Northeast Country Coalition Presents: “Originals Only” - A night for the workers in song, showcasing the best of emerging original Americana music, featuring:

RENE LOPEZ is a Bronx-born singer-songwriter whose music walks the gritty line between truth and myth, blending Americana,Latin rhythms, Outlaw Country and rock & roll into something unmistakably his own. Raised in a New York steeped in musical legacy—his father, René López Sr., was a trumpet player with Ray Barretto and Tipica ’73—Lopez inherited a love of rhythm and melody that pulses through everything he creates. But Rene’s path has never been about simply preserving tradition. Instead, he builds from it—fusing the old-school with street-corner honesty, genre-bending grooves, and emotionally raw storytelling. Over the years, Lopez has been called a “one-man song factory” (NPR’s Alt.Latino) and hailed for his ability to channel everything from bolero and cha-cha to funk, folk, and doo-wop. But what makes his current work resonate so deeply is his refusal to hide—behind personas, behind polish, behind the past. Whether singing over timbales and Cuban tres or confessing his struggles on a dusty Americana backbeat, Rene Lopez is chasing something real.

ALEXANDRA JAMES is a genre-bending singer-songwriter grown in California and based in Brooklyn. Equal parts outlaw country and folk lullaby, with an education in jazz music, she is a unique blend of sound and influence. First and foremost she is a storyteller, using her quietly powerful voice to deliver raw and personal lyrics. She and her band, the Danger Boys, deliver an energetic set of original music full of emotional depth, toe-tapping grooves, and lush vocal harmony.

PLEASURE HORSE is a rollicking Cosmicana-Country band based out of Minneapolis. Their style feels like a cross between the dusty road ballads of Townes Van Zandt and the rock-infused Americana of Tom Petty, creating a blend that's both nostalgic and relevant. “Pleasure Horse offers just a little of just about everything you’ve ever loved about country music: beer-soaked heartbreak and twang, a little Tex-Mex and a little rock and roll.” ~Dave Hoenack of Hymie’s Vintage Records