new songs!

check them out, if so you desire:

http://www.icecreamonmondays.com/sounds.htm

thanks to aaron, web designer extraordinaire! :)
vanessa

there is never any time....

saved by the bell, anyone? that is how i feel right now... so many things i need to do. i am sorry if yours is an email i haven't gotten to yet, i swear i am working on it.

radio play is a wonderful thing! we are currently getting airtime in the most random places, including Yellow Beat, a station in Japan (thanks Michiko and Chris!), and a show called Good Morning Captain on a radio station here in Italy (e grazie a Giuseppe!). Goes to show you never can tell.

we had a show in Imperia, Italy on Thursday, which is about 500 km north of us, on the west coast of Italy, near Genova. Quite a hike, especially considering that on the way home, not long after Gumo commented on well the Renault was holding up, we had a major mechanical problem. the wire that connects the gas pedal to the engine to the knee bone snapped in half, cutting off our gas supply and stranding us in the middle of the autostrada. hmmm. one tow truck ride later (with all of us the van, which was strapped onto the tow truck) and we were at the mechanic's. a few hours and all of our show profits later, we were back on the road, home in time for dinner. sheesh. we decided that gumo should not be allowed to speak on road trips... the morning after our show, we took a dip in the ocean....as we were relaxing, soaking up mediterranean sea salts, gumo said, "o, come si sta bene qui," which basically means, man, this water feels great. no sooner had the words left his lips when they were followed by a resounding OW!!! gumo had just been stung by a jellyfish (which is called a medusa in italian. i love this language).

okay, off to bed. long day ahead tomorrow. thanks to all the new folks on the mailing list and all the santa chiara folks who came to the show on wednesday. a good time was had by all of us on stage, hope the same can be said for you guys.
a presto,
v

bleeding fingers

jet lag is bad. very annoying to be laying in bed, bone-tired, watching the ceiling, watching the sun come up. nice, i suppose, to watch the sun come up...but not when you are as tired as i am.

we had a show on saturday night, and i played like a true (folk) rock star - until my fingers bled. at the end of the first set, i looked down and my strumming fingers were covered in blood. sweet. not really, but i have to say, i felt beyond cool for a few seconds. then i was just kind of grossed out.

lots of band shows coming up this summer, and then I am taking a look at the fall... I would like to tour in the UK and Ireland if I can get there...any of you out there who have contacts, please let me know.

i have been writing tons of new songs lately. must be the swelteringly hot weather. yeah. right. keep checking the icom page for live tracks from my shows in Texas, as well as video demos of our new songs...

that's all i got for now. check out salim nourallah's new album when you have time. lovely lovely stuff.
pace e amore,
vanessa

a short list of long thanks

hey!

i have been meaning to write this ever since i got home....so get ready for fragmented thoughts at best, because i have to finish packing and take a shower and drive downtown for my show....eeeeekkk.....

i have really damn good friends. thanks to:

randy for the PA, and the darn fine milkshake at avalon
kyle for the great show at the speakeasy
christine for getting kyle to give me the show
aaron for the amazing editing job he did on the revolutions show (which will be on the web soon)
lee for recording the revolutions show
eric for, as always, his incredible hospitality
vanessa and robert, for the super fun house concert
all of you who came out to shows!

who else? i know there are more things i am forgetting... i wanted to write about the great old-fashioned avalon diner in houston, the bill bryson book i am reading, my disappointment with the new Hem CD, all of the great folks who have come out to shows to say hi, how much i have enjoyed seeing all of you, how hard it is to keep from saying really personal things in a blog sometimes. weird how easy it is to spill over, and how thankful i am for the delete button.

i have to drive a standard in rush-hour Dallas traffic today. oh lord. i really hope i don't stall out somewhere on central....

okay, rambling will cease here. so many things i wanted to say.... dr. thunder really does taste like dr. pepper. check vp.com and icom.com ... in these next few days, there will be new live songs, as well as a video or two....

please remember to tell people that they are important, and that you want them around. sometimes it seems that they really don't know.
love
vanessa