John Natiw Music

Ok, now that I’ve got the blog caught up a bit, more about this dry spell. And I’m writing this mainly for me. Sort of a cheap therapy session, I guess.

I can’t remember the last time I went five months without writing a song! It’s getting a bit depressing! Pleasureville was the last one I wrote and that was July 9, 2009. I went back to look at the last 12 months of songs and here’s what I found:

Pleasureville – July 2009
Somethin’s Missin’ – May 2009
The Well – May 2009
Home – March 2009
Porcupine Song – February 2009
Looking for Eden – February 2009
Peanut Butter Jelly – February 2009
One Cut Too Deep (re-write) – February 2009
Better Man – November 2008 (Lamb’s Retreat)

After looking at this list I’m wishing that I had gone to the retreat this year! Well, on the plus side, FAWM is coming and I did pretty well with that back in February. 2009 has been my most productive year for songwriting so I guess I can’t complain.

When look at this list I see a couple things. During FAWM in February I was writing very unedited stuff. PBJ was a 25 minute creation… Porcupine Song, same thing. It was all about posting SOMETHING! And, as a bonus, I got some nice stuff out of it. I actually wrote a bunch more than that during FAWM, but none that I perform out. Just experimental stuff.

After FAWM I see a list of really dark songs. Home, the song about the two teens killed by their mother, The Well and Pleasureville. All very darkish and written in other than standard tunings. Somethin’s Missin’ is the only exception. I felt like after writing Home and The Well I HAD to write an upbeat tune!

Pleasureville was the big one this year, though. That song is something I never get tired of playing. But since then… nothing. Part of it may be that I keep trying to go into “recording mode” lately. Taking my mind off writing and trying to pay attention to the act of recording all the stuff I have already written.

And then there’s the fact that Rochelle and I have been busy with our new duo since July. Not thinking that’s the reason I’m not writing, but perhaps a contributing factor in the whole thing.

Overall I’m pretty happy with the production for 2009. And I hope to get this recording thing in gear while maintaining some writing. And FAWM 2010 is coming. Looking forward to getting the creative juices flowing again by participating in that!

Write on…
John
December 1, 2009

So tonight I started thinking that it’s been awhile since I wrote a song. Then I started wondering how long it had been since I posted on the blog. Answers? Five months since I wrote Pleasureville and about a month since I posted here. Not cool… So I thought I’d catch up the easy way. Here are the November & December newsletter article to help catch up.

November Newsletter Article
Greetings!
First, welcome to all the new newsletter subscribers! Hope you find this month’s edition useful and thanks for your interest in the music!

Big thank you to the Carricks for asking us to open for Dick Siegel and the Brandos at Carrick House Concerts. It was a wonderful night of fellowship and music and the crowd always brings that basement to life! Bruce Powell took some great photos and video of the show.

This Friday night, October 30, you can find us at the Jackson Coffee Company from 7-10pm. The day before the Jackson show, Thursday, October 29, you can watch our in-studio television performance on the Bart Hawley show (www.jtv.tv). We’ll be on sometime between 1-3pm. If you’re feeling particularly spooky and ghoulish wear your Halloween costume to the Jackson show!

In mid-November we leave for Kentucky to open for Ellery at a house concert in Louisville. Thanks to Tasha and Justin for letting us share a stage with them and to Bill Ivester for inviting us into his living room! Check out Ellery at www.ellerymusic.com.

“Ellery is comprised of husband-wife team Tasha and Justin Golden, reviews have identified their indie-pop style as “emotionally-charged:” the sound, the lyrics, and the live presentation. Not surprisingly, Ellery’s songs tend to feel personal to – or even possessed by – their fans, often from the first listen.”

If it all works out well, we might even get a chance to stop in and see Pleasureville (yes, it’s a real town!). Other November shows include Crazy Wisdom Tea Room in Ann Arbor, The Junction in Farmington and the Blue Gill Grill in Haslett.

John
October 27, 2009

p.s. Happy Birthday to Dave Brandt and all the November birthday boys and girls!

December Newsletter Article
This month’s article is a little longer than usual, but November has been a whirlwind of activity for The Potter’s Field. We finally decided to officially go with the new name a few weeks ago and have been receiving some nice feedback. We fought off our triskaidekaphobia on Friday the 13th at Zou Zou’s in Chelsea and, apparently, so did many of you! This was probably the biggest crowd we’ve had at that venue. Special thanks to many of our friends who came out to spend the lucky evening with us.

LOUISVILLE
The next morning began a special adventure for us. We loaded up and headed out early in the morning for Louisville to open a house concert for the fantastic Cincinnati duo, Ellery. We arrived in time to catch Ellery’s in-store appearance at Ear X-tacy in downtown. Justin and Tasha sounded wonderful in the large space. Afterward, we headed over to the home of our host for the evening, Bill Ivester. Bill, his family and friends made us all a mouth-watering feast! We had a great time exchanging stories while we enjoyed the beautiful weather outdoors near a warm fire.

Rochelle and I were excited to play for the attentive and enthusiastic crowd for about 40 minutes and did our best to entertain and prepare the way for the real stars of the show, Justin and Tasha Golden, aka Ellery. They played a delightful set to an appreciative and intimate crowd. Tasha’s songwriting is solid and she maneuvers through a variety of subjects easily. One of my favorites was a new holiday song called “Down, Down, Down” from a brand new digital only release. Her vocals are almost hypnotizing. Justin is one of the nicest guys you’ll ever want to meet and his guitar playing and harmonies aren’t too shabby either. We were honored to spend time chatting with them and are happy to call them friends. Now hurry up and get to Michigan you two so we can hang out and do a show together again!

The next morning we were happy to head into downtown Louisville with Bill for an impromptu photo shoot. We drove to some old buildings where Bill had taken some great photos a few weeks ago, strapped on our guitars and tried to look cool. During the shoot we were fortunate to be able to borrow a certain pink guitar from some kind folks and made it part of our shoot. Unfortunately, Rochelle looked much better with the instrument, and I was understandably bitter about the whole thing. Redemption was mine a bit later when I found a great Batman mural on a garage door. After running across the street to pose, Bill took a few shots. Later, Rochelle would join in the Bat-fun! Some of the results from the shoot are posted on the Facebook page. Also, Bill took one of the best photos and turned it into a real concert poster for us!

After the shoot and a quick side trip to the Louisville Slugger bat factory, we were, understandably, hungry! Bill suggested a cool place called Lynn’s Paradise Cafe. It was all Bill said it would be and then some. After breakfast, we headed back to drop Bill off at his home and said our goodbyes. Next stop: Pleasureville!

PLEASUREVILLE
After getting distracted by listening to some sweet music on the way and actually passing our exit, we doubled back and drove into Pleasureville! This town was very much off the beaten path, and, while it seemed to be very down on its luck, it was a very charming place. Rochelle and I took photos of anything with the town name on it. I even took out the guitar and played the song Pleasureville right in the middle of town (to an enthusiastic audience consisting of, well, Rochelle). Later we would drive to the cemetery (“there’s a blind man in a graveyard”) for a short tour. It was a fitting end to our first “tour” outside of Michigan. Thanks to Bill (one of our most enthusiastic supporters!), Justin & Tasha (Ellery) and all the wonderful new friends we made while in Louisville. We truly hope to be able to return to the area soon!

BACK HOME
Once back in Michigan, there was no time to rest as we had two shows the following weekend. First up was the Friday night show at Crazy Wisdom in downtown Ann Arbor. This room never disappoints, but that night it was absolutely packed with people standing all the way back in the bookstore area. We challenged the audience during Driving My Life Away and they did NOT disappoint! Thanks for making it a really fun evening for us! The next night was a different treat. We were pleased to play at a new and up and coming venue in Farmington called The Junction. Also appearing before a small but appreciative crowd were Rob Hayes and Bobby Pennock. We hope that music fans in southeast Michigan will discover this new venue and help support it in the future.

PLANS
December will continue to be busy. I’m trying to get busy with recording a solo CD that has been planned for the past couple of years and Rochelle and I will be playing shows as The Potter’s Field until January. After our January 21st show at the Raven Cafe in Port Huron, Rochelle will be going into “theater mode” and I will be going into “solo performing and recording mode”, so The Potter’s Field will be on a short hiatus until the end of April, 2010. We’ll continue to be working very hard during that time to craft a show that will be fun to both perform and listen to. We are very hopeful that 2010 will hold many new adventures for us and our great fans.

Thanks to all the folks who came out to see us in November in Michigan AND Kentucky, as well as the great venues that continue to support live music!

See you soon,
John
November 28, 2009

p.s. If you’re still with me after all this, have a wonderful and safe holiday season!

It had been ten years since I’d been to the U.P. My mother’s family is from Escanaba and we used to visit nearly every summer and the occasional Christmas. So, needless to say, it was very exciting to be asked to play at Chamberlin’s Ole Forest Inn last weekend. Bud and Kelly were wonderful hosts and we enjoyed the food, fellowship and music. Really looking forward to getting back there. I’ll be back playing Chamberlin’s February 26 & 27 and again April 30 & May 1.

Here are a few photos from the weekend!

See you soon,
John
October 6, 2009

Bud, Kelly, Karen and John

On the Porch

Autograph session...

Chamberlin's Ole Forest Inn

Sunset on Big Manistique Lake

REVIEW – JAN KRIST & JIM BIZER CD RELEASE CONCERT AT MAMA’S COFFEEHOUSE – SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 2009

Rochelle and John at Mama's Coffeehouse

For some time, Rochelle and I have been looking for a way to separate ourselves from the crowd. A way to make our mark in the local music scene that would take us over the top. We came up with a plan which involved a secret weapon that would be sure to put us in rarefied air and jump start our musical journey. More about that in a moment…

Jan Krist and Jim Bizer have been making and playing great music for a long time. Both are songwriting heroes of Rochelle and I. So, it was a great opportunity when Jim Bizer asked us to open for him and Jan at their CD release party last week. The new CD is called Influence and has some amazing tracks. Getting to hear them all live for the first time was a real treat! Some of my favorites are Utterly Fine, Still in Love with You, Any One Thing and Charcoal Sky.

Saturday night started off with the open mic portion of the show. I had the pleasure of being an open mic participant a few months ago and had a great time. This time it was a band that I’m very familiar with (after being the drummer for about five years), Seven Bridges. They did four originals, including one that was brand new. Next up was Angel Brock and the Badmen. Well, except for the Badmen did not show, so Angel and one of her buddies got up there and did great when put on the spot.

Rochelle, Jan, John

Rochelle and I took the stage at 8pm and did a half hour set, starting with a brand new cover – I Want to Sing that Rock and Roll, by Gillian Welch and David Rawlings. Next was Sweetest Waste of Time by Kasey Chambers and Shane Nicholson. The highlight of the evening, for me, was the next song, but not for the reasons you may think. Nothin’ All Day went as usual until we got to the “whistle solo”. Instead of me whistling my way through the solo, Rochelle pulled out her secret weapon and laid down a sweet kazoo solo that brought the house down. It was 50/50 whether she was going to be able to do it or not. She had not been able to get through more than a measure or two without cracking up during rehearsals. She made it a bit further this time! We expect to be playing Pine Knob and The Palace any day now! ;o)

We finished up with Brandi Carlile’s What Can I Say, another original, Pleasureville, and then got the crowd involved during Seth and Daisy’s Shine On. Before Shine On I had asked the crowd to sing along on the chorus, thinking they would help us out with the last acapella chorus. Well, they rose to the occasion and sang us every single chorus, finishing up loud and proud during the last one. What a great experience! Once finished, it was time to clear the stage and let the real show begin!

Jan and Jim were amazing. Their set was put together well and featured songs off the new CD for the first half and then delving into their other material as well as a few covers from influential artist. These two have so much talent and experience and were a joy to watch and listen to for the rest of the evening.

Letting the freak flag fly!

After the show, I picked up their new CD, but forgot to have them sign it! Rochelle and I were asked to sign the MAMA’s Coffeehouse quilt! I didn’t notice, but Rochelle mentioned to me that we signed right next to Ralston Bowles! How cool is THAT? Big thank you to Jan Krist and Jim Bizer for inviting us to open for their event. Also to Dennis Kingsbury for the great sound we heard on stage and in our seats all night. And finally, thanks to our friends who came out to support Rochelle and I on this awesome evening of music!

See you soon,
John
September 26, 2009

NEXT SHOW – CHAMBERLIN’S INN, CURTIS, MICHIGAN (THE UP!) – FRIDAY & SATURDAY, OCTOBER 2-3

UPCOMING SHOW – SANDHILL CRANE VINEYARD, JACKSON, MICHIGAN – SATURDAY, OCTOBER 17

UPCOMING SHOW – JACKSON COFFEE COMPANY, JACKSON, MICHIGAN – FRIDAY, OCTOBER 30

NEW SHOW ANNOUNCEMENT – LIVE FROM THE LIVING ROOM, THE OAKLAND ARTS CENTER, PONTIAC, MICHIGAN – FRIDAY, DECEMBER 11

Wow! Can it really be a month since I updated this blog? Guess so… Last time I checked in, my buddy Steven Wesley Guiles was making his way back to Southern California. That was a fantastic 24 hours. Glad he could make it out here to Michigan for a mini midwest tour! No update, however, on the new Guiles/Natiw collaboration, “Zombies Taste Like Chicken”. Stay tuned!

Dave Carter Memorial Tribute at Club Passim, Cambridge, MA

Before I get too far ahead of myself, I have to take a second to tell you what happened when I was in Boston a couple weeks ago! Tracy Grammer was at Club Passim in Cambridge to host a memorial tribute to the late Dave Carter. I had known about this for a few weeks, but never in my wildest dreams thought I would be IN BOSTON that week! Well, I was. And I went. But it gets better…

Tracy came out to open the show with a song. Then she explained that she would be drawing a few lucky names out of a hat to come up and play their favorite Dave Carter song in tribute to him. I thought long and hard about this, but couldn’t for the life of me think of a song of his that I knew well enough to attempt! But… I put my name in the hat (which was actually just a plastic pitcher). After a great set by Gretchen Peters, two “tweeners” got up and did wonderful renditions of Dave’s songs. Next it was a fantastic set by Richard Shindell. Right after he finished, Tracy pulled my name. I was mortified, but headed up to the stage, not knowing what I was going to do.

She graciously offered me her guitar (*gulp*) and I sat down and started to strum. I decided I would try When I Go, not sure I remembered how to play it at all! After finding a few chords, I began to sing. When I got to the chorus, I realized I didn’t remember it! So I stopped, begged the room’s forgiveness and then continued through to the end.Fortunately there were a few kind folks there who photographed the moment so I could actually believe it happened!

Many, many thanks to Tracy for allowing me to be a small part of an amazing evening in tribute to one of my songwriting heroes, Dave Carter.

REVIEW – CRAZY WISDOM BOOKSTORE & TEAROOM, ANN ARBOR, MI, AUGUST 8, 2009

Doesn’t seem like this show was a month ago! Room was packed and lots of friends turned out to hear Rochelle & I as well as James Humphries and Dave Brandt.

REVIEW – BLUE GILL GRILL, HASLETT, MI, AUGUST 14, 2009

Paige at the Blue Gill hooked us up with a few great dates after our first appearance at this great venue. We were happy to fill in the holes in her schedule! Rochelle and I were joined by guitarist Brian Keith Howard. Keith always brings a great vibe to our show whenever he is available. We rocked it out until 1am. We will be returning to the Blue Gill on Friday, September 25!

REVIEW – HOLLER FEST, BROOKLYN, MI, AUGUST 22, 2009

Rochelle and John main stage at Holler Fest

This was a real hoot… erm…. holler! Thanks to our friend Susie Keat for getting us this gig. Rochelle and I were honored to play in the cabin for almost 90 minutes! It was a bit surreal when members of Orpheum Bell made their way into the cabin near the end of our set. They had just finished on the main stage (which explained the light turnout in the cabin!) and were coming over to set up in the cabin. Fortunately, they brought a ton of folks in with them so we had a bigger crowd to play to as we finished our set.

After our set in the cabin, we were whisked away by Susie and Bob to sample the organic fare. If you know me at all,  you know this was an adventure! My idea of eating organic is eating at a picnic table outside. But, I must say, the food was wonderful! Although I did head over to the pizza tent later and had some veggie pizza!

Another huge honor came later that night when we were asked to head out onto the main stage during the tribute to the late Frog Holler Farm founder, Ken King. We were third or fourth in line and calmed our nerves enough to make our way out on stage. The reason we were out there at all was, again, Susie Keat. She had approached me at the Crazy Wisdom show to ask if I would be interested in making a song out of a poem she had written for Ken. I agreed to try. So, out we went to play this new song. We did our best and hope that others saw the importance of the words that Susie wrote. After the tribute, I found myself really wishing that I’d met Ken. As the night wore on, I realized I knew a lot more about him than I realized, learning of him through the grounds I walked and the people I met.

Thank you Susie Keat, Billy King and the entire King family!

REVIEW – FARMINGTON FARMERS MARKET & THE JUNCTION AT SHIAWASSEE PARK, FARMINGTON, MI, AUGUST 29, 2009

Once again, Keith joined Rochelle and I for an all day affair in Farmington. We started early at the Farmers and Artisans Market downtown. The crowds were large and busy! Props to the local farmers who worked very hard to set up and sell their goods. We even got to sample a bit of the local fare during the 3rd annual corn roast. Maybe the best corn I’ve ever had… just maybe!

After the Farmers Market, we quickly packed up our stuff and headed over to Shiawassee Park for the Junction gig. We were very pleased to be a part of this fundraiser event for school supplies for needy students. Other fantastic performers were also a part of it such as Tracy Kash Thomas, David Nefesh and the Bob Young Band. Big thanks to Bob for inviting us to be a part of this event. See you again at the Junction on November 21st! Also appearing that evening will be Bobby Pennock and Rob Hayes.

NEXT SHOW – BLUE GILL GRILL, HASLETT, MI, SEPTEMBER 25, 2009

Looking foward to seeing Paige and the crew up at the Blue Gill in a couple weeks. Come on out!

As posted on the Over the Rhine Forum – The Orchard

Ok, so if you know Teleguy Steve and Ghostwriter John at all, you probably know that we write and perform our own music. You may also know that we run a songwriting blog (http://songwritingapples.wordpress.com/). AND, you may also know that Steve has a new CD out called We Will All Be Lifted. Get it.

What you may NOT know, is that Steve has traveled to Michigan and John had mercy on him and took his stray butt in for a couple days. I met Steve at the airport Friday at 11:30am and it was GAME ON! Here’s how it went…

Steven Wesley Guiles, Rochelle Clark, John Natiw & James Humphries

11:30am – John picks up Steve from the airport. Conversation ensues.
1:00pm – Arrival at the JTV television studios for an in-studio live performance. John’s duo partner, Rochelle, also arrives.
1:15pm – Steve breaks his E string. John buys some bottled water and a muffin.
1:25pm – John breaks his E string right as he utters the words “I hope I don’t break a str…SNAP”
1:45pm – Steve rocks it out on the Bart Hawley show. John and Rochelle applaud wildly.
1:55pm – John and Rochelle pwn on the Bart Hawley show. Steve applauds wildly.
2:15pm – The three music warriors walk down the street to check out the venue for the evening. Get distracted by the sign for “turtle races” at the Crazy Cowboy next door. The trio begin to entertain the thought of checking out said “turtle races” after their show, but then decide that they would probably need to be a six-pack in to really “get” turtle racing.
3:00pm – John and Steve say goodbye to Rochelle for the moment and drive back to John’s place. They begin to write a song called “Zombies Taste Like Chicken” as they drive.
3:30pm – Lunch. Subway. Don’t tell me I don’t know how to entertain a guest.
5:00pm – Load up the sound equipment. Begin the drive out to Jackson for the evening’s show.
5:15pm – Explain to Steve that we really don’t have any traffic here in Michigan.
5:16pm – Spend the next 30 minutes stuck in construction traffic.
6:30pm – Arrive at the venue. Unload the equipment. Steve takes all the light stuff because he has only gotten up to level 2 on Wii Fit.
6:55pm – Steve realizes he forgot all his CD’s. John graciously calls his daughter, who has not left for the show yet and has NOT YET MET STEVE. John hands the phone to Steve and he asks her to go through his luggage (underwear and all) to retrieve said CD’s.
7:05pm – Steve begins his amazing one hour set. Plays many tunes off the new CD, but also a few from Pushstart Wagon. The crowd goes wild.
7:15pm – Steve, knowing that the CD’s have not arrived yet, begins to try to sell the ONE COPY he has with him for $50. No takers.
7:55pm – John is asked to join Steve on stage. The two appleheads play together on stage for the very first time.
8:15pm – John and Rochelle begin their two hour set. They are joined off and on by harmonica man James Humphries and also Steve.
8:30pm – Lindsay arrives with the CD’s. After an awkward moment between Lindsay and him, Steve wisely lowers the price of his CD’s back to $10.
9:45pm – John and Rochelle with their usual song, When We’re Gone, Long Gone (Keiran Kane cover) and turn the stage over to Steve again to take us home. He does an amazing little medley of tunes, ending with Bridge Over Troubled Water.
10:00pm – Show. OVER. Socializing. Steve selling merch. Autographing CD’s.
10:30pm – Load up the equipment. Steve takes the light stuff again. Fortunately, Rochelle has a huge friend named Rick there. He shleps some heavy stuff.
11:00pm – Goodbye’s. Steve and John drive back to John’s place.
12:00pm – Hungry. Wendy’s.
12:30am – Man-Cave. Steve and John chat about recording whilst listening to various songs.
1:00am – Bed. Steve has been up for over 24 hours.
7:45am – John rousts Steve. Out the door in 30.
8:15am – OJ, muffin and bagel at the gas station.
9:00am – John drops Steve at his next destination. They are both sad there is not more time to spend together, but agree that John will be coming to San Dimas in the very near future. They also agree to finish collaborating on “Zombies Taste Like Chicken” because that baby is gonna be a HIT!

Thanks to the Orchard for making this an amazing 24 hours.
Out.
John