Julie Corbalis: News

Sunday, Oct. 12, 2008
Important Info Regarding My CD Release Party this Saturday!
Hi there! I am SO EXCITED for this Saturday's CD release party! I am writing to make sure everyone has all the info they need:

1. $15 per adult. Kids under 12 are FREE. The money pays for all the food and drink you can consume (alcohol for +21 crowd included!), donation to the Marsh Sanctuary for the facilities, and my new CD.

2. PLEASE DRESS WARMLY! We'll have the BBQ and campfires going, but let's face it: it's October and when the sun goes down it will be chilly. Sweatshirts and a blanket are highly recommended.

3. You may camp overnight for free!!! Bring a tent and sleeping bags. I have spoken to some people who need to borrow one of my tents - totally cool. If you need a tent shoot me an e-mail so we can make sure you are covered. Get up there in daylight so you can set up your tent - trust me, much easier :).

4. Directions: Firstly: CARPOOL IF YOU CAN! The parking lot is a 10 min. walk thru the woods (on a beautiful, clearly marked trail!) from the amphitheatre and general party area. Of course, if you are a senior citizen, pregnant, or for any reason other than sheer laziness, we'll make sure you can park at the party site, rather than the back parking lot. PLEASE LET ME KNOW IN ADVANCE IF YOU NEED SPECIAL PARKING! You can of course, pull up in front, drop off all your people and camping cargo, and then drive around to Sarles Street and park for the evening.

Driving directions fom the Triboro:
Triboro Bridge to I-87 North (Major Deegan Exprwy)
I-87 (Deegan) becomes NYS Thruway
Thruway to Exit 4 (Cross County Parkway East)
Take Cross County to Hutchinson River Pkwy North (left exit)
take Hutch North to I-684 North (left exit)
I-684 North to Exit 4 (Mt Kisco/ Rt 172)
Make left at end of ramp onto Rt 172
Follow rt 172 for 1.4 miles
(IF YOU HAVE PEOPLE AND STUFF TO DROP OFF BEFORE PARKING, DRIVE RIGHT PAST SARLES STREET AND PROCEED A FEW HUNDRED YARDS TO THE FIRST DRIVEWAY ON YOUR LEFT - THIS IS WHERE THE PARTY IS. DROP YOUR STUFF, THEN PULL A U-TURN AND GO BACK TO SARLES STREET TO FOLLOW PARKING DIRECTIONS)
Make a left onto Sarles St.
Follow Sarles St. for 0.3 miles
You will see the entrance for The Marsh Sanctuary on your right.

If you plan on taking the Whitestone bridge, cross that bridge, stay to the left and get on the Hutchinson Pkway North and then follow directions above. If you live in Westchester, follow above directions from 684.

If you want to cross reference directions:
http://marshsanctuary.googlepages.com/directionstothemarshsanctuary
If you plan on taking MetroNorth: take the Harlem Line to Mt. Kisco. Call me in advance! I'll come pick you up. The Marsh is only a 5 minute drive away.

Here is the schedule for the evening:
4pm: Gillen & Turk
5:30: Jay Gisser
7:00: Bryan Gordon Band
8:15: Jules & Friends
10: Dovetail

Ok, I'm sure I'm forgetting stuff, so just get in touch with me for more info.
Can't wait to see you there!
Sincerely,
Jules

Good afternoon!
What a nice, lazy afternoon - for a change! Currently I am lounging on my couch, hangin' with one of our best buds from Belgium: Benoit!!! Yes, that's right! Benoit, and another new friend, Gill, have finally come to visit the Big Apple! Scully and I met Benoit about 4 years ago on our first trip to Belgium. Now he is one of the main reasons we seem to go back every year :). Tonight we are taking Benoit and Gill up to the Sunset House in Peekskill to check out Jay Gisser and The Soul Tree Villains. It will be an awesome night - maybe we'll see you there?!

Saturday, September 20, 2008 Good morning!
I hope this weekend finds you well rested. I got to sleep a little late this morning, which I am very thankful for. The CD is off to Discmakers and will be arriving in 6 boxes the second week of October. I am thrilled. THANK YOU for so much, Scully, the man in charge who has been overseeing the post production progress. This thing would never have come together without you. I also want to say THANKS SO MUCH to Carl Saff and Fred Gillen Jr, two great men who worked on putting all the pieces together.

I have recently had the pleasure of working with a couple of talented musicians on some budding side projects that I'll keep you posted on. Collie and I are going to explore the bongos/acoustic thing. We had such a blast at Teacher Joe's photo exhibition that we've decided to play some shows together. Bryan Gordon and I have also started writing a new tune together! Hopefully we'll have something to unveil at the CD Release Party on Oct. 18. Finally, Sculls and I hung out with Tadd and Milka last night and did some jammin' while watching the Mets beat the Braves. Tadd and I took turns playing some different progressions and sharing ideas for future collaborations. Plus, the Astoria Casserole that Milka made was out of this world!!! Overall it was an awesome evening!

Ok, I need to go buy coffee and sugar. Talk to you soon.
Jules


We have recently confirmed that my CD release party for "Old Flames & New Names" will be held on Sat. October 18, 2008, in Mt. Kisco, NY, at The Marsh Sanctuary. This is a very special day and I hope you can join me to celebrate! In addition to my set, the afternoon will be filled with music played by my favorite artists including Fred Gillen Jr. and Jay Gisser. I will post more details as they are nailed down.

Monday, September 8, 2008 Pics have been UPDATED from yesterday's show at The Norwalk Oyster Festival! BIG THANK YOU to Fred Gillen, Jr., Chris Corbalis, and Jonathan Lloyd for coming together on short notice to put together one rockin' acoustic band. We played 7 of the tunes from my forthcoming disc, as well as 2 of my favorites from Fred's catalogue: "Sing, Sing" and "Devil's Bluff." Once again, we were surrounded by our friends and family: Mom, Dad, Philip, Veronica, Scully, Dee, Noah, Frank, and so many others I'm forgetting at the moment. These shows just keep getting better! I am definitely "feelin' the love" these days.

I also need to mention here for you to please check out my good friend, Joe Rufrano's, photography exhibit in lovely Long Island City. His PICS are hanging at the Art-o-mat, a super cool artist spot on Vernon Blvd in Queens, NY. You can find it thru my LINKS. I had the absolute pleasure of playing a few tunes with the talented Colin McCarthy at Joe's opening. What a blast. Following the gallery, we all adjourned to the infamous McLoughlin's in Astoria, where were set up shop once again for an impromptu set of classic covers and bar room favorites. It was a long night, but one of the most fun in recent recollection.

Finally, on another amazing note, I need to say "THANK YOU" to all of my Japanese family!!! It is only the 2nd week of September, but there have already been over 2,000 hits on juliecorbalis.com from Japan alone...WOW! Unbelievable. As if that wasn't crazy enough, for some reason CANADA is a close second in hits this month so far... GO CANADA! We love and miss you! Nothing would make me happier than to split my time between touring Canada and Japan...hmmm...that could be a plan! :) I'll have to discuss it with Sculls and get back to you.

Have a great week,
Jules

In other news, I hope this message finds you well! Today was my 2nd back at school with the students...it has been going well! I am excited to teach another year of U.S. History and Ancient Civilizations to middle school students. I was a little stressed as the school year approached, however, once that first group came through my classroom door, I knew everything would be ok. I have a lovely group! I am also happy to report that we'll be continuing our award-winning recycling program this year! We are very proud that our school had the best recycling program in the whole city last year!!!

More soon,
Julie

Tuesday, Aug. 26, 2008
Good afternoon!
Getting ready for the release of my new solo CD! If you would like info on Jules and the Family, please check out www.myspace.com/julesandthefamily. Thanks!

PICS FROM AUGUST EVENTS UPDATED!

Well. There are so many events to update you on! After the wonderful Redding gig, Jules and the Family had an equally triumphant show in lovely New Canaan, CT. The setting was spectacular, and once again, the people were great. We even got to hang with the one and only Tracey Kroll, our friend and photographer who helped us get started promoting our most recent record about 2 years ago (check out his work on the back and inside band shots of Border Radio!). We also met and hung with Olivia, Tracey's daughter, an aspiring guitarrist and nationally recognized swimmer (move over Michael Phelps!!). For me, the best part of the night was talking with little Annabelle, a new young fan who wrote us an amazing letter, detailing how much she enjoyed the show. We were thrilled to meet you, Annabelle, and a response will arrive shortly.
Following New Canaan I played two solo shows on City Island, The Bronx, and in Hartsdale, Westchester. I have been lucky lately, getting to play shows where I can play all my new songs to audiences that are very interested and listen to both music and lyrics. These two shows have really given me a boost of confidence about the new record, which I am eagerly awaiting to share with you. JL joined me on Friday at The Starving Artist - and man was he "on" that night! I really, really love listening to JL play his acoustic...I just can't figure out for myself how to get that gorgeous sound out of my own guitar! The Starving Artist was especially great because JL played one of my all-time favorite pieces that he wrote called "Charlotte's Song." It's an instrumental that stops you in your tracks. You just want to hear it again and again. I loved it so much years ago that I learned how to play it, so I could do just that - listen to it over and over. A little known fact about JL is that he also wrote the music for our tune "Spinning." Many people approach me to say that is their favorite track on Border Radio. JL is immensely talented, and, I think, often overlooked as a songwriter. I am so glad he got to shine on Friday night!
As you can tell from the updated PICS, there are many more stories that have to be told from August. I'm gonna gather my thoughts and update again at the end of the week. Right now I have to do some planning for the school year - BACK TO SCHOOL on Thursday!!! (Teachers only).

Hope you had a nice weekend! Just wanted to check in and say THANKS for a great show last night on the Redding Town Green in Connecticut. It was a LOVELY evening, and that includes the music and the weather! We met a bunch of great folks & awesome kids. Special thanks to Frank, our "fixer", Rob and the gang at Redding Parks and Rec, the Redding Girl Scouts for feeding us all, and to the Redding Pilot, the newspaper that co-sponsored the event. I'd also like to say thanks to our families and good friends, Mom, Dad, Dinese, Eileen, Tara, Shannon, Veronica, Scully, Angelo, & Sherry and the girls, for supporting us show after show. It is wonderful to look out there and see so many familiar (and smiling!) faces.

Finally, CONGRATS to Johnny and Lisa Madden on the birth of the second child, Annie Rose. She's healthy and gorgeous!

See you Wednesday night in New Canaan, and then Friday at The Starving Artist on City Island in the Bronx!

Thursday, Aug. 14, 2008 Hi there,
Another weekend, another KOA, another incredible gig. Last Saturday night Sculls and I drove up to Franklin, NY, for the 2nd annual Kampertainment evening hosted by yours truly. I'm not sure where to even start. Kath and Mike greeted us in the shop with smiles and a positive attitude. We talked Olympics, of course! Turns out Kath's brother is in China as a coach of one of the American track stars: Lopez. Lopez was one of the "Lost Boys" of Sudan, having been kidnapped at 6 years old and then having escaped, placed in an orphanage, and eventually sent to the US. His story brings tears to my eyes, tears of joy and sorrow, even now just thinking about his incredible journey. It's just unimaginable to think that people live these experiences throughout the world.
After the introductions we got right down to business setting up for the show. Two beautiful little girls, Emma and Haley, instantly took a shine to Scully and I, offering their services as roadies. At around 7 and 5 years old, they were adorable doing mic checks, setting up the music stand, and tuning the guitar. The show went well from that point on. A small groups of girls, all between 6 and 11 years old, kept us entertained in the early hours, getting up to sing Taylor Swift and Hannah Montana tunes. I joined in where I could. They were so cute!!! The kampers were interested in both original and cover tunes, and we had a lovely evening under the stars. Just as it was getting dark and nearing my bedtime, I spotted a couple of teenagers sitting down in front that I guessed were into music. One fine young gentleman, Cory, took the bait and got up to sing and play a few tunes, and man, was he awesome! Cory played a fine rendition of Pearl Jam's "Better Man" and we even dueted on Damien Rice's "Volcano". A second fellow, Braiden, appeared from the darkness just outside the tent, and he equally floored us with some fancy fretwork, covering a Canuck with the surname Ross. (His first name escapes me at the moment). Then, just when it seemed the night couldn't get any better, Mike, chief at the KOA, leaned in to Sculls and I and informed us that Braiden, was, in fact, a fiddle player and had one in his car! Well...Braiden was not going to get out of this one. He must not have realized what the "Julie Corbalis" gig is all about - if you can play, you WILL play! Braiden ran for the fiddle and returned to play an unbelievably gorgeous tune (one of my favorites!) called "Ashoken Farewell." This is a fiddle tune that was written for the Civil War PBS series a few years back. It stops me in my tracks every time I hear it. It was the perfect end to a spectacular evening.

Once again, thank you so much to the folks and families at the Franklin, KOA. We really felt like part of the family.

Jules

Sunday, August 3, 2008 Good morning!
I have gotten over my jetlag and now we're back on the road. Sculls and I headed up to the KOA Cooperstown in Upstate New York on Friday afternoon. I had a fun gig and met some great people, including the 2 Mikes, Colin, Richie and Patty, the owner of this KOA. Imagine our delight when we discovered that not only was this the Baseball Hall of Fame town, but also the home to various Belgian beer festivals! What luck! The Mikes were hysterical, showing up to the show in their monk robes - they brought the appropriate apparel for a beer festival! And Colin was the quiet good sport who made sure no one got hurt. And Richie was awesome too - a teacher and Cubs fan from Arkansas travelling with his father to see the Hall of Fame and some more of America on the way. It was wonderful to be immediately welcomed in a far away town...once again it was baseball that saved our day. We can always talk baseball with new folks when we don't really know what else to say. Finally, a big thanks to Patty for putting us up (and putting up with us!). We'll be sure to visit and get to that Hall of Fame next time around.

We woke up at 5AM in Cooperstown and hopped in the car to get back down to Hartsdale, in Westchester, NY. Grey skies loomed overhead, but I am happy to report that we actually got some sun and got the whole gig in before the heavens opened up and swallowed the Tri-State Area for the rest of the afternoon. Here, once again, we met the wonderful Lee, the man who oversaw the music at this farmers' market. Lee videotaped a couple of tunes at the market and should have them up on YouTube shortly. I will let you know when that is all set.

Now we are settling in for a quiet week before heading back upstate to Franklin NY, near Oneonta, for another fun evening at the KOA. If you are into camping, I highly recommend joining us!

Thanks! Have a great week, Jules

Monday, July 21, 2008 Good morning from New York City! It is 4:24 AM and I can't sleep. I guess I'm having a little trouble getting back into the routine after 3 weeks away in the awesome country of JAPAN! I returned to America on Saturday afternoon with a mind full of memories and camera full of the accompanying pics. I don't know where to begin - Tokyo, Kyoto, Nagoya, and Hiroshima were all incredibly beautiful, bustling cities. Each one deserves its own paragraph, and maybe in the next few days, if I'm up at 4AM again, I'll write a little something in more detail. As far as the highlights go, let me start with this one: our group met the wonderful Mr. Sasaki-san in Hiroshima. Sasaki-san is the brother of Sadako, the 12-year-old young lady who folded over 1,000 paper cranes in 1955, whose only wish was to recover from the leukemia she was diagnosed with following the dropping of the atomic bomb in 1945. Sadako passed away in 1955, but Sasaki-san has kept her memory and message for peace alive. He is an extraordinary man, and I am so thrilled we got the chance to sit and talk with him.

Maybe I can't sleep because I have so many amazing memories like this one floating around inside my mind. I've written 2 more little entries on my myspace page (www.myspace.com/juliecorbalis). Go check them out if you can't sleep either :)

Have a great week! I'll add some more pics and stories over the next few days.

Thank you to all my new friends in Japan! I cannot wait to come back and visit, and pick up where we left off getting to know each other and truly making all of our lives so much better.
Jules

Sunday, Jun 22, 2008 Hope this homepage finds you well! Things have been pretty great around here, however I am finding the limits to which I can stretch myself and still get things done. I've been double booking like crazy lately, and it is finally getting to the ones I love. I'm sorry! It's getting to me, too. I'm not making excuses, but here's what's been going on: #1) I'm leaving for JAPAN a week from today. I'll be on a teacher study tour throughout the country, visiting cities including Tokyo, Nagoya, and Hiroshima. Since March I've been in Japanese history and language classes many weekends. I have already met a bunch of wonderful people and I can tell the trip will be one of a lifetime. I will be keeping an updated blog with photos while there, so please check back often and write to say "Konnichiwa!" #2) I am finishing my solo record THIS WEEK! I've got 3 sessions scheduled with Fred to clean up some odds and ends, overdub some tambo and shakers, and then it's over. Wow. I'm really happy with the organic sound the songs have grown into. For me, and hopefully for you too, these babies are a nice bunch of old and new tunes. Most of the old ones have gotten facelifts, too, which is awesome because they all needed that little something that kept them off of previous records. #3) Teaching ends this week! And while I am sad to see some of my 8th graders go on to bigger and better things, it is definitely time to move on :). This school year has been a life changing experience for me, in terms of recycling. I have learned more about the earth and our environment than ever before, and I'm loving it. We bought my folks a compost bin for their anniversary (how romantic!), and while mom was a little skeptical she pointed out that her grandmother ("gramma on the farm") used to compost naturally, putting old veggie scraps and what not back in the soil of the garden. Who knew gramma on the farm was so hip to saving the environment? :) So yeah, these things and others have kept me hoppin' more than usual throughout the Spring. I'll be glad once I'm in Japan to be forced to just concentrate on the sights and sounds of Nihon...and who knows? maybe a "Japan Song" will be inspired, much like my experiences in Greece and Belgium!

OH! And two more things: the pic above is a part of the new album. Thank you SO MUCH to Amber and Juice Imagery for making me look good!!! And, check out 2 new videos of Fred and I from the Old Iron Spring Festival on the Music/Video page.
Keep in touch!
Love Jules