Fort Kaskaskia, IL, and Popeye

We played at the Fort Kaskaskia Music Festival this past weekend, and we had a blast! It took place just outside of Chester, IL, which happens to be... the birthplace of Popeye!

Also performing was the Memphis based band, Dead Soldiers. They are great musicians and incredibly funny as well- great combination. It was so nice to bask in the sunshine and hear some of the other acts before and after playing. You could see some of the leaves starting to turn color and fall off of the trees, but it was sunny and hot out.

Our next show is at The Basement, in Nashville. We'll be selling our NEW ALBUM, and also wearing our steampunk outfits that we wore to our last photoshoot. So yes, it will be lots of fun! If you're in Nashville or have friends in the area let them know about our show!

P.S., Here's a pic from our outing at Music City Roots! We love going to see live music as much as we can when we're home, and our last trip to MCR was no exception. We found a great new band, called, The Deslondes. They're a great band worth checking out!

The Deslondes during their set at Music City Roots. What a great band, and a great night! 

Getting to the sole of the matter

Jordana keeping it classy in Vincennes, Indiana. August 2013.

 "How can you stand all night in those uncomfortable looking heels?" is a question we sometimes get after shows. Maria sits down when she performs (cellists can be so lazy sometimes...), but for the standing ladies, Jordana and Rebecca, heels are more of a commitment. Not only do we play in heels, but we often end up packing our gear in them too!

Packing gear into the van whilst wearing heels? Not a problem for this lady. Vincennes, Indiana. August 2013.

Shouldn't all cars be like this?

Harpeth Rising candid from Bloomington, IN. August 2013.

Enough said- all cars should look like this! 

Polly the Puppy

Polly the puppy at Hazel Lake Farms in Paoli, Indiana. July 2013.

Poppy the puppy is the best little thing to come home to after a full day of recording in the studio! She's wriggly, cute, and super adorable! She lives at the Greenberg Farm (aka Hazel Lake Farm), and we get to see her and the other myriad of animals in Paoli, Indiana. 

We'll be heading back to Bloomington tomorrow for our second day of recording, and then off to Michigan for a week of performances there! 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY to our favorite banjo player!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY to our dearest REBECCA!!!

Rebecca at a trampoline park in Nashville on the eve of her birthday-
July 2013. 

For those of you who don't know Rebecca personally, she is one of the kindest, sweetest souls in the world. She is a clever and sharp musician, and a wonderful mother to two charming cats, Mowgli and Alba. In addition to her musical prowess, she is a wonderful soccer player to boot! She scored three goals at her game last week, and she means business ; ). Festivities included a visit to a trampoline park, and surprises which we can't reveal yet, but it should be a very fun day on the road : )! 

Nancy and Jordana

Jordana and Nancy jamming together in Louisville, KY. June 7, 2013. 

Here is Nancy Lee Burgess at seven months jamming with Jordana in Louisville! We played on June 7th in Louisville and were so excited to see Nancy and Ruthie, along with Chris' wonderful family and friends. It was a great weekend, and now we're gearing up to get back into the studios for work on our next album!

North Carolina Tour!

Janet's giant rooster creations in NC. Very impressive! May 2013.  

We played at the Rooster's Wife in Aberdeen, North Carolina this past weekend, and we had a blast! We love the bucolic beauty of North Carolina, and driving through Eastern Tennessee to get there was also a visual treat.

Lunch at Sunspot: vegetarian salad with grilled portobellos and artichokes, crispy chickpeas, and a smoky chipotle balsamic vinaigrette. May 2013.

The crowd was one of the most fun we've come across- they know how to have a good time! We drove through Knoxville, TN on the way home, and stopped at a delicious restaurant called Sunspot. Truly magnificent food! Definitely blog post worthy : ).

  

The Wild West

One of the best things about our jobs is that we get to traverse the USA, and the world! ::cue evil laughter:: We're in Nebraska this week, and we're having a blast. We're staying at an old Victorian mansion, the Muir House, by ourselves. It feels like we've traveled back in time! 

We're working on a new instrumental, and have lots of new projects in the works. As a band whose members live in three different places (Bowling Green, KY, Nashville, TN, and Memphis, TN), lots of our work gets done on the road. Sometimes it just happens to be in large historic mansions. We're not complaining ; ).

Old stove, new stove. 

Deliciousness meets nutrition- score!

 Since we've been cooking for ourselves while staying here, Jordana made us all one of her quick and delicious recipes that she and her husband made up. It's called "Gloppy McGloppersteiner, hold the burger", and is a hot delicious mess of sauteed tofu, tomatoes, black beans, and spinach. Topped with grated cheddar cheese, it is the most perfect lunch on a cold winter's spring's afternoon :).

Last but not least, we could not leave you without this cute munchkin pie- Nancy at five months! She is the most precious thing, and we can count on Chris for a steady stream of adorableness from Nancy. For those who don't know, her birthday is November 14th, 2012!!

GOTCHA!

We hope that you had a great April Fool's Day, and navigated the various tricks and shenanigans of the day. Jordana constructed a masterful prank by writing and "forwarding" us this fake article from a blogger. It was too good not to share!

So here is this review- which is 100% FAKE!
http://elijahsideas.blogspot.com/

"This is my first review. I sent a copy to the Rolling Stone Magazine, maybe they will publish it. I  attended a concert by Harpeth Rising recently in Bloomington, Indiana. They are a four-piece band made up of bluegrass banjo, fiddle, bass and jembe and shakers. They play songs they wrote and some by their father (they're all siblings) and some other songs too.

The bass player did most of the talking, and she played sitting down which I thought was unusual. I am a musician myself, so I'm pretty experienced with this and I've just never seen that before. Maybe she was really tired. She was also using a fiddle bow to play her bass?

The banjo player was really fast some of the time but then she would just stop. And apparently she couldn't keep her banjo in tune, either. I did think it was cool the way she headbanged all the time. I wish she had played Deliverance.

The fiddle player was just really short, and I found it distracting. She could fiddle alright but sometimes she would play way too seriously. She also kept saying "my dad" like it was only her dad, when they're all related which I thought was really self-centered.

The drummer looked out of place because he was a guy. I feel sorry for him having to be in a band with his sisters all the time. He kind of looked kind of mad and kept hitting his drums really hard. I think he must be the youngest because they don't let him talk or sing. At the end of the concert he played the bass with his jembe sticks which was pretty cool.

I guess they couldn't get their harps into that room because it was too small. I thought that was a shame I really wanted to hear four harps at one time.

My favorite song was Norwegian Wood because I love the Beatles and also no one sang.

The concert was good and I will go back to see them when they have their harps."



We also saw another good April Fool's joke here, and will explain the picture to this article :).

Did you get tricked this April 1st, or did you pull the wool over someone's eyes? Let us know- leave us a comment!

Happy Eastover!!!

Wishing all who celebrate a wonderful and happy Easter and Passover!!! Chris and Ruthie's daughter, Nancy, is celebrating her first Easter today : )

Here's hoping the Eastover bunny brought you some matzos!

Happy Birthday Jordana!!!

Our favorite vioinist is turning 26 today! She's an incredible musician, savvy business woman, one of the best friends you could have, one of the most fun people you'll ever meet... I could go on but I think you get the point :D... Here's to another great year of music making (and cute and cuddly animals)!

We surprised her with dinner earlier this week, since we knew that her husband, David, would have plans for the two of them on her birthday. 

Nothing celebrates a Spring birthday (even if the weather still thinks that it's winter) like a blackberry lime cake with coconut whipped cream! 

Indiana shenanigans

 After our performance at the Mallow Run Winery on St. Patrick's Day we went to the Irish Lion in Bloomington! For the uninitiated, the Irish Lion is a bastion of Irish culture in Bloomington. They have a beautiful bar, an incredible selection of spirits, and wonderfully prepared Irish foods. It doesn't get better than a serving of Blarney Puff Balls (cheesy deep fried mashed potato balls...WOAH), and a glass of Boddington's.

 One of the joys of staying in Indiana is that there's a chance we'll get to visit Jordana's parents. They live in a small town called Paoli, and have their own organic vegetable farm. Staying with them is especially a treat due to the incredibly culinary prowess of Mrs. Greenberg. Every dinner there features seasonal produce, handmade pasta, and fresh cow's milk! Your morning coffee has never tasted this good, let me tell you.

And here is one of our cute furry friends- Yoda. When Jordana found him he was a wee runt, suffering from FIV (the feline version of HIV), and leukemia. With love and nurturing he blossomed into a healthy and fluffy mouse hunting king. Let's put it this way- he's good looking and he knows it.

Indiana

We just came back from a whirwind time in Indiana! Our timing was good, because we left on the tail end of a spring snow storm that will dump around 9 inches of snow in the south and central part of the state.

We played at the Mallow Run Winery near Indianapolis on St. Patrick's Day, and enjoyed a delicious selection of wines, and cheeses! We also performed in Bloomington and Nashville (IN), and had a blast seeing old friends, and making new ones. This past week was also special because we collaborated with Tim Grimm on a few of his songs on his own upcoming album. Tim is a wonderful musician and friend, and we had a blast coming up with parts and harmony vocals for a few of his songs. That release date will be in September, and we'll keep you posted.
      We just made plans to go into the studio for our own album! The wheels are turning for our new album and we relish the creative process.
     Thanks for your support, and be sure to check out our Tour Dates to see when we'll be near you!

~ Jordana, Rebecca, Maria and Chris

Nancy's special day

Nancy turned four months old on March 14th, wooo! We're so excited to see her changing and growing! She's been giggling and laughing more, and has been holding her own bottle lately- congratulations Nancy!!

NEW BASEMENT!!!

We are proud to announce that Jordana's husband, David, has finished their basement. It is an incredible space with a built-in stage for rehearsals/performing, a built in bar for relaxing ; ), and darts and a pool table too! We're so excited to be able to use this space, and so excited to see David's excellent craftsmanship! Check out the rest of the pictures on our facebook page!

Let sleeping dogs lie

Trivia- how many dogs does Jordana have? Ultimate trivia- can you name all of them?! Post your answers in the comments box below!!!
 From left to right: 

 Rosie is the most athletic Basset Hound on this side of the Mississippi, (though not evidenced in this picture.) She likes to wake up early to be the first one out playing, and is also the leader of the pack howls.

Boom Boom, queen of all dogs, has many interests, including long car rides (driving the car whenever possible) and pulling blankets off of couches.

Goose has great self-esteem. He is the sweetest boy in the world, but he also knows he should be treated with respect at all times. He loves his big sister Rosie more than anything, and they spend most of their time together.

Nancy (affectionately referred to as BaBu)

If you didn't know, all four members of Harpeth Rising went to the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University. This extends to Chris' wife, Ruthie- who is currently the principal cellist of the Memphis Symphony. Little Nancy has IU legacy, and she's already sporting her IU pride! Babu- Ba(by)Bu(rgess), as we call her fondly, turned two months old as of January 11th!! She's off the charts for her height and weight, and she's doing great! We couldn't be happier : D

Harp Talk

A quick breakdown of what we say, and what it means.

"Losing control of my face": <loo`sing kun`troll`of`my`fay`s>>
      Coined by Jordana. A statement that expresses incredible amounts of emotion, usually anger, such that the person's sense of social propriety is abandoned, and their face portrays said rage. Later definitions expand the emotional palette to include extreme happiness, and confusion.
   
     ex: When that woman came up to me and told me that she hated animals and never wanted pets, I lost control of my face.
           When I saw Paris for the first time at night, I lost control of my face.

"totes": <toe`ts>
     1. An abbreviation of the word totally, a new generation term that all the "young kids" are saying, and Maria's vain attempt to pretend that she is hip with the lingo.
     2. Plural of tote bag, a large open bag used for shopping.

     Ex:
   J: So would you agree with my proposal for xyz? Also, did you bring my tote bags, M?
   R & C: Yes, Jordana, your xyz proposal sounds great. Your suggestion is brilliant, and I appreciate the nuance and depth with which you articulate your arguments.  
   M: Totes, J. Also, yes, I totes brought the totes.



"Swear-knitting": <s`wear`nit`ting>
     The phenomenon of swearing while knitting in the band-van, particularly when taking out stitches that are deemed not perfect enough. Usually in the form of a stream of consciousness and creative flourish of words, spoken so that everybody in the van (and in nearby cars) can hear.

     Ex:
   R's square seems to be coming along beautifully- we haven't heard a peep out of her in a half hour!
   R: @#%$!!!