The last time singer/songwriter Missy Higgins was in Salt Lake City, she bought an acoustic guitar.
"I love that guitar," the Australian native said during a phone call from Santa Monica, Calif. "But it has been three years since I bought it and it was getting old, and I didn't want to ruin it. So, I don't tour with it anymore."
It's been a few years since Higgins has come to Salt Lake City, but she's ready. She's on tour with headliner Mason Jennings and Brett Dennen and having the time of her life.
"We have all become great friends," Higgins said. "We're sharing a tour bus. So, it's kind of like a barrier breaker when I stumble out of bed in the back rooms and open the door to the middle portion of the bus.
"Everyone who's awake turns and looks at me in my pajamas and showing off my bed-hair."
Late last year, Higgins released her CD, "On a Clear Night," the follow-up to her critically acclaimed, full-length 2004 debut "The Sound of White."
"The recording was a little more relaxed than the last time," Higgins said about "On a Clear Night." "I took about four months to do it, which is a very long time for me."
Working with Crowded House producer Mitchell Froom, Higgins found herself sleeping in, eating breakfast and starting the sessions about 1 p.m.
"We worked until dinner time and did it again the next day," she said. "Mitchell is a wonderful musician and really worked with me and taught me about arrangements.
"Most of the songs on the album were ready, but there were a couple I struggled with," she said. "Mitchell listened to them and told me to cut out a verse here and go straight to the bridge there.
"He is also a great musician and inspired me quite a bit."
In addition to adjusting her recording methods, Higgins has re-examined her goals.
"I think when I first started out, my goals were short term," she said. "I was more interested in making a CD and having it be really successful. Now, I'm looking at more long-term accomplishments. I want a career. I want to do this for a long time and play music the rest of my life."
If you go
What: Mason Jennings, Brett Dennen, Missy Higgins
Where: The Paladium, 415 W. 600 North
When: Wednesday, 7 p.m.
How much: $20
Phone: 467-8499, 800-888-8499
Web: www.smithstix.com
E-mail: scott@desnews.com