Cindy Novelo: News

It's been a busy few months organizing myself for the new year, making music with my dear friend and fiddle master Tricia Spencer for some wonderfully fun Trish & Cindy duo events, and preparing a bunch of new music for my NEXT CD!!!  Yup, you heard me right!  I'll be heading back into the studio with Tom Prasada-Rao next week!  Hitting the road on Sunday to begin recording in Dallas on Tuesday.  Yippee!  Then I'll be doing a few shows in Oklahoma on my way home - as well as spending some time at the Osage Forest of Peace retreat center in Sand Springs, OK, where I'll be on a personal writing retreat.  One of my commitments for the year is to be actively working on the book I began writing on my experience with ovarian cancer while I was undergoing treatment.  I'm dedicating one weekend a month to writing, have taken two so far, and it feels incredibly good to be doing this work.  Hope to be sharing more with you here as the months and work progress.  As always, I thank you from the bottom of my heart for sharing this journey here on this sweet earth with me - for all your love and for your endless support of me and my work.  Wishing each of you peace and light this day, Cindy

Dearest People,

I thank you from the bottom of my heart for all your support, your many good wishes, for coming out to my shows, for listening to my music - live or otherwise - and for all your most kind and heartfelt thoughts, prayers and words. Without you all, I would not be here.  Without you, I would not be half as blessed as I am.  Without you, Life would not be so very, very good.  

Wishing you all a most beautiful day, filled with hope, light, peace and joy - and deepest gratitude for every breath, every smile, every heart - and all the glory of this wondrous thing we call life. Much love, Cindy

Dear Friends in Music,

This has been such a wonderful and productive year.  I am feeling better than ever - truly! - strong, vital, and supple.  It feels so very good to be out there doing what I love and following this path that has been calling to me so very strongly.  I've been touring a bit, teaching a bit, conducting a few workshops and playing as much as I can - old-time, traditional and contemporary folk, but also returning to my classical roots with The Oread Strings Quartet.  (Check us out at www.oreadstrings.com).  

In the next few months, I'll continue to offer my music at Unity Church of Lawrence once or twice a month and will also be playing at Lawrence's own annual Bizarre Bazaar, doing house concerts in Southeast Kansas, Oklahoma and Utah and in January just outside of Lawrence.  Next year there are plans to tour to the Southwest (Arizona, New Mexico, Utah), the Northwest (Oregon, Washington, British Columbia, Montana and Wyoming) and the East/Southeast (New York, New Jersey, North & South Carolina and maybe Ohio and Illinois along the way).  And I'll be out and about in my beloved Midwest, too (Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma and maybe Texas).  And maybe a visit to my beloved Belize...

Just a few weeks ago, I completed my third module of a 4-part yoga teacher training certification program.  I am happy to report that I felt stronger and more fit than I did the first year - pre-ovarian cancer.  How about that!  This has been an amazing journey.  Last year while I was undergoing my chemotherapy treatments and unable to do much, I did a lot of writing about my experience.  My cancer taught me so very, very much.  I am truly grateful for it all.  I'm hoping to spend more time in the year to come turning what I have written into a book which will most likely be titled "How Can I Keep from Singing?"  It feels so right that I should use the title of this beautiful old gospel song.  It captures how I feel so perfectly.  The world is so full of beauty; each day I marvel and wonder, truly, how can i keep from singing?

I also hope to dedicate a lot more time to songwriting this coming year... So many songs are calling me!  Many in the works, quite a few very close to being done, just waiting for me to give them a little time...  And then... back into the studio to record a new cd!!!

In recent weeks, I've been hard at work on my web site.  Finally got music uploaded and my calendar updated. Now for photos and more.  Always a work in progress!  Please come visit, anytime, and sign my guestbook while you're there.  It's always a pleasure to hear from you!  www.cindynovelo.com  A Facebook music page is in the works, too!  Coming soon!

As always, I made my annual trek to the wonderful Walnut Valley Festival in Winfield, KS in September where I participated in a fabulous songwriting workshop with Still on the Hill, a truly inspiring duo from Arkansas.  My song Stone's Throw was once again selected as an alternate in the NewSongs Showcase - 2 years running.  It was entered in the "None of the Above" category which they keep saying is by far the most competitive category, so I am honored.  Maybe next year?  Also was invited to accompany the amazing and lovable Butch Morgan at WoodyFest in Okemah, Oklahoma in July.  Even though the heat was on, I had a wonderful time, made lots of new friends in Oklahoma, giving house concerts in Locust Grove and Bartlesville.  Simply sublime!

And last, but not least, one of the biggest thrills of all for me this year was opening for Red Molly.  I was so very honored to be able to do so, and man, oh, man what a fabulously fun night!  Their bassist, Craig Akin, sought me out ahead of time, offering to join me for some tunes, so he did and it was rocking!  The house was packed - standing room only - and was maybe the most enthusiastic, supportive, fun crowd ever.  So much fun!!!  Thank you Craig, Molly, Abbie and Laurie for all your graciousness and for making it all possible!  If you haven't heard this band yet, do!  They're the best!  www.redmolly.com

The more I do them, the more I love playing house concerts.  So if any of you - anywhere in the country - are interested in hosting one, do let me know.  I'd love to come your way! 

Hope you will be able to make it out to a show soon.  It will be good to see you all, each and every one.

Thanks, again, to all of you for supporting me and music in all the ways you do.

Wishing you peace, love, hope and joy this day, and every day,

Cindy

So much to tell!  Just got back from 10 wonderfully glorious days in Oklahoma.  Hot, hot, hot and dry, dry, dry, but fun, fun, fun!  It all began with 4 days in Okemah at the annual WoodyFest gathering.  So much good music, so many good vibes, so many good people.  I played a set with The One and Only Claude Butch Morgan who rocked the house at The Brick.  We ended up being a 5-piece band - Butch singing lead and doing his amazing guitar magic, Karen Mal on mandolin and vocal harmonies, Patrick Turnmire on his magic drum box, a wonderful bass player whose face I see clearly but whose name escapes me, and myself on fiddle and a bit of vocals, too.  That Butch can really put on a show.  He had the audience eating out of the palm of his hand before he even got through sound check.  And what a wonderful sweet person he is.  I thank the heavens above for arranging for our paths to cross.  Thanks, Butch, for inviting me down to the festival to join you for this show.  What fun it was!

From Okemah I headed east to my friend Lance's who lives just outside of Locust Grove, OK, on a sweet little spring creek in a beautiful stone cabin.  He's put such nice touches into his place that it feels like a spa.  Got to relax, meet his friends, spend lots of time with my music, float in the crystal clear waters of the neighbor's private spring-fed swimming hole where I had a personal encounter with a mink.  Got to lie in the water watching him tend to his home.  He didn't seem to mind my presence at all and just went about his business.  While we were communing a deer came down to have a drink as well.  Turtles floating by.  A dragon fly landing on my toe and sunning there for quite a while.  Simply blissful.

Then on Thursday night Lance invited a few friends over for a sweet little last minute impromptu concert.  It gave me an opportunity to test out my new Fishman SA220 Solo sound system.  Oh, what sweet sound it produces!  Hallelujah and praise the lord.  I'm grateful for all my new Locust Grove, Tahlequah and Tulsa friends.  Such sweet people you are!  Feels like I have a new home there in your little corner of this sweet Earth.

Then on to Bartlesville Friday where I played to a sold-out crowd at my new and dear friends Linda and Dan Maloney's home, inaugurating their new abode with its first house concert.  It was a sweet, sweet night!  Many thanks to Dan and Linda for making it all happen and to Richard and Patty for their wonderful assistance and to all the good folks who came out to listen.  Without each one of you the night wouldn't have been as sweet as it was!  Just love that union of people, music and community.  Thank you, thank you, thank you!  

I'm a happy girl!  Hope to make it back to Oklahoma real soon!

My good friends of The Prairie Acre have just released a new CD titled Roll Up Your Sleeves and I'm on it!  Check out the last track - Pretty Betty Martin.  I've gotten to perform this with them a few times and oh what fun it is!!!  Just love this old-time band.  One of my very favorites in the world.  So much fun!  Go to www.theprairieacre.com to purchase the cd - or catch them at one of their shows!

Tricia Spencer (acclaimed fiddler for the old-time band, The Prairie Acre) and I have formed a duo!  So much fun!  Lots of good old traditional tunes, double fiddle, vocal harmonies.  Sweet, sweet sweet!  Had our duo premiere at Delaware Commons in Lawrence, KS, on May 21, then played a real fun set at The Bottleneck as part of the "From Lawrence with Love" benefit for Joplin, MO.  We'll keep you posted as more gigs come up!  

In July I'll be off to Woodyfest to back up the one and only Claude "Butch" Morgan for his set on Saturday afternoon.  Then a few days on my own little songwriting retreat (so many songs brewing!) at my friend Lance's beautiful riverside home near Tahlequah.  Then a fun house concert at my friends Linda and Dan Maloney's in Bartlesville.  And a retreat at Unity Village with Karen Drucker before that.  So lots of good things coming in July!

I'm also doing a bit of work with The Oread Strings Quartet, a classical string quartet.  Playing lots of weddings. Such an honor to be a part of people's sacred ceremonies.  

So old-time, singer/songwriter, classical - all at once.  Love, love, love it!

Thanks for checking in!  More to come...

It's my birthday - and I just got the best present ever!  Just learned I'll be opening for the wonderful band RED MOLLY in August.  Soooo excited!  They are one of my very favorites bands on the scene these days.  Friday, August 26, in Lawrence, KS, as part the wonderful WEST SIDE FOLK concert series.

Dear Beautiful People Everywhere,

Sending you a note from New Mexico wishing all the world joy, peace, hope and light.  May this day and all the days to come be full of grace for you and all your loved ones, near and far.

With deepest gratitude for this sweet, sweet life,

Cindy