Are You Dave?

I had such a blast last night at my friend Howard’s, I just had to write about it a little. Every year for his birthday Howard throws my favorite kind of party: a jam session! Musicians of all stripes gather in his comfy living room to caterwaul into the wee hours.

This year was no exception. I got to the party at 9:00 p.m. and the first “set” was already winding down! I had time to grab a beer and say hi to some folks, but Howard was already itching to get back to the music — he’d specifically waited to play “Mystery Train” until I got there. It’s one of our old favorites.

I had a ball. it was 1:00 a.m. before I knew it. I got to lead the crew in some of my favorite jam tunes, including “Riot In Cell Block Number 9″ and “The Road Goes On Forever.” I also did some wandering, musically — the amp I was using was misbehaving, so I set my guitar down and did some percussion, eventually sitting behind the drum kit for a song or three. I noodled on the bass and even banged on the keyboard a little for “Johnny B. Good.”  Not that I can PLAY the keyboard, mind you…

It was a great night and reminder of everything I love about Hoboken.  Happy Birthday, Howie!

And now for something completely different…

Fellow Hobokenite Bruce Ornstein, who knows me from his little boy’s Music Together days, approached me at the Hoboken St. Patrick’s Day parade and asked me to help him out with a film project he’s working on. It’s about a gay vampire and it has a musical number, and would I help him record the demo to help the actor learn the song?

How could I say no?

The song, “Ha Bloody Ha,” was penned by the incomparable Enid Levine, seen here as she appeared some 27 years ago in the early days of nu-wave pop…

I’m pleased to say that she’s lost none of her verve and her hair is still an impressive mop, though the tassles seem to be long gone.

At Bruce’s urging, I took the bus to NYC last week to meet Enid and hear the song (I’d seen and heard a version captured on a cell-phone camera but that wasn’t going to be enough to go on). She and her dapper husband (also named Bruce) met me on west 51st street, an address that housed, according to Enid, a little club where we could use the piano and work out the tune.

Well, the “little club” turned out to be The Lambs, “America’s first professional theatrical club, established in New York in 1874. The Lambs was named after a club by the same name in London, England, which flourished between 1869-1879. The club’s name honors the essayist Charles Lamb, and his sister Mary, who — during the early 1800’s — played host to actors and literati at their famed salon in London.” [from the Lambs website]

So suddenly I’m standing on the same ground once trod by W.C. Fields, Lerner and Loewe, Fred Astaire and Irving Berlin, hanging out with this luminary songwriter and her husband, the club’s former president. And I’m there to learn a gay vampire anthem. I’m not making any of this up.

Needless to say, I was slightly intimidated. I’m a children’s entertainer from Hoboken who burnt out his vocal chords in college singing in a frat-rock band. What the hell was I doing here?

Bruce put me at ease a little by announcing that he was headed down to the bar to see if there were any drunken actors hanging out. At the time I thought that was a no-brainer — try to find a bar in NYC that DOESN’T have drunken actors hanging out. But looking back now I think he actually meant Drunken Actors, like Peter O’Toole maybe.

Mercifully, Enid was able to shift the song down a few steps into a key that my worn-out pipes can handle. And when I tried a few bars she was full of praise and enthusiasm. And the song is actually fun to sing, it has some dirty words and innuendo and I could hear someone like Freddie Mercury doing it justice (as opposed to li’l ol’ me, who’ll just be doing it).

I met with Enid again this week to make a usable recording of the song, using Garageband. I now am using a Mac laptop, and so I packed it up and trundled it into the city along with my MIDI keyboard. I met Enid in the lobby of the Hyatt next to Grand Central Station, and we found a table in a ballroom where we could set up. So much for security in post-9/11 Manhattan.

So now I have a MIDI recording of Enid’s piano part. With a few clicks I can drag the lower notes out to make a bass part, and a few more clicks turns the piano into an electric guitar, and whammo, a rock song. Doing the vocals will be the hardest part. I’ll post more about the finished product and the movie it’ll appear in, watch this space….

My annual set with Howie at the Museum is always a nice change of pace from the rock-n-roll lifestyle I normally lead. We get to kick back and play winter favorites, from Hanukah songs to “Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer.” We’ve done the show a few times now, and we’re at the point where we slip easily into the pocket and have a good time jamming. This year featured an exciting new addition to our set: Howard’s son Avery got up and played and sang on two songs! It made me itch for the day when my own offspring is old enough to shove me out of the way and grab the mic.

The Fuzzy Lemons have booked a BUNCHA gigs in the last few days, which is nice. I hope it keeps up! Here’s my music schedule (not counting all the private birthdays and Music Together classes I’ll be doing):

• July 12: The Fuzzy Lemons at the Great South Bay Music Festival in Patchogue, NY, 1:45 p.m. Also appearing: Paul Helou, Dr. Planet and Marla Lewis
• Week of July 27: Recording the Fuzzy Lemons at Garden Street Music
• July 28: Music Together at the Shipyard, 7:00 p.m.
• August 4: TFL at the Shipyard,  7:00 p.m.
• August 6: The Gordys at Sinatra Park,  7:00 p.m.
• August 11: Sitting in with Erin Lee and Marci at the Shipyard,  7:00 p.m.
• August 12: TFL at Church Square Park,  7:00 p.m.
• September 13: TFL at Union County MusicFest, Clark, NJ, 3:00 and 4:00
• September or October: TFL unplugged at the Harlem Flea Market (tentative)
• October 10: TFL at a private event in either Hoboken or Spring Lake, NJ
• October 18: TFL at Jubilee Day (Jubilee Center Benefit), time and location TBD
• December 6: Dave’s Annual Holiday Show with Howard Olah-Reiken at the Hoboken Historical Museum, 3:00

Finally, outdoor concert season begins! The Fuzzy Lemons kicked off the summer with a (short) road trip to Jersey City, for the Learning Community Charter School’s June-A-Palooza Street Fair at the Boys & Girls Club. It was a huge event, sprawling the entire length of the club’s block-long parking lot. The J.C. fire department was helping folks beat the heat by pumping a spray of water over shrieking kids; there was a long, long line of tables groaning with delicious ethnic foods; and music filled the air!

When I arrived via Light Rail, the awesome percussion group Marafanyi was putting on a spectacular display of drumming from around the world. After that, a favorite local band took the stage: The Black Pearls, a winsome foursome of hard-rockin’ 12-year-old girls. They closed with a smokin’ version of Joan Jett’s “I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll” (which I’m sure they’ll drop from their set when they realize that the song is almost as old as their moms).

Kudos to the organizers for putting up a tent to provide shade for the band. Next year some shade for the audience would be awesome—standing around in a hot parking lot is usually what you do before you see a band.

Anyway, it was a fun set and a fun day. Dave Entwistle worked his usual magic, and I had a nice ride back to Hoboken with him on the Light Rail, chatting about life, the universe and everything.

A note about transportation: I’ve got a folding grocery cart—which I normally use for grocery runs since I don’t have a car—but I need it to haul my gear when the Lemons load Kipley and Dana’s vehicles up with the P.A. and drums and such. So if you see a musical hobo trundling his guitars in a pushcart through the streets of Hoboken, it’s just me on the way to a gig. I’m looking forward to the shows that the town runs (Kiddiepalooza, Shipyard Park) because we can use the town’s P.A. and I can fit my junk in Dana’s car!

As I mentioned recently, I was invited to be part of an all-star concert in celebration of the great Pete Seeger’s 90th birthday. Geri Fallo got some of Hoboken’s top musicians (and me) together to put on the tribute show, which kicks off the town’s Thursday-night summer concert series.

Everyone picked out one or two of their favorite Pete songs, and most of us rehearsed with the Demolition String Band backing us up. Rehearsals sounded great… the night of the show, however, was something else entirely. For starters, it was drizzling, and when I got to Pier A I found Elena and Boo huddled in their car, with no one else around. Concern was expressed.

But lo, Tom Sweeney rolled up shortly in a red “short bus,” which apparently has replaced his familiar white van. He and his sound guy (I didn’t catch his name, but he knew what he was doing) set up the gear in a tearing hurry, only to rip it down again and move it into the gazebo at the end of the pier when Geri showed up, frowning the weather.

Meanwhile, I jawed a bit with Ray Korona, who told a couple of Pete Seeger stories and did a dead-on impression (”Y’know, if we all held hands in a circle around the globe… three-fourths of us would drown”) and with Clarence Ferrari, fiddle player, dad, and all-around nice guy. We sat at the end of the pier and watched the Clearwater, Pete’s famous sloop, motor in and tie up next to the Waterfront Museum.

Before long, the gear was set up in a dry place, and most if not all of the musicians were in place.

The lineup went something like this:
The All-Hoboken Youth Chorus - This Little Light of Mine
The All-Hoboken Youth Chorus - We Shall Overcome
Kate Jacobs and the chorus’ conductors did a fantastic job, leading a group of over 100 kids from every school in Hoboken in two great sing-alongs.
Ray Korona - Toys for Peace (a song he wrote with Pete!)
Jon & Deena (of The Cucumbers) - Kisses Sweeter than Wine
I have been a fan of the Cucumbers for years, and we’ve gotten to the point where we say “hey” at these functions. They have been doing “Kisses Sweeter than Wine” as a gorgeous duet for just about ever.
Dave Lambert - Inch By Inch (The Garden Song)
I pretty much ripped off Arlo Guthrie for this version (I’ve been aping Arlo since I first heard - and memorized - “Alice’s Restaurant” in high school). I can’t come close to his performance, so click here for the real thing. It was fun to see folks in the audience singing along, even the rare anti-garden verse. There were some true folk fans in the crowd!
Dave Lambert - Turn! Turn! Turn!
I got to welcome the Demolition String Band back to the stage - Elena Skye and Boo Reiners on guitars and vocals, Dave Post on stand-up bass, and Clarence Ferrari on fiddle. What a treat to be able to share the stage with this gang; they are, as I introduced them, true keepers of the musical faith in the strongest tradition of Pete Seeger and his ilk. We launched into the Byrds arrangement of “Turn! Turn! Turn!” with me on my Danelectro 12-string and Elena and Boo backing me up with rich, rich harmonies. Thank goodness they’d brought music stands - Pete Seeger songs tend to have lots of verses. When we got to the solo, I liked what I heard coming from Clarence and his fiddle so much that I gave him a nod and he launched right in; I picked up the solo in the 12-string for the 2nd half. Every now and then I am privy to those moments of musical telepathy, when two players can wordlessly go somewhere together. Playing with folks like the Demolition String Band, who have music rolling through their veins, makes moments like that much more likely!
Kate Jacobs - Goodnight Irene
Kate has such a sweet, simple voice, it’s actually hard to describe. She’s not a belter or a warbler, she just sings clearly and cleanly, with an incredible emotional impact. The entire audience joined in on harmonies, to glorious effect.
Abbe Rivers - Mary Don’t you Weep
Abbe Rivers - Jacob’s Ladder
Abbe is a wonderful counterpoint to Kate Jacobs: bold, brassy, and no-holds-barred. We all rocked along to her two songs, swaying to the full drunken-gospel feel.

Unfortunately, I had to take off at this point. But here’s what I missed (sadly):
Gene D. Plumber - Joe Hill
Gene D. Plumber (with his daughter and special guest Perry Robinson) - Guantanamera
Boo Rieners - Talking Union
Boo Reiners - Michael Row Your Boat Ashore
Elena Skye - Little Boxes
Elena Skye - Which Side Are You On?
Eddie Fogarty - John Henry
Annalee Van Kleeck - Where Have All the Flowers Gone? (She couldn’t make it, see her comment to this blog)
Dave Calamoneri - Bring ‘em Home
group finale - If I had a Hammer & This Land is Your Land

I can only imagine that the rest of the night was as magical! I sent some thank-you notes afterwards, and got nice replies from Boo and Elena. Next up, I have a Woody Guthrie project in mind that they’d be perfect for; watch this space for details!

Here’s a photo of the night from my cell phone:

Dave Post, Clarence Ferrari, Elena Skye, Boo Reiners (seated), and Abbe Rivers

This afternoon I spent an awesome 30 minutes with The Demolition String Band: Elena Skye, Boo Reiners and Dave Post. They were rehearsing at Maxwell’s for the Pete Seeger 90th Birthday celebration this Thursday. My slot was at 2:30, I popped in and we ran “Turn! Turn! Turn!” twice through. They’re such amazing musicians, I felt like I was IN the Byrds, not just covering them. Thursday is going to be magical.
~Dave

Here’s my latest schedule:

• March 1: TFL at Cabin Fever - our official first anniversary gig!
• March 6: Solo gig at J.C. Fridays, at Made with Love Organics in Jersey City
• March 9: Gordys purim show at the synagogue
• March 15: TFL Family Beach Party at “Shades,” 720 Monroe
• March 21: TFL at Liberty Science Center in the IMAX theater!
• April 24: TFL at All Saints’ spring bash
• May 1: TFL at HOPES (tentative)
• May 30: TFL at the Waterfront Museum
• June 14: TFL at Kiddiepalooza on Pier A
• June 4: Pete Seeger 90th Birthday tribute featuring some of Hoboken’s top musicians!
• June 7: TFL at the OLG Fun Fest at Church Square Park (tentative)
• June 14: TFL at Kiddiepalooza on Pier A
• July 28: Music Together at the Shipyard 
• August 4 : TFL at the Shipyard
• August 6: The Gordys at Sinatra Park 
• December 6: Annual holiday show with Howie at the Hoboken Historical Museum.

I’m especially excited about the Pete Seeger thing; I’ll be sharing the stage with some of Hoboken’s top musicians, including the amazing Boo Reiners and Elena Skye (the Demolition String Band), The Cucumbers, Abbe Rivers, and Jim Mastro of the Guitar Bar. Jim has agreed to do “Turn, Turn, Turn” with me! I’m utterly psyched. 

Notice also the end-of-summer crunch: Music Together, Fuzzy Lemons and Gordys shows, all within a two-week span. I LOVE it when that happens! LOVE IT!!!!!

This is actually a follow-up to a previous “Are you Dave?”

Annie McLoughlin of Garden Street Music had contacted me via e-mail months ago, with an online “are you Dave?” but we hadn’t yet met face-to-face. So after our set at the Turning Point her multi-talented husband Dan came up and asked “are you Dave?”

Dan is very cool and plays just about every instrument known to man. You can check out his musical CV on his Web site; all you need to know is that he was in the band Push Stars and worked with my musical crush, Tanya Donelly. We rapped for a bit about music and recording, and then I managed to make his little son cry with some ill-timed antics on my way out the door.

If he’s forgiven me, then the Fuzzy Lemons may team up with Garden Street Music to do a project together in the near future, possibly involving the new Childrens’ Choir they’re setting up. We’ve also discussed taking advantage of Dan’s mad recording skillz to cut a track there in exchange for a performance at an upcoming event. Watch this space for details!

Dave

That’s our pal Penny Jo singing backup, just behind Billy Bob Thornton(!). She’s the middle backup singer, with short hair. We just had to brag on her a little; we’ve been friends and fans since her Syracuse days (she’s making a splash in Austin nowadays, hanging with Ian Maclagen and Ronny Wood among other people). Visit her Web site at pennyjopullus.com and enjoy some of her soulful twang.

Penny Jo trivia: She and Sheryl Crow share a birthday. But we’re not telling which one.