Walkin’ in Memphis

I spent the weekend of February 20-24 in Memphis at the National Folk Alliance Conference.  I missed last year since my daughter was being born, but made it this year (with a happy first birthday phone call!). How do I describe the conference? Well, more of a “singference” or giant music party with shows going on all over the place. From private showcases in hotel rooms converted to coffeehouses, to more formal showcases in converted conference rooms with full sound systems; it was a sight (and sound.. ) to behold. I did 6 private showcases and caught many acts with many highlights. One highlight was hanging in a small room with Jon Vezner and Kathy Mattea as they traded songs. Another highlight was giving a CD to former US Attorney General Janet Reno. She was in a panel workshop that produced ”Song of America”; a CD of 50 varied songs that have played a role in the development of America.

Overall it was a really great time and I attended several business panels, and even participated in a 2 1/2 minute presentation to 2 different sets of venues. A little nerve wracking, but you have to take every opportunity to be heard in this business! The great thing about it is that I always come home inspired to a better artist.

Thank you Judy Klass, Mark Free, Spook Handy, and Fran Snyder for hosting me in your showcases. I can’t wait until next year!

At the Roots Music Coffeehouse

On January 12, I did a couple of sets at the Roots Music Coffeehouse with John Sonntag on electric guitar. It was a joyful time as we performed to a group of about 20 folks. This is a pretty new venue run by Carl Knoblauch, and if you live in the Danbury, CT area, I encourage you to support it! It was such a nice listening group, and a wonderful group of volunteers. (see http://www.rootsmusiccoffeehouse.com/). Another cool thing about it is that there’s an open mic first from 8PM to 9PM featuring lots of good local talent.To show you what they do to create a venue, they convert a small dance studio into a coffeehouse just for the night. Not impressed yet? Well, they they actually bring in a bunch of big floor rugs to cover a big hardwood dance floor, THEN they set up the chairs, sound system,  and snack/CD sales table. And when we’re done? It’s ‘undo’ the whole thing! Now that’s commitment, and we all really appreciate it. Thank you Carl and the rest of the team for the hard work you do!

I went Thataway…

On December 6th, I did a gig at the Thataway Cafe in Greenwich, CT. I was joined by the ever-so talented Lara Herscovitch (www.laraherscovitch.com). It’s a nice room with a ’sunken’ stage area in the middle against the back wall. It’s a classy restaurant with a bar, but the back room with the stage area is a great performance and listening space that has been bringing in quality songwriters for about a year now.  Performances are usually on Thursday nights from about 9 to 11PM. Help keep the series going by stopping in sometime! It’s truly one of Greenwich’s hidden arts treasures! I appreciated that Carl Knoblauch and Barbara Roehrer ventured out to see us perform. In fact, I will be at Carl’s venue, the Roots Music Coffeehouse on January 12 (http://www.rootsmusiccoffeehouse.com). Stay tuned, and I will tell you how it went!

A Blip on the Radar?

 On November 27, I was one of three ‘Under the Radar’ artists presented by John Platt of WFUV (90.7 FM in NY) at the esteemed Turning Point in Piermont, NY. I was accompanied by John Sonntag and his guitar-o-technics, and I think we did a nice job. It’s always cool when the energy is flowing through you and the music gets delivered in the way you want it to. Thanks to John and Steve Lurie for putting the night together!

It was an honor to be part of it along with Anthony daCosta and Abbie Gardner.  Anthony is just a ‘kid’ of 16 years old, is releasing his 5th (or 6th?) CD! He’s really quite a talent, and is a shining example of where great experience meets great talent meets great fearlessness. I don’t know where he got the experience, but he pulls off some great stuff destined to be classics. Go and check him out! Abbie is a fine writer with a beautiful voice and a wonderful presence. She did a song called ‘Long Island Cowboy’. Being a Long Islander originally, that one mesmerized  me. It’s no wonder she and her band (Red Molly) have been making such waves!

Opening set for Sloan Wainright

 On Saturday, November 17 I got to open for Sloan Wainright at The Acoustic Cafe in Park Ridge, NJ. I was accompanied by John Sonntag on guitar and Gordon Roehrer on bass guitar. It was an interesting weekend since I just flew in from Alabama that day after doing the Frank Brown Songwriters Festival the previous two days.

We did a smashing set to warm up the crowd for Sloan Wainright, who sings like.. a well.. a pipe organ! She is so smooth to watch and listen to that she mesmerizes you in into a state of aural bliss. She performed with her band and has a beautiful way of commanding a stage to make you feel like you are in your own living room. Thank you Sloan for your graciousness in talking up my show, and a big Thank you to Barbara Roehrer for having me there, and to the volunteers who do a great job of making it happen! Barbara, you are a peach, and run a great music venue! See http://www.users.nac.net/acoustic/cafe.htm for upcoming events at The Acoustic Cafe.

The Frank Brown Songwriters Festival

Last year I was invited to participate in the Frank Brown International Songswriters Festival (www.fbisf.com), but could not make it due to a scheduling conflict. This year, I made sure that my schedule allowed for me to be part of it, and was it worth it! I flew down to Gulf Shores Alabama for a couple of days (Nov 15, 16) to do 2 shows and partake as a listener for several more. This festival included a so many Nashville hitmakers, and other great talent that it was hard to keep track of. Check out the website to see the listing of songwriters. 

Not only were they great listening crowds, but we were treated like kings down there. From the lunch and dinner spread (for those who know me, food is a #1 priority!), to the accomodations on the beach overlooking the Gulf of Mexico, to the goodie bag, it was a treat. The volunteers at each venue were simply gracious and friendly. You could not ask for more.

Thank you to festival coordinator Reneda Cross too! What a job she has scheduling a hundred of us all over town for 10 days! I also ran into old friends Barbara Cloyd from Nashville, and Karen Reynolds from Knoxville, who has spun my records on her radio show. A highlight was getting to hear David Lee sing ‘Letters from Home’, and Tony Lane do a song called I Need You. There were so many… I hope to do it again!

An Alliance of Folks…

During the weekend of November 8-11, I attended NERFA, an acronym for Northeast Regional Folk Alliance. It’s basically a big music conference in the Catskills at an old resort up there where mold is as rampant as the music! it’s a place where us performers get to strut our stuff for venue operators from around the country who are looking for new acts. I was lucky to be nominated by DJ Wanda Fisher to be in the Folk DJ showcase, where I performed Summer’s Voice and Be the Change from the new CD. It was really a thrill to be part of it - especially with many of the DJ’s there having played my songs. I finally understand the radio world a lot better than before, now that I have met and talked with so many of the DJ’s. Also, much of my success was due to my promoter, Erik Balkey. He got me out there, and then the songs did the rest.

 I also performed in several guerilla showcases (showcases in hotel rooms where we perform acoustically) and did a Tri-centric showcase which was pretty well attended. Tri-centric showcases are the ‘bigger’ juried showcases that feature each performer with a sound system in one of the major rooms. The Marquis room was beautiful and packed with folks. I could have done a better peformance. You know how it is.. you second guess everything when you only have time to do 3 songs! All in all, I was happy with the way I held it together. Afterall, that’s what you have to do when you’re out in a ‘real’ venue. It was really a fun weekend where listening is as much the goal as performing. I’m not sure I’ll attend next year after several years in a row now, but I’ll cross that bridge when I get to it.

It’s Our Party…

 If you look earlier in my blog, you will see an entry about being booked as an opening act for Lesley Gore on October 19. Well, that concert happened! AND it was really a great time! It was at The Outpost in the Burbs which is a beautiful performance venue (Universlist Church) in Montclair, New Jersey. It is without a doubt one of the finest places I have ever performed. I was treated like royalty there with my own green room, and a small spread of fruit and stuff.  Richard Katz and the staff and volunteers were absolutely incredible (Thank You!) . They love bringing music to people - and it shows in every smile. They were equally kind to my bud Pete, who came out from Long Island just to see the show (Yea, he’s a big Lesley Gore fan…). He got to be a roadie again! Thanks again to everyone AND to Barbara Roehrer from the Acoustic Music Agency who booked me there. I did about a 25 minute set to a pleasant crowd. I stayed around for Lesley, and must say was stunned by her show. She did not just do her “classic oldies”, but an array of songs, many of which she wrote. One of them was a grammy nominated song used in the movie ‘Fame’. She is a real talent, and her hits are no accident. See her if you get a chance!  Maybe I’ll be there too…

The St. John the Evangelist Church Concert

On Sunday, October 14, I did a concert at the St. John the Evangelist church in Honesdale, PA.  I was joined by John Sonntag, a true joy to share the stage with! He’s a pro, and I have been real lucky to have him and his beautiful guitar arrangements join me at concerts. We had about 60+ folks there, and the in-laws even took the ride out (about 2 hours from here in Rockland County, NY). They used to live out there too.

This was really one of the more enjoyable shows I have done. People who came had not heard of me before, and I think it all came off well.  They even asked for an encore! I did so with ‘The Watch Man’ (from my second CD). A big THANK YOU to Frank Williams and John Propeak (choir director) who put the concert together and really made it happen. Another thanks to Father Boylan and Father Desam who loaned me their space for the evening; and thanks to Betty for promotion and thanks to all the volunteers who help make it happen. The independent music scene can’t happen without volunteers!

I hope to be doing more of these kinds of concerts!

Summer’s Voice in the Autumn…

  We had a nice performance at the Turning Point this past Sunday! it was yet another CD release party for Summer’s Voice, and this time it was at the very famous Turning Point Cafe in Piermont, NY. Tim O’Donohue opened the show with a set of songs that are always chosen just perfectly. Thank you Barbara Roehrer for helping me to put it together! Even mom and sis came up from Long Island (though my 7 month old daughter Arlana was a bit of an enticement!). We had a nice set and the sound was fabulous too (Thanks John!). The ‘band’ featured John Sonntag on electric guitar, Andrew Connors on bass guitar, and Mara Levine on harmony vocals. It was what it was all about in this biz… sharing music with a nice crowd in an intimate setting.

My song list was as follows:

Straight A’s in Love (A Johnny Cash cover)
Fender Bender baby
Bandana Man
Red Light Kiss
Forgive Me
Be The Change
Small Body Blonde
Even if you never said a prayer
Just Like Them
Summer’s Voice
Carry Me (not on the Summer’s Voice CD)
Where the Goodbyes Go

Showing up…

A cool thing happened to me about a month ago. I showed up. Yes, I show up in lots of places, and I’m one of those who believes that just showing up is a BIG part of success. But this night back in August was the Songwriter’s Guild round at the Red Lion down in the village. I met up with my friend, songwriter Annie Dinerman (www.anniedinerman.com), saw an impromptu performance by Modern Man (www.modernman.com), as funny a pair as you’ll find. Then I met funny gal Christine Lavin (www.christinelavin.com), who it turns out is a fan of my song Be the Change; then Annie introduced me to Ann Ruckert(www.ruckertmusic.com) whose accolades are too long to list. and can be seen on her website.

What does all this mean?? Well, a heckuva good time at the Red Lion!; getting a national radio gig on the Joey Reynolds show (WOR) (through Christine); and being the guest speaker last night at the weekly meeting of the NY chapter of the Songwriter’s Guild (through Ann). The point being that last night I took one of my ’mental snapshots’ and thought, “Hey, I’m playing live on national radio AND the guest speaker in a songwriting group.” These are the subtle ‘wins’ that happen quietly on the chosen path.

A super talented houseguest!

One thing about the music business is the people you meet and the community you are a part of. I got an email the other day from Jud Caswell who was coming all the way from Maine to perform at the Peekskill Coffeehouse this past Friday, along with a concert at Cafe Lena in Saratoga on Saturday night. He stayed with us in NY on Friday night, hung with me and the family for Saturday breakfast, and then we swapped some songs and talk biz past lunch. It was a real treat to hang with such a great talent! Check him out at www.judcaswell.com. You’ll find out what all the buzz is about.

Philly Song Shuffle

I know I’m late on this, but I wanted to say that the Philly song shuffle was a great thing to be part of!  Last Friday I trucked down to the World Cafe in Philly and took part in a series of 50 artists who each had 4 minutes to do a song. It was a nicely done with some really good music throughout, not to mention a sold out house! Kudos to Mich Choder for putting it together! I made some new friends and saw some old friends in Erik Balkey, Shanon Leigh, Neal Stephens, Dena Marchiony, Adam Brodsky, Stephen DiJoseph, Kierstin Gray and many others. Just a few of the reasons I do this…

It’s my party…

was written by Gold/Gottlieb/Gluck Jr./Wiener and recorded by a very young Lesley Gore in around 1963. I just got invited to open her show at The Outpost in the Burbs in Montclair, NJ on Oct 19, 2007. I thought, why not?!  This will be fun, and I’m looking forward to it. This is one reason why I do music - because the journey takes me to some unexpected places! I remember music class in Jr. High school (well after 1963!) and some girl was playing “It’s my Party” over and over (and over..) on her cassette recorder. It was last period and we were waiting for the bus, and well, I never forgot that song or the situation (You see, the song really does remember when!). Life is funny that way, so here comes the closing of that circle!

Goodbye Phil, another summer voice…

This past week, I heard about the passing of Phil Rizzuto, the great New York Yankee shortstop who transformed into a summer’s voice in the broadcast booth for the Yankees for nearly 40 years. Anyone who knows me, knows that I am a New York Mets fan, but more so, I am a baseball fan.  Whenever I happend to find a Yankee game on TV (due to a Met rainout or off day), Phil was always brimming with stories about baseball, Cora’s cooking, and how Meatloaf tricked him into doing the play-by-play sequence for ‘Paradise by the Dashboard Light’.  He was New York, and one of the most lovable and unique personalities.

I released a new CD this year called Summer’s Voice, and the title track was written in honor of Bob Murphy, a Met broadcaster who brought baseball to me throughout my life. For today I dedicate ‘Summer’s Voice’  to Phil Rizzuto. We will miss you.

Listen to a clip here: http://cdbaby.com/cd/arlon2 It’s #8, Summer’s Voice.