B.J. 's MySpace Blog | B-Line Entertainment Blog - written by - B.J. Barratt, New York City's "Famous Tastemaker"

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Monday, November 02, 2009

This is It

Welcome to November. Please check out the Artist of the Month, my dear friend and 2006 showcase artist, CHRISTOPHER DALLMAN.

I just got back from taking a bunch of teenagers to see Jackson’s THIS IS IT. It was so good, I was not the only one who left with moist eyes. This was not just a concert they were preparing for – in true Jackson style, this was going to be an EPIC multi-media inhanced performance the likes of which had never been seen before.

Some of the most spectacular footage was a series of clips as we witness behind the scenes magic of making Jackson appear to co-star with Humphrey Bogart, James Cagney and Rita Hayworth in the 1946 B&W gangster classic ‘Gilda’ which would serve as a segue into ‘Smooth Criminal’.

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More movie magic surrounded ‘Thriller’ as well as a moving message in his ‘Earth Song’.

I know that the tragedy and timing of his death will make him even more legendary, but to see him in action throughout the preparation for these shows, one can’t help but wonder if this could have been a whole new beginning for this limitless talent rather than a tragic end.

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Tuesday, October 20, 2009

Circles of Talent and Love

The NY songwriter's circle was, as always, absolutely fantastic. Always great music and usually quite a lot of laughs too. I was able to book Nathan and Becky of Barnaby Bright onto this phenominal pannel which included former Songwriter's contest winner, Ruut. We were also treated to a special guest appearance by award winning songwriter, Steven Dorff. His many songs have been sung by some very big names—Barbra Streisand, Celine Dion, Whitney Houston, Kenny Rogers, George Strait, Vanessa Williams and more.

*
* Soooo beautiful

Becky and Nathan blew ‘em away, and sold a record number of CDs afterward!

Last weekend the the Brooklyn/Lower East Side music community turned out in mass for THE EVENT OF THE SEASON, the marriage of singer/songwriter Bryan Dunn and beautiful Artist/Photographer Emily Rawlings. The event was a perfect reflection of their grand imaginations, their eclectic style and the love and talent that surrounds them.

The Rockwood must have been empty… all the BEST musicians in town were at Public Assembly in Brooklyn to celebrate with Mr. and Mrs. Dunn:

Dancing, singing, laughing…cupcakes…. What an amazing night

Congratulations
Bryan and Emily ♥

12:50 AM

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Thursday, October 01, 2009

October

I find autumn gives me a lot of mixed feelings. There is something invigorating about the cooler temperatures, but less productive with the shortening of the day. There is beauty in the multitude of colors, but something depressing about the life being drained from of all the summer's beautiful foliage. But worst of all, for me, is the feel of impending winter. I am NOT a winter person. My only solace is that David and I are making plans for a very special trip in January that will not only give me a momentary oasis of tropical sun, but throws in a fun hang with a dear friend, and a very special show as well. Looks like I might just look forward to winter for once.

As always, a new month means you get to discover a new artist on my page here. This month I am featuring another local NY musician, Martin Rivas. Check him out.

*** Upcoming Shows ***

On Monday night the delightful duo Barnaby Bright returns to NY after a jam packed month long European tour to play The NY Songwriter's Circle at the Bitter End. If you have not yet experienced a Songwriter's circle, you are missing one of the best nights of music available. Now you don't even have to be in NY to be a part of it - Circles are now a regular occurrence in Philly, Boston, Chicago and now in L.A.! Find out more at:

http://www.songwriters-circle.com/about-us.htm

Another special show this month is Andy Mac's LONG awaited spohomore Cd release show at The Living Room on Ludlow in NYC - Friday October 16th at 8PM

In other news:

I am begining a new chapter in my life with a healthcare certification course this month. This is the first step in a direction which will allow me to work with people in need, from sick children to the elderly, in a way I couldn't without specialized training.

My eldest son, Andrew, has 2 courses this year in school, one is a Senior project which can either be an internship or some kind of long term project with a presentation at the end of the year. The other course asks the students to participate in some kind of civic activity to get a better understanding of their role in a global community.

Andrew has come up with an ingenious plan which will incorporate the two - his project will be to organize a massive district wide video game tournament with entry fees and prizes donated by Nintendo, Sony and more. The proceeds of the tournament will go to a non profit I have been supporting for about a year now, Life and Hope in Haiti which runs a school for children aged 6-14 in an impoverished remote town in Haiti - the poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere.

If any of you have any ideas, donations or connections which might be helpful with regard to this project, please contact me. Thanks!!

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Sunday, September 20, 2009

A few things catching my ear lately

I have found myself straying occasionally from the confines of unsigned musicians lately, and although there is more than enough undiscovered talent out there to keep anyone satiated with phenominal music for a lifetime, every now and then I get a lead and check it out to find something very special that is signed (to either an indie or major label), but that is not necessarily a widely known band or artist. Thought I'd share a few:

The first two were discovered through my buddy and showcase artist, Chris Dallman.

George Stanford
www.myspace.com/georgestanford
(Murcury Records)
George is actually producing some of Christopher Dallman's new album, which is very cool (more about that later). Stanford's first full length CD, Big Drop, features the single 'My Own Worst Enemy' which has had some radio play - but my favorite is the title track 'Big Drop'

William Fitzsimmons
http://www.myspace.com/williamfitzsimmons

(Downtown/Mercer St Records)
Beautiful music, with a weightless quality that envelops the listener like a soft comfy chair. Imagine something like Josh Radin’s big bearded brother.

Porcupine Tree

http://www.myspace.com/porcupinetree
(Roadrunner, Atlantic, Burning Shed)
This band feeds my need for ‘progressive rock’ the way we did it best in the late ‘70’s (think Pink Floyd, and early Genesis) there’s nothing wrong with 4 or 5 minutes of instrumental stuff in the middle of an epic song from a concept album….is there??

In other (but related) news-

Christopher Dallman is releaseing songs from his forthcoming album a little at a time. The most recent release is a song I first heard him do at Room 5 in LA several years ago. I loved it then, and I love it even more now that George Stanford has produced it with him. Check out ‘Subterranean’:

11:33 PM

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Sunday, September 13, 2009

A Quick run down and rant

Lot's to do so I'm gonna do a quick run down and a quick, but important rant.

** I've posted another great song from Artist of the Month, Brother Henry -
go have a listen

David Mead at Rockwood last week - AWESOME as ALWAYS -

check out his new release here:

http://www.amazon.com/Almost-Always-David-Mead/dp/B001F1XEJM

Congrats to 2006 Showcase artist, Michael Logen, who is currently on tour with Sister Hazel, and later this month will be opening for A&M recording artist, Jonny Lang, at Nashville’s famous Ryman Auditorium

ALSO another B-Line showcase artist in the news- an article about SAM & RUBY in Essence Magazine online (featuring a live performance photo by yours truly) – you can see the article at:
http://www.essence.com/news_entertainment/entertainment/articles/sam__ruby_make_color__blind_music_together/

Good news: My son passed his road test first time, perfect score! Here he is with our new jeep:

BAD NEWS: two of his best friends were driving home late Friday night in the rain and took a turn too fast totaling the car they were in. The kid in the passenger side walked away with minor injuries, but the driver is still in ICU with broken bones, a collapsed lung, damaged spleen, liver and currently in an induced coma until all head injuries can be evaluated.

RANT: I think a law needs to be passed that makes getting first time licenses MUCH more difficult. These kids NEED professionally supervised instruction AND testing in night driving, highway driving and hazardous conditions. NONE of these skills are tested and NONE of these kids are in ANY WAY prepared for real life driving. This kid is just one tragic example of that.

The 2 boys next to Andrew on the right were in the accident – the one in blue shirt is in critical condition

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Sunday, September 06, 2009

September? Already??

The cooler weather and the sad children can mean only one thing....
It's September.

Check out the B-Line Entertainment Artist of the Month, Brother Henry, a band of brothers from Nashville with an impressive list of 'hired gun' work and an equally impressive sound of their own.

Speaking of impressive sounds from Nashville.....
I am happy to tell you that
The BRILLIANT DAVID MEAD
will be returning to

The Rockwood Music Hall
THIS WEDNESDAY, Sept 9th at 8PM

SERIOUSLY, if you haven't experienced this accomplished and much respected musician's musician yet, I highly recommend checking him out.

A couple of days ago I went to see The Ramblers at Joe's pub. There has been a BIG change in personel since the last time I saw them with the loss of drummer/vocalist John Embree and bassist Caz Ishijima.

Call me crazy, but when you change half of the players....it's really not the same band, is it? I mean, McCartney still played "Yesterday" with Wings...but it don't make it The Beatles, you know what I mean? Maybe I'm just not good with change.

****UPDATE****

The first round of fellows working through THE MUSIC NATIONAL SERVICE have completed their training and are now working in the field:

Two fellows are now introducing new music programming in public elementary schools in New Orleans.

Another is a certified music therapist, bringing music education and engagement to children, veterans and seniors at UCSF and other hospitals in San Francisco

In Seattle, Oakland and Chicago there are fellows who are providing instrumental instruction, digital production and arts integration programs to neighborhood youth.

All of them are provided with living expenses, recognition of their individual talents and much sought after health insurance while they serve communities in need.

Please check out this video and see what the power of music can do-

To learn more about Music National Service go to http://www.musicnationalservice.org/

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Sunday, August 23, 2009

How I spent my Summer Vacation

My 5 day summer vacation was spent doing research on what both Money Magazine and Forbes magazine have named one of the best places to live in America.

Where you can find:
6 bedroom homes for $300,000 like this:

or if you prefer, a 4 bedroom home on an acre of land for the same price, like this

Where some of your leisure time can be spent at places like this:

How about a four year bachelor's degree from a gorgeous and respectable university with a multimillion dollar sports facility like this, for only $5,000 a year:

Where the roads, the communities, the schools are all brand new and the economy is booming.

community pool

brand new high school..

a place where jobs are easy to come by and they can't build the houses fast enough to keep up with the demand.....

This is RALEIGH, NC

and I gotta tell you, in many ways, it beats the knickers of Long Island.

Stay tuned.......

10:46 PM

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Friday, August 14, 2009

The Big BBQ / Music Fest at Barratt House

Q: What do you get when you mix
Seseme Beef Kebobs, Orange Pinapple Chicken Kebobs, Honey Dijon Salmon, a grill, 2 blenders making non-stop Margaritas, 30 friends, a warm pool and AWESOME live music?

A: Goooood Times.

4:43 AM

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Wednesday, August 05, 2009

Big talent & big hearts in the big city

First, let me tell you a little about Ryan Vaughn.
Ryan came on to the Lower East Side music scene about 3 years ago, a waif of a boy with a big box in hand hailing from Arizona. Although the Cajon (a kind of box drum played by slapping the front face) has been quiet commonly used in bands on the west coast for years, it was practically unheard of here in NYC. There are many advantages to a good Cajon player, the most obvious of which is: all the beat of a drum kit, with none of the mounds of equipment to lug around and set up.

Ryan became an instant hit, not just because he was a KICK ASS cajon player and all round percussionist, but because he was the nicest, most easy going and hard working kid you could ever find in New York. Case in point; night after night he would drive up from southern NJ where he was living (up to 3 hours) to play all night, often 2 or 3 shows all over the city because he didn't want to let anyone down. No matter how exhausted, no matter how far, no matter who or where or when - if Ryan Vaughn was your percussionist he would be there, and put on an amazing show every time.

Needless to say everybody thinks of Ryan as a brother we adore, so when he sent out a message on Sunday night that the family of his girlfriend Kasey had been in a tragic car accident, it sent a shockwave through our tight little music community. Kasey’s Mom, Dad, sister, brother-in-law and baby niece were traveling home from a vacation in Hilton Head when their suv was struck by a hit and run drunk driver in a stolen car. It flipped the suv several times, killing Kasey’s Dad and throwing her sister from the car causing critical injuries.

A call went out and in less than 24 hours a huge benefit concert had been arranged to raise money for Kasey’s family so they could pay for a motel at $50/night in the area while Kasey’s sister was in the hospital in Greenville, SC (they never made it home to Tennessee).

After hearing the extent of the injuries – it sounded to me like it was going to be a long recovery. I thought, these people need to be in a place that is much more comforting than a little motel room. They need a home base – an extended stay suite with a kitchen and living space. So I made a few phone calls, told their heart wrenching story and found them this beautiful place at The Hawthorn, only 7 minutes away from the Greenville Hospital, and got them to lower the price to less than the $50/night they were paying for an ordinary motel room.

Meanwhile the rest of Ryan’s music family were organizing an amazing spur of the moment benefit which brought local musicians out IN MASS in an overwhelming show of love and support which raised $2,500 cash at the show with ANOTHER $2,500 coming in thru pay pal at a benefit site set up by another friend!

Here is a small fraction of people in attendance:

…………

It was an unbelievable evening of music and friendship that makes this community so very special.

I love you all.

3:26 PM

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Wednesday, July 29, 2009

Summer specials

July is like Christmas at our house. So many birthdays; son James on the 5th - mine on the 21st and David's on the 28th. If my parents were still here Mom was the 10th and Dad was the 19th. I'm not mentioning any numbers, but mine was one of those big ones that can sometimes be difficult to swallow, made easier by a low key day at the spa and a really nice evening after the day doing one of my favorite things (jazz cruise) with one of my favorite guys - big kudos to my hubby for setting up a really lovely date... for me and my boyfriend :-)

Russ Freeman and Jeff Kashiwa of The Rippingtons - and 'the other man' in my life

In addition to that fun night - a couple of weeks ago my awesome mother-in-law came over (from England) for the weekend to go to a show at the Met - we are both fans of ballet and I am quite enamored of one young lad that is taking the world of dance by storm: Roberto Bolle from the Scala company in Milan Italy......
Ladies, I'm sure you will agree there is great talent here:

He's pretty good here too:

Last night I brought family and friends to see the Pilobolus Dance Company perform their latest work including one piece composed by my buddy, David Poe. This particular group of dancers do the most amazing silhouette magic. Poe's music inhanced a dream sequence's graceful flights with a flowing melody that reminded me of Harry Nilsson's "The Point".

Currently plans are underway for the B-Line BBQ and summer music fest for early August, which I am looking forward to more and more as plans firm up and my favorite peeps sign on. Keeping fingers crossed that everything goes smoothly and that we have a perfect summer afternoon/evening to enjoy. I am thrilled to have Nathan and Becky from Barnaby Bright join us this year. I have been assisting them in booking a European tour which includes 5 dates in Ireland, 3 in England and 3 in Holland - see below for details.

Aug 20 - The Blackbird, Cork Ireland
Aug 21 McCarthy's, Kerry Ireland
Aug 23Whelan's, Dublin Ireland
Aug 24 Muddy Maher's, Cork Ireland
Aug 25 White Horse Sessions, Lahinch Clare Ireland
Aug 26 The Bedford, London England
Aug 27 The Constitution, London England
Aug 29 The Guitar Bar, Nottingham England
Sept 3 Cafe Harmonie Edam, Noord Holland,NL
Sept 8 The Jet Lounge Amsterdam, Noord Holland, NL
Sept 10th Patronaat Haarlem, Noord Holland

2:20 AM

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Wednesday, July 15, 2009

Logen and Poe

HAPPY HOUR AT ROCKWOOD TONIGHT 6PM-

will feature one of my brilliant 2006 showcase artists,
MICHAEL LOGEN
fresh off a little tour which included an opening for
Johnny Lang at The House of Blues.....and for
John Legand
at Atlanta's Chastain Park Amphitheater

My dear friend, David Poe will begin his first week as one of only 6 fellows chosen to participate in the Sundance Film Institute's Composer's Lab. This is a unique 3 week intensive program of collaborations with fellow musicians and film makers which will catapult Poe's aready booming career in scoring both films and ballet. Poe's most recent work pairs him with the spectacular Pilobolous dance company this month at The Joyce Theater.

**

2:04 PM

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Wednesday, July 08, 2009

Music National Service, Circle Contest Kickoff and Michael

***** JUNE *****
At the end of June, I had a dinner meeting with Kiff Galllagher, a dear friend, a 2007 B-Line showcase artist and the CEO/Founder of The Music National Service

I have written about this before, but I have a few more details and updates to pass along. In addition to the $250,000 grant awarded to Kiff's project earlier this year by the Hewlett Foundation - The Music National Service was just awarded with a multi-year AmeriCorps Vista grant to support programs through MusicCorps and Music Mentors in San Francisco, New Orleans, Chicago and Seattle.

If you are in of these areas and are interested in a paid year of community service which includes INSURANCE, you can apply for a fellowship here: http://www.musicnationalservice.org/

There are very stringent qualifications at the moment because they are looking for excellent results with this program in order to get more government funding. Music abilities and life experience are a couple of the things they are looking at, but don't be discouraged - hey, you never know. Based on the results from these pilot '09-'10 programs - there will hopefully be an expansion of the program on a nation wide level.

I have been asked to produce a fund and awareness raising show in NYC which would likely be a pretty big A-list event. We are looking into venues (The Apollo was offered) artist/celebrity avalibility and schedueling. Meanwhile, I will keep you updated on progress.

If you're interested in learning more check out this article/ NPR Podcast:

The Musical Peace Corps: Kiff Gallagher's Music National Service Initiative

*************** Song Writer's Circle *************************

Last week the New York Song Writer's Circle kicked off it's 2009-2010 songwriter's contest with a star studded event featuring John Oats, Phoebe Snow, Jessie Harris and more.

This year's contest winner will get: a WHOPPING $10,000

A top of the line Songwriter Deluxe Gibson Acoustic Guitar (over $4000 value)

An Invitation to perform with John Oates at "STORIES BEHIND THE SONGS" at the prestigious Wheeler Opera House in Aspen Colorado. (Past performers include Patty Griffin, Tift Merritt and Jimmy Wayne) *will be held between January - March 2010. Exact dates to be announced.

A 10 hour recording studio session package at MorningStar Studios, Philadelphia with GRAMMY Award winning Engineer/Producer Glenn Barratt. - (a $3000 value)

A feature on Q104.3FM's "Out Of The Box" with Jonathan Clarke.

AND MORE

Follow this link for details on submission: http://www.songwriters-circle.com/

******************* JULY ******************

Yes - This Month's Artist of the Month is Michael Jackson. Why? Because it should be. Each week will feature one of his songs being covered by another artist that I love - Yes, I loved Michael's music - but, more to the point - he had a huge influence on an entire generation of musicians that I also love.

Week One was David Mead's beautiful version of "Human Nature"

This week is the smooth jazz version of "I Can't Help It" by the late great Grover Washington, Jr.

2:06 PM

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Saturday, June 20, 2009

First Class Acts

Here's a little recap of last week's events - 2 shows that were first class acts. My dear friends and '06 showcase artisrts, Sam and Ruby, wooed a nearly sold out crowd at Joe's Pub with song after brilliant song from their upcoming release "The Here and the Now". I know I've said it before, but they have always been something very, very special. It's not just the sweet and soothing songwriting, it's not just the uniqueness of the guy/girl musical partnership, it's not just the inticing chemistry.....

The combination of all these things makes for a magical spark that ignites their music and their performances, shooting them ahead of just about any other indie artists out there. I have always expected big things from these two, perhaps with the launch of their debut CD on Ryko Records (Joe Jackson, Brian Eno, Gary Louris...) in August, they will become the national phenom I knew I had discovered many years ago.

On friday we went to see an old friend of David's who is a national phenom in a very different way. Rob Mathes, as I mentioned in the last blog, spends the larger part of his illustrious career doing conducting, musical direction and arranging for artists from Lou Reed, Sting, Bono and Sade to larger than life productions for Celine Dion, Pavarotti and the Boston Symphony Orchestra. In his "spare time" he is also an artist and composer of his own quite beautiful music. Last week's performance was housed at The Ruben Museum for Himalayan Art. The music, for which he was joined by a string quartet, was often accompinied by background images of the artwork which could be viewed in the museum. This took many of the pieces which were classic poems (by W.C. Williams, Yeats and others) set to music, to yet a whole other artistic, social and interactive level.

A couple of First Class Acts for sure.
Next week I am hoping to attend the very special kick off event for The New York Songwriter's Circle 09/10 songwriting contest which will feature performances by....
Phoebe Snow, Jesie Harris and John Oats! If you want to be there, mark your calendar for Thursday June 25th - 8PM at The Bitter End.

12:54 PM

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Thursday, June 04, 2009

Bright, Catapulting plans

In case you have not already noticed, it is June...and therefore there is a great new Artist of the Month up. God bless Danielle Gasparro and her brilliant taste in music - last month in her 'less talk/more music' version of 2nd Sunday, she featured some of her favorites which included Rebecca and Nathan Bliss who go by the collective band name of Barnaby Bright.

This particular show was a very acoustic and very brief 3 song introduction to several artists I was previously unaware of, but none more impressive than Barnaby Bright. This led to an immediate download of their debut Cd "Wake the Hero" which was also so impressive it led to a must-see full band performance at The Livingroom - quite simply...breathtaking. This led to talk of shows in Europe, which has led to me happily booking some shows for them in the UK. Yes, they are THAT good. Check out the Artist of the Month piece on my page.

The next ten days or so is going to be insainly busy. I'm shooting a big sweet 16 event on Friday. Saturday is a toss up between seeing a huge bunch of my favorite NY artists doing a Beatles tribute at Bar 4 in Brooklyn from 8-10pm OR seeing Bostonian, Tim Blane play the Rockwood at 9PM.

Wed June 10th at 9PM Joe's Pub presents one of the best acts I have ever showcased, the amazing
SAM & RUBY
They are on the cusp of FINALLY releasing their first full length CD which will be titled 'The Here and the Now' - I know I promote a lot of bands here, but honestly - if you see nothing else I suggest for the rest of the year that's fine - but do not miss the opportunity to see this mesmerizing duo from Nashville.

The very next night at Joe's is the official CD release show for Elizabeth and the Catapult - another one of the incredible acts I discovered through Danielle Gasparro (love u, girlfrieeend!) My guess is, that show may be pretty close to sold out - I'm a little late getting on the bandwagon here - their great talent has already been widely recognized and signed to Universal's Verve lable.

The debut album, 'Taller Children' (which is actually already out) is on my list of "CDs Worth Downloading in their Entirety" (see bottom left side of my main page here for a link). The album is full of clever, snappy, fun and completely addictive smart pop. I'm defining 'smart pop' here as music that could easily be radio friendly, and appeal to the masses without being cookie cutter or formulaic pop garbage. This is thoughtful and accomplished musicianship that just happens to be in a pop friendly format.

On Friday evening David and I will be going to the Ruben Museum to see Rob Mathes perform. Rob is one of those guys that is enormously gifted and has a list of credits that reads like a who's who of A list music business star power - but he flys completely under the radar. His forte is that of string arranger for mega stars like Celine Dion, which is how David knows him, but that is just the tip of the iceberg with Rob - whose most recent credits include being the music director/conductor for the Obama pre- inaugural concert at the Lincoln Memorial which included acts like Bono, Bruce Springsteen, Stevie Wonder....

Monday, David and I will be having a very interesting dinner meeting regarding a rather big show I have been asked to produce. I'm not going to say any more than that for now, because it is still in it's infancy and I would like a more fully developed plan before I reveal anything else. This much I will say - it involves our brilliant, community service minded new President, and a plan that will change the lives of many, many musicians in America.

Stay tuned........

2:03 PM

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