Award-winning Yorktown-based duo New Middle Class will bring their playfully serious, heartfelt and slightly bent original acoustic pop to Peekskill for an afternoon at The BeanRunner Café on Sunday, Nov. 2.
New Middle Class is Barbara Borok (vocal) and Mike Borok (guitar/vocal). Mike’s songwriting has won many awards, including first place in the 2024 Music for Humanity Songwriting Contest and the Grand Prize at the Music to Life Songwriting Contest at the prestigious Kerrville Folk Festival in Texas. The duo was selected for the Emerging Artists Showcase at the 2023 Falcon Ridge Folk Festival. Their “adventurously original” songs have been played on more than 60 radio stations and often walk a thin line between the funny and the serious.
Sunday’s event will be the release concert for their new album, Prehistoric (Volume One). They’ve released four previous albums, featuring a mix of their trademark smart and melodic original songwriting, observant (and often satirical) lyrics, and tight vocal harmonies. But this new album is a retrospective of songs and recordings from before their official 1999 debut CD. They’re looking forward to sharing these deep cuts and to playing songs they have rarely (if ever) performed before.
Mike and Barbara share a decades-long musical partnership, spanning genres with a country/swing band in the New York City college scene and a rock band playing at downtown clubs like CBGB. Since moving to Yorktown in 1989, they’ve developed a reputation across the tristate area and nationally for their original acoustic pop songs and fun, entertaining performances.
Their first album was recorded at Thus ‘n’ Such Studios in Peekskill’s Hat Factory; their other albums were recorded at their home studio. Recently they’ve been working with a service called Musiversal, which enables them to record remotely with studio musicians from across the globe. Their last album featured musicians from Costa Rica, Thailand, Spain, Brazil and other countries.
The Ark of Music said the album is “a bold, thought-provoking concept album that explores life’s biggest questions with depth, heart, and stunning musicality... HIGHLY recommended.”
Barbara holds a degree in fine arts, and she has created several delightful YouTube videos of their songs. Recent videos include “Loch Ness Café,” “Quark” and “After the Afterlife.” The latest soon-to-be-released video is for “Roadkill Rescue,” from the Prehistoric album.
The songs and videos of New Middle Class can be streamed on all major platforms and on their website, newmiddleclass.com. Their Facebook page is newmiddleclassmusic.
The Nov. 2 album release concert starts Sunday afternoon at 3 p.m. at Peekskill’s BeanRunner Café (201 Division St.). They’ll be joined by bassist Bill Strohm. No cover charge. Reservations recommended at 914-737-1701 or beanrunnercafe.com.
Article courtesy of New Middle Class
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