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 JULY 2008 

Well, if it gets to be the middle of July, I can safely say I made it.

'It' being my 50th birthday on Saturday, July 12, marking the end of my first quarter. As you can see, I have a long view of my life, since there always seems like there's way too much left to do.

I will celebrate the way I usually do, by playing music. In this case, Cat's A Bear will be playing in the Annual JazzErie JazzWalk at Molly Brannigan's on State Street in Downtown Erie.

We will be performing original music for the most part, introducing some new material with our modern jazz fare. Our one cover for this gig will be a John McLaughlin tune called Senor C.S., a delightful tune in six that has captivated all of us.

Our time slot is the early one; 8pm - 11pm. Join us and pay a visit to the talented musicians all around Erie, PA.

Cat's A Bear Trio plays again on Thursday the 31st in Frontier Park from 7pm - 8:30pm.

One World Tribe plays the Bemus Point Casino on Friday, July 18 from 10pm - 2am. The group travels to Binghamton, NY on Thursday, July 24 for the Summer Music Festival. [ more info ]

OWT just released it's third CD, Armed And Dangerous. The disc is still being processed for the internet, so I will keep you posted on details as they develop. Two original Hiphop tunes of mine are on there; Lockdown and 4-20 (called Lock Down and Four Two Zero on the CD). It is great to finally have some of the art I have been pursuing for the last 12 years released on disc. I know there will be more.

A variation on the 3bop theme will form on Saturday the 19th at Scotty's on 3rd and German. Steve Trohoske on bass and I will be joined by percussionist Joel Polacci and drummer Rickie Hopkins of J.D. and the Sons of Rhythm for an evening of contemporary jazz. Scotty's will be on hiatus with music for August, so this is a good chance to come hang with some good music on a summer night.

J.D. and the Sons of Rhythm is also preparing a CD for release. Colors of Tyme will be online around the same time as the OWT release. This is disc 13, and is also a double-disc of collective jazz-fusion improvisation. I am enjoying the cuts so far, and will of course post all the details as they become available.

Well, I'm taking a birthday pass and keeping it brief. Have a great July, and come and hear some great music in and around Northwestern Pennsylvania.

Until next time,

peace - f

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 JUNE 2007 

Well, the 5 months of tax earnings are finally over, and the thaw has begun. Now, the rest of the money you earn for 2008 goes to you instead of the government, and the heating companies take a little holiday and provide air-conditioning for those still living the life of luxury.

For the rest of us, it's time to keep hustling. So - here's the hustle for our first after-tax month of livin'.

The month starts out with some solo jazz guitar at the Erie Club on the 6th, followed by a duo gig with bassist Steve Trohoske at Scotty's the same night. The solo gig is a members party, but Scotty's is open to all, and the duos are lots of fun for everyone!

On Saturday the 7th Cat's A Bear plays for the last time at the Breeze. The restaurant is closing for good, and they are throwing one last party before they go. Come join CAB and friends for some original music, some standards, and a fun celebration of all the good music that has happened in this venue.

Out with the old, in with the new - One World Tribe plays our first CD Release of disc number three at the Calamari's Block Party on Thursday the 12th. We will be playing cuts from 'Armed and Dangerous', and Creating Havoc, Elevating Levels of Awareness (C.H.E.L.A.) as we always do. If you are NOT ready for the Lockdown, come join us and celebrate freedom.

The Long's School of the Dance yearly performance at the Warner Theater is up next, with shows on Friday the 13th and Saturday the 14th. The preparation for this show consumes my docket for a couple of months every year; this year I prepared the master discs for the show, scored the chord charts for the band, made 14 of the Kiddie Tunes (hokey dance numbers like Hey Good Lookin' and You Are My Sunshine), and did the horn charts for Trumpet and Tenor.

Luckily, this means my learning curve is basically flat, as in Already There. And of course, the other good thing about being the arranger is you know where all the spaces for solos are.

This event is a Cat's A Bear member project, with Phil Papotnik (Raven Sound) running sound this year, Joe Dorris on drums, Tito on congas and percussion, Tony Stefanelli on bass, and myself on guitar. Joining us are Allen Zurcher on sax, who is also on the new Tribe CD and will be at the performance on the 12th, Dale Zimmerman of Dave Stevens Big Band (as is Al), and Laurie Hitt on piano. Needless to say with this bunch, no matter what the music, we will make it even more fun!

On the 21st I get to dust off my bass chops and play with Too Big Power in Meadville at Diamond Park. I am looking forward to playing with drummer Jayson Hopkins of J.D. and the Sons of Rhythm again. Jayson has been out of circulation for a while, and we are glad to have him back with us. Guitarist and composer Joe Frisina completes the trio with his chopsy guitar playing and ethereal vocalizations.

Cat's A Bear trio returns on Thursday the 26th, performing for Highmark Corporation. We will be playing at the Bayfront Convention Center for the first time, so we are looking forward to checking out the facilities. One World Tribe finishes out the month's gigging activities with the Erie Summer Festival of the Arts on the 27th. Final details are being worked out, but tenatively the start time is "around seven."

That's it for gigs so far, although things are coming in all the time. Now, I want to include a couple of shout outs.

First, to Tito for his masterful massage techniques. He is working on the actual injury to my elbow and forearm, and is bringing things back into final condition. These massages are intense, and he is working hard, so thanks, Tito!!!

Second, to Carla Edmiston, for her work at the Ernie Krivda gig. Carla is a masseuse with some great skills and techniques, and I can now personally recommend her. You can reach Carla through Keep In Touch (2502 Powell Ave. Suite 5) 814-835-3330. She schedules massages there on Mondays through Thursdays from 8:30 a.m through 6:00 p.m. She worked the kinks out and helped me have a kickin' second set with our visiting artist from Cleveland.

Which leads me to my third shout out, visiting saxophonist Ernie Krivda. Ernie came to play, and he left the gate running and never looked back. His original tunes were a highlight, with great jazz lines stamped with his personal signature. We hope to see Ernie again soon, and if you get a chance to see him in Cleveland or pick up a CD, I definitely recommend you do so.

Fourth, the list - all the musicians who make my life so rich, and so much easier (not a whiner in the bunch.) Joe Dorris, tireless drummer and promoter, Steve Trohoske, bassist and ground-pounder extraordinaire, Preach Freedom, vocalist, percussionist, whatever-ist, mentor, and Hiphop master, who kicked my behind on Lockdown and helped me deliver a better track, everybody in OWT, CAB, TBP, JD and the Sons, and all the free-lancers who make Erie such a hoppin' music town.

All right, that's it for now. Let's hit the pavement and earn our own dough for the year, fiscal or otherwise. Enjoy the summer, I hear it's really coming any day now!

Until next time,

peace - f

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 MAY 2008 

This month I've decided to depart from my typical format, and cover a few music-related topics.

Hiphop Appreciation Week

First off, Hiphop Appreciation Week is the third week of May. For those unfamiliar with my involvement in Hiphop, I have been flipping lyric for 12 years. One World Tribe's third CD, due out this summer, will contain at least two tracks of my original lyrics, Lockdown, and 4-20 (Liberation Day). I first performed KRS-ONE's Beef from Edutainment, then began writing and performing my own lyrics with OWT. Now KRS-ONE is a sponsor of the Temple of Hiphop, a focal point for Hiphop Appreciation Week.

To find out more about the celebration, here are some links to get you started.

Hiphop Declaration of Peace
Mayor of Detroit Honors Hiphop Appreciation Month
Things you can do for Hiphop Appreciation Week
25 CDs representing Hiphop
Grafiti Art
Hiphop Appreciation Week events in San Diego
Wikipedia on the Temple of Hiphop

The Hazards of Jamming

Something on the order of 60 - 65 percent of all professional musicians will experience some work-related pain related to muscle strain, overuse, and inflammation. When I first encountered that statistic a few years ago, I was surprised even though I have included discussions of injury-preventing technique in my lessons for most of my teaching career. Since I am healing a partly work-related injury, I thought a discussion of the path I took to do so would be of interest to at least some of the musicians out there.

First, some background.

When I was in my early 20s, I experienced a sudden difficulty walking, coupled with extreme muscle pain. In my supposed healthiest years, I was walking with a cane and unable to handle my own equipment. After rejecting some unconvincing conventional treatments, I acted on the advice of a friend and went to an acupuncturist.

The short story is that I worked with Brian Schulz in Boston for a total of eight years. The first four consisted of acupuncture treatments, macrobiotic diet counseling, and visualization. I also did four years of Bioenergetic Therapy (the real kind) which was perhaps the most intense thing I have ever done.

Working with Brian set me permanently on the path of alternate healing, although that does not include a total rejection of Western Medicine. In alignment with that, my family now sees Dr. Keith Jordan, a chiropractic M.D. in Cleveland who also does Applied Kinesiology, Total Body Modification and a number of other techniques used for decades in England, Canada and other places, but totally rejected by the N.I.H.

Dr. Keith Jordan
216.521.2225
Optimal Wellness Center
Cleveland Ohio

Now, about two months ago, the family attended our every-few-months checkup with Dr. Keith. I had some knots in my right shoulder area, which Dr. Keith worked out and did what we call release work. One thing that happens with this kind of work is that the 'stuckness' moves out through the periphery (your arms and legs.)

Things went okay with the leg, just having to work on stretching and massaging the ankle for a week or so. The arm was a different story, however. Somewhere along the way, playing drums or working extra hard during a practice, combined with over use of computer mouse, the elbow was weakened, and as the 'stuckness' moved out, the elbow locked it in.

The result was intense pain in the actual elbow, and a series of related pains that travelled throughout the arm and shoulder assembly. Eventually it became obvious that I was going to need some treatments.

Now some might be tempted at this point to go to a conventional M.D., but my experience has been that the pharmaceutical approach taken by most physicians simply forstalls real healing, and for someone who is coming up on fifty with no medications, vitamins or health problems, this is more time than I want to take in the wrong direction for me.

I knew Dr. Keith would be booked six months in advance, and I have some local resources that I work with on a regular basis. My local chiropractor is Dr. Wade Shaffer, who does excellent work with my occupational difficulties, and keeps my neck in great shape. Dr. Wade adjusted my collar bone and worked out much of the stuckness in the back and neck area, allowing me to concentrate more on the acute situation with the elbow.

Dr. Wade Shaffer
814.836.8989

Another part of the unfolding plan is always massage. I see Maureen McCaslin of Tear of the Moon Essences. Maureen has worked on me and my family since I have been in Erie (almost twenty years.) She does excellent massage work (not an easy task on someone who likes deep massage) and does the most effective Reiki of anyone who has worked on me. I really feel her energy when she works in that way, and have experienced palpable results many times.

Maureen McCaslin
Tear of the Moon Essences
Massage Therapist
Erie, PA
814-836-8121

Since I had to schedule the massage for the next week, I decided to try a new resource. Dr. Keith Jordan has a brother Kevin, also a chiropractic M.D., and also versed in the alternative techniques mentioned earlier. I was able to get an appointment the day before the massage, which was perfect timing. Dr. Kevin worked very hard on me, using chiropractic techniques, energy work, acupressure, and other diagnostic and therapeutic tools to relieve my situation. I left his office feeling much better, and looking forward to my massage.

Dr. Kevin Jordan
440.205.1889
Directory Listing
Mentor Ohio

After Maureen worked on me the next day, I was much improved, but still not completely healed. I knew it was now just a question of time, rest and my own acupressure and massage, along with some evening icing, courtesy of Dr. Wade's advice.

Finally last Friday I seemed to find the point that unlocked that final stuckness, and have finally turned the corner on the injury. There is still work to be done, but one can feel the difference between an improving injury and one that just hangs on.

My point in telling this is to encourage all of you to seek these non-invasive therapies whenever it is appropriate. The people that I list all have experience and are not afraid to recommend a blood test or X-ray if they think it's appropriate. Nor are they ignorant of Western Medicine and the places where it is most useful. Like me, however, they believe that allowing the body to heal is the most desirable course, and getting back to that path is the only reason for deviation from it.

Quick Round Up

Cat's A Bear appears at the Breeze in Erie (14th and State) with Jazz Saxophonist Ernie Krivda on Saturday, May 17. Call the Breeze at (814) 455-7766 for more information, or get on Joe Dorris' Jazz email list to keep up with upcoming events.

3bop appears at Scotty's on 3rd and German in Erie, PA on Friday the 23rd. As usual, leader Steve Trohoske, drummer Brad Amidon and myself plan on cutting loose at our favorite local Cigar Bar.

Until next time,

peace - f

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 MARCH / APRIL 2008 

March/April 2008

Up until now I've been doing pretty good at keeping up with the month-to-month updates here. It does look like most of March got away from me. I do have a good excuse, which I will get to toward the end.

In the mean time, quite a bit is coming up. First, a BrewErie gig with Steve Trohoske's FREE SPEECH has been added on March 29. Joel Pollaci of J.D. and the Sons of Rhythm note will be playing traps. The group plays a jazz-funk pocket with a looser, more open format. This will be part of the Arts and Drafts festival at the 'Brew, so we hope to see you there.

March 31 through April 4 finds One World Tribe in Franklin, bringing the Music of the People to the schools. OWT has presented a number of performance/teaching seminars over the last few years. We look forward to revisiting Franklin and enjoying their curiosity and enthusiasm. We are also looking forward to the completion and release of CD number three. I will keep you posted.

Cat's A Bear joins jazz saxophonist Pete Mills at the Breeze, 14th and State, for an evening of standards and a few of Pete's originals. So far the playing sounds great, and so do the original tunes. We are looking forward to welcoming Pete to Erie. Pete's new CD Fresh Spin recently recieved 3 1/2 Stars in DOWNBEAT Magazine's recent review. You can find out more about Pete at www.petemills.com or by visiting his MySpace page at www.myspace.com/petemillsjazz.

Scotty's welcomes 3bop on bassist Steve Trohoske's annual birthday gig. Brad Amidon will join us for a night of hard bop, straight ahead and modern jazz. Steve and I are joined by saxophonist Allen Zurcher the following evening at a private residence.

I also keep busy here at the "home office," so to speak. Justin Voty continues to record tracks, adding both depth and scope to the existing cuts, and adding a few new ones with vocalist Russell Phillips, who has an exceptional voice. Justin returns on the 28th for an evening session; thus I am unavailable for work that evening.

I mentioned in the beginning that I had a tardiness excuse. That partly involves the studio, and partly involves a project that seems to be growing in intensity and scope every year.

Every second week in June Long's School of the Dance puts on a two-evening dance recital for the many students of the school. This is an enormous undertaking, and through Joe Dorris of Cat's A Bear, I have been getting more involved with on each pass of the show. Initially I entered years ago as a player, then more recently as an arranger, then producer of dance CD singles, and this year as audio editor for the pre-recorded CD tracks now being used.

An interesting musical compromise has been reached which creates a unique technical requirement. Long's has a long and clearly established history of supporting and presenting live music in each of their yearly performances. As difficult as this can be, they have never wavered from this approach.

What has also been difficult has been rehearsing literally thousands of dancers without consistent tempos and recordings. These track must also be limited to shorter durations than even the current three-minute song format of commercial radio.

This has led to the use of pre-recorded tracks along side of live performance. While this is not an unheard-of phenomena in contemporary music practice, it is no less tricky than it sounds.

Last year Joe and I prepared a number of singles for the show that the younger dancers could practice to and dance to at the show, and also prepared charts for the musicians, including Bb parts for Phil Papotnik and Dale Zimmerman who play the show every year along with Laurie Hitt, Joe Dorris, Tony Stefanelli and Nick "Tito" Ronzitti.

This year Joe gathered recordings of most of the material, and I had the remainder of the charts in fake books excepting one provided by Laurie. Thus the project began with the transcribing of seven or eight tunes, and then the recording to date of fifteen two-minute multi-track singles of the music.

I did these with Cubase LE on my second tower, playing in piano, bass, banjo, clarinet and trombone parts with the Roland-Ready Stratocaster and the GR-30 Synthesiser. Although the tracking can be quirky, and did require some corrections in Cubase's editing software, I was able to get all the tracks done in a little over a week, and mixes out to the clients for approval.

We will be adding some vocals by "flying them in," as in importing .wav files into Cubase and then manually lining them up with the music (which is tricky but not as hard as it sounds.) So far Joe's daughter Deva is handling the first batch, which I will start mixing in next week.

After preparing that music, I immediately went to pulling tracks off of CDs and doing what are called "cuts," which are quick-fades and splices that allow the dancers to move the performance at the pace they desire.

And of course, it should all have been done yesterday....

But, we are actually on schedule with last year and the years before, and we have pulled it off every year so far. Which does keep one awfully busy in the spring.

Thus, that is my excuse. I was busy in a good way, but one which has a number of deadlines attached. That also means this will have to suffice for April, and there may be more gigs coming towards the end of April, so please check the Calendar of Events as we get closer to the dates.

Let's hope something resembling spring will come around soon, so we can open the windows and get some air. Time to put the dog out to moult, while I prep tracks and do horn charts for the trumpet and tenor sax.

Until next time,

peace - f

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 FEBRUARY 2008 

February has a bit of a reputation to overcome. In addition to being the shortest month of the year, it is also considered to be the month of depression, due both to light deprivation and cold temperatures. In short, it's the notorious dead of winter.

This year, I prefer, in true Quixotic fashion, to think of February as early spring.

It certainly began well. Guitarist/Composer Joe Frisina's Too Big Power kicked off the month at Otter's Pub on the first, with a full house enjoying original rock-and-roll. Things seemed to come together that evening, including the sound and the crowd. Playing bass with Rickie Hopkins is always a blast, and Keith Homerski really helps to fill out the sound. Thanks to Anne for all her help as well, setting up, documenting, and being the band's hostess.

Saturday brought 3bop back to Scotty's for a great evening of trio jazz. This club has an atmosphere that lets musicians cut loose and play, reminiscent of after-hours clubs and jam spots where musicians are expected to flex their chops and soar. We dipped into our cross-section of swing, hard bop, funk and latin, exploring and celebrating the end of our hiatus. 3bop plays again Friday March 7, and Friday April 11.

I play solo jazz guitar at the Erie Club on the 5th, and will return there on March 14th for a Member's Wine Tasting event. I am joined in my jazz guitar endeavors by Tony Stefanelli on bass and Nick Ronzitti (aka Tito) of Cat's A Bear at the Tom Ridge Environmental Center on Saturday the 9th. We are playing for the Montessori Regional Charter School fundraiser from 7 - 10pm.

I will be joining Steve with a project called Free Speech on February 15 at Scotty's for an evening of funk and groove music. Keyboardist and piano tuner-extraordinaire Dan Hallett and drummer Joel Pollaci will complete the quartet. Joel is known for his conga playing, and is one of many J.D. and the Sons of Rhythm alumni performing with me this month.

Steve, Nick Ronzitti and myself will play on the 16th for the Mayville, Ny Jazz Festival, appearing at the Webb's Captain's Table from 9pm to midnight. J.D. Jazz plays at the Breeze on Friday the 29th from 7-10pm, at a fundraiser for the Erie Day School, with Joe Dorris on drums and vocals, Tony Stefanelli on bass, and Nick on congas.

One World Tribe travels to Maryland on the 22nd. We are completing details on our third album, and taking care to see that we get it right. I will keep you posted here as news develops. We come home to Docksider's on March 21.

Valerie Horton Brown Project plays for Kathy Dahlkemper at Capers on the 23rd, and for the Erie Art Museum on March first. This band has some of the best vocalists in Erie or anywhere in Valerie, Rusty Jackson, and Preach Freedom of OWT. Bassist Kenny Cornelius and drummer Norby round out this funky rhythm section, with Preach adding some congas and Rusty on keyboards. I break out the solid body and the synth for this one. These will be evenings of great dance music, with Valerie leading the way.

Justin Voty is currently in the studio with the Speaking Giawiio project. Cat's A Bear saxophonist Phil Papotnik has been adding sax tracks to Justin's CD-in-progress. We mix some more this month, and see where it goes from there. The project is as much a study and learn process as it is a final recording, the result being that each step creates more focus and clarity to the music.

Cat's A Bear recently tested out a new performance space. We are working towards establishing a venue here in Erie for special jazz events, bringing back artists such as Greg Abate, Richie Cole and Frank DiBussolo. I don't want to give too much away yet, but let's just say that by the middle of the summer we will have both feet in the door of a great place to bring music, with recording capabilities for live show documentation. Stay tuned for more details.

Another sign of spring is the beginning of preparations for Long's School of the Dance's yearly June performance. I will be doing chord and horn charts for the show, and that means starting now. We will also be doing some new dance singles here at the studio over the next few months. This is always fun, and watching the kids do their thing is a blast. This gig heralds the beginning of summer for us here in Erie, so we look forward to that as well.

All told, things seem to be looking up; blossoming in a way. So I will take this all as a sign of spring, and emulate the crocuses next to the side door that come up every year at least a month early, usually getting dumped on by one or two more snow storms in the process. Somehow they seem to survive it all with that built-in optimism, as do we all.

Until next time,

peace - f

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 JANUARY 2008 

A new year is upon us, so to kick off 2008 I thought I would start with Happy New Year wishes for success and inspiration in the coming year. We are in the midst of revolutionary changes in the music industry, and I believe it will be a time that favors musicians who learn to be independent artists and entrepreneurs; people who are in charge of their own musical fate. Thus, I toast those who attempt this journey with the commitment and courage that it takes, and wish us all the best of luck with all of our endeavors.

I also thought this would be a good time to present a comprehensive scope of the services I can offer my fellow musicians in our quest for successful independence. Knowledge and skill are our best assets, and acquiring these often helps develop the patience, tenacity and long-term thinking that we need to achieve our goals.

These services have been offered primarily to those within geographic proximity to the Eastern Great Lakes Region of the United States where I am located. I have recently begun working with current students in more remote situations, and extend this offer to others in the Continental United States who wish to get more direct study and services from a distance. If you are interested in long-distance lessons by email or by phone, you may contact me at frank@franksinger.com to arrange details.

Please note that confirmed payment in advance in United States Dollars will be required for all arrangements, and payments must be in cleared check or money-order only. I also place a cap on the amount in advance I can accept comfortably, and will not accept higher amounts.

Here is a general listing of services, some of which are only available locally, such as the recording services and duplication services.

• Private Instruction
  • Instruments:
    • Guitar
    • Piano / Keyboards
    • Bass Guitar
    • Drums (trap set only)
    • Saxophone
    • Any other instrument where the student knows the full-range chromatic scale and all basic technique
  • Styles:
    • Jazz, Blues, Fusion
    • Rock, Funk, Hiphop
    • Latin, including Salsa
    • World Beat, including Reggae and Afro-Carribean
    • Classical (composition)
  • Other Instruction Options:
    • MIDI Recording with Reason 2.5
    • Audio Recording with Cubase LE
    • Composition, Arranging, Music Theory (advanced), Ear Training, Linear Rhythm Theory (advanced)
    • Drums as a Second Language (rhythm studies on the trap set for non-drummers)
• Small Recording Projects
  • In-house recording capabilities including:
    • MIDI (Reason 2.5, Cubase LE)
    • Audio Recording (Cubase LE - two-track simultaneous only, with one studio mic available for individual track input)
• CD Production and Duplication
  • Simple Audio .wav file editing for CD Mastering
  • CD-R Duplication with inkjet surface printing - no color limitation
  • Graphic Design for CD labels
  • Possible Graphic Design of Booklets and Backtrays (limited availability)
• Music Internet Services
  • mp3 conversion and preparation, including tagging
  • Web Site design (limited availability; hourly charges only, no per-job bids)
  • Internet graphic design and conversion
• Computer Instruction for Web Site Development
  • HTML (code writing for web site design)
  • Computer Graphics with Photoshop 7.0, ACDsee, Paint

Please check the calendar for upcoming performances over the next few months. There is more in the works, so please check back now and again as things get settled!

Other than that, best wishes for the Year 2008 to everyone, and to everyone everywhere:

peace - f

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