We left DC on April 3rd and continued on our trek to New York City with happy hearts and lots of good snacks from Mama Rilko. Upon our arrival, we took Jason Crosby's advice and hit up the famous Katz's Delicatessen for some pastrami reubens. Yum. Then two shots of espresso and we were out the door for a two block stroll through Manhattan to the Rockwood Music Hall. We arrived just in time to catch Anna Egge rock the stage and style and grace. This singer-songwriter is a New Yorker with a kicking' three piece band and currently holds a residency at the Rockwood every Tuesday at 8pm for the Month of April. If you're in the area make sure to check her out, and stick around for the powerhouse that is Michael Daves. 

As per usual, I got familiar with another dimly lit restroom, while I slipped into my red birthday dress and prepared for the rest of the evening between Anna and Michael's set. Michael blew us away, as expected, and graciously plugged us during his hour in the spotlight so that the entire crowd, I believe, stuck around for our set. Michael accompanied us on a couple Father Monroe standards, and I have to admit, my knees were shaking for the first time in years from the nervousness of being on stage with someone we so musically admire. In spite of my nerves, however, the entire show went swimmingly. Michael's exodus was immediately followed by the introduction of Mark's long time friend, Andy Moss, on trumpet for our new song "Tied Down To You." I met Andy for the first time as he hopped up on stage, and I was blow away when he kicked off my song as though he'd played it his entire life. What a trip, friends, to know so many talented people and to be affected by their greatness! And the proverbial cherry on the literal cake came when Todd Livingston from Gangster Grass and the Six Deadly Venoms played his pretty, shinny dobro (which he had lent to Mark to play for the night) with us on Clandestino, a cover we do by Manu Chao. What a treat!

Someone in the crowd captured this video from the night of "Going Back To Old Kentucky" with Michael Daves-- check it out!

As if all of this wasn't enough, we then joined forces with the lovely Miss Tess and her Bon Ton Parade Boys for a trip to one of the hippest joints I've been to in a…well… maybe ever. At first when we entered the Mona's bar, all I could see was a wall of people, but a short walk through the throng revealed an 8 or 10 piece rag time jazz jam in the corner beside an old piano. I recognized a few of the faces and recognized the songs as well. Good old tymey jazz! My favorite! We all stepped in towards the end of the "night" (by night I mean 4am) and tried our chops with these polished vets, and have ourselves a time. Let me just say that if the excitement of my 1/2 century birthday is proportionally greater than my 1/4 century birthday, I think I'm going to have to be seated for the whole thing.

Matt and Danny from the Bon Ton Parade graciously put us up for the night and we woke with seltzer and breakfast sandwiches before continuing down the road back to Pennsylvania. Here's a photo from the morning:

After all the late night adventures, it was so nice to be welcomed into the home of the golden hearted DiFiglia family. Lori and Vince hold house concerts in their backyard, which is perfectly set up for a neighborhood gathering and likewise well attended by their friends and neighbors. We filled our bellies with treats from the amazing spread of their potluck and then played music into the night to an attentive audience. Vince got the entire things on video! Here's one of the videos he captured in high def!

I can't explain how thankful I am to have people like Dan and Suzie Rilko and Lori and Vince DiFiglia to break up long drives and late nights. We've found that good homestyle love and cooking are immeasurably valuable assets on the road.

The next night we played a follow up set to Chris Kasper at the World Cafe Live at the Queen in Wilmington, DE. And had a wonderful evening! Christianna, the lovely lady who booked us at the Queen, opened up her home to us as well and I got to fall asleep to my favorite lullaby: late night spontaneous jamming. I'm serious. Acoustic jams are as good as an evening rain for me, and I slept great with my new feline friend, Emery. (I hope la Nina won't mind!)

Right now we're packed into BarbaAzúl on our way to Road Island… another day another gig! 

We’re well into the first week of the tour and loving life on the road!

The kind people behind the Black Swamp Conservancy in Ohio treated us well and we were proud to be a part of a successful benefit to restore the wetlands of Northern Ohio. From there we traveled to Lancaster, which we learned is pronounced with emphasis on the “Lan,” and had a sweet time playing for some lovely dancers. I was even taught how to dance a traditional Nordic dance! It was a short drive after the show to DC, so we hit the road and arrived at the home of Mama and Papa Rilko around 4 a.m.

Our stay at the Rilko residence was wonderful. We rested, feasted and got to hang with some seriously cool folks. Sunday night we were at The Corner Store in Washington, DC, which is not only an awesome space for intimate listening, but also the home of Kris and Roy. If you ever get the chance to check this place out, don’t pass up the opportunity. After the show we had a real and fulfilling conversation with the heads of the house and we all left feeling enriched. The next day we had a productive meeting, which marked the beginning of an exciting new musical partnership. More on this front to be posted later…

Monday night we played at Madam’s Organ in the Adam’s Morgan district of DC, opening for the band One Night Stand. All I can say is, WOW! What an awesome band and epic night. Special thanks to Walter Tates Jr. for doing sound and rockin out on the sax, and to Jason Crosby for killin it on the keys and being a generally cool dude.

We’re currently in the van (BarbaAzúl) on our way to New York City, where we’re going to celebrate my birth and celebrate being together here and now by playing at the Rockwood Music Hall immediately after a hero of ours, Michael Daves. Stay tuned for more on the East Coast Tour…

We kicked off our upcoming tour at the Circus in Ann Arbor Wednesday night, and now we're gearing up to leave Michigan! Check out the schedule below:

Friday 3.30.12: Blake Swamp Fundraiser @ Nazareth Hall - Grand Rapids, OH
Saturday 3.31.12: Lancaster Dispensing Co - Lancaster, PA
Sunday 4.1.12: The Corner Store - Washington, DC (no foolin!)
Monday 4.2.12: Madam's Organ - Washington, DC
Tuesday 4.3.12: Rockwood Music Hall - New York City, NY (Lindsay Lou's Birthday!)
Wednesday 4.4.12: Difiglia House Concert - Jenkintown, PA
Thursday 4.5.12: World Cafe Live - Wilmington, DE
Friday 4.6.12: Cady's Road House Tavern - Pascoag, RI
Saturday 4.7.12: The Starving Artist Collective - Keene, NH
Saturday 4.7.12: Second show of the day @ Mocha Maya's - Shelburne Falls, NY
Sunday 4.8.12: Rodeo Bar - New York City, NY
Monday 4.9.12: Wilbert's - Cleveland, OH
Tuesday 4.10.12: Home Sweet Home! We've got this day off to sink back into our homestate!
Wednesday 4.11.12: The Circus - Ann Arbor, MI
Thursday 4.12.12: Tip Top Deluxe Bar - Grand Rapids, MI (w/Midnight Cattle Callers!)\
Friday 4.13.12: Union Street Station - Traverse City, MI
Saturday 4.14.12: Wolverine State Brew Co - Ann Arbor, MI!

We'll be posting updates and pictures so stay tuned folks!

Love,
Lindsay Lou

Our short tour from Grand Rapids to Chicago, to Rock Island, IL to Cedar Rapids, IA was fabulous. We met new friends and were treated so warmly by everyone! Special shout out to the Huguelet family for the nice visit in Chi Town, Joe the bartender for his tasty Hot Totties and Larry the manager for his kind encouragement at the Irish Pub, Al the sound guy at Rock Island Brew Co for his unmatched professionalism, efficiency and great ear, and Nick the own of Parlor City for maintaining such a wonderfully hip community within his establishment. (If you don't see photos below, click "Read More!")

Below are a couple snap shots of Mark's feat concerning a brick ledge on Hotel 6's part and mad ups on his part. Following these photos is a lovely snap shot of life on the road a la Cain and Rilko.

On March 14th, five days before the end of the fundraising period, our kickstarter was successfully funded! A million thanks go out to everyone who has supported us thus far! We really couldn't do it without you.

love love love!
Lindsay Lou

P.S. If you would still like to pre-order the album, there are still four days left to do so!

We're currently waiting for UPS to deliver a shipment of promo flyers and as soon as they get here, we'll be off to Memphis!  In case you happen to be in Memphis as well, we're posting our Folk Alliance showcase schedule.  Check it out!

Dear Friends,

We'd like to share with you the work we've been doing and have launched a Kickstarter Campaign in order to raise the funds to make it all happen! 

Spencer, Josh, Keith, Mark and me have put all our efforts into a new batch of original tunes. Lou-Grass at it's finest! The songs are arranged, studio dates scheduled and ducks are in order... But in order to bring this project to completion, we need help with the cost of studio time for recording, mixing/editing, and mastering; the cost of CD production; and the cost of promoting the album upon its release. This kickstarter is our way of asking fellow music lovers to be a crucial part of the creation process. And in return for the support, we’re offering a variety of gifts to show our appreciation. Check it out!

 http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1072175401/lindsay-lou-and-the-flatbellys-new-album

Love,
Lindsay Lou

Our friends at Big Foot Productions have hooked us up with another video, this time with the entire band! I won't go into the details, the message speaks for itself. xoxo <3

Dear Friends, 
Josh, Mark and I are cozy in a coffee shop on State St in Alpena, MI-- home of the Rev. Spencer Cain himself. Tonight, we'll be holding it down at The Black Sheep here in town. Tomorrow, it's on to Short's Brewery in Bellaire, MI for an epic entry into the New Year with Jeremy Quentin of Small Houses and The True Falsettos! Be sure to prepare yourself for a group sing of Auld Lang Syne :)

If this last year is any indication of things to come in the fast approaching new one, my heart couldn't be happier. Two thousand eleven had us selling out of the first order of our album A Different Tune; sharing the stage with Seth and May at the Ark, and later, headlining our very own show there; touring for the first time out to Colorado; becoming familiar with more Michigan friends and festivals; and opening ourselves up to nooks and crannies of this beautiful planet we'd never imagined before. And now, with 2012 in our sights, we're love laboring over our sophomore album. The songs have been written and arranged and now it's just a matter of recording. Troubadour Studios in Lansing will be where the magic happens and hopefully a finished product will be in our hands and yours by May! 

I'll be back with news of the recording process and tips to how you can be apart of it! 

Have a safe and jubalicious New Year!

Love, 
Lindsay Lou
xoxo