Rich Monetti
Bio
I am, I write.
Stories (727/0)
Ed Cusati takes Pause while Moving his Musical Career Forward on Spotify
Ed Cusati’s introduction to music began with his mother. A singer who studied at Westminster Choir College, she started Ed with piano lessons and her large Rock n Roll record collection moved him onto the worship of Joe Satriani. Taking on the guitar, Cusati formed a band in middle school that was, “ahead of its time,” according to the Katonah, NY resident, and was pretty easily explained. “Well, I was in the band,” he joked. But the lighthearted look back is no way emblematic of how seriously he approaches his art, and putting himself out there as a performer, goes well beyond the words.
By Rich Monetti4 years ago in Beat
Kat Spina has a Baseline in Music, Teaching and Life
Katherine Spina got her start as musician when she auditioned for the third grade talent show. “I remember everybody being very quiet when I sang, and the teacher said, ‘nice job Katherine. You will be in the show.’” But the actual impetus obviously came as the accolades were expressed more publicly to her rendition of A Whole New World.
By Rich Monetti4 years ago in Beat
Dr. Teter Had the Invaluable Quality of Making it Easy to Ask Questions
38 years ago I showed up at Plattsburgh State to major in Computer Science. I did well in a high school programming course but had no idea if I had the intellectual capacity to write code in college. Short of that, I had no backup plan, and the future seemed insecure.
By Rich Monetti4 years ago in Education
Mr. Spock and Dr. McCoy battles are more like Mutually Assured Destruction
Photo by Gage Skidmore Who wins the episode in terms of Kirk and Spock is very easy to settle. The Captain always wins. But when it comes to Spock and McCoy, the stand off amounts more to a policy of mutually assured destruction and rarely has a winner.
By Rich Monetti4 years ago in Futurism
Kristina Koller Keeps Creating as the World Steps Back during Coronavirus Pandemic
A couple of weeks ago, Kristina Koller and her NYC jazz band were in Florida and feeling pretty good about the tour they just did. Getting on the plane, the group was aware of the virus and weren’t that concerned. Of course, everything changed overnight, and she’s returned to her parents’ Westchester home to wait out the uncertainty. But instead of sulking, she thinks this is a good time to step back, figure out what comes next, and if nothing else, stay positive by being active.
By Rich Monetti4 years ago in Beat
The Tower of Power Brings still thrives in the Oakland Zone
Photo : Daniel Augustine Tower of Power first grooved into what they called, the Oakland Zone in the late 60's. Meaning everything was clicking onstage in a San Francisco scene that was the place to be in the world, according to band leader Emilio Castillo. Up to the challenge among the likes of the Grateful Dead, Jefferson Airplane and Quicksilver, the 10 member horn centric funk band was actually too young to hit the scene due to alcohol laws. Their inception was even more inauspicious.
By Rich Monetti4 years ago in Beat
Bobby Caldwell Sings the Universal Language with his Music
Photo by Phil Konstantin Bobby Caldwell officially arrived in 1978 with his enduring hit, What You won't Do for Love. Covered by almost a hundred artists since, his style derives across genres that stretch from R&B and Smooth Jazz to Big Band and Motown. He first picked up a guitar at ten, began playing out in high school by 14 and was soon hitting the club scene in Miami at 17. One Little Richard heard his band and offered to take the foursome to California to back his vocals. Settling the teenagers in a house in Beverly Hills, it would seem Caldwell was well situated and knocking on the doors of stardom. But despite the famous zip code, those early years were a struggle, and just because the rent was covered, doesn’t mean the other necessities followed.
By Rich Monetti4 years ago in Beat
Somers Doesn’t Let Fog Derail their Season with 28-14 Victory Over Lourdes
At the high school last night, the Tuskers found themselves on unfamiliar ground in the Quarterfinals of the Class A Playoffs. They trailed 6-0, and the fog did not obscure the Warriors from setting their sights on a two score lead with the goalposts just ahead. But Somers held on at the goal line. The home team then scored the next 21 points - leaving Lourdes not knowing where they were before falling 28-14.
By Rich Monetti4 years ago in Unbalanced
Australia’s Kokoda Track Campaign Rivals Midway as the Turning Point in the Pacific War
Photo by gailhampshire Kokoda Day is a National Holiday in Australia and marks the Kokoda Track Campaign, which was won by an unlikely cast of teenage reservists. Yeah, some continental location somewhere was secured by a collection of brave kids, and Down Under has something to celebrate. Sounds like a mere redirect, while everyone else remembers heroics that extend beyond a local footnote. But the truth is any nation that fought the Japanese should probably have a day set aside on their own calendars.
By Rich Monetti4 years ago in Serve
A Look at John Jay Fall Sports
John Jay Volleyball Sweeps Yorktown in Three Straight John Jay and its 16-4 record will likely enter the sectionals as the one or two seed and last Thursday night’s three game sweep of Yorktown should provide a good lift for the upcoming post season. But the October 17 match up was far from a late season tune up against an easy team, according to Coach Tom Rizzotti.
By Rich Monetti4 years ago in Unbalanced