"Two Birds" is almost ready to fly the coop! 

ALL THE LATEST ALBUM NEWS, INCLUDING:
Recording News, Photos and Artwork News, Release Tour (!!) Information and All About My New Band!  Read on:

THE ALBUM IS RIGHT ON SCHEDULE and we're getting closer and closer to the finish line!  Months of recording, a meticulous and talented producer, and an all-star ensemble of players.  I can promise you: This album will be well worth the wait.  The first thing I should mention is that I've finally settled on a title.  

1. The title of the album is TWO BIRDS!  That title will make a lot more sense when you see the artwork and hear the songs.  

2. We've just finished the last few recording sessions- Colin Brooks on the resonator guitar and Robby Hecht adding his beautiful voice to the project.  And just last weekend, my bandmate Taylor Powell (more about the band- yet another new development- in a few paragraphs) is lending his lovely pipes to some background vocals.  I've got a couple photos of Robby in the studio to share with you guys, courtesy of Mr. Billy Crockett.

Now that all the recording is done, Billy and Bradley Prakope are hard at work mixing.  While all that's going on, we've also been working on the cover art and liner notes.  Here's the latest on the design front:

4. Photos- I had the most incredible photo shoot with Rodney Bursiel, the same photographer who took photos for my first album.  Rodney's work has been featured in numerous publications and been album art for artists like Billy Crockett, Beth Wood, Cliff Eberhardt, and Shawn Colvin, to name a few.  I'm really excited to have him on board for this project.  The photos he took for the album are beautiful.

I'm going to resist the temptation to post those photos for a little while longer- at least until the album artwork is finished.  We're currently trying on different photos for the cover.  I will let you know as soon as we know which ones made the cut!  

In the meantime, here's a little teaser to give you some idea of what to expect: Rodney had the brilliant idea of taking photos at a boutique in Wimberley, TX called Brocante.  Brocante's this funky little shop full of the quaint and quirky.  Everything from modern designer dresses to old fashioned bloomers and corsets.  There were silk hats and suitcases, umbrellas and earrings, and a store mascot: a little black dog with a bejeweled collar.  It was like being in the attic of a cool old aunt.  Everywhere we looked, there was something we wanted to play with.  "Curious goods," just like their website says.  It was a goldmine for Rodney and me.  We had SO MUCH FUN.  And we got some great photos out of it.  Many thanks to Brocante and to owner Angela Battaglia.  

All and all, Rodney sent me about 400 photos to sort through.  They are all beautiful.  It's been tough deciding on which ones to use for the album!  

5. Design- But the photos are just the beginning.  I'm excited to announce that we've got artist and designer Wayne Brezinka on board to take it from here.  Wayne's past clients include folks like, oh... The New York Times, The Boston Globe, The Country Music Hall of Fame, Willie Nelson, Sarah Jarosz, Matthew Perryman Jones, and about a million other impressive publications, organizations, and people. Producer Charlie Peacock (The Civil Wars, Holly Williams) calls Wayne "...a spring-loaded artist who blends serious skill and whimsy with the ease of breathing..."
Here's a little sample of Wayne's work (Matthew Perryman Jones, Sarah Jarosz, and Willie Nelson):


And his current project, which he's working on as I'm typing this, is my new album!!!  I'm a little excited.  Can you tell?  I really resonate with Wayne's artwork.  Wayne's work plus Rodney's photos and these songs... It's a match made in indie album heaven.  Watch out- this is going to be a cool looking digipak, guys.  Which leads me to the next obvious question:

6. So when does this thing come out already???  I've got good news.  Those of you who contributed to the Kickstarter campaign could have your pre-released, signed copy in your hands as early as mid-August.  You'll be getting your copy and any other Kickstarter rewards you haven't received yet, weeks before anyone else can buy theirs.  As for everybody else:

7. Official release and radio campaign- I'm officially releasing the album in September.  That's when you'll (hopefully) start hearing it on the radio and that's when it will be available through my website.  Cris and I will be doing a DIY radio campaign, packaging and shipping our own handmade mailers to a large number of radio stations.  Then, we'll be following up with those stations ourselves.  In addition to the radio campaign, we've got a few other promo irons in the fire.  We're still deciding how much of what's left of the budget to allocate to each of these promo ideas, so I'm not quite ready to announce our other tactics yet.  But know that we will be working very hard to get this album heard and that we've got some great ideas on how to do it.

8. Release Tour!!- I'll be touring from the end of September through the end of October to promote the album.  We've already got a lot of great venues lined up- 10 so far.  And my husband Cris (who's also my booking agent, God bless him) is finalizing another 5 or 10.  It's going to be a whirlwind of crazy awesomeness.  We're going to wait until everything is finalized to announce the actual dates of the release tour.  But all the information should be coming your way soon.  One thing I can tell you is that I'll be bringing a band with me.  You heard me right.  An honest to God B-A-N-D.

I'm thrilled to be able to say that I won't be playing these release shows by myself.  Keeping me company are my friends Blake and Taylor Powell.  A little bit about the Powell brothers: Blake is 22 and Taylor is 20.  Blake and Taylor BOTH went to Berklee.  They're BOTH multi-instrumentalists and are both in high demand as sidemen.  They BOTH sing.  They BOTH write.  

Blake plays anything with strings, but especially guitars.  (He also plays a number of instruments that don't have strings, like keyboards and drums, if I'm not mistaken.)  Last month, Blake decided to learn the pedal steel for my release tour.  He's already getting work as a pedal steel player, which tells you something about how quick of a study he is.  You can expect to hear pedal steel and probably some other instruments in October...

Taylor went to Berklee on a drum scholarship but he plays a bunch of other instruments too: guitar, keys, bass, you name it.  He's a particularly fine singer.  I could listen to him sing all day long.  We've been working on a lot of beautiful harmonies.  I should also mention that Taylor just put out his first EP of original songs.

We're calling our little trio Fourteen Hundred Miles, since that's the distance between Harrisonburg, Virginia (where I live) and Austin, Texas (where they live).  I'm honored to have them as my sidemen for this release tour, considering the fact that unlike a lot of young musicians, they are not hurting for work.  They add so much to these songs.  They're also just great guys.  I know you will love them.

Taylor and Blake will be sidemen for this release tour, but I will tell you that the three of us have been writing new songs together.  So who knows where that may lead...  Right now, my focus is this album.  I'm so excited to have the boys on board, helping me get TWO BIRDS out there in the world.  

9. End of Summer Shows- I've got a few more dates before the BIG RELEASE TOUR.  Some highlights: July 19th, I'm doing an in-the-round with BettySoo and Colby Miller at the new location of the Dosey Doe near Houston.  I love the Dosey Doe and am so glad to be able to play this show.  The name of the new "Little Doe" is The Music Cafe.  Later that weekend on Saturday, July 21st, I'll be opening for Bruce Robison and Kelly Williams at the Kessler Theatre in Dallas!  It's my first time at the Kessler.  I'm really excited to be there.  So those are two great last minute Texas shows.

I'm also doing a handful of shows with my dad (Pierce Pettis) in August- Fiddle and Bow in Winston-Salem, NC; Monkey House Concerts in Blacksburg, VA; and Historic Cooper's House of Oakland Mills in Columbia, MD.  If you're in the area we'd love to see you!

Two more great shows in August- Lakehouse Concerts with Sally Barris in Montclair, VA and The Stone Room with Chatham Street in Falls Church, VA- and then I'm on to a busy September!  

My website has all the details and up to date information.

Thanks so much for all of your support.  I'm so excited to be nearing the finish line with this album and I can't wait to come to your area and play you these songs.  Thanks for letting me share this journey with you.  Thanks for walking it with me.

I'm grateful for you!

grace