Falcon Celebrates Gospel Music With World of Gospel Residency

By Journalist Ms. Jones

MARLBORO – The Falcon celebrated gospel music on Monday, October 9 during Corey Dandridge’s World of Gospel Residency, the Falcon’s most successful residency, which is presented each March and October. This is the third year of the residency.

“It’s a month long… concert series… just being able to showcase the different gospel expressions… Some friends of mine… we were trying to do a night of worship… we didn’t want to use a church building. So… I said let’s look for a venue… So, I came in here and I asked Tony… He said, ‘I’m gonna give you a Monday and see what you do with that. As a matter of fact, just take every Monday for the month of October… The first night was a nice crowd. It was new, fresh. It was different. But then, by the end of the month it was jam packed. There was no room. It was like standing room only and it’s been great ever since… It started to expand. So, Tony saw that it was very successful… It was growing… So, he said let’s try March,” said Michael “Corey” Dandridge who emceed the event, led the crowd into praise and worship, and also played the drums.

There is a different theme every week. The theme was Open Mic Night/Singer-Songwriter Night. Performances were given by group “Dear Cecilia” and Singer/Songwriter Justin Cole. Recording Artist Jasmine Parker sang “I’m Available to You.” Ralph Williams blessed the stage in preparation for his album release party just days away.

“I’m super happy to be here. I love playing here at the Falcon. I also love playing here during Gospel Month at the Falcon. It’s really cool to see what goes on here… to see… some good music and some good messages coming to the community and not stick inside church walls,” said Lucas Carillo, also known as Bad Water, before he sang his single “Time.” Carrillo also played guitar for the band Furnace Creek who headlined the evening.

Each Monday’s themes are as follows:

1st Monday- “Contemporary Gospel Night” which featured Rachel Martin from Dobbs Ferry and Corey Dandridge and SALT

2nd Monday- “Open Mic Night/Singer-Songwriter Night” which featured Furnace Creek

3rd Monday- “Night of Praise” which featured choirs from Beth-EL COGIC, Best Temple COGIC, and Dena’ Walker and Judah

4th Monday- “Traditional Gospel Night” featuring the Rainbow Singers and Just Voices

5th Monday- “Finale Night” featuring Newburgh’s own Kim Che’re Hardy and Corey Dandridge and SALT

SALT is Dandridge’s group, which includes a 5-piece band and 10 singers. They got their name from Matthew 5:13, “Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted.” They certainly bring the flavor! They opened up for Grammy Award Winner Le’Andria Johnson in September and are planning an EP.

Dandridge is the eldest son of a pastor. His father pastored Faith Temple Church of God in Christ in Beacon for thirty-five years.

“I was… born and raised ‘in the church.’ My mother went into labor on a Tuesday night service,” said Dandridge. “Church is my life. Church is my background.”

The owner of the Falcon, Tony Falco, also has a background in church.

“When I first started, I had a church that I was turning into a community center, but I sold that church to the post office, But, they didn’t want the building. They just wanted the land.

So, I took down the building and I used the material to build a building behind my house and that was the first Falcon. It was a community center and a performance space and now it’s a music studio… This place, I purchased because I outgrew that other space… I converted [it] into a restaurant… the Falcon,” said Falco.

Ironically, some of the materials at the Falcon are from Falco’s previous church.

“This sound booth is made out of material from that church. ‘Cause I took the whole building down… I saved everything, the bricks, the wood… the stained glass. There’s some of the stained glass in this building also… up in the office and in the back.”