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

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