Here’s the News!!

Feb 21, 2012:   Breadcrumbs

“I have found that even when we can't see the reason why, life sprinkles our path with breadcrumbs that lead us to a better life. Sometimes we need to pay a price (i.e. we need to pay off some karma) in order to carry the greater degree of love that is necessary for our newer and bigger mission. One of the stumbling blocks is that we don't always see the hand of goodness in these affairs and therefore harbor negativity toward those we perceive as doing us wrong.” - Timothy James

July 24, 2011:   Remembering Bill Morrissey

Bill was perhaps my favorite singer songwriter. We met at Cafe Carpe, owned by Bill and Kit Camplin in Ft. Atkinson, Wisconsin on Nov 1, 1991. He was late to the gig because of a snow storm (the Halloween blizzard dropped 31 inches in Minneapolis and tied up air traffic all throughout the Mid West.) Jennifer and I were probably the only people under 60 at the concert. Bill later called it a "blue head" audience.

When he arrived - about an hour late - the room was still packed to the seams. He ordered two double shots of whiskey. Drank the first one in one gulp and nursed the second one throughout his first set. He opened with "Barstow". I had never heard of Bill Morrissey before and I couldn't help but wonder Who IS this guy singing "I can't believe I pissed my twenties away" to a bunch of Midwest seniors. I was shocked by his audacity. But the audience loved him. The blue heads stormed the stage after the show wanting to kiss him, hug him, take him home. Jennifer and I became instant fans. I later wrote the song "Breakfast at Bill's" about my day at Cafe Carpe with the line - "I saw Bill Morrissey slip whiskey into his tea and a wry grin displaced his sober smile."

He and I had a few conversations about songwriting over the years and I have to say he was one of the few who knew how to write both beautiful love songs - like "She's that kind of Mystery" - and masterfully layered lyrics that have greater and deeper meaning as you look deeper and deeper into them - like "Hills of Tuscany." Bill passed on from this mortal world on Saturday, July 23, 2011. He will be sorely missed.

I am very very sad!

April 25, 2010:   Peter Paul and Mary Tribute was awesome!!

Yesterday's tribute to Peter Paul and Mary at the New Jersey Folk Festival was totally fantastic. In one 30 minute set I led 6 PPM songs (with the help of Paul Prestopino on banjo, mandolin and acoustic guitar). The crowd of about 200 beautiful people sang along from the first chorus of "Weave Me the Sunshine" all the way through to the last note of "If I Had a Hammer." There's no question that American Folk Music is alive and well. You could feel the passion of the audience as they sang along. You could feel the hunger our society has for getting together and sharing good old fashion genuine human interaction.

After the show so many people gathered around for pictures and autographs, to say hi and ask questions. The most common questions: "Why don't they do this at the Philly Folk Festival'" ... or Mountain Songs or Falcon Ridge. Sadly, my response was, "When you find out, let me know."

Paul Prestopino - one of the two back up musicians who traveled with PPM for 15 years - played a very sweet harmonica on "Where Have All the Flowers Gone." and a wonderful lead banjo on "Blowin' in the Wind." I feel fortunate to perform and record with Paul as he is one of the living gems from an era when music literally changed the world we live in.

I hope this tribute is not a one time event. I hope I can present it again wherever there are people who find value in the wonderful music and sense of purpose and community we all got from Peter Paul and Mary. I hope I can add new songs to a show like this - ones I picked up along my travels or ones I written myself that are as sing-alongable and empowering as the classics.

Thanks to the staff of the NJFF and to those friends I called up out of the audience to join me on stage and help celebrate - Sondra Rosenblatt, Tony Peligi, Ron Goldberg and anyone else I may have invited up in the heat of the moment. And remember: "Only you can climb that mountian if you want to drink from that golden fountain!" - Pete Yarrow, "Weave Me the Sunshine."

"Truth is not contained in any one booked. It is found in the heart." - Harold Klemp

December 2, 2009:   Autographed picture of me and Pete Seeger is now available.

WOMR FM Community Radio in Provincetown, MA is offering a single copy of a single photo of Pete and me singing together. The photo is offered as part of their Fall Pledge Drive and was donated by Econosmith. Econosmith is one of the top photographers in the music world. Not only that but Econosmith is actually two people. You can find out more and see more great pictures at Econosmith. Thanks to Bob Weiser and “The Old Songs Home” for making this photo available.

July 15, 2009:   “It’s Your War Now, Mrs. Bly” receives 2009 Just Plain Folks Nomination for Best Political Song.

The folks at Just Plain Folks said: “In what is literally the world's largest music awards, the judges were given 1 criteria to judge: Does the music move you? If (you’re song was nominated) … that means you moved a lot of people to make it all the way to the nominations from the largest body of music ever considered.

Thanks to the people at JPF for this prestigious accolade! Read Press Release

April 25, 2009:   Spook Handy Trio at New Jersey Folk Festival.

This is going to be fun. AND we’ll be joined by Gary Oleyar (of the Loggins and Messina Band) on violin.
Wanna help us promote? Print out this NJFF FLYER and post it around your town. Thanks. You’re the best!!

April 7, 2009:   Spook on EBTV all month.

My friends in East Brunswick, NJ can catch me on EBTV - Channel 3 on “Old Ways in New Jersey,” Tuesdays at 4 p.m.; Thursdays at 6:30 p.m.; and Sundays at 12 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. through the end of April. I’ll be looking for you through the tube!

October, 2008:   “Vote” charted at #10 in October 2008 on the Folk Radio Charts.

Thanks for everybody spreading the word to their local DJs. And thanks to Tom Florek for producing the “Vote” Video

March 31, 2008:   Reply to “Anti-War Songs Fall Flat”

Robert T. Cullen wrote an insightful blog on Politco.com called “Silent Treatment: Anti-War Songs Fall Flat.” Here is my response to his blog.

I wonder if one reason anti-war songs are not more mainstream is exactly because they are too in your face. In fact, most people think of anti-war as synonymous with irreverent and iconoclastic behavior. That’s fine for irreverent iconoclasts, but don’t expect a Bush-bashing song to go mainstream.

And going mainstream may not be the goal. However, I personally feel that scolding the choir may be more important than preaching to the choir. The “choir”, those of us who are already on board and against the war, have a greater need for a call to action than for a verification of their anger. That’s why I believe that anti-war songs should have some sort of redemptive quality.

But there is also a value to music that can reach the mainstream and can raise questions. Listen to “Dover” by John Flynn. Is this song anti-war? Hell yeah. But it also hit #1 on a Clear Channel station in Delaware. Why? I think one reason is because it touched on a universal feeling among both supporters and opponents of the war - that war really hurts and real people die. It’s a powerful song that makes anti-war people say “Right on!” and supporters of the war cry because they are reminded that war really does hurt.

So, why DO anti-war songs fall flat? Maybe it’s the song’s fault. Vietnam didn’t happen after Monica Lewinsky. Vietnam happened after the civil rights movement was well under way. People already knew the power of song from previous social movements. Iraq is coming on the heals of no social movement that involved singing. So this movement has to teach itself from scratch how to sing.

If we know how to address the issues that people care about we can get them to sing. And if we can get them to sing we can get them to think and feel more deeply about the issues. This creates a cycle in which people begin to care about and sing about deeper and deeper issues.

March 4, 2008: The Power of the Peaceful Warrior

Hi Folks,

Last year, in Franklin Park, NJ, in two separate incidences, two young kids were gunned down in gang related violence. In response Dan Conley, a concerned citizen, asked me to put together a special program to promote peace and community over gangs and drugs. I named the program "The Power of the Peaceful Warrior." It is our goal to video record this program and market it to other cities in America where such a program can make a difference.

Last week, the Spook Handy Trio presented the concert in Memphis Tennessee at the Grizzlies Academy, a school of about 50 high school age students many of whom would otherwise be in jail or are currently homeless or teen parents. Seeing the life, love and spirit of these young souls brought tears to my eyes - not because I felt their struggle, but because I felt their enthusiasm for life. I performed 19 concerts over a 6 day period that week and this one was by far the most fulfilling.

I want to move this project forward and find other venues to spread the message to drop the gun and find the Power of the Peaceful Warrior. If you have any ideas let me know.

One last thing. You should have heard these young students sing "This Little Light of Mine." It was revealing to watch everyone's faces as I sang the final verse. Each student had a different reaction to each line. Some yelled "Amen" others became very self conscious. The third verse of my version of this song is:

“Some say a real man carries a gun I say sitting in jail's no fun. Some say follow those gangster rules I say don't be nobody's fool Some say let's do drugs tonight I say don't turn off your light What we do in this whole wide world we're let our little lights shine."

(c) Spook Handy

I know that all of us in the music industry enjoy knowing that we can make a difference in the lives of others. That's how I feel about this program. So, if you have any ideas of how to carry this program further let me know.

Peace and Love

- Spook :->

March 3, 2008: “Vote” reaches #19 on Folk Charts

Thanks to all the DJ around the country who are playing “Vote” off of “Breakfast at Bill’s” as well as all the other songs they are playing of the new CD, “Whatcha Gonna Do?”

Jan 29, 2008: Pasta for Peace

Last week Dennis and I performed a concert for the NJ Peace Alliance to support the campaign for a US Department of Peace. This is a very worthy cause so check out the website.

One of the attendees, Garine Isassi raised an important question in her blog. She was concerned by the feature speaker talking about conspiracy theory and other negative things going on. I think there is a place for this if addressed in the proper proportion. Read what she had to say and my response at garinepeace.blogspot.com/2008/01/pasta-for-peace.html#links.

Dec 26, 2007: Spook Handy Trio leads sing-along at “Pete Seeger: Power of Song” in Philly

If you haven’t had the opportunity to see “Pete Seeger: The Power of Song” I highly suggest you go see it. It’s a moving documentary about one of America’s truest heroes – a hero not because he fought the enemy on the battlefield of war, but an even greater hero because he empowered the most patriotic of Americans to stand up for what they believe in – civil rights, workers’ rights, peace, a clean environment, good citizenship and more.

Last night there was a special showing of the film at the Bryn Mawr Film Institute followed by Q&A with WXPN’s Gene Shay – one of America’s most beloved DJs. Gene was kind enough to invite the trio to lead the audience in song. And we did. We had the whole audience singing “If I Had a Hammer” and “Take it from Dr. King.” It was great to see so many friends from the Philadelphia Folksong Society. And it was great to see so many non-members come out and join in the tribute and celebration.

Dec 5, 2007: "Whatcha Gonna Do?" Makes the Folk Radio Charts

The New CD made a strong debut on the Folk Radio Charts in November coming in at #12. “Mom and Pop’s Small Towne Corner Hardware Store” came in at #18 on the singles chart. And Spook was the 5th most played artist of the month. You can learn more about the Folk Radio Charts at www.folkradio.org.

Sept 11, 2007: Recipe for Spook Juice:

Start with 8 oz of lemonade.
That being organic and not full of artificial stuff.
Sugar is OK, but high fructose corn syrup should be avoided.

Add 2 or three of the following:

1 oz pure cranberry juice
1 oz pure blueberry juice
1 oz pure black cherry juice
1 oz pure pomegranate juice
1 oz pure grape juice

Add about a 10th of a teaspoon of baking soda.

About 4 or 5 dashes of salt

Add enough water to total 32 oz

Mix together. Shake well. Chill and enjoy!!

Oct 12, 2006: Announcing Spook’s New Workshop Series:

I’ve been making up songs since I was a kid and performing since I graduated college. Now, I’ve put together a series of Songwriting and Performance workshops to be presented at schools, libraries, art centers and elsewhere. Here’s a description of my Workshops See you there!!

Aug 13, 2006: Spook and Pete Seeger sing “Take it from Dr. King” together

Pete has asked me to add this song to repertoire and so he taught it to me in the morning and we performed it together in the afternoon at the Corn Festival in Beacon, NY. Check out the Picture.

July 17, 2006: Spook Handy starts “New Open Mic” in Freehold

Beginning Wednesday, July 19, 2006 and running at least 4 weeks (if not until the end of September - check here to find out more) Spook will be running a new open mic in Freehold, NJ. The show is called “The New Open Mic” and runs from 7 - 10PM at the East Main Street Gazebo on East Main Street near the corner of Rts. 537 and 79. That’s about as downtown Freehold as you can get.

As with previous open mics Spook has run in the past, (The Spook Handy Show and The Red Lion Open Mic ) this is not technically an open mic because you have to sign up in advance to perform. To sign up, send an email to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and put “New Open Mic” in the heading. An email will be sent back telling you what spots on what dates are still available.

Since this is an outdoor event some shows may be postponed due to inclement weather. If the weather is not clement check out this website.

June 7, 2003: The Power of Music to Enrich the Peace Movement

At the Pathways to Peace conference at Raritan Valley Community College on June 7th, Kathy Moser, Sharleen Leahy (Somerset Voices for Peace) and I gave a 75 minute workshop on The Power of Music to Enrich the Peace Movement.

We discussed how important it is to add some light moments to otherwise grave endeavors, how music helps strengthen bonds within the Peace Community and how a Peace Concert can be used to have a fun, healing, relaxing event for Peace Makers and possibly even raising funds for their organizations.