Lucky for you I happen to know 10 bands and solo artists from Long Island that you should totally check out! I’m fortunate enough to know all these bands and artists personally and they are all a great listen! This is not a top ten countdown (or count up) list, just a list of 10 awesome local bands and acts.
1. Schoeffel: Schoeffel is an indie rock/ alternative band from my hometown of Valley Stream. The band consists of three guys who I’m lucky to call my friends, Austin Shoeffel (vocals and lead guitar), Brandon Mirth (rhythm guitar and bass) and Michael/ Mike Gallagher (percussion). They released their new EP “Gimme Two Weeks” over the summer. Their music makes me want to get up and dance around and it’ll make you feel good too! (I actually am listening to their new EP while I write this and I want to dance!) Schoeffel actually got to open for the band MAGIC! (that’s the band thats sings “Rude”) back in March at The Paramount in Huntington.
2. Mike Tedesco: Mike Tedesco is a singer-songwriter from the Queens area. I met Mike at an open mic night at Sip This, a coffee shop in Valley Stream and we bonded over a common interest in Billy Joel. I’d say that Mike sounds just like him! He does a great cover of “New York State Of Mind” and “Summer Highland Falls”. Mike recently released his EP “Put To Rest”, and let me tell you guys, it is a amazing, you should go give it listen!
3. DCO (Dry Clean Only): Some of you Lions may have heard of the band DCO, they were the winners of last years Battle of the Bands here at Molloy College! They are an alternative punk group who just released their first full album back in February. The band already has two other works (one demo and one EP) that you can pick up on their iTunes! DCO is definitely a great listen when you just want to jam to some awesome alternative punk music. DCO will often play shows in New York City and have also played shows out on Long island!
4. Richard Arriaga: Richard is another friend of mine from my hometown of Valley Stream. I’ve been fortunate enough to know him since Elementry school and we’ve been good friends ever since. He is another singer-songwriter that does both amazing originals and covers! His covers of Gvin DeGraw songs are worth a listen! One of his originals is about how he is always the first to perform at open mic nights at the coffee shop in my town. (Same one I met Mike Tedesco at!)
5. Say It!, Say It!: Say It!, Say It! is a band from Long Island. I had actually met the lead singer Paulie while waiting on line for a different concert and he was advertising thier band. Later that night I went on Youtube and checked out some of their original songs and covers and knew that they were a great band. I then got to meet the rest of the band when they opened for my favorite band Set It Off back in September at Amityville Music Hall in Amityville, NY. Say It!, Say It! is a band that appeals to fans of all different types of bands such as Set It Off and All Time Low. They also do a great cover of “Dirty Little Secret” originally sung by The All-American Rejects. Say It!, Say It! is currently in the studio recording a new EP to be released later this year or next. I got the chance to hear one of their new songs “Kiss and Tell” and let me tell you, it was fantastic! You can actually listen before it gets released by clicking on the link down below! Also check out their other songs “Scandalous” and “Memories”, links are all down below!
6. Nico Padden: Nico Padden, like a few other artists on this list, is a very talented musician whom I met at Sip This (a coffee shop in Valley Stream, NY). Nico is in the process of recording her new album to be released next year. She performs all across Long Island, some interesting locations that she’s played have been at farmers markets, street fairs, holiday markets, and even at yoga studios! Nico plays and writes songs from a variety of genres including folk and rock. Not only is Nico a talented singer songwriter, she is also a talented guitar AND ukuele player! Nico teaches music so if your interested in a lesson feel free to get in contact through the links below.
7. Medicine Fish: The guys in Medicine fish are all talented and when I first met them, they were a three person band. Now there’s five of them and one of their members is the pianist Richard Louis (mentioned above.) Medicine fish is a Folk, Experimental and Indie Rock band from all across Long Island. If you are a fan of The Grateful Dead, Phish, The Beatles, or music with synthesizers in it, then Medicine Fish is right up your ally! These guys frequently play shows at Sip This whether it’s the whole band playing a set on a weekend or just a few of them playing at the open mic nights they host there. So if you are into any of the bands that Medicine Fish sound like, then definitely check them out at one of their shows at Sip This or across Long Island!
8. Robbie Lowe: Robbie Lowe, (not the actor, ha-ha!), is a very talented musician from Queens whom I also met at an open mic night at Sip This. He plays shows across Long Island and in New York City. One of the first times I heard him play, he was performing an acoustic cover of Michael Jackson’s “Man In The Mirror”. That moment in time was when I realized that not only was Robbie Lowe a very talented musician, but also that he was going to go very far in his musical career with the amazing set of pipes that he’s got! Robbie has a lot of awesome originals that he plays besides covers. He’s another mellow sounding artist that you should check out!
9. Eric Phillip: To no surprise, I met Eric at an open mic night at Sip This, (a lot of very talented musicians come out of that coffee shop if you haven’t noticed.) He is another talented singer-songwriter from Queens. Eric plays across Queens and the Long Island area. He’s got a very different and interesting style of playing the guitar. The best way I can try to describe it, is by comparing his style to a little bit of Ed Sheeran, when he knocks on the body of the guitar, and a little bit like August from the movie “August Rush” – Side note: If you have not seen the movie “August Rush” it is amazing, go watch. August plays the guitar and creates different sounds by banging and tapping on the strings and frets of the neck of the guitar. It definitely is a very creative way to play.
10. Ariana Yaptango: Ariana is yet another artist that I met at an open mic night at Sip This. When I met Ariana we talked about Taylor Swift, at the time I had just tried to sing a T-Swift song myself at the open mic night. We bonded over a common like of the talented singer. Ariana had also played a few of her original’s that night. Since I had loved her music so much I ended up buying one of her CD’s that night. Little did I know that Ariana was also on iTunes. When Ariana is home from college, she plays shows and open mic nights at Sip This, New York City and across Long Island.
*All photos are courtsey of the band/artists*