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The EZ Blog
03-03-10
A quick hello to all my friends in the following countries who have been listening to my music. Thanks for visiting my website!
Hello to my friends in: the Russian Federation, Czech Republic, Hungary, Romania, Ukraine, Moldova, the Slovak Republic, Latvia, Poland, Belarus, Italy, Switzerland, Israel, India, Pakistan, Germany, France, Turkey, Brazil, China, Australia, United Kingdom, Netherlands, Belgium, Argentina, Canada, and the the Seychelles; as well as those of you in other countries I may have missed, including the U.S.
Thanks for your support!
02-28-10
As a member of ASCAP (THE AMERICAN SOCIETY OF COMPOSERS, AUTHORS AND PUBLISHERS) I came across an article by the president of the association today. This article first appeared in the Huffington Post on February 9, 2010.
Paul Williams, a musician that most of us know from his long career as a professional musician, and is the current president of ASCAP.
Paul writes about a very important aspect of the current trend by the general public to want music to be free, but we as a society have not had the discussions necessary to implement other methods for musicians to make a living if copyright is discarded or meaningless. It's now time to have civil discussions about this issue, and make some positive changes in our society to this regard.
One thing is certain, and that is, as we all know, the internet has changed the business model of making money through music forever.
Mister Williams goes on to say that we are on the vanguard of a new trend in which 600 new songwriters per month are signing up to ASCAP in order to register their songs and try to make a living from music.
Check this article out. It's certainly fodder for some great discussions amongst friends and colleagues both in and out of the music industry!
You can find Paul Williams article here, at the ASCAP website:
http://www.ascap.com/press/2010/0209_Huffington.aspx
02-20-10
Ed Zincavage's solo performance at 15th Ave Coffee and Tea...
I was excited to perform this show with my new CD "Blue Moon In December" also for sale at 15th Ave Coffee and Tea, in Seattle!
This show was well-attended and some of my guitar students and their families were in the audience. Thanks again to the great staff of 15th Ave Coffee...Jared, Becca, Loren, Alex, and Jay! As well as thanks to Major and Annie for stopping by to say hello and listen to some of the new (and older) songs I performed.
I also performed a banjo rendition of Robert Johnson's "Terraplane Blues", which was well-received.
Stay tuned to this website for more information about the upcoming "Blue Moon In December" CD Release Party to be held soon at 15th Ave Coffee and Tea, in Seattle!
02-19-10
Ed Zincavage's performance at Zippy's Java Lounge performance last night with Pam Mortensen...
My friend and colleague Pamela Mortensen, who plays amazing didgeridoo, opened the evening's performances with me doing a didgeridoo-guitar duet. We performed "Bus Ride To Chiapas", a new song Pam and I have writtten, which is on my new album "Blue Moon In December" (available now!).
Our audience was appreciative, and responded well to both Pam's solo didgeridoo set, as well as my guitar selections. Pam and I ended the show with our second didgeridoo-guitar duet from my album called "Walk the Dog".
Marilyn, the owner, has a beautiful black and white dalmation named Zippy (hence the name Zippy's Java Lounge) who kept trying to eat my chicken sandwich while I was in the middle of performing a solo set. Zippy's quite the food-hound.
We all had a great time, and meanwhile the ice-hockey game at the Everett Arena drew several new fans to our show. Thanks much to Marilyn, the owner of Zippy's, for hosting us performing there!
02-18-10
I just want to let you know that some colleagues of mine have a CD RELEASE PARTY TONIGHT, FEBRUARY 18TH, 2010, FROM 8PM TO 10PM IN SEATTLE.
Moore Brothers Music instructors Luke Berman, and Aaron Otheim's band, "Speak", was nominated by Earshot Jazz for emerging artist and alternative jazz group of the year!
Be sure to attend Speak's CD RELEASE PARTY TONIGHT on February 18th at The Good Shepherd Center Chapel, 4649 Sunnyside Ave, 4th Floor, Seattle 8PM- all ages.
02-10-10
I want to take some time to thank all those who have been of assistance to me in the last few months. There's been so much going on that it's sometimes difficult to keep up with the fast pace. Also, I couldn't have accomplished what I've done since October 2009 without all of these people. I owe all of you a debt of gratitude.
Some of the folks who have been instrumental in helping me get this show happening are:
Pam Mortensen - for encouragement to get back out and perform live again;
Troy and Scott - for supplying great gear from Moore Brothers Music store;
All the music instructors at Moore Brothers for their encouragement, fellowship, and website links;
All my students - especially Gary Huff (for encouragement to get out and perform again), David Sherry (for my new album title "Blue Moon In December"),
and Eric (for singing and performing with me);
Anne and Todd - for supplying video of my performances, business cards, promotional postcards, and continued encouragement and technical suggestions
D. Major Cohen, Annie, Matt Richards, 'Becca, Alex, Jay, Jesse, Loren, Jared, and all those involved with 15th Ave Coffee and Tea on Capitol Hill, Seattle - for their continued interest in my music and encouragement and for providing me with wonderful audiences and a great place to perform;
Scott Ross at Elliott Bay Recording Co. - for his encouragement, support, and great recording and producing work on my album;
Dr. David Scratchley - for encouragement and promotion (KlAY Radio 1180 AM) www.KLAY.com
Erik Bell, of Shine - for his smart and wonderfully professional album graphic design;
All my buddies whose regular good cheer, support, friendship and encouragement help me "get by with a little help from my friends": Dr. Steve Rudnick, Bob Pajer, Richard Sagui, Mike Stergis, Eric Lester, Matt Fleagle, Tom Wiedeman, Ian Jeffreys, Adam Ariaga, Greg Slick, Chris Olson, Warren Mansfield, Jack Moller, Dick Dempsey, Ken Shore, and Vicki Nelsen.
Thanks to all of you! I appreciate your friendship and assistance!
01-28-10
Hello Friends! Welcome to my website. Thank you for visiting!
Hallo Freunde! Willkommen auf meiner Website. Vielen Dank für Ihren Besuch!
Ciao Amici! Benvenuti sul mio sito. Grazie per la visita!
Hello Friends! Welkom op mijn website. Bedankt voor uw bezoek!
Bonjour les amis! Bienvenue sur mon site. Merci pour votre visite!
Hej venner! Velkommen til min hjemmeside. Tak for dit besřg!
ˇHola amigos! Bienvenidos a mi página web. Gracias por su visita!
01-21-10
*Just a quick word to let you know my new album "BLUE MOON IN DECEMBER" should be out in about sometime in February 2010.
**In the meantime, all the tracks from the album are online at my website and are available for listening for free through streaming; or you can purchase each song for $.99
I hope you enjoy this new labor of love.
***If you're in the Seattle area, stop by and see me perform these songs and others at the next performances:
Saturday, January 23rd, 4pm at 15th Ave Coffee and Tea, in Seattle, WA
Saturday, January 30th, 8pm at Wayward Coffeehouse in Seattle, WA
Saturday, February 6, 4pm at 15th Ave Coffee and Tea, in Seattle, WA
Friday, February 19th, 7pm at Zippy's Java Lounge in Everett, WA
Saturday, February 20th, 4pm at 15th Ave Coffee and Tea, Seattle, WA
01-16-10
"Sharing Your Gifts With Others and Allowing Others To Share With You"
As you can see, there's been lots of changes on this website. I've been focusing on promoting my new album "Blue Moon In December" lately, and doing all I can to complete the process of getting this album out to you, my friends and fans. I want you to see the process in the studio, with the live audience, and enjoy the final result of the songs.
In order to accomplish this task, I've had to rely on the kindness and generosity of others within my reach. I used to think I could do this alone, and I'm finding that it's overwhelming work for only one person. There are many tasks related to the creation and performance of any art. Music is no different.
My most recent realization is that if I need some help, and am open to it, and ask for it, most likely there will be someone who has a skill that I need and who is also willing to help me.
I'm very grateful to have been helped along the way by many people who are only too happy to be of assistance. It's been lots of work, but also much joy to share my songs with you, whether it be through a live performance, or a recording.
These people who have been instrumental along the way, are from all walks of life, and they are the "unseen helping hands" that make it possible to get my music to you. I'm learning that it's almost impossible for me to make music alone. Certainly, like all creative folks, I "makeup" something that comes from inside myself; but after that initial song is written, there must be assistance from others to get the song out to you, the public.
So, think about what you love to do, and see if you can help another friend or acquaintance with your skills. Or better yet, let go of your resistance to ask someone else for help when you need it. You might be as surprised as me when they say "yes" and give you the helping hand you need.
01-08-2010
"Am I Teachable?"
Work has been very, very busy lately. I'm very grateful for all the blessings and support that have come my way as the new year comes about. I've been learning some new things from working with my guitar and harmonica students; as well as being able to impart some ideas that might be new to them once and awhile.
I believe that I learn more about human nature from my teaching work than I would otherwise. The concept of "being teachable" has recently come to the forefront of my mind. Why? I ask myself, are some of us more teachable than others?
Through the course of teaching guitar to people of various ages, I've learned that when it comes to acquiring a skill, most of us grab onto the first technique we learn. We are then reluctant to set that method of doing things aside, and try to acquire additional skills and techniques which will greatly add to our accuracy and versatility on our instrument.
Whether it means holding a plectrum or pick in more than one position, and becoming comfortable; or maybe strumming in several different ways, we all find that our one way of doing things doesn't always work well for every situation. That's when we get into some trouble, and have to change and adapt to solve a challenge.
The reason I tell this little story is because for years I thought I knew a few (limited) ways to do things regarding creating my own music. (Writing songs, recording them, and doing the business of being a musician in-general.) I limited myself and did not know it. I fell into something that I constantly try to warn my students about. That is, to keep growing and trying new and different ways of doing things. Whether it be on the guitar, or in doing business, or living life in general, we all must grow or die.
So, as we turn into the new year, I find that some of my previous methods of living life, and working at my craft are no longer valid. This year has brought some amazing changes and challenges for me, and once again I find that I have to adapt to them or I will get left behind.
In the end, isn't it all about being open to change, and trying new things? Even if it's something simple, like trying a new flavor of ice cream.
Have a productive, and happy year with the ability to face your challenges head-on. I wish you all the very best!
01-01-2010
Very interesting...how does one write shorthand for the year 2010? Do I use '10? Hmmm....I'll have to find that one out in the next week.
Well, the recording session at Elliott Bay Recording yesterday with a live-in-studio-audience went very well. We had 15 people there, many of whom were my guitar students and their families, as well as several other supportive friends and musicians.
Scott, at Elliott Bay Recording (for you techies out there) has some great studio recording gear: Vintage Neve 1066 preamps, Neumann U87 mics, and a ton of other great sonic "toys" that we made good use of while recording. It's so nice to let someone else record for awhile and just concentrate on the songwriting, guitar playing, and singing end of things. I really appreciated Scott's work on this record.
We're going thru the songs we recorded and Scott's working his sonic magic to prepare them for release soon. I am looking forward to assembling the photos, songs, and liner notes in the next week or three to make the final CD.
Of the songs recorded, a few were new, like the bluesy and somewhat jazzy "Pig in a Doghouse"; a tongue-in-cheek, somewhat silly song about a man living in a trailer in the desert who has a managerie of animals living with him in a trailer...and a "pig in a doghouse, out back". This song is a departure from my usual style and is meant to be more of a humorous storytelling experience.
I'll keep the rest of the album a secret until it comes out soon.
Thanks to everyone who came out to help with making this album possible.
12-29-2009
It's almost the end of the year, and if you saw any of the news on my site the last few days/weeks, you know that I'm making a live album in the recording studio the last day of this year.
It's been a wonderful year, and there's much more to come in 2010.
I'm grateful to all my guitar and harmonica students who give me a reason to go to work each day. I learn quite a bit from you, whether you realize it or not.
Some things coming next year are: a new album of songs in January, which will be available for sale on this website, as well as on several major download sites: iTunes, CD Baby, Rhapsody, etc.
I have plans to record a professional music video in first quarter of the new year as well. I've been talking to Scott Ross over at Elliott Bay Recording about this one.
There will also be some promo videos placed on this website, as well as on the internet of my creative experience recording the latest album at Elliott Bay Recording on December 31, 2009.
Another thing is that I intend to perform in more venues locally and in the general Northwest, and not limit myself to Seattle.
Thanks again for all of your interest and support of my music!
12-21-09
The last few weeks have been very busy and exciting making and sharing my music with you. I want to express my gratitude to all of you who have been supportive and helped with the process. This has been a very special time for me.
A special thanks to my guitar student, Eric, for having the courage to come out and perform his songs live with me in front of an audience. (Eric, you have lots of talent and I know you'll be successful.) Special thanks as well to Pam Mortensen, for her continued friendship and musical collaborations. (One of these days soon, Pam and I intend to put together and release an album of our guitar and didgeridoo songs.)
More special thanks to the all of the staff at 15th Ave Coffee and Tea for their continued support as well. Thanks to Major, Annie, Sharon, Jesse, and the rest of you!
I'm preparing to go into Elliott Bay Recording in the next two weeks and make an album. This is another part of the process that I really enjoy; making a document of my songs to share with you. I'l keep you informed of the progress on this project, as well as post some photos of the session on this website. A special thanks to Scott Ross, owner/engineer/producer at Elliott Bay Recording for his support and help with recording this CD.
Last but not least, a special thanks to Moore Brothers Music, and Troy and Scott Moore for their support over the last 5 years of my association with teaching guitar students at their store. I've learned quite a bit from teaching my students, as well as from the other instructors there. I've also managed to assemble some great tools to use for my craft.
I especially love my Alvarez 12-string, Larivee 6-string acoustic guitars, and Roland AC-90 acoustic guitar amp that I've purchased from Moore Brothers Music. These tools of the trade give me the sound I'm looking for to play fingerstyle slide guitar blues and folk in the best way I imagine my music to sound.
This is a Holiday week for most of you. Have a great one, and hope to see you in the New Year, with a new album of my songs available for you at one of my next performances in January of 2010.
All the best to you!
Edward
12-19-09
Just a quick reminder to all of you...I will be performing tonight at 15th Ave Coffee and Tea with my guest artist pal Pam Mortensen on didgeridoo. We will both have a very special 2nd guest who I guarantee will move you with his performance. (I'll be singing harmony vocals on one of his songs, and he is awesome!) This is one of my guitar students, Eric. If you missed his last performance at 15th Ave Coffee and Tea with me, be sure to attend tonight's show!
For more information about tonight's show, see my Events Calendar or check out 15th Ave Coffee and Tea's blog at www.streetlevelcoffee.com
All three of us look forward to seeing you there!
12-19-09
The Holiday Season is in full swing, and so is my preparation for the upcoming recording I will be making with a live in-studio audience. This will take place on Thursday, December 31st, 2009 at Elliott Bay Recording Studio in the Capitol Hill District of Seattle. My friend Pam Mortensen will be recording one of our duets with me as well. I will be documenting the process of record-making and posting this on the appropriate sites for you to see: Facebook, You Tube, My Space, my own website, Broadjam, etc.
I will also be making this new CD available for sale at my live peformances; as well as on CD Baby, iTunes, Rhapsody, and other sources, including digital downloads.
I'm very excited and grateful to have the opportunity to work with Pam in the studio, as well as both of us working with Scott Ross, at Elliott Bay Recording. This will be a great way to end the year 2009, and start off 2010 with a new product to share with all of you. I'm sure you'll enjoy listening to what we have to offer you.
12-15-09
This weekend was very busy and exciting. I attended a fun birthday party, with lots of interesting guests. The results of this party means that I have some new artistic and audio surprises in the works for you in 2010. I'm sure you'll want to be aware of and involved with these happenings.
By the way...there will be a very special guest at my next performance, who will be performing several songs, one of which is a very powerful version of the Nine Inch Nails song "Hurt". The arrangement will be a combination of Johnny Cash and Trent Reznor's versions, with a twist of our own bluesy, vocal harmonies for the chorus. The thing that strikes me about this special guest's version is that he delivers this with an emotional maturity which belies his young age. This is a very moving song the way he delivers it. Make sure you come by 15th Ave Coffee and Tea in Seattle this coming Saturday, December 19th to hear his work. You'll be glad you did.
12-06-09
Hi Everyone!
Thanks for visiting my website and checking-in to see what's happening with my music and performances this month.
Seems like the creative work never ends...and that's good and exciting. I'm in the process of working on a new album and to make it available at my performances. It's the end of the year, and I'm looking forward to a productive new season, with lots of new and energetic changes in my music. I'm in the process of finishing several new works that I want to perform for you and make available as recordings for your enjoyment while at home or on the go.
I also want to record several blues songs that I play on the Dobro, and get those up on my website. My live show is much more ferocious than is my website, and I want to convey that feeling online as well. I like singing and performing the slow, relaxing songs; but I also like letting it all hang out with the old 1920's style Delta Blues slide resonator guitar songs that I sing and play in live situations. Accomplishing this task will make my website more consistent with my live shows. This has been a request of several of my fans.
Another project I'm working on is to finish editing several new live performance videos. These include several of my songs that have not yet been on video, as well including video of my friend and colleague Pam Mortensen performing one of our duets together live at 15th Ave Coffee and Tea.
I'm also hoping to be performing at several new venues in the coming year, and broaden my base of listeners. I'll keep you informed about all these new changes as they happen.
Hope to see you on Friday, December 18th, at 7pm at the Wayward CoffeeHouse in Seatte, with Pam Mortensen on Didgeridoo and myself; as well as Saturday, December 19th, at 8pm with Pam, at 15th Ave Coffee and Tea in Seattle.
11-30-09
This is going to be a busy week for me. I'm performing this Friday and Saturday nights.
Friday night's performance is at Market Street Traders, in Ballard Washington.
www.marketstreettraders.com
Market Street Traders is a fair trade retail store and café in the Ballard neighborhood of Seattle, Washington. They offer fairly traded goods created by artisans from around the world, from beautiful and exotic items for your home décor to delicious and sustainably produced packaged foods.
They have a great little cafe there in the room next to the retail store where I'll be performing from 7pm to 9pm this Friday, December 4th, 2009.
I'll have some special guests, so be sure to stop by and check us out and have some of their great soups, sandwiches, and coffee or tea!
11-22-09
I want to thank all of you who were present at my matine' performance yesterday afternoon at 15th Ave Coffee and Tea in Seattle. Special thanks to Jason for taking the photos, and to Arthur for taking time out of his busy schedule to stop by and hear my music. I appreciate all of you! Once again, thanks to Jesse, Major and Annie, and the staff for their enthusiasm. I had a great time entertaining and visiting with all of you.
My next performance is again at 15th Ave Coffee and Tea, and is on Saturday, December 5, from 4pm to 6pm. Yes! It's another matine' show.
We've switched some of my shows to afternoons because the coffeehouse has much more foot traffic than in the evening. yesterday, I was pleased to be able to renew my acquaintance with several folks who I had known years earlier on Capitol Hill when I lived there.
11-15-09
I had a wonderful time playing for all of you folks last night at 15th Ave Coffee and Tea on Capitol Hill in Seattle. www.streetlevelcoffee.com
Thanks to all of you who came out to support my music and have a good time (even those of you studying for your medical exams at Bastyr College!.
I appreciated my student Eric taking a night off of his studies and his basketball practice, and coming down to play two songs with me during my set. Many thanks, Eric!
Here's the link to the video of Eric and I performing last night:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BVhOhndH03I
Pam Mortensen was gracious enough to drop-in after hosting her open-mic at Zippy's Coffee in Everett. She played some great didgeridoo.
Also, special thanks to Major and Anne (and Sharon!) for their continued support, appreciation, and presence at my gigs. Major and Anne have done a tremendous job of setting up and keeping the 15th Ave Coffee and Tea venue operating.
I have some video of my student Eric and I performing two songs together at this gig. I'm in the process of getting this uploaded to my site, or placing a link to the video on my website. Thanks to Todd for filming us!
My next gig this Saturday, is a matine' performance (4pm to 6pm) at 15th Ave Coffee and Tea. It should be a little different than the previous gigs, as I will be performing without any special guests. This will give me an opportunity to stretch out some more and try some new things with my music. Be sure to stop by and enjoy the late afternoon there.
11-08-09
Many thanks to Pam Mortensen for sitting-in with me at last night's gig at 15th Ave Coffee and Tea. Also, thanks to those of you who came out on a rainy Saturday night in Seattle to support live music.
11-06-09
Speaking of 15th Ave Coffee and Tea... in Seattle, located in the Capitol Hill district; I love performing there. The audiences are terrific. The venue is clean and wide open, and the acoustics are wonderful. The staff is friendly and enthusiastic to clients and performers.
I want to especially thank one of the staff there, Matt (originally from Boston), for going out of his way to bring a steady programming of all types of (old and new, acoustic and electric) blues music to their in-store. I know of no other venue in Seattle that blues lovers can go into and hear almost nonstop blues music playing from the speakers. Grab a friend and go visit 15th Ave Coffee and Tea at 328 15th Ave E, Seattle, WA 98112 and grab a cup of custom-made coffee or espresso and something to eat, and absorb the good vibes of the people and blues music there.
Better yet, go there on a Saturday nite and see and hear me perform blues music live with my resonator and 12-string slide guitars, harmonica and vocals!
11-05-09
There's been several new songs I've posted in the last few days on the website. Some of them are complete and others are in various stages of work. I have many songs that are not quite complete, so in the interest of moving my work forward I've decided to share the work in progress with you. Of course there's risk involved in this decision, but it's worth letting you see the songs warts and all, rather than take forever to finish them.
Hopefully my newfound steady woodshedding live at 15th Ave Coffee and Tea and some of the other coffeehouses around Seattle will move me to finish my work in a more timely manner. There's always distractions from doing the work, but I've found many of my students and friends have been requesting me to just get the tunes out to the public.
My love of the Delta blues has recently been renewed due to performing these songs live in front of audiences once again. I thought I would retire my resonator/Dobro for awhile, and delve into other sonic excursions that were more on the contemporary folk/pop side of things, but many people are fervently asking me to return to my country blues roots on the Dobro and play more songs with it. Nothing like live audiences to get an artist back in touch with what they do best.
Audiences know what they like, and many of my fans love the blues, whether it's country blues or city blues. So, I'm diving back into my old vinyl blues collection of Arhoolie, Yahoo, and Columbia country blues releases from the 1920's and 1930's. It's no mistake that when things in life get tough for many of us blues guitarist/singers, we go directly back to our country blues roots again for solace. In these fiscal hard times, audiences can relate and be soothed by the comfort the blues gives to us.
10-04-09 Sunday
I've been using a handy little electronic tool in my teaching and recording studio the last couple of years that I want to let you know about. It's called the Roland Micro BR handheld digital recorder. There's lots of various models of small, digital recorders on the market, but I happened to get this one because of a special Roland offer at the time. This machine is amazing! It's easy to use, and will allow one to quickly and efficiently record songwriting ideas, as well as work these ideas through to completion by using the various recording, drum, FX, and production/mastering tools inside this tiny box. I'll be talking more about this device in the near future, so stay tuned.
10-04-09 Sunday
I just discovered a new (as of early 2009) local music venue. It's Empty Sea Studios in the Phinney Ridge neighborhood of Seattle, WA. www.emptysea.com This place is interesting to those of us who love to perform our acoustic music in small, intimate venues (Empty Sea seats 45 people for live shows). They also have a recording studio there. Personally, I'm all for this city having much smaller venues that are more conducive to acoustic music and for those people who attend to actually listen to what the artist is singing and playing. I'm tired of playing acoustic music for a bunch of drunks who make lots of noise. Been there; done that. Check out Empty Sea Studios and go see some of their shows and support local music and musicians. We need more places like this in Seattle.
10-03-09 Saturday
Tonite I played my first solo gig in several months to a solid crowd of about 25 very appreciative folks at 15th Ave Coffee and Tea. I enjoyed the ambience and the great acoustics of this space. It was a good chance to play some of my new songs, and revisit some of the older ones with new arrangements. This was one of the first times I've played live with my new Larivee L-05 6-string guitar, as well as my new Alvarez AJ-60s 12-string (both recently purchased from Moore Brothers Music in Sammamish, and fitted wth LR Baggs M1 active pickups by them.
In the interest of establishing a steady place to gig with which to use as a place to perform new works-in-progress, I'll be playing at 15th Ave Coffee and Tea regularly. Besides the performance tonite, my first gigs there are all on Saturdays: October 24, November 7 (w/Pam Mortensen on didgeridoo), November 14, November 21.
09-25-09 Friday
The gig with Pam Mortensen at Zippy's Java Lounge in Everett, WA was very fun and interesting. (There's always lots of activity on Hewitt Street in Everett, where Zippy's is located.) Pam was kind enough to share the bill with me, and we both played a set of solo music (guitar/didgeridoo) and then played some duets together. The audience loved the effect of my 12-string, slide guitar riffs combined with her textured didgeridoo sounds.
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