El Dorado, here we come ... now where was that fabulous fudge again?

As the symphony season starts we're looking forward to returning to some of the places we've been before, like El Dorado AR on Sept. 8 (we'll be doing the music of Queen this time).

As always, we love to try local food while we're visiting — but we don't have a lot of spare time this trip, so would love a breakfast recommendation for Saturday morning if you have one!  We'll also be hungry after the show Saturday night, so an evening eatery recommendation would also be much appreciated. :-)

Last time I was in El Dorado I got some amazing fudge and gourmet popcorn to take home, but I didn't write the name of the shop down so can't remember what it was called ... might be La Bella Gourmet Gifts and Deli (?) which is on the way to the venue from our hotel.

Wherever it was, I definitely want to drop in there again!

See you soon,
Lis

 

What To Do/See/Eat When We're In Your City?

Photo by Kate Krav:  http://www.sxc.hu/gallery/KateKrav

We're looking forward to meeting more of you this year, as well as seeing familiar faces in places we've already performed, and it's always great to discover new fave places to go, things to see, and food to eat ...

... SOOooooo ...

... just wondering if you might have some recommendations for how to spend any spare time (we don't always have some, but it does happen!) when we come visit you — please feel free to post any suggestions below.

Thanks in advance, and we'll see you this season!

xo Lis

p.s.  Click on "upcoming concerts" in the tabs above to see show dates for this season's schedule (and check out our Google map of where we've been so far):

Akron, OH

Amarillo, TX

Anchorage, AK

Austin, TX

Bartlesville, KY

Big Spring, TX

Binghamton, NY

Bowling Green, KY

Brantford, ON

Calgary, AB

Chattanooga, TN

Dayton, OH

Denver, CO

Duluth, MI

El Dorado, AR

Erie, PA

Hagerstown, MD

Halifax, NS

Huntsville, AL

Jackson, MS

Kamloops, BC

Kitchener-Waterloo, ON

London, ON

Marshall, TX

Midland-Odessa, TX

Nanaimo, BC

New Orleans, LA

Owensboro, KY

Peterborough, ON

Port Perry, ON

Reading, PA

Saskatoon, SK

Sioux Falls, SD

St. Catherines, ON

St. Joseph,  MI

Thunder Bay, ON

Tucson, AZ

Tulsa, OK

Victoria, BC

Wheeling, WV

Williamsport, PA

Winnipeg, MB

Winston-Salem, NC

February in Anchorage (from Stephanie)

Smack-dab in the middle of summer, it's hard to believe we'll have to bundle up for the cold weather again ... looking forward to another trip to Anchorage in October 2012 for the ABBA show with the Anchorage Symphony Orchestra!

Here are Andrea Koziol, Stephanie Martin and Dale Anne Brendon from when we were there to do the music of Queen this past February.

Keeping the Drapes Closed With Colin Mochrie!

You never know who you’ll run into on the way to or from a Jeans ’n Classics gig, and what pearls of travel wisdom they might have for you ...

For instance, in March on the way to perform the music of U2 with the Green Bay Symphony Orchestra, we ran into Canadian comedy icon Colin Mochrie, award-winning actor and world-renowned master of improv.  And in June we were on our way back from a Queen show with the Roanoke Symphony Orchestra, and Colin was on the same flight back to Toronto.

(If you'd like to see all the shows we have to choose from, have a look here.)

Rique sings the theme song for “She’s the Mayor” — just one of the many shows in Mr. Mochrie's impressive career — and she said hi to Colin, who then chatted with us while putting some finishing touches on a new project on his laptop.  (Perhaps it was this: http://www.colinmochrie.com/classics.html)

He shared a great travel tip, too.  Getting enough rest on the road is a challenge, especially if you have to perform at night plus rehearse during the day, not to mention travel schedules; even if you have time for a nap it can be hard to drift off (or stay asleep) if the sun’s shining.  You can close the drapes in a hotel room, but if they don't close all the way a pesky, persistent sliver of light can stand defiantly between you and some much-needed shut-eye.

Colin's solution?  Use the pant hangers in the closet to clip the drapes closed.

Perfect.  Simple, effective, and takes up zero space in the carry-on.  Thanks, Colin!

Cheers,
Lis