Nothing Lasts Forever, Except Our Song

The week before Dad passed away, I was working on a love song – part of a songwriting challenge I've set for myself over the last month. Though it's still a love song, a lot of Dad ended up in this song. He was my best friend. Everyone can download this song and story, no need to be a member of the fan club.

"I'm glad I have a heart, though now it's broken.

I hope another door will open.

Until then, I'll be strong."

https://www.patreon.com/posts/nothing-lasts-6160659

Mystery Lady

Want to know more about these folks and song that this woman inspired? Head on over to Mawmaw's Golden Biscuit Club and become our patron. She's the star of our March Song & Story of the Month. https://www.patreon.com/jeniandbilly?ty=h

Here's what we've been able to do over the last 10 months thanks to our patrons:

Replace a portable recorder that went on the fritz at a crucial moment on tour. We have since used it for field recordings, documenting live shows, and on recordings for the new album.

Replace worn out cables in our touring kit.

Tune both of our pianos for the recording sessions.

Buy extra long cables that allowed us to separate our noisy Mac Pro CPU and it’s whirring fan from the control room in our home studio. We’ve recorded several pieces for our new record in the newly quiet (except when the ice cream truck goes down the street) control room.

Repair the AC in Mr. Tomato right when we were getting ready to head out into the desert. Ahhhh, thank you.

This all matters bunches to us and ensures that we stay on the road and create more music! Together, we are mighty! Thanks y’all!

Button makers

I love that my job involves things like a button-maker and a magnet-making machine! Fan Club buttons for one year patrons going out starting in April. Join up and hear a song from our new record, plus the piano version, and the kitchen counter demo. https://www.patreon.com/jeniandbilly?ty=h

Banjo Billy works on our new song

Billy has made a lovely present for me this week. Not only did he write the new song, "The Warm Morning Stove" (or should we go with "Warm Mornings"? listen and let us know), with me, but he wanted to compare some of our studio gear, so he's gone and put banjo, electric guitar, organ, slide guitar, and brushes on the new song. So, our fan club is in for a real treat this month!

Song goes up in a few hours - will try to get it posted before your bedtime, British friends - so still time for you to mosey over join the club or send $12.75 to jeniandbilly@gmail.com via Paypal for a whole year of new and rare tracks plus a nifty story full of photos and lyrics for each one. You can even just send $1.33 for this particular song and story if you are curious and want to try the whole thing out (the $0.33 covers the Paypal feels, if you wonder about the weird number). OR Fan Club headquarters is here for extra goodies like banjo lessons, quilts, buttons, and tunes: https://www.patreon.com/jeniandbilly

August Newsletter! Here it is!

Hey Hey! Just in time, hot of the cyber-press, our latest Newsy-letter! Inside: the scoop on our mid-Atlantic tour, a feature on our "house" concerts in Britain, what's coming up in our song of the month fan club (new song going up tomorrow from our recording sessions in Yorkshire), and finally, a photo of Billy eating a giant bowl of trifle and me trying to dance off his desserts! How does that work? Not well, I tell you smile emoticon

Here's the link: http://tinyurl.com/jnbNewsAug2015

If you didn't get it, that means you never signed up on our email list, you did but I couldn't read your handwriting because you had too much falling down water or I was too sleepy, your email changed and (egads!) you didn't let us know, or we are in your spam filter feeling forlorn. If you want to sign up, (and why not, I don't send out that many and I spend a lot of time making them nice and fluffy) you can go to our website and put your email in the tiny white box at the top of the page on the righthand side. That means you will get one next time, not this time, because this one has already flown! www.jeniandbilly.com

Thanks to Nick Rowledge for this swell photo from the North Wales Bluegrass festival! Billy is playing John Les's long neck banjo which we now dream about. Gorgeous ole thing – the banjo, John Les smile emoticon

Paradise, new cd, new book, new fan club!

Paradise Festivus in Baltimore on Saturday, New CD, New Book, New Fan Club! If you missed any of this news last week, you can check out our fresh off the cyber-press newsletter!

That's my Great grandmother, Narcie Smith, on the far left, and her best friend, Elsie Brown, in the cream dress. The "Elsie Brown" is just one of the many goodies we offer our fan club members (aka a nifty way to hear new and rare Jeni & Billy songs!)

http://tinyurl.com/penqecs