Confessions of the Starving Artist - 1/14/08

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