St. Patrick's Day Giveaway

According to family legend, my great-great grandfather, George Convy, brought a piece of sod from the homeland when he emigrated from Ireland in 1866. Now and then, when he was feeling particularly homesick, he would take it out and have a good cry.

The Irish, who fled their country by the thousands, did not have a word for "emigrate" -- instead, they used the word for "exile," which struck me as sad and poignant. In this song, The Turf o' Tullamore, I pay tribute to my Irish ancestors, who came from Tullamore, Ireland, to make a new life in St Louis, MO, -- and who occasionally grieved for their homeland.

In celebration of St. Patrick's Day, t

he song is available as a free download on our website, . Click here: Free Download Turf o' Tullamore

The Turf o' Tullamore

words and music © Erin Coombs Friedman


Into the West – land of the free
In freedom will I e’er a stranger be
So up the stairs I climb
Open up the trunk and find
The piece of home I carried ‘cross the sea

chorus:

Weeping o’er The Turf o’ Tullamore
Exiles both – the Irish sod and I
The Turf o’ Tullamore
Will know my bones forevermore
Sweeten my grave when I
Lay down to die


For my sons, I made a pledge
They’ll not beg the Crown for daily bread
There’s days I understand
The promise in this promised land
And days I fill my glass with my regrets

chorus

When I take my final rest
Lay the Turf o’ Tullamore upon my breast
And it’s sweet - the dream I’ll dream
Home to Erin’s fields of green
By the Shannon’s holy waters, I’ll be blessed

chorus

Youtube Link Here

Saturday Night Nick

Our dear friend and musical mentor, Nick Ciampi, will be rocking Vintage in Downtown Redding this Saturday night, at the ArtHop After-Party. Nick plays the folk rock tunes you know by heart and a huge selection of his original tunes. In addition to being an all-around wonderful guy, Nick is also an inventor, music teacher, and guitar player extra-ordinaire.

Do yourself a favor and get out on Saturday night and do some serious Hopping. Then wind down at Vintage with a glass of your favorite beverage and one of Redding's favorite musicians.

ArtHop After Party

Saturday, March 12th 9 PM

at:

Vintage Wine Bar

ArtHop Maps on ANewsCafe.com: Here

Check out Nick's website: Here

In Search of The Perfect Gig

The Business That Pays the Bills (Wrap-N-Pack) has demanded our undivided attention for the past year. We've managed some songwriting and recording, and we play occasional gigs, but mostly we've been busy helping our customers.

We probably should have stepped into this musician thing back when we were young and bullet-proof. But here we are, in our fifties, where a good night's sleep is mandatory, and our business and our kids require us to be upright and responsible during the day. So nighttime gigs are pretty much out of the question.

Late nights are not an option, and our free time is limited. That didn't keep us from envisioning The Perfect Gig for Still Married: It's in the early evening and it lasts about an hour. At The Perfect Gig, the audience is congenial and connects with the music. There are smiles, mutual respect.

It's elusive, and, we thought, probably imaginary.

But last Friday afternoon, we lucked out, and enjoyed The Perfect Gig, when we played our tunes for the residents at Oakdale Heights Assisted Living. The folks there were kind, beautiful and generous with their attention. They smiled, they sipped wine and sang along while we played "Stand By Me" and "Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain." We felt truly blessed to be there and share the music.

Now that we know where The Perfect Gig awaits, we look forward to returning.