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

Confessions of the Starving Artist - 5/14/08

"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

"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

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

"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