posted by
Helen Kelley on October 04, 2011 14:19
Tully resident Edgar Pagan’s love of music first started when the Beatles and Rolling Stones were at the height of popularity.
“I was one kid among many in the neighborhood who became ‘aspiring’ musicians because of those bands and others,” Pagan said. “We would all get together and listen to music.”
Eventually those kids got instruments of their own and taught themselves how to play, leading to many ‘garage bands’ and jam sessions in the neighborhood.
“I frequently listened to my mom singing Latin music and playing old Latin records,” Pagan said. “Eventually I heard Santana and fell in love with the rhythms and guitar. Soon after, a relative gave me a bass guitar, and the rest is history.”
Edgar is now the leader, vocalist, and bass guitarist for Grupo Pagan, a 9-year-old Latin American rock group that performs all over New York .and will headline at VOICES, a fundraising event for the Hiscock Legal Aid Society and Everson Museum of Art that celebrates the act of finding one’s voice, whether through art or legal advocacy.
The event will be held on October 6, 2011 at the Everson Museum of Art, 401 Harrison Street, in Syracuse, from 5:30-8:30p.m.
Pagan identifies closely with the event’s “VOICES” theme.
“I’m blessed with many things in my life,” he said. “So when there’s an opportunity to give back and help others, we do it through our music.”
One of the selections to be performed is called “Oye La Musica,” which means “hear the music.”
“The song conveys the message that there is a natural rhythm in all of us, our inner voice…our heartbeat…our soul,” Pagan said.
Other Grupo Pagan members performing at VOICES include keyboardist Bill DiCosimo from Cicero, and percussionist Josh Dekaney from Syracuse. Dekaney will also be performing at VOICES with Samba Laranja, a Brazilian ensemble from Syracuse University.
VOICES offers an opportunity for guests to support two organizations that encourage and promote expression. Admission is $125 per person. Reservations are required. For more information and to purchase tickets visit www.everson.org.
