Two Good Things

On Friday I found out that Under the Ash Tree debuted at #12 on The Roots Music Report Folk Chart and Erik came home from a hike with a plateful of chantarelles (that we're having for dinner right now)!

Let's catch up

What's that you say? Am I playing in a quaint cafe nestled in a rustic Tuscan village [see photo]? Why no, it's me at my last gig at Lago Trattoria in Meredith, NH right on Lake Winnipesaukee (yes, I did have to look up how to spell that.) I appear to be concentrating deeply, though I'm only play a D chord. Hm.

The big event since my last post was taking part in the Plowshares Coffee House Songwriting Contest in Phoenixville, PA. When E. and I left the house we had a fresh 4 inches of snow, but by the time we got to PA it was a lovely spring day. We stumbled upon a great restaurant for lunch (The Fine Diner in Clinton, NJ).

The venue was a stone Quaker meeting house - a beautiful open space with plaster walls and wooden benches on three sides and lovely acoustics. Alas, I did not win. Except in the sense that we're all winners!! The grand prize winner, Kierstin Gray, brought the house down. Definitely one of the highlights of the night.

In other music news, I got a sweet little review in this Month's issue of Minor 7th and my song Broken was the Single of the Day on March 11th. Also nabbed a couple other finalist spots in some upcoming songwriter competitions. Speaking of competitions, have you been watching American Idol? Yeah, me neither. I am obsessed with Battlestar Galactica, however, which is not a competition, but simply a science fiction television show that is occasionally a thinly veiled allegory for the war in Iraq.

Conversation on the lunar eclipse

Me: Wow...that's wild.

Erik: Yeah, its red.

Me: It's fierce.

Erik: Moon, you're still in the running to become America's Next Top Model.

Here's a riddle

What do Tracy Chapman, Patty Larkin, Jay Leno, and Andy Kaufman have in common? They've all performed at The Nameless Coffeehouse in Harvard Square, a volunteer run monthly music series located in a Unitarian Church parlor (which makes for a lovely listening space.) The hosts George and Maureen LeBlanc do a wonderful job keeping this venue going. It's the oldest, all volunteer, donation-funded coffeehouse in New England. How 'bout them apples.

I played on a (freaking) cold January evening with three other top notch acts to a more than full house. The space was beautiful and warm and the audience kind and attentive. Gig rating: A+

In other news... I found out this week that I'm in the finals showcase for the 2008 Plowshares Songwriting Contest in Phoenixville, PA. So, to mentally prepare for the event I've been watching American Idol auditions. Here's what I've learned so far:

1. Do not approach the judges' table in an abrupt and seemingly threatening manner
2. Do not attempt to sing a song spanning 3.5 or more octaves
3. Do not attend the showcase in costume, especially a costume that is a tribute to a character from the Star Wars Trilogy.

yeah, that last one's going to be tough.

During the past couple of weeks ...

... my cat started lounging in the following manner:

Should I be worried?

Entering the Fray

It's the middle of November and I'm knee deep in the former Borsht Belt in a radiation rose hotel room that has seen better days. Why you ask? Because it's the Northeast Regional Folk Alliance annual conference (NERFA) held at Kutsher's Country Club in Monticello, NY. I'm here because I have a CD to peddle and a music career to embark on and this seems like a good place to gain some insight on how I should proceed from here. My bellhop has asked me to let him know if I happen to procure any alcoholic beverages this evening, the water coming out of my bathroom faucet is brown, and I'm about to spend the weekend with 700 some odd people that I've never met before. What could go wrong?

The answer is NOTHING. Because people who listen to and play folk-inspired music are some of the friendliest, most down to earth people on this planet. Alright, I did have one unfortunate interaction with an inebriated sort of person, but that incident aside, it was a really great four days meeting lots of new people who didn't hesitate to share advice and make me feel welcome.

From what I've seen so far, being a solo singer/songwriter is a lonely biz and I really have to hand it to those that choose the path full time. Events like NERFA help ease the loneliness and give you the sense of being part of a greater community. So here I am, back at home, feeling all alone in this endeavor and at the same time, part of a greater community. Just one more contradiction in the human experience. At least mine, anyways.

The best part of NERFA, however, was hearing new music. Okay, let's say for the sake of this blog that I had become jaded and bitter and just barely able to muster any interest in music in a long while. Let's say I was starved for a skosh (it's a word. look it up) of inspiration and excitement about some kind of music I hadn't stumbled on before. Music that makes you feel. Well here are some folks that caught my ear. Check 'em out.

Marc Douglas Berardo - Atlantic-influenced snapshots, yummy chords, killer vocals

Beaucoup Blue - I rarely listen to blues. This is blues that I love - ethereal writing and sweet harmonies

Kim and Reggie Harris - see them live if you can. A sure tonic for bitter-and-jaded-ness.

Okay I lied, I had met 1 of 700 some odd people who attended the conference: my friend Dave Potts. I sang harmonies for a record of his a long time ago in a galaxy far far away. He invited me to sing along with him at a 1 am NERFA showcase. We hadn't rehearsed in 10 years and it showed, but it was a blast nonetheless.

Shiny and New

I'm very happy to announce that my brand new CD, Under the Ash Tree, is available for purchase online through that classy distributor of independent music CDBaby. If you visit my CDBaby site, you can listen to clips of each song on the record, order a hard copy of the CD, or if you find jewel cases "so 1990s", you can download the entire record right then and there.

Self-promotion don't come easy to me that's for sure, but I really love this record (see the first few blog posts for the rundown on how it was made) and that makes it easier. Don't take my word for it though. Go listen!