Well this took me a while. I seem to be wandering between solid internet connections all the time, and it took me 3 days to get 13 photos uploaded to Flickr properly. There's no excuse.
Needless to say, the Life's A Song workshop with Terri Hendrix and Lloyd Maines was a great experience and I met and re-met a lot of great folks this year. Not a bad way to spend a birthday, either. I got play some of my new tunes for Terri that are possibilities for EP 2, and the feedback was definitely useful. The jams were awesome, even if it got cold enough to make us move inside and away from the campfire. I didn't think it got cold in Port Aransas. (In my mind if you drive that far to a coast, you're pretty close to Jamaica. My mind isn't very geographically accurate, however).
Here's some photos...and while you look, go to Terri's Myspace page and listen to her new tunes! Some from her new retrospective album and some from her Christmas EP. "Bring 'Em All In" has been a favorite of mine at live shows for quite some time...
Cruising around Port A...
Lloyd and the dobro go together like PB&J.
Campfire Jam!
Inside jam!
Terri harmonicas it up.
I recorded "Switzerland" with Lloyd being his kickbutt producer self.
So there you go. If you have any interest at all in the craft of songwriting, I encourage you to attend a workshop like this...get yourself on the list for Life's A Song or check some of the other ones across the country. They're good for you.
I have that happy tired feeling when you know you did your job well but it took a bunch out of you. I spent a lot of the morning rehearsing a new tune because it's a co-write (my first "real" one, I think) and I know the parts I wrote really well, and am having to internalize the other lines a little more. Fascinating.
Cheat sheet.
I also have a wild hair on a new chord and picking pattern, and today brought some workable words...so there's something new in a holding pattern. I spent a chunk of the afternoon trying to flag it in. We're still circling the airport on that one, but I like where it's headed. Who knows.
Then I had a voice lesson. We sang "hee hee hee" over and over again and I learned about where your "hee's" should come from. Not your throat. Stop that.
Then there was the gig, which was very fun. And since Year 2 of Folk Music Grad School is shifting into focusing on "outer" stuff...like performing...Red Leaf's new Stage Performance teacher came to see my gig. She took notes. That was a little nerve-wrecking, but she's way cool and we meet tomorrow to go over her notes. It's perhaps best we are meeting right before my next gig so I can apply her thoughts to the show. (Her name is Jess Klein and she is awesome and you should totally check out her music, and I hope she does not mind me blogging about her because I just did!)
I don't know if part of the outer training will be how to haul a PA around without breaking a sweat, but I could use that class, too. Yay summers in Austin! I'm so ready for fall. And thus ends my random day.
Well...we have a mastered version of The Early Year that is going to be the one that everyone gets in their mailboxes, email boxes, on their computer speakers, and on their turntables. Ok, no turntables. We're not doing a vinyl release...yet, hehheh. I am proud of it. With a capital P! And there's the cover...woot!
What is holding me up right now is that I am a little slow to comprehend the embedding of ISRC codes on the tracks, still...so I did not realize I needed to register with the RIAA before this could occur. So I am registering, and then we'll get the codes, which get embedded in the master, which gets shipped to Oasis for duplication. I hope this goes fast.
Today is busywork day so I can get my PO box set up (as much as taking orders from my home address via the internet is appealing, haha) and file our paperwork for Bourn Records. And send a fax to the RIAA. Who has a fax machine these days? Oh, that's right...business people. (And Kinko's! Woot!)
I am still all happy from last weekend at Threadgill's. Jamming on stage with Terri and Lloyd and Glenn was pretty much a highlight of my...forever. It's neat to think about the things I've been fortunate enough to do in my two years of living here.
A lot of the above paperwork and business stuff is thanks to Terri and Lloyd and their never-ending sharing of smarts and experience. From the Life's A Song workshop last October to Terri letting me harass her and pick her brain all the time throughout this past year...it's good to have people who have your back. Dan and Suz and Terri and Lloyd are all really insanely integral parts of me as an artist and of this record...I hope it does them all proud. Thanks for the chance, kids.
What happened last night? THAT happened last night. I was surprised at the end of my set by Terri, Lloyd, and Glenn joining me on "Blonde on Blue" and "Paper Rock Scissors". Talk about fun! Such class acts.
If you came to the show, thank you so much. Such a fun night, and thanks for braving the raindrops!
More on the evening later, I am off to Gruene Hall with my college buds to show them some Texas culture...
And thanks to Maestro for the photos!! His clicking finger was on fire.
All kinds of fun things happening today! We just had a great hang with some friends over Thai food at Madam Mam's -- red curry for me, always. They do tofu right there.
Check out the KUT site - Susan Gibson will be on this Thursday. I have a little bet with her involving her saying something on air. If she does it, I clean her van windows. The game is on. (And they used my photo from our Very Large Array trip!)
I'll admit it...I have a girl crush on Imogen (don't worry, the NYT says it's cool). I watched her latest video blog just now and my mouth kept dropping at each new bit of sound-making genius.
From the swirly tube thing that we all had as kids and never quite knew what to do with except annoy the crap out of our parents...to using the Gameboy start up sound on her song...sheer genius. SHE PLAYS THE GAMEBOY. ON HER RECORD.
And I thought I was all cool playing the banjo.
Imogen, if you need someone to play the Diet Coke bottle, or flip flop around the studio loudly, or perhaps type with 3 fingers on a keyboard really fast...I'm your girl.
I know, this is the second Tori post in a week. But the benefits of having a really devoted fanbase mean there are really great quality Youtube videos of you around. This is my favorite track off Tori's latest, American Doll Posse.
Note how she plays TWO pianos at the same TIME. One behind her back. I know it's probably easy for her but it looks dang impressive.
Tori Amos is brilliant. I love this live version of "A Sorta Fairytale." Talk about commanding a stage. Presence, dress, voice, musicianship, confidence, all of it. I won a front row seat at one of her shows when I was in college, and it changed my perception of live music. I will admit I was not familiar with much of her music before the show, but I was instantly converted.
This is probably my top Tori song, and not just because it mentions New Mexico, haha. In fact, the "Scarlet's Walk" record is one of my favorite records period. It creates amazing soundscapes and is beautifully written.
You've all heard me gush poetic about Mary Chapin Carpenter, one of the main reasons I picked up a guitar in the first place. Some argue that her rise of fame in the country music market was a weird abberation. All I know is that if I had looked to other popular people as mentors in the mid-90's when I was just starting to be curious about music, I might have picked up a karaoke mic and be hitting the American Idol auditions now.
(Not that there's anything wrong with that).
But anyway...over on Country Universe, one of the blogs I read to keep up on all things Nashville, there's a series being posted about the 100 Greatest Women in Country Music. While entirely subjective (the joys of blogging), the list is great so far and it's been a joy to read. I knew MCC would probably rank pretty high...and she came in at No. 29 today.
While reading the article, none of the information was very new to me...except to see it all spelled out at once made me realize what a formindable career MCC has had. Check it out:
- 10 albums over 20 years - The tune Down at the Twist and Shout in 1991..."earned her the first of five Grammys...beginning a historically unprecedented domination of the Best Female Country Vocal Performance category, which she would win four years in a row." - In 1992 the album Come On Come On "would bring Carpenter to the peak of her popularity. It spawned a stunning seven hit singles, practically unheard of at that time." - He Thinks He'll Keep Her (my gateway drug song to MCC's music) brought about Chapin being the "first country artist nominated for Grammy’s Record of the Year for a non-crossover hit." - In 1995 , "the Best Country Album category was reestablished after a thirty-year absence, and Stones in the Road was the winner." It was double platinum by then and Chapin's first that was entirely self-penned...no co-writers.
Wow. Wow! Now, we all know a career is not summed up in Grammy awards (although I have cleared a place on my cherry-colored particle-board bookcase should the moment ever arise), but Mary Chapin was breaking down barriers left and right as a woman and a songwriter in this genre. And she made a huge difference for a lot of people...when I was but a wee wannabe chordist...I heard intelligent, smart tunes and you had better believe I was paying attention to the fact that Chapin was writing them herself and playing them herself. Makes a big difference.
There's my Sunday warm fuzzy. Thanks, Mary Chapin.
If you squint, you will note MCC in the middle and me to the immediate left backstage at a concert in Atlanta in 2005. Surrounded by a bunch of fun people decked out in flamingo garb. This is probably a long story for another time, but it was dang amazing.
I just got home from another inspiring session with Dan. We recorded a bit, he said with the purpose of taking the mystery out of recording. Instead of being freaked out like usual, I just did it. He is a master! 1:19 AM. Bed.
Oh everybody's doing it, so I guess I will, too. All the blogs I read are doing their "best of" posts of 2007, and I have officially, as of January 1st (TOMORROW!) been blogging for a year, so I have a whole 12 months to pick from. What a year it's been. I guess it'll also serve as a little "2007 Year in Review" because life looks considerably different now except the whole point hasn't really changed at all. Let's make that make sense:
I launched the re-design of jpo.com which is what you're looking at now. Yes, before there was NO BLOG ON THE FRONT PAGE! Gasp! Now it would seem weird to have anything different.
Still a little slow at blogging.
March:
Jana Susana Banana Rama happened, and it was my first time playing with Susan Gibson and it was SO COOL. Plus, I got to meet Jana Losey and Melanie Peters (who of course, added the Jana and the Rama to the Susana and the...I guess that makes me the Banana. Hrm.) Jana L. is releasing a new album called "Blocks" and you should probably own it.
Rama. Susana. Jana. Banana?
My first SXSW left me in a dizzying realization that Austin pretty much rocks. I saw a bunch of killer music, and interestingly enough a little band I like to call porterdavis (well, actually...that's what they like to call themselves) with some dude named Dan in it who I had never met before. And I didn't meet him then, either, haha. Shy Jana.
My blog exploded thanks to a week of touring around New Mexico with Susan and hanging out with business partner Josh, who logged and filmed and took notes the whole time. The video blog (vlog) became a fixture. I like having business partners who know things. Well, just one, because he knows it all.
Now it's December and you're reading this post. Are you exhausted yet? I'm not. My point is...I did not have a clue most of this stuff was going to happen. In January I knew I was taking steps to build a business with Josh and start working toward the path of being a self-supporting singer/songwriter/entrepreneur/freelancer. That happened...but 2 tours to New Mexico with one of my very favorite songwriters ever, folk music grad school, a producer for my EP, and lots of new people and mentors in my life were pretty much all...surprises.
All I can say is, chart your path with purpose and then let your chart get re-written as you go, but keep the purpose. That makes things go smoothly, I think.
2008 is going to be fun. Thanks for hanging in there! Have a SAFE and HAPPY New Year, kids!
Well, I'd like to think I'm frugal. Except when it comes to gear and CDs. I figure it's all professional development, right? I am a firm believer that to make good music you have to listen to it. Songwriting, for most, does not occur in a vacuum. Hence...I buy music. Here's what I discovered this year that I like a lot.
I started off the year with a Patty show at Gruene Hall, where she debuted a lot of these tunes. It was freezing inside Gruene Hall; we all wore winter jackets and hats and gloves. The place was packed. The music was awesome. Then, in March Josh and I saw Patty play at Waterloo Records and I got to meet her. I think I said something lame, but it was PATTY. This album is just as amazing as all of her others...none of them are alike, so you can't even pick a favorite. That's what great about Ms. Griffin. Also, this video captures what this whole "thing" of music and writing and performing is about, I think.
I still don't know a whole lot about Adrienne, I just know that I have 3 of her albums and they are all sublime. Slightly traditional, but still current and relevant. So relevant, in fact, that partial proceeds from this CD will go to a seed fund to "which will provide non-genetically modified seeds and support for urban and community gardens throughout the United States and Canada." Heck yeah. Josh and I aim to do the same when we are a full-fledged record label...give a bunch of it back. Cheers to Adrienne because that's a cool way to do it.
ARE WE SURPRISED? No. But this album has seriously been spinning on the 'pod since June, and it's not old yet. It's nice to see Terri on other people's "best of" lists, too. It's like rooting for the hometown team, here around Austin. Robert Plant & Alison Krauss - Raising Sand (Buy It)
I was suspicious. Random collaborations like this can either rock or fail miserably. This one rocks. Both of them have very haunting voices in different ways, and you can tell both artists are stepping outside the box for this record. That makes them the best kind of artist, I think...do what they do well and then switch it up...and STILL do it well.
Not Surprised No. 2. What can I say? It's Chapin. She's smart. She's poetic. She is one of America's best working songwriters. I'll stand up to that statement in a Nerf ball war any day. "On With the Song," written for the Dixie Chicks, is awesome. No one else uses "jingoistic" and "camel jockey" in a song and gets away with it. The title track, "The Calling," rings especially true at this point in my life, too. Score.
Dan introduced me to these two and this record is a class act all the way through. It's sweet but not sappy, bold but not offensive, and they recorded it all themselves in a house in California. Home grown records, kids. Buy them.
I was late to jump on the Tori bandwagon because she gets stereotyped and stuck in a box a lot, which is ironic because her music is anything but boxed. This album has the interesting twist of being sung from the perspective of different women/characters...of course all of them are ultimately Tori embodying these different personalities. That must have been a cool way to write. I listened to "Bouncing Off Clouds" 45 times straight through when I first got this record, I think. John Jennings - More Noise From Nowhere (Buy It)
JJ is pretty much my guitar guru and he writes great songs, too. When he's not touring with Mary Chapin, he finds time to produce a lot as well and write and record his own albums. He plays just about every instrument on them, too. A definite inspiration and guide for what we are going to do with EP No. 1 this year.
Dan and I saw Josh play in November, and the show was transcendent. Few people put as much joy into their live performance that Josh does. And this record is chock full of lines that make me wish I had written them. Plus I'm a history nerd, so it's even better. Looking forward to in '08:
Susan Gibson...is putting out a new one! Hurrah! This calls for a Red Bull.
Shedaisy...is about due, too. I have a love for intelligently crafted country-pop. And there's not a lot of country-pop that can call itself intelligent these days. I have said it before and I will say it again; Kristyn Osborn is one of Nashville's best writers.
Kathleen Edwards - this one is supposed to be coming fairly soon. Kathleen's first two records made my "Perfect Albums" list...I'm sure No. 3 will be just as good.
EP No. 1 - Oh yeah, that thing I'm working on. :) ProTools is ready to go and I am recording quick demos to give us something to listen to and work on. We have more songs than we need...which is a RELIEF and a good position to be in for this type of thing.
But I'll keep on writing because I'll keep on listening.
So I'm not sure why...but last year at the 2006 Armadillo Christmas Bazaar was the first time I had seen Terri and Lloyd play since moving to Austin...and it had been a few years since I had seen them previous to that. I think they were touring a lot, and I was poor so I didn't go to a lot of shows (and now I'm still poor but I go to shows anyway...booyah! Priorities = straightened out). Point being I was blown away at that show and have clearly seen The Hendrix and The Maines play quite a bit in 2007.
Yes. Yes that is a cowboy seemingly upchucking an armadillo on that backdrop. This is all about "keep Austin weird," after all.
Fittingly, I topped it all off with their performance at the Armadillo Bazaar once again. It was excellent, the company was grand (I actually KNOW people in town now!), and the chair was padded. Life is sweet.
I think I got some pretty ok photos. Check out the Flickr gallery for the whole shebang. Merry Armadillos to you all!
I had a thought last week and Professor Dan and I have been trying it out...so far, so good. We both lead kind of crazy busy lives, each with completely different obligations and commitments and yet a lot of the same time management issues -- namely finding time to be creative and write.
I was getting up reeeally early for a while, and writing for an hour. This worked out well, as I got 2-3 "keeper" songs out of the whole process, which when factored into my usual yearly output of songs...is really great. It upped my stats, so to speak. Then I went to New Mexico to play shows and then I had a birthday and then it was Thanksgiving and then I had a lot of gigs...so I was a tired little monkey with no respect for the early hours of the morning.
I am getting back to that place but am not entirely on board with 5:30 AM yet, so in the meantime...Dan and I have started our "morning observations." We're still reading a lot of Hemingway (currently making our way through the Complete Short Stories Of collection), and Ernest is so good at details, and simple, clear description without going on for pages and miles. Every morning we try to observe the nuances of what we do...if most of you all are like me, your morning routines don't vary much. That makes it more challenging to pick out the differences of each day and make note of them and appreciate them.
Dan's all about his coffee. Some mornings it tastes better than others. Dan makes Folger's interesting. My parents would be pleased.
I'm all about this flock of birds I see on the telephone wires every morning. How long will they be there? Will they trickle away or just all of the sudden one day be gone? Why do some huddle in a clump and what's the deal with the lone birds on the end? Are they grumpy? Are they waiting?
Who knows how long we'll continue, but I look forward to it every day. Maybe we'll switch it up to evening some time, but there's enough in the morning to keep me going for a while.
Perfect Albums :: Imogen Heap - Speak For Yourself
I think I have mentioned Imogen on my blog before, but I am now getting around to letting you in on a little non-secret: Imogen Heap is flippin' fantastic. I was first introduced through the song "Let Go" by her duo Frou Frou, which was featured on one of those ABCBSMSNBC network shows I never watched in college, but my roommate had the song and I liked it. I think that's how that went down.
Anyway, her voice grabbed me; I happened upon Speak For Yourself and bought it and was floored. So I read some more about Miss Heap, expecting my elevated opinions to be dashed when I found out she was a product of 8 producers, 35 co-writers, and was discovered on British Idol or something (did I mention she's British? That makes her even cooler). But NO! Imogen WRITES her own music, PLAYS her own music, and PRODUCES her own music. Be still my do-it-yourself heart. She probably grows her own coffee beans and roasts them to perfection, too. (That's just me speculating, though).
Here's Imogen on Letterman performing "Goodnight and Go" with her "band":
I'll admit...I'm not really sure what type of genre you'd put Imogen in...maybe a electronica-singer-songwriter-pop-rock one. Close enough. She uses the power of various instruments and gadgets like Macs and looping stations and synthesizers and keyboards...and creates orchestras on stage. I saw her live last year here in Austin, and it was pretty impressive. She's got a grand piano fitted with a keyboard that has each key wired to a particular light in the piano body (did I mention this thing is made of clear plexi-glass?) so the whole piano lights up accordingly when she plays. Dang. I'm just happy when a string doesn't break.
Anyway, this is all superflous to the album itself. Speak for Yourself holds its own. Tracks like "Headlock" and "The Walk" start off all mellow-like and lull you until she smacks you with some synth-y beat that somehow matches your pulse and enhances it. Imogen's music has the good quality of ingraining itself and impacting you on a purely rhythmic basis. Her lyrics are dang cool...but it took me a long time to even pay attention to them because I was so distracted by the sonic landscapes she creates. What this woman does with a keyboard and her voice is amazing. Check the video for Headlock:
Excellent example of the smackdown on the chorus, just when you thought you had the vibe of the song figured out. Good writing lessons, all.
Roight. So now I'm going to 'ave a cuppa tea and recommend that you take a gander at Imogen's vLog...yes, a video blog...about building her studio for her new album. It's up at ImogenHeap.co.uk. Fun times, perfect record.
I had a weird inkling today, when I remembered that the Grammy nominations were out. So after a good hour of trying to get to Grammy.com (I guess everyone wanted the nomination haps)...I finally cruise over to the "Folk " category and what do I see under "Best Contemporary Folk Album" but...
"The Calling." Pretty much...yes. I remember back in the day (like 1995) when Mary Chapin Carpenter rocked the Grammy's with "Stones in the Road" in the country category and even got nominated for Album of the Year (I think it was that...or Record of the Year, one of the two...she was up against Bob Dylan is all I recall and that impressed me).
It's awesome and amazing that 13 years later, she's making great art and still getting recognized for it. I feel like she's more at home in the Folk category than she ever was in the Country vein, but that's just evolution.
Stiff competition, too -- Steve Earle and Patty Griffin among them. It was a good music year. I sense a "best of" blog post coming on.
On Thursday night I headed down to San Marcos, TX to Cheatham Street Warehouse -- a legendary Texas venue where people like George Strait and Stevie Ray Vaughn got their starts. It's also where an astoundingly diverse and talented group of open mic-ers from 1987 re-converged on Thursday to swap songs and celebrate their beginnings. So who were these '87ers? A rundown:
Terri Hendrix: You read this blog. You know Terri. She was great. Lloyd Maines jammed with everyone in the circle, too.
Note: we had awesome seats behind Terri and Lloyd, and since it was in the round...every photo I took contains the head of either Terri or Lloyd...sometimes both. :)
Bruce Robison: When he's not performing all over the country himself, his songs are being cut by the likes of Tim McGraw and Faith Hill, George Strait, and the Dixie Chicks. Not too shabby.
Bruce Robison...and Terri's hair.
James McMurtry: He has fabulous words and stories in his songs. Why, here's one now.
John Arthur Martinez: He was on the show Nashville Star, and has a fabulous voice and a traditional sound.
John Arthur and Hal...and Lloyd's head.
Todd Snider: He lives in Nashville now, and had the crowd in stitches with his great storytelling as well as his awesome songs. Yay!
Hal Ketchum: I listened to Hal on the radio back in the 90's when I was first getting into country music..."Small Town Saturday Night" -- great song. I never knew he was from around here. His voice is perfect.
Everyone kind of joined in on other people's stuff when they felt like it...Terri played a couple of mean harmonica solos, Lloyd played a new baritone Tacoma guitar and it sounded excellent. Kent Finlay, who owns Cheatham, presided over the circle and played his great tunes as well. He must be extremely proud to have fostered so many accomplished writers. He's always kind to me when I head down to San Marcos to the open mic. Kent is one of a kind!
So...I'm hoping we don't have to wait 20 years for another reunion, but this one did quite all right by me. A birthday, a short New Mexico tour, a successful JP Project No. 2...it's a good way to end the month.
Dan's band Porterdavis hits the road a LOT, because they are pretty much burning up with awesomeness. I'm kind of a little proud. :)
I know I posted about mentors a couple of days ago, but I must say Dan is pretty much my musical mentor. Maybe meeting him was the closest I have come to actually seeking out a mentor, except I still wasn't really. I was seeking voice lessons and some guitar advice, maybe a little inspiration to go with. What I have ended up with is someone who is, like I said earlier...endlessly supportive, believes in what I have to say, honest with what I need to work on, constructive about it, and totally in my corner. That's kind of a big deal when you're in your 20's and you think you want to be a musician.
It's a weird road. People think you're gunning for poverty, drug addiction, living in your car, lacking health insurance, aimlessness, selling out...all those bad things that get lumped into "the music business."
Dan's shown a path of independence, self-sufficiency, responsibility, gratitude, growth, and intention. Being a musician, when you approach it the right way, is just as rewarding and responsible as being a doctor or a lawyer.
And this is just me speaking because I don't like bodily fluids or Latin words, but it sounds a lot more fun. ;) * * Props to all you docs and lawyers, though...
“Mentor: Someone whose hindsight can become your foresight.” - unattributed
I can't speak enough of the great group of people in my life whom I call mentors. There's a separation between people who are simply inspiring to be around, those who are teachers, and those who are actually mentors...mentoring is all about the Verb, and it's a conscious choice on their part. Mentors usually focus on one area in your life, so it's different than just being raised "right" or your upbringing. You can have a mentor when you're 22 or 92, as far as I'm concerned.
According to Wikipedia, famous Mentor/Mentee relationships include:
* Socrates and Plato * Plato and Aristotle * Aristotle and Alexander the Great * Ezra Pound and T. S. Eliot
That's not bad company, really. I can honestly say I've never approached someone and said, "Hello. Be my mentor." It's more of a stumbling, the way I do things. You have to make sure you're going in the same direction and all that, because it's a big undertaking...usually that doesn't happen until you're working with your mentor-to-be in some other capacity. Maybe they start out as a teacher or a boss, but I've never met anyone with "Mentor" on their business card. :)
It's a weird balance, too. There has to be a spark, I think. Then you have to be in a comfortable enough zone with this mentor (i.e. know them pretty well) so they can be brutally honest with you, and when they tell you positive things, you have to be able to believe them. I hate haaaaaate brutal honesty when it involves being told you have to change something or work on something (who doesn't?)...but if your mentor is coming from the right place it's essential to listen.
My Life Guru and caretaker of general life quiddities happens to be my ex-boss, Karen. She fired me, sorta. She chose to give me no option of re-employment after I graduated from college so I'd go...I dunno, see things. And move to Austin. She was entirely correct.
Once she also told me if I did not finish a research paper with an open-ended due date by "next Thursday," I wouldn't have to bother coming back to work until I did. I liked going to work. I finished the paper.
I still check in just about every time I skate through Albuquerque. I've got an appointment for a chat over oatmeal in a couple weeks, in fact. Very excited.
I guess my point is...if there's something you want to work on in life, and I don't care if it's music or writing or cooking or fixing your car yourself (not a bad idea, hm)...going at it alone is a rough time, and it doesn't have to be that way. Seek out opportunities, keep your eyes open, and stumble a little bit. Those wise and perceptive mentor-types will be looking out for you when you need it.
It's not every day one of your songwriting heroes introduces you onstage...
Breakfast was at 8 AM yesterday, and I returned to my room at 4 AM...now it's 9 AM and time for some workshopping and a 4 hour drive. Back to Austin. Don't make us leave!
