Long Island Music and Entertainment Hall of Fame Americana Concert Thrills Stony Brook Village

Six Long Island bands take their performance to the next level, playing LIVE music on the LIMEHOF balcony

STONY BROOK, NY — The Long Island Music and Entertainment Hall of Fame (LIMEHOF) in Stony Brook Village (97 Main Street, Stony Brook, NY) held its first ever LIMEHOF Americana Music Festival over the weekend. Six Long Island bands took the term “high note” to a new level by performing LIVE on the LIMEHOF balcony to the crowds below.

“We were thrilled to present such a wonderfully diverse group of musicians from so many musical genres performing from our balcony,” said LIMEHOF Chairman Ernie Canadeo. “Thank you to the performers and to the hundreds of attendees who enjoyed a magnificent day of music on a beautiful afternoon.”

The concert was a celebration that showcased Long Island’s diverse range of musical talent. The bands included A Band Called Sam, DJ Johnny Juice (from Public Enemy), Leslie Mendelson, Buddy Merriam & Back Roads, Camryn Quinlan, and Kerry Kearney.

A Band Called Sam features LIMEHOF board member Sandra Taylor. This band continues the legacy of legendary blues musician and LIMEHOF Inductee Sam “Bluzman” Taylor, from Islandia. The band is made up of two of Sam’s daughters (Sandra and Angela), his grandson Lawrence “LAW” Worrell, and members of the original group. When asked about the experience of playing on the balcony, Sandra replied: “Awesome, even though I’m hot as heck. It was beautiful—you could see so much. It’s just a wonderful concept.”

“It felt like The Beatles,” Lawrence said. “I was very much into my ’Get back, don’t let me down‘ moment—but representing my grandfather. So, playing on the balcony on the rooftop was actually very cool.”

Next up was LIMEHOF Inductee DJ Johnny “Juice” Rosado (Public Enemy), from Uniondale. DJ Johnny referred to the concert as “a slice of live on Long Island,” and did some mixing and electronic DJing of music from a range of Long Island musicians.

“To see the diversity of life and culture here on Long Island is a wonderful thing,” Rosado said. “I had to be here for the first one and support LIMEHOF because there are not a lot of institutions that really keep the culture of the locality intact. In today’s microwave society, where everything is thrown away immediately, to keep something and to curate it and develop some kind of system to disseminate it to the next generation is not only important—it’s essential.

Musician Leslie Mendelson, from East Setauket, played several songs, and opened with one from LIMEHOF Inductee Paul Simon, ‘The Obvious Child.’ This was followed by a song from another LIMEHOF Inductee Billy Joel: ‘Summer Highland Falls’ on guitar.

“Watching the documentary, I kind of went back and had forgotten about that song and the way he talks about it being so emotional because it is about being manic as an artist: You get all these highs and lows that you experience. And to be able to put that into a song—I decided to play it on guitar because it’s a different way to think about the song.”

Earlier in the month, Mendelson was a guest musician at LIMEHOF’s first All-Star Band Camp. Of that experience, said she: “There’s nothing better than teenagers playing rock and roll. It warms your heart.”

Buddy Merriam, from Sound Beach, is in his forty-fifth year of leading one of the longest-running bluegrass bands in the Northeast.

“The hottest gig of the year,” Merriam said jokingly in reference to the weather, but he followed up with: “It goes with the territory—it’s summertime.” Merriam is a LIMEHOF Long Island Sound Award winner and a very talented mandolin player.

“I’m just proud to be associated with this venue and all the hard-working folks who make it a success,” Merriam said. “To have a professional bluegrass band based on Long Island is kind of an accomplishment.”

Camryn Quinlan, from Sayville, performed with her band. At 18-years-old, Camryn is one of the youngest singers to perform regularly at LIMEHOF, and she represents the next generation of Long Island music stars.

“I feel like there’s a lot of talented musicians that come from Long Island.” Quinlan said. “There’s a big music scene and I feel like I’ve played live so many times and met so many people and made so many connections. It’s a great scene for music.” After playing on the balcony, Quinlan said of the experience: “It was really hot, but it was cool. I’ve never been so high up from an audience. Usually, you’re on the same level. So, it was new, but it sounded ‘reverby’ and ‘echoey,’ and everyone could hear us. It was good and I think I got a little tan, too.”

Closing out the festival was Kerry Kearney, from Breezy Point. The Kerry Kearney Band is a blues group that has been playing for over 30 years.

“This is great for Long Island.” Kearney said. “There’s so much great talent on Long Island, and you can see it right here in this beautiful temple to Long Island music itself.”

For more information about upcoming LIMEHOF events, please visit https://www.limusichalloffame.org/events/