Posts Tagged ‘A Holiday Benefit’
“A Holiday Benefit, Vol. 3” Video Premiere
Comprising twelve tracks from some of New York City’s finest emerging artists, “A Holiday Benefit, Vol 3” is a seasonal charity compilation spanning the delicate (Bess Rogers’ “Little Saint Nick”) to the downright bombastic (Bryan Dunn’s “Don’t Believe In Christmas”) with a dash of holiday hilarity (Casey Shea’s “The Chipmunks Song”) in-between. In addition, the…
Read More“A Holiday Benefit, Vol. 3” Single & Track List Revealed
One Indian summer afternoon a few weeks ago, singer/songwriters Casey Shea, Paula Valstein, Emily Easterly, Andy Mac, Martin Rivas, Ruby Rivers, Amber Rubarth, Chris Abad, plus bassist Tony Maceli, drummer Jamie Alegre and I converged on Chris Cubeta’s Galuminum Foil Studios in Brooklyn to conjure up a little bit of Christmas in October. Our cover…
Read MoreSerious (Christmas) Business, Baby
There’s a chance I may be getting overly confident in our collective abilities, but we always seem to pull it off. I’ve only been in the studio twice this year, in both cases recording cover songs for compilations albums. In May, the guys and I covered The Nadas’ “Feel Like Home” for the band’s fifteenth…
Read MoreC’Mon C’Mon, Gather Round
I won’t front; I was nervous. Thursday was a difficult enough right from the start. Rapper Lil Wayne pleaded guilty to gun possession less than an hour after I stepped into the office. For the bulk of the afternoon, then, the news team piled on the story and began crashing a half-hour show. All day…
Read MoreTimes Are Hard (But No One Seems To Care)
Christmas can demand a lot of a man, even in October. I swore up and down to Chris, Jamie and Tony that I’d meet them at Galuminum Foil Studios at exactly nine o’clock. At 8:34, I hailed a cab from West 86th Street to 14th and First. At 8:47, I hopped the L to Lorimer…
Read MoreChristmas Is The Time To Say I Love You
There’s barely a nip in the air, but once again, we’re getting the holidays started early. In two years, “A Holiday Benefit” and “A Holiday Benefit, Vol. II” have raised nearly $5000 for 826NYC, a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting students ages 6-18 with their creative and expository writing skills. This year, veterans Chris Abad,…
Read MoreForever & Always
You may recall that one of the “A Holiday Benefit, Vol. II” silent auction items was a “Custom Benjamin Wagner Song.” This was the pitch: “Singer/songwriter will collaborate with YOU on a song. At the end of the process, you’ll get two (2) signed CDs with YOUR song plus original album art. Minimum Bid: $75.”…
Read More“A Holiday Benefit, Vol. II” Raises $3000 For Youth Literacy
This morning, I sent a check to 826NYC on behalf of all the artists and fans behind “A Holiday Benefit, Vol. II.” Together, we increased last year’s contribution by a third by raising $3000 to support students ages 6-18 with their creative and expository writing skills, and help teachers inspire their students to write. Thanks…
Read MoreAnd The Winner Is…
A week ago, I attempted to move a few extra copies of “A Holiday Benefit, Vol. II” with a raffle. Every purchase automatically entered the buyer to win a copy of the charity CD signed by each of the eleven artists, plus signed copies of their respective CDs. So tonight, I wrote everyone’s name on…
Read MoreA Special “Holiday” Offer On Behalf Of The Kids
I watch the news. I appreciate that times are tough. And I read the blogs, so I know that few people buy CDs anymore. Still, lemme make one final appeal to you on behalf of kids in Brooklyn who need somewhere safe to go after school, and wanna’ learn how to write (coming from a…
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