Hello all,

This is always a special time of year for me, and I feel very fortunate with the blessings that I have in my life. I have a story, and a little gift.

A few months ago, I posted an improv song on my myspace page that I hadn't named, and so I titled it "New 12-string demo". Original, huh? Well, the feedback from this song has been wonderful, and it's name has finally emerged: For The Girls. I have 4 very wonderful step-sisters, and they have been so very loving and supportive, and I'm incredibly blessed to have them in my life. They also have given me some great ideas and feedback for song titles, and after I realized how much this song meant to them, it just makes sense to dedicate it to them.

I never had sisters growing up (just the coolest older brother a person could ever have), so it's been a very new experience for me the last few years, and I've cherished every minute of it.

So, as a gift to my sisters, this song is for Rachel, Sarah, Amanda & Heather. And, as a gift to all of you, please download away. You all have given me so much love, support, and encouragement, and I just wanted to give you a little something to thank you. I know it's not nearly enough, but it's also a little promise that some new CDs are eventually on the way, and there will be some more downloads as we get closer to the album releases.

I love you all, and I hope that you have a very wonderful Christmas and New Year.  

Thank you for sharing in my dreams...

~ Jonathan

So, today consisted of an early performance, a ton of sightseeing, baking in the hot sun like an omelette, and then playing again in the late afternoon. Man, it was hot!

My performance this morning was decent, it was pretty early though, so not all of the locals had stirred yet. Those that were there were very receptive. Kev sat in with me at the end for the last song, and as always, it was awesome.

From there, we decided to check out the main strip downtown some more, peruse the local Farmer's Market (that was a lot of fun), and get out of the heat every chance we could. Did I mention it was hot?

We eventually made our way back to the Festival for Kev's set, and the stage and sound crew that we worked with on that stage was simply incredible. I sat in on half of his set (some of the songs that we collaborate on), and they had my guitar sound set up perfectly, and our mix was just crystal clear and well balanced. It was just a dream, and Kevin and I really felt on top of our game. It was too bad that the attendance just wasn't as high as we were expecting; I think last night we had a lot more people at our performances downtown! We received some nice compliments from the crew afterwards (he also got some wonderful accolades from the emcee), and then we decided it was time to go our seperate ways. They were heading back to Walla Walla, and Heather and I had to get back to Spokane. It was pretty hard... I love the Morgans, and I value every chance I get to spend with him. Kevin understands me like few other people, and I don't know the next time we'll get to play together. They're heading back to New Mexico next week, so we'll just have to wait and see..

Well, what a wonderful couple of days! I'm back in Spokane, and the drive from Yakima seemed like the longest 3 hours... but it's good to be home. Now, I have some pictures of hte trip to go through, and will be posting them later this week. I'll let you know.

Take care of yourselves,
~ Jonathan

So, I'm in my hotel room talking with Heather (my wife), and Kevin Morgan and his wife Rachael. We're now decompressing from Day 1 of the Folklife Festival, and I've got to tell you, it has been a great time.

First off, I had a solo set at a restaurant called Santiago's in downtown Yakima, and everyone was so amazingly receptive to me. I felt very great about the set I played, and then Kev came up and did our song "Lightfeet in Tendergrass" with me (he nailed it perfectly, too), and then he had to run to off to his own gig. So, as soon as I was done with my 45 minute set, I ran off to his gig to play with him. He was playing outside on this cool boardwalk, and I luckily got there right before he started, and so we did a quick soundcheck and ran with it. Kevin has come so far as a performer since I first met him almost 4 years ago, and it was an honor to play with him.

I sold some CDs, he sold some CDs, and made some wonderful new fans and friends. Now, we're drinking beer and eating killer mexican leftovers (anyone coming to Yakima should check out Santiago's chimichangas, they are massive and delicious), and just relaxing before our main performances tomorrow.

I'm playing at 11am on one of the outdoor stages, and Kev's on at 5:30pm, and we're going to collaborate for a couple of tunes again. Wish us luck, and I'll keep ya posted.

Have a good night!
~ Jonathan

I've entered this little contest in the hopes of getting noticed by my favorite guitar company, Taylor Guitars. The rules are simple: if I get the most requests to play in different cities, then I win some new guitars from them, $5000 (which will be used to go towards finishing my new albums), and a performance slot in the winning city that has requested me the most. So, if you want me to play somewhere, click the Demand It! button on my myspace page and follow the instructions, or click here: Demand Jonathan Nicholson performs in your city!. Thank you, this really means a lot to me.

Thank you for everything,

~ Jonathan

3:53 PM 

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Hey hey hey,

This Sunday, June 1st, I'll be on the wonderful local radio show "Crossroads" on KYRS with fellow guitarist John Walsh from 1-3 pm Pacific Time. The station is at 92.3 & 89.9 fm, but....this will also be broadcast live online via the station's website: www.kyrs.org. Just go to the website and click on the "LISTEN LIVE" button on the top right of the page! Please feel free to call into the station at (509) 747-3807 with any questions or comments, or even if you have any song requests of mine. I would love to hear from you and play a song for you!

Take care!
~ Jonathan

Hello hello,

I know that I don't post enough of these, but thanks to the fine example my friend Dave Hannon has set, I'm going to try to actually post some show experiences more often.

So, tonight I played at the "Save Our Shire" benefit out in St. John, Washington. This was to benefit a 500+ acre Eco-farm. What a great time. First off, I finally got the chance to see the Shook Twins live, and I completely understand the hype. What an amazingly talented group. I was in awe.

Now, it was cold out there, and we were all performing outside. I mean, really cold. Now, the one thing about playing fingerstyle guitar is that it helps to have feeling in your fingers when you play. It tends to help.

I started playing around 10pm, and by the time I finished at 10:45, my fingers were blocks of ice. I personally don't think that this was my best performance, but everyone was so gracious and kind, and I think they still felt what I was trying to convey. I received some compliments tonight that I will never forget. Thank you.

To James and the rest of you that I met tonight, thanks for being such a great group, and taking the time to listen to my craft. It was a wonderful night for me.

~ Jonathan

   Well, on October 20th I had the pleasure of performing for the first time at The Matrix in Chehalis, WA (about 30 minutes south of Olympia) with my wonderful friend and musical co-conspirator Kevin Morgan and our new friend the very talented Mike Fekete, from Olympia.

   It was a small, but extremely gracious and attentive group of listeners. You couldn't ask for a better group of people to be an audience. A big thanks to all who attended, you were so kind!

   I was finally able to meet some of my promoter's family who attended the show, and was also able to meet some fans that are now new friends with whom I had been communicating with via email for a couple of years. In fact, they were kind enough to open their home to Heather and I for the night after a long drive from Spokane. I am continually amazed at how truly blessed I am in my life, and I feel it to be a huge honor that I'm able to touch people with my music...

This performance was also very special due to the fact that Kevin and I got to not only perform our solo work, but also perform some of our new work as a duo to a group of kind people 300 miles from home... the show was thankfully recorded, and the song "Set Adrift" was taken from that night. This is a sample of the journey that we have begun to undertake musically. Kevin's voice and guitar work continually astound me, and I'm always honored to be his friend and musical partner.

We are doing something similar at the Caterina Winery in Spokane in a couple of weeks... we would love to see you there.

~ Jonathan

Hey hey hey,

I've just posted a new demo, that in a finished form will appear on the new cd, due out (hopefully) next year. This song was written and performed as it was being recorded, in a very stream of consciousness sort of way. I love moments like these, where it's very unplanned and my heart is able to communicate in a very basic and honest fashion.

I do not have a name for this song yet, and so here's the deal:

Come up with a name for the song by Thanksgiving, and if I choose it, on the next cd your name will appear in the credits, as well as you'll get a copy of the cd (whenever it comes out). Also, to make the deal even sweeter, I'll also give out a free copy of Sojourn and Calliope's End to the winner. I'll even take care of the shipping.  

Now get to it!

~ Jonathan