Sylvana Joyce + The Moment

Filmed at The Cutting Room in NYC on May 18, 2013, this segment is from Episode 22.

Singer-Songwriter Sylvana Joyce performs a solo version of her song "The Break"

See more at jimmylloyd.com


Executive Producer - Jimmy Lloyd
Co-Executive Producer - Jason Christensen
Co-Executive Producer - Billy Hamill
Producer- Jerry Pena

Edited by Billy Hamill


Director: Jimmy Lloyd
Cameramen - Chris Luperi, Brian Giallorenzo, Jason Christensen, Yoni Shrira
Video Post Production - Billy Hamill, Jason Christensen
Post Production Supervisor - Billy Hamill
Audio Post Production - Franzkie Biggz at Rama Music
On-Set Audio Engineer - Gerard Hoffman
Data Logging - Lenny Kessler
Ket Set PA - Steve Deluca
Grip - Wilhelm von Hesse
Production Assistants - Jeff Sherman, Eric Neidermayer, Ernie Stevenson, Kay Kay Derbyshire
On-set Photography - Brigid West

Produced by Jimmy Lloyd Productions LLC in Association with Pena Productions LLC
- NBC

Sylvana Joyce is an absolute force of nature. She needs to be seen to be believed...and even then you will not be sure if your eyes are fooling you. Sylvana so effortlessly incorporates the most insanely disparate genres of music in to her act...Hell...into EACH song...that the passive observer will not even know what just happened. The active observer will just be too awe struck to realize that their mouth has been hanging open the whole time with strands of drool unconsciously hanging from their bottom lip.
Her music is an orgy...that's right...AN ORGY...a sexed-up cacophony....of Gypsy, Klezmer, Metal, Punk, Classical, Spaceship soundtrack, bizarre, twisted, anthemic, gamma-radiation-infused quadrophonic inebriation.
Her band is so tight and so effortlessly familiar with every last idiosyncratic move that she makes that its as if they are all one singular being...and they just might be.
Sylvana commands the keyboard like Archduke Franz Ferdinand commanded his empire's armies (before that fateful day in 1914). She is a general. She is an emperor. She has been sent from some other dimension to show us the way.
And as long as we are on the topic of sex appeal...Oh my Lord...this girl is a MUTHA F'N SEX BOMB...and she knows it. She prances across that stage like a belly dancer performing for a Sultan on his birthday. She will unfortunately remind every other girl in attendance of all they are not...and...well...that's up to them and their therapist at that point...'cause it's not Sylvana's fault.
If you are up for some transcendental Hapsburg meets Andy Warhol meets A Space Odyssey at an acid trip...then get yourself quick fast to the next Sylvana Joyce show. Tell her Jimmy sent ya! - Jimmy Lloyd (NBC)

Welcome to New Bohemia. In the boozy Brooklyn atmosphere of Bar Matchless, the Kings and Queens Showcase spotlights the latest wave of East Coast indie musicians. At the forefront of the action stand the event's hosts and reigning monarchs, Christopher King and Sylvana Joyce. Key members of the band Sylvana Joyce and The Moment (SJATM), they exemplify the growing retro-fresh trend, their sound an eclectic fusion of old-school gypsy rock and modern sensibility that makes the listener simultaneously nostalgic and invigorated. If you don't recognize their names, better learn them now, because these folks are going to be huge.

Equal parts dynamo and siren swirling beneath a petite Eastern European exterior, lead singer and keyboardist Sylvana is basically a human carnival. Her ability to inhabit a song's lyrics and create several diverse characters within the same set while retaining her own personal energy reminds me of the great vaudeville belters -- a Nora Bayes or even a Judy Garland -- who could craft emotions so specifically that each melody became a separate performance.

Sylvana, who began acting and singing as a child, certainly agrees with the assessment that her act is "neo-vaudeville":

I think songwriting's not done once it's written. I put a lot of responsibility on myself to the performance of it and orchestrating that just by virtue of my own body, my own physical expression, my voice, everything that one can see in a live setting. All my theatre [training] is directed towards how I do my music now. There's a lot of freedom in that because I can be the playwright to the songs -- "What is this character feeling right now?" Be in the moment with that character.
SJATM also imbues its music with distinctive gypsy elements culled from Sylvana's Romanian background (her grandfather, Claude Romano, was an acclaimed composer in his home country). Whether cavorting around the stage, striking a dramatic piano sting, or simply raising an eyebrow a la the screwball comedy heroines of yore, Sylvana entices her audience with every movement via her own particular brand of otherworldly seduction.

Well-chosen through a serendipitous Craigslist ad, SJATM's individual band members bring a unique wizardry to their art. Chris King, a splendidly effective singer-songwriter in his own right, is a soulful powerhouse on guitar and vocals. Pete Bellomo's jovial spirit hits you straight in the heart as he plays his bass (he also sings opera). Drummer Ross Liberti's percussive beats have an indescribably versatile force -- and that's performing with an injured hand. Then there's Sean-David Cunningham, purely and simply a master magician on the violin. When they join Sylvana in a boisterous jazz symphony, expect all the humor, adventure, and inexplicable chills of the world's best roller-coaster ride.

On forming the group, Sylvana says:

I was pretty blunt about the fact that I wanted the chance to make this serious. I wouldn't say it's something everybody has the privilege of succeeding at. We've had setbacks, but there always seems to be some divot of possibility lurking. It's scary how things worked out so well.
It's true that since its inception in 2010 The Moment has gained some amazing momentum. Among various plaudits, SJATM garnered MTV's Needle in the Haystack Artist of the Week award in 2011, won Boston's No Contracts Needed Battle of the Bands in 2012, and released their debut album For You, Comrade last November. (They've also recorded newer material in a less family-friendly EP entitled F#@kMe!, part of a free session included in the band's Boston win.) In August the group will appear at the star-studded Musikfest in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, and this fall Sylvana will be featured on an episode of NBC's The Jimmy Lloyd Songwriter Showcase performing her signature tune "The Break."

As SJATM's star rises higher, its fearless leader admits the climb hasn't been the easiest:

It can be disheartening in New York City [for an indie band]. There are very few opportunities where you aren't just cleaned out financially, where you have to pay to play. We career musicians [just starting out] don't have enough opportunities to share our craft on a professional level. I like experiences where people can come to a free show and then maybe spend money on merchandise, or a CD, or something [that goes] back to the band [instead of to the venue or promoter].
The myriad levels of industrial competition have encouraged Sylvana to seek alternative markets. SJATM is entirely self-managed; For You, Comrade was funded completely through fan donations to Kickstarter; and, the crush of social media aside -- though YouTube videos documenting "The Spazzy Singer" are hilarious -- the band tends to glean its most ardent new fans from collaborations with other musicians.

& - Huffington Post

By John Scandalios - February 3, 2013 - Astoria, NY - Sylvana Joyce wins The Fifth Annual Ultimate Singer-Songwriter Contest at Waltz-Astoria, a competition with over 150 contestants. Three qualifying rounds featuring 60 contestants performed for 3 days prior to the Final. Sylvana Joyce won entry to the Sunday Final by being being selected "wild card" contestant. In accepting the trophy and $1,000 cash prize, Sylvana was emotionally moved and dedicated her achievement to her mother who raised her in a single-parent home. Sylvana, a New York City native, started writing songs at the age of 5. She grew up to listening to opera, classical music, and Romanian folk music, some of which was composed by her late grandfather, who was a well-known songwriter in Romania. While attending the conservatory at Boston University, she gained interests in rock and blues music which evolved her songwriting into a combination of new and old world textures. Sylvana, a classically trained pianist and professional actress, leads a showstopping performance with her powerhouse voice and natural star quality. Sylvana Joyce and The Moment's music is the perfect mix of gypsy rock, blues and cabaret that has drawn comparisons to Grace Potter & The Nocturnals, Gogol Bordello and The Dresden Dolls. Second place winner in The Ultimate Singer-Songwriter Contest at the Waltz-Astoria was Miranda Inzunza with third place going to Hunter Hoffman. The other finalist were Anson Li, Adam Bahanan, Joe Jung, Benjamin Lawrence, Mary Jennings, and Paul Saylor. - CNN

By John Scandalios - February 3, 2013 - Astoria, NY - Sylvana Joyce wins The Fifth Annual Ultimate Singer-Songwriter Contest at Waltz-Astoria, a competition with over 150 contestants. Three qualifying rounds featuring 60 contestants performed for 3 days prior to the Final. Sylvana Joyce won entry to the Sunday Final by being being selected "wild card" contestant. In accepting the trophy and $1,000 cash prize, Sylvana was emotionally moved and dedicated her achievement to her mother who raised her in a single-parent home. Sylvana, a New York City native, started writing songs at the age of 5. She grew up to listening to opera, classical music, and Romanian folk music, some of which was composed by her late grandfather, who was a well-known songwriter in Romania. While attending the conservatory at Boston University, she gained interests in rock and blues music which evolved her songwriting into a combination of new and old world textures. Sylvana, a classically trained pianist and professional actress, leads a showstopping performance with her powerhouse voice and natural star quality. Sylvana Joyce and The Moment's music is the perfect mix of gypsy rock, blues and cabaret that has drawn comparisons to Grace Potter & The Nocturnals, Gogol Bordello and The Dresden Dolls. Second place winner in The Ultimate Singer-Songwriter Contest at the Waltz-Astoria was Miranda Inzunza with third place going to Hunter Hoffman. The other finalist were Anson Li, Adam Bahanan, Joe Jung, Benjamin Lawrence, Mary Jennings, and Paul Saylor. - CNN

If all your records were on a Lazy Susan and you wanted a tasty stew of all the best ones, you could spin the tray stopping and pulling out choice albums from the decades of your collection, throw them all into a mixer and hope the result would be as delicious as the debut album from Sylvana Joyce and The Moment.
Mixing rock, blues, classical, funk and a little gypsy influence and fronted by the virtuoso vocals of Sylvana Joyce, 'For You, Comrade' is a mountain of magical moments piled high on the solid foundation of adaptable talented musicians. - Popa's Tunes

'For You, Comrade' is the much anticipated album from the New York, New Jersey band Sylvana Joyce and the Moment. This writer's personal opinion is that this is in the top ten list of best albums of 2012. 'For You Comrade' is a perfectly crafted musical masterpiece that incorporates the best music has to offer in one album. It somehow is able to take the elements of rock, blues, classical, funk and a little gypsy influence for some spice and blend them together just right. Throw in the beautiful and sultry energy of Sylvana Joyce's voice, and you have magic.

'Closer to Me' starts off the album with a 50's rock sound that invites you to the dance floor (whether it's at a club or in your living room). It properly amps you up for the musical journey you are about to embark on. 'The Break' is the perfect song for a crowd to spontaneous dance explosion. Then it slows down a bit with 'Me For You', a powerful ballad about the disappointment of love. This track practically knocks you over with the energy Sylvana Joyce exudes. 'Comrade' is a nine minute epic finale that deserves to be sung by Bernadette Peters on Broadway. The story of who did it, the passion, the emotion, it is just amazing.

Since forming in 2010 The Moment has been skyrocketing to the top. 'For You, Comrade' is proof that they have no intention of stopping until they get there.

To listen to 'For You, Comrade' click here: http://sjandthemoment.bandcamp.com/album/for-you-comrade - Shakefist Magazine; Danny Melendez, writer

Donald Lee photographed New York native Sylvana Joyce with her band the Moment over the weekend.
[Photos] - CMJ

Sylvana Joyce + The Moment were founded in the summer of 2010 when Sylvana put out a craigslist ad looking for musicians to bring life to her music. But don’t let their status of ingénue fool you: Six months after the band’s inception, they had already received recognition from the industry, with a full week feature by MTV and Ourstage as a “Needle in the Haystack” artist. Sylvana’s band has already graced the stage over 70 times, including festivals, showcases and live performances in NYC, New Jersey and Boston. We recently caught up with Sylvana on her hopes for listeners, her favorite gig, and where you can see her next.

What do you hope listeners will get from your music?

I’m really big on telling stories, whether it’s with poetry, or my body language, or just the inflections of the voice. The music we make is hard to define genre-wise, since it’s such a mesh of stuff, and that’s mostly because I write based what I feel reflects the mood of the song. Sometimes I’m inspired by cabaret-like drama, or a funky groove, or bluesy hook. To me, the most important thing is for someone to feel like they can dig into the song. I try to get personal when I’m writing. I want it to cut deep.

What’s the best gig you ever played?

I remember perfectly. ::clears throat:: The band entered our first Battle of the Bands competition in early 2011, and it required us to travel all the way to Boston to play a show. Unfortunately our drummer couldn’t travel, so we had to find someone last minute in Boston and rehearse him for a couple of hours for the show. We get there, full of nerves, and the venue is packed with strangers. I think it must have been the first show we ever played where we didn’t have a bunch of friends there to cheer us on. I was so nervous; I knew our sound was nothing like any of the other acts performing that night. Well…it’s time to get on stage and there’s this strange vibe. We can all tell the crowd is very curious about us misfit New Yorkers. I dunno, man. We all just flipped a switch. We just went on “warrior mode”. People just got so into it – they were dancing, screaming – we finish our last song and there’s this huge roar of applause and cheering that seemed to last forever. I turn to Chris (guitar) and he’s looking back at me with this huge grin on his face, all sweaty…We were all spent. It was amazing. We felt we achieved something that night. We felt we proved we had something big to share. It set the mood for the entire year.

What’s your prediction for the next big advancement in how we find/listen to/share music?

The social media has been an indisputable weapon for indie artists. People don’t just want the music [anymore]. They want to see you, talk to you, watch you pick your nose. Fans want ownership; they want to feel like a VIP. They want to feel like they knew you before you hit it big – it gives them bragging rights for the rest of their lives. But they love seeing us as gods on stage and as human beings off of it – I think it’s empowering to see that all us music-makers are just humans with big dreams of traveling the world and connecting with as much of the world as possible. I think whatever path the social media continues to take; it’s going to be about getting fans even deeper into the world of their favorite bands and artists.

What’s your favorite way/tool/site for you to interact with your fans in the digital age? Do you recommend anything to other artists?

I love Bandcamp. It’s so easy and user friendly – no fluff. It’s been a big help for promoting new singles, since they have download and coupon codes you can download and print out for fans. YouTube, too. When I’m looking up a new band, I go straight to the Tube to watch them kill it live. We put up a music video last fall and it went viral – it was a great tool for promoting to a larger audience.

What’s your next big gig coming up? When/Where?

We have two amazing shows back-to-back, the first being a primetime slot at The Studio @ Webster Hall in New York City, this coming Thursday, March 15th at 9pm. Then immediately after the show we’re booking it to New Hampshire to play Lift Festival (liftfest.net) on Friday March 16th. It’s our first legit festival, so we’re pretty stoked.

Check out more on Sylvana Joyce + The Moment here. - Sonicbids

Excerpt:

"The night began with sultry voice and sonorous swing as Sylvana Joyce & The Moment came to play. Sylvana Joyce - a born musician who embraced her grandfather's legacy as a composer - performed with the same intonations and presence of a diva against the tension of Miles and Peter's drums and bass and the dance of Christopher and Sean-David's guitar and violin. Mingling a show tune sensibility with a modern baroque pop sound, the very nature of the band felt almost appropriately at home against the piecemeal décor of the Trash Bar as it would have been in the gaslight era of a traveling steampunk carnival." - Qro Magazine

When Sylvana Joyce Opris graduated from BU, she knew only one thing for certain about her future: somehow her life would revolve around music.

The young singer and pianist is now front woman for a band bearing her name, Sylvana Joyce and the Moment. Together just a year, Opris and band members Sean-David Cunningham, Chris Smith, Miles Lassi, and Pete Bellomo recently won MTV’s Needle in the Haystack Artist of the Week award.

“When I read the email, I had to read it through a couple of times and thought, really?” says Opris (CFA’07). “I didn’t even remember applying for the MTV feature.” But she’s thrilled by the recognition. “I proceeded to excitedly call the rest of the band members and leave really vague, cryptic messages.”

“She just screamed into the phone,” says Smith.

Last spring, Opris posted a Craigslist ad looking for musicians to play with. Each member is classically trained: guitarist Smith attended Berklee College of Music, violinist Cunningham earned a master’s degree at McGill University, and bassist and self-described “utility man” Bellomo has a master’s in opera performance from the Boston Conservatory.

“We love Sylvana’s music and feel a part of the Moment and everything that it has to offer,” says Bellomo. “A lot of times people make a song and you don’t get to express what you want to say as a musician. But her music gives you the ability to express yourself. It’s very delicate.”

Opris fell in love with music as a child. By the time she was two, she was reading song booklets and soon writing songs on construction paper.

As a College of Fine Arts freshman, she planned to major in piano performance, studying with Anthony di Bonaventura, a CFA professor of music. “It was a wake-up call,” she says. “It was a lonely pursuit, to be in a practice room for eight hours a day. I just wasn’t that kind of person. I was interested in doing something more social.” She changed her major to music education.

But it was her involvement with BU’s Symphonic Chorus that proved to be a life-changing experience. “We got to play in Symphony Hall in Boston and Carnegie Hall in New York,” she says. “The experience was transcendent. Our chorus was a bunch of people who loved what they do. They loved music; they lived it, breathed it, ate it, and slept it.”

Performing with the chorus, Opris says, made her feel “that the power of artistic expression could transform a room.”

The band says that their sound can be hard to define. One song, “The Break,” has a bluesy, folk quality, while another, “Comrade,” has an “Habañero” influence. Opris says that artists as diverse as Billy Joel and James Brown have influenced the band’s songs as well.

The MTV recognition has helped the group find a wider audience. After a recent performance at McGann’s Pub, in Boston, “we all walked outside of the bar and Sylvana was swamped by people,” says Cunningham. “It was awesome.” - BU Today

"...Sylvana Joyce & the Moment get the nod for the most unique act of the night. The music’s got an international feel to it, and more than once I’m reminded of a Broadway show from the mix of the keyboard, drums, and violin players blended with lead singer Sylvana’s experienced vocal command. The music’s easy to move to, and the band shows us just how to do it." - The Noise: Rock Around Boston

Queens-based singer/songwriter, Sylvana Joyce and The Moment, sound like, "cabaret meets blues/rock." Find out more about the groups sci-fi lover, their haunted tour stories, and their love or the NYC music scene.

Who is Sylvana Joyce and The Moment?
SJ: I'm childhood friends with Sean-David, the violinist in the group, and we always wanted to collaborate musically on our own project. I've been writing my own songs for many years, and always envisioned them being played by a band. On a whim, I sent out a Craigslist ad for band musicians, thinking that the worst case scenario was that no one would respond...but then I was able to meet and hear Peter and Chris play, and I loved their energy and talent. Sean came to one of our early rehearsals, and the rest is history.

Where did the group name come from?
SJ: Sylvana Joyce was the hardest part to come up with...hahaha, no...I was throwing around some names..."Sylvana Joyce and The Betrayal", "Sylvana Joyce and The Revolution"...When I said "Sylvana Joyce and The Moment" out loud, it just felt right. Looked good on paper, too. It encompasses the idea that we're not stuck in one idea, but flirting with whatever goes in the moment.

How does it feel to be the MTV Music’s Needle In The Haystack?
SJ: Still in shock.
Chris Smith: Honored.
Peter Bellomo: What a great opportunity.
Sean-David Cunningham: Its feels great! We all have confidence in our group and are excited for the opportunity to share our sound with as many people as possible.

What is "Me For You" about?
SJ: Funny question. I've had several people come up to me and say, "This song is about me, right? Why didn't you just talk to me?" But they were never right! The person I wrote it about probably doesn't even know this song exists.

First song you remember really affecting you?
PB: Aerosmith's "Walk This Way", because it was the first video I ever saw on MTV back in 83'.
CS: “The Rainbow Connection.” As a kid I watched it and rewound it over and over in that Muppet movie. That furry foam frog on a lily pad spoke to me more than most people could.
SJ: It was actually an Ace of Base song called "Happy Nation". I even sang it at the 3rd grade talent show at school. The quote "A man may die, /but not his ideas" stuck with me. Loved that group!
SC: The first time I performed the "Adagio for Strings" by Samuel Barber it really touched me. I was around 10 or 11 at the time and after that performance I began to realize that I wanted to play music for a living.

How do you describe your music?
CS: If packaged in the coffee aisle, I’d label it “A Lush, Urban-Organic Blend.”
SJ: Hahaha! That's good. I'd say Cabaret meets the Blues/Rock.

What is your creative process like?
SJ: I usually bring in a song I've written and we play around with how to present it. Sean, Chris and Peter write their instrument parts - all I give them is chords, lyrics, and idea of what I want and we all just jam until something sticks. We all take ownership of the product; the song always evolves past my original idea, into something else. It transcends and becomes its own being, and continues growing.

When did you realize you wanted to make music?
SJ: It was never a decision...it's something I've done all my life. All we've decided to do is maybe bring one musical project into focus.
PB/CS/SC: (nods)
PB: I , for one, married music long time ago...and she's good to me!

Queens music scene likes?
SJ: Mostly the city. Queens is difficult in terms of getting enough people to come. There is a great little place called Waltz-Astoria which consistently features awesome singer-songwriters. Brooklyn's also very trendy. We usually play the Lower East Side of Manhattan, and we'll be playing Boston in a week for the first time as a band for a competition!

Any good secrets to reveal?
SJ: Many, many secrets.
CS: We're waiting for the behind-the-scenes book about us to come out first, though. We were told to keep mum until then.
SJ: Hahaha!

What do you love about music?
CS: That, if you do it right, it doesn’t matter how ugly or screwed up you are, what you can communicate with 12 simple notes in a few octaves can be something that transcends words, life choices, or even genetics.

Spare time activities?
SD: Video games! Wayyyyy too many video games...
SJ: Hard to say. Between work and the band, spare time usually means sleep!
PB: Reading Sci-Fi or watching it on TV.
CS: Watching stupid creature do stupid things...

Favorite music videos to watch?
SJ: I love huge dramatic videos. Like "Thriller"...the ultimate classic.

Top 5 music influences?
CS: Hendrix, Slash, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Springsteen, Tom Waits
SJ: Madonna, Billie Holiday, Tori Amos, Jim Morrison, Elvis.
PB: Stevie Wonder....yeah.

Odd jobs?
PB: I was a butcher, once.
SJ: (shiver)...I'm a real estate agent by day!
CS: All of them are odd.

What would you do if you won a 100 million dollars?
SJ: Buy property in the most se - MTV

Denon presents an exclusive one-on-one interview with Sylvana Joyce, vocals and keys of Sylvana Joyce and The Moment, a band described as having a sound like a Gypsy-cabaret-R&B-rockabilly-retropop style.

Sylvana Joyce decided in May 2010 that she wanted to share her music. She quickly put up a Craig’s List ad requesting band musicians who would like to play with her. One month later, Sylvana Joyce and The Moment were born.

Sylvana Joyce and the Moment brings together five classically trained musicians with background in opera, jazz, classical, rock, and Latin genres, to merge into a sound that is instantly gratifying and yet equally hard to define.

Sylvana Joyce and the Moment has had a formidable amount of success thus far, playing such venues as The Bitter End and The National Underground, as well as a summer residency at Northern Soul, where they debuted songs from their first EP, “The Demo”. They will be returning to Northern Soul to perform at the 2010 Hoboken Music Awards, for which they have nominations in the category of “Outstanding Band” and “People’s Choice Award”.

Tell us about yourself.

I grew up in New York City, raised by a single mother (my parents, who immigrated from Romania, separated when I was a baby). I loved growing up here – I get very antsy when there’s nothing to do, and in NYC, there’s always a million things you can do. My mother also exposed me to all kinds of experiences from an early age. She spent what little money we had on sports lessons, the arts, travel. I instantly gravitated to musical expression…I’d have a fit of joy every time I sang or played a musical phrase; I have always loved performance in general. I got a high off of sharing those “fits of joy” with others. There were also dark times in my life, times of immense sadness, where performance allowed me to focus all that tumultuous emotion into something creative, where otherwise left untapped, those emotions were entirely destructive. Performance allowed me to creatively understand and make sense of the darkness, too.

When did you first decide to become a musician, & what inspired you?

Ironically, don’t think it’s something I ever really seriously considered until quite recently. I’ve spent my life dabbling – I went to conservatory for piano and music education, but after graduation, I went back to school for theatre performance. That performing bug never left me. I also considered careers in education, fashion, journalism, writing, psychology…metaphysics. I didn’t want to choose one; I still don’t. But all these years, my songs, songs I’d been writing since childhood, were staring back at me. “Play me!” they said. I was always hesitant, because I was a perfectionist, and even though I believed in my songs, I was always slightly embarrassed by my singing voice. I always feared that I was sorely inadequate as a vocalist; that everyone would be turned off by me. I didn’t want to open up and do something that made me feel so vulnerable, only to be shot down and criticized. It wasn’t until I learned how to have compassion for my imperfections that I began to feel more courageous in sharing. It literally took me until this year to get the nerve to say, “You know what? Let’s see what happens. Let’s give this a shot.” I never realized just how fulfilling it would be until I jumped in. I found some fantastic musicians to play my songs with, and since the summer, it’s been go, go, go. I think I’m in love, I gotta say.

When did you first fall in love with music?

Quite early in life. Apparently, I sang before I learned to talk (or so my mother claims!). Whenever I played pretend with my friends, there was always singing involved. I’d walk down the street singing. I’d sing in bed as I was falling asleep. Expressing myself musically was something I did, without a second thought, almost all the time, for as long as I can remember. I started taking piano lessons at the age of 5, and I loved finding another way of “singing” through the piano – and all those notes I could use to do so! Singing quickly led to songwriting, and after a few years of playing piano, I started combining the two.

Have you ever owned a piece of DENON equipment?

The two main sources of music in my house growing up were my mother’s DENON turntable, and a big stereo radio. As a child, I loved putting on records – it always seemed magical to me that a plate turning round and round with a little fuzzy pin touching it could play music. I loved the texture of the sound – it’s thickness and warmth; even the crackles and pops. I’d listen to Beethoven Quartets, my grandfather’s music (he was a famous Romanian composer), and I’m laughing now as I remember it – also a Jim Henson Muppet record, with Jim Henson characters (like Kermit the Frog and Miss Piggy) singing kids’ songs.

Who are your favorite artists today?

I love great storytellers – Bob Dylan, Leonard Cohen, and Nico come to mind. I love the marriage of acoustic and ele - Denon USA Audio

The Hoboken Music Awards will return for the event's second year on Saturday, November 20, honoring the movers and shakers of the local music scene as well as providing an exciting evening of entertainment....


...In the Outstanding Band category, you'll find the acoustic folk trio Hudson Crossing, manic ukelele maestro Lloyd United, folk/blues singer Dave Calamoneri and his group Davey & The Trainwreck, the violin-infused Bern & The Brights, 7 Mornings, and longtime scene stalwarts The Fave. Also nominated are WJ & The Sweet Sacrifice, FiKus, Nipsey, Sylvana Joyce & The Moment, Hey Tiger, and the hard-rocking Cecilia Celeste...
- NJ.com