In the last 24 hours Nashville has enjoyed the wintry mix of rain, sleet, hail and a snowflake or two and I am ready for the grey gloom to pass!  Luckily, I’m packing up the ole Jeep and heading to Florida in two short days.

FLORIDA? Oh yes, heading to Santa Rosa Beach to volunteer for the 30A Songwriter Festival.  I learned about the festival too late to submit my own music so I figure this is the next best thing; I’ll be networking and listening to some stellar tunes all weekend long. 

Filling in a few more dates for my March tour with Tyler Flowers (still waiting on Pittsburgh and possibly Chicago) and we can’t wait to hit the road.  I would say about half of the venues we are playing are new and I am thrilled to be sharing the stage with Jesse Terry for our show at Café 9 in New Haven, CT.  He’s awesome!  I’m also looking forward to 2 shows at The Purple Fiddle in Thomas, West VA which are extra special because they are part of “50 shows in 50 States” to raise awareness for epilepsy.  I was contacted last week by the foundation putting together this awareness project and I’m the West VA rep!  Other artists involved are Def Leppard, Chicago and….wait for it….Spin Doctors.  SLR has never been in such fancy company!  (is it weird when I refer to myself in the 3^rd person?)

As you know, after reaching out on a limb to find the fruit by sharing my original duet “Dear John, Dear Abby” with Gary Nichols of The Steeldrivers, we ended up in the studio recording another duet last month.  That went so well that I drove down to Alabama after Christmas and we tried co-writing (something I am very intimated by!) which was a great fit and “Today is Not a Day for Grace” tumbled right out of us.  And if that isn’t exciting enough, we decided it’s not going to stop there.  After much thought, it was decided that Gary is going to produce my next album!  So much more on that as it unfolds…I can’t wait!  I remember when I released Ruby Red Shoes (produced by Henry Paul and Michael Bush) thinking “this is the best representation of who I am right now, this is the very best I have to share and offer.”  I look forward to capturing who that SLR is today when I go into the studio with Gary.

As always, I am in danger of writing too long of an update so let me just remind you once again that I do have a kids album now, “Oh, My Stars!” which was released just before Christmas.  Just $7 and one could be yours.  Not only will you hear the musical stylings of myself, Amber-Dawn and Brian, but the stellar star cases are homemade by yours truly! 

And please, book a house concert!  They are so fun!! If you want to talk it out a bit or you want more clarification, drop me a line!  Last year, as you may know, Sarah Siskind performed at my house for my 30^th birthday and it was such a wonderful experience.  I’m tossing around ideas in my head for a special guest for my 31^st …. I mean my 2 year anniversary of my 29^th… birthday in March.

Ok, Casey Jones is barking (again) so for the sake of my neighbors sanity, I’m going to try and get him inside.

Have a wonderful day and an even better weekend!

SLR

here is a video from my show last week in Nashville at The Family Wash with my incredible Handsome Devils:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SDdSyR9I8wc

and here is a photo, courtesy of Charlie Upton! (from left to right: Brian Granfors, SLR, Joe Huettner, Amber-Dawn Rische Nicholas)