the jumping off point (Canton, OH - 29,455 miles)

hello dear ones,

Today finds me in Canton, OH, in a coffee shop called Muggswigz where I will be performing in a few hours. It was supposed to be a "halloween extravaganza!" with myself and shelley miller, but shelley is stranded in chicago (with our halloween costumes) so instead, the audience will get just little ol' me in snazzy street clothes. I have to say that i'm not upset that I don't have to dress up. I HATE dressing up for halloween - it's my bah-humbug.

I met a man in Charleston, IL who has a golden retriever named Dave who can count to 15 and knows American Sign Language. You meet interesting people everywhere if you just listen to their stories for a few moments.

Today was a spectacular day to drive. After weeks of clouds and rain and cold alternating with muggy weather, today was perfect. Sunny and breezy....okay, sunny with gale-force winds, but still, no clouds. Ohio is a beautiful state to drive through. The whole thing (at least what I've seen in the last two days, and especially more on this eastern side) is a picture postcard. Rolling green hills, fields of corn (now being cleared), little red barns and sparkling white farmhouses, picket fences, trees in flame...it's really lovely. Made for a fantastic drive. The only thing was the wind - it was nearly blowing me off the road. It did make for these super-cool leaf storms from time to time - what seemed like millions of gold leaves, swirling through the air and towards my windshield, each in their own little mini-tornado. But all of the beauty outside also made me realize one of the downsides to traveling solo is that there is no one to take pictures....I have been known to take photos while driving, but as I said before, now that I'm the out-of-state-plates-girl, I'm trying to be a model driver...and if I stopped the car everytime I saw something interesting I wanted to take a photo of, I'd never get where I was going. But a navigator/photographer/manager would be a nice combo to take up the passenger seat.

I've been making a list of funny towns/counties/rivers/whatever that I've encountered so far. While Arkadelphia, AR is goofy, Santa Claus, IN is fun, and Licking County, OH put me in stitches, I have to say that Monkey's Eyebrow, KY takes the cake so far.

I played last night in Cincinnati, OH for yet another wonderful audience. I don't know if it's the venues or the people up here or just an incredible stroke of luck, but I haven't yet played a bad venue. Everyone has been so kind and attentive. And this place I played last night was super cool - Roh's Street Cafe. It's a "fair trade" coffeehouse, meaning everything they sell is organic and, well, purchased on the "fair trade" principal that insures the farmers who grew the coffee are paid a living wage. And to top it all off - it's a non-profit coffeehouse that has a full menu (most non-profits sell swiss miss in styrofoam cups), a friendly staff, and live music on the weekends. All of the baristas work on a volunteer basis (read: they don't get paid)...and they serve fantastic cream cheese/raspberry danishes. It was a real treat. I performed again with Emily Strand, who you need to see if you make it up this way, and Sara Beck (Nashville) and Maery Lanahan (Cincinnati), all of whom were fantastic.

This morning we ate breakfast at a good old-fashioned diner (waitress with beehive hairdos), and then I hit the road. I stopped for lunch at a truck stop and had a picnic in my car, thanks to Heather, who sent me off with homemade hummus. Hummus, pita, and baby food & yogurt - good stuff. That's a new trend I'm starting, by the way - baby food. Not the peas, carrots, or that nonsense - but the fruit - that's pretty good. And good FOR you, as it has no added sugar, no preservatives, etc. Mix some baby food fruit in with plain yogurt and you have a darn good snack. Just don't tell the lady next to you in the baby food aisle at Wal-mart what you are up to (even if she asks), because she is more than likely to think you are insane. I'll have to tell you guys that story another time - too much typing before a show does not a good performance make.

Ah yes, one more thing. I heard the mixes of the final 4 songs from "thin thread" that I hadn't yet heard....and I'm so happy and so excited for you guys to hear this album! My band rocks.

So tonight, Canton...Tomorrow, the Big Apple.
love,
vanessa

from Indiana for the last time (28,889 miles)

hello dear ones,

I join you again from the franklin library as i prepare to wrap up my stay in lovely indiana and hit the road once more. Since last we talked, I have played in Kentucky, Indiana, Illinois and Ohio, thereby covering a substantial portion of the midwest. And I have to say I have enjoyed myself thoroughly. Here's a quick recap of the madcap adventures of Vanessa, Colette, and erstwhile tour-manager-map-navigator-fabulous-friend Heather Worrell...

Last Friday we left Indy and headed to Charleston, Illinois to play at show at the lovely Jackson Avenue Coffeehouse. This venue rocked. Fantastic veggie and hummus bagel sandwich, fantastic coffee, and a wonderful listening room, separate from the rest of the coffeehouse, where the unbelievably kind Ryan Groff took care of sound for Shelley and I. The audience was a dream - laughed at all my dumb jokes, hung on my every word, stayed for the whole 2 hour set. Really and truly a treat. Not to mention we got a write up in Friday's Daily Eastern News ... I can't find the link so you'll have to google it ...

En route to somewhere, we stopped at a Pilot for a bathroom break (a Pilot being a travel truck stop, like a Stuckey's, a Love's, etc). Inside the women's bathroom I saw a personal perfume dispenser....yes, that's right....you feed in 25 cents, "cup your hand over the nozzle, and push the plunger to dispense the imitation scent of your choice!" Those are the directions, verbatim. You could try "exquisite replications" of many "famous scents" for a mere quarter. I guess you have to endure the fact that your hand is now going to reek to high heaven for the next 48 hours (as will your steering wheel by association). The dispenser said you would "feel so refreshed!" but I doubt that filling my hand with perfume and then trying to smear it all over my body would do much to make me feel better about being unwashed.

Anyhow - Saturday. Friday night Heather and I took Colette north to Chicago, and after driving rain and half-finished county roads, we arrived at the DellAngelo's, friends of mine from A&M who took us in for the weekend and fed us danish and apple pie (these are a few of my favorite things). Saturday night I played a house concert in Downers Grove, a suburb of Chicago. The concert was organized by the wonderfully sweet Martha and Jim McDonough, cousins of my friend Jenny (who organized a concert for me back in September). Martha made pumpkin bread, rugelach, spinach dip, and even sent me home with a goodie bag that included chocolate-covered espresso beans! What more could a late-night-driving girl ask for? Seriously though - it was another fantastic show, made so by the hospitality of our hosts and the attentiveness of the audience. Thank you!

Scooby's in Downers Grove - best Italian Sausage hot dog ever.

Sunday - Amber, 1/2 of the DellAngelos, played tour guide to Heather and I for the afternoon. Chicago was having a FANTASTIC day (like the day in Ferris Bueller, where he says, "how could I be expected to go to school on a day like this?"). It was beautiful and sunny and crisp and though I was only there for a few hours, I LOVED Chicago. We went down to Millenium Park, which is amazing, and wandered around downtown for a while until it was time to ride the L-train back to Uncommon Ground, where I had a show with Shelley and my friend Dani Linnetz from NY (with whom I'll be traveling next week). UG was another incredible venue, complete with fantastic sound guy Richard Lynch and yet another wonderful audience (and darn fine vegetarian chili).

Have you guys noticed this blog is really a running commentary on food? As Heather and I were driving from Chicago to Indy late Sunday night (I have really become a trucker), we were recounting all the good food we'd had over the last few days (this with our mouths full of Martha's pumpkin bread) and we realized what complete and total foodies we are. Hence one of the major reasons I love Italy so much.

Last night I was in Dayton, OH with the amazingly talented Emily Strand - this girl can SING. and write. AND she is super nice to boot. We have a show on Friday in Cincinnati with a few other songwriters - should be good times. I can't believe how many amazing songwriters I have met so far...and they have all been both talented and kind. How cool.

Okay, too many things to do to keep blogging. Such a fun word, blog. Please tell your east coast friends I'm coming - they can check out the schedule at http://www.vanessapeters.net/live.htm
Thanks to my friend Doug for the kickass music mix he mailed me. Good times and good bands I've never heard of until now but can't seem to stop listening to now...

Speaking of...thanks for listening.
v

Little Sandwich Music Newsletter - Volume II

hello dear ones,

I am sitting here in the Franklin Library. It's a comfy, cosy little library, and I can't even waste time gazing out the window, because the view is completely blocked by a thicket of flaming red and orange leaves. It sort of feels like I'm trapped inside a burning forest - but not so scary.

Anyhow, I thought it was time for a quick update as to the new album...how things are coming along, and how you can pre-order a copy for your very own stocking (not to mention the stockings of countless others as well!).

As most of you know by now, my Italian band, Ice Cream on Mondays, and I recorded an album in the final weeks of my stay in Italy this summer. We recorded 14 songs; 4 from Sparkler (that are pretty different with this band), and 10 new songs, 6 of which are full-on with the band and 4 of which are more acoustic. The recording side of the album is complete, but the mastering is still being finished in Italy, plus there is still the small matter of the album design. But we are on track, I hope and pray, for the album to be ready by Christmas. At the latest, it will be ready in January, so that it will be available at all of the ICOM shows we are lining up for January (when the band comes to Texas!). The track listing for the album can be found at the bottom of this entry, and you can listen to some of these tracks (unmastered) at:
http://www.vanessapeters.net/icecream/sounds.htm

If you are still thinking about pre-ordering (and I hope you are), here is the scale o' participation, plus information from the last newsletter, in which I detail exactly how much it costs to make an album:

"As an independent musician, it is nearly impossible to create your own album and have it look and sound professional. The costs involved are myriad: studio time, album design, web design, duplication costs, other musicians, promotional packages, etc. I made the last album for $5,000, and this was considered a shoestring budget. I didn’t pay my musicians anything, and my producer only made $1,000 for 8 months worth of work. My designer and webmaster each got $100 and an occasional dinner when I could afford it. $3,000 alone went into the actual production of the CD – the copying, printing, packaging, etc. So I suppose you see my point.

I am hoping that some (all) of you would like to pre-order the CD. This is a pretty common thing in the independent music world; you, as my beloved listener, take a leap of faith and pay in advance and in return you receive perks that no one else gets. I then have the money to pay my musicians and producer a living wage and still make a CD that looks and sounds beautiful (if all goes well). So how does this work? Well, for the time being, you can send a check to the address below, or click on the link to pay by credit card through PayPal (you don't have to setup an account with them to do this). But if you don’t mind writing a check, that much better, because then I don’t have to pay a fee to a middleman.

Here’s the scale o’participation, rated with the language I speak best (food):

"cappuccino" $13 – a signed copy of the CD, mailed the same day I receive them (way before the CD release party, way before they will be available anywhere else).

"cappuccino and pastry" $30 – 2 signed copies of the CD, a "restless traveler" button, and a sticker for the new album

"cappuccino/pastry/gelato in the afternoon" $50 – 2 signed copies of the CD, the "rt" button, the album sticker, and a "apple green and charcoal gray" t-shirt, available in either of those colors. :)

"cappuccino/pastry/gelato everyday for the rest of my life" $100 – 4 signed copies of the CD, the "rt" button, the album sticker, 2 "agacg" t-shirts, and your name in the liner notes as an EXECUTIVE PRODUCER of the album, plus 2 free tickets to a Vanessa Peters/Ice Cream on Mondays show of your choice.

You can part with your hard-earned dollars by sending a check or money order here:
Vanessa Peters
3000 Wind Flower
McKinney, TX 75070

or by clicking here:
https://www.paypal.com/xclick/business=acousticgirl01%40hotmail.com&item_name=Pre-Order+the+New+Album%21&item_number=LSM002&no_note=1&tax=0&currency_code=USD

You have no idea how much your individual support will help. If all of you on this mailing list were to pre-order just at the "cappuccino" level, I would be able to make the album worry-free, able to concentrate on touring/booking/recording/designing/and oh yes, writing songs."

So there is a recap of pre-ordering and what not...Thank you for reading this far, for coming to shows, and for all of your support. It means more than you know.
GRAZIE!!
vanessa

questions? comments? email me at: info@vanessapeters.net and i'll respond straightaway...

Volume I Newsletter:
http://vanessapeters.blogspot.com/2004/07/little-sandwich-music-newsletter.html

THIN THREAD (this may not be the final order of the tracks)
1. you're losing me
2. burning cross
3. gone
4. borrowed time
5. a few nights' confusion
6. apple green and charcoal gray
7. so long to get here
8. hooked
9. it's been a long time
10. the maybe love song
11. canceled
12. after i'm gone
13. thin thread
14. so what

You can listen to some of these tracks at: http://www.vanessapeters.net/icecream/sounds.htm

the girl with the out-of-state plates

oh yes,
I also just remembered something else. It is very strange to realize that no matter where you go, you are the one with the out-of-state plates. You are the one that small children will play car games with. You could be the winning plate (though likely they are still holding out for Delaware or South Dakota). Also, any time you cut someone off in traffic, or drive too slow, or try to turn from a lane that is not a turn lane, or find yourself stuck in an exit-only lane with your blinker on, the person behind you will most certainly be saying, "Look, idiot, I don't know how they drive in Texas..."

Certainly makes me sit up straighter and consider being a model driver and all-around citizen of the world...
-v

Indiana, where it is cold (27,600 miles)

Happy Sunday to you all,

It is very cold here. How is it there?

I left Texas on Thursday morning. It was a sunny autumn day, brisk but not too-brisk. By the time I got to Little Rock, Arkansas and got out of the car to get gas, I needed my coat and gloves. By the time I stopped in Illinois, I wouldn't have felt overdressed with my hat and scarf. Brrr. I'm not sure what possessed me to plan a midwestern/east coast tour in the fall/winter months, but I'm sure whatever it was that possessed me will not keep me warm as I shiver from city to city. Blasted possession.

I'm probably exaggerating. It's actually beautiful here. I'm staying with my friend Heather for the next two weeks in Whiteland, IN, a suburb of Indianapolis. Heather's house will be my hub as I play shows in IN, IL, and OH. Her giant, adorable German Shephard, Kohl, would be more than happy to be my canine blanket if I am ever that cold, so rest assured I won't freeze to death.

I drove almost 1,000 miles in one day to get here (and then drove 400 miles the next day to Evansville and back). I am not sure if that's an accomplishment to be proud of or not, but I am, especially since I wasn't drowsy, not even once. It's just a shame that 90% of the drive was in the rain, because I really wanted to see the leaves changing. But it turns out that is in full swing here in Indiana, so I needn't have worried.

I had a show on Friday in Evansville, IN, with the lovely and super-talented Shelley Miller from Chicago. We are playing at least 2 more shows together, which I am really looking forward to. We played at the Penny Lane Coffeehouse, run by the fabulously friendly Heidi and Paul Krause. If you are ever in Evansville, go there and get a chocolate chip cookie (dipped in chocolate, I might add). They have a great place and kind hearts to boot.

Next show: Louisville, KY with Heidi Howe, Oct 19th. Please tell the folks in Kentucky I'm on my way (and I expect it to be warmer there, darn it).
a presto,
vanessa

26,280 and the tour REALLY begins

hello dears,
To bed I am headed, as there are suitcases to be re-packed and re-organized and a car to be re-loaded. I'm supposed to leave here (Dallas) at 6 am tomorrow - that is not going to happen. Weather.com tells me I'll have rain all the way to Whiteland, IN. All 14 hours of the drive. Lovely.

I had a fantastic house concert in Lake Charles, LA on Saturday night. Thank you thank you thank you to Raymond and Julie Steiner, lovely and generous hosts that they are. It was such fun and I can't wait to go back. Julie made a feast (including homemade gumbo) and I was almost too full to sing. Almost.

I climbed in my car that night at 10.30 pm to head to Shreveport (a 4 hour drive). I stopped at a Starbucks (grrr) and, armed to the teeth with more espresso than necessary, I proceeded to speed northward (within legal limits, of course) (no, really. My 14-year old sister calls me Ms. Speed Limit in a mocking tone). I stopped midway at a gas station for 2 am snacks. Really, I stopped to go to the bathroom, but I always feel a moral obligation to buy something when I go in to use the restroom (no gas needed at this stop). So after 10 minutes wasted in deciding, I walked out with a pack of Cinnamon Trident and a bag of Zap's potato chips, regular flavor. This, after wasting 5 more minutes at the counter, waiting on the woman who felt zero moral obligation to get off the phone (who was she talking to at 2 am?) and ring me up.

Sigh. 3 am rolled around and I rolled into town. Thanks to Dad and Paula for the love and warmth and vitamins.

And now I leave Dallas behind. Thanks to everyone who has listened to me ramble these last few days; helped me pack; fed me and clothed me; gave me music for the road (I'll give you a playlist of what I'm listening to soon); helped me design an album, a t-shirt, stickers, and more.

Please tell your friends and family I'm headed their way (if I am, of course).
love and goodnight; see you in Indiana.
vanessa

25,327 (New Orleans, LA) - So Easy to Love the Big Easy

hello and good morning,
I'm sitting in the Rue de la Course coffeeshop, drinking the second good cup of coffee I've had since coming home (the first good cup was the one I had here yesterday). This is a beautiful cafe - it's an old bank, like the one in Mary Poppins...tall, gray, stone walls...marble...deep dark wood counters...30 foot ceilings...really lovely. And the cafe au lait!

It has rained from the moment I arrived in New Orleans on Wednesday night. We drove here in the rain, and crossed bridges in the rain. I HATE bridges with a passion, and I drove over the longest bridge I've ever been on - 22 miles - and I'll have to cross it again today on my way to Lake Charles...in the rain.

That being said, even constant rain could not dampen my enthusiasm for this city. My friend Doug has been our host here, and he himself is a transplanted New Orleanian (?)...he says that two words sum up the city: texture and flavor. I'd say he's about right. Even walking around in the Quarter, where the streets are lined with tacky tourist shops...even having cafe au lait and beignets at Cafe du Monde, where millions have done so before me...you get the feeling that the city is new and there only for you. It has a density, a lived-in sort of spirit that is palpable.

I've had thai food, middle-eastern food, gumbo, french pastries, and cafe au lait. I sat on the porch of an old antebellum home, now The Columns Hotel, drinking Pimms (a British summer drink). I rode the streetcar. I went to my first aquarium and petted a shark (albeit a very small one, probably on tranquilizers). Last night I went to the New Orleans Film Festival and saw "Undertow," the new movie by David Greene. David Greene and Josh Lucas (one of the film's actors) came and did a Q&A after the movie (which was good but very dark - don't go in with a heavy heart or you'll come out with it somewhere around your toes). All in all it has been a full three days, but not jam-packed-crazy-full...just pleasantly-occupied-full.

Thanks to the folks that came to the show on Thursday, and thanks especially to the new fans who bought Sparkler. Hope you are enjoying it.

Is the ICOM site dark on your computer? I'm taking a poll. Some say it's perfect, some say they didn't even realize there were photos behind the text. Let me know.

Off to Lake Charles, where a house concert awaits...and then, the great drive north.
au revoir,
vanessa

we all scream for ice cream!

hey hey friday folks,
check it out! rome wasn't built in a day, but this little website was, thanks to the talent, patience, and boundless energy of one eric m. dickens.
THANK YOU, eric.
you can look a few photos, download a few demos (unmastered), and post a comment on my site to let us know what you think!
happy clicking,
vanessa

ICE CREAM ON MONDAYS
http://www.vanessapeters.net/icecream