L'espoir est le rêve de l'âme éveillée

...says a French proverb, meaning: 'hope is the dream of the soul awake.' Somehow those words felt very present while witnessing the devastating effects of the earthquake in Haiti this week. There was one online piece I read that mentioned people singing and praying in the streets of Port-au-Prince...in our darkest moments, music is hope. Inspiring to read about the online and text rally of donations--that is love in action! We can continue to support the efforts of The American Red Cross as its admirable staff of citizens bring relief and comfort to the people of Haiti.

This week in our Night Rhythms Livebeat, we had the pleasure of meeting Elly Wininger...also known as Elly Greenberg in her CBGB's days...the legendary NYC venue considered by so many of us to be a Punk mecca, she reminded us, actually refers to its *C*ountry, *B*lue *G*rass & *B*lues origins, in its name.
Elly played Back Eddy Blues, from her album of the same title...

We also listened to the songs Next Year and Downtown Serenade.

Elly performs this evening at The Woodstock Library @ 7pm or you can find her with The Dave Kearney Trio at a new venue in Woodstock called Harmony, this Thursday, 1/21 @ 7pm. Find the complete calendar of performances, including a student-conceived Concert for the Arts @ Saugerties High School on 1/29 at her web home. Learn more about Elly, who is an award-winning music documentarian and guitar teacher also making music with The Jesse Janes. Thanks for your music, Elly!

My favorite escape into the intense world of Jack Bauer resumes this Sunday. : )

Love & hope to the people of Haiti & everyone there to help,

Catherine

The big 233rd birthday block party...

...ran from Chelsea to the Upper West Side this year, and what a spectacular show! A glorious weekend, weather-wise and ideal for skating from around 1oth St. along the West Side Highway down through Battery Park and over to the South Street Seaport. I waved to the Statue of Liberty, along the way, whose crown reopened to the public this weekend. The vantage point for this brief video is near 70th St. A balmy and gorgeous night on the waterfront, and a fabulous crowd! Hats off to 'NY's finest' for a helpful and extensive presence in blue. Macy's sure did deliver on the promise of a fantastic show.

Without a doubt, it was a great night of music with Mestengo, at the Reservoir Inn in Hurley on Saturday night. We met Dave Kearney in our Hudson Valley Artist Spotlight this week, and heard his beautiful song Home is Where the Heart Is. Dave is currently in the studio working on his album, along with his musical partner Elly Wininger. Together they are the duo, Mestengo. They play regularly at Alchemy in Woodstock. Hear more of their music and find out when & where to check out Mestengo live at Dave's space and visit Elly here. Dave shared that Mestengo's name is a word that means wild and free...

If you're a fan of Sam Rockwell and Sci-Fi, add the film Moon to your list. It's directed by David Bowie's son, Duncan Jones, and is thought provoking about our planet's future, and simply stellar Sam...you could say lunar, too. : )

Whatever you're up to this July 4th weekend, hope it's exactly what you've been needing. Love and gratitude to our troops, whose work never stops. There's a tenacity in this Kenny Rogers song that seems ideal for this weekend:

The Greatest

Freedom's in the music,

Catherine