolene! I'll miss you!!

I'll be posting later this week about some of my other tour dates. Thanks for reading, y'all! Don't worry about us; we're some tough old broads!

Take care!

Emily

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TOUR BLOG, I GUESS from Missoula, MT to Columbus, OH
Current mood: hopeful
Category: Travel and Places

Hey y'all!

So, of course I am too lazy to actually keep up with regular blogs about my tour. I'm thinking that I'll just post in as often as I can remember...we'll see!

ANYWAY, tour has been going so well! I can't believe how lucky we've been so far. I have booked almost every show I've played through myspace, and I'm amazed at how well it's working out!

Missoula, MT 9/13- I cannot remember the name of the coffeehouse I played at, but it was a good space. I played with a fellow from the Broken Valley Roadshow, and a friend of his. We had a great time and Missoula is such a cool town!

http://www.myspace.com/brokenvalleyroadshow    Rapid City, SD 9/14- What a great stop! I played at this wonderful house and had such a fantastic audience. To top it all off, everyone gave a generous gas donation, and our hosts, Mike and Andrea were fantastic! GREAT VEGAN CHICKEN SALAD!! Fantastic political conversation, to boot!   http://www.myspace.com/ilsabeoconnell     Chicago, IL 9/18 @ the Charleston- Fantastic gig! I made the wise decision of having Ilsabe O'connell open up for me, and she drew an amazing crowd! The Charleston was a great neighborhood spot, and the crowd was just great. One of the best parts of the show was a local vendor selling tamales! Pssh- ask a TEXAN if she wants tamales?!! Ilsabe and her husband were fantastic hosts...we had such a great time hanging out.   http://www.myspace.com/ilsabeoconnell     Muncie, IN 1/19 @ Doc's- Doc's was a great venue and Michael (one of the owners) was a great guy. One of the big higlights (?) was this SUPER drunk dude who kept getting up in my grill and telling me that I'm 'So fucking good' and then asking me where I bought my guitar. I must have told him 3 million times I got it in Portland, and EVERY time he just yelled 'BULLSHIT'! He then proceeded to get on stage while I was playing, and grabbed ahold of my guitar strap to steady himself. After he was removed from the stage, he passed out while going to the bathroom, and they kicked him out. What's up?  http://www.myspace.com/michaelmartinband  Anyway, tons of free beer and food later, my roadie and I made our way  back to my amazing friend Spider's house for the night. The next day, Spider and her boyfriend, Jack, took us to Amish country to eat fancy food at this amazing gay-owned restaurant. We'd never seen Amish folks before! Needless to say, Spider and Jack are amazing folks and we got more than royal treatment!   Columbus, OH 9/21 @ Cafe Bourbon Street- Great night! There was a great crowd for a Thursday night..and it was an excellent line-up. Nick from The Rackets booked me in, and I was excited to see a great punk/country bill. We had a great time at the show, and the amazing Spider hooked us up with a friend of hers, Michael. Mike and his partner, Rem, put us up for the night and hung out with us for a bit. Great folks! It was a great stop...and Columbus is an awesome town. http://www.myspace.com/therackets OFF TO MORGANTOWN, WV!! WISH ME LUCK.

11:26 AM - 2 Comments - 2 Kudos - Add Comment