Long Island Information and Music Culture

               Long Island, New York is located in the southeastern part of New York State and just east of Manhattan. The island is 118 miles long and 23 miles wide. There are four counties on the island, Brooklyn and Queens which are boroughs on New York City, and Nassau and Suffolk which are mostly suburban, however most people consider only Nassau and Suffolk Counties as Long Island. With the majority of the island being suburban there is a strong influences of youth culture present. Due to being located only several miles from New York City there is much influences from the city. Together these aspects helped form the music culture on Long Island.

            Long Island has a strong music culture. Several successful artists got their start there. Typically Nassau County has a larger Hip Hop and R&B presences and Suffolk County has more Alternative and Indie presences. This is likely due to the fact that Nassau County is closer to New York City. Some notable Long Island artists are Billy Joel, Taking Back Sunday, Lindsey Lohan, Busta Rhymes, and Brand New.

Musician and Pianist Billy Joel

          Billy Joel is a singer-songwriter and pianist. He had his first hit, Piano Man in 1973. According to RIAA Joel is the sixth best selling recoding artist and the third best selling solo artist in the United States. He has had 33 top hits in the United States all which were written by himself. Joel is a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as well as the Long Island Music hall of Fame.

            Billy Joel was raised in Hicksville, New York. His debut solo album was titled Cold Spring Harbor as a reference to the village on Long Island near where he grew up. Many of Joel’s songs reference his life on Long Island, mostly while growing up. Examples of this can be found in many songs including “Keepin’ the faith”, “Captain Jack”, “Its Still Rock and Roll to Me”, and “Scenes from an Italian Restraint”  which all name local establishment and hangouts on Long Island. The song “Moving Out” references specifically to the high cost of living on Long Island and the hard work it takes to move up in that atmosphere, something that is indefinable by many Long Islanders.

Alternative & Indie

          One of the more recently growing genres of music on Long Island is Alternative and Indie. These types of music are growing quickly in the Suffolk County part of the island. This is the eastern part and contains more rural areas then the western part. Some of the more successful artist coming from this area are Taking Back Sunday and Brand New. Venues such as the Crazy Donkey, the Downtown and the Islip Pavilion have become very popular with locals who enjoy this type of music. Many of the now successful bands who got their start on Long Island began at these establishments and many new comers continuities to emerge from these areas.

            Taking Back Sunday is a rock band from Amityville, New York. Formed in 1999 the band released its most successful album “Louder Now” in 2006 which sold over 900,000 copies. The rock band Brand New was formed in Merrick, New York in 2000. The bands most successful album Deja Entndu was released in 2003 and its two singles “The Quiet thing That No One Ever Knows” and “Sic Transit Gloria, Glory” made the top 40 charts in 2006. The album went on to reach gold status in the United States.

Hip Hop and R&B

            Long Island has a large influences in the Hip Hop and R&B genre amongst others. With the majority of these artist hailing from within Nassau County, likely because of its closeness and influences from New York City.  Some of these notable artists are Public Enemy from Roosevelt, Busta Rhymes from Northport, and Grammy winning rap group De La Soul from Amityville.

            Public Enemy is a hip hop group consisting of Chuck D, Flavor Flav, and Professor Griff. The group saw success based on there content of their lyrics. They frequently challenged political issues and voiced there concerns of the African American community on Long Island that they originated in.

Ska

            Ska is a type of music that originated in Jamaica in the 1950’s. Ska typically incorporates walking bass lines and upbeat rhythms with brass instruments. Long Island has an impressive Ska scene with several successful artists hailing from within it. Local venues such as the Crazy Donkey, the Broadway Bar, and the Downtown were the birthplace of many of today’s ska bands.

            Most notably, Ian McKenzie the trombonist for the Ska band Catch 22 is originally from East Islip, New York. The band is one of the most recognized in the Ska genre. In 2004 the band released a live combination CD and DVD recording of a show performed at the Downtown in Farmingdale, Long Island.

Labels, Venues and Long Island Music Hall of Fame

             The largest and most popular music venue on Long Island is the Jones Beach State Park Ampatheather. This is a 15,000 seat outdoor theater in Wantagh, New York. The stage of the theater is located on Zack’s bay allowing artist to arrive by boat. Artist often incorporate floating scenery into there shows.

            Paradiddle Records is a Huntington, New York based recording company. The company is very active in promoting original Long Island music. They have sponsored shows such as Live in the Lobby at the Patchogue Theater and released CD’s featuring Long Island Artist covering music from Bob Dylan and the Kinks.

            In 2003 local business owners and music enthusiast formed the Long Island Music Hall of Fame. In July of 2005 the organization became a non for profit corporation. In October of 2006 the organization began inducting prominent Long Island musicians from all genres and eras. The organization has plains to create a physical space for a museum of music history and multimedia resource center.