Hudson River Radio dot com. It beats listening to nothingness.
Being Frank, where the only way to be is Frank. Hello everyone, and welcome to Being Frank. We're the only way to be is Frank. I'm your host, Frank Lebono, and I'd like to thank you for joining us on what we like to call the Intelligent Conversation podcast, where no conversation is out of bounds at all points of view are welcome. We record live to tape, and I always give you the dates so you have some context and relevance. It is twelve twelve, the twelfth of December.
Regular listeners to this podcast are aware that one of our more popular themes has been the amazing amount of top quality music and musicians that come from such a small geographic area Rockland County, New York. In addition to the great local musicians, many internationally known artists like Bruce Springsteen, David Bowie, and Mick Jagger have either recorded or lived in the county. But there's one more thing of note. In addition to lending their considerable talent to entertain us,
they also give back in big ways to their community. Recently, we did a podcast highlighting good Stock, a day long music festival whose proceeds go to benefit People to People, Rockland County's largest food bank. And with this podcast, we'd like to reintroduce you once again to the granddaddy of
all charity music festivals in the area. On Sunday twelve fifteen, for the twenty eighth year, the legendary Hudson House for a restaurant in downtown Niake will host Blankfest and all day and most of the night music festival featuring the finest music talent this area has to offer all of it for the simple admission price of a blanket that will eventually be distributed on Christmas Eve to the less fortune in New York City. Over the course of twenty
seven years, that number is in the thing. It's a massive undertaking and needs an army of volunteers and one mad genius to make it happen. As it has been since the very beginning twenty eight years ago, that madman has been ken Raw. Without his dedication and boundless energy, those thousands of blankets would never be in the hands of people who need the most. But he doesn't do it alone. He joins us now along with his co producer and poet who also happens to be his wife,
Yvonne Soltamiora. Guys, welcome once again to being Frank. Thank you for joining us.
You're very very welcome.
Hi, thank you for having us.
Frank. Always a pleasure. Well, you know, let's before. We always like to give people a little relevance. As I said, so let's talk a little bit about you guys first, Ken, let's and we'll cut right to the chase. What would you like to people to know about you? Oh?
Geez, why now that one you call me off guard?
That's what I do.
I'm just your average guy who likes to scream into a microphone and uh on occasion to help other people. That's basically it.
Okay, if yvon your your turn. What would you like people to know about you? Uns? And you can take it. You can take as much time or or as little time as as you choose.
So describe myself bilingual poet, wife, daughter of Peruvian immigrant dreamers. How about that.
That's I like it. That's that's that's that's pretty good. You guys did pretty did pretty good. Being caught uh off the cuff like this, But of course that's what being Frank is all about is to get open and to be frank. It will play on words if they haven't got it over the two years we're doing this Problemly.
Frankly wouldn't understand that.
Thank you keep going. We'll use all of these Yvonne, I knew I could count on you. That's why you're here a poet, uh, you know, because Ken and I And then afterwards also we got a really special botus. We're going to talk to the mailman, as I call him, our engineer, Neil Richter, who is known by listeners of this program, who has had an intimate relationship with Blankfest over the years, and he's going to give us our perspective. We'll call for him in a little bit. We want
to talk to him right now. We'll let him know when we need him. But anyway, let's get back to the topic at hand, and that's blank Fest. Let's go back to the beginning. We mentioned this is the twenty eighth year, Ken Man, that's a long time. Go back to the beginning. What was the germ of the idea? When and why and where did you come up with this incredible idea of music fest and the admission of a blanket to help those less fortunate. How did you come up with that?
It started, I guess in my twenties and when I was reading in the tabloids. You know, every year they run that same standard story about somebody freezing to death. And I just read one of the one story too many. And I'm very much of a react kind of person, very knee jerk in my reaction capacity, and so I read this story. I see some poor person, some poor man froze to death out of sidewalk in New York City. And the first thing that pops into my head is,
I guess, think I could have used a blanket. And so next thing, you know, I'm going around to friends collecting blankets. And you know, one year I drove down with a friend, an acquaintance really actually, and handed blankets out on a rainy Christmas Eve. It felt good. Next year, we were out of blankets. And that's when the light bulb goes off over my head that, geez, I'm a musician. I have friends or are musicians. Let's see if we can pull everybody together and we'll ask for blankets at
the door. That's the short of it.
What was the reaction to some of your friends when you again said oh, I need you to play, I need you to play for free again and pull this all together and with the result of being, you know, being awarded a blanket that they don't even get to use, they get to give to someone else. What were the reaction of some of the people when you first approached them.
Well, first of all, you know, our circle of friends, we're all independent musicians, were kind of used to playing for free already. You know, It's not like it's not like anyone was bagging down our doors to hear us play songs we'd written. And so it was like the hardest part was finding a venue that would let us just like set up and play, you know, with no promise of bringing in any crowd. So I had to sell us to a local bar just since going out of business. I don't know if you remember a bar
in downtown Nya called My Place. It was next to the Thai restaurant and mine was spelled any I my Place, and NOI was the owner Thai restaurant next door, And when we sold to him, John Brodersen was the guy that booked all the bands, And the way we sold it was listen it's the son night. I mean, you don't get any traffic in here anyway on a Sunday night. So we'll just set up, we'll play. It's not going
to cost you anything because the bar's already open. And I had to pay for the soundman out of my own pocket, and I borrowed the money from my mom, believe it or not. And it was so only supposed to be for four hours. And after three and a half hours, a soundman who already had the money in his pocket started rolling up the equipment, and so I get, all right, I guess we've come to the end.
You know.
It was nobody left in the club, and oddly enough, I hadn't even planned beyond that point if there was going to be another show or not. So I just looked out at the two or three people that are left and I said, for want of a better phrase, I just said, see you next year, walked off the stage and said, oh oh, what if I just committed to And that's how we were often running.
Do you remember Ken, how many blankets the first show brought in you do you have any recollection? Forty forty blankets and now zero forty blankets? The first time now, twenty eight years later, how many do you anticipate this time? What would be a reasonable number for you to.
Expect at its peak, which is the early two thousands. I had the cutting room in New York City that read about us, and they donated a bunch of coats that people had left behind over the years and other venues. I had just relocated to New York City at the time. We pulled like eight hundred or nine hundred that year, just one one show. It was amazing they turnout. Usually we're lucky if we hit three hundred.
Now I was. I've been to most of the shows. I'm very proud to say please to say it's a great day, it's a lot of fun. We've already a manned to. My partner's already got five six blankets to bring. And I remember last year it's upstairs at the Hudson House by the way where the venue has moved to. And I remember that corner where you stack the blankets just being stacked literally, looked like hundreds and hundreds of blankets.
It does look pretty formidable. I always expect to be able to go back and say, hey, we made you know. It looks like five hundred blankets and then you start counting them and you realize that blankets take up an awful lot of room. You know, Well, we.
Also count and as the official counter. Oh yeah, we make piles of tens, and well I make piles of tens. Well, he's returning the equipment all over Rockland and County, gloves, counting, hats, counting, like you said, coats and sweaters and shawls and things like that. It's yeah, three hundreds of good average three through fifty.
One year, somebody donated the Harry Potter book, so we counted that. You know, that's a donation. Technically that counts.
Okay, I'm going to talk a little bit more about the logistics because it's a huge undertaking. And as we go on, we're going to talk about the amount of musical acts that are actually going to perform. There are quite a few of them. They're all excellent. Uh you have which means they have to have equipment. It has to be hauled from downstairs to upstairs. That takes volunteers. Getting the stuff distributed takes volunteers. You need volunteers during
the show. Somebody kind of check out all those things. I want to talk about logistics. But I think it's a good opportunity and I will bring Levon back in a minute too to her initial involvement. But let's bring in Neil Richter, now our engineer, the male man. Uh Neil, you were a member of Ken's band, the Bagdadios. You have been on and off throughout the years, and we're
involved in some of the early days of Blankfest. When Ken first approach you guys as a band to do this, what were what were your thoughts and feelings.
Well, let's let's take it back to Ken A nice kind of co founded the Bag Daddy Os. What was it, nineteen ninety.
Two, yep, ninety two November, So you.
Know that that starts, you know, that starts the ball rolling. By the time the first Blankfist came along, I had gone out for a sandwich and hadn't come back yet, so it had already started.
The party started without you ornother pretty much.
But I rejoined the story of.
My life, the party starting without me.
Well, I rejoined the fold about either two thousand and four or five, I'm not sure, somewhere in that vicinity. So Blankfist had already been you know, was pretty much established by that point, and but I was like, great, let's let's go. And so I guess, I guess I've been involved over the past maybe twenty years on and off. I've missed a few. Well then you know, the pandemic came along and that kind of knocked out a couple of years.
But we did it as an online virtual thing, right for two years in a row where.
Miss with which is interesting, you really did we have? You haven't missed one in twenty This will be the twenty eighth consecutive year.
Correct, Yeah, so yeah, I haven't been there for all twenty eight. Let's let's you know, put it that way, and that.
You were there in spirit.
Oh, of course. And now I won't be able to attend this year.
I have.
It was health issues keeping me from it. You see, every time I play, people want to beat me up. So I had I had to bow. But but again.
I always want to beat up the drummers.
It's well, you know, and I'm the one who's got you know, sticks in my hand. No, but but I again, I will be there in spirit. But yeah, So I'm trying to think, what.
Are some of your memories? Do you have one that's out in your mind, Neil, at a particular performance or a particular blank fest that really sticks out in your mind.
Well, there have been so many like it was. It was good to be part and watch all these other great bands play that over the years. I remember, especially at Brooks Sales, they were like it seemed like every band was phenomenal. There was all sorts of varied and various acts, but they were all like you know, of course then you know I came on and you know, ruined it, but no, but no, all kidding aside. I used to get a kick out of a lot of times.
I would actually be playing in two different bands because I was with the bag Daddy O's and I had another band, like a cover band going at the time, and I said, can't Well, I could bring these guys in, and it's going to bring in a whole lot more people, you know, like because there's you know, fans of one fans of the other. I said, what do you think and he said, well, let's give it to try, and it seems to work. So that was kind of fun. And I remember one time, I think one band went
on in the afternoon I was working. It's around Christmas time, I had a job that was very good, holiday oriented, so I was working like weekends, and so I took off for lunch, drove down, I was in Nanuett, drove down in Nayak, played the set, got back in my car, went back to work, took the lunch, dinner break, went down and played the next set, and then went back to work again. So that that was you know, that's.
That's kind of memorable, and that's dedication. It really is. It's interesting to know that how many of the musicians are really dedicated to this as a cause.
Yeah, no, it was. It was. It was fun. I mean certainly wasn't like what's his name, Phil Collins flying from England over to the during was it live aid and then playing? No, nothing like that, but.
Kind of our it No, it was. I want to I want to bring it on in now too, because you're relatively speaking new to the party. Talk about your involvement. How long have you been involved at Blankfest? And obviously we know your connection to the guy sitting next to you. We can see you. Our audience can't, but we can. That could be a good thing, that could be a
bad thing. But anyway, talk a little bit about your your initial involvement with and your initial impression of Ken and Blankfest and how it came together for you.
Well, my involvement began twelve years ago. So what is that Blankfest sixteen? We had just been dating a month because we met November sixteenth, and that exact month later, I was already helping count and helping bring in equipment or whatever I could, or babysitting equipment while the guys ran and you know, humped other stuff, other equipment and brought it in. And my impression was that was part of the the what is it like sealing the deal
to date him? Because he's a wacky guy. We all know, he's a chatterbox and all that good stuff and quite the fountain of knowledge, which impressed me. But when I saw or when I you know, as we're talking, realized that he has helm this, you know, I said to myself, this guy has a heart, and I'm not wrong.
So yeah, what are some of your moments, memorable moments if you can, over the last twelve years. Is there anything any particularly even if within the festival or even afterwards in distributing the blankets, is there something or some instant that really sticks out in your mind.
Yes, And I'm glad you said that it doesn't have to be within the show, because the memory is not. It's we were distributing, and I don't know the area. We were downtown, the Lower east Side, somewhere.
It was Arouse, Second Avenue, fortieth Street, somewhere around there.
Oh, I thought it was lower Yeah, okay. So I was new to going out in you know, late late at night and not so safe, you know, seeming areas. No judgment, just describing. But I remember him leaving me in the car with a bunch of blackens, and he said, sit here, lock the doors. I'm going to go around the corner. I think I see some folks. And I was nervous from him. I was like, you're gonna go by yourself. Oh my god, be careful. Maybe we should just drop it off here, you know, Long story short.
I keep looking back and all of a sudden I see ken and like an army of people within, you know, with the moonlight. It was just like a movie scene, like ten twenty people behind him coming towards the car. It was like they were flowing over. It was like a swarm. And they were the nicest, most polite people with the shiniest, brightest eyes that just wanted to be be addressed, that just wanted to be spoken to. And
so I saw what was happening. He let them in the car in the back and grab stuff, and so
then I realized, this isn't a safety issue. I mean, we know some folks do have mental illness and you do have to be weary, but in this situation, I got out of the car and I started helping hand out stuff to them and talking to them, and they were just so gracious, they really were, and very nice, very polite, and eager and picking and choosing and you know, like this was like they were shopping and this was the greatest thing ever and it was just a blanket.
So it was heartwarming. It was a lesson for me to I don't know, I don't know if it's judged, but to not be afraid, not be afraid to open up, you know, within parameters. But and also how heart wrenching it is, you know, to see this. This is just a blanket, This is just a code. It is still called out there and this is a blip on the map, but it was It's a valiant try by Ken and all the volunteers and performers to try to do something directly to the folks.
I want to go back up to Neil too, because Neil, I know you've you've participated again not only as a musician as a drummer, but you've also helped to distribute the blankets on Christmas Eve a.
Lot times as well.
What what What's What's What was your impression of that one? What was that?
I'm just going to expand on what Devon was saying that. You know, I always thought that all the effort goes if you can save one person, one person, you know, from freezing, then it was all worthwhile. The whole twenty eight years is worthwhile, you know, even just one person. That's that's you know, to me, that's the most important part. And I'm sure it's more than just one person at this point, but you really can't think beyond that. You say, you know, it's it's a it's a one on one.
And I've also said too that the whole idea of just distributing them, there's no middleman. It's the blankets get donated, the blankets go to the people. There's you know, the only middle man of the people who are distributing them, you know, no foundation or corporation or anything like that. It's it's and it's strictly grassroots too, which is great.
You can't take it.
I won't bring you with Keim could talk about the logistics. It's perfect timing for that, how many volunteers are involved. But you wanted to say something go so complete your thought can't.
Oh, it was just you know, it might sound a little tripe, but it's like you can't take a percentage of a blanket. So if somebody leaves a blanket at the door, that's basically what the homeless are getting, you know.
Right, Well, let's let's let's talk about the logistics we've noticed. You know, you have to get volunteers, you have to set up for the show. I mean there are many bands we're going to talk about that, many performers, individuals as well as bands that takes effort amplifiers, microphones, mike stands, lights, sound mixers, et cetera. That has to be brought there, hauled upstairs, set up, then during the course of the actual performance, getting people on and off, setting the sounds,
et cetera. Then getting the blankets. We know, if on counts the blankets and stuff too. Starts to organize them, but then from there on Christmas Eve, you've got to get people then to take time out of their Christmas Eve to go downtown with these blankets, and as you mentioned, sometimes and not the best neighborhoods. Let's leave it at that. To be able to distribute them, that's that's a big nut.
So you have need for a lot of volunteers. Let's talk a little bit about the logistics of it and how you get by and how important it is to have people help you with us.
Well, it's funny because again, I'm kind of a reactive time of person, and even though I know there's a lot of moving parts, I forget what those moving parts are the minute my obligation has been filled, because you know, I'm onto, you know, basically making a living or just trying to trying to get from one day to the next.
And then all of a sudden, Blankfest season rolls around again, and as the show gets closer, the enormity of what we've taken on sort of is looming, you know, Like I go, okay, I've got to go talk to the generous benefactors who loan us the equipment without charging his dime, one which I am forever grateful for Rockland Music. Jonathan Goffin and I forget his dad's name. Was it Pete? I'm not sure, Sergio the Pete.
It's close. Uh, I could I could hear that, you know, Pete. I could see that getting confused. You can see I continue, let's be let's be Frank here and continue.
As you can see here, I have a real keen eye for detail. But uh, everybody from Rockland Music, you know, has been really wonderful to give us the entire back line, which includes a soundboard, all the cables, microphone stands, microphones, uh, two guitar amps, a bass rig, and a swing amp which could be used either for a guitar or for
a keyboard. And that's just for starters. Then we have Frank and the boys down at Long Island Music Center, which is oddly enough in New York on Main Street and almost from the I might have been the very no yeah first show. They actually donated a drum set and uh and.
Sometimes Frank Colonado right at the drum center.
Yeah, and they have never ever flinched. It's always been sure, you know, as a matter of fact, I have to give them a call tomorrow to remind them because on Saturday, I and at least one volunteer, maybe if I'm lucky to Oh yeah, I don't count. Ivana's a volunteer.
And the reason why she gets to do all the work.
Well, actually funny you should mention that should because you know, when you had ask me for topics, I was writing down topics and one of them was the silent contributions of certain individuals, and I put my wife right there on the list because she's involved in every single aspect of this show, from the planning to the setup to the execution. I mean she's busy, you know, greeting people at the front door and bringing them in and showing them where to put the blankets. If there's somebody that
needs to talk to me. Sometimes she's running into fairce because I'm taking care of some tech issue or I'm taking care of some sort of you know, a musician issue. Uh, And it's not necessarily bad, it's just that I can't be in two places a one time. So she is, you know, figuratively and literally my right hand, and uh, you know, and then everything you know, long after the last power cord rings out, long after everybody's is going
home to a nice RESTful sleep. She's cleaning up with me, you know, and then she's watching the equipment while I'm getting the van or or maybe sometimes our car, and then she's helping with the distribution of the blanket. So it's incredible the amount of But it's funny because I tried not to think of her as a volunteer because I don't think of her as a worker. I don't think of her as as like an employee. And that's how unfortunately it shapes shakes down with any of the volunteers.
It's sort of like do this, do this, do that, And I'm.
Like, swing personnel, I do it.
She's wrastling.
Somebody's got to do it because Ken is off spinning, and.
I also make sure instead yeah, because then he'll just pass out and Maddie, so I just have to make sure takes two bites come out.
Somebody has to do it. Good luck, it's good luck with that. Good luck, it's okay.
Continue, yeah, but you know, it's it's it's amazing because what started as just kind of like an urge to bring some people together, gather in a club, plug it and go.
And now it's become this this huge undertaking, which means you've got to coordinate equipment. We actually have a volunteer. He's doing it for the second year in a row. Neil knows who it is. He was the original guitarist of the bag Daddy Is. Along with Neil and myself, he helped form the band UH he and Rob on
bass back in the old days. His name is Eugene Armstead and Eugene Uh you know, left the band after the first year because he was still going to college at the time, and then we sort of like drifted out of each other's orbit, and then out of no we found each other. And as a matter of fact, we were with him the first time he met the woman that would be his wife, Carrie. He flew up last year to help with the equipment hauling and I can't tell you how much of a relief it was
to have an extra set of hands help us. And this year he's returning. He actually is flying in right now as we speak from Atlanta where he and his wife with his wife this time, and they'll be helping us out. But here's the thing, I feel horrible pressing someone's wife into service, and that includes my own. So it's like, right now it looks like it's gonna be Eugene myself. We make it. David Tanner, You've met David, right, Frank?
I think so?
Yes, Yeah, Frank is a promoter that I know from in New York City because I lived there for over twenty years, you know, after i'd left Nayak and before we moved up up north again. And David is been tireless in helping us move equipment. And he's the oldest of all of us. We won't mention any ages or you know, give any specifics, but he's been at this for a long long time.
He worked. Why do you think people do it? I, you know what, I think they could see through.
They could see through. You could tell by looking at what we do that this isn't some sort of corporate fronted smoke screen. This isn't something that's done, you know, as a commercial venture. This came really out of out of a heartfelt need to try and help other people, and people see it for what it is, and it's probably one of the reasons why it hasn't gotten really that much bigger than its local impact, and I'm okay
with that because you've stayed pure to our ideals. I was approached by a promoter, like somewhere around the third year, and he wanted to, you know, pump it up with you know, commercial grants and have it at the Supper Club in New York City and try and book like a professional musicians like Phil Collins, who's one of the names he floated. And he was going to have a board of directors and he wanted us to all get
a salary. And I put the brakes on that immediately because I thought there was just something inherently evil about making money at the expense of the homeless.
Well, then it also jumps out of your hands, you know that. Then it gets a little too red tapeish and corporate heavy, and then it's like, that's not the nature of the spirit of it.
I think they were going to take on on. They're going to take my little Charlie Brown Tree and just wrap it.
And you know, is there something special about the little Charlie Brown Tree other than kind of the point of it. Yeah, if you will bring some of your poetry to the event, I know you will do that. And you're also going to bring some of it to our listeners here on being Frank, So, if would please tell us what we're about to hear, and if you would recite one of your poems for us, we'd really appreciate that.
Oh, sure, thank you.
So.
I don't know if I said it in the beginning, but I'm a bilingual poet, so I write my poetry in Spanish and in English. Usually it's English first and then I translated to Spanish. And like I said, my parents are from Peru, So twenty Peduano's out there a Peruvians, and I think in the bodega next door to the Hudson House is Avispa. My friends from Avispa, I always get ken in mind breakfast and whoever volunteers there on
Saturday morning or Sunday morning. Sorry, they were one of the first ones to put up a flyer this year too, Yes, yes, so okay. So this poem is called Nostalgic Christmas. This came about actually after I think it was after Blandfest a couple of years ago, oh, twenty twenty December first actually, so it was before Blankfest and we were driving around and just taking in the sights and knowing what was
going to happen in a couple of weeks. You know, I was excited to be in the Christmas spirit in the city, and then it was sad because I know that, you know, we still have a need unfortunately for Blankfest, because we still have homeless And so this is born out of joy and happiness in the descriptors and what makes New York City Christmas y and also remembering what we do here with Blankfest Christmas, with green and red ribbons going straight to my heart, the warmth and the
chuckles music to my longing ears. I'd almost forgotten such joy and good cheer, kids running around in circles singing Hallelujah. I stand in its energy as the skaters go by and lovers proposed by the Rockefeller Tree, as hot chocolate is sipped through foggy windows onto the cathedral, filled with belief and hope, giving respite to the cold admirers whooshing
in and clutching trendy bags of chocolates. Back outside to the storefronts with magical light shows full on display, filling the night's noisy crowds with merry music and carols we all know. Heading down to Midtown where the center nerve pulses is a band of beautiful ladies dancing and kicking and synchronous charm. Further down to the windows made famous in name, each especial Christmas scene, all different, but still
in theme the same. It's Christmas, Christmas everywhere, It's Christmas again.
Can't wait till next year. Nabida concintas verdesi rojas yendo director mi corra soon el carloi lassas musica, paramizoidos and ziosos, casilvidadot, griegen animo, ninus corind and circulus, cantangolle luja my parents, when hiam intros patinadors, pasan ILOs, amantees, proponent juntl arbo Rockefeller mintress vevecacola de caliinte traveslas tentanas, cornievle ala Grand cathedral, vamos, geno de fe esperanza, dandrspiro, amiradores, riolentos and trand a
garando Bolsas. The bonbone is the mother, the weltafuera loses caparates cono, spectaculus, the luses maxicos and pantaya competta, gennando l ridosas multitude lance con musica, le Vian sicos, getotosavemos, dirigiendo cl centre de la sida, don del nervous central pulza. It's unabanda de mosas damas by landi patio scronico masatanas. It's just formosas in nombre navidenes peciale totos dife per motema is Navidad, Navidad in TOAs partes is navidad in nuevo no maa one to proximoan.
Thank you beautiful in both languages, are wonderful, wonderful. We're gonna take a break and and and talk some more specifics about who's going to appear where when all those things. But I want to bring up someone who's missing U
before we get into the line up. There there was a key player literally emotionally, physically literally uh who's missing this year, who was a big player from virtually the very beginning, who brought his joy, his musical talent, and his oversized personality in the best way, mister tim o'donnie and I know you wanted to dedicate this year to
his memory. We just lost him recently to cancer. So let's talk a little bit about Tim o'donnie and what he meant to Blankfest in particular and to the Nayak and Rockland community in general.
It's it is a pity that as time goes by, you lose people that you're close with, that you've worked with, that are very near and dear to our project and what we're doing. And Tim personifies that we actually lost in another person who I'd like to mention also, but Tim had been with us since the very very beginning, and he always was there with his band and his family. So it was always kind of you talk about like a holiday atmosphere. Ever, Tim was in the room with
everyone he was associated with. It was almost like it was the only thing missing was the Christmas tree and the presence being unwrapped. That was that was the atmosphere, and it was kids milling about, and you know, of course his band, his band members would bring their families. He had a ton of supporters and they lot most of them brought U blankets or some other form of donation.
So his contribution over the years was incredible. And for a recent article where we were interviewed for the Rockland Journal, they had asked to get some photos and I went digging through the photos and right on my phone, Yvonne had taken the photos and sent them to me. There's Tim standing in the middle of the stage. And the sad irony was that he was well within the throes of his disease. He died of cancer. I guess it was September seven this year, but he was already undergoing
chemotherapy at that point. I know I could see it that he wasn't he wasn't himself, and yet he left all of that at the door the minute he walked through and went up on the stage with his band and gave another performance. You would have never known by his performance that he was ill at the time, but
he really gave it as all. And that's why this year I just did not have the heart to give away his four o'clock timeslot to anybody else, and so I reached out to his widow, Robin, and asked if it would be okay if we could dedicate this year's show to his memory. And then we were put in touch with members of the TMU band, Tim's band, and they're going to just get up and do a real I know it's going to be a moving tribute to
Tim and his memory, and it's gonna be toughs. I feel bad for the act that's got to follow.
Yeah, if I might had my own recollections of Tim. I was talking to my partner Amanda a few weeks back and I said, you know, I had a special relationship with Tim, and she looked at me and says, but Frank, that was everybody felt that way about Tim. That was his superpower. He made you feel that your relationship with him was very special. So he will be missed, but his spirit is that strong, and I think it's
that kind of attitude that really drives the event. It's a giving event, right, everybody gives the people who come. Not only do they give blankets, but they give their attention and their love to the performers, and of course the performers are giving everything they have, so it's it's it's, for lack of a better word, it's a love fest.
Absolutely, and along those same lines. Earlier this year, I think it was late spring, early summer, we lost a gentleman named James Lane and he's part of our New York City crowd. You know, when Yvonne and I first met, we were living in New York city together and or eventually would end up living together. And James did a lot of tech work for some of the podcasts that we did during the pandemic, and I had actually known him for a few years before that, and just like Tim,
he was afflicted with cancer as well. As a matter of fact, we played a fundraiser for him. I think it was the last winner and unfortunately, Yeah in Brooklyn and Neil, I think you played with us at that that fundraister, wasn't it.
Indeed, I was going to ask if that was who you were talking about. Yeah, yeah, I think that was two years ago now.
I think that was just you know, the fact that he handled tech and sound and stuff like that. That wasn't just his only calling card.
Uh.
He was a dedicated uh public servant. He ran for old office as an independent several times because you wanted to improve the community. But also with Blankfest when we had blankets during the pandemic that we ordered online, that was the only year we really encouraged cash donations because that was the only way we could pull it together. We needed to order these blankets and we just didn't
have a place to shift the blankets to. And he gave up Hey, his wife and his kids apartments Hallway, and we went down there all the blankets, yep, tons of boxes all the place.
Until we were able to go back into the city to go and distribute.
And again, you just don't you just don't care about the silent contributions that so many, so many people, including our good friend Paul Eckert and Congress who lets us put the blankets in her house after the show was over a year. So and I know I'm going to be missing some people and I'm really sorry to miss them. And one last thing too. Over the years, we've had other people contribute that have fled well, Scott Scott's yep, Scott, Oh god, I forgot his last name. Scott h Scott Humphries.
Who is That's what I'm here for.
There you go again, I'm bailing his butt out again. We know, we know who runs the show here, boys, but we know where the brain. We know where the brains are.
I've been saying for years, like I'm a I'm.
A front man, but we know the brains are this operation.
And you know, I'm I'm a smart ass. But she is the smart person in the duo. And uh and she and she's she's the one who cuts through my brain fog to remind me of like where my left hand and right hand is, you know. But yeah, Scott Humphries actually uh flies back. During our involvement in Afghanistan, he did several tours of duty and he would fly home, you know, and sometimes in his uniform and he would just you know, barely have time to change and come
on down to the club. And he's helping us whole equipment count blankets every year every year. But I do want to mention another gentleman who passed away eight nine years ago. His name is Tommy Durkin. He was there for the first two blank Fests, for several blankfests. He actually had a program on iHeartRadio called Tommy D's Nuts, and he is he was somebody that really helped drive a lot of traffic into our you know, cause when he passed away, I asked his wife Kathy, if it
was okay we could dedicate a show to him. And what we've done is that we've kept his name on our website ever since. So in a way, it's like, you know how like the New York City Marathon is like it's like the Best By sponsored NYC Marathon. Well, this is the Tommy Durkin Memorial Blankfest Show. Dicterd this year to Tim o'doniue, with special love sent out to
James Lane. We've covered all the bases and hopefully we let everyone know, even if they're not here, hopefully somewhere they know that they've been loved and appreciated.
We've been talking more detail about some of the performers. When where all those specifics. It's plug time. Okay, Hey, after the commercial break, it's time to yes, do the big plug. Make sure people know where to go, when to go, how they can get involved, what they should bring. We'll do all of that stuff in just a minute. My very special guests, the organizers of blank Fest, Ken Row and Von Sutttermayor. And we've also been joined on occasion by the Mailman, our engineer, Neil Richter, who has
been intimately involved with Blankfest for many years. And that's what we're talking about this evening. Please don't go anywhere, will be more. We'll be back with more being Frank after these brief commercial messages.
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Welcome back to Being Frank the Intelligent Conversation Podcast. Thanks for sticking with us. I'm your host, Franklebuono. Our engineer and part time guests is mister Neil Richter. And my full time guests are the organizers for the twenty eighth annual blank Fest music festival, where a blank it is required for entry, which is eventually given to the less fortune in New York City, and they are Ken Raul and Yvonne Sotomayoor. Guys, thank you for coming back and
didn't leave. That's that's a plus. That's always a plus. You're talking with me for about a half hour. The fact that you stayed is meaningful. So let's let's go. Let's go back. We like you, Frank. Well, there's no accounting for taste. Guys, Let's get back to blank Fest. And I want to talk a little bit about the specifics. We talked about some of the esoterica, if you will, the feeling behind it, et cetera. Let's talk specifics where, when, who.
Well, it's going to be on Sunday, December fifteenth. It's at the Hudson House, which is one point thirty four Main Street in New York, beautiful metropolitan downtown New York. And hey, I was born there. I loved it, you know, still love going back to visit on occasion. And it is going from noon until midnight. Last I counted, we have twenty one acts that are squeezed into the proceedings, and we might actually be adding one or two more.
I hope so, and I hope not at the same time, because it's always a challenge to get everybody up for their twenty minutes of glory and then the ten minute change out, and for that, again, we have so many people helping us. We'll get into more details about that if time permits, but I think we should talk about the selfless talent that lends itself to the proceedings.
And it now's that time.
I'll just read from our flyer and just please do everything down. And by the way, they're not mentioned in any specific preference or value to the show. Each performer is invaluable to our efforts. I have to fit the
names on. So when I'm at the top of the page and I lead with the undead, you know with Bobby Steele, I mean he's been with us now for about half of our shows, and he as he always delivers a great you know, Bobby Steele was with the Misfits before he started the Undead and he and his wife Diana and company always always bring you a great show. Patty Rothberg has been with us since Blankfest two, which
is nineteen ninety eight. She was with them I Capitol Records, which is a label that I worked for, and I actually knew her from back in the day's CBGB when we were both in different bands appearing on the same bill. Neil, you were there for that one?
I was, yeah, that's right.
We went to see one of our art exhibits down on the Lower East Side, and this was before she was signed to the label, before she had appeared on The Tonight Show, Jay Leno, David Letterman, MTV, et cetera, et cetera. So we're always happy to have her show up and put on a bang up performance. Joe Derso. If you're from Rockland County, you know who Joe Derso is. And if you're not from Rockland County, you still might have heard of him from his countless tours of the UK, Italy, Eastern,
the Pacific Rim. He's involved with Light of Day, Thank You, thank You, and Hunger than you Know with the Chapin family.
Joe.
I've known Joe since he was a wee young lad and i've seen him, you know, he he was mega talented when he was in high school and he has just grown up to really embody, uh, the personification of a strong, successful, independent musician who's not afraid to give for a better for a better cause. The horse you
rode in on. I was sneaking into bars to see these guys play ages ago, and after they took a little time off, they started having reunion shows and now it's just great to see them on a regular basis, year in and year out. Chuck de Brune is the front man, and as a matter of fact, he owned, he was a part owner of Bruck Sells, and he's been part of a Blankfast even as a solo axis before then. As a matter of fact, I was just on the horn with him tonight. He's helping to arrank
some volunteers to help us move the equipment. And then you've got Lance, you've got Joel, and you've got Jim d Maria on the drums. They're just a solid, strong unit and it's always great to have those guys back
the guests. They're a great three part harmony group. Hannah, who is their front person, is Bobby Steele's daughter, and even when she couldn't go because the rest of the band was sick, I think it was with COVID, she came by herself, wore a mask, got up on stage and did a wonderful a cappella version of Allelujah, which you know again, I don't have enough happy words to describe their contribution. Nuns and Posers is a band by John Rehrick who is part of a great band from
the glory days of Naya's bar scene called Kablamachunk. John Rerick is just a wonderfully talented musician and his band really really knows how to bring it. Anne Hussick, I know, we know her from New York City and she is a talented singer songwriter who really really knows how to put together a great show and she actually has her own promotions crew. Annie Hussick Presents. It's always great to have her count of nine dear, dear friends of mine Joe and Abbey.
Was that friend.
That's right, Yeah, I'm horrible. Well, I knew Joe from way back in the day, long before I met my wife, and actually long before he met his wife. She came on as a keyboard player in his band and they had this wonderful uh synergy Ross Byron. Another talented singer songwriter, Amanda White, is coming down from Boston to play with her band again. More talent Michael G. Potter, a very good singer songwriter who you could see very often playing
at Strawberry Field. Donald Sebasnik. I can't get enough of his music. He's got a real lou reed feel to him, and I can hardly wait. He's actually starting to show at noon. Most people say, is Yvonne on the bill because she's married to you?
No?
Ivana is on the bill because she's toured thirty two US states. She's played the Jimmy Carter Library, the New York City Marathon, she's been published, she's recorded music overseas, excuse me, poetry overseas, and her EP has gotten five star reviews. So she would be here even if we had never met before. She'll be doing the four to thirty time slot. Right after the tim O'donoue Memorial. Then
you've got Zuko Phillips Conan Starr. They're a four part harmony group that are going to boil your socks off.
It's their first year. Quinnin the Eskimos another great outfit that joined us just last year along with Sophia McClue, is a talented singer songwriter and David Tanner who is actually helping us with all the equipment and is coming to do a rare spot where he actually gets to play his own original music, something he doesn't usually get a chance to do because he's usually helping other people. And finally, but not least, we've got a band called
We're Desperate. They are the ultimate ex tribute band and being a fan of X, I can tell you I can hardly wait to see them strut their stuff on stage.
Well, you know, you gave us kind of a setup for Yvonne as a poet and why she's there, so we're going to impose upon her again for another poem as we start to wrap up our program. So if you're ready, Yvonne will tell us about this poem that you're about to recite for us.
Okay, this is called Blankfast poem. So I was used to writing poetry kind of to work out my feelings, you know, either with Ken or my personal feelings throughout you know, the years. I think this is the first time. This had been the first time in twenty fourteen. I think it was when I was asked, when he asked me, actually, well, what do you think about blankfast? What are you're you know, because I'd been in there already two years, so he
actually asked me, you know, write something about it. And so this is a blank fastpond, many streets filled with loss, sadness, and contempt, lined with broken thoughts of dreams and lives that almost could have hungry, wretched souls on fire, left cold and forgotten, invisibly regarded less or too much for us to bear reality of what we have joined in the dance we often play, those people will never be us, littering my street, shoulders hunched, rushed footsteps, We gayly powder by,
ignore the problem. It's not mine. They should all just get a job.
How cruelly we.
Can unthink we're but a step away from being cold, left and forgotten, and freezing all alone. America, the beautiful
the streets are paved with hope. Let's give our hearts and our thanks and make those folks our own, muchas cay is genus de perdi de la tristesa il espressio alignido, compensamin dorotos, the lasuenos iridees, cecasi, prin abricido, almas miserablis and brintasi in sendidaz they had as free asiovidados in dissibilmente consideradas menos or the masio paraguantar lerida is the gernolos mosonido elvila menudo, the sepegnamos ESAs personas noun casan
nosotros and susian do migaye ombros and corbados pasos a pressurados ale rementeos ladog prolema nus mio de yantos conajo como cruel mentemos dispenser is tamos menos pasodesto they start frios dejados lvii dados conlados is solos America LaVeda last gay is stampa esperanza bamusada nostros corasonesestras gracias maesta hinte comoestro Propria.
Thank you, Bognant and Powerful, thank you for going such on my ar and Ken Raul your big day coming up Sunday, just a few days from our taping. Again, if people are watching this, I highly recommend they get to the Hudson House. Begins at twelve, wraps up right around ten or so in the evening. Generally speaking about can Well, we are.
Usually the bag Daddy is going dead last because we don't want to take any of the primetime away from some of the worthy performers, and this year is no exception. We're supposed to go on around tennis, although you know, one of the names I forgot because we couldn't add them to the flyer on time. There's a band out
of New York City called Crazy Mary. Their lead singer is Emma z and she actually left when she decided to start a family to go back to her native Australia about five or six years ago, and she's been back to visit New York City from time to time for little reunions with her band. She was flying into town or into the city this week and I just picked up the phone and you know, texted her and said, hey, how would you guys like to come up and do the show. She said, let me run it by the boys.
And she's been a last minute addition to this. So if the back daddy is we're going to go on at ten, then we're going on at ten thirty now because Emma's going to show up almost directly out of Australia and Crazy Mary Bloody Good band, they're going to be playing at ninth your ten o'clock. I don't have the schedule in front of me, and so Lord knows
when Blankfist is gonna wrap up. Because if you fly in from Australia to do a set for Blankfest, especially the night, you can go on as long as you want.
You know, I'm gonna play, Yes, good, good stuff. So Sunday the fourteenth, beginning at noon, going until ten or later at the Hudson House of Niak, New York. It's Blankfest. Bring what correction? Hold on to fifteenth fifteenth? Thank you very good, Yes, the fifteen. I should look at a calendar that might help you know. I do all this preparation and don't look at a cant the fifteenth. Sunday the fifteenth, at noon, begins at the Hudson house, bring
a blanket. You also accept clothing like a warm jacket or you're not going to turn anything warm away, right, guys, that's for sure.
No, never, everything is useful.
Everything.
Also, we're always looking for volunteers to help us bring the equipment in, to help us bring the equipment out, or help us get the blankets out to New York City on Christmas.
Ken, how can how can they get to you to find and hook up with you to be able to volunteer if they want to? How can they find you?
Well you can obviously, Uh, well not obviously, but you can. You can go to the blank Fest page on Facebook and send us a message there. It'll you know.
We're also just blankfest dot org.
Well, well that's that's the website. There's an email address there, but there's also Blankfest the blank Fast page on Facebook. Also, the email address you can reach me at easily is surf Vietnam s U R F V I E T N A M at hotmail dot com. Drop me an email. I promise you it won't get caught in a spam filter and I'll let you know what's going on.
Guys.
I want to thank you so much for joining us here on Being Frank. It was a pleasure again, always fun. Absolutely, thank you and I'll see you guys Sunday. We'll be there Amanda and I have some fun with you again.
You gotta take some of your great pictures.
I'll try, you know. Of course, we offer special thanks to our listeners who take time to give us a voice in their lives, and we remember we offer a fresh topic every week and can catch us wherever and whenever you get your favorite podcasts like Apple, Spotify, Heheart Radio and the others. Could check us out on the Hudson River Radio Facebook page. Like us and leave us a comment too. We also ask you to consider sharing Being Frank with others. You know what, Neil, I'm gonna
ask you to introduce our final song. It's one from the bag daddios. I know you have a hand in it. So what are we going to hear?
Well, I think we're gonna hear a song. Christmas ain't for lonely people? Is that right? Ken that?
Yes?
I believe so. And a matter of fact, it was recorded by our very good friend Kevin Lacey from New City, New York.
Yeah, right right here in Rockland County. If I remember yes, and in the middle of a snowstorm. If I do remember too that it was what's pretty romantic?
It's pretty close show my god fit for our engineer Neil Richter. I'm your host, Frank Levono, and we hope to have you join us on the next being Frank, We're the only way to be is Frank. Thanks everybody.
Christmas A for lowly people, Christmas April lowly people, Christmas Aple lowly people.
You should know that by now.
Marry Christmas, I'm alone, not another friend to stone lot's of breaking.
It's okay for me.
It's just as know.
The day happy people on.
My TV send distracts me so much and I almost beget now that Christmas April lowly biglow Christmas A for lowly be o Christmas A for lonly people.
You should know that by now.
My compan's gone to her sister's.
Face and now a bet is chanced.
An empty space three days to double on my children. Let the holidays begin.
See these get been messed up.
Jingle bells said.
He knows you.
My friend said, I wish you well. Who Christmas A for lowly people, Christmas A for lowly people, Christmas and for lowly people.
You should know that by now. See a crazy man talking to himself on the bus.
But I'm staring passing more I think.
About his sirs.
I can trying to call you a bunch of silvers Onis off pistol story, maddess of my lonely Spanish, all of low I'm my dad and is my mom the.
Rich I now releave in in Flora on my sister and a kid's a living in the verbs.
But the buses are on, and so I'm stradded out.
The girl, the girl unaware, the Netwick withers. Smile, here's me booked before you won't know the Christmas and for lowly people. Christmas a for lonely people. Christmas a for lonely people.
You should know that by now, Yes, Christmas.
A lowly people. Christmas a lowly people Christmas aple lowly people.
You should know that.
For now, Apple, buy a color up to my head, weed down, don't talk to me.
I'm just trying to kire gross town to fest to snow as now, judge and slush when you're by yourself.
Be concerned as me too much.
All I want is.
To be with you.
But I guess the drinking too, who have to do a look at pictures and.
Try to remember do so, which happens to me.
When we get into sim I Hear's voices, see.
To it been a carolers, just a memory.
Christmas a lowly people, Christmas a lowly people. Christmas aple loly people. You should know that bye now. Christmas a for lowly people. Christmas a for lowly people. Christmas a for lowly people.
You should know that. Christmas aple loly people.
Talk you forgain. Christmas a for loly people.
You should know that bye.
No.
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