~
Songs of Freedom Television
DECEMBER 2024
~ DECEMBER 2024 ~
"More Than a Small Circle of Friends"
DECEMBER is Phil Ochs Month at Songs of Freedom Television
It is hard to believe it has been nine years since December of 2015 when I organized and produced a show in Queens celebrating the 75th birthday of Phil Ochs. It was a magical evening featuring brilliant performances by artists inspired by Phil's memory and music. I recorded the entire evening for Songs of Freedom Television and made four episodes of what happened that night.
Considering recent political events in our country and world a month of Phil Ochs music and memories is more than topical. It’s both prescient and comforting.
The episodes I recorded and edited nine years ago will play at public access tv stations in New York City this month. They will also stream online. In addition, I am posting the four episodes here so you can watch them at your convenience.
There may be ugly times ahead.
"In such ugly times, the only true protest is beauty."
~ Phil Ochs ~
I wish you beauty, peace, and happiness.
Joel Landy, Songs of Freedom Television ~
---
Here again are the episodes for this month.
Show 1: https://vimeo.com/484564993?share=copy
Show 2: https://vimeo.com/484565664?share=copy
Show 3: https://vimeo.com/484566359?share=copy
Show 4: https://vimeo.com/484566870?share=copy
Stay tuned, and keep singing!
~~~
On your cable and online
MANHATTAN
Saturday, December / 7, 14, 21, 28
QUEENS
Thursday, December / 5, 12, 19, 26
BROOKLYN
Monday and Wednesday:
December / 9 and 11, 16 and 18, 23 and 25, 30 and January 1
BRONX
Monday, November / 9, 16, 23, 30
~
~ NOVEMBER 2024 ~
And now for something completely different.
A word about love and peace and the Peoples' Voice Cafe.
As the 2024 Presidential election remains an ugly mess it is time to remember there is a place for hope and joy.
This month Songs of Freedom Television celebrates the dignity of human spirit with four shows recorded at the PVC in September of this year.
Treat yourself to the creative energy of talented performers as they share their vision of what is and what can be.
The People’s Voice Café is New York City’s premiere progressive venue. With more than forty years of history it remains an all volunteer run organization hosting seasons of talented artists with something to say. The 2024 season began in September with a variety of shows. The September 28 show was devoted to remembering the Greenwich Village scene of the early 1960s and the “folk revival.” Songs of Freedom Television was there to recording entire event, featuring topical singer/songwriters living in today’s world. Artists included David Roth, Joel Landy, Fred Arcoleo, Lindsey Wilson, Bracha Lieberman, and Jane Babits. This month captures that evening and presents it to you. Enjoy the “unplugged” acoustic performances and well written songs. Tune in and don’t tune out!
Here are the four shows this month:
1. “Unplugged” at the Peoples’ Voice Café, featuring David Roth, show 1
https://vimeo.com/1019006196
2. “Unplugged” at the Peoples’ Voice Café, featuring David Roth, show 2
https://vimeo.com/1019004345
3. “Unplugged” at the Peoples’ Voice Café, featuring Joel Landy, Fred Arcoleo and Lindsey Wilson
https://vimeo.com/1019007501
4. “Unplugged” at the Peoples’ Voice Café, featuring Bracha Liberman, Jane Babits and David Roth
https://vimeo.com/1019008500
For more information about to the Peoples’ Voice Café, including this season’s schedule of performances and how to become a volunteer, go to:
www.peoplesvoicecafe.org
~~~
On your cable and online
MANHATTAN
Saturday, November / 9, 16, 23, 30
QUEENS
Thursday, November / 7, 14, 21. 28
BROOKLYN
Monday and Wednesday:
November / 4 and 6, 11 and 13, 18 and 20, 25 and 27
BRONX
Monday, November / 4, 11, 18, 25
~ OCTOBER 2024 ~
One month from now we will all be deciding the future of democracy.
Whether you want the responsibility or not you have a choice on what will happen November 5th. You may have asked yourself, “What can I do?” to make a difference on Election Day. Voting, for sure, is one important thing. Getting people to the poles is another. Knocking on doors and phone banking can be critical for success. There are other ways also. As producer of Songs of Freedom Television, and as curator of this website I have asked myself “What can I do?” to preserve democracy in our country. The stakes are so high. We have a choice to speak up, communicate, and model humanity in action. That is what I intend to do. As Bob Dylan sang it,
And I'll tell it, and speak it, and think it, and breathe it
And reflect from the mountain so all souls can see it
And I'll stand on the ocean until I start sinking
But I'll know my song well before I start singing
A hard rain may fall in November. Whatever happens before that time and after that time, never give in to immobilizing cynicism. There will always be something you can do.
Keep telling the truth. And keep singing it too.
~ Joel Landy, Songs of Freedom Television ~
--
In this final month before Election Day in 2024. Songs of Freedom Television is dedicated to celebrating the dignity of human struggle and preserving democracy in our country. Tune in this month for episodes committed to the power of people and social justice.
Here are the four episodes.
Tune in. And don’t tune out!
~
The Episodes for the Month of October
Tune In, and Don't Tune Out!
Show 2: "The State of Donald Trump"
Show 3: "Before I Would Vote for Donald Trump"
Show 4: "I Can't Help Falling In Love with Me!" / What to do about Donald Trump"
~~~
On your cable and online
MANHATTAN
Saturday, October / 5, 12, 19, 26
QUEENS
Thursday, October / 3, 10, 17, 24, 31
BROOKLYN
Monday and Wednesday:
October / 7 and 9, 14 and 16, 21 and 23, 28 and 30
BRONX
Monday, October / 7, 14, 21, 28
~ SEPTEMBER 2024 ~
Keeping in mind what is important. Doing the work. And having fun.
Is that possible? Is fun permitted while saving your nation?
An weighty question for sure. And the answer is yes!
That is the focus of this month's Songs of Freedom Television.
Having fun while doing important work.
Episodes this month feature the brilliant musical talent of Jerry Korobow, sharing his songs and skills. Jerry's blues chops and original music are showcased in the first two fun filled episodes.
The next two shows features myself and songs relevant to this political season. If it has an attitude, that was my purpose too.
Tune in to find out what I mean.
Whatever your feelings are about the upcoming election, I urge to to take action and vote. Bring dear ones and friends with you.
And take care of yourself. You matter and are needed in all that we do in your life and in this country.
And don't forget to keep singing!
In solidarity and spirit,
~ joel landy, songs of freedom television ~
~
The Kamala Walz
"Tennessee Waltz" original words and music:
Pee Wee King and Redd Stewart
new words: Joel Landy
I was watchin’ on my tv to a politico station
Where the people I happened to see
Weren’t lyin’, speech-a-fyin’ and the crowd was a’cryin’ with emotion and great energy
I remember that night and the Kamala Walz
And a party correcting its faults
Where we found inspiration
Reviving our nation
And a dream in the Kamala Walz
A Presidential decision
Was causing division
We were lost in our tears of despair
But then we were excited
And our hopes reignited
As if someone had answered a prayer
I will remember that night and the Kamala Walz
And the joy it returned to us all
And how we took inspiration
And changed the fate of our nation
With a dream and the Kamala Walz
~
The Episodes for the Month of September
Show 2: Jerry Korobow, show 2
with a performance by Wells
Show 4: "The State of Donald Trump"
~~~
On your cable and online
MANHATTAN
Saturday, September / 7, 14, 21, 28
QUEENS
Thursday, September / 5, 12, 19, 26
BROOKLYN
Monday and Wednesday:
September / 9 and 11, 16 and 18, 23 and 25, 30 and Oct. 2
BRONX
Monday, September / 9, 16, 23, 30
~ AUGUST 2024 ~
A Time To Organize. A Time to Act.
A time to make sure Donald Trump will NOT be President.
~~~
I’d vote for an old can of dog food
I’d vote for a worn laceless shoe
I’d vote for an asteroid hitting the Earth
Or emojis of your piles of poo
I’d vote for a kindly but clumsy old man as spry as a log with a lump
A guitar with no strings
And a million more things
Before I would vote Donald Trump
(from "Before I Would Vote Donald Trump" words and music: Joel Landy)
~~~
I will not vote for Donald Trump, except if it is to choose his prison uniform.
I have been against Trump being in the White House long before he became a twice impeached convicted felon.
I have been writing and singing about the four times indicted criminal since he announced he was running for President in 2015. And now here we are in 2024 and racing towards another Election Day.
This month of Songs of Freedom Television is dedicated to the premise that Donald Trump should NEVER be the President of the United States. In fact, he should be in jail along with the criminals he hires to control and ruin this country.
There are no hidden feelings and there is no hidden agenda here. The mission is both challenging and simple:
See that everyone who can vote is allowed to vote. Count all votes. And,
KEEP DONALD TRUMP OUT OF THE WHITE HOUSE!
(song: "Donald Trump Clubbing" words and music: Joel Landy)
I will do anything legal I can do to make this happen. I will use all of my energy and any means that I have, including my Songs of Freedom Television program.
Did you feel what I said? Was it forceful and understood?
This month Songs of Freedom Television presents four programs with songs and action that make my case. I encourage you to work at this any (legal) way you can. Find likeminded people and get busy! Democracy and our country need you to take action. Be bold and clear. Be with others. And be sure to vote in November and help others vote too.
And take care of yourself. You are needed to preserve democracy and everything you hold dear.
And don't forget to keep singing!
In solidarity and spirit,
~ joel landy, songs of freedom television ~
----
So, the next time you see a headline
And the latest results of some poll
I would vote you consider the choice that you have
That can cost us a terrible toll
Will you vote for an imperfect party
And whoever they put on their stump
Or elect a crime family tyrant and friends
And your leader for life, Donald Trump?
I vote you beware
So, we never go there,
With a leader for life, Donald Trump.
~
The Episodes for the Month of August / Organizing and Acting to Preserve Democracy. Keeping Donald Trump out of the White House.
Show 1: "I Can't Help Falling In Love with Me!" / What to do about Donald Trump
Show 2: "Before I Would Vote for Donald Trump"
Show 4: "The State of Donald Trump"
~~~
On your cable and online
MANHATTAN
Saturday, August / 3, 10, 17, 24, 31
QUEENS
Thursday, August / 8, 15, 22, 29
BROOKLYN
Monday and Wednesday:
August / 5 and 7, 12 and 14, 19 and 21, 26 and 28
BRONX
Monday, July / 5, 12, 19, 26
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
JULY 2024
Celebrating the Life and Music of Woody Guthrie
Just as December is “Phil Ochs Month” at Songs of Freedom Television, July is a month whose shows are dedicated to the life, music, and memory of Woody Guthrie (July 14, 1912- October 3, 1967). I have been participating in Woody Guthrie Tribute shows for more than 20 years, and never has his music been more timely. (Fascists are still bound to lose!) His uncompromising style and moral clarity continues to live on in the songs and artists that have come years after he rode the rails, wrote and performed songs, and left us at the age of 55. Woody, of course, is best remembered for “This Land Is Your Land”, a song we all learned when we were young even though it never played on the radio – a tribute to the notion and dogged persistence of “folk music.” That represents who Woody Guthrie was. He was an American original and its quintessential troubadour. He proclaimed,
“I hate a song that makes you think that you are not any good. I hate a song that makes you think that you are just born to lose. Bound to lose. No good to nobody. No good for nothing. Because you are too old or too young or too fat or too slim or too ugly or too this or too that. Songs that run you down or poke fun at you on account of your bad luck or hard travelling. I am out to fight those songs to my very last breath of air and my last drop of blood. I am out to sing songs that will prove to you that this is your world and that if it has hit you pretty hard and knocked you for a dozen loops, no matter what color, what size you are, how you are built, I am out to sing the songs that make you take pride in yourself and in your work. And the songs that I sing are made up for the most part by all sorts of folks just about like you. I could hire out to the other side, the big money side, and get several dollars every week just to quit singing my own kind of songs and to sing the kind that knock you down still farther and the ones that poke fun at you even more and the ones that make you think that you've not got any sense at all. But I decided a long time ago that I'd starve to death before I'd sing any such songs as that. The radio waves and your movies and your jukeboxes and your songbooks are already loaded down and running over with such no good songs as that anyhow.”
We celebrate Woody Guthrie this month with performances from the Songs of Freedom Television archives. There are three vintage shows from 2009 and one from 2008. All of the performances come from the shows Steve Suffet produced at The Bowery Poetry Club in Greenwich Village, NYC. The 2009 shows featured Oscar Brand and a talented ensemble of artists, some of whom can be seen in the episode recorded in 2008.
Woody’s message lives on and Steve’s annual Woody tribute shows continue too. The next one is in Queens, NY on Monday, October 10th. Stay tuned for more about that, but for now, I hope you enjoy these episodes. And remember, this land is still your land!
~ joel landy, songs of freedom television ~
~
The Episodes for the Month of July / Celebrating the Life and Music of Woody Guthrie
Show 2: The 2009 Woody Guthrie Birthday Hoot in NYC, episode 2, featuring,
Jessica Feinbloom, Robin Greenstein, Joel Landy, Steve Suffet, Gina Tlamsa, and Carlos Vasquez
Show 3: The 2009 Woody Guthrie Birthday Hoot in NYC, episode 3, featuring,
Jessica Feinbloom, Robin Greenstein, Joel Landy, Steve Suffet, Gina Tlamsa, and Carlos Vasquez
Show 4: The 2008 Woody Guthrie Birthday Hoot in NYC, episode 1, featuring,
Hillel Arnold, Jessica Feinbloom, Emma Graves, Joel Landy, Sandy Pliskin, Anne Price, Steve Suffet, Gina Tlamsa, and Carlos Vasquez
~~~
On your cable and online
MANHATTAN
Saturday, July / 6. 13. 20, 27
QUEENS
Thursday, July / 4, 11, 18, 25
BROOKLYN
Monday and Wednesday:
July / 8 and 10, 15 and 17, 22 and 24, 29 and 31
BRONX
Monday, July / 8, 15, 22, 29
Celebrating the Life and Music of Woody Guthrie
Just as December is “Phil Ochs Month” at Songs of Freedom Television, July is a month whose shows are dedicated to the life, music, and memory of Woody Guthrie (July 14, 1912- October 3, 1967). I have been participating in Woody Guthrie Tribute shows for more than 20 years, and never has his music been more timely. (Fascists are still bound to lose!) His uncompromising style and moral clarity continues to live on in the songs and artists that have come years after he rode the rails, wrote and performed songs, and left us at the age of 55. Woody, of course, is best remembered for “This Land Is Your Land”, a song we all learned when we were young even though it never played on the radio – a tribute to the notion and dogged persistence of “folk music.” That represents who Woody Guthrie was. He was an American original and its quintessential troubadour. He proclaimed,
“I hate a song that makes you think that you are not any good. I hate a song that makes you think that you are just born to lose. Bound to lose. No good to nobody. No good for nothing. Because you are too old or too young or too fat or too slim or too ugly or too this or too that. Songs that run you down or poke fun at you on account of your bad luck or hard travelling. I am out to fight those songs to my very last breath of air and my last drop of blood. I am out to sing songs that will prove to you that this is your world and that if it has hit you pretty hard and knocked you for a dozen loops, no matter what color, what size you are, how you are built, I am out to sing the songs that make you take pride in yourself and in your work. And the songs that I sing are made up for the most part by all sorts of folks just about like you. I could hire out to the other side, the big money side, and get several dollars every week just to quit singing my own kind of songs and to sing the kind that knock you down still farther and the ones that poke fun at you even more and the ones that make you think that you've not got any sense at all. But I decided a long time ago that I'd starve to death before I'd sing any such songs as that. The radio waves and your movies and your jukeboxes and your songbooks are already loaded down and running over with such no good songs as that anyhow.”
We celebrate Woody Guthrie this month with performances from the Songs of Freedom Television archives. There are three vintage shows from 2009 and one from 2008. All of the performances come from the shows Steve Suffet produced at The Bowery Poetry Club in Greenwich Village, NYC. The 2009 shows featured Oscar Brand and a talented ensemble of artists, some of whom can be seen in the episode recorded in 2008.
Woody’s message lives on and Steve’s annual Woody tribute shows continue too. The next one is in Queens, NY on Monday, October 10th. Stay tuned for more about that, but for now, I hope you enjoy these episodes. And remember, this land is still your land!
~ joel landy, songs of freedom television ~
~
The Episodes for the Month of July / Celebrating the Life and Music of Woody Guthrie
Show 2: The 2009 Woody Guthrie Birthday Hoot in NYC, episode 2, featuring,
Jessica Feinbloom, Robin Greenstein, Joel Landy, Steve Suffet, Gina Tlamsa, and Carlos Vasquez
Show 3: The 2009 Woody Guthrie Birthday Hoot in NYC, episode 3, featuring,
Jessica Feinbloom, Robin Greenstein, Joel Landy, Steve Suffet, Gina Tlamsa, and Carlos Vasquez
Show 4: The 2008 Woody Guthrie Birthday Hoot in NYC, episode 1, featuring,
Hillel Arnold, Jessica Feinbloom, Emma Graves, Joel Landy, Sandy Pliskin, Anne Price, Steve Suffet, Gina Tlamsa, and Carlos Vasquez
~~~
On your cable and online
MANHATTAN
Saturday, July / 6. 13. 20, 27
QUEENS
Thursday, July / 4, 11, 18, 25
BROOKLYN
Monday and Wednesday:
July / 8 and 10, 15 and 17, 22 and 24, 29 and 31
BRONX
Monday, July / 8, 15, 22, 29
JUNE 2024
Bring on the Music! Bring on the Fun! Make Music New York and More!!
Bring on the music! Bring on the Fun!
If you have been reading this web page over the years you know that June is my favorite month.
It's not just because I am a schoolteacher, although that helps! More hours of sunlight and pleasant weather and colorful flowers and singing birds...
the spirit is sweet and the season is calling us to share ourselves and play outside.
AND
The promise of summer is upon us – and we haven’t ruined it yet!
AND ... if you are a musician, music and music festivals are everywhere!
There is one particular music celebration Songs of Freedom Television devotes itself to this month.
Do you know about Make Music New York?
WHAT IS MAKE MUSIC NEW YORK?
Make Music New York is inspired by France’s “Fête de la Musique,” a national musical holiday inaugurated in 1982. Ever since, the event has become an international phenomenon, currently celebrated on the same day in more than 700 cities around the world. I have been hosting MMNY events at Red Pipes Café (formerly Red Pipe) in Forest Hills for the past few years and am proud to say that I have participated as a host and as a performer in this all day event since it came to my city from France 17 years ago.
The 2021 event at Red Pipes featured a variety of musical styles and performances, and fun for New Yorkers and music lovers of all ages.
Special thanks to Ofer and Red Pipes Cafe for their continued support and participation in sponsoring this annual event, Special thanks also to the musicians who came to play and everyone who wandered into the recording of this show. It took all of us to make this special evening happen ... and the power of song.
Here are three Songs of Freedom Television episodes I created from the June 21, 2021 event that will be streaming and playing on tv this month.
This year we will make "musique" again at Red Pipes and play outside the café on Austin Street, in the heart of Forest Hills. We will set up chairs on the sidewalk and we have a sound permit to amplify our efforts. We start at 6:30 pm and go on till after dark. Join us to sing and/or be part of a fun New Yawk street scene with generous doses of serendipity and a supporting strolling cast of hundreds – many of whom are amused and surprised to be serenaded as they pass by.
Click this link for the Facebook Event page and directions to Red Pipes on Austin Street.
The fourth show coming your way this month focuses on a Make Music Day project that pairs songwriters and asks them to perform and record a song written by the other. It is called "My Song Is Your Song." These recorded performances are posted online for viewing on June 21 for the world to see at makemusicday.org. I will post a Songs of Freedom Television episode featuring my participation in this project singing the work of other artists and other artists covering my compositions at that time. It will include work from this year's partnership with New York City based recording artist John Plenge. I have been involved participating in this music project for four years and the results have always been interesting. It is a curious and intriguing thing to see your work performed by someone else, offering a different take to art you created. I hope you get to experience that feeling some time in your life. It never gets old.
Stay tuned!
And keep on singing!
~ joel landy, songs of freedom television ~
The Episodes for the Month of June / Make Music New York 2021 at the Red Pipes Cafe
Show 4 (coming soon!)
On your cable and online
MANHATTAN
Saturday, June / 1, 8, 15, 22, 29
QUEENS
Thursday, June / 6, 13, 20, 27
BROOKLYN
Monday and Wednesday:
June / 3 and 5, 10 and 12, 17 and 19, 24 and 26
BRONX
Monday, June / 3, 10, 17, 24
~ MAY 2024 ~ "MAY We Remember"
Commemerating and Celebrating Those Who Are Still With Us In Spirit
Pete Seeger. Eric Levine. Ray Korona. Sol Weber. PRESENTÉ !!
MAY. We Remember!
It has become a ritual tradition at Songs of Freedom Television to play episodes during the month of May that celebrate the lives of those who have left us, but whose work and spirit remain. This year is no different. We do not only celebrate a Memorial Day. We celebrate the entire month.
We Remember . . .
The first episode in MAY We Remember coincides with the May 3 birthday of Pete Seeger. There is so much to know about his life and legacy, and I bet you know quite a bit already. In 2008 Pamela Timmins wrote and directed a film called “Clearwater Nation.” It is a celebration of Pete Seeger’s vision and the Clearwater organization that came from it in protecting and preserving the Hudson River. You will see it in its entirety. In addition, there is time enough to show you a video I recorded of Pete leading an audience singing “Turn, Turn, Turn” in New York City at a New York City Friends of Clearwater Water Festival. If you have ever been to a Clearwater Revival festival or if you are a Pete Seeger fan you will want to watch this episode.
Episode two features and remembers my friend and brother, Eric Levine, who left us in 2008. There is a lot I could tell you about Eric, including his unrelenting moral clarity and service to others. I could also say that he was a talented musician, producer, and songwriter who introduced me to a world of activist artists that have become my second family. I would rather tell you that Eric was a gentle spirit who touched the lives of many people and left the world a better place than it had been. Watch the episode devoted to his memory and you will know what I mean.
The third show this month remembers the lives and contributions of Ray Korona and Sol Weber, two individuals who I met at People’s Music Network gatherings and whose company I always enjoyed. Ray was singer/songwriter, band leader, recording engineer, activist, organizer – a busy fellow who walked the walk when it came to progressive issues. I could go on and on about Ray, how he was a driving force at the Peoples’ Voice Café for many years and how he recorded and produced one of my CDs, and how he celebrated and encouraged new artists…. I invite you to find out more about Ray yourself. As for Sol Weber, known in knowing circles as the “Rounds Man”, I always enjoyed his company and his clever and funny parodies and theatrical production pieces. And his T-shirts. Both Ray and Sol lived full lives, but both left us too soon. They share an episode during Songs of Freedom Television’s “MAY We Remember” month.
Show four is not about recalling an individual. “The American Dreaming” will play during the final week of May, the one that has Memorial Day in it. What will be remembered is how America, The United States – our country – got to be where it is today, with all the sweet and sour. The episode pulls no punches and features the words of Eugene Debbs, Smedley Butler, Noam Chomsky, and George Carlin, among others. Justice and a Memorial for All.
That's the rollcall for this MAY to Remember.
Here are the episodes. You can watch them here or I can see you on the telly.
Keep on singing!
~ joel landy, songs of freedom television ~
~
Show 1: Pete Seeger and Clearwater Nation
Show 2: Remembering Eric Levine
Show 3: Remembering Ray Korona and Sol Weber
---
April 2024 Spring is here! Bring on the color! Bring on the music!
It is springtime!
Living where I do the month of April brings the springtime, a breath of freshness in this trying and dangerous, and sometimes hopeless feeling world. I look forward to this time every year. Warmer weather, the sound of birds, the start of the baseball season, first flowers – even the cynical among find a moment to smile and think of what can be.
Springtime, my favorite time of the year!
April brings with it music and music events, including the annual New England Folk Festival. If you don’t know about the New England Folk Festival I am happy to tell you about it. NEFFA is an all volunteer folk arts festival that has been going on for almost 80 years. That in itself is amazing. Late April brings the weekend event and dancers, musicians, crafts artists and others from around the country and the world to share each other’s time company and talent. Every hour between Friday evening and Sunday afternoon there are numerous cultural dancing and music sessions taking place. Something for everyone. It has been my pleasure to lead numerous sessions during the past twenty years. This year NEFFA takes place the weekend of April 19-21 in Marlborough, MA at the Best Western Royal Plaza Hotel and Trade Center. I will be leading three sessions on Saturday, the 20th.
The sessions are:
- The Ultimate Parody Jam (1 pm) NEFFA Funny Song Swap Hour (8 pm) Remembering Phil Ochs (9pm)
The episodes you will see this month on Songs of Freedom Television recall sessions I have led at the New England Folk Festival over the years. Two of them are Funny Songs Swap sessions and two of them remember and celebrate the life and music of Phil Ochs. I am particularly fond of the Phil Ochs sessions and the stories people share during those hours about Phil and what he meant to them. We will get to do this again on April 20th at this year’s NEFFA. I hope you can make it then, but you can also view videos of previous “Remembering Phil Ochs” sessions here at Songs of Freedom Television and at my You Tube channel. I hope you do, and I hope you can make it to NEFFA this year.
Onward into the spring and music!
Keep Singing!
~ joel landy, songs of freedom television ~
April episodes:
1. NEFFA Funny Songs Hour (2016) 2. NEFFA Funny Songs Hour (2018) 3. Remembering Phil Ochs (2017) 4. Remembering Phil Ochs (2018)
March 2024 A look at the present and sounds of the past
This month Songs of Freedom Television continues its focus on highlighting live music in local venues. We start the month with a trip to the ongoing open mic at Red Pipes Café in Queens, NY. Every third Thursday for more than a year local artists have been coming to this friendly bistro in the heart of Forest Hills to make music and have a good time. February’s event took place one day after Valentines Day and the musical theme was about relationships of all kinds. It is always fun for me to emcee the show, introducing performers and sharing in the community spirit.
The first two February episodes feature myself and the act of Jennifer and Jess. Tune in for a heartfelt evening of song.
Here are those episodes:
Show 1 (February 15, 2024 at Red Pipes Café, featuring Joel Landy, Jennifer and Jess)
Show 2 (February 15, 2024 at Red Pipes Café, featuring Joel Landy and a cast of characters)
The next two shows this month recall evenings from recent years in Kew Gardens, my hometown. Once upon a time there was a venue called The Interlude Café, where the likes of Phil Ochs, Dave Van Ronk, Jose Feliciano, and Al Kooper plied and learned their craft. During the next 60 years The Interlude gave way to other businesses in that space, including Odradeks Coffeehouse and the current Roast & Company Café. Venue names may change, as do the names of artist performers, but music still is made. And the beat goes on. Tune in for two episodes from recent years past. Stay for the fun and fine music. It will help us through cold times.
Show 3 (May 2016 at Odradeks Coffeehouse with Jerry Korobow and Joel Landy)
Show 4 (July 2018 at Roast & Company open mic hosted by Dennis Doyle)
Keep the faith. Stay tuned and stay strong. Spring is coming.
And keep singing!
~ joel landy, songs of freedom television ~
-
---
February 2024 February is always the winter of my discontent.
Unless they were born in that month folks in New York City don’t like February. It’s cold and we’ve had enough winter. I think that is why February was given only 28 days. Wrap it up, February! Let’s get on to March and springtime already!
That’s how I feel, anyway.
So, what does Songs of Freedom Television have for you in February 2024?
We celebrate live music and local venues. The Red Pipe’s Café in Forest Hills has been a friend to Songs of Freedom Television for years. Red Pipes hosts an open mic that I MC on the third Thursday of every month (6:30 to 8:30 pm). All musical styles are welcome. I want to take this moment to thank Ofer at Red Pipes Café for his continuing support in opening his space for community entertainment. His generosity means a lot to me and the Songs of Freedom TV show.
This month we feature recent open mic performances. The first three spotlight and feature performers and performances at the December 21, 2023, Third Thursday Open Mic. The fourth show highlights the annual June 21st summer solstices celebration known as Make Music New York. Red Pipes Café has been hosting this New York cultural event with SOF TV for many years. June 21, 2023, was no exception, excepting for that it was truly exceptional.
Tune in and find out for yourself.
We will get through this cold month. Good music and live performances will help us get by and smile. I hope you sing along.
See you online and at the Red Pipes Café Third Thursday of the month. Red Pipes, where the treats are tasty and so is the music.
~ joel landy, songs of freedom television ~
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Stay tuned, and keep singing!
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JANUARY 2024
Here we are celebrating another year gone by and another one before us. I hope your 2023 was peaceful and painless. I know that is a lot to ask these days. Life is rarely peaceful and painless, but it is something to enjoy when it happens. I hope you got to enjoy it in the year we just had.
That brings us to 2024.
This will be a very political year. Take a look at the world around you today. Is it peaceful and painless?
Probably not. There is a lot of work to do to create the world we want.
The first thing to do is to find your friends and decide to make some portion of the world you want to live in better. Work at this goal together. Do it with art. Do it with music, do it another way, but do it! Express yourself and you do not have to do it alone.
This month’s Songs of Freedom Television episodes focus on battles that have been fought in years past, many of them won. The shows feature performances at the 2023 Woody Guthrie New York Hoot in Long Island City, Queens. Woody Guthrie lived through troubled times. His spirit survives and the stories he told with his songs continue to inspire generations of artists and other cultural workers.
Performers include Steve Suffet, Pat Lamanna, Hillel Arnold, Marie Mularczyk O’Connell, and Joel Landy.
As Woody was known to say,
“There's several ways of saying what's on your mind. And in states and counties where it ain't too healthy to talk too loud, speak your mind, or even vote like you want to, folks have found other ways of getting the word around. One of the mainest ways is by singing.”
I add to his words,
“Tune in and don’t tune out!”
~ Joel Landy, Songs of Freedom Television ~
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Show 1: https://youtu.be/z6pt_pCaxk0
Show 2: https://youtu.be/j_Ix-NO2Thc
Show 3: https://youtu.be/TzVgs-8iKUE
Show 4: https://youtu.be/rw6WyDZwSnw
Stay tuned, and keep singing!
Here is a plaque for an award the Alliance for Community Media bestowed upon Songs of Freedom Television in 1997. This was for the work done during our first year on TV.
The Alliance for Community Media is a trade group and an organization comprised of public access television professionals. They lobby in Washington DC for your right to create video and have it seen and have it paid for by the commercial corporate entities in your town entering your home and your mind every day. Always an uphill battle. They are also the people who work in access centers. Members also include community access producers like myself. I was honored to receive an award, more so to have the award represent the category of Empowerment, a word that means a lot to me.
I stopped entering the annual competitions a number of years ago, not because I have an attitude about them or because I have “been there and done that.” It is just not where my energy lives now. I seek to do the good work and fight the good fight because it is the right thing to do. I seek to acknowledge others who travel the same road and inspire with creativity and vision. I seek and do that while daring to express myself and have fun along the way.
I am glad you are here to share the journey with me.
Don't forget to laugh as you change the world.
~ Joel ~
Do you know about the Peoples' Voice Café?
It is New York City's premiere progressive venue.
Proof of vaccination is required for audiences, staff and artists.
Your safety is important to us.
The 2021-2022 season continues on Saturday nights, at
Judson Memorial Church Assembly Hall at 239 Thompson Street
in the heart of New York City's historic Greenwich Village.
For details and more information about the Peoples' Voice Café, including the season schedule and how you can become a volunteer, go to:
www.peoplesvoicecafe.org and the PVC Facebook page at: www.facebook.com/peoplesvoicecafe/
