Confessions of the Starving Artist - 4/17/08

"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