On Tour Notes 3/3/02

Throwback Thursday all the way back to '02!

2002 Winter Olympic Games Tour
February 2002

Official Tour Phrase: "brrrrrrrrrrrrr....."
Official Tour Food: brrrrrrrrrrr on ice
Official Tour Weather: brrrrrrrrrrrrr below 0
Official Tour CD: Kate Bush, 'Hounds of Love', songs Brrrrrr, bRRRRR, and 'I'm Freezing!'
Official Tour Book: Philip Dick's Second Edition (a great collection of short sci-fi stories in which perople are often really cold)
Official Tour CD Sales Pitch: "brrrrrrrrrrr...oh, wait, I meant to say: BRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!"

Finally thawing out. I was beginning to think I would never feel my toes again.

Salt Lake is really chilly for a desert girl. And to think there is a whole country north of the US! What are they thinking?

The scenery in SLC and Park City was and is incredible, breathtaking, spectacular, vivid, inspiring and really durn cold. The funky-cool organic rave band Lost at Last and I traveled together for a good part of this trip.

I tried to get the ice off of my car's windshield one night by pouring hot water on it, but the water froze before it ran down and left a sheet of ice about 1/2 an inch thick that was impossible to see through or chip off. I had to get a ride back to my RV with the band manager.

I played some cool venues and stages, from packed clubs to a theater overlooking Main Street. Playing stages that were out-of-doors turned music into an extreme sport, dodging breaking strings and jumping around to keep the blood from freezing in my feet. I have discovered that there is absolutely no way to play the guitar with gloves on, no matter how hard you try. Just take my word for it.

I am going to spare you the entire account of this trip due mostly to me being incredibly lazy right now. However, I had a few of the best shows of my life up in SLC and came back with a few really stupid little Olympic trinkets, the ones beer companies give out at the bars for free. Cheap date. The people were warm despite the weather, and they made up for the chill factor.

Still, I can't get the imagery of the silent frozen countryside turning like the spokes of a great wheel outside the window as we cruised along the highway, and I can't forget the perfect soundtrack of Kate Bush's 'Running Up the Hill' as the Great Salt Lake spread out before us at daybreak, fringed by white mountains and an ice-blue sky. I hope I never will.

After living in LA for a few months, doing a little west coast stint, and performing in Salt Lake City for the 2002 Winter Olympics, I am back in Tucson to work on a few new studio projects. We're doing some tunes for television and possibly a few radio singles to start out the new album.

The Music Tree CD is finished, for the most part and just needs to be cropped and mastered. Thanks be to the wonderful Robert and Robin in CA, forever to be known as the music angels, for all their help with recording and teaching me to cook (or maybe just putting up with my bad attempts). The Music Tree would not be without them.

I am about to embark on a short tour between my west coast and AZ haunts with Rose St. and the Indiegrrls. Check out the events page for details.

Thanks to Sarah F. for all her help with booking and promoting and just being an all-around gem. She is the best intern yet. She did all of our AZ dates and is a real smart cookie. Yay, Sarah! If you or anyone you know would like to intern, email me for info.

Big monstrous hugs! - Amber Jade