05.12.2021 Virtual Talent Showcase - Artist Profiles

JOE BLEICHER

From New York, Joe Bleicher came to Connecticut via California and Massachusetts. He now lives in West Hartford. Joe is a former host of Folk ‘on Fridays at Cheney Hall and The Living Space of West Hartford.

“Bluebyrd”

Bluebyrd is a husband and wife team, Steve and Bette Haskell, who perform on acoustic guitars and sing vocal harmonies. Often they are joined by musical friends and guests. For this Virtual Talent Showcase, they have in fact expanded to include Kevin Gallagher, PJ Alderette, and a mystery guest.

Stephen grew up in Avon, CT but moved to San Francisco in 1971. He played electric in bars and clubs in the Bay area for 35 years. Returning to CT in 2005 he and Bette met at an art gallery open mic where they both performed individually and admired each other’s styles.

Bette is a lifetime Connecticut resident. She taught herself to play guitar as a teenager in order to have accompaniment for her singing. Later in life as a therapeutic recreation specialist she enjoyed sharing songs to brighten people’s days. Open mics opened a door to meet other musicians, some with whom she joined in duets and bands. She enjoys exploring a variety of musical genres. When she and Stephen met, Bluebyrd was formed! Together as Bluebyrd we enjoy playing a variety of songs from the 1960’s and 70’s, including classic rock, folk, pop, jazz and country.

Kevin has worked as a backup musician to various Folk, Rock and Bluegrass Bands in the CT and NJ area for many years.   I’m currently working with Nina Romanenko,  Cece Borjeson, Ruth George and the Portables. Instruments: Guitar, Mandolin, Dobro

PJ is a Psychologist who was gifted a drum because her musician friends all believe anyone can learn an instrument.  Recently, she acquired a native drum which lead to the composition of  “Peace”. Instruments: Djembe, Bodhran and Native Drum

ByA

ByA is the drumrollicking duet of Bob Bloom & Arnaldo Rivera. Bob plays his percussion “Spice Rack”. Arnaldo plays congas. ByA launches legendary and contemporary songs with some of the world’s most catchy melodies and English, Spanish, and Yoruba lyrics. Their high-octane music inspires movement and dance.

For nearly two decades, Bob served as a Faculty Assistant to Dr. Babatunde Olatunji for his “Language Of The Drums” courses at The Omega Institute. In Olatunji’s renowned African music and dance company, “Drums of Passion”, he performed as a drummer and singer in concerts at venues including Lincoln Center, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Washington Monument, and Jorgenson Center for the Performing Arts. Bob is certified as a “Master Teaching Artist" by the Connecticut Office of the Arts. From 2007 to 2010, he was the chair of the Interactive Drumming Committee of the Percussive Arts Society, the largest percussion organization in the world.

Arnaldo, a native of Puerto Rico, was a high school music teacher and owner of a music store in the island’s town, “Utuado". For twenty-three years, he taught special education in Hartford, CT elementary and middle schools: Kinsella, Betances, Milner, and Mary Hooker. A multi-instrumentalist, he’s the pianist, lead vocalist, conductor, and music arranger of the 12-member, Latin jazz band “Bentetu”.

Calendula

Calendula is a singer-songwriter based in northeast Connecticut. Her nostalgia for past homes, daydreamed futures, and distant loved-ones fuels her folk-inspired melodies. She released her first EP, New Horizons, in the fall of 2020, and is set to release a new single this summer.

Follow her on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/calendula_music/

Follow her on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CalendulaRecords

Follow her on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDsoFsUh-j_69lFXeShL6CQ

Listen online: https://distrokid.com/hyperfollow/calendula/new-horizons-ep

TOM CARAHER

Tom Caraher is a CT musician with a lifelong journey of performance music across many genres.  With roots in liturgical music including choir and organ, songs of peace and social injustice were influential on Tom's early songwriting.  As an Irishman, Tom understood the value of musical storytelling.

A native of Chicago, Tom studied music & music theory, while performing in rock bands during the 1970s but knew that a career in business would provide more stability than a starving artist.  However, the formal music training gave Tom a great appreciation and love for Classical Music.  Today, Tom is a percussionist with the West Hartford Symphony. 

During the pandemic, Tom has written and produced several virtual pieces with fellow musicians from the orchestra and local troubadours.

JOHN CASTOLENE

John Castoline is from Bristol, CT, He is a self taught musician and just wants to write good songs. He calls his music universal appeal because of the universal lyrics. John’s musical influences include Led Zeppelin, Crosby Stills and Nash,Grateful Dead, Stephen Wolf, Jimi Hendrix, Cream, and Deep Purple. “These songs are 20 yrs old, hope you enjoy, can’t wait to get back out there and play live.”

“For Fun”

For Fun is a local band that has been together for more than 20 years and have been doing community service over those years. The band has played free concerts for many of the rehabilitation centers in Connecticut, the Portland Grange, and several churches. They have also played graduation parties, birthdays and other events. The band performs a wide genre of music, including classic rock, country, doo wop, and Christian music. The members of the band are Kevin Johnson - vocals, keyboard, guitar, banjo, and harmonica; Darin Clark - vocals, keyboard and bass guitar; Ray Phillips - guitar. This month we will play the songs and Arlington.

NINA ROMANENKO

Nina Romanenko is a Singer, Songwriter and Guitarist who loves working with and performing for people of all ages.  She’s a former Therapeutic Recreation Director with training in Music as Therapy, who enjoys engaging her audiences with songs that are fun, as well as those of meaning, history and social conscious.

Since the Pandemic, Nina has been providing Virtual Therapeutic Music Programs at Healthcare facilities - and has also been working in collaboration virtually - with her friends, Kevin Gallagher, Tom Caraher and others - to produce music videos - most of which are of original songs with important social messages. See more at: www.Ninasings.com.

For the May 2021 Talent Showcase - Nina is submitting her video for a song called  “In The Spring” - written by Kent Aldrich and performed by Nina and husband, Mike Harrison.  It’s a beautiful story of true and lasting Love throughout the seasons of life.

Many photos in this video are from our home and family - and it also features some lovely photos by Joyce Hodgson of New Jersey and Cliff Monges of CT.

Happy May! Enjoy!
Nina

“SPERRY CREEK”

Sperry Creek is a newly formed band out of Connecticut playing the styles of traditional bluegrass, folk, Appalachian, and country music.The band is made up of a group local pickers who spent the height of the pandemic keeping each other sane through socially distant practice sessions.

Sperry Creek features four singers, each of whom perform both lead and harmony vocals. With members Marilyn Toback-Reveley on guitar & vocals; Corrie Folsom-O’Keefe on mandolin & vocals; Bill Reveley on fiddle & vocals; Dan O’Keefe on banjo & vocals; and Scott Freemantle on upright bass, Sperry Creek brings fresh harmonies and instrumentation that hold true to the bluegrass genre.

A culmination of players from other well known CT bands, Grass Routes and 81 South, Sperry Creek is sure to be a presence on the CT bluegrass scene in the future. Be sure to keep an eye out for them as the local bluegrass scene comes back to life this summer.