news > archive 2006
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10/20/06
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Hello again friends, the news is that "heartbeat balloon", (the new album) is available online....just go to http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/denisedill2 and you can order or download whatever you'd like. besides that, maine is unbelieveable and for those in indiana (especially, bloomington folk...don't forget about nov. 8th with pamela means and sarah grain {formerly sarah graub} at boxcar books starting at 7pm) |
10/11/06 |
"Heartbeat Balloon" is available for sale on consignment at the following record stores in Bloomington, IN and Evansville, IN: 1. Joe's Westside Records 5625 Pearl Dr # D, Evansville, IN 47712 314 South Washington, Bloomington, IN 47404 3. Boxcar Books 310A S. Washington, Bloomington, IN 47404 Remember, you can always listen to a few of the songs on myspace until they are available online! My friend Stephanie Crowe made some videos of going away / CD release party at Pennylane Coffeehouse in Evansville, IN on 10/07/06. She also put together a video of images to a song on the new CD. You can see a couple of live songs and Stephanie's video of "Full Steam" @ YOUTUBE Lyrics to the new CD are up a viewable by clicking here Thanks again to everyone who came out to the CD release show! It was the best send off I could have imagined. Actually, I didn't really imagine it. I was worried no one would come. I got a card from the Urban Sisterhood that made me cry. Heidi took the picture of that was on the front. Some old friends from high school came. My very good friend Stef Shuster drove all the way down from Bloomington. Brittney, Stephanie Crowe, Victor, Paul, Zach, Mom, Dad, Granny, Grandaddy, Regina, John & Amy & fam, Leah, John, Bob, Mary Lynn, Cris & Angie, and if i'm forgetting anyone. I'm sorry. It really was the best gift I could have gotten so thank you!!!!! Love to all. p.s. I'm in Lewiston now! I move into my new house tomorrow. |
08/28/06
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Two shows on Saturday, Sept. 2nd:
and one in Bloomington at Sweet Hickory w/ Tinyfolk, Master-Redactors, Jenny is a boy, and me. See shows page for more info |
08/24/06 |
Champaign-Urbana, IL- Aroma Cafe. Lissette, the owner, has the kindest eyes and smile and has created such a cozy place to play. We played back in the patio and there were stringed lights up the entire length of the alley. It was beautiful and there was a slight breeze. I love playing outside, it beats about any other activity anyday. I opened up for Kara Kulpa who was one the most charming performers I have seen in a while. One of those who's mouth doesn't have a filter. I wish I had that sometimes. I guess I have my moments :) Anyway, her songwriting matched up with her personality and both were attention-getting. And we couldn't have been a better match to play together. Kara Kulpa (KK) and Denise Dill (DD) or K squared and D squared. Cute right? :) A friendly lady named Laurie invited both of us to jam with her, and I hope I can find things to do until 3pm tomorrow so I can take her up on that offer. Right now I'm sitting at a diner. I love places like this especially at this time of night. I could write a novel about all the late night characters. I couldn't find a place to stay tonite (mostly cuz i was too shy to ask someone out right......i always seem to expect someone to offer...silly me) anyway, my car seems like as good a place as any to lay my head and rest. |
08/23/06
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well....i seem to have made a mix up and i missed a show. oops :( so....the cincinati show on the 29th was a lie...it was supposed to be the 22nd. not sure how that happened, but it did. also....i have a show in bloomington on sept. 2nd thanks to russ. check out the shows page for all info. i'm taking off on my tour tomorrow and i'm just gonna wander around the midwest and play mostly open mics and streets. we'll see what happens :) oh...and the album is done. i finished on tuesday (when i was supposed to be playing show :) |
08/13/06
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Played Camp Trans on Thursday!!. The trip up was a caravan of sorts. My friends Stef and Raina made the drive too. We set up camp in the beautiful Michigan woods with no humidity. The forest floor was covered with ferns and soft pine needles. Stef called it a baby forest. I liked that. I walked around barefoot. Raina and Stef taught me you can eat well while camping :) and i was lucky that Raina brought her camping stove. She made us chilly on the last night we were there. The night of the performance storms were threatening and it was exciting to feel that charge in the air. There was some hesitation and flipping of coins and sitting by the fire, but finally it began. Steph Taylor, a fellow Berklee alumni went on first. She was one of people who greeted us at the welcome tent and I was grateful to be playing a show with her. Vanessa Marie Sptizer went next to give us some Trans anthems and Katz from Athens Boys Choir went after that. Katz was awesome by the way. The storm threats never stopped, but never really started and on my turn it was lovely to accompanied by the sound of the wind. After i performed i found out that all the shows were being recorded and put on a compilation CD for camp trans as a fundraiser. They were also including interview and such so we got asked some questions after the show was over. The rest of trip consisted of swimming in a dirty creek that was ice cold. Raina and I thought it was refreshing and she was braver than i was and jumped all the way in first:) Stef was the smart one and stayed clothed and warm on the banks of the creek taking pictures. Stef had to leave on Friday so we sent her off and were sad to see her go....then I went swimming in lake sunrise with some camp trans folks w hile Raina took a nap and helped someone conceal the presents they were gathering for a secret crush. She told me she heard post-apocalyptic imagery in my songs. I was taken aback by such a specific observation. That night Amy Mattison, another spoken word artist performed and she was fucking awesome. The Shondes rocked out then Raina and i skipped the dance party cuz we were feeling anti-social and sang old songs like Lisa Loeb's Stay and Better than Ezra's Good and found shapes in the wrinkles of the tent top and talked of marching band and choir. The next morning we got up slowly. I got up slower :) and packed up to head off. We got offered oatmeal, granola by camp columbus and a house show in madison, WI from angel.....all on the way out. I can't wait to go back again for a longer stay. Its really something to be in a place where the spectrum of people are so colorful and varied and unassumed. Stef and i both agreed that we feel more confident since we left. I am just so grateful that there is a space where gender is not binary by default. oh.....and did i mention....they let some trans-women into the michigan womyn's music festival!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (which for those of you who don't know has been a prohibited policy and is why camp trans exists...as a protest to that policy) |
07/30/06
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07/18/06 |
Jeff Grey, I'll miss playing shows with you. I hung out with all your friends this weekend at your funeral. You brought so many people together. They love you so. We watched a video of one of our shows when you all came down to Bloomington. The last time I watched that you were really there. I only knew a piece of your life but I am so grateful for that. I learned so much about you this weekend from your amazing friends. You are sorely missed. |
07/15/06
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Last night in Newburgh, IN I played a cozy little house show with TinyFolk and Jenny is a boy in the basement of Russ's parents house. I almost forgot I was there to play after listening to the two of them. I absolutely loved it! Russ played ukes, concertina, and bass. Adam played guitar and uke. I broke out the banjo to add to the diversity of instruments for the night and I think, though my energy was dwindling from having been up since 4am and working on the farm, that this was a special little show. I hope I conveyed that to them in my dreariness :) Too bad more people didn't make it out, but hopefully they will play with me again at a more public location so that others can witness why I so loved their music. Now, its off to Bloomington for some of my favorite friend's going away party :( |
07/10/06
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Well, that lovely picture to your left is my first jar of pickles. DILL PICKLES. Straight from my garden. I will keep you updated on how they turn out when its time to open them in August!!!! Anyway, there is a new sweet show this Friday July 14th in Evansville. A house concert at my friend Russ Wood's house. It'll be with Tinyfolk and Jenny and you should come if you live near by. AND NOW...... for the most exciting news of the week......I GET TO PLAY AT CAMP TRANS :)!!!! August 10 in Hart, MI and I get to play with Athen's Boys Choir and Vanessa Marie Spitzer. Life is goooooood. |
07/03/06
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I recorded more this weekend in Indy and all the songs are finally laid down. Now the nitpicking stuff is left. Looks like I will have a lucky number 18 songs again. Just like i did for my last album. I 'd have more but my writing is out of control so I'll have to save some for the next one. New show added for August 25th in Evanston, IL. Check out the shows page |
06/27/06
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Still dilegently working on my album and it keeps working on me. I have about 18 songs ready to record and have decided mid-way through that process to mix things up and record with Eric from Namaste, right here in Evansville and with Jason in Indianapolis. Hopefully, that will mean i will get done twice as fast. In the meantime, there are several new dates up on the shows page in Evansville, IN; Champaigne, IL; and Cincinnati, OH. More dates to come. Check it out! I'll have more news songs, new patches (that i made myself), and a split tape for sale that I did with Master Redactors of Bloomington. Also, there are new links up on the links page that warrant a good looking at :) |
06/02/06
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New pictures from the tour are up on the photos page Click here to go directly to that page. Be patient while I work on making it easier to view :) New links added, click here . Evansville is doing some very cool things thanks to the urban sisterhood and Seton Harvest Farm |
05/29/06
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Quick catch up: Montpelier, VT- The show had a meager attendence and I was all alone setting up, but getting to play at an all worker run cafe was enough reward to keep me from being disappointed. The thing I loved most about Vermont (besides my seedy motel room) was the fact that there are no billboards. They are illegal! Providence, RI- This show was absolutely one of the best. It helped that it was sort of a reunion with friends and the arrival of my girlfriend (who took a 24 hour bus to get there). I played at Brooklyn Coffee and Tea House. Frank, the host, and Tony, the owner were some of the warmest strangers I have encountered on this tour. They were full of hugs and thank you's. I played with Ian Fitzgerald who was amazing and eerily sounded like Bob Dylan. Jacquie Bartlett was the closer and graced us with a Kristen Hersch sounding voice. I loved this show. It was very close to my heart. The rest of the weekend consisted of a lesbian bar, a trip to Boston, good dinner, and finally a departure for a 3 day road trip to chicago. The road trip- So many seedy motels on this journey. One was entitled the Rainbow Motel (yes, we chose it for the name). Seneca Falls was an education. The place of the first women's rights convention and the first proposal for the ERA. I assumed the town was liberal, but according to Henry (the organizer of a Leprosy foundation), most of the town doesn't go near the history. We found an All Woman Made Products store though and Colleen, the owner, bought one of my cd's to play in the store. Kat found an antique store where she found an old Grimms Fairy Tale book for $3! It was illustrated :) We ran into a little trouble on the road from a cop who decided to harrass us because of my cracked side mirror. Asshole. Chicago, IL- the aquarium was awesome. I never knew fish could be so sexy ;). The last show of the tour at Homolatte was the best one yet. So many people who i had never seen were there and listening, attentively. Friends and fellow musicians Andrea Bunch and Aerin Tedesco came out to the show and I opened for Kevin Newhall who gave us a broadway-piano bar-styled performance and kept us laughing the whole way through. I really feel like I broke into Chicago with this show. We left immediately after the show to be stopped by the rain to stay in the Dollar Inn where we had to avoid the drunk people at the end of the hall. The morning was full of coffee and a stop at a Dairy Farm. We made it just in time to my cousins graduation in Cincinnati. I have the most wonderful cousin in the world. He does poi and is cooler than i will ever be. I love him so much. The tour is over. I'm in transition and though i've been itching for a sedentary life, I am having trouble stopping moving. I suppose I'm not a light switch so I guess that makes sense. Today I built a garden. I'm sunburned and dirty. I like it so i think i'll stay this way. |
05/16/06
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New pictures from my going away party are up on the photos page because I think they are entertaining and I like to showoff my friends because I love them and miss them like crazy. Click here to go directly to that page |
05/14/06
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Portland, Maine- Meet my friend Steve. He is opening up an art gallery/retreat/space in Bridgeton, ME and came out to see the show on Friday. Speaking of the show, it was fabulous. Quite a few people came out to s$3ee Edie and showed up early enough to see Lauyrn and I. Steve was one of the people that stayed listening to my set. I suppose this is a thank you :) So.....I got to play piano on this occassion because Steve from Acoustic Coffee and Cat and Mouse records has a kick-ass set up and they already had a piano there. I think I may be improving at my audience banter too. This show was reaffirming in many ways, but it definitely reminded me why I love to play. Just one show like that can keep me going for a long time. Since then, I was resuced by Cat and Mouse Steve with a place to stay and after a good nights rest on a comfy green couch I headed away from the rain and took Route 1 North along the coast. I'm getting pretty good at wandering and I ended up finding a campsite in Boothbay Harbor. My view was as astounding as it was cold. Now I'm back in Portland where I took the ferry out to Peaks Island and am now patiently doing my laundry while thinking of all the really domestic things I am craving to do......like......cooking for friends, knitting and sewing, walking my dog and kissing his sweet face, and spending time with my girlfriend, friends, and family. Yet, traveling is so much fun that I don't want it to be over at the same time. |
05/11/06
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Ithaca, NY- I got a little detoured and lost, but luckily with the help of a friendly Waterloo, NY gas station employee I was directed to the scenic route to Ithaca, NY. The drive was incredible. I drove along one of the finger lakes and ran into a sign about a falls overlook. My curiosity told me to follow and I stumbled upon the most beautiful waterfall called Taughannock falls. After hiking the Gorge trail barefoot and feeling the water spray on my face from the falls I continued down the road to find more beautiful stops until I finally made it all the way to Ithaca. The town is so hidden and quaint. I decided to get a hotel room, part of me regrets that because there were so many great places to camp, but i wanted to be close to the city since I was there a day early. I wandered the Commons and found a Co-op where I got a yummy Seiten sandwich and found a Hemp store. It was a lovely day. The next day was even better. More wandering that lead me to run into some travelers. Bumblebee, Matise, Teagan, and eventually Bryan. As I was walking to Juna's to play they asked me to play for them. I played and invited them to the show. Turns out there was an outdoor "Stomp" performance going on right outside the cafe so the attendence of the show was likely to be small, but I kept my hopes high. I met Kathleen, the owner, who was so kind about getting me fed and what not. Then Dre helped set up and Bob finished the job. Bob also recorded the show. So.....the travelers I met ended up coming to the show and staying for the whole thing. Along with another man who was not associated with them. As I finished Matise and I traded art and I ended up giving a lot of CD's away to the travelers. Bryan helped me carry stuff to my car and told me about his travels to Hawaii and San Fransisco working on farms. We talked about WOOFING and Rainbow gatherings. He had a sweet smile and gave me a big hug as I packed up to head to Maine. I hope to see them out there. Now I'm in Maine. It is pouring and has been for the past three days. I walked into to the cafe I'm playing at and find out that I'm playing with Edie Carey (which is very exciting)! as well as Lauryn Hollinger (who i have never met). I have several days off after this to explore Maine and all the people I've met can't stop telling me places to visit that are beautiful. (Kevin, the picture is for you :) |
05/07/06
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Lansing, MI- Cafe Gone Wired was an empty show and so i played my heart like no one was watching. Turns out some were. I guess that proves the point that more people are always listening than you think. It always seems to work out that way. A friend of a friend offered me a comfy couch and i woke up to an amazing morning with Tom and Maggie. i went to visit an organic farm with them. they were strangers, but didn't feel like it. i ate yummy greens from the greenhouses and said hello to the chickens. I also saw what a passionflower looks like. I think i stopped breathing when i saw it and felt a butterfly feeling in my stomach. I think i fell in love with the beauty and smell of that flower. Lansing, MI is quite an intriguing place or maybe its just the people that live in it. Either way, i'm keeping that city on my list. Ok, time to leave the U.S.
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05/06/06 |
Ferndale, MI- Last night was the first show of the tour and luckily I got to spend it with friends. I'd say it was a strong start. The trip to Ferndale was also my departure from Bloomington. My house is empty and no longer mine. My car is my home right now, but I'd like to think that anywhere I am is home. I'm trying that philosophy on for size. The road trip was filled with music by my friends and loved ones that helped me ease my way out of bloomington. I stopped at a couple hotels to get pirated coffee and saw the tiniest woman holding the most enormous jug filled with diet coke. I thought it was a profound image. I should have taken a picture damnit. Anyhoo, the show was warm and peaceful. The crowd stayed a bit far away, but stuck around for the entire show. Jeff and Ryan did there duo thing first which was awesome and you will soon be able to hear it on CD because Jeff recorded it because he is cool like that. The shark went next playing that haunting corpse song that always gives me chills. Jeff went next and my foot was constantly tapping along with the rhythm. I always have such a hard time during there sets because i want to sing along. Jason was in the back taking peoples money and being the man behind the curtain. My set went well. I kept it simple. Just me and my guitar. Afterwards, these two women who were told to come by a guy Dave I worked with in Bloomington, came up to me. It was so exciting to know that they just came out to see a stranger. I talked it up with a pirate king who writes really incredible prose and poetry. A group of us went to Jeff's house to see there new short film that they are submitting to a film festival soon called love, 9pm. I was impressed to say the least and I met Matt who does electronica music and was enthralled by his new analog synth contraption. It was like a switch board. I was mesmorized. Next, we went to a Cinco de Mustache party where we stood in a dark corner and talked to each other because everyone was drunker than we were and hung out in a room with nothing in it (according to a drunk lady in a sombraro) but really the room had a foozball table, a guitar, a fireplace, and violent heart paintings. This mornign we went to breakfast at the Berkley Breakfast Company and had the most amazing scramble with asparagus and fresh basil. Then watched a video of all the guys and girl i was hanging with. They were very drunk and inappropriate which is the best kind of video to watch. Debotchory is so much fun to observe. Now i'm in lansing where i know no one and am enjoying this anonymous feeling. |
04/19/06 |
Let's play catch up a little. On April 9th I had a show in Indy. The time leading up to it was a beautiful pre-show ritual. Ok so it was a first date :) I can't remember a better pre-show at the moment. It involved a hike, a picnic, and good company. The day couldn't have been more beautiful. Loosing track of time, I dreadfully asked, something I hate to do. We looked out over the bluffs and yelled at the top of our lungs. Maybe i was a little timid :) We had just enough time to hike back and head on our way. The show was at Indy Hostel hosted by Robin Coleman. When we arrived, after a bit of bad navigating, a friend was already there waiting. She had convinced another friend of hers to come. Depending on how you look at things (glass half full or half empty), that was all there was to the crowd. I got to play for 4 friends (who were smiling), Robin, the hostel owner, Jamie Anderson (the headliner) and her partner. Jamie decided not to play since there weren't that many people there. Oh well. The sun was still out, we went to the grocery, and made potoates and kale with tofu and mushrooms. Not to mention strawberries. I missed my friend and made a new one. It was a bit of a marathon and worth every mile. So I am leaving on my tour soon. I'll be gone until May 25th and after that I'll be hanging out in Evansville, working for my parents recycling company, and on an organic farm, taking many trips to Bloomington for camping and swimming and loving until I figure out my next tour and my next move. The hopes are to tour the West in September and find a farm to intern on... hopefully in Missoula, MT. the unknown makes me live in the moment. |
04/03/06 |
The "night of musical mischief and tom foolery" as I coined it featured Jeff Grey, Sentimental Shark, and Master Redactors. Jeff, Jason, Ryan (the shark), and I have been exchanging shows for several months. It all started in December when Ryan hosted a house show for us in his home. The exchange will continue when I go back up for a third time in May! Master Redactors is made up of Ben and Kevin. Kevin and I work together. So...leading up to the show: I was slow getting out of bed, my body tired from all the work Kevin and I put in at the Bakehouse. I woke up with no appetite (as usual) and drank some coffee and decided at the last minute (about 3 hours prior to the show) to record a couple more songs on my new 4-track and spontaneously compile them on a tape. I finished mixing, dubbing, and labeling 5 minutes before I had to be at Boxcar. We all seemed to show up about the same time and discussed the order. It came together naturally and people started rolling in a little after 7pm. The place filled up and spilled over. I started the show with 4 new songs (except Topography, a request by Jen Gross). My energy was scattered (from the coffee) but full force. There were so many foriegn and new faces that I was lucky enough to get to play too. I felt hyper-alive by the time i was finished. Master Redactors were up next and performed there brand new CD called "Renaissance Bitch-slap". I have a special affinity to these tunes with there clever, sarcastic, exuberant, and goofy lyrics. They were such a good addition to the show. Jeff Grey and Ryan were 80's business casual:) They are both incredible songwriters and their performances together were lovely to listen to. I think the combination of all the artists couldn't have fit together or come off better. I am really proud of this show. I ended the night with good company....carrying the music from the show in my head. Its like I created my own personal soundtrack. |
03/06/06 |
I shared two shows with Joni Laurence this weekend. I brought her back to Bloomington to try and give her a better experience than she had the last time she was here. We played at Willy Jo's and the place was packed. In fact, I've never seen it so busy, but I don't go there often. It was a struggle to really listen to Joni's set and I'm sure she struggled to hear mine, but despite the loud volume of the bar there are always more people listening than you think. I had such a great time seeing all the queers come out of there hiding places. I felt like I was a part of a community. We didn't stick aroud too after our sets because Karaoke was about to begin and ti was just getting rowdier. Some friends, joni, and I went back to my place and had a relaxed evening. Ordered some pizza, talked about future plans, drank wine, was visited by a viking late in the evening and talked about the raquetting of standardized tests. Saturday morning Joni got us coffee I made some lunch and we were off to Mishawaka. On the drive there, like all the times I've driven there, I saw so many hawks. They were on fence posts, in between the median, circling above. I remember the last time I was there I noticed the abundance of hawks and it solidified a tattoo that I ended up getting. Yes, it is a hawk. Anyway, we arrived with plenty of time and I opened the door to Another Bookstore to see Robin with a big smile and a big hug. We said our hellos. She talked about how they are waiting to hear about their non-profit status which is so exciting to hear. They have such a great space and are amazing people to boot. Plus they treat you so well. Robin is a musician herself to I think that dictates a lot of her policies with musicians she books. The show went on. Joni was great and sand a lot of songs I could relate. She talked about growing up in a trailer....about life feeling like a movie....a song about her grandma. All these things are in songs of mine and are important to me. It dictated what songs I played after her set was over. The show was a complete opposite to the night before and I think it kind of threw me off guard to see all these people really listening. I felt a little exposed. My voice was worn out from the night before and I was feeling a little "rowdier" than the crowd I think :) I notice a woman in the front who started crying. I wasn't sure how to react. I just kept making eye-contact and tried to stay present. After the show, we did our ritural of signing posters and I played with Kaelin, Robin's daughter. I could have hung out with her all night. She's the cutest. She helped me take stuff out to my car and taught me how to avoid the drunk people outside. Finally I said my goodbyes to Another Bookstore because I was staying with someone else this time (though i love staying at there place...they have a zoo of sorts!). My friend and I went to see TransAmerica and on the way noticed a dozen roses thrown away in a gas station and wondered what the story was. Being inside the theater made me loose site of where I was. All those big theaters look the same. Its so weird and plays tricks on the mind. The movie was nothing like I thought it would be, but in a good away. I definitely recommend it. When it ended we went back to her house and she let me watch some L-word which I hadn't seen. I was very disappointed. I don't recommend that That next morning I was taken to my friends girlfirends house. She has 4 kids who apparently were alerted that I was a singer and were auditioning in a way.. They kept asking me if I knew Puff Daddy and if i had been on MTV or on TV. One of them wanted to be a singer and she let me listen to the singer she most wanted to be like. The little boy wanted to be a builder and they all wanted me to autograph their bedtime books :). I gave them a cd as their mother fixed us all eggs and pancakes and coffee. They played my CD while I was there and I blushed. The little boy said "that's good music". Then he measured my arm. It was the highlight to the trip. The drive home got me to Bloomington with about 40 minutes to spare before it was off to work. Again, I'm exhausted and full. |
01/29/06 |
Download WFHB's January 26th BloomingOUT show here. Two shows added on Feb. 7th and 14th (valentines day). There is a new website in the works, the new album is about finished, and look for new homemade patches and t-shirts very soon. |
