Big Rob D: HARD ROCKIN’ GARLAND JEFFREYS

Big Rob D: HARD ROCKIN’ GARLAND JEFFREYS

Phoebe Snow

It was a happy day in Greenwich Village when "Poetry Man" was released. Phoebe Snow, may you rest in peace.

Photo courtesy of Sheri Lynn Behr.

Night in Belgium

Bruge (Brugge in Flemish) was a killer. A 2 hour show. The Belgian fans are some of the finest on the planet. We had a great time on and off the stage. This show was the best of the 3 I've done in Brugge the last 5 or 6 years, and if you haven't visited this lovely town make sure you do. Belgium is the first country that played Matador and it went on to be # 1...and now they're playing Coney Island Winter. Playing Coney last night for the first time with the band was the greatest. The song is so much fun to play. We rocked the Grote Markt from the its cobblestones to its steeples! We kicked it off with a Rockin' Coney and ended with a 15 minute version of Matador, always a great closer. Our Belgian band is Mirko Banovic (bass), Philipe Bruffaerts (guitar), Maxime Lenssens (drums), Rudi Genbrugge (keys).
-- Garland
http://www.garlandjeffreys.com
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Garland-Jeffreys/10650433053

Bruge, Belgium 4-2-2011

Photo by Yves 'Rockysound' V

New Single Now Available

First New Song

Coney Island Winter

Now Available Online

FINALLY!  The first song from the brand new album is released today: CONEY ISLAND WINTER!  I dedicate this song to to all my friends and fans who've patiently supported me through the long process of making this album.  I've taken to heart all your comments and kind words.  I look forward to seeing you on the road!  G

Amazon

Itunes

Happy Valentine's Day

Happy Valentines Day to each and everyone!
--- Garland

http://www.garlandjeffreys.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Garland-Jeffreys/10650433053

Modern Lovers - Garland Jeffreys on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DZs4AgFlCu4


MODERN LOVERS
Music & Lyrics by Garland Jeffreys

You gave me a red heart
On Valentine's Day
You called me sweetheart
What more could you say
If that's not loving
I don't know of any other way
If that's not loving
Well, then it must be a one-act play

Modern lovers, modern times
Times gettin' tougher but
love's not blind, no, no, no
Modern lovers, with their modern ways
So contemporary,
modern lovers

You gave me a big kiss
You were so sincere
I really couldn't resist
When you held me near
If that's not loving
Well then I'm not a man
If that's not loving
Well, then we better
get a better understanding

Modern lovers, modern times
Times gettin' tougher but
my love's not blind, no, no, no
Modern lovers, with their
modern ways
So contemporary, modern lovers
L.O.V.E.R.S

Garland at Falcon Arts Center this Saturday

Garland will perform an acoustic duo show on Saturday night at Falcon Arts Center in Marlboro, New York. For more information, call 845-236-7970 or visit http://www.liveatthefalcon.com. Hope to see you there!

DW, Assistant to Garland Jeffreys

April 30th at Highline Ballroom in NYC

Save the date: April 30
Garland and band at Highline Ballroom, NYC.
DW, Assistant to Garland Jeffreys

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

While I am not religious, I bow my head in prayer on this special day. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s work, his love for others, his concerns, his remarkable courage, his faith, his belief in mankind regardless of race, color, creed, or economic bounty (or lack of) are inspiration for us all to follow. How lucky we are to have had such an example!

Dr. King I wish I could have met you. I wish I could have been one of the soldiers in your Army. I remember that day, but I really didn't know what it meant. I kept it at bay away from my feelings and consciousness. I was afraid of it and as I wrote in my song, "I was afraid of Malcolm just like any white man".

In time with the deaths of JFK, Malcolm and RFK, I let the scary truth come in. Dr. King I thank you for the floor you laid under us all, and the ceiling you removed forever. We can't go back. Thank you Dr. King.

-- Garland Jeffreys

Light of Day 11 - Paramount Theater / Asbury Park, New Jersey

Garland and Bruce spent the last couple weeks planning their wardrobe.

The Paramount Theater (Asbury Park, New Jersey) - January 15, 2011.

This was the 11th annual Light of Day fundraiser to help the fight against Parkinson's disease and related illnesses by funding research into better treatments, cures and support for patients suffering from Parkinson's disease and related illnesses. For more information, visit http://www.lightofday.org/.

Performers included Bruce Springsteen, Garland Jeffreys & The Coney Island Playboys, Joe Grushecky & The Houserockers, Jesse Malin, Joe D’Urso, Alejandro Escovedo, Willie Nile and others.

Happy Holidays!

Tomorrow I'm driving down to North Carolina to be reunited with my sister Cecelia. We were separated as infants and haven't seen each other since, save for a single brief meeting almost fifty years ago. We are both excited and moved beyond words that this is finally going to happen. This is truly the ultimate gift, better than anything Santa ever brought me!

I wish you all a joyful holiday time and a happy, prosperous new year. I couldn't be more grateful for all of you.

Garland

SongCircle Music's 5th Annual Songwriters Contest

Garland Jeffreys will make a special appearance to open the SongCircle Music's 5th Annual Songwriters Contest on Thursday, November 18 at City Winery in New York City (155 Varick Street). SongCircle provides online and offline services and opportunities for emerging musical artists throughout the world.

Further information is available at http://www.songcirclemusic.com/ and tickets can be purchased online at http://www.fanfueled.com/events/71-5th-annual-songwriters-contest-live-finals-at-the-city-winery.

Garland Jeffreys performs The Beatles' "Help" at Tribute to John Lennon in New York

Garland joined Pete Seeger, Tom Paxton, Marshall Crenshaw, The Quarry Men, Sonya Kitchell, Mark Hudson, Earl Slick, Neil Innes, The Rivertown Kids, Glen Burtnik, Tom Chapin, Blueberry Acres, Never Shout Never and others in a tribute to John Lennon at The Society for Ethical Culture on Saturday, October 9, 2010 in NYC. For more information, visit G's Facebook Page at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Garland-Jeffreys/10650433053.

"Help" (Lennon/McCartney) performed by Garland Jeffreys on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OdHeSUI9-s0

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Garland's contribution to "Memories of John Lennon", edited by Yoko Ono and released in 2005 can be found in its entirety at http://gjphotoblog.blogspot.com/2010/10/john-lennon-birthday-tribute.html.

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Garland Jeffreys with Pete Seeger singing "Give Peace a Chance"

Garland Jeffreys Concert at The Turning Point in Piermont, New York on October 16.

Garland will perform at The Turning Point in Piermont, New York on Saturday, October 16 at 9:00 p.m. Hope to see you there!

Tickets available at http://store.turningpointtickets.com/servlet/-strse-254/Garland-Jeffreys-Sat.-10-fdsh-16-fdsh-2010/Detail.

Turning Point website: http://www.turningpointcafe.com

Garland Jeffreys' Facebook Page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Garland-Jeffreys/10650433053

RSVP at http://www.facebook.com/#!/event.php?eid=153461691354625

Comments on New York Skyline

A blogger recently posted the following comments at http://putyourearson.blogspot.com/2010/10/another-great-song-about-new-york-is.html:

Another great song about New York is Garland Jeffreys' "New York Skyline", from his brilliant 1977 album, Ghostwriter. Jeffreys was a college friend of the pre-Velvets Lou Reed at Syracuse, and they've remained friends - Reed still makes guest appearances at his shows - as recently as last Tuesday, in fact. Man, would I love to see that. The one time that I was lucky enough to see Jeffreys perform live was at the Montreal Jazz Festival in the summer of 2007, where an acoustic performance of this song was the highlight of an electrifying set. During the song's tag, Jeffreys sang of some of the city's famed skyscrapers: the Chrysler, the Empire State, the Pan Am - and when he sang, "We've got those two big towers" as if they were still standing, the crowd went wild. There was a collective realization that he was right - in a very important way, we still do.

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And here's a video for New York Skyline (on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cPZ-Z7RNulQ):


DW, Assistant to Garland Jeffreys

John Lennon Birthday Tribute

Garland Jeffreys will be joining Pete Seeger, Tom Paxton, Marshall Crenshaw, The Quarry Men, Sonya Kitchell, Mark Hudson, Earl Slick and others in a tribute to John Lennon at The Society for Ethical Culture on Saturday, October 9 (2 West 64th Street in New York City, a few blocks south of the John Lennon Strawberry Fields Memorial in Central Park). Further information can be found at http://www.thequarrymen.info/newyork.html and http://www.showbiz411.com/2010/09/20/john-lennons-original-group-the-quarrymen-are-here.

Here's Garland's contribution to "Memories of John Lennon", edited by Yoko Ono and released in 2005:
I was in and out of the Record Plant in the early 1970s. I had found a home with a bunch of great people commandeered by one of the best recording engineers of all time, Roy Cicala. Roy was unique in every way, in his recording techniques and his terrific sense of humor. He guided me, along with a brilliant team of musicians, through my first solo album, recorded in studio B: Dr. John, Bernard Purdie, Paul Griffin, Chuck Rainey, Winston Grennan, David Bromberg and the Persuasions. Studio B is where I met John Lennon. I entered the room and sat down at the console, which I’d become very familiar with. Roy introduced me, and John was immediately a quipster. No aloofness, no cool, no Beatle-ness – pretty much a regular guy. Yoko was there as well, and she was friendly and welcoming. John was enthusiastic, not quiet or brooding. Any time I was in a recording studio I always felt it was my playground even though the clock was ticking away the dollars, and John had the same schoolyard attitude. He was playful and very appealing.

Around this time, I was thinking about recording “Help”. I think it was a few days later that I ran into John on the tenth floor and mentioned that “Help” was a favorite of mine. Wouldn’t you know it, like any songwriter, the mere mention that you might want to record one of their songs brought a package with the lead sheet to my small studio apartment in Gramercy Park. John had sent it off to me. I won't act cool about this; I was thrilled that he had it sent over.

We ran into each other a few more times, always at the Record Plant. I knew Roy was having the time of his life working with John, and I had enough sense to keep my distance and stay busy with my own work while I was there. The excitement of his being around and accessible was really fun. A few hellos and a couple of waves were enough for me. Some time had passed, and I was in Paris working on a few songs for a new recording. I was with my dear friend Antoine de Caunes, and after a night out carousing, we had just gotten to sleep at around eight in the morning when the telephone rang. It was the president of the Beatles fan club of France with the horrible news. John's sudden death was a shocker and hearing the news stunned me. An end to someone I looked forward to seeing again, to getting to know maybe, to discovering what he was up to through his music. An end to his great creative juice.

I was never really a great Beatles fan when the early craze hit. Those Beatle melodies and lyrics were too teenybopper for me, as I mistakenly thought back then. I was in love with Motown, Bob Dylan, Ray Charles and then the Rolling Stones. John Lennon fit right in with this group. His point of view cut right through. He spoke to me, and I believed him. He had an edge, which I was interested in. He was serious, and he reminded me of Dylan. And he made me laugh. I never did record "Help," but I'm thinking about it again.

There are so many great songs and performances. Two of my favorites are "Instant Karma" and "Come Together." The albums that I liked the most, and that still inspire are Imagine and John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band. Going back, it's A Hard Day’s Night and the White Album. The solo recordings, the songs, the sound, the musicians and the production and the flux fiddlers and his passionate renditions. The venom, the gentleness, his vulnerability and honesty on all his songs has given me license. We are always looking for a few clues, some direction, a bit of information, a little style, some guidance, permission if you will, to take a few chances. It takes some courage and I'm always so excited when it's handed down to me. In 1980 I wrote "Jump Jump," and dedicated this song to John on my Escape Artist album in 1981.

JUMP JUMP
Let's make the great escape
All due respect to art for art sake
Jump Jump
We're gonna have some fun
For you and me and everyone

Jump Jump
To the rock and roll Rimbauds
Jump Jump
To the poets and verse
Jump Jump
To the Venus de Milo
Jump Jump
To the ones who came first
----Garland Jeffreys

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Jump Jump - Garland Jeffreys on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uUCCOBbm40I