An American Songline

Journeys in Vintage Music with Cecelia Otto

Main navigation

Blog

Summary of Eastern Pennsylvania (Philadelphia and Surroundings)

by

Hi all!

I apologize for the delay in posting. I was in an area of Pennsylvania where internet access was hard to come by for most of the week. Combine that with hearing about the loss of a dear old friend/American Songline supporter and two performances this past weekend, I now have the time to update you on my travels.  Expect a lot of posts over the next few days, and then I’ll go back to a more weekly schedule on here.

I was in the Philadelphia area for about a week, and I loved my time there. It was my first time in the area, and I have to say I was pleasantly surprised. The neighborhoods in Philly and the surrounding areas are quirky, fun, and there’s plenty to see and do. I look forward to performing there in the future, and I have to give a big thanks to my hosts Dot and Zosia for making my stay an unforgettable one. I can’t wait to come back!

I’ll write a separate post about The General Warren Inne (where I performed) in my next post, but in the interim here’s some photo highlights from my time in Philadelphia:

Inaccessible part of the Lincoln Highway near Langhorne, PA
The Poquessing Creek Bridge was built in the 1805 and was used in the original 1913 LH route until the bypass was created in the early 1920s. Note the mix of brick and old concrete with the stone bridge.
Side of the Poquessing Creek Bridge.
The Divine Loraine Hotel has a fascinating past. Built between 1892-1894, this building on the Lincoln Highway housed some of Philadelphia’s Wealthy in the early years, and then became the first hotel in the city to be racially integrated. Today it is not in use.
One of my many headstones found in Valley Forge Cemetery. While not directly on the Lincoln Highway, Valley Forge National Park should not be missed. It is truly a beautiful place to see our country’s history.
These stained glass windows tell the story of George Washington’s life at Washington Memorial Chapel (Valley Forge). It is biggest non-religious dedication in this medium.
The tour guide told me his favorite artwork in the Washington Memorial Chapel was the hand made iron gate in front of the chapel. Here’s a close up of that gate.
My view of the Liberty Bell (only a couple blocks off the LH route in downtown Philly). While it is free to get in, you have to wait a long time to see it.
This is the site where an old Lincoln Highway concrete marker was in Malvern, PA. As you can see by the fresh dirt, this change happened recently. The yellow marker notes a gas pipeline is now going through here.
Mural on Fairmont Street in the Arts District in Philadelphia.

Thanks again for all of your support over the last few weeks and I hope things are going well on your path, wherever it may be.

Cece’s First Visit to New Jersey

by

I can’t honestly believe I’ve now been on the road with this tour for about ten days now. Some things feel like they happened weeks ago, other things seconds ago. No matter what the feelings I’ve had the last several days, the common denominator is this:

I have never been to New Jersey before. Ever.

This part of the trip is completely unfamiliar to me. Which makes everything that much more exciting and nerve-wracking all at the same time.

I’d like to say that New Jersey doesn’t fulfill all of the stereotypes I’ve seen on TV all these years, but there’s a little truth to everything isn’t there? There’s both good and bad in everywhere you go, and no place is perfect. In my roughly 45 mile drive from Weehawken (right across from Manhattan) to Princeton, I saw a lot of things that fell into that nasty stereotype.  I’ve driven in a lot of places around the world, and I can honestly say that I’ve seen more aggressive driving here than anywhere else I’ve ever driven-hands down. Those first 20 miles in New Jersey right outside of New York City were incredibly depressing and bleak. But on the other hand, Princeton, New Jersey is a beautiful college town. Lovely people and picturesque places make this well worth a stop if you venture out this way. I was lucky to be here when the all of the trees were flowering, and it just elevated the experience to a whole other level.

Driving this part of the Lincoln is not easy-you now have fair warning if you didn’t know it already. Compared to other states, it’s not as well marked. I relied on Jerry’s paper guide (see the previous New York post) and my GPS to tell me where I was. What dawned on me while I was getting lost in Newark was that 100 years ago, this would have been the main route for people to follow of just a handful of routes that existed. On some levels, it might have been easier to follow the road a century ago (that’s if you car didn’t break down).

On that note, I did have a minor emergency while in Princeton with my car. My trunk latch broke (eek), but luckily I was able to get it fixed right away (no rope needed). I guess everyone has a car story for their cross country road trip, let’s hope I got mine out of the way.

I finished driving through New Jersey yesterday afternoon, and am now in the Philadelphia area for the next week. Here’s some of my New Jersey pictures I wanted to share with you all. Enjoy, and keep finding the songs and roads wherever they take you!

View of Manhattan from Weehawken, New Jersey.

 

Picture of downtown Newark, on the 1913 route.
Phonograph collection at the Edison museum, Edison NJ. All of the records played too!
This Uncle Sam would tap dance while the 78 played-pretty cool!
Me, Andrew Sotomayor (my accompanist for both the NY and NJ shows), and Albert Einstein at the Bainbridge House in Princeton, New Jersey.
For all of the hardcore buffs out there, the Historical Society let me take a look at the Department of Interior’s Lincoln Highway Book.
The only surviving Lincoln Highway marker in New Jersey is in Princeton, right across from the street by Carnegie Lake.
Front view of the LH marker.
This graffiti was on a shed right on Carnegie Lake. I thought it was quote that had to be shared.
Front of the Bainbridge House in Princeton, a house that has been standing since 1766. This is the building where I performed my concert on the 19th-what a great space to sing in!
Flowering tree path. I found these trees while spending an afternoon walking around Princeton University.
Interesting building along the route in Trenton, NJ.
View of the Capitol building in Trenton NJ from the PA side.
Built in 1884, the Calhoun Street Bridge truly takes you back in time as you go across it. That 15 mph speed limit is definitely enforced-it’s one of the most narrow bridges I’ve been across in a car.
Signs posted when entering the bridge-all for good reason. I would definitely not want to bring a horse on this bridge, ha ha!
Lincoln Highway Sign on the PA side of the Calhoun Street Bridge.

New York Wrap Up

by

It’s my last night here in New York City, and the time has flown. This experience in New York was an amazing start to this trip, but there’s 13 more states to go and there’s a lot left to see and experience.

For those of you that do not know, the Lincoln Highway is not very long in New York (around a mile). It starts in Times Square and heads West on 42nd street. Because it’s such a narrow strip and there’s much to see  in that short distance, I walked this strip of the road so I could get some better pictures.

Here’s some photo highlights of my walk:

View of one side of Times Square from the 22nd floor.
This is just one part of the Lincoln Highway display that  Jerry Peppers (New York State director) has. Look at the business card-you may recognize it from somewhere! :)
This is me sitting at Jerry’s Desk-you can see Times Square behind me.
Fun with the Naked Cowboy-a famous and long standing performer in Times Square.
New York Director Jerry Peppers poses with the post that will eventually mark the Eastern Terminus of the Lincoln Highway. For those of you who have seen “A Ride Along the Lincoln Highway”, this is the same poster he used for that documentary.
Here’s me with the Eastern Terminus Sign.
This Lamp Post on 42nd Street marks the start of the Lincoln Highway.
Here’s a great photo of Jerry and I. A big thank you to him for all of his support on this tour so far. He’s a great guy, and if you are in the area and want to learn about the Lincoln, definitely reach out to him!
Jerry was nice enough to give me this turn-by-turn guide to drive the Lincoln in both New York and New Jersey. Where GPS fails, paper succeeds.
Right off 42nd Street and along the Lincoln, the New Amsterdam Theatre was an important theatre in this country during the 20’s and 30’s.
Love this old sign for the Lincoln Tunnel (modern detour for the highway, originally ferries shuttled cars back and forth on 42nd Street).
View from Pier 83, the pier that originally shuttled the cars from New York to New Jersey 100 years ago. Today the pier has boats that do sightseeing tours.
Found this place dating back to 1909 within a block of the Lincoln Highway. Empire coffee and Tea has great stuff-go check then out!
Found this building along 42nd Street that looks like it could be from a century ago. It was dwarfed by all of the new high rise buildings surrounding it.
I took dozens of pictures in Times Square, but this one at dusk was one of the best pictures. It was amazing to watch the square change from day to night.

I’ll be heading to Princeton, NJ tomorrow, and plan to take more photos as I go along the way.  Stay tuned for more updates, and keep spreading the word!

First Performance April 13th: New York City

by

Yesterday’s kickoff performance in Manhattan was a great success. I had a few nerves of course, but overall the experience was exhilarating. I want to thank everyone who came out and supported me. Your laughter and participation in the sing-along was awesome!

Today was pretty much a recovery day for me. After traveling for two days on Wednesday and Thursday, rehearsal on Friday, and performance Saturday, I needed a small break to relax before getting back at it again. Dan flew back home this morning, and I’ve enjoyed my day relaxing with my old friends Mark and Michelle, taking in the view of the city from their window:

View of Manhattan from Brooklyn. You can see the Brooklyn bridge in this picture as well as the bottom of the Manhattan Bridge at the top of the photo.

What’s on deck for the next couple days? I plan on getting some pictures of the one mile stretch of the Lincoln Highway here in New York and sharing those with you all, as well as anything else that comes to mind in on my journey. I’ve got 13 more states to go, so keep spreading the word! There’s no turning back now on this project, and I’m glad to have you all along for the ride.

Until then, keep following your Songlines wherever they take you, and I hope to see you on the road!

Pre-Depature Thoughts

by

At this time next week, I’ll be standing in New York City. My rehearsal for the inaugural performance at the Duplex Cabaret will be finished, and then I’ll have some down time before I perform my first show on the 13th. I can’t call it the “calm before the storm” because it won’t be that negative. It will be be more of a “pause before the whirlwind”. But I know it will be a great whirlwind – it will all go so fast.

I’ve been researching this travelogue as well as rehearsing/living with this the music for years, and there’s a part of me that honestly can’t believe I’ll be actually be doing this tour. I’ve been corresponding with people in New York and New Jersey for months who are now writing “See you soon-literally!” My mind is definitely blown on so many levels to read these words and know it will actually be true very soon.

There will be amazing and not-so-amazing points on this journey, but I know that’s what this is all about. I look forward to this road ahead of me, and I’m so grateful for all of your wonderful wishes and thoughts for this project.

Have a great weekend-and I hope to see you on the road!

We did it! Success on Kickstarter, Podcast interview, plus more updates

by

It’s been one month since I last posted. Thanks to many you, all funds have been raised on my Kickstarter campaign which means I do not have charge admission to any of my historic concerts on this tour. Again, I thank you all for making this project a big success.

In the last month, the awareness has grown about the project by leaps and bounds which is wonderful! I’ve been featured in a few places this month online, and I wanted to share all of those links with you.

1) My podcast interview with Jon Grayson with Ovenight America is now available online for your listening pleasure. Our 20 minute conversation about this project as well as early 20th Century American Music is definitely worth a listen when you have time.

2) Roadside Author Brian Butko featured my project in a blog post on his Lincoln Highway News website. If you are interested in anything related to this road, you should definitely follow his blog too.

3) Last but not least, Jamie from My Lincoln Highway has been mentioning the project on her website since day one of the campaign. Another great website dedicated to “The Father Road”, Jamie walks different sections of the highway taking beautiful photo essays of what she sees.

I’ll be featured in more media as time goes on, so check back on my website Press page to see it all.

Thank you again for being a part of history, and I hope to see you on the road this year!

American Songline is Live on Kickstarter! Please Help My Project Become a Success

by

It’s official! My Project is live on Kickstarter for the next 30 days, and I need your help to make this all happen.

For those of you who don’t know what Kickstarter is, it’s a great way to help people raise funds for projects that matter to them most. From art projects to science research, it’s a fantastic way for people to help a cause directly with no middle person. You can pledge starting in $1 increments, and if you pledge certain amounts you will get a reward from me as a ‘Thank You’ for your help if my overall goal is met. It’s an all or nothing thing with this, so if I don’t meet my goal, no one will get the rewards/have funds taken out.

To donate, please click here

Thank you again for your help in advance, and please tell your friends about it! The more people know about this, the better chance I have or reaching my goal.

–Cece

Song of the week: “I’m Always Chasing Rainbows”

by

This week’s song is one of greatest pop standards in American culture. “I’m Always Chasing Rainbows” was first recorded in 1918, and many, many people have recorded this vaudeville hit over the years. The melody is based on Chopin’s Fantaisie-Impromptu in c-sharp minor, which was originally composed in 1834.

The popular music of America prior to 1918 doesn’t generally show much sadness or melancholy in its lyrics, but with the advent of World War I, you start to see the songs change. Lyrics of about missing/losing a loved one unexpectedly, bad luck, and the change of trying to keep farms and families together after their sons have been to war. Today’s song is about that never ending search to keep fighting for your dreams even when your luck is against you. It’s a beautiful song, and after working with it over the months to prepare for this tour I really enjoy performing it.

Here’s the original 1918 recording of the song, performed by Charles W. Harrison. The second video included in today’s post is of the Chopin’s Fantaisie Impromptu played by Arthur Rubenstein, one of the greatest pianists of the 20th Century (he was also considered one of the greatest interpreters of Chopin’s works as well). You’ll hear the melody starting after the “Largo” section, about a minute into the piece. Enjoy!