Musical talent is everywhere. Here are five standouts from our area who you really should know about.
Ted Wyman:
Like so many, Ted started his musical journey after seeing the Beatles on the Ed Sullivan Show, and was urged to play bass early on. He’s played with a number of bands for many years, including one that opened for Vanilla Fudge. Recently, he's shared large outdoor events with headliners including The Allman Brothers, B.B. King, and Buddy Guy. His current power trio, Cold Sweat, often plays in the area, including an upcoming date in Wayne at the Greenhouse Bar & Grill on April 22nd.
“I am so grateful that the passion I have had for music over the last 57 years is still going strong and has given me, my bandmates, and the multitudes of people, friends, and family, a glimpse into this driving force I share with so many talented musicians...and the magic that can happen playing together.”
For more, go to www.coldsweatonline.com.
Peter D’Angelo:
Peter’s been a musician for nearly all of his life. He started with a violin - a violin! - at two years old. He thinks his first words may have actually been “Charlie Parker”. So to say that this mortgage broker by day, musician by night guy has a lifelong love of music is pretty dead on. His sound is a mix of classic rock, blues, reggae, funk, pop, acoustic — you name it, it’s probably in there.
He says that a career highlight for him was while playing at a large festival in Greenwich, CT, opening for Eric Clapton along with the Tedeschi Trucks Band. It was a “surreal experience” to perform on the stage and to look up a couple of hours later and see Eric Clapton playing exactly where he was playing.
You can catch him on Feb 4 doing a solo set at In the Drink at the Preakness Valley Golf Course in Wayne. He’ll also be playing on Feb 5th at Uncorked in Totowa with the band the Soul Serenaders. On February 12th, he’ll be back at In the Drink with the Soul Serenaders.
Nick Cavagnaro:
For a guy who started playing guitar at 11, earning a degree in Music Management from WPU, recently playing with his band, Universal artist Reach NYC at the Rockville Festival at the Daytona Racetrack that attracted over 161,000 people was a pretty big event. Sharing the bill with bands like Metallica, Offspring, Lynyrd Skynyrd and Social Distortion is a big deal. But for Nick, a lot of them are just guys he knows. A couple of his friends from Papa Roach played on their albums.
But it’s not a touring life for him. He's been a teacher for almost 20 years. Most days, you’ll find him at his studio in Wayne, giving music lessons as the owner of Nick’s Music Studio or playing with an acoustic duo as part of Nick and Bobby. This unassuming guy is in it for learning about music, teaching his students, and being a normal suburban dad. One that just happens to have fun playing music on some of the biggest stages around.
For dates, clips, and more: http://www.facebook.com/reachnycmusic.com/.
Kurt Gallagher:
The joy that bubbles up from a Kurt Gallagher audience is infectious. There’s singing, dancing, clapping, stamping, and maybe even an occasional diaper change. Kurt is a legend among anyone who’s had kids in the area and loves a great show.
He started out playing with a friend in cafes, doing folky versions of songs like “Kung Fu Fighting” and “Rock and Roll All Night” — on guitar and accordion. As he was looking to build a career in music, a friend suggested that he try to play for kids. So he reached out to a couple of schools and played some gigs for them — then the calls started coming. It’s 25 years later, and he’s still playing multiple shows a day. The pandemic caused a bump in the road, but the crowds are ready for him.
When he’s not playing for kids, you can find Kurt playing for grownups as well. You’ll likely find him playing at the monthly open-mike night at Maggie’s in Ringwood (it’s the first Wednesday of every month). There his songs will lean more towards Elvis Costello, Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, Rockpile, and some heavy blues. Kids — bring your parents. You can all dance together there.
For more of Kurt, go to http://kurtgallagher.com/
Rich Weiner:
For someone who performed regularly at CBGBs and The Elbow Room with bands like Sirens of Tinnitus and Strain, flying to the West Coast to play in an orchestral version of a Carole King tribute show (https://www.facebook.com/TheCaroleKingTribute) might seem like a departure. But for Rich, the joy he finds in AM Gold, classic rock and Seattle grunge all comfortably fuel his musical beast.
For the past seven years he’s been working with Christina and The Gents, a group of musicians that he considers family. They’ve developed a faithful following of people who enjoy their unique takes on pop, rock, grunge, soul, disco, metal and punk. “For me, CATG are the epitome of musical fun: no idea is too outrageous and everyone is always willing to take chances on stage. It's a high energy show with our talented and personable front woman Christina. We don't just play ‘the hits’, but I think that's why people like us.”
Locally, you can catch CATG at Bardi's in Pequannock on 4/15 and The Greenhouse in Wayne on 5/15/22. https://www.facebook.com/Christina-And-The-Gents-263149035589016