Emily Hurd: NEWS

Happy Holidays!!

Just a quick note to wish you all a good season. Whether or not you are the celebrating sort, I hope life is being kind to you and that you are being kind to it. If you find yourself immersed in stresses, listen to music!

I will keep you posted on the upcoming pop and Blue Oak Blues projects soon. Until then, you can download my cover of Woody Guthrie's "Mail Myself To You" that was put out on the Old Town School of Folk Music's 4th Songbook record. It's on iTunes.

On a personal front, I am learning to play a little harmonica whenever I'm in the car as a holiday gift to myself. Please treat yourselves to your talents! These days, I am ever reminded of how impossible it is to be good to others if we are not first good to ourselves.

Merry Winter!
Em

Hey there friends!

I am coming back from Nashville for 2 upcoming shows in Chicago!

The first one is tomorrow, June 23, at 7:00pm at Charlie's Coffee House in Wilmette. I just got an email from the owner, Bob, saying this is going to be THE LAST SHOW at his venue. So let's give it a big finish! And for a big cause; all proceeds will go to Blue Oak.

Charlie's Coffee House
1126 Central Ave.
Wilmette, IL 60091
847 256 5617--for reservations

Also, I will be back at Davenport's this Wednesday, June 27th at 7:30 pm! Check out the ad in today's Sun Times.

Finally, from June 25 to July 1, I have the supposed honor of being the featured musician on The Local Tourist. Apparently, you can all vote on whether Chicago should "keep me" or "chuck me." I would really rather not be virtually chucked from Chicago, so PLEASE visit this website, and say you'd like me to stay.
http://www.thelocaltourist.com

However, if I am chucked, don't think you're getting rid of me.

Hope to see you soon!
Emily

Tomorrow, June 6, at 7:30 is my last show at Davenport’s before I head to Nashville -- hitting that well-worn Route 65 highway between Chicago and the Music City. I plan to be there for a month, but returning to Chicago in the middle for a few gigs.

I’ll be back at Davenport’s on Wednesday, June 27, but even before that I’ll be at Charlie’s Coffee House in Wilmette on Saturday, June 23. This is the very first ever Blue Oak Blues fundraiser. All proceeds will go to Blue Oak that night, and your ticket also gets you half off on the new CD Love In Flats. For reservations please call 847.256.5617.

Hope to see you there, and I also hope to have some good stories about the Nashville trip.

Hope you’re all doing well,

Emily

Love In Flats now available at CD Baby. Check out my "Buy Music" page. It should be at iTunes soon. They take a little longer to get things set up.

Hi there friends--

Hope all of you are enjoying spring! A lot is happening these next couple of months, so I thought I'd drop a line.

First, I want to VERY sincerely thank those of you who keep coming out to these Wednesday Davenport's gigs. Seems like every week the weather is worse than the week before, and still you forge through the elements to sit through the show. It's awesome that you are even bringing your own food in. The beef jerky is cracking me up. Anyway, I will definitely be at Davenport's the next few Wednesdays in May, including tomorrow at 7:30, with...

THE NEW CD--Love in Flats! We recorded this thing in December, and it's finally finished, which is a load off my mind while I'm working on the next two, one of which is the Blue Oak fundraiser. The players, engineer, masterer, and designer contributed so much to this recording, and I couldn't be happier. I have it for sale at my gigs, and it will be up for sale on CD Baby next week. I will keep you posted on a possible cd release party.

Also, on Monday, May 21, I will be sharing a late show with many lovely and talented ladies at Silvie's. This is a great opportunity to see a lot of quality musicians in a unique environment. Plus it's on a Monday, a fantastic day to go out and forget there's a week ahead of you. You can find the details on my website.

And on Thursday, May 24, I'm playing at the Uncommon Ground on Clark at 9 pm. I don't think there's a Cub's game that night, so please please PLEASE stop in. You can make reservations at 773.929.3680. It's apparently really important for me to draw a crowd at this place to be able to play there again. So come on out! If not for me, then for the food; I hear it's incredible!

Finally, I am going to be living in Nashville for most of the month of June to check out the publishing, performing, and pub scene. If you've got any suggestions of places or people I ought to talk to, from businesses to restaurants, I'd love to hear them! This will be my first time there, and I'm so excited.

As always, all the best to you. Keep me posted on how you are!
Em

Hey friends and family . . .

Hope spring is treating you all well! Just wanted to let you know about a couple of upcoming performances worth mentioning.

This Thursday and Friday, March 22 and 23, I’ll be playing three shows at the Park Theater in Holland, Michigan. It’s about 2 ½ hours outside of Chicago. If anyone feels like making the trip, I’d love to see you there! Check out the tour page of my site for specific times.

Also, on Sunday, April 1, I’ll be back at the Irish Rose in Rockford. I’ve been writing a lot these last few months and will play many of my new songs at this gig. The show starts at 8:30 pm. I promise at least one April Fool’s prank will be played on somebody in the audience. Hope you’ll stop by.

And I’ll be back at Davenport’s every Wednesday in April! It’s free and in the front room! Whiskey is the drink special every Wednesday night, so please stop in and break up your week with a little live music and some good libations.

Finally, the cd we recorded in December is just about done. It was a slow crawl at the end, but we finally finished it up! We ended up using only 2/3 of the songs we recorded and saved the rest because...

...I’m going to use the bluesier songs for another cd that I’ll be working on throughout this year. The festival that I planned on having this September as a fundraiser for Blue Oak Blues, the company I started last May, ended up being delayed because the venue fell through. Hopefully, we can get that running in 2008. So, I’m going to use this bluesier cd as a 2007 fundraiser, with all profits going back to the company. Watch for updates on the progress.

Drop a line and let me know how you are. Or just stop by a gig and say hello!

All the best to you,

Emily

Happy New Year!

Hope you all had a nice holiday! Just a few things worth mentioning as we kick off 2007.

Tomorrow, January 5, at noon, I will be playing live for a short bit on WGN TV9 (News at Noon) in Chicago. This is my first television performance since that all time classic cameo I had as a 10-year-old on the local 5 o'clock news, and I'm looking forward to it. Please tune in if you can!

Also, next weekend, January 14, at 7 pm, I will be playing at Brio in Rockford to commemorate their 2 year anniversary. To all you Rockfordians: please come out for good food and music! The chef/owner Paul is putting together a really great night.

Also, on January 20, I will be playing at Charlie’s Coffee House in Wilmette at 7:30 pm. The information is on my website. Reservations can be made ahead of time by calling 847.256.5617. I know it's not close to home, but I guarantee this show will be worth the drive! I hear that this place has a really intimate feel.

Finally, in December, I found out that my song “Cherry Blossom” got 5th place in this year's international John Lennon Songwriting Contest in the blues category. I don't receive anything for this, but I'm proud to hang my hat on 5th place! (a small hat, but a hat none-the-less).

Thanks for all of your support and I hope to see you soon!
Emily

P.S. On December 10, we recorded another album! The mixing begins next week. More details to come.

Hey Everyone,

Just wanted to share some happenings with you!

IN LOCAL NEWS:
Check out the calendar section of my website for info and links to upcoming shows. This weekend I'll be playing with Michael Schenkelberg and Nathan Hosner of "Back Off The Hammer" at Gigfest 2006 at the Horseshoe Tavern on Lincoln Avenue. This is a charity event and it should be lots of fun, so please come! $15 at the door. Bring your dancing shoes. We reserve the right to stop playing if you don't dance.

Also, I'm happy to report that Davenport's didn't hold a grudge against us for getting sick in Mexico, and I was invited back for Wednesday nights in October. If you missed it in August, please come on over in October! It's a small room with a wonderful PA system and a grand piano. 8 pm. $5 cover. Great excuse to have a drink on a Wednesday.

And if you don't have your tickets yet for the November 10th Bettye LaVette opener, you should get them now! I understand there aren't many seats left. This is going to be a really fun show so call the Old Town School (773-728-6000) and buy your tickets!

IN NATIONAL NEWS:
You'll also see on the calendar that I'm heading to Atlanta to play the Atlantis Music Conference on October 5th. My venue is Dailey's right downtown. Anyone with a personal jet and loads of free time who wants to hop on down to Atlanta to listen is certainly welcome. Otherwise, please tell all your Atlanta friends to stop in!

IN INTERNATIONAL NEWS:
In addition to France, "The Barefoot Session" has also made it a little further north to Denmark. Last week "Taxes" got introduced to the Radio Holstebro listeners. Very exciting!

Also, you can now get "The Barefoot Session" and "Potent One" on iTunes. I've got it set up so you can get right to it from an iTunes link on my site. Check it out. Load your iPod.

Finally, on a personal note, I have three big announcements:

1) The not-for-profit we started in May---Blue Oak Blues---is getting up and running for a 2007 Blue Oak Blues Festival (location still unknown). T-shirts coming soon!! (Read: There should be little to no surprise as to what you are all receiving for stocking stuffers this year.)

2) On September 20th a 10 week old puppy, Henry ("Hank"), was officially brought into my tiny flat. I am convinced that he is part border collie, part shepherd, part warthog. Aside from him demolishing my favorite sandals, I couldn't be prouder.

3) I love you all. But then again, you already knew that.

Hope to see you soon!
Emily

Hi friends--

I just learned that "The Barefoot Session" has hit the European air waves! The compliments go to French Radio Aria's "Pulsions 70" blues program. I don't know how they heard about us, but I am hoping for a European tour by 2009; finger crossing begins now.

I want to send out a special thanks to all of you who sweated yourself through the Folk and Roots Festival on that very hot Sunday, especially the band: Adam (as always), Jimmy, Eric, Gregg, Stevie, and Nate. We sold lots of CDs (thank you, thank you) and we also had so much fun with the added horn section. And the Old Town Schoolers dancing in the front row really made the day for me…..you guys were amazing.

You can now buy our CDs via a direct link to CD Baby from my website. It's easy----tell everyone you know! We're also signed up for digital distribution, so all you hi-techies will soon be able to buy songs direct to your iPods.

Also, thanks to friends in good places, we have a growing fan base in North Carolina. As a result, we're going to try to put together a show there this fall, as well as one in Georgia. In the meantime, I'm hoping to hop back into the studio to make a new record with the gang, and next week, I am going to lay down some new tracks with Michael Schenkelberg of Back Off the Hammer, who I have the privilege of appearing with in a few weeks in Indianapolis. Details soon.

Last but not least, tickets for the November 10 Bettye LaVette show (we open for her) go on sale to the general public this Friday, July 28. She's a big draw in the Chicago blues scene, and I think these tickets will go fast. If you want to catch the show (and I hope you do!), get your tickets now:

http://www.oldtownschool.org/concerts/event.lasso?id=P5070

Or call the Old Town School, 773-728-6000.

Please check out the calendar on my site. I hope to see many of you at Davenport's. They'll kick me out if the place is empty!

Thanks for your support!
Emily

It's a simultaneous release---"Potent One" and "The Barefoot Session" are both out.

With my cousin Adam on guitar (and even coaxed to sing on "Trouble With Moving"), "Potent One" is 16 songs that have been long in the making. But it was definitely worth the wait. I feel like it's a really accurate compilation of the last few years of my life.

"The Barefoot Session" is another story---13 songs written in a month, recorded in a day, and produced in a week. I'm joined by my very good friends Eric, Jimmy, and Gregg from The Old Town School and we're all pretty stoked about this album. I think these songs were hanging out there for a limited time just waiting for us to snag them. And we did----in quick order. Ask Jimmy about the naked foot metronome.

You won't be able to choose between these two CDs so you might as well get both of them. Buy them at any of my shows and very soon from CDbaby.com. CD Baby only lets me send a few CDs to start with so, if everyone tries to buy them at once, you might get a temporarily out of stock message. Don't worry; I'll be watching and keep them stocked. Or you could just email me direct by clicking on the contact link in the right hand corner and I'll mail them out myself. I get to keep more of my earnings if you buy direct from me anyway.

$12 for "Potent One"
$10 for "The Barefoot Session"
$20 for both (if you buy them from me)

Thanks, as always, and best to you all!

Emily