Do you eat, sleep, do you breathe me anymore?

Morning news is fun!

My niece has been practicing her mermaids

Gah! Lisa Loeb is a sweetie.

detail from Princeton Art Museum - I think her face is made of silly putty

SO it's been an adventurous week that culminated with opening for Lisa Loeb at the ArtsQuest center in Bethlehem. I was nervous heading into soundcheck because I am a huge fan. Well I had nothing to worry about because she was kind and down to earth, you know, on top of being a musician on top of her game. She had a few friends there who made me feel comfortable and at home as well. Once we were all in the dressing room the topic soon became cats and pets. It's like a short cut to finding kindred spirits. 

When the show started I was assuming I'd get a chatty crowd uninterested in the opening act. I was totally chuffed to find an attentive room of 300 or so people. Man, I was ON MY GAME! It's so bizarre that some people get a high from being the center of attention when others live in fear of it. Anyhow, I think it went well on my part. The crowd was lubed and rev'd up for the main act. 

Lisa played an assortment of old and new songs. I loved it, and I'm so grateful to have had the opportunity. One of my favourites is Do You Sleep? for sentimental reasons. I was too much of a wuss to request it myself, so I was glad when someone else did! We exchanged emails, and hopefully I will be able to do it again next time she's on the east coast! 

Win 2 tickets to see Lisa Loeb & Sarah Donner this Friday!

Want to win 2 tickets to see Lisa Loeb (Sarah Donner opens) this Friday 7/29 at Musikfest Cafe in Bethlehem? Tell me why your cat (real or imaginary) thinks that you should go see the show. Email your brief essay, pictures, or video to sarah@sarahdonner.com. Points for creativity! The contest winner will be announced tomorrow morning 7/28 at noon EST.

Back again. Jiggity Jig.

Bean takes a peek inside the new cajon

Stag beetles don't belong in my yard. 

The Indie Music Night mascot. 

Because I'm lame and can't stop taking pics.

The tour is over. I miss those zings of dopamine when I get to a venue, when I meet a new fan, when the van starts making funny noises. Anyhow I've been trying to get back to some half finished projects mostly which involve paint. It's hard to stop me once I get a brush in my hands. There are a few songs to finish writing so I can get started on the next album! 

I've mostly got my identity back. After the St. Paul Zoo theft, I am finally on my way to being Sarah Donner once again. Josh is my new friend at my bank. He sat down with me for an hour and a half wiping my tears and wiping my overdraft fees away. Those shifty bitches were very efficient at ruining my credit and my good name.

There are some good shows coming up, namely opening for Lisa Loeb next Friday at ArtsQuest Cafe in Bethlehem PA. I hear she is a cat lady so we should get on pretty well. Her first two albums really made a dent on my formative singer/songwriter self back in the day. I forced myself to learn bar chords just so I could cover her tunes. That could have been the start to me not "playing guitar like a girl". I will expound on that another day though.

Flipflops & Rest Stops 2011 Tour: North Carolina & Tennessee

North Carolina mountain road at 6am

The band Town Mountain performing at WDVX's Blue Plate Special

The river rejuvenates on the last leg of tour!

We are down to the last few days, and I'm mulling over ideas for one last music video. The Twizzlers are stale enough for percussion purposes. It's been a fine journey, but I am ready for a steady diet. There is a mess of identity, bank accounts, and credit card charges that I need to clean up too thanks to the break-in back in St. Paul. My purse is light, but I'm the type of lady who is comfortable with a Target on her shoulders.

I had a day of rest in Boone, NC which was just what I needed. A day with close friends, a cool river, Pinot Grigio, and stars in the sky. My friends live on the side of a mountain which is gorgeous, but I'll think twice about driving a sketchy minivan up there again! I'll just tour in a helicopter next year.

The Blue Plate Special is a live radio show on WDVX in Knoxville TN. I played this show a few years ago, and I knew the crowd leaned towards with a southern flavour. The new host is a sweet funky lady named Red Hickey, and she did a great job of welcoming the musicians, keeping a friendly report with the audience, and making the show run smoothly. It was a packed room. I gather most of the audience comes in for their lunch to enjoy that music. It's a great thing they got going there, and I wish there were more radio stations following their lead!

Tonight's show is at Refuge Coffee in Cincinnati, 8pm. Tomorrow it's one last music video or bust.