I am writing this entry on Mother's Day from Chicago where we are celebrating with Michael's family. We did the traditional Italian over-eating, but luckily I had a good workout today to try and compensate. My post-feast digestion might be aided by a little typing. (At least my fingers will be moving, while the rest of me sits and soaks up the calories!) :)

I realize that I haven't written anything about my trip to Nashville and the current project, the showcase I did there on the 26th of April, or the great Little Feat opener we played on the 29th. Nashville was a whirlwind, but a great one. With only one hour of rehearsal, I performed with three excellent studio musicians, two of whom played on "Out of the Wilderness," at the club 3rd and Lindsley. The crowd was so gracious and wonderful. I have never performed in Nashville before, so to be so welcomed by people who had come to support other artists was phenomenal. Matthew Wilder and I are in the midst of contract negotiation for a 5-song publishing deal which is being funded by an "angel investor" who was also at the showcase and was happy to finally see me perform live. He and his wife were kind and generous and I was thrilled to finally meet them. Hopefully the negotiations will go smoothly, and, as planned, we should be co-writing our songs in early June, with a tracking date to follow soon thereafter. The goal is to move ever-closer to the elusive radio-hit, while not sacrificing quality, heart, honesty. It's strange and terrifying to commodify art, which is why I never go into anything with that intent, or try to block the awareness of it that looms around me. But I don't want to go down some negative path right now, because overall I feel very good about the direction things are going and I truly believe I have good people around me.

I am ESPECIALLY thrilled with the band....The Hilary Scott Band, with whom I have peformed for nearly 5 years. At our recent opener for Little Feat (the second we have had the pleasure to do) we were tight, we were together, we clicked. We've had many shows recently where I think it can't possibly get better, and then it does. Standing on a stage with 6 men who are friends and brothers to me, who have my back, who tease me enough to keep me tethered to the ground but who build me up when things get toughest, and who I truly can trust is an AMAZING feeling unlike any other. I might be walking a tight-rope up there, but they are the ones holding my hands on either side, or standing below with the net. They see me through to the other side. They're not playing with me for the big bucks (obviously not - or we would have all split long ago) or the fame (though our fans make us feel like rock stars) but because they love music, they find something of value in mine, and because we all, at the heart of things, get along like a family. I realize I've made some of the best friends of my life in my bandmates.

As for the show itself (sorry - I got sentimentally sidetracked) the crowd was phenomenal. I believe I might have remarked on this last August after we opened for Little Feat in Kansas City at the Beaumont Club, but Little Feat fans are loud, friendly, and open music appreciators who make you feel completely at home. Several people travelled a great distance to see US play, which was a hell of a compliment considering Little Feat's legendary status. As always, when we did get to chat for a minute with a couple members of LF, they were kind and real, and I am so grateful to them for the opportunity to open for them a second time. We hope there is a third! And with our acoustic guitarist, Bill Adams continuing his radio show on KOPN 89.5 FM, we are sure to stay in touch with Little Feat; his featured band of choice.

Well....I just finished a bowl of Moose Tracks ice cream and I think I am ready for sweat pants and a good book. Michael and I took the day off tomorrow so we could maybe sleep in a little and drive home at a leisurely pace. Here's to my mother, grandmothers, stepmother, mother and step-mothers in law, grandmothers-in-law, sisters, sisters-in-law, friends who are mothers, and all women out there: Happy Mothers Day. In Italy, there is "Festa Della Donna." The Festival of the Woman. They celebrate us all, regardless of our maternal status...but let's face it, we all have a soft spot in our heart for mothers, the noblest of creatures, in my opinion.