dani linnetz tour diary

Subject:	just.
Time:	12:25 pm.

i have been meaning to write for so long. so much to update. now is definitely not the time. about to run out and check out a local designer and craft fair. i should most certainly leave my wallet at home.

music. evolution. the inklings. lucky bitch. solo project. going to play a showcase at the millennium music conference tonight in harrisburg, pa. rachel is going to join me for the less than 24 hour adventure. seems a long way to go for a show, but the time slot is good and i'm honored to have been chosen. plus, it will be great to see some fellow music friends and contacts and to spend some time with rachel. then there was the packed lucky bitch show 2 nights ago. rothko on the lower east side. "drinking, ho-ing and rocking with the whiskey...all night long!" so pleasantly surprised by how it all came together and how much everyone liked it. i was unsure before, but now i'm just plain excited to do it again. making music with your girlfriends is great!

anyway, like i said...running out the door. will try and get back soon.

Subject:	ch-ch-ch-changes
Time:	12:46 pm.

back from the road...home sweet home new york!

i have plans to stay off the road for a little while. time to enjoy a bit of life in new york...that is why i moved here after all. there will of course be shows out of town here and there (for instance, the inklings will be in california at the end of the month!), but not to the road warrior extent of the last couple years. i'm going to take this time to write new songs and focus my energies on the band projects. after all, you want some new stuff, right? if i keep driving 7 million miles a day, there will never be any time to work on new material. i need a nap!

my friends the pink slips were just here from north carolina. check their site www.thepinkslips.com and be one of the lucky ones to catch their live show.

news to come soon.
have a wonderful day.
play in the rain.

xo,
dani

Subject:	on the way home.
Time:	10:08 am.

my internet access has really been sporadic. my apologies for not better documenting the adventures of the past several weeks. i'm currently writing from memphis about to make my way to nashville for 2 nights.

i, like barry bonds, am tired.

this will be in pieces. memories. tangents. working backwards maybe. went to see the blue van here in memphis last night. they are a 4 piece rock band from denmark along the lines of the small faces. truly unbelievable. i am becoming a real groupie. i have now seen them in boston, austin, and memphis and depending on how things go tonight, maybe i'll see them in nashville...oh, and then they just so happen to be in nyc next week. do yourself a favor, check them out if you get the chance. i think they are at www.thebluevan.com, but who knows.

oklahoma city the night before. thanks so much to kristi for putting me up. i literally met her in the bathroom at the parish in austin, heard her say that she lived in oklahoma city, and said "hi, my name is dani, can i sleep on your couch in a few days..." she went for it and turned out to be quite an amazing woman. played the blue door that night, opening up for the silos. super nice guys and awesome musicians. what a cool little club the blue door is. kind of like a cross between a house concert and a listening room...that is not afraid to rock. the people that have taken the stage there are amazing...most of the guthrie family, gillian welch, lucinda williams, richard buckner, chris smither, and on and on. definitely looking forward to getting back out there.

another wonderful house concert sponsored by jim in houston...thanks so much to patrick and bridget for opening their new home to us. i always have a great time in that city!

austin, austin, austin...the 10 day blur that is known as sxsw. saw amazing indie films. my favorites, cowboy del amor, emmanuel's gift, and four-eyed monsters. so much talent, creativity, and incredible storytelling. and the bands...so many, so little time. my favorites this year were - m ward (this kid is a genius), spoon, electric eel shock (hard rock from japan!), the kings of convenience, the blue van. unfortunately i got sick by the time the music portion of the festival started, so i missed some stuff and wasn't feeling up to par. maybe it has something to do with inhaling about 7 cartons of second hand cigarette smoke. so disgusting. days later and i'm still trying to work it out of my lungs. other highlights...running into old friends, making some new ones, playing a few shows, lots of free shit, a successful house swap, and BBQ!

before austin? who even remembers at this point. off to get my day started. hope yours is a good one.

Subject:	bedtime
Time:	1:22 am.

in an apartment above dan electro's in houston, tx. what a night this has been! played in birmingham, alabama last night and drove 12 hours to get here today. 11 hours yesterday. impressive, no? maybe just crazy. anyway, guess i should start at the beginning. played with my rock band, the inklings, on sunday night at luna lounge in nyc. so much fun...that is, when i forget about how damn nervous i was. what's that about? i was really, truly 100% nervous. how humbling. new songs, electric guitar, a pick, new faces in the crowd. i guess it was all of those things. (select d, all of the above) anyway, left early the next morning and drove to pittsboro, nc and spent the evening with my friends beth and ken in their amazing traveling music haven. thanks guys! woke up bright and early and got on the road to birmingham and the moonlight music cafe. what a great place. the owner keith is a kind and generous man and the club itself is really nice, a traveling songwriters dream. a listening room...no smoking...alcohol...all ages...amazing musicians. shared the evening with todd martin and scott ivey. both were really good. honestly, if you're gonna be in birmingham and you enjoy acoustic music this is the place to go. now go. after a restful evening i got on the road again this morning for my long ride to houston. went straight to dan electro's and happened upon the open jam that was in full swing. wow. so i finally got up to do my set and about 6 or so people joined me onstage for my last several songs. it was a full on comedy induced jam extravaganza. i really hope to get pictures so i can share them with you. it was way too bizarre of a night. and so much fun. thanks again houston...you never disappoint!

so yeah. i'm passing out as i write this. better get some sleep because sxsw crazyville starts tomorrow.

Subject:	snow day.
Time:	10:09 am.

in northampton at sarah woolf's place. she was kind enough to put me up for the night after our late night show at the amherst brewing company...this apartment is so cozy i'm really taking my time getting up and getting myself together. i'm guessing the 20 degree weather outside will be less comforting. what's the rush after all? fun show last night, but i'm guessing the snow storm scared a few people away. this california girl had a nice slow icy drive after the show last night and well, i don't mind telling you it was a little scary.

the jan/feb tour was awesome and i just wanted to thank all of you that were a part of making it such a success. it is however good to be back in ny (she says from massachusetts and about to leave on another 3 week tour)...even though the weather was certainly a lot nicer in california, arizona, texas, etc. speaking of good weather, i should share that i had the extreme pleasure of spending 6 days on the island of eleuthra as soon as the tour ended. what an amazing week of relaxation. it's definitely on my list of places i need to revisit in the not so distant future.

my rock band, the inklings, has our first show march 6th at the luna lounge in manhattan. i'm really looking forward to playing electric guitar, writing and performing new kinds of songs, and learning about and making music that is really a departure for me. it's stretching my brain in a glorious and extremely humbling way and i love what we have been writing. as much as i love the solo acoustic guitar thing i have been dying to play some rock and roll. along those lines, i am also part of a newly formed collective called lucky bitch. the all female collective includes members of northern state and other fabulously talented musicians and you really should be anticipating what is to come. we have great things in the works.

on a more serious note, my cousin mike was in a terrible car accident and he has been in the hospital in critical condition for 3 weeks. i ask that you send good thoughts his way. the power of positive energy can be an amazing thing. we are all really pulling for him and his family.

i hope you are well, warm, and happy. thanks for reading and as always...you can email me at dani@danilinnetz.com.

Subject:	leaving.
Time:	7:49 am.

procrastinating the car load up...show in phoenix today which of course means that i'm will be leaving la this morning. a whirlwind as usual. san diego, long beach, up to san francisco and back down to la for a show, my brother's birthday, my grandparents 59th anniversary party...i never seem to be able to accomplish half of the things i plan for myself when i'm here, but as usual it was an amazing visit. got to see john's beautiful new house, visit with steven and end up in a fascinating conversation with a group of guys at a table across the restaurant, see my two adorable pregnant friends, spend some time with melissa (how about that lasagna?), see friends and family, drive back and forth in la traffic.

so now the eastern voyage begins. thoughts of lying on a beach in the bahamas swirl through my head and make the thousands of miles i'm about to drive totally worthwhile. looking forward to the return adventures.

Subject:	never enough.
Time:	3:07 pm.

rushing, rushing, rushing...always. los angeles is wonderful, but man do run around like a crazy person and then still never accomplish all of the things i have planned. but enough complaining...

san francisco was a whirlwind, but it was amazing. one of my favorite shows in a long time. i'm still in awe of all the wonderful faces in the audience. (i'd like to thank you all individually, but i have plans booked next tuesday!) also made it to the "fancy food show" with my mom while i was there. if you don't know what that entails, imagine eating bite sized samples of oh, just about everything. then imagine the stomach ache that goes along with that. yeah.

so now i'm running out to sylmar to meet a friend for lunch and see his new house and then it's family time tonight. happy 59th anniversary to my grandparents and happy birthday to my brother mike (tomorrow)!

bye.

Subject:	sick as a dog.
Time:	11:45 am.

what the hell? woke up totally sick this morning. that's not gonna be fun. sore throat, headache, bloody nose (all this dry air!), blah, blah, blah...so i guess i will be holding a contest to see how fast i can kick it...the prize will be not being annoyed, and the ability to continue driving and playing without feeling and sounding like crap. i'm thinking a hot shower will get me off to a good start.

still in tucson. always great to stay with skylar and his roommates. giant boys college house. you'd think it would be disgusting...but no, this place is huge and clean. the bathroom is better then mine. how do they do it? there was mention of a cleaning lady, but even still. impressive. and somehow, i always manage to get a room to myself.

the show last night was a lot of fun. i wasn't sure what to expect. i have had an array of different experiences at the red room. plus, i wasn't feeling great and my voice wasn't up to par at the radio show. alas, it went well. i pulled it together and played for an hour and a half. had a handful of familiar faces in the audience and met a bunch of new people as well. oddly enough, at the bar after the show i met a group of people that had all lived in brooklyn...and none of them knew each other from there. small world. they told me that tucson is the new brooklyn...we shall see about that. thanks to dan and patrick. look forward to making it back out again...

ok, now about that shower.

Subject:	another quick one.
Time:	7:46 am.

i'm supposed to be on the road in about 35 seconds in order to make it from albuquerque to tucson in time for my radio interview and performance at KXCI. I'll be pushing it a bit, but isn't that half the fun? Hopefully traffic will be light to none and I will get there with enough time to drink a glass of water, stretch my bones, and maybe even take a car nap? i'm exhausted! i think it's gonna be a caffeine day. just boiled some water for tea...(if only i could drink coffee). anyway, i'm having a blast. the show at the blue dragon in albuquerque was so much fun last night. met some interesting characters as usual and even randomly ran into someone i knew from summer camp out in california. (thanks for coming to the show Terry!) and Norm, you're a total lunatic and a great guy, thanks for putting the show together...
Thrift shopped all afternoon and found some great stuff. A fifties hairdryer for my parents antique collections, some great clothes, hilarious books, etc. i'm a fan of thrift town!

sleeping in amarillo the night before is a whole 'nother story. not a fan of la kiva hotel. don't stay there if you happen to be driving through.

i believe i have wireless internet tonight. more to come...

Subject:	quickly
Time:	11:45 am.

okay, a really quick one cause i have to get on the road to houston...the tour has been amazing so far. i can't believe how much driving i have done...over 2000 miles in 4 days. thank god for my i-pod, my cell phone, and my delicious bags of snacks. have been listening to amazing music. for instance? zumpano, sun kil moon, beatles, bob dylan, the arcade fire, the delgados, that dog (thanks beth and ken!), death cab, kristin hersh, and the list goes on. I have driven through 7 million states...ok, more like 10 or 12 and have played some really fun shows. last night in dallas was so much fun. opened for my friend vanessa peters and her fantastic italian band, ice cream on mondays. great crowd, great sound, and an all around cool club. oh, and lets not forget the life giving texas chili i had at the all good cafe before the show. maybe not the best pre-show choice, but so delicious. anyway, so many more stories, but i have to get back in the car. will try and write again later or tomorrow if i can find a connection.

xo.

Subject:	Happy New Year!
Time:	1:55 pm.

that's right kids...another year has come and gone. now it's on to the adventures of 2005. tours and weddings (i have been invited to 8 of them this year. i'm exhausted just thinking about it.), jewelry designs, new friends, old friends, new rock songs, new recordings, and tons of surprises. i really feel quite optimistic about this one. maybe that has something to do with the trip i'm taking in to the bahamas in about 5 weeks. what do you think?

anyway, the NYE celebrations were near perfect once again this year. had a great pre-party at pete's with a delicious spread of home-cooked italian food. and for all of you non-believers, i made an absolutely delicious vegan lasagna. i'm still glowing with pride. dairy and meat eaters alike were fooled and ate up what i thought would last me days of leftovers bliss. so much for that. so, full bellied and walking on air we made our way to madison square garden for the sleater-kinney, flaming lips, wilco show. unfortunately we missed the pacific northwest rockers, but got there just in time for more champagne and the start of the spectacle that we call the flaming lips. i love those fine gentlemen. i mean, anyone who sings about a vitamin popping, muscled karate master japanese girl that battles robots can't be bad. there were hundreds of balloons being hit in the air, people dressed in furry animal costumes, and blasts of confetti. good stuff. then there was wilco. there were good, but it difficult to match the enthusiasm of the lips...especially while ringing in the new year. they did however cover don't fear the reaper and some captain and tenile. "i have a fever..."

what else?
getting ready to hit the road for a month. leaving monday and there will be stories. i can guarantee it. got the car checked out, got the i-pod loaded, i even have a book on tape. why not? have you ever driven 4-5 thousand miles? so, check the tour dates page (www.danilinnetz.com/tour.htm) and come check out a show...i can't wait to see you.

and most importantly, before i go i just want to thank you for the amazing support in 2004. i really couldn't keep at this with out you. so from the bottom of my heart, THANK YOU. it's because of you that i'm lucky enough to live my dreams.

xo,
dani

Subject:	holiday madness
Time:	10:19 am.

it has been so amazingly busy here in daniland. wow, i just gave myself my own land...well, why not?
anyway, between the wonders of agapantha jewelry parties and holiday sales, and the normal amount of rocking it has been a whirlwind. it has certainly been nice to be home even though the cold weather is officially here. i had to bust out the floor length red puffy, down jacket. i'm a sight for sore eyes in that thing...that's for sure. ok, so i have to share some of my chanukkah gifts with you because somehow i made out like a bandit and my head is still spinning from the generosity of my friends and family. i got an i-pod. that's right folks, my dreams of non-stop music have been answered. can you imagine what my tour soundtracks will be like now? no more carrying a million cd's and having to choose...now i have EVERYTHING! and, i got a pocket pc which will of course change my life...no more bringing my laptop everywhere. i now have wireless internet at my fingertips and oh so much more. do you understand what this means to me? then there's the artwork and upcoming tropical vacation, the broadway play, the live music. i'm one spoiled lady.

so now i have to go figure out how all of this technology actually works. be back soon!

Subject:	just the facts.
Time:	9:38 am.

back in massachussetts for the 3rd week in a row. i better start renting an apartment here...

had a show in somerville at toast on thursday. beautiful place. everyone was so great over there and they have asked me to come back in a couple months. shout out to jessica, jessica, and gillian for their kindness and conversation. lovely ladies.

staying with mike and beth again (i have become a permanent fixture around here...) and spent my "day off" sleeping, making jewelry, taking my car in, and visiting a lovely store in n. andover called flourishes. they are now carrying some of my jewelry. agapantha is officially in 3 states now. anyway, later the three of us went out for a nice italian dinner and then went to see the incredibles. i have to say, i was really skeptical about seeing it. i had a list of about four or five other movies that i though i would rather have seen. turns out, it was awesome. i highly recommend it.

now i'm off to worcester for a show tonight and it will be another family filled day/night. all this reconnecting with family is awesome. i had no idea i had so many relatives on the east coast. should be another wonderful adventure...and then i think the traveling is over for a few weeks. i'm really looking forward to being home. it's nice to be in one place for a while. lots of jewelry to make and holidays to celebrate.

oh, saw a wonderful show the other night. kasey chambers and holly williams at irving plaza. awesome. kasey chambers and her band are so tight and just so damn good. i vow to see her every time she comes to town. that's twice now and i have been blown away both times.

more music recommendations...
i can't get enough of mirah. her voice, her lyrics, her creativity. simple and wonderful. also been digging the new richard buckner, the arcade fire, spoon, and well...there's been quite a lot of NPR. what can i say?

Subject:	so tired.
Time:	1:55 am.

having so much fun on tour with elisa and vanessa, but man am i exhausted. another great show tonight at espresso joe's in keyport, nj. ed and sonny are about the nicest people in the world and the audience tonight was just so wonderful...same kind of experience 2 nights ago in williamsport, pa. everyone played great sets and we had the opportunity to talk to so many people.

so yeah, i have a feeling that if i even attempt to write too much more i will become completely delirious. maybe it's too late! i'll try and jump back on line tomorrow to fill you in on new stories...

Subject:	188
Time:	12:39 am.

okay, it's late and i have to go to bed. too much driving to do and too many shows to play to stay up and wait for election news. as of right now, it's not looking too promising for kerry and i'm feeling depressed. not to get on a soapbox, but i just don't get it. i can't understand how bush could even potentially win. is everyone blind? at the very least we need change. he has not been good for us. who are these people in the red states and why won't they wake up?

aah.

the show tonight at sono caffeine was short and sweet. as it turns out, most people were home transfixed to the television.

Subject:	drivin, drivin, drivin.
Time:	7:01 pm.

yesterday i woke up in indianapolis...today i am in amherst, massachusetts. sometimes i'm amazed at how far i can drive. i haven't done much else, i can tell you that. it has been full of adventure though. i must sadly share that i got a speeding ticket yesterday. the real bitch of it is that i so rarely speed. it was a fluke, i was trying to get around someone and the bastard clocked me at 82 in a 60. busted. i'm always extra careful because one ticket really throws off the earning potential of a tour. i don't want to shock you all, but i'm not a millionaire and besides being annoying and frustrating it really throws a wrench in the system. oh well, that's life. ohio...ohio...ohio. at one point while in upstate ny i stopped at a service area to get some soup. i came back outside and my car was gone. you'll be glad to know that i'm very calm under pressure. i walked back inside and asked one of the guys inside for help. he asked me what direction i was traveling and pointed out that there are 2 identical exits. turns out no one stole my car. it turned out to be a pretty great day after that...

i have been listening to: lots of NPR and local radio, scout, richard buckner, m. ward, damien jurardo, geraldine fibbers, kathleen edwards, bright eyes, pavement, etc.

one more major day of driving tomorrow. i will make my way to my last show of this little stretch...baltimore. should take about 6 hours. and then about 4-5 the next day to get home sweet home. still working on my halloween costume and hoping that i will have somewhere good to showcase it. i'm thinking saturday night is out for me. after all this driving i'm thinking a home cooked meal and a movie will suit me perfectly. we shall see.

anyway, i think i'm gonna go grab some pre-show dinner. gonna see an old friend tonight. he moved back out here and randomly saw my poster up at the amherst brewing company. i love that.

xo,
dani

Subject:	wow...indiana.
Time:	1:49 am.

so yeah, we made it to indianapolis today and were so excited about the show...come to find out, there was no show. that's right, apparently the abbey is not open yet. they moved locations and darn, forgot to mention to me that they were not gonna open in time for my show. no big deal, i'm only here from new york. lame, lame, lame. that being said, i had an awesome night. my friend david took my mom and i out to a really nice dinner and we got to catch up after way too long. a delicious bottle of red wine later and we got to see his house and meet his amazing wife amy. had such a great time that i think i'm gonna stay an extra day and hang out with them again tomorrow. and then there's the 14 hour drive to amherst, ma.

the shows so far have been really great. loved uncommon ground last night in chicago. adorable, friendly place and my family and friends filled the room. we have a live recording of the show. in fact, it was the first time i played where a live cd of the show was available for sale immediately following. how cool is that? my pals northern state just happened to be playing in chicago last night at the riviera. i was able to run by the venue before my show started and give them all hugs and kisses. literally a 5 minute visit, but it was so great to see them so far away from home.

what else? well, it's 2 am and i'm thinking i should get to bed. i'll try and write again tomorrow.
xoxo.

Subject:	damn gina
Time:	6:05 pm.

it's seriously cold in buffalo. i arrived about 4 hours early and after finding an oil change place, i have been enjoying the free wireless internet at spot coffee. i'm currently eating a deliciously spicy cold thai chicken pasta dish and getting ready to set up my new pa system for the first time. just talked to my mom and she is on a layover in phoenix waiting to board her plane here. i pick her up after the show tonight and it's on to canada we go. apparently we will "gamble all night long" and then tomorrow visit niagara falls before heading to the show in canton, oh. hold on to your seats ladies and gentlemen...this is no regular tour, this is the mother-daughter tour. anything can happen.

the drive today was good. no traffic. i finally changed out the cd's in my car. today i listened to: patty griffin, ani difranco (come on, i was on the way to buffalo...), spoon, johnny cash, and a mix from my friend nathan with folks like damien rice, martin sexton, elliot smith, etc. talked on the phone a bit as usual too. thanks so much to ronit for trading earpieces with me. i can actually hear on my phone now. i love it.

anyway, gonna do some more email catching up. looking forward to another tour full of hilarity and good people. obviously, more stories to come.

Subject:	stuffed
Time:	9:07 pm.

just ate a gigantic portion of spicy noodles with seafood at planet thai back here in williamsburg (NYC). it was the first time my friend brian and i ever went out to eat together and either he thinks i'm a champ or he's repulsed by how i completely cleaned my plate. what can i say?

anyway, a wonderful weekend of shows. thursday in fells point in baltimore, friday in glen burnie (near baltimore), and saturday in annville, pa. met some fabulous folks, got some good rounds in on some new material, sold some jewelry, and even ate some hungarian goulash (damn was it good!). drove from annville to brooklyn starting at 7:20 this morning after about 3 hours of sleep so that i could make it to a 12 noon rehearsal with the boys. at this point in the day and after a giant meal, i have achieved a level of exhaustion i had no idea was possible. (so much so that i passed out for about a half hour after writing that very sentence).

just got off the phone with my girl sprout from the fabulous band northern state. they are currently in the rv driving from new orleans to detroit...how's that for awesome routing? sounds like they are having quite a time out on the road. check www.northernstate.net to see if they're coming to your town. they are currently touring with cake and after seeing the hammerstein ballroom show here, i highly recommend you get your butt out to see them.

for your listening pleasure...
today i found myself listening to the radio. yep. even worse, i found myself listening to the top 40 countdown for the week. i will say this, (insert bold statement here) popular music is really shitty. generally speaking of course, but i listened to about 10 or 12 songs and then i just couldn't take it anymore. nickelback. seriously, their new song is exactly the same as their other hit single. i mean the vocals are the same, the inflections and everything...and the music is even so similar i found myself singing the lyrics to the other song. they do write catchy tunes, i'll give em that. kelly clarkson and U2 and some new lenny kravitz song that was so amazingly bad that I wanted to high five him for really pulling one over on america. unreal. so what was i listening to that was so much better? a lot of the same stuff as usual (have to trade out some cd's in the car for the next leg of the journey) sufjan stevens, dean fields, metric, death cab for cutie, hayden, northern state, the killers, a pretty cool compilation from fader magazine (earlimart, neko case, elliott smith, and a slew of other cool stuff that escapes me at the moment).

on that note, i'm gonna peel myself away from the computer. gotta rest up so i can really use the next 48 hours wisely before i hit the road for 2 more weeks.

adios amigos.
later alligator.
goodbye apple pie. (wow, that's really pushing it, huh?)