By Rosemary Conte
originally published: 04/26/2017
Say I’m crazy, but my kitchen can opener whirrs to Bb and might change pitches with each new can. My Betty Crocker blender is a more independent and versatile player in that it whirrs in several keys. My Epson printer emits vocal tones and word phrases with each new document it prints. And don’t get me started on my auto windshield wipers which have kept me in the creative flow as well as the traffic flow through many long rides home from gigs.
Music has been my saving grace, the thread running through every aspect of my challenging life. I learned to reframe what might be scary, boring and annoying. We are all Powerful with a capitol P when we use the enormous potential of our minds. And the reframe, with or without music, along with creative visualizing is a multipurpose tool.
I’ll never forget a reframe I created in 1993, the year the Celestine Prophecy by James Redfield was the book to read for anyone big into a spiritual journey or just curious to find out what was it that could keep a book on the bestseller list for 165 weeks!
I was on a 300 mile, five-hour trip home to Matawan from Utica, NY. It rained all the way. Looking back, I’m fortunate I made it home alive, for I was hypnotized by the rain and the windshield wipers. Both spoke to me and managed my creative flow. During that non-stop trip I spontaneously “wrote” in my head an entire “Broadway” show with six songs based on Redfield’s book. It was “Celestine Prophecy the Musical.” The ideas just poured out of me as powerful as the driving rain; lyrics, melodies and storyline. I think an experience like that is called a miracle. (It doesn’t matter if it wasn’t good. It got me home!)
In no time, I was back in my driveway. It seemed like I was only on the road for an hour! The unconscious mind is a funny thing. I’m a clinical hypnotist and I know that in a very relaxed state dramatic time distortion can occur. And people unknowingly, drive while hypnotized every day. My conscious mind re-engaged as I turned off the engine, and the entire musical---book and songs were lost. That was my first and last composition for the musical theater! And it taught me to always carry a recording device to capture my ideas.
At the hospital recently, I took advantage of my knack for finding music in everything to keep me calm in the MRI tube. I had many MRIs in the past, so I knew what to expect. Focusing on making music would take me away from the close quarters and the clanging and banging of the machine. The technicians always offer headphones and your favorite music radio station, but I’ve learned the sound you’ll get is mostly static, and static is, to me, more upsetting than the noise of the machine. Reframe to the rescue!
I closed my eyes and took myself to a music hall where a large salsa orchestra was playing. I was at the imaginary WBGO FM radio Latin Jazz Cruise. Listening to the clang and bang I found rhythm that would take me away from the reality that I was in an MRI tube for which I was too wide! As I recognized the repeating patterns of clangs and bangs, they became percussion instruments and exotic sounding drums and cymbals. As rhythms changed, my melodies changed. The tube was my playground for 35 minutes.
Composers and songwriters have always been inspired by sounds and sights in nature and experiences of everyday life. As for me, I feel a kinship with the great violinist Itzhak Perlman who found he could make music with his VitaMix blender. Enjoy here his video performance on blender filmed in his kitchen.
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Singer/songwriter Evening In The Round
Saturday, November 07, 2026 @ 7:30pm
Lizzie Rose Music Room
217 E. Main Street, Tuckerton, NJSomething Special a round robin evening of music featuring a group of the finest singer/songwriter from our local area who come together for this one of a kind show not be missed
Freestyle Takeover 3
Saturday, November 07, 2026 @ 7:00pm
Carteret Performing Arts & Events Center
46 Washington Ave, Carteret, NJStarring Cynthia, The Jets, George Lamond, Johnny O, Nyasia, Denine and hosted by Dom G! Freaturing Dare Goes Da DJzz. After-Party available for additional fee. (Must purchase a show ticket to buy the After Party ticket)
The Righteous Brothers: Lovin’ Feelin’ Farewell Tour
Sunday, November 08, 2026 @ 3:00pm
Mayo Performing Arts Center (MPAC)
100 South Street, Morristown, NJBlue-eyed soul pioneers The Righteous Brothers are back! With a string of #1 clas-sics, including the most played song in radio history,
You’ve Lost
That Lovin’ Fee/in’, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame duo of Bill Medley and Bobby Hatfield topped the charts in four decades. After Bobby’s death in 2003, Bill Medley con-tinued to perform to sold-out crowds around the world, but fans and friends pleaded with him to keep The Righteous Brothers alive.
Beat: Belew/vai/levin/bozzio Performing The Music Of King Crimson
Monday, November 09, 2026 @ 8:00pm
NJPAC - Prudential Hall
1 Center Street, Newark, NJFollowing more than 100 acclaimed performances across North and South America, Europe, and Japan, BEAT returns this fall for the last North American tour. Former King Crimson members Adrian Belew and Tony Levin are joined by guitar virtuoso Steve Vai and legendary drummer Terry Bozzio to perform the music of the three landmark 1980s King Crimson albums—Discipline, Beat, and Three of a Perfect Pair.
Joe Russo's Almost Dead
Thursday, November 12, 2026 @ 7:30pm
State Theatre New Jersey
15 Livingston Avenue, New Brunswick, NJJoe Russo's Almost Dead is Marco Benevento, Dave Dreiwitz, Tom Hamilton, Scott Metzger and Joe Russo. We're a Grateful Dead cover band.
EVENT PREVIEWS
Rick Steves Joins New Jersey Symphony for a Symphonic Journey Through Europe
(MORRISTOWN, NJ) -- Guidebook author and public television host Rick Steves joins New Jersey Symphony November 7–8, 2026 for Rick Steves' Europe: A Symphonic Journey, a concert that pairs Europe's most stirring Romantic-era anthems with high-definition travel footage and Steves' insights into European history.
Albert Music Hall to Celebrate Pinelands Folklore with Annual Jersey Devil Show on Saturday
(WARETOWN, NJ) -- Halloween may have come and gone, but the Jersey Devil is always lurking in the Pines! On Saturday, November 7, 2026, Albert Music Hall will celebrate one of New Jersey's most enduring legends with its annual Jersey Devil Show, an evening combining live music, storytelling, and the rich folklore of the New Jersey Pinelands.
The Newton Theatre presents Puss N Boots featuring Norah Jones, Sasha Dobson, and Catherine Popper
(NEWTON, NJ) -- The Newton Theatre presents Puss N Boots featuring Norah Jones, Sasha Dobson, and Catherine Popper on Sunday, November 8, 2026 at 7:00pm.
Grunin Center's "Jazz on a Sunday Afternoon" Celebrates 100 Years of Louis Armstrong's Hot Five Recordings
(TOMS RIVER, NJ) -- The Jay and Linda Grunin Center for the Arts' "Jazz on a Sunday Afternoon" series brings a century of jazz history to the stage this fall with a celebration of Louis Armstrong's groundbreaking Hot Five recordings, featuring trumpeter Andrew Stephens on Sunday, November 8, 2026 at 3:00pm.
U.K. Folk Trio, The Longest Johns, to Perform at The Vogel
(RED BANK, NJ) -- U.K. folk trio The Longest Johns will perform at the Vogel on Sunday, November 8, 2026. They are are known the world over for their rollicking harmonies and raucous energy, blowing new wind into the sails of traditional sea shanties and work songs. They are on a U.S. tour to support their latest release End of the Earth. Showtime is 7:00pm.
State Theatre New Jersey and Relix present Joe Russo's Almost Dead
(NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ) -- State Theatre New Jersey and Relix present Joe Russo's Almost Dead on Thursday, November 12, 2026 at 7:30pm. The band was formed in Brooklyn, NY in 2013. While they are a Grateful Dead cover band, they are known more for interpreting songs by the Dead rather than attempting to replicate the band's work.
NJPAC presents Gregory Porter with special guests Madeleine Peyroux and Catherine Russell
(NEWARK, NJ) -- With a voice that can fill a concert hall and make every listener feel personally embraced, Gregory Porter has become one of the most beloved artists in contemporary jazz. On Friday, November 13, 2026 at 8:00pm, the two-time GRAMMY® winner returns to the New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC) with special guests Madeleine Peyroux and Catherine Russell for an evening of soulful expression, exquisite storytelling and remarkable vocal artistry, presented as part of the TD James Moody Jazz Festival.
Forte Piano Music Company presents Exquisite Contrasts: Haydn & Schubert Piano Trios
(PARAMUS, NJ) -- The Forte Piano Music Company presents a Piano Trio Concert - "Exquisite Contrasts" - Haydn & Schubert on Sunday, November 15, 2026 at 2:30pm. This program brings together two landmarks of the piano trio repertoire, revealing the evolution of the genre from the Classical era to early Romanticism.
Mahwah Museum Hosts "Les Paul from Start to Finish" with Jim Wysocki
(MAHWAH, NJ) -- Come to the Mahwah Museum on Sunday, November 15, 2026 for a discussion of a 29-year friendship, rare memorabilia, and the story behind Les Paul's home with Mahwah Mayor Jim Wysocki from his nearly three-decade friendship with legendary musician and inventor Les Paul. The event begins at 2:00pm.
Princeton Folk Music Society presents Kate Taylor
(PRINCETON, NJ) — The Princeton Folk Music Society presents Kate Taylor on Friday, November 20, 2026 in an evening of upbeat and bubbling song filled with enthusiasm and love. The concert takes place at Christ Congregation Church in Princeton. Showtime is 8:00pm. A livestream option is available as well.
