What I Learned from Carl Strong

I met Carl Strong in a waiting room. We were both having our cars worked on (his an Escalade, mine a little Volkswagon.) His presence filled the room. I made eye contact with him and knew we would talk, and sure enough, within a few minutes everyone in the waiting room was chatting away like old friends.

You know what it's like in waiting rooms! The mixture of boredom and sitting on the edge of your seat, hoping the repair doesn't cost too much. I bring a book to read but I can't really focus. I try not to peer inside to see if they are working on my car. I look outside. I listen to the man at the desk answer the phone. I read the magazines they have like AARP (great interview with Bob Dylan!)

Carl sat down a seat away from me. I smiled and gave him a look that meant that I was open to talking.

He told me a lot of things- like how a few years ago he had a heart transplant. I said, "Wow! Congratulations!" He has the heart of a 23-year-old in his body.

Carl Strong is nationally touring comedian. He has shared the stage with people like Gladys Knight and Smokey Robinson.

He had a lot to share about what brought him to needing a heart transplant. Habits, addiction, and the lifestyle and sometimes struggles of being an entertainer.

And although Carl is a 50-something year old comedian I sat with him and I related. I listened.

I don't really identify with being an "entertainer" - but wait, maybe I do.

He was talking about feeling a little sick sometimes, or not feeling up to par, and the demand of going on stage, delivering, "There's people waitin' on me!" So you do what you need to do to deliver. You deliver... and it's easy to justify that at whatever cost.

I think most of us can relate. We put ourselves, our health, second to whatever it is.. career, money, love life, our children even.. we do it because of some type of rule we made for ourselves.


Soon enough, Carl included the other people in the room into our conversation. One man was excited to talk about his love for Pink Floyd! The whole energy in the room was different. Even after Carl left, I found myself playing tic-tac-toe with the five-year-old next to me (maybe the best part of this!)


I don't know if Carl knew how much I could relate to some of the things he was saying. I'm thankful for what he shared! I know as I keep learning and growing, becoming wiser (I hope!) about living a healthy life, a sustainable one, I'll think of Carl Strong and his heart.

Why I Feel at Home in the Bluegrass Community

Confession- I did not grow up listening to bluegrass music.

Almost five years ago now I was asked to be in a bluegrass band. I started listening to some of the classics- Earl Scruggs, Tony Rice, Bill Monroe, Ricky Skaggs..

And don't get me wrong- I've always been attracted to acoustic music... folk music... roots!

Let me tell you....

Becoming part of the bluegrass family here in the Midwest these last few years, it's been the most incredible experience.

The bluegrass community is loving, welcoming, artistic, exciting, and generally.. lovers of fun.

This past weekend we spent at Swamp N Grass in Elkhart Lake, WI. This festival has been running over twenty years. Set in the dead of winter, it was the first time I had seen many festival goers since the summer time. And we were all quite ready to have a good time playing, singing, and sharing space together.

So many smiles, the late night picking in the hotel rooms and corridors, the laughter, the dancing, the vibe that grew throughout the course of the three days there.. the friendships that start to feel like family after a while.. watching people grow, watching musicians grow in their playing and their writing...

One of the biggest highlights of the weekend was watching Art Stevenson & Highwater Band. Being present with them as they played their music was a learning experience. I could feel their humble happiness... Art's grinning face! I could feel myself harmonizing along with them unintentionally- stilling my soul.

And once again I'm left with this feeling of gratitude that affirms what sometimes feels like the MOUNTAIN we have been trying to climb. And I'm reminded that there really is no destination, no mountain top, no real place we we are trying to get to that we don't have already within ourselves. Just like those dancers who are moving but not for the sake of getting anywhere... Just like the songs that build and build... and end, leaving traces of what was only real in the moment.. or real all the time.

Duluth, Duluth

Every winter I lose a part of myself- I wonder if the earth takes it out of me. Staring at the rows and rows and rows of birches mile after mile in northern Wisconsin, the blues and the grays, the snow blanketing patchy areas... stirs in me- knocks on the door of the little girl in me. The best way I could describe that feeling is as a knowing that we're all the same- those trees are a part of the same thing I am- we're made up of the same stuff. It hits me in different ways at different times- sometimes it's subtle and sometimes it's intense, but it's always beautiful.

We drove up to Minocqua on Friday- taking our time on the way up there. It was nice to make a trip up north on a weekend where the weather warmed up a little. We played at Minocqua Brewing Company- it really is a joy to play there! I always feel very welcomed by the staff- it seems as though we're all part of a bigger family! I'm thankful they take such good care of us. We stretched our legs out during the set and had a good time hanging out with everyone! 

Saturday we drove up farther to Duluth. I love Northern Wisconsin and Minnesota! And the UP! We went through towns like Ashland and Butternut. I read a lot, looked at the trees, tried to look at every little town we passed through. Always wondering what it's like for people there. The differences in perspectives of others never ceases to really stretch my mind. 

Driving through these towns, it's easy to feel their shoes on my feet. I can see where they live, where they go. There's the grocery store, there's the laundromat, there's the Catholic Church and there's the Protestant. There's the diner, the school,  and there's the two or three or four downtown bars. Unless they're going out of town... there it is. 

And I think a lot of people find it appealing, maybe the simplicity of it. It could even seem romantic. 

We went through Ashland where we stopped at a coffee shop which was in an very large old house. There was a man playing harp. Across the street was Lake Superior. There was a room for rent upstairs. 

And then we arrived in Duluth.

Duluth, it's like a giant small town.

It's got creativity dripping down it's dirty old downtown buildings.

It's got some of the most welcoming people you'll ever find.

A history so rich it's as if the people of the past are walking down the street next to you. Every so often they cast a glance your way- you look-...

Duluth has long, long winters,

Duluth has water and big beautiful bridges that light up at night. As we rolled in I saw an enormous boat in the water- "American Integrity." 

Duluth attracts me, it inspires me. I don't know how to describe the vibe there for me other than that it is strong! There's a sexual energy. A young appetite for art and a respect for social activism.

We played at a place called The Red Herring Lounge. Huge paintings of horses hung on all the walls. They were a little abstract, very colorful. 

Across the street is Clayton Jackson McGhie Memorial. In 1920, there was a lynching involving three men who were in a traveling circus. The men were abducted by a large mob of people (between five and ten thousand, according to their website), beaten and hung on a lamppost right near the memorial.

The event, and the men who died were nearly forgotten, and in the second part of the century- a grass roots effort sprang up and the memorial was built.

I walked across the street and stood before the memorial, reading some of the quotes that are engraved on the cement in large letters. 

"We are the mirror as well as the face in it.

We are tasting the taste this minute of eternity.

We are pain and what cures pain.

We are sweet, cold water and the jar that pours."

-Rumi

Other quotes by Thich Nhat Hanh, Martin Luther King Junior, Anne Lamott, Oscar Wilde, Euripides, Elie Wiesel, George Bernard Shaw, and others. Thirteen quotes in all.

I spent some time with the quotes, spent some time with some Duluth friends- old and new, listened to the Lowland Lakers, Matt Ray and his fiddler, and Nick Foytik.

We piled into the van early Sunday morning, and drove back down south, back for the Packer game, back to our lovers and our own beds.

Winter keeps passing, and everyone around me seems pretty optimistic that we're all going to make it! And I think we are.

Madison's Oldest- the Majestic

The Majestic Theatre first opened on December 15th, 1906- making it Madison's oldest theatre! According to their website, the Majestic has had everything from silent movies to Harry Houdini's infamous magic show!

On September 29th, 2007, the Majestic Theatre had a grand reopening- this time as a "world class performing arts venue." The idea sprouted from a partnership between a musician who was disenfranchised with the treatment given to musicians at venues all across the country, and a booking agent. The two men, originally from the Midwest, met in Los Angeles and decided to open their own venue.

Two years later they did it- in Madison, Wisconsin.


Personally, the Majestic Theatre is one of my favorite venues I have had the pleasure to play, and at this point in my life I would say it has been my favorite place to sing. Vibrations reverberate so beautifully off of the truly majestic walls of the Majestic Theatre. There's room for sitting, there's room for standing and dancing. It's big but not too big! And the vibe is warm. It's a show I can comfortably invite my parents or any of my friends to and know that they'll have fun and be comfortable. As we grow as a band, I really care about the type of places we are asking our friends, family, and other supporters to come to. I'm proud to invite them to the Majestic Theatre.

This Friday night, we will be joining three fantastic bands to play Wisconsin Bluegrass Fest at the Majestic Theatre. Madison's publication, The Isthmus, is presenting this all ages show. Doors open at 7:30, show starts at 8:30. Tickets are only $10, and if you RSVP on the Majestic's facebook event, you will be entered to win a free upgrade to a VIP Opera Box. Click here for the facebook event!

Joining us this Friday are these three bands: (you can click on any of the links to check out more about them!)

The Last Revel

Chicken Wire Empire

Sloppy Joe

PS. My favorite show I've attended at the Majestic Theatre was Jim James. How about you?

I love music because...

I love music because it connects. It creates.

I love music because it's interesting and passionate and unexplainable- infinite.

I love the muse because the muse is everyone and everything.

The muse is you and the muse is me and the muse is everyone and everything.

I love music because it is soul speak.

Because music is healing.

(Trendy) Ugly Sweaters, the Yuletide, and Bluegrass Happenings

Happy Winter Solstice from the Dead Horses!

Above you see our fiddle/mandolin player, Tim, with his Minneapolis doppelganger. Not only did she happen to wear a shockingly similar sweater, but she also is a GINGER! So great to cross paths!

Saturday we had the great pleasure of playing the 6th annual Yuletide Sweater Ball at the beautiful Cedar Cultural Center in Minneapolis. I really enjoyed spending time with Travis and Kendall from The Lowest Pair- if you haven't heard of them go check them out now! We also got to play with Sans Souici and The Pistol Whippin Party Penguins. There's SO MUCH great music out there!

I found myself with a couple hours after the sound check and before the show, so I decided to take a stroll. I found myself sitting in a booth drinking a tasty old fashioned and looking up information about winter solstice.

I love the Midwest, but winter is hard for me! I could write about that but I have to wonder if it's even necessary. For those of us who live here, we know. There's a knowing about winter. Every year I take on a somewhat different strategy as to challenge myself to accept winter in a healthier way.

The Winter Solstice is the shortest day of the year, and although winter is truly just beginning, it also marks the days getting longer. This is a day that has been celebrated by human beings for thousands of years! I really appreciate that as it stands for our connection to human beings of the past in the way of human beings connecting with the earth and the cosmos.

The Winter Solstice marks the return of the sun, (just like Christmas celebrates the coming of the Son) and I find myself respecting darkness and its place... as well as the return of light. It's a time to take a step back and look at your life- a pre winter cleansing- what to walk with and what to walk from.


Having said all of that, we are pretty excited to take a little bit of time off from traveling and spend time with our families! Our next show is on New Year's Eve at the The Source Public House in Menasha. There is so much to be thankful for this year and I'm thoroughly excited to be sharing the coming of the New Year so close to home. On January 9th, we have been very excited to announce that we will be headlining the Isthmus Bluegrass Fest at the Majestic in Madison. This is quite the opportunity for us and we are looking forward to playing in such a beautiful venue with a great lineup of bands.

Happy holidays everyone and we hope to see you all soon!


Dead Horses @ The Source Public House (New Year's Eve!)

Dead Horses @ The Majestic (January 9th)

The hardest part of being a musician?

Not really sure to be honest! My answer today would be different than tomorrow or next week or year.

One thing I do find to be challenging time and again is in regards to the performance aspect. We'd all like to think of ourselves as artists, but we're creating our art every single time we play, every performance. If there's not a recording (and even if there is, really) there's nothing left behind besides a memory. Imagine if every painting done was invisible as soon as it was finished. How would that change the way we perceive paintings?

A lot of these thoughts came to me while thinking about the difference of playing at home in a room by myself and how I feel when I'm on stage with Dead Horses. In addition to the sound being different (room sound, amps and speakers, crowd noise etc) as well as all that extra energy rolling around the room, the lights, the smells, the set list or lack of one, the energy the band before left on stage and in the room...

There's also the freedom in sitting at home alone... choice to pick up the guitar when you want to, play whatever you want to, sing or not sing, stop a song in the middle or play it five times in a row. There's therapy in that.

And on stage the idea of what's going to happen and what needs to happen is different in every person's head- especially in the audience. This whole idea is partially why it's hard to hear people shout out songs that you don't really feel like playing!

At the same time, there's challenge in staying fresh on stage- a challenge that requires some discipline. And the reward is getting to work with new energy at every single show, to experience every song differently every time you play it, and to do that is a give and take between all the people in the room.

This I find as very spiritual.. we pack ourselves in these rooms and move our bodies around to the sound waves, energy waves back and forth, back and forth. Push and pull, ride, repeat.

White Winter Wisconsin

A resounding theme in my life- PERSPECTIVE.

This tends to come up more this time of year- how my perspective can completely shift my reality.

On Friday afternoon we found ourselves in a beautiful living room full of beautiful people- gathering for friends, family, music and food. High ceilings and organic sound. Many of these faces were familiar- some were new. The humbling experience of being brought into someone's home, into their family for the afternoon- it's one of the most rewarding things I get to be a part of.

And I just kept thinking, "Man, we're so lucky!"

This is the time of year we start really preparing ourselves for the coming winter months. Winter for me now means perfecting the art of dressing in layers so that I can be comfortable outside, in the van, in a stuffy bar, and playing music in a stuffy bar. This last weekend I found myself exchanging my wool socks for some cotton ones on stage right before our shows.

Yesterday we drove from Wausau to Madison. White Wisconsin winter, rural and flat and the orange sky during dusk which goes so quickly during the winter... we were driving right into it and if I can't be present in that moment I'm not so sure I'm alive anymore.

And a lot of things on the horizon we are looking forward to this winter! A new Daytrotter Session, a new music video, releasing our album again on a different format, playing with talented musicians, making new friends, seeing the countryside, seeing some cities, seeing new art, new energy (never really new,)  and swimming, swimming, swimming.

Fine Line Art

"I just do the things I do, I don't know why except that it makes me happy to do them."

It's a fine line for artists.

We don't want to make money off our art. We just want to make a living.

We love the road- new places, new people, new towns, new stages, new ideas and new ways of living.

But we all need a home... a place to lay our heads.

"After all, a man has to have something to tie to, something he can trust to be there in the morning."

And to our families and lovers- we want you to miss us, but we don't want you to miss us too much. Sometimes I feel like a stranger when I come home. Sometimes I feel like a stranger when I leave.

"Be still a moment... there's something here. You are afraid of it, but I know it. Somewhere, perhaps in an old dream, I have seen this place, or perhaps felt the feeling of this place... This is holy- and this is old. This is ancient- and holy."

This morning I feel so very encouraged by all the people I've met along the way who want to dedicate their life power to enabling the arts- dancing, painting, music making, theater... It's true- it's a hard life! But it's easy too. Trust me. And when it gets a little too trying, there's a million other souls doing the same thing you can draw from and feel connected to. Because on some level, we all really are doing the same thing.



Here's a video our friend, Nick put together for us. The audio track is off our new album:

PS: Quotes taken from the novel To a God Unknown by John Steinbeck

Women Music Producers?

I had a revelation and a little giggle tonight while I was listening to some mixes and was thinking about the recording process and where we might want to record our third album and whose influence we would like to have on it... and for some reason, I thought, "What would it be like to work with a woman producer?"

And then I thought... and I thought some more... and I realized I couldn't think of one producer that is a woman.

Which I think is pretty interesting!

From what I've observed, the role of a producer is never completely the same from one project to the next, and I imagine it's hard to know what you're getting into with any project. A good producer has to be pretty versatile from one role to the next.

And that's generally true when you're working with musicians- whether you're the sound guy (or girl!) or the person printing our flyers, or the person designing our flyers, or the person taking our order at the cafe... musicians are funny people and you never really know what you're going to get. Some weeks I spend about three or four days living out of a backpack with one or two showers and not brushing my hair, wearing dirty clothes, and the other three or four days of the week I walk around town with a laptop, drinking espresso, and feeling like some weird business lady. We play a lot of roles too.

Anyway, what I was getting at is that since their are so many different roles a producer could fill on any album, I'm surprised that there aren't more women producers. I'm curious... if there had been, say, if Bob Dylan had done some albums with a woman producer, or the Beatles, or Radiohead for that matter, I wonder how that could have changed music? And maybe it's not such a thing.. I mean, any person on any project being different, especially the producer, that would change everything regardless of gender.


It turns out there are some pretty cool women producers out there. A woman named Sylvia Massy produced Tool's Undertow. I also ran across a woman named Susan Rogers. Currently a professor at Berklee, she worked with David Byrne, Prince, Edie Brickell, Violent Femmes,... I did a little bit of research- there are actually quite a few articles about why there aren't many women producers. I found a list of the "50 Most Influential Producers" and not one was a woman. I found lots of speculation on why there aren't more women producers, all just speculation it seems.


I should also definitely mention a pretty rad recording engineer I personally know named Natalie Fores. She was our sound person for a while before she moved to Madison to do an internship at Paradyme Productions, where she recorded the audio for our video to "Eureka Bridge." She was a pleasure to work with at shows as well as in the studio.

And who knows, maybe I'm overlooking some well-known women producers. Do you know of any?


That's it for me.

Five Albums of My Infatuation

ALBUM INFATUATION/LOVE- A Preface

Every album is different, but in general I fall hard and fast. Whether it's a melody, word or string of words, rhythm, or some other aesthetic seasoning, I hear and feel and think and I am so quickly infatuated. I've fallen in love with many albums throughout my short life- all different kinds and for all different reasons- sometimes it lasts for a long time- continually finding new things to love about the music- and other times it's more short lived... Either way I'm thankful for all my relationships with music. In regards to music, I suppose you could call me a polyamorist?

So here we go- judge me or don't, try out these albums or don't, here are five noteworthy albums I've been infatuated with this summer:

                                                     1. Beck- Morning Phase 

Released in February of 2014, I first heard this record on vinyl on a sunny, lazy day in my apartment at the tail end of last winter. It's got a polished sound. It's slow, it's melodic, it's heartbreaking and captivating. I have had some of the most intense conversations of my life while listening to this album. I fell in love within the very moment I heard the first note- an indulgent symphonic chord. Morning Phase is so thick I could drown in it. It is music that makes my heart well way up to the brim and I can surrender to that.

                                                 2. Tallest Man on Earth- There's No Leaving Now

I've been enamored with Tallest Man on Earth since I first heard him around five or six years ago. The Pabst Theater was doing a run of free shows on Tuesdays. There were maybe 50 people there or less! I really enjoyed his first two albums, but "There's No Leaving Now" really stole my heart. The song-writing is over-all beautiful, but there are certain strings of words that really stick out to me. His nitty-gritty voice attracts me as well as his rhythmic and decorated guitar playing. Released in 2012, I have come back to this album time and again.

   

                                             3. Damien Jurado- Brothers and Sisters of the Eternal Son

This one is new to me and I haven't listened to it more than a couple of times. It's spiritual, interesting rhythmically. I don't really know what he's talking about, but I know what he's talking about! It's great driving music- especially on sunny September days. There are many layers to this album but it's not complicated. It makes my body flow with its rhythms. This is a feeling album primarily- sensual.. trippy.. instantaneous connection.

                                                      4. Radiohead- In Rainbows

Oh man! I re-stumbled onto this one again sometime in early summer. It made so much sense to me. It melted me into an excited little puddle of a girl. It's genius. It takes you for a ride that can become almost too intense at times depending on where you're at... This album is powerful and shakes me to my core.

                                                      5. Sun Kil Moon-Ghosts of the Great Highway

Of the five, this is sort of my soul mate album. It's got a timeless feeling, an organic vibe. The whole thing is consistently good. It's sort of simple and subtle as well as graceful and gentle. If it were landscape it would be gently rolling hills with a big open sky, sharp greens and blues and puffy white clouds. I fell in love with this album late spring-time this last year and soon after realized that it was recorded at Hyde Street Studio- where we recorded Space and Time. Beautiful Beautiful Beautiful. 

There they are! I could name several more but I wont. Well, I will make two more notable mentions! And they are:

Jim James- "Regions of Light and Sound"

Townes Van Zandt- "Our Mother the Mountain"

Cheers!

I Love Wisconsin Northwoods

I've never considered myself a city slicker.

I was born in a little town in the U.P.

Grew up in Oshkosh- current population 65,000ish

Lived in Milwaukee for a few years

Found myself back here in Oshkosh

And also on the road pretty consistently every weekend.


One of my favorite parts about being a musician is getting to see so much of Wisconsin in a bit more of a personal way than if I were to just drive through on my way to another place.

I've learned some things...

There are a lot of rural politics that happen often that don't make front page headlines even in smaller cities let alone Milwaukee or Madison. They don't get talked about much from what I can tell. A lot of times these rural politics affect things like farming and how we treat the land and the water and the resources.

I've realized this last year that I've spent my whole life in Wisconsin being pretty unaware...pretty unaware of how it all works in general. I've been a lot like many other Americans who are semi-informed on news and politics on a national level but when it comes to local politics there's quite a void.

I've researched a little bit and found a really interesting article about "rural versus urban politics" in Wisconsin. It's about a UW Madison political scientist named Katherine Cramer Walsh who has traveled around Wisconsin for the last five years- going to informal social groups all throughout the state- churches, local cafes, gas stations, etc. Check out that article here if you're interested. 


So there's politics and the farming stuff and the mining stuff and the rural people stuff...

And then there's the feel of it. The feel of northern Wisconsin... Last week I found myself way up north at Pete's cabin. West on highway 8 and then a few more miles on some gravel roads. No cell phone reception, no computers or screens of any kind to look at...

There were a few of us there and we took a walk- crossed the river on the stones. It was pretty easy for Pete- I'm pretty sure he does Parkour on the side of being in Dead Horses- for me it was a little trickier... slippery rocks and everything!

Me? I could call it a nature thing
I could call it a feeling thing
Or a solitude thing
Or getting back to the basics of things

But mostly I'd call it a spiritual thing.. in the way I experience it and the way I perceive other people experiencing it.

I Love Being a Musician in the Summer Time!

The summer sun, the mentality of Midwesterners in general, the outdoor aspect of shows, the extra sweat from the thick humidity, jumping in lakes and sweating, sweating, sweating. Warm nights and loads of stars and the zing zing energy that July brings...

From hearing the loons and seeing the stars in Minocqua, to seeing some of our oldest and dearest friends in Omro (they like the new "hippie bluegrass sound,") to meeting new friends and tasting new beer at Door County Brewing Company... and to top it all off a fun set at Sawdust Days here in our hometown on Sunday.

Being a musician means a lot of things, but one thing it usually means is traveling a LOT! I'd take the hottest of summer days over the polar vortex we traveled through in Minnesota last January!

And man we get tired, and we get dirty, and we get crabby, and I wonder how I'm going to answer the same question to so many different people and try to be present with each and every one of them, and guitar strings keep breaking cause it's so humid and I haven't even had a chance to unpack before packing again and sometimes you wonder how you're going to keep you're head on straight!

But..

I love the stretches of shows and the driving between and the endurance through the exhaustion and I love  making eye contact during the songs and the pure and true joy and love I feel... the genuine kindness shown to me and to us by complete strangers willing to support another human being. And I've been feeling so proud of Dan, Tim, and Pete when we're up there.

And I'm really looking forward to what we have going on these next few months- lots of traveling but lots of local community stuff! And I'm so excited to share our album with you all!  I hope you're all doing well out there and I hope we get to hang out with you at some shows.


PS! Our interview with Stephanie Elkins aired on Simply Folk last night! If you missed it you can stream it by clicking here: Dead Horses on Simply Folk

I Love Minocqua Brewing Company

Minocqua Brewing Company! Home of the infamous Whitey's Wheat Ale as well as several hand crafted beers and a fantastic food menu, beautiful setting, and great waitstaff.

It's July 3rd and I've found myself in Minocqua again. Last night I played a Rucksack Revolution show- opening for Charlie Parr at Minocqua Brewing Company.

The drive up here was beautiful. I felt my worries and tension leaving my body. Left rainy Oshkosh and the farther north I got the more the sun peaked through. By the time I got up here it was blue skies and clear waters.

There are a lot of neat venues and spots to play in northern Wisconsin but Minocqua Brewing Company is one of my favorites- definitely a gem. Musicians are treated very well here and that means a lot. It's a great setting for an intimate show and the green room is basically a dock on the lake. Last night I saw more stars than I've seen in quite a while!

And the show was just so much fun! The people in the room, the energy in the room- it really makes or breaks the show, and I felt honored to be able to play last night.

Watching Mr. Charlie Parr was soul-satisfying. And he even invited Adam and I up on the stage to play with him! One of the better musical moments of my life. There's something so very spiritual about what Charlie does on stage every time I've seen him perform. I feel that I could learn so much from him.

The kicker is that I get to play there again tonight with the full band! I can't wait for Dan, Pete, and Tim to get up here. I can't wait to get all plugged in and let the set begin. Making music with my brothers and feeling blessed.

I Love the Mutts

Hellloooo internet land!

It's been a while! We've been busy playing shows and festivals and interviews, mixing our record, having bonfires, listening to Radiohead, packing and moving boxes and shelves, walking dogs, painting.. things like that.

This weekend Dan was out of town which meant I had a Friday and Saturday night to myself with no Dead Horses! (Although Pete and I did play a pretty fun wedding yesterday.)

What do normal people do on weekend nights?

Seriously?

Friday night I was pleased to find a show with two of my favorite local bands at Mill Creek in Appleton... the Mutts and the Traveling Suitcase.

Check out the Mutts- HERE

Check out the Traveling Suitcase- HERE


The Mutts are a three piece from Chicago. Keys, drums, and bass. I first saw them over a year ago in Oshkosh. It was a small crowd that night.. yet the show was one of my most fun live show experiences. It felt tribal, it felt raw and real, honest- by the end of the night everyone was dancing all around the room. Friday night in Appleton was really incredible as well. The Mutts have a hell of a lot of heart- a sense of brother-ness radiated from the stage. Good song writing- good energy.They have a tight sound that gets me going, reminds me of things that I love so much about music.

Things like...

1.) You can always learn more
2.) Music is the teacher
3.) Music is anything you want it to be.
4.) Music is vibrations and energy
5.) Music connects all things
6.) You can play a song 23048209384092384093284 times and every time it is different
7.) Music is art
8.) Above all, the most important thing is HEART

"Heaven is under our feet..."

"Heaven is under our feet as well as over our heads."
-Henry David Thoreau


A question of perspective?
Or perception?

To be grounded.
To play shows barefoot (because it's barefoot season again!)

Somethings we have been up to...

Delfest- incredible trip... traveling out there and playing shoes with Horseshoes & Handgrenades. Chicago, Toledo and Pittsburgh. The sweet Appalachians. The Potomac River. Del McCoury himself! Late night picking and sleeping outside. I could literally feel my perspective on playing music and going to shows and festivals and personality and music in general shifting and stretching. That's growth! And a looong drive home.

La Crosse and Minneapolis last weekend- the Mississippi! She sings sweetly. And the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden, quality beer at Harriet Brewing Company, and driving home through the night- watching the sun rise and the incredible storms in the open sky through a car window.

And this weekend we had two shows close to home. Sweet to see so many familiar faces, sweet to play outside on a patio in the summer sun to summered faces feeling the vibe with us. Sweet to celebrate Wisconsin together! Sweet to remember that the musical community we are so active in extends to our homeland even though I sometimes forget it. Sweet to strive to reach new levels at every show between the four of us and of course those open to experiencing that with us. Sweet to see our friends at the Roadhouse, some of whom have supported us for years. Sweet to play them some new songs. Sweet to wake up to another sun shiny day today.

And sweet to be looking ahead to another string of festivals next weekend. Thursday I play with Rucksack Revolution in Rhinelander for the Summer Roots Concert Series, Friday in Door County at Steelbridge Song Fest with Dead Horses, Saturday in Manawa at the Little Creek Music Festival with Dead Horses, and then Sunday at Little Creek again with Rucksack Revolution. Bound to be a fun weekend!

Until next time... here's a picture of the famous giant spoon and cherry at the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden.

Dead Horseshoes East-Bound-Run-Around

In about an hour we'll be taking off for our trip our east. Tonight we're in Chicago, tomorrow in Toledo, Wednesday in Pitsburgh, and Thursday through Saturday at Delfest in Cumberland, Maryland.

Oh boy, I'm excited to head east- it's been a long time. I'm excited to be in another region, excited to share the road with our good friends, Horseshoes & Handgrenades, excited to see the green Maryland appalachian goodness and contemplate things with a new perspective.

And truth be told- I'm excited to be on the road again. We've truly met so many amazing and inspiring people and I think there are lots more to come. Summer is here- season of barefoot and sunny run-around, festivals on rivers and lakes, sleeping outside, skin darkening and hair lightening...

Growth, renewal, the shedding of different selves and masks, the challenging of perspectives and beliefs and ideals, the challenge to embrace change as uncomfortable or painful as it may be.

It seems as though so many of the people I've been talking to throughout the last few weeks can relate. Things ending and beginning, people moving to the other side of the country, relationships starting and ending, packing up belongings, sorting through old pictures and letters and clothing.. sorting through the physical remnants that have made up certain parts of your life.

And really what I would like to say is that I'm proud of all of us in a sense- we're all growing and moving and paths may seem to be going in different directions and some people seem healthier or happier than others but I promise you that we are all little specks moving around doing the same thing and the bottom line is loving each other, supporting and teaching each other.


These are the things floating around in my head and I know that in a week it'll all be different again. Until then....

Dead Red Conversations (Part 2)

R.I.P. Dead Red (6/10/12 - 5/7/14)

Things come and things go... 

Ironically, as I've started this short series of posts, we've been informed that Mr. Mechanic Man wouldn't drive ten feet in Dead Red let alone all the way to Maryland. She still runs sweet and strong, but seems as though the red rust has gotten the best of Dead Red. And more ironic yet is that Dead Red now really is Dead.

Things come and things go...

And this seems to be the theme standing out to me for most people I know in their lives right now. The passing of things, the coming of things... ever changing and transforming... 

I think we're all just shedding our winter skin... preparing for the humid, hot, grey-blue summer ahead. And this winter was especially bitter, especially dry, especially winter, so our winter skin is thick and strong and chaffed and the shedding of it... it's not easy. And our new springtime summer skin is young and not quite willing to be fully exposed to the baby rays peaking out these early days of spring.

So...

adjust.

So...

adapt.

So...

accept.

Be flexible.

Or don't.

So on Thursday I drove down to Sun Prairie with Tim to look at a van that's for sale by our good friends' house. It's the same van as Dead Red except newer and less wear. I really enjoyed the drive with Tim- just the two of us listening to NPR and talking about mixes and upcoming shows and Tim telling me about this program he heard about how research showed that people with shorter and easier to say names tend to be better liked. I enjoyed seeing the new green grass and the sun at dusk.. dusk is getting longer now with summer approaching. 

And the earth is changing too...

Dead Red Conversations (Part 1)

For those of you who haven't met her yet, Dead Red is our beloved van. Not only is she our bumpy form of transportation, but she is also our office, nap room, feeding place, reading space, sleeping place, and even practice space sometimes! (Ask Dan how he plays bass in the van...)

Here is a picture of us standing next to Dead Red last summer. We were at a fancy country club when she started falling apart a little...

As a band, of course we play shows together and practice together, record, fly on airplanes, we sweat together, we eat together, we have visited probably over half of the Kwik Trips in Wisconsin together, we often sleep on couches next to each other, eat with each other, and so on so forth!

And in Dead Red, we have many, many different types of conversations together.

So I have decided to start a new series entitled "Dead Red Conversations." I wouldn't mind this blog being a little more interactive, so I really encourage you to comment. You don't need a username or anything to do so, but I would appreciate if you say who you are and where you're from.


Topic 1- Quantum Physics
Okay- not as genius as it sounds, but I came up with the idea for the posts after talking about Schrodinger's Cat on the way to one of our shows. Here is a youtube video that illustrates Schrodinger's Cat:

In school my favorite subject was never science- always English. In fact, I really struggled in science and math classes. Over the last year or so, however, I've become really curious and interested in science- especially quantum physics. As I understand it, quantum physics is the study of things on a very, very small level (atoms and particles and so on..) And partly what's incredible about this is that the laws of science are completely different on this level! Things happen that are quite simply phenomenal and mind-boggling.

I am tempted to try to describe, but I should probably be the last person to describe quantum physics to anyone. Maybe if enough people ask Pete to give some input he'll do so :) Our van conversation started off with him describing an experiment he did in college in which he dressed up like Marty McFly from Back to the Future.

Now that I look, Pete does resemble a young Michael J. Fox. We should get him a hoverboard... 

To wrap this up, here are some great sources that have helped a beginner like me with quantum physics:

1. A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson. Marty (I mean Pete) and I both really like this book. 

2. Anything by or about Stephen Hawking

3. The Universe in a Single Atom: The Convergence of Science and Spirituality- by the Dalai Lama.This one... I'm working on right now. 

4. Basics of Quantum Mechanics for Dummies - I referenced this blog while writing this post.
5. Cosmos- the show.




What do you think about Quantum Mechanics? Make sure to comment with any thoughts and stay tuned for at least another post or two on Dead Red Conversations!

And All of Life is a Collaboration

Maybe it's spring time, maybe it's discovery, maybe it's the growth of respect or the search for new creativity, but collaboration certainly seems to be in the air.

Call it co-writing, co-creating, sharing thoughts,jamming, networking even... being each others' muses.

I feel like... what an honor. And it's exciting! Exciting to see musicians from different projects working together. It's exciting to collaborate with others across the country (mixing and mastering our album!) It's exciting to share space with someone and truly let them affect you.

We've been getting some rough mixes to tunes on our new album. I have a lot of thoughts- but often I just feel so incredibly thankful to be able to create with Pete, Dan, and Tim- thankful we get to affect each other in so many ways.

I've also been working more with Adam Gruel of Horseshoes & Hand Grenades- our duo titled "Rucksack Revolution." It's been really wonderful working with him, learning from him as a musician and as a friend, as a fellow human being. Sometimes it's good and real necessary to have friends who help us remember what it's like to be human.


And all of life is really a collaboration...