Listening Room Blog

So long, Doc Watson

Ned P. Rauch — Thu, 31 May 2012 16:34:35 +0000

What to say about Doc Watson, who died Tuesday at 89? You could call him the best flatpicker this country has ever produced and not be far off. I read once that he had about 3,000 songs kicking around in his head, ready to play at a moment’s notice. He had a few thousand more [...]

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Listening Room’s Great Covers: “Don’t Rain On My Parade”

Jorge Fitz-Gibbon — Wed, 30 May 2012 19:28:12 +0000

This is undoubtedly one of the oddest covers I’ve ever come across – and that makes it a great cover. With the exception of Me First and the Gimme Gimmes and perhaps a handful of others, not many recording artists have had the motivation – or the courage – to take on Streisand. But that’s [...]

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Rock legend Levon Helm dead at 71

Jorge Fitz-Gibbon — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 19:57:53 +0000

It seems we’ve been doing a lot of these obituary posts lately. But the truth is we’ve lost some great music legends recently, from Davy Jones and Earl Scruggs, to Ronnie Montrose and Dick Clark. Now comes word that Levon Helm died at the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center after a long bout with the disease. [...]

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Remembering Dick Clark: The iron fence and the jukebox at “Itchum’s”

Jorge Fitz-Gibbon — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 20:55:26 +0000

Dick Clark once told me that one of his fondest musical memories growing up was listening to the jukebox at “Itchum’s,” a corner hangout in his hometown of Mount Vernon, where kids – including a young Clark – would flock after school to hear the latest tunes. That was 1992, when I spoke to Clark [...]

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Listening Room’s Great Covers: Oh Pretty Woman

Jorge Fitz-Gibbon — Sat, 14 Apr 2012 16:00:40 +0000

It’s not as if “Oh Pretty Woman” needed to be covered. I mean, the song had some legs on its own after the late, great Roy Orbison released it in 1964 – a tune he co-wrote. But give pop rockers Van Halen credit for not only doing it justice, but turning it into a hit [...]

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RIP Jim Marshall

Ned P. Rauch — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 17:55:34 +0000

Another big loss for the music world: Jim Marshall, amp-man extraordinaire, died today. He was 88. Marshall’s name is, literally, on the sound of innumerable rock legends, his cursive signature looping across the faces of amplifiers stacked behind Jimi Hendrix, Jimmy Page, Slash and lots and lots of others. The “Marshall stack” is now shorthand [...]

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Terrible song alert

Ned P. Rauch — Wed, 04 Apr 2012 18:32:33 +0000

The Listening Room is generally a positive place. When there’s so much amazing music out there to write about, we figure, why waste ink (or pixels, I suppose) picking apart a dippy ditty? Sometimes, though, we make an exception. Now is one of those times. On my drive to work this morning I had the [...]

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Earl Scruggs, rest in peace

Ned P. Rauch — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 19:25:03 +0000

Today we mourn the loss of banjo player Earl Scruggs, as important to country music as, say Muddy Waters was to blues, who died Wednesday in a Nashville hospital. He was 88. (Earl with Marty Stuart at Merlefest in 2001. Photo from Earlscruggs.com) Scruggs, who started recording in the 1940s, did for the five-string banjo [...]

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Sound bites

Ned P. Rauch — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 16:30:30 +0000

Hey Listening Room-ers, here are some links to stories, features, podcasts you might find interesting. We got a kick out of them, anyway. Jack White, of White Stripes, Raconteurs, Dead Weather, Third Man Records and, as of earlier this year, Jack White fame, was interviewed by the mayor of Lambeth, a borough of London. Blues [...]

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A night of Nass Gnawa

Ned P. Rauch — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 21:47:42 +0000

Does the name Nass Gnawa mean anything to you? Until last Saturday, it didn’t mean a thing to me. My fiancee and a couple friends and I caught them perform at Zebulon, in Brooklyn’s Williamsburg (not to be confused with this Williamsburg) and were completely knocked out. Here’s the deal: They’re a bunch of Moroccan [...]

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Review: The Fab Faux at the Wellmont Theater

Jorge Fitz-Gibbon — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 15:00:39 +0000

There’s something silly about tribute bands. I mean, I’m all for nostalgia, but the concept of it can all too easily seem like a sad attempt to hang on to younger, better days that are long gone and won’t be coming back. Certainly, a handful of bands have successfuly pulled off the tribute thing. Think [...]

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Tim Palmieri at Thornwood Ale House tonight

Jorge Fitz-Gibbon — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 16:12:48 +0000

Nationally acclaimed guitarist Tim Palmieri, of the band Kung Fu, will make a rare Westchester appearance at the Thornwood Ale House tonight. Heavy recommendation on this show from those of us at the Listening Room. If you’ve never heard Palmieri you’re in for a treat. He’s truly one of the most talented guitarists in the [...]

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Laughing at the Gods

Ned P. Rauch — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 19:58:05 +0000

It’s been a strange day here at the newsroom (and, by extension, the Listening Room). So, naturally, we turn to music to help us out. Below, for your pleasure, is a link to a series of clips that crack me up no matter how many times I replay them. A few years ago a guy [...]

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Guitar players you should know: John McLaughlin

Jorge Fitz-Gibbon — Sat, 17 Mar 2012 14:10:35 +0000

How did we forget this guy? Yes, it’s been a long time since John McLaughlin formed the Mahavishnu Orchestra. Heck, younger music fans have trouble remembering Beatles tunes, let alone a progressive rock band that gained limited mainstream acclaim after it formed in 1970. But we at the Listening Room believe that music – and [...]

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Summer 2012 – roundup of upcoming tours

Jorge Fitz-Gibbon — Fri, 09 Mar 2012 22:00:31 +0000

There’s no off season in the music biz, but summer is clearly playoff time. This summer will be no exception. While the lineups are still being put in order, the 2012 summer tour circuit will be a good one, with a usual mix of hot ticket concerts and a few surprises, including a few reunion [...]

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Remembering Ronnie Montrose

Jorge Fitz-Gibbon — Thu, 08 Mar 2012 19:15:54 +0000

I can’t count how many years ago it was that my older brother came home with a debut album from a band called Montrose. The band, headed by session musician and guitar wiz Ronnie Montrose, featured a young Sammy Hagar on vocals and Bill Church – who later backed Hagar in his solo career – [...]

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Listening Room’s Great Covers: What’s So Funny ‘Bout Peace Love & Understanding

Jorge Fitz-Gibbon — Thu, 08 Mar 2012 16:08:03 +0000

Long title, great song. Nick Lowe first recorded “What’s So Funny ‘Bout Peace, Love & Understanding” in 1974. But the song didn’t take off until an up-and-coming Brit named Elvis Costello covered it in 1979. Originally, Costello’s version was on the B-side of a Lowe single. If some of our readers don’t know what a [...]

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Davey Jones’ once-forgotten solo classic

Jorge Fitz-Gibbon — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 22:38:06 +0000

I have to confess that, before this week, I hadn’t thought of this song for years. Now that Jones has died of a heart attack at age 66, I’ve heard it a half dozen times. Not surprising, since Jones and The Monkees touched a lot of hearts for quite a few folks a while back. [...]

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Monkees’ frontman Davey Jones dead at 66

Jorge Fitz-Gibbon — Wed, 29 Feb 2012 19:52:29 +0000

There was a brief time when the Monkees outsold the Beatles in the U.S., and Davey Jones was the face of the band. Now comes word that Jones, 66, has died of a heart attack in Florida while on a solo tour. Granted, the band is a thing of the past for modern-day music fans, [...]

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Listening Room’s Great Covers: Creep

Jorge Fitz-Gibbon — Mon, 27 Feb 2012 17:35:35 +0000

Alternative rockers Radiohead long ago established themselves as one of the world’s premier bands, with a crazed and loyal following that makes tickets to their live shows a precious commodity. It all began with “Creep.” The song, reportedly written by singer/songwriter Thom Yorke years before it was recorded, was the band’s first single in 1992, [...]

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Here Comes the App

Ned P. Rauch — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 15:59:38 +0000

Guitar geeks, the gods are smiling on us today. George Harrison’s son, Dhani, has developed an app for the iPad that gives you, me, anyone with access to an iPad, a stunningly intimate look at several of the late Beatle’s now-iconic guitars. The app is available today and costs $9.99. Here’s a preview. What do [...]

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Sweet Home Chicago, president-style

Ned P. Rauch — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 16:20:50 +0000

The Listening Room generally steers clear of politics, but it being Presidents’ Day season and all, we couldn’t let this go unnoticed. Like him or dislike him, President Obama isn’t all that bad a singer—at least with BB King, Buddy Guy and Mick Jagger backing him up on his home court. Watch:

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New Springsteen, one track at a time

Ned P. Rauch — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 20:52:37 +0000

I type this post listening to a track from Bruce Springsteen’s soon-to-be-released album, Wrecking Ball. The tune’s called “Shackled and Drawn” and it’s not bad at all. A whole lot better than anything on his previous album, Working on a Dream, which I thought was generally lousy. Springsteen’s marketing team is doing something interesting this [...]

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The Dough Rollers

Ned P. Rauch — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 19:13:32 +0000

I saw the Dough Rollers play Brooklyn Bowl, in Williamsburg, Monday night. If you like crisp blues done right and tight, you’ll like these young guys. From what I’ve read about them, the core of the band is singer/guitarist Malcolm Ford (Han Solo’s son, for real) and lead guitarist Jack Byrne (son of Ellen Barkin [...]

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Know Van Halen? Take Rolling Stone’s quiz

Jorge Fitz-Gibbon — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 22:56:10 +0000

Fun feature from Rolling Stone magazine, which has posted a quiz to test fans on their Van Halen trivia skills. Check for the link to the quiz farther down below. But just a few quick notes. The hit rockers recently reunited, with David Lee Roth and brothers Eddie and Alex Van Halen, and are hitting [...]

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Listening Room’s Great Covers: “Cocaine”

Jorge Fitz-Gibbon — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 13:00:00 +0000

J.J. Cale has long been one of the most overlooked musicians and songwriters in the country. But while mainstream music fans may not be familiar with the Oklahoma-born guitarist, other artists certainly are. Cale is a Grammy Award winner, and his work has been covered by some of the biggest names in the business, including [...]

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“Soul Train” founder Don Cornelius found dead

Jorge Fitz-Gibbon — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 16:53:21 +0000

Truly tragic news today that music pioneer Don Cornelius was found dead in his California home early this morning, apparently from a self-inflicted gunshot. Cornelius, 75, was the founder and host of Soul Train, a long-running television dance show that revolutionized the music industry by providing the first national TV venue for R&B music. The [...]

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Listening Room’s Great Covers: “Hard to Handle”

Jorge Fitz-Gibbon — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 16:55:05 +0000

It could be one of the more covered tunes in rock over the past four decades, and yet many modern-day listeners don’t really know where it came from. “Hard to Handle” became a big hit for American rockers The Black Crowes, coming off of their 1980 debut album, “Shake Your Money Maker.” It has since [...]

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R&B legend Etta James dead at 73

Jorge Fitz-Gibbon — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 17:06:53 +0000

Sad news today with word of the death of Etta James at age 73. James was truly one of the most under-appreciated R&B singers of her era, mostly remembered for her hit “At Last.” But she had an amazing voice and made a significant contribution to the world of blues and R&B music. I saw [...]

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End of an era: Towne Crier Cafe to close its doors

Jorge Fitz-Gibbon — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 18:29:49 +0000

Sad news for the local music scene, with word that the Towne Crier Café will be shutting down at the end of February after 40 years as a premier venue for top-rate music. Towne Crier owner Phil Ciganer broke the news in an open letter to patrons on the Crier’s home page. For those of [...]

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Wilco drummer talks shop

Ned P. Rauch — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 16:54:55 +0000

While this blog tends to focus on the guitar-related aspects of the music scene (for good reason: the founder plays guitar as does this contributor), here’s a treat for the drum geeks out there. The L.A. Times has a really interesting Q&A with Glenn Kotche, the drummer for Wilco. Here’s my favorite excerpt: “We were [...]

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Musical gratitude from the vending industry

Jorge Fitz-Gibbon — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 16:10:49 +0000

We here at The Listening Room love music – specially when it’s free. And sometimes it comes from some unexpected places. So, hats off to the National Automatic Merchandising Association for reaching out to music fans with a musical bit of gratitude – 17 downloadable tunes. NAMA is the national trade association for the food [...]

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Our take: Top 10 live rock albums

Jorge Fitz-Gibbon — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 19:09:01 +0000

I was a music collector as a kid, at a time when music was all about vinyl. The beauty of it was the real sense of experimentation – when you would take a chance on a record and strike gold. I found the Ramones that way, picking up their debut album in the ‘70s because [...]

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Van Halen making another run

Jorge Fitz-Gibbon — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 22:12:57 +0000

David Lee Roth and his Van Halen bandmates hardly parted on friendly terms. Bitter tension between Roth and guitarist Eddie Van Halen was reportedly at the heart of the split in the hit rock band. Now, 27 years after Roth walked away the band announced that it will reunite with their flashy former lead singer [...]

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Art Garfunkel makes an appearance

Jorge Fitz-Gibbon — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 18:17:06 +0000

Leah Rae — Listening Room contributor Paul Simon is on tour and Art Garfunkel hasn’t been heard from in two years, WFUV disc jockey Pete Fornatale said – quite in passing – during a presentation about the duo Sunday night at Irvington Town Hall Theater. So it was all the more surprising when Garfunkel himself [...]

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Hubert Sumlin, 1931 — 2011

Ned P. Rauch — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 22:12:00 +0000

Well, tip your beer tonight for Hubert Sumlin, one of the last of that essential generation of musicians who first electrified the blues, taking it from the cotton fields of the South to Chicago’s clubs. Sumlin, who made his name as Howlin’ Wolf’s lead guitar player, died Sunday of heart failure. He was 80. Man, [...]

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Elvis (not that one) says enough

Ned P. Rauch — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 19:54:54 +0000

Here’s something you don’t see very often: a rock legend telling fans not to buy his records. Elvis Costello, peeved at his label for hanging a whopping $202 price tag on his new boxed set, is steering listeners to a Louis Armstrong collection instead. “Frankly the music is vastly superior,” a post on his website [...]

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Guitar players you should know: Steve Marriott

Jorge Fitz-Gibbon — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 13:00:47 +0000

Steve Marriott was a voice, a hard-rocking, screeching bundle of energy that made the Small Faces and Humble Pie legendary rock bands. But man could he play guitar. Often overlooked in Marriott’s resume as a rock icon is that the man could play with the best of them, laying down blues licks with remarkable mastery. [...]

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Gettin’ all folked up with the Folk Alliance

Ned P. Rauch — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 22:09:59 +0000

When I’m not pecking a keyboard, I’m usually picking a guitar. Outside of my job as a reporter for the Journal News, I play in Frankenpine, a Brooklyn-based string band. Last weekend, in an attempt to introduce ourselves to promoters, radio programmers and other musicians in the area, we attended the Northeast Regional Folk Alliance [...]

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In the moment: Happy Nigel Tufnel Day

Jorge Fitz-Gibbon — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 17:42:48 +0000

I’m writing this on a very special day — and moment — that comes just once a century. In fact, this very moment is quite unique — 11:11:11 a.m. on Nov. 11, 2011. It is, some rock fans will tell you, The Nigel Second. It only happens twice on Nigel Tufnel Day, which won’t come [...]

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Phish to release classic live recordings

Jorge Fitz-Gibbon — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 19:49:51 +0000

Good news for Phish fans. Although the masters of jam are taking a touring break, Phish fanatics can at least get an earful of some of the band’s best live work, Rolling Stone magazine reports. That’s because they’ll be releasing a 7-CD set of three memorable 1997 shows. Due for release in stores on Dec. [...]

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Guitar players you should know: Phil Lynott

Jorge Fitz-Gibbon — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 19:58:24 +0000

Phil Lynott was never a household name in the U.S., remembered largely for the Thin Lizzy hits he penned during the band’s heyday — most notably “The Boys Are Back In Town” and “Dancing In The Moonlight.” But don’t tell that to the legion of followers who remain loyal to the Irish-born rocker a full [...]

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Smithsonian TV gets musical in October

Jorge Fitz-Gibbon — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 21:33:20 +0000

It’s a good month to keep tabs on the Smithsonian Channel, which is in the midst of a month-long celebration of music through a series of documentaries and specials. The Listening Room is going to dub these must-see TV for music fans. We’ve missed a couple of premiers on these already, as we’ve been on [...]

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Jazz/funk/fusion ‘supergroup’ Kung Fu to release debut disc

Jorge Fitz-Gibbon — Wed, 29 Jun 2011 15:33:27 +0000

The Listening Room has been tipped off that Kung Fu, a jazz/funk/fusion band made up of noted Connecticut musicians, is finally releasing their debut studio album tomorrow with a bash at Daniel Street in Milford, Conn. This is good news and worth the trip, as the group, which evolved from a 2009 jam session, has [...]

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LoHud interview: Meet Jack Grace

Jorge Fitz-Gibbon — Tue, 21 Jun 2011 17:27:00 +0000

Great piece by my colleague Gary Stern today on singer/songwriter Jack Grace and his band. Grace, a local product from Armonk, N.Y., has been quietly making waves in the music business and may be poised to break out. Check out Gary’s piece, which ran today in The Journal News/LoHud.com Meet the Jack Grace Band By [...]

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What’s next for E Street?

Ned P. Rauch — Mon, 20 Jun 2011 21:06:46 +0000

Clarence Clemons, Bruce Springsteen’s erstwhile sax-man, pal and foil, was my favorite non-guitar-playing musician. When my friends and I mimed “Born in the U.S.A.” at a summer camp talent show in the mid-1980s, I insisted on “being” Clemons. Never mind that the song has no sax part (or that we had no talent to show). [...]

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LoHud Interview: Suzanne Vega

Jorge Fitz-Gibbon — Fri, 17 Jun 2011 17:22:55 +0000

Another good job by Chris Serico of The Journal News/LoHud.com. Chris sat down with singer/songwriter Suzanne Vega on the eve of her headlining gig at the Clearwater Festival at Croton Point Park. Here’s Chris’ piece on Vega, which ran in today’s editions: Singer, songwriter, storyteller By Chris Serico Long before singer-songwriter Suzanne Vega scored hits [...]

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Guitar players you should know: Robert Johnson

Jorge Fitz-Gibbon — Sun, 05 Jun 2011 12:00:44 +0000

We admit we’re reaching back in time on this one, but there’s absolutely no denying that Robert Johnson was one of the most influential guitarists and songwriters of the last century. As brief as his career was — with just 29 songs in his catalog of recorded music — Johnson nonetheless redefined the blues guitar, [...]

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Tapestry — “beautiful creation” turns 40

Jorge Fitz-Gibbon — Thu, 02 Jun 2011 19:59:51 +0000

Emil D’Onofrio — Listening Room contributor A music reviewer for allmusic.com once referred to most of the content on Simon and Garfunkel’s landmark album “Bridge Over Troubled Water” as “filler.” As misguided as that opinion is, I would defy him (or any other critic) to make such captious claims about “Tapestry,” the beautiful creation of [...]

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Robert Randolph bowls over Brooklyn

Ned P. Rauch — Mon, 23 May 2011 20:03:51 +0000

Friday night found me 20 feet from the front of the stage at Brooklyn Bowl, in Williamsburg, soaking up three hours of knock-your-socks-off playing by Robert Randolph and the Family Band. I felt like I’d been swallowed by the sun. If you’re not familiar with Randolph, I’d recommend remedying that. He’s a pedal steel shaman, [...]

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Steve Tyler: The artist as a Yonkers man

Jorge Fitz-Gibbon — Tue, 17 May 2011 15:39:35 +0000

Great piece on Steve Tyler by Phil Reisman in his column today in The Journal News. Citing the Aerosmith front man’s new autobiography, Reisman goes back to Tyler’s upbringing in middle-class Yonkers – where he started his first band, got kicked out of school and laid the foundation to being, well, a rock star. Read [...]

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James Taylor, Michael Landau and Jerry Douglas at Carnegie Hall

Ned P. Rauch — Mon, 09 May 2011 21:12:03 +0000

James Taylor constructs his songs by developing what he referred to as a series of interlocking melodic “wheels.” His first guitar was a nylon-string, classical guitar that his brother got hold of and painted blue. He really disliked his years at Milton, a boarding school outside Boston. His favorite guitars are made by James (Jim) [...]

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The Met’s guitar heroes

Ned P. Rauch — Mon, 25 Apr 2011 16:58:14 +0000

If you’re interested in music, guitars, fine craftsmanship or beautiful things (That list ought to cover just about everyone, right?), you might think about visiting the Met’s Guitar Heroes exhibit, which opened in February and runs though July 4. The show at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, in New York City, focuses on the work [...]

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Faust Harrison Pianos teams up with Westchester conservatory

Jorge Fitz-Gibbon — Tue, 19 Apr 2011 19:09:31 +0000

How about some positive piano news? The Listening Room got word today that the Music Conservatory of Westchester in White Plains is teaming up with Faust Harrison Pianos for a new music center at the conservatory’s campus. Turns out the center, scheduled to open early this summer, will have pianos for sale and will restore [...]

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Happy Record Store Day

Ned P. Rauch — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 16:05:44 +0000

Everyone’s favorite holiday is just about here: Record Store Day! On Saturday, April 16, independent music stores around the country will join together and … sell records and CDs. Sounds like any other day, I know, but Record Store Day is different. Why? Because stores will offer discounts and deals, hire bands and dish out [...]

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Guitar players you should know: Bernard Butler

Jorge Fitz-Gibbon — Thu, 14 Apr 2011 11:30:21 +0000

Bernard Butler has had the distinction of excelling on both sides of the recording studio — as a solo artist and guitarist for British rockers Suede, and as an award-winning producer for some of England’s biggest contemporary performers. But it is largely on stage where Butler first made his name, establishing himself as one of [...]

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Foo Fighters hit Yonkers

Jorge Fitz-Gibbon — Tue, 12 Apr 2011 21:45:48 +0000

Timed with the release of their seventh album, Wasting Light, alternative rockers the Foo Fighters gigged in Yonkers over the weekend — part of the band’s “Garage Tour New York.” The band’s performance in the roomy Yonkers garage on Saturday has already hit the blogosphere, and is picking up hits on youtube in a hurry. [...]

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Happy hour for Parkinson’s fundraiser

Diana Costello — Fri, 08 Apr 2011 21:25:33 +0000

Our friend Chris Bro of 107.1 The Peak has helped to unite the local music-loving community by hosting a number of happy hour gatherings in Port Chester. This time, it’s going to be for a great cause. On Tuesday, a happy hour fundraiser for the Parkinson’s Disease Foundation will take place from 7 to 10 [...]

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The robots are coming

Ned P. Rauch — Thu, 07 Apr 2011 16:50:47 +0000

What do you think of Gibson’s robot guitars? Revolutionary and rad or too geeked out to be cool? The company’s latest entry, the Firebird X, tunes itself, has built-in effects, three “tog-pots,” or toggle switches that also roll like a tone or volume knob, and comes with a hoverboard. (Just kidding on that last one.) [...]

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Guitar players you should know: G.E. Smith

Jorge Fitz-Gibbon — Wed, 06 Apr 2011 15:35:26 +0000

G.E. Smith once joked that he hadn’t slept since the 1960s. Don’t laugh. That might actually be closer to the truth than you could imagine, considering that Smith has crammed in more music and more gigs with some of the world’s most notable musicians than seems humanly possible. It’s no wonder, as Smith long ago [...]

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Buddy Guy interview: ‘I don’t know but one way to play’

Jorge Fitz-Gibbon — Mon, 04 Apr 2011 16:25:14 +0000

Great piece by my colleague Chris Serico who interviewed Buddy Guy last week in anticipation of the blues legend’s show at Purchase College. While the show is now history, there’s some great stuff here from one of the greatest electric blues player in the genre’s history. Here’s Chris’ piece, courtesy of The Journal News and [...]

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Discovering Jack Rose

Ned P. Rauch — Thu, 31 Mar 2011 16:40:55 +0000

Like a lot of guitar players, Jack Rose died too young. He was 38 when his heart gave out in 2009, ending the life of a guy whose acoustic-guitar playing reminded listeners that you don’t need pedals, effects and volume to dazzle. A box of wood, six steel strings, fleet fingers and a creative mind [...]

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Josh Flagg says he’s set for Bowery Electric album release party

Jorge Fitz-Gibbon — Tue, 29 Mar 2011 14:25:30 +0000

There’s no mystery in what you’re going to get from Josh Flagg. “I like a lot of power pop,” Flagg told The Listening Room. “I like short songs. I don’t like a lot of guitar solos and things like that. I sort of come from Big Star, Posies, you know, Superdrag. Those are sort of [...]

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Guitar players you should know: Bob Mould

Jorge Fitz-Gibbon — Thu, 17 Mar 2011 18:07:03 +0000

Bob Mould could rightfully be called the Godfather of Grunge, fashioning the “wall of guitar” sound that defined early alternative rock and laid the musical foundation for the grunge wave that came out of Seattle in the late 1980s. Out of that wave came Nirvana, Soundgarden, Pearl Jam, Screaming Trees, Mudhoney and a whole list [...]

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It’s Mardi Gras. Must be time for Zydeco

Jorge Fitz-Gibbon — Tue, 08 Mar 2011 21:52:59 +0000

There’s a lot to like about Louisiana – the food, the culture, New Orleans. It’s all there for Mardi Gras. But what would it all be without the music? There are only a handful of cities in the country that can lay claim to being a music capital – Austin, Memphis, Chicago and Motown among [...]

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INXS streaming new “re-imagined” release

Jorge Fitz-Gibbon — Mon, 28 Feb 2011 22:02:29 +0000

The Listening Room got a note from Australian rockers INXS today, letting us know that the band is streaming it’s upcoming “re-imagined” release, Original Sin, on AOL Music starting today. Original Sin actually has a spin to it. The band says it’s a “re-imagined” collection of INXS’ signature hits, with guest performers that include Ben [...]

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Flavor Flav pens tell-all book

Jorge Fitz-Gibbon — Sun, 27 Feb 2011 13:00:05 +0000

The Listening Room gets word that rap legend and reality TV star Flavor Flav has come out with a no-holds-barred book about his life and career, from his days as a member of Public Enemy to the current day. This should be good: He’s titled the book Flavor Flav: Icon. I knew Flav when I [...]

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Robert Cray at the Paramount: LoHud interview

Jorge Fitz-Gibbon — Fri, 25 Feb 2011 20:31:33 +0000

Great piece on LoHud.com today by my colleague Chris Serico, who spent some time with Grammy-winning blues guitarist Robert Cray in anticipation of Cray’s gig tomorrow at the Paramount Center for the Arts in Peekskill. Give it a read:: GUITAR LEGEND ROBERT CRAY BRINGS SIGNATURE SOUND TO PEEKSKILL (photo courtesy of Erika Molleck Goldring) When [...]

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Guitar players you should know: Nels Cline

Jorge Fitz-Gibbon — Thu, 24 Feb 2011 17:05:04 +0000

The short version is that Nels Cline plays lead guitar for Wilco. Then again, you could just as easily say that Wilco plays with Nels Cline, because Cline’s jazz-influenced, improvisational style is sort of a unique thing – both with the hit band and in a number of solo and side projects he’s delved into [...]

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Ex-Lizzy guitarist Gary Moore found dead

Jorge Fitz-Gibbon — Mon, 07 Feb 2011 17:02:38 +0000

This is genuinely sad news for me. Not only was I always a huge Thin Lizzy fan, but loved Gary Moore’s solo work as well. Moore was also one of the earliest guitar player profiles we posted here in the Listening Room. Now comes word that Moore, 58, was found dead in Spain over the [...]

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Gerry Rafferty dead at 63

Jorge Fitz-Gibbon — Wed, 05 Jan 2011 17:25:53 +0000

Sad news this week that singer/songwriter Gerry Rafferty passed away. If the name doesn’t ring a bell, maybe his songs do. He scored a big hit in the ‘70s with his solo tune “Baker Street.” But he may be best remembered for his catchy tune “Stuck In The Middle With You,” which he recorded with [...]

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Column: Remembering Phil Ochs

Jorge Fitz-Gibbon — Sat, 25 Dec 2010 16:55:43 +0000

Emil D’Onofrio — Listening Room contributor As the music world recently marked the 30th anniversary of the assassination of John Lennon, another pop icon milestone has gone practically unnoticed. Folk songwriter/singer Phil Ochs would have turned 70 on Dec.19. As with Lennon, Ochs’ life also ended abruptly and tragically, albeit by his own hand. Ochs [...]

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Guitar players you should know: Johnny Ramone

Jorge Fitz-Gibbon — Thu, 23 Dec 2010 18:49:29 +0000

Johnny Ramone could take a power chord and smash you with it. Unique for its fierceness, Ramone’s playing was a relentless attack of bar chords that defined the sound of America’s most recognizable punk band. Long after their demise and the death of all but one of their founding members, The Ramones — and Johnny [...]

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Jim Morrison’s belated pardon

Jorge Fitz-Gibbon — Thu, 23 Dec 2010 16:59:41 +0000

Not sure if any of you are following this, but there’s an interesting issue down in Florida over Jim Morrison of the Doors. Long after his death, the Doors frontman is back in the news over his long-ago arrest in the Sunshine State. Check out the piece below from the LA Times, which explains the [...]

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Happy birthday to Keith Richards

Jorge Fitz-Gibbon — Sun, 19 Dec 2010 02:44:09 +0000

What can you say about Keith Richards, who turned 67 today? His hardcore rock and roll lifestyle is legendary, and he is a singularly unique personality — no wonder Johnny Depp designed Captain Jack Sparrow, his memorable rogue pirate character in ‘Pirates of the Caribbean,’ after Richards. Sometimes it’s even easy to forget that the [...]

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Guitar players you should know: Bobby Tench

Jorge Fitz-Gibbon — Fri, 17 Dec 2010 13:00:47 +0000

Bobby Tench came into his own as a singer, taking over the mike for The Jeff Beck Group. Thankfully, he eventually got the chance to show what he could do with a guitar as well. Suffice it to say he can do plenty. The British-born Tench lent his guitar talent to more than just Beck. [...]

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Guitar players you should know: Eric Johnson

Jorge Fitz-Gibbon — Fri, 26 Nov 2010 18:50:14 +0000

Say what you will about Eric Johnson, but the bottom line s that he’s on every legitimate list of great modern guitar players. And well he should be. The Austin-born guitar wiz made himself known as an accomplished studio session player before landing his own major-label record deal in the mid-1980s. He hasn’t looked back [...]

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Albert Ayler: 1936-1970

Jorge Fitz-Gibbon — Tue, 16 Nov 2010 16:16:55 +0000

Roberto Parente — Listening Room columnist This month will mark 40 years of the passing of free jazz artist, Albert Ayler. In November 1970, Ayler was found drowned in New York’s East River. He was a giant and also at the same time one of the most controversial figures of the free jazz movement. Ayler’s [...]

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Guitar players you should know: Graham Coxon

Jorge Fitz-Gibbon — Fri, 12 Nov 2010 17:47:24 +0000

A BBC poll earlier this year determined that Graham Coxon was the 15th greatest guitarist of the past 30 years — a list topped by John Frusciante and Slash. Fair enough, but Coxon fans would not-so-politely suggest that the former Blur lead guitarist belongs higher on any ranking of modern-era guitar players. It would be [...]

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Guitar players you should know: Robby Krieger

Jorge Fitz-Gibbon — Fri, 05 Nov 2010 15:30:17 +0000

It’s not that we don’t know Robby Krieger. It’s just that some of us kind of forgot just how good he is. The legendary guitarist for The Doors falls in the category of musicians who get lost in time — until one of the band’s songs come on the radio and you actually listen to [...]

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Musings on the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

Chris Serico — Thu, 28 Oct 2010 21:44:41 +0000

Hello, Cleveland! In the three or so hours that I spent in the Rock Hall's Louvre-like structure, I was, for the most part, pleasantly surprised by what I witnessed.

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Palladia to the Rescue

Diana Costello — Thu, 28 Oct 2010 15:25:04 +0000

The following is courtesy of Listening Room contributor Jared Zeide. On May 21st, 1992, MTV broadcast its first episode of “The Real World,” perhaps the original reality show. I remember when I was younger that MTV always had some non-music programming starting with “Remote Control,” but it was usually music related and the focus was [...]

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Guitar players you should know: Tosin Abasi

Jorge Fitz-Gibbon — Fri, 15 Oct 2010 15:35:33 +0000

The first thing you notice about Tosin Abasi is his custom-made eight-string guitar. Then he starts playing, and that’s the thing you never forget. Abasi is a rising star in the music world — a shredder who combines elements of jazz, progressive and classical styles into his playing. But he’s hardly the new kid on [...]

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“King” Solomon Burke dead at 70

Jorge Fitz-Gibbon — Wed, 13 Oct 2010 16:47:35 +0000

Sad news today that legendary singer Solomon Burke died Sunday in the Netherlands. There’s a lot you could say about the man, and I would recommend reading this article by Charles Young of Rolling Stone, who wrote an excellent profile of Burke in the past. If you’re not familiar with Burke, it’s a good piece. [...]

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Column: Tom Clay’s world

Jorge Fitz-Gibbon — Tue, 12 Oct 2010 14:54:03 +0000

Roberto Parente Listening Room columnist What the World Needs Now is Love ( Tom Clay 1971 Version) It has been 45 years (1965) since the world heard this popular song with lyrics by Hal David and music composed by Burt Bacharach. The song was first recorded and made popular by Jackie Deshannon. It reached number [...]

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Guitar players you should know: Paul Gilbert

Jorge Fitz-Gibbon — Thu, 30 Sep 2010 17:35:55 +0000

Paul Gilbert was just 15 when he reached out to Shrapnel Records looking for a job playing guitar with Ozzy Osbourne. The gig never happened, but Shrapnel executives were impressed enough with Gilbert’s demo that it landed him a major record deal three years later. His band, Racer X, went on to record nine studio [...]

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I’m with the band

Chris Serico — Wed, 29 Sep 2010 14:49:14 +0000

Chris Serico joins the Listening Room. Like that "Freedom Rock" album of yore, you should turn it up.

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On tour: Jagermeister’s ‘Clash of the Titans’ reunion

Jorge Fitz-Gibbon — Wed, 29 Sep 2010 12:00:03 +0000

Jagermeister just launched its 21st Fall Music Tour, featuring the show’s original “Clash of the Titans” roster of metal icons — Slayer, Megadeth and Anthrax, organizers tell The Listening Room. Now we’re telling you. The 20-date tour, which is due to make a stop at the Nassau Coliseum next month, will also carry celebrity emcees: [...]

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The world’s greatest cover band?

Jorge Fitz-Gibbon — Mon, 27 Sep 2010 18:42:23 +0000

It started as a side project that wasn’t supposed to go anywhere. In fact, Me First and the Gimme Gimmes never expected to release any albums. Some 15 years later, they have seven releases and an international following. In fact, they’re currently on tour in Australia. And the acclaim is well deserved — these guys [...]

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Guitar players you should know: Marcy Mashima

Jorge Fitz-Gibbon — Fri, 24 Sep 2010 18:05:33 +0000

The truth is that Masatoshi “Marcy” Mashima never really made any noise in the U.S. But in his native Japan, the co-founder and guitarist for the punk band The Blue Hearts was nothing short of a sensation — as was his top-selling band. The Blue Hearts were Japan’s answer to The Sex Pistols and the [...]

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Guitar players you should know: Kim Thayil

Jorge Fitz-Gibbon — Fri, 17 Sep 2010 19:35:28 +0000

“Soundgarden didn’t set out to destroy metal — just take it back to basics,” Rolling Stone magazine once wrote. “Thayil updated the forbidding sludge and tweaked-out solos of prime Zep.” Kim Thayil, Soundgarden’s innovative lead guitarist, was in fact an architect of the stripped down, riff-based guitar sound that came to be known as grunge. [...]

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ZZ Top brings down the Beacon Theater

Diana Costello — Tue, 14 Sep 2010 19:43:22 +0000

ZZ Top has been laying down some of the rawest blues riffs for the past four decades, and yet the band is still so heavy and so relevant that it’s no wonder the shows at the Beacon Theater these past two nights have been so well received by both fans and the media. I’ve seen [...]

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Keeping tabs: Fools On Sunday

Jorge Fitz-Gibbon — Fri, 10 Sep 2010 16:15:18 +0000

We introduced you to Fools On Sunday in January, when we covered the five-band showcase of local talent they hosted at the Ossining Eagles Hall. Well, they’re still making some noise, led by 13-year-old drummer/singer/songwriter Evan “Johnny Lightning” Seligman. The band tells the Listening Room they just finished recording four new songs with Mitch Easter, [...]

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What a difference a decade makes

Jorge Fitz-Gibbon — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 21:30:49 +0000

Emil D’Onofrio Listening Room contributor I was a senior in high school when the 1980s arrived. I can remember a fellow student relating how he welcomed the new decade at a New Years Eve Party with the toast, “Here’s to the eighties; may the be as good as the sixties.” When someone mentioned, “What happened [...]

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Column: Three bands you should know

Jorge Fitz-Gibbon — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 19:25:35 +0000

Nick Viagas Listening Room columnist Classic rock fans love talking about how all modern bands sound the same, and are generally bad. Although there is a lot of truth to that, there are some good bands still getting their start. Some are more mainstream like Gaslight Anthem ( known to jam with Bruce Springsteen.) There [...]

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Phish announce fall tour dates

Diana Costello — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 17:31:05 +0000

Well folks, it’s official. Phish will celebrate Halloween 2010 in Atlantic City, preceded by a string of dates across the country. Here’s the schedule: 10/10: First Bank Center; Broomfield, CO 10/11: First Bank Center; Broomfield, CO 10/12: First Bank Center; Broomfield, CO 10/15: North Charleston Coliseum; North Charleston, SC 10/16: North Charleston Coliseum; North Charleston, [...]

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LoHud interview: Chris Barron of the Spin Doctors

Jorge Fitz-Gibbon — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 16:18:59 +0000

If you missed it, music writer Chris Serico of The Journal News/LoHud.com sat down with Spin Doctors singer Chris Barron in anticipation of the band’s upcoming gig at The Towne Crier. It’s worth a read, particularly as Chris got Barron to open up on some touchy issues, including internal friction in the band and Barron’s [...]

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Guitar players you should know: Roky Erickson

Jorge Fitz-Gibbon — Thu, 19 Aug 2010 16:05:06 +0000

Roky Erickson’s career has been marked by genius as much as it has been marred by mental illness and drug abuse. The Austin-born guitarist was one of the creators of the psychedelic rock movement with the 13th Floor Elevators, the band he co-founded in 1965. In the years since Erickson has released well over a [...]

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Three local gems from ‘Battle of the Bands’

Jorge Fitz-Gibbon — Sat, 14 Aug 2010 13:00:20 +0000

In today’s Life & Style section of The Journal News, Karen Croke profiles three local bands that won some major Battles of the Bands contests. In June, Beyond This Point, a band based out of Long Island’s Five Towns College, made it to the final round of the national College Battle of the Bands in [...]

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Rock benefit for music scholarships featuring Anna Rose

Diana Costello — Fri, 13 Aug 2010 13:15:14 +0000

The Music Conservatory of Westchester will host a rock benefit show with Anna Rose next Thursday Aug. 19th to raise funds for scholarships and tuition assistance programs. Anything that will help expose more kids to music education is something I will always stand behind. Presented by Jon Chattman’s thecheappop.com, the event will open with comedian [...]

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