Prisoners of 2nd Avenue

Photo by Christine Gatti

In early 2004, Jimmy Vivino decided to buy an iPod. This from a man who bought his first computer only 2 months prior, he soon realized that the next order of business was to load it with all of his high school era favorites.

While attempting to move forward into 21st century technology, the iPod instead pulled Jimmy back. Suddenly he found himself listening once again to Cream, Blind Faith, The Band, electric Bob Dylan, Blodwyn Pig, Johnny Winter, The Byrds, early Who and Traffic.

At the same time, he was approached by a promoter who asked if he would put together an evening of blues for a particular venue. However, Jimmy felt that he had been booking straight blues shows for too long and that it was time for a change. He thought, "where would I find players with a similar iPod, CD or vinyl playlist"?

Phone calls were made to long time friends Rich Pagano and John Conte who eagerly jumped onboard. Steaks and Chops drew a loyal following in downtown New York City with a biweekly residency at the A&M Roadhouse. Special guests have included Rosanne Cash, GE Smith and John Leventhal.

As the band became increasingly popular, it started playing monthly sold-out gigs at The Cutting Room. In January of 2007, in honor of the music played at Bill Graham's Fillmore East, the band decided to change its name to Prisoners of 2nd Avenue with its premiere gig under this name at the B.B. King Blues Club in NYC. Recent guests have included Andy York, Elaine Caswell, Rob Papparozzi, Willie Nile, Catherine Russell, Al Kooper, Paul Shaffer and Brian Mitchell.

Jimmy Vivino (Vocals/Guitar) -

Jimmy sports a high musical profile as guitarist/arranger for the Max Weinberg Seven on Late Night with Conan O'Brien and leads that group when Max tours with Bruce Springsteen. Jimmy's credits include playing and writing for many diverse projects, including Al Kooper's Rekooperators, Levon Helm, Phoebe Snow, The Fab Faux as well as the most recent Odetta release. Jimmy is also well established in the Blues community, having produced the recent Johnny Johnson, Hubert Sumlin, Son Seals, and Shemekia Copeland releases and arranging horns and strings for the last two Cissy Houston gospel albums. www.jimmyvivino.com

John Conte (Bass/Vocals) -

John's unique bass style has made him one of todays most in-demand players for a variety of artists including David Bowie, Rosanne Cash, David Johanssan, Billy Joel, Peter Wolf, Johnny Winter, Johnnie Johnson, Marc Cohn, Rachael Yamagata, Howard Tate, Al Kooper, Polygraph Lounge and Mott the Hoople legend Ian Hunter. John can also be seen and heard with his critically acclaimed band, The Contes. www.johncontebass.com

Rich Pagano (Vocals/Drums) -

A lead-singing drummer, Rich is one of the busiest musicians in NY. He’s kept equally busy running his production studio, New Calcutta Recordings NYC, writing and performing. As a producer, his work has earned him recognition and honors from publications including Billboard Magazine and the Village Voice. As a musician, he has also recorded or performed with Marry Me Jane, Patti Smith, John Mellencamp, Robbie Robertson, Freedy Johnston, Willie Nile, Joan Osborne, Mott the Hoople legend Ian Hunter, Ray Davies, Steven Tyler, The Fab Faux and Dolly Parton. www.richpagano.com

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Photos by Christine Gatti