12/08/05: The Home Stretch: Los Angeles 2,628 miles
After four months on the road, living out of the same suitcase and playing footsies with each other (double beds should be for lovers only), we are officially on the home stretch! We made our "welcome home to us" massage appointments for next week in Los Angeles, which means there will be no dilly-dallying (I can't believe "dilly-dallying" is a word, but according to Microsoft Word spell check, it is) as we embark on our final leg of the tour: Tampa, Florida to Los Angeles, California = 2,628 miles! Whoa!! See you there! We are looking forward to taking the next month off to relax, hang with family, write new music and re-pack? Yup, we leave for our Winter/Spring tour in mid-January. First stop: Alaska! Oh, who do we think we are, going to Alaska in January? They lured us with talk of glaciers and moose. Until then, we'll be enjoying the palm trees and road kill in California. See you soon, America.


12/06/05: Eddie's Attic: Decatur, GA
Thank goodness for good friends and good people who have continually helped and guided us through this tour. We are indebted to you all (sorry, we don't have much money, but we'll sing you a song?) and blown away by the opportunities we've had because of our connections with your connections. In this case, we (with the help of the amazing Stacy Singer) found the magical land of Eddie's Attic, known for nurturing the careers of Indigo Girls, Sugarland and John Mayer. This was our first time in Georgia and we were blown away by the hospitality and genuine friendliness of the people we met.

On our first night at the Attic, we participated in its prestigious open mic competition. It apparently takes a couple of months to get on the weekly bill. 18 acts vie for a chance to win cash and the opportunity to advance to the final "Shootout" in June. The rules state that you can only have three people on stage at a time and that you can't use any effects or pedals. So, being a four-piece band, we had to do a little rearranging. Mona and Becky each sat out for a song in our two-song set. We opened with "Pinball" and closed with "Desperate Sails," which got us into the final round! "Wyoming Sky" was our last song, and (drumroll), WE WON! $60 and an invitation to the Shootout! We celebrated with a little after-hours lolly-gagging at the Attic, at which time Mona found a nun costume (too long of a story to tell right now), which she of course modeled for us. The following night happily returned to the Attic for a full set of music and lots of familiar faces from the night before. Although the Attic was the first and only place we've been in Georgia, WE LOVE YOU Georgia! And you will be on our mind, until next time. (Like in a dirty way. And I'm talkin' about the WHOLE state).


11/29/05: Graceland: Memphis, TN
Today we went to Graceland, the former home of Elvis Presley and his family. It was so inspiring/sad. We took an audio-guided tour through the remodeled 70's-style house. Elvis accomplished so much in his life (I mean the jumpsuits alone), but the truth of his fate is always in the back of our minds. The narrator in our headphones tells stories about The King, which is accompanied by first-hand accounts from Elvis and Lisa-Marie. The most impressive room in the house is the racquetball court that is now transformed into a trophy room filled from floor to ceiling with gold records and plaques. We paid our respects at the family gravesite and took with us new memories and a fresh appreciation of a legend. (As well as some post cards and magnets. We just had to).


11/20/05: NACA Northeast: Marlborough, MA
Our third and final NACA of the year. Over and out ya'll! (We're in the south now and therefore talking with a drawl and more conjunctions). We had a mainstage showcase for the first time in this region. Nerve-racking? Yes. Exciting? Of course. Technical difficulties? Unfortunately. After a 7 a.m. sound check on the morning of our showcase, the over-worked and exhausted sound engineer, with the push of a button, saved another band's settings in place of ours. So, when we started our 20-minute set in front of 1500 students and advisors (and potential employers), everything (technically) went CRAZYTOWN! For the first two (of four total) songs, feedback blared and then the house sound ZEROED OUT. The engineer shut everything off and started to mix our sound from scratch while the clock ticked. Luckily the crowd got on board and we charged through the set unscathed, ending with a standing ovation. Our thanks to the unbelievable Northeast region, who weathered the storm with us. We believe we might have feelings for you. Highlights include: 1) Jim Breuer, of Saturday Night Live, came to us backstage after the showcase and invited us to be on his Sirius satellite radio show. 2) We were the #1 most-booked musical act at the conference! Hallelujah! We should ask for crappy sound more often!


11/16/05: Car Trouble in New York
As we mentioned a few days ago, our car got hit. Here's the completion of that story. We are all okay. Actually none of us were there (convenient, no?). We left our car at a parking lot (whose name we won't mention for the sake of good karma) near JFK, before boarding a plane for Portland, OR. When we returned, there was damage to our driver side, a sexy little gash. The manager asked to speak to us privately. "Eduardo" explained that the dent and scratches were there when we dropped off the car. Hooray! Becky got fired up and said in her most fierce/professional voice, "Sir, are you claiming we brought our car in like THIS?" It was so hot! The manager, "Eduardo," had no idea he was holding a note from the General Manager saying, "One of our employees scraped this car against a cement block. Let the customer know the insurance information." Ah, the joys of misinformation. No time to stop and repair. Looks like we're bringing Tiara home for some TLC. On a side note, today we took a "Van/Cab" from Manhattan to the parking lot to get our van again and drive to Massachusetts. The name of the cab company: "Tel Aviv Cabs." The name of the African/American driver: "Regis." Can you feel this?


11/15/05: Avenue Q, New York City
We love the theater (read: WEEE LAaahve the THEE-uh-tah). We are so "Chorus Line" meets "Rent" meets "Cats." Back in August, we realized that we'd have a night off in NYC in November, so what better a way to spend the night than see a show! We had heard amazing things about the Tony-winning, Broadway musical "Avenue Q." Becky and friend (cuuutie Brian!) got front row tickets (go lottery!) and enjoyed being spit on by puppets throughout the show. Our favorite songs from the show were: "Everyone's a Little Bit Racist" (seriously, it's true), "It Sucks to be Me," "It’Äôs Okay to be Gay," "The Internet is For Porn," and "I Wish I Was Back in College." But perhaps the most exhilarating moment of the night was when we snuck cups of coffee into the show via purses and pockets. Many thumb-epidermi were sacrificed in the act of securing the lid hole, but only Mona suffered third-degree burns on her thighs. Thanks for the memories soy vanilla latte, extra hot.


11/14/05: Awkward Rant
Let's talk about unwieldy moments for a second. Many nights when we play shows in this great country of ours, some slightly awkward things take place. For example, it could be as simple as having an audience share absolutely no reaction to a) the music b) talking from the stage c) a small fire in their lap. This is especially tough because we play music to inspire and share, not so that we can be watched like a tele. But, there are other awkward moments like when the audience has an over-the-top-everybody-watch-your-valuables reaction. Ok, so maybe it’Äôs not the audience, maybe it's just one guy. Maybe it's the one guy that decides it's a good idea to yell out Chaska's name the ENTIRE show. Maybe it's the one guy that grabs his friends, points at Chaska and says, "Seriously dude, I'm going to marry that chick." Maybe the most AWKWARD moment is when that guy gets up during the song "Come On" and in all seriousness starts air-grinding and air-thrusting at the edge of the stage in front of Chaska. I don't know, you tell me. I would rather have people share their love and express passion than not, but when it comes to air-humping, I think we would all agree: keep it in the closet. P.S.: Please yell out Becky's name next time and play the air-flute. I don't think that would be awkward at all.

Signed,
Bitter-that-no-one-humps-me-or-pumps-me


11/12/05: Dancing Fiends: St. Lawrence University: Canton, New York
Canton is so close to Canada that they had to use the first three letters of our neighbors to the north in their name! Not true (as far as we know). When the enthusiastic students of SLU started shaking their booties to "Come On," we knew it was meant to be! Thank you to all of the not so private dancers! Thank you also, for breakfast at midnight (to be sung to the tune of "Walking in Memphis").


11/11/05: St. Joseph College: Patchogue, New York
After our Bitter End show, we kidnapped Chaska's little sister Belle and our really pretty dentist friend who won't charge us for teeth whitening in the future, Ruba. We made them hit the road with us for our weekend across New York! Some benefits to having friends and family on the road:
1. We get to look at other people.
2. We get to talk to other people.
3. We get to sleep with other people. What?

At St. Joseph's, we were fortunate to share the night with the lovely Jason Levasseur, as well as comic duo Alfred & Seymour. It's always nice to cross paths with other fellow touring friends. Thanks for the good times Jason!


11/10/05: The Bitter End: New York City
Lorenzo Goetz and The Josh Dion Band were also on the bill, and fabulous to boot! We're listening to Josh Dion's CD in the van right now... check them out! A highlight of this night (our second show at the historic venue) was that Vicki Peterson, of THE BANGLES, sent her husband out to see us! Why didn't Vicki come? Well, she was busy. But apparently she has seen us play and thinks we're great! Hallelujah! If walking like an Egyptian was really an option, we would.


11/9/05: Marist College: Poughkeepsie, New York
Poughkeepsie. Just say it out loud: POO-KIP-SEE. Feels good. Another word that feels good when said slowly: Zim-bab-we. Marist College = beautiful rotunda. That's what they all say. When we arrived an hour late, Mona ran into a radio interview at the Marist College station 88.1 FM with the hot chicks of "Reeeemix," while the rest of the ladies unloaded and set up. Mona would like to publicly thank Mai, Chaska and Becky for their hard work. Mai, Chaska and Becky would like to secretly thank Mona for "representing" on air.

The best part of the show was when the awesome Student Activities Advisor, Bob Lynch, raised the roof during "Window Song." After the show the students treated us to all-we-can-eat from their mini mart! This was not just any mini mart! It was the world's greatest. It was the size of a dorm room and had a sushi bar, ice cream locker overflowing with pints, fresh salads, quesadillas, nachos and four kinds of soymilk. Let's just say we walked out of there with some California Rolls and three pints of Ben & Jerry's: Coffee Heath Bar, Peanut Butter Cup, Cherry Garcia.


11/8/05: SUNY-IT: Utica/Rome, New York
Back in good ol' Utica/Rome, New York. Why the slash? Were both names equally desirable and no compromise could be made? Do the local Italians refuse to call their new home Utica? You can feel the tension as you drive through downtown right past the National Distance Running Hall of Fame. I know, I too, have been wondering for years where that was.

Tonight we played at SUNY-IT (State University of New York, Institute of Technology). For some reason the show seemed less awkward than last year. Our hosts were awesome (Kris, Tristan and crew), but this year the audience actually reacted to the show. It may have been that the women's basketball team made it out after practice. It's nice to have other teams of women support this team of women. We are crossing our fingers that a group of lady strippers make it out to a show at some point. Imagine the male draw!!


11/6/05: NACA West: Portland, Oregon: We Love You!
Are you kidding me? You people are amazing... so good to us! Thank you to NACA West for your continued love and support, and for helping us have an awesome showcase. We hope to see you again soon!!

The plane trip/extravaganza from Portland, Oregon back to New York wasn't nearly as "awesome." We arrived at the airport four hours early for our red-eye flight. That's how we do when we're traveling with 10 checked bags and 12 carry on items, including four guitars, the cello and the sitar. After checking-in and settling-in at the gate (loving the free wireless throughout the airport), we learned we would have to wait another four hours due to "delays." Ummm, that's eight hours, which does feel like a long time when you're trying to sleep on a row of welded-together leather chairs.

We landed in New York at about 11am. Just when we thought we were home free, we discovered that our van was damaged while it was parked for a week at a parking garage next to the airport. Nice job, guys. How hard is it to park a car and move it around once or twice without running into a cement block? Sigh...


10/31/05: RJ Goes a Mile High for Halloween
We started out with big aspirations for this holiday: plans for a thematic group costume. On Halloween day, we happened to be flying from New York to Oregon for the NACA West conference, so we thought... let's be flight attendants! Becky took a characteristically non-conformist stance on the idea by suggesting that she be the pilot. It turns out that her costume was the only one we got together in time for the big day. It consisted of a pilot's hat and white long-sleeved button down. A tie and moustache were also ready to go but seemed weird to don in an airport and without the rest of the group in costume. Most people at JFK got the getup. They glanced, chuckled, sometimes just stared nervously. Becky even happened to meet the real pilot of our flight. They talked shop for a while, exchanged landing tips and compared "pilot's thumbs." Since the rest of us didn't have stewardess costumes, we decided to be Becky's passengers. A cop out, but clever. To top it all off, we were greeted in Portland by our good friend Dani, who after hearing the original stewardess plan, decided to dress up as a peanut!


10/23/05: Iowa Bars Take in California Girls: Lost & Found: Ames, Iowa + AK O'Connors: West Des Moines, Iowa
It was our first time. We were a little nervous. Would the Iowa bar scene enjoy a little rock-folk Raining Jane style on a Friday and Saturday night? Friday night we rolled up to Lost & Found on what seemed to be the main street in Ames, a town crawling with Iowa State College Cyclones (I like the idea of that mascot suit). It was homecoming (obviously not ours) and also a birthday celebration (also not ours, but Kelly, you felt like a homie by the end of the night).

We played two, hour-long sets, surviving the smoke-filled room (which is tough for four women who dislike cigarette smoke so much they often claim to be "allergic" to it. Don't tell the Comfort Inn) and free drinks. Then it was back down the steep, long flight of stairs and to the dark alley around the corner where we pulled the van and trailer to load up. Now, I tell you these details for a reason. Mai Bloomfield (of the Raining Jane) was the only one standing outside with our pretty, life-savings, brand new trailer. All of a sudden, Drunkard-Randomguy-McGee was leaning against the trailer with his arm cocked back and ready to fly, fist pointing right at her (still talking about the trailer). This is where the story gets good. Mai drops into her lowest-octave, gruff voice and yells, "HEY! That's MY car!" McDrunkardson had already hit the car once, and after registering Mai's mama-bear growl, stumbled away and his friends apologized. Classic.

Saturday night at AK O'Connors was not quite as eventful. The best part was that our dear friend Lisa from Nebraska came with us for the weekend. Oh, and there was an internet-organized, costume-required, singles party happening in the adjacent room. Paired off pre-couples would come sit, chat and listen to us play a few songs as they got to know each other better. At one point, a lady dressed up as a pirate got freaky to Deep In My Pocket. Lots of firsts here in Iowa.


10/21/05: North Country Inspiration
We went and saw North Country, the new movie (starring Charlize Theron) about "the first major successful sexual harassment case in the United States," and set in the coal mines of Minnesota. The women who initiated the class action suit (Jenson vs. Eveleth Mines) are partially responsible for laws that protect people from gender-based harassment and discrimination today. It was disturbing and inspiring all at once, and definitely made us realize that although we are lucky to be able to benefit from certain social advances, there is still much work to be done. Standing in the lobby after the movie Mai said, "I think we're part of the feminist movement, we just forgot." It's time to remember!


10/19/05: Getting Comfortable Somewhere in the Middle of America: The Bevington's: Yutan, Nebraska
We've unhitched our little trailer and tucked her away in the woods for a seven-day break, which we're spending in Nebraska with our dear friends, The Bevingtons. Plans for our little vacation here: pumpkin patch, steak night, hot tub, jamming in the basement, heavy DVD watching, staying up late, wearing high ponytails and fake mustaches. Whew, check those all off the list (not that high pony's won't happen again)!


10/15/05: Midwestside Story
Five shows back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back (that's five!). Ooooh, our backs are sore! Until now, we haven't done much in the Midwest except drive through it. So we were excited to get a taste of this part of the country, which can be done at the mini-markets found at practically every gas stop called: "Kum & Go." Disturbingly, the slogan for this fine establishment is "We Go All Out," and, "Always Something Extra"...delicious! Who names these places? LOL!

We met some hilarious characters and wonderful people in our travels. Wartburg, Buena Vista, University of Nebraska, Carthage, Simpson - thanks for being so kind and supportive. Nebraska, we thought you crazy cats were drunk for sure at the homecoming celebration as you crowd-surfed (a first) and rocked out with us. We later found out you're a dry campus and just naturally enthusiastic and fun! We were delighted to find out that Carthage College was literally on the shore of Lake Michigan and that Rich Ramos of Simpson College left the show with a pair of Raining Jane panties (we won't tell you how he acquired them).


10/09/05: NACA Mid-Atlantic: Lancaster, Pennsylvania
Shout outs to all the students, advisors, artists and NACAnians who gave us love at the conference in Lancaster. We were the "roving showcase" on October 7th (Mona's birthday). We had 24 hours to play as much music as we could, wherever we could find a good spot not conflicting with anything else going on. Sometimes we felt more like the roaming showcase and wished we had thought to wear roller skates. Skating is so much cooler than "walking."

The conference ended successfully on October 9th. We headed out to eat and celebrate Chaska's birthday. Hmmm... where to go for a special meal in Pennsylvania? We ended up at a family-style Amish restaurant called "Plain & Fancy" where we sat with six elderly folks from Mississippi and Illinois. We referred to each other by state when asking for food, e.g. "Mississippi, please pass the green beans." We would like to thank the Amish for their tasty fried chicken and mashed potatoes. More importantly, we would like to apologize to the Amish gentleman with the horse and buggy who we took a picture of while driving by in our van. We hope we didn't scare you or your horse. We also hope you don't mind we posted the above picture of you.


10/01/05: Good Times in the Van
We're in Illinois and we just made a pit stop for Dairy Queen blizzards, so we're all in pretty good spirits. Generally, we are all in good spirits most of the time (and when we're not, we blame it on hormones, or Becky). 48 days into our fall tour, and with 11,000+ miles traveled (think Los Angeles to Cape Town, South Africa plus some more), we still love each other and this mission, otherwise known as "Raining Jane." We somehow still find things to talk about, and last night at dinner (Chili's = yummy!) we acknowledged that we are laughing more than ever, and not just because it’Äôs healthy to laugh or because we're so sick of crying. I'm talking real, genuine laughter that makes your stomach ache, your eyes water and sometimes makes you have to pee. With the tragic hurricanes in the south and the wild fires in the west, we are reminded daily how lucky we are to be alive. So we drive on in our little vessel, looking ahead (and both ways of course), doing what we love.


09/24/05: The Gang's Back Together: Kalamazoo College, Michigan
After a two-week break we are, "...on the road again..." With personal trips to Spain, Iran and NYC, we are refreshed and ready to get back to the music! We have the drive from New York to Michigan to exchange stories of our adventures. Next stop: Kalamazoo College.

We arrived a few hours early to do an acoustic run-through in our dressing room. The dark clouds overhead accompanied by some light rain were making us nervous, so the organizers called in a canopy (thanks Kate!) to cover the stage. This was great, except that it now shielded the moon and stars that were apparently the only lighting planned for this nocturnal show. This is the third show in the past month that has been outdoors at night. Sounds like a great show to SEE. Well, some forgot and others don't have it in their budget to bring in lighting. Everyone, however, had good attitudes and their own way of trying to remedy the problem once they realized... it was a problem. The wonderful people of Kalamazoo brought in some twinkle lights to brighten our lives, while New England College collected halogen lights from their dorm rooms. Our motto has taken a Malcolm X-ian turn and become: "whatever it takes." Ok, not really, but I would say that is our attitude! Storm the dorms for some lighting DAMMIT! Now that's a motto!


8/24/05: Rock Hill, South Carolina: Winthrop University
This was our first time to South Carolina and Rock Hill really does ROCK! We played an outdoor show at the City Hall downtown with Two Step (a Dave Matthews cover band). The amazing students of Winthrop and the activities advisor (we love you Boyd!) filled us up with love and good southern food.


8/23/05: Oklahoma City National Memorial
The memorial's mission statement, which is engraved in stone as you enter the site reads:

"We come here to remember those who were killed,
Those who survived and those who changed forever.
May all who leave here know the impact of violence.
May this memorial offer comfort,
Strength, peace, hope and serenity."

Ten years after the bombing of the Oklahoma City Federal Building, we made our way through the memorial in silence. It is serene, beautiful and tragic. We entered through The Gates of Time which frame "the moment of destruction" to find ourselves standing in front of the Reflecting Pool. The trickling water of the pool was the only sound coming from within the memorial and it was a still day, so the reflection of the sky was bright and clear. The Field of Empty Chairs (168 chairs representing each life lost) was especially poignant. We have been singing about it in our song "Follow Me" (verse 3) for years, but actually standing there next to them made the pain and sadness of the reality more real than ever before. Our prayers go out to all those impacted by the tragedy.


8/22/05: Edmond, Oklahoma: University of Central Oklahoma
We did our first all-night drive...just for fun. As it turned out, it wasn't that fun. We left Indiana at midnight (after eating at Denny's with all the Marys at St. Mary of The Woods) and arrived in OK at noon. The show was supposed to be outside, but was moved into the gym because of rainy weather, which people love to blame on us. Not funny. ("Oh, RAINING Jane, you did this!"). We watched Jars of Clay sound check while we warmed up with a pseudo game of basketball (we had a ball but no hoop). The guys in Jars of Clay were adorable and really friendly. We like that. They also sounded absolutely heavenly...the harmonies in particular...gush, gush, gush.

Oklahoma is a new state for RJ. We learned that it's not only in the "Bible belt" of America, but that it's actually the belt buckle, holding it together. The audience was polite, and all went well except for the awkward moment before we played "Come On" when Mona said, "It's about to get sexy..." Whoooaaahh. Mona apologizes to any Christian youth groups attending the concert, who probably were not intending to "get sexy" that night. Nobody went "postal" on us though (more trivia: this saying originated in Edmond when a postal worker went nuts and opened fire. We really aren't into that). Regardless, OK, you are more than ok in our book. Thanks for being more like GREAT!


8/21/05: Indiana Janes and The Temple of Joy
Vincennes, Indiana: Vincennes University + Terra Haute: St. Mary of The Woods = our first two college shows of the fall tour. 2300 miles later, we arrive just in time to check into our hotel and shower up. The humidity and heat are a bit shocking and we are sweating a lot. Hott. Towels on stage have become necessary. Are we rock and roll or what? What?! It was our first time playing Vincennes and there were fireworks (literally) after we played. Welcome back to school week is fun! St. Mary of The Woods (an all-female Catholic school) was even more fun than the last time. Ladies, you rock our world. Thanks for being so supportive and for making us feel a part of the sisterhood. Hooray for Nuns/Freshmen/Dennys/Wilda! (That sounds weird out of context. Pretend it was never written).


8/19/05: Nearly East
Good morning, Wyoming sunrise (addendum to "Wyoming Sky")! Today we drove from Rawlins, Wyoming to somewhere in Missouri with a stop in Omaha for dinner with our friends Matt and Lisa Bevington (we love you guys! Thank you x 1 fillion). This drive was particularly exciting because of the thunder and lightning storm that we seemed to be driving into for several hours. There were also gigantic moths and bugs flying into our windshield, which was good therapy/terribly traumatic for Becky's bug phobia. Those of us sleeping in the van were woken up several times by her yelps and squeals. What exactly does a yelp sound like? Put a moth in Becky's hair next time you see her.


8/18/05: Aching Booties (not just a hot new band name)
Drive: Reno, Nevada to Rawlins, Wyoming with a stop in Salt Lake City, Utah for an oil change and an ice cream. We found a crazy hotel in Rawlins owned by a Pakistani man (he wasn't too crazy himself, just the hotel). He only had one room available and it happened to have 4 queen size beds!? Weird? We thought so. Having our own beds on the road is a rare treat (we love snuggling!) and on this occasion it made up for the fact that the toilet didn't work. Good thing we only had time to stay for 4 hours...


8/16/05: Moe's Alley: Santa Cruz, CA
We started off the day picking out new eye shadows and lip gloss at the Stila counter in SF, assisted by experts Kelly and Tanya. Becky doesn't understand why we need to wear make-up at all. I think that is something that we should all ask ourselves. My answer to myself was "my cheeks just aren't pink enough on their own." Off to Santa Cruz we go...Oh good people of SC, you never disappoint! Dancing and singing along...you are too good to be true! It was our first time playing Moe's Alley and it was a great alley, we thought. Way to go Moe! On that note I also think it is important to share that I love alleys made for bowling. Thanks to the wonderful people who made it possible for us to play and laugh and drink and be merry! We want to merry/marry you Santa Cruz! Until next time, xoxoxoxox Jane.


8/15/05: Cafˆ© Du Nord: San Francisco, CA
We LOVE you San Francisco! What an amazing night at an awesome venue! The room was packed and bubbling over with good vibes in every direction. Maybe it was the heat, or sharing another night with Sara B. and Co., but regardless, we were silly happy and apparently "rocking out in a whole new realm" (says Chaska's Dad. Oh, Papa). Thanks everyone for coming out and making us feel so loved!


8/14/05: Mazzotti's: Eureka, CA
What a precious town of sincerely precious people (and giant precious trees). We were honored to open for Sara Bareilles ( I totally realize how she became so precious) in her first ever show in her hometown! Millions of thanks to her family (Bareilles and Halverson), Mazzotti's and all the people of Eureka for welcoming us with big Redwood tree hugs and love! We were floored by the support!


8/13/05: NARM: San Diego, CA
First show: San Diego for a 20-minute showcase at NARM (National Association of Recording Merchandisers). We arrived a day before our showcase to hand out flyers to get people to come see us, which proved to be sufficiently awkward. We ended up at the bar. It's crazy what a little vodka tonic can do to the nerves. After our showcase we plotted our attack on various record labels, with no real agenda except to give them our CD and hopefully have them give us money. We crept around the halls, putting our ears up to the doors of the suites where they were having secret corporate meetings and socials. Depending on what we heard we would either knock or slip our package under the door. We only got caught with our ear to the door once...it was Capital Records...embarrassing!! (p.s. They decided not to give us any money).


8/12/05: Fender Factory: Corona, CA
The van is packed and the trailer hitched, off we go on another 4-month journey across the US of A! After having our traditional bon voyage breakfast at the Gebhardt's, and getting all the last minute car tips from Mai's dad, we finally hit the road. Our first stop was Corona, CA for a visit to the Fender factory. All guitar enthusiasts might want to check out a tour sometime, it's a lot of fun. Highlights include "guitar heaven," a room where hundreds of guitars hang from conveyer belts attached to the ceiling so their paint can dry, and the "relic" department. The relic area is where new guitars are precisely detailed to look vintage, beat up, worn out, weathered. This is done by using corrosive acid, cigarettes, sand paper, etc. We had a nice visit with the people of Fender, Corona, but had to keep moving to get to San Diego.


8/8/05: Troubadour: Los Angeles, CA
SOLD OUT! Yes, the show SOLD OUT (500 people!). And it was full of friends and family and our best friends Sara Bareilles and Co.! (Don't tell them we call them our "best friends" they may think we are still "good friends with potential"). What a total delight this was to look out and see so many beautiful, familiar faces. Last time we were at the Troub we played to a sold out crowd for the gothic-cello band, Rasputina. You could say they weren't really into rock-folk/smiling. This time we introduced some new additions to the Raining Jane family: our conversion van and trailer, which we now call home, as well as some beautiful new gear (thank you Fender!) and 3.5 new songs! We were honored and thrilled to share the night with MoZella, David Ryan Harris and Sara Bareilles. Thanks to everyone for making it a heartfelt send off for us. What a special night. Thank you to everyone who made it out! We will miss you LA...see you in December!!