Sold Out!...& swashbuckling

Well, it happened...Yosi & The Superdads have finally sold out completely...every seat at The Jewish Museum in NYC that is. Pretty exciting show today, this President's Day. We arrived at the museum to set up a couple of hours before show time. It was extremely chilly & he wind was freezing as we loaded in. We were told more than half the tickets were sold. But by show time the place was packed. Extra chairs had to be brought in. The crowd was lively & positive. Two new songs were added to the live show. "Bulbes" a traditional Yiddish Klezmer tune & "This Land is Your Land" which capped off the concert with a patriotic yet ragtime/blue grass feel. The joint was a-jumpin'. Next stop Germantown MD...3/3 Sat., 1:00PM, "Yosi & The Superdads" Black Rock Center for The Arts.

Oh, BTW, all three Levin boys have been immensely into Star Wars. Thanks to HBO having all the movies available this month & mama gettin' her boys light sabers. It's electric swashbuckling here at our home. May the force be with ye lads.

Planet of The Apes

Flipping channels on Sat. night I came upon the Planet of the Apes. Nik sat down next to me on the couch & said, "what's this, Dad."
"Oh, an old movie about apes ruling the planet & humans as animals, with Charlton Heston overacting (especially at the end)."

Now, I haven't seen this film since my early teens on the ABC 4:30 Movie.
I think Nik dug the costumes & kooky action/chase scenes. One particularly great moment is of course when Mr. Heston captured in a net exclaims, "Take your stinking paws off me, you damned dirty ape!" The 14 yr old part of me wanted to yell, "You tell 'em, man!" Funny, how that visceral reaction is there toward injustice & cruelty.

Seems I've forgotten some of the major socio-political (albeit, heavy-handed) points of the film: science clouded by religion, evolution theory as heresy, separation of church & state, man's destructive nature, respect for all living creatures, etc. I assume these topics must've made quite a stir in 1968. Do they stir the audience today? Seems the issues haven't gone away. I just don't see them in movies anymore.

George Taylor: Doctor, I'd like to kiss you goodbye.

Dr. Zira: All right, but you're so damned ugly.

Blah. Blah. Blah.

Quick update:

1) Great new interview with Kenny Curtis of XM Kids on the "other" blog: Indie Kids Rock.

2) Got a copy of Alternadad by Neal Pollack. It's a page turner. (Who is Paige Turner?) It just might be safe to be a dad AND hip.

3) Hannah learned how to play "The Black Parade" on piano. Self taught too! I'm impressed. Except...she plays it over & over &...ahh, even at 7am this morning!~ I tell you her bros were NOT AT ALL pleased. Of course, my brain was tapioca this morn so I was no help in alleviating the early melee. However, I had the good sense to keep quiet until such time as I had enough caffeine in my veins to hold on to a thought. (It's been a quiet day. Ha!)

4) Boring stuff: painting Hannah's room. Had two neighbors weigh in on a debate regarding possibly installing a chair rail & color to paint said item. (Told ya it was boring.) As usual, Heather was right. The neighbors were right. I was wrong. So, by default, being wrong I get to the "right" thing, & paint the room according to those in the right.

5) Jonathan had a Pajama Day at school & was quite excited about it. For a second just before entering his preschool room he was hesitant wondering if the other kids had their jammies on...you know, like that dream...you're enter your classroom & you are the only one who's naked...ayieeeeeee!!! Well, much to his relief all were jammin' in their jammies.

Butternut Squash Soup

Winter chill has finally hit the northeast. It's been one of the warmest winters in ages. All we want to see is an inch or two of snow SOMETIME before spring. I want to see the kids wearing their PJ's inside-out in hopes that we have school closings. Don't you love those early morning radio school closing announcements? You know how all the kids huddle around the radio to really listen for their school.

Anyhoo, it was cold enough for that midwinter delicacy, Butternut Squash Soup. Mmmm. And this time I made it extra thick. Not exactly by design, mind you, but by steaming more squashes (squashi?) than needed. I don't know how you feel about a hot bowl of that thick orange stuff. For us it's truly livin'. Total comfort food. Warms yer belly & soothes yer heart. Ain't no wars started over a bowl of Butternut Squash Soup, I'm sure.

Who booked this gig?!

Waking up at 5:30am to play a gig with a band just seems wrong! Good lord 'n gravy, to add to our woe we had to travel 2 hrs. to get to Salem. No, not Mass. NJ. Where's that? Just a stone's throw from the Delaware Memorial Bridge. I called Gary at 6:30am to see where he's at & just to ask, "Who booked this thing?" Got a cheerful laugh from the superdad who woke up at 4:45am! (I thought I was nuts!) Joe was even better. He pretended to have just woken up to give me a shock. He & Steve got a chuckle at my expense.

If the early bird gets the worm we got a school full of wiggly worm-like kids. The shows were lots of fun, & the crowds were enthusiastic. Afterwards, we headed to Cracker Barrel...mmm, mmm, good. Nuff said.

G'nite.

Happy New Year!!

It's been a rockin' end of the holiday season. Two shows at The Morris Museum (Bickford Theatre) on 12/27/06. The place was a-hoppin'! Lots of kids with parents & grandparents singing & dancing along. The "Train Medley" was especially fun with kids forming a train with hands on shoulders going around the room.

New Year's Eve was a solo gig in Seaside Hts. Got full-color pictures in two local papers. Also, two videos were posted on YouTube performing Five Little Monkeys and Train Medley live!

We walked the boardwalk with friends from Vermont, & later came back for some fireworks.

Resolutions? This year I gots to get meself better organizized!

Looking forward to an uplifting & creative year. Matt & Nik will start guitar lessons. Hannah's making more rock videos/posts on YouTube. Jonathan's enjoying his drawing & school. You ought to see him cut with scissors, like none of his siblings could at his age. Heather & I will do a bit more landscaping & home remodeling. I'm finally getting around to completing the loft above the garage for a REAL office & studio.

Wishing ya'll happy, healthy, & prosperous new year!

Love, Yosi

Four Feasts & a Physical

11:44pm Why am I up? Should gone to bed by now. But this here new fangled computin' machine got me burnin' watchyamacall ...that midnight errl. Been schlepin' all over creation a-singin', a-crackin' jokes & a-shoppin'. Kids are all excited about going to Safta's (Grandma's) house for our annual Hanukkah get together. All the cousins will be there. Then the following day we're having Xmas Eve dinner here with H's family. Then Xmas Day at Nana's house. Mo gifts. Mo dinner. Then Kwanzaa (the next day)...we don't celebrate it...but my bro is takin' me & the little lady to yet another dinner at an Ethiopian restaurant. Looks like four eves of feasting! Got get back on that imaginary treadmill. Or at least pace me self at buffet & dinner tables, before I go for my annual physical. Maybe Santa will bring me a gym membership (right next to my lump 'o coal.)

Anyhoo, it's just great to see the kids getting excited about the holidays...lighting candles, giving gifts to teachers, making cookies, decorating the house, seeing relatives...would be nice if we got some snow.