Friends,

Here is some more stuff about me. I am copying and pasting it from my info on Facebook so if you have already seen that this will be a repeat.
Otherwise, read on....
I am a singer-songwriter, producer, and play the guitar, bass, piano and trumpet somewhat as well. Born in NYC, lived in Smith Housing Project on lower east side of Manhattan, then Marble Hill Housing Project in Bronx till age 12. Spent next 2 years in Spain and then 15 more based in England.
Left school at 16 (Hi diddle-dee-dee an artist's life for me)...to squat in London, busk for money and travel. Hitch-hiked from London to Calabar, Nigeria with a tent made out of an old RAF green silk parachute. My friend Janey Lightfoot sewed it for me; crossed the Sahara with it and my guitar. When I got down to Nigeria I found a Mangabey monkey for sale. She had been captured and somewhat mistreated. I named her Africa. Ran out of money and found a job teaching English, French and phys. ed. in a private elementary school made up mostly of children from wealthy Nigerian oil company families. The school was run by a wonderful woman, Rosemary Uwemedimo. She was English, married to a Nigerian judge who had for a time been attorney general. They took me in when I got sick, fed me and gave me a job.
Came back to England and discovered I wanted to be a musician. My first pro gig was as lead guitarist (I kid you not) for a kinky, quasi-feminist all female cabaret act called "The Sadista Sisters." We toured. They fired me. Twice. Next worked as singer in clubs on US military bases all over Europe, mostly Germany, Italy, Greece.

Certified Iyengar Yoga teacher. Former founder/director of Iyengar Yoga School of Northern New Jersey. Traveled to India 7 times to study yoga with B.K.S. Iyengar. Closed the school last year to return to first love: music. Now I have no money but lots of time. Which I prefer.
I have traveled in England, Wales, Scotland, France, Belgium, Germany, Austria, Holland, Luxembourg, Italy, Spain, Greece, Yugoslavia, India, Morocco, Algeria, Niger, Nigeria, The Cameroons, USA, Canada and Mexico. Married an electrical engineer from Colombia, now single mom. Two boys, Ross (18) and Finnian (15); both great kids. Ross is autistic. He has Asperger's syndrome. He is a Great Artist. Finnian is Mr. Popular, hard to keep track of. They are both handsome devils. They both help me around the house. By now I think I am beginning to get the hang of it (motherhood I mean).
I isolate too much; I love to curl up with a good book; I seem to need a lot of alone time. But I should socialize more. I have to trick myself sometimes into going out: I call somebody and arrange to meet them there so I can't get out of it. I would like to throw lots of parties like I did when I was married. But all the available room in my house is taken up by my recording stuff.
I like to mess around making raw song videos with my Imac. It has a tiny camera and sound recorder in it. I have to do them in one take because I don't know how to edit them yet. Does this website ever cut you off? Are you still reading this??
Ta ta.
Red

Hello Friends,

Red Peralta here (I know, my name sounds like a South American parrot); I also answer to Rebel Red (I am a rebel because I distrust all authority, including, but not limited to, Church, State, School, Doctors, and Judges of Song Contests). 

As Marji noted in the previous (and first) installment of our chronicle, I am recording her next CD  - and what a blast that is! Because Marji is one hot mama of a singer. Sweet as a mountain stream, her voice takes the shape of whatever you put it in, just like water. Ultra feminine, mystical. But, let me tell you, this gal has BALLS OF STEEL!!! The woman is living proof that wisdom, purity of heart, refinement, gentle good manners and kindness are perfectly compatible with knowing what you want, believing you deserve it and going all out to get it.  Ain't that the way it's supposed to be?

Speaking of balls, I just wrote another song (yep, it has big, hairy ones). So? What else is new ? Writing a song, for me, is like doing a bowel movement:   cleansing, pleasurable. Must be done regularly! If not I get stuck. Emotionally stuck. And if I stay stuck for long, I get sick. So, friends, that is why I almost never get sick! (Ask anybody who knows me. I had a bad case of the flu six years ago. Not a sniffle since. Ten years before that I had a fever for three days.) Nature calls, I go.

Admittedly the diet has to be good. But, more important than food is quality of thought. Because a bad thought, especially one about yourself, puts more poison in your body than bad food.

Now, here is the rub--the songwriter's dilemma:  If I remove all bad thoughts about people, situations and things, what am I supposed to write about? Flowers and sunshine and good things? Are you puking yet? Actually, I do write about flowers and sunshine and good things. But all the time??? Please.

Anyhow, Marji and I are trucking along. We go to open mics to find new clubs. If we enjoy the experience we call the club a "keeper."  So, we go hunting for keepers. If it is a high-profile club we hope to audition for an opening act slot or even a feature slot on the club's calendar. Otherwise, we hope and intend to make new fans, meet other musicians, and make new friends.

O.K.  So we get in the car. We drive. Maybe an hour, an hour and a half down to Jersey or up the NY State Thruway. We get there early, around six or seven o'clock. We find the club and sign in at the door. We pay money, anywhere from $3 to $7 each, to go in. We sit down and wait, often at least two hours before it is time to play. Marji sings her stuff, I sing mine. Everyone gets to play two songs, sometimes three. We stick around a bit longer to hear more folks play, and then we get back into the car, and drive home. That's it. This is the beginning of our marathon.

So far we have done the Towne Crier (Pauling, NY), The Minstrel (Morristown, NJ), and Beantowne Gourmet (Allendale, NJ), and we will be hitting Albany, Pennsylvania and Connecticut soon. Should you see us coming to your town, please come and greet us!

Yours Truly,

Her Redness,
Rebel Red