September/October 2010
Remember, our first ever "Christmas In August" website sale ends at midnight on Tuesday, August 31st.
While it's too early to tell yet, it's looking like the website sale raised a net of at least seven thousand dollars for the Pearl Foundation. Nice going, folks!! In addition to that, as promised, Pat and I will be making a donation-in-kind to Nashville Public Television for every NPT Living Room Concert sold, and since we sold out, that's a good thing!!!
Special thanks go to Joan Maute, who handmade all the LRC DVD's as well as our Master Class in St. Augustine sets. From artwork to packaging, these "homemade" items have been a roaring success, and we hope to offer more of the LRC disks around the winter holiday season.
Special thanks also to Kyser Capos and Planet Waves Tuners, both of which will be sold out by the time we revert over to the regular Shopping Mall.
About those tour schedule postponements and changes... Back when I first started performing again, around 1990, I injured my left hand pretty badly while on tour in Japan. Unfortunately, it took the better part of a year for the doctors to really find out what was going on, and the injury left me with permanent problems. Many of you know that I stopped playing piano onstage due to my inability to stretch the fingers on that hand, and the danger of re-injury if I forgot myself and really bore down. Even with the guitar, I have ice packs in the dressing room and at the signing table so I can "cool it down" after a show.
When I developed "trigger finger" in the middle finger recently, I was going to ignore it, until my friend Michael Johnson said he'd done that and his finger had "locked down" on him mid-tour, in the middle of nowhere. Based on that and my surgeon's concern that disregarding it might result in further injury - not to mention my pain level - I decided to go ahead with surgery last month, trusting that I'd be able to play a full show by September. Unfortunately, my surgeon discovered on the day that not one, but two of my fingers were affected. While the surgery went well, recovery has been much slower than any of us had anticipated, necessitating daily physical therapy and severe limitations in what I can do with that hand right now - including playing. I have a great team, and I have every confidence that I'll soon be right as rain, but in the meanwhile, I had to blow out six weeks' worth of obligations. While most could be re-scheduled, several could not, including the Iowa Women's Festival. As heartsick as I am about that, there's nothing else I could do, and I hope I have your patience and understanding.
In my entire 45-year career, I've cancelled less than ten shows, all because I was hospitalized at the time. I'd hoped to finish my career with that "record" intact, but apparently, it's not to be. I know many of you can sympathize with how frustrating this is to me, whose playing is integral to her writing, performing, and being.
But. Life goes on. As I keep reminding myself, it could be much worse. And I have every confidence I'll be seeing you all later this fall, when my hand no longer looks like the Pillsbury Dough Boy's and I'm playing my heart out again!
Thanks for being a part of the sale, and for all your support.
Janis
P.S. Check out Angela Aki's fantastic job - first time singing it in public, too! - on our recent piece "Every Woman's Song"!! And you can find the lyrics here.
New Message From Janis in the Website Newsroom
It was another good year for the Pearl Foundation, so thanks to everyone who bought merchandise, attended shows, held a Living Room Concert, visited our re-opened eBay Store, or just plain donated a buck or two in thanks for the free downloads! I’ll be publishing a final report on my Facebook page and the forum, but as of this moment we are adding $75,000 to our scholarship endowments, bringing the grand total up to $1,191,250.00
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The Great Divide now available as a free download!
Go here to download a free mp3 of "The Great Divide", with free sheet music and lyric! But there's more...
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2020 tour dates almost set!
Here's a list of places on the 2020 touring schedule - venue list coming soon!
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click on any date for full information
click again to close that date
All tour dates updated on January 24, 2020
Wednesday February 26th
Memorial Hall, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
Memorial Hall
Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
Phone: (513) 977-8838
Visit the venue's website
An evening with Janis, some new songs, some old songs, some funny stories and some heart-wrenching moments! Expect a shout out to the science fiction community of Cincinnati, and of course, Janis plans to stay after the show to greet people and sign whatever they may buy or bring!!
Friday February 28
E. J. Thomas Hall, Akron, Ohio
Sunday, March 1
Buskirk-Chumley Theater, Bloomington, IN
Buskirk-Chumley Theater
Bloomington, IN
Phone: 812.323.3020
Visit the venue's website
With Livingston Taylor.
Tickets available via OvationTix.Monday, March 2nd
Monroe County Public Library, Bloomington, IN
Monroe County Public Library
Bloomington, IN
Phone: 812-323-3020
Visit the venue's website
Note!!! This class is free but because of limited space you must get tickets. 7:00PM start.
Janis Ian has given master classes in conventional and unconventional settings; she's studied with such luminaries as Stella Adler, Chao Shao Lin of the Peking Opera Company, Dora Krannig of the Royal Ballet, and Bart the Garage Mechanic from down the street. Illustrated with live song performances, you'll hear her take on the history of music ("from the cavemen to syphilis and its effect on the arts"), personal anecdotes based on her five decades of experience as a writer, performer, and business person. There'll also be a free-wheeling Q&A, no holds barred. This class is for anyone interested in the arts, musical or otherwise. In fact, it's for anyone interested in humans. As Janis says, "What have I got to lose at this point in life?"
Our gratitude to the sponsors of this event, The Stone Age Institute, through a grant from the Kaman Foundation!!!Monday June 29 to Friday July 3
Swannanoa Gathering, Warren Wilson College, Swannanoa, North Carolina, USA
Swannanoa Gathering, Warren Wilson College
Swannanoa, North Carolina, USA
Phone: N/A
Visit the venue's website
For the first time, Janis will be giving her 5-day series "A Master Class In Artistry" during each of the Swannanoa Gathering weeks. Time of her classes is TBA; please check the website for more information. The 5 day class covers everything from the origins of artists to physicalization, songwriting for profit and not so much, performance, the need to be brave, how to survive as an artist in the modern world, and why bother. Points are illustrated with songs and playing as she takes us on a journey that begins with the first caveman to tell a story and continues through the myth of the artist as "crazy", the need for silence, and why she believes "art saves". Drawing on her 55 years of experience in the entertainment industry and her ten years with Stella Adler, presented with humor and grace, brutally honest, and a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for her students.
Monday July 6 to Friday July 10
Swannanoa Gathering, Warren Wilson College, Swannanoa, North Carolina,
Swannanoa Gathering, Warren Wilson College
Swannanoa, North Carolina,
Phone:
Visit the venue's website
For the first time, Janis will be giving her 5-day series "A Master Class In Artistry" during each of the Swannanoa Gathering weeks. Time of her classes is TBA; please check the website for more information. The 5 day class covers everything from the origins of artists to physicalization, songwriting for profit and not so much, performance, the need to be brave, how to survive as an artist in the modern world, and why bother. Points are illustrated with songs and playing as she takes us on a journey that begins with the first caveman to tell a story and continues through the myth of the artist as "crazy", the need for silence, and why she believes "art saves". Drawing on her 55 years of experience in the entertainment industry and her ten years with Stella Adler, presented with humor and grace, brutally honest, and a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for her students.
Monday July 13 to Friday July 17
Swannanoa Gathering, Warren Wilson College, Swannanoa, North Carolina, USA
Swannanoa Gathering, Warren Wilson College
Swannanoa, North Carolina, USA
Phone:
Visit the venue's website
For the first time, Janis will be giving her 5-day series "A Master Class In Artistry" during each of the Swannanoa Gathering weeks. Time of her classes is TBA; please check the website for more information. The 5 day class covers everything from the origins of artists to physicalization, songwriting for profit and not so much, performance, the need to be brave, how to survive as an artist in the modern world, and why bother. Points are illustrated with songs and playing as she takes us on a journey that begins with the first caveman to tell a story and continues through the myth of the artist as "crazy", the need for silence, and why she believes "art saves". Drawing on her 55 years of experience in the entertainment industry and her ten years with Stella Adler, presented with humor and grace, brutally honest, and a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for her students.
Monday July 20 to Friday July 24
Swannanoa Gathering, Warren Wilson College, Swannanoa, North Carolina, USA
Swannanoa Gathering, Warren Wilson College
Swannanoa, North Carolina, USA
Phone:
Visit the venue's website
For the first time, Janis will be giving her 5-day series "A Master Class In Artistry" during each of the Swannanoa Gathering weeks. Time of her classes is TBA; please check the website for more information. The 5 day class covers everything from the origins of artists to physicalization, songwriting for profit and not so much, performance, the need to be brave, how to survive as an artist in the modern world, and why bother. Points are illustrated with songs and playing as she takes us on a journey that begins with the first caveman to tell a story and continues through the myth of the artist as "crazy", the need for silence, and why she believes "art saves". Drawing on her 55 years of experience in the entertainment industry and her ten years with Stella Adler, presented with humor and grace, brutally honest, and a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for her students.
Monday July 27 to Friday July 31
Swannanoa Gathering, Warren Wilson College, Swannanoa, North Carolina, USA
Swannanoa Gathering, Warren Wilson College
Swannanoa, North Carolina, USA
Phone:
Visit the venue's website
For the first time, Janis will be giving her 5-day series "A Master Class In Artistry" during each of the Swannanoa Gathering weeks. The final week will also feature a second, more interactive class tentatively titled "War Stories". Time of classes is TBA; please check the website for more information. The 5 day class covers everything from the origins of artists to physicalization, songwriting for profit and not so much, performance, the need to be brave, how to survive as an artist in the modern world, and why bother. Points are illustrated with songs and playing as she takes us on a journey that begins with the first caveman to tell a story and continues through the myth of the artist as "crazy", the need for silence, and why she believes "art saves". Drawing on her 55 years of experience in the entertainment industry and her ten years with Stella Adler, presented with humor and grace, brutally honest, and a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for her students.
Wednesday August 5
The Kate, Old Saybrook, CT
The Kate
Old Saybrook, CT
Phone: (860) 510-0473
Visit the venue's website
Janis returns to The Kate a scant year later, at their insistence. She's sure it's too soon, they're sure it's not. She's writing furiously so she can present some new material, and looking forward to visiting one of her all-time favorite venues again! Expect some good, relaxed fun, some tears, an after-show appearance for signing things you've brought and things you may purchase at the "merch table"!!
