Year in Music

Better Late Than Never... too true! August 2015. Photo: Gerard Coleman. 

We've reached that time... when everyone (including yours truly) starts sharing their "best of" lists. In terms of music, 2015 was an amazing year for me (but not for the typical reasons). 

No, there wasn't much that stood out on the radio. Pop music, in general, seems to be getting more bland (read: more synthesized and calculated), less exciting. Critics went as far as complaining that there was no obvious "song of the summer." In my book, there is one notable exception: a rollicking rocker, who literally came out of left field...with some serious soul...son of a b****!:

Nathaniel Rateliff and The Night Sweats delivered an album that I never tired of listening to this year. The tunes: catchy, the delivery: passionate, and the performances: "live"... like JD McPherson, who preceded him, there is a purity to this music. No coincidence that I am attracted to yet another musician taking a nod from classic soul and the blues. Damn, this is fine music. An inspiration.

In the running! Photo: Mike O'Brien

At the same time, I can feel my tastes changing...becoming more critical and refined... This new perspective is most likely due to the new musical insights I gained personally over the past year. 

I started the year with a song. Encouraged by the response I had been receiving for my karaoke at Bourbon Street Bar & Grill, I decided to enter a singing competition (something I had never done before). Nervous? Nah... all my stage performances over the years prepared me well. Here are some of the generous comments from the judges: 

"Best stage presence I've seen in 2 years. Great song choice!"

"Performance was unlike any I have ever seen before! Simply awesome!"

In fact, I received a perfect score for stage presence. They told me this was actually a first for the competition, which had been running for seven years. Needless to say, I made it to the semi-finals, and that is where my work began.

I took the contest quite seriously (a $1000 prize didn't hurt). Having an event to prepare for was quite good for me—made me extremely focused and driven. I was in a state of "total bliss" practicing every day. Still, there was a lot to learn as I worked through a winter cold, vocal warmups and strengthening breath support (professional vocal coach, Eric Arceneaux has some online tutorials that I found extremely helpful). 

My practicing also benefitted from my guitar playing, which I have been honing since the summer of 2014. Rehearsing for the competition was made much easier with my electric guitar, which I used to practice scales and singing in different keys and tempo.

Leaving "body and soul" at Bourbon St.

The semi-finals arrived, and I felt really good and prepared. I gave it my all, and appreciated the support from friends and new fans, who turned out for the competition. I also realized just how talented the other singers were! I was, of course, very pleased to make it into the finals...but realized I still had my work cut out for myself. 

There were some singers in the competition who really had stellar voices, and it was helpful just to watch them. I think I can hold my own, but know I need more training in the singing department. I still gave it my all, and even planned out a little routine for my performance—in hindsight, I may have started thinking a bit too much. 

Although I did not win the competition, it whet my appetite. I actively looked for more opportunities to perform music as the year progressed. 

In June I found myself in Brooklyn, and my friend took me to a live band karaoke night that he had been to a couple times. Rock Star Karaoke is a tight, seasoned group of musicians that play around the New York City area, and has quite an impressive list of songs in their repertoire. I felt completely at ease with them, and enjoyed the spontaneity of performing with a live band... they even followed me down a "classic soul" rendition of the Muppets' "Rainbow Connection"... I don't know how that came to pass, but totally appreciated the opportunity (and patience of my wife!).

Raving about this experience lead to my next performing opportunity. A friend of a friend was gearing up for a summer performance with his band and, hearing my enthusiasm for playing live, asked me if I might join them as a front man? Now, this was an interesting turn of events... be careful what you wish for! 

Burning up... in Burnt Hills

The plan was to join the band, made up of work colleagues, for a staff picnic/concert to be held in the Capital Region that August. They called themselves Better Late Than Never, and you couldn't find a more appropriate name for me. Thus began my experience of joining a "garage/jam band," and starting weekly rehearsals. 

And these guys were tight: made up of an extremely talented (and young) guitar virtuoso, rhythm guitarist, bassist, and drummer... I could not believe my luck during rehearsals in their well-equipped practice room. I think I surprised them as well, with my stage presence. 

Although I continue to be complimented for my performing, one of my goals this year has been to learn how to balance my onstage antics with some more focused singing. You can't be jumping around and expect to maintain the breath support you need. As I worked to memorize the surprisingly long setlist(!), I focused again on my warm-ups...singing from the diaphragm. 

The day of the show arrived, and I felt like I had really become part of a band (creative squabbles and all!). Our set was a mix of classic/dad rock and more modern numbers...they also let me add a little soul into the mix.




I bounded on to the outdoor stage, launching into a couple of David Bowie numbers, and there was no looking back. The response from the crowd was quite positive, and I even had some kids come up afterwards, telling me how "cool" I was! I further strengthened my vocals and stage presence.

Wanting to keep the momentum going, I immediately put an ad on Craigslist, looking for other interested musicians to jam with. Although I had a few promising inquiries, nothing came to pass...unfortunately... and, to this point, Craigslist seems about as useful for finding musicians as it is in selling a used car.

Brothers in arms! Keeping it electric- December 2015

As I entered the fall, work and family matters became my focus. I did, however, continue my weekly electric guitar lessons. As I mentioned, I started taking lessons in August 2014, courtesy of the fine folks at Hilton Music Center. My brother-in-law, Joel actually works there as a repair man, and was kind enough to refurbish and gift an old Fender Stratocaster to me. My teacher, Zac is a very competent, gigging musician, and shares the interest in groove-based music (his main instrument is bass). 

For me, getting over the hump of learning music has been a challenge...surprising, since both of my parents are musicians. I grew up playing violin, guitar, piano, and singing, but guess I always felt a little overwhelmed by practicing and memorizing (being a perfectionist doesn't help). So, making the commitment to weekly lessons for this past year and a half has been great for me, and I have graduated from occasional plinker to fairly competent beginner. 

I keep having breakthroughs, and my lessons in chords, scales, and single notation have a way of catching up. My teacher has noticed. This fall/winter I have found myself actually enjoying sitting down to practice, and I have a handful of songs that I can perform with some degree of skill. It's great, because it is the perfect accompaniment for my singing. Over the holidays, I could notice my growth in both areas... I have surprised myself.

Looking back on 2015, I'm proud of myself for finally getting serious about a long-time goal. None of the examples I have shared on this blog are perfect, but I'm putting it (and myself) out there. Some guy on Craigslist called me brave for trying to get things going, but that's not that point. Music gives me so much... it, quite literally, takes me to a different place... I've always suspected that. This past year I strengthened that musical muscle, flexed my creativity and sense of adventure, and met some talented, fellow musicians in the process. Here's hoping I can keep that good note going into the next year...

All In a Year's Work

Finishing up my last day of work for the year at Norman Rockwell Museum, I thought I would try and collect a few thoughts. 2015 has certainly had it's share of highlights. Maybe I should start backwards... 

Since Norman Rockwell was known for his Christmas-themed illustrations, the holidays are always a big time of year for us. This month I had all kinds of press contacting me, including WIRED, a lifestyle website in Brazil, and WDEL Radio's "Saturday HotSpot"—the latter showed up on my radar a year ago, when host Frank Gregory called with interest in doing a segment on the Museum for the holidays. I guess it went well, because Gregory (a self-proclaimed Rockwell fan), had me on his show not once but twice over the past month. Here is the generous segment we did on November 7, where I talked about everything from our history, holiday events, and traveling exhibitions, to our new show on illustrator Harvey Dunn (who just happened to start his career in Wilmington, Delaware, where the station is based- lucky coincidence):

"CBS Sunday Morning" also called, looking for material on Mary Doyle Keefe, the model for Rockwell's "Rosie The River" (who passed away last April). Did we have any interview footage with Keefe? Yes, one of countless interviews I have conducted with Rockwell models over the years. I sent them a portion of a video I did with Keefe back in 2002, and you can hear a portion of it included in their "Passages" segment, which aired this past Sunday. 

Fortunately, I had the chance to create a few video productions of my own for the Museum this past year. The latest was this promo for our annual fund (not too late to donate, folks):

2015 was all about trying to master our new HD camera, and Adobe Premiere Pro. Final Cut Pro still feels more intuitive for me (maybe because I have been using it for so long), so I continue to use that editing software at home. I guess it doesn't hurt to be well-versed across platforms. 

All aboard... the simple pleasures at NRM.
Photo by Jeremy Clowe. All rights reserved.

Sometimes I keep it "low-tech" and just pull out my iPad or Android and start filming things, like I did with a recent trip down Main Street Stockbridge, immortalized in Rockwell's "Home for Christmas" painting. You can watch my "quickie" edit here. 

A couple things to point out about that video: how lucky I was that at the end of my drive, there was a car turning down the main road with Christmas tree attached to the roof (just like in the painting!). I also liked the way this quickie synced up with the Vince Guaraldi Trio (holiday music that gets me in the spirit every year). Others seemed to agree, as the video received over 400 likes and was shared nearly 300 times on Facebook...not bad for a quick, creative exercise to promote our holiday events.

Of course, my creativity connected me in other wonderful ways this year. I had the chance to interview New Yorker cartoonist Roz Chast for a video featured in our summer exhibition. It was fun to get a glimpse of her Ridgefield, Connecticut studio, and learn how she comes up with her ideas. I will also never forget our trip to New Haven to take part in an interview for WNPR. I keep thinking the trip, sprinkled with idiosyncratic moments (all mine!), might make it into one of her cartoons. I really enjoyed discussing comics (a longtime passion of mine) with this true professional...who was as nice and normal as can be.

Dear God, how many years?... JC @ NRM, Oct. 2015

I had the chance to share my love of the movies this year as well, as the Museum took me up on the idea to go "back in time" during our classic car show. Where else would I have the opportunity to run around dressed as Marty McFly, while sharing my love of Back To The Future? I would have never guessed, 15 years ago, that I would end up overseeing such an event, but here I was welcoming filmmakers and car owners connected with my favorite film series of all time, and having an absolute blast. Like the films, it is all in the details... and Rockwell's work seems to echo through that first movie, set in the 1950s- an enthusiastically-received and attended event, to be sure.

Interactive experience at NRM (and I'm not talking
about any of my digital material featured in this display)

I can't say it has always felt "Rockwellian" this past year, and there were times where I have felt a bit down (usually due to politics, and the shifting balance of creating and facilitating). On one such occasion this past month, I decided to head down to the Museum and try to take some photos. I ended up chatting with some visitors who were using one of our new interactives, and had the chance to entertain them with some stories about the Museum, Rockwell, and the many models and characters related to this world that I had gotten to know over the past decade. Their laughter and enthusiasm really changed my day, and reminded me of the reason we are working here... to share this artist's work with current and future generations. On my way out, I heard someone yell, "hey Marty!" and it turned out to be a couple who had attended our Back To The Future day, enjoyed my talks and screenings, and ended up being one of the last visitors to leave that day. I think I need to visit the front lines more often.

Peace on earth. I can't think of a better
holiday greeting...

Finally, as someone active and interested in peace action efforts, I must mention our exhibition at the United Nations, which was such a tremendous opportunity for all involved. I know I speak for the Museum when I say how honored we were to share Rockwell's work with the over 65,000 visitors, global leaders and representatives (including Pope Francis), who visited the show over the summer and early fall. Representing the Museum, coordinating the press conference at the UN, and attending the opening reception with my wife were real highlights; my counterpart at the UN was wonderful to work with, and Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and Deputy Secretary-General Jan Eliasson were both extremely supportive of the exhibition. But the biggest thrill was learning that it was my online video of Rockwell's United Nations drawing that caught the attention of UN representatives in the first place, and inspired the show (which included the video). How do you top that for outreach?

Quite a year. My 15th anniversary, in fact. It's been a long and challenging road, but I know I have made a difference at this museum, and even managed to share my own artistic talents along the way.

Related Link:

Norman Rockwell Museum website