Paul Green's Farewell To The Hudson Valley Show
Featuring the Rock Academy Show Band
with special guest Ian McDonald (King Crimson, Foreigner)
and opener HONEY WEST
Gates: 5:30pm
Doors: 6:30pm
Show: 7:00pm
Seating: $40
Standing: $25
Tickets are non-refundable and non-transferrable.
Tickets available at the gate!
About Ian MacDonald & Honey West
A British rock giant and an acclaimed and respected member of New York’s acting community walked into a recording studio … and produced one of 2017’s strongest and most compelling albums. This odd couple consists of multi-instrumentalist Ian McDonald, a founding member of both King Crimson and Foreigner, and his songwriting partner, guitarist and lead vocalist Ted Zurkowski, co-founder of New York’s celebrated Shakespeare ensemble, Frog & Peach, and a long-time member of the world-famous Actors Studio. Together, this unlikely new songwriting team conjured the album Bad Old World under the banner of their sophisticated slam-bam guitar rock outfit, HONEY WEST, which also is anchored by Ian’s son, Maxwell McDonald, on bass.
Goldmine Magazine and WFUV’s Darren DeVivo both placed Bad Old World in their Best of 2017 Top 10, with significant notice from Billboard, Parade Magazine, Huffington Post, Modern Drummer, M Music & Musicians, The Vinyl District, and much more, and national radio airplay on Nights with Alice Cooper. Bad Old World ― soon to be celebrated with a special Collector’s Edition Vinyl package ― is filled with memorable melodies and clever and sophisticated lyrics served on a bed of guitar-driven rock ’n’ roll played by top-shelf musicians, including guest drummer Steve Holley (Paul McCartney & Wings) and Graham Maby (Joe Jackson, They Might Be Giants) on bass. While it’s a modern sound stamped by Ian McDonald’s world-class musicianship and production, it also bears an instant familiarity, thanks to a sonic blueprint recalling such Brit-rock titans as The Move, Rockpile, Mott the Hoople, and the Kinks.
Representative of the band’s distinct sound is Bad Old World’s current single and music video. the driving title track, as well as “Dementia,” a four-on-the-floor rave-up that melds a driving beat and rampaging guitars with McDonald’s signature baritone sax and Zurkowski’s unique brand of lyrical mischief. With a cheeky nod to McDonald’s British roots, there also is a helping of sly humor that permeates HONEY WEST: Witness the new video containing the hard-charging “Generationless Man,” which pays homage to both the visual style of the Beatles’ influential film A Hard Day’s Night, and the wackiness of fellow countryman Benny Hill.
Asked why it took decades to find himself in a guitar-propelled band, McDonald reckons: “I guess I had never met the right writing partner before. It took a while to meet somebody who wrote great lyrics. There aren’t that many great lyric writers who can sing and play guitar as well. When Ted and I got together, I was really pleased to be able to do that.”
HONEY WEST — named in honor and celebration of the proto-feminist 1960s cult TV spy series starring the ever-alluring Anne Francis — was already up and running when the two came together. For McDonald, discovering the scope and breadth of Zurkowski’s talents was the catalyst for wanting to create a musical partnership. “Ted’s lyrics are very smart,” says McDonald. “I like smart lyrics, I like smart music. The songs revolve around a more-or-less complete lyric. That’s slightly unusual for me, or for the way things are usually done. This has ended up being a really good partnership.”
As for Ted’s transition from Shakespearean actor to rock ’n’ roll front man, he couldn’t be happier. “Now,” he notes, “I don't lose five pounds every show playing Hamlet.”
About the Rock Academy Show Band
The Rock Academy’s showband is an advanced touring ensemble of young musicians between the ages of 12 and 18 who have been selected for their musical prowess, showmanship, love of performing, and ability to share the stage with professional musicians as they tour the world. Recent and current participants of showband have played alongside such musical luminaries as Jon Anderson (Yes), Scott Ian (Anthrax), John Sebastian (The Lovin’ Spoonful), Donald Fagan (Steely Dan), and Fred Armisen (SNL, Portlandia). Festivals and events that have featured showband include a headline slot at the 2017 international Frank Zappa Festival, Zappanale, in Bad Doberan, Germany, where the kids played to nearly 10,000 diehard Zappa fans. This headline appearance was a direct result of the previous year’s performance at Zappanale, where showband was deemed a crowd favorite and quickly asked to play again, this time in a prime headline spot on Friday evening at the 3-day festival. Additionally, showband has made multiple appearances at Mountain Jam Festival, performing with acts including Sister Sparrow, Con Brio and other guest stars.