The Dirt Whisperers are Eric Simons on guitar and vocals and Bradford Reed on pencilina and drums. Simons has played with Ladybug Mecca of Digable Planets, Brian Jackson of Gil Scott Heron, The Dukes of Brooklyn, Tractor Supply and Revel in Dimes. A Kansas native, Eric is heavily influenced by his home state’s blues, country, gospel and early jazz, but his style can sound as rooted in the Mississippi Delta as anywhere else.
Bradford Reed’s pencilina, his own invention, is an electric ten-stringed collision of the hammer dulcimer, slide guitar, koto and fretless bass. Reed played with King Missile III (and produced 4 of their records) and in the original band of The Blue Man Group as well as Satellite and The Harpoonist. Reed has also scored numerous films and TV shows, including Superjail! on Adult Swim and Ugly Americans on Comedy Central.
Stylistically the music of The Dirt Whisperers is grounded in traditional blues and classic soul, but it traverses many genres, adding in touches of gospel and Americana, while never losing track of good old American rock and roll. Eric’s guitar can growl or whisper or even call on the steely sounds of a National Resonator. Both drums and bass are simultaneously covered by Bradford on a minimal drum kit and the pencilina which constantly adds in unexpected tones and textures that are often difficult to explain. There might be a bow tantalizing the strings or harmonics ringing from the sticks, which act as movable bridges, riding the strings like a ship on the high seas. While the collaboration of Simons and Reed may seem experimental (and it can be!), The Dirt Whisperers pride themselves on singing and playing melodies that will hook your eardrums while their beats get your ass shaking.
Strange Neighbors first unleashed their jangly power pop onto the New York scene in 2018.
Founded by vocalist Aidan and drummer Tracey, they soon brought guitarist Zach into the mix through a Facebook ad. It remains one of the three all-time positive outcomes of social media.
After a few early singles and some lineup changes, the band brought along bassist Dana to record their debut album “How to Human” in early 2019. Taking influence from the power pop and pop punk of the band’s youth, the album’s eight songs are characterized by sparkling guitars, intricate bass lines, rock solid beats and impassioned vocals, a mix of the old and new.
The band followed up with the “Illuminasti” EP in 2020 and marked their live comeback as a live act with the single “Mystic Piers” in July of 2021. They have continued recording, writing and performing into 2022.
Since their formation, Strange Neighbors have played at popular New York City haunts like Piano’s, The Bitter End, Bowery Electric, Cobra Club, Arlene’s Grocery, Mercury Lounge, Knitting Factory, and more.
“…steeped in Sikh devotional themes, with an anthemic Punjabi sound” – NPR Music
Brooklyn-based Sonny Singh has launched a solo project of boundary-defying Punjabi anthems to uplift & ignite. For the last decade, Sonny has brought his fiery trumpet & vocals to audiences around the world as an original member of the bhangra brass band Red Baraat. His debut solo album, Chardi Kala, will be out May 13, 2022.
Sonny’s first musical outlet as a child of immigrant parents in North Carolina was singing Sikh devotional music in gurdwaras (Sikh houses of worship). His energy shifted to other types of music as he became a more serious musician: ska, reggae, funk, punk rock, bhangra, and more. In 2003, Sonny co-founded the political rock band Outernational and recorded an album produced by Tom Morello. As a singer and trumpet player, he has been central to the sound and raw energy of Red Baraat since the band’s inception in 2008, touring globally and recording 5 studio albums.
In May 2022, Sonny will release his debut solo album, produced by Wil-Dog Abers of Ozomatli, entitled Chardi Kala, the Sikh concept of revolutionary eternal optimism. His new music has been featured on NPR Music, Rolling Stone India, HuffPost, Songlines Magazine, Brooklyn Vegan, and WNYC’s New Sounds.
Sonny’s music is a reminder that hope, love, and devotion are crucial to our struggles and our collective survival. Chardi Kala is a return to Sonny’s Punjabi & Sikh roots, but with the lens he’s developed over the course of his life as a touring musician, educator, and activist. Musically, the project embodies the many spiritual, political, and aesthetic elements that have shaped Sonny: a bolero-mariachi Sikh shabad on one track, a qawwali song with a reggae bass line on another, a bombastic Ghadar Party tribute in Punjabi and Spanish on yet another. His live band, which includes harmonium, electric guitar, tabla, and dhol, provides listeners with an experience of both introspective reflection and fervent urgency.
“SOMA is composed of a group of musicians from central New Jersey, coming together to create eclectic devotional music. Inspired by different schools of kirtan, SOMA builds on this traditional framework to incorporate amplified instrumentation and other added components to create an entirely new sonic experience. Approaching this project from many areas of study and practice , SOMA comes together to offer these sounds that resonate in all. ”
A name unlike any other before it, and most likely a name that will haunt your two-toned dreams forever. However tongue-in-cheek the name may be, the group takes its music seriously and is known for their raucous live shows and always-busy musical agenda. Formed in the pandemic winter of 2020, Skappository started as a four-piece consisting of Tony Morace (Sheep Surveillance, Splatterhouse) on vocals and guitar, Jess DeBellis (King Django, Top Shotta Band, Harold’s Trousers) on keytar, Mike Nigro (Butterscotch Stanley, Close Call) on bass, and Cody Phillips (Pin Cushion). Shortly thereafter, Christian Lesperance (Jersey Interchange) joined the group on lead guitar, and the lineup was solidified with five members. Taking a bulk of their influences from artists like The Suicide Machines, The Specials, Sublime and The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, the band quickly began writing their own brand of eclectic ska-punk songs, and were in the studio recording tracks even before performing their first live show in April of 2021. Skappository exploded onto the live music scene in the summer of 2021, keeping themselves busy with a full schedule of shows in Long Island and beyond, as they took to the road for a September mini-tour with dates all over Pennsylvania and upstate New York, including a set at Froggy Daze Festival alongside NYC ska legends, The Scofflaws.
The band’s debut EP, “Up Yours!” is a four-song treat for ska-punk fans, chock-full of blistering punk riffs, danceable ska grooves and melodic sing-alongs. The lyrical content ranges from social commentary on racist police officers, to thoughts on making the most of our time on this planet, to finding an itch in the worst place possible. The first single, “R U Rude 2?” is an examination into finding the right person to spend your time with, specifically one who speaks their mind without a filter.
Sam Kogon describes his new approach as that of an “Upstate country rockabilly crooner,” a sound he had once put off while playing in Brooklyn’s psychedelic scene. Kogon lived and played in New York for several years, but nowadays lives in Westchester and spends more time in the Hudson Valley. He has always skewed a little older in his sensibilities, from an early affinity for Chopin and the Beatles to the session work he’s done with Al Jardine of The Beach Boys, fronting the 1960’s revived baroque pop group The Left Banke (“Walk Away Renee”), and songwriting with Grammy Award nominee Patty Smyth. He has recorded two albums of psych-adjacent power pop, including 2016’s standout Psychic Tears (Beyond Beyond is Beyond), which was co-produced by Kogon and Sam Owens (aka Sam Evian) and features a duet with Frankie Cosmos on the track “I Was Always Talking.” He just released a new EP he recorded with Kurt Vile and Dinosaur Jr. producer, John Agnello. Kogon wrote and made demo recordings of these four news songs at home on to his 4-track tape recorder. The songs were then arranged with his band feat. Grennan Milliken on drums, James Preston on Bass, Graeme Gengras on keys, and Kogon on vocals and guitar. The EP was recorded and produced by John Agnello (Dinosaur Jr., Kurt Vile) at Stewart Lerman’s Hobo Sound Studios in Weehawken, NJ. His partnership with Agnello came about in a somewhat roundabout way. After coming off three self-booked US/Canadian tours, Kogon was cast as a featured extra in Martin Scorsese’s crime epic The Irishman as a backing musician for Jerry Vale, played in the film by Steven Van Zandt. He hit it off with music supervisor Stewart Lerman and, after sending some demos along, received a recommendation for working with Agnello. The sessions were assisted by Jeremy Delaney and James Frazee. The songs were mastered by Steve Fallone (Arcade Fire, Angel Olsen, Big Thief).
Little Steven aka Steven Van Zandt (from the E Street Band) has named Sam’s first single, “Barbed Wire,” as one of The Coolest Songs in The World and featured it on his Sirius XM show “Little Steven’s Underground Garage.”
NYC-based Dominican singer/songwriter Roxiny continues her ascend with a brooding and emotionally charged upcoming EP QOYA: fase 1. Born in the Dominican Republic and raised in Spain, Panama, and Italy, she bought her first guitar in Napoli when she was 15 and began channeling groups like Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Bauhaus, L7, and Suicide while singing in a young punk band. Roxiny graduated high school early and ran away from home at the age of 17, flying to the U.S. and then driving cross-country to California. Armed with a global arsenal of music and the command of five languages, she soon signed to a major label and relocated to New York City, but like so many artists, the road to success was paved with challenges. Creatively stifled, Roxiny parted ways with her record contract in order to find her own voice while writing new music, working with different producers, and performing in Brooklyn and the Lower East Side.
Roxiny’s first big break would come in 2013 when Sleigh Bells enlisted her as a backup singer – during this stint, she was featured in their “Bitter Rivals” video and she appeared with the band on Jimmy Kimmel Live! Two years later, she partnered with Shan Nicholson (Rubble Kings, Downtown Calling), Little Shalimar (Run the Jewels), and TV on the Radio’s Tunde Adebimpe to write the song “Phoenix” for the Rubble Kings soundtrack. The only female artist featured on the film score, Pitchfork highlighted the track, favorably comparing Roxiny’s voice to early Santigold. It was around this same time that she was introduced to producers Chris Coady (Beach House, TV on the Radio, Santigold) and Jonathan Kreinik (Jim Jarmusch, TransAm, Jean Miche), and she spent the rest of 2016 recording out of their respective Los Angeles and Brooklyn studios.
Her forthcoming sophomore EP Qoya: fase 1 was written in the grips of the pandemic. Roxiny partnered with Alex Epton formerly known as XXXChange (FKA Twigs, Arca, Vampire Weekend, Jamie xx) and longtime collaborator Jonathan Kreinik to write and produce QOYA, a 3 EP conceptual trilogy from the confinement of her bedroom, on an iphone, via virtual sessions throughout 2020 and 2021. QOYA is a fiercely relevant body of work with lyrics focused on healing, injustice, identity, breaking cycles, awakening, and the challenge to co-exist as a nurturing vessel, sexual being, creative force, survivor, and new mother. It is a profound diary of Roxiny’s personal battles, vulnerabilities, protest, and raw sexuality. Throughout, her feverish voice effortlessly moves from velvety-sung confessions to hair-raising wails amidst a backdrop of pulsing synthesizers, snarling guitars, tribal rhythms, and primitive drum machines. Although the stories she tells are weighty, catharsis is most often found.
The granddaughter of a revolutionary who helped mobilize against Dominican Republic dictator Rafael Trujillo during his brutal reign, Roxiny has immersed herself in the advocacy for victims of injustice and most recently performed for The Violence Intervention Program, an organization that rescues womxn and children from domestic and sexual violence. A cause that she feels has become increasingly important as cases of domestic and sexual violence continue to rise due to the pandemic.
As a singer/songwriter and women’s rights activist, Roxiny is indeed laying the groundwork for a new kind of counterculture femme – embracing her power, defiance, and femininity all the while honoring her life’s most intimate details.
Rivky is a NYC singer-songwriter, recipient of the $5,000 NY arts grant, nominated by the IMEA Awards, selected for New York Musical Theater’s top female finalists in 2022. Her song, “Hear Me Mr. Honey,” was produced by Grammy-winning Amy Lee of Evanescence. Rivky’s music has appeared on PBS’s Mysteries Of Mental Illness. Her career jump-started composing for Off-Broadway, meeting her friend and Cellist Brian Sanders, releasing their first album, inviting them to The Kennedy Center, and stages featuring Suzanne Vega. Other projects include co-creating a musical currently in development with Playwright Jack Feldstein called, The Kingdom Of Vincent Grapelli. Rivky currently hosts “Melody Left Behind”, celebrating performers living with schizophrenia, psychosis and those who experience the stage just a little differently, pushing the boundary to welcome more neurodiverse inclusion on mainstream music stages, which often doesn’t exist for every unique artist.
“I am drawn to Rivky by her raw talent. What I love about her as an artist is the strength in her vulnerability- absolutely beautiful. I can’t wait to hear more from her!” -Amy Lee, Evanescence
(Rivky’s styles include Euro-French, folky-pop, jazzy-blues, classic rock, spoken word, theatrical elements. Similar to Kurt Weill, Nina Simone, Laura Nyro, Jaque’s Brel, David Bowie, Regina Spektor, Freddy Mercury).
The Hudson Valley’s own premier symphonic musicians will come together as smaller chamber ensembles for an up-close view. The musicians are your local teachers at private studios, schools, and universities. They are all active performers throughout the Hudson Valley and NYC area. They are committed to the mission of bringing people together and presenting beautiful, inspiring classical music to audiences of all ages.
Peyton Pleninger is an emerging tenor saxophonist, improviser, bandleader and conceptualist, forging a personal path that challenges the boundaries of what it means to be a musician. Pleninger’s experience involves a variety of disciplines centered around music, which also includes astrology, painting and sculpture, botany, construction, massage and medical inquiry.
Pleninger worked as a mentee of Milford Graves, from spring 2019 until Graves’ passing in early 2021, assisting daily in multi-disciplinary efforts. Summer 2019 focused on botany and garden work, which evolved into constructing a greenhouse in the winter that year. 2020 began with focus around conducting and documenting various scientific experiments around sound, vibration and cardiology, which led to constructing sculptures demonstrating some of the concepts discovered. Pleninger played an integral role in helping Graves prepare artwork and archival materials for his retrospective exhibit Milford Graves: A Mind Body Deal at the ICA Philadelphia, as well as for the post-humous exhibits Heart Harmonics: Sound, Energy and Natural Healing Phenomena at the Fridman Gallery and Milford Graves: Fundamental Frequency at Artist’s Space.
Born on April 7, 1996 just outside of Philadelphia, Pleninger began playing piano at age 4. A gifted a hand-me-down tenor saxophone, along with hearing recordings of John Coltrane, set Pleninger on a lifelong journey to improvise at the highest level. In his last 2 years of high school, Pleninger studied with Anthony Tidd through the Kimmel Center Creative Music Program. During this time he also met Steve Coleman, who Pleninger followed relentlessly, attending performances and workshops in Philadelphia, NYC, and Detroit.
Upon his arrival in New York City in 2015, Pleninger formed the first iteration of his band Biotonic. In its infancy, Biotonic explored the relationship of sound on the human experience and physiology through original compositions, and later evolved to explore moment music by juggling spontaneous and predetermined material. Biotonic has performed throughout NYC at such venues as The 55 Bar, The Jazz Gallery and Seeds Brooklyn, and has released a live album: alive (2019), and two EP’s: intro::extro (2016) and Heartbeat Music (2017).
In 2020, Pleninger collaborated with Brooklyn based photographer and sustainability specialist Alison Schuettinger to build 5 Sets of Solos and Duos, an outdoor series of music and movement performances with emphasis on community building in balance with nature.
In 2021, Pleninger traveled to Long Beach Washington to record his first solo album, Post Human Folk Dances, to be released 2022. The album was recorded remote, in various locations around Long Beach, and explores different imagined dance styles through Pleninger’s signature setup of saxophone augmented with bells.
Pleninger also works as a dedicated side-person with multiple music projects. He has performed with Henry Threadgill as part of the multimedia works “One” and “The Other One.” He plays in John Benitez’ Latin-Bop, a modern latin-jazz group, performing weekly at Terraza 7 in Queens and monthly at Fat Cat in Manhattan. He plays with Roy Ben Yosef’s Moringa trio, an Israel-based group focused on improvisation, which released its debut record Moringa and the Watershed in February 2021. Pleninger plays in drummer/composer Colin Hinton’s Glassbath, an electric band straddling post rock and free jazz, which released its self-titled inaugural album February 2018. Pleninger performs with drummer/composer Michel Maurer’s Meridian, a forward-thinking jazz-rooted quartet, which released its debut record The Shape of Noon in 2019. In summer 2017, Pleninger toured Canada for 5 weeks with guitarist Quinn Bachand’s Brishen, an acoustic band honoring the tradition of gypsy jazz and the roots of rock n roll. Highlight performances include the Toronto Jazz Festival, Montreal International Jazz Festival, and CBC Canada.
