Hi, everybody!

It’s trying so hard to be autumn here in Richmond, but the leaves are slow to turn this year. Still, I’m sure you are racing around at a frantic pace as we all settle into our fall schedules. I sure hope you’ll include us on your calendar, because we’d love to see you at one of our shows!

As busy as things are, it’s not too early to start thinking about the holidays—shopping, planning menus, booking live music for your holiday party. You know, all the important stuff! If you would like us to play for your December festivities (or any other parties), please feel free to send me an email! We’ll love to bring our carols and other music to your company celebration or neighborhood fete!

One of these days we’ll need our sweaters again, and I’m guessing it’ll be very soon—maybe while you’re reading this! Thanks, as always, for your wonderful support, and keep a song in your heart!

--Susan

:: What the heck is Soul City Cafe?

What the heck is Soul City Café?
It's a contest sponsored by singer-songwriter Jewel to open for her on a portion of her 2003 summer our. She will have one group and one solo artist open for her, each from this contest. Visitors to the website www.soulcitycafe.com have been voting for the group they feel should progress to the national finals.

Now that we're in the national finals, we are one of five groups competing for the opening slot. You'll be able to vote online for that round, too. This kind of national exposure can be a gigantic step forward for an undiscovered artist, and I think it's really cool-and frankly, amazing-that Jewel, a well-established talent and internationally successful artist, would go out of her way to help artists reach a wider audience.

Soul City Café is a site that aims to help artists of all kinds; Jewel must be a very special person to reach out to undiscovered people, when she could just as easily go about her life and make her own music.

 

:: We Won! We will be the band to open for Jewel on 8 shows of her fall tour! Whoo hoo! We won the Soul City Cafe Music Quest competition!!

For those of you who hadn't heard our exciting news, we're just thrilled beyond words and, above all, so grateful to all of you for your support! The winners were determined by popular vote at the Soul City Café Website, and over 100,000 votes were cast. The winner of the solo category is wonderful singer-songwriter Anne Heaton, with whom we did a show at NYC's historic Bottom Line last September.

I've received literally hundreds of emails from so many of you, and I want you to know that I am ready EVERY SINGLE ONE! I probably won't be able to answer every single one, just because I have gigs coming up that we have to play! (ha ha!) But I am so moved that you have taken the time not just to vote and tell your friends, but to share our excitement and be part of this wacky, exhilarating ride of ours. We literally cannot do any of this without you.

We had several amazing sponsors who made our trip to California possible, we thank you all so much! Additionally, Bill Bevins and Shelly Perkins at Lite 98 continue to be beyond amazing to us, playing our music and letting everyone know about the voting AND the results! We also really appreciate al the love and support from Q94's morning show team Billy Surf, Betty Bodine and Melissa Chase, Billy and the Breakfast Bunch at Star 107.3, and Eric and Tara at B103.7 FM. Also a million thanks to Melissa Ruggieri and everyone at the Richmond Times-Dispatch who helped us get the word out before and after we won!

Yipppeeeee! With gratitude and love,

Susan and the guys.