WESTCHESTER COUNTY, NY - It was a hot and sunny day. Sometime between 11:30 a.m. and noon, I parked Dad's Olds in Pelham and jumped into her immaculate, shiny black late-model Saab convertible. It was fly and so was she: top down, flaunting the trademark flat top 'do that highlights her elegant widowÂ’s peak and graces her business card and CD cover; powerful stereo discreetly pumping the 98.7 KISS FM radio battle of the Ohio Players -vs- Parliament Funkadelics. In her French blue shirt, black summer pants and black shades, Deborah Hodge was all seven CÂ’ and a bag of chips: cool, calm, collected, confident, classy, captivating and chic. Like her music.
Before the show
We stopped by Best Buy to pick up a second copy of The Diary of Alicia Keys [Limited Edition w/ Bonus DVD] for her and package of blank cassette tapes for me. In the cool, air-conditioned store, I felt my tension begin chilling out. The day had started stressfully: with inquiries about getting Dad into a clinical trial at Memorial Sloan Kettering; investigating how my brother fared in the previous day's medical procedure; and canceling out of a two-day class I'd really wanted to attend in DC but could not, because my actual - rather than virtual - presence was required on a consulting project that's at a critical point.
Deborah's funk music nourished my spirit, reminding me of great times in days past.
Ow, we need the funk
We gotta have that funk
(x2)
La la la la la
Doo doo doo doo doo doo doo, owww!
(x2)
Source: “Tear the roof off the sucker (give up the funk),” from Tear the Roof Off - Parliament
And Deborah herself - whom I met last year through a mutual friend - is a soothing presence. Plus, I get a kick out of even the prospect of broadcasting my shows. (Click here to see Mom's theory about that.) I think it's because I get personally informed, instructed, intrigued and inspired when pursuing my "four-eyed" mission.
My dance with music
Some say music calms the savage beast. It's also energizing. Low-key or upbeat, music has always nurtured my soul. A musician-in-hiatus, I have sung in my church choir, K-12 choruses and the Harvard Radcliffe Kuumba Singers; played first violin in innumerable pit orchestras, recitals, chamber orchestras and full orchestras; dabbled with the various other stringed and reed instruments; and (regrettably, in retrospect) declined a scholarship to study music in college. But despite its being integral in my life, even I can't live on music alone; I need tangible sustenance, too. So Deborah and I grabbed a bite en route to Whitney Radio.
During the show
If you joined us at 1:30-2:00 pm, Eastern Time on New York Radio WVOX AM 1460 or http://www.wvox.com/, you sampled a delicious smorgasbord of original music from Deborah’s CD: Deborah Hodge (play list: “Is it Really?,” “Some One,” “Back in the Day,” and “If Your Heart”) and enjoyed tasty tidbits of her perspectives on the music of today, the music business versus the business of music, and what constitutes good musicianship.
Deborah knows from whence she speaks. The vocalist, composer, arranger, writer, music teacher and bandleader has performed internationally, at times with top “cats” like Stanley Turrentine, and in the camp of Alicia Keys, i.e., MBK (“My Brother’s Keeper”) Entertainment.
Listeners feasted on Deborah’s dish on Ms. Keys, presented over the backdrop soulful selections from The Diary of Alicia Keys [Limited Edition w/ Bonus DVD]. But first, my guest prepared listenersÂ’ palettes in anticipation of an upcoming artist Deborah praised as a must-hear. I can't spell her name or find her easily online, but according to Deborah, talented teen Karinna Passione (sp?) speaks multiple languages and boasts an imminent debut with the house of Jay-Z and Antonio "L.A." Reid (Island Def Jam/Universal Music Group). Deborah will review the CD in an upcoming "Lisa Tolliver Show" segment. Stay tuned.
Contact Deborah Hodge
RoMo & Associates, Mgmt.
Telephone: (01) 212.580.0613
E-mail: eborada@hotmail.com
Listen to upcoming shows on New York Radio WVOX AM 1460 and www.wvox.com
September 14
1:00-1:30 pm - SCORE: Counselors to America's Small Business
1:30-2:00 pm - Lisa Tolliver Show (featuring author Nina Foxx)
September 28
1:30-2:00 pm - Lisa Tolliver Show
If you’re listening, I’m listening. Talk with me!
Dial the call-in line at (01) 914.636.0110
Join my intranet at www.communityzero.com/360meridian
Leave a voice message at (01) 309.279.7528
Write me c/o:
360 MERIDIAN LLC
Scarsdale, NY 10583 USA
1 Wolfs Lane, Box 655
Pelham, NY 10803-9998
USA
##
