Music of the CAMF 2014: Vintage

Performing for the first time at the Canandaigua Art & Music Festival is a classic rock band not too far from Canandaigua with a simple concept yet edgy sound, Vintage. We talked to Chuck Hixon, one of the band members.

Guitarist Doug Montececchio came up with the name and it just stuck. The band formed when they were teenagers but was halted when they were in their twenties (marriage, families and jobs were a priority). Twenty years went by and they decided to put the band back together. It all started when they decided to perform a couple of songs on a summer camping trip and during that trip “several campers from other sites asked us to keep playing and even ‘paid’ us with free beer.”

They have a full band and acoustic band (they will be performing as an acoustic band) and perform classic rock from the 70s through today. Vintage’s covers include music from David Bowie and Neil Young. Most requested songs? Standards like “What I Like About You” from the Romantics and “A Hard Day’s Night” from the Beatles. Chuck mentions that one of his inspirations for band are The Beatles because their songs were full of energy, passion and “gusto.”

It might be 90 degrees the day of the festival but do not be surprised if Vintage shows up wearing leather vests and fedoras. “It’s a Vintage look,” Chuck tells us. Most of their fans, friends and family are in Victor, NY so they are excited to perform in a familiar location close to home. To find out more about Vintage, visit their site: rockwithvintage.com, their Facebook page and their YouTube channel. They take on the stage (hopefully with their leather vests and fedoras) Friday 18^th July at 5:30PM – 7:00PM.

Music of the CAMF 2014: Brian Lindsay

Want a little of rock for your Canandaigua Art & Music Festival experience? Be ready for some Brian Lindsay, a singer – song writer who is heavily influenced by rock and roll. Brian composes original songs and boasts having one of his songs, King of the Mountain, hold a #1 spot on a radio station in Ocean City, Maryland for 2 weeks in a row. He finds inspiration from the sounds of Bruce Springsteen and Bob Dylan, and his surroundings of the Finger Lakes.

The audience should be ready for some classic rock and roll sounds that “does not rely on gimmicks.” They are ready for their fans, friends and family in the Canandaigua area to come see them at the festival! To hear more stuff from Brian (which include his newest album “The Monkey, The Tango, and the Boogaloo,”) check out his website: brianlindsay.net. He is up on stage ready to rock on Saturday 19^th July, 1:45PM until 3:00PM at the Commons Park Main Stage.

 

Patrick J. O’Connor: Lifelong Passion

Patrick J. O’Connor has been painting for 45 years. Be sure to stop by and see his unique and vibrant watercolor paintings.

When did you realize you wanted to be an artist?
The exact moment I knew I wanted to be an artist was in the 5th grade when I was doing a project using clay.

What inspired you to pursue your passion for art?
I was inspired by a watercolor demonstration in downtown Ithaca, New York.

Describe your art.
I think my art grabs people. I think it puts you in a place and time that you have been before. And I think my watercolors separate me from other watercolorists. If you see one of my paintings along with 100 other paintings, you would be able to pick mine out without a signature on it.

What feedback have you received from showcasing your work?
I have received nothing but positive feedback, mostly with a question of “How did you do that?”

What should attendees expect to see from you at this year’s Festival?
People should expect top-quality work.

What’s one thing that people may not already know about you?
I would like people to know that I have been painting for 45 years to get to the point that I am currently at and I am 57 years old. That is a long time.

Where/how can people purchase your work?
You can purchase paintings at the “Patrick J. O’Connor” gallery at 231 West Water Street in Elmira, New York or online at www.pjogallery.com. The telephone number is 607-483-4640.

“Wah-Say-Lan” – Through the eyes of a Seneca

 

 

James Herbert Smith creates historical fiction by looking through the eyes of a young Seneca woman during the Revolutionary war.

When did you decide you wanted to publish a book?

After I read “Old Yeller” in 4th grade. I tried when I was 25 then I tried and succeeded when I was 53, though it took me 10 years to complete it.

What was your inspiration for the story?

We spent time every summer on Canandaigua Lake. As a boy I listened to my grandmother, aunts and uncles talk about the Seneca Indians on the lake. I day dreamed about how silent it must have been back then, just the lapping of their canoe paddles in the water. So the lake itself is my inspiration.

In your own words what are the book’s main themes?

It is a true story with fictional characters told from the Native American point of view through the eyes of a 17-year-old Seneca woman — Wah-Say-Lan — about how her people had lived on Canandaigua for eons but their life is about to be turned upside down. Through Jamwesaw, a slave fighting for his freedom in the Continental Army, the story also examines the contradiction of the Founding Fathers birthing a nation based on freedom and independence, yet many of them were slave owners. Jefferson and Washington are key characters in the book. There are lessons, but fundamentally it is a love story and an adventure story that readers tell me holds their interest.

How did it feel to write in the voice of your main character, Wah-Say-Lan?

She is a young, smart, strong, independent woman. I raised four young, smart, strong, independent daughters and so I had good role models for my character. I worried sometimes that I wasn’t smart enough to keep up with Wah-Say-Lan. That was a challenge.

Which character from the story do you identify with most?

That’s a tough question. One reviewer wondered aloud that Jamwesaw is similar to my own name. He is unquestionably the most noble character in the book — vowing to find and free his mother from slavery, willing to entirely change his life because of his love for Wah-Say-Lan. When you create characters (and have them interact with real historical figures) you really get inside their heads; and so I think I’d have to say that I identify with Wah-Say-Lan as much as with Jamwesaw.

What was the best part of writing this book and what was the most challenging?

The best part was finishing it and getting it published. My B.A. from SUNY Brockport is in American History and there are seven pages of bibliography and so the research was challenging, yet also a marvelous trip into Iroquois and American Revolutionary War scholarship. There is an awful lot of excellent scholarship on the Six Nations of the Iroquois, but not a lot of fiction. Creating the story and seeing people turn the page to see what is happening next is the most satisfying feeling.

“Wah-Say-Lan” is available through NH Booksellers for $19.95
Purchase the book here -bring your questions and your copy to be signed at the festival!