New Photos

I have added a new photo from St. Patrick's Day 2007 at   http://bobluskphotos2.blogspot.com/   

 

Also have added a few more photos to my spiritual and musical autobiography site.

http://journeytokirtan.blogspot.com/

New Paul Kaplan song "Run, Al, Run"

New Paul Kaplan song "Run, Al, Run"

Dear Friends,

No matter who you're supporting for president, you might find Paul Kaplan's new song "Run, Al, Run" entertaining.  And, who knows, it may change your mind!

You can hear it at http://www.draftgore.com/ or on my website, http://www.paulkaplanmusic.com

Paul Kaplan

Gigs

A couple of small gigs I'll be doing - drop by if you can. 

 

3/31/07 Benifit for Unitarian Universalist Congregation at the Hurley Reformed Church in Hurley, NY. It will be early evening, probably 6:00. I reserve the right to change my mind, but I think I will be singing and playing some Mohan Veena and banjo.  Constance Rudd, Jean Boyce and others will also be performing. The theme is "Unity".

4/7/07 Songs and Music for a Better World - 5 to 7 pm, Hudson River Valley Art Gallery, 24 Spruce Street, Kingston, NY. There will be several performers including music and poetry with dinner. Contact Ed Pell <pellphd@yahoo.com>

Petition to Nominate Pete Seeger for the Nobel Peace Prize

Eleanor Walden posted a petition on a site named petitionthem.com. The aim is to persuade the American Friends Service Committee to nominate Pete Seeger for the Nobel Peace Prize. I thought you would be interested in adding your support. I'm asking everyone to circulate the petition information to at least 5 other people asking them to notify 5 other people. Could you each do that?

To read about the petition and to sign it just visit

http://www.petitionthem.com/default.asp?sect=detail&pet=3774 There is also a forum where you can talk about this petition and of course many other worthy petitions that need your support.

Overview of this petition: -Pete Seeger has been a crusader for Peace and Social Justice over the course of his 83 year lifetime. As a prominent musician his songs, messages and performance style have worked to engage other people, particularly the youth, in causes to end the Vietnam war, ban nuclear weapons, work for international solidarity, and ecological responsibility. It is time that a cultural worker receives the recognition that this work has great influence and global reach, that it is not only a medium of entertainment but of education, compassion and fraternity.

St. Patrick's Parade

2007 St. Patrick's season with Folkloric (Meself, Jim Donnelly and Ira McIntosh) was a huge success!

On Sunday 3/11/07, we played music on the Ulster county Highway Department's Float in the City of Kingston St. Patrick's Parade as we do each year . It's a yearly ritual. It starts out at 10 am, crawling around on top of a large truck, attaching speaker wires and microphones. It was between snowfalls, but it was still cold up there. There was snow on the ground. I was nursing a cold and didn't really want to be there. But there is excitement in the air. All the bagpipe and drum bands are rehearsing. People are in costume and there are brightly colored floats. The parade kicks off at Kingston Plaza, goes down Broadway and ends at the strand. Hanniford's bathrooms in the Plaza always breakdown, or more likely they just put the "out of order" sign up. The Mayfair Renaissance group was behind us while we were setting up, which gave a nice foreshadowing of the spring to come. There was the usual worries as the generator seemed not to be working, but it finally kicked in. Chicks' Restaurant sponsors us and the float won "Best Irish Spirit" in the parade. There was a great crowd of people all along the parade route and a very bumpy ride back to Chicks.

We started playing at Chicks at 4:30. There was not a great crowd at first, but the people there seemed to like the music. Owners Art and Bev Daley were very nice and accommodating. we finished our 4 hours and then a few people came in so we played an extra hour and someone at the bar payed us to play still another hour! That made it a total of 8 hours singing including the parade and a 14 hour day of work including set up and breakdown time. By then my body was wracked in arthritic pain and I had no voice, my hands were so sore I could barely hold a pick. We had Robin Carey, drummer with the AOH pipe band join us and she kept the energy up while we croaked out a few more St. Paddy's Day standards. All in all we had a great time and we knew that nothing to come the next week would be hard in comparison.

On Wednesday, we played at the Ulster County Health Related Facility on Golden Hill in Kingston. The staff led by Vinny Uvino was very energetic and did a wonderful job of hosting the party.

On Thursday, I did a solo performance at Wingate at Ulster in Highland, NY. A more relaxed experience - just what I needed!

On Friday, we started off at noon at the Hurley Mountain Inn in (where else), Hurley, NY, right off Route 209. Unfortunately the second Northeast Blizzard of the year came in and we packed up early and got to the Holiday Inn in time to be snowed in. I don't know where the people came from but mayor James Sottile and alderman Jim Noble were there. We played from 3:30 to 6:30 and then fiddler Lee Eaton drove me home in his 4 wheel drive. thanks to WKNY and Warren Lawrence for sponsoring us.

On Saturday, St. Patrick's Day itself, we went back to Chick's Restaurant at Kingston Plaza and played from 5 to 10 pm. This felt like the "real" St. Patrick's party. The usual Irish lasses leading "green alligators", the drunken college guys grunting along with the words to the songs. Baby's crying, elderly couples singing along, people dancing. All in all a very appreciative audience.

And yet another Obituary : Mark Spoelstra - wonderful '60's folksinger

From Mark Spoelstra's son Joshua:

Dear Friends,
Today my father passed away here in his lovely but modest home in the Sierra Foothills of California. There was snow on the ground and we could see the trees which surround the house like sentinels sway with the force of another approaching storm. We held him as he left us and I know he had no fear and felt no pain, and even though his life was cut short he found the strength to remind each of us that he loved us. I will miss him greatly.

Regretfully,
Joshua Spoelstra

Classes next week

Classes starting at OldSongs

 

Instrument Classes begin next week. Still time to sign up for:

Bodhran (one more opening), Fiddle, Accordion, Recorder, Irish Guitar, Jazz Guitar, Mandolin, Mountain Dulcimer, Hammered Dulcimer, Pennywhistle, Banjo and African Rhythms (which is scheduled for May).

Full info at www.oldsongs.org/classes.html or call 518-765-2815 to register.

 

Medieval tech support

I try and keep this blog focused on musical items as much as possible, but this is just too much fun - sent by Marcus.

Subject: Medieval tech support 

Medieval tech support

The Book

 - Warning - It`s in foreign (but with subtitles) :)

http://www.devilducky.com/media/57946/