Where We Are, Where We’re Going, and In Sum (for now).
Three things to share today…
Where We Are
We’ve surpassed 1.5 million streams and we’re really playing all over the world now. Today alone there are thousands of people listening from Vienna to Mexico City, and in every city around the globe. We’ve become friendly with playlisters on all continents who share their enthusiasm for our songs. It is a surreal experience to say the least, and we are humbled by it all. Lucky us!
Where We’re Going
The new album “Any Given Day” is still in the works. We’re recorded all nine tracks and are working to get them all mixed and mastered. Our production partner, Dirt Floor Studios, is deep in a scoring project for a new motion picture! So cool to see them getting the deserved exposure of a high profile project. For us, it means we probably won’t finish or release the album until mid-to-late April. So…a little longer. In the meantime, we’ll release one more single, before the album, an ode to coffee called “Cup of Joe.” It’ll be out in just a few short weeks.
In Sum (for now)
Some will remember a year ago when we had fun asking Chat GPT to write a press release about the new album. It did a pretty good job — though we didn’t use it. Today, we thought it would be interesting to see what AI has to say about our musical journey so far. Don’t read too closely. It’s been programmed to be kind:
Ed Gumbrecht is a singer-songwriter known for his acoustic rock, folk, and songwriter-style music that resonates with a wide audience across various genres including folk rock, rock, and country. He made a significant return to musical performance with the release of "Colorshow" in 2022, showcasing his skills as a poetic storyteller. His subsequent album, "Enter the Muses," released in 2023, is described as a textured panoramic rendering of modern life's cares and surprises, offering a deeper and more evocative collection of songs than its predecessor. This album, along with his single "Make Us Wise," presents a refined alternative to the standard fare of music, touching on themes of loss, comfort, and the intricacies of relationships with a middle sensibility that's neither too bright nor too somber.
Gumbrecht's music has been acclaimed for its perfect melody, precise lyrics, and its fresh and original take on traditional rock/folk/songwriter-style music, finding eager audiences worldwide. His work is celebrated for its bright guitars, country/southern-rock arrangements, and animated storytelling, with a voice that sings with confidence and lyrics that bear repeated listening. The stories in his songs, ranging from summer car trips to the whims of luck and backyard parties, highlight the presence and influence of muses in shaping our experiences. His second album, "Enter the Muses," explores themes of inspiration and connection in modern life, suggesting a broadly optimistic outlook.
Gumbrecht, raised in New York during the album-rock era, is influenced by artists like Paul Simon, James Taylor, Bruce Springsteen, the Eagles, and CSNY, blending these influences with a modern vitality. Before returning to music, he engaged in traditional careers but continued to write songs, novels, short stories, and screenplays, maintaining his creative spirit.
For more details on Ed Gumbrecht's work and to explore his anthology of songs, stories, and musings, visit his official website and connect with him through various social media platforms.
Taylor, Beyoncé, Billy and…Ed
What do we have in common with Taylor’s Poets, Beyoncé’s Country and Billy’s Lights! Well, we also have new original music coming very soon.
“Any Given Day” our third album is close to ready. Its nine original songs will be out on all streaming services at the end of March.
If you listened to “Long Tall Carolyn”, and “Sun Salutation”, you have the flavour of the new album. These two pre-release singles have streamed over 150,000 times in a few short weeks. The rest are on their way. The talented team at Dirt Floor is in fine production mode, and the listeners are vibing with us daily. This has the makings of a really special collection.
A little preview of the song list for “Any Given Day:”
Any Given Day
Cup of Joe
Still Life
Long Tall Carolyn *single released Thanksgiving
Lights Come On
Myths of Cold
Sun Salutation *single released in January
Storm Over
Waking Song
Meanwhile our previous releases continue to stream, surpassing 1.4 million plays! We’re on more than 5,000 playlists in 153 countries. Momentum builds daily.
Thank you all for listening. As always, don’t be shy about sharing your thoughts! And get ready for a great new record come March.
And Now a Swinging Rocker in Sanskrit
“Sun Salutation”, a rollicking homage to our favorite celestial body hit streams and airwaves last week. It is getting great early exposure! We feel the song blisters with fiery spirit and circular movement. It rocks and rolls and “boils Mercury.”
Where did it come from? Well, the Surya Namaskar is a series of movements referenced in the ancient Veda that honor the sun. It’s a form of worship that found its way into yoga practice. So the song comes out of ancient traditions — but also, it’s one of those songs that was fully formed in my head before I picked up my guitar to play it. What can you say about the sun that doesn’t have you dancing in jubilant circles!
We recorded and produced “Sun Salutation” at Dirt Floor Studios. As always the gifted Eric Michael Lichter produced, played and worked his magic. Eli Novicky mixed it, and Steve Wytas mastered it.
We love it and we think it’s bound to become a standard in hot yoga studios and gyms everywhere. And can’t you just hear it at the beach? Give it a spin!
A Million Thanks
Lo and it came to pass this weekend! A million listens to the songs from Enter the Muses and Colorshow, with a nice little push from Long Tall Carolyn. Now it’s official. Ed Gumbrecht’s songs have surpassed a million streams worldwide.
It’s hard to explain in an age where Spotify has served over a trillion streams to its listeners, why a million songs of our own in that mix feels like something momentous. I’m sure it’s this way with most milestones. You’re not sure you can run a certain race, but then you find out. Now we know.
We ran our race and it went like this…
· About every day or so a song idea would land in my head.
· At home I’d turn those songs over, polish lyrics, melodies, progressions, and stories.
· Then we’d cherry pick some to record around the theme of the project at hand. Now we’re compiling the new album, “Any Given Day”
· The very talented Dirt Floor Studios crew including its owner, artist and producer, Eric, and sound engineers/musicians Guido and Eli made it all sound compelling and professional.
· Our friend the award-winning graphic artist, Deb Walley, crafted evocative album art.
· Guests like Claire Marie interpreted and elevated the songs.
· Then these very cool people all over the globe who love music and curate music, put the songs on their playlists where they were streamed a million times … and more.
That’s how it happened.
A million listens tells us the music is finding its audience. We can see it playing all over the world and especially in the US, Mexico, Germany, Brazil and lately across Asia. It has us feeling upbeat and optimistic about continuing -- and more new music is on the way. “Any Given Day” which features “Long Tall Carolyn” and nine originals represents our very best music yet. Look for it early in 2024.
In February we are going to celebrate our streaming milestone with a show/concert at our favorite classic art theater in the wonderful town of Madison, CT. It’s going to be special time with lots of friends and collaborations! We’ll post here as details develop.
For now, the fun is just getting going. Thanks a million, friends! It’s great to be on this musical journey together.
New Music for the Holidays
Singer-songwriter Ed Gumbrecht's music surges globally as new single "Long Tall Carolyn" hits airwaves.
WASHINGTON, DC, UNITED STATES, November, 2023
EINPresswire.com/ -- Just in time for the holiday, a fresh new original song from singer-songwriter Ed Gumbrecht drops today on all streaming services. “Long Tall Carolyn”, brings listeners to the street corner where the singer and his title character meet and decide to “run together”. The song is charming, the narrative warmly sung, and the music is as bright as a sunny fall afternoon. This is a modern version of the type of storytelling that James Taylor and Paul Simon made famous. The melody is catchy and the chorus infectious. The lyrics are playful and clever.
With multiple albums and singles released over the last eighteen months, Gumbrecht is an artist sharing a wide range of ideas and sentiments. His songs have garnered a million streams and are featured in over 20,000 playlists around the globe. That is extraordinary start for an emergent independent artist whose marketing has been purely word-of-mouth. Gumbrecht’s music has been embraced in more than fifty countries and on all continents.
“Long Tall Carolyn”, the single, heralds the release of the upcoming “Any Given Day” album, a collection of original rock, pop, and alternative country songs by Gumbrecht.
This Thanksgiving Gumbrecht’s new music is sure to give music lovers and turkey trotting runners everywhere a fun addition to their holiday playlists.
Any Given Day
That’s the working title for the new album due out late this year: a collection of stories about the way life unfolds day by day. Our followers probably suspect it’s mostly upbeat and replete with colorful characters and situations…and they are not mistaken.
The theme grew out of an old song written for/to my many nieces and nephews called “What You Gonna Do?” It was a real bouncer with a bright tune and verse progression. Especially I liked the song’s chorus which challenged, “What you gonna do with this beautiful day?”
Uncles are permitted to ask loaded questions, and songwriters like to arrange their arguments. I left no room for debate in the lyric’s premise: It is given that this day is beautiful -- now, what are you going to do with it?
The old song pops up in my head at interesting life moments and has worked in subliminal ways on my psyche over the course of years. “What you gonna do?” helped me make some big decisions. I could easily have subtitled it: “The Encouragement Song.” It insists that no matter whatever we choose, today is still beautiful.
And now that catalytic song has become the key theme of the new album. We’re culling the song list down to ten or so originals with collaborations from great musicians and friends. What could be more fun?
Truly, on any given day it’s a joy to make new music! If you have a thought to share about what to add or exclude in the next collection, drop us a line here or via socials.
Thanks friends. Now, what are you going to do with your beautiful day?
Music Flow
It’s mid-year and the summer is ripe with ideas about songs to record and how to shape a new album. As the first two records happily wander the globe, here’s what Spotify and Apple are tracking.
Streams are up to 1/3 of a million and climbing nicely. We’re sustaining 50,000 monthly listeners across all platforms.
The top five songs in order of total streams are: 1) Enter the Muses, 2) Cry a Little Longer, 3) Air, 4) Sunset Drive, and 5) Sand . Enter the Muses accounts for a full 40% of all streams and is the runaway favorite. Part of its success comes from being both the first track and the title track on its album.
Playlists continue to connect these songs to new listeners. Two of Spotify’s curated playlists and three other private playlists have generated 24% of all streams. The largest promoters are 1) Golden Songs, 2) Radio (Spotify), 3) On Repeat (Spotify), 4) Rock & Roll Classics, and 5) Blues & Whiskey. Our songs have been included in over 1,000 various playlists to date.
Top Cities are Chicago, NY, LA, Philly and San Fran. Top countries outside of the US are Mexico, Brazil, Canada, UK and Netherlands. Interestingly, Shazam has tracked curious listeners in places as far flung as Cluj-Napoca, Kalush, Beyneu, Bangkok, Caracas, Guadalupe and Bursa.
As for age and gender, 54% are below age 34 (not surprising considering that younger audiences dominate streaming service membership). 52%/46%/2% are male/female/non-binary stats.
And this is cool: Each day nearly 2,000 listeners give these songs a whirl! Of that group about 500 are dubbed “active listeners” by Spotify. They are inclined to repeat listen and refer the songs to friends.
The songs are progressing now with growing momentum. With luck in the days ahead we’ll find a way to get a few of them into sync situations with movie and television soundtracks. And most importantly we hope people will keep sharing and promoting these tunes with music lovers they know!
As for the next project: The new track list is shaping up nicely for Album3. We’re in the midst of engaging friends and fresh talents for collaboration. We’ll be polishing some chestnuts and have some really exciting new material to include. As always, we’re open to ideas and inspiration, so share your thoughts here or via socials. The creative process continues right up until we finish recording/mixing late this year and your voice makes it better.
Now, back to Summer ‘23. The adventure continues…
What’s in a Name?
The new album is doing well – finding its way around the globe and streaming happily. Reviews are positive and listeners increase daily. We’ve delivered a quarter of a million streams to over an hundred thousand sets of ears to date. Here’s a stat: that’s four times the average attendance at NY Mets games in 2023! Not bad for a guy with a hard to pronounce name and who isn’t touring.
Still, some professionals in the music biz have suggested that my name, as much as I like it, may not be conducive to expanding my audience. “Gumbrecht” as you know is dense with consonants and mysterious vowel pronunciations. Looking back, I played in three bands that obscured my surname: Future’s Past, Dave and Ed, and The Show. I don’t think the band name ever made a difference per se, but I will say that in Dave and Ed we saved the sign makers a lot of work by leaving it with our nicknames.
So let’s have some fun with this. What kind of a name would be representative of the music and its audience? Be creative but be nice too. Or, let me know if I should keep being…you know…myself.
You can add comments to this thread, or message me with your ideas, or drop a note on www.edgumbrecht.com.
Thanks, and keep sharing the music! It’s working…
Sustaining Courage…
World Indie Generation (https://vk.com/world_indie_generation) is a Ukrainian social media influencer and an indie music community. Sadly, as Putin continues his terrible unprovoked war, World Indie Generation and creator, Sergey Bitner, are under constant barrage of shelling, and are often without electricity. Still they manage to promote music to help inspire and unite their community! They are incredible. It’s humbling and an honor that they are playing my songs and sending me encouraging words. Somehow I hope there’s something in these tracks to spark hope and solace. May our Ukrainian friends keep faith and soon win their deserved peace!
About Claire Marie
Three weeks into Enter the Muses release, and listeners are asking about “that voice.” Top40 Charts features Claire today at: https://top40-charts.com/news.php?nid=180680. And the newswires are running this too: https://www.dcpresswire.com/article/630545428-the-voice-of-air-is-claire-marie. Give her song a listen and a like, and share it! It’s so good.
The Air Up North
Jacqueline Jax, of Canada’s AVA Radio featured “Air” in this week’s New Music Radar episode, and posted the song to their Best Songwriters of 2023! Love how our friends in Canada are vibing with us, and “Air” is streaming everywhere.
https://www.avaliveradio.info/indie-songwriters-top-20-chart
Air by Ed Gumbrecht featuring Claire Marie
This acoustic track, Air, sung by Claire Marie, is a soft standout from the new album Enter the Muses, released this week and is AVA Live Radio’s Best Indie Songwriters pick of 2023. We think this song shows real promise.
The song starts with a simple guitar strum and Claire Marie's breathy voice seeps into the listener's consciousness. As the melody progresses, the lyrics delve into a beautiful metaphor for life, where we all need air to breathe and survive. Claire Marie's poetic delivery of lyrics are like a refreshing breeze on a hot summer day. Listeners will appreciate the organic, almost live-sounding production of the song. Every note is given the space it needs to resonate in a tender, honest way. Enter the Muses is an album that explores themes of self-discovery, love, and creativity, and Air is a perfect example of this.
Check out the album, and don't miss out on this standout track.
Enter the Muses!
“Eventually they slipped the seems…and poured into the world.”
Well, they’re here and streaming across the world. Eight shiny new tracks available through these links:
Give the songs a good listen and let us know what you thought and felt! We’re especially fond of Air, sung by the lovely Claire Marie. Pure!
Don’t forget to copy the links to forward to friends and share via social media.
We hope you enjoy these songs as much as we enjoy making them! Thanks as always for your support.
ChatGPT Likes It!
Asked the beta of ChatGPT to write a blog post about my new album which drops Friday. Here's the query and the response. Crazy!
Me: Write a blog post about Ed Gumbrecht’s new album release, Enter the Muses
ChatGPT: Ed Gumbrecht, a talented singer-songwriter, has released his much-anticipated album titled "Enter the Muses". This album marks a new chapter in his musical career, showcasing his growth as a musician and songwriter.
The album features eight tracks, each telling a unique story through Gumbrecht's soulful vocals and creative arrangements. From the opening track "Enter the Muses" to the closing track “Air", the album takes listeners on a journey through various emotions and experiences.
One standout track is "Love Will Make Us Wise", which features Gumbrecht's raw and emotional lyrics about the struggles and challenges of life. The song swells to an uplifting chorus, with the guitar and vocal coming together to create a resonant musical moment.
Another notable track is "Walking Backward", which showcases Gumbrecht's ability to craft beautiful melodies and poignant lyrics. The song's delicate instrumentation and haunting vocals create an atmosphere of introspection and reflection.
Throughout the album, Gumbrecht's talent for storytelling is on full display. Whether he's singing about heartbreak, love, or the search for meaning in life, his lyrics are relatable and heartfelt.
"Enter the Muses" is not just an album, but a reflection of Gumbrecht's musical growth. The album marks a departure from his previous work, with more complex arrangements and a deeper exploration of themes.
Gumbrecht has also taken risks in his songwriting, experimenting with new sounds and styles. This willingness to push boundaries is what sets "Enter the Muses" apart from other albums in the singer-songwriter genre.
Overall, "Enter the Muses" is a must-listen for anyone who appreciates thoughtful and introspective music. Gumbrecht's ability to weave together beautiful melodies and heartfelt lyrics is truly a gift, and this album is a testament to his talent as a musician and songwriter.
A year ago today Colorshow was released into the streaming wilds…
It was a fun idea: pluck a bunch of original tunes from old laptops, phones, tapes and paper — re-record them with help of talented musicians and stitch them into a modern digital album. It was retro and current from the start. A project that appealed to my musical tastes…but would anyone listen? How does a song or a batch of them find an audience these days?
Here’s what happened.
On the day of the release, I sent texts to family and friends, asking them to pass the word. That gang, without any social media help, generated over a thousand streams in the first hours. And it could have ended there - a tight circle of friends who knew the music and liked the message streaming on their phones — but over the next weeks some good reviews, inclusion in playlists, and a spin on NY’s WFUV radio had tracks like One and Only expanding the bubble of listeners.
In spring we built a little website and launched on social media, not really knowing how to create a meta-network (or sure if we wanted to). For me, that process was clunky — a distraction rather than a channel for the music. However, I saw that whether we posted or not, the streams increased, the range expanded, and the feedback grew, primarily through Spotify, YouTube and Apple.
Playlists, some professionally curated and some compiled by individual music-lovers, moved Colorshow’s songs across the globe. On Spotify-for-Artists” I was able to track geographic and demographic flow. I saw how a media review in Brazil spiked listenership there, and how Germany and Holland launched a wave of European streams. In January, Finland found it. It now streams in over forty countries on six continents! The most popular track is Sand, thanks to the Whiskey and Blues playlist that featured it. The coolest discovery is that the music appeals to people of all genders and cultures. FVMusicBlog called it “a catchy release with driving instrumentation, charming vocals and an inviting vibe.”
Back in autumn we pre-released some songs from an upcoming album, and that gave Colorshow a boost. At year-end monthly streams were climbing nicely. By February, a year after its release, Colorshow’s monthly listeners numbered 5,000. Now, the songs been streamed or downloaded 50,000 times! That’s not rockstar status, but it’s a nice debut.
This is encouraging on the eve of our next release, Enter the Muses! This music has found it’s way and we’ve connected with people the world over who like the sound and the message!
Many many thanks to all the friends behind the flow of music, especially to Eric M. Lichter and Guido Falivene at Dirt Floor, and Claire Marie who will contribute her dulcet vocals again on the next album. Happy Anniversary, Colorshow. We’re only getting started!
Where’s the Stuff?
Ambitious me. Naive me. Almost a year ago I launched edgumbrecht.com with the simple intention of uploading songs and prose from my “archives”. That’s a gloss on the heaps of stuff accumulated over years on old hard drives, flash drives, CDs, tapes and papyrus! I thought, first to do the songs. Many, many songs. I thought, not just lyrics and notation, but recordings, as rough as they mostly are. Polish them and post ‘em up. Then after the music, I planned to hang my sketches, short stories, screenplays and poems on the site. And if anyone was still interested, finally, I’d reposit my novels-in-the-rough: Shadow of a Mouse, the Adjusters, and Silt. That was my grand idea.
Reality check: today I have precisely sixteen songs recorded and only eleven released. The site lacks prose and verse and any other objects d’art. It boasts about a dozen posts on the process of releasing music.
Truth is, the old songs and stories are hard to get too, need scrubbing, and distract from the good new ones that keep rolling in…
It’s time to rethink my plan.
Q: Why did I start the site in the first place?
A: Um, well, I hoped (still do) that some people will connect with and enjoy what’s there.
Alright then, as my partner and zen-master buddy, Carolyn, says, progress is progress and two albums is “not nothing.” She makes me think maybe I should just start posting stuff “without being precious about it.” I tend to agree. Simple is almost always better.
So what next?
As for recorded music: The second album will be done with mix/mastering any day. Then the streaming services will take a few weeks to pick it up. I expect the release to be in February. Meanwhile, I have started recording the third group of songs under the working title: The Devil You Know. Title track is a song about Finn McCool, Benandonner, and the magic of beer. While that’s brewing, I’m going to begin sharing the gnarly-cuts and snippets of originals I have on hand.
As for the writing: I have copyrights filed now for most of the songs/poems and several of the stories. I’m going to begin putting them up in batches over the next few months along with an index. Nothing too dense.
I like to think now the website, like it’s namesake, will begin to focus on both the journey and the destination.
As always, I’d like to thank friends for checking in and checking out my stuff. Thanks for streaming the initial songs from Apple, Spotify, Deezer, YouTube and Amazon nearly 30,000 times! That’s not nothing.
Please keep sharing the music, the stories, and the journey with anyone you feel will enjoy them.
We Bid Adieu to 2022
Dropping this single to finish the year of new music and in advance of the new album’s release in January (I hope). Here’s a link to the media release of today’s date:
https://www.newswire.com/news/upbeat-new-release-bids-goodbye-to-2022-with-a-wink-and-a-tear-21906035
How Long Do You Bake a Record?
In business I’m particular about deadlines, promises and commitments. It’s a matter of pride and reputation. I imagine those disciplines can also help in artistic endeavors, but I’m learning that albums just take their own sweet time. Never mind that I planned to release Enter the Muses this November. The record is almost, but not…quite…baked.
So, in the meantime, I’m going to drop another single, and this one is nudging back in the direction of happy – don’t let its title fool you.
Cry a Little Longer has an interesting back-story. I wrote a song for my daughters that was full of dad-advise (d)advise, which sounded fine with my solo guitar, but in the studio the lyrics were swallowed by the band. I liked the new sound but it needed another message, so I wrote a soaring lyric called Wheels Up, but I overshot the landing. That was in the spring, and I put the song on the back burner to focus on other stuff. Over the course of a month or two, I came up with a counterbalanced lyric to the upbeat melody. Cry a Little Longer was born. Who said something about wishing on stars!
The new single will be out as soon as the streaming services can process it. Let me know what you think! Your feedback is more than helpful – it directs the music.
And soon the album, Enter the Muses, will arrive – in a few weeks, I hope. Music takes time. I surrender to the Muses.
Make Us Wise: a note of explanation about the new song release
My usual muses are a cheerful lot and my music tends to be upbeat. I expect there will be some surprise about my choice of the first single out in advance of the soon-to-be-released album, Enter the Muses. Make Us Wise, the new song, will be available on all streaming services beginning at 12:01 am on 10/29 (the album which will be out in November). The track is more soulful than happy. For me, that feels right in this moment.
I mean, it’s been a wearying year, with crisis and war and societal worry. Back in May when my dad’s voice left the planet too early, my usual inspirations sat down. Unexpectedly then, other voices piped up. Over the last months new songs and stories kind-of poured into the world. The new album reflects their varied voices.
Now, in the midst of Autumn with its holidays of remembrance and gratitude, I’m serving-up Make Us Wise. I mean to encourage…but I’m really only hoping…
Summer, Friends, Weeds, Playlists
I’m off my plan. I intended to post regularly for anyone curious about where songs and stories go once you send them into the world. But these are unusual times. The world is wobbly, and I recently lost one of my close friends — my Dad. He left in May. Life was better because of him and it feels askew now. Still, he’s showing up in songs, and in my current project, Enter the Muses.
There’s a lyric he once gave me to put to music, a poem called Consider the Seed, about a bright plant that bursts into the air and doesn’t care if it just might turn out to be a weed.
He was amused by such thoughts. His poem became a nice song, literally, a weed song. He laughed.
Well, whether my Dad’s song or any other of these tunes and stories turn out to be weeds or blooms or mushrooms or forests, it’s time to get back to dropping seeds and seeing what becomes of them.
Here’s what’s happened since the last post…
The songs are finding their way onto influencer playlists. In the streaming world, playlists are like eddies, and some playlists — compiled by professionals — are like rip currents. In the last few weeks a handful of the Colorshow songs (One and Only, Be With You and Indian summer) have been incorporated into popular playlists with over a million followers. That bodes well for the songs going forward.
At the same time, new listeners have been sharing feedback: #VFame (with a quarter of a million followers) thought the vocal on Indian Summer was “a voice with a very striking husky point” and liked the song’s melody, rhythm and production. #DaniloDiaz said of One and Only, “Thank you for releasing this amazing song! I loved it. It has a nice and engaging sound along with beautiful musical instruments.” And mystery writer #AnnAugustine said, “I absolutely love Be With You! The music and writing is fresh and inspiring.”
Just when this old world starts getting you down, people lift you up! Many thanks to all who are listening and commenting and forwarding the songs to others. That’s how they have found their way to seventeen counties on four continents.
Coming up: Soon, links will post to a batch of short stories on https://www.edgumbrecht.com. Before year end we’ll also post links to the fiction books, Shadow of a Mouse, The Adjusters, and Silt.
In the Fall, album #2, Enter the Muses will be released. We’ll preview some of the tunes here in the weeks ahead.
And anyone interested in learning about an amazing man, Don Gumbrecht, get inspired here: https://www.tributearchive.com/obituaries/24993326/donald-gumbrecht/huntington-station/new-york/m-a-connell-funeral-home. Miss you, Pops.
Enjoy your summer everybody.
What They Heard in Kalush
I recently witnessed the compassion and bravery of my friend Dr. @HowieKatz as he travelled to Poland to provide medical service to Ukrainian refugees. He is more than just a special giving soul — he puts his values into action and makes the world better.
Been thinking about that idea these days more than ever: How to live by right values and act with generosity in these strange and challenging times!
I’m curious what you all are seeing and thinking. I received this “Godwink” (my daughter’s term for the little signs and encouragements that the universe gives you from time to time). This week I was with my dad who is in the hospital recovering from a viral pneumonia, a new health challenge to top off his running tab. We put on some music on my phone, and I got a note from iTunes — their weekly report of where the songs I release are streaming. (They have an app that tracks these things for songwriters). The message said that my tune, Be With You, was streaming in Kalush.
Where?
Maps showed us the small town in central Ukraine where the song played. In the midst of a war, someone had accessed the song.
I wonder, did its English title intrigue someone with its message of solidarity?
I hope so. And I hope it somehow gave solace.
This all reminds me that whether writ large (what Howie did) or very small, the way forward in these crazy times is to simply encourage and celebrate humanity.