Special thanks to Art Luna for having me, to Ali McNeill for the kind words and beautiful vocals, and to ContrAddiction for bringing people and headlining with great, harmony-driven pop rock. Thanks also to Deanne and her man, Tommy, Kristen, Cara (Kera?) and the friends they brought. Thanks to Jacob and his friends who caught the tail end of the show. Many thanks to John and Judy, Shawn E, Joe B, Richard, and the friends that came with them. Thanks to the friends of the other acts who stuck around. I’ll post pics within the week.

Other than the overamped distortion that came from Luna Cafe’s speakers (last time I will mention this in this post and I apologize for this sound issue), I felt really great about this show because the people who came really understood and appreciated the music. The hoots and hollers filled the room with an ease that is highly underrated. The great thing about this place is the intimacy- when someone makes a comment in the audience, I can talk right back to them and the whole place can hear it. The group really solidifies in a spot like that and I am lucky to have good friends and supportive, helpful musicians around me. Thanks also to Kyle, who got too ill to come but sent an entourage in his place!

The morning after the Sacto show, Whit and I drove straight to LA where we would remain for only 24 hours before driving back. Talk about devotion- he has all the brownie points right now, especially since he did most of the driving. Now I often get asked at shows why I don’t try out for American Idol. The reasons are these: 1. people who get good ratings and are sure to be kicked off because they are so laughable are picked over hundreds of worthier singers because the show needs people to criticize, 2. Idol is for people who can only sing other peoples’ songs- they cannot create anything and are in a sense vocal instrumentalists more than they are artists. I am a songwriter who also plays instruments in addition to being a singer. I don’t sing what someone else told me to and my talent lies in creating and performing original music for those who enjoy it.

With that explanation out of the way, you will now understand why I drove to LA for just one day to stand in a very long line to audition for a songwriting competition show. It’s called Hitmakers and it comes out on Bravo some time soon. Given my liking for Top Chef and the fact that Bravo’s competitions tend to actually pick people with skills in the desired area, this appeared a worthwhile adventure. The inspiring part was sitting in a line of 400 people at 6am. I was number 38 and the songwriters on either side of me were extremely kind and talented. We all shared a fellow feeling (who uses this term who wasn’t forced to read Jane Eyre?) and we all shared our dreams and enabled each other not to take the day too seriously. I’m still trying to remember the name of a songwriter from the Bay Area who sat next to me who plays at the Blue Rock Shoot in Saratoga. He’s married, wears a beanie, is really nice and writes great hooks. I think someone in the West Coast Songwriters Organization will let me know who he is. And Lauren- what’s your last name? I want to google your incredible music..

Whit and I saw family too when we were down there. The trip was very precious (darn conversationalist passive voice). And if I stop self-editing out loud, I may be able to tell you about my first trip to Harris Ranch on the way back. We had eaten at Ginger Grass Vietnamese for lunch in Silver Lake, which puts the place on Center St in Berkeley to shame I’m sorry to say. I tried some amazing tofu. Hours later after tense convos on the purpose of tailgating, we stopped at a strange cowboy wonderland. I read up on the ethics and manner in which our food was coming to us and it all seemed more live, local and sustainable than usual, so I was excited about my prime rib sandwich. Who knew that prime rib comes with big inch-thick layers of fat around it? I should really know this. For those of you who savor this part of the cow, you would have liked it because it was the kind that just melted away so to speak, but I had to partition it off myself. We calmly appreciated our sweet potato fries and pondered the lives of the locals at the bar, complete with dazzling buckles and real big-rimmed hats. I’m not sure that I will go back- maybe just for the vegetable plate since it’s all grown right there and I won’t have to dissect it.

Ok, ok, this is my music blog, so I’ll get back to that. I’m getting married in June, so there aren’t any gigs planned before then, but there’s plenty of recording planned for the new songs so many of you have heard, including string sections and some new accents. So I may blog about recording or about someone else’s show here in the interim. Or I may tell you about our move to Martinez which enables us to keep the music going. This week I’m looking forward to my brother’s Black Lager Mateveza release at City Beer in San Francisco. There’s nothing like good, flavorful microbrew. See you all soon. And thanks for listening.

-Grace

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