--- but he plays one in this song. I like telling stories with the songs I write, and in this one, an old man looks back on a long and satisfying life.I think Craig does a great job in his

According to family legend, my great-great grandfather George Convy brought a piece of sod from the homeland when he emigrated from Ireland in 1866. Now and again he would take it out and have a good cry.The Irish, who fled their country by the thousands, did not have a word for "emigrate" -- instead, they used

That's Whole Wheat Radio.It's a hardy, flavorful treat after a bland diet of mainstream radio's fluffy Wonder Bread.From the WWR website:"Whole Wheat Radio is a homegrown grassroots online radio station originating from Talkeetna, Alaska.""We feature the music of 2,794 tru

......Drosselmeyer, the plastic owl.During December, our owl perches at the top of our Christmas tree:The rest of the year he bides his time in the front hall. But last week he was conscripted to duty just outside the front door. His mission: Keep those blasted, messy chick

This soup is a staple at our house in the winter. I made it the other day with Funari's Italian Sausage and was VERY impressed by how lean and meaty this sausage is. And flavorful -- and LOCAL.Find these spicy treats at the Holiday Market or at Leatherby's in downtown Redding or online at their web site:

When I was growing up, "INSTANT" FOOD was all the rage: Instant mashed potatoes, Tang Instant Breakfast Drink.....It was the era of Space Food Sticks, for crying out loud. I don't know why everyone was in such a hurry - it's not like we had to micro-manage our Internet lives back then. For some reason, saving time was cruci

Thirty-three years ago, on Valentine's Day, Craig gave me a little promise ring and asked me to be his girlfriend. We were teenagers and madly in love. So far, it seems to have worked out pretty well.We're spending Valentine's Day doing what we love to do: Hanging out at home, playing music, cooking, sipping a l

Last month I read about a show being produced by talk radio host Ronn Owens, KGO AM 810(San Francisco). "The Best Music You've Never Heard" is a once-a-year show and they requested CDs from unsigned Northern California bands. They put all the CDs in a box and pulled out enough to play short clips for an hour and a half. The

Craig and I were singing last night -- going through some old cover songs. We tend to stick to originals when we play out, but our playlist here at home includes lots of great tunes by some brilliant songwriters.Singing Kris Kristofferson's "Help Me Make it Through the Night" is a good exercise, because besides

Make money with music? Now there's a novel concept. It's never been our strong suit - much to my husband's chagrin. Desperate times, though, require desperate measures -- so I'm giving myself a crash course in this maddening-but-lovable music business.CD Baby - a company that does their damnedest to hel

Phil Paige hosts a singer-songwriter Open Mic at the Downtown Eatery the first Wednesday of every month - that's this Wednesday, February 3rd.Sign up for open mic is 7-7:30 (or email organizer Phil Paige: ppaige2000@aol.com a

For a couple years, I helped the Old Time Fiddlers deliver FiddleGrams on Valentine's Day.What a kick!! -- It is a grand group of musicians, exquisitely organized by the talented and ever-enthusiast

For a couple years, I've helped the Old Time Fiddlers deliver FiddleGrams on Valentine's Day.What a kick!! -- It is a grand group of musicians, exquisitely organized by the talented and

North State Songwriters will perform original music as part of the 2010 city-wide Cultural Cruise. We'll be in the lobby of Redding City Hall, starting at 5 PM. View artwork from several local artists and enjoy complimentary refreshments.On the bill for the North State Songwriters:5:00 Still Married

Singer songwriter Dan Sheridan of Aspen, Colorado, got himself fired for singing about what "Big Money" has done to his town.Read the story - complete with a Capra-esque ending -- here:Folk Song St

I was lucky enough to have grown up with Leslie Rinchen Wongmo --we went all through grammar and high school together, back when she was Leslie Freilich and

Steve Gillette wrote "Darcy Farrow" and hundreds of other great songs -- his works have been recorded by Garth Brooks, John Denver, Nanci Griffith, Waylon Jennings, Anne Murray, Kenny Rogers and other A-list singers.Gillette and his wife, singer songwriter Cindy Mangsen were at Bernie's last year and Cr

The Sandra James Music Foundation announces the 3rd Annual Songwriting Contest. The contest runs until March 31st.What are they looking for? Sandra James was a singer-songwriter who was passionate about the environment and making the world a better place and she believed in the inspirational power of music. The

Tex Ash is a bass player with the California Old Time Fiddlers. A tireless volunteer and

Songwriter Steve Seskin (I Think About You, Don't Laugh at Me and many others) is most generous with his insight and experience. A wonderful storyteller, he shares the nuts and bolts of good songwriting with humor and honesty. He, Don Henry and Craig Carothers are presenting a songwriting workshop at the Freight an

...we get to hear about Grandma's unfortunate encounter with a reindeer -- over and over and over again. Songwriter Randy Brooks shares the back story on the novelty song he penned 30 years ago. Inspiration, he says, came from a Haggard song. Read the story on the Great American Country

Our new Christmas song - Christmas Carol Wishes, tied for second place in the Renee Ashley Baker original Christmas song contest.From her website: "reminds me of the great duets by June and Johnny and by Dolly and Kenny."That makes me merry.

Our neighbors know how to throw a fun party. It's the Annual Ugly Sweater Party, and it gets uglier every year.Last year we thought we had a good chance of winning the Ugliest Couple Contest.C'mon -- wouldn't you agree?But NO-O-O-O. A burly man in a wom

It's about this time each year, halfway through Shipping Hell Week (it's actually a Hell-Fortnight), that we prescribe a little R & R for ourselves. It involves champagne and movie-watching. The movie is always the Frank Capra classic It's a Wonderful Life.It's sappy-but-sweet and we've watched coun

I'm baking mountains of goodies this month - shortbread, toffee, biscotti.... But I think these White Chocolate Brownies may be the best thing to come out of my kitchen.My friend Bob -- loves these. The recipe came about when I had a shortage of eggs and had to tinker with t

Singer-songwriter Rita Hosking is originally from Eastern Shasta County. Her voice and her honest songwriting have won her high praise from critics and fans throughout the country. Rita won the prestigious Dave Carter Memorial S

In November, I accepted a songwriting challenge over at the Songwriting Scene blog. I had been wanting to write a new Christmas song, and figured if I committed to it in a public forum, I'd have to actually deliver.And Lo! - a Christmas miracle has indeed taken plac

Dairrien Call is a Redding teenager facing serious surgery in a few weeks, and friends have organized a fundraiser for the family to help defray some of the travel and family expenses.A Spaghetti Dinner - suggested donation of $4 each.Church of the Redeemer844 Butte StreetDecember 4th From 5pm-

Handel's Messiah -- still relevant 250 years after the composer's death. A nice treat in this month's Smithsonian - an article on Handel and his beloved composition.The Messiah was written for Easter, but it's b

Great deals on Christmas trees in Anderson:On North St, between Highway 5 and Stingy Ln. Located next to North Street Espresso at 2780 North St, Anderson.Nice folks and the trees are lovely and very reasonably priced.

Head to The Downtown Eatery this Wednesday, December 2nd, for their monthly Singer Songwriter Showcase and Open Mic. Music gets underway a

Last week a charming furniture consignment store opened up in the space recently vacated by Rustic Charms.FINDERS KEEPERS, at 2235 Hilltop Drive, is operated by Amanda Sinyard, who is loving h

Lyle Lovett talks songwriting, songwriters and ponies:At: Country Standard Time

For years I thought I was too busy in December to volunteer as a Salvation Army Bell ringer. Our family runs a mailing and shipping business (Wrap-N-Pack) and December is sheer madness for us. I promised myself I'd volunteer as a bell ringer when Christmastime was less hectic.Then a couple years ago I ran into C

Proof that great songwriting is timeless: Lydia the Tatooed Lady, written by Harold Arlen and Yip Harburg.Harburg and Arlen are most famous for writing The Wizard of Oz score - but I love Groucho doing this lyrical masterpiece. And I love that Harburg's nickname, "Yipsel," is yiddish for squ

Yesterday there was a long discussion over at A News Cafe about how generous the North State community is, and I'm hoping folks will chip in -- even just a little bit -- to help this family. Times are hard everywhere, but Misty Call's request

"Writin' songs is like a mystery," says Lyle Lovett in an American Songwriter interview. I have to agree. Lovett is one my all-time favorite singer-songwriters, and you can read more about his philosophy and insights at

When our kids were young, we lived in San Jose. We used to take our munchkins to a city park that butted up against an old estate. We could peer through an ancient hedge and see a huge, decrepit old

Husband and wife duo Steve and Diana Wallis -- PINE DOGZ -- will be at The Post Office in the Downtown Mall tonight. They play a fun variety of folksy-rockin'-blues, with some nice originals tossed into the mix. Music and fun start at 6:30.From their website: "Pine Dogz do more than howl at the moon. Transpla

Love this quote from Charles Jones:“You will be the same person in five years as you are today except for the books you read and the people you meet.”Read the entire article by Dustin Reichmann at:My Super-Charged Life -

Max came into the living room when Craig and I were enjoying a rare moment of of silence.Max: "Why aren't you guys talking? Why aren't you playing music? Are you getting a divorce?! Which one of you is packing up and moving to L.A. ? - cuz' that's who I'm siding with."

How do you get Happy Coffee?Make this scrumptious Pumpkin Pecan Biscotti, dip it in your coffee and share it with someone you love.Pumpkin Pecan Biscotti from epicurious

That is part of a songwriter's job description.This song grew out of a casual conversation with a songwriting buddy who bet I couldn't guess his middle name. It turned into a song I enjoy singing and one of our most popular downloads, though I'm not quite sure why. Maybe because it's short?Craig give

Still writing, touring and connecting with audiences -- Nanci Griffith, 56, talks about her calling in this interview on The Hour Online:Nanci GriffithCraig and I love to sing this Griffith tune, Gulf Coast Highway:

The Mount Shasta Mall will be crawling with artists this Saturday --- the Shasta County Arts Council presents ARTsMART. Enjoy demonstrations, entertainment and get some early Christmas shopping done AND support our local arts community.Craig and I are looking forward to playing our original tunes on the Macy's s

Too many versions of the song Hallelujah have songwriter Leonard Cohen pleading for mercy. Those royalty checks, though, are probably coming in handy....Read the story on Tampabay.com:

Me and Rosanne Cash:"Right after wife and mother, I am a songwriter," says she. Read more of this enlightening interview with Rosanne Cash:Sound Affects

We really are planning to release a new CD before Christmas, but recording has gone much slower than we hoped.We're putting in a lot of hours at Wrap-N-Pack, which doesn't leave a great deal of time and energy for the fun things. Add to that: a house full of kids who have busy lives and require attention and car

Found this very sweet entry on our website guestbook - it refers to a song I wrote: "The Turf o' Tullamore.""I was casually browsing youtube references to my hometown when I came across the Turf o' Tullamore. Just about every major town in Ireland has had a sign

Kris Kristofferson is a songwriter's songwriter - a brilliant poet with a charming backstory that's legend in songwriting circles. Songwriters do dearly love their fairytales -- success stories that follow years of frustration and hard work.In this video from ABC.com, he talks about his history in Nash