Sunday, January 28, 2007

Welcome to the Long Island Music Mine

Yeah ... I'm finally doing this. It's been a long time coming. Here is a new place for the exploration of some of the great music that has come from Long Island's four counties ... Queens, Kings, Nassau and Suffolk ... over the past 50+ years.

There was, of course, some incredible music that came from the Island before 1957. My interest here on this site, however, lies with the rock, psych, garage, pop, and bubble gum genres. And I'll also look, to a lesser degree, at some of the Island's many great doo-wop acts. As you may have deduced, then, I'm not going to venture too far into jazz and classical music. But I don't want to confuse anyone into thinking that we didn't (and still do) have plenty of that around these shores. Please check out The Long Island Music Hall of Fame site for more about those genres.

And while I'm on the subject of that fine organization, I'll mention that I currently serve proudly on the group's founding Board of Directors. We're working hard to be a group that will make Long Islanders duly proud of their rich musical heritage. On the blog, I may offer my thoughts or opinions about different bands, songs, etc. Please bear in mind that none of these opinions are meant to represent that of the Hall as an entity, unless that is stated within the text. This blog is for exploring all of the music that's been out there that came from right here on Long Island.

I'll be focusing primarily on groups that recorded and released (even privately) original music. While I respect any and all of the 'bar bands' and road warriors out there who have been busting there hump in smoky rooms for 20+ years (I've been in a 60s cover band myself since 1993), my intention is mainly to surface and examine the many obscure and rare recordings that were made by L.I. groups and solo artists. So, if anyone out there has contact with anyone who has regaled you with stories that began with "I remember when I recorded an album with this band on Long Island ..." please point them to this blog. We're looking for them!

The first posts of music are coming soon ... so keep your eye on this spot.

Peace!
Rockin' Librarian