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

Confessions of the Starving Artist - 4/10/08

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

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

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

"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

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

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