Photo: @brianwertheim
The arts are not a way to make a living. They are a very human way of making life more bearable. Practicing an art, no matter how well or badly, is a way to make your soul grow, for heaven’s sake. Sing in the shower. Dance to the radio. Tell stories. Write a poem to a friend, even a lousy poem. Do it as well as you possible can. You will get an enormous reward. You will have created something.
Me / Brooklyn, NY / 1.12.2013
Oliver Jeffers Author Video 2013
Manasseh David Israel | Oh Elizah | Big Old Big One
A little something I did two summers ago. My hair was long.
All My Heart Could Sing
Last Wednesday 11.28 I had the sweet honor of being part of a songwriters night in Boston called The Thing. We got together nine songwriters, all playing on each others songs, and all chipping in artistically in different ways.
One of the songs I sung was ‘All My Heart Could Sing’. I’ve never played this one and had so many friends singing harmonies on the chorus. My friend John accompanied with sweet nothings on the electric guitar, and another new friend, Deni, graced us all with her high lines on the keys. It was beautiful to have other people add their voices, and ideas to my music, and also to be able to contribute to theirs, hence the honor that I feel.
Take a listen, there are some others to check out too. And thank you as always for listening to my music and the adventures I’ve been on.
Much love,
- Manasseh
Recovery: A Short Story by Two Cousins
My cousin Dina visited my brother Cabell and I in Boston for Thanksgiving this week. It was wonderful having her over. She looks so much like our mom, her being with us was like homesick medication. Before taking her to the airport this morning we stopped into Thinking Cup on the Boston Common for a quick couple cups of coffee. Whilst sipping away Dina and I played a literary game of air hockey with my phone and wrote this short story.
Me: The sun rose
Dina: A girl woke up
M: To music from Chopin on the radio
D: The coffee in the table was hot
M: And her windows were open
D: She likes the mornings but not this morning
M: But the sound of the ocean floating in on a cool breeze eases her mind
D: And Remains her home , but this wasn't her home
M: And then, the accident
D: The car , the crash and the silence
M: The pain in her legs every morning
D: And scars in her heart, still bleeding
M: Knowing that he is no longer there
D: And she will never see him again
M: : There is a knock at the door
D: She don't want to answer
M: Knock, knock, knock, knock
D: Who is this? And what they want? She wondered
M: A voice through the window "It's your mother, I know you're home"
D: The sound of her voice makes her relax and think that everything will be ok ... Someday
M: The End.
SHOW: THE THING | 11.28
From the people who brought you “New Sh*t”, comes a brand new show.
Come to The Loft (921 Boylston St. Boston, MA) at 8:30pm on November 28th to hear beautiful sounding things from:
Bigfoot Wallace
Paige Chaplin
Manasseh Israel
Chris West
Deni Hlavinka
Jilian Medford
Kevin Erskine
Hadley Kennary
Selina Elsie
Featuring: Adam Kronowski, Parker McAnnally, Alec Alabado, and Tim Reynolds.
Tacombi: Best tacoria in NYC.
Hurricane Sandy has turned this afternoon into an exploration of the great indoors. Which means I’ve been wandering through the photos I took this past summer and making little discoveries here and there that I’d like to share. Sidenote: All the cafe’s in Boston are closed - except for Thinking Cup - which I hear will be open until 6PM. I’ll have to stop there for some beans after this…Anyway, onward.
Nearly every time I visit New York my friends and I make it a point to stop by this little mexican restaurant in SoHo called Tacombi. Being from the West Coast, and having a mom from Mexico I can say, with what I feel is a good bit of authority, that finding solid mexican food in the North East is not the easiest of tasks. Boston has probably two that are really good but neither that I’d ever drive 4 hours for - not that I’d actually do that, but you get what I’m saying. As is the case with many things we search for, some good things just take a little while to find, the advice of a friend, the unpredictable butterfly effects of a storm.
On my most recent visit to NYC I took this photo after ordering a few of my favorites from the menu: the quesadillas and the crispy fish taco’s. If you ever find yourself in the area and craving authentic mexican food, take a visit, tell your friends.
