I am honored to be recently nominated for a Shorty Award in the category of music!:) Thank you so much to the wonderful music promoter Beth Cregger!:)
Please check it out and nominate me/cast your vote when you get a chance...I have recently been to the site voting for many of my friends and fellow social networkers, musicians and music biz peeps and it's very cool and so easy to do...just a quick tweet....
The Shorty Awards are a worldwide effort to engage hundreds of thousands of Twitter users to identify the best people and organizations on social media, culminating in a blockbuster ceremony in New York City.
The Shorty Awards honor the best of social media, recognizing the people and organizations producing real-time short form content across Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, YouTube, Foursquare, and the rest of the social Web....Read more about it here...
Please "Like", "Tweet" and share...and remember to follow or subscribe here to my blog to keep in touch and to stay updated on happenings....thank you!:)
Posted this earlier this week...so I thought I'd do a blog post too...was having some afternoon espresso and had a craving....so....a few hours later...One of my all time favorite Italian pastries....Pasticiotti!!:)
Many people have been asking...and thank you all so much for being so kind and supportive of my food posts!:)...yes...I will be working on a cook book or at least maybe a downloadable e-cook book this year!!:) Started putting it together...if you have any advice or ideas and/or have experience with this kind of thing...or how to get it out there...your thoughts would be greatly appreciated...please contact me and let me know!!:)
Thank you,
Love, Joe
Please remember to follow or subscribe here to my blog to keep in touch and updated on happenings....thank you!:)
According to Joe Gande's page, it appears that Joe writes & produces his own music. The imagery is only of himself, although in his videos there appears to be either a backup band, or a group of musicians that plays for him. Nevertheless, it's Joe that's in the spotlight, and certainly the focus is on him. The pictures are straight-forward, with little special effects. This seems to work, simple and effective. No punches pulled. Joe is the centerpiece of a wild and wide range of sound.
Joe Gande is listed under the "Rock/Hard Rock/Blues" category. I was immediately wowed by the vocal composition in the song, "25 Hours". His voice is reminiscent of a young Joe Cocker, yet maintains the blended poetic breeze of Trey Anastasio of Phish. His voice is moving, heart felt, and full of soul. Commanded from the start, the content of the vocals certainly matches the aura he presents. He is in complete control of tone & key, a true singer is every way.
The band is in total synch with Joe. Whether they or he writes the music, their performance is nothing but stellar. If the band is a studio hire, he's obviously spared no expense finding the top quality of musicianship. The movements in the songs rise & fall with the utmost quality. I find it hard to believe this guy isn't signed to a real label. Between the piano, horns, guitars and vocals, it's a total rainbow of music. Joe Gande is the modern representation of "Rock/Blues", and certainly could very well be the standard to hold others to.
To say anything negative about this act would be blasphemy. However, to place Joe Gande in the Hard Rock category may be an overstatement. Hard Rock is usually reserved for a bit heavier tunes, but in no way does this affect the true compositions of Joe Gande. The tune "Shelter Me" has a harder edge, but this feel is not consistent throughout the rest of his compositions, therefore placing him in the Hard Rock category may not be sufficient.
I find Joe Gande to be a top-rated musician, performer, and audio magician. To miss out on these tunes would surely be a loss. I was amazed at the overall sounds blasting from my Reverbnation tune player. If you haven't had an opportunity to listen, I'd say go to it right now.
On his Reverb page, it states, "Music is supposed to make you feel."
I would like to introduce my next featured artist…Joe Gande from New York City. I am featuring the amazing guitar solo in Circa ’73, and the song Brighter Day that reminds us that no matter what goes on in our lives and around the world….it gives hope of brighter days ahead.
Joe officially released The Godsend Sessions on May 16, 2010. The CD was written, arranged & produced by Joe and the CD was mastered by the grammy award winning Ted Jensen at Sterling Sound, NYC. Joe can do it all…he performed all the vocals, all background vocals, all harmonies, all guitars, piano, keys, and conga drum. The CD also features Neal A. Ostberg: Bass, Kevin Bregande: Drums, Craig Shrawder: Keys, and James B. Gately III: Hammond B3, Glockenspiel, and Bongos. Click image to purchase The Godsend Sessions
A few quotes from JoeGande.com paints the picture of who Joe is…..“Singing, writing, arranging, producing, playing guitar, bass and keys-all without ever taking a formal musical lesson in his life. A prolific songwriter and self-taught guitarist with an ear for melody since a young age, the music just comes into his head. From arranging horn charts, drum fills and grooves, scoring beautiful lush string sections and vocal harmonies, to bangin'out some funky piano…” ---author unknown
"...a sound that can only be described as "New York" ---Dave Jackson, The Musicians CybercoolerThere are many reviews on Joe and in all the reviews I read, the same words kept popping up….PASSION & New York! Joe’s style ranges from jazzy to bluesy to funky to psychedelic…but all the time rockin! Joe has played regularly in the NYC club scene throughout the years and although there are no shows scheduled right now, be sure to keep watching for shows to be added! Joe not only puts out a good vibe with his music but also from his selfless acts of helping others. Quote from Joe…”I love animals and always help out with all kinds of organizations for them” Joe helps raise money through sponsors on Socialvibe…”right now I’m involved with raising money for the NYC foodbank through a cool promo. People can now download my songs free at gimmesound.com and the proceeds from the website and sponsors go to a charity of your choice! Very cool concept…” The photos and quotes tell the story….of a self-taught musician who puts his heart and soul into his music. Drop by Joe Gande’s MySpace page and his website at Joe Gande.com for more music and information. Enjoy the video below as Joe walks the streets of NYC to the sounds of his beautiful song…Can’t See My Life.
The video below gives you a peek of what you will experience in a live show.
Joe is all New York but he is balanced with a softer side where he has another passion….cooking. Must be his Italian roots and his mama’s influence coming out when it comes to pasta! He is currently writing a cook book that will be available soon. In writing this feature I have gotten to know Joe a little better and I find him to be a beautiful, caring person on the inside and out. He is driven, down-to-earth, incredibly talented, and seems to be successful in everything he pursues. Joe is also working on a new project with a DVD in the works so keep watching for that!To sum it up…Joe has a fun-loving passion for life!
Thank you so much everyone for visiting my blog and checking out this post! Please subscribe if you'd like...and comment on the post here and "Like", tweet and share etc...
I love soup!;) Anytime of year really...but especially on a cold, cozy fall or winter's night! This is my homemade Butternut Squash Soup...with ham and fresh ground nutmeg and crostini... Just cut up and sautee a potato, some garlic and onion in a little bit of olive oil...add a bit of chicken stock... Slice up two Butternut Squash in halves(long ways) Place on a lightly greased cookie sheet(use a little olive oil or cooking spray like Pam) face down and roast in the oven at 350 degrees for about an hour... When cooked...scoop out squash and combine with potato/onion mixture and about 2 cups of chicken broth in a big pot...Add salt and pepper and ground nutmeg to taste...a little bit of cream(about half a cup).You can use milk if need be...and a little butter... Use an immersion blender to blend and puree...and then cook on medium heat about a half an hour or so...done!!:)
For Crostini...toast or grill some Italian bread with a little olive oil or buttered with a little garlic powder and parsley...
To add a special touch...slice up some ham or prosciutto...whatever you like or may have on hand and add to the center of the bowl and sprinkle some chopped chives on top if you have them...and a sprinkle of white pepper and some fresh ground black pepper....serve!:)
The soup is delicious on it's own ...but the smokieness of the ham offsets the natural sweetness of the squash and is delicious!!;)
Hi everybody! Hope you're all enjoying an awesome weekend!
I have a new video up now over on Youtube for my song "25 Hours"! It has a groovy 1960's-1970's vibe...hope you all enjoy it!
I thought I'd write a litle about the song and how it came to be..for those that may be interested in that kind of thing..
"25 Hours" was originally a live jam session we did at rehearsal...and we played it in the studio while recording "The Godsend Sessions" as a kind of warm up tune to loosen up before pressing the record button to lay down the live rhythm tracks.
Many of you may not know that my record was recorded in this way...the basic bass, drums and a guitar track were performed live...with all of us playing in the same room.We would typically do a couple of takes of each track...and then later choose the best ones to use for the record.I know..to many of you...today that may sound like an ancient concept!:)lol But...I wanted to capture all of the raw feeling, emotion, sweat, cohesiveness, nuances, power and magic to tape(Yes, Tape)...which only is possible by doing it this way...Sometimes the greatest and coolest things happen in music by actually having musicians playing together...mistakes may happen that turn out later to be sheer genius for the song, feedback, overtones and overall vibe.Of course..it is very difficult and time consuming...it definitely costs more and takes alot of pre-production and 100's of hours of rehearsal to accomplish this believe it or not...unless of course you have a ton of backing and zillions of dollars to spend on studio time and you don't mind watching the clock tick by while your money goes out the window while doing take after take!:) This of course was not the case for me...so we had to have are shit together and be tight before heading in to the studio on day one! I am very lucky to have had THE best and most professional and prepared Bass player and Drummer alive to accomplish this feat and they happened to also be two of my closest friends...if you do not have this...then I do not suggest recording this way these days!:)lol
Back to "25 Hours"...as I said..it was recorded during the studio sessions as a live warm up jam....Near the end of production on the entire CD...I had the music for the song in my head constantly and went home one night and started writing down some thoughts and ideas and lyrics...then the vocal harmonies came to me...I could hear them...it happens like that sometimes for me...and finally...the horns started coming into my head..all of the parts....which ended up being a five piece horn section to accomplish what I heard and envisioned...
I remember walking into the studio the next night...excited..and psyched to tell the guys..and to say we were not finished yet and had to complete one more song! My guys new "That Look" on my face all too well...lol... and I remember Neal saying..."Oh No!!!" LOL Anyway....with the help and genius of musician, engineer James B. Gately....we went into overdrive over the next few weeks to try to get what I had heard in my head recorded and to finish the song in hopes to having it make the record...and I'm so glad that it did!
Notes:
"25 Hours" was originally entitled "Sway"...a term we used to call it in rehearsal..which is a reference to the beautiful female form:)
Many have asked...and yes...as with the entire CD...all of the vocal harmony parts and background vocal overdubs are sung by me...the "25 Hours a Day" back up is a five part harmony....that was one hell of a long night in the studio...lol...as I individually sang every part throughout the song from beginning to end...no Pro Tools copy and paste!!lol
Also...their is actually 4 versions of "25 Hours"...each with a different ending... I shall post those mp3s sometime soon to see which one you all like the best....
"25 Hours" was origanally the last track on the album...but..after much feedback and success at live shows it wuickly was moved to track #1
Thank you all so much for reading...I hope you all enjoyed my ramblings and thank you for all of your positive feedback, love, friendship and support!! I really appreciate it so much!
To Listen to "25 Hours" and more and to purchase my music...Please Visit:
A delicious, healthy alternative to everybody's favorite...Meatballs...my homemade Eggplant Balls! They are delicious...and excellent for antipasto or in place of meatballs on spaghetti in sauce. My Mom discovered this recipe way back when in one of her(and also mine) favorite cook books...Dom Deluise's "EAT THIS...It'll Make You Feel Better". In the description he describes that he learned about Eggplant Balls from Father Orsini...a Calabrese priest from NJ that has written many wonderul cook books... Thank you Mom...and thank you Dom and Father Orsini!!:) These are one of my favorites! Buon Mangiare! Love, Joe http://joegande.bandcamp.com Sent on the Sprint® Now Network from my BlackBerry®
This is an awesome dish that I found in one of my favorite magazines...La Cucina Italiana. Originally said to be made with porcini mushrooms...I improvised with what I had on hand and used regular white mushrooms instead. It was delicious! I love meatless dishes and try to eat a few per week...
This is a great way to throw together a great meal with the fresh vegetables you may have and want to use up before they go bad....
This is truly one of my favorites...escarole and cannellini beans...Minesta as we say...or more properly "Minestra". This dish reminds me of my childhood and my Nonna...It is inexpensive, fairly simple to make and delicious...Italian Soul Food!!:) It really is mainly a wonderful sidedish...but I enjoy it as a main course with Italian bread to sop up the juice and a nice glass of vino... and I make it for dinner quite often. You can also make it using spinach or cabbage or broccoli rabe...and if you'd like you can add some water and chicken broth to make it a soup or add Italian sausage or pork etc.. for flavor...but, I prefer it "as is". All you need is escarole, cannellini beans, olive oil, garlic and red pepper flakes...simple and delizioso...Buon Mangiare!;) Love, Joe http://joegande.bandcamp.com Please subscribe to my blog...comment and share! Sent on the Sprint® Now Network from my BlackBerry®
Made one of my favorites...A little appetizer to enjoy with a nice glass of wine for a Sunday afternoon...Insalata Caprese. Mozzarella, tomato and fresh basil with extra virgin olive oil, a pinch of sea salt and black pepper. Hope you're all enjoying a beautiful summer day!:) Love, Joe Sent on the Sprint® Now Network from my BlackBerry®
Joe has played regularly in the NYC club scene throughout the years and although there are no shows scheduled right now, be sure to keep watching for shows to be added!
