I made a couple of jaunts to see some great people this week, reminding me that every songwriter and musician needs to fill the well with new music and live shows. Keeps us on our toes.

I went up to Dallas to see some friends and to see Tift Merritt live. Tift has been in my list of tops for a while and I have never seen her live, nor had I been to the Kessler Theater. Both were excellent – the show and the venue. I probably looked like a weirdo at the merch table because SusanG! and I had just spent some time pricing and ordering new SusanG! t-shirts, and I had been feeling up cotton/poly blend for a week every time I saw something that looked soft. I did feel…and I did buy.

Thursday night we went to see Suzanne Vega, who is like…one of the folk mothers of folk. I had never seen her live, and she played the Paramount Stateside in Austin. She really REALLY knows how to command a stage. Yes, she did do “Tom’s Diner” (doo doo doo doo doo doo doo doo), and yes, it was great.

Friday night rounded it out with a great Susan and Elizabeth duo show. They are great musicians of course, but live together they also get hilarious. It’s fun to see!

New resolution: see at least one “out of my norm” show a month. I wonder when Lady Gaga will come back through?