As 2012 gets rolling, look for tour dates in Austin, New York City, Birmingham, Atlanta and Charlotte. Along with a few shows, I’ll be bouncing around the country, doing all the things I’m loving about my work these days – getting ready to record a new record in Nashville, writing songs with wounded veterans in Colorado and working with homeless youth in Newark, N.J. Sprinkled in are days with The Be An Artist Program, and writing songs wherever I might find myself. For details, check out On The Road.

Your chance to get involved with The Be An Artist Program – and have a great night out in Austin – is here. Mark your calendar for Monday, Feb. 27, at FINO restaurant, where we'll be hosting an evening of music and a fantastic multi-course meal to benefit The Be An Artist Program. Look forward to a special guest appearance from Austin native Kat Edmonson, along with Darden's performance, too. Buy your tickets – or a table – today, and as always, contributions to Be An Artist Inc. are tax-deductible.

Late January found me participating in another songwriting weekend with wounded American soldiers. Building on a project that began with the song "Angel Flight," this collaboration with LifeQuest Transitions helps put a voice to the stories of these amazing men and women. The results from our previous retreat, "Faces of Freedom", can be downloaded from iTunes. Read more here and find terrific stories, videos and photographs on this weekend of storytelling in the Washington Post and the Denver Post.