Slugs, Road Food, Paul McCartney, and My Green Face"

Well, the return of cold and flu season and the big, nasty viruses floating around have caused me to miss two shows this week. Right now, while lying in bed like a lethargic lump, I am thinking of the show Fringe, when a bloated bio-engineered cold virus ends up killing people through suffocation. The virus resembles a huge, pale slug, with random spikes all over its hideous body. I kind of feel like that slug.

Speaking of slugs, we have a few in our garden that love to kill our beautiful flowers. So, I guess what I am saying here is: I welcome cold remedies and death-to-slug remedies alike! Send in your remedy with a S.A.S.E. (does anyone know what those are anymore?) and you will get back an envelope likely carrying a nice bit of cold virus, and a hand-written thank you. ;)

OK, bad idea? How about what I think is a pretty good idea: a new blog thread I am starting in October featuring musicians I admire. Five Degrees of Inspiration will likely introduce you to some music you have never heard, and will delve deeply into the lives of great artists with probing questions like...wait for it..."what's your favorite road food?"

In other useless trains of thought, I suppose I could let you know I am very excited to return to LA in early November to finish recording with producer Michael O'Neill at the studio of Johnny Lee Schell. One of the musicians on the record just today was rehearsing with Paul McCartney, and my entire face turned instantly green. I adore these guys who are, quite literally, the best in the biz and have no matching egos to go with that fact.

So, my blog is going to be different than what I was trying to make it before. By writing when I had "news" or a bunch of music-related experiences built up to talk about, all I did was get overwhelmed and end up writing what might sometimes kind of have seemed like a school book report. Now, it's going to be a crazy thought train I ride on typewriter tracks.

And that is precisely why this blog is entitled "Slugs, Road Food, Paul McCartney, and Green Face."

Smooth, I know. ;)

Hello from England!

Hilary Scott and AJ Gennaro performing at The Old Queens Head, London

Hello from England! This tour, in support of our new vinyl "Flowers on Mars," has been an incredible adventure. All told, we will have done 15 appearances (venues and radio) and we have seen a good portion of southern England in our travels from place to place. I have been thrilled to meet and share the stage with some amazing artists, including but not limited to: Hatful of Rain, The Rosellys, Pete Greenwood, and George Frakes. We definitely will be coming back this way, and likely expanding to include other countries in the next tour.

And what is on my mind? Well, quite literally what is on my head! I curled my hair today. Ridiculous to mention? It is surprising how being constantly on the go and making do with dressing rooms and touring van make-up stops, etc. will make you appreciate those days when you can do something of your normal routine, frivolous and silly as that sounds.

If I had to pick a favorite experience on this trip, it would be non-musical, as we met two great friends here who followed us to 7 of our shows, trekking around quite a bit to do so, and making us feel quite loved (and well-watered) at each stop. They also made us some lovely souvenirs to take home. Cheers, N and M! My favorite musical memory may be the night we performed at the Old Queen's Head in London, (pictured here) as the venue was THE coolest place, and the artists we met and heard that night were incredible. It has been so cool to see how England does "Americana."

There are so many stories I would love to recount, and we all know (if you are reading this) how terrible I am at keeping up with blogs. I have made it my resolution to improve. Facebook updates and tweets are just not enough, and one can get pretty lazy with those abbreviated forms of communication. Be sure to e-mail me if you have specific questions about my music or our travels. Telling the stories you want to hear is the best!