AND NOW: A continuation of the journey…Oklahoma to today…

Ok, so that night on stage at Woody Fest was spectacular in that Kristin and I had a BLAST being LOUD and singing to a very receptive field of folks…I’m not
sure how many people were at the festival on that Friday, but it sure looked like a couple thousand…we rocked and giggled and I dedicated a song (“Size Six
Dress”) to any teenage girls in attendance, to tell them that their bodies were amazing and that their minds mattered—that no one should ever tell them differently.
I had many, many young women (and a few adult women) come up to tell me how much it meant to them to hear the message, my speaking and singing
about it.

Andrew Hardin popped up to join us on guitar, as well as Dean on the drums…which was very fine, indeed!… I had told them I’d love to have them
up for two songs but it would be too hard to play the next or any other ones… the next up was “Everything’s Red”…but…
I guess Dean didn’t understand me, because he chose to stay and jam on and on, and oh I was trying to use the neck of my guitar
to give him cues…but finally I turned to holler, “Fade OUT!” over his drumming, trying not to cause anyone embarrassment, but he misunderstood me
and stopped dead! By then it was becoming comical, I suppose, but I was frustrated in that I wanted to perform the song, to deliver it at it’s peak,
but it was uncomfortable to have two side men (two very capable side men, at that!) wanting to play but they did not
know WHAT to play. Kristin joined in the fracas and was yelling out instructions, as well. We eventually just turned back to the mic
and she and I just went for the vocal rave up to bring the song to a halt…

So,if you are ever told by a female musician, “I don’t do 1-4-5 type songs,” know she isn’t foolin’ around and wait
for a rehearsal so the jam can be sensational and full fledged. And the lesson for me (the female musician)
is to say “NO, not today but sometime!” and hang on to the “no”. Nicely, of course!

Hung out and heard the other sets—John Gorka, fabulous as always—and sat in with Don Conoscenti, who, I’m thinking is at a very bored station in life
and wanting to explore and stretch and push, and I totally get that…so he was taking a lot of risk on stage, performing only cover songs with two musicians
just sitting in (he was calling out changes, too) and then Kristin came and grabbed me and said Don wanted us to join him, and by golly! That was FANTASTIC!
I love the randomness and thrill of NOT knowing what someone ELSE is performing and just jumping in to sing back ups (or play guitar)…so Kristin and I
were women on a mission—oohing and aahing in thirds and sliding our voices all over the globe, dancing like we’d just gotten back from Uganda
and even throwing in some crazy yoga moves…the ebb and flow of responding to Don was like being in the Cheese all over again (the Dallas Improv
band I had been in.) I think the audience was a little confused by what they were seeing, but on stage, I was lovin’ it! Kristin and I were crackin’ ourselves up.

Finally, around 10:30, we all got back on stage to perform songs by Phil Ochs. I had been assigned two wonderful songs—“There But For Fortune”, which I
now plan to record; such a song…oh, I love it—and “While I’m Here”, which I enjoyed performing, too. Kristin had practiced them with me in the hotel room,
and our version of “There But For Fortune” felt like pure love flowing from our tongues. It was a delight, too, switching from upper harmonies to lower in the
middle of the verses (Kristin’s idea, and it made it much more sophisticated and fun for me as I was playing guitar, too.) Jimmy LaFave sang so compellingly,
I can’t remember the title of his song…And David Amran played his penny whistles and the Red Dirt Rangers were spectacular, bringing upbeat rock alt
country fun to the two songs they had chosen, one about gasoline. Definately a great ending to a long, dusty day!

Saturday—I was up very early, 7 am—drove to OKC to perform on the Yippi Ay Yo show, put together by my friend, Kari Hirst-Starkey. She has such a
terrific, creative mind—she used to own the Yippie Ay Yo Cafe, a coffee house that was very popular in the late nineties, and she has been a part of comedy
improv and theatrical groups, so she has such a vivacious and inspiring soul. She has put together this variety show of characters, skits, puppetry and music, and
I was the guest artist for the day’s show. Children and their families, all congregated in this groovy 1950’s domed theatre, with a circus art show on review
out in the museum. Loads of fun for everyone!

Afterwards, got to the hotel and changed into clothes to meet up with my friend, Otis, for dinner. He has a sporty like silver racing car, so he drove me
QUICKLY to the restaurant, which tasted DELICIOUS and I can not think of the name (Adobe Mexican?) Over in Bricktown…the food was some of the
best Mexican I have ever had, and you know that says something living in Austin, TX where we have authentic Mexican food on every corner…
I think it was the salsas that won me over, too..

Well, I’ll type more later about outside Tulsa (the house concert), going to Vegas, this weekend in Dallas for MFL and the library gigs with SPU once I finish making the girls dinner.