It was a great Saturday night at the Cup as we celebrated Steve’s Birthday. He gets younger every year. How does he manage that? I am getting grey, he isn’t, and he’s the older one, hmmmm (could it be a Dorian Gray thing?).

AJ Degrasse and friends entertained sounding as wonderful as always. He has such an amazing voice with so much power, truly a treat. There were family and friends to help us celebrate and I met many new friends.

Steve loves chocolate so I made him a huge chocolate cake (devils food cake, cocoa mouse filling, Ghirardelli chocolate ganache poured over sealing it all). Now, he could not have eaten it by himself so I was excited to have everyone join in and help us polish it off. It was so much fun. I think I had as much fun as Steve did and we even managed to embarrass him a little when we broke out in our chorus of happy birthday. It’s not easy to embarrass my brother. Those are the moments you live for, ha ha.

Check out the Steve’s Chocolate Cake recipe in recipe archives. I hope you enjoy it and invite many friends over to help you eat it, that’s the best part.

What a wonderful time we had at the Swap-O-Rama-Rama Saturday night. Justine and Dijon provided lots of information about the Stand Up For Kids organization and the wonderful job they do helping kids in need.

It was an evening of enlightenment, creativity and wonderful entertainment by Steve Ybarra, Marliese, and Marianne Keith.

We had many creating new garments by adding personal touches and doo-dads. Hundreds of clothing items were donated as well as monetary donations.

We would like to extend a special thank you to Vision Lending as one of our corporate sponsors. Thank you all for your participation in helping us create a successful event.

The heaters did their trick Saturday night at The CUP keeping us cozy during Yvonne Perea’s performance. Now that we are hitting cooler nights I do bring a lap blanket, but it wasn’t needed. How can you get cold if you are tapping and moving to such great music?

Yvonne has a very soulful sound that blended so well with the crisp air scented of new rain, and many warm hearts in the crowd. Mix that with fantastic music and you have a winner! We were treated to great Blues music such as ‘Between You and Me’ and between you and me… it was an amazing performance. Wow! Yvonne’s latest album is featured in the top 25 in Music Connection Magazine, so you will want to be sure to pick up a copy (both the magazine and her album). In case you missed us on Saturday, stay tuned for Yvonne’s future appearance dates. Also catch her tunes in Nashville if you are going for a visit to the area.

Saturday’s Live at The CUP was the topper to a perfect holiday weekend. We bid a fond farewell to Thanksgiving and ushered in the Christmas season with Brooke Ramel. This was Brooke’s last public performance before welcoming her new baby girl, due on December 29th. We wish the best to Brooke and her husband. She started the evening with one of my favorites ‘Merry Merry Christmas’. It was beautiful, absolutely beautiful and as one person in the audience said so well “she has the voice of an angel”.

There was something very magical about the evening, the songs, and the way Brooke delivered them all. We even had a full moon. The crowd was large but quaint with a warmth as she sang ‘Somewhere Over The Rainbow’ to little Emma in the audience, so precious. If you don’t have Brooke’s Christmas CD you should definitely go to her website and order one. Thank you Brooke for a wonderful experience.

On Saturday night we had the pleasure of listening to the music of Rendezvous with Johnny Angel and Shauna Dee. This was their first featured performance at The Cup, after finding them at our Open Mic Night. Shauna tells us they are a new team but it’s hard to believe. Their sound is professional, polished and oh so charming. In fact, Johnny has a sound somewhat like James Taylor.

I absolutely loved their music as they blended some tunes from the Eagles, Phil Collins, James Taylor and many others. My favorites, I have to say were Johnny’s original tunes like ‘Am I Dreaming’ and ‘Crossroads’. I can’t wait until they come back to the Cup. If you missed them this time, you don’t want to miss them in the future. This team is definitely going places.

What a great week, the temperature has lowered to an enjoyable level making it a great time to stroll over to The Cup and hang out. In fact, Friday was perfect for sitting outside the coffeehouse and joining in the Soy Candle making class taught by Kathleen Compton. My sister Sue was there so it was especially nice to visit while we reminisced about her making candles in the sand when she was little. How funny, I can still see them with sand sticking to the outside of the free formed candle. Ha-ha, how time goes by.

So we sat and chatted along with Lin Marelic, our webmaster, and many more friends in the class, as we decorated our newly created candles and ate yummy munchies prepared by The Cup. It was great meeting new friends and we hope others join us next month for more candle making.

Of course I had to pop my head in to see how Swing dancing was going. All ages were arriving, filing past us on a mission to have fun. What a great turnout. Alec Markin always has a great crowd for his weekly Swing Dance lessons. They were practicing The Charleston when I took a peek. If you haven’t joined in, I suggest you come by and check it out. The fun is contagious.

We have so many Scrabble enthusiasts, event hours have been expanded on Sunday to 1:00-4:30 pm. And if you are a beginner, stop by and Gary Moss will be glad to introduce you to the game!

I will try to describe Saturday night’s performance featuring Jenn Grinels but I don’t know if I can do it justice. Okay, close your eyes. Now imagine sitting on the shore of the lake with a cool summer breeze against your face, no one in sight, total tranquility. Musical notes fly by from behind and capture your ear. The sound is so pure you don’t dare move or disturb its path. The notes skip across the water creating ripples of perfect sound. Now open your eyes and picture Jenn seated in front of you singing at The Cup. Her sound is so effortless. Sitting front and center, she captured the audience with her range and passion. But then Jenn stood up and WOW…...the crowd was speechless experiencing the power and energy of her voice. It is always a magical journey to have Jenn at The Cup and we look forward to seeing her again.

What a truly special treat we had Saturday night at Live At The Cup! There was a large crowd joining in the fun and my family from Ohio was here to join us. Steve tried to keep up and kept bringing out chairs but the crowd grew at a faster pace. It was wonderful. SAS opened the evening, and even fighting off a cold, was fantastic. She had a refreshing style with a great voice and spirit. Not only did she entertain as a solo but joined AJ to round out a fun evening.

AJ DeGrasse stunned us with his deep, rich and powerful voice. How fantastic can music get? Well, you only have to listen to AJ to know the answer. Each song was a moving performance of sounds that grabbed you by the soul. There was no mistake that AJ had taken control of the room. When listening to songs such as ‘Far away from you’ and ‘Cry’, be prepared to hand over your heart for the evening. For those of you who missed AJ, he will be back on July 21st for his CD release party. You won’t want to miss that, trust me. But be prepared to fasten your seat belt as your emotions sore and take flight. Simply amazing!

We had a great time with Shipwreck Town during Live at the Cup, Saturday night. Nilson and John had lots of energy and it was a perfect way to kick off the Memorial Day weekend. They were joined by Rich who accompanied them on the flute. What a special touch for the evening.

What I enjoy most about Shipwreck Town is the fun they are having as they entertain. You can see it in their smiles. Simply contagious! There were plenty of friends, family, new acquaintances and always room for more. The crowd was treated to some new tunes and even a bit of Blues. If you missed them this weekend, check out their website.

Saturday night with Chris Thayer brought a cozy crowd due to the final 4 on the tele. But that didn't dampen our spirits. The music was great, the beat strong and Chris was styling the hat! He reminds me of a cross between Sinatra and Scatman Crothers. What flair!

We love having Chris at The Cup. He is one of our regulars. His daughter Phoebe is almost a year old, we can't believe it’s been that long. And we had the pleasure of his daughter Loren being at The Cup as well. I think she is a budding artist.

In case you didn't know, Chris won an award by the American College Theatre Festival (ACTF) for his original musical compositions on California State University San Bernardino Theatre's production of "Love Tapes." We are not surprised because each of Chris' songs tells us a story and takes us on a journey that is worth the ride. And just when you think you're in a serious mood he gets you laughing out loud with his funny songs.

What a blast with Chris and his funny banter with the audience. Can’t wait to have him back. We are anxiously awaiting the new CD.

I spent the evening enjoying the music of Matthew Jordan. This is Matthew’s 5th time at The Cup. It is such a treat to visit with him and his family. It’s truly like having family come home for a visit. We love them all.

Matthew released his new CD and if you thought he was fantastic in person…you have got to get his CD. I listened to it all the way home. Wow! I felt so silly in the audience because I found myself saying, “Oh, I love this one” as each song started (yes, out loud). But it was true!

It’s great seeing Matthew along his journey and watching as he perfects each tune. It’s like watching a valuable gem being polished to perfection.

He also gave us a peek at the song he wrote and submitted for the American Idol contest. It’s titled ‘Catching My Breath’ and it is amazing. So stay tuned and as I hear any news I will pass it along. We will need your help when its time to vote. Better yet go to Matthew’s website and order that CD too! www.matthewjordan.com

Matthew Jordan will be here with us on Saturday night to hold a CD Release party. You won’t want to miss this!

We were entertained by Brooke Ramel this last weekend and oh my, I think we found the definition of perfection. It is always a magical evening when Brook sings. She took us through stories of her adventures at NYU practicing on the piano. Singing ‘Just Our Town’ she shared her childhood memories in Minnesota on Pleasant Lane and delivering papers along Oakwood Curve. She has such a magical sound I found myself totally drawn into the songs.

As I listened the surrounding sounds disappeared leaving only Brooke and the melody. How does she do that? It’s pure magic. Since it was St Patrick’s Day she ended the evening singing Danny Boy with no instrumentation. Just pure Brooke, it was beautiful.

We had a great Saturday night with family and friends during Live At The Cup. After what seemed to be like ‘going backwards’ in freeway traffic, Michael Shelton joined us all the way from the Santa Maria area. Now, it is always special when Michael and his family join us since he was the very first entertainer to appear at The Cup. Michael is family. He has such a wonderful personality and in between songs it is fun to hear his hilarious banter. This is on top of the fantastic music.

Michael introduced us to a new song ‘When The Darkness Falls’. It was great, as are all of his unique lyrics that amaze and entertain us. Each song tells a story which is worth listening to. His sound is soulful and from the heart. I always like to watch Michael as he sings because he does what I like to call the ‘Shelton Swagger’. It is his signature of movement as we are absorbed in the rhythm of his music.

Yvonne Perea and the band were fantastic Saturday night. This was the type of performance that just made you feel good. If you weren’t in a good mood at the start of the evening, you certainly were on the top of the world when Yvonne started singing.

This was Yvonne’s 3rd time with us. First was a brief appearance, the second a solo performance and this time she brought the band. She was joined by Bruce (drums), Bill (bass) and John (guitar). Great bass and guitar solos were our treat Saturday evening. The songs from the new album ‘Mud Pies’ were wonderful and I love that the title is in honor of Yvonne’s Mom. Okay, they got the crowd moving with the Blues and WOW, did John play that guitar or what!? I am still tapping my toes.

John from XiCast was there filming during Live at The Cup. So you will be able to go to http://TheNeighborhoodCup.XiCast.com if you missed us on Saturday.

Saturday night was great during Live at the Cup with lots of new friends and those from days past, an evening good for the soul. LiqdZunshine was in the house with Kahlid, Denean, Dave, P-45 and Mike. We missed Carlos and can’t wait for his next appearance. I just love Denean’s voice and was captivated with her sultry rendition of ‘Summertime’. Who says you have to be in New Orleans to feel like you’re at Mardi Gras? And let’s talk about the powerful voice of Kahlid, shall we! I looked around and saw the entire crowd moving to the beat, feet dancing, heads nodding….oh okay, there goes a shoulder roll. We couldn’t stop… the arrangements were amazing. The percussion was awesome or as Denean says they were ACOUSTICALLY INSTRUMENTATED!

Steven Ybarra appeared for the first time at The Cup Saturday night but I think this is just the beginning of a long friendship as one of our performers. What a refreshing sound with a great quality voice. He can sure hold a note and make it seem so effortless. Steven’s fresh, crisp style was a pleasure to hear along with his wonderfully playful technique on the guitar. Steven has appeared previously in bands before going solo and has also toured with Wyland.

We want to congratulate both Steven and Kelly on their upcoming marriage in 2 weeks. We look forward to seeing him again and those that missed him this week will want to look for him in the future.

Who can figure out this weather lately? I was ready for a big chill Saturday night but it was nice with the heaters. But then again we had a very large crowd gathered to hear Shipwreck Town, so maybe that was warming things up?

John and Nielson were great. You could tell they love to sing and entertain because of the big smile on John’s face all evening. There were lots of friends and family in the audience to cheer them through the evening. I loved when they sang ‘Miles and Memories’, very smooth. I still haven’t figured out how John plays the harmonica and guitar at the same time. We know we had guests joining us from Brazil with Aidan Owens from XiCast broadcasting live over the internet.

Amazing things are happening at http://XiCast.com from Aidan Owens. There are archived broadcasts, PPV downloads of concerts, DVDs are now available of the broadcasts, and advertising space is now available during the live broadcasts. You can also go to http://TheNeighborhoodCup.XiCast.com to see any of the archived concerts you have missed.

Our 'Still the Season to be Giving' Music Festival was a blast. On Friday night Joel Ackerson entertained as a soloist then was joined by his band The Novelists. It was great fun and they were fantastic. On Saturday Seth Horan was a maniac as he created magic with his bass. Congratulations to Seth and Gina on their recent marriage; we wish them many happy years. Seth is traveling around the world this year so it was a treat to have him at The Cup.

We thank everyone for his or her donations. The donations collected will be distributed through the South County Family Resource Center .