yardvarks The Yardvarks present a curious mix of tunes plucked from the periphery of rock and roll and folkish music. Our avowed goal is to play a song and then have someone in the audience say, "Wait a minute, who did that?" So we stay away from well-known hits and concentrate on the also-rans, presenting them with lush 3 and 4 part harmonies and our own quirky arrangements. The Yardvarks, originally a semi-acoustic quartet, have added some fire thanks to the gorgeous guitar tone of Roy Flacco and tasty drums courtesy of Chris Christensen. Original members John Simon on acoustic guitar, Eric Ott on bass and Ken Zeserson on sax and guitar round us out.
The Eclectics As our name implies The Eclectics present a wide musical spectrum ranging from jazz standards to oldies and classic rock and roll. We enjoy putting a quirky spin on classic arrangements of tunes from Sinatra to Hendrix, The Beatles and beyond. The Eclectics are anchored by the guitar wizardry of Alex Specker one of Ithaca's most versatile musical legends and the velvety voice of Jan Nigro (the oldest Vitamin L) who also strums the six strings and plays the keyboards on occasion. Ken Zeserson sings and plays sax. Joe Bruno anchors The Eclectics on bass and Mike Wellen does the drumming when dancers are about.
Radio London Radio London is Ithaca's most venerable '60's band having played together in various incarnations for nearly two decades. We feature local legend Neal Massa on vocals and keyboards and Ithaca's own Lennon--John Simon--on vocals. Ken Zeserson plays sax, guitar and sings too, all backed by the solidity of Jon "They won't let me sing" Hilton on bass and Mark "Da Cushman" Cushman on drums. Radio London adds harmonies to tunes that were sometimes unadorned on the original 45's and even occasionally takes the liberty of putting some extra parts on the sacred literature--namely the Beatles and Stones. Original member Jan Nigro occasionally chips in on vocals and guitars when the Radio London subgroup--18 Strings of Love--performs. And as if all this weren't enough Radio London has welcomed the incendiary guitarist Roy Flacco into the fold.
Maplewood Jazz Team The Maplewood Jazz Team features the lovely voice of our singing drummer Lisa Fernandez backed by a venerable Ithaca guitar duo, John Bailey and Jon Conrad. Ken Zeserson on sax and Eric Ott on bass round out the team. We focus on standard jazz with a tendency to do just about anything Diana Krall has ever blessed. Occasionally, we venture into some blues as well.
Men of Kent Men of Kent plays a very diverse selection of vintage rock and roll (Cream, Santana, Blues, R&B, etc.) and originals emanating from our guitarists Brian Donovan and Mike Tolomeo who also switch off on bass. We occasionally play some jazz standards when we can get Brian to sit down at a piano in bars equipped with one. Mark Cushman anchors the rhythm section on his electronic drums and Ken Zeserson plays sax and guitar.
Jams The Ithaca music scene is very fluid and occasionally one finds old friends in the mix, tu whit, some pick-up tunes.