11/5/09
....

How lovely to not have to wake up in 3 hours for a flight.  I get 7 whole hours of sleep tonight – depending on how long I decide to make this blog entry.  The past 13 days have been fairly insane.  I’m still nursing a cold but I’ve moved from DayQuil to Mucinex as my drug of choice.  There’s no time to recover.

Two Saturdays ago I drove south from the Bay Area to pick up my old friend Joey and my new friend Cory from the airport in San Diego.  I didn’t make it due to 6am traffic in the Bay (on a freaking Saturday), fog on the 5, and the omnipresent traffic in LA.  So my good friend Tim picked up the East Coasters and drove them straight to a bar.  Good friend.  J  Joey and Cory make up 2/6 or 1/3 of the band Pasadena.  The Pasadena boys are quite the rock stars of Baltimore and the surrounding areas.  I met Joey on the road 2 years ago and fatefully, was asked to sing on their album by their producer though he didn’t know I had met Joey the previous night.  I’m a huge Joey fan/believer so I was excited to show them off here on the west coast.  I had 2 acoustic shows booked for the boys and they were horrified to hear that these were coffee shop venues and there would be no alcohol served.   But they rocked the coffeshops and enjoyed the sober focus of the audience. At the Neighborhood Cup in Orange County I got a red zip-up sweatshirt from Stu that says “Rojo” on the front.  It’s so rad that I wanted to mention in – thank you Stu!

The next night we had too much “tea” during the show at Lestat’s and I vowed never to drink “tea” before and during a show again.  I’m sure there’s incriminating video footage somewhere on youtube.

After a day of recovery time (read: nursing the hangover) I flew off to Maine.  Last time I was in Maine it was about 7degrees. This time it was much lovelier at around 50 degrees.  And it really was gorgeous.  I have lived in California all my life so I find seasons to be absolutely amazing. (due to the lack in California)  Fall in Maine – amazing.  After the college I played a concert in an exquisite old church. Shannon Denbow opened and she was mesmerizing. (can you tell I’m running out of adjectives? gorgeous, amazing, exquisite, mesmerizing)  Shannon and the people of Maine were so warm, open, and appreciative.  Maine reminded me how much I love what I do.

The following week I played with Rodney Branigan – it’s been 4 1/2 years since we toured together.  And he’s remains the most incredible musician I’ve ever seen.  My Progressive Auto Girl costume went over quite well.  But I think it was a bit strange for people to listen to “Flo” sing about heartbreak and love.  : )  

November . . .  coming soon.

 ....

This past month has been a blur of colleges and airports.  I think I've been sick for most of it, too.  There's just no time to recover.  And red eye flights and/or 6am flights don't help things.  I feel sorry for the people sitting next to me on these flights.  I'm THAT girl.  The one with the Dayquil and kleenex who passes out - head back - mouth open - snoring the whole flight.  awesome.
It is awesome though.  I've met so many amazing students, seen some beautiful campuses and enjoyed the lovely drives out to the middle of nowhere (in some cases).  I know I should do a better job documenting these times and places, people and faces. 
I have lots of insane fried food, as well.  Everywhere I go I say - take me to the quintessential restaurant of your region/area/city/town and order me something unusual.  And that usually ends up being something fried.  And it is ALWAYS good.  Because fried is good. Pierogi - amazing!  And fried sauerkraut balls.  The zinger: fries covered in cheese, bacon, and fried boneless buffalo wings. 
At this point I need to be force fed an apple.
: )
I'm thinking about heading out cross country again - so if you want me to stop by let me know!
This weekend I'm heading back down to Orange County and San Diego to play a couple shows with my friend Joey Harkum.  I met him at an open mic in Balitmore, MD 2 years ago.  I immediately believed in him.  He is the kind of performer that guys want to be and girls want to . . . : )  His band, Pasadena, is huge on the East Coast. I go back there to sing with him and the shows just keep getting bigger and bigger.  This weekend he and his drummer are in town - so if you're anywhere in the area - come see him (and me).  I'm completely convinced he's going to be a huge star.
Here are a couple samples of the lighter side of Mr. Harkum:
Joey Video1
Joey Video2  

So I lied.  In the last blog I stated that it was back to work, back to the road.  But really, I took a vacation from my vacation. 
First - my very good friend Tim returned from Iraq and we HAD to celebrate for a few days!!! It was an emotional welcome home and elicited one of my favorite pics ever :


Then it was off to Burning Man.  I don't have any pics from that experience yet - but I'll post any that come my way.  Burning Man is ridiculous.  If you have no idea what I'm talking about - google it - but it still won't fully describe the experience.  Burning Man is many things: a rave for adults, an art exhibition, a hippie-fest, and my favorite description: camping with excess.  When else do you pack for a camping trip and bring along tutus, wigs, multiple costume changes, food for a full kitchen, couches, carpets, etc.  I didn't bring any of these things and certainly received some ridicule for my "civilian clothing" - but it was my first time, and as much as I had been warned, I had no idea what I was in for.  Still, as bizarre as my surroundings were - I started almost every day with a latte and a journal entry. : )
At the end of the week it took 3 cars, 3 planes, and 24 hours to get me out of the desert in Nevada and into Springfield, MA - where I had a concert at Western New England College.  Jeff LeBlanc and the guys from Envy on the Coast were lovely - and as I was still reveling in the spirit of Burning Man - I offered to give their sound guy a ride to Boston.  My new friend and I had some great sushi; behold the "sexy girl" sushi roll:

I'm not sure sexy is the right adjective, but it's cute anyway.  :)
So with the vacation from the vacation over - I'm up in NorCal at my parents' house, unpacking, reorganizing, resting, and recuperating before heading out to Georgia this weekend.  5 planes last week, 5 next week.  madness. 

. . . literally.  I'm not sure I even touched my guitar this past month.  And it was lovely.  I needed a break.  I needed my friends.  I needed to scream, lose my voice, go out - not perform, have a few drinks, not drive 7 hours a day, not sit on the computer.  Not that I'm complaining - I love what I do - but it was good to take a breather. 
I did play one song with the cast of Wicked at their "Under the Covers" event.  I wore pajamas and sang between Elphaba and Glinda doing covers by Neil Young and the like.  The next day I saw one of my best friends: Merideth Kaye Clark (aka Girl Robot) go on as the green witch in Wicked and cried my eyes out.  Then I basically took in San Diego - the bars, the restaurants; saw friends, laid around Balboa Park - even went to a casino (didn't gamble) - went on some dates(!!!), saw some great bands (Gray Ghosts!), sat poolside, got my car towed . . . 
It was good to slow down. Then it was finally time to play again, so I grabbed a musician friend (JT Spangler) and headed out to play for the Military and their families at El Centro Naval Base.  After the show, we ended up playing covers all night with 50+ helicopter pilots. We took shots from dixie cups while 2 guys had a "cock fight" with inflatable penises.  It was all very classy. 
And now I'm in NorCal.  Last night I played for a bunch of filmmakers at an awards ceremony.  Stay tuned for a bunch of new music videos (I hope :)
So basically, it's back to work, back to the road.  I'm tired, I'm seriously dehydrated, but I'm ready.  :)

Classy flip phone proof:

On Thursday I took off from Sonoma, CA and made the 15 hour drive to Vail, AZ.  This weekend is my first time touring by myself all year!  I miss you Rebecca Loebe! 
I tried to listen to Michael Jackson the entire drive and the radio stations were accommodating for the most part - even in the desert the Mexican stations were doing the all Michael format.  It was 110 degrees in the desert, I saw more than 10 large fires - which made for an ominous looking horizon.
I'm driving a new car, and I've seen the gas light pop on a couple times, but I've never really "tested" it, ya know?  Well . . . it has been tested.  When it lit up yesterday I was just passing a sign that said:  Next service 25 miles.  No problem!  25 miles later, I'm approaching  civilization and I see an exit with a gas station, but I think to myself - this is on the outskirts of town and perhaps gas will be cheaper in the middle of town, plus I'm hungry, blah blah blah. So I continue to drive.  Exits are few and far between, I see no other gas stations.  So I get out the GPS and see that gas station I passed on is now more than 8 miles behind me - I refuse to backtrack 17 miles!!!  So I press on.  The GPS then reveals that there is another gas station 34 miles ahead.  I look at my gas gauge, I can make it!  I still have 1/20 of a tank!  You have totally done this, you have totally been here, right?  As I'm watching the miles go down on the GPS, I'm also watching, with horror, the needle on the gas gauge drop.  At around 15 miles to go, it has dropped below zero.  At that point I'm realizing that this gas light has been on for about 52 miles!  If the car runs out of gas and I have to walk even a few miles - it could be an hour long ordeal.  And have I mentioned that I am completely surrounded by DUNES!  And its 110 degrees outside!! 
At that point of freak out, I pulled out my cell phone and started the stopwatch because I needed to see those seconds tick by.  I was completely sweating - and not just because I had to turn off the air conditioning to save gas.  It was horrible, I think I have an ulcer.
But now I know my car can go 67 miles after gas light goes on.  yay.

Its amazing how a long drive on a beautiful day can change your outlook.
The sun was streaming through the clouds and California looked gorgeous. Even though there were a couple unnerving radio interuptions warning of nickel sized hail and lightening, I never saw either. I did see a chicken cross the road though. :)
Back to Bacharach closed yesterday and I had to skip the cast party (boo!) in order to play in San Diego. But, I met a bunch of talented folks so I'm posting the flyer below - check them out!
Today I drove up from Southern California to visit the parents in Northern California. They were thrilled to see me, but are currently ignoring me because the season finale of 24 is on. :)

I'll back in SoCal this weekend. Its crazy how 5 and 7 hour drive are becoming the norm. LA to San Diego is like trip to 7/11 (jodie) :)

up, 24 is over, so I'm going to hang out with my folks now.

lurv,
jenn

Many of you are writing asking about my whereabouts, where I'll be this summer, and when I'll be playing again - so the answers:
Today I'm in Studio City. I have a week left of the musical Back to Bacharach. I'm staying with lovely friends and enjoying the perfect weather. After that I'm heading to Nashville to do some writing. I do have a few shows planned in San Diego and I'll get those on the schedule asap. If anyone between Cali and Nashville wants to do a house concert this summer let me know. I'd like to add a few to the schedule. In Fall I'll start touring again, lots of colleges, lots of military bases - but I'll definitely be hitting venues as well - and I'll pretty much be all over the place.
Last Monday I played at Dublin Square in SD with Rhea and Astra Kelly - and it was shockingly awesome. It had been 8 months since I'd played an SD show, and I just wasn't expecting anything. Late on a Monday, downtown, a lame last minute email - but you people are awesome. Troopers! It was such a fantastic homecoming. I love that you know the words and sing along. Thank you!

:)
jenn

Tour Update . . .  I'm not really on tour anymore.  I'm in Los Angeles, doing a musical.  Its pretty nice to be staying in one place.  The musical is called Back to Bacharach and David.  And its a review of all those glorious sing-a-long songs from My Best Friends wedding.   I'm understudying the amazing Diano DeGarmo - who you may remember as the American Idol Runner Up to Fantasia.  To all my musical theater geekers - you know what I mean when I say she belts Ds and Es for breakfast.

The show opens on mid April - if you're interested let me know - I'm not in it, but I still get discounts.
: )

man oh man, I can't seem to keep my blog promise - that is, to blog more often. Its been nearly a month - I can't belive it!
Last time I blogged I was getting sick near the end of my tour with super star Rebecca Loebe. We showed up in Memphis for the Folk Alliance and the lovely and talented Laurie McClain immediately instructed me to eat an entire large jalapeno pepper. Which she just so happened to have. So I did.
And I believe that in the comments for the video on youtube, someone posted a video response that shows the results: me singing 1 hour later. woo hoo! I must say I'm now a believer, I support the jalapeno cure. And trust me, its way worse than it looks in the video.


So my tour with Miss Loebe is over - now she's off with the incredible Raina Rose. I was rockin' out to Raina's music before I met her - so she's kinda a celebrity to me and I was thrilled that I got to not only meet her - but sing with her at Folk Alliance! Ani fans will fall in love with her - she's got her own thing going on - but she's that same level of brilliance.
Today I write from "my office" in Wilmington, N.C. - that being the local coffee shop that is below the apartment I'm staying in. The OutImpact concert with Carsie Blanton was fantastic - and there's another fantastic female musician to check out.
For all you One Tree Hill fans - I have experienced my first Sophia Bush sighting already. Wilmington is lovley. The days have just begun to warm up. The people are lovely. The downtown area is full of life, history, and tons of bars, galleries, venues, etc. There even happens to be a dance club directly above my bed - which is pretty hilarious (or horrendous, depending on how cranky I am) - so at 1:57am every night - there are 200 people in bed with me screaming: WHHHHOOOOAAA! LIVING ON A PRAY-ER!!
memories. :) always making memories.
So I'm playing in Wilmington this weekend, and then off on to various cities for the next month. I'll keep you as updated as I am.

AND NOW, MY NEW MUSIC VIDEO - HOORAY!!!!!!!!!!

Heylo boys and girls, men, women, and children,

So this leg of touring is nearly over and my throat is trying really
really hard to burst into strep. Which is early. Usually I get sick the
day after a tour ends - but I still have a week! I'm trying hard to
fight it but I believe I'm losing the battle. Its very inconvenient.
When is being sick ever convenient. I guess it use to be when I had a
test or something. But now - I sing - inconvenient. I'm very good at
singing "around" sick though, sometimes its impossible, but when it is
possible I don't like that I've fooled people because its still not my
best, ya know?

Anyway, blah blah blaaaaaaaaaaaaah!

The college shows are over : ( Those were great. You guys, yes you guy,
were fantastic to play for. Thanks to the boys at Maritime who
streamered the inside of Old Glory. I want you to know that I kept
everything taped up the entire drive from Maine to Pennsylvania. We had
streamers coming out the car doors, trailing behind us. Had to pop the
balloons though because that would have been the opposite of safety. : )

Next I head to Wilmington, NC and I'm very excited to be playing Out
Impact Friday @ the Soapbox on March 6th. This is for 2 reasons:

Uno - I went to Out Impact Friday in January because I wanted to catch
the inspiring singer/songwriter Andy Moore. I really loved Out Impact's
message: Making a Positive Impact in the Gay Community. I haven't been
involved with anything like that since San Diego, and I've wanted to
ever since Prop 8. aaaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrrr