So we tried StageIt and loved it. Joseph is already planning on coming back. It’s easy and fun. I guess the video froze once or twice but the audio was perfect the whole time. If you are a music lover (and you are on this site so I might guess you are) you should definitely check out StageIt. All you need is a computer and an internet connection. Then from the comfort of your own computer, in your living room you’ll see from my living room an intimate acoustic evening that’s “Pay what you want”. You do need to “buy” a ticket to get in (minimum of 10 Cents).

Tuesday, June 25 – The NEXT Living Room Presents:
StageIt with Kristina Koller (Online 7:30 PM)

Tuesday July 2 – The NEXT Living Room Presents:
StageIt with Steven Wright Mark (online 7:30PM)

Thursday, July 18 – Charity Concert series at Captain Lawrence Brewery
Jessica Lynn (Country Pop) Music starts at 7:30 PM

Thursday August 1 – The NEXT Living Room Presents:
StageIt with The Knox Sisters (online 7PM)

Thursday, August 15 – Charity Concert series at Captain Lawrence Brewery
Matt O’Ree (Monster Blues Guitar) (one year anniversary party for this charity concert series at CLBC) Music starts at 7:30 PM

Thursday, September 12 – Charity Concert series at Captain Lawrence Brewery
Steven Wright-Mark (Power Pop/Indie Rock) Music starts at 7:30 PM

Thursday, October 24 – Charity Concert series at Captain Lawrence Brewery
Motive (just bloody brilliant DON’T MISS THIS ONE) Music starts at 7:30 PM

Should we try to set up a happy hour at Q again?
and remember if you love someone hug them right now.

Tickets only $10 buy them online right now.
Great Music. Great Beer. Great Cause.

Doors at 7. Music at 7:30 with Chris Fox. Jessica Lynn on around 8:15.

RSVP at the Facebook event page.

Let’s get to know the music makers

Jessica Lynn – This Much Fun – Official Trailer! from Peter Calamera on Vimeo.

Social Media
Like Jessica Lynn on Facebook
Follow Jessica Lynn on Twitter

Jessica Lynn grew up in the town of Yorktown Heights, New York and was influenced from a very young age by artists and writers from a variety of different genres and styles. She first began performing in local shows and theater productions and then wanting to write her own music, Jessica learned the piano and soon after taught herself guitar and drums. She formed her first band when she was fourteen years old and began playing professionally in every popular New York City Nightclub as well as being featured in countless newspapers and magazines as an act to watch out for. After years of performing through that medium, becoming a published ASCAP songwriter at the age of 16, and establishing her place in the music industry, she decided it was time to return to her first love, country music, and emerged on her own in recent years as Jessica Lynn with a profusion of new songs and style that are catapulting her towards superstardom. In October of 2012 she filmed and recorded her first full length television special and live album, “This Much Fun – Live from The Winery at St. George, which is being reviewed at the moment for national PBS television broadcasts this summer or fall. Jessica and her full 11 piece band will be making their way around the country this year to tour in support of “This Much Fun.”

Future charity concerts:
August 15 – Matt O’Ree (Monster Blues Guitar) (one year anniversary party for this charity concert series at CLBC)
September 12 – Steven Wright-Mark (Power Pop/Indie Rock)
October 24 – Motive (just bloody brilliant DON’T MISS THIS ONE)

If any bands/managers/labels etc want their music removed please contact me (chris at allthingsnext dot com) and I’ll promptly remove it. Thank you, bands. Thank you for making music. Thank you for making my life better because of the music you make. I am a passionate music consumer as are my listeners. If you think NEXT streaming music is bad you have it wrong. I am a music maker advocate.

We have an e-newsletter now

Subscribe to our newsletter

Please listen to NEXT on Ocean 98 in Maryland Sunday nights at 10. Join us as we live chat (at the bottom of this post)

Artist and Song Title:

Johnny Marr – Upstarts
Jimmy Eat World – Lean
Divine Fits – Would That Not Be Nice
Barenaked Ladies – Odds Are
Houndmouth – Caino
Gary Clark Jr – Oh Pretty Women
Emily Wolfe – Howl
Nine Inch Nails – Came Back Haunted
Grouplove – Ways to Go
City & Colour – The Way It Used To Be
Jack Johnson – I Got You
Jason Isbell – Songs That She Sang in the Shower
Bob Schneider – Wish the Wind Would Blow Me
The Civil Wars – The One That Got Away
Julian Lennon – In Between

and remember if you love someone give them a hug right now.

It’s easier & cheaper then heading into NYC & for it’s charity

Great Music. Great Beer. Great Cause. Bring friends. Good times are better with good friends.

Don’t miss this band. Don’t. So get your tickets online right now. They are friends with Black Taxi and BT doesn’t hang out with you unless you absolutely rock.

Music at 7:30 with Charlie Scopoletti.
8:00 with Kristina Koller.
Wild Adriatic on around 8:40.

Plus just added Sachyn Mital will be selling his brilliant concert photos. Will he bring Eddie Vedder, Dave Grohl, U2 or Diamond Dave or all of them?

Future charity concerts:
July 18 – Jessica Lynn (Country Pop)
August 15 – Matt O’Ree (Monster Blues Guitar) (one year anniversary party for this charity concert series at CLBC)
September 12 – Steven Wright-Mark (Power Pop)
October – Motive (just bloody brilliant DON’T MISS THIS ONE)

All Thursdays nights.
#ThursdayIsTheNewFriday

RSVP at our Facebook event page.

Let’s get to know the music makers:

and Wild Adriatic have many brilliant covers but I’ll just say what you’ll be saying after you listen to this one. This cover is better than the Adele original. I can hear the “dude you are crazy!” comments but listen then apologize.

oh and this version should have 5 million hits not 5 thousand. Get with it people.
Kristina Koller (another brilliant voice)

If you live in Westchester and like music and don’t show up for this show you suck.

Friday June 7th (that’s tomorrow).
A front row seat to a backstage experience…from my living room to yours (via a good wifi signal).

It’s an online evening hosted by Chris Bro (Hi that’s me) in his living room. Chris (still me) invites a musical friend over for music, conversation, and beer. You are invited to listen (and watch) via your computer. You don’t even have to leave your house. How easy is that? (very) Plus it’s pay want you can/want (only 10 cents even).

Please welcome Joseph King of Deadbeat Darling.
Follow him on Twitter or
Deadbeat Darling’s Website

Stageit is an online venue that allows musicians to stream exclusive LIVE concerts to fans. The vibe is incredibly intimate often featuring performers playing from their homes, directly from their laptop.

Here’s how it works according to the Stageit folks: Go to http://www.stageit.com/the_next_living_room_presents/joseph_king_of_deadbeat_darling/23833, click signup to set up an account and then click the BUY button.You will then have an opportunity to purchase credits (which Stageit calls “Notes” ; 10 Notes = $1.00). Notes allow you to pay for tickets to see shows and to tip performers during the show. This show is “Pay What You Can,” which means you can pay whatever you can afford (minimum 1 Note). Once you have Notes, they can be used for any show!

I am looking for feedback on these events so after the show please let me know what you think.

RSVP on Facebook if it pleases you

If any bands/managers/labels etc want their music removed please contact me (chris at allthingsnext dot com) and I’ll promptly remove it. Thank you, bands. Thank you for making music. Thank you for making my life better because of the music you make. I am a passionate music consumer as are my listeners. If you think NEXT streaming music is bad you have it wrong. I am a music maker advocate.

We have an e-newsletter now

Subscribe to our newsletter

Please listen to NEXT on Ocean 98 in Maryland Sunday nights at 10. Join us as we live chat (at the bottom of this post)

Artist and Song Title:

Rogue Wave – Figured It Out
Houndmouth – On the Road
Wild Adriatic – Letter
Holiday – Dainty Gent
Mikal Cronin – See It My Way
Black Taxi – House on Fire
Sir Sly – Gold
The 88 – Blue Skies Are Black Again
Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeroes – Better Days
Portugal the Man – Purple Yellow Red and Blue
Shaggy – Fight This Feeling
Tricky – Nothing’s Changed
Ancient History – Subway Dream
Imagine Dragons – Destination
Wild Adriatic – Someone Like You (Adele Cover)

We are very excited about trying StageIt. All you need is a computer and an internet connection. Then from the comfort of your own computer, in your living room you’ll see from my living room an intimate acoustic evening that’s “Pay what you want”. You do need to “buy” a ticket to get in. So click on the link, sign up and we’ll see Friday.

Friday, June 7 – The NEXT Living Room presents:
StageIt with Joseph King of Deadbeat Darling (online at 8:00)

Thursday, June 13 – Charity Concert series at Captain Lawrence Brewery
Wild Adriatic (Soulful Rock and/or Roll) Music starts at 7:30

Tuesday, June 25 – The NEXT Living Room Presents:
StageIt with Kristina Koller (Online 7:30)

Thursday, July 18 – Charity Concert series at Captain Lawrence Brewery
Jessica Lynn (Country Pop) Music starts at 7:30

Thursday, August 15 – Charity Concert series at Captain Lawrence Brewery
Matt O’Ree (Monster Blues Guitar) (one year anniversary party for this charity concert series at CLBC) Music starts at 7:30

Thursday, September 12 – Charity Concert series at Captain Lawrence Brewery
Steven Wright-Mark (Power Pop/Indie Rock) Music starts at 7:30

Thursday, October 24 – Charity Concert series at Captain Lawrence Brewery
Motive (just bloody brilliant DON’T MISS THIS ONE) Music starts at 7:30

Should we try to set up a happy hour at Q again?
and remember if you love someone hug them right now.

San Antonio’s Lonely Horse is a two-piece comprised of Nick Long and Travis Hild. ’My Sons’ is a strong representation of the bands blues background with dark vocals and simple blues riffs. Nick’s stage presence alone makes Lonely Horse a must see show (I posted some examples below) if and when they stop in your town. Keep an eye on this blog post should more dates be added.

“Coyote People” live from Beer Fest via Die Happy Productions

Tour Dates:

Watch Below:

What’s your take on Holiday’s summer anthem? Let us know in comments or Twitter.

Research has shown (or at least my research has shown) that food and music go together. A restaurant with excellent food but a terrible soundtrack never sits as well as one where the music and food are partners. In the same vein, no matter how strong the ambience and music selection, if an eating establishment has poor food, it is as good as closed. In this column, I look to review what is newer on the scene in food in the Lower Hudson Valley with a constant focus on how things taste and sound.

On a beautiful Saturday, in the early evening, we were joined by friends at one of Westchester’s newest eating establishments, the Burger Barn. The Burger Barn is a new name, but the establishment, at least in terms of the physical building and ownership, isn’t new. The Burger Barn, the newest in the vein of trendy burger establishments, takes over the location of Seasons, a somewhat-sophisticated American eatery that the Tesone family operated for roughly seven years. In re-opening as the Burger Barn, the Tesone’s (in this case, their son) appears primed to wage burger battle against the likes of newcomers Westchester Burger Company, and mainstays like Squire’s and the Blazer Pub. Always looking for a good burger, we had been hoping to go since it opened, but were foiled once by television taping in the restaurant (a promising sign), and again due to their closure on Sundays (this needs to change ASAP). Happily, we were able to get in early on a Saturday when the weather was great, and where the food was even better.

Location: The Burger Barn sits on the stretch of Route 100 between the 35/100 interchange and the Somers Town Center shopping area. You can’t miss the iconic Seasons building with the dual-side parking lot. On this Saturday, parking was fairly easy, though, even at 5:15, the lot was filling up quickly. If lots are filled, options are tough. I’m not sure about parking options on 100 in Somers (different towns seem to enforce parking on this road differently), but with a state police barracks a ¼ mile up the road, you’ll likely find out quickly whether you it is safe to park on the street or it isn’t.

Staff: The staff members at the Burger Barn were friendly enough, and table cleaning and setup was quick and painless. Some staff members seem newer to the scene, with dropped utensils and shaky carrying/pouring hands, but the wait staff was friendly, answered questions professionally, and positively interacted with our kids (that’s always a good sign). Hostesses were quick to serve but a little too high on their new restaurant’s importance. One said, “Thank goodness you got here when you did. You would be waiting a long time if you didn’t.” While this might be the truth, it seemed a little suspect to point out, particularly with no one else in the waiting area at the time.

Music/Ambience: We walked into the Burger Barn with AC/DC playing, and the selection throughout our dinner ranged from early to mid- eighties hard rock tracks up to nineties alternative rock. I didn’t hear much top twenty tunes (which was a nice change), and the anthem stayed “rock-ish” throughout dinner. The song selection fit the demeanor of the restaurant and the menu it has created. Music was loud, but not unbearably so, and the acoustics of the restaurant (really one large room on different “levels”) helped to keep conversation understandable and music audible. Well done here.

The Burger Barn looks like Seasons with a new paint job. If you remember Seasons, you can picture the Burger Barn’s inside. What looks like some newer tables and cutlery as well as a brighter painting motif greet you as you enter. The restaurant shows its kid-friendly side by providing writing paper as table covering (I’ve noticed more and more area restaurants doing this). They also provide markers (washable as we found out, happily), a pretty bold step for a restaurant that definitely wants to be bold. I would recommend stepping down to colored pencils and crayons. Our kids loved the markers, as did their clothes, the cutlery, and tableware. The Burger Barn does something minor that is a really nice touch. The lobby has a popcorn machine that those waiting (or those eating) can grab from and chow down on in the lobby, or back at their tables. It makes for a great snack and likely adds little to restaurant overhead.

Food/Drink: After being spoiled by the likes of Westchester Burger Company, with a plethora of burgers from which to choose, I was nervous with the somewhat stark selection at Burger Barn. There are a number of excellent appetizer offerings (who can pass up fried pickles), and a few enticing looking sandwiches (“I’m Just a Po’Boy” was particularly well named), but when I saw only eight burgers (I know, perish the thought), I did get a little worried. Truth be told, I wasn’t a big fan of Seasons (I always felt it was overpriced for the quality of food, and after two sub-par visits, we never went back), so I was a little nervous about Burger Barn’s quantity/quality factor and was preparing myself for disappointment.

Happily, I was pleasantly surprised. The fried pickles were perfect (sorry about the quality of the picture. . .I was so excited for the pickles, my hand must have been shaking), with the right amount of breading paired with delicious half-sour pickle slices. A side Caesar salad (which was really quite small) ended up being quite tasty, and in reflecting, was actually the perfect size to avoid spoiling an appetite. Our friends started with wings which they said were delicious; not overly spicy, but incredibly flavorful.

After enjoying our starters, and having a few minutes to talk, dinner arrived. Burger presentation was nice, with the burger accompanied by fries in a can (another increasingly common delivery system), and resting in a frying bin covered with “fake” newspaper. For the three of us who ordered burgers, the presentation was identical. One of us ordered a salad which came in a bowl and while it appeared tasty, certainly looked like the weakest dish (our friend who ordered the salad seemed to like her husband’s burger as much as her own dish). Burger Barn must make sure that they supply adequate salad dressing flavors. Our friend asked for a number of different dressings that the restaurant didn’t have, and when our waiter was queried, he mentioned they only had blue cheese and balsamic. In my humble opinion, there are a number of other flavors that would pair well with a cobb salad, and I was quite surprised that they didn’t have more to offer.

I had ordered “The Kicker,” Burger Barns take on a burger with spice. There were fresh jalapeno slices (the menu said “fried” but I didn’t detect that) with drizzled cheddar and standard fixings. What made the burger even more enticing were the “sauces” on the table. I drizzled my burger with the “Sweet Heat” sauce and used some of the Chipotle Mayo for a fry dipping sauce. With so many great burger choices in Westchester, I’m proud to say that “The Kicker” really is at the top of my list. It was delicious (both moist and flavorful) and cooked perfectly to order (slightly pink; temperature exhibiting it was just removed from the grill. . .no heat lamps detected). I’d wager that as good as the combination of jalapeno and cheddar was, it was the addition of the sauce that sent it over the top. My wife loved her bacon cheeseburger, and our friend couldn’t stop complimenting his “John Hancock” (a burger with fried egg and cheese). Our kids had grilled cheese which was piled with American Cheese between two humongous pieces of Texas Toast. Both kids enjoyed the fries much more, but after tasting the grilled cheese, it wasn’t for lack of excellent flavor. You know you’ve found a winner when the grilled cheese is almost as good as the burger.
Drink selection was varied, but I wished for a wider beer list. It’s tough to create an amazing burger joint without an overflowing beer selection, so I hope Burger Barn expands on this. My brown ale was flavorful but not amazing; my friend had a cream ale that really wasn’t worth it. We also had a glass of chardonnay at the table that by all accounts was fine. All things considered, the drinks were likely the weakest part of the whole meal.

What You’ll Pay: Burger Barn isn’t dirt cheap, but it isn’t pricey either. For six, we paid around $130 with tip and three drinks. It fits in with the somewhat “trendy burger” pricing you’ll see in other establishments. Burger costs are a few dollars less than at Westchester Burger Company (on average), but Burger Barn also has a smaller selection. So, if deciding between the two, you might go simply by location or by offerings. Either way, you’re bound to have a delicious burger.

What does Burger Barn need to do to really bypass the competition? Strengthen the drink selection, expand on the burger offerings, and provide more inclusions for non-burger items like salads. Also, really consider becoming a seven day establishment. It’s tough to compete with competitors who never close their doors. Do these and I’ll have no reason to binge on burger anywhere else.
Rating: Gold, for excellent food and service. Further diversifying the menu (both food and drink) and being open on Sundays would take Burger Barn to the next level.