Chelsea McBee: Blog

The last show that I played was at Wilson College in Chambersburg PA. I shared the bill with one of my favorite singer/songwriters, Tara Toms. As usual, her live set was wonderful! Tara has amazing stage presents and her voice is beautiful. She also just put out a new record. I'm not very good at reviewing music because it is difficult to put into technical words the way that music makes me feel, but I've gotta let you know about this new release! Snap The Earth's Way is a collection of two Tara Toms and The Tumbleweeds originals and five covers that are done in the best kinda way (the only way that Tara knows how to do it). Both this album and her first release are the kind of cds that you want to keep in your car all the time. I replayed Too Cold To Be Alone (#2 on the album) until I could sing along just on the way home from the show. Each song has lyrics that you want to know and the instrumentation that the band cooks up is always just right. The recordings are simple just like the [...]

If I were a bird, I might be the kind that flies south for the winter. What's the best thing to do to squash that annoying spring fever I mentioned earlier? Dump 2 feet of snow on it! 28" to be exact... I spent this blizzard holed up at my cottage with good friends and I couldn't ask for much more than that. I won't get down about the weather. It's truly beautiful out here, majestic even...
I have been working on some new tunes for my show at Wilson College in Chambersburg PA this week and that always makes me feel good. I also got to spend some loving time with my cello. I'm such a lucky girl. Hmmm, I'm sure that I have something interesting (or at least witty) to say... Perhaps my witt has flown south! If I figure it out, I'll let you know!
Musically yours
xo

Let me start by saying that I think that my little town looks beautiful covered in snow. I also love the feeling of snow drifting against the walls of my cottage and snuggling under blankets and sipping mulled wine... as long as I don't have to go anywhere or do anything. The reality of the situation is that I have to get to work, and to the store and my little car just doesn't have the same gumption as 4-wheel drive! I love that I live in a place that gets all 4 seasons; bring on the next one!!!
I am, however, attempting to make the best of the situation by planning tours, booking shows and dream dream dreaming of the garden that will be started post haste and the day-old ducklings that will arrive in March! You might not know this about me, but I am absolutely in love with raising plants in a garden and ducks in the yard :) Something I want to try this year is adding a few guinea fowl to the yard. The excitement that I am feeling at this moment when thinking of these new funny looking [...]

Each morning I wake up to a new surprise... that is to say, my hair surprises me every morning! After 5 years of dreadlocks, I cut my hair off. I thought that now would be a good time to get some new photos taken for the new look of the website. I got in contact with Robin Day who is a local photographer because I loved the look of her portraits that I saw on her own website www.robinday.net. Take a look over at the Photo Gallery section of my site to see the great work that she did (and see my new hair!).

So, at the beginning of January I took a trip up to NY city with Bob Keel to do a couple of shows. It was my second time playing in the Big Apple and I love the city... I also really love coming home from the city! Our first show was at Googies Lounge above The Living Room. We had just whooshed in on a bus from DC and went straight to the gig to set up. There was not much of a crowd (at all...) but that is typical of any first time gig at a new place. Bob played his set and sounded great, but when I got up to play, my banjo wouldn't stay in tune. That can be really frustrating since it is hard to get a banjo in tune any way (I'm sure you've heard of more than one joke about that). About three chords into my first song the neck of the banjo separated from the head and folded itself like a sandwich! Ever have one of those dreams about performing and realizing that you are naked? Well, magnify that feeling by 100 and that is what I felt. Fortunately, it was late in the evening and I was only [...]