Rachel's Rambles

long neglected

whoa - i just accidentally remembered i have a tour journal.  dang.  so much to catch up on.

rod clements, steve duda, and i spent july, august, september, and half of october traveling through england, scotland, netherlands, belgium and france playing a shit ton of gigs, laughing, driving over 8,500 miles in total, crying, yelling, singing, sleeping, schleping, tuning, talking, counting to ten, quitting, making up, laughing, loving, and playing more gigs.  it was exhausting and wonderful … once again.  

i’ve been touring overseas every year since my debut cd in 2007.  and this was the 3rd major tour - i’ve been touring in europe 3 months of each year for the past 3 years.  truth be told, i barely make a living as a musician.  but i love trying.  and i get to travel the world doing what i do.  and other people seem to love it too.  so i keep going.

unfortunately i had too much going on (including a new record, CELILO FALLS) last tour to really keep up the journal.  bummer.  but the upside is that i now have a new record out, my 4th one, and all’s going great with it so far.  it released in europe nov 22, in the uk on jan 17, 2011, and the US feb 15.  

for now, i am taking the winter off the road, only playing a handful of tiny local gigs.  i am working now on writing songs for the next record, and am trying to put together a local band - more on that later if it manifests.  

we’ll be in tennessee in february for a time.  but the next real touring will be a northwest release tour in the spring after the release of CELILO FALLS.  then i’m taking a trio overseas in april for a release tour there.  dunno yet if we’ll get to the mainland at that time.  but another europe trip is penciled for august/september 2011.  before then though, we’ve applied to every festival in the US for this coming year and i do anticipate a northeast US tour in about may 2011.

hope to see you out there somewhere.

be well, and take care of those around you.

love, rachel

Tuesday August 3, 2010

Tuesday August 3, 2010

11:58 PM

 A long last bunch of days.  For how light a schedule I feel we’ve had, I feel exhausted.

 Got checked into hotel in Milton Keynes last night, late, after approx 12 hours either in the car or sitting down eating or having coffee breaks.  We managed to make it just in time for dinner in the hotel restaurant (which turned out to be fresh and delicious!)  Afterwards, the oys had pints, and did many many laps walking around the hotel’s parking lot between 11pm and midnight.  Hard time getting to sleep, what with the car travel and the excitement of doing bob harris’s show the following day. 

 This Am rod and I ran through our tunes, then we drive hour and half to downtown London – and I was so thankful a) not to be driving and b) to have a native Englander driving.  Made the trip so much smoother!

 Was lovely to see Bob again, and his producer Al Booth as well.  Such sweet folks they are and so down to earth.  Also managed to get a Starbucks coffee while in London (I am so very fond of chocolatey half-melted whipped cream!).  Back to hotel, long walk around the are checking stuff out, mainly for the exercise, popped into a pub along the canal for a pint, back to hotel for dinner – and I’ve been in the room doing email and internet catch-up work since 9pm.

 So so far I have 9 of the 13 rough mix rtacks from Evan for the new cd.  Sounding super super great – I’m thrilled. But not surprised.  He always does great work.

 Have decided on a cd title at last: Celilo Falls.

 Off to read, bed shortly.  Long lie in the in the AM.  Have press phone interviews at 10, 1030, live on the radio in Nottingham at 2, another phoner at 330, and sound check in the evening in Lowdham.  Next night we’re in Birmingham, where my good friend Dave Rodgers will be tolerating us at his flat for the night.  Then it’s back to Rothbury (5 hours drive or so) and two whole days off. 

 Hoping for good sleep tonight.  Not had a good night of sleep since last Friday.  Too excited about this and that to sleep.  Hopefully tonight, things’ll be different.

 Xo,

R

Monday august 2, 2010

Monday august 2, 2010

Alrighty well so much so much for keeping up the tour blog regularly.  J

Monday to thursday last week were mostly just continued rehearsals with rod. 

This past Friday to Sunday was the southern fried Americana festival in perth, one of my favorite places.  Not so much for the city itself, just the folks and local music and how I do very much enjoy Scotland and this festival in particular.  Friday was rehearsals for the elvis tribute gig.  Ran into aj roach and nels Andrews on the street, musicians I know from the US who were also booked to play this fest, so we all had dinner together and then a pint after – good fun.  Saturday we had more rehearsals with the full band for the elvis gig, and then the show itself.  After the show, all the musicians went back to the hotel, where we kept the hotel bar til after 3 am, drinking and passing the guitars around, singing to our heart’s content.  That’s the second tribute show I’ve played at southern fried (the first was the hank Williams tribute in 2008), and has probably got to be the second funnest gig I’ve ever done. 

Sunday, after 5 hours sleep (ouch), I did and hour and half songwriting workshop, then soundcheck for the gig, a short rest in the hotel room, and then the actual gig.  After that we went across the street to a bar where my local Perth musician friend Gavin (surname?) (formerly of Southpaw) was hosting an open mic.  Andy shearer, who books southern fried, came along and we had a nice little time there.

It’s now 6:44pm and I’ve just awaken from a wee nap in the car.  We’ve been mostly driving since 10am, a brief visit to allie, our booking agent, and on the road again, en route to London.  We’ll be recording a session with bob harris there tomorrow.  That’s due to air aug 19.

Checked email briefly before we left the hotel this AM.  Evan reports that the record has come along very nicely, and that tomorrow the last instrument is being added: mandolin, from Ronnie McCroury.  !  Nice!

Pulling over to a services (what the UK calls a rest area) in a sec.  Potty break. 

All the news for now.

Xo, r

Sunday, July 25, 2010

Sunday, July 25, 2010

Just back from a long weekend at the Summertyne Americana Festival at The Sage in Gateshead/Newcastle, England.

I wish there was an easier faster way to communicate a lot of information in a brief span.  I’m not feeling very motivated at writing about the tour now.  I considered filming video because it would get much more across than simply writing, but the prospect of editing all that footage.  Not so much.

At any rate, saw lots of folks I know there at the festival, fans and artists alike.  Highlight was walking along in the corridor backstage and Rosanne Cash walking past and saying hello to us.  It felt so odd.  It felt like passing royalty.   After we passed, Steve and Rod both looked at me and mouthed “Is that her?”  Yes.  Yes, it most certainly was.

A lovely start to the tour!

Rod and I have decided to take tomorrow off of rehearsals and instead get work done.  So that’ll mean a computer day for me, catching up on lots of needed things.

My to do list for tomorrow:

Renew cruiser tabs

Bio/cd info to Geraint

Cd title

Paypal $ to manuel

Book remaining accoms, see spreadsheet

Reply Al /Bob Harrisre aug 3

Book accom for aug 2 & 3

Request quotes from oasis and discmakers

Manny re finding my uk internet banking details

Download elvis songs: farther along, she thinks I still care, and hard-headed woman

Find keys for elvis songs, email stuart

O2 re loading the mobile broadband w US credit card?

Email theo and phillipe about Rod not coming to mainland  for gigs after all

Follow up with al booth

Email songs from evan to rod

Car insurance to manny

Email mark re cos payment Renew my DL

Thursday, July 22, 2010

Thursday, July 22, 2010

Hiked a few miles Tuesday and another few with Steve yesterday in the late afternoon.  Been really good to get out like that.

Had first rehearsal with Rod yesterday and went very very well.  Very pleased with that!

Got emails from Evan Brubaker with first rough mixes on 8 of the new record’s songs.  Steve heard them for the first time and grinned and said not to worry about how this record would be received.  I exhaled deeply and accepted his statement with nothing short of utter relief.

Making art is so funny, so odd.  I know, intellectually, that it’s a subjective process and I know about insecurity and all those things and I’ve been through them before – but when you are actually going THROUGH it is harder to dismiss it as something that is normal and something that will, too, pass.  All that said, it’s awfully nice to get this early positive feedback from so trusted a source.

Rough night’s sleep last night – still getting adjusted to the time change.  Was up wide awake from 1:30 to 2:30 am, and then up at 7:30am for good.

Had discovered two days before I left the States that I’m totally sold out of Bootlegger’s Daughter.  Woops, not good.  So have reordered those today.

Waiting now for Rod to show up for another rehearsal.