Busy Week
This has been a very busy week for me. So much so, that I slept until about 11:30 this morning and still feel exhausted. It's a little after 1pm right now and I am eating lunch, which seems to be rejuvenating me. So that's good. Finally.
All of the busy-ness started Monday when I checked my email in the morning and found a brief message from Mike Guzzo, who runs Crumbs.net, a local music website. I visit his site quite often and enjoy his Crumbs Cafe internet radio show, which features interviews and performances from local musicians and songwriters. I also visit and some times reply to posts on the Crumbs.net blog, which is a part of Albany's Times Union News Website.
The reason for Guzzo's (as many people refer to him as) email was to have me call him. I called him later that day and he asked me to contribute to the Crumbs.net blog and, in particular, post my Inside the Open Mic episodes there. I enthusiastically agreed and my first post can be read here.
Soon, I'll have a link to the blog somewhere on my website.
On Tuesday, I had an email in my inbox from Sarah Craig, who is the director of pretty much everything at Caffe Lena. She asked me if I would be interested in being a permanent host at the open mic (I am often a substitute host). I would be the host for the 5th Thursday of the month when a month contained a 5th Thursday. I enthusiastically agreed and soon my name will be listed on Lena's website proclaiming my being the 5th Thursday host.
On Wednesday, I played at Caffe Lena as part of their Emerging Artist Series. There are pictures and video of the night and I will certainly be posting them here at some point. However, I have not had time to sort through them as of yet.
(as a brief aside: I really wish that bacon was healthy food. If it was, I would be the healthiest, happiest human being in the whole world. I say this because I am currently picking the little pieces of bacon off of my plate that had fallen off of my BLT.)
I had a decent turnout of mostly friends at the show and I had a great time. I talked about my songs in between them and felt really good while playing. It's a different experience performing when the audience is engaged and listening at a venue like Caffe Lena versus the usual cafe gig when you are just background noise to people who are socializing and don't really intend to be your audience anyway.
I'll write more about the show later, when I have pictures and video to share.
On Thursday, I attended the open mic at Lena's and I interviewed Maurizio for Inside the Open Mic. The interview went really well and soon enough I'll be editing the footage for what will be episode 10 of the series.
I played Endless and Crayons, which was requested at open mic. I didn't get to play Endless at the Emerging Artist show.
On Friday, I didn't really do anything music related except for staying up late playing Rock Band. I really got into the drums a few times and my triceps (?? -- the muscles that are in the lower part of your arm near your wrists) are quite sore because of it.
Which brings me to today. And I am currently hurriedly writing a blog entry before I get ready to load up my PA system in Stephanie's car and head down to Sage College of Albany where I will be playing for an hour and a half for their Relay for Life festivities. Some of the other performers of the day are: Rosanne Raneri (whose songwriting is quite beautiful) and S I M P L E Theory (which consists of Maurizio and Brittany). It should be fun.
-- oh, and after that I am apparently going to the mall for something and then to the pet store for fish... (so I have been told).
All of the busy-ness started Monday when I checked my email in the morning and found a brief message from Mike Guzzo, who runs Crumbs.net, a local music website. I visit his site quite often and enjoy his Crumbs Cafe internet radio show, which features interviews and performances from local musicians and songwriters. I also visit and some times reply to posts on the Crumbs.net blog, which is a part of Albany's Times Union News Website.
The reason for Guzzo's (as many people refer to him as) email was to have me call him. I called him later that day and he asked me to contribute to the Crumbs.net blog and, in particular, post my Inside the Open Mic episodes there. I enthusiastically agreed and my first post can be read here.
Soon, I'll have a link to the blog somewhere on my website.
On Tuesday, I had an email in my inbox from Sarah Craig, who is the director of pretty much everything at Caffe Lena. She asked me if I would be interested in being a permanent host at the open mic (I am often a substitute host). I would be the host for the 5th Thursday of the month when a month contained a 5th Thursday. I enthusiastically agreed and soon my name will be listed on Lena's website proclaiming my being the 5th Thursday host.
On Wednesday, I played at Caffe Lena as part of their Emerging Artist Series. There are pictures and video of the night and I will certainly be posting them here at some point. However, I have not had time to sort through them as of yet.
(as a brief aside: I really wish that bacon was healthy food. If it was, I would be the healthiest, happiest human being in the whole world. I say this because I am currently picking the little pieces of bacon off of my plate that had fallen off of my BLT.)
I had a decent turnout of mostly friends at the show and I had a great time. I talked about my songs in between them and felt really good while playing. It's a different experience performing when the audience is engaged and listening at a venue like Caffe Lena versus the usual cafe gig when you are just background noise to people who are socializing and don't really intend to be your audience anyway.
I'll write more about the show later, when I have pictures and video to share.
On Thursday, I attended the open mic at Lena's and I interviewed Maurizio for Inside the Open Mic. The interview went really well and soon enough I'll be editing the footage for what will be episode 10 of the series.
I played Endless and Crayons, which was requested at open mic. I didn't get to play Endless at the Emerging Artist show.
On Friday, I didn't really do anything music related except for staying up late playing Rock Band. I really got into the drums a few times and my triceps (?? -- the muscles that are in the lower part of your arm near your wrists) are quite sore because of it.
Which brings me to today. And I am currently hurriedly writing a blog entry before I get ready to load up my PA system in Stephanie's car and head down to Sage College of Albany where I will be playing for an hour and a half for their Relay for Life festivities. Some of the other performers of the day are: Rosanne Raneri (whose songwriting is quite beautiful) and S I M P L E Theory (which consists of Maurizio and Brittany). It should be fun.
-- oh, and after that I am apparently going to the mall for something and then to the pet store for fish... (so I have been told).