December 2008. - Maternity Leave.We have adopted our beautiful baby girl, Celia Matz. I will be taking maternity leave in 2009. I plan on coming out with a new CD at the end of the year. But, in the mean time, thank you for your support check back for when I start performing again.
October, 2008 - Fall Tours. What a wonderful fall it has been. I have met so many wonderful people and played in some new regions. It is bittersweet to have some of my best shows before I take some time off for maternity leave. In September I played at the beautiful Artichoke Music in Portland and was welcomed by Richard Columbo. They have done a fantastic job making the venue one of the warmest places to play that I have seen. They are a true model to other venues around the country, in my opinion.
Also in September, my sister and I played one of my favorite places, the St. George Concert Series in Leadville, CO. It's always a treat to play with Alice, and Allie and the folks in Leadville know my music and always give us a warm welcome. Plus, we had some of the best soup I've ever had. I definately want Allie's recipe.
And, for my final tour for the year, I had a great time back in Minnesota. Roger Anderson and the folks at the Cambridge Coffeehouse were wonderful. I had a first at that show - almost getting stung by a wasp on stage. I got to play with the incredible Brooks Williams at Ginkgo's Coffeehouse, and I really enjoyed the live performance and radio show on Twin Cities Radio at Vera's Cafe. Lonnie Knight is a wonderful musician and host and I'm looking forward to coming back to do another show for Jazzy J. Thanks to everyone who has made this such a wonderful fall!
May, 2008 - Spring Tours. I ventured into some new territory this spring, touring to both Atlanta and Houston. I had a wonderful time on both trips and can't wait to go back. First of all, in Atlanta, I finally played at the legendary Eddie's Attic to a nice crowd, including one of my old high school friends. Eddie Owen was nice as could be. I certainly see why touring musicians try to include him on their stop through Atlanta. He's cultivated a crowd that knows whatever he presents will be worth coming to. While in the Atlanta area, I also played at Swallow in the Hollow in Roswell, the Hungry Ear Coffeehouse, and headed up to Athens to play at Farm 255. It was a beautiful time of year to visit Georgia - the flowers were in bloom and it wasn't too hot.
My trip to Houston in May was absolutely wonderful. I got to reconnect with my friend Ken Gaines at Anderson Fair, and meet some great new people at the Cortlandt Street House Concert and the Andrews House Concert. My thanks goes out to Mary Scott Hagle and her family for hosting a beautiful concert. Their house is absolutley perfect for a concert and her daughters kept me entertained throughout. Lucy Nell Andrews is a pillar of the Houston folk community and I appreciated the hospitality and warmth she extended, as well as her son and daughter. I already have an invitation to come back, so I'll be headed back that way soon.
February, 2008 - WildWords Event for Durango Nature Studies. I was so happy to perform a benefit concert for Durango Nature Studies at the Abbey Theater here in Durango. But, what made the concert so enjoyable is that I was joined by my two friends and incredible songwriters from Austin, TX, Danny Schmidt and Carrie Elkin, who were traveling through the state. I would pay to hear them both any day, so it was quite a treat for me, and Durango has two new favorite songwriters.
December, 2007 - Opening for John Cowan/Joining A&R Select. What a great year it's been in every way. A nice way to end it was the chance to open for John Cowan in Durango's Community Concert Hall. The sound system was fabulous and it was nice to meet such a legend in the bluegrass and songwriting world. In addition, I was approached by A&R Select, a liscensing and artist developemt company, to join their roster of artists they work with for liscensing deals. I'm very excited to see where this step will take me. See Press Release for details.
November, 2007 - October Tours and FAR West. I had a whirlwind October, with tours to Denver, Wisconsin, Arkansas, and Texas. I especially enjoyed performing at the Old Church Theater in Clarksville, TX (See Picture). Boyd Hurt was a wonderful host, even putting me up at his lake cabin, and the audience was very appreciative. I had a great time playing at Swallow Hill in Denver, too, because I got to play with my sister, Alice, and Jefferson Hamer for the first time. The three of us had a great time practicing, let alone performing. Alice and I also went to the FAR West Conference in Vancouver for the first time. We met some wonderful folks and were really impressed by the conference. Hopefully, it will result in some Northwest tours next year.
September, 2007 - Colorado Shows. I ended the summer with some nice shows in Colorado, playing with my trio, made up of my sister and either Greg Schochet or Steve Stahl. Steve, Alice and I played the Collegiate Peaks Music Festival in Buena Vista under a blue sky day looking out over the mountains ((see picture). Then, Alice, Greg and I (see picture) just returned from a concert at the historic St. George Church (see picture) in Leadville. We are looking forward to playing both of these places again next year.
August, 2007 - Utah and Alaska Tours. August was a full month of traveling and some of the best shows I've had in a while. I started out in Utah playing the Magpie House Concert. It was a warm and intimate setting hosted by Grant Hogarth (see Picture). He started these concerts with his wife, the late Suzanne Milsaps, and the loyal following of music lovers they have built were a joy to play for. After some shows at the Kendall Arts Festival and the Gallivan Center, I flew to Alaska to meet my family in Homer. While there, I took a water taxi over to beautiful Seldovia and the Seldovia Rowing Club (see picture). Susan Mumma hosted another wonderful concert and I played on the porch in the late night Alaskan sun (see picture). I'll look forward to meeting up with her again at the Far-West Folk Alliance Concert in November.
May, 2007 - Music With Meaning. I have decided to start a program to give back to some of the incredible organizations working to make our world a better place. Each few months I will feature a different organization on my website and in my e-newsletter. At the end of that time I will donate 10% of all CD sales during those months to the featured organization. Find out more about Music with Meaning and this quarter's featured organization, The Campaign for America's Wilderness.
April, 2007 - Bluegrass Meltdown and California Tour. I finally played Durango's own festival, the Durango Bluegrass Meltdown. I had a lot of fun sharing the stage with fellow Durango songwriters: Tim Sullivan, Greg Ryder, Bob Rea, Jason Thies, and Joel Ratcheff. Later in the month I went to the LA area for a tour. I had a great time playing with Albert and Gage at the Living Tradition Concert Series (see Pic) and enjoyed doing a live show and a taping for KCSN's Larry Wines' show "Tied to the Tracks." (See Pic) And, meeting Bob Stanes at the Coffee Gallery Backstage was a highlight. (See Pic) Thanks to everyone in California that heard my music for the first time and made me feel so welcome.
March 15, 2007 - Chautauqua Performance. I had one of the most enjoyable performances of my career at the Chautauqua Community House Concert Series. In addition to being one of the most beautiful places to play with a wonderfully enthusiastic staff, we got to record the whole concert. I was happy to be joined by my sister, Alice, and long-time collaborator, Greg Schochet (from the Hi-Beams) for a few numbers. It was also great to see so many of my old friends from Boulder in the audience. I will definately look forward to making this show an annual event.
February 15, 2007 - IL/IN Tour. I am back from a most enjoyable tour to the midwest, barely beating the massive storm that got there soon after I left. I actually got delayed in the Indianapolis and Chicago airports on Superbowl Sunday. Thanks so much to Carolyn VendeWiele for starting the tour off on the right foot with a wonderful House Concert and some of the best food I've had in a while. I enjoyed meeting all the radio folks out that way that had been playing my CDs. And, check out this nice feature that was written about me in the NW Indiana Times, entitled, "Telling a Good Story in Every Song." Can't wait to go back.
January 3, 2007 - On List of Folk DJ's Top CDs for 2006 and FAR Charts. In addition to being on Folk DJ's list for 2006, I was really excited to see "Something in the Water" on the FAR Charts (Freeform Americana Roots Chart)for January. It certainly makes traveling easier to know that radio stations around the country are playing the CD. Thank you to everybody that got it on your show!
November 25, 2006 - Rhythms of Durango. I was thrilled to find out that I was chosen as one of the Durango artists to appear on the City of Durango's first compilation CD of area musicians, entitled "Rhythms of Durango." The CD includes a wide range of bands, including the Badly Bent, the Wildblooms, John Garza, Tim Guidotti, and several others. The CD was mastered by Doug Eagle at Eagle Sound and can be purchased at many Durango businesses. For more information, visit Downtown Durango.
September 26, 2006 - Trip to Dallas. I just got back from playing some great shows in Dallas. My thanks goes out to Michael Terry at Uncle Calvins and Gene Dailey at the Labyrinth Walk Coffeehouse. They and all the other volunteers at the two venues put on a really professional show. I got to play with other Texas songwriters Darden Smith and Danny Britt, who were both incredible. Check out the new picture from Uncle Calvins.
August 1, 2006 - Reviews and Charting. I continue to chart on the Folk DJ Radio Charts for June, this time as one of the top favorite artists. I am so grateful for all the support from radio programmers around the country. Also, the new CD has gotten some nice reviews. It was reviewed in Sing Out! Magazine by Vic Heyman and the Valley Courier by Rob Weir.
June 9, 2006 - "Something in the Water" Charting on Folk Radio Charts. The big news this month is that folk radio stations around the country are really embracing "Something in the Water." I just found out that the CD charted at #54 for the month of May. A huge thank you to all the djs that are playing the CD. Check out the Radio Page to see who those stations are and be sure and call in a request!
May 7, 2006 - KRCL Founder's Title Festival Finalist. I was thrilled to find out that I was selected as one of ten finalists to compete on stage at the festival on July 8 in Salt Lake City. This is a real honor, as songwriters from all over the country submit their entries. The festival is sponsored by KRCL and the Intermountain Acoustic Music Association. You can visit www.foundersfestival.org to find out more about the festival or other finalists.
March 19, 2006 - CD Release Concerts and Feature Article. This month has been full of concerts and appearances to support the new CD. The Boulder CD release concert on Feb. 24 at the Rock n' Soul Cafe was really fun. I was joined by Greg Schochet, my old friend, Ed Caner, on fiddle, and my sister Alice Shuffield on harmonies and piano. It was proceeded by a most enjoyable interview on KGNU with Merideth Carson. I then headed to Arkansas for two release concerts at the Advent Cafe in Conway and the O Susannah series in Blytheville. Both were packed houses and it was good to see friends and family. Finally, I just had my Durango CD release concert last night at the Turtle Lake Refuge Concert Series. Greg Schochet came down for the concert and I received so much local support from KDUR, the Telegraph, the Durango Herald, and KSUT. Hugh Felt featured the CD on his weekly KSUT program, "The Grass is Bluer." And, see the wonderful review that Bryant Liggot wrote in the Durango Herald. Thanks everyone in Durango for all the support.
Feb. 15, 2006 - The New CD, "Something in the Water," is Finished. I just returned from the National Folk Alliance meeting in Austin, TX. The new CD was finished right before the conference, thankfully, so I was able to take it and perform songs from it during showcases. The CD is now officially released and can be purchased through the site.Purchase Now!
Learn More About the New CD.
