Musical Artists 'Breakout' in New Series at Arts Center

The new Breakout Artist Series at the Westhampton Beach Performing Arts Center is about to hit high gear with three concerts planned from March through May.

The series, which is a joint effort by the arts center and WEHM, 96.9 FM and 92.9 FM, will feature “up and coming artists,” according to Frank Russell, director of production for the arts center.

Performers in the series are Scars on 45, who will appear on March 26; Brett Dennen, who will play on April 17; and Jackie Greene, who will take the stage on May 8.

Russell said, the Breakout Series aims to present performers who are accomplished and have established themselves, but haven’t started playing the stadium set.

“We’re trying to find performers that are worth seeing and will be around for a long time,” Russell said.

The series is also, said Clare Bisceglia, executive director of the arts center, designed to appeal to people in their twenties and thirties. Held during the “off-season,” she said, the series is another way that the arts center is providing diverse programming for the community throughout the year.

In addition, all of the acts in the Breakout Series have new releases that they are promoting so listeners will be introduced to brand new music, explained Harry Wareing, music director for WEHM.

By teaming up, WEHM and WHBPAC will provide a unique formula to get to know performers, Wareing said.

Each concert will begin with artist interviews and airtime for the recordings made by the performers, said Wareing.

The excitement will then continue with live broadcasts at the arts center before the show.

 “Our desire is that we want to be at the PAC,” Wareing said. “It makes for better radio and makes it more personal.”

Scars on 45 features male and female lead vocalists Danny Bemrose and Aimee Driver. Their sound has been compared to Coldplay and Fleetwood Mac, according to a arts center release.

From Great Britain, Scars on 45 is currently touring the United States and their first recording, Give Me Something, was released in January. The four-song CD serves as an advance to an upcoming full-length recording, according to a Chop Shop Records release.

Their song, Beauty’s Running Wild, was included in a CSI: New York television episode.

Meanwhile, Brett Dennen, who hails from California, is set to release his fourth recording, Loverboy, on April 12, according to his website.

His tour launches in May to promote the recording with venues booked in major cities on both coasts.

And Jackie Greene recently released his fifth recording, Till The Light Comes, according to his website.

His music is marked by “breathtaking melody and poetic lyricism” rendered in a “smoky voice,” read Greene’s biography, which also stated that his music has a “stream-of-consciousness vibe” that captures his life and experiences as a touring musician who’s devoted to his music.

Tickets, according to Russell, are priced to be affordable. Prices range from $20 to $25.