TRUCK STOP FASHION TIPS & STORIES FROM THE ROAD!

TRUCK STOP FASHION TIP #1:

BIGGER IS ALWAYS BETTER and a few fun stories from our tour along the way!

We had a great time browsing the truck stops of America, and in Albuquerque, NM this was one of the top fashion finds! In our quest to find traffic that could rival Austin's rush hour...we came up empty handed.  While Santa Fe had some road construction, the view was amazing and lasted a whopping 8 minutes!   In Estes Park we found 3 moose, a pack of angry elk with big racks (ha, ha, ha...she said racks), lost a camera in the National Park...then found the camera thanks to some good samaritans with big hearts! In Minnetonka,MN we found a new group of friends in music playing our hearts out to a crowd relaxing on the green grass, and gained a tribe of 3 year olds running and dancing past us at lightening speed. At our July 1st show in Minneapolis Hilary celebrated a Birthday with 5 cousins and 10 close friends that drove in from as far away as Kansas City to help her celebrate!  No...it wasn't a mile stone birthday...which made it even a BIGGER surprise!!! In Trempealeau, WI we sang with the trains, watched the sun set over a river barge and enjoyed some spotted cow after an inspired National Anthem with the crowd to close the show. In Duluth, MN we shared 4 shows with Bill and Kate Isles...and got a chance for some wonderful inspiration sharing life stories, hopes and dreams with some lemon-chello and home cooking.  In Kansas City we played a block party that ended with 2am tennis lessons from the local mega-tennis pro TK.  This morning we woke up in downtown Telluride listening to Bear Creek bubble past our bedroom window...and I hit my internal snooze button at least 5 times! So many great shows...adventures and memories made over the last 2 months.   Our hearts are full, bones are feeling a bit weary, and our souls are growing sore for that patch of dirt we call home back in Texas...but wow, has it been a great ride! Thanks to everyone for a great adventure!!!

Jumping in Heart First on Film

    How surreal to see your story from the outside looking in on a screen that is bigger then your entire living room floor? Surrounded by a room full of more strangers then friends, looking in through a lens who's angle even you can't predict;a truly bizarre experience indeed!

   I've been singing out loud and proud for a long time now, but this is the first time I've experienced living out loud so far on this planet! I started this journey in music with nothing to lose and the motto "I'm not afraid to suck out loud," knowing full well that growth as a performing artist had to start somewhere and the first step was to take a big breath, embrace the learning curve and jump into the deep end heart first.  After all, I've been jumping in over my head my whole life, why stop now? But even then, while performing songs on stage, you can hide behind the veil of a guitar and a melody line.  This documentary film thing is a whole other ballgame if you ask me!  

   In the film FOLK, the ups and downs behind the songs come to light and the veil is lifted on the stories behind my jump off the high dive.  I'm most comfortable being the funny girl, with a clumsy side and big smile.  I must admit when push comes to shove, I gloss over the pivotal moment when I found my voice and never turned back.  Once upon a time I lived in a world driven by fear and controlled by anger, and it is my folk & music family that has shown me a path where love leads the way.  

   With this film you will get the rest of our story as we chase our dreams in music and life. The ups and downs that usually stay hidden behind closed doors come to a head and that is a scary thing to share.  Sometimes the most beautiful gifts are revealed once you tear away the ugly wrapper.   I hope you will see what good your love, support and faith in others can do to make this crazy world a better place. Thank you for helping me find the beauty in this world when I need it most!

www.folkdocumentary.com

www.facebook.com/folkdocumentary

www.TheFlyinAs.com

   

Reflect, Refresh, & Renew

Reflect, Refresh and Renew

The last several months have been full of wonderful adventures. From a chance to share our music at the opening of Santa Fe's revolutionary Esperanza Shelter for Battered Families, to singing our hearts out on the main stage of the Lime Kiln Theater surrounded by the history of our forefathers in Lexington, VA...it has been a wild ride.

We’ve been laying low the past month to reflect, refresh and renew our commitment to life and music.  There are some exciting new developments at hand as we prepare for the release of the FOLK Documentary film. We are delving into the world of writing music, discovering our instrumental potential and solidifying our journey together in life and love.

  In addition, I am is stretching myself on the piano too. This week I begin working with Grammy winning pianist Floyd Domino in the weeks ahead to hone my skills on the ivory!

Once again we start another phase in reaching for our potential. Stuart and I admit that we are always searching to better our songwriting, instrumental skills and performance work. While some days it feels daunting trying to climb that hill of possibilities, most days it feels like a gift having the chance to try.

So in the days ahead be watching for some new material to show up a our live shows, and who knows, by the Spring maybe a new instrument or two as well!

Not what we meant when we said 

"This tour's gonna be on fire".

Driving through the rocky mountains there is an unusual haze that has covered the sky up here in Estes Park, Colorado.  We've been on the road 2 weeks and been lucky enough to dodge a few mistakes & mishaps...but one thing we can't avoid is the fires that seem to be engulfing this beautiful mountain range around us.

It brings flashbacks of the Bastrop fires in Texas last year, or last summers driving down I-25 watching the Los Alamos fires engulf mountain ridge after mountain ridge.

There are stories filling the papers and television of tragedy followed by heroism, and wow does it get your mind on the things that matter.

One story of a retired fire chief that happened to own the house where a fires started that claimed 22 homes and one life.  Another story of an 18 year old volunteer fire-woman who watched her family's home burn to the ground while fighting a fire on a nearby home.  

The stories never seem to end with things like this. Fire fighters from around the country all here in Colorado to save homes and lives, while many of them may be in jeopardy of losing their own in the process.

As we travel around this beautiful country sharing our hearts, minds and music...it's a harsh reminder of the gift of life we all have every day. My little catch phrase for this year has been:

"Live life like you mean it!"

I think it's taken on an even deeper meaning today as I watch the smokey haze dissipate over the rocky mountain range...slowly creeping in from the fires a few hundred miles away, that has already burned  hundreds of homes and thousands of acres.   You truly never know what is around the next bend, whether it is another great show, an idea that inspires the next song, or a harsh reality that bites you to the bone reminding you what life is all about.

So tonight we play a show at the Hempel Theater up here in Estes Park. This theater stage is one where I wrote some of my first songs when I was up here working for the summer. Back then the theater lights were all off, and alone in the dark I would sit on the stage and compose my songs singing to nothing but the clear mountain air and an empty room. 

Tonight we will take the stage, and I'll sing my heart out to hopefully lift a few spirits, inspire a few hearts, and maybe even give some of the audience a break from the firestorms that seem to be taking this state county by county.

So if you can, take time to take a deep breath and think about how to take today and "Live life like you mean it!" I promise you I'll try to do the same!

Hold up!!!!

Pack the bags, unpack the bags, do the laundry, feed the dogs, practice, pack the car, unpack the bags, and pack again.....AHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!! HOLD UP!!!

So, we've been on and off the road for quick trips the past 8 weeks, and are about to head out for a full 2 month tour, and while I can't wait...man, is the preparation a bllllleeeeeaaaahhhch!

It is times like this when I don't know what I would do without my partner in crime.  I can get overwhelmed looking around our house that seems to have had an explosion of laundry...not all of it is clean either!  From dishes, to the dogs, to the step kids...all 3 things I love having... sometimes I just feel overwhelmed balancing them all as we prepare to hit the road!

Whether it is a simple comment like "honey, why don't you take a quick break" to having a hot cup of tea ready for me when I wander first wander out of bed, I sure feel lucky having such a wonderful life partner.  We are going on 7 years of this crazy thing we call marriage, music and business together. Man, it's been a wild ride!

I have a feeling most musicians say that hitting the road isn't the hard part, it's getting all the work done so you ride the black top that is the tough part!

So as I sit on my couch in limbo, looking at the to do list that seems to get longer by the minute...I think I will take a quick break, have some tea, and keep my eye focused on the prize.

What is the prize I am working so hard for today? 

A hot cup of coffee on the dash, a sky painted dark purple as the first hint of dawn cracks through the dark blue horizon, our guitars in the back seat, and the low hum of the tires on the pavement as we head west.  

So right now my "to do" is to HOLD UP!!! 

Cause soon things will be moving along so fast, I will just be trying to hold on and enjoy the ride!

Forgiveness, Faith & Gasoline

Forgiveness, Faith & Gasoline

We are about to release our latest project...and I can't wait for these songs to have wings!

When people ask where my songs come from, my answer is always, my heart.  When people ask me if it bother's me if other people have a different interpretation or take on a song I've written then I do...and I say NO WAY!

I feel like when I am writing a song, there is a tender process where sounds, lyrics and soul first come together in my own secret & intimate experience. Once I get a chance to share that song out loud with the audience, I feel like that song takes on a whole new life and it's meaning belongs to whoever's ears it falls on.

This little 6 song album has 2 new Flyin' A's tunes on it that I can't wait to send out to the universe. They have been tumbling around in this head and heart of mine for way too long.

They are a combination of blood, sweat, growth and tears.

It's weird, but it feels like I've been carrying those experience silently for a long time, and the chance to send them out to the universe feels so cleansing.

In life we meet people that inspire us, and then there are those that challenge us to find a new direction. One thing I am starting to realize is that even the WORST relationship's effects can be good in the end, and I think it's time I finally found forgiveness for those who seem to have left the deepest scars.  After all, it's the tough times that makes us appreciate the wonderful ones right?

So with this EP,  Faith & Gasoline, I think I am going to throw a little forgiveness out into the world with it too.  

After all, we all walk this earth for a limited time...why not try and carry a lighter load?

A step away from Mother's Day!

   
A Step Away From Mother's Day!

      Many of you may know that with my union in music and life, I have two wonderful step kids.  I don't talk much about it, but with Mother's Day looming close I couldn't help but take a minute to share my experience in this part of our lives.
     I walked into our union as a twenty something, only knowing the responsibilities of a self sufficient young woman, and have since learned to carry many "hats" as my journey with Stuart has moved forward.  Being so much younger then the kids mom, and also, making sure not to cross the "sacred thresh hold of mother-dom" hasn't always been easy.  At times as a step mom you feel invisible, but other times it can be amazing.
    With two teenage step kids now, it is exciting to see them growing into young adults.  They are so capable, and it is exciting when they have a break through or get to see their potential unfolding.  I must say, I find "Mother's Day" a bit annoying when people try to say "it's your day too".  I don't believe in making something out of nothing, and in no way am I treated like a "mother" and why add fuel to the fire when you have a "real mom" that is very focused on the importants of her role in all of this.  I do feel like maybe some day the kids might just look back and see some of the quiet behind the scenes work I've done to support them. The times they've come home feeling like life was too much to handle and I gave them a pep talk, a good snack and a smile. Then again, maybe they won't...but isn't that the trick in life?  Sometimes it is the good things we do that go unnoticed that have the most impact when we leave this earth.    I don't do a "good job" as a step mom I suppose for the credit...I just love my husband and his two offspring...and ultimately want them to have a chance at happy and healthy lives once they leave the nest.
     So, to all you step mom's out there...keep up the kind work. To all you mom's out there...remember, no one can take away your bond with your children, including us step-mom's. We aren't a threat...we are a potential team member and friend to you and your kids.   We step-mom's are well aware that we are low on the totem pole of the "blended family system", and while that isn't always the most rewarded role, sometimes it does provide a window to see things that can be helpful to the family as a whole.  I always joke that I married Stuart and his "ex-wife".  Honestly, we are all family and what happens to one of us, effects all of us. So why not try to love everyone through this journey.
   After all, I read a study once that said "12 out of 12 people don't make it out of this world alive". I figure why not spread as much love around as we can before it's over!  So happy Mother's Day to you guys...afterall...in order to make it on this planet, we all had to have at least one!!! :) hilary