New Recording session

I spent a very long Sunday at Degraw sound on January 19th with engineer Harper James. I recorded 22 songs live. it was kind of a marathon monstor recording session.  I have always wanted to get a good recording sound out of my thin bodied Guild Songbird. It's a great performance guitar, but I've found it lacking in the studio. Harper did a great job of mixing in the mics along with the direct out from the guitar and we put it through a fender amp for a bit of a springy sound.

Once we got the room sound like I wanted, I just sang and played for 7 hours straight. Guess singing in the subway has been a great way to keep my stamina up. My whole creative energy is about performing, (and why it was important to record voice and guitar at the same time), and I was happy to have friends Carter McElroy and Nousha Salami come to support, which was really comforting.

I wanted to record newer versions of some of my favorite older songs, and also interpretations of songs that fans and commuters often ask me if I have recorded.  I returned to the studio last Sunday and Harper and I mixed 15 songs.  I've been listening to them and trying to decide which ones to choose and what to do next….stay tuned for how I plan to get them out to you. but first here's a little listen. 

top row is from my iPad, and bottom row by Nousha Salami

Music Under NY applications end March 20th

It's that time of year when Music Under New York auditions musicians to join the program.  The application process is simple.  Here's a link for the application form found on the MTA website.

All applications info:

Please send your Audition Application and a CD or DVD (no tapes or videos accepted) by regular mail to the address below by March 20th. Do not drop off your package.

MTA/ MUSIC UNDER NEW YORK 341 Madison Avenue, 5th Fl. New York, NY 10017 

The auditions are held in Grand Central Terminal in May and are only held once a year.  If you've ever wanted to give it a try now is the time.

Good luck.

You can always find more info about busking in NYC in my section above entitled For Buskers

Here's a clip I made from the 2012 auditions

New Museum brings me in from the cold

I'm really excited to have been invited along with a great lineup of other NYC subway musicians, buskers and street performers to perform at the New Museum 235 Bowery. NYC, as a musical layer of a new exhibition entitled The Neighbors by Pawel Althamer  February 12-April 20th

here's my New Museum performance schedule:

• Thursday 20th February   6-9 pm
• Friday 28th February 11:00 am-2:30 pm
• Friday March 14th 11:00-2:30pm
• Thursday 20th March 2:30-6:00 pm
• Friday 21st March  2:30-6:00 pm
• Sunday 6th April 11:00 am-2:30 pm
• Saturday 12th April  2:30-6:00 pm

It would be fun for you to come by and experience a wonderful mashup of music and art. Who knows what will happen.  I certainly will be continuing my Inspiration Project where I ask people what inspires them.

The Neighbors has many layers of collaboration. On the 2nd floor Pawel will be creating new work. On the 4th Floor will be a completely interactive room where anyone can come and paint on the walls, create art.  And in true collaboration with neighbors, Pawel will create a film with Bowery Mission tenants (neighbors of the New Museum). There will also be a coat drive. 

Watch below what inspires Pawel.

Pete Seeger remembered

Pete Seeger's music was an integral part of my folk singer/songwriter education. I went to 4H summer camp in the early 70's in Moodus CT, where we gathered around a campfire singing to his music. I remember learning Little Boxes (written by Malvina Reynolds) made famous by Pete. And thanks to the internet, I just learned it's the theme song to Weeds (who knew- guess not me?! Shows you how TV illiterate that I am! 

In the midst of the early 70's with the Vietnam war and racial divides, his music, his art, his humble presence always pushed me to think instead of react. He taught me through his music the power of song, to sing out, sing loud and most of all sing together. 

He lived into his 90's and that's a lovely long life.

1/27/14

Pete Seeger is gone 
into the bitter cold air
his banjo silent
on a winter January day
From his music I joined the choir of the times
Sang of the earth
and caring for others, not just the righteous ones
but careful and concerned
for missing chances we humans forget to take
to chart a different course
he put the boat in the water
taught us to sail
without any power over
what prevailing winds, currents, eddys
would take us
Onward into his nineties
no ego
Sing out he cajoled
Sing Loud
The true power of song
within every next line a belonging
Call and answer praise
A voice that multiplies
is a Gorgeous sound

DinnerLab

I recently performed for a pop-up restaurant event for NYC foodies. It was held in a cool Soho Gallery.  

---

“Cathy lights up the room with her distinctive blues-folk sound, and has a little something for everyone. Her performances are not to be missed.”

Eli Cassel, Music Curator Dinner Lab

A Busker's Life

I arrived at 34th st today at 12 and it was really cold (below freezing with a draft). It took me a while to set up.  As I was setting up a young boy and a woman stopped to talk to me wondering what I was doing. I told them I would be singing and playing the guitar.  The boy asked if I could sing God Bless America, which I did a weird version accapella (honestly could never remember the line "Thru the night with a light from above."

Then the woman asked if I would give the boy a t-shirt which I did, and asked him if I could take his picture.  Here it is:

I asked his name and he told me Duwan. I then asked him for an inspiration and he said "My Grandmother and God and SubwayGirl."  Really cute.  The woman I learned was his Aunt's name was Sha and her inspiration? "God, positive people, family, you. Seeing you down here doing this, keeping up on life, trying to make something happen, just a blessing, just a blessing."

I asked if Duwan would sing me a song and sang God Bless America, but not the version I sang.  He sang:

God Bless America, he says dat I can do anything I want

if I behave in class and go to college

'cause God is good."

What version is that I asked? and he replied it was his own. So he just freestyled the song right there in cold 34th st. station.

A guy walked up + asked me for $1 for a cup of coffee, which I let him take out of my tip box, where I always have a few dollars I put in beforehand. By my accounting I was down one t-shirt and $1 before I even started singing!. Then I sang and it was so cold that my breath fogged up my glasses and my finger tips were ice cold. I got tipped by a homeless guy $1, so I was back to earning $0. It was too cold too play, so I packed up and left the spot for the eager breakdancers who are always at the ready to take the spot no matter what the weather.  And immediately a crowd gathered.

Metro-card swipe cost me $2.50 moneywise it was not a good day, but the little bit of time that I was there was really inspiring.

Remembering Martin Luther King JR

Today is an important day where we remember the life of Martin Luther King Jr. A man who spoke so eloquently about non-violence and who sparked a consciousness within so many of us. 

Dr. King inspired me to seek out truth, to believe in peaceful protest, to understand that only with a voice can we be heard.  I learned that music is a powerful tool against ignorance and hate. that is what I will sing about today.

Here are some words from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr's last address April 3, 1968 at Riverside Church given the night before he was assassinated.

"....only when it was dark enough can you see the stars......non-violence or non-existence that is where we are today...we got to stay together and maintain unity...."

New Recording Session

Tomorrow I'll be recording all day in a recording studio. 2002 seems like a lifetime ago when I went into Magic Shop in Soho to record my CD Comin Back To Me.  As far as vocal quality, guitar stylings and sound goes, it was a lifetime ago.  Also not lost on me, the world of the internet has completely transformed the life of a musician.  In 2002 it was beginning to seem like something big was changing. Today in 2014 we are in another hemisphere.

I've been singing in the subway since that time and honestly haven't been able to figure out what to do next.  Fast forward to the end of 2013 when a film maker friend of mine Lilian Haidar (she shot the cover of my 1998 recording "Retracing") invited me to hear Steve Poltz at Bowery Electric. I really liked the sound and introduced myself to the enginner Harper James who said he worked at Degraw Sound in Brooklyn, So that is where I will be singing my heart out all day long.

Stay tuned. Follow my postings on instagram @nycsubwaygirl

here are some covers of past recordings: Retracing 1998, Comin Back To Me 2002, What Fools Do 2002, Gut Reaction front and back cover, Troia/Grier 1983

TreeCycle MulchFest

Recycling your Christmas tree is a simple way to do more than just buy a tree and throw it away without any sustainably conscious consideration.  Obviously I'd prefer people to find other ways to celebrate the holiday without having to cut a tree down, but I don't want to be a grinch.  The NYC sanitation department picks up trees curbside.  Maybe next year you can come up with another way.

sort of a sad looking Urban Pine Tree forest, but it sure smells lovely

Happy New Year Kids

I met these kids on my way to my first gig of 2014 at the Staten Island Ferry Whitehall terminal.  They were so cute with their 2014 glasses and hat, and their Mom allowed me to take this snap.  Too bad I didn't get their names as they rushed for their train.

Happy New Year.

Happy New Year kids, Bowling Green Station

New Year 2014

 I am sitting in my apartment not too far from Times Square where 1000's are gathering to celebrate the New Year. And I am thinking about people and connection, and Inspiration.

In 2014 I wish for all of us to reach in and awaken our own inner artistry and to share that with our inner circles of friends and family.

The world is asking for Art and Creativity.

2014 is the year of the Artist.

Recylced last year's wrapping paper

Every year I try and save as much paper and ribbon from gifts to reuse the following year. It's a very simple thing to do. I am also saving money and the environment.  Okay so there might be a few creases, but to me that gives it a charm because I care. You might consider the same.  

Here's my little packaging.  Looks pretty good to me.

A song for rescued Mustangs

If you follow my blogs you know I love Equine Advocates a sanctuary in Chatham, NY. I have performed at many of their events.  This fall I filmed on location at the sanctuary for a special message about Wild Horses.  EA recently adopted a mustang names Hayden.  His story is remarkable.

Here's my clip and if you are so inclined won't you join me in supporting Equine Advocates.

Grand Central Holiday Train Show

If you love model trains, each year in Grand Central Terminal they install the most wonderful train show.  This is one of my top 10 Holiday reasons to love NYC.

Enjoy this time lapse fllm of the installation.

The show runs through February 23, 2014.

New York Transit Museum: http://mta.info/museum/
Trains by Lionel: http://www.lionel.com/
Model layout designed and built by T W TrainWorx:http://www.twtrainworx.com/

Singing Goodbye for a friend

My life is music. It brings me joy even through sadness (especially). If sharing my music with others brings joy and release, then I am certainly in the right place. Today I will be singing love and joy during a very sad moment.  A dear friend lost his husband last w eek unexpectedly.  I will be singing goodbye in celebrating the life of Tim Merrell.  He had the most amazing smile.  And that is what I will be singing today. And for my friend Jose Rolan and their son Avery.

Smile by Charlie Chaplin

Smile though your heart is aching.  Smile even though its breaking

When there are clouds in the sky, you'll get by

If you smile through your fear and sorrow

Smile and maybe tomorrow, you'll see the sun come shining through for you. 

Light up your face with gladness

Hide every trace of sadness. Although a tear may be ever so near

That's the time you must keep on trying. Smile, what's the use of crying? 

You'll find that life is still worthwhile, If you just

Smile 

Read about Tim and Jose in a lovely Huffington Post piece by Chef Rossi

OWWR radio interview

My trip out to Hicksville in Long Island was easy, no real traffic. I really enjoyed my interview on Michael J. Mand's show St. James Infirmary. We had a fun free flow conversation, and I also got Michael to answer my favorite question "What inspires you?" Michael's "day job" is dentistry. Michael is a dentist with an amazing love of music and people. On air he calls himself Michael The Molar Maven a perfect handle.

Here's an MP3 audio of the full interview:

Michael's comfortable style of interviewing revealed his inquisitive nature asking me such questions that ranged from "What's the difference between an engineer and a producer," "Who invented seats that recline?" to "What is it about musicians that make them more activist than dentists?" We discussed the rights of a subway performer, and Michael's experiences meeting other performers. We touched on other subjects ranging from rap as folk music, to violence against women. I performed live, and Michael played my Rise Up (One Billion Rising) song that I wrote for Eve Ensler's V-Day.org. The show is a little over an hour.  To the left of the image of Michael and I is the MP3 file of the entire interview

Michael The Molar Maven and me

When chatting about New Yorkers Say No To War, apologies to Laura Flanders for mangling her name. And to Willie Nile song One Guitar (completely missed the 2nd verse)… that's my world of live interviews folks!

Live radio Interview SUNY campus

Today I'm heading out to SUNY campus on LI for a live radio interview I met the host Michael Mand of the show called St. James Infirmary (after the song written by Joe Primrose (Irving Mills). It can be accessed live (1:00 PM to 4:00 PM)- we will be going live - on the web by typing OWWR in the browser and following the link through Tune-in Radio. It can also be accessed on Tune-in Radio directly - keyword: OWWR. It will be re- webbed at 1:00 AM - 4:00 AM Saturday morning for all the night birds. Michael will be posting the show sometime before Saturday morning 8:30 AM on his podcast site

I met Michael one day while I was singing at the LIRR station at Atlantic Blvd. We've been trying for months to pick a date where I could get out to his show. I hope you can tune in while it's live, I'll be bringing my 1974 Guild (my first grownup guitar that I got in….74) to play.  Will be fun.  

My '74 Guild.  Image by Lilian Haidar taken at Joe's Pub

New Website great date 13.12.11

December 11, 2013 = 13.12.11  I love numbers and this one is cool.

I've been working on this new design for many months now.  If you knew the old site, I hope you like this one.  The newest feature is that I have put all my postings in one blog instead of separate ones.  So now you'll find all the following under Blog and in their own categories:

Music Under New York - stories from the underground relating to the MUNY scene, Guest Blogger- sharing great stories from friends and others whom I have found and want to share, Sustainability - where I share and write about how to live a life more sustainably, and most importantly The Inspiration Project - posting videos from commuters and others whom I have met and filmed sharing what inspires them.

You can join my RSS feed (link is above) and always know when I upload a new post. And a separate RSS for the Inspiration Project. Don't know the best RSS app to upload, here's more info. I use Feedly (it's free). Don't know what RSS is? It's a siple way to be notified whenever I post a new story or video. Here's a good link to find out more about RSS.

I am still working on adding other features, a podcast, more music, picture and video gallery, so stay tuned.

If you have any comments, please leave them here. Or you can contact me here.

I hope you keep coming back and checking out my site.

13.12.11 a nice way to start

Giving to others, Champions I support

It's the end of the year when orginazations are scrambling to get financial support for their efforts. Throughout the year I put aside a portion of my subway tips and donate to organizations I feel are doing amazing work locally, nationally and internationally.

Here is my wish list for my year end giving, what I call the Champions.

Please consider joining me.  

Artists Against Fracking, Broadway Green Alliance, Brooklyn Arts Exchange, Clearwater, Democracy Now, EarSay and Judith Sloan, Equine Advocates, Facing History Facing Ourselves, Global Zero, GrowNYC, Lower East Side Ecology Center,  One Billion Rising, Peace Talks Radio, Playing for Change, Road Recovery, Sing for Hope, V-Day