Announcing, Drop-In Sessions II at Merge with DJ Cutler and The Rockaz

The lineup for Round Two of the monthly Drop-In Sessions is set, and another double-jaw-drop is on the docket.

Building on a kickoff event that saw DJ Cutler collaborate with an impromptu instrumental quartet and Drop-In Nation Education founder Stacey Watson give a moving setbreak statement that silenced the audience and inspired a rousing ovation of its own, the series returns to its third-Friday residence at Merge (439 Delaware Ave, $5 cover) on Friday, February 17^th, 10pm, with a new group dropping in to join Cutler.

Joining the jam this month is The Rockaz, a diverse sextet of veteran Buffalo players – two-thirds of whom are known most from their days as the Great Train Robbery – making original music described as “a unique blend of rockin’ soul, dub, reggae, R&B, ska, and funk, served best on the dance floor.” Despite being strangers to Cutler to date, this crew is certain to be a great fit together – even if they can’t all actually fit onto the small stage at Merge. Both literally and figuratively, the jams will be overflowing.

For Watson’s part, she is sure to stir the crowd again with stories of her work to rescue out of school youth and unemployed or underemployed adults by providing holistic education, including life skills and career-training opportunities in a collaborative community-based setting.

“It’s fun to see a group of musicians introducing each other while setting up, then playing together as if they’ve done so for years,” said The Good Neighborhood founder Seamus Gallivan. “Cutler and The Rockaz share many of the same influences as well as the ability to improvise, I have no doubt they’ll tear it up together – however, as was the case last month, we expect Stacey Watson to again steal the show when she speaks. Like the 700+ students she’s saved from the streets, we believe in Stacey and her mission, and the Drop-In Sessions serve to spotlight that work.”