“Deep in December, it's nice to remember …

“Deep in December, it's nice to remember …

…the fire of September that made us mellow. Deep in December, our hearts should remember and follow, follow.” (Try to Remember, from 1960s musical The Fantastiks)

“Every year at just this time,
In cold and dark December,
Families around the world
All gather to remember,
With presents and with parties,
With feasting and with fun,
Customs and traditions
For people old and young.”  (Helen H. Moore)
 

Aren’t these California rain storms wonderful? I drove up to watch the rain-swollen Walnut Creek flow out to sea with the egrets; first time we’ve had a storm this size in quite a while.

We are doing a couple of house concerts this month including our 5th Annual Holiday House Concert in the Santa Cruz Mountains with special guest musician and dear friend, Cristina Seaborn. Many of you who attended our previous concerts at Bonny Doon know that Cristina is a violinist extraordinaire, and master of several musical genres. Please write back to us if you’d like to attend and I will forward directions to the Santa Cruz (Bonny Doon) location with a phone number.

Our Bread & Roses performances this month will be a Christmas show at the VA Healthcare System in Menlo Park followed by joining up with the Bread & Roses choir at The Redwoods, a community of seniors in Mill Valley. We attended their very successful fundraiser featuring Boz Scaggs at Great American Music Hall.

Chappell and I have started booking a Southern California tour for March of next year and Pacific Northwest music dates for May 2015. If you can host a house concert in either of these areas, or know of one that we could play during those dates, please reply back via this newsletter.

Chappell’s “Wings of the Morning” painting, is the theme image for the Occidental Center for the Arts show Art as Gifts for the Holidays that opened November 7th. Bohemian Hwy Music and Books has a complete catalogue of the more than twenty images available in prints and 5 x 7 cards. The OCA Gallery is open Fridays and Saturdays from 11am to 4 pm and the print show and art sale continues through December 19th.

We have a lot of products available for your holiday gift shopping! If you’d like to order cards and prints or our new CD Stone & Fire directly please send a check ($17 for the CD includes $2 shipping) payable to Dave or Chappell Holt at 1335 Kenwal Rd., #A, Concord, CA 94521. You can also purchase downloads: Wings of the Morning and Stone & Fire

Dave’s book Voyages to Ancestral Islands, Poetry & Prose, is available at Amazon

Or Barnes and Noble if you prefer.

But if you’re like me, you support the Indie bookstores. Instead of giving Amazon your business, please consider buying it at Powell’s (Portland, OR).



Have a Merry Christmas and a very happy New Year! We hope to see you in 2015 at our upcoming shows or just out and about town.

Chappell & Dave

Wind That Makes Music in November Corn …

Wind That Makes Music in November Corn …

“The wind that makes music in November corn is in a hurry. The stalks hum, the loose husks whisk skyward in half-playing swirls and the wind hurries on … A tree tries to argue, bare limbs waving, but there is no detaining the wind.” (Aldo Leopold)

“’Cause nothin’ lasts forever and we both know hearts can change,
And it’s hard to hold a candle in the cold November rain.” (Guns N’Roses, November Rain)
 

This month Chappell and Dave are in art and poetry mode. Chappell’s “Wings of the Morning” painting, the cover art for our first CD of the same name, was picked as the theme image for the Occidental Center for the Arts show Art as Gifts for the Holidays. The opening reception for this print show and sale is Friday, November 7th, 5-7 pm. The show continues through December 20th.

Dave will be the featured poet at the “First Wednesdays” Poetry Reading on Nov. 5th at West End Café Deli and Bar, 1131 Fourth St, San Rafael, California 94901. This is a great group of poets, readers, and poetry followers with a lot of energy. People start arriving at 7 pm. You can order coffee, food and drinks. At 7:30 pm, Dave Holt will perform for 20 minutes and his reading will be followed by an open mic.

The 2014 FAR-West Conference of musicians, story-tellers, presenters, producers, etc., October 16 -19, was a phenomenal success. Comments from Facebook show what it was like. “We just took a nap so we can make it through the rest of the evening. Got to bed at 3 AM after hours of music. It starts up again at 10:30 pm.”  And that was if you didn’t have to get up to moderate a workshop at 9 am! It was well worth the effort, Dave found out when he moderated the “Music as Healing” morning workshop with panel presenters, Marian Hubler (Bread & Roses), Patrice Haan (Healing Muses) and Greg Beattie, (also from Bread & Roses).

The PGS rooms (Private Guerilla Showcases) are late night performances, very fun especially if you were able to get some shut-eye. Some are song circles where songs are exchanged which Chappell and I think are the best. Many are solo, duo or group performances. This was the first time we held a storytellers circle in our PGS room featuring expert raconteurs Bill Amatneek, Nick Smith, and Tom Hubbard and it was superb. We’ll do it again in our PGS next year. We were also honored to have many of the same fine musicians this year in Oakland as played in our PGS last year in Irvine.

Chappell organized the “Best of the West” Awards Ceremony luncheon, and was the emcee. Her performance at the podium helped make it a memorable day. Chappell secretly organized a flash-mob to surprise Cassandra Flipper of Bread & Roses as she accepted the 2014 Ambassador Award. The volunteers who were there jumped up on stage to sing the organization theme song, as chosen by founder Mimi Farina, “Our days shall not be sweated from birth until life closes, Hearts starve as well as bodies, give us bread, but give us roses.”

We are currently booking our 2015 tours, first to Southern California from March 1st to the 10th, and then to the Pacific Northwest in May. Please contact us if you are interested in having us play a house concert in your area by replying to this newsletter.
‎
Have a wonderful month and we hope to see you soon!

Chappell & Dave

Please forward this blog to anyone you think would be interested. 

"O Hushed October morning mild …”

"O Hushed October morning mild …”

 

Thy leaves have ripened to the fall; 
Tomorrow's wind, if it be wild,
Should waste them all. 
The crows above the forest call; 
Tomorrow they may form and go. – (Robert Frost, October)

 

“Let the sun run down right behind the hill,

I know how to stand there still till the moon rise up

Right behind the pine, Oh, Lord, October Road” (James Taylor)
 

Hello and Happy Fall to you all! We got off to a great start with the California rainy season and had a couple of days of rain in September. We’re all praying it continues unabated throughout the coming season.
 

A big thank you goes out to the In The Swing jazz group for recommending us to the Telegraph Ave. Business Corp who hired us for a gig on the street for the “Sundays on Telegraph” series. Sax player and improvisational poet, David Erdreich, showed up and sat in on alto saxophone. He came direct from his hit show at Avonova the night before (where we also played). A great time was had by all! (See photo, “Maybe we should have made a set list.”)

 

Dave attended the Dancing Poetry Festival at the Palace of the Legion of Honor in San Francisco on September 20th to read his prize-winning poem, “Prayer Through a Dark Passage” and receive his award. The sponsoring organization, Artists Embassy International led by Richard and Natica Angilly does great work promoting the art of poetry and building bridges to poet communities out of state and overseas. There were winning poets from Greece, China, Malaysia, Qatar, as well as many other states in the union, Colorado, Maryland, Mississippi, Indiana, etc.

 

Our show on Friday, Sept. 26th, at Occidental Center for the Arts with the Mighty Carlos Reyes on violin & Paraguayan harp was visited by a bit of rain and thunder (much more in Santa Rosa), but it didn’t ruin the beautiful fall-like weather or the concert which was a great success. Carlos joined in on our set, playing bass and violin. We had a blast! The appreciative crowd honored us with a standing ovation and an encore.

 

On Sunday, Oct. 5, 5-7 PM at Rancho Nicasio, we will be celebrating our 35th anniversary and playing a guest set with the wonderful Doug Adamz. We will play a 20 minute guest set at his gracious invitation. This show will be in the front bar. Hope to see you there to raise a glass and toast this love!

 

The big week coming up is October 16th -19th, the FAR-West (Folk Alliance Region-West) Music Conference. It is being held at the Oakland Marriott in Old Oakland’s beautiful Downtown. Chappell has been involved with the organizing and she will be our host at the Best of the West Awards Luncheon honoring Barbara Dane and Cassandra Flipper. Cassandra’s tenure as Executive Director for Bread & Roses is drawing to a close. She arrived in 2000 after the organization’s founder Mimi Fariña died in 2001.  Cassandra wrote to the volunteers, “It has been deeply satisfying and an honor to travel this road of hope, healing and joy through live music with all of you for the past 14 years.”

 

You are all invited to come to the various public events during the conference.

Venues Choice Concert on Thursday, Oct 16th at 7pm,  FB event page $15. per person.

Official Showcases on Friday, Oct 17th and Saturday, Oct 18th at 6:30pm. FB event page. $15. per person, per night.

Storytelling Expo on Sunday, Oct 19th at 2pm: FB event page. $10. per person

All four conference events are at this Brown Paper Tickets link.

There are also several pre- and post- conference events (on Wed, Oct 15th and Sunday, Oct 19th) - and all info can be found here.
 

We are playing at The Arlington, a Deli at 269 Arlington in Kensington, Friday November 7th, 6:30-8:45. John Roy Zat will be with us playing fiddle served hot! The food is good so come on by and enjoy dinner and music in a great neighborhood hangout.

If you’d like to order our new CD, Stone & Fire, directly please send a $17 check (includes $2 shipping, $3 from Canada) payable to Dave Holt to 1335 Kenwal Rd., #A, Concord, CA 94521. You can also purchase downloads  of Wings of the Morning at http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/chappelldaveholt, Stone & Fire at http://www.cdbaby.com/Artist/ChappellDaveHolt

Please contact us if you are interested in having us play a house concert in your area by replying to this newsletter.‎ Have a wonderful month and we hope to see you at one of our shows.

See you next month,
Chappell & Dave

Please forward this email to anyone who would be interested. 

Oh, Sweet September Morning …

Oh, Sweet September Morning …

“September fattens on vines. Roses flake from the wall. The smoke of harmless fires drifts to my eyes. This is plenty. This is more than enough.” (September Song, poem by Geoffrey Hill)

“Oh, Sweet September morning, when I found him in my life, in my life
And he tells you of his guiding star and then he starts his journey
to the center of your dreaming.” (Sweet September Morning, Buffy Sainte Marie)

Hello Everyone,

Hope you’ve had a great summer like we have. A highlight in August: we had a ball at our first gig at The Arlington, August 22nd when we were joined by our pals John Roy Zat and Randy Rood, making us a complete band. We rocked out more than usual, with Chappell doing Tear it Up, and Dave singing Choo Choo Cha Boogie. We will return to the Arlington in November.

We’ll be performing at the San Gregorio General Store, a really fun place off of Highway One, on Sunday, September 7th, 11 am till 1 pm. It’s located in a beautiful valley on 7615 Stage Rd, San Gregorio, CA 94074. Phone: (650) 726-0565.

On Saturday September 15th, we are booked to perform our jazz classic tune “Travels With Louis” in a review of poetry and music at Avonova house concert at 417 Avon St., Oakland, CA.

In Berkeley, we’ll be a part of Sundays on Telegraph that returns to the avenue every Sunday through September. You’ll find us playing in front of the Berkeley Hat Company, September 14, noon-5 pm. This car-free street party has a mellow vibe, great music and attendees from all walks of life.  The location, Berkeley Hat Company, is at 2510 Telegraph Ave., phone 510-549-2955.

We’re having Chappell & Dave Holt’s CD Release Celebration with Carlos Reyes at Occidental Center for the Arts. Carlos has electrified audiences the world over with his astonishing mastery of the Paraguayan harp and violin.  Party starts Friday, September 26, 2014 at 8 pm. Cabaret seating and fine refreshments. Admission: $15 General/$10 Advance Reservations. Call 707-874-9392 or go to www.occidentalcenterforthearts.org.

Doug Adamz, poet/songwriter/guitarist and “outrageous harmonica player,” has invited us to sit in at his Rancho Nicasio Restaurant and Bar date, October 5, 5-7 pm, 415-662-2219. We’ll do four songs and celebrate our 35th anniversary (which is actually October 7th) that night. Come out and celebrate with us!

Thank you DJ Dan Herman for choosing us for featured airplay on Radio Crystal Blue. Listening link: https://radiocrystalblue.files.wordpress.com/2014/08/rcblive082414.mp3

On KC Café Radio at http://kccaferadio.com/chappell-dave-holt, you may request up to 2 songs per hour, no more than 10 songs per day. If an artist you request has already played within the last two hours, your request will not be honored, and will appear in the search results with a  icon. Click the “request” button associated with the selection you would like to hear. Your selection should then play sometime over the course of the next hour.

If you’d like to order our new CD, Stone & Fire, directly please send a $17 check (includes $2 shipping, $3 from Canada) payable to Dave Holt to 1335 Kenwal Rd., #A, Concord, CA 94521. You can also purchase downloads  of Wings of the Morning at http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/chappelldaveholt
Stone & Fire at http://www.cdbaby.com/Artist/ChappellDaveHolt

Have a wonderful month and we’ll be back in October,
Chappell & Dave

Now That It’s Time for August … “I’ve got thirty-one days to glow.”

Now That It’s Time for August … “I’ve got thirty-one days to glow.”

“I belong to the Man-Of-The-Month Club, And here it is the end of July.
It's just about time for August to come hot-footin' it by.
You can guess that I'm twelve times as happy as gals with only one man a year.
And now is the time for August to put my heart in high gear.” (sung by Julie London)

 

Hear Julie sing the whole thing

 

We hope you’ve been having an enjoyable summer. We managed to fit in a day off with friends last weekend for a beautiful afternoon picnic and wine-tasting in Suisun Valley.

We are playing at The Arlington, a Deli on 269 Arlington in Kensington on Friday, August 22, 6:30-8:45. You can enjoy dinner and drinks while listening to the music. The eggplant parmigian was great the night we visited and heard our friend and recording engineer Randy’s group, “Roll with Randy Rood” play. We’re hoping for some surprise musical guests to show up that night.

 

Please join us on Saturday, September 13th, when Chappell & Dave Holt will perform at Avonova at a house concert presenting as headliners the poetry and music of Michael DeWall and David Erdreich. The poet/artists will be assisted by their back-up singers, The Cloudettes. Other guest poets Avotcja, Dan Brady, and Nanette Dietz will read from their work. The show starts at 8 PM; admission is $15.

 

The next afternoon, Sunday, September 14th, we will be playing on the sidewalk at the Berkeley Hat Company, on Telegraph Ave. as part of the Telegraph Avenue Summer Street Fair, from noon to 5 pm.
 

Please set aside Friday September 26th on your calendar for Chappell & Dave Holt’s CD Release Celebration with Special Guest Violinist & Harpist, Carlos Reyes. The “Stone & Fire” music party is coming to Occidental Center for the Arts, featuring cabaret and concert seating in the auditorium on that date, Friday, Sept. 26, 2014, at 8 pm. Admission is $10 General.

 

Check out our remodeled web site. You’ll enjoy seeing what Chappell does when she’s not playing music. Visit the updated sections “Chappell’s Art,” and “Chappell Rose Wearables & Ruby’s Reclaimed.” She used her design skills, devoting quite a few hours to getting the site spiffed up.

 

If you like what you hear of the music samples, will you make it official? You can go to the CD Baby icon at the bottom of the home page to download our newest CD “Stone & Fire,” or a favorite song from the site is $.99. The first CD, “Wings of the Morning” is available under artist name Chappell on the CD Baby site.

Have a wonderful month and we’ll see you at The Arlington in August, or at our September shows.
Chappell & Dave

We Sing of Brooks, of Blossoms, Birds, and July-flowers …

We Sing of Brooks, of Blossoms, Birds, and July-flowers …


“I sing of brooks, of blossoms, birds, and bowers:
Of April, May, of June, and July-flowers.
I sing of maypoles, hock-carts, wassails, wakes,
Of bridegrooms, brides, and of their bridal cakes.” (Robert Herrick)

“Running barefoot through the pasture
Sunday evening baseball games
The old men talked about the weather
It never changed... it stayed the same
We need rain... the crops are dry
Gonna be... one hot July.” (One Hot July, by Tony Joe White)
 

“In this day and age of so much "cookie cutter" music, all so digitally perfect, etc. - I felt like I was transported back to a time when people only made music for the True Love Of It.” Pamela Polland, www.pamelapolland.com/ commenting on Chappell & Dave’s Stone & Fire CD.

Our fundraiser at Stevie Coyle’s Mighty Fine Guitars, 85 Lafayette Circle, Lafayette, in support of  FAR-West, was a great success! As Jeanette Lundgren of Mother Hen Promotions  reported, “And now - drumroll!  We raised $685 altogether with donated CD sales, cookie sales, and the door.  Very Nice.” See  this Stone & Fire performance with John Roy Zat on fiddle, and this video for Indian Maiden featuring the fabulous Karl Hartman on bass.

Preparations are underway for the FAR-West conference being held in Oakland this October 16-19 at the Marriott City Center. Chappell is helping put together the Best of the West awards, one for a Performer of the Year, and for Ambassador of the Year. The FAR-West organization promotes traditional, contemporary and multicultural folk music, dance and related performing arts. If you’d like to register, please go to: http://www.far-west.org/far-west-2014.html. Evening concerts are open to the public at a nominal cost ($15.) with no registration required.

Every Monday night in Marin County an interesting event takes place, “Salons For Your Imagination, Wow!” hosted by Angar Mora. The evening salon begins with food and conversation at Café Arrivederci. Following the dinner, we will be presenting our music on Monday July 21, with books and CDs available for purchase. Start time is 5:30 and the event ends at 8:45. Cafe Arrivederci is on 11 G Street, San Rafael, CA. For reservations, please call Angar Mora at 415-492-8870.

Music by Chappell & Dave Holt Playing on KC Cafe Radio

You may request up to 2 songs per hour, and no more than 10 songs per day. If an artist you request has already played within the last two hours, your request will not be honored, and will appear in the search results with a  icon. Click the “request” button associated with the selection you would like to hear. Your selection should then play sometime over the course of the next hour. Timeliness may be affected by the number of other requests waiting to be played, special programming scheduled to air, or other factors relating to the regular rotation of music playing at the time.

If you’d like to order our new CD, Stone & Fire, directly please send a $17 check (includes $2 shipping) payable to Dave Holt to 1335 Kenwal Rd., #A, Concord, CA 94521. You can also purchase downloads (also Wings of the Morning) at http://www.cdbaby.com/Artist/ChappellDaveHolt

Please contact us if you are interested in having us play a house concert in your area by replying to this newsletter. Don’t forget to like the Chappell & Dave Holt band page, AND the Chappell Rose Holt artist page on Facebook.‎

Have a wonderful month and we’ll see you in August,
Chappell & Dave

Like a Rose That’s Newly Sprung in June …

Like a Rose That’s Newly Sprung in June …

“Oh, my love’s like a red, red rose,

That’s newly sprung in June;

Oh, my love’s like the melodie

That’s sweetly played in tune.” (Robert Burns)

 

“Among the bramble bushes grew a rose. It was a vision of beauty, so I chose to leave the darkness I’d refused to leave …” (Anniversary New Moon, from the new Chappell & Dave Holt CD Stone & Fire)

 

“June is bustin' out all over
All over the meadow and the hill!
Buds'r bustin' outa bushes
And the rompin' river pushes
Ev'ry little wheel that wheels beside the mill!”

(Rodgers and Hammerstein, fr. Carousel)

We had many great adventures on our Stone & Fire music/CD promotion tour through Corvallis, Portland (OR), Seattle (WA), finally reaching Summit, Oregon for our last concert at the Summit Community Center (April 30 to May 10). On the way up, our first stop was Eugene to visit Jeanette Lundgren of Mother Hen Productions where the shipment of our new CD Stone & Fire awaited us at her address (we saved on sales tax!)

Next day, we drove up to Portland to play our first gig at Magnolia’s Corner, supported by friends who came out to see us (some of whom drove down from Seattle). Back down to Corvallis for a performance at Imagine Coffee followed by a stay at Karl Smiley’s sheep ranch. Our car starter had conked out the night before so we drove back into Corvallis to get a new one. Karl just happened to have a roommate who fixed cars. Maybe he was a car angel. Our stay there was like a musician’s retreat. I think we played music the whole time except when Karl cooked for us. It began to rain and seemed to rain off and on for the rest of our time up north, a refreshing change for drought ravaged Californians.

We made it to Seattle in time for Dave to participate in a poetry reading at the Cascadia Poetry Festival, May 4th where we met some of the Northwest region poets and the Canadian bards. Dave exchanged books with Métis poet Joanne Arnott. He was also able to meet and talk with award-winning editor/teacher/writer and founder of the festival, Paul Nelson.

Off we went through another rain storm to Conor Byrne pub on Ballard Ave., where we played the first of two open mics we signed up for in this famous music town. The talented genius, Joel Tepp, sat in with us on clarinet/harmonica. Our opening song Indian Maiden, with its western swing jazz sound, wowed the crowd. A couple of nights later we played the Hopvine Pub open mic, where we met enthusiastic young musicians drawn to Seattle to play for this city’s great audiences, like David and Erin of the alternative folk/rock duo Jitensha, a charmingly original act from Vancouver. They recently traveled to our area to play San Francisco.

On our return to Portland to play Beaterville Café and Bar, we were delighted to have some of the fans who saw us at Magnolia’s come back to hear us and buy Stone & Fire and Wings of the Morning CDs. These are just some of the details of so many stories we could tell. Those of you connected with us on Facebook were able to enjoy the daily travelogue we posted, and can still view our tour photos on our Facebook Page Chappell & Dave Holt. 

“An unbeatable lineup” of Bay Area Mom Hen clients, Chappell & Dave Holt, John Roy Zat, The Keller Sisters, In the Swing, and Karl Smiley will perform an evening of music at Mighty Fine Guitars, representing the Folk Alliance Region-West (FAR-West) organization. Call 925-268-8226 or visit http://www.mightyfineguitars.com/.

Come on out to Stevie Coyle’s Mighty Fine Guitars at 85 Lafayette Circle, Lafayette, support FAR-West, and hear five great music acts for the price of one donation! This show is to help raise funds for FAR-West whose upcoming conference is held in Oakland this October 16-19 at the Marriott City Center. The FAR-West organization promotes traditional, contemporary and multicultural folk music, dance and related performing arts. If you’d like to register, please go to: http://www.far-west.org/far-west-2014.html.  Tickets for the Evening concerts are open to the public with no conference registration required.

We are excited to have the opportunity to open for Caroline Aiken, prominent blues/country /folk/rock songwriter touring from Athens, Georgia, on Thursday, June 19th, at The Monkey House. The Monkey House is a live/work storefront at 1638 University Ave, near Sacramento, just three blocks from North Berkeley BART. It's directly across from the Super 8 Motel and parking is usually easy. Doors open at 7, show at 7:30-10 pm. You can learn more about Caroline Aiken’s music at: http://www.carolineaiken.com/home.html

We will be doing a Bread and Roses concert on Wed., June 18, at The Tamalpais in Greenbrae. This is a private show that provides a great service for the resident seniors. Please visit the website of this important organization at http://www.breadandroses.org/.
 

We have some upcoming house concert appearances in the East Bay and we will share the details once the dates are confirmed. Please contact us if you are also interested in having us play a house concert in your area by replying to this newsletter.

If you’d like to order our new CD, Stone & Fire, directly please send a $17 check (includes $2 shipping) payable to Dave Holt to 1335 Kenwal Rd., #A, Concord, CA 94521. You can also purchase downloads (also Wings of the Morning) at http://www.cdbaby.com/Artist/ChappellDaveHolt

May … With What Pretty Music Shall We Charm the Hours?

May … With What Pretty Music Shall We Charm the Hours?

"May! Queen of blossoms,
 And fulfilling flowers,
With what pretty music
 Shall we charm the hours?
Wilt thou have pipe and reed,
Blown in the open mead?
Or to the lute give heed
 In the green bowers?" -  Lord Edward Thurlow, May

 “Tra la, it's May, the lusty month of May
That lovely month when everyone goes blissfully astray;
Tra la, it's here, that shocking time of year
When tons of wicked little thoughts merrily appear.”

(fr. Camelot, sung by Julie Andrews)
 

On April 7th, we gave a very successful poetry and music performance at Poetry Express in Berkeley, the weekly poets reading now held at Himalayan Flavors on University Avenue. We presented a combination of poetic songs such as Chappell’s Dance of the Desert, and my poetry that was part workshop, part demonstration of the interweaving of the two art forms. We will be reprising this idea in Alameda in the upcoming months. Also look for pending house concert announcements in the summer. Stay tuned!
 

We had a wonderful concert at our Bread and Roses show at Novato Healthcare Center on April 23, 2014. Tracey Rose was our host, and “host in training,” Carrie Sownie gave us a great writeup that gives you a very good picture of what our Bread and Roses shows are like: 
 

“The audience was ready for the show with warm cups of coffee or tea and wrapped up in blankets. Chappell and Dave Holt were charming performers and took us on a journey through the classics like Frank Sinatra to old New Orleans jazz tunes. They played love songs from the 40’s, boogie-woogie tunes from the 50’s and even some original songs they had written. At one point Chappell asked the audience if there were any Cole Porter fans out there and a spirited 'Yes!' came from the audience. 
 

“Many of the boogie-woogie tunes were a favorite. Some guests danced in their chairs, clapped along and tapped their feet. The staff loved it too and danced while assisting the folk. Some staff even poked their head in to enjoy the music before getting back to their work. A favorite moment was when Chappell sang a song that she had written for Dave for their 35th anniversary. It was a beautiful song that inspired an audience member with a purple sweater and beaded necklace to get up and waltz with another staff member.
 

“The performers sang many sing-a-longs, such as 'My Favorite Things' and 'Peace like a River' where the audience sang along softly. There was even a request to sing 'Over the Rainbow' that Chappell promised to sing next time. Afterwards the performers received many thank yous and hugs from the audience.”
 

Our Chappell & Dave Traveling Americana Poetry show is on the road to promote the CD Stone & Fire which we just released. If you’d like to order it directly, please send a $17 check (includes $2 shipping) payable to Dave Holt to 1335 Kenwal Rd., #A, Concord, CA 94521. 
 

We will be traveling for the first half of the month of May as many of you know.  Please follow us on Facebook as we post photos and updates from the road.

April Love is All the Seven Wonders …

April Love is All the Seven Wonders …

 

“One little kiss can tell you this is true.

Sometimes an April day will suddenly bring showers,

Rain to grow the flowers for her first bouquet,

But April Love can slip right through your fingers,

So if she’s the one, don’t let her run away.” (April Love by Pat Boone)

 

“The sun was warm but the wind was chill.
You know how it is with an April day
When the sun is out and the wind is still,
You're one month on in the middle of May.
But if you so much as dare to speak,
A cloud comes over the sunlit arch,
A wind comes off a frozen peak,
And you're two months back in the middle of March.” -  Robert Frost, Two Tramps in Mud Time 

 

We had a really fun month of March: a trip to L.A. for a meet and greet party with our online promoter Mother Hen Promotions, and some of her “chicks.” The Zipperers, John and Julie, were wonderful and gracious hosts and put on a great party with plenty of good food and drink (non-alcoholic). We even did some business, and also shared tips and information with each other about venues, shows, club experiences, and studio recordings.

 

This trip coincided with a birthday party in Venice to honor an old friend and a fine musician, Mitch Greenhill, whose band String Madness performed one of the tunes from their CD‎. While in the neighborhood, we played a fun gig at Artlife Center in Redondo Beach with music friends Shakeh Herbekian and Brian Asher.

Two weeks later, Chappell returned to S. California with her vintage dealer friend and client, Barbara Grigg, who had booked her booth at the Vintage Textile Show held at Pickwick Gardens, Burbank. After the hard work of doing the show, there was more fun staying overnight with friends from the “Western Bebop” band Cow Bop. Go take a listen at www.cowbop.com.

The task of recording tracks for the now legendary “Stone and Fire” CD is completed! Next week we will finish up the mixing, the graphics and design, and then get ‘em manufactured to take on the road. Here's the Chappell & Dave schedule for May 2014 appearances in Portland and Washington. Hope we get to see many of our Northwest friends at one of these shows!

Magnolia's Corner, Downtown Portland across from the Hollywood Theater: Thursday, May 1st, 7 to 9pm.

Cascadia Poetry Festival, Seattle WA., Fri. or Sat. daytime open mic performance -- day TBD (depends on our other dates).  Dave was published in Raven Chronicles (Seattle) twice this year so we want to make an appearance at the Cascadia Festival.

Beaterville Singer Songwriter Showcase, Portland OR., Thursday, May 8th, 8 pm.

Karl Smiley House Concert, Blodgett OR. (near Corvallis), Friday May 9.

We may be adding another date in Corvallis on May 2, and we will confirm that once we know for sure. 
 

We will feature at Poetry Express the first Monday in April, the 7th. Come out to Himalayan Flavors, 1585 University Ave., Berkeley CA, for an evening of poetry and poetic lyrics in songwriting! Time: 7-9 pm includes open mic.

Our next Bread and Roses show will be at Novato Healthcare Center on Wednesday, April 23, 2014. Concert Producer/Public Relations Manager, Marian Hubler, dropped us a kind note after our March performance, “Our audience at the hospital loved your songs! Thanks for all your support for Bread and Roses. Look forward to seeing you at Folk Alliance (Region West) in Oakland in October!” Please check out their web site. They provide over 600 concerts a year to people who live in institutions, “Hope and Healing Through Live Music." 

Don’t forget to like the Chappell & Dave Holt band page, AND the Chappell Rose Holt artist page on Facebook.‎

Have a great month,
Chappell & Dave