Azere Wilson reached out to me about an article on Juneteenth she was writing. When I got home this evening, it was great to see that the magazine highlighted me a bit. (The formatting is a little strange on my Mac, so it might be for you, too. Keep scrolling past the empty space and you’ll find me….)
They chose the song, “All Souls Are Free,” that I wrote with Milo Binder/Todd Lawrence. It’s really been a magical song, written out of deep struggle, as good folk songs can be. I’ve loved hearing audiences sing it back to me.
Join us on June 7 as we celebrate an early Juneteenth at the Mary McLeod Bethune (Exposition Park) Branch Library. I just found out that in addition to the writers listed on my show page that Lorinda Hawkins will also be participating! She’s amazing! We did a BackStory on The Color Purple last year and she blew me away!
We’ll be celebrating another Harry Nilsson birthday at Molly Malone’s! This time I’m covering “Open Your Window” from the Harry album, a song that was also covered by Ella Fitzgerald as well as the 5th Dimension! That’s what I love about Harry, his songs are so musical that everyone wants to do them! This is the 10th annual show put together by my friend Todd Lawrence! In the past I’ve sung “Wailing of the Willow,” “Together,” “One,” “Remember (Christmas),” “Nevertheless”, “Perfect Day,” and the big one, “Without You.” Maybe I should do a cover album!?
I’ll be singing “Michelle” and playing lead guitar on “Till There Was You” as part of the June Beatle Jam celebration of Paul McCartney at Hotel Cafe. There’ll be a collection of 40 musicians doing songs from the early Beatles through Paul’s solo career to celebrate his birthday. Show starts at 7.
Notes:Beatles Jam – A Celebration of Paul McCartney
June 8
Join us for a special edition of The Beatle Jam honoring the life and music of Paul McCartney during his birthday month. This tribute will spotlight many of McCartney’s most iconic songs—spanning his time with The Beatles, Wings, and his legendary solo work—while still featuring plenty of timeless favorites from the Fab Four’s catalog.
The evening will feature nearly 50 incredible artists, each contributing their unique voice to celebrate one of music’s most enduring legacies. As always, the night begins with an acoustic opener to set the tone and ease us into the magic.
Audience members can expect a warm, immersive experience that channels the spirit of McCartney’s music—melody, harmony, and joy—brought to life by some of LA’s finest performers.
Thanks for opening this and being part of this community! I have a couple questions, so please read on.
Booking More Gigs
So, my first question: Do you know of some good venues near you, or would you be interested in hosting a house concert? I’m looking to perform out of town—or in town—Thursday–Sundays. More on that in a sec.
Upcoming Songwriters Workshop
I’m planning a 3-day songwriters workshop in a beautiful home in Santa Monica with gorgeous, peaceful places to write.
My questions for you:
What do you look for in a creative workshop/retreat?
If you’ve done songwriting retreats before, what worked (or didn’t work) for you?
Would you be interested in taking a course with me?
Knowing me as many of you have over the years, what would you most like to learn with me?
Sound Play & Story
The Sound Play and Story class at GenSpace.
This leads me to why I’m focusing on Thursday–Sunday for shows …
I recently mentioned that I’d be teaching at Annenberg GenSpace. In the course I’ve put together, we use sound and object based techniques to access our creativity, our stories and create new songs! I’ve loved it so much that I’m staying on Mondays and Wednesdays for the time being. It’s also inspired me to lead more workshops—not just for older adults, but for the curious of all ages. (Let me know if you’re interested, and I’ll tell you more about it!)
I love Wallis Annenberg’s vision of “creating a destination dedicated to enriching and expanding the lives of older adults by forging new relationships and creative expression through storytelling, technology, art, and horticultural therapy in beautiful green spaces.”
Building community through creative exchange has always been the highest desire of my work. So I’m aiming to do more workshops and other activities to bring people together through our creativity. I’d love your help with that! For a more specific details about the course, click [here].
Second Saturdays: Volunteers & Support Needed!
The Roswell Sisters at last month’s Second Saturdays.
And, with regard to Second Saturdays Jazz Night w/Jason Luckett & Friends, I’m looking for volunteers to help keep it running smoothly. Specifically,
Publicity help
Set-up and sound assistance on the nights of the show
A videographer (would be amazing)
Help for Sara and Jen for greeting and concessions
A fiscal sponsor to help sustain the series (so we can better support the musicians)
I’m so grateful for those who drop in their $25 or any donation each month! And, as we’ve moved to Saturdays, having a little extra funding/sponsorship would help us to keep bringing in the players accustomed to bigger payouts for weekend gigs.
Danette Christine, with Adam Levy and Jono at last month’s Second Saturdays.
We’ve built such a beautiful community. The musicians all love to play for us. I just want to keep it going strong—while also making sure I don’t topple from wearing too many hats (on top of my typical fedora!). So please let me know if you’re able to help with any of the above.
Thanks again for your support and commitment to staying connected. I appreciate you so much! I hope to see you soon!
I’m happy to be back in Santa Monica for Mother’s Day for the last Library Girl in the original Ruskin Theater at the historic Santa Monica Airport. I’ll play a couple original mom oriented songs! 🙂 Buy Tickets
Library Girl Presents: Portrait of the Artist’s Mother – on Mother’s Day Night, MAY 11th, 7 PM. Show #180! Featuring readings by: Rick Bursky, Jane Cantillon, Melanie Chartoff, Melissa Greenwood, Stevie Kalinich, Shivani Mehta, Cynthia Adam Prochaska, and Kelly Shire. Featuring music by Jason Luckett. For tickets, [click here] or go to ruskingrouptheatre.com – Click SHOWS in top right. Look for Library Girl icon. This is the LAST LIBRARY GIRL in ORIGINAL RUSKIN THEATRE BEFORE MOVING TO NEW (INTERIM) RUSKIN SPACE.
Library Girl Presents: Portrait of the Artist’s Mother – on Mother’s Day Night, MAY 11th, 7 PM. Show #180! Featuring readings by: Rick Bursky, Jane Cantillon, Melanie Chartoff, Melissa Greenwood, Stevie Kalinich, Shivani Mehta, Cynthia Adam Prochaska, and Kelly Shire. Featuring music by Jason Luckett. For tickets, go to ruskingrouptheatre.com – Click SHOWS in top right. Look for Library Girl icon. This is the LAST LIBRARY GIRL in ORIGINAL RUSKIN THEATRE BEFORE MOVING TO NEW (INTERIM) RUSKIN SPACE.
May 10th, we’ll be back with Casey Lipka, and The Eldermen!
Casey is a consistently fascinating artist who works with sublime presence whether as a bassist or vocalist in a number of different formats. We had her with us at Lyd & Mo’s in 2024 singing with Tres Acústicos, then she accompanied me on bass for a tune. I think she’s wonderful and am excited to hear what she has in store for us this month in her duo show with a violinist!
The Elderman are a group that I believe originated from Raspin Stuwart’s nights at Lyd & Mo’s back in 2022. Raspin is the one who booked me there (at the suggestion of the dear Anne Dixon) which started this whole journey of curating and playing monthly for me! I’m excited to hear what he does in a purely democratic group setting with equally excellent songwriters Kim Margolis and Robin Hild.
The format in the new venue, is the same as it’s been for the past two years, I’ll usually bring up my guests for their sets, then close the night with a set of my own. But it’s unpredictable. We switch things up and often collaborate. We want you to stay for the full 2 1/2 hour evening.
One thing to look out for is that we’re on the third floor there, so if you need the elevator, please let me know. It’s in the back and one of the staff will have to let you in. I’m sure this will all get down to a science as we develop, but bear with us as we get everything going. Street parking is available, or there are lots behind Urth Cafe and next to Basecamp Fitness (across the street from the Pasadena Playhouse).
Second Saturdays Jazz Night w/ Jason Luckett & Friends Saturday, May 10, 2025 7:30 Doors, 8pm Showtime, runs until 10:30
Performing: Casey Lipka The Eldermen Jason Luckett
Archetype Yoga 638 E. Colorado Blvd. Ste. 301 Pasadena, CA 91101 626-345-5676
In Playhouse Village in the heart of Pasadena, just around the corner from the Playhouse, plenty of parking on Colorado or in the city lot behind Urth Cafe.
Enter through the front, we’re on the third floor. Let us know if you need an elevator and will let you in the back through the alley. 626-345-5676
Thanks for opening this and being part of this community! I have a couple questions and updates to share, so please read on.
April Shows & Booking More Gigs
April is pretty mellow in terms of shows — the only thing on the book is our Second Saturdays Jazz Night at Archetype Yoga on April 12. But I’d like to be playing more, especially after last month’s mini-tour.
So, my first question: Do you know of some good venues near you, or would you be interested in hosting a house concert? I’m looking to perform out of town—or in town—Thursday–Sundays in April and May. More on that in a sec.
Upcoming Songwriters Workshop
I’m planning a 3-day songwriters workshop in a beautiful home in Santa Monica with gorgeous, peaceful places to write.
My questions for you:
What do you look for in a creative workshop/retreat?
If you’ve done songwriting retreats before, what worked (or didn’t work) for you?
Would you be interested in taking a course with me?
Knowing me as many of you have over the years, what would you most like to learn with me?
Sound Play & Story
The Sound Play and Story class at GenSpace.
This leads me to why I’m focusing on Thursday–Sunday for shows …
Last month I mentioned I’d be teaching at Annenberg GenSpace. In the course I’ve put together, we use sound and object based techniques to access our creativity and stories. I’ve loved it so much that I’m staying on Mondays and Wednesdays this month. It’s also inspired me to lead more workshops—not just for older adults, but for the curious of all ages. (Let me know if you’re interested, and I’ll tell you more about it!)
I love Wallis Annenberg’s vision of “creating a destination dedicated to enriching and expanding the lives of older adults by forging new relationships and creative expression through storytelling, technology, art, and horticultural therapy in beautiful green spaces.”
Building community through creative exchange has always been the highest desire of my work. So I’m aiming to do more workshops and other activities to bring people together through our creativity. I’d love your help with that! For a more specific details about the course, click [here].
Second Saturdays: Volunteers & Support Needed!
I may have already hit the TL;DR (too long, didn’t read) threshold for some, but before you jump off—please remember to check out the great artists we have coming up for Second Saturdays on April 12: Gary Stockdale and Emily Zuzik. More info is at [this link].
The Roswell Sisters at last month’s Second Saturdays.
And, with regard to Second Saturdays Jazz Night w/Jason Luckett & Friends, I’m looking for volunteers to help keep it running smoothly. Specifically,
Publicity help
Set-up and sound assistance on the nights of the show
A videographer (would be amazing)
Help for Sara and Jen for greeting and concessions
A fiscal sponsor to help sustain the series (so we can better support the musicians)
I’m so grateful for those who drop in their $25 or any donation each month! And, as we’ve moved to Saturdays, having a little extra funding/sponsorship would help us to keep bringing in the players accustomed to bigger payouts for weekend gigs.
Danette Christine, with Adam Levy and Jono at last month’s Second Saturdays.
We’ve built such a beautiful community. The musicians all love to play for us. I just want to keep it going strong—while also making sure I don’t topple from wearing too many hats (on top of my typical fedora!). So please let me know if you’re able to help with any of the above.
Speaking of community…
In class today, we had almost a dozen non-musicians singing in improvised four-part harmony. One of them said, “It’s so hard to stay on my part.” This led to a discussion about the essence of standing in your integrity, while listening to others, in service of creating a beautiful, larger whole. It just seemed like a perfect metaphor for so many things in life. I love the lessons music teaches us!
Thanks again for your support and commitment to staying connected. I appreciate you so much! I hope to see you on the 12th or soon!
Gary Stockdale and Emily Zuzik will join us on April 12 for our third show of the year in our new location! RSVP on Facebook. Advance tickets on Eventbrite or Venmo. $25 suggested donation.
Gary and I met, I think, doing a show called Sit’n’Spin at the Hudson Theater years ago. I loved that series, kind of a live This American Life or The Moth that featured mostly comedy writers, reading pieces, eliciting laughs and tears. Gary often did the music and for my first visit, I actually read one of my essays.
Gary has a new one man show, Showstopper, that’s playing at The Whitefire Theater throughout April, so we’re really lucky to have him join us again. His writing reminds me of a mix of Henry Mancini and Randy Newman, with a touch of Tom Lehrer.
Despite having many people in common, I just met Emily Zuzik in Cambria at the Sam Cooke tribute and happily got to play along with her. She’s got a new EP, age + alchemy, coming out May 2. It’s a brilliantly tough roots rock record, from what I’ve enjoyed so far. But on the 12th, she’ll be exploring some standards and jazz oriented originals. I’ll be playing with her, too.
The format in the new venue, is the same as it’s been for the past two years, I’ll usually bring up my guests for their sets, then close the night with a set of my own. But it’s unpredictable. We switch things up and often collaborate. We want you to stay for the full 2 1/2 hour evening.
One thing to look out for is that we’re on the third floor there, so if you need the elevator, please let me know. It’s in the back and one of the staff will have to let you in. I’m sure this will all get down to a science as we develop, but bear with us as we get everything going. Street parking is available, or there are lots behind Urth Cafe and next to Basecamp Fitness (across the street from the Pasadena Playhouse).
Second Saturdays Jazz Night w/ Jason Luckett & Friends Saturday, March 8, 2025 7:30 Doors, 8pm Showtime, runs until 10:30
Performing: Gary Stockdale Emily Zuzik Jason Luckett
Archetype Yoga 638 E. Colorado Blvd. Ste. 301 Pasadena, CA 91101 626-345-5676
In Playhouse Village in the heart of Pasadena, just around the corner from the Playhouse, plenty of parking on Colorado or in the city lot behind Urth Cafe.
Enter through the front, we’re on the third floor. Let us know if you need an elevator and will let you in the back through the alley. 626-345-5676
I’ll be joining this amazing group of artists in this great community theater center for a song or two to benefit those affected by the Eaton Fire. BUY TICKETS
