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Anne
Mironchik and Galia Arad “What do you want to do?” “I don’t know…what do YOU want to do?” And so it goes on Friday and Saturday nights all around the country. And you end up going out to dinner or a movie, or both, and it costs you every “extra” penny you have. And by the next weekend, when you do it all again, you have already forgotten what movie you saw and what you had for dinner. Maybe it’s time you broke from the same old routine and went out to hear some LIVE MUSIC! Every time you go, it’s a different experience. And unless you’re drinking Petron or some similar vice by the bottle, it will be a lot less expensive than dinner and a movie. You’ll hear some great music, probably meet some new friends or see some old ones, and actually have a chance to relax from the rotten work week you just had. Fortunately, most SGA singer-songwriters have mailing lists (if you don’t, better get on the stick!) and send them out regularly. If you’re on enough mailing lists, you always have a place to go. Sometimes, I plan well in advance to go to shows. Other times, like last Saturday, it was “What do you want to do?” time, and it was suggested that we go and see two of our local SGA members perform in NYC, at a warm, intimate bar in the East Village. The KGB Bar is located in what was once a tenement “townhouse” that once housed the Ukrainian Labor Home. Downstairs, they hosted parties and banquets, Upstairs, a speakeasy. Those days are gone, but the speakeasy is now a legitimate bar, home to poets and writers, who inhabit and perform there almost every night. In fact, New York Magazine and the Village Voice have named it the best literary venue in New York City, and yet it is still a largely undiscovered gem. No cover, no minimum, great red walls and a living room atmosphere. How can you go wrong? At times, the writers and poets give way to musical performances by some of the finest singer-songwriters in the city, and this Saturday night was no exception. Hosted by SGA’s Anne Mironchik, this round-robin set also featured one of SGA’s finest, Galia Arad, and the show was rounded out by Jimmy Mancus. Mironchik was in fine form, and featured songs from her soon to be released CD, “Cookin’ in the Kitchen”, the title uptempo track being a crowd favorite, although she delivered a fine performance on one of her new ballads as well. Anne also did a beautiful job hosting the evening, and kept the near-capacity crowd interested as the evening progressed. Arad was, as usual, her charming and witty self, with on-stage chatter as amusing as her music. She featured songs from her new CD “Sand in Your Bed”, as well as some songs too new to make it onto the CD. (An aside: she had to borrow a guitar, because she left hers in the trunk of a NYC taxi cab. If you’re reading this, Mr. Taxi Man, please return it!!!!) So instead of her comfortable nylon string, she had to forge ahead with a steel string. I won’t report on how her fingers must have felt the next morning. All in all, great atmosphere, great company, great music, great evening. So next time, before you decide to go out and blow 40 bucks on tickets, a drink and popcorn at a movie and sit behind someone who is 6’8 and in front of a family with kids who won’t shut up, consider a night out to support your local artists. And if you’re drinking Patron, try to select a designated driver.
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Anne Mironchik: Sultry and Sweet
Galia Arad: Sweet and Sultry |
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