Blog (2019 to 2021)
December 22, 2021. Here is the second installment of "Two Squirrels and a Song," our occasional video series. This one features our cover of John Gorka's "Love is our cross to bear," a song that drew us on the first listen, with its evocative lyrics (e.g., "love will pull you out of yesterday") and sweet recurring guitar lick.
October 20, 2021. Two years ago, almost to the day, we packed up our gear and drove two hours to perform at a restaurant full of people. Since then, what gigging we’ve done has been online. Until tonight. At dusk, we carried a new mini PA and foldable mic stand a few blocks to a little alcove outside our local library. And we played. People smiled from their cars. A worker from a local restaurant stopped by during his break. A woman sat down on the sidewalk a few feet away. A friend stood nearby, for support. It was a “soft” re-entry for us. And it felt nice to be back.
October 9, 2021. Back in the day, we used to set up our sound system and play music for people who sat close enough to make eye contact. It was a thrill. We hope we get the chance to do that again. In the meantime, we are making videos. Here’s a cover of Joni Mitchell's "A Case of You." We’re calling the series "Two Squirrels and a Song."
July 13, 2021. It was a thrill to be part of the lineup of John Platt's On Your Radar, along with UK-based John Smith and Philadelphia-based Lisa Jeanette. We chatted with the host, a well-regarded folk DJ in NYC, and did a 30-minute music set. The show is archived on YouTube.
June 7, 2021. After more than a year of being cooped up, we figured "On the loose" (the title track from our most recent CD) was an appropriate song to submit to the 2021 NPR Tiny Desk Contest. We had a lot of fun filming the video, which included some choreography (sort of).
January 25, 2020. Before we describe the performance we did today, we need to give you some background information. So our friend, Jon Rubin, a well-known and well-regarded artist based in Pittsburgh, and his friend, Sohrab Kashani, an Iranian artist, are currently collaborating on a project designed to allow the friends to "visit" each other despite a ban preventing travel between their two countries. "The Other Apartment" is a replication of Sohrab's abode inside the Mattress Factor, a contemporary museum in Pittsburgh. Even small details, like bathroom tiles and dishes in the kitchen, have been constructed and now the goal is to keep the two apartments identical, which means when something appears in one it must appear in the other. Recently, a visitor left behind a cassette tape of his heavy metal band in the museum apartment which was subsequently replicated for Sohrab's apartment, and then the friends went a step further by commissioning musicians in Pittsburgh and Tehran to cover the songs on the cassette. We were honored to be invited to participate and thoroughly enjoyed the challenge of coming up with own own interpretation of "De Lo Peor" ("The Worst"). All of the songs ended up being recorded, and today, the videos were presented inside both apartments, on a continuous loop. (Click on the image to the right to watch our video on YouTube.)
October 26, 2019. Our gig at Gateway Lodge tonight was a musical marathon, spanning two separate seatings of a five-course wine-paired dinner. We served up all the tasty songs we could think of, along with some others, for garnish. While the menu was gourmet, the atmosphere in the dining room was relaxed, and we enjoyed interacting with guests at nearby tables.
October 24, 2019. Our concert at the Western PA School for Blind Children this afternoon was a joy, with some students sitting on floor mats in the front and the rest in chairs or wheelchairs behind. When one child got agitated, his attentive caregiver took him to the back of the room where he was able to settle himself while still being included. At the end of our set, a few kids tried our instruments, waiting patiently for their turn. One young girl played the portable snare with excellent rhythm, coordination and confidence.
October 19, 2019. Rupert Wates is an extraordinary guitarist who plays with great precision even when his fingers are flying across the strings. He’s also a fantastic whistler. We got a great clip of him whistling at Trinity House Theatre where we shared the stage with him tonight. For his fingerstyle prowess, check out the videos on his website: https://rupertwatesmusic.com/video.
October 19, 2019. One of our first tours as a duo was our "NY Roots Tour" back in 2013, which included stops in Rome and NYC, our respective hometowns. This weekend, we are in MI where a longtime friend of ours was born and raised. Always an avid reader, she spent many hours at the Troy Public Library, and we thought of her as a little girl while we performed there this afternoon, and the many articles and books she has gone on to write, as an author and journalist.
October 5, 2019. For almost 100 years, Koehler Brewery was a fixture in Erie, PA before closing its doors in 1978. Now Koehler beer is being brewed again. Bruce Koehler, who is unrelated to the original owner, was able to register the logo because the trademark had expired, and he and his wife, Mia, decorated their new brew pub in Ellwood City with vintage signs and other memorabilia. The place looks great!
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August 7, 2019. Our buddy, Richard Gordon (aka Mando Richard), invited us into the WRCT 88.3 FM studio in Pittsburgh today for a live spot on his weekly folk radio program, Whiskey Before Breakfast. While we tuned up, he played a recording by Joe Crookston, a brilliant singer-songwriter who has been a musical inspiration to us. He chose this artist because we had turned him onto him a few years ago but what he didn’t know was that the song he selected — “Good Luck John” — is one we happen to cover and are currently recording for a new album we are working on. #synchronicity
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August 4, 2019. We were back at the Squirrel Hill Farmers Market today, this time to kick off National Farmers Market Week with support from the City of Pittsburgh. They put us and our solar-charged sound system under a tent which provided a bit of shade for our listeners, including a mom, her toddler and their dog who hung out for a while. It was fun to play for them, hundreds of passersby, and the vendors. Special shout out to Dillner Family Farms which was in the stall next to ours.
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June 12, 2019. The folks at Longwood at Oakmont, a retirement community near Pittsburgh, spoiled us again tonight. In addition to laughing during our funny songs and tearing up during the sad ones, residents treated us to dinner before the show, hung around afterwards to chat, and helped us haul equipment to and from the car. We left feeling refreshed rather than worn out. Special thanks to Jane and the rest of the Music Committee.
June 1, 2019. We debuted a brand new song called Bury Me Green at Penn Forest Natural Burial Park’s 9th annual picnic today. In addition to music, the event included guided tours, a labyrinth, and a rotary “wind phone” for communicating with friends and family who have died.
May 17, 2019. Rain prevented us from performing in the lovely Welcome Garden at the Cooper-Siegel Community Library near Pittsburgh tonight, but Kelley, head of adult services, created a very comfortable and inviting space indoors. Towards the end of our hour-long set, the rain let up so we unplugged and did the closing song outside. It was too early in the year for fireflies to make an appearance but we imagined them flashing on cue during the instrumental.
May 12, 2019. Sunny skies would have been nice for today's opening of the Squirrel Hill Farmers Market, but the steady drizzle wasn't a problem for the plants in the uncovered stall next to where we were performing or the folks selling hot coffee under a tent across the way.
April 14, 2019. We just submitted our entry for the 2019 NPR Music Tiny Desk Contest!
April 1, 2019. We are back from our FL tour, with warm fuzzy feelings about the folks we met and the experiences we had, on and off stage. Special shoutout to our roadie Diana, Jenny’s soul sister since preschool, who flew out from LA to be part of the fun.
March 31, 2019. Dan Frechette and Laurel Thomsen get four thumbs up! Great groove, super friendly. Total pleasure opening for them at the Central Florida Folk concert yesterday. They are based in California but tour extensively. Go see them and tell them the Pittsburgh duo with the left-handed squirrel sent you.
March 30, 2019. We made several new friends at our Orlando Public Library gig on Saturday, including Venice. She sat in the front row and responded to every song with enthusiasm. Her “yeehaws” during Cowboy Song and “meows” during “Fat Cat Skinny Cat” were so well timed other audience members asked if we had rehearsed together. Thanks for your clever contributions, Venice!
March 28, 2019. We found an old magazine rack in a storage room at the Port Orange Regional Library near Daytona, and converted it into a multi instrument stand for our Thursday afternoon concert. There were a couple mishaps but nothing broke. And it was a great visual! We’re looking into trademarking the design, since CD sales are slowing down. #entrepreSquirrels
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March 23, 2019. We had even more fun with the Americana Community Music Association (ACMA) in Fort Myers last night than we did the first time we performed there two years ago. Lots of folks came out to support us and ACMA member Ralph Leesburg who did a great opening set. We especially enjoyed his clever original song, “Last piece of pie.”
March 22, 2019. We couldn’t have asked for better conditions for the start of our 10-day Singing Snowbirds FL tour yesterday. Skies were bright blue, it was around 70 degrees, and there was a gentle breeze in the Key West Library’s verdant Palm Garden. The friendly audience included permanent residents, seasonal residents and visitors, many of whom we had a chance to meet. One man offered us a vintage red frisbee as a token of his appreciation for our performance, which was free and open to the public, thanks to the Friends of the Library. He told us he’d grown up in Pittsburgh and since moving to Key West, in the early 70s, had made a name for himself on the beach, as the FrisbeeKing. He spoke openly about the rewards and challenges of his regimen and how he’d ended up homeless. Later, we googled him and found a television interview, new stories, and videos.
January 12, 2019. Our friend and fellow Pittsburgh musician, Christopher Mark Jones, shot a video for us at his Studio 256 last week. He set up two cameras on tripods and held a third, using a cool device with a built in stabilizer. Three mics, meanwhile, captured the audio. Very efficient process. And fun!