10-8-09 Just a hello
"When the Stars Go Blue" A cover from the past. Enjoy!
6-22-09 Unknown Talent in Unlikely Places
On almost any given night of the week, in a coffeehouse, small bar, and even the living room of a 164 year old estate in Suffolk County, there are musicians showing up, writing their names on a list in a small notepad, and performing their art in front of dedicated, and genuinely interested crowd of fellow musicians and local residents. These open mics are at the center of a real community of artists, both professional and amateur, living on Long Island. The musicians range in styles and ages, and form a growing group, more like a grassroots movement, of incredible talent, which is (unfortuntely or perhaps, fortunately) unknown to the general population of Long Islanders.
In the past year since I have returned to New York, I have discovered a few of these open mics, in particular the Wednesday nights at Cool Beanz and Acoustic Long Island, at The Deepwells Mansion in St. James. These open mics have given me the chance to try out new music, jam on some covers, get my name out into the local public, and most rewardingly, to be in the presence of some of the best folk musicians I've had the pleasure to hear and learn from. It's incredible to me the talent that you can find in your own backyard when someone is able to organize a successful get-together of creative minds. It's a real wonderful thing, and I'm to happy to, in some capacity, be a small part of it.
At Acoustic Long Island, their featured performances of regional and national acts, as well as their preceeding open mics are broadcasted via podcast, and can be found in full at their website (Two of my performances are on there, from the June 3rd and June 10th shows):
www.acousticlongisland.com
So take a listen, you'll be pleasently suprised with what you hear. Or, if you make it to Cool Beanz on a Wednesday night, talk to Kenn, he'll sign you up.
6-14-09 Ten Fifty One
Nave and I began the recording of our EP yesterday. In fact we began tracking drums at 10:51 am (for those who have known the both of us a long time understand that this is a good omen). It's wonderful to be in a studio working with a seasoned engineer. The first day went great, and I'm excited to be doing some different music. It's nice to be working on a completely different project, I'm getting new persepective on different kinds of sounds and recording techniques. It's also fun to be playing drums again, it's been too long. We'll keep you updated on the status of this as of yet named project and record. Hope things continue to go as smooth as yesterday.
3-25-09 New recordings, shows, etc.
First off, thanks to those who came down to the Crazy Donkey on Sunday. The music fest was a great opportunity for new bands to reach new fans. We had a fun time folk-rockin', even if it was only for 20 minutes.
I've started a new round of recordings, seperate from the anticipated summer recordings, with my old pal Mike Yonelunas. These are some songs that have been regulars in our set lists for the past few months or so, and some new ones that havn't yet been performed. What exactly I am going to do with these recordings, I am still not sure, but that is the beauty of recording completely independently.
Lastly, Nave and I will be back at our favorite lower-east side hang-out, the 169 Bar, on April 25th. Expect a different kind of show (utilizing the piano? a cello and bass player perhpaps?) Should be exciting. We will keep you posted.
Oh, and on a side note, the 169 Bar was the filming location and set for an episode of Flight of the Conchords.
