We officially welcomed the return of Central Standard Time this past weekend. Now it’s dark outside when we all go home from work…

Speaking of the return of CST, we have a show coming up. On Friday, Nov. 18, we’re playing in the John Colloton Pavilion Atrium at University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics as part of their Project Art program. We’ll play from 12-1, so if you’re in the neighborhood, drop by and spend some of your lunch break with us. It will likely be magical.

Hope you’ve all enjoyed the fall colors and weather and football, and we hope to see you soon.

This weekend we’re heading up to EWALU to help celebrate the camp’s 50th year of ministry. It’s going to be a big fun time, for sure. We’ll be marking the occassion by playing a little show at camp on Sunday at 4:30. Come up for the whole weekend or just part of it, but do be sure to stick around to hear a little CST on Sunday. Following our show is a cookout supper and hoe-down!

Charlie and I will be performing in Mason City this Saturday, June 11, as part of the MacNider Arts Festival. Our set begins at 2:30. If you’re in the vicinity, we’d sure be pleased to see you there! The festival will also feature numerous vendors and artists, and they’ll have activities for the kids, too. Hope to see you there!

Next Thursday, June 16, we’re playing Coralville’s Music in the Park concert series in S.T. Morrison Park. There are not many ways to have a more pleasant evening than by taking in a show in the park. That one starts at 6:30 pm.

We’ll be adding more shows later in the summer and into fall, so be sure to check back often.

Well, after taking the entire winter off (from performing, that is), CST’s next show is coming up in a few weeks. On Saturday, April 30, we’ll be playing at the new Uptown Bill’s in Iowa City. Norm and Larry have been a little neglected over the past five months, so we’ll dust ‘em off, shake out the rust and see if we can’t put together a nice little show for you. We might even try out a couple newer tunes. Hope you can make it!

We have a few other shows on the horizon, and are working on adding more for this summer. Keep an eye on the calendar and watch here and on Facebook for updates.

Here’s a link to the IAC’s press release about their most recent roster additions.

And here’s the story that ran on Jan. 14 in the Iowa City Press-Citizen.

Happy new year, folks. We hope your 2011 is off to a terrific start.

CST ended 2010 with some exciting news: we have been added to the Iowa Arts Council’s Performing Artist Roster!

The mission of the Iowa Arts Council, which is part of the state’s Department of Cultural Affairs, is “to enrich the quality of life for Iowans through support of the arts.” The IAC offers a variety of programs and resources for arts education, community arts, traditional folk arts and more. The IAC also provides grant funding for artists, arts education, and for other organizations that promote the arts.

According to the IAC’s web site, the Performing Artist Roster is “a juried resource of experienced performers who are recognized for the quality of their work and who work with sponsors and venues to present high quality and exciting events.” To be included on the roster, we had to submit an application and do a live audition for a review panel. Performers who are included on the roster “are selected through a review process that evaluates the artistic quality of the performance, performing experience, and professionalism of marketing and promotional materials.”

We’re excited and honored to be included among a select group of Iowa performers on the IAC’s Performing Artist Roster, and look forward to some new opportunities to share our music.

We will be adding some more shows to the schedule soon, so please check back to see when we might be playing near you.

Since Christmas is nearly upon us (only a week away! how did that happen?!?) I thought it would make sense to share some seasonal music. This isn’t quite a CST song, ’cause I didn’t have anything to do with it, but it is a Charlie Rod original (with harmony vocals by Megan Petersen (with whom I sang a duet at Charlie and Kristen’s wedding, so maybe that does make her sort of an official member of CST (or CST Auxiliary, anyway), which’d officially make this a CST song)).

Merry Christmas, and enjoy!

Mary’s Arms, by Charlie Rod

We’ll be back at the Java House in downtown Iowa City and would be so pleased if you joined us. The Java House has great atmosphere, great coffee, and some pert darn good music, too (and that’s a completely unbiased opinion!). Come for the show on Friday, Nov. 12, at 8:00 pm.

Last October we had the pleasure of opening a show for Nashville songwriter Buddy Mondlock. We really had a great time playing with him, and the highlight of the evening was getting to perform his best-known song, “The Kid,” with him.

Buddy is coming back to Cedar Rapids again this month, and we’ve been asked to open for him again! We hope you’ll join us on Friday, October 22, at the Paul Engle Center for Neighborhood Arts in Cedar Rapids. The show starts at 6:30. Tickets are available for a suggested donation of $12, which also includes supper. For more information or to reserve tickets, visit the event listing on Facebook.

This will be a fantastic show! Buddy is an acclaimed songwriter whose works have been performed by folk music greats such as David Wilcox, Peter, Paul & Mary, Nanci Griffith, Janis Ian and Joan Baez, just to name a few, and he has collaborated on projects with the likes of Art Garfunkel. So for us to rub elbows with someone of his stature is pretty cool. Besides all that, he’s a tremendous performer and a heck of a nice guy, too.

Area farmers’ markets are in full swing, and not ones to miss out on full-swinging things, we’re playing at a couple of ‘em in the next couple weeks.

This Monday, July 26, we’ll hawk our wares at the Coralville Farmers’ Market. It’s held in the aquatic center parking lot in S.T. Morrison Park, right smack dab in the middle of Coralville. The address is 1513 7th St., in case you need something googlable. Our show will run from 5-7 p.m.

About a week and a half later, on Wednesday, August 4, we’ll be at the Iowa City Farmers’ Market in and around the Chauncey Swan parking ramp in downtown Iowa City (410 E. Washington St.). Once again, showtime is 5-7.

Both shows will provide not only excellent opportunities to hear CST perform, but to stock up on fresh fruits, veggies, baked goods and more. You know what they say: a stone in the hand is worth two dead birds in the bush.

Hope you’re enjoying your summer!