Our thanks to you, Our multiple rays of Light sent throughout our ROMulin Community of Artists!!!!

Hello Dear Friends

 I have continued this very Infrequent Blog for the 1st time January of this year of 2016. I am sending this brief note to  just thanks ALL of you that may receive this note. I know some of you have & have not been  able to be with us at ROM of late!  I also know how very much care and Love you have shared with me about so many within our Great Community of Artist's that have been so affected by everything that Life comes with each and Everyday!!

 I have always said, from my Dear Grandma at age 99  when she shared this special piece of Knowledge that , "Betta Days is Coming Honey"!

 I have always believed and Lived by this creed  gifted to me by my Grandma many years ago.

 I do wanted to add a note about a very Special Event our Community is holding this coming Saturday for one of our Dearest ROMulin Community members  who is a Dear Friend to all within our Community of Artists. That most wonderful person is Rick Goggin. i will insert here a note from Junko Ogawa who has led all that is going on for this weeks Rick Goggin Benefit. I do hope to see any and all of you that can make it there! If you cannot make the Benefit show  and you are able, Junko has left a way for you to still Contribute to this great event. Please consider anything you can offer. It will be a great night for a Great Cause for a Dear Friend. Here is how Junko has put it!!!!


Rick Goggin Benefit -Fundraising, this Saturday, Oct.1st , 7PM - 11PM at Elks Hall West Roxbury. 1 Morrell Street, West Roxbury, MA 02132. ( the corner of Spring St. and Morrell St.), Ticket:$35, Buffet Dinner, Cash Bar, Open Mic ( Sorry, the sign up is already closed ), Raffle, and Silent Auction. Please support and purchase your tickets on line https:www.eventbrite.com/e/rick-goggin-benefit-fundraising-tickets-27756315888    or E-mail Junko Ogawa, Junkosings@gmail.com to reserve your tickets. 

If you cannot make it to the fundraiser benefit  this Saturday, Oct.1st but still would like to contribute, please visit https://igg.me/at/aZKerqKqbCs

or please mail your contribution check (payable to Rick Goggin Benefit) to:

             Rick Goggin Benefit, PO Box 590625, Newton Centre, MA 02459

                                                 Thank you very much.

                                           I do still have tickets myself!!

 One  of my Favorite quotes that I so enjoy and I find is so appropriate for this note It reminds me so much of each and every one of you within our Communities that are vast and this outreach is International on this tiny Globe we all call and Love as our Home!!

 The quote is as follows: People, ( All of you), are like stained-glass windows. They sparkle and shine  with Light when the Sun is Out, but when the darkness sets in, their true beauty is revealed only of there is a Light from Within!!

Even at this writing so many of you have given of your time, energies, Funds and that go so very far in this great event for our Friend Rick Goggin who has brought so much Light and Love to ALL of us that know and Love him and know too that Rick is planning to be a part of the wonderful Open Mike for this coming Saturday!! Hope to see you all there in person and in Spirit if Unable to make it.

 I do wan tot thank each and everyone of of OUR ROMulin Community for coming together all this year to help MIke and I to keep ROM running and  expanding our Horizons for what ROM is and continues to expand and develop into going into our 9th wonderful Season of Artists coming together on the 2nd and 4th Monday of each month. For ROM-2017 we will be doing away with our infrequent 5th Monday ROM events so all the more for you and Families and Friends to come to us whenever the times for all of us align. You are always welcome at ROM.

 Our thanks to ALL our Features and our ROMulin Open Mike Performing Artist's, Family and Friends and of course all of you that continue your Support of ROM as audience members!!

Thanks to All that made this past ROMday such an incredible success and allowed me the wee bit of down time I needed. From the bottom of my heart. Thanks you ALL for being the Lights in my Heart!!

  Always, Love Neal :))))

"Be Yourself; Everyone else os Already Taken... Oscar Wilde

Happy New Year & Merry Everyday to ALL within and this new to OUR ROMulin Community

Mike and I would like to  wish you ALL a Wonderful 2016 and thank each and everyone one of you for your Continued Support of ROM!!!


It is so very hard to believe that once again, this is my 1st update to my duly named "Infrequent Blog", since 1-1-15!!!  That being said, I do now recall that since that time I did have some minor cervical spine surgery on 2-25-15. I do want to take this moment in time to thank the many of you that brought your concerns to me through your very varied and unique means. I feel very Honored and Blessed to have had you in my corner and my Love, Hugs and Thanks to ALL and now let's get back to ROM!!!

ROM-2015 was a most Incredible year of Incomparable year of Wonderful new folks to ROM and the continuation of the people that have been with us since our very first ROM on 1-12-09, Yikes that means we are now going into our 8th year of ROM and that is ALL thanks to ALL of you whether occasional visitors, audience members, music and spoken words Artist's as always and of course the never surprise  what or who walks though our  doorway but always entertaining and always a most wonderful night at ROM!!

As usual, ROM remains Flexible and always open to suggestions, change and ALWAYS being Fair to ALL that join us!!! That being said, I do want to take a moment to pay Tribute to my Dear Partner here at ROM, my Dear Friend and Incredible Singer-Songwriter and soon to be Director of a new show he has been working on for a good while now but I will let him tell you more about it!! Mike Delaney

Mike Delaney is the essential part of ROM in many respects that many of you may not have truly noticed!! Mike's Love of Open Mikes' from when we first met many years ago was his total Love of Music and Playing music regardless of the instrument du jour or multiples you have ALL seen at ROM!!!! Mike has been keeping up our website that is and has been sponsored by my Friend from our early teens, or younger, Sam Schneiderman Principle Broker of the Greater Boston Home Team since Day 1. Mike also sends out our ROM Reverberation reminder email you will all likely see before I get this Blog out. He does an amazing job at all he does. 

What Mike and I have been talking about is something I have been hoping for a long while now. That is seeing and hearing more of Mike performing music and doing less on the audio front. Mike will be away for the entire month of February this year so we are seeking some new volunteers that have sound systems to join in by contacting Mike at mike@mikedelaney.org. I suggest Mike as I know nada about audio, video or anything beyond turning on the TV with hopefully a "Working Remote"!!

Beyond February we would like to see someone pick up at least once a month to do the sound at ROM so Mike can play more music and can get home for his early wakeup time around 4 AM for his day Dr Delaney job! Please do step up if you can to help with our audio in any manner you can!!

I do want to Thank each one of you that are the Foundation of ROM for ALL you have added to ROM-2015. The most wonderful part  that did change in 2015 is our ROM change to being an ALL Volunteer Potluck Venue! Our Thanks to ALL of you that have stepped up to bringing foods both Homemade, purchased and all things in between!  This change has been such a great success and such a special yummy one! Thanks to ALL who have and will become food and beverage bringers to ROM!

To Our ROM-2015 Features for the entire year, WE can not thank you enough for the special part of OUR show you were at ROM and we will not forget! As part of our ROM-2016 Feature list, Mike and I feel we have been giving most of our Feature slots to so many of you that are part of our ROMulin Community and also bringing in a few  and wonderful Old Friends of ROM!! It is going to be a great year at ROM-2016, ALL because of each of YOU as Individuals or performing with others in so many different ways!!

WE did leave 2015 with as ALL Communities go through, the good times as well as the not so good times. WE were Blessed to know that our Dear Bo Veaner is now in "Remission" and now has only 4 more chemo dates for now and we ALL hope to see & hear you Bo back at ROM whenever the star align! WE also have been following the health of Dear Friend Peter Neuendorffer  he has been in an out of the hospital, Rehabs and does have a way to go but he is sounding great and Positive and has told me he just finished his most recent CD!! I asked him to put me in a spot to purchase an autographed copy of his new CD. Will Hope to seen and hear him soon!! To Dear Friend Don White who has gone through a difficult health time since last July but now is doing well and free of ALL the "Blue Meanies" that were affecting his body!! WE are so happy to hear that DON and we are ALL looking forward to seeing and hearing you soon! To all others May you have a Happy and Health Filled 2016!!

We did have 1 very special Community member Loss this year of Michael Troy this year shortly after the release of his really wonderful new CD entitled "I AM AMERICAN",  if you do not yet have it, it is a great work by a great Human being and a very dear Friend. WE will continue to Celebrate your Life Michael  and we know you are up there Smiling at ALL of us Continuing our music and Spoken Word at ALL the wonderful Venues you have been part of and other that will soon be performing the music of their Favorite Fall River wonderful Michael Troy!!!

To see ALL Our very special Features for our upcoming ROM-2016 year which kicks off this coming Monday 1-11-16 with our 8th Anniversary Show Feature being Charlie Ortolani a Feature not to be missed. For ALL other dates and Featured performers please go to our Schedule page on our website which is: www.roslindaleopenmike.org. Please also look at the previous year and say thanks to ALL those who Featured as part of ROM-2015. Let us hope that our previous 7 years of never having to cancel a show due to snow returns for many more years!! Last year we did have to cancel 2 ROMs in a ROW!!     No more please!!!

I AM BEING TRULY OPTIMISTIC ABOUT ROM-2016 IN ALL RESPECTS!!!
THANKS SO MUCH FOR ALWAYS BEING THERE FOR US AT OUR COMMUNITY OF ARTIST'S THAT WE CALL ROM!

All my heartfelt Love and Thanks to each and every one of you!!! 

Big Hugs and hoping to C ya soon!

Always, Neal :))))

Happy New Year & Merry Everyday to ALL within our ROMulin Community

Our wishes to ALL for a most Wonderful 2015 to each and every one in our ROMulin Community.

It is so very hard to believe that this is my first update to the duly named "Infrequent Blog" since 
3-27-14.

Before I thank each and every one of you personally by name, NOT,  I do want to take a short time to thank ALL of you who come to perform, to listen, to add in so many ways and this year most especially to the many of you who have stepped up to the plate to show what a true and ever growing and ever changing Community of Artist's we can be. I cannot thank ALL those of you who have been helping me out this year with both set up and break down as it does mean so very much to me personally and makes so a shiny light statement about our little Community we call ROM!!!

I do have some changes at ROM to tell you about but I do want to thank our ROM-2014 Features, update you to what a great ROM-2015 Mike & I feel we have put in place for you and also some planned updates and changes to ROM.

To Our ROM-2014 Features since my last Blog, Mike & I would like to thank, Michael Troy, Don White, Dave Murphy, Joe Taff, A special thanks to Ellen Schmidt for her special ROM night at Emerson Umbrella which Featured our own Mike Delaney & Ken Porter splitting the Feature bill and performing with "Two for The Show", Ellen Schmidt and Jake Kensinger, (WE will ALWAYS be talking about you Jake),
Junko Ogawa, Kate Chadbourne, Tret Fure, Stephen & The Snake, Branson Bofat, Jon Waterman, The Backwaters Band, Susan Lee & Frank Albani, Deborah Galiga, Tom Smith, Steve Rapson, Rob Siegel, Oen Kennedy, Bill Thibodeau, Carolyn Waters and Dick Summer.

WE are soon to embark on year 7 at ROM. Our upcoming Anniversary Show will be held on 
1-12-15.
It is going to be a Magical Night for many reasons. This particular Anniversary is exactly 7 years to the date of when Mike & I began this thing we call ROM on 1-12-09.

A Wonderful part of this very special to ALL of us will be our Anniversary Show Feature which will be Junko Ogawa. Not only will this be our Anniversary Show it will be  Junko's Debut CD Release Party!! (It is wonderful in all respects), Hope to see you there to play music, recite spoken word and or do anything we at ROM have grown to Love as Family, Performer and Listener Friendly.

The remainder of our ROM-2015 Feature list can be found on our website schedule page! Our website is: www.roslindaleopenmike.org.

Please do remember our Feature performers are few when compared to you that are our Foundation at ROM. Our Open Mike Community make up the bulk of each one of our shows so we are so endeared each year when we see new faces coming in and brought in by referrals from Friends and Families of our ROMulin Community.. Please keep doing that as it has been so great to hear new talent nearly each venue in 2014.

Some changes as part of ROM-2015.

   The parking lot that we were lucky to use through these many years is now steeped in history and is now a building in it's infancy. I suspect during our ROM hours street parking will not be much of an issue on regular days. During the winter if there is  a City of Boston Snow Emergency for street plowing may be the only time this may be an issue. In that case, the Taft Hill Terr. Municipal Parking lot is a 3-5 minute walk from the church viewable from the porch. It is plowed, lit and sanded. Please always use caution when coming or departing from ROM regardless of the weather. WE want you safe!!!

We have a small amount of less space available for us to use now at the church for the extended rooms of ROM but all has been going well.  Hence there may not be as many Posters out as there used to be and it will depend on each night if there are others using the building.

Some things we will be doing away with in 2015: 

     There will no longer be bottled soda purchased and brought in by me. It is not often used, and get heavy to take out and put away. Anyone wishing to bring their own choice of any non Alcoholic drinks are more than welcome as we will of course have cups. The main drinks available at ROM will be, Water, (Hot & Cold)Coffee, Tea's, decaf on both, Hot Chocolate and well as Sugar Free Hot Chocolate and Sugar Free Chai. All are welcome to bring any foods for our Community to share and our thanks in advance to all of you for that. Another change for 2015 is we  say so long to the Feature cups. it only took me 7 years to realize they do become costly. Anyone with any idea's of how to change or make flexible anything I had mentioned please do feel free to contact Mike or myself. The one thing I still do not want to need to entertain is charging for ROM!!! So let us ALL round up all our talents for a great and upcoming ROM-2015. It is going to be a great year!! If you are contacting me to pre sign up for ROM, please do use my ROM email address which is: neal@roslindaleopenmike.org. Some folks have tried to email me after 6:30 pm but I am usually at the church setting up and the best way to make sure I have you on the pre sign up list is to have your request's to me before noon of that day.

On behalf of Mike  & myself thank you to everyone reading this Blog and know how very important each of you are to our entire ROMulin Community. As in any Community we have  both Losses and Gains. Let us ALWAYS remember those that are dear to us that we have lost and treasure them by honoring their memory and cherish the gains we make in our very special Community of Artist's. Regardless of where you call your home venue, you are always welcome to join us at ROM.

Thanks for ALL the Memories dear Friends, We are embarking on a great year in 2015 and hope to see you there!!! 

Please always Support and do your part in keeping Live, Local Art's Alive and Well in ALL your Communities.

Much Love and thanks for your Support of ROM, Always, Neal :)))

Thanks so much to all our ROMulin Community and Special Announcements

                 Greetings to our entire Family of Artist's at Roslindale Open Mike!!!! 
                         This is todays version of my very "Infrequent Blog"

To date our ROM-2014 Season has been so incredible and Mike & I would like to thank each and every one of you from ALL our ever growing Open Mike Community, our incredible and growing audience and listening Community and of course our wonderful  Feature Performers thus far this year we wholeheartedly thank our Features, 
Barry Spiro, Ana Eder-Mulhane, Colette O'Connor, Danielle Miraglia, Craig Sonnenfeld and just this past Monday, David Jackson & King Yee!!!!!

Our ROM-2014 Season does continue this year with 3 Additional ROM events and our very next ROM is this coming Monday 3-31-14!!! 
Our very special feature for this night will be Michael Troy www.folkmichaeltroy.com

Please note this is our 1st 5th Monday ROM event of our ROM-2014 Season. So if you were thinking this is NOT a 2nd or 4th Monday as we have done for the past 5 years, your are correct!!!

Our 2 other 5th Monday ROM events this year will be on:

6-30-14 with Stephen & The Snake Featuring

9-29-14 with Steve Rapson Featuring

New this year is also the additional to the continuation of our ROM Unplugged Ceilidh evenings song circles.  This year due to my Food Pantry picks up Sun-Wed eves we are moving the Ceilidh's from that 5th Monday slot to my the only free night for me which is Thursday Evenings starting at 7PM. Our Ceilidh events are song circles and all are welcome and all unplugged. The dates for this year's Ceilidh's are:

4-24-14      7-10-14   and   10-23-14

Another very special ROM event this year which will NOT be held at ROM will be held on Sunday Night May 18, 2014. It is the 2nd year in a row that our Dear friend Ellen Schmidt will be opening her doorway at her wonderful Emerson Umbrella Open Mike in Concord where   Ellen will continue to help ROM with our Fundraising efforts to enable Roslindale Congregational Church to become "Handicapped Accessible". This is an effort we have been working toward at ROM for years now and I can see the light at the end of the tunnel and am in the hopes that the Church will be accessible  in the NOT too distant future. My thanks to ALL who have donated their time and energies to this cause and also to This Monday's upcoming ROM Feature on 3-31-14, Michael Troy did a great Feature at one of the 3 Fundraisers for the church in the past. Thanks again Michael!!!!

Speaking of our dear Friend Ellen Schmidt. 

Did you know that Ellen has a Brand New Open Mike??? It is called "Ellen Schmidt's Acton Jazz Cafe Open Mike. Our Congrats to Ellen on yet another wonderful venue which I have had the honor of attending one her very first show!! It is a splendid Venue with a great Community, state of the art new stage with a grand Piano and also likely the best of the best, it has Ellen Schmidt!!!  The food is really great so go to a great open mike and go hungry you will leave with a  wonderful meal and some heartfelt music and spoken word to dwell on your way home. I am going to add in a piece from Ellen here but also NOT here. 

Please remember our very own Barry Spiro will be Featuring at Ellen's Acton Jazz Cafe on Marathon Monday 4-21-14 with Mike Delaney doing the Mini-set. I will be there and hope to see you there as well!!

From Ellen: upcoming events!!!

Monday March 31    6:30pm to  10:30pm Ellen Schmidt’s Acton Jazz Café Open Mike. Featuring tonight are Charlie Koch & Brad Meyer will feature – guest performers will include Amy Lohman, Chris Boehmer, and Buffie Groves.  Cosy Sheridan will perform a mini—set.  Acton Jazz Café  5 Nagog Park Mall, Acton, MA 978-263-6161, www.actonjazzcafe.com Admission is $5.  sign-up by 6:15 or email by noon to eschmidt01742@gmail.com or call 978-369-8090.

Sunday April 6    7pm – 10pm  Emerson Umbrella Open Mike, 40 Stow St., Concord., Carla Schwartz and Cooper and Kenneally will feature. Amy Spillert will perform the mini-set.  Admission $5, free refreshments, sign-up by 6:45 or email by noon to eschmidt01742@gmail.com or call 978-369-8090 for information! The open mike is held in the  Musketaquid Room on the first floor in the front of the building.

Monday April 7   6:30pm to  10:30pm Ellen Schmidt’s Acton Jazz Café Open Mike. Ellen Schmidt with Seth Connelly, Jackie Damsky, Hatrack Gallagher. and Jake Kensinger. The is a BENEFIT NIGHT FOR ECCLESIA MINISTRIES AND SAN FRANCISCO NIGHT MINISTRY. Acton Jazz Café  5 Nagog Park Mall, Acton, MA 978-263-6161, www.actonjazzcafe.com Admission is $5.  sign-up by 6:15 or email by noon to eschmidt01742@gmail.com or call 978-369-8090 for information

   Please see Ellen's website along with many of your own to the right of this Blog. It you see your own website NOT there please do let me know via my ROM email address which is: neal@roslindaleopenmike.org.

Lastly congrats to the Brand New Milton Art's Center Open Mike. It is held on Wednesday evening. I went to the very first Open Mike last night and the house was packed. I did just add their link to the website list. In case I goofed it is: www.miltonartscenter.org. For those of us old enough to remember, it is about 2 blocks away from the Old Java Jo's in East Milton. Beautiful building and arts for ALL ages at the Open Mic.

If anyone does ever have ANY constructive comments you wish to make regarding ROM please feel free to use our Website Homepage www.roslindaleopenmike.org and at the top please do go to our Guest-book section and feel free to leave any comments that may help us to address any things you see right or needing you suggestion to make better!!! WE are always eager to keep things simple and always moving ahead and remaining flexible to change!!!

I will leave it at that for this version of the Blog…. On Behalf of Mike and myself we cannot thank you enough for your continued support and the spreading of the word about ROM. The beauty of all this is that it is NOT about any single party but rather about each and every one of you that take of your own time to become part of our wonderful Community here at our Museum of Fine Artist's at Roslindale Open Mike.

Hope to see & hear you ALL this coming Monday,  In the Light of Spring, Always, Neal :)))))

A Special ROM-2013 Thanks for Giving to One and ALL!!!

A fond look back at ROM-2103 & a look ahead to an Incredible ROM-2104!!!

Season's Greetings to one and all that are part of our ever growing Roslindale Open Mike, ROMulin Community of Artist's! This is an all inclusive list of every one of you that have been The Essence, The Foundation of what ROM has become over these now 6 years!!!!

I know I speak on behalf of our dear host & my dear friend Mike Delaney, myself and All that makes ROM what it is today, when I say a most heart felt THANK YOU for ALL you continue to bring to ROM.

It totally amazes me where we began in 2009 to where we are today going into our ROM-2014 Season. The make up of ROM has been an incredible blending of idea's many of which you gave to us to always continue to keep our doors and minds open to new and better idea's on how to continue making ROM a most welcoming and flexible place to be. I do also want to say thanks to each and every one that has ever walked through our doorways to perform that are our (ROM Foundation). To our Open Mike performers of  the many, Spoken Word, Music, Comedy, Magical acts of every conceivable types. I do also want to personally thanks those of you who in increasing numbers this past year have joined us in audience attendance which number wise has   grown to be our largest numbers since we began. 

 As Most of you that know me know, I am clueless when it comes to computer anything yet, when I look at even these "Infrequent Blog Stats", Thanks to ALL of YOU!! ROM is an International Community of artist with this Blog reaching 22 other countries. To our friends from across the many ponds, welcome and we hope you may join us someday soon!!

I did also want to take a moment to share with you a bit about  the  planning that goes into ROM as far as Features go. From the beginning and to this day, the Primary individuals that do get Features at ROM are those that are part of our Foundation of ever growing & new to ROM folks that attend on a regular basis. We are totally well aware that this cannot be done by all due to distances and other obligations. We were blessed with over 200 requests for Features at ROM this year for  what has up to this year has been 23 Venues per calendar year! It also ways does intrigue me how many emails & calls I get both from agents as well as individuals from around the Globe asking for at Features at ROM. Make NO mistake it is an honor but it is not the way Mike  & I make our selections. Over the next 2 years we are calling the Season's our "Thank You Years", by doing something we have not done with few exception's and this is having Return Features of those folks that began with us in 2009 and to this very day are with us as often as they possibly can be. There was NO WAY of course to accommodate ALL that fit into that category in one year so ROM-2015 will also be a "Thank You YEAR"!! In addition to our Always 23 venues per year, ROM-2014 will have an addition of 3 ROM Venues on the 3 months that have 5 Mondays!! For the moment these will be on the dates that for the past 2 Seasons have been the very much sought out ROM Unplugged Ceilidh nights. 

We have added the additional shows for 2 main reasons. The most important reason is our home, The Roslindale Congregational Church is having hard times financially and it is my hope and request that when you do join us you see your way to our "DONATIONS BASKET" where all the free food and beverages are and make a donation however large or small it may be. Given our numbers over the years, if each individual that joined us would be able to add  one dollar, we could pay for the heat in the building for a year!! We DO NOT WANT to lose our home at RCC because they cannot afford to have us there!! So I do appeal to ALL and again ROM is going to remain Free to ALL for admission as it has always been but we need to pick up & reply to The Roslindale Congregational Church our thanks for giving of their space for us to have a home for ROM!!  All donations go directly to RCC on a monthly basis and for those that this may help the church is a 501 C3 non -profit organization. If you need a receipt for your donation please feel free to ask!

The 2nd reason of course for the addition of the 3 shows is to get in 3 more Features as part of our "Thank you Season".

I am still working with the Church on a workable eve,  about 3 nights in 2014 to resume the Ceilidh nights. I have requested a Thursday eve as I do pick up for the Roslindale Food Pantry on Sun-Wed eves each week. I have not yet heard back on that item from the Church but will keep you updated via our ROM email and website.

Mike & I both know ROM- 2014 will be another  wonderful year for both our entire ROMulin Community on our Open Mike front, our Feature front and as always, whatever else the New Year will bring to ALL of us!!

One thing we do want to thank all for is for your unending Support of ROM.

 WE are so totally blessed by being in such an Art Rich area of our tiny part of our Globe. WE are of course honored that you have chosen ROM to keep coming back to being part of great  Live, Local, Art's.

I do want to remind to you to please take a look at the few websites of our many friends of ROM  on the right side of this Blog. The list gets larger each time. WE are so graced in our own area with so many Venues that offer some of  the best of Live Local, Artist's in our own area, some of them even on the very same night as ROM!!! I have been asked by venues host's why I would advertise for "Competition" Venues. My answer is as always, we feel we are an equal opportunity Open Mike. I also do feel there is never, nor will there ever be a "COMPETITION" of the Art's or where you choose to follow them!! I totally encourage you to visit the many other venues we are graced with both in and out of our area!! I do my best to do just that myself.

A year of Community Changes……

   As with any Community, we have had seen and felt many changes, both positive and those we see as losses in the many aspects of our lives!! Our wish to each and ever one of you is to have  New Year filled with as many of the best things that Life can bring to you, your Family and Friends!

However you Celebrate the Season Changes may they be exactly how you wish them!

We totally look forward to seeing, hearing and being with you ALL, as part of ROM-2014 as well as at other Venues..

All my best, Love and Thanks for ALL you bring to our Lives, Always, Neal :)))

HOT Fun, Music and Spoken Word within Our ROMulin Community as Summer in OUR City is in Full Swing!

Greetings dear friends of our Roslindale Open Mike Community,

        I do hope that since my last posting of this "Infrequent Blog", all has been going well for you and all the ART you bring to our Community both from within our doorway at ROM to ALL the incredible Live , Local Music, Spoken Word and ALL ART Venues so available to us in our special tiny corner of the world.

It is hard to believe that this year is going by so quickly and we at ROM have been so blessed with so many Incredible Features as well as an EVER-GROWING Open Mike Community of Artist's! I can say that easily this year of ROM-2013 we have been honored to have so many new guest's to our audience, our email list as well of course to our "Tiny 6 inch high Stage",as it is called by my dear partner and Host of ROM Mike Delaney in one his most affectionite new songs!! This number is more so this year than any year before!! Our combined thanks to ALL of you who may read this Blog or our website or whom you may even feel free to send this to as "ALL are WELCOME at ROM" 

May I also suggest that you take a peek at our growing list of websites on the right side of this Blog as there are just too many incredible acts I just simply cannot cover in this short space so feel free to come back to the Blog and stay updated on all your favorties by their websites but also by getting out to see them at places you may NOT have been to yet.

Please, ALWAYS SUPPORT your Local, Live Venues  which includes Homes,Yards, Farmers Markets, Stadiums, Esplanades, Gov't Ctrs & many others where Live,Local Art's are being SUPPORTED and HELD!!

Since my last Blog our ROM Feature's have been so very delightful, entertaining & generous !!!

OUR huge Shout out  to: Bob Bloom for an Incredible Drum Ride of an ALL Percussion Feature that got the entire ROM audience involved in the percussion world they never knew they could do but thanks to this Master teacher Bob, we all had a blast and I know I learned more about percussion and it's beginnings than I had ever known before!!! Many thanks Bob for a great drum ride and to all of you that were and are part of ALL our ROM events in all ways and fashions!!! After Bob, Came our Youngest performers for our ROM-2013 Schedule. On 7-8-13 we had a split Feature. The first part of our show was they dynamic hands of our youngest ROM Feature Ben Chase. AT 10  years old, Ben took the stage with great confidence and along with his guitar teacher, (Steve Hurl), on his 1st 3 songs, did a great job!! After that Ben did the remainder of his feature time solo and did a great job!!

After Ben came our Spoken Word part of this special Feature and it was made even more special to me personally as it was my daughter Ariella Montanez. Ariella's poetry  comes directly from her heart and from her very unique life experiences & perspectives.  Some of the words were words that I had not previously heard and another thanks goes out to my Family as ALL were in the house to hear Ariella. My thanks to my wife Rosemary, daughter Barbara and Ariella's brother Gerard or as she calls him Boyke!!! At the end of each of these 2 wonderful artist's performance it was made known that they were donating their "Pass the ROM Bucket" Feature Monies to Roslindale Congregational Church which is our "Home to ROM" and we cannot thank you Ben and Ariella enough for that wonderful gesture on both your parts!!

Our next Feature were 2 most wonderful & gifted artist's that so many both within and outside our ROMuilin Community came to hear and that was, Lorraine & Bennett Hammond. Due to the number of folks in the house Lorraine and Bennett did go on a bit later than our regular Feature time but were so kind and understanding and stayed to the very end of the show to hear each and every Open Mike performer, perform!!!

I must add an extra special Thanks to Lorraine and Bennett as well. Their ROM Feature fell on the day after they both returned from that most wonderful time of year to many in our audience and that was the entire, very Hot and Humid Week 1 of the WUMB, SAMW Camp. They performed and took the stage as if they as fresh as ever and treated our ROM audience to all and more than we could have expected. Thanks so much to Lorraine & Bennett Hammond and thanks too for your kind donation to the Church for all they continue to do for us to help keep alive, LIVE, LOCAL MUSIC at ROM!!!

Just this past Monday we did have a most wonderful ROM Unplugged 5th Monday Ceilidh song circle. It is a very intimate setting for our ROM audience as all is unplugged  & we sit in a circle and play our own tunes or covers of those we really enjoy and we get a chance to just sit and chat about songs, music and each other. Things we are not able to have the time for during our regular ROM Feature night's. It is truly a different side of ROM that we began last year and only happens when there are 5 Mondays in a month. It has always been a great time, no Features, no posters, just a room filled with music, spoken word and a great Harmony of the Art's. Our thanks to all that attended last week as well as all the previous Ceilidh's of this year!!

 BIG NEWS FOR OUR UPCOMING FEATURE!!!!!!

ON Monday 8-12-13 the wonderful & Multi-talented MARY LOU LORD will be our  upcoming ROM Feature!!! We are very honored to have Mary Lou take to our stage at ROM and bring her vast array of talents heard around the world by many to our very stage. Mary Lou will likely also be out of breath as she will be running back to Boston from New York from a gig just the night before so we have been so very graced by so many artists this year especially by folks that are so willing to travel so far just to be in the house at ROM for their scheduled gig!!  Our thanks going out to each and every one of our features as well as to each and every one of our Supporters of ROM for all you do for OUR wonderful Community of Artist's!!! WE still have plenty more fantastic and upcoming Feature's here as part of ROM -2013!! Please do go to our schedule page on our website, www.roslindaleopenmike.org for all our upcoming Features for this year!!


I do want to mention a couple important date for you to remember. that are coming up very soon.

On Tuesday 8-6-13 from 2-5 my dear Partner and host of Roslindale Open Mike, Mike Delaney (www.mikedelaney.org) will be performing, even possibly with some surprise guests, at the Norwood Farmer's Market, in the Town Common under the lovely Gazebo right in Norwood Ctr, at Nahaton St and Route 1A!!! It is all free and great with a great place to do some shopping for lovely and local foods and items. "Come on Down" as some other Norwood based guy often is heard saying!!!

Also a great afternoon of wonderful artistry will be happening at the Old Manse in Concord and at this point I will let our dear friend of ALL the Arts and friend and mentor to so many of us Ellen Schmidt give you all the specifics!!!

From Ellen:

Sunday August 11^th 2pm – 4pm, 21 members of the Folk Song Society of Greater Boston will perform “Bound for Glory” , a musical tribute to Woody Guthrie in narrative and song, at The Old Manse 269 Monument St. Concord, MA 978-369-3909.  Free concert, weather permitting. The rain date is Saturday August 17^th at 2pm.  You can sit under the tent or bring chairs or blankets and sit outside.  There are a limited number of chairs under the tent, but you may want to bring your own. We expect a good turnout. Chorus sheets will be provided to an audience members who’d like to sing along on the choruses!

I will be at both these events and will hope to see you all as well.

Thanks to each and every one of you do that continue to make ROM what it is, has been and will be re-shaped into the Future to be!!! Hope to C you all soon, Please be Safe, Happy & Healthy and we ALWAYS Love to See you at ROM whether you perform or are part of listening audience!! Also and lastly please remember, we are ALL so very blessed to be surrounded by so many incredible Live Local Music and Spoken Word Venues, Get out there and check them all out even if they fall on a ROM night. You will always be welcome back to ROM!! Go out and see how other venues run their venues and bring back any great idea's you may get from them and talk to Mike or myself or anyone at ROM as we are always open to constructive thought and will always do our best to be fair to all!!!

Happy Everyday to each of you and may the lights of all of your lives continue to shine on & warm the hearts each other  & OUR WORLD!!!

Always, Neal :))))

A most Happy upcoming Father's Day to ALL our Fathers in our Community as well as HAPPY EVERYDAY!! TO ALL!!!

Greetings to ALL my Dear friends of ROM since my last of my series of Very "Infrequent Blogs". There are so many thanks and accolades to pass on I do not know where to start but I will do my best.

Since my Last Blog, Please accept my heartfelt thanks and admiration for our past Features beginning with Roberto and Kathryn who did a stunning job at ROM and are now doing show in NYC and places beyond as they so deserve!!! Thanks to  dear friend Jim Palana who from the very invite to Feature, did accept the Feature at ROM on the basis that ALL the monies that he did collect for his part of his pass the "NOT HAT" would go directly to helping ROM stay on it's feet. Due to Jim's Kind offer, for those of you that may not have been able to join us at ROM recently, we have a brand new Exterior ROM sign, multi-color and really classy that now adorns the outside of the Church of ROM on our ROM nights. This is something I had wanted to get for several years now and it is thanks to Jim Palana for NOT only a Fabulous Feature but also now a brand new sign to help promote ROM to our Community and those that are new as well as those who are  HUGE parts of our always growing ROMulin Community! Thanks Jim!!!
Another HUGE thanks to Gerry Ryan, Charlie Ortolani and Melissa Fleming for a great Feature at ROM and being on heels  of the Boston Marathon Tragedy  brought with their Feature more joy hope and a sense of what we all now know of "Boston Strong"!!!! Ryan , Ortolani and Fleming also donated their Pass the "NOT HAT" to the Church, ROM for whatever we felt was needed and appropriate!! I do want you to know that we did send a large Donation to "ONE FUND BOSTON" in the name of these 3 wonderful people as we felt this would be such a very important and needed time to show our Community at ROM supporting a Community that never should have been and I/we do so hope that this donation along with so much else that has and will continue to go on thru Music, Spoken Word and the Arts in general for ALL this that were in any way affected by the Marathon Day Tragedy.  That being said I do want to add something here that I am so very proud of and that is our most wonderful Host of ROM Mike Delaney, what he always does and continues to do so here are a few words from Mike.


 I'm honored that my "Boston Strong" Song is helping out the One Fund Boston effort for the Boston Marathon victims. A total of 41 artists have donated their efforts for this most worthy project. The compilation includes local favorites David Roth, Chuck Williams, and Colette O'Connor. Please check it out at www.holdonanotherday.org, make a donation, and download the music. I even wrote the title track!

YEAH and thanks so much for your always giving, Mike!!!

Ruthann Baler came along with her most wonderfully talented son Sam Baler, Oen Kennedy and Joe Fredette, what an incredible show we had that night and just so many people continue simply to come and pay tribute to each and every one of you that honor us NOT only as Features but even more so, our very honored and very essential Foundation to our wonderful success at ROM our Open Mike Performers!!!!! Many thanks To Suzanne Mrozak and Brian Cartwright for an incredible show of great Traditional Folk Music and also for bringing out so many and varied different folks in our audience who sang, I do believe along with each and every one of your songs!!!!! To Suzanne & Brian another thank you for your kind gift of your "Pass the NOT HAT" to Roslindale Congregational Church the place we call the Church of ROM for allowing us now well into year 5 of ROM!!! Most recently just this past Monday are great thanks to J. Johnson and Chris Reckling (AKA The Splinters), for a great show that brought all in the house to their feet in both song and dance and just such a most wonderful feel good Feature time!!!  WE are just halfway into our ROM-2013 Season and I cannot thank all our past Features of this and other years as well as all our Features yet to come as part of ROM-2013. Mike & I have been so honored to have each of you so close to us within this tiny place we call ROM WE have another great half a year to come with our next Feature being the Fabulous Bob Bloom who with be a real treat so please come ready to be an active part of this wonderful percussion extrodinare's Feature as he will be bringing things for each one of us to be part of his Feature and as many of you know we always have back up percussion instruments available at ROM for any one to use please do visit Bob Bloom's website as Bob is NOT too local as he is trucking in from Ct. on his Feature night but you will go home with a participatory smile on your face. Visit Bob's website to get an idea of what we are all in for on this wonderful night on 6-24-13. 
www.drumming-about-you.com

Please do take a look at ALL the websites to the right of this Blog as we are blessed with so many wonderful Artist's within our ever growing ROMulin Community!

All That being said, I do want to thanks each & everyone of you for you continue support and kind words and constructive thoughts about ROM throughout these many years now. Each year Mike and I have recd more and more Requests for Features at ROM. Last year I cut off the Feature request's for this year in the latter part of August or September, so recent yet I cannot remember. WE cut it off with close to 180 requests for only 23 Venues. As of this jotting we are just  6 months into our ROM year and have already exceeded 200 requests for Features. This is so totally an honor to both Mike & myself!!! Thank you to all for your non stop interest in ROM. Mike & I try to be as fair as we can when deciding on our always changing but following years Features as well as always open to ROM Format Changes by constructive comments by any and ALL of you. Please feel free to send any of these idea pro or con but Constructive to our Website Homepage, GUESTbook section and feel free to make your thoughts known to our community!!! The most frequently asked question that Mike & I as well as many of your friends may well ask is: How does one get a feature at ROM. Those of you who are part of our ROMulin Community are the example of how one does that. It is quite simple, You come as often as possible to ROM. WE have in the past 5 years had very few repeat Features and I do hope this Blog does explain why that is the case. WE have been so very blessed with folks that seldom step down from a committed Feature as well as an always changing atmosphere within our ROMulin Community. To those of you who have Featured at ROM in the past and since then, may have featured multiple times at other venues, please do understand this is in NO WAY a slight toward YOU but rather a fairness attempt to fill our mere 23 slots with folks that Mike & I ultimately decide are our Choices to Feature for next or any particular year at ROM. WE cannot thank you enough for the Ultimate Tribute you pay us at ROM and that is Showing up, knowing full well, the likelihood of getting another feature at ROM, any time soon, is slim yet you continue to come to enjoy and be part of this most wonderful Community!
 Mike & I will now be cutting off any further requests for ROM-2014. WE always do maintain a back up list for folks that for whatever reason are unable to make it the night of their Feature. Also I did want to let everyone know. Each year at ROM, we restart our ROM Feature request List! This is to NOT to dismiss anyone but to make sure whomever was on the list the year before is still interested.

Thanks for all each and every one of you do to continue to make ROM what it is, has been and will be re-shaped into the Future to be!!! Hope to C you all soon, Please be Safe, Happy & Healthy and we ALWAYS Love to See you at ROM whether you perform or are part of listening audience!! Also and lastly please remember, we are ALL so very blessed to be surrounded by so many incredible Live Local Music and Spoken Word Venues, Get out there and check them all out even if they fall on a ROM night. You will always be welcome back to ROM!! Go out and see how other venues run their venues and bring back any great idea's you may get from them and talk to Mike or myself or anyone at ROM as we are always open to constructive thought and will always do our best to be fair to all!!!

Happy Everday to each of you and may the lights of all of your lives continue to shine on & warm the hearts each other!!!

Always, Neal :))))