From The Artist's Eyes

Earthdance World Festival, Tehachapi, CA Sept 15th

The dance of Now was done in a field of Tumbleweeds. It was an agreement by all who attended Earthdance in Tehachapi. This community is so real, so kind, so true... They are our partners in the movement and there is no number 10+++++++++ that can serve their generosity. We love them all. The Wonderful Magician, Mama Hilly Bean and the whole tribe put The Cabaret on a huge Starship stage with great sound and an amazing view of a windmill farm. The show was a 10+++++ as well all sang, howled, breathed, danced, chanted, and omed for peace. We took vows for creating peace and gave ourselves to the children, promising to love them enough to try. Our Beautiful Elf and healer picked us up at the airport. He brought us to Larva and Geza who drove us into the mountains for the most wonderful weekend of the holy road 2007.
We are so inspired to create this year, this month, this day, this moment, of Now with our growing family. Let's all meet at Earthdance '08 in Tehachapi, CA.
In trust, love and solidarity, writing from the holy road-
Lizzie and The Dharma Dog too

From The Artist's Eyes

MORGANTOWN, WEST VIRGINIA SEPT 10TH

The re*membrance grows and grows. Morgantown was a perfect experience. Hosted by Catherine and Jim, we were given a sacred space to find our center in their beautiful new home. We arrived late afternoon, rested, set up in the living room, received guests and potlucked in the garden, and then performed songs from The Cabaret. The hosts were a 10. The audience was an 8. Their average was brought up by the two men who served as male embers, the singing professors, the women in the front row, an angel named Mary, and the hosts themselves. We definitely felt, by the end of the evening, that we had all, us and the group of twenty or so folks in the audience, had been moved, transformed, and lifted. The catalyst for the night's magic was the child who danced in awe of melody and song. We will be returning to our friends, becoming family, in Morgantown in the Spring. Until then, we'll be re*membering our friends in the Now of Morgantown. - Yours in life and song. From the holy road, Lizzie and the Dharma Dog too

From The Artist's Eyes

Hammertown, TriArts, WKZE: 10
Joe's Pub: 7
Sangha: 8

The journey from Pine Plains, to New York City, to Sharon CT, and then to Washington DC, has been full of heart. The shows at all three stop points were powerful in their own ways. Along the holy road we travel, allowing for change to manifest in everything we do. Each show was very different from the next, but they all shared one thing in common, the ribbon of re*membering.

Time eludes us as the wheels on the blue box keep rolling h*ome. This photograph was taken at The Peace Party in Washington DC. The ribbon began it's unification there, the tying of each moment, each heart to the next heart and so, we will continue tying the thread of peace until it is long enough and strong enough to hold the pain, transforming all that is broken in our world, healing our dis*ease.

Each of the shows, in their own way, delivered me into myself. My favorite of the three was Sharon because it was our first time in a theater, with a great lighting designer, the third eye of a director, and an audience that was somewhat prepared for the interaction involved in The Tumbleweed Cabaret. The audience was a 10, willing to travel through the story and trust our connection to Now. Hammertown, WKZE, and TriArts did a great job of sponsoring the The Cabaret. 19 Miles To Baghdad was heard through the air waves of the Hudson Valley because of Hammertown's powerful sense of independence and courageous commercial station. Gregg and Joan are the best kind of friends, willing to stand behin us and help us grow into our greatest selves.

In DC, Sangha was as graceful a host as could be but, unfortunately, the front row at the show brought the audience average down with their lack of soul shine and their rude cell phone activity. In my opinion, it would be better for people to avoid experience completely then to stand cold in the presense of the inner sun. BUT, the rest of the room was full of light. Jennifer directed the collective voice and we found a soul mate for the re*membrance in Malavika, a young performer who pronounced our ancient promise well kept. Our DC hosts, Melissa and David are excellent and cared for the deliverance of our message in the kindest way. It was great to see Liz and Michael again too. The family is getting stronger and stronger every day.

The road grows on as we follow the Dharma into The Night, sailing by way of the ocean of Now and beginning to see the butterfly being free.

Thank you for re*membering. Yours in life and song.
Lizzie and the dharma dog too.

Real People, Real Reviews

Lizzie has such a dynamic voice and message; and listening to her last night was such a powerful reminder as to why it is Summer Search exists in the first place to help us find peace within ourselves and essentially create peace in our communities. - Mollie, Cambridge Mass

Real People Real Reviews

Lizzie West was absolutely inspiring, and how fun to feel the energy and the sense of connection among everyone present. This morning I found myself especially thinking about the spirit of gratitude she conveyed and how much it resonated with what we aim to cultivate in our students.- Rachel, Cambridge Mass

From The Artist's Eyes

Club Passim, Cambridge, August 15th, 10+ (photos from Hammertown and Louisville)

Once again, Marla and Max proved themselves to be one of the best hosts on the east coast. They confirmed, for me, that something good has begun in our culture, in our world, and without a doubt, in Cambridge Town. Their beautiful town house in downtown Cambridge is full of the most inspiring artwork that they've collected from artists of all kinds. They co-produced our show at Club Passim and made sure we had an inspiring full house on the night of the show.

The show itself was among my absolute favorites of all the concerts that Baba and I have ever performed. We, (Baba, The Audience and I), flew through the fallen buildings of yesterday and awarded yellow ribbons to those who sang loudest for the reenactment. I had been blinded and masked and would have died there, if the beautiful young woman in the front row hadn't freed me from the poisoned veil. We cried together, which means we healed together, and then we laughed through the unwritten rhymes. Though the audience seemed wary of my madness at first, they dove into the unknown with me and by the fourth song and because they trusted me, they real*eyesed their own madness and so, set us all free. Because we trusted each other, we journeyed h*ome into the fields of gratitude and forgiveness, all the way h*ome. I'd like to rate Baba's performance, my performance, and the audience performance at plus 10+ ....greater than can possibly be expected by a coffee house stage...we transformed ourselves, all of us in unison, last Wednesday night. The sound was fantastic and the sound man was a real sweetie. Passim is an ideal listening room. The club was full of bright human lights, shining to keep the fire lit. We all left the show feeling more like a family than we could have ever dreamt we would feel. I long to be back in that wonderful town soon and when I go, I'll take the dharma dog to find the cookie man of Cambridge. Maybe December. I hope so. Long live the poet! X=h/m. - with love from the holy road, Lizzie and the dharma dog too.

Set highlights: Universal Land, Mercy Me, Louise, 19 Miles To Baghdad, Get Up Stand Up, This Land Is Our Land.

From The Artist's Eyes

The Bookmill, August 4th, !0. No show photos. (Photo from Columbia, MO)

Jamie kindly produced the show at The Bookmill. It's a tucked away venue in Montague, Mass. "Books you don't need in a place you can't find" is their motto. It was a full house. The laughter and the tears were all part of the re*membering. The audience sang along as if they knew the songs. We toasted with the Tumbleweed and made an agreement to create peace in our selves and in the world. We brought our own sound system which never sounds as good as it should but always good enough for the show to be loved and understood. Baba was a 10 on the small key board and played it like it was a Steinway. I gave the audience all my heart and songs, as if we were all captive slaves on our hyjacked ship, heading back to the h*omeland of Now. The audience gets a 10. They stayed with me the whole time, making sure I didn't crash the rocks or stray from coarse. Many waited after to say hello and we, all together, gave each other a little more hope than we had before the show started.

Show highlights: Ripple, I Fly In Love, Tumbleweed, Reaching For Light

The Living Room From The Artist's Eyes

Saturday, July 28th Show.
The Living Room was closer to the sun than any other all summer long. Because of them, the angels at the table on the right, who stood up to uphold their end of the agreement. It was Lizzie and John Marc and they had brought their friend, who's brother was killed in Iraq. We sang for him, for them, for us, for all of U.S and each other. Something good has begun. I gave him the yellow ribbon. He promised to tie it around his arm while running the Navy marathon and ask for peace. We hugged.
The german woman, held her spirit high above the room and kept me reaching for light until I became the world and the world became me. We healed eachother, everyone in the room that night.
The venue was focused and sound was a 10. Bonnie and Bill hosted us and they held the average up at 10, such generosity to share their New York home. Zeek made sure we were comfortable in Soho. The audience was a 9. We merged songs and story perfectly that night. I am in the Now and free from The Fear, because of the healing we had in the living room of the lower east side. - Yours in life and song, from the holy road. Lizzie and the dharma dog too X=h/m

My Birthday with Mama

AUDIENCE REVIEW:
LIZZIE WEST AT MAMA HILLY BEANS 7 21 07
It was for me, the long awaited answer to my plea: Let me once again hear artists sing and dance and play as though the stage of life included all of us, each and every one. Lizzie played the audience like a fiddle, our every gesture, nuance and interruption that would make others frown or skip a beat became her orchestra. I sang all the way home.

Thank you for a special evening,
As always I love you and yours
Holly

FROM THE ARTISTS EYES:
Hosts,10. Venue, 10, Baba's performance, 10. Crowd, 10. My performance, 10. Local Peace Party guest performers, 10.

The Peace Party benefit for Holy Road Tours was perfect and real and filled every part of our hungry souls. Mama was t*here, not just in theory, in spirit or in g*host, but in truth, through every shining eye and smile... AND through MAMA Hillybean, the great gypsy Mama of the california hills. She blows on the windmills and makes them move. She has created Mama Hillybean's Coffee and Community, a safe haven, a holy road hot spot. She and the man behind the shadow who brings the light, they are our new family, partners in Holy Road Tours. She is the creator of the d*blooms. Re*member the D*blooms?... how they flowered in our hearts and minds and allowed us to break free of The Fear.

The greatest moment, for me, was the one in this photograph, when the angels of Now, jumped the stage, grabbed the mics and demanded we sing to begin The Lov*olution. It was a scene out of the book, Ourstory, recreated in the dream and then again in this "reality". I am humble to the makings of magic and surrender to the Source, the unknown X. We have planted many seeds in Tehachapi and will be settling there soon to strengthen the roots. Baba kept the whole night rolling and snowballing into freedom. Thank you to the Re*memberers. X=h/m. Yours in life and song, traveling the holy road, Lizzie and the Dharma Dog too

From The Artist's Eyes

The Peace Conspiracy could be considered a conspiracy against my peace. It was most certainly a conspiracy against my piece. The road block we ran into, as we headed down the dirt road to this gathering of light brought our joyful song to a stop. The c*lock people achieved their mission, catching birds flocking to re*member.

I do love Wanda though, (who hosts the festival) but the sound was a 2. The crowd's ability to dance and sing freely was suprisingly poisoned, considering it was a festival dedicated to conspiring about peace. To conspire is, of course, an active term. The crowd seemed more like they were conspiring to forget why they were there, to forget that their friends got caught in the trap up the road, to forget the pain of Being instead of re*membering to reach through the pain is to find the light. To re*member how*l much we need eachother, how*l we have to start now, helping eachother to create the world that we live in or it will so easily create U.S., making U.S. a sleeping society of apathetic and distracted forgetters. The audience is always the show, they are the embers. I am merely the match. Not much a match can do by itself. Who is the hand that lights me? And what serves as the material on which I am rubbed and lit? I do k*now the sound was much of the reason for the crowd's quiet and I should say that t*here were enough embers to get the fire started.

We did have some Angels Of Now who came to the stage and gave their ember hearts to the fire we were trying to start. Little angels who focused on me and promised to help me re*member. They k*now, as well as I do, how essential it is that we wake up from this zombie sleep and unc*lock ourselves.

It was one of my favorite performances though. I give myself a 10 for rising above the faulty sound, the c*lock people, the lawn mower that was growling all through our set, and the drummer who played his own rythm the whole show. I give Baba a 10 too, for kepping the party going despite his failoing keyboard and all the other obstacles I mentioned. I also have to honor FD and Miker and a few unknown embers for bringing their light to this creating peace party and making sure the fire got started despite the crowd's forgetting. There was a kind young man who we later saw play wash board. I'll have to dig up his name, but I give profound thanks to him for making sure we could hear ourselves through the monitors. I k*now we'll be in the sandbox with him for a long time to come.

I'm not sure we'll be back t*here next year, but I can say that the festival did help us (though not in the easiest way) re*member to give thanks for the freedom that we have. What time is it my friends? Time to Create Peace Now. HOwlelujah to ya friends, from Louisville, KY and on my way to Cleveland, on this holy road, the perpetual journey h*ome. - y*ours in life and song, Lizzie and The Dharma Dog too

From The Artist's Eyes

"I went to the woods to live deliberately..."

I love columbia. It is our h*ome. The Mojo's audience was a 10.

I kept waiting to write this review 'cause I was going to post it with video but we're still synching song to film, so, here is a summary in the meantime.

I'm shortening the reviews and starting to segway into a new focus for traveling the holy road. anything that grows has to change. i follow my bliss all the way h*ome.

Columbia was so kind, so beautiful, so focused, singing along as Brittany danced for us all night long. The sound man, Chris, was a sweetie and got us a great recording.

Miker was a wonderful friend to us, helping Chris do the best job he could.

The opening artist was Lee Ruth. He's so much more than a 10. He helped turn my light on as soon as he opened his angelic mouth. Playin' It pretty is classic and I just hope we can post a good recording of it in the journal soon. Then the holy road tours columbia co-op cover band, The Hucksters, opened the show. I sang back up for them. Baba played and sang back up too. He also led us in his rendition of Angel From Montgomery. The show was made up of Baba re*membering John Prine, Karla Lewis re*membering Joni Mitchell, James Mccown re*membering Neil Young, Ron Morris re*membering Bart Bean, and all of us re*membering the late great Bob Dyer. Karla and I wore our prairie outfits and danced in the back. Baba looked like a minstrel with his accordian and black bowler hat. James looked like a 1800's pre beatnik going to meet Walt Whitman in the east. Pam kept the rythym moving with her angelic percussion supporting everyone's voices. Miker was the ship captain who helped me cross those Skandinavian waters and picked up on the power of an electric bass.

I am not dead. But, my performance was a 6 'cause I tried to explain the of Re*membering Now instead of just singing the songs.

Though it may not have translated as such to the audience, I let myself be healed through the show. It was the mask part. Long after I introduced The Dream. When the c*locked people tied me up in the yellow ribbon and I couldn't see. The Fear disease was haunting me through The Mask. I heard voices blowing over my plea, to cry for mama, mercy me. They were coming from the bar in the re*creation of the dream, of the memory from last night's trip to the cabaret. I screamed. I cried. Do you hear me? does anyone hear me? do you see me? I can't find you. I was blind and full of the poison and I asked the audience to help me.

Who here will unveil me? who here will remove the mask from my face, to help me step from the game and roll the race. Who here will hear or disappear? I can not fly. I can not rise. i can not find the key to get back into my body, to un*clock the clock and do what I promised to do without you, cause I am you and you are me and only we can set U.S. free. I asked for help and I heard Pete's voice. He re*moved the mask. He set me free. I hope I set him free too. That's what I came t*here to do.

set highlights: Lee's Playin' It Pretty, The Huckster's performance of Bob's River Of The Big Canoe, Baba and my new song, I Fly In Love, and Midwestern Tumbleweed, 19 Miles To Baghdad,

Audience Reviews

The last few shows were all tens for the re*membering. Thank you to Chicago, Madison and Louisville for giving us such a warm and generous remembrance. I'm vacationing in the wonderful woods of my mind, that's why I haven't written 'till now and this review is so short. I'll be back soon though, I promise. It's two years today that baba and I found eachother. Thank you Mama. With mighty love from the holy road, X=h/m. L and the dharma dog too.

From The Artist's Eyes

From The Artist's Eyes

Saturday, May 12th, 2007, Cleveland Ohio
Sharing The Road: reviewing the experience from the artist's eyes.
"Great Art Needs A Great Audience..." Walt Whitman
Overall Show Rating: 7/10
Hosts: (10/10) Tim and Susan are angels of now, so kind. We had a beautiful bedroom with light pouring in, lots of snacks, our own lovely pink bathroom. They brought their friends to the show and celebrated with us. Thank you Tim and Susan, for helping us remember the balance, X=h/m.

Venue: (10/10) Cafe Limbo
The venue is a homey house with tables. The food is so good, my Soul Form kept thanking me all night. The staff was generous and they gave the dharma dog water and let him run in their back yard. They paid us and fed us and helped us start our cleveland family, thank you Cafe Limbo and thank you to The Troubadors who co-oped with us and arranged that we perform there.

Promotions: (6/10) Posters were up. Some phone calls were made. The hosts and the cafe brought in new friends to hear the melodies on now. Still, we failed to do a press release or get on the radio so the promotions were lacking.

Opener: no opener.

Sound: (10/10) The sound was great for me. We used our system and Baba set it all up perfectly, the way he always does.

Stage: (10/10) There is no stage, just a warm corner by the window that looks out on an old porch, a tree and a grassy yard.

Audience: (8/10) The audience was sweet, mostly they had never heard us before and they were just getting used to our Lizzie and Baba ways. Still, they answered Now when I asked the essential question. The good news is... I gathered some Tears Of Re*membering for The Magical Tumbleweed by the end and so, I'll be able to make my Tonic quota this week. Thank you. Two beautiful women drove from Pittsburgh to see the show. There was a group of crowing women in the back though and they talked through the show which I found very distracting and this brought the audience average doooown. Argh. Isn't that a shame! The truth is, though, it's not entirely fair to ask people who have come to eat dinner, not to talk. I think Baba and I don't belong in a restaraunt for that reason.

My performance: (7/10) Like I said, I gathered the tears despite the chatter. The crowing crowd brought me down a little though, I must confess. I did catch my wind by the end, after they left. I gave an encore of Dusty Turnaround to a group who arrived late and asked to have a song. It felt good to dance like that and the lifting of glasses and toasting to saving the bees somehow, that made the night turn out right.

Baba: (9/10) Baba didn't let the chatter get to him as much as I did. He danced and sang and played with me through the stars and all the way home with Thank You.

Set List Highlights: Monkey Back Blues, Dusty Turnaround, Of Course My Love, This Land Is Our Land, 19 Miles To Baghdad, Be Where Your Feet Are, Thank You, Louise,

From The Artists Eyes

Friday, May 11th, 2007
From The Artist's Eyes

Sunday, April 29, 2007
Sharing The Road: reviewing the experience from the artist's eyes.
"Great Art Needs A Great Audience..." Walt Whitman
Overall Show Rating: 8/10
Hosts: (10/10) Mike and Liz are angels of now. They have grown our family here in D.C. and gave us their lovely bedroom. Generosity in their hearts and devotion to the music makes them friends, family, and essential to the holy road tours vision. howlelujah to 'em. Thank you Michael, Liz and Bamboo too.

Venue: (10/10) Sangha
We just love Sangha and Jennifer. Everything I wrote last time remains and more. WE had double the crowd that we had last time and we'll be back in september for our D.C. cd/book release party.

Promotions: (5/10) Michael and Liz went beyond the call of duty and did a great job inviting their friends and putting the word out on line. Our posters were great and hung around town but there was no press, radio, or advertising, and i did not get the sense that news of the show was everywhere.

Opener: no opener.

Sound: (10/10) The sound was great for me. We used our system and Baba set it all up perfectly, the way he always does.

Stage: (10/10) The stage at Sangha feels like our living room and we love it. The only thing missing is a piano and maybe some whisky :-)

Audience: (8/10) The audience was kind, loving, quiet and tame. I love D.C. and feel that we are growing a wonderful family here. They were not a singing audience though, for the most part. Some of them sang but quietly, gently, shyly, to themselves. I'm reallly excited to grow this home and bring the full cabaret to Sangha in September.

My performance: (7/10)I didn't ask them to howl and kept the What time is it question to a minimum. I think I just felt like joining the audience in their shy, mellow and quiet mood. I didn't stand 'till the third to last song with Louise and Be Where Your Feet Are.

Baba: (8/10) Baba is perfect and he always plays like an angel and carries my flight but his keyboard was acting up and it was hindering his performance.

Set List Highlights: Of Course My Love, This Land Is Our Land, 19 Miles To Baghdad, Be Where Your Feet Are, Thank You, Louise, Tin Drum

From The Artist's Eyes

From The Artist's Eyes

Sunday, April 29, 2007
Sharing The Road: reviewing the experience from the artist's eyes.
"Great Art Needs A Great Audience..." Walt Whitman
Overall Show Rating: 10/10
Hosts: (10/10) Hammertown Barn (Gregg and Joan Osofsky) is an amazing host. Here, our souls are fed and our bodies are nourished. We eat local food, rehearse by the fire, and re*member the dream together. WKZE is generous with their sponsorship as well. We are so thankful to be part of this growing family and community here in the hudson valley.

Venue: (10/10) Helsinki
This venue is ideal. It's small, intimate, respectful of the performers process, great sound, a dressing room with a bathroom, they fed us and gave us whatever we wanted to drink. They are willing to grow an artist and take risks and help us all re*member the dream. After the show, they let The Dharma Dog enjoy time with his fans. God Dog bless Helsinke.

Promotions: (10/10) WKZE made sure we were heard on the radio. The club's web site gave us a great spotlight. Thank you David Minton. Our posters were hung all around the club. Great Barrington Community radio was supportive with a live on air interview.

Opener: (10/10) We brought Andy Guthrie out from New York City to open for us. We are big fans of his work. He did a wonderful job warming up the audience and re*minding us all. His voice is a mystic voice, hypnotizing and full, like the comfort of the ice age and the promise of evolution no matter what. I loved sitting in the crowd and listening to him, k*nowing he was opening all our hearts for the ripening.

Sound: (10/10) The sound was great for me. Peter did a wonderful job making us feel at home during sound check and the audience seemed inspired by the room mix. My monitors were perect and he dealt with my technical difficulties like an angel.

Stage: (10/10) The stage was small but cozy and I was able to step down too dance with the audience. The paintings that hang as a backdrop served the re*membering well and the velvet curtains that hang behind make it seem as if we are all working inside The Dream.

Audience: (10/10) From the start of the show, they were there for us, singing Reaching for For Light and ready to be fed and to feed. To be the flowers and the bees. They answered now and sanng through the whole show, shining their light on us, re*minding us to be the best Lizzie and Baba we could possibly be. Because of them, we got our wings on and took flight for one of my best shows ever. Howlelujah the time is now. The audience agreed to be free with us and to re*member The Creating Peace Party.

My performance: (10/10) It was dedicated to Mama since she went all the way H*ome two years ago this week. I shined for her and she danced with me. I think I touched the sky, the way I always hoped that I'd do one day. I floated on Baba's playing and the audience singing and then shot to the stars with Woody Guthrie in a r*evolution song and came back to be with my voice of Now. Oh the music lifted us all, like a flock of birds in synchronized flight, we were perfect together last night, me, baba, the stories, the songs, the myth, the magic, the audience and the Dharma Dog cut out. We re*set The Time Peace with The Key to the c*lock and we all agreed to save the bees and start our political party, The Creating Peace Party. Thank you for*giving me The Dream and the perfect cabaret.

Baba: 10/10 I love his soul, he led the Being Freeing, Happiness Happening. X=H/M Despite his cold and cough and feeling terrible, his spirit rose to per*form the best show we've ever done. Cause of him everyone was able to come with us. He is the reason we can all dance and celebrate and still be calm in the re*membering. Without Baba, I'd be flying with one wing and, although it might be thrilling to watch at times, it would make everyone far too nervous to feel good. Thank you Baba, for be*ing the one.

Set List Highlights: Of Course My Love, This Land Is Our Land, 19 Miles To Baghdad, Be Where Your Feet Are, Thank You, Louise, Baba's Somewhere Over The Rainbow,

Audience Review from Last Saturday's Show on April 7th

Lizzie West's bio states that she is currently learning to fly, but I saw her soar. She passed the tonic to us and helped us re*member. I heard her soul call and she felt my soul shine.

She and Baba tied a yellow ribbon around that invisible oppressive thumb. You know, that big invisible meaty thumb that presses down on the back of your neck and makes you forget. It was the first time I heard her perform, but I can re*member every rhythm, every Tumbleweed Cabaret song and the way my tears jumped out of my eyes to join in the sway of the chorus.

I had this poem that I wrote in my Spiritual Words And Musings (SPAM) book, and it echoed in my head.

You must always be intoxicated.
That sums it all up: it's the only question.
In order not to feel the horrible burden of Time
which breaks your back and bends you down to earth,you must be unremittingly intoxicated.
But on what? Wine, poetry, virtue, as you please. But never be sober.
And if it should chance that sometimes, on the steps of a palace, on the green grass of a ditch, in the bleak solitude of your room, you wake up and your intoxication has already diminished or disappeared, ask the wind, the wave, the star, the bird, the clock, ask everything that sings, everything that speaks, ask them what time it is and the wind, the wave, the star, the bird, the clockwill reply: It's time to be intoxicated!
If you do not wish to be one of the tortured slaves of Time, never be sober; never ever be sober! Use wine, poetry or virtue, as you please.
- Charles-Pierre Baudelaire, The Prose Poems and La Fanfarlo

Lizzie West and the Tumbleweed Cabaret reminded me the time is NOW to be intoxicated. This is our duty. This is our grace. And our inspiration, because as I lay listening to "I Pledge Allegiance to Myself" and saw this reflection on the ceiling. I think its my soul shine.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/starpuncher/453293293/

Thank you Lizzie and Baba,
Darcy

Audience Review, Kansas City, April 7th, Westport Coffee House Theater

BY Bill Pryor, http://ravefilmskc.blogspot.com/
Rants from RAVE
Sunday, April 08, 2007
Lizzie West and the Tumbleweed Cabaret: It's a Movement
Last night I was among the fortunate few who got to see the Tumbleweed Cabaret in an early form before it gets refined and goes to an off-Broadway venue in Manhattan by the middle of next year.

I've talked about Lizzie West before, and here's a link to an old post if you'd like to check it out. Here's a link to Lizzie's web site, which you most definitely should check out.

You won't find anything up on her site yet about the Tumbleweed Cabaret (at least I didn't see anything). What you need to do if you can't wait for the New York version is to watch her schedule and go to Columbia, MO, or to Kansas City and see it. It'll be worth the trip. First of all, she is one fine musician and so is the White Buffalo, also known as Baba Buffalo. He has a regular name but I can't remember it, but Buffalo is good enough for me. The thing about Baba and Lizzie is that on their own, each one is a really, really good musician.

Together, they're magic.

I wish I had the words to all the extra verses she did for "This Land Is Your Land." All I can say is that Woodie Guthrie arose from his grave last night and high-fived the universe and danced till dawn with the good spirits, proud that in this day and age somebody paid attention. I don't remember if it was Woody or Pete Seeger who said it first, but both of them have talked about how folk music is built upon the original, how new musicians add their new thing to the old things. Lizzie has done Woody proud. "...from the high oil prices, to the low wage earners..." That's not the exact line, but you get the idea.

One audience member who drove a hundred miles for the event said, "It's not a show--it's a movement." He's right. And that brings up another Guthrie reference, this time Arlo. If I may quote this paragraph from "Alice's Restaurant":

"...You know, if one person, just one person does it they may think he's really sick and they won't take him. And if two people, two people do it, in harmony, they may think they're both faggots and they won't take either of them. And three people do it, three, can you imagine, three people walking in singin' a bar of Alice's Restaurant and walking out. They may think it's an organization. And can you, can you imagine fifty people a day,I said fifty people a day walking in singin' a bar of Alice's Restaurant and walking out. And friends they may think it's a movement."

Arlo, of course, was singing about the Vietnam era draft. Lizzie is singing about our entire universe, and it is inspirational. I walked out of the Westport Coffee House Theater last night thinking that I've seen the beginning of a real movement...and maybe there is, after all, hope.

Audience Review from Kansas City, April 7th, Westport Coffee House

We want to thank you for the howling howlelujah fabulous time we had last night. I can't remember when I have had more fun and pleasure in a public place. The experience was amazing! I knew when I first heard 19 Miles to Baghdad on Democracy Now that I was onto something special and the two of you proved me right in Westport. The time is NOW to say that we can't wait until the show is in full production in Columbia so we can come there and see you again. We really enjoyed ourselves. Last night after the show you mentioned my soul shine. Well, all I can say NOW is that you brought it out in me and from me. I was a kid in a candy shop the whole night, hence, the soul shine and the love. Please keep the wonderful soulful heartfelt music coming. I wouldn't change a thing and could never presume to improve upon something so grand. Your mama and papa must be smiling down on you all the time knowing that you inspire such happiness.

Thank you! I look forward to the next howlelujah and the smiles on your faces.

All our love,
Roni and Julie

From The Artist's Eyes

Saturday, April 08, 2007
Sharing The Road: reviewing the experience from the artist's eyes.
"Great Art Needs A Great Audience..." Walt Whitman
Overall Show Rating: 10/10
Hosts: (10/10) Peter produced this show. He worked and shined on the vision like a true sponsor, He did amazing promotion, got a beautiful venue, constantly brought us goddies like gourmet cheese and wine and cookies. We had water and a place for the dharma dog. DOG BLESS Peter for making Kansas City so perfect last night.

Venue: (10/10) The Westport Coffee House Theater
Great venue. Great sound system. Dharma Dog Friendly. Tom, the owner and sound man, was a real sweetie. I wish we had a place like this wherever we went. That said, it would be useful to have a bathroom near the dressing room.

Promotions: (10/10) Peter made stickers, fliers, posters and hung them all over Kansas City. He took adds in the paper and on the radio. Baba and I appeared on the community radio station live, Linda's show about Women's music, KKFI. We had a wonderful kind and loving crowd, (although smaller than Peter would have liked), it was perfect for us.

Opener: (10/10) No opener.

Sound: (10/10) The sound was great for me. I didn't get any comments besides from Peter who said it was a little too loud the first set and perfect in the second.

Stage: (10/10) The stage was so fitting. It was a nice black box theater and the front of the stage came out into the audience so I could us it as a dancing drum and get real close to the angels that I was sharing The Tonic with.

Audience: (10/10) The crowd was quiet at first, as got to know eachhother. There were
three beams of light shining from the first row and they allowed me to get the whole room lit. Ronnie sang along to all the songs and as I saw her lips moving, I felt the songs belonged to both of us. It is so much like a fire that we all gather together and agree to light. Truly. Baba and I brought the matches (courtesy of Queen Eternity) and those front seat Beings were the paper that so easily helped the fire loving fire manifest. Then there were sticks sitting further back, who shined from afar or came forward to serve the wood's burning. Baba and I and Mama and Eternity, blow through the room song after song after song, bringing the breeze to give thhanks to the trees for the kindling they made and the shelter they gave. Then we all turned to the wood and the wood became our warmth that we shared, a light that will last until next time we are together. The audience gave their line with joy when I asked, "What time is it?". Then they joined me in the proclomation of the evolution revolution of Now in "Look What They Done!" By the end of the first act, we were all singing "tie a yellow ribbon 'round the whole wide world". By the middle of the second act, we all took oour breathe together and sang for gratitude so we could get the key. Howlelujah to ya, the Time Has come to sit here in the sun, now we k*now the race had already been won!

My performance: (10/10) I talked to Mama all night long. The indian came and moved through me too and I wondered who we were calling this time. From the moment I lit the candle, I felt the warmth of Now and was able to perform for the Queen in my best form. She was happy indeed and proud to give the key to get back into my body for I re*membered to breathe and how to grow the magical tumblweed with all who could be free at that the wonderful cabaret, the re*membering school of Now. The Queen,as I left, told Mama to come, to give me the key and she set my being free, to lead my form today, in my continual re*search on how things seem to work on earth. Howlelujah to ya, the time is NOW and we have WON!!

Baba: 10/10 Baba's playing was on and as electric as any magic tumblweed I've ever seen. He was gentle on the ballads, read Kahlil Gibran like a prophet, blazed pasisonately through the cabaret songs and the ragtime explosions. He sang with me as if we were one perfect voice in harmony and saluted the crowd time after time. Queen Eternity made a point of saying how it would place among her favorite re*membrances up 'til Now. She gave Baba his Key and his individual bottle of Tonic and she gave me him a map to get back to The Tumblweed Cabaret tonight. We've planned to meet there and keep re*membering, until we are able to show the Queen we are ready to be free of fear in The Wonderful World Of Now forever. I love his soul, he led the Being Freeing, Happiness Happening. X=H/M

Set List Highlights: Starfish Lullaby, Run Why Do WE Run? Demons, Chariots Rise, Jenny, Mercy Me, Be Where Your Feet Are, Gently Bring Me Home, 19 Miles, Thank You

Audience Review of Saturday Night

First of all, I just wanted to thank you for an amazing night on Saturday.
My mom and I were truely moved and will remember that night for many years
to come. I was a little bit overwhelmed to be honest, because the show was
so moving and the intimacy of the venue made it so real. I'd like to give
you some feedback on the show if you don't mind. I really think that you
and Baba make a great team, there is some real magic there. A couple of
songs that I would like to see added..... "Time to Cry" from the Holy Road
CD ( love the harmonica !!).....maybe you could work this in somehow with
handing out the tears? Another song that I absolutely love is "Sometime"
also from the Holy Road CD. It has a great message that would fit easily
into the show. Hope that all is going well with you!!

Thanks again,

Gus

Audience Review from Last Saturday's Show

Hey---------It's really difficult to put into words. The evening we experienced was way beyond what I expected. I was into Lizzie's music (& message) for the past 3 years. My son, Gus, turned me on to her CD, I guess he knew I would love it! I was following what was happening in Columbia on the lizziewestlife site. Gus & I finally connected (he lives in Columbia) & we decided to come on the last performance March 31st. I knew there was a script involved but really didn't know much else about it.
We arrived at the Holy Road House & were greeted by a friendly face seated on the front porch. It was a little strange coming in, not knowing anyone or what to expect. We took a seat, and listen to a versatile group (Soapbox Sirens)rapping/singing some powerful lyrics from Louisville, KY. I was excited! There was alot of reaction from the crowd- almost like a revival of 'the church of what's happening now' . They played for a while & ended with a familiar tune that everyone got into. When Lizzie started it was so amazing to hear her voice live! I really liked it on the recording, but hearing the tones, vibratos, and quality blew me away. Well when the dialogue started , I was hooked. It was everything I believe in, Anti-fear, Time is Now!, Midwestern Tumbleweed etc... Gus & I both had experience in theater productions, so we really appreciated the acting & script. Lizzie was so incredibly talented! I also enjoyed the total audience participation. My favorite as being funny was 'George Bush' arriving and many other lines,etc.... Lizzie's recollection of her mother moved me deeply, and I really felt her pain. The anti-fear tonic really works! Lizzie's energy is amazing ! Thanks for an incredible evening. I know my thoughts are really scattered, but I have SO MANY wonderful memories of that night and the best part- sharing it with my son! I love you Lizzie-------------
Keep the movement going! The time is now!
Peace, Pat Frank Augusta, MO

Sharing The Road: reviewing the experience from the artist's eyes.

Sunday, March 31, 2007
Sharing The Road: reviewing the experience from the artist's eyes.

"Great Art Needs A Great Audience..." Walt Whitman
Overall Show Rating: 10/10
Hosts: (10/10) The bonds we are all developing are grow, becoming rich and full of life. The art house truly does feel like a garden that we all share, each of us tending to with our personal touch. We are creating our reality together. And I repeat my last review comment as well..."The Holy Road House and Arts Co-op is hosting our March residence (we are some of our own hosts, two hats is confusing sometimes, but necessary to live well in this world.) Anyway, I'm just so thankful to have this enviroment and family to come home to every few months. The team we're all creating together at The House (The Tumbleweed Hotel) is doing a great job learning how to make a perfect enviroment for us (and so, the other traveling artists who will benefit from the holy road when the time comes.) Alisa, Miker, Kaos, Mike Clark, James, Brandon, Karla, Blake, (Zeek back in New Yoork) me, Baba, The Dharma Dog and all the growing family worked hard to make last night (and this whole month, Aly and Ron on the hike, Peter's making the Kansas City show happen) a success. Matt Bearman and Scott filmed and recorded." THANK YOU again TO FD, Kaos, Mike Clark, Aly, James, Mike Roberston, Ron, Brandon, Karla, Blake, Laura, Scott, Matt Bearman, Kristy, Jo, ALL OUR CO-OP GARDNERS, for making this month so wonderful for us and for our visiting artists.

Venue: (10/10) The Holy Road Easy Speak
Matt Bearman is recording these shows and Scott Wilson is filming them. WE've settled into the hous as a venue and the stage is perfect (thanks to brandon). The rooms upstairs make for great private space while we get into character. The sound system feels full and generous (thanks to Blake and Karla). The Soap Box Sirens (artists we hosted from Louisville, kY) filled the house with music and harmony. They enjoyed the boarder rooms and during sound check we all rehearsed a group piece that opened their show. Matt did a fantastic job making the living room an ideal sound envirmont. Miker watched the door. FD and Aly fed us and took care of all the last minute production details. James and FD shined as Eternity's helpers throughout the night. THANK YOU.

Promotions: (8/10) the show was packed and energized with folks who wanted to be there, to understand and celebrate and be part of it all. The e-mails, cards, a few posters and a radio interview of the Sirens, with Kevin Walsh, was enough to fill the Holy Road Easy Speak on Saturday.

Opener: (10/10) The Soap Box Sirens drove from Louisville,KY. They are angels of Now and they brought the house such blessings. The Columbia audience adored them and gave them howling love. They passed around the songs amongst themselves. Baba sat in with them. I sang from the audience front row. They got the crowd ready for The Tumbleweed Cabaret better than any other has done!

Sound: (10/10) I love Matt Bearman and Karla and Blake and Baba for making the sound perfect. Hope the recordings sound as good, I'm sure they will. I didn't get any comments from the audience but I'll assume that means, no news is good news.

Stage: (10/10) The stage (by brandon) doubles as a drum which is perfect for my dancing and stomping and calmer moments too. The baby grand came from mama and it is so stunning, the way it sounds.

Audience: (10/10) The crowd was howling, singing, sharing tears of laughter and loss, passing out the tonic, making sure everyone got some, and they couldn't have been more suppportive or appreciative.

My performance: (9/10) The first three songs were slightly stiff but by the time I got to Jenny, the spirit had risen and the voice had opened. In Mercy Me, spirit took me for a ride and sent me crashing through the crowd. 19 Miles had everyone wearing the yellow ribbons 'round themselves and we sang together, "'round the whole wide world, something fgood has begun." By the time we got to the second act, I was out of body and the songs and characters of The Tumblweed Cabaret were in charge, and they know what to do better than this form could ever know. Considering Baba and I are still so fresh in learning the script as we write it, I'd say, we brought the loving audience home to a howlelujah place called Now. The Tonic was passed out for everyone to take into tomorrow. I hope they're drinking it as we speak, I know I am. Thanks for being part of our March expiriment, we'll be getting the recording and DVD together over the next month. I think the show runs a little too long, this week we'll be cutting it and simplifying it for our Kansas City presentation. It would be hard to hand out 100 bottles of tonic, 100 yellow ribbons, etc. PS: I know the camera was blocking the view sometimes, but I think it'll be worth it when we see the brilliant work of Mr. Wilson.

Baba: 10/10 Baba strutted his genius throughout the first act and then he miraculously became DR. Tumbleweed and Dr. Kavanaski in act two, helping us all remember how to grow the Tumbleweedwith our healthy soil, tears of laughter, loss, and love and how to pour on that soul shine. Baba is the one. Howlelujah to ya DR!

James: James acted as Eternity's helpers, Officer Haggerty, George Bush, and The Tubleweed Plant! He did such a wonderful job capturing all the characters. We threw so much last minute information at him I'm suprised his brain didn't explode. He pulled it off perfectly. A great addition to the cabaret.

Set List Highlights: Bones playing Bones on a couple tunes, Rise Spirit, Starfish Lullaby, Run Why Do WE Run? Demons, Chariots Rise, Jenny, Mercy Me, Be Where Your Feet Are

Reviewing The Show From The Artist's Eyes

"I sing myself and celebrate myself, and what I assume you shall assume,for every atom belonging to me as good belongs to you" -Walt Whitman

I am Tumbling and Rolling to keep up with my Bliss Being this week and so, all Time is spent getting ready for this exciting weekend. That's why this review is so short and sweet. Life is Messy, Love the Mess. Act Two was a perfect mess of me and Baba acting out a very rough draft of what I heard some folks in the audience say was a great re*minder to free their Being and live in the Now. The audience was a 10/10, patient, loving, howling, answering, active participants. I'll leave the rest to imagination and just say that I've never had so much fun as I am these days, at The Tumbleweed Cabaret Of Re*membering The Dream!X=h/m -Howling to you form the holy road, Lizzie and The Dharma Dog too

James's Review Of March 17th Show

"The show was GREAT! When I was part of the audience, I too was more reserved than usual; the reasons, I think, were that I knew that the evening was being recorded and didn't want to intrude on the beauty of the songs, and the other confusion was related to the narrative aspect of the cabaret; since it flowed, there wasn't a clear break in the action to indicate an audience response--I didn't want to break the continuity of the narrative (and maybe miss part of the continuing story). It's kind of like at a concert when a song has a long pause in it near the end but you're not sure it's really over, so you wait to see if there's more. Maybe the recording should be done without mention, like a candid photo, and without signs. Just some thoughts!"

Your performance was, AS USUAL, intimate, polished, and "on the money"! Since we see you perform so often I guess we sometimes just assume that you know that's how we feel, and don't say it out loud.

Howls and love,
James

Sharing The Road: reviewing the experience from the artist's eyes.

"Great Art Needs A Great Audience..." Walt Whitman
Overall Show Rating: 7/10
Hosts: (10/10) The Holy Road House and Arts Co-op is hosting our March residence (we are some of our own hosts, two hats is confusing sometimes, but necessary to living well in this world.) Anyway, I'm just so thankful to have this enviroment and family to come home to every few months. The team we're all creating together at The House (The Tumbleweed Hotel) is doing a great job learning how to make a perfect enviroment for us (and so, the other traveling artists who will benefit from the holy road when the time comes.) Alisa, Miker, Kaos, Mike Clark, James, Brandon, Karla, Blake, (Zeek back in New Yoork) me, Baba, The Dharma Dog and all the growing family worked hard to make last night (and this whole month, Aly and Ron on the hike, Peter's making the Kansas City show happen) a success. Matt Bearman and Scott filmed and recorded.

Venue: (8/10) The Holy Road Easy Speak
Matt Bearman is recording these shows and Scott Wilson is filming them. The sound check has a whole buzz of its own. The house was full of people getting ready for the show. Matt was making sure the sound was perfect, like a real artist of sound. His energy was really inspiring, he just seemed to care so much that everything was perfect and we were all so thankful for that. Baba was getting The Wizard Of Oz on the TV so it'd play silently in the background. Alisa made signs for silence (Shhh, we're recording) and ordered Pizza for the crew, Mike and Kaos got the front desk together. Mike Clark showed up in costume as requested. Zacharia arrived early to make sure he was ready to host the night. The best thing about our venue is Mama's grand piano and also, the fact that everyone is quiet (like in a theater).

Promotions: (2/10) We've been super slacking on the promotions front. It's easy to be lazy about it 'cause it's such a small venue.

Opener: (10/10) Natalie Greer was great. She brought several folks to be a suportive crowd and she sang like an angel who needed to let the world know she was real. A supreme choice and it was Alisa who made that happen. In this case, we had an after show Open Howl which was full of such extraordinary talent. My god...Bart Bean with his songs, harmonica and sacred drum!! Bones, James, Natalie, Baba, everyone was a light carrier last night.

Sound: (10/10) The sound was excellent for me but my guitar had problems, which badly effected my performance and maybe the audience reception. I didn't get any comments from the crowd so i'm not sure how it was for them. Karla and Blake brought their sound system over and added it to ours, so we had perfect monitors and the room was full of song.

Stage: (8/10)Brandon built the stage which doubles as a drum and makes for great dance numbers... so I can shimmy like I do. James opened up the pocket doors so we can fit up to 30 folks (they were very jammed when we first moved in). Baba got the piano tuned. It felt like an intimate cabaret theater. Lighting needs work though, to have the sort of dramatic impact our show needs. The stage and audience almost felt like one (which I liked). The seats were full and the faces warm.

Audience: (7/10) The crowd was focused and respectful, but shy. I think it's my fault, I confused everyone from the start when I told them that we were treating this like a theater piece when, in fact, I meant a "Happening". People seemed timid about applauding between songs. They didn't seem to realize just how important they are to the remembering. They are characters in a play that we have all agreed to perform, a play in which we all remember how to be create peace. Their participation in the happening is as important as mine. They howled like true howlers though and they answered "Now" big and loud when I asked them what time it was. I'm not sure everyone drank the tonic though, and the truth is, that's really the problem. If we'd all just drink Dr. Tumbleweed's Anti-fear Tonic, we'd be so much less afraid to set the spirit free and revive the child within. It wasn't a 10 'cause I think people were too careful about listening and not wild enough about singing, howling, and being a kid. Maybe, though, they were just too busy trying to understand what the hell I was talking about. I think lots of folks will be back next week and I think they'll be freer with their souls, since they have a better idea of what to expect now and they'll be more ready to remind me to remember to remind them. I remember, that's how it happened!! Howlelujah, the time is now.

My performance: (7/10) The audience and I were one. Neither of us could quite let it fly but we both had a good time getting to know eachother again.

Baba: 10/10 AS usual, he was my rock and the audience celebrated him the whole time. His performance of Prayer was truly moving, his Louise Rag was so playful, and after our set, he performed a wonderful solo piece with America The Beautiful in it.

Set List Highlights: Bones playing Bones on a couple tunes, Universal land, The Remembering, Gently Bring Me Home, Do Not Stand At My Grave and Weep, Louise, Jenny

Sharing The Road: reviewing the experience from the artist's eyes.

"GREAT ART NEEDS A GREAT AUDIENCE" - Whitman

Overall Show Rating: 10/10
Hosts: (12/10) Our new family in louisville remind us to remember to remind. They host, care, guide, sing, gather, rap it, bring it, sing it. Everything from the apartment to the food to the walks to the tumble is taken care of by The Sirens who sound the alarm.

Venue: The Hideaway, Louisville, KY
The sound check was a great scene. It felt like the show had already started. The place was packed with energy. The Sirens brought special mike stands and made sure to be there with us, setting up sound and untangling chords. The Blue Umbrellas let us do our thing 'till we got a decent mix. The bartender was an angel and she set the energy from the start. Upstairs, the hideaway is just what the name makes it seem. It's a dive bar treasure with enough vibe to make up for no dressing room and lacking monitors. I can't wait to come back there. I suppose that's means the venue is a star of bars.

Promotions: Posters were hanging all around Louisville and were uop at the club. The show was promooted on the radio a bunch.

Opener: The Blue Umbrellas were power girl accoustic pop. They brought a great crowd and they got the house all warmed up for us.

Sound: Like I said, it wasn't the sound that made it a 10 show, but we were able to make it work and we, us and the audience had a mutual revival.

Stage: The stage was is a nice size for two of us. I had plenty of room to move.
Our friends Angie and Kato joined us on mandolin and bass and we could all enjoy plenty of space. No piano.

Audience: (9/10) Local Louisville designer, Nina Rosenberg made me a costume before she met me and it couldn't have been a better fit. She was there at the show and she brought me the first patch for the Mythic Quilt Of Man. Heather, Kri. Nick, Trevor, Janet, Angie, Amy, Renee, and all our new friends made the night perfect. The show was an hour and a half or so. The room was full of evolutionaries fulfilling their promise to get the fire lit and make it roar no matter what. They howled, answered "NOW" and sang along with the songs. The back of the bar was too loud. In any other show, they could have brought the overall rating down to below a five but because of the wealth of heart in the front of the room, they only devalued the experionce slightly. By the middle of the show, I made sure the back of the room had a chance to sing, by themselves, for the rest of the crowd. That was fun. From the first "reaching for light" we all joined together. The Tonic was passed around the room and by the end of the show half the kicking crowd was on stage with us. We all sang together on Starfish Lullaby and "Get Up Stand Up." The Sirens spoke it as a layer on top of the music and The Troubadors Of Divine Bliss gave all their dream power to make sure they helped us all remember. It was a night I'll always keepo close to my heart.

My performance: (9/10) I'm getting tired 'cause it'slate night after the gig, so I'll just say that I was a match and half the crowd were matches too. The fire lit, fast, from the moment I opened my mouth. There were no demons and there was no wrestling match. I was out of the way and the spirit came through, shared the tonic, made sure everyone got some, and the revival was real. Howlelujah the time is now. Thank yoou Louisville.

Baba: 10/10 AS usual, he was my rock and the audience celebrated him the whole time. His Louis Rag was especially courageous.

Set List Highlights: Chariots Rise, Reaching For Light, Starfish Lullaby, Look What They Done To My World! Louise, Rope Me In and Smoke me

Audience and Host Review, Maryland, March 1st 2007

West Dazzles, Entraces

Sangha, a free-trade store in Takoma Park, Maryland known for it unique items from Tibet, Guatemala and other far-flung places across the globe, played host to singer and song writer Lizzie West and her long-time counterpart Baba "the White Buffalo" Thursday night. The crowd that braved the rainy weather to turn out, healthy for a weekday night, was the recipient of a raw and honest eighty-minute set.

West covered a lot of ground in her time on stage, running the full range of her repertoire, from "Chariot's Rise", a song that played an integral part in the James Spader, Maggie Gayyenhall film "The Secretary", to the whimsical "Sparty", written for one of the two dogs that has toured with the pair over the years.

"Chariots" was in particular memorable, performed this time with an essentially unreleased set of lyrics and a deep emotion reflective of the personal nature of the song. Also of note was her rendering of "Take These Demons", a new song from her most recent effort, "I Pledge Allegiance to Myself" which was released last year. The coffee house environment offered by Sangha clearly appealed to West as she played, and she interacted with those present numerous times, even taking a list of requests once her initial set had finished.

West currently splits her time between upstate New York and Columbia, Missouri, moving back and forth every few months, touring the cities along the way in between. She heads to Louisville next, and then on to her self-described "spring residency" in the midwest. For those who missed it, West will return to the area this May as part of her "Midwest Tumbleweed Roadshow".

Michael Horlick

Sharing The Road: reviewing the experience from the artist's eyes.

Host, Audience, Venue Review: Maryland, March 1st, 2007

Overall Show Rating: 9/10
Hosts: (10/10) We were invited to come to Maryland by Michael and Liz Horlick. They suggested the venue and offered to host us. They were amazing hosts. We arrived (at 10:00pm Wed night) to Tibetan flags being blowing in the breeze of their front yard. They cooked for us, gave us their own master bedroom (they took the guest room), led us on walks through the local parks with the dogs, shared their brains and extensive knowledge of Mythology and Linguistics, and made sure we were well rested for the show. They printed fliers and posters and spread them around town. They couldn't have been more gracious. The information they shared is going straight into my writing as I work on the novel. I, now, write from their sweet 1920's brick home just before we (me, Baba and The Dharma Dog) head for Louisville. This morning they gave is our own set of Tibetan Flags to hang at The Holy Road House in MO and blessed our travels with silk prayer scarves around our necks.

Venue: Sangha, Takoma Park, MD (10/10)
As soon as we arrived, Jennifer (the venue owner) greeted us with hugs. She made hot tea for us all. The venue is a Fair Trade Store with a stage in the back room and it sells all kinds of beautiful things that feed the collective mind and bring us into The Now. Jennifer lit candles and filled the room with love. The room seats about 30 happily but it can fit up to 150. The Dharma Dog was allowed to be with us in the venue and so, he made himself comfortable. He inspected all garbage cans. couches for sitting and found himself a pair of hand made nomadic Mongolian boots, made from hide, to eat. Much to his dismay, I discovered him before he did too much damage, bought the boots for 50 bucks and tried to find him some dinner (to his credit, he was legitimately hungry since I'd forgotten to feed him). Jennifer was an angel about it. I insisted she take the cash. The venue was a truly inspiring place to fly through the valleys of these songs and stories that we share. They gave us %100 of the door and %100 of Merchandise and so, we love them for that too.

Promotions: Poster was on the front door. Our wonderful hosts had spread posters and cards all around Takoma Park.

Opener: No Opener.

Sound: We did our own sound and provided our own PA, which means that the sound is limited but it does the trick and it's nice 'cause we're in control of the energy during set up. We don't have room to carry extra monitor speakers with us so that is always a draw back for us. A couple audience members told me the room sounded great overall.

Stage: The stage was nice, small, surrounded by paintings, love worn chairs were up close and personal. No piano.

Audience: (9/10) The show was about an hour and a half long. We started it off mellow 'cause the rain was coming down and the room felt quiet. By mid show, I was downing "The Tonic" and letting it loose, shaking it, with Baba ripping ragtime solos and we were screaming with the audience, "Look what they done to my world, They went and fucked it up, ma!" The Tonic was not passed around the room but a few folks did get some when I handed it off the stage to the front row. I feel bad about that today, I should have made sure to share it with the whole crowd. In Louisville, I will! Anyway, even without the tonic, they howled, they shouted with us, they sang softly, "tie a yellow ribbon 'round Takoma Park" and they answered "Now" whenever I reached for them with Eternity's question of Time. In short, they started out tame and possibly apathetic but they turned revivalist by the end. THey helped me remember to remind them to remember. Some of them said they had heard "19 Miles To Baghdad" on Democracy Now. It hit me, as we all sang "Look What They Done", that we were in DC and that it was important for us to be here, in this political town more often. I did wrestle with my beast through the show some. But it was Liz and Michael who upped the Audience rating and helped me out too, (they were the paper in the front row and they made sure my spirit won and the beast became the vessel for my voice. We all rode Home together. We got the key by the end and unlocked our clocks. That's good. Real good. I was the match and the air, but so was Liz, so was Baba, so was Michael. We all took to the fire pit, as evolutionaries committed to making a fire that would last 'till we were all back together again. Everyone else in the room agreed to be paper, easy dry kindling (especially Melissa and Sarah who sat to the right, on the couches). Jennifer and her Sangha friends were good dry logs that took to lighting well and promised to last 'till May. Liz and Michael and the rest of them know they can go to Sangha to get lit when they need it. We sold lots of cds and gave away tons of stickers. Howlelujah, friends, the time is now.

My performance: (9/10) Like I said, I started off in a wrestling match but the Joseph Cambell helped. Then, "Reaching For Light" got me lit enough to look for matches among us. They were there and they helped me. The rise of the rest is a blur until I downed "The Tonic" and shook it with "Look What They Done" but I think Chariots Rise may have been the first kicker for me and for all of us. I had a blast, so happy to win the wrestle and take the beast into that flight across The Divide. By the time I landed back on Earth, at the end of the show, bringing the key to the crowd, I know my own soul had successfuly traveled through Eternity's domain into The Now.

Baba: 10/10 His playing got the audience howling. He kept me clear and made sure I didn't lose the wrestle until it was clear we had won and were riding the beast together, through the glory and the fields of Now.

Set List Highlights: Chariots Rise, The Day We Met, Take These Demons, Reaching For Light, Long Live The Poet, Starfish Lullaby, Gently Bring Me Home and Look What They Done To My World!

Sharing The Road: reviewing the experience from the artist's eyes.

"Great art needs a great Audience..." -Walt Whitman
This is new. To review. I've started asking the audience to send reviews of our shows to me and I'll start posting them on this blog. I promise to do the same, start reviewing the audience, our generous holy road hosts, and the venues too. I want to make this agreement, to be here now and to talk about what we're experiencing and why. So here it is.... days are busy and the reality is shifting again, changing...staying in touch with it is a challenge, not drowning in it but growing with it. I have lots to do in Maryland today. Walk, write, rehearse, sound check and perform but I'm going to review the NY Show some and tomorrow I'll review the D.C. show. It's a balance, of course, and essential that you know, I do not come from a place of judgment. Whether you are reading this as a "fan", a Holy Road Tours Family Member, an "audience", a venue, or a Holy Road Host, I mean whatever I say as a friend of the evolution. I come from an honest place of hunger for the healing. It's about all of us aknowledging that we are, whether we like it or not, creating our reality and affecting eachother's worlds. From the moment I walk in the door, the experience begins defining itself. Is the sound man warm, happy to be where he is, has he researched the music he is about to manifest, does he take pride in his own art form, as a music lover, as a sound designer, as a creator of mood and function? Things like that...Okay, 'nough explaining. Here's the sharing, please write me your reviews of my reviews, the shows, the venues, and all the experiences we share. Thanks so much, my friends, for reminding me to remember to remind.

Venue: The Cutting Room, Feb 27th, '07
Overall Show Rating: 6/10

Promotions: We were not listed on the club calander inside the venue, no posters up and no fliers out.

Opener: We had not been told he was opening for us. He pushed our start time so that the show started 40 minutes late. An audience member told me he was not a good match for us, "too depressing" she said.

Sound: Chip was pretty brazen. Didn't seem inspired to be there. Didn't seem to care who I was or curious about the road I was traveling. He wanted to get us on and off stage as fast as possible. He seemed poisoned by the Zombie Town poison and he had a screen of apathy over his eyes. I introduced myself. He was polite but disinterested, just doing his job. That was my impression. anyway The sound had the same vibe. That said, the mix was decent and the monitors let me hear myself okay. Though the audience called, quietly, for an encore, Chip cut off the show.

Stage: The stage at The Cutting Room is nice and big. The grand piano was out of tune but we are always so thankful to have a piano that we hardly cared. Baba moved the drum set and made sure we got the best enviroment we could. It's a great space for me to dance and move around on. The lights are dramatic but it was hard for me to get Chip to shine them on the house enough (a requirement for me to have a happy show), so I could see the audience faces. By the third time I asked, he finally did it.

Audience: (5/10) I had some "Birth Family" there as well as "Earth Family." My nephew was sweet but he was also a little distracting during the ballads. The house was full of reserved love, like a hug from an arms length. When I asked, What Time Is It? Almost all of the audience answered "Now" which fed me when I needed it. It seemed like about 1/4 of them sang with us when I turned the mike around. Nice applause. No howling though. Overall.... it was not a revivalist audience but it was warm enough to keep the show moving. I am realizing that the audience and I are there together to start a fire which needs to keep us warm until the next time we are together or until the next time a "light exchange" happens. Here's my question? Who's the match? Who's the kindling? Who's the paper? Who's the blowing air? Who's the ember?
My performance: (6/10) I started off with "The Remembering Monologue" which I think scared the new yorkers a little. It was confusing for them and I don't think I delivered the "Remembrance " very well. I think, they didn't seem to understand why I was passing the "Dr. Tumbleweed's Anti-fear Tonic" around and they didn't realize why I was asking them to drink it. I don't think they made sure that everyone got some either, which is not good! In fact, one audience member told me she was reallly sad 'cause she didn't get any. In short, I worked hard to get the fire lit at this show and keep it lit. A little too hard. I was the match and the breeze and the paper this one. There was a great piece of paper and stick in the front row, (that was Alex), and in the middle of the room (couldn't see her face but I could feel her) and in the back of the room, there was a young man and woman willing to be the paper too. I loved talking to folks after. The woman who traveled acround the Eqautor (Monique), Margeaux, and Beth... they all made me feel as if I had lit them from within and so, I did my job and felt happy about that when I went to sleep Tuesday night.

Baba: 9/10 He was amazing, kept me growing throught he whole show and played like the genuis he is!

Set List Highlights: Universal Land Part I, Tumbleweed, Look What They Done, Starfish, Hallelujah, This Land Is Our Land, Little Boxes, Thank You.

Reviews From The Road

Cutting Room performance - NYC
27 Feb 07

Dear Lizzie West,

i am moved to respond - to share my thoughts about your show - truly genuine, engaging performance - you are an unique fusion between janis joplin and bob dylan - i left last night speechless in the corridor of your light and poetry - thank YOU for being authentic, following your heart - being present in the NOW !!

octavio paz, so eloquently said, that 'each poetic adventure is distinct and each poet has sown a different plant in the miraculous forest of speaking trees.'

cheers to you and Baba Buffalo for spreading your love and joy - living your Holy Road quest - uncovering & planting seeds along the way !!

warmest regards,
monique stauder

Reviews From The Road

Audience and Show Host Review, Cambridge Show In Feb, 2007:

Marla and Max Felcher were Holy Road Hosts. They invited us to Boston and hosted a concert in their wonderful home. It was one of my favorite shows I've ever performed. Their show hosting was ideal in that they provided a full house, great food, and inspired a completely focused enviroment. The crowd howled, answered "Now!", sang and bellowed from the core of their Beings, they were a revival audience, Baba shined in perfect harmony, melody and time, the audience reminded us to keep reminding and remembering, folks bought a bunch of cds, everyone signed the e-mail list. We provided our own sound and Baba made it feel real good. In short, I give the Venue, The Hosts, and The Audience a 10/10. Hoowlelujah, the time is now and something good HAS begun!

From the Host:
"If there is a better way to spend a cold winter evening in Boston than listening to Lizzie and Baba play in my living room, I certainly can't think of it. From the moment the duo played their first note, the thirty friends who had gathered in my living room for a house concert were smitten and transfixed. Remember a time in our country when people took a heartfelt stand for what they believed? We need people like Lizzie and Baba to remind of us that time, to bring that time to NOW, and to leave us with a sense of hope. Thank you guys, for an evening of beautiful music, and hope."

Marla Felcher

Cambridge, MA

An Audience Review By David Minton:
It has been my privilege for the last several years to see many extraordinary artists within Club Helsinki's special sanctuary of music and life!

Lizzie's visit on Sunday night just took this old folkie's breath away!! "Reaching for Light" stays with me, two days after her performance, and I expect it will for a long, long time to come.

If you are of her generation, I hope she speaks for you, she represents all the goodness you carry within yourselves.

Speaking as one of her parent's generation, this is what we raise good children to do...love us, teach us, remember us, and remind us that NOW is always the moment we inhabit. This young woman's visit was one of the most memorable performances I have seen. Should you not know of her, by all means visit her website, www.lizziewestlife.com

She brought us beautiful music, word, and presence. Lizzie West is a timeless spirit and ageless soul, seek her out.

David Minton

2/27/2007

http://www.clubhelsinkiweb.com/news197.html

she wants to know....what she should do.... ? where should she go? who should she be? how can she be happy here, now? Dr. Tumblweed's ant-fear tonic will help you remember everything you know. Just toast to Eternity and ask the light carriers to help you keep it lit all the way home.

"afoot and light hearted i take to the open road
healthy and free, the world before me
the long brown path leading wherever I choose
henceforth i ask not good fortune
i myself am good fortune
i whimper no more
postpone no more
make no more querilous complaints
healthy and free
i take to the open road." -Walt Whitman's Song Of The Open Road

-me and the dharma, howling to you from the holy road

"They did not see that they dwelt in a unified cosmos, in god's world, in an eternity where
everything is already born and everything has already died." -Carl Jung "Memories, Dreams, Reflections" (an autobiography)
What is the world?
the lesson rides beside me
trying to get me to listen
and let it rest.
howling love from the road, L and The Dharma dog too

The sun is rising on Pine Plains. I am writing again, bringing chapter five to its ripening, its fruition. Found the key to the door and got back in. My dog that was a long sleep. I am here now again, sneezing twenty times a day, lost the lemons and had too find them. It's too cold to take my god for a walk in the woods, guess I'll have to just have to remember the warmth and walk across the divide, me and the seeing eye god. Peter, Olivia, Nina, Joan, Kri, Heather, Janet, Angie, The Bee Man, Gregg, Kaos, Mike, Mike, James, Alisa, Tracix, and all of the angels who are helping us remember and making Ourstory come true. Thank you. The message will repeat. Howling to you from the holy road, Lizzie and The Dharma X=h/m "Where shall you seek beauty, and how shall you find her unless she herself be your way and your guide."-Kahlil Gibran

the only way to remember not to hurt is to love in gratitude, like a child, a plant, a dog, one that needs to be taken care of with good water, steady light, fresh food, long walks ion nature, sleep, and the daily coming of the X. it's that simple but somehow there's always something i forget. what is this forgetting? why is it so much easier to forget than it is to remember? "every frozen soul, every good inention turned dishonest, these are the gross manifestations of our darkest fears, our mortality looking deep into the eyes of our citizenship, a paralysis of our higher mind and our greater spirit." Packing up Mama's apartment two years after she's gone... swings me somewhere but not here. Mama! -Howling to you from the holy road, X=h/m, me and the dharma dog both.

Early monday morning in New York. Reading Black Elk Speaks and asking the voice to speak, still inside the dream. "Up on the Madison Fork the Wasichus had found much of the yellow metal that they worship and that makes them crazy..."- Black Elk. Waking up now. Howling to you from the holy road, Lizzie and The dhaRma dog.

digesting the memories is all part of remembering, sometimes painful but feels so good when it finally goes down and delivers itself as waste on the other side of time. the desperate clocks are trying to hold on but they have no chains that can't be opened anymore, there is no shape they can create that won't fit this key...this is freedom and so they can't seem to get a lock down on me, their c, leaving them stuck with nothing but a shell of control. "and by habit they shortened their thoughts so as not to wander into the darkness beyon tomorrow."- Carson McCullers
-howling in love, me and the dharma both

I know this blog has been neglected. i want to give it new life somehow, starting today it is an effort of remembrance of Now. i just love reading baba's stories. perhaps i'll try a quote and a virtual hug from me and the dharma. we send it from here, deep in the woods of our imagination, where we're writing the wonderful adventures of the holy road. "of all the needs that a lonely child has, the one that must be satisfied if there is to be a hope and a hope of wholeness is the unshakable need for an unshakable god. -Maya Angelou's, I know why the caged bird sings." -howling to you from the holy road, Lizzie and the dharma dog
Reminder: "they won't bury us 'till we die."

Hey travellers,
Wisconsin and St.Louis were breakthrough shows. We're rolling like a "Midwestern Tumbleweed" along the holy road, writing and growing the show as we go.

We'll be rolling the show into Kansas City, this Sunday, performing at The Pilgrim Chapel on January 7th and then we'll be rolling it back here for a show at The Blue Fugue on January 13th...with Bart Bean's Elixir, The Moonbelly Dancers, East Ash Street band and Annie's Anti-Fear Tonic. See the flier below.

Latest :

* We're heading out on an East Coast Tour at the end of January and being hosted by Hammertown Barn for our Feb residency.
* A couple of our songs will be featured on the TV show "The L Word" this coming season.
* "Flying" and "Discipline" were my words of the year. They haven't washed off yet.
* Chapter five of "The Wonderful Adventures..." is on its way into the world and by the end of January, before we leave, we'll be hosting a reading at our new venue, The Holy Road Easy Speak.

See you soon, somewhere on the holy road, thanks for traveling with us and let's try to keep it lit within...
Yours artists in song and life,
Lizzie West, Baba Buffalo and all the family at Holy Road Tours
"If you don't create your reality, your reality will create you."

www.lizziewestlife.com
myspace/lizziewestlife