Those of you who follow us on Facebook have probably seen the pictures. Here’s one I haven’t shared yet…it’s an overhead shot because some of the libraries are so small the kids are right under our feet and I can’t back up to take a photo!

The group shot was taken in Innis, LA in the municipal room of their brand new, BIG library. Besides being a social hub and important resource for these small communities, the library also serves as a storm shelter. The old buildings are SO small that a larger building is just more practical and I’m so happy for them and their beautiful new facility!

A big THANK YOU goes out to Young Audiences of Louisiana for keeping us working with the kids. I should also mention that the Point Coupee Library really hooked us up with some pretty stellar digs in New Roads, LA this time around. If you ever need a place to stay while in the area, I highly recommend the LeJeune Guest House. It’s a cute little two bedroom bungalow with nice, upgraded amenities and screened in porches. We wanted to move right in!

I’m feeling a little wiped out, but I still have a couple of important things to tell y’all. First of all, our KICKSTARTER CAMPAIGN has finally been submitted to the website for approval! If all goes correctly, you should be able to view it next week. We’ve been writing more songs and I’m very, very excited to get something new out to you all!

Secondly, we have some shows that I need to tell you about!…

This weekend, we’re playing two places in New Orleans that we have never played before. Friday June 14, we hit Mid-City stompin’ at the Bayou Beer Garden for a show out on the deck. I can’t wait! (Obviously, this show has already happened and it was AMAZING…we’ll definitely be back at the Bayou Beer Garden!) And then Saturday June 15 we’re doing a special night at the Howlin’ Wolf: Den, a small-ish listening room adjunct to the larger venue. It’s a pretty cool, intimate spot. Dave James, one of our favorite people in the world, will be joining us on guitar. You never can tell what shenanigans shall ensue with that guy in the mix.

And then of course, Sunday is Father’s Day! We’ll be out at Audubon Zoo for the Southern Fried Swamp Fest. Dads get in for free that day so bring the kids for some great food and family friendly fun!

Alright, I’m starting to see double! Time to call it a night. Yaaaaawwwwwnnnnn……

Today we have a big rehearsal for our JazzFest sets out at the fairgrounds and we’re getting so excited! We’re out there on Friday morning, but if you’re festing this year you already know that. AND we’re opening the stage for Willie Nelson, whose birthday happens to be today. Yes, one day from mine. Tau-rus!!!

But I jump ahead…

There are some great things happening on St. Claude Avenue this week. If you don’t feel like fighting the crowds on Frenchmen there are some awesome alternatives, which I will tell of here. Firstly, Gal Holiday band will be playing Wednesday 5/1 (tomorrow) at Siberia with Gregory Good opening the show with an acoustic set. Although the venue is outwardly punk rock, I like to refer to them as the Mimi’s adjunct where all music and all people are welcome. Plus they have really fantastic Eastern European and Russian food…pierogi, cabbage rolls and blini, OH MY!

There are a couple of other events that I’d like to let y’all know about, other than our shows. Both tonight and tomorrow (Tues 4/30 and Wed 5/1) there is a country fest going on at Allways Lounge, across the street from Siberia and connected with the All-Star Covered Dish Country Jamboree that happens there on Tuesdays. The Wasted Lives, who host the night are keeping country music alive and thriving here in New Orleans! They have a stellar line-up planned for both nights, including one of my all time favorite New Orleans’ bands, By & By String Band who will make a rare appearance tonight. Also Wednesday is ChazFest, the 9th Ward Music Festival hosted by the man with the washboard, Mr. Chaz Leary. It’s an all day and evening thing so swing by there early and then come see us at Siberia!

In my last email I told y’all that our Thursday night show at Mimi’s was cancelled due to a court ordered injunction against the neighborhood bar. We’re so sad for the loss of a favorite music venue and hope that they can return soon. The venue is still open so stop for some fabulous food and support them! Also, we decided not to do a house party that night in lieu of promoting the heck out of our Siberia show on Wednesday. We did get an offer though, so thanks for that!

Friday 5/3 we’re out at the Fest opening up the Gentilly Stage for Willie as well as closing out the Kids’ Tent with a raucous set. And picked up a show this Saturday 5/4 at The Prytania Bar on Prytania Street for their Homegrown JazzFest. They’re a new-ish music venue uptown and we’re always glad to have more of those! We hope some of you will venture out to see us and openers Something Burning, a local band who are riding the cello’s wave of popularity in modern music.

I think that’s all I need to tell you this week in this quick email. I’m glad I found a minute to sit down and write to you amidst all the craziness! (I did think of one more thing that’s happening tonight. The New Orleans Nightingales will descend on the tiny Three Muses to sit in, one at a time with the band. I’ll be there for a short time, but if you happen to be on Frenchmen Street, pop your head in for a drink!)

Once again, be safe, be smart and look out for and love each other. Until we meet again…

Your gal pal,

Wednesday 5/1 @ Siberia w/ opener Gregory Good 2227 St. Claude Ave. (NOLA); Gregory Good opens solo acoustic @ 9pm; Gal Holiday 10pm-1am
Friday 5/3 @ New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival: Gentilly Stage (NOLA); 11:10am-11:55am
Friday 5/3 @ New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival: Kids’ Tent (NOLA); 5:15pm-6pm
Saturday 5/4 @ The Prytania Bar w/ opener Something Burning 3445 Prytania Street (NOLA); Something Burning @ 10pm; Gal Holiday 11:30pm-1am
Thursday 5/9 Innocence Project Gala @ Generations Hall 310 Andrew Higgins Drive (NOLA); 6:30pm-11pm
Saturday 5/11 Crawfish Mambo @ UNO (NOLA); Gal Holiday 12:15pm-1:15pm
Saturday 5/11 @ Mojitos 437 Esplanade Avenue (NOLA); 7:30pm-10:30pm
Sunday 5/12 @ Warehouse Grille 569 Magazine Street (NOLA; 4pm-7pm
Thursday 5/16 @ Chickie Wah Wah w/ Washboard Rodeo 2828 Canal Street (NOLA); 8pm-11pm
Friday 5/17 Friday Night Music Camp @ Big Top 3 Ring Circus 1638 Clio Street (NOLA); 5pm-7pm
Saturday 5/18 @ The BMC 1331 Decatur Street (NOLA); 9pm-12am

On a more positive note, this year’s 30th Annual French Quarter Fest weekend was spectacular as usual and we were honored to be included for the sixth year in a row. Y’all came out in force for our show on the river and from all over the world, too. Hey, St. Louis! Hey, Colorado! And hello, San Francisco! Still though, we have yet to see one single picture from our performance, if you can believe it. (Post facto note: there are actually two cell phone photos up on my personal page…thanks Roblynn and Ron!) Please share the love by posting any photos on our Facebook page. If you’re not on social media you can email photos to the band by simply replying to this email. We’d really appreciate it!

I wanted to send a HUGE “Thank You!” to everyone who expressed your support both in person and financially to the family of Allison Pitcher, our friend and long time fan who passed suddenly a few weeks ago. The turnout at the benefit was awesome! You can still make a donation to the family online by clicking here to go to the website.

Tonight brings the Big Easy Entertainment Awards at Harrah’s Casino, and while Gal Holiday was not nominated, I was asked to be a presenter again this year. I’ll be wearing another beautiful dress from Trashy Diva, the fabulous New Orleans dress shop who sponsored the New Orleans Nightingales this year for French Quarter Fest. (Did you see the picture of the ‘Gales FQF performance yet? Now THERE’S an eyeful….) Trashy Diva has graciously sponsored me for both the awards show tonight AND our JazzFest performances. Too bad the guys in Gal Holiday don’t wear dresses. Great…now I’m picturing them all in frocks and it’s a little frightening!

Photo courtesy: Eliot Kamenitz

Photo courtesy: Babs Evangelista

Fais Do Do @ The Maison – Photo courtesy: Vanessa Murphree

And that of course brings us to the upcoming New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival and all the build up prior. We’ve got some great shows lined up this season! Unfortunately we had one cancellation due to ongoing noise ordinance issues in the city. Mimi’s in the Marigny has been served with a court injunction to cease and desist from all music. As far as I know that includes all Deejays, too.

This issue is a many sided one and you can find tons of extra reading on the subject by doing an online search. Being a musician and having lived in the boisterous French Quarter, I certainly have my opinions, of course. My feeling is that if you need peace and quiet you shouldn’t be living in this city. That said, there ARE quiet neighborhoods here. Shocking, I know. I do however, agree that too much noise can be downright annoying and that there should be rules and regulations. (All of which Mimi’s have complied with, FYI.)

Anyway, we’re trying to find a replacement show for the cancelled one next Thursday 5/2. Does anyone feel like hosting a house party? If you’re curious how that would work, please contact me. Also, keep an eye on our online schedule. Stuff pops up last minute all the time!

This week we’ll do a pre-Fest show at Rock ‘n’ Bowl for Swing Night on Wednesday 4/24. If you still haven’t been to this local insitution I will not chastise but simply encourage you to check it out! Friday 4/26 you can find us in the CBD at The Rusty Nail, which is the old Mermaid Lounge for those of you who go back that far. The fellas who own the bar have done a really beautiful renovation and it just keeps improving over the years.

On Saturday night 4/27, the ever tiny and super stellar Three Muses is the destination with our four piece band. Get there early and don’t be scared to squish…the food is superb and the service is, too. Then we have a few days off to fest with the rest and for me at least, celebrate a birthday! I feel like such a lucky gal to have my birthday during JazzFest each year. All the bulls in the house say, “Oh yea-yer!”

I’ll try to get another email out before the second weekend and our performance out at the fairgrounds on the second Friday. “Try” being the operative word. Once we get started we might just roll straight on through. We’re VERY excited about our slot this year, opening the Gentilly Stage for the great Willie Nelson! So please make sure to check our website, like us on Facebook and even follow me on Twitter. Plus, all the dates through both JazzFest weekends are below so keep scrolling.

Be safe, be smart and look out for and love each other. Until we meet again…

Your gal pal,
Vanessa

“Without the courage to fail there is no progress.”

Wednesday 4/24 @ Rock ‘n’ Bowl 3000 S. Carrollton Ave. (NOLA); 8:30pm-11:30pm
Friday 4/26 @ The Rusty Nail 1100 Constance St. (NOLA); 10pm-1am
Saturday 4/11 @ Three Muses 536 Frenchmen St. (NOLA); 9pm-12am
Wednesday 5/1 @ Siberia w/ opener Gregory Good 2227 St. Claude Ave. (NOLA); Gregory Good opens solo acoustic @ 9pm; Gal Holiday 10pm-1am
Thursday 5/2 @ TBA
Friday 5/3 @ New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival: Gentilly Stage (NOLA); 11:10am-11:55am
Friday 5/3 @ New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival: Kids’ Tent (NOLA); 5:15pm-6pm
Saturday 5/4 @ TBA

There were already plans being made to hold a benefit to help cover aftercare expenses and now sadly, the benefit will cover funeral costs. Many of the bands that Allison supported will be playing and we hope to reach beyond our goal and donate to her daughter’s college fund as well. I’ll have more details soon but the tentative date is Thursday April 11 and we hope you’ll mark your calendars if you plan on being in New Orleans during French Quarter Fest this year.

Our weekend schedule is three shows long with a variety of venues for you to choose from. Thursday night we’ll be at Siberia with the always fabulous Lynn Drury who starts out the night at 10pm. Friday we head across the river to Old Point Bar from 10pm-1am and on Sunday you can find us again on St. Claude Avenue at Kajun’s Pub for an Easter Sunday soiree from 5pm-7pm.

Kajun’s is not a usual spot for our band and I’m excited to try a show there. For you foodies, Chef Chris Smedley just reopened their kitchen, naming it Borracho! and serving up delicious housemade sausages and other bar food delights. It should prove to be a fun evening and we’ll have Steve Spitz on that pedal steel, too!

Beyond the sadness, life carries on and so with spring in our hearts we enter out of Lent and Passover to Easter and the festival (and food) season close at hand.

Your gal pal,

Vanessa

My trip to South America with the Squirrel Nut Zippers was intense and a lot of fun. It was nice to have someone else doing the “work” part of the job. All I had to do was show up to sing and dance! I’ll post a link to the pictures from the group on the SNZ Facebook page if anyone cares to take a look see. There are tons of comments, pictures and videos up there already, too.

It is GREAT to be back home though, and performing with the Gal Holiday band again. The last few shows in February were totally fun and I missed our musical family while I was gone! We’ve already had one show in March, last Saturday at Mojitos and there are many more on the books (and the website) since I last wrote. We start TONIGHT, Tuesday 3/12 at the Hard Rock Cafe with a our first show on Bourbon Street EVER. Their new location is hiring local acts on Tuesday nights and we’re happy to pop our Bourbon Street cherry. Come be a witness to the carnage, if you dare.

We’ll also be at Rock ‘n’ Bowl’s Swing Night again this week on Wednesday 3/13 and are making a return to the Circle Bar on Friday night, 3/15, Dave James in tow. Many great memories were made there over the years, including a Gal Holiday fueled introducion resulting in a Gal Holiday wedding reception!

This Saturday afternoon, 3/16 is a very special event on the westbank benefitting Cafe Hope, where they help at-risk young adults get training in the restaurant and hospitality industries while serving the public great food. There is to be a BBQ contest and live music all day long, so bring the family out for some daytime fun!

Again, sorry for any delay in my communications resulting in any missing of Gal Holiday shows. Please note that the best way to get the info is to check our website regularly. I write these newsletters when I can but I’ve been writing music, too! There are only so many hours in a day which brings me back to my opening lines.

Here comes the tidal wave…

SO, now that we’re “back to normal” here in New Orleans let me just say “PHEW!” and reconnect on a couple of things. Firstly is the previously mentioned Kickstarter campaign, still in limbo for a new album we’re writing for. With festival season fast approaching we’ve decided to push our deadline back until June, which will allow more time to do everything we need to get done. Please look out for the announcement of the Kickstarter, which I should be able to make active by mid-March.

Also, some of you may be aware that I was invited to sing leads with the acclaimed band, Squirrel Nut Zippers, albeit on a very part time basis. I’ll be heading to South America (!) with them in a little over a week for a short, three day trip to Ecudor and Colombia. After only one show with their band last September it’s a little nerve wracking, but also quite an honor as I’ve been a huge fan since the mid-90′s. Wish me luck! I’ll take pictures…

Before I head down south though, there are a few more Gal Holiday shows here in Louisiana and I’m looking forward to playing again! We’ve definitely been playing less shows that we’re used to and I’m
getting antsy.

There’s only one chance to catch us this weekend and that’s Saturday 2/16 at our old haunt, The BMC or Balcony Music Club. If you’ve been seeing us for a while you might have come to one of our Sunday evening shows that we played there for two years. While this isn’t going to turn into a weekly show again, it IS still a great room and we hope you’ll join us if you’re in town.

Next week we’ll be back at Mimi’s in the Marigny on Thursday 2/21 with our quartet and then a return to Mid-City Lanes Rock ‘n’ Bowl on Friday 2/22. We’re FINALLY making a return to Baton Rouge on Saturday 2/23 for a show at the new, and apparently super cool new venue, Mud and Water in downtown. As always, check our website for more info!

And now that we’re done with “Super Gras” we move on to festival season. I’m proud to announce that we’ll be making appearances at both French Quarter Festival and JazzFest again this year! If you’re headed to New Orleans for the fests, we hope to see you.

Keep dreaming of spring…

Your gal pal,
Vanessa

“Without the courage to fail there is no progress.”

Thanks to everyone who came out to our one and only show last week at Mojitos on Friday. Up until today the weather has been so lovely in New Orleans and it was truly a perfect night for a little courtyard concert. I was also reminded that it’s been a while since my last email, a couple of fans finding out about the show last minute. Please remember to check our website regularly for updates to the schedule. New stuff sneaks in all the time!

We’re getting in on the Super Bowl action this week and playing two shows on Friday at the Super Bowl Boulevard, staged on the riverfront at Woldenburg Park. There’s more info on the band line-up as well as a downloadable map HERE. This is a FREE event and New Orleans knows how to make a party, so join in the revelry!

Also this week is our return to the Rock ‘n’ Bowl TONIGHT (Wednesday) for swing night and on Thursday we strip it down for Mimi’s in the Marigny. Then it’s Mardi Gras week and three chances to see us, starting with a Tuesday night show with Jayson Wayne Knox at Siberia. We have an exciting show next Friday, February 8th at Chickie Wah Wah. We’re calling it “The Hillbilly Ball” and we’ve teamed up with our friends, The Haunted Hearts. They don’t have a website but you can read about their experience meeting Hunter S. Thomson at the Circle Bar by clicking that link. And check out the poster I “designed.” It’s no professional job but you get the idea.

I also attended the “Best of the Beat” Awards and had a blast singing with the fabulous New Orleans Nightingales. Every girl a gem…www.neworleansnightingales.com

Krewe du Vieux parade is the most irreverent of the Mardi Gras parades, with revelers on foot rather than riding on floats, which in this parade are often pulled by mule or man.

Offbeat Magazine’s annual “Best of the Beat” Awards were held on Friday with a bevy of beautiful Nightingales on hand to kick off the festivities.
L to R: Meschiya Lake, Debbie Davis, Alexandra Scott, Lena Prima, Roselyn, Lionheart, Ingrid Lucia, Jayna Morgan, (me) Vanessa Niemann and Margie Perez.
http://www.neworleansnightingales.com

Happy New Year! I can say that again, right? It’s still January after all. And having gotten my resolution breaking out of the way early, we can get on with things….

The recent cold, and now rainy weather here in New Orleans has been keeping this song bird inside, warm and dry. I’ve been occupying my time revisiting our older recorded material as well as listening to songs I’ve been wanting to do for a long time. On Elvis Presley’s birthday, I decided to teach myself to use iMovie and made a video to go along with “Elvis, Elvis”, a silly little track off our debut album. And for a limited time, I’m offering you a free download of the song! All you have to do is visit our website and click the link. While you’re there make sure to watch the video, too.

I’m getting really excited about recording a new, as yet untitled album in 2013. I’m not even sure I have the title song written yet, but there are lots of ideas bouncing around in my head and one will likely shout out to me soon. In anticipation of launching our funding campaign, I’ve been researching crowd, or fan funding sites like Kickstarter and IndieGoGo. For those of you who are new to the concept, it’s exactly what it sounds like. YOU help us reach our funding goal and get fabulous rewards in return! If we reach beyond our goal we can do more than “just” record an album.

Things like:
Hire a publicist!
Launch a US and European radio promotion!
AND
Tour more, to more places!

We’ve started to add some new songs into our live set, testing out to see what works and what needs tweaking. My thought has always been that, if y’all aren’t dancing, we’re definitely doing something wrong. The whole reason I started this band was to make music for dancers, and over the years we’ve been honing our sets to reflect the dancefloor. I hope that our next album continues in that tradition. I’m really proud of the way the new songs are fitting in and “Thank you!” to everyone who has let us know what they think.

Just a couple notes about upcoming events before I sign off. An incorrect show time for our 1/26 show at Mojito’s has been corrected, so if you were planning to come to that one, please check the listing below. Also, two shows at Mimi’s in the Marigny have been added to this month’s line-up!

Lastly, I want to highlight the show at Hangar 13 this Friday (tomorrow! today!) 1/11. Some of you long time Gal Holiday fans will recall our FIRST EVER SHOW when we really stunk. It happened at The Hangar, recently reopening as Hangar 13 at The Rendon Inn. Come revisit our roots with us, albeit with a much improved sound. And check out this Google map for the exact location as finding it can be a little confusing.

Cheers! Thanks for tuning in!

Your gal pal,
Vanessa

“Without the courage to fail there is no progress.”

Happy New Year! Welcome to the flip side.

Whether you glided smoothly like Grace Kelly or bumped and hobbled into 2013, time marches on and brings in a new year, full of possibilities. Personally, my 2012 was full of learning experiences and new relationships forged and fostered. I’m hoping that 2013 will bring more of the same as I continue to explore the music business and travel our country, meeting people and playing music that bring us together.

December found me unpacking and settling back into New Orleans life, with a sprinkling of live shows. Here in the Crescent City we’re gearing up for a busy start to the year with Twelfth Night and the official start to the Mardi Gras season a mere five days away! We’ll roll through Carnival season, hosting Super Bowl somewhere in the middle and come out on the other side in mid-February. New Orleans really knows how to throw a party and we’ll be playing around town the whole way through.

We have some great shows coming up including a couple family friendly ones and two new venues this month alone. Check out the schedule a little futher down in this message and please share the Facebook events. Speaking of Facebook, we’re almost to 3000 Likes on our page! In a lot of ways I don’t really know what that means, but hopefully it translates when we launch our upcoming crowd funding campaign. We have a bunch of new songs and want to get our third album out this spring so look for more news soon about how you can help us to get it done!

Your support is what keeps us going and we really appreciate all the love in 2012. Let’s roll this love fest over and make 2013 a spectacular year.

Your gal pal,
Vanessa

Thursday 1/3 @ Fulton On Tap (NOLA); 9pm-12am Facebook event
Saturday 1/5 @ Old Point Bar (NOLA); 10pm-1am Facebook event
Friday 1/11 @ Hangar 13 (NOLA); 8pm-11pm Facebook event
Saturday 1/12 @ The Maison (NOLA); Cajun/Country Fais Do Do 4pm-7pm Facebook event
Wednesday 1/16 @ Mid City Lanes Rock ‘n’ Bowl (NOLA); 8:30pm-11:30pm Facebook event
Saturday 1/19 @ Three Muses (NOLA); Gal Holiday Quartet 9pm-12am Facebook event
Friday 1/25 @ Mojitos Rum Bar (NOLA); 9pm-12am Facebook event
Wednesday 1/30 @ Mid City Lanes Rock ‘n’ Bowl (NOLA); 8:30pm-11:30pm Facebook event
Friday 2/1 @ Woldenberg Park (NOLA); Verizon Super Bowl Boulevard 12:15pm-1:30pm (AFC Stage) AND 3:15pm-4:45pm (South End Zone Stage)

BUT the plan is taking shape for a three week western tour this summer to include Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, Colorado and California, from San Diego all the way to San Francisco and perhaps even further north.
Since I still do all the booking myself, the face to face interactions we made with clubs has been invaluable and I plan to put I to good use! We’ve already got Club Eleven in San Diego, Pappy and Harriet’s in Pioneertown and a venue in Salida, our favorite little Colorado town on the hook. Now I just have to link it all together! It’s a labor of love but there’s nothing better than getting the band out on the road and I’m super excited for this year as our touring band is really ace.

I think I’m getting waaaaay ahead of myself so let me reel it in a bit. Dave and I made it back to NOLA and have been setting up our house in the Bywater neighborhood. We don’t have internet yet and were booking on the road so please excuse the mess, er….the lateness of updates to the website, that is. December shaped up nicely and I have lots to tell y’all about.

First of all, we’ll be at the Rock ‘n’ Bowl this Saturday 12/8. It was a last minute fill in for Roddy Romero and so is not listed in publications. But rest assured, it is Gal Holiday ALL NIGHT LONG!

Also this Saturday (as well as 12/15), The New Orleans Nightingales, of which I am a part, will be at the Piety Street Market selling CDs, calendars and gorgeous signed photos. Where else will you be able to get a collectible signed by 14 of New Orleans most fabulous singers including Ingrid Lucia, Debbie Davis, Meschiya Lake, Linzzi Zaorski and moi?! The market will be from 11-4 and is a great alternative place to pick up Christmas gifts so come by and say hello!

And as if I couldn’t help but squeeze more out of Saturday, I’ll be doing a photo shoot for an upcoming fundraising campaign. What for? GASP! Could it be…A NEW GAL HOLIDAY ALBUM? Why, yes. It’s been over two years and is high time we put out another. Don’t y’all agree? We’ve been watching as bands around us have used fan funding with much success and we thought we’d give it a try, too. Many of you are already familiar with how that concept works, and as the month progresses we’ll explain in more detail for those of you who are wondering about it. I think we’ll probably launch the campaign right after the new year, providing the world doesn’t end on the 21st.

So that brings us to our show listing for December. We still have dates available for private holiday parties so contact me if you want us at your house! And PLEASE go out to your favorite venues and support live, local music. It’s a treasure we have here in New Orleans and we shouldn’t take it for granted. And if you don’t live in NOLA, go see live music wherever you are. Those bands and venues need you. Start a revolution! They all start small.

Please join and share the Facebook events to help us spread the word:

Saturday 12/8 @ Rock ‘n’ Bowl (NOLA); 9:30pm-1am Facebook event
Saturday 12/15 @ Mojitos Rum Bar (NOLA); 7:30pm-10:30pm Facebook event
Thursday 12/20 @ Mimi’s in the Marigny (NOLA) Hard Candy Christmas Party; 8:30pm-2am (band plays until 11 ONLY) Facebook event

Saturday 12/22 @ Rivershack Tavern (Jefferson, LA); 10pm-2am Facebook event
Friday 12/28 @ Three Muses (NOLA) Quartet show; 9pm-12am Facebook event

I’ll be talking to you again before the end of the month but stay safe out there. People get crazy this time of year and we don’t want any injuries. Shop locally and be merry!

Your gal pal,
Vanessa

"Without the courage to fail there is no progress."

The general election overshadowed the devastating news in the Northeast this week. We’re keeping all those folks in our thoughts and prayers and I wish there were something we could do. Down here in Louisiana we definitely know the struggle they face and the long road to recovery. And now they’ve been hit again with the a Nor’Easter. It brings back eerie memories of Katrina and Rita.

I’m certainly not going to delve into politics. This newsletter is not the place for it and honestly, my feeling is that no matter who won we all need to get behind our President and support our country. Enough bipartisanship already, right?! It was crazy to be in Florida during the build up.

Speaking of, we had a great little run down to south Florida. Thanks to all our fans who came out and hello to our new email list members! We’ll definitely be back in a few months so keep an ear out for us. This time we’ll try to expand the trip a little and make it to even more spots. I always forget how big, and diverse Florida is!

We’re back here in New Orleans for two more weekends and have some really great shows for you to choose from!

Please join and share the Facebook events to help us spread the word:

Friday 11/9 @ Three Muses (NOLA); 9pm-12am Facebook event
Saturday 11/10 @ Pontchartrain Vineyards (Bush, LA); 6:30pm-9pmFacebook event
Friday 11/16 @ New Orleans Museum of Art (NOLA); 5:30pm-8:30pm Facebook event
Saturday 11/17 @ Old Point Bar (NOLA); 10pm-1am Facebook event

Your gal pal,
Vanessa

"Without the courage to fail there is no progress."

To all our friends and family in the Northeast, we send our thoughts and best wishes to you in this time of need. We were holding our breath as we watched the news yesterday and of course, down here in New Orleans we feel your pain. For those of you who know, or know of my mother, Christine who lives in Maryland, the good word is that she did not lose power up on the mountain. I have yet to hear from the rest of my family but the updates keep rolling in via Facebook. Thank God for social media!

Last weekend was the Gal Holiday band’s Halloween in NOLA and what a weekend it was! The cool weather rolled in and as is the norm here, we made the jump from summer to winter in just a few short hours. We walked into our gig at the Green Room on a balmy Friday evening and by the time we finished it was a brisk and blustery night. Saturday was a major hoot with a triple hit for me, a double for the Gal Holiday band. The show at Voodoo Experience with The New Orleans Nightingales was a wonderfully insane undertaking by Ingrid Lucia with what ended up being 18 singers, 17 dancers and a 7 piece band. I did get to meet Irma Thomas backstage, and despite the cold weather and chilly green room tent she couldn’t have been more gracious. If you haven’t had a chance to check out the group’s website or LIKED us on Facebook , please do!

Now onward to this week and our impending trip to Florida. Here we come, Lake Worth, Coconut Creek and Tampa!

Please join and share the Facebook events to help us spread the word:

Thursday 11/1 @ Bamboo Room (Lake Worth, FL); 8:30pm-11:30pm Facebook event
Friday and Saturday 11/2 & 11/3 @ Seminole Casino (Coconut Creek, FL); 8pm-12am
Sunday 11/4 @ Skipper’s Smokehouse (Tampa, FL) w/ Sara Rose Band; 4pm-8pm Facebook event

We’re looking forward to seeing you fine folks over in Florida. And a safe holiday to all the rest of you. Speedy recovery east coast…we love y’all!

Your gal pal,
Vanessa

"Without the courage to fail there is no progress."

Again, please join and share the Facebook event:

Thursday 10/25 @ Mimi’s in the Marigny; 9pm-12am Facebook event

Your gal pal,
Vanessa

"Without the courage to fail there is no progress."

We’re heading into the Voodoo Music Experience weekend with major acts coming into town from all over. I’ll be out there on Saturday afternoon, singing with The New Orleans Nightingales, a project I’ve been involved with since this past spring. A brainchild of the fabulous Ingrid Lucia, the project includes more female talent than you’ll know what to do with. Meschiya Lake, Jayna Morgan, Linnzi Zaorski, The Phister Sisters, Banu Gibson, Lena Prima, Alexandra Scott and Margie Perez are just a few of the talented ladies involved. And that’s not even mentioning that Irma Thomas will be joining us on stage for Voodoo! We’ve been singing and dancing this week in preparation for the extravaganza and our performance is Saturday in the Preservation Hall Tent at 4:45, so if you’re out there, don’t miss it! Check out our website and LIKE us on Facebook , too…

This weekend’s Gal Holiday shows are in triplicate and include a Friday night trip across the lake to Covington! Please join and share the Facebook events:

Friday 10/26 @ Green Room; 7pm-10pm Facebook event
Saturday 10/27 @ New Orleans Arts Market @ Palmer Park; 2:30pm-3:30pm Facebook event
Saturday 10/27 @ Mojitos; 7:30pm-10:30pm Facebook event

Also coming up is a Gal Holiday trip to Florida! We leave on Halloween and have four great shows, two at clubs in Lake Worth and Tampa and two at the Seminole Casino in Coconut Creek. Check out our website for more details on those shows!

And have a great weekend wherever you are!

Your gal pal,
Vanessa

"Without the courage to fail there is no progress."

As I’ve gotten older I welcome the cooler weather, sweaters and boots coming back out as the social season kicks up. The city seems to revitalize, as folks venture from their air conditioned homes, finding the will to be gracious again. Such is how we follow the seasons as they change around us.

That being said, change and how we adapt to it is a huge part of life, particularly in a nomadic and ever changing career like music. Though not an easy one, the decision has been made to move the Gal Holiday home base back to Louisiana this winter. Our time living in beautiful California has been a great adventure, one I’m glad to have undertaken. With so many new friends made and old connections re-established, we aim to make a West Coast loop at least once a year, hopefully twice. There’s already a trip in the works for next June, with the impending nuptials of some dear friends who are hiring the band for the reception! Plus, David and I will be back in L.A. for Thanksgiving this year. Catch us while you can…who knows where the wind will carry us next.

Our plans to be in NOLA for the fall season have been in place for some time and you can definitely catch us here this weekend:

Thursday 10/11 @ Siberia; 6pm-8pm Facebook event
Friday 10/12 @ Banks Street Bar; 11pm-2am Facebook event
Sunday 10/14 @ Three Muses; 8pm-11pm Facebook event

Happy Fall! We’ll see y’all out on the streets!

We’re glad to be playing at Chickie Wah Wah in New Orleans tonight! Its a great room to see a show, with really nice sound, yummy food and now a perfect opener for the Gal Holiday band…our friend from the Houston area, Bert Wills. Y’all will really love him if you’re not already familiar. He plays blues, country and western swing and is a great fit for us! Bert will play one hour long set starting at 8pm and we’ll hit the stage directly after.

And tomorrow (Friday) join us across the river at local Algier’s haunt, Old Point Bar from 10-1. Jump the Mississippi!

Happy October and yay for fall weather!

We left New Orleans bright and early yesterday (Tuesday) to make it for a 6pm start time at the historic Driskill Hotel, with a stop for some excellent Texas BBQ on the way, of course. We’re chilling in the hotel this morning before heading out to Dripping Springs to the house of our angel in disguise AKA local band host, Deb.

Thanks to everyone who came out to our shows in Lafayette, Gonzales to the Balloon Festival and The Rivershack Tavern last Saturday. What a great string of shows and what a band at The ‘Shack! It was really cool to be joined by Cranston Clements once again. He really is a king among men and we miss having him regularly.

Well, four days in Austin feels like a luxury! We have so many friends here and it’ll be great to have some time to hang out. Plus, we’re playing every night:

Wednesday 9/26 The Rattle Inn; 9-12 Facebook event
Thursday 9/27JUST ADDED: Papi Tino’s; 9-11:30
Friday 9/28 The Continental Club; 11:15-12:15 (but come at 10 and stay late for the other two fabulous bands!) Facebook event

We did have a cancellation for this Saturday in Plano. The darn bar owner just totally flaked out and it’s too late to find anything else. Such is the nature of the beast I guess. I’m sorry to anyone who was planning to come out to that one. We’ll try again soon!

Once we make it back to New Orleans we have some awesome shows lined up in the month of October including a return to Chickie Wah Wah on Thursday 10/4 and a last minute early show booked at Siberia on Thursday 10/11. Those of you who have been following the live music controversy in New Orleans will be interested to know that Siberia has procured a limited number of Special Events Permits for the months of October and November. The bar was featured in Offbeat Magazine’s September Food issue in an article entitled Sound Bites which talks about the live music issue and highlights Siberia’s fabulous food. Support the venue, eat delicious food!

One more unfortunate cancellation this month is the Andouille Festival in LaPlace at the end of the month. With all the damage their area had from Hurricane Isaac and 7000 people still homeless they felt that holding the festival was not practical, nor was it proper to spend money when their citizens were still in such need. Please send your thoughts their way or donate to the Greater New Orleans Foundation who have a fund set up for victims of the hurricane.

Details for all of our fall shows are up on our website so make sure you make a visit there on your internet wanderings. And see y’all out and about!

Your gal pal,
Vanessa

"Without the courage to fail there is no progress."

A couple days off to recoup and get organized turned into four days without power and two cancelled shows, all thanks to Hurricane Isaac. I for one, will never underestimate a Category 1 ever again. Fortunately, we had no major damage but our hearts go out to everyone in Mississippi, LaPlace, Slidell and way down in the parishes who got it bad.

After a week of sweating and worrying I was off to North Carolina and a show singing with the Squirrel Nut Zippers during the DNC! For those of you not familiar with the SNZ, check them out on YouTube. Here’s one of my favorites. They made a big splash in the 90′s by finding commercial success, helping to ignite the swing revival movement and were super influential on me as a burgeoning young big band singer. It was an exciting opportunity for me and one that I hope will be repeated in the months to come!

Now back on (semi) solid ground here in New Orleans, we’ve been catching up on booking and promoting our upcoming shows. I’m glad to say that we picked up a nice little show for this Saturday 9/15 at Mojitos on Frenchmen. Our fall schedule has beefed up for the rest of this month, October and November so make sure to go to our website and check out all the dates.

The Gal Holiday band is also coming back to Lafayette after too long! Then we’ll be in Gonzales for the Ascension Parish Balloon Festival and Texas the last week of the month, so look out for us in Austin and Plano folks. Traveling with us will be NOLA guitarists Chris Adkins and Gregory Good and we look forward to tearing down in the Lone Star State…and drinking a little Lone Star beer to boot.

See y’all out on the streets and in the clubs!

Your gal pal,
Vanessa

"Without the courage to fail there is no progress."

We had completed our run, which started in Los Angeles before heading into NM and CO via Phoenix, AZ. Making our way back to Louisiana we were minding our own business, doing the speed limit, (which, in TX is plenty fast for me at 75) when in my side mirror I saw a truck hauling ass. I must say that most truckers are great drivers, having jobs that depend on it and have gotten a bad reputation over the years, mostly from little old ladies. That said, this guy was a maniac, hauling an empty wide load trailer and passing at 85 or 90 by veering onto the shoulder.

Bastard. No offense to his mother intended.

Normally you would just mutter something like “asshole” and drive on, letting the dumbass get his comeuppance at some point down the road, hoping for a Highway Patrol to catch the offending driver. And then he threw a rock. Small. DING! Slow down a little…back off. But then came The Boulder. WHACK! Our guitar player, Chris Adkins who was sitting in the back seat actually ducked. And then gasps all around as we gazed upon the 3 inch, circular crack in the windshield.

Now, common sense would implore that you do something sane, like call the aforementioned HP. But not knowing exactly how much time that would take, we thought it would be much more productive to get the guys’ trucking company info. You’ll recall that he was going much faster than us, but we were about to hit Wichita Falls and more traffic so we hoped he would get slowed, allowing us to catch up.

I put all my driving skills to the test as I followed him, changing lanes (always using my blinkers, mind you) and weaving through traffic. I watched him almost run other cars off the road multiple times. I watched as more rocks were thrown. I knew we had to catch him. And just the other side of town, success! We pulled along his left side and Dave B was ready with the pen and paper to write down the info on the side of his cab. As he looked down and saw what was going on he immediately slowed down to below the speed limit. Ooooooooo, yeah. Sweet satisfaction.

Well the slower speed didn’t last for long. He pulled behind us and we figured it would be safer to follow him instead. The thought of some methed out trucker following us to a rest stop and kicking our asses crossed my mind, as it should. A quick call to his dispatch company in Michigan and ten minutes later he was doing the speed limit. I hope that guy really gets it from his boss.

We had another incident, also in TX with a rather large raccoon on the way back to California a week and a half later. But that’s a story for another time. Let’s just say that one raccoon who decided to cross the road didn’t make it to the other side.

And that folks, is all she wrote.