No, the title of this post is not an oxymoron. There is, in fact, a nice songwriting scene on Long Island, which I have to say surprised me, being a Long Island native myself (Hicksville, exit 43 on the Long Island Expressway, off of South Oyster Bay Road). While at age 16 I left Long Island presuming it a vast cultural wasteland, of course I’ve realized that those were no more than my naive teenage thoughts getting the best of me.
So I wanted to include a post about all the great areas for songwriters to take advantage of outside of New York City but still close by — and I asked a new friend and talented LI-based roots/Americana singer-songwriter, Joe Iadanza, for his take on this topic:
Q: How would you describe the scene for songwriters on Long Island?
A: I think it’s quite rich! It’s filled with a real sense of community, and there are lots of opportunities to play and to be exposed to talented acts and sincere listeners. But, I only figured that out over the last few years! I spent the better part of my teens and twenties trying to get the heck off Long Island. I lived in Boston for some time after college but moved back to Long Island when I got married. I hadn’t played music for many years, and when I started writing again, I looked at Long Island as having a rather flat musical landscape. I just assumed the narrow view I had of it was representative of the whole. My first couple of years writing songs and playing out were focused on Manhattan open mics and venues. Eventually, I fell into hosting an open mic on Long Island. There I met some folks who would open my eyes to the truth and beauty of the Long Island scene. However, I did have to get off of the Island again (briefly) to fully realize it. I can speak somewhat to the Long Island songwriting scene as it applies to folk and roots music. However, there is also a very large group of folks who write and produce music in the pop, rap and rock genres. I’ve seen a few of them out there and I hear about them through my ASCAP membership, or through other releases. I don’t know if the community aspect is the same, but I know that there is a lot going on. One just might need to dig a little to find out more about their particular niche.
Q: I’m sure some would say, oh, if you live on Long Island you need to go into Manhattan or Brooklyn to gig as a singer-songwriter. What would your response be?
A: I was one of those people. I used to think like that. I’ve booked shows in NYC and Brooklyn like every other local performer out here. I tried to fill the rooms (often unsuccessfully) and have also spent a lot of nights pissed off about it. I do play in NYC, but I live on Long Island. That’s my backyard. I’ve learned that your backyard can be a wonderful and valuable resource. Most of the folks that like what I’m doing seem to be past their club-hopping days. They have families. They’re working 9-5 and won’t come out to fill The Living Room or Rockwood Music Hall at 11pm on a Monday. It’s a numbers game with NYC venues, and many think you need to play it. No one needs NYC or Brooklyn. No one needs anywhere really. That’s not a healthy way to look at it. You can spin your wheels booking venues and dragging your Long Island friends out to appease NYC bar owners from here to eternity and never get anywhere. Actually the same can be said about Long Island and every other city. But there is another way to make Gotham a part of your reach as a songwriter.
Q: What are the best venues/coffeehouses/opportunities on Long Island for songwriters, would you say?
A: Again, I’m talking to the Folk/Roots/Singer-Songwriter community aspect of things here. Long Island has an incredible number of songwriter-friendly listening rooms. I’ve been blessed to become a friend to some of them and to discover many folks, both local and not, who are now friends, collaborators and sometimes touring buddies. I’ll mention a few here, but you can always get a good look at what’s going on with the Long Island scene by checking out Michael Kornfeld’s – AcousticMusicScene.com, or Richard Cuccaro’s – AcousticLive! publication which details alot of the regional venues and happenings. The Folk Music Society of Huntington (FMSH) is a wonderful organization. They are a beautiful group of music lovers and run several concert series including their “First Saturday” concerts, “Hard Luck Cafe”, the “Huntington Folk Festival”, and there are member house concerts that they run too. FMSH hosts an open mic before most of their shows and will discover local talent through them. I got my start at the Eclectic Cafe’s open mic. That’s a great venue in Bay Shore run by Jack and Karen Finkenberg. I had my first great “full band” show on Long Island there, and I am very grateful to both of these organizations and recommend aspiring artists from Long Island to come visit them. It’s valuable from a visibility perspective, and also from an inspiration perspective.
But they’re not the only ones! You’ve got the Garden Stage in Garden City. Joanne and Steve Dezego run a great series there. Other great venues include Marty Stone’s “Our Times Coffeehouse” in Garden City and Stephen Talkhouse out in the Hamptons, The Island Songwriters Showcase, The Acoustic Long Island Concert Series, Grounds and Sounds in Stonybrook, The Song Box House Concerts, Sonic Underground House Concerts… I could go on and on. Check out the “Acousti-Calendar (NY/LI)” at http://acousticmusicscene.com/ for a monthly listing of well over 100 different area events worth checking out.
Q: What’s the best way for aspiring songwriters to get “in” on the Long Island scene?
A: That’s easy. Write good songs and show up. Ok. That’s the short answer. The longer answer is a continuation of what I said before. If you live on Long Island, then I recommend coming out and getting to know the local folks whenever you can. Just please don’t show up with demos and desires and expect something to happen. Come as you are. Come with a song if it’s appropriate. Come with a sincere desire to become part of a greater community and know that it will take time for you to develop those relationships.
If you’re from outside of Long Island, then get to know us Long Islanders at other shows and at conferences like NERFA. Let’s play some songs together. If there’s chemistry, maybe we can trade gigs or contacts and make some connections for each other. Gig swaps are great ways to get into new cities. I’m doing some now with Philly and Boston artists, and I’m planning to attend open mics at some New Jersey and Westchester concert series this season as I broaden my reach too. Open mics can be helpful. I host a monthly open mic in Huntington and I sometimes can offer a featured slot to a touring artist who’s looking to break in here. If you have that ability, maybe your open mic can be used as a gig swap opportunity to get you into a new town too.
Q: Are there any challenges to being a songwriter on Long Island?
A: The freaking traffic is a pain in the ass. It takes me at least an hour longer than it should to get over the bridges and out to other areas of the North East. And don’t get me started on the damn tolls.Seriously though, I used to think there was a stigma associated with being from Long Island. I’m finding that isn’t the case. I tend to take the position that if things aren’t going the way I hope, I either need to be more patient, work smarter, or write better songs. Usually it’s a mix of all of these. We Long Islanders do get some jokes and such. That’s ok. I can take it. I’ll admit that I worked hard at losing the accent. But if you’ve got a good song and can deliver it, and if you’ve got a genuine desire to connect, I think you’ll find opportunities anywhere.
