We introduced Tyler Barrett as a young, local aspiring fiction writer some time back. Tonight, he sent a long a link to this video of him playing piano. The song he's playing is "Lux Aeterna,"  from the film Requiem for a Dream.

Mitzie Collins and "Striking Strings", the Hammered Dulcimer Ensemble of the Eastman Community School, will be performing at the Byron Presbyterian Church on Sunday, October 4, at  2:00 PM.  The concert is free to the public, but there will be a free-will offering to support the Ensemble.  Refreshments will be served after the concert. 

Mitzie Collins is a world-renowned recording artist, performer and teacher.  She is currently on the faculty of the Eastman Community Music School in Rochester.  The Hammered Dulcimer Ensemble is composed of Mitzie's students.  Mary Ann Blair, one of the Ensemble members, is a member of the church, and made the arrangements for the concert. 

The church is just west of the intersection of Route 237 and Rt. 262 in the center of Byron.  For more information, please call 548-2800 or visit www.byronfpc.org.

Here is more detailed information about "Striking Strings", from one of their press releases: 

Striking Strings, the Eastman Community Music School Hammered Dulcimer Ensemble, was created in January of 2008 under the direction of Mitzie Collins.  Composed of students from the group classes that Collins has taught through the Eastman Community Music School and professional and amateur players from the community, the ensemble is has quickly won fans through its many performances in the Rochester area.   Hammered dulcimer ensembles, encompassing rhythmic and tuneful combinations not possible on a single instrument, are rare in the United States, but common in other parts of the world.   This group is modeled after hackbrett ensembles in Germany and yangqin ensembles in China.  Under Collins’ direction, the group is exploring a wide repertory that includes traditional dance tunes and classical compositions.  The Ensemble has performed at the Gardenscape at the Dome Arena, the Caledonia Presbyterian Church, Trinity Episcopal Church, Kilbourn Hall at the Eastman School, two private weddings, the Heart of the Alleghenies Festival in Bradford Pennsylvania,  The Harley School, The Genesee Country Village Fiddlers Festival and The Golden LInk Folksinging Society .  The Ensemble plans a number of appearances in the community during the 2009 holiday season. 

The director of the ensemble,  Mitzie Collins,  is widely acknowledged to be a leader in the revival of the hammered dulcimer.  A historian of the instrument, as well as a teacher and performe r,  she has made more than 30 recordings.   Some of her most popular discs are "Sacketts Harbor:  Historical Dance Music of Western New York State",   "St Patrick's Day in the Morning:  Music of Irish Inspiration";  and "Nowell  Music for the Christmas Season".    Collins teaches world music and hammered dulcimer through the Eastman Community Music School.  She received her bachelor of music with a piano performance major and her masters in music education from the Eastman School of Music. 

The group currently has ten members, but it is growing as more players audition to join the infectious enthusiasm of the group.  

If you’ve ever driven down Center Street, I’m sure you’ve noticed the garage next to the Smoke House painted as a “Fire Headquarters.” This garage has just recently become the newest spot for local bands to perform.

Hosted by Glass Roots next door to it, the venue's third show took place Friday night. It's open to artists of all types and Friday’s show featured three very different genres of music. 

First to perform was Greengage, a local jam band with a reggae influence. Then, the duo known as Davey O. played a set of acoustic folk rock. Lastly, Steve Ditzel, a Batavia resident, took the stage with his turntables and got the crowd moving to his electronic beats. 

The show started around 7:30, drawing a large crowd of highly diverse people and ran up until last call for drinks. There was a 50/50 raffle, too. While there's no firm schedule for future events, Glass Roots shop owner Jeremy Almeter says that there will be more shows and to stop by for more details.

Two great bands will perform live tonight at Glass Roots, located at 12 Center St. in Batavia. Both groups play roots rock/Americana.

Greengage will play an early show at 6 p.m., then Davey O. will take the stage at 8. Afterward, Greengage will return to the stage for the final performance of the evening.

Davey O. was voted the 2004 Artvoice Readers' Choice Award winner, coming off its tour as the opening act for Poco.

Greengage musicians are masters of their instruments, playing jam-band music in the style of Phish, the Grateful Dead and Widespread Panic.

Cover charge is $5. Beer and wine will be available for sale.

Also, in October, the following performers will be at Glass Roots:

Roger Marin Band, which is from Canada and features the guitar player for Fred Eaglesmith, Chris Knight, Willie Nelson and more.

Ron LaSalle, from Nashville, with Buffalo Music Hall of Fame guitarist Frank Grizanti.

And George Duran.
 

 


(Astoria Figs)

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. Welcome back from your travels.
JOE: Thanks. We rode a whirlwind through Manchester, Connecticut to New York where we settled for a few days.
CALLIOPE: Tell me the highlights.
JOE: As for simple pleasures, eating fresh figs from Mike and Joe's patio fig tree.
CALLIOPE: Anything more complex.
JOE: We saw Next to Normal, a musical about the effect of mental illness on the family.
CALLIOPE: Sounds strange.
JOE: It sounded that way to me too. But then music, better than writing, portrays emotions and relationships which can sometimes elude words.
CALLIOPE: Tell me more.
JOE: The show showed musically the struggle of a woman with her emotions and the effect of her illness on her daughter and son in very immediate and graphic, or should I say musical, terms.
CALLIOPE: Words sometimes struggle to show raw emotion.
JOE: I agree. Music seems to do a better job.
CALLIOPE: Something to consider for your writing.
JOE: I will remember that. I'm not quite sure of the implicati0ns though. Talk with you tomorrow.

My morning started at the Pok-A-Dot. Just as I sat down, so did another couple and the lady happened to mention she was visiting from California. Well, that caught my ear for sure. "Where are you from?" I asked.

"Temecula."

"Oh, one of my best friends is a math teacher in Temecula. I grew up in San Diego."

"What brought you out here?"

"The weather."

After she picked her jaw up off the countertop, we started chatting. It turns out she's a singer. You might have known her as Debbie Chamberlain. Now she performs as Debbie Voltura.

Debbie is in town for her daughter's wedding today.

After a while, Bill McDonald, on the right, above, walked in and the two musicians with deep roots in Batavia greeted each other warmly. Debbie asked her manager Marc Gabriel, left, to go out to the car and get a copy of her latest CD, "Live on Broadway."

Bill said, "This lady can sing." And can she. Check out some of the song samples here.  If you like swinging jazz, as Billie and I do, you'll love Debbie's music.

More from the OHMS Band here.

Pat Tehan sent us the links with this note:

I hope you don't mind this shameless self-promotion - I'm the piano player in The OHMS Band.  We played at Jackson Square on July 31 - the weather cooperated for once this summer and we had a good crowd because of it.  Melissa Eddings Mancuso videotaped it and made DVDs for the band - her husband, Bill Mancuso, played organ.  I posted 15 of the songs to youtube, I thought that some of your readers might enjoy it if they were there.  Some good crowd shots in the videos...  Guys in the band are Anthony DelPlato (drums, vocals), Charlie DelPlato (electric guitar, vocals), Chris Bartz (acoustic guitar, lead vocals), Joe Palmer (bass), Bill Mancuso (organ), Pat Tehan (piano)

We're always happy to promote local music.

Whoever coordinated the music to the fireworks, last night, did a fantastic job. 

The fireworks are always fun and the music selection was perfect for the evening.

thanks.

Also, sat with a couple, from California.  They couldn't say enough about Batavia and thoroughly enjoyed the entire experience at the game.  One comment made me laugh, though.  She asked about winters and if we got any snow.  When we admitted that we do get snow, she asked, "How do you go out in it?" 

 


(Spring Flowering)

JOE: Good afternoon Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good afternoon Joe. Where have you been?
JOE: Carol has a vacation this week. I guess the mood is contagious.
CALLIOPE: I guess so. We were in mid discussion about Grass Roots and you promised to elaborate.
JOE: I did. I was telling you about hearing their song Where Were You When I Needed You on Wednesday night.
CALLIOPE: And?
JOE: They came out with it in 1966, during my first year out of the monastery. It reminded me of feeling like an alien on earth in a culture which had emerged while I was away.
CALLIOPE: Did it bring back memories and feelings about those days?
JOE: In a way, but it didn't through me into chaos as Michael McDonald did.
CALLIOPE: How did you react?
JOE: I quickly moved on to thoughts about all the friends I have developed since then and how much I have learned and grown.
CALLIOPE: So it was a good reaction?
JOE: It was.
CALLIOPE: What's next on your horizon?
JOE: The books I am working on as well as a new awareness of my place in the cosmos and my feeling of responsibility to make the most of it. I'll tell you more next week.

Bill Kauffman has a post over at Front Porch Republic about finding great localist/regionalist songs, songs that celebrate place and home.

He leads off with this wonderful piece by Iris DeMent.

Which I'd never heard before.

He includes this classic by The Pretenders.

What a simple, angry song about paving over of our cities and rural lands by chain retailers, destroying the heritage of communities all across the country.  Chrissie Hynde sings about Ohio, but I always associate this song with my former hometown, El Cajon, Calif., which has something in common with Batavia -- a downtown pretty well damaged by urban renewal, though El Cajon was left in much worse shape.

The other classic anti-urban renewal song comes from a Brit, Ray Davies, and The Kinks.

But not all great localist songs lament what used to be. Some great ones celebrate home, like CCR's "Looking Out My Backdoor."

The first week I moved to New York from California, one of my favorite music artists, and there's no pretense in calling him an artist, Dave Alvin released a new CD of songs by California songwriters writing about California.  The first time I heard "California Bloodlines," I couldn't help but tear up.

The song was written by John Stewart and you can see him perform his version here.

I could do a whole post of Dave Alvin "California" songs, going back to his early days with The Blasters.

The last place in California I lived was Bakersfield, which is the subject the classic, "Streets of Bakersfield."  You know that song was written by somebody who lived in Bakersfield for a long time, as it opens up with the perfect conundrum that describes Bako: "You don't know me, but you don't like me / You say you care less how I feel ..."

Bakersfield got slammed pretty good by this local rap due in "Armpit of the State."

The last song to share is another classic picking on Bakersfield's less positive attributes, "Kern River."  That river claims five or six lives every year. 

OK, one more Merle Haggard song, because it takes me back to a time when I lived in a big city and longed to move to a small town ... and I finally made it when I arrived in Batavia.

Do you have any favorite localist songs, songs of place?

To post a video in your comment, use a bracket "[" and then the word "video" followed by a colon ":" then the URL to the YouTube video, then close bracket "]"

Like this (but with no spaces) [ video : http : //www.youtube.com/watch?v=T_q0WJJKFxA ]

 


(Wagon Wheels)

JOE: Good afternoon Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good afternoon, Joe. I missed you this morning.
JOE: I was off to a busy start.
CALLIOPE: Doing what?
JOE: Going for a massage, shopping, and manual labor edging the lawn.
CALLIOPE: Are your musical adventures over?
JOE: Hardly.
CALLIOPE: Tell me.
JOE: Last night several of us drove to Finger Lakes Race Track for a concert by the Sky Coasters and then Grass Roots.
CALLIOPE: Go on.
JOE: I have seen Sky Coasters quite a few times, a band from Rochester which plays quite a variety of songs and I always enjoy them.
CALLIOPE: And Grass Roots?
JOE: Another story. I must admit I didn't remember them from the old days, at least until they sang, "Where Were You When I Needed You?"
CALLIOPE: Did that song have some special significance for you?
JOE: It was their first big hit in 1966 the year after I left the monastery and was just getting back into the real world. It brought back memories of those days. I'll tell you more tomorrow.

 


(Coconut Palm)

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. How are you today?
JOE: Doing well. I got some exercise yesterday morning and went to say goodbye to my brother Bob and his girlfriend Carol who are returning to Hawaii this morning.
CALLIOPE: Any further musical adventures?
JOE: As a matter of fact yes.
CALLIOPE: Tell me.
JOE: Carol takes lessons and is in a traditional Hawaiian Hula group. She performed a couple dances for us last night.
CALLIOPE: Sounds interesting.
JOE: I thought so. It went beyond the typical Luau dancing. She also took time to introduce and later explain the movements of each dance.
CALLIOPE: A treat.
JOE: Indeed. It reminded me of the unbounded creativity across the world.
CALLIOPE: Any personal message for you?
JOE: It encouraged me to continue exploring my own creative side and express whatever you and the other muses might bring me as gifts.
CALLIOPE: Glad you appreciate them.
JOE: I do. Talk with you tomorrow.

(Portuguese Street Tile)

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. What news today?
JOE: I continued my creative restoration program yesterday.
CALLIOPE: How?
JOE: Carol and I spent the afternoon at her cousin's cottage on Canisus Lake, one of the New York State Finger Lakes.
CALLIOPE: And you relaxed all day?
JOE: For the most part. However the afternoon was punctuated by a musical surprise.
CALLIOPE: Tell me.
JOE: Zack, a thirteen year old grandson of one of Carol's cousin's friends, began talking about his interest in opera. It turned out to be more than an interest.
CALLIOPE: How so.
JOE: He had amassed quite a bit of knowledge about opera, favored Mozart, particularly La Nozza de Figaro and Die Zauberflaut. In mid discussion he broke into song favoring us with several arias from each of his favorite operas.
JOE: How a mature baritone voice could emanate from a thirteen year old boy astounded me.
CALLIOPE: I wish I had been there.
JOE: Some of your more musically inclined sister muses would have been impressed.
CALLIOPE: Perhaps one of them had a hand in drawing him to opera.
JOE: Perhaps. In any case it was a pleasant surprise, bordering on a peak experience.

 My friend from Oakfield Dave Nanni and his band,Redheaded stepchild.Tim Pitcher sat in.They played in Attica on Wednsday night,at the gazebo concert series.It's nice at the Attica park.They have an outdoor pool too.

The Indian Falls United Methodist Church is sponsoring a Blueberry Fest & Cruise on Saturday, July 25th from 4 - 8 pm.  Antique cars, tractors and other items of interest.  Food for purchase.  Pie, milkshakes and sundaes - all blueberry!  Live music with the Phelps Family Band.  Everyone is welcome!

 

(Path in the Woods)

JOE: Good Morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. Where where you yesterday?
JOE: Now, now.
CALLIOPE: Well?
JOE: If you must know, I was involved in corporal works of mercy.
CALLIOPE: Such as?
JOE: Taking my son to the hospital for cataract surgery.
CALLIOPE: I guess that explains it. Did everything go okay?
JOE: It seemed to. Only time will tell, but the doctor was satisfied with how it went.
CALLIOPE: Good. My regards to your son. Did you get to do anything else yesterday?
JOE: I had planned to work on my writing but got caught up in Michael Jackson's memorial service.
CALLIOPE: I didn't know you were interested in him.
JOE: Frankly I had trouble getting past his weird lifestyle and self mutilation.
CALLIOPE: And did you finally?
JOE: I did and discovered that I like his music once I can put aside my judgment of his way of life. Talk with you tomorrow.

(Troubled Times)

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. Are you feeling better than you did yesterday and did you resolve your musical dilemma?
JOE: Yes on both accounts. Resolving my dilemma improved my mood.
CALLIOPE: Tell me about it.
JOE: I told you I woke up yesterday with my reaction to Michael McDonald still on my mind.
CALLIOPE: You did.
JOE: I started to consider my emotions. I realized I felt sad, on the verge of tears, angry and resentful.
CALLIOPE: Do you hold Michael responsible for all that?
JOE: Of course not. I remained puzzled until on the way to the gym I recalled something I told Carol the night of the concert.
CALLIOPE: Which was?
JOE: That his type of music constantly grated on my nerves at a practice where I worked in the early 1990's. I found the type of music annoying then but did not associate Michael McDonald with it.
CALLIOPE: Just annoying?
JOE: No. The owner of the practice insisted on playing music which I considered bland and insipid at best. When one of us worker bees changed the station to jazz or classical music, he would change it back which I saw as a symbol of his control.
CALLIOPE: And that's the connection?
JOE: Not entirely. That was a very difficult time for me professionally, financially and in my marriage of the time. Altogether bad memories. That's the connection. I'm glad I discovered it and now will work to put it to rest. Talk with you on Monday.

 
(Bonerama)

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. How are you today?
JOE: A little weary.
CALLIOPE: On what account?
JOE: Last night's fairly late night at the Rochester International Jazz Festival.
CALLIOPE: Sounds like fun.
JOE: It certainly was. This was our second visit to the festival.
CALLIOPE: What did you see?
JOE: First were several local jazz groups on one of the free stages.
CALLIOPE: And then?
JOE; Soul Stew, a group from Toronto which lived up to its billing as a top notch soul combo.
CALLIOPE: Was that it?
JOE: No. We tore ourselves away to see Bonerama in the big tent, a trombone group from New Orleans we had seen before. They also put on a great show.
CALLIOPE: Do you plan to give up writing and spend your time watching music performances?
JOE: Don't be jealous of your sister muses. I'm not abandoning you but am enjoying some time with other creative pursuits. I'm back to my writing work today. Talk with you tomorrow.

John Birchler left Batavia a long time ago, but he's making headlines in Schenectady where he's starring as John Denver in a off-Broadway tribute musical called "Almost Heaven."

Birchler left Batavia to attend college in Albany, and landed a teaching job near the state capitol after graduation. He is now retired.

“I don’t try to sound like him. It’s just a matter of representing his songs in that John Denver musical style. We want to perform the songs and be as faithful to him as we can.”

Birchler is the only identified character in the show, which includes 29 of Denver’s tunes, some of them accompanied by an audio-visual presentation.

“There are no real characters, but I do portray a John Denver-like figure,” said Birchler. “There’s a bit of a narrative thread throughout the show, and that’s me talking a little bit as Denver about different things that happened in his life. Beyond my little dialogue and the music, there’s an A-V component that includes almost 130 images projected onto a screen. In some way, they illustrate the songs and much of Denver’s life.”