I'm in the thick of my "book release tour" where I perform a concert, read excerpts from my new memoir and then meet folks afterward to sign books and talk about music and life. This past weekend I played Joe's Pub, the adorable yet hip club inside The Public Theater in Manhattan. I had played this venue before so I knew the drill for the sound check. I [...]
I remember going to the library with my mother in Irvington, New Jersey. We walked there from our two-family house on Campfield Street. The library card was magic. Possessing it meant we could leave the library with as many books as our arms could carry. My mother often sat with my sister and I flanked at her sides with the treasure on her lap, and she would read aloud. We’d [...]
I tried throwing them away. I really did. They were just so shabby; looking at them it was obviously the only thing to do. But five minutes later I found myself rifling through the trash can to retrieve them. These weren’t just any shoes after all. These were my AIRPORT SHOES. My go-to pair. They have seen me through from New York to California, Maine to Florida, Montana to Ohio [...]
Musikfest is now celebrating its 30th anniversary. While I have performed at Musikfest several times before (this was my sixth performance here), I had never really experienced the festival itself in all its glory until now. Like many performers, I usually arrive the day of my show, report to the venue for my load-in and sound check/rehearsal, get dressed and ready, perform....and then leave for the next gig. This time [...]
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Train Fever has hit my town and I've caught it. A replica of the steam engine that took Abraham Lincoln to Hanover Junction (York County, PA) on his way to Gettysburg to make the Gettysburg Address has rolled into town. Ten years in the making, the steam engine is going to be offering "history rides" along the Heritage Rail Trail. I live in a small rural PA town, [...]
I was a little girl growing up in suburban New Jersey when I discovered that caring for plants made me feel good. My father planted a few tomato plants in a rose bed that had seen better days. I checked them each day for yellow flowers and watered them until their thirst was quenched. Later in the season we were rewarded with beautiful homegrown Jersey tomatoes. They graced our hamburger [...]
Check out any music artist web site and you will see, hear and read about a stream of accomplishments. My own site will tell you that I was selected to the Steinway Artist Roster! My music was played on PBS! Look at that list of concert tour dates! Things are happening! Success, success, success! What any artist can tell you, if they are honest, is that rejections abound. They happen [...]
I selected my airline ticket itinerary online. Right before the web site took me to the payment screen, and somewhere after entering my cell number (in case the airline had to reach me), I was asked a simple question. Was my trip for business or pleasure? There was a scroll down screen with these two choices. I paused. I had to think. True, I was getting paid to perform a [...]
There are few things in life that rival the pleasure and joy derived from planting a garden. I remember my father tilling the soil around our suburban home in Maplewood, New Jersey with and old iron pitchfork left behind by the original owner of the house, Mr. Stanger. Mr. Stanger left a lot of things behind in the garage, attic and basement of our home. Most of the items in [...]
