By A.J. Wachtel
All the participants in the New England music scene are on the same team. We just play a lot of different genres at a lot of variable venues throughout five separate states. Each of these assorted areas have their own special sound and unique characteristics. Check out what THE JAY STOLLMAN BAND, GOODNIGHT MOONSHINE, FRANK VIELE, DELUXE, THE MIGHTY SOUL DRIVERS, BABY DYNAMITE and WEST END BLEND all say about Connecticut’s happening entertainment environment.
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THE JAY STOLLMAN BAND
(blues)
Jay Stollman — vocals
Scott Spray — bass
Tommy Nagy — drums
Jeremy Goldsmith — guitar
Debbie Davies — frequent guest guitarist
Matt Schofield — frequent guest guitarist
Noise: Where is your band located?
Stollman: The band is headquartered in southern CT (Fairfield County).
Noise: What’s good and bad about your local scene?
Stollman: The Good: As a 40+ year veteran of the Connecticut music scene, I can always count on my local fans to make my area appearances my most comfortable and welcoming. It’s like playing for family. I know the people and the venues and can always count on well attended shows and enthusiastic audiences. My local fans enjoy great music and don’t expect me to keep my shows strictly “blues-centric”. I can stretch a bit and mix it up…adding multiple genres and moods.
The Bad: The pay scale for bar bands in southern CT has basically remained the same since the ‘80’s and in some cases, has gotten worse……while the cost of living has risen many times. One particular pet peeve is when a club owner tells me that he pays X number of dollars PER MAN! Really? You’re paying for the show, not hiring individual musicians to perform. Just pay us what we’re worth and let us decide how to pay the band members, as opposed to setting club policy of paying per man. Fortunately, I have reduced the amount of clubs that I play, in favor of theaters and festivals.
Noise: Describe your band’s sound and how you fit into the scene?
Stollman: I grew up in CT playing rock, funk and soul. A few years back when I was brought under Johnny Winter’s umbrella, I made a major shift into blues. It was an easy transition and I have done well with it, but my style of blues relies heavily on the rock, funk and soul influences of my past. I like my blues to groove and really love to see people dance and move. My audiences expect a “rootsy”, soulful experience and we deliver! You don’t have to be a traditional blues fan to enjoy our sound… there’s something for everyone.
Noise: What’s your best song?
Stollman: There are two… our cover of “A Change Is Gonna Come” by Sam Cooke and my original “Devil in Disguise.” In “A Change is Gonna Come” we have taken a civil rights hymn and turned it into what one reviewer called a “Memphis Blues Barn Burner.” It’s the perfect vehicle for my voice…..a soul stirring call to arms over a beautiful set of traditional gospel blues chord changes. “Devil in Disguise” is just a nasty, funky blues that makes you get up offa your ass and dance!
Noise: What national act’s influence is most evident in your sound?
Stollman: Eric Clapton meets James Brown meets Freddie King meets Marvin Gaye meets Johnny Winter meets Donny Hathaway meets The Allman Brothers!
Noise: What are your plans for the future?
Stollman: I am currently in the studio recording my second CD… a soul blues mix of originals and covers. I am touring the northeast in August and September with special guest Matt Schofield joining the band on guitar, and then will be performing all over south Florida through the end of the year. My future plans include a European tour and upcoming collaborations with the many talented musicians that I have had the honor of working with the past few years including Matt Schofield, Debbie Davies and Walter Trout. I am proud to be a part of the relaunch of Piedmont Talent, a long established and well respected blues talent agency. I will be on the roster, as well as working behind the scenes to re-brand and re-establish the company to significance in the blues & roots music markets.
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GOODNIGHT MOONSHINE
(roots folk)
Molly Venter — acoustic guitar/vocals
Eben Pariser — electric bass/ vocals
Noise: Where is your band located?
Venter: New Haven, CT.
Noise: What’s good and bad about your local scene?
Venter: We have great promoters in town bringing in music; Manic Productions, CT Folk, Arts and Ideas Festival to name a few. Musicians are supportive of each other and there’s a nice sense of community.
This isn’t particular to New Haven, but I think it’s hard to get the average person to take a chance on live music. It’s easy and predictable to stay at home and watch an episode of Game of Thrones, but there is so much to be gained from having an authentic experience of something that is happening right in front of you, and sharing that with other people.
Noise: Describe your band’s sound and how you fit into the scene?
Venter: We’re indie-folk with a roots-acoustic vibe
Noise: What’s your best song?
Venter: Ha! People are responding to a song called ‘Work I Done.’ It’s about getting older, and about the changing landscape of American work. I was inspired thinking about my grandfather – he was an officer in the Navy during WWII at the Brooklyn Navy Base – which turned into a ship-yard, which changed again and now there are all kinds of boutique vendors there.
Noise: What national act’s influence is most evident in your sound?
Venter: Brandi Carlile and Anais Mitchel – also Bonnie Raitt.
Noise: What are your plans for the future?
Venter: We’ve got lots of irons in the fire – two other bands, Red Molly & Roosevelt Dime, we’re recording the next album in our home studio. We’ve had luck with placing songs in film and t.v so will continue to do that. And we’ve had encouraging tours with several sold out shows since having our first child last September.
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FRANK VIELE
(funky r&b folk)
Frank Viele — acoustic guitar/vocals
Noise: Where is your band located?
Viele: Currently living in Hamden, Connecticut.
Noise: What’s good and bad about your local scene?
Viele: I can say that over the past few years Connecticut has been very good to me. Local radio stations like WPKN, WMRQ, WUNH, Cygnus Radio, and so many others have continued to play my music, venues like The Outer Space, Cafe 9, and Pacific Standard keep giving me stages to perform on, and even local companies like Two Roads Brewing Company have stood behind my art and sponsored my shows. There’s also a tremendous amount of talent in the artistic community that continually inspires me and challenges me to compose and create music.
Noise: Describe your sound and how you fit into the scene?
Viele: Well that’s a tough a question. I’m definitely not the norm in this scene musically but I like to think I’m an artistic amalgamation of all that’s awesome about this scene. There’s a tremendous folk scene in Connecticut full of fantastic storytellers and songwriters. There’s also a great jam and funk scene filled with tremendous instrumentalists and bands that truly know how to put on a show. Lastly there’s terrific indie rock and rhythm and blues scenes. I think I take a little from all of it. Eventually it comes across as modern blues and soul infused rock ’n’ roll.
Noise: What’s your best song?
Viele: Depends on what day you catch me as my opinion changes. That’s the best part about being a songwriter. Every time I write a new tune it’s my favorite for a period of time. But I can say that on my most recent album, Fall Your Way, my favorite song is a track called “Monsters In The Hall.” It’s a song that’s very close to my heart and I was very happy with the way it turned out on the recording.
Noise: What national act’s influence is most evident in your sound?
Viele: Tough question for sure. Throughout music historically there are so many acts from Otis Redding and Sam Cooke to Dave Matthews and Bob Seger that influence my approach to music. It’s very hard to pinpoint just one. But lately old Van Morrison records have been in constant rotation on my turntable and have been very inspiring as a songwriter.
Noise: What are your plans for the future?
Viele: I plan to do what I love to do most…write songs and perform them for people. I also plan on dialing in a new album as a follow up to my New England’s Album of the Year awarded record, Fall Your Way.
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DELUXE
(synthwave)
J. Chance — synths/guitar/vocals
David Brook — synths/vocals
Noise: Where is your band located?
Chance: Wallingford/Danbury, CT.
Noise: What’s good and bad about your local scene?
Brook: Most people/bands are pretty supportive. Everything is pretty close by too.
Noise: Describe your sound and how you fit into the scene?
Chance: I suppose you’d consider it synthwave or new retro wave? It’s basically electronic ‘80’s music. As for fitting into the scene… Not sure. There are not many local bands that make synthwave, at least to our knowledge.
Noise: What’s your best song?
Brook: I don’t know what our BEST is, but our favorites are, not counting new unreleased music, ‘Time Machine’ and ‘Plastic Glass.’ Those are the first we wrote together too.
Noise: What national act’s influence is most evident in your sound?
Chance: I’ve been into Timecop 1983 recently. We’re mostly inspired by film soundtracks. Wolfen, Blade Runner, Escape From New York, etc… Musically i suppose: New Order/Joy Division, Depeche Mode, Tangerine Dream, Simple Minds, Killing Joke, Bauhaus.
Noise: What are your plans for the future?
Brook: Living the ‘80s dream. More music. more synths. more drums!
We are currently in the process of making a new album… it should be released some time in the winter (maybe). We’re attempting to make a much thicker, atmospheric, and richer sound than on the previous album.
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THE MIGHTY SOUL DRIVERS
(soulful r & b)
Bob Orsi — vocals/ guitar
River City Slim — drums
John Smayda — tenor and bari tone sax
Larry Willey — guitar
Steve Donovan- keyboards
Andy Karlok — bass
Noise: Where is your band located?
Karlok: The band is located all around Connecticut, with one guy
living in Mass. to give the band a local connection.
Noise: What’s good and bad about your local scene?
Karlok: Well one good thing about the scene is that musicians support each other by attending each others shows on their off nights. Many of the venues will work the bands in a semi-regular rotation, of course I don’t do any booking. We have an active and supportive blues society that supports the musicians and regularly attends shows. The bad thing about the scene is the same as everyplace else, getting people to show up. Connecticut, like most music communities in other states, has a very incestuous relationship. Musicians are usually in several bands and can be seen filling in with other bands, so that sometimes adds to people wanting to see who they usually perform with; which can really help everyone.
Noise: Describe your sound and how you fit into the scene?
Karlok: We play soul and blues, but we’re trying not to be your typical soul Motown type of band. We concentrate on the southern soul sound, the soul of Memphis, of small southern towns. The nitty gritty, down and dirty soul. A lot of times it seems our lead vocalist Bob Orsi is seducing the audience. We try to bring an alternative sound to the scene. Rather than doing the expected versions of soul, for instance “Respect” rather than relying on the Aretha version everyone does, we go back to the original source, Otis Redding We’ve all had experience playing blues with the originators of blues, and playing the genre for years, so we can bring fire to the music. We all have outside musical influences so we try to introduce those influences to the music, while keeping the intentions of the performance.
Noise: What’s your best song?
Karlok: It depends on whether your talking originals or our set in general. Two of our best originals, IMHO are a funky little ditty entitled “I Don’t Want to Take You Home (I Just Want to Dance),” which is kind of an ultimate pick up line, written by our drummer and head Soul Driver, River City Slim and one called “ I’ll Follow you Home,” a nice relaxing Memphis groove. As far as covers one that really gives the band a chance to dig into the groove and gives the players a chance to add to our deep in the pocket playing is “Henpecked Man.” I’m sure band members have different opinions on our best, but that’s what I feel.
Noise: What national act’s influence is most evident in your sound?
Karlok: Well the whole Stax/Memphis sound has a huge influence on our style. One of the band’s biggest influences is an amazing singer/song writer named O. V. Wright. We perform quite a bit of his music. I have to say a majority of our musical influences are dead.
Noise: What are your plans for the future?
Karlok: To keep doing what we’re doing. To concentrate on our writing and recording another album. Our first, Qualified!, is available on CD Baby or by contacting River City Slim by going to our web page. After winning Connecticut’s entry to the International Blues Competition, a lot of doors have opened for us. The band’s been invited to several large festivals, most notably Two Left Feet Blues Festival in Simsbury, Connecticut. And Musikfest in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.
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BABY DYNAMITE
(rock)
Christine Tambakis — lead vocals
Randy Funke — guitar/ vocals
Benj LeFevre — bass/ vocals
Gary Collins — drums
Noise: Where is your band located?
Funke: We are currently based in Norwalk, CT, and the band members are from both NY and CT.
Noise: What’s good and bad about your local scene?
Funke: The original scene here in Fairfield County is starting to grow, there are a few local clubs in the Bridgeport CT area, as well as in New Haven that are dedicated to promoting live original music. Because of the clubs showcasing the bands, people are getting a chance to hear different types of music at these venues. Some of the drawbacks to our area is that the majority of the clubs have cover bands, which does not offer the general public anything other than music they are already familiar with. Because of that, people do not necessarily get the chance to branch out locally and hear something new. You have to work a bit harder to hear original music.
Noise: Describe your sound and how you fit into the scene?
Funke: Our sound is best described as rock and soul and blues music, our infuences are the great bands from the ‘60s and ‘70s rock era, we’ve taken that influence and ramped it up a few notches. Our music is vibrant, gut wrenching kick you in the ass music, while at the same time drenched in feeling and soul.
Noise: What’s your best song?
Funke: That’s a tough one, they’re all great! “It’s All Good,” “Jenny,” “Stay,” and “Take Me Down” come to mind. Our CD, which is coming out soon, will feature those tunes, plus much more.
Noise: What national act’s influence is most evident in your sound?
Funke: Zeppelin, Velvet Underground, The Who, Hendrix, the list is too long to really pinpoint any one band though, it’s really a mix of all of our band members styles and music.
Noise: What are your plans for the future?
Funke: Continue to build our live following in the northeast over the next year, keep writing new material, and then start to travel around the country continuing our pursuit of new fans. World domination is in there, but that takes time.
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WEST END BLEND
(funk)
Erica Bryan — vocals
Sam Horan — drums
Michael Bafundo — trumpet/ vocals
Vicky Medeiros — baritone saxophone
Paulie Philippone — keyboards
Jesse Combs — guitar
Mike DiPanfilo — guitar
Tom Sullivan — bass
John Mundy — trombone
Michael Oehmen – tenor sax
Noise: Where is your band located?
Combs: West End Blend is located in the West End of Hartford, Connecticut.
Noise: What’s good and bad about your local scene?
Combs: The Hartford scene has been amazing to us. We’ve found a tight knit scene here which is really growing and starting to hit its stride. It definitely does not have the sheer numbers as a bigger city, but there is a great network of stellar musicians and bands that we are proud to be a part of. We all met here in college and have been here ever since.
Noise: Describe your sound and how you fit into the scene?
Combs: West End Blend has the instrumentation of a classic funk and soul band. We have four horn players, drums, bass, two guitar players, keyboards and a lead vocalist. We definitely try to make music that people can dance to and I’d say we are trying to be a part of a scene of people that have similar goals.
Noise: What’s your best song?
Combs: We have been working on a lot of music for an upcoming release that will be out in the fall. We are looking forward to going on our first week long tour down the east coast which will be promoting the record. We can’t wait to share the release with everyone.
Noise: What national act’s influence is most evident in your sound?
Combs: With ten people in the band, you can probably imagine that we could come up with ten different answers to this question. At the end of the day, we are all just big fans of authentic music played well. Anything from pop, hip-hop, soul to rock and roll, we’re all about it. Depending on who is DJ – ing in the van, you could hear a really wide range of music.
Noise: What are your plans for the future?
Combs: We are trying to put out as much recorded music as we can in the next few years. Most importantly, we are really trying to hit the road in a way we haven’t done before yet either. As a band, we’re really trying to make the live show as good as it can be.