Gwen Snyder lives on her own planet—the planet Blueberry. And if you have even the tiniest drop of soul in your sauce you’re really going to like it there. It’s a place where lush folds of velvet vapor rise like street steam after a summer rain; where soft, sexy keyboard swells rub up against hip-swaying, sole-sliding bass lines; where Erykah Badu, Prince, and Donovan make sweet love to the sounds of Stevie Wonder’s Innervisions and Roxy Music’s Avalon. A landscape where quiet storms hover and glide over endless fields of deep, funky hooks. Ready to visit this enchanted world? Good news: It’s closer than you think. Conveniently, Blueberry also happens to be the name of the ever-changing, party-bringing psychedelic-soul collective that New York singer and multi-instrumentalist Snyder formed in 1999 to play her songs. Organika is Blueberry’s newest album, the band’s third for Snyder’s The Shaz label, after 2000’s Twilight and 2003’s CD/DVD Have Another Pillow. Inside Organika are decadent nuggets of funky goodness—the stuttering, mysterious groove of “Fickle”; the precious, Lolita-esque paean “I Adore You”; the horn-infused and outright bangin’ “Grubby Wire.” It’s a pop-frosted, soul lover’s dream made real and topped with—you guessed it—a tart and tasty blueberry. But wait, let’s back up and move around a bit, to get taste of the rest of Blueberry’s universe. Snyder has lent her talents as a musician and vocalist to a diverse and impressive list of industry names: Soul Asylum’s Dave Pirner, jazz great Don Byron, Eighties pop act Tears for Fears, composer Ryuichi Sakamoto, singer-songwriters Ben Taylor and Jonathan Rice, Brand New Heavies singer N’Dea Davenport, David Bowie bassist Gail Ann Dorsey, New York bands Nervous Cabaret and Johnny Society, and many others. And her songs have been used on the soundtracks of such hit TV shows as “Roswell,” “Providence,” and “Felicity.” But Snyder’s roots as a performer don’t only extend into music. After graduating from New York University’s experimental theater program in the ’90s, she quickly became a key player on the Downtown scene, providing the voice of Janis Joplin’s ghost in the Off-Broadway production “Distortion Taco,” working with famed composer-choreographer Meredith Monk, and starring in several indie films and music videos. Her theatrical lineage makes Snyder a strikingly visual artist, and her performances with Blueberry are a natural outlet for her singular style. Outside of a Blueberry gig, perhaps the best way to get a glimpse of her glittery flash and panache is via the recently produced video for the Organika track “The Little Ones.” These days, there really aren’t any acts out there like Blueberry. Oh, sure, there’s a raft of neo-soul pretenders that reference the classic names mentioned elsewhere on this sheet. But few of them have the chops to do their elders’ legacies justice. And even if they do, in most cases they come off as little more than slavish tributes to the greats. With Blueberry, however, the virtuosic Snyder brings something to the party that none of these shallow contemporary R&Bclaimants has: herself. Snyder’s aesthetic, which combines a sense of childlike, fairytale wonder with the confident wiles of a seasoned seductress, is uniquely and utterly her own. And her music is pure, hook-heavy, pop genius. Don’t let it pass you by. —Peter Aaron, music editor, Chronogram magazine, and contributor to All Music Guide.com, All About Jazz.com, Jazz Improv, Your Flesh Quarterly, and the Kingston Daily Freeman.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Johnny Society was formed in 1996 by multi-instrumentalist Kenny Siegal and Brian Geltner. They had released their first album on Geffen under the name Hunk early 1996 after the Hunk debut they disbanded & reformed as Johnny Society. They released a self-titled album in 1996, but disbanded less than a year after their album came out.

 

Meanwhile, they had already begun experimenting and writing songs on the side with Indian-trained musician Chris Rael in a project they called The Hand, which released an album (Mule Me) before re-forming Johnny Society. Their debut album, It Don't Matter, was recorded and released in 1997, after which Rael left the band to give his full time to the reconvened Church of Betty. Wood arrived the following year with additional contributions from Rael, The Hand live keyboardist Jan Kotik, Bryce Goggin, and labelmate Chris Whitley. The album was named to the "Top Ten List of Independent Records of 1998" by The New York Times at year's end. Johnny Society became a trio in 1999 when Gwen Snyder (who also records under the moniker Blueberry) joined in time to record the band's third album, Clairvoyance, released at the beginning of 2000. Clairvoyance was named "Album of the Year" at the 2002 Independent Music Awards by a panel of judges that included Tom Waits, Ricky Skaggs, Me'Shell NdegéOcello, Mitchell Froom, Don Byron, Wilson Pickett, Victoria Williams, and George Duke. Life Behind the 21st Century Wall (2003) and Coming to Get You (2005) followed.

 

 

 

 

 

As a staff producer for Old Soul, Brion currently works out of his own studio in New York City. He was the principal songwriter and frontman for the funk rock band "hipbone", which toured the country in the late 90's, playing with acts such as Fionna Apple, Charlie Hunter, and G-Love and Special Sauce. He has also toured with artists Joseph Arthur and Johnny Society as well as doing session work for Johnny Society and Black Crowes Guitarist Rich Robinson. He was signed in 2001 to Warner Chappell as a songwriter, and since then has produced several of his own solo records. He actively writes and produces and has just completed a record with Hilary Hawke. He is currently working on new records for Dr. Snitch and Rosy Nolan.

 

 

 

 

 

Brian Geltner has been a working musician for many years. He is known intergalactically for his incredible drumming, lead guitar playing, and his great taste in music, movies, coffee and cars.  Brian is a founding member of NY band Johnny Society (Messenger Records/ Old Soul Records) and Nervous Cabaret (Naive , France) . As a musician, songwriter, arranger and producer, Brian has worked on hundreds of songs at Old Soul Studios.

 

Recently Brian has completed playing on (and co-producing) Hilary Hawk's debut record "Goodwill". For his solo project , "Dr.Snitch" , Brian has written, performed, and produced 2 instrumental records ("Music for Uninspected Elevators" and "Loose Ferris Wheels") .  He is currently in the process of working on a 3rd album which eventually will be released through Old Soul Records.  Also in the works from Geltner is collaborations with Rosy Nolan, Brion Snyder, and Johnny Society!

 

Over the years Geltner has worked with many great artists such as Chris Whitley, Joseph Arthur, Blueberry, Tears for Fears, Church of Betty, Soul Asylum, Jonathan Wilson, Sam Cohen, John Dyer, Dave Deporis, Jan Bell, Jonathan Rice, Bronwen Exter, Tara Angell, and the list goes on...

 

 

 

 

 

Franklin Delano (“Mickey”) Holt was born in Hudson, New York. In the 70’s, Mickey became avidly involved with his great love of country music by joining the “Stoney Mountain Boys” and quickly became know everywhere as “Yodeling Mickey Holt,” for his popular “top notch” square dancer caller.

 

In the early ‘80’s, his wife Alice entered Mickey as a solo act in an upcoming WGNA Country Talent Show, held in the Colonie Center Mall. Broadcast live on WGNA, Mickey won first place and from that point on, his musical involvement skyrocketed. He played at many types of events, festivals, ski resorts, weddings and television programs, including “The Egg” in Albany and “Star Search.” He produced a 45 record, including “Have I Told You Lately That I Love You” and his famous rendition of the Elton Britt yodel classic, “Chime Bells.” In later years, the band adopted a female singer, renaming the group as “Country Gold.”

 

Mickey dedicated 25 years to the band. Six years ago, however, Mickey was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease, and he now plays solo at various local events. He is a colon cancer survivor and a wonderful inspiration to everyone who is blessed to know him. Two years ago while yodeling at Chatham’s Musica, he met Kenny Siegal at Old Soul and produced a CD of his country classics.

 

 

 

Cult New York rock band fronted by a prolific English songwriter. Travels seamlessy from cabaret to gospel to pure rock and roll. "Captivating. A magical experience." (New York Post) Comparisons have been made to Tom Waits, David Bowie, Nick Cave etc... but Spotty and His Enemies are a genre unto themselves. "Undeniably a major talent. Lotsa unexpected twists and turns and lotsa soul." (Dan Reed, WXPN) MySpace Tracker

Josh "Mr Forky" Miesmer: Guitar,Vocals

Julian Seidenberg:Beat Box,Trumpet,Keys,Harmonica,Funky sounds

Gabe Schaftlien: Bass Guitar

Rob Williams: Drums,Vocals

Azouke Gregory-Sanon: Congas,Percussion,Vocals

Jonathan Talbott: Guitar,Violin,Harmonium

Many musicians will tell you their music has a strongly "spiritual" side. But for Kenny Siegal that particular adjective carries with it a much more literal meaning, especially when it comes to his long-awaited solo debut, Eleccentricity.

 

"I believe the song 'The Wake' was written by ghosts using me as a medium," says Kenny. The 36-year-old singer-songwriter and producer composed and recorded the album in his own Old Soul Studios, a facility that’s well named, to say the least: The converted Victorian house dates from the 1850s and is reportedly haunted. "The lyrics [of “The Wake"] are from the perspective of someone that’s already dead," he explains. "The song even creeps me out."

 

But creepiness is just one stripe on the colorful, endlessly spinning pinwheel of Eleccentricity, a disc with as many dazzling sonic surprises as the rich New York music scene that spawned Kenny’s band Johnny Society. The album is also home to mini pop epics like "Well Well Well," a track that oozes bittersweet romantic redemption and brims with hooks big enough to snag a whale, and "Shamaness," a bewitching bite of bent exotica with swirling strings and watery vocals; and then there’s "Love Alive," a chest-swelling slab of Zepp-ish swagger with pounding beats and short-circuit fuzz guitar. The styles are all over the place but somehow complement each other perfectly. Thanks to this sense of alchemical, wide-eyed experimentation it's not surprising that Eleccentricity was recently nominated for an Independent Music Award in the Eclectic category. "Eclectic is what people call your music when they can't categorize it—which is a great category unto itself," says Kenny, who plays acoustic and electric guitars, analog keyboards, vibraphone, programmed drums, and bass on the record. "Music transcends labels and categories. It transcends words. It exists beyond the mind." Eleccentricity also features such guests as Kenny's wife, singer-songwriter Blueberry, Joseph Arthur, Trixie Whitley, Nina Violet, and others.

 

A blood relative of the legendary songsmith Ralph Rainger, Kenny grew up in Island Park, New York ("between the Oceanside dump and the Atlantic Ocean"), where the rock 'n' roll bug took hold after his dad brought him to a Kiss concert. Guitar lessons started at age 11, followed by his learning piano, bass, and drums; discovering his hero Prince opened him to new levels of songwriting and arranging and the limitless possibilities of the studio. In 1995 he started Johnny Society, and the group fast became one of New York's most popular indie acts, garnering praise from Ray Davies, Cheap Trick’s Robin Zander, and producer Rick Rubin, and winning an IMA for 2000’s Clairvoyance. In 2001 Kenny opened Old Soul, where he creates his music; has produced records with the late Chris Whitley, Joseph Arthur, Larkin Grimm, and others; and has engineered sessions involving Garth Hudson, Michelle N’degeocello, and Tony Visconti.

 

While Johnny Society remains an ongoing concern (the outfit is currently working on its sixth release), with Eleccentricity Kenny felt the time was right to put his own name on an album—one that comes directly from his innermost core, rather than through the prism of a "band" image. "I finally had enough self-respect," he jokes. “Sometimes there needs to be a distinction between the 'artist' and the man."

"[The album] is an example of me living my philosophy through work," Kenny adds. "Which is that playing music is a direct path to spiritual, psychological, and literal freedom." Indeed, Eleccentricity is a path that listeners will find themselves walking again and again—maybe even meeting a few friendly ghosts along the way. 

 

 (Written by Peter Aaron)