The Winery at St George

Welcome back friends to my blog about the band called Without a Net.

One of the most unique venues for live music in the area has to be The Winery at St George in Mohegan Lake.  If you haven't been there, it is a former church converted into an upscale lounge and restaurant.  Its also a great place to see Without a Net play, more on that below.

As for playing rock and roll in a former church, there's more than a little irony here.

This is for every one who has ever sat in a church pew and wondered, what's it all about? Why is Jesus on the cross?  And what if I wanted to rebel against religion (within the bounds of morality of course) would I join a rock and roll band?   And therein lies the irony - the band performs where the altar in the church was drawing up parallels between the priest serving up the Eucharist and the Disco Cowboy serving up his gospel of funk rock.

As for some history, I found the blog Hudson Valley Ruins which tells the story of the church.  What is most interesting is that the church was commissioned by a woman named Aimee Heins in memory of her husband George Lewis Heins who died in 1907.   The church was designed by architectural firm Hewitt & Bottomley and built from 1911-12 across the street from the house of Mrs Heins.  And that helps to explain what is unusual about this place that I could not quite put my finger on up to now.

Most churches are placed in prominent locations near the center of village squares to meet the needs of a local population.  This church is placed at a road side location and with no supporting buildings. And now I know why -  it was not built so much to meet the needs of a local parish - but as an object of art at the request of Mrs Heins and as a memorial to her husband George.

Fast forward to the 1980's when the church was last used for religious services, it was then sold by the Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish to raise funds for a new and larger location.  The building sat idle for many years until it was sold to current owner Tom DeChiaro.   After considerable effort to overcome the objections of local authorities and expense to convert the interior, the former church opened for business as The Winery at St George.  And the results are spectacular.

As for places to see Without a Net, there is none better than the Winery.  Most of the places the band plays are bars and restaurants where the acoustics and lighting are less than optimal for photography. The Winery - on the other hand - is a stunning visual location with excellent lighting and acoustics. It's a great place for the band to perform their craft and an unparalleled location to capture photos and video of the performance.

So join us on Saturday May 16th at 10 PM when Without a Net plays The Winery at St George.

Band Profile - Dan Howald

Welcome back friends to my blog regarding the band Without a Net.

One of the great things about Without a Net is that they are a very talented group of individuals and on multiple dimensions.  And perhaps no band member meets that description better than Dan Howald. 

To prepare for this series, I provided each band member with a questionnaire.  Dan provided such a wealth of information in his response that it’s enough to take up an entire blog post.

So below please find Dan’s responses in a question and answer format.

What is your full name?

Daniel Gerald Howald.

Where were you born?

"Abington, Pennsylvania, it's a suburb of Philadelphia."

Where did you spend most of your time growing up?

"I grew up there.  I came to New York for college (Hofstra University) and have been a New Yorker ever since.  But, I strongly identify with my Philly roots, can't help it, it's in the blood I guess.  That includes for better or worse, the sports teams."

What was your first formative experience or memory, particularly when it comes to music?

"I remember we had a toy electric organ in the house.  My mom could play.  I remember listening and being captivated by the sound of a fake pipe organ.   And because it was there, I could mess around with it more or less whenever I wanted. And I did.  Not much competition from my six (yes 6) siblings for that. 

Also when I was very young, my mom's two younger sisters (my aunts) lived with us.  My Aunt Marge listened to Elvis, and sang folk songs to me at night.  My aunt Pat was more into the whole 60s thing.  She listened to a lot of Beatles.  These are the sounds I grew up with.  Then, I remember being exposed to the rock opera Tommy.  It blew me away.  It still does to this day.  One could do worse than hearing folk music, Elvis, Beatles and classic Who growing up.

Then, there were the hippies.  Literally, a group of hippies moved into a home in our neighborhood.  The hippies had a rock band, and they would practice in their garage.  I could hear them from my own backyard.  I could spend hours at a time in the afternoons listening to them.  I don't remember what they were called; they were locally pretty popular, appeared on local TV etc.  They kind of had a Three Dog Night sound, which was popular at the time.

All of this set me off on an ongoing hobby of playing instruments, starting with the organ in my basement, moving on to woodwinds, picking up guitars, learning keyboards, etc. It's just something I've always come back to."

Who are your primary musical inspirations?

"Even though I grew up with rock and roll all around me, I became really taken with classical music once I started playing in orchestras and concert bands, where I played clarinet.  The complexity and the ways so many voices were brought together to create moods fascinates me to this day.    My junior high school band director convinced me to take up tenor saxophone because he needed another player for the Jazz band.  That was the beginning of my love affair with jazz both as a player and a listener.  I continued with both jazz and orchestral playing all through high school and college, and where I could, in various groups after that. 

Over the years I’ve collected a menagerie of instruments that I go through phases with playing around with on my own – clarinet, flute, an alto and a tenor sax, a restored 1920’s baby grand, a Yamaha synth-keyboard, an acoustic guitar, electric bass, acoustic bass, a mandolin. I love the way all the instruments are so different yet all the same in that they’re basically built to give a player different ways to play all the notes that make up chords and scales. 

If someone were to tell me I would have to give up all my instruments except for one I’d probably hold onto the piano, even though my keyboard playing is not at the level that I can handle on, say woodwinds. 

So my musical tastes are really broad and depending on what we are playing different influences come into my head.  This is what I love about Without a Net - there's a jazz like aspect to what we do, nothing is really ever the same twice, even when we do covers.  We explore and experiment and try new things.  We listen to each other and adapt on the fly.  When you can sort of climb inside the music that way, that is so completely different than just playing notes, and you can feel it. 

I would also have to say Phil Lesh is a huge influence. He started out as a classically trained trumpet player and picked up electric bass because Jerry needed a bass player.   I sort of fell into bass out of filling a need too, but the similarities end there - Phil is a masterful artist who really redefined how the instrument fits into a rock environment.  So I guess it's more accurate to say I idolize his playing.

I wouldn't dare compare myself to him or say that I play his style, I am nowhere near that level and can only dream about such technical and artistic brilliance.  But I do try to channel that kind of "more than just a low rumble thump-thump-thump" role for the bass."

Where do you work now, or what do you do for a living.  What impact if any does it have on your part in the band?

"In college I majored in journalism.  I always loved the idea of great stories.  I also minored in political science and music.  That mix of study led me into the advertising industry where I have been ever since. 

I am an advertising/marketing guy.  I am part owner of a small agency.  The marketing business, when done effectively, is all about telling a story well, and memorably.  On that level music is no different.  Great songs tell stories not just through the lyrics but of course with sound.  So I would say the reverse is true - my being in a band has more impact on my work than vice versa.  Like music, it takes constant tweaking and fine tuning and trying out different things to make an ad campaign or a marketing program work.  And there is always something different to try.  Not everyone in my business wants to deal with that, because it usually means more work.  But good things rarely come fast and easy and on the first shot. Music, marketing...no different."

What is your ideal future self, IE if money was not an issue what you be doing with yourself on a day to day basis?

"I really would spend more time with music.  I would spend much of my free time looking to play in a variety of musical situations - this band, a chamber orchestra, a jazz ensemble, maybe a swing or big band, a symphony orchestra, a concert band, other styles of cover bands, country, bluegrass etc.   I like the idea of keeping fresh by keeping up with playing a variety to instruments and there is something to love about all different styles of music as a player.

I would also commit to arranging and composing some of the tunes in my head all these years which range from symphonic to rock.   That is the selfish side of what I would spend my time on.  I would also do a lot more personal/hanging out time in general with friends and loved ones than I do now.  There is a lot to be said for the simple an unscripted moments with others - these are the things that become our most compelling memories."

Thanks Dan and very well said. 

Be sure to check check out Dan and the rest of the Without a Net band at their next live appearance.

Band Profile - Frank Primeggia

Welcome back friends to my blog regarding Without a Net band.

This post is the first in a series where we profile each band member in a blog post.   And what better place to start then to profile Frank Primeggia aka the Disco Cowboy.

Frank is hands-down the heart and soul of this band.  Frank has quite a force of personality, and I'll explain what I mean by that below.

Frank was born and bred in Brooklyn, NY and comes from a musical family.  His primary musical inspirations are his cousin who played the organ and his sister who listened to music and exposed Frank to the Grateful Dead and New Riders of the Purple Sage.

By day,  Frank is a control officer for a major British bank.  I found his out when I got an e-mail from Frank at work that ended with a lengthy disclaimer about how his e-mail may or may not constitute an invitation to enter into a derivatives transaction.  By evening and weekends, Frank leads or directs the 4 (and sometimes 5) ring circus that is Without a Net. And where Frank leads, the band follows producing their signature brand of rock and the good times that result.

If had to describe Frank in a word I would say he's confident.  Or perhaps a better word is unapologetic or uncompromising.  I once suggested to Frank that the band could appeal to a younger demographic by playing some newer music and he "categorically rejected" my suggestion.  I suppose Frank has had to compromise in other areas of his life such as at work and in playing with other bands. And I suppose he does not feel the need to compromise here since Without a Net is his own baby.

In trying to figure what I meant by force of personality,  take a look at this link.  Perhaps some of it is due to the fact that he grew up in Brooklyn, he has street-smarts and tough exterior which is juxtaposed against the fact that he is basically an artist.  He is tough but sensitive and that makes for an interesting mix.

On a more serious note, Frank was diagnosed with Leukemia which is a cancer of the blood in the late 1990's.  His prospects for survival were not good.  With a bone marrow transplant from his sister, the cancer was treated successfully and has not returned.  This brush with his own mortality has made Frank more determined to realize his musical self and the band is his modus operandi.

Frank puts it best himself in Disco Cowboy:

When the music starts to play
All my cares go away
It's when I feel complete

With the boys in the band
We rock the Hinterland
With our funky blues

Finally,  I want to end with one of Frank's lyrics from a new and promising original called "The Song of Us":

The road is hard and the days are long
The journey is sweet when your life's a song

When you get a chance, check out Frank and the rest of the Without a Net band at their next live appearance.