Author: Vickie & Peter

Vickie grew up in Iowa. Lived in Silicon Valley & NYC. Peter has lived all over (NJ, NY, CH, IN, CA, MA, etc.) We chose to live and raise our family in Gloucester. Owners of gimmesound.com & Van Ness Group. Producers of gimmeLIVE concerts.

FREE Community Concerts @ Rockport Music

Posted on by Vickie & Peter

By now you’ve been to the Rockport Music’s spectacular, world-class venue, Shalin Liu Performance Center, right?  Just in case you haven’t yet been there, here’s your chance to go for free.  Check out their community concerts, below!

On Thursday, November 15 at 7 pm, “Master Drummer” and Professor-at-Large at the University of Vermont Sowah Mensah performs music from Ghana and made his Carnegie Hall debut in 2000 as a soloist in David Fanshaw’s African Sanctus.  During his stay in Rockport, Mensah will hold numerous workshops on the music and culture of Ghana in the Rockport and Gloucester Schools.  Rockport students have been studying and rehearsing music by Mr. Mensah as well as traditional and contemporary music of Ghana. Rockport student ensembles – Chorus, Jazz Band, Orchestra, and a Drumming Ensemble – will take part in the concert with a finale including a performance by the combined ensembles.  This concert is free and open to the public, no tickets required.

Sunday, November 18 at 3 pm, the Berklee World Strings, directed by cellist Eugene Friesen, features an international collection of Berklee’s most accomplished and promising soloists, chamber players and fiddlers in a lively program that will include new compositions and arrangements from a wide variety of the world’s music. With a repertoire drawn from Celtic, bluegrass, South American, Arabic, Gypsy, jazz, and classical styles, Berklee World Strings redefines the traditional string orchestra with bright melodies, dance rhythms, improvisation and sparkling interplay.  Performing a contemporary program including Bernard Herrmann’s Psycho—A Narrative for String Orchestra, Bruce Thomas’ East River Mountain Suite, Andy Reiner’s Fiddle Suite for String Orchestra, Friesen’s Maracaibo and Asreon, and much more.  Tickets are $10 Adults/FREE 18 & Under (General Admission).

Experience the Firebird Ensemble’s unique interpretation of A Christmas Carol in a free community concert on Wednesday, December 5, at 7 pm (Please Note: Date has changed from Thursday, December 6).  TheFirebird Ensemble has been described as “ambitious and eclectic” by the New York Times and has earned a reputation as one of the premier new music ensembles in the United States. Known for its virtuosic performances and wide audience appeal, Firebird Ensemble’s musical interpretations are drawn from diverse sources and genres.  This concert is free and open to the public, no tickets required.  (This presentation is also part of an educational residency in which the Firebird will present this unique holiday program to Rockport and Gloucester school students in multiple programs that week.)

On Saturday, December 22, at 7 pm, Rockport Music will host a Holiday Community Sing featuring Rockport High School Madrigal Singers and host Bill Hausman as part of Rockport’s annual Christmas Pageant activities.  Please Note, the date has changed from Saturday, December 15 so it is part of the Town of Rockport Annual Christmas Pageant.  This concert is free and open to the public, no tickets required.

Last minute chance to be in a TV audience on Local Music Seen with Allen Estes & Megan Burtt Today at 1pm

Posted on by Vickie & Peter

BREAKING NEWS ~ ONLY ON GMG:
Colorado Singer/songwriter Megan Burtt will be taping a show today at Cape Ann TV that will air on Local Music Seen with Allen Estes sometime this month.  Megan is visiting her friend, and Berklee classmate, Chelsea Berry for a few days as part of her Northeast tour.  After her excellent show on Saturday at Old Sloop, I asked Megan if she’d be in the area long enough to tape a show and she agreed!  So we scrambled our crew.

If you’d like to be in the audience, come to the Cape Ann TV Studio in Blackburn Park (directions here) at 1pm.  Ring the doorbell and say, I’m here for Local Music Seen.  Don’t worry about what you look like, you won’t be on camera.  Your presence allows the performers to connect with a live audience, which gives the show an added dimension.  And your clapping, cheering, whistling, etc. will be captured on the soundtrack.

If that’s not enough, you’ll also get to hear a brand-new song from Allen Estes that I haven’t even heard yet (we missed his show at Rhumbline on Sunday because we can’t be in two places at once).  Here’s a taste of what you can expect from Megan:

And don’t forget to vote (if you’re not sure why, check this out).  Might as well stop by your polling place on the way to Blackburn

Marina Evans releases her new EP ~ The Tuscan Sessions

Posted on by Vickie & Peter

Check the songs out here.  Read what Marina has to say, below:

Hello from  Nashville!

The Tuscan Sessions are finally done – and I am SO excited to share them with you! Written and recorded this past spring in Florence, Italy, this record brings a distinctly European feel to folk Americana. Special thanks to producer and one-man-band Bernardo Baglioni, without whom this record would never have been possible. Click here to have a listen, tap yer foot, and sing along.

Meanwhile, the tour rolls on! Tonight, Berna and I will be featured at a songwriters in the round session in Nashville – quite an honor! So much talent in this city. And the honky tonks are WILD. Also – I’ve added two more dates to our itinerary: Dallas (11/11) and Socorro, NM (11/13). More soon!

Onwards,
Marina

If you don’t vote you can’t bitch

Posted on by Vickie & Peter

I LOVE to bitch, so I vote.  I may not like the choices.  But I figure they can’t possibly be identical, so I vote for the one who might be a little better.   No, I’m not always sure.  And sometimes I end up disappointed with my vote.  BUT THEN I GET TO BITCH — because I voted.  Having voted makes bitching so much more fun.  I can say, I can’t believe I voted for that a**hole.  Or I can say, don’t blame me, I voted for the other one.

You’re probably saying, what? … another election ? … already? … really?  Yeah, this one snuck up on us — just came out of nowhere.  In fact, this post is probably the first you’ve heard that there’s an election tomorrow, right?  That’s OK.  Google “presidential election”.  You’ll find a few results (1,160,000,000 as of this writing).  Google also returns about 23 million results for “massachusetts senate race”.  So you’re good to go there — along with the other local races too.  Between now and tomorrow (Tuesday) at 8pm, you should be able find out enough about the candidates and ballot questions to make intelligent choices.

If you live in Gloucester and you’re not sure where to vote, you can get a wicked cool color-coded map of Gloucester polling stations here.

Even cooler than that, if you live in Gloucester, you can go out after you vote, get a drink and reward yourself for making all those difficult choices with some great music — whatever your taste: Billy Novick & Thomas Hebb playing jazz at The Franklin, KMBG — masters of classics, rock, blues, etc. at Jalapenos or Henley Douglas soul at Rhumbline.

Here’s the complete live music listings for Gloucester, so after you’ve chosen whom to vote for, you get to choose where to start your bitching after you cast your ballot.

Live blogging from old sloop

Posted on by Vickie & Peter

Megan Burtt with her excellent CD after a terrific set. Pledge now and get her next CD for $10. Http://www.Pledgemusic.com/meganburtt

-pvn, sent from my phone

Two chances to see Leven’s Carpe Diem this weekend and support New Years Rockport Eve

Posted on by Vickie & Peter

See complete live music listings for Gloucester, Rockport & Cape Ann here.

 

Toby Keith and Dylan Estes at the BMI Country Music Awards in Nashville

Posted on by Vickie & Peter

They talked about music, songwriting, touring — and who knows what else.  What deal do you think they sealed with that handshake?  Maybe we’ll see Toby Keith on an upcoming Local Music Seen with Allen Estes show on Cape Ann TV next time he’s in New England.  Stay tuned  . . .

 

New York Times Starts a Lobster Crawl in Gloucester

Posted on by Vickie & Peter

With most of “the news that’s fit to print” revolving around SSS and politics, it would have been easy to miss this gem about Lobster in the New York Times this week.

So for all of you who did miss it, we thought you’d like to know that  a deliciously written  article by New York Times reporter Glenn Collins entitled Lobster Crawl from Massachusetts to Maine, begins at Gloucester’s own Bass Rocks Ocean Inn.  Check out this excerpt:

Our first stop was Gloucester, Mass., where, after an afternoon arrival, we left the soothing surge of the breakers outside our room at the Bass Rocks Ocean Inn …

Congratulations to Tracey Muller.  Thanks for hosting the kind of travel writer we need to see more of.  And thanks for helping to put Gloucester on the map (as Joey would say #Boom, you did it)

Cape Ann once again featured in The Noise ~ Rockport Show Recommended for This Saturday

Posted on by Vickie & Peter

Last month I pointed out that The Noise Magazine recommended two Gloucester shows for the week of Oct 22, putting us on par with Cambridge (see post here).  Well there’s a new Noise issue out and this week they recommend a Rockport show (see here) specifically Amy Black with Megan Burtt at the Old Sloop Coffeehouse.  Congrats Amy Black, Megan Burtt, Old Sloop (tickets here) and Rockport!  Oh, and I guess I have to congratulate myself on being right again.  I picked this show in this post .  Here are two more videos from these rising stars, just in case you weren’t convinced by the ones I posted last week.

More Megan Burtt videos here.

Now for tonight, there’s a special treat at Minglewood: Tony & Samantha Goddess will share the stage with KBMG.  You don’t get to see all these talented artists sharing the stage very often so take advantage.

See this weekend’s complete live music schedule for Gloucester and Cape Ann here.

Breaking News: Berklee in Gloucester Indie Rock Tickets Available Now

Posted on by Vickie & Peter

You heard it FIRST on GMG: Tickets just went on sale for the next Berklee in Gloucester benefit on November 29 (the Thursday after Thanksgiving) at Latitude 43.  This is our first Indie Rock Night featuring one of Boston’s top Indie bands, The Shills with local rising stars, Renee & Joe.  Space is limited, it’s an ALL AGES SHOW, so get your tickets now.  Check out The Shills in this video (more excellent videos of The Shills here).

This concert features recent Berklee alumni from Boston and Gloucester sharing the stage to help send a Gloucester student to Berklee (more about the Scholarship Fund).  When you think of Berklee College of Music, you might think Jazz only, but Berklee is all about contemporary music, which was Jazz when Berklee was founded in 1945, and now includes  genres that didn’t even exist then.  Check out this from  Berklee’s About page:

Berklee College of Music was founded on the revolutionary principle that the best way to prepare students for careers in music is through the study and practice of contemporary music. For more than half a century, the college has evolved to reflect the state of the art of music and the music business, leading the way with the world’s first baccalaureate studies in jazz, rock, electric guitar, film scoring, songwriting, turntables, electronic production, and more than a dozen other genres and fields of study. 

Simply put, if you want to study contemporary music — from Jazz to whatever genre becomes the next big thing — and you can get in to Berklee (not so easy) that’s where you want to be.  So, save the date Thursday, November 29 and come to Latitude 43 to hear some of the best Indie Rock on the planet — and, who knows, you may be helping to send the next big rock star to Berklee.

Remember, it’s an all ages show, so you can bring your kids and introduce them to the latest generation of Berklee rock stars.

Cape Ann Big Band Benefit for WWII Memorial @ Gloucester House on Veterans Day

Posted on by Vickie & Peter

There simply isn’t a better way to celebrate Veterans Day than to support the people who serve in the military and the memorials we build to those who “gave the last full measure of devotion”.   Lily Linquata sent this notice about the event that is from 3-6pm next Sunday.  If you’ve never seen the Cape Ann Big Band live, this is your perfect opportunity!

Join Gloucester’s WWII Veterans Memorial Committee and friends on this upcoming Veteran’s Day — Sunday, November 11, 2012 — for a Cape Ann Big Band concert to benefit the perpetual care of Gloucester’s WWII Memorial on Kent Circle. Starting at 3pm and going until 6pm, tickets are $20 each. Tickets are on sale now at The Gloucester House or via Connie Condon.

Cape Ann Big Band frequently sells out so don’t wait too long to get your tickets for this sure-to-be excellent event. As there will be no reserved seats, it is also important to be on time. Doors will open at 2:45.

Old Sloop brings top talent from Boston and Colorado to Rockport on Saturday

Posted on by Vickie & Peter

The Old Sloop Coffeehouse is known for bringing rising stars to Cape Ann — a risky business since rising stars, by their very nature (i.e., still rising) don’t have the draw of a more established artist.  Even falling stars draw better because people know them, and their names ring a familiar, sometimes nostalgic bell.  But that doesn’t stop the Old Sloop from booking rising stars and taking the risk.  And all of us benefit.

Every month, you can be sure that even though you may never have heard the names of the artists, just the fact that their playing the Old Sloop means they’re top talent.  These people do their homework.

It will be a long time before you can see Amy Black and Megan Burtt on the same stage again so close to home.  And when you do, it just might be in a big theatre with expensive tickets — not a cozy, intimate setting in our own backyard.  So as the song says, “get it while you can!”

Power’s on, Cable’s up, Inge’s at the Rhumbline tomorrow — all is good in Gloucester

Posted on by Vickie & Peter

One of my favorite singer-songwriters, Inge Berge, will be Fly’s guest tomorrow (Wed) at Rhumb Line.  Inge can be bitter, touching, poignant, hopeful — holding nothing back, always wry — his music expresses his feelings (and ours) beautifully and artfully.  It stays with you (you’ll be humming it the next morning).  Here are some examples:

BITTER (see how we made this video here).

TOUCHING (I think this is the sequel to Shit Under Your Shoes.  Inge disagrees)

POIGNANT (one of the best protest songs of the 21st century)

HOPEFUL

Tonight and the rest of the week offer an excellent variety of music.  See the full lineup here.

“Much Needed Medicine” – First 2012-13 Berklee in Gloucester review by Karen Ristuben

Posted on by Vickie & Peter

Local artist, musician and President of Rocky Neck Art Colony, Karen Ristuben attended the Berklee in Gloucester show at The Gloucester House on Thursday (10/25).  Here’s what she had to say about it:

Jazz as much needed medicine, my table-mates and I agreed.  On Thursday Oct. 25, The Jim Odgren Quintet energized the Gloucester House with two fabulous jazz sets.  On smoking alto sax, Odgren led the band through a tasty array of be-bop, ballads and straight-aheads from Evans to Coltrane.  Young guitarist Lucian Gray defied finger speed records as he sailed over the fret-board  relaxed, cross-legged, confident, superb.  On keys, Davis Whitfields’ understated, elegant renderings and his composed countenance belied his young age.  And rhythm section, student Roberto Giaquinto on drums and Berklee professor and bassist Dave Santoro were unflappable and inspired.

It was an evening all too rare in Gloucester these days, with the Latitude 43 jazz nights gone and no other Cape Ann jazz venue in sight apart from the Franklin Cape Ann’s excellent regulars.

This Berklee series, a worthy benefit for young Gloucester music students, gives us great players, a listening room where you can actually listen, and the welcome chance to get inside the healing relief of live  jazz.

NOTE: After the storm we’ll announce the next show.  You won’t want to miss it.  There’s some cool Halloween entertainment happening this week.  Check out the live music schedule for Gloucester and Cape Ann here.

Two rising stars coming to Rockport next weekend

Posted on by Vickie & Peter

Colorado native Megan Burtt returns to Cape Ann to perform with Boston-based Amy Black at the Old Sloop Coffeehouse next Saturday, November 3.  I could tell you how good they are, but I’ll let the videos speak for themselves.

As you’ll see in this video I shot last year when Megan performed with Chelsea Berry, her stories are as entertaining as her songs — and this song will send chills up your spine!

More Megan Burtt videos here.

Over 3 dozen live shows to choose from this weekend (see complete live music listings here).  Better get out there before the storm hits!

Safety ushers in Halloween with a party Tomorrow @ Mile Marker One

Posted on by Vickie & Peter

Now that we’re starting the weekend on Thursdays (that’s tonight, folks) we might as well start Halloween this Friday (before the hurricane hits) and guess who stepped up to help us do just that: Gloucester’s favorite 80’s band, SAFETY.  Catch them on Mile Marker One’s heated deck, Friday at 7pm, costumes, prizes, etc.
http://vimeo.com/4332773

Saturday’s seARTS benefit featuring Cape Ann Big Band with the Beverly High School Jazz Sextet at Bass Rocks Golf Club is sold out, but you can still get on the waiting list if you click here.

And there’s lots more happening all weekend long, so get out before the storm hits.  Check the complete live music listings here.

Casting Call ~ Tuesday October 30th @ Dog Bar

Posted on by Vickie & Peter

Casting!: I’m filming a scene at the DogBar on TUESDAY OCTOBER 30TH. It takes place in a club/restaurant in the 1960’s and i need to fill the seats. Wardrobe is 1960’s dress. Nothing post 1960’s. Think MAD MEN. Women dolled up, men clean shaven. To submit, just send me a message on FB. Unable to provide compensation but you’ll be in my show and have a great time on set!!! Thanks everybody!!!
Jesse Christensen

Only a few hours left to get Berklee in Gloucester tix cheap and hear Brand New Music

Posted on by Vickie & Peter

The on-line system that sells advanced tickets and takes credit cards will be turned off at noon on tomorrow (Thursday).  Just because it’s a benefit doesn’t mean you have to pay full price.  So click here and get cheaper tickets now.  Or just show up at the Gloucester House and pay $15 cash at the door.  Either way, you won’t want to miss this concert.  You’ll be among the first to hear some of Jim Odgren‘s newest music.  Here’s what said in a recent email, The band is sounding terrific. Lots of songs from “Day Dreaming” as well as our cd that is as yet unreleased. And some additional songs in the same genre.

If you’re not sure what’s going on at Endicott’s 33 Commercial St campus — and how it may change your life, read this

Posted on by Vickie & Peter

While Vickie was complaining yesterday about people who wait until the last minute to announce their live music lineup, and then forget to tell us at gimmesound.com, which, BTW, is the ONLY complete live music listing for Gloucester & Cape Ann in ANY MEDIUM — meaning that if you’re not listed, you’re not getting the word out, which it’s your own fault ’cause it’s free … anyhow I digress.

While she was getting gimmesound up to date, I was at a meeting with Peter Jenner, who happens to be Chair of the School of Hospitality Management at Endicott College, and he invited me to a reception at their new digs at 33 Commercial St. later in the day where Endicott’s arts profs & deans were going to hobnob with people from Gloucester’s arts scene, the whole shebang being dubbed Arts Endicott meets Arts Gloucester — in a word: OUTREACH.

While I was there, I posted a live photo from the event (see here).  I met some interesting people, saw people I knew, drank wine, ate hors d’oeuvres, listened to a short, concise and interesting presentation and saw a dance performance — all very well put together.  But here’s what really struck me.  These people are truly interested in immersing themselves into Gloucester’s culture.  They see the entire city — and everyone in it — as their partners.  This is far more significant than the fact Endicott is offering degree programs in Gloucester (see this post), which is pretty big in and of itself.

So if you didn’t go last night (I almost didn’t) I recommend that you contact somebody at Endicott that is teaching in the field you work in every day and tell them what you do.  This isn’t only for people in the arts — it’s everything — literally.  Check out their website here.

As I said in this post, “Becoming a college town is likely to be the best thing that has happened to Gloucester this century.”  And I’m not exaggerating.