A tribute to some of the folks I've seen live over the past six months - Really too many to list here - these are just some of the folks I want to give a nod to!
An awesome singer with a gospel overtones -- I'm suprised she hasn't competed on American Idol, but she writes her own material with a 70's R&B flair. I saw Shelly at a club called Shrine in Harlem NYC - Awesome. Years back she sang with me at a gig and I will never forget it.
Jeremiah Birnbaum - Hosts Banjo Jim's open mic, but a great guitar player and songwriter, and plays in a great band called the Ramblers. True die-hard about his music and committed to music and artists.
Todd is a guy I went to college with, and only just reconnected on FaceBook with... He's got a solid rock band with flavors of Pavement, Built to Spill, the Clash, and a nice guitar player too. The music has moments of noise rock but more organized tonally and I really enjoyed their live show at Crash Mansion.
A great rock band fronted by Hank Wagner, also a great solo performer - look for them at the P & G bar in Manhattan they put on a great live show.
With a stellar hit called "Everyone's a Hooker"(not suitable for children) that has over 300K hits on youtube, Larry has done it all as a performer, producer and multiple grammy nominations to his name. Has written with Sammy Hagar and has tracks on Meredith Brooks album, and produced for countless artists.
David Easton - awesome music 'lifer' on keyboard, vocalist and songwriter/arranger. Catch him live in New Jersey with his full band. Great vocal range and knows how to get a groove going.
Kurt Elling - doesn't need any help from me - look him up - fantastic jazz vocalist - saw him do an awesome set at the Blue Note.
Emiko - signed artist with famous records, I remember doing open mics at Sidewalk Cafe down on 6th and A, always completely driven and totally talented piano player and songwriter.
Tom FitzPatrick - Great folk songwriter and guitar player. Thoughtful songs, and fresh guitar arrangements. Really interesting sounding guitars too.. The DiArmond pickups he was using last time I saw him at Arctica Bar were really like nothing I had heard.
I stumbled upon Nicole at the R Bar in Manhattan - great singer-songwriter, in the true tradition of the artist - check out the videos on her site - she's really inspiring, plays at least 3 instruments and is a really creative and cool person
Julie is my vocal teacher, and just a truly amazing singer. I saw her band Clementine at 92Y Tribeca and her jazz act at Cornelia Street Cafe - both were fantastic each in its own way.
Julie has so much versatility in her voice, with so many colors, she reminds just how much voice is an instrument. She has also done amazing things for me. I am no Pavarotti but the improvement has been leaps and bounds under her tutelage.
Lola Johnson - crazy talented singer and singer-songwriter, has played all over the country and Europe, can never predict what she'll do next, but always soulful and totally original. I played on the occasional song with her live - really cool. Great live and always changing it up. She's also doing some great collaborations with some really talented folks these days.
Steve Katz - great songwriter/guitar player with a unique fingerstyle - met him at Songwriter's Hall of Fame open mic and he plays all over the city - check him out! -
"Luke" Aaron Solaris - An extremely talented guy I met in NYU Songwriting class - he can come up with a bass drum keys arrangement quicker than almost anyone I've ever seen, great vocalist and pianist. Just submitted to the grammys for a Spanish guitarist he produced. Also does great electronic ambient stuff. My faves are "I Found Someone" and "The Rainbow Song" (Which I could totally hear on a lottery commercial)
A crazy good Latin Funk outfit with vocalist Pablo Beracochea - they rock, multiple horn players, killer rhythm section, and talented songwriter vocalist Pablo fronting this band. Allez Allez! I used to play lead guitar for them, so much fun!
"Menes" - artist rapper who plays electric guitar - Wild guy! Met him at Arctica Bar's open mic - really creative guy with totally his own style.
A phenomenal guitarist who plays Brazilian Jazz and Bop, flawless technique. I had an opportunity to study with him for a few months - it was truly humbling and a great experience.
I saw Billy live at Puppets Jazz in Brooklyn - just great - 2 horn players, keys drums bass... his playing was on fire and it was agreat show spanning different regions of Brazilian with music flavors of many regions. This from a guy originally who lived in the United States but moved to Brazilian for years to study and live the music down there.
Marvin Parks - Goes by Blank Sinatra right now - great jazz voice - met him at the "Lovin' Life" open mic which was really positive and a great room, all ages room.
A talented singer-songwriter with a new band called Bridges - they put on a great live show at the Sullivan Hall in NYC. I met David at a Songwriting class in NYU and he really surprised everyone with how prolific he was and how much live energy he had. He's the type of artist that feeds on the energy around him and adds the fuel to the fire.
A personal friend of mine I saw at Parkside Lounge - great songwriter with songs I unfortunately don't have links for: "Ghost Town of Gotham" and a song about a road trip he took down south that is wonderful. Folk, Rock and some 90's flavors.
Schwervon - http://www.schwervon.com/ - great band - just Nan Turner on Drums and Vocals, and an awesome entertainer, and Matt Roth(Major Matt Mason) on Guitar and Vocals. They really use the music dynamic of two people to its fullest, and it provides for more room to hear the songs, at times funny, angry and what indie rock is all about. I saw them at a packed house in Union Pool in Williamsburg, it was a blast. Most recently they are going to open up for Belle & Sebastian in Europe- Awesome!
Tycoon Dog - http://tycoondog.com - Great jam band I have been lucky enough at times to be part of - they do somewhere around 25-35 shows a year, most outdoors, and most over 2.5 hours - Front man Scott Bailey is an inspiration and has a gift for sound, arrangement and a great guitar player (he's humble about it, but he can rip on that thing). The songs are tuneful and accessible to all ages.
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