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Joan Osborne



Last Updated: 10/28/2009

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Status: Single
Country: US
Signup Date: 7/6/2006

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Wednesday, November 04, 2009 

October 28
 
Boulder, Colorado, I’m looking out the hotel window at a snowstorm coming over the Flatirons, slowly enveloping the buildings of the Naropa Institute….
 
Our show in Glendale was magical, many LA friends came out and all were excited by the music.  Ben Harper (two of whose songs the Holmes Brothers recorded on “Speaking in Tongues”) was there, as was Satnam Ramgotra, a great tabla player I met in Las Vegas while working with Cheap Trick.  Satnam sat in with us on St. Teresa, the tabla gave the song a sinewy, percolating groove it has never had before.  What a great night….
 
Of course, just when you think you are special the universe will remind you that we are all humble.  The next morning we left the hotel early and boarded a flight to Tucson.  The flight was first delayed, then cancelled, so our amazing tour manager Marya wrangled us onto later flights connecting through San Francisco.  My daughter and I took a joyride on the wrong escalator at the SF airport and wound up in a restricted area where a security guard was not amused by the fact that my ID and boarding pass were in my carryon “just over there!” 40 minutes later, after getting my ID and boarding pass delivered and going back through security with a cranky child who REALLY didn’t want her stuffed pig to go through the X-ray machine, my daughter finally exploded into a screaming, crying tantrum…we arrived at the venue in Tucson exhausted and disheveled, with our night’s work still ahead of us.  I’d like to say that the show was amazing despite all that, but I really don’t think it was.  Hope you enjoyed it anyway, Tucson….
 


October 30
 
Durango, CO
 
Went to Trimble Hot Springs on our day off yesterday, had a massage and a long soak in the hot mineral pools.  The water was fantastic, but my favorite part was sharing the pool with about a dozen strangers, all of us quiet.  Steam hung over the pools, the moon was out and grew brighter as the sky grew darker, the mountains were covered in fresh snow, and the silence profoundly increased my awareness of the beauty.  It wasn’t the quiet of being alone in nature, but of sharing the moment with others without having to reduce it to words.  It reminded me of being with my daughter before she could speak, how the pretend words she babbled so emphatically seemed full of infinite shades of meaning, beyond what language could quantify.
 
Last week in Monterey we drove past a convent, and my friend told me that the nuns there had taken a vow of silence.  Some in their 90s had been silent since they were teenagers…imagine what would come to you if  you weren’t always concerned with talking and defining your experience, if you just accepted it as it unfolded instead of wrestling it into language…


Thursday, October 29, 2009 
This December, come out to NYC's Symphony Space at 7:30 to watch Joan Osborne partake in this classic event. The 29th Annual John Lennon Tribute will feature many guests, see the flier below for all info.





Friday, October 23, 2009 
Notes from the road 10/22/09 
Santa Monica, CA

Got up at 7am this morning to do some radio interviews (hello, Muncie; hello, Durango; hello, Park City!), and since I had to drink coffee to wake up for those I couldn’t just go back to bed.  So I drove down to the beach, turned inland and found a trailhead in Topanga State Park, then took a nice long hike in the Santa Ynez Canyon.  The smell of the sage combined with the ocean air was incredible; I wish they made a perfume like that. 


I’m hoping to find a pool table close to our show in Glendale tomorrow, as I am spoiling for a rematch after Keith defeated me in Petaluma.  Now, I am a girl who can shoot some pool, and it looked like I had him on the ropes, but I guess I just got too cocky….or maybe it was Wendell’s trash talking through the entire game that distracted me.  He kept talking about giving us youngsters a shellacking, about how it was time for the old men to teach us a lesson.  So Wendell played the winner, trash talking all the while, talking to the ball, even putting some sort of spell on the cue as Keith was lining up his shots.  It was neck and neck, the tension mounting, where were the cameras?...but Keith emerged victorious and Wendell said it would be up to Popsy to teach us ALL a lesson.  I think I feel a tournament coming on….


Wednesday, October 21, 2009 
7 am, October 21, 2009

On the tour bus, rolling through flat country north of LA, past endless fields of pistachio trees.  The trailer carrying our gear has a flat tire, so the driver is going slowly till the next repair shop.  He’s got the CB radio on and the voices of Spanish-speaking truckers are coming through, echo-y and mixed with plenty of static, like a broadcast from another planet.
 
Yesterday was our first day off since beginning the tour with the Holmes Brothers and Paul Thorne.  My friend Wiz (aka Dennis Leonard) took me to visit George Lucas’ Skywalker Ranch where he works mixing soundtracks for films.  Dennis was the mixer for the Dead tour I did a few years ago, and we hit it off back then, it was great to see him and to see the beautiful compound Lucas has created for himself on thousands of acres in Marin County.  I was struck in particular by the grace of an exquisitely carved wooden spiral staircase in the library, and by Charlie Chaplin’s hat and cane in a glass case next to the original badges worn by the keystone cops and the light sabers from Star Wars. My nephew would have been very impressed…
 
I’m so happy to be touring with the Holmes Brothers at long last.!  I have known them for probably 15 years, since the days when I was a fledgling singer and they were the kings of the NYC blues and roots music scene.  I was in awe of them back then, of the fact that they could turn a club into a shouting, sweaty, roadhouse one minute, a gospel church the next, and the Grand Ole Opry the minute after that…since then I have become friends with them, produced one album for them and we are just finishing a second.  They have lost none of their power, and their voices have become even richer and more soulful.  Keith Cotton, the keyboard player from my regular band, is rounding out the ensemble and serving as musical director, and to have them all as my rhythm section is a dream come true. And then to hear them sing the harmonies on my songs…heaven! 
 
The Holmes’ are also a great bunch of men to hang out with, smart and funny and full of stories of their childhoods in the south, their early careers on the r&b circuits of the 50s and 60s, and their travels around the world.  Keith and Paul Thorne and I weigh in with our stories too, and the bus/backstage are full of hysterical laughter.
 
After our first show in Chico, we all adjourned back to the Holiday Inn where there was a salsa party in the bar.  Wendell Holmes and I cut a rug while Popsy Dixon joined the conga section and Sherman Holmes had a scotch with Paul.  He’s our opening act…Paul was someone I had not known about until this tour, but he’s killing the audiences every night and making us bring our best or get left in the dust!  He writes great songs and is a gifted raconteur, wickedly funny stuff.  He’s from Tupelo Mississippi, and to be around his accent along with the Holmes’ Virginia drawl has re-awakened my Kentucky girl twang in a big way! 
 
The morning after the show in Monterey, my friend and booking agent Jonathan Levine took me for a short hike in the redwoods.  It was almost like entering a vocal booth in a studio, the carpet of needles on the ground was so thick that it absorbed most of the sound…Jonathan guessed some of the trees in that grove to be 2000 years old, judging from their girth – 20, 25 feet around.
 
Tire is fixed, we’re getting close to LA now.  We have a couple of days off before our Glendale show, going to see some friends and lay low…more to come.  Thanks to everyone who has come to the shows so far, great to meet and talk with you after the shows!


Monday, October 19, 2009 

Category: Music
During a recent trip through music-rich Telluride, CO, Joan sat down with the folks from PlumTV to discuss, among many things, life on tour and her recent endeavors. Check out the videos here:


Joan On PlumTV:
http://pdam.plumtv.com/public/..marketing_player/14143

Complete Interview:
http://pdam.plumtv.com/public/..marketing_player/14183
Friday, September 25, 2009 
Never wanting to cause a commotion, but the Las Vegas performances have been garnering some attention. The series of shows at the Las Vegas Hilton were a tribute to the Beatles, specifically an homage to Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. Myself, along with Cheap Trick, Rob Laufer and Ian Ball of Gomez had a spectacular time. Vegas Sun and The Las Vegas Review Journal had some nice words for the shows. Thanks, and looking forward to seeing you on tour.

JO
Tuesday, September 22, 2009 
I am having such a tremendously wonderful time touring with The Holmes Brothers and Paul Thorn. Along the way, I have gotten the blessing to once again collaborate with the Holmes Brothers. After recording the song " Those Memories Of You" on their last record, State of Grace, I will be producing their next album. Popsy and Wendell are incredible musicians and I am never disappointed whenever we work together. I'm looking forward to the latest release.



Here are the boys relaxing on tour.

Hope to see you all soon. Bye.

JO

Saturday, September 19, 2009 
Good News,

Joan's official site, joanosborne.com, is back online.

Visit Joan's official site for the latest update, news, and information regarding her music and tours.
Tuesday, August 04, 2009 
We wanted to make sure you heard about this exciting event…..
Saturday August 15, 2009 at the 1st Annual Taos Mountain Music Festival, music spanning Urban Latino, Reggae, Blues, Rock n Roll, Hip Hop, Jazz and Bluegrass will fill the high mountain air of Taos Ski Valley .
The main stage, surrounded by the towering Sangre de Cristo Mountains and National Forest, will host Ozomatli, The Wailers, and of course Joan Osborne will be one of the shows headlining acts. 
 
Music fans are traveling from far and wide for this unprecedented event, and tickets are moving FAST, so don’t delay!
 
Get tickets now to see Joan Osborne LIVE, and be automatically entered to win a "Lap of Luxury" Lodging package worth over $300!
 
Just go to - www.TaosMountainMusicFestival.com for all the details.
 
Some more information regarding The First Annual Taos Mountain Music Festival:

We are very excited to present the First Annual Taos Mountain Music Festival. The Taos Ski Valley is the perfect venue for a music festival, which is long over due. Taos is known for its arts, culture and diverse collection of people, and a music festival is the perfect place to gather all these people together. This festival hopes to grow into an annual event that will bring Taos a wide spectrum of music appealing and moving the musical bones in all music lovers. With Blues to Rock, Hip Hop to Country and Latin grooves echoed by the dub of reggae jam beats, the sound waves coming from the main stage will appeal to all.

The festival spirit will also be found in the "Strawberry Fair" where you will find, among other attractions, a variety of vendors, food stalls and performing artist. It will form it's own festival community where you can feast on local cuisine, enjoy a wide variety of attractions from climbing walls to massages, make new friends or catch up with old ones, let the kids run wild, and refresh yourself until the next band hits the main stage.

So we invite you to a summer's day out in the mountains to enjoy some great music with good friends, family and neighbors. Come join us at the first annual Taos Mountain Music

See you in the mountains rain or shine.

Wednesday, July 15, 2009 
Joan will be playing a special limited engagement in New York City next week. She'll be taking part in the NYC Rockin' the River Cruise concert, a show that brings together incredible musical acts and the experience of sailing around the island of Manhattan. Joan will be performing two (2) shows on the evening of July 23rd. Don't miss this prodigious opportunity to see both Joan and NYC in a way you have never seen before.

SPECIAL OFFER:
Joan Osborne with special guest Chris Barron, lead singer of the Spin Doctors
NYC Rockin' the River Cruises  - Circle Line at Pier 83, West 42nd Street at 12th Avenue in NYC
Thursday, July 23 with shows at 7pm & 9:30pm

We'd like to offer a special deal for fans of Joan Osborne's.  $10 off each ticket (regularly $50).  To receive this discount visit www.rtrcruises.com and when checking out use the promo code 'joan'.You can also call the Circle Line where there is no service fee at 212-563-3200 and mention the code there as well.

Each NYC Rockin' the River Cruise is a 2 hour intimate concert and scenic tour that sails past the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, Brooklyn Bridge and the NYC skyline.  We depart from the Circle Line at Pier 83, West 42nd Street at 12th Avenue in NYC.  There are full bars and food available on board for additional charges.  Seating is first come first serve and boarding begins 30 minutes prior to each show.  We sail rain or shine.  More info at www.rtrcruises.com.

Please note: Discounts not applicable for previously purchased tickets.