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Sal Cataldi 172 posts 0 comments

Bio: Sal Cataldi is a musician, writer and former entertainment publicist living in the Hudson Valley and NYC. He is leader of the band Spaghetti Eastern Music (first gig was at the CBGB gallery in 2004) and member of the ensembles Guitars A Go Go, Vapor Vespers and spaceheater. He is also the host of “Reading In Funktamental” on WGXC 90.7 FM/Wave Farm, a monthly show/podcasts where he speaks to the authors of the books on music, many that he reviews here at NYSMusic.com

Features

New York Series: Prestige Records, New York’s Acclaimed Jazz Independent

Sal Cataldi Mar 15, 2026

For Kingston-based author Tad Richards, the great New York jazz label, Prestige, has been an obsession. Years ago, he started a blog in which he analyzed all the recordings from this label from 1949 – 1972. These include some of the…

Interviews

Exclusive Interview: Country Rock Pioneer Jim Messina On His Return to Bethel Woods

Sal Cataldi Mar 5, 2026

An undisputed expert in the fine art of making hit music, Jim Messina’s legacy of musical genius spans five decades, including three supergroups, a vibrant solo career, and scores of producing and engineering credits. On March 14 at 8 pm,…

Artist Profile

Prog Guitar Monster Jan Akkerman Returns with New Live Disc

Sal Cataldi Feb 24, 2026

He is the Dutch master best known for the rock anthem that might have unknowingly ignited the guitar shred Olympics, “Hocus Pocus,” recorded with his early ‘70’s band, Focus. But Jan Akkerman is a master of many styles of guitar displayed…

Book Reviews

Music’s Big Idea, the Concept Album, Chronicled in New Book by Bill Kopp

Sal Cataldi Dec 31, 2025

Music has always been a vehicle for telling stories – of love and heartbreak, of history and fantasy, and much more. Sometimes the stories can be related in a tuneful single lasting under three minutes. In other cases, beginning in…

Book Reviews

Ric Ocasek, The Cars’ Driving Force, Profiled in New Biography

Sal Cataldi Nov 24, 2025

While his work with The Cars produced some of the best-known music of the New Wave ‘80s, many facets of the life of the band’s resident genius, Ric Ocasek, remain a mystery – one as tall as the man himself. With his unexpected death in…

Upcoming Shows

John Sebastian Returns to Bethel Woods, New Documentary Premiere

Sal Cataldi Nov 15, 2025

John Sebastian, the frontman of the legendary Lovin’ Spoonful, a man who made history with his unplanned performance at Woodstock ’69, will return to the famous site for a duo set at the Bethel Woods Center for the Arts on December 12 at 8…

Book Reviews

Hole & Smashing Pumpkins’ Melissa Auf der Maur Pens A Memoir

Sal Cataldi Oct 31, 2025

Melissa Auf der Maur, the bassist who powered Hole and the Smashing Pumpkins to the top of the indie charts, is slated to release a memoir of her alternatively joyful and harrowing experiences in the ‘90s rock scene. The book,…

Book Reviews

The Strange Saga of “Hey Joe” Revealed

Sal Cataldi Oct 20, 2025

From the controversy over its authorship to the many artists who crafted their own unique versions of it, the long and winding history of the song “Hey Joe” unfolds like a great murder mystery. Now its journey through generations of…

Features

Bob Dylan’s New York City Profiled in New Book

Sal Cataldi Sep 10, 2025

Ever wonder what it would be like to retrace the footsteps of Bob Dylan during his time in New York? To travel to the venues where he performed, wrote classic tunes, and crashed during his early years in the Big Apple? Now you can…

New York Singles

Jennifer Ayala Drops Soulful, Club-Ready Anthem “Until Daylight”

Sal Cataldi Aug 21, 2025

Vivacious singer-songwriter Jennifer Ayala has released an electrifying new single, “Until Daylight” — a club-ready fusion of house, dance, and electro pop. A love letter to and anthem of NYC nightlife, the track pulses with bass, emotion,…

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