Hey Folks,
This blog started out giving you posts of the songwriter’s notes, lyrics, and music for my original songs. As with many things, it has gone in new directions. So, if you just started reading my post and are interested in my original material, here is a link to mySongwriter Notes.
On Thursday, 11/2, Loren Barrigar of the renowned duo, Loren and Mark, will be our guest in the Side room at Buffalo Bill’s. Loren, like Chet Atkins and Tommy Emmanuel, is a guitarist extraordinaire Take a look at the videos listed below, and see for yourself!
”Hankerin”
”TE’s Ramble”
”Goin’ Under Over You”
”Time” by John Cadley
”Juice”
Want to know more about Loren and Mark? Check them out right here.
Loren and Mark Site
The concert is free, but we do ask for donations to support our performers. Siobhan has created five CDs, one for each of our five seasons. Each CD contains songs of the performers who appeared during that season. The requested donation for each CD is $10, and the proceeds go to the performers who are playing on the night of the donation. The CDs have gotten good reviews, and we hope they get passed around to let others know about the great talent we have appearing at this venue.
The concerts take place on the first and third Thursdays of every month in the side room of Buffalo Bill’s Family Restaurant and Taproom, 19 Main Street, Shortsville, NY. The show runs from 7 to 9 PM. To learn more about Buffalo Bill’s, check out their site right here:
Buffalo Bill’s Family Restaurant and Taproom
Here is a link to videos of performers playing in the Side Room. The videos will give you a feel of how much fun we have at each show. Check them out!
Hope you can join us!
All the best,
Siobhan and Frank
Upcoming Shows:
John Dady, November 16
Kerry Regan, December 7
Michael George, Perry Cleaveland, and Doug Henri, December 21
Gordon Munding and Genesee Johnny, January 4
John Carter, January 18
Fred Vine, Lynn Pigage, and Alex Vine, February 1
The Maria Gillard Trio (Maria Gillard, Elaine Verstraete, and Perry Cleaveland), February 15
Brian Ayers and Mike Nelson, March 1
Connie Deming, March 15
Warren Paul, April 5
Paul Swiatek and Perry Cleaveland, April 19
Scott Regan, May 3
Jeff Riales, Mike Wittek, and Dana Fine, May 17
The Healing Committee (Alan Whitney, Kathryn Koch, and Tim Pitcher), June 7
Ben and Rita Proctor (members of Crooked North), June 21
Joe Rickard (AKA Joemama), July 5
The Michael Yacci Trio (Mike Yacci, Bryan Maslin, and Paul Yacci), July 19
Steve Piper, August 2
The Brothers Blue, August 16
Paulsen and Baker with Tim Chaapel, September 6
The Cadleys with Perry Cleaveland and John Dancks, September 20
Jack Jones, Kendall Paul Wilt, and Fran Cary (Stid Hill Stompers), October 4
Tom Whitmore of Watkins and the Rapiers, October 18
Friday, October 27, 2017
Monday, October 23, 2017
CAN I GET YOU TO TRY TO STREAM YOUR MUSIC?
Hey Folks,
As always, hope everyone is doing well. Been studying music streaming and have learned it is rapidly becoming the most popular way people listen to music. To save you a little time, if you can’t answer yes to the following questions, do not continue reading this post.
Do you enjoy listening to music when you are working on your computer, cleaning your house, exercising, entertaining friends, driving in your car, etc.?
Do you or would you like to have this music streamed right from your computer or mobile device?
Would you like to have total control of your music playlist? (For those who do not know what a playlist is, it’s simply the list of songs you choose to listen to.)
Would you like to be able to create this playlist for free?
If you answered yes, let’s continue. Below is a link to our first playlist for the songwriters who have appeared at our concert series. If you are already a spotify member who stays signed in, you should arrive right on the playlist. Hit play and you should be good to go. If you are not a member, you can sign up easily for free by providing a user name and a password. Here’s the link
Songwriting Sages from Syracuse to South Buffalo
The playlist contains twenty original songs, nineteen from the songwriters who have done shows at our concert series and one of Meyer and McGuire’s.
Now, the fun begins. I do not expect you to like all these songs. From the list, I want you to select the songs you like and move them to “Your Music.” Then, if you want, you can create your own playlist of songs that appeal to you.
Next, I’d appreciate it if you would share this playlist with all your friends and encourage them to select the songs they like. After they select the songs they like, they should share the list with their friends.
Through its algorithms, Spotify looks to see how much a song is being moved to new playlist and how much a song is being played by new listeners. If it sees a song becoming popular on a lower level, it might place it on one of its “editorial playlists.” If a song reaches this level, there’s a good chance it can easily get up to a million streams worldwide. If this happens, it can mean big money for the artist.
Ok, in reality, we are dealing with something you might call a “musical lottery,” but nothing ventured, nothing gained. The worst case scenario is we get to listen to some great songwriters who hail from Syracuse to South Buffalo, and that ain’t bad!
So, remember some key points. Follow the artists you like; save their songs to “Your Music”; share the playlist with your friends. Thanks!
As always, hope everyone is doing well. Been studying music streaming and have learned it is rapidly becoming the most popular way people listen to music. To save you a little time, if you can’t answer yes to the following questions, do not continue reading this post.
Do you enjoy listening to music when you are working on your computer, cleaning your house, exercising, entertaining friends, driving in your car, etc.?
Do you or would you like to have this music streamed right from your computer or mobile device?
Would you like to have total control of your music playlist? (For those who do not know what a playlist is, it’s simply the list of songs you choose to listen to.)
Would you like to be able to create this playlist for free?
If you answered yes, let’s continue. Below is a link to our first playlist for the songwriters who have appeared at our concert series. If you are already a spotify member who stays signed in, you should arrive right on the playlist. Hit play and you should be good to go. If you are not a member, you can sign up easily for free by providing a user name and a password. Here’s the link
Songwriting Sages from Syracuse to South Buffalo
The playlist contains twenty original songs, nineteen from the songwriters who have done shows at our concert series and one of Meyer and McGuire’s.
Now, the fun begins. I do not expect you to like all these songs. From the list, I want you to select the songs you like and move them to “Your Music.” Then, if you want, you can create your own playlist of songs that appeal to you.
Next, I’d appreciate it if you would share this playlist with all your friends and encourage them to select the songs they like. After they select the songs they like, they should share the list with their friends.
Through its algorithms, Spotify looks to see how much a song is being moved to new playlist and how much a song is being played by new listeners. If it sees a song becoming popular on a lower level, it might place it on one of its “editorial playlists.” If a song reaches this level, there’s a good chance it can easily get up to a million streams worldwide. If this happens, it can mean big money for the artist.
Ok, in reality, we are dealing with something you might call a “musical lottery,” but nothing ventured, nothing gained. The worst case scenario is we get to listen to some great songwriters who hail from Syracuse to South Buffalo, and that ain’t bad!
So, remember some key points. Follow the artists you like; save their songs to “Your Music”; share the playlist with your friends. Thanks!
Saturday, October 14, 2017
THE SIDE ROOM PRESENTS TOM WHITMORE OF WATKINS AND THE RAPIERS
Hey Folks,
This blog started out giving you posts of the songwriter’s notes, lyrics, and music for my original songs. As with many things, it has gone in new directions. So, if you just started reading my post and are interested in my original material, here is a link to mySongwriter Notes.
On Thursday, 10/19, Tom Whitmore of Watkins and the Rapiers will be our guests in the Side room at Buffalo Bill’s. Tom, perhaps the least known of the writers for the group, is, like his bandmates, an extremely sensitive and humorous guy. Tom’s songs, also like his bandmates, definitely reflect his sensitivity and humor. Take a look at the videos listed below, and see for yourself!
”Baby, It’s a Long Walk Home”
”The Truth”
”Temporary Baby”
”Vacation from God”
”Texting While Driving”
Want to know more about Tom and Watkins and the Rapiers? Check them out right here.
”Watkins and the Rapiers”
The concert is free, but we do ask for donations to support our performers. Siobhan has created five CDs, one for each of our five seasons. Each CD contains songs of the performers who appeared during that season. The requested donation for each CD is $10, and the proceeds go to the performers who are playing on the night of the donation. The CDs have gotten good reviews, and we hope they get passed around to let others know about the great talent we have appearing at this venue.
The concerts take place on the first and third Thursdays of every month in the side room of Buffalo Bill’s Family Restaurant and Taproom, 19 Main Street, Shortsville, NY. The show runs from 7 to 9 PM. To learn more about Buffalo Bill’s, check out their site right here:
Buffalo Bill’s Family Restaurant and Taproom
Here is a link to videos of performers playing in the Side Room. The videos will give you a feel of how much fun we have at each show. Check them out!
Hope you can join us!
All the best,
Siobhan and Frank
Upcoming Shows:
Loren Barrigar, November 2
John Dady, November 16
Kerry Regan, December 7
Michael George, Perry Cleaveland, and Doug Henri, December 21
Gordon Munding and Genesee Johnny, January 4
John Carter, January 18
Fred Vine, Lynn Pigage, and Alex Vine, February 1
The Maria Gillard Trio (Maria Gillard, Elaine Verstraete, and Perry Cleaveland), February 15
Brian Ayers and Mike Nelson, March 1
Connie Deming, March 15
Warren Paul, April 5
Paul Swiatek and Perry Cleaveland, April 19
Scott Regan, May 3
Jeff Riales, Mike Wittek, and Dana Fine, May 17
The Healing Committee (Alan Whitney, Kathryn Koch, and Tim Pitcher), June 7
Ben and Rita Proctor (members of Crooked North), June 21
Joe Rickard (AKA Joemama), July 5
The Michael Yacci Trio (Mike Yacci, Bryan Maslin, and Paul Yacci), July 19
Steve Piper, August 2
The Brothers Blue, August 16
Paulsen and Baker with Tim Chaapel, September 6
The Cadleys with Perry Cleaveland and John Dancks, September 20
Jack Jones, Kendall Paul Wilt, and Fran Cary (Stid Hill Stompers), October 4
This blog started out giving you posts of the songwriter’s notes, lyrics, and music for my original songs. As with many things, it has gone in new directions. So, if you just started reading my post and are interested in my original material, here is a link to mySongwriter Notes.
On Thursday, 10/19, Tom Whitmore of Watkins and the Rapiers will be our guests in the Side room at Buffalo Bill’s. Tom, perhaps the least known of the writers for the group, is, like his bandmates, an extremely sensitive and humorous guy. Tom’s songs, also like his bandmates, definitely reflect his sensitivity and humor. Take a look at the videos listed below, and see for yourself!
”Baby, It’s a Long Walk Home”
”The Truth”
”Temporary Baby”
”Vacation from God”
”Texting While Driving”
Want to know more about Tom and Watkins and the Rapiers? Check them out right here.
”Watkins and the Rapiers”
The concert is free, but we do ask for donations to support our performers. Siobhan has created five CDs, one for each of our five seasons. Each CD contains songs of the performers who appeared during that season. The requested donation for each CD is $10, and the proceeds go to the performers who are playing on the night of the donation. The CDs have gotten good reviews, and we hope they get passed around to let others know about the great talent we have appearing at this venue.
The concerts take place on the first and third Thursdays of every month in the side room of Buffalo Bill’s Family Restaurant and Taproom, 19 Main Street, Shortsville, NY. The show runs from 7 to 9 PM. To learn more about Buffalo Bill’s, check out their site right here:
Buffalo Bill’s Family Restaurant and Taproom
Here is a link to videos of performers playing in the Side Room. The videos will give you a feel of how much fun we have at each show. Check them out!
Hope you can join us!
All the best,
Siobhan and Frank
Upcoming Shows:
Loren Barrigar, November 2
John Dady, November 16
Kerry Regan, December 7
Michael George, Perry Cleaveland, and Doug Henri, December 21
Gordon Munding and Genesee Johnny, January 4
John Carter, January 18
Fred Vine, Lynn Pigage, and Alex Vine, February 1
The Maria Gillard Trio (Maria Gillard, Elaine Verstraete, and Perry Cleaveland), February 15
Brian Ayers and Mike Nelson, March 1
Connie Deming, March 15
Warren Paul, April 5
Paul Swiatek and Perry Cleaveland, April 19
Scott Regan, May 3
Jeff Riales, Mike Wittek, and Dana Fine, May 17
The Healing Committee (Alan Whitney, Kathryn Koch, and Tim Pitcher), June 7
Ben and Rita Proctor (members of Crooked North), June 21
Joe Rickard (AKA Joemama), July 5
The Michael Yacci Trio (Mike Yacci, Bryan Maslin, and Paul Yacci), July 19
Steve Piper, August 2
The Brothers Blue, August 16
Paulsen and Baker with Tim Chaapel, September 6
The Cadleys with Perry Cleaveland and John Dancks, September 20
Jack Jones, Kendall Paul Wilt, and Fran Cary (Stid Hill Stompers), October 4
Wednesday, October 11, 2017
AUTHOR'S NOTES ABOUT "WHEN YOU WERE CUTE AND I HAD ALL MY HAIR" AND LINKS TO YOUTUBE, SPODIFY, AND CD BABY
An upbeat country/folk song, “When You Were Cute and I Had All My Hair” depicts a middle-aged man talking to his wife about the wonderful life they have had with their four beautiful children. Now that the children are gone and they are empty nesters, he is still deeply in love with her as if it were the first day they met.
How did “When You Were Cute and I Had All My Hair” come to fruition? In 2,000, Siobhan and I were playing at Fiddler’s Green, an Irish bar in Rochester, NY. Jim and Margie Hastings were there for dinner for the first time because they won a gift certificate to the restaurant. They stayed for the entire show, and we got to chatting with them for quite some time when the show was over. We connected and a friendship was born. At subsequent shows at Fiddler’s Green, Jim and Margie brought their four children, Pat, Kenny, Katie, and Dan, and it did not take long before we became part of the family.
As the years rolled on, Jim, Margie, and the kids continued to support our music at a wide variety of venues. One night, we were scheduled to play at Borders, a bookstore in Henrietta, NY. Jim, Margie, and their youngest son, Dan, came to see us, and when they got to the bookstore, we sadly informed them we had been double-booked. The five of us decided to hang out together at another restaurant, and since Dan was with us and only ten years old, we Chose Chuckie Cheese so that he would have something to do while the adults chatted.
As Jim, Margie, Siobhan, and I chatted listening to the sounds of children playing games at Chuckie Cheese, Jim reminded Margie of some special event that occurred for them back before they were married. Margie could not recall this event, and Jim made several attempts to stimulate her memory. After failing several times, Jim, in total frustration, humorously said, “It was back when you were cute, and I had all my hair.”
For some reason, Jim’s statement, “When you were cute, and I had all my hair,” became imprinted in my mind. I played around with it for several years, and finally Jim’s statement became the last line of a somewhat catchy chorus that depicts a man enjoying an evening by the fire with his wife after many years of a happy marriage.
After getting the chorus together, I had to develop a setting and story to support it. As with most of my songs, when they are ready to come out, they do, and this one was ready, and it flowed out within a day. The setting is merely a three verse ballad of Jim and margie’s life together with their four children. I knew it was a keeper instantly, and now all it needed was a melody and some chords.
To enhance the tone, mood, and theme of this Humorously charming upbeat ballad, it was essential to keep the chord progression simple and the tempo fast. So, that’s just what Siobhan and I did with her bass, my guitar, harmonica and vocal. After we put the song together, we went over to record the basic tracks with Rich Cooley, a neighborhood friend. Following this, we brought in two fine musicians, Perry Cleaveland and Bob Spadafora, to add some finishing touches. Perry with his mandolin and fiddle created some awesome sounds, and both Perry and Bob added some terrific backup harmonies to the chorus. We could not have asked for more. In the final mix, Siobhan and I decided to only use the harmonica in the introduction because we had too many other great sounds we wanted to include. Hope you enjoy the download, and I hope it becomes part of your permanent playlist!
If you want to get a feel for the song before you stream or download it, we have a video of us playing the basic tracks on YouTube. Here is a link to our YouTube Channel:
Practicing “When You Were Cute and I Had All My Hair”
If you liked what you heard on our YouTube Channel, here’s a link to where you can stream it on Spodify and add it to your playlist (If you are not a Spodify member, you need to become a member and download the Spodify Web Player. It is free.):
Spodify Streaming Page for “When You Were Cute and I Had All My Hair”
If you liked what you heard on our YouTube Channel, here’s a link to where you can download it and add it to your playlist:
CD Baby Download Page for “When You Were Cute and I Had All My Hair”
How did “When You Were Cute and I Had All My Hair” come to fruition? In 2,000, Siobhan and I were playing at Fiddler’s Green, an Irish bar in Rochester, NY. Jim and Margie Hastings were there for dinner for the first time because they won a gift certificate to the restaurant. They stayed for the entire show, and we got to chatting with them for quite some time when the show was over. We connected and a friendship was born. At subsequent shows at Fiddler’s Green, Jim and Margie brought their four children, Pat, Kenny, Katie, and Dan, and it did not take long before we became part of the family.
As the years rolled on, Jim, Margie, and the kids continued to support our music at a wide variety of venues. One night, we were scheduled to play at Borders, a bookstore in Henrietta, NY. Jim, Margie, and their youngest son, Dan, came to see us, and when they got to the bookstore, we sadly informed them we had been double-booked. The five of us decided to hang out together at another restaurant, and since Dan was with us and only ten years old, we Chose Chuckie Cheese so that he would have something to do while the adults chatted.
As Jim, Margie, Siobhan, and I chatted listening to the sounds of children playing games at Chuckie Cheese, Jim reminded Margie of some special event that occurred for them back before they were married. Margie could not recall this event, and Jim made several attempts to stimulate her memory. After failing several times, Jim, in total frustration, humorously said, “It was back when you were cute, and I had all my hair.”
For some reason, Jim’s statement, “When you were cute, and I had all my hair,” became imprinted in my mind. I played around with it for several years, and finally Jim’s statement became the last line of a somewhat catchy chorus that depicts a man enjoying an evening by the fire with his wife after many years of a happy marriage.
After getting the chorus together, I had to develop a setting and story to support it. As with most of my songs, when they are ready to come out, they do, and this one was ready, and it flowed out within a day. The setting is merely a three verse ballad of Jim and margie’s life together with their four children. I knew it was a keeper instantly, and now all it needed was a melody and some chords.
To enhance the tone, mood, and theme of this Humorously charming upbeat ballad, it was essential to keep the chord progression simple and the tempo fast. So, that’s just what Siobhan and I did with her bass, my guitar, harmonica and vocal. After we put the song together, we went over to record the basic tracks with Rich Cooley, a neighborhood friend. Following this, we brought in two fine musicians, Perry Cleaveland and Bob Spadafora, to add some finishing touches. Perry with his mandolin and fiddle created some awesome sounds, and both Perry and Bob added some terrific backup harmonies to the chorus. We could not have asked for more. In the final mix, Siobhan and I decided to only use the harmonica in the introduction because we had too many other great sounds we wanted to include. Hope you enjoy the download, and I hope it becomes part of your permanent playlist!
If you want to get a feel for the song before you stream or download it, we have a video of us playing the basic tracks on YouTube. Here is a link to our YouTube Channel:
Practicing “When You Were Cute and I Had All My Hair”
If you liked what you heard on our YouTube Channel, here’s a link to where you can stream it on Spodify and add it to your playlist (If you are not a Spodify member, you need to become a member and download the Spodify Web Player. It is free.):
Spodify Streaming Page for “When You Were Cute and I Had All My Hair”
If you liked what you heard on our YouTube Channel, here’s a link to where you can download it and add it to your playlist:
CD Baby Download Page for “When You Were Cute and I Had All My Hair”
Saturday, September 30, 2017
THE SIDE ROOM PRESENTS JACK JONES, KENDALL WILT, & FRAN CARY (STID HILL STOMPERS)
Hey Folks,
This blog started out giving you posts of the songwriter’s notes, lyrics, and music for my original songs. As with many things, it has gone in new directions. So, if you just started reading my post and are interested in my original material, here is a link to mySongwriter Notes.
On Thursday, 10/5, Jack Jones, Kendall Paul Wilt, and Fran Cary (The Stid Hill Stompers), will be our guests in the Side room at Buffalo Bill’s. In addition to being an outstanding Journalist and biographer, Jack is a great songwriter whose songs beautifully reflect his many interesting experiences! Take a look at the videos listed below, and see for yourself!
”I’d Be Grateful”
”98.7”
”I’m Sorry, John”
”My Brother Chimpanzee”
”Rag & Bone Man”
Want to know more about The Stid Hill Stompers? Check them out right here.
Stid Hill Stompers
The concert is free, but we do ask for donations to support our performers. Siobhan has created five CDs, one for each of our five seasons. Each CD contains songs of the performers who appeared during that season. The requested donation for each CD is $10, and the proceeds go to the performers who are playing on the night of the donation. The CDs have gotten good reviews, and we hope they get passed around to let others know about the great talent we have appearing at this venue.
The concerts take place on the first and third Thursdays of every month in the side room of Buffalo Bill’s Family Restaurant and Taproom, 19 Main Street, Shortsville, NY. The show runs from 7 to 9 PM. To learn more about Buffalo Bill’s, check out their site right here:
Buffalo Bill’s Family Restaurant and Taproom
Here is a link to videos of performers playing in the Side Room. The videos will give you a feel of how much fun we have at each show. Check them out!
Hope you can join us!
All the best,
Siobhan and Frank
Upcoming Shows:
Tom Whitmore, October 19
Loren Barrigar, November 2
John Dady, November 16
Kerry Regan, December 7
Michael George, Perry Cleaveland, and Doug Henri, December 21
Gordon Munding and Genesee Johnny, January 4
John Carter, January 18
Fred Vine, Lynn Pigage, and Alex Vine, February 1
The Maria Gillard Trio (Maria Gillard, Elaine Verstraete, and Perry Cleaveland), February 15
Brian Ayers and Mike Nelson, March 1
Connie Deming, March 15
Warren Paul, April 5
Paul Swiatek and Perry Cleaveland, April 19
Scott Regan, May 3
Jeff Riales, Mike Wittek, and Dana Fine, May 17
The Healing Committee (Alan Whitney, Kathryn Koch, and Tim Pitcher), June 7
Ben and Rita Proctor (members of Crooked North), June 21
Joe Rickard (AKA Joemama), July 5
The Michael Yacci Trio (Mike Yacci, Bryan Maslin, and Paul Yacci), July 19
Steve Piper, August 2
The Brothers Blue, August 16
Paulsen and Baker with Tim Chaapel, September 6
The Cadleys with Perry Cleaveland and John Dancks, September 20
This blog started out giving you posts of the songwriter’s notes, lyrics, and music for my original songs. As with many things, it has gone in new directions. So, if you just started reading my post and are interested in my original material, here is a link to mySongwriter Notes.
On Thursday, 10/5, Jack Jones, Kendall Paul Wilt, and Fran Cary (The Stid Hill Stompers), will be our guests in the Side room at Buffalo Bill’s. In addition to being an outstanding Journalist and biographer, Jack is a great songwriter whose songs beautifully reflect his many interesting experiences! Take a look at the videos listed below, and see for yourself!
”I’d Be Grateful”
”98.7”
”I’m Sorry, John”
”My Brother Chimpanzee”
”Rag & Bone Man”
Want to know more about The Stid Hill Stompers? Check them out right here.
Stid Hill Stompers
The concert is free, but we do ask for donations to support our performers. Siobhan has created five CDs, one for each of our five seasons. Each CD contains songs of the performers who appeared during that season. The requested donation for each CD is $10, and the proceeds go to the performers who are playing on the night of the donation. The CDs have gotten good reviews, and we hope they get passed around to let others know about the great talent we have appearing at this venue.
The concerts take place on the first and third Thursdays of every month in the side room of Buffalo Bill’s Family Restaurant and Taproom, 19 Main Street, Shortsville, NY. The show runs from 7 to 9 PM. To learn more about Buffalo Bill’s, check out their site right here:
Buffalo Bill’s Family Restaurant and Taproom
Here is a link to videos of performers playing in the Side Room. The videos will give you a feel of how much fun we have at each show. Check them out!
Hope you can join us!
All the best,
Siobhan and Frank
Upcoming Shows:
Tom Whitmore, October 19
Loren Barrigar, November 2
John Dady, November 16
Kerry Regan, December 7
Michael George, Perry Cleaveland, and Doug Henri, December 21
Gordon Munding and Genesee Johnny, January 4
John Carter, January 18
Fred Vine, Lynn Pigage, and Alex Vine, February 1
The Maria Gillard Trio (Maria Gillard, Elaine Verstraete, and Perry Cleaveland), February 15
Brian Ayers and Mike Nelson, March 1
Connie Deming, March 15
Warren Paul, April 5
Paul Swiatek and Perry Cleaveland, April 19
Scott Regan, May 3
Jeff Riales, Mike Wittek, and Dana Fine, May 17
The Healing Committee (Alan Whitney, Kathryn Koch, and Tim Pitcher), June 7
Ben and Rita Proctor (members of Crooked North), June 21
Joe Rickard (AKA Joemama), July 5
The Michael Yacci Trio (Mike Yacci, Bryan Maslin, and Paul Yacci), July 19
Steve Piper, August 2
The Brothers Blue, August 16
Paulsen and Baker with Tim Chaapel, September 6
The Cadleys with Perry Cleaveland and John Dancks, September 20
Sunday, September 17, 2017
Wednesday, September 13, 2017
AUTHOR'S NOTES ABOUT "LAST MAN STANDING" AND LINK TO SPODIFY
Similar to John Prine’s “Hello in There,” in tone, mood, and theme, “last Man Standing” depicts an aging WWII veteran listening to songs that take him back to significant moments in his life.
How did “Last Man Standing” come to fruition? Well, in June of 2010, my mother died suddenly from complications caused by a massive stroke. This devastating event broke my father’s heart, and he has still not recovered from it. I doubt he ever will. Since my mother’s death, I have spoken to my father at least once a day on the phone, and now that he lives here in Canandaigua, NY, I visit with him every day. Despite his intense loneliness and indifference towards life, he does the best he can to keep going, and I admire him for this. Listening to his favorite oldies of the 1940s, ‘50s, and ‘60s often fills up his afternoons with great memories of his life.
He shared many of these memories with me, and most of them focused on some of the great times he had with my mother and their best friends, Tom and Marge Tynan and Phil and Dot Breithaupt. The “six pack,” as I often called them, did a myriad of things together. Parties, picnics, dances, and trips filled up their nearly fifty year friendship. In the late 1990s, the “six pack” began to empty, and with the death of Phil Breithaupt a couple of years ago, my father became the last bottle in the pack. Since Phil’s death, he has expressed to me several times that his bottle is empty, and whenever God is ready, he’s ready to join the other empties.
Along with his stories about his times with my mother and their friends, he also told me stories about his time in the Marines during WWII. He never spoke of the war before this, and most of his generation did not speak of it either. I learned about his experiences in the war in the Pacific, and he described the awful night he was severely wounded and nearly killed on Okinawa. I discovered that most of his friends from the military were also gone, and he was ready to join them, too.
Like many people who are my father’s age, he is the “last man standing” in his group. That phrase entered my mind one day, and I started playing around with some words that eventually became the chorus of the song. Using military imagery, the chorus depicts a soldier who wants to die, but he will not leave this earth until he fulfills his purpose.
After getting the chorus together, I had to develop a setting and story to support it. As with most of my songs, when they are ready to come out, they do, and this one was ready, and it flowed out like a waterfall. The setting is my father sitting in an easy chair listening to his favorite oldies. As he listens, the songs take him through the events of his life from his war years to the death of his wife. I knew it was a keeper instantly, and now all it needed was a melody and some chords.
To enhance the tone, mood, and theme of this sensitive ballad, it was essential to keep the chord progression simple and the tempo slow. So, that’s just what Siobhan and I did with her bass, my guitar, harmonica and vocal. After we put the song together, we went over to record the basic tracks with Rich Cooley, a neighborhood friend. Following this, we brought in two fine musicians, Perry Cleaveland and Bob Spadafora, to add some finishing touches. Perry with his mandolin and fiddle and Bob with his acoustic guitar created some awesome sounds. Along with their instruments, they added some terrific backup harmonies to the chorus. We could not have asked for more. In the final mix, Siobhan and I decided to leave the harmonica out because we had too many other great sounds we wanted to include. Hope you enjoy the stream , and I hope it becomes part of your permanent playlist!
If you want to listen to the song on Spodify, Here is a link to it:
“Last Man Standing”
If you want to own the song, here’s a link to where you can download it:
CD Baby Download Page for “Last Man Standing”
How did “Last Man Standing” come to fruition? Well, in June of 2010, my mother died suddenly from complications caused by a massive stroke. This devastating event broke my father’s heart, and he has still not recovered from it. I doubt he ever will. Since my mother’s death, I have spoken to my father at least once a day on the phone, and now that he lives here in Canandaigua, NY, I visit with him every day. Despite his intense loneliness and indifference towards life, he does the best he can to keep going, and I admire him for this. Listening to his favorite oldies of the 1940s, ‘50s, and ‘60s often fills up his afternoons with great memories of his life.
He shared many of these memories with me, and most of them focused on some of the great times he had with my mother and their best friends, Tom and Marge Tynan and Phil and Dot Breithaupt. The “six pack,” as I often called them, did a myriad of things together. Parties, picnics, dances, and trips filled up their nearly fifty year friendship. In the late 1990s, the “six pack” began to empty, and with the death of Phil Breithaupt a couple of years ago, my father became the last bottle in the pack. Since Phil’s death, he has expressed to me several times that his bottle is empty, and whenever God is ready, he’s ready to join the other empties.
Along with his stories about his times with my mother and their friends, he also told me stories about his time in the Marines during WWII. He never spoke of the war before this, and most of his generation did not speak of it either. I learned about his experiences in the war in the Pacific, and he described the awful night he was severely wounded and nearly killed on Okinawa. I discovered that most of his friends from the military were also gone, and he was ready to join them, too.
Like many people who are my father’s age, he is the “last man standing” in his group. That phrase entered my mind one day, and I started playing around with some words that eventually became the chorus of the song. Using military imagery, the chorus depicts a soldier who wants to die, but he will not leave this earth until he fulfills his purpose.
After getting the chorus together, I had to develop a setting and story to support it. As with most of my songs, when they are ready to come out, they do, and this one was ready, and it flowed out like a waterfall. The setting is my father sitting in an easy chair listening to his favorite oldies. As he listens, the songs take him through the events of his life from his war years to the death of his wife. I knew it was a keeper instantly, and now all it needed was a melody and some chords.
To enhance the tone, mood, and theme of this sensitive ballad, it was essential to keep the chord progression simple and the tempo slow. So, that’s just what Siobhan and I did with her bass, my guitar, harmonica and vocal. After we put the song together, we went over to record the basic tracks with Rich Cooley, a neighborhood friend. Following this, we brought in two fine musicians, Perry Cleaveland and Bob Spadafora, to add some finishing touches. Perry with his mandolin and fiddle and Bob with his acoustic guitar created some awesome sounds. Along with their instruments, they added some terrific backup harmonies to the chorus. We could not have asked for more. In the final mix, Siobhan and I decided to leave the harmonica out because we had too many other great sounds we wanted to include. Hope you enjoy the stream , and I hope it becomes part of your permanent playlist!
If you want to listen to the song on Spodify, Here is a link to it:
“Last Man Standing”
If you want to own the song, here’s a link to where you can download it:
CD Baby Download Page for “Last Man Standing”
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