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LET’S GET HIGH – A new song for the New Year

KEEP LETTING GO – Gary’s new CD

First off, please check out our new song video, Let’s Get High. The description on the YouTube page says, “Our suggestion for dealing with the impending craziness of 2018.” For those of you who don’t partake, just remember – it’s the thought that counts. Do whatever YOU need to do to manage the upside-down world of our current times. Other eras might have been worse, but NONE were crazier than now. The song is written by Spencer Green and myself, Spencer being the co-writer of our two musicals, Bukowsical and Bumpersticker. He’s a former MadTV and In Living Color writer, and one of the funniest people on the planet.

Let’s Get High: https://youtu.be/u6JoexYzQGk

There was a CD Release concert on Nov. 17 for my new CD, Keep Letting Go. The concert was more than sold out, people were turned away, which I’m very sad about. IF you came to the show and were turned away, please let me know and I will either send you some kind of consolation prize, or free admission to one of my other shows. I’m grateful so many people showed up, and for the amazing work of Lauri Reimer, who knew the show would be a smash all along, even when I fretted about it.

Opening for me was the great comedian Matt Kirshen. If you don’t know his work (he’s appeared on @Midnight on Comedy Central, and Last Comic Standing) check him out here: https://youtu.be/3avd7i6g2xk

And now, a mea culpa…I worked as hard as I could to make sure the liner notes on the album (adorned with the great photo work of Jill Jarrett) were correct grammatically, and that everyone who worked on the album was mentioned in the proper way.

Well, on the song Today You Are A Man, I screwed up twice. The biggest error was leaving off the name of Jill Freeman, who sang in the Cór na hÉireann (“Irish Choir” in Irish – which I also screwed up by calling it Curfa na hÉireann, which means “Irish Clash” which, come to think of it, isn’t a bad name). So apologies to Jill who is an amazing songwriter and performer. Her CD “A Handmade Life” is a work of art.

Also, when mentioning Renee French, my amazing artist friend whose drawing of “Ivey” graces a pin on my jacket on the back cover, I wrote “…who’s face…” when, clearly I meant “whose face.”

I apologize to everyone whose grammar I ever corrected.

Of course, I’d love it if you bought the CD (Amazon, iTunes, etc.), but I understand the era we’re in, so if you want to hear it, here are the links:

Spotify: http://open.spotify.com/album/6P7Z0mVkEEPSu1XbL3gsyc

YouTube: http://bit.ly/2CWo7Ix

Happy New Year, everyone. It’s gonna be a doozy.

save the date…

DATE CHANGE: NOVEMBER 17, FRIDAY NIGHT

KEEP LETTING GO” CD RELEASE CONCERT AND BIRTHDAY PARTY

EL CID on SUNSET in HOLLYWOOD

We changed the date of the CD Release concert to November 17. This was because three of the amazing musicians who played on my record (Debra Dobkin, Ed Tree, and Nick Kirgo) were already booked on Sept. 16 in a show, and because my drummer, MB Gordy, just got a gig playing that weekend in Pete Townshend’s Quadrophenia at the Greek Theater (we are appropriately envious).

SO – this is now not only the CD release party, but also my 65th Birthday Party! Those of you (and I invited my whole mailing list) who came to my 60th party know what a bash it was, and this will be even better (like, with a sound system that works!).

I will post the specific ticket info as soon as the link is up, but the concert will be at 8pm, Friday night, Nov. 17 (doors at 7:30). http://www.elcidsunset.com/

It’s tough to find a weekend night in SoCal where there aren’t some of my favorite performers playing on the same night. That’s great for us music-lovers, but hell when you’re trying to book a show. So I talked to my friend Brad Colerick (veteran composer/songwriter and producer of hundreds of shows), and he said, “You’ll never find a perfect day. Just stake your claim and start promoting.” Good advice, so we’re on it.

Remember: Everyone attending the show will receive a CD included with the admission price. I’ll be posting a few songs from the album as we get closer to the concert date.

It would mean a lot to me to have you there (and, I mean YOU!).

Love,

Gary

Please save the date:

“KEEP LETTING GO” CD RELEASE CONCERT AND PARTY

SEPT. 16, EL CID on SUNSET IN LOS ANGELES

My new CD “Keep Letting Go” is finally finished, and so I’m inviting you to the big celebration concert on Saturday, September 16th at EL CID 4212 Sunset Blvd, LA. If you’ve ever liked any Gary Stockdale music in the past, or have seen me perform, this is going to be my best concert ever!

First off, I’ll be appearing with a slew of amazing musicians! Joining me onstage will be one of the greatest guitarists ever, Grant Geissman. Steve Deutsch and MB Gordy will be kicking ass on bass and drums, plus there will be some guest stars TBA; all happening at a beautiful old LA standby with excellent Spanish/Mexican food and a full bar. We have the full night there, so after the concert let’s hang out and continue the party!

Everyone attending the show will receive a CD (included with the admission price). The album was produced by my dear friend, Greg Prestopino, producer of so many great records including Dan Bern’s recent Hoody. The evening is being produced by Lauri Reimer and Music Magique Promotions.

More info as we add cool stuff. For now, PLEASE SAVE THE DATE!

Happy Chinese New Year of the Rooster

(I’m still writing “Monkey” on my checks)

We used to send out New Year’s cards by mail every year, with pictures of the kids and us doing something clever. And usually, since we were always late getting them out, we’d make them Chinese New Year’s cards. Now, with social media, we don’t do that any more. I miss it, and feel a bit guilty since so many of my good friends still do, like Bill Mumy, whose family photos feature one of his (I think literally) hundreds of guitars in each year’s card. Or Steven Banks, whose pictures of his beautiful wholesome family somewhat handily obscures his truly dark and edgy comic sense.

But we’ve all noticed that things have taken a dark turn of late. People are locking horns in this political season like never before. And with good reason: We’ve never seen an election like this last one before. Spencer Green and I wrote a comedy song about how we who were against Trump “shall return” to fight back with such formidable weapons as Bill Maher and Samantha Bee. It was meant to poke a little fun at ourselves along with skewering the new administration. Yet, at Wine and Song, Brad Colerick had to get in between two guys duking it out in the parking lot because one guy didn’t like the point of view in my song, and started shouting at me after I sang it (big surprise – left-wing politics at a folksinging show). My friend, the brilliant and funny Eric Schwartz was a little put-out, saying he thought HE should be the one causing fistfights and angry mobs. Perhaps he’s working on a new one that will accomplish that soon, if that’s what it’s come to. Woody Guthrie didn’t kid around, and, perhaps, neither should we.

But I have people I love and cherish who think differently than I do, so I keep trying to communicate, and trying to figure out how we can reach some kind of ethical and moral common ground. If we give up trying to do that – even in the midst of fighting for what we believe is right – then we truly will be a country and a world divided irreparably. Keep talking, everyone, and try to shed more light than heat.

Some good news: Bumpersticker: The Musical, our musical that played the Hollywood Fringe Festival last summer, was awarded the Billy Barnes Award for Best Music and Lyrics from The Robby Awards, This is the 31st year the Robby Awards have been chosen by longtime Southern California theatre reviewer Rob Stevens. With the help of our great producer, Michael Blaha, we’re working on the next step in our plan for world domination.

I haven’t booked a lot of gigs lately so I’m not announcing any on this blog, but stay tuned, as I’ll be announcing some big CD release concerts in the next couple of months as my producer Greg Prestopino and I are just putting the finishing touches on the new record. We’ve actually almost recorded two albums’ worth of tunes, so look for more to come as well.

So as they used to say in Hill Street Blues, “Be careful out there,” in the real world and in the virtual one. And if we want to see a change, we’d better be the change.

Love to all, and 恭喜发财