Live @ Club Passim 5-29-10

Dear BP, What the HELL?!

There are three things that disturb me most about this tragic oil disaster:

1. We are still going to be using oil after this mess is cleaned up. Shouldn't this be a wake up call to utilize clean, renewable energy?

2. Innocent animals are suffering

3. Public figures, such as Sarah Palin are blaming this disaster on environmentalists. I think this tactic is called projecting.

So, what can we do? Repower America may be a great place to start. Secondly, why not invest in a bicycle?

Full band rehearsal for our mini tour this weekend. Boston Saturday, NYC Sunday!

To Flyer or Not to Flyer - It's Better Face-to-Face

Those of you in bands may have faced this dilemma before. What is the most effective way to promote your upcoming show? Flyers are an old-fashioned, yet tried and true tactic to let people know you're coming to town.

So, with several shows on the horizon, I went down to the Lower East Side yesterday (in the greatest city around, NY, NY) with a purse full of flyers and some freshly purchased mailing tape. (You know, the kind you pay too much for at the post office).

I walked around several city blocks and saw that ATMs and outdated telephone booths (remember those?!) were the areas reserved for posting flyers. I saw flyers for only 2 bands, and the remaining space was taken by cell phone companies, street fairs, and a company promoting CD replication services. I ended up not putting up any flyers at all, and saved a heck of a lot of expensive mailing tape.

Feeling like I had hit a dead end in the goal I had set for the day, I walked around the corner to Rockwood Music Hall, where I was handed a flyer. Hmm, I got to thinking. Maybe getting the word out about your band, concert, etc. is better done face-to-face, or hand-to-hand, for that matter. Who even looks at telephone booths anyway?

The person handing me the flyer was a volunteer for Oxfam, an international relief and development organization that works to solve poverty, hunger, and injustice. They were hosting a benefit concert, featuring three New York-based artists.

What did I learn from this experience? Well, there is something special about personalization. It makes your experience count. Who cares about some random band on some random flyer posted on an ATM. What people respond to, at least what I responded to, was someone talking to me and promoting themselves, their cause, etc. face-to-face.

Busking in Brooklyn

This weekend Jessa and I packed up our gear and headed to Brooklyn to busk at an outdoor farmers market in McCarren Park. Although summer-like days were bookends to Saturday's performance, it was a chilly 45 or so and cloudy when we began playing (should have worn my fingerless gloves!)


The cold weather did not, however, stop people from enjoying the day outdoors. Young families wandered the market with their children, who were mesmerized at the sight of a harp and guitar. We met musicians, social activists, fruit farmers (selling a dozen different kinds of apples) and some passionate dog owners out enjoying the afternoon sun. Among my favorite neighborhoods in Brooklyn, Williamsburg and Greenpoint have a strong sense of community, beautiful parks, an artistic flair, and a sense of peace and quiet not easily found over the bridge in Manhattan.


After our market outing, I am now beginning a portable garden. Our "next tent neighbor" was selling a "garden in a bag," a simple portable gardening system for sprouting different seed blends. Sprouts are really easy to grow in the cramped comfort of a one bedroom apartment (yay, city dwellers!) and are more nutritious than their adult counterparts. I tried a sample of the sprouts with some delicious peanut sauce and bought the garden bag right away (I'll let you know how it comes out).


If you've never been to a farmer's market before (and why not, they are awesome!) visit LocalHarvest.org or another community website and find one. Buying local supports the economy of your community and is better for the environment.

The Power of F.O.C.U.S.

Hello! Jessa just returned from Anaheim, CA where we attended a week-long business conference. I have since returned and my head is swimming with ideas!

I'd love to share some of the pearls of wisdom I took from the conference with you. Please leave comments and share some of your stories, thoughts, and ideas.



PEARL #1 The Power of F.O.C.U.S.

One of the recurring themes of the week was the power of focusing on a goal, a plan, etc. I particularly liked the acronym Follow One Course Until Successful. (thanks Mari Smith!) It's so often that people begin a project or a business or a song, for that matter, and never follow it through to completion!

This week I am going to focus on performing live as much as possible. Last night I got off to a good start and played the open mic at Lucy's in Pleasantville. Then, today, I booked The Callen Sisters at The Living Room in NYC on June 22!

How can you apply the power of focus this week?

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Printing setlists

Rehearsal with our band!