I snapped this picture to commemorate setting up the merchandise for the very last time on the road. We most definitely have all this stuff still available, this was just the last time setting it all up on the road. 14 Tupperware totes, 3 stacked rolling containers, 2 floating boxes, 2 tables, 1 banner and a heap ton of creativity. Trying to figure out at every show how to hang, display, store, set up, and graciously sell all this merchandise was a big challenge. Many bars just kind of rolled their eyes as we walked in with three full carts of gear and merchandise. But once it was all set up, it typically brought in a lot of good attention. Our merch game is strong. It has to be. The total of our income GREATLY depends on it. Is it fun to haul all of this all over the country, watching the boxes literally melt in the heat, crack in the snow, have everything blow all over the place in the winds, take up excess room in whatever spaces we’re given to perform in??? No. But it’s all part of the job.
Before we ever play a single note, people know we mean business. Because this IS a business. Any musician who says differently is a hobbyist (and that’s okay, too). Every aspect of what we do is a job. From the booking, graphic work, keeping records and books for taxes and LLC purposes, choice of merchandise to sell, outfits we wear, ebb and flow of our set lists, networking, set up and tear down, running our own sound, to the actual writing, arranging and rehearsing of the songs, keeping audiences entertained and engaged… not to mention the countless hours spent honing our craft over the past, oh 35+ years. Is it fun? YES! Is it rewarding? YES! Is it worth it? YES! But it IS WORK. And that is why it is so hard to take anyone seriously who tries to undermine that with a low pay offer, or a “We can feed you and give you beer” offer, or the WORST, a “You will get great exposure!” offer. I tell you what. IF, and only IF, we are playing at the Grammy’s, THEN, we will except the “It’ll be great exposure” as an adequate form of payment. That being said, we really didn’t face TOO much of this on tour. A couple of spots were tough, but I mention all of it merely to remind readers of what professional, WORKING artists do before they ever set foot on a stage to actually get to do the thing they love doing. And this was the last time on tour we got to set up all the beautiful merchandise.
This last gig was a really special one. It was a celebration of a 35-year Anniversary for the jewelry store (Lutzenhiser Jewelry), which was a really big accomplishment, both in the business world, and personally for the owner, Kate. Kate had lost her husband, Robert, a few years ago, and it was a huge devastation to both her and the community, as he was the primary jewelry maker and beloved by everyone. Kate watched him from the sidelines for many years, working on pieces for trade shows and his gallery, but she never really made or designed any jewelry herself. After Robert passed, she felt lost and didn’t know if the shop would survive. She kept his remaining pieces of jewelry to sell, but knew that wouldn’t be enough to sustain her and keep the shop going. So, amidst grieving and healing, Kate began rewiring her mind to see her future with herself at the helm. She had a full workshop and materials at her disposal, along with years of observation and apprenticeship. So she decided to learn more and started to create. She took to nature for inspiration. The pictures she took on her hikes became the backdrops for necklaces and earrings and delicate displays of colors, patterns, and movement found in the trees and on the trails. The anniversary was a true celebration of longevity, but also of a rebirth. Kate, it was an honor to usher in your era, and we can’t wait to see what you do next! We truly CELEBRATE you!!!
The other half of the celebration was our dear friend, GRETCHEN’s, birthday!! Without Gretchen, we wouldn’t have met Kate in the first place, but we also wouldn’t have had as many wonderful times in Montana. We have posted about Gretchen in several blogs, but I can’t seem to have enough great things to say about her, so I’ll keep trying!! Gretchen’s reach in the community is vast, even on a surface level. Because she is involved in the Grange and booking bands, organizing the fundraisers and potlucks, she has to work with and talk to so many people, all different and all going separate directions, and align them all into a single purpose. That is just an event situation. Then, she teaches yoga in the mornings, AFTER she’s already been awake for hours, tending to hundreds of chickens, herds of goats, horses, baling hay, doing food prep for the week, etc. THEN, she stacks her day with massage clients, in between trips to her parents’ house to aid her father with her ailing mother, help her uncle with his house, driving forty minutes into the city of Missoula to visit or help her daughter who is in college there, and also leading a river clean up project where she feeds anyone who volunteers their time. Are you as exhausted reading this as I am actually witnessing her DOING all of it? THEN… this super human will find time to make us breakfast, sit and listen to our tales from the road, share cocktails with us, give us free massages, and come to shows anytime we’re in town, make us to-go coffees (and smoothies for rudy), and dinner for our return. Somehow all of this without ever displaying a sense of chaos or rushed energy. You are never made to feel like a burden or an inconvenience to Gretchen, and I think that is one of her most beautiful gifts. There are plenty of people who do a lot. But Gretchen is a woman rooted in a solid sense of self, purpose, servitude, and joy. She is peaceful and at ease, and I have never heard her whine about any of the aforementioned things. It all comes as natural as the growth of hair, the fall of rain, the flight of birds. We are all fortunate to know her and even more so if she calls us “friends”. Gretchen, it was an honor to play for your special day. We truly CELEBRATE you!!!
A giant party for two great women! What a way to go out.
Look at this little flock of peacocks!! This beautiful, young generation of “That Girls” sang back up for me as we danced our way through “Minnie The Moocher” for the encore tune. The little girl (Rusty, from a previous blog) with the black polkadot skirt also requested that I sing along with her “Twinkle Little Star” piano piece that she had diligently been working on. We were a smashing success!
So many emotions as the night wound to a close. It was nearly impossible to process them all, and I still think we’ve yet to. Jared and Rudy held down the entire tear down, aside from the merchandise (as I am the only one who knows how it all goes), because I was slowly growing out of service. I had held on as long as possible, but Rudy’s camp cold finally got the better of me. I had performed under a blanket of fever and body aches, sucking down cough drops and water between almost every song. My voice was stronger than ever, but my body was absolutely wracked with chills. My glands were swollen and I felt dizzy. The minute I could pull away, I got in the back of the truck and didn’t move for 20 hours. I essentially woke up in our driveway at home, in a pool of sweat, wanting to die. Although grateful for the efforts of my sweet son and husband to get us home safely, and the puppy kisses I received upon walking in the front door, and the bed I promptly fell on top of, I was sad to not get to experience the homecoming I’d dreamt of for the past two months.
I will take some time to put my final thoughts and summary in order in the next couple days. But for now, we rest and remember who we are at home and in quiet.
Thank you all for riding along with us on our journey. All of your comments, words of encouragement, GIF’s, jokes, Venmo gifts, and phone calls really helped us get through this one. It was truly one for the books and put us to the test in ways we never could have imagined. We really did have to “lose ourselves to find our way” a few times. We lost old friends, but gained new ones. We discovered places we’ll definitely visit again, and swore off places we thought we’d always return to. We wrote some new songs that we can’t wait to rehearse and share. We played old music for new fans, and brought new material to life-long supporters. It was a journey full of twists and turns, ups and downs, highs and lows… It’s all in the Balance. We love you all.
