the day before i left Baltimore, the FOX45 folks asked me to come in to chat a bit about the promo and play it on the air. they were going to launch the campaign on Friday, April 10, but knew that i was leaving for tour, so they wanted to get something filmed before i left. i'll admit: it was really interesting to be in the studio. i hadn't yet seen their news program, but now that i've seen the studio AND the program, it's really interesting to relate things spatially. we filmed the spot and #1BB got up early on Friday to see it and described to me, over the phone, how it looked, etc. I was a nervous wreck filming it, though! And they just did one take, no time for screw ups!

so i left for the tour on Thursday, April 9. first stop, Charlottesville, VA, where i opened the evening at The Box, a little wine bar/hang out on the main square. The best part of the evening was meeting new people and hearing both Dylan Sneed (a songwriter from South Carolina, but a native Texan) and The Astronomers. Both put on a great show. The Astronomers were AMAZING. Please check them out, you will like them. And Dylan is going to make it in this business, i think. Great songs, great performance and super nice.

Next night, I headed to Charlotte, NC, where I met amazing musicians and played music with my friends Josh and my new friend, Marley Carroll. I hope to be composing some things long distance with Marley (who has his stuff together), but he's going to be waiting on me to get MY stuff together. Just a few more weeks, Marley....i swear.

Sunday, April 12, I headed to Johnson City, TN to play at the Acoustic Coffeehouse. The people there are incredible nice, and it's owned by this cat, Jim Benelisha. Jim emailed me a few weeks prior to the show and he asked if he could sit in, on 'cello, during my set. Sometimes, i'll be honest, when someone asks if they can sit in, I'm worried. Especially if I've never heard them before. Jim was amazing. A classically trained 'cellist with years of experience and a wonderful sensibility about playing with other performers. The next morning, I stayed for a bit longer just to be able to play with him again. He even generously gave me a few tips on my own 'cello playing. Curt, the sound technician, was also really cool. We chatted for a long time about music, the state of things the artistic world, how to keep your head above water and really just enjoy the technological developments of late, etc. Curt, if you happen to read this, thanks for the hospitality, the conversation and the offer of the Library of Congress on a huge projection screen. You are a cool, dude!

Monday, April 13, I headed to the famous Eddie's Attic, Decatur, GA. I would be one of 23 competitors for the Open Mic Shootout slot in June. You get to play 2 songs and Eddie himself judges the evening. He picks 3 performers to return to the stage and perform one more song. I made the finals! But, was not ultimately the winner that night. I wasn't disappointed, though. I had played my best and Eddie pulled me aside and said "ellen, i'm familiar with your music and would like you to come back here." Which was great! The next day, they called and invited me back for the Open Mic Shootout in June. (Sadly, I can't make it because of other commitments, but I'm hoping to go back for the Shootout in November.) That night, I stayed with my friend Chip, who works for a great for-profit company that's actually got a non-profit mindset: Better World Books. Chip is hilarious and talks faster than I do, if you can believe that. And just to let you in on the glamourous life of touring: When I woke up in the morning at Chip's house, i found out that one of his roommate's cats had peed in my clothes bag. I had two more days on the road before I reached Texas, my stopping point. I knew that I couldn't drive for 2 more days with a bag of clothes that smelled this bad. So, i weighed my options: throw the clothes out? Put them in a plastic bag and tie it to the outside? I decided to shower with the offending clothes, and did this before I located Chip's washing machine. Oh well. the clothes and I survived.

Tuesday, April 14, I headed up to Nashville to play another songwriter showcase. This time, I was lucky enough to be staying with my good friend Jack of the Jack Silverman Ordeal (he's an amazing guitar player and really funny dude, as well.) I played at the Listening Room, right near downtown and happened to run into fellow DC musicians, Lori Kelley and Cletus Kennely. I don't even want to guess at the odds of that, but they were there recording demos of new songs that they had written. It was great to hear them play together during their part of the showcase and also just to chat a bit about being working musicians. I played well, sold a few cds and made some connections. Success!

Wednesday, April 15, i headed to Texas. A long drive, but worth it because i got to spend the next week with my family.

Friday, April 17, i played in Dallas. Sharing the stage with the lovely and talented Johnny Lloyd Rollins. He just gets better and better. And also seeing some Dallas area based fans and friends. I need to make that circuit a little more frequently, i think.

On Sunday, April 19th, I drove to La Grange, TX, to play the Songwriter Showcase competition at the Bugle Boy. I have long admired one of the judges, Sara Hickman, and felt so lucky to play for her. She even took the time after my set to give me a helpful and detailed critique of my performance and songs. She was so encouraging, but her critique was the best just because it caused me to really pause and evaluate some of what i'm doing on stage. Thanks Sara!

The rest of the week was spent with the family and with my beloved childhood piano (that my parents keep threatening to sell.)

On Thursday, I headed back in the direction of Baltimore, stopping for 2 days in Louisville, KY, to see my friend Gabriel. He works for an A&E show called "The First 48" which i had not seen until this weekend. I knew it was a homicide detective show, but that's all i knew about it. When i got there, Gabriel was out "in the field" shooting the most recent homicide in Louisville: the death of a prostitute. Later in the evening, we watched some of his footage and I don't mean to sound macabre or give you the impression that I'm championing or endorsing ANYTHING, BUT: it's very interesting. One of my favorite shows on television has always been "Law and Order" and of course, I adored "The Wire." But there is something strange and bizarre about watching footage of an actual crime scene. It was unreal. strange. And then my mind made the connections: no, this is a real person. The detectives are all real people. No one is acting at all. The experience of the entire weekend has stayed with me.

Now I'm back in Baltimore and I can't believe that tomorrow with be the first day of May. Where is this year going!?

Thanks for letting me ramble. I'm going to try to be more timely about updates from now on. But i'm not making any promises! Just the promise that I'll try!
To everyone that I met out on the road: thanks for your support along the way and I hope to see you again soon.