Sleep! Glorious sleep! Soft pillows and sheets! Sleep! Glorious sleep! Finally lay down to sleep!
I'm feeling much better now. Mostly due to the 10, count 'em 10! hours of sleep I got last night.
Glorious!
Because, like I was saying, the days before that were decidely not glorious.
I think I forgot to tell you a couple of details about the trip to Denver Like the fact that Dave and I were supposed to fly out of Burlington on 6am flight. But the plane had a mechanical error. I wasn't so worried, but my more experienced in traveling partner was. He knew that in a small airport situation, if you miss your flight out, you could be stuck there all day. So he pushed for a preimptive solution. Namely, us not waiting for them to fix whatever was wrong with the plane, but instead getting them to book us on another flight out.
Which we did thank goodness. Because us not getting to Denver...not really an option. That would have been a disaster.
They booked us on another airline, which meant we had to go back and check in again. Thankfully the Burlington airport is tiny. Miniscule in fact. So there wasn't any kind of line drama.
Though we were concerned about our baggage.
Because this tiny airport had a, shall we say, decidely casual air about it. Perhaps it would better be described as a "small town" vibe. Which is my way of saying that Dave and I were not convinced that our luggage, which included my guitar, would neccsarily make it to Denver. Because ours was not the only itinerary changed. They had to reroute pretty much everyone at our gate. And the women at the desk at the gate who were doing this seemed very, very, very flustered.
Our fears were heightened by the fact that when we were rechecking in, we heard a baggage guy say over the walkie-talkie sitting on the check-in desk " uh, what do I need to do with these bags"
"You know," we told the nice lady behind the counter, " we're just going to stand here until the bags get situated"
"Great!" she said, "that will help remind me."
And you know we stayed there until we actually witnessed our bags being retagged!
The rest of the trip was blessedly uneventful. We got to Denver via Chicago, got picked up by Ray at the airport and went to the hotel to get a couple of hours of rest. Then we went to the gig, played, drove back to Denver,got to see what an almost empty Denver airport was like and boarded redeye bound for JFK. We snoozed on the plane. Got into New York at 6am. Hung out in the Jet Blue terminal, which we nicknmaed little Europe because it was so, you know, European seeming. Got massages thank to Dave's insistence. Got on the plane to Burlington. Arrived in Burlington and picked up Claire and the baby, and drove to the Trapp Family Lodge in Stowe Vermont.
That's Trapp as in Von Trapp as in the "Sound of Music" Von Trapp! As in, raindrops on roses, how do you solve a problem like Maria, high on a hill stood a lonely goatheard, the Hills are alive with the sound of music Von Trapps!
Awesome.
And I'll tell you all about our stay there tomorrow. Let's just say I'm a beleiver in the magic of the Trapp Family Lodge.
-- Post From My iPhone
Monday, August 31, 2009
Saturday, August 29, 2009
Hellacious
That's what we've been calling the last two days. I swear, I have been stressing about these couple of days for like, a month. It got so bad that everytime thought about it my back would seize up.
My entire back.
I have been in pain, people!
And what possible travel configuration could lead me to uncontrolllable back seizage? Let me lay it on you.
So, we played Berkely Springs, WV on Thursday. Our next gig? Wolfesboro, NH. Mapquest says it's 10 hours away. But mapquest doesn't factor in traveling with a baby. Or gnarly East Coast traffic projects and/or jams.
But wait! There's more!
After the Wolfesboro gig, we had to bust ass to Burlington, VT, where we would drop Claire and Lisel off at a hotel. Then Dave and i would proceed to the Burlington Airport, where we would take a 6am flight to Denver. In Denver we were to meet up with the rest of the band ( they were flying out of Newark). We would then go and play a gig. An hour outside of Denver.
But wait! We're not done yet!
So after the gig we'd head back to the Denver Airport where we would all take a flight that leaves at 12:45am! (my first redeye flight ever) arriving at JFK at 6, and then back to Burlington, VT by 10:45.
But the fun doesn't stop there. Because from Burlington we drive a paltry 36 miles to Stowe, VT, where we play not one, but two gigs.
And then?
We collapse in a heap on the hotel floor, crying softly and pleading for mercy, sweet mercy.
I'm having some problems with my tenses here, because we're in the middle of this hellacious run. We're actually headed to the hour-outside-of-Denver, aka Kersey, CO gig.
So far it's gone okay. The 10 hour drive from Berkely Springs to Wolfeboro took 14 hours, due to the previously mentioned traffic construction. The baby however, did great. We left right after the gig, so she slept most of the way. Stopped in Midfletown, Connecticut for breakfast (travel tip, O'rouke's Diner does not serve steamed cheeseburgers for breakfast) . And got to the hotel with enough time for Claire and Dave to take naps.
Oh yeah, did I forget to mention that Claire Small, in addition to being beautiful and talented, is a road monster! Girlfriend took the first shift on the long drive and road dogged it through crazy one-lane construction, rain and fog.
And she drove most of the way from Wolfesboro to Burlinton.
Because she's a monster!
Just another reason you should check her out.
Like you could check out her website.
http://www.clairesmall.com/
Or read her blog! (you can have a Roshamon type experience of this tour)http://www.smallgirlclaire.blogspot.com/
There's more to tell, but this post is getting too long I think. And I'm getting a little car sick. So tomorrow I promise to let you know how it all turns out.
-- Post From My iPhone
My entire back.
I have been in pain, people!
And what possible travel configuration could lead me to uncontrolllable back seizage? Let me lay it on you.
So, we played Berkely Springs, WV on Thursday. Our next gig? Wolfesboro, NH. Mapquest says it's 10 hours away. But mapquest doesn't factor in traveling with a baby. Or gnarly East Coast traffic projects and/or jams.
But wait! There's more!
After the Wolfesboro gig, we had to bust ass to Burlington, VT, where we would drop Claire and Lisel off at a hotel. Then Dave and i would proceed to the Burlington Airport, where we would take a 6am flight to Denver. In Denver we were to meet up with the rest of the band ( they were flying out of Newark). We would then go and play a gig. An hour outside of Denver.
But wait! We're not done yet!
So after the gig we'd head back to the Denver Airport where we would all take a flight that leaves at 12:45am! (my first redeye flight ever) arriving at JFK at 6, and then back to Burlington, VT by 10:45.
But the fun doesn't stop there. Because from Burlington we drive a paltry 36 miles to Stowe, VT, where we play not one, but two gigs.
And then?
We collapse in a heap on the hotel floor, crying softly and pleading for mercy, sweet mercy.
I'm having some problems with my tenses here, because we're in the middle of this hellacious run. We're actually headed to the hour-outside-of-Denver, aka Kersey, CO gig.
So far it's gone okay. The 10 hour drive from Berkely Springs to Wolfeboro took 14 hours, due to the previously mentioned traffic construction. The baby however, did great. We left right after the gig, so she slept most of the way. Stopped in Midfletown, Connecticut for breakfast (travel tip, O'rouke's Diner does not serve steamed cheeseburgers for breakfast) . And got to the hotel with enough time for Claire and Dave to take naps.
Oh yeah, did I forget to mention that Claire Small, in addition to being beautiful and talented, is a road monster! Girlfriend took the first shift on the long drive and road dogged it through crazy one-lane construction, rain and fog.
And she drove most of the way from Wolfesboro to Burlinton.
Because she's a monster!
Just another reason you should check her out.
Like you could check out her website.
http://www.clairesmall.com/
Or read her blog! (you can have a Roshamon type experience of this tour)http://www.smallgirlclaire.blogspot.com/
There's more to tell, but this post is getting too long I think. And I'm getting a little car sick. So tomorrow I promise to let you know how it all turns out.
-- Post From My iPhone
Friday, August 28, 2009
My Bad
So remember how I told you that we hooked our road nanny Claire Small up with some opening gigs on this tour? Pretty awesome right?
Except that I dropped a couple of very important balls
And the night before last, the ball droppage caught up with us.
My first mistake was not clueing Jim Finney, our intrepid road manager, into the whole situation until waaaay late in the game.
You see, a road manager is in charge of all the various parts and pieces that have to fit snuggly together in order for life on the road to run smoothly. He deals with the promoters and the venues as well as handling all things related to band members--hotel check in's and check outs, all leave times...basically he sets the schedule and makes sure we stick to it.
Without him, we would be lost. Literally. Like, left in a truckstop in the middle of the desert lost.
So, when there's an opener he needs to know.
And for some reason, it didn't occur to me until very late in the game to let him in on the whole situation.
I knew the wheel office knew and our booking agent knew and Claire knew what the haps were. But I should have been conveying all info to Jim from the beginning because my late notification caused him unneeded stress when he was advancing some shows. And one thing a road manager doss not need is more stress.
My bad.
Number two ball ball dropped? I forgot to advance the gigs. Or more precisely I failed to realize the importance of advancing gigs What does advancing a gig entail? Basically, the performer or performer's representative contacts the promoter to make sure they are on the same page--that your understanding of where and when you will be playing is in line with the people who hired you.
Instead, I assumed everyone was on the same page.
And we know what happens when we assume.
All the balls came crashing down in Berkley Springs, WV at the Star Theater which was slated to be Claire's first opening gig.
Except that the club had booked another opening act.
And because we hadn't advanced the show, we didn't know that until we got there.
And because of the schedule, there was no room for Claire.
Oh dude. My bad.
I wanted to crawl in a hole and hide my ball dropping face. Because had I been on top of things, we would have known beforehand! Luckily Claire is a super laid back and forgiving individual who was dissapointed, yes, but not angry.
And luckily the universe is awesome. Because the universe took the initiative to make up for my frackin' ball dropping arse.
The universe gave Claire another gig.
The same day of the Berkely Springs debacle of 2009, we got word that Claire had picked up another opening spot at our gig in Wolfesboro, NH. That was last night.
And Jim Finney knew all about it.
And Claire talked to the promoter.
And she played the opening slot.
And to top if off, she totally rocked the house.
Lisel and I stayed up for one song, during which my 8 month-old daughter watched Claire with rapt attention. Do you know what an 8 month-old's attention span is like? Well let me just say that rapt is a total rarity.
After the song I got Lisel gave me the signal that sleep was fast approaching, so I took her to the baby bus and started our bedtime routine. But I left the door open and listened to the rest of Claire's set while my baby drifted off to sleepy time. And it was lovely. Claire's voice, as clear and sparkly as a bell, singing beautiful songs, each one followed by applause and hoots and whistles. And the darkness settling in. And the baby lying next to me...these are the wonderful amazing moments.
So once again, the universe comes through. Which I am thankful for, because I certainly did not. Sometimes, despite your best efforts, you just get lucky.
-- Post From My iPhone
Except that I dropped a couple of very important balls
And the night before last, the ball droppage caught up with us.
My first mistake was not clueing Jim Finney, our intrepid road manager, into the whole situation until waaaay late in the game.
You see, a road manager is in charge of all the various parts and pieces that have to fit snuggly together in order for life on the road to run smoothly. He deals with the promoters and the venues as well as handling all things related to band members--hotel check in's and check outs, all leave times...basically he sets the schedule and makes sure we stick to it.
Without him, we would be lost. Literally. Like, left in a truckstop in the middle of the desert lost.
So, when there's an opener he needs to know.
And for some reason, it didn't occur to me until very late in the game to let him in on the whole situation.
I knew the wheel office knew and our booking agent knew and Claire knew what the haps were. But I should have been conveying all info to Jim from the beginning because my late notification caused him unneeded stress when he was advancing some shows. And one thing a road manager doss not need is more stress.
My bad.
Number two ball ball dropped? I forgot to advance the gigs. Or more precisely I failed to realize the importance of advancing gigs What does advancing a gig entail? Basically, the performer or performer's representative contacts the promoter to make sure they are on the same page--that your understanding of where and when you will be playing is in line with the people who hired you.
Instead, I assumed everyone was on the same page.
And we know what happens when we assume.
All the balls came crashing down in Berkley Springs, WV at the Star Theater which was slated to be Claire's first opening gig.
Except that the club had booked another opening act.
And because we hadn't advanced the show, we didn't know that until we got there.
And because of the schedule, there was no room for Claire.
Oh dude. My bad.
I wanted to crawl in a hole and hide my ball dropping face. Because had I been on top of things, we would have known beforehand! Luckily Claire is a super laid back and forgiving individual who was dissapointed, yes, but not angry.
And luckily the universe is awesome. Because the universe took the initiative to make up for my frackin' ball dropping arse.
The universe gave Claire another gig.
The same day of the Berkely Springs debacle of 2009, we got word that Claire had picked up another opening spot at our gig in Wolfesboro, NH. That was last night.
And Jim Finney knew all about it.
And Claire talked to the promoter.
And she played the opening slot.
And to top if off, she totally rocked the house.
Lisel and I stayed up for one song, during which my 8 month-old daughter watched Claire with rapt attention. Do you know what an 8 month-old's attention span is like? Well let me just say that rapt is a total rarity.
After the song I got Lisel gave me the signal that sleep was fast approaching, so I took her to the baby bus and started our bedtime routine. But I left the door open and listened to the rest of Claire's set while my baby drifted off to sleepy time. And it was lovely. Claire's voice, as clear and sparkly as a bell, singing beautiful songs, each one followed by applause and hoots and whistles. And the darkness settling in. And the baby lying next to me...these are the wonderful amazing moments.
So once again, the universe comes through. Which I am thankful for, because I certainly did not. Sometimes, despite your best efforts, you just get lucky.
-- Post From My iPhone
Baby Bus Article!
Here's a cool article on the baby bus from the Washington Examiner! Thanks to Emily for writing it and to Patch for setting it up!
http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/entertainment/Asleep-at-the-Wheel-brings-folksy-roots-rock-to-Birchmere-8156193-54841112.html
-- Post From My iPhone
http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/entertainment/Asleep-at-the-Wheel-brings-folksy-roots-rock-to-Birchmere-8156193-54841112.html
-- Post From My iPhone
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Yesterday
The East Coast seemed so far away
Then we took a plane very earlay
Now Austin is
Our yesterday
I could continue, but really none of us want that.
So the tour has started! Dave and Claire left Tuesday to make the 27 hour drive in the baby bus up to the East Coast. Lisel and I woke up at 4:30 yesterday morning to catch a 7am flight to BWI.
These are both tired making activities.
But we didn't let our weariness stop us from having lunch with our good friend and former Austinite Gary Griffin and his two amazing sons, Taylor and Evan.
Dave and Gary have known each other for 25 years. And the thing about Gary Griffin is, he's forgotten more about Rock n' Roll than you'll ever know.
Yes. Even you.
And if you live in the DC metro area, you can catch him playing his guitar and singing sweet songs Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday And Sunday at the Poybelly's in the Carlyle hotel in Alexandria.
And you should definitely follow him on Twitter @Gtwodagee
After a much needed monster nap, we headed to the gig where we met up with an old friend of mine from middle school, James Melonas. He and his wife Margee came to the gig after we recently connected on Facebook.
Let me stress again that we've known each other since we were twelve. That's twenty frackin' years! Ahhhh! And in that picture he is standing next to his wife holding my child.
Whaaaaaaaaat?
For some reason seeing James really bent my brain all in knots, because we were kids together. Pre-teens dude. We "went out" in middle school, went to some home comings together in high school, lived in the same house our senior year of college...kids man. And now we're full on adults with jobs and partners and babies.
Kind of crazy.
And after the gig I met Sarah Shaw (did I get your last name right Sarah?) who is a full time RVer and a reader of this here blog. She had some really lovely compliments which made my good day even better. So I want to send a shout out to a fellow gypsy!
Holla!
Today we're headed to Berkley Springs, WV and tonight, after the gig, we begin what's become known as the "hellacious" part of our journey. More on that later.
Then we took a plane very earlay
Now Austin is
Our yesterday
I could continue, but really none of us want that.
So the tour has started! Dave and Claire left Tuesday to make the 27 hour drive in the baby bus up to the East Coast. Lisel and I woke up at 4:30 yesterday morning to catch a 7am flight to BWI.
These are both tired making activities.
But we didn't let our weariness stop us from having lunch with our good friend and former Austinite Gary Griffin and his two amazing sons, Taylor and Evan.
Dave and Gary have known each other for 25 years. And the thing about Gary Griffin is, he's forgotten more about Rock n' Roll than you'll ever know.
Yes. Even you.
And if you live in the DC metro area, you can catch him playing his guitar and singing sweet songs Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday And Sunday at the Poybelly's in the Carlyle hotel in Alexandria.
And you should definitely follow him on Twitter @Gtwodagee
After a much needed monster nap, we headed to the gig where we met up with an old friend of mine from middle school, James Melonas. He and his wife Margee came to the gig after we recently connected on Facebook.
Let me stress again that we've known each other since we were twelve. That's twenty frackin' years! Ahhhh! And in that picture he is standing next to his wife holding my child.
Whaaaaaaaaat?
For some reason seeing James really bent my brain all in knots, because we were kids together. Pre-teens dude. We "went out" in middle school, went to some home comings together in high school, lived in the same house our senior year of college...kids man. And now we're full on adults with jobs and partners and babies.
Kind of crazy.
And after the gig I met Sarah Shaw (did I get your last name right Sarah?) who is a full time RVer and a reader of this here blog. She had some really lovely compliments which made my good day even better. So I want to send a shout out to a fellow gypsy!
Holla!
Today we're headed to Berkley Springs, WV and tonight, after the gig, we begin what's become known as the "hellacious" part of our journey. More on that later.
Friday, August 21, 2009
24 hour bus ride--a poem
Sleep. Sleep. Sleep.
Truckstop. Eat.
Call the folks
The baby is sweet.
What's on tv?
Nothing, I see.
Sleep. Sleep.
I have to pee.
Feeling like a cup of coffee.
Oops, now I need to...
How soon till we stop again?
500 miles?
Can I keep it in?
Try to sleep
Try to watch tv
Is Ray watching Deal or no Deal just to torture me?
Call the folks
The baby is fine
Lay in my bunk
Distract my mind
With the interweb
Connection dead
Try to read
A book instead.
Truckstop finally!
Five pounds lighter.
Eat some food
Say goodnight. (er)
Sleep. Sleep. Pee. Sleep
Wish I were home with the baby
And that's Colorado to California for me.
-- Post From My iPhone
Truckstop. Eat.
Call the folks
The baby is sweet.
What's on tv?
Nothing, I see.
Sleep. Sleep.
I have to pee.
Feeling like a cup of coffee.
Oops, now I need to...
How soon till we stop again?
500 miles?
Can I keep it in?
Try to sleep
Try to watch tv
Is Ray watching Deal or no Deal just to torture me?
Call the folks
The baby is fine
Lay in my bunk
Distract my mind
With the interweb
Connection dead
Try to read
A book instead.
Truckstop finally!
Five pounds lighter.
Eat some food
Say goodnight. (er)
Sleep. Sleep. Pee. Sleep
Wish I were home with the baby
And that's Colorado to California for me.
-- Post From My iPhone
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Being without Baby...
So, I twittered (tweeted?) about this earlier, but at the risk of redumdancy I'll say it again.
We're on tour
Lisel is not.
Sniff.
What kind of mother leaves this cuteness at home?
We decided to leave her home for this four day run, because a) we're not only in the Mountains of Colorado for two days, which means twisty turny drives and ear popping altitudes b) we have a 24 hour drive from Colorado California c) two days after we get home we're headed out to the East Coast for 2 weeks, and Lisel is coming with us.
When I type it our like that, it actually makes me more secure in our decision.
As does the fact that every time I've called to check in today (which is like 4 times ) I've heard my daughter squealing with delight. Because she's at her Nana and Grandpappy's house having a good ol' time.
But of course, when I'm in my bunk, alone, or pumping (I really need to do a post about pumping) or looking at pictures of the baby, or hearing a story about a mom whose never spent a night away from her 4 year old I feel...less secure.
It's not that I worry about her being emotionally scarred by our separation. I know she's in fantastic and loving hands. But what if she get's sick, or hurt, and we're not there. And on the other end of the what if spectrum, what if she starts crawling or saying little words, and we're not around to see her reach that milestone.
But hey, c'est la motherhood! Is there much more you can do than make your choices, feel your complex emotions(and I think I'm about to quote Matthew McConaughey here) just keep living?
Because she's happier at my folks house, hanging on one place with the grandparents who love her, right? And if something happens, we'll deal with it in the moment. Right?
Right? Right?!?
We're on tour
Lisel is not.
Sniff.
What kind of mother leaves this cuteness at home?We decided to leave her home for this four day run, because a) we're not only in the Mountains of Colorado for two days, which means twisty turny drives and ear popping altitudes b) we have a 24 hour drive from Colorado California c) two days after we get home we're headed out to the East Coast for 2 weeks, and Lisel is coming with us.
When I type it our like that, it actually makes me more secure in our decision.
As does the fact that every time I've called to check in today (which is like 4 times ) I've heard my daughter squealing with delight. Because she's at her Nana and Grandpappy's house having a good ol' time.
But of course, when I'm in my bunk, alone, or pumping (I really need to do a post about pumping) or looking at pictures of the baby, or hearing a story about a mom whose never spent a night away from her 4 year old I feel...less secure.
It's not that I worry about her being emotionally scarred by our separation. I know she's in fantastic and loving hands. But what if she get's sick, or hurt, and we're not there. And on the other end of the what if spectrum, what if she starts crawling or saying little words, and we're not around to see her reach that milestone.
But hey, c'est la motherhood! Is there much more you can do than make your choices, feel your complex emotions(and I think I'm about to quote Matthew McConaughey here) just keep living?
Because she's happier at my folks house, hanging on one place with the grandparents who love her, right? And if something happens, we'll deal with it in the moment. Right?
Right? Right?!?
Saturday, August 15, 2009
Nannies and Mannies
Or is it Nannys and Mannys?
Anyway, that's the topic that's been on my mind lately. Dave and I were lucky. For the first 6 months of Lisel's life our primary road child care was either my mom, dad, or sister. Talk about a load off. I mean, traveling with an infant in stressful enough (I've been thinking a bunch lately about the fact that we did a two week tour with a six week old, and only 6 months later it strikes me, as well, kinda nuts), but traveling with an infant and then handing her off to a person you just met an hour ago before you walk on stage...well, let me say that though we have always had babysitter luck, when the last note sounded I still ran off stage every time.
Knowing that our baby was safe in the arms of a family member relieved Dave and me of a whole passle of worry.
But now, the members of my immediate family are moving onto their next adventures. My folks have decided to continue traveling, but now their choosing their destinations. Every once in a while I'm sure they'll come out on the road. Like right now. We're spending five days near Ruidoso, NM and they offered to come out and watch the baby while Dave and I spend long days at the Spencer Theater performing "A Ride With Bob." For the most part thuough, the road is no longer their home.
My sister has moved to Athens (sniff). She rocked our world, not just on the childcare front but also on the road buddy tip. I'm hoping at some point she'll come back out with us, but for now she'll be busy getting into the swing of her new town.
So you see, our childcare situation has changed.
We could hire people at each venue. Honestly, it would be cheaper. But I'm pretty sure that after a tour of any length of time, I'd be so exhausted from the nerve-wrackingness of it all that I'd be worthless.
So we've decided to hire road nannies/mannies.
A road nanny/manny is a special breed. It has to be someone who is not only cool with watching a baby (because there are many kid people out there, but fewer baby people if you know what I mean) and who is also down with the go-go exciting yet grueling pace of the road. Not everyone wants to wake up at 5, drive to a new town, eat road food, hang out in a hotel room, eat more road food, go to a gig, hang out with a baby and then go back to the hotel. Every day. For weeks at a time.
Luckily, we've located some rad road childcare. Not surprisingly, we've pulled from the pool of excellent musicians we know. Because musicians tend to be up for the adventure.
First, let me introduce you to Claire Small.
You may already met her, because she's watched Lisel on the road in the past. But then let this serve as your reintroduction. Because everyone should know Claire. She's first and foremost an amazing singer and songwriter. She's goosebump good. She's send you into a dreamstate good. And she's working on a new record, which means we're all lucky.
She's also amazing with our daughter. She's easy, and fun, and Lisel adores her. She'll be coming out with Dave and I on a two week tour to the East Coast, and I really can't wait.
And then there's road manny, Lindsay Greene.
Lindsay is one of my oldest Austin friends, my brother from another mother. And he's an incredible bass player, my kind of bass player. Groovy and creative, dude-did-you-really-play-that good. And he's got a bond with Lisel. Here's a man who put my daughter to sleep not one, but two times, with no screaming fits on her part and no freak outs on his. I feel totally comfortable having him watch Lisel.
I'm sure our nanny pool will grow. It's comforting to know that now that we won't always have family on the road, we'll have the next best thing. Awesome nannies/mannies.
Anyway, that's the topic that's been on my mind lately. Dave and I were lucky. For the first 6 months of Lisel's life our primary road child care was either my mom, dad, or sister. Talk about a load off. I mean, traveling with an infant in stressful enough (I've been thinking a bunch lately about the fact that we did a two week tour with a six week old, and only 6 months later it strikes me, as well, kinda nuts), but traveling with an infant and then handing her off to a person you just met an hour ago before you walk on stage...well, let me say that though we have always had babysitter luck, when the last note sounded I still ran off stage every time.
Knowing that our baby was safe in the arms of a family member relieved Dave and me of a whole passle of worry.
But now, the members of my immediate family are moving onto their next adventures. My folks have decided to continue traveling, but now their choosing their destinations. Every once in a while I'm sure they'll come out on the road. Like right now. We're spending five days near Ruidoso, NM and they offered to come out and watch the baby while Dave and I spend long days at the Spencer Theater performing "A Ride With Bob." For the most part thuough, the road is no longer their home.
My sister has moved to Athens (sniff). She rocked our world, not just on the childcare front but also on the road buddy tip. I'm hoping at some point she'll come back out with us, but for now she'll be busy getting into the swing of her new town.
So you see, our childcare situation has changed.
We could hire people at each venue. Honestly, it would be cheaper. But I'm pretty sure that after a tour of any length of time, I'd be so exhausted from the nerve-wrackingness of it all that I'd be worthless.
So we've decided to hire road nannies/mannies.
A road nanny/manny is a special breed. It has to be someone who is not only cool with watching a baby (because there are many kid people out there, but fewer baby people if you know what I mean) and who is also down with the go-go exciting yet grueling pace of the road. Not everyone wants to wake up at 5, drive to a new town, eat road food, hang out in a hotel room, eat more road food, go to a gig, hang out with a baby and then go back to the hotel. Every day. For weeks at a time.
Luckily, we've located some rad road childcare. Not surprisingly, we've pulled from the pool of excellent musicians we know. Because musicians tend to be up for the adventure.
First, let me introduce you to Claire Small.
You may already met her, because she's watched Lisel on the road in the past. But then let this serve as your reintroduction. Because everyone should know Claire. She's first and foremost an amazing singer and songwriter. She's goosebump good. She's send you into a dreamstate good. And she's working on a new record, which means we're all lucky.
She's also amazing with our daughter. She's easy, and fun, and Lisel adores her. She'll be coming out with Dave and I on a two week tour to the East Coast, and I really can't wait.
And then there's road manny, Lindsay Greene.
Lindsay is one of my oldest Austin friends, my brother from another mother. And he's an incredible bass player, my kind of bass player. Groovy and creative, dude-did-you-really-play-that good. And he's got a bond with Lisel. Here's a man who put my daughter to sleep not one, but two times, with no screaming fits on her part and no freak outs on his. I feel totally comfortable having him watch Lisel.
I'm sure our nanny pool will grow. It's comforting to know that now that we won't always have family on the road, we'll have the next best thing. Awesome nannies/mannies.
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Anastasia's Fault
Did I ever tell you about Anastasia's Fault? No? Oh dude, I've totally been meaning to tell you all about them, but I keep forgetting. I know, I know, we've both been busy. And you know I have a severe case of mommy brain.
Anyway, Anastasia's Fault is a band from Casper, Wyoming. We played Casper back in mid July. I don't think I blogged about it, though I may have twittered--or is it tweeted-- about it. Oh you're not following me on twitter? My handle is @EMQ, in case you're into that kind of thing.
Anyway, we played the Beartrap Summer Festival in Casper, and it was a one of gig, so bringing someone with us to watch the bean was not an option. I asked Jana, one of the fesival organizers, if she could recommend someone to watch the baby, and she suggested two teenage sisters, Anastasia and Angie, who were playing earlier in the day in a band called Anastasia's fault.
I was a little wary of having teenagers watch my bean, but the gig was early enough that they wouldn't have to put her to bed, and outdoors (this baby is a total outdoor lover. Take her out of the house and put her on a blanket, and all traces of fussiness dissapear) so I felt okay about it.
So we got to the gig, which was not in Casper proper. It was on top of a mountain. I had not envisioned this. Instead I had assumed that we would be in downtown Casper, maybe in some kind of park.
New Rule: When bringing a baby to the gig, check out all the details of the gig.
The mountain wasn't a problem when we got there. It was warm and sunny, and we set up the pack-n-play under a tent behind the stage, and met Anastasia and Angie, along with their brother JD and their mom Rhondasue...it was, in fact, all good. Lisel took right to Angie:
Don't they look happy!
http://www.myspace.com/anastasiasfault
Thanks!
Tommorrow! Road Nannys and Mannys!
Anyway, Anastasia's Fault is a band from Casper, Wyoming. We played Casper back in mid July. I don't think I blogged about it, though I may have twittered--or is it tweeted-- about it. Oh you're not following me on twitter? My handle is @EMQ, in case you're into that kind of thing.
Anyway, we played the Beartrap Summer Festival in Casper, and it was a one of gig, so bringing someone with us to watch the bean was not an option. I asked Jana, one of the fesival organizers, if she could recommend someone to watch the baby, and she suggested two teenage sisters, Anastasia and Angie, who were playing earlier in the day in a band called Anastasia's fault.
I was a little wary of having teenagers watch my bean, but the gig was early enough that they wouldn't have to put her to bed, and outdoors (this baby is a total outdoor lover. Take her out of the house and put her on a blanket, and all traces of fussiness dissapear) so I felt okay about it.
So we got to the gig, which was not in Casper proper. It was on top of a mountain. I had not envisioned this. Instead I had assumed that we would be in downtown Casper, maybe in some kind of park.
New Rule: When bringing a baby to the gig, check out all the details of the gig.
The mountain wasn't a problem when we got there. It was warm and sunny, and we set up the pack-n-play under a tent behind the stage, and met Anastasia and Angie, along with their brother JD and their mom Rhondasue...it was, in fact, all good. Lisel took right to Angie:
Don't they look happy!And I got the lowdown on Anastasia's Fault. You see, Anastasia had always wanted a fiddle and when she got one she took right to it. In fact, she started winning fiddle competitions. This inspired Dad to bust out his mandolin so he could jam along with his daughter. And then her brother JD to picked up the banjo and he got so good he started winning competions. Then mom, Rhondasue, started playing bass and Angie started singing and playing guitar and bam! a family band was born.
And it was all Anastasia's fault you see.
So I leave the baby with the family to go get ready for the gig and it's so warm that I'm wearing a short sleeved shirt and I'm feeling good. When I come back to check on them right before I go on Rhondasue has Lisel cradeled in her arms, asleep. It turns out she got fussy and luckily Rhondasue used her momma skills to get her to sleep. So I go onstage feeling good and relaxed.
For about 10 minutes.
Because 10 minutes into the show the sky grows dark and suddenly the most powerful blast of cold wind comes shooting down into the meadow where we're playing. And it brings with it a cloud of dust so thick that for a moment I think that they're going to have to call the show on account of flying dirt.
A couple of minutes later, the rain starts.
And my baby is outside.
And I'm freaking.
Because I kind of flaked and didn't check out the details of the gig. And then when I was at the gig I flaked yet again and didn't remember that mountain weather is crazy. Like the one time when we played that Strawberry Festival, in June, and it did this alternating sunny/snow thing all afternoon.
And because mountain people are used to this whole crazy, turn on a dime, now it's hot, now it's cold and rainy thing we didn't stop the show. Some people left but a lot of people stayed. In the rain. They just put on ponchos, or not, and dug on the band. In the cold. And the rain. Dude, folks from Wyoming are tough.
So, yeah, I was freaking.
Luckily Lisel was being watched by Wyomans--or is it Wyomingans--who knew what to do. At the first blast of cold, cold wind they took the baby to their minivan. When the rain started, I didn't have the presence of mind to send Bernie to let them on the bus (but Bernie did) where they played with her until we were done.
So, depite my poor preparation everything worked out great, thanks to a family band named Anastasia's Fault. Which is why I've been meaning to tell you about them and why you should totally go check them out on myspace.
And it was all Anastasia's fault you see.
So I leave the baby with the family to go get ready for the gig and it's so warm that I'm wearing a short sleeved shirt and I'm feeling good. When I come back to check on them right before I go on Rhondasue has Lisel cradeled in her arms, asleep. It turns out she got fussy and luckily Rhondasue used her momma skills to get her to sleep. So I go onstage feeling good and relaxed.
For about 10 minutes.
Because 10 minutes into the show the sky grows dark and suddenly the most powerful blast of cold wind comes shooting down into the meadow where we're playing. And it brings with it a cloud of dust so thick that for a moment I think that they're going to have to call the show on account of flying dirt.
A couple of minutes later, the rain starts.
And my baby is outside.
And I'm freaking.
Because I kind of flaked and didn't check out the details of the gig. And then when I was at the gig I flaked yet again and didn't remember that mountain weather is crazy. Like the one time when we played that Strawberry Festival, in June, and it did this alternating sunny/snow thing all afternoon.
And because mountain people are used to this whole crazy, turn on a dime, now it's hot, now it's cold and rainy thing we didn't stop the show. Some people left but a lot of people stayed. In the rain. They just put on ponchos, or not, and dug on the band. In the cold. And the rain. Dude, folks from Wyoming are tough.
So, yeah, I was freaking.
Luckily Lisel was being watched by Wyomans--or is it Wyomingans--who knew what to do. At the first blast of cold, cold wind they took the baby to their minivan. When the rain started, I didn't have the presence of mind to send Bernie to let them on the bus (but Bernie did) where they played with her until we were done.
So, depite my poor preparation everything worked out great, thanks to a family band named Anastasia's Fault. Which is why I've been meaning to tell you about them and why you should totally go check them out on myspace.
http://www.myspace.com/anastasiasfault
Thanks!
Tommorrow! Road Nannys and Mannys!
Sunday, August 2, 2009
What We Give Up
This weekend, one my very best friends in the whole wide world got married. Her name is Desaray, and ever since high school she's been dazzling me with her poet's soul, her stunning intellect and her heart, a heart that seeks to give and help. She's one of three women from my teeneage years who I still keep in touch with and see on the regular.
A couple of years she met Lauren, a woman would was equal and complementary to her amazingness. The fell into each other, fell in love and decided to partner up for life. Yesterday, theyexchanged vows.
And I wasn't there for the ceremony or reception.
I was playing a gig
I really thought we were going to be off on August 1st, and had planned on being there. But a gig came in. In fact two gigs came in on the same day, and me taking off...well, it was a not so much situation.
You see, this job provides us with a fair amount of flexibilty, and a large portion of time off, but there's one catch -- you have to show up to the gigs. All the gigs. That's the unwritten rule in the band. Exceptions are made, for say, childbirth. But other than that...not so much. It's the sacrifice we make to play music for a living.
Since we play on the weekends, we miss a lot of big days. Everyone else in the non-musician world works weekdays, and parties on the weekends. Us, we relax during the week and work almost every Friday through Saturday.
Dave and I go married on a Monday, because we knew our musician friends wouldn't be able to make it otherwise.
I thought I'd become inured to the whole missing out on celebrations thing. But this weekend...this weekend I really felt it. Because this wasn't just some get together. It was a once in lifetime, huge, gigantic, lovely moment. And I wasn't there because I chose to work.
And you don't get those experiences back. Nor do you really get to make it up to someone. Because there's really no day like a wedding day.
What makes it worse is that Desaray has kept, and I have faithfully read, a blog called Dingmoonment detailing their preparations for their wedding. I know all about the dress, the suit, the cake...I know what I missed.
I got updates from friends, and it sounds like the whole day and night was amazing -- the kind of day that sets the tone for a lifetime of togetherness.
I just wish I would have been there.
A couple of years she met Lauren, a woman would was equal and complementary to her amazingness. The fell into each other, fell in love and decided to partner up for life. Yesterday, theyexchanged vows.
And I wasn't there for the ceremony or reception.
I was playing a gig
I really thought we were going to be off on August 1st, and had planned on being there. But a gig came in. In fact two gigs came in on the same day, and me taking off...well, it was a not so much situation.
You see, this job provides us with a fair amount of flexibilty, and a large portion of time off, but there's one catch -- you have to show up to the gigs. All the gigs. That's the unwritten rule in the band. Exceptions are made, for say, childbirth. But other than that...not so much. It's the sacrifice we make to play music for a living.
Since we play on the weekends, we miss a lot of big days. Everyone else in the non-musician world works weekdays, and parties on the weekends. Us, we relax during the week and work almost every Friday through Saturday.
Dave and I go married on a Monday, because we knew our musician friends wouldn't be able to make it otherwise.
I thought I'd become inured to the whole missing out on celebrations thing. But this weekend...this weekend I really felt it. Because this wasn't just some get together. It was a once in lifetime, huge, gigantic, lovely moment. And I wasn't there because I chose to work.
And you don't get those experiences back. Nor do you really get to make it up to someone. Because there's really no day like a wedding day.
What makes it worse is that Desaray has kept, and I have faithfully read, a blog called Dingmoonment detailing their preparations for their wedding. I know all about the dress, the suit, the cake...I know what I missed.
I got updates from friends, and it sounds like the whole day and night was amazing -- the kind of day that sets the tone for a lifetime of togetherness.
I just wish I would have been there.
Saturday, August 1, 2009
Time off, time on
Okay, so I've thouht about this long and hard, and after some serious soul searching I'm going to make an official proclamation. When I'm working, I'll definitelybe blogging and twiitering and facebooking on the regular. when I'm off the road, here will be little to none of those things. Because I finally have to face facts. I just don't blog when I'm off.
I decided to make this official Miles and Miles of Diapers Policy after many guilt ridden blog free days this month. We only had two gigs in july. And I've only posted twice. But I've felt bad about not posting like, 28 times. Something needed to change.
I was stressin' so hard, Lisel had to take over at the wheel.
So I'm letting myself off the hook. Because the fact is that the road gives me lots of food for blog. And home, well honestly, I don't want to tell you and you probably don't want to know. Because when I'm off, I'm off. It's days at the pool and nights on the couch watching Law and Order CI (I'm a sucker for a crime drama. Did I say sucker? I meant total addict.) I play with the baby. I see friends. I hang with my folks. I try and catch upon rest, mend frayed nerves, and stay as sedentary as possible.
Dave handles home time differently thank me. For him, time off the road means time to accomplish all those schemes and dreams he came up with while driving across America. He has a side business, Any and all Media which keeps him pretty busy when we're home. He likes to play gigs and recording sessions. He's constantly working on home beautification projects. He likes to do. And I like to be. Just be Elizabeth -- mommy, friend, sister, daughter, wife, solitary individual. I made peace with our different ways of recharging long ago.
He's a busy man, mynah is.
For me, blogging is doing, not being. And I need the being time, so that when my life switches to wake up at 5am and pack up the Baby Bus with the baby and half our belongings and head out to the next gig which happens to be in the next state -- when my life becomes doing and more doing, I better have some reserve. And that's my home time.
This announcement comes a little late in the game for me, since we don't really have a lot of time off in the forseeable future. But hey, when time off appears, I'll tale a break from blogging. Because telling you about how much I love Vincent D'nofrio's quirky portrayal of detective Goren would be not only boring for you, but also stressful for me. In that situation, no one wins.
And I want us all to win, ya know.
-- Post From My iPhone
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