Category Archives: de musica

I’ve been waiting for this moment for all my life…

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On Friday night, our oldest daughter Georgia marked her 14th birthday. The next night she celebrated with her mom’s pot roast (a favorite), a beautiful cake from our family’s official pastry chef, Fluff Bake Bar, and a sleepover with two of her best friends from school.

She was also surrounded by her Orange and Houston families. They had gathered for another momentous occasion: earlier that day, she had performed with the Region (as in all-region) string orchestra, one of the top accolades a Texan middle schooler can achieve in classical music.

The conductor spoke about how our region, 23, is one of the two most competitive in the state and arguably the most dynamic (thanks to the confluence of three fiercely engaged school districts in its radius).

Georgia was first chair in her section, viola, and performed a beautiful solo in the third piece.

The music was gorgeous, the performance extraordinary, especially when you consider the ages of the musicians.

I couldn’t have been more filled with joy to hear her play.

Maybe it’s just because I’m an unabashedly proud father.

But it’s also because when I see her, a straight-A 14-year-old with a rich network of delightful friends, I see the kid that I couldn’t be when I was her age.

My family simply wasn’t in a place where they could support my cello studies. And the vicissitudes of life had left me precariously adrift among my peers.

A few moments before the concert began, I squeezed Tracie’s hand and told her, I’ve been waiting for this moment for all my life. And from the moment she and I decided to get married, every instant has led up to this, I said, this beautiful, graceful child who’s growing into an adult as she explores her creativity and curiosity unyoked from the burden of family trauma.

I’ve been waiting for this moment for all my life. Thanks for letting me share it here. Happy holidays.

The worst year of my life, the best year of my life. Holiday blues, open mic at Emmit’s Sat. 12/20.

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Man, it’s been the best of times and it’s been the worst of times.

Losing my mom in October was a crushing blow to my heart this year.

And the heartless way my brothers have treated me and my Texas family in the meantime has left me with an emptiness, a void in knowing that my family in San Diego is now totally gone.

I haven’t felt this alone since Brooklyn, post-9/11.

Watching my children grow this year has been one of the greatest blessings of my life.

Georgia is turning 14 this week and both girls fill me with joy and pride at their myriad accomplishments.

Knowing that they and Tracie will stand by me, even through the helter-skelter and the pell-mell, has filled me with hope and peace in this darkest of times for me.

There’s also something else that I’ve felt this year: I do have a family that loves me, I do have children who are thriving, I do have a partner who lifts me up emotionally and catches me when I fall.

It’s a far cry from the drug-taking, alcohol-guzzling 14-year-old that I was after my family was fractured by catastrophe and my older brother handed me my first hit of weed.

I’ve never felt so much love and support in my life.

My bandmate Bela Adela and I are going to be singing about life’s blues at Emmit’s Place in southwest Houston on Saturday, 12/20, 2-6pm, where we will be hosting our final open mic of the year.

The last event in October was packed and we are expecting a big crowd for our holiday show.

The Rhythmix, the coolest middle-schooler jazz band, will do a set and a ton of people are stopping by for the open mic and jam.

I hope you can join us as we close out the worst of years and the best. Thanks for your support and solidarity.

Check out my band, The Biodynamic Band, at Vinsanto’s 2nd anniversary party this Sunday!

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Some still find it hard to believe but I used to be in a touring, top-10 college radio band called Nous Non Plus.

I was the band’s guitar player, one of its song writers and producers. Our 2005 self-titled release “…Nous Non Plus” stayed in the top ten CMJ charts for four weeks. It was one of four albums we would release. You can find the music on every streaming platform. Thanks for checking it out! Here’s the Spotify link.

Now that I’m a 57-year old dad, touring is not for me! But Sunday afternoon gigs at one of my favorite Houston wine bars is!

On Sunday, 2/23, my 80s and 70s cover band, The Bio Dynamic Band Featuring Katie White, will be doing two sets at Vinsanto’s second-anniversary party from 4-6pm.

Our shows there are generally pretty well attended and we’re expecting this one to be packed. Please come early to snag a table.

Check our band’s website here.

We hope to see you on Sunday! Thank you for your support for local music and local businesses!

Jam and taste with me in Houston, taste with me on the Slow Wine tour!

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From the department of “so much time and so little to do”…

The year is finally back in full swing and I’m stoked to be playing so much music this season!

The BioDynamic Band featuring Katie White will be making its first Meyerland area appearance this Sunday 2/16, 3-5pm, at Emmit’s Place (South Post Oak and Benning).

This is a family-friendly show and will also feature a band from our girls’ middle school. Super talented kids btw. $5 cover, family-friendly food and drinks, adult beverages for the rest of us.

Click here to buy tickets and tickets can also be purchased at the door.

On Sunday 2/23, 4-6pm, we will be returning to Vinsanto for our monthly gig and the wine bar’s second anniversary!

For those who have never been to one of our shows, it’s my dream gig: great wine and food paired with jams from the 80s and 70s.

NO COVER and Riccardo always has a special btg white, rosé, and red. The pinsa at Vinsanto is fantastic and our girls LOVE the chef’s hand-cut fries.

And now the wine…

On Monday, March 3, I will be presenting a series of seminars at the 11th annual Taste of Italy trade fair in Houston, presented by my client, the Italy-America Chamber of Commerce.

The “Texas BBQ and Italian Wine” seminar always sells out really quickly so be sure to reserve your spot now.

This is a wonderful event and a great opportunity to taste and meet with Italian producers who are working here or working to get their products here.

And while I’ll be missing the Slow Wine date in New York this year (thank you Susannah for covering for me!), I’ll be pouring and leading seminars for the Abruzzo consortium at all the other stops in Boston 3/5, Washington D.C. 3/6, Denver 3/10, and Los Angeles 3/12.

My seminars are really fun and Slow Wine is always a great occasion to connect with like-minded wine and food folks. I really enjoy the tour.

Register for any and of all of the events here.

Thanks for your support!

Photo by Nichols Photographers.

Rock out with me Sunday, 2/16, at Emmit’s Place in Meyerland (Houston)! Our first gig in the neighborhood! Please come out and support local music and local businesses.

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I’m super psyched to announce my band BioDynamic’s first gig at Emmit’s Place, a local and historic hub for music in the Meyerland area where we live. Nearly every musician I’ve met in Houston talks about this place and its wonderful owner Susan — a HUGE supporter of local music and our community.

We will be playing mostly 80s and 70s covers from 3-5pm. Another neighborhood band — of 11 and 12-year olds — will be opening for us. They are smoking good!

BioDynamic is Katie White on vocals, Richard Cholakian on drums, Lucky Garcia on bass, and me on guitar.

Please come out and enjoy a beverage and support local music! We are working on food options as well. Hope to see you then! Thanks for the support.

Here’s the Facebook event link for those who would like to share.

Rock with me, march with me, pray for LA.

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Our family is still reeling as we watch the awful images from LA.

So many of my friends have been displaced but luckily everyone, at least in my personal LA orbit, seems to be okay. Thank G-d.

It’s terrifying to read some of their accounts of escaping the flames.

We are praying for the city and its communities. We know our LA friends and colleagues are going to need a lot of help in recovering. Right now, many are just looking for a place to sleep tonight. It’s terrible.

For folks in Houston, I did want to let you know that my 80s cover band, Biodynamic Band, featuring Katie White on vocals and melodica, will be playing this Sunday, January 12, at Vinsanto on the westside. We’ll be playing three sets starting at 4 p.m.

And just around the corner… Tracie, the girls, and I will be marching in the historic Orange, Texas, MLK March on Monday, January 20. See flier below.

For those who have never participated, I believe you’ll find it to be an extremely compelling experience.

After the march, Tracie and I will be heading over the neo-Confederate memorial on I-10 for our yearly protest. Thanks again to everyone who contributed to our GoFundMe campaign to raise an MLK billboard across the from the monument. It will remain active throughout January and February (Black History Month).

I recognize that protesting symbols of white supremacy isn’t for everyone. But the march is something that nearly everyone in the community — except for the white supremacists — participates in.

We hope to see you then (Orange is an hour and a half drive from Houston btw).

Thanks for the support and solidarity. Please pray for LA. G-d bless the City of Angels. G-d bless us all.

Wim Wenders’ “Paris Texas” restoration had us swooning yesterday at Houston’s Museum of Fine Arts.

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Tracie, the girls, and I had the immense pleasure yesterday of attending a screening of a newly restored version of Wim Wenders’ iconic 1984 full-length movie, Paris Texas. The movie was shown at the Museum of Fine Arts Houston, in the same theater where Wenders would view the dailies during shooting.

Read about the film on Wenders’ website here.

It’s hard to explain the outsized role the film has played and continues to play in my life.

I was a junior in high school when it was released and did not see it then.

But by the time I was in grad school at U.C.L.A., it had become required viewing for all aspiring critical theorists on campus. (Yesterday, I learned that the movie had a U.C.L.A. connection by way of production assistant Allison Anders, who also attended U.C.L.A. while I was there although I did not know her.)

One of my professors, a famous Italian philosopher, devoted an entire lecture to the film.

During my grad years when I was living in Hollywood, I shared a water hole — the notorious Coach and Horses on Sunset — with Harry Dean Stanton and would see him there often. A band I played with opened for his band at the Roxbury one time. Man, what a Hollywood night that was!

During those same years, I often saw Ry Cooder, who created the unique score, at a club we used to play and hang out in, Fais Do Do. It was there that I first met his son Joachim, who, years later, thanks to a totally different connection, would make an album with my band Nous Non Plus and tour with us.

And just to make it a truly cosmic connection, Tracie’s long-time hairdresser not only appeared with her band Mydolls in the film. But she and her band also worked as part of the crew. Much of the film was made in Houston and other parts of Southeast Texas where we live.

The film has had such a huge impact on my intellectual arc. The story, the cinematography, the music… It was wonderful to see the gorgeously restored print and hear Mydolls, on hand for the occasion, share their anecdotes and insights into the production.

And this morning as I kissed Tracie before the work day began, it occurred to me: I followed a woman to Texas just like Harry Dean Stanton did. And she led me to Houston…

Check out the film, coming to a Texas town near you soon.

New Christmas single and album are here! Thanks for listening and Happy Thanksgiving!

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Man, what a month it’s been!

Over the last 30 days, I’ve been to Boulder, L’Aquila, Pescara, Chieti, Rome, Hong Kong, Dallas, Brescia, Torino, Bra, Lucca… I haven’t been on the road this much since the days when I used to tour with the French band.

Now I’m back in Houston with just a few short trips to be made before year’s end. I couldn’t be more happy to fall asleep in my own bed with Tracie.

She and I have a lot to be thankful for this year. Her work has had its challenges but is going steady. Mine feels like it’s finally back at 100 percent. The girls are healthy and busier than ever. We’ll be spending Thanksgiving with Tra’s folks. Man, is it GOOD to be home!

Here’s my new album “Geography.” Please listen to in on my Bandcamp.

This year’s Christmas single, “Make It a Merry Christmas,” is about being lonely during the holidays (video below). “Goldie Locks” and “You’re So Slay” are for the girls. “Take Me Home Tonight” is about a night when I got a little too nostalgic in NYC. “Geography” is my love letter to the microcephalic. “For Your Eyes Only” is a ballad for Tracie. “Working Girl” is my ode about her. “Forever,” a love letter to her.

Thank you for listening. Of all the media I create, this is the most precious to me and intimate from me.

I hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving. I’m looking forward to taking the long weekend off with Tracie, the girls, and our chihuahuas. Happy Thanksgiving! And let’s make it a merry Christmas. G-d bless.

Please listen to or download the complete album here.
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New Christmas song, new album are here! Thanks for checking out my music.

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Just like every year, I write an EP worth of songs and a Christmas song that I produce, record, and perform myself in our home studio.

This year’s release has three (yes, count ’em) love songs for Tracie, including one I wrote about the time before we met. There’s a song for each of the girls and then another for both of them together. And there’s also a song for Doggynino, our very first dog.

Writing and performing with my band is one of the things that I miss the most about my life before Texas. But the music in me remains strong and I can’t help but produce a “disc” each year.

This year’s record is called “Day after Night,” after the title track, a love song I wrote for Tracie.

That anyone listens to my music means the world to me. Thanks for checking it out. Click here to listen online and to download. Turn it up loud!

Take Me Down to Christmas Town

This track is a full-on country song about someone trying to get to a Christmas party. With delicious anticipation, the singer looks forward to how fun it’s going to be. It’s always been a dream of mine to write a popular Christmas tune. This ain’t it but man I had a blast putting this one together. That’s me playing my Tele btw.

Day After Night

Tracie really changed our lives when she launched her new career as a realtor, more than doubled our family’s income, and created a whole new financial path for all of us. It made me reflect on when we first met and how she delivered “day after night.” I love her so much.

Southeast Texas Girl

Years before I met Tracie, I followed her blog about her life on an island off the coast of Campania. I bet when my old French bandmates hear this one they will say “this could have been a Nous Non Plus song.” I love how the bridge resolves on this track.

I Love You Lila Jane

What can I say? She has me wrapped around her little finger. I wrote and recorded this after we saw the new Elvis movie. The chorus was inspired by his “If I Can Dream” (such an awesome track, the Elvis one, I mean).

One in a Million Girl

We love Georgia’s endless questioning of the world around her as she tries to make sense of how it all comes together. Watching her grow intellectually has been so wonderful. And we love watching her as she discovers new music that she loves. She’s a one in a million girl, no doubt about it.

Doggynino

I’ve written songs for all of our dogs but I had never finished this one until the girls reminded me that Doggyninno still didn’t have his own. I actually wrote this not long after he passed. But I was still so broken up about it that I could never finish it. I still cry every time I hear the last verse. We still miss him even though he was part of our lives for just a few short weeks. His name will never be forgotten.

Parzen Family Girls

This was the first song I wrote for the album. Now that I’m in the autumn of my life, their joy and the joy they inspire in me are what keeps me going, day in and day out. I don’t know who I would be today if it weren’t for the Parzen family girls. They are so awesome.

One Love of My Life

I’ve been so lucky to have had such a rich life full of adventures intellectual and epicureal and travels far and wide. But nothing has shaped me and my life like the one true love of my life. I don’t know who I would be today without her. She is an amazing woman and I’ll never stop being inspired by her grace and beauty. And I’ll never stop writing and recording love songs for her.

Thanks for listening to my music! It really means the world to me. Thank you!

A song our record company turned down finds a home. How my band Nous Non Plus thrived through music licensing.

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Late last week, I was pleasantly surprised to discover that two songs by my band Nous Non Plus had been used in the 2020 film “Sister of Bride,” starring Alicia Silverstone.

Of course, I was thrilled, as were my bandmates, that we placed a couple of tracks in a major flick.

But making the deal all the more sweet was the fact that one of the tracks, “C’est Vrai Bébé,” came from an album, “Le sexe e la politque,” that our record company rejected.

It took almost a decade but that song has finally found a home!

Making the deal even more sweet was the fact that I wrote that song for Georgia, our now 10-year-old, when she was still a baby.
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