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

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