Karen Stern

[sharkboy]

A dear friend, musical collaborator, and gifted writer has passed.

Karen Stern brought irreverent, unusual comedy and joy to audiences everywhere she went. She wrote humor and social commentary for papers and newsletters, and had been active in the Santas' (Fe and Cruz) music scenes.

Our mutual support system allowed us to survive a number of bataan ballad march singer-songwriter open mics together. Later we worked in a trio with another wonderful friend that sometimes had the unofficial moniker "Two Hicks and a Miss" and shared gigs that involved tips, chump change and lots of laughs.

I can do little more than to try to help her memory live on for those who may have missed out on Karen and her music. If you have a chance, please listen to her songs and "friend her memory" if that appeals to you.

http://www.myspace.com/karenstern

I'll try to keep you posted here and find out about how and when her CD will be available again. FYI: If you listen really close to her songs you still won't hear me- I think all of my parts found the cutting room floor.

I feel lucky that I was able to speak to her for an hour a little over a week ago. She has my eternal best wishes, and I don't know what that's worth.

[kenposurf]

Checked out her page ..another special voice and person is gone. Hard to lose someone who is held close....Mark, I think some of her wit is channeled through you. Sorry for your loss my friend.

[mgauction]

Mark, I have seen her site before and read some of her essays. Unfortunately, never saw her perform live.

Have to say I was taken aback when I saw the thread title as I dated a Karen Stern decades ago, and, of course, have tried numerous times to google her name and coming up with nothing. She's probably married and thus a different last name. Thats how I came across Karen's site. I am sorry for your loss.

[sharkboy]

Thanks guys. She'll definitely be missed. Karen and I were always on parallel paths, yet fairly close together. Karen was the powerfully neurotic sister I never had.

Enduring singer-songwriter competitions wherein twenty-five people had songs that were about how "life is like a circle", or how they were "simple guys from simple towns" or how "like, heavy and, like, cool and, like, free everything, like, is" (Santa Cruz!) was still difficult, but a lot easier when there was one other person who could do "weird" when I was bringing my difficult-listening ditties. We kind of sat on the "Group W Bench" together.

Sometimes, performing with Karen and Patrick was a bit like the Carol Burnett Show- we were each trying to make the other two laugh. Karen wanted to write a great show. But canned humor is not Patrick's or my strong suit, so we'd have to kick in the funny business and go waaaay off script- which she was always lighting quick with, as well- but it sometimes made her a little nervous to not know in what direction we'd run.

Mike, I'm going to be kind here with an understatement in prediction form- with which I lack specific personal experience- but I am pretty sure that your life would have been a whole lot weirder if you had dated _this_ Karen Stern.

[sharkboy]

Thanks to the heads up of Patrick, her CD's can be purchased here (they also have some more samples):

http://cdbaby.com/cd/karenstern