Confessions of the Starving Artist

Confessions of the Starving Artist - MONSTER BLOG - 7/31/08

2008-08-01T08:40:00.001-07:00

"Confessions of the Starving Artist" - 7/31/08 - MONSTER BLOG 1

Sunshine or stormy weather
Tailwinds or no wind at all
As long as we're together
We have it all...
"You Make Me Feel Brand New" by Elliott Glick

Friday, July 11, 2008, two guys, two acts, one night. First, Big Blues Bob Kresse. A resonator man. Plays a steel resonator guitar, slide style. Bob is a big bear of a man but a sensitive and gentle songwriter and guitar player. Bob brings a lot of personal style and experience to the table. He has seen life and lived to tell the tale, and he does in his songs. A particular favorite of mine is the song to his wife. I'll get back to Bob in a minute. Enter Act 2. Tod Pierce is a whole other kind of act. Tod is also a good and sensitive songwriter who has seen much of what life can toss your way. A highlight for me in his set was the song for his son who passed away. The good writing of a song handled well. At the end of the evening, Bob - remember Bob? - joined Tod on stage for an impromptu jam / sing-a-long. They never met and couldn't be further apart stylistically, but it was like two old friends playing and having fun. Way to go, guys.

Saturday, July 12, 2008, Charlie Spina and Barbara Blasucci come under the cover of October Road. And while I don't know where to get it on the Interstate, I do know it leads to the Starving Artist. Charlie plays guitar and Barbara sings. You know all the songs and yet they could be theirs. They cover a lot of ground, even Janis Joplin. They had a packed house and I loved that. They'll be back.

Sunday, July 13, 2008. Another road that leads to the Artist is in England, evidently. Pete Morton has found it twice now. I'm very happy about the fact that people come from the United Kingdom and play my club. And Pete is one of the reasons the folk tradition is slightly different in the UK than it is here. Pete exemplifies that pretty well. Humor, charm, wit and the politics of love and compassion make up his work. His album (CD, sorry) couldn't clue you to his stage act. He even uses my wife's quote in his introduction to "Another Train." I'm glad to know him and glad to introduce him to you.

Friday, July 18, 2008. What has two legs and sings like a bird? A bird, but also Kat Spina (no relation to Charlie from last Saturday night). Kat is a young girl who sings like she's been doing so forever. Jazz standards, smooth jazz, cabaret blues - she owns them. Alt rock covers and even original tunes – all belong to her. The audience too, all for her. Check out her web site and see and hear for yourself.

Saturday, July 18, 2008. We had a Saturday night blues party with the real deal - Bennett Harris. Bennett is the main man to see if you love the blues. I love the blues. Armed with both a Gibson and a national steel (both 1930s models), finger-style slide is his specialty. John Hammond Jr., Jorma Kaukonen and Dave Van Ronk come to mind. Robert Johnson, Rev. Gary Davis, Mississippi John Hurt and others were covered. Bennett also does originals that are both clever and tasty.

Saturday afternoon we had a baby shower for my son and his wife, Joshua and Jamie. A big, generous crowd showed up and now these kids have everything they need. This is good because...well, you'll read later.

Sunday, July 20, 2008, we had another permutation of that Circle of Friends come to play. "Songwriters hangin' out" is how they were billed. Pleasant Bud Coughlin, with Jody Stokhamer sitting in, and Patrick Matteson with John Guth sitting in. Pleasant Bud is a singer-songwriter with stories to tell. First person. In character. He is also a fine guitar player. He is both amusing and earthy. Jody Stokhamer added harmonies in the great folk / coffeehouse tradition. Pat Matteson writes finely crafted personal tales of love lost and found. Pat was backed up by an exceptional guitar player named John Guth. (See clip of them from that Sunday below.) I like John's playing so much that...well, you'll read more later.

Friday, July 25, 2008. Friday is always a very busy day for me. Shop, bake and work all night. This Friday was my wife's birthday and to top it off my new grandson Ranen came into the world. Ranen was a month or so early and as anyone will you, nobody in my family was ever early for anything. (It's a good thing we had that baby shower!) Mother and son are doing fine and we are becoming a large family.

Friday was also Open Mic Night at the Starving Artist. I claim bragging rights to one of the BEST open mic nights in the world. But don't take my word - take my stage or just come and check it out. The mic is open the last Friday of each month. Very creative people converge around the mic of the Artist.

I love my job. I cook behind the counter and get to talk to many people with many points of view. Art, music, politics, the news of the day, and, of course, City Island gossip. Artists, musicians, poets, writers, doctors, lawyers, carpenters, all sit at my counter at one time or another. And that's the way I like it. Hell, I even get Republicans in here. Define republic, well, never mind. Saturday, July 26, 2008. Up at the crack of noon for my guitar students and to get ready for my show. I get to play my own club once in a while. (It's good to be the king.) Food prep is the order of the day. "Uncle" Bill Yehle, my brother-in-law, does all the cooking while I play but I try to get him all prepped before I go on. Earlier I mentioned the masterful guitar work of John Guth. He sat in with Pat Matteson and I thought, wow, that's the guy, that's the sound. I asked him then if he could play my gig with me and he said yes. I went home and said, "Shit!" He doesn't know any of my songs and what he did get he didn't get until Thursday. Well this man showed up with some charts of my stuff and together we blew the room away. He'd heard the eight songs I sent him from the most recent CD, "I've Been Told." My set list had 18 songs and only five were from that collection. We never played together at all and yet he was with me like an old band mate, like an old friend. His fills felt like they were written with the songs. He pumped them up or flowered them as needed. He never missed a beat, even on the ad libs I throw in between songs as the mood strikes me. I think anyone that was there would agree we kicked the ass of Saturday night. John plays the Starving Artist himself; he'll be there, in fact, on Friday, September 19, at 8 p.m. Catch this powerhouse musician and good soul that night when he does his own thing. I will too! He also owns a studio. He's played with Judy Collins, Mimi Farina, Susanne Vega, the Paul Winter Consort, and his music is on the audio book, "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" and more. I'm a lucky guy, I know. YouTube clips will be coming of our performance together. Justin Rodstrom also sat in for a couple of tunes Saturday night. I love playing with J-Rod and we jam when we can. Thanks Justin!

For those that don't live near City Island and the Starving Artist Cafe - move! No, for you, I am trying to get closer to providing some of the experiences with regard to my blog. Audio recordings and video clips will become more available as time goes by.

Sunday, July 27, 2008. Jazz. City Island style. Starving Artist style. Yeah. The best Sunday you can have without your grandma's chicken dinner. All right, maybe the next best. And maybe your grandma never made Sunday dinner and maybe you never experience the first best thing, well, maybe you need to write your own blog or just show up when the City Island Jazz Quartet comes to the Artist (like they will again on Sunday, August 3, 2008). If you need to cool out from your week (or weekend), we have your remedy. Roger Scala on sax, Gene Zilempe on Fender bass, Sal Mazzola on drums, and the legend himself, Lou Volpe on guitar. This is the real deal here. Again, they are playing this Sunday too! Good for you. Me, too!

I must at this time mention that longtime Starving Artist supporter Ellen Ruth Topol not only read her poetry at open mic but attended my show Saturday night and jazz on Sunday. A triple play for Ellen. Way to go. If you read this, Ellen, you get a free dessert! And welcome back to City Island - until the baby comes this fall - to Melissa, daughter of Frank and Cheryl Koller, our Friday night crew. Her son, their grandson, Ryan, is also on board - too cute.

So Hindis have a concept of Sutras. Literally stitches that connect. I always mention circles. Well, this blog cycle had more overlapping circles than an Audi hood emblem. Isn't it good? Isn't it fine?

My CD, "I've Been Told," has gone "cardboard"! I've sold more than 800 downloads of my songs from that CD collection at Verizon V Cast. We are about to place "Return of the Starving Artist" (my first CD) on CD Baby. On Neil Young's Living With War Web Site (as of this writing) I am #53 (Bitter Tears) and #52 (Baby This One's For You) out of a list of 2,730 songs. 2,730. I pat myself on the back for this. I also thank you. Be good to each other. Make your reservations for this weekend. And come in, and live right.

Elliott Glick

Confessions of the Starving Artist - 7/10/08

2008-07-10T14:18:00.000-07:00

"Confessions of the Starving Artist" - 7/10/08

Do you remember John and Bobby
And what Eisenhower finally had to say
Strangelove's got nothing on us baby
We're gonna blow it all away.
"Blow It All Away" by Elliott Glick

July 4, 2008. Two hundred and thirty-two years ago the Founding Fathers, as they've come to be known, signed, at great risk to their lives, the Declaration of Independence. They, almost all being landed and well-off, stood to gain by freeing themselves of the yoke of British taxation. The common man, at greater and more direct threat to life and limb, fought this war. And so it goes. Yet all Americans still feel enough pride in this great experiment to engage in celebration. We barbecue and enjoy the fireworks displays, and renew our pride in being American. And rightfully so. We are a good people. We need to get back to basics and let the better angels of our nature rule the day. Look back at a time when presidents could actually make speeches that moved men and women, that told the truth. Here's to ourselves. Happy Fourth! Cheers! The Starving Artist was closed for our families and friends to celebrate the nation’s birth and drink a beer or two!

One of our resident artists, Cheryl Solomon, with us from the beginning, got married over the weekend. Cheryl and Jon Esser had a beautiful reception in their home by the sea. Cheers! Also SAC&G regulars and personal friends of mine, Mary Lou and Bob Lachman, became grandparents for the first time. Cheers!

Saturday, July 5, Kelly Flint came to play her first full evening at the Artist. Now if she only sang "Sleepwalking" and stood there, this would have still been a great show. But this gal went on to sing such other great original songs as "Blood and Bone" and "Cartoon," to name but a few. Her voice is beautiful and she's a fine guitar player. She brought us a surprise, too. Her husband, Jeff Eyrich, joined her throughout. You may know him already. He also plays bass for Lipbone. He plays a beautiful blonde upright bass beautifully. Want to see what you missed? Click the link for Kelly and buy her downloads. You'll be there next time.

Sunday, July 6. Now Sunday is typically a little more laid back. Jazz, classical, bluegrass. But every now and then we like to break the rules. So usually on holiday weekends we have a Starving Artist Jam Session. I try to keep it a proper jam session. It was a fun afternoon. In the end, everyone got to play, including me. Some of the highlights were Donni Fury doing Hendrix proud with his teeth. Donni is set to play the Artist on Friday, August 8. Marian Mastrorilli of Project Mercury fame singing her original bluesy tune. Joined then by Jack Serra Lima, who has also played the Artist. Nice to see these people participate in one of our events like this. Thanks guys! Also in attendance were jam regulars - Dave Ramirez, and Jeannie "Strat" who is a small dynamo. We had no less than four drummers. Joe Bruno, a member of the sometime Elliott Glick band, comic Al Wagner, another Starving Artist performer, Jeff Comvlada, and our own house drummer and our waitress, Mariel "Sticks" Murphy. I can't mention everyone but I must mention my friend Skip from Lickety Split Ice Cream store on City Island. The menu was BBQ and went over quite well. I got to play "Hallelujah" and "Hotel California" with my wife Monica, Marian, Jack and Mariel. How cool is that! I need to thank Uncle Bill Yehle and my son Josh Glick for doing the cooking so I could be free to play. Thanks!

Well I'm getting another check for downloads this month. This is the coolest thing. Remember an educated concerned citizen is the most patriotic thing you can be. Click the links to all the artists and then click on reservations. "Click on Glick" on Neil Young's Living With War Web Site - #58 (Bitter Tears) and #52 (Baby This One's For You) as of Monday, July 7, 2008 - and click to buy my downloads on Verizon V Cast. Watch for another CD full to appear on CD Baby. By the way, make your reservations now for my show at Starving Artist on Saturday, July 26, at 8:30 p.m. I'd love to see you all there. Be good to each other, and come in, and live right.

Elliott Glick

Confessions of the Starving Artist - SUPERBLOG 3 - 7/3/08

2008-07-03T06:10:00.000-07:00

Washed up on my shore
heart adrift and broken
another soul lost at sea
"Love Me Girl" by Elliott Glick

Many legends have come from the Bronx. Silent movie star Harry Carey, Bobby Darin, Carl Reiner, Anne Bancroft, Felix Cavalieri of the Young Rascals, even the guy who wrote "Walk Away Rene" and many, many others. Well, some of them play the Starving Artist. I always refer to Lou Volpe as a legend and he is, but this time we had another one play the Artist on Friday, June 20. Fish Altieri has been a busy lad in the biz, as they say. The driving force behind the Bronx band The Raw Poets, once managed by Roger Daltrey of The Who, mastermind behind Bombshell (later known as The Shells), and others. Friday night was his night. Just him, his guitar and those wonderful songs. I first heard these songs from The Shells. Three beautiful girls with beautiful voices in glorious three-part harmony. Nice way to present these songs, doncha think? Well Fish went down the list playing 10 or so of the hits from that group - all of which he wrote. You walk away realizing it was always about the songs and what he had to say and how he said it. The songs are strong and stand alone. He stands alone. He may not be a blonde bombshell but he's something else.

Aaron Gilmartin came to play Saturday, June 21. Now, Aaron was here once before as part of a duo so I thought I knew what to expect. Well Aaron's solo act was completely different. The first time he came with a Fender Strat and this time he played a classical guitar. His style was different and his songs were different. Aaron has been doing work with prisoners and they contributed to one of his songs. He was joined on stage by Priscilla Gilman. His songs are unique and his guitar work is impressive. Click his link, and check him out.

Ah, Sunday, June 22, sweet Sunday. Theresa Sareo, the sweetheart of the Starving Artist, came to pour a little sugar on it all. Theresa, as you may know, has a God-given voice. She sings any genre and elevates it to an art form - sings any song and improves upon the original. She's also a very special person, both heroic and sweet. It was a special "birthday happy" celebration for Debbie Martin - who chose Starving Artist and Theresa for her birthday celebration; a guest at her party, Laura Flynn, was also celebrating a birthday. Theresa made a proper party of it all. She also goes to the veterans' hospitals - most notably Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C. and sings her amazing song, "Through a Soldier's Eyes." She was joined throughout by the now famous Ethan "Hearthrob" Hartshorn playing percussion, guitar and ukulele - and even taking a vocal solo on "When I'm 64." Take a trip around the internet or visit her MySpace. Hear all that she is. And for the love of Pete - whoever the hell he is - reserve seats for her next show at the Artist.

The weekdays seem to fly by. Hannah is out of school for the summer and now I have a bike riding partner. Her social calendar is filling in in a hurry and I'm glad for the time with her.

On my mind these days is perhaps a move to larger quarters and a better venue. No solid deal yet on that front though. I'll fill in more details as they come.

The last Friday of the month is "Take the Stage" Open Mic. Open mic is fast becoming something of a legend. We have every kind of act represented from month to month. There's no telling what will happen at the Artist on opoen mic night. I'll give you an example. On Friday, June 27, we had four or five poets, a comedian or two, and a slew of singer-songwriters; 23 acts in all. Marc Hohenstein got up and sang a comedy song parody called "Afghanistan," sung to the tune of "Summer Wind." It was hilarious. How could a song about a war zone be funny? I dunno, but he did it and it was funny. Another highlight came when three guys with a violin, an electric bass guitar and a Takamine got up to play what they called Japanese gypsy rock. I don't know what it was (I heard tango, Russian, flamenco, and other things in there) but I hired them as soon as they got off the stage. Visit their MySpace and hear what they do. Their show date at the Artist is Friday, September 5, 8 p.m.

Saturday night, June 28. The humidity was a million and a half. Project Mercury got to prove what troopers they are. It's no secret 'round the Artist that I love this band. I've weaseled my way into their inner sanctum a bit. They bring their own equipment (i.e., PA, mics, etc.) and set it up meticulously. The sound they make is great. Two guitars, cello and violin. They put three-part harmony on top of that. Add to this a fine, thoughtfully constructed mix of originals and covers. A solid winner if you ask me. Oh did I mention that they are three good looking gals - Marian Mastrorilli (vocals, acoustic guitar), Charlene Donohue (vocals, violin), Jeanne Fox (cello, bass) - and Craig Fox (acoustic guitar, dobro, vocals). (Don't worry Craig, we love you too!) They turned in a beautiful first set in spite of the fact that they were melting on stage. For the second set they asked me to come up and join Craig and Jeanne on my song, "Like I Do Tonight," which you can see from another evening at my You Tube site. It's a major thrill for me to play with this tight, well-oiled band. Unfortunately their PA went dead periodically throughout that song and the next. But with grace and ease, they played unplugged the rest of the show. This added something to the evening for me. You could hear just how tight they are as a band. No mics, no effects on the instruments, and yet the blend of voices was remarkable. What a great band and what professionals. We all also got to see Charlene's baby Emily again.

Well Sunday rolled around again. We have music in the afternoon on Sundays. Best way to spend Sundays. (Well, the second best.) Thieves and Poets came to visit on Sunday, June 29. Bill Irvine (acoustic and electric guitars), George Kelly (acoustic and electric guitars) and Chris Frawley (percussion) make up this really superb band that marries everything from Miles and Steely Dan to Santana and the Stones. They write great original pieces, too. This is an instrumental band. Both guys can and do play the vamps and the percussionist is amazing. It was interesting that both times these guys played the Artist, it rained. But these musical magicians, sonic sorcerers, waveform wizards played and the sun came out. They took a break and it rained again. I promised the audience they would do it again and they came back from break and played and the sun came out again. I know you know I would never lie to you. In fact, I recorded them Sunday afternoon. This is a new feature to the blog and I'm glad I captured their magic live. So hear that for yourself (link next to their image on the blog found on the Starving Artist home page). This is what you heard or what you missed. I don't lie to you. Make your reservations now for their next show here. By the way, loyal friend of the Artist and poet herself, Ellen Ruth Topol, scored a triple that last June weekend, attending every performance. She even read a poem in tribute to Pete Morton, songwriter from England, who'll play the Starving Artist on Sunday, July 13. She said she thought she should make it a triple-header "because every night's a home run at the Starving Artist."

I wish at this time to share some of the good things that have been happening concerning my CD, "I've Been Told." The songs from that collection sold more than 535 downloads at Verizon V Cast. I am thrilled and wish to thank all who contributed to those sales. Also, my songs on YouTube have received more than 700 views all together for the four clips. "Blue Tomorrow" is the leader in both categories. And my MySpace broke 10,000 plays as June ended. On Neil Young's Living With War Web Site I entered that chart a year ago at number 93, with just about 1,600 songs on that site. One year later on a chart of 2,700 songs I am at numbers 44 and 45! I think I have some bragging rights here. So thank you guys for that too. You can all share in those rights. I also wish to thank Monica, my wife, for her work promoting me and my music.

So click all the links to all the performers. "Click on Glick" at Neil Young's Living With War Web Site and "click on Glick" (#45 - Bitter Tears; #44 - Baby This One's For You) as of Monday, June 30, 2008. Check out the calendar and make reservations. Buy my music. (You can now buy my music on Amazon, Napster, iTunes, CD Baby, Verizon V Cast and about 20 other sites.) Don't forget about my show at the Artist on Saturday, July 26, at 8 p.m. Start reserving now. Continue to support live, independent music. It's important to the industry and the artists. Be good to each other and come in, and live right.

Elliott Glick

Confessions of the Starving Artist - 6/19/08

2008-06-19T13:00:00.000-07:00

We watch the news
And search for clues
That we can use
to inform our views
But all we see's a shroud
For cryin' out loud
"When You Smile" by Elliott Glick

Friday the 13th of June. I don't subscribe to superstitions (the guy with the goalie mask and machete not withstanding). Apart from the bad news of Tim Russert it was a good day. Friday night was even better. Midnight Jester came to play. The band this time 'round was Denise Adorante on guitar, Dan Ajerman on bass, Glenn Miller - yes, Glenn Miller - on conga, and Sandy Breitstein neatly carrying vocal and rhythm guitar responsibilities. These players are well-suited to each other, forming a tight unit. Denise sings harmony, plays tasty and interesting lead guitar and accents the rhythm nicely too. Dan is a good bass player that plays for the sheer love of the groove. And groove he does. Glenn Miller - yes, Glenn Miller - plays conga to beat the band. Literally. Sandy sings most lead vocals and sings them beautifully. She plays acoustic guitar. Sandy writes some of the songs as well. As I said that night, they will return. This band is one great time.

Saturday night, June 14, brought us a young R&B artist, Christine Dominguez, who has the whole package. The look, the sound, the voice, the musicianship and the songs. She sang some covers and I thought they were hers. Her songs are sensual in nature and her voice matches this. If you click and listen, you'll hear what I'm talking about. If you were there, your pulse quickened and she had your attention. There was a nasty downpour outside, wind blowing and yet, inside, it was steamy humid and I swear it was from this girl and her songs. Just make a reservation now, okay?

Sunday, June 15, was Father's Day. Happy Father's Day to all of the dads and dads-to-be. What did we do on Father's Day? We had Port o' Monkeys come and play for us. They are an extended family. Not just to each other but to the Artist as well. You bloggerinos may know that they play Spanish music from the Basque region and Middle Eastern as well. Beautiful Spanish guitar and instruments such as oud as well. Don Hayward plays gitarone and trombone, in addition to other instruments. Jeff Greene and Paul Harris add intricate counter melodies when not holding down the rhythm. Dolphi Wertenbaker played percussion and David Muller on Spanish guitar. Chris Wertenbaker leads the group. The line up changes sometimes but the music is consistent. Look up the past blog they are in to get the details of the sets, but listen to their music on the link above, and come and see the truly unique group of musicians. World minstrels I'd call them. I'd also call them great.

I hope all of you are boycotting Exxon Mobil. John McCain thinks the answer is lifting the federal tax on gas at the pump. That will make it a little cheaper for you but the revenue will cost us on the government services level and not touch the oil companies a bit. We subsidize these SOBs. We grow less wheat on the prairies so we can grow corn and not to feed people but our cars and we subsidize that too! From our own pockets through taxes. We are robbed at both ends. It doesn't stop there. It affects the cost of food at the market. This affects restaurants who have to pass this on somehow. A crazy spiral we must control. Vote for whomever you want. I'm voting Obama. Just the lack of lobbyist money in his campaign convinced me. Whoever you decide on you can pressure them to do the right thing for us. Well there I've said it.

Go and click all the links. Each artist that ever played at the Starving Artist has a link on our music artists' page. Listen to tem and decide who you want to see. I believe we deliver value for dollars in our field. "Click on Glick" at Neil Young's Living With War Web Site and "click on Glick" (#106 - Bitter Tears; #105 - Baby This One's For You) as of Tuesday, June 17, 2008. Check out the calendar and make reservations. Buy my music. (You can now buy my music on Amazon, Napster, iTunes, CD Baby, Verizon V Cast and about 20 other sites.) I've now sold more than 500 downloads of my songs, and that is only counting the Verizon V Cast site. "Blue Tomorrow" is still the number one seller off the "I've Been Told" CD. I'm working on a new CD now. I'm still in the writing stage at this point. I'm scheduled to perform at the Artist on Saturday, July 26, at 8 p.m. Start reserving now. It always sold out in the past.

Don't forget to vote for "wickedly awesome" Nicola in her Q104.3 competition - info also below. Continue to support live, independent music. It's important to the industry and the artists. Be good to each other and come in, and live right.

Elliott Glick

Confessions of the Starving Artist - 6/12/08

2008-06-13T10:45:00.000-07:00

You'll see the light
You'll see the brightest shining light
All upon a new day
When the night is through with you
"Blue is the Night" by Elliott Glick

Well it wasn't a revival meeting, but I was revived. It was the return of the Starving Artist's "keeper of the soul" on Friday, June 6, Laura Berman Benelli and her husband, Craig. Laura has a great voice, plays really fine keyboard and writes songs that can break your heart and fix it all in three and a half minutes. Craig plays really good rhythm and beautifullly melodic lines on a really good looking Taylor guitar. Too many of their good songs became my personal favorites on Friday night. They are gaining a following at the Artist. Although it was no tent show, spirits were indeed lifted.

I love when I see a young performer already special in some way, and I get to be in on his / her rise. About three years ago, a 14-year-old singer / songwriter came to play and blew us all away. Well Anthony Da Costa is 17 now, and he returned to the Artist this past Saturday, June 7, and again blew us all away. Carefully chosen covers were done with his unique style. Then there's his originals. This kid is a pro. Ellen Topol, a Starving Artist regular and writer / poet herself, said this in an e-mail after the show: "I always enjoy my adventures at Starving Artist. However, I need to say that Anthony's performance Saturday evening was stupendous. I am blown away! This 17-year-old musician is unbelievable. His whole body, mind and heart are the instruments he plays with the precision of a master musician. Watching him is observing a special magic unfold and we are all blessed by his outstanding gifts." He's been getting some extreme gigs lately too - like opening for Dan Bern just this past May 31. Come see and hear him before it costs you big time. Big time.

Sunday, June 8, like Sunday as usual, we took the pace down a notch or two. Elizabeth Glushko led her duo, Cellar, to play jazz, among other things. She plays cello and he plays guitar. Their playlist included Beatles, jazz standards and originals such as "Tragic Prelude" (which you can hear at her MySpace). Soothing and smooth. They make a beautiful sound together. One of the best ways to spend a Sunday afternoon. It was a major heatwave in New York City. Cellar cooled us out. Thanks.

Coming up this weekend is another great line up: Midnight Jester, Christine Dominguez, and Port o' Monkeys on Friday and Saturday evenings, and Sunday afternoon, respectively.

Click the links in this blog. "Click on Glick" at Neil Young's Living With War Web Site and "click on Glick" (#106 - Bitter Tears; #108 - Baby This One's For You) as of Monday, June 9, 2008. Check out the calendar and make reservations. Buy my music or give the "Gift of Glick" for Father's Day. (You can now buy my music on Amazon, Napster, iTunes, CD Baby, Verizon V Cast and about 20 other sites.) I've sold yet another 200 or so downloads of my songs, bringing the grand total to over 500! (Thank you!) Boycott Exxon Mobil. Don't forget to vote for our "sweetheart" Theresa Sareo in the Ponds "Mamma Mia" competition - see more info on this page! And vote too for "wickedly awesome" Nicola in her Q104.3 competition - info also below. Be good to each other and come in, and live right.

Elliott Glick

Confessions of the Starving Artist - SUPERBLOG II - 6/5/08

2008-06-05T12:34:00.000-07:00

You jump at the bump
at the price at the pump
And you stand like a lump
But you're gonna fill it anyway
"Well, I've had my fill."
"Baby, This One's for You" by Elliott Glick

Friday, May 23. Those Freakin' Ricans (there, I've said it) returned to the Starving Artist Cafe. I believe this is their third time up. It occurred to me while listening to them that singer / songwriters are not what they are. It's the great catchall for acoustic peformers - singer / songwriter is. These guys, Jorge Caraballo (of Rubber Soul) and Nick Morales (of two former bands, Musica Flammarum and Twin Flame) are entertainers. And I mean that in the highest sense of the word. They jump styles like musical chameleons. Mariachi, C&W, blues, Led Zeppelin, Neil Diamond, The Lion King, for God's sake. Nick Morales flexed his blues muscles on several numbers and Jorge Caraballo flexed his tonsils. They had many surprises up their sleeves too. My beautiful wife, Monica, joined them on a classic Johnny Cash / June Carter Cash song, "Jackson," which they sang to perfection. All the charm and humor in tact. Next surprise was Barbara Folts. She is not only the wife of Peter Parrella of Rubber Soul fame, Jorge's other band, she is a performer on Broadway. Together they did two numbers, including the Tom Petty hit, "Stop Draggin' My Heart Around." Jorge sang the powerful "Granada," a hit for Mario Lanza. Jorge's favorite version these days is by Jose Carreras. An astounding performance of a difficult song. They save these "tightrope act" songs for the encore each time. No net, just guts and a lot of talent. A lot of talent. You got to see it.

Saturday night, May 24, I got in the act, literally. I joined my wife, Monica, and friend Lucille Rivin in the trio, Just Us. I sort of back them up and provide the basis on which the songs rest and they do the rest. We like harmony and they do a good job of it. Sometimes we do three-part harmony. Just Us includes three very different personalities. The material reflects that. Monica sang "Piece of My Heart"; Lucille sang "Since I Fell for You." They did "Time After Time." They did Dylan, Leonard Coehn and John Prine. They even did the "Glory of Love." Lucille did a couple of originals, including a very clever song about lies called "Phony Money" and a crafty song called "Frost." Somewhere in there I raped and murdered "Gimme Shelter." It was a packed house and I had a great time. There was Just Us for all.

Sunday, May 25, we had an open Jam Session. About an hour before opening a fire broke out in shops not too far from the Starving Artist - and our home - on City Island Avenue. Thirty or so fire trucks later, the Island was shut down to oncoming traffic. The Jam Session ended up being two other people and myself. There was "Cowboy" Dave Tillman from Texas and Mike Solomon from Ohio. Mike was visiting his sister, and SAC&G fine artist / City Islander, Cheryl, and Dave now lives in New York. We played something to please each of us and had a great time doing so. I closed early and got to spend an evening at home. The firemen were amazing. No one was seriously hurt.

Now this brings us to the last Friday of the month (May 30) which, of course, is Open Mic Night. I've been to a lot of different ones in different places. I must say that ours is crazy good. Quality poets and comics, performance characters. Former Artist waitress Lindsey Kinford recited a poem she wrote about September 11, 2001. We even had a heavy metal flamenco player. Open Mic runs from 8 p.m. until 11 p.m. or so on that last-Friday-of-the-month. Come next time and check it out. Sign up to play or reserve a spot to watch. (Frank and Cheryl Koller, and Bob and Mary Lou Lachman have their reservations for open mic night from now until the end of time, I think.)

Ever listen to Bob Dylan's first two LPs and marvel at how old he sounded? He was 21 or 22 years old at the time. Saturday night, May 31, the Artist was filling up with people who had come to hear Phil Minissale. Phil is a 21-year-old blues player who has crammed a lot of blues expertise into his relatively short life. His voice is aged and grizzled. His knowledge of styles is complete. He plays Delta and Piedmont styles with perfection. He's been all through Dave Van Ronk, John Hammond Jr. and Mississippi John Hurt (who lived in the Bronx for awhile). He has incorporated all these influences and styles into his own personal technique with which he deftly fleshes out his own original songs. It seemed kind of humorous to me to hear an introduction to a blues song that is about a love gone wrong when he was in third grade. That, though, is part of Phil's charm - and charm he has. My waitresses Mariel and Shannon took him out for drinks after the show. That don't happen often, Phil. Ah, to be young. Buy his CD if you like the blues done right.

The Starving Artist has gotten a good reputation among performers, but we also have a loyal clientele. Frank and Cheryl, who I've mentioned before in my blog (and in this one too) hit the double play this past weekend attending two shows in a row. It's not the first time, but I wanted to mention it and thank them. I went to another club to see a friend play and Frank was there with Cheryl - and he was wearing a Starving Artist t-shirt. You can get yours - and other Starving Artist merchandise - on a special web site; click here.

Sunday, June 1, was the opening reception of an art exhibit at SAC&G. Don Nester's "Images of Infinity" took the wall of the gallery / cafe. Fractal photography, images of infinity, it all sounds pretty heavy, doesn't it? Well, it is. I've had conversations about fractals about five or six times, and words like quantum physics, calculus and Einstein's unifying theory come up. I know this because I heard, "Blah blah blah quantum, blah blah blah mathematics, blah blah blah atom, etc." My mind, I must confess, wandered to cheeseburgers, not Benoit Mandelbrot. Snowflakes that occur in nature approximate fractals. So there! These pictures are at once fascinating, intriguing, vast in their diversity and beautiful. I have been doing art exhibits every month or so for 11 years. I've know many artists, many of whom became friends. I have watched their growth from exhibit to exhibit, usually in a linear pattern, developing a theme or technique over a period of time and a series of shows. Don Nester has been with me almost the whole 11 years and has never done the same thing twice. Remarkable. Cheers, Don. This exhibit will run at the Artist until August 1. They are one-of-a-kind, not a series and sell for $300 semolians (which are probably worth more than U.S. dollars).

Speaking of math and dollars, in my last blog I talked about how, in a consumer-driven economy, could bring down the price of gasoline. Don't buy Exxon Mobil was the cry. Well it still is. I hope you joined forces with me and I hope you told others to do the same. This will work in time. The only power our dollar has these days is where and how WE choose to spend it.

I've sold another 200 or so downloads of my music on various venues. CD Baby, Verizon V Cast was the biggest. "Blue Tomorrow" was the highest-selling again which means it's different people each time. Too cool. Thank you to all who bought my music. It's a dream come true for me.

This weekend is Laura Berman, Anthony Da Costa and Cellar on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, respectively. Click the links and make reservations. Don't forget to vote for our "sweetheart" Theresa Sareo in the Ponds "Mamma Mia" competition - see more info on this page! And of course, "click on Glick" at Neil Young's Living With War Web Site and "click on Glick" (#103 - Bitter Tears; #104 - Baby This One's For You) as of Monday, June 2, 2008. You can now buy my music on Amazon, Napster, iTunes, CD Baby, Verizon V Cast and about 20 other sites. Happy Birthday week to our best-est friend "Aunt Ma" Marion Rosenfeld! Take care until next time, and come in, and live right!

Elliott Glick

Confessions of the Starving Artist - 5/22/08

2008-05-22T13:31:00.001-07:00

I often see things as circles. Sometimes even time itself moves foward in a circular motion. Seven or eight years ago, a young lad came into my shop and asked for guitar lessons. He never played before and had no guitar of his own. He borrowed one and after a few lessons, his parents called to ask if it was worth it to buy a guitar for him. I said he's a natural, and he has hungry desire to learn music. He became one of my best students and stayed for several years. During that time another young guy came in and said, "Do you teach Evan? I want to take lessons too." It seems Evan was playing guitar in the park and had several girls around him. And James saw that and wanted lessons too! I was also that boy, but a long time ago. So now they'r college students and Evan Berent and James McGowan came to take the stage at the Starving Artist on Friday, May 16. They played two eclectic sets to an appreciative audience. They are diamonds, however rough, and they are powerful players. What they lacked in stagecraft - they sang for the first time that night - they made up for in the command of their instruments. Musically they are monsters and they are intuitive in their connection to each other both musically and as friends. They were joined on stage by a friend from college and by fellow City Islander and friend John Valessio. For the final song, they called me up - I'm so proud - to sing and play, "Tombstone Blues." These are my boys.

Here's another circle for you. Once I was playing at a place in Manhattan and on the bill with me was a young pretty gal named Lauren West. What struck me was the maturity of her songs both in content and in structure. Her delivery and stage presence added a "wow" factor to her act. Well, I signed her up to play the Artist Saturday night, May 17, and she took the stage and wowed us all. Here was the same endearing, real life personality playing real life songs. And she tells you quite freely the origins of each song. This girl should front her own kick-ass band. You'll see her again.

You know by now how I like to spend my Sunday afternoons listening to live music. You can sleep through breakfast, get up late, come to SAC&G, eat a big meal and sip a beverage listening to live music. Especially jazz. On City Island we have our own Jazz Quartet. I know this because they are called the City Island Jazz Quartet. Really they are like the house band, the home team. And they are good. Just the right combination of hot and cool. Roger Scala plays sax. Gene Zilempe plays Fender bass. Sal Moluzzo plays drums, and yes, it's Lou Volpe on guitar. Lou drove allnight from a gig in D.C. He showered and ran to the Artist, plugged in and played two hours or more - all with no sleep. They were great, hitting all the right grooves. They were joined this Sunday by guest artist Freddie "Flip" Lando and City Island's Skippy on vocals, and jazz drummer CJ Everett, a friend of Lou's. That's how I like to spend Sunday afternoon. Yeah.

This week I received an e-mail from a mathematician. This e-mail addressed the price of gasoline. Not buying gas one day a week will not do anything. You'll surely get gas the day before or the day after and it won't bother the gas companies one iota. But if we boycott Exxon Mobil and no one buys gas from them, they will feel it. You can buy as much gas as you always do, just not from Exxon Mobil. Eventually they will have to reduce the price to entice you back. The other companies will have to lower theirs to compete. We can start a price war and eventually bring the price back down to $1.75 per gallon. Remember that? When I started driving gas was 45 cents a gallon. Tell at least 10 people and e-mail everyone on your list. Pass it on to your friends and co-workers and MySpace friends. We can do this. We have the power; we just need to get ourselves together. Some of you remember the lettuce boycott. It worked. Tell everyone you know to not buy Exxon Mobil gass. It will take time and solidarity, but it will work. Buy any gas you want, just not Exxon or Mobil. By the way their profit for the quarter was $11 billion. Five years ago, that was their profit for the year!

That's it for this week's Starving blogster. Click the links. "Click on Glick" at Neil Young's Living With War Web Site and "click on Glick" (#88 - Bitter Tears; #92 - Baby This One's For You) as of Monday, May 19. You can now buy my music on Amazon, Napster, iTunes, CD Baby, Verizon V Cast and about 20 other sites. If you have a MySpace, friend me. Don't buy Exxon or Mobil gas. Be good to each other, and come in, and live right!

Elliott Glick

Confessions of the Starving Artist - 5/14/08

2008-05-14T14:14:00.000-07:00

"Confessions of the Starving Artist" - 5/14/08

"I don't try to be anyone
I barely try to be myself
And I'm not looking for another one
I want you and nobody else."
Happy Mother's Day, Monica

Friday night, May 9, marked the return of my friend Amura, a real blues man. A lot of us are students of the blues. Some of us are virtuoso players that are great students of the blues. I love them all. I love the blues. Amura's blues are sophisticated and they are his. The real deal. His MySpace says: "Sounds like: the places within." Exactly. I'm going to have to do a duet with this guy and get some of that mojo on one of my songs. In addition to writing, playing and singing his own compositions, he also plays my cafe behind Leo as second guitar. After two hours (he took no break), we knew him very well. The songs are real and they say it all. I know I sound like Bruno Tonioli on "Dancing With the Stars," but I give him a 10! Amura was accompanied by Keino Lover on conga. Keino plays hot and he plays to the singer - a great secret for drummers and percussionists. Amura got an encore and will get a new date to play again. His songs on MySpace offer a good mix of who he is and what he doees. Click the link and hear it now. He's the same live.

Saturday night is for partying. This Saturday, May 10, we had a big wild party. Lipbone Redding returned to the Starving Artist. The "prodigal son" came home. Lipbone has been touring the country for the past six months or so, and we haven't seen him. It was on our stage that he transformed into Lipbone and told the legend of he and his imaginary friend Roberto who plays well...nevermind. You come see this genious performer. Great songs, great stories, great singing, great band and miles of personality. I could talk or write for hours, and you'd think I was crazy or full of it. All I'm gonna add is that Lipbone is a voicestrumentalist. He plays a trombone that isn't there. You have to see him live. You have to do it soon or it will cost you because Lipbone Redding is starting to make it in this business. We have him booked for November. After that, we can only hope. He works hard. He deserves it. Check out his web site and MySpace and hear the incredible mix of soul, funk, blues and country. I've even heard him do India-influenced music! See and hear for yourself. (There's even a video about him on our music-artists page.) We've got him live on our CD, "Live at the Starving Artist."

We cut the weekend short to celebrate Mother's Day on Sunday, May 11. I have four children and three (soon to be four) grandchildren. Life is good. Much of the good in life comes from love. Much of the love in my life comes from family. Those that nurture that family are a blessing. Thanks Monica, I love you. Happy Mother's Day to all you mothers out there!

Now, go click the links. Then, "click on Glick" at Neil Young's Living With War Web Site and "click on Glick" (#97 - Bitter Tears; #96 - Baby This One's For You). Support and buy live, independent music. Check our calendar and make reservations - we fill up fast lately. And for God's sake, buy the CDs and downloads (especially mine at CD Baby and Verizon V Cast. And come in, and live right.

Elliott Glick

Confessions of the Starving Artist - 5/7/08

2008-05-07T20:29:00.001-07:00

"Confessions of the Starving Artist" - 5/7/08

Rock me, roll me
'Til my time rolls around
I feel so holy
When I hear your sacred sound
I just go
Bomp ba bomp bomp

A while back Charlene of Project Mercury was having a baby and the group had to cancel, but they said they would line up an act I would love. They gave me two names - Jeffry Braun and Susan Kane. I had heard Jeff before and Susan wasn't available. Sometimes that's it, you know? We offered Susan a gig down the calendar from there and Friday, May 2, eventually arrived. Susan is a singer / songwriter with a country folk aural hue. She plays a Gibson Jumbo very well. Her songs are melodic and range from sweet to powerful. She speaks her mind in these songs. Her voice is clear and beautiful with that country edge. Go listen to her songs on her MySpace. She's coming back, so keep an eye out.

Friday night was my son Josh's birthday, and his wife, Jamie, threw him a party at the Artist. We all wished him a happy one. I gave him a mustache for his birthday.

Saturday, May 3, 2008. Fourscore and... Well, not quite that long ago, but 11 years ago Silver Charm won the Kentucky Derby (at Churchill Downs) and I opened a silver shop called the Starving Artist Studio & Gallery on City Island. We were just a gallery of visual arts back then; my jewelry, handmade boxes, paintings, photography, pottery and small locally authored books. Well all this time has passed and we have stayed on this great adventure in the arts that now includes live music, comedy and poetry and performance art, as well as artisan sandwiches and such. So on our 11th anniversary I would like to thank you all - particularly "Aunt Ma" Marion Rosenfeld for the flowers and balloons; Cheryl Solomon and John Esser for the beautiful tulips; and Don and Millie Nester, and Frank and Cheryl for the champagne - and return all the love while still keeping it, hopefully. That's the beautiful magic of love. You can get it, give it back and still keep it. Thank you all for sharing our adventure and more of you can share the love, too.

So an anniversary party needs entertainment and we had it in spades. The amazing Nicola breezed into the Starving Artist and a party was in the air – a joint party because it was also a CD signing party for Nicola's new CD. She sang songs from all her CDs, and they all were great. She was accompanied on stage by bassist extraordinaire Jules. Together they created a sound that belied the fact that it was only two instruments. I remember thinking as I prepared food that this girl kicks butt. Her voice is a powerful instrument of which she possesses complete control and a supreme knowledge of its effect on different parts of a song. She is a master performer. The songs themselves are great art. Click the link and hear her for yourself. She's going to the top. I'm certain of this. Those that got the signed CDs (I got mine!) will be thrilled in a year or so. You'll wish you had yours. Come see her on Saturday, August 9, and get yours, too! But reserve early. There is a live podcast at her MySpace of the May 3 show. Have a listen!

So the anniversary weekend moved on to Sunday, May 4. Sundays the music is in the afternoon. I like live music on a Sunday afternoon. Debuting at the Starving Artist was a roots band of sorts. The name Spuyten Duyvil is a reference to a section of the Northwest Bronx whose name hearkens back to old New Amsterdam (now New York) when the Dutch owned it before the British translated it means "spite the devil." This is a very together band. They call themselves a group that plays original and cleverly recycled alt folk, roots, traditional and acoustic music. All that is true, but wait, there's more. Mark Miller plays a dobro, a bouzouki and an eight-string tenor guitar (custom made for him) and sings. Steve Horowitz plays bass. Sarah Banks - our first connection to this band; she and her family (husband Howard and children, Hannah and Bernard) came in to celebrate St. Patrick's Day at Starving Artist - plays fiddle and sings. Tom Socol plays guitar and dobro. Beth Kaufman sings lead with a most wonderful voice, both sweet and earthy. Then there are the songs. They cover the whole spectrum of Americana - Civil War, early Americana (like in Colonial). Great arrangements and beautiful harmonies. They hit on something very special here and I love it. I'm having them back. Trust me.

Well, 11 years is the longest I ever had a job. Thanks for keeping me off the streets. Seriously though, thank you to all who have supported the Starving Artist from the craft show days to now (like Bob and Mary Lou Lachman, and Frank and Cheryl Koller), and to all the artists, audio and visual (like Cheryl Solomon, and Don & Millie Nester, who celebrated with us Saturday), who have shared this journey with me. So, be good to one another and click the links to the artists, "click on Glick" at Neil Young's Living With War Web Site and "click on Glick" (#86 - Bitter Tears; #85 - Baby This One's For You), come out and support live, independent music, buy the CDs and downloads (especially mine at CD Baby and Verizon V Cast, give yourselves a big hug - and come in, and live right.

Elliott Glick

Confessions of the Starving Artist - 4/30/08 - SUPERBLOG

2008-04-30T14:05:00.000-07:00

Peel back the layers of life
to our love
At the core of it
you and I fit like a glove

The SUPERBLOG. Last week for some reason seems to have slipped away from me as far as time for blogging goes. I set aside a small amount of time needed to write it and then some friends come over and the guitars come out and so it goes. My apologies to any one who has been looking for it.

The Starving Artist Cafe is a family of overlapping circle of friends. This is good. This is very good. Friday, April 18, Jules and some of the family came to visit. Julie Corbalis is a fine singer-songwriter whose lyrics betray a gentle, tender sensitivity, while her delivery reveals brass balls, if you will. She is charming to boot! She was joined on stage by her great guitarist JL (Jonathan Lloyd). She is many things at once and generous is one of them. She gave the stage to her Irish friend now living in Belgium, Pat Kelly. Kelly's songs were a treat. Witty and insightful. His voice is good, and his stage manner is humorous. It was a surprise fun evening and the family grew and the circles overlapped.

Saturday, April 19, my friend and legend (do I sound like Sammy Davis Maudlin?) Lou Volpe came to the cafe with his Starving Artist Jazztet. Lou has probably been in this blog series more than anyone. He is a very generous musician, sitting in and helping out others, including me. This, though, was his night. He was joined on stage by sidemen Fish on bass and drummer John Clay. Fish is the dream bass player, just a hypnotic groove right in the pocket. John Clay on drums is the same. These three guys are my dream band (but I can't afford them). Lou put these guys through all the right moves. Forget Hendrix! Forget Clapton! Forget Benson! This guy owns the notes and tunes of your very soul. A man in the audience requested a Santana song right after the first song. Lou is a jazz man but... Well, he said, I guess I'm taking requests and ripped into an unrehearsed version of "Black Magic Woman." Forget Santana! Volpe set this song on fire. I saw the man who requested it on his feet. I saw everyone else, including me and my staff, locked in a trance. Yeah. The whole evening just got better from there. Don't believe me? Come and see Lou Volpe's Starving Artist Jazztet. You'll forget everyone else. Look him up, he's got the creds to go with the sound.

Sunday, April 20, yet another member of the family came to visit. Peter C. North and his old Martin guitar played two hours of the American Songbook. He served these songs up deliciously grouped into categories, such as "the West." He seasoned his performance with a lifetime of knowledge and spiced it up with fun trivia about the songs. He includes the original introductions to the songs. Something you don't hear anymore. HE called to the stage a friend of mine Bob Adams to play the "alternative metallic diaphragm bass instrument." It was really a washtub bass. A washtub, a broomstick, and a length of clothesline was what he had there. Bob beguiled everyone with not only the spectacle of it all but also the amazing accuracy of his playing. At one point a washboard was handed out to an audience member to play. So what we had here was a jug-band party cooked up by Peter. Bob, I happen to know, plays many instruments and I hope we get to hear more from him on stage. Peter C. North wears many hats onstage anyway - an old straw hat, an oversized cowboy hat, why I've even seen him with a tea-towel and rope sing the "Shiek of Araby." A thoroughly enjoyable afternoon. (My wife, Monica, regrettably missed Peter's performance; she was at Yankee Stadium at the papal Mass that Sunday. Read about her experience in her blog.)

During the week, my daughter Hannah was off from school for spring break. We wanted to go to the Central Park Zoo and the famous Manny's Music Store. Usually I drive into Manhattan and park midtown, and later we meet my wife Monica and go out to dinenr. I started to think that parking in midtown is now $40 and gas is probably another $10 and, if I don't want to take the Third Avenue Bridge and hit the bottleneck before 125th Street, I take the Triboro and that's $5 or so each way. That's $60 to go into Manhattan by car - before we do anything: zoo, lunch, shop, or dinner. The middle class in this country better wake up to what's happening here. Better start voting our best interests. 'Nuf said - and we did go to Manhattan, by public transportation.

Friday, April 25, 6:30 p.m. The room was filling up early. It could only mean one thing. The Starving Artist was giving away free caprese panini? No. No. Here's a hint - it was the last Friday of the month. That's right! (You are so smart.) It was Open Mic Night. Cover artists, songwriters, comics, poets, all in a row. Novices, pros, intermediates, all levels for all reasons. People love to come and watch and listen as well as participate. This open mic marked the return of my poet friend Alex. See him through that link to his MySpace and friend him. You'll get poems and they will make you think and feel. Welcome back Alex.

Saturday, April 26, at 4 p.m. we opened the doors on another art exhibition. This time it's the photography of my friend David Ramirez and and the pottery of Robin Kline. David's photography is very appealing, and Robin's pottery is the right blend of form, function and beauty. Both artists sold pieces that afternoon. And David Ramirez put together this slide show of the afternoon's event; click here to view it. Cheers!

Saturday night, Two Guitars. Kind of misleading. There are two guitars plus Brian Conigliaro and Gus Wieland. They make those guitars sing and they both sing and they both write. Brian plays blues harp like nobody's business. His solo on "She's Complicated" was as funky and jumping as anything I ever heard on any instrument. Brian also plays seven-string guitar. Gus plays the sweetest jazz and blues riffs. When they sang "Walk Away Rene" I was beside my self (make room). Go run and buy their CD. In fact, the new one comes out in time for their next gig at SAC&G, Saturday, August 23. I'm throwing them a signing party. I'll even buy the sharpie. Watch for the date.

Sunday afternoon, April 27. the anticipation for this performer runs great. Theresa Sareo is the "sweetheart of the Starving Artist." We all fall in love all over again each time she comes 'round. Not just me but the whole room full of people that come to see and hear her. Alright so she's sweet, and she's pretty, and we all get the warm and fuzzies but nobody can pack the vocal punch of this woman. She has a voice so powerful and crystal clear and she has such control over it that it's astonishing. I've heard many female singers in my life and I have never heard any one that can sing like Theresa. This should be enough to rocket her to the top but she's also a great songwriter. Hear her new song, "Through a Soldier's Eyes" on at Neil Young's Living With War Web Site. Hear it everyday. I'll tell you how powerful she is. She sang her original song "Take Me Down" with a voice from somewhere so deep inside her that I almost cried. I've been married twice and both women will tell you how insensitive a lout I am. And yet, there I was trying NOT to cry. THAT is singing and writing! She was supported by percussionist extraordinaire Ethan Hartshorn who also plays guitar and uke.

Look, I say a lot of good things about the people who play the place. You might say, "Well, what else is he gonna say, duh!" I try to maintain a standard of quality to the entertainment at the Starving Artist and still encourage the improbable, as they say. Ask anyone if all these descriptions are not true. Anyone who's been there will concur. I'm blessed with the best. Click the links to these artists and hear for yourself. Nothing will replace live music in front of a live audience. It is important to support it and all the arts.

The Starving Artist will celebrate its 11th year on City Island on Saturday, May 3. A history already exists on the web site so I won't repeat it here. I just want to thank you all. Come celebrate with us this Saturday!

Check the calendar; make reservations. Click the links to the performers. "Click on Glick" at Neil Young's Living With War Web Site and "click on Glick" (#94 - Bitter Tears; #98 - Baby This One's For You). Keep downloading my songs on iTunes, CD Baby, Napster, Verizon V Cast and others. Many have. My apologies to Bob, Mary Lou, Frank, and Cheryl for the late blog and for the cupcakes, conspicuous in their absence. Most of all, come in, and live right. Oh, and fasten your seat belt. It makes it harder for aliens to suck you out of your car.

Elliott Glick

Confessions of the Starving Artist - 4/17/08

2008-04-18T13:21:00.000-07:00

"Don't try to sell me
all your secrets for success,
my time is coming..."
("Blue Tomorrow" by Elliott Glick)

Hey, hey bloggernauts. I always hear, "Oh, he's the new so-and-so, or he's so-and-soesque. Well, have you ever seen a Leo? This Leo is a one and only. Nobody like him. Anywhere. So he comes in to the Starving Artist on Friday, April 11, and he don't look like anybody else. Not your typical singer-songwriter at all. He plugs in and tunes up and his manner is mild. He's a very nice, kind guy. He starts playing and singing and blows the room away. The room starts to fill up. He's been here before and those that have seen him - like Bob, Mary Lou, Frank and Cheryl (who sometimes sing one of his songs when going down the ski slopes, I hear) - come back this time. Some even know the words. That's cool, that's real cool. Some of the songs Leo sings in character; a slight country and western edge here, a rock opus there and on to a post-punk stance and so on. His presence and his voice are powerful tools to present very powerful songs. Leo was supported musically by friend Amura, an excellent guitarist and songwriter in his own right. (He'll be at the Starving Artist on Friday, May 9, starting at 8 p.m.) The two men make just the right music for Leo's songs. "Everything I touch will turn to dust," he sings, "only what I feel is real." Well his music will never turn to dust because we felt it - and it was real. He got a standing ovation.

Port O' Monkeys. Is it City Island, or is it the port we all wind up at eventually? Who knows. This Port O' Monkeys plays Spanish, Middle Easter and original songs. Sounds a stretch at first; Middle Eastern and Spanish in the same act, but it's not really. Think of the days of Moors and Christians. The Spanish were heavily influenced by Muslims and gypsies. It's thought that gypsies originally came from India. Chris Wertenbaker and his group on Saturday, April 12 were: Chris himself on guitar and oud; David Muller on Spanish guitar; Ivan Ivanovich on violin, Dolphi Wertenbaker on percussion, and Don Hayward on trombone and guitarra. The audience is always rapt when they perform. From the first note to the end of the encore, you can see they are totally absorbed into this group. Some audience members can do that special Spanish clapping during the songs. Me, I always wear a fez when I cook for their shows. They turn my place into Rick's Cafe Americain. Play it again, Chris - and he will on Sunday, June 15.

Sunday, April 13, we met a new friend all the way from England. Pete Morton is a troubadour in the British folk tradition. Richard Thompson and that lot, as they say. He sounds nothing like them but shares that mix of humor - or humour - and real common truth that marks that genre. His voice was perfectly matched to the material and his guitar playing gave that solid foundation one needs. He's a good songwriter too. He was both funny and poignant. So how did Pete Morton from England wind up all the way to City Island and the Starving Artist Cafe? Our widespread fame? Well, no, it was one of our loyal customer family Ellen Ruth Topol. She knew him and now we do, too. I'm glad.

Great things have been happening regarding my music. I've sold almost 300 downloads in January and February (combined sales) and surpassed that in March alone! I love getting royalty checks, you know, but I really love knowing that people like the songs enough to buy them. Thank you all. I've launched an internet game called, "Who the hell is Elliott Glick?" I've started it on my MySpace but will use other resources soon. Everyday or so I release a clue with a link to some location on the Internet where there is something about you know who. At the end of the game, you get a special, free download that's a one-time thing. Self promotion is a drag so I thought I'd have some fun with it. Watch for clues.

So, that's it. I won't blog on you any further except to say: Check the calendar. Click the links to the performers. "Click on Glick" at Neil Young's Living With War Web Site and "click on Glick" (#115 - Bitter Tears; #120 - Baby This One's For You). Keep downloading my songs on iTunes, CD Baby, Napster, Verizon V Cast and others. And, come in, and live right.

Elliott Glick

Confessions of the Starving Artist - 4/10/08

2008-04-11T14:12:00.001-07:00

Not so terribly long ago, a guy named Bud came into my cafe for open mic night. He said he had a circle of friends and an open mic night of his own up in Pleasantville. So fast forward, not so terribly far, to Friday, April 4, and Pleasant Bud and his friend Patrick Matteson came with their circle of friends to play songs at the Starving Artist, singularly and "several-ly." First, the whole lineup plays together. There was Pat Matteson and Pleasant Bud, with Jody Stokhamer and John Guth. Then they took turns as pairs and in solo. They sang their original songs and accompanied themselves on guitars, a six-string bass and lite percussion. John Guth played "All along the watchtower" like he was casting a magic spell on us. My advice here is to show up next time and join the circle.

And now for something completely different. Saturday, April 5, at 3 p.m. I finished my guitar lessons for the day and in walks John, Paul, George and Ringo. Well, they did but in the persons of Jorge Caraballo, John Negron, Pete Parrella and Mitch Calderon, as Rubber Soul. Set up, sound check and rehearsal all served to heighten the excitement. The food prep in anticipation of the two packed shows (at 6 p.m. and 9 p.m.) was extensive and also added to the build up. A great night was about to take place and this band delivers. They opened with "I wanna hold your hand" and "She loves you." These two songs, for anyone anywhere near my age, capture the frenzy of Beatlemania at its wildest. Think Ed Sullivan, Murray the K, the cover of every magazine and newspaper at the time. The floodgates of memories and feelings of everyone in the room, at both shows, busted wide open. Two shows, two sets each. They took us from there to Revolver, making all stops along the way. Songs from the movies, songs from Let It Be, and songs "with one mustache, two mustaches, three mustaches and even four mustaches"; that is, those done when various numbers of the Beatles had mustaches. All of that aside, these guys capture all the charm, wit, innocent joy and magic of the Beatles. Thank you lads for a great show. Jeff, I hope you are doing well and come back soon. (The original drummer - Mitch - substituted for Jeff Mucciolo who was recovering from an injury.)

City Island is kind of a cool place. We have sailboats, beaches and we're part of New York City. Why we even have our own Jazz Quartet. On Sunday, April 6, the City Island Jazz Quartet blew into the Artist and gave us a wonderful afternoon of jazz. They touches all bases here, all the standards. The lineup this time was Roger Scala, sax; Gene Zilempe, bass; legendary Lou Volpe, guitar, and Mark Pultorak, drums. Mark is leaving for Hawaii and this could be the last time he plays SAC&G. They were joined on several songs by Kat Spina on vocals. Kat is coming back to the cafe on Friday, July 18, with her own show. Make sure you see her. The back was hot and cool and completely on. If we have a house band, this is it.

Keep supporting live music. Keep "clicking on Glick" at Neil Young's Living With War Web Site and "click on Glick" (#128 - Bitter Tears; #130 - Baby This One's For You). Keep downloading my songs on iTunes, CD Baby, Napster, Verizon V Cast and others. But mostly, come in, and live right.

Elliott Glick

Confessions of the Starving Artist - 4/3/08

2008-04-05T07:31:00.000-07:00

I've been told
that life is what you make it
And dreams should not be sold
and likewise not forsaken

The last Friday of March (28) roared into an open mic at the Starving Artist Cafe. The cafe sits on a small island in New York City called, funny enough, City Island. I look forward to open mic night each month. The diversity of genre and styles. Poets, singer / songwriters, comics, anything all in one evening. The levels of professionalism from amateurs breaking in to pros breaking in new material, we get them all. I'm happy about this. I'm also happy because half the room is just there to listen and not to any particular artist. When I was a young guy playing the "hoots" as we called them in Greenwich Village, the entire room was there to play. Our open mic is developing a following and the house is packed these days. I'm happy about that too. Oh yeah, Frank and Cheryl missed a good one.

Saturday night, March 29, the blues came to town in the form of Bennett Harris. We called it a "Saturday Night Blues Party" but really he took us to school, and it was a master class. Delta, Memphis, Chicago, he took us up Highway 51 and back down again. Playing an old Gibson and a 1930s National Steel resonator, he played the chestnuts and peppered that with originals. Bennett is a performer and student of the blues in the tradition of John Hammond Jr. and Taj Mahal. A roaring, rollicking night of blues played by someone who knows how. And, by the way, "happy birthday" again to our good friend Jon.

Sunday afternoon, March 30, proved that the grass isn't always greener. Sometimes it's blue. The Sleepy Hollow String Band came into the Starving Artist for their 3 p.m. show - and so did a packed room full of bluegrass lovers. The band - Connie McCardle, Bob Bernstein, Ben Freed and Rick Brodsky - were joined on stage by Stacy Phillips on fiddle. What a great afternoon of music. What a crowd pleaser. What a crowd! Uncle Bill and I cooked to the pace of the music. This group was great and they'll be back. I want to thank my waitresses Mariel and Shannon for their help this weekend. Shannon jumped in though it was her day off and she just came in to live right. And Monica my wife came in from R&R to run the front room. And of course Uncle Bill, thanks!

A wonderful thing happened to me this week. I received a royalty check for approximately 300 downloads of my songs from my CD, "I've Been Told." It's available in its entirety at CD Baby, or as individual songs on iTunes, Napster, and the site that sold the most for me, Verizon V Cast. Treat yourself (and me) this week. Thank you to those who bought my music so far.

This weekend is another power-packed program of performers. Check the calendar. Click the links. "Click on Glick" at Neil Young's Living With War Web Site (#104 - Baby This One's For You; #111 - Bitter Tears). Be good to yourself and others, and come in, and live right.

Elliott Glick

Confessions of the Starving Artist - 3/27/08

2008-03-27T19:59:00.001-07:00

The stars don't sparkle
And the sun don't shine
The moon don't glow
And the clock unwinds
But you - make me feel brand new

Forget avarice. Forget ego. The basic needs are to nourish the body and soul at the Starving Artist. We see this as a mission of sorts. Friday night, March 21, Laura Berman and her husband Craig Benelli took us to church. The funny thing is they never mentioned God, church or religion. She sang of love and the power it can be in our lives. Love and salvation and redemption. Inspirational, uplifting song of real life. She's got a powerhouse voice, and he sings harmony and plays a beautiful-looking Taylor guitar with sensitivity and power. Great show, great people.

Saturday, March 22, we got the news. But first Lindsey Morano had the opening reception of her art exhibition at the Artist. Beautiful pastels, portraits, as well as photography. Her work is on exhibition until April 25. Come see this impressive show. And now back to the news - not "THE NEWS" but good news all the same. We had Newspaper Joe roll in from Jersey. A totally different act, he performs in character. His songs have a wry wit to them that is matched perfectly by his voice and guitar work. Newspaper Joe plays great harmonica. His control on those train songs was awesome. Great work. He played straight through the whole two-hour set and held the audience the entire time. Good show, Joe.

Sunday, March 23, we were closed for Easter. Dinner with the family, nourishing body and soul. And a brownie's good, too.

Click the links to hear these artists. "Click on Glick" at Neil Young's Living With War Web Site (#91 - Baby This One's For You; #93 - Bitter Tears). Check out MySpace. We've sold more than 200 songs through CD Baby, iTunes, Napster and Verizon V Cast. "Blue Tomorrow" leads the list of paid downloads. Pretty cool.

I heard a woman say "click your heels three times and say there's no place like home." You know what happens when you do that. You wind up at the Starving Artist Cafe. Come in, and live right!

Elliott Glick

Confessions of the Starving Artist - 3/20/08

2008-03-21T08:08:00.000-07:00

"It got to where
we went around
calling each other freaks..."

Freakin' Friday.

What do you say about a duo named the Freakin' Ricans. Freakin' awesome. Yeah. Jorge Caraballo and Nick Morales covered more ground than the Erie Lackawanna. Johnny Cash, Neil Diamond, Allman Brothers, Rice-Webber, Rice-John, Beatles, Bowie - and Elliott Glick. Who the hell is Elliott Glick? On Friday, March 14, they did "Sweet Melissa," "Young Americans," "Across the Universe." For me, of course, there were highlights to the evening. These guys took my song, "I've Been Told," and played it to the room. Life is good! THeir take on it was wonderful. So they finished their act and, of course, they got an encore. These guys do "Gethsemane" from Jesus Christ Superstar. I was Jesus in this play in an amateur production years ago, and it took me weeks in before I would even do it at rehearsals. Jorge nailed it cold. I wondered why they saved a show stopper like this for the encore. What if they didn't get one? I now understand. How could they follow this? It had to be last. I can't wait to see them again - on Friday, May 23. Hope you're there!

Saturday night, March 15, was supposed to be another awesome performer. Nicola was all set to play this weekend. We all looked forward to it, especially Uncle Bill. Saturday morning I get a call from her saying she has pneumonia and a 102 degree fever. She sounded terrible. She was about to cry because she has never cancelled a show in all these years. She is a professional. I wished her a speedy recovery and I hope she's better by the time of this post. We love you, Nik. (And she'll be back at Starving Artist on Saturday, May 3, to help us celebrate our 11th anniversary on City Island, New York, and for a CD release party for her!) So what do we do when an act cancels? We get trivial. All the tables at the Artist have Trivial Pursuit cards on them, as well as pickup sticks, dominoes, playing cards, etc. We have on our bookshelves, chess, checkers, Scrabble, and more. Inter-table Trivial Pursuit soon turned into a large group of teams. Among the players were SAC&G regulars Bob and Mary Lou Lachman, Frank and Cheryl Koller, Babette Martin, Myla Martin, Elliot Sarlo and Jane - Hannah's friend Jordan's grandmother. Other tables and myself and Uncle Bill put our two cents in. (Question for question the Babette-Myla team were tops in answers!) Corned beef and cabbage was on the menu. It turned into one of those memorable evenings at the Artist. It's one of the great things about the Starving Artist that anything can happen and nothing has to at all. You can even just have a coffee and read (or buy) one of our many used books - and that's good too.

Sunday, March 16, was our St. Patrick's Day celebration. We had more corned beef and cabbage (I've had my fill now) and played Irish music on the stereo. We even had a pot o'gold - although it was green. From the pot o'gold you could pick beads (green), shamrock face stickers (green) and shot glasses (green). We had the green thing covered. The afternoon went smoothly and in the evening we had family dinner and went home fairly early for a change. The end of another great work cycle. Life is good!

Watch our calendar on our website for the return of the Freakin' Ricans (May 23) and Nicola (May 3). "Click on Glick" at Neil Young's Living With War Web Site (#113 - Baby This One's For You; #116 - Bitter Tears). If you have a MySpace, by all means friend me. And remember to come in, and live right! Happy Spring!

Elliott Glick

Confessions of the Starving Artist - 3/13/08

2008-03-13T20:35:00.000-07:00

I know what life's about
I know you have your doubts
I never had it figured out
Like I do tonight

A band is born.

Friday night, March 7, the wind blew and the rain poured down and three intrepid souls named Thieves and Poets made their way from New Jersey to City Island to play the Starving Artist Cafe. These three guys brought four guitars and a very impressive percussion rig. They played an eclectic mix from the Rascals to Hendrix to Mingus and originals. Wow! Using both acoustic and electric guitars, Bill Irvine and George Kelly showed beautiful jazz chops. Chris Frawley on percussion was a thing to behold - cymbals, wind chimes, triangle, bongos, shakers and a djembe (sometimes played with brushes), keeping everything in the pocket in a tasty way. They will definitely be back. Watch for them.

Saturday night, 3.08.08, was a great night, grand night for me. I took the stage and played two long sets. It was an evening packed with surprises (even to me). The first set was a solo acoustic set, running through eight of my own tunes and two covers, ending with "Bitter Tears" on Neil Young's Living With War web site. I'm a pretty lucky guy and my blessings are many. The house was packed - I mean really packed. In the audience were friends who would be coming on stage for the second set. First came my good friends from Project Mercury, Craig and Jeanne Fox. I had e-mailed a lyric sheet with chords and they learned the harmony and wrote a beautiful cello part. They joined me on "Like I Do Tonight." That performance alone is worth the price of the DVD. (See below; we never played together ever - not even a rehearsal.)

I love these people even more now. Next was my beautiful wife Monica joining me on "Hallelujah." She tore up that song like she was testifying. I was then joined by a former guitar student of mine. James McGowan created a raucous swing jam out of our heads. This high school kid has already played with the likes of Dave Matthews on the Today Show. Another former guitar student stepped into the lights to play the rest of the evening with me. Evan Berent is a good guitar player. We did "Love Me Girl" and a few other of my originals. We were then joined by Joe Bruno on drums and Seth Okrend on bass. I only rehearsed once with each of them and never all together. In fact, Seth said when I introduced the band, "He means REALLY introduce the band." Up came the mysterious Dr. D on blues harp. He's a wild man on harp. We jammed on an old chestnut and brought it back to life for awhile (instrumental defibrillation). We played a few more originals and said good night to a cheering crowd who called for more. The encore was "I've Been Told," the title song from my CD. I had the time of my life and so much love and goodwill from so many people - Jorge Caraballo (of Freakin' Rican and Rubber Soul fame) and Anna Foster, Marian Mastrorilli (of Project Mercury), Bob "Big Folkie" Kresse, Bob and Mary Lou Lachman, Frank and Cheryl Koller, Marc Hohenstein, Ellen Ruth Topol, Ann and Jack Jaffe, Cheryl and Bob Berent, Rabbi Shohoma, Olga, Max, Gene Fine and his family, and the list goes on and on. Uncle Bill cooked for the crazy large crowd. Thank you and thanks to Mariel and Monica for letting me do my thing. They're the best! And I thank everyone there once again!

Sunday is a time to chill out and listen to some jazz in the afternoon and that's just what we did on Sunday, March 9. Our own City Island Jazz Quartet put the sun in Sunday. Cool fluid solos played against the jazz standards. Even a couple of basso novas were thrown in the mix. The band is Roger Scala on sax, Gene Zilempe on electric bass, Sal Mazzola on drums and the legendary sideman, studio man and soloist Lou Volpe. Lou is a songwriter as well. He is featured on Guitar Player Zen Web Site. Read his article. It's a seminar for free. Well, they cooked up another great afternoon. I got to sit with a glass of wine and listen for awhile.

Well, click the links to everyone. "Click on Glick" at Neil Young's Living With War Web Site (#102 - Baby This One's For You; #104 - Bitter Tears). Click on the calendar for this weekend's artists - they're great, I promise - and celebrate St. Patrick's Day with us Sunday! Most of all, come in, and live right!

Elliott Glick

Confessions of the Starving Artist - 3/6/08

2008-03-05T16:36:00.000-08:00

We watch the news
and search for clues
that we can use
to inform our views
But all we see's a shroud
for cryin' out loud

Just when I'm about to go mad from HillBamaCain, the three-headed beast that feeds the real monster - i.e., the media - along comes open mic night. Whew!

The last Friday of each month has become a great thing. We get every level of performer in every genre. People e-mail and call ahead to get on the list. Some people come to support their friend's or relative's performance, and others just come to listen. Where else can you get such a varied show? Again, on Friday, February 29, some Starving Artist regulars like Love, Mara Jade, played. And again there were people who've never been to the "Artist." There were newbies "testing the waters." There were pros testing new material. There were people who for whatever reason stopped playing years ago and now were testing themselves, starting anew. To all that perform at open mic night at SAC&G, I salute you.

For me Saturday night, March 1, was a bill that grew from our open mic. Awhile ago, a circle of friends from the planet of really nice guys came to our open mic and individually did their thing. I've hired most of them. The rotation at the Artist is now about four months. Rather than make them all wait, I took this loose affiliation of like-minded individuals - this Circle of Friends - and offered them an evening to fill however they wanted. What they gave me was a diverse and entertaining show, playing separately and in pairs. They played folk, blues and pop in their various styles. Under the leadership of Pleasant Bud, the show was set up in the most excellent order. It flowed with both diversity and continuity. The performers were Joe Cromwell, singing "hooker from NYC," among others; Iris Cohen (folk) with Pete Tamburrini, doing a great John Prine tune; Phil Dollard, a blues dude who played the blues; Kelly Flint, who will be back at the Artist solo in June (she, by the way, is married to Lipbone's bassist); Patrick Matteson, also a featured solioist at SAC&G (next gig, with Pleasant Bud, on Friday, April 4) who filled the room with his beautiful songs, voice and guitar; Lou & Gigi who were entertaining and kept the crowd happy, and Plesant Bud himself doing his pleasant thing. Both their Circle of Friends and my own grew by many that night. Thanks Bud - and Circle.

On Sunday, March 2, the show was a child-oriented one that taught and inspired kids and adults alike. Very positive and uplifting songs written by school teacher Glo helped kids (and grown-ups, I hope) learn to deal with each other better. She understands kids in a remarkable way. They spun when the song said spin, clapped when it said clap, and stomped when it said stomp. I looked under the table and saw parents stomping too. These were original songs she sings to her students. Musical accompaniment was provided by none other than jazz (and Starving Artist Cafe) legend Lou Volpe (who, by the way, is the "Featured Artist of the Week" this week at GuitarPlayerZen.com). The songs crackled with crisp melodic lines while somehow staying in the realm of children's music. Neat trick, huh? After the show, we had family dinner, cleaned up and my wife and I went shopping. I forgot all about the elections and enjoyed my work. It's a beautiful thing.

Do me a favor - no, do both of us a favor - and click the links in this blog. Also, "Click on Glick" at Neil Young's Living With War Web Site (#99 - Baby This One's For You; #102 - Bitter Tears). And drop me a line online by e-mail and let me know which of my songs you like best. Let me know how you feel about the Starving Artist. Say a prayer for my friend in Italy Enrico Capparucci. Come by this weekend and hear Thieves & Poets (Friday, March 7), and the City Island Jazz Quartet (Sunday, March 9). And I'd love to see you at my show this Saturday, March 8, starting at 8:30; be there for new songs, surprise musical guests and the debut of the Elliott Glick Band. Whatever you do, come in and live right!

Elliott Glick

Confessions of the Starving Artist - 2/28/08

2008-02-28T09:31:00.003-08:00

"Confessions of the Starving Artist" - 2/28/08

In a world gone mad
Art will nourish the starving
Music feeds a soul

Hi, it's time for some more blogaddaccio on my part. My life crosses pathes with so many souls. I'm lucky like that. And my place is a convergence of like-minded people each with their own creative spin on the human condition. And that's not just the artists and performers. That's the audience, too. I've made friends with so many of them on a personal level. This weekend was particularly cool. We even had a seminar on Thursday, February 21, with Fish Altieri on "powering" your music career.

Friday night, February 22, Seth Okrend came and laid on us his brand of blues and jazz and 60s top 40 songs (Beatles and Stones mainly). Seth's unassuming style belies the power of his chops. He doesn't seem to be working hard at all but how many people do you know who play John Mayall's "Room to Move" live on guitar and harmonica? I'm lucky because he's going to play bass for me on March 8 at the SAC&G. He's unlucky because every time he plays my place it's 95 degrees or it's a thunderstorm or ice storm or something. Check out Seth regardless of the weather.

Saturday night, February 23, we (and you?) were blessed with a family reunion of sorts. Project Mercury rocketed into the Artist early Saturday and I got to hang out a bit. These folks are definitely part of the Starving Artist family. They also had actual family members there, too. Craig's mother and Charlene's husband and their newborn baby Emily. What a treat and an honor. Oh yeah, and they play great music. I know, I know... You're thinking, "Well, he's not going to say they were mediocre." Perhaps, but these people ARE great. Craig and Marian play guitars, sing and write songs. Jeanne plays cello, electric upright bass and is also a songwriter, and Charlene plays violin and sings beautifully. That's a lot of sound. Three part harmonies (try it) and full band arrangements. Their sound is so unique and full. Jeanne is sometimes classically melodic and sometimes a head-banging cellist. It's really amazing to hear. THIS is a must-see band. They are also very sweet people and good friends to have. Treat your ears next time; they'll thank you.

Not everyone that plays an instrument is in a band. Maybe they don't have the time or desire to do that, but if you play say, an electric guitar, you sometimes need other musicians to sit in with once in awhile. It's a bit like playing chess. You need to play with someone better than you to get better at it. So we at Starving Artist hold an open jam session every now and then. (The next is Sunday, May 25.) Any instrument you play is welcome. Lately, they come out in force, like this past Sunday, February 24. We had acoustic guitar players pick blues and such, notably Johnny "Strat" Sheridan and SAC&G's own Peter C. North. We had electric guitar players and a keyboard player, too. Keeping it all in the pocket was our waitress extraordinaire "Sticks" Murphy (Mariel to all of you) on drums. Also sitting in on drums was "Comic Al" Wagner, another good pocket player. He brought the cutest, shyest little girl, his daughter Athena. Of course, everyone played a bit too loud. But I think they all had a good time. There were even people there just to listen - like Frank and Cheryl Koller, Mary Lou and Bob Lachman, Debbie Martin and Pat Fusco. They were there from start to finish. At the end, I got to sit in playing my old '62 Guild Starfire with Dave Ramirez, keyboardist Matt Visconti, and Mariel and Al taking turns on drums. Finally my son, Josh Glick, sat in for a while on guitar. The jam was a great success and a wild end to a great weekend. A good jam session is a communion of souls solidifying a community. I hope it was so for those involved on Sunday.

By now I've blogged you fifteen fold and you've got a pretty good picture of a typical day in the life. (No pictures for this week's blog, since "Uncle" Bill Yehle - brother-in-law, sous chef and photographer - was under the weather this weekend; all missed him, especially me.) To get a further picture, click the links in this blog and hear for yourself. And don't forget to check out the calendar page with all its new listings. While you're at it, "Click on Glick" at Neil Young's Living With War Site - numbers 111 and 112 this week!

Make a date with me for Saturday, March 8, when I get to take my own stage. There will be new songs and many surprises musically as well as guests on stage with me. Come share the communion with us, and celebrate. Come in, and live right.

Elliott Glick

Confessions of the Starving Artist - 2/28/08

2008-02-28T09:31:00.001-08:00

In a world gone mad
Art will nourish the starving
Music feeds a soul

Hi, it's time for some more blogaddaccio on my part. My life crosses pathes with so many souls. I'm lucky like that. And my place is a convergence of like-minded people each with their own creative spin on the human condition. And that's not just the artists and performers. That's the audience, too. I've made friends with so many of them on a personal level. This weekend was particularly cool.

Friday night, February 22, Seth Okrend came and laid on us his brand of blues and jazz and 60s top 40 songs (Beatles and Stones mainly). Seth's unassuming style belies the power of his chops. He doesn't seem to be working hard at all but how many people do you know who play John Mayall's "Room to Move" live on guitar and harmonica? I'm lucky because he's going to play bass for me on March 8 at the SAC&G. He's unlucky because every time he plays my place it's 95 degrees or it's a thunderstorm or ice storm or something. Check out Seth regardless of the weather.

Saturday night, February 23, we (and you?) were blessed with a family reunion of sorts. Project Mercury rocketed into the Artist early Saturday and I got to hang out a bit. These folks are definitely part of the Starving Artist family. They also had actual family members there, too. Craig's mother and Charlene's husband and their newborn baby Emily. What a treat and an honor. Oh yeah, and they play great music. I know, I know... You're thinking, "Well, he's not going to say they were mediocre." Perhaps, but these people ARE great. Craig and Marian play guitars, sing and write songs. Jeanne plays cello, electric upright bass and is also a songwriter, and Charlene plays violin and sings beautifully. That's a lot of sound. Three part harmonies (try it) and full band arrangements. Their sound is so unique and full. Jeanne is sometimes classically melodic and sometimes a head-banging cellist. It's really amazing to hear. THIS is a must-see band. They are also very sweet people and good friends to have. Treat your ears next time; they'll thank you.

Not everyone that plays an instrument is in a band. Maybe they don't have the time or desire to do that, but if you play say, an electric guitar, you sometimes need other musicians to sit in with once in awhile. It's a bit like playing chess. You need to play with someone better than you to get better at it. So we at Starving Artist hold an open jam session every now and then. (The next is Sunday, May 25.) Any instrument you play is welcome. Lately, they come out in force, like this past Sunday, February 24. We had acoustic guitar players pick blues and such, notably Johnny "Strat" Sheridan and SAC&G's own Peter C. North. We had electric guitar players and a keyboard player, too. Keeping it all in the pocket was our waitress extraordinaire "Sticks" Murphy (Mariel to all of you) on drums. Also sitting in on drums was "Comic Al" Wagner, another good pocket player. He brought the cutest, shyest little girl, his daughter Athena. Of course, everyone played a bit too loud. But I think they all had a good time. There were even people there just to listen - like Frank and Cheryl Koller, Mary Lou and Bob Lachman, Debbie Martin and Pat Fusco. They were there from start to finish. At the end, I got to sit in playing my old '62 Guild Starfire with Dave Ramirez, keyboardist Matt Visconti, and Mariel and Al taking turns on drums. Finally my son, Josh Glick, sat in for a while on guitar. The jam was a great success and a wild end to a great weekend. A good jam session is a communion of souls solidifying a community. I hope it was so for those involved on Sunday.

By now I've blogged you fifteen fold and you've got a pretty good picture of a typical day in the life. (No pictures for this week's blog, since "Uncle" Bill Yehle - brother-in-law, sous chef and photographer - was under the weather this weekend; all missed him, especially me.) To get a further picture, click the links in this blog and hear for yourself. And don't forget to check out the calendar page with all its new listings. While you're at it, "Click on Glick" at Neil Young's Living With War Site - numbers 111 and 112 this week!

Make a date with me for Saturday, March 8, when I get to take my own stage. There will be new songs and many surprises musically as well as guests on stage with me. Come share the communion with us, and celebrate. Come in, and live right.

Elliott Glick

Confessions of the Starving Artist - 2/21/08

2008-02-20T19:38:00.000-08:00

Road to October
When monkey see monkey do
Ah youth has its day

Well, we are back in the swing of things again. We were away and now we are back and jet lag is no longer an excuse.

Friday nights are most often for the debut of new artists. October Road is a duo that consists of Charlie Spina on guitar and Barbara Blasucci on vocals. They played to a full house on Friday, February 15, and kept them happy with an endless supply of hits from the 1970s and 1980s. Charlie's guitar playing was impressive on "Dust in the Wind." Barbara's voice was powerful and at times reminded one of Janis Joplin. We'll see them again, further down the road.

It's always my pleasure to present Young Musicians' Night. When I was a young guy playing out, it was hard to get gigs, good ones, anyway. There were the open mic nights or "hoots" as we called them. These were a good way to learn your craft. Then there were the guys with the clipboards. These were cold auditions. Usually the audition was a half a song long. No audience, just performers. Well no more, it's all different now. We offer a forum for talented young people at Starving Artist. Saturday night, February 16, we featured two such performers. First up was Who Ha Mike Mendoza, a very funny, creative guy. He sang a few covers and a few originals and mostly won the audience with his wit. Next up was a young and pretty gal with a mile of presence and talent that I met at a gig I was playing as well. Lauren West played very solid originals and her guitar playing matched the songs nicely. I think her personality went a long way toward owning the room. Watch for these young artists.

Port O' Monkeys filled Sunday, February 17, with an exotic air. City Island's own Dr. Chris Wertenbaker is the driving force of this modular band. This time it was a duet. Chris was joined by bandmate Eve Moon playing flamenco, rumbas and gypsy tunes on guitars, and they play Middle Eastern songs on traditional instruments such as an oud. Catch Port O' Monkeys the next time they play and be transported. It's incense for your ears.

Check the schedule for this week - and treat yourself and support live independent music. Click the links. Be with us on Thursday, February 21, at 8 p.m., as Fish Altieri of the Shells fame will be giving a one-hour free seminar on "making it" and the four streams of income in the business. "CLICK ON GLICK" (#113 and #120 this week on Neil Young's Living With War Web Site. And save the date - March 8 at 8 p.m. - for I'm playing the Starving Artist myself with some surprises. And come in, and live right.

Elliott Glick

Confessions of the Starving Artist - 2/14/08

2008-02-13T18:50:00.000-08:00

Super Bowl, Super Tuesday, Super Blog.

Rooted trees stand still
Movement only sets you free
Once upon a bird.

January 25, Open Mic - I always look forward to open mic night. Of course, I got to see old friends and hear them work new material. A lot of new songs have their debut this way. But, one of the most interesting things about the last Friday of each month is the new acts that appear. We've had everything from polished professionals to the diamond in the rough. Now maybe all of this sounds like something you'd like to see and hear or maybe you're a performer polished or rough, or maybe you don't believe a thing like this can be so great. Well, you need to come to see for yourself - last Friday of every month. Comedy, poetry, music and performance art.

I am really proud of the quality of musicians that play the Starving Artist. Saturday night, January 26, Two Guitars took the stage. Brian Conigliaro and Gus Wieland are music business veterans. They've played all over the country and with various "name" acts. These guys play a great acoustic mix of blues and jazz fusion, and original tunes. Their guitars weave an intricate story around the lyrics. Add to all this vocal harmonies and Brian's virtuoso harmonica playing, and you've got one evening of great live music. I love when they play my club.

Sundays at the Artist can be mellow. Mellow like a cello. And that's exactly how it was. Cellar took the stage on Sunday, January 27. Elizabeth Glushko is the force behind Cellar. She plays cello and is accompanied by a guitarist; this time, Peter. They play everything from Beatles to blues, jazz to classical. A mellow, cello Sunday - if you don't count the New 12 The Bronx TV crew who was there to capture it all on video and feature SAC&G as the hot spot for live, independent music.

Monday, January 28, I hit the friendly skies for Italy. Rome, Assisi, Lucca, Pisa, Orvieto and Firenze. Wine, food, art, history and a papal blessing. Did I mention wine and food? Oh yeah and shopping. Well, back in New York, 10 days later, we hit the ground running. Guitar lessons to teach, shopping to do. Friday night, February 8, we re-opened to a newcomer to Starving Artist. Michael Magella has a style all his own, born of past musical experiences. His vocals are at once theatrical and intensely personal in the way Brian Ferry's are. He sang all original songs, all very romantic. I think he increased his fan base that night.

Saturday night, February 9, marked the return of two old friends of SAC&G. Fred Gillen Jr. and Matt Turk have played the Artist both as a duo and as solo artists. Each is a great singer, songwriter, musician in his own right, and together they're another thing. A powerhouse act that has it all covered. Beautiful harmonies and arrangements. They incorporate harmonica and percussion instruments such as washboard and rainstick. Pretty cool, huh? Starving Artist's own sweetheart, singer-songwriter Theresa Sareo even stopped by after a gig nearby to catch the end of their second set and to hear about our trip to Italy. Keep your eye on these guys.

Sweet Sunday again. If the Starving Artist is home to any band, it's the City Island Jazz Quartet. I think they've played here more times than anyone. Their guitarist, the amazing Lou Volpe I think has the all time record. These guys cooked up a Sunday afternoon on February 10 that saw sunshine, snow and then sunshine and then snow again. The house was packed, and the mood was right. They simmered, boiled, and baked all the old standards. Their solos were hot, and they served up the song in their own way. Drummer Sal, bassist Gene, guitarist Volpe and bandleader and saxman Roger Scala filled the cafe with the sound of good recipes. At the end of the last set, friend and pianist "Cowboy" Dave offered dessert - a rollicking, stomping blues set. Well, needless to say, they left the room hungry for more.

Happy Valentine's Day to all of you. Enjoy a little romance and click the links - "CLICK ON GLICK" (#150 and #157 this week on Neil Young's Living With War Web Site. If you are on MySpace and not on my friend list at my MySpace, make a request. March 8 at 8 p.m., I am playing the Starving Artist myself with some surprises, so save the date and make a reservation.

Also, on Thursday, February 21, at 8 p.m., Fish Altieri of the Shells fame will be giving a one-hour free seminar on "making it" and the four streams of income in the business.

The blog will go back to its normal weekly schedule. Peace, love, music and art - and come in, and live right.

Elliott Glick

Confessions of the Starving Artist - 1/21/08

2008-01-24T04:18:00.000-08:00

There must be guitars
Life is there for us to live
Come in and live right

You’ve got to love a weekend like this. We had two of the best guitar players anywhere.

Friday night, January 18, at SAC&G, John Guth took the stage. From the first notes you knew this guy could play. John is a fine songwriter as well. He covered songs by the likes of Richard Farina. John played with Richard’s widow Mimi (Joan Baez’ sister) on a couple of tours. Look up Richard and Mimi Farina. John has played the Starving Artist as backup to his friends. This is the first of his solo engagements at the Artist. He played a rousing rendition of Johnny B. Goode, and he was.

So how do you follow a good guitar player? With another one. Saturday, January 19, the Lou Volpe Starving Artist Jazztet took the stage. First, it’s an honor to have this really hot jazz band use that name. If you’ve never heard Lou Volpe play guitar, get to CD Baby right now. Forget Clapton and those guys, Lou is pure guitar. Notes fly in a fluid flurry from his guitar like a beautiful fireworks show. Lou has played the Artist perhaps more than anyone. With the City Island Quartet, solo and with his Jazztet. He’s even played with me in my sets. I’ve covered him in these blogs numerous times. I think I like the Volpe Jazztet thing the most. James Rococa and John Clay, on bass and drums respectively, match him well and keep it all right in the pocket. Check out Lou’s originals; they’re great.

Bluesabilly. There I’ve said it. That’s what we had on Sunday afternoon, January 20 in the form of the NYC Blues Trio. Erica Johnson is someone who happens to work with my wife. I had no idea she played music at all. Well, here she was at SAC&G with two guys playing bluesabilly. I swear bandmate Richard Chambers channeled Johnny Cash. You guessed it. They played the blues in a purist style and rockabilly also with a purist sensibility. Erica even sang an original. She switched from bass to six string flat top to sing a song about the Bronx. Well, specifically Co-op City and the Starving Artist on City Island (two honors in one weekend!). This band of really nice people which also included Mark Freese (and their really nice guitars) sang the sun to sleep and as evening fell we all sat down to spaghetti and meatballs. Speaking of Italian food, next week I will be in Italy. There’ll be plenty to blog about then.

Do the right thing. Support live independent music. Click all the links to these awesome musicians. Click on Glick at the Neil Young Living With War web site - now #92 and #94. Keep warm, and come in, and live right.

Elliott Glick

Confessions of the Starving Artist - 1/14/08

2008-01-15T09:05:00.000-08:00

Diversity rules
To know art is to know life
All in life is art

Holy blogasaurus, a week's gone by already.

Every now and then I get to meet someone else with a similar story to my own. Bob "Big Folkie" Kresse has been showing up at open mic night at the Artist for the last several months. He is a member of the Circle of Friends, singer-songwriters that meet in Pleasantville, New York. The story is he hasn't played out in some years and has been slowly getting back into it. So this big bear of a man shows up at SAC&G on Friday, January 11, and sings some of the sweetest lyrics, tenderly. It takes a fair amount of courage to get up in front of a room full of people and do your act for the first time. By the end, Bob had won over his audience and set himself back on track. I'm glad it took place at my cafe.

Liverpool, England, late 1961. In a small club called the Cavern, four lads are driving the packed house wild. City Island, New York, early 2008. In a small club called the Artist, four lads are driving the packed house wild. Three years ago, my friend Jorge Caraballo asked if his band, Rubber Soul, could play the Starving Artist. I didn't even know he played guitar. He said it was a Beatles tribute band. I usually ask for an audition, a CD, MP3 file, web site or short set at our open mic. But I asked him if they got close. He said pretty close and I said yes. After all, I knew the material. Well, from that first show, they have been a major event at the Artist. Yes, they do Beatles. Yes, they get close, but they do something more. The Beatles had great songs, great music, great production values and great growth, but they also had a magic, a chemistry. It was a certain charm. Rubber Soul captures that too. They have a magic and charm to them. (For proof, just take a look at my daughter's face when she posed with the band at the end of the night.) What comes through is that they love this music and performing it, and they love each other. These shows on Saturday, January 12, like all of their shows, had its surprises. I was blown away by "She's Leaving Home" while Uncle Bill loved "Dr. Robert." But, the big surprise of the night was side two of Abbey Road – complete. They brought backtracks of the strings and keyboards. They all took solos on "Love You," even nailing the great Ringo drum break. These guys even played "Her Majesty" – the song hidden in the old vinyl LP "windout" groove. The lineup is: Jorge Caraballo on rhythm guitar and "John" vocals, harmonica and tambourine; John Negron on bass guitar and "Paul" vocals; Peter Parrella on lead guitar and "George" vocals, and Jeff Mucciolo on drums and percussion in the "Ringo" spot. If "in the end the love you take is equal to the love you make," then all who were present are now Rubber Soulmates – for life.

Sunday, January 13, two big shows the night before and very little sleep, the Giants were to play Dallas, and everyone said it would be a light day for me. Add to that the impending snowstorm (which never showed) and you've got a recipe for an easy, slow day. Well, guess again grasshopper. The City Island Jazz Quartet played to a packed Sunday afternoon crowd. The lineup this time was Roger Scala on sax, Gene on bass, Sal on drums and jazz great Lou Volpe on guitar. How hot is this band. They went through so many jazz standards and nailed everyone. Most of the time the audience (of all age groups) sat rapt listening to these guys cook with their own recipe. Particularly hot was when the band was "trading fours," each member getting to have his say musically in turns. One of the best ways to spend a Sunday afternoon is listening to the City Island Jazz Quartet in the comfort of the Starving Artist.

After the show, the band and their audience left. My son and daughters and their families sat down for dinner and a family jam session. Children and grandchildren around us, the weekend wound down to a beautiful conclusion.

If you missed the acts this weekend, do yourself a favor and check the schedule for the coming shows. Come in for a sandwich and coffee drink, tea or lime rickey, and play one of the games available. Further, my instructions are to support live independent music, click the links, click on Glick at Neil Young's Living With War web site - #81 and #84 this week – big leaps for the both songs, buy my CDs on CD Baby, and always come in, and live right!

Elliott Glick

Confessions of the Starving Artist - 1/07/08

2008-01-07T19:43:00.000-08:00

This week in limbo
The weary ones seek rest
Artist life goes on

Hi ho, blogarinos.

It was that week that could only exist in the limbo of post Christmas / New Year. Of course, it’s been a whole series of parties with gifts too. How do you top that? Well, of course, you don’t – you rest. But it’s unfortunate because at Starving Artist, we had another great weekend lineup.

Friday night, January 4, we were treated to a show by the great Gary Paul Hermus. This guy is what coffeehouses were made for. He sang his original songs that were witty and charming, funny and poignant. The songs were musically diverse and tasty, and played with the skill of a fine musical craftsman. He’s about my age and his lyrics relate in a humorous way the things my generation faces and the road to here. This enchanting storyteller played two beautiful Taylor guitars, one tuned to DADGAD. He’s a really nice guy, and it shines through his entire act.

Frank Critelli, who played on Saturday, January 5, is also from the planet of really nice guys, although he says he’s from Connecticut. He’s a really fine singer / songwriter in the WFUV tradition. He is, in fact, every bit as good as any of those guys: John Gorka, Richard Shindel, etc. His songs cover the gamut of the human experience. He accompanied himself on guitar and harmonica, and was joined throughout by his bassist Don. Don played beautifully melodic bass lines on a Fender fretless bass. Frank treated us to his take on a couple of Beatles songs, too. We also celebrated the new soon-to-be-released CD, “Waltzing Through Quicksand.” Catch both of these guys the next time they play the ‘Artist.’ You’ll thank yourself later.

Sunday afternoon, January 6, we did the logical thing a week after New Year’s celebrations. We had a jam session. You never know what to expect when you call an open jam. It’s always a risk. It could be a dud. Well, the doors opened at 3 p.m. and, in rapid succession, in came six or seven guitar players, a singer, a keyboard player and our waitress Mariel on drums. The session opened with blues standard, “Stormy Monday,” and meandered thorugh everything from “Wooly Bully” to Sam Cook to the American Songbook tunes. Some of the highlights were Dave Ramirez singing, “Masquerade,” with Lou, and my wife, SAC&G’s own Monica Glick, singing “Hotel California.” The audience was given tambourines and maracas, and some dancing even broke out. I would say everyone had a good time. I’m looking forward to the next one. I might control it a little more, limiting guitars to three or four at a time, and everyone choosing a song. The best news of the day was that Mariel Murphy, our great new waitress, was able to keep the music “in the pocket,” as they say. We now have a house drummer. Wow.

Of course, if you missed any of the performers who play the ‘Artist,’ or I’ve peaked your interest with the Blog, or you really like what you did hear, you can and should buy their CDs. You not only satisfy your need for great music, but also get to be in on their rise, not to mention financially support independent music.

I would like to thank Channel 7 (WABC-TV) for promoting the jam session on the air. I would also like to thank everyone involved in the jam. Thanks also to “Uncle Bill” Yehle for taking over chef duties while I played – and for taking photographs too. What a guy.

As always, click the links, click on Glick at Neil Young's Living With War web site - #94 and #96 this week – buy my CDs on CD Baby, check out the calendar for this weekend’s music lineup, and come in, and live right!

Elliott Glick

Confessions of the Starving Artist - New Year's Message - 1/1/08

2008-01-01T20:13:00.001-08:00

So, Happy New Blog.
Old year ends and new begins.
A circle to fill.

This week, we ended a year and began a year - all set to music.

Friday night, December 28, we celebrated the legendary Starving Artist open mic. The anticipation of New Year's Eve and SAC&G decked out for Christmas added an edge to the evening. First up was the razor-edged poetry of Justin Rodstrom. J-Rod is a fine singer and songwriter as well. Anthony C. and Davey B. of Love, Mara Jade performed individually this time. Marian Mastrorilli of Project Mercury fame was joined by a percussionist this time, friend Peter. She charmed us through a three-song set of her thoughtful songs (I'm a fan). Magic Alex is a fine poet with a sharp wit and intellect. Many more acts followed, the comedy of Al Wagner and the crowd-pleaser, Jenn "Angel Wings" Santise. Last, but not least, the emcee of the evening, Josh Glick, took the stage singing his own "Fixation" and "Stickything." He does a great job hosting the proceedings. I say that not because he is my son, but because it's true. Thanks Josh.

"Mister Saturday Night" came to SAC&G on Saturday, December 29, and what a night it was. Freddie "Flip" Lando can and does sing anything. You name it - Bobby Darin's "Artificial Flowers" to opera. He did something I've never seen anyone attempt. He sang Roy Orbison's "Crying." Think it's easy? Try it next open mic. Freddie had a surprise guest too. Theresa Sareo showed up and joined Freddie on the showstopper from "Phantom of the Opera" and several other songs. Impromptu as it was they nailed every song and all the beautiful harmony cold. I tell you the hair on my arm stood up. Freddie is as generous a performer as he is talented. A gifted singer, not to be missed.

Sunday, December 30 we closed in preparation for New Year's Eve.

Monday night, December 31, the cafe was dressed in all its New Year's finery. The noise makers sat like a box of explosives and the air was filled with the aroma of a feast. A full house of seasoned partiers were grooving to the guitar wizardry of jazz great Lou Volpe. Lou has played every New Year's Eve of the cafe's history and other times too numerous to tally - and I'm always blown away by this man's talent. His skill at his instrument is matched by his brilliant arrangements of cover songs and his downright tasty originals. He was worth the price of admission all on his own. A testament to him was the fact that the audience, there to celebrate New Year's Eve, was filled with musicians. Lou Volpe or Ryan Seacrest? I think the choice is obvious. The clock struck twelve. We kissed the girls. We drank champagne. We kissed a year goodbye. We kissed a year hello. We gathered for the customary SAC&G New Year's Group Photo. The bound copy of photos of the 2008 celebration will be available for those who cherish such moments.

I wish to thank "Uncle Bill" Yehle, my beautiful wife, Monica, and Hannah and Joshua for their help this New Year's Eve. Peace and love and happiness in this New Year.

Click the links. Click on Glick at the Neil Young Living With War web site - now #95 and #99, ending the year in the top 100! Support live, independent music. And come in, and live right!