My new CD, "Vampire Kiss" is complete! I wrapped up the
sessions before the summer kicked in, but decided to set the release
date for October. After all, the CD is entitled "Vampire Kiss!" The CD release
date is Saturday, October 16th and it will be held at my favorite haunt,
The Vail-Leavitt Music Hall in Riverhead, NY. I'm currently working out
the details for the nights show. On the bill so far is belly dancing and
drumming. And there are 7 musicians making guest appearances on this CD,
who will all be playing the concert with me and the band. So I hope
you'll save the date, and please check back here for details soon.
Below: A short clip of a mixing session at RPR Studio in E. Setauket, NY
2010.
BELOW: Mike Gilks came to my studio to lay down some dobro & mandolin
parts, Dec. 2009
Click a thumbnail to view
BELOW: Some of my buddies at Race Production Studio in E. Setauket:
Stephen Palmer, 'Niko' the cat, and 'Sabrina' my buddy & lap cat
The Palmers have rescued many cats, but I've been forbidden by Joan to
reveal just how many ;) Dec. 2009
Click a thumbnail to view
BELOW: A short video clip of a mixing session at Race Productions
Studio, E. Setauket Nov. 2009 Visit:
www.youtube.com/merlynsdaughter for more videos.
BELOW: Jessie Haynes & Stephen Palmer at Race Productions Studio working
on Jessie's next release, "Vampire Kiss."
Larrin Gerard/Live in
the Lobby at the Patchogue Theatre
Larrin Gerard has that gift of straightforward
songwriting that makes you feel like she knows
everything in the shadows of your heart. Sometimes
it’s sweet, and sometimes it’s agonizing, but you
still come away from it feeling a little better, a
little more like you know who you are.
Larrin, like many Long Island musicians, has
transplanted herself to New York City—and like many
transplants, she still feels like an Islander at
heart. Despite the trek, she is at home in the
Patchogue music scene that has sprouted up over the
last few years.
“The
town of Patchogue has become like this music
hotspot, there’s no way to ignore it. Patchogue when
I was growing up was very different than it is now;
it was like this forgotten little township.” One of
Larrin’s first performances in the area was at
Live in the Lobby at the Patchogue Theatre. She
was invited to play by the concert series’ curator
Christopher Capobianco after he’d heard her at one
of the local open mic nights. It was an excellent
match, because Larrin has always been a major
supporter of the local scene, and the Lobby has
become a central hub for the scene itself.
The Live in the Lobby concert series
features local original musicians in (you guessed
it) the Patchogue Theatre’s lobby—which itself seats
50, with plenty of standing room. It is currently in
its fifth season and is consistently well attended.
The showcase, like the theater itself, is run
entirely by volunteers, and has given local original
musicians a space where they can be a real, visible
part of Long Island culture.
Jessie Haynes has spent her life playing music
across the east and west coasts, and occasionally
internationally as well. Lately she’s made a home
for herself on the east end, heading up a concert
series at a beautiful old restored theater in
Riverhead. The Vail Leavitt Music Hall is an antique
theater run entirely by volunteers, which may just
have a ghost or two amongst its velvet curtains and
balconies. Jessie feels like her involvement with
the Vail has a measure of fate in it.
“For
years The Vail was just this really cool and kind of
mysterious place that was always looming in the back
of my mind. There was a little voice that would
remind me that sooner or later I should try to get
involved there. I don’t think I really had a
choice.”
Jessie’s concert series, Original Voices at
the Vail, is a monthly showcase featuring Long
Island songwriters. There’s an intimate open mic
before and after, and the Vail’s two stages and
decadent atmosphere tend to leave both performers
and audiences feeling a little awed. The proceeds go
to the not-for-profit organization that runs the
Vail, which also presents the Riverhead Blues &
Music Festival.
In person, Jessie exudes the unmistakable air of
someone who is accustomed to taking journeys, both
physically and spiritually. Her enigmatic lyrics and
expressive vocals add to that feeling—but you
haven’t gotten the full story until you’ve watched
her grab a Les Paul and make it wail in the middle
of a set. Jessie’s music will grab you by the sleeve
and take you for a journey of your own if you let
it.
Jessie’s new cd, Vampire Kiss, is due to
come out in the next few months. Find out more about
her and the Vail at
jessiehaynes.com and
vail-leavitt.org.
Angela Quiles/The
Pisces and the Cup
Angela Quiles is the girl you knew in high school
who dressed in black and was kind of quiet, and
turned out to have notebooks full of the most moving
art, poetry and lyrics. Angela’s dark, moody songs
have been dubbed by friends with the genre “funeral
pop,” and their themes range from relationships to
biographical portraits to religious allegory.
Simple, hooky guitar playing accompanies a vocal
style that is both raw and theatrical.
Angela got her start in the recently-closed
Pisces Cafe, which was an itty bitty Mecca of art
and music in the heart of Babylon Village. “Pisces
was like my niche, my place, my comfort zone… Jeff
[one of the cafe’s owners] always encouraged
artists, and he encouraged me too.”
Since
the cafe’s closure in December 2009, Angela says she
felt lost for a while. She’s gravitated recently to
The Cup in Wantagh, which has been featuring
original Long Island musicians and artists for
years.
The Cup is that rare venue that manages to keep
its doors open and thrive while still supporting
local art, music and alternative culture. Live
acoustic music can be heard nearly for free ($1 per
person, which goes to the artists) on weekend nights
and the walls of the cafe serve as a gallery for
local artists. It’s also worth noting that the Cup
is one of the only places on the Island that folks
under 21 can go to hang out and listen to live music
on a Saturday night.
It’s really hard not to like Jay Scott. His songs
are simple and passionate and sneak into your heart
without asking for permission. Jay’s vocals are raw
and soulful and soaring. He gets compared to Joe
Cocker sometimes. Here’s the similarity—even if
you’re not always 100% positive what he’s saying,
you know for sure he means it.
And
as you’re listening, you find that you mean it, too.
Jay’s main focus in songwriting is honesty. “I
have never had a problem with saying what’s on my
mind even if it sometimes gets me in trouble… I
began writing songs because I felt like I needed to
get something off my chest.” Jay’s a family man and
a lot of his recent songs focus on his kids.
Patchogue is Jay’s hometown and as he’s quick to
point out, “You don’t always have to go to the city
for good music.” He recorded his live album,
Homegrown, in the lobby of the Patchogue
Theatre, has been playing at the Brickhouse with
various other musicians since 2002, and recently has
been doing a lot of gigging at the Sage Cafe in
nearby Blue Point.
The Sage Cafe is a homey pub and eatery with Blue
Point beer on tap and lots of music and events
throughout the week. They focus pretty exclusively
on local, original music. On Saturday nights, music
gets going around 10pm and has been known to carry
on into the wee hours of the morning.
Author: Rorie Kelly
Rorie Kelly is a singer/songwriter from various
parts of Long Island. She and her band play
regularly in NYC and on the island, and are
releasing a CD called Wish Upon a Bottlecap
any minute now. Please visit
roriekelly.com for more information and
pretty songs.
VIDEOS
Vampire Kiss, Selling Roses & The Letter videos filmed at The Second
Waltz Concert in January 2010
ORIGINAL VOICES at the Vail
Songwriters Showcase with Featured Performers & Open
Mic
The Third Thursday of Every Month
This is it, folks, OVaV is officially too big for it's
britches, or at least for the black box room, lol! We are movin it on up
to the main stage, to soon to be 128 year old stage and where there are
red velvet seats a-plenty.
Main Stage
Black Box Stage
More info on OVaV....
Original Voices welcomes a new feature each month on the third Thursday, and holds open mic
for all ages and genres of original music. The evening is hosted by
Jessie Haynes and Gregg Gennari. Ray of
Rayman Record Co. videos the performances. We encourage everyone to come
down to the open mic to play, and catch what is always sure to be a
great show and a fun night. Tickets are $5 (listeners & players) and all
proceeds go the The Historic Vail-Leavitt Music Hall. (Sponsors
welcome!) Features are welcome to apply by emailing Jessie Haynes
jessiehaynes@live.com Please send website links. Visit our myspace:
www.myspace.com/originalvoicesatthevail where you can find pictures, a blog, directions & general
musical mayhem. You can also find the Vail-Leavitt on facebook. There is
a new online advance sign up blog for open mikers here:
http://vail-leavitt.livejournal.com Please use the comment section
to reserve a slot.
THANKS FOR SUPPORTING ORIGINAL MUSIC, AND THE HISTORIC VAIL-LEAVITT
MUSIC HALL. Hope to see you at Original Voices!
Hosted by Jessie Haynes, Gregg Gennari,
Lisa D., ScottE &
Friends
Now broadcast live on www.cyber-fm.com!
MAIN STAGE
FEATURED PERFORMER: ALFREDO MERAT & RADIO EUROPA
BLACK BOX ACOUSTIC STAGE HOSTED BY SCOTTE.
The Vail-Leavitt Music Hall
18 Peconic Ave, Riverhead, NY 11901
Escaping Boundaries is a
collection of instrumental music and 5 messages from Spirit in the form
of guided meditations channeled by psychic Jim Fargiano and read by
singer/songwriter Jessie Haynes. Gentle music resonates with tranquil
sounds of nature bringing Spirits messages to you on both a subliminal
and conscious level. The meditations open the path the physical,
emotional cleansing and healing and lead you to a new place of infinite
possibilities. Available December 2009 in stores & online at:
www.jimfargiano.com/store.htm
REVIEW:
WITCHES & PAGANS MAGAZINE, Sept. 2009 Issue Mysterious,
beautiful, fey, elusive—all of these words describe
poet-musician
Jessie Haynes' new CD, The Secret Life of Cinderella.
This lovely CD is a work of art from start to finish—from the magickal collage liner art, to the poetic power of Haynes' lyrics,
to the
delicacy and artistry of the instrumentation. In fact, this
musical "fairytale"—I think back in the 70s they would have called
this a "concept album"—is a fully conceived and lovingly executed
multimedia work about the power of imagination as the true source of
magic.
It's no surprise that her songwriting and vocals are reminiscent of
Suzanne Vega, while some songs have the same trippy Renaissance
flavor as very early Pink Floyd.
Jessie Haynes brings her considerable skills and talents as a
musician, singer and poet to a project that must obviously have been
a labor of love: it is so richly drawn and emotionally diverse.
Haynes sings, and plays guitars, bass, keyboards, recorder and
percussion. "The Secret Life of Cinderella" ranges from gentle
acoustic folk to heartfelt, gritty blues. Her sweet soprano is
deceptively delicate on songs like "Beyond the Wishing Well" and
"Sister", where the interplay of her voice, soft guitar and powerful
lyrics is nothing less than heartbreaking. "The Rowan Tree" is a
dark-toned instrumental, redolent of autumn fires and rising mists,
and "You and Eye" is a stunning evocation of the Dark Goddess ("She
can take us through the Dark") that just gives me goose bumps each
time I listen to it. Things heat up a bit on "Fortune Surfer," a
sexy, bluesy stomp which expertly pairs Jessie's fey vocals with a
restrained but evocative guitar and bass line. Here more of a
driving rock edge comes forward and Haynes performs with passion and
swagger.
Haynes' The Secret Life of Cinderella is a beautifully conceived,
produced and performed CD, a lush work of art. Highly
recommended.
Leni Hester
WITCHES AND PAGANS MAGAZINE, 2009
BUY THE CD
If you haven't had a chance to pick up the new album,
it's available on line
On Saturday, April 24th, local
singer-songwriters Jay Scott and Jessie Haynes
will be teaming up for a live performance at the
Sage Café in Blue Point. These two accomplished
local artists have estsablished themselves in
the music industry and are sure to give
extra-special performances before a home crowd.
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“The
town of Patchogue has become like this music
hotspot, there’s no way to ignore it. Patchogue when
I was growing up was very different than it is now;
it was like this forgotten little township.” One of
Larrin’s first performances in the area was at
Live in the Lobby at the Patchogue Theatre. She
was invited to play by the concert series’ curator
Christopher Capobianco after he’d heard her at one
of the local open mic nights. It was an excellent
match, because Larrin has always been a major
supporter of the local scene, and the Lobby has
become a central hub for the scene itself. 
“For
years The Vail was just this really cool and kind of
mysterious place that was always looming in the back
of my mind. There was a little voice that would
remind me that sooner or later I should try to get
involved there. I don’t think I really had a
choice.”
Since
the cafe’s closure in December 2009, Angela says she
felt lost for a while. She’s gravitated recently to
The Cup in Wantagh, which has been featuring
original Long Island musicians and artists for
years.
And
as you’re listening, you find that you mean it, too.
