Hello friends, Here is the newsletter I sent last night...

It's past midnight... well past midnight. Much thanks was given this past day. The turkey made me sleepy. The two cups of coffee afterward re-wired me and now I am the only one awake in a house that creeks as it protests against a stiff northern wind. The furnace has just turned on, and I am a bit annoyed by the sound as it replaces the howl of the wind making a far less interesting and far more mechanical drone... but I am thankful to have heat, and a roof, and a full stomach, and the friendly faces that filled the day. It's been another fine week of performances in Pennsylvania and Ohio. This past weekend we performed at a youth gathering in Northwestern Pennsylvania and had a number of conversations about the cross-roads of justice and commerce. For the past few years Aimee and I have been more intentional about learning where the stuff we buy comes from and how our purchases impact (or don't impact) the lives of the people who make what we use. It's been a good journey so far; it's helped me be more thankful for what I have and appreciate the work that goes into what I often take for granted.

We are staying with Aimee's folks in Ohio through the weekend, then back to our home in Minneapolis. I am looking forward to a number of things when we get home like decorating a Christmas tree (something we haven't done in years due to our travel schedule) and attending a Christmas concert by the choirs I sang with in college (also something I've missed for many years due to a travel schedule that's kept me far from St. Paul in early December... who books these tours anyway?).

This Friday, December 12th will be a special evening; we hope you can join us to celebrate the release of our Advent CD and enjoy some music. Aimee and I are performing a CD release concert on December 12th at 7:00pm at the The Warren - An Artists Habitat, in Minneapolis. Admission is $10 and tickets can be purchased in advance via PayPal at tangledblue.com. The Warren is a little venue in our neighborhood. It only holds 60 people, and we hope to pack the place. Warm beverages and desserts will be served and the evening will start with some music from our friends Blaine and Leah Howard. The Howard's
are truly gifted musicians, and we know you are going to love their songs. It's been years since Blaine and I shared a stage, and I am really looking forward to it! We also have a mid-day performance at Concordia University in St. Paul on December 11th and an afternoon concert in Lorain, Ohio on December 21st. All of these shows will feature the new Advent songs, so we hope you can join us.

Well, my coffee buzz is finally starting to wear thin. Thanks for
reading and being part of our community... really, I mean it. Without you we'd be be singing into the wind without a roof, or noisy furnace, or tryptophan soaked head... we'd still have our heads, but we would be too busy looking for our next meal (in a VW van that has an odometer now reading over 328,000 miles!) to have time for this luxury of music. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

Under the Mercy,
Joel
joel@tangledblue.com

PS - I've added a new page to our web site with a press release and press photos for the Advent CD; more will be added soon. The address is simply http://www.tangledblue.com/press

PSS - The Advent CD is now on iTunes! A search for "tangled blue advent" within the iTunes store will get you to the tunes.

Upcoming Concerts and Openings
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Sunday, November 30th, 2008
St. Paul Lutheran Church - http://www.stpaulwestlake.org/
Worship in Westlake, OH - 10:30am
27993 Detroit Road
Westlake, OH 44145
440-835-3050
We will be leading music in worship services on Sunday morning at 9am and 10:30am. We hope to see you there!

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Thursday, December 11th, 2008
Concordia University - http://csp.edu
Concert in Graebner Memorial Chapel - 11:00am
275 N. Syndicate St. N.
St. Paul, MN 55104
(651) 641-8230
We will be leading music in a chapel service at 11:00am and perform a concert at 11:30am. A printable flyer is in the promote section of tangledblue.com. We hope you can join us.

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Friday, December 12th, 2008
The Warren - An Artist Habitat - http://www.thewarrenhabitat.com
Advent CD release concert - 7:00pm
4400 Osseo Rd.
Minneapolis, MN 55412
612-703-9609
Price: $10
Friends and amazing musicians Blaine and Leah Howard will start off the evening. Beverages and dessert will be served. We hope you can join us. A printable flyer is in the promote section of
tangledblue.com. You can purchase a ticket via paypal at
tangledblue.com. Your paypal receipt will serve as your ticket.

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OPEN in the upper midwest
We are open to schedule performances in the upper midwest from December 3rd through December 18th. Contact us for more information.

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Sunday, December 21st, 2008
St. Peter and Paul Lutheran Church
Advent Concert - 4:00pm
1500 Lincoln Blvd.
Lorain, OH 44055
440-233-5166
Free Admission! An offering will be received. We hope you can join us for an evening of music sprinkled with a few seasonal songs. A downloadable / printable flyer is in the promote section of tangledblue.com.

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OPEN in the midwest
We are open to schedule performances from December 31st, 2008 through January 21st, 2009. Contact us for information on bringing Tangled Blue to your town!

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Wednesday, January 28th, 2009
Concert in Bismarck, ND
details coming soon...

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Jan. 30 - Feb. 1, 2009
http://youthencounter.org
Youth Gathering in Pittsburgh, PA
This event is from January 30th through February 1st. More
information at the above web site.

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OPEN in PA, NY, OH, IN, IL and the upper midwest
We are open to schedule performances on our way from Pittsburgh to Sioux Falls on February 2, 3, and 4. Contact us for more information on bringing Tangled Blue to your community.

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February 7th-8th, 2009
http://www.augie.edu/chapel/faithfest.html
Youth Gathering in Sioux Falls, SD
We will be performing at Faith Fest on February 7th and 8th. More information at the above web site.

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OPEN in SD, MN, IA, WI, IL, IN, MI, and OH
We are open to schedule performances on February 9, 10, and 11 on our way from Sioux Falls to northern Ohio. Contact us for more information on bringing Tangled Blue to your community!

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February 13th-15th, 2009
http://youthencounter.org
Youth Gathering in Huron, OH
We will be performing from February 13th through 15th. More
information at the above web site.

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Wednesday, February 18th, 2009
mailto: info@tangledblue.com
OPEN in North Dakota
We are looking for a place to perform in North Dakota on Wed. Feb. 18th. Contact us for more information on bringing Tangled Blue to your community!

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Sunday, February 22nd, 2009
Performing at Shepherd's Hill Retreat
St. John, ND
This is a closed event at Shepherd's Hill Retreat in St. John, ND
from February 19th through the 22nd.

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OPEN in the midwest
We are OPEN to schedule performances from February 23rd through March 11th. Contact us for more information on bringing Tangled blue to your community.

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March 13th-15th, 2009
http://youthencounter.org
Youth Gathering in Omaha, NE
This event is from March 13th through the 15th. More information at the above web site.