A point about the Occupy Wall ST movement

A worth while read from Isabell Moore, about the Occupy Wall Street movement and how we all are in this crisis together.  We can either run from it or learn from it and certainly we can all do something about it.  This is not about Hippies and Anarchists, this is about honest people wanting to be part of society.  Isabell's blog was sent to me from a cousin of mine living in San Francisco who has been part of the movement to honor humanity with social justice for all. 

We are not a great nation until all of us are strong.

 

here's an excerpt follow this link to read the whole blog:

October 7, 2011

Dear [Paternal, Maternal & In-Law] Extended Families,

As many of you may know (or may have noticed on Facebook!) I’ve been getting really super excited about all this “We Are the 99%” and “Occupy Wall Street” stuff.  Coincidentally as these protests have been spreading, it’s been at the same time that we’re covering the American Revolution, the French Revolution and the Haitian Revolution and all of the incomplete uprisings before and after each one in the community college history classes I teach.  Its making me remember that no one knew the Storming of the Bastille was going to happen a week or even a day before it did.  Of course during the French Rev, few people were talking about slavery in French colonies, the French role in taking Native lands and women were written out of the Declaration of the Rights of Man.  And the French Revolution began and ended in terrible violence, which is something I don’t want to see again.... read on

easy ease-in at Grand Central

My return to subway gigs after a long summer break couldn't have been better. I performed in the Graybar corridor at Grand Central Station (it feeds into the main hall) and has a great people watching vantage point.With amazing warm acoustics naturally created by great architecture, I sang with ease and enjoyed what only time off can provide, the ability to hear myself with fresh ears and ideas. I noticed many people taking an "audio" tour of the station. There's a funny juxtaposition of tourists casually looking up at whatever is being pointed out from a voice in their headphones and the racing commuters who always seem to cut their next train close to within seconds.It's truly a dance, albeit clumsy at best.
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Grand Central Commuter

I stopped to speak with you at GCT around 1pm today and bought two of your cds.  I was getting my shoes shined, reading the paper and said to myself "who is playing that beautiful music?"  I listened to "Coming Back to Me" tonight and really like it.  I said to myself that there is a lot going in this voice...I heard Natalie Merchant, Lara Nyro, Joni Mitchell...you've got quite a range and your guitar work is impeccable.  I didn't know that you opened for Laura Nyro, so that was a good guess.  Anyway, my first and true love is folk music and I enjoyed stumbling upon your music today. Thanks and all the best!

Ron Schulman

Apple Picking

Apples are ready to be picked in upstate NY, leaves are starting to turn-already?  And NYCSubwayGirl returns to the big apple.

I'll be performing this Thursday at Grand Central Station and Friday at Columbus Circle. Both days 12-3pm, check out my gigs listings for more details.

Also this week my favorite E-Waste recycling event sponsored by LES Ecology Center at Tekserve Saturday Sept 17th 10-4pm.  Clean out your closets and recycle old fax machines, phones, cables, computers and more. You can even get a tax deduction while helping to propering dispose of old unwanted, antiquated electronics.

e-waste event September 17th

I am a huge fan of The Lower East Side Ecology Center, they not only champion a sustainable NYC (since 1987) but they are a go-to for education and my favorite e-waste recycling day. This will be their only summer event but will have events in all five boroughs in the fall. There's still time to do something that not only helps the environment, but helps you to feel good about getting rid of all that stuff you're collecting that you no longer have room or use for:

September 17, 2011 | 10:00am - 4:00pm

 

 

Tekserve, 119 West 23rd Street (between 6th Avenue and 7th Avenue), New York, NY 10011    Map It  Tell A Friend

info@lesecologycenter.org

The Ecology Center is holding an electronic waste ("e-waste") recycling event at Tekserve in Chelsea to responsibly recycle unwanted or broken electronics from New York City residents. This is one of 17 e-waste recycling events that the Ecology Center will be holding in all five boroughs in September and October.

A list of acceptable materials can be found here and we accept electronics from households and small businesses (less than 50 employees, please call ahead) as well as not-for-profits. We do not accept home appliances such as microwaves, refrigerators, or air conditioners.

The electronic waste recycling program is made possible by Tekserve.

Directions

Transit: Take the F or M train to 23rd Street, walk 1 block west or take the M23 bus.

Driving: The event will be on the north side of West 23rd Street between 6th and 7th Avenues.

Calm After The Storm

It's a lovely, clear crisp morning

not a cloud in the sky

Irene washed through the Hudson Valley staying a little over 24 hours

The rains came Saturday night 12:05 am

We already knew from friends in NYC 2 hours south what was coming our way.

The image of empty NYC streets, of evacuated residents of a shutdown city, strange.

 

By daybreak, rain

by midday, rain

by afternoon, rain

Steady, heavy 

by then NYC was clear 

and we were in a washing machine surrounded by trees

at least safer on higher ground from flooding

we never lost power. no downed trees, never had to evacuate to the basement

Fortunate we were.

 

The wind by 4pm in all directions whipped rain like snow

pups loved it, a lucky break

I danced on our outdoor table safely tucked into the corner of the living room

defiant, feeling like a kid

hurricanes can bring gifts

 

Irene by 1 am Monday, over

No wind, no rain

Just the twinkle twinkle of stars above unaware

of the torrent and devastation here on earth

Chorus of un-drowned crickets and other singing "things"

filled the cleaned night air

Rushing water in nearby stream loud

like a freight train with 1000's of rattling cars on a trip to far away.

 

Others were not so lucky as we were and I wish them well in returning to right. 

Be careful when traveling.

 

I'm looking forward to returning to the subway to perform soon.

 

 

calm before storm

I'm writing this in upstate NY unsure where and when hurricane Irene will hit.  Outdoor furniture is in, sinks are full of water and batteries are charged. I am thankful to not be in NYC and hope the storm brings only good things brought by so much preparation, information and thoughtful communication in anticipation of a potential major disaster. In all my years I have never heard of shutting down the subway systems due to a natural event, but know our infrastruture is overwhelmed by even a minor storm, so the decision is certainly prudent. I commend the intense work of evacuating and sheltering of people including allowing animals in shelters-bravo NY!

Wow imagine if we could put this same energy and care into how to be more productive, efficient and community focused citizens.

Having lived in Key West I'm no stranger to hurricanes (I was stuck in Andrew) and tropical storms can be just as devastating. They move fast and when it's over if nothing happens, a sort of cry wolf attitude can set in. To be sure it's better to be safe than sorry, evacuate if possible and if not hunker down. So stay safe from flying debris my fellow commuters and see you post Irene. And thanks to all my fans and friends far and wide checking in with good wishes.

Cathy

PS I do hope that when all the wind and water subsides, we'll realize that even in tough economic times, rebuilding and maintaining our infrastructure is essential and forward thinking.

A Defense of Pragmatism

A Defense of Pragmatism ~by RTod When I was in high school I briefly embraced Communism. I did so for all the reasons white suburban 16 years olds often do: Communism was defiant and rebellious, seemed at first blush to be “fair,” and having Che Guevara on your t-shirt impressed more girls than the Up With People logo. (Added bonus: I had no money so any redistribution of wealth was definitely going to be a net gain.) As I grew older I did what most other WASPy kids that embrace Communism do: I abandoned it when it became clear that Communism in real life did not match Communism on paper, and that in order to believe that it did you had to be dogmatic to the point of irrationality. A pretty common path, really. The difference between myself and others that have travelled this path is that as I’ve grown older I have come to similar conclusions about pretty much every other political ideology. In fact, I’ve gone one step further: I have come to believe that ideological dogma of any kind – when used to steer public policy – at best keeps us from finding the best solutions to problems, and at worst creates problems that are even worse. I am starting, in other words, to embrace a philosophy of pragmatism as I get long in tooth. To state the obvious: This does not make me popular with people who like politics. I would say that pragmatists are often dismissed out of hand at the League, but this would be myopic; pragmatists are often dismissed out of hand everywhere. I had always assumed pragmatism was viewed as a fairly benign in a useful but low key and non-threatening kind of way – kind of like a tea cozy. However, since I have started calling myself a pragmatist in political discussions I have been surprised to find wonks of all stripes regard me in a way similar as they might a bedbug infestation. So I have asked the esteemed editors of the League if I might offer my own defense of – and call for -pragmatism. I do this for two reasons. First, I think that pragmatism deserves a bigger and more formal voice in these discussions than it normally gets. Second, I think of my pragmatism as a work in progress, and so I welcome the criticism and counter-points I know this group will serve up. (Who knows, maybe after this is over I will be convinced to renounce pragmatism and declare myself a neo-techno-acrachno-libertariacrat or some such thing.) First off, a definitional point: When I think of pragmatism, I am not intending it to mean “devoid of values.” I just don’t think of any specific political philosophy as being a core value. (For a fish-in-the-barrel illustration, Rush Limbaugh would list conservatism as a core value. And he really means it; after Obama’s election he famously declared that he would rather see the country go into financial ruin under Obama’s watch than see the new administration’s policies work and make the country prosperous again. That’s being true to your values.) While I recognize most people do list their political ideology
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Taking a true break

During the dog days of August, I go to the country and stretch out a bit. After months of singing in the subway, I need to come above ground when it's too hot. The self imposed break brings me many gifts.  

As a child my New Yorker parents moved my family to rural Connecticut, and I mean rural, cow pastures, corn fields, County Fairs, 4-H camp and a town so small we had to join with the next one to create a school district.  Weekends we visited our extended family who were spread out throughout the 5 Boroughs of Manhattan. When I lived in Key West in the '80's, the island atmosphere was the perfect balance to my touring life.  Then later in France in the '90's I easily switched between my apartment in Paris and a country home in the South. In 2004 my partner and I built a country home in upstate NY as a get away from the city grind.  

So as you can see, my picture has always been a duality of urban and rural life.  In the country, being part of a vibrant local community through volunteering and service is something I enjoy. When summer hits I climb up above ground with all my metaphors and need for open space, and head to cow pastures, corn fields and County Fairs (or at least one Blueberry Festival in my case).

I've been so involved with country life, that I haven't really taken much time for myself.  This is my way of saying I am taking a much needed break. So stay tuned as I take time to nurture my creativity and space.

Happy continued Summer.

Blueberry Festival last Sunday in July

NYCSubwayGirl spends summer in Columbia County NY. One of the events I love to help out with is Austerlitz Historical Society's Blueberry Festival. I organize the Entertainment and engineer the live sound. It's a long day but always fun.

It's held annually on the last Sunday in July on the grounds of The Old Austerlitz Historical Society.

Hope to see you Sunday July 31st!  For more information and directions. 

 

Summer means lots of thyme

Okay summer is now in full swing.  Lucky for me I have a country get away to avoid the hot, sticky, smelly subway. It's funny, people ask me all the time how I can handle performing in the subway. It does take a certain amount of settling in, a few days tops and then suddenly I forget the crazy surroundings, the sounds, the smells, the rushing commuters, the strange daily events that are too hard to describe. It's the movement of bodies, the heart and soul of a city.  The collective coming together of flesh, blood, metal, wood, air and water.  But for now it's crickets and cool breezes, wild turkeys and honey bees. And it takes me no time to settle into this kind of environment.

Taking a break is a resourcing for me and being someone who doesn't actually know how to stop "working," I am full of doing other wonderful things.  I've never actually had what I call a "real job" except when I was in my teens first working at Bob's Surplus in Middletown, CT, folding jeans, working the cash register and then display (that's when I learned to drink my coffee black), and later a brief stint as a drive-up teller at a Liberty Bank in Portland.  The branch manager one day seeing my cash stored in every direction, took the bills dumping them on the counter in a huge pile as a crazy way to teach me how to organize in one direction face up. Of course I never made that mistake again. I still organize bills that way. I was starting my first gigs at the same time and soon learned it was certainly more interesting and fun to embark on a career in music. Who knew I'd still be doing it happily all these years later, the highs the lows the good money and bad.  "You got to love life to live life, and live life to love life." :Thornton Wilder, Our Town. Along the way I've always had a passion for other things that mean using my hands  like sound engineering, but other non musical things like cooking, building and repairing things, gardening, photography, and community work.  

Today I woke up and pulled weeds in our thyme garden and like I always like to say with a laugh, "we've got plenty of thyme." I walked the pups down a gravel country road, and am now back sitting at the computer writing.  Last night Michele and I and some friends went to Hudson, NY for an outdoor concert series along the river called Hudson.Water.Music. produced by Rob Caldwell and owner of the most fun and eclectic "community" music store in America called Musica.

There were performers from Bindlestiff Family Cirkus, wandering the grounds, and hoola hoops everywhere for anyone to take a spin. There was a wonderful performance by The Edna Project with Liz Queler and Seth Farber and their very talented 12 year old son Joey on the Cajon.

Edna St. Vincent Millay lived in Austerlitz, NY on a fabulous piece of land she named Steepletop, where she escaped NYC with the rest of her angels and demons to write and celebrate her very intense and eclectic life. She was a rock star of the day (1920's). I remember my grandfather Raymond Gomez who emigrated from Antigua was a fan of Vincent's and could recite stanza's of her poetry. What was wonderful about The Edna Project is Liz and Seth have created wonderful musical accompaniment to the words of Edna St. Vincent's. My friend Sherry commented last night that the lyrics sound as contemporary as anything we listen to today.  Seeing Seth was great fun as I had hired him back in 1998 to perform the B3 organ for a project I was producing (he is a fantastic keyboardist). Joey had just been born, so it was fun to see him play last night 12 years later. And Play he does, with so much passion and groove, while others like yours truly picked up one of the many hoola hoops laying about and took a twirl. Ah childhood memories. I think Edna St. Vincent was smiling.

And in the life is a small world category, sitting in chairs just next to us were Dini Lamot and Windle Davis (formerly of the group Human Sexual Response) old friends from my Key West days in the mid 1980's.  I haven't seen them since.  They are now happily living in Hudson, have a wonderful B&B The Inn At Hudson and have been together 36 years. They will officially marry next Tuesday. Congratulations.

Later Sweet Soubrette performed a lovely set. A fun trio of Violin, Uke, and yes Marimba while they performed the hot July sun set behind them along the Hudson river horizon.

As the next weeks go on I'll catch up on my many clips from the past months performing in the subway.  You can look forward to more What's Your Inspiration? clips, and some really fun spontaneous jams from commuters passing by.  And mostly I'll get out into the country and fill myself with nature before heading back to the Underground and parts unknown.

Happy Summer.

 

ha, ha, we have lots of thyme.....

E-WASTE Recycling Day JULY 16, 2011

I am a huge fan of The Lower East Side Ecology Center, they not only champion a sustainable NYC (since 1987) but they are a go-to for education and my favorite e-waste recycling day. This will be their only summer event but will have events in all five boroughs in the fall. There's still time to do something that not only helps the environment, but helps you to feel good about getting rid of all that stuff you're collecting that you no longer have room or use for:
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Summer Is On

The past month has been pretty fun and interesting for NYCSubwayGirl

I met and jammed with musicians from Amsterdam in the Staten Island Ferry Terminal and of course got a wonderful What's Your Inspiration? clip from them.  In halting English including no accent Billy responded "this might sound cheesy, but love." I met amazing Sustainability champion Roberto A. Sanchez who gave me such a succinct definition of Sustainability.

I had the chance to sing at a few weddings so far, one of them was for my cousin Michael who not only had the honor of marrying the wonderful Alex, but as Stage Manager of the hit Broadway Show Book Of Mormon, also became part of a Tony award winning team.  All in the same weekend.  How's that for a high time in your life!  Congratulations Michael and Alex.  They made a youtube clip of my singing La Vie En Rose for the first dance

It was rainy last weekend both for my Garden Party gig to benefit Spencertown Academy Arts Center and my visit to Bobby The Carriage horse, living happily at Equine Advocates Sanctuary in Chatham, NY. Here's a clip I made of Bobby's re-Birthday celebration. Bobby was rescued on June 25, 2010 by Equine Advocates and the Coalition to Ban Horse-Drawn Carriages.  He was then shipped to Equine Advocates Rescue & Sanctuary in Chatham, NY where he has been retired.

Of course the big news occurred Friday evening June 24th when the NY State Senate passed the Marriage Equality Bill 33-29 and then signed by Governor Cuomo. Congratulations to everyone on what I believe is the right side of history. To the others I say, in time like so many of our Country's 200+ years of history has shown, that we evolve.

On June 18th I performed at the 2nd annual Hudson Pride. Here's my blog about the day in Hudson, and some clips from my weekend.

My performance clip at Club Helsinki, and I am especially proud of a clip I made of Matthew Hamilton whose "I might be straight, but I'm not narrow" t-shirt prompted a fun exchange.  

Here's Matthew's "make it happen" clip

and event organizer Trixie Starr's What's Your Inspiration Clip.

Summer reading is also something I look forward to as I spend less time performing and more time being inspired by others and the countryside around me. I've already begun with these two:

Fellow Music Under New York performers, Heth and Jed Weinstein's book  Buskers: The On-The-Streets, In-the-trains, Off -the-Grid Memoir of two New York City Street Musicians (now that's 36 characters shy of a full tweet).

Margaret Roach "And I Will Find Some Peace In There." 

Why do these books resonate with me? With Heth and Jed's book, it's their life of discovering an underworld of possibility by performing in public spaces of NYC, something I know about intimately. And in Margaret's book, it's about following a passion begun by a single act of purchasing a weekend home, and then leaving a corporate job for the unknown adventure of living there full time surrounded by nature. My partner Michele and I bought and built on a piece of land in 2002, and this past month she left her corporate job of 14 years for the unknown.  Stay tuned.

Happy 4th of July weekend.  

Bobby and Me Summer in the country

As the summer intensifies so does the subway and I find myself staying longer in my country get away up in Columbia County....

It was rainy last weekend when I went to visit Bobby 11 Freedom, the rescued NYC Carriage horse, now living at Equine Advocates Sanctuary in Chatham, NY. It's one year since Bobby was rescued from slaughter. Equine Advocates President & Founder, Susan Wagner and the rest of us were caught in a sudden rainstorm, but it didn't dampen the high spirits. 

Bobby was rescued on June 25, 2010 by Equine Advocates and the Coalition to Ban Horse-Drawn Carriages.  He was then shipped to Equine Advocates Rescue & Sanctuary in Chatham, NY where he has been retired. Bobby is sponsored by Cathy and Ron Wong. You can sponsor one of the many equines rescued and living at the sanctuary. contact Equine Advocates Sanctuary

Here's a clip I made of his re-Birthday celebration:

Elizabeth Hess an Equine Advocates board member, avid animal rights activist and author (Nim Chimpsky), brought me along to the party.  We took my two poodles Etta and Lily who loved the attention.

I'll be heading back to the subway after a summer break excited to know Bobby is retired from the city grind living happily at Equine Advocates.  

The birthday celebration was written about in an article about Bobby by Karrie Allen of The Chatham Courier

Here's a previous clip I made from my intial visit to the sanctuary when Bobby first arrived.

why NYCSubwayGirl?

Interesting email lately from a wide range of connections, I realized a certain theme is emerging, how do I describe NYCSubwaygirl and why does she exist?  Very existential, no? 

To Margaret Roach an amazing Garden blogger, I wrote: I am a blogger of the underground kind.  Working where the roots of the city make their way, and nourishing them as best I can with my brand of folked-up blues, singing and songwriting.

Natarajan, a visitor from India wrote:

I wonder why you call yourself the subway girl. Is it the struggle or is it the love of life that surrounds the subways in NY. I have a friend who is involved in yoga teaching as I am and lives in NY. .... she was telling me that for creative people its a real struggle but they seem to keep trying and liking it. 

My reply:

NYCSubwayGirl is not about struggle although it is about finding peace in the chaos of the subway.  I am a folk and blues singer, blues comes from experiencing life through struggle and finding a kind of peace through it. Folk comes from singing for and about people. I think singing in the subway is an amazing way to share live music in a public space. 

Yoga has many principles of letting go of struggle, but it does not come without pain. (I practice a very vague form of yoga on my own).  So like the creative people your friend talks about, the struggle comes with it reward of what discipline and practice provides. 

 

Another theme reappears time and time again what is my name?  It should be so easy and yet people stumble they call me New York City Subway Girl, they call me New York Subway Girl, somehow the initials don't stick.  NYCSubwayGirl in one word you'd think wouldn't be hard to figure out.  Not true. Go figure.

Your thoughts?  

Update on 2011-06-29 14:24 by NYC Subway Girl

thought I'd share a past posting Looking Back On Creating NYCSubwayGirl explaining in more detail why NYCSubwayGirl.

Billy and Nigel jam in SI ferry terminal NYC

 

Musicians Billy Maluw and Nigel Schat with friend Marvin visiting from Amsterdam, Netherlands, arrived inside the SI ferry terminal with instruments on their shoulders. I asked if they wanted to jam. Of course they said yes. They joined in and we had a great time. They jammed on my songs Jungle and then performed on their own. The crowd loved it, including one very enthusiastic dancer.

What Inspires them? Music performing in New York City

check out their What's Your Inspiration? clip I made

 

2nd annual Hudson Pride

Saturday afternoon I travelled to Hudson, NY for the 2nd annual Hudson Pride event. It's been an intense week for Gay Pride as the NY state assembly under the strong support of Governor Andrew Cuomo passed the first step towards a Marriage Equality bill.  Currently held up in the Senate and with the vote looking close to being able to pass, the energy in Hudson was amazing.  I met participant Matthew Hamilton with a homemade t-shirt asking undecided Senator Steve Saland (Columbia County's Senator) to join in passing the bill.  Check out Matthew's clip I made.  It shows Matthew with his t-shirt and a funny rant about how even Britney Spears can be married for only 36 hours but his Mom and her partner Christine of 21 years can't be married.

I also chatted with Trixie Starr one of the event organizers.  Last year was the first year and she proudly talked about how wonderful it was to create an event that brought children and people together in one small amazing community of 6000 people.

check out Trixie's Inspiration clip

Later that evening, I performed at the new state of the art Club Helsinki.  I opened the night of live entertainment with a set of my own brand of what I call folked-up blues to an energized audience.  My partner of 13 years Michele joined along with friends including ex NYC'er and newcomer to the Hudson scene Sherry Jo Williams, (who has opened an amazing shop called The Culture-Commerce Project) to spread the love. 

For me, Gay Pride is best described as: To celebrate living a life that is driven by the force of love with the ability to reach beyond prejudice, fear and ignorance. To live a life without compromising or contradicting that love.

(Pride volunteer Jamie Trachtenberg's beautiful email signature) sums it up perfectly.

"Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength; loving someone deeply gives you courage." - Lao Tzu   

So here's to NY state being on the right side of History and passing the Marriage Equality bill. 

Update on 2011-06-25 11:17 by NYC Subway Girl

June 24 10:30pm bill 1545 passed in NY Senate 33-29. To Senator Tom Duane who so eloquently stated in voting for this bill tonight, "there are no villians in this room, only heros."  Senator Duane, you are the hero. Uniter of hero's.  Thank you.  I'm proud to be a New Yorker.  To Matthew Hamilton whom I met and filmed at Hudson Pride, his Mom and Christine can now get married. So can I.

NYCsubwayGirl on TV June 5th

Hi Folks, hope you'll tune in this Sunday June 5th 6:30 pm on NYC Public Access TV show Above The Radar with AJ Vazquez host.  I did a pre taped interview and performance with a live audience some months back and now it'll finally be aired. You don't have to be in the city, it will air online, see details below.

the show is scheduled to air June 5th Sunday @6:30pm on chnl 56 MNN2 on Time Warner Cable in the City...you can also catch it on MNN.org click on MNN2 Lifestyle on the Right side a screen will pop up, hit play & there we'll be...it can only be watched on that website @the exact time it airs 

 

watch AJ Vazquez Inspiration clip