May 1, 2025After a few years of not producing a CD of new music, I am getting ready to launch a new Kickstarter campaign in support of my upcoming CD “It’s Time” on Sunday May 4.The new disc will feature all new songs reflecting on the world we find ourselves in today. The music is built around ideas that I developed while learning Ukulele, piano, and taking lessons in the Piedmont Blues tradition with Kevin Richards. It has been an educational few years for me as a musician. I also draw inspiration from my students, having led songwriting workshops with high school and middle school aged students in a program called Stop the Hate.Lyrically I was struggling. My father was very sick last year before passing away in November. Our role was as caregiver. Songwriting was primarily directed at the students songs. Following my dad’s passing, I lost myself in the study of piano.Funny thing is, once the inauguration of the current US president happened, I found myself with a lot to say, but fearful of the response I may evoke from having my opinions of this president. I considered taking a coded approach to songwriting. I spoke of this plan with another songwriter who is Jewish. He told me very strongly that there was no time for subtext, and as a member of a threatened community (disability), I should make sure that the TEXT is delivered without question. Lyrics began to flow. The songs still maintain a poetic feel without being preachy, but there is no doubt in my mind what I am writing about. The opening line to one song, is “What are we waiting for? It’s Time”.To support the Kickstarter campaing, please visit https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/charliemosbrook/what-are-we-waiting-for-its-time [...] Read more...

Folk Alliance International 2025 Montreal

February 24, 2025I just returned from a week in Montreal. It was a wild start as my flight was delayed due to a crash in Toronto. No fatalities and most of the passengers were avoided serious injury. The accident did set off a domino cascade of cancelations. I was fortunate, as a Delta employee was looking out for me and got me on a flight for the next day and set me up with a hotel and meals while I spent the night on Long Island.Once I arrived in Canada, I was greeted by 3 feet of snow and single digit temperatures Fahrenheit. My hotel was across the street from the conference, and it was difficult to travel in a wheelchair. I am persistent though and I made it work for me. The conference began for me with a board and staff dinner followed by a day of meetings. On the second day, my friend Annie Capps who I work with on the Folk Alliance Region Midwest Board received an award for her serviceAnnie Capps receives the Spirit of Folk Award from Folk Alliance InternationalI spent a lot of time with my fellow Folk Alliance International board members who have welcomed me into their family. The recently elected me to be the Vice President of the organization. I begin in March.I performed at a few showcases, and had a good time just singing. Sometimes I get lost in my other duties and lose touch of the fact that I originally got involved to play music.I also served RAMPD and FARM by working their tables in the exhibit hall.Lot’s of networking, food and fun was had. I returned safely home on Saturday.I am happy to serve my community of music. [...] Read more...

Rebuilding

January 30, 2025I just returned from a few days in New Orleans. When I arrived snow was melting and the city was recovering from a rare snowstorm that left more than 10 inches throughout the area. By the time I left, everything was normal and the temperatures were in the 50s. I would soon return to Cleveland, where normal was the abnormal in NOLA.I was down there for some Folk Alliance International meetings with regional leadership from all over North America. I serve on the regions board and will soon oversee that committee. Lot’s was accomplished and our next trip is to Montreal. With Folk Alliance this past year I have been to Kansas City, Reno, Chicago, Portland Maine, and New Orleans. These trips, while work are also fun and because of the nature of FAI, there is always music at the center of each trip.Anyhow, beyond my adventures in folk music, I have been rebuilding my website and trying to migrate away from major social media platforms to communicate with folks. I want to keep people engaged with my music, but not at the expense of our democracy. With that in mind, I am hoping to grow this email list. Please subscribe. Let’s stay in touch. [...] Read more...

Journalism in Song

January 21, 2025When I teach Stop the Hate, a songwriting workshop through the Cleveland Maltz Museum and Roots of American Music, to address issues of injustice, bias, discrimination, or exclusion, I make clear the importance of telling the truth and relaying stories accurately. My father, who passed away recently was a celebrated journalist in Cleveland. He was regarded as someone who reported the news honestly without bias. It was an important distinction. He held personal beliefs close and only in his retirement did we begin to see his personal feelings on the issues of the day. He felt that if you share the truth, people will understand the world more accurately and make decisions based in fact.It was also important to him that he had the trust of those people who were subject to his reports. If they felt that he had a particular bias, they would likely be reluctant to share with him. This of course would make his job more difficult an limit his ability to tell the whole story.I believe that many journalists today continue to believe this is important. I also believe that many are overly ambitious and are willing to compromise their journalistic integrity for more clicks, ratings, and access to some of our more corrupt politicians and business leaders. This ambition has created an environment for politicians to discredit news agencies.We also live in a world where a very small group of people control our major news outlets. To know the truth in coming times will become a difficult process demanding a thorough vetting of news agencies. I will likely lean towards independents and small locally owned outlets. Knowing that these voices can be suppressed, we have to seek them out. Truth will not always come easily.Songwriting in folk music has a rich history of documenting the world around us. Topographical songs are a way of telling stories. They can address issues and alert people to issues they might not have otherwise been aware of. Dylan’s Hurricane, Deportees by Woody Guthrie, Sun City by Little Steven, Fight the Power by Public Enemy. These songs all played a part in my education. They gave me a window into the lives and events others were experiencing.A song can be colorful, filled with metaphor. They can include information on the impact these events have on people. They may also offer some form of agency for change. In my workshops the three elements of the song, are the story, impact, and agency. It is my belief that if we are truthful in our story telling, the impact and agency will have more strength. Our song will have more meaning. We will tell important stories and if enough people hear these songs, it will be harder to suppress information. We can expose the world to injustice through song.In our new world, it is my belief that we have a duty to tell these stories. To share the impact, and to create change. The first step in this process is honesty. [...] Read more...

New look website

January 20, 2025Recently at the request of the Folknet board, I dove into wordpress for website creation to try to make that organizations online presence stronger. I had for years worked with Kompozer to develop my sites. It worked for me and I understood the navigation. I can use html, so it all was fairly effective for me.The problem came with the realization that desktop websites are now just a small part of presentation. Most of us use tablets and phones for browsing and quick look ups. In kompozer, it wasn’t translating to mobile devices. This was causing our website to appear antiquated, which is not how we want our organization to be perceived.Having worked in Kompozer for so long, I was reluctant to switch. Each time I ventured beyond a site update in wordpress (Which I would do for Folk Alliance Region Midwest) I would get frustrated and return to what I already knew.Taking the time this year, I have tried to learn how to get the most out of WordPress, while also maintaining my own artistic vision for a site. I appreciate themes, but I rarely find one that works for my needs. Once I had the basics under my belt, I decided to give my own page the same update.I still have some learning ahead of me, most notably the contact page, but I am committed. I am hoping the new events page and music links will make it much simpler to access my music. I am also considering a page for photography and art, which is why the image for this post is a simple photo from my camera.Today being the holiday for Dr Martin Luther King Jr, I hope we all take a moment to consider what he represented and work towards fulfilling his dream.“An individual has not started living until he can rise above the narrow confines of his individualistic concerns to the broader concerns of all humanity.”. [...] Read more...

Folk Alliance International Private Showcases

January 19, 2025The Ti-Jean Trad Room 912 – Wednesday February 19, 12:30 AM – Charlie Mosbrook FARM and FARMette (HooMac) Room #905 – Thursday Thursday February 20 10:30pm Annie Capps, Charlie Mosbrook ACCESS SONG CAMP EUROPE Room #928 – Thursday February 20 1:30 – 2:00am – Southside Denny, Irish Soul’ – Ciaran Mac Gowan, Charlie Mosbrook [...] Read more...

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