We had a terrific time at Folk Alliance, and did a number of wonderful concerts: with the Holdsworths opening for us, we nearly filled the room at Ethical Humanist and have already been rebooked for January. We had an enthusiastic audience for our newest material at Live From the Living Room in Pontiac, MI, watched Annie & Rodd Capps do a terrific video concert at Trinity House in Livonia, and Annie is just about done with the CD graphics--we just have a couple more photos for the back cover and booklet to take and send her; hopefully, we'll have the 14-song full monty to the pressing plant by the end of the month and will be scheduling the release parties (Chi., Madison, and S. IL) as soon as the discs are in our hands. Meanwhile, had a wonderful time reconnecting with my Bar Show castmates at Scoozi (and am honored to have won the Spear Carrier Award; for a full year, my home will be protected from intruders w/o my having to possess an illegal firearm). Attended Mary McNichols' voice studio opening in Downers Grove: it's beautiful, roomy and has great acoustics (hopefully, we'll be doing some performing there) and her and Pat's hospitality was gracious (especially despite my klutz tendencies flaring up that day and inspiring others to do the same). Saw John Gorka & Susan Werner own the room at McAnich Arts Center; thank goodness Werner can't be gigging everywhere at once, so I don't have to give up and go back to practicing law full time. Stephen & I had a wonderfully entertaining SIR writers' round in Madison, where we were wowed by Andrew Nath and Bill Camplin (a guy who can sing, play, write, run pristine sound AND cook)! Finally, I had a blast playing Folk Jeopardy on Lilli Kuzma's Folk Festival show last week (Robin & Jenny Bienemann providing imaginative and fun interludes--including the Jeopardy! theme on chimes--and all of us doing a mass singalong on "City of New Orleans" and "This Land is Your Land;" my dulcimers got quite a workout and I introduced much of the W. suburban folk musician community to Passover munchies in the green room). We will definitely be taking that show on the road--at least across the w. suburbs--with the "Folk Jeopardy Players" providing the music. Friday night we took Bob & his dad to see Celtic Woman---wish I'd been able to shoot video of Dad, nearly 90, clapping and singing along and playing air bodhran. Sat. was the Christ Hospital gala at Union Station, where we were delighted to find ourselves seated with fellow pro-health-reform liberals! (Whole lotta toasting goin' on).
What's up next? Well, tomorrow we send off our 1040 so Tax Refund Fairy can wave her magic wand soon; this Sunday 4/18, Andina & Rich will perform our version of Tom Dundee's "These Cowboys Born Out of Their Time" during the postlude to the Dundee tribute concert starring Donna Adler, Chris Farrell, Mick Scott and Norm Siegel at Lilly's on Lincoln at 3 pm. Then it's up to Wild Hog in the Woods in Madison on Apr. 30 at 8 pm, and The Newport Coffeehouse in Bannockburn, IL on May 14. (Got some personal and family events to attend, hence the lessened amount of performing).
Apologize for no blog activity--between Facebook maintenance, TV and computer repair, tax doo-dah, a bad back and the above stuff I haven't had much of a chance to shoot off my mouth.....digitally.