Just when I think nobody gives a good crap anymore, I get one of these:

"Am I still on your mailing list? I haven't received anything in a long time. Please add me (again). Can't wait to hear more!"

and I'm forced to stop and have a cry.

A quick Q&A, my caring and curious friends:

"Are you pullin' a Michelle Kwan on us?"  NO.

"Are you still recording record #3?" YES.

"Will it be released in March '06 as promised?" NO.

"Why not?" A change of plans; I'm making it full-length instead of an EP.

"Who's on the record?" Nobody from around here. All players from Raleigh, NC.

"Can we get a sneak peek?" YES. Go to http://www.myspace.com/11316422

"Can we be MySpace friends?" Sure.

"When's the new cd come out?" Summer '06.

"What's your middle name?" Nicole

"What's your porn star name?"  Bambi Bicksler [Name of your first pet  name of the first street you lived on = Porn Star name. What's yours?]

"How do you like your coffee?"  Ground up and in the freezer; like my men.

"Simon Cowell: love him or hate him?"  I love that bastard. Love him.

"Any shows coming up?"  No. Sorry. Not 'til the cd release.

"Why so few funny announcements? Have you lost your sense of humor?" YES. The financial gymnastics of funding a record and subsisting on Ramen noodles will do that to you. Emily Rose couldn't rival the stretch I've made.

But in those tearful, tender moments when I've finished rifling desperately through my couch cushions for booty to take to the CoinStar, I stop to reflect... in child's pose... on how lucky I am to have such loyal fans. For you all, I bring good news:

American Songwriter is a bi-monthly magazine that hosts a lyric contest for each issue. Last fall I entered the contest, submitting the lyrics to "6-Years-Old" from Spilt Milk - and won! My interview with editor Doug Waterman is on ngband.com.

The publishing of the American Songwriter interview sent me scrambling to update ngband.com. Check it out. This new look is only temporary, though. We'll be refurbishing it again in the near future per the guerilla marketing ambush to promote the release of Narcissister. Key to the cause is Erich Russek of Yama Llama records [www.yamallama.com] who came swiftly to the rescue to redesign the website and will stay on-board to steer the S.S. Nicki G through the rough waters of pre-release due diligence. (Golf clap.)

There goes the tea kettle! Gotta jump. A tasty Cup o' Noodles awaits rehydration in that classic, tactile Styrofoam container. Mmmm. But before I go:

• Jot down my new email address: nickig@ngband.com  - note the new 'g'  before the @.
• Don't forget to listen to the newest tracks at: http://www.myspace.com/11316422. And let's be friends!

Um... you gonna eat that?

~ nicki g.

Today... I enter the world of blogging. Am I doing this right? Is there where people talk about random, ancillary shit?

...Sweet!

It's a rainy Tuesday in Washington. I'm listening to one of my favorite rocker-bitches of the 90's, Juliana Hatfield, Become What You Are. This is a gal that mustn't be dismissed as merely a sexy, cheerleader-y voice. She's an inventive writer; her songs go to a lot of unexpected places. Her follow-up albums didn't kick as much ass as this one, unfortunately, but she's still around. I visited her site recently. Hers is an interesting story of a rise and fall from a fickle music industry.

So, I'll tell you what's up with my music: The post-production gears are grinding i.e. cd artwork, mass printing, cd release party planning. This part is a real pisser. I feel like a bride planning a wedding. Only, a cd release party is a much cooler reason to celebrate. We're looking at late-Jan/early-Feb. You should come.