Pinpoints

A Showcase for Building Community

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Pinpoints: A Declaration

The Fourth of July is typically a day for both reflection and celebration. Against a tri-colored backdrop, we gather with family and friends for cookouts and drinks, parades and fireworks. In the quieter moments, we also consider “the distance between the American promise and American reality.”* We live in a country with lofty goals that often falls short, and we’re reminded of all we can - and should - do to change that.

That’s largely what I hope Pinpoints can help to do. In telling the stories of the people I know and love, I hope to show how many people, in so many different ways, are closing that distance. It’s the family business employee providing a welcoming space; the singer reaching out across the language divide; the traveler; the philosopher; the joyous fundraiser and the committed reformer. These people are building community and bringing us together, making real the America which so far exists only in celebrations.

I recognize that the voices I’ve shared so far are not representative of America. I know this is a major flaw and one which informs every decision I make when it comes to Pinpoints. Please know that I’m not yet satisfied with this project - and I won’t be for a long time.

But in the same way that America is not yet finished its story, Pinpoints won’t be complete until we’ve reduced that distance between the American promise and American reality to nothing. I may never see it completed. But I hope to do my part in highlighting the people who make America an idea worth protecting, celebrating and shepherding into reality.

-Paul

*This is how Bruce Springsteen, an inspiration for me and, in part, Pinpoints, describes the focus for his creative life. It is an idea which has influenced this project greatly.

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Hot Breakfast! - Upcoming Gigs

Hey friends! There are a bunch of Hot Breakfast! shows coming up in the next few weeks. Check them out! (Hot Breakfast!, as you know, features Jill Knapp, who I interviewed back in 2013 for the first episode of Pinpoints.)

THURSDAY, JUNE 30, 4 to 7pm: "Hercules Untapped!" BBQ & Beer Garden (1313 E. Market Street, Wilmington) One Thursday each month this summer, World Café Live at the Queen brings some great food and delicious beer & wine over to the Hercules Plaza (13th and Market) and sets up a little outdoor beer garden. There's wonderful food, great drinks, and, of course, awesome live music - and that's where we come in. We'll be sharing the bill with another performer to be named later, and it's our job to keep the place rockin' from around 4 to 7pm. If you catch yourself in downtown Wilmington, come on over and rock out with us. It's free to hang out, but you'll obviously have to pay for food n' drink. (Worth it.)

SATURDAY, JULY 2, 3pm to 1am: Love Fest Philly 2016 at World Cafe Live Philadelphia (3025 Walnut Street, Philadelphia)  - 30 BANDS, THREE STAGES, for $9 FEEL THE LOVE! Created by The Hype!, Love Fest Philly is a brandy-new new day-long music festival, and we are thrilled to be a part of it. The tireless Boy Wonder has booked 30 great and diverse acts from around the country to perform on three stages at World Cafe Live in Philly - and you won't want to miss a note. The music kicks off at 3 pm, and Hot Breakfast! will take the main downstairs stage around 7 pm... but the show has been known to run early (of all things!) so please get there early so you don't miss us!  But don't just come for us. Check out the lineup here (Facebook), and get your tickets here - only $9 in advance ($13 the day of the show). And get ready to rock out - all day n' night!  (Note: If you buy your ticket at the door, please tell them you're there to see us; we get paid for every person we bring.)

SATURDAY, JULY 9, 8pm: Bellefonte Cafe (804 Brandywine Blvd., Wilmington) - A night of DEEP CUTS and some surprises, too... It's gonna be a great night of deep-cuts and surprises as Hot Breakfast! takes over the Bellefonte Cafe, one of our favorite intimate venues for live music. Imagine the windows open as summer breezes waft through while Hot Breakfast! dives deep into our catalog for tunes we rarely play live. Sure, we'll deliver some of your dork-rock favorites, but we'll also perform mellow cuts, rarities, and some of our favorite covers - and we might even have a special guest join us. Best of all, cover is FREE, food is DELISH (and served much faster than years past), and drinks are BOUNTIFUL. (Oh - and tips for the band will be ACCEPTED.) It's gonna be an unforgettable night, and a real treat for Hot Breakfast! fans looking for a different, more mellow experience.

SATURDAY, JULY 15, 9pm: Bar XIII (1706 Philadelphia Pike, Wilmington) - We're gonna ROCK OUT! Enough of this mellow stuff. Last month, we opened for the Dead Milkmen (along with Decontrol) for two sold-out shows at Bar XIII, and MAN did we have a blast! Bar XIII is now one of the best venues for live music in Wilmington, and we are so proud to return there on July 15th, where we'll share the bill with Magnetic North, Heartside, and Wild Virtù for some melodic pop/rock music. And every one of us is gonna be bringing the ROCK. ($5 Cover, 21+ only) Hot Breakfast! kicks off the night at 9:00 pm, so make sure you're there on time! This will be a very different show than the Bellefonte gig, so don't hesitate to come to both.

SATURDAY, JULY 30, 3pm to 7pm: White Horse Winery (106 Hall St., Hammonton, NJ 08037)  -- Happy 6th Birthday to us! Happy Birthday to Hot Breakfast! We'll celebrate the 6th birthday of Matt & Jill playing together as Hot Breakfast! with a 3-hour gig at the brand new White Horse Winery in Hammonton, NJ. Come and hang out with us over some incredible wine and delicious eats! (Note: as of the sending of this letter, we aren't sure if we're playing from 3:00 - 6:00 pm  or  4:00 - 7:00 pm. We'll update our calendar as soon as we know.).You don't wanna miss a note of Hot Breakfast! - or a drop of delicious wine at this terrific venue. We'll be playing a nice combo platter of originals and covers at this venue.

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Date While You Wait

From The Huffington Post, here is a video highlighting Thomas C. Knox and his NYC subway project, Date While You Wait. It’s a short video - just watch how one man, two chairs and a classic game provide an opportunity to build community in the bowels of the NYC subway system.

-Paul

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Old Sol Music Hall

I’ve interviewed several people whom I met while serving at City Year New Hampshire for Pinpoints. CYNH is currently located in Manchester, NH, the largest city in the state (and northern New England). I got to live in Manchester for a year and fell in love with it: a place with a downtown, a diverse population and a lot of potential.

Some friends and fellow City Year alumni are working to build a concert venue in Manchester - but it will be so much more than that. Check out this video to learn more about the Old Sol Music Hall and what is possible when arts and service are combined.

-Paul

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The Music of Jared Field

During season three of Pinpoints, I spoke with Jared Field, composer and educator. We talked a great deal about music and its ability to captivate and inspire.

I’d like to share some of Jared’s compositions with you. You can find these all at Jared’s website. I’m unable to embed them directly, so click the links and check out the music!

Berkeley Carroll, for String Orchestra (2015) - Written for Kate Mollica and the Berkeley Carroll Middle School Orchestra

Impatience, for Two Violins and Viola (2014)

Waltz of the Wallflower, for Flute, Bassoon, French Horn, Two Violins and Two Cellos (2014) Written for LyricLion

Watch the episode featuring Jared below!

-Paul

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Realize your dreams and make your own path with a service year. Animation by Tumblr Creatr, Lily Padula

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Pinpoints has featured quite a few people I met through my two years of AmeriCorps service. I’m a major proponent of national service and encourage you to tell young people about it. Serving before, during or after college are all options - check out ServiceNation for more information or watch the videos below to hear about the service experiences of Allie, Jared, Chris and Tony.

-Paul

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CodeGirl

I had the chance to interview Allie Holmes for a season three episode of Pinpoints before she moved to San Francisco. When she arrived, she joined Technovation, "a program of Iridescent, a 501c3 non-profit that helps scientists, engineers and technology professionals to share their passion with children from underrepresented groups.” Technovation was recently featured in CodeGirl, a documentary about high school-aged girls from across the globe using technology to solve local problems. It’s exactly the kind of thing Pinpoints celebrates and I got chills watching this trailer. Check it out and check out the CodeGirl website to watch the film.

Bonus: You can hear Allie at the 0:22 mark! (See her full Pinpoints episode below the trailer video.)

-Paul

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Vote for Hot Breakfast in the 2016 93.7 WSTW Hometown Heroes HOMEY Awards!

Hey friends - back in Delaware, the radio station WSTW holds its own annual awards show. Hot Breakfast!, the band featuring Jill Knapp from season 1 of Pinpoints, is eligible for a few awards. If you like their music (especially their new album), head here to vote for them before February 4th. This first round of voting will determine who is placed on the ballot - so help ensure Delaware’s premiere acoustic dork-rock power duo is well-represented!

Check out Jill Knapp’s episode of Pinpoints below.

-Paul

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The Adirondack Mountain Club

In his season two episode of Pinpoints, Mike Mahoney talked about “New York” being more than a major city in a corner of the state. It’s a gigantic piece of land with great physical beauty and important history. Mike is also an outdoorsman, hiking many a trail across New York and elsewhere. He’d appreciate you checking out the Adirondack Mountain Club website. From Mike:

“Although I've hiked all around the world, I think of the Adirondacks as "my mountains". This organization is funded by donations and is largely supported by volunteers. On the surface, they do a lot of work maintaining the trails, cleaning back-country lean-tos, etc. but they also put a lot of effort into conservation education and wilderness advocacy. They have actually influenced a bunch of legislation coming out of Albany in an effort to protect the environment and the small community that considers it home.”

Check out Mike’s episode, in which he talks about his beloved home state and the importance of travel, below.

-Paul

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A wonderful celebration of Anne Waldman - http://ginsbergblog.blogspot.com/2015/12/anne-waldman-napalm-health-spas.html

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From the blog of Raven See (whose Pinpoints episode is featured below) comes this link to a post on Anne Waldman, American poet.

-Paul

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Peco’s Liquors - Winter Wine Stock Up Sale

Hey friends! If you happen to be in the greater Wilmington, DE area at the end of this month, stop by Peco’s Liquor Store for their Winter Wine Stock Up Sale.

20% off any cases of wine (mix & match or solid)

15% off all whiskey over $50

$2 off any growler fill and free growler with fill

There will also be tastings and more!

See Ed Mulvihill from Peco’s talk about the importance of small businesses in this episode from season one.

-Paul

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Pinpoints - Season Three: Exploration (Episode 4: Tony Panciera)

Season three of Pinpoints focuses on people I met while serving with City Year New Hampshire. Episode four of this season features my good friend Tony Panciera, whom I met during my two years at City Year New Hampshire. He is someone who is skilled in listening to and learning from others' beliefs, even when they differ from his - something essential to building community where otherwise disagreements could cause isolation.

In this episode, Tony shares a bit about the great qualities of all of his homes, his ruminations on religion and how a brotherhood helped him - and others - stay committed to their college experience. Tony has been connected to national service since those years, first with Habitat for Humanity then with City Year, and has built important things both tangible and intangible.

1:35 - Introduction 3:54 - Childhood in Rural Alaska 9:52 - Dismissing Kentucky 12:04 - Gaining Independence 17:42 - Considering Religion 21:10 - "I...Found My People" 26:15 - Building Something 29:04 - Introduction to National Service 32:02 - Passing the Torch of Idealism 35:08 - The Queen City 38:06 - "My Dislike for Bruce Springsteen"

- To support CYNH, visit: www.cityyear.org/new-hampshire/support-us - To support Habitat for Humanity, visit: http://www.habitat.org/support - To support AmeriCorps, visit: www.nationalservice.gov/about-cncs/donate-now

This series is my attempt to showcase the people I know and love who are building communities with creativity and passion. People from around the country who are working on building a stronger bond between people. Check it out here.

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Pinpoints - Season Three (Tony Panciera teaser: City Year)

Episode four of this season features my good friend Tony Panciera, whom I met during my two years at City Year New Hampshire. He is someone who is skilled in listening to and learning from others' beliefs, even when they differ from his - something essential to building community where otherwise disagreements could cause isolation.

Tony moved to New Hampshire to join City Year New Hampshire - and took a role as a leader of first year corps members. Together, they helped to lead a powerful year for Young Heroes, a Saturday service learning program for middle school students across the state. For his second year, Tony switched roles to organize and lead a variety of training and support sessions for a new group of idealistic young people.

Check back next week for the full episode!

This series is my attempt to showcase the people I know and love who are building communities with creativity and passion. People from around the country who are working on building a stronger bond between people. Check it out here.

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Pinpoints - Season Three (Tony Panciera teaser: Fraternity)

Episode four of this season features my good friend Tony Panciera, whom I met during my two years at City Year New Hampshire. He is someone who is skilled in listening to and learning from others' beliefs, even when they differ from his - something essential to building community where otherwise disagreements could cause isolation.

Like many people, Tony's freshman year was a difficult one. But instead of transferring, he found a group of friends who helped make The University of Findlay a home. The Theta Chi fraternity was full of people who, like Tony, were passionate about making the world a better place, and became lifelong friends.

Check back next week for another teaser from this episode!

This series is my attempt to showcase the people I know and love who are building communities with creativity and passion. People from around the country who are working on building a stronger bond between people. Check it out here. 

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Pinpoints - Season Three (Tony Panciera teaser: Traveling Childhood)

Episode four of this season features my good friend Tony Panciera, whom I met during my two years at City Year New Hampshire. He is someone who is skilled in listening to and learning from others' beliefs, even when they differ from his - something essential to building community where otherwise disagreements could cause isolation.

Tony's years as a child and young adult were spent in multiple states, beginning in Ohio. Then Tony moved to Alaska, Kentucky, Canada and finally returned to Ohio for college. In this clip, Tony discusses what it was like to grow up in the 49th state.

Check back next week for another teaser from this episode!

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Upcoming Hot Breakfast! shows

Hello! Jill Knapp’s band, Hot Breakfast, has a few shows coming up this fall. Check out the dates below. If you’re in Philly or the greater Delaware area, be sure to check them out!

FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 25, 7:30PM: In The Light presents two Pink Floyd Albums: Animals and Wish You Were Here. Schwartz Center, Dover DE. Same show as the sold-out one we just played in Arden last night, but for our downstate pals. This is not a Hot Breakfast! gig, but Matt and Jill will be lending their background vocal and saxophone skills to this show. Pink Floyd fans unite!  Tickets and info here.

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 7PM (new time!): Jimmy's Grille, Dewey Beach, DE. Free show!  Hot Breakfast! performs live at Jimmy's Grille in Dewey Beach for the Dewey Beach Music Conference! (1911 Coastal Highway (Corner of Route 1 and Bellevue St.) Dewey Beach, DE)

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 6, 7:30pm sharp! Philly's Primary Stages. We're the house band for Philly's 10-minute-play series which takes place every few months at The Meetinghouse Theater at the Community Education Center, 3500 Lancaster Ave., Philadelphia. $5. Cheap!

THURSDAY OCTOBER 15, 12:30 - 1:30PM: Jefferson Farmers Market (10th and Chestnut), Philadelphia. Come get your Farmers Market on while enjoying some dork rock!

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 24, 8PM. Joe Trainor and Friends (that's us!) present (another) Night of the Music of Billy Joel. We've done this gig a few times before, and this time we bring it to the DCCA in Wilmington as a fund raiser for City Theater Company. We've changed up the set list a bit, so even if you've seen this show before, come see it again!  More info coming soon in our Fall Snoozeletter.

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 30: 9PM: The Trocadero, Philadelphia. We'll be joining our heroes The Dead Milkmen on stage for a song-- that awesome song we recorded with them earlier this year -- The Prisoners Cinema.  If you're going to be at this show, say hello!

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 8PM, Smyrna Opera House: Hot Breakfast! and Joe Trainor Trio team up to present our own music to the fine people of lower Delaware! More info coming soon in our Fall Snoozeletter.

SAVE THE DATE: SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 7:00PM: Hot Breakfast! Album Release Party for our new record "The Big Reveal" is happening at a top-secret location in Wilmington to be revealed soon!  (Yes, we already have the venue... we just want there to be an air of mystery to go with "The Big Reveal" motif. We'll be sending out details soon. Keep your eyes peeled because tickets will be very limited... seats will go to those folks on the stick!)

As you may remember, Jill Knapp was the first subject of Pinpoints. Watch her episode here!

-Paul

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Pinpoints - Season Three: Exploration (Episode 3: Chris Steinkamp)

Episode three of this season features Chris Steinkamp, a Milwaukee devotee who led me and five other young people through a year of service at Seabrook Middle School. Chris' desire to explore and discover all that new locations and people have to offer is central to what Pinpoints is trying to celebrate.

In this episode, Chris talks about the family traditions from his time growing up in Arkansas, his limitless interest in academics, and his devotion to making his part of the world better. Whether it was the small town of Seabrook, NH or the city of Milwaukee, WI, Chris deeply believes in the worth and possibility of all communities.

1:35 - Introduction 4:00 - Campus and City in Arkansas 7:23 - Family Rituals 12:43 - "I Was Really Good At School" 17:23 - "The Entire World Fascinates Me" 22:25 - Escaping the Boulder Bubble 27:56 - Seabrook Middle School 36:00 - Moving to Milwaukee 40:32 - Chris' Neighborhood

To learn more about the Urban Ecology Center, visit www.urbanecologycenter.org.

This series is my attempt to showcase the people I know and love who are building communities with creativity and passion. People from around the country who are working on building a stronger bond between people. Check it out here.