Why this tune? This week’s tune marks Bastille Day, the French national holiday, with a silly song about how we rely on a French phrase to start our meals in the USA. I responded to a songwriting prompt to use “foreign words” and took this idea to an absurd extreme. This was the second ofContinue reading “Tunes on Tuesday: Appetite”
Category Archives: Original music
Tunes on Tuesday: My Country
Why this tune? Once in a rare while, inspiration strikes and there’s no choice but to follow it. That happened to me on the morning of July 4, when we celebrated the 250th anniversary of the American Declaration of Independence. I had an image in my head of an enormous American flag flying over aContinue reading “Tunes on Tuesday: My Country”
Tunes on Tuesday: Be Free
Why this tune? In honor of this week’s celebration of Emancipation Day in the US Virgin Islands and US Independence Day, I’m sharing “Be Free,” a song I wrote back in 2018 for The Lucky So and So’s, a funk/latin/jazz/hip-hop band I was part of for a while in DC. The song has a simple,Continue reading “Tunes on Tuesday: Be Free”
Tunes on Tuesday: What About Us
Why this tune? This week’s tune is an update of my Torah Tune for Parashat Pinchas (Numbers 25:10-30:1). It tells the story from Numbers 27 about the five daughters of Zelophehad, who successfully petitioned to inherit their late father’s share of the Promised Land, establishing a rule that daughters could inherit property if there wereContinue reading “Tunes on Tuesday: What About Us”
Tunes on Tuesday: On the March Again
Why this tune? For this week’s tune, I’m, going back to my ongoing Torah Tunes project with a song for this week’s portion, Beha’alotcha (בְּהַעֲלֹֽתְךָ֙). The song was inspired by the story of the Israelites’ journey through the desert starting in Numbers 9. The lyrics reference the cloud that covered the Tabernacle during the night.Continue reading “Tunes on Tuesday: On the March Again”
Tunes on Tuesday: We Hate the Same Way
Why this tune? I wrote the first version of this week’s tune in January as part of my song-a-day challenge. I found inspiration in a column by Miss Manners we read in the Washington Post, where their response to a letter included the blessing “May you two have a long and happy life together focusingContinue reading “Tunes on Tuesday: We Hate the Same Way”
Tunes on Tuesday: The Last Banana
Why this tune? I wrote “The Last Banana” a couple of years ago, and have been performing it at live shows and open mics for about a year. I have shared it with appreciativeaudiences in DC, St Croix, and most recently at the Cast Party open mic in New York City. I’ve been working onContinue reading “Tunes on Tuesday: The Last Banana”
Tunes on Tuesday: Tell Me About Yesterday
Why this tune? This week’s song is a collaboration that started in Scarlet Keys’ weekly songwriting class. Our group meets on Friday mornings to practice “object writing,” a method pioneered by The Berklee College songwriting legend Pat Pattison. The emphasis is on writing lyrics that draw on all of our senses, using visual imagery andContinue reading “Tunes on Tuesday: Tell Me About Yesterday”
Tunes on Tuesday: Plague
Why this tune? As we approach the end of Passover, I’m sharing a song inspired by the Torah story of the Ten Plagues (Parashat Vaera in the book of Shemot/Exodus). “Plague” transforms the story into a bluesy breakup song, sung by someone who realizes that their relationship has become toxic and that it’s time toContinue reading “Tunes on Tuesday: Plague”
Tunes on Tuesday: My Funny Valentine
Why this tune? It was a treat to welcome my good friend and long time musical collaborator Aaron Myers to St. Croix earlier this month. We had the opportunity to introduce him to our new home and to share his talent with a St Croix audience. The show we presented at the Caribbean Museum CenterContinue reading “Tunes on Tuesday: My Funny Valentine”