Richard Casella creates a scene wherever he goes. A music scene, that is.
Now he’s set his sights on Hudson County.
Casella, who recently moved from Jersey City to Bayonne, is the organizer of the highly successful New York Songwriter chapter of www.meetup.com. He is looking to start a New Jersey group here in Hudson County.
“I would like to find a location somewhere around here in Bayonne, Jersey City, or Hoboken,” he said during a recent telephone interview.
Casella has been a New York City working musician for more than a decade, composing and performing his own music. He has performed in places like Webster Hall, and received nationwide attention through Relix Magazine and Jambands.com. One source described his music as “Pink Floyd on steroids.”
In New York, he hosted musical social events for Roomful of Sky.
“I worked in the music industry, including MTV,” he wrote in the introduction to his networking site. “And after 10 years, you find that you have learned a thing or two and you even have developed a decent network of others in the business that can have something to offer the artistic community in general. I want to form a community to socialize while we confer, network, and discuss growth in the artistic fields. All artistic fields.”
More than just music
Casella started playing in his home for his pets. Now, he is considered a musical force, helping to get other people out of their houses and onto the stage. He wants people to start jamming in Hudson County, too.
This isn’t an ego game where artists just play for other artists, but a venue for people to get out and talk to each other and to share each other’s ideas.
“I decided to organize a musicians group because I had a lot of experience in the music business. Some good. Some bad,” he said. “In my travels, I have seen many well-intentioned artists make industry mistakes or improperly market themselves. My group has access to industry professionals that give guidance, and together we discuss trends in our respective industries, approaches to market ourselves and, of course, never lose sight of the importance of the development of our art.”
“The idea is that if you play an instrument you can get your name out there.” – Rich Casella
________
“I’m pitching the idea to some bar owners, and I’ve received some mild interest,” he said.
With a new location, the group will have its own identity as The Hudson County Acoustic Group Jam, he said.
“The idea is that if you play an instrument you can get your name out there,” he said. “This is a friendly atmosphere designed to empower musicians and create a musical community.”
In New York, the group had a membership of more than 1,200 people, and musicians met at local venues once or twice a month.
But he said by expanding the jam sessions to New Jersey, he can increase the base and give performers additional venues where they can jam.
Casella originally developed the idea as a marketing tool for his own career, seeking a way to network with other musicians in order to advance his own musical talents. But as people started to show up and he got to know them, the goals of these jam sessions changed.
“It morphed into something interactive,” he said. “In these, the line between performer and audience dissipates.”
Information regarding the group jam can be found at this web address:
http://www.meetup.com/The-Hudson-County-Performers-Group/
Al Sullivan may be reached at asullivan@hudsonreporter.com.