May 2, 2000 4pm
Delta 1951 Atlanta - Omaha
It's a sunny day above the clouds, though it was overcast
at Raleigh/Durham when we took off. I'm on my way to Omaha, NE
to be interviewed on a cool syndicated radio show called River
City Folk. Though flying has its ups and downs, today I'm just
happy to sit absolutely still for a few hours. My life has been
both rich and full lately, with so much happening in so many areas.
The new record, Corners,
is off at the manufacturing plant in Pennsylvania. I've had a
copy for a couple of weeks, but I thought some other people might
like one, too, so I'm having a few thousand made. Plans are cooking
along for the big release
party June 9 at the Grey
Eagle in Asheville, NC. I've lined up an eight-piece band,
though I don't think all of them will be on stage at any one time.
The plan is to play with the band through the whole record, then
just put the CD on and have a big party. We'll even have free
munchies for everyone. A few folks have written to say that they're
road-tripping for it, including a couple of guys from Baton Rouge.
Pretty cool. After thinking about it and batting around ideas,
I decided to make the whole show free that night, so consider
yourself "on the list." It's been almost ten years now
that I've been doing this as my only job, and I'm really grateful
to you for being interested and supportive. This recording was
a big stretch for me in a lot of ways, including financially,
and it's great to have the history with folks that makes me confident
in this kind of risk. Thanks for that. Hope you can make it!
Oh, and speaking of free, if you order
the new CD before June 1, there's free shipping, and it will be
mailed out around June 5. That's just in case you can't make the
party... :)
It's been quite a week. I had a birthday, had my home
loan approved (closing June 12!) and opened for John Gorka, who
is high on my list of favorite songwriters. I celebrated my birthday,
which I share with my sister Margaret, by meeting with the bank
in the morning (some people know how to party!), having lunch
with my good friend Polly, who is 93 and is one of the most interesting
people I know. It's always a pleasure to steal some time with
Polly, but was especially fun on my birthday, as she turns my
attention to the life that lies ahead rather than the time that
has passed. I had dinner with my parents and sister Kathy, who
is also buying a house in Black Mountain. That's three LaMotte
households and counting. Look out Black Mountain!
I'll be home for a few hours on the day after
tomorrow between this trip and leaving for a month in Texas, with
an Alabama show on the way. I've been spending lots of time in
Texas lately, partly because my sweetie lives there, but also
because I've been having some good shows and workshops in the
Lone Star State. Last month I flew down to Galveston to lead a
two-day workshop for 75 YMCA professionals. Kristin came down
from Austin and helped me with the workshop, and even carried
my guitar through the airport. What a catch, huh? The annual regional
gathering there usually involves job training of some sort, but
this year they decided to do a personal enrichment event, so they
brought me in to lead a workshop I offer called "Creativity
and Practical Dream Following."
It was a lot of fun getting to know those folks
and wrestling with our demons a little, not to mention seeing
CEOs in expensive suits playing with pipe cleaners. In spite of
the pipe cleaners, or maybe because of them, the evaluations were
great, and that felt really good. We also made some great new
old friends in Bruce and Laura Garris, who invited me to come
do the workshop. Laura and Kristin and I are still hoping to get
in some skydiving at some point, which is a favorite hobby of
Laura's, and would be a first for Kristin and me.
After a few shows in TX I'll be heading to the Kerrville
Folk Festival to catch up with old friends and trade songs and
hugs. Then I'll race back for the release, and we'll have a busy
summer promoting the new record, though I'm planning to cut back
on travelling for a couple of months and stick to shows within
a state or two. In the Fall I'll be going back to Wyoming for
another two-week workshop with at-risk teens, then headed out
for my two-month around-the-world tour, which will include shows
in Australia, New Zealand, Holland and France, with other stops
still being added, and possibly a two-week Artist in Residence
stint at a base school in Okinawa. My girlfriend Kristin will
be joining me for the European leg of the trip, which will sure
be a nice way to wrap that up.
This is a very exciting time for me, and it's pretty
directly due to your taking the time to listen. Heck, I even met
Kristin at a music conference! At any rate, thank you. I may say
that too much, but I don't feel like I can say it enough. Actually,
I decided to throw you a party! It's June 9. Hope you can make
it.
Peace,
David
©1999 Lower Dryad Music