NEW YORK (Top40 Charts/ Rich Pagano) - GOOD DAY NY (FOX) and CW Network TV Appearances Confirmed for Rock Band 'Rich Pagano + the sugarCane cups'. Rock band 'Rich Pagano + the sugarCane cups' will appear live on FOX-TV's GOOD DAY NEW YORK on November 6th. On October 28th, they performed multiple songs on THE CW NETWORK/WGN-TV. The television appearances coincide with the release of Pagano's debut CD, a classic-infused rock and roll album of angst and escapism. Early reviews have described the CD as 'Among the best albums you'll hear in 2009,' 'An original and creatively exciting work,' and 'Timeless, well-constructed rock.'
A series of tour dates are in the works for the months ahead. Pagano performed at Martyr's in Chicago on 10/28, and will appear at Morrison Hotel Gallery in NYC on 11/20. An in-store appearance at J & R in NYC is confirmed for 11/16 at 12:30pm. More dates and special appearances will be announced soon. Visit www.richpagano.com for the latest news.
Watch the CW NETWORK/WGN-TV clips here:
https://www.wgntv.com/news/liveperformances/wgntv-live-music-rich-pagano,0,700720.story
'Rich Pagano + the sugarCane cups' was released digitally in September, with broader distribution set for December. The 12-song collection evokes soaring comparisons to The Beatles, solo Pete Townsend, Plastic Ono Band, Levon Helm and more, and marks the solo debut of Pagano, a respected New York sideman known for his expertise in producing, recording or playing drums live, with artists including Patti Smith, Rosanne Cash, Robbie Robertson, Ray Davies, Willie Nile, gospel icon Marie Knight, Joan Osborne, Levon Helm, Mott The Hoople legend Ian Hunter and the premier Beatles band The Fab Faux, among others. Pagano's upcoming album features a Who's Who of guest artists, ranging from Phish's Trey Anastasio (lead guitar) to David Johansen (harmonica) to Hunter and Nile (both as guest vocalists) and more.
'Among the best albums that you'll hear in 2009'
'An original and creatively exciting work'
'Timeless, well-constructed rock'
'His songs sparkle with verbal and musical twists and turns'
New York and Chicago Concerts Set, More Dates Coming
BLURT MAGAZINE 8 Star (out of 10) CD review - 10/09/2009 A general rule of thumb in rock 'n' roll is that auxiliary band members (i.e. drummers, bassists) and sidemen (ditto) shouldn't even attempt to record solo albums. The cut-out bins and used record stores of yore had shelves littered with examples of poor major label decisions (Bloody Egg Yolk are a BIG band, so it follows that the bassist's solo album, recorded in his basement with his wife and next door neighbor, should be HUGE!). Sure, there are exceptions to every rule, no matter how many lamebrained rockcrits say it's so, but for every stellar effort from a Ringo Starr or John Entwistle, there are a hundred crappers rotting on the store shelves from Keith Moon, Tommy Lee, and (too many) others. Really, can you imagine a Lars Ulrich solo album, even in your worst nightmares? Eewww, wot a stinker that one would be!
Rich Pagano is a major exception to the aforementioned rule. A former member of the late-'90s alt-pop outfit Marry Me Jane, in the ensuing years Pagano has become the skinman of choice for every pop-rock genius and street-smart rock 'n' roll idol to come down the pike, from Patti Smith and Willie Nile to Ray Davies and Ian Hunter, among many others. Performing and recording with a diverse range of talents has honed Pagano's skills to a surgical precision, yet his drumming retains the unpredictability of spontaneity. It's with this musical background that Pagano steps into a spotlight of his own with the sorta self-titled Rich Pagano + the sugarCane cups, his debut album.
Right off the bat, let's agree that Pagano is no poetic dilettante or wannabe wordsmith, but rather an impressive songwriter with a grasp of the language, imagination, and something to say...my guess is that Rich was paying attention when working with notable writers like Hunter and Nile. As such, Rich Pagano + the sugarCane cups provides a rich lyrical experience, Pagano venting his spleen on such heady subjects as suicide (the darkly beautiful "Rearview St. Jude"); addiction and its effects on relationships ("You Want To Stay High"); and the frustrations of the working man ("Nine Lives").
Musically, Rich Pagano + the sugarCane cups is a curious hybrid of classic rock and 1970s-era progressive rock, with a few folkish traits thrown in for good measure. Pagano doesn't particularly wear his influences on his sleeve like some artists, but they're certainly haunting these grooves, and you can pick out elements of John Lennon's solo work, the Beatles, the Band and Levon Helm, and other sources among the blazing guitars and gospel-tinged keys. As for the aforementioned proggish tendencies, Pagano might not even realize that they're here, but you can hear 'em in the thick arrangements, instrumental virtuosity, and swooping musical landscapes that surround his whipsmart lyrics, scraps of Yes, the Strawbs, and Genesis ringing as clear as a bell.
Pagano's backing musos, the "sugarCane cups," are an all-star collection of the best and the brightest that NYC has to offer, with guitarists Andy York, Steve Conte, and Jack Petruzzelli, along with keyboardist Jeff Kazee shouldering the heavy loads, while various name-brand talents like Trey Anastasio, Ian Hunter, Willie Nile, and David Johansen drop by to lend a hand. Recorded in bits-and-pieces over the course of a year, Pagano used whatever friendly collaborators that he could rope into a session, but the results are surprisingly uniform, with the obviously inspired participants leaving behind some good work when they walked out the door.
As a result, Rich Pagano + the sugarCane cups is an album that looks forward towards the future while gazing longingly towards the past. Pagano's rough-hewn vocals are a welcome throwback to the pre-Pro Tools era, glorying in their warm authenticity and sometimes ragged emotion, while his percussion work sits comfortably behind his fellow players, rising now and then in the mix to add an invigorating blast of energy.
An original and creatively exciting work, Pagano's solo debut is a modern-sounding collection with a contemporary edge that still wouldn't have sounded terribly out-of-place in, say, 1975. This is timeless, well-constructed rock music, and Pagano deserves every column-inch of critical accolades that he'll receive for the album. Even if he doesn't garner the ink spilled on undeserving, trendier artists, it won't change the inconvenient truth that Rich Pagano + the sugarcane cups is among the best albums that you'll hear in 2009. You can believe it 'cause the Reverend says so! Standout Tracks: "You Want To Stay High," "Ariel's Return," "Change Your Mind" REV. KEITH A. GORDON
ELMORE MAGAZINE - 11/09
Rich Pagano is known as one of the coolest singing drummers in the Tri-State area, but his first solo record shows he is also an imaginative songwriter and gifted arranger. A founding member of state-of-the-art Beatles cover band the Fab Faux, Pagano's dissection of his heroes' catalogue has served him well and his songs sparkle with verbal and musical twists and turns, as well as imaginative use of instruments and other sound effects. Pagano's heavy-hitter friends elevate every track, adding the perpetual sweetness behind the CD's title. The modern-day relationship song 'You Want to Stay High' boasts one trifecta of guitar players -Trey Anastasio, Andy York and Jimmy Vivino - and the lovely 'Goodbye Anna' is delivered on the strings of G.E. Smith, Steve Conte and Jack Petruzzelli. Other contributors, the cream of the area's musicians and singers, are literally too numerous to mention. But in the end, this is Pagano's record and showcases his range of singing voices - from a passionate roar to a disembodied monotone, John Lennon-style - and a clutch of dazzling beats. And the songs all touch a chord. Check out the rueful 'Victory Parade,' the oldest song in the collection and maybe the truest. Kay Cordtz, Elmore Magazine, November 2009, https://www.elmoremagazine.com/reviews/album_pagano_sugarcane.html
Ken Dashow, Legendary New York DJ, Q104 FM said, Pagano "...takes his Fab Faux magic and extends it to his first solo release...I love the songs."
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY posted a write-up, with an exclusive MP3 preview of the track 'You Want To Stay High': https://music-mix.ew.com/category/rich-pagano/
After years of working behind the scenes to make memorable music for and with some of the industry's most revered artists, Pagano has stepped into the spotlight, and cites an array of influences on the new CD, from John Lennon's 'Walls and Bridges' rehearsal demos to Pete Townsend's 'Lifehouse' demos...from Levon Helm to Free to Peter Gabriel.
Themes of quiet frustration and futility emerge, on lush tracks such as 'Nine Lives' and 'Everything's Alright'. Suicide is referenced in 'Rearview St. Jude,' social excess is addressed in both 'You Want To Stay High' (featuring Trey Anastasio) and 'Whiskey Pills Pornography' (featuring Ian Hunter,) and religious freedom is woven throughout 'Peace and Tranquility'. As for the album's fluctuation from gritty performances to codeine cocktail moods, Pagano comments, "since the whole record was recorded on the borders of Hell's Kitchen and midtown in New York City, the energy of my neighborhood is clearly reflected. The music both dirty, hard, and floatingly cerebral."
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: Phish's Trey Anastasio plays guitar on Rich Pagano's 'You Want to Stay High': An EW exclusive stream By Simon Vozick-Levinson, 8/28/09
Trey Anastasio has been pretty busy lately, what with the whole reuniting-Phish thing. That doesn't mean he can't still make a little time here and there for the right side project � like playing lead guitar on 'You Want to Stay High,' a song by Rich Pagano + the sugarCane cups. Anastasio is just one of the stars recruited by Pagano, best known as the drummer for Beatles cover band the Fab Faux, for his new project's self-titled debut. Others who contributed to the album, due next month, include Mott the Hoople's Ian Hunter and New York Dolls' David Johansen. But with Phish back on fans' minds this summer, the Anastasio collab is definitely the buzziest. Right now, the Music Mix is the only place where you can hear the classic-rock groove that Anastasio and Pagano cooked up together. So give 'You Want to Stay High' a free listen below, then let us know: How do you like those electric licks?
Pagano, who is profiled in the current issue of MODERN DRUMMER MAGAZINE, has assembled a band which represents the best in New York's 'Community of Musicians', and includes Andy York (John Mellencamp), GE Smith, Brian Mitchell (Bob Dylan), David Johansen, Steve Conte (New York Dolls), Chris Seefried, John Conte (Rosanne Cash), Jeff Kazee (Southside Johnny), Tony Shanahan (Patti Smith, David Gray), all the members of The Fab Faux (Will Lee, Jimmy Vivino, Frank Agnello and Jack Petruzzelli) and more.
Pagano performs lead vocals on all tracks, says his solo songwriting emerged from a tumultuous period in his life. From watching 9/11 first hand, to alcohol and opiate issues that surround him...from bad business deals to political disappointments and other levels of temptation, his debut collection chronicles a whirlwind episode of desperation and emotional extremes: "These songs are a bloodletting. Some people find religion, join a racket club or get divorced to save themselves. I decided to lock myself in my studio for a year.'
As Pagano experienced, a recording studio can be a magical place. His New Calcutta Studio became a setting where rock and roll, blues and songwriting were the parameters for everything coming in and going out. Suddenly all of Pagano's favorite musicians were on hand to help out - in fact, the songs on the upcoming CD were for the most part recorded when other sessions at the studio were just ending. It became commonplace for Rich to ask the artists to stick around and put down a musical part for him...and luckily, they all obliged.
Hear song samples at www.richpagano.com
