Important blog for the Season!!!

Some of the women from Songbird Sings programs and women singing the beautiful healing songs that are being written.





Hey, Folks. 'Tis the Season again. In this time of giving, please consider making a tax-deductible donation to my non-profit organization,
Songbird Sings, which is currently raising funds to continue offering songwriting programs to incarcerated women.

Incarcerated women are an invisible population that typically has little, if any, access to creative arts programs that help address and heal trauma. Having worked with these women many times, I would say 9 out of 10 of them are in prison because of domestic violence and childhood abuse that cycled beyond their control, leading them to break the law and make bad choices. But these women are not bad people—far from it. They are survivors. And they still have lives to live once they get out—families to go back to, communities to be part of. Songbird Sings, with its songwriting/performing element, helps these women to look inside, speak their truth and understand there is so much more to who they are than their wounds. It prepares them to reenter society with hope, confidence and a new belief in their potential.

Working with domestic abuse survivors from all walks of life—helping them find joy in their lives through songwriting healing programs—is the most worthwhile thing I have done. Doing this work with incarcerated women is mind altering. Imagine the emotionally charged atmosphere, following a performance of their beautiful songs, when these women receive a standing ovation from the entire prison audience, including the men who may have been responsible for putting them there. Through the tears that are shed on both sides of the stage, there is so much healing.

Please help to support the continued success of these programs by giving generously to Songbird Sings.
To make your tax-deductible donation, visit songbirdsing.org

House Concerts

Winter time House Concerts can be the coziest most wonderful of all. Do you have a fireplace, do you not have a fireplace...do you have a cozy living room or den? We can make it work and you and your friends will have a great time. Whomever you care to invite. Pot Luck and Margarita’s. I will read a chapter from my book, new title of book is "When Things Go Wrong”…(very spicy) and sing Robin Lane and The Chartbusters songs as well as many other songs I’ve written over the years.

(The chapter I will read is called “Blue Eyed Boy...”) Danny Whitten, Neil Young, Stephen Stills, First Love In in Golden Gate Park, Timothy Leary, window pane acid)

You can hold this concert in your living room, an art center, a friend’s house, by the sea, near the lake any time of day or night. We will write a song together at the end. All musical souls are welcome to accompany me, so if you wish, bring your flutes, violins, and percussion, for an inspirational musical event!

I will also introduce you to my new non-profit Songbird Sings. After 30 years as a songwriter and inspired by the healing power music has on trauma, I launched Songbird Sings to help survivors break the silence that hides violence, one song at a time. The mission: Heal those who have been silenced by domestic violence, PTSD, childhood abuse, war and incarceration and help them find their voice through the powerful medium of songwriting. I have witnessed the profound healing and recovery experienced by the participating women.

I will travel through out New England and New York area. But you can also fly me to where you are if airfare can be arranged. Please get in touch with me by
calling 413 648 9123 or emailing robinlanemail.com

Quotes from the Hosts

"Having Robin play with my friends at a House Concert we set up, changed their lives. They are playing in a band now and never stop talking about that special night" Allen Amaretto

"The house concert with robin lane was an exciting and uplifting alternative to clubbing I not only was surrounded by my friends, but I got to hear my favorite songwritier, singer Robin Lane right in my living room and we even raised money for her programs." Suzanne Boucher

"Being great fans of Robin Lane & The Chartbuststers and seeing that she did House Concerts, my friends and I decided to bring her out to Chicago. We met her at the airport showed her around the town and the next night around 40 of our friends came to our living room for a remarkable evening. We had her back 2 years later for music in the back yard. She let everyone who brought an instrument play with her. The night was magical." Nick Sanadinos, Jim Kopriva

"Still in wonder over the whole weekend. Amazingly personal commitment to us in the audience and the songwriters you sponsor. Your life as an artist has become even more significant to me now as a teacher as well as a writer/ performer. I'm so fortunate to be invited into ANY of this. Hot sand, cool water."

TEDWomen

I sent in my submission for TEDWomen. How I want to change the world...that was the question. Do you know TEDtalks...Ideas worth spreading?
All the movers and shakers and those with amazing ideas who are changing the world gather together once a year and share. It's amazing! You can view the talks on line now. http://www.ted.com/
This is the woman's version, although men will be welcome. I've had friends involved with TED since it's inception out in California years ago. There will be 4 winners and I sure would love to be one but you know how it goes. The winners receive an all expense paid trip to attend the inaugural TEDWomen conference in DC this December.

Here's what I sent


After 30 years as a songwriter/recording artist and inspired by the healing power music has on trauma, I launched Songbird Sings to help survivors break the silence that hides violence, one song at a time. The mission: Heal those who have been silenced by domestic violence, PTSD, childhood abuse, war and incarceration and help them find their voice through the powerful medium of songwriting. I have been a witness to the profound healing and recovery experienced by the participating women.

Nearing Turkey Day

Thanksgiving Blog Happy Thanksgiving everyone.

Many things going on these days. Songbird Sings is in the planning stages for our first benefit to be held in Boston 2011. We're looking for the "right" venue to host this event.
If anyone has ideas please let me know. We want to have it take place within Boston, which means it could be surrounding towns but not too far out. Looking for a sponsor or sponsors to help defray some of the costs, and volunteers to help in different capacities.
You can learn more about Songbird Sings at songbirdsings.org Please get in touch if you want to volunteer or if you know someone.
Inspired by the healing power music has on trauma, I launched Songbird Sings to help survivors break the silence that hides violence, one song at a time. The mission: Heal those who have been silenced by domestic violence, PTSD, childhood abuse, war and incarceration and help them find their voice through the powerful medium of songwriting. I am witnessing the participants up close and personal being transformed through the restorative effect of writing their stories in song. I am dedicated to bringing Songbird Sings programs to as many people as possible and helping others to teach them as well. We welcome your support any way you can give it.
Thanksgiving at the home of the broken toys. That is Tim Jackson and Suzanne Boucher's lovely Somerville home "Let The Eating Begin" These festivities are for all the lonely people who have no where to go. Where do they go on Turkey Day...this is where. Everyone brings something yummy to eat but Suzanne slaves away for a few days cooking the Turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, pies. I'm not sure how Tim and Suzanne do all this but my daughter Evangeline and I have been attending since she was 5 and she is now 28. We've only missed a few.
I just entered TEDwomen contest. It is for the inaugural TED women conference happening in DC this December. TEDtalks is world famous. This will be the woman's version. The question we had to answer was "What is your big idea" and you know mine is bringing these songwriting workshops all over the world. Songwriting heals. Why is there such a correlation between trauma and music or to be exact between those who make music and perhaps the trauma they may have experienced. I do not know where I'd be today if I hadn't had songwriting and singing to sooth myself. I remember back in the day when I sat around watching the Buffalo Springfield, wanting to write songs like they did. I was so hungry but didn't know how to do it and didn't know why it was so important to me. My need was great. So much so that occasionally I would have this intense fear of music...I wanted it so bad. When I was pregnant with my son Adam my body, my soul, my heart, my whole being was taken over with song. They started pouring out of me. I could hardly keep track. 10 songs a day, well I'm exaggerating but truly I was tapping into the very thing that would ultimately save my life. There were many years after the demise of my band when I cursed God for not allowing me to become the next big thing. Many things happened that thwarted that. My second pregnancy with my daughter for example. For some reason MEN didn't think you could rock out and have a child. Idiots. Then came women who did. I can't blame it on God. I certainly didn't play my cards right and sang like a fool. Later I understood that it wasn't about people loving me for my songs it was about me loving myself and allowing music to heal me. That's what music does. The songs are an extension of who you are and your voice carries through the emotions. Makes it safer to look at some of the shit that happens to you or that you allow to happen to you. Your choices etc.

Trip to Tucson and Santa Fe

This blog should have been posted in September. I'm a little late but want you to all know what's been going on. I was in Santa Fe with Tim Jackson, friend and filmmaker, Laura, camera girl and editor. awomansvoicefilm.com. We drove up from Tucson where we stayed with Mike Lembo my X manager. He’s a great host and it looks like we will be doing some business together again. This is very good news for me and hopefully it will bring in some revenue. Being alive has taught me that you do art because you have to. It’s about you and having a need to communicate, not about commercial success although that may come for some of the lucky ones who either have marketing skills or are represented by someone who understands the art world and how to sell the art. In my case I write/wrote songs. Some of those songs have commercial potential. That Mike knows how to sell things is a given. That Robin knows not how, has been established. This brings me to my pal Will Hinds, used to be known as Baby John, now known as William Dubby Fuqua. Arrived at his home in Santa Fe, a humble home but darling on the outside, one of those adobe bungalow's you see around in the southwest, Spanish/Mexican origin. By the way, we had to go through a check point once we crossed into New Mexico. Illegals don’t you know, checking for them in each and every car. More on this in awhile, now back to Will. Step into the house of a man of genius work. Tim thinks he’s the modern day Mucel DuCamp. I'm crying...he’s living on disability. He used to work for Neil and Lookout Mgt as a tour manager, not only for Neil but for Devo and others. He has a below poverty level fixed income and luckily has section 8 on this darling place but the reason I’m crying is because everything in this place, and I do literally mean everything he has put together with found objects, lamps he’s made, just the way he arranges things on a table, is art. He could be making a fortune if the right person came along and helped him with some gallery shows here in town and other towns. I know I’m rambling a bit…7 in the morning. Of course this reminds me of myself, not that I’m in his league as an artist, but who knows? I haven’t been able to do “only music” through out the years due to needing to survive. On the other hand I’ve stayed true to music in various ways. Keep facilitating the workshops, these healing songwriting workshops through Songbird Sings. This brings me back to Will. He doesn’t seem to be sad about not being recognized and gains joy just through what he does. He’s come to that perfect state of acceptance. Not in need of adulation, like some of us, but thrilled to show and tell and thrilled that he can do it. I’m not saying enough here because it’s so profound to me. Putting things together through old treasures found objects, gorgeous stuff, some bought but just the time it takes to do this with love and care. If you have ever been through lost dreams you will know what I’m talking about. Tim argues with me on this with his usual response “just get on with it, change your life or do something about what it is you want to see happen” I believe this too and know that you can transform yourself, but I am also well acquainted with the other side of letting go of a dream and beginning again. I have hardly known any artist/creative type who has the ability to sell themselves or their art. It takes so much salesmanship for people to even give a f*ck about what it is you do. That’s what it’s all become, sell it, and the value of it is how much money it makes? We know you can sell anything and that is probably why this freaking country is going down the tubes.
We were all given an op to buy things on credit, houses and so on, this idea is the devils work. It never could have lasted since the greedies were in control of it all. We, the masses, bought into it however hook line and sinker because it made us “happy” from mundane existence/depression and so much that can come from having so little and now many many ARE sinking on this sinking ship while a few are still selling us down the river with lies and fear tactics for their own greed. Greed pure and simple. Is this the end of America? The rats have left the boat. I’m in awe of what my friends art can do, how it makes me feel. If everyone could make art like this out of treasures that surround us we could make our own happiness and maybe not even care if our art sold or not. Not care so much if we didn’t have credit cards to buy buy buy “nothing essentially.” We can make ourselves happy. Don’t need money to do that. Only need enough to eat and keep a roof over our heads. We don’t need more more more. We can create more more more…beauty to make our own selves and others happy. This is what ‘should’ be taught in school and will never be…not in public schools or prep schools because they need the workers. Public spit out the blue collar workers and prep schools spit out the white collar workers. What kind of conspiracy is this anyway? It sounds like one. Humans are so flawed. I wonder if anyone knows what they’re doing? Gather together with those who are like minded and rejoice in simple things and let people be, for goodness sake. Brings me back to that check point with the border patrol, which was 100 miles or so up from Mexico. Cameras everywhere. Heaven knows if they were something else, in fared illegal testing device. Big burley guards holding dogs that looked like they would rip your throat out, on either side of you. I was driving. When it was my turn the officer asked “Where were you born?” I almost had brain freeze…uh LA. “Are all of you citizens of the United States” “yes sir” I nodded my head bobbing up and down. “Ok then” and we drove off laughing our heads off. Tim in back with a middle eastern accent “I’ve leeved in theeeeese country always” WTF? Scary Scary Scary!!!
Make art…dance…make art. Love love love. What happened to love? That’s the command and it's not just from me.
Buy William Dubby Fuqua's book Atom and Evolution at http://humblemonkeypublishing.com/ It will blow your mind!

House Concerts in your living room or your deck. Summer and Fall 2010. Bring me to your home and friends.

I am setting up Summer and Fall performances where we can get together in your living room or back-yard with your friends in a casual setting, pot luck and margaritas, it will be great fun. I will read a chapter from my upcoming book “A Multitude of Sins”…(very spicy) and sing Robin Lane and The Chartbusters songs as well as many other songs I’ve written over the years. This will be a benefit for my new non-profit Songbird Sings - songwriting/recording programs for people with Ptsd’s, trauma survivors, domestic abuse…etc.

You can hold this concert at your home, an art center, a friend’s house, by the sea, near the lake any time of day or night. All musical souls are welcome to accompany me, so if you wish, bring your flutes, violins, and percussion, for an inspirational musical evening!

Email me if you are interested or need more information. robin@awomansvoice.net


Quotes

"Having Robin play with my friends at a House Concert we set up, changed their lives. They are playing in a band now and never stop talking about that special night" Allen Amaretto

"The house concert with Robin Lane was an exciting and uplifting alternative to clubbing, I not only was surrounded by my friends, but I got to hear my favorite songwriter, singer Robin Lane right in my living room and we even raised money for her programs." Suzanne Boucher

"I had always been a fan of Robin Lanes but had never seen her. She came up and did a House Concert on my deck in Vinyl Haven Maine. My friends brought food and we ate and listened to Robin read and play her wonderful songs. I loved the way we all got to play percussion on her songs." Dr. Rich Entel

"Being great fans of Robin Lane & The Chartbuststers and seeing that she did House Concerts, my friends and I decided to bring her out to Chicago. We met her at the airport showed her around the town and the next night around 40 of our friends came to our living room for a remarkable evening. We had her back 2 years later for music in the back yard. She let everyone who brought an instrument play with her. The night was magical." Nick Sanadinos, Jim Kopriva

Traprock Center for Peace and Justice CD release and celebration party last night. Good turn out. This is one more songwriting program that should be continuous. We need more songs about waging peace, putting an end to inequality, social justice for all, saving the planet, saving the children, saving the world, saving the elephants and other small things, saving ourselves. I remember a time when we felt that we were in this together and that we could make a difference and songs were sung to call attention to the important issues. Young people are very different today...there isn't that "we're in this together" spirit. I'm not being nostalgic only wondering if someone put complacency in the drinking water. I'm also thinking of Christina Aguilera's outfit and song/dance thing at the MTV movie awards. Just think of the difference between what Laura Nyro, Joni Mitchell put out in those days compared to how it's done now? There's nothing in it now except show...no depth? Not in what is popular and put on television or radio. I've heard some wonderful new music but it's more of an art form and of course it is not what gets on the MTV awards shows. Where are the songwriters and artists that have the messages of truth that we need to hang our hat on? It's not the style now not in the vapid landscape we've created for ourselves. Save ourselves please. "All I want is some truth"

CD release and Musings

Traprock Center for Peace and Justice CD release party June 12 7:00. 24 Miles Street Greenfield, MA. Come hear the songs people wrote for my Peace and Healing workshop.

Hello Hello...I'm not sure I'm up for this blog thing. Not if you have to constantly be posting. Sometimes I have much to say and other times not much at all. Don't want to just dribble. Ok...finding out some things about my old record contracts and publishing contracts. Did anyone ever tell you that the music business is corrupt? Most artist are indentured servants to the companies. So great that things are changing, in that artists can do more for themselves, on line, youtube various other ways of getting their music heard and not having to rely on the dweebs who run the music business. I still think they are the people who everyone made fun of in high school and now they are getting even... big time.

This is memorial day and I don't mean to sound un patriotic but perhaps I do. I don't like it that we have this nationalistic pride as we drop bombs on others who happen to be in an area strategic for our oil interests. Talk about corruption...and then we're supposed to hoop and holler hooray for our side, the red, white and blue? We have been bad to people we consider "the other" so easy to do and our leaders made up stores that gullible types swallowed hook line and sinker. Why I remember just a few years back when Germany did the same...figured out their was someone to blame, "the other." and lets not forget what happened in Bosnia, Croatia, Rwanda, and now the Congo. It's constant. I want to be proud to be an American but only if we can bring peace and not peace with a sword. Peace and Love...still the only way.

Oh happy day!

Open Arts Studio-Spit Reunion-Chicago

Much bike riding all around Somerville for the open Art Studios. Why do you even need to go to a museum. Such wonderful artists all over Somerville. Vernon Street Studios was a highlight. I had so much fun going from studio to studio seeing such diverse art and craft work. But today was hot hot hot. Unusual and also having to deal with the broken sewer line from the Weston dam where Somerville gets it's water. We're having to boil everything here at the Soupie/Bo's. Can't even wash your hands. This is what third world countries have to deal with on a regular basis. Our time has come, but I digress. May 1 Spit Reunion Show was wonderful. I met some very nice people. Something I never would have said back in the day. Nice and sweet were words that you may have wanted to puke to. You wanted to be cool. So foolish are the young.
Two days later: I am in Chicago with Tim Jackson, staying with my daughter a lovely hostess. His film "Radical Jesters" is showing at the Anarchist Film Festival. The three of us are in and out of museums, art art art...sometimes I think shmart shmart shmart. No I love art but I love trees even more. Lots of good food in Chicago. A poster, that I have yet to create, was accepted into the annual Trauma Conference which is in Boston. I will be working on that for the next two weeks. This is very exciting. Another exciting thing is that my song When Things Go Wrong will be on the soundtrack as well as in the new Adam Sandler movie "Grown Ups."

Howard Stree Prison Performance & That's Entertainment

The performance April 15, with the women from Howard Street Prison, was all that I expected it to be. I think the women were surprised at the end when we got a standing ovation, even from the 100 male inmates who came in with attitude mon. Pants almost down around their butts. No actually in this facility they have to wear ties but you knew immediately what kind of outfits they would like to be wearing. Keep it looking good. Corrections counselor and my helpmate, Coralee Chase thought to herself, "straighten up guys, get that chip off your shoulder, you are the reason many of these women are in here." The performance was smooth, women initially so scared of singing to the guys were floating on a natural high afterward. Love them. I need to find other prisons locations to do these inside jobs. Hopefully we'll get to record a CD of some of these songs, once we figure out a way around the privacy thing with those inside. Brilliant I tell you.



Today I did a show in Worcester for National Record Day at a store, a very large store, called That's Entertainment. The store has massive amounts of record and memorabilia, comics, (I got nostalgic seeing my old faves Archie and Betty and Veronica.) Japanese anime, pop magazines, posters and yummy soda. Charming people running the store, Ken and Pete. I had so many fans there, it felt great to be playing for such an appreciative audience...no fight up hill. Was a good op to present my songwriting/healing workshops and what's going on with them, got some donations and suggestions for places that might be a good fit for some of the Songbird Sings programs. This was a great day for me and makes me realize I do need to be playing out more. Very happy and thankful for these times with great fans, friends and people to work with.

Getting ready for performance tomorrow at Howard Street prison, otherwise known as Western MA. Correctional Alcohol Center in Springfield. I’ve been working with the women population for a number of weeks. We’ve written 3 songs together which we will perform adding on one more from the last songwriting healing program I facilitated there…Flying With Broken Wings. Such a beautiful song.
Here’s the chorus:
Everything is broken, Can I mend these broken things, it’s up to me to find a way out of here, to fly with broken wings, to fly with broken wings.
These women in prison are my favorite people to work with. They are so appreciative. For the most part their voices have been silenced, so this is a rare opportunity for them to tell their story with the magical ingredient of music.. Tomorrow they will get to sing out loud in front of the whole prison, the men included. Writing the songs and singing them these past weeks is empowering enough but being able to sing them in front of an audience and one there a little fearful of (the ment) is going to keep them up for days on a natural high. This program gives them a sense of accomplishment and how to build community. This will stay with them when they get out, especially when they all get the CD of the songs they themselvs have written. It’s one thing to have the community of prison life but to create and hear your words put to music helps you to realize that although your story may have different nuances many of the themes are the same and we can all build on these common bonds. There is so much hurt and pain out there. I am honored to be able to do some small part in helping people that have been so damaged, find joy and a key to their own healing capabilities. If I had a wish it would be that everybody in the whole world was writing their stories in song or painting them in pictures, or writing books about them and at least being able to come together in some type of harmony. I really believe that if this could take place we would be too busy making art to be making stupid war on each other. War…what is it good for…absolutely nothing. And that is the long and short of it …the truth. One war begets another war and so on and so forth. We live in negative peace for a few years, but there is never really any true social justice, not in this country not in other countries although I think some do try. There is enough to go around for everyone but greedies got the gimmies (Barenstain Bears anyone.) Ok enough about that. We all know the score and what’s going on.
The women will perform in front of the whole prison population including the guys, I think I said that….oh wow, they are so scared. I told them they have to do it to show the guys that they are powerful and can not just be kicked around…not that anyone does that inside but you can imagine what some of the guys are in for. One day I will have the nerve to work with them. Just don’t know how much I could work with a pedophile. I don’t think there is a cure for that ailment. Anyway, it’s going to be awesome. I’ll just have to keep reminding the women how jealous the guys will be that they didn’t have a program like this. The songs are powerful.

Then Saturday I play in Worcester at a store called That’s Entertainment for National Record Store Day. I go on at 3:00PM in case any of you in that area are reading this.

Another thing going on is that I’m creating a new website. It will have links to everything I do. One stop shopping. My new friend Jayne, is helping to put this website together. I began teaching her guitar and after a short time she began writing songs. I can’t stop singing her songs. Then she asked me if I’d like her to do a new website for me with everything on it. There is still randomrogue.com/robinlane but a lot of this site will soon probably transfer over to the new site. robinlanerocks.com I’m sure webmaster Roy Rubinstein will be relieved to not have to do the upkeep. I will be able to do it myself. Learning as I go.

A day of filming for A Woman's Voice film

A bit about our film A Woman’s Voice…due to be released sometime before I’m underground.
A few weeks ago:
I was sitting on the couch when Tim Jackson (The Bo) phoned, said he was having difficulty getting out of Boston and wondered if he’d be able to make it out here in time before the light went down. I heard the door open and there he was…teasing/torturing me as usual. Fine line with The Bo. Bo brought the ingredients for Shepard's Pie, I got busy putting it together but first went out and bought a nice bottle of Chianti. I want to that to sound like Hannibal Lechter. Actually it was Merlot. It’s not often I get to cook for someone and red wine goes with the occasion of creating a lovely meal. Bo asked his crazy questions and I gave my rather revealing and possibly “mad I tell you” answers as I prepared our dinner. Later on we watched this horrendously bad, silent no less, film on witches throughout the centuries. Was not good and the music was irritating. We turned it off after ½ hour of torture. There we go again with the torture. I swear he does it on purpose and his wife and children will attest to this. Ate lots of food, got into plenty of daft repartee's, which the two of us seem to love. I love that he’s so infuriating. Finally not scared of him anymore. He always says things that could hurt your feelings if you let them. He likes to dig in with a knife but somehow it usually strikes your funny bone. His wife Soupie, and I made up a song “We’re not afraid of the Bo no mo” so on and so forth. He’s a very clever, extremely humorous, charming young man in an older suit. I was sad to see him leave for Boston and here I am staring out my picture window on a new spring day…always busy though teaching, creating, thinking.