NYC Scene Report – Alethea, Ryan-O’Neil, & Drew Angus

This week’s NYC Scene Report gets under the covers, with three column favorites covering some of their favorites, as Alethea breathes new life into an Anna Nalick hit, Ryan-O’Neil introduces us to the music of Jordan Loretz, and Drew Angus puts his own spin on a Britney Spears classic.

* In 2004, Anna Nalick gave us the adult-contemporary gem “Breathe (2 AM).” In 2020, thanks to the urging of a friend, NYC-based singer-songwriter Alethea is giving us her take on the hit.

“My friend Dez Cruz suggested it for my weekly live stream,” Alethea explains, “and I instantly fell in love with the writing style and edginess of Anna Nalick. I must have listened to that song 100 times that week, and still listen to it all the time!”

It doesn’t have to be 2 AM to enjoy Alethea’s cover of “Breathe,” so click play and give it a listen.


* Ryan-O’Neil has been known to expertly craft some of he most unique covers you’ll ever hear, and he has an interesting story behind his latest, which is of fellow indie artist Jordan Loretz’s song “Ginny Loves Manny Forever.”

“I was asked to be part of a music exchange,” he explains, “each artist was given another artist, and we would have to choose a song of theirs to cover. I was given Jordan. It was all for a fundraiser for the Boys & Girls Club of Geneva, NY.”

O’Neil says there were a few reasons he decided on “Ginny Loves Manny Forever” as the song he wanted to cover, including that it sat nicely in his vocal range. “Most of Jordan’s songs were higher,” he says, “and this one was just perfect. I’m also in the middle of working on a project, Love In 3 Acts, (and) Jordan’s imagery of ‘Ginny Loves Manny’ carved into a tree really connected with me.”

In a wild set of coincidences, O’Neil discovered quite a few other connections to Loretz. “After recording the cover I found out that Jordan and I went to the same college, although I graduated about six years earlier. We both sang on the same choir, and had the same music director, Bob Cowles. In fact, the ‘shore’ he sings about are shores of Seneca Lake. Waters I’m very familiar with.”

Click play, and get familiar with Ryan-O’Neil’s cover of “Ginny Loves Manny Forever.”


* You’d be hard pressed to find someone who doesn’t love the Britney Spears classic, “…Baby One More Time.” Singer-songwriter Drew Angus is certainly a fan, and he recently put his own spin on the hit.

“Four months into the ‘new normal’ I felt it was time to jump into some of the ‘90s jams that I grew up on in preparation for a throwback themed live stream,” he explains, “I came back to this song, and the first time I played through it it had a special spark, and my assistant immediately told me I had to record it.”

Angus adds that if you enjoy the fun of his Britney cover, you can find him doing live streams every Wednesday at 8pm EST on his Facebook page. “(I’m) bringing in guests, playing solo, with the full band, and doing theme nights here and there. It’s fun to dive back into old tunes I haven't played in ages.”

If you’re looking for good times, and good vibes, look no further than this cover.


For more of the best of NYC’s indie music scene, come back next Wednesday, and check out the archives for previous columns.