Jenee Halstead: Blog

So, here I am after a week of touring, and I have to admit a little of the nostalgia has worn off, but not too much. I think it is just the realities of touring and realizing you are going to be on the road for quite a bit longer. Little things start to bother you, things that were exciting at the start...such as being away from home, eating totally different food, sharing a room with your tourmate instead of a bed with your lover. Ya know. All in all, I cannot complain. We have been craddled in the arms of angels disguised as Dutch music lovers.
We had two days of playing in smokey bars, which was a bit disheartening. Overall, I prefer not to play bars. Bars do not lend themselves to the kind of music I make...even when I am playing with a full band. The smoking thing was a surprise as well. In Antwerp we played a place called Crossroads music, which is known as a blues club. They have songwriter nights once a week. This club had to make a decision between serving food to [...]

Here we are in the first few days of the tour. Everything has gone amazingly well. Things seems to be going off without a hinge from the car rental all the way down to meeting our hosts for the first leg of the trip. In fact, it all feels so magical and perfect, like we were brought here in the arms of angels (I know this sounds a bit corny). This luck might not last, so I am really reveling in it for now. I am on the tour with my dear friend and New York based songwriter Joe Iadanza. His new album "Be Here Now" is hot off the press. It was produced by Evan Brubaker (who also produced my debut album). We have had a lot of fun listening to it in the car. We did not get a rental with an iPod dock (oh poor us), so we have had to get by with a few CD's. It has been a great way absorb these new songs.
Cafe t-Keerpunt was our first gig. It was in the town of Spijkerboor way up in the north. It is stunning country! Our hosts Jan and Maria Hoekman were extremely kind and fun to hangout [...]