Sooj

I’m sitting in the comfortable Kansas City nerve center of Underhill Alchemy and Mithros Designs this afternoon, watching the sun glisten on yesterday’s snow fall.  All I want to do is hibernate.  Reading all about the Year Without a Summer last night was actually comforting.  I hope you’re safe and warm, too.

Two nights ago, I wrapped up my first shared mini tour with Pandora Celtica.  We had ourselves quite a lovely time performing together at Wicked Faire in NJ, and then meeting up for shared concerts in Memphis, Conway AR, and the Kansas City area.  Each show was different, we had a great turnout everywhere, and we all parted ways with heartfelt hugs and smiles.

I get to perform with Heather Dale and Ben Deschamps again over the next two Saturdays, in Nashville and in Little Rock respectively.  I’m looking forward to those, and glad to have some rest periods in between!  I may not yet be recovered from running around with Pandora Celtica.  To that end, read on for my tour recap, dedicated with love and joy to Arjil, Requiem, ShadowCat, September, Rubiee, and Nessa, as well as our host families, coordinators and fans.

“Which camera do we look at now?”

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First things first: huge hugs to all of you who spared a thought for me on my birthday this past Saturday! It was a great one. I gave my second concert at Wicked Faire that day, aided by Pandora Celtica, who later dragged me up onto their stage to sing with them. As if that weren’t enough, I danced my face off to the glorious Frenchy & the Punk as soon as my own show was done! Several of you were in attendance at the event, and it was great to see you.

I have to tell you that Wicked Faire really went Out Of Their Way to take care of me and make sure I was happy and well. The event team has my unending gratitude.

TONIGHT I’m heading home to Memphis to perform AGAIN with Pandora Celtica, who decided, bully for all of us, that they’d like to do some shows with me on my home turf before heading back to Denver! Can you say six-part harmonies? Oh yeah. It’s good when we all get together!
The concert starts at 7pm, and we still have plenty of seats open. Here’s the info:

Neshoba Church
7350 Raleigh Lagrange Road
Memphis,TN 38018
Admission is $10 plus an item for the food drive. Everyone is welcome! Special thanks to Sacred Circle CUUPS for sponsoring and hosting us!

More about my extremely talented friends: http://www.pandoraceltica.com
Note: this is their first time to perform in the Midsouth! Let’s keep ’em coming back.

We’ll also perform in Conway, Arkansas (basically my backyard) and in Kansas City before we part ways. Here’s the info for those two concerts:

FRIDAY FEB 28, 7PM
Sooj & Pandora Celtica, with special guest Renée Janski of Big Bad Gina!
The Locals
1024 Van Ronkle Street
Conway,AR 72032

Tickets are $10 advance or at the door, or $5 at the door for students at the door with valid campus ID. 🙂
http://sjpcthelocals.brownpapertickets.com/

I encourage everyone to check out The Locals in Conway, whether or not you can make it to the show. They are all about making our community stronger, and you can always find locally made/grown art, pottery, accessories and goodies there. Most of you have heard me say how much I love Soulfood Books out in Washington state. Well, this is the closest thing to Soulfood I can get so close to my own home, and I want you to support it!

From The Locals’ website: “The Locals features high quality local products made or grown by local farmers, artists, crafters and other diverse makers. We provide information about community organizations and projects, and connect people with opportunities to participate in diverse activities. The Locals is a community hub for the exchange of ideas, resources and information. It is about getting people together and making things happen. Right here. Right now.”

Next, westward to Kansas City, thanks to house concert host Rhodri! HUZZAH!

SATURDAY MARCH 1, 8PM
Sooj & Pandora Celtica
Live at Chez Rhodri (House Concert)
1223 East Frontier Lane
Olathe, KS 66062

The Pixie Pirate Powerhouse and the Celtic Faery Singers from the Rockies join forces at this SCA-friendly house for an unforgettable Saturday evening!

Tickets are $10-$20 sliding scale and are available here: http://sjpckc.brownpapertickets.com/
Space is limited, but not drastically so. 😉 Doors open at 7pm, music starts at 8pm. Feel free to bring food and drink!
After this concert, the Colorado Fae and I must part ways, but not for long. If you’re a tea drinker, be sure to check out Rubiee’s signature tea blends online or at our shows!

http://www.dryadtea.com

Some of you will remember my crowing about new tea created in honor of some songs of mine- this would be that tea, and it is powerful tasty! I’m having a cup of the La Sirene blend as I type. Mmmmm…
The good news is that I get to team up again with my favorite Canadians soon after telling my favorite Colorado Fae goodbye! Heather Dale and Ben Deschamps are heading down to Gulf Wars, and we get to share shows again, this time in Nashville and in Little Rock! Check it out!

SATURDAY MARCH 8, 7PM
Sooj & Heather Live
First Unitarian Universalist Church of Nashville
1808 Woodmont Boulevard
Nashville,TN 37215
Presented by Nashville Pagan Pride Day and Sanctuary of Light!

Get tickets here for $10, $15, or $20: http://soojheathernashville.bpt.me/

IMPORTANT NEWS: Heather and Ben are currently working hard on a super sweet fundraiser for an incredible new touring show and concert DVD. They need your support and would be grateful! Check out the campaign at this link:
http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/heather-dale-s-celtic-avalon-touring-show-and-dvd

Right now they’re just shy of $15K. $40K is their goal. We can manifest this! You’ll probably hear us mention the campaign at our two shared concerts.
SATURDAY MARCH 15, 7PM:
Sooj & Heather Live
Gallery 360
900 South Rodney Parham Road
Little Rock, AR 72204

We’re so glad to be back at Gallery 360’s sweet space!
While you’re there with us, get a load of Gallery360’s current exhibit: Fascination, by artists Anna Tanner and Kelley Naylor Wise.

The gallery is at 900 South Rodney Parham Road in Little Rock, Arkansas. That’s south of the Mississippi Road / Rodney Parham / I-630 interchange, just past Kanis Park. Look for the big 360 sign and the gargoyle face on the side of the building.

Overflow parking is available down the street at Vestcom. Please bring a chair. Doors open at 6:30pm, and music starts at 7:00pm. Ages ten and up.

ONLY 40 SEATS AVAILABLE! Please purchase your tickets in advance.
Get ’em here: http://soojheathergallery360.bpt.me/
For the remainder of March, I’ll be celebrating something pretty special.

Ten years ago this spring, I released my very first album, Haphazard. I held the CD release party in Memphis at the Beethoven Club, and the place was packed. That was March 27, 2004- my mother’s birthday. Fellow performers and brothers of my heart Sede and Luke Kende performed alongside me that day. The sun was out, and the sky was blue. My life changed forever that afternoon, and I welcomed it.

So if I seem extra giddy and my grin is just a little bit wider than usual (is that even possible) when you see me at the following concerts, now you’ll know why. I can’t tell you how happy I am to be looking back at TEN YEARS of touring and performing full time, my own way. You all have yourselves to thank for that. When I say I couldn’t have done it without you, I’m dead serious.

My first trip to Cape Girardeau, Missouri is next. Looking forward to this!

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Added this to my SoundCloud today. Should have done it ages ago! Imagine Wendy sticks around in Neverland to become a pirate captain, eventually deposing Hook. Imagine she then founds a pirate school for Lost Girls and Boys. Imagine they have an alma mater, and it sounds like this. 🙂

Happy anniversary to the One Billion Rising movement! I wrote this song last year on this date, with two of my dearest sisters throwing in verses of their own, and I posted a rough recording (above) because I couldn’t wait to share it. Literally one billion+ women and those who love them danced for women’s rights and safety, all over the world (even in the People’s Republic of Congo, where I hear it’s dangerous for a woman to even be seen in the street), and we’ll do it again today. Thank you, Eve Ensler, and thank you to everyone who dances. I want to see you rise and dance!

I’m headlining and performing at Wicked Faire next week!  I’ve got concerts on Friday at 6pm and Saturday at 7pm, with a Q&A on Saturday at 10pm.  And I can’t wait.

Here’s the full schedule for those who are interested.

I’ll miss being at FaerieCon West this year, but it’s good to explore new ground.  And I’m thrilled that I’ll be sharing Wicked Faire with Ego Likeness, Frenchy & the Punk, Pandora Celtica, and tons of talented others.

Next Saturday is my birthday, too.  I love, love, LOVE playing shows on my birthday!

In 2004, my first album, Haphazard, came back from the printers on my birthday.  At that point, I booked a venue for a CD release party, gave my 2-weeks notice at my day job, and started booking more concerts.  So you could say I’ve made a point to always be up to something good on my birthday.  I hope to see many of you at Wicked Faire, and I really look forward to hearing everyone else’s concerts, too. 🙂

There’s SO MUCH MORE going on, in addition to concerts!  Just go look, it’s epic and geeky and fabulous, and I’m so grateful to Jeff Mach and all his crew for bringing me in at last.  Good things come to those who keep trying.

I’d be remiss if I did not also mention the lusciousness that’ll be happening adjacent to Wicked Faire, courtesy of the dashing Voltaire. 🙂

First, the happy thing:  I have a new interview posted online! Heather Marseillan of the Tacoma Examiner asked me a few really great questions about Wonders, and the article/interview is up now.  Read it here.  I hope you like what I had to say. 🙂

Secondly, less happily:  this is about that tar sands spill that I mentioned in yesterday’s post.  The party line is that it’s safe to live in the area less than an hour from my own home and water supply that was ruined by a tar sands spill last March.  Just try driving through the town of Mayflower and not being bowled over by the fumes.  The people who can afford to leave have done so, even though many of them would have preferred to stay.  The people who can’t?  Families and their small children with less disposable income.  And they’re all sick.  Safe to live in, my ass.  Read more.

My Arkansas is a beautiful place, and just like everywhere else on earth that’s been destroyed in one or more ways by this kind of mess, it deserves better.

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My song didn’t make the cut to the final round of the Song of Arkansas contest.  There are positive and negative aspects of that.  The only negative aspect, really, is that I’m a little sad and disappointed.  The positive aspects far outweigh my barely bruised feelings.   First of all, nobody among my followers will have to put up with me fretting and nail biting and CONSTANTLY POSTING ABOUT IT for the rest of this month. 🙂  Also, I’ve gotten a bucket load of compliments from all sorts of people, from family to strangers, about the song that I came up with, “Celebrate in Arkansas”.  Those words of praise mean more to me than any contest outcome ever could, and that’s the absolute truth. Thanks, everyone.

I pushed myself, I wrote something outside my comfort zone and outside my typical musical style (this was about as close to country & western as I could ever get, folks, despite obvious regional advantages in that direction), and I put it out there just as fast as I could.

If you want to check out the songs that did make the cut (the judges chose SEVEN instead of five!) just do a Google search for Song of Arkansas, and you should find the page easily.

I’m leaving the YouTube version of the song right where it is, and sometime soon I’ll polish the recorded version up further for release as an online single.

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I am pleased as punch to announce that I get to share the stage once again with my favorite Canadians, Heather Dale and Ben Deschamps!

We’ll be performing together in Nashville on March 8 and in Little Rock on March 15, bookending their trip down to Gulf Wars.

This is gonna be good, yall!

First, and most happily, I’m watching Betsy, Clint and Geli perform right now, thanks to the miracle of livestream!  They covered my song “Rootless” tonight, and it made my heart float.  It’s not every day you get to hear your friends nourish you with a new version of something that came out of your own soul.  I recommend it.

Next, I’ve got a WHOLE bunch more shows with active ticket sales as of today, from this month through to May 2014!  My favorite newly confirmed stop on the tour: Fertile Ground Gathering in Virginia!  Here are the rest of the currently confirmed shows coming up, in chronological order.  More will be going up soon, including Nashville and Little Rock in March, and Colorado in June.  Hope to see you at the concert closest to you. 🙂

Seattle – Women of Wisdom Conference (Feb 15)

NJ – Wicked Faire (Feb 21-23)

Memphis, TN (Feb 26)

Conway, AR (Feb 28)

Kansas City (March 1)

Chicago (March 29)

Fayetteville, AR – Amazon Music Fest (April 12 – early bird tix $40 ’til Feb 14!)

Madison, WI (April 19)

Toronto area (April 25-27)

Youngstown, OH (May 7)

Triangle, VA – Fertile Ground Gathering (May 9)

Fredericksburg, VA (May 10)

Greenbelt, MD (May 11 – no tickets for this one, just come on over.)

Hi, everybody.  Just got off the phone with Renée of Big Bad Gina, and we’ve all agreed that we should postpone our Little Rock concert scheduled for tomorrow.  Hard decision to make, but the weather is just sketchy down here, and we know we can try again another day.

Repeat: Tomorrow’s Little Rock show is postponed.

To all of you who were ready to brave the weather anyway to come and dance with us, WE LOVE YOU SOOOO MUCH!! We’ll keep this one for a later date and make sure you hear about it. Please join us for the rescheduled show if at all possible- news as it comes!