Never turn down an open bar.
Never turn down an open bar on a rooftop.
Never turn down an open bar on a rooftop with free live music.
Yesterday I received an invitation to attend “Showcase Part Deux,” hosted by Engine Room Studios NYC and Pledge Music. Engine Room, as advertised by the invitation I received, is a “state of the art recording studio in the heart of the Financial District.” My good musician friend Andrew Sheron, a member of the Sonic Scoop family, asked me to come along, and as you can guess (*see never…) I just couldn’t say no. I have been wanting to network with other musicians in the area for a while, and jumped at the chance (*see open bar…).
The studio is a beautiful and welcoming space, accented with a grand piano, high-rise ceilings, and…*gasp, a rooftop patio accessible from inside the main studio. “heaven” for any self-respecting musician.
I was introduced first to Alicia Lemke through mr Sheron, who attended Berklee school of music together, though a few years apart. It was refreshing to hear their conversation about Berklee college days, I hadn’t realized how much I missed “musician” talk. I’ve actually met very few NYC musicians so far, though I have been searching for them…Alicia has been writing/performing her own music for years, though has only been in the city a few months. I was shocked to hear that she was able to get connected so quickly, though not too surprised. I was eager to hear her music.
People began to file in, most of them as far as I could tell were not musicians, but rather media and industry personnel. As I previously mentioned, Pledge Music was hosting the event, and I assume are the main reason that so many attended the event.
Pledge Music is an intriguing system in which artists upload upcoming project information in order to raise money to complete it. For instance, if I had an album coming out, and had no money to advertise, I would upload information about the release to the website, and ask people for donation. The cool part of the program is, once you pledge, and depending on the amount, you get a “gift” in return. Some artists record personalized messages ($100), some sign a t-shirt ($50), others just put up old catalogue albums ($10-20). The system is actually quite amazing, and I hope to be a pledge artist soon!
Now that guests had arrived, and the beer supply was running low, it was time to start. The first act to perform goes by “FIREHORSE.” The band is fronted by singer/songwriter Leslie Siegel. Of course in this small space it would’ve been difficult to squeeze her entire band in for the showcase, so she graced us simply with her voice and guitar. She is an incredibly talented vocalist, and soon enough I realized that she is the “firehorse.” Her raw talent is quite mesmorizing. She reminds me of a mix between My Brightest Diamond and Feist, with a little bit of a Bjork thrown in. She mentioned a forthcoming show at Rockwood Music Hall after she finished, *mental note to attend.
The second band, whose name I can’t really remember, had some buzz surrounding their appearance beforehand, though I didn’t really understand why when they started playing. I was unimpressed.
We close with Alicia’s sweet acoustic pop set, in which she sings about an “Imaginary Man,” from her forthcoming EP. I thoroughly enjoyed her playing and voice, she definitely has a strong stage presence. I urge you to check out her new work.
Engine. Room. Utopia. Check.
