The City's Backyard

On this episode we feature two outstanding New York comics! Matt Vita and Sharon  Simon! Of course we joke around and have some laughs while finding out how these two comedians became friends over the years of being in the biz and performing along the comedy circuit! For more on Matt and Sharon check out their websites or follow them on social media to find out where they will be making you laugh next! And get your tickets soon for a good laugh! 

https://www.mattvita.com

https://www.simonsayslaugh.com

Led Zeppelin shook the world of rock & roll for little more than a decade, but their legacy lives on stronger than ever. Masters of creativity and diversity, their music covers such a wide range of styles and genres that they are difficult to define. Their collective talent remains unmatched and unchallenged.

  There will never be another Led Zeppelin.

  Their songs are still aired regularly, and their recordings are being bought in droves by new generations, but fans of the band still crave the raw energy of a live show.

  Enter Black Dog.

  Black Dog proudly pays tribute to the mighty Led Zeppelin with an extensive catalogue of songs comprised of classic masterpieces like "Dazed and Confused", "Heartbreaker", and "Stairway to Heaven", as well as the less heard  B-sides to satisfy the more discerning fans.

  A complete acoustic set recreates an intimate setting with mandolin and custom tuned guitars played on stools, bringing to life songs like "Going to California", "Friends", and "That's the Way".

  The show also includes extended versions that recapture the true live experience such as The Song Remains the Same's "Whole Lotta Love", complete with Page's magical Theramin solo!

  The members established the band in early 2000, and they are all accomplished musicians with considerable experience. Black Dog is the definitive Led Zeppelin tribute band.

  Keeping the music of Led Zeppelin Live!

http://blackdogzeppelin.com

We check in with our friend Steve Cooper, executive director at The Milford Performance Center! It is always fun chatting about upcoming shows including Who's Next and Gold Rush! For tickets and more info log on to the website! 

https://milfordperformancecenter.org/

Co-founder of the Yardbirds, Jim McCarty, continues to lead this ground-breaking British Invasion Rock band that provides the crucial link between the Blues, British R&B, Psychedelic Rock, and Heavy Metal, while pioneering the use of innovations like fuzztone, feedback and distortion. This drummer, singer, songwriter, and producer is said to be one of the driving forces responsible for the band's haunting sound.

Since the birth of the band from 1963 to 1968, to its 1992 induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the Yardbirds have been revered for the legendary guitarists who have contributed to the band's history including Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, and Jimmy Page all ranked in Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time (#35, #5, and #3 respectively).

Originally a Blues-based band noted for their signature "rave-up" instrumental jams covering Blues classics like Howlin Wolf's "Smokestack Lighting" and Bo Diddley's "I'm a Man," the Yardbirds later broadened their range into Pop, pioneered Psychadelic Rock, early Hard Rock / Heavy Metal, and contributed to many electric guitar innovations marking those musical genres. The band had a string of hits in the mid 60s including "For Your Love", "Heart Full of Soul", "Shapes of Things", and "Over Under Sideways Down".

The Yardbirds are on tour now! For more log onto their website!

https://www.theyardbirds.com

Grady McAuliffe's debut single "On the Edge" released on March 7th 2025 to worldwide streaming platforms through Pilot Light Records. The single was produced by McAuliffe with Ethan Isaac, Tom Stewart and Joel P. Kelley. It was recorded at Isaac's owned and operated Factory Underground Studio in Norwalk, CT and mastered by John Shyloski, along with many more songs to be released soon. McAuliffe performed at Daytona Bike week on March 3rd & 5th ahead of his single's release. 

"We were a hit with the beer drinking bikers in Daytona. That felt really good. When they like you, they really let you know it... and they let you know when they don't!" said McAuliffe. 

McAuliffe first found success with his song "All Time Low," which was featured in the Christmas movie for the television series "Heartland." It was during this period of writing and recording in Nashville TN that he first began to hear his songs recorded in a Nashville-country style; he realized what a natural fit it was to his style of storyteller-songwriting. Today he calls his style of music "northern country," a mix of Nashville Country and Alternative/Southern Hard Rock. 

"Rock or Country, we're an American band, playing music from the heart. People respond to that," he said.

Here is the new video of On The Edge 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n6VVr6XHoRg

For more on Grady log on below

https://www.gradymcauliffe.com/

The backyard of New York City has so much to offer especially when it comes to the arts and music in the suburbs! We check in with President and CEO Mike Moran about the history of this beautiful theatre and his longevity with The Palace Theatre in downtown Stamford, CT! Mike is enthusiastic about the music and arts in his community and is working hard to have more options with The Palace Theatre's "Upstage" series of events within the large venue itself! For more info on shows and events log on to the website! 

https://www.palacestamford.org/events/all

Comedian Joe Pontillo checks in to the backyard of NYC to talk about Laughing Gas Comedy at The VFW Post in Westport! We talk about the tri state comedy scene, a little bit about his career and the line up on Friday April 11th at The VFW Post in Westport! Exit 17 off 95....465 Riverside Ave in Westport along the river! 

To purchase tickets before it sells out go here > https://www.eventbrite.com/e/comedy-night-the-vfw-westport-tickets-1231407385639?aff=ebdsshother&utm_share_source=listing_android&fbclid=IwY2xjawJH3_dleHRuA2FlbQIxMAABHasdSC6k6TbkM5_nBcBlCe7s_qdVe4uuN_8uVAtDJ--hAM54W_SSZjPjIA_aem_uW9R0E7YUKCW4mKbfJ9XoQ

American Nomads is a roots rock band based in Brooklyn and Woodstock, New York. Inspired by artists like Bruce Springsteen and The Band, they dive deep into the heart of American music with blends of Country, Rock, and Blues to cultivate their own unique contemporary style. Receiving national radio play, they reached #6 on the Billboard AC chart, as well as passed the first round of Grammy nominations for their song, A Revelation’s Gonna Come. Constantly pushing forward, their newest 10-song album, Hats Cleaned  is produced by Joe Vitale, a longtime drummer and contributor of Crosby, Stills & Nash, The Eagles, and Joe Walsh. 

Members of the band include Walter Kenul on lead vocals and keyboards, Susan Darmiento on lead and background vocals, Matt Schneider on lead vocals and guitars, Joseph Humann on harmonica and percussion, Joe Conoscenti on drums, Jay Rivera on bass and background vocals, and Andrew Friedman on pedal steel and guitars. American Nomads was founded by Walter Kenul and former guitarist Dante DeLemos, along with celebrated artist and lyricist Richard Humann.

https://www.americannomadsband.com

Check out the music video of " Wanted Man"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WBfgo8MrP8s

Years ago, on the iconic American Bandstand show, TV legend Dick Clark stuck a microphone in young Bruce Sudano’s face and asked, “What is your musical ambition?”

 The teen fans who filled the audience didn’t have to wait long for Bruce’s answer: “I want to perform in Madison Square Garden.”

 It happens that Sudano, then a member of a trio named Brooklyn Dreams, had already played in that fabled venue a few years earlier, opening with his band Alive ‘N Kickin’ for Eric Burdon and War. But in ways that were then beyond his imagination, he achieved much more than that one gig in the Garden. He continued to love playing live shows but his true passion quickly became songwriting. Back then, Sudano cultivated a style that combined pop and soul sensibility with jazz-worthy polish. 

  Sudano’s journey provided ample inspiration for his new album Talkin’ Ugly Truth, Tellin’ Pretty Lies. It begins in Flatbush, where his father helped kindle his curiosity about music. “He used to have a jukebox route,” Sudano says. “He’d come home at the end of the week with a box of 45s. The thing that always intrigued me, even more than the singers and musicians, was the names under the title in parentheses – the songwriters.”

 His career in music began when he co-founded Alive N Kickin’. They released one hit single, “Tighter, Tighter,” which peaked at No. 7 on the Billboard charts in 1970. Tommy James (“Hanky Panky,” “Mony Mony,” “Crimson and Clover,” “I Think We’re Alone Now”) wrote the tune and co-produced the album. Sudano had written much of the band’s repertoire, but it was James’s mentorship that helped him to elevate his work.

 His focus intensified as his songs were picked up and recorded by some of the major artists of the day, including Dolly Parton, Reba McEntire and Michael Jackson with his brother Jermaine. But his most fruitful association dates from 1977, when Brooklyn Dreams was hired to provide background vocals for Donna Summer on her album I Remember Yesterday. In 1980, their relationship blossoming beyond the studio, Donna and Bruce married. The fusion of their professional and personal lives boosted each one’s creativity as they co-wrote her world-wide smash hit “Bad Girls,” as well as  “Lucky,” “On My Honor,” “Can’t Get to Sleep at Night” and “Starting Over Again,” which Dolly Parton recorded and lofted to No. 1 on the Billboard Country Music Charts.

 Tragically, Donna succumbed in 2012 to cancer at age 62. Though shattered by her passing, Sudano understood that even in the depths of sorrow, seeds of creativity continue to grow. “Suddenly I was in a new situation,” he says. “I didn’t have Donna to write for anymore. I was at the age where I’m not gonna put another group together. Instead, maybe I could be the singer/songwriter that I didn’t take the opportunity to be before. Out of the deep hurt of the situation, I felt challenged to continue to be an artist. That’s an essential element, to continue to be challenged, to be forced to go to other places, to feel other things, to know you’re not stagnating.”

 This great loss in his life opened the door that led ultimately to a period of creative growth, releasing 6 albums and numerous singles in the last decade, and now  Talkin’ Ugly Truth, Tellin’ Pretty Lies. For more log on to his website link below.

https://www.brucesudano.com

Our friend Jackie "The Joke Man" Martling drops by the backyard of New York City to chat about his comedy shows in the tri-state area! We also catch up with him about his new role on a TV show called "The Better Sister" on Amazon Prime coming out in May 2025 where some of the scenes are shot from his house in Bayville, Long Island! You can also see Jackie live at The Suffolk Theatre in Riverhead, NY Saturday March 1st, The Stress Factory in Bridgeport on March 7th, Max's Es-ca in Staten Island, NY Friday March 14th, and Catch a Rising Star in Princeton, NJ on Saturday April 19th! 

For more info go to his website! 

https://www.jokeland.com