THE MUSIC ISSUE, NO. 11

FOR THE MUSIC ISSUE, we made a special point to highlight not just the individuals who have come here from elsewhere and made our region their home but also the inspiring few who were born and raised here and had stars in their eyes. I am incredibly humbled and excited to have one of my favor bands, Phantogram, on the cover of this issue. Hailing from Greenwich, NY, Sarah Barthel and Josh Carter beat the odds and proved that you don’t have to be in a big city to hit it big. We feature emerging artist Danielle Johnson (also known as Computer Magic and Danz), born and raised in Sullivan County, NY, in our Style column. And we sit down with Melissa Auf Der Maur, the former bass player for Hole and The Smashing Pumpkins, to discuss her enormous contributions to the region through the Basilica Hudson. Multi-instrumentalist Marco Benevento introduces us to his rural life comprised of parenting, peacocks, and pot. We tour rock royalty Malu Byrne’s (yes, that Byrne) brand new home in Catskill, NY, complete with unpacked boxes and drying paint. Finally, we get a glimpse of what goes through the mind of one of my favorite DJs, Jason Tougaw of WJFF, as he compiles his Mixtape sessions. Like his musical taste, his stories are intimate, honest, and incredibly human.

Nhi Mundy, Editor in Chief