Matthew Beal has been working hard the last few months to put together a concert at the Strand Theatre that will combine the musical talents of local and visiting artists, in the hopes of inspiring area young people of the opportunities available in the music industry.
The event, scheduled for Thursday, June 5, will feature the local group Rose Red, Old Forge native Gwen Tracy, and Cass Dillon of Rockville Centre, a 28-year-old rising star in the worlds of music and film.
Dillon said he has always had a magical connection to music, having grown up in a household where creativity was encouraged.
His father, who he describes as “an excellent drummer,” put sticks in his hands at an early age.
He became adept as a percussionist, but the love affair ended at the age 12 when his dad bought him a guitar and set him up with lessons.
“I created such a connection to it—it was something I really gravitated to. So I just ran with it from there and learned how to be expressive through music. I always felt awkward, like a weird kid, and music was a way for me to find a community where I felt that I fit in,” Dillon said.
He found a love for writing and creating his own music just for the sake of playing, he said, but was shy about sharing it with others.
The tunes coming from the basement were hard for his parents to ignore, however, and they were astounded to discover that the songs they had been listening to were not covers of other artists, but the original work of their son.
Believing that the 17 year old had a special talent, they encouraged and supported his music career.
His first gig with friends in a Long Island café at 18 created a buzz in the music industry and led to a publishing deal.
Through a connection with his manager, Dillon caught the eye and ears of fellow Long Islander and veteran musician Billy Joel who was looking for a young artist to record “Christmas in Fallujah,” a 2007 release that described the plight of U.S. troops in Iraq.
The solitary artist who just a few short years prior was pounding out songs in his basement was officially on his way in the music industry.
And if that wasn’t enough, he inadvertently found himself drawn into the world of acting.
“I’m a huge fan of movies and film making, but never saw myself personally doing it. Then I joined a friend who was taking a few acting classes and fell in love with the craft. It just became another great outlet for me. I got involved in a couple really cool things. that I’m a part of now and want to continue with it as part of my creative journey,” he said.
Some of those cool things include a role as a punk rock drummer in Ten Thousand Saints, a film about a hardcore punk band set in the late 1980’s.
The film is scheduled to be released in early 2015.
He also scored a lead role in an off-Broadway play, Folk City, about the Greenwich Village nightclub that fueled the careers of many 1960’s folk singers, which opens later this year.
In the meantime, he is awaiting the release of his latest CD which he hopes to have available for distribution during the Strand concert.
Joining him on the local stage will be members of his progressive hip-hop group, The Dirty Apostles, fronted by Daniel Nicotra and accompanied by drummer Jeff Fabb and cellist Valerie Kuehne.
Dillon said he is looking forward to coming to Old Forge and “breathing in some of that great mountain air” and, if nothing else, to deliver the message to musical hopefuls that their destiny is in their own hands.
“My advice to any young person interested in the arts is to be as creative as you can be and create your own little world that you think is cool. Learn from the artists who did their thing before you and study how they designed and created their own music, or film, or whatever creative outlet it is. Just start feeling it and do something original that’s your voice…then pursue it out of a pure love and passion for it.”
The concert is being presented by Matthew Thomas Productions. Doors to the Strand open at 6 p.m. and the concert begins at 7 p.m.
Advance sale tickets are $15 and can be purchased at the Strand box office or online by calling (315) 369-5289. Tickets at the door are $20. More information is available at MatthewThomasProductions@gmail.com.