04.14.2021 Virtual Talent Showcase - Artist Profiles

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.”

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.

CURTIS BRAND

Curtis Brand's music starts with the words. In the tradition of singer songwriters like Harry Chapin, Jim Croce, and Willie Nelson, Curtis playfully jabs the listener with the existential absurdity of our everyday life. He tells tales of the human condition--the lost souls, the wounded veteran, the let down lover--and blends them with delightful ditties and love songs in a performance which not only touches the sensibilities but also lifts the spirit. From Older than Dirt, a tongue in cheek celebration of the aging process which is the title song from his first album, to Dust on the Water, which memorializes the World Trade Center tragedy, Curtis' songs pull the listener across the full range of human emotions. Whether performing solo in coffee shops and house concerts or joining with the On Call Band in full concert shows, the songs of Curtis Brand reach out and speak of the people around us.

“For Fun” - RAY PHILLIPS

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.

KEVIN GALLAGHER & PJ ALDERETTE

Kevin Gallagher

Instruments: Guitar, Mandolin, Dobro

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.

 Dr. PJ Alderette

Instruments: Djembe, Bodhran and Native Drum

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”.

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.

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.comThe April 2021 EC-CHAP Virtual Talent Showcase includes:

“April Showers” by Silvers & DeSylva

Performed by Nina Romanenko - with husband, Mike Harrison adding UBass. Some photos in this video are from our garden and travels - and the featured Bluebirds were photographed by Cliff Monges of Wallingford, CT.

Hope you enjoy! Happy April!!! Nina

JOSÉ VÉLEZ

Dr. Vélez is an educator and musician from Bloomfield Connecticut.  José has performed on several EC-CHAP videos with Nina Romanenko, Kevin Gallagher, and Tom Caraher.  “There’s No Golden Shine this Christmas” is a memorial to the lost souls of COVID-19, which has taken so many of our “Golden Generation.”

After receiving his master’s degree in his native Puerto Rico, José received his doctorate from Northeastern University in Boston.  In addition to music, José volunteers for the West Hartford Symphony Orchestra.