News Flash:
Two Big Concerts Coming Up:
Apr 20: Medford United Methodist Church 7PM
2 Hartford Rd., Medford, NJ 08055
“Spiritual Freedom Is Your Destiny”
Apr 28: New Jersey Folk Festival 10AM – 6PM
Douglass College, New Brunswick, NJ
Lots of performers, and food vendors all day!!
Introducing my new program “The Works of Woody Guthrie” – a tribute to Woody Guthrie in the centennial year of his birth (at 12:30PM)
Also performing a set of originals and MCing the Songwriter’s Showcase (at 2PM).
1. Latest News
* Scooter turns 13: What do you think about that? Scooter, of course, is my cat. He was found in the basement of my house in 1999. A stray cat had made its way in and had a litter. After a few weeks, the mother took 5 of the 6 kittens and left the runt behind. I picked him up, dropped him in my shirt pocket, named him “Scooter” and took him upstairs. The first thing he did was steal a piece of meat from my dog “Petie” (does anyone remember Petie?). The chunk of meat was bigger than Scooter’s head, but his heart was even bigger. Scooter later took to loving cantaloupe, broccoli, string beans and kale. He is still an omnivore though I remain a vegetarian. Our other cat, Figaro is 6.
* Working on CD: Things are plugging along at Ampersand Studio in Bridgewater, NJ as we begin preliminary work on my next CD. Bob Harris who produced my two previous CDs has also produced other folk artists and their songs including two #1 hits for Mara Levine on Folk Radio. We mapped out a lot of the production ideas and are preparing for the big recording sessions to occur sometime this Spring. I will be inviting many top quality singers and studio artists to join this project. I plan to use a Kickstarter campaign to raise funds to pay for the recording because as we all know, the economy isn’t doing so well and the arts and artists have been taking a beating. The CD is going to cost way more than your average musician makes and if there is any hope of promoting it properly, it’s going to take some good funding. Hoping for a 2012 release of what will be my 5th album.
* Singing with the Peeps: I have taken on a project of getting more groups of people, large and small, to experience (or re-experience) the joys of singing. To that end, last month I lead a packed house at the Two Rivers Theatre in Red Bank, NJ sing opening and closing songs at an event on fracking sponsored by Food and Water Watch. We opened the event with everybody singing Pete Seeger’s “My Rainbow Race”. And we closed by writing new verses to “Oh Freedom”. There was plenty of food and socializing afterward. Food and Water Watch is doing a great job of building community around food, song and a very important issue. I imagine that if we can get enough people singing, eating and paying attention together, we can regain some sense of local and national community that seems to have eroded ever since Mickey Mouse came to town.
* Lyme Update: I am 3 months into an herbal protocol to heal myself of Lyme. It’s a pretty rigorous routine. Almost everything I ingest in the course of a day has some specific Lyme fighting quality. I’ve been on the protocol for three months and have about another year to go. I am seeing some positive results. My energy level is up to probably about 25% now. That’s a little better than before. I still get incredibly tired after doing a fraction of what I used to do. 18 months ago I was running 40 miles a week and coaching a bunch of friends in track. (Although, I think I have had Lyme for at least 5 years – more on that in the future.) Now I have completely stopped running but I have found that I can do some cardio work at the gym – and lift some very light weights. I am fully confident that this program is working and that I will succeed in defeating this malady. If anyone out there is looking for a good herbal approach to healing Lyme naturally, get a copy of “Healing Lyme – Natural Healing and Prevention of Lyme Borreliosis and Its Coinfections” by Stephan Harrod Buhner.
* Empire State Tour: I am currently planning my first short tour since being diagnosed with Lyme. In the past year, I have skipped SERFA, NERFA, Folk Alliance, and my annual South East and Midwest tours. (I did manage two tours of the Mountain States last year.) The plan is to gig in various places in New York State – excluding NYC and Long Island – between August 3 and 12. I currently have 3 gigs arranged and am looking for more. If you live in NY and would like to host a house concert or book me in a library, arts center, listening room or elsewhere, I’d love to hear from you.
Old News:
* Lecture/Concerts: “Rise Up and Sing Out – The Power of Song in the Civil Rights Movement.” I spent a week this past September at Salt Lake Community College in Utah presenting this concert. And the next day I presented an in-class lecture/concert for an anthropology class on the more general topic “Stand Up and Sing Out – The Power of Song in American Social Movements.” My major goal was to share the power of song by getting students to sing. Singing is a phenomenon that just simply doesn’t happen the way it used to for centuries prior to the advent of radio and television. But I was very happy to hear the students open their mouths and hearts (sometimes after much gentle coaxing) to sing along. I’d love to bring this program to other colleges. If you have ideas, let me know :->
* The Spook Handy Trio: It’s so much fun to play with Bob Harris (acoustic guitar and mandolin – played on Johnny Cash recordings and toured with Vassar Clements) and Paul Prestopino (dobro, mandolin, banjo and mandola – recorded with everybody from Pete Seeger to Aerosmith and toured with Peter Paul and Mary, John Denver, The Chad Mitchell Trio and lots of contra dance ensembles). We’ve done a bunch of gigs this past year and look forward to more this summer. I’d like to get us into some arts centers and summer concert series.
* I now have a fan page at Facebook. Feel free to join at http://www.facebook.com/reqs.php#/pages/Spook-Handy-Music-for-all-Souls/60713844908. I end up posting occasionally about special concerts or some really neat observation I have made while on the road. I’d love to have you in this loop too, so if you’re not already a “friend” I invite you to be one. :->
It all begins in our hearts. But it goes further. I can understand why those who believe in the possibility of heaven on Earth are disappointed that our leaders have been incapable of working miracles over the past two years. But for those of us who understand the limitations of the human condition and hence of our leaders – who people sometimes forget are human, too – we have the opportunity to recognize that getting out of this hole we’ve dug ourselves into over the past 3 decades may take many years . And thus we are required to be diligent, persistent, tolerant and patient.
And remember, Word of Mouth is still the best way to get the music out. So, if you have suggestions let me know.
2. Where I am touring in the coming months?:
In August I will do a short tour of the Empire State (New York). I look forward to seeing new areas of this beautiful region. If you have any ideas for gigs in NY or anywhere else, let me know. I love to do HOUSE CONCERTS where I can really get to know the people I will play for and sing with. After the show we usually eat together and just generally hang out. House Concerts are like private shows for the inner circle of music lovers who really want to be a part of this incredible movement of making live music intimate and real again. Interested in finding out more? Let me know. Maybe we can do a concert at your house.
3. Join The Spook Handy Street Team
Many thanks to all of you who have joined the Spook Handy Street Team – to help spread the word about upcoming events and what this musical venture is about. A lot of people have volunteered over the years to help by doing this or that and it really makes a difference. A lot of “street teammates” have helped by downloading a flier and making 1, 2, 20 or 100 copies and posting them in highly visible places. Others have connected me with newspapers or DJs or concert presenters or important music industry people. Still others have saved newspaper articles. There’s a whole slew of small things that make big differences.
Some things that I could use help getting done are:
posting flier that I will email you.
recording live shows,
taking pictures and managing an archive
maintaining my MySpace page
you name it.
If you would like to join the Spook Handy Street team, write back and let me know. There’s no obligation. I’ll just send you emails a little more often with attachments of fliers or other stuff and its up to you what you want to do with it after that.
4. Upcoming Dates:
Apr 14: Peaceworks Annual Dinner 6:30 PM
United Presbyterian Church of Plainfield, 525 East Front Street, Plainfield, NJ
A Celebration of Hope and Solidarity
$10 donation for adults. No charge for children.
Apr 20: Medford United Methodist Church 7PM
2 Hartford Rd., Medford, NJ 08055
“Spiritual Freedom Is Your Destiny”
Free-will offerings will be accepted
Apr 21: Morris View Healthcare Center
Morristown, NJ
A “Seniors Outreach” program.
Sponsored by the Arts Council of Morris Area
Apr 28: New Jersey Folk Festival 10AM – 6PM
Douglass College, New Brunswick, NJ
Lots of performers, and food vendors all day!!
Introducing my new program “The Works of Woody” – a tribute to Woody Guthrie in the centennial year of his birth at 12:30PM
Also performing a set of originals and MCing the Songwriter’s Showcase at 2PM.
May 1: Reformed Church Home
Oldbridge, NJ
A “Seniors Outreach” program.
May 16: Songwriting and Performance Workshops all day
Somerset County Teen Arts Festival
May 18: Songwriting and Performance Workshops all day
Mercer County Teen Arts Festival
May 27: South Brunswick Public Library 2-3 PM
110 Kingston Lane, Monmouth Junction, NJ 08852
America’s Story through Folk Songs
June 3: East Brunswick Historical Society
East Brunswick, NJ
Songs of the Great Depression and Today
June 5: New Jersey Library Association
Atlantic City, NJ
June 6: New Jersey Library Association
Atlantic City, NJ
June 9: An Afternoon with Spook Handy and Freeman Dyson
Princeton, NJ
30 minute concert followed by Q&A with world famous theoretical physicist Freeman Dyson
$135 – all proceeds to benefit Raritan Valley Road Runners SOLD OUT!!
June 10: Strawberry Festival Noon to 5:00 PM
Beacon Riverfront Park
“Finale!” Pete Seeger and friends’ grand finale set of the festival
June 24: Earth Fair
Smithville Mansion, Eastampton, NJ
More info TBA
Aug 1: Franklin Township Public Library 7:00 PM
485 DeMott Lane, Somerset, NJ 08873
The Spook Handy Trio with Paul Prestopino and Bob Harris
Empire State Tour 2012
Thanks to everyone who helping me fill in dates. It’s the best way to book a tour.
Let me know if you’d like book a house concert, library, art center, summer series concert, etc. between Aug 4 and Aug 11 in or near New York State.
Aug 6: Ulysses Philomathic Library 7:00 PM
74 E. Main Street Trumansburg, NY 14886
“Tales From the Road”
Aug 8: Stewart B. Lang Memorial Library 6:15 PM
3153 East Main Street Cato, NY 13033
“Americas Story through Folk Songs”
Aug 12: Corn Festival Noon to 5:00 PM
Beacon Riverfront Park
“Finale!” Pete Seeger and friends’ grand finale set of the festival + My own set of covers and originals
Back in the NJ area
Aug 17 – 19: Solar Expo Jam featuring Pete Seeger
Rickey and Son’s Organic Farm, 442 Rt. 94 North, Vernon, NJ
I’ll be sharing the stage with Pete Seeger and others. And doing a set of my own songs.
Lots of performers, and food vendors all day!!
More info TBA. Visit Solar Expo Jam Website regularly for updates.
Sept 29: Farmstead Arts Center
450 King George Road, Basking Ridge, NJ 07920
More info TBA.
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Spook Handy
109 Nichol Ave # B
New Brunswick, NJ 08901
Apr 20: “Spiritual Freedom Is Your Destiny” – Medford, NJ
Apr 28: “The Works of Woody Guthrie” – NJ Folk Festival – New Brunswick, NJ
Aug 12: Corn Festival w/ Pete Seeger and others – Beacon, NY
Aug 18: Solar Expo Jam – on stage with Pete Seeger – Vernon, NJ
and many, many more. Info at www.spookhandy.com
