7/28/2007: I have some more fun shows upcoming in August for those of you in the Madison area. I still have a standing duo act with Randy Green and with my trio and sometimes full band, but also have a few new collaborations
including some duo performances with Michael Bryant (of Sticky
Fingers) and another duo collaboration with Dave Schindele. And, a new trio has formed, called Likely Stories, that includes myself plus Dave Schindele and Nancy
Rost. We have performed once and have another show upcoming, and are in the studio working on a collaborative CD! PREVIEW: You can hear three of Dave's
fine songs with my cello added, in rough mix form, on Dave's web site -- songs are This Ground, Nicole, and These Strings. More news to follow about this fun group! 4/2/2007: Some audio and photos are now posted at 3ofCups.info from a show in Minnesota with this very exciting collaborative effort with Rachel
Nelson, Michael Kiley, and special guest Tret Fure. Check it out! See also the MUSIC
page for a new live MP3 and new featured video. 3/28/2007: Madison Area Music Awards: I am a finalist in the Madison Area
Music Awards for BEST
FOLK/AMERICANA ARTIST, and Randy's Recording (where I do my recording) is a finalist for BEST RECORDING STUDIO. This annual awards program benefits music in the public schools. Voting in the next round opens April 1 and you find information about how to register and vote
(and support the cause!) at the MAMAs
web site. 3/2/2007: New featured (free) MP3 has been posted! See the MUSIC page.
I am mostly on "break" from performing at the moment, but I do have a couple of things on the calendar including another show with Midwest musician Joe Jencks...check the PERFORMANCES page for details.
Some of you have asked what I'm up to....Well, a number of things. I am working on some new writing here and there, specifically some instrumental guitar compositions. Also I'm enjoying playing, just for fun or for occasional gigs, with some side projects, old and new, in various styles of music. I'm also playing piano for a local civic theater's production of "Camelot" and sitting in for a time with the band at my church for their contemporary service. I'm taking some drum lessons from,
ahem, the world's best drummer (Rock Williams, formerly of Slave Raider) and learning to play some electric bass also. And still working on my violin. And, though only loosely related...I'm also taking bellydancing and having a ball! Can we say...."UNFOCUSED?" As I have been saying for quite some time....Life's too short to be just one person!!!! 
1/26/2007: I am part of an exciting new project called 3 of Cups, which is a collaborative with singer-songwriter/multi-instrumentalist RACHEL NELSON and
percussionist Michael "Stix" Kiley. We have our first
public shows next weekend, in Minnesota, and those shows will also include special guest TRET FURE -- see the Performances page for details or see www.3ofcups.info. More to come!1/17/2007 - Several items...
Re: Shows: For your Wisconsin folks, there have been some last-minute changes in shows -- namely a couple of shows I have postponed for a while -- so if you are planning to attend a performance, please check the Performances page. I do keep that fairly
up-to-the-minute, so when in doubt that's the best place to check. I may not have been able to catch all of the papers etc. so some shows may still show up in area listings. Apologies for any inconvenience!
Performing break: I am going to be taking a much needed break from performing for a while starting in about mid-February, though I will still do some informal performances now and then and guest appearances and some work with side projects. Thanks to all of my fans/friends for the support you have shown in coming out to shows! I plan to use a lot of the newfound "free" time to work on new writing and other musical projects.
Other news: I was commissioned recently to write a guitar instrumental as a theme song for the Alaska Podshow and had a great time doing that, after a very inspiring though brief visit to Alaska last summer (via cruise ship). You can hear the new song at my Broadjam site -- it is called "Inside Passage." 12/14/2006: New MP3 now posted...Happy holidays! (See the MUSIC page.) I have a few shows between now and end of February and then wil be taking a break from performing for a while to work on new material and other projects. I hope
to see you at one of my winter shows! 
10/31/2006: It's here! Yellow Bike EP - This is a re-release of my 2004 solo guitar & vocals EP, this time under new title Yellow Bike and with TWO bonus tracks (also guitar/vocal solo) just recorded this week! Click here for a little newsblurb about it!
9/17/2006: MULTIPLE SONGWRITING AWARDS
I just heard that I won these four awards in the Songwriters of Wisconsin International contest for 2006, announced on 9/16/2006:
FIRST PLACE: Folk Category, "Yellow Bike"
FIRST PLACE: Adult Contemporary Category, "Take Me To The Mountain"
SECOND PLACE: Adult Contemporary Category, "Quietly There"
FOURTH PLACE: Pop/Rock Category, "Baggage"- 9/17/2006: I'm heading home now after a wonderful tour in North Carolina! Thanks so much for all of you who attended a show(s), and special thanks to those of you who have shown support through prayers and contributions for my friend Mary Ann Kyles Ingram. The fundraising efforts for the family have been very successful so far and contributions are still coming in. Click here for more.
- 9/7/2006:
I'm enjoying my time down in NC and the real fun is about to begin! The cellist who will be joining me for shows on tomorrow and Saturday, Leslie Alperin, is phenomenal and I'm so excited to have the chance to play with her! And I'm very anxious to hear my pal Keith Howard play again (opening act). The show in Wilmington (my birth city) on 9/15 will be very special to me, and I have a great bass player joining me for the show in Clayton on 9/16.
Looking ahead: With all the fun I'm having now it's hard to think about life after this, but yet more exciting things are coming up soon. I'm very happy to announce that I will be opening two great concerts in Madison in October, for Ellis Paul (Oct. 22) and for Holly Near (Oct. 29). See the Performances page for details!
- 8/18/2006: Another update to NC plans -- the fabulous bass player Darrin Stephens (of The Revelers) will join me for my show on my Sept. 16 show in Clayton! I'm lucky to be able to snag him on a night when he doesn't have a gig with his band. They are a wonderful new group that is quickly gaining notice, so all you NC folks, check out their site and get to a show when you can.
- 8/13/2006: Click here for my latest newsletter - Special Edition for North Carolina Fans/Friends/Family
- 8/8/2006: Update on NC tour plans -- In light of some very recent information, I am designating three of my NC shows as medical benefits for a longtime friend and wonderful human being, Mary Ann Ingram.
(Click here for more info.)
- 8/4/2006: I was recently honored by being inducted into the Indepdent Artist Registry, which is a very selective listing service. Thousands applied this year for the Midwest region but only 52 were selected.
IAR Letter of Endorsement | Press Release by IAR
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8/6/2006: I'm getting ready for my brief NC tour next month, but before that I have a coule of shows here in WI. See the PERFORMANCES page for details on August/September shows! There are some fun things in store for the NC shows including some special guests. In honor of my upcoming trip "home" I have posted
TWO MP3s for free downloading this month - both were inspired by my Tar Heel home. See the MUSIC page!
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7/1/2006: Happy Fourth of July! Randy and I enjoyed playing a short outdoor set at Latte Da Espresso, just before hearing that the fireworks were
postponed. The rain held out long enough for us to pack up, thankfully!
AND...
SPECIAL THANKS to all of you wonderful folks who came out to Madison's THE BRINK LOUNGE to see my full band show on Friday June 30! The venue said it was one of the best turnouts so far and we had a blast! What a beautiful place, AND a great audience to boot. A magical evening all the way around. Rock Williams did the most amazing drum solo I've ever heard/seen (amazing polyrhythms, in "Just One Person"), and Steve Kasprzak offered a fantastic bass solo as well (during Laura Nyro's "Stoned
Soul Picnic"). We'll be back at that venue for a series of shows starting in October, after I'm back from my touring.
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6/12/2006: I'm having a great time working with my band again! Some of the excellent musicians who contributed parts on my last album are now joining me for some live shows in the Madison area. We convened last year for the television concert on Urban Theater and are excited to be planning more events now. I'm honored to work with Steve Kasprzak on upright bass,
Rock Wiliams on drums/percussion, and of course Randy Green on keys and guitar. We have some gigs lined up over the next few months, including our first public Madison appearance set for June 30 at Madison's great new venue, The Brink Lounge. See the GIGS page for details!
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5/31/2006: Tracy on AMERICAN IDOL?? Well, How about American Idol Underground, a website counterpart? My songs "Yellow Bike" and "Movin' in the Right Direction" have both been appearing in the TOP TEN lists in the Folk category this spring!
My music has also been appearing on various TOP TEN charts on the popular music site BROADJAM.COM in the last few months - charts for Folk, Alternative Folk, Contemporary Folk, Region-Wisconsin, Region-Midwest, Production-Instrumental, and more. "Movin' in the Right Direction," one of my instrumental tunes, has been particularly popular
there. And, a number of podcasts have picked up tunes of mine lately. Thanks for all the listener support that has made these things happen!
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5/27/2006: Happy Memorial Day weekend...please take time to remember those who have made the ultimate sacrifice in service to our country.
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5/9/2006: Finally, a photo gallery from the June 2005 TV concert on "Urban Theater" is posted...click here!
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4/29/2006: More on UNICYCLES - read 4/25 entry (below) first: Well as luck (??) would have it, I had to extend my stay in San Diego until Monday after coming
down with bronchitis and a touch of pneumonia early this week (started about the same time the tire blew out and came on very quickly). The doctor I saw here on Thursday said I shouldn't travel yet, so I changed my flight to stay a few more days. I'm starting to feel a little better now and looking forward to getting home on Monday. But, the upshot is that there was time then to get the tire fixed, and today I was finally feeling well enough to venture outside for a short time with the one-wheeler. VOILA!
I now have proof in form of both still shots and video that I can STILL ride a unicycle, more than 30 years later. Some stills are now posted on the PHOTOS page and I'll get some video up soon too! OK, now, I'm pooped and can go back to resting and recuperating.
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4/25/2006: RE: UNICYCLES...Some of you may know my song "Yellow Bike," which is a story song (yes, all true), set in the "where?" town of Kure Beach, NC when I was 10-11 years old. What I don't say in the song is that SOME of that time, what I was riding was a UNICYCLE. If you're interested, I just posted a blog about this on MySpace - Click here, see entry dated 4/25/2006! I was hoping to be posting some photos and video after this week...but my plans may now be thwarted....see the blog for more!
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4/12/2006: Three of my songs were recently awarded Honorable Mentions in the Peacedriven Song Competition - "In This New Year (Instruments of Peace)," "This Losing Game (Goodnight Moon)," and "Bring Me Your Peace." See www.Peacedriven.com for more about this project!
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2/26/2006: Randy's Recording has been named a nominee for BEST RECORDING STUDIO in the upcoming Madison Area Music Awards (MAMAs)! The studio
is where I have recorded all of my albums, and
Randy Green (proprietor) is my producer & manager and sometimes duo partner/band member. See www.themamas.org for more info about voting in the finals! The awards ceremony will be held on March 18, and Randy & I will be performing (see 1/17/06 news item, below).
2/8/2006: I just heard that my song "In This New Year" was named a finalist in the folk category of VH-1's Song of the Year International Songwriting Contest! Song of the Year rreceives
entries from all over the
world and only the top five entries achieve "Finalist" status. The song is still posted as MP3 of the month until about mid-February...see the MUSIC page.. 2/6/2006: I'm getting ready to head to Austin, TX for the North American Folk Alliance convention. I have four showcases lined up and look forward to hanging out with friends old and new! I'm busy getting material ready for that so will wait until I get home to update the "MP3 of the month" (held over from
Dec/Jan by request).
2/3/2006: I recently finished a 3-day run opening shows in Iowa and Wisconsin for the amazing Willy Porter -- what a great experience! If you've never heard of him please visit his site and if at all possible catch
a show sometime. You won't be sorry!
For
more blab/chatter/news, see my latest posting on my blog on MySpace. 1/17/2006: I've been invited to perform at the very prestigious Madison Area Music Awards, on March 18, 2006! For this event I'll join forces with with the outstanding Madison-based group SubVocal, winner of the BEST UNIQUE ALBUM award at last year's MAMAs. We'll do a couple of songs...one of theirs and one of mine. It should be a great event this year with lots of entertainment and surprises. Tickets will go on sale February 1 and proceeds benefit music in the schools. Yes, you can participate in the voting...see the above link for info. 1/9/2006: I'm being featured this week on a great Podcast - The Calmcast, out of the Rotherham in the U.K. Click here to see the info! 1/9/2006: I've been named among the Best of 2005 on Radio Crystal Blue - A weekly internet radio show hosted by Dan Herman in New York. Click here to see the list & more about his show. 
12/12/2005: A song of mine was recently aired on MTV, during the reality TV show MADE!
Movin' in the Right Dirction
was aired on the episode in which Josh wants to become a soccer player...
12/11/2005: I have a profile on MYSPACE.COM
now - stop in! I have a blog there, too....will try to post something worthwhile now and then... - 12/7/2005: You can now purchase/download individual songs of mine via BROADJAM - Click here! All the songs from my published recordings are there, PLUS a couple
of new tunes.
- 9/1/2005: Some late-breaking gigs have just been added to the schedule. September includes some very exciting shows including opening spots for WILLY PORTER in Milwaukee (9/17) and for THE WAILIN' JENNYS in Madison (9/23).
- 8/31/2005: Tune in to Radio Crystal Blue on Sunday night 9/3/2005, 7pm to 1am EDT and hear me featured on Dan's Future Stars
airplay series!
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8/14/2005: Street Team members needed: If you can help out by posting/giving out flyers for shows, please let me know! You can sign up for the Street Team on the CONTACT
page.
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7/20/2005: I just heard that my latest CD "Quietly There" is a winner in the Kweevak Music Awards! These awards are chosen by readers and fans. See this URL for the winners list: www.kweevak.com/rd_cdawards.htm
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7/14/2005: There are some new photos on the PHOTOS page including some from my performance at Bastille Days in Milwaukee this week.
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7/15/2005: A new "MP3-of-the-month" has been posted - see the MUSIC page!
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7/4/2005: Hey, I have some VIDEO now posted at my SonicBids EPK! (Click and here go to VIDEO)
It's the first two songs from my recent television concert on "Urban Theater." (Thanks, John Urban and UPN14!)
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6/17/2005: Now individual tunes from all solo releases, including the new "Quietly There" CD, can be purchased/downloaded from iTunes..
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6/16/2005: A new "MP3-of-the-month" has been posted - see the MUSIC page!
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6/12/2005: I've been selected for a main stage showcase at Folk Alliance-Region Midwest (FARM), to be held in late October 2005 in Kalamazoo, MI. Details will be posted on the Performances
page.
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5/21/2005: I'm featured in the Spring/Summer 2005 issure of Female Musician - check it out here. Also featured in the same issue is one of my musical heroes - Carole King!
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5/18/2005: RADIO SHOW SUNDAY 5/22: I'll be getting some featured airplay this coming Sunday (May 22) on the great weekly Internet show, "Radio Crystal Blue," out of Brooklyn, NY. The show airs Sundays from 7 PM to about 1 AM EDT (6 to midnight CDT) and you can hear it live by visiting this URL: http://www.live365.com/stations/142950
If you miss the show, you can access an archive for up to 4 weeks afterwards: http://cblue.lunarpages.com
"Radio Crystal
Blue exists to spotlight outstanding indie, unsigned and up-and-coming artists, alike, from many genres and locales, all in a rather personable, eductional and flowing manner."
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5/14/2005: The new issue of RICK'S CAFE (Madison monthly entertainment publication) includes a cover
photo and feature article on me, plus stories and CD reviews of other females in the music scene here in Madison such as Lis Harvey and Amy Curl. Check it out! It will be archived on their site after the end of the month, by about mid-June.
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5/12/2005: I made it home safely from my Carolinas tour! Everything was fabulous (in spite of catching a cold halfway through the tour) and I had terrific audiences made up of "old" friends and plenty of new faces as well. Thanks to all who hosted me and to all the venues where I played, for making me feel so welcome!
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4/30/2005: I had my first official show of this tour last night at The General Store in Pittsboro, NC -- what a great crowd! Thanks to all who attended for making me feel so welcome. I'm traveling on this tour with my new Bose sound system (Personal Amplification System) and it is working out beautifully. I love it!
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4/27/2005: Yippee, I just won the Grand Prize at the Cheeseburger in Paradise open mic contest, in Myrtle Beach, SC! I'm just about to start the "real" part of my brief tour after having a few days vacation with relatives in Charlotte, NC and here in MB. I made the 16 hour drive from Madison to Charlotte last wee with no troubles (divided over
two days). After spending a couple of days there with my cousin Sherry, I drove here to MB where I have enjoyed visiting my Grandmother (88 and still kickin') and my Aunt Jane. My official tour shows start Friday night, in Pittsboro, NC.
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4/9/2005: Starting this month you can download one MP3 per month, from the MUSIC page of this site. (Download, share with friends, help me get the word out...But if you like the tunes I hope you'll consider buying a CD!)
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3/20/2005: A newsletter is going out this week to my mailing list. Click here for a PDF copy. If you want to be added to the list for
emails or U.S. mails, see the CONTACT page.
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3/6/2005: News just in today...My new album, Quietly There, is a nominee for BEST ACOUSTIC ALBUM in
the 2005 Madison Area Music Awards (MAMAs)! And also, the folk trio I am part of, Sticky Fingers, is a nominee for BEST ACOUSTIC ARTIST.
The awards ceremony will be done Grammys-style at the Union Theater in Madison on March 26, complete with red carpet entry. Tickets are now on sale - For more info see www.themamas.org. Special thanks to all of you out there who
participated in the voting process to support local music! [Click here for a press release]
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3/5/2005: Songs hitting Broadjam Top 10: Check out Broadjam.com and see their Top 10 lists - You'll find three of my songs in the Top
10 of the Folk-Alternative category, plus more under Folk (General), Region-Wisconsin, and Production. I also have several songs that have gone to #1 on the charts at Indie-Music.com during recent weeks. Internet and land radio plays are also picking up. See
the Links page for links to some of the stations and sites now playing my music.
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11/20/2004: THE NEW ALBUM, "QUIETLY THERE," IS OUT! See the MUSIC page for details and links to the music.
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11/8/2004: HONORS RECEIVED FROM SONG OF THE YEAR
I was recently honored twice by the Song of the Year International Songwriting Competition!
The song "A Father's Lament (Clementine)" from my Second Wind album (lyrics by Arvid Berge) was a finalist in September in the Folk category, and the song "The Heart Remembers," also from Second Wind, received an Honorable Mention in August in the Folk category.
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10/26/2004: The new album is now being pressed! See the MUSIC page for details. The expected release date is November 19. Sales will be available at selected retail outlets and by mail order in late November, and will be available online through www.cdbaby.com. I'll be celebrating its release with a few concerts December and January...check the GIGS page for details.
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1/25/2004: I'm busy in the studio doing continued work on my next CD, which I hope to release by this fall. I'm looking forward to attending the North American Folk Alliance convention in San Diego in late February! (And not just because it's warm there...) Check the GIGS page for updates to the spring/summer performance schedule soon.
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11/2/2003: After a few busy months of performing (some very fun gigs plus two television appearances and several radio spots) and studio work, I'll be lightening the performing schedule for a few months to do some further planning and pre-production work on my next full-length CD....and also to get through the busy season with my day job. I do have a few solo
and group gigs on the horizon, however, so check the GIGS page for updates.
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5/29/2003: Madison area fans can see Tracy as featured guest on the Urban Theater" television show this weekend:
WISC-TV (channel 3): Saturday night, May 31 at 12:30 am
UPN14 (cable channel): Saturday May 31 at 10 pm; Sunday June 1 at 11 am; Sunday June 1 at 10 pm
On the show (half-hour) Tracy performed several songs (some brand new and some from the "Second Wind" CD) and had some chat time with the host, John Urban.
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Fall 2002 -- My new CD is here! Official release party planned for November
Click here to go to the "Music" page for more..
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Sticky Fingers (the trio that Tracy is part of) also has a CD available now. See the group's Web site, www.stickyfingersmusic.com,
for more.
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9/5/2002: I just returned from a wonderful brief tour in North Carolina, where I had the chance for the first time to share my original music with family and long time friends. Thanks so much to those of you who made it out to a show! The venues were packed with faces I loved seeing and for whom enjoyed performing.
No one could ask for better audiences!
4/29/2006: More on UNICYCLES - read 4/25 entry (below) first: Well as luck (??) would have it, I had to extend my stay in San Diego until Monday after coming
down with bronchitis and a touch of pneumonia early this week (started about the same time the tire blew out and came on very quickly). The doctor I saw here on Thursday said I shouldn't travel yet, so I changed my flight to stay a few more days. I'm starting to feel a little better now and looking forward to getting home on Monday. But, the upshot is that there was time then to get the tire fixed, and today I was finally feeling well enough to venture outside for a short time with the one-wheeler. VOILA!
I now have proof in form of both still shots and video that I can STILL ride a unicycle, more than 30 years later. Some stills are now posted on the PHOTOS page and I'll get some video up soon too! OK, now, I'm pooped and can go back to resting and recuperating.
3/4/2005: You can now order T-shirts and a few other items bearing the phrase "Life's
Too Short to Be Just One Person," which is a lyric line from a song on my latest album. Click here to view products or order from CafePress.com.
© 2004,
2005, 2006 Porch String Music
