Contest Winner!

Congratulations to Sharon Goldberg of Brooklyn, NY and Carol Leffler of New Britain, CT, they are the winners of our Dar Williams trivia contest. Sharon will be receiving a copy of Dar's new CD "Promised Land," and Carol will get a copy of "Live At Bearsville," Dar's full-length concert DVD. Both are amazing scores. Good job ladies!

I should mention as well that we got the chance to check Dar on Dec. 26 at an intimate Iron Horse show. We have seen Dar many times, but never has her humor been so on point, and her voice so flawless. We went to the second of two shows, so I am not sure if she was just extra warmed up, but she sounded positively angelic.

Both shows were sold out, which is rare for any artist these days, but it shows just how much of a draw the local hero is. If you haven't already checked out the new album, I want to give you one more chance to pick up "Promised Land" here. Also, go see her renowned live shows if you get a chance at any of the following venues.

January, 2009

21
Wednesday
Rochester, NY
7:00 pm
$22.00
Water Street Music Hall[ more info ]

22
Thursday
Boston, MA
8:00 pm
$26.50
Paradise Rock Club[ more info ]

23
Friday
New York, NY
6:00 pm
$25.00
Webster Hall[ more info ]

24
Saturday
Philadelphia, PA
8:00 pm
Keswick Theatre[ more info ]

25
Sunday
Ringwood, NJ
2:00 pm
$25.00
Ringwood Public Library[ more info ]

26
Monday
Richmond, VA
8:00 pm
The National[ more info ]

28
Wednesday
Carrboro, NC
8:00 pm
$22.00
Cat's Cradle[ more info ]

29
Thursday
Birmingham, AL
8:00 pm
$20.00
WorkPlay Theatre[ more info ]

30
Friday
Athens, GA
8:00 pm
$20.00
Georgia Theatre[ more info ]

31
Saturday
Greenville, SC
8:00 pm
$17.00
The Handlebar[ more info ]

February, 2009

3
Tuesday
Ft. Lauderdale, FL
8:00 pm
$20.00
Culture Room[ more info ]

4
Wednesday
St. Petersburg, FL
7:30 pm
$27.50
The Palladium[ more info ]

5
Thursday
Gainesville, FL
8:00 pm
$15.00
Common Grounds[ more info ]

March, 2009

5
Thursday
South Burlington, VT
7:00 pm
Higher Ground[ more info ]

6
Friday
Rockland, ME
8:00 pm
$28.00
The Strand Theatre[ more info ]

7
Saturday
Brownfield, ME
8:00 pm
$35.00
Stone Mountain Arts Center[ more info ]

12
Thursday
Harrisburg, PA
7:30 pm
Whitaker Center/Sunoco Performance Center[ more info ]

14
Saturday
Bayshore, NY
8:00 pm
$45.00
Boulton Center for the Performing Arts[ more info ]

15
Sunday
Ridgefield, CT
8:00 pm
$45.00
Ridgefield Playhouse[ more info ]

Valley Fleece Fiesta A Success!

If you couldn't tell by the title, the first ever Valley Fleece Fiesta was a huge success. We made dozens of blankets for local homeless individuals and families last Thursday, and had a great time while doing it. Our friends at ABC40 stopped by to join in on the fun. Check out this video for a recap. For more information on how you can help, please contact me at michael.a.busack@gmail.com.

2008 Valley Fleece Fiesta

Hello All. So I am really excited to announce my first attempt at organizing a charity event! The first every Valley Fleece Fiesta will take place this Thursday, Dec. 18 at the First Church of Northampton from 5 p.m. - 8 p.m.

Volunteers at the event will enjoy holiday music and cocoa while creating warm and durable, fleece no-sew blankets that will be donated to Friends of Hampshire County Homeless Individuals of Florence and the Hampshire County Interfaith Emergency Homeless Shelter.

According to a March 2008 article in the Daily Hampshire Gazette newspaper, “Nearly 5,000 people in the Pioneer Valley experienced homelessness last year. About half of them were parents and children, and many have been homeless for more than a year.”
Yvonne Freccero, President of Friends of Hampshire County Homeless Individuals says this year may be even worse.

“This winter shelters will be hard pressed to take care of the increasing number of people who will find themselves homeless,” Freccero said.

It is with this in mind that community members have come together to provide some of these residents with one New England necessity – blankets. Local organizations and businesses such as The Textile Co. of Greenfield, ServiceNet of Northampton, and the First Churches of Northampton, have extended their great generosity by supporting this event.

For more information about the 2009 Fleece Fiesta event, or to volunteer or make a donation, please contact Michael Busack at (508) 641-1546 or Michael.a.busack@gmail.com.

Who needs American Idol Anyways?

In the past seven seasons, American Idol has picked some of the best-selling artists to top the charts. However, I have found that this doesn't necessarily qualify the Fox show as an accurate measure of talent. Case in point, Josiah Leming. You might remember Leming as the young Tenneseean musician who was living in his car at the time of his AI audition. Or maybe you remember him as the emotional teen who got booted early on for cockily calling away the house band during an audition performance. If only some of our teenage mistakes were aired to millions of people.

Today, Leming has proven he cannot be dismissed that easily. He has now signed with Warner Brother Records and is set to release a full album early next year. The five-song EP titled "Angels Undercover" is out now and is available here.

Now, not that American Idol doesn't attract some very talented voices sometimes, but the truth is that the show is far more a karaoke competition than a talent contest that feeds the American hunger for human embarrassment. If you need proof, look up Paula Goodspeed's story here.

Josiah left home at 17 as a struggling musician, looking for a way to support his family -- eight siblings (six of whom are adopted), an out-of-work stepfather, and a mother with terminal cancer. He traveled the southeast playing open-mic nights and sleeping in his car before auditioning for American Idol. Following his dismissal from the show, he was spotted by a manager and soon signed with Warner Brothers.

Leming is next in line (see Clay Aiken and Jennifer Hudson) to be living proof, however, that one can succeed after Idol. His songs on the EP show a breadth of songwriting talent for a young kid, and a knack for the piano.

Check below for some highlights, and stay tuned for more about this one.

Josiah Leming - "Arctic Outcry Wind"

VIDEO - Josiah Leming - "Angels Undercover"