Edward Rogers & Don Piper at The New Cutting Room

Thursday night, I visited the new Cutting Room on East 32nd Street to hear the Don Piper Situation and Edward Rogers & the Biba Crowd. A terrific show in a new spot with a warm and familiar name. The Cutting Room will be a destination for music lovers once again. The inside reminded me of Pirates of the Caribbean where all the swords have been replaced with guitars. A very cool space.

Don & Edward led their bands with passion and authority. Each show I watched the musicians carefully as they held stances like gunslingers anticipating Piper & Rogers every move or inflection.  Ready to go here or there. Their collaboration, concentration and precision were breathtaking.

The main celebration was the release of Edward Rogers’s new album,“Porcelain.” The record is gathering terrific press and there is a wonderful video, “The Biba Crowd.”

I highly recommend buying their music and seeing both artists live if you miss seeing bands like Roxy Music, English Beat, Kinks, Moody Blues, Madness, Joe Jackson, Furs, and on and on. The musicianship is that good.

Here are a few pictures of the space, shows, and a little bit of the West Village from earlier in the day.

Stoops to Nuts Served at Cornelia Street Cafe

Storytelling unfurled Tuesday night at Cornelia Street Cafe at the monthly “City Stories: Stoops to Nuts" show.

June 14th being Flag Day, Nicholas Zaharakos proved he’s as “American as Spinach Pie,” with a story about his Greek born father's ingenuity securing a well balanced meal under surveillance. Nicole Ferraro nominated her grandmother as the woman most likely to get you out of the supermarket with a full cart of stuff, most of your money still in your wallet, and a package of frozen chicken cutlets slid inside your raincoat. Don Piper & Edward Rogers sung of the city’s forgotten souls, isolation and the redemptive pleasure of connecting with friends in the neighborhood. Francesca Rizzo’s yarn let it be known that she holds the international record for dating coincidence and that her mother’s strength is not picking out puppies. Thomas Pryor told a cautionary tale for the kids out there about “Murder by Dusting.”

The place was packed with friends, fans, and the entire 4th grade from St. Stephen of Hungary. Led by Sister Adrianne and two chaperones, the kids had a ball and their ears only had to be covered for a few moments during one story. They returned to school immediately after the show in their Wayback Bus.

Thank you, Nicole, Don, Edward, Francesca & Nicholas for a great show. Thank you, Steve & Tiffany for keeping the customers satisfied. Angelo & Robin, thank you for letting us play in your sandbox. Barbara Aliprantis, thank you, for letting me hold your curating candle.

Carrying on a fourteen year old tradition, storytelling is alive and well at Cornelia Street Cafe on the second Tuesday of each month. Our next, “City Stories: Stoops to Nuts,” storytelling show is July 12th at 6pm at the Cafe.

All photos on this page were taken by Danielle Samantha Marks, except for the sidewalk shot taken by Thomas Pryor.

Saint Stephen's Class Trip to Cornelia Street Cafe

Sister Adrianne trying to come up with a "fun but educational" class trip has decided to take her Saint Stephen of Hungary's 4th grade to Cornelia Street Cafe tonight to see the "City Stories: Stoops to Nuts" storytelling show.

Mister Varga will drive the kids down on the school bus and Mrs. Otis and Mrs. Varga have volunteered as chaperones. All students bringing their 4th grade report cards showing a 90 average get in free, all others pay $7 with one free Mission soda or adult drink if you sport facial hair.

Sister Adrianne picked a winner. It's a great show with terrific tellers and songsmiths including Nicole Ferraro, Don Piper, Francesca Rizzo, Edward Rogers & Nicholas Zaharakos. Tommy Pryor will host the show then immediately return to his seat on the bus for the trip back to the school or suffer Sister Adrianne's consequences.

Tonight: City Stories: Stoops to Nuts @ Cornelia Street Cafe @ 6pm

Located at 29 Cornelia Street (between Bleecker & West 4th Street, just west of 6th Avenue).

ps don't forget today is Flag Day!

Storytelling in Central Park & Cornelia Street Cafe

50 years ago in 1961, Dad bought a Yashica 44 camera and the golden age of Pryor photography was lit much to the chagrin of Mom, Rory and me. Dad was relentless and we were his subjects. No back drop was safe. He caught us hungry, moody, sweaty, itchy, bitchy, happy, mad, goofy, every feeling a tightly wound family experiences.

One of our first trips with the new camera was over to Central Park so we could hit all the great statues. Rory and my favorite was Hans Christian Anderson sitting and reading "The Ugly Duckling" to the duck, I thought this was so nice of him. How considerate, writing a story about someone, then reading that story to them. As we walked around Sailboat Lake after the photos I thought, I gotta do that someday.

Next Tuesday, June 14th @ 6pm @ Cornelia Street Café, wonderful storytellers and songsmiths keep up Mr. Anderson’s tradition. “City Stories: Stoops to Nuts” storytelling show presents: Barbara Aliprantis, Nicole Ferraro, Don Piper, Francesca Rizzo and Edward Rogers. Expect to hear stories and songs about transformation. Admission is $7 bills (quack!) with one free drink.

A Nantucket Sleighride

"Dad, when you were on the Midori how did the cook make dinner for 1200 sailors?" I asked my father a hundred years ago.

He put his sketch pen down and said, "On an aircraft carrier, cooks either carefully watch a good cook work, wing it, or use the fall back: serve sh*t on a shingle."

I'm not an organized person and have difficulty preparing a radio show with one guest. Last night I had three guests. I say with no hesitation, despite my best effort to burn the house down with me in it, it turned out pretty good.

Listen to the show at the Centanni link below:

http://www.centannibroadcasting.com/id56.html

Edward Rogers, Don Piper & Joe Hurley were terrific guests. The show was a two hour Nantucket Sleighride, the guys pulled me up and down through our tumbling nuthouse but we all hung on.

Ed, Don & Joe, please come back to the show anytime you like.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q0JrV86EKCs

Don Piper & Edward Rogers are playing next Wednesday @ December 8th At Bowery Electric.

Joe Hurley is playing with the Gents next Tuesday @ December 7th @ Joes' Pub.

http://www.myspace.com/adonpipersituation

http://www.edwardrogersmusic.com/

http://www.roguesmarch.com/

Here's some Slade to take you through the holidays. I forgot Goodbye To Jane was in heavy rotation up Ekis's house on Friday nights.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0A8KT365wlA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CFAd-zpqWiU

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On the bottom of this page you see the item that made my belly hurt very bad on Sunday night. I ran out of food but found this unopened Sabra Roasted Garlic Hummus in the back of the bottom of my fridge. My weapon of choice was my left index finger. It took ten minutes. This must stop.

Something In the Air ~ Tuesday Night On Yorkville Radio

Something magical's in the air.

Long ago, once the holiday season commenced, things appeared on TV & radio that sent our spirits soaring. Rarely seen movies, cartoons, specials, & Top 45's for the year flooded the air between

Thanksgiving and New Year's. Across the pond, they got an early start on Guy Fawkes Day (November 5th).

Tuesday night on "Yorkville Stoops to Nuts," radio @ Centanni Broadcasting Network, Edward Rogers, Don Piper, Joe Hurley & I present: your favorite memories of TV & radio in the 50s, 60s & 70s during the holiday season.

This ain't no party, this ain't no disco, this ain't no Yule Log,

Something In the Air.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q_srFu5slZU&feature=related

Mighty Joe Young ~ Beautiful Dreamer

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7mOdWLG4bNU

Wile E Coyote, Super Genius

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=STeVTzWelns

Marvin the Martian

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mMuWOLVAzYY&feature=related

Listen to the show at the Centanni Broadcasting Network link below, @ Tuesday @ 9pm

http://www.centannibroadcasting.com/

Or listen to the archive at your convenience at the link below the day after the show :

http://www.centannibroadcasting.com/id56.html