X-Session, Unfiltered

Lotsa stuff to mention this week and I’ll start, unfortunately, with a cancellation. The Napper’s Smithtown date on September 12 that I first mentioned in last week’s e-mail has been cancelled. The first Napper’s date of Autumn will be September 26, in Miller Place. The first Smithtown date is in early October instead. Sorry for the misinformation.

Next up is our 2008 debut at Hudson & McCoy, 340 Woodcleft Avenue, Freeport . We’re there this Saturday evening, September 6, from 7 PM until 11. The gig is weather permitting — should you need to confirm you can call the club at (516)868-3411 — but we always try to soldier on even if there’s a little rain as the stage and most of the bar area is covered.

And perhaps the biggest news this week is that we will be singing the National Anthem, a Capella of course, at Shea Stadium prior to the Mets/Braves game on Sunday, September 14, at 1:05 PM. This is the sixth consecutive year we’ve been invited to perform, it’s our first as a quartet, and it will be all the more poignant with Shea being torn down at the conclusion of the 2008 season. We’re gonna miss the leaky, mildew-smelling, green room behind home plate that we’ve used since 2003 and hopefully we’ll find better accomodations in ‘09 at Citifield.

Lastly, our young buck Joe DeJesu has created a myspace page for the band, you can visit it at www.myspace.com/xsessionmusic. Of course, our regular website still resides at www.xsessionmusic.com. And while I’m at it, it’s been a while since I’ve mentioned the folks who maintain that website for us, High Aspirations, Inc. If you have a need for website design and/or hosting, they come highly recommended. You’ll find them at www.highaspirationsinc.com.

OK, I’m pooped from all the html language this e-mail contains so I’ll sign off. Have a good week, see you soon.

Pat

The Labor Day weekend is upon us and with it is a Saturday, August 30, date at Claudio’s, 111 Main Street, Greenport. We’ll be on their picturesque outdoor deck in the afternoon from 1:30 until 5:30. This is the penultimate Claudio’s date for the year, the finale will be on Sunday, September 21.

On Saturday, September 6, we return to Freeport’s Hudson & McCoy, 340 Woodcleft Avenue, from 7 PM until 11. There is also a Friday, September 19 date at H&M, but as we move further into September the weather — not just rain but the possibility of cooler temperatures — looms as a possible factor at this outdoor locale.

Another sign that summer is nearing it’s end is our first date at Napper Tandy’s, 15 E. Main Street, Smithtown, on Friday, September 12. This weather-unaffected Happy Hour will commence at 7 PM and conclude at 11.

Finally, wherever your plans take you, please have a safe and enjoyable holiday weekend!

Pat

This Saturday, August 23, we’ll play for the first time at a restaurant/bar called Tide Runners, 7 North Rd, Hampton Bays. The link is to their website and you can get directions there. Actually, they’re located just across Shinnecock Canal from the old CPI which, as many of you will remember, used to be a regular X-Session summer venue. And while I’ve never been there their website has lots of photos and the place seems to have a nice waterside atmosphere. One thing to keep in mind is that the gig is weather-permitting so if the weatherman is calling for rain you may want to give them a call to make sure we’re playing. Their number is (631)728-7373. We will be starting at about 6:30 PM and going until 9:30 so come early.

The following afternoon’s activities are private in Atlantic Beach, but on Saturday, August 30, we’ll be back at Claudio’s, 111 Main Street, Greenport. As always, we’re on the outdoor deck and we’ll be playing from 1:30 until 5:30.

For the Nassau people who couldn’t make it to Seaford this past week, we have a Saturday night date in Freeport at Hudson & McCoy, 340 Woodcleft Avenue, on the evening of September 6. We’ll play there from 7 ’til 11. This one is also “weather permitting” so please give the club a call at (516)868-3411 if the forecast is uncertain to make sure we’re on.

Have a great week and I’ll speak with you soon.

Pat

Our summer hiatus is behind us, and we’re returning with a date in Seaford at Sunset Grill, 4068 Sunrise Hwy, on Friday, August 15 at about 10 PM. With a roof over our heads, it’ll be nice not to have to worry about the “threat of thunderstorms” that seems to be a part of the daily forecast lately.

Similarly we’ll have no worries on Sunday the 17th when we play at JC’s, 2 Country Club Dr., Manorville. We’ll be on their covered outdoor deck from 4PM until 8 so you can close out the weekend there with us.

Looking ahead, we’re debuting at a restaurant called Tide Runners for a dinner show on Saturday the 23rd, playing Claudio’s on Saturday afternoon August 30th, and back in Nassau at Freeport’s Hudson & McCoy on Saturday evening, September 6.

Have a great week, see you soon.

Pat

Following the surprisingly good turnout in spite of the predictably bad weather this past Saturday, we return to Claudio’s, 111 Main Street, Greenport, this Sunday, July 13 from 2 PM until 6. Perhaps the 13th will bring some sunshine to the North Fork.

On Saturday July 12, we’ll be playing the wine tasting at the Sun & Surf Beach Club in Atlantic Beach, and although the club is private, there are many members on this list. We hope to see you then.

Looking ahead, we have a date at JC’s in Manorville on their outdoor (and covered) deck on Saturday, July 19, from 4 PM until 8 and, with our summer vacation right after and a few private dates when we return from it, we haven’t a public date again until Friday, August 15th at the Sunset Grill in Seaford.

Have a great week.

Pat

Following last week’s boondoggle, I’m going to adhere to the KISS Method (Keep It Simple, Stupid) and just tell you that we’re at the Sun & Surf Beach Club this Saturday night — open to members and guests only, and that we’re at Claudio’s, 111 Main Street, Greenport, on Saturday, July 5th at 2 PM.

There ya go, have a great week.

Pat

I’m afraid that this weekend’s dates at The Upper Deck in Port Jefferson, through no fault of our own, have been cancelled.  I must ask that you please accept our sincerest apologies if any of you had made plans to come see us there.

That’s the short version, if you care to hear the long one, read on.

It seems as though the gentleman that booked the dates with us a few months back — a man we’ve dealt with before at other venues and not had a problem with — was let go by the Upper Dock’s management because there were issues with some of the other bands he’d booked. Following his removal, all subsequent bookings he’d made, such as ours, we’re erased and re-booked. The club said they had no contact number on us so they couldn’t reach us to tell us, so we didn’t find about this until earlier today when we called them to confirm. We are well aware that there are many of you who’d made plans to see us, and we’re extremely disappointed that this has happened. Once again, please accept our deepest apologies.

Not easily deterred, Jim is furiously working the phones as I type to try to book something for our suddenly wide-open weekend. There is the possibility of a gig this Saturday (in Nassau, no less!) and if it comes to fruition I will certainly let you know via another mailing immediately. However, as it currently stands — with a private date at the Sun & Surf Beach Club in Atlantic Beach on Saturday the 28th — our next public date will be Saturday, July 5 at 2 PM at Claudio’s in Greenport. But here’s to hoping that I’ll get to write you with good news about this weekend instead.

I’m afraid that’s it for this week’s e-mail, I’m sorry it’s fraught with disappointment.  I cannot stress enough how badly we feel if any of you had planned your weekend around either one of those gigs.  I’ve said it before, but not recently enough, that your support means everything to us and it hurts when we have to betray it for any reason.

Pat

We have a pair of public dates this weekend beginning with a return to JC’s Restaurant, 2 Country Club Dr., Manorville on the grounds of the bucolic Pine Hills Country Club. We’ll be there on Friday night, June 13, from 9 PM until midnight — triscadecaphobiacs be damned.

After a private date on Saturday, we’ll take what’s left of our voices out to Greenport to play a Father’s Day matinee on Sunday the 15th at Claudio’s.  As always, we’ll be playing on the outdoor deck at 111 Main St from 2 PM until 6.

The following weekend we debut at a new locale, The Upper Deck at Papa Joe’s Shrimp Factory (henceforth mercifully shortened to The Upper Deck). We’re playing not one but two dates on consecutive afternoons, Saturday, June 21 and Sunday, June 22, from 2 PM until 6. A third date may yet be added if the advance ticket sales warrant it (I’m only kidding, I just always wanted to write that!). OK, getting back to reality, both gigs are rain or shine as there is the ability to cover the deck if the weather warrants it, and as I understand it the place affords a fine view of the Port Jeff harbor.  Should be interesting.  The Upper Deck is located at 111 West Broadway in Port Jeff, the link above is to the restaurant’s website.

And lastly, if you missed Eddie’s a capella  version of the Beatles’ “Because” last Friday on WHPC you can hear it again this Friday as host Rob Leonard will be playing a retrospective of Beatle covers by many local acts. Ed’s song will be played between 8 and 9 PM, and our own young buck Joe Dejesu will have his version of Paul McCartney’s “Every Night” aired at 10 PM. Of course you’ll be hanging out with us at JC’s at that time so you won’t be able to hear it but, take my word for it, it’s a great version. The show is called “Beatlesongs” and it’s on WHPC, 90.3 FM, between 8 PM and 11.

So that’s it for another week. Happy Father’s Day to all us Dads. See you soon.

Pat

We have a Nassau County date this Friday night, June 6, when we’re at Sunset Grill, 4068 Sunrise Hwy, Seaford. It’s always a fun time for us there, and they have a kitchen that serves food until late. We’ll get started at about 9:30 PM.

Also on Friday, our own Eddie Profet will have his recording of Lennon and McCartney’s “Because” — an a capella version with all parts sung by Ed — played on the weekly radio program Beatlesongs hosted by Rob Leonard on WHPC-FM, 90.3. The show runs from 8 PM until 11, though we’re not sure when they’re playing Ed’s song. Hopefully it will be early enough to hear it before you leave for the Sunset Grill!

The following weekend we return to JC’s Restaurant, 2 Country Club Drive, Manorville — on the idyllic grounds of the Pine Hills Country Club — on Friday, June 13 from 9 PM until 12. Then, we celebrate Father’s Day on Sunday, June 15 at Claudio’s, 111 Main Street, Greenport, playing from 2 PM until 6.

And that’ll do it for this week, have a good one and we’ll see you soon.  As our good friend Kenny Forgione of Wonderous Stories often says in his band’s e-mails, “write back if you like.” 

Pat

We’re all set to begin our twelfth summer together, and our first as a quartet, as we head out to Greenport this Saturday, May 24th, to play the great outdoors at Claudio’s, 111 Main Street. This holiday weekend gig will begin at 1:30 and end at 5:30, a little earlier than our normal mid-summer time — not to mention a Saturday instead of a Sunday, customary for us on the holiday weekends there. As of now the forecast is mostly sunny with temps in the mid-sixties and with a high UV index so wear a light jacket and perhaps a cap or some sunscreen and come on out.

We head up to West Point to play for the graduating cadets on May 30th, and then we’re in Seaford on Friday June 6 to play at Sunset Grill, 4068 Sunrise Hwy. The last time we were there we started a little earlier — about 9:30 — and I’m going to assume that we’ll be doing so again but I will let you know in a subsequent e-mail.

Our schedule through June is now up the website at www.xsessionmusic.com. It’s also been brought to my attention that there isn’t any mention of our newest member, young buck Joe Dejesu, on the site nor is there a photo of him. So, for those of you who haven’t seen us since Joe joined, he’s about 5′10″ and thin with dark hair (yes, he has hair!) and an occasional light goatee. Maybe we’ll get a police sketch artist to draw a picture based on that until we get a decent photo of the guy! Actually you can see a photo of us on the website by going to http://www.xsessionmusic.com/photos_nappertandys_smithtown.php, and then scrolling down to the February 8, 2008″ show. That’s us.  Joe’s the one holding the beer. There’s also a nice photo of Joe and his Dad on the same page under the March 7, 2008 show. This time they’re both holding a beer.

Ok, that’s it for now. Please have a safe holiday weekend. I’ll talk to you soon.

Pat