Having released Volcano, her first new album in a decade, last fall, Edie Brickell will get back into the touring swing of things next month, with her first string of concerts in an even longer spell.

"It's been a long, long time," she says, "like twelve, thirteen, maybe even fourteen years. I definitely have butterflies. But last night I jammed with the band a little bit and they sound so good that I got excited."

That band includes guitar whiz Charlie Sexton, who had been playing with Bob Dylan for several years and who produced Volcano, along with guitarist Harper Simon (Paul's son), drummer James Oblon, multi-instrumentalist Carter Albrecht and bassist Dave Monsey.

Brickell is prepping for the tour with an enthusiasm that she says was sometimes missing from her years on the road with the New Bohemians, in part due to the fact that she has been able to take the time off to raise a family. "When I was twenty, I didn't want to stay out on the road," she says. "From a very young age I wanted a family, and I was concerned about how was I going to meet the person if I was on the road all the time. My heart wasn't in touring, and I think in a way, this is the first time that it is. I'm not concerned about any other ideals of living. I feel grounded now, basically."

In addition to tending to her children, Brickell's layoff between the 1994 release of Picture Perfect Morning and Volcano allowed her to pursue music with an enthusiasm unfettered by any of the standard promotional commitments that come with being an artist locked into a long-term major-label deal. "On my last tour, I definitely felt burned out," she says. "I knew that another phase of my life needed to begin and that was to have a family. I accomplished that and as my children were growing, I found out how much I loved music and didn't want to give it up. It just came on so strong. So I waited and the time feels right to write again. My interest in music only grew stronger." She took jazz guitar lessons and began to write songs at a pace that suited her, compiling more than fifty, thirteen of which made Volcano.

Even more songs have spilled forth since then, as Brickell hooked up with Harper Simon last fall for a few spontaneous sessions with a percussionist friend of his. Twelve or thirteen good tracks came from the recordings, made in Brooklyn, New York, and they might see release this summer because Brickell says the first cut, "Standing in a Long Line," "sounds like a hot summer song."

"I've covered somber, melancholy and thoughtful," she says. "But this has a great live sound, very sunny, and we didn't have a chance to get sick of the songs. I don't want to have to wait a whole year to release it and I don't want it to come out in the winter because I can feel the warmth of it. With Volcano, I waited a long time and I really do like the record a lot, but I'm kinda tired of it and wanna move on [laughs]. Now I just want to kick it and have some fun."

Edie Brickell tour dates:

4/6: Seattle, Moore Theater
4/7: Portland, OR, Roseland Theater
4/9: Los Angeles, The Roxy
4/13: San Francisco, The Fillmore
4/16: Denver, Boulder Theater
4/18: Minneapolis, Fitzgerald Theater
4/20: Chicago, Park West
4/21: Detroit, Magic Bag
4/23: Toronto, TBA
4/26: New York, Joe's Pub
4/27: Boston, The Paradise
4/29: Philadelphia, TBA
5/1: Alexandria, The Birchmere
5/4: Atlanta, Variety Playhouse
5/6: Dallas, TBA

ANDREW DANSBY
(March 11, 2004)