Sunday, March 22, 2015

Last night was the last concert in the Stoop Concert Series a series which I helped co-found seven years ago. I have been thinking about the magic of music quite a bit the last week or so, I mean I always think about music, it's part of who I am. This last week though has been different. A number of players from my youth passed away this week, guys like Andy Fraser from the band Free, Kenny Gorka of The Critters & Michael Brown of The Left Banke. These men helped define the sound of the '60's and though I only met Kenny through his ownership of The Bitter End in New York City I loved and respected them one and all. This week Eric Clapton also announced that he would celebrate hos 70th birthday with a concert at Madison Square Garden, in all honestly I would rather see one of my local indie artists play in the Rockwood Music Hall with an audience of friends than sit with an audience of tens of thousands of strangers. When I sit up at the radio station I don't want to just sit there and string together a show of the latest and greatest cool hit tunes. I have no interest in that whatsoever, What I do want to paint a sonic tapestry that will touch people in the depths of  their souls each time I slip a CD into the player. If I am not touching my listeners in deep places then I am just wasting my time and theirs. The same goes true as far as I'm concerned with concerts, we have all seen bands and artists who you can just tell are going through the motions, I want to see artists that have a hunger to produce great art and still have that fire in their bellies. That's where it's at!!! A friend of mine Susan Enan said it best a few years ago when she penned at tune called "Bring On The Wonder". I want to bring people into a world of wonder with each radio show, if I can do that I'll be a happy camper The two videos connected to this blog bring me to a place of wonder, I hope you feel the same.

Tuesday, March 10, 2015

This past Saturday evening my radio show "Rock N Soul Gospel" celebrated 33&1/3 years on the air at WCWP radio, the station connected with LIU Post. We held a free concert featuring the music of Jesse Tomsko at the facilities of Beacon Church in East Williston on Long Island. Much thanks needs to go out to Chris Coats, the pastor of creative arts, for his invaluable assistance in putting this gig together. As I look back on the 33 plus years that I have done this particular show it has been a long sometimes frustrating road. I chose not to concentrate on playing what was at the time and is now the typical contemporary Christian artists otherwise the show would have sounded like every other Christian rock show out there. I chose rather to feature only what I considered the best music being played by artists who held to a biblical worldview, at least in my opinion. Over the years I have been rewarded by coming in contact with some of the best music that has ever been recorded, again in my opinion. Artists and bands such as Mark Heard, Jeff Johnson, Terry Scott Taylor, Iona, Glass Hammer, Jim Trick, Rachel Taylor, Courtney Reid and oh so many more have provided me and my listeners with some absolutely amazing music over the years. Starting about fifteen years ago I was introduced to a number of New York City based artists thanks to the members of two bands, Stickman Jones & Mother Kirk and the trickle down effect continues on to this day. Dusty Brown, The Gregory Brothers, Monica Allison, Phoebe Lyng, Melanie Penn, Jesse Tomsko and others are putting out some of the best music I have ever heard. I recently turned 65 years old and I find the older I get the more of an artistic and media snob I am becoming. I have this apparently strange idea that artists, whether they be in the field of music, film, literature, poetry, painting or whatever, who claim to be in a unique relationship with the Master Creator should be providing the world with the most impressive art imaginable. Yet I find far too many Christians are more than willing to accept subpar art simply because someone connects the name Jesus to it. It my firm commitment as long as I am doing this radio show to only play top quality music for my listeners to enjoy. The videos accompanying this blog are but two examples of the amazing music that is out there. By the way "Rock N Soul Gospel" can be heard every Friday at 9pm and Sunday at 5pm NY time at 88.1fm & WCWP.org, check it out!!!