Singer-songwriters ‘break the fourth wall’ at Down County Social Club

Left-to-right, musicians Gail Ann Dorsey, Séamus Maynard and Natalia Zukerman in-the-round at Race Brook Lodge.
Alec Linden
Left-to-right, musicians Gail Ann Dorsey, Séamus Maynard and Natalia Zukerman in-the-round at Race Brook Lodge.
Singer-songwriters Natalia Zukerman, Gail Ann Dorsey, and Séamus Maynard conjured “the conversational nature of reality” at a free-flowing performance for the Race Brook Lodge’s Down County Social Club on the evening of Thursday, May 8. The trio traded tunes for about an hour and a half, allowing the music to develop in dialogue with each other, the audience, and even an exploding amplifier.
Alex Harvey, who curates the speakeasy-style shows of the DCSC, offered the above words while introducing the three musicians. The ethos of the DCSC is to “break down the barrier” between the artists and audience; to make it “hard to hold up a fourth wall even if they wanted to.”
A mid-show equipment meltdown ensured this, requiring the musicians to go unplugged for the remainder of the night. Amplified or acoustic, though, the artists needed no assistance in cultivating a deeply conversational atmosphere that complemented the warm, rustic interior of the Lodge’s Pine Grove Porch.
Harvey said he was thrilled when Zukerman pitched the idea. “The caliber Natalia was talking about is mind-blowing,” he said during his introduction.
Zukerman was joined by Dorsey, a world-renowned bassist who was a core member of David Bowie’s band from 1995-2004 and has recorded and toured with other giants such as Tears for Fears, Lenny Kravitz and the National, and Maynard, a singer and virtuosic guitarist who Zukerman said “blew [her] mind” after finding him through Craryville, New York community market and performance venue, Random Harvest.
Zukerman, who is also the cartoonist and Compass editor for this newspaper, a role she took after full-time touring for over 15 years, said in an interview a few days after the show that she loves the “in the round” style format that structured the performance. Each musician played a song, back to back to back, sometimes improvising accompaniment over each other’s music.
“I just think singer-songwriters lend themselves to that,” she said. “You get to really broaden beyond yourself.”
The chemistry between the three artists was palpable, though they had never shared a stage prior to Thursday evening. Early in the set, a theme of struggle and mental health developed, with Zukerman reminding the room that May is Mental Health Awareness Month. Zukerman sang a song called Widow’s Walk about committing a friend to an mental healthcare center (“I’m just waiting for you on this widow’s walk,” went the refrain), which Maynard followed with a minor key, Bert Jansch-informed fingerpicked guitar pattern with a turbulent chorus (“Once more into the fray go I/ no flame of hell ever held a candle to the light”).
Dorsey answered with a “lullaby” to loved ones she had lost to suicide, with her clear, soaring voice carrying a spectral guitar melody, assuring them of “an army of compassion on your side.”
After the show went acoustic, the tone changed and collaboration ensued, at one point involving all three with Zukerman contributing wilting slide guitar accompaniment and Dorsey adding some rhythmic plucking over Maynard’s lively fingerpicking.
The remainder of the session was characterized by a dynamic cadence between Zukerman’s complex guitar and layered storytelling (often accentuated with a dry wit), Maynard’s explosive yet deeply controlled playing and dense songwriting, and Dorsey’s powerful voice and gentle folk melodies.
Zukerman said she’s hopeful that the format will become a series in the future, but may have to take the show elsewhere as the Race Brook Lodge will be closing at the end of the year. Owner Casey Rothstein-Fitzpatrick assured that the Lodge’s cultural programming will remain robust through November, but will wrap up after that.
And how does Zukerman manage to organize shows and play music while working as a full-time editor and creator at the Lakeville Journal (not to mention the many additional roles she holds in other cultural institutions)? It’s all about loving what you do, she said.
“At the end of the day, I spend my time playing music, writing, teaching, drawing, talking to brilliant people,” she said. “I feel incredibly privileged to get to do what I do.”
SALISBURY — Joseph Robert Meehan the 2nd,photographer, college professor and nearly 50 year resident of Salisbury, passed away peacefully at Noble Horizon on June 17, 2025. He was 83.
He was the son of Joseph Meehan the 1st and his mother, Anna Burawa of Levittown, New York, and sister Joanne, of Montgomery, New York.
He is predeceased by his wife, Elsie Lynn Meehan who passed away in November of 2023.
He leaves behind a son, Joseph Cortese, of Upton Massachusetts, his wife Mary and grandchildren, Michaela (Cortese)Donabedian, her husband Sevag and his great grandson, Ari, of Hopkinton, Massachusetts.
His grandson, Joseph Cortese, of Barrington, Rhode Island, and his granddaughter, Jaclyn Cortese of Tamworth, New Hampshire.
He also leaves behind his daughter, Kathleen Cortese Zito and husband Dominic, their three children, Michael, Alessandra, and Mathew Zito of Broomall, Pennsylvania.
After teachingpsychology at Dutchess Community College in Poughkeepsie, starting in 1968, his40-year career in photography started in the mid to late 70’s and has included assignment work for a wide variety of commercial and editorial publications. Over a thousand of his photographs have appeared in newspapers, books, magazines and on web sites for clients such as Nikon, and Hasselblad cameras, SanDisk memory cards, Tiffen Filters, Fujifilm, Eastman Kodak, the U.S. Army, National Geographic, the Smithsonian Museum and the U.S. Department of the Interior.
His work ranged from the beauty of the Salisbury areato an expedition photographer for arctic animal studies in the high Canadian Arctic, photographing Inuit hunters in Northern Greenland to landscape work in other extreme locals such as Death Valley, California.
Portfolios of his work have featured in such magazines as Outdoor Photographer, Shutterbug, Rangefinder and Popular Photography and his style has been characterized by the New York Times as “…alive with color and sparkling with light.”
He also served as the technical editor of Photo District News for over a decade, writing about new technologies and products and was the former editor of the Photography Yearbook. He has authored over 20 books on photographic technique many of which have received “best book” awards and have been translated into several languages.
Born in New York City, he was a 1959 graduate of Levittown High School, Levittown, New York.
He received his baccalaureate degree with honors from Columbia and a Master of Arts degree from Manhattan College. He has taught photography on the college level in the U.S., England and at the National Academy of Arts in Taiwan and gave workshops at the Palm Beach Photographic Centre in West Palm Beach, Florida.
His eye always saw the beauty of the Salisbury area through alens and he captured those images in an area that he and his wife Lynn loved.
When they were not on/in and around the lake, he and Lynn didn’t miss any of their grandchildren’s big events.Joe took great pride in photographing all these memorable events.
His beautiful images will always be here for all to appreciate.
Funeral services are under the direction of Newkirk-Palmer funeral home and a graveside service will be held this Friday, June 27, 2025, at 11 a.m. at St. Mary’s Cemetery, 18 Cobble Road, Salisbury, Connecticut.
STANFORDVILLE, New York — It is with profound sadness that we announce the passing of Florence Olive Zutter Murphy, who went home to be with the Lord on June 16, 2025, at the age of 99.
She was born in Sharon, Connecticut on Nov. 20, 1925, and was a long time resident of the Dutchess County area.
She was a devoted mother, loving wife to James Francis Murphy, who passed on Oct. 11, 1971, and a dear friend to many.
Florence, who was also known as Flo, managed a dairy farm for many years on Carpenter Hill Road in Pine Plains, New York. She is remembered for her delicious home cooked meals.
After raising her children she became an avid square dancer, racketball and tennis player. She then discovered her love for bike riding. She enjoyed embarking on bike tours well into her mid 80’s. When Flo wasn’t out riding her bike she could be found taking care of her property. She loved gardening, clearing the woods and building rock walls one stone at a time.
Florence was an amazing woman of great integrity, strength and tenacity. She was adored, respected and greatly loved by her family and those who knew her.
Florence is survived by her seven children — Bonnie June Chase, James Albert Murphy, Donna Sue Strauss, Jackie Lynn Merwin Disher, Glenn William Murphy, Lori Lee Mora and Clint Evan Murphy as well as 16 grand children and 20 great grand children.
She will always be remembered and greatly missed.
The Kenny Funeral Home has care of arrangements.
Chore Service hosted 250 supporters at it’s annual Garden Party fundraiser.
On Saturday, June 21, Mort Klaus, longtime Sharon resident, hosted 250 enthusiastic supporters of Northwest Corner’s beloved nonprofit, Chore Service at his stunning 175-acre property. Chore Service provides essential non-medical support to help older adults and those with disabilities maintain their independence and quality of life in their own homes.
Jane MacLaren, Executive Director, and Dolores Perotti, Board President, personally welcomed arriving attendees. The well-stocked bar and enticing hors d’oeuvres table were popular destinations as the crowd waited for the afternoon’s presentations.
Jane MacLaren, Executive Director of Chore Service, and Mort Klaus, host of the Garden Party eventBob Ellwood
The Garden Party is Chore Service’s only major fundraising event of the year, so it was not only a wonderful social activity, but a vital support mechanism to keep our most vulnerable residents in their homes.
First to present was MacLaren, who underlined the organization’s mission, thanked all caregivers for their important work, and said, with gratitude, to all donors, “Our accomplishments are your accomplishments.”
Ellen Ebbs, a Litchfield resident and Chore client, delivered a powerful and deeply personal testimony, sharing how the organization’s services transformed her life after a serious fall left her “disabled, dependent, and depressed.” Her story resonated with the audience and highlighted the vital impact of Chore’s work.
Priscilla McCord, outgoing Board Chair of Chore Service and Patrick Roy, incoming Chair.Bob Ellwood
Patrick Roy, high-energy incoming Chair of the Board, as well as First Selectman of Roxbury and Chief of its police force, told the crowd of his “Fragile List” — those in the community a step away from losing their independence, and how he ensured that this group was adequately taken care of. Priscillia McCord, outgoing Board Chair after twelve years of unstinting service, asked for donations for Fund the Cause, urgently needed to support the recently-expanded transportation services before funding runs out in September. As Patrick Roy said, “In rural towns like ours, our clients depend on us for basic services — to get to their medical appointments, go grocery shopping, as well as life-enhancing activities like going to the library and getting a weekly lift to visit family and friends.” Both Roy and McCord emphasized the area of greatest current concern — that of an upcoming decrease in federal funding, something we will learn more about in August.
Chore Service supports the towns of Cornwall, Falls Village, Goshen, Kent, Litchfield, Morris, Norfolk, North Canaan, Roxbury, Salisbury/Lakeville, Sharon, Warren, and Washington.
For those interested in accessing services or providing them, please contact Chore Service at (860) 435-9177. To learn more about the organization or to donate, go to www.choreservice.org.
Sally Haver has lived in the Berkshires, on and off, since the mid-’70’s and her horse lives in Amenia.
In a rapidly changing business market James Turk’s new book, “The Giving Game,” is a guide for team members transitioning to mangers. As an executive coach and CEO of The Turk Group — a boutique learning and consulting company — Turk has honed his leadership skill set through years of working in Human Resources at Random House, P&O Nedlloyd and Goldman Sachs, not to mention a stint in the acting world. Ultimately, Turk found his niche was in training and development. Now he services notable clients such as Buzzfeed, Spotify, NYSE, and many more.
At a pivotal moment in Turk’s career, he faced two choices: to push through fear, or to sit in the comfort of stagnancy. In the early stages of Turk’s career his supervisor, the head of HR, needed someone to represent the HR department at a sales conference in Chicago. His supervisor sensed Turk’s hesitancy and laid out a high-level plan, conducting practice sessions to ensure success. Despite being scared, Turk presented.
Through perseverance, Turk learned how to trust someone else with his professional development and “how to work through fear and just show up, in spite of it,” he said.
Through this experience, Turk benefited from the results of the “Giving Game.” Turks supervisor saw an opportunity that would aid in his growth, and in response he dedicated time and resources with a mutually beneficial result.
In this book, Turk provides a guide on how new managers can embody this giving mindset. The beginning of a management position is often the most difficult, so Turk outlines the first stage with the “F45 Playbook.” It is critical to gain clarity of manager responsibilities, complete self-assessments, identify key stakeholders, and meet with team members one on one.
With this foundation, managers can begin to lead with intention, empathy, and to cultivate value.
Data shows that employees’ job satisfaction and engagement are linked to their relationship with their direct supervisor. With this comes the power of influence, especially over the workplace climate. Some critical questions managers need to ask themselves include: do people feel heard, seen, and appreciated? Are expectations clear? Do I know my employees’ individual working/learning styles? Is feedback provided and is it effective? Do people feel safe and accepted to be themselves?
In his book, Turk provides helpful resources to answer these questions, such as the Daniel Goleman emotional intelligence (EQ) model and many more that can be found in the Resources section of the book.
The aim of this book is to be immediately useful, and that it is.
When asked how his book can guide young professionals to be leaders in such uncertain and divided times, Turk responded with:
“In uncertain times, people need steady, honest leadership. The book helps young professionals lead with confidence, even without all the answers. It focuses on building trust, supporting your team, and creating a healthy culture. A giving mindset helps leaders move beyond self-preservation and think about how to lift others up — which is
exactly what teams need right now.”
“The Giving Game” is available for purchase on Amazon or at The Dutchess Trading Company in Millerton.
Olivia Geiger is an MFA student at Western Connecticut State Universiry and a lifelong resident of Lakeville.