I had the honor of introducing this super talented dude as "Francis Falls" for the first time at the Friggin Fabulous Brunch Showcase at Caffe Vivaldi.

His hauntingly beautiful songs tend to get stuck in your head (in a very good way).

Mississippi Cotten also did a couple of songs during this set, which was an unexpected treat!

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100011541675459&fref=ts

*Download the Friggin Fabulous Radio app in The Amazon App Store!

Nicole Bozzuto is an amazing singer/songwriter happily entrenched in the NYC and North Jersey Original Music Scene, when she's not on the road, that is!

Many of her superbly crafted original songs are about the road and the many people and places she's encountered along the way.

She's played Caffe Vivaldi many times and this is truly one of her best sets!

Ben Grayson is one of the most talented, young singer/songwriters in the NYC Folk and Rock scene.

His album "Mary Whispers Grace" is a collection of thoughtful and wonderfully arranged songs.

I sat down recently with Ben in Winston Churchill Park in the West Village of Manhattan to talk about his music and lots of other stuff.

Ben can be seen performing at venues such as Caffe Vivaldi in NYC and always puts on an incredibly engaging show!

You can download his music from CD Baby, iTunes, Band Camp, Spotify and more:

http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/bengrayson1

*And a big shout out to Cat Valero who helped out with the production!

Those Sensible Shoes are Anthony Mulcahy and Rachel Stern.  They formed in the summer of 2014 after meeting at a Big City Folk event and started writing and performing together soon thereafter. Beginning with a cover of Bloodbuzz Ohio by the National, recorded in the backroom of a Brooklyn bar, they soon moved on to writing their own original music. They experiment with intricate harmonies and unique lyrics, inspired by their own distinctive backgrounds. The concept of a duo is key to Those Sensible Shoes, and their music emphasizes the beauty of two voices together.

Rachel (vocals) is from New York City and has been writing and performing for a couple of years. She grew up listening to the Band, Joni Mitchell, Bob Dylan and Leonard Cohen, which formed her musical sense from an early age. Untrained but always singing since age 4, Stern has cultivated a unique vocal sound that she brings to Those Sensible Shoes. She has been heavily influenced in her own songwriting by Laura Marling, Nick Drake, and the Milk Carton Kids. Stern's lyrics and voice are the backbone to the band.

Anthony (guitar & vocals) is from Waterford, Ireland and has been writing and performing all over Ireland, the UK and the US for 12+ years.  With 2 solo albums (Lazy Days (2010), For My Sins (2013)) under his belt to date this is his first band release. He has been most influenced by David Gray and Glen Hansard, who he had the pleasure of performing with in the past. He has also performed with Mundy, Mark Geary, David Wax Museum and many more. Mulcahy brings his musical experience, deft guitar playing and soulful vocals to the band, completing the unique duo.

Those Sensible Shoes perform all over New York City as well as performing at music festivals in Ireland.  Their debut self-titled album released on October 1st 2015 has already had radio play in Ireland.

It was a pleasure to sit down and interview Rachel and Anthony in the comfort of Anthony's car, parked in front of Caffe Vivaldi in the West Village of Manhattan.

Those Sensible Shoes are a folk duo from NYC. Rachel Stern and Anthony Mulcahy joined forces in the summer of 2014 and have since been co-writing songs. The project has seen the pair perform all over New York City, New Jersey, and in Ireland. They are currently working on their first record, June which will be out soon!

It was an honor to have them perform at Caffe Vivaldi back in February.

http://www.thosesensibleshoes.com/

Suzy Brandtastic, aka Susan Newman, had a really nice radio chat with Nick Ciavatta, Voice Actor, Promoter and Musician on her radio show recently. They talked about the Voice Over business, how to get work in that industry, Nick's band, Sea of Otters and more.

Susan Newman is a brand visibility designer, web specialist and environmentalist. She is the CEO and founder of Susan Newman Design, Inc and Frogs Are Green, Inc. Susan is the host of Suzy Brandtastic and believes that branding and consistency are the keys to a thriving business and gaining a following.

http://suzybrandtastic.com/

Jon Lundbom is one of the best and most interesting guitarists and arrangers I know! His band Big 5 Chord is a cornucopia of hauntingly beautiful Jazz.

If you like John Clotrane, Miles Davis, Ornette Coleman and the like, you're going to love Big 5 Chord's new album, "Jeremiah!"

http://www.jonlundbom.com/audio/

I met Paul Fairall at The Red Lion on Bleecker street a few years back when we were on a bill together and I've been a huge fan ever since! He played some great shows for me at Path Cafe over the years and it was an honor to have him on the bill at the inaugural Friggin Fabulous Brunch show at Caffe Vivaldi!

He writes songs with his wife, Linda Danz, author of "A Birdhouse In Brooklyn" which is another great segment you can check out at Friggin Fabulous Radio Dot Com.

Download the Friggin Fabulous Radio app in the Amazon App Store or at Podcast Box for iPhone and iPad.

Award winning NPR reporter, Carole Zimmer, sat down to interview Linda Danz, author of "A Birdhouse In Brooklyn" for Friggin Fabulous Radio. Carole and Linda discuss Linda's novel, which takes place in the aftermath of the events of September 11, 2001, and is a story of the lives of disparate people brought together by circumstance.

They also talk about the book publishing industry, how to self publish, age discrimination, how to re-invent yourself and more!

http://abirdhouseinbrooklyn.blogspot.com/

http://www.amazon.com/Birdhouse-In-Brooklyn-Linda-Danz-ebook/dp/B00ODD5GD6

I sat down with Helene Stapinski, author of "Five Finger Discount, A Crooked Family History" at Word Booksellers, 123 Newark Avenue in downtown Jersey City. I read "Five Finger Discount" a while back and wanted to read it again as soon as I was done.

It chronicles her experiences with her family growing up in a gritty Jersey City in the early 1970's as well as the political corruption over the years and lots of other history.

Helene is also raising money for a documentary version of the book. The Kickstarter campaign is over, but you can still contribute here:

http://fivefingerdiscountfilm.com/