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In conversation with Kelsey Blackstone: making music with friends, for friends
Kelsey Blackstone’s relationship with music has spanned her entire life. From early piano lessons and cello rehearsals to a cross-country move from Boston, Massachusetts, to Nashville, Tennessee, music has remained both her anchor and her ambition. “I started classical piano when I was 5 years old,” she says. “I always loved performing—I always loved being
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In conversation with Chris Messineo: bringing ‘The Strange Dark’ to light
Before movies ever felt like a career path, they felt like a kind of magic for Chris Messineo. Growing up, Messineo believed the people who made films lived somewhere far away on the West Coast, in a world that felt unreachable. It wasn’t until his twenties, as independent film began flourishing outside of Hollywood, that
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In conversation with Ron Gallo: honesty over expectation
Ron Gallo never set out to be a musician. In fact, picking up a guitar came without much intention at all. “I can’t say there really was much of a passion to play guitar,” he admits. “I kind of just thought it was a thing I should have.” “I think the thing I was most
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In conversation with Ricky Byrd: bringing stories of rock ’n’ roll and recovery to RiverJAM Music
Like many musicians of his generation, Ricky Byrd’s relationship with music shifted the moment he watched The Beatles perform on The Ed Sullivan Show. “There was a lot of music in my house,” Byrd recalled. “My parents were divorced at that point, so we were living with my grandparents, and there was always music playing—but
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In conversation with no good: an unmistakable sound, from covers to originals
Social media can either make or break a person. In today’s music industry, it’s become one of the most powerful tools for rising artists trying to stand out in an increasingly crowded landscape. For Nicholas Eagan, better known as No Good (stylized as no good), social media has become both a spotlight and a battlefield.
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Ricky Byrd, James Maddock, Reagan Richards, and Gordon Brown lead RiverJAM’s next Songs & Stories event
On January 7, 2026, the New Jersey–based nonprofit RiverJAM Music will host its third installment of The Listening Room: Songs & Stories, an intimate evening of live music and personal storytelling. This edition brings together an impressive lineup: Ricky Byrd, James Maddock, Reagan Richards, and Gordon Brown. Similar to their previous installments, the event will
Focused on the next big thing
