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Current mood:  adventurous Category: Music
NYSC NYC Showcase - June 1, 2009 - The Bitter End
Performers: Avi Wisnia, Stacie Rose, Cheryl B. Engelhardt, JD Malone, Greg Fine and Teddy Goldstein
I love songs. No kidding, right? Most of us do. We sing them in the shower like we’re in some musical…we mumble them on our way to work like we’re talking to some invisible friend. When I’m mad, suddenly all the angry-chick songs I’ve ever heard literally play like a soundtrack in my ears. When I’m sad, I hear breakup songs. Almost any experience has its corresponding music and lyrics. I’m sure there are a few robots out there who think I’m crazy… and who don’t talk or sing to themselves. But if you’re reading this blog, 1) you’re probably flesh and blood…and 2) the voices in your head probably carry a tune too.
June’s first showcase was, as usual, glowing with talent and inspiration. Avi, Stacie, Cheryl, JD, Greg and Teddy were fantastic…original…diverse. I usually think about these events for a few days before writing about them…letting myself really figure out what set that particular showcase apart for me. This week, all I kept thinking was how cool it is that artistic people can take absolutely anything and make a great song out of it. A great song that immediately connects artist to audience. We saw a lot of that last week.
I think it was Teddy Goldstein’s hysterical song about the horrors of living in NYC that really got me thinking about this. It’s amazing how even the most light-hearted and simple subjects can unite an entire room of people in about 30 seconds. You should listen to the audio on our homepage…
“Top honors have to go to [that] moment,” says fellow performer Avi Wisnia. “As Teddy was singing about what a hell-hole New York City can be, a fuzzy little cockroach started traveling up the stand and on to the microphone standing right in front of me at the piano. I don't think - no, I’m pretty sure I know - I have never had this happen before, and it couldn't have happened at a more appropriate time. Cheers to New York City.”
Whether coming from a place of profound pain, defiance, irritation, or just a pure happiness, songs connect us. They remind us. They speak to us long after the music stops. The power is in the personal connection - in the truths we forget about until we hear them put to music by someone else who’s been there.
Monday night told many stories. There were songs about loving your family, having hope in the midst of depression, losing a loved one, the power of empathy, dreaming without selling out, refusing to be a doormat, the inherent desire for originality….and, of course, living in a city that “smells like piss mixed with rain”. I think I’ll remember that line - and that night - for a long time.
Yup. Songs are really, really cool. Simple truth.
“‘I love this’ - I just kept repeating that in my head as I sat on stage. There is nothing better than making good music with good people.”
- Avi Wisnia (NYSC performer)
11:23 AM
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