http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yw8CzWfiqPM

Yes, you heard me right! I'm so happy to announce that Between Liberties has produced an album! We are selling them at a discount at our CD release party at Club Cafe on February 20th. Tickets are also discounted if you buy them in advance. The show features some of our favorite local acts, including Zack Simmen, Boca Chica, Machete and Chai Baba! This will be a great party, and we are so glad this album is ready to be downloaded to your computers, burned for your friends, and listened to on your ipods.

Visit us at betweenliberties.com or onmyspace.com/betweenliberties for more information or a sneek preview of the album!

Thanks for helping to make this happen.
peace,
emay

A fun and exciting new addition to Pittsburgh's music community, Kırık Hava performs traditional Turkish folk music. The group includes the all-star cast of Nicholas Ragheb, Phillip Coatsworth, Luke Williams, Benjamin Mericli, and... myself! I'm honored to be a part of this group, and excited to share it with you...

Our second performance (we debut at Howlers alongside Kagero and local favorites Ishtar) is at the 3rd Street Galleries as the fantastic bellydancing group Sadiqa hosts a night of Mythology through bellydance. We will have a full set at this show, which will be this upcoming friday, February 7.

Also, on February 13th, we will play alongside the talented trio of Jeff Berman, Mat Rosenblum and Nicholas Ragheb at Your Inner Vagabond in Lawrenceville.

Be our friend on myspace.com/kirikhava, and email me at emaymusic@gmail.com to join on our bi-monthly email list.

Thanks for sticking around, I  promise I'll do more posting here!!
xo
emay

    soon YOU ~ yes YOU ~ can own a copy of Between Liberties' first album. We've been painstakingly putting it together since March, but are finishing up the few remaining tracks and look forward to a release in the late fall, possibly winter.

I've also been touring around with the idea of recording a solo album. I'm sure that Wytold and Jason of BL will be an integral part of this project, but there are a few songs that I'm just as sure will never become official BL songs. Hence, we meet in the middle! I also plan on including some of my other favorite local musicians to assist. Who knows who, who knows when, but I figured I'd let'chall find out first.

thanks to those of you who came out to Club Cafe last friday. yinz rock.

peace,
emay

This is an awesome, free, spam-free service that lets me know that you like our music! SO if you do, demand us in your city!
xo
emay

That's it! Sunday, Jan 13 @ 11am-2pm, during their delicious vege-friendly brunchtime.

Zenith is at 26 & Sarah in South Side of Pittsburgh PA

UPDATE to this email which went out yesterday.... Colorful Speech won the finalist spot in Jamie's Acoustic Classics Challenge. Come see us perform in the Finals, Friday November 9th at Jamies in Dormont
----


Howdy Friends,

I got a phonecall from my dear Aunt who is on this list. She said "You know, Erika, it's great that you're doing all this stuff.... But what are *you* actually doing? I want to see you perform!" While a few weeks ago I wouldn't have been able to respond to that, I am no happy to inform you that I have a band!

Yes, my good friends Jason & Wytold of Colorful Speech have corralled me into a project. This is very exciting for all of us, and I hope you'll get a chance to check us out. We'll be performing tonight at Jamie's in Dormont, and the next two fridays (10/26 & 11/2) at Metamorphose Gallery on Penn Avenue... I have a few other projects brewing, so keep listening...

Also, if you can't make it out but want to hear what I've been doing lately, you can visit my website, which is now the proud home of at least a small handful of recordings. Video is my next endeavor: wish me luck...

I will be dancing in Khafif's Halloween Hafla. In costume. More info below.

...

Ahem, OK on to upcoming things I'm promoting...

First of all, Saturday is Andrew of Your Inner Vagabond's birthday. Post him a birthday wish on YIV's blog or on the Calender. He is a beautiful person who I hope you all meet if you have not already.

Thursday, 10/25 - Planning Potluck for Common Ground charity event. 7pm

Friday, 10/26 - Iron City Underground Music is having the third-annual Halloween party with music by Acidface, Shipwreck I Promised, Hollowpoint, and Crown the Lost. This is the heaviest stuff coming out of Pittsburgh right now, so if you like it hard and in your face, this is where it's at for ya. $7 at the door, Peters Pub on Oakland Ave in the heart of Pitt campus.

Saturday, 10/27, Khafif will present a Halloween Hafla at Your Inner Vagabond (see directions below). Hafla is a middle-eastern term for PARTY. And Halloween is this cool holiday where you can dress up and get lots of sugar. Bellydancers include, but are not limited to, Khafif, Zafira, Purple Matilda, Gypsy Soul and your own Emay. This is our first public party, so don't dare miss it! Tickets are $10 at the door, kids under 12 free with adult; admission includes free food and drink courtesy of YIV. Family friendly spooktacular brew-haha! Please come in costume (or a piece of toast glued to your shirt).

...

YOUR INNER VAGABOND NEWS:
YIV's Main Page now has an updated Calender of Events! You can add this calender to your own if you are already a part of Google Calenders.
YIV's Butler Street neighborhood was given rave reviews by the New York Times!
Thank those of you who are supporting us through our delays. We are not yet open for regular business and have pushed back our Grand Opening. However, we promise to one hopefully-soon day to have all the permits, paperwork and passes to offer you even more bathrooms! Which will then lead us to normal business hours and a comfortable place for you and yours. (want to know more about this: visit AJ's blog entry)


OPPORTUNITIES to be a part of the fantastic things happening in the 'burgh:
*PLEASE NOTE* this will be the LAST artist-opp email being sent to my mailing list. If you are interested in continuing to receive these listings, and you didn't get my email earlier today, please tell me that you'd still like them!

CALLING MERCHANTS AND VENDORS: On November 23rd - everyone's favorite shopping day - we are putting together a Black Friday Market. The event will feature vendors (perhaps yourself?) to sell their wares, as well as a drum workshop and evening performances with Raquy and the Cavemen and Ishtar. If you are interested in reserving a table at our special early-bird price, please email me.

CALLING FEMALE ARTISTS: We're looking for female performers and artists to contribute their talents to a benefit for Common Ground's Women Shelter in New Orleans on December 15th. This is an exciting opportunity for you to reach a broad local audience and share the stage with national acts and other amazingly talented women from Pittsburgh, all while supporting and giving back to the larger community of impoverished women and Americans devastated by natural disasters.
On Thursday October 25th we have scheduled a Planning Potluck at YIV to coordinate the event. Women and men are welcome to attend. Please bring your thoughts on broadening awareness, as well as something small and tasty to share. Please Email me to RSVP. Directions below.

CALLING HEALING AND SACRED ARTISTS: For the Solstice on December 22nd, we will be celebrating the holidays, the change of the year, and our soft opening with a special event. LANDMASS will be a blessing to all in attendance, as well as a sanctifying of our own sacred home at YIV. If you are interested in sharing your healing, sacred, or otherwise solstice-related arts, please respond accordingly.

MUSIC NEEDED for private party at YIV 11/2. Please send email with sample music or link to website if available.

DRUMMER NEEDED to play for one of two new projects. Hand, kit or electronic drummers welcome to try out. EMail for more details.

...


With that, my dear friends, please have an enjoyable and borderline-dangerous-but-ultimately-safe spook-season.
Love,
Emay


DIRECTIONS TO YOUR INNER VAGABOND: 4130 BUTLER STREET LAWRENCEVILLE 15201
Route 28 - take the 40th St Bridge to Butler Street, turn Left and park where you can.
Bigelow Boulevard - take the Bloomfield exit, stay straight off the bridge to get on to Main Street. Go all the way down to when it T's at Butler, take the right and park.
East End and Oakland- take Liberty Avenue to Main Street (near the Bloomfield Bridge), follow Main until it T's on Butler, park promptly.



--
emay
[musician, dancer, teacher, event coordination]
www.ErikaMay.net
www.myspace.com/EmayMusic
www.YourInnerVagabond.com

So I have left my day job, reassigned my paradigm, and have started jamming with a few projects. I'll be singing with Colorful Speech, a duo that just happen to be two of my favorite guys ever. They write great songs and play beautifully upon their instruments, and have asked me to sing with them on their songs, play with me on my songs, and work towards the future of music as we know it.

We are prepared to shake you in yer booties. Almost...

If you'd like a sneek peek at the earliest incarnation of this project, we will be opening at the Obey house on Wednesday around 9pm, and performing at an Acoustic challenge a week from friday somewhere else... in Dormont. Jacks? Hmm, something important I should probably know...

There is a possibility that I will be sitting in with another established band and singing on a friend's album, but more on this as things solidify. I will admit fully that music (and dance... more on that soon too) is my spine, and I'm never quite upright unless it's flowing in and out of me. This has been a good week for my posture ;0)

Agnes Wired for Sound will be playing tomarrow at the gay bar, 9pm sharp. Don't miss a SUPER band at a FABulous spot!

With love and much anticipation.
emay

Stayin true to the Pittsburgh Roots, may I present to you a man well on his way to becoming a world-class master percussionist:



Your Inner Vagabond presents: A Special Engagement
with Nicholas Ragheb, Master Percussionist
Pittsburgh Native back from Istabul, Turkey


Nick arrived in Istanbul with little but a desire to pursue an education in Turkish Percussion. He met Hakan and Volkan Kaya in a smoky bar performing a fusion of Turkish folk and bluesy rock music in the Taksim area. Not long after, he moved in with them and began the construction of a recording studio in the Tunel District.

1pm - Presentation, $5 or free with workshop!

Nick's presentation will include photographs and sounds samples from the city, as well as media from a journey to Central Anatolia to transport specially made ceramic darbukas to Istanbul from Cappadocia.

2:30pm - Workshop, $25 at the door, $20 advance

This first workshop is an introduction to folk and classical Turkish music, and the place of the darbuka within this music. An overview of some of the most common forms within folk and Ottoman Classical music will be followed by a lesson in proper technique. Primary strokes will be introduced, with exercises for developing strength and accuracy with those strokes. To end, we will go over fundamental rhythms.

4pm - Advanced Workshop, $25 at the door, $20 advance

This workshop delves further into the basic rhythms of modern Turkish percussion. The relationship between Arabic, Turkish, and Turkish-Arabesque will be discussed, and the method for embellishing these basic rhythms will be explained. Experience with placing the dom, tek and Tokat (slap) strokes within context of darbuka will be beneficial.

Buy both workshops for $40 advance, $45 at the door
Food and drink provided by Your Inner Vagabond

www.YourInnerVagabond.com
www.ErikaMay.net

Hey y'all

A heads up for those of you from Pittsburgh or not so much.... In November we'll be opening up Your Inner Vagabond on Butler Street. YIV is a coffeehouse and world lounge. We'll have live music or other very fun stuff to do *every day*.

 Nick Ragheb, fresh off the boat back from Turkey, will teach two Darbouka workshops October 7th, so if you want a sneek peek at the place, come for this! He'll include a short lecture on different music he's found in Istanbul, as well as photo and maybe even video of life there.

 Khafif Music and Dance will present a Haunted Hafla on the last saturday in October.

 Grand Opening Weekend is the first weekend in November. If you want to come into town to support Your Inner Vagabond, this would be the time to come down!

 You can now search Google Calenders to find a schedule of events. Look for Your Inner Vagabond online at www.YourInnerVagabond.com, and coming to your friends list on myspace soon.

 Much love,

Emay