WEEKLY UPDATE FOR MUSIC FANS!

One of the highlights of my week was unexpectedly running into Eric Cosman, one of my great friends from the teaching chapter of my life. For all you CA graduates and former colleagues, he’s still the same old “Cos,” excited and enthusiastic about life as ever. For those of you who did not know him, he was one of the finest science teachers in the area, and a person you would definitely want your kid to experience. As we stood talking on Main Street in Canandaigua, time just disappeared. It was like yesterday, and although the topics were different, the same energy flowed as we moved from one idea to the other. We once talked about kids and teaching strategies, and now we talked about our new chapters. For him, much of it was still nature, and for me, of course, it was music. When we parted, I was totally uplifted as I always was when we chatted. Our visit got me to thinking about the myriads of people who have had and still have the same impact on me as “Cos.” They have simply made this trip I am on a beautiful one. Most of them I meet now are connected to music, and here’s a little review of how I was uplifted by them this past week.
On Thursday, Siobhan and I played our monthly show at The Timber Creek. When possible, Siobhan and I like to establish a relationship with the venues where we play. For us the music is merely a vehicle to connect with people, and this has been happening at Timber Creek because Susie, the owner, lets us jam there once a month. This month-to-month connection has given us the opportunity to develop friendships with the patrons, and that is just what has been happening. This past Thursday, we celebrated Al Brown’s birthday, and it was a great pleasure meeting Al’s family and friends. Tom Clark and Bill Ridley, two old friends and patrons of the bar, introduced us to their friends, and it was an absolute pleasure meeting them too. So, thanks to Susie for helping us create this fun evening, thanks to Jill and Hillbilly for always being so welcoming, and thanks to all you folks who keep coming out to The Timber Creek to support our music!
Saturday at Rio Tomatlan in Canandaigua was somewhat of a ditto of Thursday. Like The Timber Creek, we have a month-to-month connection with the patrons, bartenders, and servers, and we just love being with everyone. We had a blast this Saturday playing our tunes and interacting with the patrons at the bar and those who stopped by to chat between songs. Thanks to everyone who came out!
On Sunday, we were back at Rio Tomatlan to host our concert series for songwriters. Our featured guest was Michael Gonzalez, and he brought his group, Whirlwood (Perry Cleaveland and Douglas Henrie) to back him up. Michael’s presentation was beyond phenomenal. His comfortable interaction with the audience, sensitive delivery of thought-provoking, insightful, and uplifting lyrics, intricate development of arrangements, and diverse use of musical styles were simply beautiful. Perry Cleaveland, (mandolin and fiddle) and Douglas Henrie (upright bass) were right on the money in enhancing Michael’s music. You lovers of jazz and blues missed a great show. Big thanks to Michael, Perry, and Doug for one outstanding show! Big thanks to Raf, Erin, Brittany, Trevor, Julie, Amy, Sadie, Ryan, and the rest of the staff at Rio for all the help they gave us Saturday and Sunday! Big thanks to Scott Regan for promoting our shows on WRUR's "Open Tunings!" Big thanks to all of you who came out on Saturday and Sunday, especially Maryann Fennelly, a friend who recently experienced a serious health issue. It was so uplifting to see Maryann in the audience on Sunday afternoon!
Still reading? If so, thanks for being in our lives and hope you have a great holiday season!