Corey Aldrich

LIVING ONLINE Series: SIRSY, Indie Pop Rock Duo

May 12, 2021 By Corey Aldrich

First, an intro to SIRSY:

Tell us a little about yourselves. How long have you been doing music together? I think the first time I saw you was at Revolution Hall in Troy NY several years ago…or was that Red Square in Albany? My memory is going!

Sirsy is an indie pop rock duo that’s chock full of soul and sass. I am the lead singer and drummer and I play bass on a sampler keyboard that I play with my drumstick. My other half is my husband Rich who plays guitar and then bass on a keyboard he plays with his feet. We both play piano and we thought about the bass in that way. So, there are not loops that we play along to, it’s all live. And that’s how we’re able to sound like a full band with just the two of us.

Pre-COVID, what would a normal schedule be like for you?

Pre-covid we played 250 (or more) shows per year all over the US and in Canada. (We still need Alaska, but otherwise we’ve played all over the US!) Rich has done the math, and we were averaging about 60,000 miles per year in our little white van “Axl Roads”.

What would you say your proudest moment has been as a band?

We end every live stream with this statement: “Take care of each other”. It’s something our fans have taught us to do in our lives and in our music. I was diagnosed with my second cancer while we were on tour in Tulsa, OK a few years ago. (My doctor called with biopsy results.) I think for me, I am most proud of the way we were able to open ourselves up to our fans and let them know what was happening. We’d always been a bit more guarded before that. (After my first cancer, I didn’t tell the fans until I was ok). Our fans helped us through that dark time and it brought us all closer. For us, making music has always been about human connection through music. Since then, we’ve been honored by hearing our fans’ stories. They’ve told us how the songs we wrote about our experience helped them through tough times of their own. During the pandemic we all took care of each other again…. It’s really been a great life lesson to learn and a great lesson to learn as artists. And we’re very proud and honored to learn that our music and our band can make such a positive impact on others.

How did COVID affect the way you pursue your craft?

We had to pivot to 100% online shows. We started doing shows every Saturday night and called them Sirsy Saturday Night Live Streams. At first it was just us picking a set list and playing live in our basement studio with one camera. By the end of the series, we had 6 cameras (that Rich controlled with another pedal board at his feet), different themes every week, and even comedy sketches and characters we’d created. We’ve amassed quite the collection of wigs! Our fans skyped in with requests. We had shows about fans who had sirsy tattoos. These live streams became a ‘thing’. The coolest gift to come out of it was that we had this community of fans that gathered with us each week and supported not only the band but one another. It was truly a lifeline for all of us. And for those moments, it lessened the weight of the world for all of us.

How did COVID affect your income?

Like everyone else, we are making a lot less money. The good thing is that our fans are incredibly generous and have supported us though this time. Also, our expenses were down quite a bit. I think last April we spent $0 on gas! That was a first. We try not to complain and consider ourselves very lucky to be safe and healthy and to have had a vehicle to make art and connect with our fans.

Whats should we be looking for next from SIRSY?

We have been writing new music like maniacs during the pandemic. So, we hope to release a new record soon. We did release a few new tracks (Astronauts and Hey Disaster). We’ve also been booking shows like crazy. So, we hope to connect with everyone in the flesh very soon!

What can we expect?

We’ll be doing a stripped-down acoustic show. That’s how we started playing and writing songs as Sirsy. We co-write all the songs and it’s always fun to boil them down to their essence and arrange them to be played in that way. It’s like seeing the songs again for the first time. So, we’re excited about that.

A longtime ACE Contributor, Corey works out of Troy, New York. He runs a freelance consultancy for all aspects of brand development and business process management / development. Current projects include cash flow analysis, strategic market planning, 3rd party project oversight, public relations, event planning and front end visual brand design / design-build projects. He has a focus in not-for-profit arts and mission oriented organizations. In his free time he works on honing his craft as a photographer and guitarist. (corey@2440designstudio.com)

LIVING ONLINE Series: Raya Malcolm : Actor | Musician | Devising Artist

March 9, 2021 By Corey Aldrich

How did you become interested in being an actor? How long have you been acting in front of a live audience?

I’ve always loved playing pretend, performing, and watching theatre. But on an 8th grade field trip to Washington DC, we saw a production of Macbeth at the Folger Shakespeare Theatre. I remember my theatre director at the time and I basically clung to each other during the whole performance, absolutely riveted. The show ended and I was like, “I want to learn to do THAT.” I’ve been acting in front of a live audience since probably the 2nd grade. Long enough for me to really miss and appreciate it, given the current pandemic circumstances.

Your public facing self is always so vibrant and effervescent, how do you manage to stay so damn perky?

Haha well, thank ya!! Oh gosh, I don’t know. I like people! I like learning about who they are, what they’re working on, what they’re into. It’s exciting to bear witness to people’s experiences. I’m almost always better for it. So, I guess the possibilities and opportunities to connect with others keeps me peppy. And coffee. I really like coffee.

How has the pandemic affected your artistic practice?

It’s allowed me to really slow down and do some much needed self reflection. Grow up a little bit. Take more ownership of who I am and who I want to be, as a person and as an artist. It’s allowed me to till the soil, if you’ll bear with a metaphor. Tear up old roots and weeds and get the ground ready for new artistic projects to develop.

How is this affecting you financially?

It’s been honestly fine for me. I’m very fortunate to be able to live with my folks (I am extremely thankful for them), which has allowed me to save up some money. Having a bit of a cushion opens up possibilities for whatever my next move will be.

What’s your plan for 2021? Working on anything we should know about?

My plan for 2021 is to kick some serious creative butt!! I’m gonna be working a whole bunch with Troy Foundry Theatre (TFT). We’re bringing back the Trojan Alley Series we created last summer and have two new productions in the works (check us out). I’ve also been regularly singing with Emily Curro & Shannon Rafferty (both local creatives & TFT company members); we’re working towards putting together a set list to hopefully debut live at a TFT Alley Series event. If we ever come up with a band name…. And personally at the moment I am getting things together for a solo road trip across the country. Gonna be a nomad for about 5 weeks and get my senses and mind blown by all this country has to offer. Ready to be in awe of absolutely everything.

What advice would you give to other actors struggling with the same challenge right now?

Giving advice…hmm. First, breathe deeply. And find someone to hug. Hugs are great. More hugs. And then check out how other theatres and actors are coping and adapting with the given circumstances. Notice what resonates with you and follow your intuition. Might lead you to new opportunities you didn’t expect, might lead you to want to drive across the country in search of spiritual growth – who knows. Either way, it’s all good. Keep on the path.

LIVING ONLINE Series: Liam Singer, Composer | Musician | Venue Owner

February 22, 2021 By Corey Aldrich Leave a Comment

In the spirit of collaboration and best practice sharing, I thought it would be interesting to share perspectives from our fellow creatives to see how folks are getting along as we all craft new ways to practice our craft. This week I interviewed composer, musician and venue owner Liam Singer. He tells us how he has been holding up, and how he has adapted to the restrictions on gatherings and live music. For more on my LIVING ONLINE series, click here.

You are unique. You represent as a creative, and as someone who holds space for the creative community with your coffee shop HiLo and restaurant / performance venue The Avalon Lounge. How are you finding a balance in all those roles right now?

My wife and I opened HiLo in 2017, and Avalon in 2019, so during all those years there wasn’t much of a balance; my creative life was on hold, save for the creative force we were putting into the businesses. It sort of became a “water water everywhere” scenario for me, because I was surrounded by my dream community of musicians who were ready to collaborate and play, and I had zero time or energy!

This past year, due to some downtime from the pandemic, I did manage to get a small album made which felt great. But now my wife and I are going to have a kid. So I’m ready to say bye-bye to creative time for a little while again (which I am completely at peace with).

How has the pandemic affected your businesses and community?

Our community has been pretty resilient through all this – most businesses in Catskill have found a way to stay open. I’d say the biggest auxiliary challenge our community has faced is rising home and rent prices. This is directly due to the newfound popularity of this area. In terms of our own businesses, beyond the financial stress, the biggest bummer has been that they were both conceived of as extremely social spaces. So, we can’t really fulfill their intended purpose right now. Even though we’re keeping them alive, it sort of feels like an extended act of limping along.

The bar at Avalon Lounge. Photo by Alon Koppel.

How is this affecting your venues financially?

HiLo, our cafe, has returned to near pre-pandemic levels in terms of daily coffee sales. A lot of new people have moved to Catskill and are more are visiting on the weekends. This has offset lost sales from those of our regulars who aren’t comfortable coming out right now. Evening sales at HiLo are way down for many reasons, including the current NY state laws that prohibit selling alcoholic drinks without food.

At Avalon, we have just been functioning as a takeout joint through all of this. That space is too daunting to try and operate under the covid-era legal standards of NY. And, too, the standards by which we would personally feel safe and responsible. We would basically need to hire someone to monitor each room, which wouldn’t make any sense. And the place was really made as a performance venue, which it just can’t be right now. So that’s been a big financial hit. The silver lining has been that a lot of people who didn’t really know about our food now realize that we run a dope Korean kitchen in addition to being a performance space.

Overall we’ve survived thanks to two PPP loans and a loan from the SBA. Thankfully, we had the understanding of our landlords and The Bank of Greene County during the early months of the pandemic. Otherwise we’d be toast right now.

Have you been able to find progress over the last year in your own creative endeavors? Explain.

Yes, as I mentioned, I did manage to make a record last year called “The Ocean.” It was a collection of songs I’d sketched out over previous years but hadn’t had time to complete. I kept the production modest – It’s mostly piano-based, with some string and vocal overdubs – so I was able to approach recording in a covid-safe way. I made it with a local engineer, Tyler Wood, who recorded, mixed, and mastered the whole thing. We tracked piano at Scott Petito’s studio, NRS Recording, and the rest at Tyler’s home studio.

I funded the project with a Kickstarter and self-released it… I really wanted to get it made and I’m very proud of it. But I’m past the point of needing or expecting a press push around my stuff – I’m just glad that the people who find it do. It’s very much an ensemble piece with several guest vocalists making appearances. I really look forward to the day I can play the whole thing live.

How are you coping with the whole thing in general?

I’m as susceptible as anyone else to the free-floating anxiety and weirdness that’s out there right now. But I’ve had some good things to focus on in my own life. First, making the album and then getting ready to have our baby has kept me in my own little dream world. It has been frustrating – or I guess I’d say exhausting – as business owners to be put in the position by NY state of being daily safety enforcers re: masks, etc. I’m not sure what a better option would be. But that aspect of things, as well as having to sort of reinvent our businesses every few months, has been tiring.

What’s your plan for 2021?

Babies, dancing outside, who can say? Basically planning 2 months ahead at this point, no more.

What advice would you give to other venue owners and/or musicians struggling with the same challenge right now?

I have little in the way of inspiration or advice there. I will say this: we hosted a couple of shows at Avalon last fall where bands played on our roof, and the audience stood out on the sidewalk below. Really wonderful musicians. All were local players who — pre pandemic — an audience might have come out for and enjoyed. OR, they might have stayed at home and thought “I’ll catch them next month.” In this case, the audience definitely showed up. Their level of attention/emotional involvement in the performance was extremely intense, bordering on spiritual. It was beautiful to see.

The general scarcity of live performance definitely brought home the fact that they were actually witnessing something amazing. Any small venue owner/promoter who is in it because they truly love music knows the struggle of booking a great band and then wanting to scream into the void when you can’t get an audience out to see them. And I have no idea how long it will take. But, when live music is a thing again, I do see a new era in which performance is truly valued by the audience, and not taken for granted. I’m looking forward to that.

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LIVING ONLINE Spotlight: Performer Ryder Cooley

February 9, 2021 By Corey Aldrich

Ryder Cooley portrait by Julie McCarthy — Photo by Julie McCarthy

In the LIVING ONLINE Series, ACE Collaborator Corey Aldrich interviews artists on the the loss of the in person LIVE performance. First up is performer extraordinaire Ryder Cooley. For more on LIVING ONLINE, click here.

Who

Ryder Cooley

What musical style are you?

My style is very whimsical and doesn’t fit into a box, but I call it dark carnival dream music, which is a cousin of dark cabaret.

How long have you been playing live music in front of an audience?

Over 20 years.

How are you coping?

Currently my main gig is a virtual variety show at Club Helsinki in Hudson NY called ‘Wish You Were Hear.‘ This has given me something creative to focus on every month. Also, going outdoors, running in the woods, sleeping, cats, film noir movies, playing music with Jon B. Woodin and collaborating with Lisa M. Thomas (Thin Edge Film Productions) on videos, like the Dust Bowl Faeries’ Candy Store video, which we released last November.

How has the pandemic affected your artistic practice?

Live, embodied exchange between audience and performer is integral to my work. The virtual shows have been a big adjustment, like a dream that you’re trying to wake up from; empty chairs, no chatter at the bar, no hugs after the show, no audience, did it ever even happen? On the bright side, I’m really so grateful to be able to perform, especially at Club Helsinki Hudson, a place that, as a performer, I call home. I don’t create art for money, or for how many likes I get on a social media post. The shallowness of virtual exchange has been challenging.

Yet, the pandemic has forced me to slow down and reflect upon what is really important in life. I see more clearly the things I’m grateful for, the simple things, like my health, body, family, friends, community, having a roof over my head. Also, more than ever I recognize what a gift (and a privilege) it is to be an artist, and I don’t want to waste that. So, I’m trying my hardest to adapt and create during this time. And if/when we return to live music and performance, I will certainly never take it for granted, knowing as I do now that it can vanish at any moment.

Dust Bowl Faeries by Corey Aldrich — Photo by Corey Aldrich

How is this affecting you financially?

I never made much money, so I am already an expert at being broke! But I have also been very lucky, I’ve had enough part-time work to slide by on and generous patrons to keep me afloat, thank you universe!

What’s your plan for 2021?

My plan for 2021 is to expat to a tropical faerie land, far far away, where equality and ecology and species diversity are the most important things, and my 80 year old parents can come, and my friends, collaborators and cats too – where I can burn all my masks and flush my iphone down the toilet and delete all of my social media accounts. But if none of that happens, my backup plan is to get out of dodge, do some travelling, and hopefully start playing live shows again.

What advice would you give to other musicians struggling with the same challenge right now?

Go outside, play music, write songs, cast spells…

COREY ALDRICH, a longtime ACE Contributor, works out of Troy, New York where he runs a freelance consultancy that entails all aspects of brand development and business process management / development. Current projects include cash flow analysis, strategic market planning, 3rd party project oversight, public relations, event planning and front end visual brand design / design-build projects. He has a focus in not-for-profit arts and mission oriented organizations. In his free time he works on honing his craft as a photographer and guitarist. (corey@2440designstudio.com)

LIVING ONLINE Series By Corey Aldrich

February 9, 2021 By Corey Aldrich Leave a Comment

The Loss of the In Person LIVE Performance on CapNY Creatives

For the better part of 2020 and the first quarter of 2021 we have been in a public event apocalypse. Now with the distribution of a vaccine and the onset of summer it looks like we may be cautiously moving forward with LIVE music and performance based events. This has been a difficult time, to say the least, for creatives. Many of us are dependent on LIVE events for an important part of our income, and for keeping a sharp edge on our craft.

Personally, this has been a mixed bag of emotions and vocational direction evaluation. While I do enjoy the time to focus on passion based endeavors, I missed the interaction that spurs my creative ideas and energy. I am fortunate that my years as a freelance professional have helped me develop skills. As a result, I’ve been able to pivot and keep things rolling.

In the spirit of collaboration and best practices, I thought I’d share with you a number of perspectives from our fellow creatives to see how folks are getting along, as we all discover new ways to practice in the ever changing tapestry of the new normal.

Be on the lookout in the upcoming weeks for additional perspectives from a variety of creative disciplinary backgrounds.