I am proud to be one of the 16 musicians who were part of the preview live performance December 2 at the Metropolitan Room in New York City of "Joe's Cafe," Rupert Wates' forthcoming album. I'll be returning to New York for the recording of the album in February. Below is a lo-fi video of my part of the show. I sang "Dick And Dolores (The Loving Kind)," a song based on the story of Virginia's first interracial couple in the 1950s, Dick and Mildred Loving, and the lyric traces their story and contemplates civil rights in that context and in today's context with regard to gay marriage.

"'It's more than just a haphazard collection of songs," said Rupert, who wrote all of the songs in "Joe's Cafe." "The idea of the cafe gives the whole thing a kind of unity. Each song is based on a true story, and they're sung by twelve different but very special singers."

You can view and listen to all of the songs, artists and stories in this remarkable project on my YouTube channel. (And stay tuned for news of the album's release early next year.)