Steve's Journal

photo: Steve Zak

Kerrverts Forever!

Tuesday, June 8th, 2010

This past weekend Halle and I traveled to the Kerrville Folk Festival in Kerrville, Texas. My song "The Wall Street Fat-Cat Tax Payer Bail-Out Blues" was one of eleven finalists in the Music2Life songwriting contest. This contest is an outgrowth of The Public Domain Foundation which exists to support and promote socially conscious music and musicians in the hope of making this world a better place. It was started in 1971 by Noel "Paul" Stookey of Peter, Paul and Mary. (You can read all about it at the Public Domain web-site.) We heard some beautiful, heartfelt music. The talent of the artists performing on saturday afternoon was only superceded by their beauty as people. These are the "folks" who make you understand and appreciate the term folk music. Straight from the heart. I was honored and moved to share the stage with them and thrilled to receive top honors. Every song was great. I am grateful to have won, but humbled to know that though this time the universe let me take home the award I was one of eleven top prize winners. I truly share it with the other finalists and urge anyone who likes what I do to seek these artists out. It will be well worth your time. I hope to be sharing stages and ideas with them for years to come.

Kathleen Pemble

AmyDixon-Kolar amydixonkolar.com

Sofia Echegaray

Vanessa Torres vanessatorresmusic

Brian Claflin

Steve Deasy

Ric Taylor

David Ippolito thatguitarman.com

Mitch Barret

Emily Kurn emilykurnmusic.com

Due to a sever sinus infection Emily Kurn was unable to fly from her home in Alaska to join us, so Randall Williams ( a very talented singer/songwriter/ guitarist in his own right) jumped in, learned her brilliant song "Mississippi Moon" over-night and performed it for us. I've known Randall for years, he's one the most gifted artists out there.

Emily, you were missed. Get well soon!

My deepest thanks to Noel Stookey and Liz Stookey Sunde. Search as you might you will not find kinder, more gracious and supportive people. We are so blessed in getting to meet and know these people. Halle and I have been on cloud 9, no 18, 36, whatever the optimum number of happy clouds there are, since this weekend. To be treated with such kindness and respect by such legends as Noel Stookey and Peter Yarrow is unbelieveable and had me batting back tears more times than I care to admit. Liz Stookey Sunde is Noel's daughter and the executive director of The Public Domain Foundation, she's an incredible person. We had a chance to really visit with her backstage and felt we had known her forever. Check out the foundation, they are doing great work and need all our help.

As grand prize winner I had the opportunity to perform my tune on the the main stage at The Kerrvile Folk Festival, a dream of mine since I was a New Folk finalist seven years ago. As many of you may know "It's Always Texas" with me and this was tantamount to taking home the Academy Award. Thank you Dalis Allen and all the folks who make Kerrville a reality every year. You make dreams come true.

When you drive into Quiet Valley Ranch to atend the festival, there's a big sign that says "Welcome Home" . It's intended for all who enter, whether you've been there before or not. Do yourself a favor some time and go home. You'll be glad you did.

You'll be Kerrverts like us.

12 Grapes

Thursday, January 21st, 2010

Halle and I spent the evening at 12 grapes tonight. Playing this venue is like being in the home of your favorite relatives, the people you can't wait to visit because they make you feel so warm and special every time you cross their threshold, better than you think you have a right to feel. If you like my music and you live anywhere near this venue, come out and treat yourself to a fine evening of music and food next time I play, or check out their calendar and support some of the other fine musicians. You won't be dissappointed!

Faith, Hope and Lending a hand

Saturday, January 2nd, 2010

2009 was a rough year, fiscally speaking. Keeping cash flowing was a constant challenge. But, it was a great year too, a time of slowing down and re-thinking things, outlining the next act of this play a called life. When it comes to life, I've read that Americans don't know how to write good second acts. I don't believe that's true. I think we're, mostly, very responsible and allow our sense of responsibility to get in the way of realizing our potential. We get caught in the game of "well if I haven't achieved ( place your dream here) by such and such age than It wasn't really meant to be and I better get real and get on with it. Well, I believe getting on with it means going after it. We live in an incredible country rife with opportunity. I believe more than ever, after twenty years of rejections, that I am here to write songs and perform. I'm redoubling my efforts to make music my full-time career and I challenge all my friends out there to go after their dreams, find that job that makes you happy, leaves you peacefully tired at the end of the day, makes you feel as though you've fulfilled your purpose. Doesn't matter how glamourous or un-glamourous it is, if you're doing something that inspires you, you'll inspire others. Let's do that this year. Let's inspire each other. We'll all be better for it. And maybe the world too.

Thank you!

Friday, January 1st, 2010

Happy New Year! A big thank you to one and all for making a very trying year one of my best. I received so much support for the music we were able to make it through with a roof over our heads and food on the table. I am very grateful. This year we began the slow process of simplifying life here in the Chizmadia household and looking ahead to a future richer in friends and family. So many of you joined our family this year, coming out to shows and hanging to the bitter end. I really appreciate you and look forward to spending many evenings this year in story and song with you all. If you like what I do, please spread the word. I'll be booking a lot of dates this year, check the calendar and stay in touch. Drop me an e-mail. Let me know how you're doing. Wishing you all the best in 2010!

Steve

P.S. I just have to say Halle and I had the best New Year's Eve we've had, celebrating with Rich and Jeannie Credidio at 12 Grapes. Johnny Feds and Da Bluez Boyz were the entertainment and they just about blew the doors of the place. There was great food, excellent wine (a martini or two) and the company of some really wonderful people. Thanks to Rich and Jeannie and all the fine folks who made it a truly memorable New Years'.

Choices

Thursday, December 3rd, 2009

It's December. I can't believe it. What a year. Tough times. How are you all faring? Hope people are working, living, loving, laughing, dancing, laughing some more, getting out of debt, keeping out of trouble and feeling like we're somehow pulling through the bad times. It's been a hulluva struggle this year. I'm determined to take it in stride and learn from it though. I'm constantly reminded of one of my grandmother's closest friends, a little german lady named Mary. After fifty or so years living in her house in South Ozone Park she was forced to move into an assisted living facility in Flushing. She was a very self-sufficient woman who was now depending upon others for her basic needs. My mother and I went to visit her one day and after visiting for a while my mother asked her if she was happy there. Without stopping to think she said in her clipped little german accent, "Vell, I can choose to be happy, or choose to be sad; I choose happy."

In acting school I was told that every moment in a scene was a choice, great actors make choices. One wise teacher also told me that it didn't matter if I became a succesful actor; if I learned to actively make choices and not let time fly by unobserved I would be succesful at life.

I was chosen to be a musician, actor, writer, but I have done so many other things for so long and spent so many hours chasing money in order to have enough. I chose to put what I thought of as my responsibilities first, without realizing I was being irresponsible to these gifts I've been given, wasting them. I'll always be responsible, but I'm learning that I can practice my art and still get by.

I'm choosing to change my life and this economy has been a gift. Some of the economic crutches I had are no longer there. In the past I would often feel I had to work a more lucrative survival job rather than play a low, or no paying gig. Now, the "survival" jobs are fewer and farther between, so I'm playing my music and reconnecting to the thing that makes me feel connected to all things. I choose not to panic. I'm choosing to be happy. Hope you are too.

Up and running

Thursday, August 6th, 2009

It's been a long time since my last entry. Great things are happening. I've got regular gigs at Whistling Willie's in Cold Spring and 12 Grapes in my new hometown of Peekskill. Bill at Whistling Willie's and Rich and Jeannie at 12 Grapes are tremendous supporters of local musicians. I urge anyone who loves good live music to support these venues. These folks are really putting themselves out to create a scene. And both restaurants are great places to relax and have a great dinner.

New gigs are coming in daily. It seems the universe and I are back on speaking terms. I still have to pull the odd catering shift, or dress a set, or swing a hammer, but thanks to the support I'm getting from some really great people out there I'm working my way toward leaving survival jobs behind. It's a beautiful thing.

Hope everyone's enjoying the summer. We've been restoring the homestead in an effort to refinance like so many others. We'd like to think we can knock down our interest rate by a point, but if the luck we had with Mr. Obama's cash for clunkers is any indication, there might be a big crack waiting for us to fall through. So far we missed the window on the tax break for a new boiler (too early) and the new home-owner tax credit (those who purchased after January got it free and clear, no payback. We have to pay five hundred bucks a year for the next fifteen. Missed it by three months.) The clunkers thing was the last straw though. We've got a 2000 Dodge Caravan that has 96 thousand miles on it and is working on it's third transmission. If ever there was a clunker this is one, but somehow it didn't qualify. Well, sorry to say, that Dodge is my last American car. I support American workers, but not the cynical, greedy idiots who designed and shipped this lemon. It's hard to have much sympathy for these folks when the week after you mail in your final payment you have to put in a new transmission and have a two thousand dollar valve job. I thought the cash for clunkers would be the redemption song for this master clunker. Nope. From now on, we're a Honda family. Sorry Detroit. Anyway, I'm sure somebody got some cash off for their clunker. Probably some guy with a Hummer.

Well, that's it for now my friends. Hope you're surviving this recession. Thanks for all your support. In the words of my good buddy Spence White "We appreciate ya"

New Page. It's All Good.

Wednesday, April 2nd, 2008

Here we are. A brand new look. Thanks, Pierre. Hope you friends and fans out there like the up-date. I'm hoping it's more accessable. The last page was engineered so I was unable to up-date it myself which kept it consistently out of date. I'd been leaning heavily on my Myspace page for info and music up-dates. I realize that a lot of people aren't into myspace. So, it's high time this page got a face-lift. I'm getting back out there. I've had some time off for family things: illnesses, birthdays, holidays and the quest for my wife and I to join the ranks of mortgage payers. I've had to take some time away from music to put together some of the legal tender to make this most American of dreams a reality. God willing, this summer we'll be home owners. I've got a show coming up in Hastings on the 25th of April at a place called Antoinette's. My friend Matt Turk put in a good word for me and got me the gig. I can't wait to play. I'll be booking shows through the summer and fall and with some luck have a new record out and a heavier performing schedule in the new year. Fred Gillen's once again working with me on another disc. I miss the folks out on Long Island at Folk Society and all the other places I've played. I know I've slipped off the radar a bit, but I'm inching back. Hope you haven't forgotten about me. Your kindness lives with me every day. My record "It Is What It Is" wouldn't exist without it. Here's hoping this entry finds you all well and making the best of some trying times. See you soon.

Steve