My Album Release Show!
An album release show unlike any other.
My forthcoming, debut neoclassical album is DONE! The official release date is October 25, but you can listen to it NOW by going here:
Album Release Show w/ Friends
Nov 9, 7:00pm, @ The Shakes Space, Scranton
I will be celebrating the release of my debut neoclassical album in the coolest way I know how: by bringing together my local friends and artists and putting on a multi-artistic, multi-genre show that doesn’t just celebrate the release of a new album but the world-class artists we have here in NEPA.
I will perform my entire album at the piano along with the Valenches String Trio (Leah Valenches, Juliet Valenches, and Peter Brubaker)
Power funk trio, Greenfield III (Jesse Mower, Jon Ventre, and Jami Novak), will be opening the evening
Indie folk singer/songwriter, Timothy Zieger, will be performing a few of his songs along with my string players
Mystic Joy (Joy Zavada), who recorded ambient vocals on Shiver, will be performing her ambient vocals live with us
Christine Smith is going to be doing live painting during the performance!
Michael Nasser will be making custom visuals
Clyde Rosencrance of Republic Audio, audio engineer
Keith Perks, photographer
Tony Susi, graphic designer
Our host, The Shakes Space, will be providing a special cocktail for the evening: whiskey flannels
One of my passions has been to break down walls that divide the artistic community here in NEPA. I’ve never understood why they exist and have made conscious efforts to get involved in all the artistic communities I can find here. This effort here in PA (and throughout my life in general) has made me the artist I am today and I am more convinced of its value than ever before.
Nothing kills creativity, community, artistry, and innovation like keeping ourselves secluded in silos. It is antithetical to the artist’s work. While there are still portions of NEPA that are happy to keep things they way they’ve always been, there is a growing number of leaders who are eager to move forward. Director of Arts and Culture for Lackawanna County, Maureen McGuigan, and Mayor of Scranton, Paige Cognetti, have been supportive of local artists and efforts like mine. It’s their vision that has led to grants1 that have enabled an event like this to happen and one of the many reasons I’m proud to do what I do here in Scranton, Pennsylvania.
By gathering together artists who would never normally be in the same room together but who are all my friends and mind-blowing artists, I think we can create an unforgettable, community-building, life-injecting evening of artistic expression. It’s gonna be fun, it’s gonna be unusual, it’s gonna be full of friendship and love - it’s gonna be AWESOME! I can’t imagine a better way to celebrate the release of this album. I hope you’ll join us!
More about the artists involved
The Valenches String Trio
Consisting of Leah Valenches, Juliet Valenches, and Peter Brubaker, these three players have been legends in the musical community here for years. In addition to playing for the NEPA Philharmonic, they teach string lessons and perform regularly for various events around town, including my shows!
Timothy Zieger
Timothy is one of the best songwriters I’ve ever heard and a longtime friend of mine. His depth and creativity are bottomless and it shows in the music he crafts. He has two albums out (his debut album - still one of my all-time favorites - and an EP we made together).
Here’s a performance we did together before the pandemic at Godfrey Daniels in Bethlehem, PA. This is one of the songs we’ll be performing at the show - this time with strings as well!
Greenfield III
Consisting of local legends Jesse Mower, Jon Ventre, and Jami Novak, this band ROCKS! Jon was one of the first musicians here to welcome me to the musical community and has been a good friend ever since. I met Jesse when I was playing blues gigs. He’s a phenom and a great guy. The music these guys are playing together is innovative, fun, and utterly mind-blowing. I can’t wait to hear them myself!
Here’s a clip from a recent show. Listen on good speakers so you hear everything. It’s insane. And follow them on FB.
Mystic Joy
Joy Zavada is a local all-around creative. I met her while producing my song, Shiver. I was stuck, feeling like it needed something. The moment I met Joy in a coffee shop, I knew she had what the song was missing. I invited her to my studio and we laid down a bunch of vocal tracks, tracks that were not only used on Shiver but now feature prominently throughout the new album. She’s an artist overflowing with depth and creativity. Follow her on IG here.
Christine Smith
Christine is one of my favorite artists in the area. Her paintings are abstract and evocative. Her process is very physical, moving her canvas around the room and at times using her hands to paint. One of my favorite experiences as a musician has been to perform alongside a painter. It’s a rich experience both for the artists and the audience. I’m so excited about this. Follow her on IG here.
Specifically, the Lackawanna County Community Arts & Culture Project Stream Grant and the ARPA Local Arts and Community grant from Scranton
Yoooo, this is fantastic!
Congratulations Zach this looks like an awesome event!!!