May 19, 2025 - AN EXCITING EVENT
I’ve known Adrian DiMatteo since he was in high school. He bought a very nice Eastman Jazz guitar from me and paid it off in crumbled $50 bills that he had earned working at a local grocery store. He stopped by the store to tell about his new musical projects and adventures in travel around the world.
Dr. Steve Greene…. PLEASE note the "e" at the end of his last name…it stands for "EXCELLENT EDUCATOR”
Ben Proctor…teacher and performer… runs the beginners Bluegrass jam in our back room
Congratulations to Gavin Rice upon his graduation from Eastman School of Music this past weekend….. soon he will beginning his career as a musician and educator which will bring him great joy. I’m hoping he will remember me more as a teacher than an employer.
Though it is not a music venue, the Y-Knot restaurant, in Pultney, NY offers up crabcakes over a perfect quinoa salad that is as good as a big city opera!
Naples, NY….over the hill from Branchport….boasts a great musical scene….we decided to "play a tune" by having the salmon hollandaise at The Old School Cafe….
Two key members of my "band"
Some of Steve’s REALLY FUNNY videos…
youtube.com/bernunzio/SteveGreene
AN EXCITING EVENT
May 19th, 2025
Greetings folks,
My relationships with musicians has always been my strong suit. I love the music. I love the old instruments, but it is the way I interact with musicians and the respect that I show them, that has been what is most important. My first occupation, as many of you know, was a teacher. People often assume that I was a music teacher, but, of course, I was a Special Education Teacher (which is why I say that can deal with musicians who certainly have special needs!). Even though I am not personally a musician, Bernunzio Uptown Music is run BY MUSICIANS and FOR MUSICIANS. Each of the people who work for us, play in several bands around town and often are called away to do work out of town. We offered them a flexible schedule to work in tandem with their musical career…as a result we were quite short staffed this week, but we survived because we know how to improvise.
And speaking of improvisation, for many years we held a workshop run by master musician, Steve Greene in the back room of our store. We have known Steve for half of our life and he’s been a regular fixture in many bands in the Rochester area. His soft touch and voice have defined many stellar performances. When Covid-19 began, most teachers and musicians in this town took a big hit. Gone was their income and it took away their lifeline. Many continued to teach or play remotely, but it’s never the same as live performance. Around that time, Steve, along with many others, withdrew from playing actively. Of late, Steve has been stopping by the store and recently asked me if he could have a reprise of his old workshop. We weren’t sure exactly what form it would take and after a bit of discussion we came up with this idea: MY GUITAR LIFE… Rather than teaching about any specific topic, Steve is going to take questions from fellow guitar players and discuss his journey playing guitar. The requirement of course is to bring a guitar, donations welcomed but seating is limited. See the details for the event down below and visit:
https://bernunzio.com/events/my-guitar-life-steve-greene/
For some other videos that he did when he was doing the workshop go to:
youtube.com/bernunzio/SteveGreene
With peace,
John Bernunzio
Please call or e-mail the store if you want to attend this event.
Of my five children the only one who had any musical propensity was Benjamin. He’s reappeared of late and we went fishing. Oh Captain my captain!
That "Backroom at Bernunzio’s" has seen some great music over ther years. Dan Palmer’s jam has been a favorite.
Although there’s never any musicians there, the Penn Yan Tavern offers a nice light show, a decent cocktail and it’s the only late night place open to get a sandwich
The road home…