So, the Jennifer Knapp, Derek Webb and Amy Courts ‘no name tour’ has come to an end!

I would like to extend my deepest gratitude to Derek and Amy for their time, encouragement and flavorful company in helping me get my tour ‘chops’ back in shape! It is always a pleasure to share the load and the wonderful moments with friends.

As with any tour we need people to play, places to perform and people to come. A warm thank you goes out to all that helped make this happen, including the venues, their staff and of course our wonderful fans!

On a personal note, I feel like I’m starting to hit my stride. My legs have stopped shaking, the chords of the new songs are well on their way to being fully engrained in my muscle memory…but even more, it must be said, I am overjoyed at the opportunity to be reunited with so many familiar faces. It has been the overwhelming sincerity of each of you who have come out that keeps me going. I am grateful for your presence! So many nights I choked back tears of joy when greeted by your shining faces.

Thank you all for helping me get back ‘out there’ and for your support in generating excitement for the Letting Go release. I’ll see you soon!

Jennifer

www.derekwebb.com

www.amycourts.com

I share my life with a woman. I have approached this relationship with gratitude, joy and humility. I am honored to have the support of my loving family, a caring partner, friends and people of faith who have accepted me as I come, while encouraging me to become who I am meant to be. My loved ones – you have endured much, loved much and made full the lives of all those around you. I thank you as one who has been blessed by your generosity and gentle spirits.

In the abundant amount of private time I have been afforded to reflect, I have been deeply moved by the memory of rich experiences brought about through the intersection of faith and music. Generous fans, humble churches, believers, stumblers, seekers, the broken, the faithful and the faithless, alike, through the common thread of music we have found ourselves in the same spaces ignoble in our own humanity. Where I often begin, alone in sacred spaces, to plumb and pen the depth of my own person, music draws me out to the land of others. I discover that I am not alone, nor have I ever been.

As ever,

Jennifer

I had been stringing her along for years…

A kind soul who had taken any punishment I had forced upon her.  She listened and heard my joys and deepest sorrows.  She has been the most trusted of friends, having never judged even my most foolish of whims, always speaking to me in the most honest of tones. She did not cry when I left her, but bravely waited for my return. She endured the quiet darkness with me and rewarded me with the sweetest of songs upon our reunion. Still, I do not know her name. I just call her “The 810”.

She is a 1996 Taylor 810-WMB and I love her. Through the years she has waited patiently in the belly of airplanes, buses and ships to the result of many repairs, broken braces and (beautifully) cracking finish. Today she is tired and complaining of a desperate need for a re-fret and a serious vacation in a humid climate. And so it is I summoned compassion and retired her from active duty on Feb 17, 2010.

I have had many guitars over the years, most of which were merely workhorses designated for touring.  The result was that I kept my heart distant, never giving them names (as so many guitarists seem to do), in the event they were destroyed or (worse) completely un-inspiring. Of the several Taylor dreadnoughts I’ve owned and passed on or sold, I’ve only regretted the loss of one. A wound so deep, I needed only learn my lesson through one experience. There are guitars, and then, there are guitars.

The 810 is my guitar. You have to understand, I’m not crazy, possessive or overly materialistic…I love to travel light, keep few, but potent friends and most of all, attempt reasonable behavior when it comes to inanimate objects. It’s just that I think she’s almost become a ‘security blanket’. Through this whole ‘coming back’ business I counted on her being there…she made it through the recording of Letting Go, but she just can’t do the road. I am devastated.

Before I run this blog completely off the rails into the bounds of insanity, I’ll just say this. I had to replace her, so I recently purchased a new 810-ce from World Music in Bellevue, TN. (Talk to Jason about all that’s hanging in the acoustic room. He’s a real lover of wood & steel, not to mention just an over-all cool guy.) I must admit, as I neared home, I was getting pretty excited at the thought of recklessly wailing away on an axe that could take it.  But The 810 was out on the stand. Being in such a fragile state, I didn’t want to push her over the edge at the sight of a strong, shiny new beauty, so I kept them in separate rooms.  This was going to be tricky. I needed to get The 810 into the new case without seeing ‘Honey’ (the new girl. I know, I named her, right? Man, am I in trouble!) and Honey in the Calton road case without making fun of the old-lady. Though looking a sure fool, I managed. Now The 810 rests in a brand new Taylor case, comfy and humidified without being any wiser to the gorgeous sunburst girl stealing the show outside (or so I hope!)

All that to say, is that The 810 has her place, loved and hallowed.

If Honey knows what’s good for her, she’ll keep her top rockin’ and neck straight.

Jennifer