Geneseo Jam Kitchen
Geneseo’s music scene is livening up with the introduction of Geneseo Jam Kitchen, a promotional group comprised of local Livingston County musicians who will be booking diverse musical acts at the Geneseo Riviera and Wadsworth Homestead.
Jeremy Grace and Chuck Salvaggio have been playing music in Livingston County for several years and are the two founders of this project. They’ve been looking for their way to contribute to Geneseo’s vibrant cultural life for some time—Grace said that they’ve “always thought Geneseo needs a better live music scene.” So, when they noticed the Riviera sitting there empty, they just had to take a shot.
The Riviera was Geneseo’s entertainment hub throughout the 20th century until it closed its doors in the 1990s. In 2013, under new ownership, it began to provide entertainment once again, with screenings of old movies and occasional blues concerts, but this came to a halt with the COVID-19 pandemic. In January of 2022, Grace and Salvaggio reached out to Riviera owner Don Livingston to discuss a partnership in which Geneseo Jam Kitchen would find bands and schedule and promote shows, using the Riviera as a venue. Soon after an agreement was made, Salvaggio and Grace enlisted the help of John Carlo Pecheone, a recent Nazareth College graduate, musician and music promoter, in advertising and promoting the group.
Geneseo Jam Kitchen aims to celebrate Geneseo and Livingston County—even its name stems from Geneseo’s rich history, named after the once famous jam kitchen at 34 Main Street in Geneseo that sold homemade jam across the country during the early 1900s. This Geneseo Jam Kitchen will soon become an LLC, and in the long-term Grace said he would like it to become a nonprofit. Currently, the Geneseo Jam Kitchen labels itself as a “promotional group responsible for bringing music to the Riviera and Wadsworth Homestead.”
When asked what makes the Riviera the perfect venue to book music at, Grace immediately responded: “Two words: sight and sound,” and as I sat there chatting with Grace and Carlo, I couldn’t have agreed more. The Riviera’s emerald green walls are laced with golden trim and adornment lit up by sconces, and even at a low volume, our voices resounded in the space with a full, clear ring. Carlo chimed in with “and location,” and it’s true—the Riviera sits right across from the Idle Hour, two doors down from Intermissions Bar and diagonal to another newer Geneseo cultural hub, the Gallery in the Valley.
Starting this weekend, Geneseo Jam Kitchen will be providing Geneseo and Livingston County residents with weekly music gigs partnering with the Riviera as a venue. On Friday, Mar. 4, there will be a pre-launch event with live folk music where the group will be testing how everything goes before the official launch on Saturday, Mar. 5, that will feature three student acts: opening acoustic act Mike Levan, “college rock” band Stunt Double, and jam band Womp. Grace and Carlo agree that one of the goals of the project is to appeal to all different tastes, and, in the process, discover new music themselves. Snacks, soda, beer and wine will be served by the Riviera operations.
The doors will open at 6:30, and music will be played from 7:00 P.M to 10:00 P.M. Tickets are $5 for the Mar. 5 launch and will increase to $10 for future weekend shows. In response to my surprise at the low prices, Grace stated, “I believe fundamentally music needs to be accessible… we hope to be able to keep the $10 price.” The full schedule for March can be found at Geneseo Jam Kitchen’s Facebook and Instagram (@geneseojamkitchen) pages. Geneseo Jam Kitchen will also be hosting an outdoor summer music series at Wadsworth Homestead on the first and third Thursdays of each month, starting in late May.
There are ways for the community to get involved with Geneseo Jam Kitchen. Following them on social media is a great start, but so is simply sharing the news with friends. As Carlo stated, with new operations in small communities like this one, “word of mouth is huge,” and can be all the difference in a concert turn-out. Additionally, Geneseo Jam Kitchen is working with the Gallery in the Valley to promote events. Joanna Walters of the Gallery is connecting local up-and-coming visual artists with bands to create promotional posters and advertising for the community.
The goals of Geneseo Jam Kitchen are simple: contribute to cultural life in Geneseo, connect local musicians with a dream venue and as Carlo said, “give the folks a smile.” Grace said, too, that the Jam Kitchen is more than just a stand-alone project. He shared that they “have all sorts of ambitions to link this into a deeper movement promoting arts and culture in Geneseo,” and that if they can “contribute to people across the region thinking about what a great place Geneseo is for the arts,” then they will have accomplished something truly special.