DAY 2-

Day 2 in Nashville

All here has been great. We have LOVED our time here, and can't believe we still have 2 days of recording left. Quad Studios is top notch, and the players have been great.

It's been a smooth start to our sophomore album and all of our hard work is paying off in the studio. We had a surprise appearance by Delbert McClinton, and he came in and played harmonica on the Joe Tex "I Want To" tune.

I got footage of Delbert laying down his track, and then accidentally erased it, but oh well. What is a girl to do? I am sure it nothing to do with the fact that I was sooooo excited to be in the same studio with him, let alone having it be our project he was so willing to come play on!

Today we head back into the studio to cut 4 more songs. We are looking at a total of 13 tunes for the new album. More to come about the song list for the album. We are waiting to make sure all goes as planned!

John Jennings had some challenges getting to Nashville from VA due to an a giant blizzard, but was in great form yesterday despite a drive that was 12 hours longer than it should have been.

He is a master in the studio. He is focused, pointed with his direction and gentle all at the same time. He is focused on getting the best sound for the project, and is so smooth at getting the best sound out of us. One small comment and a track sounds 10 times better than the first take. I have been taking mental notes the whole time, and am loving learning so much. There is a reason he has the reputation he does, and his kind heart and eagle ears are rocking awesome. It's like warm butter on perfectly toasted sour doe bread, a real tasty treat.

Check out footage from DAY 2 at www.youtube.com/theflyinas .

I will post more tomorrow!

Till then...honky tonk it till the cows come home!

DAY 1- Recording in Nashville. Check out the video to get the inside scoop! I'll type more tomorrow...some funny developments! We are having a blast as promised!!!

The Jersey Shore's like free air conditioning!

We had a great time out in New Jersey.

There were flowers of every color blooming in the highway median, and the beaches were flawless. It was beautiful, everyone was so nice, and the weather was amazing!

I have come to decide that New Jersey has been taking notes from Icelandians these past years, and that they knew what they were doing the whole time as outsiders have allowed their beautiful state to get a bad wrap. It's a great way to keep their beauty from being trampled I'll bet you!

We did just one private show out there, and it was a blast. The other 4 days were spent at the beach, building sand sculptures, body surfing and doing our best to stay pale!

I still think I am holding the title of palest of Puerto Escondido, but New Jersey had a good representation of us less pigmented...darn.

What were those pills Michael Jackson took? Nah, that's too much work even for me to win the palest award. I'll take my chances with the 70 spf!

So many guitars, so little time!

So many guitars, so little time

We are back home in Austin, and this is a picture of a sculpture Stuart ran across in DC a few months ago.  Man, look at all those lonely guitars??? 

So many guitars, so little time- As many of you know I have electrical tape covering the brand of my guitar.  It's not only for asthetic reasons...the company that made Bessie doesn't stand up to the test when it comes to backing their instruments and workmanship. So rather than bad mouth them and spread bad carma...i just refuse to advertise for them.

Bessie my guitar is doing well after some hard work from my "guitar Jesus" Ed Reynolds, who resurrected her after being mutilated by the "company" while working hard NOT to uphold her lifetime warranty on the workmanship of her sleek lines. 

After a lot of frustration at first, some heart broken tears after seeing the horrible work done, and then sighs of relief and joy after seeing Ed save her...the final decision has been made.

We are designing a new headstock for her.;after a long lamented  process, I've decided to keep her, and not trade her in for a new one.

After all, we've traveled thousands of miles together, written some great music together, and sang our hearts out together for 5 great years!!!  

We will make the decision to keep Bessie official when the new head stock is designed and applied. Then no more electrical tape (my first choice was duct tape, but Stuart convinced me that was just plain mean to Bessie, she can't help who her parents are).

So, in an effort to save one more tree, and hold on the the instrument I love, Bessie will have a new look in the next few months!

So many guitars, so little time...but when you have one that plays as sweet as Bessie, why trade her in when you can just pretty her up a bit???

Consider it a name change if you will!!!

A Mountain of Snow and Ice Cream

Here we are, finally staying at the Wind River Lodge after 4 nights of camping in the Rocky Mountain National Park. Our 4 nights were wonderful by the camp fire, dodging elk, black bears and ground squerrels. We have been hiking, working on music, and getting back to the basics of life;but oh, the magic of a warm shower and soft bed...they are a welcome change of pace for sure.
This is our second year playing for Summerfest, and the staff and administration here at the YMCA of the rockies are tremendous hosts.

After a good 13 mile hike, what is better than a mountain of ice cream!
This year there has been an amazing amount of snow on the higher elevations here, and Stuart and I battled to get to the Loche (a natural lake on top of a huge mountain) and won, but that fight was not without a slip and slide or two in the snow. Being youth of the Texas heat, it's a wonder we made it as far as we did.

Tonight we play a quick set as guests at Reusch Auditorium here and then do our full out show tomorrow night in Hemple Auditorium. It is going to be hard to pull me away from these mountains, and the ice cream!

YMCA soft serve is the BEST!!!!!

This picture was taken from the world's LONGEST tram in Albuquerque, NM.
It takes 15 minutes to climb several thousand feet. Stuart faced his fear of heights well I must say!

ROCKY MOUNTAIN TOUR 2009
Albuquerque rocks the house, and we find our MOUNTAIN HIGH!!!!

What an amazing first stop on our 4th annual Rocky Mountain Tour. We had a FULL OUT BLAST at Solid Grounds Coffeehouse. It was a full house, and we laughed together, cheered together, and there are some GREAT dancers in New Mexico. Thank you to all our old friends and new friends for coming out to make it a high energy show! A special thank you goes out to Rosalie who did a great job hosting and running the sound board!

Yesterday we woke up at 3 a.m. and headed to Estes Park, CO. This morning we are surrounded by mountains and about to hike up into the snow. This tour is as much for the spirit and inspiration as the performance. We are writing daily, revisiting some unfinished songs, and writing new ones as well.

We are performing at the Hemple Auditorium on Friday here in Estes, and I can't wait! Back in college I worked out here and it was a much needed brake from the pressures of Music School. I would sneak into Hemple Auditorium at night and play the beautiful grand piano and write and sing my heart out at a time when writing music wasn't apart of my school year's "curriculum". It is a surreal feeling to come back to a place where I first started finding my voice and perform some of the very songs I started on those late evenings alone in the dark on that stage.

The YMCA or the Rockies is a place I feel closest to my muse and most centered. Being surrounded by the beautiful wild life, the crisp mountain air and the majestic peaks just invigorates me. I truly feel like my God can speak to me here! While I don't consider myself a "religious person" I do feel a spirit out here that does have the power to guide us to our best selves. This is a place that I come that I just can't help but be compelled to try and listen.

We have found our ROCKY MOUNTAIN HIGH!

PUERTO ESCONDIDO Day 1!

This picture does NOT JUSTICE to the beauty we are surrounded by!  We flew in yesterday and the flights were all smooth and trouble free.  Something I was glad for after our crazy flight from Phoenix.  A little liquid courage and a tight grip on Stuart got me through the flights easily.  

Last night we went out with our new friends Bill and Mel, and got to sit in with Claudio and David at a local night spot.  It was a night of crazy fun under the palm trees.  

We have shows on Wed and Sat here.  We are getting a chance to relax and making some great new friends.  This place is definitely  beautiful and full of some of the nicest people on the planet.  There is also a special drink here that is a derivative of tequila...that tastes like butta!

We have paced our well so far...but I can tell, we are in for a FUN WEEK!  I forget the name of the beverage, but I'll make sure and write it up tomorrow...you gotta try this stuff. 

Gruene Hall ROCKED!

Man our last two shows at Gruene Hall has rocked.  From all of our friends through music coming out to hang with us, to all the new friends we have made there.

The beer is always cold there and the shows are always high energy blasts.

This is the place Stuart and I both grow up enjoying some of our favorite artists from the audience, and it is a thrill to join their ranks.