All-Star Rock Group to Pay Tribute to Steely Dan at Helsinki Hudson

Steely Dan Night Photo

This all-star cast of Hudson Valley-based musicians will be ‘Reelin’ in the Years’ in a tribute to Steely Dan

(HUDSON, N.Y.) – An all-star group of rock ‘n’ roll talent, including Jules Shear, Gail Ann Dorsey, Rick and Jerry Marotta, and Scott Petito, will pay tribute to the Hudson Valley’s most famous rock group ever in “Reelin’ in the Years: The Music of Steely Dan” at Club Helsinki Hudson on Saturday, September 26, at 9pm.

Walter Becker and Donald Fagen met in 1968 at Bard College, just a half-hour down the road from Helsinki Hudson in Annandale-on-Hudson (which they would go on to commemorate in the Steely Dan hit, “My Old School”). The two then moved to Brooklyn, did various music-related jobs, and got a gig touring with Jay and the Americans for a year and a half.

By 1972, Becker and Fagen released the first Steely Dan album, and with its string of hits, including “Do It Again,” “Reelin’ in the Years,” and “Dirty Work,” the rest is rock ‘n’ roll history, with Steely Dan making some of the most beloved recordings of the 1970s. Becker and Fagen reunited in the 1990s and began a second act for Steely Dan, including a successful string of concert tours and new albums that continue to the present day.

Years ago, Donald Fagen settled down not far from Bard College, in the Bearsville section of Woodstock, and he has been a steady presence on the region’s music scene, playing a recurring role in Levon Helm’s Ramble. The “Reelin’ in the Years” tribute includes a coterie of Woodstock-area musicians, some of whom have performed with Steely Dan and Fagen, including Rick Marotta, the original drummer on many of the group’s hits.

Jules Shear

Jules Shear

The Reelin’ in the Years band includes singer-songwriter Jules Shear, who in addition to his own cult recordings on his own and with Jules and the Polar Bears, wrote hits for Cyndi Lauper (“All Through The Night”) and The Bangles (“If She Knew What She Wants”).

Bassist/guitarist Gail Ann Dorsey’s list of credits include Woodstock’s own David Bowie, as well as Bryan Ferry, Boy George, the Indigo Girls, Khaled, Jane Siberry, The The, Skin, Gwen Stefani, Charlie Watts, Seal, Gang of Four, Susan Werner, Ani DiFranco and Dar Williams. She recently came off the road after touring with Lenny Kravitz, and she’s manned the boards at Helsinki for Simi Stone several times.

Bassist Scott Petito is a Woodstock native whose amazing list of credits include work with Keith Richards, Allen Ginsberg, Bela Fleck, James Taylor, Livingston Taylor, Kate Taylor, Mark Knopfler, Tony Levin, Jerry Marotta, Happy and Artie Traum, Jean Redpath, John Sebastian, The Dolphins, Dave Brubeck, Tom Paxton, Stevie Wonder, Tony Trischka, Michael Franks, Brian Setzer, and the legendary 1960s Beat poet band, The Fugs.

Rick and Jerry Marotta are brothers and drummers who live in Woodstock. Jerry’s list of credits includes work with Orleans, Peter Gabriel, Hall & Oates, Indigo Girls, John Mayer, Sarah McLachlan, Suzanne Vega, Elvis Costello, Paul McCartney, Cher, Iggy Pop, and Carly Simon. Brother Rick has played with Aretha Franklin, Carly Simon, Steely Dan, James Taylor, Paul Simon, John Lennon, Hall & Oates, Stevie Nicks, Wynonna, Roy Orbison, Todd Rundgren, Roberta Flack, Peter Frampton, Quincy Jones, Jackson Browne, Waylon Jennings, Randy Newman, Peter Gabriel, Kenny G., The Jacksons, Crosby, Stills & Nash, Warren Zevon, and Linda Ronstadt.

Other band members include Jonny Rosch (of Blues Brothers fame), Todd Rundgren guitarist Jesse Gress, Peter Primamore, Matt Finck, Erik Lawrence, and Chris Pasin.

The outfit also promises some special unannounced guests. Given their collective friendships and collaborations in the music world, one can only imagine who they might be.

For reservations in The Restaurant or in the club call 518.828.4800.

 

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