A Journey Through the History of Blues and Rock
Steve Katz, blues aficionado and a founding member of both Blues Project and Blood, Sweat & Tears, will perform in an online concert hosted by Dewey Hall in Sheffield, Mass. on Saturday, Feb. 13. 
Photo by Debra A. Aleksinas​

A Journey Through the History of Blues and Rock

Steve Katz is probably most famous as a founding member of the 1960s/1970s mega group Blood Sweat & Tears. He’s not unwilling to share stories about those wild years as a rock and roll superstar — he does so ably in his autobiography, “Blood, Sweat and My Rock ’n’ Roll Years,” published in 2015.

But what he’s actually more interested in talking about is his earlier years as a (very) young musician in New York City’s Greenwich Village, when a new kid in town, Bob Dylan, was couch surfing and making a name for himself, and when Katz was learning from some of the masters of blues and folk music.

Katz has lived quietly in Kent, Conn., for many years now. He doesn’t stride around town in leathers and rock star jewelry; he’s a fairly low-key guy of a certain age, perhaps most famous in the area as the supportive husband of Alison Palmer, who is sort of a rock star herself in the local community of ceramic artists.

Katz will occasionally do concerts and shows in the Tri-state region, and he has one coming up on Saturday, Feb. 13, 7 p.m. on Zoom hosted by Dewey Hall in Sheffield, Mass. Admission to the online show is free, but donations are requested; Dewey Hall, like most entertainment venues, is struggling through the COVID-19 quarantine. 

There will most likely be a smattering of Blood, Sweat & Tears lore, and perhaps a song or two that Katz wrote and performed with the band. He will probably talk a bit about his first band, the respected Blues Project. He might talk a bit about his days as a music producer for some of the most important names of the 20th century, including Lou Reed.

But mostly his shows are an intimate combination of stories and a timeline of American popular music, from the blues to classic rock. 

To read more about Steve Katz and hear a sample of his music, go to https://stevekatzmusic.wordpress.com/about. To sign up for the Zoom concert, go to www.deweyhall.org.

Latest News

East Canaan's CowPots to face the 'Sharks'

Amanda Freund of East Canaan will appear on the television show "Shark Tank" on April 4 to pitch CowPots.

Photo by Ruth Epstein

CANAAN — Fans of the television show “Shark Tank,” stay tuned. On Friday, April 4, Amanda Freund of East Canaan will be facing the panel, imploring members to invest in her unique product: cow poop.

Freund and her father Matthew Freund produce and market CowPots, which are made from the abundance of manure found on their dairy farm. Matthew Freund, realizing cows were producing more manure — 100 pounds per cow per day — than was needed for fertilizing fields for crops, came up with the concept of the pots. Years of trial-and-error experimentation finally resulted in success. In 2006 he began selling the biodegradable pots using 100% composted manure to local stores. Now the pots can be found in outlets across the country, as well as internationally.

Keep ReadingShow less
Hotchkiss lacrosse ices Kingswood Oxford 19-0

LAKEVILLE — The Hotchkiss School opened the girls varsity lacrosse season with a big win in the snow against Kingswood Oxford School.

The Bearcats won 19-0 in a decisive performance March 26. Twelve different players scored for Hotchkiss, led by Coco Sheronas with four goals.

Keep ReadingShow less
HVRHS releases second quarter honor roll

FALLS VILLAGE — Principal Ian Strever announces the second quarter marking period Honor Roll at Housatonic Valley Regional High School for the 2024-2025 school year.

Highest Honor Roll

Grade 9: Parker Beach (Cornwall), Mia Belter (Salisbury), Lucas Bryant (Cornwall), Addison Green (Kent), Eliana Lang (Salisbury), Alison McCarron (Kent), Katherine Money (Kent), Mira Norbet (Sharon), Abigail Perotti (North Canaan), Karmela Quinion (North Canaan), Owen Schnepf (Wassaic), Federico Vargas Tobon (Salisbury), Emery Wisell (Kent).

Keep ReadingShow less
Thomas Ditto

ANCRAMDALE — Thomas Ditto of Ancramdale, born Thomas David DeWitt Aug. 11, 1944 in New York City changing his surname to Ditto at marriage, passed peacefully on Pi Day, March 14, 2025. He was a husband, father, artist, scientist, Shakespeare scholar, visionary, inventor, actor, mime, filmmaker, clown, teacher, lecturer, colleague, and friend. Recipient of numerous grants, awards and honors in both the arts and sciences, a Guggenheim and NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts fellow, he was a creative genius beyond his time. In addition to authoring scores of papers, he held several patents and invented the first motion capture system and the Ditto-scope, a radically new kind of telescope. He was a pioneer in computer generated video, film, and performance.

When not hard at work, he was always there to help when needed and he knew how to bring smiles to faces. He loved his family and pets and was supportive of his wife’s cat rescue work.

Keep ReadingShow less