Lisa Mandelstein

HUGE THANKS to all who came out to the PineHeavenFarm concert! We had a full house and a full evening of songs. And some great potluck What a blessing to get to sing with the amazing Kelly Takunda Orphan and Jeannie Mckenzie. It was so great to hear the songs with all the overlapping parts and harmonies I can only imagine on my own! Two standouts for me were "Yom Kippur Song" (write my name in the book of light) and "Grace Peeks In" (over and over and over, over and over and over, day turns to night,…

Happy New Year to all my music friends and supporters and encouragers, near and far - I hope the new year is treating you well - In this long month - after the holidayhoopla - things settle back down with some space for rethinking 'the way it is' and looking to new horizons - both interior and in the world I've been missing playing music outside of my school music teaching, and my songs have been getting quite lonely (a bit grouchy if truth be told), shut up in their binders and boxes by my grandma's…

LISA MANDELSTEIN MUSIC - The Report Back So Far - Summer '08 * * * * * * * * * * * The "No Place Like Home" Tour started off in my current town with a show in San Francisco over at Bazaar Cafe. I played a good fat set with many of the old favorites from "Hide and Seek," and then Karmen Buttler, accompanied by her Dad, played a foot stomping mesmerizing mix, all to a cozy crowd. * * * * * * * * * * * Next I clicked my red shoes 3 X's, landed in Kansas (well, KCI) and the magic…

Happy Spring everyone! After a long and good spell of "school, school, school" I am pleased as paint that there's a tour brewing. I'm hitting all the "home" spots, starting right here in San Francisco at Bazaar Cafe on Friday, May 16th. Next I'm headed back to Kansas for a few shows around Memorial Day weekend. And finally, a visit back to my childhood Texas soil. Please pass the news on to the folks you know in any of the following locales. Hope to see you Meanwhile, here's wishing you blue skies,…

Hey Hey! Since the last post I've been gathering perspective (thanks for all your emails) and sharpening the chops for the show coming up this Sunday! I promised details and here they are. Also, the words for "Juicy Lucy Girl" - for that someone who pointed out that "you haven't recorded it so how could I listen to it." Come to the show - it's a live kinda thing. Bring your umbrella - be home by nine - see you there! LisaM Lisa Mandelstein and Alex Walsh Bazaar Cafe * Sunday, January 27th 6-8:30 PM…

"There are years that ask questions and years that answer" - Zora Neale Hurston I've been hugging that quote tighter than a life preserver this year's end. Talking to a friend the other day, I was lamenting what to write in my annual "happy new year" posting - it's been a bumpy, introspective time with much I'm still wondering and wandering through. My friend jumped the sadsacksighing with a crackling holler. "Lisa," she yelled through the phone, "you are an ARTIST. Your job is to FEEL, to feel…

Wow! The day before I headed down to Santa Ana my mailbox was jammed with good wishes! My heart is still overflowing with all your love and encouragement! I printed out every note and am making a good luck chain to hang in my songwriting room. May inspiration keep flowing The news: Well, I didn't win, but it was a lot of fun! As I gain distance from the inevitable disappointment of not hearing my name called I'm back to appreciating how amazing it was to even be in the finals. Janis Ian won 3rd…

POST MORTEM gets the NOMINATION - JUST PLAIN FOLKS MUSIC AWARDS - "THE GRASSROOTS GRAMMIES!" - the largest and most diverse music awards of any kind in the world Well, just when I was thinking about maybe settling in on the teaching end of this music thing for awhile, in came an email I almost didn't open. It was the Just Plain Folks (JPF) monthly eLetter. Since I hadn't been out and about much since last January's standing-room-only love-fest up at Larkspur Cafe Theatre, all JPF's enthusiasm was…

2005 to 2006! From the fullness of last summer, to the dizzy rush of the following fall and the blossoming possibility intimated even in the depths of winter I suddenly came to stillness this past spring; "on sabbatical" fellow musician Nick Blechman commented as we shared stories from the music road recently * The news - the sabbatical is going well - Recovering the body - muscle, bone and breath Gaining energy and strength, Walking and carrying and finding new truths. Throwing wide the windows…

Dear Friends, I'm finally coming down from clouds of happiness to say - I am so grateful to all of you who came out to the Larkspur Cafe Theatre Show on January 27th; grateful to Erma and Daniel at the theatre for taking a chance on me, grateful to the Marin IJ for picking me as the "Best Bet!" for a Friday night of music And - What an amazing night you helped create! The show - a sold-out standing-room-only crowd of supporters, dreamers, encouragers - friends, new and old! Your beaming, singing…