News,
New & Of Note
Welcome to News, New & Of Note where you'll find the latest happenings
from our friends and family in the Poetry, Music and Art world. Check back often
as we'll update with the latest and greatest happenings as they cross our desks
here at Insomniacathon.org
Of
Note - War Is Over If You Want It -
December 8th marks the day John Lennon was senselessly taken from this
world. On this December 8th, Yoko Ono asks all people of the world to make
it a Day of Healing. Insom brother, Michael
Dean Pollock who lives in Reykjavik, Iceland where the Imagine Peace
Tower resides reflects on John Lennon on this Day of Healing. Click
Here To Read his story, Lennon
Lightening Strikes Thrice.
News
& Of Note! - Poetry Made Visible -
JC Fridays Arts and Culture Celebration! - Art
House Productions presents JC
Fridays, a citywide celebration of free arts and culture programs happening
in Jersey City. On Friday, Dec. 4th, Bistro
la Source hosts an evening with artist Frank
Messina. Come see Messina's dynamic creations and enjoy the fine food
and spirits of Bistro la Source. Party goes from 6-10 PM. Click
Here To View some
of Frank Messina's paintings.
News,
New & Of Note! American
composer, musician and writer David Amram was born November 17, 1930 in
Philadelphia. His eclectic use of jazz, ethnic and folk music has led him to work
with the likes of Thelonious Monk, Willie Nelson, Charles Mingus, Leonard Bernstein
and Jack Kerouac. Insomniacathon
On-Line! celebrates his creative
pioneering work and collaborations with stars from the worlds of music, literature
theater and film. Click
Here and join us at the Insomniacathon
On-Line! David
Anram 79th Birthday Party!
Also
Of Note! - Banjo & fiddle virtuoso and founder of The Nitty
Gritty Dirt Band John McEuen, invites David Amram on his 79h birthday
to join him and his musical guests banjo ace Cynthia Sayer, Native American
singer / songwriter Martha Redbone, bluegrass singer Jen Larsen and
members from Railroad Earth and New York's Tin Pan Band for a
Grand Jam and Amram Birthday Bash
at The
City Winery on Nov. 16th at 8:00
PM.
News,
New & Of Note! - The Shape Of Water - Ice
Found on The Moon - NASA
confirmed on November 13th the exsistence of Water (Ice) on the Moon stemming
from exploration done with the satellite known as LCROSS
(pronounced L-cross) which was purposely crashed into the Moon's surface in October.
In commemoration of this profound discovery we bring to you a Psalm Soundscape
from the Ron Whitehead and James Walck CD, The
Shape Of Water. Click
Here To Listen to "The
Shape Of Water" .
News
& Of Note! - Sunny
Days, Everything's A Okay! - Sesame Street Turns 40! - 1969
was a profound year, Man Lands on the Moon, Woodstock, a year of technological
and social revolution and amidst this metamorphosis a humble children's educational
television program named Sesame Street made it's
modest debut on November 10th. Click
Here and join the Celebration at Muppet Central!
Of
Note! - The Number 40! - As
we all cheer in celebration of the 40th Anniversary, Sesame Street Muppeteer,
Jerry Nelson shares his reflect of his time in the
Sesame Street family. Click Here
To Read his impart, "39 Years
On a 40 Year Old Street."
Also
Of Note! - Still The Hippest Show In Town! -
Happy Birthday Sesame Street!! - A beloved Fav of children around
the World, David Amram, a huge proponent of exposing
children to the wonders of music and cultue (and longtime musical guest on Sesame
Street) sends his Birthday Greeting to The
Street with The Positive Beat!
Click Here To Read "Sesame Street
turns 40!"
News,
New & Of Note! - A Torch for Peace Burns
in Toronto- The Diaspora
Film Festival presents the Canadian premiere of the Teri
McLuhan film, The Frontier Gandhi:
Badshah Khan, a Torch for Peace on November 4th - 7PM at
Innis
Town Hall.
Before
the Canadian premiere of the film , David Amram (who composed, orchestrated and
conducted the score for the film) will perform at a special concert event for
the Diaspora Festival
which he created for the occasion, entitled "At
Home Around the World / A Musical Mosaic in the spirit of the Diaspora. With David
Amram and Friends". The event has been facilitated through
the participation of Small
World Music. Concert runs from 8-10 PM at
The Revival 783
College Street West, Toronto, Canada.
Of
Note! Over twenty years in the making, The
Frontier Gandhi is about Muslim peacemaker, Badshah
Khan who rose above the inconceivable violence of the Pashtun warrior
culture of the Northwest Frontier Province to be pronounced "a miracle"
by Mahatma
Gandhi. McLuhan's film brings the Badshah Khan story to light and offers
a poignant, eye-opening look at this man's vision for Peace.
---------
Of
Note! For
this year's Halloween, "PoorBob"
Sushko weighs in with some Swamp Sooth on
SAMHAIN
(Halloween)
Le Grande Sabbat, Day of the Dead, Shadow Feast, All Hallows Eve, Old Hallowmas,
All Souls Day, Last Harvest
and how to be a real Zombie! Click
Here to read his hoot!
News,
New & Of Note! - A'nen Sedjet -
Four sonic soundscapes from PoorBob ( aka SiriusB ) that go beyound
the boundries of Shadow and Light. Click
Here to experience A'nen
Sedjet . Happy Halloween!
News
& Of Note! - Poetry
Night at the Intermezzo - An evening of spoken word at
Intermezzo Cafe Actors Theater, 316 West Main in Louisville on
October 29th featuring Jimmy Besseck, Josh English, Maree Ecrevan, William
Freeman, Jessie Hasting, Erica Lawson, Mathieu Lotus, Rani Newman, Divinity Rose,
Matthew Presley, James Wallace and Ron Whitehead with Elias Rector on
piano. Show runs from 8 - 11pm.
News & Of Note!
- A Tribute & Celebration of Jack Kerouac -
October 21, 2009, will mark
the 40th anniversary of the passing of Jack Kerouac. In tribute to Jack,
a return performance of the Patrick Fenton play,"Jack's
Last Call: Say Goodbye to Kerouac" will take place at Gunter's
Tap Room in Northport, NY on Oct 24th at 2 PM.
This
tribute performance will feature Drew Keil as Jack Kerouac, Sue
Anne Dennehy as Jan, his daughter, Ed Dennehey as Neal Cassady;
Jack O'Connell as Leo Kerouac. Phyllis March as Memere
Kerouac and Stephen Ryan as the Reporter (narrator). Gunter's
Tap Room is located at 84 Main Street, Northport, New York. Admission
is Free, eating is limited and no reservations required. To
Learn More about Jack's Last Call: Say Goodbye
to Kerouac, Click Here.
Also
Of Note - Kerouac's Long Island -
As Jack made his farewell to New York in Northport he also spent his formative
times from 1943 to 1954 in the Borough of Queens where Kerouac conceived and completed
some of his most renown work such as Visions
of Body and part of On
The Road.
Playwright,and
Kerouac Raconteur, Pat Fenton has long championed greater recognition of
Kerouac in Long Island, what Fenton refers to as the lost years of Jack
Kerouacs Life.
In
an effort to edify and facilitate scholars, students and Kerouac fans, Fenton
has composed a travelogue Walking Tour book titled "Jack
Kerouac's Queens - The Lost Years" that verifies the existence
of these years and traces the places in Ozone Park and Richmond Hill that are
significant part of the Kerouac literary legacy.
We
are pleased to present Patrick Fenton's, "Jack
Kerouac's Queens - The Lost Years" in electronic form here
at Insomniacathon On-Line! Click
Here To Learn More and travel through "Jack
Kerouac's Queens - The Lost Years" .
Of
Note - Imagine Peace - This
October 9th would have been John Lennon's 69th Birthday. On this day in 2007r,
Yoko Ono dedicated the Imagine
Peace Tower on the island of Videy, near Reykjavík, Iceland.
The
Imagine Peace Tower is a beam of light that represents light and power
to the realization of World Peace, which was John Lennon's lifetime wish and what
he had worked for.
Insom
contributor, Michael
Dean Odin Pollock (who lives in Reykjavik, Iceland where the Imagine
Peace Tower resides) wrote a reflect on John Lennon. Click
Here To Read his story, Lennon
Lightening Strikes Thrice.
War
Is Over If You Want It - Do what YOU can do To Give Peace A
Chance!
Think
PEACE, Act PEACE, Spread PEACE
Of
Note - On October 7th 1955 at San Francisco's Six Gallery,
a 29 year old Allen Ginsberg unleashed his poem "Howl."
What was before, an evolving re-conciousness of humanity in contemporary literature,
achieved a definative momentum that is still in motion more then 50 years on.
As we all have found new insight when we revisit a book or poem, Chicago poet,
Charlie Newman re-experienced HOWL and wrote a flurry of varations
from his revisit. Click Here
to read an excerpt from Charlie Newman's . . .
r
e v i s i t e d
News,
New & Of Note! On October 4th, Farm
Aid 2009 will urge Americans to choose food from family farms,
creating growing opportunities for more family farmers. Artists at the 2009 concert
at the Verizon Wireless Amphitheater in Maryland Heights, Missouri will
show support for activities that keep family farmers on their land. Farm Aid 2009
will feature headliners Willie Nelson, Neil Young, John Mellencamp
and Dave Matthews, plus a cavalcade of top artists
join this 24rd annual fundraiser dedicated to Help
Keep Family Farmers On Their Land!
Insom alum, David Amram, joins his pal, Willie
Nelson for his 13th appearance at Farm Aid 2009!
Dave checked in after his Farm Aid 2006 performance,
Click Here
to read David Amram's letter "On
The Road from FarmAid 2006"
News
and Of Note! - Lowell Celebrates Kerouac Festival!
- Celebrating Jack Kerouac's life and writings, it's 4 days
in Kerouac's hometown, where one can walk the streets he wrote about, listen to
poetry in Kerouac Park, see films beatif , hear great Jazz and from the Merrimack
to Desolation Peak, this year as Lowell Celebrates Kerouac, it also fetes the
50th Anniversary of the publication of Doctor
Sax. Lowell Celebrates Kerouac! Festival
starts October 1st and runs till the 4th. Click
Here for More Info on Lowell
Celebrates Kerouac Festival!
News
& Of Note - Blowin' In The
Wind - Mary
Travers, whose rousing, heartfelt vocals with the iconic folk trio,
Peter,
Paul and Mary, helped make songs like "If
I Had a Hammer," "Where
Have All the Flowers Gone?"
and "Blowin' in the Wind"
indelible soundscapes of the 1960's Civil Rights and Anti-War movements, passed
away Sept. 16th of complications from the side effects of chemotherapy after a
successful recovery from leukemia through a bone marrow / stem cell transplant.
Her beautiful voice and indomitable personality will be sorely missed but her
soaring, sparkling Spirit will always be In the Wind. Click
Here for NYT's William
Grimes' Story about this true American Musical Jewel.
News
& Of Note - I'll Die For Your
Sins If You Live For mine -
NYC author, poet, autobiographer, and punk musician, Jim
Carroll died Sept.11th (see
NYT Story) in NYC, he was 60. Best known for his 1978 autobiographical
work, The Basketball Diaries,
Carroll was also a seminal part of the NYC Punk scene during the 70's with his
band, The Jim Carroll Band as well as a fixture in the Lower East Side
poetry scene running with the St. Mark's Poetry Project crew. Click
Here To Learn More About Jim Carroll at catholicboy.com.
News
& Of Note! - National Dance Instutute Jams!
- Musicians and friends gather on Sept 13th for a live
concert to benefit the children and programs of the National
Dance Institute. Founded in 1976 by Jacques
dAmboise,the NDI fosters a love of the arts and a curiosity about
the world and has transformed the lives of over 2 million NYC public school children
in a design to teach every child to transcend barriers of language, culture, and
physical challenges.
Led by NDI Music Director Jerome Korman, the concert will feature: The
Villa-Lobos Bros, Roderick Jackson, Ching Juhl, Chanda Rule,
Tim Harrison, Neal Kirkwood, Matt Fetbrandt, Seiko Akita,
Yakir Ben-Hur, Greisha Alexiev, Todd Keller, Paul Livant
and past NDI composer and conductor (Chakra,
Amerimusica) David Amram who
has been commissioned to write a new piece for NDI's 2010 season. Concert takes
place at PS 41 Auditorium116 West 11th Street (at Sixth Ave) at 6 PM. Admission:
Minimum donation of $25 All proceeds to benefit National Dance Institute.
Click Here
and Watch The NDI Kids JAM! Can't make the show but would like
to make a contribution? Click
Here To DONATE NOW!
Of
Note On this September 11th, Remembrance Day,
Insomniacthon On-Line brings you, in respect and reverence to those that
have lost and have survived, three New Yorker's intimations of dreams of better
days and the potential we all have to make a difference.Read
Susan Gerardi's reveal of potential sadly, senselessly lost in
"Boys Dressed As Men."
View Frank Messina's "American't
Get Home - Bicycle" And view
the James Walck VidClip "Remember
We Will, Forget We Will Not" .
News,
New & Of Note! The annual Howl!
Festival, September 4th - 6th - Named in honor of the groundbreaking
poem by Allen Ginsberg
attracts more than 100,000 visitors bringing to the clubs, galleries, parks, streets,
and theaters of Manhattan's Lower East Side an explosion of poetry, music, dance,
film, food, performance, painting, sculpture, and theater.Click
Here for complete Howl! Festival 2009 Schedule!
Pix,
Clips and Page from kindred Keepers of The Flame! Join us in celebrating the LifeArtSpirit
of Allen Ginsberg! Click Here to
Enter!
News,
New & Of Note! - "My destiny is to
be pulverized" - Jan Kerouac: A Life in Memory is
the first biography of post-Beat novelist and poet Jan Kerouac. Edited
and conceived by acclaimed Jack Kerouac biographer, Gerald
Nicosia, this new book is a touchstone collection of memoirs, photos,
and an extensive interview with Jan Kerouac, which bring into sharp focus the
life and work of this seminal post-Beat writer. Jan
Kerouac: A Life in Memory is available at geraldnicosia.com
, City
Lights Bookstore, The
Beat Museum, Book
Passage and Mill
Valley Book Depot.
Money
is the root of all evil For I will Write In my will I regret that
I was not able To love money more. - Jack
Kerouac, Chorus 238 Mexico City Blues - Jan Kerouac: A Life in Memory
brings poignant punctuation to the sad reality of the academic elitist's reliance
on the ruthlessness of money and power in their maniacal quest to control literature.
Click
Here To Read "Jan Kerouac Could Drive a Stick Shift"
Charles Plymell's review of Jan Kerouac:
A Life in Memory at wordjunkys.com.
Of
Note! - Long Time Gone - This
August 15th marks the 40th anniversary of the Woodstock
Music and Art Fair in Bethel, NY. As it has been said, "One
Picture Is Worth a Thousand Words" and the Burk
Uzzle photo of the blanket-wrapped couple epitomized the humanity
of the moment and galvinized the image's synonymity to the happening. In celebration
of Woodstocks 40th anniversary, the Laurence
Miller Gallery in NYC is presenting Uzzle's photography from Woodstock
through August 20th.
Also
Of Note! - And The Road Goes On Forever! -
It has come to light in a recent NY Daily News article that the couple
in Uzzle's iconic pix, Nick and Bobbi Ercoline of Bethel, NY, are
still together 40 years down the Pike! Click
Here To Read NY Daily News' Jim Farber story!
Be
Sure To Visit www.woodstock.com too!
Peace,
Love, Music!
News
& Of Note - It's Not About
Technique . . . It's What You Have To Say - Virtuoso guitarist
and inventor, Les Paul, whose solid-body "the
Log" electric guitar and recording studio innovations changed the course
of 20th-Century popular music, died Thursday, August 13th in White Plains, N.Y.
. He was 94.- Click
Here To Read
Associated Press' Nekesa Mumbi Moody's report.
Doing
What He Loved . . . Loving What He Was Doing! - Click
Here For Great Video of Les Paul at
VideoSurf!
Without
Les Paul, Rock and Roll would be considerably different. As a player, inventor
and recording artist, Les Paul provided the building blocks for the genre.
Les Paul did it all and had tremendous fun doing it. He will be missed
but most assuredly, not forgotten.
News,
New & Of Note! - The Importance Of Being
Iceland - Poet and post-punk heroine Eileen
Myles new book is an expospective reflect of her recent travels
to Iceland. In her Travel Mindscript is a collection of essays, observations and
perspectives from a deliberate position of "inbetweenness" illuminating
the underlying mind-maps she has navigated in and through her travels. Click
Here To Order "The Importance Of Being Iceland"
by
Eileen Myles from
Amazon.com.
Back on May 3, 2008, Eileen Myles, along with other poets, writers
and musicians from around the World, gathered at Stora-Klopp
(Big Rock) in Iceland for a collective celebration of the Spoken Word
and Song hosted by internationally renown Icelandic novelist Olafur
Gunnarsson at his farm outside Reykjavik. Click
Here To Learn More About "Beat Day At Stora-Klopp."
News & Of Note! -
Late
Summer Sky Show - The
annual Perseid Meteor Showers will reach their peak
on Tuesday night when the Earth plunges deeper into Comet Swift-Tuttles
debris stream. The show begins at nightfall with "Earthgrazers"
spectacular fireballs and long-tailed meteors streaking low in the sky as the
comets radiant rises over in the horizon. Visit
Meteor
Showers On-Line to Learn More
About The
Perseids.
News & Of Note!
- Jack's Last Call Comes to Castello di Borghese Vineyard
and Winery - A Live Performance
of Pat Fenton's Audie
Award - nominated audio drama, Jack's
Last Call: Say Goodbye to Kerouac will be performed at The
Castello di Borghese Vineyard and Winery in Cutchogue, LI. This
performance features Drew Keil as Jack Kerouac, Kimberly Sherbach
as Jan Kerouac, Jack O'Connell as Leo Kerouac, Phyllis Marsh as
Memere Kerouac, Ed Dennehey as Neil Cassady and Stephen Ryan as
The Reporter. This performance is on Sunday, August 2nd (2 - 4 PM) Rain
or Shine - Under the Tent. Admission is $10.00 (suggested donation at the
door) No reservations required, bring your lawn chair. Meet & Greet with
the playwright & cast (4 - 5 PM) following the performance. Click
Here for furthur details. To
Learn More about Jack's Last Call: Say
Goodbye to Kerouac, Click Here.
News, New & Of Note!
- Gabrielle Kerouac's Will Ruled A Forgery -
On July 24th, Pinellas County, Florida, Probate Division.Judge George W.
Greer ruled that Gabrielle Kerouac's purported will is a forgery. Both
medical and handwriting evidence indicates that Gabrielle Kerouac was incapable
of signing the will and that the signature on the document was not hers.
So what happens now? But maybe a better question is why this happened.
Jack Shea ( Producer / Director of the film,
"Who Owns Jack Kerouac?")
said, " The fight for ownership of the physical
stuff of Kerouac is interesting only insofar as it is an ironic illustration of
the suffering and transience inherent in material things, which Jack wrote about
and knew all his life, but that's as far as it goes." Is
this as far as it goes? Time will tell.
News & Of Note!
- The Perigean Tide - The Moon swallows
the Sun and day turns to night over distant cities with exotic-sounding names:
Chengdu, Chongqing, Wuhan, Hangzhou and Shanghai where millions of people swarm
into the streets, banging pots and lighting strings of firecrackers while cloistered
Buddhist monks chant a low, droning chorus, invoking the deities of protection
and mercy. On Tuesday evening, July 21, the New Moon / Total Solar Eclipse
reaches totality at the final degree of Cancer resulting in the longest solar
eclipse of the 21st Century. Learn More About this astronomic event
and it's cosmic ramifications at Gary Paul Glynn's Astrologick
Weekly Forecast at Insomniacathon On-Line!
News, & Of Note!
- One Small Step for Man - Forty years
ago July 20th, Apollo 11 landed on the Moon fulfilling President
Kennedy's 1961 call to reach the Moon by the end of the decade. Although the original
videotapes were taped over by NASA, alternate tapings from various sources
have been collected and digitally enhanced and restored. Click
Here To View video
from NASA.
News,
New & Of Note! - Full Count Comes to Louisville!
- The Mets Poet, Frank
Messina, reads from his new book, Full
Count:
The Book of Mets Poetry.
at the Louisville Slugger Museum &
Factory the first ever poetry reading in the famed company's 125-year
history! This happens on the MLB
All-Star Game day, July 14th in the Pee Wee Reese Gallery
at 4:00PM, Frank will also sign his book at this historic event which
is free and open to the public! To
Learn More About Frank
Messina, The
Mets Poet,
Click Here!
News
& Of Note! - This Land Is Your Land - The
12th Annual Woody Guthrie Festival - WoodyFest, commemorating
the life and music of Woody Guthrie will be held on July 7-12 in
Woody's hometown of Okemah, Oklahoma. This year has another Stellar
Line-up which finds David Amram making his his fifth
consecutive appearence along with Adam Amram who'll both be accompanying
The Woody Guthrie Poets at The Methodist Church on Saturday, 7/11 from
1- 3 PM. Click
Here To Learn More About WoodyFest!
Also
Of Note! - The
World Premiere of David Amram's
"Symphonic Variations On A Song By Woody
Guthrie" was
performed by the
Symphony
Silicon Valley on
September 29th, 2007.
Click Here To Read
David Amram's Notes for Symphonic Variations
on a Song by Woody Guthrie.
Now
you can hear the world premiere performance on line from the website of
Symphony Silicon Valley. Click
Here To Listen!
News,
New & Of Note! - Reflects of Joujouka 2009
- World musician, poet and Insom contrib, Michael Dean Odin
Pollock weighs in after his 2009 visit to Joujouka to celebrate the
Boujeloud / Pan rite with his son, Marlon Pollock and the Master
Musicians of Joujouka. Click Here To
Read His Story!
News,
New & Of Note! - Theodore Bikel: The First
85 Years -Stage / screen actor and folk legend, Theodore
Bikel, a lifelong social justice advocate, will be feted by Family, Friends
and Colleagues celebrating his LifeLoveWork devoted to art and activism with a
star-studded 85th birthday benefit concert at Carnegie
Hall on June 15th at 7:30 PM with the proceeds going to
the The Juvenile Law Center, a
non-profit law firm dedicated to protecting the rights and well-being of children
in the child welfare and juvenile justice systems.
1963
Newport Folk Festival (l-r) Peter Yarrow, Mary Travers, Paul Stookey, Joan
Baez, Bob Dylan, The Freedom Singers, Pete Seeger and Theodore Bikel
singing "We Shall Overcome" - Photo by John Byrne Cooke.
Also
Of Note! - The Newport Folk Festival Turns 50!
- The Newport Folk Festival was founded in 1959 by Theodore
Bikel, Oscar Brand, Pete Seeger and George Wein, founder
of the already-well-established Newport Jazz Festival, and his partner,
Albert Grossman. Click
Here To Learn More About Newport 50!
News
& Of Note! - From Louisville to
New York and Beyond! - Louisville Blues jewel, Tyrone
Cotton comes back once again to the Turning
Point for another evening of his soulful Blues on June
6th. Click
Here To Reserve tickets for this fabulous show!
News
& Of Note! - The Master Musicians of Joujouka
- The Boujeloud
Rite 2009
- On June 5 - 7, Morocco's Sufi trance Masters, The
Master Musicians of Joujouka, once again will be celebrating in a music festival,
the The Boujeloud
Rite. For a Day and a Night a small group of guests
(Icelandic musician and Insom contributor, Michael
Dean Odin Pollock and Marlon
Pollock in attendance) will stay in the village of Ksar El Kebir with
the Master Musicians of Joujouka and their families with a visit to the
8th century sanctuary of Joujouka's patron saint, Sidi Ahmed Schiech, and
to the cave of Pan / Boujeloud. That evening at the cave there will be
a full performance of the Boujeloud Rite devoted to the healing trance
music of Joujouka. To Learn More about this wonderous celebration of Music
and Spirit, Click Here!
News
& Of Note! - A Weekend
of Amram! - The Brooklyn Conservatory of Music
Jazz at the Conservatory Series
presents, "A Weekend with David Amram"
on May 30th and 31st.
This weekend long celebration features David's Jazz, Latin, Film, Poetry and World
Music compositions. David is joined by a grand line-up of singers, musicians and
poets for this weekends festivities, Click
Here for more details. tix and times.
Of
Note On this Memorial Day 2009
we stand in mindful respect for those who have made the ultimate sacrifice.
American
author, columnist and storyteller, Garrison Keillor
imparted A Sonnet For Memorial Day
on his Variety Radio show "A
Prairie Home Companion" back in 2004. Click
Here To Read "A Sonnet For Memorial Day.
Peace
to each selfless soul that sleeps; Rest to each faithful eye that weeps . . .
News,
New & Of Note! - Back To The Land of Fire
and Ice - Singer, Songwriter and Poet, Michael
Dean Odin Pollock is back in Reykjavik and will be performing at
Cafe Rosenberg on May 17th, 9:00 PM bringing home his intrinsic
style of RootsBlues to his Homeland.
News,
New & Of Note! - Talkin' Bout' . . . -
The Midnight Ramble - NYC poet,
Frank Messina, will make a special guest appearance on May 16th
with Jazz Fusion sensation band, Hipmotism
led by Levon Helm's long-time sax-sideman, Erik
Lawrence. The legendary Levon Helm headlines this very special
event. Limited amount of tickets on sale now! Click
Here For Tickets and More Info!
Of
Note! - The
Wesak Moon - On
Saturday morning, May 9th, two minutes past midnight, the Moon becomes Full in
Scorpio as it moves opposite the Sun in Taurus, marking the Festival of Wesak.
What makes this Full Moon unique is its deep spiritual symbolism, celebrating
the birth, enlightenment and death of the Buddha, invoking the Buddha-nature
of humanity. More than a religious observation or new age gimmick, the Wesak
Full Moon is an annual event of profound spiritual significance that goes
far beyond ones personal affiliations and beliefs.
Astrologick at Insomniacathon On-Line's
Gary Paul Glynn has a wonderful illumanae on the Festival
of Wesak,
Click Here and
bathe in the glow of the story / meaning of The
Wesak Moon .
News,
New & Of Note! - Forever Young -
On May 3rd, Singer, Songwriter and tireless Activist, Pete
Seeger turns 90 years young. A huge cadre of compatriots are gathering
at NYC's Madison Square Garden for a sold out show titled The
Clearwater Concert: Creating The Next Generation of Environmental Leaders
which is a benefit concert celebrating the LifeLoveWork of their grand friend's
Birthday at 5 PM (Click Here To View
Invitation and Celebrating Line-Up).
l-r - David Amram, Pete Seeger, Odetta
and Toshi Regan at the Clearwater Festival, Beacon NY Summer 2008 - Photo by Maxine
Smith and John Economos -
Amongst
this stellar line-up will be Roland Moussa with the Native American
Indian Cultural Alliance. Joining the Alliance will be long time friend and
compatriot of Pete, David Amram. David wrote a note for Pete and has been
so kind to share his note. Click
Here To Read David's "To
Pete on his 90th" .
News
& Of Note! - The Bluesmasters Series at B.B.
King's Club & Grill - An incredible evening of various Blues
styles covering Delta and Chicago Blues, Louisiana Swamp and Texas Blues too at
the legendary B.B.
King's Club & Grill in NYC. Apearing will be recording session
sensation Cornell
Dupree featuring PaPa
HooDoo Texas Guit-Slinger Lance
Lopez and legendary Nashville Bluesman Johnny
Jones on May 1st. Show starts at 7:00 PM sharp, Tickets
are $20 in Advance, $25 Day of Show. General admission seated show - First
come, first seated - Standing room at bar. A David Kramer Production.
------
News
& Of Note! - Jack's
Last Call Comes to Huntington - A Live Performance of Pat
Fenton's Audie Award
- nominated audio drama, Jack's Last Call:
Say Goodbye to Kerouac will be performed at The
Book Revue in Huntington, LI. This performance features Drew
Keil as Jack Kerouac, Sue Ann Dennehy as Jan Kerouac, Jack O'Connell
as Leo Kerouac, Sonya Tannenbaum as Memere Kerouac and Ed Dennehey
as Neil Cassady. This performance is on Saturday, April 25, 7:00 PM. Admission
is free but reservations are suggested. Click
Here for furthur details. To
Learn More about Jack's Last
Call: Say Goodbye to Kerouac, Click Here.
Of
Note - Earth Day 2009 - On
April 22, 1970, 20 million people, 2,000 colleges and universities, 10,000 grammar
and high schools and 1,000 communities mobilized for the first nationwide demonstrations
on environmental problems. Congress adjourned for the day so members could attend
Earth Day events in their districts.
The response was nothing short of remarkable, and the modern American environmental
movement took off. Click
Here for more History detail -
Much
has come to protect and nurture this tiny blue marble we all live on but there
is is still much more to do if we are to survive in spite of ourselves.
In Honor and Solemn Reminder
we bring forth a poem by the great American counterculture Novelist,
Essayist and Playwright,
Kurt Vonnegut Jr.
from his last book, A Man Without A Country,
read Kurt Vonnegut's "Requiem".
Mother
Earth is our only home. Click
Here to Learn How You Can Do Your Part to help preserve our
Planet for our future generations. Think
Green! - Happy Earth Day!
Of
Note -
National Poetry Month - Started
in 1996 by the Academy of American Poets, National Poetry Month brings
together publishers, booksellers, literary organizations, libraries, schools,
and poets around the country to celebrate poetry and its vital place in American
culture.
Click Here to Learn More about National Poetry Month!
News,
New & Of Note! - New Season, New Stadium,
New Dreams - The
New York Mets start the 2009 season at a new stadium. Citi
Field is the new home of the Amazin's and they'll be playing their
first exhibition game against the Boston Red Sox on April 3rd.
In
grand tandem fashion, "The
Met Poet", Frank Messina
will be celebrating the new season with readings from his new book, Full
Count: The Book of Mets Poetry.
There will be a jam packed week of Messina Mets mirth starting at the Happy
Ending Lounge hosted by Gelf
Magazine, April 2, 8 PM then a special appearence at The Cornelia
Street Cafe with David Amram and Quartet on April 6th, 8:30
PM.
April 8th finds the Met Poet Live from Little Italy on the Giambotta
Dolce Radio Show hosted by Maryann Maisano, broadcast live from
Grotta Azzurra Ristorante
in Little Italy at 8 PM on the Dolce
Channel.
Wrapping the week up it's The World Premiere official reading and book
signing of Full Count: The
Book of Mets Poetry. happenning at Barnes
& Noble 18th St NYC on April 9th, 6 PM - 7:30 PM.
For
more Messina, The Mets and Everything Poetry!
Click
Here!
News
& Of Note! - A Conscience
In Touch with Humanity - The Centennial Celebration of Nelson Algren -
The Algren Committee of Chicago celebrates
the 100th Birthday of writer, poet, Nelson Algren
on March 28th. Algren, the author of such masterworks as Chicago:
City on the Make, The Man with the
Golden Arm and Never Come Morning
would of been 100 this March 27 and although Algren died in 1981, his legacy
and spirit burn white hot in his home town.
The
Algren Committee (which Insom contributor, poet Charlie Newman is a
member) is dedicating this year's Algren Celebration to Studs
Terkel (who was one of the founders of the Nelson Algren Committee which
was formed in 1989) and will be a jam packed evening of poetry, music, art and
media all in the Algren vein.
This year's
Celebration takes place at St. Pauls Church - Acme Art Works, 2215 W.
North Ave. in Chicago. Festivities start at 8 PM. To Learn More about
Nelson Algren and this year's Celebration program Click
Here and visit www.nelsonalgren.org.
Of
Note Spring
Forward, Look Back Celebrations of Spring were born of Earth's
natural cycles of light and darkness, of life and death. Ancient cultures took
note of the change in seasons and made offerings to their local gods to receive
blessings for the year. On March 20, 2009, at precisely 7:44 AM. EDT , the Sun
will cross directly over the Earth's equator. This moment is known as the Vernal
Equinox. Click Here to
Learn More of this Physical and Metaphysical point of transition.
News,
New & Of Note! - Astrologick expands to a
Weblog - Astrologick Editor and Creator Gary Paul Glynn is
pleased to announce that Astrologick has launched www.astroblogick.com
a weblog version of what is here at Insomniacathon. Insomniacathon will
still be running the Weekly Astrologick Forecast that you have come to
know but will be adding links to www.astroblogick.com
to extended astrological content that Gary Paul Glynn will go
into greater detail on specific subjects. Also in the works will be monthly astrology
forecasts, personal profiles and other intriguing content. Be sure to visit
www.astroblogick.com for even more
Cosmic connectivity!
Of
Note - Sorrow and Appall -
On this marker day of "Shock and
Awe" the conflict in Iraq began March 19, 2003 and
sadly continues. As there is a new Administraion diligently trying to repair the
damages done over the last 8 years, the People once again resound,
Peace Now!
In
honor and respect for those who have lost we bring you contributing Insom Alt-Journalist,
Jeremy Hogan's VidClip of Joan Baez at Camp Casey in Crawford, TX
asking the question once again, "Where
Have All The Flowers Gone."
---
Also
Of Note In
the early Spring of 2003, Ron Whitehead, NYC poet, Frank Messina
and fellow Kentuckyians Andy Cook and Sarah Elizabeth crossed the
Atlantic on The War Poets Tour to perform in Iceland, The UK and Ireland.
In observence of yet another
year of "Poetry Amidst a World
of Struggle" Click
Here to see and hear their experiences.
Of
Note! - St. Patrick's Day at Insomniacathon On-Line!
- Love, Faith, Hope - In celebration on this St. Patrick's
Day 2009, we are pleased to share a story of An Evening with Alphie
McCourt as told by NYC Writer, Author and Playwright, Patrick Fenton.
Click Here To Read
Pat Fenton's "An Evening with
Aphie McCourt." Happy St Patrick's Day 2009!
News,
New & Of Note! - World Premiere
of "Saint Misbehavin' - The Life and Time of Wavy Gravy"
- Ripple Effects Films and Director, Michelle Esrick are thrilled
to announce the World Premiere of "Saint
Misbehavin' - The Life and Time of Wavy Gravy" at the
SXSW 2009 Film & Music Festival. Click
Here To Learn More!
News,
New & Of Note! - "A Moment
of Life" - David Amram and a stellar ensemble gather
to celebrate the work of Robert Frank at The
National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC on March 4th at 2:10 PM.
Presented
in honor of Looking
In: Robert Frank's "The Americans" Joining David
will be Andrew Simpson, Piano, Steve Brinegar, French Horn, Benjamin
Greanya, Bassoon, Pepe Gonzalez, Bass, David McDonald, Drums
and Noah Getz, alto saxophone.
National
Women's
History Month
News,
New & Of Note! Insomniacathon
On-Line! celebrates National
Women's History Month 2009 with
a
pooling of the wealth the women at Insomniacathon On-Line! bring to a Global
Literary Renaissance! Click
Here to View!
News,
New & Of Note! - The
East Coast Premiere of David Amram's "Symphonic Variations On A Song By
Woody Guthrie" - Will be performed by
The Pioneer Valley Symphony at The
Academy of Music in Portsmouth MA on February 28th at 7:30 PM
The
world premiere performance of David Amram's "Symphonic
Variations On A Song By Woody Guthrie" was performed by the
Symphony Silicon Valley on September 29th, 2007. Click
Here To Read David Amram's Notes
for Symphonic Variations on a Song by Woody Guthrie.
Also
Of Note! - This performance was recorded and is available to listen to on
line from the website of Symphony Silicon Valley. Click
Here To Listen!
Of
Note! - A Celebration of An American Voice -
On February 24th, Family, Friends, Artists and keepers of The Flame
will gather to celebrate in Words and Song the LifeLoveWork of singer, songwriter
and social activist, Odetta
at Riverside Church
in NYC at 7 PM. This celebration is free and open to the public
with doors opening at 6 PM. Scheduled to lend Heart, Mind and Soul in song
and word are David Amram, Maya Angelou, Harry Belafonte, Oscar Brand, Tom Chapin,
Guy Davis, Ruby Dee, Emory Joseph, Wavy Gravy, Geoffrey Holder, The Holmes Bros.,
Marie Knight, Maria Muldaur, Bernice Reagon, Sonia Sanchez, Pete Seeger, Sweet
Honey in the Rock, Josh White, Jr., Peter Yarrow along with more special guests
YTBA
Memorial
Celebration for Odetta
Live!
on WBAI 99.5 FM - www.wbai.org
New
& Of Note! - The orginal Progressive
FM Radio station WBAI
FM 99.5 will be broadcasting Live from Riverside Church at 7 PM (EST)
and streaming Live on the Web! Click
Here To Listen Live!
l-r - David Amram, Pete Seeger, Odetta
and Toshi Regan at the Clearwater Festival, Beacon NY Summer 2008 - Photo by Maxine
Smith and John Economos -
Also
Of Note! Long time friend and compatriot, David Amram, shares
a touching reflect of his good friend. Click
Here To Read his reflect "For
Odetta".
--
Laissez
Les Bon Temps Roulez!
Of
Note! On
this year's Mardi Gras,"PoorBob"
Sushko weighs in with some sooth on Fat Tuesday 2009! Click
Here to read his reflect.
Of
Note - Mood Indigo -
The man who brought "The Historic
Approach to The Positive Music" for over 3 decades in Philadelphia,
DJ and Musicologist for WRTI 90.1 FM
, Harrison Ridley, Jr. passed on February 19th. A
tireless champion of the music, Harrison was also a passionate educator teaching
at West Philadelphia Cultural Alliance, the Clef Club, Temple University Center
City, the Villanova University Honors Program, and the African-American Studies
Department at Temple University. His smooth, endearing radio persona was punctuated
with his trademark "Yes Indeedy."
Harrison Ridley, Jr. was a true original and an icon in the Jazz Radio
world. Click
Here To Learn More About Harrison Ridley, Jr.
News
& Of Note! - Jack's Last Call nominated
for Audie Award! - Patrick Fenton's radio/stage Play,
Jack's Last Call:
Say Goodbye to Kerouac has been nominated for an
Audie Award in the Audio Drama category. The Audies (produced by
the Audio Publishers Association)
is the only awards program in the U.S. entirely devoted to recognizing distinction
in audiobooks and spoken word entertainment. The 2009 Gala will be held on May
29 at the New York Historical Society in New York City, New York. Congratulations
to Pat Fenton, Sue Zizza, cast and crew for recieving the nomination!
News,
New & Of Note! - And On It Goes -
A New Year, new vistas, new perspectives and that ribbon of Highway that leads
on to the Now. The Road's call continues and finds the Faithful hitting the bricks
for parts both near and far.
February 16th finds Storm Generation poet, Ron Whitehead at the Granada
International Festival of Poetry in Granada, Nicaragua.
This
year's Festival is hosting more than 100 poets from over 50 countries in a grand
CELEBRATION OF POETRY that involves all Nicaragua
where all the particpants, native and visitor, carry out a National
Party of International Magnitude. Click
Here To View the Program for El
Festival Internacional de Poesía de Granada.
New
and of Note! On this
Valentine's Day 09' join
the Insom Love Fest with a couple of VidClips
of affectionate prose from David
Amram, and one from
Frank
Messina. Also a soulful ballad Mp3
to swing and sway with your baby from Gamble & Huff hitman,
Bunny Sigler (with
James Walck laying down
the big bottom) on "Can
You Feel It" Happy
Valentine's Day!
News
& Of Note! - Now Is Still The
Time! - David Amram at Large! -
As in his seemingly indefatiguable fashion, David is beating the bricks as well.
The beginning of February finds David at the University of Cincinnati for
I Gave Away The Sky - A Celebration of the Life and Legacy of Gregory
Corso.
This celebration started Jan 20 and goes through through Feb 6 commemorating
the Spirit and Aesthetic of Gregory Corso. During
this 18 day celebration of the LifeLoveWork of Gregory Corso there will be concerts,
readings, lectures.
Since 1956 when they first met, David was a huge propponent of Gregory and
feels honored and blessed to be at I
Gave Away The Sky. David performs An Evening of Music with
Jane Carver on Tuesday, Feb. 3 - 7PM at Cincinnati Memorial Hall.
Also
Of Note - Corso - The Last Beat -
This movie is a NOT
MISS - Directors Advanced Screening / Free and open to the public - Friday, February
6 - 5:30 PM - University of Cincinnati, DAAP Building rm. 4400. Click
Here To Learn More About
Corso
- The Last Beat
.
Of
Note! - The Year of The Ox -
The Chinese New Year begins on Monday, January 26th, celebrating
the Year of the Ox. The Ox, (or the Buffalo) symbolizes prosperity through
strength and hard work. The Ox is dependable, calm and modest. Those born under
the sign of the Ox are fortunate to be stable and persevering.The Ox year brings
success only through discipline and hard work. To
Learn More about the Year of the Ox Click
Here. Kung Hei Fat Choi
- Happy New Year!
Of
Note & In Rememberance As
President-Elect Obama and his Vice-President-Elect Biden made their way from Philadelphia
to Washington D.C. I heard a man say along their way,
"I can now Dare to Hope."
On this Martin Luther King, Jr.
Day read these poems fromJeremy
Hogan
and
Charlie Newman . May Peace Be.
News
& Of Note - "One's Art
goes as far and as deep as one's Love goes" - Heralded
as one of America's most celebrated Painter's, Andrew Wyeth
passed on in his sleep at his family home in Chadd's Ford, PA on January 16th,
he was 91 years young.
In a career that spanned over 7 decades, Wyeth's realist, figurative paintings
of rural life in Pennsylvania and Maine split the critics at a time when High
Modernism was at the forefront.
In a time where fashion predicated bombast Abstract Expressionism, Wyeth chose
to speak quietly, seeking beauty in sentimental illustrative recount, capturing
the serene beauty of his beloved Chester County realm of farms, fields winding
roads and the everyday people who provided the inspiration to his imaginative
minds-eye. Fashion comes and goes but great Art lives forever and so will the
LoveLifeArt of Andrew Wyeth.
News,
New & Of Note! - World Premiere of David
Amram Piano Concerto No. 1! - Pianist Jon
Nakamatsu with Symphony
Silicon Valley of San Jose under the baton of conductor, Paul
Polivnick will present the World Premiere of David Amram's Piano
Concerto No.1 - "Three Songs: A Concerto for Piano and Orchestra"
on January 15th at The
California Theatre in San Jose, Ca. Concert begins at 7:30 PM,
There will also be repeat performances on January 17th and 18th.
Also Of Note! -
San Jose Mercury News Reporter, Richard Scheinin was at the Premiere.
Read his story, Pianist
Nakamatsu and Symphony Silicon Valley debut spellbinding Amram concerto
.
presents
News
& Of Note! - From The Town to City - "Jack's
Last Call" comes to NYC! - Patrick Fenton's
stage/audio play
"Jack's Last Call"
comes to
Theater
for the New City,
January
10th for
a reading starring Ron Ryan as Jack Kerouac, Anna Lisa McClelland
as Jan, Jack O'Connell as Leo, Mary Tierney as Memere
and Tim Babcock as Neal Cassady. Doors open at 7:00pm, Suggested
Donation $5.Click
Here for Directions
to
Theater
for the New City!