Burlap to Cashmere at the Bitter End

Vocalist/guitarist Steven Delopoulos assembled a theater project for his final exam at a theater and dance school in New York. He later asked his then-14-year-old guitarist cousin, John Philippidis, to join him in the show, and together with a childhood friend, drummer Theodore Pagano, they formed Burlap to Cashmere in 1994. Additional musicians were added, and two years later the folk rock and world music ensemble began performing regularly at the Bitter End. Burlap to Cashmere made a splash with two albums in 1998, but road fatigue split the promising band apart. Delopoulos recorded two solo albums, Philippidis did session work, and Pagano worked as an interior designer. A tragedy brought them back together years later. In 2005, Philippidis fell victim to a road rage incident near his home in Brooklyn and was beaten nearly to death; he spent a month in a coma and required radical facial reconstructive surgery. As he recovered, he and his former comrades wrote and sang songs together. The old spirit was recaptured. The reformed Burlap to Cashmere released a self titled album in 2011.

Burlap to Cashmere has returned to performing regularly at the Bitter End, and a hometown crowd eagerly awaits each time. There is no contemporary band quite like Burlap to Cashmere. Imagine Simon and Garfunkel singing to the music of the Gipsy Kings. Delopoulos and Philippidis sang crisp and vibrant harmonies to  Delopoulos' inspirational and poetic lyrics, Philippidis played speedy flamenco-style acoustic guitar, and the band backed them with hot, driving, foot-stomping Mediterranean rhythms. The song selection included many of their spiritually-driven compositions, including "Anybody Out There", "The Other Country" and "Basic Instructions." Altogether, Burlap to Cashmere excelled in melding folk and world music to a 21st century audience.

Visit Burlap to Cashmere at www.burlaptocashmere.com.