An American Songline

Journeys in Vintage Music with Cecelia Otto

Driving

Pre-Depature Thoughts

by

At this time next week, I’ll be standing in New York City. My rehearsal for the inaugural performance at the Duplex Cabaret will be finished, and then I’ll have some down time before I perform my first show on the 13th. I can’t call it the “calm before the storm” because it won’t be that negative. It will be be more of a “pause before the whirlwind”. But I know it will be a great whirlwind – it will all go so fast.

I’ve been researching this travelogue as well as rehearsing/living with this the music for years, and there’s a part of me that honestly can’t believe I’ll be actually be doing this tour. I’ve been corresponding with people in New York and New Jersey for months who are now writing “See you soon-literally!” My mind is definitely blown on so many levels to read these words and know it will actually be true very soon.

There will be amazing and not-so-amazing points on this journey, but I know that’s what this is all about. I look forward to this road ahead of me, and I’m so grateful for all of your wonderful wishes and thoughts for this project.

Have a great weekend-and I hope to see you on the road!

New Year, New website!

by

Hello everyone,

Hope everyone’s 2013 has got off to a great start! I’ve been running full speed the last few weeks trying to finalize the tour and get out the word to everyone about what I’m doing this year.

There’s been a lot of great changes to the website in preparation for this tour, including a Press page with photos and a press release, Audio and Video samples of me performing, a Frequently Asked Questions page, and an online store where you can buy the preview CD (you can also make donations to help with the project as well). Stay tuned for the tour page, where I will be listing all of the concerts shortly.

Again, this project is a grassroots effort. The more you and your communities participate with this endeavor, the better the project will be. If you would still like to help me, it’s not too late! I still need to find venues to perform along the route, musicians to accompany me and lodging, please contact me via email or through the contact page on the website.

Thank you all for your support this year, and I look forward to meeting you all very soon!

East Tour of LHA 2011 conference in pictures

by

Hello all:

Another great day, but man I am tired.  Today’s tour was in Nevada. We started in Stateline, and then went to Carson City, Dayton, and then came back to Lake Tahoe for the Thunderbird lodge tour at sunset (an old mansion built from 1936-1939).

Again, I will write more later, but here are the highlights of the day.

This is Coin Press #1. This is the first coin press ever used in the United States, and still makes coins/medallions today. All of us who went on the tour today have a special medallion made for us, and it was made just for us.
Feral Horses outside Carson City, NV.
The historical society of Dayton NV went all out for us. We were able to walk the whole town for 2 hours today.
Sign on Dayton Fire House, Dayton NV.
Horse Hitch outside of the main saloon, Dayton NV.
Fence in Dayton, NV.
Coach/Carriage house, Dayton NV.
Original Lincoln Highway stretch outside Dayton, NV.
Thunderbird Lodge at sunset, Lake Tahoe.
Looking down to the water at the lodge. Yes, the rumors are true. Lake Tahoe is very clear. You can see down 100 feet in some places.
Another great sunset in Lake Tahoe. It will be hard to leave.

Hello world!

by

First off, a big thank you for liking, following, or checking out my project. This is not just a musical journey, but it is also about community.  Roads are powerful to us – they can bring us together and drive us apart.

We live in a world where people seek to find the negative differences first, and then try to find the positives after that.  Absurd!  While the diversity in America is engaging and wonderful, let’s not forget that we really have more in common than we think.  We all want to be loved.  We all want to be heard.  We all need a place to sleep and some food.  There is so much that unites us, we should embrace those ideals more each day.

It’s so easy with technology these days to forget that there is a live person sitting behind a computer.  I hope that with this project you reach out to your community, wherever you are to see “where the road takes you”. Take a wrong turn on your way home one day and see what you find.  You may find a store you’ve always wanted in your neighborhood, or a local cafe where you can work unfettered, or a community center where you

can finally take that oil painting class you’ve always wanted to take. You may make a new friend.

In the coming weeks, I’ll be writing about everything related to this travelogue.  This blog will be live pre, during, and post journey, so keep checking back for updates.  Next week I’ll be in Lake Tahoe for the annual Lincoln Highway Association’s conference.  You’ll see daily updates and pictures from the road.

Once again, thank you for being a part of this journey. See you on the road!