Hounds of Winter cover by Darlene Foster (l-r: Tom Corea, Tom DiPaolo)
Yesterday I posted some songs from Hounds of Winter (which features my husband Dennis Mistretta on several bass tracks).
Here is the official link to all the songs and videos and a free download on Reverb Nation: HOUNDS OF WINTER
(Left to right – Ric Pink, Dennis and Me, 2011)
Every year our good friend Tom Corea puts out an amazing Christmas project via his Babyfishmouth Studio.
My husband, Dennis, often plays bass (and some guitar) on many of the tunes, along with Tom DiPaolo on guitar.
Sometimes I’ll join them in the studio and once in awhile participate.
“Come on Christmas” was a really fun song that was recorded over the summer. (Vocals: Ric Pink, guitar: Tom DiPaolo, bass: Dennis Mistretta, Drums: Tom Corea). And I got to help by singing the back-up vocals! What an honor to be working amongst such great talents!
If you click on the following “Come On Christmas” you will see there are some great shots of all of us having fun in the studio. The album cover photo of Tom DiPaolo and Tom Corea was beautifully done by my very good friend, Darlene Foster (www.darlenefoster.com). It’s worth it to check out the song just to see her fabulous work!
Check out the song and photos by clicking here:
And here’s another one from a few years back, 2006, it’s a surf song featuring Dennis on bass guitar and rhythm, Tom DiPaolo on guitar, Tom Corea on drums, and I’m the opening spoken word vocal, “Hey, Santa, Surf’s Up!”
And finally, a surf take on this Nutcracker classic. Tom DiPaolo on guitars, Dennis Mistretta on bass and Tom Corea on drums: Dance of the Sugar Plum Scary
I always love going to the studio with Dennis. I adore music and watching a tune be put together step-by-step. Or sometimes I’ll go upstairs and hang out with Tom Corea’s wife, Carol, and have a fantastic time drinking wine and having great conversation. They also have two beautiful kids, Jessie and T.J.
We are so blessed to have such great friends and so many wonderful memories!
Tom Corea, of Babyfishmouth Studio and his son, Jessie
Me, Carol Corea and Darlene Foster (Ric Pink in background)
BluePrint Juice — RAW, NATURAL, ORGANIC, UNPASTEURIZED!
I’ve been eyeballing these juices for MONTHS, but held off on trying them because one serving is very costly (example: between $6.99 to $8.99 — ouch!) But a few days ago I was a bit under the weather and rationalized that if I brought something in the homeopathic area, it would cost just as much so …
One word “WOW!”
I tried the “kale/apple/ginger/romaine/spinach/cucumber/celery/parsley/lemon” drink and it was to die for. This is something I’ve always dreamed of — fresh juice on the go. This tastes like it came straight for the juicer. No exaggeration!
All those times I drank Naked Juice, I always felt I could taste the pasteurization. Those juices were always too heavy for my tastes. They also tasted sugary even though they were made of nothing but fruit and vegetable juices.
But BluePrint Juice is the real deal. This stuff is purely RAW. No evil pasteurization or flash pasteurization.
What a lovely treat when you’re on the go!
(Left to right – Me and Darlene)
You never know when you’re going to meet the coolest people!
I met Darlene shortly after I started dating my husband seven years ago because she is the long-long time girlfriend of my husband’s cousin Tommy.
I liked Darlene right off the bat because she was a vegetarian, into animals, music and photography.
Here is her website: DARLENE FOSTER
In October 2010 Darlene asked me if I’d model for her and we spent an entire day working together. Prior to the shoot, I was in a car accident. I was dizzy, upset, and seeing stars, but I couldn’t disappoint Darlene — that’s how much I adore her!
It’s a good thing I didn’t cancel, we had a blast and got some great shots. And Darlene’s finishing touches created some true magic! Here are some shots from that day:
Remembrance and Old Lace (by Darlene Foster, 2010)
The Tree Spirit (by Darlene Foster, 2010)
And here we are in an Asbury Park photo booth:
Darlene and Maryanne, April 2011
This past weekend we got to celebrate Darlene’s birthday (which is really in October, but we got side-tracked by Hurricane Sandy).
We had a wonderful lunch at the Stage House Tavern in Scotch Plains, New Jersey.
And since Darlene loves Meerkat Manor, I gave her this adorable snow globe!
I LOVE YOU DARLENE, MY BEAUTIFUL (INSIDE & OUT) FRIEND!
You are like a sister to me!
True friendships are one of God’s Greatest Blessings!
One of my favorite places to go with my husband on a Sunday afternoon is New Jersey’s historic town of Somerville. Check out the official website: http://www.somervillenj.org/
Yesterday was a perfect winter day. Cold, but sunny. The kind of day you could run around all over the place, from store to store and feel the cool wind on your face. Delightful.
Somerville is gorgeous, much more scenic and prettier than shopping in a mall. There is one area where they recently closed off the street and made it all about shopping. No chain stores, just all unique mom and pop places — with great service.
There are quite a few antique shops, shops for rock ‘n’ roll clothing, comic book stores, etc.
My score for the day was an official vintage Christmas dress! I will show photos of me wearing it after Christmas Day, but until then I want it to be a surprise!
The story behind my vintage Christmas dress is that it was brought into an antique shop, along with another dress. Both dresses were hand made and worn by two ladies who are now in their 90s!
The dress, a size 4 or 6, fit beautifully — maybe a tad too big, which is perfect for Christmas eating. Ha!
I am beyond ecstatic! The shop owner and my husband both said I looked “adorable.”
While my husband would like to see me wearing my Steve Madden black dressy flats with the dress, I think I’ll opt for my new winter boots instead, to punk it up a bit.
My husband found a few vintage holiday decorations, like an old Santa that lights up, similar to this one:
And we also found a talking baby Rudolph, with a nose that lights up and he says, “Mama” “Papa” and “Santa.”
My husband wanted to buy it for me, but trust me, we already have enough Rudolph in the house!
As the day came to an end, we were happy to come home and snuggle with our kitties.
That is what winter is all about, short days with a helluva lot of fun squeezed in!
I can’t hold back.
I am very upset with some of the ugly, disturbing things I’ve been hearing out of the mouths of babes of late.
Ever since Barack Obama won the election, seems a lot of pissed off parents are teaching their children to parrot them by spewing hate and racism. This is not cute. And it is definitely not fair to the child.
Is this what parents want? Do parents REALLY want their children growing up to be 21st century Archie Bunkers? Bullies? Young people who can’t think for themselves? Young people with a herd mentality?
Do these words mean anything to them? Racist. Ignorance. Intolerance. Homophobia.
I’d like to believe the world is moving forward in a positive direction. Do you want your child left behind and viewed in an unfavorable way by others because of the backward things you are teaching him to repeat?
Is your ego that fragile that you have to brainwash your child in order to compensate for what you feel is your loss?
Is creating a “mini me monster” your way of getting back at those who voted for who we thought would be the best leader of our country for the next four years?
Way to go, parents! Teach your kid to be a brat because you didn’t get your way. Shame on you!
Back in the early 1990s I lived next door to a Russian family. The little girl was named Tanya and she was extraordinarily smart. She’d come to my apartment every day and talk to me. I took her shopping with me and to the zoo.
One day she was very excited to tell me that they got to vote in school.
I asked her, “So who did you pick for president?”
She said, “Nobody.”
I asked why.
She said, “Well, if I voted for one president, the other would be mad. And I don’t need a president being mad at me!”
SMART KID! Tanya’s young words showed that she was a child who was going to grow up to be fair and diplomatic. And her words came from a beautiful source — her heart! Not something she overheard her parents say on their cell phones. If all parents raised this child like Tanya’s parents did — to think for herself — the world would be a much better place to live in!
From the lyrics of the song “The Greatest Love of All” written by Michael Masser and Linda Creed, made famous by Whitney Houston:
I believe the children are our future
Teach them well and let them lead the way
Show them all the beauty they possess inside
Give them a sense of pride to make it easier
Let the children’s laughter remind us how we used to be
My nephew, Matthew, age 11 (isn’t he the cutest?)
My beautiful sister, Kim and her dog Ally Marie Paige
At my brother-in-law Anthony’s home. Left to right: Father in-law Pop, Little Anthony, Jonathan, my husband Dennis (with black shirt), brother-in-law, Joe and Eileen
L-R: Drea, Jonathan, Kate, Kate’s mom Sandra, Pop, Sue, my brother-in-law, Joe and me
Me, the day after 🙂
Note: With SO MANY people and so much commotion, it was hard to take photos of everyone. So I just opted for the photos that were the best of the lot (without blur, too dark, eyes closed, etc.) So a special shout out to the ones not in the pictures: Mom, her other dog Oliver, Uncle, Kathy, Lisa and her girls, Brooke and Crystal, Lisa’s dad John, and my brother-in-law, Anthony.
I love all of you, thanks for making it so special!
Me, with my 18-year-old, Billy, he’s one of my greatest blessings!
So much to be Thankful for, not just on Thanksgiving, but every day.
But Thanksgiving is a special day, featuring the word “THANKS” so all of our positive vibrations are working together, chanting, THANKS, THANKS, THANKS!
CAN YOU FEEL THE LOVE?
I am thankful for so many things in my life — the big things — the little things — the medium things. So I will begin this magical list and let the all the goodness in my heart just flow out to share with all of you!
My Magical List of Thanksgiving Blessings!
I am ever so thankful for my husband, Dennis, the coolest, smartest, funniest guy in the world and my best friend for life. Thanks to his true love, I am constantly growing to be the best person I can be. Each day is a magical adventure. I LOVE US! I adore you, Dennis! Thank you for making me your wife! I will never let you down! xoxo
I am very thankful for my blessed fur babies, Billy (18) and Derick (16). My teenage boys. They are such a special part of my life. They give me so much joy each and every day. We have all been through so much together. My little hearts!
I am thankful for my immediate family, Mom, Kim and Matthew, other family members I am close to, all my in-laws and their significant others, their families, their children and their pets. All who are alive and well and in my life, as well as those who have passed on and always remain in my heart. I love each and every one of you, in a very special way that is meant just for YOU!
I am thankful for my late, beloved Grandma, who always showed me unconditional love. Did we fight? Hell, yeah! We got downright mean and dirty sometimes. But both of us, in true LEO fashion, we were quick to forgive and forget. I love you, Grandma! Please come visit me in a dream, real soon!
I am thankful for my best girlfriends, Gina and Darlene and my best guy friends, Ed and Todd. All of you are the FAB FOUR! I don’t know what I’d do without any of you. Please know how special you are to me and how loved you really are!
And for every other friend (past, present, future, alive and deceased) who comes and goes in my life when things are meant to be. You are all like little rubies making up one big diamond. Thank you for touching my life!
I am thankful for my business, Pear Tree Enterprises (www.peartreeenterprises.com), and for all the wonderful clients I have that give me the opportunity to prosper doing all the things I love best and making the most of my talents. For this I am happy every day, whether it’s a Sunday, Monday, Wednesday or Friday. For this, waking up each morning is a blessing!
I am thankful for my health. And the opportunities to have some control over my health. I am thankful for raw foods. I am thankful for vegetarian food. And I am thankful to everyone who has made an effort to serve me vegetarian food, and to those I’ve inspired to eat a few vegetarian meals! I am thankful for exercise: yoga, kick boxing, Pilates, light weights, low impact aerobics, swimming, bike riding, walking, power walking, dancing, etc. All the wonderful ways to move my body and keep it healthy as possible!
I am thankful for my creativity.
I am thankful for my open-mindedness.
I am thankful for my good heart.
I am thankful for my dynamic personality.
I am thankful for middle-age! There is truly a wisdom and peace that comes with age that younger people don’t have. I love it and embrace it constantly!
I am thankful for all the beautiful animals I see every day: dogs on the street, birds, deer, rabbits, squirrels … all these babies will never know how much they make me smile. And for little Fawn, my Mom’s beloved Chihuahua who died earlier this year. She was the best and made our family very happy! Bless her little heart and soul. We were so lucky to have her in our lives for 15 years.
I am thankful for BLOGGING! I started this blog as a positive way to document my life. And ended up meeting so many talented writers — I am just blown away! I read as many blogs as I can each day. It’s my only internet livelihood. And not only are all of you talented writers, some of you have become internet friends that I care about because you care about me! Some say it’s just a computer, but there are human beings typing behind these computers, pouring their hearts out each day, sharing their lives, pictures, thoughts, ideas and creativity. God Bless all of you! You all make me very happy!
I am thankful for MUSIC! I love music so much, I married a musician! I love having music playing in the house as much as possible. All kinds of music: punk, new wave, country, rock, hard rock, classic rock, 1970s AM gold hits, alternative, easy listening … there is not much that I don’t like. I am thankful for radio stations, CDs, vinyl, Sirius radio, all the musicians I love that are still alive to perform, all the ones I saw before they passed on, and all the ones I DIDN’T get to see! Thank you to every song that has moved me! Thank you to all the bands in my record collection.
I am thankful that this is all just the tip of the iceberg and I can go on and on forever with all the things I am thankful for.
But I will stop here, just short of 1000 words, and wish all of you and the special people and animals in your life:
A VERY HAPPY THANKSGIVING!
Ann Baxter, promotional ad wearing faux fur
With winter right around the corner, it’s time to shop for our warm coats.
It’s always a challenge for me to find something that’s very warm, yet to my liking. I’m more of a summer clothes kinda gal: open toe shoe, cut off jeans, sun dresses, etc.
And since I often work as a reporter, I don’t like to wear bulky coats because it makes it so hard to write and carry stuff like a camera. I need clothing that moves with me.
Ever since I became an animal rights person back in 1986, I just loved to wear faux fur. Faux everything in fact — faux leather (as some call it “pleather”) and everything man made.
Faux fur has been around since the 1920s and with more and more people becoming animal advocates it’s becoming more and more popular.
My late friend, Cyrinda Foxe and Justin Love, 2001
The first night I met my friend Cyrinda Foxe (RIP), I was wearing the above faux fur coat. She was wearing her grandmother’s mink. We traded coats for the evening just to be silly. Of course I don’t normally wear mink, but I made an exception because it was her grandma’s and that’s very special. Plus, I was a little tipsy.
And who am I to judge anyway? I’m such a live and let live person. I’m the one vegetarian/faux coat wearing/no animal testing make-up connoisseur who will NOT JUDGE others. So everyone can just relax around me. It’s all good.
But back to THAT COAT ….
That coat went on so many adventures with me. I saw The Buzzcocks wearing that coat. I met legendary rock photographer, Mick Rock, wearing that coat. I wore that coat almost every day in the winter when I wrote for several New York newspapers.
I may still have the coat stashed away somewhere. Or maybe I gave it to the needy. Once the inner liner ripped, I decided it was time to move on to something else and stopped wearing faux fur for several years, replacing it with other types of coats.
Now this winter, I’m back to faux fur!
My Fab Faux
I found my new FAB FAUX earlier this fall while at a street fair. It was a great buy. Not only does it keep me warm but I can wear big, snuggly sweaters underneath it.
It’s cute, it’s fun and it’s guilt-free.
I’ll wear it in good health — thank you very much!
A professional writer since 1995, so many people ask me what is it like having my name in print.
By now, you’d like I’d be used to it, and I kinda am, but sometimes things just pop up in my writing career that really get me excited. Like when The Aquarian/Arts Weekly got into the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame — EVERY SINGLE ISSUE is in the Hall of Fame, which means many issues with interviews I did with amazing musicians, my CD reviews, and even though I modeled for a guitar ad at age 28 that was featured in the Aquarian in 1991, it’s the fact that my writing is in there that makes me get all giddy!
So just a few minutes ago, I was researching something that I wanted to write about on my Maryanne’s Jukebox blog page and I came across this page in Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_people_from_Montclair,_New_Jersey
It’s a List of famous people from Montclair.
And since I wrote for the Montclair Times for seven years, I interviewed a ton of famous Montclairians. But in this particular reference, they mention my article with musician Ty Taylor from 2005. (See reference citation #102). Unfortunately the website was changed after I left the newspaper and many articles no longer exist on the world wide web. But anyone who is feeling ambitious can always go to the Montclair Public Library where they archive all the issues back to the 1800s and they can be viewed on microfilm. (Which reminds me, I used to write a column for The Montclair Times called “Looking Backward” where I’d go view the old newspapers on microfilm and pick out the top stories from 100 years ago today, 75 years ago today, etc. It was a very rewarding thing to get paid for, let me tell you!)
There are so many fine talents who live or lived in Montclair, New Jersey, this list should definitely be more extensive and maybe eventually it will be. Off the top of my head I can think of at least five or 10 more that I’ve interviewed that should be in there.
But, needless to say, seeing my name on this massive list made me very happy this morning!
So, as I once saw on a Lou Christie shirt …. “Google me!”
Maryanne Christiano-Mistretta 