Jack McCleland--guitar, keyboards /
Eileen Kassab--vocals, guitar /
Clyde Kerlew--vocals, guitar, and a whole mess of other instruments /
James Shanahan--bass guitar, guitar, banjo, vocals /
Stephen Stickney--6- and 12-string guitar /
Richie Araldi--drums, percussion, vocals /
Sharon Tidwell--flute, percussion /
Matt Cole--alto & bari sax, percussion /
Harold Stern--trombone, percussion
Born in 2004 as a 7-piece with a different rhythm section, Brooklyn Public Library's own Lost In The Stacks now plays all over Brooklyn and beyond as a dynamic 9-piece unit. In addition to an expanding number of originals, LITS plays many rock, pop, blues, and jazz standards in their own unique style. LITS has played at numerous library functions, including the Coney Island Blues Festival (3 years running), Service for the Aging (at the Saratoga and Dyker neighborhood libraries), the annual Book Drive, and has made several appearances at the Literacy Banquet at the Central Branch at Grand Army Plaza. Additionally, LITS has played a pair of gigs at Coney Island's KeySpan Park, as part of a pre-game show before the Cyclones' crowd and also at the annual art fair there. In September of 2007, LITS was featured live on Brooklyn's Channel 12 as part of the gala opening of the new Dr. S. Stevan Dweck Center for Contemporary Culture at the Central Branch of BPL. In April of 2008 and again in 2009, LITS played at City Hall Park as part of National Library Week celebrations. Other live highlights from 2009 include the Midwood Senior Senior Prom (our second year there), National Night Out at Coney Island, the Stickball Reunion, and the kickoff for BPL's Summer Reading, our first time on the stage of the Dweck Center.
Over the past year, LITS has been recording a full-length CD of originals and covers at Royal Blue Studios in Brooklyn, release date TBA, but hopefully by the end of 2010. We plan to enter the studio soon to record 3 more originals and perhaps a cover or two.
The songs currently on the profile are newly mastered mixes from our recent studio sessions. We are proud to present LITS originals: "Brooklyn Bounce" and "Don't Try To Call Me" by Jack McCleland, "Barbes-Bound" by Matt Cole, "Coney Island Cold Winter Blues" by Eileen Kassab, and "Heard the News" by Bruce Spears, our producer.
It is a great day to be alive! What Question can I ask to empower myself and others? What new thought can I notice now to add to my creativity? How can I improve the experience of those I encounter today? What can I do to facilitate your Gift?
Yesterday Is History Tomorrow is a Mystery Today is a Gift... That's why we call it the Present
