Hi there friends,

OK everybody. I've returned to my tuning fork. A-440. It was sitting in my drawer for a few years. It sounds good, it's small and portable, and best of all....there are NO BATTERIES NEEDED! One more thing on my list of things to do to save the planet.

I have some good news. I will be recording a new collection of my original songs in March. It will be quite the project. I'll fill you in as it moves along through blogs on my myspace page. The producer is VERY special and it will be recorded in Nashville. So check in once in a while to learn more about these details. I have done some fancy fund raising for this project and will continue to do so until it is complete. I have an inventory sale and other ways of raising funds. If you are interested in supporting my project, please let me know by email at kmacleod@xmission.com, or through our friend connection here at myspace. Thanks, and I hope to sing in your town soon. Your Friend, Kate MacLeod

Hi There,
It is dark and cold tonight. We are waiting for the solstice to turn things around. I posted my song "Winter Love" on my page in honor of how it feels at this time of the year, especially if it has snowed. I enjoyed ALL of my performances this past season and want to thank everyone that showed up. Thanks to the Hi-Line, and the Paschal Winery, the Pinos Altos Opera House and all of the other stages that are too numerous to mention. I am looking forward to my upcoming year, lots going on including a new recording project scheduled in March. I am also enjoying performing with my musician friends and including them on my tours whenever possible. Of course there are some ground rules for touring with me, such as; you are responsible for your own speeding tickets if you are in the driver's seat, and if you dismantle the smoke alarm, for any reason, even if it is just keeping you up with an incessant beep, you must put it back together before we leave town. Birthday cakes are always welcome. Photographers are great to have on the tour. Robert Dow, who has joined me on bass for many concerts this year has kept a steady log of images for which I am very grateful to have in store. Anyway, I hope to see more of my friends in the upcoming year, 2009 (some of my favorite numbers).

Hi there,
I did some touring in Hawaii this past month and was pleasantly surprised by my experience. The concert threatened by volcano, (they reopened Volcano National Park one day before our concert there), the renegade radio station in the jungle, the Scottish Festival, the native singing and the people that I met all conspired to make me forget my daily emails and phone calls. I for some reason thought that the islands would seem extremely touristy, if that is a word, and in some cases it did, but I was there long enough to experience the appeal of living there and now, well, I love Hawaii. I got to swim EVERY MORNING before the day got started and so the trip received extra points for that. And of course, the pineapples.......

Today has already taken its first twist by a studio session cancelation. OK. So now I have a few free hours that I didn't know I would have. That somehow makes my day seem bigger. I am working on many projects at this time that will appear within the next few years. Red Rock Rondo, a grant funded song-cycle project, composed by Phillip Bimstien, will produce a recording and also has plans for a television documentary. This recording and filming will be worked on in 2007-08, hopefully having both of the projects finished by the summer of 08. In addition I have two recording projects of my own on my desktop. And this week I am in the process of recording a "single", Wyoming Dove. I attempted to record this song last spring, but it did not work out very well, so I have re-recorded the song and will get to mixing it next week. This song will be available for downloads from various internet sites. I will post the song on my MySpace page. Look for me performing with Jack Hardy in Texas in early November. He has a new recording out, you can find all recording and tour information on his website at www.jackhardy.com.

Hi,
This is my first experience with blog-writing. Is that what this is called? I am not sure what all of this is for, I suppose to tell you all what I am thinking. Well, that could be dangerous, which may be why I have never done this before. The day is quiet here in Salt Lake City, UT. It's October and I still feel like I am recovering from the busiest summer I have ever had with the traveling and performance schedule. It is a good problem. I just heard word by internet that Utah Phillips has decided to cease touring due to health problems. I listened to his podcasts. There are two of them now available on his website and he will be posting more to keep in touch with people. It was my first visit to his website and the visit was prompted by the news of his health. I have sung some of Utah's songs over the years, he is a great artist and funny man. But, having lived in Utah for 28 years I am still confused about why he uses the name Utah Phillips. I guess the identification happened a long time ago (in the 60s) and it stuck. Some musicians in Utah, of which I am one of them, sure wish that he would touch base with us all. It seems he has run off with our name but not kept in touch with our community (I say this lovingly.) He talked about the Folk Alliance and other things in his podcast. Did the Folk Alliance ask its members what they think, they sent a letter out about it? They did. Well, this is what I think. I think that people should stop talking about what folk music is and just listen to the music. Times are never the same and hanging onto the past is important for knowing where things comes from, but shouldn't eclipse where things are, or where things are going. And so, since I have started to tell you what I think, here are some more thoughts of mine. I am against songwriting contests. I could write pages on that. Maybe I will. I am for showcases, love them. I love concerts and festivals. I am a Quaker, which might explain a lot about me, but don't confuse this with the Amish, they are not the same (I drive a car). I host a songwriting meeting once a month because I like to share in the process of writing; the process, not the outcome, the outcome is secondary to the process. I struggle with appreciation of the extremely commercial world of music such as what happens in Gnashville, but I appreciate the team work that occurs there and the amazing pool of talented musicians, writers, and business people.
Signing off for now...Kate M