Heidi Ho

Weary Hearts

Wrecking Ball

While not being one for official New Year’s Resolutions, I do notice that I tend to shake up my hobbies and habits this time of year. Certainly it feels like a new start, and there’s no reason not to take advantage of feeling like there’s a clean slate to etch upon. Winter has finally come to Long Island and, since I’ll be spending a little more time indoors for the next few months, I figured it was finally time to take on a little project I’ve been wanting to complete for some time.

My parents gave me my first electric guitar on my 15th birthday. It wasn’t fancy, but it was mine; an off-white Squier Stratocaster that would follow me around through high school, off to college and beyond before being shoved into my closet and largely forgotten about. It was haphazardly painted, stripped, paired with other parts, beaten up and modified so many times that there really was nothing left of the original other than the body.

Since then I’ve bought, sold and traded countless guitars, but I was never willing to part with that ol’ Squier, even though I never played it or felt musically bonded to it. I finally wondered, “why do I put this guitar through so much trouble?” Only recently I realized that, for a number of reasons, my Squier was always the guitar I thought I was supposed to chose, but it was never the guitar I really wanted.

So, finally after 25 years, my 1986 Squier Strat is getting a full and well-deserved makeover. Last weekend I stripped the body and ordered a vintage style replacement neck. Over the next month, I’ll slowly and carefully fill the grain on the body, seal, sand, spray it glossy black, and sand some more until it’s time to lacquer it up and let it rest before final polishing. Then I’ll outfit the ol’ dog with some really tasty electronics and hardware and get it ready to play.

I’ve done some modifications on guitars before, but never a full rebuild. I gotta say… I’m pretty excited.

Enjoy your clean slate, check out the upcoming shows, and thanks for listening!

Much Love,
Joe

As opposed to the very-rehearsed natures of our usual projects, “The Solid Citizens” is semi-jam-based, semi-rehearsed, and semi-open-format as we invite fellow touring musicians who we know to be skilled players – and who we know are going to be at an event with us – to come up and make music with us, using songs from folks like Elizabeth Cotten, Mississippi John Hurt, etc, as the vehicle.

In this format, anything is possible. It can be magic or a train wreck, and even a little bit of both. The key is to leave the agenda and ego at the door and to just listen and play. The audience is encouraged to sing and play along, and Mark brings a big conference-room-style flip chart with Chord Changes and key lyrics on it.

We did a little rehearsal at Falcon Ridge Folk Festival a couple of weeks back, and we had a debut performance at Huntington Folk Festival last weekend. As you can see from the pictures, it was a blast.

Thanks to Craig Akin, Honor Finnegan, Kath Buckell, Carolann Solebello, Mark Allen Berube, Julia and Ira Levin, Paul Sachs, Bill Wisnowski (and My Dad’s Truck), Elaine Romanelli, and the rest of the folks who joined in spontaneously, for lending your time and talent… You made it just perfect!

Finally, many thanks to Gordon Nash for taking these great pix! There are more pix here, and he has an insanely cool weblog that her writes called “Wise Madness“, here.

I’m not gonna lie to you… I’m loving my summer. I’ve been catching up on some quality time with my beautiful wife and daughter. I’ve recharged my yoga and contemplative practices and I’m just feeling generally groovy all around. The belly is still a little more “buddah” than I like, but it’s hard to say no to cold ice cream when it’s being shared on a hot summer day with my girls.

Even though the summer is quiet, it’s not at all without music. I spent the first week of the summer sorting through my 50,000 song hard drive and have pulled some damn good music to my iphone. I finally installed an ipod docking adapter into my Jeep’s radio, so now I’m really digging my driving time. There’s so much good music!!! I forgot how much I love this stuff! I feel like a kid again.

As you can see from the photo above, I’ve been playing a little bit too. Last weekend included my annual visit to Falcon Ridge Folk Festival.

As usual, Pesky J. Nixon’s Thursday night lounge stage was totally hopping. I got to play a few tunes in the round with Hugh McGowan and David Glaser jumping in to back up a few tunes. Everything was recorded, so here’s a new tune for you from my set (link below). It’s a tounge-in-cheek blues tune in open C titled, “Heidi Ho” and will eventually make it to a “Devil Makes Three” session this fall.

http://joeiadanza.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/Joe-Iadanza-Heidi-Ho.mp3 Click to listen, or right click (option click – mac) to save the file.

So that’s where I’m at… I just wanted to stop in and say “Hi”. I’m doing well and I hope you are too. Stay cool, and hopefully I’ll see you soon enough.

Much Love,
Joe

Phew! Let me sit back here a moment…

I realize that I’ve been pushing steadily for the last five years. True, I haven’t been on the road nearly as much as some of my other colleagues in song, but I have spent the majority of that time in musical persuits of one kind or another… Between writing, rehearsing, performing, recording, promoting, networking, looking for work and other opportunites, hanging out at concerts and conferences and festivals – I’m pretty proud of what I’ve accomplished.

I’m feeling a great inner-pull to take a little break and spend some time listening for guidance on what to do next. For the first time in years, I don’t really have a goal. There’s an album that is lacking in real direction, booking that has become random and without meaningful purpose, and a family and home that need a little TLC.

So, unless some great opportunity comes-a-calling, I’m taking the summer off from booking and networking and just playing the few shows I have on my calendar to keep things fresh. In it’s place I’ll be spending some needed time with my family, getting rid of this pot-belly that I’ve picked up, and sitting in reflection to get some guidance on where to go next.

It’s been a great ride so far, and I want to do what’s necessary to ensure it continues. As always, feel free to drop me a line if you feel like checking in. Don’t worry, I’ll drop a note if something earth-shattering happens. Until then, have a great and fun-filled summer! I’ll see you in the fall.

Much Love,
Joe

It’s a rainy day in Helenaveen, a quaint little town in south-central Netherlands. I was planning to do some sight-seeing and maybe stretch these legs a little, but it seems the weather had other plans for me. So, I sit in the cafe of the Hotel De Halte with a recently discovered free wifi connection and it is from here that I give you this update.

The tour has been great so far. I’m grateful for the time I’ve had with friends met on the last tour… Jan, Maria, Lisa, Yvonne, Paul (two Paul’s!), Marcel… Wonderful souls from all over the country. I’m grateful, as well, for my new friends… David, Thomas (two Thomas’s!), Hans, Kara, Simon.

If you’re interested in following the tour more closely, you can check out some of my pictures (below) and also pix and streams that were posted by folks met along the way:

Radio Stream – First Show

Here’s a stream of the first concert at Blueprint radio. http://www.rootsparadise.nl/blueprint/index.php.

It’s a long stream – 2hrs. I play eight songs, but they’re in groups of four in the middle and end of the program. I share the show with David Phillips, a very talented Englishman who lives in Barcelona. Some contemporary album cuts are played, then David plays, then I play, and then we do it all again in the second hour.

Pix

Marcel Houweling is a crazy-talented photographer and can be found at concerts all over the country. He’s an incredibly dedicated music lover and I’m grateful that he came by to say hi and take some pictures at my show in Heerlen on 4/26.

You can see the set here at http://www.marcelhouweling.nl/photos/photoset.html?id=72157626138290121.

And some of my pix from the road:

Thanks for listening!

Joe

Though Autism Awareness Month is not until April, The Mosaic Foundation for Autism is encouraging people to get a jump-start on helping the autism community with the introduction of its signature “Performing Artists for Autism” education inaugural concert.

Delivering an evening of live folk and rock music will be singer/songwriters Peter Case and Joe Iadanza. The show, which will be held on Friday, March 18th at the Landmark Theater in Port Washington, NY at 8:00 p.m., will raise money to help bridge the development among children with autism as they evolve into adulthood.

Iadanza, who is taking time out from his touring in U.S. and Europe to lend a hand to support the autism community relates, “My wife is a special education teacher and my cousin’s child was diagnosed as ‘on the spectrum’ just a couple of years ago. Suddenly I’m seeing children in need everywhere,” he explains. “I decided to be part of this event because it helps to provide people with the opportunity to overcome their challenges and live their lives in pursuit and successful fulfillment of their dreams so they can achieve meaningful futures.”

Joe will be performing with his new trio, which debuted at the Patchogue Theater last month, and features Craig Akin on bass and Christian Coleman on drums.

To purchase tickets or secure sponsorship, please contact (516) 765-3696.

Proceeds raised from the concert will benefit The Genesis School (Eden II Programs), The Mosaic School for Autism, and Nassau Suffolk Services for Autism (the Martin C. Barell School), three organizations that are currently hard at work attempting to improve outcomes for children with autism as they move them from adolescence into adulthood. People can show their support for this mission via general attendance and/or sponsorship opportunities. Tickets are priced at $15.00, $30.00 or $40.00, depending on an individual’s seating preference.

For more information, please call 516-765-3696 or visit www.themosaicschool.org.

Photo Credit: Robert Berkowitz / RSB Image Works

I wanted to let you all know that there are some videos from last April’s tour of Holland online and visible at http://youtube.com/joeiadanza. They were originally visible around the holidays, but I pulled them down because I hadn’t told the videographer – Gretjen Helene – that I was making them available and hadn’t properly credited her for her great work in capturing and editing these performances.

I apologize for that.

You can find Gretjen, and more of her work, at http://www.gretjenhelene.net/.

As an artist, I know how important it is that people be able to identify my work and find me if they like it. She’s a very talented artist and deserves to have her work credited and shared so that she can reap the rewards that might come from having it seen by everyone.

Check her out at her website http://www.gretjenhelene.net/, or my youtube page at http://youtube.com/joeiadanza. I’ve “favorited” her posted live videos of six songs taken at various venues around Holland. I hope you enjoy them.

The fourth annual Patchogue Jam was held at the Patchogue Theatre for the Performing Arts on Saturday, which features independent singers and songwriters who have played at the Live in the Lobby series during the past year. This year the theater welcomed back Six Gun, Corduroy Sky, Phil Minnesale, Joe Iadanza, and Michael Korb, onto the main stage.

Patchogue Jam 4’s opening act, Joe Iadanza, got the night going with bassist Craig Akin (spelling corrected) and drummer Christian Coleman, doffing his cap with country grace and filling the hall with an apocalyptic, warm resonance. Joe hadn’t played electric on stage in twenty years until that night, and yet he seemed perfectly at ease, even patient, moving, playing on the suspensions of the crowd. His songs deal with poverty and lost love, and are steeped in the blue-collar imagery of highways, wrecking balls, and traveling salesmen. Despite the deep sentiment of his music, Joe commands the stage with a subtle, unencumbered energy.

Read about the rest of the show and check the original article for additional photos. For the original article, please visit: http://patchogue.patch.com/articles/patchogue-jam-4-at-the-patchogue-theatre

SS Cape May celebrates new music and the participating acts and artists will shine with night time performances at select local venues. SS Cape May will also feature two afternoons of music business keynotes, panels, songwriting workshops, musician clinics, mentoring & demo listening sessions, exhibits and performance critiques at the historic Congress Hall Hotel & the Harrison Conference Center.

Cape May is the oldest seaside resort in the United States and stretches 20 miles into the Atlantic Ocean and below the Mason-Dixon line. Famous for its rich history of visitors and Victorian architecture, this National Historic Landmark City also hosts world renowned jazz festivals. Cape May will come alive in the Spring of 2011 during the annual singer-songwriter weekend.

Details on the time of Joe’s performance will be announced shortly and will be open to conference/festival registrants only. For information about the conference, or to register yourself, please visit http://www.sscapemay.com

Related show

• Artist: Joe Iadanza
• Date: Friday, March 25th 2011
• Time: 11:00pm
• City: Joe Iadanza in West Cape May, NJ 08204
• Venue: Copperfish
• Address: 416 Broadway
• Country: United States
• Notes: Joe Performing Solo as Part of the Cape May Singer Songwriter Showcase Conference.
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