Life on road full of lessons for Harlow

Traveling with a van full of guys is a whole new world for country singer Samantha Harlow.

The first time a tour brought the Nashville-based singer through Amarillo, she was in the company of fellow indie singer Elli Perry.

This time, when Harlow plays at 10 p.m. Friday at Golden Light Cantina, 2906 S.W. Sixth Ave., she'll have her full band in tow.

"This is the first time that I've really concentrated on putting a band out on the road, and the response is so different," Harlow said.

"It's been easier to book shows, to sell merchandise - just a great response overall," she said.

The band is on the road supporting Harlow's latest release, "Give and Take," officially released April 22.

"The response to the new songs has been phenomenal," Harlow said.

The album is the direct result of her experiences touring.

"I learned a lot of stuff about myself and about how I deal with things when I was on the road last year," Harlow said.

"Relationships come and go, and that kind of thing. ... I guess I take from those experiences and try to spin them so that it's not just unique to me but are universal and speak to whoever's listening."

"Give and Take" benefits from featuring the musicians she's touring with, Harlow said.

"These are the guys that hash out the arrangements with me. I take it to them bare bones ... and they're there with me fleshing out all the pieces," she said.

"I think the reason this record is so special to me is that these are the guys that I take wherever I go.

"I'm not just paying them to do a job. They're as invested in it as I am," she said.

And touring with them is a far different experience than with Perry.

"We're getting to places on time," Harlow said. "When you put two women in a car with suitcases as big as ours, it's impossible.

"It's a lot easier when you're traveling with four guys who pack light. It's more of an impetus not to slow them down, to not be that person dragging them behind," she said.

Besides, with Perry, "we got into more trouble."

"We joke around that we drank everything in Texas, ate all the tacos and sang all the songs," she said. "I looked at her and said, 'Babe, I can't do this any more. We don't make any money - we're spending it all.'"

how to go

o What: Samantha Harlow

o When: 10 p.m. Friday

o Where: Golden Light Cantina, 2906 S.W. Sixth Ave.

o How much: $7

o Information: 806-374-0097 or www.goldenlightcafe.com