Love + passion = Ippy's music project /by Yvonne Lardizabal / MG StaffFriday November 07, 2008, 2:00 PM> Ippy and The Project, a rock/ bluegrass/ folk band that performs in the Morristown area.Mix a lifelong passion for music with the inspiring force of love, throw in some rock 'n roll, and you'll get the recipe that makes Ippy and The Project one of Morristown's most original musical acts.Paul Ippolito and his wife, Linda, are the nucleus of the band, along with fellow musicians Simon Burke, Robin Badders and Dave D'Alessio. Rounding out the lineup, and helping out in the studio and at live performances, are James Presler, Ron Zito, Dee Cannizzaro, Baron Raymonde and Tom Storms.All of the group's members contribute to create a unique rock/ country blues/ bluegrass/ folk sound.Paul Ippolito, the band's co-founder, lead vocalist and guitarist -- or "Ippy," as he's been called since childhood -- grew up in Caldwell with his mother and brother after his parents separated when he was 5. Ippy credits his family with encouraging and igniting his love of music.<"When I was growing up, times would get hard and our TV would either break or wasn't working, so Mom would put on the A.M. radio and we'd listen to a lot of rock 'n roll," Ippy said.The Beatles, Allman Brothers, Jackson Five, Chuck Berry and Elvis would be the first of many musicians to inspire him, but above all others his favorite was and still is the Rolling Stones."I just love their sound," Ippy said. "They were more American rock 'n roll than some American bands!"When Ippy was 8, his mother, Thelma, gave him an Emerson organ that he taught himself to play, and his brother, Brian, gave him his first guitar at 12 that he also learned on his own.At 14, Ippy started his first band -- which had no name -- where he played guitar, a friend played drums and another friend played trumpet. In high school, Ippy was in "Silver Train," where he and his bandmates would roll their instruments and equipment in shopping carts to friends' houses (while parents were out) to perform at parties. Their first paid gig was at the Shady Rest, in the Singac section of Little Falls, a bar that is now long gone.Ippy went on to be in the bands "Wishful Thinking," "Sequel" and "Group Therapy." Ippy also played with the Rolling Stones tribute bands "Rolling Thunder" and "Tumbling Dice." Often Ippy would play in multiple bands in the same time period.In early 1990, while Ippy was playing a show with the group "Group Therapy," he met and fell in love with a girl from Essex Fells named Linda. She was a classically trained violinist and fiddler (in grammar school she won the New Jersey State Orchestra Competition for first chair violinists). On Valentine's Day of 1993, the pair got married.Following their wedding, Ippy decided to put his wife and plans for a family first and he went back to school at Morris County College to complete his degree in horticulture."I wanted to do the right thing," Mr. Ippolito said. "I had to get ready to take care of my wife and be a good husband, you know?"But the pair's shared love of music couldn't be ignored. Linda pushed Paul to return to making and performing music. "Music brought us together and I knew it would keep us together," Mrs. Ippolito said.Paul began to finds ways to incorporate Linda's fiddle playing into his rock 'n roll and began writing songs for his wife to sing duet-style."We started playing cover songs at Open Mics and things like that," Mrs. Ippolito said. "But, eventually we decided we wanted to play our own music together."And in 2000, Ippy and The Project was born. The Ippolitos already had a home recording system and all the necessary instruments. The couple are the core of the group, but over time musician friends have joined them, giving the group a work in progress, or "Project," feel."Everyone involved is part of the 'Project Family' -- one way or another all these people have come to contribute something unique to the group," Ippy said.The group fuses all the different genres of American rock 'n roll: rock, country blues, bluegrass, folk and pop, to make their original unique sound. Occasionally they do perform some carefully selected cover songs.The band's first release, an EP called "Pocketful of Singles," was played on the radio and one of the songs, "One Foot In Front of The Other," was featured on WDHA-FM's "Home Grown Spotlight" show..Last year they released their first full-length CD, "Come On Down," which they celebrated by holding a release party at the recently closed Cafe Arabica in Morristown. They have performed at the Autumn Light Festival in West Milford, Pocono's Arts Council's Visual and Performing Arts Festival in Stroudsburg, Pa., and the Roseland County Fair, and were featured in The Folk Project's "Horses Sing None of It" television program.Ippy and The Project is currently booked to perform monthly at the Dublin Pub in Morristown and various venues throughout the tri-state area.What does the future hold for Ippy and The Project?"We're gonna keep doing what we're doing -- offer a wide palette of rock music with something for everyone," Ippy said. "I'm doing what I love with who I love. . . What else could I ask for?"Yvonne Lardizabal is a nightlife correspondent for MG. She may be reached at morristowngreen@gmail.com or (973) 392-1730.MEET THE BANDDAVE D'ALESSIO -- drums-Age: 52;Hometown: Little Falls;Current residence: Rockaway;Occupation: Owner of Dave's Snacks, snack products distributor.Musical influences: Elvin Jones, Kenny Arnoff, Charlie Watts, Allman Brothers, all the big rock bands LINDA IPPOLITO -- lead vocals/ fiddle;Age: 42;Hometown: Essex Fells.Current residence: Boonton.Occupation: Medical Underwiter.Musical influences: Fleetwood Mac, Linda Rondstat, Shannon McNally, Neil Young, Lucinda Williams, Bonnie Raitt, classical music. PAUL IPPOLITO -- vocals/ lead guitar Nickname: Ippy, "from my last name Ippolito, it has been my recognized name (infamously since I was 7 years old)"Age: 48 Hometown: Caldwell; Current residence: Boonton. Occupation: Gardener for the Morris County Park Commission at Frelinghuysen Arboretum in Morristown. Musical influences: 1960s AM radio, Rolling Stones, Chuck Berry, Otis Redding, Carole King, Elvis, Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Howlin' Wolf, Johnny Winter, Mick Taylor, various folk, country blues and rock bands. ROBIN BADDERS -- harmony/ vocals/ rhythm guitar Age: 47; Hometown: Livingston. Current residence: Hackettstown. Occupation: Executive Secretary. Musical influences: Led Zepplin, Carly Simon, Live SIMON BURKE -- bass guitar; Age: 49; Hometown: South coast of England, U.K.Current residence: Budd Lake, N.J. Occupation: Computer systems analyst. Musical influences: Blues of the 50s and 60s, classic rock of the 70s and 80s, current indie bands. IPPY'S UPCOMING GIGS ...Sat., Nov. 22: Dublin Pub, MorristownSat., Dec 20: Dublin Pub, Morristown, Sat.,Jan.3,2009., Sat.,Feb.7,2009:Dublin Pub,Morristown IPPY ON THE WEB ...www.myspace.com/ippyandtheproject

July 20 2008 Band on the run by Ellen S. Wilkowe Daily Record For years he assumed the identities of Brian Jones, Mick Taylor and Ronnie Wood in Rolling Stones tribute bands. Role playing behind him, Paul Ippolito of Boonton now stars as himself in the musical venture Ippy and the Project. "When I heard my song on WDHA going into a Stones' rehearsal, I knew it was what was to come," he said during an interview from a blues festival in West Virginia. "It was time to dislodge the band and do more than covers." All made possible by his near-and-dear co-star and wife, Linda. While known to play a mean fiddle, Linda Ippolito is no second fiddle to the Project as vocalist and, of course, soul mate. Broadcast on WDHA's "Homegrown Spotlight," the song "One Foot in Front of the Other" appeared on Paul and Linda's first CD, "Pocketful of Singles," released several years ago. Their latest CD, "Come on Down," is a country, blues and rock collaboration between husband, wife and the "extended Project family" including but not limited to fellow musicians Robin Badders, Simon Burke and Dave D'Alessio. Since last year, the full Project has been making the rounds at local venues such as Dexter's in Riverdale, Café Arabica in Morristown, Krogh's Sparta, Crossroads in Garwood and the Stanhope House, now closed. This, in addition to touring the Southern circuit and the couple's annual pilgrimage to Blues Week at the Augusta Heritage Center of Davis and Elkins College in Elkins, W.Va. "I was just bitten by the blues bug," Paul said. The blues festival allows Paul and Linda to network with other like-minded musicians, participate in workshops and make their musical mark performing in Southern venues. Back home on Aug. 2, they will add the Dublin Pub in Morristown to their club resume. The show had such special meaning that Ippy turned down a same-day conflicting gig at the New Jersey State Fair and Sussex County Farm and Horse Show. Since blues legend B.B. King is playing the nearby Community Theatre that same night, Paul Ippolito hopes the popular pub will lend itself to the crowds that often flock there post-show. Family in tow, Mike Wilson of Denville is one such fan who has penciled Aug. 2 into his calendar. A longtime colleague and classmate of Ippolito -- both attended County College of Morris for horticulture -- Wilson first saw his friend perform back in his Rolling Stone days with the band Tumbling Dice. "He's a great musician and has really changed this focus to more traditional American type of music," Wilson said. "He calls it Americana, I call it folksy and bluegrassy." The Project recently performed at one of Wilson's parties, right alongside 20 to 30 other musicians. "Get more than 20 musicians together and tell them to have a good time," he said. As for Paul and Linda's marital project, the lifelong musicians grew up two towns apart in Essex County and met at one of Paul's gigs in Bloomfield. "Music brought Paul and I together," Linda said. Paul butted in: '' she is very cute, too." The couple abide by the philosophy "music first, music second, everything else next." That everything else includes day jobs -- Paul works as a plants man at the Frelinghuysen Arboretum in Morris Township and Linda as a medical underwriter. The day jobs afford them the music-first lifestyle, including the long-distance tours. They struck a love chord, released their first CD, "Pocketful of Singles," and now the music makes the marriage and the marriage makes the music. Together they share an instrument cache of five. "I prefer the hand-held acoustic instruments like the fiddle, banjo and harmonica," said Linda, a self-professed blues fan who draws her influences from Bonnie Raitt, Linda Ronstadt and Shannon McNally. With Paul as the primary songwriter and occasional lyric collaborations with Linda, the pair take turns at the vocal helm or combine talents in melodic harmonies. Paul draws his writing material from life experienced or life witnessed. This is evidenced in "Pocketful of Singles," the title track of their first CD, released by Paul and Linda as strictly a duo in 2004. "It's about a guy or a girl going to a show and when they pick up their coat they find a piece of paper there with a message, apparent lyrics to a song in the works: 'I've got nothing left to give. I love life enough to live.'" Paul envisioned a musician playing in the street for change and a passer-by reaching into his coat for change and realizing he has none to spare, except the piece of paper containing the lyrics. "'I've got nothing left to jingle, but a pocket full of singles.' He passes on the music. There are three sagas going on here. That's just one of them." The couple's affection for West Virginia-influenced blues comes through loud and clear on track three, "Tasty Treat Blues." Linda delivers a dead-on performance mirroring a scorned woman waiting for her philandering mate to return. "The singing is what makes it," said drummer Dave D'Alessio of Rockaway. "We've got good players and good music." D'Alessio joined the Project a year ago after responding to an ad for a drummer. They got not only a drummer, but a big barn to rehearse in as well. "Ippy and I hit it off right away," he said. A man from many bands ranging from classic and country rock to blues and jazz, D'Alessio called the Project "a nice change of pace." Released in late 2007, the "Come on Down," CD features an instrumental buffet of saxophone, piano, slide and electric guitars, tambourines, kazoo and handclaps. "We record with different people than play live," Paul said. Studio project members include Baron Raymonde, Dave Flora, Tom Storms, Monica Smith, plus James Pesler, Ron Zito and Dee Cannizzaro. Not a credit is spared, right down to the album's dedication to Paul's dad, Benjamin Ippolito, and Linda's father, John V. McHugh, who passed away last Sept. 11. "He was a very special man," she said. "He always said, 'Make sure you do what you want in life.' So I followed Dad's advice." While the music escaped Paul's dad, he "admired my ambition," he said. As his main musical influence, Paul credited his mom. "She sang to me as a kid, and we always had a flood of music from AM radio," he said. Nostalgic for AM radio, Ippolito has yet to jump on the iPod bandwagon and instead holds fast to his CD player. With the Project, however, he hopes to evolve in other ways. Copyright © 2008

Originally featured in Al Muzer's'QUICK CUTS' (ECR-22)Arts Weekly, September 29,2004. I remember Linda and I going into NYC to check out one of our favorite singer/songwriters for my birthday at The Living Room,and this review came out that day,and we read it on the way in on the train.Between then and now,it seems like a life time.This review turned up,so we thought some of you might like to see it.Needless to say,knowing Al Muzer from reading his columns over the years,..getting a nice review from him was rewarding and felt well deserved after all the work going into our first EP/CD.He was famous for seperating the Good,from the Bad and Ugly. Read on. IPPY & THE PROJECT/POCKETFUL OF SINGLES/CD5The husband and wife duo of Paul and Linda Ippolito's genre-jumping EP kicks off with a simple,simplistic,irresistibly bubbly '80s-pop homage to The Rascals'It's A Beautiful Morning' on the XTC-like "One Foot In Front Of The Other',shot-guns a bit of late-'60s album rock on the 'Deadly-soulful and (Grand)funky 'Sunshower',mines The Beatles,BTO,Spirit,and Frijid Pink on the frenzied,Les Claypool-ish 'Flesh and Blood',and closes with a vivid,Ben Folds-plays the Hyatt-Happy-Hour piano ballad.All great songs,all sung by husband/guitarist Paul. In addition to James Pesler's spot on drumming and Ron Zito's outstanding bass and keyboard contributions,special note must be made of the weary,spiritually beaten,end-of-her-rope reading Linda gives the regret-ridden,musically stirring 'Falling Down.' A guilt-fueled,backwards cheatin'heartache song driven by a loose-riffed twang,an immediate hook,tinkling honky-tonk piano,and a soulful violin break---- this hidden gem is an Alt Country hit, waiting for the right NO DEPRESSION editor to discover it. Al Muzer has written it down for readers of:Country Music Live,CDNow,The Music Paper,Live Wire,Juice,Music .com,Aol's HUB,All-Star Magazine,Hit Sensations,The Musicians Exchange,Consumable OnLine,The Aquarian Weekly and The East Coast Rocker.

Local band will move your soul(by Kathryn Davis - January 28, 2008)Getting the band back together-Simon Burke from Budd Lake on guitar and Dave D'Allessio, Rockaway on drums, Robin Badders from Hackettstown and Paul and Linda Ippolito of Boonton make up Ippy and the Project If there's an audience out there looking for some loud head-banging punk music, then don't go to the Stanhope House on January 27. All you'll find there is some good old-fashioned rock and roll, the kind that's been inspired by some of the greats; The Rolling Stones, The Allman Brothers, and Chuck Berry, to name a few.In 2001, Paul and Linda Ippolito formed Ippy and the Project, creating a sound so versatile, it would win the hearts of rock, folk, and blues fans alike. The band has performed in rock clubs, coffeehouses, and at festivals, gathering a loyal following wherever they go. When they started, it was just Paul and Linda. Paul had been playing music all his life, starting with a small Emerson organ when he was eight and adding the guitar by the time he was twelve. His early passion for music began after he snuck into a midnight show at the age of twelve to see the 1970 documentary film, "Gimme Shelter", which chronicled the Rolling Stones 1969 US tour. After that, he was hooked. He continued to evolve as a musician, playing with cover bands; bands that included one which landed him on a stage on Bourbon Street in New Orleans during the 1981 Mardi Gras.Linda, on the other hand, comes from a more classical past. Starting violin at the age of nine, she eventually found herself playing first chair, and winning the New Jersey State Orchestra's concertmistress chair competition. When the two met in 1990, it was like something Hollywood dreamed up. Discovering their mutual interest in music, they decided to get together for a duet. Linda surprised Paul by playing her alma mater, "Ode to Joy", and they discovered they made beautiful music together in more ways than one. They were married on Valentine's Day in 1993.The two played with different musicians over the years, individuals who are now pursuing their own musical careers, but still keep in touch. In 2001, the decision was made to put together a group. Paul explains, "We wanted to take it on the road, and you want to take it out with the people you went into the studio with. The other guys weren't available to take it on the road." Paul also proudly talks about his circle of friends, all of whom are musicians. "Some of my friends are out touring five nights a week."The band's newest members include Simon Burke on guitar and Dave D'Allessio on drums. Burke had performed around the world, and was playing with various cover bands since coming to the US a couple of years ago. When he auditioned for The Project, he knew he had found the creative outlet he was looking for. D'Allessio has been playing the drums for a long time, and recalls performing at the Stanhope House in the early 80's with a jazz band.The band's other newest member is almost like an old member really. Robin Badders remembers playing in more than one band with Paul back in the 80's and into the 90's. They lost touch until running into each other coincidentally last May. When he asked her about joining The Project, she realized she'd been missing the music, and the timing was perfect. "It's like coming home," Badders says. "We have the same style."Paul is very happy with two female artists in the group. "Linda and Robin sound great together…the two-part harmonies. And I've always rooted for the girls. It adds so much. There's so much more you can do with a mixed gender band."It's true. Their diverse songs and style have made the band appealing to a larger audience. Paul writes most of the songs. He credits wife, Linda, with some of the songs, however."It just comes in, you know, the antennae in my head. Anything I've heard, things growing up, I'll write on napkins, whatever; like coming back from the city, I'll write on the back of the Village Voice," Paul says of the writing process.Each of the band members compliments the other, both verbally and in terms of the music. Having so many talented people working together creates rich vocals and a soulful appeal that engages fans of all ages.In talking about the surprising reactions they've gotten from the younger crowd, Paul says, "Kids are reacting real well. At the end of a set, they'll come up and say, 'wow, that was great'. They kind of look at us the way we look at people from the past, people we looked up to, our influences. Some of them are out there doing it too (playing music). It's neat to see. I think it's kind of our responsibility to pass it down, blues, rock, all that stuff we grew up with."The band has been busy since releasing their new CD, "Come on Down". Their website, www.myspace.com/ippyandtheproject is an excellent source of information for their fans. It contains news, photos, music samplers, and more.When Paul talks about the music, his passion is contagious. "If you can share it with other people, it's very spiritual," he explains. Those who come to the Stanhope House on January 27 may very well find that music does indeed move the soul. In fact, it rocks.

by Tim Louie north jersey notesIPPY AND THEPROJECT—(originally featured in North Jersey Notes /June 6,2007)Morristown, NJI recently went through some of the packages that were sent to me at The Aquarian and I stumbled across one that caught my eye from Paul and Linda Ippolito.The handwritten letter said that they were avid readers of my column,North Jersey Notes, and they wanted to see if I would review their band Ippy and The Project's debut Pocketful Of Singles. So, I entertained the thought,not knowing what to expect since I do have to keep an open mind to all genres when writing this column even though my passion is hard rock.I have to say that I fell in love with thisCD! Listening to the songs just gave me a warm feeling inside. It just had that classic rock sound! You know, like it was recorded in mono and what not. Songs like "Falling Down," which is sung by Linda Ippolito, had more of a folkrock/country feel a la June Carter, but it made you feel like you were driving countryside through stalks of corn.That's what I mean by warm feeling. It kind of took me back to my childhood.Speaking of nostalgia, the main riffs in "Flesh And Blood" and "Sunshower"were so trippy that they really brought you back to that '70s Woodstock rock era. And you can call me crazy, but the lead track on the CD, "One Foot In Front Of The Other,"almost reminded me of "Sunshine Day"from The Brady Bunch.Ippy and The Project also proved their music to be very diverse with an"Imagine"-esque sounding ballad called"Pocketful Of Singles." Nevertheless, I thoroughly enjoyed this CD. It was different than everything else that I've been listening to lately, not to mention refreshing.Linda and Paul Ippolito formed Ippy and The Project back in 2001. After playing the club scene for years in and out of original and cover bands, the husband and wife duo decided to put some of their own writings on tape.Mind you, Linda and Paul come from two ends of the music spectrum.Paul was a self taught guitar player who picked up knowledge of other musical instruments along his travels and Linda was a first chair violin player and concert mistress for the New Jersey State Orchestra.Between the two of them, they can cover most instruments, but they enlisted a few of their friends to take part in Ippy and The Project so that they could have a full band to record their debut EP 'Pocketful Of Singles. Joining Linda and Paul are bassist/keyboardist Ron Zito and drummer James Pesler, both of whom are well-known studio musicians ,as well as club circuit veterans.Working as an electric band, acoustic,duo, trio or full lineup, Ippy and The Project are ready for any venue.They've been playing clubs, coffeehouses and festivals,and touring to get their name out there.Since the recording of Pocketful Of Singles,the band has expanded in the studio, on their brand new full length cd 'Come On Down',.. adding keyboardist Dee Cannizarro, saxophonist Baron Raymonde,and special appearences by bassist Tom Storms, and acoustic guitarist Dave Flora. If you want more info on Ippy and TheProject or want to hear what I'm talking about, you can log on to myspace.com/ippyandtheproject NORTH JERSEYNOTES

Hey folks,just a quick note to say we had a great cd release party for our new disc 'Come On Down' at Cafe Arabica last night in Morristown.The people came out and made the show of course.Had some great on the spot made coffee,and played  2 sets to a great bunch of people,and made some new friends too.

We would like to say our night was a success,saw some great new friends,old friends we haven't seen in many years,and  they were all still beautiful!Nice to see all of you who came out,and have a great weekend from Dave /drums;Robin/guitar/harmony/vocals;Simon/bass guitar;Paul/lead guitar and vocals;Linda /lead and backup vocals/fiddle.

We had a great time at Carl Worner and Bob Mackays morning show'Anything Goes' at HomegrownRadioNJ in Blairstown  www.Homegrownradionj.com  Great studio here ,with a lot of vintage records,yes old records,and posters,and all kinds of stuff. These guys were a lot of fun,it was early,. so the jokes and coffee were brewing.Bob started with us,and Carl had the bulk of the show,(which I believe is his own segment primarily) which included a playing of chosen cuts from our debut EP'Pocketful Of Singles', and our new cd 'Come On Down'...an on going Q&A session interview,and a 'live unplugged session' that we performed to a live Internet audience,all over the course of 2 hours,..that was  broadcast around the world.The whole band was there ,and this was their morning shows first broadcast of a whole band.They usally have done singles,and duo's.We were very grateful for the opportunity,and it was very interesting exchanging ideas,and musical viewpoints,and what influences us,etc. We got some early reviews that it was good,so we will be looking forward to the Podcast which will be available for download and listening in the near future for those of you who couldn't get to hear it at the time.Tune in to the station ,again www.Homegrownradionj.com,and enjoy the freedom and expression of Intenet radio! Cheers..Ippy and The Project

Hey folks,just got the word that Ippy and The Project will be featured im Tim Louie's column in the Aquarian Music Paper for the week starting June 6th.Pretty excited about this,we've been reading his reviews for a long time now.Tim does a great job handling local artists,and getting the word out.I think the paper and his column can be viewed on-line as well.More on this as we get closer.Nice to get some support from writer's as always,just that this paper has been great to us.Yours in music,L and P

We finished  our  second cd 'Come On Down' at ClearCut Recording  in Garfield,NJ.Actually,it has been finished for a little while now.At the outset,it was a huge project for us,and it was hard work,as anybody knows,we never saw the finish line in sight.It really feels good to accomplish something,and the learning never stops.To be able to do this is something we would dream about as kids.What a journey. We are so happy about the direction, and the sound ,and grateful to all the great players,and special guests we had on this recording.We do have a limited  special edition of cd's available in the interim,until we get the motherload. Time to go out and play!Rocking on you music folks!