Pwned

We found this three-necked guitar in a pawnshop in Tomball, Texas. I know that several questions just flew through your mind. I will try and answer them. 1) We were looking in pawn shops because I decided I wanted some sort of new used guitar. Sometimes I get an itch. 2) It's a 6 string electric, a 5 string bass, and a 4 string fretless bass. 3) I have no idea why. 4) It was extremely heavy. 5) $600.00 6) No, I didn't buy it.

Goodness.

Oh yeah, this whole blog thing I've been doing for 3 years. I haven't forgotten! 2010 has been interesting to say the least. Some life things just require that you take some time off from your own self-imposed pressures and that is what I am doing. But I am back, blogging, and things are reaching full steam ahead momentum again. And I learned "Happy Birthday" on the ukelele for Susan. Happy Birthday, Boss! The gigs are starting to pick up with me as merch girl/tour manager/merch manager/tour monkey/whatever...I need an encompassing title. Monkey fits, as long as people think kindly of monkeys. This weekend I opened for Susan in Austin (it's been a while since I played my own town, weird), and Susan played an awesome house concert in Kerrville last night. Here we are with our host, Paula, after the show when we had already put on our cold weather hoodies and I had donned my drive-home-hat, haha. As for the rest of 2010, which I deem really starts in February because January never counts, there promises to be tons of good stuff happening. If I can keep all my plates spinning at once, that is. - I'm going to be booking a couple more artists, starting soon, and I'll say more soon. That makes me a "booking agent." That means I am closer to actually "paying bills" reliably haha. - My long-time co-conspirator Josh and I are finishing up some projects under our newly founded 20Something Media company; our first physical release of a documentary made by Josh comes soon! - Susan's tour schedule is filling...first up out of state is Folk Alliance in Memphis and Nashville in February. I'm excited about New York in March and Virginia in April, too...still working on those dates. - MY OWN RECORD, yeah that one, is getting there! Dan and I will get some background vocals by the fabulous Katie this week and mix away. It's sounding good. It's sounding like growth, which is what I asked for. So there it is...much happening. I didn't chart this path for myself when I moved to Texas, but I love everything about it so far. Forward motion breeds opportunity. Perseverance breeds success. Happy to be blogging.

Rules of Engagement: Road Food

From Georgia. I did not eat these. Time to blog about something silly but not silly at all. Feeding oneself is a topic everyone thinks about at least 3 times a day, probably more. After a year and a half of having many meals away from home and often purchased in 12-minute gas stops, I thought I'd expound upon some of the more obvious trends I've noted being (I know it's cliche) "on the road." You have to move fast. Sometimes we have the luxury of a few hours to spare before a show, sometimes our butts are clenched to get there on time. Either way, you're not wanting to hang out at the Pilot Truck Stop along I-35 any longer than you have to, so there are steps. You walk in, and you immediately assess, "DO THEY HAVE REAL FOOD?" Sometimes you luck out and there's a deli with actual warm food that hasn't been sitting there for 6 hours. Go there first. Choose quickly. Check the lettuce, make sure it's not brown. Be thankful you are eating greens that day. Fast food costs more at a truck stop. Usually a food and gas stop is combined, and there's not time to get gas and then drive somewhere and get food. Hence, it is handy if there is a Subway or something at the truck stop. However, be prepared to pay at least a dollar more than you would normally, and be prepared to wait. For some reason I find those gas station/fast food combo places take forever. And I tap my foot. And I get annoyed. Alternatively, there is no deli and you're not up for fried potato products from Arby's, so then what? Some truck stops have a "health food section" which means energy bars and trail mix. Go there first. But trail mix is caloric, so don't get a giant bag. Finding Clif Bars or Luna Bars is like manna, and I actually feel the whole grains coursing through my body. Sometimes it's a Cheerios cereal bar, and I feel the high fructose corn syrup in my veins. But tasty HFCS it is. SOMETIMES...you're without a deli, not desiring a Whopper, and there's no hippie granola bars in sight (this has happened to me in the southern states and in Wyoming, I don't know why). I have been known to pick up a Lunchable. I know. People are cringing. I get the "adult lunchable" which contains a duller package design, so that I don't feel like a 3rd grader when I check out. Sometimes the protein and minimal carb intake is worth it, even though it is a product with a name that actually means, "Able to be Lunched." However, not surprisingly, that's not an option either sometimes. That's when I go for the juice products. Liquid dinner is better than oily grease in a bag dinner. Check the bottle and pray there's more fruit than sugar in it. I prefer grapefruit. I love it if they have Odwalla Juice. Odwallas are super rare. If you find an Odwalla in a cold case there's a Clif Bar section not far, and possibly organic pretzels,and probably hemp necklaces at the checkout counter. Rejoice. If not, go for pulp. Fiber is key when you will eat bar food later. Experiment occasionally but not all the time. Go with what you know. We have seen every incarnation of every candy bar ever, covered in the white chocolate, dark chocolate, key lime flavored, cherry/strawberry/orange/cheesy/flaming/giant/purple/BBQ/aerodynamic. WE BOUGHT GIANT CHEETOS THAT TURNED OUR TONGUES BLUE. In Hot Springs, Arkansas. I remember that day well. GROSSEST THING: Deep fried peanuts in shells with Cajun Flavoring. What's not to love? I like peanuts, I like Cajuns, I like fried foods. But a peanut shell is like sawdust, and if you deep fry sawdust, you're still eating sawdust. We were in Georgia or Alabama or something. Seemed like a good idea, until the next stop when I threw them out. Susan wouldn't even eat one whole one. Tsk. In reality, we eat pretty well on the road. Between the kindness of our hosts and a lot of venues that serve good stuff, we do all right. But sometimes, you have to eat at a 7-11, and the faster you can triage the situation, get out, and get on the road...the faster you'll get to the next bathroom stop. And that's all there is to it.

Rules of Engagement: The Merch Table

All right, so my oldest and dearest job title with what all I do nowadays is Merch Girl. I started this little escapade about a year and a half ago, and while I've stacked on more responsibility, this one remains an important part of the tour day. Be present. When it's appropriate, like at a louder venue where people aren't just sitting and listening quietly, I stay at the merch table the whole time because people will come by immediately after particular songs and ask if they can buy that song. It's good to give people immediate gratification and it probably seals the deal a lot faster than forcing them to remember what song they wanted out of the 20 they heard. They're all my favorite but try this one. People ask me my favorite all the time, and since all of the albums on the table are like unique little snowflakes full of goodness and wonder, I can't pick. But I always do for the sake of giving the buyer some direction. They don't really care what MY favorite is, they just want some decision-making help. Know thy merch. It's not hard for me, because I love Susan's records. I came into the job already studied up on each album. It's been a big help when people will come up and say, "I like the tree song, where is it?" or "the one that goes something like, 'doo doo duh nuh dooooo,' I want that one." People get a kick out of an exuberant salesperson. I've had to sell merch for other artists that I've just met sometimes if it's a shared gig, and it's a LOT harder to even begin when I'm not familiar with their material. Some nights, it pays the rent. Ideally, if I'm doing my other job as the booker well, this is not the case, but...some nights the merch sales are what make the difference between the artist walking away with zero profit after paying the band and buying the gas to get to the gig versus walking out with an ok payday. I try to make this a rare occurrence, but that's how the gig cookie crumbles sometimes. (So if you're ever on the fence about buying a CD at a show and the charming Merch Girl doesn't convince you, think about this paragraph). Be part of the show. I find it always helps when people know me as "The Merch Girl." When I'm a character in this traveling road show that people come to see, it can be an extra bit of uniqueness to the concert-goer and potential merch buyer. Be a good example. When I'm at the merch table, which is sometimes in the back and sometimes front and center in the room, I try to be a good spectator. It helps that I love listening anyway, but I'm always aware that I need to show the respect to the performer that I expect the audience to give the performer. Sometimes it can't be helped (see point number one, when someone wants to buy something in the middle of the show), but overall I'm sharing in the experience the crowd is having, and that makes things work smoothly. And I have been known to give death-stares to really loud and/or rude people who are getting in the way of people's listening. There we go; some more notes from the road. I'm fortunate that my excitement and support for what I sell is 100% genuine. Your mileage may vary, but these things seem to work for us. I did get promoted to Super Merch Girl after all.

End O' The Year

I'm behind! I am in New Mexico for the holidays. I have been napping a lot. Thus is vacation. The gig year ended nicely in Ben Wheeler, Texas...which I had never heard of until they booked Susan. Cute little town near Tyler...go check it out. Moore's Store is the venue there, and the SG Trio took the stage in fine form. I set up THE LAST MERCH TABLE OF THE YEAR, too. Michael O'Connor, Susan Gibson, David Carroll Christmas in Ben Wheeler! Then we drove all night to get home, and I helped by waking up every so often and saying, "ARE YOU AWAKE?" and then Susan would say "Yes," and then I'd sleep again. I'm useful like that. She's prepping to record a new album, I'm prepping to finish mine, and I think she'll probably beat me at getting a product done. She's quick like that. We'll both have records out in the spring, which is fun. Maybe everyone who buys a Susan Gibson record will magically get a free Jana record because that's how I will market myself with stealth infiltration of folk fans' minds. Hehheh. Just kidding. BUY MY RECORD. Anyway...green chile in some format awaits me. More later.

2009 Photo Recap: January - June

Some of my favorite moments in photo form from this year...January through June. I got to open for Susan at Casbeer's a the Church twice this year, and this first gig was a "surprise" Valentine's Day show (in that it got booked but Susan wasn't informed of it until the day before)...so we hauled about 20 of our closest friends to San Antonio and had a great time, and I got to play on this much revered stage. (Tiny note: this was before I was doing the booking so um, the surprise wasn't my fault). I started playing music with these two lovely ladies, Melissa and Emily. They are fantastic singers and musicians and people. I snag Emily for her bass skills as often as I can. We have plans for a project down the line, when all our lives settle down. Ha. But we'll do it! Katie is also involved in the aforementioned project, and also volunteers to sing my songs for me at my gigs that involve wood carvings of Native Americans. Here she is doing a bang up job on "Ritalin." It was my first real experience hearing a song I wrote being sung by someone else, and now when I sing it myself, I hear Katie's version in my head. That's cool. I had the chance to play with Kate Hearne a few times this year, and you mark my words she'll be backing up Dylan or someone sooner than later. She's an amazing guitarist. We kidnapped her and took her to Albuquerque in November. I've added about 50 new tags to my job description over at Susan Gibson Inc., but one of my favorites is still Merch Girl. Yes, it's nice to add to the gig income overall, but I truly do believe everyone should own these albums. And therefore I have no problems telling people about them. This is Dub, the new dog. We picked him up in April in Winnsboro, and I claim aunthood because I'm not that disciplined at...disciplining. But I am learning by watching Suz the Dog Whisperer at work, and I have picked up a lot. Dub is a sweetheart and likes to lean on people. He also likes to dig through trash cans. Hm. I was selected as a featured regional performer at the Ballad Tree by the Kerrville Folk Festival in May, which has been the highlight of my songwriting career up to now. The next step up is New Folk...one day! We got to hang out at a cabin on the shore of Flathead Lake in Montana in June. I wore a hoodie a bunch of the time, and it was divine knowing that it was 106 back in Texas. It was my first time in Montana and it's just as scenic as all the calendars and coffee table books say it is.

The Ceramic Pig Collection

The rules: pig must be collected by me in the state I am in. Does not count if I get a Jersey pig in New York. Does not count if my aunt sends me a pig she buys me, even if I have been in the state. I do not collect pigs, ceramic things, banks, or state items. I collect ceramic piggy banks from states I have traveled to. It's complicated, I know. From the back to the front: 1. Alabama 2. South Carolina 3. Louisiana 4. Texas 5. Colorado 6. New Mexico 7. Mississippi 8. Wyoming 9. Arkansas 10. Idaho 11. NASHVILLE! 12. New York 13. Boston 14. Connecticut 15. Delaware 16. Maryland 17. Pennsylvania Not pictured: about 3 other Texas varieties and Oklahoma. Couldn't find a pig in: Montana and New Jersey. Yep.

2009 Recapment Part 1

So to start, I did the lamest thing ever and put in each trip I took for musical purposes this year on Google maps and then added up everything...this includes mileage from my place of residence to the gig(s) and back. This is mostly touring with Susan, but some on my own, and I didn't always go with Susan on her tours, so she's logged a ridiculous amount more. She's a road dawg like that. Anyway, my grand total of miles traveled (car and plane) is...drum roll please... 29,803 That's a lot. It's as accurate as it can be...sometimes we took alternate routes or drove around a lot once we were in the gig town and I don't keep track of that stuff, but in general - from point A to point Z...29k miles. The most miles in one month goes to October for about 6700 miles, when we flew to New York and back and then drove to Nashville. The least was February, when I didn't leave Texas and went about 600 miles from home. It's been a super fun year...I plan to ponder some of it more in blog form in the next couple of weeks. But after looking at that 29,803 number for a bit, all I really want to do now is take a nap. Hm.

Panhandle Hauntings

Happy Belated Thanksgiving! I like it because I think it's one of the least commercialized holidays, in that you can only up-sell someone so much on a cornucopia. I had a great time in Amarillo, hanging out at the Nat Ballroom for a live taping that will be part of the new Root 66 series...it is a TV show brainstormed by a collective of very talented Albuquerque filmmakers, musicians, and such. They asked Susan to film an episode, and no better place than in her hometown. When we rolled into the venue I knew my friend Matt Jones, a great singer-songwriter also from the ABQ area code, would be there. What I didn't know is that my buddy Josh was riding along with Matt. Josh and I used to be intern together at PBS in Albuquerque...and NEITHER of us knew that our former boss at KNME, Tony, was part of the crew that day. So it was a very impromptu and fun reunion. Tony even interviewed Susan, weird collision of worlds. Former boss interviews current boss. The show was awesome, all of the artists including Matt and Susan and Jenn Grinels and Rodney Branigan did great. Afterwards, they wanted to film some intro footage in the boiler room in the basement of the ballroom...which is a terribly old building (I mean, it has a BOILER ROOM for crying out loud), and this basement was the spookiest place I have ever been in. Apparently there are ghosts in this place as it used to be a gambling hall and a swimming pool at various times in its life, among other things. The floor was dirt and had rusted metal things laying around, there were cobwebs all over and nails poking through the ceiling from the floorboards above us. You would never catch me down there alone. SSSSHHHHH!!!! Luckily, we were there with about 10 people and a floodlight for the camera, so I felt pretty safe from the ghosties. Susan filmed a hysterical intro reminiscent of Scooby Doo or the like. Then we hightailed it upstairs again, to not disturb the spirits. You never know what you'll run into with this crazy job.

Two Hometowns

So Susan's got a song called "Two Hometowns" which, taken out of context, applies to our trip this past weekend. The first stop was Amarillo, her old stomping grounds, where she played at the Golden Light and I witnessed something I thought I'd never see: a partial Groobees reunion. I first found Susan through the Groobees records because that's all that was available my freshman year of college. She hadn't quite released the solo record yet, I don't think. So I had every song memorized, and was a big fan of the band as a unit. Gary Thomason, the guitarist in the band, lives in Amarillo so he played with Susan at the Golden Light this weekend. He is amazing. He can play anything and he hops around like a 7-year-old on Pop Rocks and Dr. Pepper. It's awesome to see. They were joined for a tune by Todd Hall, the Groobees drummer, hence the "reunion," hence my fangirl glee. If you can get yourself a used copy of any Groobees CD, do so. They sound great. Then it was off to my hometown of Albuquerque for the yearly house concert we deem "The JP Project," whereupon my friends from all walks of life show up and we have a reunion of our own. A lot of them know Susan by now, so as the special guest there was some familiarity but also a lot of hilarity because we do things like talk in British accents and I collect ceramic pigs and she puts change in them for my 401k plan. It was another great show and it's nice all those folks have stuck with me since moving to Texas, which...well, I'll say it...most New Mexicans hate Texas, haha. They tolerate the transplants who come back for green chile, though. We kidnapped our friends Amy and Kate and took them along to show them the views and make them haul our gear. They are impressively accommodating! Kate also plays a mean guitar, so we made her play for her bottled water. You never know what will happen or what hitchhikers you'll pick up. And now my tasks involve a lot of booking for next year and paperwork and web site work and yadda yadda. I will probably take a break on my birthday and sleep. Oh yeah, we're working on EP 2 this week, too! More on that, too....

Spooks in Little Rock

So I've been quiet, I guess! Since Nashville it's been kind of non-stop and such. No excuse for not blogging, though. Maybe I just needed a little mini-vacation. I'm almost 27, for crying out loud...I'm old and slow, haha. So yes, Nashville was cool and I will write more about my thoughts on that town later. We're going back in February and I'm excited. We spent Halloween in Little Rock, playing a show and scaring people. Actually, our costumes, put together an hour before the show at a Wal-Mart near you...were awesome. Although things you snark on backfire sometimes. At Wal-Mart: J: "Hey Susan, wouldn't it be hysterically lame to have a fitted sheet for my Super Merch Girl costume? Hahahaha." Later at the show: S: "Um this sheet is fitted. Who picked out this sheet?" J: "Oops." Which just adds to the character of the Super Merch Girl ensemble, I say. Susan fashioned a grand logo in red and yellow and silver duct tape. Then I spray painted her glittery gold because her costume was that she went platinum in Nashville. WIN!

All the Way to Tennessee

Oh hello. I thought I'd take a break from looking for a record deal here in Nashville to write a blog post. I've been pounding the pavement, knocking on doors, hoping that someone in this town will recognize my potential as the next Taylor Swift. I'm just kidding, but I am in Nashville. We had a great drive out here, with shows at Studio Joe in Little Rock, AR and Hot Springs, AR as well as Memphis. Somewhere in Arkansas Susan and I songswapped in Hot Springs, something we have done before but haven't done in a very long time. It was fun, because we have all kinds of dirt to tell on each other from stage. Just kidding. We also know all of each other's songs, which helps. View from the songswap. Then in Memphis Susan did a true "in the round" with some nice folks. I had forgotten how musically influential Memphis is, and could only yell out "SUN RECOOOORDS!" when we passed the legendary studio. Maybe next time we can tour Graceland and see the Jungle Room. The Otherlands in Memphis Then we proceeded to Nashville where Susan had another "in the round" show with Jane Bach, Yvonne Perea, and Kelly Fitzgerald at The Bluebird. Jane is known for her hits with Reba McEntire and Jo Dee Messina, so that was fun to hear. And it was cool to see everyone's styles go back and forth. The show was sold out and there was a line out the door - The Bluebird is famous as a listening room, and every seat in the place was accounted for. I had to set up merch sales on the host podium. After the show there was another one starting, and I was asked by some normal looking guy if I would sell her merch. I explained I was not working the whole night, just for Susan's show. So I glanced at his CD and his name was Tony Arata, who kind of wrote "The Dance" for Garth Brooks. That really, really famous song. Dangit, I should have said I'd sell them! Sorry, Tony. Anyway, I'm currently supposed to be working on a project but I'm blogging instead. Right. Now you're all caught up.

Episode 3 in NYC

Last Day in NYC

Monday we woke up in Boston, got delivered to the train station by our wonderful host, and once again found ourselves on a new form of transportation. At 10:45 AM we approached the Fung Wah Bus counter in Boston's South Station. The tickets ladies looked at us and said, "To New York?" "Yes." "Fifteen dollars each. Gate 25. Leaves at 11." Well ok then. We were on a Chinatown bus to New York City. Known for their cheapness, some of our friends were convinced we'd end up in a Mafia plot or something. I was a bit nervous, but as we boarded we found awesome purple upholstery and a perfectly ok ride. We stopped for a bit in Fairfield, CT, where I miraculously scored a Connecticut pig at the McDonalds/travel center rest stop on our 10 minute break. I had a pig homing device in my brain working overtime, apparently. We drove into NYC at about 4 PM, and the views from the giant bus windows were amazing. Check out that giant graveyard. I guess we all gotta go somewhere. That night we went to an open mic hosted by a friend at Cafe Vivaldi right along Bleecker Street, mecca of folkies in the 60's. Very fun. Then we wandered about 35 yards into Central Park before we decided that, unlike the rest of NYC at 12:30 AM, it was strangely dark and empty in there. So we went to Times Square instead. And it was bright. Really, really bright. It was a good way to end our time in New York City...I loved how busy it was, how everything was at your fingertips at every time of day, how navigable it was, how we felt like we could handle the subway 3 days in. Everyone should try it, the Big Apple is something to behold. We'll be back next year!

New Jersey and Boston

All right...so the next couple days were a whirlwind. After I bought my Delaware pig, we were hurtled once again on a train to transfer to a train in Philadelphia to get to Newark Penn Station, NJ. Now...there is a Penn Station in New York City, and there is a Newark Penn Station, and that Newark is in New Jersey...and there is also a Newark, Delaware which is pronounced "New-ARK" as opposed to the other one which is "NEWark." Um, yeah. We got off at the right station which is all I care. Susan played a lovely house concert in New Jersey, we saw a little of Newark but not enough, and then before we knew it we were back at Penn Station (in NEWARK) on an Amtrak to Boston. This was the most cushy ride of them all and I enjoyed the time laptopping and watching Connecticut and Rhode Island skate by us out the window. The leaves were changing and I ate a bagel from the snack car. Any form of transportation with a SNACK CAR wins, people. We found ourselves delivered to Boston in 4 hours, and our awesome house concert host, Jim, dropped us off at Faneuil Hall, or Quincy Market, in downtown Boston. It was Sunday and everyone was out touristing. We made our way to Paul Revere's house, which was old and had lots of old stuff in it. It's hard to process that this structure was standing during the Revolutionary War, and yet, there we were on the creaky floorboards. Very cool. Then of course we found America's Oldest Tavern and had to stop in for a Sam Adams. Only proper in Boston proper. The house concert was again fun and we met so many awesome people. We were both pretty exhausted after our weekend of nonstop travel, though, and found ourselves yawning by 10:30 PM. Lame. Next time, Boston, we shall see your night life.

NYC: Episode 2

Getting to Pennsylvania

All right, back to the tour recap. Since getting back I've been a little preoccupied with car-shopping and sleeping since I kind of had a run in with tree before we left, and I kind of picked up a cold in New York. Anyway... On Friday we had to get to Pennsylvania. I posted our train and bus schedule below...the miraculous thing is that is all worked! We only had one trip up standing on the wrong corner in Philadelphia, causing us to miss one bus. Thankfully it ran every half hour and we made sure we had plenty of time to spare, so it was no big deal. We drove through Valley Forge National Park, which made my day...I so wanted to pull that yellow cord on the bus so we could pull over and I could see where Washington and his troops quartered for the winter, but alas...another time. It was a gorgeous bus trip, though. When we got to Phoenixville, we sat outside on the street for their First Friday celebration. Very fun. The gig itself was great as always...Susan charmed the crowd including a nun, who even appreciated the cuss words. Or at least she was cool enough to let them slide by. That night we stayed with some friends in Wilmington, Delaware, which was a state I was not expecting to visit -- and I will admit -- really EVER expecting to visit. In college I made a joke about Delaware not really existing because I had never met anyone from there. Now I have, and it was lovely. Also, the next day at the train station, I scored a Delaware ceramic pig. The odds of finding a ceramic pig for my collection at 7 AM in a train station newsstand are pretty low...he is a treasured porker. Carry on...

East Coast Episode 1

Headed to Boston

Whoa. We've had an amazing tour up here on the East coast so far. I'm kind of obsessed with the idea of either a) living in NYC for 4 months which means I need thousands of dollars or a benefactor b) living in a little fishing village in Connecticut for 4 months and learning how to sail a boat I'm sure I'll add Boston to my list once we're there. We've had fantastic luck with trains and busses and subways so far...none missed and arriving with time to spare at all our shows. That what was most on my mind when in "road managing" mode...which I guess in this instance turns into "track managing." On Thursday we took a subway down to Times Square, talked to some rappers (because they all approach you trying to sell their latest project), gave some tourists some directions, took some people's photos...the usual, haha. The show at Rockwood Music Hall was great - Susan and I both had friends show up that made the evening a great one. Who knew I knew so many people in NYC? More soon on the Pennsylvania - New Jersey leg...we're close to our South Station stop in Boston, and on to the next show!

Big Apple!

Times Square Day 2 in NYC and we have been good little tourists. Last night we caught some jazz music after wandering up Broadway, ate at Tom's Restaurant (from the Suzanne Vega song and of Seinfeld fame), and today we subwayed to Times Square and back and ate Korean food. Not bad for less then 24 hours in to our landing. Tonight is the big show at Rockwood Music Hall! Ceramic pig: located.