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01. Hello Scott and welcome to Vents! Can you describe Cadosia Street and share with our readers what your role is in it?
Cadosia Street is the name I gave to the collection of artists who assembled at the Olde Cadosia Street Schoolhouse in Hancock, New York. It’s in Southwest New York, near the Pennsylvania border. I am blessed to know several very talented artists who not only were eager to lend their talents but loved being a part of this.
I initially wanted them to come and record my songs, and help me write others. But as they gathered, and began playing and singing, I saw that they had so many songs in them. I realized I should step back and be a different kind of Maestro. In the end, my role was as Music Director and Record Producer, which was exactly what the scene required. I learned as an electrician it was foolish to do the trim carpentry when a master carpenter was in the house. I had master musicians in the house, and my task was to guide, record, and direct them. So glad I realized that on the first night!
Cadosia Street includes: Juliana Carr Lombardo; Paul Lombardo; Randy Crafton; Stefan Ilie; Jim Cash; Ashley Cash; Wil Hylton; Charles Hylton; Sam Schuman; Scott E. Moore; Paul Madigan; Edward Scott Michael; Amy Crafton; Markus Hauck; Wendy Bartel; Lynn Gardner; Leon Dunkley; Zuri, Ghana and Adanna Hylton. The cover art, design and layout was done by my wife, Anya Sammler.
The River Inside of Me is a deeply evocative title. What inspired this theme, and how does its thread throughout the album?
The theme was inspired by the location. In my experience, the Universe, the divine – whatever you want to call it – it is always trying to tell us something, if only we can become receptive to it, if we have eyes to see and ears to hear. I am so lucky I was open to the messages right in front of me.
Hancock, New York, is on the Delaware River, adjacent to Pennsylvania. One day we went swimming, and another we went on a kayaking trip. When we returned from kayaking, I saw Paul Lombardo sitting across the street on a little bench overlooking the river. I asked his wife Juliana what he was up to, and she said, “I bet he’s writing a song.” And – he was! The song he wrote was “The River Inside of Me,” and we recorded it the next day. It was one of the most golden musical moments of my life. We had all left home to gather at the river, so I realized that was the title song. I was more open on this trip than I may have ever been.
The song is about finding the depths within, perhaps by being inspired by one’s surroundings, and then realizing they are reflections of spirit and creativity longing to be given voice. Paul Lombardo is a genius. He wrote that song in about 20 minutes. I am humbled recalling the amazement I had at how perfect that song was for our time together.
The album was recorded in Southwestern New York near the Delaware River. Can you share some memorable moments from that recording session?
It really was a magical time. I wish all of life could be like that – but then, would it feel like magic? I dunno. I’m willing to give it a try!
There was so much love and camaraderie, so much play and sharing. It was multi-generational, and the kids helped make it a different kind of fun. The adults and the teenagers stayed up late for nightly philosophizing sessions, solving the problems of the world. We played charades, cards, and “share a song,” where we went around in a circle doing just that. Cooking, eating and cleaning together bonded us in a way breaking bread together always does. But the music was the glue. I’ve never seen so many musicians ready to just get at it. No one wanted to go home.
Your cover choices are eclectic, ranging from Stealers Wheel to Curtis Mayfield. What drew you to these particular songs, and how did you approach making them your own?
I would love to claim that I came up with the covers, but they simply emerged. Those two songs – Stuck in the Middle, and People Get Ready – simply bubbled up. The very first night we had a full band in the studio, I asked them to play some songs to set levels and check the gear. They came up with those songs. Scott E. Moore, a one time Producer of VH-1’s Behind the Music, has played People Get Ready for decades. He is a gifted singer and an amazing guitarist. He is one of the only 2 guitar players I have ever worked with who I often have to ask to ‘turn up!’ He does all the lap steel on the album.
Juliana had heard Stuck in the Middle, but had never sung it. She was 7 months pregnant during the sessions – which means she was focused solely on the music (ie, she wasn’t drinking and carrying on like the rest of us). She studied the song for a bit, arranged it, and we recorded it when she returned a few minutes later. Both songs feature tracks recorded live at the schoolhouse – no overdubs! I knew that first night I had stumbled onto magic with these folks. In many ways – vocally, at least – Juliana Carr is the star of this record.
“Saria’s Song” appears twice on the album, including a reprise. It sounds like it could feel right at home in a Wes Anderson film. What’s the story behind this track?
There were some younger musicians among us, guys who were (maybe still are) video game lovers. As we were tuning up one morning they started to play this song, and I asked, “What is that?” They all said, “Saria’s Song” – theme music from the game The Legend of Zelda. I said, “play it again,” and surreptitiously hit the ‘record’ button. I played it back for them later, and they liked the sound. So we arranged it and tracked it for real.
Then I said,” what happens in the game when someone scores?” They said, “the tempo doubles.” So I said, ‘Let’s do it again ~ Double-time!” And they did. That is the Reprise. I have always liked reprises or hidden tracks. And to have violin, mandolin, as well as gtr, bass, piano – it has a richness, yes? Saria’s Song and some of the others (esp. the instrumentals) would be great for soundtracks!
Recording at the Cadosia School House sounds unique. Did this specific location impact the vibe and sound of the album?
The Location was a presence, a personality all its own. The album would not have sounded like this elsewhere. It deserves a byline! The house had enough beds to sleep about 14, and some of our friends brought their campers and tents and set up camp on the lawn. The big refrigerator didn’t work, so we had to keep loading it with ice to preserve our food. And the laundry machines turned on but didn’t really work. It was a series of challenges that we met with joy and industriousness. Take the piano. It was out of tune, and none of us knew how to tune a piano. So we discovered the three or four keys the piano could work in, and played anything with piano in those keys. But still – the piano sound is just out of tune enough to give it “character.” That could not have happened in any other room.
The Cadosia Schoolhouse is owned by a grizzled old Aussie recording engineer named Rick. We booked the place on VRBO; I am sure you can find it. Rick’s ad claimed there was a studio – but when I asked technical questions he confessed that most of the recording gear was not functional. There were a couple of big rooms, with some soundproofing. There was a drum kit, amps, some guitars, keyboards and that magical old upright piano. So I brought my mobile rig, and we were able to capture a real mood, an ambience, a sound. We learned that the owner Rick lived in a dirt floor basement room under the studio room when he rented the house above. He partied late every night (way more than we did!). But it was another example of, “Here is what we got, here’s where we are, so let’s make it work.” So we did!
Rick’s place is kinda still listed, but maybe he’s paused his business? Here is the AirBnB listing: https://www.airbnb.com/things-to-do/places/t-g-ChIJnUlOmPFr24kRxoPkzs087e8
The recording was described as a time of playing, writing, laughing, and loving. How did this atmosphere influence the final product?
Most of us knew each other and loved and respected each other well before that week at the schoolhouse. Some of the folks from my more distant past didn’t know my New Jersey/New York friends, but everyone came together and found common ground in creating music together. Some were my talented minister friends who are also musicians (Lynn, Wendy, Leon). Others were from my life before ministry, when I was more of a knucklehead. There were many couples (all of whom get along!), mingling with old friends and new. Some folks brought their dogs. We cooked and cleaned together, played games, stayed up late telling stories. It was one of the best weeks many of us could remember, perhaps the first time many of us had traveled and spent time together with a large group of people since the Covid lockdowns (it was July 2022). We were dying for good “together time” and we made it so. The sweetness in the songs arises from that playful love and laughter.
Looking back on the recording process, what was the most challenging aspect, and how did you overcome it?
Two things. First, track 8, TBA, was one I began in 2015 with Jim and Ashley Cash when I still lived in Fairfax, VA. Ashley recorded the vocal for that when she had a rare illness that actually made her eyes leak blood; I had never seen anything like that! But she gave the best vocal performance I think I have ever recorded. Well, I moved to Jersey in 2017, and those tracks were on a computer which got flooded when a leaky roof in a New Jersey storage facility inundated it. I thought they were lost forever! But after spending a princely sum I was able to recover nearly all those music files from that computer (although almost nothing else). It was a sign I had to complete that song!
The other tough part was completing the mix. I had never mixed anything all the way to the mastering stage before. My equipment and DAW program (LUNA) were new to me, and I lacked the confidence and experience to know if I was mixing well. I also wasn’t sure when the songs were done. Randy Crafton, a close friend who plays drums on the album is also owner of Kaleidoscope Sound in Union City, New Jersey. He assured me the songs sounded good. He even shared the album with his engineering partner Ray Dillard. If you do not know Ray, he got ‘famous’ being the drum tech for Neil Peart from Rush. Ray perfected close-micing of drum sets, and my primary instrument is drums; I’m also a huge Rush fan. When Ray told me they sounded awesome, I knew I could let go and send them to Gene Paul (son of Les Paul) to be mastered. As Ray and Randy taught me, “If it sounds good, it is good!”
You’ve seemingly mastered the art of collaboration. How did working with such a diverse group of musicians shape the album’s sound? With so many members in Cadosia Street, how do you ensure everyone’s voice is heard in the creative process?
I am an extrovert, someone who has always had a lot of friends, someone who always looks for ways to gather people together to do fun and awesome things. I always preferred team sports, and bands. It is one reason I became a minister; my main task is community building, bringing people together to do something greater than any one could alone. I also have an ear for what people can do, for what they can play. Many musicians want to play or sing music that doesn’t really maximize their gifts. My gift is leading them to that space.
Now, most of the players who comprise Cadosia Street are pros; they have honed their skills over decades. They know who they are and what they do well. My job was to put them together, maybe nudge them in one direction or another, and then stay out of the way so the magic could happen.
I made sure those who wanted to sing had a chance, and we naturally shared instruments and leads. It was like a jazz session at times, or jam band style. People gave one another space, and they took their time in the spotlight when it moved therm. There were no egos or issues with this recording or the people. Tell me another group of 20 musicians one could say that about!
The song “I Came of Age in Baltimore” is a nod to your roots. What are some of your earliest musical memories? How does your background influence your music?
Oh, Baltimore. My fun, amazing, rusty, hard luck hometown. Baltimore was founded as a Catholic colony. As such, it is different from the Baptists in South Carolina, the Anglican aristocracy of the Virginia Crown colony, and New England Puritanism. Many Protestants preached about the evils of Catholicism in colonial times; as such, although it was a slave state, Maryland was always a religiously tolerant place. And because of the richness of the catholic approach to life, there is precious little puritanism in my bones or in the culture of Baltimore. I literally had a Catholic grandfather advise me to “be sure to do something on Saturday night that will make the priest blush on Sunday morning at Confession!” One of my earliest musical memories was when a traveling accordion salesman knocked on our door when I was 4 – must have been 1967. That same Catholic grandpa played accordion, so my mom got me one, and lessons. I was playing on stage before I turned 6!
Its catholic roots make Baltimore more like New Orleans than Boston; a place where the world’s peoples mingled, and rich, gumbo-like culture emerged. Like New Orleans, Baltimore has a unique local culture, amazing regional cuisine, and a diverse musical tradition. I mean, don’t even offer me a ‘Maryland crab cake’ more than 60 miles outside Baltimore. The last time that happened, the idiot served me something that had been deep-fried in the same oil they used to cook the fried chicken! And it had corn-meal- disgusting. It’s a sin to ruin crab meat that way; it oughta be a crime!
My wife actually wrote “I Came Of Age In Baltimore” to honor me. Guess I was behaving myself that week! Anya wrote it that week, and Juliana tracked it the next day. Anya loves Dylan, and told Juliana to play it like that. That is why Juliana, who is an accomplished guitarist, plays it that way. She was reaching for the early “hammering the guitar” sound one hears on some early Dylan tracks. The album cut is the second take of the song, with no overdubs, produced with a classic Capitol Records reverb setting to get that early 60’s folk sound.
Anya – who is also co-minister with me at UU Montclair – has grown to love Baltimore, too. Baltimore is such a gem that too few know about. People should stop overlooking that feisty small city by the bay. Its people are tough but very friendly; just leave your BS at home. Did you know that Baltimore is the birthplace of American railroading and the Star Spangled banner, has the oldest Jewish cemetery in the US, the oldest Catholic archdiocese, the first integrated churches in the south, the first public library system, and it was where the first telegraph was sent – I could go on! Baltimore is a national treasure and should be treated as such.
Given the band’s deep gratitude towards the Unitarian Universalist Congregation at Montclair, how has their support shaped your music and community?
The congregation is where I met every single person on the album except Paul Madigan, whom I have known and worked with since I was 15. Healthy congregations are places of networking. Montclair, New Jersey is a diverse, progressive town full of many people in the entertainment industry – film, TV, music. Stephen Colbert, Michael Strahan, and Greg Calbi of Sterling Sound all live here. Our congregation had the first film series in town (1913); the first concert series (1920-2003) and a lecture series that ran from 1906 until 1984! UUCM also served as a place where small theatrical productions would come to town. Before there were regional theaters one had to go into Manhattan to see professional productions. “Broadway in the Burbs” began at UUCM in 1921, running until the mid-1950’s, bringing smaller plays to Montclair. Arts has always been an important part of how we build Beloved Community. I am just the most recent minister, and it is a great privilege to follow so many visionaries, to serve a Congregation that rewards me for playing drums in a rock band and bringing awesome concerts into our sacred spaces. I am a very luck boy!
What’s the message you want listeners to take away from the new album?
Know who you are. See, feel, and hear the beauty surrounding you, even in your darkest hour. Take the time and effort to gather friends together for something fun, even if its a lot of work! Locate the sweetness life has to offer, and dwell there as long as you can. Wrap your arms around the difficult things. And, when life gives you more than you can handle, be kind to yourself, allow yourself the chance to breathe and just be. The next moment, the next day, or around the next corner you just might find that which makes it all pop into perspective. Locate the divine in the ordinary, the extraordinary in the everyday. I think Emerson wrote that last line …
Looking forward, what’s next for Cadosia Street? Are there any upcoming projects or collaborations that you are excited about?
We are right now planning the next recording. Some of the same players, and some others as well to invite on board. We hope to be ready to record in a couple months. I’m not sure if I should plan more or not. It worked well last time. Can lightning strike twice?
Our record label is MOSO (MOntclair SOuth), as we live in the South End, the more diverse, working class side of town. Moso Music is about to finish a couple of recordings – one a piano concert by Rave Tesar – keyboardist for the prog band Renaissance. I also have another singer-songwriter compilation, hopefully out by Valentine’s Day 2025. I am also preparing to release tracks from my Celtic-Rock-Fusion group, Dragons Head, found on YouTube and here: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100040925534705
Thanks for spending some time with us today, Scott! Where can people go to find out more about you and Cadosia Street?
MOSO Music has a Facebook page that is currently our best outlet. https://www.facebook.com/CadosiaStreet/
Our Distrokid follow page has all of our digital links in one spot. https://distrokid.com/hyperfollow/cadosiastreet/the-river-inside-of-me
If you can purchase a physical CD we will give you the digital files. The album package has an 8-panel foldout, which really helps tell the story and gives the feel of our 8-day adventure on the Delaware River. My wife Anya did the layout and, like her, it is gorgeous.
