CD Review: Rich Pagano + the Sugarcane Cups’ Hold Still Light Escapes (2025)

It’s been a while since we’ve heard from Rich Pagano & the Sugarcane Cups, which is our loss ‘cause Rich is a helluva singer, songwriter, and musician, as evidenced by Hold Still Light Escapes, his sophomore effort. An impressive and altogether amazing collection of lovingly-crafted songs, Hold Still Light Escapes documents Pagano’s late son Nic’s five-year substance abuse disorder, with the songs inspired by their texts, journals, and personal experiences. Heady stuff, to be sure, and such closely-held, obvious ‘labors of love’ sometimes fall flat – not this one! Pagano’s skills as a wordsmith and musician propel these ten songs firmly into classic rock territory, i.e. lots of infectious melodies, chiming guitars, and smart lyrics.

Rich Pagano + the Sugarcane Cups’ Hold Still Light Escapes

Hold Still Light Escapes opens with the title track, a rootsy rocker with cautiously optimistic, hopeful lyrics with Pagano’s vox nearly hidden in the mix, and some great guitarplay from former Jason & the Scorchers/John Mellencamp/Hearts & Minds guitar-wrangler Andy York. The more up-tempo “Slowly” evinces a garage-rock vibe, mostly due to Kevin Bents’ tasty keyboards work, while the lyrics showcase the positivity of putting the past behind us and moving forward with life.

The somber semi-balled “4th of July” offers insight and support of the lost and lonely with a gorgeous soundtrack reminiscent of Dave Alvin while “True Love” is an enchanting story-song about emergence and perseverance that sports nuanced vocals and instrumentation that creates a gossamer, hypnotic listening experience. The wry “Mother Teresa” is deceptively brilliant – a cautionary tale, perhaps, of the allure and struggles of addiction – the mid-tempo song diving into R&B territory with a blast of Craig Dreyer’s sax solo and subtle guitar from Jack Petruzzelli.

“Huntington Beach” may be my favorite song on Hold Still Light Escapes, a brilliant, cinematic portrait of addiction with poetic lyrics worthy of Bukowski and a sparse instrumental backdrop that swells in grandeur with Pagano’s crescendo of drumbeats. The confessional “Useless” veers directly into Pete Townshend and the Who with great vocals, whipsmart lyrics, and a 1970s-styled, radio-friendly arrangement. The last of the CD’s main tracks, “At the End of the Day” is a Gospel-tinged tale of survival and forgiveness provided gravitas by Pagano’s earnest vocals combined with Brian Mitchell’s reverent keyboards, with guitarist Ann Klein laying low in the groove.   

The Reverend’s Bottom Line

Giving his fans more bang for their bucks, Pagano has fleshed out Hold Still Light Escapes with a half-dozen cool “bonus” tracks, including a powerful live acoustic version of “Useless” and solid, rocking, non-LP live performances of “Ariel’s Return” and “Rearview St. June,” from the self-titled 2009 Rich Pagano + the Sugarcane Cups album. The CD closes with the raw, immediate, and heartfelt “Something To Live For,” providing a poignant end to Hold Still Light Escapes. Net proceeds from the CD benefit The Nic Pagano LGBTQIA+ Scholarship for Recovery (www.releaserecoveryfoundation.org/lgbtqia), so what are you waiting for? Grade: A (self-produced, released 2024)

Buy the CD direct: Rich Pagano + the Sugarcane Cups’ Hold Still Light Escapes

Archive Review: Rich Pagano + the sugarCane cups (2009)

A general rule of thumb in rock ‘n’ roll is that auxiliary band members (i.e. drummers, bassists) and sidemen (ditto) shouldn’t even attempt to record solo albums. The cut-out bins and used record stores of yore had shelves littered with examples of poor major label decisions (Bloody Egg Yolk are a BIG band, so it follows that the bassist’s solo album, recorded in his basement with his wife and next-door neighbor, should be HUGE!). Sure, there are exceptions to every rule, no matter how many lamebrained rockcrits say it’s so, but for every stellar effort from a Ringo Starr or John Entwistle, there are a hundred crappers rotting on the store shelves from Keith Moon, Tommy Lee, and (too many) others. Really, can you imagine a Lars Ulrich solo album, even in your worst nightmares? Eewww, wot a stinker that one would be!

Rich Pagano is a major exception to the aforementioned rule. A former member of the late ‘90s alt-pop outfit Marry Me Jane, in the ensuing years Pagano has become the skinman of choice for every pop-rock genius and street-smart rock ‘n’ roll idol to come down the pike, from Patti Smith and Willie Nile to Ray Davies and Ian Hunter, among many others. Performing and recording with a diverse range of talents has honed Pagano’s skills to a surgical precision, yet his drumming retains the unpredictability of spontaneity. It’s with this musical background that Pagano steps into a spotlight of his own with the sorta self-titled Rich Pagano + the sugarCane cups, his debut album.

Rich Pagano + the sugarCane cups

Right off the bat, let’s agree that Pagano is no poetic dilettante or wannabe wordsmith, but rather an impressive songwriter with a grasp of the language, imagination, and something to say…my guess is that Rich was paying attention when working with notable writers like Hunter and Nile. As such, Rich Pagano + the sugarCane cups provides a rich lyrical experience, Pagano venting his spleen on such heady subjects as suicide (the darkly beautiful “Rearview St. Jude”); addiction and its effects on relationships (“You Want To Stay High”); and the frustrations of the working man (“Nine Lives”).  

Musically, Rich Pagano + the sugarCane cups is a curious hybrid of classic rock and 1970s-era progressive rock, with a few folkish traits thrown in for good measure. Pagano doesn’t particularly wear his influences on his sleeve like some artists, but they’re certainly haunting these grooves, and you can pick out elements of John Lennon’s solo work, the Beatles, the Band and Levon Helm, and other sources among the blazing guitars and gospel-tinged keys. As for the aforementioned proggish tendencies, Pagano might not even realize that they’re here, but you can hear ‘em in the thick arrangements, instrumental virtuosity, and swooping musical landscapes that surround his whipsmart lyrics, scraps of Yes, the Strawbs, and Genesis ringing as clear as a bell.

Pagano’s backing musos, the “sugarCane cups,” are an all-star collection of the best and the brightest that NYC has to offer, with guitarists Andy York, Steve Conte, and Jack Petruzzelli, along with keyboardist Jeff Kazee shouldering the heavy loads, while various name-brand talents like Trey Anastasio, Ian Hunter, Willie Nile, and David Johansen drop by to lend a hand. Recorded in bits-and-pieces over the course of a year, Pagano used whatever friendly collaborators that he could rope into a session, but the results are surprisingly uniform, with the obviously inspired participants leaving behind some good work when they walked out the door.

The Reverend’s Bottom Line

Rich Pagano + the sugarCane cups is an album that looks forward towards the future while gazing longingly towards the past. Pagano’s rough-hewn vocals are a welcome throwback to the pre-Pro Tools era, glorying in their warm authenticity and sometimes ragged emotion, while his percussion work sits comfortably behind his fellow players, rising now and then in the mix to add an invigorating blast of energy.

An original and creatively exciting work, Pagano’s solo debut is a modern-sounding collection with a contemporary edge that still wouldn’t have sounded terribly out-of-place in, say, 1975. This is timeless, well-constructed rock music, and Pagano deserves every column-inch of critical accolades that he’ll receive for the album. Even if he doesn’t garner the ink spilled on undeserving, trendier artists, it won’t change the inconvenient truth that Rich Pagano + the sugarcane cups is among the best albums that you’ll hear in 2009. You can believe it ‘cause the Reverend says so! (self-produced, released 2009)

Review originally published by Blurt magazine...

Buy the CD direct: Rich Pagano + the sugarCane cups