April 20th

This week at Session 73!!!!

At 7pm, we have the return of  Ghost Robot Ninja Bear with special guest Cooper!  Ghost Robot Ninja Bear is releasing his debut album this week so check out www.myspace.com/ghostrobotninjabear for more info!!!

8pm is also a returning veteran of Wednesday nights at Session 73 with Red Betty... Red Betty is the trio of strong female singers rocking the house with their amazing culmination of soul, singer/songwriter and good ol' rock and roll...

At 9pm, We have Saba.
“Recognized as a Best Acoustic Nominee at the 2004 and 2005 San Diego Music Awards, it's hard to believe that her vocal abilities went almost unnoticed until she belted out KD Lang karaoke-style amongst friends at a L.A. club. For those in San Diego who have caught Saba live, you know that there is nowhere for her to go but up..” – Vicki Marangos, 944 Magazine San Diego

10pm, Wednesday Night Original Sessions is proud to present, Tinted Image from Rochester, NY. In the past year Tinted Image has been catching the attention of both crowds and national artists everywhere. Having been exposed to thousands of people at single shows, including a highlight performance in front of 35,000 while warming up the stage for Smash Mouth, there music has been able to spread rapidly with shows all over from New York City to New Orleans. Tinted Image has toured and shared the stage with national artists like the Smash Mouth, Trevor Hall, Paramore, Ingrid Michaelson, Robert Randolph, Average White Band, Little Feat, Tim Reynolds, Sonny Landreth, the Campbell Brothers, Badfish, Donna the Buffalo, Mc Lars, the Subdudes, and more. Their name is quickly becoming a household name at venues and festivals all over the country.

The group is fronted by 19 year old vocalist, Alyssa Coco, who performed on season 7 of American Idol. The rest of the ensemble is made up of Joel Vickers on Saxophone, Matt Merritt on guitar, Levi Bennet on drums and Tony Galafaro on bass. Coco’s vocals combined with Vicker’s sax lines soaring over the heavy hitting band allows them to blend jazz, acoustic rock, and folk into a fresh take on the pop music scene. With a spot in International Jazz Festival, a new record out on itunes, and vigorous national touring schedule ahead, it has become evident Tinted Image is something worth paying attention to.

Finally at 11pm, nothing tells a story like a man’s voice. Matt Sucich is
a good singer that can sing every experience into one song. A good songwriter knows how to put the lifts and lulls in all the right places. When someone can do both, well, then it’s very simple: people listen.
Matt’s voice has the uncanny ability to relay love, loss and everything between. His songs make use of the simplest elements; yet deliver the complexity of emotions that dig deep to uproot our own personal experience. Every pocket of silence weighs heavy with intention. It speaks to the ability to experience both the absence of others as well as one’s own anonymity in a city like New York.

Most people will note the obvious singer/songwriter comparisons & that’s OK. What people will also find, after they’ve dug beneath the surface observations we’re all prone to make and depend on, is that Matt’s voice is actually one of a kind. There’s an undeniable pull, a distinct feeling of something familiar and close. An intimate suggestion, or a question you may never answer, but love to hear him ask.

It comes down to this: everyone hears something special when Matt sings. Everyone hears a story. You don’t have to listen hard either; the room is always silent.

-Devon C. Johnson
Producer

April 13th ROCKS out loud...

What a great night of music folks.....

First up is Ellia Bisker....aka... SWEET SOUBRETTE:

Sweet Soubrette features the songwriting, vocals and ukulele of Ellia Bisker, whose dark, edgy love songs have captured fans' hearts since she began performing solo in 2006. Her poetry, fiction, and essays have been published in a variety of online and print magazines, and her songwriting was honored with an ASCAPlus Award for 2009/2010. Bust Magazine describes her as "Brooklyn's fishnet-clad femme fatale."

Sweet Soubrette's first album, Siren Song, was released on indie label MH Records in 2008 and received critical praise and high rotation on national college radio. Time Out NY described it as "at once sweet and sassy, celebrating reckless behavior with a charmed wink." The Deli said it was "almost impossible to stop replaying in one's head after hearing."

Next at 8pm, we have Ted Garber. Ask Ted about his musical influences, and four passions shine through-the iconic time-honored entertainers of his childhood, such as Sinatra and Elvis, his late folk-rock musician father, the rhythm and blues scene of New Orleans, and insatiable globe-trotting. His thirst for new experiences has led him to more than 30 countries on four continents. Whether it's a dingy shantytown motel room in Tanzania, a Brazilian beach hut jam session, a single-mom waiting tables at Denny's, or the smiling shoe-shining oracle on a New Orleans street corner, Garber's walking, hitching, gigging, chicken-and-goat-bus-cultural-immersion is what steers his musical odyssey.

Ted kicked off his career performing covers on the streets of New Orleans for tips, where he balanced academic studies at Tulane University with his passion for playing. Inspired by the vibrancy of the city and realizing his natural ability to connect with a crowd, he honed his talent for original material. He went on to open for the likes of Pat McGee and has performed in venues as diverse as DC's legendary 9:30 Club, LA's The Viper Room, and Nashville's Bluebird Cafe. He was also named DC's Top Entertainer by WUSA-Channel 9, and won On Tap Magazine's Battle of the Bands "Taste of Arlington" Competition.

and at 9pm....the one and only... Shane Cools. “There comes a point when an unsigned artist runs out of accolades to pile up – (Irving Safdieh’s) perilously close to that threshold” AP Magazine – March 2008.... .... Irving Safdieh made waves in the music industry from 2003 to 2008 as songwriter and vocalist for The Perfect Mistake. By rigorously taking self-promotion to the next level, Irving and The Perfect Mistake were regulars on the Purevolume top unsigned artist chart and were ultimately titled Americas Top Unsigned Artist by Fuse TV in 2007. Irving and The Perfect Mistake earned critical acclaim by appearing on national television (Steven’s Untitled Rock Show in June 2007), in print (AP in 2008) and on the Vans Warped Tour before calling it quits in 2008. .... ”Pop was my first glimpse into the world of music and has really defined my growth as a musician, it’s time I brought those roots to the forefront” says Safdieh when asked about the new musical direction taken with his new project, Shane Cools. Shane Cools showcases elements that were instrumental in TPM’s success while adding the individuality that comes when an artist has the full control over the recording and production process. “Playing every instrument on the record really takes the final product to the next level, I wouldn’t have it any other way” says Safdieh.

10pm we have the first residency artist, Carley Tanchon returning to Session 73. Raw, rootsy, sultry and serene… “At the tender age of 22, to call her precocious would be an understatement.” (Daily Item, MA) Come see Carley perform songs from her new album "The Great Unknown", which was most recently performed to a packed house at Rockwood Stage 2 last week.

Finally at 11, Wednesday Night Original Sessions welcomes John Gribbin. John is a young musician I can safely say is one of my favourites locally....Often have I had it mentioned to me that he has the potential to be a great songwriter, and I can’t see any reason to disagree. The alias of the esteemed John Gribbin, ‘Building Pictures’ finds the young musician in inquisitive mood, tentatively and tenderly exploring all manner of new sounds...this song highlights his restlessly questing spirit and assured songcraft.

Wednesday April 6th

This weeks lineup has some new comers and some old familiar faces that have rocked the stage at Session 73 in our previous weeks here on Wednesday Night Original Sessions.

at 7pm we have the fantastic Steve Katz....

Steve Katz is a New York-based singer, songwriter, guitarist and recording artist. Originally from Belgium. Steve has lived, traveled, and found inspiration in exotic places such as India, Israel, Nepal, and Thailand.

Although Steve has developed a reputation for being a sensitive singer-song writer, his real talent lies in his excellent and unique guitar playing. Steve has been playing guitar for years, and he loves experimenting and uncovering new melodies. While Steve listens to mostly classic and progressive rock, Genesis, King Crimson, Jethro Tull, and Cat Stevens have had the most influence on Steve, though it's hard to find a common thread between their great works and Steve's own modest songs. That's a little about Steve. The rest is in his music ...

at 8pm... fresh off of a 3 week tour across the country including SXSW we have Oscar Albis Rodriquez from Ghost Robot Ninja Bear. Here is an excerpt from Punknews.org:.... seems like just yesterday I was writing Nakatomi Plaza’s obituary, and now frontman Oscar Albis Rodriguez is back with a pair of releases: Ludlow Lion’s No Stories and single “One Pedal to Another” from Ghost Robot Ninja Bear. Both are/were digitally released for a donation-based price, although No Stories recently saw a physical release. And while Rodriquez is only the bass player for Ludlow Lions--frontman/guitarist Brendan Coon is the star here--my Plaza fandom maintains I celebrate Rodriguez at every turn.

So, uh, hey. I like your music.

But Ludlow Lions doesn't have much in common with Nakatomi Plaza. Grieving NP fans would be better off checking out Ghost Robot Ninja Bear’s first single. There are plenty of similarities between the two groups--Rodriguez handles the mic with the same gruff delivery. He displays the kind of guitar pyrotechnics heard on Unsettled and Ghosts. Both bands have/had awesome names. But there are slight differences. For example, I’m pretty sure Ghost Robot Ninja Bear is not a Die Hard reference, but it’s been a while since I’ve seen Die Hard Harder Hardest.

“One Pedal to Another” is a hair slower than the average NP tune, with guitar tones that, weirdly enough, recall Smashing Pumpkins. The differences are subtle, though, so fans who liked anything Rodriguez has done in the last decade or so should be on board. “Blood, The Tango” is a little closer to the NP mold--super catchy, kinda punky, totally awesome.

Both tunes are tasty, so click here to contribute to good music. A second single is due out June 15. SPOILER ALERT: It’s good too. A full-length will follow eventually.

9pm we have Brady Oh from the Brooklyn based indie band Hunters and Runners....The band’s new free EP, I Was The Ghost (released October 27 on Bright & Barrow Records), showcases another team up of Hunters & Runners with producer Chris Howard (Of Classic Renown) to serve up 3 bone-chilling songs perfect for this yearly party of the ghoulish and horrifying.

“Meet Your Maker”, “Knife”, and “The Ghost” are 3 tracks that will surely bring listeners to the darkest of nightmares, forcing them to trudge through the River Styx with the Grim Reaper to face demons, homicidal psychopaths, and clean up after bloody, gruesome murders. All of the songs, however, despite the brutality, are very neatly wrapped in the tight musicianship, extensive harmonies, and anthemic choruses that listeners and fans expect from the band.

10pm brings newcomer Ed Romanoff...
Ed's journey into music began at seventeen with a used guitar and a John Prine songbook. This relationship lead him to some of the country's grittiest stages and most inspiring musical minds.

At 21, Ed hitched a ride to Wyoming, working a myriad of day jobs - branding cattle, teaching special education classes, apprenticing with a carpenter - while playing local venues in Jackson Hole and Casper after dark.

Following moves to Boston and Washington D.C., Ed founded the nine-piece New Orleans R&B funk ensemble The BlameHounds , playing at clubs like The Barns at Wolf Trap and The Bayou. Reviews often compared his voice to John Prine and Mark Knopfler, reminiscent of his roots. He continued playing shows, both with the BlameHounds and solo shows opening for various national touring acts.

Ed currently lives and works in New York City, writing and collaborating

Closing out the night at 11pm is Cooper.