Deborah Crooks: News/Journal

I'm in Mysore, India, for the month of November...and enjoying myself thoroughly. I'm practicing yoga and Carnatic singing and writing some new material. Nonetheless, online my songs "Cafe la Vie" & "Turn It All Red" have been elevated into the site's finals. You can vote on it here:
http://www.songvault.fm/artists.htm?id=7255

I'm gearing up for a month-long trip to India where I'll be studying yoga and generating some new material (check my blog for updates and mp3s). In the meantime, "Adding Water to the Ashes" has received some nice reviews (see Press) and is now available in the iTunes Store. Search me and you'll find the new disc as well as my earlier EPs.
Thanks everyone! Love & peace, Deborah

From Lucid Culture wrote of "Adding Water to the Ashes" CD Oct. 15, 2008:
"'Put me on your ipod,' it murmurs, bleak but resonant. "

The CD is done, and available for sale at my shows, on CD Baby (http://cdbaby.com/deborahc3) and soon via a host of digital distributors.
Featuring 11 original tracks, "Adding Water to the Ashes" was produced, engineered and mixed by Ben Bernstein, and features a host of great musicians including Alex Walsh (guitar), Art Khu (guitar, piano, organ), Ben Bernstein (bass), Dave Tweadie (drums), Eamon Ryland (acoustic & electric guitar, lap steel, resonator), Yoon Ki Chai (violin) as well as members of The Whoreshoes. I look forward to sharing it with you.

The CD is done and about to go to press. In the meantime, please mark September 26 at Socha Cafe (see calendar) on your calendar. I'll be playing a show with my band and CDs will be available. And I'll be sharing the bill with friend, Jean Mazzei, whose also got a very recent CD. Come on down.
Please save the date! My CD should be (cross fingers) hot off the presses and I'll be playing with a band.
I'd love to see you there, Deborah

DEBORAH CROOKS and Jean Mazzei perform at Socha Café, Friday, September 26

Two local songwriters celebrate the release of two new all-original CDS
JEAN MAZZEI " caffeinated Folk Rock, Eclectic and Smart "

DEBORAH CROOKS "Crooks pours stiff shots of brains, soul and guts into her compositions...."-Flavorpill

Date: Friday, Sept 26

Venue: Socha Cafe

Address: 3235 Mission Street (@Valencia), San Francisco, CA

Website: www.sochacafe.com
Time: 8-9:15 Jean Mazzei

9:30-11pm Deborah Crooks Band

http://www.jeanmazzei.com; http://www.sonicbids.com/jeanmazzeimusic
http://www.deborahcrooks.com http://myspace.com/deborahcrooks

The last time I was in Austin, I met up with Mike at Fevered Brain Radio for a chat
http://www.feveredbrainradio.com
He's a huge supporter of music and his radio is a labor of love. To keep it going; however, it will need some donations. Send him some love when you get a chance.

Help me finish my CD by contributing at:
http://www.fundable.com/groupactions/groupaction.2008-08-01.3416409089/

Please vote for me to play the Dell Lounge: http://www.delllounge.com/soundandjury/?id=a9cad681-896d-4c62-a2ce-f2d9b58b2019
And some of my songs are now available on
http://amiestreet.com/artist/deborah-crooks/

Mixing is almost complete on my full-length CD. Featuring 11 of my original songs, I'm delighted by the great musician's who've played on it including Ben Bernstein, Dave Tweedie, Eamon Ryland, Art Khu, Yoon Ki Chai, Alex Walsh and members of the Whoreshoes. I'm aiming for a September release date. Stay tuned!

I'm playing this next Saturday AND they're looking for volunteers.
Come on down!
THE 32nd ANNUAL SF FREE FOLK FESTIVAL
Concerts – Music and Dance Workshops
– Evening Dances – Family Activities
June 21 & 22, 2008
SF City College
easy access to Balboa BART Station
In the brand new WELLNESS CENTER
Noon to 10pm
FREE  
www.sffolkfest.org www.myspace.com/sffreefolkfestival 415 665 9915

I'm off to New York City tomorrow for a spur of the moment trip. Anyone need a last minute opener or gig-sub, lemme know! write
deborah@deborahcrooks.com

well, all the basics are down...now just overdubs, mixing, mastering...here's a little guitar recording action from Eamon Ryland.

I will be performing a set at the Ben Bernstein & Friends stop along the Bay to Breakers route this Sunday.
Joining Ben will be Michael Faiella on Drums, Jordan Klein on Banjo, and members of Free Peoples and Bucky Dub. He'll likely sit in w/me on bass or guitar.

Later that day we'll be playing at
Cafe La Vie. There, I'll have Yoon Ki Chai joining me on violin. Both shows are free!


SUNDAY, MAY 18TH, 2008
Golden Gate Park
Bay to Breakers Hootenanny - 8 am
Marx Meadows (30th & JFK)
San Francisco CA
Price: Free
BB & friends perform along the 2008 Bay Breakers route.

SUNDAY, MAY 18TH, 2008
Cafe La Vie
Deborah Crooks and friends - 6 PM
514 Octavia Street
San Francisco CA 94102
(415) 621-6877
Price: Free
Bay to Breakers Day in the heart of Hayes Valley. Come hang out after
the race for original music, great coffee drinks, and other eats.

Hello,
I'm happy to be returning to San Luis Obispo on June 28. Am looking to book gigs on the way and on the return.
Let me know if you have any leads or would like to share a So. Cal/Central Cal. show

I'd love if you became a fan:
http://www.ourstage.com/fanclub/deborahcrooks

I've been back in the studio the past month, working with Ben Bernstein again, and am really excited about how the new recordings are sounding. Aiming for a mid-summer completion date. Stay tuned!

I'm playing June 21. A San Francisco tradition: http://www.sffolkfest.org/

"Turn It All Red is the title of the excellent new janglerock album from Bay Area songwriter Deborah Crooks. Backed by a tight three-piece band, singer/guitarist Crooks opens the album with the catchy, bouncy title track. It’s about pulling out all the stops: “pull out your purple heart and turn it all red,” she cajoles. And what a fine song stylist she is, sounding like Chrissie Hynde at her late 80s peak as a vocalist on the next track, the beautifully pensive Land’s End. In a highly nuanced, subtly soul-inflected delivery, she retraces the steps of someone who’s finally come into her own, finally ready to stop burning her bridges." — Lucid Culture, http://lucidculture.wordpress.com/

you can buy mp3s of my tunes at cdbaby:

DEBORAH CROOKS: Turn It All Red
http://cdbaby.com/cd/deborahc2
also, check out some video stuff I'm doing at SXSW with the conversation group team in Austin
http://www.thisissxsw.com/

I'll be one of the artists that will get
airplay on 3/9, as part of Radio Crystal Blue's coverage of Airplay Vote 2008..I'm a nominee. Please vote here:
http://pub36.bravenet.com/vote/vote.php?usernum=3071115404
Thanks for your support!

just booking a gig Wed. 3/12 1pm venue, details tba. Gonna be fulllll week.....

I've started recording anew. Tracked three songs this weekend with Ben Bernstein producing. Here's some studio video for ya where we're putting lead on "Miss Me Sometime":

INSTEAD OF
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
we'll be on
The Bruce Latimer Show
Wednesday, March 5
Taping Wednesday night at 9:00 pm from the Pacifica Community Television station in Pacifica, California. Studio Audience is welcome. Jean Mazzei, Alex Walsh and I will be playing a few songs and talking to Bruce.

I've a last-minute performance at Nomad Cafe tonight as I'm be subbing for East Bay Songstress Christina Kowalkchuk because she is down with the dreaded cold. Send Christina some love and do come down to the Nomad for some original music by myself as well as David Silverberg. The tunes start at 7:30, I go on at 8:30. Kwame Copeland will be playing bass w/me and perhaps a special guest on guitar.


NOMAD CAFE
6500 Shattuck Ave. (at 65th St.)

Dan Herman of Radio Crystal Blue is debuting a song of mine on his next live show, in
one of the two New Music Sampler segments. The show airs Sunday January 20 7pm ET and runs for 5-6 hours.
HOW TO LISTEN:
LIVE 365: To hear the live show, fans need to go to www.radiocrystalblue.com and find the mic graphic that links to the Live365 station. This will lead you to the
official station at http://www.live365.com/stations/142950