Hey there,
Back on June 22, I was featured on Locals Only on Tucson's own KXCI, along with Jeremy Serwer and Naim Amor.  We took turns playing songs and talking with host Dr. Dan, and thanks to the wonders of the internet, you can download the podcast in case you missed it (or in case you want to hear it again).  The two songs of mine you'll hear, "Broken Wing" and "Watching You Sleep" are previously unrecorded - check it out.   If the above link to download doesn't work, try this one instead and follow the directions like I know you can.

In other news - I'll be heading out on a west coast tour in September with Jeremy Serwer (you'll also hear his songs in that podcast), and we really, really, hope you can come to the shows.  We'll be hitting LA, SF, Portland, Seattle, Spokane, a few spots in ID, Salt Lake City, and more.  We're pretty excited about it and we hope you are too.

See you soon,
Courtney

ps When I say below that I'm currently listening to Gregory Alan Isakov's new record "This Empty Northern Hemisphere," I mean that I am listening to it obsessively and trying to make everyone I know listen to it, too.  No joke.  Get it. 

Isn't the internet so great?  Don't you love it?  Here's one more way to waste some time.  If you're a Facebook user, you can get your CR fix there, too - check it out and become a fan.  It'll be great.

cr

i've been gone less than a week.  is it too soon to give you an update, gentle reader?  probably.  but here it is anyway.
first show was saturday night at viento y agua in long beach - or the lbc, as i like to call it.  (i'm pretty sure i made that up.)  viento is a great place and they gave me a bagel sandwich with a lot of veggies on it, for which i was grateful.  in addition to our little show, there was also a benefit going on at the same time for needy kids needing toys at christmas time or something like that...sue me.  also happening was an energy drink promotion, which seemed redundant to have at a coffeeshop, but no one asked me.  the drink is called CRUNK!!! and it comes in sugar-full and sugar-free varieties.  it's carbonated and it's pinkish reddish in color.  the CRUNK!!! people were very friendly.  i was on stage and mentioned something about the dangers of double fisting a triple espresso foamy redeye and CRUNK!!!, and also told the good people of v+a not to crunk and drive.  god, i'm funny.  our sets went well, i played after a guy named good avery, then leila played a few by herself, then i joined her on guitar.  v+a guru and soulful singer angie evans was our host for the evening (thanks angie and justine) and took us out for mushroom tacos afterwards.  we had been driving all day and thusly were feeling a bit tired and lame by the time midnight rolled around, so it was off to bed.  day one done.
next day we headed up to venice to hang with one of leila's friends and have a look at california's finest.  it's so strange to me that the venice beach boardwalk exists every day.  it's always seemed bizarre to me, but this time it just really wouldn't let go.  every day!  stayed the night in venice, back to long beach on monday, drove up to santa cruz tuesday for show 2. 
show 2 was at a place called bocci's cellar, and went a little something like this.  we were supposed to play from 8-11, which is a long time any way you cut it.  free meal provided by the restaurant - very nice.  pasta in tomato sauce that was more like v8 - not that nice but that clearly didn't stop me from eating it.  bocci's has a bocci ball court area in what appears to be a former greenhouse or stable - hard to say which.  leila and i played, and i would say that i thoroughly trounced her, but that would be a lie.  i think we tied.  here's us looking awesome playing bocci.


went back into the bar/restaurant area to set up, where there were about three people hanging out plus two bartenders.  good ratio for quick service.  one of the patrons was a very friendly and very very very elderly gentleman who, upon hearing me tuning up my guitar, turned around and said, "MUUUUUUUUUUU-SIC!   MUUUUUUUUUUUUUU-SIC!"  he also told leila he had the inside track on the hip music scene.  next time we'll be hitting him up for advice on where to play.  3 hours later the show was done, and the owner/manager told us we were very good, and he would know because he's been doing this for 30 years and he once fired kenny loggins.  so there's that. 
since we didn't know anyone in santa cruz, we decided to suck it up and drive into san francisco after the show.  two white knuckled steering wheel death grip hours later, we arrived.  no shows in the big city, so we get to hang around and not do much, which suits me just fine.  more time for bloggin!  last night we hung out with a few of my friends and got tickets to the giants/cubs game.  i love ball games.  i had stuffed myself at pizzeria delfina in the mission before the game so i didn't have my usual hot dog for fear of internal combustion.  we had "view seats," about 15 rows closer to the field than the goodyear blimp, but it really was a good view.  it turned into a good game, a few home runs, including one into the water.  cubs won 6-5 in case you care.  since our seats were so high up, we were basically sitting in the fog as it rolled in.  after the game ended, there was a fireworks extravaganza with a soundtrack of some marches, a little journey, and some mariah carey just for good measure.  drank a few beers, headed back to our san fran home, more sleep.   tonight we're heading over to el rio to see my buddy joe stevens (half of coyote grace) play some music at 7 pm - you should come.  tomorrow we head to sonoma county to play at ace in the hole for super happy freedom hour at 4:30 along with coyote grace, and onward from there.  you should come to that too. 
does anyone else have a floppy jeans problem?  i have this pair of jeans i wear a lot (like all the time) but i have to wash them a lot because after wearing them once they get floppy and baggy and butt cracktastic.  any advice?  it is becoming quite annoying.  so annoying that i think about it whilst blogging.  i'll stop.
that should just about do it, i think.  oh yeah -  we had shows canceled on us for unknown reasons in spokane and salt lake city, so if you have ideas for places we should try to hit up last minute, let me know.  happy 3rd of july - don't forget to celebrate america's independence tomorrow by blowing up a small part of it.
cr

i know it might seem sort of slackerish and lame to just copy and paste my last mass email to my mailing list into a blog and then call it a blog and have it seem like it's brand new information...but i'm doing it anyway.  it's done.  so there.

1. Live CD coming out!
This is a compilation of some of the live recordings from last year's six month tour with alt-folk duo Coyote Grace.  It features some old favorites, a few previously unreleased tracks and some choice cover songs.  It's called The Harvey Tour and it should be out in the next month or two.  We sure hope you like it.

2. Summer tour! 
That's right.  It won't be quite the magnitude of last year's whirlwind, but I am going to be covering some ground from Tucson up through California to Seattle...maybe Boise...maybe Salt Lake City...keep an eye out as dates are posted.  I'll be traveling and playing with the lovely and talented Leila Lopez.  Got ideas for places we should play?  Want to host a house concert?  Let us know.  Also, we'll be in a regular old car, not an RV, so if you have any couches to spare...you know.  Be in touch.  We'll do your dishes for you.

3. Tucson Folk Festival Songwriting Competition
I am humbled and honored to say that I've been selected as one of the ten finalists in this year's Tucson Folk Fest Songwriting Contest.  It's the first time I've been selected, joining the ranks of other esteemed singer/songwriters, including the indomitable namoli brennet.  Check out the details of that performance below.

4.  SHOWS SHOWS SHOWS

**

TUESDAY, APRIL 22 @ UNIV OF ARIZONA PARK STUDENT UNION
6:30 pm, free
615 N. Park, Tucson, AZ

**
SATURDAY, APRIL 26 @ MAGIC CARPET
4 pm, donations, all ages
Benefit/fundraiser for Magic Carpet Golf and Valley of the Moon.  The event runs from 10 am - 11 pm.  Music, refreshments, etc etc.  I play around 4 pm.
6125 E Speedway at Wilmot, Tucson, AZ

**
TUESDAY, APRIL 29 @ PLUSH
9:30 pm, free
corner of 4th Ave/6th St, Tucson, AZ

**
FRIDAY, MAY 2 @ OLD TOWN ARTISANS - FOLK FEST KICKOFF PARTY
7 pm, cost TBA (pretty sure it's free)
Also playing: Roth D'Lux, Sabra Faulk, Amber Norgaard, Namoli Brennet, Leila Lopez, and the Determined Luddites.  My set is around 9:30.
201 N. Court, Tucson, AZ

**
later that night...
FRIDAY, MAY 2 @ PLUSH
10 pm, $5
playing guitar with Leila Lopez and her band
w/ Nowhere Man and a Whiskey Girl (Bisbee) and Fatigo (Phoenix)
corner of 4th Ave/6th St, Tucson, AZ

**
SATURDAY, MAY 3 @ TUCSON FOLK FEST SONGWRITING COMPETITION FINALS
12 noon, free
Courtyard Stage
Downtown Tucson (around Church and Alameda)

**
SUNDAY, MAY 4 @ TUCSON FOLK FEST - PLAZA STAGE
3:30 pm, free
Downtown Tucson.  The Folk Fest is free all weekend.  Check out the full schedule at www.tkma.org.

**
THURSDAY, JUNE 26 @ PLUSH - Tour Kickoff Show!
9:30 pm, free
w/ Leila Lopez and band.  Come out and bid us a temporary farewell!
corner of 4th Ave/6th St, Tucson, AZ

Summer tour dates to follow...check the website and the myspace for the most up-to-date info.  Thanks for reading, and for all of your support.  Hope to see you at the shows!
Adios,
Courtney

i've heard some rumors that there are rumors that i'm not playing solo acoustic type stuff anymore.  i would like to dispel the rumors, and say that it's not true.  at the moment, i'm playing lead guitar in traffic violator, a rock type band with brian field.  it is true that i don't have any solo shows set up right now, but that's mostly due to equal parts laziness and self loathing.  i'm pretty into the idea of having a few projects going at once, so we'll see how it pans out.  i figure as long as i'm playing music, it can only be a good thing for my own well being.  right now i have smoker's cough (odd because i don't smoke) and a little of the pink eye (odd because i'm not 8 years old).  don't worry, i'm not contagious...and if i am, don't worry because i'm pretty sure you can't catch anything from reading a blog.  not even a virus.  get it?  a VIRUS!  you're on a COMPUTER!  computers get viruses!  i know i'm not funny.
oh yeah!  before joe and ingrid left tucson back in november, joe did a little cleaning of the rv...and unearthed my camera.  there are a few pictures up that i previously thought were lost.  this is where the camera was, post-cleaning.  photo credit joe stevens.


so, let's sum it all up.
solo stuff - check.
band stuff - check.
pink eye - check.
unfunny - check.
useless blog - check.

til next time,
cr

it's sunday, october 21 and there is football on tv in the next room.  i'm not sure who's playing, and i don't really care since i know it isn't the patriots or the redskins.  i'm in long beach, so it doesn't exactly feel like fall in the same sense as i grew up with - it's sunny, warm, and the only indication of the change of season is a few leaves on the ground and wind.  it's a warm wind, but i'll pretend that it's a little more brisk.  i grew up watching football with my dad, and when he was around, my grandfather.  i loved it.  i still love watching football - to me, it really is the perfect sunday afternoon activity in the fall/winter when it's cold or rainy or snowy out, and you don't feel like doing anything but sitting on the couch in your sweatpants and drinking a diet coke or tea or whatever your beverage of choice happens to be.  perhaps you are hungover - perhaps not.  either way.  is there anything quite like the sound of john madden's voice spewing out occasional nonsense on a sunday afternoon or night?  i think not. 

october 21.  i left tucson on may 8, nearly six full months ago.  we're going to be back there next week, and as i picture myself being in town, driving around in familiar surroundings, it doesn't feel like i've been gone that long.  maybe it's because i've been moving around so much.  maybe if i had been in one place the whole time it would feel like more time has passed.  almsot every day has been different, even though our routines are fairly consistent.  maybe it's the uncertainty of the day-to-day -  are we playing a show?  are they feeding us? do we know anyone in this town?  are we sleeping at a rest stop? someone's house? someone's driveway?  a random neighborhood with shade?  do we need gas?  where's the nearest dump station? what are you wearing?  clearly these are all very exciting questions, but they really do occupy a lot of our days.  a 22 foot rv is a really, really small space to share among 3 people, though we have learned how to navigate our 'hallway' fairly successfully with only minor injuries.  i took a shower yesterday and as i was getting out, i heard someone in the kitchen eating.  i knew it was joe eating crackers, and then i realized i knew that because i know the sound of his chewing.  that's the point we've come to.  we know each other's habits, sounds, and yes, odors.  speaking of odors, i should probably shower soon.  not that i smell.  i don't smell.  ever.

we'll be in tucson in a week.  i wasn't anticipating missing it or feeling homesick - but i do and i am.  of course i knew i'd miss my friends and all that - but i find myself wishing i could just go down to the wench for a beer or get a sandwich at time market or walk down 4th ave and probably see someone i know.  maybe i just miss being someplace familiar - and i think that is a big part of it - but maybe it's more.  i don't know.  there are a few places we've been where i can actually imagine myself being for more than just a visit (seattle, portland, san francisco, boston) but i can't really visualize the in-between part - the part where i'd actually move to one of these places.  i'm not particularly good with planning or organizing, and i stress out easily with packing and crap like that.  i managed to move to tucson three and a half years ago, and i managed to pack up my shit in may.  i'm sure i could do it.  it's just daunting to me.  i suppose i don't really have a point to all this - basically i'm going to be in tucson for the winter and then after that...who knows.  maybe i'll do some more touring, maybe i'll move to a different city, maybe i'll live in a shack in the woods in montana, maybe i'll apply for the night watchman job at alcatraz.  right now i'll try to focus on our last few shows and wrap my mind around this strange, extremely uncharacteristic thing i've been doing.  i live in an rv.  i still can't really say that without thinking "what the fuck am i doing?!" right after.  i guess soon i'll be saying that in the past tense. 

is that a dramatic enough ending for you?  i'm going to post some more in the coming weeks about highlights and lowlights from the tour...and in collaboration with joe and ingrid, we will be presenting the harvey awards.  it'll be bigger than the oscars.  at the very least, harvey is much larger than an oscar statuette.  i wish i had more photos from the trip...but my camera disappeared/was stolen back in june somewhere between mammoth cave, kentucky, and indianapolis.  shit on that.  i'll see what i can do.
adios
cr

asheville, NC
last night we played at the root bar on the outskirts of asheville.  technically, it's called "root bar number 1" though as far as i can tell, there's only one anyway.  they had a plywood sign outside the bar, which was a long room with low ceilings and wall to wall carpeting.  friendly people, and as their website claims, they really do have the best toilet paper.  it was hot hot hot.  not bad outside but freakin HOT inside and under the lights.  we got to asheville on wednesday night after driving through the great smoky mountains - VA to TN to NC.  stopped and played in a creek, and later stopped on the side of the road coming out of the mountains because harvey's brakes were smoking a little bit.  hmm.  the road to the national park goes through pigeon forge, TN - aka the home of dollywood.  we thought about stopping and checking it out, but we opted for not paying admission and instead just took in the multiple arcades, mini golf courses and pancake houses from the road.  i didn't expect pigeon forge to be much of a town, but it looks like it was built up a lot around dollywood.  it was kind of like vegas in a strip-sense...only a lot more wholesome.  no billboards for strip clubs or casinos - instead they were for 'musical revues' and 'funniest comedy show' with pictures of stereotypical looking hillbillies playing banjo wearing hats with flowers on them.  very family friendly, i guess.  and seriously - what is with the pancake houses?  there were at least 2 per block.  don't get me wrong - i like pancakes as much as the next guy, but i can't picture that many people eating that many pancakes so often.  what do i know, i guess. 
all right - let's try to recap the recent weeks.  i guess the last time i updated we were still in boston.  that was a while ago.  hmmm...
albany, NY - progressions concert series, hosted by the capital district lgbt center.  rainy night in albany, combined with it being graduation weekend made for fairly low attendance...but we played unplugged and the people there were totally into it.  we had breakfast the next morning with carrie and dianne, who put on the show (in fact, we had pancakes...hm) and they invited us to go with them to hudson that night to see some music.  we went, and that was a good choice.  we saw brianna lane and chris pureka - i wish i had bought brianna's cd but i didn't and i'm an idiot.  listen to both of them, if you haven't heard them before.  we also had a moderate celebrity sighting - bitch and daniela sea walkin down the street.  call the paparazzi!  hung out for a few days in albany, then headed to barre, MA to hang out with our buddy isaak, who joe and i met when we were camp counselors - isaak was one of our campers.  haha.  played an impromptu show at the insight meditation society to a very attentive and receptive audience.  from there we went to providence.
providence, RI - we were supposed to be the feature at tazza caffe's open mic along with some other guy.  we'd each have 30 minute sets.  lucky for us, the other guy didn't show, so we got to play for about an hour.  good for us.
boston, MA - played a last minute house concert in jamaica plain in a barn/performance space.  we were expecting maybe 5 people to show up - but instead there were about 30 - and they danced and danced.  wicked fun.  next day was cutting edge of campfire at club passim - we were the first act for the whole weekend.  not too many people there at the beginning, but still awesome to play at passim.
haddam, CT - church house concert, benefit forlove makes a family, CT's equal marriage rights organization.  the church house is just that - a house that used to be a church.  the acoustics and the sound system were kickass, and we were happy to be supporting the cause, of course.  john and debi treated us really well, feeding us and giving us places to sleep, feeding us again, feeding us some more...you get the idea.  my parents were at the show with family friends, which was interesting for me since they've never really seen me play before - at least not in the singer/songwriter capacity.  it made me a bit nervous, but by the second set i felt much looser.  all in all, a good night.
new york, NY - googie's lounge at the living room.  our first show in the big city.  thankfully, we didn't have to take harvey too far into the city, and instead took the subway to the show.  we were able to park in queens which was perfect - who knows where we could've put harvey otherwise.  the show was pretty good - some old friends for all of us came out and made the night much better.  we hung out in central park on memorial day, visited the lower east side and greenwich village, and we managed to not get lost at all.  touring musicians 1, new york city 0.  boo ya!
baltimore, MD - austin grill.  it reminded me of tgi friday's or chili's...only with music.  not a whole lot of people at the show...but they gave us free food and drinks, and a nice check at the end of the night.  hung out in DC for a few days, did minimal tourist stuff, sat around in air conditioning.  oh yes. 
washington, DC - phase 1.  apparently it's the oldest lesbian bar in the country.  we had a little bit of a mic stand fiasco (ours is gone someplace...boston?  maybe) but all was not lost - singer/songwriter and phase booker mara levi came to our rescue.  i didn't know what to expect for this show either - but again, we were pleasantly surprised.  susan and kathy, two of the few who saw us in baltimore, came out to see us again, along with some familiar faces from college and high school.  if you're in DC, you should go to the phase.  the bartenders and staff are just about the most laid back people i've ever met.  combine that with them serving you booze, and you can't really go wrong.  we love the phase.

holy crap!  that brings us to the root bar, which i already talked about.  more familiar faces from college (for me) and from summers (for ingrid).  it's really pretty amazing to see the people who come out to shows, people i haven't seen in years who randomly heard about the show last minute, or saw it in the paper, or of course people i've called to ask politely for a place to park the RV and possibly a shower.  it's great.  i miss my friends in tucson, for sure, so it's really good to be seeing so many familiar faces when we're otherwise completely far from home.  it makes me feel more comfortable, regardless of where we are. 
i swear i'll get some pictures from the tour up here soon - again, the problem of my computer not having internet access. totally useless.  tonight we're going to the art opening of a friend of a friend.  we are very into culture, no?  next show is sunday in chapel hill - i'm gonna eat some honest to god real southern bbq.  yee haw!

thank you thank you thank you.  did you really read all of this?  good for you.  go have a cookie.  and then come to shows and buy cds.  thanks.
over and out
cr

Scene:
around 11 pm, last night in the RV.  preparing to leave new york city.
joe gets peanut butter out of the cabinet.  i get carrots and peanut butter out of the fridge, after eating two pickles. 
me, preparing to dip my carrot in the peanut butter: what's the difference between the fridge peanut butter and the cabinet peanut butter?
joe: this is peanut butter.  that's mustard.
me: oh.  (continue to eat carrot and what is apparently mustard.)

five minutes pass.
me: what're you eating?
joe: a sandwich.
me: what kind?
joe: peanut butter and raisins on a hamburger bun.
me: oh.
ingrid: you know, we have jelly.
joe: oh.

Fin.

jamaica plain, ma
vegan mac and cheese with spinach and garlic...i'm still thinking about it.  the shows, the shows.  i got into connecticut last tuesday, and met up with joe and ingrid at my parents' house.  leaving tucson was stressful and sad, and combined with getting about an hour and a half of sleep before i got on the plane, i was not a very friendly person.  our first show was thursday at sarah lawrence college - ingrid's friend jules hooked us up with the gig.  the teahaus was a small building on the green, no amplification needed.  it felt good to be playing with joe and ingrid again, since when they were out in tucson in february it was sort of a tease.  back to CT after sarah lawrence, and i spent my first birthday since high school at home, dinner with the rents, hung out with some high school buddies afterwards and got drunker than i meant to.  ah well.
saturday took us up to boston for atwood's tavern - we played for almost 3 hours to a crowd made up of some of my friends from college, some of coyote grace's loyal following and various diners and drinkers.  a good show all around - atwood's treated us well with drinks and some awesome guacamole and mac and cheese.  not together.  though that sounds kind of good right now. 
oh right - i forgot to mention that we didn't take the RV to boston - we traveled in total rockstar style in my parents' 95 camry, with the upright bass riding shotgun.  harvey the RV started peeing out gas on the way back from sarah lawrence, and combined with having to jump him every time we started him up...maybe driving more than 5 minutes wasn't a good idea.  into the shop went harvey. 
but all was not lost!  we got harvey back on monday afternoon from the mechanic my dad's been going to for 20 years, with a new alternator and fuel pump and a renewed sense of confidence of all being right with the world.  and then the horn didn't work.  nor did the radio.  but all was not lost!  back to the mechanic we went tuesday morning, and we now have a running RV, a working radio, a lovely sounding horn, and a renewed sense of confidence of all being right with the world.  back to boston we went for a show at all asia with a pirate band called the scallywags.  arrrrrrrrr!!!  good times all around.  after that we went to the very palatial falafel palace and joe and i both spilled tahini on our pants.  our show ended pretty early so we headed over to the lizard lounge and saw session americana, a group of about 6 or 7 guys sitting around a table playing traditionals/originals that sounded like traditionals, and they generally put us to shame.  they were awesome.  for real.  guitar, mandolin, harmonica, keys, drums, bass, mandocello....it was really freakin good.  i think they have a residency through june on tuesdays at the lizard - if you're around boston, you must go.  you must!
perhaps inspired by that show, i started playing a little mandolin yesterday.  a regular sized mandolin, but i played it a little bit.  you know what i mean.  i'm excited to play it more and maybe get it going on a few songs. i also rescued my old trumpet from the basement, and while my fingers surprisingly remember what to do, my lip strength is pretty laughable.  last night we ended up going to quincy to the holy ground for the birthday celebration of one of the people we're staying with.  he told us to bring our instruments..and despite some wariness on our parts (ok, on my part), we ended up playing for about an hour to a very receptive crowd.  a guy named scott plays there on wednesday nights and opens up the stage to people who want to play, so he let us take over for a bit.  the night ended with a pretty sloppy sounding all-star jam of 'ripple'...i got to wank off for a while on scott's telecaster, which was particularly fun during folsom prison blues.  i wasn't even wearing a cowboy shirt.  only in spirit. 
and that brings us to today.  now playing is some techno sounding german something or other, combined with joe's daily mandolin scales.  he is very disciplined.  i'm working on it.  we're heading to albany later today for a radio spot tomorrow (pre-record - dunno when it's going to air) and a show on saturday night. it's 2 pm and i'm still in my pajamas.  this is something i find rather satisfying.  as i've been typing this, i feel like it's kind of laundry listy...maybe i should do this more often so i remember more and don't bore you with lists of what we've done.  it's only been a week and look how much i've babbled...hmm.  too bad my computer is configured to never have wireless.  thanks a lot, toshiba.  it poured yesterday - i forgot what rain is like when it's not 95 degrees out.  it sucks - that's what it's like. that was a non sequitur.  ingrid's cooking breakfast.  that's my cue.  more later, when i'm feeling more interesting.  come to the shows, send your friends, family, etc.  be good.
courtney

checkitout - annie holub down at the tucson weekly was kind enough to throw the infamous nine questions at me.  i, in turn, answered the questions, more or less.  grab a copy from the red boxes or read it here. 
and, of course, tomorrow night at THE HUT is gonna be a folkin rockin good time.  joe and ingrid (aka coyote grace) and i have been playing lots of tunes together - i jump in on theirs, they jump in on mine, we jump together on covers.  seriously - it's gonna be awesome.  PLUS pete ekstam and leila lopez are gonna be playing, and you don't want to miss either of them. 
coyote grace and i will be  playing shows together next week in LA, long beach, phoenix and tempe - check the calendar for specifics.  send all your long lost friends and people you only kind of knew in high school out to the shows!