Sincerely Calvin at Subterranean 16 Septermber 2010

We're playing Thursday 16 September 2010 at 11:15PM at Subterranean in Wicker Park. Hope you can make it!
Location Subterranean
2011 W. North Ave Chicago, IL

8p The Sportscasters DJs
8:30p Pet Lover (www.petlovermusic.com)
9:15p Collectors (www.myspace.com/collectors)
10:15p The Moves (www.myspace.com/themoveschicago)
11:15 Sincerely Calvin (www.facebook.com/sincerelycalvin) <---- that's my band!

The cover charge is $8 and it's a 21 and over show.

Facebook event

Thoughts on Egypt

Crisscrossing the chaotic, crowded streets of Cairo, passing through the gates Bab Al-Futuh into "Islamic Cairo," and walking down Muizz Street, we wandered through a group of kids playing soccer outside the walls of the thousand year old al-Hakim Mosque. We entered its gleaming white marble courtyard, where I felt a feeling of peace, awe and serenity that could truly be described as divine. I left with a new appreciation for the beauty and history of Cairo, a deeper understanding of and respect for Egypt and for Islam, and an overwhelming sense of gratitude for being fortunate enough to travel and experience such transcending moments.

When we arrived in the village of Beni Said, a small, impoverished village about five hours south of Cairo, we were greeted by a group of villagers who had their children present us with flowers as we got off the bus. The crowd that had gathered grew as we walked through the village and more people came out to catch a glimpse of this strange group of foreign visitors. Some smiled shyly, others shouted out "Hello!" and "Welcome!" to us, and some walked along with us, taking advantage of the opportunity to practice their English. When we reached the job site and started the work of building homes for some of the villagers, many of the local kids joined us.

At first it was unorganized, with all the volunteers and kids excited to get to work but almost tripping over each other while gathering the building supplies in the small crowded space. The natural leadership and maternal instincts of Donna Thiernau, the wife of Past Rotary International District 6450 Governor Rick Thiernau, took over and quickly brought order to the project, putting smiles on the faces of our little Egyptian helpers as she got them to form a line and take turns carrying mortar and passing bricks to the Rotaract volunteers and local builders who worked together to build the walls, communicating with eachother through a mixture of English, Arabic and body language. I listened on as Allison Heyboer, President of the Rotaract Club of Chicago Near North, helped a 10 year old Egyptian boy count to ten in English, and then he taught her to count to ten in Arabic, smiling and laughing.

While the work was hard and the heat was intense, the collective energy of the group made the days pass quickly. After two days of working in the sun with our new friends, we had completed the basic structures of two new homes for those in the village that did not have shelter. This was part of the first phase of a larger community development project that involves providing shelter, clean water, education and micro-credit to several impoverished villages in Upper Egypt. There was something particularly meaningful about helping build homes near a region of the world where American made bombs have far too often destroyed homes.

I hope our small action of service conveyed a message of peace and love as sincerely as the smiles and kindness of the people of Beni Said conveyed such a message to us.

Sincerely Calvin at the Abbey Pub May 1st

Saturday evening, May 1: The Abbey Pub
3420 W. Grace
773 478-4408
www.abbeypub.com
$10

9:00 The Ringles
9:30 Van Go
10:00 The Romeros
10:30 The Backroom
11:00 Sincerely Calvin
11:30 Cliff Johnson Band

Show in Bucktown April 3rd 2010 with the Blue Hit

Thanks to everyone who came out to the show at Kinetic Playground Saturday night! Next show is April 3rd at the Charleston (2076 N Hoyne, Chicago) in Bucktown with The Blue Hit!

Thursday 8/6/09 in Grant Park

I'm playing an acoustic set for an event sponsored by RedeFINE Arts and E-arts, and organized by some Columbia College students in Grant Park this Thursday evening. The event starts at 4:30PM, and I play 6:30PM - 7:00PM. The event is called "Arte al Fresco," and features acoustic music performances, painters and Yoga demonstrations. We'll be in the garden area of Grant Park near Michigan Ave, between 8th and 9th street. Should be interesting. More info on facebook: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=121983121352

More Pics From Shanti Bhavan

India Week 4 -- Kids, Music and St. Paddy's Day

Here are some of the students at Shanti Bhavan on their Sunday nature walk.

One of my little projects while I'm here will be to update the Shanti Bhavan kids' blog with some photos or little videos, so I should have something new posted here soon http://sbchildren.blogspot.com/

The kids are really fun to teach and play with. Every morning when I walk to breakfast I hear the piano students practicing Mozart and other songs and it is really beautiful and inspiring to hear and see what these children are capable of.


Here's me playing the sitar last weekend at a little music shop outside Pondicherry. I've been listening to some Indian music and I learned a Tamil (the local language in Tamil Nadu) song on guitar which I've been teaching to my guitar students. They are really excited to learn how to play some music that they already listen to and love, since most of the music that they typically learn from volunteers is just western music.

St Patrick's Day was this week and I did a little presentation and Irish music concert for the whole school which was well received. Steve, another one of the volunteers, also plays guitar so he learned a couple of the songs and tunes and played and sang with me which was great, and Amanda, another volunteer, played flute on one of the tunes... so we held what was probably the first ever Irish music session in this part of rural India! Happy St. Paddy's Day!

Shanti Bhavan, my first 3 weeks in India

It's been about three weeks since I arrived in India, and I have already experienced so much that it will be impossible to describe it all here in the little time I have before I have to go get in an auto-rickshaw and meet up with the other volunteers and teachers to head back to the school, Shanti Bhavan.

Shanti Bhavan, which means "haven of peace" is a school that was started about 10 years ago by the George Foundation, with the purpose of providing world-class education to children on the lowest caste in rural India. The school is a beautiful place and I feel lucky to be living and teaching there.

I'm teaching 6th grade English, 5th grade math, 8th and 9th grade history, teaching guitar lessons and playing soccer and basketball with the kids. They are amazing, bright, positive children to be around, and they behave well for the most part. I'm really enjoying being a teacher and finding it to be very rewarding work. Kids that were "destined" to be quarry workers or do other menial labor for life are now learning Beethoven and Mozart and talking about their college entrance exams and future careers as doctors and engineers. The idea behind the school, which has about 220 students, is to be a model of how rural education should look in India. The founder's vision is that if there are someday 100 Shanti Bhavans, where the students are educated properly and become successful, they will rise above poverty and oppression, take their families with them, and we will end the caste system. It is a profound mission to be a part of, however small my role here is.

In addition to the inspiration found in the students and in the cause of Shanti Bhavan, I have also been struck by the beauty of India and the Indian culture. I've been lucky enough to travel with the other volunteers on the weekends and we've seen the India Jones-eqsue ruins of Hampi, been blessed by a sacred elephant, swam in a beautiful hidden lake, visited Pondicherry and some other amazing places I will hopefully be able to post some pictures of soon. The Indian people have been warm, friendly and helpful everywhere we've been.

I'd love to share more but it is time to go. I'll try to post more next week (there is no internet at the school, but we're trying change that).

Artists Striving To End Poverty

I'm planning a trip to India to volunteer in a school there for kids of the lowest caste, teaching Music and English. I'm accepting donations to support the trip and the organization. Check it out at firstgiving.com/jackmccabe

Barack Obama across the street from my office on Franklin St

OB July 2008

Sincerely Calvin in England

Just spent a week in England and played three shows with Sincerely Calvin, one in London and two in Liverpool. In London we played at the Hope & Anchor in Islington and in Liverpool we played at Lennon's and The Cavern Club on Mathew Street, the Beatles old stomping grounds. There's some pictures at myspace.com/sincerelycalvin

Miami Beach, Double Door, Tionol

I've been spending about a week of each month in Miami Beach. I fly down here to train new sales staff in the office on Washington street, right above Miami Ink tattoo shop. It's nice staying by the beach and I get to spend my free time hanging out in south beach with friends.

When I get back to Chicago I'll be spending my free time with the band at our new rehearsal space just west of the loop. We are working on a new album and getting ready for an April 23rd show at the Double Door in Wicker Park.

I'll be in St Louis Saturday for Tionol, a Celtic music festival. I'm also playing an Irish Seisiun every Sunday at the Atlantic in Lincoln Square.

sun, travel, music, ... life ain't too bad.

Sincerely Calvin website

I haven't been updating this much but I have been updating this blog: sincerlycalvin.com

Show this Friday 11/23 at The Note in Wicker Park

We'll be playing the day after Thanksgiving, Friday November 23rd, at The Note (1516 N Milwaukee Ave). Doors open at 9PM - We'll go on 10-11ish. Come rock out! Also playing is Noise Way Out, from Michigan, and The Backroom, our good friends from Downers Grove.

The Note: 1516 N Milwaukee Ave Chicago, IL 60622 thenotechicago.com

Lollapalooza pics and my upcoming shows

So some crackhead stole my bike and then some other crackhead stole the front wheel off my replacement bike, but I managed to get a new wheel and cruise down to Grant Park for the final night of Lollapalooza. There my friend Dan got me in for free and we met up with some more old friends and drank wine watching Pearl Jam light up the skyline.


nice blue guitar, Eddie



And that is about how it has been going in Chicago so far...

The city and its poverty and its chaos and pollution bring me down....

And my friends and our music and the beauty of the city pick me back up.

Upcoming Shows:

Saturday, August 18th
9.30PM
Goose Island -Wrigleyville
http://www.gooseisland.com/pubs/wrigleyville.asp
3535 North Clark Street
Chicago, IL
I'll be playing with local piano legend Chuckie Obmaces and other guests TBA.
There are rumors of a Sincerely Calvin reunion this night.

Saturday, August 25th

10PM -1AM

Joe's Bar

http://www.joesbar.com/

940 W Weed St

Chicago, IL 60622
I'll be playing with crowd favorite Matt Starr.

Friday, August 31st
10PM -1AM
Joe's Bar
http://www.joesbar.com/
940 W Weed St
Chicago, IL 60622
I'll be playing with the new rock trio Speakeasy.

Back in Chicago, House of Blues party

I've now been back in Chicago for just over a week and it is starting to feel like home again, though I know I'll still have that restless wanderlust in me here. My third day back I got invited to play at a party in the foundation room at the House of Blues downtown with Pat Kelly and Matt Star. That was unexpected but I'm really glad they asked me to play. I had a blast playing with the drums again and seeing old friends dancing up front. Hopefully there will be more rock shows in Chicago to come.

Its been really fun hanging out with my family, especially my little brother, who just graduated from high school, and catching up with old friends. I went to Downers Grove Heritage Fest and ran into all kinds of old familiar faces. Now I just have to figure out where in this huge, sprawling city of 9.5 million people I will live and work and all that.

Leaving San Diego and the Texas Detour

After almost two years living in San Diego, I decided to make the break. I packed all my stuff up, said goodbye to my friends and my ex and my dog, and headed East. I slept for a while in the desert outside Tucson, AZ, but the sun woke me up before long so I carried on. After getting through New Mexico, I stopped by the Comanche Inn, an old motel in Ft. Stockton, Texas where I had stayed years before when I first drove to San Diego. I asked if John was around, the owner who sang Kareokee with us the last time through, but was told that he'd died three months ago. Saddened and feeling a bit lost thinking about the last three years spent criss-crossing the country, I put my little backpacker guitar across me like a seatbelt and drove with my knees across the Texas highway, trying to lift my spririts with music. I wrote a song but when I played it back later I didn't like it. Texas is way too big... my destination was only half way across the state but it seemed like it took days to get there.

When I arrived in Kerrville, Texas I found the comfort I needed. I was greeted at the front gate with hugs and "welcome home"s from some really good friends and some total strangers who seemed like they could be good friends. It is an amazing thing to drive 1,200 miles to a town you have never been and to be told "welcome home," and to really feel home. I was walking into the tail end of the Kerrville Folk Festival, an annual event that lasts 18 days, featuring some phenomanal musicians from Austin and throughout Texas and the country, jamming around campfires and on stage in a completely organic, drum-free, celebration of songwriting, life and music.

My friends got me on the staff which meant that my food, beer, camping and admission to the concerts was free. I met some great songwriters, played on one of the stages, tried to trade licks with a gypsy jazz player named Django, and came one step closer to being a true member of the Austin music family.

From Kerrville I went to Corpus Christi, on the Gulf coast, and saw Green Mountain Grass play with some friends from Illinois that I had run into at the festival. We stayed in a hotel with the band and then went seperate ways; they to New Orleans and I back to Austin for more music and post-Kerrville festivities.

Back in Austin I stayed at the "Hippie Half Way House," so named because unlike the "Hippie Mansion," which was home to 15- 20 Austin hippies at any given time, the half way house usually had only 7 or 8. All three members of the Austin based band "The Blue Hit" were living there and it was really fun playing music with them and sitting in on their practices. There was also a pirate from Vermont who had abandoned ship on his jugband's west coast tour and headed back to Austin, and a girl named Lotus from Montana. Everyone was still high off the energy from Kerrville and trying to let it last as long as possible.

Eventually I decided it was time to move on and I headed North, through Dallas, through Oklahoma, and into Arkansas. I stayed with my friends Kara and Landon in Springdale, Arkansas, and met their new baby girl, Seaghan, who is four months old. It was pretty crazy to go from a hippie house in liberal Austin to a conservative Christian household in Arkansas, but both are beautiful in their own way.

I got really excited as I went through St. Louis the next day, passing the arch, crossing the Mississippi river and returning to familiar territory. I made it to Darien, IL by about 10pm Saturday June 16th, 11 days and 3,000 miles after leaving San Diego.

The California Tour and Nobody's Quest

After opening for Raina Rose and John Elliot at Lestats in San Diego, they invited me to continue with them on the road for the shows in Joshua Tree, Pescadero and San Francisco. It was an amazing drive up the coast, and my first time going up that stretch of Highway One. We slept in a dessert ranch, camped out in the forest just South of Big Sur, got breakfast in Monterey and made it to Gazo's Grill in Pescadero just in time for the 1PM show. The intimate crowd seemed to really enjoy the music, and we got invited to "rockstar Jeff's" land in La Honda, up in the redwoods and well outside of cell phone range. It was about a mile from the ranch where Ken Kesey and his merry band of pranksters used to have the homebase for their psychadelic adventures back in the day. The winding road lead us up through the woods to a house on a green mountain looking out towards the pacific. When we got inside the house we found an upright piano and a double bass waiting in the living room, and what was to become a two day mountain music retreat began.

Near Half Moon Bay I picked up a hitchhiker named Nobody and we immediately got pulled over by a cute but serious looking female California cop. I explained who I was and gave her my ID and registration, but Nobody had a little more trouble convincing her who he was. He gave her his real name, and when she went back to her squad car to check his name, he asked me to swear that I wouldn't tell anyone his real name. Turns out that cop and me are the only two people in California who know Nobody's name. He'd had a revelation two weeks before and decided to go on "Nobody's Quest," leaving behind his central Texas life to travel and spread his music and poetry. He cut up his IDs, changed his name to Nobody, got rid of his vehicles and debt and took a bus from Dallas to San Diego, where he made sixty dollars a day playing music on the wall in Ocean Beach. He explained to me how he had made some people in Ocean Beach cry with his music and they had confide in him that they had always felt like nobody and that he was giving them hope by giving a voice to nobody. He told me that there would eventually be a "Book of Nobody," as if prophecizing his own biography.

When the cop returned to the car having found no record of Nobody's existence, she began asking questions. We explained that we were musicians on our way to San Francisco for a show.

"What kind of music do you play?" she asked.
"Folk, kinda....spiritual" replied Nobody. "Would you like to hear a poem?"
"No, not right now," replied the officer.
"Are you sure? It changes some people's lives," insisted Nobody.

But the cop wouldn't hear it and sent us on our way, unscathed. We smoked to calm out nerves after the close call and carried on to San Fran, where me met up with Raina, John and Howard. After the show I met up with Chrystal and we had a little party at my friend Mitch's house. The next day I dropped off Nobody in Santa Cruz and drove all the way back down the coast... arriving in San Diego changed and inspired from the trip.

Bike ride from Rosarito to Ensenada, Mexico

Justin, Steve, Greg, Ernesto, Robert and I (and like 8,000 other people) headed down to Baja California, Mexico for the Rosarito to Ensenada bike ride( www.rosaritoensenada.com), a 50 mile trek that started at Rosarito Beach hotel and ended at Plaza Ventana al Mar, Ensenada. The ride was amazing, starting out along the Pacific coast, cutting inland through La Mision, then climbing up from sea level to about 1,000 feet before finally coming back downhill somewhere around mile 40. The uphill was challenging physically and mentally - rounding each bend and hoping I'd reached the top only to see more climbing ahead. But the downhill part, cruising down the mountain towards the harbor with the ocean air rushing by, that made the whole thing worthwhile. When two fat chicks, chatting away on their bikes, passed me on the 5 mile straightaway that ends the race, I thought I might die. But, alas, I made it to the finish line party where friends, tacos, some Coronas and a live band awaited to liven my spirits. Viva Mexico!

Newport Beach

My friend Kristen took a break from law school in Chicago and came to visit San Diego. We took a little trip up to Newport Beach to visit our friend Jeremy, who lives on a little island alongside the peninsula. One of the high points, or maybe the lowest point, of the weekend was me doing a backflip off of the banister at a tiki party in Laguna Niguel, kicking a chandelier, and somehow landing on my feet as we made our exit. It was a memorable weekend, lots of laughs, good to see old friends.

Water Canyon and Joshua Tree

Elysa and I opened up for awesome LA-based singer songwriter John Elliot (www.thehereafterishere.com) Saturday night at Water Canyon, then we all partied out in the desert at Tad's getaway house, just outside of Joshua Tree national park. The next day we went hiking and Michael, Tad, Tim and I climbed this crazy rock formation thing. I'm waiting for Tad, Tim or Melanie to send me some pics of this trip.

Austin, Texas for SXSW

Austin considers itself the "Live Music Capital of the World," and at least for the week of the South by Southwest music festival, it really is. The whole city turns into a giant rock show, with hundreds of bands in every bar, club, store, park, cafe, restaurant - basically anywhere that has people, has live music.

I got to hang out and play music with some of my good friends from U of I who ended up moving to Austin, see some friends from the West coast who were also in town for the festivities, and meet a whole bunch of cool new people and musicians from all over the world. Some highlights were; jamming with David Moss (Illinois native - now rocking his cello full time in Austin), and a band of jug band pirates from Vermont who rolled in on a psychedelic school bus that runs on veggie oil, going to a backyard show in the hill country with Carrie

, seeing seeing Green Mountain Grass (http://www.greenmountaingrass.net/) wow passersby while busking on 6th Street, and playing acoustic with Raina Rose (http://www.rainarose.com/) on my last night in town.

Raina on guitar and Trevor on mandolin

Park City, Utah Ski Trip

This weekend I flew to Salt Lake City where I met up with my sister Christine, my brother-in-law Brad, my mom and her cousin Donna and headed to Donna and Dave's second home in Park City. We skiied Deer Valley Friday to let everyone get their ski legs back on the nice, wide-open (no snowboarders allowed), groomed runs. Dave flew in Friday night and the five of us drove over to Solitude Saturday morning. It snowed in the morning and then got up near 60 degrees in the afternoon. Perfect spring skiing! Sunday we skiied Park City. Never before had I gotten to the top of the highest lift, only to take off my skis and hike up to the top of a ridge of ungroomed snow and ski off a cliff, but I did on this trip - thanks to Dave. Hopefully we will make this an annual event.