This is the third in a series of blog entries about the songs on the upcoming album “Hello Cruel World”, to be released January 2012.
Pelham, New York, 1960s
They’re in the front seat, he’s got the radio low
And the moon hangs over Idlewild as the planes touch down
He is talking but she’s not listening
She is thinking of her father, who died when she was young
In the mid-1960s my little world and the much larger one around me were both coming apart at the seams. You don’t see the correlation until much later – years later – but it’s there, and from the distance of decades it takes on its own kind of symmetry. From that distance another thing becomes visible: how much things have changed, and how little. Families still fall apart, hate still spawns more hate, the names change but the troubles don’t.
My father was a journalist; his beat was the Civil Rights movement. After John F. Kennedy was assassinated, my father, in a state of grief and anger, locked himself in the basement. As a small child, I found that terrifying. Not long afterwards, the family of Medgar Evers, the slain civil rights leader, came to stay at our home in Pelham, New York, so that his widow Myrlie and my father could work on her memoir. During their visit there was a snowstorm, and their youngest son, Van and I built a snowman together in the front yard. It was the first time Van had ever seen snow. He was momentarily transported beyond his grief by the magic of it.
On our black and white TV in the kitchen, I watched Kennedy riding in the back of a limo – shot, fatally wounded, and falling into his wife’s lap, over and over again. In my front yard I played in the snow with a little boy who saw his father gunned down in his own driveway. The political is personal; the personal is political. We think we’re walking on the moon, but we are dancing in the dark.
We shoot our rockets, we shoot our presidents
We shoot the commies and the niggers and the Viet Cong
Everything changes, everything stays the same
And the moon hangs over Idlewild as the planes touch down
This is the second in a series of blog entries about the songs on the upcoming album “Hello Cruel World”, to be released worldwide in early 2012.
Kansas, 2010
Most nights I come home from work and I pour a glass of wine
Sometimes it’s three or four before I stop
And Jesse makes a sandwich if I sleep through suppertime
And she leaves me on the couch to sleep it off
I know this woman. I see her in line at the grocery store, pouring coffee at a diner, stopped at a traffic light at rush hour. Part of me pities her, part of me admires her, part of me is her. There but for the grace of god. She’s caught at the crossroads where the struggle to come to terms with one’s mortality meets the urge to slip into unconsciousness. The hell with it; have another cigarette, another glass of wine, another piece of pie. Feeling the weight of her past, and watching it as it bears down on her own child.
But she’s a heroine, not a victim. It takes more guts to survive than to give up. To admit your mistakes, to acknowledge the hard truths and keep going. To persevere, to endure.
Somehow I’ve let myself go gently down the stream
A fine example I have set
Between the working and the livin’
and the ghosts that haunt my dreams
I’ve got five minutes, and I’m gonna smoke this cigarette
This is the first in a series of blog entries about the songs on the upcoming album “Hello Cruel World”, to be released worldwide in early 2012.
New Orleans, 2010
Saint Francis begging at your doorway
You want to let him in but what will the neighbors say
And you know you can’t go on but you can’t give up
And he answers you with his begging cup
Saint Francis of Assisi, patron saint of ecology, among other things. He grew up wealthy, but chose to live in poverty. He begged on the streets. He is often pictured with animals, whom he called his brothers and sisters. Legend has it that he once brokered a peace between a wolf who was terrorizing a village, and its people. The wolf, he said, had “done evil out of hunger”. He made the townspeople promise to feed the wolf, and made the wolf promise not to harm them. Years later, the wolf died of old age, and the townspeople wept.
There’s a line of thinking floating about these days, that this world doesn’t matter, only the next. There’s no need to protect or respect the earth – use what we find, leave what we use, and move on to the next realm. Bring on the end times. What would Francis the environmentalist – he who called nature “the mirror of God” – make of this? What would he think about the obscene gusher of oil that sullied the Gulf of Mexico last year; the free floating soup of plastic in the Pacific gyre; the ice-free North Pole? How did we get to the point where we are made to choose, ideologically, between nature and spirit? Who is the wolf?
Deep summer is when laziness finds respectability.
— Sam Keen
Summer afternoon at the Bartlett Arboretum
******** Hello Cruel World
Hello Cruel World, Gretchen Peters’ eighth album and her first solo studio effort in four years, will be released in early 2012. Recorded at Patty Griffin’s East Nashville studio and coproduced with Doug Lancio (Patty Griffin, The Greencards, John Hiatt), the album features a duet with Rodney Crowell (“Dark Angel”), and guest appearances by Kim Richey, Viktor Krauss and Will Kimbrough. Peters, Lancio and coproducer Barry Walsh (Tom Russell) also utilized the talents of Robert Plant’s Band of Joy rhythm section Marco Giovino and Byron House. The album contains 11 original songs written by Peters, including collaborations with singer-songwriters Matraca Berg, Suzy Bogguss and Tom Russell.
******** Way Out West
We had a couple of great weekends out west in July; first we stopped in Livingston, Montana where Barry played with country legend Lynn Anderson. I was invited to do a little songwriter’s “show within a show” with Lynn and her husband Mentor Williams, who wrote “Drift Away” (one of the most-played songs in the world). It was big fun, and singing “I Never Promised You A Rose Garden” with Lynn was just another one of those moments where my job intersects with music history, and I am amazed at what I get to do for a living. Barry and I took the day off after the 4th of July to go to Yellowstone National Park. A friend in Livingston had recommended we hike the Wapiti Trail there, but at the last minute we ran out of time. The next day we received an email from our friend: that morning, a grizzly bear had fatally mauled a hiker on – you guessed it – the Wapiti Trail. We’re just glad to be here.
with Marshall Chapman & Matraca Berg on the mountainside amphitheater in Sundance
We then flew to Sundance, Utah, where we enjoyed more cool mountain air and gorgeous scenery, and I played two fun shows with Marshall Chapman and Matraca Berg. We especially loved playing at the outdoor amphitheater on the mountainside, and in homage to Robert Redford, founder of Sundance, Barry played us onstage to the strains of “The Way We Were”.
The cool mountain air was just a memory when we arrived in Okemah, Oklahoma the next weekend for WoodyFest, the folk festival which this year celebrated Woody Guthrie’s 99th birthday. It was 108°F when we arrived. It cooled down to 104° the next day. And yes, we were playing outdoors. Nevertheless we had a great time and saw lots of old friends like Jimmy LaFave, who has played at WoodyFest every year since it began, Andrew Hardin, who sat in with us for a couple of songs, and Ronny Cox, movie star (Deliverance), folk singer and all around nice guy (Ronny and I delved deep into the catalog of Mickey Newbury over dinner one night after the festival). The night after WoodyFest we drove to Belle Plaine, Kansas where we played at the wondrous Bartlett Arboretum with Jimmy LaFave. The story of the Arboretum is fascinating; it’s a magical oasis in the middle of the Kansas prairie. Lucky for us, it cooled down to 99°F that day.
******** WSM – Air Castle of the South
at the legendary WSM studio
Barry Walsh and I will once again be appearing live on the legendary WSM Radio this Friday morning. We’ll be guests on “Coffee, Country and Cody” with host Bill Cody on Friday, August 5. The show will be broadcast from the Ford Theater at the Country Music Hall Of Fame, where we’ll also be appearing the next day, Saturday August 6 at 11:30AM, in the CMHOF’s Songwriter Sessions series. Listen for us on the radio on Friday during the 9:00AM hour. The show will also stream live at WSM’s website.
******** Tour dates
We’re slowly adding a few tour dates to the calendar for 2012 Hello Cruel World Tour – there will be much more to come. Our UK/Europe tour is scheduled for March of 2012 and tentatively includes the UK, Germany and Holland – and there may be additional European dates, too – so stay tuned!
just one of the fabulous venues we'll be playing in 2012!
Because of the new album coming out next year, I’m not doing much touring for the rest of 2011, but we will be appearing at The 1st Annual Jimmy LaFave Music Road Songwriter Rendezvous in Lajitas, TX November 11-12. This is going to be a great event in a beautiful place and a chance for me to spend some quality musical time with one of my favorite singers, Jimmy LaFave. Jimmy’s other guests will be announced soon. Check Jimmy’s website and my tour dates for details coming in the next few weeks.
I’ll also be doing a mini-tour with Janis Ian, Craig Carothers and Tony Arata – we will be at Eddie’s Attic in Decatur, GA for two nights September 1 & 2, followed by a Saturday night show September 3rd at the Bluebird Cafe in Nashville. We’d love to see you at one of the shows. If there’s a venue in your town you think we should be playing, let them know! You can direct them to the appropriate booking agent on the Contact page of my website.
******** Behind The Hits interview
Recently I sat down with Ty Hager, who produces a show for American Forces Network called “Behind The Hits“. Our interview aired last Friday, but it’s archived here in telescoped (without music) form.
******** Do you Tweet, Friend, Like or Ping?
Gretchen on Twitter – ephemeral tweets about anything and everything Gretchen on Facebook – updates and interesting tidbits Gretchen on Ping (iTunes) – a song or track every Monday that might be the best thing you’ve never heard
******** Download of the Month
Kansas prairie covered in frost, November 2010
With the Kansas prairie in mind, August’s free download is a live version of Jennifer Warnes’ beautiful song, “Prairie Melancholy”, which I recorded on the album One To The Heart, One To The Head. The track was recorded by my nephew and sound engineer extraordinaire, Jon O’Leary, at Swallow Hill Music Association, Denver, Colorado on February 28, 2009; Barry Walsh on piano. To my knowledge, this is the only time we have ever performed the song live. Visit the Download page to get August’s free download.
Apart from a hellish, sleepless flight to Frankfurt in a plane full of screaming babies we arrived in Germany fairly unscathed and spent a Lost In Translation 24 hours at our hotel near the airport. We met up with our tour manager, Rebecca Kemp, the next morning and headed off to Cologne, city of the beautiful cathedral and the first show of the tour. We had a video shoot for German TV before the show; a little unnerving as we were just getting our sea legs. Our first German audience, a nice size crowd, gathered just before doors opened as we were wrapping up the video. As it turns out, the audience was not entirely German – Roy from Newcastle came over for the show, bearing 2 bottles of Newcastle Brown. Bringing beer to Germany is a little like bringing coals to Newcastle, but it is good stuff. We also met up with Thomas, who told us he drove 5 hours to the gig but we don’t know from where. Thomas, if you’re out there, thank you!
just in case there was no good beer in Germany?
After a night off in Berlin the next four days were a blur. The second show of the tour was at Berlin’s Crystal Club, where we were graced with a nice crowd and this lovely review. On to the indescribable Blues Garage (venue) & Motel California (accommodations). The audience at the Blues Garage was great, a bit larger than the night before – and the Motel California was a crazy quilt of Americana, blues, rock and western memorabilia, all lovingly curated by our host and promoter, Henry. We had a Wurlitzer organ in our room. Here’s the proof: MotelCalifornia
Show #4 was in Duisburg at a cozy venue called Cafe Steinbruch. We tried out a little of our newly learned German (“Frühstück zu Hause”) on the crowd who very kindly indulged us and promptly switched back to English! Then it was on to Koblenz, and Cafe Hahn. We were greeted at soundcheck with tea & homemade cheesecake, a baby grand piano and gorgeous sound courtesy of Jörg. Along with gorgeous accommodations (a heated slate floor in the bathroom? Bathrobe and slippers? Are we on tour or at a spa?). All of this would have been enough to make us happy but an audience of 150 and two encores made Cafe Hahn the best show of the tour so far.
A week into the trip we drove across the border into the Netherlands for our first of 5 Dutch shows at the famous Paradiso in Amsterdam. Our old friend John Lester, who is about to move from Amsterdam to New York City, graced us with his bass playing…. I’ve long wanted to play the Paradiso and it did not disappoint. After our Amsterdam show we flew through the remaining 4 Dutch shows in Den Haag, Bakkeveen, Lage Vuursche and Venlo. The gig in Bakkeveen was especially memorable – a beautiful venue, great crowd and a boxer dog, Pips, with whom I fell immediately and deeply in love.
a pensive Pips
Our show at In The Woods in Lage Vuursche was packed with people and we were so happy to see so many familiar faces on our third visit there. Bart & crew are always so good to us and we look forward to the great company at dinner almost as much as the show. The Venlo show was at Perron55, where they have an outstanding crew who took such good care of us. We had a few more fans from far-flung places (Julian from the UK) and some friends from Twitter (hello Ruud!) who tweeted the gig as it happened.
We drove back to Cologne that night for a few hours sleep before flying to Munich the next morning. It was originally scheduled as a day off but we were offered the chance to play live on BR2, Germany’s national public radio, on a show called Nachtmix, which is hosted by Karl Bruckmaier, a veritable encyclopedia of music and a lovely guy as well. With the studio lights turned down low, and a small audience of 15 or so, it was like playing a little speakeasy or a jazz club. Easy to forget the huge audience out there in Radioland. Regrettably we didn’t see much of Munich, but we’ll save it for next time. We did get to sample some local beer though – Wow!
with Karl Bruckmaier from Radio BR2 "Nachtmix"
The last four German shows were a blur – some of the longest drives were at the end of the tour so much of it was spent in the van, driven by the ever-capable (and cheerful!) Rebecca. In Kassel we had a sold-out crowd (yes, sold out!) and a grand piano – two things that make us very happy. We also met up with singer-songwriter Markus Rill, another Twitter friend. The show in Erfurt the next night was a bit strange, with audience members sitting around the perimeter of the room but dead space directly in front of us. Bad Feng Shui, people! Then it was on to Dresden – a long haul but we arrived in time to wander around the Staatliche Kunstsammlungen and marvel at the post WWII restoration of Dresden’s historic buildings. The audience that night at Tante Ju was warm and very vocal, and we felt right at home but wish we could have stayed to see more of the city.
if you need your accordion repaired, Germany is the right place to be
We finished up the tour in Hamburg at the Downtown Bluesclub. I can’t say enough about Uwe, our host and promoter. All gigs should be like this one. We were treated so well; first a long, leisurely soundcheck, then a lovely dinner (amazing schnitzel!) with Uwe, the crew, our record label head Michael Golla, our booking agent and the TV crew who were there filming the show. The club was packed and the audience showed us the love. Afterwards, Uwe brought the champagne and we celebrated the end of a successful tour – 15 shows in 16 days. Next time (yes, there will definitely be a next time) we will build in more days off so as to see more sights and get more rest. We’re not spring chickens, you know.
Much gratitude to the awesome Rebecca Kemp for keeping us between the lines and never losing her cool, to Michael Golla for an incredible job on tour promotion, and to Nigel Morton at Moneypenny Agency, Joanna Serraris at Musemix, & ASS Concert & Promotion for booking the shows. Heartfelt thanks to all the lovely people who came out to see us, in some cases showing up at the venue hours early for autographs and/or driving hundreds of kilometers to get there. We are so grateful. And finally, love and admiration to Barry Walsh. Every night we get to make music together is an adventure, a journey and a gift.
If you are coming to a show on our 2011 tour of Germany & Holland, here’s what you’ll hear before the show:
Shenandoah Bill Frisell The Best of Bill Frisell, Volume 1: Folk Songs
I Feel a Change Comin’ On Bob Dylan Together Through Life
The Luxury of Knowing Lori McKenna Lorraine
Making Memories Of Us The Notorious Cherry Bombs The Notorious Cherry Bombs
Rainy Night In Georgia Hem No Word from Tom
They Were Wrong Matthew Ryan The Silver State
You And Tequila Matraca Berg The Dreaming Fields
The Ballad Of El Goodo Big Star #1 Record – Radio City
Blues Dream Bill Frisell Blues Dream
Silver And Glass Matraca Berg The Dreaming Fields
I Know Love Is All I Need Rodney Crowell The Houston Kid
Box Of Rain Grateful Dead American Beauty
“And it’s sure been a cold, cold winter
And the wind ain’t been blowin’ from the south”
-Mick Jagger/Keith Richards “Winter”
my first Hatch Print!
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Greetings from Nashville, where we’ve had the coldest, snowiest winter in recent memory. The snow has been beautiful (we’re not used to it here); the cold has been tolerable (if you have enough tea and a warm fireplace). But everyone, everywhere is ready for spring. Here’s the latest news about how mine is shaping up. In between all of the following events, I’m planning on beginning recording for a new album. More about that in a later newsletter. I hope spring finds you soon, wherever you are.
******** Circus Girl Hatch Show Print
I’m so excited about having my first Hatch Show Print. Hatch is a legendary print shop based right here in downtown Nashville. They’ve been producing iconic concert posters for over a century. You’ve probably seen their posters of Hank Williams, Johnny Cash and other luminaries. The Circus Girl/World Tour poster is a very limited run poster (there will be a small quantity for sale on the upcoming Dutch/German tour) of 100, and is available online at my website (click on Books & Posters). If you would like yours signed, just make a note of it when you place your order.
This year my special guest will be my Wine, Women & Song GF Matraca Berg. We’ll be at the Rutledge in Nashville on March 3rd with songs, stories, laughs and possibly some special guests. I’ve been listening to Matraca’s new album nonstop, and you’re in for a treat.
Don’t miss this very special, very intimate evening and the chance to hear these songs, new and old, up close. A VIP ticket gets you priority seating and a meet & greet with the artists before the show. All ticket information is at my website.
******** Circus Girl debuts in Germany
Circus Girl: The Best Of Gretchen Peters has made its debut in Germany, and is garnering good reviews and airplay. Here’s one review (better brush up on your German). Danke! Barry Walsh and I will be doing a special live performance on BR2 in Munich – the show will be broadcast live on Monday, 21 March between 1100 and 1200pm. Circus Girl has also been chosen as an upcoming “CD of the week” on radio station SR3.
.******** Wine, Women & Song DVD Wine, Women & Song (Matraca Berg, Suzy Bogguss & I) will be taping a private show for an upcoming live concert DVD later this month, and we’ve been rehearsing, working up new songs, writing and generally hanging out a lot.
a recent Wine, Women & Song rehearsal on a cold February day
We’re excited to be able to bring this show to folks who may not have been able to see it before now. In January we gave away 30 tickets to this invitation-only show on the WW&S Facebook page. It should be a fun night and we’ll keep you posted on the release date for the DVD.
******** European Tour 2011
The spring tour of Germany and Holland is approaching fast – dates are listed here; check the tour page at my website for details.
10 March – Cologne, Germany
12 March – Berlin, Germany
13 March – Hannover, Germany
14 March – Duisburg, Germany
15 March – Koblenz, Germany
16 March – Amsterdam, Netherlands
17 March – Den Haag, Netherlands
18 March – Bakkeveen, Netherlands
19 March – Lage Vuursche, Netherlands
20 March – Venlo, Netherlands
21 March – live performance on Radio BR2
22 March – Kassel, Germany
23 March – Erfurt, Germany
24 March – Dresden, Germany
25 March – Hamburg, Germany
our first German tour
******** Do you Tweet, Friend, Like or Ping?
Just a reminder: if the caption above makes sense to you, you can follow me at the links below:
Gretchen on Twitter– ephemeral tweets about anything and everything Gretchen on Facebook– updates and interesting tidbits Gretchen on Ping (iTunes)- a song or track every Monday that might be the best thing you’ve never heard Wine, Women & Song on Facebook– updates & carryings-on of Wine, Women & Song, aka Suzy Bogguss, Matraca Berg and myself
******** Download of the Month
I thought I’d throw in a WW&S download this month in honor of our upcoming DVD shoot – the song is “You Don’t Even Know Who I Am”, and judging from the pre-song conversation, some people still don’t!
The track was recorded at Eddie’s Attic in February 2010, by the wonderful Shalom Aberle. Visit the Download page to get February’s free download.
“What we call the beginning is often the end. And to make an end is to make a beginning. The end is where we start from.”
-T.S. Eliot
writing
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Happy New Year!
I love new beginnings, but it helps me to frame them as T.S. Eliot does – as part of a continuum; the snake biting its tail. Blank pieces of paper and clean slates are a little intimidating. In the end, all there is to do is to begin. The end is the beginning. I’m almost at the end of writing songs for a new album. I have, as always, a foggy idea what it should sound like, but a lot of things will happen along the way to change that. Everyone involved will leave his or her mark, and it will (I hope) be a beautifully imperfect reality as opposed to an impossibly perfect idea. Most of all, I’m looking forward to being in the studio again – it energizes me being around great musicians.
I’ve got a lot of other irons in the fire for this year, too, but I’m making this newsletter brief so we can all get back to our New Year’s resolutions. Mine is to get this album done – wish me luck!
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30A Songwriters Festival
We just wrapped up an amazing weekend at the 30A Songwriters Festival, which boasted a stellar lineup this year: Rodney Crowell, Dar Williams, Emily Saliers, Vienna Teng, Mary Gauthier, Lucy Wainwright Roche, Shawn Mullins, Madison Violet and many, many more. Highlights for me were last night’s set with Emily Saliers, Mary Gauthier and Jennifer Knapp, catching Rodney Crowell’s riveting set just before my in-the-round set with two of my favorite guys, David Olney and Tommy Womack, and Barry’s and my solo turn at the Seaside Rep, a pretty little black box theater in the heart of Seaside. Make plans next year to spend MLK weekend at this event; mark my words, it’s going to get HUGE.
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Planned Parenthood benefit
special guest this year is Matraca Berg
For the third year in a row, I’m proud to be hosting a benefit for Planned Parenthood of Middle Tennessee. Past guests have included Janis Ian and Marshall Chapman. This year I know tickets are going to sell out very quickly because my special guest will be my Wine, Women & Song GF Matraca Berg. We’ll be at the Rutledge in Nashville on March 3rd, swapping songs, stories and some laughs. Matraca’s new album is coming out this spring and it’s a beauty. Don’t miss this very special, very intimate evening and the chance to hear these songs, new and old, up close. A VIP ticket gets you priority seating and a meet & greet with the artists before the show. All ticket information is at my website.
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Wine, Women & Song LIVE DVD taping!
And speaking of Wine, Women & Song – Suzy, Matraca and I will be taping our first DVD on February 24 in fabulous downtown Leipers Fork, TN, home of Green’s Grocery, where we first sang together 11 years ago. We will be giving away a very small number of seats to this invitation-only event, and you can get in on it by going to our Facebook page and following the instructions there. These seats are non-transferable and can’t be sold, so please participate only if you are able to attend. Watch our Facebook updates for more.
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Janis, Craig, Tony & Gretchen
Due to the popularity of the semi-regular “in the round” shows with Janis Ian, Craig Carothers, Tony Arata and myself, we’re embarking on our first world tour! OK, maybe it’s just Decatur, GA & Nashville, TN, but it’s a start. We’ll be at Eddie’s Attic for 2 nights September 1 & 2, finishing our little mini-tour with a night at the Bluebird Cafe in Nashville, TN on September 3. Tickets for Eddie’s will be on sale at the Eddie’s Attic website in mid-January. Tickets for the Bluebird show will be on sale the week before the show. Hope to see lots of you there!
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Circus Girl among CMT’s Greatest Greatest Hits
CMT has released “The Greatest Greatest Hits of 2010” list, and Circus Girl: The Best Of Gretchen Peters is on it! An excerpt: For the thinking country fan interested in looking behind the industry curtain, this set is a dream. Read all about it here.
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Do you Tweet, Friend, Like or Ping?
Just a reminder: if the caption above makes sense to you, you can follow me at the links below:
Just a reminder about our spring European tour – check the tour page for details. Here are the dates:
10 March – Cologne, Germany
12 March – Berlin, Germany
13 March – Hannover, Germany
14 March – Duisburg, Germany
15 March – Koblenz, Germany
16 March – Amsterdam, Netherlands
17 March – Den Haag, Netherlands
18 March – Bakkeveen, Netherlands
19 March – Lage Vuursche, Netherlands
20 March – Venlo, Netherlands
22 March – Kassel, Germany
23 March – Erfurt, Germany
24 March – Dresden, Germany
25 March – Hamburg, Germany
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Download of the Month
January’s free download is the demo version of “This Town”. It’s really a skeletal sketch of what eventually ended up on the “Burnt Toast & Offerings” album – no background vocals, no concertina or pennywhistle – but it was the template.
2010 was a very eventful year for me, and one of the biggest events was the devastating flood that hit Nashville on May 1 (here’s a blog entry I wrote the following week). I have never sung this song since without thinking of that day.
In the bleak midwinter
Frosty wind made moan,
Earth stood hard as iron
Water like a stone
-Christina Rossetti
driving through Kansas, November 2010
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What a Year
There are years, and there are Years; this has been a Year. We started out with a huge (for Nashville) blizzard, or as it was called here, The Situation 2010. The Situation cancelled my annual benefit for Planned Parenthood, this year with guests Marshall Chapman and Minton Sparks, but we braved the ice and met for Thai food that night, and ended up writing a song about Jerry Lee Lewis. Serendipity strikes once. There were a couple of great Wine, Women & Song shows stateside in February (Columbus, OH & Atlanta, GA), and a show with Rodney Crowell in March. Barry and I mentioned that we were getting married, and Rodney mentioned that he was an ordained minister and could do the job. Serendipity strikes twice.
In May, Nashville was hit by an epic 1000-year flood. The Situation was far more serious this time. Just as the city was picking itself up and surveying the damage (over $1.5 billion), we were flying over to the UK to begin the “Circus Girl: Without A Net” tour. With the aid of an old top hat and some very generous fans, we were able to raise over £800 for flood relief. In June we played a great show in Nashville with friend and collaborator Tom Russell. In attendance were Marshall Chapman, Nanci Griffith and Steve Young, among others. July took us back to the UK to play a couple festivals. Our sets at Cambridge Folk Festival were really well received and we had a blast playing for a lot of new folks.
at 3rd & Lindsley with (L to R)Thad Beckman, Nadine Russell, Nanci Griffith, Tom Russell, Steve Young
As most of you know, we took the autumn (mostly) off to get married. Rodney Crowell officiated, as promised, and we were serenaded by incredibly talented friends like Jeff Hanna, Matraca Berg, Suzy Bogguss, Mary Gauthier, Tom Russell, Bryan Adams, Tia Sillers, John Lester, Tania Elizabeth and more. After the wedding (and a little work on Tom’s upcoming album here in Nashville), we had a beautiful honeymoon in New Orleans, truly one of the Great Cities. I also had a blast singing with The Long Players, who perform an entire classic album at once – it was my good fortune to be invited to sing the title cut from John Lennon’s “Imagine” album. There’s a bit of video here.
And here we are at the end of a YEAR. A blizzard, a flood, a wedding, and a couple of trips across the big pond. Last week we headed west one last time, this time to see Leonard Cohen in Portland, Oregon, a sublime show that will be with me for a long, long time. In a year of superlatives it only seems right to be closing it out in the presence of one of the Greats.
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Bluebird Cafe
Over the past couple of years I’ve been doing a semi-regular “in the round” show with buddies Janis Ian, Craig Carothers & Tony Arata. If you are in Nashville on December 17th, you can catch our last show of the year at the Bluebird Cafe at 9:30PM. Tickets usually sell out quickly, so hurry.
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deep in December, the year has grown old…
Christmas album available now!
…and we have a fresh batch of “Northern Lights” CDs just in time for Christmas. Order now, and we’ll get it out to you in plenty of time to pour a glass of wine, sit in front of the tree and enjoy the season. Did I mention they make great stocking stuffers? Check it out here. From now through Christmas we are sending orders out the next business day after they are received, so you can receive them in time for gifting (or enjoying!)
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Ping!
Apple has provided me with an official Ping artist profile, and I’m posting a Ping song of the week there on most Mondays. It’s my firm belief that most musicians are frustrated DJs, and it’s been a lot of fun to spread the word about songs and artists I love. If you’re an iTunes user, you can follow me here.
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Germany & Holland
Our spring European tour is coming together, and the Dutch and German dates have been posted! Check the tour page for details. Here’s the tour so far:
10 March – Cologne, Germany
12 March – Berlin, Germany
13 March – Hannover, Germany
14 March – Duisburg, Germany
15 March – Koblenz, Germany
16 March – Amsterdam, Netherlands
17 March – Den Haag, Netherlands
18 March – Bakkeveen, Netherlands
19 March – Lage Vuursche, Netherlands
20 March – Venlo, Netherlands
22 March – Kassel, Germany
23 March – Erfurt, Germany
24 March – Dresden, Germany
25 March – Hamburg, Germany
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Wine, Women & Song
Matraca Berg, Suzy Bogguss and I now have a Wine, Women & Song Facebook page! If you’re on Facebook, we hope you’ll “like” us. You can find all the news about our upcoming UK tour and a few other exciting announcements coming soon.
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Download of the Month
Merry Christmas from our house to yours
This month’s free download is a little early Christmas present from Barry and me, recorded at home one frosty November morning. Visit the download page to get December’s free download (and my grandma Adele’s fabulous gingerbread recipe!) May your days be merry and bright.
“Love is wonderful the second time around.”
– Sammy Cahn
October 2, 2010
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Just Married
On October 2 at 6:00PM, Barry Walsh and I affirmed our longtime relationship before family and friends in a beautiful ceremony in a churchyard near our home in Nashville. Rodney Crowell officiated, and after the ceremony performed his song “I Know Love Is All I Need”. There was not a dry eye around.
first dance
It was a gorgeous, if somewhat windy evening. At the reception, Bryan Adams, who interrupted his tour to be there, serenaded us with “Heaven” for our first dance. Afterwards, a seemingly endless parade of friends, including Matraca Berg, Suzy Bogguss, Rodney Crowell, Jeff Hanna, Tom Russell, Mary Gauthier, John Lester, Conni Ellisor, Tia Sillers, John Hobbs, Christine Bougie, Tania Elizabeth all performed. The evening ended, of course, in a massive jam session.
wedding singers, L to R: Doug Crider, Suzy Bogguss, Matraca Berg, Jeff Hanna, Rodney Crowell
After the wedding we honeymooned in New Orleans, where we ate, drank and floated on memories of a magical night. Barry and I are grateful for the lovely messages of congratulations and well wishes we received from many of you, from all over the globe. We are tremendously, giddily happy.
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“Independence Day” released on Warner Brothers
Warner Bros. Records is releasing two volumes of The Original Songwriter Demos, a collection of original demo performances of some of country music’s most influential hits written and performed by the creator’s themselves – the songwriters. The original demo of “Independence Day”, as Martina McBride first heard it, is included on Volume 1.
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Dutch Tour dates & our first German tour!
As most of you know, our European tour, which was originally planned for this month, was postponed until March 2011. We have confirmed the Dutch and German tour dates, and they’re now posted at the website. More European shows will be posted as soon as they’re confirmed – stay tuned, and as always, check the tour calendar often for updates.
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Wine, Women & Song news
Moonshine Hill in Leipers Fork, TN
Matraca Berg, Suzy Bogguss and I just came back from a three day songwriting/recording retreat in Leipers Fork, Tennessee. We wrote a great song, worked out harmonies on a few cover tunes, drank some good wine and cooked some great meals, and now we’re cooking up another Wine, Women & Song UK tour in May 2011. We’ll keep you posted on dates and other exciting news as it’s confirmed.
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Ping!
Apple has introduced Ping, a social network for music via the new iTunes 10. They have provided me with an official Ping artist profile. I’m posting favorite songs and new discoveries at least once a week there. For those of you who miss the old “GP Picks”, this might make up for it a little bit. If you’re an iTunes user, you can follow me on Ping here.
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Christmastime is here
Well, not yet. But we have a fresh batch of my holiday/winter album, Northern Lights in stock, so if you don’t have yours yet, you can order it in plenty of time to get in the spirit. Here’s where to get it.
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Tune us in on The Music Row Show
On November 7, Barry and I dropped in on Scott and Heino of The Music Row Show for a song and a chat. A podcast of the show will soon be available on the website for listening.
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Download of the Month
This month’s free download is “This Used To Be My Town”, a song that started out as a collection of memories about Pelham, NY, the small suburb of Manhattan where I grew up. “The station wagons in the pouring rain”, and “walking by the football field” were just pictures in my head, until I connected those images with the story of Elizabeth Smart, whose abduction was all over the news that summer. The track was recorded live at the Rutledge, Nashville, TN on August 8, 2009 by Frank Sass.
On October 2, Barry Walsh and I will be getting married here in Nashville. We’ve been friends and musical partners for 20 years. We’ve traveled thousands of miles together, shared impossibly small hotel rooms, suffered sleep deprivation and bad soundchecks, walked the streets of countless cities and the concourses of many airports, and shared transcendent moments both on stage and off. We feel very, very lucky to be able to live this life together. We hope we’re not tempting fate, but next month we will be married in a churchyard in Nashville surrounded by family & friends. Our friend (and ordained minister) Rodney Crowell will preside over the ceremony. Our children will be there, and yes, there will be music. Lots of it. We are eternally grateful to you for making it possible for us to make a life in music, and for indulging us in a little time off while we take a break from touring for awhile. There will be no newsletter in October, but I’ll send out another one in November, hopefully with a wedding photo or two. The free download of the month will also resume in November. From our house to yours, we wish you joy.
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California
On Friday, Sept. 11 I’ll be in Venice, CA for a special show presented by Grassroots Acoustica to benefit Alzheimer’s research. Tour dates for 2011 will be posted as they are confirmed – please check the tour schedule and keep checking back for updates.
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European Tour postponed
Our European tour, which was originally planned for November, has been postponed. We hope that by postponing we will be able to cover more ground; shows are being considered for Holland, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Scandinavia and Ireland. Tour dates will be posted as soon as they are confirmed – stay tuned, and as always, check the tour calendar for details.
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Wine, Women & Song UK Tour
Matraca, Suzy and me in the studio last month
Another Wine, Women & Song tour with Matraca Berg, Suzy Bogguss and me is also in the works for the UK in May 2011 – we’ll keep you posted on dates as they are confirmed. By the way, Matraca and Suzy both have new albums finished, and they are both fabulous. Suzy and I were in the studio recently to sing on Matraca’s “South Of Heaven“. Check out both Matraca’s and Suzy’s websites for more info.
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St Cloud redux
New versions of this song keep popping up on YouTube. Here are three of my favorites:
This month’s free download is “The Way You Move Me”, recorded live at Tales From The Tavern on September 9, 2009. I wrote this song for Barry, and there’s not much more to say – hopefully it speaks for itself. Visit the Download page to get September’s free download. Enjoy.
“The English summer – three fine days and a thunderstorm.”
-Charles II
swans on the Thames
We are back from our second trip to the UK in as many months. Re-entering the sweltering South was a rude awakening after spending ten breezy seventy-ish degree days in England, Charles II notwithstanding. The highlight of our mini-tour was Cambridge Folk Festival, where we received such a warm reception we never wanted to leave. Close behind were our stints on ‘Weekend Wogan’, the Trowbridge Folk Festival and a cozy gig in Bristol. But for now it’s back to Tennessee, in the red hot center of the warmest summer on record.
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Links, links, links
onstage at Cambridge Folk Festival - photo courtesy of @robdebuilder on Twitter
There were a lot of people with microphones and/or video cameras at Cambridge. Here are some links:
We started our mini-tour with the popular live radio show Weekend Wogan where they boast a fabulous crew and band, a beautiful studio and of course, Sir Terry himself, the most gracious of hosts. Everyone was so lovely to us. The queue to get in wound all the way around the BBC Broadcasting House – this is a serious ticket.
Barry Walsh and me on the set of 'Weekend Wogan' - photo courtesy of Hellen Bach
After doing our three songs we raced to Trowbridge in time for our set on the main stage, just before Mary Black. Mary is one of my favorite singers on the planet, and I finally got the chance to tell her so after both our sets. I asked her to sing “Columbus“, a gorgeous Noel Brazil song I’ve loved for years. It wasn’t on her set list, but she obliged gracefully and we watched from side of the stage. She just gets better.
Mid-week we found ourselves playing a sweet, intimate little gig in a jazz venue in Bristol. We had a lovely, warm crowd, so we tried out three new songs on them. It’s a little scary to do new songs for the first time, but they have to be debuted somewhere, and this seemed as good a place as any.
with Mary Black after our sets at Trowbridge - photo courtesy of David Betteridge/DHB Photography
In between shows we watched swans on the Thames, had a delicious curry in Reading, and shopped too much on Oxford Street in London. It’s a tough job but someone’s got to do it.
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Hey Ladies
Awhile back, I participated in a survey by National Public Radio of women musicians. NPR asked hundreds of working women musicians to describe what it’s like right now: the good, the bad and the same as it ever was. ” Click here to read more about the project and see the responses. To read my full questionaire, click here. My responses are also featured in the collections “The First Time“, “Old School/New School“, “Advice” and “Gear“.
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Upcoming Tour Dates
Upcoming tour dates include Durango, CO where we will be at the historic Henry Strater Theater (otherwise known as “The Hank”); Vacaville, CA (the Art, Wine & Brew festival) and Venice, CA (a special night presented by Grassroots Acoustica to benefit Alzheimer’s research). A European tour is being planned for November 2010 – we’ve already posted two Dutch dates, with more to come. Dates are still being confirmed – check out the tour schedule and keep checking back for updates.
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Download of the Month
This month’s free download is “Germantown”, recorded live at Eddie’s Attic in Decatur, Georgia on April 15th, 2010 (which also happened to be Barry Walsh’s birthday). The song first appeared on the “Halcyon” album, and has been a staple on the setlist ever since. This version was recorded from the mixing console by Shalom Aberle, one of our favorite live engineers. Big thanks to Eddie & Shalom! Enjoy. Visit the Download page to get August’s free download. Enjoy.
“Summer afternoon – summer afternoon;to me those have always been the two most beautiful words in the English language.”
– Henry James
the (so far) pristine white beaches of the Florida panhandle
As I write this it is a summer afternoon in northwest Florida, where I am holed up writing songs for what I hope will be a new album. It’s hot – I can never remember nor imagine how sticky and steamy it gets here in midsummer. The frequent rain showers are welcome, and sometimes very dramatic. Florida thunderstorms are violent and beautiful and a good reminder that we are not in charge here…
And speaking of man vs. nature, the BP/Deepwater oil spill has finally reached this part of the coast – although not as severely as it has to the west – and there is palpable fear, sadness and tension among the people who live here. No one knows from one day to the next what will happen. This fragile little stretch of beach is one of my favorite places on earth, and it’s heartbreaking to think of what might be coming. We have to stop the madness. We have to kick the oil addiction and move on. We simply have to. Here’s a good place to start.
******** The Secret Of Life is a good cup of coffee…
But you need a good mug to drink it from. By popular demand, we’re bringing back the Secret Of Life coffee mugs we sold on the road a few years ago. But they’re sorely in need of a style update. A fan on Twitter suggested that instead of using a professional artist, we ask you to come up with a design – what a great idea! So all of you who are talented artists, designers or dabblers in things graphic, please send us your ideas!
your design here!
The Fine Print: Your design should be one color, sized for a standard diner mug. It should contain the phrase “The secret of life is a good cup of coffee”. Please send only high res JPGs, TIFFs, or GIFs. By entering this contest you are giving us the right to reproduce your design on a commercially available mug for no financial consideration. If a winning design is chosen, winner will receive a personalized, autographed copy of the CD of his or her choice, and a pair of mugs. Winner will also receive gratitude, kudos, virtual high-fives, and his or her photo (if desired) in a future newsletter.
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UK pitches in for Nashville flood relief
To all our friends from the UK who donated money during our recent tour, I want to pass along this thank-you from The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee:
Dear Gretchen –
Thanks for helping to organize this collection of funds for The Community Foundation’s flood relief efforts. We are so appreciative!
The money raised while on tour in the U.K. has been donated to The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee, a non-profit organization in Nashville, TN that is working with the community to address its immediate and long-term needs from the May 2010 floods. The Community Foundation is collecting donations and making grants to non-profit organizations working on the frontlines who are providing direct services and have established systems in place to assess needs and get help to the people who need it.
Please let me know if you need anything else and please pass along our thanks to your fans for their generosity!
Barry Walsh and I are coming back to the UK in July to do a few dates, including the Trowbridge Village Pump Festival (22-25 July) and the 2010 Cambridge Folk Festival (29 July – 1 August). You can see the full lineup for both festivals at the Cambridge Festival site and the Trowbridge Festival site. Specific stages and times are below.
I will be doing a songwriting workshop while at Cambridge – the workshop will take place on Sunday in the Club Tent at 10:00AM. If you’d like to stop by and chat and get CDs or programmes signed, I will also be doing a session in the signing tent – please check the Festival programme for date & time.
Trowbridge Village Pump Festival
Sunday, July 25 – 3:15PM – Stage TBA
Cambridge Folk Festival
Saturday July 31 – 8:25PM – Stage 2
Sunday August 1 – songwriting workshop – Club Tent, 10:00AM
Sunday August 1 – 1:00PM – Stage 1
In addition to the festivals, we’ll be appearing on Terry Wogan’s live radio show, Weekend Wogan on BBC Radio 2 on Sunday, July 25 at 11AM. Tune in to BBC Radio 2 or listen online at the website.
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Colorado and California dates added
on tour in California, 2009
We are heading west at the end of August for what has become our annual tour. Dates posted so far include Durango, CO; Vacaville, CA (the Art, Wine & Brew festival) and Venice, CA (a special night presented by Grassroots Acoustica to benefit Alzheimer’s research). More dates are being confirmed – check out the tour schedule here, and keep checking back for updates.
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Fun fan video!
Recently someone sent me a link to this video set to “Sunday Morning (Up And Down My Street)”. Check it out – clever, no? If you have made (or know of) any other fun or interesting videos set to any of my songs, let me know and I’ll share them here.
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Download of the Month By popular demand, this month’s download is a live version of “The Letter”, a song Barry and I started doing as a sort of tribute to Alex Chilton, who passed away suddenly last spring. Barry played with Alex as a touring member of The Box Tops for nine years. We recorded this at Workhouse Arts Center in Lorton, VA, where we were fortunate to have Bill Cunningham, an original Box Top, in the audience. Visit the Download page to get July’s free download. Enjoy.
Songwriting Workshop1027 18th Avenue South Nashville, TN37212 United States
SOLD OUT - WAITING LIST AVAILABLE
In this 3-day songwriting workshop in Nashville, Gretchen will explore the process of songwriting—the art and the craft, and the delicate balance between the two. You’ll learn to write from the inside out, beginning with the spark of an idea and following it all the way to its full realization.
Songwriting Workshop1027 18th Avenue South Nashville, TN37212 United States
SOLD OUT - WAITING LIST AVAILABLE
In this 3-day songwriting workshop in Nashville, Gretchen will explore the process of songwriting—the art and the craft, and the delicate balance between the two. You’ll learn to write from the inside out, beginning with the spark of an idea and following it all the way to its full realization.
Songwriting Workshop1027 18th Avenue South Nashville, TN37212 United States
SOLD OUT - WAITING LIST AVAILABLE
In this 3-day songwriting workshop in Nashville, Gretchen will explore the process of songwriting—the art and the craft, and the delicate balance between the two. You’ll learn to write from the inside out, beginning with the spark of an idea and following it all the way to its full realization.
Songwriting Workshop1027 18th Avenue South Nashville, TN37212 United States
SOLD OUT - WAITING LIST AVAILABLE
In this 3-day songwriting workshop in Nashville, Gretchen will explore the process of songwriting—the art and the craft, and the delicate balance between the two. You’ll learn to write from the inside out, beginning with the spark of an idea and following it all the way to its full realization.
“From the opening song, the moving murder ballad “Blackbirds” (the body count at Gretchen’s shows is generally pretty high!) to the closer (an impromptu, solo acoustic rendition of “Love That Makes a Cup of Tea“ which I have on good authority was not included in any of the other dates on this…
“Neither singer nor audience wanted the evening to end, and Peters delivered an utterly enthralling show. She was backed by a trio of fine musicians, including her pianist husband Barry Walsh, who stood up from the keyboard to add accordion flourishes to a couple of numbers, including “The Mat…
“An obvious leaning towards some of the newer material represents the prime evolution of Gretchen Peters’ songwriting. A skill that fermented like the finest old world wine. Of course there was space for some absolute live standards. Has she ever left a stage without singing ‘On a…
“What followed was spellbinding, The Matador was haunting; All You Got Is a Hammer was punchier than usual with Barry giving us some unexpectedly Jazzy flourishes on the piano. Although I gave it a favourable review in 2015; I didn’t remember Pretty Things which found Gretchen being joined by…
From Americana UK: Back on the 12th August 2022 I opened an e-mail from Gretchen Peters as many would have done across the country that morning with the single word headline ‘Announcement’. Intrigued I quickly proceeded to cast my eyes over the following paragraphs and with every passing sentence fe…
