Rockin’ Paradise: Lindenhurst Trio Perform in West Islip

For people who like to come together in an unpretentious saloon and enjoy music that isn’t piped in from an internet jukebox or a Muzak machine – never mind being numbed by widescreen television – there are options.

Music with a face – live music, performed by energetic, enthusiastic musicians – is alive and well on Long Island.

Proof was no further away than the in West Islip when musicians with Lindenhurst connections recently teamed to provide “power trio” blues, classic rock and R and B.

The trio? Bassist Artie Webb and lead guitar Tim Castoro, from Lindenhurst band ; and drummer Ed “the Hat” D’Alessio, also a product of the school system, and a regular on the Island’s music circuit, from saloons and roadhouses to biker benefits and full-throttle blues festivals.

Ed “the Hat” has appeared recently at the Riverhead and Cedar Beach blues festivals. As the namesake for Hat Trick he appears regularly at in Massapequa and Peter’s Place Sports Bar in Bohemia.

Highway 49 appears at East End wineries, as well as more locally at such locations as the Dockside Café in West Babylon. They take their name from one of the most famous junctions in blues legend – Highway 61 and Highway 49 in Clarksdale, Mississippi, where legendary Robert Johnson was said to have sold his soul to the Devil in exchange for mastery of the blues guitar.

According to the band, “We play it where you're going to want to get up and dance. We are known around Long Island for our ability to play at a friendly volume. We want you to enjoy the music and be able to have a conversation with the company you're with.”

This is not the first merging of talents – members of Highway 49 and Ed the Hat have performed at the Peconic Bay .

At the Paradise Lounge on July 8, the trio blasted through a range of popular musical covers, including particularly strong work covering The Beatles, Jimi Hendrix, Cream and Eric Clapton.

There’s playfulness to their work. Introducing Crossroads the trio eases its way in with a few bars from In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida.

Then there’s drive. Whether it’s James Brown or Simon and Garfunkel, bassist Artie Webb provides a solid foundation, drawing on his experience playing over the years with the likes of Leslie West and Malcolm Bruce. Tim Castoro possesses style and drive on lead vocals. Add in Ed the Hat, and a true juncture of talents emerges.

Castoro unleashes his guitar solos to good effect in songs like Gimme Some Lovin’, the Spencer Davis classic. Webb pulls out a harmonica for that one too, and the pair perform a little fancy showmanship: as Webb wails on the mouth organ, Castoro keeps the rhythm going on the neck of Webb’s bass guitar.

Missed it? The Hat Project takes the stage at in Lindenhurst on . Highway 49’s scheduled to appear again at Peconic Winery August 13 and September 4, and at the Sparkling Pointe on September 10.