City sidewalks, busy sidewalks...

Is there a better place to walk this time of year?

Happy Hanukkah!
My last "real" job before working in radio, was as development director at St. Patrick's Old Cathedral on Mulberry/Mott Streets. So much of the neighborhood has changed, but the grand cathedral whose story is a fascinating part of New York City history, remains a spectacular presence. The Erben Organ is beautiful to see, wonderful to hear...

I love capturing the Empire State Building from different vantage points--in this case, from Mulberry Street. : )

This week in our Hudson Valley Artist Spotlight, we met Sheri Miller. We listened to the song Right Here, Right Now from her EP titled Mantra.

Sheri is in the line-up at a David Bowie tribute show this Tuesday night, 12/15 at The Living Room in NYC @ 8pm. Check out more of Sheri's cool collection of songs, including the awesome title track Mantra, at her web home. Sheri plays at 12 Grapes Music & Wine Bar in Peekskill on occasion, so keep an eye on her space for show dates.

A New Yorker wrote a fab song that's a no-brainer for this post...

Peace in NY & peace on Earth,

Catherine

All is merry and bright...

...and mother nature has responded to the let it snow, let it snow, let it snow! seasonal mantra of the airwaves with snow falling as I write this. : ) On Wednesday in our Passing Through feature, we heard the song So Beautiful So Blue from Patrick Fitzsimmons' album of the same title. Patrick performed at The Peekskill Coffee House Friday night and he'll be reuniting with his band From Good Homes for two shows @ The Wellmont Theatre in Montclair, NJ on 12/18 & 12/19. Check out more of Patrick's music and find out where he's performing at his web home or space. Expect to love every song on the album.

On Friday night, it was laughs and music with the award winning duo Buskin & Batteau. David and Robin are entertaining storytellers and their new album Red Shoes and Golden Hearts is a collection that will move you between laughs and inspiration. Robin mentioned that the outlook of his Uncle Woody was the stimulus for the song Choose Joy, one of my instant favorites from the album. We listened to the title track, Red Shoes and Golden Hearts and you can hear more at the Buskin and Batteau space or site. Next Saturday night, Buskin & Batteau are in the line up at a Phil Ochs Song Night at The People's Voice Cafe on E. 35th St. in NYC, show starts @ 8pm.

Our friends at The SPCA of Westchester in Briarcliff Manor always seem to know how to spread good canine cheer! It was a fab day @ Club Fit, where Santa took a break from the holiday hubbub to pose with a whole bunch of pals from his 'nice' list.

Buster from Hawthorne has a leash that says: BAD TO THE BONE!

Rocky from Tarrytown had on his Santa hat...

Schnitzle the Clown & Sandy stopped by with smiles...

Asia said 'hello' with Jana, who adopted her and is a volunteer at the SPCA. Merry, happy & joyful to all! If you're thinking of welcoming unconditional love into your home this holiday season or in the new year, please consider The SPCA of Westchester, where you can also provide support with a donation of dog or cat food or contact them to find out what is most needed.

Since the holiday tunes are rollin' on WHUD, a reminder that you can sing along even if you forget the words. (Even Elvis did, on occasion)

Peace, music & snow!!!

Catherine

Try the pie : )

Have to be honest, I'm still pretty bummed that the show Pushing Daisies didn't survive...Ned the pie maker and Emerson the knitting detective--is there a better pairing? Are you partial to a homemade flaky crust and yarn too?

In the first night of our 8pm all holiday music hour (a feature that will continue through the holiday season, so please call with your requests : ) we heard Sloan Wainwright's song, Big, Bright, Beautiful Tree. Listen again or download it here. My thanks to Sloan and her Baker's Cafe Cookbook for the recipe that became this year's Thanksgiving indulgence of Cranberry Apple Pie! Life is meant to be sweet...

In our Hudson Valley Artist Spotlight this week, we met Rob Morsberger, a singer-songwriter who also composes for television. We listened to the song, I want to be the one, from his album A Periodic Rush of Waves.

Rob shares the stage with his friend Peter Calo at the Towne Crier Cafe in Pawling this Sunday, 11/29 @ 7:30pm. Learn more about Rob and his music, even download the song we heard at his site or space.

The holiday season is officially in motion, enjoy! We heard from the Rodriguez family who welcome you to Cook Drive in Mahopac to view their seasonal display that includes over 40,000 lights. On the road last night, heard what may be the ideal tune for this holiday weekend--and I love the Tom Cochrane original, but this one features a few sweet rides!

Zoom with love & music,

Catherine

"Gratitude...

"...can transform common days into thanksgivings, turn routine jobs into joy, and change ordinary opportunities into blessings.” — William Arthur Ward

Happy Thanksgiving!!



Peace,

Catherine

Ginger Ale soap?

Mmmhmmm... Found a locally made soap in Sugar Loaf yesterday that smells like Ginger Ale. Effervescent: ) It was not my first time strolling the lovely town, but it was an introduction to the Lycian Centre for the Performing Arts, where their annual Festival of Trees was the ideal atmosphere to get in a glowing mood for Thanksgiving and the holiday season. Bravo to the Warwick Middle School choir for warming the pavilion with their caroling voices. Check out the photo section of our site to see some of the amazing kids we met, including 3-year-old Elizabeth from Warwick. With her charm, smile and pigtails, Elizabeth is destined to have her own show! The trees were fantastic, hard to pick a favorite but leaning toward the one I'll refer to as 'The Peace Tree.'

Here's a bit of the Pixie tree..."all you need is faith & trust & a little bit of pixie dust," said Peter Pan. Loved the Girl Scout tree too, with handmade magic like this...

This week in our Hudson Valley Artist Spotlight, we checked in with Anthony DaCosta, who is at Columbia University these days and among his favorite performance haunts is Postcrypt Coffeehouse. We heard the song Matters of the Heart from Anthony's 8th album release, Ain't Afraid of Nothing.

If you missed the Common Ground Coffeehouse show last night, you can check Anthony's web home for live gigs and hear more of his music. His last album, a collaboration with Abbie Gardner titled Bad Nights/Better Days includes the song Down On My Knees, that simply knocked me out the first time I heard it.

My thanks to Ida 'the screenwriter' Carusio in Atlantic Beach, for sending over a copy of the screenplay she and her husband John mentioned to us recently, along with a dedication. It's titled: The Sneeze That Almost Blew Christmas Away, and I'm excited to read it!

While the turkey is thawing, send some love to our troops who won't be home for the feast here.

Before this week flies and catapults us into the hustle of the holiday season, I think we need a deep breath--and I'm madly in love with this new Pearl Jam tune! (Easy chords to play : )

With thanks for YOU & music,

Catherine

3-piece suits the airwaves!

Wow! It's really the only way to describe the performance in our Night Rhythms Live Beat by Jonny Hirsch, who brought along his bandmates Anthony Almonte and Rich Simpson to play for us Friday night.

We heard four songs from the album Live From The Batcave:

Tonight, Of Sound Design, What Would You Do and All of That and Less.

Jonny and the full band have a performance at Rockwood Music Hall in Manhattan on December 4th or catch one of their frequent gigs at The Bitter End on December 16th. Hear more songs and see video of the recording of the album at Jonny's space and check out his site. (Listen to the podcast if you missed the awesome live sounds. : )

The generosity and support of our Children's Miracle Network Radiothon to Benefit Maria Fareri Children's Hospital at Westchester Medical Center this week was a reminder of the powerful community spirit that surrounds us. Beautiful you, THANK YOU!!

With sweet love & devotion,

Catherine

Discovering an instrument

Have you ever heard of a Cajon drum? Until this week, I hadn't but now I'm fascinated by the idea of it. Apparently it's a box that you sit on to play, and it produces a range of sounds like a drum set. Science! : ) I found some examples, the one on the right is actually called a 'jingle Cajon.' I'm gonna be geeked out about this for a while, and can't wait to hear one live!

In our Hudson Valley Artist Spotlight this week, we met Christine & T., together they are the duo We Must Be.

T. plays the Cajon drum and mentioned he has one custom made by a friend from Chile. We listened to their first single, Pop Tune. Check out We Must Be next week in Rosendale, Woodstock and @ The Ground Hog Coffee House in Wappingers Falls on Friday, 11/13 @ 6:30pm. Find We Must Be online and keep an ear out for new songs here.

Listening to a commercial this week with the tune of Jingle Bells, was a reminder that the holiday season is fast-approaching. In the quest for place settings, stuffing recipes and the ultimate dessert, it's as easy as pie to write a letter to connect with our deployed soldiers whose every day sacrifice is the comforts of home. Among the online resources is Operation Gratitude.

We celebrate the holidays based on a calendar, but the family of Noah Biorkman in Michigan has decided to make it an early Christmas for this beautiful boy. Read the story.

See you @ the backyard jam J & J...

Beat your drum,

Catherine

P.S.--If you were tuned in Friday night and heard Vicki in Orange County dedicate a song to her lost dog...I'm so happy to share that Sandy is now SAFE AT HOME!