Pat Wictor

By Pat Wictor . . . . . . .  Subscribe: https://patwictor.com
                  Wednesday, December 23, 2009

• Itches Scratched and Small Dreams Fulfilled
  
• Ears and Eyes: What I'm listening to and reading
  

     -Made to Stick, How Can I Keep From Singing, and more

• Upcoming Gigs & appearances
  

     full calendar: https://patwictor.com
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Itches Scratched, Small Dreams Fulfilled

I'm sitting in my apartment poking through books, CDs, and musical equipment (all my worldly possessions), in preparation to move.   Not a big move--my wife and I are looking to move a few blocks away in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, to a slightly sunnier apartment with more closet space.  (We'll know today if we got the apartment we wanted.)  I'm thinking year-end thoughts:  What did I do with the past year?  What am I grateful for?  And the thing everyone packing up their house thinks:  How the heck did I end up with all this stuff??  

Looking back, the past year saw more itches scratched and small dreams fulfilled:  
•-Did a second tour in Texas, with my wife along for the first time.  Texas was the only place in the U.S. that I lived as a kid, and the itch to visit there runs deep.
•-Opened for my musical hero Chris Smither, and got to spend some time with him.  (During our discussion on writing songs, he said, "Why write the bad ones?"  Smitherian wisdom that I will attempt to live on.)
•-Learned to skillfully use recording equipment--a major accomplishment for someone with technophobic tendencies like myself.  The new CD "Living Ever-Lovin' LIVE" is one product of my new recording chops, and it sounds great.  
•-Wrote more songs I'm proud of, learned new tricks on the guitar, ventured a few steps down a few more long corridors in the vast hall of music, with new and old friends along the way.  Stay tuned for more musical surprises in 2010!  
•-Scratched my itch to ponder and discuss ideas worth thinking about, through the Reading Odyssey, which I helped co-found as a nonprofit this year.  We spent the year reading Aristotle--messy but rewarding stuff--and I led discussions of Homer's "Odyssey."

As always, I have countless riches to be grateful for:  I'm grateful to do what I love and make a living at it, and grateful for all the thousands of people who make that possible, including you, dear reader.  I'm grateful for a loving spouse and wonderful family and friends.  And I'm grateful for the sense of bountiful possibility that music affords:  it is infinite, and my best work, I hope, will always be ahead of me. 

For sure, 2009 was not an easy year.  Hanging on, and hanging in there, was foremost in the minds of many of us.  Even so, did you scratch any itches this year, or fulfill any dreams?  What are you grateful for?

Happy holidays to you and your loved ones, and all the very best for the new year.   Now, I've gotta go do more combat with all my stuff.  ;-)
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Links:
Bay Ridge, Brooklyn  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bay_Ridge,_Brooklyn
Chris Smither   http://www.chrissmither.com
Order the new CD "Living Ever-Loving LIVE"  https://patwictor.com/index.php?page=cds
Reading Odyssey  http://www.readingodyssey.com
Read Homer's "Odyssey" with Pat   http://homer2010-1.eventbrite.com/

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Ears and Eyes:  What I'm Listening to, Reading, and Watching:
•-Music:
    "How Can I Keep From Singing:  Early American Religious Music and Song" Vol. 1, http://tinyurl.com/y9lzgw9
   Roswell Rudd Trio, "The Unheard Herbie Nichols, Vol. 1" http://tinyurl.com/yahfyjb
•-Books:
    Chip Heath and Dan Heath, "Made to Stick:  Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die." http://tinyurl.com/ybwlyx8  
    Hermann Hesse, "Poems."  http://tinyurl.com/ybnrkbd
•-Movies:
    "Around the Bend" http://tinyurl.com/yargg9r
    "Mrs. Brown"  http://tinyurl.com/yej7k94
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Upcoming Pat Wictor gigs and appearances.  
Full calendar details and links:  https://patwictor.com

January 10   WFUV 90.7fm, Bronx, NY  "Sunday Breakfast" w/ Abbie Gardner, hosted by John Platt  http://tinyurl.com/yade44s
January 10    University Cafe, Stony Brook, NY  co-bill w/ Harry Manx, Long Island CD release!  http://tinyurl.com/yk67dde
January 12   The Living Room, New York, NY  "On Your Radar," hosted by WFUV's John Platt.  
       w/ Abbie Gardner and Dala, NYC CD Release!  http://tinyurl.com/yau3g59
January 16   Coffee With Conscience, Westfield, NJ  "Saints and Sinners" with Toby Walker, NJ CD Release!  http://tinyurl.com/yj9j4k2
January 17   WXPN 88.5fm, Philadelphia, PA  "The Folk Show" with Gene Shay  http://tinyurl.com/yb4o4wu
January 22  WSHU 91.1fm, Fairfield, CT  "Profiles in Folk" with Steve Winters  http://tinyurl.com/yd5crd3
January 24    Acoustic Celebration, Ridgefield, CT http://tinyurl.com/y9rr82x
February 5    TrueWind Music House Concert, Campbell, CA  http://tinyurl.com/ybn5fro
February 13  Linden Tree Coffeehouse, Wakefield, MA   co-bill w/ Brooks Williams  http://tinyurl.com/yz6vve5
February 19   Our Times Coffeehouse, Garden City, NY  http://tinyurl.com/yzx7uhy
February 20  Private Party, Brooklyn, NY
February 27  Musical Lairs House Concert, St. David's, PA   http://tinyurl.com/yzwnp9u
February 28   Montclair Unity Church, Montclair, NJ  http://tinyurl.com/ydwsjxd
March 4   Christopher Street Coffeehouse, New York, NY  http://tinyurl.com/ybnobaq
March 26   Steel City Coffeehouse, Phoenixville, PA  "Saints and Sinners" w/ Toby Walker
March 27  Good Folk Coffeehouse, Rowayton, CT  http://tinyurl.com/yjh8pem

More dates being added all the time!
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Until next time:  many thanks, and warm regards,

Pat Wictor
patwictor@earthlink.net

www.patwictor.com
www.myspace.com/patwictor
http://twitter.com/patwictor
www.reverbnation.com/patwictor
www.youtube.com/patwictor

• - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
  

I'm now on Twitter--for brief thoughts in between newsletters:
http://twitter.com/patwictor

• Buy Pat Wictor's latest CD "Living Ever-Lovin' LIVE" at
  

https://patwictor.com/index.php?page=cds

• Read Homer's "Odyssey" with Pat:  http://homer2010-1.eventbrite.com/
  

Tell your friends to subscribe. Point them here:  https://patwictor.com

**I now give lessons and coaching in guitar, songwriting, song interpretation, and performance,
in Brooklyn and on the road.   Email me for rates and scheduling:  
patwictor@earthlink.net

Do you want me to perform in your area, in your home, or at your event?
Contact my booking agent, McShane Glover   tel. 410-268-8232, or mcshane@mcnote.com

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                        contact info
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ABOUT PAT WICTOR
Modern Man's Rob Carlson says, ""He not only is a great guy and a great talent, but I believe he has, follicle for follicle, the best hair in folk music."

If you are interested in booking Pat Wictor, contact McShane Glover:  
tel. 410-268-8232, or mcshane@mcnote.com

• Bio: https://patwictor.com and http://www.myspace.com/patwictor
  
• YouTube Videos: http://youtube.com/patwictor
  
• Contact Pat Wictor directly: patwictor@earthlink.net
  

. . .

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