The Lemon Squeeze brought an excellent evening of original music to New Paltz on October 9, presenting Escaper alongside Trippy Sitter, the solo project of Brazilian Girls drummer Aaron Johnston. The pairing gave audiences an opportunity to experience musicians whose work connects several corners of New York’s independent music community, from psychedelic rock and reggae to funk and electronic dance music.
The Lemon Squeeze’s Commitment to Original Music
The Lemon Squeeze’s commitment to bringing high-quality local and regional artists to New Paltz deserves attention. Maintaining a live music venue requires a considerable investment of time, resources and confidence in the artists being presented. That investment creates opportunities for musicians to develop their audiences and gives the community a consistent place to discover original work.
Much of that commitment comes from Kevin Kopacko, The Lemon Squeeze’s manager and the driving force behind its expanding live music offerings. Kevin has made bringing high-quality local and regional artists to New Paltz a priority, giving original musicians a place to build relationships with the community. His work in bringing together bills like Escaper and Trippy Sitter contributes directly to the range and quality of music available in the area.
Trippy Sitter Blends Live Drums and Electronic Music
Johnston opened with Trippy Sitter, combining live drumming with electronic production, funk and house rhythms. His performance offered a different perspective on the relationship between a musician and the technology used to create and present music. The drums remained central to the experience, with electronic elements expanding the possibilities of a solo performance.
As a founding member of Brazilian Girls, Johnston has considerable experience working across musical boundaries. Alongside Sabina Sciubba, Didi Gutman and Jesse Murphy, he helped develop the group’s combination of electronic music, jazz and international influences. Their Grammy-nominated album, New York City, is part of a recording history that reflects those interests. Trippy Sitter provides Johnston with another outlet for that creative work, and it was a strong complement to Escaper’s full-band performance.
Escaper Finds Room to Explore
Escaper delivered a compelling set, with “No Strings Attached” and “Fantasy” among the highlights. The band’s ability to move between composed material and improvisation is one of its strengths. There is a clear relationship between the songs and the musicians’ willingness to explore them, giving the performance direction while allowing room for individual contributions.
Guitarist Will Hanza and keyboardist Phil Kadet are central to that process. Their songwriting partnership provides Escaper with a recognizable identity, even as the music incorporates a broad range of influences. Hanza’s work with The Breakneck Boys and Owl & Wolf, along with his background in folk, bluegrass, blues and jazz, contributes to the versatility of his playing.
Kadet brings experience as a pianist, vocalist, arranger and music director. His professional work includes NYU Steinhardt’s voice program, the Hawaii Performing Arts Festival and international concert projects. Within Escaper, that background contributes to the musical exchange between guitar and keyboards and supports the group’s ability to develop its arrangements in a live setting.
Musical Connections Across New York’s Independent Scene
Bassist Josh T. Carter adds connections to Brooklyn reggae band SunDub and New York jam band PEAK. His experience with SunDub’s combination of reggae, soul and blues and PEAK’s improvisational approach fits naturally within Escaper’s sound. These overlapping musical relationships help explain the breadth of the group without reducing it to a single category.
Drummer Sam Crespo’s work with Space Bacon provides another connection between live performance and electronic music. His recording history with Escaper includes Spaceship and Live at Bowery Ballroom, reflecting an established working relationship with Hanza and Kadet. That familiarity gives the players a shared foundation from which to develop their ideas.
Johnston’s guest appearance on “Fantasy” brought the evening’s collaborative spirit into the same performance. With musicians connected to Brazilian Girls, Space Bacon, SunDub, PEAK, The Breakneck Boys and Owl & Wolf, the show offered a good example of how working artists contribute to one another’s projects. These relationships help sustain a regional music community by creating new opportunities for collaboration and introducing listeners to artists they might otherwise miss.
Capturing the Hudson Valley’s Empire Sound
David Chapman handled sound for the evening, an important contribution to the presentation of both acts. Music with this much interaction between instruments and electronic elements benefits from careful attention to how those parts reach the audience.
For us at WKZE, participating in these performances is an extension of our responsibility as an independently owned local radio station. The KZE Kamper and SignalRiot allow us to bring the station directly into the community, share performances with listeners beyond the venue and preserve the music for future audiences. Dr. Andy Gladding handled recording audio engineering, with video editing by Aiden Cifoletti.
Our goal is to capture the living and evolving legacy of the Hudson Valley’s Empire Sound. That work includes the musicians making original recordings, the venues giving them a place to perform and the audiences supporting them. Each broadcast and archived performance adds to a record of this period in the region’s musical history.
Escaper and Trippy Sitter gave The Lemon Squeeze an evening well worth documenting. We appreciate Kevin and the venue’s continued commitment to bringing accomplished local and regional musicians to New Paltz and look forward to sharing more of that work with the WKZE community.
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