Once a month, no matter how busy our schedules are, we make the trek down to Quinn’s Restaurant in Beacon, New York. Walking into Quinn’s is, in the best way possible, an assault on the senses. Traces of the original establishment—an old breakfast diner—can still be seen in the space. A row of booths lines one wall, upholstered in fabric that could have been stolen from any grandmother’s sofa. A long counter stretches across the room where regulars once ordered their morning coffee and eggs. While fragments of the diner remain, the energy of Quinn’s is fresh and eclectic, creating a space that is inviting yet provocative. The room glows deeply red from stained glass lampshades, and colored lanterns decorate the ceiling. Vintage Japanese posters line the walls, and a retro television plays old movies on a loop in a corner. The breakfast counter now functions as a bar, and a glass display case that once housed cheesecake and pastries is now full of craft beer and cider. Rather than omelettes and pancakes, the kitchen sends out Japanese soul food—hot dogs loaded with nori and kimchi, hot sake and steaming bowls of ramen. Yet, the most compelling aspect of Quinn’s is not its unique atmosphere or excellent food. Rather, it is the music that has kept us coming back again and again.
Every third Thursday of the month, local improvisational band Cosmokaze takes the stage at Quinn’s. This group is no traditional jam band; in fact, their sound is just as unconventional as the restaurant’s eccentric atmosphere. Enter Rik Mercaldi, Josh Enslen and Todd Giudice, three musicians whose combined talents push the boundaries of live performance. Their sound is difficult to put into words—the members themselves admit that their musical style does not sit within traditional genre lines. With Mercaldi on guitar, Giudice on drums and Enslen on bass, the trio’s sets are entirely improvised, balancing experimental sound with rhythmic melody. Speaking with the group after their latest show, Mercaldi offered his own description of the music: “It’s pretty dissonant, heavy, angry, ethereal, progressive. It sort of touches on every style of music I like.”
The band’s name is a brilliant portmanteau, a perfect tribute to their funky sound. “We thought our sound was a bit trippy, space rock psychedelic and we started throwing out all kinds of words having to do with astronomy, space, the cosmos,” said Mercaldi. “I said that as we were freely improvising with no idea where we were going and reckless, we were kinda like musical kamikaze pilots. Cosmic kamikazes… Cosmokaze.” The creation of their name mimics the emergence of their sound—a process grounded in collaboration.
Cosmokaze needs no introduction—the three members make their way to the stage after grabbing drinks and exchanging hellos at the bar, diving straight into their set. Their music absent of lyrics, listeners are immediately absorbed within their atmospheric sound. Immensely transportive, Mercaldi, Enslen and Giudice build a reverberating and evocative tone with ease. With such seamless movement between mood and tempo, the absence of any prior arrangements came as a shock to us as first-time listeners. Instead, they simply step on stage and allow the music to speak for itself, playing off of each other’s energy. Giudice described the uniqueness of this dynamic. “Our intuitive thinking and the way we play together was really the basis of it all—we could just make those changes on the fly. It’s really been interesting, I’ve never played with guys like this before.”
The band’s easy cohesion convinced us they must have been playing together their entire lives. Yet, Cosmokaze only came to be about five years ago—all thanks to a Craigslist ad placed by Mercaldi. In the call for bandmates, he included his niche musical influences—artists like CAN, Hawkwind and Steve Hillage—hoping to weed out those seeking a conventional sound. Before long, friends Mercaldi and Giudice were on their way to meet Enslen at his home, initiating what would become a deeply meaningful project for them all.
For such spontaneous compositions, the three members are rarely communicating on stage—at least in a way perceivable to audience members. As they play, they are simultaneously listening to one another with heightened sensitivity—a testament to both their individual talents and their collective aptitude for the improvisational style. “There’s musical cues, you know. We’ll be jamming on something and then all of a sudden I hear Todd start accenting something or maybe I play a riff and he starts accenting,” said Mercaldi. “It’s funny because a lot of times we don’t even look at each other.” For listeners, the conversation between each instrument is palpable. The music is seemingly never-ending, only slowing in moments to discover where it will travel next. The band’s execution is grounded and confident, so it came as a surprise to learn that their improvisational style can still push them into discomfort. “When we play in front of an audience it’s exhilarating and terrifying at the same time,” said Mercaldi. Yet it is the nature of this discomfort that produces immense creative fulfillment for the three, transporting them into immersive, uncharted territory. “It’s like hanging on to a fucking rope. Like, I wonder where this is gonna go,” continued Mercaldi. Both on stage and off, it is wholly apparent that the band exists together with ease. “It’s so inspiring playing with these guys because we’re fueling each other,” said Mercaldi. Giudice spoke to this relational aspect as well. “We’re just three guys who get together in a room and we’re friends and we love each other, and we also play a certain way.”
Live improvisation is the cornerstone of Cosmokaze’s sound, a characteristic upheld within their recording process. Their first two records, both available on Bandcamp, were entirely improvised. Currently in production of a third album, the group is engaging with this method in an entirely new way. Giudice proposed that each member come into the studio individually to record the foundation of a track. Then, the other two members improvise on top of it, deconstructing their live process within the record. This new method captures the essence of the band—a constant experiment in transcending traditional processes.
Cosmokaze will be performing at Untouchables in Newburgh on Saturday, May 24, opening for Phantom Limb at 8:30 p.m. Mercaldi will also perform a solo show at the Towne Crier Cafe in Beacon on June 13 at 6 p.m. But of course, you can find them every third Thursday at Quinn’s, on the very stage where we have been lucky enough to witness the awesome power of Cosmokaze.