Cathy Cassinos-Carr

As manager and drummer for the uber-busy local band Island of Black and White, Nawal Alwareeth is a planner and scheduler of the first order. So when COVID destroyed all the finely tuned plans she had put in place for the band for...

While COVID captivity has wreaked havoc for every working musician, the timing was especially tough for blues/gospel singer Marcel Smith. He had just nabbed a coveted spot as lead singer with The Anthony Paule Soul Orchestra when the world came to a...

For blues singer/musician Katie Knipp, the pandemic brought a reminder to choose your mindset carefully.“It reminded me that we’re really in charge of our own destinies,” says Knipp. “It’s easy to slip into a negative...

Canceled, rescheduled, postponed—these three words have haunted us all in 2020. But musicians who live to perform were among the hardest hit, especially when the lockdowns continued into summer, the peak season for festivals, concerts and...

Singer-songwriter Justin Farren has a strong voice, a fluid guitar style and a likable persona. But it’s his songs—rich, relatable stories imbued with clever wordplay—that are his true calling card, earning him a bevy...

When she had her “aha” moment, singer/songwriter Jessica Malone was still in high school. Her job waiting tables was a great way to bring in a little cash—until the time she couldn’t get the...

“Possessed” is the word that comes to mind whenever I see bluesman Jimmy Pailer play—which I do as often as possible, because he grabs me every time. With his captivating charisma and mastery of...

Finding the “right” instrument is not always easy, even for the musically inclined. For Levi Saelua, it was his mom who helped with that process, plunking out prerecorded sounds on an electronic keyboard and...

At 19, local blues-rock guitarist/vocalist Zach Waters is already living the dream, sharing the stage with such heavyweights as blues veteran Tommy Castro and scoring the 2018 SAMMIES award for best blues band.“It’s been...

Ever witnessed a heckler creating chaos at a comedy show? An out-of-control heckler, left unchecked, has the potential to spoil an otherwise lighthearted evening—or at least put a damper on it. But how big...