Circles...

You've probably used or heard someone utter the expression, "we've come full circle." If you looked up the meaning, it would say something like: to complete a cycle of transition, returning to the point of origin. That really resonates with me right now, perhaps as much as walking up on this drumming circle a few weeks ago. The location is Wagner Park, not far from the World Trade Center site, we've referred to for nine years as 'Ground Zero.' This circle symbolic, almost a decade later, of a city and nation's resilience and suggesting that in the wake of our tragedies and differing points of view, we can gather together peacefully...with music. To all who lost a loved one on 9/11/01, a loving embrace for strength to carry on. To every brave person and dog who served at the site in the aftermath, a loving embrace of gratitude. To our uniformed Americans whose duty has been to face war as a result of the terrorist attacks, a loving embrace for your safety.


A boat may not travel in a circle, but it often returns to points we call ports. Friday night in our Night Rhythms Livebeat, we enjoyed the return of The YaYas to our studio.











Catherine Miles, Jay Mafale and Paul Silverman are as comically engaging as they are talented and we heard three tunes from their new album, Paper Boats.
I forgot my camera, but Paul (who has a way of capturing the inner beauty of people he photographs) was kind enough to bring his. : )

We heard the moving song, You Should Go, that includes the lyric that inspired the album title: 'folding up his dreams in tiny paper boats.' The Ya Yas are as accommodating as they are fun, and we heard their spin on the familiar tune We Danced Anyway...equally uplifting, and dare I say more brilliantly arranged than the original, that I love. If you heard The Ya Yas perform Third Girl from the Left, then you must be still singing it, because it's got a hopeful hook that echoes Petula Clark's Downtown.

The heart of Peekskill is where you'll find The Ya Yas this Friday, September 17th @ 8pm at the Bean Runner Cafe. (great food, warm atmosphere and the sound will be delicious!) You can also catch The Ya Yas at the Howling Wolf Family Folk Festival @ Lewisboro Park in South Salem, on Sunday, 9/19 @ 1pm or be at their CD release party, where admission includes a copy of Paper Boats, at the Towne Crier Cafe in Pawling on Sunday, October 24th @ 7:30pm. Find their full calendar and more music at their web home.

Two more Night Rhythms sails together...

See you on the water,
Catherine

What's a pirate's favorite letter?

R! : ) My 5-year-old pal, Anthony, shared that joke yesterday.
I'll be cracking up about it for days. Jokes new and old are welcome this Wednesday night, 5/19 at the Bean Runner Cafe in Peekskill, where I'm hosting a fundraising night of music for my 35-mile journey at the Long Island 2 Day Walk to Fight Breast Cancer.
My thanks to Ted & Drew for providing a beautiful, warm venue and to the musicians who are donating their time to the event that begins @ 6pm, with music until 9pm:
HeadSoup
The Ya Yas
Kathleen Pemble & Cold Spring theBand
Fred Gillen, Jr. and Eric Puente

R.S.V.P. on Facebook here or reserve a table by contacting the Bean Runner Cafe @ (914) 737-1701.

This week in our Night Rhythms Livebeat, The Melillo Brothers were beyond dynamite! If you missed their performance, please check out the podcast. Joe, Nick and Anthony are siblings who seem to have as much fun simply being in eachother's company, as they do playing their catchy tunes.

The Melillo Brothers are working on a new album and we heard the song Fall For Me. They mentioned that they have a YouTube channel where you can hear the tunes @ Melillo TV.
They also shared their infectious harmonies and rhythm in the songs Where's My Juliet and Your Favorite Song. Find out how you can be part of a Melillo Brothers video shoot at The Emergenza Festival @ Crash Mansion in NYC on 5/23 and see the rest of their calendar, including a show @ The Bayou in Mt. Vernon this Friday, 5/21 @ 11pm at their web home.

This song's been playing in my head all weekend...have you heard this version?

Sing with your friends,

Catherine