On the Rise: Escaper at Rockwood Music Hall
New York locals Escaper took over Stage 2 at Rockwood Music Hall this Wednesday, September 7, in NYC’s Lower East Side, delivering an impressively powerful performance.
This up-and-coming juggernaut blends together effortlessly with each member adding his own unique flavor. The band’s music alone draws you in, but it’s their connection to it and to each other that truly completes the package. Their passion oozes out of each and every note they play as they seamlessly take turns controlling the stage.
Escaper is:
Will Hanza // Guitar: Will has played in numerous bands and in the past year was featured in Guitar World Magazine and played the Catskill Chill Music Festival, Philadelphia Folk Festival, SXSW, NAMM, CMJ, Brooklyn Bowl and many others.
Adam Ahuja // Keyboard: Adam has performed his original music at venues such as The Blue Note Jazz Club (NYC) with his band The Flowdown and has also performed as a national touring keyboardist with acts such as Robert Randolph and the Family Band, in which musicians Kenny Wayne Shepard, Jerry Harrison of Talking Heads, Questlove of The Roots and others shared the stage with the band. Adam holds an Artist Endorsement with Nord Keyboards and will soon release his own album.
Johnny Butler // Saxophone: Johnny has played at Bonnaroo, Mountain Jam, Bear Creek, Gathering of the Vibes, Telluride Jazz, and Voodoo Fest in New Orleans and helped write and record the tenor and baritone saxophone parts on Beyonce’s album 4. Butler has also worked with Grammy-award winner and former American Idol judge Randy Jackson at Jim Henson Studios in Los Angeles and has opened up for Stevie Wonder, The Avett Brothers, Dr. John, Fitz and the Tantrums, Counting Crows, moe., Soulive, Sharon Jones and Dap Kings, Trombone Shorty, the Funky Meters and more.
Jay Giacomazzo // Bass: Jay is a bassist and composer with Black Atlas, Darkhorse, and Kalen & The Sky Thieves. Just wait for one of his funky bass lines to get you moving!
Andrew Nesbit // Drums: Andrew Nesbit, known as ‘Nez,’ also plays in Black Bear Tribe (as seen in Guitar World), The Morning Sea, Meghann Wright, and The Jacks of Kings County. Although drums/percussion is his first love, he’s also proficient on guitar, harmonica, and vocals.
Escaper is a Brooklyn-based five-piece instrumental band that blends rock, funk and jazz into a fusion of danceable spacey jams. Recently signed to Ropeadope Records, they will be releasing a debut single in November of this year and a full album in early 2017.
This is a band that leaves me wanting more, and thankfully we will get just that. Stay in the loop by following on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube. Make sure to catch one or more of their upcoming shows with the likes of G-Nome Project on September 28 at American Beauty, as well as an exciting Phish Tribute shared bill on November 6th with Aqueous, Jimkata, Teddy Midnight, Cousin Earth and Bad Faces at Brooklyn Bowl.
Watch their live video for Narwhal here: