Fan Stories and Comments
We'd love to hear from our fans...
posted by Administrator at 8/09/2006 10:34:00 AM
Wednesday, August 09, 2006
About Me
- Name: Administrator
- Location: San Diego, California, United States
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19 Comments:
Aloha everyone, we are so excited to be doing this and can't wait to see you all again! When you sign in to make a comment, sign in under "other" or "anonymous", otherwise you have to sign up with blogger.com Can't wait to hear from you. Love, Gypsy
Hi Gypsy and everyone!!!
I'm so glad this is happening!! I know Gypsy has worked on getting this going for quite sometime now!!! I know Moses, Clyde and Marla have also been working diligently on the audio part of things as well as some other aspects of the reunion. What a wonderful world!!! I'm so excited to hear how you all have been doing...and where life's journey has taken you!!!
I just saw Mellicent again, and met her wonderful husband and 4 year old son! She is moving to Washington D.C. this month! She's still as bright and wonderful as ever!
I email Julie Stafford (Straton) all the time. She's living in Georgia and is a real estate agent for ReMax...I think. She's doing very well for herself and will be building a recording studio in her house!
I've had the opportunity to work with Clyde on a few gigs where he has plyed bass and also where he not only ran sound....but also recorded some awesome soundboard recordings!
Bill Craig and I have a daughter, Stephanie Willow - almost 29 yrs. She sings in the band with Bill and I. Though Bill and I are not married anymore...we get along very well and have continued to play music together all these years. We were in a band, Chameleon, in the early 80's and were on the road for 3 years...touring the Pacific Northwest and Alaska and Canada. I ended up marrying our drummer, Tom, and have been married for 23 years to him. Tom and I have two children together. Eric is 20 yrs. and Raisia (pronounced Ray-sha) is almost 16 years. Eric plays bass in two bands and Raisia sings and plays keyboards. She also dances Ballet incredibly well. In fact, I take Ballet and Jazz at the Academy of Danse with my two daughters.
Bill started Phoenix Rising when still in Marin...and some of you were members of that group. I have pictures of us singing at The Sleeping Lady Cafe and will be sending them to Gypsy to post...and/or perhaps we'll post them on www.phoenixrisingband.com We have secured the domain name...but do not have it published with our stuff yet. But soon we will have it up and running. So...when we left Marin in 1978 we took the name with us...in our hearts....and took the name again ..... as it's meaning seemed to fit (the phoenix bird recreating itself etc...) and have had this current band with that name, since 1997. So the website will have the first Phoenix Rising AND the current Phoenix Rising on it!
But right now, you can see what Bill, Stephanie and I have been up to by visiting www.craigprographica.com we are a multi-media business and specialize in wedding photography as well as Hot Air Ballooning in the Napa Valley.
Stephanie, Raisia and I have been recording cover tunes on www.ksolo.com and www.ksuperstar.com It's online karaoke and it's such a blast! The recordings are public...so if you want ...you can listen even if you're not a member. Some songs I'v sung just for a good laugh, while others I've sung just because I like the songs and take great pleasure in having the chance to sing them. It would be absolutely awesome if some of you were to record some songs on there too!!! Then I could listen to you!!! Wooo Hoooo!!!
OK...enough about what I've been up to!!! Let's hear from you!!! Do tell us everything about what you've been doing with yourselves!!! I know I've thought so much about you all for so long now...and wondered how you are and where you are!!!! That was such a special moment in time for me....and I will cherish it and the friends that I loved so much....ALWAYS!!! Love to all,
Charlene (Francom)/(Craig) Savelberg Napa, CA
Hi all...it's just me again. I forgot to leave you my email address....
PhoenixRisingRocks@hotmail.com I LOVE the new pics from Marla!!! Thank you Gypsy for making this happen!!! Love,
Charlene
OK...so if you sign in as anonymous...your comment reads: "anonymous says..." BUT...if you sign in as other....it reads "(your name)says...."
So I will choose the "other" dot to check, when I sign in so it will say my name instead of anonymous says....
Charlene
Hi, Aloha, and greetings to all you kindred sprits, This is phil (late member to FSC: 1975) 30+ years WOW!!!!!… Gypsy, Marla, Moses, Clyde, your time and energy to this site and reunion is an act of love we all know. Thank You !!!… Life has taken us on many different journeys for sure. It’s going to be very heart warming to read and hear the stories. To hear from Charlene was great…. Charlene was the reason I came to the Choir and Marin. We were in a youth choir together in our teens. I was in Napa seeing some music and ran into her. She proceeded to tell me of the life she fell into in Marin and subsequently the group of musicians she was involved with. Those big eyes were saying all I needed to know when she asked me to come over to a rehearsal and check it out. Of course one rehearsal was enough for me!!!!!! Charlene said she had a room for rent in Lagunitas and I jumped on it so quick my friends wondered what happened to me. And my life in Marin began… A wonderful part of my life. The people, music, and lifestyle for me were most incredible experience to I had ever had. At 20… After the Choir was dissimilating I was going to the College of Marin in the music department. Soon after I saw the production of Fiddler. I was hooked. Robin Williams did the bottle dancer gig and stole the show. I was recruited from music to the drama department by Jim Dunn & Harvy Susser and did many productions there. I got an offer from an old friend to move to the north shore of Tahoe and front his band… My life in Tahoe so began…LOL.. I’m thinking right now of Dustin Hoffman in Little Big Man. The many parts of his life.. Just a funny thought……… I lived In Tahoe many years, married, had a son BJ (22) and went through a few more changes in life. I have remained in music and drama in many different ways all my life. I am living in phoenix and importing teak furniture (recycled oxcart teak) from northern Thailand. Enough for now… I’m so looking forward to the reunion and seeing all of you…………. Phil phillip.elpers@gmail.com Hey Charlene!!!
Hey Phil.....Big Hugs to you man!!! So good to hear from you!!!WOW!!! Isn't this totally AWESOME????I've thought of you and the Minnesingers as well...What do you hear of Dan Dungan....if anything? Do you remember Ed Berman?He was our roomate/drummer in Lagunitas. He got ahold of me last year to let me know that when I moved out...he ended up with all my pictures...rofl...now I just need to go to Fairfax and pick them up! He has some pictures of the FSC on Mt. Tam. The gig with Ben Taylor tie-dyes as our backdrop.....What a trip...all the twists and turns our lives have taken. We'ren't you in the production of My Fair Lady that Solano College did?
OK....Note to All.....Bill jsut went to his storage room and found more recordings of the FSC!!! He's also checking for photos! Soon they will be on their way to Clyde.
That's all for now! Love to all! ....Charlene
Make sure the photos come to me to put on the site. Clyde has his hands full for the audio. The photos need to go onto the site by me. Let people know. Aloha, Gypsy
From time to time it is a very cool thing to look back and examine the road one has traveled to get where one is today, to reflect on the choices we made that led us to be who and where we are now.
I first saw and heard the choir at a gig at College of Marin. I was 17 and barely out of high school. It was a kind of 'love at 1st song'. I think it was 'Gather Together' with Laura Allen's beautiful voice and dulcimer playing with fiery intesity. In remembering that experience I can still feel the tingle that started somewhere around my heart and radiated outward until I was totally enthralled. I remember the intense desire to be part of this magnificent sound.
As it happened, Moses was doing sound that day and by happy coincidence he had been my high school bus driver. He made intros after the set and I was off and running full speed toward one of the most beautiful and intense chapters in my life.
During my years with the Fairfax Street Choir from 1973 to 1976 I was presented with amazing growth opportunities. I will always be so grateful and amazed by the people whom I met that taught, mentored and shared with me. Singing together, blending voices is the best possible thing that human beings can ever do. It creates such an openess of heart, a vulnerability in the tenuosness, a strength like steel cable that can lift the heaviest weight.
Thanks Gypsy, Marla and Clyde for your concepts and efforts to pull this all together. Thanks Charlene for remembering and including me. Thanks to my dear Mellicent for being my dearest friend thru 30 years and 3000 miles.
More later...
Best regards,
Julie Stafford Straton
The first time I heard the Fairfax Street Choir perform my song, "I Don't Wanta Fade Away", I cried! I was thrilled to the bone to hear my song sung by all those beautiful voices. I also remember Marla apologizing to me because she thought she didn't get some of the chords right or do it the "right" way. Of course, in music, there is no "right way". I had already recorded my own version of the song, and I was excited to hear what she would do with it. Marla rules! I was, and still am, honored and thrilled to have my song done by "The Fairfax Street Choir". No one could have done it better.
Rob Moitoza
Well Rob, so nice to hear from you and I just want to say that we were honored to perform such a beautiful song and make it part of our repetoire. Thank you so much for allowing us this pleasure, aloha to you and hope to see you at our reunion. Love, Gypsy
You don't know me... I only saw you twice in the summer of 74 and have never forgotten the experience...I felt like I was in the presence of angels...Is there any way to get a CD from those days??
Aloha, so happy to hear from a fan who benefitted from the wonderful uplifting music back in the day. We are in the process right now of getting the CD ready. It will be on sale in many places and if you send me your email address and what you want once again to MadmPele@gmail.com I will send you an email when it arrives. So happy you found us and hope you come to the reunion when that happens. Aloha Nui, Gypsy
Aloha Everyone, I have some great news! The reunion is being planned for sometime in the last 2 weeks of September 2008! This gives you over a year notice. I will be posting categories for volunteers as soon as we know what we need. Please contact me if you would like to help in any way.
Aloha Nui, Gypsy AlohanuiGypsy@gmail.com
please if you have not done so, please leave all of your contact info or email to me so that we have you all in one place members, fans and friends. alohanuigypsy@gmail.com
Hi everyone. Gypsy and I have been going through tons of music from so many of our gigs. I can't even begin to share all the memories that come up when I listen to these songs. We went through Lay My Burdens Down on Friday night and hearing Steven Galloway sing again blew me away. Also I fell madly in love with Jack Kane after hearing him sing on Rise Up and You Don't Knock. What a great voice he has. I am also writing liner notes for our CD. Does anyone remember our first gig at the Sleeping Lady? If so please write in and share the memory with me so I can get another perspective besides my own. Does anyone remember the exact date? I will be writing more and asking more questions as we plow through this tremendous task of assembling all of this material. The wonderful thing about having Gypsy here is that it is like there was never a break in our friendship. Our Dear Gypsy is a profound singer at this point. By the way, Diane (drummer for the Street Choir) and I just put out a CD that is awesome called The Windows Of Time. Scroll down to the Ace Alumni Family Presents and check it out at www.theaceofcups.com Please write back.
Aloha, Marla
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My name is Michael and I saw you a number of times in the winter of 1973.
I was 18 years old and working at health food restaurant in Larkspur (Owned by Richie?), where the gentleman who tap danced in your performances worked as a waiter. (I wish that I could remember his name). He was kind enough to bring me along to your gigs. Those were magical evenings for me that I have never forgotten.
I don't think anyone who ever attended one of your performances would ever forget you!
aloha Michael, that would be Christopher the waiter you were talking about. i don't think Ritchie owned the restaurant, especially in 1973. leave your info so we can keep in touch, like email, Gypsy
I am sad to announce the passing of Laura Allan from cancer on May 19th, 2008. What an incredible talent who now is playing amongst the angels... aloha nui loa Laura! Gypsy
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