"Be Kind" on WOS Radio

Pleased to have a song I did with Bay Station Band "Be Kind" included on Women of Substance Radio & Podcast Episode 597 "Music with a Message" along with Sandi Gregory-Olbrich Takeyce -  Deborah DeDe Wedekind Elle Crossley Lisa Jane Lipkin Linda Kosut Debra Hadraba Heather Wilson Carmella Gitanjali Baynie Jane Ross Fallon Lily Kiara Erin Bentley and Sandy Rapp

Little Bird Tour NW Lands

We woke up in Oregon Tuesday to ice-covered windshields and frozen fog. It was 26 degrees and time to head back home. Cold and gray was the weather flavor of the tour, but we didn't get snow and enjoyed much warmth from the locals during our travels. Special thanks go to Ellen at KSKQ in Ashland for having us on the show, Oberon's for the hospitality and warm cider, Patricia & Scott in Ashland & Gail & John in Corvallis for hosting us, songbird Jean Mann for sharing a bill at the gem of a listening room in Redmond, Soulfood Coffeehouse, Thene at Metronome in Tacoma, the Copeland clan in West Seattle, Willow & the Embers, as well as Tracy at Twilight Gallery. The adventure in touring isn't just in the playing, it's in the people you meet and places you experience. I always return from such trips with my mind expanded. We got home Tuesday afternoon to 75-degree weather, perfect conditions to put ones feet in the sand (we had nothing to do with the stray Christmas tree).

Oberon's mulled wine and hot cider on a freeeeezing night.

Jean Mann!

The SoulFood listening room

the scene at Metronome in Tacoma

post-game music at Twilight Gallery

Home is where the beached tree is?

Road Views: 101 N to OR

Of course, half the fun of touring is the sight-seeing along the road. Despite encroaching malls and chains, the Northwest stills retains its unique regional vibe, dominated by the big redwood trees that - thankfully - still cover much of the North Coast. Traveling from Arcata to Oregon was a real visual treat as we wound through a wide swath of national forest land. Alas no Bigfoot, but, lo, Paul Bunyan, Babe, giant wooden fish and 'It's A Burl' gallery which felt a bit like visiting Middle Earth. We enjoyed a day off in Medford and are cued up for a radio spot in Ashland 1/15 on KSKQ 89.5 FM 1-3pm before our gigs in Ashland & Corvallis. 

MEOW Con in Austin, TX Oct. 24-26

It's almost time for MEOWCon!  I'm excited to head to Austin on Thursday to take part in @MEOWCon13, a action and music-packed conference for Women in Music! Thanks MEOW (Musicians for Equal Opportunities for Women) and found Carla DeSantis Black for putting it all together. I play Saturday night at 7pm and am in great company: there are nearly 100 performances by female artists in all styles of music, including hip hop, punk, country, pop, singer-songwriter and everything in between. 

Check out the full schedule here http://meowcon.com/sched/showcases/ …

Other highlights include:

*  The Woman of Valor Dinner on Thursday night - Oct 24th - honoring Suzi and Margaret Moser of the Austin Chronicle and the Austin Music Awards. These are two of the most formidable women in the music business and there will be lots of wonderful anecdotes, great food and even a performance by the queen of rock herself!

* Keynote speeches by Suzi (Friday) and the amazing Kathy Valentine (profiled today in the Austin American Statesman) who spent 30 years as a Go-Go = the most successful all-female band of all time!

* Panel discussions on topics like: Where are the Festival Headliners? Sexism, Blogs and Online Journalism, Guitar Heroes, Licensing to Film and TV, Britney to Miley: Why Do Good Girls Go Bad?, I Am Metal (And So Can You), Women, Music and Mental Health, Relatively Speaking: When your Family is in the Band and many, many more.

* One on One interviews with Jennifer Batten, Frightwig, Linda Chorney, Patricia Kennealy-Morrison.

* Workshops on the art of screaming, busking, taking care of your $, the legacy of Marian McPartland.

* Book readings by Evelyn McDonnell (Queens of Noise); Laina Dawes (What Are You Doing Here?)

and so much more!

Don't miss this LAST CHANCE to be a part of this historic event.

Full schedule available at www.meowcon.com
 Brought to you by Musicians for Equal Opportunities for Women (MEOW)
Tickets on sale now at www.meowcon.eventbrite.com 

Scrub Jays on Mother's Day

My mom passed away eight years ago, so on Mother's Day, I send salutations to moms I know, rather than my own. But it's not that I forget her: as time passes, I only miss my mom more. This past Sunday, I had an afternoon radio spot scheduled for KKUP 91.5, chatting with DJ (and tireless supporter of independent musicians) Don Campau. Given the day, I was making sure to include a song, that's part tribute to both my mother and my grandmother ("Grandma Mission Blues" below) in the set list.
My morning's preparation, however, was interrupted by the sound of squawking outside the living room window. Peering into our side yard, I saw not a bird but a very interested cat— my neighbor's generally docile feline — crouching near the gardening table, twitching its tail. After running outside and yelling at the cat, I saw a frightened, just-fledged scrub jay hopping under the table. Of course, it was just as scared of the large humans trying to help it get away as it was of the cat. But, whether due to cat-inflicted injury (it had a little blood on the side of it's mouth) or lack of skill, it couldn't fly up and out of the yard.  I picked it up and it struggled out of my hands to perch on my finger and I attempted to get it in a tree but no-go. Meanwhile, the cat came around the side of the porch, waiting to take over. After a bit more kerfuffle, we got the bird into a well-ventilated crate and set to finding the nearest Wildlife Rescue Hospital, which turned out to be 20 miles away in Walnut Creek, adjacent to the Lindsay Wildlife Museum.
Scrub Jays — as are most corvids — are among the smartest animals on the planet,  possessing accurate memory and an ability to plan ahead for the future (!). As a kid, I used to feed the jays the 'crusts' of my Wonder Bread peanut butter sandwiches (not recommended) and they quickly learned to wait in the oak trees near a bird feeder each day at lunchtime.
After about 10 minutes in the car, I noticed our rescued jay looking more alert and peering out of the crate and around the car. A good sign. Hopefully, it recovers well and will remember as much how to stay clear of cats as the relative comfort of the interiors of VWs.
The staff at Lindsay Wildlife Hospital promptly whisked the jay through a door from which came the sounds of lots of other birds. As they took down our information and assigned our delivery a number (we can check on its status in a few days) a few other folks came in with shoeboxes and jars containing rescued creatures. The wildlife hospital  is set up to take in animals 7 days a week, starting at 9am, and they're keeping busy: during the first week of May, they took in nearly 250 critters.  Turns out Lindsay's facility is one of the oldest and largest wildlife rehabilitation centers in the country, and largely dependent on volunteers and donations. Hopefully, I won't have to take any more animals there this year, but I'm definitely happy to give them some support. Find out more at http://wildlife-museum.org/hospital.

KDVS Presents Makeshift Video Contest

KDVS presents MakeShift Music video contest contestants this week and "Let's Move" is among the contestants.  Thank you for voting for the video I did with Blue Lotus Films! Voting runs til May 15th. Click Here to vote.

Listen in Sunday Morning, KALX 90.7FM

photo by Matthew Washburn

I'm playing a few songs live in the studio and chatting with DJ Mark "Deep Mission" Langan about this month's shows, Sunday morning, April 1, at 10am. Tune in 90.7FM!

"...a more diverse take on Americana with a distinctly female tone, and quite charming." — East Bay Express review of "It's All Up to You"

KYRS 92.3FM Interview: CrossRoads Radio

I'm going to be talking with Bob Rice at KRYS in Spokane, WA today, July 3 between 2  &3pm during his Crossroads Show. Tune in to 92.3FM!...

Also on the airwaves, Don Campau featured 'Blink' on the July edition of No Pigeonholes Radio and Dutch Roots Radio has been playing 'Off Sides.'

June is Jumpin Calendar Check: Peri's Fairfax

June 14 @ Peri's in Fairfax, poster by Misisipi Mikee

After a sweet time at Yoshi's Lounge Sunday, I'm gearing up for the rest of this gig-busy month that's concentrated in the San Francisco Bay Area. Yay! First up for the next round of shows is this Tuesday, when I venture back to Marin County to play at Peri's in Fairfax for a full-band gig. Nestled deep in the heart of Marin, there's always a lot going on musically in Fairfax and Peri's has been holding down a corner of that vibe for a while. We open for a rocking project called Happy Idiot and I expect a good relaxed time.

Coming up: Sunday, June 19, I guest on Berkeley LUVeR Radio cast: LOVE UNDERGROUND VISIONARY REVOLUTION. Tune in for a live performance.

Read.East.Listen: homegrown

Creature of habit that I am, my summer is per usual, marked much by biking around, going to shows, and shopping at the Farmer's markets in our Bay Area foodie & original music paradise.
Read: Not a new book, but "The New Village Green" sheds light on sustainable living via words of wisdom from green authorities including Michael Pollan, Bill McKibben and Lynn Margulis.
Eat: Latest goodies found at local market are the raw cacao super food chocolates from Emeryville's own Coracao Confections. Yum
Listen: KALX Live! Kalx is one of Berkeley's free form public radios and I'll be guesting along with Alex Walsh tonight on the Saturday Live! show 9pm PST. You can tune into 90.7 FM or listen to the archives a later date. There, you'll find archives of previous shows too. Check it out!

KALX Live 90.7 FM 7/24

I've had some last minute additions to the July calendar including this coming Saturday's performance on KALX LIVE 90.7FM. I'll be going on around 9pm for a 45 minute set followed by an interview. Tune in! KALX RADIO July 24, 2010 9:00pm. My friend and sometime collaborator Alex Walsh follows.