Welcome

Welcome to the website for Rick Drost, a Singer/Songwriter based in Cambridge, MA.  Here you'll find
- Schedule information, 
- Recent tunes with lyrics,  
- Photos -both of performances that kind folks have contributed, and some that I try to collect whenever I go someplace to sing.
- There's Biographical information, Contact Information, A mailing list if you're interested.
- I'll try to post infrequent musings on various subjects in the blog.

Mostly, enjoy the tunes - i write slowly; hopefully the tunes reward repeated listening.
Thanks for dropping by.

For Valentine's Day - From Public Garden Swans to All Lovers 

A while ago the Boston Globe published a story on the swans in the Public Garden.  It turns out that the swans, known the world over as Romeo and Juliet,  are in fact two females, and even hetero swan couples trade off on the normal gender-related roles.   I went down to meet the swans, fell in love with their easy tranquility and their exquisite surroundings. I visited them morning, noon, and evening, (it was summer) and wrote them this valentine, Juli and Romy.

Here's the MP3 Turning the World, released last year.

Juli and Romy from "Turning the World"; John Shain production; Kaitlin Grady Cello

 Happy Valentine's day, all!

 

 

Dad Built us a Freezer 

My father Wilfred passed on on Feb 11 at 96, in a nursing home in Atlanta where he was well cared for.  Many of the family sang songs at his Memorial service, but there was more to this man than love of music. This note started in one of my "daily writings" a year ago; I'm hoping it captures some of Dad's character, his positive problem-solving character and love of life and family.

Dad Built us a Freezer 

What can you do in 1953 with Oak and Masonite and Aluminum Sheeting and Cork and Copper Tubing and an old used compressor and a lot of know-how? 
Build a freezer for your family in your basement. 

My father was an engineer, a  master of know-how. For work he designed and built equipment to implement chemical processes - processes as diverse as fabricating star sapphires and rubies to making little beads of treated clay that keep your refrigerator coolant dry and your double pane windows clear. Dad worked for Linde Air Products, which got its start cooling, liquefying  and separating air into its components. Freezers of all sizes abounded there, as well as good people to learn from. 

Since family came first, here's my guess about how this started in his mind. "Wow, this refrigeration equipment is actually pretty simple. Just an insulated box with cooling coils and a compressor. If I could build one in for the basement Mom could put up food from the garden and local orchards that we love in the summer, and we could buy food in bulk too and keep it in there, and have it all winter." 
So he built from scratch a home freezer (we called it a deep freeze) which ran in the basement from about 1954 until they moved to Alabama in 1968.  So for the forty days and forty nights of the snowy Buffalo winter we (Mom, Dad, Paul, Rickey, Martha, Barbie, and later Ellen) had strawberries, steaks, venison, quick frozen fish, green beens, even corn on the cob from that freezer. I have no idea what the people who bought the house thought of it. It certainly didn't look like anything Betty Furness would have advertised. 

It was a large box, in cubits, roughly 5 long by 3 high by 2.5 deep. (maybe 8' by 4.5' by 3.5' ), Masonite painted white on the outside on a frame of varnished oak. I remember him showing us when he placed the dark, creosote-y smelling cork blocks inside for insulation; he even let me put one in. Then it was lined with aluminum sheeting. Then copper cooling coils, all around inside, about halfway up, and a copper quick-freeze plate on the left end.  I don't remember where the coils were fabricated. He probably had a friend from the lab make them to spec in HIS home workshop; he might have done it all while we were sleeping, at least assembling it from parts.  He could handle all kinds of torches to at least do finish fitting on the coils. Rubber gaskets sealed it all around the frame at the top.  The top was the same composition as the box itself, Hinged, not spring loaded at all.   There was a big cast iron ring in the center of the top.  It took us two boys to open it - one would start lifting it with the ring, standing on the step of 2x8 that he'd built running the length of the box, the other caught it and lifted from the top of the basement steps to push the top to the back wall.   Same way back down. Always with care.  The compressor was a huge thing looking like it might have come from Carl von Linde's workshop.  It was outboard of the box under the back basement stairs, with a trap door cut in the top platform for maintenance access. I only remember one time we had to maintain that compressor.  They don't make anything like they used to. The steps of the stairs were also all hinged to make storage for all the kids' winter boots and skates. 

Elementary and Junior high summers, then, the boys had a popsicle business out of the freezer. Dad had found moulds, showed us how to mix Koolaid, cut and smooth sticks from dowels and tongue depressors. At peak times we'd set the alarm for 1am, go down there to wrap one batch and reload the moulds, getting up early so we could repeat the exercise before school. We sold them on our bikes around the neighborhood for 2c and 3c for the larger ones. Bought Koolaid and raw materials for sticks with the proceeds. Dad estimated what we would have to pay for the electric to get the freezing done, but I don't think we ever paid but once. Or made any real money. But the goodwill of the business might have kept us out of some neighborhood water balloon wars. 

There were other do-it-yourself projects that yielded things that kept us kids occupied and amused - the little boats for the boys made from 50 gallon oil drum cut in half. The pump and pump house down by the creek, with buried lines with which we kept the garden and the flowers watered, the Cable Car strung down the hill between the big oaks, which let us send rocks and other materials down the hill to the creek and garden level in a wheelbarrow harness, and gave us rides sometimes, the tow rope hanging from the big oak down by the creek which we could swing on, the archery butt against the hill behind the house. 

All these things he showed us gave us confidence we could figure out how to do things and find help getting them done that could improve our lives.  Dad didn't do it expecting praise. He never stood on a hilltop saying "I built a freezer", "I made star sapphires", "I can play Claire de Lune". He just continued producing things of utility and beauty to improve the lives of people around him, and  enjoying every moment of it all that he could take in.

Turning the World: CD
  • Turning the World: CD

Turning the World: CD

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$15.00

Turning the World, Rick Drost's debut solo album, represents a lifetime of Rick's songwriting and storytelling. The songs deal with jilted lovers, an iconic swan couple in Boston's Public Garden, leftover lobsters, home & family, and hope.

Produced by Jon Shain and engineered by FJ Ventre, (Durham, NC) who add guitars and basses to Rick's

Turning the World, Rick Drost's debut solo album, represents a lifetime of Rick's songwriting and storytelling. The songs deal with jilted lovers, an iconic swan couple in Boston's Public Garden, leftover lobsters, home & family, and hope.

Produced by Jon Shain and engineered by FJ Ventre, (Durham, NC) who add guitars and basses to Rick's fingerpicked guitar and vocals on most tracks; Guest musicians include Kaitlin Grady (cello), Ed Butler (percussion), pianist and composer Doug Hammer (piano), Chris Frank (accordion,soprano sax) and Bill Newton (harmonica) Turning the World - Tracks

(Rick: Guitar and Vocals, all tracks; FJ Ventre Basses, all tracks) 1. Don't Remember Train (3:37) - started in a dream; Rick hasn't awakened yet; percussion; 2. Turning the World (4:52) - Starts in the Australian outback, comes around the world and back home; a song for peace, and listening to each other; cello. 3. Old Player Piano (4:26) - dedication to playing music; nostalgia and beyond. Piano, Accordion 4. Wyethstown (4:39) - from the standpoint of a woman coming of age in the Boston valley area of Western New York, ca. 1850; cello 5. Got a Little Corner (3:35) - faux-country song from a jilted lover to his rival. Harmonica; FJ and Jon Vocal backup 6. Pictures on the Wall (4:37) - a song of letting go, or not. guitars, bass, piano 7. Revendon (4:30) - an ode to misspent youth; bowed bass, piano 8. Lucky Lobster Rag (4:00) - Celebration of Whole Foods' (imagined) treatment of live lobsters they decided it was immoral to sell. Soprano Sax; percussion; Jon and FJ the "lobster chorus" 9. Juli and Romy (4:37) - Valentine to the pair of female swans in the Boston Public Garden, known the world over as Romeo and Juliet. cello; accordion 10. Still Point (5:01) - an ode to meditation - where it comes from, how it starts, how useful it is. Piano, Bass 11. Buffalo (3:01) - semiautobiographical rocker, with Jon: Guitar, Doug:Piano; Ed: percussion 12. Seasons Search 5:38 - Rick's Saga Song; Jon: mood guitar, Kaitlin: cello; FJ: bass and keyboards

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The Loop is a showcase of singer-songwriters from the Boston area and beyond. It is normally held each month on the 3rd Thursday of the month. Four Performers play 30 minute sets . Formerly held at Arts at the armory in Somerville, the show is now Online until further notice . We encourage performers to present their original music to our listening audience. The monthly shows are run in turn by Linda Marks and Rick Drost, and other volunteers. Mark Abare is massively helpful with tech issues, monitoring, and chats during the event.
 On show nights we arrive at 6.30, do final sound checks etc. We go live at 7. We do the four sets, and usually say a brief group goodbye to the audience and to each other at the end. I’ll Host. Mark Abare of the Hearing Room, now WWHR - Internet Media fame will cohost , working the tech magic

I use Streamyard for the broadcast so the show appears on “The Loop at the Armory” group page:
 https://www.facebook.com/groups/605186336292335 and on “The Loop at the Armory” YouTube channel
 https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5pvJk8 and be archived in both places.

Happy to host again (and sing) at this ongoing Third Thursday online showcase with four songwriters singing half hour sets. Here's who's playing::

Marci Geller - marcigeller.com - Long Island, NY Deb Seymour - debseymourmusic.com - Seattle WA Mowesby - mowesby.com - Leominster, MA Rick Drost - rickdrostsongs.com - Cambridge, MA

Mark Abare cohosts and helps with the tech;

Details on the performers:

Marci Geller

Long Island based Marci Geller describes herself as a Songwriter-Singer, “because the song always comes first”. She’s played on many TV stations and channels, festivals, and listening rooms around the country. Marci recently re-emerged after taking a 1 ½ year hiatus since experiencing the agonizing loss of her parents and father-in-law within eight months. Depression, insomnia and other health challenges ensued. “Thankfully, the music kept coming, so writing and recording gave me a sense of purpose when social anxiety dug its claws into me.”

On March 1, 2023 she went live on social media unannounced, and performed a short set. Within minutes she was flooded with hundreds of well wishes and accolades. “Baby-steps sounds trite. It’s more like scaling a mountain without any gear…and as always, knowing that it is exactly what I was put here for.”

Credentials include being twice named an “Editor’s Choice” as a top songwriter twice by Independent Songwriter Magazine. Has performed on Live! with Regis, Good Day NY and CNN Worldbeat, and music can be heard on ABC Family, MTV, VH-1, PBS, A&E, Discovery Channel, USA Network and others. Toured for two years as the support act and backup vocalist for Blackmore’s Night.

She has shared the stage with luminaries Christine Lavin, James Maddock, Vance Gilbert, (Maddock and Gilbert appear on Open Book). Official Showcase Artist at Sync Summit and Durango Songwriters Expo. Has released seven full-length albums on Sonic Underground, the label she co-founded with Husband/Producer/Engineer Gianni DiMauro. Writes and produces for Kora Music Group/Ocelot Publishing for the Asian market, as well as Sync Agencies PanFurWare LLC and For Goodness Sync.

website: marcigeller.com

Deb Seymour

Hitch-hiking chickens? Tango-dancing Martians? Colonoscopies? Seattle singer-songwriter Deb Seymour sings about them all!  Her whimsical, off-beat subjects, clever turns of phrase, and consummate guitar picking will tickle your funny bone and pull the heartstrings, keeping the audience touched by wit and wisdom.

Deb plays locally at festivals, cafes, and wineries in Washington State. She also tours nationally 3-5 months a year, playing Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, Arizona, California and Utah in 2022   Seymour has four CDs of original work out on the Herkimer Productions label.  She also simulcasts her popular livestream, "Brunch W/ Deb" on her Facebook and YouTube channels every Sunday, whether on the road or not.  Her fans call themselves "Deb-Heads" and tune in from USA , Canada, UK, Germany, Israel and Australia

Website: debseymourmusic.com

Mowesby

Mowesby (the pen name of singer-songwriter Matt Sowersby) creates thoughtful, genuine, contemporary folk songs. He has been playing guitar since he was 9 years old and studied classical guitar in college. Inspired by indie folk, post rock, and prog rock giants like Bon Iver, Sigur Ros, and Pink Floyd, Mowesby’s music transports listeners into a world where syncopated rhythms weave through emotive vocals, creating a sense of intimacy and engagement between the artist and his audience. The way Mowesby holds emotion and intention in his earnest, layered vocals and stripped-down instrumentation will also remind some listeners of connections to contemporary folk artists like José Gonzalez, Novo Amor, and even some early Death Cab for Cutie records. A skilled multi-instrumentalist, Sowersby’s recordings often combine varied sonic textures, incorporating acoustic and electronic elements to create his characteristic layered, dynamic sound.  In January 2020, just before the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, Sowersby released his first album Go Forward, which has been described as a “soul-searching journey” both “atmospheric and poppy” by J.J. Thayer of Divide and Conquer. The album was recorded at home by Sowersby himself and touches on topics like love, depression, our impact on the world, and the process of confronting fear. The tracks comprising Go Forward were written over the course of more than a decade, bringing Sowersby’s teenage self into conversation with his adult self, now navigating his early 30s.   Sowersby currently resides in Leominster, MA, with his wife and two cats, Simon and Garfunkel. Mowesby’s music can be found streaming on Spotify and all major platforms. Website: https://linktr.ee/mowesby Rick Drost Rick Drost writes and sings songs with depth and heart, songs that repay repeated listening and convey a long love of classical music, natural wonders, poetry. His songs treat life from a varied angles - Jilted lovers, swans in the Public Garden, leftover lobsters, and meditations on meditation. Longtime inspiration came from Joni Mitchell and Leonard Cohen; Originally from Western New York, Rick travels from Cambridge, MA to sing at coffeehouses, house concerts,  small festivals and Folk Alliance Events from New England, to Colorado to the Southeast.
Website: www.rickdrostsongs.com

Jul10

Dar Williams Retreat - Chester CT

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The Guest House - Chester CT

Returning for the July version of Dar Williams' "Many stars that Guide Us" Songwriting retreat in Chester CT.

Dar and the instructors and the participant analyze songs, provide songwriting tips and sing in Song Circles. Always a vibrant crew of folks from all over the country.

If interested go to darwilliamsretreat.com