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November 2008

I offered to help her record them, but soon after that her health deteriorated to the point where she couldn’t travel.  So I went to see her in her hospital room in Morristown with my small pocket recorder.  I handed her my guitar and recorded 25 songs, some of which I perform now.  I’ve also recorded three of them, and they are among my best recordings.  I may do a whole album.

Photograph by Brian Saint

Eric Russell, who was in my Clearwater audience, agreed to join me for the next hospital session.  I had bought a better digital recorder, and we were able to put down 12 songs.  But there is more work for us to do.

Eric has also asked me to sing at what I thought would be a simple political Rally for Tom Wyca, an aspiring Congressman, in Morristown, NJ.  I didn’t expect that Tom would be there.  Neither did I expect U.S. Senator Frank Lautenberg, Barack Obama’s advisor Mark Alexander, U.S. Congressman Steve Rothman, and Ellen Greenberg and Diane Weeks, two local politicians in Morris County.  That was yesterday.

Another person who heard me at Clearwater Monmouth was Marjorie Conn.  She invited me to do “Soon We Will Have Peace” in a Holiday play at the Crane House in Asbury Park – please check my “PERFORMANCES” page.  I read her script and suggested three more songs that I rarely get to perform, and she accepted.  I did some acting in high school – loved it, but decided to go the singing route instead.  This will be a great way to be involved in both.

For those of you who keep asking me about the progress of my stepfather Herbert Datum’s life story:  Since I gave my speech about it at Brookdale College’s World War II Center, Neil O’Connor, an American military history expert, joined me in a year-long effort to correct errors in the manuscript, particularly the photo captions.  We were able to piece together an almost continuous story of where Herbert was, as well as when and why. 

For those who haven’t heard about him yet:  He married my mother long after my father died, and he was one of the first 120 of Hitler’s bodyguards.  After that, he became a vehicle and supply-convoy expert, a role that – much like it seemed to be the case with Woody Allen’s character “Zelig” – put him on the scene at just about every important battle and site during World War II.  He was even at the Bunker next to the Reich Chancellery when Hitler shot himself.  He then took part in the third “Breakout” of Reich Chancellery personnel from the encircled Bunker, as it is graphically shown in the movie “Downfall.”  He may have been the only surviving member of his group because he hid under rubble after a Soviet bullet hit a book in his breast pocket.  I have the bullet.

What made Herbert’s story so compelling is that he became the photographer of his SS Commander Sepp Dietrich.  I inherited his incredible collection of 1200 photographs, unsorted, in shoe boxes.  He died two weeks before dictating his life story to me, but I was fortunate enough to discover that he had already started the dictation and that he left behind diaries and letters.

Last week, I spoke with William DuAime, our French collaborator.  He came to the U.S. about a month ago to hospitalize his father, William Wharton, the World War II hero who turned into a great anti-War writer.  Among other novels, William Wharton wrote Birdy (made into a movie with Nicholas Cage and Matthew Modine and directed by Alan Parker) and A Midnight Clear (directed by Keith Gordon).  Unfortunately, he died from the complications of his illness.

William Junior started the Herbert project by writing captions for the photos, and he is planning to visit again to help us write the final story.  All three of us have somehow fallen in love with Herbert and his ability to keep his dignity and humanity, while the world around him was going insane.

For me, this has been an incredible history lesson.  The Allies did not permit our school teachers to teach us about World War II, fearing that they would make us into Nazis.  Little did they know that the opposite might have been the case:  Some of our teachers had almost died in battle and others had been Social Democrats (the German equivalent of the Democratic Party) and, as such, they were persecuted.  I vividly recall one of our teachers sneaking anti-War stories into our German classes, thereby risking his job.

My uncle, meanwhile, was dedicated to the Christian Democratics (the equivalent of the Republican Party), which often put me at odds with my teachers.  I am sure that they didn’t realize that Uncle Otto became a politician because he had not been involved in the Nazi party, and that we, as small business people, tended to vote and be involved in the more “conservative” party.

I am actually quite proud of most of my teachers:  Somewhere in my files is a photograph that I found on the Website of the Leo Baeck Institute.  It shows a terrible scene:  The synagogue in Zeven, my home town, was not burned down by the Nazis because it was attached to other houses.  However, the Holy objects were dragged out and burned.  An order had been issued to all the teachers in Zeven to attend and to bring their school classes.  To the credit of our school teachers, no one went, and the only spectators were a few Nazis in uniforms and a few bewildered children who must have stumbled into the scene.

This week I’ve been singing for the Democrats, but I have come to the firm belief that we have to meet Somewhere in the Middle – remember that great Country Song by Diamond Rio?  No – let me correct that – it’s where we all must meet to make this world survive.

I saw Pete Seeger a few days ago.  I’ve translated an album’s worth of his songs into German.  His comment:  “My songs sound a lot better in German than in English.”  I hope to promote them in Germany.

I am also still working on my song project about German history.  I’ve recently read a book on the Berlin Air Lift, The Candy Bombers by Andrei Cherny.  They deserve a song.  I became friends with one of those pilots, Norman Ward from the UK.  Andrei calls it “America’s Finest Hour” when the bombers began to bring food and supplies into beleaguered West Berlin.  But don’t forget the British – they helped too.  Norman was stationed a few miles from my house at the time I was born.

West Berlin was like an Island in Soviet territory, and the Soviets stopped the supply trucks from entering the City, expecting that it would force all of Berlin to become Soviet.  It was then that the Army supply people took over from the fighting Armed Forces.  And it was then that the Allies truly won the War against Hitler.

Andrei’s book starts with a moving story about an old lady who was crying during a 9-11 protest in Berlin.  When asked why she cried, she responded, “They’ve hurt my friends, the Americans.  I was a child during the Airlift.”  This is remarkable because she had probably been subjected to much indoctrination in the Hitler Youth, only a short time before.  Bombs thrown on Berlin could not have erased the programming from her memory.  But the humanitarian effort of the Airlift did it.  Berlin and Germany became fiercely pro-democratic.

I am just realizing that I have told the people at Fordham Publishers, who want to publish my life story, that I just can’t get the last 100 pages written.  And here I am writing the whole thing in my blog.  Oh well.

Please come to our Holiday Show.  Your support has been wonderful.

June 2008

I just returned from the Strawberry Festival in Beacon, NY, and it was fun to join Spook Handy during his set, and to see Pete Seeger, Danny Einbender and a wonderful young act, Storie Laurie & Ira Mackintosh, who will cover my children’s song “Come to the Sea.”

Last month, I did something very exciting.  a live interview, including three songs, for Mindy Fradkin on her wonderful program “The Smile Revolution” on WKNY in Kingston.  I am very impressed by Mindy and her positive outlook.  It inspired me to write my song “Smiles.”  I am planning to post a portion of the program here as soon as I receive it.

I also want to thank Jim Albertson for his repeated air play on his Down Jersey program on WSNJ.  It was also a pleasure to meet him at the New Jersey Folk Festival.

Please see “Performances" for the next event with Joe Petraitis and myself - on June 21 at the Café Z - a venue started by fellow singer/songwriter Tom Picard.  I am also scheduled to sing for Clearwater Monmouth again, including a solo on Saturday of their next Asbury Park Festival, as well as other events I love to do with them.

May 2008

April 2008

I am rehearsing for my upcoming two concerts – please check under “Performances.”  Here are a few quick additions to this Website:

I am so happy to be doing the Earth Day Festival in Beacon again.  I’ve written two songs for it, “Planet Earth” and “It takes One,” and I may also do “We can Change,” which I did last year.  You can find the lyrics in my “Lyrics” page.  I want to thank Mindy Fradkin of The Smile Revolution for playing my songs on her radio program “The Smile Revolution” out of Woodstock, NY.

The New Jersey Folk Festival at Rutgers is under a German theme this year, and I have been asked to do the German National Anthem.  I realize there won’t be a lot of time to explain its history on stage, but here it is, for those who are interested:

The Story of the German National Anthem

In 1797, Joseph Haydn wrote the song as a birthday anthem for the Austrian Emperor Francis II.

Hoffmann von Fallersleben, a poet of popular children’s songs, added new lyrics in 1841 and called them “The Song of Germany.”  It became the German National Anthem in 1922, long after his death.

When he wrote “Deutschland über alles” he could not have anticipated that someone might take this literal.  Von Fallersleben enthusiastically described Germany’s boundaries as reaching from the Rivers Maas to the Memel, from the Etch to the Belt.  The last time I checked the map, the Maas was in Holland, the Memel in Lithuania, the Etch in Italy and the Belt in Denmark.  I am sure von Fallersleben did not intend for anyone to go out there and conquer these lands.

The second verse was harmless, in comparison – it dealt with wine, women and song.

Even though the Horst Wessel song was usually preferred to this anthem during the times of the Third Reich, there was quite a bit of discussion after World War II whether to still use this song.  Only the third verse was kept, which reads as follows:

The Song of Germany  (translation by Ingrid Heldt)

Unity, Justice and Freedom
For our German fatherland,
Strive together and in brotherhood,
Strive together, hand in hand.
Unity, Justice and Freedom are
Solid ground whereon we stand.
Glow and blossom in your beauty,
Blossom, our German fatherland.

Das Deutschlandlied (music:  Joseph Haydn; lyrics Hoffmann von Fallersleben)

Einigkeit und Recht und Freiheit
für das deutsche Vaterland,
danach laβt uns alle streben,
brüderlich, mit Herz und Hand.
Einigkeit und Recht und Freiheit
sind des Glückes Unterpfand.
Blüh’ im Glanze dieses Glückes,
blühe, deutsches Vaterland.

Please also check my new “Live Photos” section, which I will keep updating.

February 2008

I am finally cleaning up this Website.  Please check under “Performances” for the Earth Day Festival on April 21 in Beacon.

Also, please check out our monthly meeting events at Clearwater Monmouth.  You will enjoy being with a great crowd who is doing a world of good, educating children and grownups about the environment.

Incidentally, I participate in their Environmental Teaching events also, and there is nothing as great as teaching an entire class of children to sing my song “Planet Earth” and hearing it back from them.

January 2008

I hope you all had a beautiful Holiday Season.  I enjoyed having a little break.

This month I am looking forward to participating in a Benefit/Tribute concert at The Headliner, a large Club on Route 35 in Neptune,NJ.  Please check my new “Performance” page for more info.

All proceeds go to the family of Helyn Chobocinski, a very special woman, one of the co-founders of Clearwater Monmouth.  She passed away after a long illness, and it left her family in a difficult financial situation.

I met Helyn, when we shared the stage at Clearwater Monmouth, but I could not forget her.  My friends, who came to hear me, all commented about her.  She had to sit to be able to perform, but her voice was hauntingly beautiful.

Among the many other performers whom she befriended in her lifetime and who will participate in this concert, are a few whom I know personally:  Spook Handy, Lackawanna Rail and Mel & Vinnie.

If you cannot be there, please contribute any amount to:
Friends of Helyn and Ingrid
c/o Art San Filippo
12 Leland Terrace
Tinton Falls, NJ  97724-2810

If you are interested in Clearwater's great environmental work, please join us at our monthly meeting before the concert.   We have changed venues to a place that is easier to find.   Our meetings now are: every first Sunday at 2 pm in the Community Center, 68 Broad Street in Eatontown, http://www.mcclearwater.org/calendar.php

October 2007

On Sunday, October 14, I will sing at the Beacon Pumpkin Fest, and I was given the spot right before Pete Seeger, and have asked Joe Petraitis, Sharleen Leahey and Mike Meade to join me, each on one song that we will do together.  All of us will then do “Soon We Will Have Peace.”  A few weeks ago, at one of his Peace Gatherings,  Pete played the banjo on that song.   I hope to ask him to join us, but he hasn't had a chance to practice it, and my chord progressions tend to be a little unusual.

Before that, at 12:30, I will join Joe on the Children’s Stage.  That was much fun at the Corn Festival last month.

On November 10, I will be on a Music For Peace panel at the INDIE -CON Music Convention led by Rik Palieri (www.banjo.net) in Burlington, VT.  Mike Meade will also be there, and we will both be singing.  I will post more info when I receive it.

September 2007

On September 22, I will be joining Joe Petraitis on TV for one or two of his songs.  The show is called Café Improv www.CafeImprov.com.  It’s on Channel 30 – 7 to 11 pm.  Channel 30 is the Princeton Community Channel.  I am told that it’s hard to get it outside of Princeton.  You may want to come and be part of the audience instead.  Please check the above link for the directions.

On September 23, there has been a change of program.  Instead of singing on the Main Stage at the Alternative Energy Festival, I will be singing on the Children’s Stage with Joe Petraitis, as part of his performance.  Last time, he started early, close to 12 noon.

I am also scheduled to sing at the Beacon Pumpkin Fest on October 14, where I am to sing in the spot right before Pete Seeger, who is usually on around 2 pm.  While there, please sign up for a free ride on Pete’s boat, the Woody Guthrie.

August 2007

I am just rushing out for yet another event:  The Corn Fest in Beacon, NY.  I will be singing backup for Sharleen Leahey  who is on at 4 pm.  My buddies, Spook Handy  (I love his song “Vote”), Joe Petraitis (I love his song “Where is the Soul”) and Arlon Bennett (I love his song “Be the Change”) will be there and, of course, Pete Seeger (I love so many of his songs – I can’t count them).  

Clearwater Monmouth is also coming up where, on Sunday, I will be doing a one-hour set on the East Stage.  Before that, I will also be part of the Sloop Singers on the West Stage.   And I expect to be “hanging out” with my friends all day Saturday on the third stage, the “Circle of Songs.”

Next on my schedule is the first Alternative Energy Festival in Beacon on August 19, where I will also be doing a set.

I also am scheduled to do a full hour on the East (Family) Stage at this year’s Clearwater Monmouth Festival, Sunday from 1-2 pm.  For part of my program, I will be joined by Mike Meade and Sharleen Leahey (East Stage).  I will also ask Joe Petraitis whether he can come.  I will also be part of the Sloop Singers on the West (Main) Stage, Sunday from 11:30 until 1, and I will spend the entire day on Saturday on the “Circle of Song” Stage.  Come and share a song – or request one.  It is lots of fun.

Incidentally, Mike Meade and his band Lackawanna Rail will be on the East Stage after me.  We will have CDs available somewhere nearby.  Mel Healy is on after them.  She and her husband Vinnie are doing an incredible job fundraising and organizing the Circle Stage at the Clearwater Revivals.  At some point we all may return to the Circle of Song (the third stage).   Come and share a song or request one.

Also:  Please check out the butterfly tent with Una McGerk.  I was so impressed with her work last year that I wrote her a song “Chase the Butterfly” and gave her a CD to sell as a benefit for “her” butterflies. 

She is giving all the proceeds to the Mexicans who are trying to put back the trees that our Monarch butterflies need there in winter, while she is raising butterflies at her house, so that they have a fighting chance to survive.  I am sure she will release some of them, and we will have fun with them again all over the festival park.

I won’t be giving any speeches this month.  At Brookdale College, I met my second collaborator, Neil O’Connor, an expert in Military History, who is helping me date and identify many of the photographs that I inherited from my mother’s second husband, Herbert Datum.  My other collaborator is William DuAime, the son of William Wharton, who wrote the amazing anti-War book “Birdy” that was filmed with Nicolas Cage.  

Neil and I are working hard on this project.  He is comparing Herbert to Woody Allen’s character “Zelig” who just happens to show up at all important world events.  Except that Zelig was mounted onto news reels, while Herbert really did show up because he had an interesting set of skills that took him to so many places:  Not only was he Hitler’s bodyguard (one of the first 200), but he also became his Commander Sepp Dietrich’s photographer.

Besides that, he was a vehicle expert involved in motorizing various divisions and later supplying the Eastern troops with food and arms, all of which he photographed.  I even found court papers that show him back at Reich Chancellery at the time when Hitler killed himself, to end up leading the second “Breakout” of the Reich Chancellery staff from Berlin.  We are telling his story using diaries, letters and other contemporary materials.  Incidentally, he was the one who taught me most of what I know about photography.

If you have any idea as to what publisher may be interested in this, please contact me.  Fordham University Publishers have expressed an interest in publishing my own (half-finished) memoirs.   My father and grandfather were resisters, while my family includes everyone from Jewish and gay in-laws to a rabid Nazi who killed himself and his entire family when Hitler did the same.

Last, but not least – and this will testify to the power of the Internet:

Under “My Work,” I mentioned that I lost track of my family in Tennessee when my Aunt Hilda died – the woman who lent her name to my recording company.  A month or two ago, I received a call from a very nice woman in Tennessee with whom I talked for about an hour.  She is Hilda’s daughter who – because she still misses her remarkable mother – put her name into a search engine and found me.  Of course, we agreed to meet and it will give me an excuse to visit Nashville again.

May 2007

Earth Day and the Mine Street Coffee House were wonderful!  I couldn’t believe how much we all have grown – we – Briz, Jeff Griesemer, Spook Handy, Mike Meade, Bob Mecklenburger – the people who regularly meet at Bob Norman’s house to critique each other’s songs – joined by David Massengill from NYC, one of my favorite songwriters.

More things are coming up:

I added one more speech about my coming book Hitler’s Other Photographer on Sunday, May 6, at 4 pm at the Stephen Crane House, 508 4^th Avenue, Asbury Park NJ 07712, 732-775-5682.

The other speech will be on Tuesday, May 8, at 7 pm,  at the Center for World War II Studies and Conflict Resolution, Brookdale College, Student Life Center in Lyncroft, NJ.

I will also be singing on Saturday, May 12, 2007.  It starts at noon in Mt. Holly, New Jersey, where the Delaware River Folk Society is organizing its annual Fantasy Tea and Art Fair on Route 541 is Exit 5 of the NJ Turnpike.

April 2007

I keep thinking that things will become less busy one of these days, but that doesn’t seem to be happening.  I’ve been so active that I haven’t found the time to update this Website or send mailings.

One of the places, where I’ve been performing is Clearwater Monmouth.  Mike Meade and I have become somewhat regular performers (singing together) at their meetings and with their traveling environmental show.  I love it, and many of my songs – the very ones that have been called a little “preachy” by some – are perfect for teaching about the environment – exactly what I was hoping to do.

Our next performance together will be very soon – Earth Day - April 21, on board of the Clearwater, which will then be anchored in Beacon, NY - for the first time in many years.  The entertainment is from 1 - 5 pm – we will be “on” early because we are planning to do another performance that evening.  If you search this document for “Beacon” you will find directions to the Sloop Club near the Beacon Railroad Station.  That’s where the Clearwater will be.  You may also find info at www.clearwater.org  

That evening (April 21) we are planning to do a few songs at the Mine Street Coffee House in the First Reformed Church in New Brunswick, 9 Bayard Street: blog.firstreformedchurch.net/mine-street-coffee-house .  Our friend Bob Norman - Mike and I met at his house - was scheduled to perform, but he doesn’t’ feel up to it.  So we practiced two of his songs, and a few other friends of Bob’s have done the same.  We are supposed to fill in for him if he can’t perform or to do a few songs if he can.  Please follow the above link for info on the event.

The other date that is coming up quicker than I can believe is May 8.  I am scheduled to speak for the Center for World War II Studies and Conflict Resolution at Brookdale College, Red Bank, NJ, at 7 pm, about my Stepfather’s photographs.  The link for that is:  www.brookdale.cc.nj.us/fac/tlt/ww2 . I did quite a bit more research for that speech and for the book that I am putting together.  In Germany, I spent hours in the Film Archives, comparing the pictures to the old Wochenschau reels and similar films.  And several people in the Archives have checked over the information and corrected it.  None of these photographs have been shown in public before.

I hope to see you at one of these events.  

November 2006

Time has been flying again.  I haven’t been performing much since August because I’ve been busy working on my stepfather’s photographic World War II Biography.  But here are a few photographs of my past few performances (they have been moved to “Performance Photographs.”

The first one was taken by Michael Meade of the band Lackawanna Rail at one of the Mt. Holly benefits.  Joe Petraitis and I sang two benefits last year with members of the Delaware River Folksong Fellowship, one of them for Katrina victims.

The next photo shows Mike and me having fun at Clearwater Monmouth.

Please check out my updated LYRICS page.  I have added a few new ones under RECENTLY ADDED, including two Holiday songs and one about a young lady I met at Clearwater.  She raises Butterflies in her home in Asbury Park, with the help of people of the Museum of Natural History in New York City.

I have seen more butterflies in my yard this year and, of course, they were all over Sunset Park in Asbury Park, where Clearwater was happening.  Let’s hope that this will help the Monarch butterflies to survive, even though we humans are building up their natural habitats.

“Take this Country Back” was written after I met Hillary Clinton on the Clearwater.  I sang there for a group of school children.  What a wonderful idea:  The crew went out and cast fishing nets.  Then they placed the fish into an aquarium and gave the children a chance to identify them with the help of a book (“If it has fins like this, go to page X” – etc.).

They also taught how to navigate the river and how to keep it clean.  I will never forget that Styrofoam cups don’t degrade much at all.  I have since changed my buying habits when I shop for coffee while out on the road.  Coffee tastes better from paper cups anyway.

The rest of the songs will probably become part of my coming CD WALLS DIVIDE about German history.  I hope to have it ready when I begin speaking about German history next spring.

I am scheduled to speak about the Biography I am writing at the Crane House in Asbury Park in April and, on May 8 (7:30 pm), at Brookdale College in Lyncroft, NJ, as part of their award-winning World War II Series.  I want to thank Mary Byrne for taking me there and introducing me.

I hope all of you have had a good 2006 and that you have an even better 2007.  As usual, I’d love to hear from you.

Also:  If you have a new e-mail address or have changed it, please let me know, so I can keep you informed.

July 2006

My next Concert will again be the Corn Festival (a benefit) on August 13 in Riverside Park, Beacon, NY.  I will opening at 12 noon.  After me will be many more wonderful performers, inclluding Pete Seeger and Spook Handy and you can sign up for a ride on Pete’s boat, the Woody Guthrie..  It’s rain or shine and free   The fundraising is done by selling corn.

I will have preliminary copies of my new CD HOPE ROAD – please see my comments about it below  

“Take this Country Back” was written after I met Hillary Clinton on the Clearwater.  I sang there for a group of school children.  What a wonderful idea:  The crew went out and cast fishing nets.  Then they placed the fish into an aquarium and gave the children a chance to identify them with the help of a very well-written book (“If it has fins like this, go to page X” – etc.).  

They also taught how to navigate the river and how to keep it clean.  I will never forget that Styrofoam cups hardly degrade at all.  I have since changed my buying habits when I shop for coffee while out on the road.  Coffee tastes better from paper cups anyway.

The rest of the songs will probably become part of my coming CD Walls Divide about German history.  I am scheduled to speak about the Biography I am writing at the Crane House in Asbury Park in April and, on May 8 (7:30 pm), at Brookdale College in Lyncroft, NJ, as part of their award-winning World War II Series.  I want to thank Mary Byrne for taking me there and introducing me.

Also coming up:

Clearwater Monmouth on August 19 and 20. 11:30 till 7 – Asbury Park (Sunset Park).  Ask for the Third Stage, where the Sloop Singers hang out.  I hear that Magpie and a number of other wonderful performers will be participating in our group.  If you like to perform, bring an instrument and play (in the round).  I’ll be there for most of the two days, unless we have another deluge like the one two years ago, when we could barely keep our instruments from swimming away.  

A few comments about the songs l will be doing in Beacon and Asbury Park – all from my coming CD HOPE ROAD:

“Raise Your Voice” is a collaboration with Pete Seeger – a “lullaby for future rebels”, as I call it.  Two years ago, Pete handed me one verse, which he had been given about fifty years ago by a woman who thought me might finish it.  He realized that he wouldn’t find the time and asked me to try to do it.  I did - and a year later Pete let me have his comments which, of course, were all incorporated.  Recently, I recorded the song in German for my Europe trip, and I didn’t have the time to prepare a different CD for Nancy Cahill.  She requested that I do it in German at the Corn Festival, and so I prepared a version in German and English.  I now like that version so much that I used it for my CD.  

August 13, the day of Corn Festival, is a very sad anniversary – for Germany and the World:  It’s the 45^th anniversary of the building of the Berlin Wall, and I am planning to sing a song about it, also from the CD HOPE ROAD.  I rarely do it in public because I still become very emotional about the subject and often can’t make it through the song.  It’s called “Walls Divide.”

The song “Hope Road” is about an actual street near Eatontown, NJ.  Route 18 has an Exit named “Hope Road.”  I decided to check it out, one day, and “Hope Road,” the song, describes the actual street, with the exception of the Army base.  Often, when I perform it, people come up to me to tell me that they lived there or are familiar with the street.

“Soon We Will Have Peace” has been translated by me and five friends into seven languages.  I want to thank Jakob Balshan for the Hebrew, Siham Alfred for the Arabic, Michelle Weinstat for the Spanish, William DuAime for the French and Amy Lee Segami for the Chinese.  It was a true international collaboration, and  love how it turned out.  It’s still a sing-along.  The last few times I did it, the audiences sang in English, and I announced the respective languages, in which I sang the same things at the same time.  If you know a language that is not included, please send me your translation and I will attempt to post those additional verses on this Website under “Lyrics.”

HOPE ROAD, the CD, will also contain “Alison,” a song co-written with Joe Grant, one of the founders of the great Canadian band Tanglefoot .  Joe had told me about a wonderful young American singer, who does a beautiful version of his song “Selkirk Settler’s Lullaby.”  One day, I received a distressed e-mail from Joe, informing me that Alison had signed up to go to Iraq.  Maybe our prayers helped:  He informed me recently that Alison has become pregnant and was transferred to Germany.  If you’re wondering what Joe has been doing since his retirement from Tanglefoot .  He has started a new band with a less strenuous travel schedule.  It’s called Gopher Baroque and has brought out a wonderful CD SHIPWRECKED WHISKEY.

“Violets” is about my mother’s experience during World War II.  Life can be so ironic:  My grandfather refused to name her Anne Marie because that was a song the German soldiers sang during World War I.  He named her Erika instead, which means “heather.”  And the most popular marching song of the German soldiers during World War II became “Erika.”  Mom was the teenage office manager of the Hitler Youth in her State, never realizing that she was preparing the boys for war.  When they were sent out, she started a newsletter through which they communicated with one another.  Our home State Pomerania is now Polish.  I took her back there 50 years after she had to leave by bike and it became a very emotional trip for me too.

I want to thank Michael LaGennusa of MJL Studios for his inspiring guitar tracks on HOPE ROAD and Michael Kianka of DTC Records for his invaluable technical advice.

So much for today.  I will be posting a new pictures in the near future.  Fran Sansone took a great one of Pete and me, but I want to ask his permission.  And Michael Meade of the band Lackawanna Rail took some of Joe Petraitis and me.  But for now I will only post this text.

May 2006

Again, I cannot believe how quickly time has passed.  I have been completing the first draft of the first volume of my Stepfather Herbert Datum’s Biography.  I even have the first two speaking engagements lined up for next year, one at a College, the other at the Crane House in Asbury Park.  And I’ve been recording my next CD, half of which will be songs in German and the other half songs about Germany.  I’ve also been writing songs and singing at my usual places.

But here is my next performance with Joe Petraitis:  The Fantasy Tea and Art Fair of the Delaware River Folk Song Fellowship on Saturday, May 13, 11 to 5 pm (we will be on after 3 pm).

Hope to see you there.

January 2006

I have another quick announcement: 

A Hurricane Survivors Relief Benefit Concert organized by my friends of the Delaware River Folksong Fellowship. I am so glad to be part of it. 

It will be at the Unitarian Universalist Church in Cherry Hill on 401 Kings Highway
609-792-9364 www.uucinch.org.  I’d love to see you there.

November 2005

I want to wish everyone a wonderful Holiday Season and quickly write about our recent Concert:  “NJ Songwriters Reaching Out for Peace” at the Ethical Culture Society in Maplewood.

Spook Handy was wonderful, as usual.  Besides “Vote,” he did his “Corner Hardware Store” song that I love.  Catherine Moon is young, influenced by rap and rock.  She had a cold and was losing her voice, which caused her to read her last song as a poem.

It proved that her lyrics can stand on their own.  Gigi G(oldstein) used to be a pop singer with her own band, and her songs proved to be stand on their own as solos also.  And Joel Horwitz brought lots of energy to the stage.  I noticed his great rapport with children.

We had such a good time and hope it will be the first in a series.  Please let us know if you have any ideas of where we could take it next.

A few weeks earlier, Joe Petraitis and I re-joined on the spur of a moment.  We sang a concert at the Hunterdon Developmental Center, a home for people with multiple handicaps.

We didn’t expect to enjoy it as much as we did, and we may do more similar concerts in the future.  

Late September 2005

I have more information about the Raritan River Festival.  I found out that Pete Seeger started it 20 years ago and that he sailed his Sloop “Woody Guthrie” from Beacon to the Raritan River.  The event starts at 11, and I will be on about 12 noon.

September 2005

I so enjoyed the Corn Festival and – the weekend after – Clearwater Monmouth.

The camaraderie at the “Circle of Songs” stage was wonderful, and more and more people settled down there to hear us.

On Sunday, as part of the Sloop Singers on the Main Stage, I had the chance to do a solo on “Where Have All the Flowers Gone,” in German and English.  Pete wrote that, of course.  But, honestly, I thought it was a German folk song when I grew up.

I also enjoyed having some of the musicians stay at my house and serenading me and the neighbors on Saturday morning, before the big event.

Upcoming is a World Trade Center Photo Exhibit at Brookdale College’s Bankier Library from September 8 until at least September 14 (maybe longer).  I will be there on Saturday, September 10 from about noon until 3:30.

And the Raritan River Folk Festival will be on Saturday, September 24 from 11 am until 7 pm in Johnson Park, Piscataway.

I hear that is “across the river from Brunswick’s riverfront,” but I will try to find out more and post it here.  I will also try to narrow down the time when I may be performing.  

July 2005

This is a quick update to give you the info on the upcoming Beacon performance.  I will be singing in the Corn Festival (a benefit) in Beacon, NY’s Riverside Park on Sunday, August 14, starting at 12 noon.  Spook Handy will be the MC and the main performer Pete Seeger. 

It’s free – rain or shine - a fun day out in the Riverside Park of Beacon that Pete and others salvaged from being a garbage dump.

Also, please check out my updated “Lyrics” pages and “Soon We Will Have Peace” for free downloading under “Multimedia.”

May 2005

I have some big news:  I will be performing at the next Corn Festival in Beacon, NY on Sunday, August 14.  Pete Seeger will be there too.  It is so rare that I have advance notice of a concert, I really want to let people know now, even though I will have to post the details later.

Pete told me he likes my song “Soon We Will Have Peace.”  I call out the lyrics on stage and, so far, each audience has sung along.  Sometimes I feel it’s like a chant, and maybe that’s what it is.

I have also been handing out CDs of that song and expect to be posting it under “Multimedia” on this Website soon.

Last winter I was complaining, “I feel like I have been hi-jacked from songwriting and singing.”  I said it to a young history teacher from France who was staying at my house for a month, waiting for some papers to be processed before he could return to Europe.

He ended up working with me on my stepfather Bert’s biography, writing 1200 captions for as many photographs, many of them of Hitler and his court.  Bert was one of two photographers who had easy access to Hitler in his early days.

We worked so hard that I began feeling like a recluse.  During his last few days here, the young teacher said, “You must write songs about this material.”  And that was all the inspiration I needed.

At first I thought no one would want to hear songs about Germany, but decided to write them anyway – for me.  Now I’ve begun performing them, and the response has been incredible.  I will post some of the lyrics under “War No More.”  One describes the last day of World War II, as seen by an SS man (Bert) called back to defend a destroyed Berlin.  I do this one only for grown-up audiences since it is very graphic.

Another is about my Dad, who was able to take one Jewish family to Bremerhaven’s harbor by night, so that they could escape the horror.

These are intimidating subjects to write songs about, but maybe very necessary ones.  I forgot who said it, but we need to work through past mistakes, so we can stop repeating them.

I also met with the head of the “Center for World War II Studies and Conflict Resolution” at Brookdale in Lincroft, NJ, and we discussed the possibility of my speaking there about Bert’s photographs late this fall.

I have particularly enjoyed singing in churches, libraries and bookstores.  Please contact me if you have any ideas.

Before I forget it:  I heard Tanglefoot (tanglefootmusic.com) again, at a fair in Allentown, PA.  I am happy to report that the “new” band members (Terry Snyder joined two years ago) have become so at ease that it feels like the old band again, with some added licks and harmonies.

I also saw Republic (Republicmusic.com) mentioned in the news as the best thing to come out of Asbury Park since you-know-who.  I am so proud of them.

And I’ve been following Spook Handy (http://www.spookhandy.com/), whenever possible.  I so much enjoy his message of Peace and the support he has given me.  He and Arlon Bennett organized a showcase for several songwriters last month through NSAI, the Nashville Songwriters Alliance, and I was happy to be part of it.

October 2004

I am doing an Opening Act for Steph Furness for the Somerset Voices for Peace and Justice.

It’s a wonderful group of people meeting in a great coffee house.  Sharleen Leahey, who booked me, has a song called “So Frail” on her new CD, and she is very supportive of her fellow artists.

The event is scheduled for Thursday, the 21^st, at 7:30 p.m. at:
The Sanctuary    (908) 725-0808
41 Main Street, Somerville  

September 2004

I can’t believe I am actually sitting down to write my next update.  It’s been a while, and I had such an enjoyable summer.

I did manage to see Rich Warren again, 30 years after my debut on his Midnight Special.  We met at the Susquehanna Folk Festival in Maryland, and he was mourning his dog Nipper, who had just died of Cancer.

Do I understand !  Squeekie is 19 and has been with me all her life.  She’s a cat with an attitude – not always likeable – but I can’t imagine life without her or my other cat Tigger who adopted me when she was a stray and who has become friends with everyone in my neighborhood.  I am not surprised that Rich devoted an episode of his show to Nipper.

I am happy to say that I’ve completely returned to my Folk roots, where I am most comfortable as a writer and performer, and that seven songs are finished for my new CD “Visualize Peace!”  You can buy them now for $7 as a preliminary mini CD from me personally or through Hilda’s House Productions.  I cannot accept credit card orders and my distributors cannot break even at that price.

The CD case contains a coupon for a $7 rebate on the final CD.  This way you can hear me and decide for yourself whether you want to invest in the full-length CD that will have 12 songs.  Hilda’s House’s order form can be accessed through this link: ORDER

I’d love to have your feedback at this time because I can make changes before the full CD is released.

This summer, I was fortunate to be invited by Spook Handy to the Strawberry and Corn Festivals in Beacon, NY.  I knew that Pete Seeger lives there, but I didn’t expect that Pete might actually get on stage and do full sets.  He didn’t only do that, but he was there from the very beginnings to the very ends of each event, supervising everything down to the garbage removal.  He is amazing.

One of the Beacon men said to me, “This man is for real.  He has a pure heart.”  What’s more, he has lost none of his magic.  During “Habe Jojo,” he was dancing into his audience, and he had everyone up on their feet, applauding.

I knew Pete has taken a liking to Spook’s song “Vote,” but didn’t realize how much he enjoys singing and playing it.  During the first festival, Pete was manning one of the booths when Spook announced the song, and there was Pete, banjo in hand, ready to play along.  During the second festival, everything was in disarray because it was raining, some of the performers didn’t show up on time and Spook filled in much sooner than planned.  We simply couldn’t find Pete when Spook did his set.  In the middle of the song, there stood Pete, banjo in hand, as if to say, “But I was going to sing this.”  But then Spook was honored even more:  Pete, during his own set, called him back onto the stage to sing the song again, while a lady pointed to the Voter Registration booth nearby.

I also caught an Arlo Guthrie concert this year, whom I had never heard in person.  What a storyteller he is!  And I was invited to a very unusual performance at the German Embassy:  Woody Guthrie’s daughter Nora gave German singer-songwriter Wenzel access to Woody’s poems, and the result is an incredible album titled “Ticky Tock.”  Some of the songs gave me the chills – they made me feel as if Woody were alive and writing about recent events in New York City, for instance “Well, I did walk an’ the wind did come – And I got to see who was the toughest - New York Town or the high blowing wind – And I found out New York was the roughest.”  A moan went through the audience when he sang that.  The CD is available in German and in English from the Woody Guthrie Foundation (212-541-6230).

No one noticed that Wenzel was using “cheat sheets” during his performance until there was a request, and that caused him to go through his notes, frantically.  Someone asked him to “wing it,” and he turned around to say, “But you donn’t undurrrstand – I am Tschermenn – I need papurrrs.”  I may just decide to steal that line because I am having such a hard time memorizing my songs.

I’ve been singing openers for the Somerset Voices for Peace and participated in many open mikes, trying to recapture my performance skills.  I am also practicing to becoming one of the Sloop Singers who perform at the Clearwater and Beacon Festivals.

Brian’s band Republic has recently been competing for one of the four finals spots of MTV’s Battle of the Band competition.  We are anxious to hear the results.  I will keep you informed.

February 2004

Another great friend from my past has died:  Fred Holstein, who used to own a Club called Somebody Else’s Troubles, together with his brother Ed, who wrote for Bonnie Koloc, and Steve Goodman, whose song City of New Orleans was made famous by Arlo Guthrie.

I used to “hang out” there every week, after my lessons at the Old Town School of Folk Music, and I can’t count the times when I mentioned to my New York/New Jersey friends, “It’s a shame that we don’t have places like that around here.”

I so vividly remember Freddie’s renditions of Amsterdam by Jacques Brel, Streets of London by Ralph McTell and Song for November by Gordon Bok.  You may want to check out www.fredholstein.com and www.CDBaby.com, where I purchased Fred’s twin CDs.  I was privileged to witness a truly unique recording that Freddie did of his brother’s song Victoria’s Morning.  I had mentioned to Rich Warren of WFMT that I was a big fan of Freddie’s, and he dug it out for me.

Rich is now the sole Host of WFMT’s fantastic Folk Program The Midnight Special.  I counted about 100 stations on the Internet that broadcast his program, and I feel so fortunate that Fred’s passing got me back in touch with it.  I hadn’t realized that it is broadcast every Friday and Sunday on WUMB.org out of Boston.  I now catch it whenever I can and it transports me back into the past, when I used to tape the program every week and when, eventually, I was on it.

I responded to a eulogy Rich wrote for Freddie, sure he wouldn’t remember me.  Years ago - I don’t care to specify how many - I was taken to his studio by Bob Gibson to record my very first song To John, a precursor of Chrome, Crystal and Glass.  To my surprise, Rich responded that he still has that recording.  I begged him not to play it - I was so nervous when I recorded it that I had a few drinks - something I promised myself never to do again.  I sang badly out of tune.

In one of my last few updates I reported on the passing of another of my Chicago friends, my guitar teacher Ginni Clemmens.  That put me back in touch with the Old Town School, where I met her.  I have since written two Blues numbers, The Summer Rain and The Dark Before the Dawn.  When Ginni was alive, I didn’t have the nerve to sing or write the Blues - She was truly one of the great Blues Mamas.  Now it feels as if I have become a carrier of the torch.

Brian Saint’s band REPUBLIC was asked by the Stone Pony people to perform there again, this time as the main act on a Saturday night.  They were informed that “a few camera people” might be there to film some TV pilot.  I don’t think anyone in the band knew that they had been entered into MTV’s Battle of the Bands.  That contest started out with 250 bands.  It’s now down to 50.  I am crossing my fingers that REPUBLIC will make it to the top, but they have the right attitude about it:  “It’s gotten us bookings in NYC.”  Please check out the details on www.republicmusic.com.  I feel fortunate to have witnessed how the seasoned MTV camera people jumped onto the stage to embrace the members of the band.  See - I know how to pick them.  I predicted they’d be Stars and I’m not the only one whom they have “blown away.”

October 2003

FINALLY:  My first public full-length performance in years (I don't care to specify how many).  My partner in crime:  Joe Petraitis.  It will be on Saturday, Nov. 8 at 2 pm.  And it’s free, in the Navesink House, 40 Riverside Avenue (Route 35) in Red Bank, NJ.

Many friends have been wondering what I've been up to since I've semi-retired from my “day” job which, most of the time, was actually a night job (my 17th anniversary at that "temp job" will be on November 3).

I've mostly been taking care of things I was forced to neglect for years:  Like doing repairs on my house and painting.  And my files – 7 years of photography begging to be organized, and 7 years' worth of paper – boxes and boxes of paper – paper everywhere, really.  I decided to change my life by reading them into a scanner – computerizing them – so that the physical paper is gone from my life.  I've thrown it out by the box-full and felt great about it.

And I've been working on the full-length stage show mentioned above.  Joe Petraitis is a fellow songwriter from the New Jersey Song Circle.  I fell in love with Joe's song "Where is the Soul?" and started singing harmonies before he even had a chance to complete it.  That developed into a jam session or two, and next we performed at the Birthday Party of the Folk Project's Minstrel Coffee House in Morristown, joined by Andy Koenig on bass, Jeff Rantzer on trombone and Bill Meyer on keyboards.

Performing with others has been wonderful for me.  Even though my guitar play has improved some, my skills are miles behind those of many of the performers in our thriving local Folk Music scene.  I am ashamed to say that I've been getting air play for songs that I can't play (yet!), like my Reggae song "Living in Paradise."  I also can't play "Check the Box!" - that song has been recorded three times by singers other than myself.  Well, one of these days I may surprise everyone . . .

I was very excited this morning when I listened to the prototype of Vittoria Conn's CD "Turn this Boat Around.."  I vividly recall the day, two or three years ago, when Vittoria asked to come with me to Michael La Gennusa's studio in Manhattan.  I mentioned that I was working on a country song and that some of the Nashville people had specifically informed me that my voice was "too legit" to be on a country demo.  Vittoria offered to help, but I didn't take that too seriously.  And then she blew me away – she nailed it on first try!  Her voice usually reminds me of Karen Carpenter's, but she's lived in Kentucky long enough to capture the Nashville sound for me.

Vittoria and Michael have completed 10 songs by now, all written by her.  One of those songs gives me the chills each time I hear it:  It's a lullaby for her little boy who was very ill at the time.

My own CD LOVE MATTERS has been getting great reviews, and I will post some in my Review section.

I've also sold many hand-bound copies of my book LIVING WITH HITLER'S LEGACY.  I haven't had it printed yet because I've lost my original childhood photographs when a suitcase was stolen from me in Holland when I was 15.  I've since re-photographed pictures of friends and relatives, but the quality isn't all that great and it's hard to figure out now who has the originals.

My next Weblog should have information about my new CD.  Many of the songs are done, and Brian took the perfect cover picture.  I'm having a hard time now deciding which of my "babies" cannot be included.  Besides, I keep writing new ones.  Please tune in for the next update.

P.S.:  Brian's band REPUBLIC is also in the recording studio.  I can't wait to hear their new songs.

July 2003

I am overwhelmed by a performance I heard last night at the Stone Pony:  Brian Saint and his new band REPUBLIC.  The place was packed.  I overheard the sound guys saying, “These kids are great.”

Their sound reminds me of U2 or Creed - powerful and hypnotic - and their lyrics are profound and philosophical.  I just can’t believe this is my friend Brian - the same Brian Saint who photographed my album cover as a favor to me.  Guess I will be looking for another photographer when they get too big.

I also heard the Canadian folk band Tanglefoot again, this time at the Watchung Arts Center and without Joe Grant, the only original group member.  Joe has recently retired, but will still be involved in their songwriting.  I love Joe’s songs and have recorded “Selkirk Settler’s Lullaby” for my next album, a beautiful song with an interesting story.  Joe’s fiddle performances have been taken over by Terry Snider, who remains within the wonderful original spirit of the band.  The vocals are as full as ever, probably because Brian Weirmier, the new keyboardist, is also a singer.  Tanglefoot’s many fans will be glad they’re still the band we’ve come to love over the years.  For those who don’t like bands with fiddles:  I am usually not particularly fond of them either, but I love Tanglefoot and so do all people of various musical backgrounds whom I have taken to their performances.

I also thoroughly enjoyed one of Spook Handy’s Peace Concerts at the sold-out Mine Street Coffee House in New Brunswick.  For many years, I’ve loved Spook’s songs, his CDs, his outgoing and encouraging personality and his great sense of humor, mostly at songwriters’ meetings.  This performance pulled it all together for me.

I‘ve been working hard on putting together a stage performance.  Have a terrible time remembering all my own lyrics and chords.  On July 25, I will be doing two songs at the Minstrel Coffeehouse birthday party in Morristown, NJ (www.folkproject.org), and I’ve finished recording the first nine songs for my next CD in Michael LaGennusa’s studio.

A nice surprise came yesterday by chance:  I found a beautiful review of my CD LOVE MATTERS in a magazine called Rambles (www.rambles.net), done by a man named Nicky Rossiter last May.  I will quote from it under “Reviews.”

For those who were so kind to ask:  My Mom has recovered from her knee surgery and will resume her New Jersey visits in September.

March 2003

Last week, I discovered on the Internet that Ginni Clemmens died in a car accident in her recently chosen home State of Hawaii.

She was a wonderful singer/songwriter whom I first met in the '70s at the Old Town School of Folk Music in Chicago. She became my guitar teacher, and I sang background on one of her recordings.

She asked me to accompany her on several of her trips to local schools, where she turned the youngsters on to folk music and the Blues.  It was my “job” to tape them when they shared jump-rope chants with us.  She had an incredible rapport with those children, especially the "tough" ones. Maybe I am wrong, but it seemed to me that she did more children's songs for grownups than for children, and more grownup songs for the kids, and everyone loved it that way.

I’ve been meaning to write to her during the holidays, but decided to wait until I’d find those chants and surprise her with a copy of that tape.  Now I wish I hadn’t waited.

February 2003

On February 15, I joined the Peaceweavers, hoping to hear Bishop Tutu and Harry Belafonte near the U.N. (at 49th and 1st in New York City - 5 blocks from where I used to live).

We met at 54th and Lexington. To our surprise, the police ordered us to walk towards 60th Street - away from our goal. They told us we could get to 1st Avenue from there.

As it turned out, they herded thousands into 60th Street and closed it off on both ends. I guess that's how they arrived at the low count of 250,000 demonstrators. There were millions, but few made it to 49th and 1st.

I broke through the police barrier at 60th Street, pretending to be a press photographer. But there were barriers at every corner. At 54th and 2nd, the police was on horseback, and it felt menacing.

I got as far as 52nd and 2nd, where the police was in riot gear. I took many photographs.  [Comment:  I had to leave at 2 pm and am glad to hear that the Peaceweavers eventually were able to march down 1st Avenue.]

Since then, I have translated "War No More" and "Living in Paradise" into German - recorded them that way and sent them to Peace groups over there.

January 2003

During this month, I spent two weeks in Germany, where my World Trade Center photographs are being exhibited in the Town Hall of Weyhe, near Bremen.

These are a few of the translated articles:
 
     Stuhr-Weyher Zeitung - Friday 1/20/2003:

The Twin Towers - 400 Times - Ingrid Heldt from New York Shows Unusual Perspectives of the World Trade Center Leeste -

"My first photograph [of the World Trade Center] was taken with a $60 camera, and I wanted to improve on it," Ingrid Heldt explained about how she began her exceptional work. She is showing an exhibit about the World Trade Center in the City Hall of [Weyhe-] Leeste, which will remain there until the end of February.

When she began documenting the famous Twin Towers, she had no idea how valuable her work would become in the future. The 34-year-old knows Manhattan like her coat pocket. She lived there and worked 1-1/2 blocks from the World Trade Center for years. She had a wonderful view of the towers from her office on the 43rd floor and fell in love with them.

She worked the night shift and passed the giant buildings every morning. It is thus not surprising that she began taking pictures from many angles. She always carried her camera. In the course of several years, she took almost 400 photographs.

Among her photographs are some that show the towers in their entire length.

The first camera offered only few artistic possibilities, and so she bought a better one, hoping to duplicate some of her [negative] photographs [as slides]. But today she says, "I never succeeded. Some of my later photographs show new angles, but I never improved on the old ones." Much the opposite: In 1990, she photographed the towers