Words as Music

This is a post to honor my good friend, and sister, Sherry Pasquarello who is a poet, and fellow blogger; on the upcoming anniversary of her blog After The Bridge.
Sherry's work by her own account is ecclectic, and consists of a me'lange of things, but to me the way she looks at life is the same way that I see and hear music.
There are so many artists who paint vivid pictures to me of how they see life, and her words do the same, they paint vivid pictures showing many sides and slices of life.
When I read her words, many artists come to mind, but probably the most significant one is Elton John. Over the earlier years he and Bernie Taupin would collaborate and using Bernie's words, Elton would make some unforgettable music.
To my knowledge none of Sherry's words have been set to music, but on their own her words are as music. She has found that balance between our 2 worlds; rhythm and writing, harmony and texture, canvas and a paintbrush.
If you're reading my words here, please let me encourage you to visit this wonderful lady, and be moved as I am by her visions which double as words.Her words as music will excite you, and make you dance in the same way that I try to with the Carpenter Ants music, and my own music.
And as I'm fond of telling my wife, there is something in it for everyone, and although we don't always hit the mark, we keep trying. Sometimes we have to walk on many paths before we find the one that fits us, and I have found mine...happy anniversary Sherry, thank you for allowing us to share in your world. Thank you for being part of mine, and thank you most of all for your friendship.

Support Live music today tomorrow and always... and you'll find that some of the best music is poetic, and metaphoric.

Bit by Bit

This weekend sees my full return to the stage, while still recovering from my illness. It's been a slow process, but I'm feeling better bit by bit. I'm even trying to be patient with myself (now that's a first...).
On Friday, the Carpenter Ants had gigs galore. We participated in Blues Brews and BBQ as part of the 2nd annual FestiVall (another rousing success for the city of Charleston). We were seen at the University of Charleston and at Haddad Riverfront Park. I survived both things, and by most accounts I did pretty well.
Saturday, we did our annual party for the Charleston Area Shag Society. We made alot of new fans/ friends, sold a boat load of CD's and even got to end earlier...it was a daytime gig. That gig is always a whole lot of fun.
Bit by bit I'm still holding up, and we haven't even gotten to Sunday yet, and that promises to be the icing on the cake.This Sunday will be my return to my beloved Empty Glass for our post Mountain Stage Jam.
Thoughout my ordeal with this illness you all have been here for me, keeping my spirits up with all of your calls, e-mails and wonderful comments. I'm not a Rock star, but you all have made me feel like one. I can't thank you enough for all of the encouragement.
Friendships and fans grow little by little; bands and singers labor hard to build their fan base, it takes lots of trial and error, and it takes open mindedness on the part of everyone, but when the love happens between us, it just gets better... bit by bit.
I hope that our love will last a lifetime.

This post is dedicated to the following...
Vickie Tuitt
Amy Bowe
Larry Groce, and the FestiVall commitee
The Carpenter Ants, and Steve Ferguson
John and Karen Fitzgerald
Kevin and Dee Twohig

Support Live music today tomorrow and always...and save the last dance for me.

Old, New, Borrowed and the Blues...

Don't let the title fool ya...
I want to tell you about 2 new sites to help you support live music today tomorrow and always...mainly Carpenter Ants music.
Two of our fans who now work for us have created websites on My Space.com.
First up is Kathy Clark's page (www.myspace.com/carpenterants).
On Kathy's site, she is helping us with our booking needs and creating places for us to tap into to play.She has been very dilligent in helping us find new places to play.It has taken some of the burden off of us because Kathy is also a radio personality in Winston-Salem NC, and from that aspect alone, she has played our music on the air, and that has helped to build us a fan base in that area.Plus she makes tons of calls for us everywhere.
Her belief in us has begun to put us over the top...booking wise.
Next is Amy Bowe, who is one of our biggest fans, and who has worked tirelessly to help build us a fan base.
Amy's aspect of this is equally as important as Kathy's because building a fan base takes an unbelievable amount of time, and an unwaivering amount of loyalty to get to know us as people and be able to turn that into fans.
You can check out Amy's page at www.myspace.com/carpenterantsfan.
Amy and Kathy both are also singers, so they know how much work goes into putting together shows, and what they do for us clears the way for us to be able to walk in and concentrate on just doing our show.
So if you want to check out something old, visit Amy's spot (filled with some old pictures of us (...and soon some of our old newspaper clippings). For something new, check out Kathy's spot, it has all our new bookings, and new info about us.The borrowed part is where the band has given them things to work with to help us.And all of this is to tell you that if you don't catch the Carpenter Ants live, or on CD you'll miss out and that can cause the Blues.

To Amy and Kathy, thank you for your belief in us.

Support Live music today tomorrow and always.

The Lonely Suite.

It's always a little strange when you talk about past relationships, but I need to do this because it's just time to...
I've often wondered why it is that people in Hollywood, and in the music industry seem to have one day relationships.By that I mean they get married, have lavish weddings, huge receptions, papparazzi stalking them, the whole works, then tomorrow, the marriage goes south.Scandal ridden, anger, papparazzi stalking them to capture the anger and the hurt, and etc.
Then, I answered my own question, by following the same pattern myself.It's because of a little thing that I like to call the "big head," also known as ego.
Ego can do to you what Crack cocaine does to the drug addict, or serious alcoholism does for the drunk, it can make you think that you are bigger than life, and that you can do no wrong.
For people in the music industry, being in the public eye can fuel that ego, like gasoline in an automobile.For us, we aren't just on the screen, we're in concert, and up close and personal with our audience, so it gives being on display a whole new meaning.
I had a relationship with a woman that I really cherished, valued and wanted to keep, but my ego got in the way and lead me down a dangerous path.It told me that I can have her, and another woman at the same time. So instead of seeing that relationship through to the light, it ended abruptly leaving me to go through life alone for awhile, something that I really didn't want to do, but as I've said many times in these posts, I seem to always have to learn my lessons the hard way.
Now I see this woman, and I realize how completely stupid I was.
I'm happily married now, and so is she and despite my stupidity, I am happy for her because she got what she deserved, someone faithful.
I almost lost my Vickie for the same stupidity, and now that we've weathered that storm, I finally have grown up and realized what I didn't in the first relationship, I've learned to be happy, and work at my love... together.
I know that for some people, especially in the music biz, it's all about the momentary pleasure, the instant gratification, or putting it bluntly, the little head taking over the big head.
For those of you in this business who are just starting out, I want to tell you that it's a great business, but only when you take care of it correctly.
Don't let your egos tell you that you're invinsible, because if you're like me and really want to be in love, giving your ego control will earn you the Lonely Suite at the Heartbreak Hotel.

This post is dedicated to April. Thank you for standing your ground.


Cherish your love, and Support Live music today tomorrow and always.

Standing Off the Stage

Well I'm recovering nicely, so far so good. I'm making progress one day at a time, and slowly but surely regaining my strength
This is a weird state for me, I haven't been off a stage like this in a really long time. I think the last time that I had been away from a stage this long might have been in 1973 when I wasn't playing music with anyone, and I was in college.
I have to tell you that I miss the excitement of playing with the Carpenter Ants, but I'm glad that they are still plowing forward even without me. It has to be difficult for them as well, I'm sure, especially when Ted (Harrison, our bassist) calls me to see how I'm doing.I can hear in his voice that they miss me being there, but believe me not half as much as I miss them.
When you're standing off the stage like this and you want to be in the game it's hard to watch your teammates (or bandmates in this case...) sort of struggle along.
Alot of good I must admit though, will come of this respid; for one,while I'm off from work for these couple of months I have been in touch with my inner self, and have been doing alot of soul searching. One thing that jumped out at me is that I haven't found myself in prayer for a long time, and as a Muslim that is not good.
I hate to admit it but I've been away from the Mosque for far too long, and as a result I find myself in a strange circumstance.
I have firmly believed that as a direct result of my taqwa (oneness) with Allah, He blessed me to have many of my desires.I asked for a wife, he granted my wish, I asked for a group of like minded individuals to play music with, He granted my desire, I asked to find a Mosque, and a Muslim community, He filled my need.I've been given virtually all that I've asked for, but I haven't given Allah anything in return, and that is shameful.
Now when my health is in jeopardy, here I am begging for forgiveness, and to be spared my life, and not only did He do it, but reinvigorated my life as well, and the least I can do is to pray and thank Him for his blessing.
Well, I want to say publicly that I am grateful to Allah for His mercy, and I am truly grateful to Him for the gift of friendship that I have gotten from all of you.All of your prayers and kind words have gone to my pain and removed it, and now I'm well on my way to making my way back to the stage that I love dearly, to my bandmates whom I love dearly, and to you.
Many people have sacrificed of themselves on my behalf, and I hope Insha-Allah (if it be the will of Allah ), that I will continue to be a catalyst for mankind to come to their Lord, and to come together as loving human beings.
Alhamdu-llilah (all praise is due to Allah), Allahu akbar (God is great).
I realize now that sometimes standing off the stage gives you a better perspective of what's on it, it allows you to see more clearly the things you need to make your show that much better...please pray that I do.

Support Live music today tomorrow and always...but put God first.

Thank You for Everything

As you may or may not know, I was recently in the hospital. My Doctor decided that we needed to try to figure out what is wrong with me, and why I had lost among other things my energy, also to see if my kidney functioning is in fact going down, or if there are other factors that were contributing to my failing health.
Well, I was released on Friday night with a fairly clean bill of health. My kidney function isn’t as bad as we thought, but we also narrowed down my energy loss, thanks mainly in part to hunch that my wife Vickie had. She noticed that when got to hospital that I was extremely cold, to the point of severely shivering, and on a day when the temperature was in the 80’s that just wasn’t natural.
I was shaking so badly that I couldn’t hold a glass of water steadily in my hand. Vickie said “I think that you have fever,” and had the Nursing staff take my temperature. Sure enough my temp was really high. From there between Vickie (who by the way, is a Radiologic Technologist by profession, though gladly retired) ( that’s an X-ray Tech, if you’re not certain), my Doctor, the staff at the hospital, and my new Nurse daughter Kendra (who by the way had worked on the very floor I was on while in Nursing school, so she knew personally most of the people treating me), they figured out how to treat me.
All that being said, I am at home now and trying to fight my way back to optimal health.
Needless to say, I’ve got a lot of work ahead of me, but I'm ready, willing and able.
I feel as though I owe everyone my life. There were/ are, sooo many who didn’t bat an eye to help me.
I will never be able to repay all of the kindness of phone calls to me during my time in the hospital, and e-mails when I returned home, as well as all of the visitors I had in the hospital (honestly, it was almost party central !! ).
I said in my last piece, that I feel like Lou Gehrig of the Yankees,who said, “I feel like the luckiest man on Earth,” though I’ll go a step further to say that I feel like the most blessed man on Earth.
What you all have done for me will be in my heart forever, so much so, that I also feel like actress Sally Field when she said “ you like me, you really like me!!”
I will always be honored to be the friend of all of you.
I’m gonna be home for a couple of months recovering, and I sincerely hope to continue to hear from you all, as well as see you.
In the meantime don’t stop the music, just know that I’ll be back on the scene shortly, and that I just might be a little stronger.
Thank you for everything.

This post is dedicated to my Vickie, thank you for always being there for me, without question.

Ps. One more favor: Support Live music today tomorrow and always.