HELLO Heartmongers!

Oh what a great summer we all had on the road. Something was really clicking for us this summer. We came to it with a lot of trepidation since 'brother Mike' had to return to Alice in Chains, and we had been pretty sad about it even though all of us completely understood that he needed to return to his original 'family.'

When Ric stepped in to fill the bass position, a whole new cool wave of chemistry kicked in and we suddenly felt like we'd been playing together for years already. Talk about a HUGE lucky break, man, what are the chances? The set list itself was shifting around during the tour and we settled on one that we couldn't NOT do. Ann's amazing idea to cover Love Reign 'Ore Me by the Who worked like a charm and that song turned into everyone's favorite part of the set. It worked so well for Ann's voice and was especially cool to see the wave of recognition sweep across the sea of faces. There were a few nights after the show when we swapped around between the tour busses so we could 'hootnanny' and hang out as a band, but only on nights with the next day off so Ann could sing too and not be relegated to the usual silence of saving up her voice. Those are the most unforgettable memories that will always bring a great big smile to me. This band is truly a bunch of kooky cutups! Everyone working with us too gets along so well and it's quite a smooth professional team of friends getting us through the tough ins and outs of touring. A comfort zone is hard to come by out there, but the shows and camaraderie make up for all the grueling miles. Best of all is when you can share what you love with people who love it too. This summer tour was my fave of all time. Endless thanks to all of you who came out to see us. None of this gets to happen without you!

Love rules,

Nancy Back