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Kate, Hello again from Maine, hoping this note finds you very well. Kate, there is a lady who rides the transit bus I drive, a very pleasant gal, who happens to have passed through the ranks of Lighthouse Ranch-ers, Eureka, CA, in the early '70's. She has expressed interest in corresponding with you, since I mentioned to her that you also have background there. Her name is Virginia, and I have her e-mail address. Thanks, Ed
yes you can give her my email: MrsKateC@aol.com....So was that your song that I just reviewed? I hope I didn't offend you, brother Ed!
Negative, Kate. I haven't been on Broadjam for quite a while, and haven't received reviews for a spell. Thanks for the address. I'll pass it on to "Virginia". The Lord's blessings be yours, Ed
Thank you for your review of "Faces". But... "beer drinking song"???
Thanks very much, Tanya, for your generous and kind review of "The Executioner". This song is the last of ten on my album entitled "Things of the Heart". Curiously, you are the third listener that has suggested that the music has a theatrical quality which might lend itself to a play/musical sort of format. This astounded me, as I certainly had no such intention in the formation of the album. Thanks again. Yours sincerely, Ed Kalish
Am happy to know that my opinion was shared with others! Now all you have to do is go for it! All the best Ed cheers!
Hey, Kate. You should be hired as "Principal Reviewer"! Many thanks for your taking the time to listen to and evaluate my songs. The "Scarecrow Song" was written -get this- in San Francisco in the mid-Sixties. Perhaps it is more a reflection of where "my head" was at in those days. Perhaps it reflected where I was in life, as well. I had not yet found Christ. It took a disastrous road of confusion and hardship to finally reduce me to a place where I could accept Him, which happened on a Christian ranch in northern Calif. in 1971. The Scarecrow, perhaps, represents a figure that was created for a purpose but cannot seem to function within that niche he was created for, until the kindly interference of a friend in the form of a "bold crow", who somehow reaches his would-be nemesis with good humored love. The Scarecrow had failed at his primary mission, but found another. I think this functioned as sort of a personal allegory. Thank God that He redeems the lives of multiplied broken souls who also have sought uselessly for that beloved place that their heart longed for, that place where everything that is within us is somehow called forth to best advantage. Of course, believers know that only Heaven and eternity can provide that perfect place. Thanks again, Kate. The Lord bless you and yours. In Christ, Ed
Hey Ed, I figured it was a "vintage" song when I reviewed it. Now I have to ask you: Were you saved at the Lighthouse Ranch? That's where my spiritual roots are! I was actually saved at Deliverance Temple in Eureka, CA on Feb. 10, 1972. Jim Durkin was preaching. Now...tell me if that's the ministry you were referring to. If so, I bet we have some stories to tell! God bless you and yours, brother Ed! Oh, and thanks for explaining the song. I have never been good at allegory! Your sister in Jesus, Mrs. Kate
The Small World Syndrome strikes again! Along with "no coincidences in the Kingdom": I post an old Calif. song, mention a bit about my spiritual past, and, bless the Lord, it "strangely" intersects with your own story! Thanks be to God. Regarding the Lighthouse Ranch: I visited the ministry on several occasions from the period of roughly August, 1971, through the fall of 1972. But the ranch ministry I mentioned to you in the last comment was actually located in the mountains east of Garberville, Calif., in Trinity County, roughly 75 miles or south of Eureka! The ranch (the ""Rising Son Ranch") was supported by Christians from (I think) Los Gatos Christian Church, south of S.F. Curiously, when tidings of the Lighthouse Ranch first arrived at our ranch, they were discussed in hushed tones: "They are really Pentecostal. They speak in tongues. There are 200 people living there..." etc. (vs. our much smaller figure of maybe 30 or so at tops, and our much more "conservative" worship style and practice). But I spent several days at Lighthouse nonetheless, sleeping in bunkbeds in the mens' dorms that seemed to go up six or seven levels, as I recall! I remember the rousing services, which were several notches up the decibel/activity-level scale from our rather staid goings on back at the Rising Son. But they were wonderful, and exciting, and led to a deeper walk with the Lord for me. I can remember attending Deliverance Temple. Lord knows, maybe I was present at a service where you were among the ranks! I joined work crews that went out from Lighthouse into the community. And I remember a season when a great rash of marriages took place, that seemed to have been encouraged by Rev. Durkin. I recall that some of them seemed a bit hasty to me! I was told that at some point after this era, Jim named himself an "apostle" or something similar. Perhaps it was hearsay. But it wouldn't have surprised me too much, given the times. So, yeah. Those days were a very important part of my Christian growth. I went on to work for a little while in Berkeley with an eccentric ministry called "Christian World Liberation Front", and then attended and graduated from San Jose Bible College in 1975. That's a brief synopsis of my early years as a Christian. God be praised in all of it. Thanks very much for your note. In Christ, Ed
Incredibly small world. I remember hearing about the Rising Son Ranch, I think. If we talked long enough, we could probably name some people we knew in Common. Does the name Diane DiVito or Rebecca Wilmarth, David Wilmarth, David Sczepanski, any of those ring a bell? God is sooo good. Mrs. Kate
I'm afraid I don't remember the names of any of the Lighthouse folk. Interestingly, there's a lady here in the Bangor, Maine, area, whom I often see named "Virginia", who was at the Lighthouse Ranch at that time. Perhaps you and she might know each other. May the Lord be praised who in kindness used those ways and means to bring us to Himself, and to provide us with some measure of real discipleship in the early days of our Christian walks! Yours in His family, Ed
Amen & amen & glory to God! Kate
Kate, many thanks from Linda (my dear wife and principal fan!) and me for your latest review of "Dancing Jane". Back when I was doing kids' programs, I used to have the children act this song out spontaneously, with sometimes amazing and delightful results! The girls seemed to be into the dancing thing naturally, and the boys could be coaxed into a sort of chivalrous response. But your comments are indeed edifying. Listened to your song about "Two are Better than One", another very child-friendly effort to impart some important concepts. Thanks very much. As with your other songs, they serve to add sunshine to even a cloudy day. I hope to upload other children's songs to Broadjam. I assume that each song must have a web-site address that can be pasted, as you did, to a comment or e-mail to someone else. Is that correct? My best, EdKalish
when you add a song to BJ, click on the song to play. the address that appears in your web-browser is the "address" of that song. I have a whole "favorite places" of my BJ songs. that way I can easily send them to people, which is great fun. I do it a lot on Facebook, when one of my songs relates to what a person or family is going through. Did you listen to "Teamwork?" or 2 are better than one. They are companion songs. The bible one was written first, then I came up with the school version to teach cooperation. Enjoy & let me know whatcha think. (production is simple/vintage; it's an OLD recording:) http://www.broadjam.com/player/player.php?play_file=24409_514138 God bless you and Linda, hello nice to meet you! Mrs Kate
Many thanks, Joseph, for your gracious review, and for your insightful comments. Question: what does "ninja" mean as a style? This particular recording was done years back on cassette, and alas, the sound quality was compromised when it was transferred to CD. Didn't you also review "Shelling Bethlehem" by me? I think I wrote you a note that the song hadn't shown any signs of being listened to, which puzzled me, since you must have listened to it, to review it! Thanks, again. Look forward to more of your reviews. -Ed
Hi Ed! I remember you saying it had no listens, but I remember listening to it, so it must be a system glitch on their part....
Thanks for the review Of our song Weekend paradise. We are actually a four piece band but our singer is still quite talented!! Again thanks E.E
Hi, Kate. A trady response to your very kind review of "See You After School". I'm not sure from the review's wording whether or not you realized it was another of my songs. These positive and generous reviews are helpful and encouraging. I began reviewing a song under the category Blues/Gospel a few days back, and it sounded a lot like another "Mrs. Kate" number. Somehow, however, I clicked the wrong place and the song disappeared. It was a catchy, very funny song with a serious message: "What are you scared of? Perfect love casts out all fear!" Is my guess that this is one of yours correct? Wishing you and your family God's very best. In Christ, -Ed
"Trady" should be "tardy"!
Hello Ed, Glad my reviews can encourage you! Here is the song you "lost" - It's the Fearsome Blues: http://www.broadjam.com/player/player.php?play_file=24409_468594
thanx 4 the review! alva
Hey, Joseph, are you sure you listened to the song "Shelling Bethlehem" on my play-list? The song doesn't show any signs of anyone having listened to it ("0 plays") Thanks. -Ed
Penny, thanks for taking the time to review "Linda" and for your comments. Appreciate it. Just listened to "Maybe", and feel like I've been sitting in a lovely, tree-filled park somewhere, unwinding from a week's worth of tension, while a soft trumpet solo leads me to a much better place! And maybe I can face another week...! Sweet, calming tune, with nice changes, and plenty of sustained interest in spite of the easy-going pace. Thanks again, Penny.
Ed: thank you so much for your nice note & glad you liked Maybe Penny
"Passport..." teaches good doctrine, as well as stirs the feet to tap and the hands to clap! Hey, that's a rare combination in this age of contentless entertainment (even, very sadly, within the realm of Christian music)."I deserve to burn..."; "sin"... this is catechizing, so far as I can tell! Our children need to be exceedingly well armed. Thanks, Kate.
Hey Ed, you are welcome. Here is the Armor of God song for your listening pleasure: http://www.broadjam.com/player/player.php?play_file=24409_468592 PS I was raised Catholic....now I am a preacher's wife!
The Lord bless you, Kate, for another kind and helpful review! Yup, wouldn't you know it? Somehow you managed to "dial me up" for a second song! I don't mind the suggestions: hey, how else will there be improvement or development, unless one reflects one's material off helpful listeners! My sharing of my music has been very tentative, for various reasons. Strongly negative past experiences has tended to urge me to back off. So my putting my stuff on Broadjam has been a chance to risk venturing out a little bit again. The Lord bless you, then, for your generosity and positive attitude, and grant you success in your own endeavors. Yours in Christ, Ed
Thanks Ed, I just had 3 great gigs in Orlando...Hey if you want to be on my newsletter mailing list or facebook fan page let me know....keep you informed of what's up with Mrs. Kate....I try to make it fun. Thanks for your good attitude toward constructive criticism. Your friend, Mrs. Kate PS Glad you are a Christian brother!
Thanks, Joseph, for your exceedingly generous review of "Shelling Bethlehem". Man, it sure helps to get some positive feedback! Your "Tripping" in its short duration has some great changes in musical mood going on. The melody is one of that kind that sticks with you. Maybe the song needs a bridge or some alternating portion to add variety. Sounds like a great instrumental bed for lyrics, as well. Once again, thanks for taking a few moments to review my song, and for your gift of encouragement. God bless... -Ed
"End of Gravity"... man, that song is a trip and half! It really is voyage into a whole lot of color and mood and changes of feeling, all of it juxtaposed on the incredibly compelling beat which you've obviously mastered. Your forays into the major mode give us a bit of relaxation before you draw us back into the frenzy of this experience of, well..., where gravity ends! Great experiment in lots of effects and layers of sounds, and some electronic effects (pitch bending, for one?) that keep me riveted on what's going on. Thanks, Robert.
Thank you, Ed, for the kind words and apt description. Next song I'm going for a trip and three-quarters. That pitch bending was done with a Whammy pedal, some of that with two tracks an octave apart.
Thanks, Robert, for listening to "The Executioner" and for offering some helpful comments.
You're welcome, Ed. Have to admire you for taking on such big themes.
Thank you Ed, for the review of my Kids song, "Trouble with Nothing'. We enjoyed playing and singing that one. I write alot of Family friendly songs as I like to call them, as wellas Rock, Pop, and some light Country. Thanks again. i am going to have a listen to a few songs of yours now!! Mark S Ludes - MSL
Thanks for writing, Mark. I'm very glad your writing family-friendly songs like "Trouble with Nothing". It's good to know that children are being exposed to something wholesome, rather than messages that seem to incite things on the negative side! Good going!
Bless your heart, Kate! Thanks very much for your comment on "The Flag Has Touched the Ground", and your last on "Any Time's the Best Time of Year". It takes generosity of spirit to encourage another like that, and I really appreciate it. There are three other kids' songs currently on my Broadjam site, plus nine songs that, together with "The Flag...", make up an album called "Things of the Heart". This latter has proven to be a rather controversial project, it seems, judging by the reactions I've received since I completed it two years back. I have a number of other children's songs of the same genre as "Any Time of Year". I have produced songs which are explicitly Christian in theme, but neither the children's material nor the Christian songs were treated with the sort of studio quality associated with "Things...". Thanks also, kate, for encouraging me to pursue Broadjam, which has proven helpful, thus far. God's blessings to you and yours, In Christ, Ed
You are certainly welcome, Ed. Let me know if you want to be on my email newsletter list. If you do, send me your email, city and state. God bless you back! Mrs. Kate
Hello Ed, what a SWEET review of Home is the Place. I am so glad you enjoyed it and were encouraged by it! I wrote that song when our kids were little. My husband is a pastor and we had just bought our "dream home" a mile from the church he was pastoring. (We used to live farther away and commute). I was soooo excited about our new place of ministry. We decided to have a home dedication and invite our church folk and new neighbors. They came and our kids and I sang this song. Now they are married and have kids of their own, but we still "live" this song in our home. I need to sing it more out there....put it into a set list. The production is vintage, but the message still gets across. Thanks and I would like to listen to one of your songs. God bless you! Mrs. Kate www.MrsKate.com Callahan, FL
Just listened to the flag has touched the ground....sung with great feeling, Ed!
Thank you so much for that very lovely and thoughtful review of my little Lullaby, "Child Of Mine". You were right on all your points and I guess my Jewish roots show, thanks again and all the best, Felice Kaye-Cooper
Thanks very much, Robert, for your recent, helpful review of "Ice Storm". I listened to one of your numbers, an instrumental with a hard-driving, almost African sound. Clean recording, very compelling and interesting musical style, and well-crafted! Thanks very much. -Ed
You're welcome Ed, and thank you for checking my music. Not sure which one sounded "almost African" but I like the idea. I'm working on "Indian" next.
Delighted, Alva!
Hi Ed, Thank you for your kind review of my song, "Slipping Away." The first line is "The threads that bind your heart to mine...." I think you heard, the Friends that bind. So, I guess I had a bit of a problem on articulation. But, anyway, I am pleased you liked it and agree that I probably made the breaks too long. All the best, Sue Nikas
Sue, I should have listened more closely, and I apologize. "Threads..." makes much more sense than "Friends...". Thanks for your note, and I hope you keep writing about these kinds of themes! -Ed
Thanks ED, for the review of "it's Only You". God bless and keep rockin'...Felix
Glad to do it, Felix! All the best...
Thanks for your comment about the genre for Only Women Bleed. I'm Dick Wagner's biz partner, writing on Dick's Broadjam page. Dick Wagner wrote the original song with Alice Cooper in 1975, and it became one of Alice's biggest hit records. 35 yrs later, Dick produced this new recording for singer, Wensday. I struggled with how to categorize the song; and as we had gospel singers on the track (a group from a local Gospel church), I thought it might fit. As a result of your comment, I've changed the genre to Blues-Rock! Thank you. That said, the song itself was written to call attention to the world wide problem of abuse of women. We produced a video to go along with the music. Perhaps you will find this video to be of interest. We researched world wide data to include in the video, and we worked closely with the women residents of a transitional women and children's shelter. I hope you will find it powerful and meaningful. Again, thank you for your thoughts. Here it is: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mKaZ1Smgmlo
Many thanks for your extensive note to me explaining the background of Dick's song. This certainly puts a completely different light on the song's meaning. I drive a city bus, and am continually in contact with troubled people from a wide variety of circumstances. I feel desperately bad for so many who are in real difficult straits! I appreciate your taking my suggestion to heart about the song's genre, and for the link to the video you described. Thanks, once again.
thanks for the review! alva
Thanks So much for the review, Ed.
Hello Ed, thanks for the fun and appreciative review on "Squeeze In". It's a vintage recording and your comments were right on. Compare it to my "modern" recordings and you can tell the difference between producers. But production aside, thanks for appreciating the tune for what it is. Here's to more crowded churches! God bless you! Mrs. Kate the songwriter and preacher's wife. www.MrsKate.com www.broadjam.com/mrskate