The Daily Country

How do you spend the long hours in the van?
When I’m by myself I take the first 20 minutes or so to mentally run through the next show I’m playing. Then I turn the radio to NPR and listen to all the news, until the segments start to repeat themselves. I’m never so up on current events as when I’m touring.

What’s the most frustrating thing about being on the road?
I have three kids who are all in school now, and about the time they’re getting home from school, I’m loading in somewhere. It can be almost impossible to find time to talk with them during the week, and I wind up feeling disconnected from them. I also sometimes struggle with feeling guilty when I’m missing their ball games or their dances, or just being there to talk to them when they’ve had a hard day.

What do you love most about being on the road?
I love having so many shows in a row and waking up each morning knowing that I get to play again that day. I love making connections with other bands and fans from outside Chicago and getting to catch up with old friends. I also love getting acquainted with other cities – trying local food, figuring out directions as I drive through, and comparing their rush hour traffic to Chicago’s. And, even though I miss my family while I’m gone, I enjoy the quiet of the hotel room in the morning and reading the newspaper while I eat breakfast very slowly.

What’s your favorite venue and why?
Probably my favorite place to play is Maurer Hall at Chicago’s Old Town School of Folk Music. The room is beautiful and it sounds great, and it’s a few blocks from my house, which makes load-in easy. But I also really love the vision of the Old Town School and the commitment they have to making music accessible to everyone through lessons, workshops, concerts and community sing-alongs. I’ve taken banjo and fiddle lessons there over the years, and a result, met some of my favorite Chicago musicians (and even one or two that played in my band).

Do you have a favorite thing to do on a day off?
I like to sleep until noon and then watch movies in my pjs with my kids and my husband. And order take out. And do the crossword puzzle in the Chicago Tribune.


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