The joint was jumpin' this past Saturday night as First Person Singular presented its third benefit show for WriterCoach Connection. Scheduled every year around Valentine's Day, the benefit series is an offering from a cast of regulars from the First Person Singular monthly HOOT! series. This year's WCC benefit was called I'm with Cupid 3: Hearts at Play in Hitsville USA, a folk-music slant on Motown favorites from a group led by First Person Singular founder Joe Christiano and Theresa Kelly, shown here under a full head of steam.
The audience packed the upstairs hall at St. Alban's Episcopal Church in Albany and included plenty of clapping and hooting WCC volunteers, who were showered with appreciation several times by the performers on stage.
First Person Singular donated all proceeds from the evening to WriterCoach Connection, a heartfelt gesture from all the performers and others who helped set up the show and provide refreshments. The result: more than $600 into the WCC coffers to help us keep our writer coaches sitting with students in class for individual writing support.
Talented pianist Joshua Raoul Brody has been a fixture at all three of the First Person Singular benefits for WriterCoach Connection. We could hear him plenty on Saturday night, at the keyboard and on vocals, but he was in the shadows offstage and we couldn't get a good picture of him!
At various points in the show, Dave Tilton (l.) held the spotlight on both guitar and banjo.
With Dave (below) are Wendy Fiering and Tim Kieschnick. Things got even more interesting when Wendy hauled out her double bass and Tim grabbed his trumpet!
The posters for the monthly First Person Singular HOOT! series are singular indeed, prize collectibles from artist Jeff Boozer. They are available at the Pegasus bookstores in Berkeley. Check out the poster below, Jeff's creation for this year's WCC benefit.
Many, many thanks to everyone who came to this event and helped fill the big heart-shaped donation box at the door. We are especially indebted to Reverend Julia Wakelee-Lynch and St. Alban's Episcopal Church, for donating the venue for this year's I'm with Cupid WCC benefit.
And special thanks, of course, go from all of us associated with WCC to our compadres at First Person Singular, for extending that Valentine's Day feeling for everyone in the WriterCoach Connection family!
Bob Menzimer