Dear Ones!

I am writing you from sunny Arizona!  I am parked just south of Tucson and arrived here in Green Valley about 3 weeks ago!  It’s crazy to think I have been here for 3 weeks!  In some ways it feels like 3 days and other ways 3 months! 

I landed in Ft. Collin’s Colorado on a journey of self-discovery and needing time for clarity.  There are events in my life causing cross-roads and I have been so entrenched with my busy life back in Boise that I really needed a change in pace and environment to give me some clarity & perspective. 

I loved my time in Ft. Collin’s.  I met with good friends and people who became good friends.  I got to play in the Wendy Woo band for a few shows and felt a great honor in doing so.  I plunked around the town and recognized it has a feeling very much like Boise.  Lots of sunshine, music, little boutique stores, night life, majestic Rocky Mtn. scenery.  It was truly a wonderful time.  I thought I would stay for more like a month but when I got there, I realized…it was more of the same, just in a different place. 

My refuge was not in finding the same in a different place, but finding MYSELF where ever I go.  You’ve heard tale of this.  “Where ever you go, there you are.” It’s true.  We take ourselves, our thoughts, ideas, beliefs systems with us.  We create from the well spring of what we vibrate, and I needed to go south.  So I did. 

Despite the amazing shows my friend Dana had lined up for me to join, I politely moved on and traveled with Juno down to Taos, New Mexico.  I met my artist friend Uma and her son and grand-daughter.  Taos is beautiful.  Rugged landscape and cold this time of year! The cold slapped my senses and made me grateful for a still warm beating heart inside my chest. 

Uma’s home is made of straw…yes, you read that correct!  A straw build home with stucco, mud and grass to cover the bails.  I stayed for 4 nights in a room that had the “truth” window.  I thought, “how appropriate is this?!”  You open the door and can see the bails of straw.  It was super cool!  All the windows looked like they boated into a marsh mellow puff. 

I was surrounded and held in Uma’s beautiful artwork, her loving family and clear loving energy.  I’ve learned that I am very adaptable.  I don’t require a lot.  I don’t need a lot and can blend easily with the “vibe” of others.  It takes about a day for me to acclimate, sometimes shorter sometimes longer, but I am pretty resilient and very grateful that I can live quite simply. 

We had wonderful conversations, we painted, made art, did yoga, ate healthy home cooked food and played guitar.  We dreamed dreams together and tried on possibilities with our lives.  It was beautiful.  It was pure moments like this that make me feel so blessed for this time.

I knew I was going to make my way down south of Tucson to visit with my dear friend Rhea, yet in the interim, I yearned for solitude with myself. My thoughts, dreams,  contemplation and breath I craved, took me to Santa Fe.  This creative “art mecca” enriched my senses.   I felt ALIVE, whole, free…full of possibility!  I was surrounded by all this creative energy and this time that I so enjoyed was perfect. 

It was still butt cold but I had managed to get a warm room for Juno and I in close proximity to the main square.  Most everything was in walking distance.   There was quite a wind and at 8 degrees, it felt like 20 below! 

As the wind whipped, I strolled to a Chapel for morning meditation and then over to the Georgia O’Keefe Museum.  All the shops along the way were enticing.  I dipped into a few of them, but what I really wanted to do was go see what the Natives had to sell on their blankets at the square. 

I had such nostalgic moments of my mother and I cruising the little huts in Gallup NM back in 1975!  It was one place my mother and I “grooved” for lack of better word.  I felt like we resonated with turquoise and silver.  She and I would bop around the markets and check out the Native’s wears. 

I went and got Juno. We walked to the square and I looked at all the pretty shiny things on the native rugs.  There were some things that called me, for others and myself.  I had a very fun time and spoke with the artists before they rolled up their carpets and called it a day. 

I then made my way early next morning to Albuquerque to have coffee with my nephew.  He is my sister’s son and one of my favorite people on the planet.  He is wise beyond his years and we had only a 40-minute talk because I had to make tracks.  Green Valley is where Rhea lives and I wanted to be there before dark, which would be near 5:00 and it was supposed to take 7.5 hrs.   I left Santa Fe by 7:45, made it to Tyler’s by 9 and was out a squish before 10 am.  I drove with angel wings at my side…averaging 90 mph!!!  People were PASSING me!  I took it to 95 mph for about an hour!  It was crazy!  An open highway with everyone going 100 mph!  How FUN!!!  Ha!

I made it to Rhea’s a bit BEFORE 5pm.  It felt like coming home.  I have been here before a few times.  I knew I would have a chance to spread out, set up my equipment, meditate, contemplate, read, play, practice, study, do nothing, watch the sun, pet Juno, emote, drink tea, contemplate some more, take naps, rest, rest and more rest.  It’s been WONDERFUL.  I could stay for 3 months easy!

I am fascinated by silence which teaches me so many incredible things about myself.  With silence and no distraction, something I’ve never had for any extent of time, I find my mind will “whisper” these belief systems for me to investigate, question, peel back and disperse.  What a reckoning and what a gift!  It’s been amazing!!!

Having time for myself is a new wonder and I am indeed wanting more of this.  I have been writing and have a couple new songs.  I haven’t decided which one I will post yet.  There is a very cool song I wrote in Santa Fe that is Spiritual in nature and there is a fun little song I wrote while being lost in Dana’s neighborhood.  Ha!  I will most likely send the funny one first! 

I want to thank you all for your patience and grace through this sabbatical of ours too!  Your love and support I have felt through the miles.  You are so appreciated!

Also, I played my first solo gig on Friday! 1/6/23!!! It’s been exactly 2 months since Mo and I played together.  I played a bit in Colorado, but I haven’t played a solo show since I don’t know when!  Wow! And it was 3 hours! And they paid me! And the audience stuck around and put money in the jar!  Whoop whoop!  That felt really fun to do all onmy own!  I loved the sun and the back drop of the mountains!  I feel like I’m “skipping” winter!  Ha ha!!! 

I will turn tail here soon.  I have a date with Bogus Basin ski mountain back home and much rehearsal to do to get ready for the Sapphire Show March 4th.  I look forward to putting my “producer” cap back on, rolling up my sleeves and making some good creative things happen this year. 

2023 will be a year of balance for me.  I will give myself more time to   practice music and silence, do yoga and meditate, be more inward.  I know writing will flow this year, I just have this really cool feeling about it and I’m going to hold on to this, no matter what! 

Thank you all for your patience, kindness and love through these different days.  We will take the helm and steer the “ship” but I’m sailing to calmer, quieter waters, and sun shine, and purple fish!!! We will “walk in Fields of Gold” … love is really all there is. No matter what it’s dressed up as, no matter what label is put on it, and my life will become the very vessel for more of that love to come through! 

Cheers my friends!  Happy New Year!!!

Nicc & Juno

Slam Poetry

Hello Dear Ones,

I am writing to you from sunny Ft. Collin’s Colorado!!! I left last week with musical gear and warm clothes. One of my best friends Kim has joined me for this leg of my journey. She has been a “super trooper” and we have had plenty of talks and walks and reflection.

Our first day took us to Jackson Hole where one of my oldest and dearest friend lives. Robbin Levy lives in a little town called Wilson just as you get over Teton Pass. Kim and I made great time however it was still dark by the time we rolled into Swan Valley. That meant the last hour and a half was in the dark and snow was abound on the pass. I knew I would have the opportunity to get my game face on in “snow drive mode” …ick!

We rolled in to a few feet of snow and unpacked what we needed. I brought my guitar in and we had a wonderful dinner and catch up with Robbin and her husband Chris.

A soft feather bed was waiting for me upstairs and I slept hard! Kim had a downstairs bedroom and slept like a log too! It was so quiet and the snow fell like a beautiful blanket.

The next day was Robbins birthday. We’ve been friends since I was 12 years old! She is my oldest longtime friend and I’ve never celebrated her birthday with her! When we were kids, we met in camp. We both looked like little boys and were a bit ostracized from the other girls BECAUSE we looked like little boys! Ha! We found each other and have been friends ever since. Her big goofy smile made her easy to love and she and I would go fishing and laugh for hours. Teton Valley Ranch Camp at that time was set up 15 miles from Jackson Hole so the Tetons made a perfect backdrop to all of our adventures. Those were beautiful innocent times that I sing about with the song called, “Sweet Wyoming”.

Kim and I stayed through her birthday and watched the snow fall in delight. We also binge watched 1883 and holy cow, lots of tears and feelings from that beautiful film which I found so poetic and eerily mirroring my life in some ways. Having only horses to travel across such a rugged terrain to follow their dreams, I ask myself, “What are my dreams” as I grip the steering wheel and face into the 75 mile hour winds hitting my car between Rock Springs to Rawlings?

These are transitional times for us indeed. Blaze and Kelly have never taken a sabbatical before, so I am striking out in new territory. A bit lost and yet, feeling like I will find a bit MORE of myself IN the lostness. Perhaps I am over hopeful. Perhaps the stories are the same everywhere and where ever I go…there I am…with all of my thinking to follow.

I took comfort in being at my oldest friend’s house to celebrate her beautiful life. All the phases and stages we’ve watched each other through.

Robbin’s husband Chris is an avid hunter and knows inexplicitly how to prepare the game he hunts. Robbin and Chris had a small gathering of close friends that Wednesday night and Chris prepared Coues deer. He told me that these deer are a bit smaller but so tasty because they eat the tops of the sage and dessert flowers. Three words “Oh. My. God!!!” this was the BEST meat I think I ever had in my LIFE!!! Seriously. I was loving it and kind of pigging out! Kim really enjoyed it too and as the night seemed to soften and folks ran out of words to speak to each other, I broke out my guitar. No amp, not wires, no microphone.

I played for Robbin and her friends. Full on deer meat and wonderful cheeses, I pecked the chords to Sweet Wyoming and watch a tear fall from my friend’s face. The “Sun Runs” made its way out along with

many others I haven’t played in quite some time. It felt healing for everyone. They weren’t expecting this at a small gathering on a Wednesday night. I was honored to be there.

Robbin reminded me that SHE was part of my VERY FIRST AUDIENCE back in 1980 when I had NO idea I would ever become a musician! I played the GAMBLER for a skit at camp. I dressed myself up like Kenny Rogers with western wear and a fake cigarette paired with a fake bottle of whiskey. My friend Gwynne played the part of the one asking the Gambler for advice and I was the singer. I’ll never forget it!

No guitars, 12 years old, looking like a boy, New Jersey girl, first year away from parents, friends, thousands of miles from home, 125 other girls and counselors listening… and…they loved it! They were gob smacked! They stood up and clapped, tears came out some of their eyes, and they clapped for what felt like an hour!

It was right then and there; the applause of these new friends filled EVERY aching hole that ever went neglected in my childhood. I felt their love shining back at me! That moment stretches out in time in my mind. This was my first audience and I had forgotten until Robbin reminded me on her birthday. I never understood then, my little 12 year old self made an impact on others…all I knew is that I loved this feeling. I tucked it away and secretly wanted more of that feeling…someday.

This small tiny “whisper” that followed me through all of my jobs in my 20’s, through a marriage, a divorce, the death of myself over and over again and into a birth by playing guitar and writing “Despite the Dents”. It whispered to me through the sage brush, it called me to press my achy fingers to the strings hoping for a clear chord sound. Music gave my life meaning and I was born new when I sang the Gambler that night, and I chased that dream…across my own “frontier”. I have been

shot by the arrows of love indeed. Bitten by the rattle snakes of change. I have endured my own scalping of the mind. I have gone hungry and doubted, I have witnessed beauty in the simple things and have been touched by people’s open hearts. I have made my way to the “Oregon territories” and have gone further than I thought I would.

What’s mine to do…now that I am taking a breath, taking a rest? What is it that this soul needs to find, to shine, to dance with the divine? I’ll know it when I feel it. It will come in a whisper like it has so many times. I’ve tried to be courageous and answer to its call, regardless of the “hobbles” that may have kept me in place. People want to hold you in the light that they see you. They want you to stay in the pasture that they are familiar. And it is only YOU that can undo the hobbles and travel in other pastures and valleys, if you choose. Life is a journey, and I am the song…and so are you!

Enjoy the pictures, and the movie of the slam poetry I did in downtown Ft. Collins. My song-writing friend Dana took us to an open mic poetry night. I had nothing prepared and always wondered if I could go make stuff up..so, in a new town, why not try it. Everyone else aside from Dana and I had notebooks they read from or a phone screen they read from. We completely ad-libbed. It was fun. Got my heart pattering.

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I hope your holiday season is a beautiful one! Keep warm and be well. Thanks for being aboard this journey with us, we appreciate you!

Nic, Mo & Juno

Hello Dear Ones

Hello Dear Ones,

I hope this finds you well and warm.  We are starting to go into our winter modes aren’t we?  We had our leaves raked in piles and what does nature do?  Snows on them to see how quickly we can expedite bagging them up!  And ya know, sometimes we are just not ready to “bag” things up no matter what the forces of nature are…so, there they sit with a crisp white “sugar coating” on them waiting for the sun to melt away the “snow caps” from our piles.  Life is like that isn’t it?  We try so desperately to do the right thing, meanwhile, no matter our efforts, the world or life has other plans.  

Many of you already know that Mo and I are taking a break for a while.  We’ve had 20 good years of music, and we intend to redefine ourselves and our journey in music after much contemplation.  We’ve had a lot of soul searching this past year.  We still get so much meaning from creating and performing, so please hear me when I say…our intention is not to end this journey, but to enrich it with more awareness, more learning, more room in our hearts and an even GREATER perspective of authenticity.  

This decision has not come easily for either of us.  There is the thinking logical mind that says, “Hey, this is your lively hood!” there is also the ego that gets to claim its purpose with being “folk-stars” (ha!) But there is something growing even deeper.  The soul is whispering for something that is not quite “tangible”.  There are forces at play and I find myself stepping off the ledge into the unknown.  It’s a scary but exciting place to be.  All of my senses are awakened and I don’t know if I will fly or drown but I am counting on spreading my wings and doing the best I can.  

I will be visiting good friends in Fort Collins Colorado for a bit this winter.  There will be a new music scene to muse with and musical friends to learn from and teach.  I will be taking some healing courses and time to myself.  A much needed break for both Mo and I.  I am hopeful to do an even BETTER job with blogs and VIP entries.  I would like to write, and play and do yoga and meditation too!  I feel super blessed that we GET to take this little sabbatical.  I’ve worked for over 20 years performing and before that as a teacher, so I am very comfortable with “out sourcing” my energy.  I am not so comfortable “sitting with self”, “in-sourcing” giving BACK to myself, but… I am getting better at it! 

Mo and I love each other dearly and we appreciate ALL of you supporting us with your smiles and love.  There will be MORE music, and perhaps better than it was before!  So…no one panic, change is hard and it’s bitter-sweet and I certainly have NOT had my fill of music!  I actually don’t even think I’ve hit my true potential yet and I’m am praying that this journey opens up so many treasures that I get to bring back and share with you all.  So…stay tune!  I hope to bring you all along with me! 

They say that we come here to learn ultimately how to “love ourselves”.  The key to a happy life is loving yourself deeply so that you can then love another.  I have been empathic and super sensitive to others needs and wants my whole life.  It’s been a survival mechanism to some degree.  Taking this time will not take me away from you, it will draw me closer to my art and you will get to know me more completely as I get to know myself more completely.  I am hoping and praying that Mo’s journey will bring her closer to her own self love and she in turn will create something beautiful as well.  The song she is working on is amazing! I feel there will be LOTS that unfolds for both of us and I have my eye on that “prize”!  

In the meantime, check in on this blog and the B&K fan flare page.  We’ll keep you close through social media and feel free to drop an email to us any time.  

The mp3 this month is something new I’ve been embarking upon.  A beautiful Native American Flute I’ve been dreaming of, worked its way into my life and it brings such a peace to my heart.  You will hear my “beginnings” (as I really don’t know quite how to play the thing) as you tune into “Morning Melody”.  And hopefully you get to chuckle at Juno’s version of “morning melody” as she chimes in with her fury and veracious growl/bark at the mail person! 

River trip friends, I hope this takes you back to our mornings on the river.  I played this same flute each morning on the river trip to wake folks from their tents.  Enjoy! 

Keep Facing the Sun during the darker months friends!  And know how deeply loved and appreciated you are! 

Namaste’

Nicc & Mo (and barky Juno!) 

Well hello beautiful friends!

There is so much to tell you…where to begin?  August rolled in and out, so many shows and preparing for the river trip for September made me preoccupied.  Needless to say, my creativity has been limited to my drive by songs, such as, “Whatcha gonna do when your stuck in the sugar shack what cha gonna do???”  LOL!  

We just rolled home from our epic trip down the Main Salmon River with 23 of our very favorite folks!  Holy cow!  It’s hard to put it all in words.  My little “jingle” that I wrote about the “sugar shack” comes from a bee getting stuck in the coffee sugar jar on the trip.  As it was caught in the jar, I sang the line above once and a fellow river rafter Joni sang a beautiful harmony line that matched the phrasing EXACTLY upon the next repeat!  I was super impressed and we sang that little ditty for the next 5 minutes and laughed our asses off.  

If I have only ONE thing to say about the river trip, I would definitely use the word “Laughter”.  I heard laughter on the whole trip!  The people who joined us were all joyful and it was such a gift to hear them laugh and get to know each other.  I was proud that we could bring such a wonderful group together in the name of “music” and celebrate this wonderful journey down the river for the week.  

I have had my own inner struggles and was hoping the river would help take it down current and bring some peace to my over active mind.  It did! As nature ALWAYS does, it set me square in my “center”.  It reminded me of who I am, away from everything, away from home, away from “things I have to do”, and it gave me the knowingness that I really can love myself through some tough life circumstances.   And what a blessing!  I couldn’t always say that when I was younger. 

Being on the river with everyone solidified that I am super proud of the village we’ve created! The opportunity that music has given us is something to always be cherished!   Friendship, how we treat others, how we treat ourselves, what we tolerate and don’t tolerate, boundaries, how we spend our time, WHO we spend our time with, what state of mind we walk with, what we share with others…it’s all so vital.  

The lessons of forgiveness, acceptance, compassion all lead to our growth and take us down our “own river of life”.  We sometimes get caught up in our own “eddie’s”.  Spinning in circles, caught in the inertia of our lives, until we get the lesson and are released to go down river again.  Only to be nearly drowned by the next circumstance only to come out more appreciative for the air we breathe and the life we are living.  The adventure of the rapids and the peace of the lulls carry us through until we eventually are released from our bodies and dump out into the “ocean”.  The river is our lives in so many ways and it keeps rolling along.  How amazing this is!!!  

On another note, this is the second day that I’ve been wearing hearing aides. Like, really GOOD hearing aides!!! Oh. My. God!  This is going to be life changing!  I can already tell.  As I clack the keys on this computer I can hear everything!  It’s pretty surreal!  I can look in people’s eyes now without having to watch their mouths as much.  Mind blowing indeed!!!

My Apple Computer has been getting worked on so I  am not at liberty to post a song or pictures right now, but I will make up for it when the computer is finally fixed.  Meanwhile, enjoy the changing leaves and know, we love you all very much and hope you are well!  

Niccole, Mo & Juno

Angels sing their songs

By Niccole Blaze

Sometimes without warning

A warm feeling comes along

It’s like an angel in your ear

And she sings to you this song

Her song is sweet and pure

And fills your very soul

It radiates a confidence 

Makes you feel in control

Feelings of JOY and GRATITUDE

For every single thing

For the ups, the downs, the turn arounds

And the “ALL” life brings

It’s a song that pierces the heart

And makes you want to cry

It makes your heart take flight

As if you could truly fly

The feeling comes over you 

As if in a dream

It doesn’t happen when you plan it

It happens in between.

In between all the things

You are doing in a day

It sneaks into a moment

And can quickly go away.

So when that moment comes

Do yourself a favor

Angels sing their songs always

It’s up to us to savor!

We are “blazing” on ALL cylinders these days!

Hello Dear Ones,

We are “blazing” on ALL cylinders these days!  With many shows and the heat it’s been a combination for exhaustion, no doubt.  We’ve had shows at 108 degrees! It has been quite challenging!

We had the opportunity to play one of the more high profile venues of our career, the Hult Performing Center for the Arts in Eugene Oregon.  This was due to our successful showcase in 2017.  The “talent buyers” liked our 12 minute showcase and had selected us to play.  We were slated in 2020 and the show fell off the calendar due to covid.  We didn’t think we would ever get back on.  Many times, the management changes and you are forgotten as they rarely “pass the baton”.  Low and behold, the same manager that liked our set kept us on and 5 years later, we played the show.  This is sometimes what it takes to play at these types of venues. You must “prove” yourself (which is never my favorite thing to do, but imperative in this business).  Talent buyers are very selective and are inundated with so many acts, so the competition is thick.  

We were delighted that our percussionist and very sweet friend, Meghan Kelly Watters could join us.  She and her wife Lindsay drove over to the coast to play, visit with Meg’s Dad and enjoy the shows and the beach.  

We took our new vehicle “Sparky” the Van.  She is a 350 Ford Transit Van and we are digging it!  She is not complete, far from it and the story about the build could go miles and many pages long.  Basically, our builder is short on time but managed to put a make-shift bed in the back, we have electric and a refrigerator, and a toilet, the bare necessities. 

We stayed at some friends of ours in Lincoln City.  As I was in their house making coffee the morning of our Lincoln Cultural Center gig, Mo comes in and says, “Hey Nicc, where is your electric guitar?”  I was like, “don’t even mess with me!”  Well…she wasn’t messing.  My dumb ass packed the heavy amp that took up precious space but NOT my Fender Telecaster.  

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I was so mad at myself.  Ugh!  I assessed the situation and text Meg & Lindsay.  I figured I could always play acoustic only, the audience didn’t know I do electric now and I have had several years of playing ONLY acoustic…but my anger raised to a level and the text back from Lindsay gave me a “nudge” toward action and making this right.  

She text, “Well…Grumble Fish Music store is a local place. Maybe something awesome will be there!”  Don’t ya just love that?  I love the angels in my life, when I start “crying in my beer” moaning about a loss or a misfortune, these sweet friends remind me to “look on the bright side”, “look at what might break open” instead of the loss or dread.  Lord knows, I’ve needed that positive medicine and I “took the bait” and got down to the music store!

We all met there and explored the store.  It was a wonderful shop with two nice gentlemen who listened to me shame myself for forgetting my guitar.  I asked if they rented, and of course, they did NOT, figures.  Then I asked, “What is the BEST telecaster style guitar in the shop”.  They handed me an axe (axe is a slang word for guitar) and I looked it over.  

“What in the hell???”  It was new but it was PURPOSLY distressed!!!  It has paint chipped off the edges, rust on the bridge plate and tuning pegs, the back of the neck looked like it has “man grime” that comes with years of playing and not wiping your guitar down.  The front of the neck had intentional worn spots between the most popular frets.  Even the dials rotate as if it’s been knocked around by life and un-centered on it’s axis.   OMG!!! “Why do they do this, it’s like paying 100 bucks for ripped up faded jeans!”  Ha!  I was never a fan of distressed pants.  I wanted to be the one to put the holes in my own jeans, I don’t wish to buy them that way! 

They laughed and said, “that’s what the kids love these days” and my grumbly self (matching the stores name) said, “Figures, these kids don’t want to ‘earn’ the worn out look of keeping your seat in the saddle for years!”  Ha ha!  What a curmudgeon I was, but in a funny New Jersey sort of way.  

I said, well…let’s try this “old gal” out!  Right?  Why judge a book by it’s cover.  I plugged it in a played it and was like, OMG!  The intonation was perfect!  I have never played such an easy electric.  Of course it was also the most expensive axe in the store.  (Grumble – “figures!”)  

I played the lesser expensive guitars and of course gravitated right back to Miss Distressed.  I of course purchased the guitar and it is now one of my favorite electrics I own!  It absolutely looks and feels and sounds pretty darn awesome.  I have come to like the worn out look.  After researching this guitar, come to find out…it looks very much like Bruce Springsteens guitar!  I LOVED finding that out and it all clicked.  Bruce was an acoustic player.  You can bash and thrash on an acoustic guitar as it let’s your emotions out by strumming with force.  

Electric is a whole different animal and likes to be tended to.  I think I described the difference in another blog.  You have to finesse an electric.  Any “thrashing” or too strong of a hand grip on the finger board will screw with the intonation causing it to sound like ca ca!  

This guitar has built in forgiveness.  I don’t know why it does, but I understand why it’s Bruce’s favorite and now mine.  I can be more physical with it and it still sounds amazing.  

It’s yellow! Which is not my favorite color but I’ve learned to love that too!  I see all it’s on purpose scratches and imperfections and kinda love it now…it’s weird.  It grew on me.  It’s like me!  I’m marred, imperfect, distressed, rusted, un-centered and yet…it sings like a dream!  It sounds amazing and clear!  I would rather look like shit with a heart of gold, than be a bratty beauty queen…right?  Ha ha!  

I named it “Minion” because of the color (I love those little guys) and it’s going to “be my bitch” *laugh*! Stolen from a dear friend who used that saying while renting a huge pickup truck and driving it with all the zest she could muster!  If I can have command of it, and yield it in such a way…it will indeed be my little minion.  I need to find a little sticker to put on it…and why not, I don’t have to worry about scratching it.  It’s already scratched, why not slap a sticker on it?  LOL!

So…I come away with an instrument that has a story.  We had a very successful time.  We didn’t get to frolic too much at the ocean for very long, it was a quick trip with LOTS of driving. We had to return back to very hot weather and play a wedding. *pant pant*  

While playing earlier in the month we had a very cool original set at a local place called the Sandbar (many of you know).  Meghan joined us on her Cajon for the first set. The Cajon is a box drum she sits on and still manages to get a ton of tone out of that little thing.  During the intermission she set up her full kit as she was coming from another show.  (She’s working her tail off and plays for other musicians too!)  There is usually the thing we musicians do when we first set up.  I noodle a certain melody on the guitar, Mo does her little blues lick on her bass.  Meghan does this little ditty on the full kit.  

As I was speaking to the audience after the 5 Star Dive Bar song the subject of the cowbell came up.  It’s a funny tone of the percussionist.  I said, “Who could be sad when you hear the cow bell?”  I offered up a challenge to write a sad song with cowbell as a joke.  Meghan played her little ditty and hit the cowbell and both Mo and I said in unison, “Me so Sad”.  It was hilarious at the time!  Now when Meghan warms up and plays her little ditty, it’s like an inside joke that makes us all smile.  “Me so Sad” is recorded so you can be on the inside with us!  

It’s short and sweet!  

I have many songs in my head friends!  They will come out at some point I promise.  You folks have been our through and through and we truly appreciate your all your love and support.  Thank you so very much!  

Enjoy the “little ditty”!  Hope it makes you smile!

Niccole

July 2022 - A few words to you special "peeps"

Hello Lovely Friends,

Mo and I are galloping off to the Oregon coast tomorrow bright and early and I wanted to jot a few words down to you special “peeps” before July is merely a memory! 

Some obscure song-writer wrote, “I can’t hold the hands of time, but hold your hands in mine”. Time…it marches on so quickly and I know this has been an ongoing “theme” of some of these blogs.  Every time the 1st of the month comes around I am bamboozled with how quickly the month passes.  And I also go through the realization that I may NOT have taken enough time for my “art” in WRITING new song.  I was on such a roll the beginning of the year and wow…I need to either get up earlier or block a time in my schedule for creating.  It’s a hard priority but a very important one! 

I have made advances on getting our studio in a place to BE creative (does that count? Ha ha!)  I have been getting things organized in our studio and at some point would like to get my friend Patrick from Audio Lab to come help me “set up shop” for an actual recording studio we can go “live”.  I have been thinking about my next “record”.  (What’s a record? Ha! Remember those beautiful days? I would spend hours and hours in my room with my LP’s.  Reading the liner notes and ogling over the pictures of Elton John’s Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboys…Styx, REO Speedwagon, Pink Floyd, Queen!  God time stood STILL back then!)  

I haven’t drawn any conclusions as far as records go…only that I want to do the next one myself, in house.  I want to take my time on it and have it be a joy. I want to breathe LIFE into it and I want the emotionality of the collection to carry through.  Another words, I want to have control of the genesis of sound because I KNOW what we sound like.  Whereas all the years I’ve done recordings, I’ve had a man in the booth tell me what we “should” sound like.  Ha! Ain’t growing up grand?!  Ha ha!  I am.  Little by little!  

Right now, in the height of our season, it’s a bit unpractical to talk about a “record” (or recording for Spotify to earn all the dollars LOL!)  but it has crossed my mind.  I’m letting you into this “whisper”.  What is ours to do next in music?  This has been a question wearing on my mind.  What haven’t we done? What more is there to learn?  How can I push these walls down and make my world bigger?  

Our weeks have been slammed most weeks from Thursday to Sunday and now and then with an extra gig on a Tuesday or Wednesday.  It’s much like a FULL TIME job, which I’m sure you guys may think, “Umm, that’s what I do!”  Ha ha!  

I agree!  You “worker bees” that wake up at the crack of dawn and kick butt 5 days a week, you are those silent hero’s! We don’t get the chance to celebrate you enough.  Mo and I turn on when most of you are turning off, we turn UP when most are turning DOWN, we mid-week when most of you are week-ENDING, we are hungry and sweating when most of you watch in the coolness of the misters and eat and listen.  And when we are not at a show, those thousands of details rail our minds till we spill them out on to do lists.  

Like this trip for instance, a million things to prepare for, yet we are privileged and excited to go to Oregon.  First of all, there are friends on the coast we look forward to seeing.  Secondly, Mo and I have been vying for this concert at the Hult Performing Arts Center in Eugene for well over 4 years.  It’s a BFD! We were slated in 2020, but you all know how THAT turned out! Everything went out the window!  

So…we are looking forward to BIG shows in different towns, but also very much looking forward to playing out of town gigs with our waggy tail drummer Meghan Kelly Watters!  Her and her wife Lindsay are two gems that we adore spending time with!  Hallelujah for awesome musical chemistry & friendship!  

And some good news! We get to take our van “Sparky” to the coast too!  It’s out of necessity really! My Mercury has a small leak in the water pump – yikes! And I couldn’t imagine the stress of going to the coast with the possibility that it might break down!  Sparky will indeed get us there.  We may spend what we make on GAS (right?! OMG!) but,  “the show must go on!”  Ha ha!!! We posted some pictures for you of our first outing with Sparky.  She’s NO WHERE NEAR DONE but she motors along AND has a bed in the back we can stretch out on!!!  

If you check out the pictures, you will also notice the screech owls in our back tree.  (Photo by Nette Schaff).  Aren’t these buggers so cute!!! There are some pictures at the Sandbar (thank you Kathy MacLean) and the beautiful river shot is from our trip to McCall this past month.  

I hope to do a better job “creating” for you this next month…and I SO APPRECIATE the understanding and support you all give to us with your smiles and devotion! Thank you so much!  As I write this, Juno is under-foot deathly afraid of the fireworks going off outside.  Sigh….poor pooch!  Hold your pups and each other close!  

Thank you friends!  You mean the world to us! 

Much love,

Niccole, Mo and a very scared Juno Dog!  

Happy Independence Month (Year…Life!)  

High Tide

Greetings Friends, 

Well we are at “high tide” already, here in Boise for the music season.  Mid April proved to put 4-5 shows a week on the calendar and we really haven’t had much time since then to catch our breath!  

This is great for getting out there, getting our playing chops sharpened and the camaraderie between Mo, Meghan and I as a band, couldn’t be better.  We are really feeling the “gel” between us all!  Meghan has been such a super support and we are very lucky to have her aboard.  

She doesn’t play her drums every gig with us, but when she does, there is beautiful magic between us all and we feel quite blessed she makes the time and energy to be with us!  She is the “THUNDER” of B&K!!!

I coined, “Blaze and Kellies”, since Meghan’s full name is Meghan “Kelly” Watters; so when she plays that can be our trio name.  

Another fun thing is playing electric guitar!  I made a goal to break out the electric guitar this year January of 2022.  Fortunately progress has been made as I am starting to get use to it more and more.  

It’s such a different “beast”.  It’s more finicky than the acoustic yet easier to press down the strings, but also VERY sensitive.  If you strum (bash) down on the strings of an electric…she will NOT sound better!  There is a lot to finesse playing electric and I’m up for the challenge.  

I’ve been taking my Fender Telecaster Thin Line out most shows we have percussion, along with my Fender Mustang III Amplifier.  This AMP is the BOMB!!!  I love it cause even though it’s small, it has killer sounds.  I can concoct a recipe and get possibly ANY tone that I wish, without a bunch of extra pedals.  

Now…how many tones do I use, you may ask?  Really…two very good ones for right now.  I have a switch pedal that comes out from the amp that allows me to bank 3 stations all designed to my specs.  I have a “Clean Johnny Mar” sound on bank #9,  then I have a cool “When Pigs  Fly” sound on channel #8.  Then I have this crazy rocking distortion channel I named “Heart” after the amazing lead guitarist Nancy Wilson of “Heart” .  She is crazy good!  I designed the sound to fit her tone as best I could.  But who knows what these ears hear. Electric can be a bit ear cutting without the other instruments to tone it down a bit. 

Now I only need time to sit down and TRY to learn some of those Heart solos that Mo wants to cover.  OMG! No easy task!  Magic Man is a very complex tune but I do look forward to getting at least some of it under my fingers this year.  

The download for you this month is a little musing on the electric guitar.  It is very rudimentary.  I looped a little phrase on my acoustic and then played my electric completely improv (meaning, not rehearsed or thought out) over top of the acoustic rhythm.  

This is a lot of how I practice.  I will lay some little ditty down on the loop and just play, practice scales, noodle around, try out different modes, intervals and explore.  It’s one of my favorite ways to have a cup of coffee in the morning.  I’ve been a bit out of practice lately but I’m looking forward to getting back on the morning schedule.  

So, enjoy. It’s complete with minor mistakes and all but that is kind of the beauty of this membership.  You can get the feeling of how much we have to practice, where we start from to get where we end up.  

I hope you like it! And thank you so much for all your love and support! 

Much love, Niccole, Mo and Juno!