Louisville - The Alternative - Aug. 6th

What a treat to be back in a dyke bar. Attentive crowd, and it was great to share the stage with Carol Plunk again. Got an article in Velocity Magazine which was very cool. Met Jen-Rose & Helen who were super down to earth. They offered their place for the night and I enjoyed a luxurious deep sleep and had a killer workout and walk through the woods with JenRose the next day. Felt refreshed, well-rested, and reconnected to healthy, interesting, well-balanced folks. Hope we keep in touch...!

St. Louis - Aug. 7th - Radio Cherokee

Drove to St. Louis and performed at Radio Cherokee with Celia & Jason (performance artist). It felt great to be back in St. Louis again and surrounded by grungy, intellectual, activists who really get my music and appreciate dark power and righteous experimentation in music. It was one of those magical evenings where you could hear a pin drop and everyone was deep in musical contemplation. Awesome.

St. Louis - Aug. 8th - Mokabee's

I awoke grumpy and underslept and didn't want to do this gig. It was a pass-the-tip jar situation and I had sworn them off due by my Dayton experience last week. But Celia was pumped for it, and had already postered for it, so we were committed. We got there, and the place was full of people. (Celia's friends & just regular Mokabee'ers). It was a great show and someone even gave me a $50 tip! We both sold lots of CDs and it turned out to be an amazing gig. Who knew! So I guess there's no rules about "pass-the-tip jar" situations. Damn! You try to protect yourself, to avoid those depressing slave-labour gigs, and you just never know what's going to happen. It's really hard to predict the bad from the good. Guess you just gotta take some risks...

But I still think I've been overbooking myself. I should try to perform no more than 5 days a week...

Other Stuff...

I'm staying at Celia's and she's a super considerate host. She's an excellent cook. We've been eating tacos, pasta salads, peaches, veggies... mmmm.... And all the tea I can drink. (I love tea! good for the over-sung throat). We've been staying up way too late talking and jamming. I'm truly exhausted right now and just about to call it a night. Feel kind of depressed and slow moving... It's my day off today (well - I did teach songwriting for 2 hours at a camp here in St. Louis to earn extra cash - but no show today) and I think I always feel down when I take a breather.... Feel kind of flat and sludgy. I crave my own space. My own bed. The forest. Anything restful, familiar or spiritual. Would love to have an RV and be able to sleep every night in the same bed, surrounded by the same smells and shelves. Heavy eyelids. Laboured breath. Slumping spine. Gonna hit the hay and hope tomorrow feels brighter.

Love,

Athena

Dayton, OH * Canal St. Tavern * Tues. Aug. 3rd

This was one of those gigs that was definitely not worth it. Only a few musicians in the audience. Nice people, but playing for musicians sucks. Cause secretly they're thinking, (with their arms crossed), "I can play guitar better than her. She's got a better voice than me. I should write lyrics more like her. I hate her melodies..." or whatever. They're too busy comparing themselves to each other and it doesn't make for a fun, energy-filled night. And even if they do love it, and are able to get in a positive mood, they are too broke to buy anything. I know, 'cause I've been there. Plus it was midnight in Dayton and I was feeling a little too radical for consumption. What was great about the night was meeting Emily Strand and Rhonda Everitt - two local musicians who shared the bill and are awesome, great people.

But the worst thing is that I really disappointed myself. I let my negativity get the better of me, and didn't really connect with the crowd the way that I usually do. Even if there are 5 frustrated musicians in the audience, I should reach in, make eye contact, and communicate with courage. But hell, I'm human, and can't be expected to drive 6 hours, unload hundreds of pounds of gear, and then reveal my soul. Well... that is my job...

What I learned from this is that I am going to avoid gigs where I don't get a guarantee payment, or take a percentage of the door. This gig was a "pass the tip jar" situation and it really felt like slave labour and a waste of time, and that's what put me in such a pissy mood. It's better I take a day off and do booking work, then waste my time exerting energy for little appreciation.

St. Louis * National Poetry Slam @ Club Candela * Aug. 4th

This was a great gig. I had a guarantee payment. It was a huge fancy club with an AMAZING sound system. The sound guy and bartenders were super nice and appreciative. I had some St. Louis friends/fans come out. The place wasn't packed, and there were some "chatty cathys" in the audience, but there were also some amazing audience members who were attentive and screaming and dancing away. Not a huge crowd, but I got the energy back that I put out, and that's what makes me go home satisfied.

There's something about St. Louis. It's sexy, grungy, activist, artsy, and edgy. My Midwestern home.

The best part was seeing my soul-sistah Celia. We've got a gig together this Saturday in St. Louis and seeing a familiar face was like running water to a parched throat.

Indianapolis * Cath Coffeehouse * Aug. 5th

This was another one of those "pass the tip jar" situations. The crowd was small but super appreciative... though not exactly the young anarchist freaks that make me so happy when they come out, scream, and truly understand the message in my music. But super nice people and it was great to co-bill with "Weeds of Eden". And their kid (5 years old) was awesome and fun, and didn't mind the swearing in my lyrics one bit. ;)

Etc....

Hanging out at the youth hostel in Indianapolis. They've got high speed so I'm a happy girl. Got a car top carrier yesterday, so I'm super relieved that there' s a little breathing room in my 2 door Ford.

Looking forward to the show tonight with Carol Plunk at The Alternative (lesbian bar! yipee!)

Then back to my 2nd home in St. Louis.

Feeingl a little down today after the uneventful gig last night.... I'm tired, my throat is sore... feeling a little bit o' longing in my heart for someone...

there's a bike trail here, and some bikes. gonna hit the dirt path, reorganize the shit in my car top carrier, make some booking calls, and head to louisville. I'm feeling like I never want to stop touring. Though it's up and down, it's great to be playing music full time, communicating deep-felt emotion/politics in strange new cities, and connecting with people all over. And the lousy gigs will only get less and less, I imagine. What I need is an RV that runs on cooking oil, or electricity. Anyone looking to sell?

Till next time,

Athena

CLEVELAND - Saturday July 31st

What an excellent night. I performed at the Winchester as part of Anne E. Dechant's monthly songwriter's showcase. The event was smoothly run and the other performers (Matt Sobel, Ryan Humbert, Anne E. Dechant) were incredibly skilled, talented & seasoned. Honestly, I felt a little intimidated to be sharing the stage with such solid musicianship. After the show, as we were hanging out and drinking ulimited beer, I found out that I was not alone in that sentiment. Something about the vibe of the night.... The stage was dramatically lit , the room was packed, and you could hear a pin drop for miles. It was an intense night of solid songwriting and magical listening.

Thanks so much to Anne E. for being such an amazing producer, performer, and host for the night.


COLUMBUS - Sunday Aug. 1st

OK - this was the show of all shows! Packed full of funky artsy/student lesbians screaming their heads off, drag kings sweatin' their stuff, violin electronica & experimental performance art - this night ROCKED! I had a blast and Columbus, OH now joins the ranks of favorite places to perform in (along with Montreal, St. Louis, and Oshkosh, WI). Big thanks to Eve & Les for postering and being such fabulous hosts.

And the best part is, we've got live video footage of the whole set. I'm actually in the computer lab right now at Ohio State, converting the footage into a live DVD demo.


AND OTHER NEWS...

Did the phone-in interview for KDHX radio in St. Louis this morning. It'll be aired tonight at midnight. Nick (host) was well-informed and asked interesting questions, so it was fun. Heading to Dayton tonight and then to the St. Louis National Poetry Slam. Had a day off yesterday. Got 2 nights of good sleep. Feeling rested and ready for more!