Songwriting, Art and Performance

VoxPop VoxPop Is a relaxed co-cooperatively owned cafe /bar/bookshop that is like a social-center on Cortelyou/Ditmas Park. When I first arrived into the NYC music scene I first started playing in a bar called the Cornerstone right beside Cortelyou Station. It is now called SOLO. The host was Chris (PunxsataweneyJesus) - some years later we reconnect and he is host of the Sunday Open Mic in VP. I performed in VP on Sunday open mic slot and he invited me to play a full set at the Thursday "Open Mic Presents" show. I selected my set list early on but made constant re-adjustments to it dropping songs that just were not fitting in. I struggled too with 'Why are the Honey Bee's dying" and was n't going to play it cause it's slow and thought provoking - oh dear me! and I dont want to drone on and on but it received an attentive listening. I sang a lot of socially aware songs last night - more lyrically impact-ful but a few of my less thoughtful songs like No

Inductees to SongHall Announced at reception Thursday, June 17 at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in New York City. Wowww look-e here ... the other evening due to my association and inclusion of my co-written song on The Best of the Songwriters Hall of Fame New Writers Showcase: Volume 8 I got to attend the Gala evening - Definitive Highlight was hearing Leonard Cohen speak and recite one verse of his awesome song Hallelujah as part of his acceptance speech . Really amazing to hear and see - glad I was there. An interesting diversion happened when I was researching the lines he spoke though - he is said to have written 80 verses initially over the course of 2 years and he whittled it down to 6 for his own version. When requested to send lyrics to John Cale for his version - John Cale is reputed to have received 15 verses. Hallelujah - I did my best; it wasn’t much. I couldn’t feel, so I tried to touch. I’ve told the truth, I didn’t come to fool you. And even though it all went wrong, I’ll

SHOF ( Songwriters Hall of Fame ) folks continue to be good to me and bless me here in NYC - Thanks guys! I was selected with co-writer of chosen song (A/C) to appear at the launch party for the SHOF headline the latest CD titled "The best of the Songwriters Hall of Fame New Writers Showcase" Track 13 is Things Change. We practiced diligently learning our lines changes and duet parts - I even went down to a low A on one note so proud that I pulled that off and returned to the normal register for the chorus. All in all it went very well and there was wall to wall talent - all of the Abe Olman Scholarship winners were amazing as too were the Holly scholarship winners - I hope I'll be in that number. We closed the proceedings and performed very well - my performances of late have been improving so I'm delighted about that. The other attendees that were in previous SHOF showcase with us also upped their game; Gabrielle and Abby were in full band mode and gave great perfor

Sometimes you wait around for a bus and three come along at once - now the temp is up some opportunities to get out and perform have popped up. I was invited to perform at a Spring Concert in Ditmas Park last weekend. I worked with the Church Music Director to prepare a lead sheet for the choir to sing with me on a song called PEACE (within my mind). I was expecting my performance to be included as part of the first half of show and I did a solo of The Unemployment Blues and Nowhere without you. I was surprised and delighted to find that Peace had been selected to close the show because of its 'energy' Wow I was thrilled and gratified at the compliment - it was actually a good decision as it turned out to be a very participatory song where people sang with us. The choir and audience had a great time and wanted a reprise - so the choir started up again on the chorus and we sang it on our feet. So that made me feel like I am doing something right in amongst the other less mountai