The Geebah Issue #16

hello all,

we are making our way through chanukah and getting ready for christmas in our house. i am about to make a mountain of potato latkes to enjoy for the last couple of days of chanukah. i love making latkes. i enjoy cooking in general and am an able home cook. a couple of weeks ago, i rocked a pumpkin pancetta lasagna that was dyno.

latkes are relatively simple, just potato, onion, flour & egg. i love making them because they were one of the few things my father cooked. i actually got grease burns on my face standing too close to my father at the stove. this happened not just once but, on two different years. i know, we should have learned. funny, how a grease burn on the face can become a fond memory.

any how, the key is to use as much onion as potato and very little flour and eggs. when i was in new york, we had a family gathering, an early chanukah celebration. i made the latkes. my father's sister was there. she was very circumspect that i knew what i was doing. i got decent marks. "enough onion but you made them too big, not crunchy enough! too doughy. " my wife agreed. they were right, i did make them too big. it was kind of alright though, my aunt got to correct me, which she loves. we got to talk about how her mother, an excellent cook, a true yidishe bubbe, always said,"you can never have too many onions." all in all good solid family happenings.

as far as the festival of lights goes, i've heard it said that a little light can push away a lot of darkness. i like that. let your light shine.

pottery shard

From the song "Sister Love"
Lyrics Billy Cohen & Avram Lavinsky. Music Avram Lavinsky & Billy Cohen

When the day is long
And I need to feel reborn
I go running
Running to my sister

When the day is cruel
And I don't know what to do
I go running
Running to my sister

It is warm it is wild
Beneath the canopy of her hair

I call her sister love
She is sunshine to me
I call her sister love
Sister love
I call her sister love
She is sunshine to me
Wo-oh, sweet sister

Gigs & News

Willie Bonham

The Rat with J. The Savage.
http://www.myspace.com/jthesavage1

Dec 18 2009
8:00P
Clever Wine Bar
New Orleans,, Louisiana

Dec 24 2009
8:00P
DBA
New Orleans, Louisiana

Jan 2 2010
8:00P
Three Ring Circus
New Orleans, Louisiana

Jan 9 2010
4:00P
Louisiana Music Factory in Store appearance.
New Orleans,, Louisiana

Rat Report

Missed last week's deadline because Lauren had a last-minute Holiday Bazaar at the Kingpin to prepare for, whereat she sold her first work in NOLA. Hooray! A funny story, actually. We met the father of one of the Kingpin's proprietors several years ago at our friend Rupert's wedding on the Eastern Shore, but never made it by the bar during Jazzfest. Steve dad is NHL legend Brian Watson who still holds the record for most penalty minutes. So I am in St. Michaels, MD last week for a fundraiser gig when Rupert finally gets the name and location of the bar and I put it on the top of the to-do list when I return. Lo and behold fellow Swampdaddy Eloise Davis has invited us to none other than the Kingpin for the annual arts and craft sale. Steve also bought a drawing from Lauren. Thursday before my trip I attended the NO songfest open mic hosted by the Bluebird Cafe from Nashville and while waiting for my number I heard an old friend's name called.

I knew that Dave Hickey had been in New Orleans for some time and our paths finally crossed. Dave played a great original called "If You Lied as Good as You Loved" and it was nice to hear him sing after so many years. Our first Thanksgiving here was highlighted by a visit from my song-writing cousin, Ben Margulies and his latest discovery Sarabee Sara Buriss, a very talented singer, writer and piano player. Sara is from nearby Kiln, MS (hometown of Brett Favre) and knows all the cats in NOLA and is really good friends with Dave Easely, the phenomenal steel guitar and Dobro player from the J. the Savage record. We tracked down Dave and later when we went to hear Papa Grows Funk at the Maple Leaf, who is subbing for guitarist June Yamagishi but her old friend Brian Stolz, with whom she has recorded on his and her own CD's. We also spent an evening in the French Quarter, listening to some music on Bourbon St. and eating oysters. Ben and Sara have been writing together and I look forward to hearing their collaborative efforts. J. the Savge band will be appearing Sat. at Peaches Records @ 2PM.

Tommy Kaelin

December 18th 
"The West Side All-Stars" at The Underground Lounge
(on the west corner  of West End Ave. and 107th St., Manhattan)
with a 9:30 pm hit time.
Last chance to hear us until the new year.

Also: you can put a link in to The West Side All-Stars on myspace.
http://www.myspace.com/westsideallstarsnyc
There are some rough cuts from the studio up on there.  Craig Dryer joins us on Hammond Organ and Sax (If there is both piano and organ it is craig on Hammond).  All the stuff is done live in the studio, vocals, solos, etc.  Just like a show.

There is also a video of The West Side All-Stars from the Underground Lounge up our facebook page.
http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=191908974727&ref=mf

If you are on the Island and starved for arts, check http://www.glenwood-arts.org/ . Tom is on the board and they have great programs.

Sean O'Brien

Getting ready for first Christmas with Mae!

Matt Zekala

Matt with his band T. Ray & the Shades.
http://www.trayandtheshades.com

Also, check out Matt's music & art at:
http://www.mattzekala.com/ 

Luke McCormick

http://www.dreamspeak.com/

Luke is still teaching me many things.

Gordon Clay
http://www.nappyg.com/

Please join us for the Strap or Die annual fundraiser to benefit NYC youth living with AIDS

December 17th, 2009 at 7:30pm
Plum Pomidor
4009 Broadway ( 168 st)
This years donations will also help Tony , a 21 year old city youth, publish his story about life with AIDS

FRI. DEC.18@ DROM(nyc) :
WONDERWHEEL Recordings NYC Holiday party

Featuring The Spy from Cairo "Secretly Famous" LIVE on Oud 
The Pimps of Joytime LIVE
DJ Nickodemus + Nappy G on percussion

11PM - 4AM... $10 at the door. CD's will be available at the door! 
DROM-85 Avenue A between 5th & 6th st (East Village, NYC) 

The Spy from Cairo "Secretly Famous" (WONDERWHEEL Recordings) 
Takes the listeners throughout the Middle East & Arabia with live Oud, Saz & Chifteli over Electro-Dubby Dancefloor grooves.

Nickodemus "SUN PEOPLE REMIXED" (WONDERWHEEL/ ESL Music)  
Features remixes of the original Sun People album by Red Astaire, Tal M Klein, The Pimps of Joytime, Kush Arora, The Spy from Cairo & more...
FRI.DEC.25: Merry James-mas!
JAMES BROWN TRIBUTE @NuBlu (NYC)
w/NappyG,Nickodemus & Monk-1

FRIDAY JAN. 1,2010
(Happy New Year! New decade!)
dj Nappy G 10 p.m.@ CIELO (18 Little W. 12th,btw 9th Ave/Washington)w/ SABO & WISEACRE 

Every Saturday- DJ NAPPY G & SKROBADELIC@ the Sunburnt Cow-137 Ave.C,between 8th-9th St.,in the East Village (NYC).

Doug Haxall

Doug with his band Morning Glory.
http://www.myspace.com/morninggloryjams
& http://www.gloryheads.com/

Have a bowl with Morning Glory!!
Morning Glory presents
Lebowski Jam at
All-Star Lanes in Eagle Rock, CA
Sunday, December 20th

"bowl on a lane that a young, stoned Barack Obama may once have bowled, enjoy the cigarette burns in the carpet that he probably put there, have a White Russian with us, and enjoy the tunes! And, yeah, we'll play some Creedence.

Cheers,

Doug"

Billy Cohen

I need to practice hmy Uke. However, I am happy that I have been getting scenes written in my movie script. All the characters are my friends. Yes, tragic things happen to Normy. Normy, even if grievous things happen to you in the script, I love you. If it is any consolation, when bad things happen to the character you in the script, I get sad. Then I feel better when I realize It's just in the script. I have been writing this for a long time. The end is in sight. Which is good because I want to complete it and I want to start a novel. Must finish things!

Also, I am planning on planning some Seussicles gigs in 2010! The Seussicles is my jazz project. Get hep people!

Avram Lavinsky

Still busy writing.

Love, love, loving you,

b  

--

Billy Cohen
Labyrynth
ph: 415-753-0910
cel:415-793-1376
mailto:billy@labyrynth.com
http://www.labyrynth.com
Daniel Cohen, 6 year Old Stand up Comedian:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HsPZ6G13R6c