The Only Place We Ever End Up is Here, So Why Not Be Here Now?
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October 18, 2015Remember What Freedom Is
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October 16, 2015Albert Speaks
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October 12, 2015An Evening of Extraordinary Music
If you are within driving distance of Asheville, NC and thinking of attending Chris Mac Vittie and Daya Rawat's concert on 10/16, here's the correct answer: GO! I had the pleasure of attending their NYC performance tonight and it was a total delight. Their voices are infused with joy, their harmonies are a magic carpet ride, and their lyrics pack a wallop. Plus, their stage presence is very entertaining. Chris and Daya are the kind of performers you will tell your grandchildren you saw before the word got out.
Opening for Chris and Daya are two extraordinary musicians in their own right, the incredibly gifted Ron Clearfield on cello and the divine Linda Kendal-Fields on violin.
Doors open at 6:30 pm. The concert starts at 7:00 pm. Tickets are $25.
Click to buy your tickets and find out where the concert is so you don't spend your entire evening driving around Asheville and wondering why you didn't click on the link.
Chris and Daya's website
Preview their new CD
Check out their lyrics
Read more about Asheville
Chris and Daya in Atlanta on 10/17
Sneak preview in a radio station
Fun photos from past concerts
What's a concert promo without a Facebook page?
The Nicholas Brothers after seeing Chris and Daya
NYC concert photos: Matt Miller
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October 10, 2015Feel
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October 09, 2015Ira Meyer In Da House
Feast your eyes on the gorgeous photography of Ira Meyer.
"If you could live just for today, what would you do? If today was your last day, what would you do?" -- Prem Rawat, Amaroo, 9/11/15
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October 08, 2015Fuzzbee Morse In Da House!
Here is extraordinary review of Fuzzbee Morse's recently released CD -- Dreams and Other Living Things -- by Paul Zollo, Senior Editor of American Songwriter. Read it and leap. Then buy it and listen.
"Imagine, if you can, a collaboration between Hendrix and Steely Dan: complex but melodically visceral songs with ferocious electric guitar and flawlessly tight musicianship, and you get an approximation of the Fuzzbee Morse experience.
An astounding guitarist who has played with countless legends, from Bono to Lou Reed and beyond, he's a real-life guitar hero. He commands that edgy ferocity Hendrix embodied, and his solos throughout this album are revelations. Sometimes they are wildly fierce, other times touching that immaculate transcendence of the Santana realm, pure electric eloquence.
Fuzzbee also sings with the spirited soulful phrasing and tone of Hendrix, and brings us not one but two faithful Hendrix covers, "Voodoo Child" and "Angel." And while few singers can do Hendrix like Hendrix did Hendrix, and so wisely choose, like Sting did, to go in a whole other direction, Fuzzbee lights a Hendrix rocket and soars on it into the soul stratosphere.
But that's only part of the trip here. His own songwriting is sophisticated yet soulful. The man knows how to structure a song with stamina and poetry, such as the stunning supernova instrumental "Zonga!," which is as lyrical as a song with no lyrics can be. Or a song with words, like the great "It's Time To Go," which revolves around a killer chord vamp before unfolding with a pure funk perfection. It's a lesson in remarkable songwriting, with an ideal pre-chorus that explodes into the elevation chorus, punctuated by a horn section and then a great Fuzzbee/Hendrix riff. It really doesn't get better than this.
"Long As The Wind Blows" opens the show with beautiful Lennon-like melodics, a gentle melody set against counterpoint vocals, leading to a lovely chorus of sweet remembrance. "Brother Ray" is an elegy for Ray Charles and his world of soul, as Fuzzbee testifies to the lifelong impact: "I can't say where I'd be today without the one and only Brother Ray."
The closing "Underground Railroad" is a haunting and redemptive journey that starts with a promise of liberation, "someday I'm gonna walk on water." Suddenly we are on gospel ground, and with the great churchy authority of singers Lisa Frazier, Willie Chambers, Joe Chambers and Tyra Juliette, we are lifted from the earthbound to the spiritual river, rafting headlong towards the eternal ocean. It's an exalted conclusion to this musical feast.
By virtue of being Fuzzbee, he was able to put together a band of his friends who happen to be among the world's greatest musicians. The rhythm section throughout is Jerry Marotta on drums, Tony Levin on bass and David Sancious on piano and organ. Marotta also plays ocarina, rainstick, Omnichord and assorted percussion. Fuzzbee arranged and produced.
Utterly amazing. An absolute masterpiece, and one which I hope others will invite into their lives. Given repeated listenings, the inherent beauty and dynamism of this dizzying collection becomes beautifully apparent, and like the greatest music, blooms ever better with each listening. An album for the ages."
Fuzzbee's website
Download or buy CD from Bandcamp
Download or buy CD from iTunes
Download or buy CD from CD Baby
Spotify if you must
American Songwriter
Ummm... if you've gotten this far in the article and haven't yet downloaded Fuzzbee's new album, now's the time. Support the arts! Feed a musician. Listen to some awesome music.
Download or buy CD from Bandcamp
Download or buy CD from CD Baby
Download or buy CD from iTunes
Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 08:00 PM | Comments (0)
Chris and Daya Concert in New York City on October 11thGOOD NEWS!
Chris Mac Vittie and Daya Rawat, two awesome musicians, will be performing at Hunter College, 695 Park Avenue, in New York City, on Sunday, October 11th, at 5:00 pm. Jazz guitarist, Larry Newcomb, will kick off the show. Doors open at 4:30 pm.
Tickets are $25 and can be purchased on Chris and Daya's website. Click on shows and scroll down to Hunter College.
Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 12:20 PM | Comments (0)
October 06, 2015Peter Buettner Needs Our Support!
There's a good chance you don't know my friend, Peter Buettner. Peter lives in Woodstock. He is a fabulous musician, composer, and stellar human being who makes his living as a carpenter.
A few days ago Peter was diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease. The tremors associated with this condition make it impossible for Peter to work or play his beloved sax or flute. A few of us have joined together to create a GoFundMe campaign to help raise the $25,000 he will need to make it through the Winter and Spring, pay off the debts he's incurred from not being able to work these past two months, and also pay for alternative treatments not covered by his health insurance.
I am asking you to consider contributing to Peter's GoFundMe campaign, even if you don't know him. I figure there are about 2,000 regular readers of The Heart of the Matter. If even just half of us contributed $10 each, we'd be more than half way there to helping Peter meet his goal. Please contribute what you can. We are all in this together. Thanks!
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October 04, 2015There Is a Song That's Been Written That Has Never Been Sung
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October 02, 2015Thom Adorney In Da House
Wonderful photos of Amaroo taken by the very talented Thom Adorney. Enjoy! A picture's worth a thousand words...
Excerpts from 9/7/15
Excerpts from 9/8/15
Excerpts from 9/9/15
Excerpts from 9/10/15
Excerpts from 9/11/15
Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 12:07 AM | Comments (0)