so, tonight's round at the bluebird was so much fun...angaleena presley, natalie hemby, and ashley monroe are serious forces to be reckoned with in this town.  SO talented...SUCH great singers, all in their own right.  we had a blast.

i was blown away by the fans i met afterwards, especially these folks who both had tatoos of lyrics from my song "lovins for fools" - on one of their arms was the first chorus, on the other, the second chorus.  granted, they weren't permanent tatoos, but still, they still went to all that trouble...



then, some of us went to a bar across the street afterwards and had some beers.  i had had a light dinner so i was a bit hungry, and my favorite food is french fries, so i mentioned to one of the girls with us that i wanted french fries.  well, it was her birthday and she was in celebratory mode, and got right up in the waitresses face to order me french fries, and when the waitress told her the kitchen was closed, she was not having any of it.  she looked outside and saw that there was a mcdonald's across the street and announced that she would soon be back with fries.  we were a little concerned as she rushed out the door, and walked right into the middle of hillsboro road and begun to stop traffic with one hand so that she could make it to the mcdonalds across the street.

we all watched in anticipation as she first tried to get in...no luck...then she walked up to the drive-through where there were already a couple cars in line.  we chuckled as we watched her body language -- obviously explaining to anyone in earshot that her friend desperately needed french fries and that the f***ing bar where we were wouldn't serve them to us.  after quite a wait, we wondered if someone had called the poice...BUT, low and behold, all of a sudden, a huge bag was handed to her through the drive-thru window, and here she came with my fries!!!  (eating them along the way, of course)



so, don't forget: people do nice things.
love,
sarah

the day that i left nashville for this trip, we got our first real snow in 10 years.  i was sad to leave it, knowing i was missing out on long gazes out of my living room window, sipping hot tea and feeling cozy in my home...but, alas, life calls.  i got on the plane, and despite it sitting on the runway for an hour and half to de-ice, and therefore almost missing my connection, i eventually made it to NYC for the first part of my coast to coast trip.

NY brought great things: energizing meetings, the best organic indian food i've ever tasted, lots of new songs, an uncomfortably packed show at the rockwood (ok, just uncomfortable to get on and off the stage with all those bodies), old friends, new friends, and lots of fried eggs.  thanks to ari hest for saving my butt in a lodging malfunction.  i can't believe i hadn't met ari before - he has one of the most amazing singing voices out there and his songs are killer.  we got to write one together between/during ESPN sports center viewings and a walk to the pharmacy to pick up my antibiotics for the wicked sinus infection i caught.

also, thanks to rosi golan for having me to the rockwood and for also writing a beautiful song with me.  another amazing singer-songwriter you must check out!  you've probably heard her singing on pantene and jc penney commercials, but check out her record - so good!

i reluctantly left NY and caught the direct jetblue flight to LA...coast to coast, baby.  my uncle lives here and directed me to a great car rental place that hooked me up with a dodge avenger!!  a step up from the regular malibu.  it's been raining the whole time, but i took advantage of it yesterday and holed myself up in a most amazing space in beachwood canyon and wrote all day.  as promised, i posted one of the songs i finished yesterday called "love what's left."  thank you noa for the space, the mojo and the borrowing of your guitar.

had dinner last night at one of my all time favorite restaurants called "home" but  cannot WAIT for a visit to cru, a restaurant that was pretty much made for me.  tonight i play at the hotel cafe followed by the wonderful maia sharp!  if you're in LA, come down and say hello - i play at 7.

more songs and meetings to follow on this trip...plus a bike ride or two on the beach!  coast to coast, baby...

love,
sarah

the new website is up!  i hope it's easier and simpler to navigate - this marks the launch of a great year.  i'll be playing shows all over, starting with NYC this weekend.  looking forward to seeing familiar faces and new ones too!

lots of transition in the air, but it's good and exciting.  this month has been wonderful, at home, regrouping, cooking, rearranging rooms, balancing checkbooks, doing yoga, smiling.  now it's time to hit the road again.

oh, and tonight, julie lee and i will sing a couple songs at the station inn with the infamous stringdusters!!

see you soon,
love, sarah

my office is clean.  my living room is vacuumed.  my toilet is scrubbed.  my christmas ornaments are packed away in a labeled rubbermaid with a red lid.  this is a state of existence i thought only my friend GC lived in!....(haha if you read this)  in the last 2 days i've made soup, peanut sauce, salads and steamed greens, sweet potato bread, pork loin, and mac and cheese from scratch, and i don't even eat mac & cheese!  (ok, my man does) 

my jeans are tighter from the holidays, but my heart and mind feel at peace.  i'm so hopeful about the future and tickled pink about what's to come in 2010.  transitions abound, for me and my loved ones, but i trust it.  everything's ok. 

it's supposed to snow tonight and tomorrow in mild-ole-nashville.  if we lose power, we've got candles, and my mom has a woodburning stove just 1 mile away.  life is good.  for the first time in a long time, i'm not worried.  something strange has happened.

as the year winds down and everyone gets their holiday shopping done, i'm driving a station wagon full of instruments and suitcases home.  my last tour of the year was fun - the best part was seeing family on the way up and getting to squeeze lots of babies.

i have about 10 hours to go today from maryland to tennessee.  it's a pretty drive.  some things i learned on this trip/tour:

1) don't drive to boston in december.  they may have a blizzard
2) toll booth attendants are very friendly - talk to them
3) 'car talk' podcasts never get old

i can't wait to not be moving in a box on a road.  happy holidays everyone!!  and don't forget i'm still sharing "lost worktapes" with you as a holiday gift here.

love,
sarah

i am so excited about the upcoming food and family that i started my gravy 3 weeks ago...gravy is a serious thing in my family.  my grandmother made it completely from scratch and then she passed it down to my uncle and now i've started making it because of my food allergies.  but, it's still fierce and full of flavor.  my honey and i made a late night run to the grocery store last night and stocked up.  so many collard greens that we had to put them in the downstairs fridge.  oh yeh.  gotta represent north carolina.

the insanity of the last several months is going to screetch to a nice hault this week as our family trickles in from across the country and we all sit together thursday evening to give thanks.  we're hosting this year!  football, fake fireplace, ping-pong in the garage, maybe even christmas carols around the piano (which i WILL video and post if it happens) 

then, friday, after everyone sleeps half the day, we'll load our gear up and head down to the taproom for a show!  it's gonna be a blast.  please come if you live in nashville or are going to be in town.  come see the 10 pounds i will gain this week!

i'm thankful for you!
love,
sarah

so, last night i sat 30 feet from vince gill, patty griffin and willie nelson as they sang kris kristofferson songs as a tribute to him at the BMI awards in nashville.  i sat at my table, biting my lip, fighting the tears.  nevertheless, a couple tears made their way down my cheek.  those three voices are epic, as well as all of their musicianship and songwriting.  (plus, vince alone could melt me into a puddle singing the phonebook)  we were all in our cute little outfits, drinking our complementary wine and eating the same stock meals that we get every year at the awards shows.  blake shelton is tweeting at the next table.  nicole kidman is in everyone's eagle eye.  taylor swift is winning all the awards.

fast forward to tonight...i sit at a local restuarant where we are all gathered around a massive television screen to watch the CMA awards.  because i am a songwriter here, i have heartstrings wrapped around a lot of the songwriters that are behind these nominated songs.  is the glitz of country music for me? no!  but do i love songs?  yes!  does an amazing song transcend genre?  yes!  and does enthusiasm and positivity penetrate?  yes!  maybe it's because i have known taylor swift's producer for years and seen what hard work he has put into her career for so long because he believed in her...maybe it was because he was up there with her accepting the awards that i cried.  or maybe it's that no matter how well she may or may not sing, she still has an undeniable passion for the song.  i remember being her age and being obsessed with songs.  i am so grateful that i still am.  there's something magical about music that you just can't put into words.  not even in song.  and that's why i cried.

somehow, i always seem to have major life things i'm trying to figure out.  today was clarification day.  i am a planner, and now i have more plans.  i like it.  you'd never know by the disaster that is my office, but i like things to be in order.  at least big life things.  today i turned a corner on moving forward with some  things.  isn't that what mondays are for?  that and monday night football.

i also used coconut oil for sauteeing for the first time tonight, which was heavenly.  lemon coconut chicken over steamed bok choy.  trying another suggestion from last week's red wine twitter poll.  tonight is leese fitch cab from cali.  it's nice!  the coolest thing about it is that it has a "zork" instead of a cork.

in august, i retreated to a trailer in florida and wrote a bunch of songs.  this one came out like a screaming baby, needing to be heard...really just by me, but i hope by you too.  :) one day i hope to put it on my next record   LISTEN

love,
sarah

it's not as bad as it sounds...it's actually funny.  i was just in the local healthfood store, and as i was passing by the meat section, i saw a little girl, jumping up and down, grinning and clapping, saying to her mother in delight: "Yay! Dead chickens!  Yay!"  in that moment, i chuckled to myself at how funny that sounded, but it got me to thinking about how something that could so easily be scarey or gross, was fun and happy to this little girl.  i was inspired.  by dead chickens.  i've been to meeting after meeting this week, wedged between co-writing appointments and business dinners.  emails  and voicemails aren't returned and i haven't had a chance to go to the gym.  i find myself daydreaming about actually having a minute to wash the dishes in the sink and how fun that would be to feel in order.  my guilt over not being able to do even more in the hours i have in the days seems to have overpowered me lately.  but, what if i turn it around and decide i'm going to love it, be grateful, and jump up and down and clap at it.  i think i will.  oh, and is it ironic that after i saw that little girl, i ate chicken curry without a second thought?

hey folks,

if you are a napster user, or are considering becoming one, they just released an exclusive track of mine this week.  it's not available anywhere else and is called "One Ray of Shine."  i wrote it with the wonderful viktor krauss, and he plays bass on the track, along with lex price and matt chamberlain.  go get it here! 

i had a blast at the belcourt the other night.  thanks to all of you who came and said hi at the merch table - i enjoyed meeting so many new folks in a town that i've lived in for almost 12 years.  sometimes i feel like i know every single person here, and then i have a night like that where i meet a whole new bunch!

stay tuned for new concert dates...we are trickling them out a couple at a time.  but, in the meantime, if you live in nashville, mark your calendars for nov. 27, the day after turkey day...the duo you saw at the belcourt will play a FREE show at 12 south taproom!!  SO FUN!... we can't wait.

time to pack up and head to the office where i'm writing with one of my favs stephanie chapman.!!

love,
sarah