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Bio/Tour:
The PrimaDonna Reeds is a New York City rock band formed by Jonathan C. Reiter aka JC Ryder, an accomplished rock and flamenco guitarist, and Karena Reiter, a talented vocalist, lyricist and veteran music journalist and promoter. JC and Karena are a powerful songwriting duo that write in a hard hitting rock style, incorporating funk, punk, jazz, and flamenco influences-the result being a fresh and unique sound. Karena’s poetic and edgy lyrics speak directly to listeners, evoking strong positive emotions. JC’s music features strong rhythmic grooves, with memorable melodies and unexpected harmonic changes. JC and Karena currently co-produce their recordings at The Townhouse Studio in Harlem, New York City, along with a talented, up and coming sound engineer, Vlad Moshnin, who also contributes guitar, keys and synth parts on some of the tracks. Their recordings strive to capture the energy and immediacy of a live performance, avoiding excessive processing and effects. When you listen to the Primadonna Reeds recordings, you are hearing talented musicians at work, playing songs that grab the listener’s attention immediately and pack a powerful emotional punch.
Other current band members include Quincy Sheppard on lead and rhythm guitar, Marouen Allam on bass guitar and Juan Carlos Polo on drums. Quincy is guitarist of boundless energy and creativity, whose lead lines are both hard driving and melodic, incorporating classic rock, metal and neo-classical influences. Marouen Allam’s bass guitar playing covers a wide range of styles, including rock, funk, jazz and flamenco rock. Juan Carlos Polo drumming is rock solid and highly original, striking a perfect balance between setting the groove and driving the songs forward rhythmically.
Other artists who have contributed to Primadonna Reeds recordings include Luigi Scorcia, a veteran guitarist and bass player who toured widely with the legendary punk rocker, Johnny Thunders; John Sheppard on bass guitar and vocals; George Morales on drums; Ayman Boujlida on drums, and Pete Margolis on guitar.
The PrimaDonna Reeds latest release, (2020) a single entitled “Glitter Girl” is a hard driving punk rock track about a mercenary young woman chasing life in the spotlight. “Glitter Girl” is featured in the movie “Rolling Stone: The Life and Death of Brian Jones”, written and produced by Danny Garcia, about the founding member of the Rolling Stones.
The PrimaDonna Reeds debut album, “Red Stilettos” is co-written by JC and Karena, and features an upbeat pop/rock vibe fused with flamenco, funk and blues influences that coalesce into a fresh sound unlike anything else on today’s music scene.
The title track, “Red Stilettos” is Karena’s rocky wild fantasy of searching for her lover “runnin’ wild in red stilettos, lookin for my baby…”, while Cell Phone Funk is a tongue in cheek parody of cell phone users being oblivious to their surroundings, lovers, nature, etc. “Lookin at your phone, leave that thing alone, a kangaroo’s escaping from the zoo.”
JC’s song, “Say You Love Me” is loosely based on the flamenco form “Tarantas”, and fuses flamenco harmonies with rock rhythm and instrumentation.” Come to Me” and “My Heart’s On Fire” are funky, sexy songs incorporating Latin and jazz/pop influences. “Queen of the Night” is a rap-rock dance number with brilliant horn playing by guest artists Satish Indofunk on trumpet and Danny Ray on sax.
The sweet ballad, “All the Time in the World” is Karena’s love song to JC and has a rock/country feel with some Celtic influences. The album is rich in musical content, with beautiful melodies, unexpected harmonic structures, and complex rhythms.
Members: Karena Reiter vocals; JC Ryder – guitar and vocals; Quincy Sheppard-lead guitar; Marouen Allam – bass guitar; Juan Carlos Polo – drums; Vlad Moshnin-guitar, keys and synth. |
