INTO THE MYSTIC WITH JOE HURLEY: PREVIEW OF THE ALL-STAR IRISH ROCK REVUE IN NEW YORK CITY

This feature appeared in Huffington Post, March 2016

“Americans see themselves in the tunes, the melodies, and the lyrics of the Irish - and that comes across in the show. By embracing the Irish songbook, we’re pretty much holding hands across the water! It’s a joyful event with cracking songs from Thin Lizzy, Van Morrison... to songs that my father sang to me, and that his parents sang to him. For the person who is coming for the first time they’re going to hear wonderful Irish songs that they are familiar with, along with obscure ones. And they’re not going to hear this anywhere else thanks to the cross culture mix of all the artists who participate.” Joe Hurley

As Saint Patrick was deemed the Apostle of Ireland, surely Joe Hurley is the missionary of all things Irish rock ‘n’ roll in New York City. It’s a shame the two never met, as far as I know.

For those of you outside the musical circles of the metropolitan area, Mr. Hurley is a bona-fide local legend. A revered composer, singer, band-leader, actor, recording artist, artistic director of Ourland Fest, writer, and voice-over artist, among other titles, Joe Hurley’s resume is decidedly astounding.

To my ears, Hurley’s work at the helm of Rogue’s March which also featured J-F Vergel, Ivan Julian, and Adam Roth, among others, stands with the icons of rock prose who set their libretto to the swagger of a whiskey soaked pub band bar none. His collaborations span Ian Hunter, The Chieftains, PJ Harvey, Sam Shepard, Marianne Faithfull, Shane MacGowan, and Jimmy Webb to cite an extremely select few. Hurley, along with Johnny Depp, recently grabbed an Audie Award for the narration of the Keith Richards’ memoir Life. There is nary a stage in the Big Apple that Hurley has not traversed with great success, from Lincoln Center to the Central Park Summer Stage, to the dingy, durable dives that define Joe’s beloved East Village. His recent ensemble, aptly dubbed Joe Hurley & The Gents includes Patti Smith bassist Tony Shanahan, and guitarist James Mastro of Ian Hunter’s Rant Band.

The Irish Catholic London-bred bard is also the founder and driving force of another New York City institution- the annual All-Star Irish Rock Review, which traditionally commences around St. Patrick’s Day. The Revue was borne of modest beginnings in 1999 (“I didn’t want Prince to get all the glory!”) as a platform for Hurley and his multi-cultural cadre of simpatico artists to pay homage to the Irish songbook by rendering a mélange of Celtic compositions along with choice gems from the canon of Morrison, Morrissey, Boomtown Rats, Jim Carroll, Phil Lynott, U2, The Pogues, The Dubliners, and Sinead O’Conner, among many others.

Recalls Edward Rogers, another local rocker of renown by way of Birmingham, England who serves as Hurley’s co-host and also performs at the Revue, “I remember the early days at the Mercury Lounge. It was a small show by the artists who cared about the music that was dear to them. There is so much great material that came out of Ireland that people are not aware of. A lot of Irish bands were lumped in with the British bands - but the Irish culture is different than the English, they have a much more Celtic heart and soul to their music. Perhaps they had more obstacles to overcome, their country is smaller, and it was harder for Irish artists to get recognition.”

Rogers is not surprised that the Revue speaks to a wide audience regardless of their heritage, or political disposition. “The songs are universal and they speak to the heart” he waxes, “there’s always a little bit of Blarney, but there’s also a lot of soul, and there’s a little bit of tears too. You don’t have to be ‘green’ to get in!”

Hurley concurs. “I think the appeal of the Revue is the sharing of the human condition. Plus, there are so many people in America of Irish descent. America is such a young country, and there’s that need to connect with your heritage, your bloodline. When U2 first came out in America it was an enormous source of pride for Irish Americans. The Revue members are not all of Irish descent, just like if you look around the East Village when this thing started. The actors, songwriters, photographers, musicians, singers, fine artists, poets - we’re all ethnically across the board, we’re as culturally diverse and eclectic as it gets! Which is what the Irish are! And at the Revue, there is no artifice involved in any of the music.”

National Geographic, not particularly known for rock ‘n’ roll content, recognized Joe’s All-Star Irish Rock Revue as the #2 Star Attraction in their feature “The 10 Best Places to Celebrate the St Pat’s Season In America.” Says Joe “number one was the Parade in New York City!” Go figure!

The roster of past performers, which include Irish ambassadors among other officials, represents a veritable history of New York City’s artistic lineage, from Broadway stars to poets, journalists, actors, to indie rockers and permutations thereof. Joe revels in telling stories of unforgettable appearances by Ronnie Spector, Michael Cerveris, Pete Hamill, Colum McCann, Marianne Faithful, and Tony Visconti who, in a recognition of Irish rock icon Phil Lynott, rendered “Cowboy Song” and “The Boys Are Back In Town” at an early Revue in the same manner in which those tracks appeared on Thin Lizzy’s Live and Dangerous - the historic double live platter produced by Visconti which inspired scores of rock bands worldwide. Exclaims Joe “and we’ve kept those two songs in our set the way Tony did them that night! That was a great moment for me.”

Rather than take up valuable space restating the Revue’s storied past, this year’s event, which takes place two days following St. Patrick’s Day, is impressive, as you would expect. In addition to Hurley and Rogers, the 2016 Revue will feature Willie Nile, Garland Jeffreys, Cait O’Riordan (The Pogues) Laura Cantrell, Mary Lee Kortes, Ellen Foley, Shannon Conley (Lez Zeppelin), Michael Cerveris, Pierce Turner, Carlton J Smith, Alphie McCourt, Sherryl Marshall, Don Fleming, Lianne Smith, Tony Zakowski, Alice June Blythe, Mike Fornatale, Al Landess, Gerard Gerard, Tami Lynn, Tammy Faye and Barry Reynolds, The Kennedys, Sasha Dobson, Tony Shanahan, John Rafferty, Jim Mastro, and Gary Thomas, among others. Hurley notes that there will likely be surprise guest or two who will probably adhere to “the Irish tradition of arriving unannounced at the last minute!”

The All-Star Irish Rock Revue Band also boasts New York City’s finest accompanists: drummer Steve Goulding (Graham Parker, The Mekons, Elvis Costello), bassist Sal Maida (Roxy Music, The Sparks, Cracker), multi-instrumentalist Jon Spurney (Passing Strange-Stew), vocalists Tish & Snooky, guitarist Chris Flynn (Rogue’s March), keyboardist Ken Margolis (The Smithereens, Cracker, Rogue’s March), violinist Deni Bonet (REM, Cyndi Lauper), and saxophonist Erik Lawrence (Levon Helm Band), among others.

Hurley notes that 2016 marks the fortieth anniversary of the release of Thin Lizzy’sJailbreak, and the thirtieth anniversary of Phil Lynott’s passing; two events which will be duly referenced this year. Members of All-Star Irish Rock Revues who have recently departed this mortal coil will also be honored.

Joe Hurley’s All-Star Irish Rock Revue, hosted by Joe Hurley and Edward Rogers commences Saturday, March 19, 2016 at the Highline Ballroom at 6:00 PM.

Additional information and tickets: 
www.highlineballroom. com
http://www. ticketweb.com/fb/6479145/highline

Joe Hurley Photo Credit: Gina Herold

Live Photo Credit: Laura Zotian

KERRY ALARIC CHEESEBORO REVEALS THE TRUE HEART AND SOUL OF NEW YORK CITY FOOD

This feature appeared in Huffington Post, November 2015

“Food! Photos! People! Love! Eating with our eyes, mouths, hearts, minds, and souls...” Kerry Alaric Cheeseboro

The irony is not lost on me that one of America’s most cherished foods is embedded in his surname — which, incidentally, affords his persona an added measure of flavor! As 2015 draws to a close, many of us who have resided in or around New York City for more than a generation are quick to righteously bemoan the gentrification, homogenization, over-commercialization, and consequent purification of our beloved five boroughs, which has accelerated rather significantly in the 21st Century as economic inequality soars and technology becomes increasingly pervasive and distracting. The residual effects stretch nationwide — what happens in New York City happens to America — from your bank account to your dinner table.

However we New Yorkers are also quick to cherish the “cracks” in our for-better-or-for-worse metropolis, because, as Leonard Cohen — the Canadian troubadour — expounds “that’s where the light comes in...” Amid the unravelling of the prized fabric of iconic New York — from the loss of precious music venues, treasured mom-and-pop enterprises, eccentric neighborhood eateries, valued architecture, and the blue-collar bravura which once tempered white-collar conceit — there are the “keepers of the flame” who shine a light through these aforementioned fractures.

One such local sage who keeps the genuine food flame burning, and ignites a few embers himself along his journey — is reasonably accessible — that is, if you know where to find him. A writer, photographer, web-designer, poet, essayist, editor, historian, videographer, and foremost a food journalist-blogger and chef, Kerry Alaric Cheeseboro is turning the tables (pun intended) on what New York food is, was, and could be.

As we are a city of stories, Kerry tells the tales which need to be shared by way of his latest online endeavor www.kac-food.com. “People who have a genuine passion for food are going to seek my website out...” notes Mr. Cheeseboro, whose smooth speech and cinematic vocabulary never fail to punctuate his commanding presence. Indeed, Kerry’s images and libretto are as intellectually appetizing as they are hunger inducing. I often find myself patronizing one of Kerry’s culinary revelations within hours after he publishes the corresponding missive. I am not alone!

Methinks readers will find Cheeseboro’s KAC FOOD informative, educational, inspiring, insightful, entertaining, and above all — essential — as it provides a much needed counter-response to the misleading “pop” food culture as it is purveyed by corporate sponsored competitive cooking television shows which exude more sizzle than substance, along with various social media platforms which celebrate pomp and circumstance over culinary experience and authenticity. Kerry’s words and images speak to the food novice (me), the New York City newcomers, and to the legions who live, love and eat in the city that never sleeps — which is why we will always need 24-hour diners, which, in case you have not noticed, are closing at an alarming rate.

Where it all began: “My dad was a cook at Columbia Presbyterian Hospital. He didn’t make the hospital food — no one ‘makes’ that! He created menus and dishes for corporate hospital events. So, besides growing up with his excellent and family-defining Southern-rooted soul food, he also liked to check out other restaurants. My mother, who considered herself a bit more ‘worldly,’ introduced me to restaurants specializing in cuisines from all over the world during my early youth. I didn’t wind up in the restaurant business officially until I was 19 and started working at Dorrian’s Red Hand. I was just a waiter - but the chef already knew I had some culinary chops and acumen, and I’ve pretty much had something on the menu there since. Today I’m lucky to have the respect of other restaurants which now have items that I created on their menu — and are selling well!”

Kerry Cheeseboro commenced his food blogging career over a decade ago when such journals hardly existed and were not helmed by teams of writers, photographers, and publicists. KAC FOOD is what Kerry considers to be the “2.0 version” of his popular PHUDE (NYC) “Food. Photos. ‘Tude” online platform in previous years.

Kerry also has a Pop Sauce in the works which, as I expected, has its own story. “I have this principle when I cook of the Five S’s: salty, sweet, savory, smoky, and spicy. These five elements, which I have aggregated over a lifetime in food, speak to all those things that the mouth can do. After people sample my Pop Sauce for the first time, I inform them about my Five S’s and when they try it again; they tell me it tastes even better! And I get that! It’s happened to me over the last twenty-five years. These elements speak to me, and to other people as well.”

Rather than this writer attempting to paraphrase the words of Mr. Cheeseboro; I hereby suspend my distaste for Q & A interviews and share with you some of Kerry’s rejoinders to my queries ruminating over a New York City food culture worthy of deeper exploration. Indeed, Mr. Cheeseboro’s light is shining through the cracks of our urban environs.

Q: Describe the “personality disposition” of the restaurant worker as you see it. 
A: “Chefs and cooks were, for a long time, misfits and outcasts. They were the oddballs in high school and college, usually not on the sports teams and with the cool kids. Often they are aloof loners who could thrive in small tight quarters for long hours with just a small handful of co-workers.

Bartenders, wait-staff, and managers get to interact with the customers, however the people who actually make the actual things that people go to restaurants for rarely get to interact or engage with their customers. They have been long behind the scenes, safely out of range of criticism and scrutiny, but also away from praise and compliments as well.

They are — were — only comfortable with small groups of people, and almost always only in the same industry. Theirs was a vocation with no expectation of recognition or glory, much less fame or celebrity. That change has only occurred in the last 10-15 years, and exponentially so over that time.”

Q: What are their dreams? Their ambitions? Were they born into restaurant families?
A: “Like most vocations of note, the dream was just to pursue and practice their passion. Some grew up in the industry with their families and by the time they were young adults, they didn’t know what else they wanted to do. We are long past the ‘& Sons/Daughters’ era of food culture here in New York City.

Where food purveyors once hoped to run businesses for generations, they now anxiously hope they can survive the first couple years of their business lease. And as such is the mentality — the dream — is of a much shorter term success.”

Q: Explain the celebrity, Food Network, Yelp scrutinized culinary culture that has emerged in New York City.
A: “A funny thing happened just over fifteen years ago. It’s called the American airing of the original Japanese version of Iron Chef. The Food Network was already growing in popularity thanks to eventual household name chefs such as Emeril Lagasse, who brought the cooking show format to a growing communal TV audience.

The original Iron Chef was so beyond what Western audiences thought of as a cooking show — they presented it as a spectator sport — calling their events ‘battles’ — with rivalries, champions, underdogs, villains, and heroes. It became high theater and made a star of Masaharu Morimoto before he ever stepped into New York City, and gave Bobby Flay even greater bona fides when he bested the highly revered and respected Morimoto in the first crossover Iron Chef battle.

It is my belief that this event brought food culture and those involved in it greater national attention than it had ever received before. It broke the mold of generic kitchen TV sets showing affable yet otherwise bland people making casseroles, to what would become showcases for chefs already in the biz to show what else could be done with food.

Anthony Bourdain saw an opportunity to show what he loved about food — the people, the history, the provenance, the ingenuity — and eschewed the market-friendly devices of the Food Network and presented his love of food and experience with the more fitting A Chef’s Tale, then, of course No Reservations, and all iterations on the same theme thereafter. Through his particular skew he made food culture interesting again, and relevant to the pedestrian appreciator.

Reality TV was at the very same time starting to take hold as the prominent broadcast format, especially in their competition form. Complete unknowns became famous within mere months — it was no stretch to apply the same idea to the burgeoning popularity of the cooking world. Top Chef gave chefs far more exposure in that first season than they could ever hope — most admitting to only signing up for it for the cash reward, as they never expected enough people would care to watch and eventually recognize them on the street.

Now, you may have noticed, everyone is either a chef or a food expert, mostly just for the exposure. Or for ‘brand building.’ Or for the web traffic and ‘followers.’ In this new era that encourages and rewards narcissism, anyone who can make a grilled cheese sandwich using kimchi fancies him or herself worthy of their own restaurant in mere months. They feel too entitled to have to start out as a dish washer and work their way up the ladder over years; instead they want to start in the restaurant kitchens on the line with little or no experience, and expect to be head — even executive chef — within a year.

You can make the best burger in the world, but if it’s not also topped with crispy pork belly, a fried duck egg, and served on a tea-steamed bun, who cares? Certainly not most Yelp users, who see it as a most important and necessary vocation to judge, critique, and ridicule restaurants, most of them having absolutely no knowledge, history, understanding of all that goes into a restaurant, running a profitable business, and needing to cater to all customers, not just individual ones.

Q: What do you hope to achieve with KAC FOOD?
A: “Ironically enough, I think there is too much food, too many restaurants, too many cooking shows, too many chefs, too many food-related websites, too many food review sites, too many ‘foodies’ which is a term I hate and represents much of what is wrong with ‘food’ culture today, as most of the people who consider themselves ‘foodies’ are not chefs, have no real depth of knowledge, history, or experience with food.

I could argue that I am part of the problem, but I continue to believe that I’ve enjoyed the success and respect with my food bogs because of my personal history with food, from being a lifelong cook, from thirty years in the food and beverage industry. I came from a place and personal history, passion, and respect, and it hopefully shows in the copy I write. I want to highlight the work that goes into the final product. I like to believe that if people understood all the things — all the decisions, all the hard work — that have to happen for that plate of to arrive in front of the diner, it might taste better. I’m just trying to bring good taste back to a food culture that has gotten noticeably distasteful over the last several years!” 

To which Kerry emphasizes with one of his many perceptive analogies of food, life, and New York City “if you don’t know how to kiss properly or appreciate a good kiss...it does not matter what else you try in the Kama Sutra!”

Food for thought! Discover the work of Kerry Alaric Cheeseboro at www.KAC-Food.Com

Photographs by Kerry Alaric Cheeseboro: The Raclette is from the restaurant of the same name in Alphabet City. The lobster roll is a Kerry Alaric Cheeseboro creation.

GROOVIN’ FROM THE BAYOU TO BROOKLYN: INTRODUCING THE NTH POWER

This feature appeared in Huffington Post, November 2015.

“We all bounce off each other. I will sing Nate a bass line...sometimes Weedie will sing me drum parts...as a matter fact, Weedie sang me this incredible beat to ‘Walk On Water.’ And my first reaction was ‘aw man that is sooooo cool, I’d have never come up with that! Our strength is that we are ‘live musicians!’ We can play through a song, and that’s what you can hear on our record and on stage...” Nikki Glaspie

When legendary music publicist Joan Myers advised that I check out The Nth Power, she casually mentioned that they’d welcome me at their rehearsal studio a few days previous to their highly anticipated appearance at The Hall at MP, a venue strategically situated at the epicenter of contemporary New York City chic: Williamsburg. Right then, I was impressed. As I am well aware from my former pro bass playing days during the Reagan - Koch years, practice rooms are what locker rooms are to athletes; a sanctuary, and absolutely off limits to anyone not hauling road cases, gig bags, duct tape, and coffee. When a band affords you entrance to their asylum, it radiates confidence.

I was further stoked that their space was located in a music mecca unknown to most civilians: the Recording and Rehearsal Arts Building on West 30th Street, which, to my amazement is still standing in this gentrified metropolis.

In another lifetime I shared a room in that temple of Manhattan music with Cyndi Lauper’s old band Blue Angel while an unknown singer named Madonna roamed the vicinities and conversations in the lobby and aboard the two rattling elevators with New York City’s top session players was a daily ritual. As I anticipated, the band was at ease with themselves and their guest - in fact, The Nth Power had more questions for me about the past then I did about their present. Some things in life come full circle.

Based on their pedigree, I hereby go on record and profess that The Nth Power indeed qualifies as a “super group.” The band, which initially formed in New Orleans, is helmed by drummer extraordinaire Nikki Glaspie who excelled in a five-year stretch with Beyonce, in addition to her highly acclaimed work with Ivan Neville’s Dumpstaphunk, Ravi Coltrane and Matt Garrison, Chaka Kahn, and Maceo Parker, to cite a very, very select few. Bassist Nate Edgar anchored the “future roots music” reggae powerhouse John Brown’s Body for nearly a decade. Singer - guitarist Nick Cassarino, who, according to Edgar “does most of the heavy lifting melodically and lyrically”, served with Big Daddy Kane and the Jennifer Hartswick Band. Percussionist Weedie Braimah is a genre unto himself. An educator, performer, preserver of African culture; Braimah was born in Ghana, raised in St. Louis, and counts Baaba Maal, Olatunji, and Tito Puente among his credits. The young band member is keyboardist / vocalist Courtney “Jay’ Mel” Smith, a former church choir director and organist who couldn’t find himself in better company.

With their initial convergence at a sound-check for Hartswick a few years ago, founding members Glaspie, Edgar, and Cassarino hit upon a magical brew. Glaspie recalls “we all kind of looked at each other and were like, ‘man, this is band right here!” Since then, Glaspie has made the band her priority, and The Nth Power has been a staple on the festival circuit ever since. I pity the acts that follow them to the stage!

At present The Nth Power is on the road and focused on getting the word out about their remarkable debut collection, aptly entitled Abundance. Traversing funk, soul, rhythm and blues, jazz, world beat, jam band rock, and every permutation thereof, to my ears, The Nth Power achieve what few bands in their genre are capable of: that is, melding instrumental prowess to song-craft. In generations past Stevie Wonder did it. Ditto Little Feat, Jamiroquai, Earth Wind & Fire, Sly and the Family Stone, The Dave Matthews Band, and Maxwell to reference a few. Yet waxing an album in the modern streaming era is a daunting task that is not lost on the band.

Notes Glaspie “we considered releasing one single or one song a month - but we were convinced that we should do an album.” Co-produced by Grammy award-winning producer, songwriter, musician, and recording artist Ira Schickman,Abundance exudes the aura of a thrilling Nth Power concert performance. They all agreed that making a record was a wise decision as no single song can capture the band’s diversity.

Schickman worked the band hard on vocals and harmonies, and the grooves came naturally. According to Mr. Cassarino, the only moment of calamity during the recording process, which included cutting tracks in New Orleans at the Lower Garden District studio The Music Shed, was prompted by guitarist’s “abundance” of hipster facial hair. “When we finished the sessions down in the ‘swamp’ I had this huge beard. Now, there can be a lot of weird vibes down there... I was putting a couple back and thought ‘f—k it we gotta shave this beard!’ As such, each Nth Power band member removed a wedge of Nick’s wild whiskers. “It was huge... gigantic. My hair was slicked back... I was one of those dudes...”

A proliferation of fuzz was also found at The Hall at MP in Brooklyn for their celebratory gig. The Nth Power’s audience spanned urban hippies in their 20s replete with dreads, along with skinny jeans rockers, bona fide suburban stoners, and pensioners who likely came of age during the first Woodstock. The assemblage brought Hula Hoops, hookahs, and, I assume Viagra to the show.

In addition to a few new compositions, the band cut through their Abundancerepertoire with jubilant abandon. Weedie’s poly-rhythmic percussion breaks drew the audience to the stage several times. Cassarino’s upper register guitar motifs complimented his vocals, which soared into falsetto range with relative ease as he promoted the “power of love” - a theme which underpins the entire Abundance song-cycle libretto.

The rhythm section of Glaspie and Edgar, was, in a word, monstrous! Note to film producers: if you need a cat to play Jaco Pastorius in a bio film, Nate is your lead man! His wiry build, fashionable facial stubble, tilted newsboy cap, sunburst Fender Jazz style bass, syncopated lyrical lines, and rhythmic body motion are all reminiscent of the aforementioned master. However, I call attention to the fact that Nate possesses a signature playing style and identity all his own and is in no way an emulator of the great Jaco. Nonetheless I was tempted to pull the frets out of his bass just to hear what would happen! Heavy weather!

Stresses Nikki “we all believe in the healing power of music...that’s why we do this, that’s why we’re together.”

Abundance by The Nth Power is out now. For all things The Nth Power go to TheNthPowerMusic.com