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

"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

"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

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

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

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

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

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