Yorktown Country Singer to Hit Airwaves with PBS Special
By Janine Bowen
Country music artist Jessica Lynn Calamera may be a Yorktown girl, but she will be in homes across the county this month with her second PBS special, entitled “Takin’ Over.”
The special, which will begin airing on April 19 in New York before going nationwide, was filmed at the Paramount Hudson Valley Theater in Peekskill in September and features an audience that includes friends and family members who have followed Calamera’s career since she began.
“There’s actually a point on the show, in the first song I get choked up a little because it was just so overwhelming to see all that support and to know what an exciting journey we were embarking on and that I was sharing it with all those people,” she said.
The special will air on channel 13, the New York PBS station which also happens to be the biggest PBS affiliate in the country, and Calamera said the fact that channel 13 wanted the exclusive rights to air the program first shows just how far her career has advanced in the last year. Her first special, “This Much Fun- Live at the Winery at St. George,” aired on PBS last May, but didn’t get picked up by the local PBS station right away.
Since that first special, Calamera has had to adjust to life in the public eye, noting that she has recently begun getting recognized by people who have seen her on TV or who know her music. She also receives emails from fans around the world and is proud to know that her music has had an impact on so many people.
Calamera and fans will have the opportunity to hang out during the “Takin’ Over” premier party, which will be held in Manhattan on April 18. Calamera said that she is excited to use the opportunity to get to know her fans on a more personal level and to be able to give those in attendance a first look at the show. The gathering, which costs $25 to attend, will be limited to 125 guests and is set to be held at the D’Angelico Guitars showroom, which has previously hosted parties for Billboard Magazine.
“They pretty much describe it at Keith Richards’ living room,” said Calamera of the space.
The premier of “Takin’ Over” will kick off a busy spring and summer for Calamera, who will release her first studio album this month. She said that recording in the studio gave her a lot of opportunity to create sounds that are not possible on stage, but noted that she tried to avoid straying too far from the traditional roots of country music.
Beginning June 14, Calamera will hit the road on a national tour, sharing the stage with acts including Tim McGraw, Keith Urban, and The Band Perry. Calamera, who also toured with several big name country artists last year, said that it’s a surreal experience to perform alongside artists who have influenced her own style and approach to country music.
“It’s a weird feeling to describe. It’s a feeling of accomplishment and success and kind of the feeling that all of your hard work has finally paid off,” she said.
Prior to embarking on her national tour, Calamera will play on last local show at Daryl’s House in Pawling on May 8. Tickets for that performance, as well as for the premier party in New York City, can be found at JessicaLynnMusic.org.
Rick has more than 40 years’ experience covering local news in Westchester and Putnam counties, running the gamut from politics and crime to sports and human interest. He has been an editor at Examiner Media since 2012. Read more from Rick’s editor-author bio here. Read Rick’s work here: https://www.theexaminernews.com/author/pezzullo_rick-writer/