Wednesday, August 31, 2005

Americana Night at the Starlite

Rick Malis will be hosting the Starlite's Americana Night on September 24th. September will be dedicated to bluegrass music. Here's the line-up according to Rick:

Ben Hartlage – Singer, songwriter, guitar player – has performed with Coal Train and the Allegheny Rhythm Kings. Writes original old-timely and bluegrass songs and resurrects forgotten gems.

Ron Mesing – Outstanding dobro player will be performing with John Mackin. Performs regularly with The John and Wendy Mackin Family.

Don Shean – Banjo virtuoso and renowned banjo teacher. Has played with The Dog Run Boys, Beaver Creek, Second Wind and Clear Fork.

Each featured artist will play a 30 minute set with a brief interview.
News from Jay Hitt

Hello!

Well, this is going out late. I had hoped to have a few more dates lined up to tell you about but here's what I have so far.

Tonight Antonio and I will be at CLO Cabaret Theatre in Pittsburgh at 7:30. www.clocabaret.com

On Friday, September 2, I'll be at Borders Books in Monroeville, PA at 7:30

On Saturday, September 17, I'll be at Borders in Northway Mall at 7:30 with a special guest.

That's it so far with public appearances. I'll let you know when a few more come up.

Now, as long as you're sitting at the computer, how about taking a moment to visit www.pittsburghcitypaper.ws/cp_extra/best_of_pittsburgh_'05.htm
This will enable you to vote in the Pittsburgh City Paper "Best of Pittsburgh 2005". You don't have to live in Pittsburgh or know anything about Pittsburgh and you can vote for as many or as few items as you wish. Now, when you get to the entry, "best acoustic artist", I sure would appreciate it if you'd put my name in. And please feel free to pass this request on to as many people as you can think of. The deadline is Friday, September 30, 2005.
Are You Part of the Lucky 13?
According to the Pew Foundation, only 13 percent of Americans "have a good idea" of what a podcast is. If you don't know, I'd be happy to walk you through the process. Just send me an e-mail. For now let's use this definition.

Podcast: a great way to listen to the music you love.

Tuesday, August 30, 2005

Just a Sample
A portion of The Newlanders — Gerard Rohlf and Art Gadzik — will be appearing on Saturday, September 16 at the Starlite. Here's a sample of The Newlanders' version of Monongahela Sal. It sort of reminds me of Ry Cooder's Chicken Skin Revue arrangements. You can find more info at the Newlanders' site.
What's Going On
There are a number of websites — along with this one — where you can find out what's going on. Pittsburgh Events is one of them. If you get a chance, let me know what your favorite is.

Sunday, August 28, 2005

Prime Prine-ish

I owe a lot to John Prine. Back when I was a teenager, I could locate myself in his songs — even more than I could in Woody Guthrie's songs. As a matter of fact, listening to Woody sometimes made me feel virtuous, which of course gets in the way of a good listening.

Sometimes the late seventies and early eighties seemed pretty difficult, John Prine seemed to have a tool kit for getting by. Sometimes he was brooding. Sometimes he was goofy. Sometimes he liked to rock.

As a way of saying thanks for helping me make it this far, my friend Jack Erdie is putting on a tribute to John Prine:
Folks,

I'm sorry to reintroduce an idea I'd
bandied about before, then allowed to
drop out of sight, but it just so happens
that something has opened up to make
the John Prine Tribute do-able.

I'm putting together the Three Penny
Show for Friday, September the 30th,
and thought it would be a good time to
have the Prine Tribute; kill two birds
with one stoner, so to speak.

I'd like to get at least ten participants
-- whether groups or solo performers -- to
each do one song by John Prine and one original
tune that can be in some way connected to Mr.
Prine by fewer than six degrees. The connections
may include that the original was 1)inspired in
some way by John Prine, 2)written about him or his
influence, 3)a parody of one of Prine's songs, 4)any
other possible/contrived connection.

Again, I'd love to videotape the show and send a
copy to Prine's manager. I'll edit out any performer
who doesn't wish to be included in the footage.

Please let me know if you're interested, able,
and can line up the two (or more) requisite songs.

YSIS,

Jack

Friday, August 26, 2005

The Mavens at Ohiopyle this Saturday Night
The Mavens will be playing at the Seventh Annual Ohiopyle Over the Falls Festival this Saturday night from 7:00 – 10:30 p.m. This is a town party not to be missed. The party is held right in the center of the town of Ohiopyle by the Laurel Highlands Outdoor Center. The festival is free.
Now Listen to Joey Sing
I had a dream last week that my garage fell down and various other disasters happened. All I could think was, "oh, well . . . ". I accepted my lot, no matter how lousy. Then I woke up, the garage was still standing, and that made me feel even better.

Joey Murphy's "Rosy Blues" isn't a weeper. It's not about feeling sorry for yourself. You can make up your own mind, but if it was three o'clock on a Saturday afternoon, and I was in a bar, and the jukebox was playing, I'd like to hear "Rosy Blues."
Born to Cook

From Joey Murphy . . .

Here's a list of whhttp://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gifat we have scheduled so far:

Locals, if you have any idea for a show, or would like to participate in Born to Cook, let us know.

Out of towners, if you'd like to be a part of a show in Pittsburgh, don't be shy, we'd love to have you. We'll promote the show and give you hospitality (food, bed, shower.) Let us know. You in turn will do the same for one of us in your town, capice?

08/31/05 Born to Cook at the Square Cafe, Bill Toms, Eve Goodman, Bob Wagner. In the round 7:30 BYOB $3 corking fee donations requested. Raffle! Prizes!

09/29/2005 8:00 PM Cefalo's – Born to Cook presents National Recording Artist with Eve Goodman, Carol Lee Espy and Joey Murphy $5.00

09/30/2005 9:00 PM Quiet Storm - Born to Cook Featuring Steff Mahan from Nashville, Eve Goodman, Joey Murphy and Autumn Ayers $5.00 byob

10/13/05 TBA featuring Adrianne

Potluck and Songwriter’s Night/ Live Demo Recording
September TBA
October TBA

11/13/05 Garfield Artworks Sign up now!

Visit Born to Cook
Performing Songwriters in Pittsburgh PA working together to promote each other and network with performing songwriters in other cities. We sponsor 'In the Round' events with songwriters from other regions and cities coming in to headline. We swap gigs with each other locally and nationally and generally work together to support, publicize and inspire each other. Join us. http://www.myspace.com/borntocook

Thursday, August 25, 2005

Scrap Metal
Here's another quintessential Pittsburgh song by Robert Wagner, who will be playing at the Starlite on Saturday night.
Friday, August 26 at 9:30 pm
JACK
JACK features three of the most loved songwriters from the Calliope Songwriters Circle: Stacy Mates, Dave LaRose and George Kantor. Great people with great music, and you really ought to check them out.

Saturday, August 27 at 8:00 pm
Isaac Merz, John Wells, and Robert Wagner
Isaac plays with phenomenal spirit and passion. John Wells has been playing acoustic folk and blues since the early 'sixties and is an encyclopedia of knowledge and insight. And Wagner know a lot about working in all-night convenience stores. More great people with great music.
What Happened Last Week

Here's a note from Robert Wagner:
Last week, guitarist Jon Paul Leone spontaneously accompanied songwriter Tom Breiding on a number of songs, and it was simply as good as it gets. Jon Paul's guitar work just blew me away--tasteful, twangy, emotional and deep. Once again, we blew it by not recording the show. Anyone who missed it will never know what they missed. Every week has great musical moments like these.

John Wells continues to unveil songs that sound both ancient and as timely and compelling as if they'd been composed this morning. Because he uses traditional songs and song-structures as the basis for original lyrics and arrangements, John's songs are powerful and timeless.

Did I mention that I love this stuff?

Wednesday, August 24, 2005

Is It That Kind of War?
Jack's song Our Son is about just about any kind of war you can name. The song's power comes from its well-drawn characters and the inexorable march of music as you come to your own conclusions. Jack will be appearing at the Starlite Lounge this Friday, August 26.

Tuesday, August 23, 2005

Teaser CDs from Jack and Climactic Shows Coming Soon!
This coming Friday, August 26, we will be playing at the Starlite
Lounge in Blawnox. This is a great bar with a good menu and a
smoke-free listening room!

We'll have a small stack of "teaser" CDs, which we'll be giving out
for free! I think we made 20 or so. I know this isn't enough for our
anticipated crowd of 2000, but it's a start... :)

Finally, Dave is trying to expand his repertoire of cover tunes.
Please make suggestions about what songs he should learn by sending
the name of the song to dlr@cs.cmu.edu.

Here's the show info:

- August 26 (Friday) at The Starlite Lounge, 362 Freeport Road in
Blawnox. This is part of the Three Penny Opry Series, organized
by Robert Wagner. No cover, although they're usually pretty
aggressive about passing the tip jar. Non-smoking show starts at
9:30pm.

For more info, check out http://www.jackpittsburgh.com

Also, check out these upcoming cool non-jack shows:

- Johnny A is coming back to Moondogs on Saturday, August 27, at
7:30pm. Excellent instrumental electric guitar music. Like a
non-80's version of Joe Satriani who listened to Jazz instead of
pop-rock. Actually, not like Joe Satriani at all.

- Jack Erdie is having a release party for his new CD, Pumpkin, at
the Rex Theatre, Friday, September 9, at 9pm. This should be a
great show, debuting his new band! Band members include Doug
Wilkin playing amazing guitar, and our own Stacy Mates on vocal
harmony and possibly percussion.

- Robert Earl Keen will be playing the Mystic Bay Nite Club at the
Beaver Valley Mall on September 13th, 9pm. I've never seen him on
tour, but his CDs are great. Engaging lyrics with just a little
bit of Texas Twang!

Here's what's coming in September:

Friday, September 2-- John Wells; Howard Davidson and Friends present Bluegrass Night
Saturday, September 3-- Andrew Tinker and Going Away Party; Robert Wagner and Jon Paul Leone

THERE WILL BE NO SHOW ON FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 9
Saturday, September 10-- Randy Hoffman presents FILK NIGHT, The Folk Music of Science Fiction

Friday, September 16-- Gerard Rohlf and Art Gadzik of The Newlanders
Saturday, September 17-- Richard Kobertz and Scott Milner & friends

Friday, September 23-- Nate Gates CD Release Party with special guests
Saturday, September 24-- Rick Malis presents Americana Night with special guests

Friday, September 30-- Jack Erdie and friends
Saturday, October 1-- John Wells; Robert Wagner and Jon Paul Leone

Monday, August 22, 2005

In the Future . . .
Robert Wagner kicks off unimarts, pit bulls + karaoke machines with Dark Times. Unimarts . . . evokes many of the Pittsburgh neighborhoods and psyches we try to avoid. Robert's ramblings and songs, recorded last year at the Mattress Factory with Dave Maund, also illuminate the way out. As in his introduction to the cover of "Good Morning, Good Morning," Robert like John Lennon is reminding us to wake up.

Thursday, August 18, 2005

Dog Run Boys Make Landmark Appearance
The Dog Run Boys make a rare appearance this Saturday night at Kentuck Knob, the Frank Loyd Wright designed home also located in the Laurel Highlands like Falling Water. The evening features a tour of the home and an acoustic concert and picnic dinner on the grounds which offers a stunning view of the area.

The tour starts at 6:00 p.m. and spots are limited so call 724 329-1901 to make a reservation. Here’s their web site information about the event.
This Weekend

From the moonlist . . .
Friday at 9:00, we have Tom Breiding, Mike Lamont, and Robert Wagner with Jon Paul Leone. Norman Nardini will be stopping in to join the fun with a rare unplugged performance before returning to Moondogs. And the legendary John Wells will be on hand.

Saturday at 8:00
, we have John Hayes, Bill Weiner, Richard Kobertz and Scott Milner. Bill Weiner is a musical encyclopedia of pre-World War II acoustic blues. Scott and Rich are pure pre-rock star classic folk. John Hayes is the host of the Calliope Acoustic Open Stage. And, once again, the legendary John Wells will be on hand.

These shows are sponsored by Calliope, The Pittsburgh Folk Music Society. There is never a cover-charge. It's like having a concert in your living room except you don't have to cook, clean, or wash the dishes.

And if you're asking yourself, "Why can't I play at The Starlite?" ask no more. Stop in. Introduce yourself. Bring your guitar. Ask to play. WE SUPPORT MUSIC!!

Wednesday, August 17, 2005

Not a Song, but a Story

From our friend Jack Erdie,

For those of you who don't care for stories, here is the moral:

Joey Murphy, Brad Yoder, Dave Pahanish, and I will perform a songwriters in the round style show this Thursday, August 18th, at 8 p.m., at Club Cefalo in Carnegie (428 Washington Ave). The cover is $5 which is less than many of you would tip. I'm sure you'll be hearing the cream from each of our crops, and after the show, there will be an open Q & A session where you will be encouraged to ask us whatever you like. And we will answer.

I was lying very still on my back in a junk-cluttered yard, breathing very carefully, expanding my abdomen instead of my rib cage. The mastiff standing on my chest made it difficult to keep up my air flow, and the pain from having been tackled had only begun. There were bruises on my chest from his paws, and on my back and legs from the large river rocks on which I'd landed. Fortunately for the mastiff, I had broken his lunge.

His maw was only inches from my face. A great frothy, glue-like beard of thick drool slowly oozed from his wide, rubbery lips. He wasn't quite growling, but kept showing his formidable teeth with a silent snarl that wrinkled his wide, wet snout. His breath was like a sugared bouquet of Alyssum flowers, except the opposite.

When this went down, I was a meter reader for a gas company in Los Angeles. I'd had extensive training on dog safety, the golden rule of which was: Never Risk Contact With Any Dog. Period. Well, okay. But this house had never had a dog before. The first time I'd approached the six-foot high wooden fence, I'd followed procedure and stood a foot away from it with my back to it while holding a rectangular mirror aloft and using it to scope the yard. There had never been, then or since, any sign of a canine.

Until this day. This day when I nonchalantly threw open the gate and stepped in trusting blindly in the universal continuum of status quo. I was three strides in when I saw the blur of fur to my right. I managed enough of a turn that I was facing the four-legged battering ram with teeth head on when he leaped and paw-punched me in the chest.

And then I was on the ground in a lot of pain, trying not to move, trying to breath. Mastiffs were used by the Romans as dogs of war. They're between 26.5 and 30 inches tall and weigh anywhere from between 160 to 200 pounds. I'd put the one on my chest in the median range. A Roman soldier would have looked at my mastiff buddy and seen a carrion-making machine.

I looked into his eyes for just a second. That was the only time he growled, a basso profundo promissory note of bone-crushing bites to follow. He didn't like eye contact.

So, I employed a trick I'd learned from Al Pacino. I'd read about this technique in an interview. He was asked what he did to so believably seem blind as his character in the movie Scent of a Woman. He said he learned to focus completely on peripheral vision until he honestly didn't see anything in the normal scope of his sight funnel. I was an actor at the time and practiced all kinds of odd ticks and mannerisms in my spare time, just in case a role ever called for them. Playing blind, Pacino style, was one I'd mastered. I put on my best blind face...

And considered my options. Sudden movement wasn't one of them. And sudden loud noise was probably a bad idea, too. If I yelled for the owners, I could be pretty badly mauled before they got to me, if they were even home in the first place. We meter readers carried long, thin metal rods with a hook on one end and a square of leather riveted to the other. The leather was for excitable dogs unexpectedly and suddenly met. You were supposed to proffer the leather for them to chew on as a substitute for your flesh. I'd used it. It worked. But this "tool" was about six feet to my right, fumbled during the tackle and now unreachable.

I didn't want to hurt the dog. Or maybe I just resisted the desire to do exactly that. My father, while often citing his belief that he was a peacemaker, a gentle spirit, had taught me mainly how to punch, kick, bite, gouge, knee, elbow and claw my way out of any given bad situation. I knew how to break a dog's leg by the time I was ten. I had long ago begun to believe that I was fearless, but the fact was that I had developed a taste for fear; an adrenaline addiction. I knew how to channel fear to my own advantage. There was a small knife attached to my belt, inches from my right hand. Small, but the blade was razor sharp. If I detached it's clip from my belt smoothly with the first try, I could have the mastiff split up the center, from groin to sternum, in about one second.

(A lot of folks think this is testosterone at work. They're simplistic in their conclusion. And deluded. It's adrenaline. It's human. It's something called the flight or fight response that has kept us around as a species for countless years. And in West Virginia, where I'm from, I'd known many women who had stabbed abusive husbands to death because they were facing the threat of brutal damage, with their flight options removed from the equation.)

But like I said, I didn't want to hurt the dog. I just wanted to get away from him. I knew the fence was five or six feet behind me, that the gate had closed and latched after I'd entered. I knew I wasn't going to disembowel my attacker, and probably wouldn't break his leg.

I needed to relax and think. I began expanding my belly further taking longer and deeper breaths. I tried to remove my mind from the fear of the crisis at hand. Now maybe it was the strained breathing. Maybe it was some chemical released in my body for coping with pain and/or near-mutilation experiences. But I had a sort of vision.

I saw through, beyond, the large dog to the sky above. And as I watched, the heavens darkened quickly, as though some all-powerful stage manager were dimming the lights before a stage play. And lo, as the sky grew black as the pupil of panther, four stars shone brightly in the middle of the firmament. And the four stars descended slowly, on a gentle arcing path, over the curve of the earth. And as they neared, each star began to assume the form of a person. Three were male, one female, and all were endowed with golden flares of passion, and searing eyes of truth. And while they were still too far off to be positively identified, they stayed their descent, blazed gloriously and a note of celestial music, in four-part harmony, vaulted from them across the face of the earth and beckoned with such urgency and might that every living thing bent toward their station in the heavens. Every tree, shrub, man, woman, child, guppy, and newt cocked their necks as though listening, enchanted.

And then the stars receded with the sudden return of daylight.

Now it may be a coincidence, but it so happens that, four years later -- to the DAY -- on this Thursday night, at Cefalo's in Carnegie, 428 Washington Ave. (412.276.6600) four stars will be appearing to vault a note through the firmament of, hopefully, your consciousness. Three of the stars will be male, one female: (Female) Joey Murphy
(Male)Brad Yoder
(Male)Dave Pahanish
(Male)and Your Servant In Song

The shining begins at 8 pm., the cover is a pittance ($5) and after the performance
will be a Q&A session when YOU will get to ask any one of us anything you like, and we will provide answers as best we can.

We now return to our story.

The mastiff was still on my chest. But in the vault of inner calm I found magic item. A forgotten possession of infinite influence over dogs of all sizes, at home and abroad. In my left pants pocket was a ziplock baggie containing a fat sandwich generously plumped with peanut butter.

I gingerly stuck two fingers in my left pocket and pried apart the ziplock. A second later, Mr. Mastiff's sniffer went into hyperspeed. For the first time since our abrupt introduction, he took his eyes off my face and cast about for the source of the scent. As he did, I drew the baggie out of my pocket and flung it to my left as far as I could. It bounced off the fence and landed in the ground on a pile of ashes and sand. Using my chest as a spring board, he pounced after the morsel, widening the radius of the paw shaped bruises and causing me to exhale with a sharp pang.

And as he jettisoned off me, the beard of gluey saliva plopped from his chin and splattered on my face. I swiped it off my eyes and walked backwards to my little tool. After I picked it up, never taking my eyes off the dog, I sidled toward the fence. The mastiff was chomping the sandwich, baggie and all. For the moment, I had ceased to exist. I let myself out.

Now this incident held a valuable lesson for me as a writer, whether of songs, of true accounts such as this, or any other work of fact or fiction. And the lesson was that the thing to write about will always come from within me. I never need grope about in the atmosphere for inspiration or material. A childhood of proverbial mastiffs waiting behind every fence, and of skies peppered with back-broken semi-saints and tainted angels would never fail to gift me with the stuff of story and song.

Your Servant in Such,

Jack

Tuesday, August 16, 2005

There's Ahrn at This Bar
Ceann na Caca might be getting a little far-flung. Most of their shows are in New York, Philadelphia, and elsewhere, and as far as I know, Pat is living in Brooklyn. But since they've written at least one quintessential Pittsburgh song, they'll always be part of this town. Please note the homage to Rusted Root's "Send Me on My Way" during the instrumental break.

Ceann na Caca will be appearing at The Bridge on the Southside on August 27th. On October 1st, they will hold their CD release party at Finnigan's Wake on the Northside.
Next Weekend's Shows

Friday, August 26
9:00 pm - 12:00 pm
JACK -- Jack is somewhat of a "supergroup" of Calliope songwriters including George Kantor, Dave LaRose and Stacy Mates.

Saturday, August 27
8:00 - 11:00 pm
Isaac Mertz and special guests

Monday, August 15, 2005


Take the Robert Challenge
Robert Wagner challenged folks to come up with a logo for the Three Penny Opry. Here's my entry. Nothing great, I know. Needs to be cleaned up. But I like the guitar/3 thingy.
Small
A song from the musical group Jack.

Sunday, August 14, 2005

Send Me Songs
I know You've Heard That One Before.

Saturday, August 13, 2005

A House Concert
Mustard's Retreat will be in Squirrel Hill tomorrow for a House Concert. For more information contact tbikerman at yahoo.com.

Friday, August 12, 2005

Jay Hitt Says . . .
I'll be at Siba tonight on Rt. 228 in Seven Fields. They've done a last minute time change and I'll be there at 7:30, not 6:00 as I said in my last message to you. Sorry if that causes any problems and I'll see you tonight.

Antonio Gatto and I will be at The Hard Rock Cafe in Station Square at 8:30 on Sunday. Come by if you can.

Talk to you next week. Have a great weekend.
Tomorrow Night
Jack Erdie, Peter King, and Rick Malis. Here are the details:
Saturday at 8:00 at the Starlite Lounge, you can hear Rick Malis, Peter B. King and Jack Erdie. Jack's new CD is available. It's called Pumpkin and it's great. Rick Malis is well known for his work with The Mavens and The Dog Run Boys. And Peter B. King plays gorgeous and tasty jazzy Brazilian guitar.

The Threepenny Opry is sponsored by Calliope, The Pittsburgh Folk Music Society. There is never a cover-charge (a donation is requested). Parents can bring their kids. And the shows are usually over by 11 or 12, so you can get a babysitter if you have to. And there is no smoking in the back room. And when the show is over, we invite you over to Moondogs.

Thursday, August 11, 2005

My Hi-Tech Ways
"Folks these days, with their hi-tech ways, seem to miss out on so much . . ." O.K. I've been talking to people with all this upload-download-podcasting stuff. I just hope to keep reminding people that it's about the music.

Just think of this as a service to get one new Pittsburgh acoustic song per day. While I wait for others to send me songs, here's my song Filling Station Service (With a Smile). It's best appreciated if you imagine the protagonist as overly friendly with just a drop of creepiness.

Wednesday, August 10, 2005

In the Heart of Our Commonwealth
"Hola Amigos," writes Nate Gates.

Been booking some shows at a BYOB coffee shop here in Central Pa. with pretty good turnouts and would like to book some of the folks from the circle to do some shows with some locals.


Nate writes that it's a tips-only affair, but that the tips can get good. He also put in his phone number for a contact, which I left out. But we'll get you in touch if necessary.

P.S. Billy Joe Shaver, who Willie Nelson and myself feel is the best songwriter alive is playing Club Cafe on Thursday, Aug 11 (Tomorrow night!). I saw him in November and it was by far the best show I've ever seen. I personally believe that he is as good as Johnny Cash.


Better, I'm sure, now that Johnny Cash is dead. That aside, I don't know much about Billy Joe Shaver except for the song "Georgia on a Fast Train," which might be the best song ever written.

Tuesday, August 09, 2005

Dreams
Jack's next show will be at the Three Penny Opry on Friday, August 26th. Check out their shows page for more details. Their song Dreams is both catchy and disturbing.
Po Lin Monastery

Sorry that this next post is not necessarily about music, but it does have a picture of the Buddha, which might make you idolators happy. I also have been thinking about songwriting in terms of landscapes and not just parlors and theaters (maybe I'll explain that to you later if you buy me a beer.)

Buddha photographer and peripatetic singer/songwriter Dave Graham sends the following from Hong Kong:

Sunday I decided to see sites on Lantau island (the closest island) instead of traveling to Hong Kong island. I first went to see Po Lin (Precious Lotus) Monastery, where they have the largest seated, outdoor, bronze Buddha in the world.

The Hotel provides a bus to Tung Chung bus/rail station, past the kind of bridges, bays, high rises, and vegetation that I always imagined Hawaii must have. The bus station is built into a mall. From there I must get on local bus 23 to Po Lin.

Bus 23 takes me over the island, which is considerably less civilized than all I have seen so far. Even for a Pittsburgher, the roads seem impossibly narrow and winding. If you are not going up a steep, curvy hill, then you are going down a steep, curvy hill. I was worried about our brakes. Half of it is single lane, with convex mirrors to allow you stop and let the other vehicle go past. Most of the vehicles are buses. This is some of the most populated area in the world.

There are many staircases built into the sides of the hills, allowing foot traffic to take shortcuts. Many hillsides are covered with a lumpy coating of concrete, punctured with weep holes, to prevent landslides.

There are apparently larger Buddhas elsewhere, but at 26.4 meters, this was big enough for me. He is seated on top of a hill overlooking the monastery, with 260 steps leading up the hill. Very pretty hills and valleys, but shrouded in mist.

You must buy a ticket to get inside the museum, which is what Buddha sits on. Inside there are several large murals of important events in Buddha’s life, but no cameras allowed.

The monastery is pretty, with probably as many believers as tourists walking around. There is much incense burning, in various incense pots. the buildings have relief carvings on the walls of celestial beings and dragons.

Monday, August 08, 2005

A Little Bit More Americana


In which Robert Wagner fills us in on what happened at the last 3p . . .

We really need to get a photographer at these things.

Here's what you missed:
Low attendance--At 8:30, not only was there no audience, but some of the musicians had yet to arrive.

Excellent performances by all involved: Me and Jon Paul Leone, Jay Hitt, Sue Gartland, Stephanie Vargo with Tom Moran (both founders of The Deliberate Strangers), and Rosa Colucci backed by me and Jon Paul, and an impromptu set by John Wells. The audience was never large, but it was a warm and supportive group.

And we had some unexpected excitement: People asked, "Why is this at Moondog's instead of The Starlite?" As it turns out, there was a bachelorette party at The Starlite. At the end of my set, around 10:30, a dozen or more rowdy women with homemade "Girls Night Out" tee-shirts, pacifiers made in the shape of a penis, and an eight-foot penis-balloon invaded Moondog's. They wanted to have a good time, but they were also quite disruptive. They approached the stage and asked if I was wearing a thong. I asked who was getting married, and they said, "Sarah and Michelle." "Are they getting married to each other," I asked, "Maybe that's why they need that big balloon." I told them that each could pay a $10 cover-charge if they wished to raise hell, or they could take the party into the back room, or they could settle down and listen. One of the women told me to suck her dick, and they left. It never got horribly ugly and lent spice to what might have otherwise been an ordinary night.

Stephanie was a big hit. Most in the audience were unfamiliar with her music, and she did a wonderful job of fitting in by contrast. Potentially, their might have been a terrible conflict of style and sensibility between Stephanie's stuff and Jay Hitt's material. It could have been oil and water, but by referencing Jay's set, Stephanie was able to put things in context for the listeners, and I'm pretty sure everybody was greatly impressed.

John Wells, in honor of the bachelorettes, played his My Little Honeysuckle Rose. Some loved its sexually explicit humor. At least three women took it as a cue to call it a night. All in all, I had a wonderful time. People who should have met long ago finally got to meet. People who should have heard each other long ago finally got to hear each other. And there was much good music.
Americana Night at the Starlite

Rick Malis writes . . .
I think we're going to call the night that I host Americana Night with Rick Malis and we're going to organize it like this:

September 24th -- Bluegrass Night
October 22nd -- Old Timey Night
November 19 -- Alt-County Night
December 17 -- Acoustic Blues Night

My music web site is www.sugarbaberecords.com

My schedule right now is posted in the Gigs Section.

Sunday, August 07, 2005

Formatting for On-Line Musicking
This post is not of general interest, but that's all right since we don't yet have a general audience. For those who are interested in sending me songs or any audio, here's one way to get me the format I want (128kbps mp3):

If you have iTunes -- and even PCs get iTunes -- it's a four step process.

1. In iTunes, select the song you want to convert.
2. At the menu bar select iTunes|Preferences.
3. In the dialog box select importing. You'll see two draw down menus:
"Import using:" Set this to MP3 encoder; and
"Setting:" Set this to Good Quality (128 kbps)
Click the OK button
4. At the menu bar select Advanced|Convert Selection to MP3

If this is still confusing, I can put up some screenshots.

Wednesday, August 03, 2005

Line up for Saturday, August 6:
Rosa Colucci
Jay Hitt
Sue Gartland
Robert Wagner
Stephanie Vargo
We can put songs on here. Like Willard's Mambo Chicken.