Articles

Sylvan Esso at Celebrate Brooklyn! photo by Ray Fontaine

Reflections on BK’s Music Scene-A Year to Be Celebrated and Another One Coming Up !

December 7, 2017 by The Brooklyn Roads Team

2017 was laden with musical riches, as the Brooklyn talent incubator was hard at work once again. Whether it was in the schools, colleges, clubs,... read article

Evanescence-The Synthesis Album

December 5, 2017 by Adina Bernstein

When a successful band releases a new album, they have a chance to re-introduce themselves to their long-time fans and introduce themselves to new fans.... read article

Omega Sirius Moon photo by Alba Navarro Hierro

Artists Who Lit Up Our Radar Screen in 2017

December 4, 2017 by David K. Moseder

Over the course of the past 12 months, Brooklyn Roads interviewed a diverse group of Brooklyn-based artists, some fairly new on the scene and others... read article

Nicole Atkins photo by Jeff Fasano

Nicole Atkins Says “Goodnight Rhonda Lee”…

November 20, 2017 by David K. Moseder

There has always been an element of soul in Nicole Atkins’ voice. On her new album, Goodnight Rhonda Lee, she wears it on her sleeve.... read article

Amy Lee and Evanescence at Kings Theatre photo by Kyra Kverno

Evanescence Synthesizes Brooklyn’s Kings Theatre

November 14, 2017 by B.L. Howard

It’s hard to imagine a more perfect setting for Evanescence to augment their return from a three year hiatus than the stately Gothic architecture of... read article

Benjamin Cartel photo by Liz Tormes / courtesy of Devious Planet

Benjamin Cartel Incorporates Diverse Influences in His Music

November 14, 2017 by David K. Moseder

As a child, Benjamin Cartel watched his aunts and uncles “singing and playing joyfully” at family gatherings, which “had profound influence on me. I thought... read article

St,. Vincent / © B.L.Howard Productions

Brooklyn Voices: There’s No Place Like Here for the Holidays

November 1, 2017 by David K. Moseder

The holiday season will soon be in full swing, and we’re thankful to be living in a borough with such bountiful music choices. In the... read article

BottomLine / photo by Kevin Yatarola-144

"River Deep Mountain High" Finale photo by Kevin Yatarola /courtesy of Morahan Arts & Media

“Walls” Builds a Bridge Back in Time to The Bottom Line

October 18, 2017 by B.L. Howard

The famed Bottom Line Cabaret was a Greenwich Village music mecca from 1974 to its closing in 2004, a 30-year run that was both remarkable... read article

BK Americana 1 (© Alexa Hoyer)-courtesy of Go Go PR

M Shanghai String Band Performs at the 2017 Brooklyn Americana Folk Festival Stage At Brooklyn Bridge Park photo by Alexa Hoyer

Variety and Authenticity Highlight Brooklyn Americana Music Festival

October 12, 2017 by David K. Moseder

There were many standout performances at this year’s Brooklyn Americana Music Festival (September 22-24). Festival Founder Jan Bell, whose own band, The Maybelles, played at... read article

Jan Bell photo courtesy of Dumbo Business Improvement District

Jan Bell Leads Brooklyn’s Americana Music Renaissance

October 12, 2017 by David K. Moseder

It’s been a long journey, geographically and culturally, for Jan Bell, founder and artistic director of the Brooklyn Americana Music Festival. She grew up in... read article

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Artists on our Radar

Eric Stern: Brooklyn Born, Jazz Driven

Eric Stern/photo by Hoyeon Choi/ courtesy of the artist

Brooklyn has long been home to innovative artists, and pianist-composer Eric Stern is no exception. Born and raised in the borough, Stern’s sound is a fusion of jazz, Latin, and classical influences shaped by his upbringing and New York City’s diverse musical landscape. Stern’s love for music began at home, where classical compositions played daily on WQXR alongside Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, and Sammy Davis Jr. His exploration led him to jazz and salsa, drawn to artists like Herbie Hancock, Chick Corea, and Miles Davis. His participation in Belongo’s Fat Cats program, a youth music initiative, deepened his passion for Afro-Latin music, exposing him to icons like Chico O’Farrill and Tito Puente. Though he played in school jazz bands and youth programs, it was at Fat Cats—rehearsing every Sunday at the former Fat Cat jazz club (now Cellar Dog)—that his passion crystallized. “It was sheer joy,” Stern recalls. The experience drove him to practice for hours daily, solidifying his decision to pursue music professionally. Stern studied at the University of Miami, where he formed a quartet with trumpet, piano, bass, and drums, performing across Miami until 2022. Adding saxophonist Dylan McHann that fall elevated the group into its current quintet form. Since returning to Brooklyn, the lineup has shifted, now featuring Chris Ferrari (tenor sax/flute), Joey Curreri (trumpet), Cookie Stephenson (bass), and Peru Eizagirre (drums), with Stern leading on piano and compositions. Brooklyn’s underground jazz scene remains central to Stern’s creative evolution. While Manhattan is home to institutions like the Village Vanguard and the Blue Note, he finds Brooklyn’s avant-garde spaces—Ornithology Jazz Club, Bar Bayeux, and ShapeShifter Lab more experimental and inspiring. At the heart of Stern’s music is a simple mission: joy. “That’s the only thing I really care about. If selling a million records and being super famous is able to do that, great. If not, I don’t really mind. I just want to give other people who listen and hear the music the same joy I have in playing and creating it.” Eric Stern is one to watch for those seeking a fresh, dynamic voice in Brooklyn’s jazz scene. “Why not perform in Brooklyn?” he says. “There are so many great spaces to play—why not make it happen?”

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