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There's plenty of fun herein. In a moment. Our full TABLE OF CONTENTS is bumped just after the first section. Because we open this edition with resources for HELP for those in need. We should all be mindful that the holiday season is especially rough on lots of folks.
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LATE-BREAKING: We had this opening section set and ready to go before we learned some very sad news: JULES DERVAES, founder and patriarch of "THE URBAN HOMESTEAD" in Pasadena, passed-away at 3:15 am Friday. He had suffered a stroke earlier in the week. The "homestead" has, over the past few years, become an acoustic music venue of note. The Guide's listings brought many notifications of their dinner shows -- serving the healthiest of foods -- as its green environs became a beloved hangout for musicians and music lovers. Those smiling, well-fed denizens extended from top award winners to newly-minted performing songwriters and plenty of pickers, grinners, pluckers and bow-wielders at many levels in-between. Our kindest thoughts are with the Dervaes family as they face a difficult Christmas and days ahead without their art-supporting, agronomist leader.
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On to our "HELP FOR THOSE IN NEED" feature...
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MILITARY VETERANS hotline: 1-800-273-TALK. Veterans, push option "1." On average, 20 veterans a day commit suicide. Those who wore the uniform because their country called deserve someone answering a phone when they call upon the rest of us. Whether Soldier, Sailor, Marine, Airman, or Coast Guardsman, the skills you mastered as a member of a team can do so much good here at home, and America needs you as a vital, participating individual and part of a team working to do good in your community. If loneliness or PTSD or unemployment or despair are compromising your chance to be happy and fulfilled, and you served as a member of the US military, call that number, or go to the website below. It's how you saddle-up and get moving. It's a first step to a new start.
www.VeteransCrisisLine.net
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SUICIDE PREVENTION / FINDING AN ALTERNATIVE / ANOTHER WAY OUT
Lots of phone numbers are below so you can TALK to someone who understands.
Maybe you need to use the web, for the moment. Okay. Here:
https://admin.publichealth.lacounty.gov/ivpp/injury_topics/Suicide/suicide_hotlines.htm
There's also the Didi Hersch Suicide Prevention Center, at:
http://www.didihirsch.org/spc
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LOCAL & NATIONAL 24-HOUR CRISIS HOTLINES
at: www.publichealth.lacounty.gov/ivpp/hotlines.htm
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Poison Hotline
800-222-1222
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Arson Hotline
800-633-2836
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Los Angeles Commission on Assaults Against Women
213-626-3393
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Child Abuse Hotline
800-540-4000
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California Youth Crisis Line
800-843-5200
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Los Angeles Suicide Prevention Hotline
310-391-1253
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Rape Hotline
800-585-6231
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Reporting Illegal Firearms Activity
1-800-ATF-GUNS
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DRUG, ALCOHOL, SUBSTANCE ADDICTION / OVERDOSE / ABUSE / HELP
Most of what's out there is in the for-profit realm. Here is the free PUBLIC HEALTH agency contact info:
http://publichealth.lacounty.gov/sapc/
Referrals to treatment centers: 888-742-7900
Also, the Poison Hotline:
800-222-1222
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HOMELESS SERVICES
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Getting a supply of food:
www.lafoodbank.org
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Eating today:
www.losangelesmission.org
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Getting shelter:
Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority, 811 Wilshire Blvd Fl 6, Los Angeles 90017; 213-718-1542; https://www.lahsa.org/
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Or shelter in L.A. County:
(Really an administrative office that, at best, offers referrals) Kenneth Hahn Hall of Administration, 500 W Temple St, Room 358, Los Angeles 90012; 213- 974-1311 or TDD 800-735-2929; info@lacounty.gov.
https://www.lacounty.gov/residents/social-services/homeless-services
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NEVER be embarrassed to call someone for help. That call is the first step in taking charge and making a difference. Even if it doesn't seem like it at the moment, it is.
IF YOU KNOW SOMEONE WHO NEEDS THE ABOVE INFORMATION, copy and paste it and send it to him or her. Then call them and talk about it. Or print it out and take it there, and sit with that person and discuss it. That may be the greatest act of friendship you've ever taken in your whole life.
'Tis the season for peace, love and understanding.
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CONTENTS / IN THIS EDITION...
1) 33rd Annual "Mara's Tender Loving Christmas" Needs Meat Sponsors
2) Folk Alley's Ten Favorite Albums of 2016
3) Our Pick For NYE: The "New Years Eve Rockin' Hula Party"
4) Grammy Museum Starts 2017 with Superb Event Lineup: Get Tix Now
5) Even the Worst Holiday-Themed Commercial Has Value
6) The TV Ads (Including Some History) that Will Put You in Holiday Spirit
7) If You Haven't Gotten the Holiday Music Out of Your System... Folk Alley's FIFTY HOURS of Holiday Stream, Live for a Limited Time
8) Tales from the Road: Dave Stamey's Tale from the 2016 Trail
9) Pasadena Library Concert Series, a Make-An-Instrument Event, & More
10) I See Hawks in L.A. Stands with Standing Rock
11) Solo Piano Benefit Album for Cancer Research: George Winston CD Due on RCA Records
Let's get started!
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# 1 news feature...
33rd ANNUAL "MARA'S TENDER LOVING CHRISTMAS" NEEDS MEAT SPONSORS
The folks at Z107.7 FM radio news in Yucca Valley are putting out the call, aided by L.A. musician/concert producer DUANE THORIN. "Mara" is artist MARA CANTELLO, and she's been successfully hosting/producing this feast for the needy, getting all the food and volunteers together to cook it, serve it, and make it all happen for the past few years.
Like the real-life characters in "Alice's Restaurant" and their big Thanksgiving feast, Mara lives in an old church. And she is likewise devoted to serving a big holiday meal to those with nowhere else to go. But Mara does it on a large scale.
Her "TENDER LOVING CHRISTMAS" feeds thousands of Morongo Basin (Yucca Valley / 29 Palms area) residents on Christmas Day. To do that, the feast needs 1,200 pounds of turkey and ham. TLC must BUY the turkeys and hams: DUE TO HEALTH REGULATIONS, INDIVIDUAL DONATIONS OF MEAT CANNOT BE ACCEPTED.
"Tender Loving Christmas" provides a full Christmas Day banquet for all those in need, or who find themselves alone on the holiday, but they need the community’s help. Z107.7 FM managing editor Tami Roleff says "TLC needs monetary donations to buy the turkeys and hams… [to step up as] meat sponsors for the TLC Christmas Day event at the Yucca Valley Community Center." (The community center is located at 57090 Twentynine Palms Hwy, Yucca Valley, CA 92284."
Mara says, "It's an all-you-can eat buffet. Everybody is welcome. There are free meals to shut-ins, free food boxes, and free clothing."
Several drop-off points for clothing have been active for the past few weeks, and a parking lot sale last Saturday benefitted the feast. A local thrift shop not only helps with some of the clothes, but does more. Mara says, "...the old hospice thrift shop which is now the Morongo Basin Ambulance Association Thrift Shop" hosted an event where people "purchased lots and lots of stuff [and] half [the proceeds] of it... come to us to help us fill a lot of tummies over the holiday."
Everyone enjoying this very special feast will be able to feast their ears on live acoustic music while dining. L.A. musicians DUANE THORIN and THE LICATA BROTHERS are making the trek to the desert to perform, and they may be joined by others. Duane has booked many memorable concerts and opened for numerous big name acts. The young Licatas have already performed in New Orleans, Memphis, and even in Ireland and Iceland.
The cost of the meat comprises roughly one-third of the cost of putting-on the Christmas buffet. Thus, TLC's success is essential to getting "meat sponsors." If you can donate $25, $50, $100, or any amount toward the meat fund, call Mara Cantelo at 760-333-2413.
More information, call Mara Cantelo at 760-333-2413.
TLC address (but this close to Christmas, call before you put money in the mail): PO Box 895, Yucca Valley, CA 92286.
Facebook post about this is at:
https://www.facebook.com/maracantelo1/
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# 2 news feature...
FOLK ALLEY'S TEN FAVORITE ALBUMS OF 2016
Folk Alley is everybody's favorite cyber haven for acoustic Folk-Americana, with both venerated classics by iconic artists, and the latest performing songwriters on their way to the contextual stardom that "our" music genres allow.
In their own words, "Folk Alley casts a wide net to the world of folk, roots and Americana music. Year 'round you hear a healthy mix of all of it, as we champion the best traditional folk, contemporary singer-songwriters, bluegrass, Celtic, blues, indie, world and more, from both long established artists and up-and-comers. So when it's time to look back at our favorite albums of the year, it's always interesting to see what percolates to the top. It's very much an organic process and we never know what we'll end up with."
The short version?
HERE ARE THE FOLK ALLEY 2016 TOP TEN, by artist & title only:
1. Lori McKenna, 'The Bird and the Rifle'
2. Parker Millsap, 'The Very Last Day'
3. Sarah Jarosz, 'Undercurrent'
4. Hayes Carll, 'Lovers and Leavers'
5. Aoife O'Donovan, 'In The Magic Hour'
6. The Stray Birds, 'Magic Fire'
7. Birds of Chicago, 'Real Midnight'
8. case/lang/veirs, 'case/lang/veirs'
9. The Small Glories, 'Wondrous Traveler'
10. Courtney Marie Andrews, 'Honest Life'
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You can read the details about everyone who made the above list in the feature, "FOLK ALLEY'S TEN FAVORITE ALBUMS OF 2016," at NPR Music. It's complete with LISTENABLE TRACKS and some music videos, at:
http://www.npr.org/2016/12/19/505270066/folk-alleys-10-favorite-albums-of-2016/?=FA
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More individual Folk Alley host & staff picks are available in the cleverly-named "InFolkus Blog," at:
http://www.folkalley.com/community/blog/
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And their assortment of 24/7 live music streams, sometimes with an option for a new performance-interview session recorded just for their listeners, is at:
www.folkalley.com
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# 3 news feature...
OUR PICK FOR NYE: THE "NEW YEARS EVE ROCKIN' HULA PARTY"
No argument, 2016 has been a very rough year. So, like most of our readers, we are in serious need of starting off our '17 in good form. This is the one. With performances by...
JAMES INTVELD,
BIG SANDY & HIS FLY-RITE BOYS,
ROSIE FLORES TRIO
RAMBLIN' JAMES & THE BILLYBOPPERS
and The HULA GIRLS
Get tix / seats at:
http://bit.ly/ROCKIN-HULA-PARTY
Reserve seats now before it sells out. Show is in Huntington Beach, at Don the Beachcomber. It starts at 8 pm with THE ROSIE FLORES TRIO featuring GREG BOAZ on bass and STEVE MUGALIUN on drums.
Don The Beachcomber has been re-nominated as "Ameripolitan Music's Best Venue" for the second year. Info, on voting for your favorite venue, are at:
www.ameripolitan.com
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Listenable tracks, impressive info, and tasty tastes that'll make you wanna go...
Rosie FLORES: latest album, "Working Girl's Guitar," is available at:
www.bloodshotrecords.com
ROSIE FLORES: tour dates, blogs, further information, and more, are at:
www.rosieflores.com
And Rosie likes to remind everyone of JANIS MARTIN's last recordings from 2007, "The Blanco Sessions," produced by Rosie Flores and Bobby Trimble. That remains available at:
www.cowislandmusic.com
There's a pretty poster for the NYE event, but it is devoid of the needed info. You can print-out one for the fridge magnets at:
https://www.facebook.com/events/1667575153571241/
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# 4 news feature...
GRAMMY MUSEUM STARTS 2017 WITH SUPERB EVENT LINEUP: GET TIX NOW
"A CELEBRATION OF THE ASH GROVE WITH ED PEARL," featuring special performances by BERNIE PEARL, BARBARA MORRISON, CLAUDIA LENNEAR, JACKSON BROWNE, and GET LIT TEEN POETRY with RHIANNON McGAVIN, happening Monday, January 30, 2017, at 7:30 pm, is already SOLD OUT. As are "A CONVERSATION WITH BARBRA STREISAND" on January 5th, and performance-interview events with DOYLE BRAMHALL II on January 11th, and SILVERSUN PICKUPS on January 25th. Tickets in an intimate theatre wait for no one who dawdles.
So hop on the following while you can:
"GREAT GUITARS: ERIC JOHNSON" is Thursday, January 19, 2017, 8 pm. The GRAMMY Museum welcomes Texas guitar legend ERIC JOHNSON to the Clive Davis Theater for an intimate conversation and performance surrounding his first completely unplugged solo album, "EJ." The evening is hosted by SCOTT GOLDMAN, Vice President of the GRAMMY Foundation and MusiCares.
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"AN EVENING WITH RODNEY CROWELL" presented in conjunction with the Americana Music Association & 88.5 FM KCSN, is Monday, January 23, 2017, 8 pm. Kicking off its Americana Series for 2017, the GRAMMY Museum welcomes multi-GRAMMY-winning singer-songwriter RODNEY CROWELL to the Clive Davis Theater for an intimate conversation on his career and forthcoming new music, moderated by SCOTT GOLDMAN, Vice President of the GRAMMY Foundation and MusiCares. The conversation will be followed by a performance. Get tix now.
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"SPOTLIGHT: ERIC HUTCHINSON" is Thursday, January 26, 2017, 8 pm. The GRAMMY Museum welcomes singer-songwriter-performer ERIC HUTCHINSON to the Clive Davis Theater for an intimate conversation and performance surrounding his fourth studio album, and most insightful one to date, "Easy Street." The evening is moderated by SCOTT GOLDMAN, Vice President of the GRAMMY Foundation and MusiCares. Get tix now.
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The GRAMMY Museum is located on the corner of the 'LA LIVE" complex, near Staples Center. Official address is 800 W Olympic Bl, Los Angeles 90015. Entrance is around the corner on Figueroa. Museum visitor hours are Mon-Fri, 10:30 am-6:30 pm; Sat & Sun, 10 am-6:30 pm.
Event tix / info, 213-765-6800; grammymuseum.org or grammymuseum.com
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# 5 news feature...
EVEN THE WORST HOLIDAY-THEMED COMMERCIAL HAS VALUE
By Larry Wines
Growing up, there was that cringeworthy annual appearance of the "perfect gifts for billionaires" story that always made some network's news. A reporter would smugly conduct a stratospheric exercise, picking through the holiday catalog from Nieman-Marcus. If it was supposed to make us aspirational and acquisitive, it failed miserably in my case. Things like, "This is the yacht you leave docked in the Mediterranean. And here's the private jet you use to get to it" always made me hope they would find an old World War I sea mine the hard way.
Make a quick jump with me. Are you a devotee of traditional Christmas carols or Hanukah songs? Perhaps you transcend that as a year 'round Folk-Americana music fan and advocate, or as one who knows all the rock peace anthems of the '60s. If so, all that "Peace on Earth" music means you're still upset over the reference to the floating mine.
If you're now thinking of the music of peace, love and understanding, you may understand the observation that we're past the era when you could get support for going retro and grabbing an axe. Okay, that may be too esoteric a reference. It's an allusion to re-enacting PETE SEEGER's infamous backstage scramble for a fire axe to cut the amplifier cord on BOB DYLAN's electric guitar at the Newport Folk Festival. Because, dammit, folk music had always been acoustic.
Times change. Folkies-turned-rocker-turned-folkie win Nobel prizes.
But one thing is still sacrilege to many of us, none more so than folkies. That would be the glorification of greed, in any form.
That's where the Nieman-Marcus catalog of toys for billionaires meets music. And the exploitation of music to sell stuff.
The primary shared value of performing folk music -- and lots of the best-known anthems of rock, and of blues and gospel -- still remains "To comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable."
You just cannot doubt that. A quick look around proves there's no shortage of benefit concerts -- from the grandiose charity gala to the single artist gig in a little coffeehouse that's also chipping-in their share -- to prove the primacy of that value held in common in our arts community.
Listen to the music's lyrical substance. Hit one of L.A.'s best acoustic or Americana music venues for the evening, like the more trad Coffee Gallery Backstage (http://www.coffeegallery.com), the more hipster Hotel Cafe (http://www.hotelcafe.com), or more honky-tonkish-Americana Cody's Viva Cantina (http://www.vivacantina.com) any night, or spend a weekend night on the Westside at McCabe's Guitar Shop (http://www.mccabes.com) or Boulevard Music (http://boulevardmusic.com). Or head eastward to the Arcadia Blues Club (http://www.arcadiabluesclub.com), the Fret House (http://www.frethouse.com), or the Folk Music Center (http://www.folkmusiccenter.com).
So. Ethical anchor firmly rooted, let's move on to the exploitation. When a "holiday themed" TV commercial appears for a high-end luxury car, "decking the halls" with an excruciatingly roboticized voice chanting the fa-la-la-la-la's... and then, it repeatedly interjects a robot voice chanting "PAY! - PAY! - PAY!" and the dive for the remote control breaks the sound barrier.
Let's be clear. The ad's use of very traditional music, while electronically altered, isn't the essence of this. It isn't just about rejection of something new -- Dylan's plugged-in guitar -- something based on ethnicity or what's accepted by a specific age cohort, or about being acculturated in specific musical genres. The central aspect -- and I can't believe I'm saying this -- isn't the dehumanizing electronic alteration of people singing, creating art with the human voice. Though that annoyance is more than sufficient to get the damn commercial silenced in anybody's house, if they like people who are not being subjugated to being robots.
What's unforgivably obnoxious -- immeasurably worse -- is the sheer arrogance. The elitist bastards are advertising ridiculously expensive gas-guzzling automobiles whose catalytic converters belch sulfur dioxide, carbon monoxide and C02, and they're celebrating -- but that's not quite it, either. They are exploiting a holiday season that's supposed to be based on giving, on meaningfully expressing good will for our fellow humans -- yes, but that's also contributory.
They're promoting a car for plutocrats in an ad being used for thumbing noses, stealing a carol that always used to be about the right things. And there it is. It's peonage of all the ordinary workin' people and underemployed college grads chained to student loan repayments. It is, in effect, ridiculing folks who expected to be part of the backbone of our society. Folks who could not aspire to affording a luxury car on two part-time jobs. Folks who, despite hard work, have little chance of improving their situation in the short run, much less building savings. And it's an supremely arrogant elitist ad couched in roboticized holiday joy. It's a thing of, by, and for the rich who live in perpetual celebration of their own wealth. Fa-la-la-la-electronically-altered-la. In a carol you used to recognize as one that shared hope.
Someone reading this may respond,
"Well, all that interjected 'PAY - PAY - PAY' crap is simply more honest than anybody else's advertising. After all, 'tis the season for hanging plastic holly and ivy to sell you something. Whether blood diamonds or gold jewelry whose mining despoils the environment and leaves cyanide behind, it propels the consumer economy.
"Buy, buy, buy. Pay - pay - pay. Americans' credit card debt is a record that leads the world. At least we lead the world at something. It's Christmas. Spend in the name of believing that people will 'like' you if you give them something. Oh, and you need to 'like' yourself by buying something you don't need. After all, you're not cool, not 'with it,' if you don't have it.
"It's just another Christmas before the kids are too old to know the magic. But it's really the same. It's always about feeding mindless consumerism instead of using your economic power to help a local youth arts program, or a strapped-for-cash museum that's preserving our shared heritage of the good and the bad. You can't be serious about helping some smallish music venue that needs to pay its ridiculously expensive entertainment license fee, or those crazy fees to ASCAP, BMI, and SESAC. Just focus on buying some blingy junk on a whim instead of deliberately helping some very needy family in your community, or a homeless person that lives under the overpass."
Okay, if that's your argument, you win. But it's still the worst, makes-ya-wanna-storm-the-Bastille, most maddeningly arrogant and elitist commercial of the season.
Fa-la-la-la - PAY!- la.
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For those who want to see for themselves, the car is the Acura 2017 TLX. National airings to date of the ad being criticized: 1,914. Price of the car (MSRP) ranges from a bare-bones low of $31,695 for a stripped-down hulk to $44,800 with all amenities. It's in the range of $41,575 with the features most car owners would believe are necessary.
The obnoxious commercial can be seen at:
https://www.ispot.tv/ad/AHm6/acura-season-of-performance-event-2017-tlx
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In the next feature story, we bring you our choice for the Holiday-Themed TV commercials that are the most appropriate to the season. Guaranteed to surprise. Because, believe it or not, some commercial enterprises do choose to present uplifting messages rather than browbeat about their sharpening your elbows for their doorbuster discounts.
(The above ran in the L.A. Progressive, at: https://www.laprogressive.com/holiday-ads/ )
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# 6 news feature...
THE TV ADS (INCLUDING SOME HISTORY) THAT WILL PUT YOU IN HOLIDAY SPIRIT
By Larry Wines
It was a coin toss whether to run the above feature ahead of, or after this one. We decided that America today is about corporate emphasis on everything -- really, on everything -- so we picked the correct sequence for the two pieces.
Time to accentuate the positive. This one must run. We offer you multiple results of our findings, and recommend them all. But there is one must-see, up top. It is THE Christmas commercial that rates as worthy of what everyone expects the season to be.
Of course, you did NOT get to see it in the US. It was made for the 100th anniversary of an incredible bit of history that should be far better known. Made in 2014 and run in the UK and throughout Europe, it's about the very factual "Christmas truce miracle" amidst the carnage of World War I. (Though whether the soccer game occurred is disputed.) It's our must-watch video, Sainsbury's official Christmas 2014 ad, titled "1914," and it's at:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NWF2JBb1bvM
After you've seen "1914," you'll want to see the accompanying quick history behind the actual historical event. This reveals the massive scope of what happened -- peace, up and down the entire front line, invoked by fed-up soldiers tired of killing each other. Like the commercial, this three and half minutes is superbly done:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?annotation_id=annotation_148824475&feature=iv&src_vid=NWF2JBb1bvM&v=2s1YvnfcFVs
Also, there's the behind-the-scenes "making of" the Christmas truce short, an additional three and a half minutes that satisfyingly completes the trilogy:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?annotation_id=annotation_148824475&feature=iv&src_vid=NWF2JBb1bvM&v=Jx3pQWbysmM#t=57.8320943
Apart from the ambitious project to produce the Sainsbury ad, there's one more stop on your 1914 tour. Singer-songwriter John McCutcheon has a classic song titled "Christmas in the Trenches," further humanizing that piece of history. The song, including being covered by several other artists, predates the above videos. We recommend this version to watch McCutcheon performing it with historic photos:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QTXhZ4uR6rs
I wrote a 2014 feature story in the L.A. Progressive that discusses the history and has numerous links to resources:
http://www.laprogressive.com/world-war-christmas-truce-centenary-commemoration/
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Back to the commercials. Which is a phrase that could characterize TV.
Fact is, nothing is more delightful in Britain than each year's eagerly anticipated annual short film / holiday "advert" from Sainsbury's.
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By now you're wondering if we'll feature the wonderful Budweiser holiday commercials. Yes. right here.
The "Clydesdale Horses Snowball Fight":
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_m7iKHUWq8M
Plus, a 2013 ABC News "Nightline" story on the famous Clydesdales:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PU92XeqhRSA
And we'll throw-in one of the top spoofed commercials ever, the infamous "farting horse" that had millions believing it was a real Bud Light commercial:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uGNCas4NPQ4
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Seriously, the Brits have everything else beat. You can call this our Christmas present to you, so go ahead and open the rest of these. All were made by the folks at Sainsbury's, the UK's second largest supermarket chain, which has expanded into e-commerce and banking -- and making great holiday commercials.
Sainsbury 2015: "Mog's Christmas Calamity." (3:20). It's at:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kuRn2S7iPNU
For all who know the beloved British cartoon cat "Mog," or who are fans of "Wallace & Grommit," this is especially delightful. Plus, the behind-the-scenes short is wonderful, at:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_TKU7U6jkY8
Sainsbury 2016:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bq5SGSCZe4E
This year's project, like all their others, took months to create.
Sainsbury 2012: "Christmas in a Day." This commercial is one result of an enormous number of nationwide submissions. The 3:29 commercial is at:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kuRn2S7iPNU
"Christmas in a Day," the full film (48:02) is better then anything on TV. It's at:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Od1WIDxl44Y#t=281.6932369
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Beyond our suggestions, this being L.A./Hollywood, we know there are those who actually enjoy American TV commercials.
Those with that affliction can go to the "PC Advisor" special feature by Chris Martin, in which he claims to have found "Best Christmas ads 2016 and ever: Forget Buster The Boxer- it's all about Mrs. Claus and the M&S Christmas ad." He is correct to the extent that the "Christmas Truce" ad is among them. His complete list, with links for each one, is at:
http://www.pcadvisor.co.uk/feature/internet/best-christmas-ads-2016-ever-john-lewis-ms-sainsburys-aldi-3585011/
Also, "Silicone Republic" writer John Kennedy chose the 2016 holiday ads he thinks are "7 Christmas TV ads guaranteed to stir your emotions." You can subject yourself to that at:
https://www.siliconrepublic.com/trending/christmas-ads-2016
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We'll end with a return to Budweiser (Anheuser Busch) for something special. If your Christmas morning activities last longer than the televised KTLA or KCAL gas fireplaces, here's a charming on-demand hour of a Yule log:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UTxsZn7ZVkg
Sure, there are others out there. One has a foreground pair of gangly doggies holding their waterworks for three hours. And there's one with a guy asleep in a chair for ten(!) hours. But this one is complete with a Clydesdale munching hay and the Dalmatian that rides the famous red beer wagon. Including the latter looking nervous as the embers crackle and the huge horse browses for stray forage. Best of all, it's a video that's not standard American in-your-face commercialism. Nobody's rolling beer cans across the floor at the pensive pooch. Ho ho ho.
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# 7 news feature...
IF YOU HAVEN'T GOTTEN THE HOLIDAY MUSIC OUT OF YOUR SYSTEM...
We turn again to the good folks at FOLK ALLEY for the following online listening, guaranteed to satiate your hunger for gingerbread snowmen and manger angels well enough to tide you over for the next eleven months (don't sit there -- the camel was just there, if you know what I mean).
Folk Alley's FIFTY HOURS of Holiday Stream, Live for a Limited Time
The air staff at Folk Alley (well, cyberly air staff, unless you're listening to WKSU in Kent, Ohio) tells us, "If you don't feel like lugging around your holiday music collection -- or if you would rather spend time making the perfect eggnog than making sure there is music playing, Folk Alley's Holiday Stream is your perfect seasonal option. The 50 hour-long stream is two solid days of your favorite artists and special songs for Christmas, Solstice, Chanukah, New Years and winter. Every year, we add more songs, creating the best blend of favorites and newbies to make your celebrations shine."
FIFTY hours. Whoda thunk it?
Use this link, or keep reading for more options:
http://www.folkalley.com/music/holidaystream/
The Holiday Stream is accessed from FolkAlley.com, TuneIn.com, iTunes, or streaming from their updated free mobile apps. They suggest, "Add Bluetooth speakers or a wireless sound system (like Sonos) and you have the soundtrack for your parties or family get-togethers in the palm of your hand."
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# 8 news feature...
TALES FROM THE ROAD: DAVE STAMEY'S TALE FROM THE 2016 TRAIL
The Guide's "Tales from the Road" is an occasional feature that we sorta forget to do. Until we receive a report from an artist that's so outstanding that it's an immediate "must share." That's the situation here. Performing singer-songwriter DAVE STAMEY has won 'purt near every award, honor, and recognition available to the best of western music's top artists. His songwriting, his live performances, his CDs, and his delightfully humble presence all continue to take him to new places where he wins evermore fans, and to have venues clamoring for his return engagements. On top of that, he can write prose, too. Pause a moment and dismount, so your horse'll shield you from the winter wind, and imagine you're reading his letter in longhand.
" 2016. A hell of a ride.
"It was the year we travelled more miles, played more dates, spread the music around to more people than any year before. A year of adventures. A ranch concert where we looked down on a trail Geronimo had ridden many times. Heading toward Cody, Wyoming out of Yellowstone where we were forced to creep along the shoulder of the road, slowly, because a bull buffalo was striding up the middle of the highway, taking his time. In Wisconsin, where I was presented with a cheese-head cowboy hat -- how many people can say that? The Midwest is still mostly rural, full of cornfields and small towns, and it rains there, really rains. In Michigan one night it rained so hard the wipers on the rental car couldn't clear the windshield and I had to pull over. The last time that happened in California my dog was very, very young.
"This was the year we released 'Western Stories,' our eleventh album, and watched it reach album of the year. This was the year we got to perform with a symphony orchestra for the first time. This was the year I learned that one of my essays was to be included in a literary review. The year they decided to put me into the Hall of Fame.
"A hell of a ride. When you are horseback and such a sudden burst of excitement and speed happens, the wisdom is to sit deep, don't jerk on his face, don't clamp down, don't panic. Ride it out. In a few seconds the storm will pass, you can reach down and stroke his neck and reassure him. Heartbeats will slow, and calm will return. In a strange way you will feel as if you've passed some kind of test, and both you and the horse will end up having a better appreciation for each other.
"While I don't think my career was losing its mind or trying to buck me off, it sure got exciting. I did my best to hang on and ride it out. I tried not to yank on the bit.
"The best attitude , they say, is gratitude. I believe that's true, and if I weren't full of gratitude I'd be a pretty sorry excuse for a human bean. I am grateful to the WMA [Western Music Association], for the support, and the accolades and honors. I am grateful to the folks who came to the shows, some travelling for hours and hours to do it. Like the family from Pennsylvania who showed up in Columbus, Ohio with the two kids in cowboy hats and boots, both of them carrying cardboard signs listing the songs they wanted to hear. I'm grateful to the folks who bought the music, who listened to it, responded to it, and reached out to let us know how it touched them or helped them get through something, a bad situation or just a bad day. Like the fighter pilot who described how he flew into Iraq with 'Buckaroo Man' [one of Dave's most-requested songs] blaring in his headphones. I am grateful for a world that has room in it for me to do the thing I love to do, and need to do, the thing I believe I was born to do.
"Years like this one are exciting, certainly. But when the calm returns, that's good, too. It teaches me that there are miles of trail ahead yet, and in them will be barren stretches, and slow going, with no shade. It reminds me that I'm in it for the long haul. I'm still upright. I'm still in the saddle.
"Take a deep seat and a faraway look.
"Still grateful.
-- Dave."
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Learn more about DAVE STAMEY at:
www.davestamey.com
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Don't dawdle rounding-up your tickets for one of Dave's next Southern Cal shows. They sell-out faster'n a coyote catches a rabbit:
✔ January 7, Altadena, CA: The Coffee Gallery Backstage; https://www.coffeegallery.com/
✔ January 8, Tehachapi, CA: Fiddler's Crossing; http://fiddlerscrossing.org/
✔ January 28, San Diego, CA: AMSD Concerts; http://www.amsdconcerts.com/
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# 9 news feature...
PASADENA LIBRARY CONCERT SERIES, a MAKE-AN-INSTRUMENT EVENT, & MORE
The Pasadena library system has a wonderful concert hall that they call an auditorium. They also have a staff that commits to a lot of music and arts events every year. And we're so impressed with their 2016 accomplishments that we want you to see those, too. First, their January listings of free concerts.
"FOLK SONG HITS WITH THE WOMEN ON THE MOVE TRIO"
It's a family Concert." The library says, "Kids, bring your parents and grandparents. Grandparents, bring your children and grandchildren." It's a sing-along with folk songs from the '60s and '70s and more. Presented in partnership with the TOPANGA BANJO•FIDDLE CONTEST & FOLK FESTIVAL (which happens in May); WOMEN ON THE MOVE won the Vocal Championship at TBFC in 2012.
Saturday, Jan 21, 11 am, in the Central Library/Donald Wright Auditorium, 285 E Walnut St, Pasadena 91101; 626-744-4066; www.PasadenaPublicLibrary.net
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"CLASSICAL GUITAR WITH DAVID MARGOLIS"
Enjoy an afternoon of classical guitar with Pasadena Conservatory of Music instructor DAVID MARGOLIS.
Monday, Jan 23, 3 pm, at the Linda Vista Branch of the Pasadena Library, 1281 Bryant St, Pasadena 91103; 626-744-7278; www.PasadenaPublicLibrary.net
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MAKE A MUSICAL INSTRUMENT, FREE
"VIBRANT RAIN STICKS" allows you to "Create a colorful, melodious rain stick! Use your rain stick’s magic to hear the rain, even as the drought continues. Fun for all ages. All materials provided."
Thursday, Jan 19, 3:30 pm, at the Hill Avenue Branch of the Pasadena Library, 55 S Hill Av, Pasadena 91106; 626-744-7264; www.PasadenaPublicLibrary.net
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NOT MUSIC, BUT COOL...
KIDS...
"ROYAL TEA PARTY" invites "Future kings, queens, princes and princesses" to "come dressed in your finery for a very special visit from the 2017 Tournament of Roses Royal Court. The court will share their favorite princess stories and recent New Year’s experiences. Bring a camera and a smile to pose with royalty."
Saturday, Jan 7, 1:30–3:30 pm, at the Hastings Branch of the Pasadena Library, 3325 E Orange Grove Bl, Pasadena 91107; 626-744-7262; www.PasadenaPublicLibrary.net
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ADULTS...
"NEWSWEEKLIES FIND A NICHE" - In this digital age when traditional, daily newspapers are losing revenue, cutting budgets and decreasing staff, alternative newsweeklies are thriving. Join the editorial staff from Pasadena Weekly as they discuss how these hyper-local newspapers have found a sustainable niche serving their communities, the process of putting out a paper each week, how they make editorial decisions, their individual books, Pasadena city politics and more. Featuring Editor Kevin Uhrich, Deputy Editor André Coleman, Arts Editor Carl Kozlowski, Columnist Ellen Snortland and Contributor Justin Chapman.
Thursday, Jan 12, 7 pm, in the Central Library/Donald Wright Auditorium, 285 E Walnut St, Pasadena 91101; 626-744-4066; www.PasadenaPublicLibrary.net
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IF YOU THINK THE INTERNET HAS MADE THE LIBRARIES OBSOLETE?
Egads, NO! While getting the details to bring you for the above events, we found this impressive info on the Pasadena Library -- a small-city library system. Take a perusal before any of those "austerity!" morons get to you with their "better-living-through-budget-cutting" rhetoric. And see our closing note following the bulleted points.
• 1.5 million people visited Pasadena’s libraries in person, on the web or via social media.
• 1.3 million of the library’s books, DVDs, databases and other resources were checked out and tapped into.
• 76,878 items were added to the library’s collection, including 5,476 electronic materials, for a total of 680,387 items. This is more than five items for every man, woman and child in Pasadena.
• 12,801 people registered for a new Pasadena Public Library card.
• 344,355 free internet sessions were launched by Pasadena library patrons.
• 75,156 people attended 3,100 library programs and events at 10 locations.
• 115 community organizations partnered with the library to provide many of the programs and events that helped transform lives through literature, reading and community engagement.
• 402 Pasadena community groups held 850 meetings in a library facility.
• Held the 1st Educator Appreciation Night for teachers who work or live in Pasadena.
• Completed the 14th annual One City, One Story community reading program, with events at each library site.
• Initiated a series of programs and events on mental health and mental illness for teens.
• Held Pasadena’s 1st National Coming Out Day Celebration at Central Library, in partnership with the Pasadena Public Health Department.
• Participated in the annual citywide ArtNight with an Author Fair, featuring 82 Pasadena/San Gabriel Valley authors.
• Re-established the library’s Linda Vista Associates group, which joins three other associates groups and The Friends of the Pasadena Public Library in supporting library programs and services throughout the year.
• Revamped the library website for a more intuitive, easy to navigate, streamlined experience.
• Added new services (electronic magazines), new titles (keeping up with all the bestsellers), and new programs (more for adults, like Zumba, chair aerobics, etc.).
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In any town that commits the necessary resources to an active, vital and vibrant library, similar things are possible. And there is no doubting the public need for them!
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# 10 news feature...
I SEE HAWKS IN L.A. STANDS WITH STANDING ROCK
Add to your list of those allied in nonviolent protest the band I SEE HAWKS IN L.A.
As those encamped to stop a major tar sands oil pipeline were being soaked with fire hoses in subzero temperatures, more and more musicians, artists, and people from all backgrounds were organizing to say "No!" to environmental assault and abrogation of Native American treaty rights in North Dakota.
It took months for corporate mainstream media to begin reporting to the world what was happening with the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL). That, despite a growing number of brutal assaults by the paramilitary thugs hired by the pipeline builders, and pain, injuries, arrests, strip searches, facial hosings with noxious chemicals, and more being faced by Native American "water protectors" and "land protectors." The Lakota Sioux was joined by an unprecedented representation from native First Nation communities and reservations throughout the Americas, and by individuals of all races, creeds, and many nationalities. The pipeline builders had navigated politics and somehow avoided to perform an always mandatory Environmental Impact Study. Even now, with their behavior exposed, the current rejection of the pipeline's permit to cross beneath the Missouri River is not the final chapter. As a new oil-industry-friendly administration takes office on January 20th, the Indians and their allies are braced for whatever may come, and resolved to stop the pipeline once and for all.
SPECIFICALLY, WHAT THE HAWKS ARE DOING
The band tells us, "We’re donating 100% of download money for two versions of our song, 'Hope Against Hope.' the money is going to the Oceti Sakowin, eco warriors defending their land against an oil pipeline that should never be built. We thank all our friends who have gone out to stand with them."
To get the song and support (donate to) the cause, go to:
https://iseehawksinla.bandcamp.com/album/stand-for-standing-rock
You can also donate to Native American eco-warriors Oceti Sakowin directly on their website:
www.ocetisakowincamp.org/donate
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Catching the Hawks...
Tuesday Night February Residency at HiHat in Highland Park
In February, 2017, the guys start a Tuesday night residency at the HiHat in lovely Highland Park. They report, "We’ll be sharing our favorite neighborhood stage with some of the finest LA acts including (but not limited to): BRIAN WHELAN, NOCONA, and NAHEEN KULA." The residency begins Tuesday, February 7th at 9 pm. Details at:
http://hihat.la
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RARE TRACKS & MORE
All the band's music is now available on Bandcamp.com, including lots of rarities and live tracks. Check it out:
https://iseehawksinla.bandcamp.com
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IN NORTHERN CAL?
The Hawks report being "excited and proud" to play the grand re-opening of a Northern Cal music landmark, The Palms Playhouse in Winters, CA. The big night is Friday, January 6th. Tix are $20 for the 8 pm show.
The Palms is at 13 Main St, Winters, CA; tix & info, 530-795-1825; www.palmsplayhouse.com
A nice newspaper story ran on the show, the band, and the landmark that is The Palms, at:
http://ipinionsyndicate.com/see-hawks-l-get-party-restarted-palms-jan-6/
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UPCOMING EP
The Hawks have an upcoming EP release, a collaboration with THE GOOD INTENTIONS, coming in 2017. They tell us, "We’re finishing up an EP of songs written and recorded with our friends from Liverpool, The Good Intentions. Keep your eyes out for a release early in 2017!"
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More on the band, their CDs, and their schedule, at:
www.iseehawksinla.com
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# 11 news feature...
SOLO PIANO BENEFIT ALBUM FOR CANCER RESEARCH: GEORGE WINSTON CD DUE ON RCA RECORDS
"Spring Carousel" Release Date, March 31, 2017; Proceeds to Directly Benefit City of Hope National Medical Center
He had barely made it through the second half of his show. Now Celebrated American pianist George Winston was laying down on the dressing room floor. He needed to go to the emergency room. It was September 13, 2012, in Sand Point, Idaho. Being rushed to the local hospital soon brought transfer to the City of Hope, the world renown medical center, where he had a bone marrow transplant on November 22nd that year.
As he gained strength, Winston spent his time at the piano in the hospital auditorium every night. Remarkably, "Spring Carousel" is the culmination of those works composed at City of Hope during early 2013, in Duarte, California, near Los Angeles. All are solo piano compositions written by Winston while in recovery from a bone marrow transplant for Myelodysplastic Syndrome (MDS). From 59 recorded songs, 15 select works are showcased on the upcoming album, Winston's latest solo piano album.
Announced Wednesday, December 21, "Spring Carousel" will be released on RCA Records as a cancer research benefit album, due out March 31, 2017 as a true spring celebration of music, the season, and life itself. Sales of the album will directly benefit City of Hope, in Duarte, CA.
George Winston reminds music fans on this, his 14th solo piano album, that only one voice is required to be wholeheartedly inspiring. For Winston, that voice has always been solo acoustic piano.
As always with his originals, a depth of piano brilliance effortlessly sinks into one's soul, never leaving the listener eager for anything other than the next swirling song on the recording.
One of the new album's tracks, "Night Blooming," is a direct reflection of his time in the hospital, and how the body heals while sleeping at night. Winston says, "It was as if I composed this in the hospital room itself. My doctor, Stephen J. Forman, Chairman of the Hematology Department at City of Hope, is one of the world's four foremost authorities on hematology and bone marrow transplants, and in a lot of ways, the way we work are similar. We both often stay up all night, and we try to make sure there's food and water near us while we're working so that we remember to eat and drink. He actually had attended some of my shows some years back; he was a friend I didn't know I had."
Winston's career spans more than 40 years, with sales of over 15 million albums, including seven Platinum-selling recordings. As with his previous recordings, including the seven Platinum selling albums "Autumn," "December," "Forest," 'Summer," "Winter Into Spring," "Linus & Lucy - The Music of VINCE GUARALDI," and "Plains," Winston's studio recordings are all experienced-based. His season-themed albums come mainly from his childhood experience in Montana knowing first-hand the drastic difference in the seasons. And his releases "Montana - A Love Story," as well as "Forest and Plains," come primarily from his sense of the different topographies of Montana, as well. By contrast, the setting of "Spring Carousel" is the City of Hope, where Winston was given a second chance at life.
During his late-night piano sessions at City of Hope, themes turned into compositions that he labeled "carousels." These were pieces influenced by the spiraling motions of the planets, stars and galaxies in the universe, composer Howard Blake's piece "The Snowman's Music Box Dance" from the children's video "The Snowman," composer Steve Reich's work, and the circular motion of music boxes and carnival carousels. Thus, "Spring Carousel" is comprised of three types of pieces -- carousels, uptempo songs called "Ms Mysteries," and what RCA is calling "slower ballad-esque bouquets."
Of the many distinct tracks on the upcoming album, Winston will tell you that one of them, "Dream 1," is the only song he ever actually wrote while dreaming. Upon waking and going to the piano, the exact notes worked well, with his left hand muting the strings inside the piano, and the right hand playing similar to the finger-style technique on the guitar, and inspired by the players of the Zimbabwean mbira tradition (aka the "thumb piano"). The first of the ballads on album, titled "More Than You Know," is a tribute to all those who have inspired Winston. Sparse piano sways are connected with a sense of purpose and meaning, supported with loving reassurance. "Many Clocks (Carousel 4)" concurrently contrasts different time signatures in both the left and right hands with an aesthetic reminiscent of music boxes playing, clocks ticking and chiming.
Winston summons cupid in the song "Unrequited Love (Carousel 9)," a short but potent exposition. The piece is filled with all the potentials of love, but in the end, forgoes the experience with all of its inherent emotional risks.
"Fess' Carousels (Carousels 12 & 14)" is subtly based on the influence of PROFESSOR LONGHAIR's playing on Winston's music; "Fess" was a nickname of the great New Orleans Professor Longhair (1918-1980). Another New Orleans piano legend, JAMES BOOKER (1939-1983) ,serves as the muse along with the cat Gobajie for "Pixie #13 in C (Gobajie - A Foggy Day)" -- Winston is a self-professed extreme cat lover, with over 400 cat friends across the country. Booker also lends his genius to Winston's performance on "Ms Mystery 3," a mid-tempo R&B piece.
"Rekindling Love (Carousel 21)" is all about just letting things happen, and not forcing them to take place. Winston notes, "It's a feeling of gratitude of love returning without even trying." The closing track "Requited Love (Carousel 15)" is anything but an ending. "When love fades and comes back, it reminds me of a spring day and realizing the affection for another."
Over the past couple of years, Winston has made a full recovery and has lived life primarily on the road performing in many of America's renowned concert halls and venues. Without the incredible help of City of Hope, "Spring Carousel" would simply not have been possible. The album marks Winston's fourth benefit album. He's previously released "Gulf Coast Blues & Impressions - A Hurricane Relief Benefit,' "Gulf Coast Blues & Impressions Vol. 2 - A Louisiana Wetlands Benefit," and the EP "Remembrance - A Memorial Benefit" for those affected by 9/11. In addition to those already mentioned, other critically acclaimed releases have included "Love Will Come - The Music of VINCE GUARALDI Vol. 2," and his paen to rock, "Night Divides The Day - The Music of THE DOORS."
He has also recorded the solo piano soundtrack for the children's story "The Velveteen Rabbit," narrated by MERYL STREEP, and the solo guitar soundtrack for the story "Sadako and the 1000 Paper Cranes," narrated by LIV ULLMAN.
You can find a comprehensive list of George Winston's forthcoming tour dates, specific tracks of each album, plenty of notes and more, at:
www.georgewinston.com
"A true original with an inimitable style..." - Classical MPR (Minnesota Public Radio).
"...a master of both tone and invention." - Austin American Statesman.
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About the City of Hope, Beneficiary of the New Album
City of Hope is a leading research and treatment center for cancer, diabetes and other life-threatening diseases. It is designated as a comprehensive cancer center, the highest recognition bestowed by the National Cancer Institute. City of Hope is also a founding member of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network, with research and treatment protocols that advance care throughout the nation.
At City of Hope, scientists work with doctors to treat both the physical and emotional needs of their patients. By attending to the individual, not just the illness, life afterwards can be fuller and more rewarding. At City of Hope, they combine science with soul to make miracles every day. As Dr. Stephen Forman says, "We now learn more in a week than we used to in a year." They also work with the "Be the Match" organization to match donor and patient.
About "Be the Match"
Be the Match is a registry of over 11 million committed marrow donors. Every day, they help thousands of people with leukemia and other life-threatening diseases search for a donor who can make their transplant possible. Learn more, including how to take part, at:
www.bethematch.org
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Here's wishing you a bright, happy, creative, visionary, fulfilling, NEW YEAR, filled with possibilities to achieve your dreams and to guide others to finding and achieving theirs!
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LEGALESE, CONTACTING US, 'N SUCH...
Boilerplate? Where's the main pressure gauge? And the firebox?
What "boilerplate"? Who came up with that goofy term for the basic essential informational stuff...
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Pssst — Hey, kid. Yeah, YOU: It won't be so "basic" when we add all the links for the global network of music news / music education sites that we're joining; THAT'LL be here very soon, as an ESSENTIAL COMPONENT of the Guide returning to being a MUSIC NEWS journal!
Direct to the Guide's current editions /
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♪ The ACOUSTIC AMERICANA MUSIC GUIDE endeavors to bring you NEWS — and views of interest to artists everywhere — more specifically to musicians and the creative community and music makers and fans of acoustic and Folk-Americana music. That includes both traditional and innovative forms. From the deepest roots to today’s acoustic renaissance, that’s our beat. We provide a wealth of resources, including a HUGE catalog of acoustic-friendly venues (now undergoing a major update), and inside info on FESTIVALS and select performances in Southern California in venues from the monumentally large to the intimately small and cozy. We cover workshops, conferences, and other events for artists and folks in the music industry, and all kinds o’ things in the world of acoustic and Americana and accessible classical music. From washtub bass to musical spoons to oboe to viola to banjo to squeezebox, from Djangostyle to new-fangled-old-time string band music, from sweet Cajun fiddle to bluegrass and pre-bluegrass Appalachian mountain music to all the swamp water roots of the blues and the bright lights of where the music is headed now.
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The Acoustic Americana Music Guide. Thanks for sittin' a spell. The porch'll be here anytime you come back from the road.
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