Terri Roben: News

We have been doing well, but not so the ocean we continue to spoil with our lack of foresight, caution, wisdom and humility. Only when the crisis is in our face do we seem to care and realize that materialism and greed are unhealthy for all living beings. How much pollution will it take till we know that clean healthy systems are gold?
Anyway, I am feeling the need more and more to sing political music as well as fun, danceable music that gives us some balance and relief. So that's what you can depend on when you come to see us.
We look forward to a busy July and may take part of the month of August off!
Swim clean, don't cook in the sun too long, enjoy the summer!

It's spring - the farmer's markets are outdoors, the earth is smiling with flowers, greening with grass and trees and erupting with veggies and herbs!
We will be all over the place, from Schenectady to Delmar, Troy to Albany, Stephentown to Schaghticoke. Never enough time to do all there is to do, but we are having fun doing what we can!
Hope you all have a great spring and summer and we'll see you at our gigs and maybe the GottaGetGon, Old Songs Festival, or Falcon Ridge. No, we're not performing at them, but yes, we will be playing and having fun along with everyone else!
Enjoy the sun and puddles!

Dance Flurry wonderful and over, super cold coming to an end, where's the snow - oh yeah, in the south, no such thing as climate change - (denial is a river in egypt!) Music Together with those toddlers saving my sanity as always, having a lot of fun with Dangerous On Decaf taking shape, back to Planet Fitness (the no judgement zone!) standing for peace on fridays with a few Schenectady neighbors, continuing cleaning out clutter, (Gawd, who knew there was so much?) loving the farmer's markets, loving my friends, nothing like a warm bed on a cold night, playing ukelele, rehearsing Bach's Mass in B Minor with 100 plus others, what a trip - when did corporations become people, why do we have a Supreme Court in a so-called democracy - looking for the resolutions I misplaced - megabus to NYC is great and affordable - NYC is a blast! People's Music Network conference was dynamite- looking forward to going to the Dulcimer Fest in Latham, a children's music workshop at Lesley U in Cambridge MA, a women's singing retreat in April, NEFFA festival later, perhaps- and then, GottaGetGon and Old Songs...mmm, mmm, mmm, life can be sweet when it's filled with music! Happy birthday Mandy & Joyce!

I am making and hopefully not breaking some New Year's resolutions. I want to learn to speak Spanish at least enough to get by, knit and crochet maybe, get in better shape, always; practice more and play music with more people for fun and money, stay as healthy as possible, have fun as always, and just live love laugh and learn! Not too much to ask, right?
I hope we can evolve as a species
and get the idea of non-violence as a way of life into our collective heads someday. Wouldn't that be something? Imagine....

I am grateful to have the privilege of sharing music with others, leading children and parents in music and movement classes, playing with friends and other musicians, singing Bach in a choir, and finding out that music and movement is so healthy and good for our bodies and brains. I thought it was just fun all those years I was growing up!
Hope we see you around at a gig or two, and that we can all remember to be grateful to wake up every day and know we pretty much live in a place of privilege in this world. Let's keep trying to get a little greener too, for the next generations and our own health!

Wow, things are flying around in the wind, and I'm one of them! Life has been hectic, but good, and I have a nice big Music Together class in Saratoga keeping me hopping and dancing on Mondays, as well as two in Clifton Park on Thursdays and one in Schenectady on Fridays. Those little folks are what keeps me going, and I feel so lucky to have them in my work and life. As my husband the chimney sweep tries to keep up with the annual demand of people getting ready for the snow and cold, I am trying to keep it together while learning music for children, for my duo, "Dangerous On Decaf", for an occassional band date with Steel Street Rose, and for the Burnt Hills Oratorio Society and our concert performing JS Bach's "Christmas Oratorio" with orchestra and soloists! Then there's the last of the outdoors farmer's markets and looking forward to some new venues...
Keep warm, drink some cider to celebrate the season, play no tricks but savor some treats, and stop by and see me sometime!

Exciting news! I will be directing my own Music Together site in Saratoga Springs, beginning October 5th 2009. I will offer 10 and 11am classes for newborns to 5yr olds and their caregivers. The classes are 45 minutes each, and the semester will run for 10 weeks. I will offer two free demonstration classes on Sept 21 at 10 am and Sept 28 at 11:15 am. Look for upcoming publicity and details about this, and tell anyone you know in Saratoga with infants and toddlers about it! For more information, go to www.musictogetherofsaratoga.com.

Hi Folks,
Because I began recording a new family cd and because I will be singing at a Vets For Peace peace conference this weekend, Aug. 15 and 16
(kateripeaceconference.org) I decided to make a sampler cd of political parodies to sell at the conference and while I am continuing to record. I have had requests to record my funny stuff and political stuff, so I am doing that at the same time. I will have these 6-song samplers on hand at my gigs, asking donations of $1 - $5 for them. Hopefully there will be a full-length cd in the near future, on which these may appear, either the same or fancier. The songs are:
1.George Bush, Goodbye
2.All Of Me
3. Little Boxes
4. Waking Up Is Hard To Do
5. Crime After Crime
6. Home On The Earth
They are suitable for adults and adolescents. Let me know if you are interested by speaking to me in person, or emailing me at tlroben@yahoo.com.
Thanks and have a happy August!

Wow, almost August already!
Well, Wednesday the 29th the rain held off for my kids concert at the Troy Riverfront Park and a good time was had by all. However, it came down in buckets in the evening but that didn't stop us from having a good audience and a great time at The Moon and River Cafe in downtown Schenectady. Linda Hartman and I debuted a bunch of songs we'd been practicing together, and though it was hot and muggy, we were given a response for our efforts! We will go with the name "Dangerous On Decaf" from now on when we duet, compliments of friend Alice's casual comment during a giddy coffee conversation. Hope to get Chrys Ballerano to join us next month at the Moon and River to turn it into a trio for a few songs at least!
Have a good weekend. I'm looking forward to seeing the musical "Rent' tomorrow at Proctor's theater in Schenectady.
peace and keep on!
Terri

We had a wonderful performance in Harvard MA of "Come Round Right" the dance Marta Renzi choreographed with her Project Company dancers, along with 10 young dance students from the area. The rain held off until after we had cleared the forest site, so we felt blessed. We had some nice pre- PR, including this piece from the Boston Globe -

http://www.boston.com/yourtown/wellesley/articles/2009/06/25/marta_renzi_and_project_company_will_perform_at_fruitlands_museum?s_campaign=8315
Summer has been cool, sunny, rainy and beautiful in my book. I love biking 7 miles every morning without feeling drenched in sweat, but I am hope all the folk festivals don't get rained out!
My friend Linda Hartman and I are cooking up a mix of blues, jazz, jug music and folk. We have decided on a name for our particular blend - Dangerous On Decaf! - so expect to see that name floating around in the future as we try to break into some new venues as well as our familiar spots.
I am also excited to announce that I will begin work on a new family cd and hope to have it well before the holidays. And a new partner in children's music may be appearing on the horizon for me...keeping my fingers crossed!
Please tell your friends with small children in Saratoga to stop by Caffe Lena's on August 23 at 3pm for a children's concert of wonderful Paul Strausman music, performed by myself and Andy Morse, and a few other surprise guests. Proceeds will go to the Strausman family college fund.
Enjoy the rest of July and see you around the Capital District!

I am truly honored to be singing and playing some guitar, dulcimer and banjo for a brand new Marta Renzi dance project entitled "Come Round Right" to be performed June 28 at the gorgeous Fruitlands outdoor museum in Harvard Mass; September 6th at The Yard in Martha's Vineyard, and September 20th at the Natural Bridge in North Adams, Mass. Three generations of dancing girls and women, appalachian music, and a play party game! At the Fruitlands it will be performed in the woods, at the base of an amazing giant tree sculpture in the shape of a woman, named "Oracle". To top it off, my daughter is one of the dancers! An interesting, fun and enriching experience for everyone involved. Thanks to Marta for the opportunity!

I am also pleased to be exploring some new forms of performing with my friend Linda Hartman. We played some new pieces at the Moon and River Cafe recently to enthusiastic applause and were excited to see what our weekly practice sessions yielded. A couple of jug music songs, a parody, a jazz number, a couple of instrumentals with banjo/ guitar, and lap dulcimer/ guitar
were among our new numbers, We performed some new pieces at the Moon and River Cafe last week to enthusiastic applause and were excited to see what our weekly practice sessions yielded
Looking forward to our next time out, and we might even take it to the streets!
The farmer's markets are thriving and still lots of fun to play music at so don't forget to stop by and share in the local bounty of food, friends and music, at the markets and cafes and have a wonderful summer!

Wow, look what I stumbled on -
thanks Greg Haymes of the Times Union for the compliment!
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The sounds of '08
Music community offers high notes of the year

First published in print: Thursday, January 1, 2009
I shared my opinions about my favorite music of 2008 last week. Now it's time for some Capital Region musicians and music scenesters to weigh in.

...Favorite Capital Region CD of 2008: I always have a hard time picking favorites, but Annie and the Hedonists' new CD, "Good Old Wagon," and Terri Roben's "The Path We Make" really stand out for me...

(He listed many other Capital region artists and cds, but to be mentioned is such an honor!

The mallards are mating, the breeze is almost balmy, the shoots are showing, the sprouts are greening. Must be spring, dare we hope?
Come and share some musical good times at the cafes and coffeehouses, farmers markets and libraries and support local music and venues, while escaping the madness of tv!

Well, the days are getting longer, if not warmer! Winter is real this year, with lots of snow, ice and wind but we will get to spring, yes we can!
The farmer's markets have been bustling and the music has been lots of fun. Despite the economic and world bad news, there is much to be grateful for and to enjoy while we wait for the easier and warmer days to arrive. Keep on pushing and persevering and we will all get there, by and by! As the fire department sign I saw today said, "Tough times don't last but tough people do!"

An exit plan for Iraq, equal pay for women, a stimulus package for the economy, a mass transit shot in the arm, controls on lobbyists, beginning to shut down Gitmo, and that's just in the first couple of weeks! Many things to be grateful for, but mainly a new president who is fluent in English and has brains!
Hope the winter weather takes a vacation soon! Stay warm and keep on singing and supporting your local businesses and artists!

Hope everyone had a fun and enjoyable holiday. Happy New Year and may it be a heck of a lot better than the last one, for the planet and for all of us!
Now we are in the deep freeze, the part of the year that many of us in the northeast wish were a month or two shorter. Ah, to be a snowbird. And by the way, how do those little birds who come to my pitiful birdseed-scattered deck survive out there anyway? It's hard enough inside, with a furnace!
Well, come venture out when the cabin fever gets to you, and have a cup of something hot at a local cafe or farmer's market, while catching me or someone else playing their hearts out for you!
See you around, and keep warm!
peace,
Terri

Well, let's be grateful for this new incoming administration, or at least for what it stands for. Let's be grateful for the planet and all the life on it, and our good fortune to be a part of it. And let's be grateful for the eternal hope that is the good part of our humanity, that shines a path in front of us and gives us the strength and imagination to continue in the quest for peace and understanding in this patchwork quilt world of ours. Who knows, maybe there will be a woman president someday, now that we have broken through the race barrier!
Happy Thanksgiving to all.

Hope you all are able to stay warm and comfy in the cold days coming. Based on fat birds and early snow, it looks like we may have a lengthy winter to remember, with the election of a new president and all the changes we hope that brings. If we're lucky, we'll see the beginning of lots of green businesses sprouting, growing many new job opportunites, and replacing excessive consuming with some thoughtful and smart conserving. I recommend Frances Lappe's book, Get A Grip for some inspirational ideas.
Maybe we will start thinking more globally, keeping our interdependence with the whole world community in mind.
We could think about how to give more and buy less this holiday and every day, particularly in regards to who really needs our money. Wal-Mart, Wall Street, or people on reservations, refugee camps, prisoners of conscience or local non-profits...?
Hope to see you around the cafes and farmer's markets.
Peace, Salaam, Shalom,
Terri

The days shorten, the nights cool down, the leaves change and fall, and the apples ripen. Here we are again, the season of the harvest, the witch, the chimney sweeps and the new Music Together semester, beginning September 17 th at various locations around the Capital District. I will be teaching wednesday, thursday and friday mornings in Clifton Park and Schenectady. We have a lot of fun with music and movement, tonal and rhythm patterns, instruments and dance. Check it out at the local site, musicboxarts.com (393--9580) or the national site, musictogether.com. If you're looking for something healthy and fun to do with your toddler or baby, consider this! Otherwise, see you around the autumn Saratoga farmer's markets, coffeehouses and cafes!

With a lot packed in already this summer, I am looking forward to finishing out the month with some nice gigs at the Kateri Peace Conference, Saratoga Farmer's Market, The Moon and River Cafe, The Ridge St Coffeehouse, and the last week of Music Together classes until next month. It continues to be a very unpredictable weather season, but hey, we are living in a beautiful area with green everywhere, and vivid skies and stars. Hope to see you around and have a great time in the last weeks of our always too brief summer!

We had a great time at the cd release on the 13th over in Delmar at the Java Jazz Cafe. The Ramblin Jug Stompers and Sten Isachsen on mandolin were their usual sparkling selves, and the weather cooperated nicely, allowing us to play out on the spacious deck and back patio. A good time was had by all. Hand drummer Paul Devino sat in for the first time with us and sounded super. Thanks to all who came and made it so much fun!

Well, the produce is rolling in from the wonderful local farms in the area. Come peruse and shop at the fabulous Saratoga Farmer's Market in High Rock Park on High Rock Ave in Saratoga Springs this Saturday, June 21st. Stop by and say hi to me, as I will be playing and singing to all ages, positioned between the honey booths and one of the veggie farmers! Happy harvesting!

This Friday come on over to the Java Jazz Cafe at 318 Delaware Ave in Delmar, NY!
From 7-10pm we're gonna turn this Friday the 13th on it's head, stompin with the Ramblin Jug Stompers, Sten Isachsen playing great mandolin and Paul Devino trying out some of the songs on his drums for the first time. We'll have a blast, and the back patio should be shakin and hopefully not bakin, but the AC will be on inside if we get cookin too hot outside!
Come party with us to celebrate the release of my new cd, "The Path We Make" and give this great little cafe a try. A good time's waitin for you!