singer songwriter - Deborah Crooks - News/Journal

Hello Year of the Dragon

Mon, 30 Jan 2012 00:00:00 -0800

Hello & (somewhat) belated Happy New Year's greetings. I'm told the Year of the Dragon is considered 'the luckiest year in the Chinese Zodiac.' Sounds auspicious to me! On that note, I'm happy to be back in the Bay Area after two months in India with a bunch of live performances on the calendar. What better way to celebrate than play music and share stages with some other great folks? If you're in SF or have friends coming through town in the next two weeks, please set your GPS to Velo Rouge Cafe on Thursday Feb 2 for a night featuring myself and Katie Garibaldi, and The Plough and Stars on Feb 10 for a full night of Americana. East Bay inclined folks note Feb 12 @ Actual Cafe for a songwriter event featuring Kaitlin McGaw and the new music Local Music Vibe meet-up in Alameda Feb 7. I'm looking forward to getting back to it with the band and hearing all these other artists and I'd love to share it all with you. Here's to a great 2012, Deborah

Local Music Vibe Meet-ups in Alameda

Tue, 03 Jan 2012 00:00:00 -0800

I'm looking forward to hosting a Local Music Vibe Coffee Meet-up in Alameda. Starting February 7, musicians and music biz people are invited to come network at High Street Station every other Tuesday at 10am. Here's the Facebook invite link.

Happy Holidays

Sat, 24 Dec 2011 00:00:00 -0800

Wishing you much love, peace and joy for your holiday season

Thanks so much for supporting my musical endeavors this past year. Here's to more music, good cheer and community in 2012.

Love, Deborah

Watch the new video for 'Let's Move'

Deborah Crooks on iTunes

Happy December

Wed, 07 Dec 2011 00:00:00 -0800

My good fortune has led me back Mysore, India, to study more yoga at The Ashtanga Institute. As much as I miss home and had a happy year of music in the US, I'm so grateful to have the opportunity to return. Ashtanga Yoga practice and its continual lessons have been fueling my life and writing for 10 years now, and its that much more rich here at the source alongside an international contingent of students (I'll be blogging about my time in India at Bird in the Tree ). Despite picking up the mandolin in the month before I left, I did bring the guitar and am happily spending my free time writing and re-writing... a new recording project is in the works for 2012.

In addition to my own songs, I've also started co-producing some friends' projects. The learning curves never ends! Finally (for now) I've started adding live dates to the calendar, so please check my site, or Facebook, for upcoming 2012 shows in California and beyond, as well as music production news of all kinds.

Thanks again for supporting my musical endeavors! I look forward to sharing more with you in the coming year.

Love,

Deborah

Wath the New Video for "Let's Move"

Fri, 04 Nov 2011 00:00:00 -0700

Directed/Produced/Edited by: Sarah Fisher of Blue Lotus Films http://www.bluelotusfilms.net

From the CD '2010'

Artist: Deborah Crooks

Band: Ben Bernstein, Kwame Copeland and Tim Perdue

Extra (Yogini): Magnolia Zuniga

Director of Photography: Nicole Salmeri Production/ Editing Assistant: Lauren James

Fall Colors, Far-West in Eugene

Mon, 24 Oct 2011 00:00:00 -0700

We took a drive up Highway 5 late last week to attend the Far-West Folk Alliance Conferencee in Eugene, Oregon. It was the first time, I'd attended the conference which has to qualify as the friendliest and more practical of music conferences I've attended. With panels about presenting music to DJs, official shows featuring some of the best of the conferences' acoustic musicians, guerrilla showcases giving everyone an opportunity to showcase their chops and awards ceremonies honoring true masters of craft, I came away thoughtful, inspired and buoyed that the musical landscape remains diverse, passionate, viable and willing to support its own. I heard more fiddle music than I have all year, including being completely floored by the mastery of 'Best of the West' winners Laurie Lewis and Vivian and Phil Williams. Their awards concert was a big highlight.
While the Conference kept attendees busy from morning to well past midnight each day, I did have a chance to check out the local color, literally and figuratively. Eugene was rivaling the East Coast for it's riot of Fall Colors while we were there and I had a moment to check out the thriving Saturday Market of Farmer's Market produce and local crafts. Likewise, we were hosted by some of my favorite people, Mieko & Christopher, who are also musicians if not conference attendees, and the living room typically had some acoustic instrument humming. Good times.

Radio got into the mix. At the conference I chatted with Neil on his Recovery Coast to Coast radio show, who was spinning recovery-related music from Far-West artists ("It's All Up to You" was the track selected from this songwriter), and met Portland DJ Diane Hunt of KBOO who featured 'Sunday Best' on her Folk Espresso morning show.

Going to Far-West

Fri, 14 Oct 2011 00:00:00 -0700

I'll be attending the Far-West Music Conference in Eugene, OR Oct. 20-23. If you're up there, give me a shout!

@ Voices to Hear Interview

Mon, 03 Oct 2011 00:00:00 -0700

I recently was interviewed by Voices to Hear. Check it out here: Simply Six: Deborah Crooks

New Video on the Way

Wed, 14 Sep 2011 00:00:00 -0700

I had a really fun time on the 'set' at Lake Merritt yesterday, shooting a new video for "Let's Move" with Oakland-based Blue Lotus Films' director Sarah Fisher and her crew. We've been planning the video for the past month or two but we had some fun surprises...like ending up playing in a tree! Sarah will be editing the footage for the next few weeks. In the meantime, here are some scenes from the day.

Video from Viracocha

Mon, 29 Aug 2011 00:00:00 -0700