Adrienne Nightingale: News

I've been reading a lot and listening to NPR's environmental podcasts. There is so much destruction and negativity in the world. I am seeking to become aware of my part and to lessen it. I have so many passions and desires to create change. I want to work towards creating awareness, supporting diversity, saving our environment, and evolving spiritually. I want to create community and encourage dreaming and creativity. I set goals all the time, because it works for me. I set goals and achieve them, then set new ones. I seek to be the change I wish to see in the world. Its not easy and I am not alone. Thanks to all of you who challenge me and support me. Thanks to all who walk with me. Thanks especially to those who refuse to walk with me, they are my greatest teachers.

The United States is beautiful and sad, like my dear friend Gala says about Coney Island. Beautiful and sad. I wish you all could see what Ive seen in our country. We all have different paths, and mine has led me into a life of travel and constant change. I try to love and accept this path I walk, but we all want something else from time to time.

I'm writing new songs and learning new things. I am finding more of my own truth and allowing it to be. I am challenging myself to expand my consciousness and walk through fears. I am reading A Path With Heart and working on a meditation for loving kindness. I've only just begun this book and the suggested meditations, but they are bringing me great light and understanding.


Loggers have cut all the trees from these mountains in Oregon.


I got to see my good friends Sarah, Leon and Joel in Washington. We had such fantastic times together riding bikes and playing games!



We got to try out Leons new Lycra tube. It was a big hit!


We had a musical picnic / babyshower with Kimya Dawson, her hubby and soon-to-arrive baby Panda!

Our adventures on the west coast have been magical. I know of no better way to say it. We took two days off to visit Lake Tahoe. We arrived to a cold and gloomy day with rain sprinkles.

Even the gloom is gorgeous there:



Then the rain cleared and as we had hoped, a rainbow appeared!



Malcolm rented a mountain bike and went biking while I opted for a solo hike. I ran across bear tracks and droppings, prompting me to turn around and end my hike short!



But later, I thought to myself . . . "Hey self, it might be fun to lure a bear out of the woods with an open face sammy!"



I waited patiently until I saw a large furry black bear approaching. He came at me really fast and knocked me over. The sammy fell on my chest and I hit the ground hard.



He grabbed the sammy I was using for bait, and a big slop of saliva dangled from his mouth as he hovered over me!



It was so intense being right under the bears grimace. Luckily, i got away with my life and limbs intact. What a close call!

After Lake Tahoe, we shimmied over to Sacramento for a couple amazing shows. The venues were phenomenal and we had an amazing audience. My Aunt, Uncle and cousins all showed up. I hadn't seen them in ten years, so it was great to reconnect. Here are my Aunt Connie, Uncle Bill and cousin Charity!



We left Sacramento early Saturday for a 9.5hr drive up to Southern Oregon. The show at Paulas Bistro went very well. The posters never arrived, but word spread fast around the town of 1190, and we ended up with a great crowd! I took Malcolm around to my favorite spots in Port Orford. My heart did some much needed connecting with nature! Oregon is such a great teacher for me, and the air makes my lungs smile!



We hiked up the 1700 ft Humbug mountain in the rainforest of Oregon.




We packed our little lunchies to eat. Heres Malcolm at the top of the summit!


Today, we said goodbye to Port Orford. We climbed atop Battlerock by the ocean to enjoy breakfast with this view!


Now were off to the state capitol, Salem!

In the attitude of silence the soul finds the path in a clearer light, and what is elusive and deceptive resolves itself into crystal clearness. Our life is a long and arduous quest after Truth.

Mahatma Gandhi
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

We spent a couple days by Lake Tahoe, I'll post pictures soon. My heart has been very still and quiet, my dreams wild and vivid. Have you ever felt yourself changing? I think often people awaken suddenly to realize they are different, and rarely are we conscious during the transformation. I am changing in many ways. I can hear it in the music I'm writing and I can see it in my face. I can feel it in my bones, as though my very structure is shifting in preparation for new challenges. I am uncovering many old truths and connecting pieces that had been lost. Tonight I was reading some Ghandi, his life fires passion within me. I am reminded how vital my silence and meditation is. Between the inhale and exhale, in the silence it is there.

To realize that our knowledge is ignorance,
This is a noble insight.
To regard our ignorance as knowledge,
This is mental sickness.

Only when we are sick of our sickness
Shall we cease to be sick.
The sage is not sick, being sick of sickness;
This is the secret of health.

~The Tao Te Ching~
by Lao Tzu
Translated by John C. H. Wu

Read more at: http://mywebpage.netscape.com/spezbob/wu_tao.htm

After lots of shows and a very busy month in May, I am excited for a little "vacation time" in the month of June. Ummm, four months is a VERY long tour :) Malcolm and I are taking some much needed days off throughout the month of June. We are also in my favorite parts of the country this month - West coast oceanside views and glorious mountainous forests!

We've been getting to the water as much as possible. I'm drawn like a magnet, I guess I've always been a water baby. I'm also trying out surfing for the first time! I've decided that I love it and want to work my way up to doing fancy tricks.


Oh, but it wasn't until after we rented the surfboards for two days that we realized we would be sleeping in the van . . . with em'.

After San Diego we headed up to Huntington Beach to stay with my friend Anna and play some LA area shows. Anna was so amazing, and her friends were great too. Laurie and Erna. We were so spoiled! Our friend Virginia was in LA too, and came out to all our shows, even brought her buddies! Thanks for all the love and support!!!

Tour is fantastic . . . people we meet are spectacular . . . lots of growing and learning and loving and losing and changing. Arizona is INTENSE!!! Intense has become the word of the week. Malcolm lost a bet between the two of us, and she'll have to try on a tux at a wedding shop. I'll try to snap some pics for ya'll :)

Love and sunlight,
Adrienne

FLAGSTAFF VIEW


ARIZONA IS BREATHTAKING!


WE FOUND AN UBIE IN NEW MEXICO!


JEREMY & THE ONE WORLD GANG SIGN


REUNITED WITH MY CUZ IN ARIZONA

It has been a long and glorious day. Vast stretches of desert road in Texas through the light and dark; 600 miles of ipods on shuffle, silence, conversation, no showers, sleeping in the van, coffee, upgraded-coffee, late-night-delerium-at-gas stations, reminiscing about my last tour through Texas roads, the same empty towns with abandoned buildings, wild goats and fenced in cows, journal writing, dreaming awake, tumbleweed that almost scared Malcolm off the road today . . . and then finally, El Paso and a short walk into Juarez, Mexico.



After seven weeks on the road it feels like tour is just beginning. I love the long empty miles of Texas. I haven't always felt that way. After consecutive years of camping in the Utah desert every summer, I've learned to see and experience differently in the desert. A magic exists here that roots me deeply to the earth and to my spirituality. The earth continues to be my greatest teacher, and I feel blessed to have taken it in these past few days of Texas. I am excited for all the beauty ahead. On my last cross-country tour I recall the immense beauty of the trip up the West coast and across Montana and Idaho. America is gorgeous and inspiring. I know there are things to hate about America too, but ya'll know me . . . always looking for the positive, the silver lining.

Here's some anti-bush and anarchy graffiti that was under the bridge between America and Mexico.




and, me goofing it up next to a sign I LOVED seeing around Juarez. This is an ad against domestic violence. The translation is: Live without fear, it's my right.

Have you ever been to Hippie Church? Well, neither had I until . . . After a delightful visit to Memphis and Dallas we were catapulted into the most amazing town in all of Texas . . Austin! We arrived on a Friday night, rushing to our gig for the evening. The staff and customers at the Peacock were so friendly, offering us places to crash and lists of things to do in Austin.
We checked out the local natural spring pool, Barton Springs, where the water is surely magical! We relished in some of the best TexMex around at Chuy's and played with some rad activists at Monkey Wrench Books. Dave hooked up that show and is truly an amazing guy. He's been volunteering there for 3.5yrs and the space is a jewel!!!

Upon the recommendation of David (my long lost KY friend now living in NYC) I inquired about a Sunday morning hippie fest at a taco place??? Almost everyone knew what I was talking about, and eventually, someone was able to direct us there. Nobody knew what time the extravaganza began, so we decided to park the car in front of the infamous Maria's Taco X-press! We woke up around 9am to a flock of early rising taco eaters. This place was already packed in anticipation of the 10:30 show. By 11am the margaritas, beers and tacos were flowing along with the gospel sounds of EZ Love. She talked about God a lot and after her set the Harmony group took the stage. They seemed to be more into Jesus. We spent the whole morning and early afternoon there, enjoying what the locals and musicians fondly call "hippie church". The gospel music is top notch, the breakfast tacos are killer and the crowd was a bundle of love and peace!!! If ya'll ever come to Austin, this is a MUST.




Check out some of the performers:
http://www.myspace.com/lzlovecom http://www.myspace.com/shelleykingband http://www.myspace.com/carolynwonderland This ones gonna be a pro at age 4!


But, when in Texas, beware of those teeny little towns in-between cities. In search of a bathroom we exited to find only one establishment in miles . . . I turned the van around and headed back for the highway as quickly as I could!

So, somehow I've invented the phrase 'Dat'll be dat!' It's delicious and very fulfilling to say. Feel free to spread it around!!!

As for tour updates . . . well, Athens just plain rocked! We played the gig at Farm 255 outside, and they fed us the most delicious food! They literally use ALL fresh local farm grown goods, oh yeah, amazing. Claire Campbell and her sister Paige are two very talented and warm hearted ladies! We spent the night at their house and had a great soul food brunch with em' before we left town. Check out their super cool band @ http://www.hopeforagoldensummer.com/
Now, we're soaking up the country life in Nashville. We shared an evening with a local musician named James Moore at Cafe CoCo. It was my second time playing there, and it's as awesome as ever. A very funky 24 hour hot spot full of the local bohemians. James's music was beautiful :)

My punk rock redneck friend Gabe Zander showed up at Cafe CoCo and is taking us in during our Nashville stay. He's simply hilarious! http://www.myspace.com/gabezander
Today's quote of the day comes from him . . .
"I'm acting like the guy from Friday the 13th that always gets killed first."
We hung out at the End, a local punk bar. Some truly unique local bands played and all had this rockin' mix of punk rock country. Fun times!!!

Now, today Malcolm and I were let loose on the town. Hangin' out on Broadway, shopping for hats. I have NEVER owned a hat EVER. Today I bought my first hat, and it's looking like my little obsession with country/bluegrass is getting kinda serious. Yeehaw!



Oh, and Elvis is still alive!!! Hallalujah!

Here's a Kodak moment from the glorious Someone's Sister House Concert series that we played in Greenville, NC. Beautiful experience all around, and good times!


After Greenville we took off for Johnson City and Asheville. As we traveled West through North Carolina, I noticed something familiar in the car to the right of me . . . BLING!!! I felt like I was home in NYC. I asked Malcolm to capture the moment on film so we could share it with you here :)



After all this excitement (and a minor car "incident") we arrived safely in Asheville. The show in the park was amazing, a great blend of the diverse locals and tourists. Mr. Bob Dylan was in town w/ Merle Haggard, but they never dropped by our show to say hi . . . oh well, maybe next time. So, while in Asheville we teamed up with our lovely host Devika and her art teacher to make pasta! Um, Devika rocks!!!

We had lots of problems getting the pasta maker to work, basically, it didn't. So, Devika's Prof. Michael, headed out to the store to buy another one. He returned empty handed. We made phone calls to other local stores and still no luck. Apparently America's Carb-free phase is still going strong and severely impacting the pasta-maker industry. So very sad. So, just when we were giving up on the pasta, I began playing guitar and suddenly . . . the chirpy gurrgle of the pasta-maker filled the air! Hoor-ay! All it needed was a little music, love and support. We held it tenderly and coaxed out some pasta.



After all that work, Michael rewarded us with some samplings of his fine Italian chocolates.



But, the stop in Asheville was completed with a most wonderful affair! The welcome party for the Bonfires for Peace in W. Asheville. In the silly early hours before the guests arrived, we played stupid musicians games. We each took turns playing together and there was one rule. You cannot play your primary instrument. Oh, fun times! Here's a picture of me with the Blue Number Nine group from NJ. These people were so amazing and oodles of fun!

This week in North Carolina has been . . . well, the pictures say it all! Our lovely Fed Ex Goddess and host, Kris, was phenomenal! Her roomie Gus, Rodney, sister Lori, Brooke, Holly and Gigi were all wonderful too. We had some amazing times and I anticipate a return trip to Wilmington in August! The talented ladies of Someones Sister threw a house concert w/ Malcolm and I on Thursday night in Greenville, NC. A beautiful group of strong activist womyn came out to support. It was a magical and inspirational evening!!! Georgia let us paint lampshades after the crowd went home, and welcomed us for the night in her cozy meditation room. We slept like peaceful angels.

Malcolm and I are really rockin' the Urban Bluegrass :)


Gus and Brooke did some late night 2-steppin'!


I taught Kris a little Salsa . . . um, to the sounds of country music.


Then, everybody got to dancing!


Our new friend Gus was chillin' w/ us at the Silver Dollar!


and Brooke!


and our hostess with the mostest!


But, after all the shows, the dancing and surfing at the beach . . . it was time for goodbyes :( We stopped at the local coffee spot for one last fix and picture before heading to Johnson City, TN!


Thanks to all or new friends along the road! I love yall!!!

Hey ya'll!!! My southern accent is back in full swing right along with my southern style. Malcolm and I are still being spoiled with the kindness of new friends. The Cape Fear Folk festival was a blast! Someone's Sister not only rocked the house, but invited us to play a last minute house show at their place in Greenville. We had a picture perfect Sunday off yesterday with our new friends here in North Carolina! A huge brunch complete with my famous french toast, a trip to the beach and a late night cookout.

We've been really busy and we're having a blast! Now that we're out of the North East it feels like the "real" tour has begun. We're fine tuning our bluegrass tunes and writing a few of our own. We finally named the van . . . Mahatma Gandhi Harriet Tubman, or Mady the Tubster or Tubby for short!!! We're singing and driving for freedom and nonviolent opposition!

Somehow Malcolm and I have adopted this new tour phrase. . . Git er' done!

I don't know where it could have come from??? Maybe it's a southern thang :)

The Rochester show was full of friends, family and fun times! I got to spend a very special dinner with my mother who I haven't seen in far too long. Special thanks to all the new and old friends who came out. Especially our glorious hosts and cuddle buddies Gala and Jenny!


Cuddles w/ Julia, malcolm, Gala and me!



Jenny is such a Goddess!

<
Gala loves the music . . . maybe too much.



Or, do I love her too much?



Malcolm and I have really been getting in touch with our inner honky tonk feminist roots!




See ya'll at a show in your town! In the meantime, keep in touch and spread your light!
Love and starlight,
Adrienne

We’re in Burlington,VT and heading out of town shortly. The first and last time I was in Burlington I was chasing love and it didn’t work out too well. I’m seeing so many familiar faces, but I don’t know anyone here anymore. We’re meeting lots of new stars, like the two twins Laura and Virginia. These ladies came out to the show last night and put us up for the night. One is a city gal from Brooklyn visiting her twin sis, the organic farmer, in VT. Very phenomenal womyn and new friends for sure!!! Laura’s house mate had two cats, one of which slept with me all night. Now I have a minor case of the blues, missin’ my little kitty back in Brooklyn, But, I know he’s in good hands with Malcolm’s roomie Megan. Thanks Megan, for being spectacular!

Our Saturday show in Boston turned out to be a blast! We had three spectacular womyn come out to support, the local bar crew and a football recruit we had meet earlier that day. We got into town early and went to eat down the block from the venue. The restaurant was hosting a women's football team kick off party, and we invited the ladies to our gig. We even got some free game tickets to raffle off at our show. The owner was hilarious, he shared some of his comedy “notes” with me and joined me in singin’ with Malcolm for her Crackwhore song. He set up a fake fireplace and a bull scull behind us to set the folk/country mood for the evening. We found a straw hat to wear and both played barefoot. It was a good feeling, playing barefoot, so I did it again in Burlington.

We went on a trek this morning for bagels, we’d been told about this hot spot in town. After much searching, direction asking, driving, walking, driving, parking, walking . . . we found it. There was a sign posted with this creepy looking hand drawn bunny that said they were closed yesterday and today for the holiday. Evil evil bunny! Too bad, but luckily there was a Great Harvest Bakery across the street. Ah, memories! I used to live one block form a Great Harvest when I was in Kentucky. I’d go there often for the free slices of fresh baked bread. With all the change in the world, the free bread samples have remained!!! We enjoyed some super delicious free slices of bread with buttah and coffee. Now with happy full tummies and a our new friend Virginia we’re sitting at an internet cafe doing our business before we scoot out of town. More soon . . . until then, lots of love and sunlight!

My process has been deep the past week. I took quite a bit of time to myself and have been working out some new ideas and songs. Although I’ve been feeling very pensive lately, the Northampton womyn were such great company! Our tour brought us to Massachussetts this week and introduced us to some really kind and generous individuals. Malcolm and I have been spoiled rotten this week. I feel completely supported by the universe. We were given homes to sleep in, food to eat and we’ve made so many new friends! Special thanks to Meghan and Meghan (Snitz and Dewar) who brought us into their home and cooked for us. Thanks to the whole crew Barra, Meg and Jessica for the late night booty shaking trips to bars for dancin’ and dinner parties! Jessica, thanks for all your hard core street promo in Northampton and hugs and laughs! We got a nice size crowd out to Bishop’s Lounge and had a great time. Thanks to John and Billy at SCR Cafe for your kindness and hospitality! These men took us into their home, literally, and they are so phenomenal! They even roast their own coffee, and it’s yummy! Please support their cafe ~ http://www.SturbridgeCoffeeRoasters.com ~

Besides the recent devlopments in the White house, Bush's new plans for Iran, I’ve really felt hopeful for change. I've felt at home this whole week and extremely grateful for all the love and support from new friends! I can feel the laws of nature in play, the more I give, the more I receive. People outside New York are so friendly, it is refreshing. Cars stop for us to cross the street and people’s faces light up with smiles to greet you. I think New Yorkers are friendly in their own way, and I appreciate the secret language of love in the city, but its nice to see love with out masks.

Love and starlight,
Adrienne

The CD release party went perfectly and Malcolm and I are on our first week of tour! Thanks to everyone who made it out to the biker club. It was such a special evening full of familiar faces and special new friends. I truly appreciate each one of you who show up and support me! So, our tour has started off real easy. We're staying at her parents home on the beach in Connecticut. They are out of town, so we've been doing lots of relaxing and organizing for the months ahead. We played SUNY Purchase, which was awesome! It was so good to see my friends who still attend there, and to be in the coziness of the co-op. Kira shone her Goddess light in the opening set, setting the tone for a delicate and intimate evening. The walls are now adorned with a Smurf mural? Ah, Purchase, home sweet home.

Then last night we played at SoNo Caffeine in South Norwalk,CT. We were pleasantly joined by a couple lovely ladies who heard of us through Crow space. The local buddies came out to support too. But the BIG surprise occurred when our dearest Goddesses, Megan & Anna, from Brooklyn strolled in with Susan during Malcolm's opening set. Her voice actually shifted up an octave mid-song with excitement! Of course, we had to invite the ladies over for a tea party at the beach house afterwards!!! It was such a glorious evening of tea drinking, music singing, long talking, beach walking, star gazing, laughter making, and cuddles! This morning Malcolm and I are still feeling the love and positive energy from last night. I'm sending some of the positivity out into the universe for sharing, feel free to partake of it!
Starlight and love, Adrienne

After lots of hard work and long nights, I have finally finished my first full length album! I love that I keep complete artistic control since I compose, play, engineer, arrange, produce, and master my own music . . . but it is a lot of work. I was able to get some old and new friends in the studio to color the album with percussion, violin, native flute and acoustic bass! My talented sister did the photography and graphic art for the album. Check her out at http://www.Allijagoda.com
The album outlines a lot of my journey through life until this point. I have shared some very intimate pieces of my life, in hopes of spreading love and light. I’ve also decided to use a large portion of the album proceeds towards my trip to Africa next year. In Africa I plan to work on AIDS education and awareness.

The album will be released March 31st at the CD release party. I'm honored to have my good friends Malcolm Rollick and Osei Essed play the show. Then there will be a dance party w/ Dj! I'm also excited about the venue . . . a true jewel! It's a biker club in my neighborhood called the Forbidden Ones. Please check out my upcoming shows for details about this event. I would love for everyone to come out and pick up a copy of the new CD!

Love and Light,
Adrienne