Girl on the Road Blog

A Response to the Million Dollar Question: "Is 'Meg and Dia' Over?"

2012-03-01T21:32:00.030-08:00

People shuffled out the doors of "The Blind Pig" smiling and chatty with post-show energy. We had just finished playing our set.

He looked at me straight in the eyes and spoke in a solemn tone. "When will 'Meg and Dia' make another record?" I hesitated and anxiously glanced around the venue. What answer could I offer this hopeful guy I had just met? "You can tell me the truth!" he insisted.

Have you seen that scene in one of the last Shrek movies where Puss n' Boots needs a favor from Donkey? The camera focuses in on Puss n' Boots little eyes as they grow larger and more adorable. That is how this guy looked at our show last night in Akron, Ohio. I could only respond with the truth, "I don't know."

This isn't the first time I've been asked this question. The most common two questions I am asked lately are:

1. Are you going to try out for "The Voice"?

2. What is next for "Meg and Dia"? (Well, that's a nicer version of the other way this question is asked: Is "Meg and Dia" over?)

No, I am not going to try out for "The Voice". I believe a person does well in life who understands their strengths and weaknesses, and let's just say I understand mine.

Now, as for the "Meg and Dia" question. I think what needs to be understood is that a "band" is ACTUALLY the people who reside within that entity. Yup, it's true. "Meg and Dia" is actually: Meg, Dia, Jonathan, Nick, and Carlo.

I know our name has changed. I know that we haven't played "Monster" or "Roses" in a few years. My name doesn't appear before Dia's in the marque. All of these are true statements. You are right.

However, we are STILL the same people doing basically the same thing. Music and bands, like love and life, are not static. All of these concepts ebb and flow like waves in the ocean. (Corny metaphor I know, but strikingly accurate!) We've all seen natural progressions within bands and music. Band members rotate. (Thankfully ours haven't since the current line up came together!). Musical styles progress. "Thrice", one of my favorite bands growing up, has been releasing music lately that is nothing like the music they made when I completed my freshman year in high school. Nevertheless, I love the maturity of their music now just as much or even more so than before.

I know sometimes change can be bittersweet. Remember, a record or an album is a "recording" of how that artist dreamed at that point in their life. An album is simply a memory from the past to revisit and enjoy again and again.

Baby Meg and Dias!

So, I guess what I'm asking is for everyone to move forward with us, in whatever form that might be. We are still the same five people being creative in all of our unique ways, together and sometimes apart.

Also, thank you from the bottom of my heart for wanting more from "Meg and Dia" for not letting us go. I hear you.

Honestly,

Meg

Calling All Nerds!

2012-03-01T07:56:00.000-08:00

Introducing my NEWEST piece to join the CTR Jewelry Collection: "Herman the Nerdbot"!

Do you have that man in your life who understands html coding better than he reads the English language, or a best friend who categorizes her closet not only by color but by size as well? (O.K. I might be guilty of doing this myself…)

I do! I am in love with a "nerd" actually. My "nerd" boyfriend inspired me to create "Herman the Nerdbot". I used to whine, stick my face in between his eyeballs and the computer screen, and ask him, "Honey, don't you care about me more than battling the Zurgs?" Now I make him a cup of tea and lovingly place it next to his "hi-tech" mouse he bought specifically to improve his virtual powers. (He is trying to save a universe after all…)

Nerds, let us come together and join our geeky forces!

Visit my online jewelry shop to order "Herman the Nerdbot"!

Last year I started a tradition of releasing a Special "Limited Edition" Design on the first Thursday of each month. I call this event "First Thursday" naturally. There are only 100 robots available each release. I sprinkle a little extra love and care on the design and creation of my "First Thursday" Bots. Usually they pertain to something special and meaningful happening in my life at that time.

While I have been touring with my sister, Dia Frampton, I can't help but notice how much time each of us spends reading or learning new languages (Dia is really killing it with that Korean Rosetta Stone of hers!) I wanted to create a bot to honor knowledge, because I think it is so important to keep learning. I also thought how fun it would be for everyone to have a little robot to give to that special nerd in your life to acknowledge all that their nerdiness has accomplished and will continue to accomplish!

What else makes "Herman the Nerdbot" so marvelous?

Made from an alloy metal with silver coating. (Many of you have been asking for "silver":)
1.75" tall
Includes a vintage silver chain that is 19" with a 3" adjustable tail
Complete with snazzy bow tie and intelligent glasses.

Visit my online jewelry shop to order "Herman the Nerdbot"!

"Tiny Dancer Bot", February's very popular "First Thursday" design sold out in two days! So be sure to order yours soon:)

My mother will be shipping out all 100 of these orders for me while I'm on tour. I'll warn you she's FAST, so they should be arriving in about 3-5 business days (unless you are outside of the U.S. International orders can take anywhere from 1-4 weeks.)

As always, please feel free to contact me with any questions: meg@chandlertherobot.com.

Honestly,

Meg

P.S. It has been great meeting so many of you at "Dia Frampton's" shows on the "Blake Shelton Tour"! I hope to run into all the rest of you before the tour is over!

"Herman the Nerdbot" To Be Released at Midnight! (Eastern Time)

2012-02-29T09:33:00.005-08:00

Define Nerd:

One Whose IQ exceeds his weight. (from the "Urban Dictionary")
A foolish or contemptible person who lacks social skills or is boringly studious.
An intelligent, single-minded expert in a particular technical discipline or profession.

March's SPECIAL "Limited Edition" piece: "Herman the Nerdbot"

Made from an alloy metal with silver coating. (Many of you have been asking for "silver":)
1.75" tall
Includes a vintage silver chain that is 19" with a 3" adjustable tail
Complete with snazzy bow tie and intelligent glasses.
price: $50.00
Only 100 made

More details about "Herman the Nerdbot" will be posted tomorrow! To order tonight at midnight visit my ONLINE SHOP.

Honestly,

Meg

Your Top 5 Favorite Bands/Artists

2012-02-28T11:26:00.000-08:00

Thank you for posting over 200 comments in reply to my Facebook Page question: "Who are your top 5 favorite bands/artists?

This question popped up in my head yesterday when I realized I didn't have any sort of "musical pulse" on what everyone was listening to these days. I've been listening to Blake Shelton and Justin Moore every day lately! Your answers have given me and everyone else who joined the conversation a lot of new bands/artists to dive into.

I had wrongly assumed that everyone was going to choose the same 30 or 40 artists/bands, and then the most popular top ten would be easy to pick out. Quite the opposite happened. I believe just about every person's response of their top 5 turned out to be a completely different arsenal of artists than everyone else's choices. So I ended up with a list of 200 times 5 = 1,000 completely different names. This is good though. It shows that we are all completely unique and have a lot to learn from each other!

Nick and I had quite an enjoyable experience reading through EVERY single answer! I'm glad to see that a few of you put "American Spirit", "American Tomahawk", and "Andrew Allen" in your top 5. (Nick's eyes lit up when he saw a vote for "American Spirit".) It was also cool to see "All Time Low" and "Bayside" up there since we've toured with them in the past.

Halfway through the list Nick shrieked, "Better Than Ezra! That's the band from the 90's that we always karaoke to." "Angus and Julia Stone! I love that band. I forgot about them." Then he ran over to his laptop and pulled up their website. We slow danced to "Black Crow".

Some names that kept repeating were as follows: Lights, Tegan and Sarah, Bon Iver, Paramore, Foster the People, Florence + the Machine, Brand New Mumford and Sons, Lana Del Ray, Hey Monday, and The Civil Wars.

The Civil Wars was the only band I hadn't heard of, so thank you for that tip. I'm going to check them out today. Also thanks for reminding me about "Local Natives". I fell in love with them a few years back when I saw them play at SXSW.

A lot of people were surprised I'm a fan of Eisley, which surprised me. I love Eisley! We were label mates of theirs when we were on Warner Bros. I would have totally geeked out if they ever walked into the Warner Bros. offices when we were there. Unfortunately it never happened.

Honestly,

Meg

P.S. Some of you didn't listen to me and still put "Dia Frampton" and "Meg and Dia" in your top five! That was against the rules. I'm not going to lie though, I'm not that mad about it:)

"Out of Time" and "Willies" Earrings Are Back!

2012-02-27T12:08:00.001-08:00

Visit my online shop: www.chandlertherobot.com to order

P.S.The rest of my robots will be back soon as well:)

Performance In NYC For Olympus Audio

2012-02-24T06:59:00.000-08:00

Sing it sister!

F#m... Yup, sounds in tune.

Oh, we are so clever we crack ourselves up.

Tiny Dancer!

Someone fix my necklace chain please!

A Sneak Peek at March's "First Thursday" Design: "Herman the Nerdbot"!

2012-02-23T10:38:00.002-08:00

For those of you new to my CTR "First Thursday" event I hold each month, let me offer some insight. Last year I started a tradition of releasing one special design on the First Thursday of each month representing something important to me at that time of my life. "First Thursday" designs are a Limited Edition Design. There are usually only 50-100 available. I created a "Cowbot" for Blake Shelton and Miranda last year because Blake is such a sweetheart to Dia. I made a "Diabot" to celebrate Dia's success on "The Voice". I created this month's "First Thursday" piece, "Tiny Dancer", because Elton John's lyrics in the song have always meant a lot to me. (For those of you who missed out on "Tiny Dancer", I'm planning on doing a 2nd batch later in the year:)

March's "First Thursday" (March 1st) is only a week away! I decided not to have a pre-order this time. ONLY 100 "Herman the Nerdbots" will be available on Feb 29th at midnight.

Everyone meet "Herman the Nerdbot"!

March's Special LIMITED Edition Piece, "Herman the Nerdbot"

While we have been on this tour, a friend who traveled with our band for a few days made a comment that we didn't behave anything like he expected a band on tour to behave. We didn't drink or party or break things. I read a lot. Dia's learning a new language, Nick has basically become his drum set, and Jonathan and Carlo have basically mastered "Starcraft".

We are nerds!

So for March I wanted to create a piece that represented... our "nerdiness" because I love our band and who we are. I also thought that many of you could relate or at least knew someone who could relate and who Herman might make a great gift for.

Don't know about you, but I can't wait.

Honestly,
Meg

P.S. I usually have my staple CTR designs up in my shop. Right now they are all sold out, because I'm touring with my sister, "Dia Frampton", on the "Blake Shelton Tour", but I assure you I am working daily with my wonderful mother ( who has graciously offered to take care of my orders while I am gone) to fully stock my CTR shop by the end of March. In a week or so some of the items will start trickling in. The "Willies Earrings" and the "Out of Time" earrings will be the first to return.

An Intimate Performance of "Love Is" by Dia and Me!

2012-02-22T09:24:00.000-08:00

We don't get to perform Meg and Dia songs very often these days, so Dia and I are excited to share this with you!

Honestly,
Meg

Don't Eat the Thai Food in Rochester, NY

2012-02-21T12:02:00.000-08:00

I knew from the moment I took the first bite of Thai food we ordered, continuing to finish my meal would be a bad idea come show time, but I continued to chomp away at my yellow curried carrots and potatoes. Being on tour gives a girl a funny appetite. At home, it's already difficult enough to squeeze in healthy servings of quinoa and kale much to the chagrin of my taste buds, but at least I can do it there because I have no excuses. On the road I can say: "But I have no kitchen! How do you expect me to steam vegetables if there is not a kitchen to be found?" or "There is not a restaurant or grocery store in sight. I would have starved had I not eaten the 10 lbs of sugar I just consumed, honest!" Not to mention, due to Dia's vibrant presence on Twitter and her constant mention of "cupcakes" to fans, we basically have accumulated enough sweets to open up "Diva's Sweet Shop". Come one, come all! (This is not a call to quite bringing the sweets. By all means keep them coming. Without a happy lead singer, ner' a happy band will we be.)

Backstage, Dia and I had the pleasure to speak with a young chap who had quite a successful run on "The X Factor". I found him pleasant and humble, but their continuing conversations about "reality t.v. shows" became a little too much for my head, so I opted to scurry away to our tour bus to continue applying a smear of lipstick two shades too bright and hop into my "heels of death" before curtain call.

I found everyone's smiling faces quite enjoyable last night, during our headlining performance in Rochester, NY. Hardly any technical obstacles, aside from one little stint I attempted to pull during the outro of walk away. I went for one of those "Slash" moments where said guitarist places one foot on the floor monitor for balance and poses in a moment of triumph and glory for all the world to see...

That move doesn't work in high heels (Just in case you ever find yourself in a similar situation.)

Whenever a bit of silence happens in between songs and Dia is transitioning from the front of the stage to the piano she asks me to fill in with some clever antidotes. I didn't have any of those on hand last night, so I decided to inform the audience about the Thai food settling in my stomach and the effect my digestion has on my performance and my singing. I received a few dirty glances from my band. Maybe honesty isn't always the answer, but at least I learned about the sincerity and sympathy of our audience by listening to all of their remedies at the merch table after the show about aiding the digestion of spicy exotic foods. Who knew "chocolate cuts the burning sensation by covering nerve endings"?

Honestly,

Meg

Memories in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

2012-02-19T21:48:00.000-08:00

The tour is centered around "Blake Shelton" shows, but we do have quite a bit of "Dia Frampton" shows scattered throughout. The back-stage vibe is always "professional" on Blake days. We have to be "on-call" at all times, ready to move our gear onto the stage in a moments notice. Beeps and fuzzy voices from the walkie-talkies everyone carries around on their belts constantly interrupt conversations. I arrive at the stage a little earlier than everyone else before we go on. I meditate, take a peek at the crowd, and mentally prepare myself for the crazy 30 minutes that are about to take place.

We are almost half way through the tour, and I still can't wrap my head around what we do each night. Playing in an arena for the first time gave me the exact same rush of adrenaline I felt when I saw the ocean off the California coast for the first time right after I turned 15. Kind of makes you think to yourself: Is this real?

The band enjoying our "Post-Show dinner" in the green room. Dia is peeking out behind me.

Although our headlining shows are on a smaller scale we still treat them with respect and take them seriously. They are a little more "relaxed" then the Blake shows. I let my hair down, try to focus on individual faces, and attempt to figure out what they are thinking when they watch us.

Dia and I had a few "telepathic moments" during tonight's show in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. She told the band after our show that she screwed up "Homeless". She said she looked up at me, fingers shaking on the keys of the piano, after she realized she had lost her place in the song. At her position, seated at the piano behind me, all she could see was my back turned to her. She said even though I wasn't facing her, I still helped her find her spot in the song. We also had a few moments during our "Flight of the Concords" cover when we did the same dance moves in tandem with no discussion before the show. We just ended up playing, dancing, and singing in sync. Sister power!

I want to say thank you to Vanessa for your drawing of Chandler the Robot you brought to the show tonight. All the time she put into the picture almost made me tear up!

We're making memories out here, not only by the shows we are playing all across the country, but by the time spent around those shows as well. Whenever we make our tour manager schmooze Chipotle to feed us baby birds, we are making memories. Whenever all 5 of our alarm clocks on our phones go off in the morning like a really out-of-tune symphony, we are making memories. Whenever we sing our "Jamaican Bobsled" chant before we share our music with people who decided we are worth listening to, we are making memories.

Thank you.

Honestly,

Meg

Xenia From "The Voice" Wears "Stupendous Chandler" in Interview!

2012-02-18T08:42:00.000-08:00

How excited was I when I first spotted THIS video?! Love that girl. So happy that Xenia Martinez shared the stage with my sister and wowed us all with her talent and incredible voice. She's so young on top of everything!

A Discussion Between a Large Man and a Small Woman

2012-02-17T07:34:00.000-08:00

My boyfriend lives right above me. I know that seems a bit odd. What I mean is, my boyfriend's bunk is right above mine on the tour bus. Each day I swing open Nick's bunk to see if he's awake. Usually a limp arm will tumble out the side of his bunk, smacking either my forehead or an unsuspecting nostril.

Tour is beginning to feel like "Groundhog Day". Whenever anyone asks, "How was your show in Cleveland?" or, "Did you enjoy your stay in Jacksonville?" I have to think really hard to remember some differentiating factor about a certain city. Is that the show when I didn't take a shower and I scared off all of our fans at the signing?

I had to have a "talk" with our guitar tech today about how my guitars always seem to be a teensy bit out of tune.

My manager walked into the green room. "So I just spoke to your tech today about the "tuning" issue. I went over the technical aspects of tuning, and explained to him the effect weather has on guitar strings."he said. "He wanted to know why you didn't talk to him about these issues yourself."

Wonderful. I was planning on talking to him, but Robert beat me to it.

Our tech walked into the room at that moment. I had to say something or else that awkward feeling in the air that weighed heavily on EVERYONE would stick around all day.

La la la. How interesting the seams on my pants became at that moment!

Nick, Carlo, and Jonathan told me they were going to go explore the city of Highland Heights, KY. I waited for them to leave so our guitar tech and I could have a moment of privacy to discuss the issue. The moment never came however, and resulted in me politely inquiring whether the three of them were planning on leaving anytime soon? "What is your deal?" Nick asked. "Yeah, how come you are being so awkward?" Jonathan agreed.

"Well, I…I wanted to practi-, actually I want to speak with Rob alone about something. THERE! You made me say it and now it's really awkward!" Jonathan's lips transformed into a tight thin line. He immediately pulled on his black coat and ran out the door. Nick threw a dicey glance at me and then at our guitar tech and inched toward the door as well.

I can't remember exactly what I told our tech. I put a lot of the blame on the weather and the humidity and the rare tuning I used. I explained that I would like to tune my guitars myself for the next few shows and perhaps he could watch and learn. Our guitar tech, a large man, loomed over me. He could squash me to pieces if he wanted to. I hurriedly peeked at the distance between myself and the door in case I needed to make a run for it.

Our guitar tech, isn't actually a "guitar tech". He is the hardest working, lighthearted dude I have ever had the pleasure of working with, but he's actually a drummer. So, we have been showing him little tweaks here and there to familiarize him with guitars. Quick learner too.

No need to be afraid of our "discussion". He tuned my guitars to perfection that night. Before our show, he smiled at me and nodded toward the guitars as if to say, "May I?" I nodded back, a huge smile on my face.

Another day in the books. More learning. More growing. I like it that way.

Honestly,

Meg

The Mighty Guitar Solo

2012-02-16T08:08:00.000-08:00

My general rule of thumb is: If you can't sing the guitar solo or hum it, then it's not going to connect with listeners very well. I enjoy really simple and melodic musical phrases, a line that "Death Cab For Cutie" would use for example.

Most music/guitar teachers will say that a familiarity with most of the major and minor scales, as well as the pentatonic scale are necessary in order to write a guitar solo. I can see where they are coming from, but I can't say I totally agree. I have hardly ever used any theory when constructing a solo or riff myself.

So, what do I do?

Listen: Listen for style. Is it "jazzy"? Is it sugar-candy "pop"? What is the vocal melody doing? These clues will give you an idea of where you should start. (You can play a punk-rock riff in a jazz song if you'd like, but you better be prepared for a lot of angry stares from the couples sipping their martinis in the Jazz club!)

Absorb: Find a quiet place, and for goodness sakes, throw out the distracting boyfriend and the hyper dog. ( I know they are both adorable, but this step takes focus!) Let the music sink into your head and fill up your whole body. Focus on only the music. Then forget the music completely. Let your mind wander. (See what yoga is doing to me?)

Speak: Based on what you have now heard and subsequently felt, what is it you would like to say musically? What can you add in this section of the song that won't take away from the beauty of the song? (Don't overdue it!) Has the whole song been really "busy" musically? In that case, you should try to play something really simple for contrast. How is your soul feeling based on the music? Are you sad? Use long drawn-out high notes or "drone" in the lower register of the fretboard.

When in doubt, Follow the vocals: If I find myself completely stumped and uninspired, I listen to what the catchy vocal of the song is, imitate that melody slightly, or play a lick to compliment whatever has been sung.

Simple is better then complicated: There have been so many occasions when I wanted to impress people and I would try to add a little "frill" or "run" that I couldn't quite play yet. Attempting to use techniques you aren't comfortable with never ends well.

I have to admit that whenever Dia tells me she would like a solo in a song I feel extremely anxious. However, I always feel a huge sense of accomplishment when I write a solo that I love and proceed to execute that same solo live. So all you need to do is remove all of the doubt that tends to creep up before you even remove your guitar from the case. Give it a try!

Honestly,

Meg

Mastering the Guitar One Way Or Another!

2012-02-14T10:59:00.000-08:00

I need to pay rent and close a bank account with a "merchant alert" (whatever that means). I'd like to cook a few couscous recipes that I have been dying to attempt! I also really really want to find a great guitar teacher and work on improving some technical guitar skills. As you can probably tell, these are all items that are most easily completed at home and not on the road.

I love, love, love being on tour, but the more I day dream about a few weeks off to hibernate in my apartment with some very precious "alone time", the more tours and events seem to be scheduled.

The point is, I don't think I'll see the inside of my bedroom for another few months, and probably will be living either on a bus or in a van for most of 2012. I'm starting to realize that since I'm not going home anytime soon, I'm going to have to figure out creative ways to check off all my "to-do" items while traveling. For instance, I'll have to educate myself on paying utility bills and closing accounts online, and perhaps we will have to stay in an "Extended Stay" one evening to have access to a kitchen. Most of my errands are difficult to complete while traveling, but not impossible… I had to walk seven blocks in sub-zero degree weather (without a scarf because I misplaced it) to a Wells Fargo the other day! I know I say this all the time, but please, never take for granted how easily all of you can cook and drive and do whatever you'd like at your own convenience!

I have decided, because my guitar lessons aren't going to happen anytime soon, I'm going to embark on a journey in the "music learning" arena all by myself using only books, the internet, and my mind. That's how I started playing the guitar, and that is how I will continue learning. Because of the added pressure of all of these really incredible tours that will probably take place this year, as well as the tour we are on right now, I need to be on TOP of my game.

I've decided to post all of my musical discoveries on this blog and to share with you guys how I'm going to "improve" my guitar playing on all levels. I am asked all the time by many of you how I "started playing the guitar", "what method I used: Did I have a teacher or did I teach myself", "How I practice", etc… So, hopefully you can learn something too!

Questions are always welcome, in fact, I believe I might be asking YOU guys some questions I'll have on the way as well.

Basically I've divided my learning syllabus into 6 key areas that I plan on covering daily on my blog:

Music Theory
Music History
Music Today
Technical Guitar
Songwriting
Guitar Equipment

Let the learning begin!

Honestly,

Meg

P.S. Don't worry. I'm still going to include "stories from the road" and "Chandler the Robot" Jewelry News.

We Hear What We Listen For

2012-02-13T13:03:00.000-08:00

I came across this story the other day. It really touched me. I thought I would share with you.

Two men were walking along a crowded sidewalk in a downtown business area. Suddenly one exclaimed: "Listen to the lovely sound of that cricket." But the other could not hear. He asked his companion how he could detect the sound of a cricket amid the din of people and traffic. The first man, who was a zoologist, had trained himself to listen to the voices of nature. But he didn't explain. He simply took a coin out of his pocket and dropped it to the sidewalk, whereupon a dozen people began to look about them. "We hear," he said, "what we listen for."

-Kermit L. Long

Karaoke night with the King and Queen of Country!

2012-02-10T11:14:00.000-08:00

This picture deserves a blog post of its own!

Blake Shelton and Mirada Lambert!

"Tiny Dancer" Update

2012-02-09T12:54:00.000-08:00

All 50 "Tiny Dancers" are now tucked away in their little boxes which will cary them home safely to you! Expect to receive your package in the next 3-5 business days.

Thank you!

Honestly,
Meg

Dia Frampton's Headlining Show in Towson @ The Recher Theatre

2012-02-09T10:40:00.000-08:00

Liem took some fabulous photos of our performance in Towson. To read the rest of Liem's write up about our show, visit Liem Nguyen's Blog! Thank you Liem. These photos made all of us smile:)

Could You Pass a Tissue Please?

2012-02-08T09:58:00.000-08:00

Why can't I open my eyes? What is this goop gluing them together? Why does my throat feel scratchy? How come my head hurts? I need a tissue for my nose! Oh no...

I'm sick on tour!

Why is it so bad to be sick on tour you ask? First of all, because there are no mothers or roommates around to turn cartoons on and feed me chicken noodle soup. There are no medicine cabinets filled with nutritious vitamins. There are no fireplaces to warm my hands.

This is tour in February. There is only cold, dirt, and noise.

I didn't sleep well, not because of my stuffy nose, or my migraines, but because Rob, our guitar tech, sleeps in the bunk below mine, and he snores like a fog horn. Carlo sleeps in the bunk across from mine. I'm basically the ham in a "snore" sandwich!

I roll out of my bunk and reach out to the side walls to steady myself. I hear Dia's voice float back through the bus in an accusing tone, "There are more than the acceptable two pairs of shoes for each person in the shoe pile!" Ugh oh, first thing in the morning I'm going to be in trouble. Andre, our merch guy, filters through the shoe mountain with Dia, "Well, these are Meg's tall boots, and here are those new tennis shoes she just bought." I'm two for three. They are bound to find the other pair soon… "And wait. Here's one more pair…"

Before Andre can finish that last sentence, I grab my toothbrush and a bottle of water and book it off the bus. One brushes one's teeth on tour the same way one brushes on a camping trip. Simply dump a bit of bottled water on the toothbrush to dampen, brush teeth, and rinse both mouth and toothbrush with bottled water. All of this takes place in whatever parking lot the bus happens to pull up in.

As enticing as Nick's breakfast of left over chips and salsa from our rider from two weeks ago sounds, I opt to skip food and spend the entire afternoon hibernating in my bunk with my electric blanket turned on full blast.

Sick in my bunk. I'm glad I listened to my mother and packed an electric blanket!

I pull myself together for the show, both mentally and physically.

Mmmm...I love me some dirty green rooms. Yuck! (And yes, I am using Nick's drum practice pad as a table for my laptop.)

I heard a traveling business person say that "Traveling is hard. People who say it is not hard don't travel."

The only event keeping me from hopping on a plane back to Austin is the one hour of playing music that finally comes at the end of my tough day. During our set, I see a couple rocking back and forth, looking into each other's eyes before they steal a kiss in public. I forget about my runny nose. I see three sisters right behind the barricade at the front of the stage, arms linked behind each other's waists, mouthing every word. I forget about the intense hurricane happening behind my left temple and eyebrow. I see a parent nodding in acceptance of these young crazy musicians on stage. I forget about my scratchy throat.

I see a little girl looking up at Dia and deciding then and there in her heart, someday she will sing like that. You know what?

It's all worth it.

Honestly,

Meg

Painting Our Faces in the Mac Showroom in New York City

2012-02-07T09:16:00.000-08:00

This isn't any old Mac store. We visited THE MAC SHOWROOM!

Moises, our fabulous make-up artist for the hour, educating Dia and I. He always listened so patiently to all our exclamations, "What does THAT do?!"

All the colors of the rainbow

"Hmmmm, I wonder if there are cupcakes around the corner..."

Goodness, I wish I could have taken the whole showroom in my purse! Thank you mac!

My Guitar Effects Pedals De-mystified

2012-02-06T07:07:00.000-08:00

(Please be forewarned, I am not a "tech geek". I hope I don't disappoint a lot of people with my pedal board's simplicity. However, I'm sure U2's "The Edge" has some sort of write-up somewhere for those of you wanting more out of a pedal Board...)

Now, I'm going to start on the top row going from left to right, and then the bottom row left to right.

What are those crazy colored stomp boxes?

Holy Grail - This is the pedal I use when I want my guitar to sound like I'm wailing in a giant cave. I use this pedal for subtle nuances as well, usually to accentuate a vocal line Dia does. This pedal helps to create a "creepy" atmosphere when I need it. I usually keep it on the "Hall" setting at about 9:00. When using any kind of guitar pedal, I always try not to "over-do" the effect. I hate it when musicians have so many effects going on, I can't hear the notes they are trying to play.

MXR phase 90 - This pedal makes a guitar sound like it's underwater. I use this pedal very sparingly, mostly when I'm soloing. It turns a guitar solo at level five into a solo at level 10! Again, I keep this pedal's knob at about 12:00. Definitely don't want to over-do THIS baby!

PRO DI Box - Ironically, the most technical part of this post is for the simplest pedal. The DI Box has no knobs to tinker with. This green box is simply a mechanism that is used to convert a "quarter inch" cable's signal into a "XLR" signal, so that the signal can then plug into a "split snake". What is a "split snake"? (Sorry, I got nothing. I usually just call it the "thingy" and had to ask Nick what a "split-snake" was called for the sake of this post.)

Boss Chromatic Tuner - This is a tuner. This pedal is probably the guitar pedal that most of you are familiar with. This little guy makes sure that my guitar sounds pretty and in tune so my band members don't give me evil looks during our set.

Boss Digital Delay DD3 - Now this is my favorite pedal of the bunch. It took quite a bit of getting-used-to when I first purchased it, but now I use it on basically everything. It helps give solos that "edge" that helps listeners know that I am now having an "important" instrumental moment. It makes riffs sound "shimmery". I also use it to "butter up" certain instrumental sections. Like the "Holy Grail", this pedal helps to create a "vibey" "atmospheric" sound that I can tweak to sound anywhere from "creepy" to "mysterious" and every nuance in between.

Ibanez TS9 Tube Screamer - Most players use this puppy for "crunch" or for "volume". Also, a tube screamer can make an instrument sound generally more "angry". Ironically, I actually use this pedal to "smooth" out my chords. You wouldn't think that could be one of its applications, but if you think about it, adding a little distortion to the sound makes it a lot less "janky". (which is how "clean" tone sounds sometimes) It sort of "blurs" all the tones together. I use this trick on "Walk Away" in Dia's set to "smooth" out my tone underneath the dance beat of that song.

With all the above being said, my take on guitar "effects" is "less is more". I have a tremendous amount of respect for someone like Andrew Allen who plays just an acoustic guitar with only a tuning pedal. (Andrew is the incredibly talented and super sweet singer-songwriter who is the opening artist for us right now. You can check him out HERE!) When there's less "stuff" to cover up your playing the listener is then invited to experience what the artist truly has to offer.

I love watching electric guitarists who carry a tiny 8" - 10" speaker amp on stage (which is extremely small. It's basically about the size of a purse. I'm such a girly girl! ) as opposed to the guitarists who stack a bunch of Marshall 4X12's on top of each other on stage which they don't actually even play out of. (It's just for show.) (A "4X12" means a speaker cabinet with four twelve inch speakers inside.)

I love when pedal boards are very minimal, allowing the musician to just jump up on stage and wail. The greatest musicians can make any guitar through any amp, and hardly any effects pedals, sound great. (I'm not quite there yet. Someday!)

Also, I love simplicity in all aspects of my life. I'm a vanilla with sprinkles kind of girl (well, at least before I became vegan.)

If you would like to get more "technical", feel free to ask me any questions about any of my equipment, and I will do my best to answer.

Honestly,

Meg

CTR Shop Update

2012-02-04T09:22:00.001-08:00

I'm sold out of all my Chandler's I brought on the road. I'm sold out of most of the Chandler's in my online shop. I do have some Stupendous and Silver Chandlers left. I suppose this is a good problem to have:) Just wanted to let everyone know, I'm working my tail off to re-stock the shop by Valentines day.

Also, Stupendous Chandlers should be available starting on our show in Northhampton, MA. Fingers crossed!

P.S. What do guys like for Valentines day?

Honestly,
Meg

Tiny Dancer Bots Sold Out!

2012-02-03T11:58:00.000-08:00

My "First Thursday Limited Edition" Tiny Dancer Bot is now sold out! Thank you to everyone who ordered. Expect these little lady bots to be landing in your mailboxes in the next 2-3 weeks!

Honestly,

Meg

My Top 10 Favorite Cities We've Visited On Tour

2012-02-03T11:03:00.000-08:00

1. Austin, Texas
2. Ashland, Oregon
3. Savannah, Georgia
4. Park City, Utah
5. New York City, New York
6. Seattle, Washington
7. Salt Lake City, Utah
8. Nashville, Tennessee
9. Madison, Wisconsin
10. (You guys fill in number ten for me.)

With that, I'd like to share some photos from one of my new favorite places: Savannah, Georgia. We spent the day off there yesterday, and I never knew what I diamond in the rough that town is!

INTRODUCING My Latest Design: "Tiny Dancer Bot"!

2012-02-02T10:53:00.001-08:00

Happy Birthday "Tiny Dancer Bot"!

Hold me closer tiny dancer

Count the headlights on the highway

Lay me down in sheets of linen

You had a busy day today

~Elton John

Visit my online jewelry shop to order "Tiny Dancer Bot": www.chandlertherobot.com

Thank you to everyone who has already placed a "Pre-Order" last week. Yours will be the first orders that are sent out:) Subscribers to my CTR Newsletter will always be the first to know about "Pre-Orders" for upcoming "First Thursday" pieces as well as any other exciting CTR news, so if you haven't signed up for my CTR email list, please do! To anyone who hasn't yet ordered "Tiny Dancer Bot", now is your chance... Read on!

You know that comfy white tee that you throw on for Saturday mornings while you are preparing blueberry pancakes for your hunny?

Or how about the pair of jeans that you've worn in for years now and can't seem to give up? True

Jewelry can and SHOULD feel like that!

True, we don't want to be judged by our outside appearances, but don't look at your "outside" as a platform for people to judge you by, but rather a "stage" for you to be creative and expressive. Allow what dangles from your neck and your ears to make you feel more like YOU!

"Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind."

~Dr. Seuss

When I started making jewelry, I realized there were a few designs that I couldn't help but connect to in an intimate way, and a few designs that were a bit more meaningful to me than the others. So I decided to offer them to the public in "Special Limited Edition" batches. On the first Thursday of each month, I release a "First Thursday" Design. There are usually only 50-100 pieces made.

Last year I designed, for example, a Cowbot for Blake Shelton and his lovely wife, Miranda Lambert, in celebration of Dia's success on NBC's "The Voice". I also designed a "Punk Rock Robot" for old times sake because "Meg and Dia" have participated in Warped Tour a few times, and CTR had a booth at Warped last year. I designed "Explorer Bot", my favorite "First Thursday" piece from last year, during my first summer in my new city: Austin, TX, to represent all my new adventures in nature.

I'd have to say my favorite "First Thursday" design of all time is my latest creation...

Imagine, a tiny robot dressed in a delicate dancer tutu, small enough to fit in the palm of your hand, yet crafted from solid steel so she is anything but fragile! A bow tie on the side of her copper head completes her chic robotic style.

"Tiny Dancer Bot" is 1.75" tall
Antique copier chain is approximately 19" long
Designed by artisan and craftswoman Meg Frampton (Me, Duh:)
Made from a stunning alloy metal with pure copper coating
This is an exclusive "Limited Edition" piece. Only 100 pieces made!

Visit my online jewelry shop to order "Tiny Dancer Bot": www.chandlertherobot.com

If for any reason at all you are not totally happy with your robot, I will issue you a full refund or exchange.

Like always, you guys know if you have any questions, please feel free to email me at: meg@chandlertherobot.com

Honestly,

Meg

P.S. Only 100 Tiny Dancers are available as part of this "Limited Edition", and more than half have already been spoken for in the "Pre-Order", so order soon:) Ships within 2-3 weeks, but will most likely take about a week to arrive

Tiny Dancer Bot Officially Released Tonight At Midnight

2012-02-01T12:08:00.000-08:00

I am so excited! I wasn't sure I would be able to pull of creating a "First Thursday" design while still traveling on the road with Dia Frampton on the "Blake Shelton" Tour, but...I'm amazing. What can I say:) O.K. maybe I had some great help from a wonderful woman (a.k.a. my mother) who is handling the orders for me while I'm on the road.

Tiny Dancer Bot www.chandlertherobot.com

Everyone who is a regular reader of my blog probably has heard the news. If you have already purchased a "Pre-Order" of the Tiny Dancer Bot, thank you! Yours will be the first to be sent out. And, you are guaranteed a Tiny Dancer Bot, because I only have about 40 left. I'm pretty sure they are going to sell out fast tomorrow!

Tiny Dancer Bot www.chandlertherobot.com

To everyone who doesn't know about "First Thursday". I started an event last year where I release a special Limited Edition Piece on the First Thursday of each month. I usually only release 50-100 pieces in each collection.

Visit my online shop to order: http://www.chandlertherobot.com

The Pre-Order will still be in effect today. Enter coupon code "eltonjohn" during checkout to receive free shipping. After tonight, the coupon code will no longer be in effect.

Going to go to sound check now! Hope to see you guys at some shows on this tour!

Honestly,
Meg

Expelliarmus!

2012-01-31T11:11:00.000-08:00

We spent our whole day off trying to figure out a way to find "Butter Beer" without paying the hefty entrance fee for "Harry Potter Land" at Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida. We just couldn't justify a $90.00 beverage no matter how delicious the drink tasted. Also, I doubt that Nick and my new Vegan diets would allow us to indulge in any food item with the word "butter" in the name.

Unfortunately, our quest to find the infamous Harry Potter "Butter Beer" did not end successfully. I'm a little embarrassed to admit that Robert, our tour manager, much to Dia's horror, pulled the "Do you KNOW who this is?!" card. He leaned in to hiss into the poor ticket lady's ear, "This woman standing beside me is "Dia Frampton" from NBC's 'The Voice'!" Dia shuffled nervously from one foot to the other, tugging at Robert's sleeve like a frightened child eager to leave the intimidating sleepover. Then he all but wailed at her, "She worked will all the people that have their faces plastered all over your theme park!" He stood back triumphantly to witness the effect of his brilliant efforts.

I give Robert kudos for trying at least. He's not a punk or anything. He's just really great at "finding a way" when we want something. That's why he's our tour manager. In this case though, he only received blank stares and a sarcastic, "Oh really? I ain't never heard of her before!" And that was that.

Not completely dismayed, we satisfied our "Harry Potter" fix somewhat by stopping at a tourist trap on the way out and snapping some photos with "Harry Potter" capes and wands. Take that Universal Studios!

We would make such great wizards. Just saying'!

Which one's cuter? The owl or the Dia?

We crossed the vacant street on our way home from the theme park. Robert, always full of energy, bounded ahead of the rest of us. I trailed behind. Dia crossed just ahead of me, pulling her puffy evergreen hood lined with faux fur tightly around her neck. Taking light-hearted steps, she joyfully shouted out into the night air, "Oh, the city walk. Oh, the city walk, " in the voice of the "Honey Badger". (If you have not seen the "honey badger youtube video" yet, please stop reading my blog and view it right now! ) Robert turned around. He began flailing his arms about and started mimicking Dia in his slightly lower honey badger imitation, "Oooohh, the city waaaalk."

It must have been the fresh evening air combined with the "Honey Badger" accents and our happy tummys that made me realize: we have finally come to "the moment" on this tour. The moment when a tour becomes a tour. The "camaraderie" between all of us crazy kids solidifies. We become a comfortable bunch of goons, in step with each other, gliding across the U.S.A.

I am writing this blog at 6:45 a.m! We are about to walk into NBC's News Station in Florida to perform "The Broken Ones" live. I am sitting on the bus. Jonathan (Bass Player) shuffles in, still in his pajamas, messy hair, messy face. He says in a scruffy morning voice, "Is it foggy in here?" Then he takes off his glasses, wipes them on his pajama pants, places them back on his nose, squints and says, "Oh."

I love tour...

Honestly,

Meg

INTRODUCING My Latest Design: "Tiny Dancer Bot"!

2012-01-30T21:28:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday "Tiny Dancer Bot"!

Hold me closer tiny dancer

Count the headlights on the highway

Lay me down in sheets of linen

You had a busy day today

~Elton John

Visit my online jewelry shop to order "Tiny Dancer Bot": www.chandlertherobot.com

You know that comfy white tee that you throw on for Saturday mornings while you are preparing blueberry pancakes for your hunny?

Or how about the pair of jeans that you've worn in for years now and can't seem to give up? True

Jewelry can and SHOULD feel like that!

"Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind."

~Dr. Seuss

I'd have to say my favorite "First Thursday" design of all time is my latest creation...

"Tiny Dancer Bot" is 1.75" tall
Antique copier chain is approximately 19" long
Designed by artisan and craftswoman Meg Frampton (Me, Duh:)
Made from a stunning alloy metal with pure copper coating
This is an exclusive "Limited Edition" piece. Only 100 pieces made!

Visit my online jewelry shop to order "Tiny Dancer Bot": www.chandlertherobot.com

If for any reason at all you are not totally happy with your robot, I will issue you a full refund or exchange.

Like always, you guys know if you have any questions, please feel free to email me at: meg@chandlertherobot.com

Honestly,

Meg

Silver Chandler is Back!

2012-01-30T08:51:00.000-08:00

Thank you, all of you, for patiently waiting. I have a new batch of about 50 silver Chandlers back up in my shop! Now Chandler can finally match with that little black dress of yours;) Not sure how long these are going to last, so order yours soon:)

Made from an alloy metal with silver coating. Chandler is 2 1/2 " long. Chain is 24" ($25.00)

CTR Featured on "Goodsie" Blog!

2012-01-29T11:52:00.000-08:00

Goodsie-powered store of the day: Chandler the Robot

Meg Frampton of alt rock band Meg & Dia recently ventured into the jewelry making business, and quickly developed a beautiful craft. “I spent a few months working out the kinks and developing my Robot Jewelry designs, and then created more designs to fill up my shop,” Meg told us.

She named her shop Chandler the Robot after the first piece she designed. The adorable Chandler pendant with copper booties hangs from a 27” chain and is available for $25.

The shop releases a special “First Thursday Limited Edition” product the first Thursday of every month, with designs ranging from Cowboy Robots to Punk Rock Robots. Be sure to check out February’s special, the Tiny Dancer Bot! Pre-order for the cute dancer necklace begins today, so don’t wait too long to claim yours!

Meg and Dia are currently on tour with country music artist Blake Shelton, but be on the lookout for new products! You can follow Meg’s adventures in jewelry and music on her blog, where she also posts store updates
.

T.V. Performance with my sister (Dia Frampton) on Fox 17 News

2012-01-28T08:45:00.000-08:00

Sisters On the Road

2012-01-27T09:12:00.000-08:00

Welcome to the "Girl on the Road Blog". For those of you visiting for the first time, I'm Meg, Dia's older sister. I am playing guitar and singing back up vocals for her on the "Blake Shelton" Tour. In other words: I am witness to ALL the CRAZY shenanigans that happen on tour! Dia's a busy girl, so when she doesn't have time to write blogs or take pictures, I happily offer to fill in. Enjoy!I

rack my brain for the lyrics of the one song that seems to sift right through my mind every time Carlo plays the first chord. Dia turns to face the audience with a mischievous grin after sipping from a water bottle in between songs.

"I also play in a band with my sister Meg called 'Meg and Dia'." The spotlight blinds me after that sentence. (After the 3rd time it happened, I figured out when to shield my eyes.) "We wrote a record awhile back called "Cocoon". We never had the chance to play songs from the record on tour. So today we are going to sing for you guys a song from "Cocoon" called "Bandits". It's about these two criminals on the run…who will never run away from each other, even if they are doomed to keep running." Pause for effect. She continues, "I'm bandit number one!" A slight theatrical bow from the waist. "And I'm bandit number two!" I shout out into the audience, a giant smile spreads across my face to mask my impending terror. The time is coming for me to sing my lines in between hers…alone.

She begins to sing. I sing my line. She sings hers. The song is coming along quite swimmingly. Usually I have my smart phone hidden on my keyboard to read lyrics if I need them. (I'm cheating. I know.) But this time I was on my own.

The chorus rolls around. Easy enough. Harmonies never freak me out. All I do is listen to Dia's breath and inflections before she sings a word, and I can usually figure out the lyrics. This on-stage method I use is the closest we will ever come to sisterly intuition.

Second Verse. She sings her line.

And I've… got …NOTHING!

No words. Just silence. My heart is beating like race horse. I can't find any clues. So what do I do? I grin like a mad woman, and shake my tambourine like my behind is on fire. I believe I pulled out a "Ashley Simpson" dance like she did on that t.v. show when she had her little "moment". Dia just stared at me with those big brown eyes that grew more enormous with each missing word.

Then she started giggling, gave me a light smack on the back of my head, and finished the lyrics for me.

After that we could barely muster to correctly pronounce the rest of the lyrics in between muffled laughter. The song is a very serious song. In fact, "Bandit's" is the only song Dia has ever written that made me cry when I heard it the first time. So, our performance must have been pretty "interesting" to watch that night.

Dia didn't even bring up my "slip-up" after the show. I did. All she said, through an eruption of laughter once again, "Yeah! What was that?

Our funny moments. Our "mistakes". Our continued "support" for one another. Those are the things I love about our sisterhood.

Party in the tour bus bunks!

I feel incredibly guilty even assuming for a second that she would choose another, "better", "shredding" guitar player to back her up once her career exploded. I should have never doubted that girl.

The other morning, she didn't know I was reading a book in my bunk with the curtain closed while she had a conversation with our tour manager.

"So Mac make-up is coming to do a makeover on you girls. They should be on the tour bus around 5:00 p.m. They'll give you 20 items, and they will also throw in 10 for Meg."

"No." Dia said without even skipping a beat, "15 and 15".

Honestly,

Meg

P.S. "Cocoon" can be found HERE

P.P.S. As for the question: "Do we steal each other's boyfriends or do each others hair for date night?" I'll let you figure that one out;)

2012-01-25T12:25:00.000-08:00

"Tiny Dancer Bot" FREE shipping available only to CTR's Newsletter Subscribers and readers of "Girl On the Road Blog"!

Visit my online jewelry shop to order:

Enter coupon code: eltonjohn upon checkout to receive free shipping!

You know that comfy white tee that you throw on for Saturday mornings while you are preparing blueberry pancakes for your hunny?

Or how about the pair of jeans that you've worn in for years now and can't seem to give up?

Jewelry can and SHOULD feel like that!

For subscribers of the Chandler the Robot Email Newsletter and readers of my "Girl on the Road" blog, I have a SENSATIONAL deal to offer you. The actual release date of "Tiny Dancer" Robot is February 2nd, but I'm letting you guys in on a secret pre-order a week in advance. I'm not telling anyone else through twitter, or Facebook, or anything. I'm only letting readers of this blog and subscribers to my email newsletter in on this to thank you all! The pre-order begins now! If you order between now and the acutal release date (Feb 2nd) and you enter the coupon code: eltonjohn, you will receive free shipping!

After the pieces I designed for Dia's coach and "Country Star" Blake Shelton and his lovely wife, Miranda Lambert (Cowbot) as well as Dia herself (Diabot), I was determined to create a robot even more awe-inspiring and memorable.

Imagine, a tiny robot dressed in a delicate dancer tutu, small enough to fit in the palm of your hand, yet crafted from solid steel so she is anything but fragile! A bowtie on the side of her copper head completes her chic robotic style.

"Tiny Dancer" bot is 1.75" tall
Chain is approximately 19" long. (I know the norm is 18", but I think 19" looks cuter!)
Designed by artisan/ craftswoman Meg Frampton (Me, duh!) with love and care:)
Made from a stunning alloy metal with pure copper coating
This is an exclusive "Limited Edition" piece. ONLY 100 pieces will be made!

Visit my online jewelry shop to order:

Enter coupon code: eltonjohn upon checkout to receive your FREE shipping!

Silvia Chelazzi, writer of "Born in 82 Fashion and Creativity Blog" (one of the top fashion bloggers in Italy) says about "Tiny Dancer Bot":

"Yesterday, browsing the handmade fabulous world, I found a lovely online shop selling amazing necklaces with a robot pendant that immediately caught my attention. It won my heart in a second! I strongly suggest you to take a look at this shop!" ~Silvia Chelazzi

If for any reason at all you are not totally happy with your robot, I will issue you a full refund or exchange.

Like always, you guys know If you have any questions, please feel free to email me at: meg@chandlertherobot.com

Honestly,

Meg

P.S. Only 100 Tiny Dancers are available as part of this "Limited Edition". Ships within 2-3 weeks starting from the release date, but most likely will take about a week to arrive.

I Was Featured on "Gretsch Blog"!

2012-01-25T09:14:00.000-08:00

Meg Frampton Prepping For Blake Shelton Tour

Posted: January 18, 2012

Meg Frampton is getting ready for an upcoming tour with her sister, Dia, and star of the NBC hit showThe Voice, Blake Shelton.

Dia Frampton, who finished as the runner-up in the competition’s first season, will have Meg in in her band as part of Shelton’s “Well Lit & Amplified” tour beginning Jan. 26.

As such, Meg recently stopped by the Gretsch Showroom in Burbank to pick up a glittery gold gold guitar.

“I feel so spoiled, and I am so excited to break in this sparkly beauty on the Blake Shelton tour!” she tweeted.

Check out a photo of Meg with that beauty below:

For a full list of tour stops, visit Shelton’s official website.

Actual Gretsch Blog: http://www.gretschguitars.com/blog/artists-blogs/meg-frampton-prepping-for-blake-shelton-tour/

Past, Present, and Future

2012-01-24T11:54:00.000-08:00

I felt so old walking into the beat-up venue in the middle of nowhere. I stretched my wrist out to be wrapped with that awful tacky neon wristband which would prove to the suspicious security guards I had in fact paid for a ticket. The music started playing. I heard crashing and hi-frequency splashes of noise. In fact, there wasn't much of a difference between the sound of the band on stage through that horrendous sound system and the 80 mph winds mixed with "tornado warning" sirens that took place the night before.

The loud crowd, full of energy, scurried about the room like a new litter of pups rolling over and under each other, fighting ruthlessly for their mother's limited supply of milk. I saw young girls walking around hiding behind their bangs with the same harsh haircut I used to wear only a few years ago: shoulder length, side bangs, choppy-dramatic layers. The hairstyle of the rebellious young female.

The lead singer danced about on stage, theatrically using tense hand gestures to accentuate her punchy vocal phrases. The band released a steady explosion of discordant movements and sound, crashing into each other both sonically and physically.

Out of place. Slightly irritated. I desperately wanted to be back in our corny hotel room (which I recently just found out is basically vacant. Hmmm… I wonder why?), watching comedy central, and eating one of Nick's vegan cookies that I'm pretty sure I could snag without him noticing.

And then I realized that…the girl on stage used to be me! That band used to be us! We used to look like that, and believe it or not, we used to sound like that.

While watching their performance, I found myself transported back to the time when we didn't use fancy "in-ear monitors", when we loaded and set up our own gear and toured around in a stinky van.

Nick's voice brought me back from "la la land". "The drummer plays so loose. I used to play like that. What happened?"

We escaped the loudness and found a warm, cozy coffee house down the street. Over a cup of joe we discussed the change in our recent musical circumstances.

"Well, maybe it's just nerves?" I offered. "The stakes are up. We are playing in arenas now." "Yeah, maybe you're right. I just feel so rigid. I haven't had a good show in awhile. There are so many thousands of people sitting in the audience. What if I mess up? I feel like I am letting everyone down…" I've never seen Nick so serious and so deep in thought. He continued, "I feel as though I have to…"

"Earn it." I replied. I knew where he was coming from.

Uncomfortable thoughts started to creep up in the silence that followed, thoughts that we haven't allowed to show their ugly faces until now that we have time to let them: " Are we still on the right track? Are we still doing what we started out trying to do? Are we Making a difference? Are we being true to our musician's hearts?"

Back in the hotel room, Jonathan, Nick, and I continued to discuss our concerns and growing excitement about the new whirlwind of a tour we are part of compared to the journey we have been on over the past 6 years, and our humble beginnings.

I shared, to counter the worry swirling about the room, that for some reason, once we started playing these giant arenas, I found (surprisingly) that I love the energy of being in front of that many people! I love performing. I haven't always felt like that. In fact, when we started rehearsing for the "Blake" tour, my skin would crawl whenever Dia mentioned moving around stage, and dancing, and moving. My comfort zone has always been standing still on stage. The whole "professionalism" of the tour set off a fire in me. Hopefully if these guys could see that even a person as reserved as myself has embraced our new situation, that they too can find a comfortable and joyful place in it as well.

All throughout the conversation Carlo sat silently in a corner with peaceful monk-like expression on his face as he listened to the conversation come to a decrescendo. Then he spoke, and in his way of offering to a conversation words that don't have much to do with the topic at hand, but at the same time words that tie together everything we have been trying to say:

"I don't play music for the fame or the glory. I am a musician. It's my career, my responsibility."

He stuck a cigarette in between his lips, and stepped out into the night to light it.

Honestly,

Meg

Fly Away Safe

2012-01-23T09:28:00.000-08:00

Hello, for those of you just discovering my blog, I'm Dia's older sister Meg. I am on the "Blake Shelton" tour with her right now playing guitar and singing back up vocals. I will be regularly updating my blog with updates from the road, so please visit often to keep up with the "Dia Frampton" Band traveling adventures and to also hear about my robot jewelry I create:)

Photo by David McCudden

"The older I get, the more scared I become of planes." I looked over at her face, thoughtful and surprisingly calm after such a confession. Uneasily I shifted around in the driver's seat. "Well," I offered, choosing my words carefully, "I feel less safe driving around in our huge bus and trailer in the winter for months at a time." Oops. I am supposed to be making Dia feel better, and I am failing miserably! Nick chirped in from the back seat, "Statistically speaking, the chances of that plane crashing are even less then an accidental pregnancy from a condom breaking." I take my eyes off the wet roads up ahead to look back and shoot him a biting glare. Of course, a male's viewpoint. Just what we need at the moment. Dia shakes her head and replies, "I don't want to talk about this anymore."

We pulled into the parking lot of our favorite vegan-friendly restaurant in Nashville, "The Wild Cow". "Welcome back" says a familiar waitresses with a smile. She appeared to be about our age, tiny in stature, make-up free, wavy, long, jet-black hair without an ounce of product, and covered in colorful tattoos. The five of us band members squeeze into our favorite booth on the far west side of the restaurant. We reached for our menus. "It's nice to be with the band." Dia said. I felt a warm feeling begin to spread throughout my tummy. It might have been because of my hunger, but I believe the feeling radiated from happiness from hearing such an affirmation from our lead singer.

We began reminiscing about the old house we stayed in while we recorded our most recent Meg and Dia ep, "It's always Stormy in Tillamook". We talked about going on vacation there sometime. Then the conversation turned to how curious we find our new crew and how much we have grown to appreciate them after such a short period time of being on tour. "Did Rob really freak you out last night?" I questioned Dia. Rob is our new guitar tech. "Yes! He opened the bus door wearing this skeleton mask with a big black coat, and I nearly fell out of the bus!" The table erupted in laughter. Good times.

Near the end of our meal, Dia pulls out her phone. "You're checking to see what time Jenni's ice cream closes next door aren't you?" She doesn't even look up from her typing as she nods guiltily. "Jenni's on me!"

A salty caramel and lavender ice cream later, we arrived back at the hotel room. Dia spent all night packing and reorganizing her luggage on the bus benches. "I'm sorry about the mess guys," she apologetically sighed as she continued to fold jeans and tuck her make-up bag into a carry on bag for her trip to New York. (In New York she will be interviewed for an event that I can't reveal quite yet!)

"Your single is in radio rotation in Oklahoma" announced Robert on the way to the airport the next morning. "That's good right?" Dia replied. "Yes! That's definitely good!" As I listened to the trusty GPS guiding me to the airport, I began to ponder what the year ahead would look like for "Dia Frampton" and crew.

I wonder if we are going to tour out of the country…

I wonder if Dia's songs will start to be in rotation everywhere, and we will have a "That Thing You Do Moment" where we are all sitting in a car together, and then we hear Dia's song on the radio!

I wonder. I wonder. I wonder…

She gave me a big hug as she exited our rental car. "Bye Meg. See you in a few days." A tired smile, and she was off.

Honestly,

Meg

P.S. On the jewelry side of things...Pre-Order will begin for my latest necklace design, "Tiny Dancer Robot" on Jan. 26th (in only three days!!!) I will only have 100 pieces available of this limited edition piece. You can click on the pink heart pic to the left to see more pics and read more details!

Cover of Mike Snow's Animal

2012-01-22T22:31:00.000-08:00

Download a free mp3 of this cover here!

Limbo in Nashville

2012-01-22T17:13:00.001-08:00

When Dia and I were little starry-eyed girls, my father would always tell us that we ought to visit Nashville for a week or so sometime. He has always been a strong believer in going directly to the source of whatever it is that drives a person. Since music is what drives Dia and I, naturally a city like Austin or Nashville should be first on our lists.

Now it looks as though we have our chance. Dia is fairly familiar with the area, since she spent a bit of time here writing for her new record "Red". The rest of us have only passed through this honky-tonk city.

We have been staying in a cheesy hotel with a guitar shaped pool (yes, really!) for five days so far with another three days to kill before our performance at The Exit Inn. Then the Blake Tour will continue on as planned. For those of you that are concerned about the canceled shows, don't worry. The shows will be rescheduled at the end of tour.

I'm sure you've already heard about the passing of Blake's father, which is the reason for the cancelled tour dates. Our thoughts and prayers go out to Blake.

I have tried to spend my time being productive during this time off. Each day I tuck myself away in between aisles at Barnes and Noble engrossed in several books at a time. We've become regulars at a few local vegan restaurants such as "The Wild Cow" (my ultimate favorite) and "The Silly Goose". Dia convinced us all to go line dancing last night at the "Wild Horse Saloon" and Mr. "I can't dance" (Nick) found himself smiling and cutting loose with all the country western folk on the dance floor.

How have I held up on my Vegan diet? Pretty well. I caved once and told everyone I was going to slurp up a kale smoothie from the Wild Cow while they were sipping on Coffee at Ugly Mug. Instead I snuck into a Jeni's ice cream, feeling like a criminal on the run, and devoured a salty caramel scoop of pure sin. Those were the most amazing two minutes of my stay here in Nashville. (If Nick reads this blog, I'll never hear the end of it!)

Our touring circus consists of five musicians, a tour manager, a merch guy, a sound engineer, and an intern/guitar tech/body guard. That makes nine of us. A scramble for the one shower we share between us takes place every morning. I try to wake up a little early to beat the shower rush, but I'm just so exhausted each morning from a whole day before of "not playing music". I usually end up strolling up to the hotel room, shower bag tucked under my arm pit, at about the same time that we run out of clean towels.

Although we have given Nashville a fair shot, the general sentiment is pretty similar to our bus driver's response to our tour manager's question this morning:

"How's it goin' Wes?"

"I'm bored as Hell."

Nick said, "All we do is eat and sleep and eat and sleep" to which I said, "but Nick, that's what all people do." "No. We usually eat and sleep and play music and eat and sleep and play music!"

Nashville, I'm sure you are a great city. The thing is, we don't want a great city right now. We want our great tour back!

Honestly,

Meg

A Few Musicians Braving the Snow in Madison, WI...

2012-01-18T08:55:00.000-08:00

Yeah baby! Not gonna lie. I kind of want to stay for the "Winter Jam Beach Party"...

Winter touring: love the "touring" part, not so fond of the "winter" part.

What is she hugging so blissfully? 3 humidifiers! She's got to keep her vocal chords strong, and the bus is very, very dry.

Of course I had to bring Stupendous Chandler and Chandler along for the tour. Dia mentioned bringing Chandler before I did!

I have to say (no offense to the other cities we've played so far), but this really was the sweetest crowd!

Change of Heart

2012-01-17T13:59:00.000-08:00

The mansion, built in the modern-pueblo style, popular in the Santa Clara Canyons of Southern Utah, stood proudly in the twilight. The facade of the house looked as though a child had been in charge of the blue-prints, stacking cubes of smooth, canyon-colored elegance beside each other.

Inside, the rooms were spacious with high ceilings. The stair case had a beautiful, wrought-iron stair rail leading down to bedrooms blanketed with plush ram's fur carpets. When I looked outside the west dining room wall, which consisted of a single sheet of glass, I admired the beauty of the last rays of sunlight bouncing off of the red rocks. At that moment, I promised myself that one day I would OWN that house.

I was barely old enough to drive a car when I made that promise.

I still think about that memory from time to time. I'm impressed because although I was just a child, I had such a strong desire! Am I still going after that dream that had been engrained deep in my soul for at least a decade? Hell no!

First of all, I don't have anywhere near 3.2 million dollars! (The estimate worth of the house today) Second of all, I think that I loved that house because the first boy that I fell in love with showed me that house. Had he showed me a shriveled up armadillo, my dream for a decade probably would have been to someday be a proud owner of a shriveled up armadillo! Also, I am in love, IN LOVE, with Austin, TX. Even though I was born and bred in Utah, it would take nothing short of a miracle to drag me away from my Texas sunshine and 6th street!

Sometimes we hold onto dreams for so long that we forget where they originated from and why we wanted them so much in the first place. I know you know what I'm talking about.

Artwork by Julie D'arcy. Visit her etsy shop here.

The skeleton of my dream of that glamourous mansion has morphed with humility into my up-to-date desire which is: A cozy, little, old house, in the heart of downtown Austin or just outside of it with a little jewelry workshop on one side of the house where I can build and create robots to my hearts content, a fabulous kitchen where I can cook all the homemade vegan food my happy tummy desires, a descent size t.v. for watching "Big Love" and "Breaking Bad", and a man who adores me down to my baby toes and who will cook me breakfast in bed every morning. (O.K. that last part of my dream may be pushing it a little…) Is that too much to ask for oh gracious lord of the universe?!

"Meg and Dia" is another example of a dream that changed. "Meg and Dia" was a fantasy come-to-life that I lived fully for six years. I had such pride in my "independent creativeness" and being an "Indie Rock Band". Now, I play in a pop act with "Dia Frampton". Did the change tug on my heart strings just a little at first? Yes, I admit it, but what a blessing it has been to be part of my sister's dream in such a huge way! I still get chills when I listen to incredible bands like Dawes or Bon Iver. My dreams, in respect to music have changed, have broadened, and I now realize as the woman I am growing into, my true musical passion is playing many different styles of music with all types of inspiring musicians across the country and the world.

Re-evaluate your dreams. Make sure they are strong and still relevant as you begin to understand who you really are. While waddling around in diapers, if you carried around miniature silverware in tight chubby fists, cranked open your cousins jaws when they came over to visit, and told them to say, "Ah", and then you turned out to be a Dentist 20 years later. Wonderful! I know that was the way it happened with Dia and her career.

"Change of Heart friendship" necklace. Coming this spring!

There is something to be said about loyalty. Keep that, but when your heart changes, your heart changes.

Honestly,

Meg

Thank You For Your Help!

2012-01-16T15:28:00.001-08:00

Thank you for all of your wonderful responses! I have made a lot of notes that I am WAY too excited to implement once this Blake tour is over.

Because of you guys, I have decided to open up one month this year to taking custom orders. I haven't decided when that will be yet. The deciding factor will be based around future tours that Dia will have scheduled later in the year.
I'm also going to focus more on "male accessories". I think that is a great idea.
I am going to bring back the "Friends" collection sometime soon as well.

These are just the tip of the iceberg for Chandler in the year to come!

Honestly,

Meg

What Can I Do For YOU?

2012-01-15T14:30:00.001-08:00

Today is "Chandler the Robot's" one year anniversary. How crazy is that?! I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of you who have taken the time to read and comment on my blogs, also to those of you who have joined the Chandler family not only by owning a Chandler of your very own, but by your valuable feedback in Chandler's development.

When I first started Chandler the Robot, I can't tell you how grateful I was by every helpful suggestion you guys made from anything to making my web store more accessible to spelling errors etc…

Now, I'm calling on your support and feedback once again, because who knows better how to serve you than you. I'm asking you, what can I do better? Are there certain specific topics you would like me to discuss about touring, jewelry making, or music in general? What can I improve about Chandler jewelry? Are there designs you would like to see in the future or is there anything I can improve about my blog or store?

I would love to hear from you in the comments below! Thank you for such a great past year. I'm so looking forward to another fantastic one!

Honestly,

Meg

Blake Tour: Lincoln Nebraska

2012-01-14T20:49:00.000-08:00

Usually, A week and half to two weeks pass before I begin to forget what daily life was like before tour, and begin to think that I have always lived in a bus. This time around, I slipped right back into the "tour mentality" in about three days. Everything odd about "living on a bus" became second nature. Maybe we've just been missing "the road" for far to long while Dia was filming "The Voice". We were really, REALLY ready to be on tour again.

Where the buses and semis park just outside the venue becomes a "mini city". The two feet of space in between busses becomes our "mini city" streets. We begin to see familiar faces each morning. We see the same stage hands having their morning cigarettes, the same production manager anxiously running around, red-faced and upset, the same band members sleepy-eyed and smiling with their tired smiles.

I've made a HUGE effort to memorize names. The Blake crew and band member's have also made efforts worthy of applause to not confuse Dia with myself. I walk around the arena floor behind the enormous stage curtains, wind my way in between stadium seats, all the while silently reminding myself as I pass familiar faces: "Philliip: Blake's piano player, Jeanae: Blake's fiddle player, Shane: stage manager, etc…"

Am I a little intimidated being a woman, who is much younger than everyone else, singing pop music on a Country tour? I surprise even myself giving you guys my answer: No. No, I'm not scared. I think I've finally come to realize, after all these years of touring, that we are all at different levels of playing and have different levels of experience, but we are all here to do the same thing: have a good time playing music. With that common goal in mind, there isn't any reason why we can't all be happy to be here, on tour together, no matter where we all come from and where we've all been.

As for tonight's show in Lincoln, Nebraska. Can anyone say, "Technical problems"? We never have adequate time to check levels before we play. Blake's crew needs to have a full sound check, as well as Josh after them. By the time doors are open, the "Dia Frampton" gang has barely plugged in our instruments.

A lot of tour is "sucking it up".

So, even though my acoustic guitar was missing in my monitor system, and I couldn't hear a thing I was playing, the name of the game is to "pretend like everything is fine". That's what I did. I smiled, (which was easy to do because technical problems or not, it's always a blast to play in front of that many people!)

After the set my manager asked me how it was. I said, "You know, Even though there were a lot of issues tonight, I'm going to go ahead and skip the whole "freaking out" part, and the "feeling sorry part" of being a musician who has just experienced the show I did, because…" I continued "We've gone through this a hundred times. The first week of a tour there are a lot of tweaks to be made. We usually feel a little "loose" because we have been out of practice. We usually get really upset and hold all kinds of serious band meetings, but not this time. I know that everything will be straightened out within a week, and we'll all be laughing about how worried we were."

That's the great thing about having played so many shows, and been at this "touring thing" for so long. I've experienced all the "ups" and "downs" like I'm sure all of you guys have in your own lives. This is an occasion when we can appreciate having been through those "hard times" because we now know that "hard times" always get better. They always turn around.

Audience in Lincoln, Nebraska

Lincoln Nebraska, I love you because you have Jimmy Johns. Blake Shelton Production Team, I love you because you just brought to our bus a GIANT platter of vegan Jimmy John's sandwiches. I'm going to go enjoy one right now.

Honestly,

Meg

Blake Tour: Toledo

2012-01-13T18:50:00.000-08:00

After pushing open one of the bathroom stalls in our dressing room, Carlo stepped up onto the toilet seat, twirled around to face the mirror, and began scrutinizing his stage clothes.To me this was not unusual behavior, not just because I'm used to Carlo's unusual behavior in general by now, but back in my apartment in Austin, before a night out on the town, I often hop onto the edge of my bathtub so I can see how my shoes look with my evening outfit.

Carlo looked good.

Nick began nervously adjusting his tie which made me nervous because…well, Nick is never nervous. I took the tag off the neck of my new dress I bought specifically for these shows just as Dia pranced into the room still wearing her cheetah print pajama pants. We hadn't seen her all day. She is usually busy with telephone and t.v. interviews. Glad to see her energy was still running on high.

The whole day seemed to pass in slow motion up until the point of actually playing. The hour right before our time to go on seemed to pass in about five minutes. Hair strategically placed with bobby pins. Check! Time to put on the uncomfortable stage heels. Check! (You should have seen the relief in Blake's stage manager's eyes after I stepped off the stage after our first set injury free.), No lipstick in streaks across my chin or forehead. Check! (don't ask me how it gets there.)

Show time!

Aah. My stomach turns even right now simply writing the words: "show time". While we were back stage behind the curtain, I focused on deep breathing, and may have given my guitar tech minor indian burns on his forearms while grabbing and shaking him to ask him if he had "remembered everything, Rob?!" It's cool. He's a tough guy. (He actually doubles as Dia's security guard.)

I peeked out to see a filled stadium. I had figured that the audience would still be filing in while we played, a beer in one hand a kid in the other. Our monitor man, Zach, asked if we would like the lights to be "killed". "For heavens sake" I thought to myself. "Kill the lights! Kill the lights!" Dia told them to kill the lights, and BOOM…

BLACKNESS!

And so the five of us trailed out to our doom..ahem, I mean our first show. We shuffled onto the stage, slowly finding our positions in the dark behind our microphones and instruments. Our intro music began playing. I felt a tremendous amount of energy flow through me with lightning speed as I watched random flashes of light begin to burst around the stadium from the distant cameras everywhere. It was like being bathed in a shower of shooting stars.

I wish I had words to explain what playing on that stage felt like. I imagine that playing up there felt like doing drugs. (Which I haven't btw.) Once you've tried it, you want more…MORE!

I am so proud of Dia. I thought she might be overwhelmed by the pressure and shrink into a frightened little ball in the corner of the stage. But, NO! That girl blossomed. I found myself surprised by the goosebumps forming on my bare arms as she courageously braved the catwalk. She dove into that gigantic audience and began twirling like a little sugar fairy, bending over to hug and clasp hands with members of a captivated audience.

Now, I'm not going to tell you that there weren't any technical problems (like my guitar amp not being on for instance…Rob, YOUR fault! O.K. o.k. It might have been a teensy bit my mistake.)

Good Night Toledo!

Honestly,
Meg

Well Lit and Amplified Tour with Blake Shelton: Day 1

2012-01-11T21:11:00.000-08:00

"Where is everyone?" I whined into my smart phone. I was standing out in the rain, withering in my rain boots without socks, in the chill air of Toledo, Ohio.

"Walk to the back of the bus. There will be a door open just a crack. Carlo is waiting for you." Click. Sure enough Carlo peeked behind a crack in the dark cement wall just ahead of me. I slipped inside. Happy to be warm. Happy to have found everyone again.

"Go ahead. Take a peek." Dia said as she nodded her head toward a large door with misty neon-yellow lights shining through.

I reverently walked up a short flight of steel stairs and stepped onto the stage. It was gigantic! I had tried to envision this moment over and over in my head for months, and I couldn't quite wrap my mind around that enormous amount of space! There was room enough to have a small war. I peered out into the dark. I could see seats, tiny little bug seats way, way, back.

And I think I just stood there, motionless for about seven minutes, before I moved, before I breathed even.

We took our first tour inside the venue, reading out loud to each other, the laminated postcards taped just outside of each of the doors. "Production"…"Dia Frampton"…"Female Dressing Room"…"Catering"…"Beer Camp"…"

Wait a minute.

BEER CAMP?!

Yes indeed! Behind door #1 there was a printed plastic backdrop of a wooden barn across the walls. A fully stocked bar stood proudly on the far side of the room, complete with any and every beverage you could imagine. Carlo lost no time in picking up the karaoke mic. He sang, "Stayin' alive! Stayin alive! Ah ah ah ah…" (Yes there was karaoke set up on the other side of the room …Of course!)

We peeked our heads around the next door. The room contained a treadmill, some weights, and a bicycle, as well as a several other workout machines.

"Do you think all that stuff is Shelton's?" I asked Nick, my jaw dropping.

"I wouldn't be surprised with everything else that's happened today."

We watched Blake's rehearsal. His background scenery was beautiful: mason jars, open highway, his face:) The music was mesmerizing. After every single tune, I kept leaning over to Dia and whispered, "Now, THAT'S a good song." After a few more songs, she stood up from the seat beside me, and joined Blake on stage to sing their duet, "I Will".

It was at that moment, while bathing in those larger than life stage lights dancing and zigzagging across the stadium seats, when a small innocent thought began growing with a quick intensity:

"Take me with you "Country Music".

I can put straw between my teeth, drive old pickup trucks, and drink sweet tea! I can sing about loyal dogs and missing somebody I love.

I could get used to this.

Honestly,

Meg

"Everything That Glitters is Not Gold"

2012-01-10T19:03:00.000-08:00

"But oh sometimes I think about you

And the way you used to ride out

In your rhinestones and your sequins

With the sunlight on your hair

And oh the crowd will always love you

But as for me I've come to know

Everything that glitters is not gold"

                                 "Dan Seals"

(I decided I best start introducing myself to some country tunes.)

Can't spare a single detail in preparation for the Blake Shelton tour!

Dia chose gold, white, and black for our tour colors. We've never color-coordinated a tour before. Even the guitar techs and tour manager are going along with it. Well see how this goes...

Tiny Dancer Sneak Preview (Available in February)

2012-01-06T19:07:00.000-08:00

"Hold me closer tiny dancer

Count the headlights on the highway

Lay me down in sheets of linen

You had a busy day today

Blue jean baby, L.A. lady, seamstress for the band

Pretty eyed, pirate smile, you'll marry a music man

Ballerina, you must have seen her dancing in the sand

And now she's in me, always with me, tiny dancer in my hand"

-Elton John

"Tiny Dancer Bot" for February's "First Thursday"

2012-01-04T21:48:00.000-08:00

I didn't think I would be able to have my next piece ready until I came home from this upcoming Blake tour, but somehow I pulled myself and Chandler together and was able to complete the design in time. Sweet!

For those of you who have no idea what I'm talking about, last year I started an event on my Chandler the Robot store where I released a limited quantity of a new design on the First Thursday of each month.

Some of my favorites were the "Cowbot" I designed for Blake Shelton and his lovely wife Miranda. I also really enjoyed creating the Explorer Bot. (The photos for that piece were a blast to take! Any excuse to get me to go hiking:)

On the First Thursday of February I will release the first "First Thursday" Limited Edition piece of the year!

I love it when design ideas turn out better than I could have hoped for. Sometimes I'll have an idea that I'm stoked on in my head, and once I sketch it out it doesn't quite resonate with me, but this bot was not one of those cases I'm delighted to say. I'm calling her "Tiny Dancer Bot".

Now, I've never especially had an affinity for "dancing" or "ballet". You all know I'm a "yoga" gal. So please stay tuned for my explanation of why I chose this piece to start the new year.

Photos coming soon!

"Tiny Dancer Bot"

Honestly,
Meg

My New Year's Resolution

2012-01-03T20:07:00.000-08:00

Artists are introverts. Have you ever heard anyone say that? When I'm not doing my artsy fartsy crafts or creating music, (both activities I do alone) the person I spend the most time with is Nick, of course. I can be extremely open and talk for hours with a person I'm comfortable with, but I've never been that girl that openly expresses herself in social gatherings with confidence and a sparkle in her eye. (I've always envied her though.)

So, whenever I have been forced to co-mingle with other humans, I've always been a little hesitant and have never warmed up to the idea. I like to be on my own. Strong. Independent. Well…I've hidden my insecurities behind those fierce words, when in reality I think the real cause is…I'm a little scared.

In yoga class, Mr. K. decided he wanted to dive more into "partner" poses. Nooooo! was my immediate reaction in my head. I peeked to my left and found a man with much more muscle mass than I, so naturally I went with the girl on my right. We muttered some quiet and rushed introductions, and then I grasped her hand (a stranger's hand mind you!) and began to twist my shoulders into position. How incredibly uncomfortable it was that first time!

I love Mr. K.'s class, so I didn't let his new found love for "partner" poses frighten me away from going. We were three quarters of the way into yoga class, and I could tell that he was about to tell us to "partner up" for the next yoga pose. For some reason I decided to just get over my anxieties about "new people". I thought "We are all here for about the same reasons. We want the same things. She's not going to bite!" I shook her hand a little stronger than the last time, remembered her name as I positioned myself into downward dog with my mat pulled up against the wall. She grabbed onto an ankle and aided my flight into a handstand.

I think I had an epiphany there (funny how these always seem to happen during yoga class) that we are all here to help each other. No one is really "better" or "worse" than anyone else, and we can learn from each other. Fancy that!

I carried that lesson into band practice. Jonathan, the bass player for "Meg and Dia" and "Dia Frampton", is staying at our manager's house along with Nick and myself. We've been hanging out with each other more than usual. We don't just talk about our stage costumes that we still have yet to coordinate, or how we are going to manage guitar change-overs from "Good Boy" into our cover song. We talk about crazy things to share with another person. Topics that make one vulnerable, like losing love or feeling afraid because of a new, scary medical condition. All those funny parts of life that we usually keep private.

"Opening" up feels fantastic and freeing. I'm not going to spill my guts to the next person I meet at a party, but I am going to be more accepting and open to meeting and understanding new people, and also getting to know people better who are already in my life.

I hope everyone has an incredible new year! What are your resolutions? I'd love to hear.

Honestly,

Meg

Be Present

2011-12-30T09:30:00.001-08:00

My "oh-so-zen" yoga instructor told the class that the year is coming to an end, and rather than focus all of our thoughts on the future or the past, focus on the present. "Be present" he said. "I'm not saying that you need to ignore the past. Learn from the past of course. Also, don't avoid the future. Plan for the future, but BE in the present."

He said that we spend so much time, especially with the new year just around the corner, setting goals, which is great, but "It is so important to stay focused on what you are doing now, and enjoy the moment."

I focused on my breath, ignoring the incredibly painful "pigeon prep pose" I was twisted into during his wise speech. (Hey, although I was focusing more on the "pain" of the moment, I was still in the moment!)

Later that Day, I applied what Mr. K had taught us to my life and music.

I walked through the halls of our practice studio's building, silently admiring the shiny guitars on display behind glass on the walls. I looked up at the pictures of Buddy Guy and more pictures of some band wearing gallons of makeup and platform boots. Kiss maybe?

I pushed open the door to our practice room noticing flooding spotlights on the grand piano center stage with Dia tinkering around on her smart phone, approving merchandise designs, and waiting for another song to begin. Carlo and Jonathan were over by the tech box rummaging around for guitar strings, and Nick was behind the sound board, chatting technical terms with our intern who will be going on the road with us.

It would be too easy to revert back to wondering what "might have happened" if Meg and Dia made another record…or wasn't able to make another record.

Be in the present.

Or, think about what Dia's future, and in the process our future, might look like with season two of The Voice premiering soon. What's going to happen?

Be in the present.

I delay my solo during our cover of Lady Antebellum's "Need You Now" to really listen to how the changes in the chord progression make me feel. Then I launch into a sad and powerful bend up on the higher portion of the guitar neck. I then launch, with a surprising amount of confidence for me, into an almost feverish and passionate run of notes. I hear Dia squeal, "Yeah!!!"

"That's what I'm going for." I think to myself. I want to make people jump out of their seats with excitement by something I'm playing and feeling!

After a five-minute break, Carlo makes an inside joke about something or other that I can't hear from my side of the stage. Dia and Carlo have become a lot closer as friends. We all have.

Mr. K says, "If we're too busy planning or remembering, it is difficult to enjoy the present moments we have."

With all that the future holds and all that happened in the past behind us, life is good.

Now.

Artwork By Avery Kerr

2011-12-24T15:23:00.000-08:00

Amazing! Thanks Avery

2011-12-22T16:36:00.000-08:00

Photo by Sofi from Holland

"Hearts Out to Dry"

2011-12-17T00:16:00.000-08:00

I co-wrote a bonus track on Dia's new record "Red" called "Hearts Out to Dry". You can hear this song when you download her album on iTunes.

Thanks Olivia!

Multi-tasking

2011-12-15T23:30:00.000-08:00

"Hold on, Hold on! Stop!" Our instruments screech into silence, and I glance nervously first back at Nick behind his kit, and then at Jonathan just behind me on stage left. Surly, Billy can't be referring to me. Then I look straight into our "music director's" eyes, and it's true: I was the cause for our band rehearsal disruption. "You've got to look like you're not concentrating so hard Meg. Use wide motions like this!" he exclaims as he jumps off his conductor's couch and snatches the tambourine from my startled hand. "Now, are you right or left-handed?" he inquires. "I'm left…and right handed" I stammer. Billy shrugs his shoulders and guffaws in despair. "Left and right handed?! "Well, yeah… You see." He holds a hand up and I am silenced.

We start the song over. I try to slap a silly grin on my face and force my brows to separate and lower back to their normal positions. We continue on for a few moments. I'm finally getting the hang of a percussion instrument. "Wait, wait!" We stop again after another 15 seconds. "Now, on that measure toss the tambourine on the floor and play the second half of the chorus on the guitar. Then…" He swiftly flies across the stage, rescues a lonely floor tom off in a corner and plunks it down on my left side. "Can you play this tom with your left hand and smack the tambourine on your right hip with your right hand on the off beats?" One never says "no" to Billy. He has those piercing sky-blue eyes that mesmerize you into immediate obedience. (You know the ones.)

"Start at the beginning" he shouts from the the back of the room as he makes a twirling motion with his right index finger. I'm doing fine during the intro when I'm just whistling and playing tambourine. "I can do this. I can do this." I think to myself. The chorus comes. I focus with all my might on playing tom with left hand, tambourine with right, singing, and maintaining a look of peace on my face with a gentle smile. My first beat was a failure since I couldn't seem to locate my right hip, and the tambourine slammed into an acoustic guitar on a stand behind me. (Good thing we have a deal with Fender right now, huh?)

It got better. Dia backed me up with a comment, "The only thing Asians are good at doing with sticks is eating rice."

Not to worry, by the time we go on tour next year, I'm going to be twirling drumsticks and playing my guitar with my teeth! Also, as much as I've been painting Billy like a bully, he's really the best thing that has happened to us as far as rehearsals go. I shudder to think what we would sound and look like without his expert advice and direction, and it helps that this music director of ours comes complete with a witty sense of humor and unflinching support and faith in us.You're the bestest Billy!

Honestly,

Meg

Yoga and Cowboys

2011-12-13T22:23:00.000-08:00

I'd have to say my favorite moments being in L.A. rehearsing thus far, have been the conversations that Nick, Jonathan, and I have whenever we get lost driving around Silver Lake in the band van. Eager to escape from an exhausting practice for a few hours, we zip around searching for a Trader Joes for example or an Amp Repair shop. We immediately become enraptured in "geeky" conversations such as Stevie Ray Vaughn's death by helicopter crash, which just so happened to be on the same day his father died three years earlier, or Iceland's economy failing a year before the United States' economy failed for the same reasons. While discussing the true merits of flotation tanks, we find ourselves yet again disoriented somewhere in the streets of Los Angeles, searching in vain for familiar street names like "Vermont", "Cahuenga" or "Sunset".

We've been practicing six to seven hours each day, every day. We took one break yesterday because Dia's voice box was about to explode. I think we are finally becoming comfortable with the music. There are only three songs we have left to analyze, tear apart, and put back together again. I am not afraid. Bring it on I say.

In the meantime, the main activities keeping me sane with our hectic schedule are my daily yoga classes (when they don't conflict with band practice) and delicious warm caffeinated beverages. I drag Nick to yoga classes with me sometimes. I think he's finally starting to enjoy them. The trade off was I had to play star craft with him and our bass player, Jonathan in the evenings. Lord, save me along with the Zergs!

As you have probably figured out, since I'm in L.A. practicing with "Dia Frampton" and my jewelry studio is in Austin, I haven't been able to make new jewelry creations. I did bring some of my tools and some extra clay and copper with me to Utah were my folks reside, so I will be working on a few projects for Chandler the Robot when I'm home for Christmas, but other than that, I can't say that there will be more jewelry up in my shop until next year late March. No more "First Thursdays" until after the Blake Shelton tour is over until then as well.

However, I will be thinking about future Chandler the Robot designs constantly and incessantly of course. (Chandler is my baby.) I keep a pencil and sketch pad in my purse at all times for jewelry design ideas that pop into my head. I will be constantly "instagramming" and "blogging" while we're on tour and promise to keep everyone as up to date as possible.

I believe I've explained this before: With Chandler and music, my life is going to be like a teeter totter, and right now I'm tottering into the land of tour busses, arenas, country music, and jolly drunk cowboys. I'm not complaining;)

Sleepy time. Yoga class starts early tomorrow.

Honestly,

Meg

2nd Batch of "Winter Chandler" Now Available

2011-12-07T20:32:00.000-08:00

I love driving around Los Angeles and watching all the wreaths and lights going up! So excited to take a brief break from Dia's rehearsals to visit the fan back home.

I was hoping and crossing my fingers that I could have these Winter Robots ready before Christmas. Luckily, this busy Holiday Season is still giving me a little time to work on Chandler the Robot projects.

I only have about 45 Winter Chandlers left!

Happy Holidays!

http://www.chandlertherobot.com

Honestly,

Meg

I Dreamed a Dream

2011-12-07T00:50:00.000-08:00

On those career cards that the elementary school teachers give you, Dia wrote "Singer" in the blank at the top of the page. Ever since we were kids, I watched her chase that dream, helped her chase that dream, and chased a somewhat similar dream myself. ( I think in that space I would have written: Professional Touring Musician, Independent Jewelry Designer, Boutique Desert Cafe Owner or maybe just…"happy".)

She was a "Singer" in our first pop-punk band when we were kids. She was a "Singer" in Meg and Dia. Now, she's really a singer as "Dia Frampton from The Voice". I think the day you know you've made it is when you see your name up in lights, and well, her name is pretty lit up.

Today she walked into band practice humming the tune to Les Miserable's "I Dreamed a Dream" and announced that she was trying out for the part of Cozette with a sheepish grin and sparkling eyes. (She has fantasized about playing Cozette and being on broadway since she was old enough digest solid foods.) I thought to myself, "Here is a girl who just a few months ago was working in a cupcake shop in New York, struggling to pay for her next fish taco, and now she snatches up her dreams so quickly, all you have to do is blink and she fulfills a dozen more.

I usually have so many obstacles that I place in front of my dreams to decrease the chances of me fulfilling them, a self-fulfilling prophecy if you will. I think Dia's secret is actually believing you have what it takes and then TAKING IT of course!

Watching someone ride ocean waves into their sunset, really helps to inspire oneself. Do ya'll remember how nobody could run a "4-minute mile" until one person did it? Then all of a sudden dozens of runners had accomplished that "impossible" achievement.

When my other little sister Jade came to support Dia with me during the first few episodes of "The Voice", after watching Dia's performance of "Heartless" from the audiences seats, Jade leaned over and whispered to me. "After watching her sing in front of all these people like that, I feel like I can do anything. Is that corny?" I told her, yes I thought it was, but I understood what she was saying.

Success is not a matter of luck (well, maybe a little). Success is really a personal perspective and attitude adjustment.

Have you ever thought that maybe you ARE good enough? Because you probably are. It's all a matter of convincing yourself and the rest really falls into place.

I dreamed a dream. Did you?

Perfromance of "The Broken Ones" on Jay Leno with Dia Frampton

2011-12-05T23:53:00.000-08:00

What a professional staff they had. I wish every venue was as "on top of things" as the Leno crew was.

Performing "The Broken Ones" on Jay Leno

2011-12-03T10:49:00.000-08:00

We start playing at "37:20"!

The Tonight Show

2011-11-30T22:31:00.000-08:00

"Can you grab me a water?" Nick asks me as he stares at the highway ahead. We are driving across Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona to Los Angeles where we will begin our rushed three-day practice to prepare for Jay Leno. I hoist a booted left foot up over my passenger side arm-rest. After that, I shove my knee into an open crevice on the first bench in between a guitar, a lap top, and a box of wine, while holding on to the "Oh shit!" bars. The next maneuver takes draping my upper body over the first bench, so I'm hinged at the waist with my legs flailing behind me. All the while I'm thinking to myself, "I'm 27 years old! Why does this stuff still happen to me?! I ought to be quietly doing the dishes and listening to Christmas carols on the stereo in my kitchen with three little puppies around my ankles!" I yank a water bottle out from underneath the second bench while the inertia of our moving vehicle is in my favor, repeat the process over in reverse, and I plop back in the passenger seat. Piece of cake. Here Nick. Here's your damn water bottle!

(Disclaimer: Nick just read this and he said "It's a little dramatic, and you are making me out to be the bad guy." So, I should mention that Nick drove the entire trip, so me handing him a water bottle is tiny compared to what he went through without any help from me!)

We've played "The Broken Ones" 278 times. I was trying out this new technique I was reading about in a book called, "Effortless Mastery" by Kenny Werner. It has a "spiritual" outlook on playing music, more of a "don't think, just feel approach". The excercise mentioned in the book said to "feel" the song and try to come out of your body and watch yourself playing from above. I tried this method the first half of our first practice and was feeling very "transcendental" and "groovy". I hardly had to focus at all! Then I listened to the playback of a recording we made of the rehearsal.

It doesn't work.

I always feel a little anxiety when we practice for events that spring up on us such late notice. My manager's face was more than a little concerned after we performed for him at the end of the first day of practice. He said we sounded like "We haven't played together for a year" which makes sense because: we haven't played together for a year. We had an intense band meeting which consisted of Dia suggesting that we need "back up singers and violinists".

Really?

We can do that?

O.K. then I'd like three trombone players, a cellist, and some medieval clowns juggling fire just off to the right of the grand piano please.

My request didn't work out. The back up singers are pretty cool though.

I hope you guys can tune into Jay Leno this Friday night because…well...

there we will be, Smilin' and waving'!

Honestly,

Meg

Katy Perry "The One That Got Away" with Dia

2011-11-23T17:46:00.000-08:00

"Stupendous Chandler" 3rd Batch Now Available!

2011-11-21T16:37:00.000-08:00

The third batch of "Stupendous Chandler" is now available on my website (www.chandlertherobot.com) along with my new Mistletoe and "Out of Time" Earrings! Please note that the Stupendous Chandlers will not be numbered or come with any certificates of authentication. Those extra items are reserved for those who ordered the first batches of First Thursday designs.

Also, check out all the sale items I have available. After this year, I'll have new robot designs, so now is your last chance to snag a Monica or a Joey!

Christmas Performance at the St. Johns Town Center Holiday Spectular in Jacksonville, Florida

2011-11-19T21:06:00.000-08:00

Silver Chandler goes better with blue crushed velvet.

Celebrating after the lighting ceremony and fireworks, and those were some incredible fireworks.

She's getting what she wants for Christmas...

Weeding Through the Rubble Chords

2011-11-19T10:37:00.000-08:00

Step by Step

2011-11-17T20:32:00.000-08:00

I get asked this question a lot, "What steps should I take as an artist just starting out?"

So, I thought I would take a moment to answer how the "step-by-step" process went for Meg and Dia.

Step 1. Form band. Find your new drummer and bass player in front of a local Mexican restaurant. Also, sometimes you can use the dude that your dating. (I used this method to find the first bass player for Meg and Dia. Wouldn't recommend it for obvious reasons.) Sometimes the band member becomes the dude that you're dating (I WOULD recommend this for obvious reasons:)

Step 2. Write songs. (Pretty straight forward)

Step 3a. Fund recording. Back when we first started we used the method called: parents. It worked pretty well for us…

Step 3b. Record songs.

Step 4. Find a vehicle. Make the drummer do the driving. (Drummers don't mind driving, because they get an opportunity to practice their beats on the steering wheel.) Please note: Never let the singer drive! They will listen to Michael Jackson on repeat volume level 11, and the only thing they're driving is...you crazy!

Step 5. Send out demos to record labels. We actually drove from Utah to L.A. to find Capitol Records. We proceeded to sing a song (Santa Barbara) to a man who we thought was the A.R. guy at the label (janitor). You can see why we had little success that attempt.

Step 6. Go to a local show and make friends with the drunk merch guy of the band playing from out of town.

Step 7. Go to college.

Step 8. Drop out of college to prepare for becoming a rock star. Inform parents and tell them your plans by telephone, but make sure they are sitting down before you tell them. (That part is important!)

Step 9. Tell your sister who sings in the band to drop out of Highschool so you can start the band.

Step 10. Call the drunk merch guy back.

Step 11. The drunk merch guy has major connections and gets you a showcase with three indie labels.

Step 12. Sign to Indie Label

Step 13. Get a boost up to a major label

Step 14. Get dropped from major label.

And that's about how the story goes. This is usually where the story ends. But wait!

Step 15. Sister/singer of the band competes on National Television and wins 2nd place

Step 16. Band goes on an Arena Tour with Blake Shelton and requests only brown m&m's in the green room!

Follow these steps religiously, and I'm sure you will get nowhere near your dream (I'm still confused as to how these steps got us ours), but at least you'll have a great time!

New Chandler the Robot Website!!!

2011-11-14T11:31:00.000-08:00

Chandler the Robot is moving to a new website! Please visit my brand new Chandler the Robot website at:

www.chandlertherobot.com

There you will find my shop and all the designs are available. You may have noticed there is no longer an option to purchase Chandler jewelry on this blog. This blog will now be exclusively the new "Girl On the Road" blog. I imagine I'll write a bit about Chandler here and there, and keep everyone informed, but mostly I want to share with everyone stories from the road previously traveled, and stories from the road that will be traveled! I wasn't aware that people were so curious about my experiences being a female musician and traveling. Well, I would love to pick a classic road warrior's (like Arethra Franklin's per say...) brain, about her traveling as a female musician, but even a modest indie rocker has something to say!

I'm excited about the new format. Let me know what you guys think about the new look!

Honestly,

Meg

How to Clean Your Chandler

2011-11-13T07:29:00.000-08:00

Last week I asked ya'll if you could find some directions on how to clean Chandler.

imkcruz and Kali Boo are the official winners of the "Clean Chandler" Contest. They were both similar in that they took great before and after photos, had simple directions, and used regular household items that are accessible to everyone. (No, I didn't tell you guys exactly what I was looking for because then everyone would get it right! haha)

So Kali and imkruz, if you guys could kindly email me @ chandlertherobot@hotmail.com we will work out your winning arrangements.

I'd also like to award a 50% off coupon on everything in my etsy store to Eric Lee UWS, Gemini, MEgDia_fan, JB, and IJChan223 for your tremendous efforts. Thank you to all for taking the time and really helping me out. (I would recommend you wait to use your coupons. At the beginning of December I will have a few Christmas pieces up in my etsy shop as well as a few of the First Thursday pieces that you might have missed out on previously this year.)

You guys can email me too at chandlertherobot@hotmail.com with "Clean Chandler" as the subject and in the content of the email please include your blogger username so I know you qualify.

Kalli Boo's Directions:

How I cleaned my Chandler:

1.Make a solution out of warm water, a few drops of lemon or lime juice (I used lime juice), and a teaspoon of salt. Mix it thoroughly.

2. Let Chandler sit in this solution for 5-10 minutes.

3. Remove Chandler from the solution and rinse him thoroughly. If he's not quite to your standard yet, repeat the above steps.

4. Polish him off with a polishing cloth and then he's as good as new!

CTR And Kimberlin Winners Announced!

2011-11-12T16:52:00.000-08:00

And now to announce the winners of the Chandler The Robot + Kimberlin Silver Co. giveaway! We have over 300 entries on this one! Thanks so much to everyone who entered! And the winners are:

Chander the Robot:
zulai*******@gmail.com - Zulai S.

Kimberlin Silver Co.:
hannah************@gmail.com - Hannah T.

If you're one of these lucky winners, check your inbox! We sent you instructions on what to do next! Thanks again to everyone who participated! Stay tuned for future giveaways!

-Meg & Eric

CHANDLER THE ROBOT + KIMBERLIN SILVER CO. GIVEAWAY

2011-11-08T15:05:00.000-08:00

GIVEAWAY DETAILS:
This giveaway will have not one, but TWO lucky winners! Etsy shop owners and musicians, Meg Frampton & Eric Bowley, are teaming up to offer some incredible prizes in this giveaway!
Chandler The Robot (Meg) will be giving away ONE gorgeous robot necklace made from polymer clay, antique copper, and vintage watch parts. Each necklace is carefully handmade with love and hangs on an 26” antique copper chain. Kimberlin Silver Co. (Eric) will be giving away ONE vintage silver spoon ring made from the handle of an antique silver spoon. Each spoon ring is made after carefully handpicking the spoon from an antique store and bent into the shape of an elegant ring.
This giveaway is open worldwide, ANYBODY can participate! Winners will be chosen via random.org on Friday, November 11th.
HOW TO ENTER:
- STEP 1: LIKE CHANDLER THE ROBOT + KIMBERLIN SILVER CO. ON FACEBOOK
Log in to your Facebook account and go to both links below. Click the “Like” button with the little thumbs-up at the top of the page!
Chandler the Robot www.chandlertherobot.com
Kimberlin Silver Co. www.facebook.com/KimberlinSilverCo
- STEP 2: WRITE ON YOUR WALL ABOUT THE GIVEAWAY!
Go back to your Facebook wall and write a status update about how you’d like to win this giveaway contest.
Include a photo of one of products (a robot necklace or a spoon ring) that you’d like to win! You can see of our products by visiting our Etsy shops:
www.etsy.com/shop/chandlertherobot
www.etsy.com/shop/KimberlinSilverCo
Paste this at the end: “You can win too! Visit: www.chandlertherobot.com or www.kimberlinsilverco.com/blog to enter!"
- STEP 3: ENTER YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS
Send an email to: superawesomegiveaway@gmail.com with your full name! This is how we will contact you if you win. Only one entry per person, please!
- STEP 4: WINNERS CONTACTED ON FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 11TH!
Watch your inbox on Friday, November 11th to see if you won! If you did, we will contact you to confirm that you complied with all of the contest steps.

You're Chance to Earn a Free Chandler Piece of Your Choice!

2011-11-06T14:27:00.000-08:00

O.K. Here is the deal. I'm so busy finishing up these Diabots at the moment (so I can send them out to you guys early next week), I haven't had the time to research a question a few of you have been asking me, which is:

"Dear Meg,

I have had my Chandler for awhile. How can I clean him?"

I started to look up the answer, but I wouldn't want to post my answer until I've tested it out. I thought, why not have some of you test it out for me?

So, if anyone would like an opportunity to earn a free Chandler the Robot piece of jewelry of your choice, take a "before" and "after" photo of your Chandler and your Chandler who has just had a bath, and post some directions in the comments below about how to clean him. I'll choose the answer I'm looking for, and that person will receive their free Chandler.

This offer ends next Sunday.

Good luck!

Honestly,
Meg

"The American Spirit"

2011-11-05T09:52:00.000-07:00

I would like to put a spotlight on some friends of mine here in Austin. They are a rock band called, "The American Spirit". You do need to see them live in order to feel the full effect, but since most of you can't, here is the next best thing:

Their new EP "SPACES" was just released a few weeks ago. I was lucky enough to sing on their track called, "Come Outside". Please check them out. They need some serious lovin' from you guys:)

Nick plays drums for them, so I might be a bit biased...

&lt;p&gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://theamericanspirit.bandcamp.com/track/come-outside-featuring-meg-frampton"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Come Outside (Featuring Meg Frampton) by The American Spirit&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&lt;/p&gt;

All or Nothing

2011-11-04T09:23:00.001-07:00

I day dream a lot. Lately I've imagined myself onstage in the ridiculous outfits I've recently purchased. (Dia is a pop act now so anything goes!). My daydream goes two ways. Sometimes the show is perfection, and those crazy stage lights blind me, and I feel like I'm in heaven and at the top of the world living everyone's dream. Other times, I imagine myself tripping over the keyboard stand, ripping my dress that I spent an entire paycheck on, and rolling off the stage into a crowd that separates once they realize I'm about to smash them. (You've seen the youtube videos, the ones where the crowd surfer dives to his doom once everyone decides his life isn't worth preserving.)

I bought these heels a few days ago. They are the super platform kind, the kind of shoes that you almost need ski poles to aid you while your walking. I'm always grabbing on to Nick's arm, steering clear of threatening potholes. Whenever my death-grip cuts off his circulation, he asks me in a slightly annoyed tone,

"Why do you wear those kinds of shoes anyway?"

"I'm trying to become familiar with them so I can wear them on stage!" I grunt with effort.

"Why, so you can be like every other guitar-playing chick in high heels?"

"What female shreds in high heels?" I growl back.

"Joan Jett."

"That broad's a punk rocker! She tromps around stage in chuck tailors, come on!" (Like I used to, I think to myself, as I recall fond memories of the simple touring days.)

It was at that point that my stellar heel hit a pot hole, and I face planted in pavement. I think the universe was on Nick's side of the argument…

Worrying about an event far off in the future doesn't do any good. In fact, one's performance in any given situation depends mostly on one's confidence. I used to think that advice was a crock of crap only a few months ago, but a couple recent experiences have changed my mind.

Do any of you remember seeing my "back-flip off the rope swing" youtube video? Before I jumped to my death, instead of thinking, "Good lord, my face is about to be imprinted on those jagged rocks below me," I took hold of that mossy rope and decided right then and there that I could do it. "It's the same thing as a trampoline. I've done a million back flips. I'm going to show those six year olds in their inner tubes below me who is boss woman!" I thought.

And I did it.

And then I did it again.

And then every beer-guzzling, lake-drifter and sunbathing-diva were asking me for advice, watching for the next time my turn came up to evaluate how I executed my superb "back-flipping technique".

The second time I surprised myself happened while I was gripping the handles of Nick's scooter. God, I hate motorcycles and scooters, and anything mechanical on wheels without a windshield or passenger side doors. It just seems like all it would take is a tiny gust of wind, and then you're road kill. I rode around on a death-machine recently, sitting behind Nick, gripping his stomach, enjoying the wind ratting my hair up into one big clump on the back of my neck. The afternoon was lovely. I felt a like a googly-eyed kid on her first ride of Disneylands "It's a Small World". Not a responsibility in the world. All I had to do was hold on. Then Nick had to ask me "if I wanted to drive?"

"Well, sure." I put on a macho front. I'm like Marty McFly. No one better call me "chicken". So we disembarked and traded places in the Barnes n' Noble parking lot to practice. True, I was having a rough time with the turns. Instead of speeding up and taking them smooth, I slowed down to a snails pace to the point that both of us would wobble over and Nick would have to put his feet down to explain that "Speed is on our side when it comes to turning." "That's what YOU think." I thought to myself. I reasoned in my head that the slower we traveled the softer we would fall when we CRASHED!

He hesitated when it came to letting me drive us home on an actual ROAD road filled with other vehicles, and although I truly didn't want to be in charge of both of our lives, I took the lead. I decided, I can either "chicken" out, and we can wobble our way to death by embarrassment on our way home, or I can quit being a pansy and just drive the thing.

I took hold of the handles, pressed down on the accelerator, floored that baby if you will, and I was a rockstar on that scooter! Meg the Rockstar Scooter Driver. Has a nice ring to it.

Once again, I had zero experience. Nick had zero (if not negative) expectations, but I decided I was going to do it. The confidence went up, and the performance went up.

It's all or nothing, baby. Let's ride!

Winter Chandler Sold Out!!

2011-11-03T11:00:00.000-07:00

November's "First thursday": Winter Chandler!

2011-11-01T15:32:00.000-07:00

Roasted Chestnuts, fresh pine, and pink noses...Winter is on its way, and "First Thursday" is back on track! For those of you who are new to my blog, I release a Special Limited Edition design the First Thursday of every month right here on this blog. November's First Thursday will be this Thursday, the 3rd at 1:00 p.m. Central Time. I will have 50 of these little guys available:)

Winter Chandler is about 2" high. Chain is 30". (The actual color of piece is a little more rustic "evergreen" hue than in photo. I'm experimenting in brass metals!) Each piece is $40.00

Diabots Sold Out!!!

2011-10-27T16:51:00.000-07:00

Thank you to everyone who ordered!

An interview with Meg and Dia for "Keepin it Country" Blog

2011-10-25T07:19:00.000-07:00

To read the entire interview, please visit this link: "Keepin it Country"

Thank you Lydia Picknell! Great Interview! Dia and I really appreciate it:)

(I've inserted a preview of the interview below) Lydia Picknell

Dia: You’ve been writing with Blake Shelton, and it isn’t a secret that you are still in contact with him. Can we expect any Blake and Dia work to come out soon?

Dia: Yes! I wrote a song with some friends (who also knew Blake) in Nashville. The song is called, “I will,” and when I sent it to Blake he said he’d love to sing on it. He took time out of his busy schedule to come record his part, which meant a lot to me. He’s been so supportive through all of this….he’s working overtime as a coach.

Meg: Would you ever consider going through The Voice on your own?

Meg: No, I would not. Singing solo is not one of my strong points, either is being judged by Christina Aguilera on national television! Not sure how Dia handled that pressure, but kudos for her and all the other constants who performed on the show.

Dia: Was it difficult going onstage at The Voice without your sister there?

Dia: It was SO weird! I’ve been performing with Meg for over a decade now. (We started our first band when I was 14). It was the first time in over 10 years that I was up on a stage all alone and it felt so weird. It definitely made me a lot more nervous and I felt like I had a lot more pressure.

Dia: You had the chance to learn from country music legend Reba McEntire during the show. Did she give you any advice that you still listen to today? What was the best thing she, or Blake, ever told you?

Dia: Reba said to stay true to myself. She is such a sweet lady (and man are her eyes a crystal blue! Ha!) But I think the most important thing she said was definitely to be myself and not try to be anyone else. When you’re competing, it’s hard to get anxious and try to do something that other’s are doing, vocally, or in their performance. But I just had to sit myself down and say, “Ok. You’re not a belter. You’re not a gospel singer. You’re not a performer who stomps and shouts all across the stage. You’re you.” But then I thought about the things that are unique to me and played those up. I love to create music. I’m a singer songwriter. So when I got songs, I liked to put my twist on them.

Meg: You started to do your own jewelry line, (I have a black cowbot! They’re adorable!). How did that come around?

Meg: You got one of the 50 limited edition cowbots? Nice! That was one of my favorite designs.

I’m so glad you asked about Chandler the Robot! When Meg and Dia wasn’t touring or recording records, I had a lot of free time. So, I wanted to discover another creative outlet besides music. There just happened to be this adorable jewelry school that this woman started out of a cute little house down town. I walked into that place and immediately felt that exhilarating sense of excitement and anticipation that I feel when I walk into a vibe music venue or a recording studio. I knew I had found a second creative home.

The first design I made just happened to be this little copper robot necklace. I named him Chandler. I designed a jewelry blog, spread the word to Meg and Dia fans, and Chandler the Robot took off from there!

Surprisingly, my Chandler the Robot blog has been one of the best ways I am able to connect with Meg and Dia fans and let them know what the band is up to.

My next piece is going to be a Diabot necklace complete with a black and white polka dot dress. I’m so excited! I’m going to be releasing the Diabot later this month.

Anyone can see my designs and read my zany blogs on my jewelry website @ www.chandlertherobot.com

Drawing by Olivia Maoloni

2011-10-23T10:12:00.000-07:00

Thanks Olivia! This is too cute!