Chasing Granny's Spirit in a Chevy

Some day my prince will come? What is it with women and the idea...

Fri, 13 Jul 2012 10:28:00 -0400

Some day my prince will come?

What is it with women and the idea of marrying a prince? Are they desperately trying to escape their dreary lives longing to be saved by a man on a horse who will ride them off into the sunset, or is it simply about the dress, tiara and royal palace? I must say, I am envious of Kate Middleton’s expense account for clothing, offered by her royal father-in-law Charles. She gets $54,000 a year to look that good in her custom-made fascinators. http://www.forbes.com/sites/meghancasserly/2012/06/25/kate-middleton-54000-clothing-budget-pretty-pittance-or-royal-pain/

Perhaps it’s because we grew up on fairy tales like Snow White and Cinderella depicting poor, mistreated, hard working women who were saved by charming, handsome and wealthy men solving all their problems with a kiss.

But as we have seen recently with the split of Katie Holmes and Tom Cruise, fairy-tale romances do not always end in happily-ever-after. The magic of Scientology could not work its spell as well as the mirror mirror on the wall.

With the history of happily-ever-after endings depicted in our treasured stories from childhood, Disney was brave enough to come up with a new ending for its heroine. The new animated feature Brave portrays an independent Scottish princess who already owns a horse and has no desire to bide by her mother’s traditional wishes to settle down. Her wish is not for prince charming, but for freedom. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TEHWDA_6e3M

Another red-headed role model in my own family’s history longed for freedom, but her horse was a 1957 Chevy Bel Air. My Irish grandmother temporarily rode off into the sunset to escape the confinements of the traditional role of a 1950s housewife. It was the best summer of her life, one that I replicated last autumn when I followed her path from New York to Seattle.

So here we are in 2012 and I’m asking a red-headed royal prince to be my date to my cousin’s wedding in London next month. Why? Why not? I’m not looking to marry a prince. I simply want a dance partner. And Prince Harry looks like he could cut a rug. As Disney’s new Scottish princess warns, “be careful what you wish for.”

Dancing Under the Stars in Brooklyn There’s something...

Fri, 06 Jul 2012 11:59:57 -0400

Dancing Under the Stars in Brooklyn

There’s something magical about Christmas lights in July. There’s also something magical about dancing on the street at night as ice cream trucks turn off their tinsel bells in order to hear the cool jazz emanating from musicians trying not to pass out from the heat.

How do you capture a New York moment? It’s like trying to capture a firefly in summer. We chase them like children wanting to recapture a time when time was meaningless and endless, when summer was an eternity.

I am in that eternal summer. I am the firefly to catch.

This photograph captures a New York moment, a moment of live jazz on an even livelier street in Park Slope on a sultry night in the city that never sleeps as dancers swing and children stare unaware of the ice cream cones melting over their little fingers.

This photograph captures a daughter of an Irish immigrant singing the sounds of America on the very street in the very neighborhood her mother arrived 55 years ago to the unfamiliar sounds of rhythm and blues, of ice cream trucks that sold more than one flavor, of Christmas lights in July on pavements as hot as a kettle on the boil.

Brooklyn welcomed them all, immigrants like my mother, who learned to discover and appreciate New York moments, dancing under the same stars as those that shone upon their homelands.

(Photograph: Richard Velasco, Trombone: J. Walter Hawkes, Guitar: Justin Poindexter, Bass: Dave Shaich.)

Traditional Music Provided By My Dad Thursday night the NYC St....

Fri, 16 Mar 2012 21:06:00 -0400

Traditional Music Provided By My Dad

Thursday night the NYC St. Patrick’s Day parade committee hosted their annual gala at the New York Athletic Club overlooking Central Park. The parade’s Grand Marshal, NBC’s CEO, Francis Comerford was present, as well as a number of Irish performers - Celtic Women, Celtic Thunder, and of course, my dad, Tom O’Grady (that’s him on the far left). He played his fiddle with his traditional Irish music band Ceoltoiri as attendees feasted on shepards pie and a turkey carvery while enjoying everything the parade offers - pipe and drum bands, Irish step dancers, marines, flags, men in kilts, and the most green neckties and dresses you’ve ever seen in one room. The feet were sore from dancing to songs such as “Las Vegas in the Hills of Donegal.” By the end of the evening, the joint was jumping with the feel of an upscale Irish wedding, minus the tea and sandwiches after the band left the stage. And the cold drizzle that greeted us at the door upon leaving the event made us feel like we had the full Irish experience. But I’m looking forward to that sun shine on 5th Avenue during the parade when the Irish rule New York for the day - the best day of the year!

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

March Madness Begins at Irish Arts Center March is one of the...

Mon, 05 Mar 2012 11:55:00 -0500

March Madness Begins at Irish Arts Center

March is one of the best times of the year in New York if you are Irish, and not just on St. Patrick’s day. The entire month is packed with events from traditional music sessions to parades to readings to dances. I’ll be performing every night for a full week starting next weekend. So I decided to take in some other events before the continuous requests for Danny Boy begin.

Last night I attended the opening of I heart Alice heart I, the U.S. debut of a new play written and directed by Amy Conroy who acts with Clare Barrett in this two woman show at the Irish Arts Center http://irishartscenter.org/. The young actors play two retired women who come out of the closet late in life and find each other in a shopping center in Ireland. Its documentary style theater portrays a love story celebrating the mundane and beautiful moments of every relationship.

A reception was held in the lobby afterwards and Irish Consulate Noel Kilkenny and his wife Hanora were present as the audience gasped when the young actors emerged from back stage in their daily, youthful attire, no longer wearing the wigs and make-up that transformed them into their aged but lovable characters.

I couldn’t help but notice how lovely the writer looked standing before one of the paintings exhibited in the lobby in the Borderlands collection by Irish artist Kate Arslanian from County Armagh. Kate captured the countryside in vibrant abstraction and I was inspired to capture the actors and other friends in front of each painting in dramatic fashion. Above is the result of our efforts.

Tribute Tuesday - Brighter Than the Sun Here’s my cover of...

Tue, 28 Feb 2012 10:04:47 -0500

Tribute Tuesday - Brighter Than the Sun

Here’s my cover of Colbie Caillat’s upbeat song. I recorded it with Darren Wallis on guitar and drums. The photo was taken by Lauren Fedders in Donegal, Ireland on the beach down the lane from my parents’ house. (Yes, that is summertime, wool wrap and all.)

If you have a request of a song you’d like me to cover, email me on my web site http://taraogradymusic.com/ I’m always looking for new songs to sing. As poet and philosopher Mark Nepo writes, “Yet another song the heart must sing to open the gate of all there is.”

My Chevy Family Continues the Tradition My brother Tom and his...

Mon, 27 Feb 2012 16:45:02 -0500

My Chevy Family Continues the Tradition

My brother Tom and his wife Nannette just purchased a 2012 Chevy Traverse. They drove down to Florida last week from New York with their three boys Liam, Connor and Declan. They enjoyed their visit ziplining over alligators and going to the Space Center with my Aunt Peg who took that first cross country road trip with my Granny and my teenage dad in their 1957 Chevy Bel Air.

Here’s to tradition! Here’s to Chevrolet!

My brother Tom and his wife Nannette with their new 2012 Chevy...

Mon, 27 Feb 2012 13:28:00 -0500

My brother Tom and his wife Nannette with their new 2012 Chevy Traverse in New York.

To the Moon Tara! - Packie Manus

Sun, 19 Feb 2012 14:50:24 -0500

To the Moon Tara! - Packie Manus

Packie Manus Byrne examines Black Irish

Sun, 19 Feb 2012 14:45:12 -0500

Packie Manus Byrne examines Black Irish

Happy Birthday to a Local Legend This weekend my granny’s...

Sun, 19 Feb 2012 14:42:59 -0500

Happy Birthday to a Local Legend

This weekend my granny’s first cousin, Packie Manus Byrne, turned 95. They threw him a three-day party in Ardara, County Donegal. I just called him to say happy birthday, but he couldn’t talk. His couch was filled with musicians visiting from the Netherlands and France. They sounded young too, like in their twenties.

Packie Manus is a generous musician and composer. If an artist from Canada or Australia is making an album, he or she, usually a she as he has a way with the ladies, takes residence in his home in Ireland and he writes original songs for them at no cost. He doesn’t even copyright them. He doesn’t believe anyone should own music. Music is for sharing with the world, he says.

He has shared his music with the world since he left home to join the circus in the 1930s. He was a major part of the folk music scene in the 1960s touring all of Europe. People still can’t get enough of him today. I’m lucky to be related to him. He even wrote a song for me once called “If Tara Were Here.” You can learn more about my charming cousin at http://www.rogermillington.com/

Happy birthday Packie!

My Funny Valentine Sweet Comic Valentine This is the photo on...

Tue, 14 Feb 2012 14:31:33 -0500

My Funny Valentine Sweet Comic Valentine

This is the photo on the cover of the Brooklyn Paper this week. They did an article about my song, Love on the Underground, about missed connections on the subway. http://www.brooklynpaper.com/stories/35/6/dtg_subwaylove_2012_02_10_bk.html

The missed connections section on Craigslist is so popular, that the NYC Transit Museum is hosting a party tonight in honor of star-crossed subway riders. They are also playing my video for the song I wrote about lost love in the tunnels under this great metropolis. Imagine, my work in a museum! I visited the museum this weekend and found a 1960 advertisement for Chevrolet in one of the old subway cars.

Here are some of the best missed connections posts from 2011:

http://cltampa.com/dailyloaf/archives/2012/02/14/the-best-missed-connections-of-2011#.TzqvtLGPVLd

I will unfortunately miss my connection at the museum tonight. I’m heading to Smith Magazine’s storytelling event about Love & Heartbreak. They’ve asked me to perform an original song using their six-word memoir format. One of the lines of my song is “I’m not picky. Must have teeth.”

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Tribute Tuesday - Adele’s ‘Someone Like...

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 18:51:08 -0500

Tribute Tuesday - Adele’s ‘Someone Like You’

I’m going to begin a segment I call Tribute Tuesdays, when I will post videos of myself singing other people’s songs. I performed this particular song Sunday night at the legendary Swing 46 Jazz & Supper Club in front of diners and swing dancers. I was inspired by a recent recording I made over the weekend on a reggae album that is going to get airplay in Japan. The producer had me sing this song but on a reggae track. It was fun to do, and sounded so interesting that I couldn’t resist but try it out in a swing style during a live gig. The boys and I didn’t rehearse it before the show, so I think they did a smashing job.

By the way, on the way up to Woodstock to the studio where I recorded the reggae tracks, I saw a turquois 1957 Chevy parked on the side of the road. It was the first time I’d seen one since new year’s day. It was a lovely way to start 2012, seeing a red Bel Air drive by me. Here’s to hearing lots of new music and seeing lots of vintage Chevy’s on and off the road in 2012!

Another I Love/Hate New York Video (Hey, there’s more to...

Thu, 19 Jan 2012 15:55:48 -0500

Another I Love/Hate New York Video

(Hey, there’s more to Queens than the Astoria Beer Garden!)

The MOMENT: Wild, Poignant, Life-Changing Stories Tonight I...

Mon, 09 Jan 2012 22:34:00 -0500

The MOMENT: Wild, Poignant, Life-Changing Stories

Tonight I attended a book reading at McNally Jackson Bookstore on Prince Street in SOHO. (It wasn’t snowing out, that’s just a photo of the front of the actual bookshop.) The editor of the new book The Moment, Larry Smith, of Smith Magazine, invited me to the event. http://www.smithmag.net/themoment/

Larry edited the New York Times best selling book Six-Word Memoirs. Now he’s on to longer pieces answering the question - Can a single decision, happenstance, accident, call, conversation or even an email change the rest of your life? Usually one does not know in the moment if the moment is indeed happening. Though sometimes one can know, such as a marriage proposal. But Larry wanted his writers to stay away from the big obvious events, like child birth and bar mitzvahs.

I am embarrassed to say that I had a MOMENT just after the readings ended. I made my way up to the main level of the book shop and began to browse because I wasn’t ready to leave, just yet. I lingered in the non-fiction section and kept staring at a man with a mustache that curled up on the ends, like a pirate. He looked like the actor from the Hollywood musical Moulin Rouge, starring Ewan McGregor and Nicole Kidman. I almost asked him if he was, since I knew he had been down stairs at the reading. But I chose not to. Actors don’t like when you approach them.

Then I made my way to the back of the store. There I saw a man wearing a business suit and dark trench coat, very CSI, sitting on a stool and staring at the floor. He had a piece of paper folded in his hand. He looked like he was waiting for someone. I kept my eyes on him because he looked really familiar, like someone’s husband, or maybe we worked at a former job together. I approached him and said accusingly with my finger pointed at him, “I know you from somewhere.” He smiled, and asked, “Do you?” “Yes, were you downstairs at the book reading?” He stood up and said, “Oh, was that what the laughter was from?” I stared at him with my head to one side. “Do I know you from Lincoln Center?” He said yes, perhaps. He asked what I did there. I told him I worked there for years. He said he studied at Julliard and that he is an actor. He asked my name and shook my hand as he told me his, but I wasn’t listening. I was too determined to figure out how I knew him and from where. He asked more about the book reading and said he had only come in out of the cold because he had an audition across the street but the producers were delayed. “At this hour?” I scoffed. He was obviously trying to give me clues, but I was too distracted, and suddenly realized my choice of a wool sweater was not a good one. I became very warm, and then my cheeks began to burn out of self-consciousness because, 1. he was very handsome and I was staring at him, and 2. I was slowly realizing I must know him because I’ve seen him on film or television. But I had diarrhea of the mouth and went on about Frank McCourt and my cross country Chevy sponsored road trip, and blah, blah, blah.

He informed me he had to leave, but not after a high five (about the Chevy road trip) and then another handshake. This time he repeated his name very clearly, so that I would get it. I told him to break a leg for the audition, and he rushed away from me.

As soon as I got home, I googled his name. D-a-v-i-d A-a-r-o-n-B-a-k-e-r. I’m mortified at my discovery and realize how polite he was to keep talking to me. He probably gets that all the time. I seriously thought I had worked with him or he was a friend’s husband. But he has acted in numerous roles, in films with Mel Gibson (Edge of Darkness), and on tv shows including Boardwalk Empire, Criminal Minds, Law & Order, ER, The Unit, Third Watch and of course, CSI. The trench coat gave that away. I’m assuming he is dressed in character. Here’s his photo, just in case you need a visual:

http://www.zimbio.com/photos/David+Aaron+Baker/Premiere+Warner+Bros+Edge+Darkness+Arrivals/6W5yPWkcRRh

I won’t know if my MOMENT will change my life, unless David decides to read this blog post (I handed him my card) and convinces his producers that they need a gal who can sing like Billie Holiday for Boardwalk Empire. (Hey, it’s possible, my saxophone player is on that show). Or perhaps he has a cute brother or friend he’d like to introduce me to (he’s married). Anything is possible.

What’s your moment?

Happy Birthday To You Elvis Presley! I remember my mother...

Sun, 08 Jan 2012 22:14:19 -0500

Happy Birthday To You Elvis Presley!

I remember my mother sitting on her knees in the living room, crying her eyes out while looking at a man on the television. She said she loved him. My father was at work, and I assumed he was not aware of the affair she was having with this man who had longer side burns than he did. I started crying too. And not because my mom said the man singing on the television just died, but because she loved another man more than my father. One who could sing better too. That was the day Elvis Presley broke my heart. I fell in love with him years later when I listened to his music properly and studied his performance. His pink Cadillac was recently sold at auction in Tennessee for only $13,000. That made me cry too. I think it’s high time I take a road trip to Memphis and stay at the Heartbreak Hotel. Miss you much Big E.

My Breakfast at Tiffany’s This Morning

Fri, 06 Jan 2012 14:26:53 -0500

My Breakfast at Tiffany’s This Morning

The Story Behind Breakfast at Tiffany’s I had breakfast at...

Fri, 06 Jan 2012 14:24:00 -0500

The Story Behind Breakfast at Tiffany’s

I had breakfast at Tiffany’s today. No, the upscale jewelry store on 5th Avenue does not have a cafe as some tourists assume. The famous film starring my idol Audrey Hepburn referring to the meal in front of the store brings a lot of tourists to the scene where director Blake Edwards, Julie Andrews’ husband, filmed Audrey getting out of a taxi and having her breakfast while window shopping in front of Tiffany’s.

The scene of the film which just celebrated its 50th anniversary this autumn, was filmed at 5am on a Sunday morning on October 2, 1960. The film crew received a miraculous gift - not one car or pedestrian came down the street while they filmed Audrey getting out of the taxi and walking over to the window.

I did not wear a little black dress and pearls, or a tiara, as she does in the film. But I did get the breakfast right. Some tourists buy a bagel or a muffin, as I noticed a couple from Atlanta had done. But Audrey tried those during a few takes and realized it wasn’t working with her coffee and black satin gloves. So they gave her a Danish to dip in her cup, even though what she really wanted was ice cream. So I ordered a coffee and a Danish in the Starbucks in Trump Tower and stood outside the shop window which displayed a lovely heart shaped necklace for Valentine’s day.

I then ventured inside to explore the other merchandise. Everyone on staff was delightfully friendly, not like the man behind the counter in the film who was appalled that Audrey and her man “Fred” could only afford something for $10, so they had a Cracker Jack prize ring engraved. Nothing today can be found for $10. There’s hardly anything for under $100 in the store. But I do understand why Holly Golightly, Audrey’s character, felt like all her troubles faded away when she entered Tiffany’s. I was mesmerized by the way the light caught the diamonds under the glass. It made me giddy. I also enjoyed the silk scarfs the shop girls were wearing, and the matching ties the elevator operators wore, all in that gorgeous Tiffany blue. They told me they aren’t even permitted to keep those accessories. They must return them at the end of the work day. That’s not much of a job perk. But being that the film has brought so many tourists into the jewelry store, it has become a major tourist attraction, and the sales people know many people are not there to buy, but simply gawk as I was. And one does get the feeling that these sales people could easily work at a Disney theme park because they too are wrapped up in the glamour of it all.

Now if only I can convince someone to buy me that silver butterfly necklace for my birthday in April…

A NYC Cardinal From St. Louis The Vatican announced today that...

Fri, 06 Jan 2012 13:58:53 -0500

A NYC Cardinal From St. Louis

The Vatican announced today that New York City’s Archbishop Timothy Dolan is going to become a cardinal. It’s ironic since his favorite baseball team is the Cardinals, as he was born in St. Louis. “There will probably be a few more trips to Rome - a few more plates of gnocchi,” Dolan joked.

I went into the cathedral today, passing all the reporters, to light a candle for a friend. I used to sing in the cathedral when I was a soprano in the chorus in college. I was privileged to go beneath the alter to where the catacombs were located to warm up my voice and put on my choral robes. My alma mater, St. John’s University, is the only college that has a campus in the Vatican. I wouldn’t mind a few more plates of gnocchi myself.

2012 - Here’s To Doing New Things My 14 year old nephew...

Mon, 02 Jan 2012 10:03:05 -0500

2012 - Here’s To Doing New Things

My 14 year old nephew Liam O’Grady had a unique wish on his Christmas list this year. He wanted Santa to help him fly, and not via his sleigh with the reindeer. Liam wants to become a pilot. So he had his first flying lesson before his first driving lesson. (He’s always been an impressive kid.)

There’s something about doing things you’ve never done before, like driving across country in a Chevy. There’s also something about setting goals for a new year. Whether it’s to break three hours in a marathon, or learn a new instrument, the sense of accomplishment is extraordinary and inspiring.

We all want to fly, in one way or another. Here’s to pursuing your dreams and goals in 2012.

What Are You Doing New Years? One of my favorite songs,...

Sat, 31 Dec 2011 17:50:37 -0500

What Are You Doing New Years?

One of my favorite songs, performed by actors Zooey Deschanel (New Girl) and Joe Gordon-Levitt (they starred in the film 500 Days of Summer together). This video was posted December 28 and has almost 4 million hits already. That’s impressive.

Happy New Year Everyone!