uPCOMING SHOWS Upstairs at the Sweet Spot

January 27, 2007
Avi Kunstler: Guitars and Vocals

Avi Kunstler boasts a musical resume
that runs the gamut from songwriter to performer
to recording artist and producer.
As a performer Avi, has appeared as a solo artist
as well as fronting various bands.
Primarily his focus has been on performing his own material,
which includes original music set to traditional Jewish prayers as well as all-original material on both, Jewish and general themes.
He has released three albums to date: "Eyes On Jerusalem",
"In This Place Of Mercy" and "Destinations".
As a producer and writer for Black Box Entertainment,
Avi has written and performed the music for the Black Box theater productions of "Twist Of Faith", "Second Chances",
"Destinations", "A Match Made In Manhattan"
and most recently the Off Off Broadway
rock opera "Soul Searching".
www.blackboxe.com/avikunstler.html




Geoffrey Armes: Guitar
Michael Mustafa Ulmer: Percussion
Geoffrey Armes has honed a musical approach that walks
a knife-edge between the singer-songwriter and ambient club or world fusion approach to music making. Improvising is an important process in Geoffrey's intuitive composing style. The UK born multi-instrumentalist (guitars, keys, percussion), composer and singer- songwriter has built a career for himself in New York City on the back of five CD releases, a steady stream of work with Theatre and Modern Dance Companies, and a reputation as a stellar solo performer. He played bass in an improvising jazz/punk band whose members' credentials included the Soft Machine and Third Ear, jammed with Reebop Kwaku Baah, studied Electronic music and harmony at London's Goldsmiths College in New Cross, and assisted in building Falconer's first studio, alongside the Eurythmics. In Holland, later Berlin, he composed and performed under the auspices of The British Council, created sound-montages for the expressionist painter
Ter-Hell, wrote music for the local Contemporary Dance community, performed with 'Jazz Noise' collectives with unlikely names such as Purity of Essence, and took part in Performance Art events in NeuKolln and Ernst-Reuter Platz. A partnership with American singer Lisa Lowell eventually brought him to New York City for the first time, performing at rock clubs such as CBGB, the Bitter End, classical venues like the Juilliard Theatre and the Merce Cunningham Westbeth studio,
and site specific events such as Ruby Shang's Cooper Union Event.
www.geoffreyarmes.com


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february 24, 2007
Steve Robinson: Guitar and Vocals
Accompanied by multi-instrumentalist Al Speed: Guitar, Bass and Keyboard
Steve, a native Long Islander, is a self-taught guitarist who has developed his own unique finger style combining driving rhythms with tasteful licks. His songwriting abilities were confirmed by fellow songwriters when they chose him as the winner of the coveted ISS Writer’s Choice award the first time he entered. His CD of 12 originals, "Back Roads", contains 12 gems that range from blues, country, soul, folk, and jazz, each one delivered with an authenticity and soulfulness that is rare. Steve has been featured at some of the top acoustic venues on Long Island, the Eclectic Café with the New Jersey duo Open Book, and at the Hard Luck Café with Ina May Wool. Recently he had the honor of opening for Steve Earle’s sister, Stacy, and her talented husband, Mark Stuart. Ask him about his musical influences and he is likely to smile. “Too many to count.” His favorite artists tend to be other great songwriters such as John Hiatt, Delbert McClinton, Steve Earle, Guy Clark, Paul Brady and, currently, Jimmy LaFave and Slaid Cleaves. “Each of these guys has a knack for reaching into your gut and pulling out a truth so crystal clear it leaves you gasping for breath. That is the kind of songwriter I want to be.”
He is well on his way. www.stellarob.com/home.html


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Fakoli Dance and Drum / Fode Sissoke and Toby Stover
Fakoli Dance and Drum is founded by Fode Sissoko, master drummer kora player and composer and choreographer from Senegal, West Africa. Fode is the grandson of Soundioulou Cissokho, king of the Kora & most renowned master in all of West Africa. The Cissokho family are griots and renowned masters of kora, drum, dance and song for generations. Griots are recognized throughout Africa as keepers of the history of their people, through music and the oral traditions. Historically, musicians and griots are transmitters of wisdom. They are highly skilled performers, teachers and are craftsmen of the finest instruments made in Africa. Fode performed as a Griot, began Kora at age 5 and by 8 was playing the Djembe and Dun Dun Drums. An acknowledged master, Fode toured Africa, Europe and America, also performing with Baba Olatunji for 9 year s. Fakoli means “The Ancestor” in Mandinko, Fode’s native language. Fode performs at Upstairs at the Sweet Spot with his wife,
Toby Stover, a musician and drummer for Fakoli Dance & Drum.
Fakoli Dance & Drum is living proof of African music's vibrancy
and inherent creative power.
http://fakolidanceanddrum.com



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march 24, 2007
Dee Harris and Viral Pandya
A guitarist and multi-stringed instrumentalist of western music, Dee Harris studied the North Indian classical music with sitarists Daisy Paradis and Kinnar Seen and he received further direction from the Sarodist Aashish Khan. His music is profoundly influenced by the Sarod virtuoso, the late Pundit Vasant Rai. Unfortunately, Dee never met Vasastji due to his untimely demise in 1985. He has learned immensely from the abundant live-concert recordings of Vasantji that has surfaced recently, and from his lesson tapes that he had left to his students that are now in Dee's possession. As a guitarist, Dee Harris is largely self-taught. He has developed many new techniques on his instrument as well as redesigned the guitar in order to achieve the subtleties of the Indian classical music. His guitar has twenty strings: four of them for playing melody (SPSM), three chikari (SSP), four support (SGRN), and nine sympathetic strings tuned to the notes of the Raga being played. He plays this eclectic instrument with a slide as well as with the fingers of his left hand on the frets. He wears a thumb pick in his right hand and mizrabs (sitar picks) on three fingers.
www.deeharris.com


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Fourteen Feet
The band's name, "Fourteen Feet",
which is the height of the drop from the gallows, was chosen half in jest when singer/songwriter, guitarist Steve Welner began the project in the late 90's. Built around the songwriting of Steve, Fourteen Feet plays a "rootsy" blend of rock, alt-country, folk, and blues. The band features original members, Mike Breier (bass, vocals), who has played in bands with Steve since they were just twelve years old, and
Len Weinstein (drums). Stand-out musician
Rich Lanahan (guitar, mandolin, vocals) completed the band's lineup in 2004. Fourteen Feet, which is taking off in their native New York, is gaining respect not only among musicians, who recognize the level of talent and craftsmanship involved in their work, but among audiences who find themselves dancing, bobbin', and weavin' to the groove-oriented, Americana rock. The band has received praise for their acoustic as well as their electric performances. Songs from their first CD, “All You Need” have received airplay on New York commercial radio stations WEHM 92.9 Fm and WBAB 102.3 Fm, as well as assorted college stations and pod casts. The band’s second album, “Running Hearts” is now available. It features 11 new Fourteen Feet songs that offer up a healthy dose of the band's trademark crunch, twang, and jangle. They are planning on going back to the recording studio in early 2007 to track their third album.
www.fourteenfeet.com


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